TheNewsWhat do you get when you combine old-time mule power, free airplane rides for kids, and the only outdoor Civil War drama in Georgia?
That could only be Mule Day at Callaway Plantation near Washington, which comes around for its
25th year Saturday. This all-day celebration of times gone by – with hand-made crafts, primitive craft demonstrations, and the rare chance to learn to plow behind the noble cotton mule – has always drawn thousands of visitors from surrounding counties, nearby states, and across the nation.
Kids 8-17 will be able to try flying at the Annual Fly-In at the Washington-Wilkes Municipal Airport, across U.S. 78 from Callaway Plantation, said Chris Hughes, the airport’s FBO and owner of This Old Plane. Aircraft will be on static display all day, the Washington Kiwanis Club will serve refreshments, and shuttles will link the Fly-in to Mule Day activities.
Another of the weekend’s rare treats is a chance to see the only outdoor Civil War drama in Georgia, “Postmarked Wilkes County.”
“The exciting live action, charging cavalry, and gunfire contrasts with the haunting Civil War period music and the soldiers’ letters – simple, loving words passed between lonely young soldiers and the folks they left behind in Georgia,” said Louise Maynard, Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce executive director. “This is the only outdoor Civil War drama in the state, and it’s very exciting – but we don’t get to perform it but a few times a year.”
The drama is performed at Callaway Plantation at 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday evenings.
On Saturday evening “Postmarked Wilkes County” will follow an old-fashioned “pig pickin,’” a traditional Southern dinner said to “smell like heaven all afternoon and taste like heaven all evening.”
If you’ve got mules, Maynard says, bring them. “All mules and mule owners are welcome to participate in the day’s mule events,” she said. Mules will show in several categories, and there will be opportunities for the public to try plowing behind mules. Demonstrations of pulling with mule power are said to “show that the mule was the combination pickup truck and ATV of the last century.”
John Mobley of Union Point will judge the mule events, and Ellen Day will return to announce the mule events in the ring. Registration for mule events will start at 9 a.m., and all mules are welcome.
Mule judge Mobley will also give a mule seminar demonstrating how mules were – and are – geared up for plowing and hauling.
The lawn of the plantation will be filled with hand crafters and primitive crafters displaying their works and demonstrating their old-time skills. Local musicians will entertain all day with honest hometown music touching every style from bluegrass to gospel and beyond.
For kids, the day will be filled with food, arts and crafts, a puppet show, a Moon Bounce and rockclimbing wall. “Kids and grownups both will enjoy the baby llama petting zoo, the sheepdog herding demonstrations, and they’ll all enjoy shopping for unique gifts, seeing classic airplanes and cars, and touring the five historic homes of Callaway Plantation,” Maynard said.
Mule Day has traditionally brought thousands of visitors to Callaway Plantation, which is located six miles west of Washington on Highway 78, and 35 miles east of Athens.
Admission to Mule Day is $5 for adults, and $3 for children. “Postmarked Wilkes County” tickets for Friday night or Saturday night are $10. Tickets for both the pig-pickin and the drama are $20.
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