Acworth to Have Presence in Big Shanty Festival

More than 60,000 people are expected to pass through downtown Kennesaw this weekend for the 37th annual Superior Plumbing Kennesaw/Big Shanty Festival, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 20 and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21.

Admission is free, and there will be a variety of activities to entertain all ages.

While at the Superior Plumbing Kennesaw/Big Shanty Festival take time to wander through more than 250 booths featuring a vast array of one-of-a-kind and homemade crafts. The Superior Plumbing Big Shanty Festival has grown through the years to become one of the largest arts and crafts shows in North Georgia.

The location of the festival plays up the rich heritage of Kennesaw and its important role in the Civil War. The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History sits at the center of the festival. This Smithsonian-affiliated Museum is home to the famous “General” locomotive. In addition to the Civil War Encampment, an enormous kids zone presented by North Cobb Christian School with inflatables big and small for kids of all ages will entertain kids big and small. The Rowdy Rooster Puppet Show will be roaming through the crowds presented by LOUD Security to entertain all festival goers. Stop by and see the Master of the Chainsaw, Brian Ruth, as he transforms a four-foot log in to a work of art using only his chainsaws in less than an hour, presented by Top Dogs Pet Boutique. New this year is the Castrol Premium Lube Express Lawton’s Trout Pond which allows kids of all ages to fish for free in the fully contained trout pond!

Of course it wouldn’t be a festival without outstanding local entertainment and all your favorite festival foods. Entertainment will include some of Kennesaw’s most talented residents performing, Little General Cloggers, ETO Demo team, Kennesaw Mountain Cloggers, members of Great Gig Dance Studio and many more community groups. The two entertainment stages will also feature performances by many of our area schools including Baker, Chalker, Pickett's Mill, Big Shanty and Hayes Elementary, as well as Awtrey, McClure and Barber Middle School.

To kick off the festivities, a parade will start at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 20. The Parade features fabulous floats and proud marchers – over 2,000 youngsters alone representing every sport association and school in the area, plus winners of many pageants along with Allatoona, Kennesaw Mountain and North Cobb High School Bands. The Parade will start at Adams Park and continue down Main Street through downtown Kennesaw.

The Superior Plumbing Kennesaw/Big Shanty Festival is held in downtown Kennesaw on both sides of Main Street (Highway 293) and is co-sponsored by the city of Kennesaw and the non-profit Kennesaw Business Association.

For more information call Bill Watson or Peter Jezerinac at 770-423-1330.