This is a young festival as Georgia celebrations go, but after attending its third celebration last…read moreweekend, I can safely say that this is not one to miss.
First of all, for being in the middle of nowhere (40 miles to the closest Walmart kind of nowhere) Blakely has the adorable and vibrant small town square suburbia yearns for. Half a dozen locally owned restaurants with a variety of cuisines, a few antique stores, some other small shops, the Chamber of Commerce, and county development authority all surround the gorgeous county courthouse, making this the location of a surprisingly happening Saturday night for a county with only 12,000 people. There was even a great band playing Friday night when we arrived.
But onto the festival itself. It begins with a lengthy parade celebrating this region's biggest economic driver: the peanut. Miss Peanut, Miss Junior Peanut, Miss Junior Miss Peanut, and all the other incarnations of the Peanut Queen are featured prominently. From there, there are concerts throughout the day on the square, dozens of local craftsmen selling their wares, and of course, as many boiled peanuts, roasted peanuts, peanutbutter, peanut m&ms and other peanut products as you can eat. I picked up an awesome t-shirt that says "Proud 'n' Peanut Country." I'm not sure if that abbreviation is grammatically correct, but it's an awesome t-shirt.
However, the highlight is by far the street dance. Once the festival concludes on Saturday evening, they clear the booths and vendor tents away from the square, and they keep the streets closed and turn the whole square into a giant dance floor. They bring in a great band, and the whole town literally cuts a rug dancing their hearts out under the stars. I'll try not to sound sappy, but imagine people of all races (well, as many as are present in extreme Southwest Georgia) and all ages (3 months to 99 years) laughing and dancing and have a great time. The party goes on until 11pm, and let me tell you, those country boys can dance!
So, if you find yourself with a need for peanut memorabilia, an insatiable urge to dance like nobody's watching, or just happen to be in Early County in March, make sure to check out Peanut Proud.