News Release
For Immediate Release —August 18, 2008
West Tennessee Plantation Hosts 11th Annual Heritage Festival
Heritage Festival Returns to Ames Plantation
Ames Plantation and The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture are proud to present the 11th Annual Heritage Festival and Antique Auction, a celebration of the unique cultural legacy of the mid-South.
On Saturday, October 11, 2008, more than 125 folk artists, demonstrators, and re-enactors will gather on the grounds of the historic Ames Plantation to educate and entertain. Visitors can experience 19th century living as they learn skills from the past, taste traditional cooking, and listen to the sounds of blue grass, gospel and folk music.
While touring the grounds, visitors will also have opportunities to learn about the fascinating current research in the field of archaeology. Actual excavations of the Ames’ grounds will be underway at the festival, and open to visitors, along with special educational sessions. And if one day of heritage celebration is not enough, find a piece of history to take home at the Antique Auction.
The Heritage Festival and Antique Auction is held at the UT AgResearch and Education Center at Ames Plantation in Grand Junction, Tennessee. Festivities run from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Admission is $4.00 for adults, $2.00 for ages five through 16 and free for children ages four and under. Visitors should enter Ames Plantation on Buford Ellington Road from Tennessee Highway 18, and follow signs to free parking and shuttle service to the event site.
Ames Plantation is privately owned and operated by Successor Trustees of the Hobart Ames Foundation through the Will of the late Julia Colony Ames. The plantation’s 18,000 acres of land are made available to UT AgResearch. The UT AgResearch and Education Center at Ames Plantation is one of ten outdoor laboratories operated by the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station system as part of The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. In addition to its agricultural research programs, the UT Institute of Agriculture also provides instruction, research and public service through the UT College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, and UT Extension offices in every county in the state.
For more information about the Heritage Festival and Antique Auction and the Ames Plantation, visit the Web site: http://www.amesplantation.org/ or call 901-878-1067.
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Contact: Ginger Trice, UTIA Marketing and Communications, 731-425-4768