News Release
For Immediate Release — August 17, 2011
Ames Plantation’s Heritage Festival Offers Family Fun
With the help of more than 125 folk artists, demonstrators, re-enactors and musicians, visitors of all ages to the Ames Ames Plantation Heritage Festival can escape to a simpler time. This year's event will be Saturday, October 8, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for children ages 4 – 16, and free for ages 3 and under. Parking is free.
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GRAND JUNCTION, Tenn. – This October an exciting and affordable family outing awaits you. The 14th annual Heritage Festival returns to Ames Plantation on Saturday, October 8, 2011. With an array of activities, and set against a backdrop of a rustic 19th century village, the Heritage Festival is both enlightening and fun for all.
Visitors can watch Civil War re-enactments, shop for unique handmade crafts and listen to old-timey gospel and bluegrass music. The kids will love to dance along with the Native American performers, inspect antique tractors and pick their own cotton. And all can indulge their taste buds with savory food cooked over an open fire or old-fashioned kettle corn.
If your interests lean toward interior design, you’ll want to check out the nationally renowned Stencil House. Built in the 1830s, its name stems from the elaborate stencil designs covering the home’s walls, a popular decoration for 19th century families. The stenciling represents one of the most impressive surviving examples of this form of folk art in the region today, and it is believed to be one of the oldest surviving displays of stenciling in the South.
With the help of more than 125 folk artists, demonstrators, re-enactors and musicians, you can escape to a simpler time. And whether you’re sitting in a one-room schoolhouse while an animated speaker spins tall tales or your tapping your toe to an up-tempo bluegrass tune, at the Heritage Festival you can unwind without the hassle of modern technological distractions, and just enjoy good family fun. Plus, it’s all just an hour’s drive from Memphis, Jackson and Corinth.
The Heritage Festival runs from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for children ages 4 – 16, and free for ages 3 and under. Parking is free. Enter Ames Plantation at Buford Ellington Road off Tennessee Highway 18. No pets, please.
For more information regarding Heritage Festival visit the web site http://www.amesplantation.org or call 901-878-1067.
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 Ames Plantation’s 18,400 acres of land are made available to University of Tennessee AgResearch as one of 10 AgResearch and Education Centers located across the state. 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.
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Contacts:
Dr. Rick Carlisle, Director, Ames Plantation, 901-878-1067, rcarlisle@amesplantation.org
Ginger Trice Rowsey, Marketing and Communications Services, 731-425-4768, gtrice@tennessee.edu