Skillet Festival returns to Brooks County

he festival is a food, farm and arts festival meant to highlight area agriculture and some of the finest cuisine of the south, according to Assistant Director Laura Basford of the Brooks County Development Authority.

“It’s given us a renewed sense of community pride and it drives visitors into our historic downtown,” said Basford.

“We chose the skillet because we wanted something that was both fun and a great representation of Brooks County. You’d be hard pressed to find a Brooks County home without a cast iron skillet.”

The festival will run from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. and will feature competitions and showcases such as the “Cast Iron Chef,” a Brooks County spin on a popular cooking contest, and doggie pageant show dubbed the “Mutt Show.”

While each of the festival’s competitions and presentations are sure to draw large crowds individually, Basford said she’s most excited about being able to highlight some of the great local vendors and Brooks County organizations. She said that the county’s tourism group, Destination Brooks, was privileged to have landed nationally renowned vendors for the festival.

“What I really love is the variety and quality of vendors that you’ll see,” said Basford. “We try to reach out to vendors in a 150 mile radius to keep it local and authentic. Everything you’ll see at the festival will either be handmade, homemade or homegrown.”

The “Skillet Stomp” will set the evening to music and wrap up the end of the Skillet Festival. Though the festival will run 12 hours in total, Basford said she hopes people will make the most of the annual event and stick around for the free concert.

“We’re encouraging people to bring blankets and chairs,” said Basford. “We hope everyone will stick around for a great concert which features The Kinchafoonee Cowboys.”