The Cotton Fair

The Cotton Fair has been a staple in the community of Gay, Georgia for over 50 years.
Each year during the first weekend of May and October, the Craft Festival brings a bustling crowd into our historic town.
The festival is a chance to discover unique, skilled artisans and one-of-a-kind crafts and antiques. The fairgrounds of The Cotton Fair are now a part of a complex of historical buildings and grounds that are continuously in the process of restoration and preservation. The complex is now known as Longleaf. An homage to the pine that is prevalent in the area.

HISTORY

In 1972 the Gay family created an “invitation only” antiques, art, and craft festival to help showcase Meriwether County and its talent. It has grown to be an outstanding bi annual event that has artisans from all over the country bringing their unique items to The Cotton Fair. In 2020, the Summerour family acquired the fair and grounds to preserve, restore and continue the fair for future generations.

ATTEND THE COTTON FAIR

The Cotton Fair is held semi-annually on the first full weekend in May and October. The Georgia Tourism Foundation honored The Cotton Pickin’ Fair as a Founding Producer of Distinction, and the Southeast Tourism Society has selected The Cotton Pickin’ Fair as a Top Twenty Event. Today it has changed names as it has with each successive owner, but the quality and dedication to excellence remains the same.

Location in Films and Television

1993, “The War”, starring Kevin Costner and Elijah Wood.

2011, “Lawless” starring Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Jason Clarke, Jessica Chastain, and Mia Wasikowska and directed by John Hillcoat.
This great story-telling movie was adapted from the book “The Wettest County in the World” by Matt Bondurant.

2014, “In Dubious Battle”, starring James Franco based on John Steinbeck’s first novel.
2023, A major television outlet is currently filming a series on the grounds.

The Historical Buildings

Each building on the Cotton Fair Grounds has its own unique history. The Cotton Warehouse, which now houses the Antique Center, was built before 1910 as a farming and building supply center. The Basketmaker’s Cabin began life as part of a grist mill dam on the Flint River. The Hammermill, where you can find festival information and live entertainment, was originally built to store corn that was used for cattle feed. 

The Seed Cotton House and Seed House A stored and separated cotton and cotton seed. The seed would later go on to cottonseed oil mills in Macon, Rome, and Atlanta. Today, the building houses the Greenville Masonic Lodge BBQ. The Cotton Gin, which last ran in 1971, is where the cotton was dried, cleaned, and seeded. Just up the hill, the Gin Scale sees a new life as a rustic stage featuring the country music of The Honey Creek Boys. The Peach Packing Shed, built in the early 1900s, held workers packing fresh peaches into wood crates for delivery across the country. The rope drawn freight elevator still works to this day. 

Built to house J.R. Gay & Company, the 1911 Building is a 3-story, 8-room apartment and a small warehouse. J.R. Gay was an eligible bachelor, so he often used the warehouse as a ballroom to host social events in thriving Gay, Georgia. The main floor housed the farm office, general store, and post office; the basement housed the grocery department. The West Gate of The Cotton Pickin’ Fair is the former front door of this building. Just beside the 1911 Building sits the Blacksmith Shop, which originally held the Delco Battery Plant that provided 28-volt DC electricity to the town of Gay during the very early part of the 20th Century.

The W. F. Gay 1891 House was built by the town’s namesake, William Franklin Gay, in 1891. Judge W.F. Gay was appointed to serve as the town’s first postmaster in 1886 and was appointed as mayor when the Town of Gay incorporated in 1906. W.F. Gay also served as Chairman of the Meriwether County Board of Commissioners when the Meriwether County Courthouse was constructed in 1904.

The Structures

  • The Farmhouse 1891

  • The Cotton Gin

  • The Warehouse

  • The Peach Shed

  • Hammer Mill

  • The 1911 Building