Cool off in the north Georgia mountain town of Blairsville this weekend and check out the inaugural Green Bean Festival.
Expect green beans that have been home-canned, cooked, stuffed into a dessert and possibly even those that had been strung to dry and now resemble leather pants.
The festival begins at 10 a.m. Friday with a seminar on growing organic green beans.
A beauty pageant will begin at 5 p.m. to crown Little Miss Bean Sprout and Mister Leather Britches, followed by an outdoor square dance at 8:30 p.m.
Saturday will be filled with activities centered on the bean, including a canning plant tour and a green bean-pizza eating contest.
Stroll through the town square and browse handmade crafts, or buy fresh, locally grown green beans (and other produce) at the farmers market, also on the square.
Watch the judging of the green bean recipe contest and get some ideas for new ways to prepare the vegetable. The categories are cooked (hot), salads (cold, raw or cooked) and creative, which includes puddings, desserts and breads. But leave your own recipe at home: The contest is limited to residents of Blairsville and the surrounding counties.
After you've had your fill of the vegetable of the day, check out the model railroad at the Misty Mountain Inn.
Fourteen O-gauge Lionel trains travel more than a mile of track, 12 bridges, four trestles and through 15 tunnels as they meander through a 3,400-square-foot replica of the North Georgia terrain, towns and landmarks.
The train runs promptly at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
- Lisa Kaylor, staff writer
What: Green Bean Festival
When: Friday and Saturday
Getting there: Take Interstate 20 West to Exit 172 in Thomson. Turn right on U.S. Highway 78 and follow it to U.S. Highway 17 north near Washington. Continue on U.S. 17 to Georgia Highway 105 near Cornelia. Go left on Georgia Highway 115, then turn right on U.S. Highway 129. Follow it into Blairsville.
Learn more: Green Bean Festival, greenbean
festival.com; Misty Mountain
Inn train museum, misty
mountaininn.com
