The Peachtree Corners Festival Returns Triumphantly for Its 11th Year

The Peachtree Corners Festival

Returns Triumphantly for Its 11th Year

By Ivy Marie Clarke

July 1-3 is gearing up to be an exciting weekend for Peachtree Corners. Not only is it the lead up to Independence Day, but it’s also the 10th anniversary of Peachtree Corner’s founding. Why not celebrate it all at the 11th annual Peachtree Corners Festival? Enjoy food, entertainment, music and art with your family and friends — not to mention, the festival (and parking) is free and open to the public.

The Peachtree Corners Festival has been a staple of Peachtree Corners since before the city was even officially, well, a city. The festival is a nonprofit “dedicated to bringing a safe, wholesome and family-friendly festival to the City of Peachtree Corners,” according to peachtreecornersfestival.com. It’s volunteer-run, so its success is due to the passionate citizens who are driven by pride for their homes as well as its sponsors. Funds earned by the festival are directed towards beautification and education projects in Peachtree Corners.

Dave Huffman has been involved with the festival for 10 years and served as its president for nine. He said that it can be stressful at times to handle the hundreds of details that go into planning a festival, but the volunteers make it manageable, and the sponsors’ funding makes it all come to fruition.

“As our city has grown, the festival has kept pace with that growth,” Huffman said. “That makes the work a bit more every year, but when we see the smiles of our attendees and hear good things from our vendors and sponsors, it makes it all worthwhile and we start to think about how we can make the next year even better!”

As the saying goes, it truly takes a village. Huffman cited several members of the Peachtree Corners Festival team who make the dream come true, including Arts Director Ayanna Graham, Music Director Becky Lyon and the First Lady of Peachtree Corners, Debbie Mason, as vice president.

“Debbie was one of the founders of the festival and spearheads our work with the many sponsors we depend on,” Huffman said. “She is wonderful!”

This year, the festival will return to the Town Green located in the Town Center development, which has become the entertainment hub of the city. Due to the tight fit and muddiness that the festival experienced last year, though, it will also be returning to its roots in a sense: while the Town Green will still host music and kids’ activities, a section of Peachtree Corners Circle will be blocked off to make room for the booths, food court and classic car show.

Saturday’s Classic Car Show and Sunday’s Georgia Concours d’Elegance will be located in the Hexagon building parking lot next to the food court.

The weekend-long event will kick off with a concert at 7:30 p.m. on Fri-

The Dirfters

day, July 1, followed by a festival on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Read on for more information about what to expect from this year’s Peachtree Corners Festival.

Music

The Saturday and Sunday entertainment lineup is still under construction, but Huffman assured that it would be one of the highlights of the festival, with Lyon carefully evaluating and selecting entertainers from a myriad of submissions.

The Friday night headliner has been announced as none other than the iconic R&B group of the 50s and 60s, The Drifters. Best known for their classics “Under the Boardwalk,” “Save the Last Dance for Me” and “This Magic Moment,” among numerous other hits, The Drifters will have you swaying on the Town Green and celebrating the festival as well as the 10th anniversary of Peachtree Corners. Festival attendees are encouraged to bring picnic baskets and coolers full of food and non-alcoholic beverages to enjoy during the performance.

Cars, Bikes, Hot Rides

The Classic Car & Bike Show (“classic” for both the types of cars it represents and its traditional presence at the Peachtree Corners Festival) will take place on Saturday, July 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s free for spectators; if you decide to register your car or bike on-site, you’ll only pay $15. The awesome vehicles will be lined up at the ready for you to photograph and admire. Meanwhile, trained judges will assess which rides are worthy of the coveted Top Car & Bike Awards and Top Class trophies. Enjoy food, a DJ and fantastic door prizes.

Georgia’s Concours d’Elegance will exhibit on Sunday, July 3, from 12 noon to 4 p.m., and admission is also free. Here, you’ll be witness to a lot of rare, collectible and vintage cars. The special “Sneak Peak” will show what’s coming in 2023 to Atlanta.

A classic car is more than merely a car. It’s an aesthetic, an artwork, a relic of history, a feat of technology. Concours d’Elegance brings that glorious showmanship and craftsmanship directly to you — and for free at the Peachtree Corners Festival. Support Peachtree Corners’ Concours with your attendance this year so that even more beautiful motor vehicles can be brought in next year and continue to unite our community in the pursuit of beauty.

1954 Cadillac Convertible (Photo courtesy Georgia’s Concours d’Elegance)

Arts, Crafts and More

Local artisans and business owners will represent their wares at the festival. They’ll be selling everything from home goods to jewelry to crafts, so be a good neighbor and shop ‘til you drop!

► Built by Bees: Tim Haratine started his honey business in 2015 with two goals: to make customers and employees happy, and to do so by promising good products and great value. All of Built by Bees’ many delicious products use raw honey and earn repeat customers. Visit builtbybees.com.

◄ Chili P. Designs: Owner Julia channels her artistic skill and love for her family into creating beautiful wood signs perfect for home decor. Gift a design to a family member or display it in your own home for guests to admire. More at chilipdesigns.com. ■ Goddess Luxe: Necklace chains of delicate gold or silver, rings embedded with dazzling crystals, elegantly shaped earrings: this shop lives up to its name and makes jewelry fit for a goddess. See the collection at goddessluxejewelry.com. ► Discover Atlanta Chinese Art: Godwin Kou and Kuansoi (Christine) Kou are both accomplished painters and calligraphers dedicated to sharing authentic Chinese art with the world. Their work is delicate and striking while staying pure and unconfined. Go to discoveratlantachineseart.com for info. ■ Kettlebrook Brewing: You can support this new, upand-coming, family-run brewery boasting good stories and great beer with a purchase of their shirts or mugs. Go to kettlerockbrewing.com. ▼ Knox Carter Kandles: The 100% soy candles melt into a gorgeous marbling so, with their pretty packaging and wide variety of scents, they look just as incredible as they smell. More info at knoxcarterkandles. com. ■ Puppy Present Designs: Specializing in matching collars and leashes for all sizes of dogs, your puppy is sure to be the prettiest at the park. Find their shop on Etsy.

◄ Reminis Soaps: Stacey, the maker of Reminis Soaps, began her soap-making journey in 2016 because she was looking for a solution to her oily skin and post-shower itchiness. Now she handmakes beautiful, delicious-smelling soaps using only all-natural ingredients. Check out reminissoaps.com. ■ Whatnot Bear Mobile: This business is family-owned and operated. It began with the purpose of bringing children support and joy. Make your own child happy at the festival by coming home with a fuzzy friend! Find more at whatnotbearmobile.com.

▲ XOC Designs: Specializing in a variety of materials to handmake stunning furniture and other homewares, you’re sure to wow your guests with these pieces. Browse xocdesigns.com for details. ■ Ziparoos: Committed to a sustainable home, Ziparoos makes and sells multi-purpose, reusable storage bags — but they also sell other eco-friendly products that are perfect for the kitchen or cleaning around the house. And they come in cute prints, so they’re fun for the whole family!

Find the full vendor list on the Exhibitor page at peachtreecornersfestival.com.

Call for Volunteers

Need to complete volunteer hours this summer? Part of a service group and looking for a direction to channel your goodwill? Or just need to kill some time this season?

The Peachtree Corners Festival is volunteer-run, and volunteers are still being sought. With so many fun things to do all weekend, there are multiple avenues to get involved, no matter what your interests are — whether that’s assisting with the car show, distributing water to thirsty festivalgoers, setting up vendor booths or managing the hospitality suite.

Volunteers need to be above the age of 18 or have parental permission if younger. Volunteers will receive a commemorative T-shirt and pride in having supported their home city. Sign and return the 2022 volunteer waiver form via the Volunteer page on the festival’s website, peachtreecornersfestival.com.

Food and Beverage Vendors

Whatever you’re craving, Peachtree Corners Festival is serving it up. From sweet treats to cool down in the heat or a little spice to intensify your day, the food court has you covered.

Speaking of sweet and spicy, Chocolate & Spice Eatery will be dishing it out both ways. Their Caribbean-French-Brazilian fusion-inspired offerings include islander’s sorbet served in pineapple, a Creole low country boil served with your choice of protein and vegetables, savory Brazilian barbecue and, of course, the classic festival food — turkey legs. Find them at facebook. com/chocoandspice. ►Or chew on this: Chew-on Chuan stands out at festivals with their Latino-Asian fusion street food, and the Peachtree Corners Festival is no different. Smack on Asian street skewers (your choice of protein) with a side of mango salsa and tortilla, Dominican empanadas that sound so good they’ll make your mouth water just looking at the ingredients list, yucca fries, Thai Tom yum soup, scallion pancakes and grilled corn in a 13-spice barbecue sauce. Yum! Check them out at facebook.com/chewonchuan.

For more can’t-miss-it, gotta-have-it festival food, check out Tasty Yum Yum. Not only do they have the classics — fried Oreos, funnel cake, sweet tea and ice-cold lemonade — but they’ll also be selling hearty stuff like rice and peas, steamed cabbage, loaded fries, sausage, Philly cheesesteak and chicken any way you want it: popcorn chicken, chicken on a stick, jerk chicken, curry chicken–yum! Visit them on Instagram.

Thirsty? Phoenix Roasters will be roasting up a full espresso and cold brew bar. If you haven’t tried a nitro-based craft drink yet, this festival will be your chance! Get details at phoenixroasters.coffee.

What’s lunch without a snack, or dinner without dessert? After your meal, top it off with national award-winning homemade ice cream from Daddy O’Brien’s Irish Ice Cream Pub. Find out more at daddyosicecream. com.

If ice cream’s not your taste, Sweetacular Treats will have every other treat available to choose from, including popcorn, cotton candy, candied pickles and apples, Rice Krispies, cake, soda and lemonade. Find them on Instagram.

Sponsors

It cannot be said enough times how important sponsors are to making the Peachtree Corners Festival great. This year’s sponsors can be found by clicking on the Sponsors page at peachtreecornersfestival.com; from there, you can click on each of their logos and be directed to more information. Notably, the Title Sponsor is the City of Peachtree Corners, and Peachtree Corners Magazine has been recognized as a Silver Sponsor. Come visit our table when you attend the festival.

Parks & Trails in Peachtree Corners

Isn’t it amazing that out of the 17 square miles that make up Peachtree Corners, there is always a park or trail within a few minutes drive or walk? From the popular and well-visited Jones Bridge Park, to the wild and ever-changing trails of Simpsonwood, to the Pinkneyville ponds, and the newest Connector Park Trails in Technology Park, there is always a place to get away from the everyday hustle-bustle. It’s also a photographer’s dream for nature, wildlife, and landscape photography, as shared in this issue by members of the Peachtree Corners Photography Club. The meetings of the Club are open to everyone from beginners to pros. For more information about the Club, go to their website at https://pcphotoclub.org.

Scan QR to find out more about the club.

Top left, clockwise, Eric Richter, Corners Connector Marker Brian Walton, A Walk In The Simpsonwoods Tracey Rice, Cool Mist

Top row from left:

Alfonso Caycedo - Feeding the Ducks Jurgen Kohler - Corners Connector Trail Mike Walker - Chattahoochee Reserve Medlock Bridge Anna Niziol - Jones Bridge Park Artist

Second row from left:

Rafael Garcia - Crooked Creek Park - In The Woods Anna Niziol - Dusk Tranquility Bob Walker- Blood Root Alfonso Caycedo - Kayaking dog Jurgen Kohler - Corners Connectors Trail

Third row from left:

David Dunagan - Flyfish Eric Richter - Lakeview from the Park Trail

Bottom row from left:

Jennifer Whiddon - Squirrel Raphael Garcia - Peachtree Corners Town Center Park

JUNE

11: Night Music - Blair Crimmins & the Hookers 18: Kids Event 2pm-5pm 25: Summer Concert Series - Brotherhood (Doobie Brothers Tribute)

JULY

1-3: Peachtree Corners Festival 2: Flicks on the Green - Big Hero Six 9: Night Music - Sailing to Denver 16: Bark at the Park 23: Sports on the Screen 30: Summer Concert - Everclear

AUGUST

6: Flicks on the Green - Megamind 13: Night Music - Wildflowers (Tom Petty Tribute) 8pm 20: Light Up the Corners Run 20: Sports on the Screen 27: Summer Concert Series Stayin Alive (Bee Gees Tribute)

TIMES

Flicks on the Green: 7pm Night Music: 7pm (Aug 13 8pm) Summer Concert Series: 7pm Yoga on the Green (by Sun Dragon Yoga): Tues 8am (May-Sep) CrossFit (by PPG CrossFit): Thurs 10am (May-Sep) Cornhole ATL League: Wed 6:30pm (Jan-Oct)

Are Your Kids Curious?

Come See What Curiosity Lab Peachtree Corners is All About

Join the Gwinnett County Public Library Peachtree Corners Branch and the Curiosity Lab to learn more about the smart city ecosystem, how it works, what it means for the City, and get hands on with some of the coolest technology around. Meet Pepper, T-Mobile’s AI Robot, Gita, our follow you anywhere bot, see a real drone, and find out how testing of Autonomous shuttles in Peachtree Corners are changing the future of transportation.