CRAWFORD COUNTY, Georgia — When it comes to the potters of Crawford County, they turn mud into money.
Knoxville, Georgia was chartered back in the 19th century, and at the time, pottery was a "way of life."
Now, the county is opening its doors and knowledge to the community to explore their heritage through pottery through the 19th Annual Georgia Jug Festival. In many senses, they are getting fired up.
Hosted by the Crawford County Historical Society they held their "Lunch & Learn" event on Friday. But there is still more in store for the jug festival scheduled for this weekend.
Community members got to learn about the newest artist in the historical society's Potter Hall of Fame, Jackson “Jack” Merritt, a potter and farmer.
The festival has everything from the history of pottery to live music and silent auctions. Students and local artists make these art pieces to celebrate the history of Crawford County clay.
Nicki McDonnell is the Crawford County Historical Society president.
"We kind of celebrate it, it's kind of for the love of mud," McDonnell said. "We also highlight not just the pottery but we also highlight the artistry and the creativity of a lot of the not just the past people who did pottery but also currently."
McDonnell said your past shapes your future, and celebrating the history of Crawford County brings people in.
"We have a lot of older pottery and a lot of historic pottery as well as some new pottery going into the auction this year," McDonnell said. "I know I have people coming from all over the state and even out of state coming so it is definitely something that is one of the things that brings people in."
Susan Asbury was the keynote speaker on Friday. Asbury is an assistant professor of history at Middle Georgia State University, and she talked about her studies of folk pottery.
"I think it's really important to support local art," Asbury said. "It's also important to think about the ways in which it's transformed over time, both in how the maker and the artist has transformed that craft but also in how we use those objects in our everyday life."
Joseph Salter has lived in Crawford County for 50 years.
Salter and his wife went to support, but he says he is a collector of several pieces, and still has a bucket list to fill!
"It really takes some skill craftsmanship too," Salter said. "I noticed that in the high schools now, their art classes in high schools are, they're promoting it too so it's good they're appreciating their history."
On Friday at 7 p.m., they hosted their Miss Roberta Jug Fest Beauty Pageant.
On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can enjoy a pancake breakfast, tractor parade, car show, a cornhole tournament and raffles for art pieces.