Duluth Fall Festival 2017 Set For Next Weekend

DULUTH, GA — More than 100,000 people are expected to turn out next weekend for the 2017 Duluth Fall Festival.

There will be an official warm-up event this weekend featuring some super sounds of the '80s. A concert by Departure, a Journey tribute band, is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Duluth Festival Center, at 3142 Hill St. in Duluth. Admission to the concert is free.

The annual festival carnival kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 28, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 1. It will feature all the traditional rides and games one would expect at the carnival.

Next Saturday, the rest of the fall festival's events start up. The festival parade steps off at 10 a.m. It will begin on Main Street, near Coleman Middle School, and continue south and east to Hwy. 120, turn south to Buford Highway and end at Hardy Industrial Boulevard. (SIGN UP:Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

The parade will feature students from local elementary through high schools, fire trucks, antique cars, local dignitaries, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, dance classes, sponsors, and clowns, among others. Members of the world-champion Georgia Swarm lacrosse team will serve as the parade's 2017 grand marshals.

The Rev. Nancy Yancey, chief executive officer of the nonpofit Rainbow Village, Duluth, has been named honorary grand marshal.

Other festival events on Saturday include a full schedule of live entertainers. After an opening ceremony at 11:15 a.m., acts will include cheerleaders, an Elvis tribute, other rock bands, dancers and puppets.

The festival's own road race, the Duluth Donut Dash 5K, is set for Sunday morning. The race starts at 8 a.m., with runners winding through historic Duluth. At the end of the race, participants receive a complimentary doughnut and coffee, courtesy of Dunkin Donuts on Buford Highway. The Festival also will provide water and energy snacks.

The Duluth Donut Dash 5k is an AJC Peachtree Road Race Qualifying Event and is certified by USA Track & Field (USATF).

Proceeds from the Duluth Donut Dash are donated to the Methodist Children’s Home, which works with children in foster care across north Georgia.

Also Sunday, Oct. 1, there will be a Worship on the Town Green service at 10 a.m. The service will be led by staff, musicians and members of Duluth First United Methodist Church.

The Duluth Fall Festival was started in 1983. Since then, it has grown from a group of 25 volunteers to almost 400 and from less than 40 arts and crafts and vendors' booths to more than 350. The festival now has more than 100 sponsors who contribute more than $100,000 each year.

For more information, visit the 2017 Duluth Fall Festival website.

Photo courtesy Duluth Fall Festival Facebook page.