Pioneer Days is a fun filled 2010 Labor Day weekend event at Sam Smith Park in Cartersville. The fun begins on September 3rd and ends on September 6, 2010. There will be many arts and crafts, carnival rides and games that make even the older folks feel like kids, music and entertainment, fireworks and more. A parade will start at 10 AM on Saturday in downtown Cartersville and this year’s Grand Marshalls will be the Atlanta Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen. The Atlanta Rhythm Section will be in concert Saturday night, showtime 9:15 PM. Fireworks can be seen Monday evening at dusk.

Admission for the Festival is $5 for adults, children under 12 are FREE. Daily wrist bands will be sold for $20 and these allow you unlimited rides at the carnival  each day.

The park times are as follows:
Friday Sept. 3 – 4 PM to 11 PM
Saturday Sept. 4 – 12 Noon to 11 PM
Sunday Sept. 5 – 12 Noon to 11 PM
Monday Sept. 6 – 12 Noon to 10 PM

Sam Smith Park is located at:
1155 Douthit Ferry Road
Cartersville, GA 30201

Experience some of the ways of early American life with Harvest Time at the Homestead at the Vaughn Cabin in Red Top Mountain State Park.  Learn some pioneer and harvesting skills from some skilled crafts people and get a feel for the way life was back in the 1800s. There will be demonstrations going on Saturday and Sunday, September 11 and 12, 2010 from 10 AM to 4 PM. There is a $5 parking fee.

Red Top Mountain State Park is located at:
50 Lodge Rd. SE
Cartersville, GA 30121
770-975-0055

Mountain biking is a great way to have fun, get fit, and enjoy the great outdoors! The Muddy Spokes Club encourages you to do all that. Georgia State Parks have many bike trails ranging from very easy to very challenging just waiting for you to experience them and joining the club gives you a reason. The membership is just $10.

The way the club works is once you join, you will receive a card. Load up your bike, helmet and gear and head off to one of the 11 participating state parks. Ride the designated trail. Once you complete the trail, go to the visitor’s center and get your card punched. Once you have completed the trails and get your card punched at all 11 parks, send it in and get a t-shirt stating your accomplishments to the world!

Visit the Muddy Spokes Club for more details and information on signing up and see the list of participating parks and the descriptions and difficulties of each trail.

Have you ever given any thought to how arrowheads or other stone tools were made? You can see for yourself by visiting the Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site in Cartersville on August 28, 2010 from 10 AM to 4 PM. An expert Flintknapper will be giving demonstrations on how these tools are made. Watch as he creates arrowheads, spears, and knives from stone. Admission is $3.50 – $5.00.

Step way back in time when visiting the Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site. It was home to many Native Americans from 1000 AD to 1500 AD. It is 54 acres of the most intact Mississippian culture in the Southeastern United States. Much has been discovered through artifacts that have been found as to the lives and rituals of the people who resided there. Tour the museum to learn more about the rich history there.

Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site is located at:
813 Indian Mounds Rd., S.W.
Cartersville , GA
(770) 387-3747

It’s always fun to visit a Georgia State Park but never more so than the Friday nights and Saturdays in August, 2010 at Red Top Mountain State Park in Cartersville. You can learn some very interesting things about the “super senses” of animals and test your own by joining a ranger led Nighttime Hike through Red Top Mountain State Park Friday evenings from 8 PM to 9:30 PM through August 27, 2010. Meet in the Visitor Center parking lot to join the hike.

Saturdays are for the reptile lovers. Come see and touch the many reptiles that will be on display at the far side of the Visitor Center parking lot until August 28, 2010 and learn about the snakes and turtles that are native to Georgia and reasons why they are good to have around.

Parking is $5. Call 770-975-4226 for more information and details about these events.

Make sure to check out the lineup of great Bluegrass concerts this summer! Come on down to Red Top Mountain State Park in Cartersville on Saturdays through September 4, 2010 for the Mountain Music Series 2010. Bring your instrument and play during the day at the open Jammin’ Around the Meadow from 11 AM to 5 PM, on the Acoustic Open Stage from 6 PM to 8 PM, or just bring your blankets and lawn chairs to the back porch of the Vaughn Cabin for evening Bluegrass concerts by different featured artists each week. Concert show times are from 8 PM to 9 PM.

The events are free with only a $5 charge for parking, although all donations are gratefully accepted. For more information and details call 770-975-0055

A lot of fun can be had celebrating Independence Day in Cartersville on July 3, 2010. Start your day off with a 4th of July parade at 9 AM on Main Street in downtown Cartersville. Entertainment and activities will follow the parade starting at 10 AM and continue throughout the day at Dellinger Park thanks in part to Cartersville Optimist Club and WBHF.  A free concert will begin at 8 PM followed by a spectacular fireworks display. Bring the family out and celebrate!

Dellinger Park is located at:

 100 Pine Grove Rd.
Cartersville GA 30120