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Prater’s Mill Country Fair
October 8, 2022 @ 9:00 am - October 9, 2022 @ 5:00 pm
A Southern Festival of quality artists, crafts, music, and the best Southern food this side of heaven. Artists and Craftsmen exhibit by invitation only – all work is handmade out of natural materials by the exhibitor.
This is the primary fundraising event for Prater’s Mill Foundation, Inc. a 501C3 nonprofit volunteer based organization. All proceeds from the event fund the Foundation’s mission to preserve, protect, and present the heritage of the Prater’s Mill Historic Site for future generations.
Prater’s Mill teems with life as crafters and entertainers gear up for this renowned arts and crafts show held in the atmosphere of an old-fashioned country fair. The fundraiser focuses on mountain music, Southern foods, living history exhibits and the handmade crafts and original art of 185 talented artists and artisans.
Craft demonstrations include blacksmithing, spinning, quilting, woodcarving and hand tufting, a cottage industry that evolved into the tufted carpet industry centered in Dalton, Ga. The mill, built in 1855, grinds corn during the fair. Articles will be displayed ranging from handmade knives and baskets to fine oil paintings.
Funds raised at the fair are used to preserve the three-story grist mill. From a dilapidated building with holes in the roof and floor, peeling paint and rotten beams, Prater’s Mill is now a gleaming red building with white trim, a new tin roof and a repaired floor.