Valdosta Daily Times

Local News

September 2, 2012

Steady crowd frolics at Flatlanders festival

LAKELAND — The Flatlanders Fall Frolic arts and crafts show saw a steady crowd throughout the day Saturday, without interruptions from rain in spite of the sometimes sweltering heat when the sun shone through the intermittent clouds. The festival has been held annually in Lakeland for the past 42 years in honor of Labor Day weekend, and will continue throughout the day Sunday.

Though the sun was hot, the drinks were cool, and festival-goers were more than happy to peruse the more than 80 vendors selling their wares, grab a bite of alligator tail, listen to karaoke country music or watch entertainers at the pavilion.

Some of the main attractions included Unique and Natural pitcher plants hosted by Chandra Dasa of Alachua, Fla.; World War II veteran, prisoner of war and author J.D. Lankford, who sold his autobiography, titled “Walk With Me;” ventriloquist-magician Cliff Patton, who entertained children with his hand puppets in the pavilion; and Jimmy Hump’s handmade cypress ice chests and boat-shaped bookshelves.

Other crafts included bracelets made out of parachute cord, live daylilies, hand-tooled leather belts and bracelets, jewelry, homemade jelly and jam, kettle corn and farm-raised alligator tail kabobs.

“I think this is ahead of last year,” said Helen Strickland, event coordinator and Lakeland Chamber of Commerce board member. “The new people we haven’t had (before) makes it more interesting and adds a complement to the other treasures to take home.”

Strickland also remarked that the food was a big attraction. Plates containing funnel cakes, fried green tomatoes, shoestring sweet potato fries, fresh potato chips and other goodies circulated among the crowd throughout the afternoon.

Dasa made a killing with his pitcher plants native to India, he said. He sold about 100 for up to $35 each before 1 p.m., explaining to his customers that the small plants “ate” lovebugs, mosquitoes and no-see-ums, while the larger versions could consume anything as large as a field mouse.

The strange plants hung around him as he met with customers, adding a jungle flavor to his area of the line of booths. Dasa and his wife grow the plants in Florida and travel around to festivals in the south, selling the plants to make their living, he said.

Kristi Taylor of Kristi’s Kuntry Krafts and Goodies sold a few jars of candy apple jelly to Shirley Pearson and Karen Wolfe, who said they loved the flavor after trying a small sample.

Leah Feliciano of Lake Worth, Fla., showed off her hand-tooled and jeweled leather bracelets and cuffs under the brand name Warrior Creek. She claimed the brand was growing more popular and would soon appear in shopping malls around the country.

Hump enjoyed meeting with customers to show off his hand-made cypress bookshelves built to look like jon boats and his coolers made out of wood. His wares cost between $1,200 and $2,400. He made no sales before 1 p.m.

“My shop’s full,” he said. “I need to sell some before I make any new ones.”

Jim LaValley, Dale Wells and John Seppala of Giddens International gave away about 700 copies of The New Testament at the festival before noon, Wells said.

Many other vendors saw their own success as the crowd continued to meander through the lines of booths throughout the afternoon.

For more on this story and other local news, subscribe to The Valdosta Daily Times e-Edition, or our print edition

Text Only
Local News
  • SGRL.jpg VDT Weekend Update

    News Reporter Caitlin Barker speaks to Bernard Bulemu and Eric Mathis, representatives from the South Georgia Regional Library about their summer programs for kids, teens and adults during the month of June, as well as lists fun summer camps taking place in the Valdosta area.

    May 24, 2013 1 Photo

  • traffic.jpg Troopers prepare for Memorial Day traffic

    Georgia State troopers are preparing for patrols during the peak travel times this coming holiday weekend.

    May 24, 2013 1 Photo

  • 130523-semi_fire001.jpg Blaze damages cars, blocks I-75

    A tractor-trailer transporting automobiles northbound on Interstate 75 Thursday morning caught fire just north of exit 5 in Lake Park.

    May 24, 2013 1 Photo

  • VECA1.jpg VECA recognized at VSU

    Rising juniors from the Valdosta Early College Academy (VECA) were recognized at Valdosta State University Wednesday night as the first group of students to begin earning college credit while still in high school.

    May 23, 2013 1 Photo

  • 130522-disaster help second_har Businesses raise funds for Oklahoma disaster

    By now, we’ve all heard about the tragedy in Moore, Okla., a mile-wide, F5 tornado with winds of more than 200 miles per hour carved through 17 miles over a span of 50 minutes on Monday afternoon.

    May 23, 2013 1 Photo

  • N1209P63005K.jpg Southwestern State Hospital to close

    One of Thomas County’s largest employers — at more than 700 people — and a longtime regional state mental hospital will close Dec. 31.

    May 23, 2013 1 Photo

  • Oklahoma Tornado_Stew.jpg Search for survivors continues

    Helmeted rescue workers raced Tuesday to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of nine children.

    May 22, 2013 3 Photos

  • 130521-bill_shenton003.jpg Curator offers arts a helping hand

    If you’ve been to the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts in the past four years, you have seen the quiet art of Bill Shenton.

    May 22, 2013 2 Photos

  • swampghost1 copy.jpg Albino gators visit Wild Adventures

    Two rare albino American alligators have joined the other gators at Wild Adventures for the summer.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • Police_Car_2 2 copy 2.jpg Officers wound man in shootout

    A Lanier County man was wounded Saturday during an exchange of gunfire with lawmen, according to a Lanier County Sheriff’s Office press release.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

Top News
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
Poll

What’s your best advice for graduates?

Go to college or trade school immediately.
Work for a while then seek further education.
Enter the work force.
Intern, ensure an interest is something you can do.
     View Results