43° and Partly Cloudy
Image
"Milledgeville's Biggest Day" is all set for this Saturday, following a two-year pandemic pause.
With this in mind, here's a nifty Question & Answer session:
QUESTION: When is Deep Roots?
ANSWER: Saturday, Oct. 22, with gates opening at 10 a.m.
QUESTION: How much to get in?
ANSWER: It's free for everyone until 6 p.m, which is a departure from previous festivals, when there was always an entry fee. This also means that the entire festival won't be surrounded by fencing, sort of like a jail, and you and your family can just sort of walk in wherever.
QUESTION: What happens after 6 p.m.?
ANSWER: This is where the biggest changes are. Right around 6 o'clock, volunteers and police officers will begin clearing people out the stretch of Hancock Street in front of the post office and City Hall. Festival-goers will be corralled west towards the downtown business district. Fencing then will be erected around that particular block of Hancock, and a makeshift ticket gate will go up along the stretch of road between the Kidd Building and the Masonic Lodge. At this point, the the City Hall/post office area will transform into the "Deep Roots Festival Concert Stage." Tickets for the "Main Stage Concert Area" are $30, and the music runs until roughly midnight. For festival organizers, their largest expense has always been booking the musicians.
CLICK HERE to see bios and description for each of the performers. This year's headliner is Willie Jones. According to his bio, "Willie Jones is a Shreveport, LA native, SONY Nashville/The Penthouse recording artist and Warner Chappell songwriter. He seamlessly blends hip-hop and country music, paving the way for a genre-expanding sound that’s truly signature to Jones himself."
QUESTION: Will there still be free music and entertainment on stage during the day?
ANSWER: Yes. The "Locals Only Stage" will run from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. This includes John Milledge Academy graduate and "Claim To Fame" contestant Logan Crosby, who will be performing. Also scheduled to perform during the day on the "Locals Only Stage" are Caitlyn Carroll, Ricky Ruckus, Local Folk, Vibe & Gym, High Speed Dreams, and The Woofs.
Logan Crosby
QUESTION: What are the changes to the KidZone?
ANSWER: The KidZone this year will be located in the parking lot between City Hall and the public library, which is new. Although general admission into the festival is now free, the KidZone is now using a pay model. Wristbands for children 6-and-under will be $10 and $15 for kids 7 & up. Festival organizers encourage kids to "enjoy the collection of inflatables, rock climbing walls, velcro walls and a zip line."
QUESTION: How about the classic car show?
ANSWER: The classic car show definitely will be back – same time, same place and free of charge. Festival organizers encourage festival-goers to "see over 100 beautiful examples of engineering and vintage treasures."
QUESTION: What about barbecue?
ANSWER: Festival organizers have ditched the championship barbecue competition from years past, which means that the respective barbecue teams won't be taking up nearly as much space around downtown. This, of course, also means that there will be no barbecue sample plates available for purchase.
CLICK HERE for Rick on the Issues!
QUESTION: Did someone say steak?
ANSWER:In lieu of the barbecue competition, there will be a steak cook-off, which will be a scaled-down and smaller version of the barbecue competitions from past years.
QUESTION: Can festival-goers buy steak plates and sample the steak.
ANSWER: Unfortunately, the answer is no. Velvet Elvis, The Reel Grill and Buffington's definitely will be selling steaks inside of their respective restaurants that day, however.
