April is an important month on Kennesaw’s calendar. It was on April 12, 1862, that The General, a confederate locomotive, stopped at Big Shanty (now Kennesaw) to allow its crew and passengers to disembark for breakfast at the Lacy Hotel.
A group of Union spies unlatched the passenger cars and took off with the locomotive and box cars heading north, with a plan to destroy tracks and bridges and cut telegraph wires. The train’s conductor, William Fuller, pursued the commandeered train for about 90 miles on foot and by hopping other rail cars. His persistence in the events that day are Kennesaw’s 15 minutes of historical fame – almost literally, as the train was only in town for about 10 minutes before it was hijacked.
“Fuller chased The General north until it ran out of wood and water near Ringgold,” said Dr. Richard Banz, executive director of the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. “[The chase] raised all these great headlines. And The Big Shanty Festival was originally developed to commemorate that day.”
In its 35th year, the arts and craft street fair is timed as close as possible to that dramatic event. It’s one of the most popular outdoor spring festivals in North Georgia and is expected to draw 65,000 people to the small downtown area April 16-17.
“To this day, I have no idea where they all park,” laughed Marlon Longacre, festival chairman. Longacre has been carrying the flag of the Big Shanty Festival in the community since 2003, pushing business and school participation with give-back incentives. Proceeds from the festival sponsor more than a dozen scholarships as well as football sponsorships, back-to-school luncheons for teachers, mentorship programs and other benefits.
“Last year we gave $23,000 back to the area. You’ve never seen a festival that is so loved by its community. Kennesaw United Methodist sells burgers and hot dogs for their mission trips. The cloggers and dance troupes perform, businesses take advantage of it. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that God has blessed us with 16 straight days of sunshine since I’ve been on it.”
The festival has its own set of traditions, including fashioning Big Shanty Festival T-shirts in the colors of the year’s NCAA champions.
“My favorite part is the parade,” Longacre said. “North Cobb High School starts it, and when it clears, the festival just explodes, and everybody has a great time."
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