AMERICUS — Eleven Haunted History Tours. Twelve train rides. Ninety-nine birthdays. Hundreds of Civil War re-enactors. And thousands of visitors in town for First Friday, Downtown Trick-or-Treat, performances at the historic Rylander Theatre, or the annual Christmas Parade. No event will be bigger than this fall’s one main event, however – the second annual Americus Music Fest on Saturday, Oct. 21. No doubt, Americus and Sumter County have it going on!
The SAM Shortline excursion train’s Sumter Explorer rides take place Oct. 7 and 14, as guests experience Americus and the county’s uniqueness by traveling on Georgia’s only “rolling state park.” Lenny’s Farmers Market on Hampton Street will brim with activity on Oct. 14 with Fall at the Market. Trick-or-treating on Oct. 26 follows the annual Kiwanis Pet Parade the same day, where animals of all sorts thrill kids and adults alike by parading the downtown streets in their unique attire.
The Americus Haunted History Tours, which began Oct. 1, dominate 11 spooky nights downtown. The Visitor Center-led walking tours include a stop at the oldest graveyard in town; the site of a 1913 lynching; and a trip inside the fabulous Windsor Hotel, the city’s icon. Upcoming dates include Oct. 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 24, 27, 30 and 31. Call 229-928-6059 for information.
The Americus Music Fest on Oct. 21, though, is the city’s signature event of the fall season. The festival recently was rated by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of the Top 10 fall festivals in Georgia. The festival, sponsored by the City of Americus, runs from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the Jackson Street Depot. Best of all, it’s free!
Performers from as far away as Tallahassee, Fla., include Southern Jazz Collective; The Plucktones; The Palace Jesters; Seth Meadows Band; Classic Soul; Luke Martin Band; Circle of Peace Drummers; and Pharaohs of Funk, among other genres.
In addition to the music, food trucks offering everything from cupcakes and…
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