Gay fair gay ga
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The West Gate of The Cotton Pickin’ Fair is the former front door of this building. But today, it’s tourism that is the main contributor to the town’s economy.
Gay, Georgia is a quiet hamlet of less that 150 residents ‚ mainly comprised of retirees who seek a quiet, simple lifestyle.
The festival is a chance to discover over 300 unique, skilled artisans and one-of-a-kind crafts and antiques.
HISTORY
In 1972 the Gay family created an “invitation only” antiques, art, and craft festival to help showcase Meriwether County and its talent.
Today it has changed names as it has with each successive owner, but the quality and dedication to excellence remains the same.
The rope drawn freight elevator still works to this day.
Built to house J.R. Gay & Company, the 1911 Building is a 3-story, 8-room apartment and a small warehouse. Today, it’s tourism that is the main contributor to the town’s economy.
Cotton Pickin’ Fair
Gay, Georgia is a quiet hamlet of fewer than 150 residents‚ mainly comprised of retirees who seek a quiet, simple lifestyle.
In 2020, the Summerour family acquired the fair and grounds to preserve, restore and continue the fair for future generations. However, four days a year the town comes alive with thousands of visitors who come to enjoy the now famed Cotton Pickin’ Fair.
Held on the first weekend in May and October, the fair brings more than 300 exhibitors who sell their arts and crafts to ready shoppers.
Gay began to expand its agricultural holdings when large landowners began to grow also grow peaches. Judge W.F. Gay was appointed to serve as the town’s first postmaster in 1886 and was appointed as mayor when the Town of Gay incorporated in 1906.
Gay, Georgia
Once known as Sasserville in the early 1800s, Gay, Georgia acquired its current name when the town’s first post office was opened and named in honor of William F.
Gay. A flourishing agricultural area, Gay’s primary crop was cotton until the 1930s. The seed would later go on to cottonseed oil mills in Macon, Rome, and Atlanta. Through the 20th century, the small town flourished with the broader agricultural trends of the state—first cotton and then peaches. J.R. Gay was an eligible bachelor, so he often used the warehouse as a ballroom to host social events in thriving Gay, Georgia.
It has grown to be an outstanding bi annual event that has artisans from all over the country bringing their unique items to The Cotton Fair. The main floor housed the farm office, general store, and post office; the basement housed the grocery department. The Peach Packing Shed, built in the early 1900s, held workers packing fresh peaches into wood crates for delivery across the country.
Just up the hill, the Gin Scale sees a new life as a rustic stage featuring the country music of The Honey Creek Boys. Today, the building houses the Greenville Masonic Lodge BBQ. The Cotton Gin, which last ran in 1971, is where the cotton was dried, cleaned, and seeded. W.F. Gay also served as Chairman of the Meriwether County Board of Commissioners when the Meriwether County Courthouse was constructed in 1904.
Hours
The Cotton Fairs are bi annual events
May and October
Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm
18830 Hwy 85 Gay, GA 30218
Gay, Georgia is located 39 miles south of the Atlanta Airport and 50 miles north of Columbus, Ga.
9am-5pm
Parking is free and on a first come basis.
The Historical Buildings
Each building on the Cotton Fair Grounds has its own unique history.