Festivals have a long and illustrious history. In ancient times, elderly people shared stories and passed down knowledge to the next generation at what you could say were our first festivals. These feasts gave people a reason to get together and find mates in the process.

Festivals today celebrate everything from a community’s unique heritage to religion, arts, music, movies, food, animals, and more. A lot of festivals honor and celebrate distinct matters such as dogwoods, azaleas, and the blessing of fishing fleets as they do in Beaufort, South Carolina, at the Beaufort Water Festival. There’s even a festival celebrating Sasquatch, and down in Dothan, Alabama, folks hold the National Peanut Festival. Hampton, South Carolina, holds the Watermelon Festival.

Some festivals celebrate downright bizarre things. Out in Eugene, Oregon, they hold a festival where they crown a Slug Queen. Their festival takes its name from the “Society for the Legitimization of the Ubiquitous Gastropod.” Turns out that they have a lot of snails and slugs in their lush gardens, and they love the slimy little fellows. Thus, the SLUG festival.

A festival is a good thing. Every community needs a reason to get together once a year or more. Other than church, football games, and school events, that’s about the only time a lot of people get to rub elbows and catch up with one another. People love festive occasions and an annual festival quite often takes on a life of its own. When they do, they give a town or community widespread publicity that does much to bring good things to the area.

I was glad to hear that the Lincolnton Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce is planning a festival this April. I’m sure all the good people in Lincoln County and areas beyond will turn out and get the inaugural “Georgia Grill & Chill” off to a good start. The focus of the festival will be a steak grill off and wine tasting, and that’s quite a step up from the fare a lot of other festivals offer as you’ll see.

Over this way, you’ll find a lot of festivals with names that, if nothing else, make you curious as to what they’re all about. There’s the “Catfish Stomp.” That’s the name of the festival Elgin, South Carolina, holds. They get the holidays off to a good start with a bowl of catfish stew. A parade and gospel singing add to the fun. The Catfish Stomp is held annually the first Saturday in December. You can always spot folks who participate in the Catfish Stomp. They’re the ones pulling fins out of their feet.

We Southerners are famous for our ability to take what most folks consider non-useable portions of animal and make them regional delicacies. This tradition is gloriously upheld over in Salley, South Carolina, where they host the “Chitlin Strut.” Chitlin’s, a contraction of “chitterlings” are pig intestines, and the people of Salley fry them by the ton on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. This festival got its start in 1966 when Salley’s mayor realized the town needed new Christmas lights but, alas, funds were scarce. The idea of cooking up chitlins and selling them took wings and people ate 600 pounds of chitlins at that first festival. New Christmas lights soon adorned the town, and the strut became an annual event. Recent festivals have drawn as many as 55,000 people where people eat upwards of 10,000 pounds of chitlins. Want to eat some chitlins come November? Take I-20 east into South Carolina and cut southeast through Aiken. You’ll know you’re close when you smell that smell.

Gilbert, South Carolina, has its famous Peach Festival and Irmo, close to me, has its annual Okra Strut. A giant pod of okra walks around as people eat fried okra and listen to bands while others cruise exhibits featuring arts and crafts. The money raised goes back into the community through civic and school organizations. A good thing. Here’s hoping that the Georgia Grill & Chill becomes a fine tradition, one anticipated each spring. A great festival generates a lot of favorable publicity and people far and wide will attend one. No wonder so many festivals exist. Fitzgerald, Georgia, holds the Wild Chicken festival in March. Oglethorpe has its Turkey Day festival. Atlanta has its Salsa Fest, among several others.

Columbus gets credit for the festival with a truly distinctive name: the Frogtown Hollow Bluegrass Jam. Louisville has the Buzzard Blast, another memorable name, and Flowery Branch holds its Car Show and Chili Cook Off. The list of festivals in Georgia is a long and colorful one and now Lincoln County can join the list, along with its Pioneer Day and its hot apple fritters. I have long thought that Lincoln County should also hold a “Lost Gold” festival. How many counties can claim that the Confederate treasury disappeared within its borders? That’s what happened when the gold train was robbed up near the Chennault Plantation May 24, 1865. It’s too bad the timing didn’t coincide with the annual torrent of pine pollen swirling about. How cool would it be to hold the Lost Gold festival as what appears to be gold dust covers everything in its path. I’ll be at the Georgia Grill & Chill April 24, and I hope to see a lot of old friends there at the fairgrounds at American Legion Post 194. Good food and good times are hard to beat. Don’t miss it because I’m thinking there might be a protest that day. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Chic-Fil-A cows, those bovines who take matters into their own hooves, show up to express their disdain at all the fine steaks being grilled.

Email Tom with feedback and ideas for new columns. tompol@ earthlink.net