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Everything you need to know about the 54th annual Mountain Moonshine Festival
moonshine festival 1
Attendees from all over flocked to the 53rd annual Mountain Moonshine Festival on the weekend of Oct. 23 to Oct. 25. - photo by Ben Hendren

The 54th annual Mountain Moonshine Festival is finally here this weekend, and dozens of people both in and outside of Dawson County are excited for it to officially kick off. With only a few short days left until the festival starts, here’s all the information you need to know about it. 


What is it? 

The Moonshine Festival is a weekend-long, annual event put on by local nonprofit K.A.R.E. for Kids. All the profits that K.A.R.E. raises go to helping fund the organization’s Christmas program, which provides Christmas presents to local children whose families are in need of a little extra help. 

The festival includes dozens of vendors selling decorations, clothing, homemade crafts and other wares, food vendors, a car show, swap meet, parade, live entertainment and moonshine run. 

Where is it? 

The festival will be set up in and around Main Street Park in downtown Dawsonville. The car show will be outside around the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, and vendors will be set up throughout the entirety of the park and down Allen Street. Events like the moonshine run and parade will take place in or around the Dawsonville square too. 


When is it? 

The festival will be from Friday, Oct. 22 through Sunday, Oct. 24. The festival, car show and swap meet will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. 

The Moonshine Run will be on Friday Oct. 22 at 9:30 a.m. and will depart from Bearden’s Funeral Home. The parade will be on Saturday Oct. 23 at 9 a.m. 


What else do I need to know? 

This year’s Grand Marshal for the Mountain Moonshine Festival is local man Gordon Pirkle. As the Grand Marshal, Pirkle will have the honor of leading the parade and officially kicking off the festival. 

No pets or golf carts are allowed at the festival. RV parking is available if needed. 


For more information about the Mountain Moonshine Festival or about K.A.R.E. for Kids, go to http://www.kareforkids.org/ or check the Dawson County News Moonshine Guide insert in your newspaper.  or check the Dawson County News Moonshine Guide here: https://issuu.com/thetimes/docs/moo-1020-a1

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