HemlockFest! Helping save our endangered Hemlock trees + Adventure, Live Music & optional Camping

IN A NUTSHELL: For each of the past several years many of our Atlanta Outdoor Club members have enjoyed this big "give-back-to-nature" outdoor music festival.  Again this fall we're promoting it as an official Club "participation event" and urge you to take part in this 13th Annual Hemlockfest as a registered attendee and/or volunteer.  The scenic festival venue is "Starbridge Retreat," a 50-acre private lakeside resort in the foothills of the Appalachians, about an hour's drive north of Atlanta.  There are lots of incredible activities & entertainment acts scheduled all weekend, including live music on Friday and Saturday from midday till midnight!
  You need to register through THEIR WEBSITE (see important Details below) for any or all of the 3 days and 2 nights of the festival.  If you enjoy CAMPING you're welcome to camp there with our AOC "subgroup" on Fri and/or Sat night - see Camping details & webpage link below.  it's equally OK just to drive up Saturday morning and head back home late that same evening as many do each year.

IMPORTANT REGISTRATION DETAILS:  HemlockFest is NOT organized or managed by the AOC and no funds are handled through our own Club.  Anyone who wishes to participate must formally register via the Festival's  following official website.  CLICK HERE:  http://HemlockFest.org/ 
  For all the festival details click the various topics listed on the above-linked home page.  If you decide to participate it's a good idea to pre-register and pay in advance for your chosen options.  If you register to volunteer for various festival assignments  - as Bobby and I (Charlie) enjoy doing each year - the admission equates to only about a $5 per day "parking fee."  To Volunteer for specific time slots and specific duties first click "Volunteer" on the homepage. - then "Click Here to Sign Up" which will take you to a "SignUpGenius.com" volunteer signup screen.
Please ALSO register at the base of this article if you wish to receive AOC "credit" for participating and if you'd like to be included in our AOC "sub-roster" for email updates about possible "custom carpooling," gathering for meals at the festival, holding "group campsite space," etc. 

SUMMARY of the FESTIVAL'S GOALS, ACTIVITIES & ATTRACTIONS: The main goal of this delightful annual North GA mountain festival is to increase public awareness of the plight of our Eastern Hemlock trees and to facilitate methods of saving them for future generations. It is hosted each November by a key AOC partner, the Lumpkin Coalition.
  Hemlock stands are among the only old growth forests in the east and are of great importance to wildlife, water quality, the economy, and our basic quality of life. Proceeds from the festival support means of combatting the destructive hemlock woolly adelgid, an Asian aphid-like insect that has already killed millions of these beautiful trees throughout the mountain regions of eastern America.
  The festival features an amazing lineup of fine musicians and bands all weekend performing live music on its outdoor stage, with plenty of seating on the huge lawn in front of the bandstand - in our own camp chairs and with warm festive "campfire barrels" burning all around us at night.

CAMPING is available in the shady terrain on the hillside overlooking the main festival venue.  As discussed above it is included at no extra charge for those of us who earn a full-weekend pass by volunteering in two or more shifts  Click here for the festival's "Camping Info" webpage with all the rules and for a map of the campsite and the entire festival venue:  http://hemlockfest.org/blog/ticket/camping-information/

OTHER FUN and EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS include guided nature walks, archery, canoeing on Burgess Lake and much more - all virtually free of charge!  Experts are on hand to answer all your questions about the hemlocks.  Also there are a wide variety of exhibits, arts & crafts demonstrations, and a silent auction.  Festival merchandise and "auction items" include clothing, souvenir items, jewelry, pottery, sculpture, woodcarvings, furniture, Native American crafts, framed oil paintings, watercolors & nature photography - also potted hemlock saplings and herbs.

FESTIVAL  DINING and REFRESHMENTS:   Local restaurants have kitchens and covered dining areas set up on site with delicious food & refreshments available for breakfast, lunch and dinner.   Beer and wine are also available with proof of age.  

DIRECTIONS to HEMLOCKFEST (from GA-400 / I-285 interchange in north metro Atlanta):

1. From the north-side GA-400/ I-285 Interchange take GA-400 North for about 47 miles to its official end at the GA-60 junction & traffic light near Dahlonega. (En route note that a convenient meetup spot for carpoolers is the Park & Ride lot at the GA-400 Mansell Rd exit in Roswell/Alpharetta - about 9 miles north of I-285.)
2. Continue straight ahead via "Long Branch Rd" (from the GA-60 traffic light) an additional 4.8 miles to the GA-52 junction.
3. Turn Right onto GA-52 East and go just 1.5 miles to Starbridge Rd.
4.  Turn Left onto Starbridge Rd and look for the HemlockFest signs and volunteers.  They will facilitate your parking and entry into the festival. (Note that the entry gates are likely to be closed between about 1:00 am and 9:00 am each morning.)
5.  To hook up with other AOCers after you arrive:  Look for us or try either of our mobile phones:  Bobby - 678-520-7314;  Charlie - 404-921-4622.  During the live music gigs there are usually several of us in our camp chairs about 50 feet from the stage.

FOR a ZOOMABLE MAP or SATELLITE VIEW of the Hemlockfest area click on the square blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article. The "Satellite" view crosshairs are centered at our usual AOC seating spot in front of the live music stage.

GPS and MAPS.GOOGLE.com USERS: Feel free to augment the above written directions by entering as your "Destination Address" the following Lat/Lon coordinates for our usual AOC group seating area for the live music - about 50 feet out from live music stage: 34.52025,-83.89561