By Nick Nunn
Staff Writer

The 23rd annual Cotton Gin Festival will take place this Saturday, Nov. 3 in downtown Bostwick.
Before the events on Saturday, Bostwick will be selling long- and short-sleeve versions of three different designs, representing Bostwick’s heritage, contributed by local artist Eugene Swain. These shirts will be on sale until Friday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Susie Agnes Hotel.
The first event on Saturday will be the 2012 5K Gin Run. Registration for the race begins at 8 a.m., and the race kicks off at 9 a.m., and will begin at Gibbs Memorial Church, near Whitaker Park. This year, the race is dedicated to Rick Spence, late resident of the community. Ten percent of the raised funds go to the MCHS junior class.
At 11 a.m., the annual tractor parade will begin. The parade is expected to last approximately an hour and include more than 200 tractors. Additionally, floats, antique cars and horseback riders are welcome to participate. There is no participation fee but there is a form that needs to be completed and submitted before the event. The registration form can be found at www.bostwickga.com.
The Ruarks’ cotton gin will be running throughout the day, and visitors are invited to come into the gin house and watch the ginning process. Also, this year, for the first time, local cotton will be on sale at the festival, although supplies will be limited.
Sixty-two arts and crafts vendors will be at the festival this year, the most they have ever had. These vendors will be located in the pecan grove of the Riden/Argo house (the location of the yearly Bostwick Fourth of July barbecue) and will offer a variety of handmade goods.
There will also be food vendors, including a barbecue put on by the Nunn family to raise money for the continued restoration and upkeep of the Susie Agnes Hotel.
Again this year, there will be an area for children, the Cotton Kid Corral, which will be located directly across the street from the craft vendors.
Beginning at noon, following the parade, there will be live music performances by Dave Finck, Kaylee Ruark, and the Weber Family.
The honored guests during the parade will be this year’s Cotton Queen, Sybil Nunn, and the Grand Marshall of the parade, Zippy Duvall, the president of Georgia Farm Bureau  and resident of Greene County.
On the day of the festival, through traffic will be routed around Bostwick beginning at 8:30 a.m. Signs will be posted indicating the paths of the detours. The Sheriff’s Office will be assisting the flow of traffic on Saturday. There will be a $5 parking fee on Saturday. Parking will be available in the following locations: Malcom Circle, Nunn Lane, Butch Malcom’s property on Fairplay Road, and at the Bostwick House on Echols behind the cotton gin. Parking for people with disabilities will be available at the corner of Wellington Road and Highway 83.

Printed in the November 1 edition.