Fitzgerald, GA Wild Chicken Festival

When I parked in downtown Fitzgerald and opened my car door, I was greeted by three separate and distinct sounds:  the church bells tolling, the loud whistle of a cargo train roaring through town and, lastly, the call of chickens (but they sounded like roosters) coming from every possible direction.  In Fitzgerald, chickens ARE everywhere!  As I walked around I asked some of the locals how they felt about these little critters and the response was mixed:  "If you have them in your garden, you will hate them.  I had one build a nest in my flower pot!" was one response.  Two other ladies I met said they 'loooved' the chickens, and offered to let me take a photograph of the 'chicken lovers'...I politely declined. 

According to the official Festival website, the story is this: 

Back in the 1960's, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources stocked Burmese chickens all over the state as an additional game bird to be hunted like pheasant or quail.  Flocks of chicks were released several miles from Fitzgerald at the Ocmulgee River. Populations of the bird never took hold in other areas of the state, but for some reason, they left the river site and made their way to downtown Fitzgerald, where they have propagated and prospered ever since!

Initially forgetting that I had set out to attend the festival, I followed the chicken sounds until I found one to photograph.  These Wild Burmese Chickens are bold and shy at the same time--bold enough to run across the main street of downtown--yet so shy that they ran for the nearest shrub when they heard me approaching.  Getting one to 'pose' for a photograph was a challenge, indeed.   I was determined and finally got a few good shots and then headed for the festival. 

The festival was a bit disappointing after the hour and one-half drive--and in fairness, apparently there were activities the night before and early Saturday morning that I missed completely, but the street festival was rather small--only two or three blocks--but cram packed with the usual festival fare.   Funnel cakes with assorted toppings seemed to be the most popular, but corn dogs and cotton candy certainly held their own.

A few of the crafts were interesting and colorful--handmade baskets and homemade pickles and jams were the most tempting. I've learned though that in order to save my bank account, when I see something I like, I just take a photograph and I can easily tote it home with me.

Before leaving the festival , I learned that the folks in Fitzgerald feel they have found the answer to an age-old question:  "Why did the chicken cross the road?  To get to the Fitzgerald Chicken Festival, of course!"