The Americana Summer Bucket List: Part I | | An Americana summer in Forsyth is all about the simple joys that make this season unforgettable. This year, as we celebrate 250 years of America and welcome visitors into Atlanta for the World Cup, those classic summer moments feel even more special. It’s lazy afternoons on picnic blankets, fireflies flickering in the warm evening air, and sticky fingers from melting ice cream. It’s wandering scenic trails, discovering hidden waterfalls, casting a line in a quiet lake, or sharing a hometown meal with family and friends. An Americana summer means slowing down, savoring each moment and creating memories that last a lifetime. Come explore with us all the ways you can experience the sights, sounds, and flavors of summer in Forsyth. | |
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Picnic Spots: 4 For Forsyth
Picnics are a great Americana Summer tradition and this month we’re featuring four of our favorite picnic spots in and around Forsyth!
High Falls State Park
Bring the family and enjoy a picnic near the tallest cascading waterfall south of Atlanta! If you’re up for it, there are three great hiking trails to choose from too.
Courthouse Lawn
Pack your basket and head to the lawn of the Historic Monroe County Courthouse for a great picnic spot located right in the middle of downtown Forsyth.
BONUS: Grits Cafe now offers full picnic spreads for the whole family!
Country Club Park
Looking for a picnic spot where the kids and pups can burn off some energy? Head on over to Country Club Park and snag a table under the pavilion by the playground and bark park!
Juliette Dam & Park
Nestled behind the famous Whistle Stop Cafe on the bank of the Ocmulgee River is a park with picnic tables and a great spot to fish or enjoy an afternoon snooze.
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World Cup Watch Parties: 4(+1) for Forsyth
Join your fellow soccer fans for Forsyth’s World Cup Watch Parties at a venue near you! These establishments will be showing every Atlanta game June 15 through July 15, PLUS the World Cup kickoff on June 11 and final match on July 19. Atlanta games include five group-stage matches, two knockout round matches, and a major semifinal on July 15th. Come cheer on team USA and your favorite team on the world stage while enjoying food and drink specials!
📍 Fox City Brewing Co
📍 The Social Fox
📍 The Den
📍 Driven Interactive Sports Lounge
📍 El Dorado Mexican Restaurant
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| Looking for more experiences for your Americana Summer Bucket List? Stay tuned for Part II in our July issue, featuring local hikes and photo spots! #4forForsyth | |
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What's New at the Library
Exciting things are happening at the Monroe County Library! They're installing new stairs to replace the ramp and adding an ADA accessible entrance. Don't worry, we checked on Libby the Fox and she's handling the construction like a champ! We would also like to welcome the Monroe County Library as one of our newest tourism partners. Make sure to grab a copy of our Downtown Map while you're there!
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New Video: Americana Summer
Oh, those Americana Summer days!!
Our newest video in our partner series with local videographer Samantha Holley captures sweet, sunny moments with family that will be remembered for years to come. This is the essence of an Americana Summer in Forsyth—simple pleasures, away from screens and traffic. The video highlights picking up summer favorites from the Main Street Market then taking them over to Juliette Park on the Ocmulgee River for a scenic picnic, before ending the day on the playground at Country Club Park.
Ready to start your video collaboration? Partners work directly with Sam to produce the videos, and partner with the CVB on distribution platforms. It is a limited series, so if you're interested in being our next spotlight email hello@organicallysamm.com for a copy of the proposal.
| | Photo credit: Will Davis, Monroe County Reporter | |
History is in the Details: Independence Day Celebrations from the Past
By: Ralph Bass, local historian
American Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, marking when the original 13 colonies severed ties with Great Britain. The first Independence Day Celebration took place in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777. The ceremony included multiple bonfires around the city and the ringing of bells. Citizens of Forsyth have observed Independence Day in varying ways since the town’s establishment in 1823.
During the period before 1860, observances typically involved a military display, an oration, and a meal. There were toasts, both regular and volunteer, that frequently turned political. A Revolutionary War veteran in Forsyth in 1835 toasted, “Our long hard struggle of seven years to gain liberty and a republican government: May the government so obtained never be destroyed or defaced” by states righters."
In 1832 the local militia unit, the Monroe Musketeers, organized the proceedings in Forsyth with a procession from the Eagle Tavern (now 67-79 North Lee Street) to the courthouse for a reading of the Declaration of Independence and two orations. After the courthouse ceremonies there was a “sumptuous dinner” that Benier Pye prepared at his Mansion House. Toasts followed.
Toasts could lead to inebriation, a matter of concern to the Monroe County Total Abstinence Society, which sponsored an alcohol-free Independence observation in 1842. The Society followed up with three nights of lectures by Joseph J. Johnson, the reformed drunkard from Boston. That week 105 citizens took the pledge, “some of whom were in the habitat of daily intoxication.”
During Reconstruction, white Southerners abandoned any observation of the nation’s birthday, leaving that for the black population alone to celebrate. When the Democratic Party had a meeting at the courthouse on July 4, 1876, there was not a hint of recognition in their proceedings that it was, to the day, the centennial of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
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The Declaration of Indepedence | |
Congress in 1870 having made July 4th a federal holiday, white citizens of Monroe County gradually came to observe it – especially with barbecues. For some years the owners of Trio, Ensign, and Forsyth mills provided barbecue for their employees and in 1915 the county commissioners served barbecue to the inmates of the county’s convict camps.
There is a peculiar irony that the Confederate Monument Association in 1907 used the occasion of Independence Day to sell barbecue plates to raise money to erect a statue of a soldier who fought against the nation birthed on that day in 1776.
Increasingly though in the 20th century public observances of Independence Day gave way to family gatherings and recreation instead of orations, barbecue plates, and toast. The local newspaper hinted at the change when it wrote in 1918 “many automobilists spent the day in neighboring cities and resorts.”
And not until the 21st century did municipally-sponsored fireworks become a part of the local celebration of Independence Day.
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July Fourth, 1919, in Washington, D.C.
Photo credit: Library of Congress
| | Photo credit: Fox City Brewing Co. | |
Summer with Dad: Make It a Time to Remember
Father's Day falls right at the start of summer, which makes it the perfect excuse to plan something together. There is plenty of fun to be had in Forsyth. We rounded up a few family memory making ideas to celebrate Dad this season.
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Take Dad to Fox City Brewing Co. for an awesome burger and one of their IPA beers. If asked, they will give you a brew tour too!
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Challenge Dad to an arcade game at Scoops — the winner buys the ice cream! 🙂
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Forsyth Golf Club has a tranquil yet challenging course. Who doesn't like a leisurely game of golf and to ride in a golf cart?
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Start your engines! And take Dad to Driven! Where you can challenge him to a race or two.
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Love to get outdoors and do a little fishing? Reach out to Jeff at All Seasons Guide Services for the ultimate guided fishing experience on the beautiful Lake Juliette.
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Slow the vibe and kick back at The Den where you can enjoy live music, or trivia on Thursdays, and a specialty cocktail.
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BONUS! Take Dad to one of the World Cup Watch Parties this Summer and cheer your favorites on! See Schedule
All in all, you can make Father's Day or any day, special by tailoring the day to his interests. Whether your Dad loves the outdoors, good food, or a relaxing day with the family, focus on quality time and shared experiences for the memories and the fun!
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Photo credit: Jeff Mooney of All Seasons Guide Service | Photo credit: Richard Dumas | |
From the Blog: The Story Behind the Forsyth-Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame
Can you believe it is June? Summer is on our doorstep, and with that, amidst outdoor fun and concerts on the square, comes a new class of inductees into the Forsyth-Monroe Sports Hall of Fame. To tell us all about it, Visit Forsyth GA Executive Director, Gilda Stanbery, invited Monroe County Public Information Officer, Richard Dumas, to chat with her on the latest episode of Monroe Today!
Mr. Richard has a long history with Monroe County sports, having been the sports editor for the Monroe County Reporter for nearly a decade. If you’re an avid listener of Monroe Today, you probably know Mr. Richard is a host himself of the series, covering the topic of sports once a month on Majic 100 FM. And most relevant to this story, he is also Chairman of the Forsyth-Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame, an organization he has been a part of since its very beginning.
Learn more about Mr. Richard, the history of the Sports Hall of Fame, and its new class of inductees on our blog:
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| Present Day Ben Wright's Store in Indian Springs, next to Yahola Creek Grill | | |
From Annie's Memoirs: Sookie (Sucky) Pruitt
By: Nicole Newsom, great-granddaughter of Annie Bridges
As those of you who received last month's newsletter will remember, I have been exploring the people and places mentioned in my great-grandmother's memoirs. My great-grandmother, Annie Sutton Bridges, was born in 1896 and lived to be 103 years old. She spent her whole life in the Cabaniss/Berner area, providing a hyperlocal eyewitness account of the 20th century.
One of my favorite anecdotes Grandmother Bridges shares is of an elderly lady fondly referred to by the whole community as 'Aunt Sookie'. Miss Sookie Pruitt herself lived to be 100, having been born around 1812 and lived through her own century of changing times.
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We lived near a family of 3 elderly ladies. One was about 90 years old. She had a wonderful memory and I never became weary of hearing her tell of the days of the Civil War and the time Sherman’s Army came through. They had little income and very few worldly goods, so all Sherman’s men asked of them was food. They made biscuits and served them big pitchers of buttermilk. When the soldiers finished and had emptied the pitchers, they threw them on the ground and they were broken to pieces.
They, the elderly women, bought their groceries about twice a year. A neighbor gave the use of his two-horse wagon and a driver and they traded at the “Ben Wrights” store at Indian Springs. I went with Miss Ann Bryars at one time when they made this trip for their groceries. It was about 12 miles to the store. Flour, meal, coffee, sugar and salt, and a few other items were sufficient to last until another 6 months.
The 90 year old lady, Aunt Sucky Pruitt, often would tell me about the time the stars fell. I really don’t know if such a thing actually happened as there was no one living to verify it.
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These ladies were Aunt Sucky Pruitt, Miss Sally Davis, and Miss Ann Bryars. They were fine likable people whom everyone enjoyed visiting, and they always had a baked sweet potato or a gingerbread cookie for the kids, and to me that was better tasting than food at home.
I’ve always kept that in my memory, that a child enjoyed any food he was given when he visited in another home. A nephew of mine many years later would say, “Aunt Annie, I always got so hungry before we got to your house, when we were coming to visit you.” Food away from home somehow just tasted better to me when I was a child and I think all children felt the same way.
These elderly ladies smoked cob popes and dipped snuff. Aunt Sucky Pruitt’s eyesight was failing and she would often ask me to light her pipe for her from a coal in the fireplace and draw a few draws on it. I vowed to myself that when I was my own boss I surely was going to smoke a corn cob pipe and dip snuff. Of course, those childhood visions faded away as time went by.
—From Annie’s Memoirs
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I have seen many spellings of her name in my research: Sukie, Sucky, Sukey, Sookie...not to mention the variations in Pruitt! But I believe our Aunt Sookie was born Susan Pruitt, making the trip across the river from Jones County with her father Solomon Pruitt and other siblings by the 1830 Monroe County census. Sookie never married that I could find, though she did help raise an orphaned niece (Ann Byars) and later another niece (Sarah 'Sally' Dunn Davis) came to live with them after becoming widowed. Sookie was buried in the Pruitt Family Cemetery near Cabaniss Baptist Church.
Interested in more stories of 'Aunt Sookie' and her housemates? Check out these newspaper clippings I found! And stay tuned for more stories from Annie’s Memoirs in our July newsletter.
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| Special thanks to Frankie Willis of Indian Springs and the Butts County Historical Society, and Ralph Bass of the Monroe County Historical Society, for helping me in my research! To my surprise and delight, Ms. Frankie actually owns the building that was once Ben Wright's store, and will soon be opening a new shop there. | |
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Local 4-H Student Sells 400lbs(!) of Vidalia Onions, Including to Grits Cafe
When you sell over 400 pounds of sweet vidalia onions, there's no question you celebrate with the biggest, freshest onion ring and a juicy burger!
Mike was motivated to sell onions to raise money for Monroe County 4-H and to fund summer camp. And sell onions did he ever! Chef Robert Smith of Grits Cafe not only purchased onions, but also promised young Mike that once he finished selling and delivering all his orders, he would treat him to a behind-the-scenes cooking experience in the kitchen at Grits Cafe followed by a special meal.
Those sweet onions are appearing on the menu now at Grits Cafe, and in special featured dishes like the tomato and onion tart, a collaboration with Treats with Lenise on her onion focaccia bread. Be on the lookout for even more fun onion dishes!
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A French Fried Onions Recipe from Mrs. Dull's Southern Cooking Cookbook (1928):
While we can't give away all the secrets of Grits' kitchen, if you'd like to try your hand at onion rings we did find this recipe from our historic cookbook by Tift College professor Mrs. S.R. Dull!
Cut onions in 1/4-inch slices and pull ring loose. Soak in sweet milk for an hour (water may be used). Take rings from milk and cover with flour to which salt and pepper has been added; drop in deep fat and fry until brown. They should float in the grease.
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They will go to the bottom at first, then come to top as they begin to get done. Don't fry too many at one time. A small batch often may be done quicker than too many at one time.
A kitchen stunt: put flour in a paper bag, drop a handful of onion rings in, shake well, and they are covered with flour. A thin batter of flour, sweet milk and egg with salt and pepper is sometimes used. However, the first is very simple.
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Green Tomato Festival Enters New Era
As many of you know, Juliette's beloved bee charmer, Mr. Tommy Moon of The Honeycomb, passed away a few months ago. Mr. Tommy was one of the Green Tomato Festival's OG organizers, which celebrated 20 years last October. With his passing, Mr. Robert Williams passed the torch to Mary Beth and Bill Odom of The Whistle Stop Train Depot & Gift Shop. Mary Beth and Bill have shared that the festival will continue its tradition on the fourth weekend of October. It is being renamed to the Fried Green Tomato Festival. More updates will be shared soon on the festival's Facebook page, so stay tuned!
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Game of Shrooms
Game of Shrooms is a once-a-year, worldwide art phenomenon featuring that famous fungus, the humble mushroom. On June 13, artists from all over the world hide their original mushroom-themed art in public places. Here in Monroe County, we have three communities participating: High Falls, Forsyth, and Culloden! Each community will provide clues to find their hidden mushroom art, and this year we also have restaurants joining in the fun with featured mushroom menu specials.
High Falls
High Falls has two hunt times: 10AM and 1PM. You'll find clues on the High Falls Folk Fest Facebook Page! When you're hungry for more, head over to High Falls Wing Depot for their on-special "Mushroom Philly Cheese Steak".
Forsyth
In Forsyth, the 1823 Artisan Guild is hosting a range of activities from 10AM to 2PM! 1) Stop in to get a clue to find your hidden mushroom somewhere around downtown. 2) Design and decorate your OWN mini mushroom art piece at the guild. 3) Prizes galore await, so follow their pages for more details on ways to win!
When you've worked up your appetite, two Forsyth restaurants are running menu specials: Grits Cafe with the 'Shroom Burger and Stuffed Mushrooms appetizer, plus Fox City Brewing with the Creamy Mushroom Marsala over Tortellini Pasta.
Culloden
In Culloden, mushrooms will be hidden around town between 11AM and 1:30PM. Find details and clues on the "City of Culloden" Facebook Group Page. When you're ready for a bite, head to Southern Deli and Cafe where mushrooms will be available as a specialty topping to add to your favorite dish!
BONUS!! A limited quantity of one-of-a-kind 2026 "I Shroomed Through Monroe County, GA" stickers will be available at participating restaurants and clue pickup points. Get your free souvenir sticker early before they're gone!
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Enter to Win Tickets to "The County Fair"
The Americana Summer continues! Refer a friend to our newsletter, and be entered in our Plus One Drawing for a chance to win Two (2) Tickets to "The County Fair," the July 2026 production by The Backlot Players at The Rose Theater. Here's how it works:
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Have your friend subscribe at this link.
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Then, enter the drawing here — we'll need yours and your friend's name and emails to verify you are both subscribers.
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We'll draw winners on Thursday, July 16 and if you're our lucky duo, we will reach out with next steps!
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The Welcome Center and Forsyth Convention & Visitors Bureau office will observe the following closures:
- Tuesday, June 9, 2026 for FIFA/Georgia Showcase Exhibit Setup
- Thursday, June 11, 2026 for FIFA/Georgia Showcase Exhibit (Show Day)
- Friday, June 19, 2026, in observance of Juneteenth
- Friday July 3, 2026 in observance of Independence Day
We will reopen the following business day with our normal hours of operation.
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On The Calendar Highlights | | | | |
Flag Day Celebration
The Lt. James Monroe Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) and the Monroe County Historical Society will host a free, family‑friendly America 250 Flag Day Celebration on Sunday, June 14, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Monroe County History Museum, located at 126 E. Johnston Street, Forsyth, Georgia. This community celebration honors both Flag Day and the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States, offering a full afternoon of living history, hands‑on activities, and educational experiences for visitors of all ages.
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Juneteenth - From Slavery to Freedom at Jarrell Plantation
How did the African community live during enslavement in Georgia up to the Civil War, and how did life change in the decades after June 19, 1865 when slavery ended in the United States? Join the Jarrell Plantation crew on this walking tour to learn about the people who lived in middle Georgia before the war and stayed after to seek a new beginning. Dates: Friday June 19th, 2026 and Saturday June 20th, 2026 from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM.
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Telling Our Story: Black History Museum Presents: Juneteenth 2026 Ride Along
Calling all riders!
Celebrate Juneteenth with the Telling Our Story: Black History Museum Ride Along! Bring your friends and your favorite motorcycle or golf cart to celebrate! The line up will start at 2:30PM on Saturday, June 20, 2026 at St. James Baptist Church. The ride along will start at 3PM and head towards the W.M. Hubbard Complex.
Bring your tents, chairs and picnic baskets and enjoy music on the lawn at the W.M. Hubbard Complex. Join the fun starting at 4PM for an evening of great food, soulful music and excitement for the whole family!
Call (478) 394-2972 for more information.
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Culloden Independence Day Celebration
Head on down to Ellis Field in Culloden to kick off Americana Summer with a 250th Birthday Celebration for America! Bring your appetites for the delicious food and your dancing shoes to dance the night away to local favorite BMuzick Band on Saturday, June 20th starting at 7PM with a fireworks extravaganza at 9:30PM!
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Forsyth Main Street Presents: Fireworks Over Downtown
Mass Affect Band is back again! This year they will be celebrating with Forsyth for the 4th of July during the Fireworks Spectacular! Come celebrate on July 4th, starting at 7:30PM!
| | | | | To make sure you have all the information you need to plan a memorable visit to Forsyth, we gladly provide plenty of resources, guides and tools to help you along the way. | | | | |
