GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WKRG) — Take a look around Lucedale and you may spot ribbons hanging all around. That means the Gingham Tree Arts and Crafts Festival is back!

It’s a handcrafted show and artisans from across the South come to display and sell their handmade or hand-embellished crafts. As the festival approaches, yellow gingham ribbons are displayed throughout the city of Lucedale to remind people it’s coming to town. The idea of using the yellow ribbons came from Tony Orlando’s song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Old Oak Tree.”

The 2023 kickoff marks the 51st year of the festival. The event has 306 booths of homemade crafts, artwork, and food, as well as a Kid Zone area and plenty of family-friendly entertainment at the George County Fair Grounds. The festival runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 11. Admission is free for festival goers.

Each year, money generated from the sale of booth space is returned to the community in the form of supplies for teachers, renovation of the stage at the Activities Building, curtains for the middle school and high school stages, and the city park playground fund. The proceeds also go towards scholarships for participants in George County’s Distinguished Young Women’s Program, an event also sponsored by the Fine Arts Club, and many other civic fundraisers.