In a town that both Joel Chandler Harris and Alice Walker called home, there’s definitely history worth celebrating.

Help ring in the holiday season and help celebrate the town of Eatonton’s 200th birthday at the Bicentennial Festival in downtown Eatonton this weekend.

Beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday morning, downtown Eatonton will host musical performances, food and arts and crafts vendors, as the town celebrates its birthday.

In the morning musical performers will take the stage and grace festival-goers with an array of musical selection.

The festival will feature the Crosstie Walkers, a folk, gospel and blues band, Ira ‘Enigma’ Davis, a rapper from the Atlanta area, and an eclectic band known as Big Ernie’s Original Garage Band that features 60s, 70s and 80s music.

“Well it’s Eatonton’s 200th birthday so we wanted to do something to help celebrate it,” said Eatonton City Council member Alma Stokes. “We planned various activities throughout the year, beginning with the Mayor’s Ball and the ending with a celebration Dec. 21 at the Plaza Arts Center.”

For the birthday celebration later this month, event organizers are asking members of the community in Eatonton to bring birthday cakes to the Plaza Arts Center and come enjoy the fireworks extravaganza that will follow the birthday cake feast, said organizers.

In addition to these festivities, the event will also include the annual Christmas parade at 2 p.m. in downtown Eatonton that will bring Santa Claus to Eatonton for some holiday cheer.

Santa will also be available immediately after the parade around the courthouse square.

In addition to these events that will get you in the holiday spirit, Eatonton will also be holding the annual Christmas tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. Saturday featuring musical performances by local area choir and hand bell groups.

“This is a gathering for the whole community. It’s a free event, a birthday celebration,” said event organizer Ernest Rogers. “What better way on a Christmas month to have fun and celebrate Eatonton’s birthday?”

“The fact that we’ve survived 200 years is what’s great,” said Eatonton Mayor John Reid. “If you look at other places, there have been cities that didn’t survive so we are happy to be in that position and we want to make sure that we’re still around for the next 200 years.”

For information about the event, please call Ernest Rogers at (478) 414-6830.