In Calvary, Georgia, there is a prize for the prettiest mule. There is another for the prettiest donkey. These are separate competitions, and we should respect that.
The Calvary Lions Club also offers $300 to the person who enters the most mules in the parade. If you have been looking for a reason to acquire another mule, here it is.
Georgia’s fall calendar is crowded with festivals promising something for everyone. These four offer something more specific.
Calvary: The mules come first.
November 7, 2026
Mule Day starts breakfast at six in the morning. The parade is at eleven. The mule show is at one. Between those appointments, there is syrup making, cornmeal grinding and a hay-bale competition.
The parade rules deserve attention. Entries must be drawn by an equine animal or a tractor, car or truck manufactured in 1976 or earlier. Your new pickup will have to sit this one out.
There are ribbons for the best pair of miniature mules, the oldest tractor and the prettiest donkey. The people who organize this have thought about what matters.
Come Friday evening if you want supper and live entertainment before Saturday’s proceedings. Come Saturday if you want to know what separates a pretty mule from a winning one.
Savannah: The people with unusual jobs.
October 29–November 8, 2026
The South Georgia State Fair advertises the Nerveless Nocks, Jurassic Kingdom, Wolves of the World and Master of the Chainsaw.
That is a considerable range of professional qualifications.
The Nocks bring the high-flying stunts. The dinosaurs have their own show. There are rides, food and a petting zoo, too, but the attraction here is the bill. Somebody has to leave home, go to work and be Master of the Chainsaw.
We would like to hear about that commute.
The fairgrounds are at 105 Fort Argyle Road. Save the restaurant reservations for another trip. This one has its own program.
Helen: October gets one more night.
October 31–November 1, 2026
Helen’s Oktoberfest has a costume party on Halloween. Consider the setting before choosing your outfit.
The festival runs through November 1, with the Halloween party on Saturday and free admission on Sunday. Saturday’s Festhalle hours are one to eleven. Sunday closes at seven.
If you want the costume party, go Saturday. If you want to see an Oktoberfest make it into November, go Sunday.
Both are defensible uses of a weekend.
Thomasville: The Bird Dog Bash.
November 21, 2026
The Wildlife Arts Festival runs November 20–22. Our interest is in Saturday night’s Bird Dog Bash at the Sugar Hill Barn at Pebble Hill Plantation.
There will be music, bonfires, open bars, a Southern supper and an auction of works made quickly by festival artists. Painting under pressure, followed by public bidding. The artists earn their evening.
The party runs seven to eleven and requires a ticket. It is for adults twenty-one and older.
The fine art show and artisan market are free on Saturday and Sunday at the Thomasville Center for the Arts. You can look before committing. The same cannot necessarily be said of the auction after supper.
Thomasville Center for the Arts: festival and Bird Dog Bash details
Dates checked against organizers’ published 2026 schedules on October 5, 2026. Check their latest notices before leaving home.
If you can make only one, go to Calvary. We have questions about the mule judging.