Prater's Mill teems with life as crafters and entertainers gear up for this quality arts and crafts show held in the atmosphere of an old-fashioned country fair. The fair focuses on mountain music, Southern foods, living history exhibits and the handmade crafts and original art of 185 talented artists and artisans. Craft demonstrations include blacksmithing, spinning, quilting, woodcarving and hand tufting, a cottage industry that evolved into the tufted carpet industry centered in Dalton, Ga. The mill, built in 1855, grinds corn during the fair. Articles will be displayed ranging from handmade knives and baskets to fine oil paintings.

Funds raised at the fair are used to preserve the three-story grist mill. From a dilapidated building with holes in the roof and floor, peeling paint and rotten beams, Prater's Mill is now a gleaming red building with white trim, a new tin roof and a repaired floor.

Featured in Brown's Guide to Georgia, the Prater's Mill Country Fair has been recognized by the American Bus Association as a Top 100 Event and has been listed as one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society. The festival has been visited by Senator Herman Talmadge, Georgia Governor Lestor Maddox, a multitude of politicians and officials. Children under 12 are free with an adult. Military free with ID.