The Azalea Storytelling Festival is returning to LaGrange over the weekend of March 1-3, beginning a week from today. The festival, which will celebrate its 23rd anniversary next week, has become a staple of early springtime in LaGrange, and has developed into a mainstay community event, routinely pulling in some of the best, most talented orators from the region.

The festival draws approximately 2,500 people each year from more than 20 states, and has been named one of the top 20 events in the 12 Southeastern states by the Southeast Tourism Society. That is a significant achievement, and speaks to the dedication and hard work of those behind the scenes, working to ensure the festival goes off without a hitch year after year.

This year, the festival will feature some of the most prolific storytellers from across Georgia and portions of the country. The headliners for the festival will be Donald Davis, Josh Goforth, Tim Lowry and Ed Stivender, while Troup County’s own Carol Cain will emcee the event.

The festival is an organization underneath the umbrella of the Lafayette Society for Performing Arts and has received the Troup County Tourism Visionary Award, as well as the National Storytelling Leadership Award. The LSPA has created a family-friendly event that the community can be proud of and invest in, which happens now on an annual basis.

Next weekend, carve out some time to visit the festival, taking place at the Callaway Auditorium on LaGrange College’s campus, particularly if you have not had a chance to do so in the past. We’re sure you’ll be glad you did.