“Sunday/Funday”
Sponsored by Atlanta News First

Sunday ~ March 23, 2025

• 12:00 - 5:00 pm

Location: JIM R. MILLER PARK

MARIETTA, GEORGIA

Official Automotive:

A fantastic festival finale sponsored by Atlanta News First, with live music and a variety of delectable restaurants, farmers, artisans, and food trucks. There will be a variety of beverages for purchase, stroll the Georgia Grown Member Village, check out the Audi Marietta display, see what’s cooking on the Georgia Grown and Celebrity Chef stages AND the Georgia’s Best Whiskey Cocktail Challenge! A family friendly event with something for everybody in the family, including a free Kids Zone. There will be a variety of adult beverages available for purchase, including beer, wine and cocktails. Adult tickets also include 10 tasting credits (5 Tokens).

The Silent Auction, benefitting SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center, will continue through Sunday, so make sure to check it out!

Tickets per person: $15 Early Bird | $20 Winter Rate (Jan/Feb) | $25 March/Gate

Children 12 and Under Free

Event Type: Indoor/Outdoor, Rain or shine.

Attire & Info: Casual attire, family friendly.

Free kids’ zone courtesy of Fun-Fare

Georgia’s Best Whiskey Cocktail Challenge
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Eight of the area’s best bartenders and mixologists will be competing for the title of “Georgia’s Best Whiskey Cocktail!” Chosen bartenders must create a signature cocktail featuring either Basil Hayden, Jim Beam Black or Knob Creek/Knob Creek Rye as the primary spirit ingredient, and no other whiskey brand. Participants will be provided with product to create their beverage.

Eight (8) contestants will be selected and notified via email. The competition will be professionally judged.

1st Place: $1,500

2nd Place: $500

3rd Place: Prize Package

Meet the Judges

Garn McCown, 2022 Whiskey Cocktail Challenge Winner: Born and raised in Atlanta, Garn McCown worked his way through high school and college at Georgia Tech in restaurants and bars as early as 14-years-old. He began his spirits career in small restaurants, dive bars, and clubs, where he continually strived to learn and grow. This fueled his passion for craft cocktails, quality spirits, ingredients, and cutting-edge techniques. Garn truly began his craft cocktail endeavors at Bluepointe in the Buckhead Financial District of Atlanta, continuing to grow and learn at both high-volume and craft programs with Kimpton Hotels, Seed Kitchen and Bar, Marriott Hotels, The Pool Hall, The Aviary, and Gypsy Kitchen & The Southern Gentleman.

Keyatta Mincey Parker, Executive Director, A Sip of Paradise Garden: Thrillist named Mincey-Parker one of the city’s female bartenders you “MUST KNOW”, along with Tastemakers making her one of the Top 50 Bartenders in the
South, and she has been featured in Forbes, Food and Wine, The AJC, and countless other publications.
You can find Mincey-Parker partnering with some of the country’s most influential spirit brands, chefs,
home bartenders, and farmers to realize her goal of creating picture-perfect cocktails.

Matty McKniff, 2023 Whiskey Cocktail Challenge Winner With a passion for crafting exceptional cocktails, Matty McKniff has honed their craft in diverse cities, including Atlanta, Denver, Charleston, and most recently Louisville. Beyond mixing drinks, he is a dedicated leader, known for his ability to inspire and elevate teams. Matty is committed to fostering stronger bartending communities, driven by a desire to share knowledge and promote excellence in the field.

Master of Ceremonies: Beth Burrows, American Whiskey Ambassador for Beam Suntory

“Georgia Celebrity Chef Stage”

SUNDAY SCHEDULE:

~ Chef Nick Leahy/VICE Kitchen

~ Chef Jernard Wells

Georgia Grown Member Demo Stage

12:30-1:00 ~

1:15-1:45 ~ Chef Lauren Bolden, Owner Pie Bar

Lauren Bolden started Pie Bar, a retail pie bakery, with only four recipes and zero business
experience in 2015. Since then, Pie Bar has grown to include two pie shops in vibrant
Downtown Communities: Pie Bar Woodstock + Pie Bar Marietta in addition to Pie Bar’s
Commissary Kitchen in Kennesaw, Georgia.
She currently oversees the daily operations at Pie Bar, writes recipes (for Pie Bar and others),
teaches baking classes, and generally finds ways to get people to eat more pie.
Lauren was named one of six Georgia Grown Executive Chefs for the State of Georgia in 2024.
Lauren and Pie Bar have been featured in Southern Living, Taste of the South Magazine,
Draper James, Forbes, Food Network, Cooking Channel, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, ATL Live, and as a recurring guest on Atlanta & Company.
Lauren lives in Canton, Georgia, where she and her husband, Cody, are restoring a 1920’s Mill
House. They have one dog named Hank and one daughter named Rose, although it is not
unusual for them to both respond to “hey, stop that!”

2:00-2:30 ~

2:45- 3:15 ~

Live Music Stage

Main Stage, 12:00 – 2:00 Acoustic, J. Scott Thompson

J. Scott Thompson is an audience favorite endearing himself to crowds nationwide (and quite a few in England!) with his warm, easy going personality, powerful voice, and fresh style of Americana songwriting. Pulling from his Southern roots, Thompson writes from the heart and speaks to the soul with songs influenced by his Dad’s record collection of James Brown, Sam Cooke, The Beatles, and Otis Redding. A prolific songwriter and captivating performer, Thompson combines a southerner’s knack for storytelling with a dose of southern charm making lifelong friends and loyal fans wherever he goes.