Handmade goods for sale and a family-friendly zone will be part of the festival at Gold Rush Days in downtown Dahlonega.

“It’s a craft festival, the majority of our stuff is handmade,” said Kyle Wade, the Gold Rush Days vendor chair.

In addition to the handmade goods, a kidzone with inflatables and projects will be open. And a 5-kilometer race will launch activities Saturday morning. The main stage will host competitions such as beard growing and hog-calling contests as well as other entertainment throughout the weekend.

“The atmosphere of Downtown Dahlonega is very welcoming, very laid-back, the vendors love it,” Wade said. “A lot of people say it’s their favorite festival of the year.”

The festival will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, and Sunday, Oct. 16, in the Dahlonega square. Thousands of people are expected to attend.

Wade said the city has space for between 260 and 270 vendors at the festival. Items for sale will include wood crafts, jewelry, soaps, candles, leather goods, metal work, decorative items and knitted and crocheted goods.

In its 62nd year, Gold Rush is a celebration of the 1828 discovery of gold in Dahlonega. The Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Jaycees  organize the event to raise funds for its organization. Money from renting space to vendors is the only source of income for the Jaycees for the year, Wade said.

“We don’t make anything off the customers,” he said. “We make it off the vendors. We take all that money and put it back into the community minus the cost of the festival.”

The Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Jaycees is a volunteer organization comprised of men and women between the ages of 18 and 40 who live and/or work in Lumpkin County. They participate in philanthropic events throughout the year, with their largest being the Empty Stocking event.

As part of the program, the Jaycees work with community agencies and family advocates in the school system to select families in Lumpkin County to adopt for the Christmas holiday. Jaycees members and community volunteers shop and wrap everything from clothing, necessities, grocery items and toys.

The Jaycees also offer scholarships to graduating seniors and have a fund set aside to help other people in need with unexpected expenses.