Reynoldstown's 18th Annual Wheelbarrow Festival is Sept. 14

by Natasha Berry, Will Moore and Chante LaGon

REYNOLDSTOWN — The 18th annual Wheelbarrow Festival takes place in the heart of Atlanta’s historic Reynoldstown neighborhood on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

The event is free and will be held at Lang-Carson Park, 100 Flat Shoals Ave. SE. 

This year’s festival features live music from:

• Space Trucks featuring members of Of Montreal
• Beverly “Guitar” Watkins
• Living Space Trio
• Frets on Fire
• Norman Frank and the Ghost Dance
• The Groove Neighbors
• Wasted Potential Brass Band
• Midnight Revival
• Mercury Orkestar

The event kicks off with a 5K race through Reynoldstown. Registration is only $25 and can be purchased online or in person the day of the festival.

Wheelbarrow Jr. provides fun, free activities for youth from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the entire community is welcome to enjoy food and art from vendors and food trucks.

Adult beverages will be available courtesy of ParkGrounds, a Reynoldstown café and coffee shop.

The festival has a renewed emphasis on art, which prompted a stronger partnership with WonderRoot this year. The widely recognized community art resource will present a “Community Ties” public art installation during the event. An art scavenger hunt hosted by DooGallery also is part of the festivities.

As one of Atlanta’s oldest neighborhoods, the Wheelbarrow Festival is an authentic reflection of Reynoldstown and in turn, the city.

While smaller than some neighboring communities’ annual events, Wheelbarrow packs in just as much fun in a laid-back and comfortable atmosphere.

Reynoldstown, located three miles east of Downtown, sits north of Memorial Drive and west of Moreland Avenue.

The festival aims to use art and artistic expressions to empower residents with support and recognition in their quest to grow and maintain the neighborhood they call home. Residents from all over are welcome and encouraged to join Reynoldstown in this effort.

All proceeds from the festival will go to neighborhood revitalization and public safety, a critical issue for Reynoldstown and surrounding neighborhoods.

The festival is sponsored by the Neighborhood Fund, an initiative of the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, the Virginia Moore Fund, ScoutMob, Blink, Creative Loafing, WMLB-AM 1690, Insite Magazine, Resources for Residents and Communities, ParkGrounds, Mix'd Up Truck, HomeGrown, Stein Steel, the Hearth, Goldberg's Bagels and Atlanta Audio Visual.

Details on the event, including directions, 5K registration and sponsorship information can be found at www.wheelbarrowfestival.com.