HemlockFest is an annual benefit music festival, held on November 2-4, 2012 in Dahlonega, to increase public awareness and generate funds to help save the eastern and Carolina hemlock trees. Money raised will be used for support of the Georgia laboratories rearing adelgid-devouring beetles, education and research on the HWA problem, and assisting businesses and homeowners to protect hemlocks on their private property.

HemlockFest, hosted by the Lumpkin Coalition, is an annual festival held the first full weekend in November. The Festival and the proceeds from the festival are used to increase public awareness of eastern and Carolina hemlock tree problems and to provide financial support for the following: all three labs in Georgia (University of Georgia, Young Harris College, and North Georgia College and State University) raising predatory beetles to combat the destructive hemlock woolly adelgid an aphid-like insect native to Asia; assist private land owners and public agencies in managing the health of their Hemlock trees; and to facilitate other projects that benefit north Georgia, Lumpkin County, its residents and visitors.

Hemlock stands are among the only old growth forests in the east and are of great importance to wildlife, water quality, economy, and basic quality of life.
Festival activities include live music, primitive camping, knife throwing and archery, canoeing on Lake Merlin, arts & crafts demonstrations, interactive presentations and exhibits, experts are on hand to answer your questions about the hemlocks, there are kid-friendly activites, a silent auction, and much more!
Vendors provide food & drink (including beer and with proper identification), jewelry, pottery, wood, stone and metal sculptures, Native American crafts, paintings, watercolors, photography, clothing, herbs, furniture, and festival merchandise for sale. This list is not comprehensive and tends to grow each year!

For more information on this festival, visit HemlockFest.