PERFECT LABOR DAY WEEKEND

Decatur’s Book Festival is Top Choice

-Meet Lara Lyn Carter and Nathalie Dupree-

By Doc Lawrence

DECATUR, GA-Always known as a lovely town and the home of Agnes Scott College, it is today one of the South’s enviable centers of prosperity with acclaimed restaurants popping up almost daily. Busy city sidewalks are lined with comfortable park benches near wine and gourmet kitchen stores. Decatur is a showcase of urban excellence.

Lara Lyn Carter

It’s also home of the annual Decatur Book Festival, the largest independent book festival in the United States.

Authors and more authors dominate the festival. Decatur gives meaning to multiculturalism. The event, just like the city, is inclusive. It is a forum for discussions, debates and the introduction of new ideas. It is also one of the friendliest places anywhere.

Legendary Nathalie Dupree

You can learn about cooking from an array of experts. Some like the legendary Nathalie Dupree and rising star TV celebrity chef Lara Lyn Carter are very approachable and delighted to autograph copies of their books.

The festival crowds are made of gentle, family-friendly folks, a welcome absence of boisterousness, a comfort zone for three days when you have no hesitation to strike up a conversation with total strangers.

Decatur has a long history with books. Mary Gay’s classic Life in Dixie During the War is a first hand account of the sufferings 150 years ago during the siege and occupation of the area by General Sherman, and a favorite son, the great Roy Blount, Jr. grew up here, going on to author countless books that prove smart folks know how to generate laughs.

The Decatur Book Festival is a perfect way to ease into autumn.

More information: www.decaturbookfestival.com