Million Pines Arts and Crafts Festival Returns With Over 250 Vendors

The Million Pines Arts and Crafts Festival will return to Soperton’s Iva Park on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 with over 250 vendors, the most in the festival’s history.

“We’re completely packed,” said event organizer Tammy Pullen. “We’ve got a waiting list now, probably 50, 60 on there by now.”

The Million Pines Arts & Crafts Festival’s creation was spearheaded by Jack Pournelle and Mary Pournelle in 1972 to support local civic groups and local communities, giving them a venue to sell and promote their products. Since then, the event has achieved statewide acclaim, receiving upwards of 10,000 visitors each year according to Soperton City Mayor John Koon.

“It was just kind of a community gathering, and for years, even after I moved here, it was almost a big reunion for the people who had moved away, and they would come home,” said Koon. “And it started maybe with five or ten little booths, people selling chili, and baked goods, and candy and stuff like that, and it grew upwards to… 180, 190 booths at one time.”

According to Koon, the festival has a major impact on the community both financially and culturally, driving over 10,000 people to the area during the event weekend to experience the town as well as the event.

“It’s my opinion that as the Arts & Crafts Festival goes, so does the city,” said Koon. “It’s our biggest attraction of the year.”

As the festival has grown over the years, the local nonprofit Treutlen Booster Club has been responsible for organizing the event. Husband and wife duo Joey Pullen and Tammy Pullen have taken the helm of the organization in recent years, with Joey acting as president for over twenty years and Tammy as secretary for three to four years.

As secretary, Tammy’s role in preparations primarily revolved around marketing and vetting vendor applications. Festival organizers will ordinarily accept vendor applications until the day of the festival, charging $100 for a 15 foot by 15 foot booth, but organizers announced applications were closed on Oct. 13, five days earlier than in 2025.

According to Tammy, the 2026 festival has attracted over 250 vendors, including “food trucks, and food vendors and informational vendors.” 

“We’re actually having to create spaces this year, which is kind of scary, but at the same time, we’re real proud of it,” said Tammy. 

To ensure Iva Park will have enough space to accommodate the large number of vendors, the city of Soperton have removed three trees from the park. In addition, Police Chief Brian Scott suggested the city council block off additional areas around the park, more than the usual one block.

The suggested areas included a section of Georgia Avenue from William Street to Manning Street, and a section of Manning Street from Georgia Avenue to Alabama Avenue. 

“I know that one of the residents last year was a little ill because they were parking in his yard without permission and a lot of his driveway,” said Mayor Koon during the city council’s October 20 meeting, when the issue was discussed.

Mayor Pro-Tem Xandra Brown offered a motion to close off the suggested areas during the festival’s operating hours, which passed unanimously.

The festival also gained 10 sponsors for the event, including GA First Bank, Premier Heating and Air, Altamaha EMC and Fiber, Subway of Soperton, Dennard Drugs and True Value, Sammons Funeral Home, The Sportsmans Corner, Broomsedge Rod and Gun, AmWaste, Coca Cola, Farmers Furniture and SIC Septic.

The festival will see musical performances from the Treutlen County High School Marching Band, Tres Hombres, the High Mileage Band and Love 2 Dance on Saturday and from King’s Cross Quartet and Seth Hutcheson and Son on Sunday.