'Hydrangea' highlights The garden party and concert are featured events. The old-fashioned garden party and wine tasting takes place from 6-9 p.m. on Friday at Ferrell Gardens. This historic pre-Civil War garden surrounds Hills & Dales Estate, the classically designed Georgian Italian villa and formal gardens that is the ancestral home of the Callaway family. The party is limited to 100 guests. Tickets: $50 per person. On Saturday evening, "Picnic with the Pops" unfolds at the foot of Callaway Memorial Tower on Fourth Avenue. Picnickers will enjoy their supper from the highest point in the city as the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra performs in the shadow of the tower, built in 1929 and patterned after the Campanile of St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice. Blooming with color Downtown festival activities begin early Saturday morning with an 8:30 a.m. bike ride designed for the entire family. Sponsored by the LaGrange Art Museum, "Color Wheels" rolls through downtown and is suited for everyone, from the training wheels set to the accomplished cyclist. Enjoy chicory coffee and French fritters known as beignets, 7-10 a.m., on Lafayette Plaza, overlooking the hydrangea-filled square. Grab a tote and stroll along Main Street to the open-air Market on Main (opens at 8 a.m.) for farm-fresh vegetables and colorful flowers, fresh-baked goodies, savory dips and other homemade treats. The Parisian Marketplace opens at 10 a.m. on the square, with Southern artists showing their original works, including soapstone bowls and exquisite pens crafted from Southern hardwoods. Hear musical groups performing throughout the day. Browse among three-gallon pots of hydrangeas for sale. Have your children go hands-on with an art project and enjoy a visit with Fifi. Attention parents - great photo ops! (Marketplace hours: 10-5 p.m., Sat., June 12, and 10-4 p.m., Sun., June 13.) Also on Saturday: Private gardens on tour, 10-5 p.m., featuring visits to several gardens by way of shuttle transportation. Admission: $20/general; $15/seniors; $10/children. A flower show and a children's art show will take place inside the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce building. Sunday adieu Before bidding adieu to LaGrange, munch lunch on Lafayette Plaza on Sunday, 12-4 p.m., accompanied by Gospel music entertainment. To enjoy the petals, picnicking, Parisian Marketplace and more of the 10th Annual Hydrangea Festival in LaGrange, visit lagrangechamber.com or call 706-884-8671. LaGrange-Troup County is centered around West Point Lake, a 26,000-acre reservoir with 500 miles of shoreline and known as one of the nation's best bass fishing lakes. Located 55 minutes south of Atlanta on I-85, the area is rich with recreational opportunities. Visitors to LaGrange can enjoy antebellum homes, tour the new Kia auto manufacturing plant or walk through Biblical times at the Explorations in Antiquity Center - the only attraction of its kind in North America. LaGrange-Troup County encompasses the cities of West Point and Hogansville. The Hydrangea Festival is a community-based volunteer effort that is now in its tenth year. Contact LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce: 1-706-884-8671, www.lagrangechamber.com.
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