Vidalia was originally known as Jenkins Station, named after local landowner Warren T. Jenkins. The name Vidalia is believed to have been given by a daughter of Samuel Hawkins, president of the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railroad. The town expanded around a major rail yard serving regional farmers growing timber, cotton, corn, pecans, and tobacco. Later, it served as an interchange junction for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and the Georgia and Florida Railway.
In 1931, farmer Moses Coleman first discovered during the Great Depression that the local sandy soil—which is unusually low in sulfur—produced a sweet, mild onion instead of a sharp one. In the 1940s, a state farmers' market opens in Vidalia, and consumers begin calling them "Vidalia onions". Thanks to a distribution center for Piggly Wiggly, the onions achieve wider distribution and popularity in 1963. In 1986, the Georgia Legislature passes the Vidalia Onion Act, legally trademarking the name and restricting production to a designated 20-county area in South Georgia. By 1989, the federal government establishes USDA Federal Marketing Order No. 955 to protect the name and quality standards. In 1990, the Vidalia onion is officially named Georgia's State Vegetable.
The cafe has a relatively small seating area and we got the only 6-top table in the place, right in front of the fireplace! It is located right in the heart of downtown on Main Street. The decor was amazing! It featured a warm, country-western eclectic decor and a welcoming, small-town atmosphere that makes everyone feel right at home.
The first official event at the Headin' Home Fest is the potluck dinner. What a great crowd and ohhhhh so much food!
Following the potluck was Open Mic Night on the stage. People signed up and Lizzie set up the schedule.
1st up was Sonny & Debra Chambers.
2nd act was Russell Jones, he is the printer for all things Headin' Home. But he is a pretty good song writer too!
3rd act was Martin Feagle and friends.
4th act was the Thursday Night Jam Band, even though it is Wednesday night!
They were pretty good!
5th act was Brad & Jan Holcomb. I wish I had a video, her finger pickin' was amazing!
6th act was David Robinson, Billy Lee Cox & friends. Both are seasoned musicians.
Billy is a friend and a great banjo player!
One of our favorites was the 7th act, Two or More (aka David & Valerie Gillespie).
They are our friends from Dade City! They host weekly jams in Dade City and Valarie is also an accomplished Sax player!
The 7th act was Gabriel Lusk, he was accompanied by Brad and Jan.
The 8th act was Terry Lemmons, a guy from Texas that recently picked up playing the guitar!
I give him a ton of credit for going on stage.
The last act was the park owners, Laurie & Stagger Lee.
They were joined by two of the Lindblom boys and they rocked this original song!
Stagger Lee and the lady in black, without the instrument, were both inducted in the Georgia Country Music Hall of Fame in 2025. They were inducted in the seventh class for the museum which formed to recognize south Georgia and north Florida musicians.
"Stagger Lee" (born Donald Paul Lee Jr.) is a multi-instrumentalist bluegrass and country musician, songwriter, and venue owner. He is proficient in the fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, piano, and double bass. Stagger Lee is an established figure in the regional roots music community. In the early 1970s, his group Don Lee Jr. & Blue Country performed the very first country and bluegrass showcase at the Empire State Building. Later that decade, he wrote and recorded the regional hit "Wacky Tobakky" at the famous Gilley's Club. He worked as a DJ for the influential radio station KWKH and was named the 1982 Louisiana Hayride Entertainer of the Year. He has placed highly in prominent regional competitions, including the Florida State Fiddle Contest and the National Traditional Country Music Association awards.
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