Brown Bag concerts are often held in Willis Park in downtown Bainbridge
There is plenty to do in Bainbridge and Decatur County and the surrounding area to keep you and your family busy throughout the year. Whether you like attending festivals, enjoying nature, enjoying the arts, listening to live music, playing sports, or outdoor activities, there is enough to fill up just about every weekend of the year. Â
Area Festivals For a detailed description of the festivals listed below, visit our Festivals and Events page.
Rattlesnake Roundup
Riverside Artsfest
Dogwood Festival
Mayhaw Festival
Rose Festival and Parade
Rivertown Days
Bikefest
Decatur County Fall Festival and Fair
Mule Day
Swine Time
Celebrations, Tours, Arts and Parades In addition to the many festivals in the area, there are celebrations throughout the year designed for the public. Just take a look at the some of experiences waiting for you:
July 4th Celebration
Holiday Open House
Bainbridge High School Homecoming & Homecoming Parade
Christmas Parade
Christmas Candlelight Walking Tour
Christmas Eve Service at Willis Park
Heritage Tour of Homes
Brown Bag Concerts in Willis Park
River Music Series
Bainbridge Little Theatre
Firehouse Gallery Â
A Night at the Movies Bainbridge is proud to be the home of the Bainbridge Mall Cinemas, with movies shown throughout the week and weekends. With six theaters available, any currently released movie that you might want to see is sure to be playing. Prices are reasonable and wait times are always minimal. Â
Are You a Hunter? Bainbridge and Decatur County, Georgia is home to some of the best hunting areas in the Southeastern United States. There is an abundant supply of wildlife, all carefully managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and its Fish and Wildlife Division. Choose from the many different types of wildlife available when you plan your next hunt, such as white tail deer, turkey, duck, quail, dove, squirrel, and rabbit.
Hunting is considered a vital recreational activity for many in Bainbridge and Decatur County. The DNR has recently acquired the Silver Lake and Hog Farm tract formerly part of International Paper's Southland Research Facility. For more infomration on the new SIlver Lake Wildlife Management Area, go to the DNR Web site.Â
Photos of Silver Lake WMA, managed by Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources
Like to Read? The Gilbert H. Gragg Memorial Library at 229-248-2665, is located the corner of Shotwell and Monroe streets, serves as the headquarters for the tri-county Southwest Georgia Regional Library System. Open six days a week, the library houses a collection of over 140,000 volumes, including adult fiction and non-fiction books, books for children and young adults, large print books, paperbacks, magazines, newspapers, CDs, and videos. The library also serves as a sub-regional library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped for 11 Southwest Georgia counties. The Southwest Georgia Regional Library is a member of the PINES (Public Information Network for Electronic Services) network that includes 34 regional and single county public libraries and more than 300 individual libraries.
There are computer workstations available for public use. Residents of the tri-county region also have access to home e-mail and Internet through five library phone lines.
Children can enjoy four regularly scheduled story times each week. In addition, groups, including schools, can schedule special story times by contacting the children's librarian. The library also has a Bookmobile that travels rural roads in three counties and provides audio books, CD's, and videos to nursing homes, day care centers, and churches. Â
Softball, Football, Tennis, Golf, Bowling and more ...
Bainbridge's Leisure Services Department offers a wide variety of activities in addition to the accessible parks. Coming soon at Earle May Boat Basin, located off of the Shotwell Street and Hwy. 97 South connector are new boat ramps and launches being created through the "Go Fish" initiative approved during Gov. Sonny Perdue's tenure in 2007.Â
The local YMCA offers youth athletic programs, a public bowling alley and a pool for YMCA members while the City of Bainbridge maintains an excellent public pool at the Potter Street Community Center. For serious swimmers, the new Aquatic Center offers eight lanes for practice or competition and a designated diving well. For those who want to just have fun, there is a tall, twisting 140 foot long Spiral Speed Slide.
Statewide tennis tournaments, as well as baseball, softball, soccer, and flag football for all ages are also a big part of life in Decatur County. From tee-ball to young adult leagues, you're sure to be able to find the right league for you.
Are you a golfer? Golf enthusiasts in Decatur County will discover two golf courses located in the community. The privately owned Bainbridge Country Club features an 18 hole golf course, four lighted tennis courts, swimming pool, club house and a pro shop. An 18-hole public course, The Pines Golf Course, (229) 246-8545, is funded by Decatur County and managed by Roland Hebert,. This beautiful newly refurbished course is located on Davis Drive off Highway 27 North at the Decatur County Industrial Park.
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To view past Board of Commissioner meeting minutes, the county budget, draft of proposed animal ordinance or other documents, go to the left-hand column under "Directory," click on "County Commission," and scroll down to bottom of the page to find and click on the required document to view it.
Keep Decatur County Beautiful’s Electronic Recycling Event is coming up Saturday, August 23rd at Decatur County Fairgrounds -1213 Vada Hwy., from 10am – 2 pm. At this time, local residents can drop off old personal computers, monitors, LCD screen/flat screen monitors, VCRs, radios, stereos, DVD players, microwaves, power supplies, rechargeable batteries, vacuums, banking equipment, telephones, pagers, networking equipment, laptops, keyboards, mice, power cables, medical equipment (non-hazardous), printers, copy machines, fax machines, cell phones, transformers, scanners, portable electronic devices, servers, HUBS, ink and toner cartridges, remotes, modems, projectors, cameras, and televisions ($10/set charge to leave tv sets.) *Items Not Accepted: Refrigerators, washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, mercury containing devices (thermometers, fire alarms), hazardous chemicals/materials, light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, bio-waste. (*NOTE: appliances ARE accepted at both Decatur County Landfills. For information, call 465-3188.)
Employment Opportunities
Decatur-Grady 911 Communications Operator Trainee - Part- time (34 hrs per week) during 6 month training period. Insurance/Retirement Benefits after training and Certification. 18 yrs of age, HS diploma or GED, background check, drug screen and driver's history required. Must be able to work rotating shift, weekends, holidays and be on call.
Georgia Certified Paramedic- ITLS & PALS Preferred - 24/48 hr shifts. Up to $4000 Sign On BonusÂ
Contact Human Resources at 229-248-3030 for employment opportunities
County Calendar
The next regular Board of Commissioners meeting is 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 26, 2008, at County Administrative offices on Broughton Street. Call 248-3030 for more information. Commission minutes from previous meetings can be viewed at bottom of County Commission main page.
The Second Annual Decatur County Employee Health Fair will be held Tuesday, August 19, at the Administration Building at 203 W. Broughton St., from 6:30 am to 3 pm. It is recommended that any employee wishing to participate in the free lab work should fast at least 12 hours before having blood drawn. Smoking Cessation classes begin in September, as well as a series of "Lunch & Learn" health sessions. Employees must register for these free classes at the Health Fair. (Go to "News & Events" page under "Directory" for dates, times of these classes.) Contact Human Resources Director Marjorie Mayfield at 248-3030 for more information.
A Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax election will be held Tuesday, September 16, 2008 for the purpose of allowing citizens to decide if they want to renew the one cent tax in Decatur County, which, if passed, is expected to generate a total amount of $36,867,625 in five years for use by the county, the Hospital Authority and the county's four municipalities to pay for infrastructure improvements, capital projects and capital purchases.
Keep Decatur County Beautiful's Annual Rivers Alive! Event will take place on Oct. 11 this year. Call 229-246-3611 for more information.
 
Are You a Hunter?
