THOMASVILLE, Ga. — The Rose City is about 24 hours from kicking off the annual Rose Show and Festival.
For nearly a century, Thomasville has drawn in visitors from all over the country for the Rose Show and Festival, but this city is always looking for ways to make the experience different.
"98 years of bringing the Rose Show to Thomasville, Georgia. It has such a long standing history and tradition," said Bonnie Hayes, Tourism Director for City of Thomasville.
After celebrating roses for so long, a member of the Main Street Advisory Board recommended a new element for year number 98.
“One of our local restaurant owners actually told us that most roses, over 90 percent of the roses are actually edible," said Hayes. "She said, 'what if some of us came up with an idea to incorporate it in the food?'"
Over a dozen eateries, and coffee shops have opted to participate by making rose-themed food and drinks, including Sweet Cacao, a chocolate shop that’s been in downtown since last fall.
"Being new here, people don't know a lot about us. We do a vanilla rose macaroon all the time. We've added a few things that's going to be special to the rose show, and a lot of other businesses, the restaurants are doing the same," said Dena White, Owner of Choclatier, Sweet Cacao Chocolates. "It's fun to create new things with a theme."
White's chocolate shop may be new but she’s optimistic that she’ll be seeing a lot more guests than usual during the popular weekend.
"There's a lot of people that come to Thomasville and have found our shop," said White. "We have a lot of regulars, but we get a lot of people out of Tallahassee and surrounding areas."
Roses in Restaurants is meant to be a way for visitors to experience the flower in a different, but edible, way. These rose-inspired creations aren’t expected to last past the weekend.
The Rose Show and Festival kicks off Thursday with the Rosebud Children’s Parade at 7:00 p.m.
Events will continue through Saturday night.
