Official Application for Festival Market

2026 Homegrown Community Market & Expo
Saturday, February 28, 2026 · 12 PM – 6 PM
Downtown Franklin, Georgia

Homegrown Gravel Adventure is one of the Southeast’s fastest-growing gravel cycling events — a three-day weekend anchored by a massive Saturday race drawing 700+ riders from across the U.S. and their families, including elite pros competing for a $10,000 prize purse in the 100-mile race.

Riders start early in the morning and begin pouring back into Downtown Franklin around 12:30 PM, staying through the afternoon to eat, drink, listen to live music, and explore the Community Market & Expo. These are energized, travel-ready customers with time to browse — and many of them buy.

All proceeds from Homegrown support the Heard County Food Pantry and Heard County Athletics, helping feed local families and support youth sports in the community.

WHO's HERE
Homegrown brings together a mix of traveling cyclists, their families, and locals from Franklin and the surrounding Newnan–LaGrange–Carrollton region — all in one place, all in a relaxed, festival-style, hang-out-and-browse mindset.

We also welcome vendors selling packaged food products — especially hand-crafted, athlete-friendly, and unique items — which tend to perform very well with this audience.

Our goal is simple: locals and cyclists sharing the same streets, listening to great music, eating good food, and shopping for fun, original, one-of-a-kind items — the mix that makes Homegrown feel less like a race and more like a real community festival.

Some artists have done extremely well here. Others have not. What usually makes the difference is originality, quality, and how well the product connects with this audience.

This year we’re going bigger than ever with two live bands and expanded vendor footprint.

What’s happening:

• Pro Men’s & Pro Women’s races
• Multiple race start times (8:00am, 8:15am, 9:30am, 11:00am)
• Live bands, DJ & announcer
• Community Market & Expo
• Food, beer, games & more

Important: This market isn’t for everyone
Homegrown is not a flea market or generic craft fair.

We are looking for:

• Original art
• Handmade goods
• Thoughtfully designed products
• Real makers and creators

No knockoffs. No bootlegs. No stolen logos. No cheap iron-on prints.

If you didn’t design it, make it, or own the rights to it — don’t bring it.

Unique, high-quality, authentic work is what sells here — and what this crowd expects.

Vendor details:

• Market date: Saturday, February 28, 2026
• Hours: 12 PM – 6 PM
• Deadline to apply: February 15, 2026
• Cost: Free to vend
  Space deposit: $100 (refunded after the event)
  This ensures everyone shows up and that the market has real value for both artists and attendees.

If you’d like to be set up for the morning race starts, email:
wayne@independentravel.com

 

To ensure your payment goes through properly, please use the address on your credit card statement that you plan to use for payment. Payments will not process otherwise. This will be the card we will be the card we refund the deposit to the day of the event.

RULES & STANDARDS:

1. Please carefully read and complete and sign the application – incomplete applications may be rejected.
2. Artist - All artwork must be original and completed by the artist registering for the booth.
3. Please no buy-sell. Such as resell tshirts, socks or similar. Pre-packaged food or drink. Trinkets / Tchotchkes
4. Art vendors can only sell artwork. No food or drink
5. Food/Produce Vendors:
   1. All vendors must display all appropriate licences and/or certificates.
   2. Must have certificate of liability insurance (edible products only)
   3. Vegetables grown by the seller from seeds, seedlings, or sets
   4. Fruits, berries, or nuts grown on trees, bushes, or vines on the seller’s farm
   5. Potted plants or live plant starts grown by the seller from seed, seedling, or transplant
   6. Eggs produced by the seller’s poultry
   7. Honey produced by the seller’s bees
   8. Fresh baked goods and prepared food items must be made from scratch by the seller.
   9. Fresh cut flowers
   10. Meat products must be produced from animals raised on the seller’s farm
   11. Pet food and treats made from scratch by the seller using regionally sourced, sustainable ingredients
6. We will NOT ACCEPT the following products:
   1. Carnival-like foods that do not utilize some local or regional ingredients: (i.e. cotton candy, candy apples, candied nuts, kettle corn, toffee, and taffy) - unsure - please email us first
   2. Beverages not produced by vendor business (i.e. cans of soda, bottled water, energy drinks) unless specifically formulated for cycling/endurance events. 
   3. Dairy products
   4. Products containing THC/Delta 8 or Delta 9
7. All Vendors must check-in at the festival parking/staging area before entering the festival area to set up. We will email you with clear instructions for load in and load out. 
8. You may NOT begin dismantling your booths until 6:00PM
9. You must supply your own tent with proper weights to hold it down, tables, and chairs. All booths must be self-contained
10. There will be no rain date for inclement weather. If the event is canceled due to inclement weather, your deposit will be refunded in full.
11. This is an outdoor event, for which you will be renting a 10’ X 10’ space only, and tents are not supplied.
12. All booth spaces are assigned. If you request that your booth be located next to another vendor, we will try our best to accommodate, but we will not guarantee it.
13. Independent Gravel LLC, The East Point Track Club, MTB Atlanta, Homegrown Gravel Adventure organizers, volunteer staff and personnel of the City of Franklin, cannot and will not assume liability for loss, damage, or injury to anyone participating in the Homegrown Market & Expo, nor for loss of any property. If insurance is desired, it must be secured by the participating vendor.
14. Booth space costs are free, but there is a $100 deposit payable at the time of the application, reimburseable the day of the event if paying vendor attends the event. No show = No reimbursement
15. I understand that this is a currated market and that the Homegrown orgainizers have the right to reject and refund any vendor that they do not feel meets the standards set in place or if they start to get too many of one medium.
16. I understand that a decision will be made on my acceptance as soon as possible, but no later than 7 working days after I submit my appication. Your $100 deposit will be refunded immediately if not selected.
17. By signing and registering, you understand that you are not officially part of the event until you receive a welcome email from the Spin the District Vendor Committee.
18. Mailed entry forms: No longer available
19. No power will be provided for the booths unless you bring a generator. Whisper quite generators preferred.
20. Sales Tax: Vendors are responsible for collecting and reporting Sales Tax.
21. Set up will be on the day of the event from 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM. ALL VEHICLES MUST BE OUT OF THE FESTIVAL AREA NO LATER THAN 12:15PM. Once unloaded, easily accessible parking is available. No Vehicles will be allowed in the festival area between the hours of 12:00M - 6:00PM.

Questions, please email Wayne Whitesides - wayne@independentgravel.com

I have read, and understand and agree to abide by the rules and eligibility requirements in the cover letter and application to participate in the Homegrown Community Market.

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