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Catface Turpentine Festival set for Saturday
Parade, Carter Still highlight annual celebration of Portal
Turpentine Festival
Retired Georgia Forestry Commission ranger Doug Chassereau gives Jan Schroeder, left, Sandi Voneschen, center, and Jusy Lale a brief history of turpentine production in the Bobby Ronald Newton Turpentine Museum during Portal's annual Catface Turpentine Festival in October 2023. (SCOTT BRYANT/Herald file)

The 44th annual 2025 Catface Turpentine Festival in Portal is set for Saturday, Oct. 4 at the historic Carter Turpentine Still. Damage caused by Hurricane Helene forced the cancellation of the 2024 festival.

As has been the case from the beginning, the event organized by the Portal Heritage Society will focus on learning about and celebrating turpentining. Turpentining was a natural resources-based industry that was one of Bulloch County’s economic mainstays for decades. 

And along with history, the festival offers plenty of fun.

After a 10 a.m. parade in downtown Portal starts the festival, activities will move to the Carter Still site for entertainment, food and vendor booths. Among the foods available will be rosin baked potatoes, something that does not sound appetizing, but actually tastes great. Bottles of spirits of turpentine, always in demand, will be available.

Turpentine Festival
At the 2022 Catface Turpentine Festival, Stanley Lucas, front, and Lisa Mills check a batch of rosin potatoes for doneness. Boiling potatoes in pine rosin was popular when the by-product of turpentine production was abundant. The hot rosin seals the outside of the potatoes and makes it light and fluffy on the inside. (SCOTT BRYANT/Herald file)

A list of events includes performances by Kaitlyn Bennett, Matt Dillon Thompson, Kristen Powell, Portal Elementary School, Briar Lee, Joseph Turturro and Dillon Lanier. 

A street dance will begin at 7:30 p.m. with the High Mileage Band providing the dance music.

The spirits room of the still will house a museum feature where docents will provide historical perspective about the turpentine industry and answer questions. 

In the beginning, turpentine and rosin were produced by running a charge of gum through the Carter fire still, the main event of the day. However, raw gum has not been available in recent years, but the still itself offers insight into its operation.

Turpentine, useful for many things from paint thinner to medicine, has been a popular product for sale at the festival through the years but has become hard to find since none is produced on site by running the still.