Five Things About Suwanee Day 2013

The big day is almost here. Suwanee Day 2013 is Saturday.

And as usual, the Town Center area will become a mini-city, with about 50,000 people expected to visit during the course of the day.

And people can experience a parade, non-stop entertainment, vendors galore, and a headline concert by the rock group Fastball in the evening.

So here are five interesting things about Suwanee Day:

• HISTORY: The first Suwanee Day was held in 1984, behind the current Gwinnett County Fire Station. At the time, Suwanee did not have a single traffic signal.
• PLENTY TO DO: Sponsors and exhibitors range from fine arts to food trucks to churches. A complete list of exhibitors is here.
• $UWANEE DAY: Yes, there's money involved. More than $70,000 in sponsorships were sold this year, a record amount, according to Denise Brinson, economic development director at City Hall.
• 9/11 FALLOUT: In 2001, Suwanee officials briefly discussed cancelling Suwanee Day in light of the then-recent 9/11 terrorist attacks. But the show went on, as officials felt that the healing was needed. "It was my most memorable Suwanee Day," said then-Mayor Nick Masino.
• ROCKIN' THE PARK: The headline concert group will be Fastball, another notable entertainer. Recent Suwanee Day concerts included the Smithereens (2012) and the Lovin' Spoonful (2011).