From right, Troy Winland, Olivia Sparks, Halle Metz, Kable Sparks and Sonya Adams make onion rings at a past Onion Festival in St. Marys. This year’s festival is May 2.

St. MARYS – The annual Onion Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 2 in downtown St. Marys and will feature food, crafters and vendors, entertainment and the sweet smell of success of vidalia onions.

This is year 16 of the festival that started with Robert Pryor and Bill Hammett of St. Marys and their enjoyment of the onions from Georgia.

The festival raises funds for charitable causes in Pleasants County. No festival was planned for this year, then the Taylor family in Pleasants County, known for their noodles, helped revive it for 2026.

The festival was a major source of noodle sales to raise funds for the family’s efforts to help those with medical bills, Tresa Taylor, a noodle maker and spokesman for the family, also called Goat’s Grateful Gang, said.

“Oh no. We were going to lose one of our biggest festivals,” Taylor said.

Planning began for this year and people came on board, according to Taylor.

“It is a full-fledged festival now,” she said.

Festival schedule and participants:

St. Marys Hardware / Elks Lodge Parking Lot

Food Vendors

11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Goat’s Grateful Gang: homemade noodles and 10-pound bags of Vidalia onions

Joy Darlene Kent and friends (benefitting the Alan Shultz family): Italian sausages and sloppy joes

6 Sisters Bakery: fried onions and funnel cakes

The Munchies Truck: tacos and other munchies

J’s Dog House: hot dogs

Maggie Moo’s Creamery LLC : ice cream Flour + Frosting: homemade baked goods

Pleasants County Humane Society and Cat Shelter: baked goods

Beckie’s Bakery: baked goods Mountain Mamas Soda Shop: dirty sodas

Crafters

Handcrafted by Erika Lynn: wood-burned purses and hats

Threaded Oak: fine woodworking and stitched creations

Goldie Jewelry Bar: permanent jewelry

Avocadolly 3D Designs: 3D printed toys, dice towers and pop culture items

Katrina Bowersock: squeeze wax and freshies

St. Marys’ FFA: live flowers and plants

On the Stage:

11-1: Jesse Eddy and Jimmy Roux

1-3: Derrick Tacy

3-4: Josh Moody

4-5: Bryan Varner

Live Remote by 93R

Clay Street between Riverside Drive and Main Street

Car Show

Steph Satterfield

Registration: 10-noon

Cost: $10 per car

Awards ceremony: 1 p.m.

Elks Lodge Lot Behind St. Marys Hardware

Kid Zone:

40-foot obstacle course

Tropical bounce house combo

Baseball inflatable

Yard games: cornhole and others

Face painting by Kay

B&G Club

Bubble wagon by Bella

MOVTI Crafters Paradise

Misty Leithead and April Redin

Portrait area & photos of the event

Cupcake filter flowers

Coffee filter butterflies

Pipe cleaner caterpillars

Participating Businesses

St. Marys Hardware

Pressed: 304 Smoked Shanty

Brooke’s Tiny Kitchen

Neighbor Network: Bingo at 11 a.m.

Phillip’s Pharmacy

Comics and Kicks with Roosters Collectables

Rustic Roost: Additional crafters will be set up in front of her store

Smith’s Candy

The Greenhouse

Almost Heaven Bath and Body

Donations

Monetary Donations:

Pleasants County Commission

Brenda Riggs

Linda Mayfield

Trent Barnhart

Tammy Hammett Smith

Maggie Starkey

St Marys United Methodist Men

Donations In Kind:

Octoberfest: 93R ad

St. Marys Hardware: parking lot

Elks: Parking lot and extra lot

MOVTI: Signage for kiddie zone, crafts and car show awards

St. Marys Fire Department: Stage

Pleasants County Family Support Center

Wincore Windows and Doors