Warm weather has prompted the sprouting of an abundance of daffodils on Georgia State University’s Newton Campus, just in time for Perimeter College’s annual Daffodil Festival, March 7-8.

The celebration of the perennial flower every year is a nod to the land and its history, said Julie Langley, chair of the festival and assistant professor of communications. This is the ninth year for the festival.

“The daffodils have been growing on the land since before the Civil War,” Langley said. “Local lore says the bulbs had originally been planted by slaves outside their cabins, which stood on the property. Years ago, the cabins were moved to Stone Mountain Park, but the bulbs remained. Over the years, they have multiplied, spreading over a huge field adjacent to the college buildings.”

This year’s festival, “A Celebration of Growth,” begins at 10:15 a.m., Tuesday, March 7, with remarks by Dr. Peter Lyons, vice provost and dean of Perimeter College, and Dr. Laurent Ditmann, campus associate dean. The morning will include reflections on the campus’s beginnings by Dr. Sallie Paschal, mathematics professor and former campus provost.

“The Daffodil Festival illustrates what the Newton Campus is all about,” Ditmann said. “It symbolizes our past as we celebrate our long-standing inclusion in and commitment to Newton County—but also to the seven other counties where our students come from. It also symbolizes our present as it shows the richness of our contribution to this community. Finally, it is about our future because it symbolizes the constant growth of our campus as we keep reinventing ourselves as part of the Georgia State University family.”

Festival highlights include:

Tuesday

• Covington Mayor Ronnie Johnston talks about growing Covington and the city’s relationship to the Newton Campus.
• Oxford Youth Singers perform excerpts from their upcoming musical, “Hairspray.”

Wednesday

• Students, faculty and staff stage the theater workshop, “I am History Here.”
• Science instructors at Newton Campus examine the daffodil from its biology to its chemical makeup in the panel discussion, “The Ecology, Biology and Chemistry of the Daffodil.”

Guided walks on the trails surrounding the campus will be conducted both days. A special daffodil sculpture will be unveiled during the festival by art instructor Jolanta Paterek. There also will be food, interactive art and face painting both days.

The event is free and open to the public. For information, contact Langley.