Georgia is in bloom, and Georgia Perimeter College is preparing to celebrate spring with a two-day meeting of the minds at its annual Daffodil Festival, March 31-April 1.

The event will feature poetry, theater, and panel discussions, all set among the thousands of daffodils that make the campus unique among Georgia Perimeter College branches.

This year, the college will also announce the first recipient of the Daffodil Festival Scholarship to Emily Adkinson. Adkinson will receive $500 to be put towards any academic expense such as books or transportation.

According to mathematics professor and former provost Sallie Paschal, one of the founders of the festival, administrators were stunned by all the daffodils when they first toured the site around the year 2000 and later discovered that the flowers were uniquely tied to the history of the place.

"In the 1850's, there were a couple of slave cabins that have since been moved to the confederate memorial in Stone Mountain," explained Paschal. "Apparently the people who lived in those cabins planted daffodils, and they multiplied over the years."

"After 150 years, there are a few areas that you cannot see from the street or buildings that have thousands of daffodils," she continued. "We were so in awe of these daffodils that we wanted to do something...to show our campus is special."

The festival will kick off this year on Tuesday, March 31, at 10 a.m. with a performance of Macbeth, a poetry reading and discussion, and a musical performance by the Coyote Bones. At 1 p.m., Aimee Maxwell of the Georgia Innocence Project will host a panel discussion on the criminal justice system and citizen activism.

On Wednesday, the festival will focus on the theme of health and wellness with a presentation by GPC psychology professor Diana Fuller titled "Health, Stress and Happiness" at 10 a.m. At 11:30, Georgians for a Healthy Future will host an event about the health risks of obesity. Student leaders will also present their work in the community, including the "It's On Us" campaign to combat sexual violence.

The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days and is open to the public.