Next Fest gives taste of UNG programs

Meagan Lafferty will be returning to the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Gainesville Campus living out the dream UNG helped her unlock. Lafferty, event director for The ToonHeadz caricature entertainment company, will be creating caricatures as part of Next Fest from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 29. The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day.

Next Fest will showcase the power of UNG's five campuses while bridging education and access to spark curiosity, build confidence and show attendees what's possible.

Lafferty is a great example. A 2020 graduate with a degree in visual arts with a focus in painting, she and fellow ToonHeadz caricature artist and UNG alumna Gabby Gonzalez will be on hand for Next Fest in the Performing Arts Center using the skills they honed at UNG.

"I'm really honored to be back at UNG. UNG is a school that has a lot of community you gain opportunities from. It's always fun to come back and see old professors and friends and inspire people," Lafferty said. "Going to UNG created my foundation for my knowledge of art. It gave me opportunities I wouldn't have had otherwise. I learned a lot about marketing your art and how to conduct yourself in a professional art setting at UNG."

She will be at one of dozens of stations throughout campus at Next Fest. This free event will allow visitors to:

• Explore: Tour campus and dive into hands-on learning experiences.
• Connect: Meet the inspiring faculty, staff and students who shape UNG's learning environment.
• Free fun: Enjoy live entertainment, delicious food, exciting giveaways, and family-friendly activities.

Some of the highlights are:

• The Department of Kinesiology will be doing grip testing, which provides a strong predictor of overall health, in the Health Sciences building.
• UNG's Department of Visual Arts will host an interactive mural starting at 10:30 a.m. in front of the Arts & Technology building, with 96 festival attendees painting individual pieces that will be put together in real time.
• The Department of Psychological Science will host "Mind games — psychology in action."
• The Lewis F. Rogers Institute for Environmental & Spatial Analysis will host a hands-on lab in the Arts & Technology building.
• The Gainesville Theatre Alliance will host back-of-house theater tours.
• The School of Communication, Film & Theatre will host production studio tours.
• UNG student music groups will hold mini-performances at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon in the Performing Arts Center.
• Hands-on experiments in biology, chemistry and physics will be available in the Science building.
• UNG student-athletes will lead an interactive basketball challenge for kids.
• The Appalachian Studies Center will bring its Critters & Blooms work.
• Photo opportunities with Willie Lewis, the UNG Jeep.
• UNG's Esports team, which has consistently finished in the top two nationally, will challenge attendees in competition.
• Photo op with the giant inflatable Nigel the Nighthawk.
• The UNG Visitors Center in the Dunlap-Mathis Building will be open with Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions staff on hand to answer questions.
• The Northeast Georgia Literary Society and UNG Press are partnering to host an Author Festival with nearly 40 authors in the Martha T. Nesbitt Academic Building from 9:30 a.m to 2:30 p.m. during Next Fest.
• Former Gov. Nathan Deal will be reading his book "Veto, the governor's cat" as part of the Northeast Georgia Literary Society Author Festival.
• Live Appalachian music.
• Smoothie bike: Pedal to make your own smoothie.
• Petting zoo.
• Touch a truck.
• Student Health Services will host a teddy bear clinic in the Health Sciences building.

Aug. 29 will mark the first of five Next Fest events, with one on each UNG campus during the 2026-27 academic year. The others are as follows:

• Blue Ridge, Sept. 22, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Dahlonega, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Cumming, March 4, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Oconee, March 18, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.