SANDERSVILLE, Ga. — Kaolin is a chalky, white mineral that comes from the ground, and Washington County has plenty of it.
With dozens of mining sites throughout the county, it's common to drive by one, but on Saturday, people got a chance to step right in the middle during the annual Kaolin Festival.
Andy Lowe is the manager of reserves with the Thiele Kaolin Company. He says the deposit shown for the day is called the Duke Mine, and it makes their calcine clay product.
Lowe says the 30 acres are split into smaller portions, and they work in grids according to however much they need to export.
With this big piece of open land, Lowe says the biggest issue they've had recently is trespassing.
"These sites end up being good places to ride ATV's. People just like to explore, it's a unique-looking area," Lowe said.
Lowe says the drop from the side of one cliff can be as high as 70 feet. The company has reached out to nearby colleges and universities to warn students to stay away.
"The sites are gated. We do try to keep people from coming on site, but it is hard to police it," he said.
Lowe says with the increase in trespassing recently, they have started to prosecute and let the sheriff's office handle it.
Washington County's Kaolin Festival was held Friday and Saturday.
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