Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Forestfest October 25

October is festival month in Clark County and on October 25, Main Street in Gurdon will be transformed into a midway of artistic displays, games, rides, food, booths, contests, commercial displays and fun for everyone.

All this excitement will be going on as bands and entertainers perform on the main bandstand.

The 23rd Annual Gurdon Forest Festival, sponsored by the Gurdon Community Development and Entertainment Club, has booked more than 110 arts and crafts booths and food vendors for the special occasion, according to Billy Wells, festival coordinator.

The festival will officially open Saturday morning at 7 a.m. when organizers and Gurdon's Street Department block off the streets of downtown Gurdon for all of the festivities.

In the early hours the Rotary Club will sponsor a pancake breakfast at the Gurdon Senior Adult Center, located on Main Street Gurdon next to Sexton's Food. The breakfast will allow artisans, retailers, politicians and entertainers the time needed to set up their wares and equipment in the arts and crafts areas.

The breakfast itself is a great way to kick off the festival. Patrons can come in, sit down, visit with friends and eat a fantastic breakfast made up of pancakes, sausage, bacon and other great breakfast items, all prepared by members of the Gurdon Rotary Club.

Each year the Rotary Club members rise early on the morning of the festival to practice the Rotary motto, "Service Before Self".

Each year the parade participants, such as pageant winners, church groups, politicians, all sorts of clubs and organizations, line up for the opening parade that will begin at 10 a.m.

The Grand Opening Ceremony is scheduled for noon. Special guests, royalty and politicians will be introduced at this time.

Special events of the day include and log sawing contest, carnival rides, Halloween costume contest, street dance and the Annual Eric Griffin Memorial Run.

Attendance has reached as high as 6,000 and a large crowd is expected again this year. Each year the show attracts vendors from the Ark-La-Tex area and has participants from as far away as California.

Special homecomings and class reunions have been planned for several families and graduating classes to coincide with the festival.

The Gurdon Forest Festival is a fund raising project for the Gurdon Community Development and Entertainment Club, a non-profit organization. Funds from the event go to support the CD&E College Scholarship Fund, delegates of Boys State and Girls State, the Gurdon School Band program, the Gurdon Senior Adult Center, the Gurdon Close Up program and other projects that help promote community development and entertainment.

The CD&E Club or it's members will not be responsible for accidents that may occur during this public event.

For more information about the Gurdon Forest Festival contact Billy Wells, coordinator, at (870) 353-4335.

Remember "The Last Saturday in October."