Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Committee plans new activities for Forest Festival

The 25th Annual Gurdon Forest Festival will be held during the last Saturday, October 29.

Billy Wells, who is the chairman of the organizational committee again this year, said Monday, "We hope this festival will get bigger and better. Tambra Childres, over at City Hall, and some of them from the community are adding things that should catch on."

Wells said he is renting booth space already and those interested can come to his flower shop in Kuhn's Hardware on Main Street. Booth rental for 2005 will be $20.

The festival pageant will be held again this year, but details of dates and times for entry has not been determined as of this press time.

If anyone is interested in renting a booth space for the day of the festival, call Wells at: (870) 353-4335 or go by the shop.

The annual car show will be under the direction of Kenneth Anderson. The profits will go to charity. Childres said Anderson is planning to donate to the Marc Crawley cancer relief fund.

Terry LeMay, mayor of Whelen Springs and gospel musician, will organize the center stage music during the daytime. Anyone interested in performing, call him at: (870) 353-2632.

Wells said Joe Ann Shaver, who may be reached at (870) 353-4640, is in charge of parade entries.

"We will have all of our usual venders," Wells said. "It is a little early yet for people to be renting the booths, but most generally we rent at least 100."

Childres said this year's Forest Festival is sponsored by the Community Development and Entertainment (CD&E) club, with the following committee members: Wells, chairman, Gurdon Mayor Clayton Franklin, Jenny Williams, Steven Pennington, Childres and Jeanie White.

Childres said the following list of sponsors and activities is tentative. But she thinks the vast majority of it will be at the 2005 Forest Festival.

Street dances, sponsored by the CD&E Club and Paul Williams Construction will start at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The first street dance will be "Oldies and Country," and last from 7-9 p.m., with a "Hip-Hop Street Dance for the younger kids from 9:30-11:30 p.m.

Childres said, "We will have a D.J. for the Hip-Hop, but we are not sure if the Oldies and Country will be a D.J. or live music just yet."

A 5-K run is being sponsored by the Arkadelphia Run Club.

Amy Whitworth is in charge of a hot dog eating contest, called the Double Dog Dare. Childres said Whitworth is looking for sponsors.

There will be a pie baking contest, with the Clark County Extension Homemakers Club members tentatively in charge.

Childres said sponsors are being sought for a Chili Cook-off. Ray Smith, of the Clark County Cattlemen Association, is a tentative sponsor.

There will be a three-on-three basketball tournament, with Mike McKenzie in charge. It will be held at the City Hall parking lot.

Childres said the committee plans to host a Kids Free Zone, sponsored by volunteers and consisting of activities that are free to do for children attending the festival.

"The idea is to lessen the burden on parents who want their children to go to our festival and have fun, but money is an issue," Childres said. "First Assembly of God, with Brother Jim Farris, has already agreed to help."

Childres said local 4-H club members are hoping to have a petting zoo in the free zone.

A pretty baby picture contest is tentatively scheduled.

"We will also have our usual Halloween costume contest, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce," Childres said. "This year it will be before the CD&E auction, on the main stage in front of Austin Capps' place."

She said an adult costume division is planned as a new thing for this year, and also a canine costume contest for the first time as well.

Something else new is the horseshoe tournament, sponsored by the Beirne Fire Department. For more information on it, call Dennis Frisby at 353-2563.

The horseshoe activities will be beside Quick Tax and the alley between First State Bank and Quick Tax.

"We already have several teams scheduled to participate in the horseshoe tournament," Childres said.

The Forest Festival will bring back a sawdust pile for six-year-olds and under. A valuable prize will be in the pile, sponsored by First State Bank and the US Bank.

"We are working on local competitive logging games, and also on a professional logging games guy being here for the public to enjoy free," Childres said. "There will be more on this later."

As always, Childres said the traditional Eric Griffin Memorial Run will be held at the high school track.

But new in sporting events will be the softball home run derby, to be held at the Cabe Baseball Park on the Babe Ruth field.

"The field will be measured to official size," Childres said. "There will be a division open for men and one for women, with a $20 entry fee. Everyone gets a free t-shirt for entering."

She said the winners in each home run division will get a $150 cash prize and a trophy. Childres said the plans are to make the home run contest an annual event.

"We may have a jack-o-lantern decorating contest, but are still looking for sponsors for that activity," she said.