Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Forest Festival this weekend

Months of planning are coming to a close as the Gurdon Forest Festival kicks off in downtown Gurdon on Saturday, Oct. 28.

The festival is in its 26th year, according to organizer Billy Wells, and those attending will notice a few new attractions. One of those will be a rock climbing wall sponsored by the United States Army. There is no charge to participate in this all-day event.

The petting zoo will return to the festival again. It will be open all day and will also be free to the public.

More than 80 venders will line the streets of Gurdon with a little bit of everything for sale, Wells said. Some of the more common items will include jewelry, arts and crafts and other novelties.

There will also be food venders on hand all day. Wells said one can find almost anything they wish to eat at the festival. Venders will be selling everything from barbeque, hamburgers and fish to gator on a stick.

Most of the food vendors will be set up near the intersection of Main and 2nd streets.

Other attractions at the festival will be a carnival set up on the old Austins grocery store parking lot. Although the carnival is not new to the festival, it will feature new rides, including a ferris wheel.

A cutest kids photo contest will be another event at the festival. Only 8x10 photographs that are no older than six months can be entered. Participants are asked not to bring framed photographs.

There will be three divisions in the contest, and each winner will receive a trophy and $10.

Entries for the contest must be turned in at Gurdon City Hall by 1 p.m. on Oct. 26.

The Forest Festival parade is another returning attraction. Wells said the parade will feature more than 100 entrants and will take place down Main Street on Saturday at 10 a.m.

The Gurdon Rotary Clubs annual pancake breakfast will take place at the Gurdon Senior Adult Center at the corner of 5th and Main streets from 7-9 a.m.

The second annual Double Dog Dare hotdog eating contest will take place at 11:30 a.m. at a booth near the Sonic on Main Street. There are three divisions in the contest, and the winner will receive a medal and a $10 cash prize.

Music will take place throughout the day on a stage across from Kuhns Hardware. Local musicians will take the stage to entertain the crowd.

The big attraction of the evening will come at 8 p.m. as Arkadelphia native Jody Evans takes the stage at the corner of 3rd and Walnut Streets for a concert.

There is no admission charge for the Evans concert, and those attending are told to bring a lawn chair.

Harry and Ashley Blanton will be performing from 6:30 to 7:30 on the same stage.

There are a lot of other events going on throughout the day. Some of those include: a chili cook-off, a professional logging show, an antique car show, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission aquarium, a softball tournament, a Halloween costume contest, the CD&E Club auction and lots more.

Wells said attendees should remember that many of the downtown streets will be blocked off for the carnival.