Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon Forest Festival This Weekend

Saturday will be a busy day in Gurdon as thousands of visitors invade for the 19th Annual Forest Festival.

Main Street will be blocked off at both ends so more than 90 arts and crafts booths can line the street. Freddie Horne, Festival director, said this year's booths may exceed last year's record of 115.

Along with the arts and crafts, there will be plenty of food vendors on hand, offering such delights as barbecue, pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, funnel cakes and much, much more.

Gurdon's festival is the largest one in Clark County, far surpassing the Festival of Twin Rivers held in Arkadelphia. It is also one of the largest "small town" festivals in the state as it draws upwards of 5,000 visitors annually for the one-day event.

Additionally, the festival draws the community closer together as all join in to show their support for the forest industry and its importance to the region.

Booths, renting for $20 each, will open at 8 a.m. Saturday, featuring all types of arts, crafts and other items of interest to the visitors.

At 9 a.m., those planning to enter the antique car show will need to be ready to get registered. The entry fee is $15 per vehicle, with T-shirts given to the first 40 who enter. There will also be trophies and other prizes for the entrants.

The annual Forest Festival Parade will take place at 10 a.m., with the floats lining up at the old Gurdon High School parking lot, making their way downtown and returning to the starting point.

The bandstand will be spotlighted at 11 o'clock as entertainment hits the stage. There will be plenty of local talent keeping the audience enthralled with plenty of down-home singing.

The War Memorial Park Midway will open on Second Street Saturday morning in the IGA parking lot across from the First Methodist Church.

At noon, the festival will officially open with the introduction of the beauty pageant winners and a welcome from city and county officials, along with any other political hopeful who wants to talk.

The logging contests have been moved this year. In the past, these games have been held across the railroad tracks on Front Street, but have been moved downtown for the first time this year. The logging events will be held where the old cleaners was on Second Street near the Post Office.

Other events will include a dunking booth, which should be nice and chilly for those getting dunked, and a jail, to house any rowdy participants.

The Community Development and Entertainment Club (CD&E) auction will be held at 4 p.m., followed at 5 o'clock by the Halloween costume contest. These events will be held at the bandstand at no charge to those participating.

Funds generated from the festival are used to support various activities including the CD&E Club Scholarship Fund, sending delegates to Boy's State and Girl's State, help the Gurdon Senior Adult Center, and purchase needed equipment for the Gurdon school system.

The day ends with the annual street dance at 7:30 p.m. This year's entertainment will be Bruce Webb and the Mountain Dew Band.