Sunday, September 27, 2009

The Black Walnut Festival







Earlier posts have told you that my youngest son, Mike works for Hammons Walnut Factory. That sounds kind of strange. A factory cannot produce walnuts, but they can produce byproducts or powders and other by products that can be used in makeup, dynamite, and many other uses. The little town that we live by has been celebrating the Black Walnut for forty nine years. I thought about that this morning. I was sixteen when they started having a festival in this little town. The interesting thing I noticed this week is that there were no vendors demonstrating the uses of the Black Walnuts. I wonder if there were some forty nine years ago.
My husband loves the carnival aspect of the festival. We went four days in a row and several times a day at this heart racing fun filled, greasy food vendor filled, carnival. The most fun for Fran was the music which most of you know, is a love of Fran’s especially blue grass. Oh, my goodness. I get so full of bluegrass after an hour I want to go hide.
Fran always gets to sing at the Festival and he enjoys being the “star”. The festival is filled with Wrangler Jeans, cowboy boots, cowboy hats of all different styles and colors and ages. Some hats are pulled down to the point of covering the man’s eyes, some are straw, some colored artificial straw, some are felt, and some are very very expensive. Since meeting Fran I have been educated on a “good” hat vs. the cheap hat.
The Festival had crafts, talent contest, pet parade, new tech hand washing station, a midway with several rides mostly for the little ones and at least thirty food vendors.
There was country music, blue grass music, street dances on Friday and Saturday night and lots of music from area bands during the parade on Saturday.
The best part of the Festival for me was going home!!! No that is not true, the best part was seeing young son ride in the parade on his three wheeler, throwing candy out on the street for the little ones to put in their “candy bag”. He was smiling from ear to ear and having a really good time. I was to take his picture and promised that I would do that. I had been lugging my big old purse for four days and on Saturday we had to walk a long ways to the place where we could see the parade. I asked Fran to put my purse in the trunk so I didn’t have to carry it. Halfway to the parade I noticed that I didn’t have my camera. Fran nor I was willing to go get it.
When Mike arrived at our house after the parade, he wanted to see the pictures, ahh well……. Mom’s just can’t be perfect all the time.
I did look pretty though in my new shirts that Fran bought me at the Festival all embroidered with flowers and hummingbirds on them. Hmm, festivals aren't so bad after all.

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