County fairgrounds may become home for annual Holly Springs Kudzu Festival


Thursday, July 29, 2010
Community \| Obits \| Editorial & Columnists \| Society \| Sports \| Education \| Classified Ads \| Calendar of Events \| Features \| Newsbriefs \| Legals \| Archives \| Subscriptions \| Photo Gallery

County fairgrounds may become home for annual Holly Springs Kudzu Festival

By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer

Photo by Sue Watson

Art for the smart

Alyssa Bruce of Potts Camp (front row, far right) shows off her winning Kudzu art picture with her family - sisters (front, row from left) Anna Liece and Angel Rodgers, and parents and grandparents (back row, from left) Rebecca Rodgers, Paul and Linda Phipps and Josh Rodgers.

For the first time ever the Marshall County Fairgrounds hosted the Kudzu Festival and members of its board of directors say they hope to make the fairgrounds home for the festival from now on.

As a co-sponsor, the fairgrounds board welcomed the Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours. Members of the fairgrounds board of directors – Jerry Bolden, Donna Shaffer, Nancy Boatwright and Lisa Johnson – and fairgrounds manager Beth Overall went to great lengths to welcome the chamber and the Kudzu Festival.

Saying the facility was the brainchild of veterinarian David Childers, Boatwright said the indoor arena is one of the few that is heated and can operate comfortably in winter.

“That’s why our winter barrel series is such a hit,” she said.

Other amenities at the fairgrounds includes an outdoor arena, a new concession stand inside the indoor arena and a small concession in the cattle building. The facility also has a 63-stall cattle building. These improvements are situated on 259 acres of the most beautiful land in the county. Seventy-five acres are in timber. About 50 acres are in pasture.

Boatwright said Childers’ original goal was to have something for kids to do. The facility is used for district 4-H horse shows, at times.

Suzanne Langley, consultant for the Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce, said, “The biggest thing the chamber is looking for is a partner in hosting the festival and it makes sense, given Marshall County has no fair and the fairground is available. They make a great partner.

“We are grateful the community comes out to support us and the great sponsors we have this year. And a lot of local musicians have volunteered to support us.”

Johnson said hosting the Kudzu Festival makes the fairgrounds like a building block.

“We would like to host the Kudzu Festival here every year,” she said.

“Absolutely,” Boatwright said. “We are taking it slow this year, but we would like to add a whole lot more next year. We are reaching out to the community to serve the community with this festival.”

The fairgrounds attracts a variety of horse, dog and cattle shows and is used by many community groups such as the 4-H Club, the Girls and Boys Scouts, and the cattleman’s and forestry associations’ meetings and field days, auctions and tractor pulls.

For more information on the scheduling and events call the Marshall County Fair Association at 662-252-5441 or e-mail the association at mcfairgrounds@yahoo.com.

Report News: (662) 252-4261 or south@dixie-net.com
Questions, comments, corrections: south@dixie-net.com
©2004, The South Reporter, All Rights Reserved.
No part of this site may be reproduced in any way without permission.
The South Reporter is a member of the Mississippi Press Association.

Web Site managed and maintained by
South Reporter webmasters Linda Jones, Kristian Jones
Web Site Design - The South Reporter

Back | Top of Page