Spot Light
In November
Pecan Festival a nutty good time By Lindsay Mott
The Alabama Pecan Festival, set for Nov. 1-3 in Mobile, is in its 26th year of bringing the best of the local pecan product to the community in a fun, festive environment. The festival’s focus is, of course, pecans, and Mobile and Baldwin County and other south Alabama pecan growers get the chance to showcase and sell their product to attendees. Once the pecans are bought, the sellers will crack them for you while you check out the rest of the festival grounds. Homemade pecan pies are also baked in the kitchen on the site for the festival. Billy Bolton, executive director and founder, said two ladies have been baking these pies for many years. He said they have stopped trying to keep count of how many pies they bake each year but know they can bake approximately 45 pies every 45 minutes. “People want to smell those pies when they walk in the door,” Bolton says. Approximately 100 arts and crafts vendors set up around the festival grounds along with an antique gallery of around 30 antique dealers and antique cars and tractors to view. There’s also a shuttle available to take people around the quarter-mile paved walking path around the festival grounds as well. The pecan festival provides full-size amusement park rides. Another highlight is the barbecue cook-off sponsored by the Mobile County Water Board, which benefits the Relay for Life. The entertainment for this year’s festival includes national recording artists Rachelyn James of Pensacola and Hannah Belle of Natchez. This year, there will also be a “Las Vegasstyle tribute to Sun Records” by Don Hinton and gospel music on Sunday. There is also the Jett Williams / Hank Williams songwriting contest that started at the festival 18 years ago. The festival will also get a visit from Bruce MitchDEC. 4-7
Demopolis attracts crowds to Christmas on the River Demopolis, Alabama’s Christmas on the River, which debuted in 1972, has grown into one of the Southeast’s leading attractions, with nearly 40,000 visitors attending last year. The festival begins Wednesday, December 4 and runs through Sunday, December 7. There will be candlelight tours of antebellum homes, the crowning of St. Nick, a reading of the Christmas Story, as well as the Alabama State Alabama Living
The 2012 Alabama Pecan Festival Queen Kelly Mosner poses with “Alligator Man” Bruce Mitchell, of the show, “Swamp People.”
ell, “Alligator Man” from the popular show, “Swamp People.” The pecan festival is family-friendly with no alcohol allowed, and it promotes “good, clean music” according to Bolton. This year the Alabama Pecan Festival Queen is Hannah Poiroux. According to Bolton, she comes from six generations of pecan growers. She represents the festival in many events locally and nationally and will also be recognized by the governor. The Festival Queen program is a scholarship program. The festival is held at 5055 Carol Plantation Road in Mobile, which is the site of Tillman’s Corner Community Center. This year’s pecan festival will be Nov. 1, 2 and 3. On Friday, it runs from 3 p.m. until, Saturday is 9 a.m. until, and Sunday is 10 a.m. until. Bolton said they try to stay open as long as people are still there and enjoying the festival. Admission to the festival grounds and parking at the site are free. Championship Bar-B-Q. Festivities also include a 5k Jingle Bell Run, a Christmas Day Parade, Fair in the Square, which features arts and crafts, and The Nautical Parade The Nautical Parade features many custom floats. and fireworks show. For more information, visit www.demopolischamber.com/ COTR/ or call 334-289-0270. NOVEMBER 2013 9