Posted 11:54 pm Thursday, October 04, 2012
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Fall festival, cook-off slated Oct. 13 at Athens arboretum
The East Texas Arboretum's 2012 fall festival and black-eyed pea cook-off will include musical entertainment, theater, a dog show, a scarecrow trail, vendors and children's activities.
The event will be 9 a.m. to 4 pm. Oct. 13 at the arboretum, 1601 Patterson Road, Athens.
Trinity Valley Community College's outdoor theater will present three performances, set for 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Stereo Radio Band, a three-piece progressive Texas blues group, also will perform three concerts, scheduled at 9:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m.
Members of the band are Josh Brock, of Mabank, on guitar and brothers Jon Weakley, bass, and Jeremy Weakley, drums, both from north of Athens.
An art show all day in the Women's Building will feature works by local artists in a variety of mediums, including watercolor, oil and photography.
The "giddy up dog show" at 4 p.m. will award numerous prizes in several categories, such as the fastest eater, best kisser, celebrity look-alike, ugliest dog and best costume.
A scarecrow trail along a new garden path will display scarecrows made by adults and children and by groups, including clubs and school classes. For individuals, first prize will be $100, second prize will be $75 and third prize will be $50. Winning classes, clubs or other groups will receive a pizza party, cup cake party or ice cream party.
Activities for children will include face painting and pumpkin decorating with stickers and items that can be glued onto pumpkins. The charge for the pumpkins is $4, including decorations and the pumpkin, which can be taken home.
Other games for kids will include a fishing booth, needle in a haystack (finding prizes hidden in a bale of hay) and possibly milking a fake cow.
About 45 to 50 vendors will set up booths selling tamales, aprons, candles, jewelry, wood work and a variety of other items.
The theme of the black-eyed pea cook-off is "happy hallowpean." Contestants can bring a pre-cooked recipe that has black-eyed peas as the main ingredient and set up on a decorated table. First place will win $300, second place will win $150 and third place will receive $75.
Festival-goers can buy a sample plate for $5 and sample all the recipes.
Forms to sign up for the cook-off are available at the arboretum, 903-675-5630, or on its website.
The annual festival usually attracts about 1,500 to 2,000 people.
