The City of Taylor is holding its second annual Tiger Fest on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Pine Street, between the Taylor City Park and BancorpSouth. Festival organizer Crystal Hall is hoping for better weather this year. "We still had it, but it came a downpour," she said of last year's festival. "We've expanded some. We're having a pageant, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, and a car show."
There are other added events as well. The earliest event for Tiger Fest will be the fishing tournament at Lake Erling beginning at 6 a.m. The weigh-in for the prize will be held at 3 p.m. at the festival site.
By 8 a.m., about 40 vendors with foods, crafts, and other merchandise will be set up. Registration is at 8 a.m. for the car show as well, which will go on until 1 p.m. Trophies will be awarded for best car, best truck, best bike, best project, and best of show. Car show registration is $10 per entry. All proceeds from the car show will go to Arkansas Children's Hospital.
Registration for the 3-on-3 basketball tournament is at 8:30 a.m., with the tournament beginning at 9 a.m. Divisions are, for both boys and girls, 5th-6th grade, 7th-8th grade, and 9th-10th grade. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Taylor Schools basketball teams.
The parade starts at Taylor High School at 10 a.m. and will travel to the festival site. "You can ride your bicycles, you can ride a four-wheeler, golf carts -- whatever you can think of to ride," Taylor resident Kay Emerson said.
The first clue for the treasure hunt, sponsored by McMahen Veterinary Hospital of Springhill, La., will be announced at 11 a.m. and a new clue given every hour until the $200 treasure is found. Other sponsors for Tiger Fest include Mustard Seed Financial, LLC; Jason Robertson, DDS; Raymond Robertson; Matt Lane, DDS; Southern Aluminum; Collier Building Contractors; Billy Bland Fishery; Alan Nolte, Ameriprise; and R.L. Ketchum, LLC.
Various groups will provide live music and entertainment from 11:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
In the "Kids Corner" there will be bouncy houses, a train, face painting, games with prizes, a dunking booth, and craft activities.
The culminating event for the festival will be the pageant at 7 p.m. at the high school, for which there are eight age divisions. Proceeds from the pageant will benefit the Jaci Sanders Memorial Ball Park, baseball and softball fields under construction in memory of Greg and Cheryl Sanders' daughter who passed away suddenly in May.
During the festival, quilters from the Unity United Methodist Church will be selling chances to win a recently completed hand-stitched quilt comprised of floral squares hand-embroidered by Saundra Lewis' grandmother about 70 years ago. Lewis, owner of Lewis Funeral Home in Magnolia, donated the quilt to the Unity UMC. Proceeds from the quilt raffle will also go toward the Jaci Sanders Memorial Ball Park.
For information or questions about the festival, call Crystal Hall at (870) 510-1034, and check the Facebook page Tiger Fest for updates.