We congratulate the Magnolia Blossom Festival which this month marked the celebration’s 30th years milestone.
From its inception, efforts of the Blossom Festival organizers established it as a premier event in Arkansas.
Our staff member J.D. Bailey excellently described the history of the festival in a recent Banner-News article. His first two paragraphs nailed the essences of its success and we quote them here:
“Now in its 30th year, the Magnolia Blossom Festival is not just a local little get-together in a small southwest Arkansas town. It’s far more than that — and always has been. From the jump, the event and its ensuing main event, a grilling competition deemed the World Championship Steak Cook-Off, were made to be different.
“Going back to the beginning, it was not any ordinary dog-and-pony show. It was well thought out, planned to be unique, and based on already proven festival tactics. But there were also hurdles to overcome such as logistical nightmares and little to no funding at first. But even from the outset, crowds came, cookers cooked and a future president of the United States legitimized the event. All the quirks and little details of the annual May revel jumbled together into one giant celebratory weekend to produce what is still today one of the more lauded small town festivals in the south. Essentially, it was made to last.”
Over the years, a variety of volunteers have continued to sustain the quality, popularity and success of the event. “W.C. Blewster, the Chamber of Commerce director in the 1970s and early 1980s, who Rochelle McMahon, one of the original organizers of the Blossom Festival, said had the original vision.” His successor at the chamber, Lester Hutchins, kept the ball rolling, and George Black and the late A.O. “Buddy” Franks organized the festival’s signature steak cookoff attraction, which continues today as a well known and highly respected competition.
Space doesn’t permit including all the people who have volunteered their time and talents during the festival’s three decades to ensure that is has endured and grown.
The Blossom Festival is a true gem for our community and contributes greatly to the local economy with the thousands of visitors it annually attracts.
We offer our applause and thanks to all involved.