| Soybean Festival promises fun for all ages |
By: Logan Watson, Press Staff
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Posted: Friday, August 17, 2012 11:09 am
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This year’s Soybean Festival promises loads of fun for the young and the young at heart. For the first time in the festival’s 19-year history, the party kicks off under the Big Top with the Carson & Barnes Circus Aug. 31. The two-hour-long show boasts the traditional circus fare, with a cavalcade of clowns, elephants, jugglers and death-defying aerial acrobatics. There will also be a petting zoo for the kids who like a more hands-on experience.
There will be two shows, the first beginning at 4:30pm and the last at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at Martin City Hall as well as the UTM University Center Information Desk. Prices at the door are $8 for kids and $16 for adults, but there is a discount of $2 per ticket when you buy your tickets in advance.
The party spills out into the streets the following Monday with a Sidewalk Chalk Contest at the Weldon Public Library at 3 p.m. and a Bicycle Rodeo in the police station parking lot at 4. The 8th annual Soybean Talent Contest begins Monday night at 6 for juniors and 7 for teens. Anyone interested in showcasing their abilities, should contact Linda Ramsey at (731) 225-7729 in order to sign up.
The Soybean Festival Parade gets underway Sept. 4 at the corner of University and South Lindell at 6:30 p.m, followed by a Pet Show at the Main Stage at 7:30. Anyone interested in parading their pooch should make sure to sign up between 5 and 6:30.
The Midway opens up Wednesday evening at 5 with amusement rides and games for kids of all ages (including those of us that refuse to grow up). The merriment on the Midway will continue through Saturday, running from 5 p.m. to midnight, and starting early Saturday at 1 p.m.
Wednesday also sees the beginning of the Art Exhibition and Competition, which runs through Saturday at the Arts Co-Op Gallery on Lindell Street. All art entered will be on display from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. At 6 that night, gospel acts Lydia Walker and Shane & Shane will be making joyful noise on the festival’s Main Stage following the Faith and Community Night Dinner at 5:30. The dinner will be free to the public, but donations will be accepted.
One of the more impressive exhibits on display at this year’s Soybean Festival is the America’s Farmers Mobile Experience presented by Monsanto. On display from Thursday through Saturday, this 53-foot tractor trailer folds out into a 1,000 square foot learning opportunity for those interested in seeing the impact of global agriculture and how farmers like those in and around our community make a difference in our world. The exhibit will feature three different areas, including an interactive globe, a 180-degree theatre and personal guides to educate visitors on the challenges being met by today’s farm families. The America’s Farmers Mobile Experience will be on display in the Martin City Hall parking lot Thursday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The festival’s concert series kicks off Thursday night with UT Martin Student Night featuring the tongue-in-cheek tunes of pop-punk group Bowling for Soup. Best known for their hits “1985,” “The Girl All The Bad Guys Want,” and “High School Never Ends,” the light-hearted goofballs of Bowling for Soup are sure to have the streets hopping with their infectious riffs. The show starts at 9 p.m. on the Main Stage.
The concert series continues Friday night when the Peacemakers open up for “The American Band,” Grand Funk Railroad. Performing for more than 40 years, these icons of classic rock have been pumped over the airwaves of rock stations worldwide and paved the way for other notable rock legends such as Journey and Van Halen. Grand Funk Railroad will begin laying track at 9 on the Main Stage, so be sure to be there when the American Band comes into your town.
The 19th annual Soybean Festival will wrap up the 2012 Concert Series with country music legend Travis Tritt Saturday night. Tritt, whose style ranges from soulful ballads like “Help Me Hold On” to hard-driving southern rock anthems like “T-R-O-U-B-L-E,” practically pioneered the hard-living genre of outlaw country in the ‘90s. Fans of both country and rock that show up to the Main Stage Saturday at 9 p.m. will undoubtedly get a good show from Tritt, and be able to cut loose for a little while before they pick up their daily 9-to-5 lives again on Monday morning.
WCP 8.16.12
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