Don't Miss the Neshoba County Fair!
By Brother Rogers
You need to go to the Neshoba County Fair. Well, let me rephrase that. If you have never been to the Neshoba County Fair and wondered what all the fuss is about, then this is an excellent year for you to discover why so many Mississippians and others plan their summer vacation around what is known affectionately as “Mississippi’s Giant House Party.”
There are certain places that every Mississippian needs to see at least once: Vicksburg National Military Park, antebellum homes in Natchez, the Old Capitol in Jackson, cotton fields in the flat Delta and beaches along the Gulf Coast. The Neshoba County Fair is one of those places.
Mind you, I also enjoyed the now defunct National Tobacco Spitting Contest in Raleigh, Mississippi, especially when a woman from my childhood home in Rankin County won the women’s division, but that’s a story for another column.
The Neshoba County Fair is not like any fair you have ever seen. Yes, there are amusement rides for kids and award-winning crafts and vegetables. But that part of the fair is an aside, almost an afterthought.
The Neshoba County Fair is a city of thousands of people akin to Andy Griffith’s fictional Mayberry that comes to life for one week every year in the red clay of central Mississippi. The people who move into this city stay in “cabins” which are tall, narrow edifices, up to four stories high, of all shades and colors squeezed together in row after row.
These cabins house families and visitors alike, some sleeping 20 or 30 people in one place. All of them have a front porch for sitting, rocking or swinging, but mainly visiting with family, friends and neighbors. All of them are filled with enough food and drink to feed an army, and any stranger can stop at any cabin and be treated as one of the family. Barefooted children running and playing are a common sight.
The cabins are clustered in neighborhoods with charming names such as Happy Hollow, Watermelon Alley and Beverly Hills to name a few. In addition to the 600 cabins, there are an additional 200 RV campers at the fair. With so much going on, the fair publishes a daily newspaper and has its own post office. Heck, like any good Mississippi town, it even has its own beauty pageant.
The center of the fair is Founder’s Square. It’s the most prestigious location to own a cabin. A large pavilion in Founder’s Square is the hub of political activity.
That’s right. Mississippi’s Mayberry is the political forum for the state. Every politician for major office in Mississippi makes an obligatory stop at the Neshoba County Fair. Candidates from president to county coroner share the same stage. During my first trip to the Neshoba County Fair back in the late 1980s, I remember Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Buck Ross demonstrating a homemade armadillo trap. He knew the value of a visual aid to stand out from the crowd.
My favorite part of the fair now is the harness racing every afternoon. Veteran fair goers have their spot to watch the races, and mine is in a lawn chair in the first turn of the track.
Each night there is a concert on the infield of the racetrack. But more fun often than the concert is the chair races. That’s when all the concert goers (or their children and grandchildren) gather behind a fence and all at once race to set up their folding chairs close to the stage. It’s fun to do, but an even greater spectator sport.
As you can see, the Neshoba County Fair is a unique Mississippi event. It makes a great day trip from Starkville. It’s happening now so don’t miss it!
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works at the Stennis Center for Public Service.
You need to go to the Neshoba County Fair. Well, let me rephrase that. If you have never been to the Neshoba County Fair and wondered what all the fuss is about, then this is an excellent year for you to discover why so many Mississippians and others plan their summer vacation around what is known affectionately as “Mississippi’s Giant House Party.”
There are certain places that every Mississippian needs to see at least once: Vicksburg National Military Park, antebellum homes in Natchez, the Old Capitol in Jackson, cotton fields in the flat Delta and beaches along the Gulf Coast. The Neshoba County Fair is one of those places.
Mind you, I also enjoyed the now defunct National Tobacco Spitting Contest in Raleigh, Mississippi, especially when a woman from my childhood home in Rankin County won the women’s division, but that’s a story for another column.
The Neshoba County Fair is not like any fair you have ever seen. Yes, there are amusement rides for kids and award-winning crafts and vegetables. But that part of the fair is an aside, almost an afterthought.
The Neshoba County Fair is a city of thousands of people akin to Andy Griffith’s fictional Mayberry that comes to life for one week every year in the red clay of central Mississippi. The people who move into this city stay in “cabins” which are tall, narrow edifices, up to four stories high, of all shades and colors squeezed together in row after row.
These cabins house families and visitors alike, some sleeping 20 or 30 people in one place. All of them have a front porch for sitting, rocking or swinging, but mainly visiting with family, friends and neighbors. All of them are filled with enough food and drink to feed an army, and any stranger can stop at any cabin and be treated as one of the family. Barefooted children running and playing are a common sight.
The cabins are clustered in neighborhoods with charming names such as Happy Hollow, Watermelon Alley and Beverly Hills to name a few. In addition to the 600 cabins, there are an additional 200 RV campers at the fair. With so much going on, the fair publishes a daily newspaper and has its own post office. Heck, like any good Mississippi town, it even has its own beauty pageant.
The center of the fair is Founder’s Square. It’s the most prestigious location to own a cabin. A large pavilion in Founder’s Square is the hub of political activity.
That’s right. Mississippi’s Mayberry is the political forum for the state. Every politician for major office in Mississippi makes an obligatory stop at the Neshoba County Fair. Candidates from president to county coroner share the same stage. During my first trip to the Neshoba County Fair back in the late 1980s, I remember Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Buck Ross demonstrating a homemade armadillo trap. He knew the value of a visual aid to stand out from the crowd.
My favorite part of the fair now is the harness racing every afternoon. Veteran fair goers have their spot to watch the races, and mine is in a lawn chair in the first turn of the track.
Each night there is a concert on the infield of the racetrack. But more fun often than the concert is the chair races. That’s when all the concert goers (or their children and grandchildren) gather behind a fence and all at once race to set up their folding chairs close to the stage. It’s fun to do, but an even greater spectator sport.
As you can see, the Neshoba County Fair is a unique Mississippi event. It makes a great day trip from Starkville. It’s happening now so don’t miss it!
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works at the Stennis Center for Public Service.