With an announcement that the Sunflower County Consolidated School District had received a B rating from the Mississippi Department of Education earlier in the week, the tone was set for the burgers, boogie and bouncy houses at Saturday’s Nola Fest.
Indianola’s signature fun-filled community engagement event attracted a cross section of citizens determined to enjoy the scene and experience a stress-free weekend. “The 2022 Nola Fest means so much to the community with vendors, merchants and kids enjoying themselves in a good safe space,” said Indianola Mayor Ken Featherstone. “And the weather is absolutely beautiful today.”
Featherstone had just taken to the main stage to provide a little hype for elementary school kids participating in a color run. Indianola Chamber of Commerce board president Will McDowell finished dusting the brightly colored powder from his hands and said, “The planning for this year’s festival started around May and this is my first one being board president. I’m so thankful that there are people in this community who have the experience of putting on an event like this that I can lean on.”
Jim Whitfield and the Texas Masons grilled burgers to raise scholarship money on the west end of Main Street. Vendors availed everything from catfish plates to handmade duck callers. Kids enjoyed bouncy houses, pumpkin painting and having balloon animals crafted right before their eyes.
Just inside the first hour of the event, the crowd started moving towards the main stage to listen to the exploits of Elvis impersonator Joe Forrester and the smooth sounds of Joshua Crawford. Forrester’s bright yellow jacket and pink suede shoes were the talk of the hour. “My wife bought these for me,” Forrester explained. “I’m a VP of sales and marketing by day, so for the most part, these are part of the show.”
Crawford crooned the crowd with a Tevin Campbell classic, “Can We Talk?” followed by D’Angelo’s “Lady.” “It feels good to perform songs like this in front of my friends and neighbors,” Crawford said. “Performing older songs just helps me learn to connect with another audience.”
Corn hole, arts and crafts, and funnels cakes added to the festivities of the day. But local attorney Howard Q. Davis kept with the phonetic theme of the day. “It’s not a funnel cake,” Davis said. “It’s a beignet.”
