Indianola Chamber Main Street announces scheduled events for the annual Indian Bayou Arts & Eats Festival, formerly known as Indian Bayou Arts Festival.
Now in its sixth year, the fall festival will be held on Saturday, Sept. 23, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., across from the B.B. King Museum and Blue Biscuit along the bayou in Indianola.
Forty to 50 artists will exhibit works in an array of mediums including original paintings, wood carvings, photography, pottery, handmade jewelry, fiber art and clothing, quilts, Choctaw crafts, furniture and more.
In addition to visual arts, the culinary arts will be added to the 2017 festival with gourmet food vendors from the Mississippi Delta and beyond showcasing homegrown and locally made foods.
The Craig Claiborne Pecan Pie Competition debuts this year, where home cooks will faceoff with their homemade pecan pie creations, in both traditional and creative categories, with winners determined by a panel of judges. The name of the competition is an homage to Sunflower County native son Craig Claiborne, the former longtime food editor of The New York Times, known in history as creating the five-star restaurant review system.
The pecan pie competition is sponsored by Guaranty Bank and Indianola Pecan House with proceeds going to the Mid-Delta Arts Association.
An Author’s area will feature many Mississippi authors signing books and cookbooks, including Mike McCall with Catfish Days and Anne Martin with Delta Hot Tamales, and many more.
An all-day family-friendly event, the Children’s Creative Art Tents will encourage kids to design and display their own art projects, do spin art and paint pumpkins, plus peruse a reading corner with free books from the Library.
Special guest cartoonist Ricky Nobile, from Moorhead and Hattiesburg, will be drawing complimentary caricatures throughout the festival.
Festival food will include hot tamales, barbecue, hamburgers, funnel cakes, kettle corn and beignets made by the Friends of the Library.
The Sunflower County Humane Society will have animals present for adoption. Planters Bank is sponsoring their third annual Delta Dog Show with prizes and several categories for entry. Funds raised will go to the Humane Society.
With live music on stage throughout the day, including the B.B. King Museum All-Stars, the festival is a community celebration of art, food and live local talent.
Exhibit space for artists and artisan food creators is $35. Applications are available at Indianola Chamber Main Street or The Crown in Indianola, where forms are also available for the Pecan Pie Competition. For information, call Cherri Kirk 662-887-4454, Evelyn Roughton 662-207-7520 or Maggie Barnes 887-7271.
