PEA RIDGE — Something new and something old - the 2011 Pea Ridge Fair, begun in 1950 with the Centennial Celebration, will feature both old and new events - and the event is in a new location.
The fair, called Summer Fest this year, will be held July 6-9 at the City Park on Hayden Road instead of the school groundsdowntown where it has been held the past 61 years. The fair will not feature a carnival, but will have the regular Miss Pea Ridge and Junior Miss Pea Ridge pageants, the regular Tiny Tot and Teeny Tot contests, and food booths. In addition, there will be a car show, exhibits and two additional pageants.
Viewers will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite contestant for Miss Pea Ridge byplacing $1 per vote in a box during the week.
Construction projects around the downtown school grounds created safety concerns, so fair sponsors decided to move the fair to the park. Several buildings immediately north of the site where the fair is traditionally held are slated for demolition and a barrier has been erected around the demolition site. Large limbs from a tree on the southeast cornerof the lawn were blown down recently.
In an e-mail between Beta Alpha president Karen Kitterman and school superintendent Mike Van Dyke, Van Dyke said the school district “has always supported (Beta Alpha’s) activities through use of our facilities, electrical and water at no cost. ... The timing of the site work is critical this summer while students and staff are away.”PAGEANT REGISTRATION
Registration and practice for the Tiny Tot, Teeny Tot and Cutest Baby pageants will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 5, at City Park.
Booth space is still available for anything except food, according to Beta Alpha representatives. Booths rent for $25.
The district has begun a remodeling project for the Intermediate School and plans include moving utilities and razing buildings while the students are out of school.
Continuing the legacy of the city’s fair, new members have expanded the pageant categories to align it with ages competing on the county level. They have added categories for Little Miss, Pre-Teen and Teen.
“My mom was in Alpha Nu of ESA yeas ago, so itwas kind of to continue her legacy,” Sandy Fletcher said. Fletcher - the daughter of Billie Escue and a new member of Beta Alpha - said: “I grew up here.
I want to give back to the community.”
Kitterman, also a relatively new member, said she initially joined because she “couldn’t say ‘no’ to Linda Kitterman, a former Beta Alpha member. “But I stayed because of the community involvement.
I didn’t grow up here, anddidn’t know nearly as many people. But this has been a great way to get to know people in the community.
“We don’t want these traditions that Beta Alpha started and continued to go away,” Kitterman said.
As they have since 1971, Beta Alpha chapter of ESA International is sponsoring the Pea Ridge Summer Fest. One new facet of the fair this year will include exhibits, similar to those held at the county fair.
The exhibits, to bejudged by the Pea Ridge Historical Society, must be brought to the museum by 4 p.m. the day of the event.
The exhibits will be judged and on display during that night of the Summer Fest, in the museum. Exhibits will be:
◊Wednesday, July 6 - Breads, Jams and Jellies
◊Thursday, July 7 - Kids Art (all ages) and “From the Garden” (veggies, fruits or flowers)
◊Friday, July 8 - Cakes and pies
“There’s just no way we can hold the car show,” Kitterman said. “We feel terrible that we have to move it because we really wanted traffic into the museum.”
Kitterman said the high school would be used for interviews of the pageant contestants and for a place for the Miss Pea Ridge contestants to change clothes.
She said the parade times and route will remain the same - 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Other events this year include a Poker run, a climbing wall, smash-a-car, dunk tank, bingo.
Although frustrated at the need for the change in location, Kitterman said the club members are planning to make the best of the situation.
Music scheduled includes Katie Anderson, Wednesday; the Journeymen, Thursday; Adam Ash and a bluegrass/gospel band on Friday; and Hot Mix 101.9 for a dance from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.
News, Pages 1 on 06/29/2011