By Megan Miller, Editor
PINSON – The 11th annual Butterbean Festival will take place along Historic Main Street in Pinson September 30-October 1.
The festival runs the length of Highway 75 and will feature live entertainment, an inflatable obstacle course, a carnival, a fireworks show, different types of food ranging from Philly Cheesesteak to New York gyros, around 165 arts and craft vendors and of course, butterbeans.
Executive Director of the Clay-Pinson Chamber of Commerce, Ronnie Dixon, said 1,200 pounds of butterbeans are donated every year, and he is responsible for distributing 400 pounds to each of the three organizations that cook the butterbeans. When it comes down to who cooks them best, Dixon said
“you really need to taste them all.”
Because the length of the festival spans the Historic Main Street area, two butterbean vendors will be posted at each end of the festival and one will be in the center.
“All three organizations cook the butterbeans in a different way,” Dixon said. “Solid Rock Church has a secret recipe that has meat in it, and they probably have a dozen toppings you can add to it, along with three or four kinds of cornbread. The Pinson Valley Band Boosters do the traditional butterbeans with onions and cornbread, and Bradford Sanctuary of Praise has two or three types of cooking they do, some with meat and some without.”
Dixon said each vendor usually has dry butterbeans for sale as well. The vendors all get to keep the proceeds from what they sell, either going towards band uniforms or mission work.
The carnival will be set up at the Rock School Center, and will open each night at dusk and remain open until crowds diminish, according to Dixon. There is also a new attraction called the Amazon, which will be set up in the parking lot of Mission Impossible Bargain Center. Dixon describes the attraction as a 285-foot long inflatable obstacle course.
Live entertainment will include the Andrew Alford Band, Billy Smith and Janet Paschal on Friday night, and Rebecca Egeland, Hunter Slade, John Michael Seals, Bailey Carvalho and Cottonmouth Creek on Saturday.
Dixon said his favorite part of the festival is always the fireworks. The fireworks show is produced by the same company that does the annual Fourth of July fireworks show at Oak Mountain Amphitheater.
“Because there’s not a mountain in Pinson, the fireworks explode directly over your head,” Dixon said. “It’s a completely different experience. You feel the colors and can feel the explosion of the fireworks because they’re right there on top of you.”
6 Comments
Debbie Reynolds-Swann
Diane Freeman Jones, what do ya think about going and eating some butter beans?
Kelsi Foster
Kaitlin Gibb
Noah McGinty
That will be Saturday football day and Sunday
Pamela Gragg Sessions
Betty Irwin, up for giving this a try? Hopefully better than the Greek Festival. Lol
Marie Ash Jones
Darryl Jones this is what we can do Saturday
Darryl Jones
Sounds good.