A few community members examine a john Deere tractor, while others chat, September 1999. Photo: Sue Brown
|
Pine Orchard Community Fair
Held the second Saturday in September in Oakdale,
Tennessee, the annual Pine Orchard Community Fair has been a local
tradition since 1938. Believed to be the only existing community
fair in the state, it was started by Morgan County agent Charles
Edwards and was originally held in an old one room school building.
A new Community Building was completed in Oakdale in 1957 to be
used for wedding receptions, showers, family reunions, and, not
coincidentally, the Pine Orchard Community Fair. Original fair
events such as hog-calling, husband-calling, pretty baby contests,
sack races and livestock judging have long ago given way to more
modern tastes. Today, the Fair's tractor, antique cars and engine
shows, musical performances, chili supper, exhibits, crafts, and
games such as community football, horseshoes, baseball and frisbee
attract a crowd of almost 1,000 people every year. Surviving the
test of time, however, one event has and has been part of the fair
every year since its inception: the quilt raffle; monies raised are
used for the upkeep of the Community Building. The Pine Orchard
Community Fair has become an eagerly awaited annual event in the
small, safe, and tight-knit Tennessee town of Oakdale.
This project was submitted by and was documented by
writers, researchers, and photographers from the U.S. History class
at Oakdale High School. Documentation includes a six-page written
report, thirteen 8 x 10 photos, and local newspaper coverage of
some of the fairs from 1961 to 1999.
Originally submitted by: Zach Wamp, Representative (3rd District).
More Local Legacies... |
|
|
The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.
|