Bean Soup Festival, Fair presents decades-old custom, enjoyable | Information, Sports activities, Jobs

Volunteer Harold Brouse stirs a big kettle of bean soup throughout a current McClure Bean Soup Festival and Fair in McClure.

McCLURE – While the entertainers and the occasions have modified over time of the McClure Bean Soup Festival and Fair, the star of the present has remained the identical.

The 134th version, which opens Sunday and runs by way of Saturday, Sept. 13, options agricultural reveals, rides, meals stands and reside leisure. But what fairgoers lengthy to style is the truthful’s well-known faire.

“The bean soup, of course,” quipped Kate Reed, pageant coordinator for this 12 months’s Bean Soup Fair and Festival.

“It’s wonderful, and you can’t get it anywhere else,” Reed added.

All week lengthy, staff show a labor of affection, making the bean soup over an open hearth, stirring it continually. It’s served every day on the truthful, beginning at midday Sunday.

Between the pageant on Sunday, free rides on Monday, parade on Tuesday, musical teams and a lot of video games and contests for teenagers and adults, the truthful offers enjoyable and leisure all week.

“It’s a lot of good friends and good food,” Reed stated. “There’s plenty of stuff for everyone of all ages to do.”

The amusement rides, reveals, concessions and leisure shall be a continuing Monday by way of Sept. 13. The concessions open at 4:30 p.m., with the amusement rides following at 5 p.m. and bingo at 6 p.m. from Monday by way of Friday. On Saturday, concessions open at midday with rides opening at 4:30 p.m. and bingo at 6 p.m.

This 12 months 9 pageant contestants will vie for titles through the twentieth Annual McClure Bean Soup Fair Pageant: Baby Bean for ages 2 to 4; Teeny Bean for ages 5 to 7; Little Miss Bean for ages 8 to 11; Fair Princess for ages 12 to fifteen; and Fair Queen for ages 16 to twenty.

“My biggest dream was to always be the queen and be able to show all the other girls and the community how fun and amazing the pageant program really is,” stated 2024 McClure Bean Soup Queen Caleigh Smith on the truthful’s web site. Sunday is billed as Pageant Day on the truthful.

“I love interacting with others and being able to share all my amazing memories and incredible opportunities I got as the Bean Soup Fair Queen,” Smith added. “My time as the McClure Bean Soup Fair Queen was by far my best experience.”

Besides the pageant, the bean soup’s opening ceremony will happen at 2 p.m. Sunday. There may also be a vesper service at 10 a.m. and parking on Sunday is free.

Monday is Family Day, which options $5 wristbands for rides from 6 to 9 p.m.

Tuesday is Parade Day with the annual parade at 6 p.m. and parade winners introduced on the stage at 8 p.m.

Wednesday highlights Senior Citizens Day with anybody age 62 and older having the ability to purchase a bowl of bean soup for half worth. A milk chugging contest is scheduled for six:30 p.m. and free ice cream at 7 p.m. The reside leisure slate additionally opens with the Mahoney Brothers acting at 7 and eight:30 p.m. on the primary stage.

On Thursday, Veteran’s Day’s primary attraction is Why Not Me with reveals at 7 and eight:30 p.m. Wristbands may also be buy-one, get-one free. Facepainting may also be held.

Youth Day takes heart stage on Friday as all college students get one bowl of bean soup at half worth. There’s additionally a cornhole event at 6:30 p.m. The reside leisure begins with Little Rock at 7 p.m. and follows with Ricochet at 8:30 p.m.

Homecoming Day is Saturday as Ole 97 presents its Johnny Cash and June Carter Tribute present at 2:30 and 4 p.m. That’s adopted by Green River at 7 and 9 p.m. A selfmade ice cream contest is ready for the Fair Pavilion at 6 p.m.

McClure Bean Soup Fair President Sandra Fisher praised the volunteers who deliver the truthful collectively yearly.

“As always, our fair would not continue to grow without the many hours that our valuable volunteers give to us every year,” Fisher stated.

“Our fair officers and committee members contribute many volunteer hours and many fundraiser events to continue the progress of our fair,” Fisher added. “You will find our volunteers in the exhibit hall, food stand, souvenir stand, cake wheel, bingo stand and many other areas of our fair.”

And promoting that well-known bean soup. Adam Ewig, who serves on the bean soup’s board of administrators, stated the purpose this 12 months is to promote 40 kettles value through the truthful.

“We average between 35 to 40 for the week,” Ewig stated.

The most up-to-date bean soup recipe on the McClure Bean Soup web site lists the substances of the soup as “25 pounds of beans, 15 pounds of (ground) beef, six pounds of suet and a handful of salt.”