DARDANELLE —The celebration planned for Friday and Saturday in Dardanelle should be a scream.
The 27th annual Yell Fest in Veterans Riverfront Park includes a car show, a 4-mile run, arts and crafts, food, fireworks and, of course, a yelling contest.
The traditional yelling contest will be at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the pavilion by the river.
Tanya Hendrix, executive director of the Dardanelle Area Chamber of Commerce, said all that contestants are required to do is “just scream.”
“Kids really get into that,” Hendrix said, but the contest is open to all ages.
Activities will kick off at 4:30 p.m. Friday with a performance by the Dardanelle High School Band, followed by other musical performances.
Saturday’s events will start early with the Lion’s Club Pancake Breakfast beginning at 6 a.m.
A 4-mile run/walk is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., with registration at 7 a.m. The cost is $20 until the day of the race, when it will be $25. Checks may be mailed to the chamber, P. O. Box 208, Dardanelle, AR 72834.
Hendrix said this year’s race, which will benefit Special Olympics Arkansas, will start at the gazebo on Front Street, continue to the dam site at the river and end where the race started.
“Races are very popular,” she said. “Applications are coming in slowly. Usually, the runners wait till the week of to make sure it’s not going to rain.” She said the run/walk attracted 30 participants last year, “which is usually pretty good for us. We usually compete with several other races.”
Other activities on Saturday include a horseshoe tournament at 1 p.m. and a car show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Prizes will be given for Best Truck and Best Car. She said the car show has had “ups and downs, but we’re looking for a really big turnout.”
Vendor booths include arts and crafts and nonprofit organizations.
“As of right now, we have about 25 arts-and-crafts booths. Again, they wait till the last minute. We had 47 last year; I’m hoping they will come back,” Hendrix said last week.
Vendors include those offering face painting, children’s books, jewelry and more.
Hendrix said negotiations are being made with a seven-member mariachi band for Saturday, too.
“I’m real excited; I hope it goes through,” she said.
Montie Sims, chairman of the festival, said the Dardanelle Senior Activity Center will sponsor the first beanbag baseball tournament.
“We’re kind of excited about that because we’ve never had one down there before, so we’re hoping that will get started,” Sims said.
No festival would be complete without food, and Yell Fest vendors include chicken on a stick, hot dogs, barbecue, Mexican and Chinese food, deep-fried treats — Oreos, Twinkies and Snickers – and much more, organizers said.
Carnival rides are a big draw, too, and tickets will be sold, as well as armbands for discounts, Sims said.
Sims, who is the city’s police chief, said with a laugh that his favorite part of the festival is “when it’s over.”
“I would probably say the best part of it is … when you see all your planning falls in place. You see all the time was worth it,” he said.
Barring any rain, a fireworks show will be presented at 9:30 p.m. Saturday to end the festival with a bang.
Hendrix said the fireworks are purchased from a company in Missouri.
“They’re very good,” she said, and thousands of people attend the show.
The festival started in 1989 as the Free State of Yell, an event to raise money for the chamber’s operations.
“We’ve abbreviated it to Yell Fest,” Hendrix said.
Yell Fest and annual dues fund the chamber, she said.
“With the funds raised by these two revenue streams, Dardanelle is able to support a full-time chamber office, which is important to a growing community,” she said.
Sims said the event nets $11,000 to $15,000 for the chamber.
“It’s a good day and a half of entertainment for somebody to bring their family and come out and enjoy,” he said.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.