BEEBE — Fall is upon us, and with it comes festival season.
Hayrides, pumpkin decorating, inflatables, food and live entertainment are just a few of the things you’ll find at this year’s Beebe Arts and Crafts Festival at the Beebe Ballpark on Oct. 21.
Kristen Boswell, event director, and Carol Westergren, board member, said they look forward to the popular community festival.
Admission is free, Boswell said, but vendors will set up and sell a variety of goods.
Original art, crafts, wreaths, home decor, doll clothes and jewelry are just a few of the items vendors will have up for sale, she said.
Boswell said shaved ice, funnel cakes, sandwiches, corn dogs, fresh lemonade, barbecue and more will be offered by food vendors at the event.
“This festival will have something for everyone,” she said.
Westergren said kids activities will include bouncy houses, pumpkin decorating, a hayride and pony rides.
Beebe Animal Control will run a dog adoption event in the kids zone, Boswell said.
Boswell said the Miss Beebe Arts and Crafts Festival Pageant will take place at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 20 in the Beebe High School Auditorium.
According to a press release, the registration fee for the pageant is $75, and the deadline to register is Oct. 19.
Wee, Petite, Tiny, Little, Teen and Miss category winners will receive gift packages, the release states, and all division winners and runner-ups will receive a crown and a sash.
A BBQ Cook-Off Competition will take place at 10 a.m. Oct. 21, hosted by American Legion Post 91, she said.
Competitors must sign up by Monday, and there is a $100 registration fee.
Also at 10 a.m., a car show will begin with categories that include Best in Show, Fan Favorite, Rat Rod and categories by decade.
There is a $20 entry fee, and winners will be chosen by a panel of judges.
A three-on-three co-ed basketball tournament will also kick off at 10 a.m., and the registration deadline is Oct. 14.
Entry fees are $10 per person, with a maximum of five people per team, the release states.
Live music will be provided all day, Boswell said, and a dog show will take place at noon on the Horace Taylor Stage.
The Paws in the Park Fun Dog Show has a $25 entry fee that must be paid at Pavilion Three at 11 a.m., according to the release.
Categories will include Best Mirror Image, Most Adorable, Best Costume, Ugliest and Fan Favorite.
“The festival just brings the community together. That’s the best part,” Boswell said. “It’s just fun. It was originally called the Beebe Fall Festival, but we wanted it to have more of a hometown feel. All of the entertainment will be local.”
Westergren said she has been involved with the festival for almost 20 years.
The festival originally took place downtown but was moved to the ball park a few years ago because of space and parking issues, she said.
“In this day and age when everything is costing, families don’t have the funds to go out and do things anymore. This gives families the opportunity to come out, have fun, hopefully buy a few things from our vendors and just be together,” Westergren said.
The festival gives families a chance to bring their lawn chairs and spend the day visiting with other community members, she said.
“We only get to have these community events a few times a year,” Boswell said. “Beebe is a very special community — a hidden gem.”
For more information or to register for any of the events, contact Kristen Boswell at (501) 882-8135.
Staff writer Kayla Baugh can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or kbaugh@arkansasonline.com.