Benton to host old-fashioned fun on Saturday

Cheryl Farmer is organizing the 45th annual Old Fashioned Day in downtown Benton. The festival is slated for Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Benton Senior Wellness and Activity Center.
Cheryl Farmer is organizing the 45th annual Old Fashioned Day in downtown Benton. The festival is slated for Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Benton Senior Wellness and Activity Center.

— For years, Cheryl Farmer looked forward to going to the annual Old Fashioned Day.

“It was a great time to go with your girlfriends or family because there is something for everyone,” Farmer said. “Last year, we participated in Old Fashioned Day, and after that, I became part of the Benton Senior Wellness and Activity Center Board of Directors, and because of that, I decided to get involved with the festival.

“They needed somebody to head it up. I don’t think I realized, at the time, how much involvement it would be, but I have really enjoyed it and have met wonderful people because of it.”

The 45th annual Old Fashioned Day is scheduled for Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. in downtown Benton. There will be live music, arts and crafts, food trucks and inflatables.

“We will have a lot of booths and a lot of arts and crafts, so I feel like it is going to be a good day of shopping and experience for people,” Farmer said. “We are going to have some really neat things that are going to be on display, and we’ve got some good entertainment, including several musicians that will perform onstage.”

Farmer, who is the wife of Benton Mayor Tom Farmer, said the biggest difference this year is that for the first time, the festival will be in the street downtown, allowing booth organizers to set up there. She said the city will close Sevier Street, near the pool hall, and part of Main Street for the festival. She said organizers wanted to have the festival on the street because it is hard for some to maneuver around the courthouse lawn, where the event is usually located.

“It is really hard to walk on the lawn and push a wheel chair or stroller,” she said. “This way, it is more user-friendly for everyone, including the vendors and the people shopping.”

Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Benton Senior Wellness and Activity Center, with all the booth rental fees going to help fund the center. She said the money will allow the center to offer more activities.

“It helps provide meals for some of the home-bound senior adults because that costs quite a bit of money,” Farmer said. “The festival helps provide the funds for activities and good meals. It is just really a good fundraiser for them.”

Farmer said there is still time to rent a booth. It costs $50 for a space, and any business or organization that is interested can contact her at cjanefarmer@gmail.com.

Previous Old Fashioned Day festivals featured skillet-throwing and a bonnet contest, Farmer said, “things that were very old-fashioned.”

“We aren’t trying to upgrade or change too much, but we do want to appeal to not just one generation, but several. … The festival has kind of gone down the last couple of years, so we are hoping to generate interest in different age groups,” she said. “Plus, all of our downtown merchants will be open, so it will be a great time to shop.”

Farmer said that this year, the festival will also feature knife-sharpening and blade-forging demonstrations. The festival is free to enter, and Farmer encouraged guests to bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on the lawn and visit with each other and have something to eat.

Farmer said the city has been very cooperative in partnering with the festival this year.

“I’m so glad to have the mayor on my side,” she said. “The city has done such a good job of connecting and combining their efforts with ours. They have partnered with us to make the event so much better. They are providing the stage, the chairs and the sound system, which is so much easier than going to rent those things. They have provided a great service for us.

“I am grateful for their support.”

Following the festival, the city of Benton will host the annual Arkansas Coffin Races, beginning at 4:30 p.m., followed by the first Zombie Street Dance on Main Street.

This year’s coffin races will be limited to the first 30 entries, so Tina Coston, marketing director for the city of Benton, encouraged people to turn in their entry forms as soon as possible.

“Following the races, we will have our inaugural Zombie Street Dance, with the very popular band Just Sayin’ performing in front of the Vote Here Building downtown,” she said.

There will also be food trucks available, including Riverside Grocery, Tacos Godoy, Wells Carnival Foods and Kona Ice, as well as a Bodiddle’s beer garden.

For more information or questions about the Arkansas Coffin Races, email tina@bentonar.org.

“I am really looking forward to Old Fashioned Day,” Farmer said. “The Third Thursdays [in downtown Benton] have been so much fun, and people act like they really enjoy them.

“This is an opportunity to enjoy the day, and it is kind of nostalgic. It is an opportunity to enjoy our city and our downtown area.”

Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.

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