East Texas Yamboree

from the chili cheese cook off in wisconsin to the labor day corn on the cob fest in pittsburgh, funky local events tend to offer a killer blend of wackiness and charm.

around the Kingdom of Bojon, these local shindigs are fondly known as Two-Beaners.

one such event that was recently brought to our attention is the East Texas Yamboree. here is the description from the website:

The East Texas Yamboree, one of the oldest continuous festivals in Texas, was established in 1935 as a local celebration in conjunction with the Texas Centennial.

As the county was an agricultural area, the planning committee suggested that the festival focus on this: The East Texas yams had been a good cash crop in the early 1930's; however, a weevil problem had caused a quarantine on shipping. Early in 1935, the quarantine was lifted. The yam growers were back in business!

Thus, the festival planning committee decided to theme the event after the yam, and named it the East Texas Yamboree. The festival was so popular with the locals that the committee decided it should be held on a yearly basis.

The East Texas Yamboree has been held every October since then and offers fun for the entire family.

sounds like a trip to Gilmer, Texas may be in order for next year. listed on the site as highlights of this year's festivities:

- Decorated Yam Contest
- Yam Pie In Your Eye
- Barn Dance
- 30th Annual Tater Trot
- Queen Yam

oh yeah, a Two-Beaner indeed...

Posted by bojon at December 13, 2003 07:15 PM