Benton County Three Star Program

Economic Development, Tourism, 'f'. Community Festival
June 15, 2008
by Gary Evans

During regular session on April 21, 2008, the Benton County Board of Commissioners voted to establish the Tennessee River Pearl Festival as an annually recurring event to celebrate Benton County's natural wealth, beauty and social heritage. The County's Tennessee River Resort District Board voted the previous week to dedicate $25,000 to Promoter Robert Keast as 'start up funding' for the event. Mr. Keast is the owner/operator of the Keast family owned BIRDSONG RESORT AND MARINA.

The inaugural observance of the TENNESSEE RIVER PEARL FESTIVAL was set for June 13-15, 2008. Severe thunderstorms, heavy damaging winds and driving rains Friday evening threatened the event. Despite power outages in the South County Area Saturday morning, the kids fishing rodeo began flawlessly at the Birdsong Marina, where more than 65% of the young anglers registered had arrived and began fishing before the 10:00 a.m. "official" opening of the day's events.

Alvin Smothers and I attended the activities at the Birdsong Marina and distributed scores of the 2008 BENTON COUNTY TOURISM GUIDEBOOK published and distributed by the Benton County Chamber of Commerce and Camden Chronicle for 2008. Similarly, Alvin and I distributed many score copies of the Magic Valley Guide brochure for 2008. We spoke briefly with people who came to fish, take in the car show, meet Miss Tennessee Grace Gore, and listen to the fishing advice of pro-fisherman Bill Dance. Representatives from TWRA, the Tennessee National Guard, Cabela Sports Outfitters, West Tennessee Outdoors, the media from Jackson and Nashville and many others joined Benton Countians and visitors from all over Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Venezuela - yes, Venezuela - to celebrate the Tennessee River Pearl Festival.

I returned to Big Sandy at 1:30 p.m., where I saw many of the 'bikers' who'd left Birdsong earlier in the day to participate in the "Bikers' Scavenger Hunt". The scavenger hunt led them to Houston County via the Danville Ferry and back to Big Sandy for lunch and a respite before ending their journey in Camden after 4:00 in the afternoon. I saw at least four motorcycles at Danny's Quick-Stop, six at Renate and Gary's and five at the Sportsman One Stop. I don't know how many more registered participants were in the scavenger hunt, but I know Commissioner Steve Stokes was among them.

My wife Peggy and I attended the Gospel Singing activities at Nathan Bedford Forest Park.

Bob Keast was dishing out terrific bar-be-cued chicken (that's POLLO BARBACOADO to Ben Marks, Lydia Branch, Norma Pettyjohn, Phyllis Travis and all you other Benton County Spanish speakers) to the accompaniment of gospel singing, Southern style. Among the many fabulous singers were the Five Pastors Quartet (Rev. Ken Zike, Rev. Matt Greer, Rev. Eulas Greer, Rev. Leonard Greer and Jim Jordan on keyboard) and Laura Cochrane of the Ministerial Alliance playing acoustic guitar and singing solo.

This was the perfect ending to a very good weekend vacationing at home. A fellow I spoke to at the Birdsong activities Saturday morning discussed the high turn out there being a result of people taking advantage of a fantastic local event rather than travelling out-of-state to vacation. I'm eager to see what next year's Tennessee River Pearl Festival will be like.