15th Annual Broomcorn Festival

Keeping the Craft Alive in McNairy County

**Jack Hockaday and a young Jack Martin on the family farm in Selmer, TN**

Hockaday Handmade Brooms is more that just a family business, it is one of McNairy County's cultural treasures. The business began at the turn of the 20th Century with Will Hockaday farming in the summer and making brooms in winter to help support his family. The current proprietor, Jack Martin, learned to make brooms the old fashioned way from his grandfather, Jack Hockaday. In so doing, Martin has preserved a valuable piece of McNairy County's agricultural heritage and unique folk ways. The 15th Annual Broomcorn Festival is one more way to keep the craft alive.

The broom making tradition runs deep in McNairy County and several other families including the Robins, McIntyres and Talberts are known to have been active broom crafters dating back to the 19th Century. Most all of these families were, like the Hockadays, farmers looking for ways to supplement their income through the lean winter months. A small crop of Broomcorn would be planted along side cash crops, harvested and dried in the fall and fashioned into brooms that could then be sold for extra income until the next planting season. The earliest broom makers used homemade "kicker tables" and presses but eventually commercial equipment would became more common. Arts in McNairy's Heritage and Culture Committee continues to document this rich piece of our cultural past and welcomes all photos, materials and oral traditions related to area broom making families. Contact committee chair, Dr. Shawn Pitts (731-645-3850) with any information you are willing to share.

**The late Mr. J.P. Robins of Finger, TN was a broom and mop maker. His son James continues the family tradition**

The Broomcorn Festival is a celebration of traditional broom making and the other folk life activities of Southwest Tennessee. This special edition of the Arts in McNairy email newsletter is dedicated to informing our followers about the events of that day. You can also keep up to date by joining the new Broomcorn FaceBook group. Just click on the convenient link below.

Broomcorn Festival partners are Hockaday Handmade Brooms, McNairy Regional Alliance and Arts in McNairy. Sponsors include: Home Banking Company; Pat's Cafe; Bancorp South; South Bank; Masco Bath; Shackelford Funeral Directors; Hardin County Bank; Central Bank; Rev. John Wintermute; Wal-Mart of Selmer; Farmers and Merchants Bank; Farm Bureau; Blockbuster and Gutter Guardian.

15th Annual Broomcorn Festival

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday September 18, 2010

Selmer City Park and Stage

South Intersection of Hwy 45 and 64 in Selmer, TN

Admission is $3.00 (FREE for children through 8th grade when accompanied by an adult)

Lye Soap makerJulia Jarvis; Leatherworker Irv McKee; Textile Artists Ray & Jean Ragen; Handcrafted Glass Jewelry by Marti Thweat & Liz Redmon; Native American Flint Knapping Techniques by Brian Bates; Needles-N-Pins Quilting Club; Pine Needle Baskets by Cindy Middleton; Old Fashioned Donuts by Don Carden; Wood Carver and Turner Bob Reynolds; Crochett by Janice Wintermute; Native American Beadwork by Linda Craig; Handmade White Oak Baskets and Chair Caning by Laura Rushing; Blacksmithing by National Ornamental Metal Museum Artists; Constance Beck Spinning and Weaving; Wood Turner Hershel Miller; Textile Artist Darla Pinckley; Bobbin Lace Making by Debbie Todhunter; Hand Thrown Pottery by 2-B Pottery; Stained Glass Artist Karen Jones; Craig Howell Wood Carver; Mark Alonzo Pottery; Michael Altom Mammoth Ivory Carver; Hand Carved Gourds by Joan Appelt; Mrs. Leroy Barns Chair Caning; White Oak Baskets by Janis Milligan; Bobby McCommon Grist Mill Opeator; Petting Zoo; Pony, Wagon and Train Rides; 1915-1927 Model T cars (from 10 am - 12 pm only); One Man Old Fashioned Band Saw Demonstrations by Steve Patrick, Food Vendors; Locally Made Honey and Sorghum Molasses; Live Music All Day and Much, Much, More.

Live Music Schedule*

10:00 The Base Praise Band (Gospel)

11:00  Music Highway Band (Rockabilly)

12:00 Hatchie Bottom Boys (Bluegrass)

12:45 For His Joy (Dance Team)

1:00 Hatchie Bottom Boys (Bluegrass)

2:00 Willie Eubanks (Bluegrass)

3:00 Don McMinn (Beale St. Blues)

4:00 Lorina Rae & Friends (Blues & Gospel)

*Sept. 12-18 is also Rockabilly Highway Homecoming Week in McNairy County. Join local music legend Bo Jack Killingsworth and friends for a live Rockabilly show 6:30 pm, Friday Sept. 17 at the Selmer Community Center. Proceeds benefit Selmer's Rockabilly Highway Revival fund.

For more information about the 15th Annual Broomcorn Festival, call Hockaday Handmade Brooms at (731) 645-4823 or the McNairy Regional Alliance at (731) 645-6360.