16th Annual Broomcorn Festival

Keeping the Craft Alive in McNairy County

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

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 16th Annual Hockaday 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 Phillips 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 winding tables and broom presses but eventually commercial equipment would become 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 Hockaday Broomcorn Festival is a celebration of traditional broom making and the other folklife 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.

16th Annual Broomcorn Festival

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday September 17, 2011

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)

32 Demonstrating Folk Artisans Including:

Lye Soap makerJulia Jarvis; Leatherworker Irv McKee; Textile Artists of Fiber Guild; Stained Glass by Karen Jones; Native American Flint Knapping Techniques by Brian Bates; Needles-N-Pins Quilting Club; Pine Needle Baskets by Cindy Middleton; Handcarved Gourds by Joan Appelt; Wood Carver Bob Reynolds; Crochett by Janice Wintermute; Native American Beadwork by Linda Craig; Handmade White Oak Baskets and Chair Caning by Laura Rushing; Blacksmithing by Logan Hirsch of the National Ornamental Metal Museum; Wood Turner Hershel Miller; Bobbin Lace Making by Debbie Todhunter; Hand Thrown Pottery by Mark Alonzo; Craig Howell Wood Carver; Michael Altom Mammoth Ivory Carver; Hand Carved Gourds by Madge Smith; Mrs. Leroy Barns Chair Caning; Logans Lake Honey and Bee Keeping Demo by Mike Harris; White Oak Baskets by Janis Milligan; 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; Cotton Candy; Locally Made Baked Goods 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)

1:00 Hatchie Bottom Boys (Bluegrass)

2:00 Willie Eubanks (Bluegrass)

3:00 Don McMinn (Beale St. Blues)

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

For more information about the 16th Annual Broomcorn Festival, call Hockaday Handmade Brooms at (731) 645-4823 or the McNairy Regional Alliance at (731) 645-6360.