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November 16, 2015

The National Peanut Festival 2015

20 Comments/ 3976/ 1

chrisThe long awaited day has come and gone.  I am left with memories and pictures and a sense of sadness that the one thing that I had been so looking forward to for so long is over. Done.  Finished. Complete.TicketsOf course I am talking about the National Peanut Festival that is held in Dothan, Alabama every year. This was my first experience with the festival as Chris started his new job with Dunbarton earlier this year.  The National Peanut Festival is held in the town where the main facility for Dunbarton is located and ever since my first visit I was drawn into the peanut mania.

Saturday was the big day for us.  We had decided when we would be able to attend and that was the day. The week had not gone as expected for the National Peanut Festival because of horrible rain.  It rained and rained and rained some more and the facilities, mainly the parking, was just flooded with too much rain and parking soon became an issue.BethAnn and PeanutI followed along on all the discussions about parking and it appeared to me that the festival was doing its very best to accommodate people by chartering busses that festival attenders could access from two different areas to be bussed directly to the event.  It seemed like a great solution for a soggy problem but as always the grumblers on social media were ever present.

When we went on Saturday we were able to park on site because we went early and secured a great spot.  The downside of that was that things did not really start getting geared up until we were almost ready to leave.  We opted out of going downtown to watch the parade which according to locals is the big event.  I think we made the right choice.

So what did we see?  Some fun things.  Did it live up to my expectations?  Probably not.  I am afraid I had hyped myself up a bit too much and after attending both the Minnesota State Fair and the Iowa State Fair it was a bit of a let down because it was obviously much smaller.

bearA fun thing to watch was Brian Ackley of Ackmonsters Chainsaw Art.  He had quite a variety of creations that he had done and was working on including bears and peanuts holding phones.  Visitors could bid on each item he had created and it was fun to see him work away. 

The animal barns were woefully empty but I suspect it was because we were there on the second to last day of the fair.  Most of the animal events had already come and gone but there were still a few that remained to amuse me. animal CollageOh if only I was 100 pounds again.  Then I could have ridden Julius.  I really wanted to but since he is a “baby” they were limiting riders to those who weighed less than 100 pounds.  I call it weight discrimination.  He was awfully cute.
julius CollageI even milked a fake cow.ba and cow

One of my favorite exhibits was an exhibit to honor Dancin’ Dave.  I loved it and actually teared up a little bit when I saw it. Dancin DaveWe did manage to have fun and that is what it is all about. Enjoy the pictures. Take it all in. Smell the smells and come back later on in the week when I share a bit more from the National Peanut Festival.  You won’t want to miss the racing pigs.  There might even be a video or two.

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Ackmonsters Chainsaw Art Dancin' Dave Dothan Alabama National Peanut Festival peanuts
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20 Comments

Leave a comment
  1. dawnkinster
    November 16, 2015 at 09:48 am

    Looks like our county fair here. Always a lot of fun. We don’t have peanuts though….

    Reply
  2. Minnesota Prairie Roots
    November 16, 2015 at 11:18 am

    I noticed John Deere tractors. Machinery Hill?

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      November 16, 2015 at 11:27 am

      Alabama is pretty agricultural with peanuts and cotton and there were a lot of farm related items on display as well as boats and hot tubs and construction equipment.

      Reply
  3. Darlene
    November 16, 2015 at 02:13 pm

    I love Julius the camel! It sounds like a good time in spite of the rain and parking situation. Milking a fake cow is probably wiser than a real one as I have had some bad experiences. The tribute to Dancin´Dave was moving.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      November 17, 2015 at 09:51 am

      Julius was pretty cool even if he was a baby. The whole day was a lot of fun.

      Reply
  4. Judy
    November 16, 2015 at 04:51 pm

    I like the pictures, looks like a fun day and no rain. Glad you shared some of your picture’s.

    Reply
  5. Nice teapot.
    November 16, 2015 at 08:36 pm

    I am glad you got to the Peanut Festival as it sounds like a lot of fun. I remember my days going to to the county fair. Lots of fun. Sorry you had rain. Maybe next year!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      November 17, 2015 at 09:51 am

      It was fun but I missed seeing a lot of animals at this one. They had already gone home.

      Reply
  6. Gibber
    November 16, 2015 at 10:40 pm

    Well if it’s any consolation, riding a camel is very uncomfortable. Ha. Yes I’ve done it.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      November 17, 2015 at 09:50 am

      I am sure it is uncomfortable. I mean seriously–how could it be comfy at all? I think Julius had personality plus–he had a twinkle in his eye.

      Reply
      1. Gibber
        November 17, 2015 at 10:49 am

        Aha! I’ll bet he did. A little mischief. 😉

        Reply
  7. Robin
    November 16, 2015 at 11:14 pm

    Glad you had a great time! I want to ride the camel!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      November 17, 2015 at 09:49 am

      I know! I was so sad I couldn’t ride him.

      Reply
  8. Val - Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids
    November 17, 2015 at 10:01 am

    I’m glad you were able to make the visit! Maybe if you go next year and the weather is nice it’ll be something more.

    Reply
  9. Priscilla King
    November 17, 2015 at 03:20 pm

    Love that “baby” camel! (Do year-old humans look like babies to house pets?)

    Reply
  10. Thread crazy
    November 18, 2015 at 10:40 am

    Reminds me so of our county fairs.. I do know ya’ll have received a years worth of rain here recently. Looks like we are trying desperately to catch up!.. back yard is still standing from a 1″ rain on Sunday night.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      November 18, 2015 at 08:12 pm

      The rain is crazy, isn’t it? I am so over it.

      Reply
  11. josh
    November 18, 2015 at 11:14 am

    We went to a cheese festival in Byron, MN once that reminded me of this. T’was small and we had hyped it up in our heads much more than what we actually encountered.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      November 18, 2015 at 08:11 pm

      YES! Exactly. I think that I had built it up in my mind so much that anything would have been a disappointment.

      Reply
  12. Teapots, Racing Pigs, Peanuts and Swimming Pigs - It's Just Life
    November 20, 2015 at 06:01 am

    […]  From teapots to racing pigs to peanuts to swimming pigs—it was all there. My first post here focused on a lot of the fun things that we were able to see at our first visit to the famous […]

    Reply

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