I’d like to think we all know the Natural State has some of the best and weirdest festivals ever, especially in our small towns. We celebrate watermelons and pink tomatoes and Toad Suck…but there’s another festival you may not have heard of quite yet, and it might just be the weirdest of them all. Way down in south Arkansas, just six miles from the Louisiana border, you’ll find a tiny town called Emerson. When I say “tiny,” I mean tiny. Fewer than 400 people live in Emerson. Lots and lots of folks from all over show up for Emerson’s not-so-little festival, because the Purple Hull Pea Festival and World Championship Rotary Tiller Race is absolutely one of the most awesome festivals anywhere.
This year (2017) the Purple Hull Pea Festival is happening on June 23 & 24. You can find a full schedule of events and other information at this link.
The Purple Hull Pea Festival has been around since 1990, and it’s celebrated every year on the last Saturday of June. It’s easy to find once you get to Emerson, because the whole town turns into a sort of Purple Hull Pea Festival beacon.
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In fact, the purple hull pea is honored with its own park.
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
There are several things at the festival that will be familiar to you. Food trucks, arts and crafts, all kinds of vendors, and a kids’ area, for example.
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You can also expect a cook off. This cook off is specifically dedicated to the cooking of purple hull peas and cornbread.
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That’s just the beginning of their pea-tacular theme. They also have a World Cup Purple Hull Pea Shelling Competition.
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If you’re wondering where the rotary tillers come in, I’ll just go ahead and tell you that the festival begins with a ceremonial “Cranking of the Tillers.” These people are serious about their tillers.
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There’s even a “Million Tiller Parade.” There aren’t actually a million tillers, but there sure are plenty. They’ve also got some impressive antique tractors that line up for the tiller parade.
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And then there’s the race itself. It began on a whim back in the nineties, but it has morphed into the kind of event that folks flock to from all over. That’s because it’s the premier event of its kind in the whole world.
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Souped up tillers show up at the event to take on the official 200-ft. tiller track. The rules of the event are precise, and the results are awesome.
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They also have a variety of categories for the tiller races.
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If you’re thinking this tiller thing seems pretty intense, you’re right. The competition is stiff and the tiller pilots work hard. Y’all, they have a World Tiller Racing Federation.
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Whether or not you spend your whole day watching the World Championship Rotary Tiller Race, you’re going to love this unique festival.
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The Purple Hull Pea Festival & World Championship Rotary Tiller Race combines old fan favorites with a unique theme and salt-of-the-earth…actually, soil-of-the-earth…activity. There isn’t anything like it in the whole world.
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For more unique Arkansas festivals, you should check out this list of foodie fests and this list of unique fall festivals. By the way, have y’all heard of Toad Suck? They’ve got a whopper of a festival dedicated to that place.
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Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
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