Festival time in Arkansas


It is the time of year where just about every little town and village in Arkansas has some theme-based festival. Monticello just had its "Rough-and-Ready Days", which celebrates one of the older precursor settlements to what eventually became Monticello (there was also a Civil War skirmish in Monticello associated with the village once called Rough-and-Ready). Kenny is "driving" the train in the small carnival that accompanied the festivities (Beth is still too small for the rides).

The highlight for Hope and me is the barbeque chicken contest. Local teams compete for the title as champion, and roast up various recipes of chicken. They make enough to sell a barbeque chicken dinner complete with a quarter chicken, beans, potato salad, and a roll for $5. We also indulge ourselves in a funnel cake, which is doughnut batter spread in a circular pattern in hot oil, then covered in powdered sugar. MMMMMMM!! Almost as good as a deep-fried Twinkie!!

For those that aren't familiar with the difference, barbequeing food is a slow process using low heat, while grilling is a quicker process using higher temperatures. When Brother Bill comes for a visit in a few weeks, we'll make sure he appreciates the difference!

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