Deer Festival

Kudos to Mandi Tanner and all her helpers for another successful Jasper County Deer Festival.

An event that large does not come off without a lot of planning, and this was Mandi’s first year as president of the Monticello-Jasper County Chamber of Commerce (COC). And from where I’m sitting she is doing a great job.

Some changes were made this year, and I think they were positive. The biggest thing I noticed was the stage was in the back of the parking lot adjacent to Edge’ys and Peebles Antiques on the Square.

And, the chairs to relax and watch the entertainment, as well as the tables to dine at were also in the parking lot, freeing up a lot of space in the road…and it was still crowded.

For years I thought of the Deer Festival as a big reunion. Many people come “home” for the festival, and many who live here come to town, so you see people you don’t often see.

Susan wrote last week about her memories of the festival, and I could recount quite a few myself. Some I may not want to make public, if you go back to my first few Deer Festivals when I and the crowd I ran around with were a little bit rambunctious.

Now, I’m usually torn. I’m currently president of the Monticello Civic Club which sponsors the Venison Cook-off. So, I need to spend time there. And to complicate things further, or to hold me there more, my husband is generally one of the cooks. This year, he got one first place and two second places. My brother-in-law, James Murphy, and his buddy, Maylon Wages, have cooked the last two years. This year they got two firsts and a second.

This year there was more competition (yippee), so people who purchased a plate had more selection and the judges had a tougher time. Southgate had some great venison lasagna, pulled venison ham and Brunswick stew. There were at least two other entries as well.

I know how much work goes into the cook-off, and appreciate those who participate. It’s a fund raiser for the Civic Club, and I think, an essential ingredient to the Deer Festival. After all what’s a Deer Festival without venison?

There was one thing missing from the Deer Festival, and that was the blooming onion stand. I don’t know what happened, but I sure hope next year we have a blooming onion. I might just have to break down and make one at home rather than waiting a year.

Someone thoughtful gave me a blooming onion maker some years ago, that I think I’ve only used once. I think it’s time to drag it out again.

I walked the Deer Dash Saturday morning, something I’d never done before. Some of you know I walk fairly regularly any way, but not that much at one time. Nor do I typically climb hills like those in the Deer Dash. It was my next oldest sister, Debby’s, idea. My daughter, Hannah, and her goddaughter, Maddie, also walked it. We all four started out together, but Hannah and Maddie finished a little ahead of Debby and me.

Close to the end, I told Debby I didn’t think I’d make it. She laughed and asked what I was going to do? Sit down right there and stay? I finished.

It was fun. But I always get enough walking on Deer Festival day, between trying to take photos of everything, work at the venison cook-off, and do whatever, the COC wants me to do. I was one tired chick Saturday evening, and I rested on Sunday.

I haven’t heard from many merchants, but typically they do not do real well on festival day. However, I like to think that the exposure they get results in sales later in the year. For example, Debby used to come down and go to the flower shop on Deer Festival day. She never bought that day, as she bought from the Square, but she would come back in December and make purchases.

So, thanks Mandi for a great day.