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Join us in beautiful Janssen Park on
June 7 & 8, 2013!
Find us on Facebook: Lum & Abner Festival
Detailed schedule will be posted very soon. Please check back or follow us on Facebook for details.
Event Kick Off – Thursday June 6th – 7 p.m.
The event will be kicked off locally with the Lil’ Miss & Mister Lum & Abner Pageant produced each year by the local Lady Ouachita’s organization. This event will be held on the entertainment stage at Janssen Park beginning at 7:00 pm Thursday. Some of the vendors will be open for business during this part of the event.
All American Lumberjack Show – Friday and Saturday
The All-American Lumberjack Show showed off their talents and entertained huge crowds of festival goers at the Lum & Abner Festival in 2008, 2011 and 2012. They are a must see!!!!!! Shows consist of log boom racing, racing hot saws, log rolling, cross cut sawing, ax throwing, spring board tree topping, obstacle pole racing, chainsaw carving, plus Kid’s Lumberjack Sport Camps. Friday: 2 All American Lumberjack Shows, 1 Kid’s Lumberjack Sport Camp and chainsaw carving. Saturday: 3 All American Lumberjack Shows, 1 Kid’s Lumberjack Sport Camp and chainsaw carving. Detailed schedule coming soon.
Kingdom Dog Ministries
Kingdom Dog Ministries is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching obedience and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the unique use of Labrador Retrievers. Using dogs as a visual illustration, KDM blends humor with simple and timeless biblical truths to show the power of obedience in the life of the believer. Our desire is that you will both learn the power of obedience and gain a desire for a life of submission to Jesus Christ. Come out to see these amazing dogs at the festival. Detailed schedule coming soon.
Entertainment
There will be LIVE entertainment Friday and Saturday of the festival from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. See schedule below for the list of entertainment acts. Live music includes something for everyone including southern gospel, bluegrass, country, rock, classic rock and much more!
Friday Entertainment
11:00 am – Kassi Moe
12:00 pm – Lum & Abner Skit
12:45 pm – Gatling & Hoffpauir
2:30 pm – Next Generation Dance Academy
3:30 pm – Lum & Abner Skit
4:00 pm – Zumba Dancet
5:15 pm - Sugar Creek
7:00 pm - Richie Owens
9:00 pm - 106th Army Band (106 and Groove)
Saturday Entertainment
11:00 am – Just Us
1:00 pm – Loyd Knight and the Night Riders
2:00 pm – Dream Spinners (dance performance)
3:00 pm – Don Thompson and the Talimena Drive
4:30 pm – Lum & Abner Skit
5:15 pm – Brothers and Sons
6:15 pm – Lum & Abner Skit
7:00 pm – Lana Gail
9:00 pm – Ashlyn Metheny Band
Live Lum & Abner Skits at the OLT – Friday & Saturday – 7:30 p.m.
You can’t have a Lum & Abner Festival without offering the talents and humor of those it was named after! The local Ouachita Little Theatre will offer live performances featuring the comedy of the Lum & Abner radio show at 7:30 pm both Friday and Saturday nights of the festival. The performances will be at the Ouachita Little Theatre just 2 blocks from Janssen Park. Tickets are $2 per person.
Vendors
Vendors from 5 different states as well as local crafters, artisans, and more will be offering their items at this year’s festival. Vendors include arts & crafts, commercial, non-profit, information booths and food concessions. Items range from wood crafts, face painting, hand crafted mail boxes, to t-shirts, collectibles, and even tattoos just to name a few. Food vendors will offer some tasty treats such as loose meat burgers, chicken and dumplings, gumbo, along with festival favorites like funnel cakes, kettle corn, hand dipped corn dogs and the famed Texas Twisters will return with the festival fave drink. All booths will open at 10 am Friday and Saturday.
Mena Lion’s Club BBQ Cook Off – Saturday June 8
The cookoff will have categories for beans, chicken, beef, and pork. Upon judging entries, their sensations will be for sale starting at 11 am.
5K Walk/Run – Saturday June 8 – 8 a.m.
This year’s 5K walk/run will both start and end at Janssen Park. The event will kick off at 8 am on Saturday. Registrations will be accepted until 7:30 am on race day. The fee is just $20 and includes a Lum & Abner t-shirt. Medals will be awarded to winners of each division.
3 on 3 Basketball – Saturday June 8 – 10 a.m.
Always a popular event of Lum & Abner is the 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament will be held on Sherwood Avenue. Festival t-shirts will be given to all registrants. Medals will be given out to winning teams in all divisions. Registrations will be honored until 9 am June 8. Get a discount on registration if turned in before Wednesday, June 5, 2013.
div> Click here for Registration Form
Fishing Derbies
Once again being organized by the local B.P.O.E. (Elks) with assistance by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, the derbies will offer 4 different categories: Seniors (55+), physically challenged, children ages 9-12, 5-8. The derbies will be held at the ponds in Janssen Park. There is no need to pre-register and no cost. Bring your own tackle and bait. Sign up on sight. Detailed schedule coming soon.
RE/MAX Baby Crawlin’ Contest – Saturday June 8
The festival that claims “something for everyone” holds true to the claim! Mena RE/MAX sponsors this event which is held on Saturday of the festival. Registration is on-site and race times are at 10 am and 11:15 am on Saturday, June 2. For additional information, contact Mena RE/MAX at 479.394.5000.
Union Bank Firefighter’s Challenge – Saturday June 8
The local hometown bank, the Union Bank of Mena, is once again the corporate sponsorship of this very popular event. The event will be held at 1 pm on Saturday June 2 in Janssen Park and includes fun events such as Bucket Brigade, SCBA Donning, Firefighter Relay, Wild Line Recovery, and a Waterball Fight. The Firefighter’s Challenge will be expanded this year with even more games and competitions. Both local and out of town fire departments compete. Prize money and trophies are awarded.
Kiddie Korner
The Kiddie Korner will be located at the playground area of Janssen Park. Besides the playground, children can also enjoy bounce houses, obstacle courses, rock wall and pony rides. Also, in the park will be face painting, kids games and airbrush tattoos.
Lum & Abner Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show – Saturday June 8
Put on by the Polk County Developmental Center
Registration is from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. No pre-registration. Enjoy a great selection of beautiful cars, trucks and motorcycles displayed in the historic Janssen Park. Registration fee is $20. All proceeds go to local charities. Top 30 awards plus top 2 motorcycles. Free t-shirts to first 50 entries. Dash Plaques & Goodie Bags for first 100 entries. Door prizes – 50/50 Pot – Wipe Out Board – Music. Awards at 3 p.m. Call 479-394-8355 for more information.
Softball Tournament – Saturday June 8
Tournament will be held at Tapley Sports Complex on Highway 71 N. Contact Trad Williams at 870-582-2744 for questions or registration information.
T-Shirts, Maps, Programs & Info
This year’s festival “office” will be in the cabin so anyone needing assistance in any way is encouraged to stop in. Souvenir Festival t-shirts will be on sale along with other souvenirs. Festival programs and maps and brochures on the area will be available. Festival staff will be wearing YELLOW staff shirts and be throughout the park during the festival to offer assistance.
 Chet Lauck and Norris Goff were the creators of Lum & Abner. Chet was born on February 2, 1902 in Aleene, Arkansas and Norris was born in Cove, Arkansas on May 30, 1906. Both had moved to Mena with their families by 1911. They lived only a few blocks apart and grew up together. They were both very talented comedians and by 1931 had become local "Amos and Andy" imitators. They were scheduled to perform on a local charity program in Hot Springs, Arkansas on April 26, 1931. At the last minute they decided to appear as two old-time Arkansas philosophers with the names "Lum Eddards" and "Abner Peabody". Thus was formed a team that was to delight radio audiences for the next 25 years. Just three months later on July 27, 1931 "Lum & Abner" made its' national radio debut on the NBC radio network from Chicago with the Quaker Oats Company as their first sponsor. This was to continue, with different sponsors and networks, for nearly 25 years. They also performed their routines on vaudeville stages throughout the country. By 1933 they had introduced the "Jot "Em Down Store" to their audiences and this would become the focal point of most of the programs. By 1940, Chet and Norris were on their way to Hollywood to make the first of seven motion pictures. In 1948 the radio format was changed from a 15-minute show to a thirty minute program. The new shows used special guest stars, a live orchestra, and a studio audience. This was quite a change from the original shows and was not as well received by the listening audience. By 1953 television was the new rage in America. Chet and Norris considered trying the new medium and a pilot show was taped. However, Norris' health problems were just too much to allow him to stand rigors of performing on early tv. So Chet and Norris decided to retire those "two loveable old characters from Pine Ridge". Another era of the golden age of radio came to an end. They had performed over 5,000 live radio programs and entertained countless millions of fans. For the next ten years or so Chet and Norris each made several appearances on various tv programs but never again revived the Lum & Abner show. Norris "Tuffy" Goff (Abner) passed away on June 12, 1978 and Chester "Chet" Lauck (Lum) joined him on February 21, 1980. Gone but definitely NOT forgotten!
------- The National Lum & Abner Society |
