5. Last on my list BUT far from least were THE quintessential purchases every year: disappearing ink and anything that made a ridiculous amount of noise— poppers, whistles, those tubes that turn upside down and go “whhaaaaaa… whaaaauhhhh.” If it was preposterous and under $5, I bought it! In a season of confinement, seclusion, and social media meltdowns from seemingly everyone, wouldn’t it feel nice to just throw on your Umbros and walk down to Ole Brook? I might would even pull out my mattress money for a trip to 1993’s festival about now! I’d probably spring for the Jordan card and an extra tube of disappearing ink…just for show! We wouldn’t know who was going to be there unless they had mentioned it at the ballpark earlier in the week or called you on the phone that had a cord stretched all the way to the living room. If it was too hot, we would just buy extra lemonade, not make a post about global warming. If it was chilly, we would more than likely have bought a cardigan from a vendor… and not proclaimed, “This is WHY I live in the South! #toocold #freezing” Danged wind…how dare it. If someone strolled her new baby down to the festival…heavens to Betsy! Can you imagine!? It would have been our first time laying eyes on the child. “What a cutie!” we would proclaim! Now said baby strolls by…“Seen it! #precious” While I half-joke with my own disillusion of grandiose when it comes to
social media content, I do LOVE all your new baby photos and hope you love mine as well! The seemingly everyday Americana of small-town festivals, fairs, and expos was set to make a strong comeback! With guidelines in place and a little extra effort and safety measures, I hope and pray these occasions never lose their luster for those little feet walking the streets. Those being strolled taking their first bite of funnel cake. Those taking their stinky little shoes off to jump in their inaugural bounce house. Those hearing their first live jam session. Those that carry their weekly allowance to buy some “junk.” I hope they leave Ole Brook tired. I hope they leave sweaty (or chilly…or soaking wet…). The festival is the first weekend in October now, so it’s anyone’s guess to the weather. I hope these little feet come every year and, when they’re grown and living down the street or six hundred miles away, come back to visit family the weekend of the festival to stroll their own babies. I think it’s the kid in all of us that longs for events and days like that. This year’s Ole Brook Festival is currently scheduled to take place October1 and 2 in downtown Brookhaven. The festival now encompasses Railroad Avenue, Whitworth Avenue, and parts of West Cherokee Street. For its upcoming forty-sixth year in Brookhaven, the Ole Brook Festival is comprised of a Friday evening block party including live music from 6 to 10 P.M. on the main stage.
Page 32 { September / October 2021 { Bluffs & Bayous
Saturday’s events include a 5K, Ole Brook Antique Car Show, Arts & Crafts, Flea Market, Food Truck Alley, and KidZone. The festival is free to park, free to enter, and family friendly! Brookhaven is proud of its thriving downtown area and looks forward to showing off its revitalization and new businesses alike. Exit 40 off I-55 has become a mecca for boutique shopping with Brookhaven and Lincoln County boasting forty-plus locally owned and operated retail shops and restaurants We hope you and your family will join us during our Ole Brook Festival and come see for yourself why Brookhaven is considered a true “Home seeker’s Paradise”! The festival is still accepting vendors! If you sell something unique or would like to promote your business, please visit www.brookhavenchamber.org for a vendor agreement; or give the BrookhavenLincoln County Chamber of Commerce a call at 601-833-1411. To enter the Ole Brook Antique Car Show, call 601-8338620. To find out more about Brookhaven events through the year, go to www. visitbrookhavenms.com. Katie Nations, Program Director for the BrookhavenLincoln County Chamber of Commerce, oversees day-to-day operations at the local chamber; manages events such as her beloved Ole Brook Festival; and is passionate about the Chamber-sponsored United Way, Keep Lincoln County Beautiful, and Brookhaven Tourism Council. She lives in Brookhaven with her husband Chris (the guy she bought the Griffey, Jr., card from in 1993) and their two children, Dottie and Christopher.
