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Lum and Abner Festival in Running for State Award
from January 2, 2019
by The Pulse
The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism has announced their Henry Awards fi nalists, and Mena’s popular Lum and Abner Festival has made the fi nal three for The Grand Old Classic Special Event Award.
The Henry Awards honor Henri de Tonti, the man historians consider to be among the fi rst “Arkansas Travelers”. The 2019 Henry Awards winners will be revealed at the 45th Annual Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism to be held in Hot Springs February 24th - 26th. The awards ceremony will take place during the Governor’s Banquet on Tuesday, February 26th.
The Grand Old Classic Special Event Award is presented annually to a festival, fair, or other celebration that has “stood the test of time” and has become an established example to follow.
The 41st annual Lum and Abner Festival was held back during the fi rst weekend in June, 2018. The event is presented annually by the Mena Advertising and Promotion Commission. The Festival always draws between 7,500 and 10,000 visitors each year. The legendary Lum and Abner radio show was an American network radio comedy program, created by Chester Lauck (who played Columbus “Lum” Edwards) and Norris Goff (Abner Peabody), aired originally from 1931 to 1954. These radio treasures still air weekday evenings on KENA-FM 104.1.
