The Other Marigold Capital

Bill Fleming, Executive Director of the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce, recently visited Winterville - the Marigold Capital of Georgia.  Winterville hosted their first Marigold Festival in 1971.
Winterville Mayor Dodd  Ferrelle contacted Fleming a year ago to renew a community friendship that was in place in the early 1970s.  Mrs. Luella Dirksen (and others from Pekin?) attended one of the early Winterville Marigold Festivals.  Winterville's  Miss Marigold and other representatives also attended one of the early Pekin Marigold Festivals.

Fleming took a slight detour on a recent family vacation and met  the Winterville Mayor, and his wife, Cameron.  After an exchange of festival and community gifts, the Mayor gave Fleming and his wife Melanie, and granddaughter Lily, a tour of the city square and the festival grounds.

"He was very proud of his community, and excited about several upcoming projects," said Fleming.

Fleming and Ferrelle even discussed the possibility of community representatives attending each others festival again in the future.  The 2019 Winterville Marigold Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 11th.

You can see a few more pictures from this event at:  ttps://photos.app.goo.gl/kAxXy4kbkYGqUdg59

Popular posts from this blog

2022 Busey Bank Parade Line-Up | Pekin Marigold Festival

Image
    The 2022 Marigold Festival Parade Line-Up is posted below.  We are looking forward to this 50 Th celebration! Parade participants must start lining up beginning at 8am and be in their place no later than 9:30am .  Look for the bright orange shirts to locate your line-up area when you get to that general area (see map) REMINDERS: All entries must be pre-registered with the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce including payment and a detailed description of the entry for the parade announcer.  The Parade Committee expressly reserves the right to restrict, limit or reject any entry that is considered potentially disruptive, offensive, or in poor taste and not in keeping with the tradition of the Marigold Festival or does not abide by the rules and regulations. DO NOT start distributing candy, trinkets, etc. until after your entry has passed the 14 th street intersection. These requirements are necessary to ensure safety for all.
Read more

2022 Pekin Marigold Festival Art in the Park Vendor Registration is Now Open!

Image
 2022 Pekin Marigold Festival Art in the Park Vendor Registration is Now Open! Pekin, IL-   Registrations for Art in the Park have begun! If you are a local art or craft vendor looking for an opportunity to show and sell your work, the Pekin Marigold Festival invites you to register today.  2022 marks the 50th year of the festival. This annual event attracts over 15,000 people to Mineral Springs Park during the second weekend of September! Art in the Park is a unique event in that it showcases vendors who exclusively create  their items. All items have a "hand-crafted" element.  Each year the Festival Committee also releases a souvenir booklet for the festival, with distribution in the thousands. The booklet includes a centerfold map of the park and Art in the Park vendor location/information. Register before May 1, 2022  to be included in the publication. Vendors are organized in the informative section by an overall category selected in registration.  A 12' x 12' bo
Read more

Pekin Marigold Festival Announces 2022 Grand Marshal

Image
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:       Pekin Marigold Festival Announces Grand Marshal Jim Fairchild is announced as the 2022 Pekin Marigold Festival Grand Marshal   Pekin, IL, June 13, 2022- The Pekin Marigold Festival is proud to announce Jim Fairchild as the 2022 Pekin Marigold Festival Grand Marshal. Jim Fairchild truly represents the best of our community. In-line with this year’s theme of “Back in Time: 50 Years of Marigold Memories”, Jim has been a beloved member of the Pekin community who has touched the lives of hundreds of young people here.   Jim and his wife Patty have been married for 47 years and have four children and eight grandchildren. Jim taught at Pekin Community High School for 41 years, first as a history teacher and then as a guidance counselor, retiring in 2010. He was also a Student Council advisor for 19 of those years and was a school bus driver for 39 of them. Additionally, Jim was a teacher for homebound students and a substitute teacher, as wel
Read more