Portageville readies for annual festival

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — For more than seven decades Portageville residents have celebrated the arrival of the fall harvest season with the Soybean Festival.

As the Sept. 29 opening nears, the planning and work is well underway.

“For us, the Soybean Festival is a very big deal,” said Clint Klipfel, president of the Portageville Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the annual event. “It is a fun festival and an opportunity for us to come together as a community to show what Portageville has to offer. We enjoy having fun and fellowship with everyone in the community and the surrounding area.”

This year’s theme is Music of Days Gone By: Dancing through the Decades and appropriately the activities will begin with the Sixth Annual Soybean Shuffle at 8 a.m. Sept. 29. The 5K run/walk starts at the corner of Main and Huffman streets. A “Kids Run the Streets Race” for those ages 12 and under will follow at approximately 9 a.m.

Sign-in for the races is at the Community Center parking lot.

For information and a registration form, email CaBrinna Crafton at ccrafton@srgglobal.com. Also forms are available from the event’s sponsor, SRG Global, 101 Meatte Ave. in Portageville.

The entry fee for the 5K walk/run is $25 and for the youth run, $5. All proceeds will go to the Portageville Food Pantry and for toy drives.

The runs are just the start of a day filled with activities.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 29, the Portageville Chamber of Commerce will host Main Street Madness with booths offering everything from baked goods to beauty product to items to adorn the home or the individual. Also there will be informational booths and several fundraisers.

The cost for a 12-by-12 booth is $10; electricity will be available. For more information contact Lori by calling 573-379-0515 or emailing info@portagevillechamber.com

Magician Michael Clayton will present shows at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on the grand stand on Main Street. Clayton, who mixes illusions with comedy, will also be featured at the First State Community Bank tent throughout the day.

A cornhole tournament for those ages 16 and up gets under way at 10 a.m. in the Community Center parking lot. There is a $10 entry fee per team with registration due by Sept. 26. Cash prizes will be awarded.

For information or to register contact Nick Cartee at 573-379-5734 or at ncartee@fsbtrust.com

Also beginning at 10 a.m. will be the beauty pageants on the Main Street stage. Categories are Young Mr. and Miss Soybean (6-8 years old), Young Junior Miss (9-12 years old); Junior Miss (13-15 years old) and Miss Soybean (16-19 years old).

Attire is pageant wear. Those taking part should arrive no later than 9:30 a.m.

Entry forms are available at local businesses, at the Portageville Chamber of Commerce Facebook page or by emailing info@portagevillechamber.com.

Project Graduation will have its own twist on beauty pageants with the annual fundraiser, the She-Man Beauty Pageant, at 1:30 p.m.

The Little Mr. and Miss Soybean will be crowned in a pageant at 2 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Portageville Elementary School.

The Soybean Festival celebrations continue with a talent show from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 1 on the Main Street stage.

According to Klipfel, the talent show, now in its third year, is popular and draws a variety of talented individuals and groups. He recommended participants sign up in advance and show up early to ensure their music and equipment works.

The top act selected by the judges will receive $75 with $50 going to second place and $25 for third place.

Parades are a big part of the annual Soybean Festival and for the 71st year, Klipfel expects they will continue to draw lots of participants and viewers.

The Kiddie Parade on Oct. 2 will include pets, walking entries, vehicles and floats of 10 feet or less. Age categories are 0-3, 4-7 and 8-12.

“We welcome bikes, trikes, wagons, walkers,” said Klipfel. “Basically, anything that people want to be.”

In the non-float division prizes are $35 for first; $25, second and $15, third while the mini-floats will vie for prizes of $200, first place; $150, second place; and $100, third place.

The Portageville Ministerial Alliance will lead a community church service at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 on the Main Street stage.

The Grand Parade with its array of bands, small and large floats, farm implements, vehicles, politicians and, of course, a load of soybeans, is among the biggest draw of the week. Even Santa Claus will make an appearance in the parade as he promotes the Portageville Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas open house on Nov. 9, 10 and 11 and the community’s Christmas parade on Dec. 7.

Tonya Vannasdall has worked for several weeks to get the word out about the Oct. 4 Grand Parade.

“It is a huge gathering in Portageville and it is exciting to see all the community come out and support it,” she said. “It is coming back bigger and bigger every year.”

She said over the last several years, the Chamber has worked to emphasize the community’s agricultural roots.

“We have encouraged farmers to bring soybeans to the parade and encouraged the people who work with grain to be part of our activities.” Vannasdall said. “It only makes sense that they are part of what we are doing.”

This year’s grand prize of $1,000 for the first place float over 10 feet in length is drawing lots of interest, she added. The second place winner in that division will earn $750 and third place, $500.

For the first place float 10 foot or under the prizes are $300, first place; $200, second place and $100, third place. Floats from the Kiddie Parade can also be part of the Grand Parade, organizers said.

Because of the many participants, Vannasdall urged those planning to take part in the Grand Parade to register in advance by contacting her at 573-748-0859 or by email at infor@portagevillechamber.com. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 2.

Lineup for the Grand Parade is from 6-6:45 p.m. at the Community Center parking lot. The Grand Parade and the Kiddie Parade both begin at 7 p.m.

Closing out the week’s events is a new addition to the celebration - the Bean Bash from 8-11 p.m. Oct. 5 featuring live music by Pocket Change and a beer garden. Those attending are urged to bring their own lawn chair.

Vannasdall and Klipfel agreed it is the Soybean Festival’s emphasis on family fun activities that has made it popular for so many years.

“It is a long-standing tradition not only for Portageville but the Bootheel,” said Klipfel. “Everybody has come to know and look forward to it every year. It continues to be a success and a good time for everyone.”