BURTON COTTON GIN FESTIVAL RECAP
Katie and grandson Tucker (Katie Kieke Williams)
Another Burton Cotton Gin Festival is in the books. The 37th annual event was held this past Saturday in Downtown Burton.
Washington County Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year Darrell Kieke served as this year’s Grand Marshal. Cotton Gin Festival Director Steph Jarvis talked about having Kieke lead the parade this year.
Jarvis, who just completed her tenth year as director, told KWHI that attendance was slightly down this year with the crowd estimate to be somewhere between 3,500 to 4,000 people.
She said that although some rain passed through the area, and the temperatures cooled off, that did not seem to damper the spirit of those that were there.
(Courtney Cartwright)
The show featured music from Robert and Kasey Zientek, the Bayou City Groove, Ella B Fiddle and Robert Herridge, and the Brown Sugar Band.
Other parts of the festival included, the Antique Engine and Tractor Show, a tractor pull competition, over 40 arts and crafts vendors, food vendors, gin tours, a classic car display, and folk life demonstrations.
The main attraction every year is the firing up of the historic 112-year-old Cotton Gin and ginning out of cotton bales.