Peanut Festival and Grapeland Sandies Events Set to Begin This Week
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
GRAPELAND – It will be a busy week on the normally quiet streets of Grapeland. The Grapeland Sandies will celebrate their homecoming game and the 77th Annual Peanut Festival will be held.
The celebration will kick off Wednesday, Oct. 12 with the homecoming pep rally and bonfire at 7 p.m. at Sandie Stadium.
Thursday, Oct. 13 the carnival will kick off at the Grapeland City Park with all its food and attractions for children of all ages. The carnival will be open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with arm bands to attend costing $25.
Friday, Oct. 14 will see the homecoming game with the Sandies battling district rival Shelbyville Dragons at 7 p.m. The carnival will be open that day from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. At 9 p.m. there will be a concert in the park with the Rodney Reeves Band.
Saturday, Oct. 15 the traditional downtown parade will begin at 10 a.m. Then the carnival, arts and craft booths and live music will go on all day. That night, the Peanut Queen Pageant will be held in the school auditorium at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for $20 each at the Grapeland ISD Administrative Office. See accompanying story in today’s newspaper about the four candidates running for Peanut Queen.
The sponsors for this year’s festival are Nucor-Vulcraft, Badder’s Law Firm, Cutshaw Chevrolet, Darling Ingredients, Grapeland State Bank, Bruner’s Economy Car Center and the Stubblefield family.
As regards to the live music set for Saturday, here is the lineup festival-goers can expect this year:
“Almost Legal” will begin playing at 11 a.m.
- The members of Almost Legal Band have won over the hearts of music lovers from all walks of life. Performing at a variety of venues and making countless public appearances as a new upcoming band. This talented young group has earned the admiration and affection of young and old fans alike.
“Rochelle and the Sidewinders” will being at 1 p.m.
- An award winning, high-energy R&B/Funk band based out of Austin, Texas. The Sidewinders have performed as the headlining and support act at dozens of major music festivals throughout Texas, as well as many of the high profile music venues around the state. Formed during the summer of 2015, The Sidewinders have released two full length CD’s and are currently recording their third CD for tentative release late summer 2022. Rochelle is known as the “Texas Songbird.”
“Johnnie Helm Band” begins at 3 p.m.
- The Johnnie Helm Band is a 5-piece musical band based in East Texas. The band was formed in 2014 by singer/songwriter Johnnie Helm of Jacksonville, Texas. They perform Americana music with most of the songs being originals written by Johnnie. A few “hit” cover songs are always included in their performances to give the audience some familiar music.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
