DEWAYNE HOLLOWAY/dewayne@mcnews.online
The Courthouse Square will be silent this Memorial Day weekend with no Good Ol’ Days Festival, or Front Porch Stage Concert planned this year.
While COVID-19 has affected most every area of public life this Spring, the Mount Ida Area Chamber of Commerce had announced in March that there would be no Good Ol’ Days Festival this year. The reason given by Chamber representatives was a revamping of their festival schedule.
Chamber representatives explained that the change in their festival schedule comes after months of conversations with vendors and attendees. While the Chamber is appreciative of all the great memories made over the years at the Good Ol’ Days and QQC Festivals, it is time to grow and offer something new.
The Three Rivers Heritage Festival hopes to take the best of both of the older festivals and build upon them. Details are still being worked out and more information will be shared as things are finalized.
Vendor applications and digger forms are not yet available. They will be posted on the Mount Ida Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page as soon as they are available.
The next event for the Chamber of Commerce will be their annual Chamber Banquet to be held April 16 at the Lake Ouachita Baptist Church.
The Good Ol’ Days Festival will be combined with the QQC Festival normally held in October. The new festival, to be known as The Three Rivers Heritage Festival will combine the best of both previous festival and will be held September 25 and 26 on the Montgomery County Courthouse Square.
The World Championship Quartz Crystal Dig will be held in conjunction with the festival with Twin Creek Crystal Mine set to be the host mine for the event.
The Front Porch Stage announced recently the cancellation of the Mike Mayberry and the Slowhands concert scheduled for Saturday, May 23. They shared in a Facebook post that they were unable at this time to meet all the state requirements for outdoor venues during the COVID-19 crisis.
For more information about the upcoming crystal dig, Three Rivers Heritage Festival, or the Chamber of Commerce Banquet stop by the Chamber of Commerce office located at 125 Highway 270 in Mount Ida, or call (870) 867-2723. You can also visit their website at mtidachamber.com, or their Facebook page for more information.
