Jemison steps back in time with Cowboy Day
Published 3:00 pm Monday, April 4, 2022
Jemison residents filed into the City Park for Cowboy Day on April 2. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The parade started on Highway 31 and was led by a horse bearing the American flag. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Re-enactors performed skits as a part of the festivities. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Patrons shopped at the various vendors that were selling products in the park. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The parade down US Highway 31 featured numerous horses. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
The re-enactors during their gun fight performance at the park. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
Many of the horses in the parade were personally owned by the riders. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
One of the re-enactors placing the dynamite on the money chest during the heist. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)
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By Carey Reeder | Staff Writer
Jemison hosted the first Cowboy Day at the Jemison City Park on April 2 in conjunction with the Deep South Rodeo and Crawfish Festival.
Hundreds of people filled the park to see the vendors, cowboy re-enactments and fun wild west activities the festival had to offer.
There were over 20 vendors set up at the park selling their products. Stephanie Carroll was selling car ornaments and cookies with an outline of Chilton County on them with a peach design in the middle. Her company, Blessed Mess Designs, offers many designs that can be put on different mediums such as paper products, food and metal objects.
“I love all of the different types of products that are here,” Marcia Hamm said. “It’s good to experience something different you don’t get to see every day.”
LaTonya Sparks-Hinton brought her business, Delectable Delights, to Jemison for the festival to sell her gourmet nuts. The flavors available included cinnamon sugar and sweet heat. Hinton got the information about the Cowboy Day from a vendor’s blog.
“During the pandemic I was messing around with the nuts, and my family loved them,” Hinton said. “I saw the rodeo and my husband loves the rodeo, so we thought this would be a good experience.”
Along with the vendors, food trucks were available for patrons. A re-enactment team performed a skit where outlaws stole a chest full of money. The chest was blown up with explosives with fake money flying out after the explosion. Children ran to collect the bills but were interrogated when the outlaws came to collect the money.
“Normally, the kids give up the money right away,” one of the actors said. “These kids keep it close the vest.”
The actors also put on skits that showed how cowboys made food in the wild west and a prop gun fight.
Cowboy Day culminated with a parade of horses down US Highway 31 from Jemison Middle School to the Jemison City Hall. Jemison police blocked off the side roads from the highway for the very well-organized procession.
The parade featured hosts of the Deep South Rodeo, the Chilton County Peach Queens and over 20 horses that marched down the street.
The Deep South Rodeo was a two-night event on April 1-2.
