By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
While Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce officials announced that one of the community’s most popular festivals would resume after a one-year hiatus, officials of Poarch Band of Creek Indians announced that its annual Thanksgiving Pow Wow will be put on hold for the second straight year.
Chamber officials announced on the organization’s Facebook page that the annual Mayfest observance — postponed, then canceled last year due to COVID-19 concerns — will resume in just over two weeks, on Saturday, May 1.
This year’s spring festival, reportedly the city’s 47th, will take place at Tom Byrne Park and will feature its standard fare of arts and crafts vendors, other vendors and carnival food, as well as musical and other entertainment. There will be plenty of rides and other activities for children.
Mayfest, which will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m., will also include the Miss Mayfest Pageant, the Beautiful Baby Contest (10 a.m.-11 a.m.), the Pooch Parade and the Mayfest Softball Tournament.
Atmore Chamber officials also announced that Taste of the South, which was also canceled last year, is scheduled to resume on September 16 at Heritage Park.
PCI officials announced last week that the celebration of the “gathering of the tribes,” which draws Native Americans from Oklahoma and other states, has been called off for the second straight year.
The tribe’s official Facebook page included the cancellation notice.
“We couldn’t be more ready to gather around the drum and Pow Wow with all of you,” officials announced. “Our next Pow Wow will be our 50th anniversary, and we want to make it the best celebration of friends, family and Thanksgiving we’ve ever had. To make this a reality, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel our 2021 Thanksgiving Pow Wow.”
The event, including the popular Princess Contest, has tentatively been set to resume on Thanksgiving 2022.