By Jason C. Mattox
and Billy Davis

Batesville’s SpringFest organizers have announced that country music artist Mark Chesnutt will headline the annual music festival.

Chesnutt will perform in the Saturday night slot that closes the festival.

SpringFest is held the third weekend of May, which falls on May 15 and 16.

Hill Country Revue will perform prior to Chestnutt.

Batesville’s Willy Waggs, and Water Valley’s Steve Thompson and Bryan Ward, are also on the entertainment roster, according to Colleen Clark, manager of Batesville’s Main Street Program, which coordinates the festival.

Chesnutt has 14 No. 1 hits and four platinum albums.

He may be best known for his debut single, “Too Cold at Home,” also the name of his first album.

His latest song is “Rollin’ with the Flow,” a cover of the Charlie Rich classic from 1977.

The selection of Chesnutt continues a tradition of family-friendly artists headlining SpringFest.

Alcohol is not allowed at the event.

The choice also adds another country star name to past acts that have included Shenandoah, Little Big Town and Chely Wright.

Anyone interested in pre-ordering the 2009 SpringFest t-shirt can do so by contacting the Panola Partnership at 563-3126.

Shirts are $15 for S-XL with $1 for each additional X. Pre-orders will be accepted until April 17.

A Miss SpringFest beauty pageant is planned on April 25. See page A3 for details.

The Miss SpringFest beauty pageant for girls ages 0-13 will be held Saturday, April 25, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Family Life Center at Batesville First Baptist Church.

Winners will be presented at the festival on Friday night, May 15.

There will be six age groups. There is a $50 entry fee and participants under 10 are required to wear their Sunday best. Ages 10 and over are asked to wear traditional formal wear.

Applications are available at the Panola Partnership Office on the Downtown Square. The deadline for submitting an application is 5 p.m. on April 17.