If you try to get to everything that is scheduled in Panola County for this weekend, you will probably be exhausted by Sunday.

You can start as early as noon Friday with chicken dinner prepared by the Batesville Civitan Club and served from their building on Panola Avenue, just off the Square.

By mid-afternoon, the carnival on the Square will have rides churning and lights flashing. No doubt the dreaded Nemesis 360 will be waiting for those who dare. (At presstime, it appears that the Nemesis may have been displaced by something called “Area 51.”)

Entertainment on the Square — besides the impromptu parade of people who are always entertaining without even trying — begins at 6 p.m. and will continue until the last encore of Friday night closer Class Act has fallen silent.

Then on Saturday morning racers and striders will begin assembling for the eighth annual Racing for Paws that starts at 8 a.m.

Youth talent
Talented youth will be featured at the Young Professionals of Panola (YPP) talent contest at 10:30, then Saturday’s music will begin. (This is a fun event; nothing to be bashful about — registration accepted up until 10 a.m.)

Saturday car show
Meanwhile on Saturday, the Batesville Shrine Club will hold its second annual car show featuring antique and classic cars trucks and motorcycles, starting at 8 a.m.

Last year when they held their first show and had only six weeks’ lead time for promotion, they attracted 81 entries. You can see the potential for Saturday’s second annual event.
In case of rain …

All of foregoing will be much more fun without rain which, unfortunately, remains in the forecast at presstime. Chances of precipitation during the hours of these events varies from 30 percent to 70 percent according to accuweather.com and weatherunderground.com, so we will hope rain stays away.

And if it doesn’t, I am reminded of the words of Ted Smith when Springfest’s early ancestor, the Batesville International Fowl, Food and Swine Free Festival (BIFFSIFF) was organized by the Batesville Rotary Club in 1988. The posters advertising the event plainly stated: “IN CASE OF RAIN, YOU’LL GET WET!:

Indoor entertainment
Or you could choose to stay out of the rain and attend The Panola Playhouse’s production of Father Knows Best.

The Playhouse will present four shows of this delightful comedy centered on the Anderson family this weekend with evening shows on Friday and Saturday starting at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. afternoon matinees on Saturday and Sunday.