SpringFest fun on many fronts, just one week away

We are one week away from SpringFest, Batesville’s premier community entertainment and homecoming event that provides an umbrella for so many fun activities in two short days.
People who infrequently visit Batesville’s Square are in for a special treat this year: all the landscaping, repaving, improved lighting and sidewalks that have been an ongoing project for the last two years has been completed. The Square itself never looked better.
Newly added to the mix of food, fun and entertainment will be arts and crafts booths on Saturday. One of the keys to the enduring attraction of SpringFest is that Batesville Main Street continually adds new attractions to replace others phased out.
(As this was being written, we received a list of 20 local artists who will have their wares on display from 10 to 4 on Saturday. What a great response!)
The entertainment venue is well-thought to offer music for the widest spectrum of preferences. It starts at 6 p.m. Friday with River Bluff Clan and ends Saturday night with headliner William Michael Morgan. In the interim, SpringFest visitors will have heard from A-440 on Friday night, resumed at noon Saturday with Jon and Angela, Shane King, The Great Dying featuring Anne Freeman, Groove Master, The Carmonas, Daddy Mack Blues Band and the Breton Sound.
And all the while, the carnival will be rolling — starting at 5 p.m. Friday until 10 p.m. Sunday.
Of course, Racing for Paws starts at 8 a.m. Saturday. It is the Panola County Humane Society’s biggest fundraiser. This year’s is the 10th annual.
The Batesville Jr. Auxiliary offers its Kids Corner, providing children with opportunities to expend energy and parents, hopefully, a chance to recharge.
And this year’s Mississippi Cornhole Classic sponsored by YPP, the Young Professionals of Panola, offers generous prizes —$900 for first; $450, second and $150, third — plus a Longest Toss Contest, not to mention bragging rights. Starts at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Hope you have fun. Hope to see you there!