Q: Where have events connected to the National Peanut Festival been held over the years?
A: The celebration of the region’s peanut industry and harvest season has changed tremendously since the first festival in 1938.
At 8:30 p.m., the first of three nightly presentations of a historical pageant called “Parade of the Years” depicting the founding and development of Dothan and Houston County was held at the stadium. At 8 p.m., the second performance of “Parade of the Years” was held at the stadium. At 10 p.m., during the grand ball and dance held at the National Guard Armory, Elizabeth Johnson of Headland was crowned the festival queen and Alto V. Lee III, president of Dothan’s Junior Chamber of Commerce, was crowned king.
In 1952, the Chamber of Commerce passed a resolution making the National Peanut Festival a nonprofit organization with a board of trustees. Events that Monday included the 50-piece military band from Camp Rucker, a night parade on a nursery theme that began at the intersection of West Main and Lena streets and continued eastward to Range Street, and a gospel sing featuring six of the South’s finest gospel quartets at the stadium.
Beauty queens from Wiregrass cities arrived Friday morning, the Maxwell Air Force Base Band performed a concert at the courthouse, the National Peanut Festival Recognition Banquet was held at the Houston Hotel Ball Room, and the National Peanut Festival Beauty Pageant was held at the stadium. On Tuesday, all exhibits were judged starting at 9 a.m. The fair gates opened at 1 p.m. and the annual banquet for selection of the Woman of the Year and Man of the Year was held at the Air Force Armory on Airport Road . The calf scramble, greasy pig contest, greasy pole contest, and cutting horse competition were held at the stadium starting at 7:30 p.m.
At 11 a.m. Saturday, the parade which included Miss America was held and the fair opened at the stadium at noon. A mass concert featuring 22 high school bands played in the stadium that afternoon and the Queen’s Ball was held that night at the recreation center.
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