TYLERTOWN, Miss.- Branded as the Cream Pitcher of Mississippi, in the Southwest corner of the state sits a little town that has been a big deal in the dairy industry for decades. That’s why, in 1977, they decided to put on the Walthall County Dairy Festival.
It’s held in the county seat of Tylertown, where thousands of dairy lovers in Mississippi make their way down Highway 98 to see what all the fuss is about. It happens on the first Saturday in June, and this year will be year number 38 for the Dairy Festival.
News Mississippi correspondent Doug Walker was there in 1977 when they put on the very first Dairy Festival.
“It started out when somebody hauled the back of an 18-wheeler trailer and that was our stage and we used that for several years,” Walker said. “But things have progressed a good bit since then, we actually have a real stage, we have festival grounds, we have a walking trail around the park. Most of your booths are set up around the trail.”
The festival happens in the same place every year, at Holmes Water Park. Being an election year, this year they’ll feature some political booths set up as well.
Events throughout the day would include pretty much anything involving dairy, a cow-calling contest, and their world-famous turtle race.
“We have some notoriety in the fact that we claim to be the home of the international turtle racers association,” Walker added.
The festival funds itself. All proceeds brought in each year go right back into planning for next year’s big event.
Come Saturday, you won’t want to miss the biggest event of the year in Walthall County.
