Bronaugh's Fall Festival starts cooking Saturday

Only about 250 people turn on the lights in Bronaugh each night, but hundreds more have lived there at one time or another and many of those will return Saturday, Sept. 24, for the Annual Bronaugh Fall Festival.

Sporting the individualistic muscle and glamour cars of increasingly nostalgic 20th century America, a classic car show will be staged for the first time in this historic town 15 miles south-southwest of Nevada on Missouri Route 43.

Founded in the early 1880s by former Confederate Army Capt. W.C. "Wal" Bronaugh, the village has had the festival longer than cco-chairmen Angie Daniels and Carolyn Morris have been able to determine.

But it's so well-established that uninterrupted events entertain from daybreak to near midnight. "We benefit greatly from our community's generosity, so we donate all the proceeds to next year's festival and to improving the community building and park," said Daniels.

"We had the building and stage painted last year and the park needs maintenance. It's an old-fashioned, family-oriented event and a big opportunity for Bronaugh sschools and students to share in the season."

The man Bronaugh, a post-Civil War benefactor of reformed outlaws Frank James and Cole Younger, started a ranch near his namesake settlement in southwest Vernon County after a drought had driven his brothers and him out of Texas, and he ranched near Clinton, Mo., until his death in 1923, according to historians.

Saturday's festival starts with a 7 a.m. BHS Senior Class breakfast in the school cafeteria, continuing at 8:30 with parade registration at Sixth and Maple streets and a horseshoe tournament on the west side of city hall.

A pop stand will post iced tea, lemonade, bottled water, fountain sodas and, depending on the weather, Popsicles or coffee and cocoa, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the community building.

Crafts and sales booths run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., on the south side of Fourth Street and there'll be a 9:30 a.m. Stars and Stripes-raising in the park, parade on Fourth Street at 10 and school band concert at 10:45 in the park.

Lunch is at 11 a.m. in the Community Building and the "Baby Show" begins at 11:30 on the park stage. Afternoon games are at 1 p.m., outside city hall, followed by a Fourth Street pedal tractor pull.

Area entertainers will be on stage from 1 to 5 p.m., before Eric Lane and the Doghouse Band play a street dance from 8-11 p.m., at Fourth Street's west end.

Bingo is at 2 p.m., car show awards at 3:30, barbecue supper at 5, royalty coronation at 6, flag lowering at 6:30 and drawing at 6:45.

Coordinators are Keri Yount and Kim and Dave Reedy, parade; Abby Starne, horseshoe tourney; Kelli and Andy Brannan, pop stand; Katie Evans, booths; Michael Millman, car show; Larry Selby, flag raising and lowering; Morris, lunch; Evans, baby show; Lori Connor, afternoon games with a turtle race, baby crawl, three-legged race, sack race, footrace and egg toss; Starne, pedal tractor pull; Dan and Lorrie Divine, entertainment; Daniels, barbecue supper; Kathy Wait, royalty coronation; Randi Ryan, raffle; and Kathy Fleener, street dance.

"A number of people always come back and the graduates have class reunions," Daniels said. "It's truly one of those events where all Carolyn and I have to do is make sure everybody is doing OK. Our coordinators agree on an area and they do it."