Luau, Casey’s finish in Heart O’Dixie, Silly String battle, lots of friends highlight opening weekend of Neshoba County Fair

Neshoba County Fair Notes– Casey Clark of Bruce set a goal to finish the Heart O’ Dixie Triathlon in 3 hours and 30 minutes. He finished it in 3 hours and 31.  Joel left the fairgrounds around 4:30 Saturday morning with Bruce native Kent Moore, of Philadelphia. They headed north to Lake Tiak-O-Khata to watch Casey hit the water for the first leg of the triathlon– the 1/2 mile  swim across the lake. They followed him part of the way while cycling, but came onto the fairgrounds to watch him come in.

Also joining him at the finish line were Casey’s wife and daughter– Jody and Josey, his mother-in-law, Jill Ferguson, and his brother Kyle with wife Claire and daughter Hadley, all of Bruce.

Celia and Abby were also at the finish line to snap pics of him coming in. After the 1/2 mile swim, 27.5 mile bike ride and 7 mile run that ends at the racetrack, participants have to circle the track one time for the official end.

Casey and his family  came to the cabin afterwards for cool air and refreshments and for him to shower and rest.

We also saw Brandon and Stephanie Lee of Calhoun City with daughters Anna Scott and Lacy at the Arts and Crafts Festival.

Calhoun City native Lynn Laughlin was one of the vendors with her Annie Fraley handmade jewelry. She was assisted by her husband David and son Wes, who stayed the night with us.

We were a little worried how 6-month-old granddaughter Ellie Kathryn would handle sleeping in the crowded, noisy cabin, but she did great– slept all night, just like at home.

Saturday afternoon, we stayed busy readying the place for a Saturday night luau honoring Meridian friends Brandon Pratt and Lauren Denham, who are getting married in late August.

We decorated with leis, grass table skirts, and polka dot balloons and Celia and cabinmate Leilani came up with some Pinterest type table decor.

Leilani cored several pineapples and wrapped them around a small palm tree. It looked like a potted pineapple tree when she finished.

Celia took a small styrofoam ball, and cut it in half, painted it brown and attached it to ribbon to make a tiny coconut bra. She put that on a pineapple and attached some raffia to make it look like a hula skirt.

The star of the show was the roasted pig cake. I didn’t make it, but persuaded Nell Logan of Bruce that she could, and it was awesome. It was chocolate with chocolate icing shaped just like a roasted pig, complete with a crabapple in his mouth and a Hawaiian lei. Nell said she’d never do it again.

We had BBQ pork and shrimp with all the trimmings, held a hula-hoop contest and limbo contest for all family and friends attending.

Sunday afternoon before coming home, we went over to the Snooky Williams cabin where he and Mary Lou, of Water Valley, host their annual Silly String war at 2 p.m. Mary Lou brings cases of the string for the young and young-at-heart.

Wednesday night music will be Jake Owen, Thursday Gov. Phil Bryant will be speaking, music Thursday night will be Jerrod Neimann and Trace Adkins will be the Friday night headliner.

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Mrs. Ava Reeves, the 99 year old Calhoun City woman featured in last week’s Journal, arrived safely in Oregon last week, but her belongings did not. One of her daughter-in-law’s told me Monday that the moving van with her belongings was in a warehouse somewhere along the way awaiting a driver. Mrs. Reeves has the single suitcase she flew out with. Hopefully, her things have found their way to her by now.

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Calhoun county students and teachers are kissing the last days of summer break goodbye. Calhoun County school teachers go back to school Monday with students following on Wednesday, Aug. 8. Calhoun Academy starts the following Monday, Aug. 13. In 2014, a new law will go into effect that school can only start after the third Monday in August.

You may email Lisa McNeece at lisamcneece@gmail.com