Brownsville-Haywood County to host Hatchie BirdFest

The first Hatchie BirdFest will be held at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center on Friday May 31, Saturday June 1, and Sunday June 2, 2013.  The free event will offer a variety of activities for all ages to see and learn about the 200+ species of birds that occur in Brownsville and Haywood County, Tenn.

Bird watching hikes on Saturday  and Sunday will be geared for both beginner and expert birdwatchers and will visit Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge and other areas in Haywood County.

Noted ornithologist Bob Ford will open the Hatchie BirdFest Friday, May 31, with a presentation on Haywood County birds and conduct a questions and answers session with attendees. Ford's talk will be held at College Hill Center in Brownsville beginning at 7 p.m.

The BirdFest will begin Friday evening with a presentation by noted ornithologist and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service wildlife biologist, Bob Ford.  Saturday’s speakers will include Scott Somershoe  (State Ornithologist, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency), Carol Reese (Ornamental Horticulture Specialist, University of Tennessee Extension Service) and David Haggard (West Tennessee Regional Interpretive Specialist, Tennessee State Parks). Friday evening event will be held at College Hill Center in Brownsville.  All Saturday presentations will be at the Delta Heritage Center.

Horticulturist Carol Reese will share how to use native plants to attract birds, bees and butterflies during her presentation on Saturday, June 1, at the Hatchie BirdFest. 

Photographs by Haywood County native and acclaimed nature photographer Joe B. Guinn will be on display at the Center throughout the weekend.  Winning entries from 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd graders in the HatcheBirdFest Coloring Contest will also be displayed.

Exhibitors will include Tennessee Ornithological Society, Willow Oaks Farm, Memphis WildBird Unlimited, Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s Great Outdoors University, Tennessee Watchable Wildlife and Raisin’ Cain BBQ.

For more information visit www.HatchieBirdFest.com.

Deep-fried barbecue makes debut at Exit 56 Blues Fest

Do you love barbecue? Have you tried it deep-fried? Attendees to this year's Exit 56 Blues Fest will get an opportunity to try the bite-sized, deep-fried barbecue nuggets and even compete to see who can eat the most. The Deep-Fried BBQ Eating Championship will take place at 4 p.m., Saturday, May 25, at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville.

Contestants must be at least 18 years of age and will have 10 minutes to eat as many deep-fried barbecue bites as possible. Water and sauce will be plentiful to help wash it down. There is a $5 entry fee and the lucky winner will receive a trophy, t-shirt and prize package. Interested parties are asked to pre-register for the competition by May 23. Complete rules and registration can be found at www.westtnheritage.com/exit56.

Along with great barbecue, festival attendees can spend the afternoon and evening listening to the Blues. Concerts will be performed from the porch of the Sleepy John Estes home and features performers such as Sean "Bad" Apple, Bluesberry Jam Band, Little Boys Blue and headliner TeeDee Young.

Car enthusiasts can cruise-in from 1-3 p.m., to compete for titles such as "Cool Chrome" "Most Likely to Get a Ticket" and 12 other fun titles. There is no entry fee and motorcycles are welcome, too.

Arts and crafts vendors will also be on site throughout the afternoon for those wanting to add a little shopping to the Blues mix. Jewelry, woodwork and paintings are just a few of the items you'll find.

Admission to the festival is free and open to the public. A complete schedule is available online, or by calling the Delta Heritage Center at 731-779-9000.