The Concordia Chamber of Commerce invites you and your family to attend the 25th annual Jim Bowie Festival and Louisiana State Championship— KCBS Sanctioned Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown on Sept. 27-28. The Riverview RV Park provides a beautiful venue for our festival and we appreciate the owners and staff for allowing our Chamber to host this event on the banks of the beautiful Mississippi River in Vidalia.

The Festival features great sights and events for kids as well as adults. There will be food, fun rides, arts & crafts, flea market vendors and the Little Mr. and Miss Jim Bowie Pageant; plus some great performances you will not want to miss.

Famous historian Jack Edmondson will portray Col. James Bowie, the man that made the Bowie Knife famous. Local actors and re-enactors portray the true characters that took part in the duel and the fight on the sandbar. This year Mr. Edmondson will also display a showcase of Bowie knives and other historic items.

The Festival is also the venue for KCBS Louisiana State Barbecue Championship. The competition is divided into categories — chicken, bone-in pork ribs, pork butt and beef brisket. Professional teams from all over the United States take part in this official state contest. It is not too late to enter.

Musical entertainment takes many forms on Friday and Saturday. The performance begins on the main stage from 8 p.m. until midnight Friday. Opening the festival is Belle Plain Revival, an Abilene, Texas, based country and western band, featuring Monterey native, Garrett Bryan, as lead singer.

Saturday, Jack Edmondson’s Bowie re-enactment will kick off the entertainment, followed by Trent LeJune and Doubletime performing Cajun music on the main stage.

Next Scratch will play dance tunes until Natchez Backroads Band cranks up the classic rock at 3 p.m.

The grand finale begins at 7 p.m. with Country Boy Mark Porter broadcasting live from the main stage of the Jim Bowie Festival. Country Boy’s show, Solid Gold Saturday Night, has listeners throughout the United States as well as other countries. The requests, music and fun will go on until midnight.

If you have any questions concerning the barbecue competition or Jim Bowie Festival please call the Concordia Chamber Office at 318-336-8223.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Ouida Pecanty is the Jim Bowie Festival Committee Chairman.