Covington’s 31st annual Heritage Festival moves into its busiest stretch this weekend, with a chili cook-off and live music in the Depot District Friday evening and a full day of vendors, music, history tours, and a car show downtown Saturday.
The festival, organized by the Covington-Tipton County Chamber of Commerce, opened Thursday night with the Heritage Feast, formerly known as the Farm to Table Dinner, at Liberty Hall Event Center.
Friday: Chili, canning and a Depot concert
Friday’s events center on the UT-TSU Tipton County Extension office in the Depot District.
Cooks entered in the chili cook-off will have their pots judged from 5 to 5:30 p.m. The public is invited to sample the entries during a community tasting from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m., and visitors can cast People’s Choice votes for $1 each. Prizes will go to first, second and third place, plus a People’s Choice winner, with awards announced at the end of the tasting.
Winners of the Heritage Festival Canning Contest will also be recognized during the tasting. The contest, open to Tipton County residents of all ages, judged entries in five classes: jellies, pickles, jams and marmalades, relishes and salsas, and tomatoes.
Later Friday, Peter Blunt System will play the 797 Distillery stage at 7 p.m. The band, a local favorite, is fronted by Covington attorney Bryan Huffman.
Saturday: A full day downtown
Saturday’s activities start early with the Children’s Roll & Stroll Parade at 9 a.m. This year’s theme is “Patriotic Stars & Stripes,” and children are encouraged to decorate their scooters, trikes, wagons, and bikes in a patriotic theme before joining the parade. The parade is sponsored by Tipton Christian Academy Preschool.
Opening remarks follow at 10 a.m., with the national anthem sung by Bella Quinn, a Ruffin Theatre veteran and recent Tipton Christian Academy graduate.
Covington Mayor Jan Hensley said the day will showcase the Court Square, where more than 100 vendors will sell handcrafted goods, artwork, clothing, home décor, and other products.
“We are especially proud to welcome visitors to our revitalized Covington Court Square,” Hensley wrote in the festival program.
Eight acts will perform throughout the day, beginning at 10:15 a.m. with Covington native Austin Mason, a soul and R&B singer who fronts NAtheband. The lineup continues with multi-instrumentalist Blake Hooks at 11 a.m.; The Bruce Kee Band, led by Tipton County native Bruce Kee and his wife, Lindsey Kee, at noon; Covington R&B singer Cameron “CJ $oul” Johnson and the CJ $oul Band at 1 p.m.; Memphis singer-songwriter Ethan Smith with the Ethan Smith Duo at 2 p.m.; and Memphis cover band MusicBoXx, playing hits from the ’80s and ’90s along with classic rock, at 3 p.m.
The Delta Project closes the daytime schedule at 4 p.m. Formed in 2017, the band, whose influences include Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Allman Brothers and Muddy Waters, has played the Cooper-Young Festival and Lafayette’s Music Hall and has opened for the Marshall Tucker Band and Clay Walker.
Tipton County historian and genealogist David A. Gwinn will lead golf cart tours around the Covington Square and through the South Main Historic District at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Gwinn, president of the West Tennessee Historical Society, plans to share stories of gunfights, gambling, romance, and politics from the city’s past, along with the history of Covington’s early government.
Over in the Depot District, the Heritage Festival Car Show will feature classics, customs, trucks, muscle cars and hot rods, with awards presented at 12:30 p.m.
Other attractions marked on the festival map include blacksmith and chainsaw demonstrations, a Kids Zone and kids market, goats from 901 Goats, a food truck alley and displays from the Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of Confederate Veterans.
The festival wraps up Saturday evening in the Depot District, where 4th & Adams will play as part of the fourth annual Depot Beats Music Series.
If you go
Friday, Sept. 25: Chili judging is 5 to 5:30 p.m. and the community chili tasting is 5:45 to 7:30 p.m. at the UT-TSU Tipton County Extension office on Menefee Street in the Depot District. People’s Choice votes are $1 each, cash only. Peter Blunt System plays at 797 Distillery at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 26: The Children’s Roll & Stroll Parade starts at 9 a.m.; participants should line up in front of the post office by 8:45 a.m. Opening remarks begin at 10 a.m., and music runs from 10:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Court Square Park, near East Liberty Avenue and North Main Street. There is no cost to attend.
Historical tours depart from the Confederate Monument on the Court Square at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Car show registration is 8 to 10 a.m. at 100 Union St. Day-of-show entry is $15.
4th & Adams plays 6 to 9 p.m. on the Liberty Vintage Stage, 100 Union St.
For more information, contact the Covington-Tipton County Chamber of Commerce at 901-476-9727 or visit covington-tiptoncochamber.com. Questions about the chili cook-off and canning contest can be directed to the Extension office at 901-476-0231.
