10 - Wild Card

 McNeil's Festival on the Rails

         On April 12th, the city of McNeil held its 17th Annual Festival on the Rails. The festival drew a large turnout, the streets bustling with community members and visitors from around and outside of the state. A variety of local vendors set up tents on site, as well as vendors from neighboring communities and of the larger area of Arkansas as a whole. “I always enjoy attending the Festival on the Rails every year”, an attendee stated when asked about what the festival means to them.

There were many attractions present at the festival this year, including a cornhole competition, the city’s fire department’s dunking tank, a vintage car show, and more. To further aid the community and offer attendees the chance to make a difference, a LifeShare mobile unit was present to collect units of blood. The festival saw a large attendance, with many vendors and food trucks, The food trucks provided an array of beverages and meals for attendees. 

The focal point of the festival is its Pork Chop Cook-Off. This competition bolstered a $1,400 grand prize, a great incentive for competing teams. Due to the high demand for pork chops and to maintain a neutral pricing across all the competitors, pork chops were purchased using tickets, which were $15 each and were available for purchase in advance from a few local businesses.

The winner of this year's Pork Chop Cook-Off is Bud & Bones BBQ, headed by chef Dan Judd. This team has seen success in many competitions in the past, including taking 1st place in the Blossom Festival World Championship Steak Cook-Off in the neighboring community of Magnolia. The city’s Facebook provided many updates throughout the day to inform members of the community of the festivals ongoing activities and entertainment. There was also plenty of entertainment observed and enjoyed. 

Entertainment at the event came in a few different forms. Live music was played throughout the day, beginning with an open mic before shifting over to established musical artists. One such artist was Arkansas local Big Papa Binns, a one-man-band from Hot Springs Arkansas, who performed from 2-4 pm. Later Josie Hargis, a rising Positive Country and Gospel artist from a small town in Arkansas performed from 5 pm to 8 pm. 

Dancing, done by the 870 FreesStyle Dancers, a group from Arkansas led by Reese Broadnax, took the stage around noon. Another dance group, KDAS, located out of Magnolia, also performed at the event at 1 pm. Kids were not left out in the fun either, with an assortment of bounce houses present for them to enjoy. The festival brings much to look forward to in McNeil. 

McNeil’s Festival on the Rails brings together the people of McNeil and beyond together for a time of food, music, shopping, and other fun, giving the city of McNeil a boom of business and activity.