Persimmon Festival in Mitchell, Indiana
The 76th Persimmon Festival takes place tomorrow (September 23, 2023) through September 30, 2023.
The festival honoring the quirky little fruit occupies the streets of downtown Mitchell, Indiana. It is one of the largest and longest Indiana festivals with carnival rides, fair food, free live entertainment nightly, parade, pageants, and fireworks. A calendar of events is online.
Best of all, Road Trips Foodies: you can taste the local favorite delicacies, persimmon pudding and persimmon ice cream.
The persimmon contests take place September 30. Registration is from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Mitchell First Church of God, 405 12th Street, Mitchell, Indiana. There are two categories: pudding and novelty.
Road Trips Foodies who’d like to compete should note that the pudding must be a 4×4 inch piece on a plain 8- or 9-inch white paper plate, covered with either wax paper or plastic wrap. No topping of any kind. Your winning recipe will be needed later so keep it handy! All recipes need to be on recipe cards. Recipes written on sheets of paper will not be accepted.
Novelty dessert can be anything except cookies, making sure that persimmon pulp is one of the main and largest ingredients in the recipe. The recipe for the novelty dessert is needed at the time of judging and should include the name of the recipe and the name of the entrant on the back of the card. All recipes need to be on recipe cards. Recipes written on sheets of paper will not be accepted. There is no entry fee.
The Persimmon Festival celebrated its first year in 1947 when longtime Mitchell educator and native, George Bishop, came up with the plan to start a three-day festival in late October as a homecoming for those who called Mitchell their home. From there, the festival grew into a week-long celebration that encompasses Spring Mill State Park as well as downtown Mitchell as an all-volunteer staff of community members plan nightly musical entertainment, craft shows, fantastic food offerings, a carnival, a historic re-creation, car shows, queen contests and fun for people of all ages.
The festival is sponsored by the Mitchell Chamber of Commerce.
(Photos courtesy of Limestone County Tourism)
