New Moon Pie Festival and Jubilee Parade is Saturday in Red Bank

Pie eating, twirling, bluegrass, kids activities on tap

Sunday, January 1, 1905

photo From left are Moon Pie eating champions from the 2012 festival Rick Zeizig, Jim Franklin and Bryan Joyce.

The New Moon Pie Festival and Jubilee Parade in Red Bank on Saturday, April 21, promises a few tasty tie-ins to one of the area's most iconic foods.

Chattanooga Bakery will supply its famous confection for a celebrity MoonPie eating contest at 11 a.m. The Tennessee Lottery will offer a chance to play Plinko to win prizes and provide information on one of its newest games, Moon Pie, an instant ticket that celebrates "the original marshmallow sandwich" and a chance to win up to $1,000.

Presented by the Red Bank Neighborhood Pride Association, the festival gets under way at 10 a.m. with the Jubilee parade along Dayton Boulevard, ending at Red Bank City Park across from Bi-Lo.

Bluegrass band Barefoot Nellie & Co. will perform at noon, followed by the East Ridge Cloggers at 1 p.m. The Pickled Pepper Pickers will perform at 1:30 p.m., with storytelling by Judy Baker and Vicky Hardesty mixed in. A baton twirling majorette team will entertain at 3 p.m., followed at 3:20 p.m. by 87-year-old banjo player General Cook, fiddler Philip Stewart and the Red Bank Senior Citizen Acoustic Jam Band.

Throughout the day, kids can play in inflatables and adults can check out the vendors, who will include All About Glass, Strings & Things by Hannah and Sewing Up Blessings.

For more information, go to www.redbankpride.org or e-mail redbanknpa@gmail.com.