Over the years, a lot of work and thought has gone into the PurpleHull Pea Festival. We’re fortunate and grateful it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

In February of 2002, the festival took home probably its greatest honor yet. The Emerson PurpleHull Pea Festival & World Championship Rotary Tiller Race was presented with the Arkansas “Festival of the Year” award at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Festival Association.

Previous winners include much larger festivals, including Little Rock’s Riverfest, Conway’s Toad Suck Daze, and the Hope Watermelon Festival.

Consider this: Emerson has a population of only 359. It has no Chamber of Commerce. The festival committee is made up entirely of volunteers from the community. The advertising budget barely creeps above $1,000. Yet, the PurpleHull Pea Festival & World Championship Rotary Tiller Race puts on a show that has gained for it levels of recognition in the national and world-wide press far beyond what its size would normally attract.

For that, we are grateful to our supporters, sponsors, volunteers, and attendees.

And while we certainly love the recognition, our main reward is just being able to put on a fun, quirky festival that people enjoy.

Click on news release to read more about the festival winning the “Festival of the Year.”

Click on other awards to read about previous awards the festival has won, including the 1996 Henry Award.