Hundreds of residents flooded downtown Union to hear political speakers, shop at vendor booths and visit with friends at the annual Union Day festival Saturday. Organized each year by the Union Chamber of Commerce, Union Day is a celebration of the people and businesses that call the small East Mississippi town home.
This year’s festival, which spanned three days, started Thursday with the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Forty-two contestants, ranging from infants to 7-year-olds, competed Thursday night for one of five age categories at the Union mini-park.
Friday night, the mini-park was again filled, this time with residents of all ages demonstrating their musical and comedic talents at the Union Day Talent Show. Beside bragging rights, contestants also competed for a coveted chance to perform the following day at Union Day.
While the pageant and talents show drew large crowds, neither could compete with Union Day on Saturday. Featuring a bounce houses, over a dozen food vendors, political speakers from Newton and Neshoba counties, as well as those seeking state office, and a magic show, courtesy of Todd Smith, a magician from Sebastopol, Union Day offered enough food and fun for everyone.
Vince McElhenny, a member of the Union Lions Club, said he really enjoyed this year’s event.
“It was a great day for visiting friends that I haven’t seen and catch up with them,” he said.
Helping out with the Lions Club lemonade stand, McElhenny said he had a good time browsing the food vendors and listening to the political candidates explain their goals for office.
“I really enjoyed the food and political speakers, and all the vendors,” he said. “Especially the food vendors.”
For some like McElhenny, Union Day was an opportunity to catch up, but for others, it was a new experience. Melissa Crawford, pastor at Union United Methodist Church, attended her first Union Day festival Saturday. She said the turnout was “amazing.”
“I think it’s great the town can have a centralized place like this for people to come shop and have fun,” she said.
Crawford said it was great to see people from Union and residents of surrounding areas come together in one spot. Between the speakers, meeting people and browsing vendors, she said she was really “enjoying the day.”
