News
The woman known as the “First Lady of Hootin an Hollarin,” Addie Lee Lister, died Aug. 23, 2017, at the age of 100 in Prairie Village, Kansas.
She was born July 4, 1917, in Calvert, Texas, and grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She taught elementary school in Winslow, Arkansas, which was located...
William Walrath, the 2018 Hootin an Hollarin Parade Marshal, has seen a lot of changes since he first started working for the city of Gainesville in July 1975. Reminiscing recently, William, now Gainesville’s maintenance supervisor, said he’s worked for “a bunch of mayors and fill-ins,” including...
Gainesville’s population swells from a few hundred to a few thousand on Saturday afternoon of Hootin an Hollarin as spectators line the streets when the Big Parade steps off at 2 p.m. This year’s lineup promises to be another crowd pleaser, with marching bands, floats, antique cars and all sorts of...
The 2018 Hootin an Hollarin pie contest will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, in the Shelter Insurance office on Third Street just west of the square. Area bakers are invited to show off their pie-baking skills, but they’re reminded that only pies that don’t require refrigeration may be...
All different types of pets are welcome in the fun, lighthearted Hootin an Hollarin pet show directed each year by veterinarian Konnie Plumlee. Contestants and their owners are asked to sign up in front of the main stage on the east side of the square between 9:30 and 9:45 a.m. before the show...
One of everyone’s favorite Hootin an Hollarin events is the Friday afternoon costume parade and contest, when folks young and old – and sometimes whole families – dress up in old-fashioned costumes to wow the spectators and judges.
Costumed participates sign up across from City Hall on the...
These hard-working members of the 2018 Hootin an Hollarin planning committee devote many hours to make the festival fun for everyone. Seated, from left: pet show chair Konnie Plumlee, publicity chair Linda Harlin, parade co-chair Heather Bushner, queen pageant co-chair Becki Strong (with co-chair...
For those who really need to go, the Hootin an Hollarin outhouse races fill a thrilling need. This one-of-a kind competition, which combines athleticism and laugh-invoking urgency, can be especially thrilling, given that spectators line the race course, and this racing vehicle, the ultimate in “...
With Ma in her kerchief and Pa in his... running shoes (?)... they must be gearing up for the famous Hootin an Hollarin bed races! This sleep-defying spectacle, sponsored by the Gainesville PTO, begins at 5 p.m. Friday on the west side of the square, when dream teams show their high-performance bed...
Hootin an Hollarin sportsmen and sportswomen can show off their shooting skills at the annual Hootin an Hollarin gun and archery shoot, which begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. The event, sometimes referred to as the “turkey shoot,” is always well attended by spectators as well as participants. It’s held...