The City of Banks and Buck Fever Festival Committee are hosting the 36th annual Buck Fever Festival on the opening weekend of deer season. The dates are November 11,12, and 13, 2022.
Activities will begin Friday, November 11 at 6:30, with our traditional Buck Fever pageant for our little ones age 0-4 years old. There will also be food vendors available Friday night so be sure to come with an appetite.
Continuing on Saturday, the festival will start the day at 10:00am with tons of vendors, a flu shot clinic, and a free kids fun zone that includes bounce houses, snow cones and cotton candy. There will be a build a bear vendor there as well. While you are waiting on the parade to start, take a cake walk for a chance at a delicious dessert and enjoy the cute puppy dogs at the Cutest Dog Contest at 11:00am. The parade begins at 12:00pm with a best overall entry prize of $100, a best float prize of $200, and several other parade entry prizes. Be sure to check out the Facebook page for more details.
This year the festival has its very first Banks All Class Reunion. Meet up for the reunion begins 12:00pm at the parade near the post office and following the parade, a reserved seat in the big tent for the fish dinner. Once your bellies are full a Meet and Greet will take place at the Banks community center located at 218 north Pine after Fish dinner.
At 2:00pm there will be a talent show with a grand prize of $250. Come show everyone what you got and see if you have what it takes to be the big winner! Plenty of fish and other food vendors will be available for all you hungry hunters, family, and friends. And don’t forget to shop all the wonderful vendors as well.
The fun doesn’t stop there: Saturday night starts with award ceremonies at 6:00pm for the daytime events and then the older girl divisions will battle it out for more crowns and trophies at 6:30pm. Miss Buck Fever contestants will compete for a $4000.00 scholarship from University of Arkansas at Monticello.The baggo tournament will kick off at 8:00pm along with the festival’s featured artist Jeremy Alan Jones from Little Rock, AR. Jeremy is looking forward to the event and can’t wait to enjoy a great time with everyone around a bonfire.
The Biggest Buck contest continues this year with a $250 prize for the biggest “fresh kill” buck deer. In addition to that, there’s a $150 prize for biggest doe (ages 16 & under only) These big deer contests will be judged Saturday night only 6:00-8:00pm. Winner will be announced before the band starts at 8:00pm.
The City and Committee members are working hard to make sure everyone has a great time and they can’t wait to see everyone there.
