The Choctaw Plaindealer

Considering the temperature these first few days of summer, it would appear that the Dawg Days of Summer have already arrived.

However the official "Dawg Days of Summer Festival" will take place the second weekend of August. The festivities will kick off with the street dance on Friday, August 11, at 8 pm. On Saturday, August 11 vendors of all kinds will be set up beginning at 9 am throughout the afternoon.

Plans for this year's Dawg Days include a new addition to the fair, a Home Ice Cream Contest will be held on Saturday during the Fair.

The Choctaw County Economic Development Foundation has recently taken over responsibility for organizing the festival. CCEDF collaborated with the Dawg Days Committee and came up with the idea of adding a homemade ice cream contest to the fair's agenda along with the regular favorites of the fair.

There will be a variety of categories for ice cream creators to compete in, including a fruit division. Tickets to taste each of the ice creams entered in the contest may be purchased for $5 and the tasters will be able to vote on the People's Choice Award for the ice cream they think should take first place.

Anyone interested in entering a batch of their very own homemade ice cream into the competition may do so by obtaining a registration form and a copy of the rules and regulations from the CCEDF office.

In addition to the vendor area, the car and truck show and the ice cream contest, there will be an area designated for kid's games and activities. Fair organizers are planning to have a much bigger area that is designated as a kid fun zone, so that the whole family can enjoy the fair to the fullest.

Dawg Days T-Shirts may be ordered by contacting any of the Juniorettes, Megan Sanders, or CCEDF. The shirts are $13 for children's sizes and $15 for adult sizes through extra-large. For shirts larger than an extra-large add one dollar per X to the cost of the shirt. The final date to order a shirt is July 15, but the shirts will be on sale at the festival by the Juniorettes until they run out.

For more information about the "Dawg Days of Summer Festival" contact the Choctaw County Economic Development Foundation.