YELLVILLE — A good broom will last you a lifetime — at least according to Joe Batterton, one of the craftsmen at the 59th annual Turkey Trot in Yellville.
Batterton crafts brooms by hand from broom corn, a type of sorghum that is specifically grown for that purpose. He said a quality broom, made entirely of the corn stalks, will last forever.
Many store-bought brooms use broom corn around the exterior of the broom and fill it out with yucca fiber, making it prone to breakage.
Batterton grows some of his own corn, but much of it comes from suppliers.
"I grow some, but it has to be hand harvested," he said. "A lot of it is outsourced to Mexico and Africa now."
Batterton started making brooms 15 years ago. It's a family tradition — his great-grandmother made them — but he didn't learn from her.
"I guess I was inspired by her," he said. "I just wasn't taught by her."
It takes 30 minutes from start to finish, Batterton said, unless he gets distracted by the fair fun around him.
The art of broom crafting goes back to the early American colonies, Batterton said. He learned by reading books and watching masters.
"There's a man named Ashley Henry. Everyone called him Broom Corn Henry," Batterton said. "I learned more from him in one day than I learned in the two years prior to that."
To make a quality broom, Batterton soaks the stalks in hot water until they are pliable enough to work with. He then grabs a handful of corn and begins to bind it with wire. The wire is fed from a tying table, a small waist-high table with a turnstile on the bottom that feeds wire out. The table allows Batterton to use both hands on the broom.
Using a household instrument to assist in broom making is nothing new. Batterton said his great-grandmother would tie the wire to the door knob and walk towards it from a distance.
When he makes a standing broom, Batterton leaves the stalk on. For a whisk broom, he uses the discarded stalk to provide a decorative woven handle.
To flatten the broom into a triangular shape, Batterton uses a homemade clamp of two boards and screws. It is scooted about halfway down the strands of corn, and held in place while Batterton sews in a stitch to hold it in place.
"The trick is to make it so you can't tell where a stitch starts and stops," he said. "Some of the ones in the stores, they leave a string hanging out. I like to lock in the stitch, so it is hidden within the broom."
After he completes the work, he trims the ends to create a flat-edge. Before he puts the finished product on the shelf, Batterton does a quick test drive — using the broom to clean up scattered stalks on his work table.
"It has been a great hobby for me," he said. "But I'm fixing to make it a career. I think there are enough craft shows and wholesale work that I could do it."
Batterton and his stalks are on display today at Turkey Trot.
maggier@baxterbulletin.com
Originally published October 9, 2004
And more on the festivities:
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Despite the rain, a large crowd gathered Friday afternoon on the square in Yellville for the Turkey Trot Lip Sync Contest. Students from Yellville-Summit Schools participated in the sing-along. Turkey Trotters hope for drier weather
The 59th annual Turkey Trot continues today at Yellville with lots of activities on tap.
- The 5k run/walk at George's Creek Bypass east of Yellville at 7 a.m. The run/walk begins at 8 a.m.
- Booths and concessions around the square open at 8 a.m.
- The turkey target shoot at Yellville City Park on Highway 14 South from 8 a.m. until approximately noon.
- The Turkey Trot parade begins at 10 a.m. and will follow its traditional route beginning on Broadway Avenue, traveling Highway 14 North to the intersection of Highway 62, continuing along to Berry Street, where it will turn right and continue around the town square to its disbanding area on Old Main Street.
- The National Wild Turkey Calling Contest begins at 2 p.m. in the community building at the Marion County Fairgrounds in Summit.
- Turkey Trot's turkey dinner is open 4:30-6 p.m. in the cafetorium at Yellville-Summit school on Panther Avenue, or Highway 14 North.
- The Miss Drumsticks and Miss Turkey Trot pageants starts at 7 p.m. in the Yellville-Summit gymnasium.
Entertainment
Today's scheduled entertainment lineup includes:
- TGA Praise at 9 a.m.
- Carnes McCormack and The Heaters, 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
- Joe Sasser and Friends, 12:30 p.m.
- Mountain Gypsies, 1:30 p.m.
- Jamie Brown and the Buffalo River Boys, 2:30 p.m.
- Southern "Mick" Still, 5 p.m.
- Force of Habit and closing street dance, 8 p.m.-midnight.
Rainfall doesn't dampen Turkey Trot activities
By MAGGIE ROTERMUND
YELLVILLE — The first day of the 59th annual Turkey Trot in Yellville dawned gray and soggy. The continual rainfall, however, didn't slow the festivities.
The festival kicked off at noon Friday on the square in Yellville. Performances by the Yellville-Summit and Flippin high school bands were canceled.
"They would have to stand out in the square and they were worried about damage to their instruments," said Ron McPherson, president of the Yellville Chamber of Commerce.
According to McPherson, no other activity was canceled or delayed due to the inclement weather.
"I think we might have lost some people, but, overall, I think things are going great," he said.
Early afternoon traffic was slow, but crowds gathered by the start of the 2 p.m. Lip Sync Contest.
Eleven acts, ranging in age from elementary to high school students, graced the stage. Song selection ranged from classics such as "The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" to newer songs from Pink and Destiny's Child.
Friday's other entertainment included The Pitch-Pipe Quartet, the Pizza Gobble, The Community Choir, Joel Woolen and Firefäl.
maggier@baxterbulletin.com
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Joe Batterton, a custom broom maker, finishes stitching a whisk broom Friday afternoon at Turkey Trot in Yellville. Batterton's family has made brooms for generations.
National Wild Turkey Calling Contest is today
By ANN WORSTER
YELLVILLE — Champion callers and novices will travel long distances to vie for the title of National Champion or King of Champions in the National Wild Turkey Calling Contest today. The contest, part of the 59th annual Turkey Trot, begins at 2 p.m. in the community building at the Marion County Fairgrounds.
Hopeful contestants have been entering the contest since 1946, when the competition was first organized by the local American Legion. The contest, as well as the Turkey Trot festival, are now sponsored each year by the Yellville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Competition divisions are Jakes, Amateur, National Champion and King of Champions. Turkey Trot's competition is the only national competition that has a King of Champions division, which was added in 1960. Contestants must have previously won the National division to enter the King division, according to contest rules.
Trophies and/or prizes will be awarded in all divisions. The top three winners in the Jakes Division will receive trophies and prizes. Trophies will be given to the winner and two runners up in the Amateur Division, with the winner also receiving a muzzle loader.
National Champion Division winners will receive $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, and $300 for third place. The King of Champions competition winner will receive a trophy.
Competitors are judged on their ability to perform five designated calls of the wild turkey:
Plain yelp of the hen, which is a general conversation of the hen
Cutting of an excited hen, a call used when gobblers approach;
Adult hen assembly call, which is the mother calling her babies together
Kee kee run, which is the lost call of a young turkey
Cluck and purr, a sign of calmness and contentment
Winners in the competition at the 58th National Wild Turkey Calling Contest were Carey Creach, King of Champions, and Roger Farrar, National Champion. Shawn Boyer won first place in the Jakes division and went on to win Amateur Champion.
Creach held the National Champion title for three consecutive years prior to his win as King of Champions last year. The first King of Champions was J.V. Waters in 1960, who won the title again in 1961, 1969 and 1970.
Waters, an avid competitor, won the national division trophy in 1948, 1950, 1955, 1958 and 1970.
History of the calling contest shows Preston Pittman of Mississippi, holds the record as King of Champions, having won the title in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1989. Pittman also reigns supreme as the National Champion, having taken the title in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1986.
Joe Drake of Georgia, the 1993 National Champion, won the King of Champions trophy in 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1998.
Mark Block of Arkansas, was a four-time King of Champions title holder in 1963-65 and 1968, after taking the national title in 1963 and 1965. Ben Roger Lee won the National Division in 1972, 1973 and 1974 and also won the King of Champions trophy those same years.
History also shows two female winners in the National Competition. Argie Barham won the title and trophy in 1960. Robin Block defeated all the male competitors in the 1966 contest to take home the trophy.