Bruce sees big benefits from annual Sawmill Festival

The festival honors the town's leading industry

BRUCE, MISS. (WCBI) – A festival honoring the largest industry in one Calhoun County town is underway.

“We come every year and make these hamburgers, the best burgers you ever had in your mouth, so good,” said Rodney Gaston, who was busy cooking burgers for St Luke Masonic Lodge number 37 B, but took a quick break to tell us what he likes about the Sawmill Festival.

“It’s great, turnout is great every year, lot more people coming out, enjoying the festival, we have a good time every year,” Gaston said.

Gaston was just one of many food vendors on Bruce Town Square for the Sawmill Festival.  There are funnel cakes, Philly cheese steak sandwiches, polish sausage, and a lemonade stand on the North side of the square.

What’s fun about this?

“You get to make money,” said Kennabess Bollinger.

Vicki Howe was ready to sell some unique items, like carved gourds, at her booth.

” We did well last year, if the rain holds off we should do pretty well this year,” Howe said.

Every Sawmill Fest is a big deal for the town of Bruce and this year is shaping up to be the biggest one yet.

” We have roughly sixty-seven arts and crafts vendors, and we have everything you can imagine in regards to a festival, not to mention our entertainment is all local, with exception of a couple of bands,  we have so many people coming in who are local and that’s what is really important to us,” said Brad Logan, chairman of the Sawmill Festival.

The Sawmill Festival is especially near and dear to Logan’s heart.

“I met my wife, seventeen years ago today.  My mother-in-law, now mother-in-law, offered to buy me ice cream, I actually bought it from her, and then my would be wife was standing to her left, one thing led to another, I asked who that young lady was, seventeen years ago, two beautiful children later, and she’s my wife,” Logan said.

So come to the Sawmill Festival, Friday evening and Saturday, there’s a lot of fun and maybe another perfect match waiting to be made.

The Sawmill Fest runs until 10 Friday night.  It starts at 9 Saturday and wraps up with a fireworks show at 9 in the evening.