Houston community gears up for 42nd Flywheel Festival

HOUSTON, Miss. (WCBI) – Fans of antiques, tractors, and engines can expect to head to Houston this weekend.

The Fall Flywheel Festival has something for all ages.

This is the first Flywheel Festival for Clarke Easterling, the owner of Windy Hill Foundry. Easterling also had the honor of flipping the switch for the anvil blast.

For Easterling, the Flywheel Festival is a great place to demonstrate his work, and hopefully make some sales.

“For years, I’ve been amazed at the casting process. I never worked in a foundry before that. But the more I studied and researched, the more I became amazed with it,” said Easterling.

The 42nd Fall Flywheel Festival is an opportunity for the city to welcome back regulars, and also to attract new visitors. It also provides an opportunity to learn about flywheels and how they kept engines in America running.

“A flywheel is what our country used to run on, and it is the basis of an engine that used to run and support our entire country,” said Kirbi Dendy, Chickasaw Development Foundation.

Admission is free to the Fall Flywheel Festival, but bring money for some food. There are also lots of antiques.

Howard Standifer is a regular at the Fall Flywheel Festival.

“People here got money, I deal where man has money, don’t want to work for nobody broker than I am,” said Standifer.

There is also a section for kids, along with arts and crafts, skillet toss, piston chunking, and two anvil shoots on Saturday.

For more information on the Flywheel Festival and a list of activities, go to www.seechickasaw.com/event-details/flywheel-festival

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