Every year on the third Saturday in June, the sleepy little town of Bell Buckle, Tennessee springs to life for the annual RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival. Everyone (every Southerner at least) knows that nothing is more delicious on a hot summer day than a Moon Pie and an icy cold RC Cola, but how did these two Southern classics become joined together in a delicious union so legendary that it inspired a festival?
The story behind the festival is somewhat of an urban legend in the Southeastern United States. Supposedly, a man from a Chattanooga bakery visited a nearby coal mining town to ask what type of snack the miners there might like to munch on. The miners responded in favor of a graham cracker and marshmallow combination, so the man from the bakery then asked what size the sweet snack should be. One of the miners held his hands to the sky and made a circle around the full moon, and responded, “As big as the moon and twice as thick.” Hence, the Moon Pie was born.
The Moon Pie, which cost only a nickel, became a popular treat among workers, but of course, they needed something to wash it all down. RC Cola, which was developed by a Georgia pharmacist in the early twentieth century, also cost only a nickel, making for an inexpensive and delicious combination. An RC Cola and a Moon Pie became known as the “working man’s lunch,” and took its place as a Southern tradition.
The RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival was the brainchild of the Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce. The tiny town (population 405) boasts a great selection of antiques and arts and crafts, but the Chamber wanted to bring in more visitors during the steamy summer months. The RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival now brings 15,000 people plus to tiny Bell Buckle annually. Visitors of all ages come from all over the United States and around the world to be a part of this spectacular celebration.
The event kicks off with the Annual Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce 10 Mile Run at 7:00 am, a competition that draws over 1,000 entrants yearly. An arts and crafts show and food vendors are open throughout the day, and stage entertainment runs between the festival’s many annual events, which include the RC-Moon Pie Parade, the coronation of the RC-Moon Pie King and Queen, and the cutting and serving of the World’s Largest Moon Pie.
In the year following the Atlanta Olympics, two events were added which have become staples of the festival: The Moon Pie Games and Synchronized Wading. The Moon Pie Games call on children of all ages to participate in wacky competitions. Festivities include the Moon Pie Toss, the RC Dash (which I did very well in at the 2004 Games), Moon Pie Hoops, the Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest, the Hog Calling Contest, the Water Balloon Toss, Family Who Traveled the Farthest, Oldest Person Present, and Youngest Person Present. Synchronized Wading does not call for audience participation as do the Moon Pie Games, but it is definitely a sight to behold. The event is a musical spoof of Olympic Synchronized Swimming performed in a kiddy wading pool. The Chamber website refers to the performance as “dry humor on a wet stage.” The “Down Home Divas” who perform the event are led and choreographed by Carla Webb, Bell Buckle’s First Lady.
The Annual RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival is not to be missed by anyone within a decent driving distance of Bell Buckle. It is down-home family fun for all ages. Oh, and don’t forget to try the batter-dipped, deep-fried Moon Pie because batter-dipping and deep-frying everything is also a Southern tradition that is not to be missed.
