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National Tom Sawyer Days

National Tom Sawyer Days
StatusActive
GenreFestival or Fair
Date(s)1956
FrequencyAnnually
VenueBroadway street
Location(s)Hannibal, Missouri
Coordinates39°42′18″N 91°22′01″W / 39.705°N 91.366944°W / 39.705; -91.366944
CountryUS
Years active68
FoundersHannibal Jaycees
Most recentJuly 4, 2022 (2022-07-04)
Next eventJuly 4, 2023 (2023-07-04)
ActivityGames
WebsiteTom Sawyer Days

National Tom Sawyer Days also known as the National Tom Sawyer Days Carnival takes place in Hannibal, Missouri every year over the July 4 weekend. The festival includes contests from Mark Twain novels along with a parade, fireworks and a 10 km (6.2 mi) run.

History

The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum is one of the attractions at the festival[1]

National Tom Sawyer Days is a yearly event which takes place on July 4 and it is organized by the Hannibal Jaycees in Hannibal, Missouri; it began in 1956.[2][3] The event is held on the banks of the Mississippi river in downtown Hannibal.[4] Mark Twain was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, which provided the setting for his novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.[5] In 1959 a joint proclamation by the mayor, as well as the governors of Illinois and Missouri, moved the holiday to July 4.[6] In 2022 Hannibal hosted the 67th annual National Tom Sawyer Days: the festival ran from June 18 through the Fourth of July 2022.[7] The 2022 festival began on June 18 in the with two pageants in the Tanyard Gardens: Beautiful Baby and Little Mister/Miss Hannibal.[8]

Events

Events at the fair include, frog jumping, fence painting, and a "Tom and Becky" look alike contest.[2] Other events include a 10 km (6.2 mi) run, a Fourth of July parade and fireworks.[4] There is a tricycling race on East Broadway Street, running along the river. Contestants wear numbered paper plates on their backs.[1]

In 1993 Competitors participated in a "Mud Volleyball Tournament" while the Mississippi River was 12 feet over flood level. There is also a Mark Twain impersonator, wearing all white, leading a parade down Broadway.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Hendrickson, Paul (July 5, 1978). "Tom Sawyer Days in the Land of Twain". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Missouri : the Show Me State. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 2008. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-59339-771-5. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "67th Annual National Tom Sawyer Days Carnival". Visithannibal. Hannibal Convention & Visitors Bureau. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  4. ^ a b West, Amanda B. (1998). Main street festivals : traditional and unique events on America's main streets. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 129. ISBN 0-471-19290-2. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Thomson, David (1999). In Nevada: the land, the people, God, and chance (1st ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 35. ISBN 9780679454861.
  6. ^ "Hannibal set for National Tom Sawyer Days". St. Joseph News-Press. June 24, 1990.
  7. ^ Duffy, Rebecca (June 27, 2022). "National Tom Sawyer Days continue in Hannibal". WGEM. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  8. ^ "67th annual Tom Sawyer Days now in full swing in downtown Hannibal". Muddy River News. June 30, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  9. ^ Decourcy Hinds, Michael (July 4, 1993). "Rising Spirits a Match for the Rising River Along Stretches of the Mississippi". New York Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)