June 7, 2001

For Immediate Release

Contact person:  Bill Dailey (501) 315-7373, or Mildred Beene (870) 547-2707
Email: purplehull@juno.com
Web site: www.purplehull.com

Emerson Basketball Reunion to be at Festival

   In addition to its usual activities, the Emerson PurpleHull Pea Festival will have a special event this year.

   In honor of the first-ever Emerson High School boys basketball state championship, the festival will host a reunion for all former basketball players and coaches.

   “We’re going to try to get as many former players here as we can,” said Bill Dailey, spokesman for the festival.  “If you ever played basketball for Emerson, we’d love for you to be here, even if you played for only two minutes at the end of a blow out game in the seventh grade - like me.”

   The festival is particularly interested in getting as many members of the several Emerson girls state championship teams to attend as possible.

   There will be a reception for the former players and coaches from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the school Cafetorium the day of the festival, which will be Saturday, June 30.   “The festival committee wanted to do something to honor this year’s state championship team, as well as pay tribute to those from past years,” added Dailey.

   However, Dailey stressed that everyone is invited to the event, whether they be a former player or coach, family member or just a fan.

   Appropriately, the PurpleHull Pea Festival’s theme this year is “Peas, Tillers, & Roundball.”  The newly released “Pea-Shirt” is emblazoned with the slogan.

   In keeping with the theme, Jim Bailey, renowned long-time sports writer for the Arkansas Gazette, and now for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and 1950 graduate of Emerson High, will serve as Grand Pea Marshall for the festival’s Million Tiller Parade, which will begin at 10:30 a.m.

   The Emerson PurpleHull Pea Festival, and its feature event, the World Championship Rotary Tiller Race is held each year on the last Saturday in June.  More information is available on the festival’s Web site: www.purplehull.com.   

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