A Quartet of Cornbread Festivals

It's cornbread time.

Familiarity does not always breed contempt. When the last weekend of April rolls around, Nancy and I roll over to South Pittsburg, Tenn., a small town wedged between the Alabama border, the Tennessee River and the Cumberland Plateau.

Our fourth annual trip to National Cornbread Festival has evolved into an overnight stay in Monteagle, a short early morning drive, a 5K, some cornbread, a walk through the festival and then home.


Between the T-shirt, admission to the festival and a trip through Cornbread Alley, the Cornbread 5K remains the best deal in short races. It’s also challenging in spots, as South Pittsburg is flat in spots but rises into the foothills of the Cumberland Plateau. Most of the second and third miles climb steadily and wear out lax runners such as myself.

Treasures from 2014 Cornbread Alley

This race wasn’t much different than recent vintages, except for one spectator that stood out. As the last and biggest hill of the course approached, I caught a pair of eyes watching runners and walkers from the edge of a drain pipe. A lone cat, its coat a white ocean with occasional inky islands, was surveying the runners, its head darting for each of us. I have no designs on its actual thoughts, but the cat definitely observed the irregular column of people chatting and breathing hard.

Being out of practice, I will only say I extended my usual Cornbread 5K time by another minute. Five minutes and several gulps of water later, it was time for cornbread.

We faced no lines at Cornbread Alley, which showcases the cornbread recipes of local churches and social organizations. The delectable numbers included smoked sausage and green onion cornbread, apple poppers and cheesy skillet cornbread.

Most of the festival went unchanged, from the craft vendors to the buttermilk chugging contests. But the cornbread endures in new forms and always delights. So long as we Cornbread Alley anchors the festival, we’ll always find South Pittsburg on April’s last Saturday.