By Jennifer Browning
Its earliest programs state that the Black-Eyed Pea Jamboree was “ presented , along with a hearty ‘ Henderson County Welcome ,’ to all who come our way to celebrate with us and pay homage to that grandest of all foods : the blackeyed pea .”
Since 1971 folks have been coming to Athens to get a taste of the fun that accompanies the Black-Eyed Pea Jamboree . For multiple reasons , the festival
Home Folks canning in Athens during the 30s & 40s brought the black-eyed pea to the dinner table . ( ADR file photo )
took some years off , but the stage is set for its comeback this July .
Why black-eyed peas when there is barely one to be found in the area today other than on a grocery store shelf ?
That wasn ’ t the case back in the 1930s and 1940s when blackeyed pea canning was one of the city ’ s biggest cash crops . Although when the first BEP Jamboree made its debut in 1971 with 160 entrants , the peak of pea canning had already happened .
The featured guest speaker that year , Texas Lt . Gov . Ben Barnes brought a gold-plated black-eyed pea to honor the event where Barnes said , “ I do hope this jamboree becomes nationwide and that the recognition you receive will help you progress .”
At the height of its popularity , in the middle of the July summer heat , vendors would set up their booths on Friday while there was a Gospel band concert taking place and Saturday and Sunday would be full of events , like the Miss Black-Eyed Pea pageant and terrapin turtle races .
In the ‘ 70s and ‘ 80s , country legends like Waylon Jennings , Charlie Daniels , Willie Nelson , and the Bellamy Brothers packed Bruce Field with concerts that were a large part of
the festival for many years . Some say the weekend that Willie and Waylon were in town , that there were over 100,000 people in Athens and tickets for that show were only $ 5 in advance .
A second performance that evening ended up being thrown together by an Athens Country Club member to take place at the club , but between Waylon being too drunk and Willie being passed out in the club basement , the club performance was a flop . However , the Bruce Field performance is still being talked about , even as recently as 2018 on Waylon ’ s facebook page .
The music faded through the years though and 1985 became the first year since 1973 without a major headliner which sparked some changes to be made and a ‘ Pea-o-deo ’ rodeo became a focal point of the weekend for a little time .
The original location for the festival was Central Park at Henderson County Junior College , now Trinity Valley Community College , and the Student Union Building was the site of the black-eyed pea cook off where contestants would create dishes like the “ peatini ,” created by late Athens oil man , Bill Perryman , which was a martini with marinated blackeyed peas instead of olives .
The BEP Jamboree was so popular at one time that the weather in Athens on jamboree weekend would get special mention on the Dallas news channels , as quite a few of the broadcasters served as judges . The Spanish Trace Inn served as a site for many
6 | Greater Athens Magazine | July 2022