shirts should be hot item

By JAINE TREADWELL

Features Editor

Each October since 1991, the Brundidge Historical Society has sponsored the Peanut Butter Festival.

The harvest and heritage festival pays tribute to the agricultural community which continues to play a major role in the economy of the county. It also promotes and preserves the town’s proud heritage in the peanut butter industry.

For 10 years, harvest and community heritage have been the theme of the festival. However, this year will be slightly different.

The Peanut Butter Festival will still celebrate the harvest season and pay tribute to the town’s heritage, but it will also honor America and remember the victims of the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, their families and those who continue to work in recovery and cleanup efforts.

For the first time, the Peanut Butter Festival has adopted another slogan — "Stickin’ Together for the USA."

"We just thought it would be the right thing for us to do," said Margaret Ross, chairperson of the festival committee. "There is a

spirit of patriotism throughout the country, right now. Everywhere you go, flags are waving. As horrible as

the attacks were, they have brought Americans together."

Each year, the Peanut Butter Festival committee selects a different design for its festival tee shirts.

"This year, we knew that whatever design we chose would have to have some symbol of patriotism," Ross said. "We came up with the idea that we think is unique and very American and very patriotic."

Other than baseball and hotdogs, there is nothing more American than peanut butter and jelly.

So, the committee decided on the slogan, "Stickin’ Together for the USA."

"The design has a a jar of peanut butter, which represents the South, and a jar of ‘Big Apple’ jelly, which represents New York. The animated jars have their arms around each other," Ross said. "The slogan, ‘Stickin’ Together for the USA’ lets everyone know that we are a united nation."

Ross said the "Big Apple" jelly is symbolic of the casualties at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania also.

"The combination of peanut butter and jelly was so obvious and we thought the symbolism would be easily understood," she said.

A limited number of these commemorative tee shirts will be available.

"If we sell all of the first order and have requests for more, we will possibly have a second printing," Ross said. "The shirts are not usually available until the Peanut Butter Festival, but we made an exception this year."

Shirts are available for purchase at First National Bank of Brundidge or by calling 735-3608 or 566-9401. The cost is $10, except for 2X and larger sizes.