Marengo County’s best-known spring tradition is just around the corner.

The Pepper Jelly Festival is slated for April 25 in Thomaston.

Formerly known as “Rural Fun Day,” typically a late-summer occasion, the event was moved to a more pleasant, spring-time event and renamed the Pepper Jelly Festival to honor the locally produced “Mama Nem’s Pepper Jelly” – a time-tested recipe of local flavors, hand-made by volunteers, into the delectable product produced at the Rural Heritage Center.

The Pepper Jelly Festival provides a wonderful opportunity for the Alabama Rural Heritage Foundation to continue meeting its mission to honor Alabama Artisans and handmade crafters. Visitors to the Pepper Jelly Festival get to experience lost-art demonstrations from local and regional crafters, all the while enjoying good food, listening to great music, and gaining a better appreciation for the rich, black belt culture of West-Central Alabama.

“The festival promises a combination of the best in music with performances by Jill Dixon Tutt and The Britt Gully Band, delicious food including good ol’ Thomaston barbeque, unique crafts created by the best of vendors, and other outdoor activities,” said Kathryn Friday, Marengo County’s Extension Agent and a coordinator for the festival.

The Pepper Jelly Festival will begin at 10 a.m. on the campus of the old Marengo County High School, located at 133 Sixth Avenue in Thomaston.

For more information about the Pepper Jelly Festival, contact the Alabama Rural Heritage Center at (334) 627-3388 or visit us on the Alabama Rural Heritage Center Facebook page and leave a message.