Heart O’ Dixie part of annual Fair tradition
There are many traditions that make the Neshoba County Fair special, but one of the local favorites starts very early Saturday morning with the 43rd Heart O’ Dixie Triathlon.
The Fair, billed as Mississippi’s Giant House Party, opens Friday and runs until midnight Friday, July 28. Season tickets are $50 and day tickets are $30. Children 9 and under are admitted free.
Families and friends come from all over for reunions, meals, and a good time.
The Philadelphia Sertoma Club has sponsored the Heart O’ Dixie since 1980. The Heart O’ Dixie is the longest-running triathlon in the United States.
The Triathlon begins with a .5-mile swim across Lake Tiak-O'Khata. That’s followed by a 27.5-mile bike race to Philadelphia and concludes with a seven-mile run to the Fairgrounds. The awards ceremony usually starts at about 11 a.m. at the Grandstand.
Caleb May, this year’s race director, talked about the planning process that goes on each year to put on the triathlon.
“We just want to say thank you to our volunteers who come out each year,” May said. “There are 25 to 30 Sertoma members and we have 150 to 200 volunteers who show up each year. We couldn’t do it without them.”
Many of the volunteers man the aid stations along the way, providing the competitors with fluids and ice. This will be especially needed this year with the high temperatures and heat index. May said aid stations will be set up every mile during the run to keep competitors hydrated.
May said he will start Saturday around 4 a.m. After dropping off ice at different stations, he will be at Lake Tiak-O'Khata at 6:30 a.m. for the start.
“After the race starts, the Triathlon runs itself,” May said. “My job is to troubleshoot. I will be there at the finish. We will have the awards ceremony at 11 a.m. and we are finished for another year.”
May said about 200 competitors are expected this year.
Tens of thousands are expected to descend on the Fairgrounds starting Friday night for a week of family and fellowship.
Along with the rodeo, beauty pageant Monday, and political speaking, this year’s entertainment is sure to keep the county rocking into the night.
The schedule for the Grandstand entertainment is as follows:
• Tuesday, July 25 – Jackson Dean: A fast rising singer/songwriter, Dean is quickly earning a reputation for his old school, gritty, lyric-driven, outlaw style of Country Music following a breakout year that landed on Pandora’s Ten for 2023 list;
• Wednesday, July 26 – Jameson Rodgers: A Batesville native, Rodgers is an American country music singer and songwriter signed to Columbia Nashville/River House, whose debut single "Some Girls" charted on the Country Airplay chart;
• Thursday, July 27 – Niko Moon: Also known as Nic Cowan, Moon is an American country pop singer and songwriter signed to RCA Nashville. He has written songs for Dierks Bentley, Zac Brown Band, Rascal Flatts, and Morgan Wallen.[He was also a member of the group Sir Rosevelt with Zac Brown and Ben Simonetti;
• Friday, July 28 – Russell Dickerson: In July 2015, Dickerson posted a music video for “Yours,” on YouTube. The song was noticed by SiriusXM's “The Highway” and then took off on Spotify (it currently has more than 150 million streams). The next year, Dickerson was the first singer signed to Triple Tigers, an independent record label.
For a complete schedule of events, visit neshobacountyfair.org.