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Mitchell to celebrate its 75th annual Persimmon Festival

By Kayan Tara

Posted September 13, 2022

Every year, a persimmon seed is cut open, and the shape of the inside is meant to predict the type of winter Indiana will have, much like the weather-predicting groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pa.

The shape of a persimmon's inside can supposedly be used to predict Indiana's winter weather. (Devan Ridgway, WTIU/WFIU News)

Mitchell is gearing up to celebrate its 75th Persimmon Festival. The weeklong annual celebration encompasses a variety of entertainment from musical concerts, craft shows, food stalls, queen contests, to carnivals, car show and more.

The festival is held in the last full week of September, when the persimmon fruit begins to fall from trees.

Every year, a persimmon seed is cut open, and the shape of the inside is meant to predict the type of winter Indiana will have, much like the weather-predicting groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pa.

“When you cut a seed open, if you find a spoon inside the seed, that means we're going to be scooping a lot of snow,” said Lawrence County’s Tourism Director Tonya Chastain. “If you find a knife, it's going to be bitterly cold, and cutting. The fork is going be kind of a mild forecast.”

The first Persimmon Festival was held in 1947 when educator George Bishop planned a small two-day festival as a homecoming for those native to Mitchell. One of the persimmon trees near the Mitchell public library is over 75 years old. There is an image of Bishop standing next to it.

Bishop’s daughter, Diana Bishop Chastain, will be the grand marshal of the parade this year.

“It's a homecoming; everybody comes back home. It's a fun time,” Chastain said. “When you grow up here, you find your favorite place to sit and watch the parade and you go there every year. So, it's about traditions.”

The weeklong festivities begin Saturday and run through Sept. 24. The events can be viewed at persimmonfestival.org. Most festivities are free and open to the public.