Spirit of Hodges draws community

By Bart Moss for the FCT

The hot and humid fall conditions didn’t keep festival-goers away from the 10th Annual Spirit of Hodges Festival Saturday.

Patrons started pouring into the festival grounds early Saturday morning for car show, music and games for children.

“This is always a fun event for our community,” said organizer Carla Woods. “This is all about celebrating our community. We reinvest all the profits back into the event to make it better every year.”

Event organizers held a raffle for a shotgun and hosted a horseshoe contest and a silent auction. The festival committee worked with the Franklin County Fire Association to have their trailer at the festival so people could learn fire safety. The Hodges Fire and Rescue Department, which hosts the event, offered fire truck rides for the children.

Charlie Sills won the gun raffle. Winners of the car show were Chris Gann, Darren Howie and Bob Sweeny in the late-model car division. Best in show was Phillip Daws.

Although it was not part of the festival, the St. Jude Horse Trail Ride took place at the nearby equestrian park Saturday as well. Several riders mounted their horses for a good cause on a hot but beautiful Saturday morning ride.