[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 60 (Thursday, April 23, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CELEBRATING THE CORNBREAD FESTIVAL OF SOUTH PITTSBURG, TENNESSEE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LINCOLN DAVIS

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 2009

  Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate the people of South Pittsburg, Tennessee on their 13th 
annual National Cornbread Festival. In 1996, a group of residents in 
this small city of 3,500 decided to take action to promote economic 
activity, which had waned as surrounding areas developed and a newly 
constructed highway directed traffic away from South Pittsburg's local 
businesses.
  The goals of the Cornbread Festival were to promote the unique 
sights, sounds, tastes, and history of South Pittsburg and, Madam 
Speaker, they have done a fine job. Each year, during the last weekend 
in April, people have traveled from across the country and around the 
world to take part in the vibrant heritage of southeast Tennessee. This 
festival, which has been featured several times in national 
publications and on the Food Network, celebrates the southern delicacy 
of cornbread and the culture that surrounds it. Local artists and 
musicians keep the region's great traditions alive. Visitors can also 
see the great history of the local cast-iron industry around which 
South Pittsburg grew, and which still produces the skillets used to 
make the world's best cornbread.
  Most importantly, Madam Speaker, this festival has made a great 
contribution to the community that created it and continues to run it. 
Proceeds from the National Cornbread Festival have been used to 
landscape streets, help build athletic fields, and support Boy Scouts, 
schools, daycares, and libraries. It serves as an economic driver which 
has helped to revitalize downtown South Pittsburg and its local 
businesses. It is a true testament to the power of community 
involvement and self-determination.
  Madam Speaker, I congratulate South Pittsburg on a thirteenth year of 
what I hope will be a longstanding tradition. I encourage my colleagues 
and the American people to take note of the National Cornbread Festival 
and to consider a trip to see what's cooking in South Pittsburg, 
Tennessee.

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