Bell Buckle and the RC-MoonPie Festival

What better time to check out historic Bell Buckle, Tennessee than during the RC-MoonPie Festival? I made my first visit to this tiny town yesterday, the third Saturday in June, during the annual festival.

Bell Buckle was named after a nearby creek, but the origin of the creek's name is only legend.

This is the 23^rd year for the festival and the 100^th birthday of the Chattanooga Bakery company which still makes the “original marshmallow sandwich.” It all began in 1917 when a coal miner asked the bakery’s traveling salesman for a snack “as big as the moon” that could also fit in a lunchbox. (Find out more about the history of the MoonPie here. Unfortunately, the bakery does not currently offer tours of their production facility in Chattanooga.) So, why does Bell Buckle hold a festival for a pastry made in Chattanooga, an hour and a half away? Because they asked!

All sorts of MoonPies for sale at Bluebird Antiques & Ice Cream Parlor

The festival includes a craft fair, lots of food stands, a parade, a stage with live music, contests, and the cutting of the world’s largest MoonPie – and it was quite packed! (We parked in a field right across the street from the action for $10. Later we saw more distant parking for $5. There’s no fee to enter the festival.)

Waiting for the next round of entertainment

Turn-of-the-Century soda bar at Bluebird Antiques 

More of the impressive Bluebird Antiques store

RC Cola and MoonPies became a Southern tradition during the Depression because they provided an inexpensive but filling meal. Growing up in California I didn’t know about MoonPies, but I do have fond memories of RC Cola, which was a favorite of my dad’s. We kids got to return his bottles and keep the deposit money. I confess that the first time I tried a MoonPie was just a few years ago on the Delta Queen in Chattnooga (they were set on the pillows instead of mints) and, even though I have a major sweet tooth, I didn’t like it. Apparently, I just don’t like graham crackers in any form (not s’mores either).

Bell Buckle was incorporated in 1856 after the new Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad brought prosperity to the area. In 1886 it also became home to the Webb School – a private college prep boarding school which still operates today and is the oldest continuously operating boarding school in the South. (It has also produced more Rhodes Scholars than any other secondary school in the U.S.) 

Bell Buckle thrived during the Railroad Age but was devastated by the Depression. By the 1960’s most of the downtown was deserted, but there was new interest in the historic homes and buildings and it, once again, began to prosper – this time as a historic town full of quaint shops, churches, antique malls, B&B's, and restored homes.

A lot of people were waiting to get into this restaurant. 

Livery Stable Antique Mall - the building was built in 1899

We didn't get to see the giant MoonPie. I assume they were keeping it somewhere cool until cutting time, and we headed off to do more exploring before then. 

Hazel Cemetery, established 1888, just outside of town

Interesting towns nearby include Wartrace, Shelbyville, Lynchburg, and Fayetteville.