Events for all ages will mix fun and serious competition
Overton County – The “Super Bowl of Marbles,” the 40th annual National Rolley Hole Marbles Championships and Festival, will be Saturday, Sept. 16 at Standing Stone State Park featuring some of the best marbles players in the nation.
Events for all ages will mix fun and serious competition, with food, vendors, marble-making, a kid’s festival and more from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Live bluegrass music and old-time music will be from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
“Everyone is invited to this event to watch the greatest marbles competition anywhere and all the popular activities that go with it,” said Shawn Hughes, park ranger at Standing Stone State Park. “We have something so unique here, and anyone who enjoys a good time is welcome.”
Rolley Hole is a folk game, like croquet. The strategy comes by determining the best way to keep opponents from making the hole, which often requires skillful hard shots against other marbles, sending them ricocheting across the yard. The competition is played by the rules of the National Rolley Hole Marbles Championship on a dirt yard which measures 40×25 feet. Standing Stone is the only state park in the nation with a marbles yard, mainly because some of the best players hail from Tennessee’s Clay County.
This event is widely regarded as one of the most effective public-sector folklife projects on record in Tennessee. It has promoted a greater understanding and sustainability of cultural heritage, community heritage and folklife across the region, state and beyond.
This year’s sponsors include the Tennessee Arts Commission, Tennessee State Parks, Southern Landscape Supply, Honest Abe Log Homes, J&S Construction, King Auto Parts, Diamond 9 Sports and N&L Business Systems.
Standing Stone State Park is located 10 miles north of Livingston, just off Highway 52 near Celina and covers nearly 1,000 acres on the Highland Rim of north-central Tennessee.
For more information about the festival and Standing Stone State Park, call (800) 713-5157 or visit Standing Stone State Park online.
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