History of the Pope County Deer Festival

The Pope County Deer Festival had its origins in 1957. Since 1901, a fifty-six year period, the State of Illinois had been closed to deer hunting due to a small deer population. By 1957, the deer population had recovered sufficiently to permit a hunting season. In that first year, 1735 deer were harvested in thirty-three counties. Interestingly, 110 deer were harvested in Pope County. Since that first season, autumn deer hunting has become a tradition and with it the Pope County Deer Festival.

In 1958, there was a group known as”Shawnee Hills Recreational.Association” promoting Southern Illinois. Using the yard of the Golconda Public Library, this group provided donuts and coffee for the deer hunters. Additionally, they provided directions and information concerning the various hunting locations.

In 1959, The Department of Conservation began furnishing free deer meat for barbequing by the local people. The resulting sandwiches were given away free of Charge. This, of course, proved to be a huge success. The practice of furnishing free deer meat continued until about 1962 or 1963, when in an attempt to recoup expenses for buns and barbeque sauce, a charge of 10 cents per sandwich was made There was a limit Qf two sandwiches per person One individual incensed by the limit of two sandwiches, complained to the Department of Conservation about the charges. This was the end of barbequing deer.

In 1961 members of The Rotary Club of Golconda began assisting with the barbequing of venison and pork shoulders The pit was out in the open, but there was a funeral Home Tent setup to facilitate the sale of sandwiches. Herman Adkerson recalls that Bob Daisy and Vic Davis were really involved in this early barbecue effort The following year 1962 a 40 X 40 tent was setup to facilitate sandwich sales.

That first tent soon evolved into a 140 X 40 tent with entertainment held in one end of the tent Presently the Vendor Tent is 240’ X 40’ with an attached Entertainment Tent measuring 120 X 70’.

The Deer Festival Parade was first organized in 1962 Presently the parade is held on Saturdays at 2 00 p m The parade itself has never been rained upon, although it has rained before and after the parade, but not during the actual parade. The Deer Festival Queen contest began in 1964. Shirley Poe Webb was the very first queen. Currently, The Deer Festival Queen contest is held on Friday night and is one of the largest events of the three-day festival.

The Special Event Deer Festival License plates started in 1988 By tradition the Club President always has plate Number 1 President Elect plate number 2 and the Club secretary plate number 3. After the first year, the Pope County High School Art Class has designed the deer logo for the special event plates. Those plates are displayed for a sixty-day period beginning in September and are available through any Rotarian.

A few years ago the Baby Photo, Little Mister and Miss, Junior Mister and Miss contest was started This event is held on Thursday night of the Deer Festival It is also a major event for the Deer Festival. While the Rotary Club of Golconda has sponsored the Pope County Deer Festival for the last forty-eight years, the success is due to people from all over Pope County pitching in to make it happen.

Also, we want to extend our thanks to the Golconda Job Corps and the Department of Corrections for their invaluable help We do have one individual Rotarian that is really identifiable with the Pope County Deer Festival He is Herman Adkerson who has been the General Chairman of the Pope County Deer Festival for more than forty years’.