The 77th Gillett Coon Supper and the Berry Pre-Coon Supper Reception will be held Saturday, Jan. 11, at Gillett.
The 9th annual reception will be held at the Berry Farm Shop at 3:30 p.m. followed by the Gillett Coon Supper at the Gillett School Gymnasium at 6:30 p.m., according to a news release.
“The coon supper has been a long-standing tradition in Gillett for over 75 years,” Mitch Berry said in a news release. “We are proud for the Berry Pre-Coon Supper Reception to be associated with such a legacy.”
“In the past eight years we have been able to raise tens of thousands of dollars for scholarships for Arkansas State University students, and we value the opportunity to invest in a group of such deserving students,” Berry said.
The Marion and Carolyn Berry Scholarship is awarded to a qualifying ASU student who shows an interest in public policy and public service. This year’s recipients were Kylie Meredith and Lacy VanWinkle, both of Jonesboro. Meredith is a double major in agricultural business and marketing and interned in Congressman Rick Crawford’s D.C. office during the spring 2019 semester. VanWinkle, a junior majoring in agricultural business is interning in Crawford’s Jonesboro office for the fall 2019 semester.
“The Gillett Coon Supper is hosted by the Gillett Farmers and Businessman’s Club and has long been a required stop on the Arkansas political circuit,” according to the news release. “Politicians are tested on their political acumen by if they will eat the smoked raccoon.”
The pre-supper reception tickets are $30 each. Sponsorships are available to be a Berry Good Host for $1,000 and Berry Good Friends for $500. The coon supper follows at the Gillett School Gymnasium at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to the coon supper may be purchased by contacting Larry Bauer at 870-830-4002.
The founding hosts of the event are Campbell Ward, JPJ Consulting, Mitch Berry, and Wright Lindsey & Jennings, according to a news release.
All tickets will be available for purchase at the door. For details about becoming a sponsor, contact Becky Campbell at 501-912-7560 or Gabe Holmstrom at 479-409-3329 or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/529914057848994/.
