It's tea time at the Second Saturday Trade Days this Saturday, offering a chance to taste test this delicious summertime beverage and select your favorite iced tea.
Local tea brewers from across the Four States area have a chance to put their best tea forward and compete in two categories at this iced tea festival: regular iced tea or flavored iced tea.
"We thought we would do this as a refresher on such a hot day," said David Peavy, owner of the 1894 City Market, which used to be known as the Ritchie Grocery Building. Peavy has been holding his trade days downtown for several months now and strives to offer something to do at 105 Olive St. (Olive and Front streets), where the City Market is located, at each monthly event.
It's August and typically the temps rise up at this time of year, so iced tea it is this weekend. And because Texarkana is in the South, where iced tea is an everyday part of life, a best iced tea competition and festival makes sense.
"No better place to celebrate it than here," Peavy said.
If you'd like to submit your iced tea concoction, you can come Saturday morning to fill out an entry form. Or you can fill one out today at the 1894 Second Saturday Trade Days page on Facebook or check out 1894citymarket.com. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
People who want to taste test and vote can submit their top three selections as the people's choice in both categories. From there, judges pick the top five for iced tea and flavored iced tea. People's choice judging runs from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
"You get to pick your mom's tea and then you get to pick two others," Peavy quipped.
Peavy said the judges are iced tea fans, one claiming that he drank iced tea in different countries. The organizer encourages some good-natured trash talking among the iced tea brewers. After all, iced tea is an institution here in the South, Peavy pointing out that Dolly Parton's character in "Steel Magnolias" calls it the "house wine of the South."
"We thought we would build on that," Peavy said.
In addition to the iced tea festival, there's more to see and experience at this Saturday's Second Saturday Trade Days downtown. The featured artist is Alex Chavez. He'll be sharing his art, which is diverse with both photography and illustrations.
"We'll, of course, be doing our tours inside the building," said Peavy, noting they're about to get the permit to do more extensive renovation work at the historic building.
In addition to the art, tours, vendors and iced tea, the 1894 Second Saturday Trade Days will showcase the musical accompaniment of Ned Cheever, who brings his accordion out for Cajun music.
(More info: 1894CityMarket.com.)
