FOREMAN, Ark. - You can literally have a ball - or more - at this Saturday's Testicle Festival hosted by the Backyard Social Club, which will serve up pound after pound of the delicacy known as the Rocky Mountain oyster.
Bull testicles, as they can bluntly be called, will be celebrated and eaten at what's billed as a 21st annual event, along with frog legs, catfish, chicken nuggets for the children and other items from the short order grill menu cooked up at the Backyard Social Club's kitchen.
Along with those treats, live music adds to the festivities at the bar and grill with headliners The Dusty Rose Band performing with a 7 p.m. start. Opening for the band is Ashdown performer Colby Dellinger.
Also called prairie oysters, calf fries, meat balls (not meatballs) and cowboy oysters, the main festival food fare will be served starting at 5 p.m. All ages can attend.
The testicles will be cooked in a certain manner, says Billy Steiner Jr., who recently took over ownership at the Backyard Social Club.
He said it is a two-decade tradition started back in 2000 at a convenience store south of Foreman, Mike's Country Store, by Mike McCombs.
Then years later when the private club The Backyard Social Club was born, the festivities moved and expanded through the years.
"It's just kind of grown in size," Steiner said of the festival.
He imagines the idea could have originated from joking and discussions at the "jaw-jacking table in there" at the original cafe with a decision to hold a get-together.
"Mike told me he did a fish fry one weekend," Steiner said. That drew a lot of people, so a crawfish boil was added the next weekend. At that event, a lady dropped off 20 pounds of testicles and said, "Why don't you cook these?" Steiner said.
"That's how it took off," Steiner said.
The testicle treats, Steiner admitted, are not his forte. "I've never tried them," he said, adding that it's highly unlikely he'll consume them this Saturday.
But he has 100 pounds of them ready for the cook, who will cut them into strips, batter and deep fry them.
Steiner has plans for the club itself.
"The Backyard Social Club is just a community bar and grill," Steiner said. He aims to grow it for the community, holding events like birthday parties and other social events with karaoke and a focus on the food. He'll be featuring local, live music on Saturday nights.
Steiner said profits are 100% going back into the club to improve it so they can offer more, such as cornhole tournaments. He'd like to extend the building and put in a bigger kitchen, eventually.
"We're making a lot of changes, revamping some of the food menu now. All the proceeds are going to better the facility, to better the community. That's the main goal, to have a better place for everybody and their families to come enjoy something to eat, a little music," Steiner said.
(Admission fee: $5. For more information, check out The Backyard Social Club page on Facebook or the "Testical Festival" event page on Facebook. The Backyard Social Club is located at 287 Arkansas Highway 41 South.)