Return Of Livingston Pioneer Days Pushed Back To 22

The return of one of Overton County’s most historic events has been pushed back another year.

It has been 24 years since Pioneer Days has taken place in the Livingston Square. Chamber of Commerce Director Shannon Cantrell said the goal is to have the homecoming in June 2022.

“We were really hoping that we would be able to go ahead and continue with it this year,” Cantrell said. “But, we felt like for safety sake and to give people time to get their vaccines, that we would be better served from a planning stand point to wait.”

Cantrell said planning the event usually takes about six months, and the unknowns of COVID late last year still paused that process. When the time came to start vendor sign ups, Cantrell said there were too many factors to consider.

“We would have had to start planning maybe in November or December of last year, and COVID was still upon us in such a way that we were not prepared to put a good four or five months into planning, and then have to cancel,” Cantrell said. “The uncertainty of handling things kept us from moving forward.”

Cantrell said she anticipates 2022 to be a historical celebration of Overton County. Residents can look forward to live music and showcases of traditional trades like quilting, basket weaving and soap making.

“In 2022, we are really going to be able to do it justice,” Cantrell said. “Make it bigger than we planned in the beginning and really make it a great event for the community. We are working toward making it a staple in our community and making it a yearly event again.”

Pioneer Days was originally set to return in 2020 as a center piece for a yearlong homecoming celebration.