Honoring the bounty of the earth is one of the traditions of Mitchell, a small town located amidst the winding roads and rolling hills of southern Indiana. It’s here in the fall that the orchards are filled with trees bearing bright orange colored persimmons. And every year, the fruit that has put Mitchell on the map, drawing almost 40,000 people to a town with a year round population of about 4600, is celebrated at the Persimmon Festival.

Well into its sixth decade, the festival lasts over a week, a long time to cover just persimmons. But the people of Mitchell are creative, offering not only different foods made from this unique fruit, but also a candlelight tour of the Pioneer Village at www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/spring-mill-state-park/, crafts shows are wonderful for those who love handmade quilts and antiques, the 5K persimmon race, a Volksmarch as well as an antique car show, carnival rides, the ubiquitous princess and queen contests and a persimmon pudding contest which usually attracts about 200 contestants. The finale is the Persimmon Parade, one of the biggest in the state.