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Journeys of Discovery: Bell Buckle, Tennessee and the RC Cola Moon Pie Festival

Back in 1994 it was Captain Rodney’s idea to throw a big party to celebrate Chattanooga based Moon Pie’s 75th anniversary—along with RC Cola of course.

And thus was born the RC-MoonPie Festival in the tiny crossroads village of Bell Buckle, Tennessee (population 500). 27 years later the festival remains as a major event in Bell Buckle with more than 30,000 coming to the festival that of course includes the Moon Pie Throwing contest.

But wait, there’s more: there's a 10-mile run, live music, a parade, and an array of other fun activities the third Saturday in June every year.

Come along and join correspondent Tom Wilmer reporting from Bell Buckle for a chat with local legend Captain Rodney for the rest of the story.Underwriting support for Journeys of Discovery provided by Nashville's Big Back Yard economic initiative focused on rural communities in the southwest quarter of Tennessee and the Shoals Region of Northern Alabama.

You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas Award-winning podcast travel show, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast DirectoryiHeartRadioApple Podcast.

Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.
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