Loafer's Week tradition begins at Auxvasse

Callaway County residents gathered Monday at the Auxvasse Community Hall for a pulled pork lunch during their annual week-long observance of Loafer's Week.
Callaway County residents gathered Monday at the Auxvasse Community Hall for a pulled pork lunch during their annual week-long observance of Loafer's Week.

Loafer's Week, an annual observance in Auxvasse for the last half century, got underway Monday at the Auxvasse Community Hall.

Each year in late February Callaway County residents gather in Auxvasse to enjoy lunch, shell roasted peanuts, play cards, and loaf.

Loafer's Week got its start 52 years ago at the town grain elevator. Late winter has always been the traditional time for the event because that's when crop farmers had free time to congregate before spring plowing started.

Free peanuts, coffee and card playing have remained as part of the gatherings.

The Community Center all this week is selling 50-50 raffle tickets for two $25 cash prizes donated by United Security Bank of Auxvasse.

Each tickets costs $1 each. Or a string of tickets "as long as your arm" are offered for $5.

In recent years various civic organizations have hosted lunch one day during Loafer's Week.

All this week lunch is served every day starting at 11 a.m. Card playing, peanut shelling, coffee drinking and loafing continues each day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.