continued from page judges” which ….

continued from page

judges” which would include the crowd at a baseball game and a more formal country club tasting including representatives from both communities.

The front page of The Vidalia Advance

on July 29, 1982, featured the headline: “Vidalians Attend Onion Joust.” Adjacent to the article was a photograph of Bill Ledford, his wife, Rose, Charlie Patterson, president of the Vidalia Chamber of Commerce, and Dick Walden, executive director of the Chamber as they loaded their car bound for the face-off. The accompanying story, written in a somewhat tongue in cheek style, read like the hype before a sports match: “Four staunch Vidalia Onion envoys left Vidalia today on a 300-mile jaunt that will take them into enemy territory— Walla Walla (Wash.) onion country and a severe bout between Georgia’s legendary Sweet Vidalia Onion of considerable fame and fortune and the Walla Walla contender.”

The first round was to be on July 31 as a major half-time event during a baseball game between the Walla Walla Padres and the Bend (Ore.) Phillies.

The Advance

article reported: “We are calling it our first,” said Nancy Wilson of the Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce. “The whole town will be involved with the two onions meeting head to head,” she continued. It sounded fierce, but in actuality the Vidalians were welcomed with open arms and treated like royalty at the friendly competition.

The Advance

article lamented: “Chances for a victory for the Vidalia onion on Walla Walla turf were calculated to be poor by Chamber of Commerce President Charlie Patterson as he prepared to leave this morning. ‘Yes, I think they have us at a disadvantage. But, we’ve been hoarding some super-biggies ever since we got the invitation to attend their onion fest.’ ” The Vidalia delegation took along 40 pounds of Vidalia selects.

The judging was close in three public balloting events. The last one was a private affair held at the Walla Walla Country Club. The club’s chef, who prepared a variety of dishes featuring onions from Walla Walla and Vidalia, was the only person who knew which dishes contained which onions. A panel of eight judges with representatives from each contending state sampled nine dishes. In the end, the Vidalia onion edged out the pride of Walla Walla!

The headlines in The Advance

on August 5, 1982, screamed: “Victory Sweeter in Walla Walla.” A subheadline crowed: “We Left ‘Em Crying in Walla Walla.”

Reporter Lisa James noted, “…when the scores were tabulated, it was the Washington variety that was ousted.” She noted that the Vidalia onion won in only three of the nine recipe tastings at the country club, but won big in the raw onion testing. “It just proves that you can’t tell them apart,” said Paul Hammock, emcee for the affair.

Yumion Takes a Bow July 1982 was a big month for the Vidalia Onion. It was featured during Vidalia Night at the Atlanta- Fulton County Stadium when the Atlanta Braves defeated the Pittsburg Pirates 6-4. The Braves regularly hosted “community night” at games when any one community bought 200 tickets and attended en mass. Joining the delegation from Vidalia was “Yumion,” mascot for the Vidalia Onion Festival. He was a relatively new character, having been created and named in 1980.

In a contest sponsored by the Vidalia Chamber of Commerce in association with the Vidalia Advance and Vidalia Broadcasting Company, a campaign was launched to name a character designed by local artist Wayne McMichaels. The mascot would serve as an ambassador at large.

The contest rules for naming the character specified: that the name contain “Vidalia Onion” or be identifiable with Vidalia Onion;” that the name must be representative of the agrarian life style and history of Toombs County; and the name must be recognizable and acceptable to the general public. The entries would be judged according to originality, and there was no age limit for participation. The winner would receive a $50 gift certificate from Belk-Matthews.

At the end of the contest, a former resident of Montgomery County then living in Daleville, Virginia, came up with a completely original suggestion: “Yumion.” The premise was that Vidalia Onions are “yummy.” The judges thought the name nailed the concept and fit the character. As the contest winner, Mrs. R. P. Thompson was happy to receive her gift certificate but regretted that she could not attend that year’s festival. She promised to visit in the future.

Bill Ledford espoused, in a March 13, 1980, piece announcing the mascot’s name: “He had everything! A gentle disposition, a worldwide reputation, is pleasing to the palate, as well as to the eye, has always been a giant among his peers, is a real money maker, smells better than any of his kind and is about the best public relations gimmick a city ever had. The Vidalia Onion had everything—except a name.”

Since 1980, Yumion has been busy representing Vidalia and its famous onion whenever the opportunity arises. The onion head in over-alls is odd-looking but lovable and has conquered many hearts through the years. Children love Yumion and adults always take a second look. “Well-Oiled Machine”

Local businesswoman Marsha Temples served as vice-president of the Vidalia Onion Festival Committee in 1996 and as chairman in 1997.

“The festival is a wellestablished tradition, and it works like a well-oiled machine,” Mrs. Temples said of the countless volunteer hours that go into the annual event. Of course, the festival has grown and changed over the years. She commented, “We used to have bowling, tennis and golf tournaments associated with the festival. A lot of that has gone by the wayside.” She fondly remembered some of the first concerts and street dances. “The first street dance featured Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs. When we had the Swingin’ Medallions, we blocked off city streets and had people dancing in the streets and having a really good time.” Concerts are still a favorite at the festivals and have brought in some big names in the music business.

In the past, celebration of the Vidalia Onion inspired events which included a rodeo, film festival, cooking school sponsored by Piggy-Wiggly, a five-mile bike ride, Onion Square Dance, and more. “Most of these events were put on by the same civic groups that still do these today,” Mrs. Temples said. Competitions from beauty pageants to onion eating are still popular, but perhaps the biggest attraction during each festival is the air show, which has brought in phenomenal crowds.