The town of Dayton will be transported back 85 years this weekend with the 23rd annual Scopes Play and Festival that includes both a drama about the trial that made the community famous and a downtown salute to the decade in which it took place.
“It’s just the idea of a good time downtown,” said Tom Davis, an event organizer.
Events kick off today along Market Street with an antique car and tractor show, 1920s music, a living history/Civil War demonstration and some merchants featuring items at 1920s prices.
“One Hot Summer,” the play by Dayton author Curtis Lipps that explains how town leaders decided to host a test of Tennessee’s anti-evolution law and offers little-known information on what became known as “the world’s most famous court trial,” will be offered three times over the weekend in the Scopes Trial courtroom of the Rhea County Courthouse.
Tickets ($5) will be available at the door.
Davis said that before 2009, the annual plays concentrated on re-creations of the trial that pitted noted attorney Clarence Darrow against three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan.
“One Hot Summer,” he said, “is an entirely different approach” and was received very well last year. “You might say it’s the back story.”
The play, he said, is “what we know from the historical record,” with a couple of characters added. “It’s a historical drama. It’s just a lot of fun we have with history and events.”
The festival mimics somewhat the atmosphere that occurred during the trial.
“It had everything from kids selling popcorn and Coke to people peddling their wares,” Davis said. “We want to capture the craziness that went with it.”
At the same time as the play today, the classical musical “Singin’ in the Rain” will be shown in Centennial Park on Second Avenue. Moviegoers are encouraged to bring their chairs.
On Saturday, an exhibit by the Association of Creative Zoology, which features drawings and other displays of creatures rarely seen outside the Hokes Archives in Knoxville, will be available for viewing. Live music, including traditional Appalachian music, and the tractor show also will continue.
Barbecue, pizza, chicken, steak and other food items will be available for sale both days.
IF YOU GO
* What: Scopes Trial Play & Festival.
* When: 5-8 p.m. today, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday. Performances of “One Hot Summer” at 8 p.m. today, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday.
* Where: Market Street, Dayton, Tenn. Performances inside Rhea County Courthouse, 1475 Market St.
* Admission: Free.
* Phone: 775-9847.
* Website: www.mainstreetdayton.org.