World's Greatest Chicken Cook-off, car show, fishing derby, arts and crafts, children's activities, vendors, pancake breakfast, auction, 5K run, museum activities and lots of entertainment

12th Annual Rough and
Ready Days Festival
May 9-10, 2008 

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Contact the Chamber for more information
monticellochamber@sbcglobal.net
or call (870) 367-6741

Rough & Ready Days - McCloy Park

In 1835, European settlers in Drew County founded a small community, dubbing it Independence. After the Mexican-American War a decade later, they changed the name to "Rough 'n Ready" in honor of Gen. Zachary Taylor. In 1849, the local courthouse moved to the valley below, the site of what is now Monticello.
Nevertheless, the Rough 'n Ready name lived on, if only because it was the site of a Civil War skirmish that took place on May 24, 1865-five full weeks after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses Grant on April 19, 1865.

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