Whether it's fried Twinkies or Southern-fried music you're craving, you can find it all at Maury County's annual Southern Fried Festival.

The event began in 1995, when Columbia’s business com­munity launched the Fall Festival, an event designed to bring people – and their pocketbooks – to downtown. After more than a decade of success, the festival’s organizers decided to shake things up a bit, starting with the name.

Now known as the Southern Fried Festival, the two-day event brings in top recording talent such as Ricochet and the Kentucky Headhunters, and attendance is pushing toward 10,000 people per year. In addition to well-known enter­tainers, the festival also offers a recipe/cook-off contest, Kids Zone and shopping on "Art Street" and "The Marketplace."

Its reach has expanded beyond the borders of Columbia and Maury County, with attendees from all over Middle Tennessee and beyond. As has always been the case, and as the name implies, food continues to be the big draw. Vendors offer up everything from fried chicken to fried green tomatoes and fried Twinkies.

Add to that the First United Methodist Church’s pancake breakfast, and you can see why it’s best to abandon the diet while attending. After enjoying the food, look for the scarecrow contest winners.

For more about the festival, visit www.southernfriedfest.com.