Past Festival Themes
Each year, the Persimmon Festival Chairman has the opportunity to make their year unique! One way they can do this is by coming up with their own theme for their year’s festival! Listed below are the recorded themes from past years:
| Year | Theme | 2025 | Persimmon Trees & Tomorrow's Dreams: Grounded in Tradition, Growing for the Future |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Home Is Where The Persimmon Is |
| 2023 | Art & Music – Our Students Our Future |
| 2022 | 75 Years of Persimmon Traditions |
| 2021 | Investing in Mitchell |
| 2020 | NO FESTIVAL |
| 2019 | Mitchell Around the World |
| 2018 | “Industries and Businesses Supporting our Community” |
| 2017 | Persimmon City Harvest: Celebrating Farmers & Agriculture! |
| 2016 | Healing Hands, Helping Hearts |
| 2015 | Celebrating with the Sound of Music |
| 2014 | Shop Local–Buy Mitchell |
| 2013 | Mitchell Athletics–Past, Present and Future |
| 2012 | Small Town Proud |
| 2011 | Protect & Serve |
| 2010 | Generation After Generation |
| 2009 | Welcome Home |
| 2008 | Mitchell Hometown Heroes |
| 2007 | At Your Service: A Salute to Mitchell’s Service Organizations |
| 2006 | Sixty Years of Memories |
| 2005 | Our Education Foundation–Mitchell Schools |
| 2004 | A Salute to the Volunteer |
| 2003 | From Railroads to Rockets |
| 2002 | Our Heritage…Our Future |
| 2001 | Building Today for Future Generations |
| 2000 | Soaring Into a New Century |
| 1999 | Uniquely Mitchell |
| 1998 | Persimmon Festival ’98…Through the Eyes of a Child |
| 1997 | A Hometown Reunion |
| 1996 | Celebrating the Past, Looking to the Future |
| 1995 | Persimmon Festival ’95…We’re Still Rockin’ |
| 1994 | An Autumn Homecoming |
| 1993 | Secure The Future…Invest in Our Youth |
| 1992 | Proud to Be an American |
| 1991 | Volunteers–Making our Community Strong |
| 1990 | We Will Always Be True to the Gold and Blue |
| 1989 | Memories for Children of All Ages |
| 1988 | Super Homecoming ’88–42 Years Proud |
| 1987 | Proudly We Stand |
| 1986 | Freedom The American Way of Life |
| 1985 | A Tradition of Hospitality |
| 1984 | One of a Kind |
| 1983 | Progress Through Education |
| 1981 | America–The Beautiful |
| 1980 | Hoosier Hospitality |
| 1979 | Tradition With a Torch of Tomorrow |
| 1978 | Encounter of the Mitchell Kind |
| 1977 | A Journey Down Persimmory Lane |
| 1976 | Youth–Young and Old Unite Through Heritage |
| 1975 | Our Living Heritage 1775-1975 |
| 1974 | Uncle Sam Still Stands Tall |
| 1973 | A Historical Review Trimmed in Red, White and Blue |
| 1972 | Our Autumn Homecoming |
| 1971 | Silver Anniversary |
| 1970 | Happiness is…The Success of the Persimmon Festival |
| 1969 | A Salute to Education, The Apprentice of Life |
| 1968 | Freedom is Not Free |
| 1967 | It’s About Time – In This Place; It’s About People And The Human Race |
| 1966 | A State is but the Body of a Nation. The People Who Inhabit its Hills and its Valleys are its Soul, its Spirit, its Life |
| 1965 | We Lift Up Our Eyes to These Hills |
| 1964 | Rededication to the United States |
| 1962 | Lehigh’s 60 Years in Mitchell |
| 1959 | Air Force and Space Travel |
| 1948 | Reliance Day |