VIDALIA — On the 182nd anniversary of the legendary sandbar fight that catapulted Jim Bowie’s large fighting knife to international fame, Miss-Lou residents will gather at the annual festival named in his honor.

The 21st Jim Bowie festival kicked off at the Riverview RV Park and Resort Friday night with the Little Miss Bowie Pageant and the “Anything Butt” amateur barbecue contest, and will re-open today at 9 a.m.

Vidalia Chamber of Commerce Director Jamie Burley said, despite the forecast of 50 percent chance of rain, the festival will go on.

“We are hoping it doesn’t rain, but we will probably continue with what we have if it rains and hope it doesn’t last that long,” she said.

As a part of the Memphis Barbecue Network, the festival is home to the Louisiana state barbecue championship, and 22 professional teams have registered for the contest, Burley said.

Saturday’s barbecue events will also include an amateur ribs contest, and the winner of the Anything Butt contest from Friday — in which participants prepared non-pork barbecue dishes — will be announced as well.

But the festival isn’t just about barbecue, and the events will include live music and vendors selling arts and crafts, specialty items and food other than barbecue will also be there.

At 12:30 p.m., historical actor Jack Edmondson will re-enact the famous Bowie sandbar knife fight for which the festival is named.

Admission to the event is $5, and Burley said the bracelet people are given when paying will allow them to come and go all day, but those in the festival grounds must have one or they will be asked to leave.

“It is going to be a fun time, it looks like we are going to have a really good crowd, and everybody seems to be real hopeful we are not going to have rain,” Burley said.

Even after the festival closes, the Vidalia Women’s Club will host a street dance at the Vidalia Amphitheater.

The events of the day are as follows:

8 a.m., barbecue judges registration

9 a.m., festival kickoff and vendor area opening

10 a.m., Paul Southerland and Hannah Belle performance, and barbecue duel shoulder judging

11:15 a.m., Maggie Brown performance and barbecue duel whole hog judging

12:30 p.m., Jim Bowie sandbar duel re-enactment and professional barbecue duel ribs judging.

1:15 p.m., Blue Haired Mafia band performance

2 p.m., amateur rib judging

2:30 p.m., Back Roads performance

3:45 p.m., Avery Michaels and Exit 209 performance

5:30 p.m., barbecue duel awards ceremony for all competitions.

6 p.m., festival close

8 p.m., Chillin’ on the River Vidalia Women’s Club street dance at Riverfront Amphitheater.