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Rhea Economic & Tourism Council

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DAYTON, Tenn. - Eight days in a courtroom showcased the debate over creation and evolution, but the Scopes Trial got its start more than two months before the legal fireworks erupted. On July 15 and 16, MainStreet Dayton will present the 24th annual Scopes Festival featuring "One Hot Summer," the story of how what became known as "The World's Most Famous Court Trial" came to be held in Rhea County. "'One Hot Summer' captures the tension of a community facing its own depression a few years before the national economy collapsed, and shows some of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering the brought the trial to Dayton," said festival Chairman Tom Davis. The play, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and with a 3 p.m. Saturday matinee at the Rhea County Courthouse, was written by Dayton resident Curtis Lipps to showcase the efforts of town promoters including F.E. Robinson and George Rappleyea who were trying to attract business to the community. "One Hot Summer" is the centerpiece of the festival, which also includes the first Battle of the Pickers acoustical instrument pick-off at Centennial Park adjacent to the courthouse, traditional music on the courthouse lawn, and food, crafts, and antique vehicles. For more information about the Scopes Festival, contact MainStreet Dayton at 423-775-9847 or by email at mainstreet@volstate.net.

The play:

One Hot Summer, by Curtis Lipps

Many people know the outlines of the Scopes Trial - William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow going head-to-head over creation and evolution-but few know how the trial came to be held in Dayton. "One Hot Summer" tells the story of how F.E. Robinson, George Rappleyea and others, including the defendant, John Scopes, worked to create a test of Tennessee's new anti-evolution law. This historically accurate recreation of Dayton's summer of 1925 includes a scene from the actual trial transcript.