15 Years of Showing Up: Mark & Rhonda DiBiase Named 2026 Delta Hot Tamale Festival King and Queen

Some people become part of an event because their name is on the program.

Others become part of it simply because they keep showing up.
For the Delta Hot Tamale Festival, Mark and Rhonda DiBiase have been showing up since Day One.

Main Street Greenville and the Greater Greenville Development Foundation are proud to announce Mark and Rhonda DiBiase as the 2026 Delta Hot Tamale Festival King and Queen.
Since the inaugural festival in 2012, Mark has been a fixture behind the Main Stage microphone. Over the years, he has introduced countless musicians, welcomed guests, emceed contests, filled gaps, kept things moving and become known simply as “The Voice of the Festival.”
And just offstage, Rhonda has been every bit as important.
Year after year, she has managed contest registrations, coordinated participants, handled the details that most festivalgoers never see and served as the steady hand behind Mark’s Main Stage duties.
Together, they have volunteered at every Delta Hot Tamale Festival since the beginning. They have also supported the festival as sponsors over the years. 
But the reason this year’s honor feels so fitting goes well beyond one weekend in October.
A Legacy of Service to GreenvilleMark moved to Greenville in 2000, and it did not take long for him to become deeply invested in the community.
In 2002, he founded Infinite Concepts, Inc., a Greenville-based information technology support and consulting company serving businesses, healthcare facilities and government clients. He operated and grew the company for 20 years before selling it in 2021. In 2019, the Mississippi Business Journal recognized Mark as a “Top in Tech” honoree. Mark DiBiase Hot Tamale King 20…
His involvement in Greenville extended far beyond his business.
Mark has served on or led boards including the Greenville Arts Council, Delta Center Stage, Washington County Economic Alliance and United Way of Washington County. In 2020, the Washington County Economic Alliance presented him with the Chuck Jordan Leadership Award for his work in local business development. 
His years with the Rotary Club of Greenville eventually led to regional leadership as District Governor for Rotary District 6820. When his successor was unable to assume the role, Mark was elected to a rare second consecutive term.
Following the devastating March 2023 tornado in Rolling Fork, he helped coordinate Rotary’s disaster response, including a $275,000 fundraising effort, supply delivery, cleanup resources and cross-agency relief efforts. 
Rhonda’s connection to the Delta goes back even further.
A native of Hollandale, Mississippi, Rhonda graduated from Simmons High School before earning a Bachelor of Business Administration from Delta State University. 
She built a career in office administration and later served as vice president of Infinite Concepts, overseeing technician dispatch, marketing, accounting and human resources until she and Mark sold the company in 2021. 
Retirement opened another chapter.
Drawing from her experience caring for her mother through a lengthy illness, Rhonda wrote her memoir, Fear Finds Faith, a deeply personal story about caregiving, grief, family, humor, faith and healing. The book took her across Mississippi for signings and media appearances, including WABG, WJTV, Lemuria Books in Jackson and The Next Chapter in Leland. 
Rhonda is also a member of the Rotary Club of Greenville and has spent years serving through her church, civic organizations and community efforts.
Together, Mark and Rhonda have taken that commitment to service well beyond the Delta. They have participated in four weeklong Rotary humanitarian trips to Guadalajara, Mexico, and in 2025 established the Mark & Rhonda DiBiase Good Samaritan Fund with The Rotary Foundation. 
The Kind of People Who Keep Showing UpThe Delta Hot Tamale Festival King and Queen are selected by the Greater Greenville Board of Directors. Nominees are considered for their contributions to the Delta tamale tradition and for their service, leadership and work to strengthen Greenville and the surrounding community.
For Mark and Rhonda, that record speaks for itself.
“Mark and Rhonda are the kind of people every community hopes will show up, and then keep showing up,” said Daniel Boggs, CEO of Main Street Greenville. “For 15 years, they have given this festival their time, energy, humor, and heart, but their service to Greenville goes so much further than festival weekend. They have invested in this community in nearly every way a person can, through their business, civic leadership, Rotary, the arts, their churches and simply by being the people who are willing to step in when something needs to be done. We are incredibly grateful for what they have meant to Greenville and proud to honor them as this year’s King and Queen.”
During the 15 years Mark and Rhonda have worked beside the Main Stage, the Delta Hot Tamale Festival has changed tremendously.
Crowds have grown into the tens of thousands. Visitors now travel to Greenville from across the United States and around the world. Nationally known musicians, chefs, writers, actors and artists have been welcomed to the Delta, and the festival itself has earned national recognition.
But through all of that growth, there have been a few constants.
Mark behind the microphone. Rhonda beside the stage. Both of them showing up.
One More Festival HoorahThis year’s announcement comes with a little more emotion than usual.
Mark and Rhonda recently moved from the Mississippi Delta to Canton, Ohio. Because of the move, Main Street Greenville was unable to hold its traditional King and Queen announcement reception this year.
Fortunately, Greenville has not seen the last of them quite yet.
They will return for the 2026 Delta Hot Tamale Festival on Saturday, October 17, and despite their new royal titles, they plan to go right back to work.
Mark will once again be behind the Main Stage microphone.
Rhonda will once again be beside the stage.
Just like always.
It will be one final festival hoorah in the roles they have filled since 2012 — and an opportunity for the community they have served for so many years to say thank you.
So when you make your way to downtown Greenville on October 17, stop by the Main Stage.
Congratulate 2026 Delta Hot Tamale Festival King and Queen Mark and Rhonda DiBiase.
And, more importantly, thank them for 15 years of showing up.
Because long before there were crowns, there was service.

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