HAPPENING TOMORROW: Spring Fest highlights Pender County vendors, residents

BURGAW, N.C. (AP) — Pender County is getting ready to celebrate its 45th annual Spring Fest, showcasing the best of what the county has to offer with handmade, homemade, and homegrown products.

“SpringFest is all about celebrating what we do in Pender County, all that is handmade, homemade, and homegrown,” said event organizer Rochelle Whiteside. “Our festival is more of a homecoming or a giant show and tell for Pender County. It’s a way to really celebrate who we are and what we have.”

Unlike other craft fairs, Spring Fest is not just about buying and selling. It’s also a chance for Pender County residents to reconnect with old friends and family members.

“Churches schedule their homecomings that weekend, and often class reunions and family reunions are scheduled on that weekend because people come home to Pender County to see friends and family,” Whiteside said.

The festival requires vendors to have a connection to Pender County, whether it be living, working, or owning property there. The goal is to showcase local talent and products.

“It’s a way to really celebrate who we are and what we have,” Whiteside said.

Spring Fest also features a range of activities for all ages, from old-timey games for kids, to a showcase of student art from every school in the county.

“It gives civic organizations and different countywide groups a chance to be seen. And for the schools, that’s a really important thing. We have a giant art tent that displays art from every school in the county,” Whiteside said.

The festival takes place in downtown Burgaw and runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 7. Visitors can expect to see the courthouse square filled with vendors and displays, and they can enjoy a variety of food options, including homemade ice cream, sausage dogs, barbecue, and seafood.

“Enjoy the day. Eat some home-baked food, homemade ice cream, sausage dogs, barbecue, seafood. We got it,” Whiteside said.

The festival culminates with a famous cow pie toss, which Whiteside says is a huge highlight.

“It’s at two o’clock. Don’t miss it,” she said.

A BBQ street dance also takes place Friday night from 6:00 – 10:00 on Wright St.

Whether visitors come to buy homemade products, enjoy the entertainment, or reconnect with old friends and family, Spring Fest promises to be a day full of fun and celebration of all things Pender County.