The North Carolina Pecan Harvest Festival is shelling out a parade marshal and a queen ahead of the Nov. 6 event.
Suzanne King has been named Parade Marshal for 2021. Suzanne loves the city of Whiteville, and has a long history of working behind the scenes.
She and Carroll Worrell successfully established the Fire Ant Festival, and King herself organized the coalition between the Harvest Festival and the N.C. Pecan Growers Association in 2003 to introduce the N. C. Pecan Harvest Festival. She served on the board for 17 years.
King worked at Collier TV, Appliance and Furniture for 27 years. After owners Fred and Anna Jane Collier retired, she and Norman Nobles co-owned the business. She is also a radio veteran of 13 years with Whiteville’s own WTXY, where she hosted the Community Connection. She was featured in The State magazine because of the show, and her passion for her town and the community.
King served as chair of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce and Tourism in 2001. She served as president of the Whiteville Downtown Development Commission in 2003, and sat on the board for 15 years. King was project manager for the restoration of Vineland Station Depot, and she served on the board of the depot. She volunteered with the Southeastern Community College Foundation Fund Drive for many years.
King is married to Billy King, and they are members of the Whiteville United Methodist Church. They have two children, Baird and Kyle, and five grandchildren.
Young-Jacobs is Harvest Festival Queen
Another familiar face in Columbus County has been named queen for the 2021 Harvest Festival.
Pamela Young-Jacobs is a member of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe of North Carolina, and the Director of the Small Business Center at Southeastern Community College.
Her mother was an activist and teacher, and her father was a construction worker turned self-employed businessman. She spent a great deal of her childhood in tobacco fields, and in church with her grandmother.
Young-Jacobs is the wife of a former Marine, Velton Jacobs. They have six children, and three grandchildren. One of her sons, Dustin Sutherland, is a decorated veteran of the Iraq War.
She takes pride in being someone who isn’t afraid to take risks, and always keeps a positive outlook when it comes to making decisions for a better future.
Young-Jacobs is a member of the National Association of Professional Woman and American Indian Women of Proud Nations. She has received numerous community service awards, including the Economic Development Award for her assistance in the start-up and expansion of small businesses over the past 20 years and the Lonnie Revels Visionary Award.
Two years ago, Pamela began to speak about grief, after the loss of her youngest son Alex, during a series called “A Time To Heal.”
She has devoted the last 20 years to the service of her community and the betterment of the people of the county. She has served as a varsity coach, youth leader, life coach, and Sunday school teacher and Youth Director at New Hope Baptist Church.
