Saturday is the biggest day for the N.C. Strawberry Festival at Chadbourn, wrapping up more than a week of events celebrating the tasty red fruit and its impact on the town.
Chadbourn owes much of its existence to strawberries. Joseph Addison Brown established the sunny South Colony in 1895, attracting farm families from across the country. The first Strawberry Festival was held to commemorate the fruit in 1926, on the 30th anniversary of the colony being established there.
Through the years it has grown to be one of the largest hometown festivals in the state, with thousands of visitors coming to town each year.
Events actually kicked off April 18, with the Strawberry Wine Social, and continued with the N.C. Strawberry Scholarship Pageants April 25-26.
The National Day of Prayer will be observed Thursday at noon at the Chadbourn Gazebo. Opening ceremonies kick off at 5 p.m. at the Strawberry Event Field, where chicken bog plates will be available for $10. Chocolate Chip and Company will take to the main stage from 5:30-8:30 p.m. in a free concert.
On Friday, donations for the fundraiser auction can be submitted starting at 4 p.m. for the auction during the Evening of Strawberry Encounters. The encounters event is always a popular homecoming time for many Chadbourn natives. Tickets are available at ncstrawberryfestival.com.
Saturday is always the biggest day for Strawberry Festival. The Car Show runs from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at the Food Lion parking lot. Vendors open up at 9 at the Strawberry Events Field. The Strawberry Parade will wind through downtown en route to the event field starting at 11 a.m. Entertainment will be on the main stage at the events field throughout the day, with DJ C-Nice and the popular local sounds of the Crenshaw Trucking Band.
At 4 p.m. will be the Strawberry Spitting Contest at the main stage.
Visitors are reminded to use the event field parking, and to avoid parking in the shopping center lot during the festival.
For more information, go to ncstrawberryfestival.com.
