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Warm, sunny skies welcomed folks to the Ammon community on Saturday for the 2nd annual Ammon Blueberry Festival. The aroma of pancakes and the sounds of laughter and Gospel music filled the air throughout the day.
One of the festival’s organizers, Marguerite Coble, said, “We are very pleased with the turn out.”
The day began with a pancake breakfast held at the Ammon Volunteer Fire Department followed by a parade. The Bladen County Firefighters Association Honor Guard led the parade and presented the colors during the opening ceremony. The Dunn Clowns were a favorite with the crowd as they danced their way along the parade route. The Sudan TomCats of Robeson County thrilled the crowd with their driving skills.
Also, the parade was filled with elected officials, beauty queens and the Glitterettes baton twirlers showed off their skills. Classic cars, trucks and antique tractors chugged their way down the parade route.
A group of ultralight enthusiasts were seen flying overhead prior to the start of the event. Many in the crowd delighted in watching the ultralights as they circled and maneuvered in the clear blue sky.
At the festival ground the national anthem was sung and auctioneer Jimmie Smith conducted the blueberry auction. Items which were auctioned included a flat of blueberries, several jars of local honey, a brown sugar pound cake, a homemade blueberry pie, a grill, and a Gospel CD by Gene Norton.
There were four trophies awarded to the fire departments that participated in the parade. East Bladen Fire Academy won the award for the oldest apparatus entered in the parade. Hickory Grove Fire Department won third place, Ammon Volunteer Fire Department received second place and Harrells Fire Department won first place, all based on the ages of their apparatus.
The Southeastern Cruisers Car Club of Bladenboro held a car and truck show during the festival. Jesse Anderson won the award for Best Ford with his entry of a 1967 Fairlane; Cooper Tew won Best GM for his entry of a 1962 Chevy Impala; Tim Charles won the award for Best Mopar for his entry of a 1973 Dodge Charger; Wayne Dove won the award for Best Truck for his entry of a 1956 Ford F 100 pickup truck. The award for Best Truck 2nd place went to Anthony Strickland for his 2016 Dodge Ram 1500. The trophy for Most Original went to Jimmy Bryce for his 1957 Ford Fairlane. The trophy for Best of Show went to Donald Clark for his entry of a 1969 Chevelle.
There was also live music on the stage which consisted of southern Gospel favorites performed by Sherry Melvin, Cross Talk, and Kenneth Register. All proceeds from the event go to support the Ammon Volunteer Fire Department.
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