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Dublin’s 23rd Annual Peanut Festival was a big success all around. The weather was bright and sunny as the parade began at 10:00am, and the streets were lined with hundreds of local and not so local folks, who all came together to celebrate the peanut. There were more than 50 cars/floats to view, as well as Fire Engines, Beauty Queens and the Shriner’s Mini Car Team.
The Dublin Peanut Festival started in 1992 as a result of the community working with the Bladen County School Board and the Bladen County Commissioners to build a gymnasium and multipurpose building onto Dublin’s Elementary School. The effort took five years to bring to completion, but in 1998 the building was completed and dedicated, showing what a small rural community can accomplish when people work together towards a common goal.
Peanuts were and still are a big part of Dublin’s identity, and after 23 years of celebrating the peanut, people all over the world know where to get the best peanuts, right here in Bladen County.
Peanuts offer a variety of vitamins and minerals that are necessary for good health, and today’s festival brought forth 25 new recipes to try out at home. The NC Cooperative Extension of NC State University and A&T University published all 25 recipes and made the booklets available to the community, as they have done for many years. Bladen County is one of the top 5 counties in North Carolina when it comes to peanut production.
At the close of the parade, many people simply walked over to the School Cafeteria for some delicious Barbecue plates with slaw and baked beans, and for those with other tastes, there were lots of Steak, Ribs, Chicken and Hot Dogs available. Others went to the Classic Cruiser’s Car Club Show, which featured dozens of Cameros, Chevelles, Trucks, Mustangs, Corvettes, and even a Corvair. There were convertibles, hard tops, and an odd looking truck whose body was made of wood. See our Car Show slideshow on the Home page.
A short walk over to the music venue provided the opportunity to listen to The Mighty Echoes, The Band of Oz, and the Black Water Rhythm & Blues Band. The area around the stage was standing room only. Though a large tent was set up to shade the audience, the crowd was much too big to shelter under one tent, and there was too much to see to stand in one place. Many enjoyed the music and danced along as they meandered from booth to booth.
Vendors of all kinds came to serve the crowd. There were crafters and jewelry makers, sellers of hairbows and tee shirts, candles and wrinkle removers, plus lots of free samples. Oh, and don’t forget the peanuts.
There were delights to occupy all tastes and temperaments, and to keep the children entertained there was a 35 foot slide, mechanical rides, a couple of bounce houses, and a two-seater gyroscope, (that looked like a lot of fun).
Many of our favorite charitable organizations were there to greet the public and representatives from Bladen Community College were there to share information about the courses being offered.
Many thanks to all of the sponsors, vendors, and volunteers who made Dublin’s 23rd Annual Peanut Festival a great day out in the community. And a special thanks to the troopers and officers on the scene ensuring that the huge crowd remained safe and secure. Let’s start planning for next year.
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