Strawberry
Festival now
under way

By NICOLE CARTRETTE

Workers are setting up carnival-style rides, vendors are coming to town and residents are anxious to show their strawberry spirit during final preparations for Chadbourn’s biggest weekend of the year – the N.C. Strawberry Festival.

Ruby and Judy Morris are two of the many volunteers hard at work this week to ensure that everything is in place for the big event. The mother-and-daughter team spent most of the afternoon Wednesday at the Chadbourn Elementary School gymnasium organizing and displaying the 170 pieces of artwork for the Strawberry Festival’s amateur arts competition. Teachers throughout the county brought their students’ best artwork to be entered in the competition. Sabrina Malpass, an art teacher at Acme-Delco and Hallsboro Middle schools brought eight selections for the art display. Joy Lewis, an art teacher at South Columbus High School delivered 10 works by her students.

Students look forward to the competition every year, said Lewis, who has been involved with the event for nine years.

The 11 divisions include oil and acrylic, water color and tempura, drawings in pencil, ink and charcoal, drawing in pastel, crayons, or markers, mixed media, printmaking, computer generated art, sculpture, pottery and ceramics, textile and fiber, and strawberry motif in any medium. Judging will be held today.

Participants will gather at noon today at the Chadbourn town gazebo to observe National Prayer Day. Registration for amateur crafts will be at the Arts Building at Brown Street and First Avenue from 3:30 t0 5:30 p.m.

Amateur Arts, a collection of 170 pieces of artwork by local students and adults, is open for viewing from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

West Columbus High School in Cerro Gordo will host a Strawberry Festival Jam Variety Show in the school auditorium today from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Friday’s events

Amateur Arts will again be open for viewing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Amateur crafts will be open for viewing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Strawberry Encounters dinner and entertainment by the West Columbus High School Jazz band will be held at the Chadbourn Depot Museum from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available at BB&T, Waccamaw Bank, and Worthington Funeral Home in Chadbourn.

Saturday’s events

Hot air balloon excursion rides are planned for 6:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tethered balloon rides are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

A band concert festival begins at 8 a.m. at the West Columbus High School auditorium.
Professional arts and crafts and a food court will be set up at the Food Lion parking lot by 9:30 a.m.

The Strawberry Festival Variety show will be held at the Food Lion Parking Lot from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and resumes after the 2 p.m. parade.

The N.C. Strawberry Festival scholarship pageant will be held at the West Columbus High School auditorium at 6:30 p.m.

The evening events conclude with the hot air balloon glow at 8 p.m. at the Food Lion center.