By WALLYCE TODD

The 2006 N.C. Pecan Harvest Festival was deemed a success. Geoff Hopkins, the festival’s executive committee president said he believed it was one of the largest crowds the festival had ever had.

Teachers who brought their students to the N.C. Museum of Forestry on the first two days of the festival were pleased about how much their students benefited from the educational aspect of the festival.

“It enhances our N.C. curriculum,” said Crystal Gore, a fourth-grade teacher who brought her class from Edgewood Elementary. “The forestry museum – both years we’ve come – has just been wonderful. They brought the N.C. Science Museum, which goes along with our science curriculum.

“It brings the community into the classroom and the classroom into the community,” she concluded, all the while watching her student, Hope Dallas, personally help take a rat snake around for her school-mates to see and touch.

Many of the students who came to the museum as a school field trip brought their families back on Saturday to experience “Wildlife Encounters,” an educational collection of plants and animals sponsored by a variety of organizations around the state.

Turner Brown of Whiteville thought the snakes and other critters “were cool,” when he saw them with his school group, so he brought his uncle and aunt, Turner and Mary Nance, back on Saturday.

“We’re just excited this is here to educate people. Columbus County is really fortunate that the people here want to educate us. We are really blessed,” Mary said.

Down the road from the museum, others of all ages were learning about cars, crafts, music and pecans.

Mike Cain from Shallotte was more than willing to tell Joshua Mills, 8, of Cerro Gordo about the 1965 Chevy Z car he brought to the show sponsored by the Southeastern Cruisers.

The young boy paid rapt attention to the man who admitted collecting cars was one of his passions. “It’s one of the loves of my life, but my wife is first,” said Cain.

“It’s good to see the kids out,” he stated. “We want them interested because when we die out, there’s nobody else to carry on the tradition that we’re doing now.”

The Southeast’s tradition of beach music was well experienced by a large group of festivalgoers. Many stationed themselves near the main stage to hear the “Band of Oz,” a popular group of musicians who returned to the festival for the second year in a row.

“If there’s any live beach music around, (I’m) liable to be there,” said David Hursey, who came to the festival from Dublin. Hursey even danced a bit of shag with Doodle the clown near the railroad tracks in the center of Whiteville’s downtown.

Holly and Kay Clemmons traveled from Green Sea, S.C. to bring their silk flower crafts to sell at the festival. Entitled “Country Shack,” Kay said her business was “doing really good” when asked about it late Saturday morning.

Ed Worley and Alan James of the Kiwanis said the Moo Doo fundraiser “was great.”

“We had the opportunity to have two cows from (Darryl) Stocks Farms in Pireway,” Worley said. “We sold all 1600 tickets. The winner (of the $500 prize) was Lauren Singletary.”

Tim Haithcock is an attorney in Goldsboro. He’s also a pecan grower and a member of the N.C. Pecan Growers Association, the partner sponsor of the festival.

“Pecans are a natural crop in North Carolina,” Haithcock said. “Now, we are hoping to grow them more commercially and make people realize how healthy they are. I think the festival has chosen a great product to organize around.”

Elizabeth Horton, Miss North Carolina 2006, was one of the celebrity guests at the festival. While signing autographs out in Saturday’s cool air, she noted how warm was the welcome she had received while visiting the county seat.

“This has actually been one of the best experiences I’ve had so far (as queen),” Horton said.

“The people are so hospitable. The town is so quaint. We’ve (really) been taken care of.

Looking around at all the people milling about and having felt the genuine hospitality of the area, she said: “It’s obviously a successful festival.”