Re-enactors will be at the Reuben Brown House.

By JEFFERSON WEAVER
Staff Writer

There will be something for everyone this weekend at the 14th annual Pecan Harvest Festival in Whiteville.

Friday’s Tour of Homes, the Queen’s Luncheon, Saturday’s Parade, Heritage Day at the Reuben Brown House, and a special wildlife program at the Museum of Forestry are just a few of the busy weekend’s events.

Friday’s Tour of Homes will kick off with the Queen’s Luncheon at the Baldwin-White House on Jefferson Street. Lunch is at noon, with tours of all the homes on Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.

Two special guests will be at this year’s luncheon – author and columnist Celia Rivenbark, who is this year’s Pecan Harvest Festival Queen, and Anne Grimes, the famous creator of “Annie’s Flat Dumplings.”

Visitors to Whiteville’s oldest home will find an unusual collection of artwork to enjoy. The turtle collection of Becky and Vernon Marlin will be on display at the Reuben Brown House Friday and Saturday.

The collection encompasses turtles in every imaginable form: brass, ceramic, glass, stone, wood, prints and basketry, which will cover nearly every available flat surface and wall inside the historic cottage.

Some of the pieces have local ties, such as a silk-screened wall hanging by Christa Balogh. Others have been collected all over the world on the Marlins’ vacations. The Marlins, who live at Lake Waccamaw, will be at the exhibit to meet and discuss the history of their collection.

The Reuben Brown House is on East Columbus Street near the Whiteville Fire Department.

On Saturday, the Brown house will host re-enactors from several living history groups for Colonial Heritage Day. Members of the Bladen Militia, the N.C. Highland Regiment, and a Hessian company will describe the life and times of soldiers during the American Revolution.

Also scheduled for the day are demonstrations of blacksmithing, colonial toymaking, quilting, candlemaking, colonial medicine, music and more. The event is free, but donations are appreciated.

Other activities will take place through the day, starting at 8 a.m. with the 5K and 8K runs to benefit the Families First Domestic Violence Shelter.

At 10 a.m., the Pecan Harvest Festival Parade will wind through downtown Whiteville, led by grand marshals Gil and Vivian Beresoff, and Pecan Harvest Festival Queen Celia Rivenbark.

For those visitors who want to get to know wildlife on a personal level, the N.C. Museum of Forestry will hold its annual Wildlife Encounters from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the museum. Visitors can meet animals ranging from bees to birds of prey.

A special guest will be the museum’s own mascot, Sweet Pea the box turtle.

For more on this year’s event, and a complete schedule of activities, look for the special supplement in today’s edition.