LUMBERTON — Robeson County residents who need a break from Hurricane Florence can find it beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday as the Robeson County Regional Agricultural Fair begins a week-long run.
Organizers of the fair that will take place at the Robeson County Fairgrounds, located at 3750 Martin Luther King Jr Drive in Lumberton, hope to squeeze in 10 days of fun into eight days during the hurricane-shortened event. The fair runs from Saturday through Oct. 6 with all entertainment events, except the cheerleading competition, set to perform.
The start had been scheduled for Thursday.
The fairgrounds and buildings are dry and undamaged, and preparations are on target, according to Allen Faircloth, fair president. A gentle breeze blew across the grounds on Wednesday and Thursday, and the popular fair that attracts thousands of people every year showed no signs of a hurricane.
“We really do hope that attendance will be high,” Faircloth said. “I believe people need a break from Hurricane Florence and the flooding.
“We have free admissions days for school children, and on Thursday, admission is free with five cans of food. The food goes to the Robeson County Church and Community Center, which really needs it.”
There are many other special free admission days, including Sunday afternoon when admission is free with a church bulletin. Robeson County’s special needs children can get in free on Tuesday, if school is back in session, and senior citizens will get in free on Wednesday.
The fair, which has a sizable payroll for security and parking, and a large economic impact on Robeson County, will remain on sound financial footing, Faircloth said.
“We contribute to 20 different nonprofits, including the United Way,” he said. “We might have to reduce those contributions, depending on attendance, but I hope not.”
Longtime fair board member Coble Wilson Jr. said the fairgrounds looked like a lake after the flood, but it drained quickly. Power was out for a week after the rain.
“We were more concerned about road closings,” Wilson said. “That’s why we delayed the opening by two days.”
With more “fabulous” entertainment on tap than ever, Wilson is expecting another big fair for Robeson County.
“We feel like we will have a successful year,” he said. “People need to get away from the bad stuff, even if it’s for only one day.”
One fair feature that remains to be filled is the local entertainment, which runs at dinner time every day, Wilson said. He is hoping for some late entries.
On the Tuesday after Hurricane Florence arrived, it appeared unlikely that the fair could go on.
“We will pull it together,” said Everett Davis, fair board member. “We are making our own schedule.”
As he spoke, the “collard people,” who are celebrated for their collard sandwiches, were putting up their sign and getting pots and pans in position. Fair food is a major attraction.
In the exhibition and livestock buildings, Allen Prevatte, Janice Fields and Shea Ann DeJarnette, who manage entries and judging, said it is business as usual.
“The number of entries are amazingly good,” Fields said. “All my judges will be there, and the only change is the day of the judging.”
DeJarnette said the ducks and chickens arrived Wednesday afternoon, and the larger livestock will be on display by Saturday.
“It’s business as usual,” she said.
There will be about 1,200 entries in the home show, which offers prizes for canned food, baked goods, wine and other locally produced items, DeJarnette said. The fair usually takes in 1,600 entries.
The cheerleading completion, which draws more than a thousand people to the grandstands every year, was cancelled, said Rudy Paul, who has organized the event since its inception in 1976.
“Because school is out, and the cheerleaders have not been able to practice their routines, we decided to cancel the competition for safety reasons,” Paul said. “It’s unfortunate because the cheerleading competition is one of our biggest events every year. We don’t want an injury.”
As the fair organizers got back to work, carnival workers were setting up rides and booths for games of skill.
“Every child will win every time here,” Johnny Hollingsworth said as he prepared the dart-throwing booth.
