DUBLIN – The population in Dublin, North Carolina runs somewhere between 250- 300 people on most days.
The streets are uncongested even on highway 87. Oh, you may see a few people walking along Main Street, but for the most part – it’s your quaint little sleepy North Carolina town.
Until the third Saturday in September when the population can rise to over 2,000 or more. Mark it on your calendars for this year Sept. 20, 2025. The annual peanut fest that brings thousands of people is coming quickly.
The tiny town of Dublin will unveil their 33rd annual Dublin Peanut Festival. There has been a flurry of activity leading up to this year’s festival including the sophomore year of the iconic peanut sculpture adjacent to the Dublin Town Hall.
The town will come alive on the eve of the Peanut Festival when cars from all over the nation will begin rolling in.
By Saturday morning, coming north into the town, Firetrucks with lights flashing and sirens being tested will be seen and heard a mile away and for someone who didn’t know better, they may think that a catastrophic disaster is happening.
Instead, it was the antistrophic strains of the delightful and world-famous Dublin Peanut Festival.
“I am just honored that the peanut festival saw the necessity to do something other than just having meetings and having a festival,” Horace Wyatt, Mayor of Dublin said. “They have been exploring all kinds of ideas and I think it’s great for the community.”
It all began 33 years ago when there was an educational need in the community. This festival was born out of a great need and came to fruition due to a lot of hard-working people who didn’t have a “give-up” mentality when it came to things for the local kids.
“We wanted to build a gymnasium for the school,” Wyatt said. “We went to the commissioners and at that time it was very expensive. The commissioners said, ‘Tell you what we’ll do. If y’all will raise X-amount of money, we’ll match it and build it.’ We had a little doubt, but then someone mentioned having a peanut festival. So, they started a peanut festival and peanuts in the area were owned by Houston’s, but now it’s all owned by Hampton Farms. Back in the day, Houston’s was a big contributor. Mr. Houston and Irene were very adamant about having a peanut festival and doing what was good for the community. They supported it well.”
In 33 years, the festival has really grown into something special.
According to their website:https://www.dublinpeanutfestival.com/
“There is one goal for all of us. The goal is to make our community and local schools stronger. Here are just a few of the contributions we have given in the past: Bladen We Care Hospice $2,000.00, Bladen Habitat for Humanity $500.00, Heating Assistance For the Elderly $2,000.00, Peanut Festival Pageant Queen Scholarship $2,000.00, Bladen Community College $4,000.00 (1 Scholarship for $2,000.00 each) and Dublin Elementary School Teacher and Staff Appreciation Breakfast. Here’s some insight to other donations we have made: Dublin Elementary School Gymnasium/Multi-Purpose Building contents to include: Chairs, Sound System, Mats, 2 Volleyball Nets and Poles and Bleachers. For the school itself, Accelerator Reader Books, Leap Pad Computers, Dictionaries, Fence for the Pre-K Playground, Parking Lot Paving, Riding Mower and Library Books.. Other donations, 1999 Flood Victims, Dublin Boy Scout Troop, Bladen County Exceptional Children’s Pre-School Programs, Bladen Lakes Primary School Sound System, Dublin Ball Park Fence, Tar Heel Middle School Library Books, East and West Bladen High Schools, Dublin Fire Department and the list goes on and on. The Festival is committed to showing our attendees how important it is to come together as a team and produce results with the positive attitude that anything is possible as long as you work together. Our goal is to make our community and local schools stronger.
It’s a lot of hard work that takes 365 days a year to plan. We could not pull this off without our committee members. We are a team that has been together for years. It’s commitment that has kept us together. Then we have our volunteers that are here every year to lend a hand anyway they can. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! They may not be full time committee members anymore but on Festival Day they are here, ready to work. We can’t thank them enough because they give their time so unselfishly. It takes a lot of work and hard-working people to keep this Organization together. Through the years we have lost dedicated members, Murray Barnes, Ballard Carroll, Sr., Irene, Houston Brisson, Barbara Jean Rice, Jane Starnes, and Wayne Dove.
So here we are, bigger than ever before. The festival now includes a Scholarship Pageant, Hot Dogs, Sausage Dogs, Bar-B-Que Sandwiches, Classic Car Show, Entertainment to include Bands and Solo Acts on Stage, Mechanical Rides, Contests, Craft and Food Vendors, Tee Shirt Sales and PEANUTS.”