Fish are prepared for the fryer Saturday for the Dublin Peanut Festival fundraiser. The meal included French fries, cole slaw, cookie and drink.
Sonny Jones / Bladen Journal
Battered fish are dropped into the fryer at the Dublin Peanut Festival Fish Fry held inside the General Store at Lu Mil Vineyard.
Sonny Jones / Bladen Journal
There was something fishy going on Saturday, Feb. 28 outside the General Store at Lu Mil Vineyard.
Inside, there was a serving line that included French fries, cole slaw, hush puppies, cookies and drinks.
The occasion was the annual Dublin Peanut Festival fish fry.
“This is our big fundraiser,” Peanut Festival chairman Richard Sibbett said. “All you can eat for $25. It’s our only fundraiser.”
The Dublin Peanut Festival is held on the third Saturday in September with its base at the Primary School. The 34th festival is scheduled Sept. 19. It was first held in 1993 to help raise money for the construction of the school’s multi-purpose building. The festival was postponed in 2018 because of a hurricane and 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We try to raise money (with the Festival) so we can help the community,” Sibbett said. “We have a $2,000 scholarship for our Peanut queen. We’ve got two $1,000 scholarships for West Bladen students going to Bladen Community College. We’ve done some stuff around Dublin to try to beautify it.”
A scholarship pageant is held a week prior to the festival with queens crowned in Junior Miss, Sweetheart, Teen Miss and Miss Dublin Peanut Festival.
The festival includes a parade along Albert Street, rides, car show, food and craft vendors, entertainment and, of course, boiled peanuts.
“We have something for everybody,” Sibbett said.
Meanwhile, inside Lu Mil’s General Store, a steady stream of hungry folks were filling their bellies with fried fish and all the trimmings. Others were getting plates to go.
For information about the Peanut Festival call Vicki Sibbett at 910-876-2288 or email [email protected].
Festival season will get underway in Bladen County in May with the White Lake Water Festival scheduled May 15-17. Clarkton has planned its third annual Memorial Day parade and Street Meet on May 25. Bladenboro’s BeastFest is slated for late October.
Sonny Jones can be reached at [email protected].