BLADENBORO — Small towns are often defined by their traditions.
For this community, one of the biggest arrives each fall when carnival rides roll into downtown, food tents line downtown and residents gather for the annual Beast Fest celebration. The town fills up and parking disappears within minutes. It seems like everyone — no matter where they’re from — shows up to crowd the streets.
But the Spring Fling is different.
While Beast Fest brings thrill and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, Spring Fling offers something quieter, something simpler.
It’s less about a grand spectacle and more about community.
“We wanted to just do something between Beast Fests, so we came up with the Spring Fling,” Beast Fest Chairman Charles Ray Peterson said. “It’s just something to bring people out to support our community.”
Children still run rampant and music still plays loudly, but the emphasis is placed on those around you.
“A lot of our local people come out and share their talents,” Terry Nance, Boost the ‘Boro president, said. “You see people that you don’t see but once or twice a year.”
That, many attendees said, is the appeal. The joy is in running into classmates you haven’t seen in years or spending time with the ones you have now.
Saturday, May 9, the energy at Spring Fling was calm. Cloudy skies offered cool weather, perfect for perusing vendor booths full of local homemade crafts. For some, it was their first time setting up. Others had been doing it for years. No matter how long, the consensus was this: community is essential.
Custom cup maker Lynn Barnes stated her favorite aspect of the event is just seeing and talking to people.
“[The Spring Fling] means everything,” Peterson said. “We’re trying to rebuild our little community. The goal is to put pride back into our community and get people involved.”
And throughout downtown Saturday, that sense of involvement was easy to see.
Local businesses gathered to sell homemade treats and food. Children chased one another through crowds while parents caught up while sitting on the bleachers. Volunteers greeted customers by name. Police stopped to chat with residents.
Many even took the main stage to show off their talents. A girl covering “Landslide” could be heard flowing through the event while the smell of hot turkey legs drifted from food stands.
Bladenboro native Caitlyn Davis, alongside her pups Loki and Cooper, wowed the crowd with a performance. The pair jumped on Davis’ back and stood up on their hind legs. This was her second year participating in the Spring Fling with her dog show, after learning from YouTube videos over ten years ago.
“It’s nerve-racking, but it’s fun,” Davis said. “We just love what we do, making people happy.”
Thomas Road Band played on stage later in the evening, following a Hula Hoop contest that consisted of four rounds with one young contestant ultimately winning.
Across the street, there was a small vintage car show, with a group of men resting together in folded lawn chairs, conversing over the raised hoods of classic cars, drinks in hand.
“I get to see my old buddies, and see what kind of new cars they might have, and if they still got their old cars,” David Boswell said, sitting next to a firetruck-red 1985 Chevy short-bed truck.
These small moments reflected the atmosphere of familiarity that defined the festival. In small towns, where daily life can feel routine and increasingly busy, events like Spring Fling offer more than entertainment. They provide an opportunity to take a breath and slow down long enough to reconnect.
“We don’t make much money on this event, but we do it to get people to come out,” Nance said. “It’s just a good sense of community.”
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