David Kennard | Bladen Journal
ELIZABETHTOWN — The 250th Anniversary Homecoming Celebration for Elizabethtown is finally happening on Saturday.
The event, postponed due to a tropical storm, will highlight the past and future of Elizabethtown on beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Cape Fear Farmers Market.
New to the event is schedule is a Veterans’ Day Ceremony as part of the opening ceremony with the East Bladen Marching Band providing the music as well as the Melvins’ All You Can Eat Hamburger Contest in the afternoon.
Several groups will perform a variety of music spanning the last century during the event, starting with the Decatur Street Beat with their Dixieland music sound from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bladen County native Brent Underwood will perform starting at 3:30 p.m. and the popular beach music and classic rock band, Rivermist, will perform 5-8 p.m.
Crowd participation is encouraged with a variety of old-fashioned contests planned to include corn shucking, hollering, whistling, and a boiled peanut eating contest sponsored by Peanut Patch and the Elizabethtown Rotary.
The Bladen County office of NC Extension will provide a perspective on farming and the agricultural history of the area while local industries will be highlighted with displays and booths during the event.
A Walking Tour of Elizabethtown Walking Tour, a guided tour through downtown, will be introduced. Tours will take place every half hour from the Farmers Market. A Tour of Churches will lead participants to various churches within the town, highlighting the history of each building and congregation. Tickets need to be picked up at the Farmers Market.
For more information on the event, contact Elizabethtown’s Director of Communications and Marketing Terri Dennison at 910-862-4368 or tdennison@elizabethtownnc.org.
The full line-up for the day is:
9 a.m. Vendors Open
10 a.m. Veterans’ Day Service & Opening Ceremony with East Bladen Marching Band (Stage)
Walking Tour of Downtown Elizabethtown – Stop at booth and sign up for timeslot.
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tour of Churches – pick up ticket and map at the Farmers Market.
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Decatur Street Beat Band (Stage Area)
Noon: Corn Shucking Contest (Contest Area)
1 p.m. Whistling Contest (Front of Stage)
2 p.m. Boiled Peanut Eating Contest (Contest Area)
Sponsored by Peanut Patch and the Elizabethtown Rotary Club
2:30 p.m. Melvins’ All You Can Eat Hamburger Contest.
– Battle of the Local High Schools competition
– Individual Competition
3 p.m. Hollering Contest – Kids & Adult divisions (Front of Stage)
3:30 p.m. Brent Underwood Band (Stage)
5-8 p.m. Rivermist (Stage)