Daffodils ready to bloom next weekend in Fremont
By Lee Williams
Published in News on March 25, 2007 2:12 AM
Spring flowers will be in full bloom as thousands gather to attend the 21st annual Daffodil Festival in Fremont this Saturday.
Rain or shine, the event, which marks the arrival of springtime, will kick off at 10 a.m. on Main Street and will wrap up at 5 p.m., said Keith Stewart, chairman of the Fremont Daffodil Committee.
In addition to the celebration of the town's signature flower, the festival will feature all the usual attractions.
"We'll have lots of arts and crafts and food," Stewart said.
Among this year's vendors is a Fremont tradition and one of Stewart's favorites. The Fremont Rotary Club will be on hand to sell its barbecue.
"I always get that," he said.
Local churches, civic groups and other vendors also will be peddling other festival must-haves like funnel cake, ice cream and lemonade.
And, of course, there will be daffodils throughout the town. The flowers are cared for throughout the year by the local garden club and other volunteers.
Royalty will also be on hand at the festival.
Miss Daffodil Abbi Davis, a 17-year-old junior at Charles B. Aycock High School, will preside.
She's a longtime Daffodil Festival veteran. She was Little Miss Daffodil in 2000.
Also on hand will be this year's newest Little Miss Daffodil, who was crowned Saturday night at the pageant at Fremont STARS schools.
The Daffodil Festival has become a tradition for Fremont area families as well as many others across the state who come to spend the day.
"They come for the music and the family and the entertainment for children," Stewart said.
He added that no one really knows from one year to the next what size crowd to expect. Some years, the festival has drawn as many as 10,000 people.
"If we have really good weather, we'll have a really good turnout," he said.
And festival-goers might even meet a few old friends.
"It's a great reunion weekend for family and friends," he said. "It's kind of an opportunity for former residents to come back to the town and revisit and see what they are missing."