Seven Springs seeking vendors, re-enactors for Ole Timey Days
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on April 29, 2007 2:00 AM
SEVEN SPRINGS -- Organizers for the seventh annual Ole Timey Days Festival are looking vendors and reenactors.
The festival is set for June 9 and is being sponsored by the Seven Springs Ole Timey Days Festival Committee and the Seven Springs Area Historical Commission. The Festival Commiteee is taking vendor applications. The Historical Commission is signing up Civil War re-enactors.
The festival is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and last as long as the crowd does.
The town's Main Street will be blocked off from vehicle traffic from Easy Street to River Street, and only pedestrians will be allowed during the festival. Parking areas will be designated on the other streets, and volunteers will help point visitors in the right direction.
Mayor Steve Potter sid organizers are expected a good turnout for the event..
"We want to grow this thing this year. If we raise enough money through our barbecue cooking contest and our pie baking contest, we may be able to rent inflatables next year," he said. "In envision a county fair type atmosphere with a theme of anything ole' timey."
At 6:30 p.m., the festival's first open-air gospel sing will begin, and after dark, Civil War re-enactors will fire their cannons.
Seven Springs is the oldest town in Wayne County. It was known as Whitehall until the turn of the century.
It was also the site of a Civil War fight in 1862, a few days before the Battle of Goldsborough. Union forces en route to Goldsborough clashed with Confederate defenders -- the bluecoats on the south of the Neuse River and the Confederates on the northern bank.
Re-enactors for both sides of the war are expected to start Friday afternoon, said Karen and Bobby Mozingo of the Historical Commission. The re-enactors are scheduled to skirmish Saturday at 2 p.m. and provide night fire again at 9 p.m.
The real battle featured a huge cannonade that set many barrels of pine tar on fire, creating a fire that could be seen for miles.
"I think we'll have nine canons this year," Mozingo said. "The real battle had 48 that the Union brought with them. They were mostly on the hill at the church. They had some cannons at the Whitfield Cemetery."
A living civilian history club will be on hand to show how Wayne residents of the time performed tasks such as cooking and blacksmithing. Food vendors will have an array of foods. Hot dogs and home-baked cakes and cookies will be sold at the River House with proceeds going toward next year's festival.
The barbecue from a pig cook-off contest will be served at both ends of Main Street. The pigs for the contest have been donated, and the contestants need only bring their fire and special sauce. Each contestant will be given a half-hog to cook and chop.
There will be a pie baking contest and festival T-shirts, baseball caps and visors also will be available.
To reserve a vendor booth, call town hall at 252-569-5241. To save a spot for a re-enactment group, call the Mozingos at (252) 569-1581.