Ole Timey Days nixed
By Steve Herring
Published in News on February 25, 2017 11:53 PM
SEVEN SPRINGS -- The Ole Timey Days celebration normally held on the second Saturday in May has been canceled.
What would have been the 17th annual event is the latest victim of Hurricane Matthew -- four months after the storm left most of Seven Springs, Wayne County's oldest town, under water.
The town also had to cancel its 2016 Christmas Parade that is traditionally the first held in the county each year.
The annual tree-trimming program was held, but had to be relocated to the Seven Springs Baptist Church fellowship hall.
However, town Commissioner Ronda Hughes remains hopeful that the Fourth of July celebration she sponsors with help from the town can still be held on Saturday, July 1.
Ola Mae Adams, a resident of Seven Springs from 1956 until her death in 2013, came up with the idea for the Ole Timey Days festival. Mrs. Adams ran a country store until 1990 and one of the town's favorite gathering places, Seven Springs Restaurant.
She started Ole Timey Days as a way to pull people to the town.
During the celebration the town's Main Street from N.C. 55 to the Neuse River Bridge is lined with vendors and activities during the day.
"We really would love to have it, but we just don't feel that it is safe because everything is still in such disarray," Mrs. Hughes said. "People aren't back in their houses yet. People would go plundering because people are going to be people."
Also, there are still some streets where debris remains and someone could get hurt, she said.
"When we had that meeting (with disaster relief officials), they told people it was going to be between a year to three to four years before they ever found out anything about getting their houses raised or a buyout," she said.
"So if they are on the list to get their house raised so that they can come back, they can't do any maintenance on their homes until the house is raised. That puts everybody at least a year out fixing their house if they are going to come back."
Mrs. Hughes said she hopes the festival can be held in 2018 and a Christmas parade this year.
"You don't know the time frame of everybody," Mrs. Hughes said. "It is more than just one person getting something done. It's the government, all of these individual people. It is just kind of hard to say, but I am shooting for a Christmas parade. I hope we can have it.
"I really think we need to have something that pulls the community together. I am planning on the Fourth of July celebration. That will be the first Saturday in July. It is for anyone who wants to come. We usually feed about between 250 to 300 people. It is free to anybody to come. We do hot dogs, cook a pig and everybody kind of brings a potluck. Then we shoot fireworks over the river off the bridge. It is my way to show my appreciation to the town."
Between 400 and 500 people normally come for the fireworks, she said. Rescue and fire department personnel are there as a safety precaution as well, she said.
The celebration starts at 7 p.m. and is held at the boat landing near the Neuse River bridge.
The town helps with the cost of the fireworks, she said.
Mrs. Hughes operates a store in the town that was damaged during the storm, but she and her husband are rebuilding and hope to reopen in the spring.
"Our town is coming back one way or the other," Mrs., Hughes said. "Don't count us out. We might be a little different than we were before. Nothing is wrong with change. When the town was founded there were 114, I think it was, residents."
The most recent census put the population at 111 prior to the storm, she said.
"In all those years we have only changed the amount of residents by three," Mrs. Hughes said. "The storm came through. We are starting with a clean slate, and we are going to have great things in Seven Springs.
"I don't want people to count us out. When I see Seven Springs, I see opportunity. It may not be to its original state, but I see great opportunities out there. I really think we are going to be able to come back and come back strong."