Ole' Timey Days returns to Seven Springs
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on May 12, 2018 9:13 PM
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Anna Bennett, 9, comes from behind to win the tractor race in downtown Seven Springs as the town holds its first Ole' Timey Days since the town was flooded by Hurricane Matthew.
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Shelby Penny, 2, blows bubbles at the Seven Springs Baptist Church booth Saturday during Ole' Timey Days in Seven Springs.
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Hayley Fly and Tracey Price take orders at the Seven Springs Fire Department fundraiser Saturday during Ole' Timey Days.
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People walk through the streets of Seven Springs as the town holds its first Ole' Timey Days since flooding cased by Hurricane Matthew.
For the first time since flooding brought on by Hurricane Matthew devastated the town, Seven Springs hosted its annual Ole' Timey Days festival Saturday, drawing hundreds to enjoy food, crafts and being together.
If being drowned in several feet of water is expected to permanently dampen one's spirits, it seems nobody told Seven Springs. Vendors lined the streets, with craft booths, food trucks and representatives from all kinds of Wayne County organizations available for festival guests to visit and enjoy.
Ronda Hughes, town commissioner, said that it took many hours of hard work to make the festival happen this year. Tears came to her eyes as she described the struggles the town has gone through since the flood in October of 2016.
"It means a lot to me, this town means a lot to me," she said. "We had an essay contest with the local schools where the kids had to write up the history of Seven Springs, and a lot of them ended their essays with 'I know Seven Springs will survive because it's some of the kindest, strongest people that I know.' For kids to be able to say that, it makes you happy."
The festival would have been the 18th such annual event, had the 2017 celebration not been canceled due to flooding. Ole' Timey Days was the creation of Ola Mae Adams, a town matriarch who passed away in 2013. The event is meant to celebrate the 300-year history of the town, the oldest community in Wayne County.
Hughes said that there were around 100 vendors in town on Saturday, and she expected over 1,000 people to visit Ole' Timey Days by the time the day was through.
Despite the heat ---- the temperature outside had climbed to nearly 90 degrees by 11 a.m. ---- people still walked up and down Main Street taking in the sights and sounds. At one point, a call went out for participants in a tractor race, which quickly turned out to be a race of miniature tractor-like tricycles, driven by the competitive children who answered the call.
Outside on Main Street was not the only place where people were enjoying themselves. Along the road, some of the businesses which have opened up since the flood were welcoming people inside and away from the heat.
Diane Willis, owner of Memaw's Bakery at 302 Main St., moved to Seven Springs in 2016, just two months before the hurricane hit. She opened her bakery in March of this year, making Ole' Timey Days a kind of delayed opening party for her. People crowded inside the small, one-room store to buy some of the treats at the counter, or stood outside and bought other baked goods from a stand set up on the sidewalk. Willis arrived at the bakery at 2:30 a.m. to finish making the treats to sell during the festival. She said business has been on and off since she opened.
"The 'new' in this area has worn off, but I get people from Goldsboro, people from Mount Olive, I've had them come in from Four Oaks," she said. "Beulaville, I've had a few come from Beulaville. I've had people come from everywhere."
At around 11:15 a.m., the town revived another Ole' Timey Days tradition ---- the presentation of the Gladys Potter Community Service Award. Nadine Cash, a longtime resident of Seven Springs who was forced to leave the town after it flooded during Hurricane Floyd in 1999, won the award.
"I was here when Ola Mae opened her restaurant, I started in 1980," she said. "I was with her the first Ole' Timey Days when she started it, and I was here over 30 years."
Cash said it meant a lot to her to see how well Ole' Timey Days was doing after the town was hit even harder by Hurricane Matthew.
"It's great, I just want it to build Seven Springs back up," she said. "My oldest son lives here, he's been here 20-some years. I had to leave in '99 because we flooded so bad. This is great."
The other person recognized on Saturday was Julius "Spot" Rouse, a local farmer and businessman who has spent years contributing to Seven Springs events, including Ole' Timey Days. The town dedicated this year's event in his name, which Rouse said was an honor.
"It's just a token of appreciation for me, because I've done so much for the town but the town has also done so much for me," he said. "I really like Seven Springs, I've actually been here all my life. I enjoy it, I only stay about five miles outside of town, and when they have events I try to do my best to help them."
Rouse was happy that the town had pulled together and brought back Ole' Timey Days in the wake of Matthew.
"It's hard to explain, it's just awesome to see this. It means, words can't explain, to see these people," he said. "And also, to see them go through with the Christmas parade as well, I think we had around 150 entries, it's just awesome, and it's awesome here today, it means a lot to me.