DUBLIN – The annual peanut fest that brings thousands of people to a town with a population of just over 250 people is coming quickly.
On Sept. 21, the tiny town of Dublin will unveil their 32nd annual Dublin Peanut Festival. There has been a flurry of activity leading up to this year’s festival including an unveiling of a peanut sculpture adjacent to the Dublin Town Hall.
The project was created by Bladen County Community College as they partnered with the festival. From sweat-equity support to late-night welding to complete the project on time, the peanut was unveiled in a special ceremony Friday morning.
Dr. Amanda Lee, BCC’s president was on hand as were other teachers and administrators from the college.
“We are so excited,” Lee said. “It was a student project that was led by some very talented instructors and we are thrilled to be at this point today.”
The peanut, which sat upon the back of a pickup truck for almost a year finally had a visit from the brick mason who fashioned the brick foundation where the peanut sits proudly in downtown Dublin.
Mike Taylor from BCC was the creative genius behind the peanut.
“The entire project took probably over a month and a half,” Taylor said.
Mayor Horrace Wyatt was also on hand for the unveiling and was excited at all the commotion around town in preparation for the festival.
“I am just honored that the peanut festival saw the necessity to do something other than just having meetings and having a festival,” Wyatt said. “They have been exploring all kinds of ideas and I think it’s great for the community.”
It all began 32 years ago when there was an educational need in the community. This festival was born out of a great need and came to fruition due to a lot of hard-working people who didn’t have a “give-up” mentality when it came to things for the local kids.
“We wanted to build a gymnasium for the school,” Wyatt said. “We went to the commissioners and at that time it was very expensive. The commissioners said, ‘Tell you what we’ll do. If y’all will raise X-amount of money, we’ll match it and build it.’ We had a little doubt, but then someone mentioned having a peanut festival. So, they started a peanut festival and peanuts in the area were owned by Houston’s, but now it’s all owned by Hampton Farms. Back in the day, Houston’s was a big contributor. Mr. Houston and Irene were very adamant about having a peanut festival and doing what was good for the community. They supported it well.”
In 32 years, the festival has really grown into something special according to Wyatt.
“I’m the treasurer, so I keep up with the applications that come in,” he said. “Right now we’ve got around eight food vendors and about 40 craft vendors”
The festival itself is held on the school grounds donated graciously by the town board of education and ironic when you think about that property proposed a building that was built by the peanut festival and in turn, the peanut festival was grown out of a need for education.
“That year we raised around $30,000 and the commissioners matched our total,” Wyatt said. “We’ve had a gymnasium and since then we’ve raised monies for scholarships and different organizations and over the last 30 years have given perhaps somewhere around $80,000 into the community.”
The festival committee meets regularly in a board of education building donated to the festival staff and as for the possibility of one day having a regular brick and mortar location, Wyatt said that he didn’t see it happening any time soon, but also said that he wouldn’t rule it out.
“We haven’t discussed it,” he said. “We’ve been very fortunate that the board of education allows us to use that building and so far, it’s working out. It’s the old school building behind the school.”
Setup for the festival starts days before the actual festival begins. Wyatt said that the entire field behind the school will be designated for rides and bouncy houses.
In addition to entertainment for the kids, there will be food trucks and a stage set up where live music will be heard through town provided by several bands including the main band, “The Blackwater Band.” The music will begin after at the conclusion of the Peanut Festival parade.
“In the area back out to Highway 87, that will be filled with craft vendors,” Wyatt said. “It just tickles me to know that Dublin, with a population of 250 people, on peanut festival day there’ll be 2,000 people here. It’s good. It’s very good.”
The fire department oversees the parade which officially kicks off the festival at 10 a.m. Saturday morning. The parade will start down on the south end of Highway 87, come through Dublin, take a turn through the IGA before dispersing. The festival will run until 4 p.m.
The town, with a unique name is said to have been named by a man from Ireland.
“I’ve been told that the guy was from Ireland,” Wyatt said. “He was from Dublin, Ireland and he was coming through doing something and supposedly that’s how it came about.”
As for the grassroots festival, it has not always been without its challenges.
“We almost folded at one time,” Wyatt said. “We finally got it to come back together and I was so glad because it’s such a good thing for the community. I like to see things happen that brings the community together.”
Along with the food vendors, the star of the show for the day will be peanuts. All kinds of peanuts and apropos for the great Dublin Peanut Festival 2024.
For more information about the Dublin Peanut Festival, please visit: https://www.dublinpeanutfestival.com/
Mark DeLap is a journalist, photographer and the editor and general manager of the Bladen Journal. To email him, send a message to: [email protected]
