Festivals Celebrate Everything From Ham and Mules to Strawberries
Folks in Johnston County love a party. So, it’s no wonder there are numerous festivals throughout the year to celebrate everything from hams and yams to mules and strawberries.
Speaking of the latter, the town of Cleveland and its 800 residents welcomes out-of-town visitors each April for its annual Strawberry Festival. The variety of weekend activities culminates with a Great Strawberry Bake-Off, where amateur and professional bakers can win cash prizes for their creations.
Meanwhile, on every first weekend of May, the town of Smithfield hosts its annual Ham & Yam Festival that will enter its 26th year in 2010.
“The festival began in 1985 as a competition between Smithfield, N.C., and Smithfield, Va., to see which town made the best country hams,” says Chris Johnson, executive director for Downtown Smithfield Development Corp. “Smithfield, N.C., won two years in a row, and Smithfield, Va., never came back. But we have kept the festival going to this day.”
Scheduled events include a barbecue cook-off, Miss Ham & Yam Pageant, a 5K run called The Hog Trot, pig races, live musical entertainment, antique and classic car shows, 125 food and craft vendors and a sweet potato pie-eating contest.
Smithfield is also home to an annual Friends of the 4th Independence Day commemoration at the historical Smithfield Town Commons.
“That particular celebration includes carnival rides, games, musical entertainment and a 9:30 p.m. fireworks display along the Neuse River,” Johnson says.
During the fourth weekend of every September, the town of Benson hosts its annual Benson Mule Days, which draws as many as 70,000 spectators for rodeos, mule-pulling contests, bluegrass shows and carnival rides. Clayton also sponsors a Harvest Festival that packs Main Street with rides, food vendors, arts and crafts, and live entertainment every September.
Then in December, several local communities hold Christmas tree lightings and parades. One of the most interesting attractions during that holiday season is a weeklong Johnston County Festival of Trees.
Story by Kevin Litwin
