LA GRANGE — One of the premiere events in the town of La Grange will be held from Sept. 6-7.
The La Grange Chamber of Commerce will host the annual Garden Spot Festival, which has been a staple in the town for decades.
Myrtle Ruth Sutton, vice president of Community Development for the Chamber of Commerce, said the festival is a great way for people in La Grange and outside of the town to come together.
“We have a lot of people from out of town who come back here to fellowship,” Sutton said. “This is an opportunity for people to come together through music, food and fun.”
The Garden Spot Festival will begin on Friday, Sept. 6, from 7-11 p.m. The band Spare Change is scheduled to perform. On the following day — Saturday, Sept. 7 — the festival will run from 11 a.m.-11 p.m., with Backyard Groove as the headlining band.
Craig Jones, vice president of Financial Affairs for the La Grange Chamber, said the event will be fun for both children and adults.
“We’re going to have all kinds of activities,” Jones said. “We’ve got a mechanical bull ride and moon bounces. There will be vendors selling crafts and showing off ways for people to do home improvements. Also, we’ll have ice cream, snow cones, hot dogs, hamburgers and barbecue. In essence, this is everything that you see at a regular fair.”
Jones believes the Garden Spot Festival is a great way for people to have fun without spending a lot of money in the process.
“This is a good community event and very affordable,” Jones said. “We’ll be selling $2 wristbands for those who want to participate in the activities. It’s not going to break the bank and it doesn’t cost to watch the bands play or enjoy the atmosphere in general.”
Lavaron Howell, president of the La Grange Chamber and vice president of special events, has been planning the Garden Spot Festival for the past three years. Howell has witnessed quite a bit of growth in the number of festival goers and expects to see more than 6,000 at the event, more than double the population of the town.
“The enthusiasm is really high,” Howell said. “The number of people coming out seems to be growing every year.”
Those interested in sponsoring the Garden Spot Festival can call Sutton at 919-922-9522 or Chris Smith, vice president of special events at the La Grange Chamber, at 252-526-1332.
Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.