FESTIVAL DAY: Rain can’t dampen Peanut Butter Festival

Published 9:08 pm Monday, October 28, 2019

Only one time in its 27-year history has the Peanut Butter Festival in Brundidge been rained out. And it took a tornado and a hail storm for the Brundidge Historical Society to fold its tents.

The next year, the festival T-shirt design included the words, “Neither rain nor hail …” and a picture of a peanut dancing with a tornado.

So, when the weatherman forecast a soggy Saturday for the 28th Peanut Butter Festival on Saturday, the BHS moved forward with the attitude there’s nothing that can be done about the weather except talk about it. The festival must go on.

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BHS President Lawrence Bowden said, everything considered, the annual harvest and heritage celebration was a success.

“Any time you have an event and those who come have an enjoyable time, the event is a success,” he said. “With the weather forecast of a soggy Saturday, our crowd was down about 50 percent. But, from my perspective, the arts and crafts vendors, who took a chance on the weather, made sales and had a good day. The food vendors were well pleased. Some of them sold out by lunch. The old-time demonstrations attracted a crowd; the entertainment was excellent and everyone seemed to have a good time, the adults and the kids.”

Bowden said the Nutter Butter Parade was most affected by the forecast of rain.

“The parade was really down but that was to be expected and was understandable,” he said. “We want to thank all of those who came out and helped make the Peanut Butter Festival a fun, community event,” he said. “We appreciate all the vendors, the entertainers, the demonstrators, those who paraded, those who volunteered, our city employees and those who came to celebrate the harvest season and enjoy the fellowship of friends and neighbors.

“Participating in a festival takes a lot of work and we appreciate those who made the effort and we thank them all,” he said.

Bowden said even though the crowd was not what was expected all the time and effort was more than worthwhile

“We’ll be back next year, rain or shine,” he said.