ROBBINS FARMERS DAY 57th Annual August 2-4
Sunday, July 29, 2012
PAGE 2
THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
57TH ANNUAL ROBBINS FARMERS DAY SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Thursday, August 2
Carnival Rides and Midway
The Railroad Stage
Friday 6 p.m. until midnight Saturday noon until midnight
Farmers Day 5K Run/Walk. 6 p.m. Registration 7 p.m. Race Starts 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
7 p.m. 10:15 p.m.
Farmers Day Parade
4 p.m.
Parade of Tractors
The Fidelity Bank Stage
Hale Artificier Fireworks
12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The Railroad Stage 6 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Blue Horizon, Candor, N.C.
9 p.m. to midnight
The Jason Adamo Band, Raleigh, N.C.
8 p.m. to midnight
7:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. Quicksilver Cloggers, Robbins, N.C. Southern Express Cloggers, Albemarle, N.C.
The Sand Band and Terri Gore, North Carolina
12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
The Fidelity Bank Stage The Ingrams, West End, N.C.
The Post Office Stage 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
William Willard & The Van Haggard Band, Rockingham, N.C.
The Railroad Stage
Middleton Street
8 p.m. to midnight
The Post Office Stage
Middleton Street 11 a.m.
Fifth Annual Fire Fighter Challenge
6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. His Choice, Lexington, N.C. Victoria Huggins, St. Pauls, N.C. Down East Boys, Reidsville, N.C.
Saturday, August 4
Solid Foundation, High Point, N.C.
Friday, August 3
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tractor Parade Trophy Presentation
Eastwood Hawk, Moore County, N.C.
Recognition
Presentation 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
TROPHIES • PLAQUES ENGRAVING GLASS • GIFT ITEMS
Tony Barnes, West End, N.C. Welcome, Prayer and National Anthem Miss Moore County 2011 Summer Hennings Wagon Master Odell Hussey Parade Trophies Tony Barnes, West End, N.C.
8 p.m. to midnight Almost Perfect, Seven Lakes, N.C. Johnny and the Cadillacs, Robbins, N.C.
Special Entertainment 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. South Atlantic Woodsmen’s Association Lumberjack Competition 12:45 p.m.
Mule Coon Jump, Carolina Mule Association
Antique Tractor and Farm Equipment Show 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tractors and Antique Farm Equipment Demonstrations
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY • Train Rides on Main Street • Various Arts and Crafts • Horse Tack • Food Booths • Pony Rides • Pottery Turning
SATURDAY • Mechanical Bull • Carnival Rides • Demonstrations by Guitar Makers, Metal Engravers, Gunsmiths
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PAGE 3
57th Festival Promises to Be Biggest, Best Yet BY JARIUS M. GARNER Robbins Farmers Day Chairman
Come join us Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, for the 57th annual Farmers Day celebration as music fills the air in downtown Robbins with a night of great entertainment, featuring bluegrass and gospel music at its best. New for this year, we will have our first-ever Farmers Day 5K Run/Walk. The race will be part trail and part road, starting at 7 p.m. Stroll down the streets of Robbins Friday, Aug. 3, as events kick off at 6 p.m. with foot-stomping bluegrass bands and cloggers kicking up their heels. Friday, we will feature our exciting firemen competition with various fire departments participating in time agility events for top rankings and the coveted best overall award. Don’t miss the eclectic sounds and classic soul of The Jason Adamo Band as they rock the main stage from 9 p.m. to midnight. Friday night at 10:15 p.m., look up as the sky explodes over Robbins with the largest fireworks display in the history of the event. Friday and Saturday, the streets fill with artisans and crafters, horse tack, pony rides, pottery turning and train rides. Food booths with their great aromas from such festival favorites as bloomin’ onions, funnel cakes, hamburgers, hot dogs, barbecue, baked potatoes, cotton candy, candy apples, GLENN M. SIDES/The Pilot
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PAGE 4
57th Festival From Page 3
homemade ice cream, frozen lemonade and kettle corn should not be missed. Saturday morning, Aug. 4th, Robbins is bursting with excitement as the 57th annual Farmers Day Parade begins! See a variety of more than 400 horses, mules and wagons parade up Middleton Street, starting at 11 a.m. with more than 30,000 spectators cheering them on. The parade will include Miss North Carolina Arlie Honeycutt and Miss Moore County Summer Hennings with trophies presented to the proud winners in 21 categories. As the parade ends, the town will be jumping with musical entertainment. Carnival and kiddie rides, rock wall climbing and a moonwalk will be enjoyable for the children. Enjoy watching guitar makers and gunsmithing. The Carolina Mule Association will present the traditional crowd-pleasing mule jump competition. Horses will demon-
THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
Top 20 Event The annual Robbins Farmers Day, scheduled for Aug. 2-4 this year, has once again been voted one of the Top 20 Events by the Southeast Tourism Society. The best events across the Southeast compete to receive the prestigious Top 20 Events designation. Through a nomination process, Southeast Tourism Society chooses the Top 20 Events in the Southeast for each month of the year. For more information and the other Top 20 Events, visit www.southeasttourism.org/ Top20Events.cfm. strate log pulling and log stacking. Saturday, we present our fastgrowing Antique Tractor Show with an Antique Tractor Parade beginning at 4 p.m., featuring more than 100 entries. Many pieces of antique equipment will be on display and
demonstrated during the day. Our crowd-pleasing lumberjack competition, put on by the South Atlantic Woodsmen’s Association, will be back this year as lumberjacks display their skills with axes, crosscut saws and more. Don’t be late as the wood and sawdust hit the air. Music blasts throughout the streets from three stages located within the town with new bluegrass, gospel, light rock, beach and country-western bands. Also Saturday night, several spectacular national gospel groups will perform, including the Down East Boys, His Choice and “American Idol” contestant Victoria Huggins, from Saint Pauls, N.C. Come and enjoy the great family entertainment. Don’t miss the many unmentioned special events and attractions featured during the 57th anniversary. All entertainment is provided at no charge, except for rides, thanks to all our great sponsors. For more information, visit our Web page at www.robbinsfarmersday.com.
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
On the Cover The 57th annual Robbins Farmers Day will be the 20th year that Odell Hussey has served as the parade’s wagon master.
About This Issue The Pilot publishes the Robbins Farmers Day special section annually. Cover Photograph: Glenn M. Sides Supplement and Cover Design/Layout Martha J. Henderson, Special Sections Editor Contributing Writers Kirsten Ballard, Sarah Brown, Jarius Garner, Katherine Smith, Andrew Soboeiro and Michael Sol Warren Contributing Photographers Glenn M. Sides, Johnsie Tipton, Pat Taylor and Tobe Brown For advertising information, contact Johnsie Tipton at (910) 693-2515.
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Copyright 2012
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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
Vendors Galore! Robbins Farmers Day expand the number of has always offered booths available,” says attendees a wide and varJarius Garner, Farmers ied selection of vendors Day chairman. “This year, selling everything from we’ll have the biggest fried group of brownarts and ies and crafts funnel vendors cakes to that pottery we’ve and Tever shirts. had. PHOTOS BY GLENN M. SIDES AND For the And, for (INSET) PAT TAYLOR/The Pilot 57th those edition of the event, festiwho wanted it, the val organizers have kicked bloomin’ onions are back.” up the fun, adding more Vendors will be open booths than ever before. Friday, Aug. 3, from 6 p.m. “We had such a demand to midnight and Saturday, from people wanting to Aug. 4, from 9 a.m. to midcome that we had to night.
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PAGE 5
Groundbreaking Is Dream Come True BY KIRSTEN BALLARD Staff Writer
What was a distant dream five years ago is finally becoming a reality for the Robbins Volunteer Fire Department, as they prepare to break ground on their new station at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 2. Chief Jarius Garner is excited to finally see the project get under way. The process has taken five to six years so far. A grant from the USDA helped push the project forward and now the department looks forward to seeing physical results. “It’s like a dream come true for us. We’ve been waiting a long time,” says Garner. The Robbins station will be the last in Moore County to be redone. The station currently in use is 57 years old. “We’ve just been making do,” says Garner.
The new facility, at 301 Branson Circle, will have a larger bay for the trucks. The 10,000-square-foot building will have ample room for training, offices and the equipment. Garner also looks forward to having the capacity to be prepared for disasters. “It’s gonna be really great for the community. We can continue to operate in case of disaster.” The dream station has been a long time coming, and contractors promise it could be done as early as February depending on weather. The ground breaking will kick off Farmers Day, a happy coincidence. “It wasn’t really planned, it just ended up that it finished up at this time,” says Garner. “[The groundbreaking] is a great day for us and for all the emergency services,” says Garner.
PAGE 6
THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
Blue Horizon Band — Definitely Southern, Definitely Storytellers BY KATHERINE SMITH Special to The Pilot
A blue horizon can be seen from almost anywhere. It can be the v-shaped dips in a mountain skyline, the dusky vanishing point of the Texas flatlands, or even the skyline in a smoggy city. But when the members of Blue Horizon decided to give their band this name, it was just because they “wanted something original,” says Philip Hearne, the band’s lead singer and guitarist. Their music fools listeners into believing the name was intentional, though. Their music is equally as natural and nearly ubiquitous. Blue Horizon will play at Robbins
Farmers Day Friday, Aug. 3, from 6 to 8:45 p.m. on the Railroad Stage. Along with Hearne, the group consists of his brother Joel Hearne (lead tenor vocals and bass), Rodney Haywood (tenor vocals, banjo), Justin Dunn (mandolin), Tim Furr (baritone vocals, Dobro, fiddle) and Micheal McDonald (sound engineer, bus driver). The members all live within 10 miles of Candor. They all waved each other in and out of churches, fiddlers conventions and private parties before tacking together a band 11 years ago. “We get along like brothers,” Philip Hearne says. “We just got together to learn songs and practice a lot. It wasn’t difficult, because we all play instruments
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between our toes, and that warm summer air. If I can get back home tonight, I’ll always let you know you mean more From Page 6 to me than the call of the road.” About half their music is as old-time gospel as tent meetings “It’s traditional Philip Hearne says that their music is bluegrass with a heavenly influence,” “definitely Southern. You know, we like Philip Hearne says. “There’s a lot of to tell stories with our songs. And church music in our backgrounds.” bluegrass is a down-home acoustic And church is a lot of what the six version of that story.” stand for. Their website bios And endlessly related to include their family major life events. members, hometowns, hob“She took all the love that bies and church names — an a poor boy can give her, and idea of what they each stand left me to die like a fox on for. the run,” is a line from their “We put on a good show and original song “Fox on the want people to be enterRun.” tained,” Philip Hearne says. “Before the Cold Wind “But we also want this to Blows” lyrics hint at an old touch their spirit. They can Philip Hearne western prodigal. “The river hear the message — a gospel rolls on like an endless ribmessage and stories about bon. The sunlight glistens on life, love and every day.” the rocks below. He can “It’s been a few years since hear her voice in the rippling water. we’ve been down to Robbins,” he says. Saying ‘Please be home before the cold “We’re excited about coming down winds blow.’” there to play again and see a lot of old “Call of the Road” exposes their friends.” priorities with lyrics “I miss that old For more information, visit porch swing that we used to share, dirt bluehorizonband.com.
“We put on a good show and want people to be entertained.”
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PAGE 7
Farmers Day to Host Inaugural 5K Run/Walk BY MICHAEL SOL WARREN Special to The Pilot
Runners and walkers will stride into the 57th renewal of Robbins Farmers Day on Thursday, Aug. 2, with the inaugural running of the Farmers Day 5K Run/Walk. All proceeds from the race will go to support the Robbins Fire Department. “We always like helping the fire department,” said William McDuffie, director of the Bear Creek Race Series. “Hopefully, we can get 50 to 100 people to the race and send a decent amount of money to them.” The Farmers Day 5K is the fourth event in the Bear Creek Race Series. The fifth and final event of the series will be the Bear Creek Pumpkin Run on Oct. 21. The Bear Creek Race Series consists of both paddle races and running events, and is held to determine the Robbins Outdoor Athlete of the Year. Currently, Alan Bumgarner leads the men and Beth Lyerly leads the women in the race for the
titles. The scenic race course begins in front of Robbins City Hall. Runners will then exit, following the Bear Creek trail out of town and run a loop around the Charlie B. Brooks Reservoir, before returning to city hall for the finish. Race day registration and number pickup will begin at 6 p.m. in the city hall parking lot. Those who would like to preregister can email their name, gender and age to McDuffie at wlrmcduffie@gmail.com. Preegistered entrants will still need to pay the entry on race day. Registration is $15 to enter, and $25 to enter and receive a race shirt. The race begins at 7 p.m. “Since the race is on a Thursday and people have to work, we had to put it at night,” McDuffie said. “We’re hoping that after a day of work, people will want to blow off a little steam with the 5K.”
PAGE 8
THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
Cloggers Bring Their Own Style to Farmers Day BY ANDREW SOBOEIRO Staff Writer
A clog is not always a threat to sinks. At Farmers Day, the Quicksilver Cloggers and the Southern Express Cloggers will perform their clog dance routine from 7:30 pm to 10:15 p.m. They will switch off every half hour. The principal sponsor of the event is the local branch of U.S. Cellular.
Clogging vs. Tapping
At first glance, clogging resembles tap, but there are some key differences. “One is the shoes,” says Sarah Daffron, of the Quicksilver Cloggers. “A tap shoe has a solid tap, while a clogging shoe has a jingle tap. It has two pieces — one that’s fixed to the shoe and another that’s loose. When you click your feet, it makes a jingle sound.” The steps are largely the same for clogging and for tap, though they have different names. “The dances for clogging are more traditional kinds, set to traditional music,” says Daffron.
she started calling around to see who’d be interested. There weren’t many [clog] groups around at the time. … We’ve been dancing for maybe 14 or 15 years.” The Quicksilver Cloggers is not a competitive group. While individual members compete, the group as a whole exists principally to have fun and entertain the audience. “We do dance competitively at the State Fair, but we mainly dance for fun and entertainment,” says Daffron. “I’m just content to be part of the group,” says Garner. “I get my time on stage, and it’s a lot of fun.” Perhaps most importantly, the Quicksilver Cloggers fosters close friendships.
Quicksilver Cloggers
The Quicksilver Cloggers, made up of seven women, hail from Robbins. Founded by Aileen Garner, they travel around the Sandhills area, performing at fiddlers’ conventions, nursing homes, The Quicksilver Cloggers farm festivals and Autumnfest. They come from all walks of life: “We’re sisters,” says Lou Smith, receptionists, civil servants, administrators describing her fellow dancers. “We love and retirees, to name just a few. each other. When we have a chance to go “It’s hard to say exactly when we somewhere together, we laugh and cut up started,” says Jennifer Garner. “It started and just have a wonderful time. … I could as just a group of dancers Aileen knew, so never imagine not having them in my life.”
Southern Express Cloggers Southern Express Cloggers is from Albemarle, outside the county. “We’ve been a team for well over 25 years,” says Evette Austin, the director. “We dance at the Circle G Lilesdille Rodeo, at the Badin Festival in Stanly County, and
Southern Express Cloggers at local nursing homes, and we’re available if anyone needs some good, family-friendly entertainment.” Austin explains that Southern Express is much larger and more diverse than the Quicksilver Cloggers. “It’s family-oriented,” she says. “We have a lot of parents, children and grandparents. … We have at least 24 members; we have them from 6 years old to into their 60s, so that’s a nice range.”
Complementary Relationship The two groups have a long history of performing together. They have a complementary relationship; at Farmers Day, they will switch off every half hour so that each group has a chance to rest. “[Southern Express] has always
performed alongside Quicksilver,” says Daffron. “Clogging is high-energy, so it’s hard to keep up the pace for more than 30 minutes at a time. Working with them lets us entertain the crowd without getting too tired.” Besides providing entertainment, these cloggers hope to attract their audience to begin clogging. “If you haven’t tried it, you ought to, because you’ll like it,” says Daffron. “It’s just fun, and you don’t have to do it like anybody else,” says Smith. “You can form your own style as you learn the basics. It’s not the easiest thing, but once you’ve got it, you’ve got it. … It’s also great exercise; sure beats going to the gym.” Clogging can also be a gateway dance: “In 1984, I took clogging lessons and have been hooked ever since,” says Daffron. “Now I’m teaching three dance classes in a local studio: one on beginners’ clogging, one on line dancing, and one on ZOG, which means Zumba for Oldies but Goodies.” Both groups look forward to performing at Farmers Day. Though they are welcomed all over the state, the town of Robbins is particularly accommodating to their work. “Some places you go, the crowds don’t understand clogging,” says Garner. “People are more familiar with tap, so they don’t know how to react to us. In Robbins, it fits. The people know what clogging is and enjoy it more. They ask us to come back every year.” “Farmers Day is a great time,” says Austin. “The people are always very nice and hospitable, and we always have a good crowd.”
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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
PAGE 9
Fire Fighter Challenge Heats Up Farmers Day BY KRISTEN BALLARD Staff Writer
Stop, drop and roll on over to watch the fifth annual Fire Fighter Challenge at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3. The teams will compete in five challenges to prove their prowess in
firefighting. Event Organizer Lt. Jeffrey Chriscoe suspects there will be upward of nine teams competing in the events. The event is a somewhat new addition to Farmers Day and has gained in popularity. “It’s bragging rights,” says Chriscoe.
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Chriscoe has set up and officiated the Fire Fighter Challenge since it began five years ago. “Five years ago, we wanted to try something new so we got together and thought this would be a good thing to do,” says Chriscoe. The Robbins Fire Department created the event because it was looking for something new to contribute to the Farmers Day festivities. They used their own experiences as inspiration. The Robbins Fire Department has participated in similar challenges in Moore, Randolph and Brunswick counties. The Farmers Day Challenge consists of five tests: the Rescue Randy Drag, the Hammer Sled, the Hose Advance, the Quick Dress and the Truck Connect. Each competition mimics reallife situations that firefighters face during a crisis. They are designed to test the firefighters’ skills and fitness levels under extreme circumstances. I In the Rescue Randy Drag, participants will drag a 200pound dummy 100 feet, similar to
rescuing someone from a building. I The Hammer Sled prepares firefighters to forcefully enter a structure — they must drive a sled with about 75 pounds of weight forward and back by hitting it with a 10-pound sledge hammer. I The Quick Dress tests how fast firefighters can put on all of their gear. I In the Hose Advance, participants must drag 150 feet of line, charged and pressurized with water, 100 feet and then shoot at a target. I The Truck Connect times how fast firefighters can hook a hose up to the truck and then drag it 75 feet. All competitions are done while wearing full gear, which weighs around 40 to 50 pounds. The Top Gun challenge is a combination of all five parts. “That’s tough. It puts a big strain on your body. It makes or breaks you,” says Chriscoe. Chriscoe looks to switch the competition up next year. “It’s been a great success but next year we’ll work on adding a different event,” said Chriscoe.
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PAGE 10
THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
Fireworks to Create Art in the Skies Above Robbins BY KATHERINE SMITH Special to The Pilot
To the observer, fireworks overload the senses. The shell pierces upward in the sky with a bomb call. It explodes into a star of color. It fizzes downward like the tendrils of a jellyfish. And repeats. But, for the lighter, all attention is focused on the smoldering on the ground. “All of my guys actually appreciate getting to go watch a fireworks show once in a while,� says Jeff Hale, of Hale Artificier. “Everyone is busy watching everyone else’s back.� Hale Artificier will conduct the Robbins Farmers Day fireworks show on Friday, Aug. 3, at 10:15 p.m. Hale bypassed the typical “what-I wantto-be-when-I-grow-up� stage because pyrotechnician seemed to choose him as its front. “I almost burnt my daddy’s house down when I was 9 years old,� he laughs. Hale received an unpleasant trip to the woodshed and, soon after, a manufacturers license to do what his fingers itched for — build fireworks.
“I’ve loved fireworks all my life,� says Hale, who has been in the business for 28 years. He conducted fireworks shows while a general manager at an outdoor campground, did professional fireworks displays as an independent contractor and worked with worldwide companies, before 1997, when he incorporated his own company, Hale Artificier. It is based in Lexington and trucks to venues in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. With only 334 fireworks manufacturers, competition is tight in the U.S. However, with many of China’s workers demanding a 20 percent increase in wages, the U.S. is expecting to see more local manufacturing. “We’re going to see a definite increase (in fireworks manufacturing) in the next 10 years,� Hale says. He is not planning to expand his 30-acre facility; however, he did hire more employees to his now 99 person staff.
History of Fireworks Green bamboo thrown into a fire is likely the predecessor of firecrackers.
Because bamboo grows so fast, pockets of air get trapped in the hollow reeds, an ideal compartment for combustion. The Chinese, patrons of firework shows, called this pao chuk, and practiced it during the lunar New Year to scare away the evil spirit Nian. An alchemical mix, called “fire drug,� began to be rammed into bamboo shoots to produce a much more powerful explosion, performed for good luck during births, weddings, coronations and, inevitably, in war. The Italians were star struck by the firecrackers that Marco Polo brought back from his expeditions. They began using the fireworks as an art form in the Renaissance era. It was about this time that the word “artificier,� meaning “fireworks maker,� came into common vocabulary. “It’s ‘ahr-tif-iss-ee-air,’� Hale says. An old word, but “even still, on some of the fireworks I bring in, there is an ART number, short for artificier.�
see FIREWORKS, page 11
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“It is a true art form that encompasses all your senses,” he says. “You can see it and you can hear it and you can feel it and you can smell it. I pick the palette of colors myself, so to speak. The operators use their own creativity to control the presentation and the order. “It’s pretty exciting to have the freedom in this great country to exercise our own art form.” Although the Robbins Farmers Day weekend is a smaller event, Hale has been working since the winter months to piece together the permits, license and shells for the celebrated show. “Since the beginning, I felt like North Carolina needed a local representation of the fireworks industry,” Hale says. “It makes a lot of people happy. When there’s a crowd of 20,000 to 30,000 people saying ‘Wow!’ at the same time, that’s really neat.” The party is rumored to reach that number, as last year, more than 30,000 people attended the three days of festivities. Hale says that the size of the show will be the same as last year, but this year they will incorporate pastel colors like “grass green, sea blue, lemon, pink and orange.” Regardless of Robbins’ modest size and the state’s considerations of budget cuts and taxes, Hale Artificier hopes to commission another fiery show worth remembering. “We try to make use of all the unique effects, from the smallest displays to the largest choreographed pyro musicals,” Hale says. “We try to create as large of a variety of fireworks as we can. “Fireworks are relatively expensive. We work with many small town displays that
PAGE 11 big companies wouldn’t touch because they’re not as profitable. Small town displays are so important though.” He continues to explain a noticeable pattern in communities’ inclusion of the discretionary fireworks expense in their budgets, and a heightening attendance. “There’s not only the loyalty I have had with Robbins for many years, but people aren’t making that extra trip to the beach or the mountains because they can’t afford it,” Hale says. “Small fairs, festivals and concerts are still happening for the local folks. I try to have each field tech do shows in their own town. They all love fireworks and are proud to put on a great show for their community.”
Safety First, Then Brilliant Show Hale’s involvement will begin in the early afternoon on Friday when precautions are taken to ensure the safety of visitors, along with the tradition. “We are a highly regulated industry because we’re dealing with energetic materials,” Hale says. An approved road flare, safety cap and time device are used to ensure a systematic production, while protective equipment and a secured area is mandated for the safety of the operators and the public, which Hale affirms is of paramount importance. “There is just as much training required for a small-town show as a show for the Washington Monument,” he says. The second ambition, of course, is to produce a brilliant show to close or kick off the night. Attending the wide-eyed children and love-heady couples beneath handpicked splashes of light is the soaring relief of the daily grind. The “oohs and ahs” are a reflection of the release from a work week’s stress into the night sky. “We need to give back to our people because everybody is hurting right now,” Hale says. His contribution is an nontraditional but merry art form — where “the sky is canvas and fire is paint.”
PAGE 12
THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
Eastwood Hawk to Perform at Farmers Day BY ANDREW SOBOEIRO Staff Writer
Eastwood Hawk has an evening of cover songs in store for Robbins Farmers Day. The band will perform on the Robbins Post Office stage from 8 until 11:30 p.m Friday, Aug. 3. “We played there once, maybe three years ago,” says drummer Cecil Monroe. “Normally, they don’t really have ‘rock’ bands, which is what we are, but a few years ago, I talked to the guys who helped put it on and they said they’d have a separate stage for us.” Monroe believes that Eastwood Hawk was included to appeal to youth. “For a while, the kids created traffic problems,” he says. “There’s nothing wrong with country music, but you needed something to bridge the generation gap. … We enjoyed it, and it went really well, much bigger than anticipated.” Eastwood Hawk began 40 years ago, the brainchild of Tony Richardson and Neal Delaney. “Neil Delaney was a good friend of mine
COURTESY OF EASTWOOD HAWK
Eastwood Hawk takes the stage at Robbins Farmers Day at 8 p.m. Friday. from Connecticut,” says Richardson. “He was a drummer, and he had a little house band. He got the two of us together, along with Tommy Whitesell, and we started it.”
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Whitesell and Monroe were close friends, and Monroe quickly became involved in the new band. “With the exception of one band I’ve
played in, Tommy and I have always been in the same bands,” says Monroe. When the group began, Southern Pines had a vibrant nightlife. “There were great clubs for bands to play in back then,” says Monroe. “Not like today where they just spin CDs. We hit it hard for years, might have played three or four nights a week. Since then we’ve all gone different ways, but if people want Eastwood Hawk, we get together and play. It’s like riding a bike: You never forget it.” Eastwood Hawk is a cover band, playing songs by other groups rather than writing its own. In particular, the group plays music from the ’60s and ’70s. “If you listen to music from the ’70s, you notice how positive it is,” says Richardson. “It was about people liking one another, how they can’t wait to see or dance with each other, that sort of thing. Nowadays the music is unbelievable: [it’s about] suicide, rape and murder. It’s still great music, but it’s just horrible.”
see EASTWOOD HAWK, page 14
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
PAGE 13
Annual Horse Parade Honors Robbins’ History BY SARAH BROWN Staff Writer
A chorus of clips and clops will ring throughout downtown Robbins as horses, ponies, donkeys and mules of many a different color strut their stuff in the 57th annual Farmers Day horse parade. Beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, the 400-plus wagons will wind their way along a few side roads, past where the old Robbins Mill used to stand, and finish on Main Street at the downtown post office. A large number of factors bring people back to Farmers Day and the horse parade each year, according to Farmers Day chairman Jarius Garner. “For some, it’s a homecoming,” he says. “For others, it’s an opportunity to see these horses, farm equipment and wagons from long ago that you don’t see on the street anymore.” The history that the parade represents makes Farmers Day unique — especially for the younger generation, who never saw the way Robbins used to be, notes Garner. “It’s a way for people to learn about the ways of the past,” he says. Wagon master Odell Hussey represents an integral part of that history. He has been present at every horse parade since Farmers Day began in 1955.
see HORSE PARADE, page 14
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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
Eastwood From Page 12
Over the years, the band has grown in popularity. Its exploits include Harold’s Home Town Boogies, the Greensboro Coliseum during the ACC Tournament, and the NCAA Eastern Regional Championship. It has partnered with Doc Holliday and with Nantucket. “We’ve done some big things for a cover band,” says Monroe. “Especially for one with no website. … It was all through word of mouth.” In true celebrity fashion, Eastwood Hawk has taken to activism, promoting local causes in particular. “We’ve played for Relay for Life,” says Monroe. “We almost always do stuff if there’s something in the county, a benefit for a local person. It boils down to who asks us.” The band’s members are all
accomplished musicians. Some of them would gladly play professionally if they thought they could make a living. “If the money was there, I would,” says Richardson. “If somebody would pay me enough money to survive just to play music in their club every night, I’d take that gig. No club has that kind of money anymore, though.” Ultimately, it’s all about entertainment: both for the audience, and for the musicians themselves. “Once I walk on stage, I start having a great time,” says Richardson. “I play a lot of parties and pig pickin’s and birthdays, and people have said verbatim that they love going to bars just to hear us play. That makes me feel good.” “We’re just having fun,” says Monroe. “We’re just a bunch of guys who like playing. We’re really good musicians all of us, and we work well together.”
Horse Parade From Page 13
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
new,” he says. “But leaving it as is lets it match its age better.”
‘Parade Route’
For the first 37 years of the parade Hussey rode as second in command behind his father, original wagon master Curtis Hussey. This year’s renewal marks the 20th time that the younger Hussey will take the lead. The covered wagon Hussey will drive has a rich history of its own. He estimates it to be about 112 years old. Jonah Maness, Hussey’s uncle, bought it in Carthage at the Tyson and Jones Buggy Shop in 1906, and once Maness passed away, Hussey’s father inherited the rig. Incredibly, the wagon has needed virtually no repair work over the years, outside of a few replaced spokes. It does show its age in other ways, however. Much of the color has faded, and Hussey says some people have told him to repaint it. “If I paint the wagon, that’ll make it look like today’s wagon, like it’s
Part of the parade route takes the wagons by the old Robbins Mill site, which churned and manufactured textiles for much of the 1900s. Formerly known as Milliken’s Mill, the structure burned down almost five years ago. Hussey remembers when the mill used to thrive, employing more than a thousand workers and running six or seven days a week. “Now I don’t know what’s going to happen there. There’s not much surviving,” he says, a touch of sadness in his voice. As the wagons and buggies continue through the downtown area, Hussey will stop near where the new Robbins Fire Department is to be built and prove his farming prowess to the crowd. “I’ll snake a few logs with Clip and Clipper, just to prove I still can,” he says.
‘Horses First’ Over the years, cars were added
into the parade lineup, although Hussey notes that they are always relegated to the rear of the procession. “It’s still the horses first, and it will remain that way as long as I’m at the head of it,” Hussey says. It used to be more difficult for locals to come to Farmers Day and participate in the parade. Many people couldn’t afford to take time off from work at home and at the mills, which were often in business seven days a week. “Everybody had a job,” Hussey says. “And everybody had money. But then (the agriculture and manufacturing industry) started dragging. People were getting laid off and getting their hours cut.” The world might not be exactly as Hussey remembers it, and some aspects of the parade may have evolved as time has passed, but Hussey is adamant about the treasured event’s role in that evolution. “Everything has changed, but the parade and the Farmers Day has stayed the same.”
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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
PAGE 15
West End’s Barnes Follows His Own Musical Path BY KATHERINE SMITH Special to The Pilot
Tony Barnes staples into country music, but his smalltown humility and located faith in God give him humble rarity. “When I’m not playing music, I’m fishing,” he says on his way home from a Wilmington fishing trip. Songs on his solo album, “Tony Barnes,” contrast between Mexican beach music and tributes to his late cousin and dear friend. Barnes will be performing Saturday, Aug. 4, from noon to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. on the Railroad Stage at Robbins Farmers Day. West End was the backyard for Barnes and his 6-month-elder cousin, Matt Barnes. The two began playing guitar when they were 14, Tony following Matt’s lead before taking private lessons and teaching himself. “I remember going to Matt’s garage, and he would be playing this Lynard Skynard “‘Free Bird’ documentary,” Barnes says. “We’d sit around and play music, and then watch the documentary. We did that so many times, because we wanted to figure out how they did it; how this works.” In 2002, Tony Barnes and family friends Jeff and Ryan Harris moved to Nashville to deal their new band, McKenzies Mill. Matt Barnes could not complete the group that had played in a four-piece band for years. He was in the Marine Reserves and had to be in Tony Barnes Raleigh for one weekend a month. “For two years, we didn’t talk at all,” Barnes says. “Then we had this show, opening for Diamond Rio in Charlotte, and Matt showed up, grinning from ear to ear.” Matt Barnes filmed much of the sunny raucous weekend that he spent with the band. He came to another opening in Charlotte the next weekend. “He called me in the middle of the next week,” Barnes says. “We talked on the phone for 25 minutes, the longest ever. Right before we got off the phone, he said ‘I love you,’
and I said ‘I love you.’ That was the first time we had ever said that to each other. He died in a traffic accident the next night.” Death’s weight clung heavy to Barnes. It jostled him to write “Houston,” a tribute song to Matt Houston Barnes. The song thunders with the loathing of shock, until the staggering lines “But often times I lie and dream. And you’re lost when you ought not be.
But then I feel you shining down on me and I know that we must roll.” It closes with the unremitting but accepting sadness — “The songs were never written, the stories never told, you left it up to me to tell it all alone. I hope I did you justice. I hope I made you proud.” Barnes pulled together a tribute album for his friends and family a year after his cousin’s death. “They said ‘You know, you sort of sound like him,’” he says. “That was the inspiration for me to start singing. I just wish he was here to see all of this.”
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Since then, Nashville’s luster became pallid to Barnes. “I feel like, in one way, that ‘wanting to be famous thing’ was fulfilled,” he says. “I lived broke for five years and loved it. But now there’s no more aspiration to be famous. I just want to make a living.” Barnes is now one of many middle-class middle-road musicians who can probably be grouped in America’s largest industry of service. “I get to travel and do what I love,” he says. “It’s stressful, but it’s an honest living, and it’s the best job I’ve ever had.” He has foot-slogged through 10 Southern states on his guitar. He settled in his own direction after a salty summer of playing music full-time at the Isla Grand Beach Resort in 2010 in South Padre Island, Texas. He packed up his Mitsubishi for what he calls his “Jimmy Buffett experience,” and mentions it in his song “So What, I’m Drunk.” “I play fun songs, funny songs, you know. They’re not going to change the world, but you’ll dig them,” he says. “I play songs the way they feel good to me.” This doesn’t imply a lack of depth as seen in songs like “Houston,” “Life” and “Ride on Brother.” It does tint his multiple cover songs with what he calls “folky pop,” like his cover of “Wagon Wheel.” He’s won contests, like by his “Push and Pull” instrumental in honor of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s birthday, a tribute that won him Broadjam.com’s guitar solo contest. “My ultimate dream is to write music and sell it to other musicians,” he says. “I write for myself and I enjoy playing, but I don’t really consider myself a front man.” At Robbins Farmers Day, Barnes will be accompanied by his harmonica player, Charles “Truck Sugar” Starcher. “My biggest inspirations and support are my parents, Lloyd and Barbara Barnes,” he says. “I’d also like to thank my friend Daniel Wescott for helping me out so much on the website and with the T-shirts. “I’m not trying to sell my persona when I play a show,” he says. “I’m just looking forward to being so close to my hometown to play for everybody. I just hope everybody who comes out has a good time.” For more information, visit www.tonybarnesmusic.com.
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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
KIRSTEN BALLARD/The Pilot
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
FILE PHOTO
GLENN M. SIDES/The Pilot
The Wagon Master Odell Hussey Is Robbins Farmers Day Icon
The Wagon Master Odell Hussey
BY SARAH BROWN Staff Writer
dell Hussey is the living definition of a timeless classic. From his faded denim overalls to his Southern twang, Hussey is a perfect icon of Farmers Day. The 83-year-old wagon master has lived and breathed the town of Robbins since the day he was born. From oxen and outhouses to wheat crops and wagons, he’s seen it all. The oldest of nine children, Hussey has been the front man of the Farmers Day horse parade for two decades. His recent prize-winning equine partners have been two Percheron horses named Clip and Clipper, who also assist him as he pulls logs in the woods almost every day. “I’ve been pulling logs for 61 years,” Hussey says. “It’s a privilege that I’ve had the health and strength to be able to go back out and do this for all this time.” Hussey has had the two big-footed PHOTOS BY GLENN M. SIDES/The Pilot draft horses for more than a decade. His passion for the equines does not go unnoticed. Living alongside the cheerful dog that provides visitors with a warm and bark-filled welcome are hogs, roosters, guinea hens and a pig. These animals that call the Hussey farm home are now Hussey’s only domestic companions. Virginia Hussey, his second wife, died of cancer a few years ago, and Hussey has been keeping up the family business singlehandedly ever since. Hussey slaughters several of the hogs at the farm each
O
JOHNSIE TIPTON/The Pilot
year and holds a barbecue event as a fundraiser. He donates all the money to Smyrna United Methodist Church in Robbins, where Hussey attends worship. The church gives it to local youth in need to help pay for their education. The little time indoors that Hussey has is spent in his small home, which is cluttered in places but cozy and comfortable. The main modern amenities inside are a TV and an air conditioning window unit. Outside and to the left, there is still an outhouse. No doubt Hussey knows a great deal about the way things used to be. He recalls when corn cost only $2 a bushel and hay was sold by the bale for 75 cents a pop. He continues to live the farmer’s life, even when much of the world around him has moved on. Although he knows fully well that farming isn’t what it used to be in this country. “Now everything’s gone to tractor work, the prices are too high, and the horses are mostly for riding,” he says. Nevertheless, Hussey has been back at the Farmers Day horse parade every year since its inception, and he calls the spectacle a “blessing.” He emphasizes in particular the huge role the event plays in bringing the local community together. “Farmers Day is one of the best things to happen to this town, and it’s something that’s going to stay here,” he says firmly. “There may not be much left of Robbins, but we’re gonna go on just like we did when there was plenty here.”
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
PAGE 17
Fun, Fun, Fun The carnival rides and midway at Robbins Farmers Day offers fun for all ages. Open from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, Aug. 3, and from 9 a.m. to midnight Saturday, Aug. 4, the rides are located at both ends of town so you’re never far from fun.
PHOTOS BY PAT TAYLOR/The Pilot
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PAGE 18
THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
Robbins Farmers Day Parade And Show Feature Tractors of All Sizes BY KIRSTEN BALLARD Staff Writer
One tractor, two tractor, red tractor, blue tractor: The main strip of Robbins rumbles as the Tractor Parade will make the slow and steady way through the heart of town at 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. With more than 125 individual entries, the parade grows yearly. The machines are fantastic in their own right, a piece of history with the antique tractors. “There is a tremendous amount of history,” says event organizer Shorty Brown. He recalls one tractor “from 1917, the oldest thing I’ve ever had in the parade.” “What’s really neat is the family part,” says Brown. His 20-year-old daughter, Kayla Brown, remembers riding the tractor with her dad. “He wouldn’t let me drive,” says Kayla Brown. Now she drives a tractor in the parade all by herself. “It is a family event,” says Brown. Shorty Brown, a member of the fire department, sorts
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Antique Tractor And Farm Equipment Show In addition to the Tractor Parade, festivalgoers will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with antique tractors during the Antique Tractor and Farm Equipment Show. During the show, a collection of antique tractors and farm equipment will be on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. There is no preregistration or entry fee for those who want to display their antique farm equipment or to be included in the judging. For viewing, equipment should be brought to Fousher Street at 9 a.m. and to be judged must be on display at 2 p.m.
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Tractors From Page 18 out registration, judging and other points of the event with his wife, Tobe, and daughter, Kayla. Seeing the line of tractors is very impressive. Brown stresses the importance of safety and awareness of the event. “It is dangerous. We have to keep everyone under control and spaced out,” says Brown. Not a perfect system, the parade has seen many breakdowns. However, Brown laughs them off as part of the experience. “Eight to 80, blind, crippled or crazy. Anybody can ride,” says Brown with a chuckle. “It is an experience to ride through on a tractor,” says Kayla Brown. She enjoys bringing friends down to experience Farmers Day.
THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. “Most of them have never been on a tractor.” The tractor parade is a must-see event of Farmers Day. “Many of the tractors were bought new in the 1940s and ’50s and passed down from generation to generation; it is a family event,” says Brown. Children lead the parade on pedal tractors followed by a long line of antique, rumbling tractors slowly making their way through town. Some of the tractors have been restored, but tractor riders keep their rig au naturel. The judging is based on originality of the tractor by the mystery judges. Tractor parade trophies will be presented on the Railroad Stage at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Registration to ride ends Saturday at 2 p.m. Brown makes a certain note to thank the participants. “It is a lot of work to get the tractors here. The fire department and I appreciate it.”
PAGE 19
TOBE BROWN/Special to The Pilot
Kayla Brown drives her tractor during the 56th annual Robbins Farmers Day tractor parade. Her friend Ashley Kidd rides on the tractor behind Brown, who used to ride in the parade with her father, Shorty.
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SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
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Harvey Lacey Maness rides with his wife, Arlene, and friends Elmer and Katie Shanberger through the 2011 Robbins Farmers Day Parade. Maness won first place for best rig and horse last year. His Belgian horse pulled the four-seater wagon, winning the best work horse competition. Maness will be competing in the annual Robbins Farmers Day Horse Parade this year for his fourth time.
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PAGE 21
His Choice Embraces Its Gospel Musical Heritage BY KATHERINE SMITH
“All four of us have come from gospel musical heritages,” Sandra Green says. “God has called us generations before and “But God commendeth his love toward we came to that through raising and us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Scriptures.” Christ died for us,” Romans 5:8. “My and Kim’s parents, I know, have For Christians, that “but” at the been our spiritual inspirations,” she says. beginning of the sentence means a saving “But my husband was not raised with that alternative to a life of apathy. For the blessing. But when he met Jesus, boom, he gospel group His Choice, that “but” also has been on fire ever since. That’ll show refers to the size of God’s arms. you what God can do. My husband will sit “Jesus came for people, not religion,” and listen to anybody talk for hours and says Sandra Green, singer for His Choice. he’s a man of his “And we’re not word.” going to put on Collectively, the that religious group wants to front. We’re just offer satisfying ordinary people. music. “But our It’s all about him.” first priority is On Saturday, for everyone to Aug. 4, His Choice come to the will be singing at saving knowledge 6:30 p.m., along of Jesus Christ.” with Victoria His Choice is in Huggins and the process of Down East Boys, creating their on the Railroad second CD, under Stage during the tentative Robbins Farmers name “Walk Upon Day. Water.” Their first The music they one was called “In will be playing is His Choice — Sandra Green, the Hands of the a fast-paced variJames Green and Kimberlea Gaff Master.” ety of the reverWeekly ence and warmth practices are “more like fellowship time,” that they bring many to North Carolina Sandra Green says. “Ministry begins at churches, restaurants and special events. home. We all work full-time jobs so we try Sandra Green is the group’s soprano. Her husband, James, whom she married in to make the most of being together while running over music.” 1983, sings alto and tenor. The gospel music they play is not out of “I met him in ’82 at a singin’,” Green ornery resistance to the contemporary says. “He came with his dad and I came Christian wave, but out of preservation of with mine, and I really liked him so I got the dimming musical art. him to play in my daddy’s band so I could “Our audience is our parents’ generasee him more. We were married the next tion,” Sandra Green says. “God does new year.” things, but the message is still the same.” A photo that she keeps on her mantel They preserve classics like “He Didn’t shows her father and James Green’s Throw the Clay Away,” “Didn’t I Walk on father playing music together. The Greens met Kimberlea Gaff in 1999. the Water” and “He Will Never Let Go of My Hand.” “She’s a dynamic lead singer,” Sandra They also write original songs, like Green says. “She’s our version of Vestal Sandra Green and Gaff’s song “Jesus Goodman.” Heals Hurting Hearts.” Sammy Olvey sings bass “and he sounds “We all are sinners saved by grace wantjust like his daddy,” Sandra Green says. ing to share what Jesus has done for us,” “He’s been a friend of James since middle Sandra Green says. “We won’t always get school and they used to be in a band the harvest but we’re planting the seeds.” together.” For more information, visit The quartet comes out of Lexington, www.gospelgigs.com/hischoice. N.C. Special to The Pilot
PAGE 22
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
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Robbins Mayor Lonnie English (center) and the Robbins Board of Commissioners, including (left to right) Kevin Stewart, commissioner; Terri Holt, commissioner; A.H. Davis, mayor pro tem; Jeff Sheffield, interim town manager, and (not pictured) Joey Boswell, commissioner, extend a hearty welcome to the more than 30,000 people expected to attend the 57th annual Robbins Farmers Day, Aug. 2-4. The event is organized by the Robbins Fire Department and the Robbins Farmers Day Committee. Kenneth McNeill, D. Min. Pastor
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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
PAGE 23
The Jason Adamo Band Headlines Farmers Day Lineup
From bluegrass and gospel to rock, beach and country, music is as much a part of Robbins Farmers Day as are the horses, parades and carnival rides. Every year, the organizing committee brings in a wide variety of performers who always engage and electrify the crowds. This year’s lineup is no exception. Providing a new sound on the Robbins Farmers Day stage this year be The Jason Adamo Band. This North Carolina-based six-piece band gets its sound from the man himself. Described as a soulful singer with inspired lyrics and raspy falsetto, Jason Adamo is joined by John Briggs (bass), Fabio Consani (harmonica, acoustic guitar), Doug Casteen (lead guitar), Shedrick Williams (drums) and David Littlejohn (keyboard). This experienced group of musicians have combined their unique experiences and influences to create a new and original sound — an alternativecountry vibe with elements of rock, soul, Motown and the ’20s and ’30s. The Jason Adamo Band will play on the Railroad Stage Friday, Aug. 3, from 9 p.m. to midnight.
• • • • • William Willard and The Van Haggard Band also bring a wide range of music to their performances, playing country and Southern rock. Band members Jack Wooten, Randy Stubbs, William Willard and Dean Martin each have a number of years playing music under their belts. Visitors to Robbins Farmers Day Saturday, Aug. 3, will have the opportunity to hear this experienced band out of Rockingham rock the stage from noon until 4 p.m. • • • • • Although they’re based in Moore County, The Ingrams will be making its first appearance at Robbins Farmers Day. The family band is set to perform on the Fidelity Bank Stage Friday, Aug. 3, from 8 p.m. to midnight. Headed by Eddie Ingram, The Ingrams is a true family band. In addition to Ingram’s daughter, Ashely Ingram Wood, the other band members include his brother Aaron Ingram, nephew Andy Ingram and Aaron’s wife, Natalie Ingram. From playing and singing together at
family gatherings, five years ago, the band Saturday, Aug. 4, Almost Perfect will share evolved into playing at churches and local the Post Office Stage with Johnny and The events, including the Malcolm Blue Cadillacs. Almost Perfect’s set will span the Festival. The Ingrams genres of country, play a traditional style rock and blues. of bluegrass as well as • • • • • bluegrass gospel. Carolina beach “I played with other music fans can shag groups, like Coyote dance through the Ridge out of Siler City night when The Sand and with groups that Band takes the stage played at the Grand from 8 p.m. to midOle Opry,” Eddie night Saturday, Aug. 3. Ingram says, “but I’ve The local band that ended up playing with includes members family.” Daryl Lemonds, Steve COURTESY OF JASON ADAMO • • • • • Lapping, Rick Martin, The Jason Adamo Band Drummer Cecil David Kellis, Henryl Monroe describe Almost Perfect’s music as Baldwin and Tim Short will be “simplistic, down-home music that accompanied by Carolina Beach Music Hall everyone can relate to.” of Fame artist Terri Gore. Fans of the band, which includes Robert • • • • • Enloe, Matt Kuhn, Andy Roberts and Kicking off the musical entertainment on Robbie Singletary, will be able to hear the the Railroad Stage Thursday, Aug. 2, will be music that Almost Perfect is known for the bluegrass/gospel sounds of Solid during the band’s performance at Robbins Foundation. The Ashboro band will Farmers Day. From 8 p.m. to midnight, perform from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
Lumberjack Competition Promotes Unique Sport BY KATHERINE SMITH Special to The Pilot
is a large part of rural North Carolina economy.” They began the organization to educate people about the sport and provide a wider venue for competition, and a recruiting and funnel-way for people who want to get involved in the STIHL Timbersports Series. The events held by SAWA are the
A lumberjack’s occupation is not as suave as hipster plaid and gnarly beards. It is a name, specific to the pre-1940s time period, that referred to a dangerous, lonely, lowpaying, low-status job. The job assembled its own burly, exclusive community and stubborn, masculine, competitive culture. That culture’s vibe has seeped into the bloodstream and is now recaptured through the sport of lumberjacking. The South Atlantic Woodsmen Association will hold a lumberjack competition on Saturday, Aug. 4, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Robbins Farmers Day. Paul Bunyan is the iconic folklore figure of a lumberjack, powered only with his ax and blue ox Babe. The men involved in the SAWA are foresters and proud country boys. But they are also teachers, physical therapists, lawyers, chiropractors and jewelers. “People make the automatic assumption that chopping wood is a career,” Daryl Weakland says. “But it’s a sport just like A lumberjack competes during an event in the South kayaking or fishing or biking. You’re reliving the historical standing block chop, underhand chop, work. But it’s a very technical sport.” STIHL stock saw, hot saw, ax throw, single buck and springboard. ‘Unique Sport’ The Robbins Farmers Day event will be The nonprofit SAWA was established in one of 8 to 10 SAWA venues. Points from 2003 by Daryl Weakland and Mike each event are added together to determine Slingerland. Both are competitors in the the winner. STIHL Timbersports series, with In the early 1900s, the only machinery to Slingerland ranked at No. 1. lumberjack was steam- or animal-powered. “It’s a unique sport that many people The necessary tools were an ax and crosshave seen before, but not in person,” cut saw. The SAWA also requires these Weakland says. “And the forestry industry
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primitive tools. “This sport is brought to a whole new scale with all we have custom made,” Weakland says. “Compare the equipment and the training to developing a golf swing. It’s in-depth, but it’s still a sport. It’s something you train for after work or on the weekends.”
Many universities have woodsmen teams or forestry clubs. This year, North Carolina State University is hosting the Southern Forestry Club, an annual competition that includes lumberjack-related competitions. Many logging groups in and out of colleges will pair up with environmental groups. “Forestry and woodcutting sport are not like land developing that destroys the environment and paves over forests,” Weakland says. “We use what we cut down for firewood. We replant the trees. Young forests are actually more productive at removing carbon dioxide.”
Getting Involved To get involved in SAWA, or eventually STIHL, requires a long-term commitment. Weakland suggests anyone interested to visit a lumberjack show, pair up with a competitor for introduction and training, join an event and add one or two new applications every year. “You’re not really an PHOTOS BY PAT TAYLOR/The Pilot accomplished lumberjack until Atlantic Woodsmen Association competition last year. you’ve been doing it for 10 or 12 years,” he says. Minors and women are not College-Level Woodsmen Teams excluded, though minors do require the According to Jimmy Lawrence, president presence of a parent and their signature. of SAWA and lumberjack coach at “We’ve only had a few women over the Haywood Community College, more than years,” Weakland says. “There are a lot 75 percent of the competitors started out at more on the college level, and these ladies the college level. Much of SAWA is are tough. There’s no restriction on them to composed of graduates who were involved compete, but this so far has a direct in the lumberjack sports at Haywood, comparison between men and women — no Montgomery Community College and N.C. separate categories.” State with a few from Virginia Tech, For more information, visit www. Clemson and the University of Georgia. sawalumberjacks.com.
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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
Down East Boys Set to Perform BY KATHERINE SMITH Special to The Pilot
The Down East Boys quartet is named for their trails from Canada to Mexico that began 28 years ago in eastern North Carolina. Their gospel music is reminiscent of ’50s faux wood paneling and tent meetings; of buffed offering plates gliding through pews of families as they wave away flies with paper fans. It is a gospel music unconcerned with pretense and mega-church popularity contests. On Saturday, Aug. 4, the Down East Boys will play at 6:30 p.m. on the Robbins Farmers Day Railroad Stage, along with His Choice gospel group and Victoria Huggins. The quartet consists of three rising tenor voices meeting one bull bass. Ricky Carden has been the group’s owner and manager for 21 years. In that time, he has guided the group through the ups and downs of ministry with the banner of the Great Commission from Mark 16:15 — “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Stuart Cary sings bass, a defining voice in the band. The Ruston, La., native has been with the Boys for 11 years.
Daryl Paschal sings a recognized baritone part. He was nominated as Horizon Individual of the Year in 2006 by readers of the Singing News, gospel music’s largest print publication, and has been with the band ever since. Tony Jarman sings a powerful tenor. After earlier stints with Phil Cross and Poet Voices, Legacy Five and The Old Time Gospel Hour Quartet, Jarman retired from the road life and began working for Dr. Jerry Falwell and Liberty University. He recently joined the Down East Boys in January 2011. The band was formed in June 1984. “This project is truly a work from our heart,” Carden says. “Our goal has always been to choose songs that would encourage and challenge the Christian, while also reaching out to the lost and pointing people to the cross, so that Jesus might be lifted up. If we fail to do this, we have failed in our calling.” In 1990, the group was honored with the Singing News Fan Award for Horizon Group of the Year. Shortly after, they began their journey into a full-time ministry, traveling more than 200 days and performing 180 concerts per year. In the years since, the group has been afforded the
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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
Robbins Farmers Day Mule Coon Jump Recalls Southern Hunting History BY SARAH BROWN Staff Writer
An unusual display of equestrian sport will take place Saturday, Aug. 4, at 12:45 p.m. in Robbins — the Farmers Day Mule Coon Jump. The annual event, which is put on by the Carolina Mule Association (CMA), is a small fun show with 10 different classes for participants to enter. Competitive mule coon jumping developed from an old raccoon hunting tradition in the southern United States. While chasing raccoons with hounds in the night hours, hunters aboard mules would often encounter fence lines. They would dismount from their mule and throw a blanket over the fence. This would make the fence more visible to the mule in the darkness. The hunter would then slip through the fence with lead rope in hand and encourage their steed to follow their lead and jump over the obstacle. This allowed hunters to continue their pursuit of raccoons without the added difficulty of locating a gate to walk through upon reaching a barrier. The modern-day sport — which also allows donkeys to compete — is most popular in the southern United States and California. Much of the original character of the coon jumping is preserved in the contemporary competitions, of which there are often 10 nationwide on any given weekend. In the contest, the animal may wear a pack saddle and a blanket may be laid over the top of the fence, although neither is required. The donkeys and mules have to jump the fence from a standstill — an ability that their equine relatives, horses, do not have. Before taking off over the jump, donkeys and mules must come to a complete stop for a full second, standing in a box that measures 10 feet by 10 feet or 10 feet by 12 feet, depending on the animal’s size. Each participant in the class will get 90 seconds and two chances to clear the bar at a specific height, after which they will be eliminated from the competition.
When it is their turn to jump, the handler cannot touch the donkey or mule in any way. He or she must rely on vocal commands to encourage the animal to leap the fence. The jump is raised in 2- to 3-inch increments, until only one donkey or mule remains. The national record for the highest recorded coon jump sits at 78 inches, a level set by a mule at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in Texas a few years ago. Although the Farmers Day coon jump is not a nationally sanctioned competition, CMA sponsors a World Championship Coon Jump each year,
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A youngster leads his mule toward the jump box during last year’s competition. with a prize belt buckle going to the winner. Come glimpse a bit of American
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THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
PAGE 27
Johnny and the Cadillacs Ready to Rock BY SARAH BROWN
Lead singer Johnny Enloe, guitarist and vocalist Robert Enloe, and Monroe all grew up in Robbins. Although the music The Robbins roots delve deep and hold community in Robbins is what Monroe strong for the members of classic rock describes as “close-knit,” the three went ensemble Johnny and the Cadillacs. their separate ways and played in different A regular virtuoso at Robbins Farmers bands for many years. Day, the band will share the Post Office The Enloe cousins, plus Stage with country and blues bassist Matt Kuhn, formed group Almost Perfect, jamming Johnny and the Cadillacs in the night away from 8 p.m. until 2002, and Monroe joined the midnight Saturday, Aug. 4. lineup about five years ago. Renowned for a vibe that Over the past decade, the evokes AC/DC and Van Halen, group has rocked the house at Johnny and the Cadillacs offers the Greensboro Coliseum, the a distinct flavor and tone to the Robinson County Fair, Robbins Farmers Day music Carthage Buggy Festival, the scene, given that most of the Stoneybrook Steeplechase at event’s live performers fall into Cecil Monroe Carolina Horse Park, Relay For the blues or country genre. Life, nightclubs and a variety “Young kids go to events like of other venues. this, and there’s nothing for Johnny and the Cadillacs them to hear,” says drummer might have a name that contradicts the Cecil Monroe. “But this is rock and roll. array of carts and buggies that graced the This is something for the younger people streets of Robbins for generations, but the out in the crowd.” band members understand the tried and true rituals of Farmers Day well. “As a kid, I remember seeing all the bands at Farmers Day and thinking how neat it would be to be involved in it somehow,” Johnny Enloe says. “It’s kind of A Division of Key’s Upholstery, Inc. like Christmas, for people in this county. Everybody looks forward to Farmers Day.” “It’s a lot of fun for us,” Monroe agrees. The band’s repertoire for Robbins Farmers Day will consist of covers, although Monroe notes that the band “puts its own little twist on it (the sound).” “We’re not just trying to cover these artists,” he says. Since Robbins Farmers Day added the rock-themed Post Office Stage to the Convertible Top entertainment lineup nearly a decade ago, - Awnings Monroe has played at each renewal of the event with several different bands. -Canopies The versatile Monroe also plays with Eastwood Hawk, which will play Friday -Retractables night on the Post Office stage, and he took - Automotive over the studio drumming role for Almost Perfect when the group recorded their Upholstery first CD, released last year. -Home Despite an illustrious music career that has taken him from Houston to New York Furnishings City and seen him play for crowds of 50,000 people, Monroe says his Robbins Farmers Day homecoming is one of the highlights of the year for him. KEY’S UPHOLSTERY, INC. “I truly enjoy playing in front of the people I know and love, as much as playing 125 W. Trade St • Sanford a big concert,” he says. “The crowd is only Bus: 919-775-7432 Fax: 919-718-6543 a thousand or so, and they’re right there in Toll Free: 1-888-473-6707 front of you. It’s a cool feeling.” email: awning@windstream.net Staff Writer
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PAGE 28
THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
Victoria Huggins Brings Youth, Authenticity to Farmers Day Stage BY KATHERINE SMITH Special to The Pilot
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths,” Victoria Huggins quotes two Proverb verses. A buttery Southern accent winds through Huggins’ candid personality. Fifteen of her 18 years have been drawn out by her big ringing voice, her ministry confronting misconceptions of Christianity. Instead of being a grim “Bible-thumper,” Huggins has flowery dresses and an unquestionable love for Jesus and people. On Saturday, Aug. 4, Huggins will be speaking and singing at 6:30 p.m. along with His Choice Gospel Group and the Down East Boys on the Robbins Farmers Day Railroad Stage. In every Sunday morning choir since age 3, Huggins made friends out of her community and strangers. At age 5, she professed Christianity. “I was not your typical child in church,” she says. “I didn’t ever want to go to Children’s Church because I loved being in the sanctuary hearing my pastor speak. When I heard him speak about the importance of knowing Jesus, it really touched me. I was so blessed with the people in my life but I was missing the most important person.” Her Lumberton hometown support was behind her as, at age 6, she was baptized, and shortly after sang “I Got Saved in the Old Time Way” at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City. “From the time I was able to talk, I was singing,” she says. “I didn’t like to see people sad, so I found that if I sang for them, I could make them smile. That reason hasn’t changed.” Her “little kid dream” was fulfilled at age 7, when she was featured with Bill Gaither and the Homecoming Friends in concerts in North and South Carolina, and Tennessee. She was a featured cast member for 10 years in Myrtle Beach in the Alabama Theater’s annual Christmas production, “The South’s Grandest Christmas Show.” At 9, she was in the semifinals of ABC’s “Star Search.” In September 2004, Huggins sang and represented North Carolina for the dedication of the Smithsonian Native American Museum in Washington, D.C.
In August, she was crowned the 2011 North Carolina Grand Majestic Queen as a part of the Little Miss and Teen Miss North Carolina pageant association and was awarded a $10,000 college scholarship. Huggins appeared on season 10 of “American Idol,” advancing to Hollywood as part of the Top 100 in 2011. She then began to share her testimony through motivational speaking and entertainment for YMCAs, schools, fairs and churches nationwide. The unceasing travel was allowed by her home-schooled education. She graduated in the National Honors Society and with a set priorities list — “God, my family, ministry and education. These are my ways of giving back to my Savior and my community.” She retains the list now, as an upcoming sophomore at UNC Pembroke, as she pursues a major in mass communications with a focus in broadcasting, PR and journalism with a minor of music and religion. She continues to be an active volunteer in her community and shares with audiences for various charity and national functions, including the AARP Association and the Make a Wish Foundation for terminally ill children. She is also an ambassador for the National Alzheimer’s Association in conjunction with the “Forget Me Not Project,” founded by Garrett Davis Productions. Her prim navigation of the teenage years to arrive as a poised young adult is contrasted with others of her comfy Christian background — Mary Kate and Ashley, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry. The cause and effect for most others is simple and expected — as popularity increases, conviction decreases. “Pastors and church members wanted to know why I was doing ‘American Idol,’” she says. “Then, on the other side, there were hateful comments coming from people who saw 11 minutes of it on TV. But I believe that it’s not about the major choices you make so much as the day-to-day smaller ones. I have an excellent support system in my family, my raisin’ and my faith. I just believe that there needs to be a good influence in Hollywood, whether it’s an 18year-old girl or the president of the United States.” As that 18-year-old girl, she has seen her concern touch all ages. “My parents were eager to teach me at a young age to respect and appreciate our senior citizens,” she says. “I would karaoke
at nursing homes and loved to dance with older people in their wheelchairs. This message is for the young and young at heart.” When she sings, there is no perception that God must maneuver through her youth to speak. She is fully herself, and for that, her message becomes all the more authentic. Her authenticity is hinged on the relationship with God that she chooses to nurture. She describes it so tangibly, as if she’s referring to a lover, not a higher power. To keep her relationship from becoming commercialized, as many bonds become when bruised by limelight, she finds alone time, a prayer closet. “I talk to God every day,” she says. “I’ve gained an understanding of His awesome great compassion that is enough for me to get back up when I fall.” At Robbins Farmers Day, Huggins will
Victoria Huggins sing a variety of music. “Gospel is my first and favorite genre, but I’ll do a patriotic selection as well,” she says. “It’s a joy for me to sing in my home state. The people of North Carolina have believed in me from the start.” For more information, visit victoriahuggins.net.
S I LV E R S P O N S O R S
ROBBINS, NORTH CAROLINA
THURSDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY August 2nd - 4th, 2012
TITLE SPONSORS
FIRST BANK ROBBINS PROFESSIONAL CENTER (DR. BELL, DR. POWERS, DR. WARD, TARHEEL DRUG) RANDOLPH EMC FIDELITY BANK
RANDOLPH TELEPHONE AMERICAN GROWLER BRADLEY CONSTRUCTION HARRIS PRINTING CO., INC.
ROBBINS FRIENDLY MART STANDARD MINERAL, INC.
SWEET’S ELECTRIC
RICHMOND RENTALS
SITUS COMPANIES
WLHC FM LIFE 103.1
SLAGEL FIRE EQUIPMENT
CENTURY LINK
PROGRESS ENERGY
LOWES FOODS
HUSSEY OIL COMPANY CAROLINA CARRIAGE OF PINEHURST
MOORE CO. FARM BUREAU OF ROBBINS DOMINO’S
PIZZA CAFE
CARTHAGE AUTO GLASS
G & M SALES COMPANY
FRAGMENTS OF THE PAST
BEAR CREEK HOSIERY
J. J. MOORE
DIANA’S BEAUTY SALON
CHARLES MONTJOY INS. AGENCY
CAROLINA STOCKYARD
PAUL B. JAMES, DMD
CARTHAGE FARM SUPPLY
ATHLETIC EDGE
MICKEY R. BROWN
PINEHURST RADIOLOGY US CELLULAR
VAN DERVEER’S GAS CO., INC.
SPONSORS
WIOZ 102.5 FM
BURGESS BODY SHOP & TOWING COTTON CREEK CHIP MILL WWGP 1050 AM WFJA OLDIES 105.5 HOLMES BUILDING SYSTEMS, LLC WYLIE’S IGA
GDS MOTORSPORTS & TOWING
ABERDEEN SUPPLY
R & R AUTO SUPPLY
ROBIN’S NEST
KINZA’S CREATIONS
BROWN SERVICE CENTER
WILLIAMS TIRE & AUTO REPAIR
CENTRAL FARMERS MUTUAL INS. CO.
MCDUFFIE APPLIANCE & PLUMBING
SHORTY’S SERVICE CENTER
FRIENDLY CHEV., BUICK INC.
ECONO
PARTS
KENNEDY FUNERAL HOME
COX DISTRIBUTOR
SOUTHERN VARIETY COLLECTIBLES
LAMBERT AUTO SALES
THIGPEN & JENKINS, LLP
CAROLINA FARM CREDIT, ACA
B & G FASHION
CUTS UNLIMITED HAIR SALON
WTJY JOY FM 89.5 FM
WESTMOORE FAMILY RESTAURANT
WNCA 1570 AM
TOTAL POWER PRODUCTS, LLC-BISCOE WYLIE’S GOLF CARTS CLAPP BROS. IMPLEMENT-TRACTOR CO., INC. NATIONWIDE-UNITED INSURANCE PINEHURST TOYOTA QUIK CHEK HOBBS & UPCHURCH JAMES RIVER EQUIPMENT COMPANY PHILLIPS MOTOR COMPANY LAURA BRADY INCOME TAX SERVICE MES (Municipal Emergency Services, Inc.) JOHNNY O’S AWARDS
PAGE 30
THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C.
SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012
2011 PARADE W INNERS
GENERAL DENTISTRY ORTHODONTICS Paul B. James, D.M.D.
Lisa Minor, Dental Assistant • Tara Dowd, RDH
Accepting New Patients
JOHNSIE TIPTON/The Pilot
+++++++++ +++++++++ ++ + + ++ ++ ++++ +++ + + + th+ + + + + +
57 Annual
ROBBINS
The 56th annual Robbins Farmers Day Parade featured more than 400 horses, mules and wagons. Trophies were awarded to winners in more than 20 categories, ranging from best rig, best mule, best work horse to best country horse rider, best dressed girl and best dressed man. Some of the winners are pictured here.
WE W EE ENCOURAGE NCOURAGE YOU YOU t to oe enjoy njoy o our ur Robbins R obbins ns Area Area L Library ibrary Milliken Ball Milliken i Ball Park Park Tracy Tracy Brown Brown Park Park Paddle P addle Along A ong Bear Creek, Al Creek, Cabin Cabin Creek Cr reek & Deep R River iver Mid-Atlantic a Star Party Party Mid-Atlantic Star Farmers Day Farmers a Day
FARMERS DAY THURSDAY,FRIDAY & SaTuRDAY
AUGUST 2nd~ 4th The To Town wn of
Robbins R obbins Incorporated Incor rporrated 1935
116 S. Middleton St • Robbins, NC
910-948-4655
+++++++++ +++++++++ +++++++++ Whether it’ Whether it’s s business or just fun, come bac k to the w ay it used to be back way be..
Come C ome back back tto oR Robbins! obbin nss!
Lonnie L on nnie Engl English ish Mayor
Kevin Ke vin S Stewart tewart A.H. Davis,Jr. Davis,Jr. Commissioner oner
Mayor Pr Pro oT Tem em
Terrii Holt Terr Holt
Jeff Sheff Sheffield ield
Commissioner oner
LAD E GLA ’REG WE’R WE
RE YOU’’R
HERE!
Interim Town Town Manager
Carolina Fried Chicken & House of Pizza
Eat In or Carry Out
(910) 948-2398 281 Middleton Street â&#x20AC;˘ Robbins, NC Mon-Sat 10am-10pm Sun 11am-10pm
Thank you for your business!
Insurance From the Home Team With North Carolina Farm Bureau Insurance *ÂŽ, you get bonafide, homegrown Property & Casualty, Life, and Health Coverage from local agents you can trust. So for all you North Carolinians that support the home teamâ&#x20AC;Ś think of us as the home team that supports you right back. Because helping you is what we do best.
Moore County Farm Bureau Corbett Agencies www.ncfbins.com/moore-corbett
910-947-2295 101 N Ray Street Carthage, NC 28327
910-948-2402 140 Middleton Street Robbins NC 27325
Real service. Real people. *North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. *Farm Bureau Insurance of North Carolina, Inc. *Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co. *An independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
An Authorized Agency for
910-944-9338 205 Knight Street Aberdeen, NC 28315