Robbins Farmers Day 2011

SSuunnddaayy,, JJuullyy 3311,, 22001111

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011 THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. PAGE 3

Annual Farmers Day CelebrationPromises Fun for the Whole Family

BY JARIUS GARNERRobbins Farmers Day Chairman

Come join us Thursday, Aug. 4, for the56th annual Farmers Day celebration asgospel music fills the air in downtownRobbins with a night of great entertain-ment, featuring The Webbs, Keith Plottand The Jacobs Family from 6:30 to 9:30p.m.Stroll down the streets of Robbins

Friday, Aug. 5, as events kick off at 6 p.m.with foot-stomping bluegrass bands andcloggers kicking up their heels.Don’t miss the exciting 20th annual

Pottery Auction at 7:30 p.m. to see whowins the unique Farmers Day potterypieces. Friday, we will feature ourexciting firemen competition with variousfire departments participating in timedagility events for top rankings and thecoveted best overall award.Country music and Nashville recording

group Ross Coppley and The RossCoppley Band will rock the main stagefrom 9 p.m. to 12 midnight. Friday night

at 10:15 p.m., look up as the sky explodeswith the largest fireworks display in thehistory of the event.Friday and Saturday, the streets of

Robbins fill with artisans andcrafters, horse tack, ponyrides, pottery turning andtrain rides. Food booths withtheir great aromas fromsuch festival favorites asblooming onions, funnelcakes, hamburgers, hotdogs, barbecue, bakedpotatoes, cotton candy,candy apples, homemadeice cream, frozen lemonadeand kettle corn should notbe missed.Saturday morning, Aug.

6, Robbins is bursting withexcitement as the 56thannual Farmers Day parade begins. See avariety of more than 400 horses, mulesand wagons parade up Middleton Streetstarting at 11 a.m. with more than 30,000

spectators cheering them on.The parade will include Miss North

Carolina Hailey Best and Miss MooreCounty Blair Puleo, with trophies present-

ed to the proud winners in21 different categories.As the parade ends, the

town will be jumping withentertainment as theSpecial Forces Associationparachute team brings inthe American flag. Carnivaland kiddie rides, rock wallclimbing and a moonwalkare enjoyable for the chil-dren. Enjoy watching guitarmakers, gunsmithing, metalengraving and black-smithing.The Carolina Mule

Association will present amule show with 10 classes of competition,with ribbons and trophies presented in

see CELEBRATION, page 4

PHOTOS BY GLENN M. SIDES/The Pilot

The annual Robbins Farmers Day Paradeattracts participants of all ages.

PAGE 2 THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011

Thursday, August 4The Railroad Stage

6:30 p.m. to 7:10 p.m. Jacobs Family Ministry, High Point, N.C.

7:20 p.m. to 8:10 p.m. Keith Plott, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

8:20 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Webbs, High Point, N.C.

Friday, August 57 p.m. Fourth Annual Fire Fighter Challenge

10:15 p.m. Hale Artificer Fireworks

The Railroad Stage6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Fine Blue Line Bluegrass Band

7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The 20th Annual Pottery AuctionAuctioneer: Ted Beane

9 p.m. to midnight Ross Coppley Band, Atlanta, Ga.

Middleton Street7:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. Quicksilver Cloggers, Robbins, N.C.

Southern Express Cloggers, Albemarle, N.C.

The Fidelity Bank Stage8 p.m. to midnight Everett Lilly and the Lilly Mountaineers,

West Virginia

The Post Office Stage8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Southern Justice, Denton, N.C.

Carnival Rides and MidwayFriday 6 p.m. until midnight

Saturday noon until midnight

Saturday, August 6Middleton Street

11 a.m. Farmers Day Parade

4 p.m. Parade of Tractors

The Fidelity Bank Stage12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Kason Layne Band, Douglas, Ga.

8 p.m. to midnight The Sand Band and Terri Gore,North Carolina

Special Entertainment12:30 p.m. South Atlantic Woodsmen’s Association

Lumberjack Competition

12:30 p.m. Special Forces Association Parachute Team

12:45 p.m. Mule Show –10 Classes, Carolina Mule Association

6 p.m. Lawn Mower Pull, East Coast Pullers

Antique Tractor and Farm Equipment Show9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tractors and Antique Farm Equipment

Display and Demonstrations

The Railroad Stage12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. Ross Coppley Band, Atlanta, Ga.

12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Welcome, Prayer and National Anthem

Recognition Miss Moore County 2010 Blair PuleoWagonmaster Odell Hussey

Presentation Parade Trophies

2 p.m. to 4 p.m. WIlliam Willard, Seagrove, N.C.

4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tractor Parade Trophy Presentation

6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Phil Cross, Chattanooga, Tenn.Sisters, Greer, S.C.

The Pfeifers, Washington Court House, Ohio

The Post Office Stage8 p.m. to midnight Almost Perfect, Seven Lakes, N.C.

Johnny and The Cadillacs, Robbins, N.C.Ross Coppley Band, Atlanta, Ga.

56TH ANNUAL ROBBINS FARMERS DAYSCHEDULE OF EVENTS

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY• Train Rides on Main Street • Various Arts and Crafts• Horse Tack • Food Booths• Pony Rides • Pottery Turning• Rock Climbing Wall

SATURDAY• Mechanical Bull • Kiddie Rides• Demonstrations by Guitar Makers, Metal Engravers, Gunsmiths


each class, including our traditionalcrowd-pleasing mule jump competition.Horses will demonstrate log pulling andlog stacking.Saturday, we present our fast-growing

Antique Tractor Showwith an antique tractorparade beginning at 4p.m., featuring more than100 entries. Many piecesof antique equipment willbe on display and demon-strated during the day.Our crowd-pleasing

lumberjack competitionput on by the SouthAtlantic Woodsmen’sAssociation will be backthis year as lumberjacksdisplay their skills withaxes, crosscut saws andmore. Don’t be late as thewood and sawdust hits theair, beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Music blasts throughout the streetsfrom three stages located within the townwith new bluegrass, gospel, light rock,beach and country-western bands.Hold on to your hats as the dirt starts to

fly when our lawn tractor competitors letloose for a great Saturday night of lawntractor pulling. Also Saturday night, sev-eral spectacular national gospel groupswill perform, featuring The Pfeifers, fromWashington Court House, Ohio.

Come and enjoy the great familyentertainment. Don’t miss the manyunmentioned special events andattractions for the 56th anniversary.All entertainment is provided at no

charge except for rides, thanks to all our

great sponsors.The 56th annual Robbins Farmers Day

has been voted one of the Top TwentyEvents by the Southeast Tourism Society.For more information, visit our website

at www.robbinsfarmersday.com.

CelebrationFrom Page 3

On the CoverThe Robbins Farmers Day parade is a

long-standing tradition.

About This IssueThe Pilot publishes the Robbins

Farmers Day special section annually.

CCoovveerr DDeessiiggnnMartha J. Henderson,Special Sections Editor

CCoovveerr PPhhoottooggrraapphhGlenn M. Sides

SSuupppplleemmeenntt DDeessiiggnn//LLaayyoouuttMartha J. Henderson,Special Sections Editor

CCoonnttrriibbuuttiinngg WWrriitteerrssTom Embrey, Jarius Garner,

Summer Hennings, Leigh Pember,Allison Russell, Andrew Soboeiro

and Kate Smith

CCoonnttrriibbuuttiinngg PPhhoottooggrraapphheerrssGlenn M. Sides, Johnsie Tipton,

Hannah Sharpe and Shelley McLain

For advertising information, contactJohnsie Tipton at (910) 693-2515.

145 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines, NC 28387(910) 692-7271 • thepilot.com

Copyright 2011

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BEST

PULEO

GLENN M. SIDES/The Pilot

From the parade to the entertainers, the annul Farmers Day parade attracts more than 30,000 spectators each year.


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Evening of Gospel Music Opens Farmers DayBY ANDREW SOBOEIRO

Newsroom InternThe 56th annual Robbins Farmers Day

parade will feature a number of intrigu-ing performances and attractions.At the forefront will be Gospel Music

night, a two-and-a-half hour evening ofgospel performances on the RailroadStage, Thursday, Aug. 4. It will featurethree native North Carolinian bands: theJacobs Family Ministry, Keith Plott andthe Rick Webb Trio.

Jacobs Family MinistryThe first act, performing from 6:30 to

7:10 p.m., will be the Jacobs FamilyMinistry, a quintet of musicians of allages. The Ministry describes itself as a “aSouthern gospel ministry involved inspreading the glorious gospel of JesusChrist.”Each member is a devout Christian with

a personal conversion story.“I’ve always liked music, period,”

explains the leader, Glenn Jacobs, “but Ididn’t travel and sing until I got into theministry.”The Jacobs Family Ministry has won a

number of awards and recognitions for its

music, including first place at theAngelband GospelMusic Competition.Performing for the first time at RobbinsFarmers Day, the band hopes to use itsmusic to bring people to Christ and giveglory to God.

Keith PlottThe second act, performing from 7:20 to

8:10 p.m., will be Keith Plott.Plott is a bass singer from Kannapolis.

He has worked with two quartets in thepast, but prefers to sing as a soloist. Hehas received many awards for his work,including the Southern Gospel MusicAssociation Dove Award, multipleSouthern Gospel Music Fanfare awardsand frequent No. 1 rankings on theCountry Gospel charts.His most important feedback as a musi-

cian is the reaction of his audiences; theidea that people are made happier by hiswork motivates him to continue singing. Adevout Christian, Plott sees his music as amedium for “the Lord to work in peopleand change their lives.”This will be his second time at Robbins

see GOSPEL, page 6CONTRIBUTED

The Jacobs Family Ministry brings its Southern gospel ministry to Farmers Day.


Spinning WheelsFarmers Day Pottery Auction Showcases Area’s History

BY SUMMER HENNINGSNewsroom Intern

Local potters are spinning their wheelsin preparation for the Farmers DayPottery Auction.The annual auction, in its 20th year,

takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5,on the Railroad Stage after the Fine BlueLine bluegrass band’s performance.Every year, potters from the west

Moore County and Seagrove areas donatepieces to raise money for the RobbinsVolunteer Fire Department.Jarius Garner, Farmers Day organizer

and Robbins fire chief, says the fundsraised allow the fire department to buyequipment they normally could not pur-chase without raising taxes.So far almost 30 potters will participate

in this year’s auction but more will likelysign up. Each donates individual piecesshowcasing distinct styles, and somedesign a piece specifically for the event.“Each piece is unique each year,”

Garner says.Original Owens Pottery always con-

tributes a commemorative platepainted with the official Farmers Daylogo to the auction. Jane Demay, whopaints pottery at Original Owens,designs the plate every year.“The plate corresponds to that cer-

tain year so it’s going to be differentevery year,” Demay says. “That wayeach plate has its own character.”Demay says Original Owens is one

of the few places that still paintsdesigns on pottery. She tries tomatch the colors and design used inthe Farmers Day T-shirts to theplate. Original Owens began makingthe plate because it wanted to go alittle further and create a piece thatwould raise more money for thefire department.“(Demay) puts a lot of time into

(making the plate),” potter Boyd Owenssays. “That’s devotion on her part. It’s not

about who made the plate as much as theartwork.”

Jean and Fred Teague, ofTeague’s Frogtown Pottery, also donate a

piece to the auction every year. Theyfocus on traditional, functional dinner-ware, such as pieces used in the kitchen

as opposed to decorative work.Although she has not decided

what piece to send this year, Jeansays she likes to send a largepiece that will earn more moneyfor the fire department. In thepast, most people enjoyFrogtown’s pottery designed withsix colors or glazes in a pinwheelshape.Jean believes the auction and

Farmers Day provide an opportuni-ty to spread awareness about pot-tery. With so many people comingto Robbins for the festival, shethinks someone new will hear aboutthe pottery shops.“It does advertise for us,” Jean

says, “but the fact that it helps the

see POTTERY, page 8

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HANNAH SHARPE/The PilotPieces from Original Owens Pottery will be availableduring the Pottery Auction at Robbins Farmers Day.


Farmers Day, but his first time to actu-ally perform. He was scheduled to per-form last year, but the event wasrained out.

The WebbsLast on the itinerary will be The

Webbs, performing from 8:20 to 9 p.m.The Webbs will be dropping intoFarmers Day as the latest stop of itslong tour of the South.A family band, The Webbs, like its

predecessors, has deeply religious con-victions and seeks to use its music as aministry. Over the past 14 years, theband has collaborated efforts withcountless pastors and musicians tospread its message throughout thecountry.

Gospel TraditionConsidering the history of Robbins,

the religious nature of these perform-ances would seem appropriate. Thepeople of Robbins have always helddeeply religious convictions, and havetied those convictions to their town’sculture and economy.In the early 20th century, when

Robbins was just beginning to developas a town, local citizens were con-cerned with providing a Christian edu-cation to their children. In 1904, EliseAcademy was established to accom-plish this goal, but funds were scarce.Many local entrepreneurs opened newbusinesses just to support theAcademy. This led to the economicdevelopment of the town, allowing it tobecome one of the most prosperouscommunities in the South and to weath-er the Great Depression without issue.It is clear that Robbins’ history is

uniquely tied to its Christianity; it isonly natural that the citizens ofRobbins would pay tribute to this withan evening of gospel music at its annu-al Farmers Day event.

GospelFrom Page 5

The Webbs Set to Perform AgainBY MARTHA J. HENDERSON

Special Sections EditorStrains of good ol’ Southern gospel music

will fill the air Thursday evening as the56th annual Robbins Farmers Day getsunder way as some of the genre’s best takethe stage.Performances by the Jacobs Family

Ministry, Keith Plott and TheWebbs willset the tone for the first-rate entertainmentoffered throughout the three-day, fun-filledevent.The final group of the evening, The

Webbs, will perform from 8:20 to 9 p.m.Based out of Colfax, Va., TheWebbs

include Rick and PhyllisWebbwith theirdaughter, Hannah, and oldest son, Parker.Rick and PhyllisWebb got their start in

professional music in 1978, as part of theinternationally acclaimed vocal groupReGeneration.Under the direction of vocal orchestrator

Derric Johnson, ReGeneration traveled100,000miles, reachingmore than amillion

lives inmore than 500 live performanceseach year.The groupwas showcased annually at

DisneyWorld. In 1983, the singers becameThe Voices of Liberty, the host group forEpcot Center’s American Pavilion. Duringthis time, Rich and longtime friend KevinMiles began themale duoministry ofMilesandWebb.AsMiles andWebb, they traveled

throughout the United States and Canada,accompanying some of the leading pastorsandministries of today.In addition to performing asMiles and

Webb, Rich began singingmore than 100dates a year with Phyllis. They have sharedthe platformwith outstanding speakers andpastors throughout the United States.In addition to their concert schedule, Rick

and Phyllis participated in the Radio BibleClass-sponsored TVmusicministry, Day ofDiscovery, for 10 years; theWesleyanHourinternational radioministry sponsored bytheWesleyan Church for 20 years; and

numerous guest appearances with pastorssuch as Dr. Charles Stanley, Dr. CharlesColson, Dr. David Jeremiah, Dr. MacBrunson, Dr. D. James Kennedy andmore.TheWebbs’ musicministry has grown

with the addition of their children, Hannahand Parker.Through SongGardenMusic Group, The

Webbs have released a recording,“Faithful.” Produced byDavid Staton andGus Gaches, “Faithful” includes 10 heart-stirring songs of hope, faith, heaven andcommitment.TheWebbs have been honored by The

Southern GospelMusic Awards andwerenominated to the Top 10 list of groups inSouthern gospel music by the SouthernGospelMusic Awards in the best mixedgroup category.Check outmore information on The

Webbs online at www.rickwebbtrio.com.

ContactMartha J. Henderson at [email protected].

CONTRIBUTED

Rick and Phyllis Webb, along with their daughter, Hannah, and oldest son, Parker, are popular performers at Farmers Day.

Keith Plott


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firemen is the reason we like to (partici-pate) because we never know when wemight need them.”Mary Farrell, of

Westmoore Pottery, agrees.As potters, she and herhusband, David, know theyneed a fire departmentbecause they always workwith fire.“We haven’t had a fire

yet,” Mary says. “We did atone point help put out aneighbor’s fire.”Mary usually tries to sub-

mit a piece to the auctionthat has a style traditionalto the area —WestmoorePottery’s specialty. She andher husband make piecesmade or used in the 18th or19th centuries. Many muse-ums use their pieces asreplicas of original works.This year, she plans to sub-mit either a butter churn ora sauerkraut jar.“I wish everyone would come out and

support the auction because the moneygoes to a good cause,” Mary says. “It’sgoing to the fire department … and notjust in Robbins. If there’s a big fire, (allthe local departments) help out.”Seagrove’s history goes back to the

early 1700s when potters immigrated tothe area because of the high-quality, natu-

ral clay deposits in thearea. Early settlers usedthe clay to make utilitarianpieces for their familiesand neighbors.Today, that history has

evolved into the “PotteryCapital of North Carolina.”More than 100 potters nowlive and work along N.C.705, better known as thepottery highway. The areadraws thousands of visi-tors every year looking topurchase a piece of historythat has been passed downthrough centuries.With such deep roots in

the area, potters see thepottery auction as a way togive back to the communi-ties in which their familieshave lived for generations.However, with the present

economy, the auction has taken in lessmoney.

Fred Teague has noticed that the potterybusiness itself has been hit hard by therecession and changing times. Like manylocal potters, including Owens, Fred’strade has been passed down through hisfamily. He still has the ledger book hisgrandmother kept with dates from the1800s.“Back then, everybody used pottery,”

Fred said. “Pottery was a big thing.Everyone had to have it. Now everyonedoesn’t have to have it.”Seagrove and West Moore pottery may

face a rough future, but the populationcan look to their past to find solace.Industrialization at the turn of the century

caused people to pass over handmade pot-tery for the cheaper, mass-produced kind.Rather than close, many potters adapted,and pottery became an art form.The art of pottery making now draws

shoppers and new potters to the area.Those challenges allowed the area’s pot-tery to grow to encompass a wide varietyof forms, glazes and artists. The FarmersDay Pottery Auction showcases the mixof styles now evident in Seagrove andwest Moore pottery.To prepare for the auction, potters will

simply keep doing what they do best —throwing, spinning and molding the claythey grew up with or grew to love.

PotteryFrom Page 7

HANNAH SHARPE/The Pilot

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Almost Perfect BandReleases Its First CD;Farmers Day Headliner

BY ALLISON RUSSELLNewsroom Intern

The fans of the band Almost Perfectget what they want.When they called for the release of the

local band’s first CD, the four membersfound a studio and spent the next eightmonths recording songs for their CD,“You Asked For It.”“It’s pretty cool, because back in the

day when I wasgrowing up, youcouldn’t just makea CD,” says RobertEnloe, a Robbinsnative and thegroup’s guitaristand lead vocalist.The group, which

includes Enloe,Matt Kuhn, AndyRoberts andRobbie Singletary,celebrated therelease of “YouAsked For It”Friday, June 17, atThe Bell TreeTavern in SouthernPines.Family and friends, as well as fans and

anyone else who wished to celebrate,joined the band.Enloe says the CD is a “hodgepodge,”

and it spans the genres of country, rockand blues. He wrote all of the songs,some of which he had “tucked away” forseveral years.“It’s music right from the heart,” says

Cecil Monroe, the studio drummer whorecorded the CD with the band. “Robertwrites from his life, which is whatyou’re supposed to do. It’s not perfect:What you see is what you get.”Almost Perfect began three years ago

when Enloe and Kuhn, the band’s bassist,met in Seven Lakes. They playedtogether for their friends as an acousticband called House Call. Shortly after,

they metSingletary andformed AlmostPerfect.As their name

suggests, themembers ofAlmost Perfect arenot making musicwith the goal ofattaining perfec-tion.“We have a

bunch of guyslooking to gettogether to havefun,” Enloe says.“Having fun ismuch more impor-

tant than perfection.”“It’s just real people having fun,”

Monroe says. “It’s simplistic, down-homemusic that everyone can relate to, andthat’s what I like about it.”Until several months ago, the group

played mainly in local venues, singingcover songs and occasionally adding an

see HEADLINER, page 10

Almost Perfect OnFarmers Day StageAlmost Perfect will bring the

sound its fans are asking for to the56th annual Robbins Farmers Dayentertainment stage Saturday,August 6, from 8 p.m. to midnight.Joining Almost Perfect on the

Post Office stage will be Johnnyand the Cadillacs and the RossCoppley Band.

CONTRIBUTED

Almost Perfect band members spent eight months recording songs for their CD, “YouAsked For It.” The band will be playing on the Post Office stage at Farmers Day.

PAGE 10 SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011

original song to the set list. When thepopularity of the original songs, such as “ITold Myself,” began to grow, the bandknew it was time to record a CD.They chose to record at Lazy Ridge

Music LLC in Concord, a placethat Enloe says “rescued usfrom disaster.”They initially produced 100

CDs, mainly for friends andfamily. In addition to hardcopies, the band has made“You Asked For It” availableon iTunes, CDBaby.com andAmazon.com“I like playing in the studio

because I can hear everythingperfectly,” Monroe says. “Youalmost lose some of the feelingof playing live [when you playin the studio], but you can hear things sodifferently.”The group recorded its album by track-

ing, a process that requires each part of asong to be played one at a time. Thepieces are then layered on top of eachother to complete the song. This processallows each musician to focus on his ownpart of the song, as opposed to orchestrat-

ing the entire band in a single take.This method is similar to the way Enloe

learned how to play the guitar.“As a guitar player, when you’re coming

up, you just focus on the instrument,”says Enloe, who began playing the guitarwhen he was 15.Now, more than two decades later, the

members of Almost Perfect have harmo-nized their talents and played in

Greensboro, Fayetteville andCharlotte, among other cities.Enloe says his most memo-rable venue was the BeaverBar at the Myrtle Beach BikerRally earlier this year.Despite the out-of-town gigs,

Enloe says the band mostenjoys playing locally.“It’s the most satisfying and

fulfilling with family andfriends there,” Enloe says.“The real cool thing is whenyou meet someone you don’tknow, and they keep showingup to the shows.”

The band’s emphasis on playing locallyreflects its down-to-earth approach tomusic.As Monroe puts it, “It’s real music by

real people.”

Allison Russell, a student at UNC-ChapelHill, was a summer intern at The Pilot.

HeadlinerFrom Page 9

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Quicksilver Cloggers Will Kick Up Their Heels at EventBY LEIGH PEMBER

Newsroom InternPleasant imagery does not come to mindwhen one thinks of something gettingclogged, but clogging as a dance isentertainment at its finest.The Quicksilver Cloggers will performwith the Southern Express Cloggers from7:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, onMiddleton Street during the 56th annualRobbins Farmers Day.The Quicksilver Cloggers have beentogether for more than 15 years, althoughonly two of its seven members have beenwith it since the beginning: Aileen Garnerand Jennifer Garner, who are unrelated.The other five members are BonnieHanham, Brenda Ritter, Lou Smith, PamKennedy and Sarah Daffron.The group is Robbins-based, but itsmembers are spread across the area inRobbins, High Falls, Vass, Pinebluff andGreensboro.Aileen Garner is the leader of the team,but Daffron, who is a certified clogginginstructor, also plays an important role.“I do most of the teaching and choreo-graphing,” Daffron says. “But all of us goto workshops, and we practice once aweek.”The Quicksilver Cloggers haveestablished themselves in severaldifferent festivals over the years. They goto many on a recurring basis, including apig pickin’ in New Bern, a Fourth of Julycelebration in Denton and, of course,Farmers Day in Robbins.“We’ve done lots of different festivals,”Daffron says. “We go many places, and wehave fun doing it.”The cloggers participate in bothcompetitive and noncompetitive events.The two competitions that they focus onare at the North Carolina State Fair andthe North Carolina Senior Games.“For the competitions, we have to haveperfectly matching costumes andsynchronized steps,” Daffron says.“Competitions have a lot of pressure, but

we like staying to that standard for all ofour performances, anyway. The onlydifference is if something is messed up, noone gets fired.”However, they really have nothing toworry about, as they are capable cloggersand have triumphed on several occasions.The Quicksilver Cloggers have gottensecond- and third-place finishes at the fair,

and have advanced from the county levelto the state level in the senior games.“Those of us who are old enoughcompete in the senior games. Pretty soon,all of us will be old enough,” she joked.“But we have won before and gone toRaleigh for the state competition in theperforming arts category.”Even with their distinguished record, the

Quicksilver Cloggers do not have any kindof predetermined price that they chargefor their performances.“We do not have a set fee,” Daffron says.“We have to buy the music, the costumes,and pay for our travel. It comes out of ourpockets, but we happily accept donations.”

see CLOGGERS, page 13

CONTRIBUTED

The Quicksilver Cloggers, including (front row, left to right) Lou Smith, Brenda Ritter, Bonnie Hanham, (back row) Jennifer Garner,Sarah Daffron, Aileen Garner and Pam Kennedy, will perform during the 56th annual Robbins Farmers Day.


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Farmers Day Vendors Have Something for EveryoneBY SUMMER HENNINGS

Newsroom InternWith a selection to rival that of the state

fair, this year’s Farmer’s Day begs forshoppers to take their time and tour allthe wares vendors have to offer.Farmers Day booths will sell traditional

selections and some new, exotic itemssuch as fried brownies and cider slushies.There will be hot dogs, funnel cakes, snowcones, lemonade, Greek food, Mexicanfood, sausages and country fried pies. Thefestival will feature jewelry, pottery, T-shirts, face painting and more.Vendors will be open Friday from 6 p.m.

to midnight and Saturday from 9 a.m. tomidnight.“We try to take everyone we can,” says

Jarius Garner, Farmers Day organizer,“but we try not to duplicate ourselves atthe same time. We want everyone to makesome money and to have a lot of variety inour show.”Farmers Day attendees will experience

that variety in a different way this year.The Farmers Day booths will not beorganized based on wares.

“We’ve tried to have a mix of food andcrafts up and down the midway so thatwherever you are in town, you don’t haveto walk a mile to find any food or drinks,”Garner says.

Tasty TemptationsIn the past, attendees have complained

about the distance between the base of themidway booths to the area where foodwas located. Now, you can find foodaround any corner, but there are someitems you must make a point to find —particularly some new desserts. Of those,the fried brownies and banana puddingwill tempt the taste buds of many people’ssweet tooths.India Foy of The Snack Wagon says to

look for an artsy, red-and-white tent if youwant to try the brownie.“It’s a chocolate chunk fudge brownie

that we put in a funnel cake batter andthen deep fry,” Foy describes. “It’s like achocolate fudgy doughnut cake. It’s supertasty and, oftentimes, we sell out very,

see VENDORS, page 15GLENN M. SIDES/The Pilot

The food vendors at Robbins Farmers Day have plenty of tasty temptations available.

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011 PAGE 13

Daffron encourages people who are newto the dance to try it if it’s something thatinterests them.“Dancing is fun, but clogging is twice as

fun,” Daffron says. “If you see the dance,and you fall in love with it, the first step isto find somewhere to dance. If there’s nota group in your area, then get onetogether. If it’s something that you love,you’ll find someone to dance with.”One great aspect of clogging is that you

do not need a partner to be able to clog,and it can be done at any age. This is notto say that it is easy, as the cloggers’performances usually last at least 30minutes, with little to no break timebetween songs. However, the longperformance time does not stop thesewomen from doing what they love.“For this group of ladies, clogging is

their passion,” Daffron says. “Mostly wedo it for fun, and of course it is goodexercise. I don’t do other exercises. I feellike clogging is the exercise for me.”While clogging helps them stay active,

the members of the team do not clogsolely for fun and exercise. Theirparticipation has helped them formlifelong friendships with their teammates.

“People who dance together form verystrong bonds,” Daffron says. “I would sayI and the other girls on the team are closerthan blood sisters.”This is not surprising, as the current

team has been dancing together for morethan a decade. During that time, they havecreated and memorized many routineswith the help of Daffron’s talent for chore-ography. The experience she gained whileearning her certification makes her morethan capable of creating clogging routines.“To become a certified clogging

instructor, it takes a certain number ofhours of teaching, going to workshops andchoreographing routines,” Daffron says. “Ialso had to go to the national conventionthat they have every Thanksgiving, but ifyou love it, getting it doesn’t feel likework. The certification really helps peoplewho teach in studios, but I just did it formy own personal experience.”Earning the certificate is just part of the

lifelong process associated with learningto clog. Initially, people learn the basicsteps. From there, they keep adding tothose steps as they become better dancers.According to Daffron, learning to clog isnot hard if you have rhythm, instinct and alove for clogging.“You can always keep learning,” Daffron

says. “You can always find something toadd to a step to make it more interestingor fun.”

CloggersFrom Page 11


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Fire Fighter ChallengeHeats Up Farmers Day


In a competition sure to stump the average man,firefighters from across the county will showcasetheir strength and skills at Robbins Farmers Day.The fourth annual Fire Fighter Challenge, hosted

and run by the Robbins Fire Department, offers adifferent entertainment opportunity for FarmersDay attendees. Teams of firefighters will partici-pate in five tests to prove that their department hasthe toughest and most able members.Jefferey Chriscoe, a lieutenant at the Robbins

Fire Department, says that although the competi-tion is difficult, it keeps firefighters in shape and isfun for viewers and participants. This year’s eventwill take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, in front ofthe City Hall. With participants fromMoore andother surrounding counties, the competition is sureto be tough.“It’s anybody’s ball game,” Chriscoe says. “It’s

going to be interesting to see.”Chriscoe has set up and officiated the Fire

Fighter Challenge since it began four years ago.Robbins Fire Department created the event

because it was looking for something new to con-tribute to the Farmers Day festivities. They usedtheir own experiences as inspiration. The RobbinsFire Department has participated in similar chal-lenges in Moore, Randolph and Brunswick counties.

Five Part CompetitionThe Farmers Day Challenge consists of five tests:

the Rescue Randy Drag, the Hammer Sled, theHose Advance, the Quick Dress and the TruckConnect.Each competition mimics real-life situations that

firefighters face during a crisis. They are designedto test their skills and fitness levels under extremecircumstances.In the Rescue Randy Drag, participants will drag

a 200-pound dummy 100 feet, similar to rescuingsomeone from a building. The Hammer Sled pre-pares firefighters to forcefully enter a structure —they must drive a sled with about 75 pounds ofweight forward and back by hitting it with a 10-pound sledge hammer. The Quick Dress tests how

see CHALLENGE, page 15


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very quickly.”The Snack Wagon specializes inmaking everything from scratch.It offers Greek pitas, friedpickles, hand-battered mozzarel-la cheese sticks and a grilledpork chop sandwich and platter.For the kids (or the kids at heart,as Foy says) it has a grilledpeanut butter and jelly sandwich.If you are on a dessert tour orbrownies aren’t your thing, headto B G’s Fun Food. BrothersSteve and John Barfield juststarted their stand but areexcited to sell their signaturedessert.“We have a fried banana pud-ding,” Steve says. “It’s a littleunusual.”The brothers fry a banana,then top it with banana pudding,powdered sugar and other top-pings.If you make your way over toWard’s Nuts and Honey, WilliamWard will sell you his sugar-roasted nuts (pecans, almonds,peanuts and cashews), honeystraws and cider slushies.“I make (slushies) about out ofanything,” Ward says. “Thebiggest seller I have is musca-dine grape. I also have peach,blackberry and blueberry.”Ward can only offer two flavorsat a time on Farmers Day, butboth will be a hit.

Handmade GoodsAfter you have tried the manyfoods available, begin strollingthrough all of the booths that selloriginal handmade goods.If you have been to theCameron Antiques Fair you maysee at least one familiar faceamong the booth owners. Charlie

Rawls of Charlie’s Barn will sellhis birdhouses and feeders atFarmers Day.Charlie traditionally makeseach piece from old barn wood.This year’s selection includeswood from an old barn, countrystore and house.“It may have the original painton it,” Charlie says.Charlie makes each pieceunique. Some of his most popularproducts are a frame birdhousefor a bluebird and another thatlooks like an old tobacco barn. Hehas also designed a feeder thatlooks like the Bald Head Islandlighthouse.Over at Green Willow Gifts,you can find more outdoor mer-chandise. Their newest items arepatio lanterns made out of winebottles. The bottles have a hookfor hanging and a tea light inside.Some are painted with designs,and owner Alice Lambert sayswhen the wind blows the lanternssound like a wind chime.For something more personal,Hawthorne Leather out of SouthCarolina offers a range of prod-ucts that can be personalizedwhile you wait.“Our booth is large,” RobertHawthorne says. “There is noway you can miss us.”Hawthorne says he and hisbrother are carrying on thebusiness his parents started.They offer belts, bracelets,purses, hats and key chains.Many of the belts have designssuch as flowers and horses forwomen and special designs fortruck drivers, motorcycle riders,fishermen and police officers.They even make belts for kids.These vendors are only a fewof more than 80 sellers who cometo Farmers Day. Beat the heatand arrive early to spend a dayshopping and exploring all thatFarmers Day has to offer.

VendorsFrom Page 12

fast firefighters can put on all of their gear. Inthe Hose Advance, participants must drag 150feet of line, charged and pressurized with water,100 feet and then shoot at a target. The TruckConnect times how fast firefighters can hook thehose up to the truck andthen drag it 75 feet.All competitions are donewhile wearing full gear,which weighs around 40 to50 pounds.“I think they’re all prettytough,” says Brian Tyner,Carthage Fire Departmentchief. “They test your skillsas far as being a fireman.”Tyner has competed insimilar events and says thatCarthage will participate atthe Robbins Fire FighterChallenge. Other partici-pants include fire depart-ments fromWhisperingPines, Eagle Springs, PineBluff, Asheboro andSeagrove.Departments have untilthe end of July to signteams up for the challenge.

All-Female TeamWhispering Pines FireDepartment will send thecompetition’s first all-female team.“I think they’ll get someeyebrows raised, but I think that adds a psych-out factor for some of their competitors whoaren’t used to competing against women,”Whispering Pines Chief Scott Bullard says.Bullard adds that the high number of women inhis department signifies a major step forward foremergency response services and for women ingeneral. He believes his team will compete wellin the challenge and looks forward to seeingmembers of other departments.“I see (the competition) as a chance to gettogether with people you don’t see very often,”

Bullard says. “It’s got a nice social aspect to it.”

‘Be Prepared’Both the Whispering Pines and Carthage firechiefs say their teams have been training orpracticing for the competition, somethingChriscoe believes is a necessity.“You’ve got to be prepared for it,” Chriscoesays. “We’ll train for a couple of months inadvance to try to get everything down pat (for

other competitions).”Chriscoe does not antici-pate the heat being an issuefor participants. They willhave plenty of water andGatorade available as wellas paramedics on the scene“just in case.” He says hewill make the firefighterstake their gear offimmediately aftercompeting.“That stuff gets really hotquick,” he adds. “It puts abig strain on your body.”Chriscoe adds that atother departments wherefirefighters are paid (asopposed to volunteerdepartments), memberstrain regularly for theseevents and some competeat the national level.The Firefighter CombatChallenge began in 1991after a group of scientistsconducted a studymeasuring the physicaldemands of firefighting.The study based a lot ofresearch on a series of

tasks that formed the base for the originalFirefighter Combat Challenge. Since then, theevent has grown through local events andtelevised coverage. ESPN has shown the WorldChallenge Championships for the past 10 years.Locally, the challenge serves as an opportunityfor fun and amusement — while the firefightersdo the work, we average folks can gape in aweand cheer them on.“If I could ask for anything,” Bullard says, “wewould like more spectators from the generalpublic.”

ChallengeFrom Page 14


BY KATE SMITHNewsroom Intern

Bouncing from astronaut to farmer to veteri-narian in the natural “what-I want-to-be-when-I-grow-up” stage must have bypassed JeffHale.

“I almost burned my daddy’s house downwhen I was 9 years old,” he laughs.

A “natural pyro,” Hale received an unpleas-ant trip to the woodshed and, soon after, alicense to do what his fingers itched for —build fireworks.

“I’ve loved fireworks all my life,” says Hale.“I started out doing fireworks shows while ageneral manager at an outdoor campground,did professional fireworks displays as an inde-pendent contractor and worked with a lot oflarger worldwide companies before 1997, whenI incorporated my own company.”

That’s a total of 28 years filled with playingwith powdered colors, powerful propellantsand flame for a living. Jeff Hale now headsHale Artificer, a fireworks company based inLexington that trucks to venues in NorthCarolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Hale laughs and points out that “a lot of peo-ple mispronounce [the company’s name]. It’s‘ahr-tif-iss-air,’ a 17th-century French word forfireworks maker. Even still, on some of thefireworks I bring in, there is an ART number,short for artificer.”

The abbreviation is appropriate.“It is a true art form that encompasses all

your senses,” he says. “You can see it and youcan hear it and you can feel it and you cansmell it. I pick the palette of colors myself, soto speak. The operators use their own creativi-ty to control the presentation and the order. It’spretty exciting to have the freedom in thisgreat country to exercise our own art form.”

Although the Robbins Farmers Day weekendis a smaller event, Hale has been workingsince the winter months to piece together thepermits, license and shells for the celebratedshow on Friday, Aug. 5, at 10:15 p.m.

“Since the beginning, I felt like NorthCarolina needed a local representation of thefireworks industry,” Hale says. “It makes a lotof people happy. When there’s a crowd of20,000 to 30,000 people saying ‘Wow!’ at thesame 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. Regardless ofRobbins’ modest size and the state’s considera-tions of budget cuts and taxes, Hale Artificerhopes to commission another fiery show worthremembering.

“We try to make use of all the unique effects,from the smallest displays to the largest chore-ographed pyro musicals,” Hale says. “We try tocreate as large a variety of fireworks as wecan.

“Fireworks are relatively expensive. Wework with many small town displays that bigcompanies wouldn’t touch because they’re notas profitable. Small town displays are soimportant, though.”

He continues to explain a noticeable patternin communities’ inclusion of the discretionaryfireworks expense in their budgets, and aheightening attendance.

“There’s not only the loyalty I have had withRobbins for many years, but people aren’tmaking that extra trip to the beach or themountains because they can’t afford it,” Halesays. “Small fairs, festivals and concerts arestill happening for the local folks. It brings thecommunity together, and we like being a partof what’s happening.”

Hale’s involvement will begin in the earlyafternoon on Friday when precautions aretaken to ensure the safety of folks, along withthe tradition.

“We are a highly regulated industry becausewe’re dealing with energetic materials,” Halesays.

An approved road flare, safety cap and timedevice are used to ensure a systematicproduction, while protective equipment and asecured area mandated for the safety of theoperators and the public, which Hale affirms isof paramount importance.

The second goal, of course, is to produce abrilliant show to close or kick off the night,satiating the taste of audience members.Attending the wide-eyed children and love-heady couples beneath handpicked splashes oflight is the soaring relief of the daily grind. The“oohs and ahs” are a reflection of the releasefrom a work week’s stress into the night sky.

“We need to give back to our people becauseeverybody is hurting right now,” Hale says.

His contribution is an untraditional butmerry art form — where “the sky is canvasand fire is paint.”

Hale Artificer FireworksDisplay Will Light Up

The Night at Farmers Day


Hussey Says AnnualParade Will ‘Be Just asGood as It Ever Was’


The Robbins Farmers Day parade has,for the past 55 years, personified thepoignant longings of locals and strangersfor an enduring hometown.In the midst of a startling war and the

irrevocable backlash of anti-war protestsand music, Robbins stood by quietly,strong and silent. Resilient, even as itsyoung boys heaved their bundles ofpatriotism over their shoulders and vowedto protect peace.Robbins favors many small towns, but is

distinct in its stable unique traditions.In 1957, local farmer Curtis Hussey pro-

posed to organize a Main Street parade, acheery relaxed festival where diligentfarmers could take pride in their featuredhorses and buggies. The parade donated

free time for socializing and the honestcompetition between horses and mules fora $2 prize. In 10 years, parade entriesboomed from 65 to 330, multiplying theattendees as well.In 1992, Curtis Hussey passed away and

left his son, Odell Hussey, to accede hisplace from second in line to the head ofthe parade. On Saturday, Aug. 6, the lateCurtis’ son Odell Hussey will again takehis father’s place as wagonmaster. Husseysays that when the tradition began, he wasonly a little boy patiently guiding his ownpony through the crowd, eyes on hisfather ahead.“My daddy would lead and the mayor of

Robbins would ride right up there withhim. He was the leader and I was No. 2,

RobbinsIncorporated 1935

56TH ANNUAL

ROBBINS FARMERS DAYThursday, Friday & Saturday

August 4th, 5th, 6th

EnjoyOur:•RobbinsAreaLibrary•MillikenBallPark•TracyBrownPark•PaddleAlongBearCreek,CabinCreek,DeepRiver•Mid-AtlanticStarParty•FarmersDay

LynnM. LoyMayor Pro-Tem,A.H. Davis Jr. - CommisionerTheron K. Bell Mayor, George Hayfield - TownManager.Joey Boswell - Commissoner

see PARADE, page 18GLENN M. SIDES/The Pilot

Farmers Day parade wagonmaster Odell Hussey waves during last year’s event.


right in behind him. All the politicianswould ride with me in the No. 2 spot.”That’s how it has always been, Hussey

says, not surprising in a town staunchlydedicated to respect and family.“There was always an election coming

up and it didn’t matter whether they wereRepublicans or Democratic candidates;they would ride together with me. I’dspend all year taking care of my horsesand cleaning up the wagons, get them alllooking nice, so they could ride with me.”During that time, entertainment

consisted of the homegrown.“That was the farmers’ vacation. They

had done all the laying seed and preppingcrops. Whenever Farmers Day was overwith, they went home and they wouldstart cutting the hay, getting the corn,sowing wheat and getting ready for fallharvesting and the winter.”The industrious farmers were self-

sufficient.“Women would do their part of the

canning to get ready. Whenever wintergot too hard, they didn’t ponder going tothe store. You went to the pantry or cellar

ParadeFrom Page 17

see PARADE, page 19GLENN M. SIDES/The Pilot

More than 400 horses, mules and wagons will parade up Middleton Street Saturday, Aug. 6, starting at 11 a.m.

to get your canned green beans andtomatoes.”Time and innovation have whisked the

outside world away, but only nudgedRobbins along inexpected areas oftelevision sets, cars andelectrically poweredfactories while leavingits values unchanged.“I’ve worked hard all

my life,” Hussey says.In addition to heavy

labor at the locallumber mill, Husseywas devoted to his firstwife during her strug-gle with bone cancer,and his second duringAlzheimer’s.“My good friend

Johnny and I finishedat the lumber yard,finished sawing wood,and quit in 2007.”Hussey says that since then, he’s looked

forward to the Farmers Day parade morethan ever.“Because of this change in weather,

people may not stay out in the hot sun allday like they used to, but I’m stillexpecting to see a crowd of people and amlooking forward to everything to be greatand everybody to have a good time.“We have a lot of singers and sponsors,”

says Hussey. “The way it’s looking to me,it’s going to be just as great as it everwas.”Seventy years ago, Robbins was given

its name honoring theRussian immigrant whovalidated prosperity intown with his silk mill.Hussey is encouragingthe continuation ofvalues that support thecommunity as a wholewith comfort andstability. The parade isno exception.“My daddy had it [the

parade directions] allwritten down on paperand mymother stoodby and wouldn’t let itbe changed,” saysHussey. “As far as I’mconcerned, I’ll be doingthe same thing, and notlet anybody change it.

It’s right good the way it is.”For more information on the parade or

other Farmers Day events, visitwww.robbinsfarmersday.com.


ParadeFrom Page 18


The 2010 Robbins Farmers Day Parade works its way down Middleton Street.


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Carnival Rides and MidwayBig Draws During Farmers Day

BY TOM EMBREYSenior Writer

When Ronnie Turner firstbrought amusement rides toFarmers Day some years ago, heneeded only one area for six rides.In years since, the growth of

Robbins Farmers Day hasnecessitated the expansion of therides. Now, the total number ofrides has doubled, and there aretwo areas dedicated to rides.“Whenwe first came, it was

very apparent tome that thisfestival was going to grow eachyear, and we realized we couldhave broughtmore,” Turner says.“And, over the years, we havekinda grown the ride area withthe festival.”This year, Turner’s company,

Fun Rides in Sanford, will haverides for all ages. There will berides at both ends of town. Therides will be open from 6 p.m.until midnight on Friday and noontomidnight Saturday. Andmaybe

even later.“Wewon’t close down until all

the people have ridden the rides,”Turner says.Riders will have to purchase

tickets for each ride. Small ridestake one ticket, while later ridesrequire two tickets. Tickets cost$2 each. There will be discountsavailable for those who buytickets in bulk, Turner says.

“And, wewill have quite avariety of rides,” Turner says.There will be a giant slide, a

whirling dervish known as TheTempest, a merry-go-round, theTubs of Fun, a bounce house, aFerris wheel and themost popularride, Rola Plane.“Rola Plane is a big hit with the

CONTRIBUTED

The Rolo Plane is a popular ride at Robbins Farmers Day. see MIDWAY, page 23

CONTRIBUTED

The carnival rides at Robbins Farmers Day appeal to all ages.


Things we want you to know: A two-year agreement (subject to early termination fee) required for new customers and current customers not on a Belief Plan. Current customersmay change to a Belief Plan without a new agreement. Agreement terms apply as long as you are a customer. $30 activation fee and credit approval may apply. RegulatoryCost Recovery Fee applies; this is not a tax or government-required charge. Additional fees, taxes and terms apply and vary by service and equipment. See store or uscellu-lar.com for details. Promotional phone subject to change. U.S. Cellular Visa Debit Card issued by MetaBank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Allow 10–12 weeks forprocessing. Card does not have cash access and can be used at any merchant location that accepts Visa debit cards. Card valid for 120 days after issued. Smartphone DataPlans start at $30 per month or are included with certain Belief Plans. Application and data network usage charges may apply when accessing applications. KansasCustomers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular receives support from the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions con-cerning services availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public

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teenagers,” Turner says. “They line upearly and pretty soon you can’t see the endof the line.”The draw of the ride, Tuner says, is the

fact that Rola Plane takes the riders 30 feetin the air and then turns them upside downbefore finally returning them to theground.But if that isn’t quite your speed, Turner

says there are plenty of rides for theyounger children too, including one new

ride, the FrogHopper. It takes kids 25 feetin the air and drops them.“It’s really all about good, clean, family

entertainment for people of all ages,”Turner says.Turner and his brother, Robert, operate

Fun Rides in Sanford. Their company pro-vides rides for events all across NorthCarolina, as well as other states, but he saidthere is something special about Robbin’sFarmers Day that makes it an event he andhis brother look forward to each year.“It’s the people of the area,” Turner says.

“They really come out each year and sup-port the event really, really well. It is agreat community effort.”

MidwayFrom Page 22

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The Sand BandIs BringingBeach MusicTo Farmers Day


Carolina beach music fans canshag dance through the night whenThe Sand Band takes the stage atthe 56th annual Robbins FarmersDay.

The band will perform on theFidelity Bank stage Saturday, Aug.6, from 8 p.m. to midnight. CarolinaBeach Music Hall of Fame artistTerri Gore accompanies The SandBand in their 10th appearance atFarmers Day.

Fans of dance rhythms and beachvacations will enjoy The SandBand’s classic sounds. The local

band has performed with notablebeach music artists and at aneclectic mix of venues, includingthe Alabama Theatre at MyrtleBeach, private events, festivals andclubs.

Farmers Day brings a dedicatedgroup of fans.

“We have a great crowd,” saysmember Daryl Lemonds.

“We’ve actually had them stand inthe rain to listen to us,” SteveLapping describes. “It was a lightrain, but they stood in the rain andgot soaked to listen to us.”

Such devotion stems from a widebeach music following across the

Carolinas. Lemonds describes“beach people” as a family.

“We can’t go anywhere withoutmeeting someone that we know,”he says.

The shagging crowd flocks towherever beach music plays —whether it’s the local Farmers Dayor one of the few remaining beachclubs. The Sand Band has gainednotoriety among these fans,particularly in the Myrtle Beacharea.

Lapping, Lemonds and RickMartin founded the band almost 18

CONTRIBUTED

The Sand Band, including Steve Lapping (left), Daryl Lemonds and Rick Martin with Tim Short on drums, is growing in popularity, particularily with fans of beach music.

see SAND BAND, page 25


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years ago. Since then, it has evolved intoone of the premier beach music bands ofthe Carolinas and now includes DavidKellis, Henryl Baldwin and Tim Short.The Sand Band’s founders bouncedbetween country and rock-and-roll bandsbefore settling on the beach music style.“I think it’s just something that weliked,” Lapping says, “and we figuredthere would be a wider audience.”“It’s something you get morerecognition out of,” Lemonds adds.Since its founding, The Sand Band hasbeen nominated for three beach musicawards, and one of their songs held theNo. 1 slot at a Myrtle Beach radio stationfor 17 weeks. That song came in secondfor the entire year after the stationbroke a five-criteria tie for first —pretty successful for a band thatconsiders playing music their weekendjob.The members have families and jobsoutside of The Sand Band and someperform in multiple groups. Theyconsider themselves lucky to be basedout of an area where they havenumerous opportunities to perform.Members of The Sand Band credit partof their success to their relationshipswith each other. In 18 years, they haveonly changed two musicians. Combinedwith their good humor and fun-lovingattitudes, it is no wonder these men getalong so well. They admit to simplyhaving fun.“We really have a good time,” Lappingsays. “We pick at one another all thetime.”The Sand Band’s performances displayhow well they know each other. Lappingdescribes how they can play three orfour songs in a row without breaking inbetween. At a recent rehearsal, thecohesion appears when two memberspracticing a song evolves into the wholeband playing without discussion.Lapping’s wife, Rebecca, says that the

band’s rehearsal is not an unusual occur-rence at her house.“We have a house of music,” shedescribes. “We practice here a lot.There’s a guitar in every room. Our 15-year-old plays the saxophone, clarinet,piano, guitar, bass and mandolin. (Steve)plays guitar, bass and mandolin. There’snever a night when it’s quiet.”As the band practices, Rebeccacontributes her own voice to the songs

and dances to the music. Even the mem-bers tap their feet in time, unable toresist the beach music’s rhythms.Carolina beach music has roots inmany genres. Blues, jazz, country androck and roll have all influenced itssound. The Sand Band plays a variety ofsongs reflecting the influence, includingoriginal works and many classic songssuch as “I Love Beach Music,” a songLemonds describes as the beach music

anthem. They have also performed num-bers by Garth Brooks, Percy Sledge, theSupremes, and songs from the disco era.Each song the band performs has onething in common: You can dance to it.With more than 30,000 people coming toFarmers Day annually, it will not be hardto find a partner.“What’s really nice about beach musicis it’s really danceable music,” Lappingsays. “It’s happy music.”

Sand BandFrom Page 24

CONTRIBUTED

The Sand Band will be performing their classic sounds on the Fidelity Bank stage Saturday, Aug. 6, from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Henryl Baldwin Tim Short David Kellis


Thomas FamilyA Farmers Day Parade Tradition

BY LEIGH PEMBERNewsroom Intern

Who would have thought the annualFarmers Day parade has thepower to bring together cowboysand Indians?

Well, they may not really be cowboys andIndians, but brothers Carl and DeanThomas do occasionally dress like themfor the parade.

Every year for more than a decade,Carl, Dean and their mother, Delores Thomas,have dressed up in different costumes andcarried farm animals through the parade,

which starts at 11 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 6, onMain Street. They usually walk the entireparade but, depending on the weather, theymay only go from the post office to R and RAuto Supplies CARQUEST.

“It used to be that we would go the wholecircle,” Delores says. “It gets hotter each year,and now by the time we get to Ron’sCARQUEST, the animals start to get hot.Hopefully, it won’t be so hot this year.”

Despite the heat, the Thomas familyconsistently brings their livestock through the


Delores Thomas (center) and her sons, Carl and Dean, walk in the 2010 Robbins Farmers Dayparade. Left: The Thomases pose for a family shot with Delores’ mother, Beatrice Stutts, before aFarmers Day Parade several years ago.

see THOMAS, page 27


parade. Delores’ mother, Beatrice Stutts,has been to every Farmers Day so far.“I haven’t missed a Farmers Day since

they started,” Stutts said in a writtenstatement. “It’s like a family reunion, andyou get to see friends that you haven’tseen in a while. It’s good Southern fun andfellowship for everyone.”Delores has a rich history with Farmers

Day, too. Growing up,she regularly attendedthe event with her par-ents. Once Delores hadchildren, the familydecided to make theswitch from ridingthrough to walkingthrough the parade.“My mom and dad

used to always gothrough with me onthe wagon and buggyrides,” Delores says.“So we just decidedthat since it’s FarmersDay, we would dosomething differentand bring the farmanimals through. Mymomwas also one ofthe major influencesfor us doing this.”Although the extend-

ed family goesto the paradewith them,Dean, Carl andDelores arethe only onesthat gothrough. Theyusually carrybirds, butthey are alsoplanning ongetting anemu or analpaca oneyear.“We’ve

taken goats,differentkinds ofchickens,turkeys andgeese, and aduckthrough,” Delores says. “Wetook a pig through one year.They’re pretty much likepets.”The animals behave sur-

prisingly well considering thebustle and noise that accom-pany the parade. However,the Thomases still make sure

to take precautions prior to walking.“We usually take a bandanna and wrap it

around them,” Delores says. “That usuallycovers what needs to be covered if‘something’ happens.”The animal’s weight can also be an

issue, especially in the August heat.Delores says a fully grown turkey canweigh up to 30 pounds.“You have the turkeys resting on your

arm, and your arm is usually numb by thetime you get through,” she says.According to Carl, the animals usually

stay pretty tame. However, they have hada few issues inthe past withcertainanimals.“We took an

African goosethrough oneyear,” Deloressays. “We hadjust got him.He flapped hiswings goingthrough onetime, and hewould pinchyou and makebruises. Wenamed himDemon.”Dealing with

unruly animalsis not a prob-lem for Deanor Carl, as theyare more con-cerned withwinning one ofthe manyFarmers Dayawards.“I’m going to

try to get atrophy for bestdressed manbecause Ihaven’t gottenone yet,” Deansays.“They usually

give it to thepeople on thehorses,” Carladds.While the

boys areconcerned withthe awards,Delores returns

year after year because of the fellowshipand because it is a family tradition. Infact, the trio has been walking through forso long that they have become localFarmers Day celebrities.“We might not win the trophy,” she says,

“but a lot of people have told us they lookforward to seeing what we do differenteach year.”

ThomasFrom Page 26

PHOTOS BY JOHNSIE TIPTON/The Pilot



Tractors are an emblem of the South.Texas is known for its wheaty bales of hayand stately pumpers. South Carolinadrawls with cotton crops and familymarket chats. Moore County back-roaddrives hum with the sounds of cricketsand tractors, both cultivating the fieldsthat flash on either side.At the 56th annual Robbins Farmers

Day Parade, Saturday, Aug. 6, a show andparade of tractors will be an allotted partof the festivities, a commemoration of thefarmer’s prized possession.“Farming has been the backbone of this

part of the country,” says Shorty Brown,the parade’s organizer and owner ofShorty’s Service Center, a farm equipmentrepair station.Seventy years ago, Karl Robbins

brought to the town its name and theresilient Pinehurst Silk Mill that stumbledsafely through the Great Depression. KarlRobbins has been remembered as devotedto the small town, encouraging each sectof beneficial industry. Children of farminggenerations would toil daily in the millsbefore returning to their crops and,gradually, their self-sufficient raisingsbecame Robbins’ stake.Robbins Farmers Day is now a

welcoming of proud family heritage andhours of storytelling around theequipment.“I’ve seen as many as four generations

being operated,” Brown says. “We ofcourse have Internationals that gothrough John Deere, Ford, Allis Chalmers,Oliver. The kids like to ride on those. Butwe also have very unique stuff like SilverKings. So this parade is for everybody.”What began in the earliest years of 1900

were mammoth machines called gastraction engines, a hybrid of thelocomotive and a massive buggy. Tractorhistory progressed from steam to gasolinepower and from haulage to plowing.Though Brown says that it’s impossible

to adequately define the parade, due tothe variables in entries, usually there areseveral aged tractor ancestors present.“We really like the antique stuff,” he

says. “Most of the stuff you will find inour show is from 1960 and back.”Leading the tractor grandparents are

kids under the age of 13 riding pedaltractors, what Brown says “has been one

of the favorites of the crowd.”“We’re getting large enough that there’s

something new every year that excitesyou.”You and the judges, as at the close of

each tractor parade, first- and second-place trophies are awarded to each tractorcategory, as well as trophies for Best ofShow, Best Antique Farm Rig and Best

Modified LawnMower.“This parade is a very family-oriented

event,” Brown says.However, the Southern hospitality of the

founding families has invited entries fromall over the state, and each year hashappily garnered drivers that “come from


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JOHNSIE TIPTON/The Pilot

An entry in the Tractor Parade during last year’s Robbins Farmers Day.


several miles away,” Brown says.“No longer is this a strictly local event.

It’s turned out to be pretty statewide,which is fantastic. The more the merrier.I have no idea what it’ll be this year.”Preceding the parade will be the

Antique Tractor and Farm EquipmentShow, held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, onFousher Street until the beginning of theparade at 4 p.m.There is no preregistration or entry fee

for those who want to display theirantique farm equipment or be includingin judging.For viewing, equipment should be

brought to Fousher Street at 9 a.m. and tobe judged must be on display by 2 p.m.The Parade of Tractors will begin at 4

p.m. on Main Street, with the trophypresentation following around 5 p.m.Brown is anticipating the events, and

sends thanks to all of the families,particularly Vance Auman, who haveassisted in the continuance of the parade.“Vance heads VA Transport out of

Seagrove, and has helped metremendously with this thing,” Brownsays. “He’s got a big wheel out of theearly ’50s that runs just great, and heleads the parade with that old tractor

every year.”Robbins’ farmers and business people

alike will reunite for the 56th time on thefirst weekend of August.“They’re pretty close-knit people, which

all farm people are,” Brown says, “andthey’re again welcoming guests to be apart of the festivities and be a part of thefamily.”For more information about Farmers

Day and the Tractor Parade, visitwww.robbinsfarmersday.com.

TractorFrom Page 28

PHOTOS BY JOHNSIE TIPTON/The Pilot

Participants in the annual Tractor Parade during Farmers Day come in all sizes and of all ages. The parade of tractors begins at 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6.

PAGE 30 HE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011

MULE JUMPING


For more than a decade, the Mule Show has been a popular event at the annual Robbins Farmers Day. Hosted by the Carolina Mule Association, the event draws competi-tors and spectators of all ages and from all parts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. The event will be held at 12:45 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, and willshowcase 10 classes, including halter, western, pleasure, driving, log skidding and obstacle driving. One of the most talked about events is the coon jump or mule jump.


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Strength and Agility Combine in Lumberjack CompetitionBY LEIGH PEMBER

Newsroom InternIf anyone “ax,” at least you can say you

“saw” the lumberjack competition.The South Atlantic Woodsmen’s

Association will hold its lumberjackcompetition at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday,Aug. 6, for the 56th annual RobbinsFarmers Day. The event will featureseveral different competitive events aswell as presentations on forest manage-ment and preservation.

The six events are the standing blockchop, the underhand chop, the STIHLstock saw, the hot saw, the ax throw andthe single buck. Essentially, thecompetition is a mixture of ax chops, gassaw cuts and traditional saw cuts.

Surprisingly enough, the events of theshow relate to how real-life lumberjacksoperate, or used to operate. The standingblock chop simulates the chopping downof the tree, while the underhand choprelates to how the tree was cut into piecesafter it was felled.

Both of these actions are now done usingmodern gas chain saws, but the competi-tion is reminiscent of the days when these

see LUMBERJACK, page 32SHELLEY MCLAIN/Special to The Pilot

Wayne Loya and Mike Slingerland compete in the 2009 lumberjack competition at the Robbins Farmers Day.

PAGE 32 HE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011

luxuries did not exist. People are oftenunaware of the history of lumberjacks andhow they have evolved over the years, butSAWA venues provide teachingopportunities to help people learn moreabout timbersports and lumberjacking.“We’re a nonprofit,” says Jimmy

Lawrence, president of SAWA. “A lot ofwhat we do is educational.”SAWA was established in 2003 by Daryl

Weakland and Mike Slingerland, who areboth competitors in the STIHLTimbersports series, to educate people onthe sport and provide a venue in whichpeople can compete.“Basically the reason SAWA got started

was because Mike and Daryl noticed theywere meeting lumberjacks farther south,in the Midwest and in the northeast, butnot in this region,” says Wayne Louya, vicepresident of SAWA. “They wanted to bringthe lumberjack sport to the backyard ofthe people who live in North Carolina andthe surrounding states.”Another reason for the founding of

SAWA was the effect it would have oncollege competitors. According toLawrence, more than 75 percent of thecompetitors started out at the college

level. Lawrence is the lumberjack coach atHaywood Community College, but thereare programs at other schools, includingMontgomery Community College.“People would compete in college, but

they didn’t know how to get into the sporton a national level,” Louya says. “So, Mikeand Daryl thought if they could getestablished here, then the SAWA would bea great recruiting tool for the STIHLTimbersports series. It also opens the door

for people to have the opportunity to getinto the sport and see if it’s really likewhat they thought it was.”The public’s exposure to timbersports is

limited, with most of the television cover-age coming from ESPN during the STIHLTimbersports championship. This meansthat SAWA venues provide a greatopportunity for people to see how theirperceptions compare with the reality ofthe sport. They also provide an opportuni-ty for competitors to gain experience theycan use at the STIHL competition.“We have changed some of the events

since the beginning of the series becausewe’re trying to host events that the STIHLseries has,” Louya says. “We felt like if wewant to get people ready for that level,then we need to be hosting the sameevents.”Aside from competing in events similar

to those of the STIHL series, SAWAlumberjacks usually do some kind oftraining to prepare for the competitions.Lawrence follows a simple plan.“I just try to lift two days a week and

practice two days a week,” he says.Louya takes a different approach. His

seems to be effective, as he was the 2009SAWA series champion. His lack ofphysical training shows how importanttechnique is when competing.“I’ve been in it long enough to where I

can mentally run over the technique of thechops or the sawing events,” he says. “I

just think about the position or angle andkeep going over it in my head. I wonchampionship with that being the onlykind of training I did. I didn’t go out thereand dominate everyone, but every show Iwent out to, I was consistent in.”The SAWA series usually has between

eight and 10 venues, and points are talliedacross all of them. This means thatsomeone who is consistent has the abilityto beat someone who performs really wellat one venue, but does poorly at the next.As it is with any sport, having a goodcoach is essential to finding consistencyand becoming a good competitor.“It pays to know someone with

experience because you’ll only be as goodas the person coaching you,” Louya says,“but not just anyone is willing to trainsomeone. I competed for three or fouryears before some of the veterans of thesport would even speak to me. Most ofthem don’t want to be associated withsomeone who goes out there and doesn’tknow what they’re doing.”While the lumberjack community may

be rather exclusive, people of all ages cancome out and enjoy and learn from theshow. The strength and agility needed tocut timber as fast as these men andwomen do is sure to please the crowd.“It’s really kind of an elite group of

people,” Louya says. “It’s not every daythat you meet someone who says they’re alumberjack.”

LumberjackFrom Page 31


A competitor in last year’s lumberjackcompetition at Robbins Farmers Day


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REV ‘EM UP


Endurance is the name of the game in lawn mower-garden tractor pulling. And plentywill be on show during the Lawn Mower Pull at the 56th annual Robbins Farmers DaySaturday, Aug. 6. The East Coast Pullers get the fun under way at 6 p.m.


Justice will be served, or, at the veryleast, heard.Southern Justice, a band from Denton,

N.C., will play from 9 to 11:30 p.m. onFriday, Aug. 5, on the Post Office stage atthe 56th annual Farmers Day.The band has six members: Wayne

Simmons, Danny Simmons, J.R. Peacock,Denny Scott, Charlie Mowery and ByronCharles. Three of the members are fromDenton and the other three are fromConcord.Southern Justice’s members are all life-

long musicians and play either guitar,bass guitar, drums or keyboard. All mem-bers of the band are involved with someportion of the vocals.“I started playing guitar when I was

about 6, and I’ve been playing ever since,”Wayne Simmons says.Like many of the bands performing at

Farmers Day, Southern Justice has adecidedly country feel, but it is not con-fined to any one song type. Among itsinspirations are George Strait, Toby Keithand Lynyrd Skynyrd.“We play classic, Southern, country,

beach and blues,” Wayne Simmons says.“We’re basically a variety band. We try toplease everybody.”The band has been together for 12 years

now, and it began in classic, garage-bandfashion.“Four of us were basically garage jam-

ming,” Wayne Simmons says. “We calledsome other guys over, then we got bookedfor a few shows, and it snowballed fromthere.”The name “Southern Justice,” while

obviously inspired by the band’s countryroots, does not carry any kind of specialsignificance. According to WayneSimmons, it was just something theycame up with.“We were just sitting around kicking

names around, and everyone liked it,” hesays. “It was a group decision.”

So far, the band has not had enoughexposure to cause the members to quittheir day jobs.“We all have jobs,” Wayne Simmons

says. “We’re just kind of weekendmusicians, and if we’re playing everyweekend, we normally won’t practice.”However, the band has recently seen

more success, as it was nominated andselected to play at an upcoming CharlotteMusic Awards event. Wayne Simmonsdescribes it as a “big step” for the band.They have not yet released an album,

but they have recorded several of theirsongs, most of which can be heard on theband’s Myspace website.“We do our own originals as well as

covers,” Wayne Simmons says. “We usual-ly do both.”With all of the music that it has

recorded, the band is consideringreleasing an album sometime in thefuture if they are picked up by a label.“We’re not signed with a record label,”

Wayne Simmons says. “That’s somethingwe wouldn’t mind doing in the future,

though. I guess that’s what everybodyhopes for.”Southern Justice is performing all over

North Carolina this summer, withFarmers Day being only one of theirvenues. This will be their firstperformance in Moore County.“This’ll be our first time performing at

Robbins,” Wayne Simmons says. “It’s kindof like our maiden voyage to MooreCounty because we’ve never been therebefore. We’re really looking forward toit.”


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Southern Justice Coming to Farmers Day Stage

CONTRIBUTED

Southern Justice’s members are all lifelong musicians and play either guitar, bass guitar, drums or keyboard. The band will beperforming on the Post Office stage on Friday, Aug. 5, from 9 to 11:30 p.m., during the 56th annual Robbins Farmers Day.


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2010 PARADE WINNERS


The 55th annual Robbins Farmers Day parade featured more than 400 horses, mules and wagons. Trophies were awarded to winners in more than 20 categories, rangingfrom best rig, best mule, best work horse to best country horse rider, best dressed girl and best dress man. Some of the winners are pictured above.


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All Eyes to the SkySpecial Forces Parachute Jump Team Drops Into Farmers Day


There is an old saying about parachut-ing, but the Special Forces AssociationParachute Team just disregards it.The team will jump out of a perfectly

good airplane for a Farmers Daydemonstration at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug.6. Five of its members will jump: BoKinnison, Brad Tript, John Weldon andhusband and wife Bill and Brenda Gatter.Kinnison is the leader of the team, and

every member of the team is eitheractive-duty or retired military.Based out of Fort Bragg, the SFAPT is

the only team of its kind in the nation. Itstarted as a government-funded jump clubin 1958. At the time, it was an MWR, orMorale, Well-Being and Recreation,activity.“The founding members were special-

operations soldiers who had a great desireto free fall, but who could not get enoughduring their normal parachuting dutiesfor the Army,” Kinnison says.When the club was shut down, Kinnison

asked the Special Forces Association tosponsor the team, and it agreed.The team has made appearances all

across the country. They have jumped intoa number of high school football games,the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, and sever-al NFL games. They have also jumped inplaques for special ceremonies and donetandem jumps with various VIPs.All members of the team are volunteers

and purchase and maintain their ownequipment. This includes reserve repacks,uniforms and “assorted air items.”According to Kinnison, this usually costsabout $150 to $200 a year.They do not receive funding from the

Army or the Special Forces Association,

so a small fee must be paid for them tojump.“They pay for the use of the aircraft,”

Kinnison says, “but we jump for freebecause we love what we’re doing.”Every person on the team has a passion

for parachuting, and they are all highlyqualified for the work they do with theteam.

“All of our jumpers hold professionallicenses,” Kinnison says. “All the jumperson the team also have well over 500 jumpsand 10 to 15 years of experience.”Practice has made the parachute team

especially adept at pulling off a variety ofmaneuvers. However, they have not yetdecided what routine they want to gothrough at Farmers Day.

“It just depends on the weather andaltitude,” Kinnison says. “We can runseveral different maneuvers. It dependson what we decide.”Among the possible maneuvers they

could perform is the “bomb burst.” In thismaneuver, a member of the team deploysa cloud of smoke. The teammembers arein a circle surrounded by the smoke, thenthey simultaneously do a quick turnoutward. This gives the visual effect of abomb exploding.Another potential demonstration is a

flag jump. Both Kinnison andWeldon areflag jumpers for the team. For this rou-tine, the parachutists deploy a large,weighted American flag that is anywherefrom three by five feet to 20 by 30 feet.Because of the forward motion of thejumper, the flag stretches out and wavesin the wind as he descends.Over the years, the parachute team has

had the opportunity to performmanydifferent routines. Though they cannot doit at Farmers Day, the team even usespyrotechnics that can be seen from theground for night demonstrations.According to Kinnison, this will be about

the 10th time they will jump for FarmersDay.“We’ve been going out there for a long

time,” Kinnison says. “The community isso receptive and so gracious in everyaspect.”While all Farmers Days attendees will

experience the demonstration, certainmembers of the community have a specialrelationship with the team and meet themat their take-off site.“They’re waiting because they want to

talk trash,” Kinnison says. “We know themby name. It’s great. It’s a very family-oriented thing.”

CONTRIBUTED

Members of the Special Forces Association Parachute Team will jump into the 56thannual Robbins Farmers Day Saturday, Aug. 6, at 12:30 p.m.


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A BIG WELCOME


Robbins Mayor Theron K. Bell (front, left) and the Robbins Board of Commissioners,including Lynn M. Loy (left), A.H. Davis Jr., George Hayfield and Joey Boswell, extenda hearty welcome to the more than 30,000 people expected to attend the 56th annu-al Robbins Farmers Day parade, Aug. 4-6.


Johnny and the Cadillacs Returning to Farmers DayBY KATE SMITHNewsroom Intern

WhenMr. Curtis Hussey proposed theoriginal Farmers Day Parade, entertain-ment consisted of 65 clopping horsespulling buggies or hoisting proud riders,each participant hoping for the $2 cashprize, redeemable at local shops.Now, 56 years later, more than 30,000attendees amble through Robbins’bewitching, aged streets on Farmers Dayweekend. Multiple Best of Show trophiesare awarded to horses, mules, buggies andwagons that swagger through the streets.Bands with varying backgrounds andgenres will be taking the stage throughoutthe three days;, each one setting their ownvintage Carolina mood.One such band revives the strains ofoldies rock, blues and beach music withclassics such as “Mustang Sally” and

“Johnny B Goode” in a polished way thatmakes their stomping ground proud.Exhaling the classics is the band Johnnyand the Cadillacs, an eight-year-oldentourage of friends and family.Johnny and the Cadillacs will be rockingthe Post Office stage at Farmers Dayfrom 8 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Aug. 6.They’ll be sharing the time slot withfellow bands Almost Perfect and the RossCoppley Band.The group’s name, Johnny and theCadillacs, is a fitting anachronism onstreets that, not long ago, saw onlywalking boots and wagon wheels.“The name just kind of fit,” says RobertEnloe, Johnny’s nephew, the guitarist andvocalist of the band.The music is reminiscent of a time whenclassic Cadillacs and Buicks were ascommon as drive-in movies and Kennedy

presidential election posters.Other band members include JohnnyEnloe, the band’s head and lead vocalist,known for his charisma and liveliness, andMatt Kuhn and Cecil Monroe, who embel-lish the prime sound with drums and bass.Since their amiable beginnings in 2002,Johnny and the Cadillacs have snaggedgigs at the Greensboro Coliseum, theRobinson County Fair, Carthage BuggyFestival, the Stoneybrook Steeplechase atCarolina Horse Park, Relay For Life,nightclubs and other varying venues.Robbins is a soft spot in the heart ofJohnny and the Cadillacs, as Johnny andRobert Enloe and Cecil Monroe were allborn and raised in the town with deeproots alongside Robbins’ castle-like oaks.“We’ve played around for the last fewyears,” Robert Enloe says, “but we alwayslook forward to this special event in

Robbins.”Johnny and the Cadillacs are prone tomaking friends with folks, as chums andsprawling families mingle seamlessly inthe crowds that gather in homey Robbins.“Everybody goes to Farmers Day,” saysEnloe. “You haven’t seen people in a year,and then you reunite. It’s like Christmas,when you know your family but haven’tseen them awhile, and you meet againover Christmas dinner.”Many natives of Robbins feel likewise asthey anticipate the event that brings localsand first timers together for a fewconvivial evenings.“It really is homecoming for us,” Enloesays, as he and the band prepare forRobbins, their homestead that invitescompany in for quintessential music,shared memories and a glass of sweet icedtea.

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Johnny and the Cadillacs will take the Post Office stage at Farmers Day from 8 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Aug. 6.

SILVER SPONSORS

PINEHURST RADIOLOGYRICHMOND RENTALSWLHC FM LIFE 103.1CENTURY LINKCOUNTY LINE SERVICE CENTERROBBINS FRIENDLY MARTSANDHILL CYCLE CENTERLOWES FOODSVAN DERVEER’S GAS CO., INC.MOORE CO. FARM BUREAU OF ROBBINSDOMINO’SBURGESS BODY SHOP & TOWING (Robbins)COTTON CREEK CHIP MILLWWGP 1050 AMWFJA OLDIES 105.5HOLMES BUILDING SYSTEMS, LLCJOHN L. FRYE COMPANYWESTMOORE FAMILY RESTAURANTSHORTY’S SERVICE CENTERKENNEDY FUNERAL HOMETHIGPEN & JENKINS, LLPWTJY JOY FM 89.5 FMWIOZ 102.5 FMMICKEY R. BROWNGREENE’S HARDWARESWEET’S ELECTRIC

WNCA 1570 AMSITUS COMPANIESHARRIS PRINTING CO., INC.SLAGEL FIRE EQUIPMENTPROGRESS ENERGYHUSSEY OIL COMPANYCAROLINA CARRIAGE OF PINEHURSTTOTAL POWER PRODUCTS, LLC-BISCOEWYLIE’S GOLF CARTSMCDONALD BROTHERS(SO.PINES, SANFORD, SILER CITY, DURHAM)CLAPP BROS. IMPLEMENT-TRACTOR CO.,INC.NATIONWIDE-UNITED INSURANCEPINEHURST TOYOTAQUIK CHEKHOBBS & UPCHURCHGENTLE TOUCH HOMECAREJAMES RIVER EQUIPMENT COMPANYPHILLIPS MOTOR COMPANYLAURA BRADY INCOME TAX SERVICEMES (Municipal Emergency Services, Inc.)JOHNNY O’S AWARDSSPEER CONCRETE, INC.WYLIE’S IGA

FIRST BANK

ROBBINS PROFESSIONAL CENTER(Dr.Bell, Dr. Powers, Dr.Ward, Tarheel drug)

RANDOLPH EMC

FIDELITY BANK

RANDOLPH TELEPHONE

AMERICAN GROWLER

The Official Soft Drinkof Robbins Farmers Day

TITLE SPONSORS

SPONSORS

PAUL B. JAMES, DMD

GDSMOTORSPORTS& TOWNING

ROBIN’S NEST

DEEP RIVER COFFEE CO.

BURGESS AUTOMOTIVE & TOWING

(Biscoe)

WILLIAMS TIRE & AUTO REPAIR

FRIENDLY CHEV., BUICK INC.

COX DISTRIBUTOR

CAROLINA FARM CREDIT, ACA

CARTHAGE AUTOGLASS

DARRYL& CLAIRE BARROW

WANDARICHARDSON

BEAR CREEK HOSIERY

CHARLESMONTJOY INS. AGENCY

CARTHAGE FARM SUPPLY

ABERDEEN SUPPLY

KINZA’S CREATIONS

CENTRAL FARMERSMUTUAL INS. CO.

ECONO

SOUTHERN VARIETY COLLECTIBLES

B&G FASHION

G&MSALES COMPANY

J. J. MOORE

CAROLINA STOCKYARD

ATHLETIC EDGE

R&R AUTO SUPPLY

BROWN SERVICE CENTER

STANDARDMINERAL, INC.

MCDUFFIE APPLIANCE& PLUMBING

PARTS

LAMBERT AUTO SALES

CUTS UNLIMITEDHAIR SALON

ROBBINS, NORTH CAROLINATHURSDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY

August 4th-6th, 2011

Eat In or Carry Out(910) 948-2398281 Middleton Street • Robbins, NCMon-Sat 10am-10pm Sun 11am-10pm

Thank you for your business!

Carolina FriedChicken

&House of Pizza

Documents

Robbins Farmers Day 2011