Keeping the tradition alive

Tradition is only part of the motivation behind all the hard work done by Stoneville Rotary Club each year to organize and operate the town’s Fall Festival. But it is an important part.

Stoneville residents and friends enjoyed the annual event for more than a quarter-century before the local merchant’s association disbanded seven years ago. That left the festival’s future in jeopardy, since the association previously sponsored the event.

“Rotary had participated in the festival for many years,” said Jerry Smith, president of Stoneville Rotary. “The club decided to step in and take over sponsorship when it looked like the town might have to stop the annual tradition.”

The eighth annual Stoneville Rotary Fall Festival begins at 9 a.m. Saturday with another tradition – the annual Baby Contest. The friendly competition for children from birth to 48 months of age has been a popular feature of the festival most of the event’s 34-year history. Trophies are awarded to the most beautiful girl and boy, and to the child judged to have the best personality.

The popular event always draws a large crowd to kick off the festival’s opening ceremonies. But it takes a lot of volunteers, vendors and behind-the-scenes folks to keep the event rolling along each year.

“It takes a lot of people to put on something like this and it’s definitely a cooperative effort,” said Rotary member Harold Knight. “We’ve been really fortunate to have the kind of support we get from the downtown merchants, the town and our vendors. We also have a lot of volunteers that just want to help.”

This year’s main events will be moved to the new stage behind Fidelity Bank, at the intersection of Main and Henry streets. After the winners of the annual baby contest are announced, the day’s musical entertainment gets started at 10 a.m. with local favorites Hubert Lawson and the Bluegrass Country Boys.

Vocalist Priscilla Gray follows at 11 a.m., leading up to another event which has become a traditional favorite for the Stoneville crowds. The Western Rockingham Jr. Service League has sponsored a hot dog eating contest for several years and it never fails to attract a lot of attention. The eating begins at noon, just in time to get folks ready to start hitting some of the many food vendors attending the festival each year.

Karion’s Karoke takes the stage at 1 p.m., followed by a performance from Madison’s C.C. Dance Company troupe at 2 p.m.

The festival’s feature performances begin at 2:30 p.m. with the arrival of local oldies band The Impacts. This year’s headline band, Radio Flyer, takes the stage from 4 p.m. until the close of the festival at 6 p.m. Based in the Wilmington area, Radio Flyer is a four-member beach and rock band consisting of Shorty and Pam Watkins, along with Tommy and Rachel Hutchinson.

In addition to babies, hot dogs and musical entertainment, the festival always provides plenty of alternatives for a day of family-friendly fun. There will be dozens of vendors with a wide variety of crafts, food, and information on special projects. There will also be games for the children, as well as a 50-50 raffle and car show for the adults. The tradition of Cow Bingo also continues this year with the return of Bossy the Cow.

The annual festival is a major fundraiser for the Stoneville Rotary Club, with proceeds from the event going right back into the community that helped raise them.

“All of the money we raise through this event goes out to different charities during the year,” Smith said.

The Stoneville Rotary Club helps sponsor the local Boy Scout troop, donates funds to the local elementary school, the McMichael High School band, Rockingham Community College, Relay for Life and other local and national charities. The club also provides personalized dictionaries to every third grader at Stoneville Elementary School each year. Stoneville Rotary also began and sponsors the Hickman-Mitchell Scholarship Fund, established following the 1998 tornado.

Through the international Rotary, the club also donates funds to help eradicate polio around the world and help stamp out illiteracy.

“We give away every cent we make at this event and other fundraisers during the year,” Smith said. “Then we’ll start over again next year and do the same. It’s a lot of work sometimes, but it’s worth it and we all enjoy it.”

For more information about the annual Stoneville Rotary Club Fall Festival, contact Smith at (336) 573-3853.