Hosted by the Spruce Pine Rotary Club, the annual BBQ and Bluegrass Festival is a major fundraiser for the local Rotary club.
This year’s event will net somewhere near $5,000 said Rotary Club of Spruce Pine President Marvin Walker. And those dollars will impact people in Mitchell County and beyond. “This is the only fundraiser for the club,” said Walker. “Last year it was cancelled due to COVID-19. This year we pushed it from August to October.”
Funds raised at the event are ear-marked for several local projects. Rotarian Arch Woodard said that in the past the club has funded several projects around the Riverside Park in downtown Spruce Pine where the festival is held, including the Kid’s Play Park, the garden shed at the community garden and scholarships for local Mitchell High School students.
The children’s park was built, burned down and then rebuilt, much to the delight of five-year-old Easton Hutchenson. He, along with a host of other children, were enjoying the autumn weather on Saturday afternoon, sliding down slides and poles and playing on monkey bars as parents and grandparents looked on. Easton is a “regular” at the park with his “meme” Melora Bennett. “Easton loves this park,” said Bennett. “We come here a lot. Today we came down to look at the festival and the bouncy castles, but he passed them up. He’d rather play right here. It’s wonderful for the community and the children.”
In the coming months the Rotary club will be taking on some additional programs, using funds raised during Saturday’s festival. “There is an effort to renovate the bridge over the river and Rotary is participating in that project,” said Walker. The Pinebridge bridge connects downtown Spruce Pine and the riverfront park, encouraging people to enjoy both sides of the river.
In addition, Rotary will soon host a Rise Against Hunger meal packing event. At a cost of 34 cents a meal, and with $6,000 committed to the event, Rotary and community volunteers will pack more than 17,600 meals to be distributed to people in need around the world.
It’s Rotary’s commitment to making the world a better place that encourages Rotarians like Jan Godwin to don a duck costume and encourage festivalgoers to buy tickets for Rotary’s Ducky Race, which was held during the festival. Godwin, of Timberline Properties, said she has been honored to be a member of Rotary for 28 years. “Professionally being a Rotarian has been so rewarding,” said Godwin. “It has connected me to other Rotarians and gave me opportunity to serve my community. It’s a wonderful organization that does good in the world.”