“We’re running out of everything! Can you bring more supplies?”
The young sales assistant at the Tractor Food and Farms booth didn’t sound panicked but rather elated at the fact that by 11:30 a.m., only an hour and a half after the inaugural Hellbender Festival in Downtown Spruce Pine opened, her stock of jalapeño hot sauce, jars of honey, and bottles of sesame seed oil were quickly being depleted by customers.
It may seem counterintuitive for businesses to celebrate running out of produce and products; of restaurants and food trucks happily closing early after selling out of most of their food items, or of festival attendees laughing that they couldn’t access Venmo because local internet service was overwhelmed, yet for the many of people who
participated in the Hellbender Festival during Labor Day weekend, the sheer number of the crowd and volume of sales indicating that Spruce Pine’s newest festival was a success.
Named after the endangered Appalachian salamander, whose habitat has been compromised by mining, storm damage, and attempts to repair the storm damage, the Hellbender Festival was started as a means to draw attention to the plight of the salamanders specifically, but also to other regional animals and organisms.
According to organizer Cami Leisk, there were roughly 40 nonprofits, in addition to the conservation initiatives and environmental groups that attended the festival, which all had booths or sponsored activities. These included everything from a Mayland Community College table dedicated to saving the Southern Appalachian brook trout to global environmental organizations such as the Nature Conservancy. The Chattanooga Zoo in Tennessee was also present to promote its unique Hellbender program.
Aside from the environmental focus, the festival hosted more than 35 artists and other merchants, all of whom reported brisk sales, according to Leisk. Spencer Bost, executive director of Downtown Spruce Pine, admitted that even the festival organization itself experienced running out of merchandise.
“We sold out of our 400 T-shirts in a little over an hour,” Bost said.
“And we’re still getting online orders,” Leisk added.
After the event, Leisk provided statistics on the festival’s overall success.
“We had 5,000 people come to the festival with over 50 percent coming from more than 30 miles away,” she said by text message. “I’m still running our full economic impact analysis but I feel comfortable giving a conservative estimate that the festival generated well over a quarter million dollars for the local economy.”
Mayland Community College’s booth also experienced big crowds.
“To me, the crowds came in three huge waves,” Dr. Sherry Sherman of MCC said. “There was a morning rush, then a large afternoon group, and finally an evening crowd who came for the concert.”
Bost was delighted with the community support.
“Seeing our community come together for the Hellbender Festival, with locals, visitors, volunteers, and businesses all contributing, was truly inspiring,” Bost said. “The energy, pride, and collaboration we experienced show what is possible when we celebrate both our natural heritage and the people who make Spruce Pine special. This success belongs to everyone who made it happen and we cannot wait to do it again next year.”