Matt Harrelson
Ellerbe - The Ellerbe Downtown Merchants Association has been looking for new ideas to bring people to the small town on the north side of Richmond County. And now it’s looking to one of the area's No. 1 crops for inspiration - strawberries.
A long staple among farmers in and around Ellerbe, the EDMA gathered Wednesday night at Ellerbe Springs Inn to discuss how they can use the popular fruit to give residents far and wide a reason to visit.
The newly invented Strawberry Festival is slated to take place on May 12, 2018, the Saturday before Mother's Day in downtown Ellerbe. And several committees are in the process of being formed to get the berry rolling.
Among those committees will be groups set up to work on funding, marketing, entertainment, vendors, logistics and safety.
Overseeing the financial transactions of the festival, the funding committee is tasked with finding potential sponsors and have already begun enlisting help from local companies. Marketing will involve creating a logo and flyers, as well as getting the word out through radio, social media and traditional media such as the Richmond Observer.
As far as entertainment, several ideas were floated on Wednesday, including inviting bands that can perform throughout the day, entertainment for kids such as a mini-train, rock climbing wall and bounce houses and competitions during the festival.
A 5K race in the morning, cooking contest with strawberries as the hidden ingredient, a cornhole tournament and a "Strawberry Queen" contest were used as jumping-off points for this category.
Vendors, merchants, crafters and those cooking food of their own will be invited and will be asked to be set up by 10 a.m., the time the festival is currently set to start. They are, however, invited to stay past the projected 3 p.m. ending time. As of Wednesday night, the set prices for vendors will be $50 for those preparing food and $25 for others.
Finally, logistics will be in charge of designating, assigning and coordinating the use of various spaces throughout the downtown area for all the festival activities, as well as acquiring any necessary permits and insurance needed. Meanwhile, the safety committee will be tasked with contacting the Richmond County Sheriff's Office to establish safety standards and procedures to make sure the festival goes off without a hitch.
With the people in place, the EDMA is hoping to make this an event that will not only bring people to Ellerbe, but also entice them to stay and shop a while. Ellerbe council members Fred Cloninger and Jeremy McKenzie - who were in attendance Wednesday - hope to see the same thing.
"I think it will be very important because Ellerbe needs to get people into town to see how great Ellerbe is and this is just an exciting way to try and make that happen and get people to know more about Ellerbe," Cloninger remarked about the Strawberry Festival.
McKenzie echoed Cloninger’s sentiments.
"I believe it's a very important matter to bring people together and bring the community together in order to have more fellowship and fun and food, and also bring growth to the town," McKenzie noted. "It'll bring people shopping and to meet the people of Ellerbe."
Although the EDMA's next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, January 31, 2018, at Ellerbe Springs, from now until the festival, the special committees will meet in between those regular gatherings.
The next conference will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2018, in the same location.
