The Sack Race was a highlight of the morning

Peanut Parade Marches Edenton Into Fall ...

The rain held off Saturday as Edenton welcomed the spirit of fall when the 51st annual Peanut Parade and Festival brought runners, tractors, colorful floats and families together for a day celebrating community and Chowan County’s agricultural heritage.  

Spectators settled into folding chairs, blanketed tailgates and gathered along Broad Street for the parade that followed the start of the 7:00 a.m. nut run start, award ceremony and peanut sack races. Kids of all ages took part in the sack races. Classic tractors and antique cars rolled past curbside spectators lining the street from the start of the parade at JAH to the waterfront.

The parade has become a signature town event since its rebirth last year as the town celebrates the crop that is not only grown, but processed here.  

As is tradition, the tractors showed up. A bright green John Deere and a gleaming red Farmall carrying an American flag offered reminders of the farming traditions at the heart of the festival. A yellow classic Corvette with a black roof and flame accents added another splash of color to the procession.

Children brought their own energy and imagination. Young marchers in red, white and blue accompanied a patriotic entry featuring a large American flag. On the Team WOW float, children dressed as firefighters, medical professionals and other community helpers rode behind railings draped with peanut plants. Its message, “Empowering Our Future, Rooted in Our Community,” connected the next generation with the agricultural roots being celebrated.

The returning Senior Center Line dancers were also part of the parade lineup, adding to a tradition that brings generations together along the downtown route.

Saturday’s activities began well before the parade with the return of the Nut Run. The 10K was scheduled for 7 a.m., followed by the 5K at 8:30 a.m., with a 15K Challenge available to ambitious runners taking on both races. The courses highlighted historic downtown Edenton and the surrounding farmland, home to generations of peanut growers.

Runners gathered waterside in Elizabeth Vann Moore park for to receive awards before the parade, with participants sporting medals, first place winners carrying cans of peanuts while posing for photographs.

The Nut Run’s 15K Nutty Challenge tested runners who completed both the 10K and 5K races, with their combined times determining the standings. Mark Cagle, 57, of Belhaven, captured first place overall in 1:04:31.46. Edenton’s Ryland Elliott, 38, finished second in 1:06:33.52, followed by Stafford Beasley, 32, of Windsor, in 1:06:43.31.

Edenton’s Jennifer Struchen, 54, led the women’s division with a combined time of 1:23:30.95, placing eighth overall. Jill Moncla, 33, of Elizabeth City, took second among women in 1:24:48.24, while Julie Stutts, 52, of Rocky Mount, finished third in 1:35:43.81

This year also introduced five parade awards recognizing creativity, agricultural pride and community spirit. Categories include the Grand Peanut Award for best overall entry; the Peanut Butter Cup Award for sweetest entry; the Peanut Patch Award for best agricultural entry; the Nuttiest Entry Award for most fun or spirited entry; and the Peanut in the Rough Award for most unexpected entry.

Parade category results are still being tabulated, with winners to be announced Wednesday, Oct. 7.

THE COLONIAL MARKET

Beyond the parade, the day’s lineup offered activities throughout town. The Cupola Colonial Market in the Cupola Gardens featured artisan vendors, antiques, pewter and artwork.

Festival activities on King Street and the Courthouse Green included live music, while the waterfront offered opportunities to see Edenton from the water aboard the Albemarle Queen and Capt. Mark’s electric launch, the Liber-Tea.

Broad Street’s independent shops and the Edenton Farmers Market on North Broad Street provided more opportunities to browse, shop and meet local merchants, growers and vendors.

The afternoon schedule continued with the Battle of the Bands at John A. Holmes High School, bringing local and regional marching bands together for the 2 p.m. competition.

Sponsored by Main Street Edenton and Visit Edenton, the Peanut Parade carried a familiar tradition into its 51st year. From peanut plants woven into a children’s float to classic tractors traveling Broad Street, Saturday’s procession celebrated the connections among farming, family and community that give the festival its character.

The fall edition of The Edenton Social Light print edition, available in the little red boxes on Broad St. this coming Saturday, features one of Edenton’s premier businesses, Hampton Farms.  

Beneath a white tent glowing with strings of lights, the Chowan Arts Council celebrated its 50th anniversary Saturday evening, Oct. 3, with a Golden Gala that brought art, friendship and community spirit together.

The celebration, which began at 6 p.m., under the pleasant patter of tent muffled raindrops, marked a half-century of encouraging creativity and supporting the arts in the Chowan community. Guests gathered around tables decorated with colorful flowers, sharing an evening that honored the council’s history while looking toward its future.

Art held a prominent place in the celebration, with framed pieces and other works displayed around the tent. The auction brought an especially lively element to the celebration, as smiling guests raised numbered bidding cards from their tables as Colorado Joe's rhythmic chant encouraged enthused the bidders into healthy bids. Bare walls may be a thing of the past for some, crowded galleries for others. Those moments captured the evening’s blend of enjoyment and support for the council.

Between the artwork, the decorated tables and the the enjoyable look on the guest's faces, the gala offered a picture of the community helping to sustain a local arts organization. It was an occasion to appreciate creative talent and the people whose enthusiasm keeps the arts part of everyday life.

The council’s invitation had promised “an elegant evening honoring our past and inspiring our future.” Saturday’s gathering brought that theme to life, pairing a golden anniversary celebration with a shared interest in the organization’s next chapter.

For an organization devoted to art, culture and community, reaching 50 years is a significant milestone. The anniversary offered an opportunity to reflect on the value of bringing people together and encouraging artistic expression. 

With its Golden Gala, the Chowan Arts Council celebrated five decades of creativity and the community support that will help carry its work into the years ahead.

When the floats and tractors finished their journey down Broad Street Saturday, visitors kept the celebration going with a stop at the Cupola House Colonial Market. It turned out to be another amazing shopping experience on Broad St.  where shopping among the creative artisans turned into lengthy conversation.

The fourth annual market was organized by the Cupola House Association in conjunction with Edenton’s Peanut Festival weekend, the event offered a convenient place to browse before and after the parade.

Beneath vendor canopies, tables displayed jewelry, artwork, books and decorative items. The Cupola House Association displayed kitchen towels almost too pretty to use. Old North Pewter offered a number of pieces with a story to tell. Seasonal wreaths hung overhead at the Edenton Woman’s Club booth, where necklaces, bracelets and earrings invited a closer look. Members wearing club aprons greeted visitors amid displays that ranged from framed art to holiday decorations.

Nearby, Julia Townsend of The Peanut Factory offered a creative example of giving discarded materials a second life. Green, amber and clear drinking glasses made from recycled bottles stood in rows beside mesh bags of tumbled glass. A sign explained that the organization recycled Edenton’s glass waste into drinking glasses, connecting local craftsmanship with resourcefulness.

The market also gave its youngest visitors an opportunity to create something of their own. At a craft table, children leaned over brown paper bags, carefully adding decorations with colorful markers. Stickers, yarn and a basket of beads spread across the table offered plenty of possibilities, while adults helped nearby.

Those small moments added to the market’s appeal: children concentrating on their projects, shoppers examining jewelry and neighbors pausing to talk beneath the canopies.

GFWC Edenton’s Woman’s Club First Vice President Karen Parks offered one of the high points of the market. Ham and Biscuit sandwiches, prepared by Jerry Parks disappeared as rapidly as they were offered.  

Before the event, organizers reported that vendor participation had grown each year and anticipated filling the garden to capacity. Saturday’s varied displays offered visitors opportunities to find a gift, or simply enjoy browsing.

The historic surroundings gave the marketplace a character of its own. Built in 1758 by Francis Corbin, the Cupola House overlooks Edenton Bay. Its preservation grew from a community effort in 1918, and the restored house and formal gardens provided a fitting backdrop for an event that brought local organizations, vendors and families together.

With the 51st annual Peanut Parade traveling south along Broad Street toward the waterfront, the market was a natural next stop. Its afternoon hours gave parade goers time to linger and explore.

Across downtown, the festival’s lineup also included the Farmers Market, educational booths and food trucks on East King Street, and “Peanuts on Porches” musical performances near the Courthouse Green.