In 1992 a small group of people were trying to find a solution to a problem. Dublin Elementary School needed a gymnasium/multi-purpose building. This project would cost $200,000.00. The students needed a facility to hold physical education classes, a stage and band room. The group approached The Bladen County Board of Education and The Bladen County Board of Commissioners seeking financial assistance. Both boards, after deliberations, set aside "Good Faith" money. As word spread of what was to be accomplished, the group decided to raise money themselves for this facility. But how?

Well, this is Dublin, Peanut Capital of North Carolina. Why not have a festival and name it, The Dublin Peanut Festival? The small group of people became the Dublin Peanut Festival Committee and September 18, 1993, the first festival was held. This committee was on a mission. The mission was to raise $30,000.00 to show they were serious about this facility. It took five years of sweat and anticipation but on May 17th, 1998, Dublin Elementary School was dedicated their gymnasium/multi-purpose building. We have grown in leaps and bounds. We have used the "Peanut" proudly to accomplish our goals each year.

The festival takes us back in time to show the early years of peanut harvesting from horses and plows, to peanut stacks and to tractors and mechanical peanut pickers of today. The Festival includes a peanut cook-off contest and each entry must include peanuts. Cash prizes are given to these winners. We have for sale roasted, salted in the shell and freshly boiled peanuts. The students of Dublin Elementary School create our festival T-shirt graphics each year. Each student submits a drawing including peanuts and the festival committee selects a winner. The winner is given a cash prize and a T-shirt.

The Festival is committed to showing our attendees how important it is to come together as a team and produce results with the positive attitude that anything is possible as long as you work together. Our goal is to make our community and local schools stronger.

So here we are, seventeen years later, bigger than ever before. The festival now includes a Scholarship Pageant, Hot Dogs, Sausage Dogs, Bar-B-Que Plate Sale, Classic Car Show, Games in the Gym, Entertainment to include Bands and Solo Acts on Stage, Mechanical Rides, Contests, Kiddie and Women’s Pedal Tractor Pull, Craft and Food Vendors, Fireman Competition, Peanut Bakeoff Contest, Cake Walk, Tee Shirt Sales and PEANUTS.

It’s a lot of hard work that takes 365 days a year to plan. We could not pull this off without our committee members. We are a team that has been together for years. It’s commitment that has kept us together. Then we have our volunteers that are here every year to lend a hand anyway they can. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! They may not be full time committee members anymore but on Festival Day they are here, ready to work. We can’t thank them enough because they give their time so unselfishly.

There is one goal for all of us. The goal is to make our community and local schools stronger. Here are just a few of the contributions we give each year: Bladen We Care Hospice $2,000.00, Bladen Habitat for Humanity $500.00, Heating Assistance For the Elderly $2,000.00, Peanut Festival Pageant Queen Scholarship $1,000.00, Bladen Community College $4,000.00 (2 Scholarships for $2,000.00 each) and Dublin Elementary School Teacher and Staff Appreciation Breakfast. Here’s some insight to other donations we have made: Dublin Elementary School Gymnasium/Multi-Purpose Building contents to include: Chairs, Sound System, Mats, 2 Volleyball Nets and Poles and Bleachers. For the school itself, Accelerator Reader Books, Leap Pad Computers, Dictionaries, Fence for the Pre-K Playground, Parking Lot Paving, Riding Mower and Library Books.. Other donations, 1999 Flood Victims, Dublin Boy Scout Troop, Bladen County Exceptional Children’s Pre-School Programs, Bladen Lakes Primary School Sound System, Dublin Ball Park Fence, Tar Heel Middle School Library Books, East and West Bladen High Schools, Dublin Fire Department and the list goes on and on.

It takes a lot of work and hard-working people to keep this Organization together. Through the years we have lost four dedicated members, Murray Barnes, Ballard Carroll, Sr., Irene and Houston Brisson. You are missed.

Last but not least, we want to say Thank You to all of our Sponsors and Advertisers. These are the people who enable us to do what we do. Without them, none of this would be possible. On Saturday, look around at the Sponsor Boards and Signs. These are truly the people behind the scenes. We appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for entrusting us with your money to make someone’s day a little brighter.

So, come on out Saturday, September 18^th, 2010 and spend the day with us.

We’re always looking for new ideas and members. Remember, you can always make a difference in someone’s life!