Bruceton Mills hosts 76th annual Good Neighbor Days celebration

BRUCETON MILLS, W.Va. (WBOY) — The communities of Brandonville and Bruceton Mills are celebrating their Good Neighbor Days Festival this weekend with plenty of events set to happen throughout the communities.

The festival features the Good Neighbor Days Parade and Mile Race on Friday along with things like raffles, games, vendors and food. Much of the celebration centers around the Bruceton Brandonville Fire Department as this event is one of the department’s largest fundraisers of the year. The festival started Friday and runs through Saturday night.

“Good Neighbor Day started 76 years ago as a way to bring our community together, and as a fundraiser for the fire department,” Festival Vice President Festival Melissa Kent said. “It has expanded over time. We had carnival rides before COVID. And then COVID kind of did away with all the small carnivals that we could afford, we don’t have a lot of space either so the big carnival just don’t want to come.”

This year’s Good Neighbor is Brian Sell and the Good Neighbor Queen is Carlee Wilson. In years past, the festival was a three-day event but organizers said they’ve slimmed it down to a two-day event.

“I have helped a lot of people in our community so that is how I have been chosen I am assuming to be the good neighbor for Bruceton Brandonville Volunteer Fire Department,” Sell said. “I just help any chance I can. I don’t know how you talk about it, I just do it, I mean I don’t expect no reward, no payment, no, I just do it because that’s what I do, that’s who I am.”

Organizers stated that Good Neighbors Days recognizes many neighbors but honors only one each year.

“It started to, you know, recognize this community as being good neighbors and this, this community in its entirety is amazing,” Kent said. “There’s lots and lots of good neighbors and we wish we could recognize more than just one.”

Good Neighbor Days events planned for Saturday include:

• Fairgrounds open at 4 p.m
• Little Firemen fun 4 p.m.
• Inflatables 5 p.m.
• Kitchen and games 5 p.m.
• Recognition of Good Neighbor and Good Neighbor Court 6:30 p.m.
• Nat Paugh performance 7 p.m.
• Fire Felon performance 8 p.m.
• A family movie on the lawn at 9 p.m.

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