This year’s theme for the 52nd Annual Grifton Shad Festival will be light and floaty in remembrance of a festival favorite.
“You’re going to be seeing a whole lot of bubbles around town because our theme this year is Bubbles Up,” committee Vice President Tyra Sparrow said of the event, which culminates on Saturday, April 20.
“It’s one of the last songs written by the late Jimmy Buffett, it was a very positive song, and it’s kind of a tribute to him.”
Sparrow said that Saturday is going to be bubbling over with fun, and that the grand marshal for the 10:30 a.m. parade is going to be a mermaid.
“Her name is Mermaid Splash, and we have new attractions going on throughout the day,” said Sparrow. “We will have a couple of circus acts, Stella Circus, and also a bubble circus that will follow right after that.”
Community events are set through the week, starting with the Miss Grifton Shad Queen Pageant at 7 p.m. today in the Grifton School Auditorium and the annual Fishy Tales Story Telling Contest at 6 p.m. on Monday in the Grifton School Media Center. Fireworks are set for 9 p.m. on Saturday and extra events on Sunday include a community church service, The Great Contentnea Creek Duck Race and the Tick Bite Kayak Regatta.
Sparrow said the festival will have plenty of variety with over 30 food and beverage vendors including a beer garden. Some vendors will be setting up as early as Thursday evening when Funtime Amusements and Rides arrives downtown. Musical performances are set for Friday and Saturday.
Committee President Randall Hart said that festival-goers will be able to buy Shad Festival Fish Stew and fried fish plates on Saturday at the shelter behind the Town Commons and that the Shad Shack will be open for folks to purchase festival merchandise with the iconic Eat Mo Shad logo.
Sparrow said in its early days the Shad Festival lasted the whole week with many Sunday events. The committee this year decided to revive some of those Sunday activities, she said.
“Something that is very different about our festival is our church service that we have on Sunday after the festival,” said Sparrow. “I feel like it’s a great opportunity to come together and reflect on our community and how we can collaborate and do things together, because there are several different churches within our town that come together to put this event on.”
Pastors Michael King and Jaime Haddock will lead the service starting at 9 a.m. at Creekside Overlook Park. Sparrow said that all are welcome, so bring a blanket or lawn chair.
“We’re also having the Great Contentnea Duck race on Sunday, and we’re going to race over 1,700 ducks in the Contentnea Creek,” said Sparrow. “We are working with the Grifton Volunteer Fire Department on this, so some of the proceeds will be going back to them and the festival.”
Tickets are available for purchase to place a duck in the race: $5 for one ticket and $20 for five tickets. The first duck to cross the finish line wins the ticket holder $1,000, the 10th to cross earns $250 and the last earns $100.
“Then right after that we will also be having a kayak race that will be put on by the Neuse Riverkeeper,” said Sparrow. The riverkeeper is a program of the nonprofit Sound Rivers, which Tar-Pamilco and Neuse river systems.
The Shad Festival Committee will be selling hotdogs and drinks at the boat landing during the events, and Sparrow invited everyone to come out enjoy the extra day of festival fun.
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