From farmer’s markets and flock swaps to sports tournaments and bee extravaganzas, Angela Allen says there’s something for everyone to enjoy in Granville County.
Allen is the county’s tourism director and talked with John C. Rose Tuesday on Town Talk about a variety of upcoming events of interest to anyone looking for ways to get out and enjoy the springtime – and looser COVID-19 restrictions.
All during the pandemic, Allen said she was getting the word out about supporting local businesses. “Now, they can really get out and support them,” she said. And it’s not just local folks supporting local businesses, she said. People from outside the area “want to get on the road and explore neighboring counties – they want to get away,” Allen said. Advertising with a statewide reach has helped her help local businesses, she said.
“We’ve laid the groundwork for people to come and explore the area as we slowly but surely open back up,” Allen added.
It may be something of a new phenomenon, but in the post-COVID world “people are really starting to search in their own backyards to see what they can ‘get into’ and how they can support local businesses,” Allen said.
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The Creedmoor Farmers Market is open on Wednesdays from 1-5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is located at the American Legion building, 50 Legion St., Creedmoor. The Oxford Farmers Market is open on Saturday mornings 7 a.m. to noon. It is located at the corner of McClanahan and Lanier streets, near the police station.
If you’d rather go visit the farm itself, check out Lyon Farms in Creedmoor, Christmas Place Farms in Bullock or Dixon Farms outside Oxford for fresh strawberries, plentiful right now.
For a complete list of farms close by or across the state, download the Visitncfarms app, Allen said.
There are a couple of Memorial Day events – one at the Veterans Memorial at City Hall in Oxford and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Butner Gazebo at 10 a.m.
Although traditional media outlets continue to be effective ways to reach a wide audience, social media outlets have also become popular when it comes to “getting the word out” about events. Allen said she used to get information 3-6 months in advance of an event so she could promote it, “that window has gotten a lot shorter” since COVID, she said.
“As soon as I get the information, I try to put it up on website and social media,” Allen said. Sometimes, the event comes together in just a couple of weeks. “It’s a little bit ‘off trend’ now, but in the era of COVID, it can almost be on the day of the event” that people decide to attend.
Creedmoor’s new recreation center will kick off a “First Friday” event for families on June 4 at 7 p.m. The theme for the first event is “Wildlife” – a wildlife expert will show off some special animals and then have a “meet and greet” session, Allen said. There will be food trucks and other activities.
Southern States in Oxford is the site of a June 20 Flock Swap, where folks can find small farm animals, as well as other farm products like eggs, honey, plants. This event is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Granville Beekeepers will host its annual Bee Jubilee on June 26 at the Expo Center on Hwy. 15 south of Oxford. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and beekeepers will share information about bees and pollinators. There will be a bevy of bee products available, as well as a kids zone and a farmers market.
Also on June 26, Dogs Deserve Better of Piedmont will host a Family Fun Fair at The Barn at Vino in Stem. There will be food trucks, live music, outdoor games and more than 40 vendors.
Learn more at visitgranvillenc.com.
(Granville Tourism and specifically visitgranvillenc.com is a sponsor of WIZS and wizs.com. This is not a paid ad.)