Old Fashioned Trading Days kicking off

“There is going to be something for everybody,” says Williamsburg Tourism Director Alvin Sharpe about the 23nd Annual Old Fashioned Trading Days festival, which starts Thursday morning. “There will be bluegrass music on Thursday, and gospel music on Friday and Saturday.”
Old Fashioned Trading Days will start Thursday with booths opening on the courthouse lawn that morning. Judging for the quilt show will take place at 1 p.m. at the Whitley County Extension Office, and be on display from 4 – 6 p.m. Thursday, and from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Friday.
Bluegrass music will start Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. with Whitley County Colonel Strings, Paint Creek Boys, and New Harvest performing.
The featured artist of the night, Phil Ledbetter and Wildfire, who will perform at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., will top off Thursday night’s festivities. This is their first appearance at Old Fashioned Trading Days.
All entertainment is free, but area residents are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs since there is no seating.
Friday’s festivities will start off with registration for the vegetable show, homemade jams, jellies, and home canned vegetables from 9 – 10:45 a.m. Judging will take place at 11 a.m.
The Williamsburg Police Department will do fingerprinting for children from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. that day.
The Whitley Central Intermediate School Sixth Grade Square Dancers will perform at 10:30 a.m.
Several local choirs will take the stage starting at 11 a.m. Friday with the Whitley County Middle School Choir, followed by the Whitley County High School Choir, and the Williamsburg High School Choir.
Gospel music kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Friday with Peggy Inks, The Hanging Rock Singers, Ron and Vernon and Straight Creek, followed by The Believer’s Quartet, The Heavenly Heirs, and Kevin Spencer and Friends.
Festivities will start off early Saturday morning with the Kiwanis Harold Mauney 5-K run/walk at 9 a.m., the checkers tournament at 10 a.m., and the pet show at 10 a.m.
The car show will start at 8 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot near Community Trust Bank, and will run until 3 p.m.
Saturday’s entertainment will feature the Tri-County Stompers, who will perform at 10:30 a.m., followed by the Williamsburg High School Band, which will perform at 11 a.m. The Youth Talent Show will take place from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Joyce Byrd, coordinator for this year’s festival, said school group performances were added during the mornings and afternoons of the festival several years ago in an effort to get more young people involved.
Because of so much interest last year, this year’s youth talent show has been expanded by one hour, Byrd said.
“We’ve had so many children to enter in the talent show that we have had to add an extra hour. Last year they were just really pressed for time,” she added.
Gospel music will follow running from 3 p.m. – 9 p.m. Acts slated to perform include Hemphills, which is making its Old Fashioned Trading Days debut, along with The Whisnants, The Singing Cookes, The Cooke Brothers, and The Primitives.
“Our entertainment is as good as we have had for a long time, especially the gospel music on Friday and Saturday night,” Sharpe said.
As always, local civic and school groups will man all the food booths.
“This gives an opportunity for the whole community to have this as their major fundraiser, and it is,” Sharpe said. “It’s not like some of these other festivals out there where they have commercial vendors in there. These are the churches and the different organizations in the community that use this as a major fundraiser that is what it is for.”
Byrd said one thing, which is being expanded this year, is the inflatable attractions for local youngsters. Officials are hoping to have at least three of the attractions for this year’s festival. The mechanical bull will also be back for another go round.