This Weekend in Stanly County
By Bridget Huckabee
It’s official. This is the first weekend of summer and if the forecast is right, it will certainly feel like it. Summer brings heat and humidity, but it also brings fruit ripening on the vine, vegetables sprouting from the ground and a lush greenery to our rolling hills and forests. Enjoy summer’s gifts.
And a good place to start that enjoyment is at the bi-weekly Stanly County Farmers’ Market. Every Wednesday and Saturday, this market provides local citizens with the freshest, locally grown vegetables, herbs, ornamental plants and flowers. Shopping here gives you the opportunity to provide healthy food for your family. It also supports the local agricultural economy, creates local jobs and creates community. It doesn’t get any better than that, so hurry on down to Market Station in downtown Albemarle twice a week and fill your market basket with nature’s bounty.
This Thursday brings two not-to-be-missed events to Albemarle. At 6:30 pm in the Community Room of the Albemarle City Hall, Lewis Bramlett, great-grandson of F. E. Starnes, will give a talk on the history of the Albemarle Opera House followed by a tour of the Opera House itself. Organized by the Stanly County Museum, this event will give people a chance to hear about and see one of Albemarle’s historic sites hidden above Starnes Jewelers on West Main Street.
The other Thursday event is the on-going free summer concert series sponsored by the Albemarle Parks & Recreation Department. From May through August, “Thursdays at the Station” takes place at 7 pm in downtown Albemarle when Market Station comes alive with music that includes Gospel, Rock, Pop, Bluegrass, and more. This Thursday, The Scott Family treats us to some great folk music.
Friday and it’s time for the monthly Oakboro Cruise-In and Burnout. Billed as the largest downtown cruise-in in North Carolina, the event brings hundreds of spectators and hundreds of unique cars and trucks to the main street of this small town. The Cruise-In starts at 5 pm on the fourth Friday of every month and the Burnout takes place at 9 pm every month from April through October.
Down the road at Big Lick Festival Park, the Big Lick Truck and Tractor Pull starts two nights of excitement as these powerful farm vehicles, local and regional, test their strength as they compete for points. Gates open at 5 pm. The pulling starts at 7 pm and goes on until 11 pm. Admission is $10, parking is free and there is bleacher seating, but you may want to bring your own chair.
For a quieter Friday evening head across the county to Badin for the Badin Inn’s every-Friday night and ever popular Pickin’ on the Porch. This Friday from 7 pm until 10 pm you can listen to the music of Zealous Endeavor as you kick back with a cool drink and some of the Inn’s great food.
The Fourth of July is just around the corner and Oakboro always puts on a big show. Leading up to the event this Saturday is the Freedom Run 5K organized by Vac and Dash. The run takes place in Oakboro and begins at 8 am. It is sponsored by Stanly Regional Medical Center and Stanly Community College.
Round off your weekend with music by Arsena Schroeder from 7 pm to 10 pm on the porch at the Badin Inn.
There are always unique things to do in Stanly County on these summer weekends from cruise-ins to tractor pulls to music under the stars. Come join the fun.
