Tractors rolled through town during last year’s Faison Farmers’ Parade. This year’s parade, to step off at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 23, will be followed by a day-long celebration that will include vendors, music, and a classic/antique car and tractor show. The event is sponsored by the Faison Improvement Group. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)
During the 2023 Faison Farmers’ Parade, riders on the Natures Way Farms float tossed candy to spectators. Any individual or group interested in participating in this year’s parade, on March 23, must preregister using a form available at Brewer Ace Hardware or on the Faison Improvement Group’s Facebook page. Participation in the parade is free. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)
FAISON — Last year the Faison Farmers’ Parade lasted almost an hour; this year it will be just the start of a day-long event featuring numerous vendors, a DJ, and a car and tractor show.
On Saturday, March 23, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the town will be in full-on celebration mode.
Parade entrants will begin lining up on Ellis Street at 9:30, with the parade stepping off at 11 a.m. The official parade route is one mile long, starting at the Faison Williams House and running along West Main Street, turning right at the Fire Department, and coming to an end at the Faison Farmers Market (former Piggly Wiggly). In 2023, the parade had about 100 entries and lasted 47 minutes. Faison Improvement Group (FIG) President Andrew Taylor anticipates even greater participation this year; FIG is the event’s sponsor.
Taylor emphasizes that FIG is looking for increased participation in all aspects of the day’s event, hoping to see lots of people and groups interested in being in the parade, setting up as vendors, and displaying their classic and antique cars and tractors. Preregistration, which is open until the Wednesday before the event, is required for participation in any of these areas. It is free to participate in both the parade and the car and tractor show, while there is a $20 fee to be a vendor. All registration forms are available on FIG’s Facebook page and at Brewer Ace Hardware in Faison.
The FIG president encourages parade spectators to arrive by 10:30 to get a good viewing spot (this is especially important for those with limited mobility); plus, by arriving early, he says, people can grab something to eat or drink, since vendors will begin setting up between 9:30 and 10:00. In addition to food vendors, there will also be product and information vendors. For example, there will be a table where parents can sign up their children for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which mails free books to children from birth to age 5.
This year, in response to citizen requests, FIG is bringing back a DJ. “Country and line-dance music will be a top priority for a farmers’ parade,” Taylor says, “and hopefully things people can dance to.”
FIG is also hoping to add games and entertainment for young children.
An exciting addition to this year’s celebration is the inaugural Turner Auto Parts Classic/Antique Car and Tractor Show. This will be staged in the Faison Baptist Church parking lot, which has 40 parking spots, with the attached grass lot of the Presbyterian Church providing space for tractors. If more parking spaces are needed, those will be available along West Main Street, which will be closed to traffic until 4 p.m.
“Let’s not lose sight that we are celebrating the work that our farmers, farming families, and farming operations do,” notes Taylor. “Everything in Faison is tied to agriculture.”
Taylor also encourages people from beyond Faison to come and enjoy the day. “This is not our event,” he emphasizes. “It’s everybody’s event from this region — to come celebrate our farmers.
“So let’s get together as a community and let’s celebrate and have a good time because we work hard and we deserve to have a celebration now and then.”
Taylor also invites others in the town and community to become involved in FIG and to help grow the event in the future. “The Faison Improvement Group is always looking for volunteers and donations to make this a better event…We need people with new ideas and the ability to make those ideas happen.”
For more information about FIG in general and this event specifically, go to the Faison Improvement Group’s Facebook page or email faisonimprovementgroup@gmail.com.
