CONTRIBUTED

Whether you come for the bluegrass music from the stage nestled among the shade trees; the patriotic tribute to local fire, rescue and law enforcement -officer heroes; the tasty barbecue plates; the opportunity to visit with family and neighbors; or the parade with horses, tractors and school groups, you'll find it all at the Flatwoods Festival.

On Sept. 7 and 8, the Tri-County Ruritan Club presents a two-day showcase of entertainment, vendors, food and activities for children, a mile east of Bennett on Peachtree Road.

The money raised at this event has helped the club to provide nine scholarships of $600 to students in the local high schools and has provided help for 42 families this year with financial assistance and food, according to club president Leslie Hayes.

Entertainment begins Friday night with Glory Road, a gospel group from Asheboro that has played a number of local venues and has a large following at churches and festivals. Saturday at 12:30, Billy Bugger and the Pick'em Out Boys will be showcasing the ever-popular bluegrass music on the stage nestled in the edge of the woods.

Members of the Tri-County Ruritan Club will be serving hot dogs, hamburgers and french fries cooked on-site beginning at 5:30 p.m. under the big tent on the farm grounds. An old-fashioned auction sale will begin at 8 p.m., conducted by Ted Beane Auctions, with a variety of items including signed new and rare collector's vintage pottery, furniture, quilts, hand tools and household goods, even NASCAR memorabilia.

Admission Friday night is free. Festival-goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, but to leave their four-wheelers and horses at home.

Saturday morning, the activities get under way with the annual parade that begins at 10 a.m. and features more than 400 entries moving down Main Street with antique cars, trucks, tractors, horses and horse-drawn vehicles.

Back at the Hussey Farm, at 11:30, homemade barbecued pork, chicken, hush puppies and pinto beans will be served by club members. Antique farm equipment and show vehicles will be on display, along with exhibitors with antiques, arts and crafts for sale. An antique tractor pull will start at 1 p.m. and is open to all pullers. At 4:30, the parade award winners will be announced, and at 5 p.m. the winner of the gator raffle drawing will be announced.

Admission is $5 per person, free for with children under 12. Children who wish to visit the children's play land can do so with the purchase of a $5 wrist band that is good for both Friday night and all day Saturday.

Highlighting Saturday's events will be an opening ceremony that pays tribute to local heroes that serve with fire, rescue and law enforcement departments throughout the county, and a special acknowledgement to those who lost their lives on 9/11. A steel beam from the World Trade Center that will become a permanent exhibit in the county will have a place of honor in the parade and will be on display during the festival Saturday. A wreath will be placed at the base of the flagpole to honor those who have given their lives in service.

Title sponsors at this year's festival include Randolph Telephone, First Bank, James River Equipment Company and Chatham County Farm Bureau. Associate sponsors include Randolph Electric Membership Corporation and Central Electric Membership Corporation.

For more information on the Ruritan Club or the Flatwoods Festival, visit their website, tricountyruritan.com, or call Debby Hussey at (919) 548-5192.