WINDSOR – A festival in honor of the beautiful purple and white flowers that dot the rural horizon is slated for this weekend.

On Friday and Saturday, the inaugural Sage Festival will take place on Granville and King Streets in downtown Windsor.

The event, supported by the Windsor-Bertie Chamber of Commerce, Avoca Farms in Merry Hill and the Town of Windsor, will feature more than 20 vendors, musical entertainment and exhibits about the beautiful and unusual plant that is grown all over Bertie County.

According to Lewis Hoggard, Chamber Executive Director, the festival will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday and continue until 11 p.m.

The evening will begin with a street dance and live music.

Musical entertainment the first night will include Andy and Linda Lee as well as Johnny White and the Elite Band.

Saturday, the festival will open at 9 a.m. and continue until 2 p.m.

The Bertie Arts Council coordinated their annual art show with the festival and several sage paintings will be on display. Antique tractors will also be on display and Avoca will offer sage field tours beginning at State Employees Credit Union.

The musical entertainment for that day will include Nancy Joyner and Early Station.

Hoggard noted there are 15,000 acres of sage growing in the area, mostly in Bertie County.

“That (acreage) has doubled in the last 10 years,” he said. “That is expected to reach 25,000 in the next five years.

Hoggard said Avoca Farms in Merry Hill is the largest purchaser of sage in the county, therefore a large supporter of local farmers.

“They’ve really put our farmers to work,” he said.