ROXOBEL – Just call it “big doings in little places.”

The Bertie County town of Roxobel will host its inaugural AgFest this Saturday (April 1) at the Roxobel Fire Department on West Main Street (NC 308) from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Things will kick off – make that “run off” – at 11:30 with the Farmer’s 5K and Fun Run.  The two races (the Fun Run will be one-mile) will begin just before the AgFest Parade, which will be led by the Bertie High School JROTC Color Guard and feature the Bertie High School Marching Band.

“If you dress up like a farmer and participate in the Fun Run, the best dressed “farmer” will receive a prize; and we’ll have cash prizes for the first, second, and third place runners,” said AgFest committee member Johnna B. Lewis. “The parade will also feature the Roxobel Fire Department trucks, antique cars, and motorcycles.”

Lewis said more than 38 vendors have signed up to participate in this celebration of the farming community in the western part of Bertie County.

“Vendors include Bertie County Cooperative Extension, Roanoke-Chowan Community College, and lots of little independent sales persons, craft vendors, food vendors, and all that,” Lewis added. “We’ll have a bouncy-house for the kids, with games and surprises, and there will also be a face-painter there.”

The Roxobel Fire Department will also have BarBQ chicken plates on sale ($8 each) on a first come-first served basis starting at 4 p.m.

“If you buy a Fire Department plate, you will receive a coupon book from the participating vendors,” said Lewis. “The coupons are good from 4-until-6 at any of the vendors’ locations.”

This is Roxobel’s first foray into festival celebrations, with Baker’s Southern Traditions Peanuts as primary sponsor.

“Our inaugural event is a way for the community to come together,” says Lewis. “We’re very excited about the support we’ve received.  We’re hoping for a great day and a good turnout.  We’ll have some old-school games, and we’ll have some other competitions, just for fun.”

Music featured at the festival will range from a DJ to gospel to country & bluegrass.

“We’ll have several different people singing, including a local choir from the church,” adds Lewis. “There will be music throughout the day.”

The 2017 AgFest logo design, which was made by Kydra Brown, a fifth-grader in Art class at West Bertie Elementary School, will also be featured on T-shirts that will be sold at the festival.