ST. PAULS — There was an easygoing spirit in the air during the 16th annual North Carolina Folk Arts Festival, which on Saturday brought more than 4,000 art aficionados to downtown St. Pauls.

From 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., children bounced in inflatable castles, cooks drizzled sugar over funnel cakes, artists splashed paint across canvases and aspiring pop stars belted karaoke songs.

“It was more of a laid back, come-and-enjoy-yourself atmosphere,” said Duncan Mackie, president of the festival’s organizing committee. “There was a spirit of cooperation. You’re seeing people go out of their way to help each other. It was one of our best-ever festivals.”

According to Mackie, the relaxed vibe could be attributed in part to the agreeable weather. Temperatures hovered in the low-80s during the event, and the sunny sky was a welcome change from the pouring rain that threatened to derail last year’s festivities.

“You couldn’t have asked for a better day, weather-wise,” said Mackie, who owns McNeill-Mackie Funeral Home on Broad Street. “It was just fantastic.”

According to J.R. Steigerwald, the town’s administrator, another improvement had to do with how the festival was powered. Ditching the generators used during previous events, festival organizers paid to have electricity supplied to the stage and vendors this year.

Steigerwald said that nixing the generators created a quieter, safer and better-smelling experience for festival-goers.

“It was a very good event with an excellent crowd,” he said.

Mac McMorrow was among the many art and food vendors who set up shop downtown. The St. Pauls resident specializes in intricately detailed portraits made from wood.

“It’s tedious, but it keeps me busy,” said McMorrow, who carves the portraits with a scroll saw.

Each piece requires hundreds of cuts and hours of careful concentration. One false move, he says, and the whole portrait can “disintegrate.”

“I owe my talent to God, really,” said McMorrow, a Louisiana native who has had pieces commissioned by the stars of “Duck Dynasty.” “He keeps me steady and keeps my hand away from the blades.”

The artist decided to sign up for this years’s festival after a showing “many years ago,” when he displayed decorative lawn art.

“This is a lot better than what I remember,” McMorrow said. “The other vendors are so nice and willing to share information that I might be interested in. This had been a great experience.”

Mary Locklear was selling bars of lye soap at a nearby table. The homemade soaps, she said, can be used to prevent acne and relieve symptoms of asthma.

“It’s a fun way to meet new people,” said Locklear, who has attended the festival for the past three years with her sister Glenda Revels and sister-in-law Jennifer Locklear.

“Some of them smell good enough to eat,” Mary Locklear said of the multicolored soaps lining the table. “One girl thought we were selling cake.”

Hungry festival-goers had a bevy of food vendors to pick from. The merchants offered everything from sweet snacks to smoked meats.

“We had a terrific variety of foods,” Mackie said. “Especially from Caribbean Grill, which had some great four-star meals.”

Cooks from Caribbean Grill traveled from Raleigh for the third consecutive year to participate in the festival. The business began setting up its booth at about 5 a.m.

Not every vendor was out to peddle art or fried esculents. Representatives from the Blind Cat Rescue and Sanctuary were recruiting volunteers for the nonprofit’s facility in St. Pauls, which serves as a safe haven for sightless felines.

“It was a fantastic, wonderful event and the weather was gorgeous,” said Alana Miller, the sanctuary’s founder. “A lot of people have never heard of us and we want to let the community know we’re here.”

The festival was made possible by a small army of sponsors that included Taco Bell, Lumbee Guaranty Bank, First Bank, Prestage Foods, Progress Energy, Nationwide Insurance, BB&T, Ed Odum and Wilson Automotive. Volunteers from the Tarheel Challenge Academy helped make sure the event ran smoothly.

The 17th annual North Carolina Folk Arts Festival will be held May 13, 2017. For information, visit ncfolkartsfest.org or call 910-865-4105.

Jaymie Baxley • The Robesonian • Volunteers from the Tarheel Challenge Academy hold a dance-off during the 16th annual Folk Arts Festival in St. Pauls. The event drew more than 4,000 people downtown for arts, food and live music on Saturday.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_DanceCircleWeb-1.jpgJaymie Baxley • The Robesonian • Volunteers from the Tarheel Challenge Academy hold a dance-off during the 16th annual Folk Arts Festival in St. Pauls. The event drew more than 4,000 people downtown for arts, food and live music on Saturday.

Jaymie Baxley • The Robesonian • There was no shortage of food for festival-goers to sample Saturday in St. Pauls. Dozens of food vendors offered everything from sweet treats to smoked meats.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1__IMG1907-3.jpgJaymie Baxley • The Robesonian • There was no shortage of food for festival-goers to sample Saturday in St. Pauls. Dozens of food vendors offered everything from sweet treats to smoked meats.

Jaymie Baxley • The Robesonian • Mac McMorrow was among the many art and craft vendors that displayed their work during the 16th annual Folk Arts Festival in St. Pauls. McMorrow specializes in intricately detailed portraits that he cuts from wood with a scroll saw.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1__IMG1869-3.jpgJaymie Baxley • The Robesonian • Mac McMorrow was among the many art and craft vendors that displayed their work during the 16th annual Folk Arts Festival in St. Pauls. McMorrow specializes in intricately detailed portraits that he cuts from wood with a scroll saw.

Jaymie Baxley • The Robesonian • Volunteers from the Tarheel Challenge Academy hold a dance-off during the 16th annual Folk Arts Festival in St. Pauls. The event drew more than 4,000 people downtown for arts, food and live music on Saturday
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1__IMG1828-3.jpgJaymie Baxley • The Robesonian • Volunteers from the Tarheel Challenge Academy hold a dance-off during the 16th annual Folk Arts Festival in St. Pauls. The event drew more than 4,000 people downtown for arts, food and live music on Saturday
Daylong event draws thousands to St. Pauls

By Jaymie Baxley • [email protected]

 

Staff writer Jaymie Baxley can be reached at 910-416-5771 or by email at [email protected]