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Depot Days brings entertainment, games, contests, and more to Downtown Newbern
WILLIAM NORTHCUTT
Staff reporter
Newbern’s Depot Days celebration went off without a glitch this year, Saturday, September 21. Thousands came to enjoy music, games, cakewalks, arts and crafts, a 5k run, a fitness walk, a beauty pageant, inflatables, food, and other vendor goods. The crowds were diverse and came from the area and beyond, some from states far away.
Newbern Mayor Pam Mabry said, “We think it was just a big success—we had a big turnout.” She stated that this year, the Newbern Rotary Club and the city joined forces to orchestrate the event.
She remarked, “Their major event is the yearly Christmas parade,” but this year, they also took on Depot Days. She stated, “I had a little more hand-on with it this year, but the Rotary Club did a great job, and I’m just thankful that there was a group of folks who wanted to take it on.”
Music groups scheduled this year included Taylor Hutching, Aubrey Parker, the Hutcheson Brothers, the band Four Wheel Drive, and 1980s country music chart topper T. Graham Brown.
Mabry was supposed to sing a duet with Brown. She said, “He made me sing it and just sang some with me.” She said she enjoyed it even if he was put on the spot.
Amye Sawyer came with her six children. She said, “We’re headed toward the jumpers (inflatables) and then get something to eat—the kids have been hollering ‘hot dogs.’” She added, “We’re just going to have a good day with the family.”
Loretta Williams and Patricia Dennis were out for fun. “Big sister and little sister—sister day!” they said. Williams continued, “We’ve come to the festival because I come every year to see what’s new and to see what they’ve got for the kids this year.” Dennis laughed, saying, “The men didn’t want to get out of the house [they were going to watch football], so we said, ‘We’re gone.’”
Ginger Winchester, her sister Mary Christian, and Christian’s daughter, Kim Christian Powell said they were having a great time. Powell told us that she, her mother, and aunt were famous, “We’re the three amigos,” she laughed. Her mother said, “We heard at the Farmers Market that the fried pies were being sold at Depot Days, so we’re here for the fried pies.”
Daniel Ingram came with his three children, and when asked what attracted them to the event, he said, “We’ve come to check out the bouncy house and support the community.”
Dyer County Sheriff’s Department Lieutenant Kenny Chessor was off duty and enjoying his day. He said, “ I’m with my church, 1st Chistian Ministries. Our church is new to the area and letting people know where we’re at. Church member Roger Taylor said of the food that he was probably going to “tear into some BBQ and a funnel cake here in a minute.”
Mabry praised city Street Superintendent D.J. Peery, doing double duty as a city employeet and a member of the Newbern Rotary, for picking up trash while the event was still underway. She also lauded city employees for their efforts in getting the city back in shape. “As soon as it was over, they backed the truck up, emptied the garbage cans, and swept the streets. The event was memorable, but Mabry concluded, that the streets and the town were so clean and tidy that “People going to church the next day couldn’t even tell anything had happened.”