Yam Fest winners aplenty in 2014

By DEUCE NIVEN

    Mother nature could not have been more kind to this year’s North Carolina Yam Festival at Tabor City, with thousands crowding the streets celebrating all things yam.
    Weather was a little cool as the parade line-up began, very comfortable by the time it stepped off at Tabor City Elementary School.
    Good crowds were noted all over town, some who wandered over to a brief demonstration by the McLeod Healthcare helicopter that was interrupted by a medical call.
    Major events included entertainment at the Ritz Stage, a DJ at the Hickman Road stage, the All Tabor Reunion at the former Tabor City High School, and the Stallion Classic band competition at South Columbus High School.
    Early events included the cooking competition at The Ritz Center last Wednesday, Taste of Tabor at the Hickman Road home of Brenden and Angela Jones on Thursday, and a Friday night street dance.
    Images from those events are elsewhere in this edition.
    A sweet potato giveaway, organized annually by Paul Hathaway, drew a crowd to the bins lined up on Main Street, and uncovered as they parade ended.
    “They got 2,400 pounds of sweet potatoes in 45 minutes,” Hathaway said, clearly pleased with the pace of the process, which he said appeared more organized this year.
    Festival leaders will gather in November to discuss what went right, and what did not, during the year’s festival and make plans for the 2015 celebration.

Winners
    Competition remains a big part of the festival, with a the Cook-Off cooking contest last Wednesday, art and photography show judged Thursday, the Stallion Classic Band Competition and a well attended Car Show on Saturday.
    Rebekka Garrell’s sweet potato cream cheese bundt cake was the Best In Show winner in the adult division in the North Carolina Yam Festival at Tabor City Sweet Potato Cook-Off, held Wednesday at The Ritz Center in downtown Tabor City.
    An assistant public defender in Durham and a native of the Bronx in New York, Rebekka is married to Tabor City native Mitchell Garrell, an attorney and former Durham prosecutor.
    Rebekka is serious about her cooking, and said she already is planning for next year’s competition.
    Charlie Jarman won the W. Horace Carter Memorial purchase award for an adult professional art entry, while Dawn Stonehouse won the Wright Law Firm purchase award for her adult amateur collage entry.
    There were a total of 570 art and photography entries this year, competition chair Kelly Jones said.
    Below is a list of contest winners.

Cook-Off (Adult)
•    Cakes – Best in Show and 1st Place, Rebekka Garrell, Sweet Potato Cream Cheese Bundt Cake; 2nd, Gracie Watts, Gingersnap Sweet Potato Cake; 3rd, Jessica McPherson, Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Bundt
•    Quick Breads – 1st, Lee Ward, Cheesy Sweet Potato Bites; 2nd, Gracie Watts, Sweet Potato Cheese Bread;
3rd, Emily Walters, Sugared Sweet Potato Biscuits; HM, Rebekka Garrell, Pecan Topped Sweet Potato Bread
•    Pies – 1st, Rebekka Garrell, Sweet Potato Pecan Pie; 2nd, Janelle Dawson, Sweet Potato Pie
•    Entrees – 1st, Rebekka Garrell, Sweet Potato Grits Casserole; 2nd, Jessica McPherson, Sweet Potato Salad; 3rd, Janelle Dawson, Sweet Potato Casserole; HM, Gracie Watts, Sweet Potato Spiced Beef Stew
•    Other desserts – 1st, Sandra Nobles, Sweet Potato Pudding; 2nd, Gracie Watts, Sweet Potato Sundae; 3rd, Natalie Spencer, Sweet Potato Cheesecake; HM, Sandra Manning, Sweet Potato Roll Bars
•    Snacks – 1st, Stephanie Waldrop, Sweet Potato Cream Cheese Truffles; 2nd, Rebekka Garrell, Cinnamon Sugar Sweet Potato Doughnut Holes; 3rd, Janelle Dawson, Fruit Sweet Potato Balls; HM, Mildred Harper, Yam Bites

Cook-Off (Youth)
•    Snacks – Best in Show and 1st place, Allegra Diaz, Golden Sweet Potato Candy Nuggets; 2nd, Magan Todd, Sweet Potato Pecan Cupcakes w/Cream Cheese Frosting; 3rd, Morgan Canady, Sweet Potato Cookies.
•    Quick Breads – 1st, Lindsey Ward, Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins; 2nd, Nathan Norris, Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits with Cinnamon Caramel Sauce; 3rd, Addison Thomas, Sweet Potato Biscotti.
•    Cakes – 1st, Place Caitlyn Soles, Sweet Potato Cake w/Cream Cheese & Sweet Potato Butter Cream; 2nd, Tracey Thomas, Sweet Potato Cake.
•    Pies – 1st, Emma Baulch, Sweet Potato Pie with Caramel Apples; 2nd, Ashlynn Ward, Sweet Potato Pie; 3rd, Brittany Hulon, Sweet Potato Pie with no crust; HM, Danielle Floyd, Old-Fashioned Sliced Sweet Potato Pie.
•    Entrees – 1st, Cindia Daniels, Sweet Potato Chicken Pot Pie; 2nd, Nathan Norris, Sweet Potato Burritos; 3rd, Kaycee Hammond, Old Timing Sweet Potato Casserole; HM, Hope Dowless, Southern Candied Yams.
•    Other Desserts – 1st, Jonathan Smith, Sweet Potato Bread Pudding w/Orange Rum Butter Sauce; Marissa Hilburn, Sweet Potato Pudding.

Art & Photography
(High School, Middle School, Adult)
•    Adult Amateur Collage, 1st-BEST OF SHOW, Dawn Stonehouse, Purchase Award for Wright Law Firm.
•    Adult Amateur Drawing, 1st, Laurie Roy; 2nd,Laurie Roy.
•    Adult Amateur Painting, 1st,Dawn Stonehouse; 2nd,Heather Allen Faulk; 3rd,Esther Collier.
•    Adult Amateur Photography,1st,Thomas Cutchin; 2nd,Jodi Zeh; 3rd,Jodi Zeh, Hon. Mention, Kim Derr; Hon. Mention,Thomas Cutchin; Hon. Mention, Kim Derr; Hon. Mention, Catherine Barnes.
•    Adult Professional Drawing, 1st BEST OF SHOW, Kandi Thompson; 2nd, Kandi Thompson.
•    Adult Professional Painting,1st,Karen Gore; 2nd,Nichole Achorn; 3rd, Karen Gore.
•    Adult Professional Photography, 1st BEST OF SHOW and W. Horace Carter Purchase Award, Charlie Jarman; 2nd, Nichole Achorn; 3rd,Shaina Jordan.
•    Adult Professional Sculpture, 2nd,Patricia Limber.
•    HS Collage, 1st, Taylor Cox, Loris; 2nd, Katheryn Saldana, Whiteville; 3rd, Shameshia Bellamy, Loris.
•    HS Mixed Media, 1st,Ryan Armstrong, SCHS; 2nd, Julieanne Strickland, WCHS; 3rd,Holly Edwards, Loris; Hon. Mention, Briasha Moody, Loris; Hon. Mention, Sara Housand, WCHS.
•    HS Painting Oil and Acrylic, 1st BEST OF SHOW, Jayla Robinson, WCHS; 2nd, Bryson Daniels, Loris High; 3rd, Josi Sellers, Whiteville; Hon. Mention, Jennifer Williams, WCHS; Hon. Mention, Amber Creech, ECHS.
•    HS Pastel, Crayon and Marker, 1st,Josie Sellers, Whiteville; 2nd, Sara Thompson, Whiteville; 3rd, Aarika jacobs , ECHS.
•    HS Pencil Ink Charcoal, 1st, Tucker Elliot,WCHS; 2nd,Lindsey Lewis, SCHS; 3rd, Randy Hemingway, SCHS; Hon. Mention, Lily Obrecht, SCHS; Hon. Mention, Kelsey Thompson, SCHS.
•    HS Photography, 1st, Chase Stevens, SCHS; 2nd, Malaysha Nelson, WCHS; 3rd, Callie Cox, Loris.
•    HS Pottery, 1st, Odillion Barrea, SCHS; 2nd, Syndney Buffkin, SCHS; 3rd, Evan Zheng, SCHS.
•    HS Printmaking, 1st, Madison Payne, ECHS; 2nd, Lily Obrecht, SCHS; 3rd, Jaylen Miller, Loris; Hon. Mention, Simone Spaulding, ECHS.
•    HS Sculpture, 1st, Syndney Buffkin, SCHS; 2nd, Carly Godwin, SCHS; 3rd, Ashley Hewett, SCHS.
•    HS Textile and Fiber, 1st, Chase Stevens, SCHS.
•    HS Watercolor and Tempura, 1st, Anna Pait, WCHS; 2nd, Winter Jacobs, ECHS; 3rd, Carly Godwin, SCHS; Hon. Mention, Serena Mitchel, ECHS.
•    MS Ceramics, 2nd, Joseph Ward, Central.
•    MS Collage, 1st, Lindsey Register, NMS; MS Collage, 2nd, Hailey Britt, EES; 3rd, Alexis Mitchell, WTS.
•    MS Computer Art, 1st, Kaitlyn Price, NMS; 2nd, Christina Formyduval, NMS; 3rd, Brooke Johnson, NMS.
•    MS Mixed Media, 1st, Kolby Bellamy, WTS; 2nd, Antoine Smith, CMS; 3rd, Devin Swainger, TCMS; Hon. Mention, Myree Chestnutt, TCMS; Hon. Mention,Jessica Batten, CMS.
•    MS Painting Acrylic Oil, 1st, Hannah Wallace,NMS; 2nd, Alexia Oxendine, Central; 3rd, Casey Hamilton, Loris Middle; Hon. Mention, Julia Badillo, Loris Middle.
•    MS Pastel Crayon Marker, 1st MS BEST OF SHOW, Miguel Aleman, Central; 2nd, Justin Lee, WTS; 3rd, Terrance Ennis, Central; Hon. Mention, Dayton Long, WTS.
•    MS Pencil Ink and Charcoal, 1st, Trevor Simmons, WTS; 2nd, Hailey McPherson, EES; 3rd, Harley Linzey, ADMS; Hon. Mention, Treavon Cheatham, EES; Hon. Mention, Beccah Malpass, ADMS; Hon. Mention, Tia Webb, HMS; Hon. Mention, Trevor Simmons, WTS; Hon. Mention, Miriam Davenport, CMS.
•    MS Photography, 2nd, Arizona Tompkins, EES.
•    MS Printing, 1st, Emily Blackman, NMS; 2nd, Brooke Johnson, NMS; 3rd, Emily Blackman, NMS.
•    MS Sculpture, 1st, Annayeli Sandobal, WTS; 2nd, Nicholas Powell, CGES; 3rd, Nick Moore,EES; Hon. Mention, Tamaya Fulton, EES.
•    MS Textile Fiber, 1st, Joseph Ward, Central; 2nd, Julia Craig,CMS; 3rd, Breanna Hernandez, EES.
•    MS Watercolor ,1st,Bennett Ivy,CGES; 2nd,Steven Long, WTS; 3rd, Maria Torres, CGES; Hon. Mention, Noel Sasser, NMS.

Stallion Classic Band Competition
•    Class 1A – East Bladen
•    Class 2A – West Bladen
•    Class 3A – Overhills
•    Class 4A – Jack Britt

Auto show
    Hosted by the Little Bethel Baptist Church of Mullins car club Cruizers 4 Christ, this year’s show had dozens of winners. Big winners were:
•    Best Production – Danny West of Calabash, 1964 Ford Fairlane
•    Best Non-Production – Mac and Fay Hackney of Longs, 1967 Chevelle
•    Mayor’s Choice – Edie Green of Conway, 1937 Ford Coupe