By Amy Braswell

Who doesn’t have a memory of smelling a favorite food cooking when you walked into your mother’s or grandmother’s house? Chances are if it was a family favorite, and Mom was cooking it, it had been passed down from your grandmother, or even further back in time.

For me, it was my grandmother’s fried chicken and country ham every Sunday for lunch. She would cook early in the morning and we would go straight from church to her house, allowing enough time for that wonderful aroma to linger from the front door all the way back to the kitchen.

Food is just a part of eastern North Carolina’s culture like salt is part of ocean water. Everything we do, every festival, family reunion and community event involves food.

Heritage Days Festival 2016 in Ahoskie is a celebration of our culture, who we are, what we like and how we do it.

The Ahoskie Chamber of Commerce is extremely interested in hearing from you about favorite foods and recipes in your family. Please write or email us and share your favorite family recipe, favorite food memory or food tradition passed down in your family. We hope to try to incorporate these cultural food traditions into our heritage celebration.

Send your info to the Ahoskie Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 7, Ahoskie, NC 27910 or via email to abraswell@ahoskiechamber.net. The phone number is 252-332-2042.

Saturday September 10th, 2016 in the Ahoskie Creek Recreational Park we will celebrate our culture in many ways and are sure to have something of interest for everyone. The day will start with the Vidant 5k run followed by our annual parade from Southern Bank moving west on Main St. and to our park. The Art Show at St. Thomas Episcopal Church will open their doors simultaneously.

The afternoon will be filled with music by Moonshine Band on the stage, wagon rides, workhorse exhibitions, a farrier demonstration, a K9 dog exhibition, tobacco tying, disc golf lessons and a shoot-off, cross stitching, alpacas, sheep, chickens, ducks, peacocks, a tribal presentation, bee keeping, soap making, children’s rides, craft vendors and OF COURSE, great food! Notably our annual whole hog BBQ Cook off benefitting our library fund will sell plates until they run out.

I invite anyone who has a craft or activity that you want to demonstrate, share and, if applicable, sell, that reflects our heritage, to call the Ahoskie Chamber of Commerce at 332-2042 to participate. New ideas are welcomed. We would love to have for instance, quilters, herding dogs, weavers, woodcarvers, dancers, musician etc.

The Town of Ahoskie has waived craft and merchandise vendor fees for 2016 BUT applications must still be obtained and filled out at Town Hall, 332-5146. Parade entries are now being accepted at the Ahoskie Chamber. A schedule for the afternoon events will be published prior to the festival.

LET’S PREPARE TO CELEBRATE!!!!!

Amy Braswell is the Executive Vice President of the Ahoskie Chamber of Commerce.