Mark your calendars for the 16th Got to Be NC Festival May 17-19 and come join the fun. There are vendor opportunities and opportunities for tractor clubs and tractor enthusiasts and collectors to display and ride their tractors in a daily parade.

Every short spurt of warm weather reminds me that it will soon be time for the Got to Be NC Festival.

Go ahead and mark your calendars for May 17-19 and plan to bring your family to this free annual event held at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.

A lot of people like to call it a mini fair and I get that.

We have rides, food, games, antique farm equipment, music, kids activities and farm animals, but the Festival also has some things the fair doesn’t have – including a daily tractor parade, a barbecue cook-off  and the Food Lion Local Goodness Marketplace that features around 100 Got to Be NC food and beverage companies.

Right now, we are busy planning for the festival. The application period is open through March 22 for Got to Be NC members interested in exhibiting the Marketplace.

Booth spaces in the Food Lion Marketplace are only open to members of our Got to Be NC program.  

There are also other opportunities for indoor and outdoor food and product vendors. The deadline to apply for a grounds space is April 1.

In addition, we are also looking for more tractor clubs and tractor enthusiasts and collectors to display and ride their tractors in a daily parade.

The tractor display and the parade is one of my favorite parts of the Festival.

I think we have every color of tractor made on display during the Festival. I even bring a few of mine up here to ride in the parade and show off.

Anyone interested in being a part of the Festival can go online at www.gottobencfestival.com and look for the vendor applications and contact information for the tractor displays.

And, I am looking forward to seeing lots of festival goers May 17-19 in Raleigh.