The 2010 Leland Founders Day festival will bring a “hometown feeling” to the town’s park, according to festival organizers. The event will begin at 8:00 a.m. and wrap up at approximately 1:00 p.m. A pancake breakfast will kick off numerous planned activities. The breakfast will benefit the North Brunswick High School band and athletic boosters, as well as the school’s dance team. Ticket price is $5 per person. Tickets can be purchased from the boosters and are available at many local businesses.

Entertainment will begin concurrently at 8:00 a.m. under the “big top,” featuring the Hewetts Creek Boys. Other entertainers will include the Leland Fiddle & Bow Society, Piper, Tim Henson of the Cape Fear Highlanders, and the North Brunswick High School Marching Band. The main attraction will be the U.S. Navy’s Four-Star Edition band. This high-energy band plays various styles of music to please all audiences.

Additional performances and demonstrations will be scheduled throughout the day, and a memorial service for the victims of September 11, 2001 is on the agenda. The celebration will again be held at the Leland Town Park on Town Hall Drive in Leland beginning at 8am and ending at 1pm. Again this year, there will be arts and crafts vendors with a bevy of merchandise, along with multiple children’s games and activities.

Free parking will be available at the Woodburn Presbyterian and First Baptist Churches with a complementary shuttle service to and from the festival. Please be aware of Leland’s ordinance that prohibits roadside parking. This year, parking fines have increased to $50 per violation. There will be some parking available at town hall, and festival volunteers will direct traffic.

By Mike Leggett  mike@theLNR.com