Farm City celebrates 50 years
By Sherrie Norris

Farm City Banquet, just one week away, is the biggest celebration of its kind in the High Country, but this year, it is no ordinary event. On Thursday, Nov. 3, Watauga County will be celebrating the golden anniversary of Farm-City with the theme, “50 Years of Tradition – 1955-2005.”

The evening, which will honor the county’s relationship between rural and urban lifestyles, will be dedicated to two area senior citizens who have been instrumental in its success from the very beginning. The efforts and accomplishments of Nora Wilson and Robert Shipley, along with many others, will be highlighted during this upcoming event, shaping up to be the biggest and best Farm-City banquet ever.

Farm-City Week is celebrated in more than 18,000 communities in the United States and Canada every year, and includes a recognition banquet for those “who have made a difference.”

Through the years, Watauga County’s event has garnered attention as one of the best in the state.

The gathering is designed as a way to encourage the sharing of ideas and information about jobs, community life and the many ways farms and cities support each other, and the tremendous impact on our daily lives, regardless of what geographical location we may live or work in.

It is a way for people to strengthen the understanding of and celebrate the connection of our farm and non-farming families in Watauga County, and to recognize those who go the extra mile.

Nora Wilson, who recently celebrated her 98th birthday, along with Shipley, has been involved with Farm City since the very beginning.

They remember those early days when the first Farm-City Banquet in Watauga County was held in 1955 in Cove Creek, and then moved to Boone in the late ‘50’s.

The main purpose of the Farm-City Banquet fifty years ago remains true today, “Miss Nora” said, and that is to bring people together from all sections of the county to celebrate and recognize achievements of individuals, groups and communities with an evening of good food, fun and fellowship.

The late Woody Richardson, who spent thirty-two years in service to Cooperative Extension, twenty-three of those as an agent, and later as Chairman of the Board, shared his Farm City memories shortly before his death.

He retired in 1977, but maintained an active volunteer role up until his death. He told us at one time that the farm-city concept originated out of the Rural Development Program, in which Watauga County was selected to participate back in the early ‘50’s.  “Watauga was one of the few counties in NC to have this opportunity,” he said.

“Three people were hired through the Extension Service — a horticulture agent, a poultry specialist and a home economics agent.”

The first projects taken on by the group included the organization of several community clubs, and according to Wilson, “erecting mailboxes and roadside clean-ups,” too. Richardson recalled the communities of Matney, Triplett and Timbered Ridge as being some of the first to construct community buildings, while “a lot of the others held their meetings in the schools.”

Competition for Farm-City first included recognition for achievement in categories of larger rural and small rural communities, with most awards at that time concentrating upon appearance.

As years passed, Richardson and Wilson shared, “We kept adding things, including environmental awards, then the Soil Conservation Farm Family of the Year, and now, we have everything from these, to Youth in Agriculture, Woman in Agriculture, volunteer awards, and about everything you could imagine.”

Those first few years at Cove Creek High School held a lot of memories for both Wilson and Richardson.

“For several years, the agricultural workers fixed barbecue chicken for our big dinner in the Ag. Building. Mrs. Joyce Davis had her Home Economics class prepare the rest of the food and serve it,” Richardson recalled.

“There was one time we had the meeting, it was below freezing outside. We had to close up the doors and windows to stay warm, but it got so smoky from the barbecueing, we had to open the windows to breathe. We just about froze to death that year.”

Soon, the celebration moved to Boone Elementary School, then to the National Guard Armory, to Shadracks, ASU Cafeteria, The Broyhill Inn, at Greenway Baptist Church and most recently, as the crowds continued to grow, to Boone United Methodist Church, where approximately 300 people attended each year.

Always held the first Thursday in November, this year’s Farm City Banquet will be a “golden celebration,” dedicated to Wilson and Shipley, and will include numerous exhibits and displays reminiscent of farm – city life in Watauga during the last five decades. It was hoped that the gathering could return to its original meeting place in Cove Creek, but logistics, space, etc. would not permit that to happen..

The General Committee for Farm City is headed up this year by Co-Chairs Christoff den Biggelaar and Lynne Getz, with vice-chair Becky Wallace, and approximately thirty other individuals whose love for Farm City is undeniable. 

There are many reasons why it is important to support the Farm-City concept, for in all aspects, each of us is touched by its impact, whether we realize it or not.

Tickets are currently available at the Cooperative Extension office on West King Street in Boone. They are $12 and must be purchased no later than Monday, October 31. No tickets sales will be available at the door this year. The meal will be BBQ and all the fixin’s, catered by Bandana’s.

For more information on how you and your entire family can be involved in this year’s Farm City Celebration, stop by the Extension office or call 264-3061.