53rd annual Arley Day Festival May 16

ARLEY - The 53rd annual Arley Day Festival is soon approaching, as are some of the deadlines for those who want to participate in it.
Scheduled for Saturday, May 16, Arley Day is always the first major festival of summer in Winston County.  Members of the Arley Women’s Club, which sponsors the event each year, gathered Monday, April 6, at the Arley Public Library to discuss this year’s festival and continue planning for it.
This year’s theme is “Celebrating the 250th Birthday of the United States,” with the majority of the events taking place at Hamner Park on Helicon Road.  Arley Day will kick off with a benefit pancake breakfast from 7-8:30 a.m. at the Arley Fire Station, located directly across from Hamner Park.  Plates of pancakes and sausage will be served for a donation, with all proceeds benefiting the Arley Fire Department.  Arley First Baptist Church is hosting the pancake breakfast.

Arley Day Parade

Line-up for the annual Arley Day Parade will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Dollar General Parking lot on County Road 41 south.  The parade will begin at 8 a.m., traveling north on County Road 41 and turning onto Helicon Road, ending at Meek Baptist Church.
Floats, bands, walking groups and other vehicles are welcome to be a part of the parade.  All schools, businesses, churches and civic groups are welcome to participate.  
There will be a contest for the best decorated floats, with cash prizes for first, second and third places.  All organizations are eligible for prizes.
Those wanting to participate in both the car show and the parade are welcome to do so.
Please note that no candy can be thrown from a float or vehicle.  Anyone wanting to hand out candy must have walkers beside the float or vehicle to pass it out.
 The Arley Women’s Club teased that their float this year will feature a pontoon boat.
Once the parade ends, Arley Day will kick off in earnest, with numerous activities at Hamner Park.

Car Show

The car show is one of the top attractions at Arley Day.  Beginning at 8:30 a.m., the show features numerous categories, including:  Vintage (1953 and earlier); Classic (1954-1962); Muscle (1963-1974); Modern Classic (1975-present); Trucks/SUVs/Jeeps (1987 and earlier); Trucks/SUVs/Jeeps (1988-present).
Cash prizes will be given to first and second place in each category, as well as the first place winner in the overall People’s Choice category.
Currently, the registration fee for the car show is $20.  After April 18, the fee will rrise to $25.  To register, visit the Arley Women’s Club’s Facebook page or go to arleywomensclub.org/arley-day-festival.

Pickleball 
Tournament

A growing aspect of Arley Day is the pickleball tournament, which will begin at 8 a.m. on the courts at Hamner Park.  It will be a mixed doubles tournament, with a registration fee of $25 per player.
To register, go to the Arley Women’s Club’s Facebook page or website.  The registration deadline will be May 10.  Those who register by May 1, will receive a free T-shirt.

Vendors

Vendors are a core attraction of Arley Day each year, with up to 100 spots available annually.
Spots are currently available for arts and crafts and food vendors, as well as businesses, churches and non-profits.  Political candidates are also welcome to set a up a vendor booth.
Food vendors who have already committed to coming include: two lemonade vendors, shaved ice and other food, health drinks, BBQ, buttered corn on the cob, snack food, hamburgers and hot dogs and homemade ice cream.  More food vendors are expected to be added in the upcoming weeks.
Booth spaces are 10x10, with double booths 20x10.  Food vendor spaces measure 10x14.  No electricity or water will be available for any booth spaces.
The Arley Women’s Club offers an early bird discount for vendors who apply early.  Booths are $70 for one space for those whose applications are receive by April 17.  The cost jumps to $85 after that.  The price for two booths is $140 for those whose applications are received by April 17, and climbs to $170 after that.  Application forms are available on the Arley Women’s Club’s website.
Exclusivity is not offered on sales categories.  Also, the Arley Women’s Club reserves the right to limit the same kinds of products, sold in booths, if necessary.
Vendor set-up can be done Friday, May 15, from 4-6 p.m.  However, no merchandise may be left overnight.  Vendors can begin setting up their merchandise at 6 a.m. Saturday morning.  The Winston County Sheriff’s Office has agreed to provide security for the park Friday night, according to discussion at the planning meeting.
The deadline to complete, submit and pay for vendor booths is Friday, May 8 - no exceptions.

Arley Women’s Club booth

The Arley Women’s Club booth is always a major attraction at Arley Day.  The booth features several different types of items, including baked goods, beautiful merchandise to purchase, as well as the opportunity to purchase tickets for the annual raffle.
This year’s raffle prize is a large Traeger Pellet Grill, including a cover and three different wood flavors, valued at $1,000.  Tickets are $5 apiece or 5 tickets for $20. 

Kids Zone

The kids zone at Arley Day is the top destination for young children and their parents, featuring a covered area filled with all kinds of fun activities, games and face painting for children.  In addition, there will be two water slides, one for younger children and one for older children, an obstacle course and horseback rides.  All AWC-sponsored children’s activities will be free.
The Arley Women’s Club will be providing free hot dog lunches for children only.

Town of Arley taking larger role to assist Arley Women’s Club

While the Town of Arley has always been fully supportive of Arley Day and the Arley Women’s Club, the town is expanding its presence at Arley Day this year.
Mayor Johnny Taylor said that he and all town employees will be out in full force for Arley Day.
“We are going to have a couple of tents set up.  Town employees will be there with door prizes, giving out bottles of water and promoting Smith Lake and tourism,”  Taylor said.
Arley is surrounded by Smith Lake, one of the top tourist destinations in Winston County.  Taylor hopes that Arley Day will show visitors just how much Arley has to offer.  He is very grateful to the Arley Women’s Club for everything they do for Arley.
“The Arley Women’s Club has done so much for the town, our library and especially our park.  They are a wonderful partner to us,”  Taylor said.

 Arley Day proceeds help entire 
community

The Arley Women’s Club uses all proceeds from Arley Day to pour back into the community.  Some of the entities that benefit from Arley Day include Meek Elementary School, Meek High School, the Arley Fire Department, the Winston County Rescue Squad, the Arley Public Library and Hamner Park.
The Arley Day Festival will  run from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Hamner Park.  Admission is free.