The Pink Hill Flower Fund just finished this year’s efforts to plant the hill pink. With 500 pink roses planted this year, 1,200 over the past four years, and an upcoming RoseFest that will be mentioned in this May’s issue of Our State magazine, tiny Pink Hill in Lenoir County is putting itself on the North Carolina map.
The Pink Hill Rose Festival (RoseFest) will be held on Saturday, May 17 in Downtown Pink Hill to celebrate the 1,200 pink roses planted in town.
A golf tournament, sponsored by Kneeling Pines Farm, will be held at at Key Vista during the day on Friday, May 16th. The RoseFest will kick off Friday evening May 16th at 6 pm with Crossroads band playing during and after a 5k pink color run and shorter Kid’s Skittle Runs. Crossroads Band is sponsored by Dean’s Cigars and is free.
The festival will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 17th with the introduction of the prince and princesses of the Rose Court. The Rose Court is chosen based on fundraising results of contestants.
There will be live music and entertainment throughout the day, including local bands such as Positive, The Storm Surfers, Young at Heart, The Local Boys, Lee Family, The Huckleberry Brothers. There will also be bands of special interests to teens and young adults such as “I Forgot,” an up and coming Farmville based teenage punk band with a new CD. “Da General,” a Christian Rap band from Kinston, will also be playing. The Classic Collection Band, sponsored by the Pink Hill Ruritan Club, will play from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
There will be a special children’s play area with five inflatables as well as an antique car and tractor show for the older children. Several contests will be held including a Diaper Derby, Salsa Cook-off, a Homemade Pink/Blush Wine Making competition, and softball tournaments. Awards will be given for the best pink rose hairdo, best hats, etc. All participants are encouraged to wear something pink to the RoseFest.
The lead sponsors as of March 21 are Pink Hill Pharmacy, Dean’s Cigars, Pink Hill Ruritan Club, Kneeling Pines Farm, Scott Insurance, LCC, Lenoir Memorial, Southern Pharmacy, and Pink Hill Chiropractic.
The RoseFest is a fundraiser for the Pink Hill Area Preservation and Development Committee. Sponsors should contact: Dr. Jennifer Murphy phapdc@gmail (252) 568-6400. Vendors, entertainers, and competitors contact: Dr. Alice Scott phrosefestival@gmail.com (252) 559-3235. More information can be found on Facebook “RoseFest” or on the website rosefest.org.