Williamsburg grows its community celebration

As some community festivals find it harder to keep going, Williamsburg Community Days is growing, slow and steady.

This year’s two-day celebration stayed busy all of Friday and started out that way Saturday.

Four or five men watched from a picnic table under a tent as a crowd came and left the Williamsburg Lions Club’s all-you-care-to-eat breakfast. Several feet away, Cliff Clark fired up a grill to start what the organizing committee advertises as “world famous pork chops.”

“Pork Chop Charlie” Jones sat at that picnic table under the tent, wearing one of his trademark baseball caps and light-heartedly wondered out loud what made those pork chops “world famous.” He’s retired after grilling chops at community gatherings for about 50 years. Someone asked him where he got his pork chops. “From a pig!” he retorted.

Clark’s answer to the same question was something to the effect of, “Well, we source them pretty good.” As far as the claim to fame in festival publicity, the organizers just decided that if radio stations could call themselves famous, then the pork chops can be called world famous.

Clark is president of the Williamsburg Community Center, which organizes the festival. He said 14 to 15 people ranging in age from 90 to 35 make the festival happen each year. A lot of people came Friday, when activities included a live radio remote and a first: a fireworks show at dusk. “It was an excellent day.”

It all benefits the old Williamsburg School, which is the Community Center. Over the years, festival proceeds, building rentals and donations have helped replace a lot of the century-old building’s windows and kept it in good shape.

Some of the guys at the table talked about their tractors. David Williamson has 31 old farm machines, “about 29 too many,” he said. “They say if you know how many you have, you don’t have enough.”

Calling himself Barney, Duane Cates said most guys get started collecting tractors because a couple of them wear out. 

“They’re gonna get rid of them and then they don’t,” he said. 

He likes “muscle tractors” of the kind he grew up with in the muscle-car era of the 1970s. He brought three to the festival: an Oliver, an International and an Allis-Chalmers. “Whichever ones start, that’s the ones I bring,” noting that the batteries lose their charge during long periods of idleness.

After breakfast, the Wayne County Sheriff’s color guard and Explorer post led a noisy procession featuring a dozen or so tractors, fire trucks, an ambulance, a shiny pickup and a bright red truck carrying some Republican politicians. Children scampered for candy thrown at them from the vehicles.

Drawn in by the white smoke of the world famous pork chops that billowed over the tent, people followed their noses and came to eat. The Williamsburg Masonic Lodge, which recently celebrated its 150th anniversary, served ice cream and shortcake.

Townwide, residents set up yard sales and people moved at their own pace from one to the next. 

In all, a good day to be in Williamsburg and a reason to return in 2025.

Another good Saturday awaits this week. Williamsburg Church of the Nazarene is throwing its own party from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Attractions include a car show, another Lions Club breakfast, a barbecue by Williamsburg Fire Department, bounce house, door prizes and free school supplies. The church is located at 8503 Pleasant St., east of the community center.