The one and only Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs are set to perform in Whitmire Saturday at the town’s first Pearl Fest.
The town, known as the Pearl of the Piedmont, hosts its biggest celebration, Party in the Pines, in the summer.
For the town’s 2009 Party in the Pines, Council Member Cassie Fowler announced a top performer, later disclosing that South Carolina-born Maurice Williams with his band The Zodiacs would perform.
Williams wrote the hit “Stay,” which sat atop charts at #1 both in 1960, and again in 1987 when the movie Dirty Dancing featured the song.
But because Williams had a kidney removed and a three-month recovery, he didn’t show.
Less than two hours before Williams and The Zodiacs were scheduled to take stage, Fowler got news that Williams would not be there. The Zodiacs did, however, perform.
Hearing about Williams’ absence, about 50 people that stood among the large crowd that gathered on Whitmire’s Main Street left that evening, said party organizer Sue Hollingsworth of the Whitmire Jaycees.
But Williams is better now, he says, and will perform Saturday, after driving down from his home in Charlotte, N.C.
“We’re just looking forward to being there,” Williams says.
And fans can not only look forward to seeing Williams, but bank on hearing the star sing his chief hit.
“That’s our signature song,” says Williams of “Stay.”
Also at the Pearl Fest:
The all-day family-oriented event kicks off with the Main Street Yard Sale & Flea Market downtown from 7 a.m.-noon.
The yard sale offers a variety of individual, church and civic group vendors, with household items, jewelry, ladies accessories and baked goods on both sides of Whitmire’s wide Main Street.
Other Newberry County highlights include Oktoberfest in downtown Newberry from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
“After a taste of some of Newberry’s finest cuisine, it’s back to Whitmire for the afternoon activities in Heritage Park,” says Fowler.
The afternoon festivities in Whitmire include youth-oriented games, air rides and festivities, food and fun, plus custom-designed Jaycee festival T-shirts.
The grand finale concert featuring Williams is at 7 p.m. on Main Street.
Plus, the grand opening of Whitmire’s new Main Street photography studio, CWilbanks Photography, and art and music center, Creative Hands, will be Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. during the Whitmire Pearl Festival, with door prizes and gift certificates.
For more information on Pearl Fest, contact Fowler at 694-2292 or by e-mail at news2cassie@yahoo.com
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