Nineteen seventy one marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of Williamston. A group of citizens decided to have a festival to celebrate, and so formed the centennial committee to plan it. The community had so much fun that later that year the Red Cedar Jubilee committee was incorporated in order to make this festival a yearly event. The Jubilee over the years has hosted many events such as blue grass festivals, rodeos, big time wrestling matches, carnivals, all the fun things one thinks of when talking about a small-town festival. But what sets the Red Cedar Jubilee apart is that many of the events put on over the course of the week are sponsored by Williamston’s service organizations, non profit groups and churches. So, when you by your Duck Race ticket to try and win a big prize, you are also helping to fund the Sunrise Rotary Club for the next year. Or when you buy a steak sandwich in the Lions food and beverage tent, you are also buying glasses for an underprivileged person. The same can be said for many of the other events put on during Jubilee every year. When you participate, you have a great time but the money spent gives back in a bigger way as well.
Giving back has been a way of life for the Jubilee over its entire span. Through years of fundraising the festival was able to endow a scholarship fund which is handed out to two deserving Williamston students by the Williamston Schools Foundation every year. The Jubilee has also donated money to purchase bleachers for Williamston schools’ athletics facilities over the years.
The Jubilee has always been a community driven festival. Over the years many of those community members have made great contributions to keep this festival rolling for forty nine years including the Curtis family, the Whelton family, the Wygant family, the Farhat family, the Dunckel family, and countless others that continue to make this festival possible. Here’s to another forty nine years!
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