news-record.com

SAXAPAHAW — Fridays in Saxapahaw are pretty much like the other four days of the week.

Residents of an old-cotton-mill-turned-apartments make the daily round trek to Durham or Greensboro. The Citgo station at the top of the hill sells gas. And the Haw River burbles over the rocks below the bridge that connects the town.

On Saturdays in Saxapahaw, the joint is jumpin'. Farmers roll into town with their crops, a band cranks up some seriously old-school music, and kids slip down plastic-sheets-turned-water-slide as their parents lounge on blankets and plow through the food and drinks in their picnic coolers.

The music festival and farmers' market is in its fourth year in this former mill village on the banks of the Haw River. It draws as many as 1,000 people on Saturday nights from March to October.

"We created something that's like a three-ring circus," said Heather LaGarde, who launched the event in 2005. "It's an old-timey, Brigadoon-y event."

After the LaGardes moved back to the area from New York City in 2004 — Heather was a Chapel Hill native, and husband Tom played basketball for North Carolina — Heather was looking for a project. She met Mac Jordan, who had converted a yarn mill once owned by

his family into apartments now called Rivermill Village. From their discussions, Saturdays in Saxapahaw was born.

The weekly festival features North Carolina bands that play bluegrass and traditional music and local farmers who sell their crops. Because the LaGardes have two young children, there's a water slide, hula hoops and face-painting for kids.

The perfect spot for this three-ring Saturday-night circus is the parking lot beside the old general store, now home to Jordan's offices and the post office.

The oak- and dogwood-covered hill is a natural amphitheater.

The event took off. Bands such as Polecat Creek, Memphis and the Kickin Grass Band have proved to be regular, reliable draws. Alamance County farmers sell goods as varied as asparagus and wine. And every week, people from the Triad and the Triangle make the trek to a town well off the beaten path.

Holly Coldiron, who lives in nearby Snow Camp, tries to make it out with her two children every Saturday night. She is amazed at how much the event has grown in just four years.

"It's family-friendly and safe for the kids," Coldiron said. "The music is great and the food — you've got everything."

Contact John Newsom at 373-7312 or john.newsom@news-record.com

Other Alamance County cities and towns:

ALAMANCE

Population: Approximately 700

Incorporated: 1979

Named for: Great Alamance Creek

Government: The Board of Aldermen meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month at Town Hall, 2874 Rob Shepherd Drive. (P.O. Box 96, Alamance, NC 27201-0096). Phone: 226-0033; fax: 226-5523; e-mail: <a href="mailto:villagealamance@bellsouth.net">villagealamance@bellsouth.net</a>.

Elected officials: Mayor Cathera Bundren, 226-1264; Mayor Pro Tem Naydine Sharpe, 226-1034; Barry Crouse, 226-4512; Richie Jones, 222-1205; Mary Ida Stephens, 229-6594; Denise Funderburke, 226-1395; Chris Clemmons, 570-1229.

ELON

Population: 7,288

Incorporated: 1893

Named for: The college

Meetings: 6 p.m. the first Monday and second Tuesday at Town Hall, 104 S. Williamson Ave. 584-3601; www.elonnc.com.

Elected officials: Mayor Jerry Tolley, 449-0337; Mayor Pro Tem Ron Klepcyk, 584-0989;Davis Montgomery, 449-6073; Lawrence Slade, 584-7989 ; Jo Grimley, 584-9466; MarkGreene, 586-0346.

Best place to visit: "I think the campus is just a really beautiful place to see in the springand summer. You can't really miss it, but everyone should see it in the spring and summertime," said Steve Burton, 54, a lifelong Elon resident.

GRAHAM

Population: 12,833

Incorporated: 1851

Named for: William A. Graham (1804-75), a U.S. senator, N.C. governor and Confederate senator.

Government: The City Council meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month in the council chambers at City Hall, 201 S. Main St. 570-6700; www.cityofgraham.com.

Elected officials: Mayor Jerry Peterman, 516-6964; Mayor Pro-Tem Jimmy Linens, 226-1563;
Council members: Jim Albright, 226-6060; Victor E. Euliss, 226-6201;
Jennifer L. Talley, 229-4225.

GREEN LEVEL

Population: 2,042

Incorporated: July 17, 1990

Named for: The nearby Green Level community, which has been around for decades.
Government: The Town Council meets at 7 p.m. in the council chambers on the first and second Thursday of each month. 578-3443; www.greenlevelnc.com.

Elected officials: Mayor Bill Tarpley, 578-0686; Mayor Pro-Tem Richard Woods, 578-9288, Council members: Willie Burton, 578-1638; Larry McCollum, 578-1254; Remonia Enoch, 567-0090.

HAW RIVER

Population: 1,908

Incorporated: June 1, 1973

Named for: The Haw River

Government: The City Council meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of each month at Town Hall, 403 E. Main St. 578-0784. www.townofhawriver.com.

Elected officials: Mayor Buddy E. Boggs, 578-3360; Town Council: Mayor Pro-Tem Richard Honeycutt, 578-8936; Council members Jamie Joseph, 578-3006; Jeff Fogleman, 578-8853; H. Lee Lovette, 578-0799.

MEBANE

Population: 7,284

Incorporated: 1880

Named for: Brig. Gen. Alexander Mebane of the N.C. Militia and a member of Congress in the 1790s.

Government: The City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of each month in the council chambers of the Municipal Building at 106 E. Washington St. (919) 563-5901; www.cityofmebane.com.

Elected officials: Mayor Glendel Stephenson, (919) 563-4581; Mayor Pro Tem Patty Philipps, (919) 563-2254 or 214-3526; Council members: Tim Bradley, (919) 563-4571 or (919) 661-5880, Ext. 244; Everette Greene, (919) 563-553 or (919) 563-9271; Ed Hooks, (919) 563-5075 or (919) 880-9146; Bob Hupman, (919) 563-3333 or (919) 563-9900.

OSSIPEE

Population: 460

Incorporated: 2002

Named for: Name of Indian origin, meaning unknown

Government: The Town Council meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month at the Altamahaw-Ossipee Fire Department. P.O. Box 336, Elon, NC 27244. Phone: 584-4258; fax: 584-8512; e-mail: ossipeet@bellsouth.net.

Elected officials: Mayor Mark Witman, 524-4928; Vice Mayor Earl Jones, 584-4473; Town Council: Richard Overman, 584-8555; Danny Sutton, 263-7228; Ernest Bare, 584-9878

SWEPSONVILLE

Population: 922

Incorporated: Dec. 8, 1997

Named for: George W. Swepson (1811-83), owner of the Falls Neuse Mills, around which the mill village was built.

Government: The City Council meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Swepsonville Fire Department, 2763 Swepsonville-Saxapahaw Road. 578-5644; www.swepsonvilletownof.net.

Elected officials: Mayor Raymond L. Herring, 578-2510; Mayor Pro Tem H. Hugh Doss, 578-3626; Town Council members: Elvin Briggs, 578-0814; Darrell Newton, 578-5644; Doug Scott, 578-7424.