The Badin Villager is a free monthly newsletter available on the first of the month at the Badin Post Office, the Badin Town Hall, the Badin Library and West Badin Community Center. It is also published online at www.visitbadin.com. For more information contact info@visitbadin.com

From Heritage Days to Human Hamster Balls to a Talent Show, this year’s Best of Badin Festival is gearing up to be great fun for everyone.

The two-day festival begins with a bang on Friday with performances by the Southern Express Cloggers. The Essentials play for a street dance from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Nostalgia Band plays music of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

Over at the Badin Museum complex three museums depict every aspect of Badin history. On the grounds, a Heritage Days display includes a Civil War demonstration, arrowheads, woodworking, basket weaving and a tractor show. Inflatable rides include the Human Hamster Balls this year, a certain pleaser for the younger set.

The ever-popular Tours of the Narrows Dam run on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Badin High School Alum will gather for reunions: the class of 1955, the last class to hold their graduation ceremony in the Badin Theater, and the class of 1956.

New this year is the Badin’s Got Talent show. Applications for entry may be made until September 10 by calling 704-322-1143 or email badingirl1@yahoo.com. Auditions take place at the Badin Inn on September 11 from 10 a.m. to Noon. Males and females of any age may apply and there are prizes for the winners.

There’ll be a variety of food and drink available and plenty of booths where you can find that unique gift for yourself or someone special.

And to top off a grand event, a spectacular fireworks display takes place over Badin Lake at 9 p.m. on Saturday night.

Best of Badin Festival, Friday and Saturday, September 17 and 18, 2010. Save the date.

Best of Badin Festival

It would take more space than we have here to list all that Badin’s volunteers do for their town, so I won’t even try. But next time you admire the flowerpots along Falls Road, watch the new tree plantings thrive, visit the museum complex,  notice the lack of litter, or enjoy the Best of Badin Festival, remember it’s because of the countless hours of time and effort donated over the years by a small group of citizens. And I’ve named only a few of the many things Badin residents and visitors enjoy because of the work done by these volunteers. We haven’t mentioned the hours spent in sometimes endless meetings, the paperwork, the grant writing and the record keeping. There’s no pay and little recognition. Just the satisfaction of seeing their town become a little better.  Bridget Huckabee, Editor

Twila Radford and Sheila Foreman have been friends for years. For awhile they ran a shop in New London and now run a shop on Badin’s main street selling new and used gift items.

“We’ve felt very welcomed here in Badin,” says Radford. “We’d like to thank everyone for their support.”

The shop is open Tuesday through  Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm.

Badin will lose an old friend on       September 30, 2010. Premier Federal Credit Union, the smart and welcoming business that has graced Falls Road next to the Town Hall for many years, is due to close. Local manager Jo Culp has already been transferred to a branch in Salisbury and by the end of the month, the two remaining employees will lose their jobs. Both customers and friends will miss the personal touch this business brought to our town. Folks interested in sharing why they hope the Premier Federal Credit Union will reconsider and stay in Badin should call 1-800-873-2929 and ask for Lori Thompson.

Every small town has a roster of interesting personalities and it sometimes seems Badin has more than its fair share. Badin Museum volunteers decided it was time to highlight some of these personalities and they are currently putting together a new exhibit to feature Badin’s colorful and famous, or colorful and not-so-famous people from the town’s past and present. They are working hard to have it ready for the Best of Badin Festival when it will be placed in the center cases of the main museum.

Personalities range from golfers to a Major General, and from hunters to ALCOA engineers. There’s the first Badin Taxi Service driver and the fireman who taught Badin children how to swim in Badin Lake. And there are many many more. Don’t miss this intriguing exhibit.

Badin’s Sunshine Club meets on a monthly basis at the Badin Baptist Church Fellowship Hall. Although many of the attendees have a gray hair or two, the club is open to all ages. And although its meeting place is the basement of a Baptist Church, it is strictly non-denominational.

Meetings start with a cheery rendition of “You Are My Sunshine,” followed by  a program. These programs cover a wide variety of subjects and are followed by a covered dish lunch that invariably offers some of the best food in town. 

There are only two requirements for participation: $1 and a covered dish. Meeting time has been changed recently from the fourth Tuesday of the month to the fourth Monday of the month at 10:30 a.m.