well as a community bake sale with treats like banana bread , cookies , red velvet cake , snickerdoodle bread and more .
“ We have a bake sale that one Saturday . Everything ’ s made from scratch . We have a couple of local ladies who bake everything from scratch ,” Leonard said .
“ We don ’ t make but just a few cents off of that breakfast , and that ’ s okay because it brings the community in and that ’ s what it ’ s all about . It ’ s about bringing the community in , bringing the community together , finding out what the community needs . It ’ s very important to stay in touch with the community and find out what the community needs , and that ’ s one of the ways we find out what the community needs ,” she said .
Whether it ’ s the main festival in June or the monthly pancake breakfast , funds made at each Wellborn Community Association event go directly back into community .
“ Every penny we make , we spread it as thin as we can to help as many people as we can and we keep it right here , local ,” she said .
Back to School Bash
Celebrating the end of summer and the start of the school year , Wellborn welcomes community members to the Back to School Bash , which in years past has featured water slides , slip-n-slides and games ; food and refreshments and free school supplies for students .
including a cornbread and chili cook-off ; pancake breakfast ; hay rides ; petting zoo ; food , arts and crafts vendors ; amateur and semi-pro cornhole tournaments and live music .
Community Thanksgiving Dinner
The week before Thanksgiving , the Wellborn Community Association hosts a community Thanksgiving dinner and bake sale with a menu traditionally of turkey , stuffing , green bean casserole , sweet potato casserole , mashed potatoes , pumpkin pie and tea . In addition to providing food at the community center , the Association members also deliver Thanksgiving meals – usually around 70 – to those unable to leave their home .
Children ’ s Holiday Party
Rounding out the year of Wellborn events is the annual Children ’ s Holiday Party where pre-registered Wellborn kids receive a holiday gift ; enjoy a Christmas movie under the stars ; s ’ mores by the campfire ; popcorn , snacks and hot cocoa ; and even get a visit from Santa himself .
From egg hunts and blueberries in the spring to Halloween and cornbread in the fall , every event organized by the Wellborn Community Association is designed to give back to the community while raising funds to help those in need throughout the year .
Children ’ s Halloween Party
Spooky season wouldn ’ t be complete without the Children ’ s Halloween Party , which invites costumed guests to safely trick-or-treat during the day , play games and enjoy some ghoulish goodies .
Though not organized by the Wellborn Community Association , the town of Wellborn also celebrates fall with the annual Scarecrow Festival at Hearthstone Gardens , which offers a scarecrow pageant contest , hayrides , face painting , raffles , baked goods , plant sale and more .
Cornbread Festival
The first annual Wellborn Cornbread Festival was held in the fall 2021 in an effort to recover from the pandemic ’ s impact on local festivals and events .
“ When COVID hit , we couldn ’ t do the Blueberry Festival . That ’ s how we supported ourselves – the Community Center supported itself - and all the events that we did and all everything that we did for the children and the elderly , all of a sudden we had no way to support ourselves . We had no way to fix roofs , no way to buy school clothes because that one event is all we had . We needed another event and when we decided to have another event , we wanted something that was truly tailor made for this area ,” Annita Leonard said .
“ We ’ re a farming community , that ’ s where we came from and we wanted to have , we really want this cornbread festival to be known as something that people can come and bring their children and love it , just have a good , wholesome time .” With that idea in mind , the Cornbread Festival became a reality entering its third year in 2023 with past events
2023-2024 | SUWANNEE CHAMBER IMPACT 107