BENSON — Large crowds and pleasant weather helped make the 77th annual Benson Mule Days a busy four-day celebration this past weekend.
The annual festival ran Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 24-27, with activities held throughout downtown Benson and other areas of town.
Mule Days included carnival rides, live music, rodeo events, mule competitions, vendors, family activities and the traditional Saturday morning parade.
Crowds lined Main Street Saturday morning for the Mule Days Parade, one of the signature events of the annual festival. The parade featured a variety of entries and drew spectators from across Johnston County and surrounding areas.
Throughout the weekend, visitors also gathered at Chamber Park, the Benson Singing Grove and other festival locations for entertainment and activities.
Benson Police Chief Greg Percy said the event was largely uneventful from a law enforcement standpoint despite the large number of visitors.
“The 77th annual Mule Days Festival was blessed with great weather and lots of attendees,” Percy said. “From a law enforcement perspective, it was largely uneventful, with only a handful of incidents over the four-day event.”
Percy also thanked the agencies and personnel who assisted Benson Police during the festival.
“The Police Department appreciates how friendly and respectful everyone was, and as Chief, I’d like to say a sincere thank you to all the agencies, officers, and Telecommunicators who helped make this a safe and fun event,” Percy said.
Mule Days has been a longtime Benson tradition and remains one of the town’s largest annual events, drawing visitors to the community for a weekend centered around its agricultural heritage and mule tradition.
Benson Area Chamber of Commerce Director Loretta Byrd said an official attendance estimate was not yet available because the Chamber was waiting to receive counts from the Johnston County Visitors Bureau.
Byrd said, however, attendance “greatly surpassed” the past few years.
She said this year’s Mule Days parade included 120 registered entries, along with an additional 150 to 200 horses and mules that rode at the end of the parade.
According to Byrd, it was the largest Mule Days parade in 15 years…