LITTLE MOUNTAIN, S.C. — The Little Mountain Reunion took place for the second year since taking a break due to the pandemic, bringing people from around South Carolina and boosting the local economy.
Daniel Boland said tradition, family, and fun are the words that come to mind when he thinks about the Little Mountain Reunion Festival. He's a Little Mountain native and brought his son to enjoy the nice weather and spend time with neighbors. He said it's like an unofficial end to summer vacation.
"It's kind of a signal that school's about to be back in session, a big signal for the end of the summer," he said. "So, kinda a big send-off for the year; it's hot out here, but we have a good time."
The two-day folk festival has everything from live music to food vendors, a car show, and a corn-hole tournament. Little Mountain Mayor Jana Jayroe said it began as a Newberry College reunion and has grown to include the whole county. She said it's helping the town's economy too.
"We go from a town of 300 to, we have close to 4,000 people come by over the day and a half period," Jayroe said. "Everything that's made here goes back into the community. It just organically grows everywhere; it helps so much with the small businesses."
One of the businesses getting a leg up is the Lake Murray Flower Shop, which sits next to the festival. Manager Megan White said they've seen sales double this weekend, trying out new promotions and outdoor sales.
"It's a good opportunity for us to get some more foot traffic in the door. It's been nice having new families and new faces in town that we normally don't get to see," White said.
The food and the music are great, but according to Little Mountain resident Laura Camper, the best part is the community.
"It's all a part of that hometown feeling experience. You go and see your neighbors and new people, and it's a reunion; so, everybody who used to live here is coming back. So, it's really cool," she said. "Everybody having a good time - walking around, eating good food, hearing good music - it doesn't get much better than that."