Halloween in Richmond County this year won’t be simply for candy, as the annual Seaboard Festival will be held Oct. 31 in downtown Hamlet.

“This is a great way to bring the town together and to see old friends,” Nancy Averitte, president of the Seaboard Festival said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

This year marks the 27th year of the festival and hopes to see at least 15,000, if not more, people in attendance.

The festival will house over 140 booths with items ranging from old country crafts, to commercial and personal food vendors, to locally created items.

At 8 a.m. the day of, the festival will host a 5K race for all interested participants and the opening ceremony begins at 9 a.m.

Additionally, the festival will have its annual Conductor’s Call contest where anyone can test their conductor pipes and win prizes for the best sounding, “All Aboard” around 1 p.m. There will also be a car show, for the car enthusists coming to the festival. And two stages will be placed for local live music from The Blue Knights, DJ Sam Neimyer, local dance troupes, gospel singers and local bands, which will perform throughout the day.

According to Averitte, entertainment is still booking and more entertainment will be announced at a later date.

This year’s festival has been moved closer to the newly opened train depot and with the new Tornado Exhibit opening near or on the date, both will be open to festival-goers for tours and pictures.

“We’ll be there rain or shine,” Averitte said.

The Seaboard festival is a non-profit function and the proceeds from the festival will benefit local charities, overseas troops and each year the festival donates a large sum to one charity.

The Seaboard festival has been in operation since 1982, although known by a different name then, it has benefited the community and the culture that surrounds the railroad’s history and southern culture ever since, according to Averitte.

“We’re excited that the festival is still going on and that people come to it,” Averitte said.

The festival is free for everyone and will be held Oct. 31., beginning at 9 a.m. with the opening ceremony and ending at approximately 5 p.m.