The Pecan Festival: From Soup to Nuts

A peek behind the curtain of RBC’s most anticipated event of the year.

By Sterling Giles

Richard Bland College of William & Mary (RBC) is home to the oldest and largest collection of pecan trees in the state. It makes sense why the college’s most popular event of the year, the Pecan Festival, was named after its most ubiquitous export.

The inaugural festival was in October 2016 and it was a hit. Over the last eight years, Chief Development Officer Jeff Brown and his team have helped build the legacy of the premier event.

“Since its inception, it’s been well organized, it’s been well managed and it continues to be successful,” Brown said.

Brown’s team consists of Associate Directors of Development Katelinn Davis and Carolyn Day Pruett, as well as Terelle Robinson, Associate Director of Government Relations & Student Life. For festival logistics, the team works closely with RBC Events Manager Kerstin Winston and Chief Operating Officer Eric Kondzielawa.

The process of putting on a highly anticipated event on an annual basis is multi-faceted and arduous.

The first order of business is to seek out and identify vendors and sponsors. Brown and his team attend events in the Greater Petersburg Region to scout prospective vendors and sponsors that align with the Pecan Festival. From there, the team sends out communications inviting recurring and new partners to participate in the festival.

Next, the team handles layout planning for the space, which is typically the most complicated part of the process.

“We try to make sure that there’s not two of the same businesses next to each other,” Davis said.

The festival’s reputation of being well organized and managed has allowed it to retain sponsors and vendors year after year. Good Earth Peanut Company, owned by RBC alumni and recurring festival partners Scott and Lindsey Vincent, sources from the college’s pecan trees to create goodies and products for the festival.

To wrap planning, Brown’s team works with Winston, Kondzielawa and the Campus Police Department to address logistics and safety concerns such as signage, medical staff, security, as well as electrical and A/V equipment.

Merchants on-site have products ranging from fine soaps to jewelry and food offerings from barbeque to baked goods. There is also a designated area for kids to partake in craft activities, face painting and games. Lastly, local performers and musicians always put on a great show.

“There’s something for everyone,” Davis said.

According to Winston, in the last three years alone, the festival has averaged between 12,000 to 15,000 attendees. Despite the great turnout, she refuses to be complacent.

“It’s one of the most anticipated events in the Tri-Cities area,” she said. “It’s an amazing festival.”

The Pecan Festival is also a conduit for networking amongst the college’s development team and community partners, organizations and businesses.

“[The festival allows us] to make these great connections,” Brown said. “It’s a friend-raiser—it helps us to generate support for the college in so many ways.”

This year’s Pecan Festival is set for Saturday, October 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free to the public.

If you are interested in becoming a vendor, click here to register.