Chicken Mull Festival

For one of the most genuinely beloved small-town festivals in eastern North Carolina, the Chicken Mull Festival in Bear Grass, NC is a real treasure. Held annually each October in Martin County’s tiny community of just 89 residents, this beloved community celebration draws nearly 4,000 visitors to downtown Bear Grass to experience chicken mull — a peppery Southern comfort stew with deep tobacco-barn-fire roots — alongside live bluegrass music, a 5K race, a classic car cruise-in, a Youth Poultry Show, and one of the warmest displays of small-town Southern hospitality you’ll find anywhere. Be sure to check out the YouTube video and pictures below to get a feel for the festival before you go — or to relive the visit after.

From Tobacco Fires to a Town Tradition

The story of chicken mull traces back to the tobacco farms that once defined Bear Grass and the surrounding Martin County countryside. In the days when tobacco was wood-fired in curing barns, farmers had to tend the fires all night to keep the temperature steady. To pass the long hours and feed visiting neighbors who would stop by to keep them company, farmers would put a cast-iron pot with a chicken on the fire. As each new neighbor arrived, they would toss in a few more crackers and add a little more chicken, gradually building up a hearty, communal stew that warmed the body and the community alike.

That impromptu farm tradition eventually evolved into a culinary signature for Bear Grass. The man most often credited with carrying it forward was the late Sampson Hodges, a Bear Grass resident who spent decades perfecting his chicken mull. Hodges fed countless Bear Grass Ruritan Club sales, school events, and family gatherings with his big pots of mull — and taught many locals the recipe along the way. His boat paddles, which he used to stir the mull in large washtub-sized pots, became family heirlooms after his death. His family is quick to note that he kept his “cooking paddles” carefully separate from the ones in his actual boat.

The Bear Grass Ruritan Club and the Annual Festival

The Chicken Mull Festival itself was first held in 2014 by the Bear Grass Ruritan Club — a community service organization that has long anchored civic life in the small town. That first festival in 2014 sold 65 gallons of chicken mull in less than two hours — a remarkable indication of just how beloved the dish had become and how eager the broader region was to celebrate it.

The festival has grown substantially over the years and is now held each year on the fourth Saturday of October, drawing roughly 4,000 visitors to a town that normally has fewer than 100 residents. Downtown Bear Grass Road (State Road 1001) is closed to vehicle traffic, and the heart of the festival sits across from the Bear Grass School at the Yucca House (the former Bear Grass School teacherage, now home to the Bear Grass Ruritan Club).

730 Pounds of Chicken, 160 Gallons of Mull, 80 Boxes of Crackers

The scale of the festival’s cooking operation is genuinely remarkable. The day before the festival, the volunteers at the Bear Grass Fire and Rescue station cook off 730 pounds of chicken thighs. Then the entire small town of 89 people gathers to carefully pull the meat off the bones by hand — a true community effort.

Early the next morning, the firefighters finish the chicken mull preparations at the back of the community house, ultimately producing 160 gallons of finished mull and using 80 boxes of crushed saltine crackers. The cooking still happens in massive pots, and the tradition of using boat paddles to stir is alive and well.

The recipe itself remains true to its Bear Grass roots: parboiled chicken, broth, crushed saltines, chopped boiled eggs, and seasoning — with as much black and red pepper as desired, often paired with a splash of hot sauce. Cooks bring their own variations (some adding corn or other touches), but the heart of the dish is the same simple comfort food it has been for generations.

Beyond the Mull — Music, Races, and Festivities

The Chicken Mull Festival is much more than a single dish. The festival features a packed day of activities, including:

The 5K Mull Mush and 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk — a beloved festival kickoff
Live music spanning bluegrass, country, and gospel — local and regional acts performing throughout the day
A classic car cruise-in that draws car enthusiasts from across the region
The Youth Poultry Show — where young Bear Grass-area residents present their roosters for judging
A petting zoo and kids’ zone with inflatables and activities geared to younger guests
A wandering yellow chicken-suited mascot that delights children for photos
A painted plywood chicken with a cut-out face for festival photos
Boy Scouts are selling sausage dogs from their fundraising tent
Vendor tents lining a couple of blocks with handmade crafts, food, fundraisers for local organizations, and locally made goods
Golden-chicken-topped trophies for first, second, and third-place winning cooks

The combination of food, music, family-friendly activities, and genuine community spirit makes the festival one of the most distinctive small-town celebrations anywhere in eastern North Carolina. We had a wonderful time at the festival and would recommend it to anyone exploring rural NC.

Good to Know

First held: 2014 (organized by the Bear Grass Ruritan Club)
When: Annually on the fourth Saturday of October
Where: Downtown Bear Grass, NC, centered around the Yucca House (former Bear Grass School teacherage, now the Bear Grass Ruritan Club building)
Town population: 89 residents (with nearly 4,000 visitors on festival day!)
The dish: Chicken mull — peppery Southern stew made with parboiled chicken, broth, crushed saltines, chopped boiled eggs, and seasoning
The cooking: 730 pounds of chicken thighs prepared the day before by Bear Grass Fire and Rescue; 160 gallons of mull and 80 boxes of crushed saltines used per festival; traditionally stirred with boat paddles
Festival activities: 5K Mull Mush and 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk, live bluegrass/country/gospel music, classic car cruise-in, Youth Poultry Show, kids’ zone with inflatables, petting zoo, vendor tents
Historical origin: Born from tobacco-barn fire tradition — farmers tending night fires would slowly build a pot of stew with neighbors who stopped by
Closest town: About 8 miles southwest of Williamston (the Martin County seat) and 20 miles northeast of Greenville
Best for: Foodies, families, classic car enthusiasts, music lovers, and anyone wanting an authentic small-town Southern experience
Pair with: A walk around the Bear Grass Historical District to see the rampant bear and George Washington statues by local artist Henry C. Cowen (who also created the war memorial soldiers at the corner of Green Street and Ayers Avenue)
Located in downtown Bear Grass, NC

A Bear Grass Highlight

The Chicken Mull Festival is the kind of celebration that genuinely captures the deeper character of rural North Carolina. The remarkable tobacco-barn-fire origin story, the legacy of Sampson Hodges and his boat-paddle-stirred wash pots, the Bear Grass Ruritan Club’s stewardship of the tradition, the staggering scale of community cooking (730 pounds of chicken, 160 gallons of mull, 80 boxes of crackers!), the day-of festivities from the Mull Mush 5K to the Youth Poultry Show, the live bluegrass and country music, and the genuinely warm welcome extended to nearly 4,000 visitors all add up to one of the most distinctive and rewarding small-town festivals anywhere in Martin County. Whether you’re settling in for a bowl of peppery chicken mull with hot sauce and crackers, cheering on the 5K runners, browsing handmade crafts at the vendor tents, or just soaking in the Southern hospitality of a town that comes together each fall to celebrate a dish born around tobacco-barn fires, this is one of the most rewarding stops you can make in eastern North Carolina.