"It's been open and in full use," Aberdeen Town Manager Paul Sabiston told The Pilot about Aberdeen Lake Park. "That park looks really good, and the playground, the front part of the lake, just looks terrific."
He was right about the front of the lake. This month the park hosts the Sardine Festival on October 9 and the season's last Movies by the Lake screening on October 16. The upper pedestrian bridge is still closed, and it's the one piece that finishes the walking loop. Its replacement schedule has also moved since the town last published a timeline. Sealed bids aren't due until 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. So the park will host October's two biggest days well before any construction crew shows up, and the full loop now depends on a calendar with very little slack.
What Chantal Took, and What Has Come Back
Tropical Storm Chantal damaged Aberdeen Lake Park in the summer of 2025. Recovery depended on the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the money took almost a year to arrive. In The Pilot's report, Sabiston put the town's total obligated FEMA amount at about $2.25 million across eight projects. About $650,000 of that went to work at Aberdeen Lake Park, including a resurfaced parking lot and new playground substrate, plus washed-out sections of roadway elsewhere in town.
The town also finished a new gazebo, benches and other playground equipment, and stained them for durability. That's the part of the park people see from the parking lot, and it's ready for a crowd. The bridge was always going to come last. Sabiston explained why: "There're only a handful of contractors who can really do that kind of work. It takes special equipment, dredging equipment and floating equipment to install those pilings. So it's a pretty specialized job."
Friday the 9th: Lunch Is Sardines
The lake's first big October day doesn't depend on the bridge. The Annual Sardine Festival runs Friday, October 9, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Aberdeen Lake Park. Lunch is sardines, crackers, Moon Pies, RC Colas and Cokes. Admission is free, and donations for the food are welcome. Those donations go to the Aberdeen Parks & Recreation Department and to Moore County nonprofit groups that serve children.
The festival started over a family disagreement. The late Randall Moss founded it after his daughter, Kay Moss, banned him from eating the fish at her business across the street. According to The Pilot's 2024 coverage, he responded by inviting about 30 friends to a sardine lunch at the park. By 2024 the festival was serving 1,200 tins of sardines and 1,000 Moon Pies. More than 300 people were in the park before noon, and some had come from Florida and South Carolina.
The first year isn't recorded anywhere. Aberdeen called its 2015 event the 23rd annual, and The Pilot's 2026 Sandhills Best Bets preview lists this year's as the 34th. Counting back puts the start around 1993.
The main event comes at noon. Former Sardine Queens arrive in a parade, and the 2026 Sardine Queen is crowned. The new queen's identity stays secret until she arrives. In 2024 the past queens came in a red pickup truck and a black Buick Centurion, and the new queen pulled up on a firetruck. Angela Walling, a nurse practitioner with FirstHealth, was crowned that year by the 2023 queen, Laura Farrell. Kay Moss, the 2012 queen, had nominated her. Mayor Robbie Farrell wore a 1999 commemorative festival T-shirt and joked that he'd had to walk five paces behind his wife for a year. For questions about this year's event, the town lists Jamie Boles at (910) 692-6262.
Friday the 16th: Candy Downtown, Then the Season's Last Movie
A week later, families can make an evening of it starting downtown. The Downtown Candy Crawl runs Friday, October 16, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. At 7:00 p.m., the town shows Minions 3 at Aberdeen Lake Park. Movies by the Lake has run from July through October. Admission is free, and concessions are sold on site. If it rains, the screening moves to the same time the next day, and the town notes that titles can change if release dates shift.
On the town's special events calendar, October 16 is the last scheduled lakeside event of the year. Every event listed after it takes place somewhere else.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 9, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. | Annual Sardine Festival | Aberdeen Lake Park |
| Fri., Oct. 16, 4–6 p.m. | Downtown Candy Crawl | Downtown Aberdeen |
| Fri., Oct. 16, 7 p.m. | Movies by the Lake: Minions 3 | Aberdeen Lake Park |
| Tue., Oct. 20, 3 p.m. | Bridge bids due, then opened and read aloud | Aberdeen Town Hall, 115 N. Poplar St. |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. | Fall-O-Ween | Malcolm Blue Farm, 1177 Bethesda Rd. |
| Thu., Dec. 3, 6:15 p.m. | Tree Lighting | Aberdeen Library, 123 Exchange St. |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 11 a.m. | Aberdeen Christmas Parade | Main Street |
Fall-O-Ween at Malcolm Blue Farm is for kids 15 and under. Tickets are $5 per child ages 2 to 15 and cover the carnival games, inflatables, pony rides and climbing wall. Everyone else gets in free, and food trucks and treat vendors will be on site. Starting in December, the holiday calendar is centered on the new library and Main Street. The lake has no scheduled events in the months when bridge work is most likely to happen.
Where the Bridge Actually Stands
The schedule has changed quickly this fall, so here is what the town has said, in order:
- September 1. Citing the town's Bon Accord newsletter, the Sandhills Sentinel reported that bidding and contract awards were planned for the end of September. Construction would take 60 to 90 days, and the new bridge would open by the end of January 2027, "assuming no storms or other unforeseen obstacles." FEMA is funding the replacement, which is expected to cost $410,000.
- September 28. The town posted an advertisement for bids instead of announcing an award. The project is a single general construction contract to demolish the old bridge and build a new wood-framed pedestrian bridge about 380 feet long and 8 feet wide in the same location. Heritage Engineering, PLLC, of West End is handling the bid documents.
- September 29. The Sentinel reported that the old bridge has been closed since the storm, and it gave no construction start date.
- October 6. Bidders attended a mandatory pre-bid meeting at Town Hall, with a chance to visit the site with the engineer afterward.
- October 20. Sealed proposals are due at 3:00 p.m. They will be opened and read aloud in the Town Hall meeting room right after the deadline. The town has reserved the right to reject any and all bids.
Opening bids isn't the same as awarding a contract. As of today, October 7, the town hasn't named a contractor, a contract amount or a start date. Construction is still estimated at 60 to 90 days. If a crew started on November 1, the short estimate would finish around the last day of December and the long one around the end of January. Each week between the bid opening and the first pilings pushes that range closer to February. Sabiston has also said only a handful of contractors can do this kind of work. The January target can still be met, but only if nothing slips.
What a Winter Under Construction Looks Like
According to the town's September timeline, the lake's water level will be lowered during construction. The trail and the area near the bridge will close at times, and the town has asked the public not to try to reach the bridge. Neither the town's news page nor local coverage has posted a drawdown date or a closure schedule yet. That notice will probably come after a contract is awarded.
Even after the closures start, the park will still be usable. The playground, gazebo, benches and resurfaced parking lot are all in the front section that Sabiston described as looking terrific, away from the upper bridge. The Aberdeen Recreation Center at 301 Lake Park Crossing also keeps its regular holiday role. From November 2 to December 1, it's the drop-off point for Letters to Santa, which Aberdeen Parks and Recreation mails for families. Supper with Santa is there on December 11 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Pre-registration is required by December 4 or until the event fills.
The loop is the only piece still waiting. The public will get its first firm signals on October 20, when the bids are read aloud at Town Hall, and at the board meeting that follows, when a contractor and price could be named.
At Realty World Properties of the Pines, we follow Aberdeen's park projects and event calendar as closely as our neighbors do. If you want an update once the bridge contract is awarded, or just someone to talk Sardine Festival history with, contact us. We're glad to help.
