Holly Whitley may not have set out to be a legend in Fayetteville when she bought a bar and named it Legend’s Pub, but she certainly has become one. Her giving nature and willingness to help friends is well-known in Fayetteville and among the readers of the Up & Coming Weekly.

Whitley bought Legend’s in 1996 with several years of bar management under her belt. She took her father’s advice that she was not just buying a building; she was buying good faith that people would come through the doors. She has built its reputation as a place where everyone is welcome, and it is more than just a bar to its regulars — it is a home away from home.

You may not find Whitley behind the bar anymore, but her passion for her business can be felt throughout the pub. She honors people they have lost over the years with a memorial wall of pictures of family and friends. She also recognizes the many active-duty military and veterans in the area by proudly flying a U.S. flag outside and displaying a huge wooden American flag inside the bar, complete with painted stars and stripes.

“The customers will say ‘hi’ as soon as you walk up on the deck,” she said. “It’s a very welcoming atmosphere..”

Her good faith in the Fayetteville community has paid off, not only for her business but for the people she has helped over the years with her annual Spring Fling fundraiser. The event started in the 1980s when Whitley and a group of good friends who called themselves the Gypsy Women had get-togethers in her home.

“When I bought the bar, we decided to have Spring Fling (there),” said Whitley. “A friend of ours had gotten in a motorcycle accident, so we just said (let’s) do it as a benefit.”

Spring Fling has grown from a small private event to a community benefit that has helped hundreds of people and organizations in Cumberland County over the last 26 years and raised an estimated half a million dollars.

In the early days, she was surprised by the amount the community chipped in each year. As the event became more popular, the amount they raised doubled and then tripled annually. She credits its success to people who offer to help organize it and the people who come to support it.

“We’re just a little dive bar on the Boulevard that’s got a big heart for our community,” she said. “I have people that have literally supported every event every year that I do it. It’s something that people have found to be very proud of to be a part of.”

This year’s Spring Fling is for Whitley’s good friend Emma Roberts, who was diagnosed with breast cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. The event will be held Friday, April 29 to Sunday, May 1 and will have something for everyone.

A pre-party pool tournament will kick off the event Friday, with registration starting at 7 p.m. Players can compete for $10.

The next day, participants can join the poker run, where motorcycles (and other vehicles) will head around town from one stop to the next to pick up one playing card to create their hand. Participants can ride and play for $10. There will be a pig pickin’ and auction after the poker run.

The fundraiser will wrap up with a bike show Sunday afternoon. Onlookers can pay $1 a vote for their favorite ride, and the bike with the most votes is deemed best of show. The money collected from all three events and the auction will go towards this year’s beneficiary.

She believes everyone should give back what they receive, and her customers and friends seem to agree. They always step up to help organize events, whether cooking for the crowd, setting up tables and chairs or participating in the activities. She knows she can count on them.

“They walk through the door,” she said. “And they say, ‘What can I do to help?’”

The Spring Fling is one of many events she holds throughout the year. If there is a holiday, Whitley has probably turned it into a fundraiser, or at least a special “fun day” for her regulars.

She has also held baby showers and weddings at the bar to help celebrate her friends’ milestones. She says people will bring in their children or grandchildren when they turn 21 to have their first beer at Legend’s.

Raised in the mountains of western North Carolina, Whitley may not be a Fayetteville native, but she has made it a home for herself and many in the community.

“We’re very family-oriented,” she said. “Sometimes you are born into a family, and sometimes you go out make your own.”

Take part in the Spring Fling by stopping by Legend’s Pub at 4626 Bragg Blvd. from April 29 to May 1. You can follow their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/legendspub910.