Attalla Heritage Day set for Saturday, rain or shine

The City of Attalla will host Heritage Day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday in the city's historic downtown district.

“We’re not exactly sure how many years this has been going on, but it has for at least 30 years. We've always held it on the third Saturday in October,” said event organizer Lisa Spears. “After working the event for 18 years, I had actually retired from the city and decided to come back and help.”

The main attraction will be the open car show that will take place from the start of the event until 3 p.m. Cars can register from 8 a.m. to noon with a $20 entry fee, and Spears expects there to be about 100 cars if the weather is good.

“If the weather’s pretty, we always have an excellent turnout,” she said. “They have some door prizes, like the $1,000 money tree. The entry fee does make them eligible to enter for door prizes.

The event is free to the public. Other attractions include a free kids zone, which includes rides and inflatables, and other fun rides such as the Toxic Drop, a swing ride and rock climbing wall.

“... We usually have somewhere around 100 food and craft vendors” Spears said. “We always will take vendors up until the very last minute, so the number always varies.

Heritage Day also will have live music from several local artists, such as Jeremy Noble, Southland Soul and the Finley River Boys.

“We try to have a variety of music so that there’s something for everyone in attendance,” Spears said. “You’re bound to enjoy some type of music we have.”

Heritage Day is considered to be a “rain or shine event,” which means that, no matter the weather, the event will be held this Saturday. Spears said the event will go on so long as the rain is not severe.

“The year before last we had a torrential downpour, so we had to shut down just because of the safety of the vendors and people using electronics,” she said. “But normally, we are a rain or shine event. If, of course, something like that were to happen we would shut down out of precaution and safety for everyone.”

Like many annual events, Heritage Day was held on a smaller scale last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Spears said organizers will be encouraging social distancing and mask wearing at the event, though it will not be mandated.

“We had what we called the Attalla Festival last year, where we still had some rides for the kids, but everything was limited and we only had one music stage,” she said. “We had to take a lot of safety precautions, and we will continue to do so this year as far as sanitization and things like that, but we’re just asking others to be responsible and do what they can to be safe.”

Overall, Spears hopes Attalla residents can make their way out to Heritage Day and have “a real fun family event.”

“I want to give a shout out to the children’s section. Over the years, we have had numerous mechanical rides and inflatables, including an 80-foot inflatable obstacle course,” she said. “It’s a day we set aside so families can come out and have fun without spending a fortune, and they can choose to spend their money on food or whatever they may want.”

Spears also thanked the event’s sponsors, saying it "would not be possible to have this event without them, and many of them have made it possible year after year.”

The sponsors this year include:

• Trent Thrasher Construction

• Ronnie Watkins Ford

• Holiday Inn Express

• S&P Enterprises

• H&H Home Improvements

• Bankston Motor Homes

• Johnson’s Giant Food

• Ferguson’s Florist

• Commissioners Jamie Grant, Johnnie Grant, and Tim Ramsey

• Rep. Gill Isbell

• Bob’s Tire Service

• The Messenger

• Etowah County Tourism Board

• Rick’s Discount Drugs

• Buffalo Rock

• City of Attalla

• Exchange Bank

• Rhea Boyd & Rhea Attorneys

• Auto Doctor, LLC.

• Alabama Power

For more information on Attalla Heritage Day, visit the event's Facebook Page.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Attalla Heritage Day set for Saturday