WOODVILLE – Now in its 36th year, the annual Harvest Festival out at Heritage Village will take place this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17 and 18.
The festival takes place every third weekend in October, and is a celebration of the many influences that comprise the regional heritage, with a schedule of exhibitors, presenters, displays and performances all set on the Village grounds. It is during Harvest Festival that Heritage Village becomes a living history museum with all of the exhibitors and demonstrators.
This year, there will be no shortage of things to do and see at the festival. The Village gates open at 9 a.m. on both days, with the fun lasting until 3 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday. Friday, traditionally, is the kids’ day of the festival, when area schools come out to take in the festival.
The Big Thicket Outlaws group will perform a series of skirmishes to thrill the crowds along the Village Main Street. Demonstrations, ranging from shingle making to pine needle basket-weaving will be on display, from volunteers, such as Doyle Cowart, Tim Parker and Tonya Turner. Tim Durr will return to demonstrate flint-knapping, or the craft of creating paleolithic era tools and weapons out of flint. Walter Fink will demonstrate the art of water dowsing, and the ever-popular blacksmith demonstration will go on, with several Bluebird Forge blacksmiths present.
Festivalgoers will have plenty of variety as far as eats go, with J&C Concessions and KD’s Lunchbox set up both days, and on Saturday, Dax’s Mobile Grill; Amanda Flanigan and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe will be set up with a variety of foods, and, of course, the world-famous Pickett House, will be open both days, to serve up its famous fried chicken with all the fixings.
During Saturday, at 11 a.m. and at 2 p.m., for $3, Kendrick Harris will lead tours of the Clyde Gray House Museum, which is the home and studio of artist and Heritage Village founder Clyde Gray. Admission to the Harvest Festival is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
