City Fest tradition continues
Trussville City Fest is back for its 36th year of family fun on the historic Mall in downtown Trussville on Saturday, May 7.
The one-day festival, produced by the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce and presented by Schaeffer Eye Center, will begin at 11 a.m. Admission is $5 per person and includes all activities. Children 2 and younger are free. T-shirts will be $10.
Children and family activities fill the day, along with craft vendors, local businesses and plenty of food vendors ranging from traditional hot dogs and popcorn to Three Earred Rabbit and Steel City Pops. Local music acts will perform on the main stage with headliner John and Jacob performing at 8 p.m. A fireworks show will cap the night at 9 p.m.
“Last year was probably one of the best years I’ve ever seen. It was a beautiful day,” said Melissa Jones, one of the event’s coordinators who has been volunteering for more than 20 years. “I want it to be as good or better than last year. It’s a great community environment, and everybody really looks forward to it.”
The event has become an annual attraction not only for Trussville residents but also vendors who block out the week as a priority event, such as resident Jondavid Franklin, a professional balloon artist who performs under the name Mr. Twister.
“Every year during this time, I get the same phone call from North Carolina to attend the Banana Pudding Festival, but this is my city. This is where I grew up, and they’ve always been good to me,” said Franklin, who has been part of the children’s entertainment for four years. “When a city tries to make their city better by putting on these events together, and I can contribute to that, it means I’m not just contributing to my family, I’m continuing to my city.”
Franklin, 36, said he remembers first attending what was then Dog Daze, a two-day late summer festival, as an 18-year-old with his friends. He said the food options were basically snow cones and hot dogs. The crowds fluctuated over the years, but he said he loved having a place to get together with friends in the summer. He says the transition to City Fest in 2013 has made it an even better festival.
“It was always a way you can call your friends up, get your family together, and it was a free place to get together and have a good time, but there’s a whole lot more to do now as a family,” he said. “I think that’s what’s made it so popular. It’s grown as a place (where) the Trussville community can come together, and it’s also a way of introducing Trussville’s atmosphere to others. It’s been a cool experience to see it grow.”
The family activities include a rock climbing wall, inflatable obstacle course, inflatable double slide, skee ball, train rides and inflatable hamster balls in a pool. Doodles by Wendy will do face painting. Mr. Twister Balloons will make creations from 1-5 p.m., while the Trussville Fire Department’s Sparky the Fire Dog, Yogurt Mountain’s YoMan, the Chick-fil-A Cow and Caroll Pharmacy’s Caring Bear will make appearances.
Scout Troop 915 will kick off events on the main stage at 11:30 a.m. with the presentation of colors and national anthem. Following the band’s performance, the winners of Trussville’s Got Talent (Noah Webber, Paine; Kent Glover, HTMS; Aaron Monday, HTHS) will perform. Miss Trussville Cassidy Jones and Miss Trussville Outstanding Teen Sabrina Faire White are among the lunchtime performers. The Miss City Fest winners will be announced at 1:20 p.m.
John and Jacob will headline a lineup of eight musical performances during the afternoon and evening. The Nashville-based but locally bred alternative country band, which penned a No. 1 Billboard hit with The Band Perry, “DONE,” will take the stage at 8 p.m. The band has toured with Kacey Musgraves and, in addition to The Band Perry, has played with other top country acts including Little Big Town and Darius Rucker. Their song “Be My Girl” has been used in the ABC show “Nashville.”
Special guest Elliot Root will open for the headliner at 6:45 p.m. The American alternative group based in Nashville has released two EPs, “II” and “Thoughts From Yesterday.”
Several volunteers help make the event possible, including local Boy Scouts who will camp out the night before to keep watch over the festival grounds. Hewitt-Trussville High School students will assist in the children’s area, and U.S. Navy Sea Cadets will provide cleanup for the event.
One staple missing from City Fest is the annual car show. Construction near the festival site has kept that event from happening this year.
For information, visit TrussvilleCityFest.com or call the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce at 655-7535.
Booth Vendors
► 2 Cute Creations
► Alabama Orthopedic Surgeons
► Alabama Parrot Rescue
► Allstate Insurance Company
► America’s First Credit Union
► Avadian Credit Union
► Bama Bully Rescue
► BB&T Bank
► Beloved Creations
► Birmingham Academy of Martial Arts
► Brik Realty
► Buddy Choat for Mayor
► Cold Creek Honey
► Committee to elect Jef Freeman
► Complete Cleaners
► Dave Blount for City Council
► Debra Ashworth
► Drayer Physical Therapy
► Durante Home Exteriors
► Eskridge & White Physiotherapy
► Frederick Maybee Crafts
► Friends of Zack Steele
► Gotta Have It Gifts
► Grace School of Theology
► Great Smiles Orthodontics
► Healing Place Church
► It Works
► Janabelle’s
► King Family Chiropractic
► Magical Designs
► Martha Driggers
► Mary Kay
► Mercy House
► Miss Kelley’s School of Dance
► Monogram Spot (Krewl Kreations)
► Montalto for Mayor
► New Bath
► One Source Heating and Cooling
► Outpatient Services East
► Rape & Brooks Orthodontics
► Robert Templin (crafts)
► Sassy South
► Sea Cadets
► Scentsy
► Sissy N Bubba Boutique
► Sons of Confederacy
► Southern Addiction Décor
► Spare Time Entertainment
► St. Vincent’s East
► The Healing Place Church
► The Retirement Center
► Thirty-One Gifts
► Ultimate Gutter Guard
► USA Intercultural Programs
► Vann Pediatric Dentistry
Children’s & Family Activities
► Mr. Twister Balloons, balloon twisting (1-5 p.m.)
► Doodles by Wendy, face painting (11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.)
► Hamster balls (11 a.m.-9 p.m.)
► Rock climbing wall
► Inflatable double slide
► Mickey’s Park Learning Club inflatable
► Obstacle Course - Backyard Challenge inflatable
► World of Sports Games
► Skee ball
► Train
► Sparky the Fire Dog (Trussville Fire Department)
► YoMan (Yogurt Mountain)
► Chick-fil-A Cow
► Caring Bear (Carroll Pharmacy)
► What-A-Guy (Whataburger
► Benny the Pin (Spare Time)
► Babe Ruff (Birmingham Barons)
Food Vendors
► Funnel Cakes by Boy Scout Troop 915
► Hey Got Coffee
► Kona Ice
► Nanny’s Old Fashion Lemonade
► Q&A Concessions
► Shiver Shave Ice
► Snack Attack
► Steel City Pops
► Three Earred Rabbit
► Trussville Southside Baptist
► Wheelin’ & Grillin’
Main Stage Schedule (as of April 14)
11:30 a.m.- Presentation of Colors by Troop 915
11:30 a.m.- National anthem
12:10 p.m. Trussville's Got Talent Winners perform (Noah Webber, Aaron Monday, Allie Gooden, Virginia Glidewell)
12:30 p.m.- Miss Trussville Cassidy Jacks and Miss Trussville Outstanding Teen Sabrina Faire White
12:50- Miss Kelly's School of Dance
1:20 p.m.- Miss City Fest winners presented
1:35 p.m.- ACE of Trussville
1:55 p.m.- Birmingham Academy of Martial Arts
2:30 p.m.- Showstoppers
4:00 p.m.- HTHS Choir
4:30 p.m.- Harmonia
5:00 p.m.- Grace Vision Band
5:45 p.m.- Jackson Capps
6:45 p.m.- Elliot Root
8 p.m.- John and Jacob
9 p.m.- Fireworks