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August 9, 2007

Plans cooking for this year’s Sweet Tater Festival

By Brittany Woodby

The smell of sweet potato pies wafts through the Crane Hill community each September and this year will be no exception. The 11th Annual Sweet Tater Festival will welcome visitors from all over to enjoy southern hospitality while raising money to keep up the community's Dowling Memorial Park.

“It really gets the community together," said Tony Leonardi, president of the Dowling Memorial Park Association and festival organizer. "Last year there were over 3,000 people that came and this year we're hoping to do equally as well.”

The two-day festival is held at the park, which commemorates the site of the old Dowling School. When the school burned down 11 years ago, alumni were determined to reclaim the overgrown grounds for the community.

“The alumni got together to raise money and one of the alumni was a large sweet potato farmer,” Leonardi said. "He donated sweet potatoes and now the Cullman County Sweet Potato Growers Association donate the potatoes every year.”

Since the first festival, the event has grown to include live entertainment both days, children's games and nearly 100 vendors.

And of course, homemade baked sweet potatoes.

“We sell them in bags and barbeque them, put them on the grill with butter and cinnamon and sugar,” Leonardi said. “All the funds we generate we use to maintain the park.”

Last year the association raised enough money to complete paved walking trails around the park and establish a “rainy day” fund. This year, Leonardi said he hopes to raise enough money to begin construction of an amphitheater where the community can come listen to music or speakers.

“Our main goal last year was the walking trail but the amphitheater is on our wish-list this year,” he said. “We want to make a permanent spot in a swell area where people can sit in the grass and listen to music, especially for summer evenings. That’s the goal of a lot of alumni and to expand the lunchroom to an outdoor area.”

The festival will be held at the park Sept. 2 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Sept. 3. from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Sept. 2 event will include live gospel and patriotic music while Monday will feature Willie Nelson tribute artist Wayne Abbott.

"He’s just flat better than Willie Nelson," Leonardi said.

Blues musician Bob Brown will also perform.

Admission to the festival is $1 and Leonardi said there are still booth spaces available for $35 until Aug. 25. Afterwards, booths will cost $45.

“This year we’re planning for 100 spaces," he said. "We have vendors with arts and crafts, food vendors and churches.”

Volunteers are still needed to help sell the sweet potatoes, take admission money or cook food in the Dowling lunchroom.

“If anybody wants to get involved they can call me,” Leonardi said. “Even if you can only volunteer for a few hours, we'll find you a place.”For more information or to volunteer, call (256) 531-7916.

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