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October 15, 2007

Gourd festival kicks off Saturday

By David Lazenby

About four years ago, artist Pam Montgomery gave her life to the gourd.

The craftswoman from Trinity said after attending a 2003 festival that celebrated gourds, the versatile plant shell became her medium of choice.

“I was amazed at the things people were doing with gourds,” she said.

A year later, she set up shop at the Alabama Gourd Festival. “I’ve been here ever since,” she said. “It just kind of blossomed.”

Montgomery will be in Cullman this weekend for the ninth annual Alabama Gourd Festival held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Cullman Civic Center.

The craft of decorating gourd shells is perfect for Halloween, according to Montgomery, because they are ideal for making masks and great substitutes for pumpkins when it comes to creating jack-o’-lanterns that last.

“You can take a bushel gourd and carve it like a pumpkin, put a light in it, and those will last for years and years whereas a pumpkin is going to rot and decay,” Montgomery said.

Proof of the gourd’s long shelf life can be found in some museums, some of which have gourds that date back between 600-800 years, according to Montgomery.

“They are very durable,” she said.

The gourd has also proven to be a particularly useful fruit. Montgomery said.

“The Indians used them as bowls and spoons and things like that,” said Montgomery. “In countries where it’s still primitive, they still use it,” she added.

In addition to containers, vessels and jewelry, gourds can be used as resonating chambers for certain musical instruments according to thegourdconnection.com.

The art of gourd design will be taught at the festival during 15 different classes. To register for the classes, most of which have a student limit, send a check or money order to Alabama Gourd Society, P.O. Box 902, Trinity, AL 35673. A complete list of classes and their costs can be found on the Web at www.alabamagourdsociety.org

Montgomery, who is the treasurer of the Alabama Gourd Society, said other festival activities will include various exhibits, an auction, a gourd hat parade, a mask parade, vendor booths, artist demonstrations. Also, a dinner will be held Saturday for $12 per person.

Montgomery said exhibit entry and vendor registration will be conducted Friday.

“They should be able to find anything they are looking for,” she said about festival attendees.

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