By Trent Moore
The Cullman Times
HOLLY POND —
Despite the heat index of 103 degrees, Annette Yates was sitting outside at Holly Pond Lion’s Park Saturday, surrounded by at least a half dozen quilts.
She wasn’t using her homemade works of art to stay warm, but was instead showcasing them to the community at the annual Holly Pond Founder’s Day celebration. Yates sews her own quilts with a 60-year-old Featherweight Singer sewing machine — which she also brought along to show at her booth — and does the tighter stitching by hand.
“None of these are for sale, but I like to bring them out and let people see them,” she said. “I even have a big table made for me at home, that my machine fits into. I just love quilting.”
Her husband James, who was on hand selling honey, said Founder’s Day afforded him an opportunity to share the bounty of his locally raised bees.
“We’ve sold about nine jars of honey already,” he said late Saturday morning. “It’s been a really good day.”
Hundred of people came out for the Holly Pond Founder’s Day festivities Saturday, participating in an antique tractor show, games, a dunking booth, moon walk, live music and local vendor booths as the town officially turned 98 years old.
Though he came in with high expectations, Holly Pond Mayor Herman Nail said the event was even bigger and better than he anticipated.
“This is just a tremendous crowd and it’s great to see everyone out enjoying themselves,” he said, just a few minutes after being soaked in the nearby dunking booth. “This is great for people to be able to come out and have fun with their neighbors.”
With the economy down, Nail said residents have shown a renewed interest and passion in community events such as Founder’s Day.
“This is something close, so local people can come out and not have to really spend much money to have a good time,” he said. “Everyone can fellowship together.”
Cassandra Sanford, of Holly Pond, spent the day selling homemade gourd art from her booth tucked comfortably in the shade toward the back of the town park.
“I had some time on my hands and thought I’d try something new, so I’ve been doing this for about a year,” she said, while motioning to a shelf of painted gourd’s baring crimson colors and the swooped A that signifies the University of Alabama. “We grow the gourds and just try to make something neat out of them.”
“We have very little Auburn stuff,” Sanford added with a laugh.
Longtime Holly Pond resident Deanie Walker, along with her granddaughter Beth, had a tent set up to show off different sewing and quilting techniques — though Beth, 12, didn’t take to it as quickly as she’d hoped.
“I’m a total failure,” she said with a laugh, while trying to push a needle through the fabric.
Holly Pond Civitan Club member Walter Floyd — whose club co-hosted the event with the town, local historical society and other groups — said organizers made it more of a point this year to include and focus on local vendors.
“We did everything we could this year to focus on booths for local artisans this year, because this is about Holly Pond,” he said. “Everything has gone great, just like clockwork.”
* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.
