Festival fun fills Phil Campbell Park

Ah, the heat. And the humidity. Summer has fully settled in, I suppose. I ventured out this weekend to peruse one of our local festivals – formerly called the Phil Campbell Hoedown and now billed as the Phil Campbell Festival, held in downtown Phil Campbell.

A second Phil Campbell from Canada came Friday, receiving acknowledgement at the start of the festival. Other weekend activities included a car show, music and vendors. While the heat was more than I would have preferred, there were shady spots to be found, and I know the worst of the summer heat is yet to come.

After strolling through for a while, taking photos of the festivities, I made my way to a downtown restaurant and discovered a strawberry smoothie to help take my mind off the heat. There’s something about a festival atmosphere that’s just pleasant, regardless of higher-than-preferred temps and humidity.

It’s nice to see folks coming together, having a common place to gather and enjoy favorite traditions. Something to look forward to every year. It’s a good opportunity to enjoy a slower pace for a little while, and I’m glad Franklin County has several festivals for us to look forward to each year.

It’s not too soon to be thinking ahead, to the July 4 Jam on Sloss Lake in Russellville, July Fest in Vina on the last Saturday of the month, the Watermelon Festival in Russellville the third weekend in August, Founders Day in Red Bay the fourth Saturday in September, the Spirit of Hodges festival the second weekend in October, Spruce Pine Day the third Saturday in October, and, also in October, the Franklin County Latino Heritage Festival in Russellville on the fourth Saturday.

When you’re deciding what fun to pursue in your free time, don’t forget to consider the opportunities right here in Franklin County. There’s plenty of fun to go around for everyone. And if you have a Franklin County event coming up, let us know if you’d like it added to our community calendar we publish each week on page A3 in the print edition of the Franklin County Times.