Around Alabama

The Franklin County Watermelon Festival will be Aug. 19-20.

SEPTEMBER

2-4 Bessemer Gem and Mineral Show, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Bessemer Civic Center, 1130 Ninth Ave. SW. $5 adults, $3 teens and under 12 free. Browse through more than 100 tables of unique gem, mineral and fossil specimens from a variety of vendors. Search the event’s page on Facebook.

3Arab SugarFest 2022, Arab City Park. Morning begins with Sugar Rush 5K run, which leads into the marketplace arts and crafts juried vendors show. Food trucks on site all day. Cornhole tournament, Miss SugarFest Pageant, Sweetie Pie kids’ area and more. Classic car cruise-in and live music on stage begins at 4 p.m. Night ends with fireworks show. ArabCity.org or see the event’s page on Facebook.

4-5 Cullman Smith Lake Park Sweet Tater Festival. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday (Labor Day). Live entertainment, food vendors, arts and crafts vendors and of course sweet taters both days. Car show from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday. Admission $5 per person, and armband allows for entry both days. Search for Smith Lake Park or Cullman County Parks on Facebook.

9-10 Huntsville 2022 Whistlestop Festival, John Hunt Park. Festival opens at 4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday. Multiple barbecue competitions, tastings and live music. WhistlestopWeekend.com or call 256-564-8100.

9-10 Jasper 2022 Foothills Festival, entertainment district of downtown Jasper. 5 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 10:30 pm. Saturday. Live music begins at 5 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday; headliner is the Drive-By Truckers at 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Free. FoothillsJasper.com

23-25 Springville Homestead Hollow Festival, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn about early Alabama history and pioneer living with live demonstrations about wood carving, blacksmithing, wood stove cooking, tours of original cabins and more. Plenty of children’s activities and food vendors on site. HomesteadHollow.com

AUGUST

5-6 Cullman Rock the South, York Farms, 1872 County Road 469. Known as “The Biggest Party in the South,” this two-day concert event features country music star headliners Morgan Wallen and Alabama, as well as other music acts including Hardy, Jamey Johnson, Koe Wetzel, Jimmie Allen and Colt Ford. RockTheSouth.com

5-6 Athens 30th annual Piney Chapel American Farm Heritage Days, 20147 Elkton Road. Sponsored by the Piney Chapel Antique Engine and Tractor Association, this family event will include antique power exhibits, a tractor ride and fish fry on Friday and wheat threshing exhibits. $5 admission; 12 and under free. Free parking. Gates open at 7 a.m. Search for the public group on Facebook.

5-6 Killen Killen Founder’s Day at Killen Park. The town’s version of a block party has fun for the entire family, including music, food and a car show from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Search for the event’s page on Facebook.

5-14 Opelika Opelika Theatre Company’s production of Disney’s “Newsies,” Southside Center for the Arts, 1103 Glenn St. The musical is inspired by the real-life 1899 Newsboy Strike and captures the strength of young people when they join together and stand up to injustice. OpelikaTheatreCompany.com

13 Dothan Wiregrass Museum of Art’s Yard Party for Art. The museum’s annual art, music and tech festival on the museum grounds. Gates open at 6 p.m. with the first music act at 6:30 p.m.; music continues until 10:30-11 p.m. Enjoy the art installations at the museum as well as yard games and an energetic lineup of original music. Food and drink vendors will be onsite. Presale tickets are $20 until Aug. 10. YardPartyForArt.com 13 Mobile USS Alabama living history crew drill, USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, 2703 Battleship Parkway. Every other month, historical re-enactors dress in WWII period uniforms to demonstrate what life aboard ship was like during wartime. Check ussalabama.com to confirm drill date or call 800-GANGWAY.

19-20 Russellville 41st annual Franklin County Watermelon Festival. This free family event in downtown includes food, vendors, a car and truck show, 5K and one-mile fun run, tractor show and kids’ area with rides and games. Live music each evening on the main stage. And of course, plenty of watermelon to eat and associated contests. 256-332-1760 or FranklinCountyChamber.org

26-27 Troy 30th annual Pike County Cattlemen Rodeo, Cattleman Park. Gates open at 5 p.m. Friday with the rodeo at 7:30; gates open at 4 p.m. Saturday, with a family Western festival at 5 p.m. and rodeo at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $10 in advance or $12 at the door; 12 and under free with accompanying adult. PikeCountyCattlemen.org

27 Fyffe UFO Day, Fyffe Town Park, 9 a.m. This annual event features a full day of musical entertainment, food and craft vendors, children’s activities and inflatables, antique tractors, cars and bikes and hot air balloons. Search for the event on Facebook.

27 Montgomery fifth annual Hog Days of Summer BBQ and Music Festival, 2 p.m. at Union Station Train Shed, sponsored by the Druids Charity Club. Music on two stages, spanning blues, country, rock and Americana influences. Barbecue from the River Region’s best restaurants. See the event’s Facebook page. Call or verify events before you make plans to attend. Due to the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, some events may change or be canceled after press time.

To place an event, e-mail events@alabamaliving.coop. or visit www.alabamaliving.coop. You can also mail to Events Calendar, P.O. Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124; Each submission must include a contact name and phone number. Deadline is two months prior to issue date. We regret that we cannot publish every event due to space limitations.

Ready, set, (your) thermostat!

The U.S. Department of Energy recommends setting your thermostat to 78 degrees in the summer when you are home and awake, and warmer at night or when away. Smart thermostats are easy to program, can learn your preferences and set a schedule that automatically adjusts the temperature.

PHOTOS COURTESY MARK GILLILAND, PIONEER UTILITY Resources

Q:How do I operate my thermostat to use less energy and still be comfortable?

A:Heating and cooling account for about half the energy used in a typical home, so it’s a great place to use less energy. When used wisely, your thermostat can help reduce wasted energy.

Here’s some information on thermostat types, common operational misconceptions and best practices you can start today.

Types of thermostats

Mechanical thermostats are easy to control by adjusting a dial or sliding switch. The downfall is you must make temperature adjustments manually, which is easy to forget. They are inefficient because they typically heat or cool the home beyond the set point.

If your cooling is set to 72 degrees, a mechanical thermostat may actually cool your home to 70 degrees before it turns off, wasting energy. Then it might not come on again until the home reaches 74 degrees. That four-degree temperature change is noticeable and can lead people to adjust the thermostat setting down even more, which wastes more energy.

Also, some mechanical thermostats contain mercury. You can determine that by removing the front plate and looking for small glass bulbs. If your thermostat contains mercury, replace it and find a way to properly recycle it.

Digital thermostats are more accurate, efficient and some are programmable, which is a great option for people who don’t have internet or don’t want their thermostat data tracked.

Smart thermostats—which require an internet connection— are Wi-Fi-enabled and can be controlled using a smartphone app. Programming is easier, and you can track and manage use and temperature data. However, that data is shared with the manufacturer.

Smart thermostats can learn your preferences and set a schedule that automatically adjusts the temperature. Some have geofencing, which adjusts the temperature based on the distance your smartphone is from home.

Miranda Boutelle is the vice president of operations and customer engagement at Efficiency Services Group in Oregon, a cooperatively owned energy efficiency company. She also writes on energy efficiency topics for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives.

Misconceptions about thermostats

A common misconception is the higher you turn your thermostat up or down, the faster your home’s temperature will change. Turning your thermostat down to 55 degrees to cool your home faster is like repeatedly pushing the elevator button and expecting it to come faster.

It’s likely you will forget you adjusted it and waste energy by over heating or cooling the home. Set your desired temperature for heating and cooling or program your thermostat so you don’t make extreme adjustments.

Many people believe it takes more energy to heat or cool a house instead of leaving it the same temperature. The larger the temperature variance between inside and outside, the more energy your system uses. Setting your thermostat 7 to 10 degrees from its normal setting for eight hours a day can save up to 10% a year on your energy bill, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Best practices

Use these heating and cooling tips from the DOE to add efficiency and savings to your home: • Set it to 78 degrees in the summer when you are home and awake, and warmer at night or when away. Set your thermostat to 68 degrees in the winter when you are home and awake, and cooler at night or when you are away. • Upgrade to a programmable or smart thermostat that automatically adjusts the temperature throughout the day and when you leave the house. • When on vacation, set your thermostat to 85 degrees in the summer and 55 degrees in the winter. • In the summer, fans allow you to set your thermostat about 4 degrees warmer without feeling it. Remember, fans cool people, not rooms, so turn them off when you leave a room.

Use your thermostat to optimize energy efficiency and find a balance between comfort and affordability.