2023 Depot Days Festival Guide

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO THE

Hartselle Enquirer

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Photo by Freedom

S top by and say hi!

Children’s Area Snapshot Station

All aboard for Hartselle Health Park’s Snapshot Station in the Children’s Area! Capture the fun of Depot Days with a free photo during certain hours taken by local photographer, RAW Images. All participating families will receive one complimentary photo to download courtesy of Hartselle Health Park. Visit Hartselle Health Park Facebook for the photography schedule.

Main Street Meet & Greet

Bring your curiosity and a bit of competitive spirit to our tent on Main Street! Join us for physician meet & greets, fun games, prizes and giveaways – all aimed to help you get to know the Hartselle Health Park team and services. Visit Hartselle Health Park Facebook for the Meet & Greet schedule.

Welcome to # 42

If you have lived in or around the City of Hartselle for any number of years, you know the third Saturday of September is set aside for Depot Days. This celebration began in the 1970s and was then known as Mule Days. This year will mark the 42nd annual event. The weeklong celebration will be held Sept. 10-16, concluding with the all-day street festival Sept. 16 in downtown Hartselle.

Depot Days celebrates the role the railroad played in the history of Hartselle. In 1870, there was a needed stop off point for the North & South Railroad. Without this stop along the way, Hartselle may never have existed.

Hartselle is known as the “City of Southern Hospitality” and her citizens will surely not hold back to welcome visitors to the celebration. Depot Days brings thousands of people to the downtown area and a great time is promised to all who attend, not just the street festival, but all events during the week.

Depot Days is a City of Hartselle sanctioned event, with Hartselle Chamber of Commerce leading the way. Many volunteers, along with chamber folks and city employees work many hours to make this a successful event for those visiting, selling their wares

and providing many shoppers for downtown merchants as well.

On behalf of the City of Hartselle, I invite you to begin the week’s celebration at East Highland Baptist Church for some great old gospel music and end the week by spending the day in Downtown Hartselle. Enjoy all that Depot Days has to offer in a family-friendly atmosphere. You will enjoy the time, find good food, good music and great buys on merchandise as well.

Whether this is your first Depot Days or your 42nd, you do not want to miss this great event.

Randy A. Garrison Mayor of Hartselle

PHOTO BY RACHEL HOWARD

Opening сceremony

Our 42nd annual Depot Days festival will kick off on Sept. 16 at 8 a.m. with an opening ceremony. Our presenting sponsor, Decatur Morgan HospitalHartselle Medical Mall, will join the City of Hartselle

and the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce on the main stage. A special tribute is planned to honor past and present military members of our community and their families. Everyone is invited to attend.

Community worship service

Presented by East Highland Baptist Church

We invite you to join us for this year’s Depot Days Homecoming Singing Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. at East Highland Baptist Church. We invite all congregations to join us for an evening of Southern Gospel music, hymns, and familiar worship music featuring area churches, musicians and soloists. Our community choir will assemble for this year’s singing,

and we invite all those interested in participating to arrive by 4:30 p.m. prior to the worship service for a rehearsal. A special start to the Depot Days festivities, the annual homecoming singing provides an atmosphere of faith and community as we sing praises to the One who is worthy to be praised. Make plans for you and your church to join us for this wonderful evening of music and worship.

Down Memory Lane

Presented by Hartselle Historical Society

Another year has passed by, and Hartselle Historical Society is excited to announce its 30th Down Memory Lane. Each year during Depot Days Week, both local and out-of-town visitors enjoy peeking into the history of Hartselle at this treasured event.

Join us at Sparkman Civic Center Sept. 11 at 6 p.m., when we will revisit Hartselle’s history with a Show & Tell program. Don’t miss learning about how families survived during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Come hear many hard-to-believe stories about how “they done with what they had” through the Depression. View items, tools, stories and pictures on display and catch a glimpse of how our forefathers provided for their families and others.

Do you have an age-old item you would like to share?

To enter, call 256-773-9390.

Provide your name and the amount of space needed for your item.

During Depot Days Festival Sept. 16, stop by Hartselle Historical Society’s Booth #710 on Sparkman Street. We look forward to chatting with you over our display at our tent.

Revisit Hartselle’s history with us

Down Memory Lane - Show & Tell Sept. 11, 2023

6-7:30 p.m.

Sparkman Civic Center

First Aid/ Handicap Shuttle

Presented by Hartselle First Christian Church

This year’s First Aid Station will be located at Hartselle Fire Department Station #1 at 200 Main Street East.

First Christian Church will offer free parking and shuttle service for those with handicaps from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The church is located at 209 Main St. E. and can be reached at 256-773-6911.

Countr y Cooking & Homemade Ice Cream… then take home some fresh produce and our specialty jams, sauces, and dressings.

The Depot Days Art Show will be exhibited inside RAW Images, located at 113 Sparkman St. SW. The age divisions are kindergarten through second, third through fifth, sixth through eighth, ninth through twelfth and adults. First, second and third place ribbons will be awarded in each age division for each category, and Best of Show ribbons will be awarded for the top elementary, secondary, and adult artist in the show. The Best of Show winners will receive cash prizes of $20, $40 and $60, respectively. Categories include photography, digital art, sculpture, drawing (pencil, charcoal, pastels, markers, etc.), painting (watercolor, acrylic, and oil), and collage. Artists may enter one work per category. Participants may also choose to create a work for the Hartselle theme division. It may depict landmarks, sports, family, how the community makes you feel, etc. Submit all entries at the Depot, 110 Railroad St., September 5–9 and Sept. 12 between the hours of 8-11:30 a.m. and 12:30-5 p.m.

New student art scholarship

This year, we are proud to offer one (1) oneyear, non-renewal student art scholarship award of $500. The scholarship will be awarded at the Awards Day Assembly

at the winner’s respective high school. The scholarship deadline is Sept 19, 2023, at 4 p.m. The scholarship packet and criteria are available at www.hartsellechamber.com.

Children’s area

Presented by SERVPRO of Decatur

The Depot Days Children’s Area will be in the parking lot behind The Something Blue Shoppe, with a petting zoo and pony rides at E.A.R.T.H. Park, provided by GoFar USA Park.

Come have a blast all day with our inflatables, trackless train, sand pit, mechanical bull, face painting, balloon animals, and more! Try your hand at a variety of games such as bean bag toss, tic-tac-toe, ring toss, hula hoops, duck pond, and Skee-Ball. Our Touch-A-Truck area will feature even more vehicles and machinery this year! Don’t miss exciting entertainment at our Children’s Area Stage such as the Hartselle Tiger Paws dance team, Kim’s Star Twirlers, Storytime with the Hartselle Library, the College Street Players, and Bobby’s Zany Balloon Show.

Wristbands can be purchased to cover all-day play. Pony rides cost $5.

Antique Tractor and Gasoline Engine show

Presented by Peck Funeral Home

The Antique Tractor and Gasoline Engine Show, presented by Peck Funeral Home gives Depot Days attendees the opportunity to view as many as 75 antique farm tractors and watch them perform competitively in several games on September 16th. This popular event will be staged on Railroad Street. There will be a tractor parade for those who want to participate, and several demonstrations and games involving the exhibitors and their tractors are also planned. Whether still in use or only for show, all model tractors are eligible to be registered, not just antiques. Exhibitors are also eligible to win door prizes.

Depot Days at your fingertips

You’ll see our Depot Days QR code around the festival grounds Sept. 16. Use the camera app on your phone to scan the code. Within moments, you’ll have

access to information such as our event schedule, map directory, special discounts and more. While you’re there, fill out our quick survey. Your feedback is important to us.

Volunteer spotlight: Bettye English & Nancy Busby Solberg

It’s no secret that Depot Days wouldn’t happen without the generous donation of time given by our volunteer committee members and our day-of volunteers. Two of our committee members, Bettye English and Nancy Busby, have been volunteering for our annual festival since the 90s. Both women have also played integral roles in Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce’s Ambassador program throughout the years.

What’s your favorite thing about Depot Days?

Bettye: Getting to see people that I’ve known

through the years and renew friendships; Community Worship Service & Down Memory Lane

Nancy: The crowd and the Huntsville Community Drumline

Why has it been important to you to volunteer for all these years?

Bettye: It has been a joy (and a challenge at times) to help promote Hartselle and to serve on the different committees to plan and carry out so many different events and projects.

Nancy: It brings business to Hartselle. If they come here one time, they’ll come back again.

BETTYE ENGLISH

NANCY BUSBY

Annual Car, Truck and Motorcycle show

Presented by Storey Automotive

As the annual Depot Days Car, Truck, and Motorcycle show nears, organizers are excited to report the number of calls coming in from clubs across North Alabama, southern Tennessee and other neighboring states that are planning to attend. With the overwhelming interest, this year’s show promises more vehicles than ever before.

The show will be held in the parking lot of Hartselle First Methodist Church. Registration will be held from 9 a.m. until noon. As in the past, in lieu of judging, the show will offer plenty of great door prizes. From noon until 2 p.m., $100 cash prizes will be given away every 15 minutes to registered vehicle owners. All vehicles are welcome, and the general public is encouraged to come join the fun!

ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE 2023 Depot Days

8 a.m.

Opening Ceremony

Decatur Morgan Hospital –Hartselle Medical Mall, City of Hartselle, Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce

9 a.m.

HJHS Marching Band Halftime

Performance

10 a.m.

Goat Hill String Band

11:45 p.m.

Huntsville Community Drumline

12 p.m.

Ray Sparks Band

2:30 p.m.

DJ Jammin’ Jeff Karaoke contest

Depot Days Children’s

9 A.M. 10 A.M. 11 A.M. 12 P.M.

Storytime at Depot Days, William Bradford Huie Library of Hartselle

Kim’s Star Twirlers

Hartselle Tiger Paws College Street Players

CHILDREN’S AREA PRESENTED BY SERVPRO OF

Depot Days committee

The Depot Days Committee is comprised of around 30 individuals representing various entities in our community. People from all walks of life and ages give countless hours to make our annual festival a success. We are thankful for our faithful volunteers, like Bettye and Nancy, who have joined us year after year as well as our new volunteers who will help continue

Directors – Jaime Hatcher – Director of Promotion and Events, Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce & Hanna Denton – Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce

Art Show — Melanie Calvert – Hartselle High School & Rachel Howard – RAW Images

Bank – Tammy Lott - Redstone Federal Credit Union

Car Show – Phillip Stringer, Steve McKee, Andrew Storey – Storey Automotive

Children’s Area – Amy Turner, Sara Beth Hammonds, Molly Montgomery, Rebekah Cobb – Peoples Bank of Alabama

City of Hartselle – Jeff Johnson – Department of Development Curtis Self, David Van Koughnett, & Jason McDaniel – Department of Public Works

Hartselle Police Department

Hartselle Fire Department

the tradition. We all share the pride of our Hartselle community and enjoy growing the avenue for commerce, hospitality and history that Depot Days provides.

If you wish to serve on the 2024 Depot Days Committee, please email media@hartsellechamber.com. Tell us your interest and why you would be an asset to our team.

Parking – Lt. Linda Fox – Hartselle Police Department, David Langston, David Van Koughnett

Community Worship Service – Spencer Bell – Mt. Zion Baptist Church/Spencer Bell Ministries

Down Memory Lane – Bettye English – Hartselle

Historical Society

Entertainment – Brandon Denton

Hospitality – Nancy Busby Solberg - 209 Railroad Street SW Yard Sale

Publicity – Hartselle Enquirer, Decatur Morgan County

Tourism, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, Cullman City Lifestyle

Sound – VSL Productions

Tractor Show – Geoff Halbrooks – Peck Funeral

Home

Volunteers – Brittany Powell – Peck-Glasgow Agency, Inc., Jack Turner – Student, Hartselle High School

Depot Days event volunteers

From booth mark-off on Friday night to the parking attendants, game helpers, info table workers, to the cleanup crew on Saturday evening, and more, Depot Days runs on volunteer power! We welcome individuals and organizations to sign up to volunteer for single or multiple shifts throughout the day Sept. 16 beginning at 4:30 a.m. through 5:30 p.m. It’s easy and fun to be a Depot Days volunteer. Please visit hartselledepotdays.com to apply for one or more shifts.

New student volunteer scholarships

This year, we are proud to offer two (2) oneyear, non-renewal student volunteer scholarship awards of $500 each. The scholarship will be awarded at the Awards Day

Assembly at the winner’s respective high school. The scholarship deadline is Sept. 19, 2023, at 4 p.m. The scholarship packet and criteria are available at www. hartsellechamber.com.

Depot Days sponsors

Depot Days festival

Presenting Sponsor – Decatur

Morgan Hospital – Hartselle

Medical Mall

Gold Sponsors – Cerrowire, Sonoco Reels & Plugs

Silver Sponsors - Joe Wheeler EMC, Cullman

City Lifestyle

Official T-Shirt Sponsor - Decatur Coca-Cola

Bottling Company

Throne Sponsor - Thompson Homes

Banner Sponsors - Decatur Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Hartselle Utilities, Jim Bramlett GMC

Buick Kia, Redstone Federal Credit Union, Daystar

Church

Community Hospitality Sponsor – Cullman

Regional – Hartselle Health Park

Community Worship Service Sponsor – East

Highland Baptist Church

Antique Tractor & Gasoline show

Presenting Sponsor – Peck Funeral Home

Lunch Sponsor – Peck Funeral Home

Children’s Event Sponsor – 4C Farms Tractor & Equipment Repair

Car show

Presenting Sponsor – Storey Automotive

Award Sponsor – Chad Hughey State Farm

T-Shirt Advertising Sponsors - AA Wrecker Service, ACE Auto Body, Hannah’s Lawn & Landscape, Corum’s Building & Farm Supply, Plastic Recyclers Southeast, Inc., El Carrizal Mexican Restaurant

Art show

Gold Sponsors – B&G OK Tire, Reeves Farm Market

Silver Sponsors – Hartselle Eye Care, Betty English

Children’s area

Presenting Sponsor – ServPro of Decatur

Gold Sponsors – Decatur Morgan Pediatrics, Inline Lighting & Electric, Whitfield Family Practice, Hospice of the Valley

Cullman Regional – Hartselle Health Park

Silver Sponsors - River City Mom, Trent Standridge

- Country Financial, First Priority of Decatur

Depot Days vendors vendors 2023

• 256 Custom Gifts

• 3 Things God Cannot Do

• 4129 Dropsauce

• A Piece of Homemade

• ABC Farmer’s Market

• Acceptance Insurance

• Big John’s Coal Fire BBQ

• Boommer Bags

• Bossy Mommy

• Briks & Embers, Mobile Pizzeria

• Brush Creek & Co.

• Buttered Up Soap Company

• Chapman Inflatables

• Clay by Suzie

• Cody’s European Mounts

• Color Street

• Cozy Cottage Curios

• Crafty Bama Stitch

• Cullman Regional - Hartselle Health Park

• Cutco Cutlery

• Cypress + Flo

• D & D’s Crafts

• Davidson Homes LLC

• Decatur Baptist Church

• Designs by Bethany

• Dixie Glass

• EarthSmart Windows & Doors

• East Highland Baptist Church

• Every Occasion Art

• Express Bath LLC

• Fireflies in a Jar Boutique

• First Priority of Greater Decatur

• French Hill Soap Co

• Friendly Giant

• Frosted by Madi

• Funky Paisley Boutique

• Get Lit Christmas Lighting

• Gnat Smoke Press

• God’s Country Camo LLC

• Grannys Homemade Fudge

• Grifols Plasma Center

• GrOun2D LLC

• Halverson Creations

• Happi Pappi Beignets

• Hartselle Historical Society

• Hartselle Tigers Championforce

• Hartselle Valley Family Medical Center

• HeartWork Sew Designs

• Homemade by LaLa

• Hornsby Family Medicine

• Hung Dinh

• I Sew Mean

• Ivies Unique Outdoors

• Joyful Gem Designs

• JPosh

• Just Homemade

• KeiStone Jewelry

• Keith Jones

• Kim’s Home Decor

• King’s Crunchies

• Kona Ice of Decatur/Athens

• Kool Breeze

• Kreative design

• LeafFilter Gutter Protection

• LifeWork Therapy Services, LLC

• Lisa’s Gifts & Apparel

• Lotus Blossom Boutiques

• Love Sewing For Him

• Luminous Aura

• Main St Mortgage Inc

• Mama Sew What

• Maple krafts

• MarMac Real Estate

• Medlock Design Co.

• Mel’s Picks

• Mike’s Unique Silverware Jewelry

• Milly’s Pet Bakery

• New Moon Thicket

• NonnyJ Sweets and Treats

• Pampered Chef

• Personnel Staffing

• Pink Zebra

• Piper & Leaf Tea Co

• Pirate Farm Books

• Ponderosa Trading Company

• Pookies Crafty Things

• Rainbow of North Alabama

• Raising arrows boutique

• Ramona Js Food Truck LLC

• Rebel Rain Boutique

• Redeemer Ranch

• Rex and Family Creative Creations

• RL Creations

• Salted Grace Co

• Sam P. Creations

• Samantha’s Quilty Creations

• Sanctuary Community Church

• Scentsy Independent Consultant

• Sherry’s Gifts Made in the USA

• Shoefisticated

• Sonia Moore

• Sonoco Products Company

• Soul Flower

• Southern Charms Boutique of Alabama

• Southern Chics

• Southern showcase

• Spark Permanent Jewelry

• Stamped Out Love

• Swanny Lips Car/Home Freshies

• SWAT team reptiles

• Sweet Southern Boutique

• The Bee Shop

• The Lunch Wagon LLC

• The Round Table

• The Ryan Pierce AgencyFarmers Insurance

• The Three Daisies Boutique

• ThereGoesConnie.com

• T-Mobile

• Tori’s Tiny Treasures

• Town and Country Restaurant

• Traditions Fence

• Trent Standridge Country

Financial

• Tutwiler Farms

• Two Swipe CBD

• Veteran of Foreign Wars

• Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4190

• Warehouse Coffee

• We Belong Dyed

• WoodmenLife

• World Finance

• Zoey’s Downtown

Presenting S ponsor Hartselle Depot D ays

C o m e v i s i t

D r. G r a c e W i l l i a m s &

t h e s t a f f o f

D e c a t u r M o r g a n P e d i a t r i c s

T h e C h i l d r e n ’ s A r e a

F u n , g a m e s ,

a c t i v i t i e s & m o r e !