By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



Gardendale’s eighth-annual Magnolia Festival may have been the city’s biggest and best yet, according to organizers.

The Saturday event, held at the Gardendale Civic Center, brought thousands of people to the event for inexpensive family fun for a good cause. The proceeds from the festival will go toward providing $1,000 college scholarships to 10 north Jefferson-area high school seniors.

Festival organizer Kathleen Phillips said it’s too early to know how much money was raised. She said despite Alabama and Auburn’s A-Day games, the attendance was similar to last year’s turnout. She said the festival’s free parking and admission appeals to cash-strapped families looking for a good time.

“We had tons of calls from people looking for an economical and fun afternoon,” she said. “I think people looked to us to have a great family experience and a good value.”

Phillips said there were also few complaints from those in attendance or from food vendors. This year’s festival featured 21 food vendors, which meant more options and shorter lines.

However, she said some aspects of the festival will be refined for next year, including the possibility of adding a second entertainment stage.

“We had enough entertainment that we could have put on two stages,” she said. “We had an incredible national headliner, but by 4 p.m. the audience was starting to wane. We may look at having a lunchtime headliner for next year.”

On the civic center lawn, arts and crafts vendors had a steady stream of visitors throughout the day. Inside the civic center, the exhibition hall and gymnasium featured more arts and crafts vendors and the business expo.

Civic Center Director John Brigham said at least 80 percent of the facility was in use during the festival, including the restrooms.

“Our biggest concern was keeping the restrooms clean,” Brigham said. “We had all of our staff here and we felt like it went smoother this year as compared to last year.”

The festival’s pooch parade was also a big hit, with hundreds of dogs dressed in a variety of ways. Others were pushed or pulled in carriages and wagons.

Gardendale Mayor Othell Phillips said he thought the festival was a big success and gave credit to Kathleen Phillips and the weather for the success of the event.

He said the annual festival is an important marketing tool for the city in terms of attracting potential residents and businesses to the city.

“It brings people in from all over the state and it gives us a chance to showcase the city,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons why we organized the citywide cleanup this month.”