It didn’t take long for the cars to start lining up once the gates opened Sunday on the 22nd annual Sweet Tater Festival at Smith Lake Park. The Labor Day weekend tradition, which continues through Monday, had blue skies, light breezes, and more stuff to do than ever, all working in its favor.

For retired real estate agent Garland Durbin and his wife, Debra, it wasn’t just their first Sweet Tater Fest — it was their first time in North Alabama.

“I’m surprised at it: the area’s beautiful,” said Garland. “The trees; the lakes and the water — where we’re from, we don’t have trees like this.”

This year’s festival runs from Sunday through the end of the day Monday, with gates on Monday opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 4 p.m. Admission is $5.

Jud Mize kicks off the music on Monday beginning at 9:30 a.m., followed by Chimney Branch at 11, Julie Ann and Gold Rush at 12:30, and Winston Ramble at 2:30. In between musical acts are the sweet tater pie eating contest at noon, as well as the golf cart parade at 2 p.m.

Set up under a shade tent to sell their whimsical handmade outdoor decorations under the name “Tails in the Wind,” the Durbins had made the trek to Cullman County all the way from their home in San Antonio.

“I’d seen it advertised online, and I just called about it,” said Debra. “We’ve done a lot of festivals in South Alabama, but we’ve never been through North Alabama, so we wanted to finally come see it.

“I’m retired and we just travel, doing this,” added Garland. “We’ve done it for years, but it’s our first time to be here. We want to see this part of Alabama — the space museum, the rivers and lakes, and then we want to go to Muscle Shoals.”

Aside from the rides, games, music, and food, the festival’s still all about sweet potatoes, a reliable pillar of Cullman County agriculture. And you didn’t have to look far to find them in evidence: at corner stands, sold raw and ready to cook from local farmers, or fried, or baked into pies and breads, under food tents peppered throughout the park.

Good Hope’s Jimmy and Austin Caudle hung out under one of the dozens of vendor tents lining the park grounds, where their $8 per-loaf sweet potato bread beckoned in neatly-arranged rows atop a display table.

“My wife and I make them,” said Jimmy. “It’s similar to banana bread. She found the recipe on the internet, and she just started making it. We try to have about 100 loaves. Year before last, I came down here with just a little more than that — and sold all of it.”

With Monday’s weather expected to be a repeat performance of Sunday’s, the park should make for a nice outing as Sweet Tater Festival 2018 rounds the corner for its second and final day. For more information, find the festival online at facebook.com/SweetTaterFestival.