Each spring the Mountain Longleaf Festival returns to McClellan’s historic Warehouse District with more to see and do than ever. 2008 will be no exception.

With a theme of Rediscovering Lost Arts this year’s event will offer demonstrations on quilting, soap and candle making, fiber arts, paper arts, beading, printmaking, storytelling, chair building, carving, and more.

Among the artists that will be on hand is Tammy Beane, a renowned potter specializing in reproductions of prehistoric and early historic southeastern pottery. Her work can be seen at the Birmingham Museum of Art, Ocmulgee National Monument, and both the Mississippi and Alabama Departments of Archives and History. Her work is highly sought by museums and archeologists for its authentic construction using natural clay and mussel shell temper. Her pots are coil built, incised, and “painted” with red clays or other natural materials, then pit-fired with wood. And beyond all the technical excellence of her work, is the simple beauty of her pots and vessels. Tammy is just one example of the quality artists that will be demonstrating and selling their wares during this annual event.

Chairmaker Wil Henry Cobble will demonstrate some of what goes into his Windsor Chairs, a truly functional work of art. Historically, chairs were often transported to market by wagon or even by horseback. The chairs had to be lightweight, 10 pounds or less, for easy transport. They had to be both comfortable and durable; a good Windsor chair should last 100 years or more. That is the craftsmanship that Wil Henry strives for.

Functional, traditional, and flexible enough to adapt to modern needs are all descriptions that can be applied to the work of basketmaker Joyce Myers. It is that beauty and adaptability that calls to many of those in the traditional crafts that will be displaying their skills and talents at McClellan.

Beyond the artistry that will be highlighted, the Mountain Longleaf Festival is an event that can appeal to all ages. Within a historic warehouse built in 1936, you’ll find the Children’s Court with nature related activities that make learning fun. Children can learn about bird migration, meet a snake, make leaf prints, create a newspaper hat, have their face painted, and meet Smokey the Bear. After completing the activities at each station and getting their passport stamped, each child can receive a take-home prize.

On stage throughout the day will be local favorites such as JaxPan Steel Drum Band and the Sterling Silver Band. Mr. Dan the Animal Man, from the Anniston Museum of Natural History, will bring a few of his friends. Be warned, Dan has some unusual friends (some have multiple legs and some have no legs at all).

Also scattered around the village will be moon bounces, great food, and a farmer’s market, plant sales, flowers and longleaf produce.

As part of the Lost Arts Series presented by JSU's Continuing Education department, storyteller Renee Simmons Morrison will present an "edutaining" workshop which includes strands of how to tell your own stories, use sound effects and props, and more. Find out how to register by visiting our calendar of events.

Rally for Relay
New to the festival for 2008 is a partnership with the McClellan Park Medical Mall. If you are unfamiliar with this new partner, you probably won’t be for long. Renovations are underway for a high-tech full-health facility in the old McClellan Commissary and PX. Watch for a grand opening later this summer. In order to celebrate their new home at McClellan, the Medical Mall is sponsoring a fundraiser for the National Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

The Rally for Relay begins at 3:30 PM on the Longleaf stage. For a $5 donation you can enjoy an afternoon of music by Foggy Hollow, Maybe Later, and Laura Dodd accompanied by Tom Walker.

A native of Gadsden, Alabama, Laura Dodd has performed in musicals, on television, and has opened for several internationally-known stars, such as: Maynard Ferguson, Sandi Patti, Patty Loveless, Josh Turner, and Rascal Flatts. Her first single, "WOW," charted at 54 in the MusicRow Magazine Country Breakout Chart.

An Earth Day Festival
For many reasons, Longleaf Village in the historic Warehouse District of the former Fort McClellan is the perfect site for a celebration of nature and our place in it. Fort McClellan served for nearly 100 years as a site for military training, consequently the native longleaf pines on surrounding ridges were never commercially harvested and the detonation of training weapons fire into the Choccolocco Mountains resulted in periodic fires that maintained the fire dependant habitat these southern pines depend upon.

Today the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge is home to one of the largest remaining stands of this iconic symbol of the south. It seems somewhat backward that by blasting munitions into the mountainside, we have actually preserved a rapidly disappearing habitat, but sometimes those unexpected results work in our favor. This alone seems like a great reason for a celebration. If you doubt that, take a ride over the newly reopened Bains Gap Road when you are traveling to or from the Festival. Often you will see wild turkey, whitetailed deer and a wide variety of other bird and mammal species that now live among the stately longleaf pines along with several rare understory plants.

For those interested in the architecture of man-made habitats, the Longleaf Festival has something for you as well. The warehouse district has been nominated to the National Historic Register for its relatively intact historic setting. Many of the buildings, such as the warehouses, stables, blacksmith shop and bakery, were built by the Works Progress Administration in the late 1930s. This group of buildings is an excellent example of attention to detail and the emphasis on both functionality and aesthetics during this period of building at Fort McCelllan. The mantra of the reduce, reuse, recycle certainly fits in this area that has served many functions over the last 70 years. Plans for its newest incarnation build on that aesthetic quality as the Longleaf Village becomes a center for the arts of McClellan.

Laura Bundy 4/9/2008