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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer 

MONTEVALLO – Montevallo’s Orr Park will once again serve as the host of the state’s premier all-woodworking art celebration when the Tinglewood Festival makes its annual return on Saturday, Sept. 7.

Now readying for its sixth year, the Tinglewood Festival will once again seek to celebrate a day filled with “shavings, smoke and sound,” as guests are treated with fun events and artistic exhibitions from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The event, which has previously been recognized with the All-Star Shelby County Tourism and Recreation Award, promises to provide attendants with a diverse array of attractions.

Those making their way to Orr Park will have the ability to enjoy live demonstrations of professional chainsaw wood carving and explore artist booths showcasing woodworking creations.

This year’s chainsaw carving exhibition will include a panel of well-known artists:

• Heather Bailey of Alabaster
• Justin Bailey of Alabaster
• Corey Lancaster of Princeton, North Carolina
• Dave Marshalek of Shelbyville, Tennessee
• Dayton Scoggins of Heidelberg, Mississippi.

At the close of the day’s events, guests will also have the opportunity to purchase and take home any of the 15 original chainsaw carvings made specifically for the event. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to local nonprofits Boys & Girls Club, Montevallo Athletic Club and Shelby Emergency Assistance.

This year’s festival will also feature the Bring Your Own Knife Wood Whittling Contest hosted by the event’s namesake, Tim Tingle, himself. That contest will see each participant tasked with bringing their own knives and carving tools and having one hour to make their own creation out of an identical block of wood supplied to each contestant. In the spirit of the event, power tools will be strictly prohibited. Registration for this event can be found on the event’s website at Tinglewoodfestival.com.

Included with the event will be the presentation of the 22nd Annual Cars by the Creek car show. That show will feature a long list of both vintage and modern vehicles which will be divided into categories separated by decade, with separate divisions for Classic and Modern Trucks, Rat Rods, Hot Rods and Woodies.

Winners in each award category, which will include Best Original and Best Modified in each decade category, will be presented with unique cedar award plaques that have been laser engraved with the Cars By The Creek logo and award details.

Also returning this year will be the Tractors in the Trees tractor show which will specifically highlight antique tractors presented by the International Harvester Collectors Alabama Chapter No. 23.

These exhibitions will all be bolstered by live on-stage music acts that will include the Montevallo High School Jazz Band, Swanglish, Shawn Lackey, Saul Ramirez Y Su Ritmo Tropical and Dwayne Beasley.

Other children’s activities will include a “make and take” art project, a balloon show, inflatables, a petting zoo, games with the Boys & Girls Club and more.

Artist vendors will also be present and selling everything from knives, wooden bowls, vases, jewelry, toys, handcrafted furniture, bird houses and ornaments. The event will also include a wooden boat race and a slew of food vendors and food trucks all focused on fueling the event.

This year’s festival is primarily presented by the Montevallo Chamber of Commerce, the city of Montevallo, the Montevallo Main Street Players, the Montevallo Arts Collaborative, Montevallo Main Street and the Shelby County Arts Council.

Sponsors for the event include Bobby F. Shunnarah Montevallo Family Dentistry as the Chainsaw Carving Expo and a host of tiered level sponsors.

Walnut level sponsors include:

• Discover Shelby
• Sweet Home Alabama
• Stella-Jones Corporation
• The Shelby County Reporter
• The Clanton Advertiser
• Shelby Living

Cedar level sponsors include:

• Bradford Real Estate Group
• Dixon Designs
• White Rose Film and Photo
• Lucky’s Foodland

Cherry level sponsors include:

• Coca-Cola
• Dixie Decorations
• Crimson Holdings, LLC
• Candlewood Suites
• Trustmark
• Regions
• Slice

Maple level sponsors include:

• Blue Phrog Gallery
• Rockco Funeral Home
• Montevallo Realty
• Falcon Art Supply
• Wilton Wood Products, LLC
• StateFarm – Bob Butterworth, Agent
• Jacs Party Rental
• Cutco
• Goliath Print and Apparel
• JP Building Company
• Team Lehman
• Alabama Power

Organizers of this year’s festival are also in search of volunteers to aid in a wide variety of tasks including initial setup, breakdown, parking management, assisting with the children’s area and setup for the chainsaw events. Those interested in lending their support and assistance can sign-up to help at Signupgenius.com/go/60B0448ADAB2FA7FA7-50365301-tinglewood?useFullSite=true#.