Montevallo hosts successful sixth annual Tinglewood Festival

Published 3:28 pm Friday, September 13, 2024

By Rachel Raiford

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By RACHEL RAIFORD | Staff Writer 

MONTEVALLO – More than 30 years ago, Montevallo resident Tim Tingle began carving faces into the trees of Orr Park. Now, the city honors the park’s rich history with the Tinglewood Festival.

Orr Park was full of locals looking to shop the vendor rows and be entertained by the live chainsaw carving artists on Saturday, Sept. 7.

Montevallo Chamber Executive Director Adele Nelson said that the event was a team effort.

Montevallo Chamber of Commerce plays a large part in organizing this event, along with the  Montevallo Main Street and the Montevallo Arts Collaborative,” Nelson said.

Members from each organization join together to form the Tinglewood Festival Committee. More than 100 volunteers assisted in the organization and set up of the festival.

“It’s a huge opportunity for community involvement,” Nelson said. “Everybody pulls together as a team.”

A main attraction at the Tinglewood Festival is the live chainsaw carving expo. Montevallo Main Street Executive Director Courtney Bennett said that they had multiple returning artists this year, along with a few new artists.

Viewers had the opportunity to purchase the live carvings once they were completed.

“In previous years, we’ve held a live auction for each piece,” Bennett said. “This year, we decided to do a ‘Buy it Now’ price instead. We do have four left and they will be posted on social media for purchase soon.”

The Alabama Woodworker’s Guild and Alabama Woodturner’s Association were also at the festival, set up with live demonstrations and completed art for purchase.

“With the live demos, we’re able to expose younger generations to the craft and really open them up to it,” Nelson said. “It’s something they may not know they’re interested in until they see it.”

Nelson and Bennett along with the Tinglewood Festival committee already have next year’s festival in the works. In the meantime, Montevallo will be hosting a number of events in the coming months.

The Montevallo Art Walk will take place on Saturday, Oct. 26 on Main St. from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The second annual Dia de los Muertos Festival will be on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 620 Valley St.

Those interested in getting involved with events in Montevallo may visit Cityofmontevallo.com.

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