FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association
PHONE: 256.350.3500 / 800.648.5381
EMAIL: info@northalabama.org

Fort Payne Pays Tribute to its Rich Cultural Past
Boom Days Heritage Celebration Set for September 17-18

Decatur, Ala. – A two-day festival centered on music, art and historical artifacts pays tribute to the City of Fort Payne’s humble beginnings and rich cultural past. Set for September 17-18, 2021, in downtown Fort Payne, Boom Days Heritage Celebration offers live music, a children’s entertainment area, arts and crafts, model train exhibit and museum tours at the Fort Payne Depot. 

The two-day event kicks off Friday, Sept. 17th with live music from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Live music returns Saturday morning, Sept. 18th, at 10 a.m. running continuously until 9:30 p.m. and the streets and parks will be filled with arts and crafts, artists and artisans as well as numerous food vendors. 

Over a dozen acts are slated to perform during the two-day event culminating Saturday evening with headliners Bellamy Brothers (6 p.m.) and Sawyer Brown (8 p.m.). Friday’s featured acts include Damon Johnson and Aeromyth, “Ultimate Tribute to Aerosmith.” Local acoustic acts are set to perform throughout the day Saturday at the Coal and Iron building from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and music can be heard at the pavilion in City Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There also will be musicians performing up and down Gault Avenue and interacting with the crowd from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All music is presented for free.
  
The children’s area was a huge success when the event was last held in 2019 and even more activities are planned this year including entertainment from Katie Sunshine Hola Hoop girl, frisbee dogs, youth performances from the Fort Payne Robotics, dance performers and taekwondo demonstrations. A $10 wristband gets festivalgoers unlimited pony rides, inflatable slide and access to a new interactive sports game and includes five tickets to use on meltdown ride, bungee jump, rock climbing wall, new spin art, balloon animal or face painting. Children activities are on Sept. 18th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Depot Museum will also be open for tours 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the model train exhibit will be on display 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 504 Gault Avenue.

During the late nineteenth century, Fort Payne experienced a huge coal and iron boom, and in the twentieth century, a surge in textile manufacturing led to the city’s one time claim of “Sock Capital of the World.”  As a nod to its manufacturing heritage, the mountaintop town hosts the Boom Days Heritage Celebration. 

Festival hours are Friday 6 to 10 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is free. For more information including a schedule of events, go to www.boomdays.com or call 256-845-1524.

About Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA)
AMLA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the travel industry within the 16 northernmost counties of the state.  It is supported by 500-plus members consisting of chambers of commerce, Convention & Visitors Bureaus, attractions, campgrounds, festivals, communities, counties, golf courses, restaurants, tour operators, accommodations, vendors, financial institutions and individuals.  Counties included within the AMLA region are Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan and Winston. Additional information on North Alabama destinations, accommodations and special events is available from the AMLA by calling 800.648.5381 or by visiting their web site at www.NorthAlabama.org.  

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