FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Karen Beasley, Vice President of Marketing & Communications
Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association
PHONE: 256.350.3500 | 800.648.5381
EMAIL: karen@northalabama.org
Haleyville Celebrates the Birthplace of First 9-1-1 Call with Annual Festival June 5–6
Decatur, Ala. (May 11, 2026) – Over fifty years ago, the first 911 emergency call was made in the United States and the call was placed in the North Alabama town of Haleyville. To celebrate the monumental occasion, the Haleyville Area Chamber of Commerce and the town come together each year to host a two-day festival. Set for June 5-6, 2026, the 9-1-1 Festival offers activities for kids, arts and crafts vendors, a parade, live music, motorcycle, classic car and antique tractor show and more. Admission is free.
Beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday, June 5, downtown Haleyville comes alive with free fun for the entire family. Activities include shopping among arts and crafts and food vendors, a kid’s zone and enjoying live music. Slated to perform are Area 51, Michael Stacey’s Margaritaville, Colin Stough, who finished third on American Idol season 21, and headliner Aaron Tippin. Tippin’s first single, "You've Got to Stand for Something", was released in 1990 and reached a peak of No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. His second album, Read Between the Lines, was released in 1992. Its first single was "There Ain't Nothin' Wrong with the Radio", which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. In 1993, He released his third studio album, titled Call of the Wild. It produced three straight Top 40 country hits in "Workin' Man's Ph.D.", the title track, and "Whole Lotta Love on the Line." Tool Box, his fifth album for RCA, produced his second Number One country hit in the ballad "That's as Close as I'll Get to Loving You."
On Saturday, June 6, the festivities get underway at 8:00 a.m. and include a motorcycle show, classic car show and antique tractor show, arts and crafts and food vendors, a kid’s zone and the annual Haleyville alumni and first responders parade gets underway at 10 a.m. Saturday’s music lineup consists of Mike Jones, Lauderdale County String Band, Raine and Freebird ATL, a high-energy Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band. The two day event wraps up around 9 p.m.
Fifty-six years ago in 1968, Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite placed the first 911 emergency call from City Hall and it was answered just a short distance away at the city's police station by U.S. Representative Tom Bevill. The annual 9-1-1 Festival celebrates the history making moment and honors law enforcement and first responders with a free family-friendly event.
Activities take place in downtown Haleyville and festival goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. For more information, follow the event on Facebook at Haleyville Alabama 9-1-1 Festival or call 205-486-4611.
###
About Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA)
The official destination marketing organization for Visit North Alabama, AMLA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the $4.9 billion North Alabama 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, golf courses, restaurants, accommodations and vendors. 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 by calling 800.648.5381, by visiting www.NorthAlabama.org and by following us on social media @VisitNorthAL.
