CULLMAN, Ala. – The 30th annual Sweet Tater Festival took place Sunday and Monday, Sept. 6-7, at Smith Lake Park.
More than 100 vendors showcased arts and crafts and more, and there was food, live entertainment and, yes, sweet potatoes.
Cullman County Parks & Recreation Director Kenneth Cornelius said, “There are over 125 vendors at the festival.”
He also gave a quick history of the event: “Sweet Tater Festival is celebrating its 30th year and it hasn’t always been at Smith Lake Park. It actually started in the Dowling and Jones Chapel community. We’ve actually inherited it after it’s been around for, overall, 20-plus years. It outgrew the area – they had asked parks and rec to move it to Smith Lake Park – somewhere local.”
When asked about his favorite aspect of the festival, Cornelius remarked, “Definitely the vendors. There is every kind of vendor you can ever imagine here from arts and crafts, food and we have a full petting zoo.”
Throughout Labor Day weekend, temperatures in the area reached mid-high 90s, with heat index ranging from 105-109. Cooling stations were available to the public in the center of the festival and emergency personnel were on-site for public safety.
Misting stations were also set up, allowing water to be sprayed onto those in need of a quick cool-down.
Feathered Friends Cockatoo and Horse Sanctuary added a unique aspect to the festival’s range of entertainment. Attendees were allowed a chance to pet and feed the animals.
The sanctuary offers “help for unwanted, abused, neglected, misplaced, and handicapped cockatoos and horses and those sent to slaughter.”
Feathered Friends Owner Emily Hays was seen walking in the cooling station with her cockatoo sidekick, Captain Morgan Macaw.
“It takes a lot of water!” Hays stated in response to how she keeps her animals cool in the heat.
Hays said she has been attending the festival and considers it a tradition for her and the feathered friends. “We enjoy it and it’s good to see the children interacting with the animals.”
The festival also included the popular annual car show, a golf cart parade and entertainment from performers such as The Negotiators Duo, Mathhew Devine, the Billy Gant Duo, The Slacker Bees, the Clog Wild Cloggers and the Undergrounders.
Emily Hays of Feathered Friends and her cockatoo, Captain Morgan Macaw, at Smith Lake Park’s 30th annual Sweet Tater Festival on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 (Chasady Woods/ The Cullman Tribune)
Cooling stations at Smith Lake Park’s 30th annual Sweet Tater Festival on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 (Chasady Woods/ The Cullman Tribune)
