By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – The American Village is currently hosting one of its flagship events, the Festival of Tulips. Admission to the event is $5, while festival attendees can buy tulip bulbs for $2 each. The festival is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Melanie Poole, the communications officer at American Village, has shared that the event has exceeded expectations thus far.

“It’s been a record-breaking year for us,” Poole said. “We planted 120,000 tulips this year. It’s been a very fun event, with people coming out and taking pictures in the tulips, purchasing tulips to take home and enjoy in their own yards.”

Those who haven’t made it to the festival still have one more week to visit before it’s too late.

“The festival will extend another weekend at least, through next Saturday, March 15,” Poole said. “We hope even a little longer, but we will be open seven days a week as long as the flowers are in bloom. We also have food trucks every Saturday.”

Food trucks at the festival include Chick-fil-A, Sunshine Lemonade, On the Run Concessions and more. Poole is thankful for the presence of various dining options for patrons.

“All of the food trucks have had great business every Saturday,” Poole said. “We’re happy to have them here to add a little something to our festival and feed our friends and neighbors while they’re here picking tulips.”

The annual Festival of Tulips was the brainchild of the American Village’s founder, Tom Walker, who wanted to create a signature event to bring people to the historic venue.

“He knew that a lot of people view the American Village as just a place for school field trips,” Poole said. “So, he came up with the Festival of Tulips as a way to attract new visitors to campus and sneak in a little bit of American history while they were here.”

Poole said that it is hard to be emotionally disaffected while attending the festival.

“The Festival of Tulips is just so much fun,” Poole said. “I mean, who can be sad in a field of 120,000 blooming flowers? This (is) our ninth year doing it, and it’s bigger and better than ever before.”

While the tulips are the main attraction of the festival, Poole emphasized that the American Village also has various activities to keep attendees entertained.

“Every day during the Festival of Tulips there will be a posted schedule of activities that will take place inside the field,” Poole said. “For instance, one day we might have a puppet show. One day we might be able to talk to a soldier in (President George) Washington’s Continental Army. When you arrive at the Festival of Tulips, there will be a posted schedule and you can take advantage of any or all of those activities as well as enjoying the flowers.”

Furthermore, the event features costumed historical interpreters, a staple of American Village.

“We have such a wealth on our staff of costumed historical interpreters,” Poole said. “They are so passionate about the figures from the past that they portray. They bring history to life. I mean, where else in Alabama can you go and meet Abigail and John Adams or the captain in the Continental Army? It’s a very unique experience.”

According to Poole, last year’s festival brought approximately 75,100 new visitors to the American Village. She added that the main takeaway that visitors should have from the festival is a celebration of America as a whole.

“I would love for everyone who comes to the American Village, whether or not it’s during the Festival of Tulips, (to have) a sense of pride in what it means to be an American, a renewed sense of patriotism, a dedication to learn more about our founding era and (to) look forward to the upcoming 250th birthday of our country next year,” Poole said.

For more information on the Festival of Tulips, visit American Village’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/AmericanVillageAlabama.