It’s Festival Time!

Cooler temperatures, college football, and hints of color in the trees all mark the beginning of the fall season. And that means it’s time for our biggest event of the year — the Mentone Fall Festival.

We look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors to our town on Saturday, October 18, for a day of arts, live music, food, crafts, kids’ activities, and more. Check out the special section of this issue of The Groundhog for all the details.

On behalf of the Town of Mentone, I want to offer a sincere “thank you” to everyone who makes this event possible. From the generous business sponsors to the numerous volunteers, the spirit of giving among our neighbors and friends helps us host a fabulous event for everyone to enjoy.

Beyond a fun day, festival-goers enjoy shopping directly with artists and makers. Those vendors have an opportunity to share their work with a large audience. Everyone enjoys live music at our amphitheater. And the shops, galleries, and restaurant at Moon Lake Campus welcome their largest crowd of the year.

Proceeds from the festival are reinvested into Moon Lake Campus, further improving the property to support the arts and economic development in our town.

The expanded sidewalk will connect Moon Lake Campus and Moon Lake Library to the intersection of Alabama Highway 117 and County Road 89.

Contractors for the Fort Payne Water system are expanding water lines from the top of the mountain to the water tanks on County Road 89 North.

Regarding future improvements to the property, we met recently with architect Alan Williamson and an electrical engineer as they put the bid packages together for the major renovation project at Moon Lake Campus. The Town of Mentone received a $300,000 matching grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, administered through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Development. This will allow us to upgrade critical infrastructure in the main campus building. The building will become handicap-accessible, thanks to a ramp in the front. The bathrooms will be upgraded. Drop ceilings will be removed, and the ceilings will be returned to their original height. Period light fixtures will be installed, and floors will be returned to the original wood.

I’ve included photos of two significant projects underway in Mentone. One shows work by contractors for the Fort Payne Water system to install an expanded water line. This project will deliver a greater volume of water to the two water tanks on County Road 89 North, improving water pressure, aiding with growth, and supporting fire protection in the Mentone area. The other shows progress on the final phase of our sidewalk expansion project. When completed, we will have sidewalks extending from the Moon Lake Campus area to the intersection of Alabama Highway 117 and Scenic Road/County Road 89.