AND
PRESENTS THE 4th ANNUAL
(Click here for Photos of the 2003 Fun Day)
EVENTS AND HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Registration $5.00 Donation. Part of the proffits go to support The Ogden House, children's home.
Door Prizes, games, and 50/25/25, and Grand Prize Drawing
Hot Dogs, and other refreshments for sale. Serving begins at 9:30 a.m.
Come. Stay in Gadsden. If you plan to spend the night in Gadsden, here is a list of some motels: Best Western Hwy 77 & I-59 256-570-0569, Gadsden Inn & Suites (recommended) 200 Albert Rains Blvd 256-543-7240 (only 16 blocks from Cycle World, and only 2 blocks from Riverfest), Hampton Inn 129 River Rd (only 2 blocks from Riverfest) 256-546-2337, Holiday Inn Express 801 Cleveland Ave, Attalla, 256-538-7861, Rodeway Inn 3909 W. Meighan Blvd, 256-543-0323. Click HERE, for more information about Gadsden, and Etowah County.
OTHER AREA ATTRACTIONS INCLUDE:
Center
for Cultural Arts
501 Broad Street
Gadsden, AL 35901
The Center for Cultural Arts offers North Alabama opportunities to see, learn and
experience the arts in all their forms. The Center is a place for art lovers to view a
variety of visual, musical and theatrical presentations in a unique facility located in
the heart of historic downtown Gadsden. Three galleries change exhibits frequently to
provide varied enrichment opportunities. The nationally celebrated Etowah Youth Symphony
Orchestra draws enthusiastic crowds at concerts throughout the year. The center features
complete convention and banquet facilities and a full service restaurant open for lunch
Monday - Friday and for dinner Monday - Saturday. The Center's New Orleans-style Courtyard
features live entertainment every weekend all summer weather permitting.
Business Phone: 256-543-2787
Website: http://www.culturalarts.org/
Noccalula
Falls Park
1500 Noccalula Road
Gadsden, AL 35904
This natural wonder features a 90-foot waterfall named for Noccalula, a young Cherokee
maiden who plunged to her untimely death rather than forsake her true love. She is
memorialized by a statue and the engraved story of her fate. Nestled among the trees in
the park is a pioneer village, a group of rustic, hand-hewn log buildings representing a
display of pioneer living conditions, included in the village are a country store, grist
mill, covered bridge, pioneer home, smoke house, blacksmith shop and more. Other park
attractions include a War Memorial and Museum, botanical gradens, hiking trails,
sightseeing train, playground, carpet golf, picnic pavilions and meeting facilities.
Business Phone: 256-549-4663 (Park)
Business Phone: 256-543-7412 (Campgrounds)
War
Memorial Monument
Noccalula Falls Park
Gadsden, AL 35904
This structure stands as a tribute to the 457 known Etowah County men who died in World
War I & II, the Korean, Vietnam and Lebanon Wars. Their names listed in marble remind
everyone of their supreme sacrifice for their country.
Business Phone: 256-549-4663
Historic
Paseur Park Overlook
3 blocks off State Hwy 211, Harts Avenue
Gadsden, AL 35904
This overlook offers a spectacular view of the City of Gadsden, Coosa River and the
mountain ranges. The area was known in the pre-Civil War days as "the cliff" and
served as a lookout.
H. Neely
Henry Lake (Coosa River)
Neely Henry Lake is made up of 11.200 acres of water and 333 miles of shoreline. The lake
is used for pleasure boating and fishing and many bass species are plentiful.
James D.
Martin Wildlife Walking Trail
US 411 Behind the Gadsden Mall
Gadsden, AL 35901
Neely Henry Lake is made up of 11.200 acres of water and 333 miles of shoreline. The lake
is used for pleasure boating and fishing and many bass species are plentiful.
Spirit
of American Citizenship Monument
US 411
Gadsden, AL 35901
Antique
Attalla
Downtown Attalla
Attalla, AL 35954
"Three Blocks of Shops" Approximately 21 antique and specialty stores nestled in
a quaint little town. Hours vary per store.
Business Phone: 256-538-7811
Mountain
Top Flea Market
11301 Hwy 278
W Attalla, AL 35954
More than 1,500 dealers and 2.6 miles of shopping. Open: Every Sunday 5 a.m. until.
Business Phone: 800-535-2286
Wills
Creek Vineyards
10522 Duck Springs Road
Attalla, AL 35954
Off Interstate I-59, we are the only active winery in Northern Alabama. Open on Saturdays
from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to walk-in visitors, but may occasionally be open during the week.
Business Phone: 256-538-5452
Website: http://www.muscadine.com
Horse
Pens 40
Chandler Mountain Road
Steele, AL
The unique feature of this land is a ring of rocks, know as "pens" which early
settlers used to corral horses. Horse Pens 40 continues to host music festivals, arts
& crafts shows, Native American Festivals and Civil War reenactments. Horse Pens 40
also offers camping sites, six miles of hiking trails and a museum with Native American
and Civil War exhibits.
Business Phone: 256-570-0002
4.Emma Samson's and John Wisdom's Graves. Remember Alabama History? Union troops under the command of Col. Streight burned the bridge at Black Creek. Fifteen year old Emma Samson mounted a horse and rode with Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his troops to show them where to cross the Creek so they could persue Col. Streight and his men.
Meanwhile, John Henry Wisdom was a stage driver and a former resident of Rome. On the afternoon of May 2 he learned that Colonel A. D. Streight had passed through Gadsden on his way to Rome, Georgia. He guessed that the Union Forces had as their objective the destruction of the Confederate arsenal there. He had no way of knowing that Streight's mission was also to cut the Confederate supply line between Atlanta and Chattanooga. Neither did he know that General N. B. Forrest was in the area pursuing Col. Streight. On his own initiative he decided to inform his friends in Rome of the impending raid.
He left Gadsden at 3:30 in the afternoon by buggy and after 22 miles at Gnatville his horse was completely exhausted . A widow Hanks at that place owned the only horse- a lame pony- which she loaned to Wisdom. The pony only lasted five miles until he came to Goshen. Here he was able to get a fresh and stronger horse which carried him to Spring Garden where he was able to get two horses. At a point about one mile south of Cave Spring, Georgia, his mount was exhausted and darkness had come.
Farmers were relunctant to loan their animals nevertheless he walked on and even used a mule for several miles until he was able to get two good mounts in Vann's Valley in succession and raced into Rome after midnight.
It is not clear how he aroused the citizenry of Rome, but that he did. Rome at that time was some 60 miles south of the confederate lines above Dalton and was thought to be safe. There were no troops in the town to protect it or the arsenal. There were only wounded soldiers, old men and boys but by some means a plan of defense was hastily devised.
The covered wooden bridge over which the Union troops would be forced to move was barricaded with bales of cotton and the bridge floor covered waist deep with hay soaked in oil which was to be set afire in the event the invaders could not be stopped by other measures.
The engineers of the Rome Railroad made trips into the countryside warning the people and bringing the planters who responded to the call to arms. They brought their squirrel rifles, muskets, and muzzle loading shotguns.
The 200 advanced troops sent by Col. Streight after passing through Gadsden arrived but after inspecting from Shorter College hill overlooking Rome the defenses being made, the commanding officer concluded that his small command would not be able to rush the bridge so he sent a message to that effect to Col. Streight and began to retire westward. A short time later he met Col. Streight and his entire staff- all prisoners of war.
Wisdom had saved the town and the arsenal - it would otherwise have been an easy task for an advance party of 200 soldiers to have occupied the town, burned the factories and destroyed the supplies. They would not have needed Streight's full command.