We are trying to get (the festival) back to where it once was.... A bunch of us got together and realized that if we don’t do something the festival was going to die and we are going to do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Silverhill Mayor Tim Wilson

SILVERHILL, Alabama – The Town of Silverhill plans to continue its Heritage Day Festival, but not this year, said Mayor Tim Wilson.

“We are trying to get (the festival) back to where it once was,” said Wilson of the festival, which is normally the third Saturday in September, which would have been this coming Saturday.

Plans are to move Heritage Day to April 22, Wilson said, and organizers are looking for ways to make improvements.

“Anybody who has any ideas on how to improve the festival are asked to contact town hall,” Wilson said, “and if you want to participate in the organization, you can call and someone from the committee will contact you.”

The town of Silverhill was founded in 1896 under the direction of Oscar Johnson, head of the Svea Land Company from Chicago. Early Swedish colonists celebrated the popular Scandinavian holiday Mid-Summer Fest, first-mention of which in the town’s history can be found as early as 1904.

Heritage Day was established in 1982 to celebrate the town’s heritage, primarily Swedish and Czech.

“A bunch of us got together and realized that if we don’t do something the festival was going to die and we are going to do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Wilson said.

This would not be the first time the festival has been postponed.

The festival was cancelled all together in 2004 following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan. The festival resumed in 2005, but was moved to October in 2006 because of the loss of shade from the town’s famous oak trees, which were damaged by the storm.

After a brief move to the town’s ballpark, the festival moved back to its original date and location along Highway 104 and County Road 55 in 2011.

The Arts & Crafts and all outside entertainment were postponed in 2013 because of the threat of rain while a 5K run, an interactive discussion with special guest Dr. George David Lundberg, a Memory Lane panel discussion and Little Miss Heritage, went on as scheduled.

A Christmas Festival was held in December of that year in conjunction with Silverhill’s Annual Christmas parade.

Wilson said plans for a similar event have been discussed for this year, but nothing has been finalized. Other events are being discussed for November, he said.

“This is first and foremost a community festival and we are looking for ways to get the community more involved,” he said.

As for the April event, Wilson said, the committee is looking for top-name entertainment that can perform at the festival and welcomes any other ideas that can tie in with the town’s heritage.

“If anyone would like to be a stage sponsor, that will help us attract more top-level entertainment,” Wilson said.

Plans for the Seventh Annual Little Miss Heritage Pageant remain up in the air, however. The town has requested that the school take over the pageant, but a representative with the Silverhill Parent Teacher Association said that proposal remains under consideration and no date has been set for the pageant.

Anyone who would like to provide input or would like festival or sponsorship information, contact the town hall at (251) 945-5198.