The Old Oak Festival is returning to the Tusculum campus April 25-27

The Old Oak Festival is returning to the Tusculum College campus April 25-27.

The arts and music festival will span three days and will feature something for everyone, including music, art, theater and creative writing, as well as gallery and museum exhibits.

“Details on the artisans and musicians scheduled to participate are being finalized, but the dates have been confirmed, and many of the arts events are officially on the calendar,” said David Price, director of music at Tusculum College and festival coordinator.

In addition to artist vendors and music performances throughout the day on Friday and Saturday, there will be three performances during the festival of “Twelve Angry Men,” presented by Theatre-at-Tusculum under the direction of Frank Mengel, the technical director of the Arts Outreach program. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Performances will be held in the Behan Arena Theatre in the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center.

In addition, the college’s Allison Gallery will be open throughout the weekend, featuring top student work in a “best of” show for student painting, sculpture and photography.

The festival is being coordinated by a committee of college and community representatives who are working to promote arts and music in the East Tennessee region.

“We are expecting a wide variety of artists, including painters, craftsmen and sculptors, whose work will be available for purchase. Arts will include pottery, woodcrafts and folk art,” said Price. Demonstrations will also be conducted on pottery, blacksmithing and cooking.

There are limited spaces still available for artisan and crafter booths. Deadline for reserving a booth is Monday, March 24 or until all spaces are filled.

Throughout the weekend on stage, the festival will present the sounds of the region, with a wide variety of music from bluegrass to jazz to local vocalists and musicians.

Pickin’ at the Doaks, which is a bluegrass music jam session, will be held at the Doak House Museum on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at noon. Saturday’s performance will be a special session with a surprise guest.

Woodcarver Jimmy Rader is one of the more than 70 artisans that will participate in the Old Oak Festival on the Tusculum College campus April 25-27. The weekend will feature arts and crafts, live music, theater, literary readings, craft demonstrations, festival food and non-stop entertainment.

Both the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library and the Doak House Museum will be open on Friday and Saturday to visitors during the festival and will have special activities planned for adults and children.

At 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, there will be a lantern-lit tour of the Tusculum College buildings listed on the National Historic Register.

From 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., the President Andrew Johnson Museum and Library will feature the “Reaper: Nettie Fowler McCormick and the Machine that Built Tusculum College” exhibit. This exhibit explores the changes wrought by the mechanical harvest and explores the context through which Mrs. McCormick viewed her philanthropic mission.

At 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, the festival will conclude with a 5K race. This beautiful, easy to moderate course will start and finish at the Tusculum Linear Trail Head. Pre-register by Friday, April 18, at www.oldoakfestival.org.

The festival will feature children’s activities on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and again on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Throughout the weekend there will be storytelling performances on stage and around the festival grounds.

The Ayers llamas, previous favorites of the festival, will visit the Tusculum College campus over the weekend.

A Sunday highlight will be an outdoor chapel service beginning at 11 a.m. designed to re-create the feel of the frontier church experience. The service is open to the public and will be followed by traditional and contemporary gospel music performances throughout the day.

Food selection will include festival favorites, such as homemade strawberry shortcake, Philly cheese steak, and Amish doughnuts.

There is no fee to attend the festival. Art vendor hours will be Friday from noon until 6 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. For more information, contact Price at 423-636-7303.

Service animals are welcome; however, no pets allowed. Coolers and alcohol are also prohibited during the festival.

For updates and more information, visit the website at www.oldoakfestival.org or on Facebook at www.facebook/OldOakFestival.