Featuring a wide variety of music and food and fun, the Old Oak Festival will be held at Tusculum this weekend, April 21-23. The event will span across three days, featuring something for everyone, be it live music, theater, arts and crafts or fabulous festival food.
“The Old Oak Festival is a fun, family event,” said David Price, director of music and band programs at Tusculum and coordinator of the festival. “With all the performances, crafts and activities, it’s the kind of event to bring the family and stay all day.”
Several bands and musicians have announced plans to perform and include the Brother Boys, My New Favorites, Shiloh, Ashley Bean, Sigean, the Dread Scots, Poplar Hill Reunion, the Tusculum Jazz Band, the Tusculum Marching Band, the Tusculum Concert Band, the Tusculum Handbell Choir, Jimmie D, Abel Brown, the Color 7, Shimmy and the Burns and the Bluegrass Outlaws.
There will also be jam sessions during the festival and visitors are encouraged to bring their instrument and join for a weekend of fun with other musicians.
In addition to music, workshops for high school students will be held on Friday and include sessions on the Math and Science of Tree Identification, Contemporary Poetry, Instrumental Master Class (Band), Vocal Master Class, Introduction to Programming with Python, Drawing, the Brief Essay or Prose Poem, Medieval Siege Warfare, Songwriting, Playwriting, Political Jeopardy, Flash Fiction, SM-Art! Sensational Mathematical Art, as well as Animation.
Workshops are presented by faculty of Tusculum and other experts in the field.
There is no charge for students to participate in the workshop sessions and lunch will be provided. To reserve a spot, contact Kelsey Trom, assistant professor of English at ktrom@tusculum.edu or (423) 636-7420 ext. 5420.
The Museums of Tusculum will be hosting the Old Oak’s second annual LEGO contest, “LEGO® Historians!” Participants, using their own LEGO® or other compatible plastic bricks, design and build a unique creation (not from a designed kit) based on any historical topic. Registration is open now. Deliver completed projects to the Doak House Museum, 690 Erwin Highway, Greeneville 37745. Projects may be dropped off through April 20, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The museums will also operate a Family Photo Preservation Station during the Old Oak Festival. The public is invited to bring up to 20 family photographs or 20 pages of family documents (letters, certificates, etc.) for digital scanning and preservation. Documents or photos will be scanned and saved to a writable CD which we will provide, or bring a personal thumb drive. Participants will also receive a handy guide to caring for their family heirlooms according to best archival & museum standards. RSVP to dboyd@tusculum.edu or 4123-636-8554 to sign up for an appointment time.
Authors participating in signing sessions at Authors’ Row include Beth Fine, Claudia Ware-O’Hara, David Brannock, Emory Rhea Raxter, Jim Hartsell, Joe Tennis, Keith Bartlett, Patricia Horton, Sheila Sowards, Shirley Butler, Sylvia Nickels, Tom Fugate, Tom Yancey and Clem Allison.
Theatre-at-Tusculum, in conjunction with the Tusculum English Department, will present the “5×10” plays beginning April 20 with an additional four performances during the annual Old Oak festival at Tusculum.
The “5x10s” are a collection of five, ten minute plays written by Tusculum students and produced as part of the Acts, Arts, Academia Performance and Lecture Series. The “5x10s” offer Tusculum student playwrights the opportunity to see their dramatic works brought to the stage as part of the festival’s offerings. Show times during festival will be 7 p.m. on Friday, April 21; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 23.
All the performances will take place in the Behan Arena Theatre in the lower level of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts building on the Tusculum campus. There is a $7 per person admission charge.
Other special events planned for this year’s festival include an art show at Allison Gallery, featuring Professor David Frazier’s photography. Saturday will also feature the Launch Party for The Tusculum Review, the literary magazine of Tusculum. The event is free and open to the public and will feature returning alumni reading original works beginning at 4 p.m. in the atrium of the Shulman Center.
New this year will be archery tag, sponsored by the Tusculum Office of Student Affairs. Archery tag is played similar to dodgeball with our bows and patented foam-tipped arrows. This exciting, action-packed game offers the ultimate family-friendly experience that engages everyone.
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 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Entertainment and food continues into the evening, with the final performances ending at 10 p.m.
Service animals are welcome; however, no pets allowed. Coolers, firearms and alcohol are also prohibited on the Tusculum campus property during the festival. Lawn chairs and blankets are encouraged.
The event is being sponsored by the Old Oak Tap Room, Artistic Printers, The Greeneville Sun and Radio Greeneville.
For updates and more information, visit the website at www.oldoakfestival.org or on facebook. For more information on registering as a vendor or performer or volunteering at the festival, contact Price at 423-636-7303.
Poplar Hill Reunion