GREENEVILLE – Plenty of activities to enthuse the whole family will enrich personal lives as Tusculum University hosts another rendition of the Old Oak Festival to highlight the arrival of spring on the beautiful and historic campus.
Left to right, Tusculum students Sydney May, Samantha Nelson and Hughston Burnheimer, all of whom are now alumni, staff the history program’s booth in 2024.
A vendor interacts with customers at the 2024 Old Oak Festival.
The festival will be held Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, April 27, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Community members can visit and purchase items from variety of vendors and authors, enjoy a car show and listen to local musicians. People will also find something delicious to eat from the 14 food trucks currently slated to be on the festival grounds. Parents and grandparents who are looking for an outlet for children to burn off some of their energy can take them to the inflatables.
“The Old Oak Festival has proven to be an excellent way to enjoy the weekend at Tennessee’s first higher education institution,” said Edward Roberts, vice president of institutional advancement, who is the event’s lead organizer. “With the trees blooming, the ambience will be gorgeous as guests spend a relaxing day with family and friends. We encourage people to join us because they will have a fantastic time.”
Watauga Orthopaedics is the festival sponsor, and the Greene County Partnership is the media partner.
A look at the festival offerings
In response to feedback from the vendors and as a precaution in case of inclement weather, the majority of the booths will be located in Pioneer Arena, which is inside the Scott M. Niswonger Commons. Tusculum will house additional booths in the Quad, which is in front of the commons. Guests are still welcome and encouraged to stroll around the campus and enjoy the scenery and vibe of a collegiate atmosphere.
A student points out her work hung at the Pop-up Art Contest in 2024.
An author interacts with a customer at the 2024 Old Oak Festival.
Between the Quad and McCormick Hall, Tusculum will have the Kiddie Korner, with inflatables for children of all ages to enjoy. Leaders in the Student Government Association are organizing this part of the festival.
The Pioneer Arena lobby will hold another popular and tradition-rich part of the festival – Authors’ Row. This activity provides an opportunity for local authors to speak with attendees about their works and sell copies to anyone who is interested in purchasing them. Any authors who are interested in participating can email Matilda Green at mgreen@tusculum.edu.
“This is a great opportunity for authors to showcase their work and generate interest from people who attend the festival,” Green said. “The interaction is quite informal and enables our guests to learn more about the talented writers in our area. It is also an excellent way for authors to hear the perspective of readers in this area.”
Also in the lobby will be will the Pop-up Art Contest, which is sponsored by the Greeneville Arts Council. It features the art work of children enrolled in Greeneville and Greene County elementary schools. The clever pieces are a draw for parents and grandparents, but everyone at the festival is invited to check out the art.
Here were some of the cars at the 2024 festival.
Tusculum student Tate Haugen reads some of his work during the 2024 festival.
Another connection to literature will be readings conducted by Tusculum students who participated in a writing competition. Tusculum has an annual contest – the Curtis ’28 and Billie Owens Literary Prize – in which students vie for awards for their writing in the drama, fiction, nonfiction and poetry genres. Those who have participated in this year’s competition will read from their selections Saturday at 1 p.m. in The Pioneer Perk, which is also located in the commons. Some of the students have earned multiple awards, including statewide honors, for their writing.
For the fourth year, the festival will incorporate the Old Oak Show & Shine car show on Saturday. Guests are encouraged to enjoy and look over the many different styles of cars vehicle owners have proudly put on display. The car show will be held in front of Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center and Katherine Hall. The Tennessee Valley Car Club organizes the show, and Tommy Bennett, who owns a local window tinting business, serves as the leader.
“This has proven to be an extremely popular addition to the festival roster,” Roberts said. “The vehicles in the show are high quality and a broad representation of the auto industry. People will have a good time looking under the hood or through the windows to see all of the neat elements of these vehicles.”
On Sunday at 1 p.m., Benjamin Conley, assistant professor of art and design, will lead people who want to draw the Old Oak Tree, after which the festival is named and one of the well-known landmarks on campus. That event will take place in the grass facing the tree, and it costs $20, which will cover supplies people need to paint. Conley will provide some initial guidance for participants and then walk around to observe people’s work and share some pointers. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.onthestage.tickets/tusculum-university.
Lots of music at the festival
One of the bands plays in 2024.
Festival organizers have assembled an excellent lineup of bands on both days of the festival. The stage will be set up between Rankin Hall and Welty-Craig Hall near the commons. Tusculum is dedicating this year’s music to the late Kenneth “Shadow” Winterbauer, an alumnus and avid musician, who organized the performers for several years and played at some of the festivals. He passed away in December.
Here is the list of musicians for the weekend:
- Saturday, 10-11 a.m. – Roby Line Dancers
- Saturday, 11 a.m.-noon – Madison Metcalf
- Saturday, noon-1 p.m. – David Bachman
- Saturday, 1-2 p.m. – Praise Cloggers
- Saturday, 2-3 p.m. – Bandit Bridge
- Saturday, 3-4 p.m. – Salty Moondogs
- Saturday, 4-5 p.m. – Foggy Memory Boys
- Saturday, 5-6 p.m. – Ben Waddell
- Sunday, noon-1 p.m. – Foggy Memory Boys
- Sunday, 1-2 p.m. – Salty Moondogs
- Sunday, 2-3 p.m. – The Acoustic Corner
Incidental music will play at other times during the festival.
Other activities on campus
In addition to the main festival activities, guests will have other opportunities to enjoy their time on campus that weekend.
Theatre-at-Tusculum will hold the “5 X 10” Plays in Behan Arena Theatre. Shows will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday during the festival and on other dates before and after the festival. This production, which is held every other year, typically has five plays that last about 10 minutes each, but this year, the number of plays has increased to seven. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.onthestage.tickets/tusculum-university.
Also, Tusculum’s baseball team will be home for a doubleheader on Saturday with games versus Coker University at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Pioneer Park.
Additional festival details
A child enjoys a trip down an inflatable slide at the 2024 festival.
A girl receives some face decoration at the 2024 festival.
The university welcomes volunteers who would like to support the festival with a variety of behind-the-scenes duties. Anyone who is interested can email Roberts at eroberts@tusculum.edu.
Attendance at the festival is free. Parking will be available in the following locations:
- The parking lot between the Meen Center and the football field
- Doak Elementary School
- The gravel parking lot next to TaylorMade Grooming Lounge
- Tusculum Baptist Church (Saturday only)
“We are thrilled to have so many from the community on campus,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “The festival is a great community event and has been a magnet that has drawn many guests and alumni back to campus. The festival is just one of many events that enhance the quality of life in our county.”
More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.