I walked into the Calhoun County Area Chamber & Visitors Center to film Cher Dulaney promoting The Aisle, the bridal show I'm putting on this October. I walked out having been interviewed about birds.
Cher, the Chamber's tourism director, saw her chance. Before we'd finished the promo, she had me on camera talking about the SkyTrail Festival, Calhoun County's first birding festival, set for Oct. 9-10.
There was one problem. I've never been a birding guy. I don't own binoculars.
Homework.
Dulaney was unbothered. She had a confession of her own.
"I'm hosting a birding festival, but I do not know a lot about birding," she said.
I can relate to that. I don't know much about bridal shows either, and I'm hosting one. Her festival and my show are even landing at the same place — the Longleaf Event Center at Anniston Museums & Gardens, inside the same 15 acres of gardens and trails that draw people up the ridge above Anniston for reasons that have nothing to do with either of our events. Two people who ended up running events outside their own expertise, at the same venue, taking turns promoting each other.
That, she explained, is the point of SkyTrail. The festival is built as much for people who have never thought of themselves as birders as for the ones who keep a "life list" (a lifetime tally of every species they've spotted) in the glovebox.
Calhoun County's first birding festival, Oct. 9-10.
Friday evening opens with what she calls a social sunset welcoming event at the Sensory Garden at Longleaf Center, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Registration is $25 and includes hors d'oeuvres and two drink tickets. Otter Creek Farmstead and Distillery will pour a bourbon tasting. Local artists will show nature- and bird-themed work. Alabama Audubon and the Alabama Trails Foundation will be on hand for anyone who wants to learn what they're looking at before Saturday's walk.
Saturday morning moves to Choccolocco Park in Oxford, at the Education Pavilion on Choccolocco Creek, from 8 to 11 a.m. Guided tours come from Jacksonville State, Alabama Audubon and the Alabama Trails Foundation. Kids get craft stations, including one where they build their own binoculars. I could use a pair.
Then Dulaney shared the detail she clearly enjoys most. Birders have documented 188 species in the Calhoun County area. Choccolocco Park sits at exit 188.
"It's meant to be," she said.
The festival is part of the Appalachian Highlands Birding Trail, a network of birding destinations across the Southeast.
By the end of the conversation, I'd changed my tune. It sounded like a great deal, and I told her I was interested in coming.
If you're in the area and want the full rundown — tickets, the Chamber's own listing, everything — Visit Calhoun County has the event page. And if you're getting married next year, The Aisle is at the same venue this October — worth a look either way.
Whether I show up with binoculars, store-bought or construction paper, remains to be seen.
[EDIT: confirm Cher's exact title/department, verify Chamber social handles for any cross-promotion, confirm which JSU department/club leads Saturday's tours]
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