The Helen Keller Festival honors a woman, Helen Keller, who not only overcame being blind and deaf but also became a great ambassador for America.
Helen Keller was born to Arthur Keller and Catherine Adams Keller on June 27,1880, and died on June 1, 1968.
Helen learned to read and write with the help of Anne Sullivan, and she graduated from Radcliffe College with honors in 1904. Helen also wrote several books and was an advocate for several causes. Helen Adams Keller is buried in the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
My first stop was the Car and Truck Show, held on Main Street in Tuscumbia and sponsored by the Shoals Car and Truck Club.
The streets were crowded with people walking around, looking at the vehicles on display. There were vehicles like the Scoobie Doo Volkswagen, to the newest Corvette.
I tried to find a place to park my van, which would be about midway through everything I wanted to do.
I walked down the street to Cold Water Book Store, where the Tuscumbia Walking Tour people were to meet.
I was a little early, so I walked inside to cool off, and there were several more people there. There were several vendors set up inside, so I went by each one and stopped to talk to them.
I talked to a man selling books on how to start a business. I said I was retired, had no interest in starting a business, and liked history. He said that some of my family would like to start a business. I said I have a family member who already owns a company. He laughed and said I guess you are not going to buy a book from me and I said Not unless it is about history. We both laughed.
Next, I met a woman selling jewelry. She said that she lived in Atlanta but was originally from Tuscumbia, and she came every year for the Helen Keller Festival.
I stopped at the following table where a man, his wife, and his son were sitting. He was selling a series of books about UFOs. He told me he made the bust statue of Werner von Braun at NASA and that he had worked for Disney.
There was a display of beautiful pictures depicting the early '50s & '60s, and whoever painted these pictures sure did a great job. The woman standing next to me said they were hers.
She said growing up in the 50s was just like the Happy Days show.
It was getting close to the start of the walking tour, so I walked outside to wait for it to begin.
Three people shared information about how Tuscumbia got started and how it came to be called Tuscumbia. The Old Stage Coach Building was pointed out to us, and we were told that we could tour it on our own later. We walked up Main Street, stopping to listen to the women talk about the train depot where Anne Sullivan was picked up by one of the Kellers' carriages and taken to Ivy Green. A carriage owned by the Kellers is on display at the Tuscumbia Depot.
We also listened to the women talk about the newspaper building where Mr. Keller worked.
The streets were still very crowded as we made our way up.
We stopped just outside the Abernathy House, and one of the women asked if the group could tour the house.
We were invited inside, and some of the group walked upstairs while others toured the tunnel underneath the house. The tunnel was once used to bring food from the kitchen to the dining room, which was located downstairs.
Everyone walked outside and across the parking lot. Our next stop was in the blazing sun, so I looked for a shady spot while the women talked about the two nearby churches.
Finally, we arrived at the First Presbyterian Church, where we were invited to the Helen Keller Mini Concert.
Dinie Stone played one song, Jesus Loves Me on the harpsichord.
Brian Beck played a couple of songs on the Organ.
Dinie Stone played a selection of hymns and classics on the piano
Dinie played songs about water, about communion, and when Dinie began to play America, everyone stood and joined in the singing.
In the end, everyone was invited to stay for light refreshments.
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| Once I knew only darkness and stillness... My life was without past or future, but a little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness, and my heart leaped to the rapture of living. |
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| Helen Keller Mini-Concert |
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| The letter was written by Helen Keller. |
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| Everyone was given a copy of the letter Helen Keller wrote to Reverend WF Trump. |
I enjoyed two glasses of fresh lemonade and two cookies while I sat and talked with several women.
It was around 12:30 P.M., and I still had to walk back to my car.
I was going to the Keller Library to hear Keller Thompson talk about the life of her great-great-aunt, Helen Keller.
I arrived at the Keller Library, but the door was still locked. It was bout fifteen until one. Many other people were waiting. I walked back to my van and cranked it because it was too hot to stand outside. Right after I cranked the van, the door opened. So I got out of my van and walked inside.
I enjoyed listening to Mrs. Thompson's talk and slide show about Helen Keller.
There were also light refreshments after the talk. I got a bottle of water and a cookie.
It had been a great morning, even though the heat index was over 100 degrees.
