By Staff
Melissa Cason, Franklin County Times
HODGES – The Town of Hodges is gearing up to celebrate their Centennial with a festival Oct. 6, which will begin at 9 a.m.
Dubbed the Spirit of Hodges, the event will include a car, motorcycle and tractor show, vendors and live entertainment throughout the day.
"We are still in the planning stages but we already have several musical acts lined up for the event," event coordinator, Tina Lawler, said.
Lawler said that the Spirit of Hodges is an event designated to honor the past as well as to bring visitors to the town to see what it has to offer.
"This is our first year, and we hope that will become an annual event," Lawler said.
She added the planning committee named the festival Spirit of Hodges after a P51-Mustang Fighter plane that was named by the Town of Hodges during World War II.
"We [the town] sold war bonds to help fund the war, and we raised $47,000, which was quite a lot of money back then," Lawler said. "To reward the town for its efforts, we were allowed to name one of the fighter planes used in the war and we named it Spirit of Hodges."
A photo of this plane hangs in the Hodges Town Hall as a tribute to the people who helped our nation during a difficult time. Lawler said that a representative with the archives in Birmingham is trying to locate the plane to see if it could be brought to the festival.
"I know it's just a big dream to have that plane here, but it would be amazing if we could somehow have it here," Lawler said. "For all we know may have been lost in the Pacific or something."
While the plane itself will most likely not make the event, its memory and its spirit will be there. A photograph of the plane is printed on the t-shirts and the posters advertising the event.
T-shirts are available for purchase at town hall for $12 each, and are available in two colors: khaki and white.
Since the planning committee is still in the planning process, they are currently accepting applications for vendors. Anyone who wishes to come to the event can contact Tina Lawler or Linda Howard at Hodges Town Hall.