52nd Annual Arley Day will be May 17

ARLEY - The countdown is on for one of the biggest and best festivals in Winston County. The 52nd annual Arley Day will take place Saturday, May 17, at Hamner Park, located on Helicon Road. 

The event, which is sponsored by the Arley Women’s Club, is a kick-off to summer, with a parade, car show, pickleball tournament, vendor booths, kid’s rides, Kidz Town, food and fun for people of all ages.

As with most years, Arley Day 2025 kicks off with a pancake breakfast from 7-8:30 a.m. at the Arley Fire Station, located directly across from Hamner Park.  Donations are welcomed and will benefit the Arley Volunteer Fire Department.

Arley Day Parade

Line-up for the Arley Day Parade will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the parking lot of Dollar General on County Road 41 South.  The parade will come up through the heart of Arley, ending in the parking lot of Meek Baptist Church, located on Helicon Road just down from Hamner Park.

This year’s parade theme is “America the Beautiful”, and the Arley Women’s Club welcomes all organizations, schools, businesses and community groups to participate.  There will be a float competition, with the best decorated float winning a cash prize..  
Groups wanting to hand out candy will have to have walkers beside their vehicles to do so.  Participants in the car show are welcome to be in the parade, as well.

Second annual pickleball tournament

As the parade begins, so will the second annual pickleball tournament.

The registration fee for the Arley Day Pickleball Tournament is $25 per player. Registration and information on how to play can be found at arleywomensclub.org.  For more information, call (205) 540-5020 or send an email to janeshirah@gmail.com. Proceeds from the registration fees will go to help the Arley Women’s Club serve the needs throughout the community.

Vendors

Once the parade ends around 8:30 a.m., Arley Day will begin in earnest at Hamner Park.  One of the highlights of Arley Day is the vendors, who typically have a wide range of merchandise available.  There is room for up to 100 vendors at the event, including food vendors. See more details into the April 23, 2025, edition of the Alabamian. To reserve a spot or pay online, visit arleywomensclub.org.

Arley Women’s Club booth and drawing

The Arley Women’s Club booth always has a wide variety of merchandise, including scrumptious bake sale items to purchase, as well as several silent auction baskets to bid upon. 

AWC President Laurie McGriff noted that the AWC will be holding a drawing again this year at the Women’s Club booth.

“This year’s drawing will feature a new Komado ceramic grill, complete with a large variety of barbecue sauces and a special electric insert so that it can be used as either a charcoal or electric grill,”  McGriff said.

Car show

The car show is always a highlight of Arley Day.  The fee to be in the car show is $25. There will be several cash prizes given away, including for Best in Show and the People’s Choice, along with a money tree.  Visit arleywomensclub.org to register.  For more information, contact Paula Fullington at (615) 943-6816 or Lisa Weeks at (904) 403-6128.

Kidz Town

Kidz Town is expanding for 2025, with new games, inflatables, face painting and other fun activities.  Another exciting aspect of Arley Day for the kids is the water slides.  Parents are encouraged to bring towels with them and dress their children in clothes they don’t mind them getting wet in because the kids will want to climb up and enjoy the water slides.

There will also be rides for the kids, including the mind winder ride, as well as free horseback rides for the children to enjoy.  Archery opportunities will not be taking place this year, according to organizers.

Smokey the Bear is coming to Arley Day this year, and will be at the fire station booth at the festival, ready to have his photo made with young kids and the young at heart alike.

Again this year, the Arley Women’s Club will be providing free hot dog lunches for the  kids in attendance.

3-on-3 basketball tournament

A 3-on-3 basketball tournament will be taking place beginning at 9 a.m. at the basketball court at Hamner Park.  Proceeds from this event will go to the basketball program at Meek High School.

The entire membership of the AWC is very appreciative of the many supporters who make Arley Day such a success each year.  Some of this year’s supporters include:
Alabama Department of Tourism, Walker Area Community Foundation, Traditions Bank, Son’s of Arley, Grayson Lumber Corporation, BankFirst,  BRC Lake Vision, Smith Lake Landscaping, Isaac’s Heating & Cooling, Bank of Walker County, Lake League Real Estate, Honda of Jasper, Hyundai of Jasper, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association and anonymous members of the Arley Women’s Club.