2026 Heritage Days

April 7 – 12, 2026

For the fourth annual Heritage Days, Trussville welcomes back the Gee’s Bend Quilters for a welcome event and quilting workshop sponsored by AmFirst; country music singers/songwriters Nashville to Trussville music event at The Gateway – Trussville Entertainment District presented by Trimm Design Build; and the Alabama Plein Air Artists painting the Cahaba Homestead Village with an exhibition to follow at the Trussville Public Library! Stay tuned to this webpage as more information becomes available!

Thursday, April 9: Gee’s Bend Quilters Welcome Event

6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Register HERE to attend this FREE event!

Come meet Mary Ann and China Pettway from Boykin, AL, and hear their inspirational stories. They will have quilts and other items for purchase.

Join us in welcoming Gee’s Bend quilters Mary and Ann and China as they return to Trussville for the 4th annual Heritage Days. Visitors will learn about life in Gee’s Bend; the quilting tradition passed down through generations; and hear stories and songs as they can only be told and sung by Mary Ann and China. Visitors can also view and purchase quilted items from the Gee’s Bend Quilting Collective, and take photographs with Mary Ann and China. Registration preferred for planning – thank you.

Cash, PayPal and Venmo accepted for sale items.

Friday, April 10: Gee’s Bend Quilters Workshop

Sponsored by AmFirst Credit Union

9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Register HERE to attend the Friday, April 10 quilt workshop!

Whether you are a beginner or an expert quilter, China and Mary Ann Pettway will help you grow your skills and your heart. Each day includes a guided Q&A and How-to demonstration, lots of sewing time, singing and story-telling by the Quilters, and time for photographs and opportunities to purchase available items from the Gee’s Bend Collective.

A ticket for this event covers ONE day of a quilting workshop – Friday April 10th 9:00-3:30 OR Saturday April 11th 9:00-3:30. Attendees are welcome to purchase a ticket for each day to have a two-day workshop experience.

Friday, April 10: Music Event at The Gateway – Trussville Entertainment District

Sponsored by Trimm Design Build

7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Three well-known singer-songwriters will headline Trussville’s fourth annual Heritage Days event on April 10. Adam Craig, Ray Fulcher, and Jordan Walker are set to play a songwriter’s round on The Gateway – Trussville Entertainment District stage from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event is free to the public.

Craig has written songs recorded by Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch, Montgomery Gentry, Parmalee, George Strait, Kane Brown, and Cody Johnson, among others. His first hit song, “Close Your Eyes,” was recorded by Parmalee, after which Craig was signed to a record deal with BMG Records. His single “Just A Phase” charted in the top 30.

Fulcher has co-written six No. 1 songs and has had more than 25 songs recorded by Luke Combs, along with cuts by Chris Young, Zac Brown Band, Riley Green, Kameron Marlowe, and Dillon Carmichael, among others. As an artist, Fulcher has more than 30 million streams to his credit. Fulcher’s debut full-length album, “Spray Painted Line,” was released by Black River Entertainment in 2022.

Walker, formerly of the country music duo Walker McGuire, has had songs recorded by Combs, Johnson, Brown, Cold Swindell, Jordan Davis, Trace Adkins, and Drew Baldridge, among others. Walker has been signed to Sony Music Publishing Nashville since November 2019. He was a co-writer on the multiweek No. 1 single “When It Rains, It Pours” by Combs, which has been certified by RIAA as a diamond single.

Saturday, April 11: Gee’s Bend Quilters Workshop

Sponsored by AmFirst Credit Union

9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Register HERE to attend the Saturday, April 11 quilt workshop!

Whether you are a beginner or an expert quilter, China and Mary Ann Pettway will help you grow your skills and your heart. Each day includes a guided Q&A and How-to demonstration, lots of sewing time, singing and story-telling by the Quilters, and time for photographs and opportunities to purchase available items from the Gee’s Bend Collective.

A ticket for this event covers ONE day of a quilting workshop – Friday April 10th 9:00-3:30 OR Saturday April 11th 9:00-3:30. Attendees are welcome to purchase a ticket for each day to have a two-day workshop experience.

Saturday, April 11: Trussville Historical Museum Open House

Heritage Hall, 225 Parkway Drive, Trussville, AL 35173

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Trussville Historical Museum at Heritage Hall will be open Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. One attendee who signs in at the museum will be entered into a drawing for a door prize from ACE Hardware!

Mark A. Johnson, PhD, is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and will attend to present “Hog Heaven: A Brief History of Alabama Barbecue.” In the nineteenth century, barbecue played a prominent role in the campaign rallies of the state’s aspiring politicians. By the end of the century, barbecue joints started popping up near Birmingham’s steel mills. In the 1950s, pitmasters set up shop in roadside shacks to feed weary travelers venturing out on the nation’s new highways and interstates. In the 1960s, barbecue fed the Civil Rights Movement. Most recently, Alabama barbecue has adapted to foodie interest in heritage breeds and sustainability.

In 2016, Johnson earned his PhD from the University of Alabama. In 2017, he published An Irresistible History of Alabama Barbecue. Currently, he’s completing a cultural history of bacon in the United States. Johnson is a participant in the AHA Young Scholars Program which brings young historians into the Speaker’s Bureau to share their research with the public.