TUSCUMBIA-For the 36th consecutive year, the Alabama town of Tuscumbia, where Helen Keller was born and spent her childhood, will welcome thousands of visitors from across the U.S. to celebrate the life and legacy of the 
town’s most famous citizen. Normal at her birth in 1880, the child was stricken with an illness before she was two years old that left her blind, deaf, and unable to communicate. When she was seven, Annie Sullivan came to be her teacher. The famous breakthrough took place when Annie spelled w-a-t-e-r into Helen’s hand as she pumped water from the backyard well. Suddenly Helen grasped the meaning of the word and came to understand her world. This dramatic moment is captured during performances of “The Miracle Worker.” This award-winning drama will be presented on Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28, during the festival at 8:00 each evening, taking place in an outdoor theater on the grounds of “Ivy Green,” the home where the Keller family lived and where the actual “miracle” took place. Tickets are available by calling 256-383-4066. (“Miracle Worker” season runs Fridays and Saturdays, June 6- July 12.)
In addition to this signature event, the Helen Keller Festival offers a variety of musical acts, special events, and an outstanding arts & crafts show/sale.
Movie Nights will be presented in Spring Park, Tuscumbia, on Monday, June 23rd and 24th, when the original movie version of “The Miracle Worker” and a new documentary about the area’s rich music history entitled “Muscle Shoals” will be shown. Wednesday events include a mid-week concert staged outdoors in the evening at First Presbyterian Church. Thursday’s schedule includes a 6:00 p.m. parade led through downtown Tuscumbia by grand marshall and festival founder Mike McMackin. A street party with live music follows.
Keller Festival Arts & Crafts
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 27th, 28th, and 29th, are highlighted with the Helen Keller Arts and Crafts
Fair, in which a variety of hand-crafted items will be for sale on the North Side of Spring Park and no charge is required to visit this section. Just across the stone bridge, live music will be performed on the Spring Park stage, and a small admission is required to enter this section of the park.
The Saturday Headline concert is by Country recording artist 
, performing at 8:30 p.m. Messina’s hits include: “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” “Bye, Bye,” “I’m Alright,” “Stand Beside Me,” “That’s the Way,” “ Bring on the Rain” and “My Give a Damn’s Busted.” Opening for her is Leah Turner. Among additional festival entertainers are: Travis Wammack, The Wildwood Ruminators, The Kerry Gilbert Band, Shane and Wendell, Joseph Baldwin, Jordan Dean, Kaid Wright, the Ben Parker Project, Voodoo Bayou, Second Creek, Holli Moseley, CC Jags, Kutless, the Mizells, Swinging River Jazz Band and the Voices of Lee. Food vendors will be on hand.
Guided walking tours are offered of the historic town and visitors may tour the Helen Keller Home, the Tuscumbia Railway Depot and The Roundhouse and a log cabin that served as a frontier stagecoach stop. A piano concert at First Presbyterian Church, story-telling by Sarah Ann Maples at the Helen Keller Public Library, special art exhibits at the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art, community meal events, sporting events, educational programs, “Keller Kids” and much more are planned for the festival. For details visit www.helenkellerfestival.com or call Colbert Tourism at 256-383-0783.
More information and dates on “The Miracle Worker” and The Helen Keller Festival:
“The Miracle Worker,” the award-winning play dramatizing Helen Keller’s childhood victory over blindness and deafness with the help of her amazing teacher, Annie Sullivan, is presented each Friday and Saturday evening, through July 12 at Helen Keller’s home, Ivy Green, in Tuscumbia, AL. The play is performed near the actual pump through which water flowed, bringing knowledge and language to “America’s First Lady of Courage.” Curtain time is 8:00 p.m. Tickets: $15.00 reserved seats, $10.00 general admission. Group rates available. For reservations or more information: 256-383-4066, 888-329-2124, www.helenkellerbirthplace.org
The Helen Keller Festival, June 23-29, will take place in downtown Tuscumbia, AL, with events at Spring Park and other nearby locations. Parade on Thursday, June 26, at 6:00 p.m. Helen Keller Arts & Crafts Fair on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 27-29. Jo Dee Messina headlines the Helen Keller Festival Concert on Saturday, June 28. Live music throughout the festival. Outdoor drama “The Miracle Worker” on Friday and Saturday evenings, June 27-28, at Helen Keller Home. Special events. Details: 256-383-0783 or www.helenkellerfestival.com
