Nothing says “traditional family country fun” like the annual Glenwood Festival at the Well coming this year on May 16.

There are children’s activities, including the Beauty and Beau Pageant, local arts and crafts, carnival food vendors and a non-stop lineup of South Alabama’s best entertainers on stage from early morning to late at night. Those are just some of what 22 years of festival-goers have come to expect and appreciate each year on the third Saturday in May.

The little town of Glenwood is centered around an old “flowing” or Artesian well. The Flowing Well has been a gathering place near the confluence of Crenshaw, Coffee and Pike counties since Glenwood first came into being in the mid-1800s.

The streets and grounds surrounding the landmark flowing well will be filled to overflowing with food vendors, arts and crafts booths and lots of fun family activities. Smoked barbecue with all the trimmings will be served up by the Glenwood Volunteer Fire Department on site, with take-home quantities available until they sell out.

The entertainment line-up has not been finalized yet, but the Glenwood Festival promises to be one of Alabama’s best entertainment values. Steve Holmes, long-time emcee for the event says.

“The Benton Brothers, Harlan Burton and Becky Montgomery are on board and always bring a good following,” he said. “Back for an encore performance, Amanda, Dara and Tim Hale will bring their unique style of homespun folk music to our stage.”

Some others lined up during the day are Taylor Weeks, Tori Reisnour and Cindy Grider.

“We’ve had everything from local dancers and karaoke singers, to Grammy-winning songwriters and session musicians and everything in between,” Holmes added. “There are usually some very well-known surprise guests, as well.”

The festival kicks off with a parade at 9 a.m. and winds down with a street dance beginning at 7 p.m., featuring the band “Country, Rhythm and Blues” with Danny Brown and Lenny Trawick.

Reservations are still available for parade participants, tables for the street dance and vendor booths. For more information, contact (334) 335-3165 or (334) 335-3426.

Tickets for the festival are available at the gate and run $5 for adults and $1 for children under 12.

The annual Glenwood Festival at the Well foundation supports a scholarship program for young people in and around Glenwood.