Jack and Erin Silver of Hartselle ride on the swings at the Depot Days Festival. See more photos of the event on Page A-10 and A-11. | Clif Knight

Favorable weather, record number of vendors. lively stage shows and upgraded children’s play area combined to make Hartselle’s annual Depot Days Festival one of the largest and most successful in recent years.

The all-day Saturday event opened with temperatures in the mid-sixties and a mid-afternoon high topping out in the mid-eighties, with a bright blue sky and plenty of sunshine in between.

“It was ideal and it helped bring out one of the largest crowds we’ve had,” said Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce President Susan Hines. “We had plenty of fun things to do and everybody seemed to really enjoy themselves.”

One of the most noticeable changes from recent years was the number of vendors that came to town to set up their shops.

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“We brought in more than 200 vendors this year,” Hines said. “That’s about 20 percent more than what we’ve ever had, and we had to utilize every available space to squeeze them in.”

A wide variety of entertainment was offered on the Hartselle Enquirer stage, attracting crowds throughout the day. The entertainers included Fully Armed, Alaina Wiley, Michael Dean and Memphis and Jeff Whitlow.

The Children’s Area enhanced its appeal to the kids by adding a Euro Bunge and swing ride to go along with the Depot Day s train and a full complement of inflatables.

The antique and classic car and tractor shows both had good participation with 170 and 43 entries, respectively.

The Depots Days 5K run and 1-mile fun run were also popular events, attracting 83 and 30 entries, respectively.