Page 28 - Cullman Oktoberfest 2021

The people behind the hay people
Words By: Heather Mann Photos provided by: Evelyn Cox & CPRST
In 1999, Cullman residents Pat and Philip Clemmons traveled to Germany and brought back a tradition that has become a seasonable staple for the community. For 20 years, the Oktoberfest Hay People have been a sign of the changing season for the residents of Cullman, though they couldn’t have come to fruition without the help of close friends and family at the start.
Nancy Moore, Pat and Philip’s daughter, recounted that the very first hay people were assembled with hay from her parents’ friend’s farm, clothes from her uncle - who owned a sewing factory and had experience making doll clothes before this - and hats and hair made by a group of women from their church. “My mother had been very involved in Oktoberfest,” Moore remembered. “The hay people were a group effort, and she was very good at getting volunteers together.” At one time, there were displays set up all around Cullman - in front of the courthouse, the
hospital, Mitch Smith Chevrolet, Bill Smith GMC - but the number had to be brought down to just two: the one downtown and the one in Depot Park.
Evelyn Cox, one of the volunteers who has worked on the project since the very beginning, said that Pat and Phil used to pay for all the supplies themselves at the start. “Usually Nancy will call us around May to make sure we have the materials we need, and the City of Cullman pays for everything,” Cox stated. “But back then, Pat and Phil were the ones who provided everything.” Cox has helped with cutting the fabric for the clothes since 2000 - 2001, and she recalled that a majority of the process to make the hay people has stayed the same over the years.
The clothes are made by Elk River and then sent to Cullman for the hair to be stuffed and braided. Moore expressed a lot of gratitude toward Restoring Women’s outreach for their help in making the hair and
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