Now hear this

TUSCUMBIA - Today's Helen Keller Festival parade honors one of the Shoals' most colorful characters. In planning this year's 25th-anniversary activities, festival organizers decided to salute veteran entertainer and broadcasting legend Jack Voorhies for his many years of service to the annual Keller celebration.

"Everybody loves Jack Voorhies," said Keller Johnson Thompson, chairwoman of the festival's board of directors. "He was our emcee for many years, and people looked forward to seeing him as much as they did the performers he introduced. He's been a big part of the festival's popularity over the years."

Voorhies - whose distinctive voice and gallery of comical characters are familiar to radio listeners across the country - was recently injured in a car accident. At the time of the wreck, he was selected to serve as this year's parade grand marshal and return to his longtime role as emcee of selected festival events.

"Jack was really looking forward to it," noted his wife, Sara Voorhies. "He emceed the festival for about 10 years, and he just loved doing it. He always loves being in the thick of things and having a chance to entertain the crowds."

In his absence, radio personalities from Big River Broadcasting will handle all of this year's emcee duties. But even though he's recuperating in the hospital, Voorhies will still serve as the parade's honorary grand marshall.

"We couldn't do this without having Jack there, at least in spirit, and show that we're thinking about him," Thompson remarked. "So we've come up with a great way to have him still be the grand marshal and still be in the parade."

Sara Voorhies has arranged for a wagon to be pulled in the parade by a pair of mules. The parade entry will represent a wagon owned by one of Voorhies' most popular radio alter egos, farmer and country philosopher Luther Appleby, and his favorite mule, Chilton.

"I'm having pictures blown up of Jack that we'll put on both sides of the wagon," she explained. "We'll have a sign that says, 'Luther Appleby couldn't be here, so he sent Chilton.' That way, people on both sides of the street will see a mule, the sign and a picture of Jack."

The annual Keller festival - which began Sunday and continues through this Sunday - celebrates the life and achievements of Tuscumbia's most famous native. Although she lost her sight and hearing at the age of 18 months, Keller learned to communicate and became a world-famous author, humanitarian and symbol of courage and understanding.

"Her legacy is still very much alive more than 30 years after her death, and it's reflected in this festival," says Thompson, whose great-grandmother was Keller's younger sister, Mildred.

"We want people who come to the festival to know that Helen Keller was not just a woman who overcame disabilites," she added. "She was a woman who gave back, and that's what the festival is all about - giving back to the community. Helen Keller was that type of person."

Thompson followed in her great-great-aunt's footsteps, serving as an ambassador for the American Foundation for the Blind. On Wednesday, she presented a program on "The Many Faces of Helen Keller" at the Helen Keller Public Library.

"We're definitely seeing a lot of people from out of town, and we'll have even more over the weekend," Thompson observed. "We had about 30 people at the library today, and there were two gentlemen there from Salt City, Virginia, and a little girl from Birmingham who was visiting her grandmother."

The day's activities also included a Senior Citizens Day at Spring Park, featuring music by veteran recording artist and state Sen. Bobby Denton of Muscle Shoals. The Dove Award-winning gospel act Gold City performed a live concert on the grounds of the Colbert County Courthouse.

"We've had great crowds all week, and the crowds have all been so diverse," Thompson added. "I think that's because we have such a wide variety of events this year. We have events for young and old, we have all kinds of music, and we have some awesome arts and crafts that will appeal to every taste."

Upcoming Keller activities include live music nightly, including a headliner concert Saturday by country superstar and former Shoals singer-songwriter Darryl Worley. Sporting events, art exhibits, performances of the Keller drama "The Miracle Worker" and tours of historic sites round out an expansive lineup that's expected to draw more than 150,000 people over an eight-day period.

"If the weather holds up," Thompson remarked, "this could very well be the biggest festival we've ever had."

Terry Pace can be reached at 740-5741 or terry.pace@timesdaily.com.