Wec nov13dm

NOVEMBER 2013 • POWERING YOUR COMMUNITY

Wiregrass Electric COOPERATIVE

Visiting a Different Time Wiregrass residents step 100 years into the past at Landmark Park

www.wiregrass.coop

VOL. 66 NO. 11 NOVEMBER 2013

LIVING

CEO (INTERIM)

Les Moreland CO-OP EDITOR

WEC Member Services Division ALABAMA LIVING is delivered to some 420,000 Alabama families and businesses, which are members of 22 not-for-profit, consumer-owned, locally directed and taxpaying electric cooperatives. AREA cooperative member subscriptions are $3 a year; non-member subscriptions, $6.

Alabama Living (USPS 029-920) is published monthly by the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives.

Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Alabama, and at additional mailing office.

POSTMASTER send forms 3579 to: Alabama Living, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, Alabama 36124-4014.

ALABAMA RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

AREA PRESIDENT Fred Braswell EDITOR Lenore Vickrey MANAGING EDITOR Melissa Henninger CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mark Stephenson ART DIRECTOR Michael Cornelison ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Adam Freeman ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Brooke Davis RECIPE EDITOR Mary Tyler Spivey

6 Helping our seniors The South Alabama Regional Council on Aging (SARCOA) makes Christmas better for 400 seniors across the Wiregrass who are alone or need financial assistance.

ON THE COVER

20 Floating time capsule

Landmark Park helps preserve Wiregrass heritage through activities such as blacksmith demonstrations and more (Page 34). ..............................

The USS Alabama in Mobile Bay is a tribute to the 2,500-member crew of this Navy battleship that saw 37 months of active duty during World War II.

24 Worth the drive

The old Josephine Hotel in Union Springs is enjoying a new life as the Josephine Art Center, complete with ice cream parlor and sandwich shop.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LANDMARK PARK

ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL OFFICES:

340 TechnaCenter Drive Montgomery, Alabama 36117-6031 1-800-410-2737 E-mail: advertising@areapower.com www.areapower.coop

When you see this symbol, it means there’s more content online at www.alabamaliving.coop!

Videos, expanded stories and more!

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE:

National Country Market 611 South Congress Ave., Suite 504 Austin, Texas 78704 1-800-626-1181 www.nationalcountrymarket.com www.alabamaliving.coop

DEPARTMENTS 9

USPS 029-920 • ISSN 1047-0311

22 24 25

Printed in America from American materials

Alabama Living

Landmark Park allows visitors to see what it was like to live on a working Wiregrass farm in the 1800s. The park features a farmhouse, blacksmith shop, garden, corn crib, cane mill, syrup shed and smokehouse (Page 34).

32 38

Spotlight Alabama Outdoors Worth the Drive Alabama Gardens Fish&Game Forecast Alabama Snapshots NOVEMBER 2013 3

Wiregrass Electric Cooperative

Interim CEO’s Comments

A time of thankfulness

Board of Trustees

Les Moreland, Interim CEO

Wiregrass Electric Cooperative Kip Justice District 6 President

Danny McNeil District 4 Vice President

Debra E. Baxley District 1 Secretary

Donna Parrish District 2

John Clark, Jr. District 3

Tracy Reeder District 5

Donald Ray Wilks District 7

Greg McCullough District 8

Nolan Laird District 9

4 NOVEMBER 2013

T

his is one of my favorite times of year, because Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It’s a time when we tend to reflect more on the things that are most important to us. As we enter this season, several things come to mind for which I am thankful.

To begin with, I am thankful to be part of this cooperative family. It is a blessing to work at Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, where great employees spend their days (and some nights) providing excellent service and improving quality of life for our members.

We know that the work we do every day enables families to cook meals and take care of their homes; it powers businesses and supports jobs; it allows clinics to serve patients, grocery stores to keep food cold and “mom and pop” shops to open their doors and serve their communities.

I am also thankful for the partnerships that enable us to provide a high level of service.

Our wholesale energy partner, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, is on the same mission as Wiregrass Electric — to make lives better for their members. They do this through the generation and transmission of reliable, affordable electricity. Without PowerSouth, we could not play the role of power distributor in the Wiregrass region.

PowerSouth also partners with us to bring important programs to our members, such as the energy efficiency loan program you’ve read about in this magazine and seen on our website, www.wiregrass.coop.

Beyond our family of employees, members and PowerSouth representatives, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative is part of a larger family that spans the entire state. We are one of 22 electric cooperatives across Alabama.

Not only do we share common values and a common mission, but we are also there for one another in times of disaster. These other

cooperatives are our brothers and sisters, and together we are making a difference in rural Alabama.

Helping us coordinate these efforts is the Alabama Rural Electric Association, or AREA. The people of this organization work hard on behalf of all cooperatives, helping us do jointly what we could not do by ourselves.

This magazine is just one of the many benefits we enjoy as a part of the AREA family.

That statewide family extends to the national level. Cooperatives across America join forces through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, or NRECA. Through the coordinated efforts of this organization, we sent crews to help those in Mississippi affected by Hurricane Isaac. When we have experienced natural disaster in this region, cooperatives from other parts of the country have sent crews to help us. We support one another in hard times, because that’s part of what being a cooperative is all about.

I am very thankful for our partnership with NRECA and the family of cooperatives who belong to this organization.

I would also like to add that I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve as interim CEO of this great company, and to help your cooperative during this time of transition.

Every day, the men and women of Wiregrass Electric are working hard to improve the cooperative and find new and innovative ways to meet your needs. That is our mission, and I am blessed to be part of that work.

In closing, I would like to say “thank you” to the board of trustees that has given me the opportunity to serve you; to the employees who have been so supportive; and to the members of Wiregrass Electric — you are who we are working for, and it is our pleasure to meet your needs. Happy Thanksgiving!

www.wiregrass.coop

Your Cooperative Contact Information

November electric bills may be due on a different date Wiregrass Electric Cooperative is changing the days it bills customers beginning this month.

Beginning Nov. 1, WEC will be reducing the number of billing cycles from 15 to four. This change could affect the day your electric bill arrives and the day it is due.

“As more and more members are using auto draft or our prepay program, InControl, there is no longer a need for 15 separate billing cycles,” says Brad Kimbro, director of member services at WEC. “Thanks to these new services, we can now serve our members with only four different billing cycles instead. This frees up resources to help us provide even more support for our members.” If you are not a part of our InControl program, you may be affected. Those on autodraft can expect a phone call and letter about the change before their due date.

If you have any questions, please call WEC at 800-239-4602.

Stay safe when using a generator this winter Sometimes when storms strike or temperatures drop, interruptions to your electric service can happen. Many turn to portable generators for electricity while crews work to restore power lines, but that can be dangerous if certain precautions are not followed.

“We want people to be safe when using these generators,” says Nathan Worsham, WEC safety coordinator. “If you’re not paying attention, it’s easy for someone to get hurt.”

Wiregrass Electric members using portable generators need to be aware that there are a few guidelines that can help keep them and others safe.

• If you have an electric generator, it’s best to plug your appliances directly into the generator itself. Often, members will plug several appliances into a power strip, then plug the single strip into the generator. This can be dangerous.

• For those looking to put their home circuits on a generator, WEC recommends having a certified electrician handle the task. ImpropAlabama Living

er installation can ruin a generator, but it can also feed electricity into the Wiregrass power line. When this happens, a lineman handling a downed power line believed to be dead can suddenly be electrocuted.

• Install the generator in a clean, dry, wellventilated area. Obstructing ventilation can cause overheating and produce carbon monoxide poisoning. Never operate in a confined area where animals or people could be exposed.

• Keep animals and children away from the generator while it is operating. Do not operate the generator in rain, snow or flooded conditions. Water and electricity never mix!

• Never fill the fuel tank while the engine is running. Gasoline can be ignited by a hot muffler, engine or an electrical spark. Allow the engine to cool completely before refueling.

To learn more, visit www.wiregrass.coop/ generator-safety. If you have any questions, call WEC at 800-239-4602.

Business Phone: 1-800-239-4602 (24 hrs/day) Office: Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

(Samson closed 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)

Toll Free Outage “Hotline” 1-888-4-MY-OUTAGE 1-888-469-6882 (24 hrs/day) Website www.wiregrass.coop Find Wiregrass Electric Co-op on Twitter (twitter.com/wec2) and on Facebook

Payment Options

BY MAIL Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, Inc. Department 1340, P.O. Box 2153 Birmingham, AL 35287-1340 WEBSITE Payments may be made 24 hrs/day by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and E-Check on our website at www.wiregrass.coop.

PHONE PAYMENTS Payments may be made any time by dialing 1-800-239-4602.

NIGHT DEPOSITORY Available at each office location.

IN PERSON Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Hartford 509 N. State Hwy. 167 Hartford, AL 36344 Samson 13148 W. State Hwy. 52 Samson, AL 36477 Closed from 12 p.m - 1 p.m.

Ashford 1066 Ashford Highway, Ashford, AL 36312 Dothan 6167 Fortner St. Dothan, AL 36305 For questions regarding sanitation service, call Houston County Sanitation Department at 334-677-4705.

NOVEMBER 2013 5

SARCOA, WEC give back to seniors this holiday season Wiregrass Electric Cooperative will team up with the South Alabama Regional Council on Aging (SARCOA) to help make the holidays a little brighter for senior citizens in the region.

This year, WEC offices will become a drop-off destination for SARCOA’s Santa for Seniors, a program that gives the public a chance to send Christmas gifts to seniors in the community who need it the most.

“The gifting program is similar to the popular Angel Tree program for children,” says Jessica Franklin, community education coordinator at SARCOA. Instead of sponsoring an anonymous child, however, donors sponsor an anonymous senior citizen and give them the basic items they need year-

round: non-perishable groceries, adult diapers, bed pads, shampoo, lotion and other things, such as Ensure and Glucerna.

Other items that are appreciated include larger-sized clothing, such as coats and sweaters, to keep out the cold.

Seniors in need “A lot of seniors, as they get older, maybe their family members have passed away, maybe they’re alone,” Franklin says. “They may have basic needs that are harder to get on a fixed income. This allows them to get extra help to get those items.”

Santa for Seniors will help about 400 elderly people in SARCOA’s sevencounty region of Barbour, Coffee, Cov-

“The success of this project is 100 percent dependent on the community,” says Jessica Franklin, community education coordinator at SARCOA. To find out how you can help seniors this Christmas, visit www.sarcoa.org.

6 NOVEMBER 2013

ington, Dale, Geneva, Henry and Houston, says Franklin. All of the people on the list to be adopted are either SARCOA clients, elderly people with case workers or members of senior centers throughout the region.

The program started as a grass-roots, volunteer-driven project to help the most vulnerable seniors during the holiday season, she says.

“It’s a simple wish list, really,” says Franklin. “These are really everyday living items that they need all year long.

This helps them know they’re not forgotten in the community.”

Partnering with WEC WEC offices will offer a drop-off spot for the gifts — something Franklin says is an important part of the Santa for Seniors project.

“We serve a really large region,” she says. Unfortunately, not everyone who wants to offer up gifts to the program lives close enough to the primary dropoff spot, which is located at the former Armory at the intersection of Choctaw near Westgate Parkway in Dothan.

“This way, people are able to take the items to an office closer to them,” she adds.

Franklin says businesses such as Wiregrass Electric are a big part of the Santa for Seniors program. Without them, it might be difficult to get enough support for the project and to help enough of the area’s aging population that needs it.

WEC members can search for senior citizens in need at www.sarcoa.org.

www.wiregrass.coop

Holiday Spirit

They can then drop off their donations at one of their WEC locations.

“We are proud to help SARCOA’s Santa for Seniors program,” says Brad Kimbro, director of member services for WEC. “They do great work in the community, and we are glad Wiregrass Electric can be part of that.”

Helping All Year But Christmas isn’t the only time that the community can help the elderly through SARCOA. The agency was formed 27 years ago as a way to provide services that improve the quality of life and enhance the independence of senior citizens in the seven-county area.

The agency hires case managers who visit homes and assess the various needs of seniors in the community. Once needs and qualifications are determined, contractors provide help and services to the home, whether it’s for household chores, such as cleaning and bathing; home-delivered meals; adult day care; or skilled and unskilled nursing care.

Seniors can also receive help with getting prescription medications through the agency’s SenioRx program, which helps qualifying low-income residents get prescription drugs from pharmaceutical companies at no cost. The prescription drug program has saved about $13 million.

In addition, some seniors aged 60 and older may be eligible for legal assistance for help with simple wills, power of attorney, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other health insurance issues, based on qualifications.

Family caregivers are also supported through the agency, which provides training, assistance and resources that help the caregiver take care of their loved one, as well as themselves.

Programs of SARCOA include the

Alabama Living

This year, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative will be a drop-off destination for SARCOA’s Santa for Seniors program, which provides food and clothing to about 400 seniors across the Wiregrass.

Square One Senior Help Tool, which stands for “Serious Questions. Urgent Answers. Reliable Education.” The Square One Help Tool allows a free service for senior citizens and their caregivers to find ways to provide resource options for their needs and interests, as well as guidance in applying for the various services available.

Another program offered by SARCOA is Hungry to Help, a communitysponsored meals-on-wheels program that allows members of the community or organizations to sponsor seniors who need meals delivered to their home.

For $55 a month, an elderly, disabled person or a 60-year-old or older person who is too frail to shop and prepare food can receive hot meals for a month. Organizations and individuals can support the program. For more information on enrolling or sponsoring a homebound senior, call the senior center nearest the person’s home.

In addition, SARCOA’s Senior Re-

source Center in Dothan offers a central location for aging and disabled community members and their caregivers to turn for help with support, assistance and the benefits that may be available. SARCOA also supports more than 30 senior centers throughout the seven-county service region. The centers serve about 350,000 meals each year, 20 percent of which are delivered to homebound seniors. The centers also provide a variety of social activities. A

HELP THE SANTA FOR SENIORS PROJECT Bring the following to any WEC office: • Canned food items

• Blankets

• Ensure and Glucerna

• Sweaters

• Bug spray

• Adult diapers

NOVEMBER 2013 7

Area Happenings

The Coffee County Arts Alliance brings world-famous performers to the Wiregrass Celebrating its 40th season, the Coffee County Arts Alliance continues the tradition of great entertainment for the enjoyment of Wiregrass residents. The CCAA is dedicated to providing this area with opportunities to experience art exhibits, music performances and more at an affordable rate and without the need to travel long distances.

For information on individual events or season tickets, call 334-406-2787 or visit www.CoffeeCountyArtsAlliance.com.

Performances are made possible by support from corporate and individual memberships, by the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Nov. 4, 2013: “Ring of Fire — The Life & Music of Johnny Cash” will be performed at the Enterprise High School Performing Arts Center. Johnny Cash is one of America’s great musical artists, and “Ring of Fire” brings both his story and music to life on stage. Eight performers will cover more than 30 of Cash’s top songs while explaining how he made the journey from cotton fields in Arkansas to the Grand Ole Opry. Performance is at 7 p.m.

Jan. 9, 2014: Acclaimed country artist Suzy Bogguss will be performing at Elba High School.

Bogguss began her career in the 1980s as a solo singer. Over the next decade she would release both gold and platinum albums and be awarded the Academy of Country Music’s title of Top New Female Vocalist. Since then, Bogguss has continued releasing music and touring. In 2005, Bogguss won a Grammy for her traditional folk album, “Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster.” She is also a frequent guest on National Public Radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” Performance will begin at 7 p.m.

April 5-6, 2014: The 40th Piney Woods Art Festival will take place at Enterprise State Community College at the running track. The festival is one of the oldest juried arts and crafts shows in the area and features approximately 100 artists. There will also be food and entertainment for all ages. This year’s art festival will feature a Civil War Living Display (Saturday and Sunday) and the Weevil City Cruisers Car & Truck Show (Saturday only). The festival will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.

Tickets are also available at these locations > > > > > > >

David’s Westgate Beauty Salon in Enterprise – 334-406-1617 New Brockton Florist in New Brockton – 334-894-6737 Bradley Florist & Gift Shop in Elba – 334-897-3422 Wildflowers Florist & Gifts in Elba – 334-897-3010 The Printing Press, Inc. in Troy – 334-566-4060 MaFoosky’s Deli in Daleville – 334-598-3030 Harbin Jewelers in Ozark – 334-774-4427

Holiday Closing Schedule WEC offices will be closed on the following days: m Monday, Nov. 11 for Veterans Day m Thursday, Nov. 28 and Friday, Nov. 29 for Thanksgiving m Tuesday, Dec. 24 and Wednesday, Dec. 25 for Christmas m Wednesday, Jan. 1 for New Year’s

8 NOVEMBER 2013

www.wiregrass.coop

Spot Light

In November

Pecan Festival a nutty good time

By Lindsay Mott

The Alabama Pecan Festival, set for Nov. 1-3 in Mobile, is in its 26th year of bringing the best of the local pecan product to the community in a fun, festive environment.

The festival’s focus is, of course, pecans, and Mobile and Baldwin County and other south Alabama pecan growers get the chance to showcase and sell their product to attendees. Once the pecans are bought, the sellers will crack them for you while you check out the rest of the festival grounds.

Homemade pecan pies are also baked in the kitchen on the site for the festival. Billy Bolton, executive director and founder, said two ladies have been baking these pies for many years. He said they have stopped trying to keep count of how many pies they bake each year but know they can bake approximately 45 pies every 45 minutes.

“People want to smell those pies when they walk in the door,” Bolton says.

Approximately 100 arts and crafts vendors set up around the festival grounds along with an antique gallery of around 30 antique dealers and antique cars and tractors to view. There’s also a shuttle available to take people around the quarter-mile paved walking path around the festival grounds as well.

The pecan festival provides full-size amusement park rides. Another highlight is the barbecue cook-off sponsored by the Mobile County Water Board, which benefits the Relay for Life.

The entertainment for this year’s festival includes national recording artists Rachelyn James of Pensacola and Hannah Belle of Natchez. This year, there will also be a “Las Vegasstyle tribute to Sun Records” by Don Hinton and gospel music on Sunday. There is also the Jett Williams / Hank Williams songwriting contest that started at the festival 18 years ago. The festival will also get a visit from Bruce MitchDEC. 4-7

Demopolis attracts crowds to Christmas on the River Demopolis, Alabama’s Christmas on the River, which debuted in 1972, has grown into one of the Southeast’s leading attractions, with nearly 40,000 visitors attending last year. The festival begins Wednesday, December 4 and runs through Sunday, December 7. There will be candlelight tours of antebellum homes, the crowning of St. Nick, a reading of the Christmas Story, as well as the Alabama State Alabama Living

The 2012 Alabama Pecan Festival Queen Kelly Mosner poses with “Alligator Man” Bruce Mitchell, of the show, “Swamp People.”

ell, “Alligator Man” from the popular show, “Swamp People.”

The pecan festival is family-friendly with no alcohol allowed, and it promotes “good, clean music” according to Bolton.

This year the Alabama Pecan Festival Queen is Hannah Poiroux. According to Bolton, she comes from six generations of pecan growers. She represents the festival in many events locally and nationally and will also be recognized by the governor. The Festival Queen program is a scholarship program.

The festival is held at 5055 Carol Plantation Road in Mobile, which is the site of Tillman’s Corner Community Center. This year’s pecan festival will be Nov. 1, 2 and 3.

On Friday, it runs from 3 p.m. until, Saturday is 9 a.m. until, and Sunday is 10 a.m. until. Bolton said they try to stay open as long as people are still there and enjoying the festival. Admission to the festival grounds and parking at the site are free.

Championship Bar-B-Q. Festivities also include a 5k Jingle Bell Run, a Christmas Day Parade, Fair in the Square, which features arts and crafts, and The Nautical Parade The Nautical Parade features many custom floats. and fireworks show.

For more information, visit www.demopolischamber.com/ COTR/ or call 334-289-0270.

NOVEMBER 2013 9

50 years later, the memories of that day haunt us still

Alabama Living readers recall where they were when President Kennedy was assassinated For those of us of a certain age (read Baby Boomers and earlier), Friday, November 22, 1963 is forever etched in our memory files. Many of us were in school, some were serving in the armed services, others were at their office, while others were simply at home. Like many of our readers, I was in school that day. We were finishing up a lesson in the sixth grade at Shades Cahaba Elementary School in Birmingham when our teacher, Mrs. Agnes Mason, was told to turn on the classroom TV. As we watched the events unfold in Dallas, she began to turn the horrific news reports into a teaching lesson, writing with precision the words “assassination,” “assassin,” and “President Kennedy,” on the chalkboard as she wiped away tears. The bell rang for recess, but I was too upset to go and instead remained inside to watch the TV with her. Maybe that was the beginning of my fascination with breaking news, as I would later become a newspaper reporter and editor. Like all of our readers who took the time to write, I will never forget that day. Thank you to all those who shared their memories with us. A selection of those submissions appears on the next four pages. Read more at alabamaliving.coop – Lenore Vickrey

It was lunchtime on campus at Judson College in Marion, Ala. We walked toward town and all the while, the entire town was at a standstill as if in a time warp. No cars were moving, no one spoke, no noise could be heard, expect for the mournful wailing of church bells. It was, as if, for those moments, time was suspended and we were in a space between reality and a dream.

November 22, 1963 was the day before my 19th birthday.

Patricia Noel Foster Boaz 10 NOVEMBER 2013

I was there in downtown Dallas as a single career girl walking along Elm Street from my studio to the parking garage to go to the hairdresser. There was to be a huge Crystal Charity Ball that weekend and I was going to get a fancy up-do for it. My date was flying in from California.

As the presidential motorcade approached, I hopped up on the bumper of a car so I could see above the crowd. Mrs. Kennedy waved back at me as the open car passed by. I continued on to my appointment in Highland Park Village.

When I walked in, the reception area was empty. I yoohooed. A frantic hairdresser rushed out of the rear and said, “Kennedy’s been shot.” I said, “You’re kidding.” “No ma’am, I’m not.” We scurried back where everyone was huddled around a radio. I had my hair done in silence with the radio blaring for all the customers to hear. I hurried home.

When my date called, we decided not to go to the ball and went to a married couple’s house to watch TV with friends.

En route to Dallas, my date had been seated next to Sandor Vanocur, a prominent television news commentator at the time, and my date’s brother was on the president’s staff at the White House, so all weekend my date was on the phone relaying first-hand information to the White House via local TV and Sandor Vanocur and vice versa – the death of our president at Parkland Hospital, the condition of our wounded Texas governor, John Connolly, the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald and his murder by Jack Ruby, the swearing-in of Vice President Lyndon Johnson as president aboard Air Force One at Love Field with Mrs. Kennedy standing by her in blood-stained hot pink suit.

The ball went on as planned. We did not attend. My date for the weekend went home. I, and the rest of the nation, was numbed, horrified and exhausted. How could something like this happen in America?

My mother had died recently, so I moved back to Montgomery to take care of her parents who were 81 and 83, but the Kennedy assassination would reverberate in my life nearly a year later.

Knee-deep in wrapping paper and registering my wedding presents, I received a telephone call from a man from the Office of Naval Intelligence who wanted to talk with me. Completely perplexed, I received the two dark-suited gentlemen in my living room. They wanted to know why and how my name was at the White House? I was even more perplexed. I told them about my date’s brother on the White House staff and about the weekend of Kennedy’s assassination. Also, I told them that I had been to the White House the summer of 1962 when I was the guest of the curator, Lorraine Pierce, who gave a friend and me a personal extensive tour of the White House while the Kennedys were at Hyannis Port. She was helping Mrs. Kennedy redecorate the White House. It was a memorable experience.

The two men left, but I was still perplexed. I could only presume that the interview with me was part of the Kennedy assassination investigation and that my name is somewhere in the Warren Commission report. I’ll never know.

Cameron Freeman Napier Ramer www.alabamaliving.coop

I was a senior in high school, visiting with my friend Lonnie James at a neighboring farm when he heard that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.

Not realizing what a tragic event this was, our main question was: Would school be out for a day or two?

Once I graduated from high school, I volunteered for the U.S. Army. In the spring of 1965 I was selected to serve in the Ceremonial Old Guard (Honor Guard) at Fort Meyers, Va. This army base joins Arlington Cemetery. I was a member of the Casket Team and was trained by officers and NCOs that had been part of President Kennedy’s funeral. Our duties included military funerals and other ceremonial events, not only at Arlington but throughout the U.S. At that time, the monument for President Kennedy was being constructed. One of the duties I had was to stand in the area next to the Kennedy gravesite in my dress blues with highly polished shoes and serve as a historian about President Kennedy and the Kennedy family to the tourists.

I am sure many of the visitors were more knowledgeable of the events than the 19-year-old sergeant, a son of a farmer from Cullman, Ala. Johnny R. Persall Eva

Mr. Wallace, Handley High’s principal, seldom made announcements over the intercom; therefore, when he cleared his throat before making an announcement that would forever change my opinion of history as a school subject, we all instantly felt a sense of aggravation that he was interrupting our busy chatter. Not two seconds after Mr. Wallace’s announcement that President Kennedy had been shot in Texas, we all fell silent. President? Shot? Might not live?

I honestly do not recall but assume we finished our school day without much knowledge of subject matter being relayed, but over the course of the weekend, my family and I became glued to our TV. We watched the funeral procession make its way to Arlington National Cemetery as millions lined the streets. Jacqueline Kennedy was so stoic yet tragically beautiful with Caroline and John John, a tender name given by the media, by her side. Although I was a mere 13 years old, I wept as John John saluted the deceased Commander in Chief. To this day, 50 years later, I am still haunted by his salute.

Linda Raughton Adjunct English instructor, Northeast Alabama Community College

Alabama Living

On Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, I took a bus to downtown Dallas to my job as insurance underwriter at Reserve Life.

At lunch, a friend and I walked several blocks to Main Street where the president’s motorcade would pass.

We were standing on the curb expecting to get a good view, but as the limousine drew near, the crowded sidewalk emptied out into the street. Like a wave, people ran out to get near him and our view was blocked.

Disappointed, we started back to our office, but were stopped by a stranger who said the president has just been shot. Not knowing whether to believe her or not, we hurried on to our office and learned he had died from gunshot wounds. This happened about three blocks from where he passed us.

Patsy Whitehead Somerville

As I left school that day, I was picked up by my employer, friend and mentor, Ammie “Lulu” Morris, who was in the newspaper-selling business. He employed some two dozen boys like myself to sell the Ledger-Enquirer at Ft. Benning, Ga. As I got in the van that day he told me the paper was printing an early evening edition about the president being shot. We took those special editions to Fort Benning and in only a few minutes we sold out. I had never sold papers so fast or had so many soldiers in line to buy a paper at the mess halls. The young, eager and anxious faces of those troops still seem so real as I remember that day. This excited state would go on for days and we, the “paper truck boys,” would participate in a small way in the making of one sad historical day.

Jim “Sam” Tomblin Opelika

I was a sergeant assigned to a military police company on an Army post in Arlington, Va. I heard the news on the radio while riding across the post of President John F. Kennedy being shot.

On the day of the funeral, I was in charge of a military police detail that was sent to Arlington cemetery to assist with crowd and traffic control.

Master Sergeant Wyman Roten Army Retired Troy

NOVEMBER 2013 11

In 1963 I was in my junior year at Auburn and a midshipman in the Naval ROTC. On that fateful day I was in a Naval ROTC class when the door opened and the senior chief petty officer of the detachment burst in. Before he said anything, we all knew something terrible had happened. This salty old chief had tears streaming down his face. He blurted out that President Kennedy had just been killed in Dallas. As we sat there in shock, he then reminded us that this week it was the Naval ROTC’s turn to raise and lower the US flag by Samford Hall. He asked for volunteers to go with him to put the flag at half-mast in mourning. As one, the entire class stood to their feet. He picked two other midshipmen and they left. The officer then dismissed all the rest of us. Some of my friends and I ran to the Student Union building to get to a TV where we stayed glued to the set while the news ran thru the events over and over. I learned that day and over the course the next few, that no one is indispensible as I watched LBJ being sworn in at the front of Air Force One while JFK’s casket was being loaded in the rear of the plane. Coincidentally my son was born on November 22, 1970, so I always have two memories of that day.

Steve Marcereau Silas I was sure that the world as we knew it was never going to be the same after that. Folks who before kept their front doors unlocked were now making sure that they were locked. Everyone was scared.

It’s hard to believe that 50 years have passed since this tragedy.

Tom Davis Dozier

On Friday the 22nd, I was sitting in class at the Washington School for Secretaries on F Street in the National Press Building. At 1:30 p.m. EST one of the teachers came to our class with the announcement that the president had been shot. This came over the ticker-tape machines in an Associated Press office on the upper level of our building. Within a few minutes another person came to the class to tell us he had died. Of course, we were all sent home for the day.

I was only about two blocks from the White House but did not have the presence of mind to walk over there. All I could think of was walking to the bus stop and getting home. It was a very warm day in DC for the end of November. The shopkeepers in the smaller shops along F Street had opened the doors to their shops and had placed small black and white TVs or small radios in their display windows. Some people were gathering around to listen to the latest news. In the streets not many were talking. It was an eerie sight.

When I finally got onto a bus to take me to the suburbs, people were either not talking or speaking in hushed tones.

At home I did not want anything to eat. I remember tears in my eyes and being glued to our black and white TV. Saturday, Sunday and then the funeral on Monday – all my memories were of black and white images on the television. It was so strange to watch such a sad event and know that it was happening about 25 miles from where I lived.

The next day was Tuesday, Nov. 26.

When I got in my first class, I noticed that the daily wall calendar still had the date of the 22nd. I pulled it off and saved it, took it home and started making a scrapbook of the events. The cover was black and glued to the front was the square piece of black and white calendar that had the number 22 on it. It was almost as if our world had changed in those five days and not any of us were the same again.

Sue Newell Arab

My mother’s excitement of watching the motorcade in Dallas was the one thing I remember the most about that dreadful day. She passed that excitement to a five-year-old little girl who was more fascinated with the black and white TV screen in front of her than what was to take place. Although I could not fathom the impact of the scene that played out before me, I knew by my mother’s gasp and her hand clamped over her mouth that something terrible had happened. When my questions started pouring out of my mouth, her response, “Hush child, something awful has just happened,” wasn’t just a warning to me, but it sent a cold chill through me. She turned the volume on the TV up louder and adjusted the rabbit ear antenna on top to get a clearer picture, but nothing she did could undo what had just happened.

My family and I watched with sadness as the little boy named John and the little girl named Caroline said goodbye to their father. That year on Nov. 27 my mother bought two birthday cards, one for me and one for Caroline. Although a year younger, I was born on Caroline’s birthday. Each year I think of her and wonder if she ever received the card I sent with the innocent message my mother wrote, “I’m sorry your Daddy died and I know you miss him. We all loved him. Happy birthday.”

Sonya Walls Knowles Dothan 12 NOVEMBER 2013

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We had just moved to Texas from Alabama where Dad had started a new job. We lived in the outskirts of Garland, on the edge of city limits between Garland and Dallas. On that November day, I was riding my bicycle to the country store. The sky filled with helicopters and airplanes were everywhere. I thought a war had started. I rode home as fast as I could and when I got home Mom had the old black and white TV on. President John F. Kennedy had been killed in Dallas. Mom was crying so I started to cry, so I ran to my room. We had all felt like we had lost a very good friend.

Frank Armstrong Section It was a typical November day at my high school in Glencoe, Ala. Students were laughing, changing classes, lockers were slamming, lovebirds were standing too close and whispering. The bell rang, signaling everyone to go to their next class.

Mine was Glee Club. We were a few songs into our session and the next song to sing was “Now is the Hour.” The lyrics are, “Now is the hour when we must say goodbye. Soon you’ll be sailing far across the sea.” We were no more than a few more words into that song when a student threw open the double doors and shouted, “The president has been killed.” The music teacher left us to confirm the horrible news. Sadness filled the big lunchroom. Some cried, some still doubted, others were angry. I myself felt empty. The hour had come for the greatest and most powerful man in our country. I don’t think I ever sang that song again.

Priscilla Carroll Albertville

I was a high school junior in Bethesda, Md. Living so close to our nation’s capital, I had friends and classmates whose parents worked in the Kennedy administration. The father of one of my classmates was a Secret Service agent who was riding in the president’s limousine that day.

Three hours after the news broke, I recorded my thoughts in pencil on notebook paper. Years later, I transcribed those thoughts so they could be published in The Jefferson Davis High School newspaper for my students to read:

…I fought to blink back tears and prayed with all my strength, over and over, every prayer I knew. The substitute teacher began to counsel us and remind the class that “even though hard times may be ahead we must have courage.” After five minutes of listening to her gab and desperately scribbling down my French to get it finished while I could still see the paper, the PA came on again. This time it was the deep voice of Dr. Patten: “I hate to be the one to tell you this,” he said. “The President has been assassinated.” I began to cry… the young college student teacher forgot to be brave and joined the girls in tears. The boys couldn’t cry, they just sat, pale and shaken.

The bell finally rang and we filed into the hall. The corridors were strangely silent. Hundreds of people walked past me as dazed as I was. I saw several of my friends. We passed without speaking. At gym class, the hockey game was the most eerie sight I’ve ever seen. They fought extra hard over that seemingly inconsequential ball, all without making any noise.

At 3, all I remembered while going down the hall were words like “assassinate,” “Lincoln,” “vice president” and most commonly, “Oh, God.” Lockers slammed extra hard. No one dallied in the halls. I just wanted to go home, listen to the news and find out the time of church services.

Thanksgiving is a week away.

Carol Hoff Alford Montgomery

I was a brash, 18-year-old freshman enrolled at Hinds Community College. The stoplight was red. I was in my ’55 Chevy at the intersection of Springridge Road and Highway 80 across from Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss. The song on the AM radio was “Runaway” by Del Shannon.

Suddenly, the radio blared President Kennedy has been shot! My first thought was “Great, they finally got him.” I have no idea who “they” may have been. The day changed my generation forever. My immediate reaction was elation, the same as that of my friends. Feelings toward President Kennedy, for the most part among southern whites were negative. Forced integration was not wanted, nor understood by many young white American youths living in the Deep South. In retrospect integration was the correct move, at the right time, for the future health and welfare of our nation.

As I write today at age 68, reflecting on this moment, only feelings of deep sadness and shame come forth. Life is a vapor. Who am I to celebrate the president’s impending death by assassination? It does no good to hate or detest anyone. Ezekiel 18:32 says, “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Gary Stone, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus, University of West Alabama Alabama Living

Without being told to or asked to, I walked past my classroom door, down the corridor and out to the front of the school. I untied the American flag from the lanyard cleat and lowered it to half-staff as I had learned as a Boy Scout. I took a step back, looked up and saluted.

I can’t be sure, but I suppose some people driving along Ventura Boulevard (in Los Angeles) first knew that JFK was killed by seeing that flag at half-staff.

Bruce Murphy Montgomery

More memories at alabamaliving.coop

NOVEMBER 2013 13

Sports stars of Alabama: Where are they now?

By Emmett Burnett

W

here were you when Hank Aaron knocked it out of the park? Remember Auburn’s almost unstoppable Sullivan to Beasley football passes, an Alabama football player nicknamed “The Italian Stallion,” or Charles Barkley’s basketball wizardry? These and other athletes made the state proud “back in the day.”

Here are some of them: all from Alabama, achieving athletic greatness, and still going strong.

Pat Sullivan

Bob Baumhower

COURTESY PAUL W. BRYANT MUSEUM

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CORNELISON

Watch our exclusive interview with Bob Baumhower at alabamaliving.coop.

Raised in Tuscaloosa, Bob Baumhower played for the University of Alabama football team from 1974 to 1976. “Coach Bryant helped change my life,” the former nose tackle recalls. And what a life change it was, from Crimson Tide to chicken with pride.

“Coach Bryant, and my parents, taught me to believe in myself, have a plan, and make it a reality.” Baumhower says. He later played for the Miami Dolphins. In 1980 the professional football player became a restaurateur.

“A friend invited me to a place that served chicken wings, and I thought, ‘Who eats wings for lunch? Are you crazy?’ There were no chicken wings in Alabama until Bob opened Tuscaloosa’s Wings and Things. Not anymore.”

Today Baumhower lives in Fairhope, running 14 restaurants throughout Alabama, serving poultry to seafood. “Starting up in the chicken wing business was a trial and error effort,” Baumhower laughs. “It still is.”

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Auburn’s storied quarterback, Pat Sullivan, won the Heisman Trophy in 1971. “It’s on the kitchen counter,” Sullivan notes, about the trophy. “Actually, we’ve had it displayed all over the house.”

Sullivan has been Samford University’s head football coach since 2007. “I love it and cannot imagine doing anything else,” the Birmingham native says. “I’m very excited about our upcoming season. If our guys stay healthy, this may be one of our best years.”

When not coaching, Auburn’s former quarterback enjoys life with grandkids in a second home on a lake. “I also try keeping up with former Auburn teammates as best I can and regret not being able to visit the campus more often,” he says. “But I’m a coach, and have my own team to be concerned over. It’s a seven day, all-day job.”

Tom Neville

To m N e v i l l e may have the most diverse football resume in Alabama.

His work history includes offensive tackle for the Boston Patriots, Denver Broncos, and New York Giants, and being a professional gemologist in Montgomery.

The st andout Mississippi State University player’s pro ball days were tackled in 1979.

“My football career ended with a concussion,” Neville says from his Montgomery jewelry/appraisal business. “It was time to give www.alabamaliving.coop

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Cornelius Griffin

Charles Barkley

One of the most popular basketball players ever, Charles Barkley was named in pro-basketball’s “50 Greatest Players in NBA History.” In addition, he won two Olympic Gold Medals, was named Sports Illustrated’s 2002 Personality of the Year, and in 2008 considered a run for Governor of Alabama. In 2010 he changed his mind, much to the relief of Governor Bentley.

As of 2012, the former Auburn University athlete (1981-1984) lives in Arizona. He is a frequent television basketball analyst and commentator and to date, the only person from Leeds, Ala., to host “Saturday Night Live.”

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Dr. E. Gaylon McCollough

After playing Alabama football (1961-65), Dr. Gaylon McCollough had a difficult decision. “Should I accept an offer with the Dallas Cowboys or pursue medical school?” he recalls, pondering the decision made almost 50 years ago. He talked with family, and extended family, Coach Paul Bryant. “All recommended attending med school.” He did.

In 1975 the football player-turned physician founded the McCollough Plastic Surgery Clinic in Birmingham. More than 25 years later he moved his practice to Gulf Shores. Today he is recognized in The National Registry of Who’s Who and Woodward and White’s list of “Best Doctors in America.” Dr. McCollough has also written medical textbooks, novels, and a biography, The Long Shadow of Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.

“I don’t regret my decision to go into medicine and not play for the Dallas Cowboys,” Dr. McCollough says. “But I admit,” he chuckles, “There are days I wonder, ‘What if?’”

Alabama Living

“Cornelius Griffin is one of my favorites,” says Steve Millburg, author of Gone Pro Alabama. “This man co-captained Alabama’s Southeastern Conference Championship team, played professionally for two pro teams, started in Super Bowl XXV, but never forgot his Alabama roots.” Leaving the Tide in 1999, Griffin served four years with the New York Giants, and six with the Washington Redskins. But he left his heart in Troy, Ala. Upon retiring, Griffin returned to his hometown, Troy, where he opened an insurance business. Every November, the former NFL star hosts a community Thanksgiving dinner for hundreds of Troy’s elderly and ill residents. “He does this with his own money,” notes Millburg. “And he serves the food - quite a sight seeing this 6 ft. 3, 300-pound good man plate up turkey and dressing for senior citizens.”

Quentin Riggins

An A l l-SC C Auburn Tiger linebacker and 1989 team captain, Quentin Riggins went from playing on the field to reporting on it. After graduation, he entered broadcasting in 1991 as a football radio sideline reporter for the Au b u r n I S P Sports Network.

“I was playing Canadian ball with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers,” recalled Riggins. “Auburn asked if I would consider broadcasting one of their games. I did, they liked it, and signed me up.” He is an Auburn football radio commentator to this day.

Riggins also has 17 years of experience in Alabama government, having worked under three governors. “Gov. Fob James also played football for Auburn,” notes Riggins. “We had a great time reliving game day memories.” But Gov. Bob Riley was, and is, a devout Alabama fan, which was possibly more fun.

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it up anyway. Concussions teach you that,” he smiles.

During Boston football days, the Montgomery native discovered an old wrist watch in an antique store. He bought the fine old jeweled timepiece. And then another, and another. It was love at first bling.

After retiring from football, he moved to California, earning a gemology degree. In 1983, he returned to his hometown of Montgomery, opening Tom Neville, The Source Inc., Jewelry Store.

Today, with a 15,000-plus customer base, Neville is one of the country’s leading experts on precious stones, jewelry and appraisals. “Before 9/11, I traveled to Israel to buy diamonds,” he says.

“Now the Israelis come here. It’s just easier.”

NOVEMBER 2013 15

What’s Bob Baumhower’s favorite dessert?

Find out at alabamaliving.coop!

Bo Jackson

An Aubu r n Heisman Trophy winner and named the “Greatest Athlete of All Time”

by ESPN, Vincent “Bo” Jackson is the only pro athlete ever named an AllAmerican in two major American sports: football and baseball. Post-Auburn (1982-1985), he played football for the Los Angeles Raiders and baseball for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, and Anaheim Angels. A 1991 hip injury ended the Bessemer, Ala. native’s pro career and impaired his baseball one.

In a 2009 Auburn University PHOTO BY BRIAN LACY c om me nc e me nt speech, Jackson addressed the graduates about “Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone,” a creed he lives by. During his stay at Auburn, Jackson held a temporary job as a bank teller. Today near Chicago, he is part owner of a bank.

He continues to support his home state, leading his annual “Bo Bikes Bama” tornado recovery bike ride to raise money for those who were affected by the deadly April 2011 tornadoes.

Hank Aaron

The man from Mobile, Hammerin’ Hank Aaron not only played baseball, he made history. On April 8, 1974, the Atlanta Braves power hitter broke Babe Ruth’s homerun record. Today Aaron breaks records selling cars. He owns Hank Aaron BMW, an auto dealership near Atlanta. Each buyer receives a Hank Aaron autographed baseball with the purchase of a new car.

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Joe Beckwith

Joe Beckwith played baseball in a town known for football.

“I’m one of the few Auburn athletes who were born, raised, and returned here,” he says.

But the Lee County resident’s former job required a lot of travel, like in 1985 when he pitched a World Series two inning no-hitter. “That was probably the most exciting event of my career with the Kansas City Royals,” Beckwith recalls.

From 1974 to 1977, he played for Auburn and then the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1979-83, and Kansas City Royals, 1984 – 1985. Today Beckwith has a duel career in sales and broadcasting. He is district representative for Ready Mix USA and radio baseball analysis for the CSS Sports Network. According to the former pitcher, only one sport rivals his passion for baseball: “Golf; I love it.”

Johnny Musso

COURTESY PAUL W. BRYANT MUSEUM

“I think it was in 2004, after we beat Tennessee, [Auburn] Coach Tommy Tuberville autographed a football for me,” the former Auburn player remembered. “I took the ball back to the state capital and presented it to Gov. Riley as a ‘gift.’”

In 2011, Auburn’s star athlete became vice president of government relations with Alabama Power Company. He is the company’s representative when dealing with the state legislature and executive branch. He is also the office’s go-to guy for sports insight. “But not as much Auburn insight as you might think,” laughs Riggins. “My daughter plays high school softball, so I talk about her softball program a lot.”

During 1969 through 1971, “The Italian Stallion” scored 38 Alabama touchdowns in three seasons, placing him in the College Football Hall of Fame. After graduation, the Birmingham native turned pro with the Canadian and World Football leagues, and the Chicago Bears. “Musso was a kamikaze blocker,” says Steve Millburg. “It takes a toll on the body. As a result of constant injuries, I don’t think he ever lived up to his potential in pro ball.”

The running back left the Chicago Bears for Chicago bucks, as a commodity futures trader, where he reportedly did very well.

Today he is retired and lives near Chicago. A www.alabamaliving.coop

Alabama Living

NOVEMBER 2013 17

By Ben Norman

Walter Folmar slept in everything from a pup tent to an abandoned German castle as his army unit chased the Germans across Europe.

Walter Folmar said he realized he was a long way from the Goshen, Ala., farm where he was raised when the first artillery shell landed close to him and shrapnel was flying everywhere.

“I was sent in as a replacement in the Battle of the Bulge,” Folmar recalles. “The 99th and 106th infantry division had suffered heavy losses when the Germans drove a wedge in between them.

We were winning and had the Germans on the run when I got there, but I still saw more combat than I wanted to.”

Folmar graduated from Goshen High School in 1942 and went to work with a construction company near Oak Ridge, Tenn., where development of the atomic bomb was being done under top-secret conditions.

“I got drafted and went to Camp Blanding, Florida, for my basic training. The main thing I remember about Blanding was how isolated and hot it was there. I spent 17 weeks there. They were really running men through training because they were needed on the front as fast as possible,” says Folmar.

According to Folmar, the 99th Infantry Division had the Germans on the run and finally surrounded them in the Ruhr Walter and Enid Folmar have been happily married for 61 years.

Walter Folmar is still proud of his old unit, the 99th Infantry Division.

Valley. “ It was cold, freezing weather and the Germans were running out of food and supplies. We were capturing Germans right and left. They had a lot of big tanks and artillery but they were out of fuel. When we would approach they would raise their hands and shout in German they were out of fuel and surrendering.

“The Germans were losing the war but many of their units were still offering a lot of resistance. I was primarily a machine gunner but also helped out with the 81 mortar squad,” he says.

“We had that old heavy water-cooled .30 caliber machine gun mounted on a jeep, but we could take it off and set up on a tripod in short order. When we would take a village, we all had to pitch in and help in the house-to-house fighting. It was dangerous clearing all the abandoned houses as most had cellars and that’s where you would find the German soldiers hiding.”

The 99th was also responsible for liberating many German slave labor camps and prisoner of war camps where captured American and Russian solders were being held. “They were sure glad to see us. The American prisoners were not in the best of shape but the Russian soldiers were treated much worse than the Americans,” he says.

Like other WWII veterans, Folmar returned home and tried to take up where he left off before the war. He went to work with the Pike County Road Department, married the love of his life, Enid Carmichael, and had two children, Walter Jr. and Laurianne Johnson. He later went to work with a company buying crossties and opened his own crosstie loading company.

Walter Folmar celebrated his 90th birthday on September 19, 2013. When asked at his birthday party if he would still fight for his country, he sat up in his chair with a serious glint in his eye and said, “I’d fight for my country and family as fast today as back then. I couldn’t shoot as good now, but I could still operate one of them old water-cooled .30 calibers. I could still throw enough lead down range to scare ’em to death or at least run them off,” he says, laughing. A We are losing our WWII veterans at a rapid rate. We need to let them, and the veterans of all wars, know how much we appreciate them. The next time you encounter a veteran stop them, shake his hand and tell them how much you appreciate him keeping us free.

Ben Norman is a writer from Highland Home, Ala.

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Alabama Living

NOVEMBER 2013 19

uss alabama draws thousands of visitors

By Shannon Clinton

f

ootsteps echo on metal floors as tinny Big Band-era music filters through a PA system on the USS Alabama in Mobile Bay, a massive floating time capsule paying tribute to the ship’s crew and wartime achievements.

Serving mainly in the South Pacific, the Navy battleship carried 2,500 crew members when it was commissioned in 1942, and saw 37 months of active duty in World War II, park marketing director Karen Conner says. Though there was no loss of life from enemy fire and no significant damage sustained, the ship earned nine battle stars on the Asiatic-Pacific Service Medal, as its crew shot down 22 planes.

The battleship was decommissioned and “mothballed” in 1947 in Washington state for many years, but with $100,000 raised from change collected by Alabama school children and another $1 million in corporate funds, the ship was saved from the scrapyard and was opened to the public in January 1965.

The park is overseen by an independent government agency with a board of commissioners and is owned by the state of Alabama.

Offering seven upper and four lower levels of the 680 foot long battleship to explore along with its original main deck, the park also includes the Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion that opened in the 1990s, and the oldest submarine on public display in the country, the USS Drum, which arrived on site in 1969.

The goal of the aircraft museum is to showcase aircraft spanning many decades in all branches of the nation’s military, Con-

Honoring our veterans On Monday, November 11, the Mobile Area Veterans Day Commission will host the following events: 10 a.m. – Veterans Day Parade, Downtown Mobile 11:30 a.m. – Veteran & Patriot of the Year Luncheon – Ft. Whiting, ticket event 3 p.m. – Veterans Day Observance Ceremony featuring area fourth graders leading the event with a Parade of Flags at the Aircraft Pavilion at USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park. Free.

7 p.m. – Patriotic Concert by the Mobile Area Symphonic Pops Band at the Aircraft Pavilion at USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park. Free.

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ner adds, and Korean and Vietnam War “On that ship, 600 Navy feet long and memorials are also on site in the park. A 180 feet wide, there were 2,500 men stamemorial to Operation Enduring Freedom tioned and if you couldn’t get along you is in the works to honor those who have were in dire straits,” he says. “You absoserved in Iraq and Afghanistan. lutely learned how to get along with your There’s also a theater on board the USS fellow man in those close quarters. You Alabama showing a 15-minute film that can’t tell from the arrangements today how details former crew members’ accounts of close those quarters were.”

And with steamy tropical temperatures This area shows the cold storage and ovens daily life. Crew members assemble each year for reunions, and the ship is also to contend with and no air conditioning, used by the ship’s kitchen staff. made available to scouting groups for “It was some pretty tough living,” Miller says. “The food was overnight stays, as pretty good. We had well as for dinners, dehydrated eggs, conventions and dehydrated potatoes other special events. and we had AusIn different tour tralian mutton, but routes, the park’s then at times when daily visitors learn they could get some what life was like supply ships to us, for those serving on the food was pretty the USS Alabama, good.” how it operated and Former crew member Bob Miller says the Miller attends about its weaponry, cramped living quarters created camaraderie.

Conner says. All tours are self-guided and annual reunions of USS Alabama crew members, and has made it to all but the take about 2 ½ hours total to complete.

On the Red Tour, for example, visitors most recent one.

Conner said the ship’s curators have will see a lathe and tool shop, sleeping areas with metal bunks and thin mattresses done their best to recreate true-to-life expesuspended from the ceiling, a small store, a riences for the more than 13 million visitors soda fountain, and the ship’s kitchen, where who have come on board since its opening.

“It definitely is a touch, feel, smell, reabout 7,500 meals a day were prepared.

The average age of crew members was only ally to take you back facility,” she says. “…

21 at the time, Conner says, and for the They really do come off the ship with a unruliest of the bunch, long hours of con- great experience of that World War II genThe temporary brig was used to confine men eration.” A finement in the temporary brig awaited. caught fighting until they cooled off.

“They literally slept where they worked,” Conner says. “It’s literally a floating city – Battleship Memorial Park and the USS Alabama are they could even perform minor surgeries located at 2703 Battleship Parkway in Mobile, off I-10 on the ship. It’s just amazing!” exits 27 and 30. Admission is $15 ages 12 and up, $6 One crew member was Bob Miller, a ages 6-11, under 6 free, $13 for seniors 55 and up, Selma native who now lives in Summer$13 for AAA members, free to active duty military and dale, Ala., and was on board the USS Alaretired military with ID verification, $13 for active duty bama from Jan. 1944 to Oct. 1945 as an dependents 12 and up and $5 for active duty depen18-year-old private first class in the U.S. dents ages 6-11. Parking is $2 per vehicle.

Marine Corps. Miller, now 89, explained The park is open every day except Christmas Day that Marine detachments were assigned from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. April through September and 8 “sea duty” on battleships, large cruisers a.m. to 5 p.m. October through March. For more inforand aircraft carriers for added security and mation call 251-433-2703 or visit the park’s website at to operate anti-aircraft weapons. www.ussalabama.com.

The USS Alabama’s role was to move quickly throughout the South Pacific attacking enemy strongholds and joining with other battleships, cruisers and destroyers to bombard targeted islands in the South Pacific, while providing cover to invading forces, he says.

Miller said the cramped conditions created camaraderie.

Alabama Living

NOVEMBER 2013 21

Alabama Outdoors

Preserves bring back the glory days of quail hunting

Northern bobwhite quail range across most of eastern North America from the Midwest to the Southeast including most of Alabama.

PHOTO BY JOHN N. FELSHER

By John N. Felsher

N

ose to the ground and tail wagging, the setter bounded off into the tawny grass and stopped abruptly. Facing into thick weeds, it raised one front leg and locked up like a statue.

With the dog doing his work, my hunting companion moved off to the left as I watched for anything that might fly to the right.

Bill Mooty, a guide for Taylor Creek Shooting Preserve, commanded the dog in the center. For safety reasons, we took turns with two people moving into shooting positions for each covey rise while others hung back a bit, but we all enjoyed many opportunities at birds.

Mooty gave the dog a command and suddenly, about a dozen feathered rockets exploded from the thicket to scatter in all directions. We each downed one quail and missed more birds. Some quail zipped to a nearby thicket while others glided to new hiding spots not far away.

With pressure from expanding predator populations and diminishing habitat, wild bobwhite quail nearly disappeared from many areas across its range in the past few decades. However, shooting preserves like Taylor Creek duplicate the excitement that quail hunters enjoyed a century ago by releasing birds into wellmanaged habitat.

“We have some wild quail, but good pen-raised birds are actually harder to shoot than wild birds,” says Keith Walker, owner of Taylor Creek Shooting Preserve. “Wild birds live in those fields and already know where they want to go before anyone flushes them. When they get up, they all go in the same direction. Penraised birds that haven’t been out in the wild too long don’t know where to go. They’re unpredictable when flushed and might go in all directions.”

Taylor Creek Shooting Preserve includes about 2,300 acres managed for quail in two sections near Theodore, Ala. We hunted one 300-acre section adjacent to Bellingrath Gardens. We followed the dogs through fields with high and cut grass separated by rows of pine trees. Another plot about two miles away includes about 2,000 acres of pine savannah, scattered tall pines surrounded by high grass reminiscent of the fabled quail country of southwest Georgia. Each section provides its own hunting challenges.

“Shooting in the trees gives sportsmen a different kind of competitive environment,” says Gene Duke, a Taylor Creek Shooting Preserve guide. “It’s very challenging because of the way birds fly through the trees. The shots are faster and the birds a little quicker. For anyone who ever hunted like this, almost invariably, the conversation turns to how much fun it is to watch the dogs work. When that dog goes on a staunch point and doesn’t even bat an eyelash, sportsmen come to an understanding that the shooting

22 NOVEMBER 2013

part is almost incidental.”

Unlike some hunts, where guides put the birds out minutes before the shooters arrive, Taylor Creek Shooting Preserve manages the habitat to enhance bird populations and periodically supplements the wild quail population with pen-raised birds. Released early, pen-raised birds link up with wild ones and learn to fly fast for cover.

“We burn the fields and mow periodically to attract birds to our property,” Walker says. “We also plant food plots and do supplemental feeding to keep birds on the property. The birds we release are slightly bigger than native quail, but they fly very well and have good wild characteristics. Some pen-raised birds of this particular cross do become wild and survive long enough to breed in the spring.”

Wild or pen-raised, these birds presented exceptionally challenging shooting. Most rapidly disappeared into thickets, embarrassing us on more occasions than I’d care to admit. Sometimes, we didn’t even get off any shots at covey rises.

“They are big, hard flying birds,” Duke says. “They are some of the fastest flying birds I’ve ever seen. The trick to handling birds so that they fly well is to not handle them. We don’t want to domesticate them so when a hunter and dog approaches, they flush like wild birds.”

A typical hunt on Taylor Creek usually lasts about three hours.

Each shooter can harvest up to 12 quail, but they can pay for more birds if they wish. Sportsmen can book morning, afternoon or all-day hunts. Most hunts on Taylor Creek Shooting Preserve either begin or end with a lunch at the lodge. After the hunt, the guides quickly clean the birds on special devices set up at a processing station.

“We can’t guarantee that anyone will shoot birds, but we’ll do everything we possibly can to make that happen,” Duke says. “In a typical season, we shoot about 6,000 to 7,000 birds.”

The Alabama wild quail season lasts from Nov. 9 through Feb. 28 with a limit of 12 quail per day. However, sportsmen may hunt pen-raised John N. Felsher birds on licensed is a professional freelance writer and shooting preserves photographer who from Oct. 1 through lives in Semmes, Ala. March 31.

He’s written more than 1,700 articles For more inforfor more than mation on Taylor 117 magazines. He Creek Shooting Preco-hosts a weekly outdoors radio show. serve, call 251-583Contact him through 4793 or taylorcreekhis website at www.

JohnNFelsher.com. shooting.com. A

www.alabamaliving.coop

Alabama Living

NOVEMBER 2013 23

Take a look inside the Josephine Art Center at alabamaliving.coop and click on “videos”

Worth the Drive

Stop by the Josephine Art Center for food and new friends

By Jennifer Kornegay

I

f you visited Union Springs, Ala., about 130 years ago, you some more. And you never know who you might find. Maybe a might have checked in for a stay at The Josephine Hotel. Built couple visiting all the way from Denmark or local painter Larry

by Dr. Robert Fleming in 1880, the 17,000-square-foot, three- Stewart, whose rural landscape works you’ll find in the gallery. story building downtown was named for his wife Josephine and He may be sharing a table with Randolph Hall (a regular at the has been operating in some form or another ever since, passing café and a Dixie Electric employee), but he won’t be sharing the decades after its hotel days ended as a saloon, an oyster bar, a his banana split; the men usually each get their own order of hair salon and even a tire store. Today, as the Josephine Art Center, this hefty treat that’s nestled in a cut-glass dish and sitting on it’s hosting guests again, many of them “out-of-towners,” and its Ice a silver tray. There’s even a resident ghost named Jefferson who Cream Parlor and Sandwich Shoppe has attracted the attention of ghost is a great choice for a leisurely lunch. hunters and paranormal investigaEnjoy a ham and swiss sandwich tors, but he mostly stays upstairs, with a side of heritage or a chef salad occasionally striking a note on an with a dollop of culture. Making use antique piano to remind folks he’s of the old hotel’s bottom floor, the Joaround. sephine Art Center houses a gallery What you definitely will find is showcasing paintings, wood carvings pride of place. Even though she’s and crafts created by area artists. Old not a Union Springs native, Joyce photos and other vintage items lining is a wellspring of information on all the walls in the adjacent café space aspects of the area’s history, and she’s tell stories of the city’s past like a passionate about spreading good mini history museum, and remnants news, especially news concerning of a soda fountain from days gone by the preservation of the city’s many sit behind the counter where hungry historic structures. (She also works diners place their orders. in real estate.) Union Springs boasts The menu they choose from in140 historic buildings and houses, cludes Southern lunch counter famany of which are architecturally vorites done simply and done well: significant, and the whole length of BLTs, smoked turkey sandwiches Main Street is on the National Regand fabulous pimento cheese. The ister of Historic Places. She’s thrilled Autumn Berry Chicken Salad is to report that currently, 22 of the packed with tart cranberries and houses and five old buildings are becrunchy pecans. The German poing renovated to their former glory. tato salad is a nice departure from A day trip to Union Springs will the standard mustard variety, but if An assortment of treats awaits at the Josephine Art Center. nicely fill any lazy Saturday, and a that’s what you like, it’s also on the menu. The daily special lets visit to the Josephine Art Center should be the top item on the you sample several items and comes with a drink for a modest itinerary. Joyce often helps her guests map out what to see and do $8.50. Meals here almost always end on a sweet note; it’s near im- in the area, handing out brochures for self-guided driving tours possible to resist the list of “ice cream delicacies” offered, things of the homes and more. Pop in for the food; stay a while for the like floats, shakes, sundaes and BIG banana splits, all made with art and history; ask Joyce The Josephine Art Center Blue Bell ice cream. to make you a root-beer 126 Prairie Street N. There’s little doubt you’ll have a good lunch at The Josephine, float for the road; and Union Springs, AL 334-703-0098 but you’ll probably have a pretty good time too. Owners Joyce start your exploration. A Union Springs artatjosephine.com and Al Perrin are friendly and outgoing. So are many of their patrons. And they’re all happy to welcome newcomers and visitors, encouraging everyone who stops by to sign the guest book.

(If you go in the next few months, look back a few pages to find Jennifer Kornegay is the author of a new children’s book, “The Alabama Adventures of Walter and our governor’s looping signature.)

Wimbly: Two Marmalade Cats on a Mission.” She Since the café opened in 2012 (the ice cream parlor portion travels to an out-of-the way restaurant destination in Alabama every month. She may be reached for opened in 2011), the spot has become a gathering place where comment at j_kornegay@charter.net. folks come to sit and chat, and then eat, and then sit and chat 24 NOVEMBER 2013

www.alabamaliving.coop

November Gardening Tips

Power Plants

Experts battle invasive plants at Plant Wars event

By Katie Jackson

I

d d d d d d d d d d d d

Fertilize shade trees.

Plant woody shrubs, vines, trees and roses.

Store unused pesticides in sealed containers and place them in freeze-protected locations.

Prepare lawn mowers and other power tools for winter storage by cleaning them and flushing out remaining gasoline.

Turn the compost pile.

Test your soil and begin adding needed amendments once the results are in.

Mulch tender perennials that might be damaged by frost later in the winter.

Bring tender potted plants into the house or place in some protected area before the first hard freeze.

Plant leafy greens such as lettuce, arugula and spinach, as well as garlic and shallots.

Plant spring-blooming bulbs.

Plant beets, carrots, radishes and asparagus.

Plant annual flowers such as sweet peas, poppies, snapdragons, larkspurs and delphiniums.

Keep bird feeders cleaned and filled.

recently got into a scrap with some plants in my yard and I have the scars to prove it, but they are scars I wear proudly.

Those plants, Chinese privet and Elaeagnus (also known as d thorny olive and other names I can’t repeat here but ones I’ve probably used in the heat of my hands-on tussle with them) are all over they replace native plant species, impact wildlife and fish habitat and my yard. Trying to evict them is quite a fight but I am dedicated affect the functioning of local ecosystems.

Certainly not all non-native, exotic plants are invasive and many to the effort, especially now that I am more aware of the dangers are safe and valuable agricultural and horticultural staples. But agthey pose.

Actually I’ve been aware of their bad reputations for a number of gressive non-natives become a problem when they escape cultivation years but I have been a bit of a coward. Sure, I’ve executed surgical and spread to home landscapes, pastures and croplands, forests, strikes against them in the past, ambushing seedlings and randomly wetlands, waterways and rights-of-way.

Many are readily available from plant retail outlets and are so attacking some of the bigger bullies with pruners. But I’ve felt so outnumbered by them that I’ve been afraid to launch a full-fledged common and accepted in our landscapes that homeowners may not assault…until, that is, my courage was bolstered by an Opelika Plant realize the threat they pose. They also provide food for wildlife and pollinators, so they may seem to be benefiting the environment, but Wars boot camp.

Opelika’s Plant Wars was held in September when several local birds and other wildlife actually help spread the seeds and there are other, better native plants that can be used groups rallied their forces to take on invato support bird and bee populations. sive plants. Lee County Master Gardener Among the worst offenders that are Billie Oliver and the Auburn University common on probably all of our properties Donald E. Davis Arboretum curator and are the thorny olive and Chinese privet as native plant advocate Dee Smith led the well as other ligustrums that I’ve been batcharge with the help of municipal and tling at home; some cultivars of nandinas civic groups, the Alabama Invasive Plant (heavenly bamboo), honeysuckle and wisCouncil (ALIPC) and invasive plant exteria; multiflora, Cherokee and Macartney perts from Auburn University. roses; and mimosa, kudzu, Callery pear While that effort only made a small tree hybrids and tallow (popcorn), chident in the invasive plants at the park, it Local groups evict thorny olive plants at Opelika naberry and Chinese elm trees to name was a beginning. And it provided me with Municipal Park. enough knowledge and ammunition to go home and do some hand- a few. Forest and agricultural landowners also battle these and other invasives, such as cogongrass and Japanese climbing fern, and milfoil, to-limb combat with my own intruders.

Invasive plants, defined by the U.S. Forest Service as non-native hydrilla and alligator weed are major problems in lakes and other (exotic) plant species capable of causing environmental, economic or Alabama waterways.

Though many of these plants have beautiful foliage, berries and human harm, often displacing native species, reducing native wildlife habitat, disrupting important ecosystem processes and degrading flowers, and may have a sentimental attachment for those of us who have grown up with them, their bad traits far outweigh their positive recreation areas.

According to Nancy Loewenstein, executive director of ALIPC attributes and it’s truly important to remove them from our yards. and a research fellow and invasive plant Extension specialist in Au- The good news is that, with lots of hard work and a well-organized burn University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, millions plan of attack, they can be controlled (sadly, probably never eradicatof dollars are spent each year controlling these plants across the na- ed) and there are lots of native plants that can be used in their place.

To learn more about invasive plants, how to battle them and what tion. But invasive plants also impose a “cost” on nature as, over time, plants can be used to replace them, visit the ALIPC website at www. se-eppc.org/alabama/ or check with your county Cooperative Extension or Alabama Forestry Commission offices.

If you want to learn more about or buy native plants, a workshop Katie Jackson, who recently retired as chief editor and plant sale will be held by the Davis Arboretum on Monday, for the Auburn University College of Agriculture Nov. 4, at 5:30 in room 112 of the Rouse Life Sciences building on and Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station is now a fulltime freelance writer and editor. Contact the Auburn campus. To learn more about that contact 334-844-5770 her at katielamarjackson@gmail.com. or arbinfo@auburn.edu. A

Alabama Living

NOVEMBER 2013 25

Alabama Recipes

Barbecue Cook of the Month: Julia Fleming, Southern Pine EC

Dixie Ribs 10 pounds pork ribs 1 ⁄4 cup canola oil Tony Chachere Blend Dry Rub ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon Kosher salt 1 ⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 2 cups apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Barbecue Sauce: 1 cup prepared yellow mustard ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup light brown sugar 3 ⁄4 cup cider vinegar 1 ⁄4 cup water 2 tablespoons black pepper 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon white pepper 1 ⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon soy sauce 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon liquid hickory smoke

Rub short ribs with oil. Blend dry spices together and rub ribs until well-covered. Pour cider vinegar in bottom of broiler/steamer pan and add light brown sugar. Stir well.

Place ribs on top of broiler pan. Place in a 450 degree oven and steam for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes while preparing barbecue sauce.

Barbecue Sauce: mix all ingredients together except soy sauce, butter and liquid smoke. Simmer for 30 minutes on medium heat. Stir in soy sauce, butter and liquid smoke. Simmer 10 minutes. Grill short ribs over medium-high flame (165 degrees). Mop ribs periodically with barbecue sauce. Serve hot.

More recipes at alabamaliving.coop

C

an you believe football season is almost over? I won’t tell you which state team I pull for, but I can say with confidence, Alabamians sure know how to tailgate. I hope you can use some of these barbecue recipes at your next sporting event whether it be at the stadium, in your back yard or in your living room. If you’ve always wanted to send us recipes, but haven’t, there is a new easy way to submit recipes with an easy upload form on alabamaliving.coop.

You can even upload a photo of your dish. Happy barbecuing, and I hope your team wins the Iron Bowl!

26 NOVEMBER 2013

Editor’s Note: Alabama Living’s recipes are submitted by our readers. They are not kitchen-tested by a professional cook or registered dietician. If you have special dietary needs, please check with your doctor or nutritionist before preparing any recipe.

Southern Occasions CO O K B O O K

Great for the holidays!

Venison Roast with Cajun Marinade 1 6 to 8-pound hindquarter of deer 1 16-ounce jar Creole Garlic Marinade 1 can beef consommĂŠ 1 can water

Southern Occasions

CO O K B O O K

Salt and pepper to taste Coarsely chopped carrots, onions and potatoes, optional

Wash and dry meat. Trim unwanted fat. Pour consommĂŠ and water in large roasting pan. Inject marinade into meat, using all liquid. Bake at 450 degrees about 30-45 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook about 3 hours until tender. Add vegetables, if used, last 30 minutes of cooking.

Alabama Living Alice Mitchell, Central Alabama EC

NOVEMBER 2013 27

Peppered Venison with Brandy Sauce 1½ pounds venison medallions, approximately ½ inch thick, cut from tenderloin or “backstrap” ½ cup olive oil as needed Sea salt and Nature’s Own seasoning to taste Coarsely ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons minced shallot 1 clove fresh garlic, minced 3 ounces brandy 3-4 ounces light beef or venison stock 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks 1 tablespoon finely minced parsley for garnish

Blot excess moisture from whole pieces of venison with a paper towel before cutting the medallions. Place medallions in a bowl and toss with enough olive oil to moisten.

Season with salt and Nature’s Own blend. Let meat sit for at least 10 minutes but may sit for several hours if refrigerated. Preheat a heavy-bottomed sauté pan (preferably with a nonstick coating) over high heat. Sprinkle venison medallions lightly with coarsely ground pepper. Sear both sides in hot pan, being careful not to overcook. Set aside on a warm plate. Note: venison should be served medium-rare to medium. An accompanying side dish such as mashed potatoes, grits, or white rice should be prepared. The venison with brandy sauce will be served on top of the accompanying dish.

C. Britt Turner, Baldwin EMC

Dry Rub 4 teaspoons Hungarian paprika 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons black pepper 1 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon mustard powder 1½ teaspoons granulated brown sugar

Place all ingredients in a lidded container or sealable plastic bag. Shake several times to mix. Be sure it’s well mixed. Sprinkle liberally on pork ribs or a pork butt and allow it to stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes before cooking. Makes enough for 2 slabs of ribs or one large pork butt. May be stored in a lidded glass container for up to 6 to 8 weeks.

Wendell Smith, Baldwin EMC

Barbecue Cabbage Head 5 slices bacon, cut into ¼ inch slices 1 cup chopped onion 1 medium green cabbage head

¼ cup barbecue sauce 1 tablespoon seasoned salt ¼ cup olive oil

Cut the core out of the cabbage head about 3 inches down towards the center in a circle about 3 inches in diameter.

Rub cabbage with olive oil. Sprinkle the seasoned salt onto the cabbage and rub it in. Cook bacon and onion in skillet and cook just until the bacon browns but is still soft and not yet crispy. Drain fat off bacon and onion mixture. Add barbecue sauce to bowl with bacon and onions. Mix together. Fill cabbage with mixture. Crumble a long piece of aluminum foil into a ring to set on top of the grill to hold the cabbage upright. Cook about 30 minutes on a preheated grill. To serve, quarter with a knife and top with warmed barbecue sauce if desired.

Kirk Vantrease, Cullman EMC 28 NOVEMBER 2013

Editor’s Note: Alabama Living’s recipes are submitted by our readers. They are not kitchen-tested by a professional cook or registered dietician. If you have special dietary needs, please check with your doctor or nutritionist before preparing any recipe.

Around Alabama PRATTVILLE

DECEMBER 7 & 15

Christ-in-Christmas Celebration East Memorial Baptist Church invites everyone to view the life of Christ, from his birth in Bethlehem to the cross and the empty tomb.

Drive through each scene of the Living Nativity as the more than 100 cast members, and animals, portray the story of Jesus, then return the following week for the musical “Christmas Changes Everything.”

22 • Gadsden, Cherokee County Agricultural Fair. Gadsden State Cherokee Campus and Centre Sports Complex. Fri. 5 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. Contact: Women’s Soccer Championship. Orange Beach Kerry Ledbetter, 256-283-7755 or Daphne Rogers, Sportsplex. Information: Jeanne Fitzgibbons, 256-283-4262 or cheokeecountyfair@gmail.com 251-981-1524 or www.obparksandrec.com 22-24 • Mobile, 41st Annual Port City 6-10 • Fort Toulouse, Alabama Frontier Craftsmen Fall Craft Show. The Shriners Abba Days. Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson Park, 8:30 Temple. Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat. and Sun. 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Admission: students $7, adults a.m.-4 p.m. www.portcitycraftsmen.com $8, children 5 and under free. Information: 334-567-3002 or www.fttoulousejackson.org 23 • Dothan, 3rd Annual Christmas Bazaar.

Trinity Lutheran Church, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

9 • Collinsville, Collinsville Historic Turkey Information: Pat, 334-792-9745 (mornings) Trot. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sponsored in part by the Collinsville Historical Association.

23 • Alpine, 5th Annual Art Extravaganza.

Aljerald Powers Memorial Lodge/Plank Road 9 • Robertsdale, 9th Annual Christmas Station, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Find on Facebook @ Bazaar. PZK Civic Center. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Free AljeraldPowersMemorialLodge/PlankRoadStation admission. Information: 251-947-8973 26 • Dothan, Wiregrass Heritage 10 • Chatom, Festival. Landmark Park, 10 a.m.Veterans Day Celebration 4 p.m. Adults $8, kids $4, park The town of Chatom will celebrate members are free. Information: Veterans Day in a big way at Laura Stakelum, 334-794-3452 1 p.m. at the Chatom Community or laurav@landmarkpark.com Center. This event will honor our 28 & 29 • Atmore, Poarch brave men and women who have Band of Creek Indians 43rd Annual served in the armed forces. Come join us for gospel hour between Thanksgiving Pow Wow, gates 1-2 p.m. Live music will be by Destiny. Sunshine the clown will also open at 10 a.m. Admission: Adults be there to make balloon art. Other activities include a mechanical $10, Children 7-17 $5, Children 6 bull, a trackless train and face painting. fireworks starts at 6 p.m. so and under free. No pets allowed. don’t forget your lawn chairs. Parking is only $1 for this free event.

29 • Arab, Christmas in the Park.

Come join the City of Chatom as it honors our veterans and current NOVEMBER

4, 6, 8 & 10 • Orange Beach, SEC

Arab City/Historic Village, 6-9 p.m. every Fri. and Sat. night until Dec. 21. Admission: $5 per person over 2 years old. Contact: Juanita Edmondson, 256-5866397 or 256-586-3866 or topofthehill@otelco.net

military. For more information contact Fran Thornton at 251-680-3075 or thorntonfran@yahoo.com 16 • Vernon, Timberland Cattle’s Best-ofthe-Black Angus & Sim-Angus Bull Sale, Timberland Cattle Farm in Vernon. Information: 205-695-6314 or www.timberlandcattle.com

To place an event e-mail to events@alabamaliving.coop. or visit www. alabamaliving.coop. You can also mail to Events Calendar, P.O. Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124; Each submission must include a contact name and phone number. Deadline is two months prior to issue date. We regret that we cannot publish every event due to space limitations.

Alabama Living

EMBC is hosting The Drive-Thru Living Nativity Saturday, December 7, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and the musical “Christmas Changes Everything” Sunday, December 15, at 6 p.m. Bring the entire family, admission is free for both events. For additional information, contact the church at 334-365-7500.

30• Lake Guntersville, Civil War Christmas

Ball. Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge, 7 p.m.

Admission: $35 per couple, $20 single, $8 ages 12 and under. Information: 256-317-7579 or www. civilwarchristmasball. eventbrite.com 1-30 • Opp, Scarecrows in the Park.

Frank Jackson State Park. Guided golf cart tours are available and group tours welcomed.

Information: 334-493-3070 DECEMBER 4-8 • Montgomery, 8th Annual Interfaith Nativity Exhibit. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, 3460 Carter Hill Road. Wed., Thurs., Fri. and Sun. the display will be open 1-8 p.m. and Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. www.montgomerynativity.com 7 • Hanceville, 22nd Annual Cullman County Christmas Parade. Sponsored by Hanceville Civitan, 2 p.m. Free admission. To participate in the parade contact: Joann Walls, 256-352-9799 7 • Bridgeport, CUBB 25th Annual Christmas Parade. Downtown Bridgeport, 11:30 a.m.

Information: Dot McDonald, 256-495-2502

• Frisco City, Revive Frisco Christmas in the Park. Jones Park, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Booth information: Nickey Gaston, 251-267-3180 or Rhonda Norwood at Lasting Creations/Fabric Store, 251-267-2118

7

• Stockton, Christmas on the River. Lower Bryant’s Landing on Hwy 225, 3 p.m.-9 p.m. Parking: $2.

Boat entry: $10. Boat entry contact: Linda O’Bryan, 251-689-6987 or onesweetspot@yahoo.com

7

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NOVEMBER 2013 29

How To Place a Line Ad in Marketplace

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NEW AND USED STAIR LIFT ELEVATORS – Car lifts, Scooters, Power Wheelchairs, Walk-in Tubs, Ceiling Lifts – Covers State of Alabama – 23 years (800)682-0658

APPALACHIAN TRAIL – CABINS BY THE trail in the Georgia Mountains – 3000’ above sea level, snowy winters, cool summers, inexpensive rates – (800)2846866, www.bloodmountain.com

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30 NOVEMBER 2013

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DETROIT, AL – COTTON ROW COTTAGE – 2BR / 1BA in quiet scenic cotton valley get-a-way! 10 minutes West of Hwy 78 & 45 minutes from Tupelo, MS – Call June at (662)825-3244 DESTIN, FLORIDA CONDO – 1 bedroom, ground level, screened patio, golf, tennis, fishing, gated area, 100+ yards to beach – bhboss@charter.net, (205)647-2777

January 2014 – Nov. 25 February 2014 – Dec. 25 March 2014 – Jan. 25

PIGEON FORGE, TN: $89 - $125, 2BR/2BA, hot tub, air hockey, fireplace, swimming pool, creek – (251)363-1973, www.mylittlebitofheaven.com GATLINBURG TOWNHOUSE ON BASKINS CREEK! GREAT RATES! 4BR/3BA, short walk downtown attractions! (205)333-9585, hhideaway401@aol.com

Camping / Hunting / Fishing 76 ACRES, NE AREA GANTT LAKE, ANDALUSIA – 300 ft lake frontage, secluded recreational parcel, surrounded by woods, great deer & duck hunting, ride ATVs / horses, camping - $125,000 – Becky Courson, Courson & Hopkins Realtors, (334)488-1408

Real Estate Sales GULF SHORES – GREAT CONDO BUYS, COASTAL AND INLAND – Call (251)9488008 - www.PeteOnTheBeach.com – Century21 Meyer Real Estate

Travel CARIBBEAN CRUISES AT THE LOWEST PRICES - (256)974-0500 or (800)7260954 - TIME TO BOOK YOUR ALASKAN CRUISE TRAVEL IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF APOSTLE PAUL – (256)974-0500 or (800)726-0954

Musical Notes PLAY GOSPEL SONGS BY EAR - 10 lessons $12.95. “LEARN GOSPEL MUSIC”. Chording, runs, fills - $12.95 Both $24. Davidsons, 6727AR Metcalf, Shawnee Missions, Kansas 66204 – (913)262-4982 PIANOS TUNED, REPAIRED, refinished. Box 171, Coy, AL 36435.

334-337-4503

Education FREE BIBLE CORRESPONDENCE COURSE – write to 23600 Alabama Highway 24, Trinity, AL, 35673 BECOME AN ORDAINED MINISTER correspondence study. Founded in 1988. Free info. Ministers for Christ Outreach, 7558 West Thunderbird Road, Ste. 1 - #114, Peoria, Arizona 85381. http://www.ordination.org

Critters CHIHUAHUA PUPPIES. REGISTERED, guaranteed healthy, raised indoors in loving home, vet records and references. (256)796-2893

Fruits / Nuts / Berries GROW MUSCADINES AND BLACKBERRIES , half dollar size – We offer over 200 varieties of Fruit and Nut Trees plus Vines and Berry Plants . Free color catalog.

1-800-733-0324.

Ison’s Nursery, P.O. Box 190, Brooks, GA 30205 Since 1934 www.isons.com

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Ads are $1.75 per word with a 10 word minimum and are on a prepaid basis; Telephone numbers, email addresses and websites are considered 1 word each Ads will not be taken over the phone. You may email your ad to hdutton@areapower.com; or call (800)410-2737 ask for Heather for pricing.; We accept checks, money orders and all major credit cards; Mail ad submission along with a check or money order made payable to ALABAMA LIVING, P.O. Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124 – Attn: Classifieds.

Alabama Living

NOVEMBER 2013 31

Orange BBQ Pork Ribs 1 cup Kraft original BBQ sauce 4 pounds pork spareribs

3 tablespoons Kool-aid orange flavor sugar-sweetened soft-drink mix

Preheat grill to medium-low heat. Mix barbecue sauce and drink mix until well blended. Place half of the ribs each in single layer in center of sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Spoon sauce mixture over ribs. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place packets on grate of grill; cover with lid. Grill 1 hour and 30 minutes or until ribs are very tender. Remove from foil.

Skim fat from sauce and serve with ribs. Makes 9 servings.

Tables indicate peak fish and game feeding and migration times. Major periods can bracket the peak by an hour before and an hour after. Minor peaks, half-hour before and after. Adjusted for daylight savings time. a.m. p.m.

Minor Major Minor Major

NOV. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 DEC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

09:01 10:01 11:01 --12:46 02:46 08:46 09:31 10:16 10:46 11:16 11:46 07:31 08:01 --02:01 07:46 08:46 09:46 10:31 11:01 11:46 07:31 08:16 09:01 09:31 10:16 11:01 04:46 01:16 07:16 08:31 09:46 10:31 11:16 11:46 07:31 08:01 08:31 09:01 09:31 09:46 10:16 03:31

01:31 02:16 03:16 04:01 05:16 06:31 07:46 03:46 04:46 05:16 05:46 06:31 07:01 12:16 12:46 04:01 05:01 06:16 03:31 04:16 05:01 05:46 06:16 07:01 12:01 12:46 01:31 02:16 03:01 03:46 11:31 05:46 03:16 04:31 05:16 06:01 06:31 07:01 12:16 12:46 01:16 01:46 02:16 02:31 03:01 10:46

32 NOVEMBER 2013

02:01 03:01 04:31 10:16 07:31 01:31 02:01 02:31 03:01 03:31 04:01 04:31 -12:31 01:01 07:01 07:46 01:16 01:46 02:16 02:46 03:16 04:01 -12:31 01:16 02:01 03:01 04:16 11:01 -12:16 01:01 01:46 02:31 03:16 04:01 -12:31 01:01 01:46 02:31 03:16 09:01 10:31 --

06:46 07:31 08:31 12:01 12:46 08:31 09:01 09:31 10:16 10:46 11:16 11:46 04:46 5:16 05:46 12:01 12:31 08:31 09:01 09:46 10:16 10:46 11:31 04:31 05:16 06:01 06:46 07:46 09:01 05:46 07:01 08:01 09:01 09:46 10:16 11:01 11:31 04:46 05:16 06:01 06:31 07:16 08:01 04:16 05:16 06:31

Becky Terry, Joe Wheeler EMC

Sweet-And-Spicy Barbecue Sauce ½ cup chopped sweet onion 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 (32-oz.) bottle ketchup 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 1 cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup apple juice ½ cup honey 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon celery seeds ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Sauté sweet onion, garlic cloves and jalapeño pepper in hot olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in bottle ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, apple juice honey, Worcestershire sauce, kosher salt, black pepper, celery seeds and red pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 month. Makes 5 cups.

Shena Blocker, Covington EC

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Alabama Living

NOVEMBER 2013 33

Time traveling in LANDMARK PARK

“Pretty much everything we do has a teaching component,” says Laura Stakelum, public relations director for Landmark Park. The park gives kids a chance to experience what life would have been like if they were born 100 years ago.

Life becomes simpler inside the perimeter of Landmark Park, Dothan’s tribute to the cultural and agricultural heritage of the Wiregrass region.

Just inside, the road turns to dirt and the noises of modern life are silenced by forests, farmsteads and farm animals.

And that’s exactly what visitors love about it, says Laura Stakelum, the park’s public relations director.

“It’s a great place for families to enjoy the outside and have fun,” says Stakelum. “There truly is something for everybody.”

The 130-acre park on the outskirts of Dothan, just off Highway 431, offers a glimpse into the past with its living history farm, authentic preserved farmhouse from the 19th century, one-room schoolhouse and turn-of-the-century church.

➜

Visitors can also enjoy nature walks on an elevated boardwalk, see heritage breeds of farm animals or have a soda pulled from an old-time soda fountain at the park’s drugstore.

The park, which was founded in the 1970s by the Dothan Landmarks Foundation, was created “as a way to preserve the region’s agricultural history and culture,” Stakelum says. Many of the structures were built and functioned sometime between the late 1800s and the 1920s before being later acquired by the park.

At the park’s signature structure, the Waddell farmhouse, visitors can see what it was like to live on a working Wiregrass farm in the 1800s. The farmhouse is also surrounded by a blacksmith shop, garden, corn crib, cane mill, syrup shed and smokehouse.

But while life may have been simpler in those days, visitors to the park can quickly see that it was also much harder.

Modern equipment and conveniences did not exist, and people toiled long hours for everything they had.

They also had very different living conditions than we might be used to today. The Watson cabin, a one-room log structure on the outskirts of the farm, once housed 13 people — “a situation that was not uncommon in those days,” Stakelum says.

But the discovery of those kinds of difficulties is often an eye-opening and inspiring part of the visit to the park.

“It really makes you appreciate what you have,” Stakelum offered. “But it also teaches us things. Nothing was wasted back then. They had respect for nature, and they worked with it instead

For more information on Landmark Park, or to donate to help maintain the park grounds, go to landmarkpark.com or follow them on Facebook by visiting www.facebook.com/ pages/Landmark-Park/131683633174.

34 NOVEMBER 2013

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of against it. Those are lessons that we can use today.”

“The Wiregrass is lucky to have something like Landmark Park in the area,” says Brad Kimbro, director of member services at WEC. “It’s important that we remember where we came from, which in our case was largely an agricultural community. That’s why Wiregrass Electric was built. We were formed to help improve the lives of farming communities in this region.”

The park itself, however, offers modernday conveniences, including a planetarium, Interpretive Center, picnic areas, amphitheater, various wildlife and wild animal exhibits and the Stokes Activity Barn for special events. Some visitors to the park simply preThe Landmark Park Quilt Show brings crowds each year to the park.

fer to run or walk on the elevated boardwalk for exercise and relaxation.

In addition, the park is home to several festivals throughout the year, including the popular Landmark Park Quilt Show and the Wiregrass Heritage Festival. Each year, the festival features players dressed in period clothing demonstrating cane grinding, syrup making, butter churning, basket weaving, soap making and other traditional farm activities.

Stakelum says the park recently acquired 35 more acres, which is currently under development. The new addition will feature modern-day farming demonstrations for professional farmers and the public, alike.

“Pretty much everything we do has a teaching component,” she says. A

Landmark Park tries to preserve a culture that has been largely replaced by modern machinery and invention.

Ongoing events at Landmark Park These regular events at Landmark Park are fun for the entire family and a great way to experience the park.

Reptile Feeding

On the second Sunday of each month, join the park staff in the Classroom of the Interpretive Center at 4 p.m. to feed the snakes.

Meet Indy, the Eastern Indigo snake and learn why these animals are important to the environment. Registration is required and programs are free with paid gate admission.

Planetarium Shows

View the night sky in season in Landmark Park’s Digital Planetarium. Learn about the stars, constellations and related mythology. Showtimes are Saturday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Tickets are free for members and $2 for nonmembers. Planetarium programs are not recommended for children under 5.

Landmark Dulcimer Club Jam and Practice Session

Instead of using replicas, the park houses structures that were built and actually used between the late 1800s and the 1920s.

Landmark Dulcimer Club meets for a jam and practice session on the first Saturday of each month at 1 p.m. No experience is necessary to join the session, but participants must bring their own mountain dulcimer. These sessions are free with paid gate admission.

Wiregrass Woodturners Meeting and Demonstration

The Wiregrass Woodturners meet at Landmark Park in the Alabama Agricultural Museum on the first Saturday of each month at 9:30 a.m. for a business meeting and turning demonstration. These meetings are open to the public and are free with paid gate admission or Wiregrass Woodturner membership.

Alabama Living

NOVEMBER 2013 35

Our Sources Say

Goose and gander

H

opefully, the government shutdown has ended by the time you read this article. Government spending for all but essential services was curtailed because the Democratic-controlled Senate would not accept a Republican-controlled House proposal to de-fund ObamaCare as part of the budget package. The Democrats and President Obama worked hard to pass ObamaCare, believed it will work and will only agree to a budget proposal that includes ObamaCare funding.

More than enough has been written about ObamaCare, what it is and is not, how much it will cost, whether you will maintain your current insurance coverage, whether you will be able to keep your current doctor, or whether you will need insurance before you are sick or injured. However, little has been written about the exemption of congressmen, senators and house representatives and their staffs – 11,000 in all – from the provisions of ObamaCare. The exemptions were originated by the Office of Personnel Management at the direction of the White House with the encouragement and support of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans.

Without the exemption, Congress and their staffs would be subject to the provisions of ObamaCare and would have to purchase health insurance on exchanges at an approximate annual cost of $5,000 for individuals and $11,000 for families – just like all other Americans. Your health insurance cost may increase, but with the exemption, Congress’ and their staffs’ will not. You may be kicked out of your coverage and lose your doctors, but Congress and their staffs will not. After all, is it fair to ask a congressman making $174,000 per year to pay $11,000 per year for health insurance?

The argument in favor of the exemption is that experienced and smart congressional staff talent will be lost because of the increasing cost of health insurance. That sounds an awful lot like the criticism of ObamaCare from the private business sector.

A few congressmen oppose the exemption. Senators David Vitter (R., La.) and Mike Enzi (R., Wy.) introduced legislation in the Senate to end the exemption, and Rep. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.) introduced the James Madison Congressional Accountability Act

in the House that would end the exemption. Sen. Vitter’s bill was met with opposition among Republican staffers who colluded with Democratic counterparts to prevent the bill from being attached to an unrelated energy bill.

Several Democratic senators proposed a bill that would permanently block the exemption to ObamaCare for any senator that voted for Vitter’s bill, regardless of whether it passed. Senate Leader Harry Reid pulled all bills from the floor, denouncing “these juvenile political games” and stating, “We’ll be treated like the rest of the federal employees.” We will see, won’t we?

No Republican voted for ObamaCare, and they have spent much political capital in trying to defeat it. They have taken the government into a shut-down in an effort to beat ObamaCare but still appear to be working with Democrats across the aisle to avoid their personal cost of the health care exchanges. Instead of spending their energy shutting down the government and trying to take care of their own interests in exempting themselves from the provisions of ObamaCare, they should point out the hypocrisy of the ObamaCare congressional exemption, which would render them a better standing in the court of public opinion.

Our founding fathers realized that laws must be applied equally to all people, especially elected officials, as a primary safeguard from authoritarianism and oppression by a ruling class. James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 57, “They can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as on the great mass of the society.” Apparently this Congress is no student of American history.

We have all heard the old folk saying, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

A recent poll by the Independent Women’s Voice found 92 percent of registered voters – and 88 percent of Democrats polled – believe the Congressional exemption is unfair, regardless of their view of ObamaCare. Congress apparently practices “gander hypocrisy.” If they can’t get rid of ObamaCare they should get in the boat with the rest of us. Is there any wonder Congress’ approval ratings are at an all-time low?

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a good month. A

Gary Smith is President and CEO of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative

36 NOVEMBER 2013

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NOVEMBER 2013 37

Alabama Snapshots 2 1

3 5

7

Readers’ choice Submit Your Images!

JANUARY THEME:

“Winter fun”

4

This month we decided to share some of the photos our readers have recently sent to us. Please submit your photos at alabamaliving. coop/submit-photo/

SUBMIT PHOTOS THROUGH OUR WEBSITE: alabamaliving.coop/submit-photo/ OR SEND COLOR PHOTOS WITH A LARGE SELFADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE TO:

Photos, Alabama Living, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, AL, 36124 RULES: Alabama Living will pay $10 for photos that best match our theme of the month. Photos may also be published on our website at www. alabamaliving.coop. Alabama Living is not responsible for lost or damaged photos.

DEADLINE FOR JANUARY: Nov. 30

38 NOVEMBER 2013

1. Kyle Little and his Jersey heifer SUBMITTED BY Sherry Little, Albertville 2. “Alabama gator” SUBMITTED BY Danny Pugh, Harvest 3. Aaron and Kinsley Brewton with their home-grown 206 lb. watermelon SUBMITTED BY Joey and Ava Brewton, Evergreen

4. Helen Webber, age 6, leaps after packing a cotton wagon SUBMITTED

BY Jason Webber, Atmore 5. Amanda Lopez at the Echota Cherokee festival at the Oakville Indian Mounds SUBMITTED BY Amanda Lopez, Vinemont

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