February 2023 Wiregrass

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Board of Trustees

Small change adds up

Since our earliest days, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative has been inseparable from the community we serve. When the major electric companies didn’t see profit in building lines out to this area, the people of the Wiregrass came together to build an electric system themselves. They did it because they knew the transformative power of electricity for their community would continue to be felt not just for years, but for decades into the future.

Even now, more than 80 years later, our mission has never strayed far from those roots. We are still proud to live and work alongside the people we serve each day, and concern for our community continues to be one of the core principles that guides everything we do.

I like to think that principle extends even beyond our day-to-day work as an electric cooperative. At every level, our employees are dedicated to making their community a better place for everyone to live. It may take the form of involvement in their church, leadership in local nonprofits or coaching our youth in Little League sports.

As a cooperative, we are always looking for new ways to do more, and this month marks the eighth anniversary of a particularly important program: Operation Round Up. From the start, the concept was simple but powerful — members would round up their bills to the next dollar and contribute that small change to a fund.

Each member contributes just pennies a month, never more than a dollar. But when that small donation is multiplied by the thousands of members who make up Wiregrass Electric it can add up to real help for individuals and organizations throughout the area.

In total we have been able to raise more than $800,000 for grants across the Wiregrass. Those funds have gone to help local teachers with school supplies and give them a well-

deserved bonus for their hard work. More than $150,000 has gone to scholarships for graduating high school seniors to help them pay for their continued education.

Many of you also know about our Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass program, which identifies everyday people who are going above and beyond to give back to their community and provides $1,000 to help their cause. This program, in partnership with our No. 1 local station WTVY, has done so much to shine a light on the good work being done by those who ask nothing in return.

So far it has highlighted small business owners, one gentleman who barbecues to raise money for people with cancer, a member who builds crosses for deceased veterans, a local hibachi chef who ministers to his neighbors and many more.

It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since we first introduced Operation Round Up, but it is so exciting to see the impact it has already made. I can’t wait to see all the good we will be able to accomplish together over the next eight years.

Of course, Operation Round Up isn’t the only way Wiregrass Electric gives back to the community. Last year, we raised more than ever before for this year’s United Way campaign, supporting their mission to provide for those in need in our area. We’re also looking forward to the 2023 Youth Your, which always gives our young people an invaluable opportunity to see how our government works up close and learn about the role cooperatives play across the country.

We are humbled at each opportunity we have to give back to the wonderful people of the Wiregrass. And I know I speak for everyone at the cooperative when I say we are always looking for new ways to do more. After all, to be a cooperative is to be an integral part of the community we serve. 

wiregrass.coop/community/giving-back/media-partnerships/

Donald Ray Wilks District 7

Tracy Reeder District 5 Kip Justice District 6

Debra E. Baxley District 1 Secretary

John Clark Jr. District 3

David Winstead District 9 President

Greg McCullough District 8

Randy Odom District 2 Vice President

Danny McNeil District 4

LES MORELAND CEO Wiregrass Electric Cooperative

Preserving a Legacy

Project seeks to save historic one-room Dupree School

“May she never fall into the condition that she is now. We’re never going to let that happen again.” These are the words of Steve Smith, chair of Friends of Dupree School, as he talks about the effort to save the historic one-room schoolhouse that still sits on its original foundation in Ashford, Houston County. Built in 1904, the school served for half a century as a place to educate children from grades one through six.

A typical rural school with a large classroom that could be divided in two areas by using folding doors, the Dupree School operated for a few decades until it was closed sometime around 1950. After that, the state of Alabama transferred ownership of the schoolhouse to the Center Community Club. Dupree School became the club’s main gathering space and site for various social events — from family reunions to home demonstration classes and Saturday night shows where local musicians would entertain the community.

Unfortunately, the building fell into disrepair in 2018 after Hurricane Michael caused extensive damage to the roof, causing the interior of the building to sustain water damage. The problem was worsened by vandalism, as trespassers broke windows, stole furniture and repeatedly

violated the door locks to enter the building. But simply standing by and watching the old schoolhouse crumble into oblivion was not an option for a group of citizens. In 2021, they started an organization called Friends of Dupree School and began working on the Historic Dupree School Preservation Project. The organization only gathers donations to make it possible to restore the school building to its original condition. It relies on volunteers who contribute skills such as hands-on labor, administration and fundraising to preserve the legacy of the Dupree School for the next generation.

Their efforts are already paying off, as the Dupree School is once again a community gathering place for events and often echoes with the strains of bluegrass music. And that’s not all.

“Due to our work with the Alabama Historical Commission and the National Park Service, we are on track to see Historic Dupree School added to the National Historic Register,” Smith says. “It’s going to take all of us working together, because we not only want to preserve this building for generations to come, we want to bring life back into its walls.”

Brad Kimbro, chief operating officer at Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, has joined the effort to save the Dupree School as an advisory board member. “The history of Dupree School has meant so much to people who were educated here,” he says. “That education turned into hope, and the generations that have come through this school helped win world wars for us and built infrastructure all across this country and has been part of what some have called the greatest generation. It is very important that we preserve this history.”

To learn more about the Historic Dupree School Preservation Project and ways to get involved, visit dupreeschool.com or follow the Friends of Dupree School on Facebook. 

Contact Information

Mailing address 509 N. State Hwy 167 P.O. Box 158, Hartford, AL 36344

Phone

1-800-239-4602

Toll Free Outage “Hotline”

1-888-4-MY-OUTAGE • 1-888-469-6882 (24 hrs/day)

Website www.wiregrass.coop

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Find Wiregrass Electric Co-op on Twitter (@WEC2), Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Payment Options

BY MAIL Wiregrass Electric Cooperative Inc. Department 1340, P.O. Box 2153 Birmingham, AL 35287-1340

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Payments may be made 24 hrs/day by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and E-Check on our website at www.wiregrass.coop.

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

NIGHT DEPOSITORY AND KIOSKS

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IN PERSON

Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Payment kiosks also available 24/7 in all offices.

Locations:

• 509 N. State Hwy. 167 • Hartford, AL 36344

• 13148 W. State Hwy. 52 • Samson, AL 36477

• 1066 Ashford Highway • Ashford, AL 36312

• 6167 Fortner St. • Dothan, AL 36305

For questions regarding sanitation service, call Houston County Sanitation Department at 334-677-4781 or Dothan City Sanitation at 334-615-3820.

GROWTH INDUSTRY

HudsonAlpha Wiregrass arrives in Dothan

For over 100 years, the peanut has been the backbone of farming in the Wiregrass. In the early 1900s, the unassuming little nut saved farmers whose cotton crops were decimated by boll weevil infestation.

Now, with the arrival of HudsonAlpha in Dothan, the Wiregrass can once again be part of unlocking the peanut’s full potential. The nonprofit research institute’s second campus aims to use research into the DNA of the peanut and other area crops to help farmers get the most out of their harvests, support local education and promote economic growth.

“We’re at a point in the field of genomics where you no longer have to be at a big academic center or working on the coasts,” says Neil Lamb, president of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. “The tools and technology have become economical and robust enough that it’s the right time to bring genetics to a place like the Wiregrass.”

The new HudsonAlpha Wiregrass, which will call the recently announced Wiregrass Innovation Center in downtown Dothan home, is the institute’s first expansion outside of Huntsville. Over the last 15 years, that campus has attracted dozens of biotech companies from around the world and now employs more than 1,000 people.

While the Dothan campus will develop along its own trajectory, Lamb hopes it can have a similar impact with a focus on agriculture. With service from Wiregrass Electric and enthusiastic support from the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, the Wiregrass provides exactly the partner Hudson Alpha was looking for.

“In one of my first conversations with Mayor Mark Saliba he said he believed that

the city of Dothan was the right people, the right place and the right time for this kind of collaboration,” Lamb says. “And he was right in every way.”

Unlocking the genome

On its own, the research happening at HudsonAlpha can be an advantage for WEC members and local farmers. Lamb says genomics research has the potential to make harvests profitable well into the future, even for farmers who are comfortable with the crops they have grown for generations.

“If you think about farmers that have always grown the same crops, it becomes increasingly challenging to grow some of them as temperatures get higher and water becomes more scarce,” he says. “But the power of plants is that they have learned to

grow in the most inhospitable places around the world. And the secrets to that sit within their genetic recipes.”

The goal is to find those secrets in the DNA of crops like the peanut. Once scientists know which genetic piece of information allows it to grow in extreme temperatures or in unusual soil conditions, they can breed new plant varieties that will thrive in otherwise poor circumstances.

“It isn’t genetically modified. It isn’t genetic engineering,” Lamb says. “It’s the exact same tools of breeding farms have done for thousands of years, but you’re using the power of genetics as a shortcut to quickly determine which varieties of this seedling will give me the plant that I want.”

In the process, HudsonAlpha hopes to attract new biotech companies to the

Educational sessions, like this one hosted by HudsonAlpha, will also be available in the Wiregrass.

area just as it has in Huntsville. But it also looks forward to cultivating new ideas and businesses right here in the Wiregrass.

“We want to find the ideas people in this region have, the challenges they see in need of a solution, and use our expertise from the last 15 years in Huntsville to help them refine that,” Lamb says. “Over time, the goal is to build an entrepreneurship economy in the Wiregrass.”

One way to do that is with programs like the AgTech Accelerator, which HudsonAlpha recently conducted at its Huntsville campus. The program provides a fast-paced course designed to help small companies reach the next level, whether it’s polishing pitches, establishing that first set of customers or building for long-term sustainability.

“We describe it as steel on steel because every single day they’re working intently on how to get to the next place,” Lamb says. “We hope that some of those companies will choose to locate on our campus, build relationships with our existing companies or collaborate with our scientific researchers.”

Right place, right time

What excites Lamb most are the possibilities for HudsonAlpha to support education throughout the Wiregrass. Students across WEC’s service area and the entire region will be able to study the same plants researchers are working on while learning high-demand skills in science, technology, engineering and math that can help them prepare for a variety of careers.

The institute also aims to provide support for teachers through workshops that will offer the latest insights and resources for educators in biology, health science, anatomy and physiology, computer science and more. Lamb also hopes to put on summer camps and after-school programs similar to those HudsonAlpha hosts in Huntsville.

“We were able to establish those programs for students who really think this is the field they’d like to be in. Their eyes light up when they hear about this stuff,” he says. “We would love to be able to run camps in the Wiregrass area and field trips during the school year to let students and teachers dig deeper into the subject.”

While HudsonAlpha teams have already been on the ground, Lamb anticipates seeing real progress this spring. That’s when the institute expects to begin providing plants to local classrooms for study, conversations with prospective companies and its first round of educator workshops.

“One of our key values is collaboration, and the people of the Wiregrass all row in the same direction,” Lamb says. “It’s rare

around the country today to find groups that work together and with their foundations, industry leaders and school systems. So we look forward to working with a group of people that come to the table with an abundance mindset and wanting to know how we can work together.”

Between that mindset and the deep farming roots throughout the region, Lamb has no doubt that HudsonAlpha Wiregrass will be a success for everyone involved.

“In the Wiregrass, your entire backyard is built around agriculture and the relationship with the ecosystem,” he says. “So as we look at how we use the power of genomes to create more robust crops that meet the needs of local farmers, Dothan is the right place for that.”

HudsonAlpha Director of Entrepreneurship Alex Cate, from left, attended a Grow Southeast event in January along with Scott Farmer, executive director of the Southeast Alabama Regional Planning Commission; Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba; Brad Kimbro; Sen. Donnie Chesteen; and Dean Mitchell, director of HudsonAlpha Wiregrass.

Josh Clevenger of HudsonAlpha spoke at the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce recently. Clevenger is one of the leading peanut genomics experts in the country.

My husband loved to build things out of wood. He built houses, churches and trains. I’m so proud. SUBMITTED by Nyoka Chandler, Guntersville.

I made this for my grandson. My first time building a rocking horse. SUBMITTED by Ray Bell, Newville.

I’ve been wood carving for about 30 years. SUBMITTED by Jerry Cochran, Summerdale.

Stephan H. Scott made this boat from a pine tree that fell on our property after a storm and named the boat after his grandmother. SUBMITTED by Marilyn Scott, Elberta.

One of my ancestors whittled this. All of it is one piece - no pieces of it are separate. SUBMITTED by Rhonda Mosley, Andalusia.

A friend of mine did this woodburning of my dog, Gypsy, from the included picture. SUBMITTED by Susie Burgess, Hartselle.

My Daddy made heart shaped jewelry boxes out of cedar for every female in his family. SUBMITTED by Joyce Pickett, Fitzpatrick.

| Deadline: February 28

Co-ops respond to devastating severe weather

Numerous strong to severe thunderstorms cut through central Alabama on Jan. 12, and several of those storms spawned significant tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service. An EF3 tornado that tracked from Autauga County into western Chambers County had a longtrack path of over 76 miles and was at least 1,500 yards wide; this tornado caused seven fatalities and 16 injuries.

This storm left more than 9,000 Central Alabama EC members without power, and the co-op needed to replace more than 300 poles. Several sister co-ops responded to help Central Alabama with the restoration of power: Dixie EC, Marshall-DeKalb EC, Tallapoosa River EC, Baldwin EMC, Clarke-Washington EMC, Cullman EC, Coosa Valley EC, Black Warrior EMC and Wiregrass EC sent a total of 85 men as well as trucks and materials to the affected areas in Central Alabama’s territory. They were in place by the morning of Jan. 13, and all were released by the evening of Jan. 15.

But several co-ops had their own damage to contend with. Black Warrior EMC, Pioneer EC, Southern Pine EC, Clarke-Washington EMC, Joe Wheeler EMC, South Alabama EC, Pea River EC and others saw large-scale outages from the band of storms that tore through Alabama.

Alabama’s co-ops always stand ready to help sister co-ops both in-state and across the Southeast after a devastating weather event.

Civil rights icon’s medal on display at Archives

The Presidential Medal of Freedom that was presented to Alabama attorney Fred D. Gray on July 7, 2022, is now on display in the ADAH’s main lobby and will be on view through February 2023. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Born in Montgomery on Dec. 14, 1930, Gray graduated from Alabama State College (now Alabama State University) at the age of 17 and enrolled at Western Reserve University Law School in Ohio. The young attorney returned to Alabama determined to contest the legality of segregation laws. During the Montgomery Bus Boycott, he represented Rosa Parks and served as legal advisor for the Montgomery Improvement Association and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., its president.

Gray was lead counsel in the landmark 1956 case Browder v. Gayle, which overturned segregation on public transportation in Alabama. Building on this precedent, Gray challenged inequality in dozens of cases over the next several decades. He continues to practice law today at the age of 92. Gray has been a trustee of the ADAH since 2003.

“We have made substantial progress but the struggle for the elimination of racism and for equal justice continues. I hope this award will encourage other Americans to do what they can to complete the task so that all American citizens will be treated the same, equally and fairly, in accordance with the Constitution,” Gray says.

Learn more at archives.alabama.gov

Alabama State Parks receive grant for Chewacla State Park

The State Parks Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) was recently awarded a $20,000 Hearts of STIHL grant from STIHL, Inc., to be used for the removal and management of invasive plant species at Chewacla State Park in Auburn.  The Hearts of STIHL grants are awarded to support programs that prioritize responsible forest management practices, sustainability, conservation and environmental education programs. The grants are managed through the America’s State Parks Foundation and awarded to state parks in six regions of the U.S.  “Invasive plants are a threat to native ecosystems throughout the country,” says Tasha Simon, Natural Resources Supervisor for Alabama State Parks. “Since Alabama is one of the most biologically diverse states in the U.S., managing that threat to our native species is very important.”

The grant will fund the purchase of equipment and herbicides to reduce the amount of Chinese privet and tallowtree, thorny olive, wild taro, water hyacinth, kudzu and other non-native plants at Chewacla. The funding will also support educational signage and print media about the restoration of native habitats within the park.

For more information about the Hearts of STIHL program, visit stihlusa.com/community/hearts-of-stihl/

President Biden presents the Medal of Freedom to Alabama attorney Fred Gray in July 2022. OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY ADAM SCHULTZ

A crew from Coosa Valley EC resets a pole in the Old Jasmine Hill Road area of Wetumpka on Jan. 13, the day after an EF3 tornado plowed through the Central Alabama EC service territory.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TOMMY GILES

The Chewacla Invasive Plant Working Group has been crucial in long-term efforts to remove and control non-native plant species at Chewacla State Park.

PHOTO COURTESY ALABAMA STATE PARKS

Take us along!

We’ve enjoyed seeing photos from our readers on their travels with Alabama Living! Please send us a photo of you with a copy of the magazine on your travels to: mytravels@alabamaliving. coop. Be sure to include your name, hometown and electric cooperative, and the location of your photo.We’ll draw a winner for the $25 prize each month.

Find the hidden dingbat!

When we make finding the hidden dingbat what some might consider too easy, our readers love it! Thanks to the more than 400 folks who sent us the correct location of the New Year’s party horn blower, riding atop the extreme cookies and cream milkshake on Page 16. “Good thing my favorite drink is a milkshake!” writes Diana Burell of Monroeville.

Gayle Ashworth of Guntersville, a member of Arab Electric Cooperative, would agree. She was inspired to write us a poem:

While reading “Alabama is as easy as A, B, C”

And reading all the articles from A to Z

I found that Y is not just for y’all, it’s also for ‘yummy’!

Which is what those extreme milkshakes on Page 16 would be to my tummy!

They look so delicious with all their toppings extreme, I’d even love one with a New Year’s party horn blower stuck in my whipped cream!

We love that Pamela Maten of Gilbertown, a Black Warrior EMC member who is a librarian, shares the dingbat contest with her young library patrons and lets them search for it. “They proudly showed it to me when they found it!” she writes. And we’re proud of the determination of 11-year-old Charleigh Mason of Rainsville, who drew a photo of the milkshake and told us if she wins, the $25 prize will go towards her new car fund. Never hurts to start that fund early, Charleigh! Tom Mullican of Decatur found the dingbat on his first try. He writes that he would have tried sooner “but was too embarrassed to ask, ‘What’s a dingbat? Then I read the instructions. I just turned 68, proving one’s never too old to learn, I hope!” Absolutely not, Tom, so keep entering every month!

Congratulations to Katelyn Maten of Gilbertown, our randomly drawn winner of a $25 gift card from AlabamaOne Credit Union. This month, we’ve hidden some Mardi Gras beads. (Mardi Gras begins Feb. 21.) Good luck, and let the good times roll!

Sponsored by

Whereville, AL

By mail: Find the Dingbat Alabama Living PO Box 244014 Montgomery, AL 36124

By email: dingbat@alabamaliving.com

Identify and place this Alabama landmark and you could win $25! Winner is chosen at random from all correct entries. Multiple entries from the same person will be disqualified. Send your answer with your name, address and the name of your rural electric cooperative, if applicable. The winner and answer will be announced in the March issue.

Submit by email: whereville@alabamaliving.coop, or by mail: Whereville, P.O. Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124. Do you like finding interesting or unusual landmarks? Contribute a photo you took for an upcoming issue! Remember, all readers whose photos are chosen also win $25!

January’s

answer: This group of large stones is in the Civil Rights Memorial Park, located at the base of the southern end of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The small fence surrounding it resembles the bridge. On the center stone is the verse from Joshua 4:21-22. (Photo by Allison Law of Alabama Living) The randomly drawn correct guess winner is Kathy Sexton of Black Warrior EMC.

We love this photo of Heath and Ashton Thayer of Bay Minette, young members of Baldwin EMC, who enjoyed a visit to at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park in Elberta.

Linda Floyd, a member of Sand Mountain EC from Langston, traveled to MSC Ocean Cay Marine Preserve in the Bahamas, part of the Bimini district.

We’re glad Paul Brantley of Sardis City, a member of Cherokee EC, didn’t get blown away when he visited Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Phil & Misty Taylor of Ohatchee, members of Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative, visited the King Kamehameha Palace in Honolulu, Hawaii, with their favorite magazine.

Let’s play (pickle) ball!

Popular sport has fans from age 8 to 80

Julie Lin plays a game at the Opelika SportsPlex.

PHOTO COURTESY OPELIKA PARKS AND RECREATION

By Emmett Burnett

Doors open early at the Orange Beach Recreation Center – 8 a.m. By 9 a.m., courts are full. By 10 a.m., without a reservation, you wait in line. Tennis you say? Oh please, that is so yesterday.

These are the faithful, the dedicated, the legions united by pickleball, the thrill of the dill. “If I unlocked the doors at 7 a.m., they would be in here at 7 a.m.,” says Brenda Langston, pickleball attendant at the Orange Beach Recreation Center, which is served electrically by Baldwin EMC.

She unlocks the doors and a steady stream of enthusiasts enter to take the courts. One player rushes by, laughing, “Pickleball is not just a sport, it’s an addiction.”

Indeed, the game of paddles and perforated plastic balls is one of America’s fastest growing sports. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, 4.8 million people are currently playing – doubling the number of five years ago. Alabama is no exception.

Johnathan Langston, Orange Beach Recreation Center’s director, says that since 2015, the center has logged 35,281 pickleball players here. The statistic would have been even larger had the complex not shut down during Covid months.

“In our center, pickleball is played more than all other sports combined. It is the biggest recreation program in Orange Beach’s history,” Langston says.

On today’s visit, 50 players are expected. In January with the arrival of Northern snowbirds, numbers swell to 100.

The beachside town is not alone in its passion for smacking

a plastic ball with holes in it. Alabama is in a pickle – in a good way. Take the Opelika Pickleball Facility for example, one of the largest in the state.

Adjacent to the Opelika SportsPlex, the canopy-covered site features 24 courts and LED lighting, available 24 hours daily, Wednesday through Monday. Tournaments here have seen 800 participants.

As for everyday play, Opelika Public Relations Coordinator Laura Leigh Chesser notes, “I’ve seen severe weather and rainstorms with people playing pickleball here like nothing is going on. Anything short of a monsoon, our people will play pickleball.”

Though it appears to have erupted in popularity overnight, pickle ball passion is not new. The game is almost 60 years old. In 1965 the late Joel Pritchard and two friends returned to his Bainbridge, Washington, summer home after a day of golf. Pritchard found his family bored with nothing to do. With help from two friends, he experimented with paddles, nets, racquets, and various balls to devise a family version of scaled-down tennis. One theory of how the game derived its name: During play at the impromptu net, the family’s dog kept chasing the ball. The dog’s name was “Pickles.” The rest is history.

Incidentally, the late Joel Pritchard had other accomplishments. Post pickle, he served in the U.S. Congress and later, as his state’s lieutenant governor. Outside of Washington, few know of his public service. However, everybody knows his game, some say named for the family’s pet.

This pickleball tournament at the Opelika SportsPlex in December attracted 130 players.

PHOTO BY JULIE BENNETT

The 8 a.m. pickleball players at the Orange Beach Recreation Center take a break from play.

PHOTO BY EMMETT BURNETT

Spreading eastward

From the Pacific Northwest, pickleball spread. “A California tennis pro told me about it six years ago,” recalls Wade Brown, Wynlakes Country Club’s director of tennis. “My California colleague insisted, ‘You guys need to look into this! I am teaching more pickleball than I am tennis lessons!’”

Brown did his research. “Initially I considered pickleball to be like racquetball – a fad that fell off the face of the earth. But after studying and seeing how popular it had become in other areas, I realized pickleball is here to stay.”

He also credits country club members. “Many in our membership have resort homes in other areas,” Brown says. “They saw pickleball in their travels and returned to Montgomery, questioning how come we cannot have it here?” They do now.

Within a decade, Wynlakes Country Club, which is served by Dixie Electric Cooperative, grew from makeshift taped lines on a spare tennis spot to today’s service, including exclusive pickleball courts. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Brown says. “We recently had 36 Indiana businessmen fly in; 26 of them wanted to play pickleball.”

When questioning the popularity of the sport, answers are as diverse as those who play it.

“Pickleball is a fairly simple game to play,” says Steve Lloyd, a pickleball pioneer of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. “Lots of people play because it’s easy to learn and anybody can play it, from children to people in their 80s.”

Here is a pickle primer condensed in a paragraph: Like tennis, pickleball is a game for two or four players. One serves underhand and across the court. After the ball bounces once, the opponent smacks it back. The volley begins.

Complete rules can be easily found online or learned from other players. Other players also love to help newbies. For at one time, they, too, were new, just as a pickle was once a cucumber.

“Don’t be scared,” says Jim Young, president of the Opelika Pickleball Club, with a current membership of 471. He advises the novice, “Once the basics are explained, you can be on the court in 5 to 15 minutes. Initially, you won’t be as good as experienced folks, but you will catch up.”

Young says, “I’ve been surpassed by players I taught and I’m happy for them. It doesn’t discourage me.”

Lloyd agrees. “Start with others who have never played,” the Orange Beach Recreation Center veteran notes. “You will be surprised at how fast you catch on.”

Working up a workout

The play is fun but make no mistake – this is a workout. “I had heart issues and for me running a treadmill was not motivating. Pickleball is fun exercise and also improves your hand and eye coordination,” says Lloyd, who is a competitive 72-year-old.

Brenda Langston agrees. “I recently had a pickleball player thank me. He said, ‘Before pickleball, I was on my way to becoming a couch potato.’”

The game is perhaps the most social sport in existence. Brown adds, “You can learn how to play in 20 minutes and be out on the courts. The only thing easier than learning the game is finding someone to play it with you. Everybody will.”

“You meet tons of people,” adds Mel Hopper of Orange Beach and a pickleball player of five years. “It is fun. The game can be competitive, a social occasion to be with friends, or both.”

Pickleball lends itself to socializing, as the court (44 feet by 20 feet) is much smaller than a tennis court (78 feet by 27 feet). Play-

Yvette Scarborough plays at the Opelika SportsPlex in December.

PHOTO BY JULIE BENNETT

Gail Woodall shows some concentration during a pickleball match at the Opelika SportsPlex.

PHOTO BY JULIE BENNETT

ers are closer together, the volley is slower, and you tend to talk, getting to know each other.

“That’s the beauty of it,” says Bernie Gilliam, tennis and pickleball coordinator for Gulf Shores. “Grandparents can play the game with their grandkids.” Locally, they can play on state-of-the art courts.

As of this writing, Gulf Shores was set to debut its new $780,000, 12 lighted pickleball courts. The site, part of the Gulf Shores Sportsplex, is open seven days a week, from sunrise to 10 p.m. “The demand is great,” Gilliam adds. “A mix of residents and tourists will use the new facility.”

Municipalities are seeing fiscal benefits too. “Opelika is one of the nation’s top pickleball destinations,” says Jim Young. “The city has invested a lot. The economic impact we give back to the city, state, local taxes, and our merchants in 2022 could be over $1.25 million.”

Fun, competitive, social, health benefits, fiscal opportunities, and more, whatever the reason, thousands are seizing paddles. Based on 2022’s growth, pickleball data indicates huge expansion statewide with new courts and new players.

There is power in the pickle. For in Alabama, pickleball is a game we relish.

Bill Flick during a match at the Opelika SportsPlex.

PHOTO COURTESY OPELIKA PARKS AND RECREATION

Tom Melborn, Mel Hopper, Joan Booker, and Steve Lloyd, who play at the Orange Beach Recreation Center, are ready to compete (and have some fun too).

PHOTO BY EMMETT BURNETT

Pies, pigs and more: Bakery

gives Clanton popularity beyond peaches

By Allison Law

The Chilton County city of Clanton is well known for its peaches, and for its shops right off Interstate 65 that welcome weary travelers with produce, jams and jellies, ice cream and just about anything else you’d want to eat.

But now, Clanton may become known for the sweet treats and tasty breakfast foods served up at Pies by Mike, the family-owned bakery and coffee shop that’s been open in its location on Lay Dam

Road since 2020. The bakery’s slogan, “incrediliciously good,” is a little hard to pronounce, and owner Mike Graham admits he sort of made it up. But it seems to fit the character of the place, with rows and rows of delectable pies available whole or by the slice, served up with its own blend of coffee.

Mike says he’s always enjoyed cooking, and he started making the Tollhouse pie years ago when he and his wife, Alice, had

The pecan pie, and left, and the Tollhouse pie are the top sellers at Pies by Mike.

PHOTO BY BROOKE ECHOLS

friends over. Many friends told him for years that he needed to sell the pies, but he never gave it a serious thought.

Then in 2014, the Alabama Cottage Food Law took effect, which allowed individuals to produce certain foods in their homes to sell to the public. A class was offered in Clanton, so Mike took it and became certified.

Mike started out small – he’d make several kinds of pies and take samples to local businesses, asking if they’d like to buy a pie. The first year, he sold 268 pies; the next year, that number doubled. And it kept growing.

“We had to decide, do we want to scale it back, or get out of the house?” The Grahams took the leap and rented a small former cafe for its commercial kitchen; eventually, they began serving 15 restaurants. Mike hadn’t planned on entering the retail business, but when the landlord decided to sell the property, the business had to move.

They moved to the current location on Jan. 22, 2020, with a grand opening on March 14, 2020. Just a few days later, Covid began to shut down restaurants and businesses, changing life for all of us.

“During Covid, if we had stayed in the same location (the little cafe), I don’t think we would have survived it,” Mike says. “All we had pretty much was wholesale. During Covid, we lost all but two of our restaurants.

“Alice is quick to point out, the good Lord was looking out for us.”

Moving forward

Now, retail has far surpassed the wholesale operation, though Pies by Mike still services several stores, either at the holiday sea-

son or year-round, with anywhere from one or two pie flavors to several, depending on the location.

“That was just a huge blessing that we got here,” Mike says. “The Lord has really blessed us. The community has gotten behind us.”

The bakery has a stable of about 25 sweet pies, though not all are available every day. There are all kinds, including pecan (the best-seller), tollhouse (a close second), key lime and pineapple cream (which run neck-and-neck for a distant third). Also on the menu, depending on the day, are fudge (one of Mike’s personal favorites), lemon mousse, peanut butter, pina colada, pumpkin, strawberry banana and strawberry cream, among others.

On this particular weekday, there were eight different flavors; sometimes they’ll have as many as 10 or 12, or as few as four or five, depending on the wholesale orders and other factors.

Pies by Mike also offers gluten free and diabetic-friendly pies, but those must be pre-ordered.

The “Southern breakfast pies” (Mike acknowledges they’re basically quiches, but he likes the sound of his better) are available in bacon, ham or sausage, whole or by the slice. Quilted pigs (Mike’s take on “pigs in a blanket, with fewer syllables”), Conecuh bites and sausage bites almost always sell out.

Mike realized they needed a special blend of coffee to serve at the eatery (Alice thinks it’s pretty funny that Mike doesn’t even drink coffee). They invited some “coffee snobs” in to help taste test, and after some customer voting and back and forth with the roaster, they settled on a blend. It’s sold at the store by the bean or ground, in half-pound or pound bags.

Asked about expansion, Mike is hesitant. “I’m not going to say never, but right now I just want to get enough staff on hand that can expand our hours a little bit.” Pies by Mike is open on Tuesday afternoons from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; a goal of Mike’s is to start opening on Saturdays to catch the beach traffic along the interstate, but as it is for most businesses, the key is finding the right people to work, who understand good customer service and enjoy working with the public.

“We’re extremely friendly here,” Mike says. “People come in, they’re going to be welcomed.” As if on cue, a customer walks in, eager for a sweet treat.

Alice and Mike Graham started Pies by Mike in its current location in March 2020 – just before the Covid pandemic began. Pies by Mike

Pies by Mike sells its own blend of coffee, by the half-pound and the pound.

PHOTOS BY ALLISON LAW

Pies by Mike also sells popular breakfast foods, like these “quilted pigs,” on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings beginning at 7 a.m.

PHOTO COURTESY PIES BY MIKE

Energy-efficient farming equipment

Q: Are there ways to reduce energy use on a farm?

A: The importance of farms cannot be understated. Farmers feed our families and keep the country running, but the business brings many challenges, including risk and uncertainty. Finding ways to use less energy can reduce costs and result in energy savings for years to come.

When looking to improve farm efficiency, consider the following areas:

Motors and pumps

Because motors and pumps account for a significant amount of energy use on a farm, replacing inefficient motors with efficient models can save energy and reduce costs. Adding variable frequency drives (VFDs) allow you to vary the frequency and voltage supplied to the motor or pump to adjust the motor’s speed. This saves kilowatt hours and reduces load by only operating at the needed capacity. VFDs can be used in place of a phase converter, which allows use of three-phase power equipment where there is only access to single-phase power.

Irrigation

Upgrade irrigation equipment to use less water, which means less pumping and reducing the amount of water and energy consumed. The goal is to get the right amount of water where it is needed. This can be accomplished by reducing evaporation through system design and fixing leaks in the system. GPS and geographic information system technologies allow for more specific irrigation targeting. Monitor and test systems regularly to ensure maximum efficiency.

Lights

The longer lights are on, the higher the potential for savings. Prioritize replacing incandescent or fluorescent exterior lighting on photocells or lights that stay on all night. LED lights last two to four times longer than fluorescents and 25 to 35 times longer than incandescents. That means less frequent replacement, which saves on materials and labor costs.

Heater controls

In climates where engine block heaters are used to keep vehicle engines warm enough to start, adding engine block heater controls with temperature sensors and timers will reduce electricity use. To keep water from freezing on farms with livestock, save energy by using stock tank heaters with thermostatic controls, which operate only when needed instead of running constantly. Insulated stock tanks may eliminate the need to heat water.

Emerging technology

New farming technologies that offer efficiency possibilities include electric tractors, space heating and water heating. Equipment with information technology capabilities can aid efficiency by monitoring conditions and automating farming tasks. As with home efficiency practices, consider the equipment used most and the savings potential from upgrading or modifying existing equipment.

Rebates

About 80% of U.S. farms are located in counties served by electric cooperatives. Check with your local electric co-op to see if they offer rebates on farming equipment and energy-efficiency projects that help reduce energy use.

Improving efficiency on the farm can result in less energy use, lower bills and improved farming success during challenging financial times.

Miranda Boutelle is the vice president of operations and customer engagement at Efficiency Services Group in Oregon, a cooperatively owned energy efficiency company. She also writes on energy efficiency topics for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives.

Finding ways to use less energy can reduce costs and result in more efficient farming practices for years to come

PHOTOS COURTESY BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION

Irrigation equipment can be upgraded to use less water, which means less pumping and reducing the amount of water and energy consumed.

Variable frequency drives allow you to vary the frequency and voltage supplied to the motor or pump to adjust the motor’s speed.

Help someone you love apply for Social Security… and more

This Valentine’s Day, take time to remind your loved ones that Social Security helps people in all stages of life. We provide easy and convenient ways to learn about and apply for benefits. Using our online services, you can assist friends and family members to:

Apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Check if the person you are helping qualifies for SSI – and also apply – at ssa.gov/ssi.

Apply for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. When the unexpected happens and a loved one can no longer work due to a serious medical condition, our disability benefits can be a lifeline. Find out more at ssa.gov/benefits/disability

Create a personal my Social Security account.

If your loved one is planning for retirement or interested in estimating their future benefits, they can create a free and secure my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount and view their Social Security Statement.

Check the status of a pending application for benefits. Checking the status of an application is quick and easy with a personal my Social Security account. If you don’t have an account, you can create one at ssa.gov/myaccount.

Appeal a decision for benefits.

If someone you know was denied Social Security benefits or SSI, they can request an appeal. We provide information on how to appeal decisions for both medical and non-medical reasons at ssa.gov/benefits/disability/appeal.html

To discover more ways you can assist others, please visit ssa. gov/thirdparty/ 

by Myles Mellor

FEBRUARY

4 Millbrook The Millbrook Revelers Mardi Gras Festival and Parade. Festival grounds open at 9 a.m.; parade begins at noon. More than 60 vendors will be on site, with fun rides for children of all ages. The parade staging is at Mill Creek Park on Main Street; the theme for the parade is Laissez les bon temps rouler, or “let the good times roll.” MillbrookRevelers.org

4 Orrville Road to Freedom Wagon Tour at Old Cahawba, 10-11 a.m. One hundred years before the 1965 Voting Rights March in nearby Selma, a brave community of recently emancipated African-Americans gathered around an older courthouse in Cahawba. These 19th century “foot soldiers” exercised their right to vote and – for a brief time – gained political power. This wagon tour tells the story of Cahawba’s African-American majority and traces their path from slavery to freedom. $10. Search for the Old Cahawba page on Facebook.

11 Mobile USS Alabama living history crew drill. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. See history come to life when WWII re-enactors tell the stories of the original crewmen of the battleship USS Alabama and submarine USS Drum. Presentations and demonstrations throughout the day. Be on deck at 1 p.m. when the “call to battle stations” is sounded. All activities are included in the day’s admission. USSAlabama.com

February

Around Alabama

25

Chatom 35th annual Indian Artifact and Collector Show, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Chatom Community Center, 222 Dixie Youth Drive. Free admission. No reproductions, fakes or illegally obtained artifacts allowed. Display tables $10; dealer tables $25. bimbokohen@outlook.com

25-26 Decatur Greater Morgan County Builders Association Home and Garden Show, Ingalls Harbor Pavilion. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The latest trends in custom home building, remodeling ideas for every room in your home, home decoration, landscaping and more. 256-318-9161.

25-26

Andalusia Meredith’s Miracles Cookies with Characters, Covington Center Arena and Kiwanis Building. More than 90 characters will be on hand to greet fans, with souvenirs, photos, jumpy houses, princess carriage rides, limo rides and more. Saturday has two shows, at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.; Sunday show starts at 3 p.m. Event is a fundraiser for Meredith’s Miracles, a non-profit organization that helps families financially during medical emergencies. For online tickets, visit CookiesWithCharacters.com

MARCH

3 Montgomery Alabama History Day, Auburn University at Montgomery, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each fall and winter, middle and high school students statewide research historical topics of interest. They present their findings in the spring at history day, as papers, documentaries, websites, dramatic performances or visual exhibits. Registration deadline is Feb. 13. AlabamaHumanities.org

25

Winfield The Pastime Theatre 2023 concert season kickoff. 1052 U.S. Highway 43. American country music singersongwriter Mac McAnally takes the stage at 7 p.m.; tickets are $30. A pre-show dinner at 5 p.m. is available, but reservations and payment are required; dinners are an additional $25. For more on the 2023 season, search for The Pastime Theatre on Facebook or call 205-487-3002.

25

Orange Beach 31st annual Orange Beach Seafood Festival and Car Show, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wharf. Food, 100 artists from throughout the South, music for the whole family on two stages, kids’ zone with activities and car show featuring antique, classic and hot rod vehicles all along Main Street. Free. OrangeBeachAl.org

18

Dothan Spring Farm Day at Landmark Park, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enjoy the sights and sounds of life on the farm in the 1890s. Try your hand at churning butter, plowing with horses and mules and other farm chores. Arts and crafts, wagon rides, music, antique tractors, kids’ activities, farm animals and food vendors. Adults $10; seniors and military $8; kids $6; park members and children 2 and under free. LandmarkParkDothan.com

25-26

Greenville Alabama Medieval Fantasy Festival, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 4776 Fort Dale Road. Pageantry and history come to life with hundreds of costumed characters recreating a 9th century village. Enjoy music, comedy and theatre, food and drink, handmade arts and crafts, historical artisan demonstrations and games. Almff.com

To place an event, e-mail 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.

Watch history come to life as WWII re-enactors tell the stories of the original crew of the USS Alabama and submarine USS Drum on Feb. 11.

Prehistoric armored beast

Angler lands new state record toothy predator

For Keith Dees and his 15-year-old son, Huntley, of Fruitdale, Ala., what had already been a good day on the water turned into a morning they will never forget.

They had landed 18 bass with some approaching three pounds and a few large redfish when they decided to try one more spot in the Raft River in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta outside Mobile. Working a ChatterBait near a shoreline, Keith Dees’ 15-pound test line simply went slack. Then, it started moving in a contrary direction.

“I thought another big redfish hit,” Keith says. “I was reeling as fast as I could. As it went by the trolling motor, I could see something big under the water, but I had no idea how big. We followed it with the boat. I just wanted my $20 lure back.”

Keith fought the unseen fish on a 7-foot medium action bass rod. After about 30 minutes, it came to the surface to take a gulp of air. The beast pulled out about 75 yards of line and then stopped. Keith used the trolling motor to catch up with it and take in line. They kept repeating this procedure for a total of 2.5 hours.

“The fish took out line, but never left about a 200-yard circle,” Keith recalled. “When we finally saw the size of the fish on the line, we went nuts, but we still had no idea just how big it was.”

Dating back more than 100 million years, garfish witnessed the extinction of the dinosaurs and still survive unchanged. With a broad head, a snout full of sharp teeth and interlocking scales for armor, an alligator garfish looks something like a legless alligator. A garfish can breathe both air and water. It can live in either fresh or salty water, allowing the species to thrive in places where other fish could not survive.

Keith continued to battle the leviathan. Whenever they could get close to it, the armored predator swam away. Finally, the fish looked exhausted and stayed near the surface. With no net large enough or a gaff to bring the behemoth aboard their 20-foot bass boat, the team tried to lasso it with a rope noose. However, the rope floated so the fish simply swam under it.

“Finally, I thought of using one of my heavy bass rods with a big hook on it like a gaff,” Keith says. “With the fish swimming alongside the boat, Huntley takes my rod and reels the weight all the way to the tip and hooks the fish. I figured my $500 custom rod would break, but the fish flopped sideways and then just hovered there before going back down. When it came back up, we finally got the rope around him. My adrenaline was running and I just pulled him in.”

The toothy torpedo measured 84.5 inches, or slightly more

than seven feet long with a 35.5-inch girth. Alabama state law allows each person to keep one alligator garfish per day.

“We brought the fish home and put it in an old swimming pool to keep it alive and preserve the weight,” Keith says. “Where can someone put a 7-foot-long fish? I thought it probably weighed about 100 pounds, but we didn’t have anything to weigh it. I called a friend who has some deer scales. The first set of scales went to 175 pounds. We weighed it again on another set of scales and it weighed 165 pounds. I looked up the state record.”

As listed by the International Game Fish Association, the official all-tackle world record alligator gar weighed 279 pounds. It came out of the Rio Grande River, Texas, in 1951. However, some huge fish caught in nets or trotlines weighed close to 400 pounds and measured more than nine feet long.

When Keith found out he had a possible state record, he contacted Tommy Purcell, the state fisheries biologist over South Alabama, to see how to submit a record. They weighed the giant fish on certified scales and it officially weighed 162 pounds.

In early January 2023, the state certified Keith’s monster fish as the new state record alligator garfish and the largest freshwater fish in the Alabama record book. Previously, Richard Johnson held the Alabama record for alligator gar with a 151.75-pound fish he pulled from the Tensaw River in August 2009. Michael Houseknecht landed a 151-pound, 5-ounce alligator gar in the Tensaw River in August 2004.

The next largest non-gar freshwater fish in the Alabama record book, a blue catfish, weighed 120.25 pounds. It came from Holt Reservoir near Tuscaloosa in 2012.

Keith Dees and his 15-year-old son, Huntley of Fruitdale, Ala., show off the new state record alligator garfish they caught in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta near Mobile.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEITH DEES

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DOUG HANNON’S FISH & GAME FORECAST

The Moon Clock and resulting Moon Times were developed 40 years ago by Doug Hannon, one of America’s most trusted wildlife experts and a tireless inventor. The Moon Clock is produced by DataSport, Inc. of Atlanta, GA, a company specializing in wildlife activity time prediction. To order the 2023 Moon Clock, go to www.moontimes.com.

February: The month to fall in love with roses

Cut roses, the most universal floral symbols of love, are perennial favorite gifts for Valentine’s Day, but if you’re looking for a truly perennial gift of love, consider the rose bush.

Roses, which fossil records indicate have existed for at least 35 million years, have stolen hearts since time immemorial. Charmed by their fragrant and flagrantly gorgeous blooms, humans began cultivating roses 5,000 or more years ago for use as ornamental and medicinal plants and to use their scents and flavors in perfumes, foods and drinks. Roses also took root in myths and legends and became symbols of love, passion, perfection, beauty and, depending on their color, other human emotions and qualities.

Today roses are the most popular flower bestowed on Valentine’s Day, which is why some 250 million cut roses flood the world market each February. Garden retailers also have an abundant supply of bare root and potted roses in stock ready for late winter and spring planting.

Thanks to eons of evolution and cultivation, that selection includes hundreds of rose species and thousands of rose hybrids encompassing a wealth of diversity in plant and bloom sizes, shapes, colors and forms. According to Alabama’s own Redneck Rosarian (AKA Chris VanCleave), that means everyone can find a rose to love.

VanCleave’s relationship with roses began when he was a child helping his mother tend her rose garden, which became a source of solace and therapy for them both after the sudden death of his father. VanCleave carried that sense of respite and refuge into adulthood and, combined with his a passion for creating fetching landscapes, he has become an internationally adored rose expert.

“In a hectic world, there is something therapeutic about digging in the soil and creating beautiful blooms for all to enjoy,” he said.

While roses are near and dear to VanCleave, some gardeners are wary of planting them because of their reputations as demanding, exacting plants, especially when it comes to managing disease issues. However, thanks to the many hardy, disease- and drought-resistance varieties now on the market, VanCleave said it’s easy to love—and grow—roses.

move on to growing relatively low-maintenance shrub and old garden roses (which produce multiple blooms per stem and come in many different bloom types), medium-maintenance floribunda roses (which also produce multiple blooms per stem and multiple bloom types) and higher-maintenance hybrid tea roses (the classic florist-type roses that produce a single rose per stem).

Can’t quite decide? Take some time this year to see roses growing in public gardens or attend rose shows and tours. (Alabama has five rose societies—Wiregrass, Gadsden, Huntsville Twickenham, Ramer and Birmingham— that hold annual rose shows, tours and other educational events.)

According to VanCleave, the key to success with roses, aside from planting them in a well-drained soil with access to sufficient sunlight, is to choose roses that match your level of time commitment. “The more time you have, the greater your success will be with roses that require more maintenance,” he said.

For novice or busy gardeners, that may mean starting with easy-care shrub roses such as Drift®, Knock Out® or OSO Easy® selections. “They basically need an annual haircut (pruning) and weekly watering if it doesn’t rain,” VanCleave said.

Gardeners focused on sustainable practices can look toward native and naturalized rose species or Earth-Kind® roses, a collection of roses selected by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service with the goal of reducing chemical and water use in the landscape.

As gardeners gain experience with roses, VanCleave said they can gradually

You can learn more about roses through VanCleave’s Rose Chat podcast and his website, RedneckRosarian.com. (He also appears quarterly on Birmingham’s Channel 6 Good Day Alabama program.) Information is also available through the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, The American Rose Society, Heritage Rose Foundation and American Garden Rose Selections organizations.

And whether you plant them this year or not, you should definitely take time to appreciate—and smell—the roses that will be wooing and wowing us here in Alabama throughout the spring, summer and into the fall.

FEBRUARY TIPS

 Plant dormant fruit and nut trees.

 Plant shrubs, roses, hardy annual flowers and summer- and fall-blooming bulbs.

 Prune hybrid tea roses and summerand fall-blooming shrubs.

 Avoid pruning early blooming shrubs.

 Sow seed or plant transplants for leafy greens, root crops and early peas.

 Finish ordering summer vegetable and flower seed.

 Begin prepping garden soil and equipment for the coming season.

Katie Jackson is a freelance writer and editor based in Opelika, Alabama. Contact her at katielamarjackson@gmail.com.

When planting rose bushes, choose varieties that match your level of time commitment.

Decadent Desserts

When we first came up with the idea of “Decadent Desserts” for our February recipe pages, we assumed many of the recipes submitted would be for dishes made of chocolate. Apparently “decadent” doesn’t necessarily mean it must contain chocolate, but it does usually translate as rich and indulgent. We hope you enjoy trying these luscious dessert recipes, which ranged from those using caramel to butter to heavy whipping cream, and yes, cocoa, and of course, a fair amount of sugar. Whatever dessert you make for your Valentine, may you be rich in the things that can’t be cooked in a kitchen: the love of family and friends. Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at Alabama Living!

Blueberry Bread Pudding

2 cups sugar

2 cups fresh blueberries (fresh is best but can use frozen )

3 large eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 package white chocolate baking chips

1 16-ounce loaf French bread, cut into cubes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine eggs, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Stir in blueberries and white chocolate chips. Stir in French bread cubes and let stand until bread is softened, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, until knife in center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Laurie Myer Southern Pine EC

Food styling and photos: Brooke Echols

Cook of the Month: Karen Turnquist, Cullman EC

Karen Turnquist of Vinemont enjoys sending us recipes every month, but she was especially happy to learn she’d won Cook of the Month honors for February. She lost her husband in December 2021, and the months since have been hard, she says. “I’m so happy to learn that I won,” she adds, “because he’s all I’ve had on my mind all year.” Karen got the recipe for Hummingbird Cake from her mother, who was an avid baker in Texas who baked the wedding cake for Karen and her late husband. “My mom baked all the time, and that cake was her wedding gift to us.” Karen remembers the first time she ate a piece of Hummingbird Cake: “I loved it, because of all that’s in it.” The cake, loaded with sugar, pecans, pineapple, bananas and topped with a cream cheese icing, is a favorite for special occasions. “It is rich,” she says. We’d agree, but that’s why it fit so perfectly into our February category of decadent desserts. If Karen’s name is familiar, it’s because she won first place in our Christmas Cookie Contest in 2021 for her “Big Soft Ginger Cookies.”

Hummingbird Cake

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 eggs, beaten

1½ teaspoons vanilla

1½ teaspoons oil

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, with juice

2 cups bananas, chopped

1 cup pecans, chopped

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, add beaten eggs and oil. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not beat; stir in vanilla, pineapple and pecans and bananas. Put in a well-greased and floured bundt pan. Bake for one hour at 350 degrees.

Icing:

8 ounces cream cheese

1 stick butter

1 16-ounce package powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pecans, chopped

Combine cream cheese and butter, add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix well. Frost cake and sprinkle pecans on top. Refrigerate cake.

Coming

June Burgers

Deadline to enter March 3

More upcoming themes and deadlines:

July: Tomatoes | April 7

August: Pears | May 5

Visit our website: alabamaliving.coop

Email us: recipes@alabamaliving.coop

USPS mail: Attn: Recipes, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, AL 36124

Cook of the Month wins $50! Recipes can be developed by you or family members. You may even adapt a recipe from another source by changing as little as the amount of one ingredient. Chosen cooks may win “Cook of the Month” only once per calendar year. To be eligible, submissions must include a name, phone number, mailing address and co-op name. Alabama Living reserves the right to reprint recipes in our other publications.

Hummingbird Cake

Black Forest Cake

Cake:

1¾ cups white flour

¾ cup cocoa powder

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1½ cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ cup oil

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

Filling:

½ cup white sugar

2½ tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups tart cherries (canned or frozen, if thawed first)

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Whipped cream (homemade or store bought)

1/3 cup chocolate syrup

Mix the cake ingredients in a large bowl. Divide between two 8-inch cake pans. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes, then cool completely. Meanwhile, stir sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl until combined. Add cherries and toss. Stir in butter and almond extract. Set aside. Slice both 8-inch cakes in half horizontally. Place one onto a plate or stand, then drizzle the top with half of the chocolate syrup. Top with the other half of that cake round. Add on cherry filling (reserving 1/4 cup), spreading across top. Place another cake round on top of cherry filling. Drizzle with the remaining chocolate syrup. Top with the remaining cake round. Spread whipped cream over the entire cake. Use extra cherry filling to decorate top of cake.

Robin O'Sullivan Wiregrass EC

Peach and Pecan Custard Pie is certainly what tastes like a decadent dessert and we have it for every special occasion here at The Buttered Home. Trust me when I tell you that while a custard pie isn’t all that sweet, the addition of pecans and peaches take this custard to another level. It becomes everything we would want in a decadent pie: sweetness without heaviness! thebutteredhome.com.

Kay’s Caramel Cake

1 box Duncan Hines cake mix

Use one box of Duncan Hines golden cake mix. Bake as directed on the box. Makes 2 layers.

Caramel Icing:

21/4 cups sugar, divided

¾ cup evaporated milk

11/4 sticks butter

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1½ teaspoons vanilla

Caramel Icing: Brown 1/4 cup sugar in heavy pan. Remove from the eye of the stove. Add butter and mix well. Then add 1 cup of sugar and mix well. Put back on the heated eye of the stove. Add evaporated milk and bring to a boil. Add another cup of sugar and let boil until a soft ball forms in ice water. (Soft boil stage on candy thermometer, about 15 minutes.) After reaching the soft ball stage, remove from heat and add 1/3 cup of powdered sugar and 1½ teaspoons of vanilla. Beat well with a whisk, about 10 minutes. When the icing starts to dry on top, start icing the cake. Ice the first layer edges before placing the 2nd layer on top of the first layer. Ice top and then edges. Cool cake at least 15 minutes and then remove from the pans. Recommended: use baking spray with flour to grease pans.

Kay Fillingim

Baldwin

EMC

Peach and Pecan Custard Pie

½ cup pecan halves

Pie crust

2 eggs

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 cups sliced peaches, fresh, frozen or canned

Pinch of salt

¾ cup low-fat Greek yogurt

1 cup sugar

¾ cup lowfat milk

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, milk, yogurt, eggs, flour, cornstarch, vanilla and salt. Mix well. Fit a standard pie plate with pie crust. Place all but a few peach slices and pecans, reserving some for the top, in the pie crust. Pour custard mixture over. Add reserved peaches and pecans directly to top of pie. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and tent edges if needed. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 30-60 minutes more until a knife comes out clean in the center after testing. Cool for one hour.

The Top 3 Considerations When Buying Hunting Land

By Ryan Stallings, Chief Commercial Lending Officer, Alabama ONE Credit Union

If you’re a hunter who has leased a piece of hunting land, you’ve probably considered buying your own. The right piece of hunting land will bring years of enjoyment and memories for you and your family. But it’s a big step, and you don’t want to make mistakes. If you’re thinking about buying hunting land, it is important to work through a few considerations before signing your name.

1. What is your purpose in buying land?

Do you want to use your new land only for hunting, or more? Do you want to create a weekend getaway with a hunting cabin or camp? Will you lease plots for extra income? All of these considerations impact the importance of location and accessibility, such as for ATVs, trucks, or heavy machinery, in your buying decision.

2. Do you have the right realtor?

Finding a land realtor who specializes in hunting land and who knows the area you’re looking in will benefit you immensely. Your realtor plays a vital role in helping you find, evaluate, and purchase the perfect property for you and your family. They should be someone who welcomes your questions and gives you thoughtful answers. If they brush off your questions or discourage you from asking questions instead of helping you learn, look elsewhere. Our Alabama ONE Ag Services TEAM works closely

with land realtors and will help you find the right fit.

3. Who are your neighbors?

When buying land, many people forget to look beyond the plot property lines. Your neighbors can have a significant impact on how you’ll need to manage your land. Walk the property lines to find out if there are any barking dogs, noisy neighbors, or busy roads. Do your neighbors hunt and, if so, what? Are they trophy hunting or filling their freezer? Some neighbors may object to hunting and take steps to disrupt it. The more closely in agreement you and your neighbors are, the less likely you are to have issues with each other down the road, which will make it easier for you to manage and enjoy your hunting land.

You’ll enjoy the right piece of hunting land for years to come, and it can be a place for generations of your family make memories. The three topics above are the key points to consider as you look for the right piece of land. However, these aren’t the only ones you should focus on. Visit our blog at alabamaone.org/huntingland to download a 10-point Hunting Land Score Card to help you evaluate each piece of property, or reach our dedicated Land & Ag Lending Team at 205-609-8338 for more information on financing land, agriculture, or equipment.

Working to end hunger

David Hanks honored as Silent Hero of the Wiregrass

According to Feeding America, food insecurity affects 1 in 7 people across Alabama. Each day, Wiregrass Area Food Bank CEO David Hanks and his team work to lessen the number of people impacted by hunger.

Recently named a Silent Hero of the Wiregrass, Hanks is responsible for the considerable growth the Wiregrass Area Food Bank has experienced in his 20-plus years at its helm.

Around 2000, the food bank distributed about 1 million pounds of food each year. That number has now risen to 3.3 million pounds a year. The food bank has also gone from one van and Hanks’ personal truck to a seven-vehicle fleet that is on the road daily to pick up food from grocery stores and distribution centers. The food, which would otherwise end up in landfills, is housed in a 22,000-square-foot warehouse. The facility has grown more than 10,000 square feet in the past two decades.

“I’m really proud of the growth,” Hanks says. “My work here is very fulfilling. I see the growth happen and I know I’m accomplishing something important for the community.”

About the food bank and Hanks

The food bank pursues its mission to provide food to those at or below the poverty level or those in a food emergency, and to stop food from being thrown away.

“Some of our best days are when we get someone who’s used the food bank system — maybe they lost their job or had to quit to help a sick family member — then they got back on their feet and they come back,” Hanks says. “They realize they want to give back to the food bank because we were there when they needed assistance and they know how important it is to people across Southeast Alabama. We look at it as a hand up, so they can get back on their feet and achieve something bigger and better in their lives.”

Before his time as the food bank CEO,

Hanks went to work equipped with a calculator as an accountant and buried himself in spreadsheets, formulas and equations. Now, Hanks is glad to have a bit more variety.

“I could be on a forklift one day, then out picking up food the next and talking to local organizations we support later in the week. I still get to crunch numbers at the end of the month,” he says. “I never really

get bored, and in the end it’s rewarding because you see the fruits of your labor.”

Hanks is also quick to mention his appreciation for the staff of 15 at the food bank and its 200-plus volunteers who help each month.

“We have a great staff,” he says. “They’re all on board with the same goal to help those in a food emergency, and our volunteers are the backbone of our organization. I’m grateful for their support.”

Generous community

While the work to end hunger doesn’t stop, the holiday season is particularly busy. More than a million pounds of food is given away during the final two months of each year. It’s also a time when volunteer hours rise, as locals try to use the community service hours given to them by their employers.

“We’re doing the most we can with what we have available,” Hanks says. “There’s a limited amount of food to pick up from grocery stores and distribution centers, so we try to stretch it as far as we can throughout the six counties we serve.”

With as little as a $1 donation, the Wiregrass Area Food Bank can provide 12 pounds of food and roughly nine meals for those served by the food bank network.

“A recent truckload of food we received, which is about 35,000 pounds, only cost us $1,500 for transportation,” Hanks says. “This is the most generous area I’ve ever lived or worked in. Someone is always willing to step up and help. It makes our job so much easier.”

For those people interested in how they can provide assistance, Hanks mentions the importance of hosting a food drive, fundraising and volunteering hours.

About the recognition

The Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass program is a partnership between Wiregrass Electric Cooperative and WTVY News 4. Those honored by the program receive a donation to continue their work, as well as being featured in a local television report and Alabama Living magazine.

“Our ORU Foundation Board was very proud to give the Wiregrass Area Food Bank a $1,000 donation from the WEC Operation Round Up program to help David and his staff continue such important work across the region,” says Brad Kimbro, WEC chief operating officer.

If you’d like to nominate someone for Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass, contact WEC or WTVY News 4.

“It’s very humbling to be given this recognition,” Hanks says. “I believe you do what you’re put on Earth to do, and I feel like I was put in this spot for a reason. 

The future

My article last August discussed the need for a definitive plan if there is any hope of reducing carbon emissions from electric power plants. A forced, unplanned, uncoordinated movement to meet net-zero carbon emissions by any date will certainly result in unreliable electric service and higher costs for electric consumers.

Unfortunately, rolling blackouts in Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)’s service area over Christmas break, and the resulting discussions and accusations, moved us closer to a chaotic, uncoordinated transition of the electric grid.

Like most electric utilities, TVA has maintained 99.999% power reliability for many years. However, the arctic blast that hit the southern U.S. resulted in very high electric usage and demand for TVA on Dec. 23-24. TVA had its third-highest all-time peak demand on Dec. 23 at 33,425 megawatts (MW)s.

As TVA’s demand grew, some of its coal-fired and natural gas generation units failed due to extreme weather-related conditions. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration indicates TVA had more than 3,000 MWs unavailable because of outages and was as much as 7,000 MWs short of meeting its peak. Because of its inability to meet demand, TVA directed its local power distributors’ customers across its seven-state service area to cut 5% of their firm electric load for two hours on Dec. 23 and 10% for periods on Christmas Eve.

TVA announced an investigation of the problems that caused the capacity shortfalls. Preliminary indications are that cold temperatures and high winds damaged several of TVA’s protective structures at the Cumberland coal plant and several gas-fired combustion turbines used for peak periods. A directive to cut firm load is standard operating procedure for electric utilities facing a capacity deficiency.

Most of the TVA distributors have never experienced rolling blackouts, and the pushback TVA is receiving has been harsh on many fronts. As expected, the problem of failing coal and natural gas generators provided an opportunity for environmental groups to demand TVA move more quickly toward renewable energy.

Southern Environmental Law Center Tennessee Office Director Amanda Garcia stated: “(TVA)’s coal and gas plants failed us over the holiday weekend. People across the Tennessee Valley were forced to deal with rolling blackouts, even as temperatures plunged into the single digits. Despite this obvious failure, the federal utility is still planning to spend billions on building new gas plants and pipelines.”

In another widely quoted release, Amy Kelly, the Tennessee representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign,

stated: “Fossil fuels are not the answer.” Kelly urged TVA not to proceed with an environmental assessment to replace the Cumberland Fossil Plant with natural gas-fired combined cycle plants until the six new directors for the TVA board have had a chance to study the issue. She also stated: “TVA needs to step up its energy efficiency, energy conservation, and renewable energy offerings so it isn’t a tagalong, but a leader in the 21st Century.”

Ms. Garcia’s and Ms. Kelly’s statements and recommendations are the normal rhetoric indicative of their organizations, though they gained traction because of TVA’s December difficulties. But, they are just wrong.

Some years ago, the majority of TVA’s generation fleet was coal-fired. It is now just 19% coal and 26% natural gas. Retired coal generation was replaced by natural gas and renewables – primarily solar. While a portion of TVA’s fossil generation failed in December, its renewables – aside from hydro – were non-existent. TVA’s generation problem is not that it hasn’t replaced enough fossil-fired generation with renewables, but too much. And now, the Sierra Club and the SELC, through Ms. Garcia and Ms. Kelly, want less fossil-fired generation and more renewables.

Amanda Garcia is a SELC environmental lawyer, whose career has been centered on litigating environmental matters. Amy Kelly is a community developer and organizer with the Sierra Club, whose primary career has focused on environmental activism. They have no utility experience. Their recommendations are pure nonsense to people who operate electric utility systems. We know how silly it is to shut down generation that can be dispatched when needed (despite the inevitable operating difficulties of all machines) and replace it with intermittent renewables. To think that TVA could have covered its December demand with more renewables is beyond absurd.

The world will never be completely powered by renewable energy. It is too intermittent, and solar and batteries do not support the rotating mass of the electric grid. A serious plan that protects electric reliability and affordability, not biased, uninformed rhetoric from environmental activists, needs to be the focus of a seamless transition to a more carbon-constrained electric generation fleet.

This environmentalist position reminds me of the lyrics to a Ryan Bingham song, The Poet.

And as I keep walkin’

People keep a-talkin’

About things they’ve never seen or done

Without a serious plan free of uninformed rhetoric, the Christmas Eve rolling blackouts are our future.

I hope you have a good month.

Gary Smith is President and CEO of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.

How To Place a Line Ad in Marketplace

Closing Deadlines (in our office):

April 2023 Issue by February 23

May 2023 Issue by March 23

June 2022 Issue by April 25

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.

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Answers to puzzle on Page 24

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MOUNTAIN VIEW HOME SITES ATOP SAND MOUNTAIN. Protective Restrictions, www.pellsgap.com

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Farm / Agriculture

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

Reflections on downsizing

The dogs didn’t know what to think.

There we were, packing up stuff and carrying it out.

They were certain that we were going somewhere and they feared they would be left behind.

But we weren’t leaving.

We were downsizing.

It all started back when we cleaned out my deceased parents’ house. As load after load of “stuff” went to the dumpster, my wife noted that when we got home, we should do the same, so that our children would not have to face the task we were facing.

Though it was pleasant to imagine irritating my children even after I had passed on to my reward, I kept quiet and hoped that she would drop the idea.

She didn’t.

Not long after we got back, the downsizing began.

We started with my books.

For a teacher, which is what I was mostly, books are our life blood. We read them. From them we get the ideas and information that we use to dazzle students and colleagues.

But I was retired. There were no more lectures, no more colleagues or students to dazzle.

So, we (she?) decided that if a book has not been consulted in the last year, out it goes.

Not to the trash, but to some organization’s rummage sale. There it will be bought by someone who, in the fullness of time, will donate it as I was doing.

Onward I went; and as I dug deeper, I realized that the hoarding gene that afflicted my parents was passed on to me.

Daddy saved National Geographic. I saved Smithsonian.

I also saved manuscripts of my books and articles, as well as the notes that were the basis on which the books and articles were written. Reams of paper revealing the process which turned the blank page into a rough draft into the finished product, which was duly sent to the publisher.

Will someone, one day, want to study how I did it, just as today scholars study manuscripts left behind by literary giants like Faulkner and Hemingway?

Nah.

Quickly our recycle bin filled and we had to borrow our neighbor’s. What was not recyclable was black-bagged for the trash.

At last it was done.

Then I was left to reflect on what was gone and what remained. So much of it could have, maybe should have, been thrown out long ago, but throwing out is hard – until you get started.

Once begun, it gets harder and harder to stop.

I hope our children appreciate what we have done. You think?

Nah.

Harvey H. (Hardy) Jackson is Professor Emeritus of History at Jacksonville State University. He can be reached at hhjackson43@gmail.com

Illustration by Dennis Auth