October 4th - October 17th, 2019
AthensNowal.com E-MAIL: info@athensnowal.com ADVERTISING: Ali Elizabeth: 256-468-9425
See Our Listings Inside this edition... Pages 25 - 32
Tourism
The 13th Annual Athens Storytelling Festival: Where Southern Hospitality Meets Side-splitting Hilarity
Spirited Adventures Await October’s Arrival... As the days grow shorter, the trees dawn their brilliant gem tones, and whispers of... Page 10
Cooking With Anna Count Your Many Blessings, Name Them One by One... Life goes by so quickly. We are taught from a very young age to do everything as quickly as possible... Page 13
Dog Barker The New Alabama Legislative Law Regarding Service Dogs... Not long ago the news media was all abuzz about the new legislative law... Page 20
October 04 - October 17, 2019
By Ali Elizabeth Turner
For the past 12 years, our dear town of Athens has been the site of one truly special event, the annual Storytelling Festival. From its humble beginnings in 2006, it has grown to be one of the best in the country, and the tellers will tell School Days under the Big Tent
Continued on page 15
The First Annual GRIP Arm Wrestling Competition Will Be Here October 26 By Ali Elizabeth Turner In 1987, Sylvester Stallone’s movie, Over The Top, caused the timeless and somewhat organic sport of armwrestling to enter a new era, complete with proContinued on page 17
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John Springer (l) and Brendon Lewter (r) gettimg ready to GRIP
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Publisher’s Point
The Ballerina Who Boggles My Mind
Publisher / Editor Ali Turner
Copy Editor
Yvonne Dempsey
Graphic Design
Jonathan Hamilton
Web Design Teddy Wolcott
Contributing Writers D. A. Slinkard Lisa Philippart Lynne Hart Anna Hamilton Cayce Lee Jerry Barksdale Wanda Campbell Joel Allen Nick Thomas Holly Hollman Roy Williams Tere Richardson
Publisher’s Point . . . . . . . . 3
The tagline for Athens Now has always been “information and inspiration,” and we strive to present a lot of both in each edition. As the publisher, I love to pass on to our readers stuff that has caused me personally to sit up and take notice, and here is one that literally caused my mouth to fall open when I saw it. Anyone who knows me knows that I am all about wholeness -- body, soul, mind, spirit, pocketbook -- and will admit I still have far to go in every category. I am also someone who wants to be a bearcat when it comes to overcoming what is popularly called “stinkin’ thinkin,” wherever it shows up. However, as someone who is still sort of disbelieving when it comes to having reached retirement age, when I
saw a video of a ballerina by the name of Suzelle Poole who is still able to dance en pointe at the age of 79, I felt a number of things. One was disbelief. I wondered if someone had Photoshopped her head on to the body of a millennial. The other was incredulity. How is that possible? This is a woman who can still dance the part of the dying swan in Swan Lake, something that is considered to be one of the most difficult dances ever choreographed. It demands dancing on one’s toes (en pointe) for a full three minutes, and many ballerinas can’t do it. Suzelle, who is referred to as Madame Poole by her students, was born and raised in London, and started dancing at the age of seven. Even
though London was under attack by the Nazis, it was still possible at times to go to the Royal Ballet and see Dame Margot Fonteyn dance. My grandmother made sure that I saw Dame Margot dance the role of Juliet live in Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet when I was a kid. I can certainly understand how and why Dame Margot inspired Madame Poole! Ok, but standard to the industry/art of dance is a mandatory career expiration date of age 30 in most cases. Dame Margot defied that one by continuing to dance as a prima ballerina until she was 67. So what gives with Suzelle? Well, decades ago she moved to Houston with her husband, never stopped dancing, has performed with the Houston Ballet, teaches
All Things Soldier . . . . . . . 4 Special Feature . . . . . . . 5 Calendar of Events . . . . . . . 6 Special Feature . . . . . . . 7 What Makes Ronnie Roll . . . 8 Slinkard on Success . . . . . . 9 Tourism . . . . . . . . . . 10
ballet six days a week, and especially loves to go to long-term care facilities to both perform for the residents, as well as inspire them to dance. While I can only hazard a guess, I think some of it comes from giving back. As much as she loves to dance, she also loves to teach, and when she goes to facilities, she takes her young students with her. She dances first, and then they dance for the residents. “People in care centers can relate to me because I’m about the same age,” she has commented. “I hope to get them interested in exercise. Plus, I enjoy showing them that it’s never too late to do something you love.”
I also think that Suzelle has spent the last seven decades simply moving in the timelessness of God-given gifts. She loves to dance, it’s a gift God gave her, and more than likely she’ll dance ‘til the day she dies. I certainly hope so! She is another one that I want to be like when I grow up, and I am grateful that she just set the bar, or perhaps in this case, la barre a whole lot higher.
Clean and Green . . . . . . . 12 Cooking With Anna . . . . 13 Ali Elizabeth Turner Athens Now Information & Inspiration 256-468-9425 ali@athensnowal.com Website: www.athensnowal.com
Cover Stories . . . . . . . 15 & 17 Health And Fitness . . . . . . 16 Learning As A Lifestyle . . . 18 Jerry's Journal . . . . . . . . 19 Dog Barker . . . . . . . . 20 Mental Health Minute . . . 21 Alternative Approach . . . 22
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All Things Soldier
A Requiem To Remember by Ali Elizabeth Turner
We were made to be in community, to be part of something greater than ourselves, to love and be loved. We were made to be in families, and families were never designed to be so dysfunctional that people become distressed at the thought of being in the same room with those whose DNA is a match; but sadly sometimes that happens. I don’t know why Ed Pearson had absolutely no family anywhere because all accounts say, “He was a sweet man.” However, as sad as his or any soldier’s passing is, Mr. Ed managed to touch the lives of those around him to the point that Florida “threw him a funeral” fitting of someone who served our country, and that of a well-loved man. Ed lived in Naples, and in 2017 had the chance to shake the hand of Donald
Trump. Then Hurricane Irma struck, and his mobile home was destroyed in the storm. Never losing his kindness, he endeared the hearts of the people who were employed by the agency that was working to get him a new home. He passed before that could happen, and then the actual positive power of social media kicked in. One woman posted on Facebook about his passing, and the post went viral. Legacy Options, a funeral home with locations throughout the South, put on their website that Ed’s funeral would be open, basically saying, “Come and be his family.” That is the theme that brought in busloads of people, a full 4,000 attending a service for a serviceman they had never met. "He's part of the veterans [sic] fam-
ily. That's why I'm here," said David Marsters, who drove more than two hours from Lady Lake, Florida to Sarasota National Cemetery, where the funeral was held. "You never leave anybody behind." In a month when politics are being particularly putrid, Gwen Graham, the Democratic candidate
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for governor in Florida, tweeted the following: "Mr. Edward K. Pearson served our country. He has no family to attend his funeral. We can be his family.” Could those sentiments be driven to improve the optics of the campaign? It’s possible, but the point is, people who never met the man but wanted to honor what he had done, what he stood for, and more importantly, affirm his worth as a human being stopped what they were doing, got in their car or on the bus, made the trip, and celebrated the life of a solitary soldier. As a person who winces at the thought of being as-
sociated on any level, no matter how small, with what is deemed “media” these days, the fact that several local Florida broadcast affiliates showed up for the funeral and live-streamed it so people could see it at home caused me to smile. And, it didn’t stop there. CBS had it on their national news as well. At the end of the day, literally millions of people had been briefly introduced to Ed Pearson. I also think of how different the social climate is these days when it comes to vets. Fifty years ago, even without the ability of media to connect us so immediately and intimately, I seriously doubt that an old man who had served his country in the early ‘60s would have been given such honor; but oh, am I glad Ed Pearson has been laid to rest with the respect a soldier deserves. Be well in your new home, dear man. No hurricane will harm you there.
October 04 - October 17, 2019
Special Features
Athens Firefighters Are Putting On The Pink
Athens Relay Team Celebrates The Campaign’s 35th Year With Vintage Look
by Holly Hollman,
by Holly Hollman, City of Athens Communications Specialist
City of Athens Communications Specialist Athens firefighters will have a hue of pink in their uniform for the month of October. Crews will be wearing Breast Cancer Awareness Month T-shirts in support of those who have or are battling the disease. Each year, Athens Fire and Rescue Auxiliary designs a shirt the firefighters wear, and the auxiliary sells the shirts as a fundraiser. Proceeds will go to the Athens-Limestone
October 04 - October 17, 2019
Hospital Foundation’s Pink Elephant program that supports awareness and treatment of breast cancer. This year’s shirt is gray with pink lettering that includes a fire hose shaped as a pink ribbon in the name Athens Fire. The Comfort Color shirts are $20 and are available at Station No. 1 at 950 W. Washington Street from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call 256-262-1390.
In 1985, Dr. Gordy Klatt went on a walk and created a campaign against cancer. Gordy, a colorectal surgeon in Washington, wanted to support his local American Cancer Society office. In 1985, he decided to circle a track at the University of Puget Sound for 24 hours. His family and friends donated $25 each to walk with him, and they raised $27,000. Relay for Life was born. In honor of Relay’s 35th anniver-
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sary, the City of Athens Relay for Life Team is selling Vintage Relay T-shirts as a fundraiser. The Comfort Color dark gray shirts have a vintage look with a Relay ribbon on the front, and the words, “35 Years Strong. Fighting cancer never goes out of style!” on the back. The short and long sleeve shirts are $20 each or $22 for 2X and 3X. The team is taking pre-orders through Oct. 18. To pre-order a shirt, email Team Captain Holly Hollman at hhollman@athensal. us or call Kim Glaze at 256-233-8730.
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Calendar of Events Second Sundays On The Square
Swamp John's Benefit Dinner October 8
Businesses will be open from 12pm-4pm on these Sunday afternoons for local residents and out-of-towners alike to come enjoy what downtown Athens has to offer during the weekends. For more information contact Merritt Malone at 256-777-7519 or merritt5485@gmail.com
With Behind the Badge at the Athens Police Department Courtroom. 951 East Hobbs Street in Athens. 4-7PM with choice of fish, shrimp, or chicken and drink for $10 per plate. Tickets available at the Police Department or with APD officers.
Houston Memorial Library and Museum FALL HOURS
2019 ABS Fore the Students Golf Tournament October 10
101 North Houston Street in Athens. Tue - Thurs 10am-4pm • Fri 10am-1pm • First Saturdays - 10am-1pm. Antiques mingle with new book releases to create an inviting atmosphere for both book lovers and historians alike. We have all genres for all ages! The Governor's home displays local history while maintaining a fully functioning lending library. We invite you to stop by for a visit. 256-233-8770.
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder October 4
Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention on Founders Green of Athens State University. 300 North Beaty Street in Athens. 4:00PM and 6:00PM. One-Day ticket: $15.00; TwoDay Ticket: $20.00 at the gate or online at Eventbrite For more information and schedules: TVOTFC.org
Annual Indoor Yard Sale October 5
St. Paul Catholic Women will have its annual indoor yard sale from 7 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at 1900 Hwy 72 W, Athens, AL. Lots of stuff, great prices. For more info call 256-431-3213.
Canebrake Golf Club. 23015 Founders Circle in Athens. 7AM12PM. Benefiting programs at Athens Bible School.
Annual Car, Truck, & Bike Show October 12
Athens Sportsplex. US31 and Elm Street in Athens. 9:00AM3:00PM. Benefiting Eli's Block Party. Registration:$20.00 per vehicle. Food trucks and drink concessions, Kids' Dug Out Playground, DJ & music. For more info: 256-777-0606.
Tim Hawkins Live October 13
Clements Baptist Church. 8690 U.S. Highway 72 in Athens. 7:00PM-10:00PM with comedian Mike Goodwin. Advance General Tickets: $29; Premium Advance Tickets: $39; Uber Fan Package: $79. Tickets at: https://timhawkins.brushfire. com/events/452417
ABS Fall Festival Oct 18
Hearts for Homeless Yard & Bake Sale October 5
At Revival, 305 West Washington Street in Athens. 8:00AM2:00PM with a variety of items to shop.
In the Jack Cannon Gymnasium on the Athens Bible School Campus. 700 U.S. Highway 31N in Athens. 5:30-9:00PM. The family-friendly festival will have Games, Haunted House, Chicken Stew and Concession Stan, Hayride, Dunking Booth, Car Bash, Wacky House, Photo Booth, Silent Auction, Live Auction and more. Open to the public. Info: 256-232-3525.
Play Outside Day October 5
Friendship UMW Ladies' Conference Event November 9
Families everywhere are encouraged to get outside the first Saturday of every month and play in public parks, enjoy trails, hit the waterways, explore greenspaces and just play! Limestone County offers over 20 trails to explore including walking, cycling, horseback riding and kayaking – perfect for all ages. For more information: 256-232-5411
From 9am - 11am with lunch following. This is a free event and all are welcome. No reservations required. Contact Pat Gartman at 256-777-7153 for more information.
RedHawk Fall Invitational Golf Tournament October 7-8
Canebrake Golf Club. 23015 Founders Circle in Athens. 7:00AM-4:00PM. Benefiting Martin Methodist Golf Program. For more information: 931-363-9881 Page 6
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Spaghetti Meal at the Vietnam Veterans of America Building 3rd Monday Monthly
17915 W. Elm St. in Athens. 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and 5:00-7:00 p.m. Cost is $8. Eat in or carry-out. Profits fund scholarships for local students. Please call ahead for group carry-outs or more info 256-431-3213. October 04 - October 17, 2019
Special Feature
Great Music, All Day! by Tere Richardson - Director of Athens Main Street The Athens Grease Festival Returns October 19 in Downtown Athens, Alabama. Come and celebrate all things battered and fried from eleven am until seven pm. Our “Extra Crispy” celebration will be enhanced with a “Special Sauce” of beer and wine that is new to the festival this year! Tickets are only five dollars and proceeds will support the Athens Main Street organization. Music will begin at noon with a fantastic line up of entertaining area bands. Kaleidoscope hails from Huntsville Alabama bringing classic rock sounds with a Southern flair! Their sound is a mesh of some of your favorite seventies and eighties rock bands. Hear Kaleidoscope at the Grease Festival beginning at noon!
Alabama native whose sound is heavily influenced by artists like Dolly Parton, Patty Griffin and John Mayer. Winning awards all over the South for her lyrical abilities, Lindsey has a sound and experience that is beyond her years. Hinkle is bringing her folk like sound to the Grease Festival stage on October 19th starting at 2 pm. Coming straight from our hometown is Trippin’ Dixie! With musical recre-
ations from Prince all the way to Chris Stapleton you are sure to be entertained. Recently Trippin’ Dixie was honored to play alongside one of Alabama’s most prized groups, Alabama Shakes! Come hear Trippin’ Dixie at 3 pm on the Grease Festival Stage! Seeking Babylon is an all-female group coming from Huntsville, Alabama! This trio is sure to delight you with their unique and special sound.
Hear them at the Grease Festival at 4 pm. The Redeemers are yet another band from our great hometown! This Athens based group sings tunes from all generations and genres. Come check them out at the Grease Festival at 5 pm. The Prescriptions will be taking the stage at the Grease Festival starting at 6 pm. Birmingham born band leader Hays Rags-
dale moved to Nashville to hone his creative sound and teamed up with other Birmingham natives to create The Prescriptions. With a folk sound that is like no other, you are sure to be delighted with their unique songs. Come and hear them close out a great day at the Athens Grease Festival!
Headliner Lamont Landers Band
Lamont Landers is an Alabama born artist whose soul filled tunes will be entertaining our festival this year. Landers’ music is heavily influenced by his Southern background making him a perfect fit to headline the Athens Grease Festival! Landers became an overnight YouTube hit and went on to compete against other artists on America’s Got Talent! His performance at Showtime at the Apollo propelled his career to new heights. Catch Lamont Landers and his band this year at the Athens Grease Festival starting at one pm. Lindsey Hinkle is an
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What Makes Ronnie Roll
Budgets Are A Blessing? by Ali Elizabeth Turner …It depends on who you ask! Mayor Ronnie is the only leader I have ever met that is jazzed, energized, pumped, use whatever word you want about the yearly requirement of Alabama law to not only submit a budget, but make sure that it is one that is balanced. This is the first week of the new fiscal year, and the mayor was more than pleased to announce that the City of Athens is once again in the black. “Now if we could just get the federal government to do what we are required to,” he said with a chuckle. Mayor Ronnie knows that most people find budgets boring, so he
did his best to make my schooling “lean, mean, and clean.” For those of you who are new to the subject of the city budget, there are several things you need to know. First of all, every budget meeting is open to the public, and the entire process of presentation and approval is transparent. There are several departments whose budgets run from October through September, except for the electric budget, which ties in with TVA and runs from July through June. We have about 47,000 electricity customers, and of
the $100 million annual electrical budget, about $90 million is buying power from and selling to TVA. Water and waste water
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are part of the general budget, and the need to expand sewer service in anticipation of growth is one of the most challenging parts of the current budget. New sewers are going to need to run down Hwy 31 to what will be the greatly expanded HuntsvilleBrownsferry exchange. “There is a critical need for growth, preparation for growth, and a plan to re-coup investments over the long term,” said the mayor. “All of it is about balancing,” he added. He was also glad to report that this fiscal year the General Fund will have a surplus of about $500K, and being in the black was not something that could be said about the City of Athens for many years. The natural gas budget is about $14 million, and right now gas customers are increasing by 500-600 per year. At some point, there is going to need to be a
new fire station built to accommodate the housing development on the south part of Lindsay Lane. The most important need in any city is public safety; and one thing we need right now is to be able to hire more policemen, and make their salary competitive. “We need to get in line with neighboring communities if we are going to get and keep officers who are going to make law enforcement a career,” said the mayor. And it’s not just policemen, it’s all first responders. “We have guys who go out into storms and climb up to power lines to restore power, and firefighters who also put their lives on the line to keep us safe. I think about them all the time,” he said. Even with all that’s involved in budgeting, the mayor remained most positive. It was time to pray and thank God, (even for budgets!) so we did. And then, once again, Ronnie rolled.
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Slinkard On Success
For I Am Not Ashamed Of The Gospel Of Christ by D. A. Slinkard The world has gone nuts! Someone had to say it! We live in a world of debauchery and craziness that is beyond belief. Mattel, the maker of Barbie, has introduced the world to genderneutral dolls. They have dubbed the toy a “doll for everyone” but, truly, the toymaker is trying to indoctrinate our children with the mental sickness going on in the world today. There is no such thing as gender neutral. God did not design the world this way. Mark 10:6 tells us, “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.” It amazes me how far we have gone in the wrong direction! We have people speaking out about gun control laws and how guns take the lives of the innocent, yet these same people show their hypocrisy when they remain silent and allow innocent babies to be murdered inside the mother’s womb. Whether a person comprehends it or not, murder is murder. Where is the outcry for the voiceless? Our society dresses it up with terms such as “pro-choice” or they say “it’s a woman’s right to choose what to do with her body.” America has killed far more lives with abortion than what Adolf Hitler ever thought about doing. Let the public school systems teach that.
My life was changed when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. You do not know my heart, but I know it. I see the filthiness, the wickedness going on in the world; and I realize we, as a country, need Jesus Christ. We need the God of the Bible; not the god that people conjure up. I believe the Bible to be true through and through. So when I see Galatians 6:7, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap, I believe it. We are reaping what we have sown in our past. We have sown bad fruit in the past, and we are getting bad results today. We fix the issues of today’s world by doing exactly what God tells us
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to do in His Word. I have mentioned this scripture in other articles and I believe it is worth repeating again. 2 Chronicles 7:14, If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. We will continue to reap what we sow, and if we sow wickedness, we are going to reap even more wickedness than what we can comprehend today. We find ourselves at a crossroads in life and we must make a decision. Are we going to turn towards God or are we going to drift further and further away from the Creator? I oftentimes wonder what it
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is going to take for Christians to stand up to the ungodliness happening in the world around us; but oddly enough, we seem to roll over and just take it because it is the “Christian” thing to do. We demand high standards in many areas of our life. We want high standards when it comes to the hotels where we stay, the stores where we shop, the restaurants where we eat; but the one thing we have lowered our standards is in the church house. We have whisked away Biblical standards in place of being more like the world, and in doing so we have fallen away from God. My answer to what ails society revolves around a true revival of the church. We need to get to the basics of Christ and our
need for a saviour. We need to understand how God looks upon sin and then make His precepts our own. If we would take the Bible and make God’s Holy Word our final authority in faith and practice, we would see the necessary changes in our society. This is Biblical advice found in 2 Timothy 2:15, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. What are you going to do to show you are not ashamed? I hope this article has stirred your heart in a way that would move you to want to bring honor and glory to God with your life. Feel free to drop me a line at da.slinkard@gmail.com.
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Tourism
Spirited Adventures Await October’s Arrival by Cayce Lee
Social Media Specialist, Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association As the days grow shorter, the trees dawn their brilliant gem tones, and whispers of fall begin to spread among young and old – there are few harbingers in AthensLimestone County that herald the arrival of fall to North Alabama. October is a busy month with plenty of activities to keep your schedule full… and these are just a few ideas taken from our event calendar at VisitAthensAL.com to tempt you. Find the specifics for the events below and even more being added every day. Toe-Tapping Music Rings Amid The Columns… The Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention will return to the steps of historic Founder’s Hall on the grounds of Athens State University in Athens with week-long activities including a bluegrass workshop, free kick off concert, food vendors, arts and crafts vendors, and finishing with the headliners and competition the first week of October. The main attractions will bring tens of thousands of people to Athens October
4 and 5. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate. The Spirits Come Alive with History… The highly anticipated Athens Cemetery Stroll hosted by Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association and the Captain Thomas H Hobbs Camp 768 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will return on October 6. Local citizens and descendants will bear witness to the history and lore of Athens-Limestone County among the tombstones as part of this Alabama Bicentennial Committee-recognized event. The event is free and open to the public; donations welcomed. Wandering Souls in Search of Haunted History… The Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association will hold their annual fundraiser with help from sponsor, Trustmark Bank, which highlights some of Athens’ more mysterious history. Attendees will wind through Athens’ historic districts, with local volunteer guides leading the way and recounting tales woven with history and specters, on select Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. or 7 p.m.
Ticket sales are underway at the Athens-Limestone Visitors Center (100 North Beaty Street in Athens) for $10 each with no tickets available at the door. Meet Me Under the Tent… Athens Storytelling Festival will raise the giant tent in downtown Athens on Marion Street heralding the arrival of storytellers, laughs, and more starting Tuesday, October 22 with Local Teller Night and stretching to Saturday, October 26. Tickets can be purchased at the Athens-Limestone Visitors Center (100 North Beaty Street in Athens), online, or at the gate. Big Scares mares…
and
Night-
If you are looking for terror and frights, two haunted attractions await you. The Haunted Lester Hospital tucked in northwest Limestone County may have shut the doors decades ago, but they have a bed waiting for you amid monsters on most Friday and Saturday Nights in October. If you’d rather wander the woods and face the chase through a dismal maze, then Doomsday at Dog Days Flea Market in Ardmore, Ten-
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nessee, has the perfect chainsaw wielding maniac for your plans. Fried Food and Togas… The Athens Grease Festival returns to downtown Athens on October 19 as Athens Main Street offers up fried food and more to tempt your taste buds. The toga-clad will enjoy a discount at the gate as well as a raucous day of food and entertainment for the family. Chrome and Polish… Lovers of cars can enjoy the first Saturday downtown in Athens with the Cruise-In. No judging, no trophies, just the cars and good times will roll in around the Square on October 5. Things rev up with the annual Cars, Trucks and Bike Show at the Athens SportsPlex on October 12 with food trucks, concessions, a DJ, and more coming together to raise money for this year’s charity, Eli’s Block Party. Farewell Friends, Welcome New Ones… It’s bittersweet to see friends move on to their next phase in life, but it happens and we have to rejoice with them.
The Bowlings, owners of Fort Hampton Outfitters, have served Athens-Limestone Alabama, visitors and residents by helping them hit the waters of the Limestone County Elk River Canoe and Kayak Trail and make memories. The time has come for the Bowlings to conclude this adventure in their lives, and they have passed the torch to a new outfitter, Elk River Adventures, Canoe and Kayak Rental and Shuttle Service based in Prospect, Tennessee. We wish everyone the best of luck in their new adventures. Be sure to check our calendar at VisitAthensAL.com for Swamp John dinners, community fundraisers, local shopping events, live music, outdoor adventures, art workshops, Trunk or Treats and more. You can also stop by the AthensLimestone Visitors Center at 100 North Beaty Street next to the “Duck Pond” in Athens for information on our trails, tracks, and treks; restaurants; festivals; and more every Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (excluding holidays)
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Clean and Green
“I Have Leftover Paint. How Can I Dispose Of It?” by Lynne Hart - Executive Coordinator - Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful
KALB and our recycling center receive numerous phone calls every month asking how to dispose of leftover paint. Although we have addressed this on our Facebook page, on our website, and here in Athens Now, we believe it is important that we address it again. How you dispose of leftover paint depends on the type of paint you have. Some paint is considered household hazardous waste (HHW) and some is not. If any of the following is true of your paint, then it cannot be placed in your trash under any conditions. It must be disposed of at a proper household hazardous waste collection, which we are hoping to have in the spring of 2020. • The paint is oil based • The paint is listed as mildew resistant or a preservative. • The paint is more than 20 years old (it may contain lead) KALB recently learned that the Limestone County Commission voted to provide funding to support a household hazardous waste collection, and we are very grateful for that decision. We are waiting on Athens City Council to vote on funding a portion of the collection as well. If the city approves the funding, there will be a household hazardous waste collection in the spring
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of 2020. Latex Paint The good news is that latex paint, or water-based paint, is NOT considered a household hazardous waste; however, it CANNOT be placed in your trash in liquid form. Much damage can occur to roadways and trash collection trucks from liquid paints. Never pour paint down a drain. It can be harmful to your pipes and is not good for the water supply. It is also harmful to pour paint onto the ground. Here are safe ways to get rid of leftover latex paint: • Use it up or donate it: Mix light colors together and use as primer on your next paint job, or offer it to someone else with a painting project. • If you have full or nearly full cans: Check with a Habitat for Humanity ReStore to see if they will accept it for resale. We no longer have one in Athens; however, there are ReStores in Decatur (256-308-1160) and Huntsville (256533-2282). • Dry it up: Once latex paint is completely dry, it is no longer a danger to trash trucks or roadways. Cans that are ¼ full or less can be placed
in a safe location away from children and pets with lids off and allowed to dry. Once the paint is completely dry, you can place the can in with recycling or in your trash container. Larger amounts: Line a cardboard box with a trash bag and place it in a safe location away from children and pets. Pour paint into the box and add a drying agent such as kitty litter, sand, or shredded paper. You can also purchase paint hardener from Lowe’s or other DIY or hardware store that will work quickly and easily. Once the paint is completely dry, you may place the garbage bag of paint into your regular trash.
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The number of phone calls we receive tells us that this information needs to be shared. Please help us do that by passing along this article to others who might be interested. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and visit our website. Let us know if you’d like to receive our monthly eNewsletter. We never share email address and won’t spam you. Encourage
others to do the same. Our newsletters contain lots of useful information like this as well as information on upcoming events. Together, with just a bit of effort, we can make our community a cleaner and healthier place to live, work, and play.
Become a Fan
(256) 233-8728 KALBCares@gmail.com www.KALBCares.com October 04 - October 17, 2019
Cooking with Anna
Count Your Many Blessings, Name Them One by One by Anna Hamilton
Life goes by so quickly. We are taught from a very young age to do everything as quickly as possible. Don’t waste time, walk faster, eat faster, hurry up, grow up… When is the last time that you sat quietly and still for more than five minutes? That you just took the time to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation around you? That you just took the time to truly count your blessings? I know that I am not silent enough in my life. I don’t take the time to appreciate the small things as I should. I can become consumed with the problems of life rather than the blessings of life. I have decided to take more time to embrace the happy of life rather than the sad. If we only focus on our problems, we are unable to truly enjoy all that has been given to us. I am making an effort to pray every night once the lights are out and my head is on the pillow. I am using this time not to rattle off a “wish list” to God but to thank Him for all my wonderful gifts. I am able to relax easier, and my mind clears of all the hustle and bustle from the day. I encourage you to find a quiet spot and a quiet time for you to take inventory of your blessings. For some of you, it may be easier to journal and write all of your blessings. On the really hard days, go back and read what all you have to be grateful for in your life. Slowing down and taking time to for your loved ones and yourself is easier said than done. But I encourage you to make that effort. After you are home from your work day, put the work emails away, focus on your family. Look for ways to slow down in your life. I purposely changed the settings on my phone so my work email doesn’t come straight to my phone. I have to go through several web pages to log in and look at my emails. This is great, y’all! I am able to not obsess on work and making sure everything is taken
care of at my job. When I’m home, I want to take care of home and enjoy time with my family. Let your family and friends know you care by making the effort to give them the greatest gift of time. The most important reason to slow down and reflect on your blessings is that the Lord commands us to do so. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man that carries out evil devices!” Psalm 37:7 “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Exodus 14:14 “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 God in his infinite wisdom knew we needed to slow down and be thankful for our own well-being. We all know that when you are focused on the negative and spend your time running yourself ragged, you are not happy and you cheat yourself out of enjoying all that life has to offer. Take time this week to go slow. Sit on the park bench. Turn off the television. Put down the phone. Spend time with your family. Be silent. Enjoy life. In the spirit of spending more time with your family, this week’s recipe is a simple 5 ingredient soup that is a snap to put together, giving you more time to enjoy life. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does, and as always, make this your own! Add the wholesome ingredients your family will love, and then sit down at the table together sharing a meal and talking about the blessings you have in your life.
Recipe #19: Broccoli Cheese Soup
What You Need:
4 cups broccoli, cut into small pieces 4 cloves garlic, minced 3 ½ cups chicken broth (Feel free to use vegetable or beef broth) 1 cup heavy cream 3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (Use your favorite cheese, pepper jack is great)
Directions:
In a large pot over medium heat, sauté garlic for one minute, being careful not to let it burn. Add chicken broth, heavy cream, and chopped broccoli. Increase heat to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until broccoli is tender. Add the cheese gradually, stirring until melted. October 04 - October 17, 2019
Remove from heat and Enjoy! Feel free to add ground beef, ground turkey, or shredded chicken to this delicious soup. If your family loves veggies, add carrots, cauliflower, green peas, onions or peppers.
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October 04 - October 17, 2019
Cover Story
The 13th Annual Athens Storytelling Festival: Where Southern Hospitality Meets Side-splitting Hilarity by Ali Elizabeth Turner continued from page 1
you that we are their favorite festival! This is because of the way we have made them part of our city’s family, and they genuinely love to make Athens the place to be for a few days each October where they spin yarns and get hugged. This year’s festival is October 22-26. There are several things that set the Athens festival apart. One is that we are the only one in the entire nation that each year makes a way for students to attend free of charge during the School Days performances. Years ago our legislators recognized the fact that while entertaining, the award-winning ‘tellers who come each year for the festival intentionally design their stories to teach important life lessons. In addition, they teach communication skills and active listening; they just happen to be hilarious in the process! Once again this year, there will be time during School Days, (the Wednesday-Thursday daytime event reserved for students in Athens-Limestone County) for school-kid ‘tellers to get up in front of their peers and “tell.” There will be six tellers from the county schools, and six from the city, and who knows what career could come of it? The reaction of the kids to the tellers has always been one of my favorite parts of the festival, and watching the kids last year enjoy their peers taking their tales out for a spin was an added bonus. Andy Offutt Irwin, who is both an excellent musician as well as teller, is coming for School Days. Andy started his career at Disney World, does mouth sounds, and is known as a Whistler Extraordinaire. Also coming to tell to the kids is
Randy Evansen, a retired teacher and professional storyteller from Utah. There is another positive aspect of the Storytelling Festival that we can all celebrate, and that is the impact on the local economy. Wayne Kuykendall, one of the founders of the festival, told me that between vendor food purchased by attendees, ticket sales, restaurant meals served, hotel rooms filled, and “building the Athens buzz,” all told, last year ‘Tellers brought in close to a million dollars. For the 7th year, the annual Dan Williams Local Tellers’ Competition (also known as Amateur Night) is going to be on Tuesday night, October 22. The plan is to have ten local tellers compete for the chance to be a part of the opening “Olio,” or “variety act or show,” which will be held on Thursday night. If you are thinking of entering, you need to get on it and get your “tale trimmed out and ready to sale!” I think with great fondness back to the days when Dan would compete, before he passed away. Mercy, that man could make me laugh! For more information on entering
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doing so! Kevin can often be heard on NPR’s All Things Considered.
the contest as well as ticket sales, go to www.athensstorytellingfestival.com. The line-up for the 2019 festival is filled with beloved familiar faces. Back again are Donald Davis, Bil Lepp (yes, Bil is supposed to be with only one “l”) Josh Goforth, and Kevin Kling. Donald is considered the “elder statesman” of the storytelling world, and his people have lived in western North Carolina since 1781. In “another life” he was a Methodist minister, and I can’t imagine how funny, as well as impacting, his sermons were. Bil has been a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival and has appeared on Comedy Central. Josh plays ten instruments
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and has been a part of many well-known bands, including Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. He is a native son, and is the great-great-great grandson of Madison County fiddler Asbury McDevitt. Old timey music is simply a part of Josh’s DNA. Kevin Kling makes overcoming adversity and physical hardship a sheer joy. Kevin was born with one arm that did not work, which he named “Scarlett O’Hara” because it was useless. Then he lost the use of his one good arm in a near-fatal motorcycle accident, and so it was up to Scarlett to step up. Those stories of triumph will shut self-pity right down, and crack you up while
The performers’ books, CDs, and other wares will be for sale at the Center for Lifelong Learning, and on Thursday night there will be an auction. Donald will auction off his items from his infamous Grand Canyon trip, and the annual quilt auction will be held on Thursday night as well. Hopefully, by October 22, autumn will arrive indeed, and the nights will be crisp as they should be! One thing you can count on, and that is nearly a week of family-friendly, heart-warming hilarity. Tickets are available online at www.athensstorytellingfestival.com, as well as at the Center for Lifelong Learning, 121 S Marion St. right across from the east side of the Courthouse. See you there!
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Health and Fitness
Sometimes We Just Need a Good Kick by Nick Thomas, owner of Prime Performance Training, and Certified Sports Nutritionist
Occasionally we all need a good kick in the pants. We get in a rut and just can’t seem to find our way out. Maybe it’s just a lack of motivation, maybe something has discouraged you, or maybe you have just become complacent and therefore frustrated. As humans, we crave growth, and to grow we have to be uncomfortable. This is true for any portion of your life, not just health and fitness. If you’re not living your ideal life, it’s probably because your expectations are greater than your effort. Don’t let these feelings lead to decreasing your goal, instead increase your effort! This is a simple concept but far from easy; so let’s break it down.
no one can do it for you. Your why has to be fueled with passion for what you are doing. Passion will be what takes over and carries you through when your mind and body want to give up. I’m talking passion so strong that it wakes you up in the morning! This level of goal seeking and passion makes for some tough times. The pressure comes, either from within you or from those around you. The obstacles inevitably come, and chances are it’s more than one
or two, but you have to remember if the path doesn’t contain obstacles then it probably doesn’t lead anywhere worth going! Just as no pressure on a lump of coal leaves the coal just the same average lump, certainly no diamond, by the same principle, no pressure on you equals no success! Harness the pressure and achieve that diamond status. The key is your focus and ability to grind each day, in each 24-hour span given to you. Consistently using those
small activities you laid out in the beginning will eventually add up to big accomplishments. The bigger the goal, the harder the grind. You can’t cheat the grind; it knows how much you have invested and won’t give you anything you haven’t worked to achieve. You will get tired, BUT remember champions keep going even when they have nothing left in the tank; they dig deep and don’t stop until they reach their destination! Your attitude has to be such that you want the
goal as bad as you want to breathe, as Eric Thomas says. You have to be willing at any moment to sacrifice what you are for what you will become, to know that your dream is worth more to you than even sleep! You are responsible for the grind not the result, when the grind is on point, the results will take care of themselves. For more information regarding a personalized general or sports nutrition plan contact me at Prime Performance 423805-0870.
First, you have to realize you will never be fully ready for anything; you just have to make up your mind and start. Fear will get you nowhere, fear is a liar. Write down your goal and your why, and this will help you identify your how, which will then allow you lay out the daily steps you must take to reach your goal. Most of all, you have to want it, that’s the reason your why has to be strong. No one can want it for you, just like
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October 04 - October 17, 2019
Cover Story
The First Annual GR1P Arm Wrestling Competition Will Be Here October 26 by Ali Elizabeth Turner
continued from page 1
fessionals, paychecks, and PR. There is a World Armwrestling League, which has headquarters in Chicago and rules by which competitors must abide. After the movie’s release, armwrestling took off and “became a thing” in many parts of the country, except here in the South. Then, about seven years ago, Brendon Lewter was talking with a friend from work on the way to do a job in Decatur, and they brainstormed about bringing it here. Life happened, and the idea stayed on the back burner while Brendon built an ancillary professional career doing all manner of strength competitions. The guy has won titles by doing such things as dead lifting tractor tires, weights, been a Strong Man champion, has been on TV, and also broke his back. He is a determined competitor, as well as someone who has worked very hard to get his back healed. When Brendon was in the Marines, he served in Iraq; and let’s just say his arms say it all, both in terms of tattoos as well as sheer size. Recently, he and his friends reconnected
and decided to form GRIP Events, and the inaugural armwrestling event will be held at Workout Anytime Athens from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on October 26. I spoke further with Brendon and he shared that several things motivate him to do what he does. One was that his own mom had her first heart attack at the age of 40, and he saw firsthand what happens when someone does not actively build their health. He took care of her until her death, and it was hard on him. As a result, he describes himself as having been motivated to build his
own health not because of her illnesses, but something stronger, and that’s being “determined.” When Brendon uses the word, it means Benefits from the competition will go to disabled veterans.
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The GRIP group
that it’s a done deal. He is a Tennessee resident who loves Athens, is a graduate of Ardmore High School, and has a fierce heart for veterans, especially those who have been wounded in combat or are disabled. The GRIP Events team has decided to donate a portion of the proceeds from the October event to the Disabled American Veterans. There are sponsorships available that range from $250 to $4500, and for more information on sponsoring or signing up to compete, you can stop by the Workout Anytime Athens, located at 611 US-72 near Big Lots. You can also contact Ali McMullins at
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256-374-5647, and Grip Events’ email address is griparmwrestling@gmail. com. They can also be found on Facebook, and be sure to type in “GR1P Events,” (with a 1 in place of a capital I) when you key into the search bar. GRIP Events wanted the people of Athens to know that Workout Anytime has a commitment to give back to the community, and thanks the fitness club for being willing to house the event. Ali McMullins of the GRIP Events team recently told me that this competition is not just for people who look like Brendon. “Kids can compete, and so can women,” she said.
The event is also regulated. There are special tables that have padding and pegs for gripping. There will be judges who will strictly go by World Armwrestling League (WAL) regulations. There are rules about having one foot on the floor at all times, as well as how to use the pegs. You can also compete in the event by either sitting or standing, but again, there are WAL rules for that as well, and the judges will be watching. Ali also told me that because of sponsorships, there will be some generous cash prizes. “The individual adult trophy winner will receive $100, and the winning teen will receive $75. There will also be some promotions on the Facebook site, so check there often, and more so as the 26th gets closer. The entry fee to compete is $45 for adults, $25 for teens, and you can register the day of the competition. The Disabled Veterans of America Chapter 51 will be on hand at Workout Anytime to help set up booths, and there is room for more vendors. Come be a part of the history of Athens and the South on October 26, and join in the GRIP Events Inaugural Armwrestling Competition! You’ll enjoy a competition whose focus is to give back to our veterans, and have a hollerin’ fun time while you do!
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Learning As A Lifestyle
Nothing Rhymes With Nothing by Wanda Campbell
Center for Lifelong Learning - 121 South Marion Street, Athens, AL 35611 - 256-233-8262 It's said that there is no word that rhymes with orange. Rhyming can be a bit controversial because sometimes rhymes depend on pronunciation, accent, and whether you use multiple words. For example, you can force orange to rhyme with door hinge, but what most people expect is a perfect rhyme. A perfect rhyme is one that occurs between words like trickle and pickle. They are perfect rhymes because the final stressed vowel sound and all the sounds afterwards are identical. The word identical doesn't rhyme with pickle or trickle because even though they all end with the sound “ickle" the stressed pronunciation is in the wrong place for identical. In order for it to rhyme, you would have to pronounce it "I'den-TICK-ul." With that in mind, orange does have a perfect rhyme. The word just happens to be extremely obscure. Blorenge is a prominent hill which overlooks the valley of the River Usk in Monmouthshire, southeast Wales. Silver which is also widely considered to have no rhyming word, also has its perfect rhyme; a chilver is a female lamb. But even if these words didn't have a rhyme, it wouldn't make them special. Sure, monosyllabic words tend to rhyme with other words. It's believed that there are only about
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100 single syllable words that have no rhyme. Words like wolf, sixth, depth, and filmed. But when you consider words of all lengths, it has been calculated that most English words don't rhyme with anything. Words like comment, husband, sandwich, liquid, penguin, chimney, and empty all have no rhyming word. And of course, nothing rhymes with nothing.
shot wounds and broken bones in his back, leg, and face. His prisoner-ofwar image was broadcast on television and media outlets around the world, as well as on the cover of Time, US News and World Report, and Newsweek. His story is recounted in the best-selling book by Mark Bowden and
also inspired the Academy Award winning film, Black Hawk Down. His conduct during captivity now serves as a benchmark for today’s military. Durant served for more than 22 years in the Army, 13 years as a Night Stalker, and accumulated over 3,700 flight hours. He is the recipient of the
Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, 3 Air Medals, Prisonerof-War Medal, and numerous other honors and achievements. He is currently the president and chief executive officer of Pinnacle Solutions.
What is next? November 1 - Friday Night Movies: Special Effects of the 20th Century, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. With the release of the new Joker movie, now is the time to look back on The Dark Knight. Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) reinvented a classic Batman villain and won him rave reviews from critics. The film was the second of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, falling between Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). We will talk about Nolan’s use of special effects in the film. November 8 - Community Breakfast with Michael Durant, 8:30 to 10 a.m. Please join us for a Community Breakfast featuring Michael J. Durant, CW4 (Retired). Durant is best known for his experience during the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia, where he was shot down and held as a prisoner of war by hostile Somali militia for 11 days. His injuries included gun-
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October 04 - October 17, 2019
Jerry’s Journal
Man Trip To Shiloh Battlefield by Jerry R. Barksdale www.jerrybarksdale.com It was our sixth “man trip,” this one to Shiloh Battlefield near Savannah, Tennessee. In two bloody days – April 6-7, 1862 – over 24,000 men fell dead and wounded, not from fighting a foreign Army but Americans killing Americans. “The ground was strewn with the dead of the enemy and our own, mangled in every conceivable way,” wrote Captain Samuel Latta, CSA, 13th Tennessee Infantry. Today the killing field is serene, peaceful and beautiful. Retired Athens cop and Alabama Veterans Museum president Jerry Crabtree drove and served as our official wisecracker and rumor monger. Visiting a historical place of great tragedy didn’t prevent us from having fun. As always, women weren’t allowed on the trip. We didn’t have time to engage in petty gossip. We talked serious gossip…useful gossip…maybe even life-saving gossip. For example, Crabtree pointed to the house of a prominent church-going woman near Elkmont. “They say she carried “The Judge” in her purse,” he said. That’s a combination – shotgun and .45 pistol that will disable a tank. What if we had invited her on our trip and she became angry because we wouldn’t stop at a shoe store? Instead of reaching in her purse for lipstick, she produced The Judge… BANG – BANG! Our caskets couldn’t be opened. A man will shoot a neighbor because his dog craps in his yard and that’s understandable. A woman is liable to shoot you just because she’s having a bad hair day. Fair
warning. Museum board member Bill Ward, a retired mathematician, appointed himself navigator and backseat driver. I sure hope he could cipher his figures better than he navigated and backseat drove. However, he did test our knowledge of distance. “How far is over yonder?” Bill asked. It’s a question that no Yankee can answer and every Southerner knows the answer. “It’s just a little bit from here.” Ewell Smith, Museum board member, former Athens volunteer fireman and retired business manager at ASU, told us the harrowing story of how Athens Fire Chief Mutt Bumpus saved Brownsferry from a possible melt down in 1975. Bumpus told TVA engineers how to extinguish the fire, “Spray water on it.” Because he was a small town fire chief with the nickname “Mutt”, they ignored his advice. When the TVA “Brain Trust” finally ran out of options they turned to Mutt. He sprayed water on the fire and it was extinguished. Lt. Col. Joe Rogers (Ret. Army) from Athens, is a Vietnam combat veteran and recipient of a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars. He recently retired from Calhoun College as an economics professor. You might think he’s a typical egghead, constantly jabbering about economic charts, interest rates, and the stock market, who can’t tie his shoes laces (I’ve known professors like that). Not the case with Joe. I wrote a threepart story about Joe’s combat experience in Vietnam, titled “Where Hell was Green” (Nov. 2015, www.jerrybarks-
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fb.com/jerry.barksdale.7 dale.com). I knew that he had lost his best friend during a bloody battle and Joe gathered up his scattered body parts. I rounded out our group, and because I take three Lasix pills a day, was given the front passenger seat so I could jump out and dash behind a tree for an emergency pee. We departed the Veterans Museum at 7:30 a.m. and headed north on AL 127 to Pulaski. Crabtree said it was the scenic route. He was correct. No place is more picturesque than Giles County, Tennessee. We took Hwy 64 over to Lawrenceburg, former home of Davy Crockett. His motto for living is still good today. “Be always sure you’re right then go ahead.” Then over to Waynesboro, birth place of Western gun fighter Clay Allison. He was so crazy that he was kicked out of the Confederate Army. Later he rode with General Nathan Bedford Forrest. It’s said that he killed many men. Following the Civil War, he went west. Wayne County is beautiful country, hardwood forests, empty spaces and excellent roads. At Savannah, a sign on the edge of town proclaimed: “Catfish Capitol of the World.” I didn’t know the catfish had their own country, much less a capital. Savannah’s also home to the Tennessee River Museum that looked interesting. May need to visit it in the future. Shiloh is 7 miles south of Savannah on Tennessee 22. The trip took 2 hours and was fine all the way. We began our tour by watching a 45-minute movie about the battle. The
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theater was filled with 7th and 8th graders from Tupelo, Mississippi. What a bummer, I thought. A houseful of noisy kids. Was I wrong! The lights went down, and they grew silent. The film was instructional and realistic with actual guns firing, men groaning, and dying. Joe was seated next to me. I wondered how he would react to the battle scene. The lights came on and the kids cheered. Joe was quiet and teared up. “Two words I always heard was “Mama and God,” he said. I put my arm around his shoulder and gave him a squeeze. Two great armies, one from the South under the command of General Albert Sidney Johnston and the other under the command of Gen. U.S. Grant, met near a small log church – called Shiloh – to determine with iron and flack, who would control the Tennessee River and nearby railroad, and ultimately the Western theater of war. The Confederates carried the first day. Gen. Johnston, age 59, was shot behind his knee and bled out. I’ve read, but can’t locate my source, that General Johnston’s corpse was pickled in a barrel of whiskey and shipped to New Orleans, then on to Texas where he was buried in Austin. Gen. G. T. Beauregard failed to follow up on the victory. The next day, he was forced to retreat to Corinth, Mississippi. We toured the battlefield by car (a map is provided marking 20 stops). I noticed that the Yankee monuments are large and plentiful, the reason being is that when the Battlefield Monument Commission
began in 1893, Southern states were too poor to purchase large monuments. Afterwards, we ate at nearby Hagy’s Catfish Hotel on the bank of the Tennessee River. It’s been in business for 80 years and the food is excellent. I asked our waitress if catfish actually overnighted there. No they don’t. I ordered the small catfish filets, each about the size of a shoe sole, along with hush puppies, slaw, and baked potato. Never had better food and at such a reasonable price. Our return trip was on Hwy 69S to Florence. We discussed important events that occurred in Athens when we were kids. Do you know that cowboy actor Lash LaRue personally appeared at the Ritz Theater? Ewell went to see him and bought a bullwhip for a souvenir. He never learned to use it and ended up whipping himself. “Who was Gabby Hayes?” someone asked. “Roy Roger’s sidekick.” Correct. I stumped them. “Who was Gene Autry’s sidekick?” I asked. No one knew the correct answer. “Frog Millhouse,” I said. “And who was his sidekick?” No answer. “Tadpole.” Roy Rogers also put in a personal appearance at the Ritz and when it was over, he went to a nearby pool hall and shot pool with, as Mama called them, “no account, good for nothing lazy bums,” who hung out there. As they say, knowledge is power. It was an educational and interesting trip. I recommend you take your family, especially your children, and enjoy a day of good living.
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Dog Barker
The New Alabama Legislative Law Regarding Service Dogs by Joel Allen
Not long ago the news media was all abuzz about the new legislative law in Alabama for service dogs. I and a few others were very pleased that Alabama was starting to take an active role in preventing fraudulent service dogs because people will just take their pet dog in a store and place it in the buggy. In some cases the dog will bark and growl at people or other “real” service dogs. News flash for those guilty of placing their dogs in a buggy, it is a major health violation! There have been a few occasions where I and one of my two service dogs were in Walmart and crossed paths with another service dog. In those cases, I reinforce the behavior of my service dogs and redirect their attention away or calm them, because they
are dogs and sometimes even the best trained can still react. In most interactions I have seen with mine, they just look; and I see that thought-bubble above their head saying, “What?! There is another dog in my world?!” Anyways, there have been a few times where we have been in Walmart and the dogs in the buggies would see us and then start to bark. With mine, I would calmly talk to them and keep them calm while walking away. I have poured over the new Alabama law regarding service dogs, and to my disappointment, it bears no “teeth.” What I mean is that according to what I have read, the legislature is just reinforcing what the federal law states and placed more “legalese” that can be a bit confusing. The
only other penalty I read was if someone is found to have a fraudulent service dog, they can be fined up to $500 or charged with a Class C misdemeanor for the first offense. If there is a second offense, then it will progress to a Class B misdemeanor. I collected this data from www.animallaw. info/statute/al-assistanceanimals-assistance-animalguide-dog-laws#s1. So, don’t just take my word for it, check it for yourself. My question is, how will they even be able to catch the frauds if there is no real way to question their validity? Now, I am going to share an idea(s) with everyone to assist in validating a real service dog. One idea is to be observant when there is a “service dog” in the store; are they walking with their
handler or being carried? Just because they are being carried does not necessarily mean they are not legitimate. Are they misbehaving, such as growling or barking (note: some service dogs alert by barking. Be sure the difference is known.) or are they trying to run around or even eliminate in the store? Keep in mind that service dogs do have to potty, too, and it is the handler’s responsibility to ensure they have done so in the designated areas. When my service dog Zues was alive, he had two separate occasions where he did have an accident in the store, and that was my fault because both times I forgot to take him to a designated area to eliminate. He asked but I did not pay attention, and he got my attention all right. My
definition of a good service dog is when they are well behaved and no one seems to notice them until they are seen.
I have an idea on what the Alabama legislature can do about legitimizing or validating service dogs; we need to require access training and testing. Access training requires the dog to be trained in the environments in which it will be working and taught how to behave in public. Testing should be done by a certified dog trainer. It would benefit our lawmakers to get the advice of those of us who use service dogs too. Until the day the law is changed to require this, the fraud will be ever present.
One last note to my readers, service dogs are not just for the blind and hearing impaired. They are used for PTSD, diabetes, physical impairments, mobility, and many more needs. A person that uses a service dog will have a documented disability, but remember, no one can ask for documentation directly related to someone’s disability or documentation for service dogs. I hope this has been helpful. Have a great October and stay safe. “Remember to love your dogs because they love you. Maybe not the way you want them to, like chewing up your favorite shoes or what not, but that is just love chewing. Be thankful for the time you have with them always.”
Joel Allen 256-651-2211
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October 04 - October 17, 2019
Mental Health Minute
A Dog Named Dexter by Lisa Philippart, Licensed Professional Counselor
e
s “As a man thinks in y his heart, so is he.” - Proverbs 23:7 e n Over eleven years ago, r a dog we named Dexter ; came bouncing into our s lives. He was a skinny, stray, yellow, Labradore retriever mix, with fleas and worms. And he had l the happiest, most loving w personality of any dog I g have ever met (other than Shadow. See my article d from January 4, 2019.) o fIn the beginning, Dexter was a wild man. His senergy level was always eset on high. He even ran in his sleep! We didn’t think he had ever been in , a house before because r when we first brought him in, he leapt over our r furniture like it was an l obstacle course. He ran d through our house knocking things over and havg ing the best time, smiling d all the while! Yes, Dex, ter smiles! As much as I loved Dexter already, we d knew he needed some r discipline if we were ever e going to have peace ren stored to our home. Did you know you can send your dog to Doggie Boot Camp? Yup. We dropped Dexter off with the promise that he would be “manageable” in three weeks. When we returned, we had to go through some training too, but Dex was much, much better…as long as he was on a leash. My husband and I both worked during the day, so we had to find some way for Dexter to relieve his boundless energy. We de-
cided to take him to doggie daycare. It was there that we discovered two things: First, he could be worn out! And second, that Dexter loves people, and other dogs, not so much. He was the likeable kid in school, always getting into trouble. He was expelled…twice. So what does my Dexter story have to do with mental health? Three months ago, Dexter was diagnosed with mast cell cancer. It’s bad. But did you know that there is a veterinary oncologist in Nashville? Dogs can receive chemo treatments, and actually tolerate it better than humans. We were told that without chemo, Dex had about three months to live. With chemo, he has about 6-9 months. We have heard several times from those who are working with and treating Dexie, the
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following comments: “He doesn’t know he has cancer, does he?” and “He is the happiest dog on chemo that we have ever seen!” Wow! This got me to thinking about whether attitude can affect a cancer outcome. Can a positive attitude prolong a person’s/dog’s life? And conversely, does a negative attitude make cancer grow? Attitude is defined as “a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something.” This attitude is often reflected in one’s behavior. I believe, as do many researchers, psychologists, and other mental health professionals that attitude has a unique and profound way of affecting our daily lives. For example, I realize that it is easier to adopt a positive attitude when life circumstances are generally good and
problems are few. But when conditions change drastically in a negative way, it’s not as easy to keep a positive outlook, especially when those changes involve an illness. A cancer diagnosis can obviously affect attitude. Having to accept a life-altering disease can cause feelings of hopelessness, which can lead to a negative point of view. But it’s not necessary to allow the weight of negativity to lead you down the path of loss of control. Those feelings travel through the cycle of fear and sadness, bringing us back to that negative outlook. Mental health counselors can help those with cancer to not only recognize these emotions, and the change in relationships, but to feel more upbeat and have a better quality of life. There is no research
study to support the idea that counseling interventions can reduce the risk of cancer, keep cancer from coming back, or help someone with cancer to live longer. So, with that in mind, why then should someone diagnosed with cancer choose to adopt a positive attitude if it’s not necessarily going to prolong life? In my own experience, I’ve learned that I feel better -- emotionally, mentally, and physically -- when I keep a positive attitude. By finding ways to look on the bright side, we can overcome negative circumstances. If nothing else, it can become a helpful coping mechanism.
No one has the right to expect a person/dog with cancer to have a positive outlook all the time, because fighting cancer is extremely difficult. Choosing a positive attitude can affect someone’s mental and emotional well-being in a constructive way. And by choosing to think good thoughts, our behavior can follow. And with my sweet Dexter, his joy for living and happy disposition continue to propel him through this life. We are grateful for Dexter every day. I’ll keep you posted on his journey in articles to follow.
Lisa Philippart is a Licensed Professional Counselor, who divides her time between her own private practice in Huntsville and providing personal counseling services at Athens State University.
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The Alternative Approach
Flames Of Inflammation by Roy Williams Almost every disease known to man is associated with inflammation. As a matter of fact, your immune response causes inflammation, which means in some cases inflammation can be healthful. However, when you have too much inflammation, it can do a lot of harm to your body and speed up the aging process. Chronic inflammatory conditions -- fibromy-
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algia, chronic fatigue, diabetes, arthritis, sinus infections, allergies, cancer, heart disease, gout, and especially the autoimmune disorders, such as lupus, Crohn’s, rheumatoid arthritis, and the rest -- all cause inflammation in the human body. When your body is full of inflammation, you are most likely in pain. However, in some cases such as high blood pres-
sure caused by inflammation, you may not have any physical signs at all. For that reason, we suggest when you have your blood work done, request that they do a CRP profile. This will indicate how much inflammation you have in your body. CRP stands for Creactive protein, which increases as inflammation goes up. The normal range for Creactive protein, or CRP, is less than 1.0 milligram per deciliter or less than 10 milligrams per liter, reports WebMD. The CRP blood test measures the amount of C-reactive protein in the blood. When your levels are higher, you may choose to begin taking some allnatural anti-inflammatory supplements with
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turmeric or curcumin, boswellia, ginger, green tea, white willow bark, and/or bromelain. Some really nice “superfoods” such as Noni, Resveratrol, Aloe, and Mangosteen have also proven to support normal CRP levels in the body. These superfoods also have a wide range of other health benefits because they provide anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal factors. Many doctors agree that everyone who wishes to live to their genetic potential without disease must do everything they can to maintain low inflammation levels. By keeping inflammation in check you will also improve the quality of your life even if you have al-
ready developed one or more disorders.
The last thing I will cover about lowering CRP levels is that high inflammation in your body can also speed up the aging process. Stress, chemicals, smoking, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancers will raise cortisol levels, which is the stress hormone. The same supplements I listed in this letter may also reduce cortisol levels, which all by itself can improve your quality of life. It is my belief that every American should be taking some or even all the ingredients that I talked about. To learn more, go to NEWtritionalhc.com. Your friend in health, Roy P. Williams
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www.JuicePlus.com
Mondays at 10am 1080 AM WKAC October 04 - October 17, 2019
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