Discover St. Clair April & May 2014

New Rodeo Arena • Exotic Animal Farm • Dr. R.A. Martin Fishing Champion • Historic Kitchen • St. Clair’s Native Americans

April & May 2014

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Features and Articles Discover

The Essence of St. Clair

dancing stars with our

On the cover: Nicole Walters and Dr. Danny Hancock dazzle judges to win trophy.

New Rodeo Arena Open Page 8

Page 40 Richey’s Grocery

Everything under one roof Page 24

Traveling the Backroads Dr. R.A. Martin

Page 30

Business News

Honda a good neighbor Moody business boom

The Old Farts Farm Page 16

Page 48

Page 54 St. Vincent’s growing again Page 56 Judgeships and growth bring change to firm Page 58 Business in Brief Page 60

When Indians Roamed

St. Clair’s Native-Americans Page 64

Historic Kitchen Re-envisioned Page 68

Teen Fishing Champ

Zeke Gossett’s winning ways Page 82 Vicious Fushing expanding its horizions Page 84

April & May 2014

www.discoverstclair.com

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Writers AND Photographers Carol Pappas

Graham Hadley

Carol Pappas is editor and publisher of Discover The Essence of St. Clair Magazine. A newspaper veteran, she retired as editor and publisher of The Daily Home, St. Clair Times and Lakeside Magazine to start her own multimedia company. She has been published in various newspapers and magazines, won dozens of writing awards in features, news and commentary and was named Distinguished Alabama Community Journalist at Auburn University for 2011.

Graham Hadley is the managing editor and designer for Discover The Essence of St. Clair Magazine and also manages the magazine website. Along with Carol Pappas, he left The Daily Home as managing editor to become vice president of the Creative Division of Partners by Design multimedia company. An Auburn journalism graduate, Hadley also served as the news editor for The Rome News Tribune in Rome,Ga.

Elaine Miller

Jerry C. Smith Jerry C. Smith’s interest in photography and writing go back to his teen years. He has produced numerous articles, stories and photographs for local websites and regional newspapers and magazines, including the St. Clair County News, Sand Mountain Living, and Old Tennessee Valley. His photos have appeared in books, on national public television, in local art displays and have captured prizes in various contests. A retired business machine technician and Birmingham native, Jerry now lives near Pell City. He recently published two books: Uniquely St. Clair and Growing Up In The Magic City.

Elaine Hobson Miller is a freelance writer with a B.A. in Journalism from Samford University. She was the first female to cover Birmingham City Hall for the Birmingham Post-Herald, where she worked as reporter, food editor and features writer. A former editor of Birmingham Home & Garden magazine and staff writer for Birmingham magazine, she has written for a variety of local, regional and national publications. including American Profile, Woman’s World, The Dallas Morning News and The Birmingham News. She is the author of two non-fiction books, Myths, Mysteries & Legends of Alabama and Nat King Cole: Unforgettable Musician.

Leigh Pritchett Mike Bolton Mike Bolton was a senior reporter for the Birmingham News for 25 years covering mainly outdoors and NASCAR. He was an eight-time winner of the Associated Press Sweepstakes Award for best sports story of the year. He retired from the News in 2009 but still contributes stories. He has lived in St. Clair County for 22 years.

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For more than 25 years, Leigh Pritchett has been involved in the publishing industry.

She was employed for more than a decade

by The Gadsden Times. During that time, she held various positions, including reporter, copy editor, Lifestyle writer and Lifestyle editor. Since the 1990s, she has been a freelance writer. Her work has been published in online and print venues, such as the statewide newspaper, The Alabama Baptist.

She holds the Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Montevallo.

Mike Callahan

Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Mike Callahan is a freelance photographer who resides on Logan Martin Lake in Pell City. He specializes in commercial, nature and family photography. Mike’s work has been published in Outdoor Alabama Magazine, Alabama Trucking Association and Alabama Concrete Industries magazines. Publishing his work to the internet frequently, he has won many honors for pictures of the day and week.

Wally was born in Birmingham. He graduated from Mountain Brook High School in 1973, and went on to Auburn University where he graduated in 1976 with his BA in History and minors in German and Education. Wally’s skills in photography blossomed during college. Upon graduation, he entered his father’s business, National Woodworks, Inc. After a 30-year career, he decided to dust off his camera skills and pursue photography full time.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

From the Editor

Roots, whimsy, pride and progress

Many of our readers tell us how much they enjoy the history pieces in Discover each issue. It takes a host of them on a precious journey down memory lane. For others, it is a means of discovering roots or something they didn’t know about familiar names, people and places.

In this issue, history abounds. You would expect to learn about days gone by in our pieces on St. Clair County’s native Americans or Dr. R.A. Martin, Pell City’s longtime doctor, hospital founder, businessman and deliverer of about 10,000 babies.

But there is an historic thread running through other stories this month — whether it’s the family tree and tradition behind Richey’s Grocery in Cropwell or the lore that lurks within a dream kitchen in a Riverside historic home.

A touch of whimsy runs through stories on an exotic animal farm in Ashville and local stars who donned dancing shoes for a good cause. We find a sense of pride in the stories on a teen-age fishing phenomenon and a growing, locally born company that helps sponsor his quest to be a champion.

To round out this edition, our business section is chocked full of stories and photos detailing growth and progress in this place we call home.

We like to call each edition our journey of discovery together. Turn the page, and let’s take a look.

Carol Pappas Editor and Publisher

Discover The Essence of St. Clair

April & May 2014 • Vol. 17 • www.discoverstclair.com

Carol Pappas • Editor and Publisher Graham Hadley • Managing Editor and Designer Brandon Wynn • Director of Online Services Mike Callahan • Photography Wallace Bromberg Jr. • Photography Arthur Phillips • Advertising

A product of Partners by Design www.partnersmultimedia.com 6204 Skippers Cove Pell City, AL 35128 205-335-0281

Printed at Russell Printing, Alexander City, AL

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Rodeo Business County pins hopes on new arena Story by Mike Bolton Photos by Mike Callahan Hoping to cash in on a trend that is paying big dividends for cities and counties across Alabama and other southern states, St. Clair County is ready to begin a venture into the rodeo business.

The $1 million St. Clair County Rodeo Arena located in Odenville on Blair Farm Road is open for business. Officials cut the ribbon in early March, and a kids rodeo and a professional rodeo were a week later.

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Rodeo Business First rodeo draws crowd

County officials are hoping the 125,000-square-foot, multi-use facility will attract everything from rodeos to horse shows, church revivals, weddings, antique car shows and massive yard sales.

The arena and surrounding 25 acres, which the county purchased from an individual three years ago for approximately $350,000, underwent an additional $650,000 in improvements last year. It now includes covered bleachers capable of seating 750 people, a covered picnic area, a concession stand, restrooms and showers and other improvements.

The dream is to eventually enclose the facility and add additional parking for horse trailers, running water to horse stalls, and water, electricity and sewage for those who camp when they go to rodeos, said County Commission Chairman Stan Batemon.

Lude Mashburn, an agriculture teacher at Odenville High School and a member of the county’s recreation committee, pushed for the county to purchase the facility as soon as he heard it might be for sale. He notes the county is full of rural kids who do not play sports but have agricultural interests. But it is also important to introduce kids who aren’t from rural backgrounds to rural lifestyles, he says, adding that children with knowledge of the rural life are disappearing every year.

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Ribbon cut on arena

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

Rodeo Business

St. Clair County’s entry into the rodeo arena business is not an unproven venture. Looking to draw tourism to a city that had none, the city of Andalusia in south Alabama turned to a virtually untapped tourist market in 2000. Andalusia built a $5 million, state-of-the art, enclosed rodeo facility. It provided an economic boon to that city with hotels and fast-food restaurants springing up nearby. The multi-purpose facility draws horsemen for rodeos and horse shows and visitors for a wide array of other endeavors. It has seen years when the facility was rented 50 of 52 weeks a year, a spokesperson said.

Batemon says the county did not go into its rodeo arena project blindly. Part of the commission’s homework involved visiting other arenas in Alabama and neighboring states.

“Several of us went to Andalusia to see that facility and to Shelbyville, Tenn., to see that facility,” he said. “The one in Shelbyville was a $14 million facility and, of course, we needed something more reasonable. Other people on our committee visited arenas in Cullman and Shelby County.

“These arenas are great for bringing tourists into your area.

Our goal is to make ours self-sustaining.”

Batemon says the county is finally hanging a “for rent” sign on the facility, and the county’s immediate plans are to begin searching for events.

“We are looking for ideas right now,” he said. “There are so many possibilities other than rodeo-related events. We can bring in a roller and pack down the dirt and have amphitheater events. We can have car shows and motorcycle shows. We are limited only by what people can’t dream up.”

Herschel Phillips, a member of the St. Clair County recreation committee, says a lot of planning has gone into the project since the existing area was purchased three years ago. It was immediately obvious that improvements had to be made to turn the facility from one used by private individuals to one that

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Rodeo Business

could handle crowds.

“When you get crowds, you have to have seating, restrooms and food,” he said.

Engineer Kelley Taft received the bid to design the improvements to the facility.

A horse and cattle owner herself and no stranger to rodeos, she was familiar with what the facility needed.

“We added roofing, bleachers and sidewalks,” she said. “We expanded the north end for cover for bleachers and poured an additional concrete pad so the bleachers wouldn’t be in the dirt. We basically did the same thing on the opposite side and made it into a picnic area.

“We built an octagon-shaped building with a 1,200-square-foot concession stand facing the bleachers and restrooms and showers in the back.

“I’ve seen a lot of facilities as I have traveled all over the Southeast. This is definitely an asset to St. Clair County. I’ve seen what these arenas can do for other communities and this one has the potential to do that for this area.” l

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Sue Maddox: Animal Lover

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The Old Farts Farm St. Clair County’s grand menagerie Story by Graham Hadley Photos by Michael Callahan

48 lb. Flemish giant rabbit

Behind an unassuming front yard and garden, Sue and Al Maddox maintain one of the greatest menageries of interesting and exotic animals in St. Clair County.

It started 15 to 20 years ago with a weekly ladies day out to the farmers market to maybe buy a couple of chickens.

That was all Al, who was busy with a life doing specialty construction in fire damage repair and building restoration, was really willing to put up with.

“He said, ‘Fine, but no goats, horses, pigs or other animals.’”

The first trip yielded a few chickens for a coop out back; no big deal. The second trip a week later, a few more.

On the third trip? “Five goats, pygmy goats. No wait, six goats. We got old Butthead that day, too. He was going to be eaten in two days,” Sue said, laughing — something that comes as easy to her as breathing.

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The Old Farts Farm

Sue’s favorite critters No. 1 and No. 2

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Her husband would not have approved, but he was not exactly made fully aware of what was going on.

“He left for work before sunup and came home after sundown, so he had no idea what we were up to in the back,” she said.

That was the seed that grew into what is now The Old Farts Farm, which is home to an amazing array of animals: peacocks, Mandrin and wood ducks, chickens of all kinds — from fancy Silkies to Rhode Island reds, giant rabbits and miniature horses, sheep, geese, quail, pigeons and turkeys.

They also have several breeds of dogs running around, huge great Pyrenees that are almost as big as the horses, German shepherds, a Rottweiler and more, plus the property is patrolled by a variety of cats in all shapes and sizes. And, of course, there are the goats — mostly pygmy and dwarf goats, but several of the standard sizes, too, and in a variety of breeds.

And, with the exception of the rabbits and the birds, which have their own hutches runs and pens, they all live together in harmony.

When Sue walks out into the farmyard, a Noah’s-Ark-like herd of animals comes running around the corner to visit — and beg attention.

Of course, at this point, Al, who is something of a ringer for Duck Dynasty’s Si, down to his camouflage jacket and cap, is fully aware of “what is going on in the back.”

When he first realized that just a few chickens had grown into an exotic animal farm, his response?

“Fine, but I am not going to learn their names!”

Sue responded, “Well, of course I am not going to name them, they are farm animals” (which is also not entirely true — many of the animals have names now).

Al clarified, “No, I am not going to learn what kind of animals they are, what they are called!”

Watching as Al retrieved a Silkie chicken from its pen for a photo opportunity, she recounted this exchange and said, “Now he knows

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Al Maddox: Animal Lover (...but no pigs)

The Old Farts Farm Fancy silkie chicken that Al fetched

what all of them are.”

Despite his misgivings, The Old Farts Farm could hardly exist without Al. He not only helps care for all the animals, he put his construction expertise to work and built all the various pens and structures sprawling across the property to house the multitude of animals.

Still, Al grumbles good-naturedly about the entire affair.

“I used to drive big trucks all over, ran heavy equipment. Now I am down to lifting little birds,” he said holding up the captured Silkie for a picture.

“There are good days and bad days,” he pauses for a second, thinking. “Today — good day. I mean, it’s a full-time job, you never want for work.”

Sue gives him a look and a smile as Al returns the chicken to its cage and fetches a giant Flemish rabbit that is pushing 50 pounds for her to hold for the camera.

“Me, I am living the dream. Him — not so much,” she said.

“He grumps about the farm, but he really loves the animals. This is a man who, when it was freezing out a few weeks ago, he came out to the barn and laid on the concrete floor and let the baby goats climb all over him so they could warm up,” she said.

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He does draw the line, though — “No pigs.”

And he was right, but Sue had to test the waters.

A man came by and wanted to trade a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig for a couple of chickens. “It could fit in the palm of your hand. It was so cute. I took it inside and showed Al. He just grunted. So I put the tiny pig on his beard nuzzled up to him.”

Begrudgingly, Al consented.

They made a little pen for the piglet in the house that evening. Sometime in the early hours, Sue and Al woke up to the most eye-wateringly horrible smell.

“We thought sewage had backed up into the house,” she said.

It took them awhile to isolate the cause — the little pig had gone to the bathroom in the pen and then made a mess of everything.

“I carried the pig and pen out to the barn. I put an ad up online the next day. I think it sold in 20 minutes,” she said.

So, no pigs.

Though she loves all the animals — “even my little fish out there” — some animals are more equal than others. Two in particular top the list: The beautiful miniature palomino horse that follows her around like a puppy, ready to bump noses and give a “kiss”

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Baby goats

The Old Farts Farm and Butthead, the goat she rescued from the dinner table that first time she brought goats home.

Butthead follows Sue and Al, too, but not for kisses. Butthead likes to try to bum cigarettes.

“I am glad I saved him. That is the coolest goat,” Sue said, laughing again as he tries to filch an unlit cigarette from her hand.

Lots of hard work, too

Mandarin duck

Peacock

Baby rabbits

Like Al alluded to earlier, as much as they love raising animals, it is a full-time job.

“Vacation is out of the question,” Sue said. “It’s a life. When it gets this big, it takes over everything.”

Caring for the adult animals; maintaining the cages; looking after the young animals, newly hatched and yet to be hatched birds in all shapes and sizes; running the business, cleaning — on and on, the work never ends and never lets up.

“Many days, we come in at 9 or 10 at night and we’re up before the sun, and we still have all the regular stuff to do. At 9 at night, most normal people have the dishes done and have had a shower. I also have to get online and do our Internet stuff,” Sue said.

The Old Farts farm has an active Facebook page, where they showcase their animals. But the social media site is also where Sue promotes the importance of local, independent farms.

The main barn now houses regular meetings, gatherings where other local farmers show off their animals or share their knowledge with each other.

Working together is the key for small farms. Their operation barely breaks even, if that, and many others operate on the same thin line of profitability.

“We are not going to make it unless we work together,” Sue said.

“Jerry Couch from Argo does the meetings. He knows a lot, especially about chickens. He has started taking his chickens to shows.”

They draw people from all over the region, many who want to start up a farm but don’t really know where to begin.

“We get people from Anniston. Drew Rhodes did a class on beekeeping. Eddy Bonner from Trussville showed us how to make rain barrels. You would be amazed at how fast you can fill a barrel with the rain water from your roof. And we had Jim Cole talk about garlic one time,” she said.

These classes not only help others, but they give Sue new ideas she can use at her property.

And there is always the possibility she will bring some new animal home — something else to love.

She got into the whole affair because she grew up with a father who loved animals, too, and he picked it up from his parents, who immigrated to the United States from Austria and farmed after working for Standard Oil. The Old Farts Farm owes its name to Sue’s Dad. “My Dad would say that word whenever a car pulled out in front of us. As he got older, he never dropped it,” she said.

Some day, Sue said, she may be willing to give up the farm, let her and Al get some vacation time and relax. But they have been married now for 20 years, and the farm is their life.

“He did not have a clue what he was getting in for when he married me. Surprise!,” she laughed, “No regrets!” l For more images from the Old Farts Farm, check out the story at discoverstclair.com or visit them on Facebook

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Richey’s Grocery

Everything under one roof 24

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

Story by Leigh Pritchett Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr. Debbie Crump recounted some of the goings-on at Richey’s Grocery and then just had to chuckle.

“There’s a story every day. We could write a book, and it would be a best-seller,” said Crump, who with her husband, Jimmy, owns Richey’s Grocery.

According to her, Richey’s Grocery is “just a smalltown grocery store.”

But a few hours spent observing activity and listening to conversation there reveals it to be plenty more than that.

The store is a quick stop, a fuel stop, a grocery store, a coffee shop, a meat market, a general store, a think tank, a curb market, a community meeting place, a springtime plant nursery, a social network and the fiscal accountability watchdog headquarters for all levels of government.

In addition, it is the first call for help in various life situations, such as rounding up wayward cattle or repairing a leaky roof.

As to what one might encounter at Richey’s Grocery, customer Kim Thweatt of Cropwell remarked, “There’s no telling.”

The store, located between the Pell City limit and the Shelby County line on U.S. 231 South, enjoys proximity to several lakeside communities, as well as Cropwell, New London and Mount Pisgah. Few are the hours that it is closed, even in snow. The store opens each morning at 5 a.m., closing at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

It is a general store with a one-stop shopping concept and an old-fashioned atmosphere. Customers can find kindling, firewood, regular gasoline, nonethanol gasoline, propane, kerosene, live bait, fishing tackle, grocery items, produce (some of it from local sources), automotive and pet supplies, health and beauty aids, meat cut fresh daily, poultry, fish and seafood, marinades, rubs, spices, candy, a quick snack or drink and a newspaper.

Then, there is the host of specialty items, such as muscadine hot sauce, rhubarb preserves, squash relish, moonshine jelly (which, by the way, does not have alcohol listed as an ingredient), Priester’s pecan pies, locally made cheese straws and fudge, hoop cheese (both red and black rind), local honey and Chilton County peaches, when in season.

Plus, the store carries many Amish products, for example, chow-chow, peach salsa, candied jalapenos, pickled mushrooms, Christmas jam, pickled baby beets, red sweet pepper relish and tomato basil noodles.

Anyone wanting another of Richey’s unique items – pickled quail eggs – has to be swift about it because those have a way of vanishing, said cashier Debbie Thompson.

“It’s a good place to stop by because you never know what you’ll find,” said Greg Crump, who comanages his mother’s store with his sister, Jamie McLean.

Greg Crump mused that Richey’s sits right between the old and the new: Old U.S. 231 runs at the back of the store, while the newer U.S. 231 spans the front.

Debbie Crump as a teen-ager behind the counter.

In a way, that does depict the store. It is a business functioning in modern day on principles from yesteryear.

Richey’s Grocery is a place where American flags fly prominently and six-year employee Wil Holmes describes as “home.” It is where Lisa Hardy, one of 11 employees, has chosen to work for two decades. The prices of items are keyed by hand into the cash register, and customers are called by name.

That latter was a practice Debbie Crump’s father, Donald Richey (now deceased), used from the day he opened the store in 1967 and instilled in his daughter.

“That was Pawpaw’s big thing, to call everybody by name,” said McLean.

Establishing relationships and giving good customer service are two other practices that Debbie Crump strives to uphold.

“We try to be friendly to everybody,” said Greg Crump.

Debbie Crump noted that customers are loyal if they are treated properly. “You treat them right, they’re going to treat you right.”

Tymarcus Simmons of the Surfside area said he appreciates that Richey’s treats customers with kindness and dignity. He said that is a rare quality to

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Richey’s Grocery

Today’s Debbie Crump still puts customer service first.

find these days. The father of three – Tamichial, Jacoby and Tymarcus Jr. – said Debbie Crump is known for the way she relates to and treats people.

In the years after opening the store, Richey and his wife, Sally, also established two nearby businesses. Richey’s Barbeque, right next door, is now run by Debbie Crump’s sister, Martha Price. Across a street, in a building currently occupied

by Bullet’s Mini Storage, the Richeys operated Surfside Restaurant about 15 years.

Since 1967, the family has run Richey’s Grocery, with the exception of 10 years that it was under lease, explained Greg Crump. Debbie Crump took over the store at the end of the lease.

That was 20 years ago this past October, said McLean.

When Debbie Crump assumed the business, her dad urged her never to sell to an outside entity. As a result, buyout offers – like the recent one from someone in Atlanta – get turned down flat.

“There’s no way,” Debbie Crump said.

Crump would not dream of parting with the store, where her mother Sally Richey comes to visit each afternoon.

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“She loves this place,” Crump said.

Moreover, Crump’s grandchildren — McLean’s sons, Luke and Colt, and Greg Crump’s daughters, Bailey and Allie – already feel like they are part of the business.

McLean said she and her brother will run it until they are just too feeble.

One of the major draws of the store is its meat market. Greg Crump oversees it, selecting and cutting the meat himself.

“We buy nothing other than the best grade you can get,” Debbie Crump said.

Ribeye, sirloin, New York strip, ribs, Boston butt, ground chuck, pork chops and chicken are among the cuts available.

“It’s hand-cut and fresh,” said Greg Crump. “Nothing sits around.”

The meat market definitely appeals to Paul Graves of Pell City. “I get all my steaks there. They’ve got filet mignon.”

Some people even drive from other areas to purchase meat at Richey’s, said McLean.

Meat sales, Debbie Crump said, constitute probably 50-60 percent of the store’s business. Richey’s also fills bulk orders for large gatherings, as many as 200 or 300 steaks at a time.

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Back row, from left — Jimmy Crump, Sally Richey, Debbie Crump Front row, from left— Jamie McLean, Jamie’s sons Colt and Luke, Greg Crump, Greg’s daughters Allie and Bailey Greg Crump hand cuts steaks, a specialty at Richey’s.

From left, Sonny Maxwell, Barry Smith, Bobby Jones, Terry Templin, Ren Wheeler, Savannah Guthrie, Archie Lee, Jim Thornton, Clark Layton, Bryan Price 28

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

Richey’s Grocery All in a day’s work On a recent Saturday morning, the store was teeming with activity long before 7:45 a.m.

The aroma of boiled peanuts in their warmer filled the air. Cindy’s cinnamon rolls from the Galleria tempted anyone who approached the checkout counter.

Martha Price busily gathered what she needed for that day’s barbecue business, as a nearly steady stream of customers came and went. At times, there was scarcely a place to park.

Bobby Jones and Harold Hoyle were already well settled in their daily routine at Richey’s.

These two regulars arrive before the store opens. Each morning, one unlocks the bathrooms and the coolers out front, while the other brews the first pot of coffee for the day.

Then, the duo takes a perch behind the counter to “shoot the breeze” and pick at customers.

One regular customer after another — many holding coffee cups from home — came for some joe and a dose of “intellectual stimulation,” as Randy Bearden of Shelby County put it.

Though the morning was chilly and overcast, some took a seat anyway on the back porch, where a sign proclaims, “What happens on the porch, stays on the porch.”

Considering the amount of activity that transpires there each and every day, that vow of secrecy covers a lot.

That famous back porch is yet another attraction at the store.

“When it’s warm enough, (there are) six or eight guys on the porch in the morning,” said Pell City Councilman Terry Templin.

Sitting in the most comfy of the rockers, Templin casually explained to a newcomer that there is an “early” group and a “late” group on the porch. Most of the time, he is part of the early group, but likes to stay for the late one, too.

“We’ve been doing this for 15 to 20 years,” Templin continued. “We solve all kinds of problems, local, federal. ...”

Pointing at Templin, Ren Wheeler of Cropwell gave his reason for being part of the porch patrol. “I have to bend his ear every now and then. I like to find out where he’s wasting my tax money.”

Soon, Rusty Hunter of Cropwell joined the group, offering lighthearted observations.

After, Greg Crump settled into another rocker, Jones and Hoyle migrated to the porch from behind the checkout counter.

The group’s discussions ranged from humorous recollections, the golf course and the local geese population to progress reports on porch sitters who were sick or had surgery.

The men would wave at passersby and yell comments at people exiting their vehicles.

Crump noted that the porch has a strange effect on some people: It causes them to alter their stories. “If you catch a 4-pound bass, when you step on the porch, it’s 8 pounds.”

Generally, the porch banter is jovial in nature. Nonetheless, the discussions sometimes give Templin valuable insight. Through some of them, he is able to know what the citizenry thinks about various issues, which he said helps him as a councilman.

It was not long before McLean came onto the veranda with her cell phone in hand. One of the regulars, she announced, had texted her to say he could not make it that day; he was hauling cows in Alexandria.

This morning like most mornings, the porch was male dominated. Yet on warm evenings, the porch belongs to the female folk, said Debbie Crump.

It is also a family gathering place for the Crumps and McLeans. “This is where we hold birthday parties,” said McLean. “This is where we live.” l

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Dr. Robert Alonzo Martin, from the Martin Family Collection

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

Traveling the

BACKROADS

Dr. R.A. Martin

A l e gac y r e m e mb e r e d January 8, 1953, was a cold, rainy day. Pell City’s town physician knew he had little choice but to attend a special meeting at the county courthouse. The good doctor had discouraged this meeting, even threatened to not attend, but the city fathers prevailed. As he walked across the town square, bundled against the wind and rain, he undoubtedly reflected on events that had led to this day, and this meeting.

Born in Plantersville, Ala., in 1879, only 14 years after the Civil War, Robert Alfonzo Martin grew up on a farm and got his primary education in Dallas County public schools. After two years at Auburn, he went on to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, graduating in 1901 with a medical degree.

Excellence was in his bloodline. Both greatgrandfathers had been high military officials in the Revolutionary War. The choices he made soon after graduating Vanderbilt were the beginning of an exemplary career in which he not only excelled as a physician, but also helped build Pell City into a healthy, dynamic industrial town.

Dr. Martin was an imposing man, more than 6 feet tall. He always wore a suit and had an air of natural dignity about him that engendered respect whenever he walked into a room.

According to granddaughter Nancy Jordan, “Once you entered his realm, you were his patient, someone who needed him right then. It didn’t matter if you were family, a regular patient or a total stranger. To all, he was very approachable.” Pell City restaurateur, Joe Wheeler, says Dr. Martin was “kind … very dedicated … not a man of many words … always had something good to say to you before you left his office.”

Carolyn Hall and Nancy Jordan, granddaughters, hold plaque from hospital.

Pell City gets a new hospital Dr. Martin came to Pell City in January of 1903, shortly after an economic downturn had decimated the newly-formed city. Sumter Cogswell had succeeded in getting it back on a positive track with the addition of Pell City Manufacturing Company. Clearly, this facility’s employees would need quality medical care — a wonderful opportunity for a young doctor of Robert

Story by Jerry Smith Submitted photos DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

Celebrants at Dr. Martin Day 1953, from the Martin Family Collection 31

Traveling the

BACKROADS

Late 40’s Postcard, Howard Avenue (later Cogswell), from the Martin Family Collection

Martin’s caliber.

Quoting Jordan, in her treatise in Heritage of St. Clair County, “There were no roads in those days. He had to travel by horse and buggy, sometimes even a saddle horse … to visit patients. He operated in homes when the only light was from a flickering oil lamp and was present at the birth of many babies where the only sterilization came from water heated … over logs of a hot fire.”

A local debate still simmers over whether Dr. Martin or his civic contemporary, Sumter Cogswell, had the first automobile in town, but his granddaughters insist that the doctor’s red Maxwell was first.

Jordan continues, “Dr. R.A. Martin was energetic and possessed a dream of some day being able to afford the community with better hospital facilities than existed in any comparable size community in Alabama.”

And that is exactly what he did.

In 1919, Avondale Mills bought Pell City Manufacturing, re-naming it after their home plant in Birmingham. Dr. Martin headed a new medical facility on the Avondale campus, the Gertrude Comer Hospital. It was at Comer that he met Miss Elsie Dunn, who would work with him as head of nursing services for decades, both at Comer and in the private clinics Dr. Martin later founded.

Besides being a full-time doctor and administrator for Comer Hospital, Martin was also the official medic for two railroad systems that passed through Pell City. Should

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Traveling the

BACKROADS a trainman or passenger become sick or injured between Anniston and Birmingham, he attended their needs, whether at Comer Hospital or on site.

Dr. Martin always made sure Avondale’s hospital had the most modern equipment and employed the latest medical techniques, a diligence he later extended to his own clinic and hospital as well.

First twins born at Martin Hospital Garland and Harland Davis, mother Lily May Davis, sister Elsie May Davis 1938 Only Garland is still alive, from the Martin Family Collection

L-R two nurses, Head Nurse Miss Dunn, Dr. Stitts, Dr. Martin in front of Martin Hospital, from thel Martin Family Collection

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The corner drugstore Dr. Martin created Pell City Drug Company, which became one of America’s first Rexall franchises. His druggist, “Doctor” Stokes, worked there for more than 50 years and became a legend in his own right. It’s said that he was dressed for success when he first arrived by train, with top hat and ornate walking cane.

According to Wheeler, Doctor Stokes was the accepted “go-to” whenever Dr. Martin and his colleagues were unavailable. He compounded medicines and prescriptions from chemicals stored in brown jars and bottles in his pharmacy. And his chemist skills weren’t limited to human beings. Wheeler recalls telling Doctor Stokes about his coon hound’s tender feet. Stokes concocted a soaking solution of glycerin and rose water that fixed the pooch right up.

Dr. Martin also operated Pell City’s Greyhound franchise as well as the local Western Union telegraph office from the drugstore. During World War II, many of those telegrams brought despair to families of lost soldiers, but the present store owner, Gerald Ensley, also recalls the joy of hearing that his father was coming home from overseas.

Ensley says Dr. Martin’s store sold a little of everything, “a lot like Walmart.” Besides prescription drugs and a soda fountain and lunch counter, they also handled most anything from bicycles to school books. Like two other drugstores in that same city block, they had curb hops to ensure the best of service.

Ensley relates that Pell City Drugs would take gift orders for special occasions, such as Christmas, purchase the goods in quantity at wholesale markets, and store them for customer pickup at a warehouse. Like many other rural professionals of the day, Dr. Martin often accepted barter in lieu of money, especially during the Depression.

When Avondale Mills closed Comer Hospital in 1931, he shifted his entire practice to a temporary clinic upstairs over his drugstore while construction proceeded on his new hospital, next door. This clinic had six beds, an examination room and an operating room.

According to Ensley, the upstairs clinic had two dumbwaiter systems — one for transporting food and medical supplies from the drugstore for patients and the other for soiled laundry. The clinic had the building’s only indoor restrooms. Drugstore patrons used an outhouse on the alley.

The clinic’s floor space still exists today, hosting lawyers and other tenants. Its fine hardwood floors and embossed tinplate ceilings reflect earlier days, when décor was simple but durable and well-crafted.

Heated by coal stoves in winter, the clinic was well-lighted by large windows which provided cooling breezes during the summer. Dr. Martin’s capable staff were always just a few

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Traveling the

BACKROADS The Pell City Drug building as it stands today

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Now a suite of offices, hallway is reminiscent of old hospital corridor. steps away. Indeed, Dr. Martin, himself, might answer your call, as he practically lived in his infirmaries. Even though this was a temporary clinic, the operating room was very well equipped, albeit located an uncomfortably short distance from patient rooms.

Martin Hospital Dr. Martin had a grand vision for his new hospital. He would build it to his own specifications, operate it as he saw proper, and do it all without outside funding. He applied for no grants, nor was he willing to allow his new facility to become part of any medical organization. In that respect and many others, his hospital stood alone.

The new building was constructed directly behind Pell City Drugs, in an area now occupied by law offices. Originally named Pell City Infirmary, it opened in 1933. More space was added through the years until, in 1941, it boasted 42 beds and the finest operating room of any small-city hospital in Alabama.

Nancy Jordan states that her grandfather was constantly attending the best medical schools, getting postgraduate certificates from Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, New York Polyclinic and Harvard Medical School, all to insure that his facility would be second to none and his patients would get only the finest care. To quote Jordan, “His search for knowledge in his chosen field was unceasing.”

He was also blessed with a competent staff, including Dr. Stitts and the irrepressible Miss Dunn, whom Ensley fondly characterizes as “the bossiest person he ever knew.” Joe Wheeler’s aunt, Alma Ruth Manning, was also a nurse at Martin Hospital.

Nurses were often hired without credentials, trained at the hospital, then sent to school for their nursing degrees. At first there was a nurses’ quarters on the second floor of the hospital.

They eventually moved into a nearby house that had been converted to a dormitory. There were several young doctors

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Some babies delivered by Drs. Martin and Stitts, in front of Martin Hospital, from the Martin Family Collection

Traveling the

BACKROADS

who worked out an internship at his hospital, then went away to form successful practices of their own.

Dr. Martin’s associates were quite serious about their work, but also knew how to enjoy their off-days. Several local folks recall three nurses who rode around town in a red Renault Amphicar, an amphibious vehicle designed for both road and water travel. The car had a propeller in back and was steered using the front wheels while afloat. They would drive up to a boat launch, then plunge right off into the lake in front of awed onlookers. Jordan’s sister, Carolyn Hall, says Nurse Speaker bought this unique auto to reach her home on land that had become an island after Logan Martin was impounded.

The Martins eventually built a fine new brick home on Oak Ridge. Miss Dunn moved into their old downtown residence.

But once his hospital was established, Dr. Martin hardly ever went home, choosing instead to live in a small suite at the hospital, making himself available at all times for the inevitable emergencies.

Nancy and Carolyn recall visiting him there at least once a week to bring fresh clothes and pick up household money for Mrs. Martin. Young Wheeler ran lots of errands for the Martins, from delivering groceries to their home and the hospital, to helping Mrs. Martin with various yard and household chores.

He says he loved working for her because she was a very sweet lady who always gave him $5 for whatever he did. In those days, that was a princely sum for a youngster.

At age nine, Gerald Ensley peddled farm-raised victuals such as blackberries, greens, corn and peas to the hospital. Dr. Martin had a way of involving everyone in the community in his work. Ensley says, “… Dr. Martin knew everybody in town

38

by their first name — their momma and daddy, grandparents, and all their children.”

St. Clair County abounds with people who were treated by Dr. Martin at his hospitals. Ensley recalls when everyone in his family had been bitten by a rabid dog and were administered a long series of painful shots in the belly by Dr. Martin. Wheeler once got a rusty nail stuck completely through his left eyeball.

Dr. Martin used his uncommon surgical expertise to repair the damage. Joe still has perfect sight in that eye today, some 60 years later.

Family was no stranger to the clinic. Dr. Martin removed ruptured appendices from both young granddaughters, Nancy and Carolyn, within three days of each other. Nancy says, “Family didn’t matter. Once you entered his office as a patient, that’s exactly what you became until it was all over.”

Birthin’ babies Of all the services performed by Dr. Martin and his staff, obstetrics was near the top of the list. According to Nancy, more than 10,000 babies were delivered by her grandfather, including her and Carolyn. When his daughter, Mary Ruth Kincaid, was about to deliver Carolyn, Dr. Martin asked whom she wanted to perform the delivery. “Why you, of course, …” was her reply. Anyone else was unthinkable. In fact, he had also delivered their mother, Mary Ruth.

Local resident Garland Davis often reminisces over a 1938 photo of his mother, Lily Mae Davis, holding him and his twin brother, Harland, with sister Elsie Mae. Harland and Garland were the first twins born in the new Martin Hospital, an event which made the Birmingham News.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

The Davis children are also featured on a large period photo of about 30 “Dr. Martin babies” and their mothers, standing in front of Martin Hospital. At one time, the number of babies he delivered exceeded the population of Pell City.

Citizen R.A. Martin A truly tireless and dedicated doctor and medical administrator, Martin was also a model citizen. According to Jordan, he belonged to the Ben M. Jacobs Masonic Lodge, Zamora Shrine, Woodmen of the World, American Medical Association, World Medical Association, St. Clair Medical Society, Civitans and First Christian Church.

In Heritage of St. Clair County, Jordan adds, “Aside from his medical practice, Dr. Martin was very much interested in the future of his beloved Pell City. He took an active and leading part in all civic enterprises, was instrumental in the development of this community and gave freely of his time and money in every project designed for the up-building and betterment of his hometown.”

Dr. Martin invested heavily in land purchases, both locally and out-of-state, eventually owning hundreds of acres of prime land in and around Pell City. These holdings included the town’s main cemetery, which he owned until his death in 1954.

Today, the grand Martin/Kincaid mausoleum looks down upon his former domain from the cemetery’s highest hilltop.

Most older Pell Citizens know that Comer Avenue was once the right of way for a railroad that joined the Seaboard in Coal City with other rail lines in Pell City.

What is not generally known is what happened to all those tracks, crossties and other rail hardware that had to be removed to convert Comer into a road. Always the entrepreneur, Dr. Martin bought all this salvage, had it dug up, and sold it as scrap metal.

Dr. Martin Day Steeling himself for this dreaded meeting, the doctor squared his shoulders, straightened his tie, and walked boldly into the meeting chambers …

On Jan. 8, 1953, the Pell City Chamber of Commerce hosted a gala event known as DR. MARTIN DAY, to honor one of its finest, most influential citizens. This was exactly 50 years after he had first hung out his shingle in 1903.

Literally everyone was invited. Planned months in advance, the Chamber had made provisions for a parade with local bands and outdoor viewing stands, much like today’s Block Party. Thousands were projected to attend, but nature threw a curve ball of torrential rains on the chosen day, so only hundreds actually participated.

Local businesses closed for the day, and the little county courthouse was jammed with admirers, many of whom had been delivered by the good doctor. Speakers included Hugh Comer, chairman of the board at Avondale Mills; Dr. Charles N. Carraway, who was his former roommate at Vanderbilt and founder of Carraway Methodist Hospital in Birmingham; and a host of mayors and other dignitaries from as far away as Birmingham and Guntersville. Among those by his side were his beloved wife Mary Gee (Campbell) Martin, and the indomitable Miss Dunn.

A legend passes In early 1954, Dr. Martin was diagnosed with coronary thrombosis and taken in a Kilgroe ambulance to the famed Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, where he succumbed on July 10, just 12 days shy of his 75th birthday.

Jordan describes his funeral in Heritage of St. Clair County: “Business was at a standstill. ... Close to 1,500 people came to pay a last tribute to him as his body lay in state at a local funeral home. ... Hundreds came to the Methodist Church for the funeral, (and) followed him to his grave in spontaneous and impulsive outbursts of love and affection for this tall, handsome man who had served them not only as doctor, but as a friend and advisor for more than half a century.” She adds that, because of the huge crowd, his service had to be broadcast on speakers outside the church.

Sometime after his passing, the main north/south thoroughfare in Pell City was renamed R.A. Martin Street. But perhaps his finest epitaph is found on the silver chalice he was given in the year previous, on Dr. Martin Day : IN HONOR OF DR. R.A. MARTIN, A DISTINGUISHED AND PROGRESSIVE CITIZEN, AND ABLE PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON, A BENEFACTOR OF THE UNFORTUNATE AND UNDERPRIVILEGED, COMMEMORATING FIFTY YEARS OF SERVICE.

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dancing stars with our

Taking to the dance floor for a good cause Story by Leigh Pritchett Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Pell City Fire Medic Andrew Minyard grinned and said being asked to dance before an audience is akin to blackmail.

Laura Shier is uncomfortable being the center of attention.

So agreeing to dance in a public setting was a stretch for her.

“I’m stepping out of my comfort zone, big time,” the Cropwell woman said.

Shier and Minyard demonstrate that human quality which moves people to go beyond what they think they are capable of in order to support a cause in which he believes.

On Valentine’s Day, there were probably other such cases as 42 people competed in Dancing with Our Stars, an American Cancer Society fundraiser of Relay for Life of St. Clair County-Pell City.

Patterned after the television show, “Dancing with the Stars,” each of the 15 “celebrities” and two “celebrity groups” was paired with an “instructor.”

Thanks to a lineup of bankers, professionals, business owners, elected and school officials, firefighters and others who were competing, the event raised more than $7,600.

The opportunity to watch these people strut their stuff drew an audience of 398 to Celebrations, said Doris Munkus, Dancing with Our Stars event coordinator. In fact, an overflow crowd lined three walls of the ballroom.

Some of the performers – such as Bar Kirby, Helen Woods and Retha Goode – are cancer survivors. Other dancers – Ernestine Bowie, Ken Miller and Tim Kurzejeski, just to name three – have been affected by the disease as they watched loved ones battle it.

Though Dancing with Our Stars was a St. Clair effort, participants from Etowah, Talladega and Jefferson counties lent their time and dancing abilities to make it a success.

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Janice Spann and Arlie Fortner

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

Edwin Prado and Charlotte Kessler

Ernestine Bowie tutors firefighters in rehearsal.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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dancing stars with our

Ken Miller and Laura Shier

Wayne Smith lifts Starr Gaither-Kendrick at rehearsal.

Ken Miller and Laura Shier

Liz Starnes and Dr. Cory O’Neal Star-studded stories To tell the story of Dancing with Our Stars from rehearsal to championship, Discover magazine followed Shier and Minyard’s group.

For Minyard, the story begins at Pell City Fire Station No. 1.

The Haz-Mat vehicle sat in the cold, dark night as its bay transformed into a discotheque, minus the mirrored ball.

Four members of Pell City Fire Department – Minyard and Firefighter Steve Cavender, both of Trussville; Capt. Tim Kurzejeski of Riverside and Fire Medic Justin McKenzie of Fultondale — practiced a line-dance routine to the 1977 BeeGees hit, “Stayin’ Alive.”

Ernestine Bowie of Pell City served as their “instructor.”

Originally, Bowie — a member of Pell City Line-Dancers and part of the praisedancing ministry at First Baptist Church South – wanted to be a celebrity. But when she was asked to be an instructor and discovered who her students would be, she was thrilled.

“They are a great bunch of guys,” said

About Relay for Life While Dancing with Our Stars was a fundraiser of Relay for Life of St. Clair County-Pell City, individual Relay for Life teams are raising funds through a variety of events.

Lavelle Willingham, chairwoman for Relay for Life of St. Clair County-Pell City, said some fundraising projects of individual teams have included such things as a carnival, babysitting services, garage sales and hot dog sales, among others.

Also, Pell City Line-Dancers, of which Doris Munkus is the leader and Willingham a member, will host a sock hop at 7 p.m. April 11, at Celebrations to raise funds for Relay for Life. Some Dancing with Our Stars participants will give an encore performance that night. For ticket information, contact Munkus at 205-473-4063.

Relay for Life fundraising in the county culminates with an all-night celebration May 16, at the soccer fields of Pell City Civic Center, Willingham said. Activities begin at 6 p.m. May 16, and continue until 6 a.m. May 17. At 7 p.m.

May 16, is a banquet for cancer survivors and caregivers.

To make reservations for this complimentary meal, cancer survivors may email Liz Starnes, lizrph@gmail.com, or text her at 256-443-6000.

During the Relay for Life breakfast, which begins at 5:15 a.m. May 17, Fox 6 chief meteorologist J-P Dice will speak, Willingham said.

Approximately 1,000 individuals participate each year in the finale of Relay for Life of St. Clair County-Pell City.

According to the American Cancer Society, the money realized through Relay for Life helps provide transportation to treatment, patient services, information about the disease and financial support for cancer research. Some of the funds also go to Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge in Birmingham, which offers cancer patients and their caregivers free lodging during outpatient treatment.

Bowie.

McKenzie – another who was not comfortable dancing in public – found that he was actually enjoying this experience. “It’s fun.”

After running through the routine several times, the four John-Travoltas-intraining decided to don their protective gear, which was to be their dance attire for the performance.

That meant each man would bear an additional 35 pounds.

In between dances, the men would shed some gear in order to cool off a few minutes.

“It gets a little warm,” Minyard remarked. “It’s a lot tougher than I would have thought.”

Suddenly, an alarm summoned three of the four men to an emergency. That was when they demonstrated yet another 1970s dance – how to hustle.

Across town at Celebrations, Shier’s “instructor,” Ken Miller of Pell City, had to brag on his student.

“Laura has really taken to dancing,” said Miller, who has been dancing about 20 years. “Laura learned the steps quickly.”

To become proficient at the rhumba, which Miller called “the dance of love,” Shier had to learn to wiggle her hips in a sassy way, spin on the balls of her feet, lean into a

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dancing stars with our

Wayne Smith and Starr GaitherKendrick open performance

Wayne Smith and Starr GaitherKendrick, aka Batman and Superwoman

Erica Grieve and Rick Tovar

dip and perform revolutions without growing dizzy.

As the couple rehearsed to the 1961 Dee Clark hit, “Raindrops,” Miller’s wife Sandy coached them through the routine she had choreographed.

Prior to becoming a celebrity, Shier’s dancing experience had been confined to what she has learned in the three or four years she has participated in the Pell City Line-Dancers. “That’s the only dancing (I do),” she said.

The thought of dancing in front of an audience made Shier nervous. Because some of Miller’s associates wanted to see him dance, the couple decided to do a trial run one Saturday at Miller’s place of work.

Dancing in front of people — and in front of lumber — at Home Depot helped Shier to practice focusing on her partner, as if no one else were in the room.

“That’s what I did Saturday — total focus,” Shier said.

Still, the night of the performance, Shier experienced pre-show jitters backstage.

“I really would like to hurry,” she said. “I wish it would get going.”

To occupy her mind, she went over the routine in her head, moving her feet and hands accordingly.

Then, she grew quiet and pensive. Finally, she said, “I’m trying to get my posture.”

Not far from Shier, the Fire Department disco-ers were facing hurdles. McKenzie was at home with a sudden, incapacitating illness.

Cavender, although present, was ailing. Usually the cut-up, he was now worrying aloud that he might start coughing during the performance.

Though Kurzejeski and Minyard were healthy, the captain could visualize disaster.

“I foresee a catastrophic failure,” Kurzejeski said. He could picture himself turning left instead of right and colliding with Minyard during the routine.

“I’m just glad that the lights are dim out there,” said Minyard.

Bowie pointed out that emergency calls, snow and the men’s work schedules had held the group to only three hours of practice total.

Nonetheless, Bowie had confidence in her students.

“We’re going to bring the house down.”

Though Shier had hoped to be one of the first acts on the program, she and Miller had to wait nearly to the halfway point in the competition.

But when it was time, she and Miller glided regally and gracefully onto the dance floor.

The tiered, black dress Shier wore flowed elegantly, its embellishments shimmering.

Effortlessly, the well-rehearsed Shier and Miller floated from one movement to another. A dip near the end of the routine brought approval from the audience.

With her time in the spotlight complete, Shier expected to feel relief. Yet, she was puzzled as to why she was actually more nervous after the performance.

Nonetheless, Shier felt she and Miller had danced well.

“I think it was a real good routine,” Miller said.

Immediately following them were Bowie and the fire department trio.

Even before their introduction was finished, many in the audience rose and cheered. Cell phones and cameras nearly encircled the dance floor to record what was to happen next.

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dancing stars with our

Amanda Jacobs and Matthew Pope thrill crowd

The Car Washers in rehearsal

Firefighters strike pose

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

Sandra Jessup and Paul McBrayer

Mary Power and Rusty Kessler The three men, dressed in protective gear, moved in unison, with Bowie reposed in a Stokes basket on their shoulders. Skillfully, they lowered and turned the rescue basket until Bowie was in a standing position. Clad in neon protective attire that offered a burst of reflective color, Bowie stepped out of the basket.

Smiling broadly, the men stepped, tapped, pointed, clapped, turned and disco-ed to the delight of the crowd.

Not even waiting for the performance’s close, the judges issued their score of straight 10s. When the song did end, the group’s exit brought as much enthusiasm as the entrance had.

Backstage, they were elated, buoyed by the response.

“We hadn’t even done anything yet, and they were hollering at us!” Kurzejeski said. “It was an absolute blast. But the song felt about two minutes longer than we practiced!”

Minyard, though, made a confession: “It was a lot more fun than I thought (it would be).”

And Cavender, feeling slightly better by now, gave a report from the sources he most trusted — his wife, Sonia, and his daughter, Allie. “They said we did great!”

Bowie was ecstatic. “I am so happy and proud! I feel like we are winners.”

Bowie and her crew did place in the competition. They took second.

When approached for a comment about earning second place, Bowie’s actions spoke for her. She held the trophy above her head, screamed in delight, then threw her arms around the person asking.

Third place went to a tie-dyed, T-shirt-wearing group of eight, consisting of Bar Kirby, Teresa Carden, Blair Goodgame, Joseph Smith and Retha Goode, all of Pell City; Peter Boyle of Cropwell and Donna McAlister of Talladega. They danced to “Car Wash,” led by instructor Helen Woods of Hoover.

Earning the first-place award were Dr. Danny Hancock of Rainbow City, a chiropractor in Pell City, and his instructor, Realtor Nicole Anderson Walters of Pell City. The couple executed hip-hop and ballroom movements to an upbeat mix of tunes.

The judges, of course, determined three of the Dancing with Our Stars winners.

However, the audience chose who would receive a fourth award.

During the evening, a bucket for each couple and group was circulated about the room. People “voted” for their favorite performers by placing money in the corresponding bucket.

When the proceeds in each bucket were counted, “the people’s choice award” went to the foxtrotting principal of Duran Junior High School South – Dr. Cory O’Neal of Cropwell – and his instructor, registered pharmacist Liz Nelson Starnes of Cropwell.

They garnered more than $573 in votes.

“There was a lot of competition, so many good acts,” remarked a gracious Shier after the awards ceremony. “I had a good time tonight and enjoyed it.” l For more images from the Dancing with Our Stars fundraiser, check out discoverstclair.com

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Business News

Milestone reached, region benefits

Honda, a valuable neighbor Story by Carol Pappas Submitted photos When Jason Goodgame thinks about the impact of Honda on his family’s company, he likens it to a commercial for the Japanese automaker’s reach well beyond the assembly line.

Now standing at number 21 of the largest contractors in the state named by Business Alabama Magazine, Pell City’s Goodgame Co. credits Honda’s business with much of its growth over the past decade. It’s not its only customer by far, but it is its largest.

“Our business from Honda started during the original site work,” said Jason Goodgame, the company’s vice president.

That was in 2000, and Goodgame Co. has been onsite at the Lincoln plant “every day for 14 years” with projects, he said. “It is such a big part of our business and our daily operations. It has gone beyond any early expectations.“ When Honda Manufacturing of Alabama announced it would build a plant in neighboring Talladega County, Goodgame’s workforce was 25. It has now topped the 90-mark.

Similar stories abound in other parts of St. Clair’s business

community. “Honda is the largest manufacturing employer in St. Clair County that is not located in St. Clair County,” Economic Development Council Executive Director Don Smith noted.

He lists a litany of industries that have located in St. Clair County because of their business with Honda: Voith, Trinity Design, IPAK, which won Honda’s Supplier of the Year Award, Orlikon, Southern Rack and Fabrication, all in Pell City; Sumitomo Wiring in Moody; and Walbash Alloys and Yachiyo, both in Steele.

“Many people credit the large retail center in Pell City that houses Walmart and makes up a large portion of their budget” with Honda’s proximity, Smith said.

Steve Sewell, executive vice president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, couldn’t agree more about Honda’s reach well past county lines.

“Honda has about 600 employees who live in St. Clair County, which means that if it were located in the county it would be the largest manufacturing employer and the third largest employer among all sectors,” he said. St. Clair Countians make up about 13 percent of the total workforce at Honda.

48 • DISCOVER The EssenceDISCOVER of St. Clair The Essence of St. Clair • August & September 2013

In 2005, EDPA commissioned a study by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama, which showed that Honda was responsible for nearly 2,000 total jobs in St. Clair County — direct and indirect — $62.2 million in total earnings, approximately $450,000 in property taxes in the county and $1.6 million in local sales taxes. “Overall, that study showed that Honda’s annual impact in Alabama was $4.5 billion, or 3.0 percent of the total Gross State Product,” Sewell said.

But its impact doesn’t stop there, he added. “Honda has brought higher-skilled, higher-wage jobs that have created economic opportunity for Alabamians in the five-county region (Talladega, St. Clair, Calhoun, Etowah and Jefferson).” The current average wage for an automotive manufacturing job in Alabama is $1,511 per week, which is well above the average manufacturing wage of $969 per week and nearly twice the average weekly wage of $784 for all industries in the state.

Sewell called Honda’s investment and growth “transformational” for the region and the state. “Its original investment of $400 million has grown to more than $2 billion today and in the last three years alone, it has invested more than $500 million and created an additional 450 direct jobs.”

And its 40-plus component suppliers employ thousands in communities throughout the region and state.

As HMA’s 3 millionth vehicle rolled off the line in December, it was a time of reflection on what that milestone really means.

When Honda announced it would locate in Lincoln, the investment was estimated at $330 million. By the time it opened in 2001, it stood at $580 million.

Today, it is the size of 19 Walmart Supercenters, 3.7 million square feet, said Ted Pratt, department manager of Corporate Affairs and Communication for HMA. The employment roster is 4,000 associates from 18 different counties.

In a 24-hour period, Honda sees more than 6,000 people pass through its gates five days a week. That’s equal to the population of Lincoln. They buy gas and they shop locally. But they go back to their communities and do those activities as well. “It’s extremely rewarding to see this plant can serve as such a nucleus for growth in such a wide area,” Pratt said.

Over the past 13 years, more and more supplier partners have made the decision to be closer to the plant, and that has spurred growth in the region. And when they do locate, they are finding additional business beyond Honda.

Communities in general are benefiting, too. Honda has given $8 million in the past 13 years to hundreds of agencies and organizations, Pratt said. Several hundred associates take advantage of volunteer incentive programs offered at Honda.

For five hours of volunteer service by an associate, Honda donates $100 in the associate’s name to that cause. In another volunteer program, a Honda associate and spouse can earn $400 for their cause if they volunteer 40 hours each in a year’s time.

Volunteers from Honda have served St. Clair County churches, schools, the animal shelter and various other organizations.

Honda has given more than 467 grants in St. Clair, totaling more than $525,000. And Honda is an investor in St. Clair EDC’s Partnership for Tomorrow capital campaign, an initiative to keep economic development moving forward.

Goodgame Co. Project Manager Steve Howell, President Adrick Goodgame and Vice President Jason Goodgame know Honda impact firsthand.

So when HMA hit the 3-million-vehicle mark, it symbolized more than driving another vehicle off a production line. It was symbolic of a major catalyst in driving the economy and quality of life just across the county line in St. Clair and across many lines throughout the region and state.

Clear road ahead The future doesn’t show much sign of slowing either.

In February, Honda announced plans for a $71.8 million expansion of its facility, adding 50 new jobs. It is related to production of drive train components of Honda’s “Earth Dreams Technology” for outstanding fuel economy and performance with V-6 engines and vehicles it produces. It should be completed in 2015.

“This significant investment in our Lincoln facility will enhance the fuel efficiency and performance of our products and enhance the quality and delivery of our Alabama-built products,” said HMA President Tom Shoupe. “At the same time, the additional employment offered by this investment will bring new opportunities to the community.”

Underscoring a real-life example of that opportunity, Goodgame said, “We should be a commercial. Honda took a small, family-owned company and made us into what we are today.” l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • August & September 2013 The Essence of St. Clair • 49 DISCOVER

Business Directory

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2014

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2014

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Business Directory

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2014

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2014

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Business News Moody

Business booming in Moody Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Michael Callahan It’s hard to mistake the signs of growth in Moody these days.

They are all around, keeping the city’s reputation as one of the fastest growing in the state over the past decade safely intact.

At the Brompton interchange of I-20, Love’s Travel Center has opened on the eastbound side. With the 10,000 square foot retail center are McDonald’s and Subway restaurants. That means more than 100 jobs and projected income from sales and diesel fuel tax for Moody of $40,000 a month.

On an 8-acre site on the westbound side of the interstate, Valero travel center has just opened its 5,000 square foot retail center with a ‘meat and three’ family restaurant, creating 20 to 25 new jobs from the entire operation and adding a projected $15,000-$18,000 a month to city coffers.

But more than the dollars and cents the two are expected to generate is the impact of those dollars, Mayor Joe Lee said.

Because of the $700,000 in new revenue annually predicted for the city, five new police cars, a civic center, a new library and splash pad for recreation are all on the horizon.

And business is seemingly breeding business.

Heritage South Credit Union, Zaxby’s Restaurant and Purohit Pediatrics are building on Moody Parkway. There is a new Sneaky Pete’s at the Food Giant shopping center. Locally owned Bluegrass Barbecue has opened on the parkway and is already expanding, and the city’s industrial park has seen 9-1-1 Plumbing, MailSouth and SKF open their doors.

Add to those economic indicators more than 200 homes in the final phase of construction, primarily in Alden Glen and Arbors of Avalon subdivisions, and the future looks more than promising.

The city is in negotiations with an Albertville company to build a 52-unit senior living complex off Barrington Parkway for ages 55 and up called Holly Grove. “That should be under construction real soon,” Lee said.

“Commercial development growth is happening more so now because of the residential growth,” Lee said of the building boom. “We’re having commercial growth now because of the rooftops.”

But not content to rest on their economic laurels, Moody officials are actively marketing 26 acres parallel to the interstate.

Infrastructure improvements are helping, too. The city spent $1 million in improvements to the sewer system it owns that serves Margaret and Argo, which has spurred growth in those areas, and it plans to spend another $500,000 for improvements in Moody.

He credits a team approach to growth with strong relationships with St. Clair County Economic Development Council and other municipalities. “We have calls coming in every day with people looking at Moody to see what we have to offer,” the mayor said.

“It’s very rewarding to see your city grow,” he added. When

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Lee was first elected to the council in 1992, the budget was $1 million and the population stood at 4,000. Today, population has topped the 12,000 mark, and the budget is $9 million.

Mayor Pro-Tem Linda Crowe echoed Lee’s sentiments. She was first elected in 1996, and the Civic Center-library complex that is about to come to fruition on the old Wayside Nursery property was only “a pipe dream” then. “Now, it’s coming to reality.” l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Business News Health care

St. Vincent’s growing services

St. Vincent’s Rural Hospitals President Evan Ray, center, and CEO John O’Neil cut ribbon on new vein center.

Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr. Cutting the ribbon on new services has gotten to be somewhat of a habit at St. Vincent’s St. Clair since it opened just two and a half years ago.

The newest ceremony ushered in the opening of the hospital’s vein center. It is estimated that 45 million Americans suffer from venous disease, and St. Vincent’s is answering the call to medical action with this new center, treating the disease with minimally invasive techniques. Three Board Certified physicians serve at the Vein Center — Dr. Alvaro Aldana, Interventional Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disease; Dr. C. Dale Elliott, Cardiovascular Disease; and Dr. C. Duane

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Randleman Jr., Cardiovascular Surgery and Phlebology.

The medical staff employs the most advanced, comprehensive and personal care available, tailoring its treatments to each patient’s condition, according to Evan Ray, president of St. Vincent’s Health System’s Rural Hospitals.

Some of the symptoms of venous disease are leg pain and swelling, leg heaviness, restless legs, leg cramps, blood clots, varicose and spider veins, leg discoloration, leg ulcers and neuropathy.

While many think of vein treatment only as an aesthetic service, that is a misnomer, Ray said. “Venous disease can create painful issues, particularly if you are on your feet a lot, such as a nurse or a teacher. It creates pressure in the lower extremities. Left untreated, venous disease can lead to medical complications, such as blood clots or skin ulcerations.”

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

A patient room in new vein center The vein center marks only the latest answer to medical needs St. Vincent’s St. Clair is offering. A sleep disorders center to diagnose diseases like sleep apnea is open, as is a wound care center and a pain management center.

Other new doctors and specialties are being added to the roster, and the hospital continues to grow along with the community.

Partnerships are flourishing all around the community, Ray said. The hospital is partnering with St. Clair County’s jail health care program to provide services to the jails in Pell City and Ashville.

A partnership with the Col. Robert L. Howard Veterans Home since it opened two years ago has been “strong since the beginning,” Ray said.

The hospital also is working with post acute services and assisted living facilities to provide “the strongest continuum of care possible.”

And inside the hospital, officials are seeing “strong volume gains” in patient care. There have been sizable year over year increases in outpatient services, especially in the area of gastroenterology. “General surgery has also seen a significant increase,” Ray said.

The future will continue an upward trend, Ray predicted.

“We are working with doctors in Birmingham and Anniston, particularly surgeons, to bring them to campus and further round out our services so patients don’t have to leave the community to get the care they need.”

By August 2014, as physician recruitment continues, the hospital plans to add three new primary care doctors.

Looking back at what has transpired at the hospital since it opened, Ray is proud of its strides in such a short period of time, and he credits its associates with much of the success.

In patient satisfaction, St. Vincent’s St. Clair is in the 90th percentile, one of the highest ratings in the country. And it is maintaining those high ratings even with the growth in patient volume. “That is just a huge testament to the physicians, nurses and associates on our campus.” l

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Business News Law practices Judgeships, growth bring change to law firm

From left, Matthew Gossett, James Hill, Candace Crenshaw, Judge Jim Hill and Alex Weisskopf.

Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr. Six months ago, the law firm was known as Weathington, Moore, Weisskopf and Hill.

But when two of the partners were appointed to judgeships in Shelby and St. Clair counties, and the founding partner retired from the bench and returned to practice, the law firm has undergone quite a few changes.

The Moody-based firm with an office in Springville has changed its name to Hill, Weisskopf and Hill, added a new lawyer to keep its practice comprehensive and welcomed back the experience of retired Circuit Judge Jim Hill.

Gov. Robert Bentley appointed Bill Weathington to the judgeship vacated with Hill’s retirement in November. The governor appointed Corey Moore to the bench in Shelby County in February.

Hill returned to the firm he founded, although he will be heading to Montgomery in 2015 as state representative, replacing James McClendon who is running for state senate.

Matthew Gossett has joined the practice and with Candace Crenshaw, it is a firm James Hill describes as growing “parallel with the growth of the county and the area.”

Each has their own fields of expertise, offering clients comprehensive, capable services.

James Hill, Judge Hill’s son, joined the firm in 2006. He is the county attorney as well as serving as city attorney for

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Moody, Springville and Ragland and maintains a diverse client list of business and industry. Weathington had previously served in some of those capacities, and James Hill added those duties to his client base as managing partner.

Alex Weisskopf, who joined the firm in 2005, specializes in injury law, with 20 years of background in it. “He knows it inside and out,” James Hill said.

Gossett specializes in domestic law, which was Moore’s area of practice. And Crenshaw, who came on board in 2000, specializes in probate and estate law and is noted for her work in writing appellate briefs for other lawyers.

Jim Hill started the firm in Leeds in 1981. Weathington, who had been a clerk for him while in law school, joined in 1985. In 1994, Hill ran for judge and took office in 1995 and served as a judge for nearly 19 years.

Jim Hill said his return has been “a great experience for me. I enjoyed being a judge. I enjoyed being on the bench. This gives me an opportunity to practice with James, and that has meant a lot to me.”

He looks forward to representing the county in the Legislature, saying he looks at most of his life as “a great adventure. I will work for the betterment of this county and the betterment of the judicial system.”

As for the future of the firm, Hill, Weisskopf and Hill will continue to grow and expand, James Hill said. “As St. Clair County grows and blossoms, the law firm grows right along with it.” l

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Business News Briefs Odenville Auto Parts and Repair a lesson in customer service NAPA staff from left, Shannon Thompson, Duncan Newton, Austin Maddox, Zachary Jones, David Heath and owner Shane Miller

Shane Miller, owner of NAPA Auto Parts in Pell City and Odenville, knows the value of customer service. So when it was time to expand in Odenville, he considered the community’s needs and benefits for his own business.

“After five years with the parts store, we decided to add on to the store. We heard from many customers that they would love a place to have their automobile repaired and get their oil changed,” he recalled.

On the business side, “We really needed a mechanic shop that would buy all their parts from Odenville Auto Parts. We knew if we could repair the automobiles in Odenville, and get the parts from our store, we could sell more parts and offer a service that the town needs at a price they can afford and keep the money in Odenville.”

So that’s what he did. Odenville Auto Repair is now open for business at 100 Council Drive, offering quality parts and service with a two-year, 24,000-mile nationwide warrant on all repairs good at more than 15,000 NAPA auto care centers across the country.

In addition to auto repair, Miller offers other services that might be harder to find elsewhere. “We can now turn rotors

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for the customer who wants to do his own work. We will press bearings, cut or weld if you need us to, and we sell tires, do exhaust work and can help you with a pipe for your tractor.

“What we want is when you need help, we want you to think of us.”

Miller opened the parts store in Odenville in December 2008. When he couldn’t find a suitable location, he built next to Piggly Wiggly. “Our goal was to help the people that live in the town of Odenville and to try to keep Odenville money in Odenville,” he said. “When they need auto parts, they don’t have to drive to Leeds or Pell City.”

With a knowledgeable, experienced staff and expansive inventory, both locations offer parts for cars, trucks, boats, busses, heavy equipment, generators, lawn mowers and 18-wheel trucks. “Really, we have parts for almost anything with an engine,” he said.

To keep its stores fully stocked, it shuttles parts daily from store to store and from its warehouse.

The expansion, inventory and operation in Odenville represents an investment of $1 million, Miller said, and it created three new jobs.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Story by Carol Pappas Photo by Mike Callahan When Evelyne Scott opened Ev’s Rusty Rooster in Pell City, it was a fraction of the space she has now. At 1604 Martin Street South, her furniture, accessories and consignment shop was wedged in between a coffee shop and Stevens and Sons Locksmiths.

Her business was growing at the time a fire destroyed much of the building and when the owners of the coffee shop decided not to return, she acquired that additional space in the rebuilding.

Now she’s growing again. She has opened Rusty Rooster Too a couple of blocks south of the store in what formerly housed Uncle Willie’s Barbecue near the intersection of Alabama 34 and US 231 South. Hours are growing, too. Rusty Rooster is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Growing and expanding seem to come naturally for Scott.

She and her husband, who was a furniture representative for 40 years, operated Furniture and Mattress Closeout on US 78.

Later, they moved to the church where Celebrations is now on US 231 South, but it just grew too big.

She wanted something more manageable so she started having booths in places like Bama Flea Mall in Leeds. Then she decided she would have her own big booth in the form of a shop. She doesn’t have booths, but she does have consignments with 89 people now on the list.

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Business News Briefs “The response was so great on consignments. I never thought it would explode like this. I have people on the waiting list,” she said.

The store is full of what she selects and how she wants to display it, maintaining complete control. She gets 40 percent of the sale, and they price the merchandise. But she does offer advice if they need it.

She also maintains a list for people who are “looking for things,” she said. She scouts what they want at yard sales, estate sales and thrift stores. “People come in weekly because they know it changes.”

Rusty Rooster Too represents the overflow of larger furniture.

“The word is getting out more. It keeps me busy,” she said.

As for a description of what you might discover at Rusty Rooster, you’ll find it on her business card: “A collection of a little bit of old, a little of new and a lot of in between.”

Larger furniture at second location

Town and Country building new dealership Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Construction on new Town & Country to begin within 60 days

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Taking shape on U.S. 231 near Interstate 20 is a new dealership complex for Town and Country Ford that should serve as an impressive gateway into Pell City.

All the site preparation work has been done, and construction on the 36,000 square foot sales, service and parts facility should begin within 30 to 60 days, according to General Sales Manager Doug Bailey.

It will go from eight sales rooms to 14 and from 11 bays to 25.

In addition, it will have an upstairs conference room, stand alone quick lane for oil changes and tire rotation, two customer lounges, an internet café and a kids’ play area. “It will have a little something for everyone while they are waiting,” Bailey said.

It also will feature much when it comes to the environment.

“We are going to be the greenest dealership in Alabama, if not the Southeast. Incorporated in the design options are low impact LED lighting, low speed but high volume fans and ways to save water and power with the lowest impact. “We want to be cutting edge,” he said.

When the size and scope of the operation increases, so will its employment figures. Bailey estimates a jobs growth of seven or eight initially with 20 or more eventually.

As Town and Country keeps its eye on the future, it will use its fine-tuned customer service philosophy and practice. It just earned the President’s Award, which goes to the top five dealerships in its group of 172. And it won the One Ford Elite Award, which goes to the first place dealership.

“We are the only dealership in central Alabama to win the One Ford Elite Award and one of only three President’s Award winners in the state,” Bailey said.

They are customer satisfaction awards, and Bailey is particularly proud of the relationships with customers the dealership has grown over the years. “Relationships are all about keeping them happy. We err on the side of the customer.” l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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When Indians Roamed St. Clair’s history rich in Native-American lore Story by Jerry Smith Submitted photos

Part of Roger Pate’s collections 64

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

At least 5,000 years before the earliest empires of Egypt, 8,000 years before the birth of Christ, the lands that would become Alabama were home to a well-established culture of hardy immigrants from other continents, among them, progenitors of tribes which would inhabit St. Clair County.

According to a timeline published by Alabama Department of Archives and History, the state’s first natives were a “... paleo-Indian culture of semi-nomadic hunter-foragers living in open countryside and rock shelters.” By the time of Christ, St. Clair’s first inhabitants were living in sturdy dwellings, making elaborate pottery, and raising corn and squash.

Archaeologist Robert Perry points out in his master’s thesis that these first Americans lived and dealt with various megafauna of the receding Ice Age, including wooly mammoths, giant bison and saber-toothed cats.

Artifact finds indicate the earliest St. Clair natives first lived as Stone-Age hunter-gatherers. While evidence exists of their use of bow and arrow in the Old World prior to this migration, these finds reveal they probably didn’t bring that technology with them from Asia.

Instead, they employed another weapon that’s been dated as far back as 40,000 years in the Old World — the atlatl — a generic name for a spear throwing device that’s been found in abundance on both American continents as well as other parts of the world, including Australia. Most larger projectile points found around St. Clair today are not arrowheads, but actually atlatl points which often predate arrowheads by many millennia.

Pell City’s Indian artifact enthusiast, Roger Pate, explains that native Americans built villages, hunting camps and trading settlements almost anywhere they found reliable, clean drinking water. Virtually every viable inch of Alabama was thusly inhabited countless times throughout a hundred or more centuries, including St. Clair and the Coosa River watershed.

Europeans arrive About the time the English were settling Jamestown, various Indian cultures underwent drastic changes before finally dwindling into obscurity.

As American history progressed through the 1600s and 1700s, Creeks became the dominant tribe in our area. They greatly increased their numbers by absorbing migrants from other tribes, many of whom had been defeated by various enemies; among them, the Euchee, Tuskegee, Natchez and Ozeailles. The great Shawnee Chief Tecumseh’s parents were of Creek blood.

Various sources provide clues to how the Creeks got their name. Obviously, it refers to a small stream of water, but which one? One source says Ocmulgee Creek in Georgia, while another claims they simply lived in a land with lots of creeks.

Who knows? It’s said the Creeks preferred to call themselves Muscogee, the language they spoke.

Alabama’s Indians were called the Five Civilized Tribes because they were accomplished horticulturists and attempted to live in peace with the white settlers. They were Choctaw, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole, though in actuality the Seminoles were Creeks who for various reasons had fled southward, eventually settling in Florida’s Everglades.

As Creek culture matured in St. Clair, they built large settlements along the numerous waterways and spring basins.

The historically important Creek town of Littefuchee (aka Littefatchie, Littafachee) is thought to have been located at the foot of Barker Mountain on Canoe Creek at Cool Springs, near the intersection of Alabama 23 and County Road 31. Cataula, another St. Clair Creek village, was on or about the present site of Ashville. Roger Pate agrees with the assumed general

Echota Chief Joseph Two Eagles Stewart location of both towns and has found numerous artifacts around them.

A small village called Ohanafeefee was established in the late 1700s by a migrant Cherokee at what is now called Stewart’s Crossroads near Kelly Creek between Prescott and Camp Winnataska. The text from a plaque placed at the Crossroads by the St. Clair County Commission reads: John Stewart, Cherokee, left the territory of Georgia in the late 1700’s with his wife and one slave. Crossing Ohanafeefee Gap, he settled at Stewart’s Crossroads. His son, Jeremiah, served in the Seminole Wars of 1835-42 and was mustered out of service in Florida with the pay of two mules. He married Melinda Jane, a Seminole, and returned to Ohanafeefee Village, near the crossroads. Grandson Dave was a minister and circuit rider preacher, established churches at Merkel and New Merkle (Cahaba Heights today). Great grandson Mack was born and reared at Stewart’s Crossroads. He is the father of Joseph “Two Eagles” Stewart, principal chief of the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama. Jeremiah and Melinda Stewart are buried at the Stewart Cemetery near their old home place on Ohanafeefee Gap Road. The log structure (longhouse) was destroyed by fire along with the Stewarts’ family Bible which listed names of John Stewart’s descendants.”

In dire need of cleaning and reconstruction, the cemetery is almost invisible from the trail unless you know it’s there.

John Stewart himself is said to be buried elsewhere, possibly at Camp Winnataska.

On Carl Jones Road in Moody there is a large spring that is centuries old. Its environs teem with native American artifacts,

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Jeremiah Stewart grave, near Stewart’s Crossroads

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

When Indians Roamed like much of Moody and other areas around Little Cahaba River. The spring itself now feeds into Leeds Water Works.

Until the early 1800s, the Creek confederation dominated this little corner of Alabama. The towns of Cataula and Littefuchee prospered, as did other smaller settlements throughout St. Clair. They were living more or less peacefully together as part of an established confederation of tribes.

The St. Clair Creek towns of Littefuchee, Cataula, and other smaller settlements such as Ohanafeefee were prospering, in spite of ominous forebodings concerning a growing nation of whites to the east as well as conflicting European interests. At best, the Indians’ peace and prosperity were uneasy.

In the early 1800s, Creeks and Cherokees numbered in the tens of thousands.

Just prior to 1812, pressures began to reach a breaking point for the Alabama tribes. The Creek confederacy found itself pulled in many directions by many internal and external factions, all of which would eventually change their way of life and force them to relocate west of the Mississippi River.

Add to this the crusade of the great Shawnee chief, Tecumseh, whose stated aim was to unite all eastern Indians, entice them to give up ways of life they had adopted from the Americans, British, French and Spanish, and force all white settlers out of Indian lands forever. Clearly, an epic conflict was in the making. When Andrew Jackson entered the fray, the handwriting on the wall became much clearer.

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General Jackson’s campaign According to Perry, Jackson’s objective was to gain American dominion over the entire Southeast, to ensure that the United States controlled all lands east of the Mississippi and west of the Appalachians.

Jackson was very much in favor of removing all Indians from as much Southern land as possible and to allow white settlement in our fertile, temperate region. Once the War of 1812 was officially over, Jackson turned his attention almost fully toward that goal. This new direction became known as the Creek Indian Wars of 1813-14. In Jackson’s eyes and Tecumseh’s, it was either us or them.

Among the first Native American casualties of Jackson’s initiative was the St. Clair town of Littefuchee. According to Albert James Pickett’s History of Alabama, on Oct. 29, 1813, there was a “... brief engagement or attack by Col. Dyer, with 200 cavalry, in which the Indian town of Littafuchee was destroyed. The town was attacked at four o’clock in the morning. It was burned, and 29 prisoners, consisting of men, women and children were taken.”

Many “friendly” Creeks had divorced themselves from the more belligerent Red Sticks, a band of Creeks loyal to Tecumseh’s ideas who favored battle and total expulsion of all non-Indians from their lands. Fearing the Red Sticks as well as many of their own people, these friendly Creeks and “mestizos” (mixed Indian-Europeans) allied themselves with Jackson. Many were camped at Fort Lashley (actually Fort Leslie, a family frontier stronghold similar to Fort Mims), in present-day Talladega.

Pickett relates what happened when a party of Red Sticks besieged Ft. Lashley: “In Lashley’s fort in the Talladega town,

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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When Indians Roamed More of Roger Pate’s collection

many friendly Creeks had taken refuge. The war party, in strong force, had surrounded them so effectually that not a solitary warrior could escape from the fort unseen to convey to the American camp intelligence of their critical condition.”

The “American camp” referred to by Pickett was Fort Strother, near Ten Islands at Coosa River, east of present-day Ragland. Jackson and his Tennessee Militia had built this fort near a trading post allegedly belonging to Chinnabee, a whitefriendly Creek chief. It became a vital staging area for Jackson’s final campaign against the Red Sticks in Alabama.

Pickett continues: “One night a prominent Indian ... resolved to escape to the lines of Jackson by Indian stratagem. He threw over him the skin of a large hog, with the head and legs attached, and placing himself in a stooping position, went out of the fort and crawled about before the camps of the hostiles, grunting and apparently rooting, until he slowly got beyond the reach of their arrows. Then, discarding his swinish mantle, he fled with the speed of lightning to Jackson. ...”

We know this brave Creek to be Selocta Fixico Chinnabee, son of the chief. His actions brought Jackson to the fort’s rescue.

Pickett’s narrative continues: “At four o’clock the next morning, Jackson surrounded the enemy ... with twelve hundred infantry and eight hundred cavalry. ... A general charge was made, and the wood for miles was covered with dead savages.”

Selocta went on to become one of Jackson’s chief aides, serving as an interpreter during the signing of a treaty of surrender at Fort Toulouse/Jackson, near Wetumpka, ending the sovereignty of the Alabama Muscogee Creeks forever. Thus

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began the disappearance of our own St. Clair tribes as well.

Littefuchee had already been destroyed. It’s not known what happened to the town of Cataula, at present-day Ashville; it simply went away. By signing the Treaty of Fort Jackson in 1814, the friendly Creeks gave away some 23 million acres of land west of the Coosa, but remained in east Alabama and part of west Georgia.

According to this treaty, any Creek warrior or chief who had allied himself with the Americans during the Creek Indian War was entitled to a square mile of ceded land, provided he and his descendants remained on the land. Later, as President of the United States, Jackson forced the signing of the Creek Treaty of 1832, which was “not to be construed so as to compel any Creek Indian to emigrate, they shall be free to go or stay as they please.”

Fine words, but not written in earnest. The Indians who tried to remain were cheated and victimized so badly that, in 1836, Jackson instituted a forced involuntary removal policy which lasted into the 1840s and was later judged illegal by the Supreme Court.

In her book, Modern Indians of Alabama, Marie West Cromer describes this process: “The Creeks were removed under wretched conditions. They had no winter clothes, as their baggage had all been left behind by the contractors who had promised to send it along with them but had not kept their agreement. Many of them are almost naked and are without shoes.

“The Indians’ Trail of Tears to Arkansas and Oklahoma was

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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When Indians Roamed A Native-American artifact, possibly a pipe, found in St. Clair

Fort Strother monument

Selocta Chinnabee painting at Comer Museum Sylacauga

an easy one to follow. Along the trail numerous square holes had been cut in fallen trees and showed where the women had pounded maize to make bread. Bones of human beings and animals were strewn along the trail. Many Indians died of exhaustion and the illnesses which stalked them along the trail.

To keep their departed loved ones from the vultures, which followed their trail by thousands, they covered them with blankets and boughs. They were not given time to dig graves and properly bury their dead.”

As for the little St. Clair Cherokee village of Ohanafeefee, near Camp Winnataska, Cromer explains that founder John Stewart had taken a Christian name and faith and declared himself white when first settling there, and thus was spared removal. Today, the area has roads named after Indian tribes, and a bridge over Kelly Creek named after the village itself. Joseph Two Eagles Stewart, great grandson of John Stewart, served as Principal Chief of the Echota Cherokee for many years.

Mrs. Cromer was highly instrumental in keeping the village’s heritage alive; otherwise, few would have ever learned of its existence. All local history buffs mourned her recent passing.

Seeking the Creeks’ past in St. Clair To find evidence of the St. Clair Creeks’ presence today, one must become either a historian or an artifact hunter, or both. St. Clair teems with Native American sites, and several dedicated people have made an avocation of studying and exploring them.

Among them are Gerald and Wayne Hoyle of New London.

The Hoyles have found hundreds of points, pottery shards, celts, flint knives and other implements along the Coosa and various feeder creeks in the New London area. They also make

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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When Indians Roamed Roger Pate with his extensive arrowhead collection

their own artifacts, using methods as old as tool-making itself.

Gerald, a Baptist minister, has spoken about Indian artifacts and lore at numerous meetings and expos.

Hoyle has these words of advice for budding artifact hunters: (a) always, ALWAYS get permission before searching on any land, anywhere. Never just assume it is public land, or okay for searching (b) do not dig, especially around mounds; it’s the same as digging up a private cemetery (c) keep records of your finds, and keep them separated in plastic bags to preserve their antiquity.

Pell City’s Roger Pate, noted artifact hunter, adds that it is totally illegal to pick up ANY artifact of any kind on Federal land, including National Parks, hunting preserves such as our Wildlife Management Areas, nature refuges like Wheeler Wildlife Area, or any other lands not in private ownership.

Pate’s finds, mostly from St. Clair, number in the thousands, including arrowheads, atlatl points, forming tools, celts, pottery shards, “bird points”, game pieces, ceremonial goods, and everyday implements. He’s been collecting for more than 30 years.

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Professional archaeologist Robert Perry echoes the advice of Hoyle and Pate. “We aren’t particularly interested in the artifacts themselves, but rather the people who left them behind and the world they lived in, so when an artifact is removed from the ground carelessly, we lose a lot of information about our shared cultural heritage that could have otherwise been preserved.”

Legends and tales Besides artifacts, St. Clair’s Creeks also left behind a few tantalizing legends, among them, stories of a silver mine in Pell City. In Historic Tales Of Talladega, by E. Grace Jemison, there’s a letter written by Isaac Stone, a man who in 1832 had ingratiated himself to an Indian tribe near Ironaton by giving them medical attention during an epidemic of measles. In return, an Indian known only as George told him of a secret silver mine, but would not divulge its location.

Stone wrote, “My acquaintance with George and proximity to the village gave me knowledge of the fact that George went into seclusion once or twice during each year and that when the

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

seclusion was ended, all the Indians had new silver ornaments — armlets, beads and other such jewelry. ...”

The Creeks were about to vacate Alabama for Arkansas and thence to Oklahoma, so George secretly encouraged Stone to follow the final work party at a discreet distance as they journeyed to the alleged silver mine. Stone and two friends lost track of them at Wolf Creek, in present-day Eden.

They searched for several hours, but could not find the miners’ trail. The Indians shortly returned to their village with a fresh load of silver ore. Obviously, they had not journeyed very far from the creek crossing. While searching around Wolf Creek, Stone’s party found a chunk of freshly-mined ore, which later assayed at 70 percent silver. It was felt that the ore had been dropped on an earlier trip.

Want to take up the search? Stone lost the Indians’ trail where Wolf Creek crosses Old U.S. 78, just a few feet from Pell City radio station WFHK. Roger Pate says this legend may be real, as he is aware of a possible mine site.

But he’s not telling. l

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Historic kitchen re-envisioned

By Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Like a lot of creative people, Roxanne Bukacek is easily distracted. That’s why it took her almost 30 years to get around to remodeling the kitchen in her historic Riverside home.

“I had been planning this kitchen since I moved here, but I kept getting sidetracked with other projects,” says the former high school art teacher. “I added two closets, a bathroom, a fireplace, new flower beds, a new boat dock, and had to rebuild the guest house next door after a tornado leveled it. I also put in a walkway between the two houses.”

She became a little discouraged when several contractors wanted to gut the more than 100-year-old kitchen and start over. She preferred to maintain the authenticity and antique farm-house feel of what her great-uncles had built. Tim Gulledge of Trizone Homes worked with her to seamlessly blend the old with the new.

The Bukacek House was built in 1872 by the Lathrop-Hatten Lumber Company for Dr. J.T. Brown. “They needed a company doctor, and the only way to get him here was to build him a house,” Roxanne says. “My grandaddy bought it and gave it to his father. When gareatgrandaddy died, it went to his brothers, my two great-uncles.”

Those uncles added the back part of the house, including the kitchen and a room Roxanne and her husband, dentist Tom Douyard, use as their den and dining area.

After the uncles died, the house was sold out of the family, and for the next 13 years it held first a recording studio, then a tea room.

Roxanne bought it in the mid 1980s, and began renovating and restoring it. But the kitchen always seemed to be on her back burner until last year. “I was not going to be sidetracked this time,” she says.

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Contractor Tim Gulledge matched the blue of Roxanne’s stove in the paint applied to the sink base that her greatuncles built.

The most striking features of her new kitchen are the post office window and mailboxes, a French stove with a backsplash made of hand-painted tiles, and the tin ceiling tiles over the island in the center.

“My grandfather was the town’s postmaster,” Roxanne says. “The post office was in a corner of his store, Riverside Mercantile, I think it was called. It was down by the railroad tracks on Depot Street.

He died young, and granny sold it to the Buckners. I later talked Mr. Buckner out of the post office window, which was where people bought stamps and money orders.”

(Now a city-owned building, today Riverside Mercantile/Buckner’s Store houses Riverside Landing, a small marina.)

The window takes up a short, narrow wall between the kitchen and den, with the customer side facing the den. The back side offers open access to the mailboxes, which Roxanne turned into a wine rack. She also has a scale from the old store hanging in one corner of her kitchen.

La Cornue is the brand of the gas stove, which has a blue, baked enamel finish and features five burners, including a large one in the center, and two side-by-side ovens of equal size. One oven is electric, the other is convection. Roxanne added a spice drawer next to the stove, and a pot-filler in the backsplash.

To build the backsplash behind the stove, Roxanne purchased 50 blank bisque tiles, painted each with a different scene from the house and its 7.5-acre property, and had them fired. The scenes include the old greenhouse, the boat dock across the street from the house, the tin man scarecrow, a birdhouse, a gate made of old buggy wheels, the hen house and a hand plow her uncles fashioned

Historic kitchen

Roxanne Bukacek enjoys her “new, old” kitchen.

Fifty hand-painted tiles depict scenes from the house and grounds in the backsplash behind Roxanne’s La Cornue stove.

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Historic kitchen

A bullet-ridden sign from the old train depot hangs over the counter.

from a bicycle wheel.

The stamped ceiling tins over the kitchen island came from an antique shop, but they were covered in several layers of paint when Roxanne found them. She stripped them, re-painted them a copper color, and had them framed with lumber she found at a barn on the property.

She kept the original sink and cabinet that her great uncles built, and had Tim Gulledge match the blue of the stove when he painted the cabinet. Gulledge added warming drawers in the cabinets under one bank of windows, and replaced the tea house’s old mop sink with a deep farmhouse sink. The green-and-white Riverside sign hanging over those windows came from the town’s old train depot, and has bullet holes in it. The garbage can is under the cabinet next to the sink, and is accessed through a hole in the countertop that Roxanne covers with a cutting board. She added six pendant

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lights that look like old Edison fixtures, each a bare bulb inside a wire cage suspended on a long cord.

“We added granite countertops and cabinets to expand the original cabinet space,” Roxanne says. “So about half of the cabinets are new. My uncles built the old ones, except for the refrigerator cabinet in one corner and two roll-out refrigerated drawers next to the main refrigerator. I also had Tim add a cabinet over the refrigerator so I could hang a television there, because when we have guests over for football games, they tend to stay in the kitchen.”

Roxanne had the kitchen’s terrazzo floor topped with brick pavers several years ago, but has just finished painting the grout. The rest of the house has its original heart-pine floors.

Gulledge says the kitchen still has a lot of the feel of its former self. “I took some pictures, got my cabinet man out there and got a game plan together before

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

Dear Friends, During these past eight years of serving as your Superintendent, along with my team, school board, and teachers in St. Clair County; our school system has achieved • Fiscal stability during tough economic times, • Academic excellence by adding AP courses and increasing Dual Enrollment courses in the high schools, • Budgetary accountability pushing all federal, local, and grant funding to its fullest potential, • Student-focused decision making including state of the art technology and security.

Please support me as I seek to serve the students and people of St. Clair County for another term.

I am delighted to have served the students of St. Clair County!

Re-Elect

JENNY SEALS

Superintendent, St. Clair County Schools

June 2nd!

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Historic kitchen

Roxanne’s great-grandfather built this chess table. we started,” he says. “The work flowed smoothly. I’m a hands-on contractor, and I do a lot of the detail work myself.”

Over the years, Roxanne has installed bead-board ceilings in the den, and turned one of the three upstairs bedrooms into a bathroom, because the only other one was downstairs. The house had three functional wood-burning fireplaces when she moved in, but she added a fourth in the den, using bricks from another house her grandparents owned nearby. Then she put gas logs in the downstairs bedroom’s fireplace, for convenience. She also added two closets, because the house didn’t have any. “Houses back then were taxed by the number of rooms they had, and closets counted as rooms, so they didn’t put in closets,” Roxanne says. “They used armoires instead.”

Her home is decorated with old quilts, family portraits, and furniture made by her great grandfather, who graduated with a degree in woodworking from the University of Prague in Czechoslovakia. An aunt had kept all of the family treasures, including Roxanne’s great grandfather’s tool chest, now a den coffee table. She also has an old map of Riverside drawn on silk that is framed and hanging in her den.

Her great uncles grew grapes and made wine, building a wine cellar beneath the greenhouse. That building is still standing, along with most of the other original outbuildings: a wash house, blacksmith shop, mule barn, buggy barn, hen house and smokehouse.

Those outbuildings aren’t used much these days, other than for storage. But the remodeled kitchen already is a hit with her guests. And come summer, that pot-filler in the backsplash will be calling her name.

“I grow a lot of vegetables, and I’m looking forward to using it when I do my canning,” she says. l

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A window from Riverside’s old post office gives a view of the kitchen from the den.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Zeke Gossett Fishing phenom continues winning ways Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr. Submitted photos When Curtis Gossett took his six year-old son Zeke to fish in a local tournament, he noticed something a bit different about his boy and his prowess with a rod and reel.

“I told his mom there was something different about him. Even if she believed me, I don’t think she took it in,” he recalls. “He could do things with a rod and reel at that age that men couldn’t do.”

Curtis was right. At 11, Zeke won his first BASS Junior State Championship and then, another. “His mother came home and said, ‘I understand what you’re talking about now,’” Curtis says with a smile.

From there, Zeke won nine more state championships. All together, he has more than 30 major wins to his credit. In November 2013, the 17-year old junior at Pell City High School and his partner, Hayden Bartee, won the B.A.S.S High School state championship and placed third in the national High School BASSMasters Classic, the Super Bowl of fishing.

His drive to win is evident. He is on the water six days a week. “Sometimes we have to make him stop so his body can rest,” Curtis says. In 2013, he fished 43 out of 52 weekends — 32 were tournaments. And his attitude seems to match his winning ways. “He expects to catch a big fish every time he casts a rod,” his father says.

He is a student of the sport. He studies the internet for insight about lakes he will fish. He looks for varying degrees of water clarity, how deep, how shallow and where. He studies the routes in which they move and their behavior.

“Every fish is different,” Curtis says. They react differently in shallow, deep, cold or warm water.

“Like people.”

To illustrate Zeke’s know-how, Curtis recounts a recent fishing trip when Zeke was site fishing and flipped for a fish for more than 30 minutes with a number of baits that was guarding her nest. He finally flipped a jig on her and “You could see her get excited and react to that bait.” The fish hit the jig immediately. Another fish took five flips because their behaviors were different. But, in typical Zeke Gossett style, he patiently figured out the behavior patterns and caught them both.

He listens to mentors, like Randy Howell, another St. Clair Countian who just captured the

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Zeke wins Eufala tourney with 20 pounds.

Zeke with his father and high school fishing coach, Curtis Gossett.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

Zeke hauls them in at early age.

BASSMasters Classic championship for 2014. When he talks of Howell’s win, the passion in his voice is unmistakable.

Perhaps it is because of their friendship that has strengthened since 2008 when he first met him. They go to speaking engagements together at high schools and at Bass Pro Shops.

Or perhaps he sees himself in Howell — the deep religious faith coupled with the heart of a winner.

When Zeke talks about his own love of fishing it is with a quiet confidence that comes with winning. And the winning has brought him a boat load of sponsors on board. He sports sunglasses by Maui Jim. His shirt and boat are filled with big name logos in the fishing world like Pro-Staffs-Strike King Lure Co., Elite Tungsten, Power-Pole and Moment Sportswear.

Fascinated by swim bait, Zeke now has a hand-carved Woodrow Rat Bait Co. lure — about the size and look of its namesake. His father got him for his birthday. Curtis called the San Diego, Cal., company to order it, and when the owner learned who it was for, he shipped it overnight to Zeke to use in a tournament and became a sponsor.

Vicious Fishing may not be Zeke’s biggest sponsor, but it is dear to him because it was his first one — owned by fellow Pell Citians Jeff Martin and his mother, Sylvia Martin.

Sylvia had read about Zeke’s early fishing successes in a local lake magazine, and Vicious became his inaugural sponsor, followed by a litany of others as the trophies mounted.

But the notoriety hasn’t seemed to faze Zeke as he prepares for yet another tournament. There will be plenty of those up ahead, but college will be his next stop after high school. And then, his quest for a spot on the pro circuit will begin.

He credits his even temperament with helping him get so far so fast, he says. He calls it a “waste of time” to get angry when fishing isn’t going his way. “You’ve got to get another bite and make up for it,” he says. “You get even.”

He prepares himself mentally for each round with prayer and determination. “I pray a lot,” he says. “It’s the easiest thing to do, but it’s the most powerful thing to do. You never give up. Even when things are going badly, it’s just another day on the water.”

The Gossetts share a moment at Lakeside Landing.

Zeke and Hayden Bartee after winning the B.A.S.S. Alabama high School championship.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Expands its horizons Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Vicious now has product line.

Sometimes in life, you just need a head start. So when Sylvia Martin, co-owner of Vicious Fishing with her son Jeff, saw a magazine piece on a teenage fishing sensation from her hometown, she told Jeff their company needed to give him a supportive boost.

Within days, Vicious Fishing became the first company sponsor for Zeke Gossett’s up and coming career, and as he reeled in more wins, more sponsors followed.

Today, his shirt and boat – the clothes he wears and the sunglasses he dons – carry brand names of companies that believe he’s the real thing. But early on, it was Vicious that already knew he was a winner.

“We were having a writers conference at The Ponderosa (a hunting retreat in St. Clair where national sportswriters annually gathered), and I invited him. He was 11, and he came up there and talked with such intelligence about fishing,” Martin said. “He’s a good kid. He’s such a pro.

He’s real good, even with TV cameras.

We’re proud of him.”

Martin can’t help but smile when he remembers those early days and how Zeke’s career and Vicious Fishing’s climb have been parallel. “As much as he’s grown in fishing, he has grown into a good man. He’s special. He can catch them when nobody’s catching them.”

Martin’s company has been on an upward track as well. Vicious started out as a fishing line company, but

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

Zeke, winner of F.L.W. Alabama Jr. State Championship, sports Vicious logo.

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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Expands its horizons Jeff Martin, Vicious Fishing

as the product line grew, so has the company. And Martin couldn’t be more pleased with the progress.

Vicious Vision powered by Experio UV lenses is being unveiled. Vicious Baits, and the Vicious All Around Towel that can wrap around the wearer like an apron can be worn by anglers and outdoor chefs alike.

Apparel – hats, retro brand Tshirts and even hoodies – are now part of the product line. Zeko footwear is coming in the

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future.

“We are trying to create a lifestyle. We’re fishing oriented, but the ultimate goal is the brand.”

It’s all about branding. Vicious is no longer just a fishing line company. It’s a brand, much like Zeke grew from an 11-year-old up and coming name in fishing to a real champion.

“It worked,” Martin said. l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2014

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