Discover St. Clair April and May 2018

Betty Cosper • Pets and Prayers • Lady Panthers 1988 Economic Boom Continues • Odenville Library • Old-time Barber Shop

April & May 2018

Let the Season Begin!

Special Logan Martin & Neely Henry Lakes Section

Features and Articles Discover

The Essence of St. Clair Let the Season Begin!

Logan Martin & Neely Henry Lakes Section Betty Cosper masters it all Page 8

Page 41

Traveling the Backroads Rubye Hall Edge Sisson Page 16

Lady Panthers 1988 Still champions

Page 22

Odenville Library

Pets and prayers in Springville Page 36

Thriving community center Page 28

Snyder’s Barber Shop Memories of days gone by Page 34

Business Review Economic surge continues for region

Welding to Work at Jeff State Page 92

Page 84 Leadership changes at Honda Manufacturing Page 54

April & May 2018

www.discoverstclair.com

Clean, smart and high tech. That’s the world of modern automotive manufacturing today. An industry experiencing unprecedented growth and constantly in need of a steady flow of skilled local workers.

It’s why you’ll find us partnering with schools, colleges, agencies and attending employer job fairs. We also support education through grants and scholarships.

Our aim is to develop talent, build skill sets and shine a light on the opportunities a career in automotive manufacturing affords. Together with our friends and neighbors, we aim for Alabama to continue to have a workforce to be reckoned with.

Carol Pappas

Writers AND Photographers

Carol Pappas is editor and publisher of Discover St. Clair Magazine. A retired newspaper executive, she served as editor and publisher of several newspapers and magazines during her career. She won dozens of writing awards in features, news and commentary and was named Distinguished Alabama Community Journalist at Auburn University. She serves as president/CEO of Partners by Design, the multimedia group that publishes Discover.

Elaine Hobson Miller 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.

Joe Whitten Joe Whitten was born in Bryant on Sand Mountain. When he arrived in Odenville in 1961 to teach at St. Clair County High School, he found a place to call home. He and his wife, Gail, taught across the hall from each other. He continues to live in Odenville in a 1904 house they called home for 36 years. Joe was active in the Alabama Writers’ Conclave and the Alabama State Poetry Society. The society named him Poet of the Year in 2000. Joe has also published a number of St. Clair County local history books.

Paul South Paul South, a native of Fairfield, is an Au¬burn graduate with a degree in journalism and a double minor in history. He also has a Juris Doctorate degree from the Birmingham School of Law. Although sports writing was always his first love, he had a versa¬tile career as reporter, columnist and first full-time sports information director at Samford University.

Susan Wall Susan Wall moved to Logan Martin Lake from Birmingham, where she worked as a critical care nurse. Alongside the nursing career, she owned Dreamscapes Photography, a portrait and wedding studio. Winner of the 2010 August Moore award at the Bluff Park Art Show, with numerous publications in magazines and the Kodak Instructional Magazine, her passion now is digital painting and portraits.

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Graham Hadley

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.

Jackie Romine Walburn Jackie Romine Walburn, a Birmingham native and freelance writer, is an Auburn journalism graduate who has worked as a reporter, editor and corporate communications manager. She’s had recent writing published in the Birmingham Arts Journal and Alalitcom. Jackie is currently seeking an agent and publisher for her first novel, Mojo Jones and the Black Cat Bone.

Leigh Pritchett

Leigh Pritchett has been in the publishing field 30 years. Early in her career, she worked for a New York Times Regional Newspaper. Since the 1990s, she has been a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in local, state and national publications in print and digital form. Mrs. Pritchett received the Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Montevallo.

Wallace Bromberg Jr. Wally graduated from 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.After a 30-year career, he decided to dust off his camera skills and pursue photography full time.

Mike Callahan 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.

Loyd McIntosh Loyd McIntosh is a freelance writer and former news reporter and sports writer for several newspapers throughout the Southeast, including The Daily Home. In over 10 years as a freelance writer, he has published work in a variety of magazines. He is a native of Trussville and now lives in Pell City.

From the Editor

New lake season a time to treasure

I get a little giddy this time of year. After months of wet, cold, often gloomy weather, that hint of spring now in the air ignites excitement and anticipation not felt at other times of the year. Living by the water only tends to intensify those feelings.

I guess that’s why this is generally my favorite issue of the magazine each year. It’s when we highlight lakelife in St. Clair County, understandably a far-reaching subject around these parts when not one, but two lakes call the county home. Excitement builds as we prepare this edition for press because I know boating season won’t be far behind.

Logan Martin lies just beyond my back yard in Pell City.

But head north on US 231 or ‘up the river’ on the Coosa, and you’ll find Neely Henry, too. Both have their own charms, but it is the water itself that draws thousands to their shorelines.

And St. Clair County is doubly blessed to have them both.

With each season, I feel that same excitement I felt when I was in high school and college and visited friends’ lake homes on Logan Martin.

It’s the same excitement I had when my dad would take me fishing at Lake Guntersville, Lake Purdy or even East Lake.

There’s just something special about the water. Its shimmer has always been inspiring to me. In it, I see a new season of promise with longer days to enjoy them to the fullest.

I can almost hear the laughter and squeals of children now as they ride their tubes behind the boat, arms and legs flailing uncontrollably with each bounce upon the wave. I can hear the whir of an angler’s cast and the sound it makes when the lure finally hits the water in search of that big catch. And I can catch a glimpse of that enticing shimmer at day’s first light and in the glow of a setting sun.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said, “A river is more than an amenity, it is a treasure.” As another season approaches, I

know I’m just like countless others on Logan Martin and Neely Henry. We’ve found our piece of gold.

In this edition of Discover, you’ll find plenty to treasure about our lakes – the newest boats and water toys, favorite fishing holes, the local color to be found at Local Joe’s, LakeFest’s impressive boat show and festival, the new park and landing at Big Canoe Creek and more.

You’ll read all about an extraordinary educator, cook and friend to the masses, single mothers learning to weld and build a better life for their families, and pets – yes pets – heading to church in Springville.

It’s all here and more in this issue of Discover. Turn the page and discover it all with us.

Carol Pappas Editor and Publisher

Discover The Essence of St. Clair

April & May 2018 • Vol. 41 • www.discoverstclair.com

Carol Pappas • Editor and Publisher Graham Hadley • Managing Editor and Designer Brandon Wynn • Vice President of Online Services Mike Callahan • Photography Wallace Bromberg Jr. • Photography Susan Wall • Photography Dale Halpin • Advertising Toni Franklin • Executive Assistant

A product of Partners by Design www.partnersmultimedia.com 1911 Cogswell Avenue Pell City, AL 35125 205-338-3466

Printed at Russell Printing, Alexander City, AL 7

Betty Cosper masters it all From banana pudding to teaching and beyond

Betty and her piano where so many took lessons

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

Story by Leigh Pritchett Photos by Graham Hadley Dr. Betty Cosper and her dog, Bama, ushered their visitor into their kitchen to give the person a large container of banana pudding.

Just that morning, Dr. Cosper had made the pudding from scratch.

Giving gifts of food is part of her daily routine, according to son-in-law Art Meadows of Pell City. “This woman ... is non-stop cooking for everyone. ... She shops five days a week because she makes food for everyone in the county and especially during the holidays. Did I say she makes a mean banana pudding?”

That banana pudding – made from a recipe Dr. Cosper developed herself – has quite the reputation.

“She makes the best banana pudding I’ve ever tasted!” said her pastor, Dr. John Thweatt of First Baptist Church in Pell City.

Dr. Cosper said she learned to cook by watching her mother and two other ladies who all had exceptional culinary abilities.

“My mother could cook anything. ... I cook old-timey. People don’t cook like that anymore. It’s just fun. ... I spend a lot of time cooking and giving it away. ... It makes people happy.”

Just ask Harry Charles McCoy of Pell City.

“She’s my real good friend!,” he said. “...

Every Christmas, she always bakes me a strawberry cake. She really knows how to bake a cake.”

Theirs is a friendship that began many years ago when McCoy was making deliveries for an antique store that was run by the late Josephine Bukacek Kilgroe. The friendship grew as Dr. Cosper later taught McCoy’s children and grandchildren in school. “She’s a mighty sweet lady,” McCoy said.

Yet, the ability to produce scrumptious edibles is not the attribute for which Dr. Cosper wants to be known. Instead, she wants her legacy to be her contribution in the field of education.

“That’s where my love is,” she said.

For 40 years, she was an educator, instructing infants to college students and every age in between. She has taught early childhood, elementary, middle school and high school, and she has been an assistant principal, principal, college instructor and director of continuing education.

Her career has encompassed Avondale School, Pell City High, Walter M. Kennedy Intermediate, Coosa Valley Elementary, St. Clair County Child Care Program, Talladega County schools, Jacksonville State University, Gadsden State Community College and Jefferson State Community

The announcement of her Education Chair dedication Two examples of Betty’s artistic talent

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Part of an extensive Christmas village collection

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

Betty Cosper

Betty shows off her doctoral thesis College. In addition, she worked in the junior college division of the Alabama Department of Education in Montgomery.

For her work, she was inducted into Delta Kappa Gamma, received a “Service to Education” award from Coosa Valley Elementary in 1997 and was included in Who’s Who among America’s Teachers in 2005-2006.

On April 12 is a reception for another recognition Dr. Cosper is receiving.

Dr. Cosper is being given a Chair of Foundation in her honor to celebrate her contribution to students in the Pell City School System. Her son, Bill Cosper Jr. of Cropwell, and Dr. Cosper’s friend, Cindy Goodgame of Pell City, have spearheaded the Chair of Foundation donations effort. The donations from that effort benefit the work of Pell City Schools Education Foundation. The reception for Dr. Cosper is 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Center for Education and Performing Arts in Pell City.

Always a planner Dr. Cosper, whose parents were Joe and Roberta Ingram, lived in Birmingham until second-grade, when her family moved to the Easonville area. She graduated from Pell City High School.

From the University of Montevallo, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She completed other graduate courses at Samford University. In the 1980s when Dr. Cosper was working on her doctorate at the University of Alabama, her mother traveled to Tuscaloosa with her for the night classes. Mrs. Ingram quickly became a class favorite because of the home-baked goodies she would take to share.

Dr. Cosper’s doctoral dissertation, titled An Analysis of Relationships between Teacher Effectiveness and Teacher Planning Practice, shows her penchant for planning, managing and administering. In presentations nationwide and at an international meeting in Washington, D.C., she revealed the findings of her research.

“I’m a planner. ... I got that from my parents: No matter what you do, you’re supposed to be prepared,” she said. “... To accomplish anything, you have to set goals and then take steps to achieve these goals. I feel that a good place to begin is in God’s Word.”

She pointed specifically to Colossians 3:12-14, verses in the Holy Bible about showing kindness, mercy, humility, forgiveness and love.

Through her work with Cosper Management Consulting, Inc. she also conveyed to adults in business settings the importance of making preparations and setting goals.

“No matter what kind of business you’re in, you’ve got to plan,” she said.

Having a plan was essential in her busy life as a single parent raising four children, teaching school and engaging in several side ventures to supplement income. In fact, she earned her master’s degree while her children – Betty Ann Dennis (who died in

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Betty Cosper 2017); Debbie Fletcher of Austin, Texas; Carol Meadows of Pell City, and Bill – were still at home.

For many, many years, she taught school all day and then gave piano lessons in the afternoons and evenings. She was teaching as many as 60 piano students a week.

Meadows noted that some of Dr. Cosper’s piano students have performed at Carnegie Hall and in concerts around the world.

Hunter Shell, a current student at Jacksonville State University, said the musical training he got from Dr. Cosper helped him to receive a full music scholarship.

When not teaching piano students the intricacies of music, Dr. Cosper might have been painting oil portraits for photography studios.

Or she might have been selling antiques. In her home, she operated Colonial House Antiques.

Meadows said the Cosper children might come home from school to find that the bed on which they slept the previous night had been sold.

“The whole house was a museum of beautiful furniture and cut glass with several different china patterns that were prized possessions, but not above being sold to clothe and feed the brood,” Meadows explained.

Despite having a full-time job and other business ventures, Dr. Cosper made clothes for her children and draperies for her home.

“I was busy. I was really busy,” Dr. Cosper said, remembering those days.

Her busy-ness has been a constant through the years.

In her home, she has done the interior painting, the decorating and flower arranging. She refinished boards from an old house that may have quartered soldiers during a war and used the planks to floor the dining area of her kitchen.

The large and intricate needlepoint pieces hanging in her formal dining room – well – those are her handiwork, too.

For a time, she also was a pianist and Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church in Pell City.

Even now as a retiree, she is still a dynamo.

She teaches piano lessons and exercises six days a week at Snap Fitness. When she is not cooking and baking and giving away food, she is working in her yard.

“At a stage of life when many choose to stop, Dr. Cosper continues to press on,” said Thweatt. “Every time I drive by her house, I see her pushing a wheelbarrow, swinging a pickaxe, or doing something else in her yard. I’d stop to help, but I’m not sure I could keep up with her.”

For Dr. Cosper, just to dust her Christmas Village collection would take quite a while because the pieces encompass four rooms of her house. Her Christmas tree stays up all year because “every day is Christmas. That’s what it’s all about,” she said.

Regardless of her seemingly endless flurry of activity, she always has time to talk about the joys of her life – her children and five grandchildren. “The Good Lord has been so good to me,” she said.

Dr. Cosper’s thirst for knowledge has not waned either.

“We’re never too old to learn,” she said. “That is scientific.”

Why, she has been known to check out from the library as many as 30 books at a time. Recently, she started learning through traveling.

In 2017, Dr. Cosper made her first trip out of the country, said Deanna Lawley of Pell City, who coordinates the travel

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A very-well-behaved Bama is Betty’s constant companion. group Friends Bound for New Horizons. So far, Dr. Cosper has been to Italy and Germany and is preparing for her third trip abroad.

On the trips, Mrs. Lawley has watched how Dr. Cosper “absorbs the arts and music” in foreign lands and cultures. “Dr. Betty is amazing to me. ... She is truly the definition of a life learner.”

Traveling with Mrs. Lawley’s group is a natural fit for Dr. Cosper because one purpose of the trips is to raise funds for the Pell City Schools Education Foundation. That foundation funds teacher grants for in-classroom needs.

A friend& mentor to many Former students and coworkers, and many others, like to reminisce with Dr. Cosper or to seek her advice. That fact can sometimes turn a brief stop at Wal-mart into a three-hour visit for Dr. Cosper because so many individuals want to talk to her.

Keith White, a former coworker, very much appreciates Dr. Cosper’s friendship and guidance.

When White was a young art teacher at Coosa Valley Elementary, Dr. Cosper was one of his mentors. “She knew my Dad (the late Ernest White) well,” said White.

The fact that he and Dr. Cosper both shared artistic and musical talents strengthened their friendship even more.

Although White now lives in Alabaster, he comes to visit her to get “motherly advice. ... Ever since my mother (Alice White) died, I think (Dr. Cosper and I) have an even closer bond. She’s almost my second mother. I really cherish it.”

John “Butch” Lonergan, who taught art at Pell City High from 1968-1991, said Dr. Cosper was his third- and fourth-grade teacher. As such, she was his first formal art instructor.

Lonergan said Dr. Cosper would put poster-board frames around the students’ art pieces, making the creations look professional.

“She influenced me a lot by talking about my work,” Lonergan said. “... She was one of my favorite teachers.”

Lonergan added that the boys in the class thought Dr. Cosper was pretty. “All the boys were crazy about her.”

Dr. Cosper’s influence extends well beyond piano lessons, art appreciation and culinary talents. As an elementary student,

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Betty Cosper

Cut glass and other antiques decorate Betty’s home.

Shell said he struggled with pronouncing words, reading and writing.

Dr. Cosper began to work with him and, within a year, Shell was a reading whiz.

Shortly thereafter, Shell’s parents let him start taking piano lessons from Dr. Cosper.

“She pushed me more than anyone else in my life,” Shell said of the years Dr. Cosper taught him music lessons. “On top of that, I learned how to be happy from Dr. Cosper. If I came into a lesson feeling anything but happy, she figured out a way to make me smile. I learned quickly that life is too short to be angry all the time.”

Dr. Cosper reminisces, too, about school days, which included getting to teach her children, Bill and Carol, when they were in sixthgrade. Often, the school stories Dr. Cosper tells end with her smiling or laughing.

“I had the privilege of teaching with Mrs. Iola Roberts the first year,” Dr. Cosper said, recalling her first teaching position. Roberts was an icon in education in Pell City, and one of the elementary schools bears her name. “I taught third-grade (at Avondale School), and she was my principal. Everyone should have taught under her.

Wow!” Dr. Cosper said she never even applied for the teaching job. She just went to Mrs. Roberts’ house for an interview.

“Every year, (Mrs. Roberts) wrote a play,” Dr. Cosper continued.

“The Comers (who operated Avondale Mills) would come. The whole Mill Village would turn out; the governor, the mayor. ... I had to do all the music,” paint the flats and draw plans for the backdrop.

When Dr. Cosper talks about her school and piano students – what they did then, what they are doing now – a glow inevitably appears on her face.

Each time a former student tells her the influence she had in that person’s life, “I just have to give the Good Lord credit,” she said.

“I’m so glad He directed me to teaching. ... I am so thankful and happy that I had and have the chance to teach many students – all sizes and ages. Once a teacher, always a teacher.” l

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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BACKROADS

Rubye Hall Edge Sisson

Passion of math teacher turned historian becomes a St. Clair treasure

Rubye at her high school graduation 16

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

Story by Joe Whitten Submitted photos Rubye Hall Edge Sisson, a mathematician who in her early years regarded the study of history as time ill-spent, researched and compiled one of the most-often-consulted genealogy reference books in the Ashville Museum and Archives — St. Clair County Marriages 1818-1899.

St. Clair County researchers can be thankful that the mathematician eventually added local history and genealogy to her love for mathematics.

Born March 3, 1926, on Signal Mountain, Tenn., Rubye Hall grew up in Ragland where her father had taken a job with the cement company. She attended elementary school at Coal City and high school at Ragland, graduating in 1943.

At 16 years old, Rubye married Windon Edge. Windon’s first name should have been Windsor after his mother’s maiden name; however, the attending physician wrote “Windon” on the birth certificate. According to family lore related by Rubye’s daughter, Lynn Edge Reeves, Windon’s mother had a letter from Queen Elizabeth II confirming the St. Clair Windsor’s connection with the royal Windsor family in England. “I have never seen the letter,” Lynn confides, “but it makes a good story!”

Some years ago, Darryal Ray of The Birmingham News met Rubye at the Ragland Depot for an interview, and she told him of the day she married Windon, saying, “We had our honeymoon in this (depot) room right there. ... We married in ’42 when the war was going on, and Windon had to work seven days a week.

So, we married on Saturday afternoon, and I came and stayed with him that night so I could be with him.” The marriage lasted from 1942 until 1971 when Windon died. The couple had three children: Lynn, John and Windon.

When Rubye started college at Jacksonville State University, Lynn was a baby. The living arrangements might have been considered strange, for Rubye lived on-campus in a dorm, and Lynn lived with her grandparents in Ragland. However, it can also be seen as Rubye’s determination to obtain college degrees, for she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Jacksonville. Later, she did post-graduate work toward a doctorate at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

With degrees in math, that was what she taught. Her first years were in the Atlanta area where Windon’s work had taken him.

Because she was a short lady, Rubye wore high-heel shoes to come up to “eye level with them,” as Lynn put it; and in telling of the high heels, Lynn recalled how her mother couldn’t resist buying shoes. She wouldn’t wear a new pair immediately. She would put them up for two or three weeks and then get them out to wear. Windon would see them and ask, “Are those new shoes?” “No,” Rubye would reply, “I’ve had them for a while.”

When Windon’s work brought him back to St. Clair, Rubye taught math and science at Ragland for 20 years and then taught advanced math for six years at John Pope Eden Vocational School in Ashville.

Math was the subject Rubye considered worth her time when studying for her degrees. She thought the time was wasted studying the past. Lynn stated it this way: “Mother couldn’t stand history when she was in high school or college either. She just couldn’t see any use for learning history.” Then, when asked how her mother became interested in local history, Lynn continued, “She got interested in genealogy. She wanted to know where she came from, and she realized that history was people’s history.

That’s how she first became interested. ... Once the bug bit her, she was totally bitten.”

Attracting butterflies at Callaway Gardens

A passion for history ignites

Rubye’s search for family history took her to learning the history of Ragland, the town where she lived and grew up. She set about collecting the story of the settling of the area originally called Trout Creek, her early settlers and the development of businesses, schools and churches. Materials collected, she wrote From Trout Creek to Ragland, A History of Ragland, St. Clair County, Alabama, which was published in 1989.

The format of From Trout Creek to Ragland reflects Rubye’s abiding interest in genealogy. The first several chapters deal with the development of the town itself.

However, a little more than a third of the book deals with the genealogies of Ragland folk. This section is divided into the founding families of the 19th century and those families settling in Ragland in the early 20th century.

These genealogies show the families intertwining through marriages and weaves a tapestry of a town and its people.

Perhaps it was the research involved in this book that inspired her to compile St. Clair County Marriages 18171899, which this writer considers her magnum opus. Her introductory paragraph to this volume reads: “The writer has attempted to correlate information from various sources.

These include cemetery listings, deaths recorded at the Ashville Courthouse, and funeral records from the Kilgroe Funeral Home at Pell City. The information is not definitive.

A sincere effort has been made to match persons from the marriage licenses with the tombstone, death, and funeral records. However, it is possible that mismatches have been made. The compiler would welcome any corrections and/or any additional information.”

Following this introduction, she lists 70 cemeteries and their locations.

The licenses are arranged alphabetically by the groom’s surname. For a large number of these, Rubye provided

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Traveling the

BACKROADS High tea at the Apex in London

additional information, as in this one dated Aug. 3, 1835, for Tisdel S. Logan and Nancy Maulden: “Buried at Deerman Chapel Cemetery. T. S. (Rev) 23 Feb 1813-22 Jun. 1901: Nancy 25 Ja.n 1818 — 27 Sep. 1889.”

Some listings include names of parents who gave consent for marriage, whether bride or groom had been married previously, and place of marriage. After the grooms’ section, the book ends with a 67-page index of brides by surname.

St. Clair County Marriages 1817-1899, published in 1990, is a treasure trove for anyone doing St. Clair genealogy.

Also in 1990, Rubye published her one genealogy book, The Fords of Northeast Alabama and Related Families. This Ford history begins in Chester County, S.C., in the 18th century and traces the family through its migrations into Alabama and the late 20th century. The book not only contains names, dates and places, but is also laced with personal recollections from family members.

In discussing her mother’s work on the Ford history, Lynn commented, “I have in my storage room boxes and boxes and boxes of Ford history and Edge history. She was incessant with collecting it.”

In 1996, the St. Clair Historical Society resolved to publish a history of Cook Springs, with the proceeds from the sale to be deposited to the Historical Society’s account. Rubye Sisson and Danny Stewart undertook researching and writing this history and titled it, Sparkling Waters: A History of Cook Springs in St. Clair County, Alabama. With Rubye’s guidance, the book followed the same format as her Ragland book —

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Rubye and Windon Edge on their wedding day

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Traveling the

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Rubye and the Rockettes history and genealogy.

The publication met with good success when it was offered to the public. Gordon E. Harvey, Auburn University, in reviewing the book for The Alabama Review, wrote: “In an age when most genealogical resources merely list names, dates of birth and dates of death of area residents, Sparkling Waters is a welcome change. Not only does the book provide the requisite listings of births and deaths, but it also provides the reader with a brief history of the town’s founding in the mid-nineteenth century, the cultural life of the area, and genealogies of several prominent early families in Cook Springs. … One expects to find this book very soon on the shelves of the Alabama State Archives and the genealogical section of the Birmingham Public Library.”

Stewart recalled Rubye as “A skilled historian who tirelessly endeavored to be as historically accurate as possible.”

Rubye’s enthusiasm for local history led to her involvement with the county historical organization. For many years, she was on the Board of Directors of the St. Clair Historical Society. With this group, she was a docent at the Looney House Museum. Here, she dressed in period costume and gave the history of the house and furnishings as she led visitors though the rooms.

Lynn recounted how her mother was so convincing in telling of “roughing it” in the 1800s with no running water, no indoor bathrooms, etc., that at the end of one tour a little girl looked up at her and said, “Would you like to go home with me?”

Ice carvings at Opryland

Restoring Ragland Depot

Although Rubye researched and wrote the history of Ragland, she gave credit to her second husband, Harold Sisson, for his enthusiasm for the Depot Museum. Rubye married Harold in 1975 after Windon had died in 1971. After Darryal Ray interviewed her about the Depot Museum, he wrote in the Birmingham News: “Rubye Sisson readily admits … it was Harold Sisson who knew the history of most of the items on display. But when it comes to the Depot, she can hold her own since her first husband, Windon Edge, worked for the railroad in this very station as a telegraph operator and later as a

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Rubye and Harold Sisson

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

passenger agent.”

CSX Railroad donated the 1917 depot to the Ragland Historical Society for members to preserve as a museum.

In recalling Rubye and Harold’s work for the success of the Depot Museum, her daughter observed, “My family has a deep attachment to the Depot, because that’s where daddy worked. We didn’t want to see it torn down, so Harold began to negotiate to see if they could get it donated and then get it restored and made a museum. Mother had worked a lot on baseball player Rudy York’s information, and they put a lot of his material in there. … Mother and Harold loved the Rudy York story, partly because Rudy shared a birthday with Harold, which Harold thought was wonderful. But more than that, it is a story of a small-town boy who became a baseball star.”

Also in the museum are artifacts from the Ragland Brick Company and the cement plant. Townsfolk who owned Ragland memorabilia donated items to be on display for visitors.

Rubye had a deep-seated interest in libraries, and for 18 years was on the St. Clair County Library Board. As a member of the Ragland Library Board, she worked to create a new library. In 2008, during a reception at the new Ragland Library, the St. Clair County Commission honored Rubye for her service to the libraries of St. Clair County. Probate Judge Wallace Wyatt Jr. presented her with a resolution from the Commission.

Over the years of her living, Rubye worked diligently for the county she loved and served not only on the library boards and the St. Clair County Historical Society Board, but she also served on the St. Clair Historical Development Commission and St. Clair Tourism Board.

On state and national level, she served on the National Trust for Historical Preservation and the Advisory Council of the Mid-Alabama Area Agency on Aging.

Her genealogy interests led to memberships in the Northeast Alabama Genealogical Society, the AlaBenton Genealogy Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Somewhere along life’s pathway, she began writing poems, and this was her talent when she won the title Miss Senior St. Clair County. She called her five-stanza poem, “Timeless Beauty.” In this work, she observed that true beauty is “not a shallow thing” but that It is as deep as the soul can reach To feel another’s pain.

It is as wide as the heart can smile To bring sunshine through the rain.

She ends the poem by observing that Beauty can be seen by all In the gracious love one gives, Not in the length of life But in the life one lives.

In August of 2012, Rubye was in the hospital with heart failure. Tired and quite ill, she told her family, “I’m ready to go home.” The family understood she wanted to go to her Ragland home, but they also realized that she knew the end was near and was looking toward her eternal home as well. The hospital acceded to Rubye’s wishes and dismissed her. Her children took her home to Ragland, where on Aug. 9, with Lynn, John and Windon at her bedside, she went home.

In Rubye Hall Edge Sisson’s 86 years, she made significant contributions to St. Clair County, both in the life she lived and the body of work she left for researchers of today and tomorrow. We owe her a debt of gratitude.

Hers was a life well-lived. l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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LADY PANTHERS Thirty years after remarkable state championship basketball run, Lady Panthers still winning – at life Story by Paul South Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr. and Melissa Purvis McClain

Looking over memorabilia

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When Larry Slater arrived at Pell City High School from Lawrence County in 1987, the Lady Panthers were mired in a girls’ basketball backwater.

“They had a token program at best,” Slater said. “I think they had only played like 10 games the year before. They had a team just to meet the requirements of Title IX – barely.”

In a single season, all that changed. Slater and a group of young ladies with a blue-collar work ethic that mirrored their hometown transformed the Lady Panthers from patsy to powerhouse.

You could call it the “Mill Town Miracle.”

Thirty years later, the 1988 5A State Champions are still winning, as successful in life as they were on the court.

And looking back, some call it “amazing,” others compare it to a fairy tale. But Tonya Tice Peoples, who came to Pell City from Lawrence County when her Dad, Mike Tice, became Pell City’s head football coach and hired Slater as the girls’ hoops coach, puts it more simply: “… There were no individuals. That’s why the bond is what it is. You can be on a team but not really experience team. If you are ever on a team, and you experience team, you’ll never forget it.”

“There’s a difference, being on a team and actually being able to experience experiencing team. That’s when you don’t have people who are so individual and want to make it about themselves. That’s what I’d want people to know about our team,” she said.

There is so much more to know. From the first day Slater came to Pell City, his new players learned quickly that there was a new sheriff in town. And Slater learned something about his players. He had coached Tice Peoples and Danielle Fields Frye in AAU summer leagues, but everything else was unknown.

“I knew going in that I had two really good ballplayers – Danielle and Tonya – and then the rest was just astonishing, as far as the girls and their hunger for basketball and willingness to work, and everything was amazing.”

And his girls from the blue-collar town were ready to work.

Slater, who began as a teacher at the middle school, found that out right away.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

BASKETBALL 1988

Champs honored at halftime, from left: Danielle Fields Frye, Tonya Tice Peoples, Coach Larry Slater, Erica Collins Johnson, Melissa Purvis McClain.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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LADY PANTHERS

Pell City Councilman Jay Jenkins welcomes return of hometown heroes.

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“The Pell City kids would come from the high school to the middle school where I was, and the kids would yell, ‘Hey Coach, are you going to open the gym tonight? ‘And I thought, “Man, I’ve died and gone to heaven. That’s how it started.”

The gates to Slater’s basketball heaven opened earlier. The preceding summer, he opened the gym daily, so the girls could shoot. The road to a state title began there. In those grueling practices, in summer and throughout the season, the light began to come on for the Lady Panthers, said Melissa Purvis McClain.

“To be honest, it was Coach Slater. We were all like sponges when it came to him and his instruction and his philosophy and his game plan. We began to see that if we execute his game plan we will do this. I think for a lot of the players who had already been there, they finally had someone who believed in them and who pushed them. I was not only learning his ways and his philosophy, I was learning the game of basketball at the same time,” Purvis McClain said.

The gym would be open, and players would stay late, working on their game. It was a demanding regimen, executing a runand-gun Loyola-Marymount-style offense and a relentlesslypressing Big 10-style defense. But from day one, the players – starving to win – embraced the new coach and his style.

“It was all about making us better people and better players. A lot of it was him. He was hard on us. He demanded excellence, and if you didn’t deliver it, we ran for it. It was just gradually building confidence that we could go out there and win games.”

And win games they did, a new sensation for the Lady Panthers, said Danielle Fields Frye. She had played in two of the lean seasons before Slater’s arrival “Pell City Girls Basketball had never had a winning season, to the point where what our team did,” Frye said. “We had a few wins here or there, but no one ever considered us much of a threat. We came from nowhere.”

At that time, the universe of prep girls’ basketball in Alabama consisted of Hartselle, Sylacauga, Athens, schools in the big cities like Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery and Huntsville.

“For us, we literally came from out of nowhere,” Frye said. ‘It was like (the movie) Hoosiers.”

By the numbers, the Lady Panthers went 26-1 in 1987-88, including three wins over rival Sylacauga, the Aggies only losses of the year.

And the greatest win, the one grown folks still talk about in Pell City, came over a girls’ basketball machine, the nationallyranked Hartselle Lady Tigers in the state title game. Hartselle had won 62 straight games from 1984-86. Compounding the drama: Slater’s daughter Jeanice was a starter for Hartselle.

“The publicity was unreal as far as Jeanice and I playing against each other in the championship game,” Slater said. “It was packed for the first time ever.”

Panther fans had an admonition for their coach, because of his family tie.

“Some of ‘em would say, ‘Now Coach, we know you love your little girl, but you have an obligation to these girls,’” Slater said with a laugh.

And as hard as the Lady Panthers worked, there was also a team chemistry that went beyond the gym – trips to KFC, movie nights, and so on. The team was a unit. And, they also possessed a twinkle of mischief.

A few days before the Final Four, an unhappy Slater bounced his starters from practice.

“We went and got some toilet paper and started rolling

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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LADY PANTHERS Coach’s car,” Tice Peoples remembered. “A police officer came up. We got scared, but she told us we weren’t doing it right. She helped us roll the car.”

That was just one example of a town’s embrace of a team.

Townspeople raised money to support the team and bought team gear. Lady Panther Basketball sweatshirts were a hot item in shops where storefronts were painted black and gold. It was that way all the way to the finals.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME The Lady Panthers trailed by two and had the ball. As Tice Peoples moved up the floor, she looked to the sidelines to get Slater’s instruction. The arena at Calhoun Community College in Decatur was jammed with a standing-room-only crowd. Even 30 years on, Slater and his players recalled the breathtaking details of those closing seconds.

A Hartselle defender knocked the ball away from behind but was quickly fouled by Pell City’s April Hughes with 8.3 seconds left. The Tiger player had entered the game with 1:38 left, replacing Jeanice Slater, who had fouled out. Pell City’s coach called a time out to ice the shooter, who went to the line to shoot a one and one.

Slater then called a familiar play: “Sideline break, make or miss, with Tonya shooting the three.” It was a play the Lady Panthers practiced nearly every day.

The Hartselle shooter missed. And Danielle Fields Frye grabbed the rebound.

“I really didn’t have to fight for it,” Frye said of her big board. She passed the ball quickly to Tice Peoples. Hartselle crowded the lane, expecting the talented guard to drive to the basket. Instead, she stopped to the right of the key, outside the three-point line and drilled the shot, giving Pell City the lead with four seconds left.

A stunned Tiger team failed to call a time out. Precious seconds drained from the clock. And the Panthers’ astonishing run was complete. Final score: 77-76, Lady Panthers. Keep in mind, Pell City trailed by 15 in the third quarter.

Thirty years later, Tice Peoples’ only remembered emotion heading into the game-winning bucket was anger at giving up a turnover.

“He looks right at me and says, ‘You’re going to shoot the three. You’re going to take the shot,’” she said. “I wasn’t nervous, because I was still mad about what had happened.”

So, I was ready to make a play mentally. I just was hoping she didn’t make the shot. Everybody just did their job. We had practiced it. Everybody was underneath in case I did miss it, and it goes in.”

History made. The Pell City High School Lady Panthers were champions, the school’s first state title team in the history of the AHSAA playoff format in any sport. But Slater believes the upset win meant more than a championship for one school.

It was a landmark win in the history of girls’ prep sports in Alabama, a state that at one-time prohibited girls’ sports.

“Some people don’t like for me to say it, but I’m going to say it anyway,” Slater said. “It really helped launch girls’ basketball in the state of Alabama.”

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STILL WINNERS The years have flown like a Lady Panther fast break. Some of the Lady Panthers went on to play college basketball at Auburn, Alabama, Troy, the University of Montevallo and Columbus College. Slater went on after two sparkling years at Pell City to become a successful junior college coach at Wallace-Hanceville, recruiting some of his former Pell City stars along the way.

Like Slater, Tonya Tice Peoples became a teacher and coach.

After working in NASCAR, Danielle Fields Frye is director of community engagement for the United States Auto Club (USAC) and lives with her husband and two daughters outside Indianapolis. Melissa Purvis McClain is an engineer. Erica Collins Johnson, like McClain, is still in Pell City. Alicia Moss Ogletree and Kathy Vaughn – a distinguished military veteran -- are still in the area as well. April Hughes is in the fashion industry in New York.

Sadly, one beloved teammate, Nikki Golden, passed away a few years after the fairy tale season. Collins-Johnson’s Mom Alice, one of the team’s most devoted fans, died a few months after the championship.

Slater has kept up with them all. And they with him. Many of his former players say he was “a second Dad.” He’s followed them through their lives and now keeps up with their children. If he had to sum up his team after 30 years, he said, it’s about more than basketball. And that’s the way he wanted it all along.

“They were not to be denied,” he said. “They wanted to play the game. And they wanted to be good at the game. I think that last ballgame just showed the sheer determination of that team.

Not just one person. It was April Hughes committing the foul.

It was Danielle getting the rebound on the missed free throw.

Tonya making the shot. It’s unreal what the kids accomplished – then and now.” l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Odenville Library

A thriving centerpiece of the community

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

Story and photos by Jerry C. Smith “We’re not closing!,” insisted Odenville Library Assistant Pamela Falbo. “People call here asking us that because they’d read something about one of Ashville’s libraries closing, and they think we are, too.” Far from it, folks. Odenville’s library is alive and thriving as a comprehensive community and information resource center.

By definition, most libraries have books, but Odenville adds state-of-the art electronics and internet functions as well as hosting numerous club meetings and sponsoring community activities.

Their shelves house more than 18,000 books, plus hundreds of digital audio books, movies and music albums. As a subscriber to Overdrive Consortium, they have available more than 35,000 e-books which can be “borrowed” by downloading to your reader or computer.

Much of this material was bought from book brokers at heavy discounts, sponsored by the Library Service and Technology Act (LSTA). In addition, a group called Friends of Odenville Public Library has contributed large amounts of members’ time and resources toward many fund-raisers and programs.

Forget the “hush” reputation of yesterday’s libraries, Library Director Betty Corley says, “We’re not a quiet place. Unlike some old-fashioned libraries, we talk normally and enjoy everyone’s company. We like visiting with each other and laughing out loud. We love all our people and encourage everyone to come, whether they want to read or not.”

Pam likens Odenville Library to a barbershop or hair salon, where people gather to enjoy the nice, warm atmosphere and each other’s company. Library assistant Corey Dunn adds, “Our patrons become like family. We get to know each other and go above and beyond for our family.”

And the community shows its appreciation. In a recent Letter To The Editor in the St. Clair Times, Odenville citizen Nancy Phillips said, “Always considerate and helpful, the librarians there have allowed me to read wonderful books without any cost. I urge everyone to meet Corey and Betty and explore our local library.”

Activities plentiful

Odenville Library’s Ukulele Club meets monthly, filling the meeting room with sweet music from ukes, banjos, dobros or any other small stringed instrument. They also provide free ukulele lessons and a loaner ukelele to try before buying. The group has played for local events such as Homestead Hollow and Oktoberfest in Moody.

Other groups meeting there include several book clubs, an Adult Color art club, a crochet club which embraces any sort of hand needlework, Book Bingo, and art and summer reading programs for children.

The library actively participates in yearly events, such as the Halloween Trick-Or-Trunk, Odenville’s Christmas parade and most other community activities. They’ve sponsored numerous lectures, dedication festivities and many unique programs for children. A favorite was Frankin-Animals, in which several stuffed animals were taken apart and re-sewn together with mixed body parts into toy chimeras like the world had never seen.

There’s a used book store on the property, with hundreds of books and other materials at low, yard-sale prices. The brainchild of Betty’s husband, Al Corley, the store was built six years ago in a salvaged building that had been moved near

Library patron Vinetta Blow, librarians Corey Dunn, Betty Corley and Pam Falbo

the library’s back door. Just beyond the bookstore is a small landscaped area with benches suitable for quiet reading or reflection.

A few yards farther back is a community storm shelter that can shield more than a hundred people against the worst storms. Equipped with bathroom, generator and a shatterproof window, it’s open to all who seek emergency cover, whether or not they’re residents. Corley wrote a grant for it after touring the shelter factory.

A storied history

The library’s very existence is a story unto itself. There have been three since 1960, all within a hundred feet of each other. From humble beginnings in a tiny cinder-block storage building to today’s sleek, modern facility, the library is a living testament to community spirit, selfless dedication to purpose and good local government.

Former Librarian Mary Banks recalls her days in the first location, “We barely had room to turn around. There wasn’t even a bathroom. For years I had to walk to City Hall to use theirs, but the Methodist Church next door graciously offered me a key so I could avail myself of a much closer convenience.”

The block building, which now serves as storage for the church, was tiny by any standard, but it was a start. Books were donated from various county libraries, schools and private citizens, and from a bookmobile from Pell City, which visited regularly.

Beginning with Mrs. J.A. Stovall, other librarians serving in

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Odenville Library All three locations of Odenville libraries

the original building included Mrs. Molly Byers; two students, Brenda Layfield and Ann Doran; and the aforementioned Mrs. Banks.

When the block building became inadequate, the old city bank next door became available and was modified into a working library in 1985, with Mary as librarian. The building is currently occupied by Fortson Museum, a must-see for Odenville visitors and residents.

In earlier years it had hosted a bank, post office, doctor and water board and was occupied at the time by a lady tenant on one side and Laura’s Bakery on the other. Mary says that after the library moved in, Laura often let her sample new products, none of which were consistent with maintaining a trim figure.

Government grants became available for buying books, but Mary says a lot of them were moved from the other library, donated by citizens, even bought by Mary herself. When a second area became available, Mary moved the library’s local history items into a new Alabama Room.

them, finally getting the police involved but, for some reason, they never checked the library. Mary eventually noticed the search activity and told them the boys were safe and sound.

Mary served there for a number of years before moving into her final job as librarian when the present facility opened in 2003. She says the new library resulted from a truly monumental effort over a period of about 12 years. It was a grand effort that was embraced by the entire community, from private citizens to the town and county governments.

Mary’s husband, Jim Banks, was mayor at the time, and strongly supported the new library along with the City Council and numerous local civic and business leaders.

It’s situated on land formerly occupied by the historic Cahaba Hotel, which was condemned and torn down because bricks were falling from its walls and endangering passersby.

Just inside the front door is a low divider wall built of bricks salvaged from the site, Mary remarked, “I wanted to name it Odenville Community

Focusing on children

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Children have always been a real priority. The library hosted many speakers, costumed storytellers and youth activities.

A frequent visitor was the late Bill Compton, brother of Odenville’s Ralph Compton, a prolific and popular author of western novels whose works often made the USA Today bestseller lists.

Besides entertaining children, Bill also worked on the Country Boy Eddie TV show. He later donated his brother’s custom-made cowboy boots and hat to the library. They are currently on display with other items at the present library in a window showcase built by local craftsman Robert Blow.

It has become a natural gathering place for young people.

Mary recalls an incident involving two young boys who came to the library but had neglected to tell anyone where they were going. Their parents combed the neighborhood looking for

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Odenville Library Library because it was built by the community itself, but they chose Odenville Public Library instead because it was owned by the town.” Mary’s claim is backed up by a wall covered with plaques listing some of the larger contributors but adds that practically everyone in town had something to do with it, whether by actual work, contributions or supporting various fund-raisers.

Betty has also worked tirelessly to update and fine tune the facility, writing grants for new book purchases, kitchen appliances and other improvements.

The library has truly marvelous woodwork throughout, much of which was done by state and local prisoners. They standardized all the shelving and built the checkout desk and children’s reading room furniture.

The prisoners, who earned pay for their work through grant funding, were furnished by Red Eagle Honor Farm and Alabama Correctional Industries.

Inside special locked cabinets can be found books dating into the 1700s, along with doll collections and several signed first editions. There is also an extensive local history section for researchers. Genealogists will enjoy these features as well as various family-tree services available on the library’s public computers.

The library shares resources and exhibits with Fortson Museum, located in the previous library site across the street. Both places are strongly supported by local historians such as Joe Whitten, Brenda and Paul Riddle, Ann Coupland, and many others who recognize them as true historical resource sites.

The library works in close accord with St. Clair Historical Development Center, which serves as research liaison between the County Commission, local historical society, Ashville Archives and other historical interests.

When asked about the library’s future, Betty is quick to answer that they’d like to expand into even more technology and alternative learning methods. She envisions a new wing that will offer hands-on learning across several age groups. “I’d like to see kids be able to take computers apart and tinker with robotics, as well as other skills not taught in public schools,” she said. “We need more emphasis on modern technology that goes beyond simply operating a laptop or cell phone.”

Odenville Public Library now serves more than 10,000 patrons while sharing close rapport with other area libraries and communities. People wishing to donate current fiction and Alabama history books are always welcomed. The used book store also accepts donated books.

Betty suggests that books may also be donated to the Well House in Odenville, a women’s shelter library.

Hours are Tuesday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed for lunch from noon until 1 p.m. The book store opens the first Friday of every month, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Betty, Cory and Pam have this shared message for everyone: “Drop by, get a library card and give us a try.” l

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Al Corley advises patron Joan Wright in used book store

Original Odenville library ca. 1960

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Barber shop: Memories of days gone by Story and photos by Jerry C. Smith Joseph Snyder has cut hair for most of his life. His barbershop in Odenville is a local mecca for men wanting a good, old-fashioned haircut and lively conversation on most any subject from politics to you-name-it.

“While I’m qualified and licensed to do most any hair style for either gender, my main business is cutting hair for men,” he said.

But Joe also has a more rugged side; until recently, he was a professional wrestler.

He fought under the name Outlaw, combined with whatever area he was in, such as Texas Outlaw, Alabama Outlaw, etc. Joe was a crowd favorite during the early days of local wrestling, locking horns with famous fighters like Tojo Yamamoto and Len Rossi.

During his tenure at Alabama State Barber College in Roebuck, he was apprenticed to Ben Angwin, who operated Hair Hut in Moody. He later bought out the Hut with a partner when Angwin retired.

Over the years, Joe has barbered at many other locations, including Childersburg, Sylacauga, Birmingham, and two shops in Pell City, building a loyal clientele who still patronizes his shop today.

He attends to the tonsorial needs of many of the crowned heads of several counties, including mayors, councilmen, commissioners and judges. You never know whom you will encounter in his unassuming little shop at the front end of a miniwarehouse nestled behind Lil Mart on Sanie Road.

Born, raised and educated in St. Clair County and currently living in a historic mining company home in Acmar, Joe is a family man with several children in college and high school.

The shop is decorated with vintage LP record covers from a family stash of more than a thousand albums and an impressive array of Star Trek/Star Wars books, movies, action figures and other collectibles.

Prices are quite reasonable. A standard haircut is $9; $8 for seniors, $7 for kids, and beard trims are only two bucks. Business hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

If you miss the old days of getting a real man’s haircut while chatting on most any subject with Joe and whomever else is hanging around, Snyder’s Old Fashion Barbershop could be the place you’ve been seeking in a world increasingly filled with beauty shops, salons and styling studios. l

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Chris Sanders gets the royal treatment.

Snyders Old Fashion Barbershop

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Pets & Prayers

Bringing parishoners together at Springville Presbyterian

Debby McDonald and J.T,. the pomeranian

Story by Jackie Romine Walburn Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr. Springville Presbyterian Church, the recently restored historic church whose bells still echo through downtown Springville on Sunday mornings, has gone to the dogs – at least on the first Sunday of every month.

Members of the church say the evolution of its dog-friendly services began when a recently widowed church member brought her tiny new puppy, J.T., to church with her one Sunday in February 2017. After J.T. charmed fellow church goers, the small congregation began to plan a dog-centered outreach event.

The church-sponsored community event July 8, 2017, was a special Saturday afternoon that included a chance to

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adopt rescue dogs from a Blount County shelter, an artist that specializes in pet drawings and blessings for pets straight from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

At the worship service that afternoon, dogs sat in laps, stood beside their owners or curled up in their doggie beds as the congregation sang about “all creatures great and small” from Presbyterian hymn number 267, All Things Bright and Beautiful.

Now-retired minister Tom Winter preached about St. Francis of Assisi, who was known to sing to birds, once calmed a killer wolf and spoke often of the relationship between God, man and animals.

“If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men,” is one of St. Francis’ famous quotes.

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Pets & Prayers

Debby McDonald and J.T,. the pomeranian who helped start the dog-friendly tradition at Springville Presbyterian Church, and, second row, Dale Thompson (in aqua), and Rev. Debbie Feagin, and, third row, Dorothy McNutt, Ann Gilmore and Frankie Tatum.

Following the service, Rev. Winter and ordained minister Debbie Feagin individually blessed all 12 dogs in attendance.

“It was a wonderful day,” Rev. Feagin recalls.

Since the dog day event was such a success – with folks in the community calling and asking when the next dog service would be held – and because the church, with 32 members on roll, looks for creative ways to attract folks to their church, the dog-friendly first Sunday service was soon approved by church membership.

Meanwhile, the church that was founded in 1872 and built in 1873 began a restoration effort that involved church and community members and transformed the interior of the white steepled church. Volunteers from Teen Challenge, a nonprofit serving young people and a group dear to many church members, helped pull up the dingy carpet, revealing heart pine floors. Those antique floors were refinished, and the maroon velvet covering the bead board altar area was removed, the board cleaned and painted white. The handmade pews, crafted from handmade nails, were cleaned and painted.

By the time the first official first Sunday dog-friendly 11 a.m.

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worship service arrived, the carpet that might have tempted canine guests was gone, and the church gleamed bright and welcoming. “It doesn’t look like the same sanctuary,” says Frankie Tatum, a church member who is in training as a lay pastor.

Attendance – of people and dogs – has remained steady or increased with each first Sunday, church members say. In February, attendance was 16 people and nine dogs.

“You’d be surprised how good the dogs are,” said Rev. Feagin, who is now acting minister at the church. Feagin says the first time she saw animals in church was on a mission trip to Honduras when a dog walked in and sat down for an open-air Catholic service. “Birds were flying through,” Feagin recalls.

“It was amazing, really.”

Church member Debby McDonald, who brought the first dog – as far as anyone knows – to Springville Presbyterian, says she’s glad the visit by her black Pomeranian J.T. back in early 2017 helped start the new tradition at her church.

A member of the church since moving to Springville in 2006 from Columbus, Miss., with her late husband, Jerry, McDonald

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Pets & Prayers Springville Presbyterian Church

says she got J.T. – which stands for James Titus or Just Trouble when he’s acting up – after her husband died in September of 2016.

“We always wanted a dog, and J.T. helps with the loneliness,” she says.

She’d only been to church alone once since her husband died. Sitting by herself in the pew where she always had Jerry at her side felt strange and sad, she recalls. Then, one Sunday J.T., then a puppy that could have fit into an offering plate, seemed under the weather, and she didn’t want to leave him at home. So, she brought him to church with her. The church welcomed J.T. “He was a big hit, for sure,” she recalls.

Now, J.T. has canine company on first Sundays. Church member Dorothy McNutt has brought along her dog Lexie, a 40-pound mixed breed rescue dog. “He did well and did not bark,” McNutt said proudly. The dogs meet and greet, too, as the congregation does, and there have been no growls or tiffs, only lots of sniffing and an occasional howl along with the music.

“It’s sort of like when you have your child in the pew with you, you want them to behave, and you are probably much more concerned about that behavior than anyone else,” Rev. Feagin says.

The first Sunday dog friendly services are officially on a six-month trial period, but members seem to agree that it’s likely to become a tradition. The idea has brought new people and pups to church and has helped Springville Presbyterian Church spread the word that all are welcome.

“I do not think God has a problem with it,” concludes Rev. Feagin. “He does welcome all creatures great and small.” l

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

Let the Season Begin!

Discover The essence of St. Clair Special Magazine Section April & May 2018

l WHAT’S NEW ON THE WATER: Page 42 l CANOE CREEK PARK: Page 50 l CANOE HARBOR: Page 54 l FISHING SPOTS: Page 64 l LOCAL JOE’S: Page 74 l MODES OF TRANSPORTATION: Page 80 l LAKEFEST: Page 82

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2017

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Take to the Water It’s the age of three pontoons and high technology Story by Graham Hadley submitted photos Each year brings with it a host of new styles and technological breakthroughs that drive every facet of consumer buying, and boats and other watercraft are no exception.

For years, people looking to get out on Logan Martin and Neely Henry Lakes basically had three choices in boats, each specialized in its own way for very specific tasks. You had traditional fiberglass motor boats and ski boats for anyone looking for speed and tow-behind recreation.

Pontoon boats filled the role of floating patio and entertainment area — they could get you around the lake to restaurants or islands and made great swim platforms, but did not get you there very fast.

And then there are the bass boats, designed to get fishing enthusiasts to their favorite spot on the lake in the least amount of time.

But all of that has changed now. While the traditional boats are still out there for anyone who wants them, boating enthusiasts have many more options available to them.

That is driving strong boat sales across the region, from Sylacauga Marine in the south to Buck’s Island near Gadsden.

“Sales have been good. We have seen a continuation from last year. Boat sales are up nationwide across the board — up more than 20 percent in January for our region based on boat registration for the state of Alabama,” said Mark Hildebrant, general manager at Woods Surfside Marina in Pell City.

The Age of the Tritoon

By far, pontoon boats are one of the top watercraft used on local lakes today. And while many people still pilot boats with two pontoons, if current sales trends are any indication, boats with three pontoons — tritoons — will soon rule the water.

Hildebrant says that around 80 percent of their boat sales are tritoons.

Other boat dealers in the area are reporting similar sales, and the key is the versatility of the tritoons. They combine the functionality of both a ski boat and a traditional pontoon boat in one

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DISCOVER LakeLife • LET THE 2018 SEASON BEGIN

Pontoon control console

Tritoon pontoon boats are becoming top sellers.

Take to the Water Today’s pontoon boats are fast enough to tow behind

package.

“We are having a lot of interest in the tritoon pontoon boats, with 200-plus horsepower engines. That’s a lot of what we have been selling.

“It’s just a versatile boat. They are fast enough now that you can pull skiers, wakeboarders and people in inner tubes. They can do that and still let a lot of people ride in comfort — you get that ‘floating back yard deck’ to entertain all your friends on,” said Rodney Humphries, owner of Rondey’s Marine in Cropwell.

The trick is in how the extra center pontoon ads buoyancy and the design of the pontoons lets the boat ride on top of the water and corner better at high speeds, something most double pontoon boats can’t do as well.

“A double pontoon gets pushed through the water. The tritoon rides on top of the water. It is more stable and can turn sharper because it banks into the turn. A normal pontoon boat leans out of the turns,” Hildebrant said.

Paul Davis, general manager at Trident Marine Logan Martin at Lakeside, said they sell boats from Forest River, including the South Bay line, and the one-piece composite bodies on their tritoons also make a big difference in how the boats perform.

“They are just lighter and faster. It gives them a lot better ride,” he said. “The double pontoons have a nice ride, super smooth, but the tritoons are like riding on air.”

And it’s not just the tritoon boat design that is making the boats so popular. Because they can

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Swingback seating

Pontoon with an overhead bar

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ride on plane — on top of the water like a fiberglass motorboat — they also can handle larger engines than their two-pontoon counterparts.

“That is what people are looking for, 150 hp and up — up to 300 hp. The higher horsepower motors are better for pulling skiers and wakeboarders,” Davis said. “That means they don’t have to buy a second ski boat.”

Hildebrant agrees, “People are looking for bigger engines. We even sold one this year at the boat show with two 300-horsepower engines. That’s a 600 horsepower boat. … They are fast; 200 horsepower will get you 40 mph on a pontoon boat.”

Speed comes with a price — a 600 horsepower boat can run in the neighborhood of $200,000.

But all the boat dealers said that is another advantage of the pontoon boats, both the two- and three-pontoon models: There is a price point for everyone, depending on the boat, the size of the engine and what other features you are looking for.

“We start at $28,900 for a boat, trailer and a 115 hp Yamaha motor,” Hildebrant said.

Boating add-ons

While the size of the boat and the motor can be big factors in the price point, so can the amenities and options. And that is true not just of the pontoon boats, but any watercraft.

And like the tritoon, electronic technology is rapidly becoming the king of the water when it comes to boating add-ons.

This year, one of the must-have options, especially on the pontoon boats, are RGB LED lighting packages. RGB stands for the colors red, green and blue — the same colors a TV uses — and can be combined to create millions of colors.

“Our biggest-selling option are the RGB lighting packages. They can change to 13 different colors.

You can set it to one color, have it change to another,” Hildebrant said, adding that you can make the lights flash and move in patterns.

The lighting can run around the inside of the boat, under seating and around cup-holders.

“The LEDs are a big deal,” Davis said. “Now they are putting them under the water, too. You can hook up your smart phone to the lights through bluetooth and make them change colors, strobe, do all sorts of cool things.”

He pointed out that having a boat well lit while stationary at night has some added safety benefits — it makes the boat more visible and makes it easier to see anyone in the water.

“With all the gatherings on the water, lakeside restaurants and bars, you want to be well lit. It’s just safer.”

All the boat dealers pointed out that there are laws governing how the lights are used after dark, especially for boats under way, so make sure you are

46

RGB LED lighting under the seats and under the water

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Take to the Water familiar with all the marine boating laws when using the lighting packages.

The RGB lights are not the only cutting-edge technology making its way onto the water in 2018. For years, digital dashboards and touch-screen navigation have been used in cars and are now coming into high demand for boats.

Humphries said Rodney’s Marine has been installing and selling that equipment across all their boat lines.

“This year, we are doing a lot of the more-high-end GPS navigation systems with big touch screens,” he said. “People really want those larger screens on their devices and touch-screen technology,” he said. Some of their new boats come with the equipment already onboard, others they are doing installations on.

And the technology does not stop there, Davis said.

“The dashboards, all the gauges, the navigation are touch screen. It’s becoming like many cars — the old analog dials are being replaced by animated touch screens. They are even putting in rear-facing cameras. You can watch your skier on camera,” he said.

“Some of our boats have recessed cup holders with USB ports, per cushion, so people can charge their phones.”

Beyond technology on the pontoon boats, most of the options are focused on comfort and making the boats more versatile.

Davis said a number of the pontoon boats boast towers on them for pulling skiers. “Some are motorized; you can hit a switch and fold them up and down.”

Hildebrant said they are seeing more demand for something that was growing in popularity last year — the swing-back lounge that folds out across the back of their pontoon boats so people can lounge. For safety underway, there is an extra rail around the back of those boats.

Digital gauges and navigation

LED cup holders and charging station

Beyond the pontoon

Though many people are opting for the increasingly versatile pontoon boats, fishing and other recreational boats are still an important part of the local market.

And like the pontoon boats, versatility is becoming an important part of this market, especially when it comes to fishing boats.

Humphries said traditional bass boats are strong sellers, but he continues to see demand growing for center-console fishing boats, especially since they can be used for recreational boating in addition to fishing. And they can be set up to run on the lake or be towed to the coast and taken out in the intercoastal waterway and, in some cases, even the ocean.

“A lot of people who have been buying these have been fishing the lakes for striped bass and crappie and then taking them down to the coast for vacations and fishing,” he said. “Like the tritoons, they are a more versatile boat. They have more seating so you can go fishing or take people for a ride.”

As bass boats are still the primary watercraft for dedicated fishermen, for people into competition, skiing and wakeboarding have their own specialty boats, with options like computercontrolled ballast that can adjust the wake from a foot all the way up to waves large enough to surf on without a tow rope.

Like the pontoon boats, the price points vary from starter boats — even quality used fishing and ski boats — to the sky-is-thelimit models. And different marine dealers specialize in different lines. Sylacuaga Marine, for example, specializes in Nitro Fishing and Tracker as just two of their boat types. Shop around; there is something out there for everyone. l

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Center console fishing boat

DISCOVER LakeLife • LET THE 2018 SEASON BEGIN

Ariana Crocker, Bobby Crocker and Anna Crocker of Ashville enjoy a spring day of fishing on one of the new piers.

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DISCOVER LakeLife • LET THE 2018 SEASON BEGIN

Canoe Creek Park

New park haven for anglers, boaters, vacationers on Neely Henry

Commissioner Jeff Brown enjoys seeing the dream come to fruition.

Story by Paul South Photos by Carol Pappas

Though decades have sped by since Jeff Brown’s boyhood growing up near Neely Henry Lake, his memories are as fresh as a newly-baked biscuit, or freshly-caught crappie squirming on a line.

“It’s been a marina forever,” Brown said.

“When I was a kid, I remember running home from school, jumping in the boat and trying to catch some fish,” Brown, now a St. Clair County commissioner, said. But fishing for crappie and striped bass were only part of what hooked Brown on Neely Henry.

His voice cracked with emotion as he recalled camping with family near the lake. “I still remember my Mama making gravy and biscuits when we would be in our camper out there,” Brown said. “I’ve got a lot of great memories there.”

After investing more than $1 million to build the new Canoe Creek Boat Launch on Neely Henry, St. Clair County hopes to create a new batch of precious memories for current and future generations.

For many years, the launch was owned

by Tom Willard, who eventually sold the facility to the county. For years, the county maintained the facility, until it learned of some grant funding available from the Alabama Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In 2008-09, the county was awarded a $750,000 grant. The county came up with the additional funds.

“That got the ball rolling,” Brown said.

The refurbished launch was unveiled last year.

“It’s a great facility,” Brown said.

“We’ve got about 80 parking places for truck and trailer, 85 boat slips, four handicapped accessible slips, a floating dock you can put boats under in inclement weather, two fantastic docks, three lanes wide, to launch a boat from… In 2019, they are going to lower the water some, and the state is going to come in and add another 30 feet to the existing ramps.

You’ll be able to launch in any kind of water then, whether it’s up or down. It’s been a great project.

“There’s also room for fishing off the banks of the lake. You can carry the kids down there and sit on the rocks and fish.

DISCOVER LakeLife • LET THE 2018 SEASON BEGIN

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Canoe Creek Park Covered boat slips and piers for fishing

Aerial shot of parking, launch, piers and covered slips

Boaters already taking advantage of launching facilities.

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It’s a very productive place to fish,” Brown said.

That productivity – waters teeming with bass and crappie – won’t only lure beginning anglers, but the county hopes some of the best fishermen in the world will come to Neely Henry for competitive fishing tournaments. In fact, tournaments may be a part of life at the new launch as early as this summer.

“It’s one of the targets I’d like to see it reach,” Brown said. “I’ve had people contact me already about holding bass tournaments and crappie-thons. I think it’s coming together quickly.”

Public and private efforts on the waters of St. Clair County like the new launch, kayaking, camping and cycling areas, picnic areas and new lakefront residential development, are helping transform the county into a hotspot for environmental tourism, from Logan Martin to Neely Henry, from Canoe Creek to Chandler Mountain.

Gene Phifer, president of the Neely Henry Lake Association, said the new launch has created a positive buzz.

“We have been down there and kept track of the progress. As far as being a functional, nice boat launch, it’s fully functional. There is a lot of excitement about it. It’s a beautiful facility.”

Brown agrees. “It’s a tremendous draw. Pleasure boating is a big thing on our lake,” Brown said. “You can’t just put a pontoon in any water. You have to have a good ramp and good water.”

The Canoe Creek Boat Launch project is close to Brown’s heart. He hopes the place will become special to visitors and locals alike. His own family camped at Evans Marina, only three miles from the new launch.

“I’m teared-up now,” Brown said. “Good times are hard to beat. I have a lot of good memories.

I remember waking up to my Mama’s breakfast cooking. And we had fried crappie for supper a lot of times.”

As for the future of the launch and Neely Henry Lake, Brown is optimistic.

“I just see it continuing to grow. Growth is great as long as it’s done right, and that’s been the case with the private sector and with the county commission and the store owners,” Brown said. “It’s got to help Etowah County and Ragland, too. That’s what I love about the launch. It’s reaching out to a lot of different areas.”

Kelley Taft, engineer on the project, couldn’t agree more. She noted that the design “highlights the quiet lake community as a fishing asset. The marina is ADA compliant and creates inclusive access for people with a range of abilities. County Engineer Dan Dahlke and his staff did an amazing job implementing the design with skilled county construction crews.”

Brown is as clear as the lake water when he talks about the growth on Neely Henry. It’s about being a good neighbor to locals and tourists alike.

“I want to grow in a way that the neighbors are proud of it. I don’t want to be the new kid on the block that runs the neighbors off. I want the neighbors to say, ‘Wow, look at what we’ve got.’” l

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Building a Dream Canoe Harbor to showcase Alabama’s ‘hidden gem’

Story by Paul South Photos by Carol Pappas Submitted Photos From the air, Neely Henry Lake gleams like a liquid sapphire. On the St. Clair County side of this body of water crafted through the teamwork of God and man, fingers and dots of land form lush peninsulas and tiny islands packed with flora and fauna, fruit, pine and pecan trees, deer, ducks and blue heron.

On some 41 acres of land – property once home to a large cattle farm – is the beginning of the first major waterfront residential development on the St. Clair side of Neely Henry in some 50 years, Canoe Harbor. Bursting with beauty, some Canoe Harbor lots offer vistas of both sunrises and sunsets, hand painted by the Creator, different every day.

“It’s the first land that’s been available on this side of Neely Henry in a long, long time, said local Realtor and developer Lyman Lovejoy.

Lovejoy, Realtor Chad Camp, also of Lovejoy Realty, and developer John Freeman of Freeman Land Co. are partners in the Canoe Harbor project.

“It’s some of the best land that’s been available, as far as good lots, level lots, deep-water lots,” he added.

About Canoe Harbor

Canoe Harbor, with its 36 lots, offers easy access. Twenty-eight of the lots are on the water. Parcels range in size from just under a half-acre to more than an acre each. Waterfront lots range in price from $65,000 to $135,000, while off-water lots start at $19,000. A peninsula lot has already sold for $225,000.

“What makes it desirable is the lots are the first land that’s been available on our (St. Clair) side of the lake that’s flat to the water,” Camp said. “Most of everything that’s available on our side

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DISCOVER LakeLife • LET THE 2018 SEASON BEGIN

Canoe Harbor

View from point lot

Lovejoy, Freeman and Camp talk about the amenities of the property.

Some lots are already spoken for 56

of the water around Ohatchee is just too hilly. On our lots, you walk straight out to the water. You don’t have to hike down to the water or up to the house.”

And then, there are the views. Even the lots not directly on the water offer views of shimmering waters of Neely Henry. The physical and visual access to water makes the development unique. There is some 5,500 feet of shoreline in Canoe Harbor.

“We have a peninsula. There are not a lot of opportunities for a peninsula. That means you’ve got water views at your front door and your back door… The people on the peninsula will have a 180-degree view of the lake.”

Neely Henry Lake may not be the best known of the manmade waters created in the push over the last 70-odd years to bring electrification to rural Alabama through a string of hydroelectric dams built by the Tennessee Valley Authority in the north on the Tennessee River and in east central and south Alabama by Alabama Power Co. Built in 1966, Neely Henry Dam was the first in a network of dams constructed on the upper Coosa River. The lake reaches into St. Clair, Etowah and Calhoun counties. The dam is more than 500 feet above sea level and the reservoir covers 11,200 acres, with 339 miles of shoreline in the three counties.

Gene Phifer, president of the Neely Henry Lake Association and a retired Alabama Power manager in its environmental section, gives the development high marks.

He’s lived on the lake since 1966.

“I think developments like that are beneficial to the lake. I know it’s going to be well done. It’s going to add to the value of the property of the lake and not be any type of concern in terms of environmental issues. They’re doing it the right way. I’m sure it will add to (the lake). That’s going to be beautiful.”

A unique feature of the lake, particularly around Canoe Harbor, is that water levels stay pretty much constant. There are no dry seasons. Flooding and fluctuation are not an issue on the pristine waters of the lake teeming with fish.

As for the land, the acreage was once home to a family farm owned by Tracy and Hope Burger. The Burgers and their niece, Donna Henderson, bequeathed the land to the Alabama Baptist Foundation, who later sold it to Lovejoy, Camp and Freeman. Acreage where cattle once leisurely roamed will now be a haven for human relaxation. Proximity to the lake made the Burger farm a rare gem.

These are exciting times in these parts. St. Clair County constructed a massive deep water 80-slip boat launch called Big Canoe Creek Park that’s not only expected to attract recreational boaters and anglers, but also major fishing tournaments. A short distance from the Canoe Harbor development, the park is expected to enhance the county’s reputation as an ecotourism destination. It’s less than a mile from Canoe Harbor.

“People in our subdivision would not have to build their own boat ramp, unless they just want to,” Lovejoy said. “It’s the nicest thing to happen in this county in terms of a boat launch.”

Consider, too, that the development is only about 10 minutes away from Interstate 59, only about 10 minutes from Westbrook Christian School and the same distance from shopping in Rainbow City.

DISCOVER LakeLife • LET THE 2018 SEASON BEGIN

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Canoe Harbor

“You’re not too far out of civilization, “Camp said.

Homebuilders will be able to be creative in the construction of their Canoe Harbor homes, Camp said. The minimum house size is 1,600 square feet. Multilevel homes can be built to 1,200 square feet on the main floor. Each owner can choose their own builder. There is no maximum size, except that governed by county and state regulations.

Building a dream

The lots came on the market in December 2017.

And while the developers will have an architectural review panel, property owners will have freedom in design.

“We’re not saying you have to build a certain style plan. So long as it looks like a nice house, we’re going to allow it.”

A key note: Say a young couple invests in a lot, they can decide when to build. There is no time limit to start construction, Camp said.

“This is an investment opportunity for people who want to build now or in the future,” Camp said.

Canoe Harbor will serve families for generations, Camp said.

“It’s something you can enjoy for the rest of your life,” he said.

And there may not be too many opportunities like Canoe Harbor in the future because of the lack of available undeveloped land. Alabama Power still owns much of the property around the reservoir, Lovejoy said. Too, Camp added, the topography, scenic with huge rock outcroppings, doesn’t lend itself to development.

Too, unlike other better-known Alabama lakes that are often congested with boat traffic, Neely Henry sees few watercraft by comparison.

“It truly is one of the best-kept secrets among Alabama lakes,” Camp said. “It offers a hidden tranquility that you don’t see a lot of places.”

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St. Clair County Commissioner Jeff Brown, who has fished on the lake for years, said the recent construction of a new boat launch, combined with private developments like Canoe Harbor, will make Neely Henry more of a destination location.

“I think it will have a tremendous impact,” Brown said of the developments. “(Neely Henry’s) a hidden diamond. The people who visit it love it.”

Canoe Harbor, he said, will enhance life on the lake, adding more polish to the county’s gem. “It’s a very, very nice place.

They’ve spent a lot of money there and it’s going to be top of the line. The (Big Canoe Creek) launch is so convenient to those people, they’re not going to have to take up part of their lot to build a launch. They’ve got one right down the road. They’re going to work hand in hand.”

Lovejoy purchased a lot on Neely Henry Lake some 40 years ago, one of the first individual property owners on the water.

What he says about Canoe Harbor speaks volumes about the development.

“Chad and I looked at buying a lot for ourselves, even though I’ve already got a lot up there,” Lovejoy said. “We’ve been in the business a long time, and this is one of the gems you rarely run across that enriches the life of St. Clair County. We believe it will be a great asset for the county.”

Environment, conservation and smart development

Phifer hopes the new residential development, combined with the new boat launch, will offer key lessons for how the lake community will approach development, with a heart toward protecting both the quality and quantity of water for generations to come. Development and environmental protection need to work together.

An economic impact study on the lake, currently being conducted by Jacksonville State University, will offer more

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“You think about it being a jewel, and it is,” Phifer said of the lake. “But what makes it special is, you’ve got to maintain the environmental quality of the water. You’ve got to maintain the ecosystem. High water quality is critical to any body of water, so you want to make sure you keep the environmental water quality as good or better than it is right now. We certainly don’t want to let (environmental quality) slip.”

Much has been made of the “water wars” between Alabama and Georgia, where Georgia is attempting to divert water upstream of Alabama for drinking water for a burgeoning metro Atlanta. While Phifer makes it clear he does not think such disputes will affect Coosa River lakes like Neely Henry, water quantity must be maintained.

“Quality of water can be impacted by loss of water,” he said. “I don’t think we’re going to lose water, but those are things you want to think about. You want to maintain quality and quantity of water.”

Phifer added, “You want to see the new developments that come in to be ecologically sensitive. That’s what you’re seeing. You’re going to see more development on the river system. At the same time, you see people practicing conservation methods in protecting the fishery. Environmental protection and conservation goes together with smart development. You want to see the ecosystem well preserved, well taken care of. Yet you know there’s going to be development, but the developments need to be environmentally sensitive.”

There are as many reminders in the natural world that make the case for protecting Neely Henry. For Phifer, the most powerful evidence comes late in the afternoon, in sunsets painted in colors that artists have tried to match for centuries.

Developers of Canoe Harbor aspire to build a development that celebrates those sunsets. One already-purchased lot on a finger of land offers views of both sunrise and sunset.

“I know you’ve seen the sunsets on Neely Henry,” Phifer said. “Man, they’re something special.” l

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Gone Fishin’

Expert anglers reveal their favorite fishing spots

St. Clair is home to two lakes and plenty of major fishing tournaments.

Riverside and Logan Martin were picked for Cabela’s Crappie USA Classic in February.

Story by Loyd McIntosh Photos by Michael Callahan Submitted Photos Few things in life are as secretive as people who fish often. Seriously, getting a fisherman – or fisherwoman – to give their closely-guarded secrets is like trying to track the whereabouts of Jimmy Hoffa.

However, in this issue of Discover St. Clair, a handful of local fishing experts are divulging their secret fishing holes on Logan Martin, Henry Neely and the Coosa River for the first time in recorded history (may be an exaggeration, if only slight one). Many of them will even tell you about the gear they use to catch fish after fish in our area. Take notes, people.

Zeke Gossett

A former standout for the Pell City High School fishing team and current star on the Jefferson State team, Zeke Gossett is familiar with many areas of Logan Martin but finds particular success fishing the back half of Rabbit Branch Creek in the spring and early summer months.

“There’s just a great population out there. It has a lot of good clay points, with shallower banks,” says Gossett.

The area is really successful for him in April and May due to the abundance of docks. “There

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DISCOVER LakeLife • LET THE 2018 SEASON BEGIN

Winners of Crappie USA proud of their Logan Martin catch

Zeke Gossett

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Gone Fishin’

A good day fishing on Logan Martin nets crappie, prizes.

are a lot of fish coming off the bank, and they like to hang out around those floating peers, so I really like fishing close to the docks in April, especially when it’s sunny outside.”

Gossett also says he really enjoys fishing in the Shoal Creek area on Neely Henry Lake during the spring, especially on the lower end near the dam. However, he says he adjusts his approach depending on Alabama Power’s generator schedule.

“When the water is running on that lake, and I’m going to fish up the lake around the City Dock area up around Gadsden, I would like current toward the bottom end of the lake,” he explains. “It helps, but I don’t need it as much as I do up the river.

“When you go up the river, it turns into a skinnier river about 100 yards across and not even that in some areas,” he adds. “So, current is a big must up the river, that time of year especially.”

Hayden Bartee

Gossett’s partner on the Jefferson State fishing team, Hayden Bartee, is another young and talented competitive angler with loads of experience fishing on area lakes.

Discussing his favorite locations during the first warm stretch of the year in mid-February, Bartee says Cropwell Creek near the city baseball fields has been a productive spot for him as of late.

“It’s been pretty good here the past couple of weeks,” says Bartee. “I caught a big fish out there a couple of weeks ago, and there’s always a good population of bait fish as well as bass.”

Bartee says that area of Logan Martin is great for sight fishing when the water is clear. In this situation, he uses

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Hayden Bartee

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Gone Fishin’ Joey Nania

a bait by Big Bite Baits called the Warmouth on a 7’4 Heavy Duce rod. Bartee also says the grassy areas around Riverside can be productive and has a certain technique that he uses when fishing that area. “You can catch them on a swimming jig,” he explains. “I’ll throw a Big Bite Baits swimming crawl as a trailer for my swim jig with Vicious 60-pound no-fade braid on my 7’4 heavy Duce. That’s another good way to catch them, especially this time of year.”

Joey Nania

Robbey Stanford

A fixture on the BASSMASTER professional angler circuit since 2011, Pell City resident Joey Nania is well-acquainted with the ins and outs of Logan Martin and Neely Henry. Nania also operates his own fishing guide service and has fished in almost every nook and cranny in the area, and says spring is a great time find fish in shallow spots on Neely Henry.

“The key in the spring is the fish are going to be shallow, and so fishing in the grass is important,” Nania says.

“Canoe Creek has a lot of fish that live in it,” he adds. “You go to the back of Canoe Creek, and there’s a ton of grass and a lot of docks, and that can be really good fishing in the backs of the shallow pockets.”

Nania says he prefers to fish in areas on Neely Henry that aren’t disturbed by the currents caused by the generators near the dam. “The backs of the creeks and the shallow fishing areas aren’t really affected as much if the water level stays stable, and they don’t suck the water out and drop the water out of the grass,” Nania says.

While he doesn’t want to give up too much information, Nania will say the hard bottom areas of Logan Martin are good spots to find bass. “A lot of those main lake bluffs are really good,” he says. “Finding hard bottom is really important, like roadbeds, gravel humps, that kind of thing.”

When operating his guide service, Nania takes people all over both Neely Henry and Logan Martin and says his clients are more successful when paying attention to fish behaviors rather than focusing on locations. “People want to learn different patterns, and learning patterns is really more important than individual spots,” Nania says.

Robbey Stanford

A member of the Iron City Kayak Anglers, Robbey Stanford gets a different view of the lakes, creeks and streams in the area. A resident of the Liberty Park community in Vestavia Hills, Stanford’s mother-in-law lives in Riverside, which is where he likes to take his kayak into places the big boats can’t reach.

“I love to fish a lot of the creeks that run into the Coosa River,” Stanford says. “I like to take my kayak up there and paddle into some of those back waters.

“The great thing about fishing in a kayak is you get to go where the bass boats aren’t,” adds Stanford. “It’s just a whole different angle of fishing.”

While fishing from a kayak provides anglers with an unprecedented level of maneuverability, Stanford cautions that safety must be a concern, especially for a newcomer to kayak fishing. “The main thing is always wear your life jacket. It’s not like regular fishing because you’re in a boat that can easily tip over and you can easily hit your head and drown,” he says.

“I’ve seen it happen.”

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Gone Fishin’

Bre Wyatt

Bre Wyatt

Former state champion with the Pell City High School fishing team and now a member of the Faulkner University Bass Fishing Team, Bre Wyatt is one of the first female anglers to earn a scholarship to fish in college. Whether fishing for fun or competition, Wyatt spends a lot of time on Neely Henry and Logan Martin and goes to those tried and true spots any time she’s fishing in the area.

I “have a stretch on Neely Henry about 800 yards long that’s like a rock with docks on it,” Wyatt says, “and we go there every time we fish.”

Wyatt says she likes to fish in the grassy areas around Riverside, as well as near docks and old concrete bridges. She also likes brush piles and finds them to be a good source of bass depending on the current.

“On Logan Martin, if they’re running water, we’ll go upriver and fish the current with spinner baits,” she says. “Downriver, we fish mainly brush piles, but they’re scattered around, but right there in front of Lakeside (Landing) is always good, although that’s pretty much a community hole,” Wyatt says.

Curtis Gossett

Curtis Gossett

hand, it has good creek channels where, if we have a cool snap, they can drop back off to those channels,” Gossett says. “All that together equals some good fishing.”

As for Neely Henry, Gossett does have one spot near the dam. But ever the competitor, he’s not tipping his hand as to exactly where that spot is. “That’s one we don’t talk about much because we don’t want people flooding up there,” he says.

On a serious note, Gossett says some of those areas near the dam can be dangerous for even the most experienced anglers.

“There are shoals all up in there, and we have seen people run up and just ruin boats and their motors,” he says. “It’s really bad in there. You have to know where to run or you’re going to be in trouble.” l

Well-known in town as the head coach of the Pell City High School fishing team, Curtis Gossett has taught many young people not only how to fish, but to recognize where the fish are biting. One of his favorite spots to toss in a line is Cropwell Creek on Logan Martin. “We fish it from spring to summer,” Gossett says. “It’s an area that always holds fish.”

Gossett says he ventures over into the Talladega County side of Logan Martin regularly, particularly in the Stemley Bridge area, although good luck finding out exactly where, since he’s not even sure what many of these holes are called. “There are a lot of sloughs up through there that we fish that don’t really have a name,” he says.

Editor’s Note: Congratulations to the Pell City Panthers One spot that Gossett can point to with certainty is Poorhouse Creek, which he says can be very successful in the spring. “The Fishing team for winning the first ASABFA Regional Qualifier fish move up into that shallow water to spawn and, on the other at Lake Jordan for the 2018 season!

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018 DISCOVER LakeLife • LET THE 2018 SEASON BEGIN

Local Joe’s added a porch that will soon feature cooking at table side.

LOCAL JOE’S

Eclectic business living up to its name Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Michael Callahan A man walked into Local Joe’s Trading Post near the Rainbow City/St. Clair County line one day and slammed his hand down on the countertop. “I just found out something about my wife,” he said, startling employees and customers alike. “For the past four years, she has not cooked turkey and dressing at Thanksgiving. She’s been buying it here. She even brings her own casserole dish for you to put the dressing in!”

While Jodie and Karen Stanfield, owners of Local Joe’s, don’t advocate trying to fool anyone, they are happy to supply smoked turkey breasts and all the accompanying fixings for Thanksgiving or Christmas. In fact, they serve smoked turkey, mouthwatering bakery goods, barbecue and four other meats, along with the traditional barbecue sides, all year ‘round. When you combine the food with all the locally-made items on their shelves, you come up with the smells and tastes of a barbecue joint and the feel of an old country store.

“We slow-smoke our turkey, chicken, ribs, pork butt, ham and sausage on site in cast iron smokers that were custom made by HBT Smokers in Guntersville,” says Jodie. “We do it Southern style, with no rotisserie, no fire beneath them and no additives.” He sells 500-600 four-pound turkey breasts every Thanksgiving to people like the anonymous wife above.

It will take all your willpower to pass by Local Joe’s without stopping for a bite when that pit smoke is floating on the breeze. If you could gain weight just by looking at sweets, you would be too big to waddle out after scanning the array of cookies, scones, cake balls and baked pies in the bakery case. While waiting on your order, you can browse through the general store section, with its wide-planked pine floors and walls covered in old-fashioned metal and wooden signs. That’s where you’ll find the local honey and produce, wine jellies and sauces, candles and kitchenware that gave Jodie the idea for the name of his store.

“We named it Local Joe’s because we buy from local-Joe farmers,” Jodie explains. “We buy their produce

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DISCOVER LakeLife • LET THE 2018 SEASON BEGIN

and homemade items. We also make some in-house products, like pimiento cheese from the hoop cheese we sell, and fried pork rinds.”

Karen rattles off a handful of local product examples, like the spiced peaches and hot crackers made by Smokehouse Crackers in Boaz, the Augustine Coffee that is ground in Etowah County, and the cheese straws made in Athens. They also buy seasonal plants such as poinsettias, mums and hanging baskets from the greenhouse of Rainbow Omega, a home for mentally and physically challenged adults in Talladega.

It becomes apparent that “locally” goes beyond the county line. Still, all except a few items are made in Alabama. Jodie likes to support small businesses, including Nancy’s Fudge Company in Meadows of Dan, Virginia.

Although the Stanfields opened Local Joe’s eight years ago, its history and general-store tradition date back to 1940.

Henry Bowling built a two-bedroom house and operated a general merchandise store called H.D. Bowling’s Grocery out of it. He also had a barbershop there, charging 10 cents per haircut, and sold Shell gasoline at pumps in the front, according to his nephew, Henry Jester.

“My aunt told me that when they put the roof on the house, she had saved enough nickels in one year to pay for that roof,” Jester says. “My uncle also cut hair at Camp Siebert, a military base that was located down Pleasant Valley Road near Attalla during World War II. “His merchandise included barbed wire and nails.”

Jester says his uncle cut hair for many famous people at Camp Siebert, including boxer Joe Lewis and movie star Mickey Rooney. “Elvis stopped there at the store and drank a Coca-Cola when I was six or seven years old,” Jester recalls. “It was the year he got out of the army.”

Henry Bowling sold his business in the late 70s to Thomas Peterson, who renamed it Peterson’s. The Stanfields have their pecans cracked by Peterson’s widow. “We also buy from individual pecan orchards,” Jodie says.

Lead caterer Rebecca Killey and cashier Lori Shaw are responsible for the homey feel of Local Joe’s. Enamelware bowls and mugs, metal salt and pepper shakers, wire baskets and wooden signs with sayings such as “Sweet Home,” “Farm to Table” and “Farm Fresh Eggs” are displayed on shelves and hanging from the walls. Herbed soup and dip mixes are showcased in metal bins, and a photo of Lucile Ball as Lucy Ricardo rests on top of a Pepsi-Cola case.

Menus are on the blackboard wall behind the bakery counter.

Karen and Jodie Stanfield are owners and operators of Local Joe’s Trading Post in Rainbow City.

LOCAL JOE’S

“We sell bottled soft drinks, and it’s cool watching a grandpa showing his grandchild how to open one,” says Jodie.

Two signs that bring on lots of giggles are, “Fanny’s Rest Stop, Eat Here and Get Gas,” along with a more modern proclamation, “What happens here will be posted on Facebook.”

The large hoop cheese slicer is more than 100 years old and is still in use. Tshirts are sold bearing the outline of the state of Alabama, with the latitude and longitude of Rainbow City and Alexandria prominent, because there’s a Local Joe’s in each city.

The farmhouse decor includes a table lamp with an oldfashioned electric mixer and bowl at the base, and another one with a replica of a wringer washing machine. Everywhere you turn, there are iron pigs. A customer can buy anything off the walls or shelves, or Karen will refer them to its source. “All of our decor is for sale,” she says. “If it doesn’t sell, it remains as decor.”

The Stanfields employ 55 people at their two locations, including Executive Chef Damon Wynn, often found in the kitchen making Alabama Caviar (black-eyed peas and corn relish). Pit master and chef, Nathan Nolin, is Le Cordon Bleu Culinary-trained and is married to the baker, Hilary McMahon.

McMahon bakes multiples of sweet treats almost every day, including Granny’s Baked Pies. Jodie’s Mom, aka Granny, used to bake the pies herself, and she helped Jodie establish the business. The recipes are a combination of Granny’s recipes and those of local customers. Flavors include apple, peach, blueberry, strawberry, coconut, pecan and s’mores. “They look and taste like the traditional Southern fried pies, but they are baked instead of fried,” Karen says. McMahon also makes a variety of scones, such as white chocolate, orange cranberry and chocolate chip, plus several types of cake balls.

“Damon prepares a Farm-to-Table Dinner using our facilities,” Jodie says. “He buys all his meat and produce locally, sells tickets, and holds them at different venues.” The next one will be at Local Joe’s on the new side porch that has just been built.

Along with adding the porch addition, the Stanfields have been knocking out walls for the past few months and making improvements to add to the customer experience. Most of the remodeling has been handled by Shane Elmore, aka Elmo, who owns S&K Home Improvement.

The tables where customers eat are made of barn wood by a friend, Steven Lang of Albertville, who also made the red planter boxes outside the store.

The former front bedroom of the old Bowling house is becoming a conference room with a six-foot diameter copper-topped table on a wrought-iron base that came from a former Greek restaurant in Homewood. Occasionally, you’ll find customers eating lunch in that room when a catering consultation is not in session.

As catering managers, Karen and JoAnna Duckett are responsible for the 60-plus weddings Local Joe’s caters each year. Because they have the use of the kitchens at both locations, it is not unusual for them to have three or four weddings or other large catering events per weekend.

“Our highly experienced catering staff love what they do, and it shows each and every time they serve anywhere,” Karen says. In the past few years, they have also catered four large community events: The Mayor’s Ball, which benefits the Boys and Girls Clubs of America; The Mardi Gras Magic Party, which benefits the Family Success Center; The Paws for St.

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The Stanfield’s son-in-law, Whitton Bailey, standing, is a manager in training at Local Joe’s.

The hoop that slices this cheese is more than 100 years old.

Paddy’s, which benefits the local Humane Society Pet Rescue & Adoption Center; and The Girlfriend Gala, which benefits the Success by Six program in coordination with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. “We cater at various large manufacturing plants, which employ from 100 to 1,700 people,” states Jodie.

Often Jodie and Karen will have their staff make extra goodies when they cater an event, and serve those extras on Sample Saturday, a special, un-advertised event they hold periodically for loyal customers.

All of these services led to Jodie being named Alabama’s Small Business Person of the Year in 2017, which garnered the couple a free trip to D.C. and a meet-and-greet with the other 53 state winners from across the nation, along with President’s Trump’s SBA Director Linda McMahon, Vice President Mike Pence and First Daughter Ivanka Trump. Local Joe’s also was named the 2017 Retailer of the Year by the Retail Association of Alabama.

“We honestly and truly know where our blessings come from – and we are thankful that God has continued to bless Local Joe’s and allows us to pass on those blessings to our employees and the community,” Karen says. “We are in the people business, but food is what we do.” l

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LIN

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LOCAL JOE’S

Candles, jellies, sauces, dip and soup mixes are just a few of the items available in the country store section.

Local Joe’s, a family-run business owned by Jodie and Karen Stanfield, has two locations, one in Rainbow City just steps from Neely Henry, and one in Alexandria. Josh Stanfield, nephew of Karen and Jodie, is the manager of the Alexandria location. Their son-inlaw, Whitton Bailey, assistant manager at the Rainbow City store, is in training under Jodie to open a Local Joe’s in Albertville.

The Stanfields also licensed the use of the name to their former catering manager, who operates a store in Cave Springs, Georgia.

These are some of the products they sell, along with their sources: Deep South Coffee Factory, Centre: Ground and whole-bean coffee, craft roasted in small batches in Centre, AL. Spices Catering & Smokehouse Market, Boaz: LJ’s sells their spiced peaches and smokehouse crackers. The latter have quite a kick, according to Karen and Jodie.

Crowe’s Nest Kitchen, Hokes Bluff: LJ’s carries several items from Miss Rosemary, owner, such as dill pickles, chow chow and pepper jellies. “We also use the pepper jellies when we prepare our Bacon Wrapped Smoked Shrimp for special orders and catering,” says Karen.

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Raven’s Original: “We love the Raven’s Original Mulling Spices,” Karen says. “We make mulled apple cider every Christmas holiday season and have it for our customers to sample in both our restaurants.”

Papa’s Peanut and Pecan Brittle: Proceeds from the sale of these products fund a mission trip to Zambia. More information is available from owner Andrew Hughes at aphughes.357@gmail.com .

Carmie’s Kitchen, Wylie, Texas: Dip mixes.

“These products are definitely at the top of the list of our best sellers,” Karen says. “We also use several of these in catering and we recommend them for people who are having parties, etc.” For more information go to www.peppersprings.com.

What’s Cookin’: This is one of LJ’s out-of-state vendors, based in Hot Springs, Arkansas. “We met them at Christmas Village in Birmingham one year, and their products sell like crazy,” Karen says. Purchasers add meat to their soup mixes for a complete 30-minute meal. “If they buy their meat from us, such as the ham for the black-eyed pea soup mix, we chop it up for them,” Karen says. For more information go to www.whatscookineasymeals.com.

Uncle Ed’s Wine Jellies, Hokes Bluff: Six different flavors, including Pinot Grigio with habaneros peppers and curry. “It’s good on cream cheese and crackers,” Karen says. “We use it in our catering business, too.”

Bama Graphics, Gadsden: Designed by Maria Dunn, who, along with business partner Immori Dixon, markets a wide variety of custom shirts.

Dunn also designed the restaurant’s menus.

Augustine Coffee Company, Rainbow City: Ground and whole-bean coffee, craft roasted in small batches at Local Joe’s by owner, Austin Kidd.

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TRENDING 2018

Modes of Transportation It’s not your typical rush hour traffic when it comes to commuting on Logan Martin and Neely Henry lakes, but the varieties of water navigation these days are as diverse as the models of cars, trucks and SUVs you find on the interstate.

The difference is these seasoned travelers enjoy the ride!

Sailing on Logan Martin

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Skulling

Paddleboarding

Kayaking

Personal watercraft

Bass boat

Hydroflighting

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LAKEFEST

Popular event set for May 18-19 on Logan Martin Story by Carol Pappas Submitted photos There’s a guiding principle behind the Southeast’s largest in water boat show and festival on Logan Martin Lake each year, and it’s what keeps people coming back for more.

“Every year, we try to make it a little bit bigger and little bit better than the year before,” said Eric Housh, who coordinates the event at Lakeside Park.

Organizers continually ask for feedback on what else festival goers would like to see. One was a greater variety of vendors. Of course, boat and personal watercraft dealers are there to show their latest with opportunities to test drive right there on the lake. Vehicle dealers are there as well. And on the spot financing is available as well through lenders who have set up shop.

Rows of vendors now line the festival area with everything from lake accessory must-haves to lake-themed clothing, to outdoor furniture and all kinds of food and drink.

Musical entertainment is virtually non-stop and giveaways are done hourly.

Housh said their solicited feedback netted Lakeside Park additional boat slips for public boat parking for those who want to arrive by boat. LakeFest, which annually has donated thousands of dollars to charitable causes in the region, funded the additional boat slips for the park this past year along with a variety of nonprofits.

Now in its eighth year, “We continue to grow the event to make it valuable for everybody,” Housh said. “We have new food vendors, new sponsorships, and we’re most excited about expanding our entertainment budget.”

But what he described as “huge news” is the 18-foot Bennington pontoon boat that will be given away. “You have a one in 10,000-chance to win a boat,” said Housh. Those are pretty good odds.

It is a custom “Logan Martin Blue” luxury pontoon boat that Woods Surfside Marina is putting together, valued at over $20,000.

It will be parked all around town leading up to LakeFest to build excitement in what has become a sizable and popular lake event. “It’s something really special.”

In 2017, LakeFest gave away a pontoon boat live, and Christy Bowers wasted no time enjoying her prize, Housh said. She was spotted for her first time on the lake the very next weekend. Winning that boat introduced her to the lake. And “that’s what LakeFest is all about – promoting what makes the lake special – that has been the goal from Day 1. We showcase our lake businesses.”

On Friday night, as is tradition, LakeFest will feature its spectacular fireworks show dedicated to military veterans. The late Jerry Woods of Woods Surfside Marina, who was a co-founder of LakeFest, was “passionate about veterans being honored. We will continue to make that bigger and better.” Veterans from Colonel Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City are honored guests at LakeFest, and “they definitely look forward to it,” Housh said.

LakeFest is still accepting vendor applications and available online at loganmartinlakefest.com.

Mark your calendars and head out to Lakeside Park May 18-19. It’s a lakelife tradition that gets bigger and better every year – just like the founders and organizers intended. l

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018 DISCOVER LakeLife • LET THE 2018 SEASON BEGIN

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Business Review Louis

A new era begins at Northside McSweeney Automotive

84 DISCOVER Essence St. Clair •••August & September 2013 of St. ClairThe •The Business Review DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair October && November 2017 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair February &July March 2016 84 2016 DISCOVER The Essence ofof St. Clair & September 2017 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair June & July 2017 84 DISCOVER DISCOVER Essence The Essence of St. Clair of St. ••Clair Clair December June 2016 & 2015 2017 DISCOVER The Essence ofof St. Clair December 2017 & January January 2018 April & May 2018 DISCOVER The Essence of St. •••April May 84• DISCOVER The Essence DISCOVER The Essence St. Clair ••August February & March 2018

Story by Paul South Photos by Toni Franklin

The surge continues

Local economy full steam ahead Like the temperature, the St. Clair County economy continues to warm up at a brisk pace.

In recent months, several new businesses from virtually every sector of the economy are locating in Pell City, from an international manufacturer to two new car dealerships, a movie theater (under construction), as well as new retail outlets at the old Kmart location. Within weeks of the struggling big-box retailer’s announcement to close its Pell City store, Tractor Supply, Bargain Hunt and Martin Family Clothing, all announced they would move into the space.

The new ventures mean – as well as other relatively recent newcomers like Buffalo Wild Wings, Jefferson State Community College Nursing and Allied Health Wing and others add up to some $44 million in capital investment and more than 450 new jobs for the county.

That type of investment means more goodpaying jobs, which in turn gives workers more discretionary income, which lures more consumerdriven businesses to the area and heats up the real estate market, the cycle of a healthy economy, said Pell City Manager Brian Meunger.

“Bringing companies like Preformed Windings in, you’re adding to your tax base. You’re allowing people to either become employed or better their employment, and that’s obviously going to give them more discretionary income that they’re going to spend at some of these retailers in town and further perpetuate that cycle,” Meunger said.

Preformed Windings is a British manufacturer of coils for large industrial generators. The company will create 85 new jobs in the county.

Pell City beat out its much larger neighbor Birmingham for the Sheffield, England-based firm.

HERE’S A BRIEF LOOK AT EACH OF THE NEWCOMERS:

Preformed Windings makes coil windings for large generators for power production companies and industrial-sized generators for large cruise ships and the like. Preformed is a subsidiary of the Scottish firm, Parsons Peebles.

Parsons Peebles had initially picked Irondale in suburban Birmingham as the new home for the Preformed Windings in the Southeast, choosing it over New Orleans. However, then the company

DISCOVER The Essence St. Clair •••August & September 2013 Business Review •July DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 85 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair October && November 2017 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair February &July March 2016 2016 85 DISCOVER The Essence ofof St. Clair & September 2017 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair June & 2017 DISCOVER DISCOVER The Essence The Essence of St. Clair of St. ••Clair Clair December June 2016 & 2015 2017 85 DISCOVER The Essence ofof St. Clair December 2017 & January January 2018 April & May 2018 85 DISCOVER The Essence of St. •••April May DISCOVER The Essence St. Clair ••August February & March 2018 85

Business Review

Economic Growth

opted to take a second look and picked Pell City after a whirlwind pitch from local officials. Teamwork from city, county and state officials and Jefferson State Community College helped Pell City pull an economic rabbit out of a hat.

“The chief financial officer said, ‘You know what? We would have made a terrible mistake by not locating in Pell City,’” said Don Smith, executive director of the St. Clair County Economic Development Council. “It was one of the fastest projects I ever worked.”

He noted that “the ability to work together as a team and have that team in place with experience as to how that team is going to work allowed that project to take place. It had to happen fast. We had everything in writing from the state, the St. Clair County and Pell City Industrial Development Boards, the city and the county before he went back to Scotland. The average annual wage is about $48,000 annually, Smith said.

McSweeney Holdings, a family business with Pell City ties, opened McSweeney Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram on John Haynes Drive near US 231. The family also operates an auto customization business. The new dealership is expected to employ 75. McSweeney’s opening comes on the heels of Town and Country Ford’s opening its new showroom and dealership. It features a cutting edge, high-tech showroom.

Like McSweeney, Town and Country is dedicated to a great customer experience.

“Both of the dealerships are focused on making the customer experience as valuable as the high-quality automobiles they’re selling,” Smith said.

Town and Country has negotiated with the county since 2010.

More than a year ago, Premiere Cinemas announced it would locate in Pell City. It is the largest privately-owned movie theater company in the nation, and Pell City officials worked directly with the owner to bring the multi-screen theater and bowling alley to town. Construction is currently under way on the entertainment complex that promises a quality customer experience. Pell City will be Alabama’s fourth Premiere location, which is expected to open by the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays, a peak season for the film industry.

Local economic development officials worked with the Nashville-based firm, Anchor Investments, to put a plan in place to find new tenants when the Pell City Kmart closed.

“We knew that Kmart was struggling, and we knew it was only a matter of time before they closed, so we were very proactive with the city and the county and the developer to put a plan together, instead of waiting for the bad news to happen,” Smith said. “We basically had letters of commitment in place and were just waiting for Kmart to give us the notification.”

The new occupants are Tractor Supply, Bargain Hunt and Martin Family Clothing.

Martin Family Clothing is an Alabama firm with other locations in the Oxford- Anniston area. Bargain Hunt, a national retailer, sells surplus name-brand goods at reduced prices, much like Big Lots and similar retailers.

Tractor Supply, with its home office in Brentwood, Tenn., offers clothing, home improvement products, agricultural, lawn and garden maintenance products, hardware and livestock, equine and pet care products.

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

HOUSING MARKET ON THE MOVE

Turning to the real estate market, Meunger said 2017 was the best year for Pell City in new home construction since the Great Recession of 2008. That means a deeper labor pool for new and existing industries.

“We love to see rooftops being added to our community,” he said. “Last year, we built about 70 houses here in town, the most houses we’ve built since the Recession. “We’re off to a fast start this year with homebuilding, and we’ve got several new subdivisions that are being platted now.

“The cycle continues,” he added. “You want to see your population growing in a good way. You want to see your job base growing in a good way, because a very, very important component to the industrial expansion of the city is you have to have an available workforce.

“By increasing our available housing stock, we’re able to accommodate more people moving into the community, provide those industries with the workers that they need and provide

our retailers with customers they need to see to make sure their businesses continue to thrive,” Muenger said.

Some of the new business arrivals were the result of quick work, others took nearly a decade to come to fruition, Smith said. “It’s nice that all these are hitting now,” he said. “Success breeds success. It shows that the market can hold and support these different activities. I think the market is going to continue to do well.

“Our job is to make sure that we’re working with the developers, elected officials and community leaders to make sure these projects are moving forward successfully,” Smith said.

For the near term, Meunger is optimistic that the growth will continue.

“The long-term history of the county tells us that our location, coupled with the economic drivers that we have here, will allow us to succeed in that short term, extremely strong in the next one to three-year period. Beyond that, I’m optimistic.” l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

87

Business Directory

Business Cards Sarah M. Brazzolotto Attorney at Law sarah@brazzolottolaw.com brazzolottolaw.com

1908 Cogswell Avenue Pell City, Alabama 35125

88

Office: 205-884- 7726 Fax: 205-884-7720

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Business Directory

Business Cards

Piers Keith

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

Seawalls

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Business Review

Story and photos by Graham Hadley

Welding to work

Jefferson State creating new opportunities for single mothers 92

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

Jefferson State Community College is stepping up its workforce-development efforts with new classes to help train single mothers to become welders.

Over the past few years, Jeff State in Pell City, working with organizations like the St. Clair Economic Development Council, Pell City and St. Clair school systems, and businesses like Garrison Steel, Ford Meterbox and Goodgame Company, has been focusing on workforce development.

Their efforts are helping to train people in skill sets like welding, plumbing and metal fabrication, giving students greater career and earning potential while meeting the critical needs for those skills by businesses.

These classes are not only helping meet the growing demand for those skills, but also dramatically increasing the job options for local residents of all ages.

Their latest classes are no exception.

Students who take the class are eligible to receive their entry-level certification in welding and combines both handson training with traditional instruction that cover everything from math to how to use the technical measuring equipment necessary for their new careers, said Danny Taylor, the welding instructor for the program.

For local industries and businesses considering locating in St. Clair, it means a better-trained workforce. For the single mothers, it means a whole new world of employment opportunities.

Several of the 10 students in the class said they first heard about the opportunity through their children’s daycare or school.

“My daughter goes to Head Start. They had a newsletter up for moms who are single to take these classes,” said Sherry Johnson during a break in welding training.

“I was in the Army, and loved it,” she said, but found her employment options limited when she got out. “I saw this as a reboot. I am one of those types, I think anything a man can do, I can do. I am loving this class — it is challenging and not without its issues, but I love it.”

She has two children and sees that the skill set she is receiving now will allow her to better provide for them.

“My own personal plan is to start at an entry-level position, then I want to go back to take more classes to get more certification.”

Amber Moten, who says she is the only left-handed welder in the class, also learned about it through St. Clair Head Start and saw the classes as a good opportunity and a good fit for her.

“My Dad is a welder, and you don’t hear about many girl welders. I wanted to show my girls we could do this. It’s a career as opposed to a job. I love it and look forward to class every day.

“It can be challenging and frustrating — and I love that. I like a challenge,” she said.

Moten, who is currently working as a waitress, said there is a big difference between her current job and what she is learning to do: “I wake up every morning and have to force myself to go to work. I wake up Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays when we have class; I have my coffee and am ready to go.”

Looking out at the working world, Moten said she sees a career in welding as proving more opportunities for steady employment.

“As a waiter, you are living day-to-day. As a welder, you are

Grinding down a weld

Cutting lengths of metal for welding not just living, it’s a career. … I want to go as high as I can go.

I want to be able to obtain the best career I can.”

Balancing classes, work and family is a challenge, but the students said it is well worth it, and not just for them.

“It’s empowering. … It has helped me be a better mother, to teach my girls not to doubt themselves. It has made me feel better about myself in all ways,” Moten said.

Krystin Whidden said she learned about the class through her child’s preschool, and like the others, she sees this as a path to a long-term career and a better life for herself and her family.

She currently works part time baby-sitting, but has no fulltime job, and is quick to point out that the income level for welders is significantly better than what most entry-level minimum-wage jobs pay.

And like the others, she says she is not the only one directly benefitting from the classes.

“It’s a big challenge keeping family time and class time — you have a lot of homework when you would normally spend time with your kids,” she said, but added that between the example she is setting for her family and the improvement in quality of life down the road, it is well worth the effort.

“My kids have seen me struggle with homework and still stick with it. It shows them you can make it happen if you truly try. Before this, I never thought they would see me as a role model. It was a shock to me to be able to do this,” she said.

“This is a dream come true for me.” l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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Business Review HONDA

Makng leadership changes

94

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama named Tsutomu “Morty” Morimoto, formerly president of Honda of Canada Mfg., as its new president, effective April 1. As president, Morimoto will be responsible for total HMA operations.

He replaces Jeff Tomko, who will become senior vice president and regional division manager of the North America New Model Engineering Division located at Honda of America Mfg. in Marysville, Ohio.

“Tsutomu Morimoto has served in a valuable role in Honda operations in North America,” said Tomko.

“Morimoto’s extensive knowledge of manufacturing, along with overall business operations, makes him a perfect fit to lead HMA into the future.”

Morimoto joined Honda in 1985 and has served in a number of leadership positions throughout Honda operations in North America and Japan.

Additionally, Jon Minto, senior vice president at HNA Production Planning, has been named HMA senior vice president. Minto has held various positions including president of Honda Engineering North America, where he continues to serve as a member of the board of directors and senior vice president of Honda North America.

Also, Noboru Takahashi, HMA senior vice president, has been assigned to Honda Lock Mfg. Co. in Japan.

Tomko joined Honda in 1987 as a member of the Honda of America Mfg. Inc. Purchasing Development Group, where he spent more than 20 years with advancing roles in the North American Purchasing organization. He was named president of HMA in 2014.

During his tenure as president, the company has undertaken investments of more than $170 million, completed full model changes of the Acura MDX luxury sport utility vehicle, the Pilot sport utility vehicle, the Odyssey minivan and re-introduced an all-new Ridgeline pickup to the marketplace. In 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018, one of the HMA-built vehicles was named as a finalist for North American Truck or Utility of the Year, with the Ridgeline taking the top honor at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2017.

“Jeff has been a strong leader in the areas of associate safety, improved production efficiency and vehicle quality during his tenure at HMA,” said Mike Oatridge, vice president at HMA. “We look forward to his leadership in his new role in Honda’s North American engineering operations.”

“The St. Clair Economic Development Council would like to extend a warm welcome to the region incoming HMA President, Tsutomu Morimoto,” said EDC Executive Director Don Smith. “We have always enjoyed a close working relationship with Honda Manufacturing of Alabama and will certainly miss Jeff Tomko, but we look

Tsutomu Morimoto

Jeff Tomko

Jon Minto

Noboru Takahashi

forward to continuing our relationship with Honda and developing a relationship with Mr. Morimoto.

“Honda Manufacturing of Alabama has always been an incredible corporate citizen and is actually the largest employer of St. Clair County citizens, even though it is located in Talladega County. We wish Jeff (Tomko) all the best in his new position at Honda’s North American engineering operations and look forward to welcoming Mr. Morimoto to Alabama.”

HMA employs more than 4,500 associates at its $2.6 billion facility in Lincoln. HMA’s 4.2 million square foot facility is the sole production source of the Odyssey minivan, the Pilot sport utility vehicle, the innovative Ridgeline pickup truck and the V-6 engines that power each vehicle. l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • April & May 2018

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