Discover St. Clair February 2012

New Barbecue Traditions • Local History in Stone Pond House • Physicians Plaza • Local Color • Motorcycle Art

February - March 2012

A dog’s life Kelly Run Farm gaining national attention • with a special

online video feature

Pure Flight Hang gliding over St. Clair

F

OR YOU. AND

F

OR THEM.

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS BE THERE FOR A LOVED ONE. ALWAYS THERE CAN.

we’ll make them feel like part of ours.

W E K NOW W E ’ R E C A R I NG FO R A N I M P O RTA NT PA RT O F YOU R FA M I LY

A HOST OF SERVICES. A SINGLE FOCUS. Non-Medical Services b Companionship b Bathing and Grooming b Dressing b Errands b Escorts for shopping and appointments b Laundry b Light Housekeeping b Meal Preparation

Medical Services Professional Geriatric Care Management b Pharmaceutical Consultation b RN Medication Management b Skilled Nursing b

Always There means dependable support for you: We take care of all the administrative hassles.

Call us, and we’ll handle it all.

Including your worries.

Always There offers everything from basic care—like bathing, grooming and dressing— to skilled nursing care. Not to mention the comfort of trusted companionship.

l Huntsville, AL 35801 l 256-539-1400 3021 Lorna Rd Suite 100 l Birmingham, AL 35216 l 205-824-0224 2 • DISCOVER931 The Essence of St. | February Marchl 205-824-0224 2012 City, AL- 35128 visit WWW.ALWAYSTHEREINC.COM Martin St South UnitClair #6 l Pell 813 A Franklin Street

The New St. Vincent’s St. Clair is now open.

The new hospital is located at 7063 Veterans Parkway, down the road from Jefferson State Community College.

The new hospital features an expanded Emergency Department, all private rooms, inpatient and outpatient surgical services, and the latest in diagnostic technology.

We have a medical staff of more than 100 physicians in 16 different specialties who, along with our associates, provide the compassionate quality care that is uniquely St. Vincent’s. The best part…it’s all right here in St. Clair County.

For more information, call (205) 338-3301.

Visit TheNewHospital.com to view our video of the grand opening events. stvhs.com February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 3

Features and Articles D iscover The Essence of St. Clair

February - March 2012

A dog’s life KELLY RUN FARM

Rural paradise known far and wide for breeding and training retrievers

Page 32 Cover and Index photos by Jerry Martin

Learjet 464 Juliet A mission of hope, a story of perseverance

Traveling the Backroads Page 8

Master craftsman’s rock houses still standing today

Business Briefing

Page 56

Page 28

The Pond House

Fabled home now a retreat

Page 40

Pure flight

Hang gliding over St. Clair

Best Barbecue

New traditionalists bring their recipes for success to St. Clair

The craft of making fast motorcycles look even faster

Playing to a full house Page 14

The Future of St. Clair A new hospital and a new Physicians Plaza

Art in Motion

Local Color is Springville’s ‘colorful’ music spot

Page 48

Getting there made easy Page 22

Public transportation system logging thousands of miles

Page 54

Page 58

Page 64

Hometown Heroes

County has lost three philanthropists in the past year

Page 68

online @ www.discoverstclair.com

C O M E

M

etro Bank is a full service state chartered financial institution with nine locations in east-central Alabama. We offer a full line of banking solutions for every need.

Personal and business checking and investment accounts, programs for mortgage loans, consumer and commercial

H O M E

lending and lines of credit to name a few. We have been listed consistently in the American Banking Journal as one of the nation’s top performing community banks.

Metro Bank continues to build on the philosophy of

T O

U S

friendly, caring bankers that work to meet the needs of our communities.

Our bank believes in the power of the local business.

In these trying times, we want to encourage everyone to shop locally. Remember, we are never so powerful as when we work together.

www.MetroBankpc.com

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 5

Writers AND Photographers Carol Pappas

Mike Bolton

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

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

Jerry Martin Jerry Martin is chief freelance photographer for Partners by Design, a multimedia group based in Pell City. He is a veteran newspaper photographer, whose work earned numerous state awards. His photographs have appeared in many magazines, publications and online.

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

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 with his wife, Elizabeth, and daughters Emily Grace and Lily. Loyd is currently the marketing manager for the Birmingham YMCA.

Samantha Corona Samantha Corona works as a communications coordinator for O2 Ideas, a public relations and marketing firm in Birmingham. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Auburn University, where she served as associate sports editor of The Auburn Plainsman and freelance contributor for the Opelika-Auburn News. She began her professional career with The Daily Home, covering community news, events and local government, as well as contributing to Lakeside Magazine.

Elaine 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, including American Profile, Woman’s World, The Dallas Morning News and The Birmingham News. She is the author of two non-fiction books, Myths, Mysteries & Legends of Alabama and Nat King Cole: Unforgettable Musician.

GiGi Hood GiGi Hood, a Samford University graduate, lives in Birmingham. A Nashville Tenn., native and avid sports enthusiast, she was the first woman sportswriter for The Nashville Tennessean. She has also written for The Birmingham News as well as contributed to numerous publications as a freelance writer.

Currently she is working on U-Turn, a non-fiction book.

6 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

Journey of discovery From the Editor

Since first coming to St. Clair County as a cub reporter back in the late 1970s, I always thought of the areas of the northern tip as some of the most picturesque parts of the region. Their series of peaks and valleys offered unrivaled vistas that inspired, awed and never ceased to impress this city girl.

But as incredible as those views are by car or on foot, I would imagine they fall well short of the bird’s eye look — and I do mean bird’s eye look — that Bill Turner of Springville gets when he straps a kite to his back and leaps off a cliff of Chandler Mountain.

He is one of a handful of hang gliders who soar over St. Clair County valleys when the wind is just right, seeing them from a perspective the rest of us timid souls can only imagine. It’s his paradise, his heaven.

Meanwhile, Clarke and Dyxie Pauly found theirs in Odenville, where they breed and raise championship Golden Retrievers that are sold around the country. They also run a boarding operation at Kelly Run Farm, and even the dog who once played “Duke,” the Bush’s Beans dog, has visited this “heavenly” piece of St. Clair County.

And if you’re just cruising through the county from one end to the other in search of some of the newest, best barbecue around, like Discover writer Loyd McIntosh just did, you can find it all right here in St. Clair County.

I discovered my own piece of paradise on Logan Martin Lake and like countless others, I consider myself lucky to call St. Clair County home.

As you turn the pages of this issue, you’ll meet others who made their way here to make it their home or to set up shop.

They have interesting stories to tell, and we appreciate being able to tell them in our magazine. In this issue and in others,

you might see friends and neighbors you know, meet new folks or discover something new about a familiar place.

That’s what this magazine is all about, and we hope you enjoy the journeys of Discover with us.

Welcome to the February/March issue and if this isn’t your first time to discover us, allow us to offer you a sincere and heartfelt, Welcome back!

— Carol Pappas Editor and Publisher

Discover The Essence of St. Clair

February - March 2012 • Vol. 4 • www.discoverstclair.com

Carol Pappas • Editor and Publisher Graham Hadley • Managing Editor and Designer Brandon Wynn • Director of Online Services Arthur Phillips • Advertising Jerry Martin • Photography

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

Printed at Russell Printing, Alexander City, AL. February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 7

Bobby Wood, owner of Wood Performance in Cropwell, recently published a book — Learjet 464 Juliet. Wood’s story tells about a jet and a man determined to fight corruption and greed to return it to the United States.

8 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

LEARJET 464 Juliet A mission of hope, a story of perseverance Editor’s note: Excerpts from Wood’s book are italicized.

Story by Samantha Corona Photos by Jerry Martin

Wood examines 464 Juliet at Simon Bolivar airport in Colombia in 1980.

In 1981, Bobby Wood sat down with a pen and paper, and began to write.

His story would have all the exciting elements – foreign countries, constant travels, a clash of cultures, gangs of criminals, and a few good guys who chose morals over money. It would highlight corrupt governments, an illegal industry on two continents, and one man’s quest to bring a valuable piece of American property — and history — home.

Most importantly, Wood’s story would be real. No fictional characters and no exaggerations, it would be his own true-life experiences – him and 464 Juliet.

“I wrote it all down by hand. I sat down and started writing, and I filled up notebook after notebook,” Wood said. “I wanted to include everything, every detail.”

Now, more than 30 years later, that original story Wood scribbled down has become a memoir, a nonfiction novel finally ready to be shared with the rest of the world – Learjet 464 Juliet.

“I’ve had this story for years and wanted to share it, but because of certain people and certain events, I wasn’t able to,” Wood said. “Now that some people have passed on, I’m able to publish it.”

Owner of Wood Performance in Pell City, Wood grew up in Birmingham, detouring to Florida before now calling Cropwell, Ala., home.

He began his love for engines early. His father owned and operated Wood Chevrolet in Birmingham, and it wasn’t long before the car fever caught on. Wood became involved in professional drag racing and was named the NHRA National record holder twice. He later traveled the nation in the Coca-Cola racing circuit.

Wood’s business today is leading innovation and design of carburetors and cam shafts for Harley Davidson motorcycles.

“I’ve always loved working with my hands. I like putting things together to see how they work,” he said.

In 1972, Wood moved to Opa-Locka, Florida, just outside Miami, with his wife, Terry, and their children.

He started Wood Engineering, which built and designed

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 9

LEARJET 464 Juliet

N464 Juliet in Colombia products for the aircraft industry, and in 1978, under the title of Air Unlimited, Wood also opened a Cessna aircraft dealership, flight-training school and FAA repair station.

That’s where the story begins, and a Learjet by the name of 464 Juliet enters Wood’s life.

In January 1980, Raul Soto, Colombian by birth and Wood’s “right-hand man” at Air Unlimited, arranged for Wood to meet with a lawyer in Colombia who was interested in striking up an oil deal and in need of private investors. It was a proposition Wood decided to explore.

As the deal unfolded, Wood was introduced to another Colombian lawyer who brought his attention to the opportunity of restoring and returning confiscated airplanes.

The “business” of Colombia at that time – drug imports and exports – made available several abandoned and hijacked aircraft throughout the country. Some were left to waste away, some stripped for any value they could provide to the starving, money-hungry population, and some were considered property of the Colombian government and military.

An aviator at heart, Wood’s interest was piqued at the pos-

To order a copy of Learjet 464Juliet: An American, a jet and the culture of corruption that kept them apart visit www.464juliet.com sibility of repairing and restoring these planes, both for the financial possibilities and the fun.

While out exploring the area and surveying a number of planes, native Soto remembered a U.S. plane that had been grounded just a few years earlier in 1977.

According to Wood and several news stories, the Learjet N464J was on a rescue mission to bring an American who had been badly injured in a plane crash back to the states to receive care in Texas. The victim was severely burned and required treatment that Colombian hospitals couldn’t provide.

“464 Juliet, a Jet Ambulance on a medical mission of mercy, had been sent to retrieve an American named Bruce Douglas

10 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

LEARJET 464 Juliet

Wood’s motorcycle parts business is a family operation, From left, Joyce Spiegelberg, his mother-inlaw, and Terry, his wife.

Wood began his work in motorcycles after restoring and refurbishing an old Police Crusier. He now designs and develops cam shafts and carbuerators for Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Allen, who had been horribly injured in a plane crash. As Allen lay dying with third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body, Colombian officials and agencies, with the possible blessings of their United States counterparts, detained 464 Juliet on trumped-up charges of violation of airspace, and then, days later, neatly confiscated her by planting only fifty grams of cocaine onboard to ensure she would never leave Colombia. Neither would Allen, who was left to die unattended, a few days after 464 Juliet was confiscated.”

Six Americans – two pilots, two paramedics and two passengers – were jailed for their involvement with the rescue mission, but the circumstances, and their eventual release, left a number of unanswered questions.

As Wood made his way to the Simon Bolivar airport, where Juliet was detained, he saw the tail with her name, and it was love at first sight.

“Learjets are something special. I’ve always loved them, and I was excited about the chance to get her up and running again,” he said.

That opportunity wouldn’t be as easy as Wood had imagined.

As the story will tell readers, over several weeks and months, every roadblock imaginable lined the path – self-serving locals, legal red tape, drug lords and corrupt government officials would all have a say in Wood’s new quest to uncover the true story of that mercy mission and free Juliet.

“At that point I made a decision: If I didn’t get 464 Juliet out, no one else would either. I could have been wrong, but I didn’t believe so. I would turn their game back on them and muddy up the waters so much as to actual ownership that it would take years to clear – by that time the jet would be worthless.”

Today, Terry said she still remembers vividly how she felt every time her husband would head back to the Miami airport, bound for Colombia and whatever obstacles awaited him.

“I was terrified,” she said. “I knew he had to do this because he wanted it so badly, but I hated it every time he left.”

A man of deep faith, Wood said there was scarcely ever a moment when he didn’t feel completely fortunate to make it through alive. Without a doubt, he says the adventure would not have been possible without the grace of God. “I have always been a devout believer in God, and I prayed to him for strength. I had been so busy, I had almost forgotten that He was there, but as I prayed, rattling over that road to Cienaga (city along the northern coast of Colombia), I truly felt His presence and was comforted.”

Thirty years later, Wood says he still feels blessed to have witnessed everything he did, and to have made it home to Terry and his children. As for the fate of 464 Juliet, he said, that is something readers will have to discover for themselves. l

12 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 13

New traditionalists keeping St. Clair home to some of Alabama’s

Best Barbecue Story by Loyd McIntosh Photos by Jerry Martin Few things in life stir up passionate debate among Alabamians like barbecue. Along with the type of church you attend and whether you’re an Alabama or Auburn fan, where and how you like to chow down on your favorite ‘cue’ have been known to start a fistfight or two. Inside meat or outside meat. Chopped or sliced. Sauce or no sauce. Tomato-based or vinegarbased. Pork or beef. Everyone has an opinion, and their opinion is correct. However, one thing everyone can agree on is tradition. All of the best barbecue joints have been smoking meat in great big brick pits, generation after generation, right?

Well, not exactly.

Throughout St. Clair County, there are a handful of newcomers to the barbecue scene doing some things that have the ability to make the purists think not-so-pure thoughts. From adding po-boys and turkeys to their menus, to reaching new customers with websites and Facebook pages, to forgoing traditional dining spaces altogether, these meat-smoking mavericks are redefining what a cool barbecue joint can be, and the results are absolutely delicious. So, leave your preconceptions at home, bring your appetite, gas up the pick ‘em up truck and get ready to hit the road for a tour of St. Clair County’s newest barbecue traditions. And, while you’re at it, pick up a slab of ribs or a box of wings from the first spot on the Discover tour of St. Clair’s new barbecue styles — Butts To Go in Pell City.

Bailey serves a bbq plate at Rusty’s BBQ in Leeds.

Butts To Go Located at a Texaco gas station on Martin Street, Butts To Go is the spot in town everyone knows about, but it would take a $100 bet to come up with

14 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 15

Best Barbecue the joint’s name. Most people in town just know it as the gas station with the darn good barbecue.

There is no flashing neon signs with the words Butts To Go anywhere on the building, but who needs a lighted smiling pig 20 feet in the air when you have four black smokers cooking up Boston Butts and ribs all day long? The fragrant smoke billowing up and down the highway are all the marketing this place needs.

“On pretty days when that smoke just sits across the road, business is better, there’s no question about it. People come in and say, ‘Man, that smoke is killing me, I got to have something to eat,’” says owner Wade Reich.

Reich, along with a couple of partners, bought the gas station in 2008, after he moved back to the Birmingham area in 2002. With no experience whatsoever, Reich started thinking about getting into the barbecue business after the Pell City Food World closed back in 2009. For years, Food World set up a bank of smokers and cooked up butts, ribs and other treats for local barbecue addicts. When the supermarket closed its doors for good almost three years ago, Reich saw a void that needed to be filled. “When they went out and closed that store, nobody around here picked up doing Boston Butts. I said, ‘Well, there’s got to be an opportunity’ because people are used to driving up and down here buying Boston Butts for the holidays. So we started doing it,” Reich says.

Originally, he only smoked Butts on barbecuefriendly holidays such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day, but the response was so positive that he almost immediately found himself literally up to his armpits in hickory smoke and hungry customers. “Pretty soon we got to where we were cooking every weekend and then people would come in and ask, ‘Don’t you have any sandwiches?’ So we started doing sandwiches,” he said.

Butts To Go uses three smokers, all sitting right next to the road, cooking butts and ribs using a cooking technique called the Texas crutch method. “I didn’t know that when we first started,” admits Reich. The butts are smoked for a couple of hours then wrapped in foil and finished on indirect heat with the fire built on one side and the meat cooking low and slow on the other side.

The grills are locked down overnight and the butts are pulled off in the morning, then the ribs go on and are cooked throughout the day. Aside form hickory wood used for the fire, Reich uses no additional flavorings — no rubs, brines or marinades — which Reich claims is what separates Butts To Go from other barbecue joints.

“Our flavor is in the meat, which is different from most other places. Most other places push their barbecue sauce and our barbecue sauce is a non-descript, middle-of-the-road, tomato-based, not sweet, not vinegar sauce,” he says. “Our success has been with the meat itself, which is differ-

James Grigsby prepares the smoker to begin cooking a new batch of BBQ.

Jonathan “Rusty” Tucker prepares ribs for serving at Rusty’s BBQ.

16 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

Macey Grigsby, 8, enjoys bbq ribs at the Shack Burgers.

ent than the way everyone else does it.”

Of course, the fact that Butts To Go is inside a gas station sets it apart as well. Even if you can buy a Full Throttle energy drink, a quart of oil and a pack of No Doz along with a pork butt sandwich or a dozen wings, Butts To Go has developed a loyal following among hard-working, blue-collar guys to busy moms. It may be a wee bit unconventional, but Butts To Go is that cool little place that gets people talking.

“There are people who come in here and get 10 sandwiches. Construction crews will come in early in the morning and pick up a bunch of sandwiches to take with them,” he says. “We also cater to people who are hauling kids to baseball practice or whatever and don’t have time to cook tonight. That’s really what we do.”

“There’s something about barbecue places, and I’ll admit I don’t know what it is. Everybody has their favorite barbecue place, and they tend to seek them out,” Reich adds. “They like to discover their barbecue

place, and it’s almost like it belongs to them personally.”

With bellies, and gas tanks, full, it’s time to head out to spot number two on this barbecue tour — Rusty’s BBQ in Leeds.

Rusty’s Barbecue Located in an old Jack’s Hamburgers building on Highway 78, Rusty’s is the more conventional of the new places on this tour. It’s also smack in the middle of a mini-barbecue renaissance in Leeds, surrounded by new joints with names like Huck’s Rib Shack and Old Smokey Barbecue. One of Rusty’s primary advantages is an actual website with an actual menu online.

Finding a website for an independent barbecue joint — even this far into the 21st Century — is about as easy as finding tofu smoking away on the brick pit. In plain and simple terms, it ain’t easy at all.

Jonathan “Rusty” Tucker opened his namesake joint

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 17

Best Barbecue in February 2009, practically while the ink was still wet on his diploma from the Johnson & Wales culinary institute. By his early twenties, Tucker had already earned his epicurean stripes working at fine-dining restaurants such as Satterfield’s in Birmingham and The Charleston Grill in Charleston, S.C. Before he knew what hit him, he was renting the space near downtown Leeds at an age most are just entering the workforce.

“I’ve always wanted to open a restaurant if the opportunity presented itself. I didn’t think the opportunity would present itself at the age of 24,” admits Tucker.

Having experience in fine dining, Tucker soon discovered his true calling after accepting a catering job one summer while home from college. The client wanted barbecue and, like any self-respecting young person eager to get his foot in the door – he bluffed his way into it.

“I said, ‘Sure I can do barbecue.’ I went out to the lake, set up a grill and got there really early in the morning and cooked barbecue all day long,” says Tucker. “At the end of the day, I’d had a great day and a pocket full of cash and by the time it was all said and done, I was driving home thinking, ‘Man, I would have done that for free.’ ” At first glance, Rusty’s may look like many good barbecue joints, but after a few minutes you realize this place really is different. While there are a few pieces of Alabama and Auburn memorabilia scattered about – including an autographed photo of Tucker and Leeds native Charles Barkley – Rusty’s reflects its owner’s personality. The walls are adorned with a handful of old guitars, some pieces of baseball memorabilia, and dozens of posters of rock bands, including a huge portrait of famed blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn, all of which came straight from Tucker’s childhood home. “Basically my parents said, ‘Come get this stuff out,’ and I said, ‘I got the perfect spot for it. I’ll open up a restaurant.’ ” The food at Rusty’s is the main attraction, and in just under three years, Tucker has gained a loyal and growing customer base. Visitors to Rusty’s will find the basics here, pulled pork butts, chicken, and hamburgers cooked to order. You won’t find brisket on the menu though. “This is Alabama,” he says. “We’re a pork house.”

However, the menu item Tucker says he’s most proud of is the ribs. Tucker trims down spare ribs to a St. Louis cut and trims the skin off the back in order to make them more tender.

They go on the brick pit in the back of the building and come out tender and juicy with just the right amount of give on the bone. No frills, the way Rusty believes barbecue should be done. “Honestly, I’m not reinventing the wheel. I’m not doing gourmet barbecue, I’m doing (darn) good barbecue,” Tucker says. While he may downplay his skills and adventurousness, Tucker is not afraid to try new things. For instance, smoked turkey is a regular item on the menu, and he offers diners four barbecue sauce choices: a vinegar-based sauce, a sweet sauce, spicy and a white sauce. Regardless of what cut of meat is smoking away on the pit, Tucker believes really good barbecue is a result of a personal connection of a cook, his food and his customers.

“I think a lot of people have lost touch with real barbecue.

Everyone’s got these big, $30,000 gas-fired smokers that you put one or two logs of whatever wood you want on it, load it up with 1,000 pounds of meat and set it and forget it. That’s not what we’re doing,” Tucker says. “We’ve got a brick pit that we’ve got real hickory wood burning underneath, and we move things on and off the flame to get the right color and char. It’s

Jennifer Jowers prepares a BBQ sandwich at Butts to Go.

Robert Reich checks the smoking meat at Butts to Go. more of an art than a science. I think we spend a little more time and love than some of these big chains.”

Next up on the tour, The Shack Burgers and Barbecue in Springville.

The Shack Located on Marietta Road just off U.S. Highway 11 and Alabama 174 is a little restaurant in Springville called The Shack Burgers and Barbecue. In fact, the place is so small you might

18 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

$5.00

EXPRESS WASH

Boathouses & Docks

Detail Packages Available 602 Martin Street South Pell City, AL 35128

* SEAWALLS * BOATHOUSE RENOVATIONS * BOATLIFTS * ANNUAL MAINTENANCE PROGRAM * QUALITY MATERIAL * QUALITY WORKMANSHIP * LICENSED & INSURED

205.338.1322

www.ClassicCarWash-Pell City.com

Mon.-Sat. 8:30-5:00

Ken Crowe Commissioner St. Clair County Commission 165 5th Avenue, Suite 100 Ashville, AL 35953 Office: 205-594-2100 Cell: 205-365-5114 Home: 205-640-1764 crowebro3@aol.com

Visit us at the BJCC Boat Show January 19th - 22nd.

205-338-7500

www.tradesmanco.com Visit our showroom 3620 Martin Street South, Cropwell

GP

® www.goinpostal.com

Now Offering Large Format Printing Goin’ Postal is now working with Offering Quality Large Format Printing & Framing to the area!

Everything from Business Advertisement, Company Parties, to Family Portraits and more.

Conveniently located in Kmart Shopping Center next to Winn Dixie

Phone: (205) 338-6770 pellcity@goinpostal.com signaturedivine@live.com

Follow us at www.facebook.com/goinpostalpc

-Banner Prints -Gloss Canvas Prints -High Gloss Paper Prints -Poster Printing -Blue Print Scan & Prints -Large Prints of any kind

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 19

Best Barbecue

Butts to Go operates out of this Texaco station.

miss it if you blink while driving through town. However, don’t let this joint’s petite size fool you. The Shack is the real deal, people, and you owe it to yourself to stop in for a bite.

Oneonta native James “Sticky Fingers” Grigsby, along with his wife, Chauntelle, and her mother Donna, both from Louisiana, opened The Shack in April 2010, turning out some of the best barbecue in St. Clair County and beyond. However, how he came to open the restaurant is something of a fluke. “I stopped in to talk to them because I was going to start bringing up shrimp from the gulf coast to sell up here on the weekends. Two weeks later we had the whole place,” explains Grigsby.

He brings an array of experience and interests to The Shack, having spent time working all over the Southeast in a variety of trades, including a three-year stint working on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana and Texas seem to have made the largest impact on his culinary sensibilities. He also may have a touch of Attention Deficit Disorder, which is a good thing in this case, sprinkling different regional dishes on the menu throughout the week.

Mondays are devoted to Louisiana-style po-boys, made with bread flown in from New Orleans and shrimp from the Gulf Coast.

Saturdays are devoted to ribs, normally the only day of the week diners can get them, that is if he hasn’t sold out by the time you roll into the gravel parking lot.

For several years, Grigsby ran a barbecue team participating in competitions throughout the Southeast, including the Texas State Barbecue Championships. In 2009, his ribs took ninth place, an amazing feat for an Alabama boy. “Ninth isn’t a win, and you don’t get a big trophy, but it’s still a big deal,” Grigsby says.

“The thing with my ribs is, I cook mine different than they do in Texas. They want their ribs dry, and they don’t want any sauce on them,” Grigsby adds. “You can see my nickname is Sticky Fingers.

I like a sticky, messy rib.”

The ribs go on the pit behind the small building at 2 o’clock in the morning and are basted every two hours with Grigsby’s homemade sauce until they’re ready to come off. These ribs are definitely sticky, but they’re not exclusively sweet. They have just enough spice to wake up the senses and are, frankly, addicting.

Grigsby does the vast majority of the cooking himself, spending most of his time at The Shack, and his devotion to the barbecue craft has paid off in a short amount of time. He was featured on ABC 33/40’s Taste of Alabama in October, and he gets the word out through the relatively modern step of The Shack’s Facebook page.

“I guess that says we’re doing something right, to get that kind of recognition after only being open for six months,” he says.

Having worked for a couple of years in the advertising business, Grigsby knows how to develop a buzz. However, when it comes to his food, “Sticky Fingers” is 100 percent traditionalist, focusing on the tried-and-true methods and bucking the trends.

“A lot of barbecue joints use green hickory wood instead of well seasoned wood, and you end up with a bitter taste. It just changes the flavor. It doesn’t taste the same,” says Grigsby. “I’ve always been told that if the meat is over-smoked or bitter, that’s sloppy cooking. You want that smoke flavor, but you don’t want to overdo it.

“I do know some of the restaurant supply places that actually carry a bagged barbecue product. They sell it in a five pound bag and, evidently, a lot of barbecue joints are using it. Take it out of the fridge, throw it in a pot of boiling water to heat it up, serve it away,” Grigsby adds. “They tried to push it on us. If I can’t do any better than that, I don’t need a place.” l

20 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

count on

E I T H E R W AY, I T ’ S

y D e o k cks c a M

DANA ELLISON

for

and Boathouses

Serving clients in St. Clair, Talladega and Jefferson Counties through LAH, a trusted name for decades in the real estate industry as the largest locally owned real estate company in Birmingham.

PUT DANA TO WORK FOR YOU TODAY

Quality • Experience • Customer Service

Excellent Client Service. Hard Working.

Knowledgeable Realtor®.

OFFICE: (205) 870-8580 CELL: (205) 369-1413

Dana Ellison, REALTOR ®

Dock builders • Boathouses • Lifts • Piers • Seawalls Portable pile driving available

W W W. L O G A N M A RT I N D O C K S . C OM 205-525-4933

R E A LT O R

WWW.YOURWEBSITEHERE.COM

Changing The Face Of The St. Clair County Court System Your vote in the Republican Primary on March 13 has the power to do just that.

As District Court Judge, Place 1, I will:

• Stay true to my Christian faith, family values and the law • Be fair • Use common sense • Work Hard • Treat all equally • Keep honor in the court • Faithfully serve St. Clair County Being raised and educated in St. Clair County, a faithful Christian, a wife, a mother of three and a decade of experience as a lawyer have shaped my life and what I can offer our court system. With my comprehensive practice -- family law, real estate, civil litigation, adoptions, child support, business formations, misdemeanor prosecution and defense and as a school board attorney -- I bring vast knowledge, ability and experience to the office. For the past five years, much of my practice has concentrated on District Court and the issues that face this judgeship on a daily basis. Make your vote count for change.

Pd. Pol. Ad., Laurie Mize Henderson Campaign, PO Box 2000, Pell City, AL 35125

Vote Laurie Mize Henderson St. Clair County District Judge, Place 1, and help change the face of our court system.

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 21

Physicians Plaza is being developed by Johnson Development and will expand medical services offered there with room to grow.

22 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

A Reflection

of the

Future

for

St. Clair County

New hospital and a new Physicians Plaza The St. Vincent’s St. Clair Auxiliary is instrumental in orienting people to the new hospital.

Greeting visitors at the front desk are Karen Dawson, left, and Betty Turner.

Story by Carol Pappas hospital opened its doors to the Emergency Photos by Jerry Martin Department at 6 that morning. The transfer of and Wynter Byrd patients from the old facility began at 9 a.m. and Terrell Vick escorted the final patient out of the old St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital, and Sean Tinney welcomed the first patients arriving at the new one. It was a fitting role for each to play — Vick as former president and COO and acting as Chief Transition Officer and Tinney as president of St. Vincent’s Rural Hospital Operations.

From their vantage points and through their responsibilities, they witnessed history being made, the page officially turning on Dec. 10, 2011.

“The preparation leading up to it was phenomenal,” said Tinney, who noted that the new

the doors did not shut until the last patient was moved. “It was as smooth as anything I have been a part of.”

For Vick to witness the last patients leaving the old facility where he worked for so many years and Tinney witnessing the first patients coming into the new one he is overseeing, “it was meaningful for him, and it was meaningful for me,” Tinney said.

The move was like clockwork, Tinney said, giving credit to a host of team members. Neeysa Biddle, former COO of St. Vincent’s Health System, coordinated the move with Vick heading transition efforts. Regional Paramedical Services had five ambulances assisting with the

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 23

New Physicians Plaza

J.C. King (in the ambulance) makes history as the last patient transported from the “old” St. Vincent’s St. Clair.

Among St. Vincent’s St. Clair associates who helped close the old hospital: King’s wife, Myra, in the brown coat; Vice President of Patient Care Services Paula McCullough on the far left and Terrell Vick, front, right.

Sean Tinney, president of St. Vincent’s Rural Health Operations

move of patients. Dual labs and x-rays operated during the move, and associates and medical staff transitioned to a state-of-the-art electronic health record system.

The entire staff was oriented to the new hospital in the weeks leading up to the move, and when that day arrived, 50 Information Technology specialists reported for duty, ensuring that countless computers and a new order entry system was in place and working properly.

“It made it a whole lot easier to adapt,” Tinney said.

In the days since, the activity has shown no signs of slowing. Admissions are up 28 percent. Emergency Department visits jumped 10 percent. Use of the 64-slice CT Scanner and MRI equipment climbed 22 percent. At that rate, Tinney said, the new hospital could see more than 25,000 patients in a year’s time in the Emergency Department as opposed to 19,000 in the old facility.

On Dec. 19, 2011, the Physicians Plaza professional office building opened adjacent to the hospital, featuring 40,000 square feet of space. St. Vincent’s is leasing 20,000 square feet for specialists and an outpatient center, and Johnson Development, which specializes in developing, acquiring and managing medical office buildings and outpatient facilities, is developing the building.

St. Vincent’s Family Care — Pell City, the practice of Drs. Tuck, Scarbrough and Williams, is slated to open there in February or March along with St. Vincent’s Obstetrics and Gynecology-St. Clair.

New services are being added as well. Wound care with hyperbaric oxygen chambers opens in April or May, and in June, a sleep diagnostic center will open with two beds initially that can be expanded to four beds.

A partnership with MedSouth, a durable medical equipment company, will allow St. Vincent’s to offer home medical equipment, like wheelchairs,

24 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

COMING ATTRACTIONS Terry Padgett as Elvis The Man Behind the Suit Feb. 18; Tickets, $20 Complimentary Wine and Cheese, 6:30 p.m.

Concert, 7 p.m.

Jason Petty’s The Swingin’ Cowboys March 10, 7 p.m.

Tickets, $25

Good service and great meals at affordable prices.

13 Central Alabama Locations Dine-In, Carry-Out or Drive-Thru Order Today 205 338-1443

Catering & Daily Specials

Crimes of the Heart Dinner Theatre April 13, 6 p.m.

April 14, 6 p.m.

April 15, 2 p.m. Matinee Tickets, $35

1700 Martin Street north Pell City

Order Online www.GoldenRuleBBQ.com

Johnson Development would like to welcome each of you to your new home in the Physician’s Plaza.

St. Vincent’s Outpatient Center St. Vincent’s Home Medical Services Fresenius Medical Care St. Vincent’s Family Practice St. Vincent’s Obstetrics & Gynecology St. Vincent’s Sleep Diagnostics Center St. Vincent’s Wound Care Center

Innovative Results for Healthcare Real Estat e

SM

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 25

New Physicians Plaza RN Jessica Thompson checks the blood pressure of patient Juanita Macon, one of the first in the new hospital.

The transport team of Regional Paramedical Services, which volunteered to assist the move. Each patient was accompanied by paramedics and a St. Vincent’s St. Clair registered nurse for the trip to the new facility.

26 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

“Serving All Your Real Estate Needs” Let us help you with:

• ALL HOMES • ALL LAND • ALL AREAS • ALL THE TIME

Paula Krafft

Dr. Jay C. Long, a general surgeon at the new outpatient center in Physicians Plaza, checks a chart with assistance from LPN Henrietta Johnson.

REALTOR®

Cell: (205) 365-9612

paula@moodyrealtyal.com MOODY REALTY

2841 Moody Parkway Moody, Alabama 35004 Office: (205) 640-7671 Fax: (205) 640-1795

crutches, walkers, oxygen and respiratory equipment as well as diabetic supplies.

Time-share space is being utilized by specialists working part time in St. Clair. And more specialists are being recruited in the areas of orthopedics, general surgery, cardiology and pulmonology. To Tinney, it all translates into “more comprehensive medical services we can provide our community.”

Laurie Regan, a principal with Johnson Development, couldn’t agree more with Tinney’s assessment of the hospital’s ability to provide more comprehensive services. Her firm is developing the building with a definite eye toward the future and expansions.

Fresenius Medical Care dialysis will open with 12 stations and plans for an expansion, she said.

Even the building itself was constructed with expansion in mind, evidenced by a third floor of 5,000 square feet of additional space that will make way for a vertical expansion. “We know the growth is going to be there,” Regan said.

The Physicians Plaza is expected to be fully functional in February and has features and amenities that make it appealing, like its easy access to the first floor of the adjoining hospital and a full complement of diagnostic and lab services.

Art from elementary school students will hang on the walls of the second floor surrounding family practice, illustrating the partnership between the medical facility and the community.

“It is a community building, really, and we want it to have a St. Clair flavor,” Regan said.

The tie to community has a special meaning to Regan personally in addition to her role as a developer. “As residents of Pell City and St. Clair County, my husband and I have been strong supporters of St. Clair Regional and St. Vincent’s. I’m doubly blessed that my career in health-care development allowed me to be a part of this wonderful project and work in my hometown.” l

www.moodyrealtyal.com

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 27

Traveling the

BACKROADS

The house(s) that Jack built Master craftsman’s legacy rock solid nearly a century later Story by Jerry C. Smith Jackson McFadden Riddle was St. Clair County’s premier stonemason. He built hundreds of rock churches, schools, homes, stores and fence-rows which still stand as testaments to his craftsmanship.

Stonemasonry is a unique art form whose picturesque product is designed to serve as a durable, sensible living space for raising families or as a gathering place for community services. These structures have an outer shell faced with “fieldstones,” which are generally potato- to football-sized stones, composed of hard, flint-like chert, gathered from local fields.

In St. Clair, if it’s made of fieldstone, Jack Riddle probably built it. His skill and workmanship ensured that most of these structures still stand in good condition, even though many are almost a century old. Even when such a building burns, as did his Low Gap Elementary School, the outer walls usually remain as proof of their inherent strength.

Some fine examples of Jack’s stonework are the rock stores on U.S. 411 in Cool Springs and Odenville, Springville School, Low Gap Methodist Church on County Road 12 near Margaret, Odenville School on College Street, Odenville First Baptist Church on Alabama Street, and private homes too numerous to list.

28 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

Jack Riddle

Anne Riddle Burton/Photo

Rock Home, Springville

Old Dollar store in Ashville

According to Jo Ann Washington in The Heritage of St. Clair County, Alabama, Jack Riddle, born in 1873, and his wife, Margaret, were descended from the progeny of several hardy souls who migrated into our area following the Indian Wars of 1812-14 and the Civil War. Jack and Margaret “Maggie” Riddle married in 1898, resided at first in a log cabin with dirt floor, and bore 15 children, 11 of whom survived to adulthood.

The Riddles lived in an area near Margaret, known variously as Low Gap or Riddletown.

It is still populated with dozens of their descendants. Among them is Ann Riddle Burton of Odenville, who speaks admiringly of her maternal grandfather.

Lady Ann, as she is known to close friends, says Jack Riddle was an industrious, devoutly religious man who worked hard all his life and left a legacy of craftsmanship in the form of stone, mortar and upstanding, hard-working descendants.

His grandson, Rex Riddle of Madison, relates that Jack’s stonemasonry work was legendary, making him an artisan much in

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 29

Traveling the

BACKROADS

Springville School

Odenville Home

Rock store in Odenville 30 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

demand. He traveled all over northeast Alabama to ply his trade, often living in customers’ homes while work was in progress. According to Rex, his grandfather was also a farmer who entrusted that occupation to his sons while he was away doing stone work.

One of his most noteworthy projects was Springville School, completed in 1921 and still proudly standing today, albeit in a state of disrepair. However, it isn’t Jack’s work that needs restoration; those lofty walls are still, literally, solid as a rock.

The Springville Preservation Society, a group of about 30 Springville citizens, succeeded in their concerted effort to rescue this fine old building from demolition. The Society, now chaired by Frank Wade, has been at work since about 1992 in its quest to save some of Springville’s finest vintage structures, including the school, Springville Masonic Lodge and a log pioneer cabin presently sited at the old Springville Lake/ Water Works.

Donna Cole Davis, the Society’s fundraising chairman, is a lifelong resident of Springville. She expresses great affection for the old school building in which most of her senior relatives had been educated. She attended kindergarten there in later years.

The people of Springville knew full well how valuable the school would be to their community, so they did what small towns are famous for — they worked together to make it happen, then looked upon the finished result with well-earned pride.

Davis relates that Riddle, along with a host of other workers and volunteers, constructed the building using thousands of stones gathered by local farmers and other citizens and brought to the site in farm wagons during “stone drives.” Other costs were funded in part by quilt sales, raffles, book sales, donations and other neighborhood participation.

Davis’ extensive archives reveal that Springville School first opened in 1921 and served as a high school until 1937, then as an elementary school until 1964. It’s since been used as a kindergarten, band room for the adjacent high school, and currently hosts a Boy Scout troop. At one time, the school was being considered for a public library, but the city opted instead for the old Masonic hall on Main Street.

According to Davis, Springville School remains possibly the largest extant fieldstone structure in Alabama, and in 2008 was listed

Low Gap Steeple

Detail of the stonework construction by the Alabama Historic Commission as one of the state’s most endangered sites. She and the Society are working toward total restoration of the property as a community venue for clubs, weddings and other functions apropos to a quaint, historic building. The Society plans to preserve Mrs. Crandall’s classroom as it was, for the benefit of those who once attended there.

Works of art Riddle specialized in a technique called slipform stonemasonry, which is basically a long, topless, bottomless, empty wooden box whose inner cavity is as wide as the intended wall’s thickness. The form is gradually filled with stones whose faces touch the outer part of the form while concrete is being shoveled into the inward-facing part. It’s very labor-intensive work for both artisan and helpers.

As soon as the concrete in a section hardens enough to hold everything together, the form is then “slipped” up the wall and re-fastened firmly into place to create the next section. A typical slipform wall is about half-concrete and half-stone, with small rubble and an occasional iron re-bar added for extra strength.

Slipform walls can be made with any kind of rounded fieldstone or sandstone slabs with at least one flat surface. Such walls are virtually weather- and fire-proof, and can last a lifetime. The technique also lends itself well to front porch banisters, chimneys, outbuildings, well casings and monuments.

Fieldstone walls were “green” long before energy conservation became popular. During the winter, when the sun is lower to the horizon, its rays shine directly onto all the surfaces of those rocks and into the concrete between them, warming the wall. After dark, the walls then release some of this heat to the home’s interior. Also, stone walls are impervious to wind, with no cold drafts through the wall itself.

In summer, the sun is at a much higher angle, so not as much radiation is trapped by the stones, but the coolness of the night air is absorbed quite readily, and helps keep the building’s interior cooler during the day.

In his later years, Riddle also worked with flat sandstone.

This beautiful material is wrought in much the same way as fieldstone, by slipform. No finer example exists than the facade of his church home, Low Gap Methodist near Margaret. For

Riddle, sadly, this project proved to be his last.

In 1950, as he labored to construct the church’s new steeple, Jack suffered a fatal stroke and passed away the following Saturday, with longtime friend and helper, Charles Brightman, at his side. The steeple remained unfinished until his sons and some church members completed it in 1951.

To an informed eye, it’s easy to spot where Jack’s work ended and the completion began. Although both jobs were wellexecuted, the seam line between the two is virtually a signature to his final work of art.

Ann Riddle Burton says that a memorial program was held April 29, 1951, to honor her grandfather’s 50-plus years of stewardship to Low Gap Methodist and its community. The service opened with a hymn, Faith Of Our Fathers. After the invocation, Mr. J.F. Allison presented a written church history to Riddle’s widow, Maggie, who then honored her late husband by ringing the bell in the new steeple for the first time.

A bronze plaque now graces the foyer of Low Gap Methodist, reading:

THIS BELL TOWER IS DEDICATED TO THE LOVING MEMORY OF JACK M. RIDDLE A FAITHFUL MEMBER OF THIS CHURCH FOR SIXTY-FOUR YEARS 1873-1950 “HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH” HEBREWS 11:4

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 31

A dog’s life

Rural paradise known far and wide for breeding, training retrievers

32 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Jerry Martin

It is one of those hidden-away places that you just might miss if you weren’t looking for it. But find the gated dirt road leading to Kelly Run Farm, round the bend and you come faceto-face with a rustic paradise.

A log home, wide-open pasture and ponds against a backdrop of towering trees make an ideal setting for Clarke and Dyxie Pauly, who wanted to get away from the harried pace of big-city life and pursue their passion for dogs.

To the Paulys, the land is their paradise. To their four-legged friends — some they own; some simply guests in their boarding operation — the land is their heaven.

Clarke Pauly has built a national reputation on this 30-acre tract that lies between Pell City and Odenville, breeding and training field Golden Retrievers. On a recent visit to Kelly Run Farm, named for the creek that runs nearby, the Paulys were playing host to two litters of Golden Retrievers, 13 in all. Theirs was a seven-week stay before moving on to points across the country, filling the wish lists of hunters and dog lovers and to be used as guide dogs in two instances.

The 9-puppy litter belonged to Taz, the Paulys’ 4-year-old field dog, and Mr. D.J. from Tennessee, who is a confirmation or show dog.

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 33

A dog’s life

The litter lines up for visitors.

Dyxie shows off a couple of pups.

34 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

It was the Paulys’ first attempt at breeding these distinctly different types of Golden Retrievers, but the result was nothing short of an absolute cuteness guaranteed to evoke a smile from all who see them. “They came out real pretty,” said Clarke, who had his hands full trying to get nine scurrying puppies to pause a moment to look in the direction of a camera.

Rebel, the Paulys’ 9-year-old, and Sky from Florida are true field dogs, and they are the parents of the 4-puppy litter. “They are true working dogs,” Clarke said. But at this moment, they’re just plain puppies, exploring everything around them.

At 5 and 6 weeks, he had them out touring the property, getting them used to all types of topography. “That way, nothing really scares them. They’re used to all terrains,” Dyxie noted.

While the puppies have been an enjoyable diversion at Kelly Run Farm, it’s the business of boarding dogs and training Golden Retriev-

KEEP

JUDGE ALAN FURR

St. Clair County District Judge, Place 1

Dyxie’s Chick Rebel ers that keeps the Paulys the busiest.

When they moved to St. Clair County in December of 1999, it was to have just the right place to train dogs.

Clarke began training after Dyxie’s Golden Retriever went jogging with him back in Birmingham. “She would stay to my left and I thought, ‘That’s cool.’ ” He began to do more and more and then started training dogs in city parks but soon found they weren’t ideal for his newfound hobby.

“When the police were called on us, I knew it wasn’t working,” he said.

They began a search for just the right property and just as visitors do today, they rounded the bend and came face to face with their dream home.

“We always wanted a log home,” Dyxie recalled. One Labor Day, they saw an ad that said: “Log home with 20 acres.”

“It had to be just so,” Clarke said, remembering a mental checklist he had made for the perfect place before their arrival. “We couldn’t see it from the road.” But when they turned in, “both of us looked at each other and said, ‘Wow!’ It had a swamp. Every criteria was met. It was like the list. We built the ponds the way we wanted. It was just our dream house,” Clarke said.

“It was meant to be,” Dyxie said, echoing the sentiment.

And it has been. The Paulys have been partnering with Jackie Mertens of Topbrass Retrievers in Madison, Fla., on the training side of the business virtually ever since.

“We raise. She markets. If you want field Goldens, Jackie’s the woman to see,” Clarke said.

On the boarding side, it was a business that eventually evolved. “We had enough runs for our dogs, but friends

EXPERIENCED ¸ 17 years as lawyer ¸ District Judge handling one of the heaviest caseloads in the state ¸ Former municipal judge, prosecutor, city attorney, public defender and criminal defense attorney ¸ Municipal, state and federal trial lawyer ¸ Wide ranging law practice in all facets of law

FAIR AND IMPARTIAL ¸ Impartial, common sense application of law ¸ Respected by judges and attorneys throughout the state ¸ Proven track record

TRUE CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN ¸ Worship Leader in his church ¸ Licensed minister ¸ Family man

Pd. Pol. Ad by Committee to Keep Judge Alan Furr, 145 Sunset Road, Pell City, AL 35128

www.judgefurr.com

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 35

A dog’s life Clarke and Taz

Taz retrieves a target from water during training.

36 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

kept asking, ‘Can you keep my dog?’ We thought it was a good idea. In 2003, we started boarding,” Dyxie said.

Today, they can board up to 52 dogs at one time, and more than 1,000 clients have entrusted their dogs’ care at Kelly Run Farm, almost a doggie day camp with room to roam, exercise, play and swim. Among their more famous guests was a Golden Retriever who played “Duke” on the Bush’s Beans commercials three years running. In the commercials, Duke is the talking dog who tries to sell the secret family recipe for the highly successful line of beans.

No fear, he didn’t sell the recipe on any of his trips to Kelly Run, but his owners did thank Clarke and Dyxie for hosting their star with a special, framed photograph sequence of their boarder of notoriety in some of the advertisements in which he appeared.

Others may not be as famous, but they are no less loved. It is evident from the moment you step onto the property. And that love carries over to the discipline of training dogs.

Clarke agrees to demonstrate years worth of work in training Taz and Rebel, whose playful personalities come out as they jump and run, circling Clarke and making them look like any other dog who loves the attention of their master.

But when it’s time to go to ‘work,’ their keen focus is all on Clarke and the job at hand.

On this particular afternoon, Clarke demonstrates the hunt for a downed bird. A gunshot sounds. Taz is more than ready to take off, but she doesn’t.

She is at complete attention — like a statue at Clarke’s side.

He sounds a short whistle, and

A Golden Retriever who played “Duke” on the Bush’s Beans commercials three years running is one of the kennel’s more famous visitors. His owners thanked Clarke and Dyxie with a special framed photo sequence featuring “Duke.”

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 37

A dog’s life Clarke uses a whistle and hand signals to guide the dogs to right spot.

she is off and running like a strong gust of wind. Another whistle sounds, and the abruptness of the stop is amazing.

She turns, faces Clarke and sits. With a hand motion to the left from Clarke, the gust catches hold again, and she speedily heads directly toward her prey. She can’t see it, but the whistles and the motions from Clarke telegraph the exact location to her.

She runs into the woods and in a moment or so, she heads back with the prize from the woods and the praise awaiting her from Clarke a hundred yards away.

It’s just another day at Kelly Run Farm, where a dog’s life truly is the good life. And in return, the Paulys enjoy the good life, too. Nothing tells that story quite as well their own words in “About Us” on their website.

Here’s a hint, the title reads: “About Us (and the dogs that own us).” l

Check out a video of Clarke and his dogs in action at discoverstclair.com 38 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

ST. CLAIR COUNTY

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK OUR PARTNERS AND INVESTORS FOR THEIR SUPPORT OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS.

SINCE THE PARTNERSHIP FOR TOMORROW

NEED MORE SPACE? Try THE ADDITION for your storage needs.

✓ Short term rentals welcome ✓ Discounts available for multiple rentals ✓ Share a larger unit and save ✓ Easy access US 231, Pell City ✓ Gated and Well Lit ✓ Safe Environment ✓ Sizes 5 x 5, 5 x 10, 10 x 20, 10 x 30

CAMPAIGN IN 2007,

OVER 1,800 NEW JOBS AND $360 MILLION IN NEW CAPITAL INVESTMENT HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED IN ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THIS SUCCESS WITH YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT.

OFFICE

|

HOBBY

|

FURNITURE

|

LAKE SUPPLIES

OUR FRIENDLY STAFF IS EAGER TO ACCOMMODATE YOU. Contact Fields Gossett, The Addition’s property managers, today at 205-884-2300. Trusted name, quality service. THE ADDITION, US 231 South and Airport Road, Pell City.

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 39

40 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair

The Pond House

Fabled home now a retreat Story by GiGi Hood Photos by Jerry Martin “Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, swiftly go the years!” The poignant words from Jerry Bock’s and Sheldon Harnick’s musical adaptation of Joseph Stein’s “Fiddler On The Roof” couldn’t be more true. And thanks to — or because of — today’s technological marvels, sunrises seem to run into sunsets, and very few even have time to notice the transition from one day to the next. Nothing seems to slow down, and humanity can often resemble the mouse or gerbil running on the wheel to nowhere.

Few places exist where one might find refuge from the world’s ever-quickening pace and yield to an almost forgotten chance to reflect quietly on the thoughts in their head and the matters of their heart. Such places would seem remote, far away, unbelievably expensive and most likely existent only in theory. But that is not always the case. They do exist, and one is right in the heart of St. Clair County. The Pond House, with 40 acres of land, a 3-acre stocked lake, walking trails and quiet quarters, is the perfect destination for the person seeking solace, rest and a time and place for personal reflection as well as the renewal of the body, mind

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 41

The Pond House

“While The Pond House is an outreach ministry of Talladega’s St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, all who appreciate the standards and way of the church are invited,” Dan Miller, director of The Pond House, explains.

The portraits are of benefactors Vi and Hugh Cort.

and soul. Located in Pell City, just off Alabama 34, it is a peaceful utopia that is easily reachable without the need to travel great distance or spend a large amount of money to get there.

Col. Hugh Cort III, a Korean War hero, and his wife, Vi, traveled the world as he served his country. After the war, they settled in Mountain Brook when Hugh went to work at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Always busy and involved wherever they lived, Hugh and Vi both were constantly thinking about and looking for the perfect place to retire.

Their dream, not unlike that of Henry David Thoreau’s life at Walden Pond, was to find a quiet oasis with an atmosphere conducive to spiritual healing, Sabbath rest, quiet reflectivity, as well as times of personal enjoyment for both their family

42 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

your real estate needs to proven leaders in the industry.

Let Our CD Special Work For You.

and friends. In tune with one another, they both wanted acreage in which to quietly meander; a peaceful setting with beautiful terrain; a chance to see and commune with wildlife and the opportunity to hear the symphony of nature’s night sounds. Blissful surroundings, a place for fishing, a canvas for water fowl and a pond that would reflect the colors of changing seasons, as well as a place to provide for the daily reflection of one’s life were each a viable part of their search. o r k i n gupon For o uacres .

When Hugh and ViWstumbled theY40 in St. Clair County during the early 1980s, they knew they were home. They had arrived at their dreams’ destination. Soon after, they purchased the property and began building the home that had so long existed within their minds’ eyes.

With the overseeing of each and every intricacy of the process, it became apparent to both Vi and Hugh that the entry to the property was as important as the house itself. The manifestation of such thought produced a lengthy, winding lane. It allowed visitors to consciously leave the constantly spinning world at the beginning of the driveway and transcend to a world of peacefulness and rest upon entering the home that was ideally nestled among woodsy terrain and included a pond-side view.

A stone path was designed and created to run parallel to the lane and allowed for an easy walk to what would be-

Fields Gossett Realty

with over 100 years of combined

is an independent real estate

experience. A company that was

firm, located in pell city,

founded on the principles of pro-

alabama, committed to

fessionalism, high standards,

providing professional

and value that continues to

service.

strive to support our local community in every capacity.

Our full service firm offers

The focus of our company

a broad range of services from

continues to be providing the

property management to resi-

highest level of service to all of

dential and commercial sales

our customers and clients.

lake/ResoRt pRopeRty l Residential l land/lots FaRms l CommeRCial l industRial l Rental pRopeRty stoRaGe Rentals

A FOundATiOn FOr GenerATiOns Toll Free 800-806-7741 or 205-884-2300 Locally owned and operated real estate firm in St. Clair County

www.FieldsGossett.com

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 43

The three-acre pond is easily seen from the house and decks

The Pond House come the family cemetery, where Vi was laid to rest. Hiking trails were developed for enjoyable access to the property and all that it had to offer.

Social and athletic aspects of life were not to be overlooked at The Pond House. The Corts built a world-class croquet court just to the rear of the home. And true to the tradition of the sport, friends would gather in the spirit of competition dressed in the white sporting attire that was then appropriate for such events.

During their years of living in St. Clair County, the Corts became heavily involved with St. Peter Episcopal Church in Talladega. As their involvement and love for the church grew, a strong bond developed between them and Rev. Bob Blackwell, who then served as St. Peter’s priest.

It was during one of their times together that the Corts shared another matter of the heart with their good friend,

44 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

THE ROBINSON LAW FIRM, P.C.

The stone path that leads to the cemetery where Vi was laid to rest.

Charles E. Robinson, Jr. Laurie Mize Henderson Renay Bertella Judge Charles E. Robinson, Sr.

Ashville-Main Office Location Sixth Avenue-Court Street West P.O. Box 370 Ashville, Alabama 35953 205-594-5133 Fax: 205-594-5134

Pell City Location 1911 Martin Street South, Suite B Pell City, Alabama 35128 205-594-5133

205-594-5133 www.rlflaw.net

Let us handle all your legal and real estate needs in St. Clair County.

“No representation is made as to the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than those performed by other lawyers.”

ANNETTE MANNING HALL Circuit Court St. Clair County 1815 Cogswell Avenue, Suite 217 Pell City, AL 35125 205-338-2511 Fax: 205-884-4224

Blackwell. They informed him that they wanted to give The Pond House, its acreage and its lake to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Their wishes were granted in 1992, when their beloved property, as well as an endowment, were given to the church and accepted by the Bishop of the Diocese of Alabama in a grand ceremony.

Today, it is the mission of The Pond House to provide a home-like setting for individuals or groups who are looking for an avenue to become disconnected from the world for either a short time or an extended stay.

“While The Pond House is an outreach ministry of Talladega’s St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, all who appreciate the standards and way of the church are invited,” Dan Miller, director of The Pond House, explained. “We welcome both lay people as well as clergy, and we encourage anyone in need of time for reflectivity, rejuvenation and respite to take advantage of the peace and quiet The Pond House and its surrounding offers at a very economical rate.”

It is the ideal setting for group meetings, as well as a facility that provides accommodations for either a one-day

100 6th Ave. Suite 400 Ashville, AL 35953 205-594-2184 Fax: 205-594-2196 email: annette.hall@alacourt.gov

FREE

($250.00 Value)

Business Computer Diagnostic Check-Up

Call for appointment: 205-637-2980

“ Technology on demand has helped us get a better handle on our IT assets. We are excited about moving on to their computer health monitoring platform and the additional benefits it brings.”

—Mike Cuffia Riverside Refractories, Pell City, AL

Reduce your computers operational cost by up to 42% per computer.

Our managed services will monitor your business computers continuously 24/7 which will: • Improve your computer’s speed • Significantly reduce downtime and lost productivity • Reduce or eliminate emergency repair cost • Extend the life of your computers • Operate computers in a more secure environment

technologyon-demand.com

1-877-276-7989

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 45

The Pond House gathering or overnight retreats.

Originally, the house was set up to sleep 10 people. After the house was obtained by St. Peter’s, the space once used for the master bedroom was reconstructed in order to provide for a chapel.

Many individuals, youth groups and vestry participants have enjoyed the wooded surroundings, as well as the screened porch and the wrap-around decks.

Having moved to another state, but certainly not forgetting his love for The Pond House, Col. Cort once again fiscally provided for additional changes that occurred during 2010. At that time, the house underwent gentle renovations in order to be able to sleep 16, to improve the functionality of the house and to provide options for limited food service. At the same time, the garage was converted to a meeting room that would accommodate up to 25 people.

The changes, growth and opportunity for serving greater numbers of people in search of spiritual, mental and physical renewal created the need for someone to orchestrate all the activities for which The Pond House could be used. As a result, Miller was hired as its first director. A low-key person, he is excited about all that The Pond House has to offer. “We want to create the atmosphere of warmth, love and enjoyment and peace,” he said. “It’s important that when our visitors come through the door they have a sense that they are at home. And one of the traditions we have to help create that sense is all visitors are greeted with the aroma and then the taste of fresh cinnamon rolls.”

While The Pond House has undergone many changes in the years since Col. and Mrs. Cort stumbled upon that glorious piece of property, some things are still the same. It is still a utopia of serenity, beauty, simplicity and tranquility. It still provides a place for spiritual, mental and physical renewal. And it still transcends the chaos of the world that exists down the lane and just outside the front gate. l

46 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

A cozy fireplace, with relaxing decor enhance the comforts of The Pond House.

Pond-side view from the screened in porch

Love Feeds the Soul 3rd Annual Tablescapes Fundraiser Luncheon

11:00 am - 1:00 pm Saturday, February 25th, 2012 Fundraiser to benefit Lakeside Hospice and Christian Love Pantry Event Location: Beacon Hall - First United Methodist Church, Pell City 2200 3rd Avenue North, Pell City, AL 35125

Table for 8, $200.00, Individual $25.00 Each table is responsible for table decorations.

Come enjoy.. Scrumptious lunch, original table designs, and a guest speaker: Judy Bates “Bargainomics Lady”

There will be two categories of tables this year Creative and Traditional.

A prize will be given for the top table in each category!

If you are interested in hosting a table of eight, please call: Christine Smith or Tracy Whitten at Lakeside Hospice 205-884-1111 or The Christian Love Pantry at 205-338-2358.

Personal Donations will be Accepted!

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 47

Playing to Merle Dollar, of the Something Else Trio 48 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

Local Color is Springville’s ‘colorful’ music spot Story by Mike Bolton Photos by Jerry Martin

a full house It’s barely dark thirty on a Friday evening, and a steady stream of vehicles with tags from Jefferson County, Shelby County, Blount County, Cullman County and other locales vie for a spot in the dimly lit parking lot of the indistinct brick building on Springville’s main thoroughfare. The occupants of the vehicles slip almost unnoticed through the side door and enter a world many Springville residents have no idea exists.

It is too obvious of a location to house something sinister, and its occupants are too nicely dressed and genteel for it to be a honkytonk. Many a weekend passerby has seen the full parking lot across the street from Burton’s grocery store and with raised eyebrows pondered just what goes on in that place.

If the conspiracy-minded speculate something odd is going on within the building’s walls, at least give them credit for a lucky guess. Once inside, a visitor discovers a place that seems way out of place in Springville, Alabama. Step through the side door, and

Brad Ryan

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 49

• Local Color

Bobby Horton performs at Local Color with Three-on-a-String. one might be immediately enveloped in the haunting sounds of a band from Ireland strumming Celtic music, or the toe-tapping music of a band cranking out Dixieland jazz. The next evening, a visitor might encounter the unmistakable sound of a banjo dominating a bluegrass set or watch incredulous that the twang of a bass fiddle from a folk group is shaking the liquid in their glass.

But for a few exceptions in major cities, music halls and supper clubs have pretty much gone the way of fullservice gas stations. In Springville, however, Local Color is hanging in there like a rusty fish hook. For 10 years, the music hall has on weekends offered live music accompanied by a fanciful dinner. Despite the fact the business does no advertising, music lovers and a wide array of music groups find the path to the side door each weekend.

The business is operated by Springville residents Merle Dollar and Garry Burttram, who decided a decade ago to combine Burttram’s love of music and cooking and Dollar’s love of art into one of those dream ventures that for most people would stay just a dream. They both laughingly say their banks accounts attest to the fact that it is strictly a labor of love.

“We borrowed $10,000 to get started and have operated it on a shoestring budget every since,” said Dollar who served as an art teacher at Springville High School for 10 years and at Duran Junior High in Pell City for 16 years and now teaches art classes in the building. “Gary is a retired art teacher from Moody High School. He is truly an amazing person.”

Dollar says their idea was to incorporate music, art

50 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

Pell City Texaco 205.884.BUTT 410 Martin Street Pell City, AL

BUTTS • RIBS • BABY BACKS • SMOKED WINGS

$2.00 OFF ANY $20.00 OR MORE DELI PURCHASE W/ THIS COUPON*

*Offer good through March 31st 2012

Want to see more or read the entire magazine online?

discoverstclair.com Get a delivery subscription for only $16.95 per year Garry Burttram, co-owner of Local Color and good food in a quaint setting. The old building that once housed a boat-builder’s shop and feed store seemed like a natural. The building’s original windows have been replaced by stained glass, and memorabilia from everyone from the Beatles to Elvis adorn the walls along with Dollar’s artwork. Classic album covers and posters promoting coming attractions line the brick walls.

“We were looking for a name, and Local Color seemed like a logical choice,” she said.

Although he’s Local Color’s resident chef, and his food draws rave reviews from its patrons, Burttram insists it is all about the music for him.

“I had no choice but to love music because my parents loved music,” he said. “I can remember as a little boy hiding under the bed and watching people come to our house to listen to music. I can still remember seeing nothing but the bobby socks and penny loafers as they danced.”

Local Color has become a stopping off point for many diverse groups from Alabama, the South and even from around the world. Its reputation as a place that is a throwback in time makes musicians want to play there, band members say.

“Of all the places we have played it’s probably our favorite,” said Jerry Ryan of Three-on-a-String, the Alabama trio that has been playing across Alabama and the South for 40 years. “There’s no smoke and no TVs playing in the

E

L

E

C

T

Roland St. John

St. Clair County Commissioner, District 3 Republican Primary, MARCH 13 About Roland St. John:

• Christian family man • Born and raised in St. Clair County • Small business owner • Leader in community, career

As commissioner, I will:

• Use common sense in problem solving • Employ a strong work ethic • Be fair and impartial in all issues • Vote against ‘no bid’ contracts for county work • Help bring outsourced jobs back to St. Clair County • Support efforts to improve local schools • Strongly support, law enforcement and emergency services • Support local board elections instead of appointees with no voice • Support leaner government • Support small, local business to help them improve our communities and grow our county

I want to be your voice on the issues that affect you.

Pd. Pol. Adv. By Roland St. John, 780 Manning Road, Pell City, AL 35125

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 51

• Local Color

background like at most places today.

They cater to musicians and make it a fun place to play. They know what it feels like to perform, and they enhance it.”

Ryan says music halls like Local Color have fallen by the wayside over the past several decades as television, cable and sports have become the primary entertainment. He says Local Color has survived because of attention to detail.

“It’s set up for music,” he said. “It’s one of the few places left that someone can sit right there close to the band and hear good, top-notch groups.”

There is a cover charge, and it varies according to what group performs. The entire cover charge goes to the group performing that night. Patrons may also eat dinner and can purchase wine and other alcoholic beverages.

“It is intimate, diverse, clean,” said Local Color regular Nancy Smith, a former Springville resident who now lives in Blount County. “It draws a lot of people from Birmingham. It’s just cozy and adorable.

“I bring a lot of people from Birmingham, and they are always surprised. It’s just not what you’d expect to find in little, old Springville. You can come here and listen to bluegrass, the blues, jazz and even rock and roll. I just love the diverse offerings.”

Local Color has no advertising budget and survives word of mouth and by the 1,900 e-mails it sends out each week, Dollar says. The music hall got a tremendous boost last year when the Alabama Department of Tourism and Travel, which declared 2011 “The Year of Alabama Music” promoted Local Color as a must-visit spot for live music in the state.

Local Color finds its musicians by word of mouth, too.

“I’d say about 99 percent of the groups contact us,” said Dollar on a night when a busload of patrons from Cullman had come to hear Three-on-aString. “Four Shillings Short, a Celtic group from Ireland, was in the U.S. and heard about us and wanted to know if they could come perform.

“Another that surprises many people is Janet Hall of Fox 6 news in Birmingham. She performs twice a year. She is an incredible singer and songwriter.”

52 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

Something Else, are. from left, Peggy Jones, Merle Dollar and Sylvia Waid.

The walls of Local Color are dotted with local art and music memorabilia.

Three-on-a-String

Custom Made Awnings, Canvas or Aluminum, Retractables •Aluminum Welding •Outdoor Upholstery •Canvas & Aluminum Awnings •Custom Canvas •Boat Covers •Bimini Tops •Patio Covers •Pool Covers •Carports •Canopies

www.hayesawningcompany.com

Rob Hayes 4007 Cogswell Ave. Pell City, AL 35128 Phone (205) 913-5432 hayesawning@centurytel.net

RE-ELECT

JIMMY ROBERTS ST. CLaiR CounTy CommiSSionER, DiSTRiCT 4

Jerry Ryan of Three-on-a-String

Keep experience working for you and all of St. Clair County residents.

Pd. pol. advertisement by the friends of Jimmy Roberts, Pell City, AL 35125

Ashville House Quilt Shop Quilt Shop

Singers and songwriters and groups, including Jeff Otwell, the Dill Pickers, Martini Shakers, Sweetwater Road, the Legendary Pineapple Skinners, Once in a Blue Moon, Steven Young (who wrote Seven Bridges Road for the Eagles) and Clair Lynch perform at Local Color annually.

Local Color’s house band is Something Else, a trio comprised of Dollar, Sylvia Waid and Peggy Jones, who have performed together for 26 years. The trio plays music from the 1920s to the 1960s and is primarily a swing and boogie group. The three ladies are, in addition to the opening group, ambassadors for Local Color and greet patrons. l Local Color is open on Friday and Saturday nights for live music and on Sundays for lunch only. Reservations are recommended for the live performances. To make reservations, call 205-467-0334.

FABRICS GALORE

40%

OFF ANY ONE ITEM

One Coupon Per Customer. Must be 18 or Older.

Show Your Colors with Alabama & Auburn fabrics.

Choose from the widest selection in Ashville at Affordable Prices!

Open Wed.-Fri. 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. Sat. 10:00 am until 2:00 pm 35 3rd St., Ashville, AL 35953 205-594-7046 ashvillehouse1@windstream.net

www.ashvillehousequiltshop.com

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 53

To and fro just got easier in St. Clair County Bill Miller is helped onto the bus by driver Carrie Denton.

Moody’s Betty Hughes is thankful for the service.

Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Jerry Martin If you haven’t seen the blue and white mini-buses and vans out and about, crisscrossing St. Clair County, chances are you haven’t been out and about.

St. Clair County Public Transportation’s growing fleet has been logging thousands of miles en route to filling a significantly sizable void in getting citizens from Point A to Point B and back again on a daily basis.

From a dispatch center in a tiny office in the Pell City courthouse, huge needs are being met, according to Director Terry Rowe. He underscores the notion with simple facts: In 2009 when the system was put into operation, the first quarter passenger trips numbered 124. This past quarter? Up that to 8,740 trips and climbing.

For years, officials struggled with how to address its public transportation needs. But it wasn’t until 2009 that the county commission, in a move initiated by Chairman Stan Batemon, seized

the opportunity to create a viable transportation system.

Greatly helped by federal stimulus money, the fledgling system was able to add six new buses to its fleet of two, and made enough off minimal fares to buy a seventh. Now, the system is waiting on its 10th vehicle to be pressed into service in hopes of expanding to meet the burgeoning needs of a growing county.

“We have increased service more than 600 percent,” Rowe said.

“That’s tremendous to see.”

The county is divided into zones of 6 square miles, with a one-way trip costing the rider a mere $2. That was welcome news to people like Betty Hughes of Moody, Stephen Harrington of Odenville and Bill Miller, also of Odenville. Their thrice-weekly trips for dialysis treatments cost them anywhere from $65 to $100 a week. “It means everything to me,” said Miller. It was costing him $400 a month to get to life-saving treatments. “You can buy a car with that.” From his wheelchair, he displayed a big smile as one of the drivers assisted him to the bus waiting outside a Pell City dialysis center. “The drivers are always on time. They help me with my bags. They’re just Good Samaritans.”

54 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

GET THE JOB DONE with Fouts Tractor Co. Inc.

275 6th Avenue Ashville, AL 35953

www.foutstractor.com

CROPWELL SMALL ANIMAL HOSPITAL Terry Rowe, director of St. Clair County’s Public Transportation System, has seen the service grow 600 percent.

Galen H. Sims, D.V.M. • • • • • •

For Hughes, it means the ability for her husband to work. The couple only has one car, and when she needed to go to dialysis, those $65 a week trips mounted. “You can see that need,” she said.

“It’s very important to me.”

Harrington echoed his fellow passengers’ views. “It has helped me quite a bit.” Traveling to dialysis three days a week at $80 was a steep price to pay, but he couldn’t afford to forego the treatments. “They saved me quite a bit of money.”

Dialysis patients aren’t the only beneficiaries of this system.

Passengers climb aboard to go to the store, to appointments, to the beauty shop, to and from work. “We take anybody at any age anywhere they need to go,” Rowe said. “They don’t have to make excuses or give a reason. We take them where they want to go.”

Funded 50 percent from county coffers, the new system is actually saving money. Prior to the new system’s being put into place, it cost the county more than $60,000 a year to operate it. Now, it costs less than $20,000.

“We are here working for the citizens of the county,” Rowe noted. “It’s their system, and it’s totally for their benefit. They can see their tax dollars literally coming right to their home providing services they need.”

Calling it “such a benefit,” Rowe talked of the enthusiasm he and the staff see on a daily basis from the riders. “Their enthusiasm pumps us up. We think we’re doing something worthwhile. It gives helpless people the feeling of independence. They say, ‘I can take care of myself now.’ It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.” The staff “really cares. They work from the heart,” he said.

Moody’s Clyde Rice, who has been a driver for nearly two years, would have to agree. Retired from the government, he said, “This is the greatest job I’ve ever had. It is so rewarding to help people.” Two years ago, the program was so small he only drove once every two or three months. “Now, I’m driving just about every day. Directly helping people, it’s very rewarding and something I love doing.”

The reward for passengers is just a phone call away, Rowe said.

Dial dispatch at 338-1352, “and if it can be made to happen, we’ll make it happen.” l

Laser Surgery Laser Therapy Grooming & Boarding General Medicine & Surgery Microchipping Hill Science Diet Products

Office & Emergency Phone (205) 338-3556 2308 Mays Drive Pell City, AL 35128

Mon.-Fri. 8:00-6:00, Sat. 8:00-12:00

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 55

Business Briefing

More Expansions define economic news When St. Clair Economic Development Council Executive Director Don Smith looks back over the past few months and ahead to the coming ones, he can’t help but smile.

Four industries have announced expansions, the new St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital has opened, a candy manufacturer is coming to Moody and the Veteran’s Home construction is still on schedule to open in June.

With the four expansion announcements alone, it amounts to 305 new jobs and an employment investment of $27 million.

Eissmann, a German manufacturer based in Pell City that makes leather dashboards for high-end automobiles, like Mercedes, expanded at the beginning of the year by 40 employees. With new contracts with other companies on the horizon, another 35 employees are to be hired, Smith said.

For WKW, also a Pell City Industrial Park resident, the expansion means adding 200 more employees to its roster.

In northern St. Clair County, Yachio is adding 60 employees at its Steele plant, and Rainbird is increasing its Steele workforce by 10 employees.

Indie Candy, an allergen-free candy maker, anticipates creating 25 jobs in Moody when production begins.

Smith credits the atmosphere created by visionary leaders that are conducive to business as catalysts for continued growth of Alabama’s fastest-growing county.

“Our local officials have been working hard to ensure this county had adequate infrastructure and community support to be successful on an international stage,” he said. “The job of the EDC is not just to recruit, but to work with companies constantly from that day forth to be as successful as they possibly can. We work closely with our superintendents of education and Jefferson State Community College to connect what’s taught with skill sets needed in our community and the region.”

Looking back at 2011, Smith said the county was “very blessed” with the hospital opening, expansions, new announcements and retail.

“These expansions are proof that our elected officials made the environment in St. Clair County fertile for growth,” Smith said.

“The County Commission has always been proactive in recruiting and retaining quality companies, particularly in our manufacturers,” Smith said.

Looking ahead in 2012, St. Clair is “poised for continued growth,” Smith said. “I wish we could help with residential construction,” he said, but the EDC’s work fostering the creation of jobs should help in that arena.

56 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

By Carol Pappas Photos by Jerry Martin New townhome development

Jubilee, a 72-unit townhome development just north of Interstate 20 near Jefferson State Community College, is expected to provide affordable family housing in an impressive setting.

Since the $11 million project receives federal funds and tax credits, it allows The Bennett Group of Auburn to develop the town homes and offer them at a lower rent. It provides an opportunity for a family of four earning $37,000 a year to live “in some of the nicest housing they have ever lived in,” said Judith C. Van Dyke, a partner and market developer for long-range planning with the company. Located on a 14-acre tract, it will feature threeand four-bedroom units with garages, a 2,500-square-foot clubhouse, leasing office, laundry, fitness area and community gathering area.

Describing it as family oriented, Van Dyke also noted that it would have a gazebo, picnic area and playground.

The development is being built on 10.5 acres, and the rest of the property will be preserved as a wetland and nature area to serve as a buffer between the site and the interstate.

Van Dyke, whose daughter lives in Pell City, said she had been visiting the area for many years and as a developer, she always looks around at available property. She and the partners decided to develop it because of the proximity to Birmingham, new shopping venues at BassPro and Shops of Grand River and its proximity to Lincoln and Honda.

At the time the planning began, the group did not know about the new hospital and veteran’s home building nearby. “That was just icing on the cake,” she said.

Construction on Jubilee is expected to be completed in October, with families moving in during the months of November and December.

Jubilee development

Flying Pig wine specialty shop

‘Flying Pig’ lands in Springville

The Flying Pig, an upscale wine, beer and specialty shop, has opened it doors in Springville, just off Main Street.

Owner Dene Huff, after a career in the military, moved to Springville with her husband and family. Deciding to start a business there, she soon settled on The Flying Pig. With its operation in a quaint house colorfully decorated and the variety of wine, hops and gifts found inside, it is easy to see why she said she didn’t want it to be “a typical wine shop.” It’s not.

It opened Oct. 28 and is attracting customers from near and far because of its homey, welcome feel and the selection it offers.

There’s even an opportunity to sip a wine or beer on premise, and the “tip jar” isn’t as traditional as it looks. When the cash mounts, it goes as a donation to the Wounded Warrior program or Girls Ranch.

“I’m living my dream, and I believe in paying it forward,” Huff said.

Pell City Coffee Company opens

Coffee lovers are heading in droves to Pell City Coffee Company, the new coffee and dessert shop located in the Carroll Electric Building on US 231 South in Pell City.

In addition to 25-30 flavors of lattes and frappes, the Coffee Company offers dipped ice cream, milk shakes and blenders (ice cream and candies).

All the baked goods are homemade, like cupcakes and peanut butter fudge, and hours accommodate early risers, the after-dinner crowd and everything in between. The shop is owned by Brenda Barrows and Tommy Barrows, and this mother-son team with a background in retail decided it was the right time to open a coffee shop in Pell City. So far, it looks like they were right.

Business has been good, and the reception from the community has been “great,” Brenda Barrows said. “Everybody is so happy. They tell us all the time.”

Pell City Coffee Company

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 57

Pure Flight St. Clair residents revel in the thrill of hang gliding

Bill Turner checks wind speed and direction in preparation for a hang glider launch.

Story by Loyd McIntosh Photos by Jerry Martin Since the time the first human being turned his eyes upward and saw a strange-featured creature flapping its wings in the air, mankind has dreamed of flying. For thousands upon thousands of years, fulfillment of that dream remained elusive, even as Homo sapiens conquered practically everything else. But a millennia of frustration, experimentation and spectacular failure was erased when a couple of bicycle builders from North Carolina named Orville and Wilbur became the first humans to achieve flight a little more than 109 years ago.

Since then, flying has become, for the most part, ho-hum.

Routine. Another day at the office for millions of people traveling from meeting to meeting, airport to airport every single day; security checks in shoeless feet with unfamiliar hands getting a little too familiar.

If this experience makes you want to jump off the nearest cliff, rest assured, you’re not alone. But, before you leap, be sure to strap a giant kite to your back and get ready to really experience the miracle of flight. Some people might consider this method of flight, known as hang gliding, to be a little dangerous and a whole lot of crazy, but to a handful of St. Clair County residents, hang gliding is one heck of a thrill.

“It’s awesome,” said Bill Turner, a Springville resident and a dentist in Center Point. Turner at first glance may appear rather conservative and measured for the risky sport of hang gliding. But this self-described extreme sports enthusiast was introduced to hang gliding back in 1999 and almost 13 years later, hasn’t yet become bored with the feeling and excitement he gets from flying.

“My best description is if you can remember the dreams you had when you were a young child where you were just flying. You know, arms out flying around over things,” he said. “If you take that and put a small fan in front of your face to blow air on you, that’s what it’s like.”

Turner is part of a group of local gliders who are members of the Alabama Hang Gliding Association, a group started by another St. Clair County resident and avid glider, Phillip Dabney, back in 1980. The group has seen some ups and downs among its membership ranks over the years, but throughout the winter and spring, dozens of hang gliders from around the state make their way to launch sites dotting ridges and cliffs along Chandler Mountain.

Peaking at an elevation of 1,529 feet and overlooking Springville on one side and Oneonta in Blount County on the other, the mountain is a popular spot for hang gliders hungry for a place close to home to pursue their passion, even if it means having to pack up their gear with little advanced planning. “I started my own landscaping company in order to have more flexible hours and to be able to go hang gliding at a moment’s notice,” said Dabney, who lives close to his favorite launch point on Chandler Mountain near Springville.

He and Turner say the challenge is the unpredictable nature of the weather patterns on the mountain.

“Everything is sort of determined by the wind and the weather,” Turner explained. “That ridge happens to face southeast, which means in the winter time, when we have those unseasonably warm days — 65 degrees, when normally it’s been 40 all week long — you get the wind blowing out

58 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

Bill Turner becomes airborne quickly off the launch site.

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 59

Pure Flight

of the southeast that takes that Florida air and warms the area around here and makes it delightful for us to fly.

“You want the wind to blow into the ridge and be deflected upward so when you launch, you’ll get up in that airlift that’s running along the ridge and then from that you can run into thermals and get up much higher,” he added.

Turner caught the hang gliding bug a dozen years ago after agreeing to accompany his brother, Jim, to Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, home of some spectacular flying and where one of the nation’s best hang gliding schools happens to be located. Turner said his brother asked him to come along and take some photos during a tandem flight with an instructor.

Initially believing his brother had gone a little loco in the dome, Turner agreed to go and brought his youngest son, Grant, along. Before he knew it, his son was wanting to fly. Turner sud-

60 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

Bill Turner does a final check of equipment.

Attention Discover readers:

Mention this ad for a special rate just for you! you

denly realized he had a decision to make.

“So, we get up there and I sign him up and I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to have to come back here next Saturday and fly if the world finds out that my youngest son and my brother flew and I didn’t,” Turner recalled. “So, I plopped down another $125 and signed up for it.”

Before Turner could fly that morning, a warm weather storm came through, and his turn was postponed until the afternoon. By then, the choppy winds from the early morning were long gone. The conditions couldn’t have been more perfect. “My first flight was in air that had been calmed by the rain and was perfectly smooth, and I mean it just hooked me right in. It was so smooth, so nice and so much fun,” he said. That was in October 1999. “I’ve loved it ever since.”

Before long, Turner graduated from tandem flights to solo hang gliding and is now a tandem instructor himself. He said the thrill he received from hang gliding was so intense that it may have affected his judgment once in a while as a new pilot. However, even the most experienced pilots can have a close call or two — jumping off a cliff always comes with a certain amount of risk. Turner said he’s learned to dial back the adrenaline-junkie side of his personality over time.

“I probably let my love for it interfere with my common sense,” he said with a laugh. “I think I’m a little wiser now than I was then, but it gets in your system, and you love it so much that you just have to go every weekend.

“I’ve had a few close calls, more than I’d like to admit.

Every pilot that has flown has had some close calls,” he noted. “There is a saying in aviation, ‘There are old pilots, there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.’”

One or Two Bedroom Apartment Homes Three Bedroom Townhomes

Call or Come in Today For a Tour!

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 61

Pure Flight

Bill Turner is flying high from the valley floor just seconds after launch.

St. Clair County really is a sportsman’s paradise with plenty of lakes and acres upon acres of undisturbed land to take in and experience nature. But, Turner said, there is simply nothing like experiencing the surrounding area from the air silently and without so much as a windshield between the pilot and the world.

“We have lots of interaction with birds of prey up there. Not necessarily intentionally,” he said. “One of the things we look for when we try to find rising air is a bird, usually it’s a turkey vulture, but sometimes there are eagles or falcons, all sorts of birds like that, that will be circling, and we head into that air and try to get with them.

“Many times I have launched from Springville, and I have been on the wingtip of an eagle, and we’re circling each other. It is absolutely amazing. Sometimes we come up on birds that will be doing the ridge lift and really you’re just a few feet from them. Literally, I’ve been within 3 feet of a big bird, wings all the way out, and I could have reached out and touched it if I had wanted to,” Turner said. “The beauty up in the sky, particularly if you’re flying late at night and the sun is setting, is just amazing. And when the air smooths out, there are times when you can really fly

with just two fingers on that control bar. It really is wonderful.”

For Dabney, who has been flying for almost 35 years, one of his favorite memories involved experiencing a certain weather phenomenon most people only hear about from meteorologists.

“I was flying with a friend over Blount Mountain.

We were about 2,000 feet over the top of the mountain and flew out over the Big Oak Girls Ranch, and it started snowing. As we got lower, it turned to sleet then light rain,” Dabney said. “By the time we landed in the Washington Valley it was sunny, and none of the precipitation had made it to the ground. It had all evaporated in a drier layer of air near the ground. This phenomenon is called ‘virga.’ You may have heard (TV meteorologist) James Spann mention it.”

Regardless of the reasons for flying, which mountain you launch from, or whether it’s a tandem flight or solo, Turner said the idea of flying thousands of feet above the earth with only a helmet for protection is a buzz that never gets old. “There’s something incredibly exciting about having that big kite on your back, rolling down a hill, and realizing that you’re the only one controlling that thing.

“It’s so simple. It’s just pure flight.” l

62 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

Some assembly required

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 63

Art in Motion

Washington Valley resident Scott Moore has found a niche that is surprising to most Alabamians. He paints the fairings for motorcycle racers across the world.

64 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

The craft of making fast bikes look even faster Story by Mike Bolton Photos by Jerry Martin Rider photos submitted The rider on the sleek, screaming motorcycle shifted left on the seat and his left knee dragged the asphalt as the brightly colored rocket hugged the turn at a speed that seemingly defied physics. The rider was not alone in his insanity. He was surrounded by other riders and their cycles in a perfectly choreographed high-speed routine that made Dancing with the Stars look like some vacation Bible school production.

Despite the incredible skill level, this motorcycle race broadcast by the SPEED Channel from another state means little to most NASCAR-addicted Southern channel surfers. Scoffing that motorcycle racing isn’t real racing, they steer the channels with the remote to the safer and less insane confines of Pawn Stars or Storage Wars.

Scott Moore isn’t the typical Southern channel surfer. He watches the race with intense interest. While the motorcycle being shown on television can’t claim its soul was born in the unassuming beige workshop just outside Moore’s back door in Washington Valley, he knows its identity is fully rooted there.

To say Moore has found an unlikely niche in a world foreign to most Alabamians is a gross understatement. The quiet 1984 Springville High graduate is not a mechanic that can make a motorcycle engine perform at magical levels. He’s an artist who can make a motorcycle a one-of-a-kind rolling billboard that is easily identifiable at 160 mph.

Erase the thought of the Teutels painting motorcycle frames on American Chopper. Motorcycle racers from across the big pond and across the U.S. ship their fairings — those fiberglass and carbon-fiber additions that make racing motorcycles aerodynamic — to the small shop in Springville for Moore to work his magic on. His business is called Fast-Finish.

How does an artist that isn’t that well-

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 65

art in Motion

Scott Moore paints an item for a motorcycle in the paint room of his shop in Springville.

known in St. Clair County become so well known across the United States and the world?

“In 1992, I painted a few street bikes and amateur racers for some friends in Birmingham,” Moore said from his shop in Washington Valley, a shop that doesn’t even have a sign touting what goes on inside. “My friends took those bikes to some national events and other people saw them and asked where they had their paint-work done.

“I started getting painting requests and it just grew. I never really set out for it to turn out like this. Now I have stuff all over the world. It got there for awhile you could pick up just about any motorcycle magazine and see a motorcycle that I had done.”

By providing the identity for the motorcycles for World Superbike champion Neil Hodgson, former Moto GP champion Kevin Schwantz and former AMA Superbike champion Ben Spies, Moore was able to display his artwork across the U.S. and world. It has resulted in word-of-mouth advertising that has branched off in many different directions.

UPS delivery drivers have the route to Moore’s rural Washington Valley shop memorized as they provide frequent deliveries of motorcycle fairings to get Moore’s touch. One day he may receive fairings from a national racing team, the next

day from Grammy Winner Trevor Sadler. A delivery may be from a vintage motorcycle enthusiast one day, a delivery from China from an admirer of Moore’s work the following day.

One of Moore’s biggest customers at the moment is the National Guard racing team belonging to Michael Jordan Motorsports. The former NBA great has owned an entire team of racing motorcycles for several years.

“My dad called me one day and said some guy named Michael Jordan had sent me a package by UPS and he wanted to know if I wanted him to just leave it on the driveway,” Moore said with a laugh. “I told him that he’d better put that one up in a safe place.”

The paint schemes for some motorcycles come from Moore’s head but bigger race teams provide direction.

“The bigger teams use a graphics art department that will send me detailed artwork of exactly how they want it to look,” he explained. “It will include every decal with instructions of where they go.

“Others will send me a sketch of what they want and others will just tell me to make it look good.”

The interest in vintage motorcycle racing has increased dramatically in the South with the opening of Barber’s Motorsports Park and the Barber’s Vintage Motorsports Museum in

66 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

Honesty.

Respect.

Professionalism.

Courtesy.

Connie Myers, Agent 2109 7th Avenue North Pell City, AL 35125 Bus: 205-338-9474 www.conniebmyers.com

It’s how I treat all my customers.

And you can be sure I’ll always do my best to meet your needs.

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

CALL ME TODAY. ®

A racer’s skins and matching helment ready to be shipped

Floral & Gift Shop 1101013

State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL

Joyce St. John

Wedding Specialist c

Susan Ensley Floral Designer

Call Today (205) 884-2111 1-866-296-6210 2111 Cogswell Avenue Pell City, AL 35125 artisticflorals@hotmail.com

Moore doesn’t paint motorcycles but the “skins” that make the motorcycles rolling billboards that tout the sponsors.

Leeds.

It has opened up a niche within a niche for the humble Moore. He has done the artwork for several motorcycles in the Barber’s museum as well as some $500,000 vintage motorcycles for individuals. His work has won best in show at the prestigious Amelia Island Vintage Motorcycle show in Florida and the vintage motorcycle show in Pebble Beach.

Vintage racing motorcycles now make up a good portion of his work.

Moore says his evolution into this type of work has been pretty amazing considering it was never in his dreams after graduating from high school.

“I worked in Birmingham for a land surveying crew and somebody wanted me to paint a truck for them and I just needed a place to do it,” he said. “My dad drove a truck and he paid me to wash the truck for him.

“I painted this truck and it turned out OK, and I started painting other trucks and cars. I figured out that the pay for painting them was a whole lot better than the pay for washing them.” l

To see more of Moore’s work visit www.fastfinishpainting.com February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 67

Hometown Heroes:

County loses three philanthropists in same year

By Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Jerry Martin

Charles and Jan Trotter

St. Clair County lost three generous businessmen and community leaders in 2011. Charles Trotter, Paul Kell and Charles Fouts gave their time, talents and money to churches, schools, their communities and to individuals and organizations in need.

None of these men wanted any recognition for what they did. You won’t find their names on streets or buildings, unless you happen to be inside a small chapel in La Ermita, Honduras.

They just went about quietly doing good. Some of their good deeds were unknown to their own families until they died and beneficiaries of their kindnesses came forward.

Trotter spread generosity around region Trotter, who died peacefully on Sept. 18, following his third stroke in 13 years, was particularly interested in children, animals and education. About 20 years ago he became trustee to an account at Compass Bank, and he used that money to set up a special fund through the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham (CFGB). Through that fund, he has donated more than $1 million to the causes that he cared about. His favorite places were the Animal Shelter of Pell City, the Children’s Place and schools, according to his widow, Jan, who began administering the fund when Trotter first became ill.

“He set up a scholarship through the Rotary Club and the Daughters of the American Revolution, and gave generously to UAB, Samford University and his alma mater, the University of Arkansas in Little Rock,” she says. “It was important to him that everyone have a chance at education. In addition, he believed that animals can’t speak for themselves, so someone has to speak for them.”

The Trotters moved to Pell City following Charles’ retirement from Compass Bank in 1993. They grew to love their new hometown, and the majority of his CFGB Advised Fund monies continue to go to Pell City-based organizations.

Helen Powell, president of the Animal Shelter of Pell City, says the Trotters have provided financial, moral and emotional support to the shelter for many years. “Even when he was in a wheelchair, Mr. Trotter came to Paws in the Park, our fall fundraiser,” she says.

For several years, Lakeside Hospice, a Pell City- and faithbased, not-for-profit organization that offers physical care for the terminally ill and counseling for their families, has received a generous annual gift from Trotter’s Advised Fund. Executive Director Sharon Smith, R.N, says the Trotters also gave money to build a pergola on Lakeside’s back patio. “One year they bought a tree decorated with toys through the annual Christmas Tree auction at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham,” Smith recalls. “They called and asked us to come and get the toys off it and to deliver them to our patients’ children and grandchil-

dren.”

Smith says she knew Trotter for many years, having worked at a hospital where he served on the board of directors. “He had such a generous spirit,” she says. “Even after his illness, he continued to live life to the fullest of his ability. He will be greatly missed.”

Trotter was a long-time supporter of The Children’s Place, too. Janet Jones, education coordinator for the Pell City-based child-advocacy center, says Trotter was more than just a financial backer. He was a champion for the children. “It was more than a business relationship. Charles cared about children and what The Children’s Place provides,” Jones says. “Trotter and his wife, Jan, would visit and just sit and talk with everyone.”

Jan Trotter describes her late husband as a very interesting person with a great sense of humor. A quiet man, not given to much conversation, he didn’t want any publicity. He loved travel, photography and studying genealogy, interests he man-

68 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

Fouts, second from right, and his passion — drag racing

Family man Kell with playhouse he built for his grandchildren aged to combine several times before his first stroke.

“We had a motor home, and one year we did a color trip from Prince Edward Island, Canada, all the way back to Alabama,” says Jan. “He took pictures of the scenery. But one of his best pictures is of an old, red barn near here.”

Her husband died just three days shy of his 79th birthday and the couple’s 47th wedding anniversary. “He never forgot our anniversary but never took me out because he always wanted a birthday dinner at home,” she recalls. He left behind three daughters, three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

Kell’s giving transcends country’s border Paul Kell, owner of Kell Realty in Ashville and Springville, also had a soft spot for The Children’s Place. Kell, who died Aug. 24 at the age of 64 after a 14-week battle with pancreatitis, was auctioneer for its annual charity auction from its inception.

“He loved doing that,” says Kell’s widow, Susan. The auction has raised more than $100,000 for the organization. Last fall,

The Children’s Place posted a plaque on the conference room wall in memory of Kell, Trotter and the late Jim Isbell of Odenville, for their support.

“He was a great man, an open-hearted person,” says Buddy Simpson, a former business partner who had known Kell since 1974. “Anytime anybody was in need, he was right there.

He would just as soon nobody else knew anything about it, though.”

Kell’s son, Josh, says that none of his family knew everything he did for people. One of his dad’s favorite charities, for example, was Christ Outreach, a ministry founded and directed

by William and Kathy Borden of Phil Campbell, Ala. For 15 years, the organization has taken mission teams to Haiti and Honduras, where they build churches and teach people how to farm and fish. Kell’s children knew he was a contributor, but they didn’t realize the extent of his involvement until he died.

It turns out that Kell frequently bought the Bordens’ airline tickets to Honduras, and he bought a tractor and had it sent there to aid with the farm training, according to the Rev. Alvin Turner, pastor of Mt. Lebanon First Congregational Methodist (FCM) Church in Steele, where Kell was chairman of the board of deacons and a Sunday school teacher.

“Missions were very dear to Paul’s heart,” Turner says.

He also says Kell did “a ton of work in feeding folks” during the aftermath of the April tornadoes in Shoal Creek Valley.

“His heart was as big as he was,” Turner believes. “One of the most outstanding things about Paul, though, was his ability to teach the Bible. He was the best Bible teacher I’ve ever sat under in my 40 years of ministry. People would come far and near just to hear him. He could break it down so anybody could understand.”

Christ Outreach built a small church in La Ermita, a village about two hours from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Kell’s widow, Susan, was surprised when the Bordens wanted to name it after him. The congregation dedicated the Paul Kell Capilla (Chapel) Memorial last November, while Kell’s daughter, Jennifer Kell Spears, and her family were present.

Kell developed several subdivisions in and around St. Clair County, including Ten Island and Willow Pointe on Lake Neely Henry, Cross Creek and Southridge in Ashville, Low Gap in

February - March 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 69

Hometown Heroes: Odenville, and Lakewood Preserve, between Odenville and Springville. He was on the board of directors of the St. Clair Realtors’ Association and served as its president in 1992. He was St. Clair’s Realtor of the Year in 1999, and had been state president of the Realtors Land Institute. He was on the St. Clair County Building Authority, had been on the Lakeside Hospice Board of Directors, “and countless other boards, too,” says Susan Kell.

When his daughters were teenagers, he coached a girls softball team that was part of the Alabama Softball League.

“Those girls are now all in their late 30s and practically all of them came to the funeral home when he died,” Susan says.

“They had a floral arrangement made with a big softball and bat. They told me, ‘You don’t know how important he was to us, the influence he had on us. He had a way of correcting and teaching us without yelling.’”

She says her husband was a workaholic who built his children clubhouses and playhouses and some furniture. He loved life, working on his hunting farm, getting on his tractor and planting corn, and he loved to travel.

“I’ve never known anyone who enjoyed life or what he did any more than Paul,” Susan says. “He was always happy and positive.”

Kell grew up on Chandler Mountain, attended Ashville High School, where he and Susan met, and Jacksonville State University. The couple were married 42 years and had three children and five grandchildren.

Many benefitted from Fouts’ quiet help Charles Fouts was Susan Kell’s first cousin, so she suffered a double loss when Fouts and her husband died the same year.

“Both Charles and Paul never wanted any notoriety for what they did,” she says.

Fouts died in a tragic accident while cutting his grass on April 19. He was 69. It was common knowledge that he was a generous man, but he was so quiet about it that it was difficult to track down specifics.

“It was hard to know Charles’ business,” says Jane Fouts Smith, his sister and the wife of his business partner, Billy Smith. Fouts and Smith ran Fouts Tractor in Ashville, where Charles was a third-generation owner, before their retirement in 2009. “The only thing I can really speak of is his support of the schools,” Jane says. “The shop always advertised in yearbooks and so forth. He was always very generous and supportive of our church, First Baptist (FBC) in Ashville, too, but he never made a comment about anything he did or gave.”

Billy Smith recalls that Fouts Tractor paid for wrestling mats at Ashville High School, and he always made donations to school causes when students came around asking for them.

“He was pretty conservative about people knowing what he did,” Smith says.

Ashville High School Principal Patti Johnson was a cheerleader at the school at the same time as Fouts’ daughter, Jill, and remembers that he always came to the football games. “He was very supportive of the schools,” Johnson says. “He always bought ads in our football programs any time he was asked for an ad.”

Fouts’ pastor at FBC, Dr. James Sampley, says Charles was a deeply generous and kind man. “He was a wonderful churchman and pastor’s friend, willing and capable of giving sound advice and godly counsel. He had an excellent rapport with

people.”

Fouts was a deacon and trustee at FBC, and the church benefitted from his wisdom and frugality. “During a building program, we had received a base cost from the contractor and were discussing possible additions. ‘Well, it’s just another $100 here, a couple of hundred there,’ we said. Charles said, ‘Listen, $100 here, $200 there, before long we’ll be talking about real money.’

He wanted to be sure we got the best for our money spent. He often brought equipment from his business to help with little projects around the church to save the church money.”

Fouts was past president of the Alabama Farm and Power Equipment Dealers Association and was also co-owner of Valley Farm Tractor in Alexandria. He was on the Ashville Industrial Development Board when it brought Dietrich Industries’ metal framing plant (now Valmont Coatings, no relation to Dietrich) and the Kimberly Clark chipper mill to town. He served on the Ashville Water Board for many years and was a volunteer firefighter when the Ashville Fire Department was all volunteers.

“He was a tell-it-like-it-is guy, and he probably made some people mad,” says his widow, Patsy Fouts, who went to Ashville High School and Auburn University with Charles. The couple have two children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Fouts’ passions in life were drag racing and his grandchildren. He built a Henry J dragster as a teenager and took it with him to Auburn. His and Patsy’s dates often were to drag races.

After their marriage, he gave up racing. In the early 1990s, he took flying lessons and was about ready to solo when he and his instructor flew over the newly constructed Alabama International Dragway at Steele. When he saw how close the track was to his home, he abandoned flying and got the racing bug all over again. Although he had long since let others do the driving for him, he was involved in the sport until the week before his death. “He was an adventurous man and would have gone to the moon if they would have let him,” Patsy says.

A few years ago one of his grandsons, Cayden Marsh, became interested in the sport, so Charles helped him race in the junior division. Fouts built the garage behind his house two years before building the house and worked there on his cars every night after supper.

Unlike round-track racing, drag racing pits just two cars against each other per race. According to Steve Cofield of Cofield Printing in Rainbow City, if Charles’ competitor’s car broke down, he would wait until it was repaired before continuing, rather than let himself be declared winner by default.

“He had three or four cars, and he couldn’t drive them all, but he wanted to see them go down the track,” Cofield says. “If you won in one of his cars, you got to keep the money, not him. He begged me to drive for him, but I never did. I wish now I had.”

Second to drag racing was his passion for NASCAR, and he and Patsy, along with two other Ashville couples, used to take their motor homes to the races at Daytona. When he went to the Talladega races, he always managed to get home for Sunday night church services.

“He knew all the short cuts between Talladega and Ashville, so he could get back on time,” Dr. Sampley said. “At the funeral home where they had his viewing, one of his drivers jokingly told Patsy, ‘If you get some notices from the Talladega Police Department with photos of his license plate going through red lights, pay them.’”

The notices never came. l

70 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | February - March 2012

WORKING WITH ST. CLAIR COUNTY TO DEVELOP OUR FUTURE

WMW&H

Weathington, Moore, Weisskopf & Hill. P.C. ATTORNEYs AT LAW

(205) 640-2000

• –––––––––––––––––– •

Governmental Domestic Real Estate Personal Injury 2603 Moody Parkway, Suite 2000 Moody, Alabama 35004 Tel. (205) 640-2000 Fax (205) 640-2010 No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quaity of legal services performed by other lawyers.

S

O

M T IT? DREA N A W ?

T I NEED

L

D

ABOUT IT?

rms, in ho mes, land, fa alty have to offer Re y estate. jo al ve re Lo in d e an m air County ehensive na Cl pr . m St co e at th wh e u e’r yo W .

Let us show creational prop erty strial, lake and re co mmercial, indu