Discover St. Clair February & March 2018

Historic Schools • County Extension Service • Artist Buddy Spradley Lovejoy & Ellison Economic Evangelists • County & State Bicentennial

February & March 2018

ST. CLAIR OUTDOORS Cycling, hunting and much more

Features and Articles Discover

The Essence of St. Clair

Outdoors St. Clair’s natural wonders a treasure for region

Page 37

Modern Extension Service Page 8

Alabama Bicentennial Celebrating our history Page 16

Traveling the Backroads St. Clair’s lost schools

Outdoors

Page 20

Cycling St. Clair

A decoration for the nation Page 26

Page 38 Hunting: Majestic Outdoors Page 46 Hunting Seasons Page 50 Getting Outfitted Page 52 Local Gear Page 54 Treasure Lakes Page 56 Adventure across the River Page 58

Business Review

A footnote to D-Day history Page 32

Lovejoy and Ellison Shelton Pharmacy

Springville Pediatrics

Page 64 Page 75 Page 78

February & March 2018

www.discoverstclair.com

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Writers AND Photographers

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

Leigh Pritchett

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

Joe Whitten Joe Whitten was born in Bryant on Sand Mountain. When he arrived in Odenville in 1961 to teach at St. Clair County High School, he found a place to call home. He and his wife, Gail, taught across the hall from each other.

He continues to live in Odenville in a 1904 house they called home for 36 years. Joe was active in the Alabama Writers’ Conclave and the Alabama State Poetry Society. The society named him Poet of the Year in 2000. Joe has also published a number of St. Clair County local history books.

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

Will Heath Will Heath is a 10-year veteran of local newspapers in Talladega and St. Clair counties.

He lives in Leeds with his wife, Stacey, two children, Sadie and Joseph, and two dogs, both of whom declined comment for this edition.

When he isn’t writing, Will is pursuing his longtime passion of being a fusty old professor wearing glasses.

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Jackie Romine Walburn

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

Elaine Hobson Miller Elaine Hobson Miller is a freelance writer with a B.A. in Journalism from Samford University.

She was the first female to cover Birmingham City Hall for the Birmingham Post-Herald, where she worked as reporter, food editor and features writer. A former editor of Birmingham Home & Garden magazine and staff writer for Birmingham magazine, she has written for a variety of local, regional and national publications.

Wallace Bromberg Jr. Wally graduated from Auburn University where he graduated in 1976 with his BA in History and minors in German and Education.

Wally’s skills in photography blossomed during college.After a 30-year career, he decided to dust off his camera skills and pursue photography full time.

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

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

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

From the Editor

Mining stories like discovering gold Every other month, I plan the content for Discover Magazine. Some might think it’s an overwhelming job. Fact is, it’s kind of easy when you have St. Clair County at the center of your subject matter.

It’s an underlying theme I’ve known since my days at the St. Clair Observer, a weekly newspaper owned by the indomitable Bob Cornett, who went on to own the storied Ark Restaurant, and Anne Milam, whose advertising sales prowess and reporting were second to none. She could do anything. And she didn’t mind teaching this fresh from college reporter how to do it, too.

Together, they built the kind of newspaper that served their community well. They reported the news accurately and fairly. They took a stand on issues that needed to be tackled.

And they made room in their paper for correspondents’ news – who visited whom, where ordinary folks traveled and what preachers had to say from their pulpits on Sundays. No one, no subject was excluded.

To say they taught me how to truly cover a community would be an understatement. They instilled it in me. They saw stories others would overlook. And they thought big – well beyond a small weekly newspaper covering the comings and goings of St. Clair County. They shared stories worth telling, stories that needed to be told. And consequently, their paper was read cover to cover.

It’s the foundation I have used throughout my career – making sure I find a way to say “yes” to people with an idea for a story and keeping my eyes and ears open to any semblance of a story that should be told.

And every other month about this time, I think about Bob and Anne as I travel the backroads of the county, looking and listening for just the right story. They recognized St. Clair County was a gold strike for stories to be mined like that

precious ore. It doesn’t just pop out of the dirt. You have to poke around a bit – dig for it.

So that’s what we do at Discover. We dig for just the right content, hoping you’ll think we struck gold, too.

In this issue, we hope you’ll agree that we’ve discovered a few gems to savor. We’ll take you to the nation’s capital, where an ornament painted by Pell City’s Buddy Spradley was hung with care on the state’s National Christmas Tree display in Presidents Park to represent Alabama.

We will take you back in time to schools that once flourished in St. Clair County – even one referred to as a college. And we will take you all around St. Clair County to underscore the notion that it is indeed a destination point for outdoor recreation.

With a well-deserved nod to Bob and Anne, you will find all of these and more in this edition of Discover. Come discover it all with us.

Carol Pappas Editor and Publisher

Discover The Essence of St. Clair

February & March 2018 • Vol. 40 • www.discoverstclair.com

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

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

Printed at Russell Printing, Alexander City, AL 7

“People who move out here from the city need to understand that these smells are feeding people,� cattle breeder Emily Taylor tells regional agent Alex Tigue.

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This ain’t your granddaddy’s Extension System Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Michael Callahan

Perplexed about when to plant kale or collard greens? The Alabama Cooperative Extension System has a workshop for that.

Want your teenagers to learn money-management skills or more about healthy eating? Alabama Extension has programs for that, too.

Need to touch up your job skills?

Alabama Extension can help you do that as well.

Many folks remember St. Clair County extension agents coming to their farms to advise gramps about those pesky weeds in the cow pasture.

They may recall home agents telling grandma that to safely can her green beans she must use a pressure canner not her hot water bath canner. But money management and job resumes?

Clearly, this isn’t your grandparents’ extension service any more.

“Most people know us simply as the Extension Service, but our name officially changed from service to system in 1995 after a landmark federal court ruling, making ours the nation’s first unified Extension program,” says Lee Ann Clark, coordinator for Alabama Extension’s St. Clair County office since 2005.

“Originally, program services centered primarily around agriculture and home economics-related topics.

The 4-H Clubs, which began in 1909 as Corn Clubs (for boys) and Tomato Canning Clubs (for girls), laid the foundation for today’s 4-H program.

It is still one of our flagship programs, but we’re so much more today.”

For 90 years, the bulk of extension programs were carried out by county agents—generalists who kept abreast of many different subjects and delivered a wide-variety of programs.

By the onset of the 21st century, there were fewer farms, changes in public expectations and the World

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

A new digital Alabama Extension kiosk

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ACES Lee Ann Clark

Even out-oftown visitors like Judy Bulmer, an RVer originally from Maine, use the Alabama Extension kiosk at the Moody Library.

Verhonda Embery, administrative support associate at the St. Clair Extension office, and Cori Harris, SNAP Ed Educator, are part of the multi-faceted Alabama Extension team.

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Wide Web, which changed how information was being delivered. In 2004, these changes prompted a reorganization and switch from using the generalist agents to regional agents who specialize in one of 14 extension program priority areas.

Regional agents now cover several counties, advising thirdgeneration farmers and the newcomers who just moved out of the city. However, despite the growing emphasis on regional agents, Alabama Extension continues to operate offices in all 67 counties.

Funded by federal, state and county governments, Alabama Extension is an extension of land-grant colleges, according to Henry Dorough, extension coordinator for Talladega County and a former regional agent for animal science and forage in St. Clair County.

Land-grant colleges were established by the federal government under the Morrill Act of 1862, which granted 30,000 acres of federal land for each member of Congress each state had.

Southern states were prevented from participation until after the Civil War. The Hatch Act of 1887 established agricultural experiment stations in conjunction with the land-grant colleges.

In 1890, the second Morrill Act extended land-grant status to black colleges in the South, which included Alabama A&M and Tuskegee University.

Today, there are 16 research centers in Alabama, along with Auburn University and Alabama A&M, that feed researchbased information to Alabama Extension.

“The basic premise for Cooperative Extension actually began at Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University,” Dorough explains. “Dr. Booker T. Washington, the university’s first president, mandated that all professors spend time out in the community educating the public, especially the poor and in rural areas, teaching citizens where they lived. He coined the phrase, ‘taking the university to the people,’ which is what Alabama Extension does.”

Early days

The roots of the county extension agent go back even further, to the ‘movable school’ George Washington Carver established through Tuskegee University in 1906. Named after Morris K. Jesup, the Jesup Wagon was a horse-drawn demonstration wagon used by Thomas Monroe Campbell, who later that year received a federal appointment as a farm demonstration agent.

The same day Campbell got his assignment (November 12, 1906), William Crider Stallings of Texas became the first extension agent to serve a single county. “The way I see it, the sun rises in Tuskegee before it does in Texas, making Campbell the first County Agent,” says Dorough. “I think it’s significant that a black man at a black college in Alabama was the first extension agent in the country.”

Tuskegee is a private land-grant college with its own extension program. “Tuskegee opted out of Alabama Extension to preserve its history and unique identity, but they are a partner in the system,” Dorough says. We call on each other and work with them, even though their name isn’t on our letterhead.”

Casting a wide net

The regional agents covering St. Clair County go far beyond what Booker T. Washington or George Washington Carver could have imagined. Angela Treadaway, regional agent for food safety, preservation and preparation, heads up the ServSafe program, a certification class for restaurant workers

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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Regional agent Alex Tigue and St. Clair County poultry farmer Donald Walker examine one of his birds.

and owners required by the county health department. Her class on cottage industries keeps people who want to sell foods from their own kitchens from running afoul of the health department.

Vikki Blalock of Lincoln learned some jelly-making techniques at a recent Jams and Jellies Workshop hosted by Treadaway. “These new techniques will save me time and will produce a better jelly,” she says.

Sallie Lee, urban regional extension agent for home grounds, gardens and home pests, has lots of programs for older folks, like Grow It to Eat It, a catchy name for container gardening.

Emily Hines, regional agent for family resource management and workforce development, conducts workshops and advises individuals on budgeting and finance, along with job preparation skills like resume writing.

Nancy Graves is the 4-H Foundation regional agent, while Becky Staples serves as a 4-H agent assistant for St. Clair County. Staples goes into local schools with various programs like Skins & Skulls, a science program that gives fourth-graders an up-close-and-personal look at the structure of wild animals in the woods of St. Clair County. She also conducts a Classroom in the Forest program and takes a group of kids to 4-H

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camp every summer. Graves is in charge of all volunteer-led clubs, including the 4-H after-school club and specialty clubs that focus on horses, archery and shotguns.

Through the 4-H Innovators Program — the only one of its kind in Alabama — Staples uses STEM-based (science, technology, engineering and math) projects that expose kids to critical thinking and teamwork. Spaghetti Towers, for example, gives students 18 minutes to take 20 pieces of uncooked spaghetti noodles, three feet each of masking tape and string, and a marshmallow to build a freestanding tower that will hold the marshmallow.

Donna Shanklin, regional agent for human nutrition, diet and health, holds workshops on diabetes education and various other health and nutrition-related topics for the general public.

She also works with soon-to-be released prison inmates, providing them information on nutrition and public health.

Bethany O’Rear, regional agent for home grounds, gardens and home pests, conducts classes on gardening, landscape and rain barrels. Every other fall, she teaches the 12-week Master Gardener course, which will be available again in September 2018.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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Joan Belzer attended O’Rear’s Fall Gardening Tips lunchand-learn workshop in December 2017. “That was the first one I’d gone to,” says the Steele resident. “I made notes about what I needed to do, and one was about the care of equipment before winter. I also made notes about how much rain and mulch new plants need and how to get my soil tested through Auburn. I’ll probably go back to other events because I learned enough to make it worthwhile.”

As forestry, wildlife and natural resource agent, Norm Haley hosts workshops on invasive plant control and pond management and creates and posts videos on the Alabama Extension YouTube channel, focusing on wildlife management, trapping and drainage control.

If military veterans need assistance in accessing their benefits, they can call Wayne Johnson, who heads up Veterans Outreach, a pilot program developed in St. Clair County.

“Many veterans don’t know what their benefits are,” Johnson says. “I go to different events, visit the veterans home and churches, spreading the word and touching base with our vets to see what they need. One of their biggest needs is where to go to access their health and other benefits, but they are also looking for support groups and assistance with job training.”

The Extension office has two vehicles to help vets get to and from medical appointments and sponsors a support group for PTSD victims. “I’m finding a lot of the older veterans don’t have any family or close friends around,” Johnson says. “We also help our homeless vets. Right now, I have two families I’m helping to find housing.”

New to the job

Cori Harris and Alex Tigue are the two newest agents who serve St. Clair County. Cori is a SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps) Educator. She goes into qualifying St. Clair County schools using an iPad program called Body Quest to teach kids about making healthier choices. To promote fruits and vegetables, youth participate in weekly Warrior Tastings, where they taste a variety of crunchy fresh produce. Physical activity, sleep hygiene and family engagement also are promoted with recipes provided for parents to try at home.

Tigue works with farmers as an animal science and forage agent covering St. Clair, Jefferson, Marshall, Blount and Calhoun counties. One day he may be in Ashville or Guntersville, another day he’s working with a cattle producer in north Blount County or helping other agents conduct a workshop at Auburn University for backyard poultry producers. “All of our agents are like this,” he says. “We’re wide open all the time.”

Seventy percent of the calls Tigue gets are about weeds taking over pastures or bugs eating up someone’s field. “People go on the internet and aren’t confident about the answers they’ve found,” he says. “They want someone who can tailor an answer to their specific problem and not a one-size-fits-all. Our specialty as Alabama Extension agents is finding individual answers for individual people.”

All about learning

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A couple of years ago, Emily and Mark Taylor of Ashville attended a hay and forage workshop, a four-class series held in different places. Emily is a member of the St. Clair County Farmers’ Federation board of directors and chairperson of its women’s committee. She and Mark raise cattle on acreage once owned by Emily’s parents. “I’ve been to several of the lunch-

Hillman Prestridge (seated) is one of several veterans Wayne Johnson (standing) calls on at the Colonel Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City.

and-learn workshops for gardening and fruit trees and fermentation,” she says. “Those things are very helpful to your farm and household.”

Lee Ann Clark, whose enthusiasm for her job shows in her animated conversation and the 4-H memorabilia in her Pell City courthouse basement office, uses several means of getting the word about Alabama Extension programs and services out to the public it serves.

The St. Clair office has two Facebook pages (St. Clair County, AL, Extension Office and St. Clair County, AL, 4-H); a web page (www.aces.edu/StClair); writes a weekly column for local newspapers; and offers a free, bi-monthly newsletter.

Anyone who wants to get on the newsletter mailing list may call the Extension Office at 205-338-9416.

“Currently, we have more than 1,800 families on our mailing list,” says Clark, a St. Clair County native and former 4-H’er who has worked for Alabama Extension here since 1998. “The newsletter is available on our web page and via an eNewsletter, but we realize that not everyone has internet access or prefers to read it online.”

In addition, Clark spearheaded a project that put kiosks about Alabama Extension outside her office door and at the Moody and Springville libraries. Her goal is to place one in all other libraries and the courthouse in Ashville. Born of her idea to create an information center based on the Red Box movie rentaltype box concept, the Extension kiosks — the first of their kind in the state — provide all a person needs to know about the county Extension office in one easy-to-access place. “I believe that our tagline on the bottom of the kiosk, ‘Cooperative Extension. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives,’ quite simply sums up what we do,” she says.

Clark’s current project is setting up an aquaponics class in St. Clair County. Why aquaponics? “Because people have requested it,” she says. That’s reason enough for her. l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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HONORING A COUNTY OLDER THAN THE STATE 16

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

Story by Carol Pappas Discover Archives photos It was only fitting that a county older than the state have a bicentennial celebration unrivaled by most.

Led by St. Clair County District Judge Alan Furr, a 30-plus member committee has been working as hard as it must have been to form a county in 1818 by the time it took the territorial legislature to hold only its second meeting.

How do you celebrate 200 years of history of a county older than Alabama and do it justice?

That was the question faced by Furr and company when the St. Clair County Commission appointed the Bicentennial Committee. And 12 months later, they didn’t disappoint.

Alabama Humanities Foundation chose St. Clair as one of the first three counties to host its Making Alabama. A Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit presented in partnership with the Alabama Bicentennial Commission, Alabama Department of Archives and History and Alabama Department of Tourism.

A complementary local exhibit highlighting the early history of the county and its communities has been designed.

A St. Clair County Bicentennial Calendar has already been launched. An Old-Fashioned Hymn Singing is planned – maybe two. A St. Clair Bicentennial tent with resource information and artifacts made appearances at festivals in Pell City, Moody, Springville and Ashville, offering an opportunity for residents and visitors alike to learn more about the county’s history.

Other events are planned by various organizations. A festival in May by the Reeves Grove Restoration Preservation Committee hopes to raise funds to restore the circa-1872 church, which coincidentally is being held at Fishers of Men Farm, a 90-acre retreat for inner-city kids that was once a plantation connected to the church.

Historic markers have been refurbished and rededicated around the county. Two Bicentennial bronze plaques – one at the Ashville courthouse and the other at the Pell City courthouse – will be unveiled 200 years to the day that St. Clair became a county on Nov. 20, 1818. It’s all about history all year long.

The 2018 calendar is the centerpiece of the local celebration, detailing the pivotal points of history of the county day by day.

The state exhibit will be a major part of the activities along with the local exhibit, which will travel around the county after Making Alabama heads on the rest of its tour.

Furr, a devotee of history, is amazed at what the work the committee has uncovered. From photos and maps to artifacts and little-known historical moments that helped shape the county, the Bicentennial collection will be used as an engaging and informative resource for generations to come.

In the Census of 1820, Furr noted, there were 4,465 residents of a county called St. Clair that actually encompassed parts of present day Shelby, Etowah, Cherokee and DeKalb counties.

Ashville was the county seat because it was “centrally located,” which gives an idea of just how expansive a land mass it had been.

Today, of course, Ashville is one of the northern most points of the county after those present-day counties were formed using parts of the original St. Clair County.

It is history like that of Ashville and other communities throughout the county that will be highlighted with historic photographs and brief narratives designed as part of St. Clair’s

Miners in Margaret, which once was a thriving coal mining community

Oversized tablets at kiosks will delve deeper into each period of the state’s history, an interactive display at the exhibit.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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local exhibit. It will open with the Making Alabama exhibit at Moody Civic Center in April. The state exhibit is expected to be in Moody for three weeks.

St. Clair’s work has caught the attention of Alabama Bicentennial Commission Executive Director Jay Lamar.

“The St. Clair County bicentennial plans are outstanding—not surprising to anyone who knows anything about the county and the great people who live there. They have managed to find the winning combination of fun, education and enjoyment that will make the celebration memorable for everyone,” she said.

Encouraging engagement, Lamar noted that throughout the state, communities and counties like St. Clair are gearing up to celebrate the state’s bicentennial. “The Alabama Bicentennial Commission has some funding available for local committees, as well as resources for promotion and partnership. The bicentennial website — www.ALABAMA200.org — and Facebook page have information about events, calendar options and forms for seeking official endorsement. For us at the commission, one of the key words of the bicentennial commemoration is variety — each committee doing what makes sense and is meaningful to its community.”

And that’s precisely what the St. Clair committee has created.

“Having the opportunity to work with Alabama Humanities Foundation and the folks with the state bicentennial will certainly enhance what we’re doing with the county history,” Furr said. “It will dovetail our bicentennial with the state’s, and AHF certainly brings to the table a wealth of knowledge that will enhance what we do on the county level.”

AHF Executive Director Armand DeKeyser returned the compliment. “St. Clair is to be commended for its work in developing an exhibit, defining the moments in history that shaped it as one of the fastest growing counties in the state. Our relationship with St. Clair during the Smithsonian exhibit, The Way We Worked, served as a precursor to our confidence that the county would create something very special.”

Early on in the planning, Furr said the committee was trying to decide on whether to have a big event or multiple smaller events. The general consensus settled on the latter, giving the effort a “multi-faceted approach.”

The committee – 34 members strong – met regularly over the past year, and Furr said its involvement was key to the resulting plan of action that took the scope of St. Clair County’s history and tried to condense it into a manageable series of activities and programs to appeal to a wide and diverse audience. “We didn’t put the focus on any one part of the county. We tried to spread the love,” he said.

The calendar is central to the plans because of its ability to educate people about the county’s history in such a comprehensive way. Feedback so far is overwhelmingly good, Furr said. He gets comments like, “Oh my gosh, I went home and read the whole thing.”

It is on sale at all libraries in the county for $2 to cover the cost of printing, and it is being given to all fourth graders throughout the county. Furr called the calendar committee’s depth of work “a remarkable job.”

The takeaway Furr hopes St. Clair Countians have from this celebration is “for people to learn something about the history of the county they didn’t know. This (the county) was all created out of nothing. This was all woods and Native Americans.” It stretched from Shelby County to DeKalb.

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Ft. Strother, just outside Ragland, was built by Gen. Andrew Jackson to serve thousands of militiamen and battle the Creeks.

“That is one place that is important to settling not only this part of the county, but the state,” Furr said.

He wants people to know and appreciate St. Clair County’s “rich history.”

He used the famous quote, “Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it,” to illustrate. “I don’t think we’ve placed a lot of importance on the learning of history. History tends to repeat itself. There are consequences, I think. It’s important.”

The bicentennial gives St. Clair County a rare opportunity to underscore just how important history is today and for future generations that follow. l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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BACKROADS

Lost schools of St. Clair Once the heartbeat of local communities

Easonville School

Story by Joe Whitten Submitted photos Schools were the heart-beat of communities for most of St. Clair County’s past 200 years. Wherever folk settled in the county, they soon organized a school which became central to community activity. Information is gleaned from newspapers, local and family histories, and diaries for some schools. For others, only a remembered name.

Lost town of Easonville housed thriving schools

About 1820, Bolivor Eason settled in Coosa Valley. Other families came, and by the end of the decade, the settlement had its first school, which met in homes. By the 1860s, classes met in the Coosa Valley Baptist Church.

When the post office came in 1872, the town became Easonville. By the1880s, Coosa Valley High School was

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established there in a one-story building. Later, they constructed a two-story building containing an auditorium and classrooms, and it served Easonville, Cropwell and Mt. Pisgah.

Vera Wadsworth recorded these prominent Alabamians associated with Easonville schools: • • • •

Dr. Henry J. Willingham, state superintendent of Education and later president of Florence State Teachers’ College.

Dr. John W. Abercrombie, state superintendent of Education, member of Congress, and President of the University of Alabama.

Dr. Issac W. Hill, state superintendent of Education.

Dr. Thomas Neal, president of Howard College, now Samford University.

Today, the waters of Lake Logan Martin lap over the lost town of Easonville.

A log school was located at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church.

Lee Wadsworth (b.1872) recalled the building as a crude one, constructed in 1870 and located on the ridge where the cemetery is today. In the 1880s, the community built a better

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

school that contained benches with backs, glass windows and a heater for winter. Maurine Sims, in A History of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, states that when the school was torn down, the wood was used to build a barn.

Eden School

Eden school has storied history

The date for Eden’s first school is uncertain, but New Hope Baptist Church was organized in 1824, and where there was a church, there was usually a school. A Dec. 15, 1960, St. Clair News-Aegis article says that in 1875, Eden school was a log building located on Wolf Creek Road. The later three-room school was located where the church gym stands today. That building was used for both school and church until about 1900 when a separate two-story school was constructed. A tornado in the 1920s damaged the school, but it was repaired and used until 1948 when classes moved into a new building.

Cook Springs School lasted until 1950s

Cook Springs School, located near the hotel and the Baptist church, began in the 1870s and continued classes for more than 70 years. In The Village and Its Neighbor, Anita Smith writes that Russell Carreker donated the land for the first school.

Then in 1914, LaFayette and Eliza Cooke donated additional land, and a larger two-room school replaced the first building.

Smith states that it was a spacious building, having “large windows, a foyer-like hallway…, a big pot-bellied stove that provided better heating, and a bit of space set aside for a coat closet.” Outhouses served bathroom needs; hand pumps outside provided water. The school closed in the 1950s.

Mining company associated with five schools

The DeBardelabens’ Alabama Fuel and Iron Company operated schools in their mining communities of Margaret and Acmar. Fred Marvin’s history, Alabama Fuel and Iron Company and Its People, boasts that in addition to the schools on company property, the company partnered with the St. Clair County Board of Education to operate the schools at “Low Gap, White’s Chapel, and Copper Springs.” Marvin’s history states that in taking the three schools, the company “... rebuilt the structures, making them neat and attractive and assumed all expense attached to their maintenance, although many of the children attending are not those of company employees.”

In both White’s Chapel and Low Gap, which accommodated white children, the buildings were of field-stone construction.

There’s no record of work done at Copper Springs School in Branchville.

White’s Chapel School closed at the end of the 1960-61session. Afterwards, these students attended Moody schools through the ninth-grade and then St. Clair County High School until the Board of Education established Moody High School.

Low Gap School burned Feb. 13, 1946. Students finished the year at Low Gap United Methodist Church, but in the fall, these students began attending school in Odenville.

In Margaret, the company provided schools for both races.

For the white community, the schoolhouse was at the top of School Street. According to Marie Butler in Margaret, Alabama ... and now there’s gold!, in 1916 Thomas Glover was principal and “taught by the Golden Rule.” Two early teachers were Elma Lee Sansing and Annie Laurie Merritt, both teaching multiple grades. The first school, c1916, burned in 1924, and the company erected another building which also burned in

Branchville School 1941. A wood-frame replacement served as the school until it closed in 1965.

For the black community, the two-story St. Philips Methodist Church/Beulah Baptist Church was finished in 1918 as a community building. School met in the downstairs, and church met upstairs with Methodists and Baptists meeting on different Sundays. This continued as a school with Professor S.J. Dillard as principal until the 1930s when a school was built in the black community on today’s South Hillcrest Street.

Marie Butler records in her book that Professor Dillard served as principal until his retirement in 1953. Then, Mrs. Eddie Lee Turnbough Franks, Professor Dillard’s student, became principal. Mrs. Bernice Holston Young and Mrs. Alberta Jones also taught in this school in the 1950s. Professor Dillard’s son and student, Oliver W. Dillard, made a career of the Army and retired as a brigadier general.

In a brief history of Copper Springs Baptist Church, William Ragland records that the first school building was used for both school and church. The log building, built in 1873 by the Formans, Turnbaughs, and Vandegrifts, stood until the late 1800s when it was torn down and replaced by a frame building.

The first teachers at Copper Springs were Mrs. Mary Forman and Professor Hawkins. Mrs. Eddie Lee Franks taught there in the 1930s. Although Fred Marvin’s history says the DeBardelabens helped the Copper Springs School, Mr. Ragland

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

21

Traveling the

BACKROADS didn’t mention it in his history or in a 1990s interview with this author. This school closed in the 1940s. Then, depending on the grade, students went to Margaret or Ruben Yancey in Ashville.

In Ashville, Yancey School has historic roots

Low Gap School

Pisgah School 1921

Ruben Yancey School was a continuation of the first school for black students in St. Clair County. Mrs. Bessie Byers wrote of this school, saying, “Ashville’s first school for colored children was housed in the ‘Old Hall,’ which stood below the Methodist Church located on what today is known as 10th Street.” On April 15, 1872, Pope Montgomery and wife deeded a building to the Methodist Episcopal Church “to serve as a church and a school for colored children.” Student numbers increased until some classes met in the Methodist Church.

By 1935, they needed a new building, and the Board of Education bought from James Beason three acres on a hill top known as the “Jim Beason Pasture.” Here, they constructed a three-room, whitepainted frame building, well lighted by windows. This was named the Ashville Colored High School, which served grades one through 12.

Ruben Yancey, an Ashville native, became principal in 1947 and served until 1956. Mrs. Byers wrote: “Because of his humanitarian efforts, the community grew and became a better place to live.”

Professor Yancey worked toward getting a larger facility with a lunchroom and a library. This came to fruition in the 1950s with help from Ashville’s white citizens. Forced into retirement by poor health, Professor Yancey did not live to see the building finished.

At completion, Principal Lloyd Newton and school friends requested the County Board of Education name the school Ruben Yancey in honor of the man who had labored for the betterment of their community and school. Superintendent D.O. Langston and the Board honored the request. Professor Newton remained as principal there until integration and then finished his career as principal of Ashville Elementary School.

DAR School took its place in history books

D.A.R. School

Six miles north of Ashville on US 411, the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) School stood adjacent to Hopewell Baptist Church on a five-acre plot purchased by the State of Alabama in 1917 from Thomas S. Black and wife, Katie J. Black.

This school operated until 1924 when it was relocated to Gunter Mountain, Marshall County, because that mountain area needed an accessible school.

Some years ago, Charles Pruett Fouts, Sr., who had attended there, recalled classmates as being Willis Hood, Arvil Glenn, Clyde Vaught, Phillman and Warren Knight, Eugene and Elbert Sprayberry, O. A. Hood, Fletcher and Ed Sheffield, and Alvin and Oscar Roberts.

Zion Hill, Gum Springs lay claim to school history

Ada Wilson Sulser (1897-1988) wrote about Zion Hill Schoolhouse, located next to Zion Hill Methodist Church on today’s Highway 33 in Slasham Valley. Having begun school there in 1903, she remembered it as a one-room school with classes meeting from November to April, weather permitting. The school burned twice, in 1903 and 1914.

Mrs. Sulser recalled the families of Cobb, Lowery, Palmer,

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

McBrayer, Jester and Jenkins. Her teachers were Lena Shore, Tom McDaniel, John Gunter, Mr. Allman, Will King, Lonnie Kirby, Lewis Wright, Earl Palmer, John Teaver, Ethel Gilchrest and Lilly May Merchant.

Mrs. Sulser also mentioned the Ford Schoolhouse near Gum Springs Baptist Church and that the Baswells, Kirbys and Willards attended there.

White’s Chapel School

Argo schools remembered

Earl Massey in his monograph “Argo Schools, 1820-1953,” wrote of Reed’s Grove School, stating that H. B. Venable and wife gave two acres on Blackjack Road for a school. He gives no date for this, but notes that in 1920 G.W. Minyard deeded one and a half acres to the State of Alabama to be a part Reed’s Grove School. In 1947, after the school closed, the County Board sold the property back to Mr. Minyard.

Massey also writes of Fairfield School, in the Wade community, on today’s US Highway 11 where it crosses I-59.

Quoting Gordon Melton, student there in the 19th Century, he records: “There was a one-room schoolhouse on our farm facing the ‘big road’ as we called it then (Highway 11). ...

Fairfield School was about 150 yards from our house.” Melton recalled a school session as four or five months during fall and winter, when children could be spared from farm work, and wrote that some years as many as a hundred students enrolled in the one-teacher school. He remembered cows grazing around the school and the constant ringing of their bells disrupting class until boys would go chase the cows away. The school closed in 1930 and the School Board sold the property to Addie Waldren.

Springville ‘college’ not really a college

In Springville, Spring Lake College opened in 1893.This school consolidated the two existing high schools.

Although “college” was in its name, the grades covered were primary through high school. Tuition ranged from $1.50 for the primary class to $5 for the senior class. The curriculum included basic English and math but also offered: • Elementary Algebra and Latin, seventh-grade.

• Word Analysis, French History, and Latin Grammar, eighth-grade.

• Rhetoric, Philosophy, Cicero’s Orations, Higher Algebra and Geometry, freshman year.

• Geology, Zoology, Botany, Latin Prose Composition and Horace, sophomore year.

• Logic, Psychology, Chemistry, Cicero de Oratore, and Trigonometry, junior year.

• American Classics, Political Economy, Mental and Moral Science, Evidences of Christianity, Astronomy, Analytical Geometry, Parliamentary Law and Oratory, senior year.

Greek was offered as well. For additional fees, students could take music, art or commercial classes of bookkeeping, shorthand and typewriting.

The Spring Lake College Catalogue for 1894-95 states that the school “…is the result of combining the two flourishing high schools of Springville under one management.” It speaks of Springville as “a community of the highest type of American citizenship,” and that “one of the chief glories of Springville is found in her ample facilities for lodging and feeding all who sojourn within her gates. Pupils are taken into the best families of the town. ...”

Margaret Windom writes in her History of Springville that

Beulah Church in Margaret

Traveling the

BACKROADS Liberty School

“On February 10, 1896, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church deeded the town of Springville the “building and ground known as Springlake College.” On Feb. 8, 1912, the school burned, and Springville constructed a two-story brick building which was used by Springville High School into the 1970s.

Early 20th Century schools no longer here

Friendship School

Margaret Elementary School 24

From Bethel community up US 411 almost to US 231, there existed several schools in the early 20th Century.

Bethel School stood across the highway from Bethel Baptist. A photo from the 1930s shows the student body with teachers I.W. Inzer and Mrs. Prickett.

Branchville School was located where today’s Cumberland Presbyterian Church stands. An early photo shows students at the wood-frame school. The building burned in December 1944.

Odenville was first called Walnut Grove and so was the school, which was probably organized shortly after the Hardins and Vandegrifts settled there in 1821. About 1864, a one-room log structure heated by a fireplace was constructed near today’s Pennington Garage. Jim Hardin was teacher. His school bell is in the Fortson Museum.

Much later, the area school was at Liberty on the Liberty Church property. The last year there was 1906. In 1907, Odenville Elementary School was built under the leadership of the county school system and began operation. This wooden building burned in the mid-1920s and was replaced by a field-stone structure.

Well into the 20th Century, there was a school for black students at Hardwick, off today’s Pleasant Valley Road. William Ragland recalled that Miss Mattie Johnson, teacher, often had as many as 90 students enrolled.

Friendship School, of field-stone construction, still stands today

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

and is owned and used by Friendship Baptist Church. Though the date of origin is obscure, in the 1920s, C.J. Donahoo was principal, and Mrs. Bertha Bowlin was a teacher.

According to The Heritage of St. Clair County, Pine Forest School was on US 411 “west of today’s Pine Forest Baptist Church.” This school began operation around 1917 and continued until it closed in 1939. Henry Cash bought the building and property about 1947. Some years later, the Cash family sold the property to Clyde and Stella Mae Thomas.

Pell City had its share of schools

In Pell City and surrounding communities, several schools existed for black students. In an interview, Mrs. Marion Frazier referenced schools in New Town, Riverside and Greenfield. She named Morning Star in Ragland and Mt. Zion in Cropwell, and recalled that her mother spoke of New Life School, but didn’t recall its community location.

When asked about a school before St. Clair County Training School, she named the 1927 Rosenwald School. According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears Roebuck & Co., created the Rosenwald Fund to provide matching monies for schools in the rural South. In 1914 in Alabama, that fund helped build six schools for blacks. St. Clair County wasn’t mentioned in the article; however, Rosenwald School is remembered locally as the forerunner to the St. Clair County Training School.

This school was in the county school system, and the first seniors graduated in 1947. The last senior class graduated in 1969.

With integration of county schools, the Training School became the Walter M. Kennedy Elementary-Intermediate School. Today it is Duran South. The Kennedy Elementary School was relocated to 19th Street.

Mrs. Frazier, a 1962 graduate, talked of the activities at the school, mentioning especially the choir and the band. Geneva Martin’s memories, written for the 50th reunion of the 1966 class, spoke of the homecoming parades, of Mr. Larry Turner leading the band in the parade, of dances after football games, of student variety shows, and of walking to the National Guard Armory for basketball games until “Mr. Kennedy’s efforts paid off in having an auditorium built.” She recalled Mr. Kennedy’s requiring men teachers to dress professionally by wearing ties.

Of the 1966 graduation, Ms. Martin wrote, “We walked across the stage with pride and our heads high. ... We had a stern warning from Mr. Kennedy. He said remember, there were no actual diplomas in our books, and if we messed up that night, we would not get one. Oh, yes, we had to attend the last day of school. That’s how Mr. Kennedy rolled.”

Walter Kennedy finished his career as assistant superintendent of Education in St. Clair County.

Pine Forest School

Leaping Lizards! What kind of name is that?

The most unusual name for a school must be Lizard Lope.

Located east of Ashville on today’s Highway 411, it was later called Union Grove—but no one knows the date the name changed. Tradition says the name arose when logs were being dressed and stacked for constructing log houses. Lizards would sun on the stacks and leap from log to log. Thus, Lizard Lope. l Editor’s Note: St. Clair County is rich with school history, and there is much more to be mined from various sources. Discover Magazine encourages communities to collect and record history during this bicentennial year. We are fortunate that Lizard Lope did not lope into oblivion. Long live the memories.

Odenville School early 1900s located near Pennington’s Garage

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

25

Buddy Spradley prepares to paint in his art studio at home.

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

A decoration for the nation Story by Leigh Pritchett Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr. Submitted photos

Pell City artist paints ornament for national Christmas tree display

When the 95th annual National Christmas Tree Lighting display opened in Washington, D.C., in December, a little piece of Pell City was among the decorations.

That is because local artist Buddy Spradley had painted one of the ornaments.

Spradley’s work and that of 13 other artists from North and Central Alabama were selected to help decorate the state’s tree in President’s Park. According to the National Park Service, 56 Christmas trees – one for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories – showed their splendor in President’s Park from Dec. 1, 2017, through Jan. 1, 2018.

The effort to provide the dozen ornaments for the Alabama tree was coordinated by the Alabama State Council on the Arts and locally by Heritage Hall Museum in Talladega.

“It is our honor to decorate our home state tree and help the nation celebrate the holidays in one of our most recognizable parks,” said Valerie White, director of Heritage Hall Museum.

“We are all excited to be part of the ‘America Celebrates’ display. It gives us an opportunity to show our pride in our state’s artistic talent, stunning natural wonders and vibrant cultural heritage.”

Spradley was excited too, in addition to “speechless, nervous, ... thankful, honored.” He said he is “proud to represent Alabama to the U.S. in that way, through art.”

Spradley’s ornament depicts two waterfalls at Little River Canyon in Fort Payne. He chose Grace Falls as the main focus, with another Little River waterfall on the opposite side of the ornament.

Little River Canyon “has a special feeling to me,” he said. “(I’ve) always had a personal closeness to that area.”

Many times through the years, he has gone to Little River Canyon with his dad, nationally known watercolor artist Wayne Spradley of Pell City. The elder Spradley has painted Grace Falls in the past, a fact that influenced his son’s decision to feature it on the ornament.

“Now, he and I both have done Grace Falls,” said Buddy Spradley.

Although Spradley had not previously painted a spherical piece, he was able to complete the acrylic project in about two weeks during September 2017. He did confess, however, that holding the ornament and painting it at the same time presented quite a challenge. But duct tape

saved the day. Spradley found that the center hole of a roll of duct tape made the perfect cradle for holding the ornament steady while he painted on it.

An artist’s early start

Spradley’s chance to help decorate a national Christmas tree through art really can be traced back 45 years when he won his first art competition at age 8. That piece was an abstract.

He grew up around art, watching his dad create wildlife scenes and landscapes that would gain national acclaim. In the early 1980s, his dad produced the artwork for the Alabama Waterfowl Stamp.

After Buddy Spradley graduated from Pell City High School, he put art aside and instead earned a mortuary science and forensics degree.

For eight years, he worked at Kilgroe Funeral Home, with his uncle and aunt, Sonny (now deceased) and Jane Kilgroe. From the couple, Spradley learned much about respecting, serving and helping people. “That job did teach me compassion,” he said.

It was also during those years that he felt a

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

Buddy Spadley’s ornament, depicting Little River Canyon, hung on the national Christmas tree representing Alabama

27

A decoration for the nation

Pell City artist Buddy Spradley stands by some of his artwork that is available at Pell City Coffee Company. calling to teach. To prepare for the career change, he studied graphic art and anthropology at Jacksonville State University, and then art education at the University of Alabama.

For two years in Anniston, followed by 18-plus years in Pell City Schools, Spradley taught art to “thousands of kids.”

During the years of teaching, his art mostly consisted of pieces he painted as classroom demonstrations for the students.

His focus was on educating and encouraging his students, rather than producing his own pieces.

He called the job a “blessing,” saying he went to school each day with a smile and left with a smile. The time in between was spent trying to instill in every child a sense of success and accomplishment.

Dr. Micheal Barber, superintendent of Pell City Schools, described Spradley as a “wonderful artist and wonderful teacher. ... He brings life into art.”

Barber said Spradley incorporated into art class what the students were learning in history, science and other subjects.

Spradley is retired from the classroom now and greatly misses teaching students. He still feels a deep sense of responsibility toward them.

“Teaching school was such an important, big part of my life. ... You’ve got to behave yourself and be a good role model ... in and out of school,” Spradley said. “Even though I’m retired, I feel like I’m still responsible for making a good impression.”

The Christmas tree in his living room at the time of

28

Discover’s visit with Spradley gave evidence of the impact he has had upon many young lives. Decorations given by past students adorned the tree from top to bottom.

It is not uncommon for former students who are now adults to tell him, “I’ve still got the Christmas tree we did in art, and I put it up on the mantle every year.”

His own heritage of art has become one of his treasures. In fact, the art table he uses is the very first one that his father had ... back in 1954. He also has, as a keepsake, a sizable stack of his dad’s art demonstration pieces.

Prior to retirement, Spradley’s life journey already had taken several significant turns. Among them were an emergency triple bypass at age 38 and the death of his mother, Pat, from complications related to Alzheimer’s disease. Then, in September 2015, his journey took a path that made retiring necessary. Spradley was told he had gastric and esophageal cancer that was stage 3 – bordering on stage 4.

“I had less than a 9 percent chance of survival,” Spradley said. “... But I knew I was (going to make it). ... Thank God, I had some of the most professional, caring doctors. They saved my life. My surgeon prayed with me before surgery. ...

They cared about my wellbeing and I am so thankful for that. I never would have survived without my family and my friends.

Never.”

Spradley said his dad had always been “my rock,” but was even more so during that time. Also, aunts Jane Kilgroe and

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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A decoration for the nation

Though Buddy Spradley usually paints wildlife and landscape scenes, occasionally he creates an abstract.

30

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

Jean Phillips were very caring and continue to be.

The chemotherapy treatment, which lasted a year, caused nausea, fatigue, neuropathy in his hands and loss of appetite.

The neuropathy prevented Spradley from holding a paintbrush.

His determined dad devised a means for his son to return to painting. It involved inserting the brush handle into a small tube and taping the tube to his son’s finger. With such a setup, Buddy Spradley did not have to hold the brush, he only had to point his finger to paint.

It worked well and Buddy Spradley again was creating wildlife and landscape scenes and an occasional abstract.

Painting, he discovered, helped to overcome the neuropathy.

On one particular day during the battle with cancer, Spradley stood at his kitchen window, looked out and prayed. He said he was about to start the next part of his life and asked God what He wanted Spradley to do.

Very soon, things started happening.

Almost overnight, Spradley felt a stronger commitment to art. He became “completely engulfed in my painting.”

Also, his skill reached a new level.

Wayne Spradley noticed a marked difference in his son’s artwork, especially in draftsmanship and execution. He saw his son’s abilities draw ever so close to perfection.

Then, came the invitation for Buddy Spradley to paint an ornament for a Christmas tree in the nation’s capitol.

“It was so unexpected,” Spradley said. “And it all goes back to when I was standing in that window and was asking for guidance for the second half of my life.” When God opens doors, Spradley said, “(you get) to do things you didn’t think you could do.”

Wayne Spradley was thrilled that his son was chosen for the honor. “I was proud of him,” he said. “I encouraged him as much as I could.”

Buddy Spradley could also imagine his mom’s voice telling him she is proud of him, too, just as she had done so often during his life.

In early 2018, Spradley embarked on another project – that of submitting an entry to the Alabama Waterfowl Stamp art contest. The painting he has in mind to do will be painstaking, considering that each feather of the ducks will have to be done individually. Yet, he looks to the challenge with the hope of being listed among the winners, just like his father is.

At times, Spradley still struggles with residual effects of cancer treatment. “It’s something you learn to live with and not let it stop you. (You) have faith that the Good Lord is with you, (and you) try to make a difference in every day.”

He said that experiencing cancer has changed life entirely.

He has learned to see God’s miracles in everything. “ ‘Only the Good Lord can make beautiful things,’ ” Spradley remarked, recalling what he had heard his mother say so frequently. “I carry that quote with me daily.”

He cherishes family, enjoys friendships, studies with an insatiable hunger for knowledge, paints with conviction and appreciates the preciousness of life.

“I’m thankful for every day.” l Buddy Spradley’s artwork is available through his Facebook page and at Pell City Coffee Company. Visit https://www. heritagehallmuseum.org/community to see Buddy Spradley’s ornament, as well as those produced by the other 13 North and Central Alabama artists. (A note of interest: Three of the other 13 artists are current students of Wayne Spradley.)

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Special presentation adds local footnote to D-Day history

William E. Massey is presented with model of bomber he flew. The presentation was made by his sonin-law, First Sgt. Scott Leigh.

Story and photos by Carol Pappas It would be hard to imagine that when William E. Massey, who enlisted in the Air Force at age 21, could have anticipated what he would witness during his time ahead in World War II. But as June 6, 1944, approached, 1st Lt. William E. Massey of the 8th Air Force Mission knew he had just one job in mind – “keep the German Air Force out of the air,” he said.

In what would become known as D-Day, Massey, now 91, retold his story to a spellbound crowd at St. Clair County’s Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home with the patience and skill of a seasoned teacher.

By the numbers, 210,000 men took part as airmen, 26,000 were killed, and 28,000 were taken prisoners of war. “One out of every four airmen who went out didn’t come back,” he said.

Massey told his personal story of one of the ones that made it back to a crowd gathered at the veterans

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home for a presentation. One of his fellow residents, Joe Zeller, built a replica of the 4-engine B17 G called Channel Express, “like the English Channel,” Massey said, explaining that it was the same plane he flew during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France.

It carried three tons of bombs – a dozen 500-pound bombs called “blockbusters,” he said. In formation to cover the target, 54-81 planes would have flown.

With that volume and power, “You can cause a lot of damage,” he said.

Zeller, 3rd class boatswain, served from 1951 to 1955 in the Navy. He built the plane before Massey even arrived at the veterans home, but when he learned that Massey had flown that very plane, he wanted to present it to him.

What prompted him to build it? “I think the Lord told me to build that. I think God sent me here.”

In a formal ceremony, Zeller presented the model to Massey who then donated it to the veterans home so others to come may hold and examine a piece of history.

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D-Day history

Massey saluted for service

Marine uniform was there for presentation. He couldn’t disguise his pride in his father-in-law. “He is one of the true warriors,” he said.

Eye-witness to history As Massey began to tell his story, the audience’s attention to every detail was evident. His crew’s mission leading up to one of the greatest conflicts in history was to block the route in the Far East, he said. They flew to Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Syria with the purpose of preventing oil and gas to get to Hamburg for the Germans On D-Day, he flew two missions to bomb bridges and cut off the possibility of the Germans to reach the beach and combat the invasion.

Massey flew directly over Omaha Beach and Utah Beach.

Overhead he could see there was “not room for another canoe out in that water.” The critical factor in the mission’s success was to be dominant from the air. With more than a little hint of pride showing, he proclaimed, “Not a single German plane came up to contest the invasion.”

He spoke of his bombing mission to Berlin a month earlier – on May 7 and May 8. “On May 8, we turned around and went back to Berlin and bombed it again. You can’t imagine the devastation.”

He flew his fourth mission on May 29 to Berlin. The plane was loaded with incendiary bombs. When they were through,

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Joe Zeller shakes Massey’s hand and thanks him for service as Leigh looks on.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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D-Day history

GREG COBB

Superintendent of Education St. Clair County Schools

there was “no need to come back. Berlin had to be rebuilt from the bottom up. The Germans were defeated actually before then.”

Quoting German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to Hitler, he prophesied, “If you can’t stop those bombers, we can’t win the war.”

Looking back to that fateful day in June, Massey reflected, “It seemed to be impossible. Those young men gave their all. When you hear what they did, what they accomplished…young men, some only 19, they weren’t afraid. They manned their post and did an excellent job.”

Thirteen days later proved to be a more formidable challenge for Massey. He wasn’t supposed to fly that day, but he had to replace someone who couldn’t go. His plane was shot down. “The plane was on fire. It was filled with black smoke,” he said. “I couldn’t see the instruments.”

The crew was forced to bail out, and he jumped free of the plane but in doing so, he didn’t have on his chute. It was in his hand. “The ground was coming up mighty fast.”

He got one side of the chute on, managed to pull the rip cord and the chute opened about 3,000 feet from the ground.

Guardian angel? “Somebody pulled that cord,” he mused.

Once he hit the ground and made it past the enemy, he connected with the French Underground and stayed with them until the end of the war.

His interrogator told him: ‘Lieutenant, your promotion to captain was sent in on the date you were shot down.’ He asked the interrogator if he knew the status, and he told him, ‘Don’t worry. You go home. It will catch up with you.’

“It never did.” l

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• Dedicated to the students of St. Clair County Schools • Lifelong St. Clair County Resident • 23 year veteran of the St. Clair County School System • Son of the late Frankie & Linda Cobb; Husband of Angie Boswell Cobb & Dad of Stedman Poe • Lifelong Member, Bethel Baptist Church, Moody • Member, Gideon International, 2005-Present • Graduate, The University of Alabama Superintendent Academy • Graduate, Leadership St. Clair County, 2009 • Local school, State department and district level administrator

For more information visit http://cobbforsuper.com

Greg Cobb knows St. Clair County, her people, and her schools. He will be an excellent Superintendent of Education.

I support him wholeheartedly”.

Joe Whitten Author, Veteran Educator Pd. Pol. Adv. by Greg Cobb for Superintendent, 30 Mountian Lake Drive Odenville, AL 35120

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

Discover

St. Clair Outdoors A Special Section

Cycling, hunting, fishing, off roading, sporting clays & much more

Biking St. Clair

Jay Hollis, left, and Keith Galloway share a moment between rides.

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St. Clair Outdoors

County’s terrain, beauty draw cyclists Story by Will Heath Photos by Mike Callahan and Susan Wall Something about St. Clair County keeps drawing cyclists from all around back to its roads. Perhaps it’s the winding paths that lead to unrivaled scenery, like Chandler Mountain, Washington Valley, Logan Martin and Neely Henry lakes.

Maybe it’s the feel of the wind and the solitude as you pedal one more mile and then another to get a glimpse of one more breathtaking view.

Ask a cyclist, and they will readily tell you it’s the countryside – rolling pastures, meandering creeks, an old barn, a roadside waterfall – it all keeps them coming back for more.

“There are more and more people getting involved in it,” said Jay Hollis of Pell City. “Last year and particularly the year before, there were quite a few new cyclists in the area.

A rider himself, Hollis now estimates that “probably 35-40 people” in the area ride with about 15 to 20 on a regular basis. His own group, the Pell City Cycling Club, bikes two to three times per week.

“It’s a really well-known area,” he said. “A lot of the men and women we ride with, they will pass through here, and we meet up with them when we can. They come from Irondale, Chelsea and the Shelby County area. ... I ride with a group from Vestavia sometimes on Sundays. They come over about once or twice a month for 40-50 miles around the area.”

St. Clair County offers them a central meeting point, with a friendly culture and picturesque scenery.

“I love St. Clair County,” said Sherry Wilson of the Urology Foundation, which for a decade chose St. Clair for its Tour de Blue to raise money and awareness about prostate cancer. “It’s just a beautiful countryside. The people are so nice and friendly.”

“They pitched in and helped us with our ride,” Wilson said. “We just kept going back to the same area to put on this event because the people in Moody were just fantastic – from the mayor’s office to the police department to the volunteers to the school system. We started at the elementary school and meandered around the countryside. The (administration) was just great to work with, and we just really enjoyed it.”

Although Wilson and fellow organizer, Tom Moody,

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St. Clair Outdoors From left, Rick Yost, Keith Galloway and Jay Hollis near Sweet Apple Farm

said they were discontinuing the ride for the time being, “I have nothing but good things to say about the people of Moody, and the terrain was lovely,” Moody said. “The positive parts were the generosity and support of the people, particularly the mayor’s office and the chief of police and the government. And the beautiful scenery we had the riders go through it.”

That ride included a century ride – 100 miles in all – that had cyclists from multiple states biking over Blount Mountain and passing McClendon Gap, circling around Chandler Mountain, and through historic Ashville. It was a remarkable showcase for the county’s scenery, one that earned no shortage of praise

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from riders in various forums around the web.

“This is a ‘must do’ ride in Alabama,” said Doug Tinkham of SwimBikeRunAlabama.com “Put this ride on your calendar,” said Dan (“Dirtdog”) Watson, creator of Dirtdogs Birmingham Cycling Google Group “Awesome route. One of the most scenic centuries I’ve ridden,” said John Halsey, another participant Biking is an activity that draws in participants from all over. Tim Pemberton of Trussville’s Cahaba Cycles says he sees a “steady increase” of riders from around his area.

“I think it usually starts off like, ‘I want to

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

St. Clair Outdoors do something to get in shape,’” he said. “You go from riding around the neighborhood to seeing how far you can go.

“There are lot of people who ride up to Springville by the prison (St. Clair Correctional Facility in historic St. Clair Springs) and come back on 411, make a big loop there.

There’s also, up in Springville to the left, you can climb Pine Mountain up there. Lots of people are riding in Springville and make that kind of loop and come back (to Trussville).” The view from Pine Mountain’s ridge is incredible.

Pemberton sees riders of all ages, particularly since HewittTrussville High School added a mountain biking team. “It’s all over the place,” he said. “They go from that (high school) age to as old as you want to be.”

For his part, Hollis says he and others ride from one end of the county to the other – “all the way to Ohatchee, to sometimes the tip of Talladega,” he said. “We’ll ride down to Vandiver or Sterrett or to locations near Leeds,” also a popular destination point for scenic routes on Highways 55 and 43 (Wolf Creek Rd). “Sundays, we’re out sometimes four to five hours at a time when everyone can get together.

Hollis enjoys the Northwest section of the county just as much – “probably more toward Springville and Odenville, there are amazing rides out there,” he said, adding that the Pell City Cycling Club would like to start adding some routes to the area. We will post routes on our site and we encourage anyone wanting to start cycling or veteran cyclists to look us up and join in.

“We like getting out, just being outdoors. A little bit of exercise while enjoying the

42

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

Yost enjoys ride

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Galloway on the road again beautiful rolling hills in the area.” Sometimes while riding I cant wait for it to end only to find myself thinking about when the next ride begins.

You cant help but enjoy the fresh air and the winding backroads.

Hollis makes his way

Safety, equipment critical to sport

It’s more than just the ability to pedal.

Pemberton said he frequently field questions from first-time riders to veterans alike. He and others at Cahaba Cycles can offer tips on safety, as well as equipment.

“There’s a different bike for riding around the neighborhood, or if you’re going to be in a big group riding on the road,” he said. “I try to tell everybody to at least have some lights to keep on even during the daytime, and some high viz clothing or helmet or something, so at least you’ll be seen.”

And as cycling numbers have grown, so has the need for more awareness about vehicles and bicycles on the road together. Hollis noted that a member, Charlie Browning, worked tirelessly and helped encourage the county to erect “Share the Road” signs to help support riders.

As the county continues to grow, “Hopefully they (county government) will get more behind it and make it a bit more rider friendly in the next few years,” Hollis said. It is a beautiful destination for people to come and enjoy cycling or running.

For now, though, no one’s complaining. They just board their bikes, take in the scenery and enjoy the ride.

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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St. Clair Outdoors

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Story by Loyd McIntosh Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr. What can the outdoors teach us about God? That may seem like a strange question to some, but to the men behind Majestic Outdoors hunting club, the answer is plenty.

For almost a decade, Steve Sparks, founder of Majestic Outdoors, has shared his love of hunting and land stewardship with hundreds of young people while using the outdoors as a catalyst to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A truck driver by trade, Sparks is also an avid hunter and outdoorsman, who began putting the wheels in motion for Majestic Outdoors in 2009. After spending 15 years as the president of Backbone Mountain Hunting Club, Sparks recommitted his life to Christ and was led to create Majestic Outdoors in order to reach at-risk youth.

Sparks thought there was a need for an outdoor-based ministry with rates of fatherlessness and the breakdown of the nuclear family on the rise, and the numbers of people hunting regularly on the decline. Believing that hunting and the outdoor lifestyle builds character and responsibility, the ministry worked with just a handful of kids in 2009.

“What it’s really all about is mentoring young people, but it also gives us the opportunity to share the gospel with them outside the walls of the church,” says Sparks. “We have a lot of kids that come through that don’t go to church, so they don’t get to hear anything about the Lord.

“It’s really worked well for our program because we’re able to accomplish two things,” Sparks adds. “One is, of course, sharing the gospel. Two is getting kids back into the outdoors away from all these electronics.”

Majestic Outdoors achieved its 501C-3 nonprofit status in 2010, working with

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St. Clair Outdoors

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between 300-400 kids each year. The club is situated on just under 13,000 acres in rural St. Clair County between Pell City and Ashville, the vast majority of it donated to Majestic Outdoors by Barnett Lawley, a Pell City resident and former director of Conservation and Natural Resources for the state of Alabama under former Gov. Bob Riley.

Lawley acquired the land originally accumulated by his grandfather and uncle over several decades that the family managed as a wildlife area. Lawley eventually gave the property – approximately 6,000 acres – to the state for 20 years as a wildlife management area, however, he canceled the agreement after leaving his position with the state in 2009. “They weren’t able to do it like we wanted it done,” says Lawley.

In the meantime, Lawley had already been working with Sparks on about 6,000 adjacent acres, helping him get Majestic up and running. Impressed with what Sparks was doing on the land, Lawley called Sparks shortly after leaving Montgomery and canceling the management agreement with the state. “I was able to see his dedication and what he was trying to put together and the success he was having,” says Lawley.

“He about had a heart attack because it was a lot more land. So we were able to slowly get started and get it up and running.

“I really wanted him on this land,” Lawley adds, “because I knew he would take care of the land, and he would serve a mission that is really important to me.”

While Majestic Outdoors is a non-profit ministry, it’s also a members-only hunting club. With only 120 member-slots open at any time, each prospective member goes through a thorough background check, as well as a series of interviews to determine if he/she is a good fit for the club. Sparks insists on Majestic Outdoors’ being a club free of vulgarity and alcohol, but also be able to offer the life-changing youth events free of charge.

Sparks says they look for men and women with a heart for kids who are willing to volunteer their time to serve as role models for the kids and help further the club’s mission, giving them the chance to minister to young people while doing what they love.

“We challenge the kids every time we take them out to look for God. Look at what He created for them to enjoy and to be in dominion over,” Sparks says. “It’s about having an experience and just being outside, an experience a lot of kids are missing out on in this day and time.”

If there is a theme to how Majestic Outdoors does business, it’s responsibility – responsibility toward nature; responsibility toward each other; and responsibility with God’s blessings. Responsibility is also key

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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What’s in season in St. Clair and when Remaining deer hunting season in St. Clair (St. Clair is in Zone A) Bow and Arrow and Spear-Stalk Hunting Either sex: Oct. 14, 2017 – Feb. 10, 2018 Gun deer-stalk hunting: On privately owned or leased land only Either sex: Nov. 18, 2017 – Feb. 10, 2018 Gun deer-stalk hunting: On open permit-public land Antlered Bucks Only: Nov. 18, 2017 – Feb. 10, 2018 Turkey Season (St. Clair is in Zone 1) March 15-April 30

Seasons and Bag Limits: Hunting and Trapping

when it comes to teaching hunting and firearm safety to young people. “We don’t stick them in the woods by themselves,” Sparks explains.

Sparks and volunteers at Majestic Outdoors teach a rigorous firearms training program with each child, taking them to the firing range regularly and training them on every aspect of firearms, while also teaching them principles of responsible resource management.

No child is allowed to use a shotgun until he/she can demonstrate proper technique and is able and willing to follow all safety requirements, while also displaying a certain level of emotional maturity. “As we mentor them we provide them with guidance, step by step, until we feel they’ve graduated to a level we can trust them with a gun,” Sparks says.

For Lawley, Majestic Outdoors has proven to be a great investment for his family’s land in terms of resource management as well as developing the human potential of the area’s youth. “One of the things they really go to extremes on is teaching respect for the resource, not just ‘if it’s brown it’s down’ like the vast majority of hunting clubs do,” adds Lawley.

“They learn how to age the deer, they learn when the deer has reached maturity that it’s time to harvest that deer. By doing that you see a lot more things in nature because you’re not just shooting the first thing that comes around.”

Majestic Outdoors offers several youth and teen hunting events for deer and turkey throughout the year, as well as one field day, bass fishing tournament and men’s retreat each year.

To learn more, visit Majestic Outdoors online at majoutdoors.com.

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BOBWHITE QUAIL November 4 – February 28 8 a day — 8 in possession RABBIT September 16 – March 4 • 8 a day — 8 in possession • No running of dogs during daytime or after 3 a.m. during and in areas of spring turkey season.

SQUIRREL September 16 – March 4 • 8 a day – 8 in possession RACCOON No Closed Season • May be hunted daytime or nighttime hours • Private Owned and Leased Lands: No Bag Limit • Open Permit-Public Land: 5 Per Party • No running of dogs during daytime or after 3 a.m. during and in areas of spring turkey season. • Check with USFS for further restrictions.

OPOSSUM No Closed Season • May be hunted daytime or nighttime hours • No Bag Limit • No running of dogs during daytime or after 3 a.m. during and in areas of spring turkey season. • Check with USFS for further restrictions.

BOBCAT & OTTER TAGGING REQUIREMENT 220-2-.30 All bobcat and otter, regardless of method of harvest, are required to be tagged by a representative of the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division within 14 days of harvest or may be left with a taxidermist with a completed tagging form, and the taxidermist is required to have the bobcat or otter tagged within 14 days of receipt.

BOBCAT(1,3), COYOTE(2), FERAL SWINE(2) AND FOX(3): (Daytime Hours Only) No Bag Limit • No Closed Season • See page 47 for legal hunting hours. Dogs cannot be used to hunt during and in areas of spring turkey season.

1. Bobcat - See tagging requirement (above).

2. Coyote and Feral Swine – trapping by landowner or his agent. Feral Swine – upon capture, it shall be unlawful to release any live feral swine. See regulation 220-2-.86 3. Bobcat and Fox – Trapping is limited to legal fur-bearer season.

4. Check with USFS for further restrictions.

– From Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Getting Outfitted St. Clair Outdoors

The iBobber

Must-have items for outdoor enthusiasts Story by Jackie Romine Walburn Solar-powered devices, high tech fishing equipment and the latest in Bluetooth-enabled smart gadgets are among newest must-have products for folks who love the outdoors.

The latest in solar-powered gizmos help light the way, charge your smart phone, heat water and provide music and weather information.

In addition to solar flashlights and lanterns, sun-powered products now include multitasking solar appliances that combine a Bluetooth speaker, weather radio, flashlight, alarm and clock with charging ports for cell phones or tablets. Ivation, Eton, Kaito and Running Snail are brands that offer solar powered devices ranging from $20 and up.

Solar survival backpacks from Ivation and Eceen come with built-in solar panels, hydration bladder and dual

52

charging ports. Rugged solar Bluetooth speakers that are waterproof and also charge cell phones start at about $30 and range to $100 for a Bose solar speaker and $200 for a solar-powered patio speaker. Plus, portable solar panels that can charge many items range in price from $150 up.

High-tech fishing tools

Looking a bit like a robot minnow and retailing for about $34, The BioPulse Lure System was developed by fishery experts who studied the sensory systems of fish.

The lure mimics sensory aspects of fish, including vision, hearing, taste, smell and mechanoreception. The Mystic Tackleworks Biopulse lure emits vibrations, and an internal scent dispenser releases feeding stimulants in measured dose.

Being called the FitBit of the fishing world, the Anglr Tracker attaches to a fishing rod and comes with a smart

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

phone application that tracks the exact spot where a fish was caught, how long you fought a fish, records the weather and water conditions, how many casts were thrown and monitors reeling behavior. It’s waterproof and floats and retails for about $130.

The iBobber Wireless Bluetooth Smart Fish Finder, shaped like a bobber, uses patented sonar technology and a LED beacon to locate fish up to 135 feet deep. Retailing for about $90, the iBobber comes with a free app for smartphones.

Other new, less expensive fishing want-to-have items may include a digital hook scale with measuring tape that retails for about $15 and a pack of Fish-D-Funk odor removal wipes for the scent sensitive angler, retailing for $7.

The Stargaze Recliner

Sun and bug alert

Gone are the days when a can of bug repellent and a bottle of sunscreen were the only options for protecting folks and families who love the outdoors. In addition to clothing with built-in UVA and insect protection, new products include electronic bug shields. Thermacell’s Radius Zone Mosquito repellent is a portable electronic bug shield that protects a 110-square foot area for 40 hours, using rechargeable lithiumion batteries. Available in early 2018, the product retails for about $50.

To protect individual heads, the Tilley Air Flo Hat, retailing for $85, floats, is waterproof and offers sun protection and a lifetime guarantee not to wear out. The company even promises to replace a lost Tilley Airflo Hat for two years. With sun protection, built-in insect protection and odor control, shield headwear from Buff retails at $29 and claims to even repeal ticks and “no see-ems.”

Coolest coolers

The high-end Yeti “made for the wild” brand coolers and insulated items continue to tempt outdoors enthusiasts.

Favorites include the Yeti Hopper Flip cooler, a soft sided cooler that holds 12 cans and retails for about $250.

Ideal for many outdoor uses is Yeti’s new take on the fish bucket, a 5-gallon Yeti Loadout Bucket with tie downs to secure it to a boat, ATV or truck. Food safe, stackable and measuring about 19 by 10 inches with lip grip handles, the bucket retails for $40 and was recommended at gearjunkie. com.

Another high-end cool cooler, recommended by the Digital Trends website, is the Otter Box Venture Cooler. Made by the company known for its tough cell phone cases, the Otter cooler keeps ice for up to 14 days and comes with a bottle opener and dry storage tray. A 25-quart cooler retails at about $250, and the 45-quart for about $350.

Offering competition in the insulated drinkware market is Miir, makers of patented Thermo 3D double walled vacuum insulated stainless steel bottles. Miir bottles are touted as keeping liquids cold for 24 hours and hot for 12. Also recommended by digitaltrends.com, Miir drinkware products usually have carrying handles and retail for $30 and up.

High-tech resting places

Lightweight tents, hammocks and portable chairs recommended by outdoor gear experts include the Nemo Cloudview Hammock. Outfitted with a cup holder and a smartphone or tablet pocket, the $170 hammock has a beach chair-like posture, spreader bars and Nemo’s patented Layflat pattern so you don’t sink out of sight.

The experts at Gear Junkie also recommend the Stargaze Recliner by Nemo. Called the first ever swinging and reclining camp chair, the big, heavy chair retails for $180, holds up to 300 pounds, swings and reclines.

Carry safely and dry

The latest in outdoor packs and bags include the solar paneled backpack and bags designed to help keep items dry, safe and secure.

The X-Pak Pro shoulder pack is a new back pack that keeps gear and smart devices separate and stable. Another recommendation from Gear Junkie, the single strap pack has two main compartments, one for smartphones and laptops and the other for clothes, books and more. The bag, expected to retail for about $200, has two separate zipper entries, a roll-top entry, expandable storage and waterproof construction. X-Pak also makes a Kayak Fish’n Tote bag with lots of compartments that retails for about $70.

The Carryall MTB Pack is a $110 Henty Enduro backpack designed for bikers with space for a 3-liter water bladder, zippered lumbar and hip pockets and a mesh pocket for maps.

Padding near the kidneys and over the lumbar and hip offers support and some protection from strain.

Keeping items dry – especially cell phones – while on and around water is less of a challenge with dry sacks and waterproof pouches. The newest include SealLine dry sacks, waterproof and compressible rectangles in sizes ranging from 2.5 liters to 20 liters, starting at about $40 and up.

Smart scopes, binoculars and game cameras

Night vision and thermal imagining technology are making new gun scopes and binoculars more efficient and productive.

Today’s smart scopes may include Bluetooth technology to help control, record and share images.

Smart game cameras are offering the same technology, allowing hunters to see what wildlife shows up, where and when and to easily monitor and share images quickly and safely. Prices for smart scopes, binoculars and game cameras range from about $50 to thousands of dollars.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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St. Clair Outdoors

Getting Outfitted

Area retailers focus on local needs Story by Jackie Romine Walburn Must-have items for customers of sporting goods and outdoor stores in St. Clair County include any and everything for fishing and hunting. Depending on the time of year, folks who love the outdoors, the Coosa River and their leisure time want reliable equipment, protective clothing and tried-and-true accoutrements of outdoor enjoyment.

While local stores sell a few of the nationallyin-demand high-tech items, most local outdoor store owners say their customers are more back-to-basics than high tech when it comes to outfitting themselves for outdoor fun.

At Old South Firearms in the Argo-Trussville area, co-owner Lee Weyhrich says warm coats and hats – some of them vintage – are among the most popular items along with old military firearms and new BB guns that work as automatic rifles.

“We have some nice leather coats now, and vintage hats that are wool, warm and protect from the rain and sun,” says Weyhrich. Old South is known for its vintage guns, reenactment clothes and the best-selling BB guns. “Ours is an oddball place. Our version of outdoors is a little different. We are old fashioned.”

But outdoors folks, local and regional, come to Old South for its unique offerings and can shop for many items online. It is a leading national distributor of black powder muzzle loaders, historic black powder revolvers, cowboy center fires, leather and shooting supplies.

“Good rifles and muskets never go out of style,” Weyhrich notes. “For us, the old military guns are most popular including 30-30 lever-action rifles and double barrel and pump shotguns.” BB guns are another specialty for Old South Firearms, which is located on Argo Margaret Road. “BB guns are our best sellers altogether, including fully automatic BB guns that shoot like a machine gun and other specialty BB guns.”

Also known as a reliable outlet for reenactor gear and clothes, Old South doesn’t carry the high tech solar or smart gear. “It depends on your definition of outdoors,” Weyhrich says. If you are reenacting outdoors, wearing low-tech coats and hats or shooting vintage guns, Old South is the must-have outdoor store for you.

At Lucky’s Sporting Goods in on US 231 in

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Old South Firearms

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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Shad Rap lures at Lucky’s Cropwell, just south of Pell City, owner Aaron Roberts says fishing and hunting gear and accessories are the must-haves for Lucky’s customers.

“Being on the Coosa River with a lot of lakes to choose from,” fishing is tops for many all year around, while others live for hunting seasons, Roberts said.

Bestselling for angers are Lews reels and rods, plus Hammer fishing rods. “The most popular lures as of this moment in cold weather are red and orange colors, jerk baits, crank baits and Shad Raps, a crank bait with a different wobble that’s a good cold-water bait,” says Roberts. Another popular bait is an umbrella rig that has five hooks and looks and acts like a school of minnows.

Live bait, led by minnows, worms and crickets, are essential to many anglers, too, depending on the season. “Crappie fishing is going to be big in the next few weeks and months,” Roberts says, and that means minnows and crappie jigs.

Another bestseller at Lucky’s are action cameras that are mountable, take video and photos and come in a waterproof case. “It’s a small rectangle box that has a waterproof case that can be mounted on a boat windshield or elsewhere to film yourself fishing. They can even go underwater.” Roberts says the action cameras Lucky’s sells are generic versions of the Go Pro brand that started the action camera craze.

For hunters, Lucky’s sells guns, ammo, tree stands and hunting accessories. “The Remington 783 in all calibers are bestsellers. So are Savage Arms Axis II rifles,” Roberts says.

Hunting and fishing clothes – wind shirts and jackets, rain suits and hats of all kinds for fishing and camouflage clothes, gloves, hats and safety orange items for hunting – are also essentials that sell well at Lucky’s; so do Buck knives and pocket knives.

No matter what “outdoors” mean to customers, local shop owners say they aim to have the practical essentials ready – no matter the time of year. Just like St. Clair outdoor enthusiasts’ must-have lists grow, store stocks change with the seasons.

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St. Clair Outdoors

From tournaments to tourism

St. Clair’s lakes are treasures Story by Jackie Romine Walburn

Alabama Bass Trail 2014 launch on Logan Martin

Plentiful fish plus fine facilities and angler-loving hospitality help make Logan Martin and Neely Henry Lakes fishing treasures for the Alabama Bass Trail fishing tournament series.

Hosting a dozen major tournaments annually, the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series casts a strong monetary net, creating $3.1 million in annual economic impact for Alabama and host communities and offering $500,000 in cash and prizes to top anglers at tournaments statewide.

When the ABT championship tournament was held for the first time on Logan Martin Lake in October 2017, the two-day event pumped an estimated $600,000 into the St. Clair and Pell City economy through revenue generated by some 360 anglers and family members dining, shopping and staying in local motels and hotels. ABT officials track economic impact directly, through surveys completed by participating anglers.

Bass trail officials see Logan Martin and Neely Henry lakes as meeting all the criteria for great bass tournament fishing, and have chosen Neely Henry Lake as the championship tournament site in October 2018.

Fish first

Fish population is key for drawing fishing tournaments, says Alabama Bass Trail executive director Kay Donaldson.

“Anglers want to be able to catch fish, period,” she says.

Logan Martin and Neely Henry Lakes on the Coosa River offer anglers good fishing opportunities throughout the year.

“From shallow creeks during the early Spring months to the ledges for summertime fishing, Logan Martin and Neely Henry provide anglers with options and allow them to use varied techniques from fishing grassy areas to fishing the current near the dam.”

The Coosa River’s lakes in St. Clair and Etowah counties have strong populations of largemouth bass and the funto-catch Alabama Striper and Coosa Spotted Bass. “Also, each lake has good numbers of bass between 13 to 15 inches in length, which is a great spawning-age fish so the bass population is experiencing natural repopulation each year,” Donaldson says.

“Alabama, especially north Alabama, has become a hot bed for national anglers, the guys who fish national tournaments,” says Alabama Bass Trails board chairman Hugh Stump III, who is executive director for the Greater Gadsden Tourism group that co-sponsors Alabama Bass Trail tournaments including the two-day 2018 championship series set for Neely Henry Lake. ABT tournaments and their hefty payouts – a $10,000 first place prize plus $37,000 divided among the top 40 angers – attract nationally-placed anglers who come to fish the lakes before, during and after tournaments, says Stump.

“They love to fish for spotted and striped bass, which give a lot of fight and are fun to catch, and our lakes have lots, as many or more than anywhere else in the state.” The Coosa

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Fishing rich Neely Henry to host championship River, including Logan Martin and Neely Henry lakes, is home to the renowned Coosa Spotted Bass, a breed of spotted bass known for its fight. Plus, the Coosa lakes have naturallyreproducing striped bass, likely descended from Atlantic-strain striped bass originally introduced into the Coosa system in the late 1960s through the 1980s by the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division.

Tournament trifecta

When looking for a good tournament lake, ABT considers the size of the lake, public access to the water, truck and boat parking, plus good infrastructure with adequate boat ramps, plenty of surface acres and great hotel and dining options for anglers and families. “Both Logan Martin and Neely Henry fit our model well,” says Donaldson.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

Facilities are key

Adequate facilities are essential for hosting a large tournament like the Alabama Bass Trail series. “We can’t simply take a 225-boat tournament to a city that only has boat parking for 100 boats or less,” Donaldson explains. She points to enhancements at Coosa Landing in Gadsden, at Canoe Creek at Rainbow City and at Lakeside Park on Logan Martin that have helped the lakes compete for big tournaments.

One of the newest St. Clair facilities, Big Canoe Creek Park, opened in 2017. A new boat landing in St. Clair County on Neely Henry Lake features a 60-foot-wide launching slab, paved parking for 80 truck and trailer rigs, two fixed aluminum access piers and two 100-foot floating aluminum access piers. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF) facility on the west side of Canoe Creek also has security lighting and is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Partnerships must-haves

Alabama Bass Trail must have a local partner in order to bring an event to an area, says Donaldson, who has worked with ABT for five years and with ABT founding organization Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association for more than six years before that.

“In some cases, we will work with three to four agencies in an area,” Donaldson says, including chambers of commerce and recreation departments. Partners for ABT events on Logan Martin and Neely Henry include the Pell City Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Gadsden Tourism group. Partners help secure facilities for meetings and tournaments, and recreation departments help by providing bleachers for fans, additional garbage receptacles and allow early morning access to parks to accommodate fishing tournaments that start at first light.

For Stump, who heads the Greater Gadsden Tourism and is a part of ABT as president of the board, partnerships with Alabama Bass Trail offer many benefits to city and county organizations. Publicity through association with the tournaments – via advertising and media coverage sometimes including televised coverage – is important, he says. Plus, sponsorships offer direct involvement with the anglers and their families through booths at the events and a chance to talk to anglers at initial meetings.

“Being involved with these tournaments are a great way to promote our lakes and the communities around them,” Stump says, noting the ABT tournaments create far-reaching economic boosts to hosting towns and surrounding communities.

Other sponsoring groups agree, including the Pell City Chamber of Commerce that hosted the 2017 ABT Tournament Series Championship on Logan Martin Lake in October 2017.

Pell City Chamber President Larry Daugherty has said the economic and long-term tourism impact of hosting these big tournament is significant, adding, “The exposure this trail brings to our lakes and community is immeasurable.”

Alabama Bass Trail – headquartered at Decatur and a partnership begun by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the governor’s office and Alabama Mountain Lake Association – holds five tournaments in the north division and five in the south division each year. The top 75 teams in points in each division and the winners of the regular season events qualify automatically for the ABT Team Championship.

Plus, the top 15 high school student teams, top five college team and top five couples team overall will automatically advance to the championship. Teams must enter all five qualifying events in their respective divisions to qualify for the championship tournament that has a grand prize of a fully loaded 2018 Phoenix 819 Pro Bass Boat with a Mercury 200 motor.

Promoting Alabama as a year-round fishing destination is the mission of the Alabama Bass Trail, specifically working with 13 bass fishing lakes that include Lake Guntersville, Wheeler Lake, Pickwick Lake, Lewis Smith Lake, Neely Henry Lake, Weiss Lake, Lake Martin, Lay Lake, Logan Martin Lake, Lake Jordan, Alabama River, Lake Eufaula and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta.

“The ABT has proven its economic impact on communities where the tournaments are held. Cities and fisheries continue to show their desire to be added to the tournament trail,” Stump says, noting the increased statewide impact of ABT tournaments to more than $3.1 million in 2017, up from $2.8 million in 2016.

“ABT is adding the Alabama Bass Trail Open tournament to the schedule, and we expect to fill the field of 250 boats shortly after registration opens,” Stump says. “That is a testament to the hard work of the ABT professional staff and the economic impact of tournament fishing in Alabama.”

Save the Dates 2018 Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Lakes and tournaments North Division: • Pickwick Lake, Feb. 17 • Lake Guntersville, March 10 • Wheeler Lake, April 21 • Weiss Lake, May 12 • Logan Martin Lake, June 9 South Division: • Lay Lake, Feb. 24 • Lake Martin, March 24 • Lake Eufaula, April 7 • Lake Jordan, May 5 • Alabama River at Cooter’s Pond, June 23 2018 Alabama Bass Trail Open Tournament Sept. 8 at Lewis Smith Lake in Jasper in Walker County.

The new ABT Open tourney is open to 250 amateur teams and 25 professional teams. The amateur teams will compete for more than $70,000 in cash and prizes, and the 25 professional teams will compete for a highest finisher winnertake-all $7,500 cash prize. Registration for this new open tournament begins Jan. 22 and continues until filled or August 27, 2018.

2018 Championship Tournament: Neely Henry Lake, Oct. 26-27.

For more about the Alabama Bass Trail, including details, rules and past winners, see www. alabamabasstrail.org.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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OHV off roading at TOP Trails park

St. Clair Outdoors

Over river, through woods lies more paradise for outdoor sports Story by Will Heath and Carol Pappas Submitted Photos Pell City’s Ed Tyler has a guarantee to make, when discussing the Talladega Marksmanship Park “You will put a bullet inside a 6-inch circle at 600 yards,” Tyler says. “If you come visit, and if you do what I tell you, you will.”

Tyler is an enthusiast when it comes to the range, a 500-acre outdoor marksmanship facility located on Turner Mill Road, just south of Lincoln and near Talladega Superspeedway.

“What they have done is basically built a facility that is, when compared to other facilities around the world, a trendsetter,” he said. “It is an absolute first-class facility.”

Tyler’s enthusiasm isn’t uncommon to such parks in the area.

Search for outdoor activities in the area, and you’ll find some of the finest facilities not only within St. Clair County but just a few miles beyond its borders. And there is no shortage of people who can’t wait to talk about them.

Civilian Marksmanship Program right on target Talladega Marksmanship Park

Take the drive to Talladega Marksmanship Park, and when the clubhouse and ranges come into view, you can’t help but know you have just come face to face with ‘the wow factor.’

Developed on a 500-acre site, this public park showcases a 13,000-square foot club house with check- in and reception area, classrooms, lounges and Creedmoor Sports™ with a complete line of firearms and ammunition.

But the wow factors certainly don’t stop there. The centerpiece is a high-power rifle range with 54 covered firing points and all-weather Kongsberg Target Systems, which are electronically scored at 200, 300 and 600 yards. In addition, the park features a 100-yard rifle range and pistol ranges of 25 and 50 yards, equipped with identical technology.

By the numbers, it also has 15 action pistol bays to accommodate a variety of competitions, a 15-station sporting clays field, trap field and a 5-stand field.

The cutting-edge technology and what it is able to offer shooting enthusiasts draws visitors from across the nation, throughout the world and just around the corner. In 2017 alone, CMP hosted more than 17,900 visitors and competitors.

Its mission, with roots back to 1903 when the program began in Ohio, is firearm education, training and marksmanship, specifically to educate youths, and its economic impact in the region is significant. And rightly so. It is the premiere range in the United States, world class in every way.

Range 1 is the premiere long range and is dedicated to John C. Garand, creator of the M-1 Rifle. CMP sells the M1 Garand and other surplus to fund the youth shooting sport. Range

officers are experts in the field and often help guests hone their competitive skills.

It is no wonder that it has become a huge draw, said Pell City’s Ed Tyler, a regular at the park. “I’ve shot in matches that were club matches or state level, and we’ve had people from North Carolina, middle Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee.

“If you go over there on a weekend, when they’re most active, you will almost always find a number of vehicles there from out of state. That’s especially true when they have a major match like the Garand Collector’s group … which brings people in from multiple counties and almost every state in the nation. It is a not ‘a local facility.’ It’s a true international and national facility,” Tyler said.

The park hosts a series of week-long events on rifle, pistol and shotgun ranges. The Glock Sports Shooting Foundation (GSSF) -Gunny Challenge, drew between 800 and 1,000 visitors and competitors. Other events are the Talladega 600, hosting competitors from around the country and the world and Babes with Bullets, a national organization. The D-Day match is an annual national competition held June 8-10 that draws 200-250 competitors.

The upcoming Steel Challenge World Competition is expected to be a boon to regional tourism, luring visitors and

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St. Clair Outdoors

CMP Clubhouse and range

competitors who will not only have an economic impact on the park but hotels, restaurants and service businesses throughout Talladega, Calhoun and St. Clair counties.

Other 2018 activities include the inaugural CMP-Youth Sporting Clay Tournament involving about 250 youths, and CMP Summer Classic, hosting 200 to 250 competitors from around the country.

Multiple corporate events have been held there, such as the Hunting Works organization, which supplies data for the Alabama Department of Tourism on the economic impact of hunting in the state.

Its local impact is felt as well. CMP partners with local law enforcement to put on “emergency scenario” workshops. And it provides competitive scholarships at area high schools for furthering education in marksmanship.

This is a public facility with per use fees only for individuals 10 years old and up. No membership is required, and all of this is right here in the area.

Simply put, according to Tyler and a wealth of rave reviews, “It’s quite the facility.”

For more information on CMP call 256-474-4408 or visit thecmp.org/competitions/talladega-marksmanship-park.

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TOP Trails draws off road enthusiasts

Jon Cullimore can’t disguise his enthusiasm for TOP Trails, Talladega’s off-road park located off the bypass. “I am always happy to talk about TOP Trails,” he said.

For years, Cullimore, who works for Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative, has been affiliated with the park both as rider and board member. Containing more than 2,800 acres in north Talladega County, the park includes over 100 miles of trails for “all kinds of riding styles,” according to its website, as well as a full-service campground that includes water, sewer and power hookups (up to 50-amp), an Environmental Center and a shower house.

According to Cullimore, it’s a facility that is unrivaled in the Southeast.

“We’re very fortunate that we’re able to offer what we offer,” he said. First, there is “the variety of terrain in the size park that we have. There are larger parks with the same variety of terrain, but they’re a good distance from here.”

At larger parks, you can’t quickly get back to your vehicle because they are not a quick ride. In some cases, it’s a half a day or a whole day. At TOP Trails, “we have a variety of terrain, and people don’t have to pack everything if they

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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Yo u r B u s i n e s s I s O u r P r i o r i t y

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St. Clair Outdoors want. They can easily go back and head back out. As you do this and do it with the family, that becomes important.”

And as Cullimore is more than happy to point out, such a facility draws riders from around the country.

“If they’re within 200 miles, it’s become their favorite place to come,” he said. “Off roaders will drive if there’s a nice place to ride. If the trails are good and the community’s good, they’ll come and ride.

“The crowd is as diverse as your imagination. We get people from all walks of life. Our regular visitors come from all across the Southeast. About half of our regular visitors are from west Georgia and the Atlanta area. They don’t have the type of riding that TOP Trails offers (where they live).”

Cullimore knows this because, like many of the people who now call themselves “regulars,” he has been riding at the park since before it was even legal.

“My wife and I and the kids and friends and other family members, we’d go out there before it was organized,” he said.

“There were already nice trails out there.”

Today the website touts its riding availability as from beginner all the way up to expert, as well as a Kiddie Track for the kids that is “both safe and fun.” A technical 12-mile Single Track Trail Loop is available for single track enthusiasts, and archery ranges are open as well.

To make reservations call 256-649-0245 or visit toptrails.net.

Hunting preserve earns national reputation

Ask Carolyn Hill about the guests who come to Selwood Farm in Alpine, and prepare for a long series of stories.

“We’ve even had two groups of bridesmaids,” she said. “That’s what they wanted to do for their bridesmaid experience, was to learn about (clay shooting) from (our shooting instructor).”

According to Hill, Selwood, located in southern Talladega County, was the state’s first licensed hunting preserve, established in 1984. The name means “the king’s hunting forest,” according to its website, and the site has been selected

by Alabama Tourism as a sport to do in Alabama Sports, was District winner for the Alabama Farm of Distinction 2006, and was named 2012 Small Business of the Year by National Federation of Independent Businesses.

Hill estimates around 10,000 visitors per year.

“Not so many close by people,” she said. “We haven’t kept up whether it’s every state, but it’s … California, Texas, some from other countries that have never been able to shoot a gun, because of the strict gun laws. Some have said, ‘This is the most fun of anything I’ve ever done.’

“We had some people who were here from Chicago, a man and his sons, and they came just to hunt at Selwood. He had been here for a corporate shoot with a group. He liked it so much that he brought his two sons. They flew into Birmingham and spent the night. We asked them, ‘You came just to come to Selwood?’ And they said ‘yes, we came just to come to Selwood.’”

Selwood is known for its southern hospitality. The accommodations and experience have created repeat customers, she said.

“We’re not a restaurant or a bed and breakfast, but we do

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offer lodging for people who want to hunt and spend the night,” she said. “The reason people keep coming back is because we try to treat every person that comes through the door with a friendly greeting. They’re welcome. We want them to come back.”

And, as someone with over 30 years’ experience operating the facility, Hill notes that the enthusiast base is growing across the spectrum.

“We have a lot of ladies now,” she said. “They see they can compete with men in shooting. We had three ladies that received shotguns from their husbands.

“I have a group of ladies that call ourselves the Selwood Annies – we try to shoot together once per month. There’s about 20 ladies, and we have about 8 to 12 that come. They’re young mothers, young professional women.

“I’m 70, and my husband and I shoot together nearly every week. As long as I can lift my shotgun, I can shoot.”

The facility is open to the public, but memberships are available. For more information call 256-362-3961 or visit selwoodfarm.com.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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St. Clair Alabama

Business Review Lovejoy on the job with St. Clair EDC Chairman’s Award

Louis

A new era begins at Northside

64 DISCOVER Essence St. Clair •••August & September 2013 of St. ClairThe •The Business Review DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair October && November 2017 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair February &July March 2016 64 2016 DISCOVER The Essence ofof St. Clair & September 2017 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair June & July 2017 64 DISCOVER DISCOVER Essence The Essence of St. Clair of St. ••Clair Clair December June 2016 & 2015 2017 DISCOVER The Essence ofof St. Clair December 2017 & January January 2018 DISCOVER The Essence of St. •••April May 64• DISCOVER The Essence DISCOVER The Essence St. Clair ••August February & March 2018

Story by Paul South Photos by Graham Hadley

Economic Evangelists Lyman Lovejoy and Bill Ellison tirelessly work to boost St. Clair County Look around one of the top five fastest growing counties in the state, and it is hard to miss the work of two individuals who put county first and profits second. Make no mistake, both are successes in their careers, but they are strong forces for progress, envisioning what can be and becoming the catalysts to make it happen.

Lyman Lovejoy, president and CEO of Lovejoy Realty, and Bill Ellison, president and CEO of I-20 Development Inc., not only share a friendship, they share common traits – perseverance, vision, heart, emphasis on teamwork, integrity, legacy and love of community. That’s what matters most to them, and St. Clair County has become the beneficiary.

A CHEERLEADER FOR THE COUNTY

For 47 years, Lyman Lovejoy has worked in real estate and development in the county as president and CEO of Lovejoy Realty. His company has built residential subdivisions and farms and helped young couples buy their first home. But he has done more, much more.

He makes it his business to get involved with every city government in the county as well as the County Commission, St. Clair Economic Development Council and other entities that share a common goal of moving forward. He knows every mayor and council member in the county by first name, and when he sees a need, he works to fill it.

He is an essential part of the growth of Margaret, which grew by 278 percent between the 2000 and 2010 censuses. The next five years tacked on another 8 percentage points of growth.

When the town needed a drug store, a dentist and a doctor, Lovejoy successfully recruited them to town. He’s done the same in other St. Clair communities.

Don Smith, executive director of the St. Clair EDC, remembers his surprising first encounter with Lovejoy, when Smith was interviewing for the assistant executive director’s role. He expected someone with a large portfolio of successes to be far different from the down-to-earth man he met.

“I expected him to be cutthroat and ruthless,” Smith said. “At the time, I thought it was hard to be that successful without kind of selling your

Publix is one of many developments Ellison helped bring to Pell City

DISCOVER The Essence St. Clair •••August & September 2013 Business Review •July DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 65 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair October && November 2017 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair February &July March 2016 2016 65 DISCOVER The Essence ofof St. Clair & September 2017 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair June & 2017 DISCOVER DISCOVER The Essence The Essence of St. Clair of St. ••Clair Clair December June 2016 & 2015 2017 65 DISCOVER The Essence ofof St. Clair December 2017 & January January 2018 DISCOVER The Essence of St. •••April May DISCOVER The Essence St. Clair ••August February & March 2018 65

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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Business Review

Lovejoy instrumental in recruiting Margaret Medical Clinic and Margaret Pharmacy to the quickly growing city

A movie theater, bowling and entertainment complex on way due to Ellison’s efforts

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Lovejoy and Ellison

soul a little bit. What I learned quickly was this: Lyman has one of the purest hearts of anyone I’ve ever met. He can’t lie. He tells you everything he’s thinking in the first two minutes after he meets you. He is about as transparent as anybody.”

“We do more business in some parts of the county than others,” said Lovejoy Realty’s Qualifying Broker Brian Camp, who is also Lovejoy’s son-in-law. “But Lyman is still out promoting the county because he loves the people. He loves the life that it promotes. He just thinks it’s a great way of life out here and wants everybody to know about it. He’s just all for the county and its people.”

He has served as chairman of the county’s Industrial Development Board, on the Alabama Real Estate Commission, and been honored by the SCEDC with its Chairman’s Award.

Past recipients have included retired Alabama Power executive Tommy Bowers of Pell City, Circuit Judge Bill Weathington of Moody, Spencer Wideman of Ragland’s National Cement and others.

“He believes in a better tomorrow,” Smith said. “While some people see a vacant lot, he sees it’s going to be a piece of property that’s going to be home to a lovely neighborhood, or a store to serve the community or a church that’s going to be a gathering place on Sundays for the community. That’s what he sees. He loves this community.”

For his part, Lovejoy downplays his role. He says his success came with the help of others. In turn, he works to help others.

“Lyman would tell you he’s in the people business, not really the real estate business,” said Camp, who’s worked alongside Lovejoy for 20 years. “He digs down in every aspect of their lives, where they work, where they go to church, what they’re doing. It just naturally comes to him, helping people in their lives, then he works with them on their houses and land. He works to help people get jobs or move from one position to the other. He’s actually involved in more of people’s lives than just real estate.”

Camp added, “Ninety-nine percent of what Lyman does in the community is not about real estate. He helps and works to make a difference and stumbles into business while doing that.”

Smith agreed. “I’ve walked up behind him while he’s talking, and he’s not even talking about his properties, but about the county. He’s a one-man marketing machine for the county.”

For Lovejoy, it’s not about a transaction or numbers. Over the years, Lovejoy’s firm has owner-financed home mortgages for folks whose credit may not be up to par.

“It is about relationships,” Lovejoy said. “If people know you care about them, then the business will come to you.”

Lovejoy was beating the drum for St. Clair County decades before it became a hot property for commercial and residential development, when cold calls to bankers and others were met more with skepticism than optimism. Times have changed.

“It’s kind of a comical thing. When I first moved down here, people would laugh and say, ‘What are you going to have, hoot owls and chickens?’ Years later, they were calling me asking me to get them a little piece of property in St. Clair County. I guess we had the last laugh.”

Lovejoy, now 76, with the energy of someone half his age, seems always on the move, chatting up strangers in the

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

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Lovejoy and Ellison

Lovejoy works with team, broker Brian Camp and assistant Debra Pike

grocery store checkout, performing Christmas carols or favorite hymns for residents at nursing homes, or walking property, thinking of its potential. It’s all part of learning about the county and the communities he loves.

Over the years, he has helped recruit Jenkins Brick, now ACME Brick, and large corporations; located numerous industrial and new school sites; and brought in retail, in addition to dozens of subdivisions he developed, appropriately earning him the moniker, “The Land Man.”

HARD WORK, BIRD DOGS AND A LEGACY

Bill Ellison was semi-retired when he moved from Kentucky to St. Clair County in 1985 after building a string of successful fast-food franchises and economic development projects.

An avid outdoorsman who hunts, fishes and competes at a high level in bird-dog field trials, Ellison fell in

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love with the woods and waters of the county. But ever the hard-working entrepreneur who would labor seven days a week in his eateries from dawn to dark, Ellison saw a need in the Pell City and sought to fill it.

“At that time, living in Pell City, entertainment, restaurants and shopping options were minimal,” Ellison recalled. “To shop for most things, we were having to go to Talladega, Leeds, Birmingham or Oxford. There just weren’t that many choices in Pell City for shopping. You would hear it in the community.

People wanted more retail options.”

Even though he had development experience, he’d never done anything on a scale to match a retail shopping center. But Ellison went to work. He cast his eye to the north side of I-20. It became the Bankhead Crossing development, anchored by a Wal-Mart, followed by Home Depot and dozens more on both sides of the US 231 interchange.

The growth seen today didn’t happen by accident. It took him 14 years to assemble the multiple properties

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

Ellison excels at work and play

Ellison with one of his prized dogs that now comprise what is a sprawling commercial district along that corridor.

Folks learned quickly that Bill Ellison is a persistent man and he is not afraid to solicit help. He welcomes it. From partners to city and county governments to economic development officials and bankers, he skillfully put together a collaborative effort that would become the thriving commercial district you see today.

He obtained option agreements, and those, combined with the Pell City government’s realization that the future growth of the city and its tax base could be realized in that corridor, all worked together to make it happen.

Once he had assembled all the purchase agreements, he had to go to the City of Pell City for help with major hurdles like annexation and the extension of utilities under the interstate.

The city and the county officials realized that the interstate was important to their future economic growth. It was Ellison’s vision, but the city and the county, Ellison’s partners and Ed Gardner Sr., former executive director of the St. Clair EDC, all worked to make it happen.

And there were cold calls, lots and lots of cold calls, to prospective retailers. From that piece of ground with Ellison’s persuasiveness in obtaining letters of intent grew an Arby’s, a Wendy’s, a Hampton Inn, a gas station and a Western Sizzlin’.

Ellison had been recruiting the steakhouse for years, and he and his partners actually bought the franchise and opened it.

The others soon followed because of the success of Western Sizzlin’.

The story is important, because it speaks volumes about

Ellison. It’s about persistence. It’s about teamwork. “It’s about everyone working together – the city, the county, the EDC – were all focused on what had to be done in retail development.”

Look at the county’s economic growth, and you see it was a tipping point. “Because of the successes we had, the whole county realized that if every one worked together, we could achieve anything we wanted to achieve.”

“I’m a little bit fearless,” Ellison said. “Looking back on it now at 71 years old … the timing for what we did was perfect.

You can work hard. You can work real hard, but you’ve got to have the elected officials believe in you. And you’ve got to have some luck. I’ve had a lot of help and luck along the way,” He added, “We were fortunate that we had success.”

And there would be more successes to follow, translating to a broader tax base, boosting schools, helping bring new and improved parks and recreation facilities, the Center for Education and the Performing Arts (CEPA), where crowds flock to hear legends like Martha Reeves and the Vandellas bring a “Heat Wave” to Pell City.

These amenities resulted from Ellison and that cooperative effort and enhanced the quality of life not only for Pell City but the region.

“He has been one of the largest growth catalysts that Pell City has ever had, since the opening of Avondale Mills (which opened in the early 1900s),” Smith said.

Look all around Pell City to see more evidence of that. He began with the groundbreaking for an Exxon convenience store. Following, his work became responsible for Walmart

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Business Review Supercenter, Home Depot, Publix, Metro Bank, USAmeribank, Krystal, Arby’s, Wendy’s, Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, Cracker Barrel, Walgreens, Comfort Inn, Golden Rule, Zaxby’s, Dairy Queen, Bojangles, Buffalo Wild Wings and scores of retailers and service businesses. They are not located in just one area, but citywide, benefitting everyone. His developments account for four of the city’s top 10 sales tax generators and no less than 35 percent of total sales tax base.

While Lovejoy tries to fit locals into local niches – like home-owned drug stores – Ellison’s contacts cast a wider net into larger retailers and franchises. Almost all the development on the U.S. 231/I-20 interchange was the result of decades of Ellison’s tireless work. Wal-Mart, Home Depot, a movie theater, three hotels and every fast-food eatery imaginable dot the landscape, Smith said.

“He’s constantly encouraging retailers to come to the market, three or four years before the market is ready,” Smith said.

“When the market is just at the verge of being ready, they’ve already heard about Pell City and the market because of Bill Ellison. He is responsible for two of the three largest sales tax generators in Pell City.”

Ellison sometimes tells a self-effacing joke, Smith said, that speaks volumes about the Lexington, Ky., native’s persistence.

“The joke is that many times retailers come to Pell City, not because the market’s large enough, but just so Bill will leave them alone. He is tenacious.”

Big retailers may have their algorithms and mountains of software to help them analyze the viability of a franchise in Pell City, but spreadsheets often miss the mark, Smith said.

“Many times, they don’t get it right, until they just trust in Bill, because he knows that people who shop in Pell City aren’t all from Pell City. He knows there are people who come to the lake (Logan Martin) or spend their summers at the lake – and those numbers don’t show up on a census report. He knows that Pell City’s economic strength is much greater than any demographic report a retailer may run.”

Ellison calls his persistence “moving the rock.”

“Every day you try to move the rock,” he said. “Every day, you try to have a positive push somewhere. Some days you push the rock, and the rock doesn’t move, but some days you push, and the rock does move. But you’ve got to try to move the rock every day. And it’s not just one rock. You have to multi-task.”

Timing, tireless work, teamwork and more than a little luck, made the developments happen, Ellison said. But at its heart, the growth began with countless cold calls, not over days and weeks, but years.

And he had help along the way from the late Don Perry, chairman of the board for Metro Bank, who over the years believed in him, helped him and encouraged him. “I can’t say enough about Don’s leadership, Metro Vice President Richard Knight and the bank’s philosophy in general about putting community first.”

First Bank of Alabama and its president, Chad Jones, have given him help along the way, too, he said.

He cites a lesson he learned in the restaurant business as a key that translated into his success in economic development efforts.

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Ellison’s vision brought commercial district to life “Restaurants (are) a people business,” he said. “I’m no better than (the dining experience of) my last customer. In the development business it’s the same way. You’re no better than your last transaction. You’ve got to treat people right. You must be honest. You must be fair. It’s about satisfying your customer every single transaction of the day.”

He added, “I want to do something the right way.”

Like Lovejoy, Ellison seems constantly in motion. Ellison fills pages of a legal pad with his weekly to-do list. He works hard, and he plays to win, constantly listening, looking and learning.

That “can-do” work ethic can be traced back to his childhood, he mused. He described himself as a hyperactive child, and when his grandparents would babysit him to allow his parents to go out for the evening, they kept him occupied with puzzles.

The problem solver seen today in Ellison’s approach to business stems from those puzzles he figured out as a child.

“Economic development is like a puzzle you have to figure out, making sure all the pieces fit in the right place,” he said.

Finding a way through the obvious maze of economic development in and of itself can be stressful. His release comes in the field, with his bird dogs. On the 2017 United Field Trialers Association circuit, Ellison has the two highest point amateur dogs in the nation. “I get to go out and shoot my gun and let the stress melt off. That’s what I use my bird dogs for.”

Like his dogs, development is a passion.

“Real estate is a business, but it’s a love that I have for chasing things and trying to bring more businesses in here. It’s something I love doing,” he said.

Ellison has an unmistakable love for St. Clair County. And he’s the same kind of cheerleader for the county that Lovejoy is.

“We’ve got a great county,” Ellison said. “My pitch is, St. Clair County is a great county today, and it’s going to be even better in the future.”

With Ellison and Lovejoy leading the effort, that prediction looks to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2018

Shelton Family Pharmacy Filling small-town, hometown needs

Chase Shelton is owner and chief pharmacist at Shelton Family Pharmacy in Ashville.

Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Mike Callahan “Hey, Chase, I need some more of those eye drops I use,” a customer tells pharmacist Chase Shelton when she sees him at Jack’s in Ashville after church one Sunday. “I can’t remember the brand, but I’ll come in tomorrow with the empty bottle and remind you to order them.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, I’ll remember.”

And he did.

One of the reasons that Chase Shelton opened Shelton Family Pharmacy in Ashville is because he likes having personal interactions with his customers. He remembers their names the second time they go into his store, and it doesn’t take him much longer to remember the brands they buy, even when they don’t.

A 2010 graduate of Auburn University’s School of Pharmacy, Shelton worked for a chain drug store in Montgomery, then an independent pharmacy in Athens before opening in Ashville Plaza on US 231 North in July of 2015. He chose Ashville for a combination of reasons, starting with its proximity to his in-laws.

“My wife wanted to get closer to her family,” says Shelton, who is from Pleasant Grove, Alabama. “Her parents live in Springville. So, when the owner at Athens sold the store to another pharmacist, I decided to move.”

Shelton bought a house on Straight Mountain, about halfway between Ashville and Oneonta. For a couple of weeks, his family, which includes wife Ashley and sons Cole, 6, and Jacob, 3, slept there on air mattresses until he could finish

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Pharmacy technicians include Jennifer Lacosse and Tangie Booker. Not pictured is Rebecca McAnnally.

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Shelton Family Pharmacy

up in Athens and move their furniture. He considered opening his business in Blount County, but real estate availability and convenience, along with timing and research, showed him that Ashville was the right fit.

“I looked at St. Clair and Blount counties,” he says. “Ashville has a population of 2,200. Steele and Gallant have no pharmacy, and lots of Gallant people go to Attalla drug stores. On the mountain, lots of people were ‘unclaimed’ by any pharmacy. When I ran the numbers, I knew Ashville could support two pharmacies.”

His first week in business, however, left him wondering whether it was the right move. On Friday, just four days after he opened, the building suddenly started shaking, ceiling tiles fell out and the power went off. An 18-wheeler had tried to go through the alley behind Ashville Plaza and hit the back of the building, taking out that wall and the electricity with it.

“We were closed for the next 13 days,” Shelton says, laughing about it now. “I had spent so much money on fliers, ads in newspapers, a direct mail campaign and had to close for almost two weeks. My insurance company said we had to be in the store if our claim were to be processed.

It was 95 degrees outside and 110 in here. We had no phone, no internet, no computer, and could only process cash sales with the exact change.”

Chase employs three pharmacy technicians and uses a relief pharmacist for his day off. He administers flu and pneumonia shots, hasn’t met an insurance plan he won’t accept, and has a drive-up window. His wife, who teaches third grade at Ashville Elementary School, maintains a small gift section with a mix of merchandise that includes Alabama and Auburn Tshirts and sweatshirts, costume jewelry, handmade soaps, kids’ backpacks with polka dots and smiley faces, tea towels, duffle bags, wooden signs and women’s scarves. She stocks “Simply Southern” tees, some change purses and small makeup bags or clutches, ribbons and bows, socks and scented stuffed toys. Shelton added pocket knives to the mix. He carries products by The Naked Bee that are hypoallergenic, pH balanced and non-comedogenic (they don’t block skin pores) and include hand creams, shampoos and conditioners, lip balms, body washes, and hand and body lotions.

Customers say they love Chase’s hometown personality and his store’s atmosphere.

“I was one of his first customers, and I’ve brought other customers to him,” says Greg Ashley of Ashville. “I had heard good things about him, and the first time I met him was like I’d known him all my life. He’s more than accommodating in answering questions, and anything I need that he does not have, he gets it.”

Rick Helms of Oneonta says Shelton “bends over backwards to help you,” while Lenette Harrell of Gallant says a medicine one of her grandkids takes is hard to find, “but Chase has it.”

Store hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays (so his family can attend Ashville football games), and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

Like most small-town pharmacists, Shelton sometimes has to go in after hours or on Sunday for a customer emergency. “A lot of doctors have my cell phone number and will call me at 8 or 9 p.m. because someone is throwing up and needs a nausea prescription filled,” Shelton says. “Or a teacher or friend from church (First Baptist of Ashville) will call on a Sunday afternoon, and I’ll go in for them.”

Pharmacy school doesn’t provide training in how to run a business, nothing about accounting and taxes, according to Shelton. That’s why he, like most pharmacists, went to work for a pharmacy chain when he graduated from pharmacy school.

“Once I got the taste of independent pharmacy, though, I knew I could never go back to work at a chain store.”

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Springville Pediatrics coming to city Work is progressing on Springville Pediatrics, the newest addition to Springville Station shopping center on Interstate 59.

The City of Springville and Springville Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed Springville Pediatrics to the city with a groundbreaking ceremony in October. It is expected to open in the spring at the end of Springville Station Boulevard adjacent to the City’s newest recreation fields.

Dr. Peter Stogov and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Monica Chadwick have partnered together in the opening of Springville Pediatrics. Dr. Stogov and Ms. Chadwick both share a passion for providing exceptional pediatric care to all children. With a combined 16 years of pediatric experience, they have dedicated their careers to caring for children and their families.

“Finding premiere medical care in smaller communities can be difficult.

Dr. Stogov and my focus and goal are to provide exceptional pediatric care to children in communities that would not have access to it otherwise,” said Chadwick. “We also desire to help the community flourish by bringing in new business along with job opportunities.”

Initially, the practice will house one pediatrician and two Nurse Practitioners. Together, they will welcome patients up to the age of 21 and will accept most insurance, including Medicaid. Families can expect to walk into a beautiful, spacious, clean, stateof-the-art practice where they will be greeted with smiling faces and exceptional customer service, they said.

“Our mission is to house quality providers and staff to provide familycentered care to every child in Springville and surrounding areas,” Stogov said. “We love Springville and can’t wait to be part of your growing community by Spring 2018!”

“The City of Springville welcomes Springville Pediatrics,” said Mayor William Isley. “This is our first Pediatric office in the city, and we are glad to see their services offered in our

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community. We hope that they are able to serve the young families living in our community, and that young families looking at Springville as a place to locate will take advantage of these health services that will now be offered locally.”

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