Discover St. Clair June 2012

Blackwood Gallery • The Ark • Eagle’s Roost Home Coosa Riverkeeper • Biking With Bo • Govers’ Special Gardens

June - July 2012

World-class horse country St. Clair County home to Lusitanos and Arabians

Coming Home

A community welcomes its veterans PLUS: Special

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Winnataska Celebrating almost a century of fun

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Features and Articles D iscover The Essence of St. Clair

June - July 2012

World-class

horse

country Arabians, Lusitanos at Aradon Farm in Odenville and Shangrila Farm in Gallant

Page 36 Cover and Index photos by Jerry Martin

Blackwood Gallery

Nationally know artwork on display in Springville

Coosa Riverkeeper

Young man and volunteers protecting endangered waterway Page 60

Page 8

Argo primed for growth Coming Home

A community prepares to welcome its veterans to new home Page 30

Hell and Back Again

Pell City movie premiere has special meaning for local soldier Page 34

Moody, Alabama at 50

City looking to build bright future and revitalize historical areas Page 72

Eagle’s Roost

Camp Winnataska

Celebrating almost 100 years of fun in the Alabama outdoors Page 14 Growing up in historic camp Page 22

Traveling the Backroads The Ark Restaurant

Historic area in perfect location to draw in new business, residents Page 66

Page 26

Couple’s dream home is their vision in design

Page 44

Something Special Govers’ gardens are a sight to behold

Business Briefing

Biking with Bo Jackson Page 52 Page 58

One man rides with stars to raise support for tornado damaged regions Page 76

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Writers AND Photographers

Carol Pappas

Jerry C. Smith

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

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

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

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

Loyd McIntosh Loyd McIntosh is a freelance writer and former news reporter and sports writer for several newspapers throughout the Southeast, including The Daily Home. In over 10 years as a freelance writer, he has published work in a variety of magazines. He is a native of Trussville and now lives in Pell City with his wife, Elizabeth, and daughters Emily Grace and Lily. Loyd is currently the marketing manager for the Birmingham YMCA.

Carolyn Stern Carolyn Stern is retired after a career in publishing. Her work has appeared in Progressive Farmer, Birmingham Home and Garden, Birmingham Parent, Birmingham Post-Herald and St. Clair News Aegis. She is author of Ponds: Building, Maintaining, Enjoying and has earned writing awards on a state and national scale. She lives in Beason Cove and is owner of Cove Cottage Bed and Breakfast.

6 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

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

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

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.

A great first year: Thanks From the Editor

As this edition of Discover, The Essence of St. Clair, went to press, I could not help but look at it as a milestone. It is the final edition of our first year of publication.

We have ‘discovered’ a lot since our fledgling magazine began distribution in August of 2011. An every-other-month schedule seemed ambitious to some. People would ask, “Aren’t you afraid of running out of stories?”

As you can see by the abundance of stories and photographs in issue number six, the answer is still “no.”

Looking ahead to our anniversary edition in August, we cannot help but be excited to take the second part of our journey, discovering more and more about this special place we all call home.

In our inaugural edition, we said our aim was to capture the diversity of the county, its charm and unmistakable essence in compelling stories and photographs that would have people talking.

We continue to make that pledge, and our readers and advertisers are continuing to put their confidence in our making good on that promise. We certainly appreciate the support, the encouragement and the welcome mat that has been rolled out for us in every corner of St. Clair County.

To us, there truly is a story around every bend, and we will continue to bring them to life in the pages of our magazine.

That’s our mission.

Thank you for an unforgettable first year.

Carol A. Pappas, Editor and Publisher

Discover The Essence of St. Clair

June- July 2012 • Vol. 6 • www.discoverstclair.com

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

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

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

Dean Black with a table made of walnut wood and a sewer/storm drain cover.

8 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

National Fame

Blackwood Gallery in springville Story by Mike Bolton Photos by Jerry Martin As college kids in love tend to do, Dean Black and Sharon Williams would hold hands on the front porch of the old house that Black called home in his college days and talk of marriage and exactly how their lives would play out.

What their friends and family chalked up to as a cute couple with big dreams was actually a game plan for the couple who in 1980 became Mr. and Mrs. Dean Black. It was a game plan that has come to fruition with Blackwood Gallery in Springville.

“We’d sit at that old house near Auburn and talk about how we’d have an art gallery one day and I’d draw and Dean would make the frames for my artwork,” Sharon Black said in their gallery on US 11 in Springville. “That was our goal in 1977, and that is how it has played out.”

Today, Blackwood Gallery houses the couple’s work as well as the works of more than 40 other craftsmen. Visitors are often surprised to find bronze work, blown glass, leaded glass, handmade furniture and other woodworking treasures from Alabama’s top craftsmen in a place like Springville.

But it was the only location they ever considered for their gallery, both say. Traditional places where you might expect to find an art gallery, like Mountain Brook, lacked that laid-back atmosphere that is so important to both. Besides, many larger cities tend to frown on people riding their horses to work these days.

“I grew up in Hueytown on a lake with horses, and Dean lived in Homewood, but he spent a lot of time in Springville around his grandparents’ summer getaway that had a lake and horses,” Sharon said. “When we built the gallery here, in addition to Dean’s woodworking shop he built in the back

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 9

Blackwood Gallery

Black works on the base of a table on the lathe.

Sharon Black’s talent also includes beautiful drawings.

Sharon and Dean Black admire a bronze bust of their horse Rafiq.

10 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

part of the gallery, he built a stable where we could put the horses when we rode them to work.”

For all their dreams of one day owning a gallery, surely the couple could never have envisioned the success Dean would find in the field of woodworking. In his college days, his woodworking consisted of building custom gun stocks at what he called Deano’s Gun Shop, an out-building at the home he rented in Society Hill.

In those days, being accepted into the prestigious Alabama Designer Craftsmen group and constructing many breathtaking pieces for the Birmingham Museum of Art and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens was even too much for him to imagine.

Chances are you might have seen his work and not even known it.

“I did the columns for the Asian murals at the Birmingham Museum of Art and that opened a lot of doors for me,” he said. “I came back and built the bell stand at the museum from wood that they presented me from the 1939 World’s Fair. I followed that by building the bases for the samurai helmet collection.”

In 1996, the Birmingham Museum of Art had a coup as it became one of a handful of cities in the U.S. to land the traveling Qin collection. The artifacts from the tomb of Qin Shihauangdi, who established the first empire called China, are hailed as one of the most awe-inspiring collections in the world. The collection was taken from a burial site the size of Manhattan and included full-size horses and protecting warriors made from terracotta.

Black was chosen to do much of the accompanying woodwork that supported the treasures. That woodwork was seen by thousands of visitors from across the U.S. The museum is home to one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Wedgwood pottery in the world and the only collection of its kind in the United States. Black was chosen over other craftsmen to build the supporting woodwork for that, too. He also did the delicate woodwork in the museum’s Korean Room.

As word of his skills spread, Black was also chosen to construct the Tori, a large gate at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Today, Black says he’s amazed at how word of his work has spread and at the inquiries he receives from across the country. His work has ranged from columns for a hunting lodge belonging to dog-racing magnate Milton McGregor to crosses and offering tables from large churches across the U.S. All of the work is done in his shop in the back of his gallery in Springville.

“I have equipment that can do pieces substantially larger than many people can do,” he said. “It has opened doors for many of these larger projects.”

Black says he has made some inroads into one project that he really hopes never comes to be. An Auburn graduate and devout Auburn fan, he has offered to build museum-quality pieces for the school free-of-charge from the wood from trees at Toomer’s Corner should they not survive the poisoning.

“I love Auburn, but I haven’t been as diligent as I should have been in sending my money down there,” he said.

“This would be a way that I could give something back. I just hope it never comes to that.”

Black said he is a firm believer that small things steer

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Blackwood Gallery

From left to right are Debra Swanson, a family friend and volunteer at the Blackwood Gallery, Dean Black and Sharon Black. people along the paths of life and if not for a woman and her dog, there probably wouldn’t be a Blackwood Gallery today.

“I grew up an Alabama fan, but I wanted to be a veterinarian,” he said. “I went to Auburn to become a veterinarian and took all the pre-vet classes.

“I was working with a vet down there, and a woman brought in a large sheep dog that had been hit by a car. The vet did everything he could but couldn’t save the dog. He told me that I needed to watch how he handled it because it would be something I would have to do frequently in my career.

“We had this little window in the office, and I watched through the window as he told the woman and kids. I was looking at the back of his head as he was facing them. I saw him shake his head, and I saw them burst into tears.

“I knew I could handle the gory stuff, but I wasn’t prepared for that. I knew in that instant that I couldn’t be a vet. I went in and told my professors that I wasn’t even going to take the final exams because I was changing my major. I lost more than a year’s work but I changed to marketing.

“I will always be glad that I did.” l

12 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

Dean Black visits with his horse Rafiq through a stall door that opens into the wood shop.

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14 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

Winnataska Camp boasts spirit, history

Story by Carolyn Stern Photos by Jerry Martin Submitted photos A wild place with a rushing creek and a waterfall; a chance to test your skill in canoes or on horses or to take on a Robin Hood pose by learning to handle a bow and arrow in archery class — the stuff of dreams for a boy or girl stuck in the city in the summer. Wild and wonderful, Camp Winnataska has made those dreams come true for almost 100 years.

The secluded woodland camp close to Prescott in St. Clair County is not pretentious. It has no grand entrance nor elaborate buildings. But this collection of some of the best of the natural world and of human efforts holds a special place in the hearts and minds of those lucky enough to spend time here.

Hundreds of young people flood the camp during June and July, a week at a time. They swim, hike, work on crafts, learn to function as a team and sing, sing, sing.

Everything they do during their week is based on the principles on which the camp was founded, but the way they’re presented is pure enjoyment.

A fortunate coincidence laid the groundwork for this dream to come true.

In 1914, Dr. Elwyn Ballard, the first commissioner of Boy Scouts in the Birmingham area, had been looking for an isolated retreat away from the city to establish a Scout camp. One spring day, he and his wife, Florence, took a ride in their Model T from Birmingham out past Grants Mill and through Leeds to Prescott to meet up with friends Lucien Brown and a Scout worker, Hewlett Ansley, at their favorite fishing hole. In the heavily forested area, the road narrowed to just a path between the trees, and they found the friends at Kelly Creek, which would eventually become part of Camp Winnataska.

Almost a century of fun June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 15

In her book, “Winnataska Remembered,” Katherine Price Garmon, daughter of future camp Director D.R. Price, quotes Florence Ballard, who was her aunt. “We fell in love with the place; the small pool, the falls, and the big pool below with towering cliffs … but its inaccessibility was one of its greatest charms.”

With Dr. Ballard’s strong endorsement, the Boy Scouts purchased some of the property, leased other acres and used it for overnight camping for two years. By 1918, however, the leaders decided that a camp closer to Birmingham was more suitable for their needs.

As luck would have it, the interdenominational Birmingham Sunday School Association had been thinking about starting a pioneer effort in religious camps for boys, and Dr. Ballard was able to bring the two groups together. The association board agreed to sponsor the program to accomplish “the fourfold goals of the association: physical, mental, spiritual and religious development.”

However, Rosa Strickland, a board member and a respected Birmingham teacher and Sunday school worker, had an objection to the plan. She insisted that a similar camp should be provided for girls. D.R. Price said, “Nobody argued with Miss Rosa.”

Other camps established around this time were taking Indian names, and Mrs. Ballard was asked to choose a name from a list of Indian words. Considering the waterfall was (and is) a primary feature of the camp, she chose Winnataska, which means “laughing water.” The number of arrowheads found on the property, along with the fact that there’s plenty of water at Kelly creek for use and to draw game to the area, indicated there had been a sizable settlement. This connection made using an Indian name even more fitting for this ancient land.

Affirming Price’s prediction, Miss Rosa’s proposal for a girls’ camp was accepted and had outstanding results when the first Sunday School Association camp took place in 1918. Out of an expected 75 boys, aged 12 through 15, only 31 registered.

To be fair, some boys this age were already working. In contrast, the girls’ registration had to be stopped at 108, leaving some disappointed.

The earliest female campers (aged 15 to 17) boarded a train at Birmingham’s Terminal Station on July 17, 1918, got off at the Brompton stop and walked the final five miles to Winnataska, dressed in the long skirts and the hats of the day. (A photograph in Stockham Hall at the camp shows smiles on many faces and skeptical looks on others.)

As time passed, school-type buses were used to pick up campers at designated sites around Birmingham. Today, automobiles filled with whatever the camper feels is necessary (no cell phones are allowed) crowd the parking lot on registration days. Then the fun begins.

The camper’s huts are named for Indian tribes: Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw and Navajo. At the time camps for younger children began, the Sunday School Council was helping a religious education camp in Mexico. Winnataska began sending their Sunday worship offerings to that camp and used Spanish words to name the Chico (“little one”) cabins (ages 6 to 8): Siesta, Casa Nueva, Tienda and Adobe.

Each hut has leaders who encourage their groups to take pride in themselves and their surroundings. A simple task (to some campers) is to keep their hut clean. The fun comes when they are required to sing or cheer (loudly) whenever they’re walking outdoors. Each tribe has special songs and are encour-

16 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

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Campers’ cabins

aged to drown out the others.

“I’m Chickasaw born and Chickasaw bred/And when I die I’m Chickasaw dead./So, rah, rah for Chickasaw/rah, rah for Chickasaw/Rah, rah, rah./Bum-diddly-um-dum. Chickasaw!”

Staff members, Blackfeet (for boys) and Comanches (for girls), plan activities that encourage competition as well as teamwork — swimming, riding horses, canoeing and rope climbing. Campers take part with enthusiasm, all with the hope of being named the Honor Hut on the last day of camp.

Each day begins with Bible study in the 1930 Branscomb Chapel and ends at Hillside (which overlooks the waterfall) with an inspirational talk or a short worship service. Through all these specially planned activities, the camp continues to fulfill the fourfold purpose of the Sunday School Association — physical, mental, spiritual and religious development.

Mary Margaret Shephard is director of the summer camps, and Courtney Bean is the programs director. In 1922, D.R. Price became the first director. The camp was growing so quickly it was clear a formal leader was needed to oversee the property and activities.

Price held the position for 35 years. His immediate priority was to replace or update the existing housing for leaders and campers. Some structures were usable, and they were made more comfortable by being fitted with screens and new bunk beds. Before the luxury of the new beds, the 1920s girls sang a song about their old double-decker bunks, which had straw mattresses.

“In our bunk, in our bunk, where the hay comes trickling down, ‘till it hits you in the crown, in our bunk, in our bunk.”

18 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

In 1930, property was cleared for Branscomb chapel, a circular open-air stone structure. Lester Coupland, a stonemason and carpenter who lived near Branchville, was the principal builder.

Coupland’s son, Carl, says his father and his father’s uncle, Sam Simpson, rode their mules eight miles to the job.

As construction moved along, campers were recruited to gather rocks for the walls. Price reminded them that some rocks with color or distinct shapes were more attractive than others.

He always told them to get the “pretty rocks,” his daughter says.

The floor and seats are made with flat stone pieces from the creek below the waterfall.

Mrs. Garmon says the building’s round shape was chosen because Native Americans revered that shape, and Winnataska’s founders wanted to honor their tradition. Another custom, also thought to be from Indian lore, has continued to dictate movement in the chapel. One doesn’t walk straight across the floor from one doorway to another. To do so is believed to be unlucky. Movement goes around the circle.

Lester Coupland was asked to be caretaker of the camp in 1935, and he moved his family from their farm near Branchville to the premises. He remained caretaker until 1940. Friends of many years, Carl Coupland and Mrs. Garmon laugh about the times they and Garmon’s sisters played in the sand pile and all around the camp when their fathers were at work. Coupland says, “I was always smaller and the girls picked on me.”

The “big hole” at the foot of the waterfall is a really good place to fish, Coupland says, but his favorite memory of living at Camp Winnataska is not about the fish. “I was able to hear the water rushing over the falls every night,” he says. “There’s

Three different trees grow in same waterside spot on camp property.

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 19

Carl Coupland and Kap Garmon

no better sound in the world to put you to sleep.”

Kelly Creek runs through the property and eventually into the Coosa River. Over the years, a number of bridges were built to join the two parts of the campgrounds, but heavy rains that raised the level of the rushing water washed them away.

Finally, John Elon Stanley (caretaker of the camp from 1940 to 1961) and architect Walter Holmquist, with help from Roy Connor and Blackfeet Bingham Ballard and Fletcher Yielding, completed the bridge that carries campers over the falls today.

The bridge was officially named for him at the camp’s 50th anniversary celebration.

The bridge isn’t the only sign of Stanley’s creative talent.

He had been a railroad bridge builder and his impressive techniques can also be seen in the ceilings in Stockham Hall and Brewer Chapel. The beautiful and sturdy ceiling rafters were made of wood harvested from Winnataska land.

A number of structures and markers on the property honor those who have been key to the growth of the camp and in keeping alive what D.R. Price called “The Winnataska Spirit”.

They include Branscomb Chapel, Brewer Chapel, Reimel Hall, Stockham Hall, the Stanley Bridge, Rosa Strickland Lodge, Price Lodge, Norton Flagpole, Grayson Lodge and Grace Lake.

The present caretaker, Mark Buerhaus, was a Blackfoot from 1994 to 1998, and he just couldn’t stay away. He’s responsible for management of the 1,400 acres of camp property and for 55 structures that encompass 87,000 square feet. He says he couldn’t possibly do it all without his assistant, J.T. Braxton.

Buerhaus is a busy man with a family on the property and is on call 24-7. He’s an enthusiastic supporter of Winnataska and knows where the campers are at almost any time of the day or night. Yes, night: neon (ask a camper) and pirate nights, mission impossible hide-and-seek, country night and Indian night.

All include some sort of costumes and the absolutely necessary singing and dancing. Wherever Mark is needed, he goes. Even if it’s into the night activities.

Mrs. Garmon, as the daughter of the camp’s first director, a camper herself and a niece of the Ballards, who found the property, feels a family responsibility about retaining the camp legacy. She tells about walking around the grounds one sum-

20 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

Footbridge across creek

D.R. Price, Anne Greene, Margaret Lamkin hiking up Bald Rock.

mer day and hearing very loud music coming from Stockham Hall. “I went over to check on the activities. The girls were being taught line-dancing.”

She wasn’t quite sure about that or the music. But one little dancer caught her eye: “I thought, ‘If doing this gives her the feeling she’s a real dancer, that’s a good thing.’”

To date, more than 100,000 campers have sung the songs, hiked the trails and established friendships that last through the years. “Many campers are fourth-, fifth- and sixth-generations of families,” says Mrs. Garmon, “mostly from the Birmingham area. They wouldn’t think of going anywhere else.”

At a celebration of Winnataska’s 50th year, D.R. Price quoted a postcard sent home by a Chico camper: “Dear Mother, went swimming in the morning. I almost drowned. Camp is fun.

This afternoon, I’m going to play with snakes.”

Why do kids like to go to camp? That about sums it up.

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 21

Growing up at the camp Editor’s Note: Carl Coupland was a young boy when his father went to work at Camp Winnataska from 1935 to 1940. Those memories and roots run deep, seeing the camp from an inside view. Here they are in his own words.

Sam Simpson and Lester Coupland rode mules 8 miles to work on the Chapel. Aug. 30, 1930

My father, Lester Coupland, was caretaker of Camp Winnataska from October of 1935 until the summer of 1940. He had worked there in 1930. He and his uncle, Sam Simpson, built the stone chapel that stands until this day. Both of them were rock masons and carpenters.

I have a picture that was made of them the day it was completed. The picture was made by Mr. D.R. Price. They rode mules eight miles to work a day.

After completing this chapel, Mr. Price offered my father the job as caretaker of the camp for $35 a month and house rent free.

My father and mother and my brother, Joe Coupland, left our farm near Branchville, Alabama, and moved in an old house on

22 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

the hill behind Mrs. Rosa Strickland’s house. The house had no inside bathroom, no running water, no electricity, so we used a fireplace for heat and wood-burning stove for cooking.

This was during the Great Depression, and the $35 per month was enticing to my parents. We had our own vegetable garden and two milk cows, so we didn’t go hungry. We ate a lot of wild game (rabbits and squirrels) and fish from the creek.

We raised hogs. We also raised our own chickens for eggs and meat.

In the summertime, when the campers came out, my mother, Bessie Coupland, also sold some extra milk and butter to the dining hall. My father looked after the camp’s horses year around and also maintained all of the old original houses and

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Let Our CD Special Work For You. cabins. He also built new cabins and cleared walking and horse riding trails throughout the camp’s large acreage tract.

He built the overnight shelters on the trails. Occasionally, Mr. Price would hire one or two helpers when they were building new cabins or replacing the footbridge across Kelly Creek.

My memories of the people who came camping in the summers are still very clear. Mr. D.R. Price’s family also came out on weekends all during the year. The two youngest daughters, Katherine Ann and Betty Ray were near our age. They enjoyed riding the horses and ponies just as my brother Joe and I did.

During this period, Miss Dartiss Blocker-Adkins was the camp nurse. Mrs. Rosa Strickland was our nearest neighbor. Dr. Louise Branscomb also lived just across a small valley from us.

Her house was behind the Price Lodge.

Living there year around was exciting, but it was very lonely when the campers left in the fall of the year.

Just Mother, Dad and two sons lived there in wintertime, and our nearest neighbors were more than one mile away.

Joe and I walked one and a half miles to a school at Stewart’s Crossroads near the Sheriff’s Boys Ranch. It was a oneroom schoolhouse, six grades all in the same room and one teacher for all six grades. Later, about 1938, we were transferred to Moody schools and rode a very small bus called “the matchbox.” The bus was driven by Mr. Ernest Spradlin. When we moved to the camp we had no automobile, but in 1938, my father bought a 1937 Ford, four-door car (60 hp). He would drive us one and a half miles to Mr. Spradlin’s house to catch Working For You. the bus to Moody School. … My brother Joe and myself enjoyed riding the ponies. I have pictures of me riding a pony named Winnie and Joe riding one named Spot. We played in and around the Reimel Hall and the chapel as children and fished a lot in the large pool below the falls, and this was long before the flood came and washed the big, sunburn rock over into the big pond (1942).

As children, we played in a large sand pile across the path from Mrs. Rosa Strickland’s house and made bracelets at the craft hut.

These memories will be with me always, and I cherish the thoughts about the nice people we associated with back then.

On March 13th, 1939, we had 14 inches of snowfall. It stayed on the ground for two weeks and then a rain came and melted it all at once. The Kelly Creek flooded and washed away the bridge across the main road and also the footbridge across the creek. The main road bridge stayed out for several years,

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but my father and three helpers built the foot bridge back that spring when the water lowered to its usual level. The helpers were Mr. L.B. Lee, Roy Johnson, Charles (Red) Andrews. (It washed away again in December 1942.)

By 1940, Dad’s pay had doubled to $70 a month, but Mom and Dad decided to move back to the farm near Branchville.

He became a very successful farmer, raising Hereford cattle.

He lived until 1986 (age 87). … Mother lived until 2006 (98 years and 9 months). My brother Joe became an educator — principal at Morgan County High School, principal of Phillips High School in Birmingham, director of Adult Education for Birmingham City Schools when he died in 1985 (age 55) of pancreatic cancer.

As of this writing, I am age 80. I am in real estate and live in Moody. My son, Mike Coupland, now runs the realty company, and I am still active and healthy.

When we left Winnnataska, Mr. Elon Stanley and his wife became caretakers. We went back and visited them many times thereafter over the next 15-20 years.

My father loved fishing in Kelly Creek. Mr. D.R. Price gave him a lifetime fishing permit and hunting permit on the camp property. He only used the permit when the camp was closed in wintertime.

When we moved back to our farm in 1940, we would keep the camp horses and feed them and bring them back to the camp during the summer months, … We didn’t have any way to haul the horses so we would ride one and lead two more behind us the full eight miles.

For our family, the years were lean at Winnataska, but the memories are great. I often tell people that I was born during a depression with nothing and still have half of it.

The present caretaker of Camp Winnataska (Mr. Mark Buerhaus) seems to be doing a wonderful job. …

The air is still clean, and the sound of the waterfalls is still the same as when I went to sleep each night as a child listening to the sound of the water dropping over into the big pool below. l

24 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

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The Ark

Serving the Best Catfish, Seafood & Steaks for more than 79 years!

LocaL tradition • nationaL reputation Featured in Garden & Gun Magazine and other national publications as some of the best catfish in the country.

highway 78 east riverside (205) 338-7420

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 25

Traveling the

BACKROADS

THE ARK

The old Ark when it sat on a barge in the Coosa River

From skirting liquor laws to finding fame as the place for catfish 26 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

Story by Jerry C. Smith Photos by Jerry Martin Submitted photos St. Clair folks are passionate about two basic food groups: barbecue and catfish. While the debate still rages among barbecue aficionados, the Pell City/Riverside area hosts a restaurant called The Ark, which has for decades set a gold standard in the catfish genre.

They also serve steaks, frog legs, shrimp and other fine fare, but the owner attests that about 60 percent of Ark customers ask for catfish. In fact, you can decline a menu and simply hold up one, two or three fingers to indicate how many fillets you want with your fries, slaw and hushpuppies.

Their Alabama pond-raised, deepfried catfish entrees are excruciatingly delicious and served in a warm, homestyle venue whose long, colorful heritage dates back to the Roaring Twenties. The Ark’s bio is like a story made for Hollywood.

At one time, St. Clair County was dry. If you wanted alcoholic spirits, you either went to Jefferson County or to a local bootlegger. Things got even tighter during Prohibition, when alcohol became illegal everywhere.

But E.O. “Red” Thompson had a better idea. He bought an old dredge barge at salvage, formerly used for deepening river channels and clearing debris, refitted it as a speakeasy, and christened it The Ark. Thompson anchored it about 30 feet from the west bank of the Coosa River, near present-day US Highway 78. The Coosa borderlines St. Clair and Talladega counties, so The Ark was technically in either (or neither) county, depending on from which direction the law was coming.

It was known to be a rip-roaring establishment, catering to most any vice you can name. Patrons boarded The Ark from their boats, or they could use a 4-foot-wide catwalk. In a 1990 Birmingham News story by Marie West Cromer, George Scisson of Riverside related, “More than one inebriated customer had trouble getting back to shore on that walkway.”

Scisson continued, “They served river catfish and hushpuppies and all the beer you wanted, and neither St. Clair or Talladega law could touch them because it wasn’t located in either county. … I was too young to buy beer then, but I drank it on the old Ark. Beer was 15 cents a can,

Sylvia Cornett, center, talks with long time friends Dewey Smith, and Barbara Smith at the Ark. June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 27

Traveling the

BACKROADS and a sign said, ‘All the catfish and hushpuppies you can eat, 60 cents.’ They put more fish in a sandwich for 35 cents back then than you get on a platter today.”

Eventually, the original Ark caught fire, burned and sank. Undaunted, Mr. Thompson built a new log building on the river’s west bank. In Cromer’s story, the late Bob Cornett described this second Ark, “It was a rustic building ... breezes from the river whistled through cracks in the floor and walls. … Some customers came by boat, and some were served from a pier.”

Ferry boats were used in those days to cross the Coosa, which was much narrower than today’s impounded waterway.

In 1938, a new highway bridge was built on US 78. Because the bridge had replaced a ferry, it was opened as a toll bridge at first. In fact, Cornett’s father, Sam Cornett, operated the tollbooth.

Thompson was described as a “gruff old gentleman who ran a tight ship.” Cornett told of two men who told the cashier their food was no good and walked out without paying their bill.

Thompson forcibly brought them back in, and told them, “Now pay the lady for what you done et.”

Waitress Hazel Castleberry, who invented The Ark’s special fish sauce that’s still in use today, recalls her days of service with Thompson. “Menus were not used back then. Customers just told us what they wanted, and we wrote it down quick and got away from them as fast as we could because Thompson didn’t believe in his hired help socializing with customers.”

But, alas, this new Ark also burned. Thompson built yet another roadhouse on the other side of US 78, where today’s Ark is located, and renamed it Red’s Place. It was a true Southern hangout in every sense, much like the Boar’s Nest on Dukes of Hazzard. They say Thompson was much like Boss Hogg, and Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane also had a counterpart at Red’s.

Many St. Clair middle-agers will tell you Red’s did almost as much business from the back door as from the front.

Eventually, the aforementioned Mr. Cornett purchased Red’s Place, and named it The Ark once again. That was some 34 years ago, just a few days after Bob and Sylvia Cornett were wed. Before long, the Cornetts’ Ark had built a reputation for fine food, atmosphere and community appreciation that still prevails today.

The Ark’s ambience is something you just have to experience for yourselves. In an Anniston Star item by George Smith, Cornett described The Ark’s decor: “This is no hoity-toity joint.

Anyone is welcome here. Our only requirement is that you wear a shirt and shoes, and the reason for that is the health department. Shoot, if it were not for [them], we probably wouldn’t worry about shoes or shirts.”

Smith added, “The walls are Ponderosa pine paneling, the ceiling is plywood and batten, the tables wear checkered oilcloth, and the booths are hard as any church bench you can remember.”

It’s always been blessed with loyal, long-term employees.

Hazel Castleberry’s daughter, Alesia Moore; her sister, Tammy Truss; and Tammy’s daughter Sheree Smith, have worked there for years.

Considering its present atmosphere and colorful past, The Ark might well be described as a road house for catfish lovers.

Autographed photos, media clippings and other memorabilia cover every inch of wall space.

It’s been written up in a host of local and national newspa-

28 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

Warren Smith, left, promptly takes care of patrons’ bills.

Jennifer Jowers takes orders from diners at the Ark. pers and food and travel magazines. The Ark’s catfish platter is listed on the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel’s coveted “100 Dishes to Eat Before You Die” list. The Ark was also pictured in a 1995 New York Times story by a photographer sent here when St. Clair first went Republican.

It has been featured in USA Today’s “Top Ten Catfish Restaurants In The Nation,” an annual list compiled by the Catfish Institute of America. In a 1997 St. Clair News-Aegis story by Stan Griffin, Bob Cornett said, “Anyone who wouldn’t take a national honor like that seriously would be very foolish. I feel very fortunate, and we try to maintain the quality of our food

People of all ages enjoy the food served at the Ark. service to justify such a ranking.”

In a recent interview, current owner Sylvia Cornett named a few celebrities she and her late husband, Bob, have hosted.

They include former Gov. Don Seigelman, former state Sen. Larry Means, movie director Terry Gilliam, “Little Jim” Folsom, Supreme Court Justice Mark Kennedy (George C. Wallace’s son-in-law), the Temptations on tour and CNN reporter John King.

Practically every major NASCAR driver has graced their tables, including Richard and Kyle Petty, Jim and Bill France, Neil Bonnett, Ryan Newman, Buddy “Leadfoot” Baker, the legendary Red Farmer who built Talladega Speedway, Mario Andretti, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhart Jr., and Bobby and Davey Allison, to mention a few.

They’ve hosted large business groups from Norway and Japan, including the Honda folks. In fact, the deal that brought the Honda assembly plant to Lincoln was signed over a catfish dinner at The Ark. In all its various incarnations, The Ark has long been an integral part of eastern St. Clair’s civic persona. Many families have dined there for several generations. In fact, two of the restaurant’s most loyal patrons, Jim and Ann Riddle Burton of Low Gap, became engaged to wed while driving to The Ark in Jim’s new ‘65 Corvette.

They’ve been together ever since and are still devout Arkies.

When asked how Jim and Ann have lived together so happily for more than 47 years, he replied, “We’ve never had an argument. But sometimes neighbors a block away can hear us reasoning together.”

The Burtons weren’t the only folks to link The Ark to matrimony. Gloria Anderson, who still works at The Ark, was married there. Bob Cornett himself gave away the bride, who wore a long, flowing white gown. After the ceremony, The Ark

opened for business as usual.

Sylvia’s son, Warren Smith, related a story about the time when The Ark served dinner to a monkey. Other customers and wait staff did double takes as the little simian, about the size of a two-year-old child and well-dressed in a shirt and shorts, sat beside his (human) lady companion while sipping a drink.

Actually, he was a service monkey whose sole job was to push a medic alert button worn on a chain around his neck in the event his mistress had a sudden seizure. Smith said. “He had medical papers and everything, just like a seeing-eye dog, but nobody else knew that.”

The Cornett family is of St. Clair pioneer stock, almost from the time Pell City began. Cornett House Hotel was a frontier hostelry located near the railway in Pell City. It was heavily damaged in 1902 when a huge store of dynamite in a railroad warehouse blew up, doing some $1,500 worth of harm to the hotel (a very substantial sum more than a hundred years ago), also wrecking much of Pell City.

Mentored by noted Ashville author/historian Mattie Lou Teague Crow, Bob Cornett operated a popular local newspaper, the St. Clair Observer, before investing in The Ark. The Observer was later sold and absorbed into the present day St. Clair News-Aegis. Always the entrepreneur, Cornett had also owned a bar called The Fatted Calf, which he opened in 1967, just after St. Clair County voted to go ‘wet.’

Today’s Ark hosts a multitude of catfish fans, some of them third or fourth generation customers. The place teems with action during Race Week at Talladega. Regular customers often come from as far away as Georgia.

The Ark’s daily attendance is amazing, considering that they have only one tiny, time-worn sign out front, partially hidden by bushes. Like with any really successful restaurant, word of mouth is everything. l

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 29

Coming Home Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City is nearing completion.

30 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

a community welcomes its veterans Story by Samantha Corona Photos by Jerry Martin When the doors open at the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City later this summer, resident veterans will be welcomed into a new sate-of-the-art complex that is eager to meet their needs and say ‘thank you’ for their service.

As that day approaches, the Pell City community is also rolling out the welcome mat for veterans and their families, both new and familiar to the area.

“Pell City was the ideal location for the Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home for many reasons, including the location to Jefferson State Community College and St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital, as well as the enthusiasm and support from city and county officials and elected leaders,” said Alabama Department of Veteran Affairs Commissioner Clyde Marsh.

“It seems as if the stars all aligned, illuminating Pell City as the perfect site for the Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home, and we look forward to becoming good neighbors in late summer of 2012,” he said.

The 240,000-square-foot facility is the largest of three state veteran homes across Alabama and the first to offer an assisted-living level of care.

The 27-acre campus located across from the new St. Vincent’s St. Clair hospital will house 174 skilled beds for residents in need of continuous and more individualized care, as well as 80 private assisted-living units for more independent residents, a large dining hall and common area for residents and visitors to enjoy.

Its namesake is Col. Robert L. Howard, an Opelika native, the highest decorated veteran of the Vietnam War and a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. And it has the look and feel of a community of neighborhoods rather than a single facility.

“The outpouring of support has been very impressive,” said Manda Mountain, Veterans Home director. “The community has been very welcoming and excited to help.”

As a sign of community support, Mountain said each resident will be greeted with a special item when they arrive – a homemade quilt made especially for them.

“There is a group of women – the Quilts of Valor program – who are offering their skills by making quilts for every incoming resident.

It’s very special, and they have a lot of quilts ready,” she said.

Warmth, both from the quilts and from a caring community, is just one of the many resources in store for the veterans who call St. Clair County home.

A few months ago, seven gentlemen gathered at Jack’s restaurant off Highway 231 with a mission to share information about military benefits, opportunities and support with veterans throughout Pell City and St. Clair County.

“In talking with each other and members of the community, we found that there are many veterans in and around Pell City who don’t know about the services and benefits available to them and their families,” said Greg Jacobik, Pell City native and former director of Individual and Family Support Policy for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Reserve Affairs.

“We asked how can we reach them and let them know – in this city, county, state, anywhere anyone will listen – about the opportunities

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 31

Coming Home

Veteran Affairs representative Sarah Pendleton, left, talks with Anita Pichon Grooms during the Veterans Fair at the Civic Center in Pell City. they have available to them for the service they have given,” he said.

From there, Jacobik and fellow founders organized the St. Clair County Military Assistance Personal Support (M.A.P.S.) with a focus on three pillars for improved quality of life for veterans – wellness, education and employment.

“Some of the resources or benefits may not seem like a lot to some veterans, but some can change the well-being of a family — from monthly stipends for school or free college tuition for children if you’re a disabled veteran,” Jacobik said. “Those things can make a huge difference in a family’s life.”

More than 7,000 veterans and more than 1,400 members of their families call St. Clair County home, and M.AP.S. has developed a 12-month vision for educating both veterans and civilians about what it means to be in the military, to be in the middle of a war and what it takes to come back home to live in everyday life.

Just in the few short months since M.A.P.S. was

32 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

established, the group has already made its presence known through a number of activities, including raising funds for a stranded veteran and their family to get home for the holidays, and building handrails on back porches for those who want to enjoy the outdoors but can’t quite get around like they used to.

“We’re just veterans helping veterans,” Jacobik said. “We’re not trying to make a profit or trying to make a name for ourselves. We’re here to open a door to help others and share information.”

In May, M.A.P.S. joined with the St. Clair County Extension Office and Lakeside Hospice to host the first St. Clair County Veterans and Military Families Resource Fair.

The fair offered guests information on military benefits, individual and family counseling and therapy; education services; financial information for loans, military discounts; as well as free blood pressure tests and health screenings.

The groups sold t-shirts and offered door prizes, donating any money raised toward providing veteran

Denny Hershel was one of many that participated in the Veterans Fair held at the Civic Center in Pell City.

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resources.

Like M.A.P.S., Lakeside Hospice is also focused on being a resource for veterans and their families — at the Col. Robert L. Howard Veteran’s Home and elsewhere in the community.

Mission Coordinator Teresa Carden said the facility has always been dedicated to educating people on the variety of different issues and struggles veterans can face, even offering a “Veteran-to-Veteran” program that allows for former veterans to volunteer spending time with a fellow fighter.

“Veterans face different issues at the end of life, especially those who have wartime memories,” Carden said. “We have volunteers from the same war period who come in to sit and talk with the veterans, share stories and listen to them. We find that they are much more comfortable talking to someone who may have had similar experiences, especially during the same time they were in active duty.”

Another major focus for Lakeside Hospice has become increasing awareness and support for those veterans who are dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and brain injuries.

The team is in the process of setting up a support group that brings in medical professionals and, along with assistance from M.A.P.S. and Eden Westside Baptist Church, offers counseling, therapy and aid to wellness for individuals dealing with PTSD and brain injuries.

Lakside also recently filled a new job position for an AMERICORPS/ VISTA representative to work with the different veterans’ agencies and support services in the area and across the state full time.

“We want to build a network of the resources that are available so that we can quickly refer to our options and get them help they need,” said Carden. “We’re ecstatic about the veteran’s home coming to Pell City, as well being able to assist with St. Clair County M.A.P.S. and working with so many more of our veterans.

“We hope to be a model for other counties because there are going to be more military veterans moving into the area and looking for places to raise their families,” she said. “We want to set an example that will hopefully spread out into other counties.”

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June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 33

Coming Home

SPECIAL: Hell and Back Again

Real-life movie to have Pell City premiere Story by Carol Pappas Photo by Jerry Martin It was a phrase and a sentiment Sgt. Matt Bein borrowed after multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as a Marine sergeant, but he says it describes life after war best. “We were ready for anything … until we came home.”

He had been wounded by IEDs, improvised explosive devices, more than once on his deployments, but it never deterred him from the fight until the last one.

On a foot patrol in Afghanistan, he set off what he now believes to have been a remote IED, and he suffered brain injury. “I remember waking up in a corn field … soggy mud. My right leg was buried in the mud, and I thought I had lost it.”

When medics put him on the stretcher, he could feel that his leg was still intact, and he thought, “Thank God, I still had all my limbs. I’ve got everything. I’m good. I’m good,” he told them, and he got off the stretcher to walk the rest of the way.

He took one step, “fell flat on my face,” and then noticed the ground covered in blood.

A medivac helicopter was on site within 20 minutes, and he was on his way to medical care. “I was in and out of it from there. The only thing I could think about was just breathe, just breathe,” he said.

While civilians might think the rest of the story is a ticket home and return to normal life, for soldiers like Bein, there is a new definition for normal. Coming home is a whole new battleground for them, full of challenges, adjustments, coping and simply trying to survive.

Today, Bein is involved in helping other veterans come home, to talk about their experiences, their fears and get them the resources they need. He is part of a program called MAPS, Military Assistance Personal Support, and the St. Clair County-based 34 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

group may be the first of its kind.

For Bein, the road has been a long one. For two years, he never spoke of the horrors he had seen, the buddies he lost. He had lived for deployments, fighting, “avenging and honoring” his fallen brothers.

His injuries were so severe doctors couldn’t believe he was still walking. He had a blood clot in his brain. “‘With your brain injury you should be almost paralyzed,’” Bein said one physician told him when he walked into the office.

Through it all, he still believed that one day he would deploy again. He had friends who were deploying, and when he went to see them off, he took his young son with him. “When the white buses pulled up, my son started screaming frantically, ‘Don’t go, Dad! I don’t want you to go!’ He knew what the buses meant — you’re coming back or you’re leaving.”

It was at that point that he decided to cooperate. The husband and father of three told himself, “I don’t need to do this to my kids and family anymore.”

He began to talk to his doctors. “I lost four friends.

That’s why I was so intent on avenging and honoring their deaths. I can’t do my job in the civilian world.”

But one doctor’s response gave him pause, helped him see a different path. “He asked me, ‘If those guys were still here what would they say?’ ” And Bein found the answer he is living today: “The best way to honor them is not to fight but to spread awareness about where we have been and find people that need help.”

Bein and others are hoping that awareness will come through a new, award-winning documentary set to be premier in Bein’s hometown of Pell City.

Hell and Back Again is the story of a marine platoon in Afghanistan — Bein’s platoon. It is the true story of what he and his platoon encountered in war, but it’s the rest of the story, too, the hellish, real-life drama of coming home.

It is the Alabama premier of the Academy-Awardnominated film that won the Sundance Film Festival, showing at the Pell City Center on June 14. A reception will honor the veterans at 6 p.m., followed by the film at 7.

Afterward, Bein and Sgt. Nathan Harris will hold a panel discussion for the audience, yet another avenue for building understanding.

A film producer was embedded with this platoon

Alabama Premiere Showing June 14, at the Pell City Center Reception honoring our veterans at 6 p.m.

Movie begins at 7 p.m.

Followed by a panel discussion for the audience with Sgt. Matt Bein and Sgt. Nathan Harris

in Afghanistan in 2009, which was part of the surge ordered by President Barack Obama. The film is about war through the eyes of the platoon, but when Harris was shot, the film turns to the new battleground for him and centers on his nightmare of a journey home.

“We have done research, and 500,000 veterans will come home mentally or physically distraught — basically disabled,” Bein said. “We need to make our best effort to reach out to them and get hem the help they deserve.”

Being able to talk about it “eventually made me see how I could honor the guys who died.

“It was an amazing time — one of the greatest times of our lives. If given the opportunity, I’d do it again,” Bein said.

But he noted that he tries to encourage fellow soldiers with a poignant piece of advice: “We all did great things on our deployments. Don’t let that be the best thing we have ever done.”

MOVIE PHOTOS COURTESY OF DANFUNG DENNIS

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 35

WORLD-CLASS

Horse Country Lusitanos, Arabians find home in St. Clair Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Jerry Martin From the deserts of ancient Arabia and the bullfighting rings of Portugal, two distinctly different yet equally majestic horse breeds have made their way to St. Clair County. World-class Arabians prance and play at Don Olvey’s Aradon Farm in Odenville, while purebred Lusitanos strut and cavort at Robert and Carolyn Crum’s Shangrila Farm in Gallant.

The owners of both farms started their breeding programs for the same reason: They fell in love with a breed.

Olvey’s passion started with a day at a friend’s barn, while the Crums began by admiring an exhibition horse. In each case, a spark was ignited instantly, and their encounters changed the course of their lives.

“I had a friend in the Arabian horse business, and he had an Open Barn with food and tours and invited me to come out,” says Olvey, 76, who rode American Quarter Horses as a child. “I saw these beautiful Arabians, a breed I had never seen before. I decided then and there to get into raising them.”

Olvey bought his first Arabian in 1985 while living in Hoover. He built a barn on his stepfather’s farm in Tuscaloosa County, where he kept his horses until he could find a place of his own. He considers his discovery of the land that was to become Aradon Farm as something magical.

“I wasn’t familiar with this side of town,” he says of Odenville. “I went to Pell City one day, looked on a map and saw Highway 174. I thought I would ride through there on my way home. Through the trees I saw this beautiful pasture, and I said to myself, ‘Oh, would I love to have that.’ I drove another block, and saw a for-sale sign. I called the Realtor immediately and signed the contract that day. It was just what I wanted.”

That first horse Olvey purchased was a stallion, because

36 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

Just because trainer Whitney Winzel at Shangrila Farm wants to put a halter on Bolero doesn’t mean he has to cooperate.

Horse Country

Shangrila’s Veneno works on a levade, an airs-above-thegrounds movement where a horse rears and sets back on his hind feet.

38 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

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“every man thinks he wants a stallion,” he says. Then he bought four mares out of Missouri and had them shipped to Alabama.

He did a lot of research to learn the industry, studying national Arabian horse publications to get familiar with the bloodlines.

“Even in the Arabian breed, there are several different bloodlines,” says Olvey. “You’ve got the Egyptian strain, the Polish, the Russian, the Spanish, and the American strain — called domestic because we’ve taken all those others and blended them together.”

Although his original horses were either sold or died, they gave Olvey his start toward becoming one of the largest Arabian breeders in the Southeast. He has two domestic Arabian stallions, both of them champions. Giaccomo was a Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show Champion 2-year-old colt, a U.S. National Top Ten Yearling Colt and a Region 15 Champion Stallion. PS Andiamo is a U.S. and Canada Top Ten Stallion. Both were sired by Marwan Al Shaquab, who is “the hottest thing in the (Arabian) breeds right now,” according to Olvey.

His two stallions and 12 broodmares produce six to 10 foals per year, which are weaned at four months and sell for $5,000 to $80,000 each. He also breeds to other people’s stallions, and ships semen from his own stallions to other breeders for a $2,500 stud fee. He has eight babies due next year. “We breed for halter horses, and that’s what we mainly show,” Olvey says.

Charlie Watts, one of the Rolling Stones rock group, bought one of Olvey’s mares and flew her to England. Olvey has spent time around Wayne Newton, one of the top Arabian breeders in the country, as well as the late actor Patrick Swayze. “At a horse show, everybody is just an Arabian horse person,” Olvey says. “Even Swayze you wouldn’t have thought was anybody special. He was there because he loved the horse and he wanted to compete and blend in.”

Until recently, his resident trainer, Les Sichini, handled the horses at shows. But three years ago Olvey started showing as an amateur with two of his Aradon-bred colts, Pysnario and Phantasy. He started winning right out of the chute.

“I’ve never had so much fun,” he admits. “I won in Scottsdale, won the Region 12 (a big Southeast show) and at National, I was in the top 10 out of 29 horses. I was thrilled with that.”

While he used to enjoy trail riding, he can’t ride anymore due to back surgery. His carpet business, Don’s Carpet One, keeps him pretty busy, and so does his fight with cancer. “In 2003 I was told I had two years to live,” he says. “Three and a half years later, I was told that again. I’ve been undergoing treatments for nine years, and I’m still in the battle. I’m really a strong believer, I’m a Christian, and I’m at peace with whatever God wants.”

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Horse Country 7-year-old Giaccomo, an Arabian at Aradon Farm

Portuguese roots planted in Gallant

Robert and Carolyn Crum were living in West Palm Beach, Fla., when they saw their first Andalusian horse. “He was a gorgeous black exhibition horse, and we started talking to his trainer,” Carolyn relates. “We decided to start breeding Andalusians.”

In 2001, they went to Mexico to get married on the farm of a breeder of Andalusians and Lusitanos. Intending to buy an Andalusian, they came home with a Lusitano stallion and mare instead.

The Andalusian and the Lusitano are related, both having come originally from Spain, according to Carolyn. That country used them for bullfighting. When Spain outlawed bullfighting,

40 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

there was nothing for the Spanish horse to do. So Spaniards started breeding them for beauty and elegance. The Portuguese still used these horses for bullfighting and trained them for the ring by having them work cattle in the fields.

“The Portuguese horse stayed more true to its roots than the Andalusian did,” Carolyn says. “The Lusitano is from Portugal.”

Originally from Birmingham, Carolyn was an attorney in Atlanta for several years when she decided to make a change and moved to Florida. That’s where she met Robert, who was in the construction business. It was a second marriage for both of them, and they shared a common interest in horses.

For the next 10 years, the Crums bred, trained and showed their horses. They concentrated on quality, rather than quantity,

history of the two horse breeds

By Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Jerry Martin For thousands of years, Arabian horses lived among the desert tribes of the Arabian peninsula, bred by the Bedouins as war mounts for long treks and quick forays into enemy camps.

In those harsh desert conditions, the Arabian evolved with its large lung capacity and incredible endurance.

Arabians are an athletic breed marked by a distinctive dished profile; large, lustrous, wide-set eyes on a broad forehead; small, curved ears; and large, efficient nostrils. They are ridden in a variety of disciplines, from English to Western, and are often considered the champion of endurance events.

General George Washington rode Arabians, as did Genghis Khan, Napoleon and Alexander the Great.

The first Arabian was imported to the United States in 1725, and the first purebred Arabian breeding program in the U.S. began in 1888. Today, there are 652,114 registered Arabians in this country, according to the Arabian Horse Datasource.

By contrast, the Lusitano is a rare breed, and no one knows exactly how many there are in the United States.

The Pura Raza EspaĂąola (PRE) or Andalusians, and the Lusitanos, as well as crosses between the horses, are all in the same stud book, according to breeder Carolyn Crum. They are often lumped together as Iberian horses because they originated on the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), and she estimates that there are less than 10,000 Iberians in this country.

Arabians

Lusitano

Renowned for their good-natured temperament and keen intelligence, Lusitanos have short-coupled body conformation with deep shoulders, powerful chests, high withers and sloping croups, and long slender limbs.

They have a high-stepping gait and can be trained to do Airs Above the Ground, the fancy flying footwork for which the famous Lipizzaner stallions are known.

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 41

Horse Country Aradon assistant Trainer Amy Tucker unhooks Stratavarious after an exercising session.

Shangrila trainer Whitney Wenzel with Veneno

42 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

and their two stallions and two broodmares produced one or two babies each year. But they usually had half a dozen foals, colts and fillies of various ages and levels of training. Then the economy went sour, construction work dried up, and their health took a turn for the worse. The Crums had to make a difficult decision. “We almost got out of the horse business,” Carolyn says. “But we enjoy being able to see them every day. So we downsized to a smaller operation and changed our focus to breeding only.”

They also decided to leave Florida. With Carolyn’s roots in Alabama, they looked in this state and in Tennessee for some farmland and found a place in Gallant that was already set up for breeding warmbloods. They moved there in January, bringing trainer Whitney Wenzel, an Auburn University graduate from South Carolina, with them.

“It was a difficult move for 11 horses and all that equipment,” says Carolyn. “Half of my furniture is still in my guest house in Florida.” The Crums live in an apartment that’s part of their 17-stall barn, with plans to build a house one day.

Their breeding stock now includes three stallions and two broodmares. The grand old man of Shangrila Farms is Exaustivo, a 27-year-old who was born and trained at the Alter Real Stud in Portugal. The Alter Real was founded by the king of Portugal in the 1500s to breed classical equitation horses. Veneno Imperial is their 10-year-old exotic, buckskin-colored stallion imported from Brazil.

Bolero (nicknamed Muffin) is a 6-year-old Shangrila Farm baby, whose grandsire was an international champion jumper, Novilheiro, ridden by famed British horseman John Whittaker. Bolero and Veneno have been featured in several international equine calendars.

They also have a couple of pets, including a rescued thoroughbred and a miniature horse named Cooper who loves to escape his corral and do laps around the barn. In addition, Whitney has five horses of her own.

At seven months, the Shangrila foals are weaned and ready to be matched up with a buyer, if they haven’t already been sold in-utero (before birth). The latter sell for $6,000, while the foals go for $8,000 and the weanlings for $10,000. The average would be $18,000 for a 2- to 3-year old, $22,000 - $25,000 for a 4-year-old under saddle with basic training. It isn’t unusual, however, for a Lusitano with great bloodlines and basic dressage training to go for $45,000, while one at the Grand Prix level of dressage could command $125,000.

“Lusitanos are used primarily for dressage. That’s where the market is,” Carolyn says. “They make wonderful cow horses, but no one wants one for that. They are too expensive for that discipline.”

After two heart surgeries, Carolyn, 75, can no longer ride. Neither does Robert, 72. The horses keep them young in mind and heart, though. They produce a calming effect on Carolyn, whether she’s rubbing their necks or watching them frolic in the pasture. The babies are her biggest joy, and she’s looking forward to a new crop next year.

“We haven’t had any babies for the last two years because of the economy, ” she says. “The number of our semen shipments are down, too. Horses are a reflection of the economy. But I‘m optimistic about this year.” l

Stacked stone fireplace 25 feet

Eagle’s Roost Couple’s dream home their vision in design Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Jerry Martin

Screened porch blends woods

When Dr. Joseph Schumacher and wife, Beth, were looking for a new home, they knew two things for sure: They didn’t want to move into someone else’s house, and if they wanted the home’s details to match their dreams, they would have to design it themselves.

They fulfilled both wishes on a ridge above Odenville called the Eagle’s Roost, and the Schumachers have been living out their ‘happily ever after’ ever since.

The Schumachers’ dream home grew out of what was once hunting property bought by Dale Patterson. He later turned two 40-acre tracts into estate lots, and five houses came to roost there high above the surrounding valley, much like the upscale neighborhood’s name.

Dennis Bearden built the Schumachers’ home, but every detail has the couple’s signature. Initially, they wanted a log home, but their research evolved into an impressive 3,800-square-foot, two-story masterpiece.

The log-home design influence is unmistakable, but it reaches well beyond. The cypress exterior that gives you the first glimpse of the house hints at the Schumachers’ love of different kinds of wood and how they become an integral part of the plan.

Built on a slope, it has a full upper and lower level whose design is driven by its angles and a love for the outdoors. “We brought as much as we could in,” he said, pointing to the stone and wood features that

Cypress exterior a design feature

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 45

Eagle’s Roost

A view from the woods

offer a “great contrast.”

Step into the foyer, and you are immediately greeted by an open, stone fireplace, seeing all the way through to the great room — an immediately welcoming feature. The stacked, sandstone fireplace from bottom to roof is 25 feet, serving up warm, cozy evenings by the fire.

The great room with pine, tongue-and-groove cathedral ceilings is highlighted by a wall of windows overlooking the woods below. And it is the focal point of two wings of the home set at an angle.

The red oak floor is one of four or five different types of wood used to give this showplace a natural, rustic feel.

A copper-colored tin roof over the half bath rather than a simple open space between its top and the angle of the ceiling is one of the many special touches found throughout the house. Pocket doors are common, giving the house an open feel all the way through but offering an alternative for privacy when needed.

The master bedroom is huge, providing an open feel with an expansive view. The master bath features travertine floors

46 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

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June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 47

Eagle’s Roost

Nautical light fixtures from Beth’s parents’ home

and granite countertops, and the same sound system that runs throughout the house and outside is found there, too.

Bubble tub, a travertine walk-in shower with steam and his and her closets complete the master suite.

The kitchen is an open design, just off the great room, offering the same incredible views that surround the house. It is easy to imagine it as a gathering place for family and friends or that perfect dinner for two.

Grab a cup of coffee and head outside in the mornings through French doors leading to a screened porch that runs the length of one wing while an open deck spans the other. Slate flooring and cedar furniture are the ideal complements to the Schumachers’ version of the great outdoors.

On the lower level, more special features await, like the cedar stair railing, as you descend. Another great room serves as a home theater with a 110-inch screen and another open fireplace that sees through to a wet bar highlighting Schumacher’s special collection of Matruskas, or nesting dolls, he bought while doing research in the Ukraine. “They are impressive pieces of art,” he said.

Art of a different sort takes place in the very next room — music. When Schumacher concludes his day job as a clinical psychologist at UAB, you might find him at a local night spot or private party playing drums for the Blue Devils, an aptly named blues band made up of members from the area.

48 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

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June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 49

Eagle’s Roost

Joe Schumacher at downstairs bar, flanked by Matruska doll collection

The great room features a view of the woods through these specially designed windows.

50 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

A copper colored tin roof … inside

The master suite It’s where the band practices and where Schumacher just might be caught taking a break from work in his adjacent home office. “I’ve played the drums since I was a little kid. I still have the first drum set I ever had,” he said.

A guest bedroom and bath complete the lower level, offering plenty of room for visitors and overnight stays.

Just beyond the perfectly framed view — a different perspective of the natural beauty that surrounds this place — is a patio area featuring a hot tub and customized ceiling fans against a backdrop of the home’s exterior cypress wood siding and brick.

A few feet away is a fire pit with chairs made from hickory and other pieces of wood he found in the surrounding woods — yet another gathering place or a cozy spot for two.

“It’s very comfortable, very quiet,” he said. “When people come and stay over, they say it’s like a resort.” l

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 51

Jennifer Gover did not intend to follow in her mother’s footsteps, at least not in the path of a master gardener. But one look at the bountiful gardens that frame her home and property each spring, and it is evident she inherited her mother’s green thumb and a passion for flowers.

“My mother was an avid flower gardener,” she said. “You know how mothers have you busy doing stuff and you say, ‘I’ll never do that.’ ” Take in the abundance of blossoming azaleas, dogwoods, wisteria, irises, daylilies — they’re all here and more — and you immediately recognize the promise made to herself as a child was never kept.

Her mother’s favorite flower?

“All of them,” Jennifer replies without hesitation. She apparently inherited that, too.

The drive leading up to their King’s Circle home in Pell City is quite a welcome mat of color, vibrant azaleas and dogwoods leading the way. Bursts of color in beds found in virtually every corner and along every path on the property show off her handiwork.

The retired Pell City High School principal is quick to point out that she has help. Husband Kenny Gover, whose day job takes him to Coldwater as principal of the elementary school, is “the hands,” she said. “I’m the planner. He’s the worker.”

In the early years, the Govers began with white dogwoods from the wild. She thought, “I’m not going to get into a big yard.” Azaleas followed “little by little.”

A dozen years later, and the Gover home and grounds are a spring color showcase. And they share it with family, friends, neighbors and anyone else who happens to stop by for her “open house” at the peak of their blooming.

Passersby on drives to see spring color will stop and inevitably recognize the legacy and say, “Oh, your mother is the plant

There’s gardening, and then there is

Something Govers’ gardens are a sight to behold

52 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

Story by Carol Pappas • Photos by Mike Callahan

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June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 53

Govers’ Gardens

Jennifer and Kenny Gover relax on swing

Spring colors are Govers’ trademark.

54 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

lady. We always would go by there.”

One little girl told her, “The colors are so beautiful, I need sunglasses.”

It’s easy to understand the youngster’s sentiment on a tour of the gardens, which saw an average of 20 people a day coming to get a closer look. “Some came back to walk through a second or third time,” she said. “It’s a word-of-mouth thing.” And she greets them not only with her flowers, but with open house fare, like cakes and other refreshments. “I love them coming.”

She is part of a flower group called Mahogany, and its retiree members meet once a month. But their discussions and activities go well beyond blooms and blossoms. “It’s a group of people who like to help each other.”

They clean yards and make an impact. They visit, have lunch with guest speakers — like a registered nurse or a banker — who “impact us individually or as a group.”

They go on trips to learn more about their state and its history. They have been to Gee’s Bend, Brown’s Chapel Church and the Na-

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tional Voting Rights Museum in Selma. They traveled to Dexter Avenue in Montgomery to see the church and parsonage of Martin Luther King.

Here at home, Mahogany gets back to the business of flowers, this year naming Gover’s creation a not-too-surprising ‘Yard of the Month.’ “It’s probably month and year,” laughed Gover.

Like a proud mother gathering her young, she is constantly traveling to and fro to flea markets and home centers to add to her collection.

She specializes in bringing distressed plants back to life so that all may enjoy the pleasures of what she has known since childhood. It is not unusual for people to “leave things for me,” she said. They may be irises or daylilies, and they tell her, “I can’t keep this alive. What can you do?”

“They never come back and get them,” she said.

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Govers’ Gardens

And she gladly accepts the challenge, simply adding to her gardens year after year and thinking of each flower left behind as a gift.

“There is nothing like early morning in the yard,” she said. “There’s a presence of God. A bloom leaf opens. Birds are singing. You reflect, think about life — where you’ve been and where you’re going.”

Her husband enjoys the pleasures of the gardens, too, not just the work, but to sit back and “see what you’ve accomplished.

“It’s a time to bond with each other,” she added.

She tells young people when they build a house, put the plants out now.

“You’ll look back and enjoy it in your life,” she said.

Her other piece of advice? “You should love what you’re doing. I love the plants. It should have been my calling.”

One look around Govers’ gardens, and it doesn’t take long to conclude that that is exactly what it is. l

56 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

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June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 57

Business Briefing

By Carol Pappas Photos by Jerry Martin

new business, expansions spur growth Steel is going up on expanded medical services in Pell City. Finishing touches are being applied to the new veterans home. To the east in Riverside, Nufab is breaking ground. In Moody, Jenkins Brick has reopened after a three-year hiatus. And retail stores are finding a new home in an old Pell City building.

Those are signs of an economy on the move again in St. Clair County.

ing vacant properties, such as grocery stores and other big box structures. The project represents a total investment of $2.5 million, which should create 30 to 40 new jobs. Construction is expected to be completed in midSeptember, and stores should open around the first of November, the spokesman said.

“It was great to work with the mayor, Don Smith, executive director of the St. Clair Economic Development Council, and Candice Hill,” the assistant EDC director with whom he credited as being instrumental in bringing the project to fruition.

NUFAB construction site

Jenkins Brick reopens

Just ask Jenkins Brick Plant Manager Jeff Madore.

His company has restarted operations after closing three years ago. Now owned by Acme Brick, a company of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, Jenkins has hired 32 associates and is now operating at nearly 50 percent. A long-awaited upward move in construction spurred the reopening in mid-March, he said.

Northside Medical expanding

Northside Medical in Pell City continues to make its mark on the medical community with a 14,000-squarefoot expansion of its facilities near I-20 and US 231 South. The addition on the north side of the existing facility will have a dedicated after-care suite and expanded diagnostic and patient-care areas to serve its growing practice. Target date for completion is September.

Pell City Food World to become strip mall

Second Street Plaza LLC has plans to breathe new life into a vacant Food World building in Pell City, converting it into a shopping center that will house three to four retail tenants.

Leases were expected to be signed in early June, and a spokesman for the Mississippi-based company could not disclose their identities until the leases were signed. The project also includes an out parcel that can be developed. Second Street specializes in redevelop-

Nufab breaks ground in Riverside

Nufab Rebar LLC, which manufactures concretereinforcing steel and related products, has broken ground on a new plant in Riverside.

The company plans to invest $6.9 million in the facility on its site just off the I-20 exit. It plans to hire 50 employees within the first three years, with expected growth to a potential of more than 80 employees over the next five years, which will make it the largest employer in the City of Riverside.

Because of the new jobs, the City of Riverside was granted a $1 million Industrial Access Grant from the Alabama Industrial Access Road & Bridge Program for infrastructure improvements, giving the company access to the adjacent railroad. In addition, grants for sewer improvements have been applied for and could indirectly provide new commercial opportunities for the City of Riverside along its interstate exit.

“All of us at Nufab Rebar are very excited to be building our new facility in the City of Riverside,” said Nufab’s Dennis Swinney. “The new facility will fabricate rebar for use in reinforced concrete construction projects throughout Alabama and its surrounding states.

We have worked very closely with Riverside Mayor Jessup, the Economic Development Council, St. Clair County officials and other city staff and appreciate the assistance and support that they have provided for this project.”

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

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June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 59

COOSA RIVERKEEPER

Frank Chitwood checks the shoreline of Logan Martin lake.

Protecting an endangered waterway 60 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

Story by Mike Bolton Photos by Jerry Martin It is never good a good sign when you look out your window to see Dog the Bounty Hunter pulling up in your driveway. Those who pollute Lake Logan Martin, Lake Neely Henry and the four other Coosa River impoundments get the same uneasiness when they see 23-year-old Frank Chitwood approaching.

Don’t let the baby face and the age fool you.

The man known as the Coosa Riverkeeper plays hardball with those municipalities and businesses that illegally discharge their wastes along the 280-mile length of the Coosa River. Accompanied by a posse of more than 150 members and volunteers, Chitwood and his group fight a daily battle against big businesses and against a state notoriously lax in punishing those who violate water quality standards.

Chitwood says in an ideal world there would be no need for the non-profit Coosa Riverkeeper organization, but this is not an ideal world. The American Rivers organization has declared the Coosa River one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the United States. The Alabama Department of Public Health has issued warnings to not consume fish or to limit the consumption of fish from portions of the river, including sections in St. Clair County.

Many of those who live on the river now question whether it’s even safe to allow their children and grandchildren to swim there, Chitwood says.

“Every kid should be able to go sit on a dock and catch a fish and cook it and eat it,” Chitwood said. “That’s primal.

“It’s sad when people who live on the river have come to accept that you can’t eat the fish.

I haven’t eaten fish from the Coosa in a long time. I want to one day eat fish from the Coosa and not worry. I want to fish there with my kids and grandkids one day and eat the fish and know they are safe to eat. I don’t have that right now.”

Chitwood became involved in the environmental club at Altamont School and quickly realized his life’s calling. He went to Boston University, where he studied environmental analysis and policy.

“I’ve always been interested in rivers and the outdoors and having a healthy community,” he said.

Upon his return to Birmingham, he knew his focus would be on the Coosa.

He says fighting environmental concerns is an uphill battle in Alabama but he has been pleasantly surprised his acceptance by Coosa River residents and those who live in the Coosa River basin. He says a half-million people live in the middle and lower basin.

With education, they learn about the problems with the Coosa and how everything that is done in the basin has an impact. They also learn that

Riverside bridge over the Coosa.

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 61

Frank Chitwood checks the condition of the water with a water testing kit on Logan Martin Lake.

62 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

COOSA RIVERKEEPER

Frank Chitwood along with his dog, Youk, a regular companion while checking the conditions of Logan Martin Lake

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The Riverkeeper patrols the river by boat and airplane, looking for problems. The group also conducts the tedious task of studying discharge permits granted to businesses and documenting the number of violations.

When a frequent violator is pinpointed, the group approaches the violators and asks for the problems to be rectified. The group also contacts the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and demands action, including fines.

“Polluters don’t like what we do,” Chitwood said. “They see us as someone who is trying to cost them money. They are not accustomed to anyone standing up to them. They are usually very hostile. They tell us we don’t have any power, and there’s nothing we can do. They tell us they don’t care what we think.

“The Clean Water Act gives every citizen the power to demand that clean water laws be followed.”

Chitwood says the premise of the Coosa Riverkeeper organization is very simple. The natural resources belong to everyone. Those who use it for monetary gain should be held accountable to abiding by the laws that make those resources safe enough for everyone to use.

“You’ve got to ask: ‘Why are we treating environment this way?’” he said. “So many believe that it’s free to us, so it has no value. They believe that if they can’t put dollar value on it, it’s valueless.

“These businesses incorporate their values into everyday life. They spread their wastes, putting the costs on everyone.”

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June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 63

COOSA RIVERKEEPER Youk on bow lookout returning to Riverside Landing

Chitwood believes that clean resources are a winwin for everyone involved, including businesses.

“Alabama is very far behind other states in environmental laws and in enforcing environmental laws,” he said. “There’s not a good reason for that.

“We have the most amazing resources of any state. We need to see that they are protected now and for the future. When you protect resources, you provide jobs.

“Businesses are encouraged to come to Alabama because we have lax laws. But who wants to relocate here when it’s not safe to go fishing? Who wants to take advantage of our water when the water quality is poor? Who wants to bring their families somewhere to live where it’s not safe to swim and fish?

It’s not a great place to locate a business when you don’t find good water and air when you get here.”

The portion of the Coosa River that runs through St. Clair County has the problems typical of the river all across its length. Studies by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management have found

64 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

high levels of fecal chloroform bacteria near some marinas that allow the docking of houseboats. That is likely caused by some houseboat owners dumping raw human sewage into the water instead of taking advantage of pump-out stations installed at some marinas.

There are also businesses that violate their discharge permits. Rarely do they see fines.

“Some of the most damaging pollution is the pollution of our political system,” Chitwood said.

“Let’s say someone wants to put a quarry in an area, and that’s not what the people there want. It’s not of any community value. It goes there anyway because business has a voice in the state, and others do not.”

Alabama needs an overhaul of ADEM, the governmental body that regulates dischargers and enforces water quality laws, Chitwood says.

“The agency has no money to do its job, yet any fines it might levy goes into the state’s general fund rather than back to ADEM, where it could be used for enforcement.” l

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Argo rich in history, primed for growth With cultural roots much older than the 25 years since incorporation, Alabama town in perfect location to attract new businesses and residents Story by Jerry Smith Photos by Jerry Martin Submitted photos Folks traveling through Argo hardly realize it’s there, but 4,000-plus citizens who call it home know what a quiet treasure Argo really is. And Mayor Paul Jennings eagerly anticipates the prosperous exurb he feels it’s destined to become.

His message is: “If you’re looking for a new place to move your home or business, come on over!” According to Jennings, Argo is now primed for residential and commercial growth, with plenty of space for new development as well as several well-established residential areas.

With portions in both Jefferson and St. Clair counties and served by I-59 and US 11 highways and Norfolk Southern Railway, Argo is “shovel-ready” for industrial and residential development. Further, Argo has ample access to three-phase electrical power, a vital resource not found at several other potential commercial sites in St. Clair.

Several companies already call Argo home, such as the Mantel Shoppe. Using state-of-the-art technology, it annually manufactures hundreds of custom-ordered wooden fireplace mantels, surrounds and related fixtures, shipping products all over the United States.

Argo is in the midst of celebrating its 25th year of incorporation. Its official charter was signed on February 19, 1987, as home to only 477 souls, but has since proliferated almost tenfold. The current government format is mayor with five council members.

In 2006-07, Argo added a modern municipal building to house administrative offices, a fire station, community auditorium and Senior Center, all under one roof. Not yet completely finished, it already hosts dozens of senior citizens in bi-monthly activity meetings.

Argo’s seniors love these sessions, especially when the mayor’s mother, Mrs. Hortense Jennings, serves her famous homemade biscuits. Mayor Jennings said everyone wants one of her biscuits first, even when full meals are furnished.

These warm-hearted elders are typical of Argo’s local citizenry — always ready to be there for one another. And Jennings says it’s always been that way, whether in the wake of recent tornadoes or some previous tragedy.

66 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

Courtesy Doris Stanley Memorial Library, Moody

Argo train depot

Courtesy Earl Massey, in his book Argo Through The Years

Fred & Jeans tavern on US 11, formerly land office for Mason-Dixon City 1960

Shortly after Argo’s incorporation, the Glenn family’s pioneer home burned to the ground due to lack of advanced fire-fighting equipment. After picking up the pieces, the Glenns donated land for a new fire station and town hall. Jennings recalls that people from all over the community pitched in to help finance and build this new facility. The town’s future first mayor, Gordon Massey, was especially energetic in that effort.

The Masseys of Argo are of pioneer stock. A plaque in the family cemetery states, “Samuel Massey and his brother-inlaw William Duke Glenn first came to this territory in February 1814 with Lt. Col. Reuben Nash’s Regiment of the South Carolina Volunteer Militia to help defeat the Creek Indians in the War of 1812. Samuel Massey returned to settle this land months before Alabama became a state in 1819. Samuel’s son, William Duke Massey, married Ruth Reed, daughter of William ‘Silver Billy’ Reed. Born Oct. 28, 1817, she was the first white girl born in Jefferson County.”

According to Earl Massey in his book, Argo Through the Years, Samuel was the first to be buried in this cemetery, but not before helping to put Argo’s environs on the map. Samuel became justice of the peace, holding court sessions in his home in 1820 in what is now Trussville. One of his jury foremen was Warren Truss, of another member of a pioneer family who later

founded Trussville.

An Indian trail, later known as Georgia Road, ran through future Gadsden, Ashville, St. Clair Springs, Springville, Argo and Trussville, bearing wagon-loads of settlers, many with land grants given for military service. This road also served an area which became Girl Scout Camp Mary Munger, originally the site of Massey’s gristmill on the Cahaba River, the only such mill in Argo.

James Robert Massey ran both this mill and his own blacksmith shop and later built a cotton gin near the family’s cemetery. The Masseys were pivotal in the development of the Argo area. Their presence is still very much in evidence. Many Birmingham natives recall Massey Mercantile on Second Avenue North in downtown Birmingham, operated by another kinsman, “Thorny” Massey.

Other commercial buildings quickly sprang up, among them a general store owned by pioneer William Duke ‘Doc’ Glenn, and the Massey-Youngman General Merchandise store, which faced the railroad. Trains often stopped right in front of Youngman’s store to unload ordered merchandise.

Prior to the 1920s, what is now US 11 was just a secondary road, with most traffic going through Chalkville and Clay on today’s Old Springville Road. According to Argo Through the

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 67

Historic Argo

Years, when the new road was completed, Charlie Youngman reconfigured his store to face the highway, adding a facade built of field rock, a gas tank and hand-operated gas pump with visible glass reservoir.

A one-room schoolhouse called Fairfield once stood beside the future US 11, where it now crosses I-59. In his book, Memories, Gordon Melton tells us: “School term was only four or five months during fall and winter. That was the only time children could be spared from the crops. … There were no motor vehicles of any kind then, and all kinds of animals roamed the highways; cows, hogs, horses, goats, sheep and others.

“The grassy plot surrounding the schoolhouse was a favorite place for ... cows to graze. This caused a problem in that all cows wore bells; ... each bell had a different tone.

Several times a day, the teacher would send two boys out to drive the cows away so the bell ringing would not disturb the children’s’ studies. We also had problems with hogs, especially on cold days. They would pile up under the schoolhouse, directly under the pot-bellied stove. … The hogs would crowd each other and make a lot of noise trying to get to a warm place.”

68 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

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According to Earl Massey, in the late 1920s the Birmingham Development Company decided to build a totally new town on some 4,000 acres of land on US 11, less than a mile southwest of Camp Mary Munger Road. Concrete gutters and curbs were poured, and two buildings were constructed. It was to be called Mason-Dixon City.

This new town folded in 1927, during the Great Depression.

One of those buildings, a land office, became Fred & Jeans Tavern, familiar to many older folks who used to travel US 11. It’s alleged that this dance hall/package store helped support the community’s economy by buying whiskey from local moonshiners.

Fred & Jeans was also known as the First & Last, because it was the first place on US 11 you could buy legal alcohol when entering Jefferson County and the last when leaving. Fred & Jeans was eventually replaced by the First & Last Chance Tavern.

Another Argo landmark is the old Micklewright store, which was also a Post Office and pawn shop. It now serves as an auction house. It was the longest continuously-run store in Argo, from the early 1900s to late 1950s. Owned by Thomas Alfred Micklewright, the store was tended by his son, Willie, who slept in a back room to help guard the store.

Massey relates that Willie was awakened one Sunday night by two young men from Birmingham who told him they wanted to buy back a pistol they’d recently pawned. Willie gave it to them, after which they proceeded to cover Willie with it while they robbed the store and Post Office.

They then forced Willie to go with them some 3 miles up the railroad track, where they intended to hop an illegal ride on a freight train they knew would slow down for a steep grade about 10 p.m. They told Willie they were going to kill him, but honored his plea for a few minutes to pray.

While in prayer, he suddenly broke and ran. Willie tripped and fell about the time they shot at him, so he decided to fake

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Historic Argo

Massey & Youngman General Merchandise store 1913

Photos courtesy Earl Massey, in his book Argo Through The Years

death. He lay very still with one hand on the side of his face. For good measure, the thieves shot him once more, this time in the head at point blank range. Fortunately, Willie passed out immediately from shock, so they left him for dead and caught their train.

Willie later regained consciousness, went to a nearby farm, thence was taken to a doctor.

The bullet had lost most of its energy passing through Willie’s finger, burying itself very lightly in his skull.

Authorities were notified in time to arrest the two murderous thieves just as they reached home. They were quickly convicted, spending the next 15 years at forced hard labor in the coal mines. The Micklewright family still owns Willie’s bullet.

Today’s Argo is a more serene place — a community town, full of folks who make you feel at home, whether you’re shopping at historic Buckeye’s store or visiting seniors in the town hall.

There’s a nice little drive-in theater on US 11, one of only a few hundred left in the United States. Close by is Williams Orchard, where you can buy enough nursery goods to landscape most any sized yard. Williams’ also has a large curb market, offering a variety of fresh produce as well as the area’s finest homemade fried fruit pies. A bit further down the road, don’t be surprised to see genuine Texas longhorn cattle grazing beside US 11.

When visiting Argo, one senses that Mayor Jennings’ invitation to “come on over” is wellmeant and genuine. l

Massey Mill on Cahaba River 1907

M&Y store after upgrades and entrance moved to face US11 1939 70 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

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MOODY, ALABAMA Celebrating 50 years ... and much more

Today’s ‘crossroads’ PURSUING THE FUTURE TODAY: An ambitious slogan for a city that’s barely 50 years old, but thanks to insightful leadership and fortuitous location in both time and place, Moody apparently has everything it takes to make good on that promise.

It’s a vibrant community of more than 11,000 souls, inhabiting an area that hosted a population of only about 500 as recently as 1973. Since then, it has grown by leaps and bounds, more than 70 percent in the last 10 years.

Mayor Joe Lee predicts that within five years Moody may well become St. Clair’s largest municipality, in both population and productivity.

Moody is sizable, geographically, stretching from Trussville in the west to Odenville in the north and Leeds to the south. The city encompasses large tracts of Interstate-bordered lands, which are prime properties for

72 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

new industries and growth, plus several modern, upscale subdivisions along with plenty of middle-income housing.

The mayor puts it this way: “We’re on the move again.

Moody has been one of the fastest growing municipalities in St. Clair County, year in and year out. We’ve ranked in the top four or five in the whole state for many of those years.”

Councilwoman Linda Crowe adds, “It’s also about location, location, location. We’re right on the border of Jefferson County, with many companies deciding to cross the line for whatever good reason.” Lee agrees, “We’re between Barber Motor Sports and Talladega Superspeedway, and we have the Mercedes plant on one side and Honda on the other. Lots of people who work in those places live and shop in Moody.”

Its current leadership is mayor-council form of govern-

Councilwoman Linda Crowe and Mayor Joe Lee look over documents in the Mayor’s Office.

Moody City Hall

Story by Jerry C. Smith Photos by Jerry Martin ment. Mayor Lee works closely with Council members Linda Crowe (who’s also mayor pro-tem), Lynn Taylor, Phillip Deason, Bobby Clements and Paul Johnson.

2012 is a banner year for Moody.

Incorporated in 1962, the city is celebrating a Semicentennial (50-year) milestone. Mayor Lee, who’s held the position since 2003, spoke at a gala, 1960s-themed reception in the main meeting room of Moody’s new City Hall on March 11, 2012, followed by historical stories told by local residents and music by the Wing-Nuts band.

Lee feels that the current economic inertia which continues to stifle in other areas has already begun to liven up in his city, with the coming of several new businesses, such as Red Diamond Tea Company, which in 2008 moved lock, stock and barrel from nearby Birmingham, where it had been headquartered for more than a hundred years. In Moody Magazine, Red Diamond CEO Bill Bowron Jr. said, “Moody is a natural extension of the growth of the company. ... We’ve been thrilled at the reception.”

The mayor also alludes to several more prime businesses making initial plans to settle here. Other established major firms are ADESA Auto Auction, Jenkins Brick and Tractor Supply.

Of these, Jenkins Brick, a national chain with 27 locations in five states, is especially noteworthy for its environmental considerations. Their furnaces are fired by landfill methane, piped in from the Veolia facility in nearby Acmar, saving thousands of cubic feet of natural gas per year.

Jenkins obtains much of their processing water from rainfall, captured from the plant’s rooftop and stored in huge tanks.

Not bad for a city which was little more than a sleepy farm community until the mid-l960s. Many residents can recall when the town was called Moody’s Crossroads, named after two wagon trails that intersected near the

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 73

MOODY, ALABAMA Red Diamond

home of its original settlers.

Epps Moody brought his family here from North Carolina in the early 1820s, during President James Monroe’s administration. He settled on a section of land granted to him by the federal government and built a one-room log cabin for their first home.

According to historian Mattie Lou Teague Crow in History Of St Clair County (Alabama), this cabin had a chimney at one end that Moody himself constructed from clay he’d dug from his own land, molded into bricks, and baked on an open fire. Years later, Moody tore down the original cabin but left the chimney standing, then built a much larger house around it.

Both house and chimney still stand today, just beyond Moody City Hall on Park Avenue.

The home has been inhabited by Moody descendants since its antebellum birth. The storms of April 27, 2011, damaged it slightly and destroyed a fine old oak tree, but Epps Moody’s home is otherwise in pristine condition, a fitting tribute to the skill of its builder.

Shortly after the Moodys settled in, several other families moved into the area, among them the Moores, Kirks, Kerrs, Lamberts, Sprueills, Adkins, Hawkins, Fulmers and Taylors — all

74 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

Acmar Commissary

familiar names to local history buffs.

Mrs. Crow writes, “These people were hard-working men and women. They loved liberty and opposed slavery. Not a single family owned Negro slaves. Life was easier here for them than ... back in the hills of North Carolina, and they were happy.

“When the South seceded from the Union and the Civil War began, the people of Moody’s Crossroads were greatly disturbed, for they were pro-Union in sympathy. The men who entered the Confederate Army did so against their will. At least one of them is known to have deserted and joined the Union ranks.” But she adds, “Mr. Epps Moody’s son, Riley, served the South’s cause valiantly throughout the war and was elevated to the office of captain.”

After war’s end, residents of Moody’s Crossroads worked very hard together to establish a thriving rural community.

They built a store, blacksmith shop, gristmill and in 1879, their first school, a small log building with open fireplace.

From there, the little village grew into only a slightly larger village until the late 1950’s, when things really began to change, eventually transforming Moody into the bustling little city it has become today. And what kind of place is it?

Most any Moody resident will tell you their hometown has everything anyone really needs for the good life, but without overcrowding and many other hazards of big-city life. People commune with one another, worship together, play together and readily unite when times call for strong community action.

In 1998, Moody came together for one of its own when an escaped criminal, Mario Centobie, shot and killed Moody police officer Keith Turner. Not only did the entire town turn out to assist lawmen working a widespread dragnet during blistering July heat, but also deferred its annual Fourth of July fireworks display for several days until the manhunt ended with Centobie’s capture.

Moody’s people went all out for Officer Turner’s family and with financial backing from several local concerns, held their fireworks show in his honor on that date for several years afterward.

Youth sports is another vital part of Moody’s civic persona, with more than 800 youngsters actively involved in football, baseball and soccer. Most home games are played on Miracle League fields at Moody City Park, which includes Alabama’s first baseball field designed specifically for special-needs children.

Heritage is also very important to Moody’s citizenry. The city is surrounded by remnants of mining operations and other rural industries whose history is being actively sought and preserved. Of particular note is the old commissary at Acmar.

It was a company store for Alabama Fuel & Iron and is currently being considered as a future Moody historical attraction.

Linda Crowe, councilwoman and local historian, says, Acmar “was once a vital part of Moody, and we want to restore it and once again make it a vital part of our ever-growing area.”

Moody is well-endowed spiritually, with 10 major-denomination churches and a host of other congregations in surrounding communities. Moody City Park hosts an annual National Day of Prayer, which saw some 850 participants in 2009, and more than a thousand in 2010. It’s another example of a united community, sponsored by more than 30 churches in Moody and adjoining areas.

In Moody Magazine, NDP Program Director Derrick Griffie said, “They were crossing denominational lines, setting aside things that make them different and coming together for the same cause — prayer — for things that really affect the community. … When you see different races and age groups come together, it’s a blessing. It’s huge.”

Perhaps that best describes Moody as a whole: It’s a huge little city. l

June - July 2012 | DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 75

Biking with Bo Pell City resident cycles with the stars to raise money and awareness for tornado-ravaged parts of Alabama Charles Browning and Bo Jackson

Story by Loyd McIntosh Photos by Jerry Martin Submitted Photos Two days, 115 miles. That’s the time and distance Pell City resident Charles Browning spent perched on a bicycle seat this spring. Riding from Cullman to Bessemer, Browning rubbed elbows with some big names in the world of sports — Auburn legend Bo Jackson, seven-time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstong and Olympic skier Picabo Street, just to name a few. His close-encounter-of-the famous-kind came while participating in the Bo Bikes Bama initiative to raise money for Alabama tornado victims.

If you think this was all about getting up-close-and-personal with the world of celebrities, you can forget it. Browning’s motivation was, simply put, to serve his fellow man while participating in one of his favorite activities — bicycling.

Browning got into long-distance cycling after recovering from heart surgery about six years ago, working his way to up to riding in several century rides of 100 miles though the years.

However, the fit and trim Browning was forced to take some time off from biking after suffering a nasty accident in October

76 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

2011. While riding in the MS 150 in Orange Beach, Browning’s bike blew a tire, sending him crashing to the pavement and into rehab.

“I’ve never imagined blowing a tube out and what might occur if you were running 25 miles per hour. It just went into a shimmy, like a car would go into, and I went across the handlebars,” Browning says. “I cracked the helmet real bad on the right side, had three stitches in my head, three rib fractures, and my pelvis fractured in two places. I never imagined such a thing occurring.”

The spill also cost Browning his bike, snapping the fame into two pieces. But Browning didn’t sit around long. Six weeks of rehab and a new two-wheeler later, Browning was back on his bike and riding in his first long-distance ride since the accident – the 2012 Cheaha Challenge. Billed as “The Toughest Ride In The South,” Browning rode the 66-mile route from Piedmont to Mount Cheaha on Sunday, April 22, finishing the ride number 44 out of 78 riders.

Feeling positive about his ride and his injuries healed, Browning decided to register to ride on the Bo Bikes Bama tour less than a week later. With a goal of raising $1 million for the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund, Bo Bikes Bama began in

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Biking with Bo

Charles and Cathy Browning

the Henagar community of DeKalb County and, over a fiveday period, wound through some of the communities most affected by the deadly tornadoes of April 27, 2011, coming to an end in Tuscaloosa.

Riding alongside Jackson, Browning had a chance to talk to the Heisman Trophy winner and gain a little insight into the man and his mission to help people throughout his home state.

Browning says he spent quite a bit of time in conversation with Jackson, talking about anything and everything – except football.

“I think Bo did a very admirable thing. It was a lot of fun to make the investment and pay the fees to ride,” says Browning.

“Mind you, I’m not a real big sports fan. I know who Bo Jackson was when he was going through school and that he won the Heisman, but I’m not a die hard fan. I don’t fly the Auburn flag or Alabama flag.

“I believe Bo Jackson was an Alabamian, not an Auburn player or an Alabama player. I think he was there for Alabama and the people,” Browning added.

Browning also had the chance to talk with Picabo Street, who he says was “well pleased about the turnout and very nice and very friendly.” He also met other riders who came from as far away as Texas and California to be part of this historic ride.

Browning rode the two-day trek from Cullman to Bessemer, a route that also took riders through the communities of Jasper and Cordova – just to name a few – that were hit hard in the storms of last April. Browning, had already gotten a personal look at the devastation in St. Clair County, having volunteered in Shoal Creek Valley for a few days following the storms.

Biking through central Alabama gave him a different perspective on the intense force of mother nature. “There’s no real way to describe the damage a tornado can do,” says Browning.

“I can tell you, or tell so-and-so, but it’s not until you’re sitting there looking at it that you realize it looks like a war zone.”

Of the communities the tour took him through, Browning says Codova appeared to be the worst hit, and signs of the destruction are still visible well over a year since the storm. He also got a sense of how seemingly arbitrary a tornado can be.

For instance, the husband of one of Browning’s nieces works for a bank based out of Jasper with a branch located in a trailer in the middle of downtown Cordova that survived while the rest of the buildings in the town took the brunt of the storm.

78 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair | June - July 2012

Lance Armstrong and Bo Jackson The tour avoided the major state and U.S. highways as much as possible, a fact Browning was happy to find out believing much of the ride would take them on the notorious stretch of Highway 69, one of the most dangerous roads in the state. Instead, they biked along many country roads, watching the Alabama landscape unfold in a unique way.

Even on the back roads of rural Alabama, Browning says, people lined up along the roadside, cheering the group of riders on as they passed by en route to the next destination. He says being able to see the reaction of people from devastated communities having their faith and hope restored was powerful and inspirational.

“When we came out of Cullman we went through Arley, Alabama, and then into Jasper, I was amazed at the number of people who came out,” Browning says. “There were people standing out in their yards and up on their front porches.

“There was just a lot of strong support out there from the people. There were a lot of people all along the side of the road, waving flags and carrying on,” Browning says. “When we went to a school above Jasper, there might have been 500 kids out there on the cul-de-sac. It kind of makes you feel like a hero.”

To date, Bo Bikes Bama has raised $500,000 for victims of the April 27, 2011 tornadoes. To donate, go online to www.bobikesbama.com. l

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