2019 September/October Franklin Living

CHARLENE FANCHER | JEFFERY DICK | COOKING WITH COAN

September/October 2019 Vol. 9 Issue No. 5

Do you believe in

MAGIC?

Rockin’ Eco Hero Steve Trash shares his passion for environment and entertainment

FROM THE MANAGING EDITOR

O

nce upon a time, I wondered what would happen when I ran out of feature stories for Franklin Living magazine.

What happens when all the interesting tales have been told? What do I do when there are no interesting people left to profile, no special projects to share, no lifestyle stone left unturned?

Now, more than four years later, I know better. I know that will never happen.

Every time I start to ponder a story selection for an upcoming publication, scores of stories begin to present themselves. The truth is, Franklin County is just saturated with amazing people and places that deserve their time in the spotlight, and we will never “run out” of feature stories for our bi-monthly magazine.

In this issue you just might learn something you didn’t know. Did you know world-famous eco comedian magician Steve Trash – who graces this issue’s cover – hails from right here in Frog Pond? Did you know Red Bay Mayor Charlene Fancher is also president of the Red Bay Garden Club, and her happy place is among her plants and flowers? Did you know The Little Stitch’s Jeffery Dick is growing his business

from what began as a simple desire for a small studio in which to enjoy his artistic pursuits?

There’s always something new to discover.

To our regular features, in this issue we add an opportunity for you to hear the latest education news – straight from the horse’s mouth, if you will. Turn to page 24 for a quick word from Franklin County’s superintendents, Heath Grimes at Russellville City Schools and Greg Hamilton of Franklin County Schools.

Of course we also bring you all the content you have come to expect, from our Faith Focus and Money Matters columns to Faces of Franklin County and the What’s Happening Community Calendar. In this issue’s Taste of Franklin, Russellville’s Cindy Coan will help you cook up some fun – and something tasty – with your children, using some of her tried-and-true recipes for young chefs.

Our corner of Alabama is thick with stories to share. If you have an idea for a future feature, I would love to hear from you.

Alison James

Editorial ALISON JAMES CIERA HUGHES Contributors MONTANA HESTER

Features 4

What’s Happening

EMILY MAYS

6

Faith Focus

TRAE DURDEN

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Environmentally entertaining

13

Garden guru

16

Money Matters

17

Crafting his own path

21

Taste of Franklin

24

Education Corner

26

Faces of Franklin County

30

Why I Love Franklin County

APRIL WARHURST

GREG HAMILTON HEATH GRIMES MARIA CAMP Marketing PEGGY HYDE TORI WAITS Administrative SOMMER MORRIS ____________________ Franklin Living is published bi-monthly

by Franklin County Newspapers, Inc. Copyright 2019 by Franklin County Newspapers, Inc. P.O. Box 1088 • Russellville, AL 35653 256-332-1881 fax: 256-332-1883 www.franklincountytimes.com ON THE COVER: Rockin’ Eco Hero Steve Trash has entertained more than 25 million people since 1984.

The world-famous scientistmagician-comedianeducator calls Frog Pond home. Read his story on page 8. Photo courtesy of Danny Mitchell Photography.

Franklin Living

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What’s Happening

4th Annual Beast Feast Sept. 14

Check out all the upcoming community events!

Submit community events for future issues of Franklin Living to alison.james@franklincountytimes.com. Requests must be received by the first of the month for consideration for the next edition.

Franklin County Football Face-offs September-October Football fandoms come out in full force in September, and when Franklin County teams face each other, the competition really heats up: Sept. 20, Phil Campbell at Vina, and Oct. 25, Red Bay at Tharptown.

Marty Haggard: A Tribute to My Dad Sept. 5 Marty Haggard, oldest son of the legendary Merle Haggard, will pay tribute to his dad through stories and songs in this family-friendly show at the Historic Roxy Theatre Sept. 5. Haggard will be available after the show to meet, greet and sign autographs. Cost is $26 for advance general admission tickets or $30 at the door.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Get local tickets at Russellville Florist & Gifts, 14001 Highway 43, Suite 2, in Russellville – 256-3327771. Order online at https://martyhaggardtickets.com.

Order by phone at 1-800-838-3006.

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HUNT Outdoors Ministry will host the 4th Annual Beast Feast Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. at Mountain View Baptist Church in Phil Campbell. Joe Buford will serve as guest speaker, and attendees will be treated to wild game, singing, fellowship and door prizes.

Rockin’ at the Roxy Sept. 14 and Oct. 12 The second Saturday night of each month at 7 p.m. is the monthly Kerry Gilbert Band concert at the Historic Roxy Theatre in Russellville. The KGB will be joined by a special guest for each show. Doors open at 6 p.m. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children 6-12 and free for children younger than 6.

Red Bay Founders Day Sept. 21 Founders Day 2019 will welcome friends and neighbors back to Red Bay for the annual community festival.

Festival-goers can enjoy the King and Queen’s Train Ride, live music, fried pie contest, buck dancing, arts contests, fiddling and a barbecue cook-off. The festival will also feature prizes, vendors, a 5K, car/truck/motorcycle show and fashion show. The Museum will be open for tours, and downtown businesses will offer sales and specials. Prizes will be awarded to the largest family, longest distance traveled to the event and youngest and oldest attendees.

Franklin Living

Singing for a Soul

Spruce Pine Day

Sept. 28

Oct. 19

Singing for a Soul will be a fundraiser event for The Place of Grace – A Women’s Drug and Alcohol Recovery Home for Franklin County. From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Sloss Lake in Russellville, attendees can enjoy live music from Joseph Baldwin, Iron Horse, Crossing Dixie, Dean, Grace Multiplied, Jacob Green, Konnor Bendall, Simply Grace, Austin Lewis, The Lovelace Family, Red Bay High FFA String Band, Will Stults, Kayla Hamilton and Three Strong. There will also be food vendors and free giveaways. Admission is $5 (free for 12 and younger).

Spruce Pine will host its annual community festival, Spruce Pine Day, Oct. 19 in downtown.

Spruce Pine Day began in 1999 when the local grocer and postmaster made chicken stew and invited the community.

The tradition of togetherness continues with fun for children along with live music and vendors.

Cemetery Tour

A Very Hippie Spooktacular

Oct. 5

Oct. 24

The Russellville Bicentennial Committee will host a tour of Sadler Cemetery Oct. 5 at 5 p.m., with volunteers portraying prominent people buried in the cemetery. Volunteers will share history and stories from the past.

For more information or to sign up for the tour, contact the Franklin County Archives at 256-332-8827 or visit the bicentennial committee’s Facebook page.

Russellville Middle School will kick off RCS Fine Arts’ 2019-2020 season with A Very Hippie Spooktacular. The show will include a Woodstock medley and Hair medley, along with other tunes, and will be performed on the RCS Auditorium stage at 7 p.m. Admission is $5.

Spirit of Hodges Festival

Trunks of Treats

Oct. 12

Oct. 31

The 2019 Spirit of Hodges Festival will be held Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Town Park. Live music will entertain while visitors shop the vendors, and there will be plenty of activities and fun for all ages. All proceeds from the festival go to the Hodges Fire and Rescue Department. For more information on attractions or becoming a vendor or sponsor, visit The Spirit of Hodges Festival page on Facebook.

The Franklin County Chamber of Commerce will host Trunks of Treats in downtown Russellville Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m. for all ages. Cars and tents will fill parking spaces downtown to give out candy, and the Chamber is accepting reservations for those spots. To find out more about reserving a space for Trunks of Treats, call 256-332-1760 or email info@franklincountychamber.org.

Franklin Living

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FAITH FOCUS

To make a pearl

T

Grow With Us

www.alabamacentral.org Anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in any of our 28-county service area is eligible for ACCU membership.

o make a pearl, an o y s t e r needs two things: an irritant and time.

The oyster was created to cope with the irritant and to flourish even with that aggravation.

The oyster gives a tiny, little bit of itself to the irritant. It secretes a substance called nacre, which is what it makes its shell with. It makes one layer and then another – and then scores and then hundreds – and eventually thousands of incredibly thin layers of nacre that are lustrous and iridescent.

To produce a great pearl, it can take 20 years. An oyster might only live as long as 40 years and might produce two pearls in its whole life.

There is a mollusk called the silver-lipped pearl oyster that produced a single pearl that sold for $1.5 million dollars.

For a human being to produce loving-kindness, you need two things: an irritant and time. God will give you time, and God will give you an irritant. In fact, there are irritants all around!

If we choose to focus on the frustrations and aggravations in this life, we’ll become miserable people. When you realign your perspective, however, those irritants become

opportunities for you to be loving and kind. You can give a little bit of yourself in service to others – in service to your irritant. Over time you’ll cover them in love, and you’ll forget the irritating things they use to do and say. All of that will be replaced with your love. Eventually, instead of looking like an irritant, they’ll start to look like Jesus to you; they might actually become one of your greatest treasures!

How would our lives change if we all focused on developing love and kindness in our lives toward other people? How would those who have been aggravating to you in the past react if you started to cover them in love instead of anger?

The Bible teaches us God initiated a relationship with us, even though we were sinners. His grace reaches us every day, in spite of the fact that we disregard His teachings and way of life.

We should emulate His love for us in the way we treat others. When we choose to give loving-kindness to others, especially those who have hurt us, that’s when we’re living like Christ – and the great pearl of living like Him is worth more than all the money in the world!

Trae Durden has been the preaching minister at North Highlands church of Christ in Russellville since January 2013. He is married to Leann Durden, and they have a daughter, Darcy Grace, 15, and a son, Dalton, 12.

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Franklin Living

Environmentally entertaining Franklin Living

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Story by ALISON JAMES Photos by MONTANA HESTER and CONTRIBUTED

W

hen the average person thinks about art and creativity, they might conjure up images ranging from finger-painting as a child, to doodling in the margins of notes and grocery lists, to marveling at the works of the masters hanging in museums. While many, however, might see art as a simple hobby or casual interest, for others it’s something much more – a calling that speaks to the very soul.

In 1984 Steve Trash was a recent college graduate from the University of North Alabama trying to make it as a street performer and busker in New York City. Today it’s not overstating the truth to say the Frog Pond resident is a world-famous international sensation.

His “act” is multi-faceted, magic and comedy swirled together with science, delivered with messages of environmentalism and good citizenship. In the end, perhaps the best way to describe Steve Trash is the title he chose for himself: the Rockin’ Eco Hero.

“I wanted some way to be really unique. You don’t want to be ‘a magician,’ you want to be ‘that recycling guy who does magic,’” explained Trash, who workshopped his iconic show biz character with UNA professor Bud Smith. “Trash” was a nickname he had earned from friends because of his interest in recycling and other environmental topics, and it wasn’t long before he hit upon the moniker as brand that would stick.

Steve Trash was “born” in New York City, but his love for performing preceded his days in the Big Apple. He first tried his routine on the street corners of Florence, Alabama, in 1980. As he completed his degree in theatre and took to the wider stage of NYC, he began to find his footing in the performance world. “It took a long time to be good at it, but now after all these years, you could drop me in any country in the world, and I would not starve to death.

I could find props to do a magic show, and I could do magic tricks, whether I could speak the language or not … I know how to make a living anywhere.”

That wasn’t the case in those early days in New York City, which he calls “a really good training ground” for his future in live entertainment and television. “Those were tricky times, but I learned a lot,” Trash said. “If you can perform for people who are walking past and get them to give you money for your performance, your game gets much better very fast – or you starve to death.” While he never starved to death, he did feel the pinch when it came to housing. “I was so poor, it

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Franklin Living

wasn’t really a case of renting a room; there were four of us in one studio apartment.”

The Texas native honed his craft for four years in NYC, where he learned to focus on how to truly entertain people – how to create something funny and magical. Every day was a rehearsal. He started out slow, first trying to perform on Wall Street during the lunch hour – “It was horrible. I couldn’t get anybody to stop, to watch, or to give me money” – but eventually gained confidence and found his sweet spots for performance near the Central Park Zoo and Washington Square Park.

From NYC, Trash next moved on to Los Angeles, but he found what he calls “God’s country” in rural Alabama. On a trip home to visit his mother in Florence, Trash visited a print shop, where he met Frog Pond native Dianne Grissom. The two just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.

They built a house in Frog Pond, a “remarkably beautiful part of Franklin County,” on 80 acres of family land, crossed by Big Branch Creek and Little Bear Creek. When Trash isn’t bringing magic to children across the world, he finds solace in his environmentally-friendly home in rural Franklin County. “It’s a pretty unusual day that I don’t get out and walk around in the woods and see something new – wildlife, mushrooms, a tree I haven’t seen before, scat of a coyote or bear, or a chicken snake,” said Trash, who enjoys roaming his property with 6-year-old Australian Shepherd Gracie.

The thing is, Trash doesn’t just perform a magical routine touting environmentalism. It’s also a message he truly believes to his core – and he said he couldn’t attract an audience if that weren’t true.

“I think children can sniff out a fake pretty easily,” he said. “Early on it was important to me, if a child asked a question about recycling or solar energy, that I had a good answer and first-hand knowledge.

Franklin Living

Not only did I buy my solar array because I wanted to be making less pollution, it was also because I wanted to give children first-hand information.”

It might be the authenticity – and certainly the magic – that hooks his young audiences, but it’s likely the outfit that originally draws them in. Trash is distinctive in his apparel as well as his performance.

“You’re playing the role of someone who can defy the laws of nature. Everyone knows you can’t; it’s just a role, and you play that role as convincingly and with as much flair as you possibly can.” To amp up the flair, Trash wears a top hat inspired by the Mad Hatter from “Alice in Wonderland,” patched blue jeans and a Wild West black duster. “The outfit I’m wearing is nutty. It looks totally wild. I’m 6-foot-3 without my hat, so it makes me 7 feet tall.”

And although Trash said some might worry his look would intimidate children, the opposite is true.

“You’ve never seen so many hugs from children following my shows,” he said. “They’ll just come up… They don’t have any other way to say what they want to say to Steve Trash, so they just hug my leg. You know you’ve reached children when the only thing they can ‘say’ to you is to give you a hug.”

Although performing has become a profitable living for Trash, his purpose goes deeper. “I feel that I have ideas I can share. I create because I believe as an artist I have ideas the world needs to consider,” he explained. His shows are built on a threepronged cornerstone of sharing with children how to respect themselves, others and the environment, building on a theme that everything is connected.

“I’m lucky because I can present that theme in really fun, funny, magical ways so it doesn’t feel like you’re being ‘educated.’ You’re just getting the idea through the entertainment.”

In June, Trash’s ability to entertain and educate children grew exponentially with the debut of his

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Alabama Public Television show, “Steve Trash Science.” Airing on local PBS stations each Saturday morning, the children’s television show began as little more than a dream for the Rockin’ Eco Hero, who said he went into the APTV pitch thinking there was no chance. “The easiest answer for everyone is to say no. ‘No’ is the status quo,” Trash said. To his shock, they said yes. “They said ‘We love it, we’re in. How soon can you begin production?’ … They asked me could I have it done in six months.”

Six months was overly ambitious, but one year later, Trash and his production team had completed 10 episodes of 26 minutes and 45 seconds each, ready to air. Every episode is designed to be entertaining and educational, providing valuable information to children as well as teachers, who Trash said could use the episodes in the classroom as an introduction to a particular science subject. “I use a lot of stock video and stock images to make it fun and funny. There is nothing boring about these episodes,” he said. Each show includes two different science subjects as well as two magic tricks; Trash said he is carefully to draw the distinction between the two, characterizing magic as the illusion one can defy the laws of nature, whereas science, of course, is the study of how the natural world actually works.

“Steve Trash Science” comprised an intense 11 months for the magician. “There were days when literally I got up at 3 o’clock in the morning because that allowed me to work for three or four hours before I got to the fairgrounds and performed a show, and in between shows I would write episodes,” Trash said. He brought two science educators on board to help him ensure he had all scientific principles and terminology correct, and a team helped him produce each episode of entertaining, educational content.

4 Mile Post out of Huntsville provided post-production. “I’m extraordinarily proud of it,” Trash added.

The show has completed its first-run air through network affiliates across the nation, but episodes are still available through

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Franklin Living

Working hard for you

Willodean Davis (256) 762-5671

Selling North Alabama

Kathy Senkbeil

the APTV app, PBS app, PBS.org and at stevetrash.com. Viewers can access these platforms on their mobile devices and through avenues like Roku, Fire TV Stick and smart TVs. The show will also continue in reruns for five years, and Trash said he hopes to procure the funding to produce additional episodes.

Franklin Living

Trash said he watched every episode 10-20 times during production to fix mistakes or make changes, but he still enjoyed them during their TV debut.

“Watching them on my own television set, I still laughed out loud at the good jokes,” he said. “It’s awesome that you can surprise yourself with a joke.” As a huge fan of PBS, which he called a safe space for children, Trash said he was honored to air on the same channel as the likes of “Sesame Street” and “Kratts’ Creatures.” “I’m very proud to be a part of that legacy.”

Despite all his success over the past 35 years, Trash said in some ways he still doesn’t feel he has “arrived” when it comes to a secure future in the uncertain world of performance.

“The day after your gig is over, you are unemployed. It is a perpetual job to wake up and keep your career moving forward and growing. It is the entrepreneur’s life. Your business, your career, your ‘making it’ is falling apart if you’re not giving it everything you have every day,” Trash

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said. “I have tons of TV credits, and credits from traveling around the world, and there is some momentum to that, but I live my life trying to do everything I can possibly fit in … That feeling of having ‘made it’ almost never is present. There are milestones I’m proud of and that I work extremely hard for, but looking back and thinking ‘Wow, I made it’ – that’s has never happened.”

Trash said he spends about 200 days a year touring. When he isn’t touring, he’s planning, rehearsing, promoting and shooting shows. “I work more hours, longer and harder, than anyone who has what we in show business call a ‘straight job’ because I’m constantly trying to figure out what the next step is,” Trash said.

“As difficult as that is, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I personally love this job.

“On my best day, I am transforming the way children see their connection to nature. On my worst day, I brought some smiles to people that needed them. Who in their right mind wouldn’t work their butt off for that goal?”

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Franklin Living

Garden guru Red Bay Mayor Charlene Fancher shares her happy place Franklin Living

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“D

Story and photos by ALISON JAMES

o I really have time? No – I’m very busy – but I make time for it because this is my stress reliever.”

Day in and day out, Red Bay Mayor Charlene Fancher can be found handling city business, from directing employees to promoting economic development to tackling municipal problems. When she needs a break from the hurry and scurry of managing the many aspects of Red Bay, she looks no further than her own backyard, where vibrant plants and flowers flourish under her tender care. “It’s a hobby for me. I love it. I like to watch things grow – whether it’s the city or plants.”

Fancher cultivated her love for gardening from her mother, who “can grow anything.” Fancher has vivid memories of clipping the grass and weeds around her childhood home as a 9-year-old – the chore from which her love of yard work began. “I love to work outside and dig in the dirt. I’m a do-it-yourselfer; I like to make something out of nothing.”

That love led her to a group of like-minded ladies in 2008, when Fancher attended her first meeting of the Red Bay Garden Club at the invitation of Rosalyn Fabianke. “I will never forget the feeling I had at that meeting. All these ladies are so smart, and their yards are just beautiful. They were just rattling off names of plants, and

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I thought, ‘Oh my goodness. I will never learn all this.’ I was so intimidated,” Fancher said. Despite her intimidation, however, she joined the club and has been an active member ever since. “I fell in love with it that day. I just wanted to learn more.”

At that time, Fancher was just starting her first term as a city councilmember. Now, 11 years later, she’s mayor of Red Bay – and president of the Garden Club. “It’s a civic club I have enjoyed being a part of because I have learned so much,” said Fancher, who spent the summer preparing for her presidential duties.

The club’s program year begins each September, so for the past several months she has worked on the club yearbook, which details plans and activities for the program year. She’ll start by hosting the first meeting of 2019-2020, inviting the 20 active club members to her home to kick off the club’s monthly meetings – held every second Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m.

Fancher said she feels well-positioned as mayor to also take on the responsibilities of Garden Club president because the city and the club work on so many projects together; many of her duties for each go hand in hand. “The club has done so much for Red Bay that people don’t even realize,” Fancher added. The group has an 81-year legacy of planting trees, removing litter, beautifying public areas and conserving wildlife. In addition, they don’t just grow plants and flowers; they also grow friendships. The members

Franklin Living

spend time actively recruiting others to join their cause, men as well as women. “You’re going to end up falling in love with it, and you’re going to see how much more you’re going to love your flower gardens just by learning so much more,” Fancher said. “I have learned so much from these ladies in 11 years; it’s unbelievable.”

The club’s annual April plant sale is a highlight for Fancher. “The majority of my plants in this yard came from the plant sale, or we dig in each other’s yards – we share,” she explained. “It’s so nice to plant and stand back, watch it grow and think, ‘I did this.’ It’s your own ideas, and it makes it more meaningful when you do it yourself.”

Although Fancher finds gardening to be her stress relief, a passion she is determined to find time for, it isn’t always easy. “There are times it’s tedious. I think, ‘Why am I doing this? Why am I creating more work for myself?’ I keep adding to, or changing, or adding more plants to water or dig. Anytime you add something, you have to maintain it.” Despite the challenges, however, the enjoyment she derives from the process and the outcome makes it all worth it. “It’s worth it because it is my quiet time. It is my time alone.

When you’re alone and you’re digging in the dirt, it takes your mind off of other things … It can be spiritual, too. You can do a lot of praying in the quiet when you’re digging.”

Among her many plants and flowers, Fancher takes particular pride in the red Angel Wing begonias brightening her window boxes and the Yellow Rose of Texas that stands prominent alongside the garden shed.

Pride, in fact, is a big part of what it’s all about.

“When you have a beautiful city, that means your city is full of pride,” Fancher said. “When we have visitors come in, I want them to say, ‘Wow, look at this city. It is beautiful. It’s clean, it’s pretty,’ – I want everybody to be proud of Red Bay.”

Franklin Living

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FRANKLIN COUNTY Building, Connecting, and Discovering!

Events and Activities Red Bay's Founders Fest, September 21 Spirit of Hodges, October 12 Spruce Pine Day, October 19 Trunks of Treats, Downtown Russellville, October 31

Attractions

•Bear Creek Lakes•Red Bay Museum•Cypress Cove Bird Trail•Dismals •Roxy Theatre-2nd Sat. of each month•Bay Tree Council for the Performing Arts

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. • 256.332.1760 www.FranklinCountyChamber.org • info@franklincountychamber.org

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Homestretch

MONEY MATTERS

Credit scores: What you need to know

F

irst things first: credit s c o r e s and credit reports are two different things.

I think the onslaught of media advertising “Get your free credit score now” has comingled the two terms for many folks. That said, let’s break down the basics.

Your credit report has information about your credit activity, current credit situation and historical credit information. It has all the information on your loan paying history and status of your credit accounts. It also includes other information reported to the credit bureaus, such as current and former addresses, your employer, inquiries, collection records and public records.

There are three credit reporting agencies, or credit bureaus, in the United States: Experian, Equifax and Transunion. Each reporting agency compiles your credit information from various reporting sources, like banks and credit cards, into a credit report.

Your credit report does not include information about your marital status, income, bank account balance or level of education. Your credit report could, however, include your spouse’s name if it is reported by a creditor.

Now let’s talk credit score.

Your credit score is a threedigit number calculated based

on what is on an individual’s credit report – basically, summing up your history of borrowing and paying back money.

Your credit score is based on five primary factors: • Payment history – This is a big one! It takes into account whether you paid your bills on time.

• Credit Utilization – This is how much debt you have.

• Length of Credit History – The longer you’ve had credit, the better.

• Types of Credit – You want a healthy mix of accounts.

• History of Searching for Credit – Excessively shopping for credit can impact your score negatively.

Your credit score is also affected by accounts you have jointly, but there are not joint credit scores. If you co-sign for anyone on a loan or credit card, it reports on both of you – regardless of who is actually responsible for the debt. Having this joint debt will also affect your debt-to-income ratio when you go to apply for a loan. Be sure to keep that in mind before you sign with anyone; you are both equally liable for the debt.

Monitoring your credit report and your credit score is essential for detecting identity theft and fraud. Knowing what should and shouldn’t be there can help you spot signs sooner and take action if something fraudulent happens. Learning more about the basics of your credit report and credit score helps you keep control of your financial situation.

Emily Mays is vice president/senior marketing director at Community Spirit Bank in Red Bay, working in finance for 13 years. She is an enthusiastic social media marketer, financial literacy advocate and go local supporter. She lives in East Franklin and has one daughter, Lola, 11.

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Crafting his own path

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Story and photos by MARÍA CAMP

effery Dick, a 2006 graduate of Red Bay High School and owner of The Little Stitch in downtown Red Bay, discovered his lifelong passion for sewing at 5 years old when he began to learn the basics from his mother.

“I have always been creative,” Dick said. “Whether creating clothing or quilts or whatever the project might be, I get to play with all the different colors and shapes and make something that is functional as well as pretty. I love the process. Every project is a new adventure.”

He spent his early years growing up in Kansas, where his mother needed a way to keep all five children busy – but also quiet and entertained – during the winter, so she taught them all how to sew. “It’s a good basic life skill to be able to sew on a button or a fix a pocket,” Dick said. The first sewing machine project his mother let him make was a pillowcase of soft, white, quilted fabric with tiny blue roses, and he still keeps it safe. “I loved that pillowcase so much. I immediately knew sewing was for me. I’ve gone from that first simple project to being able to design clothing and quilts.”

When he was 12 or 13, Dick wanted to be a wizard for Halloween, but a store-bought costume just wasn’t an option, so his mother showed him the basics of how to draft a pattern, handed him a box of old curtains and told him to have at it. “I made the costume, and it turned out great. I have come leaps and bounds since.”

Dick said he enjoys the challenge of breaking down how various garments are constructed, figuring out how to make them – and how to do so in his own style. He often does this with women’s fashion ads. After his mother taught him the basics of sewing, he never stopped working to expand his skills. One way he learned more was by watching quilting and sewing shows on public television, such as “Sewing with Nancy.” Sherry Hutcheson’s high school home economics classes at Red Bay afforded him the opportunity to hone his skill on the finishing touches, such as straight seams and neat button holes.

After graduating from high school, Dick attended NorthwestShoals Community College before continuing his education at the University of Alabama, graduating with a degree in business and minors in art history and computers. Part of the time while there, he worked at Hancock’s Fabrics. “It was right up my alley,” Dick said. “I had the opportunity to discover and learn about fabrics I had never had the chance to play with before.” Knowing when all the best sales were scheduled and having an employee discount provided the chance to experiment with more expensive fabrics, such as silk.

While working at Hancock’s, he became good friends with a customer. One day, he asked if she would do the quilting for a quilt top he made. Instead, she helped him learn how to do it with machine quilting – long-arm quilting, something he now does for others.

With quilting, Dick said working out the geometry is an enjoyable challenge, figuring out how one angle fits with another.

Another appealing component is the unique format it provides for telling a story. “There are so many ways to tell a story with a quilt,” Dick said. “There’s so much history in the tradition of quilt making. I love being part of it.”

All of his quilts are named. One with a black-and-white pattern is called “Pepper Grinder.” A stained-glass quilt is and another is called “Beach Babies.” Other quilts have simpler names, such as a blue-and white-one called “Mrs. Hall’s Birds and Stars” or “Jason’s Harley T-Shirt Quilt.”

In 2017 two quilts were included in the exhibit 100 Years of Quilting at Belmont Mansion in Tuscumbia – the only two in the display that were machine-quilted. The invitation to

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enter the exhibit, Dick said, was extended largely because of a special stained-glass quilt he made for his grandmother called “Morning Mass.” He spent a couple of weeks with grandparents each summer while growing up. As devout Catholics, they lived in a house across the street from the church, and they and Dick walked together to attend mass there almost every day.

“I designed that quilt for Grandma,” Dick said. “It’s reminiscent of the stained-glass windows from that church. It was going to be her Christmas present, but she passed away right before Halloween that year.”

Originally Dick rented the building in downtown Red Bay to have a private studio space for working on projects, but when Founders Day came, he said the prospect of setting up a booth and being in the hot sun all day when his store was only a block from the park was not an appealing one. So, he decided to open to the public for the day. People started asking if that meant the store was going to be open all the time, so it began with one day a week, then two, and it just kept growing from there.

“I was working for Tiffin Motorhomes up until this last November,” Dick said. “I was full time there while working here building the business. Now we’re able to offer classes both for children and adults. I plan to do at least one Saturday children’s class per month. This summer, I offered a variety of classes for kids on Wednesdays, including making wind chimes, decorating T-shirts and making slime.” He said he loves “seeing the creativity of children. I enjoy giving them outlets to make things and to be away from technology, to use their hands and minds and create.

What I love the most about teaching kids is seeing the looks on their faces when they show off their finished products.”

Upcoming plans include offering quilting classes for adults.

Other sewing classes will take place as time permits, and other artists will teach different subjects, including how to do painted door hangers. “I like to help people learn,” Dick said. “Not everyone has a store to use for teaching their crafts or selling their crafted goods, and not everyone needs an entire store. I like being able to share my space to sell items on consignment and for others to teach their respective arts.”

Franklin Living

Of course, his own artistic projects will always remain a priority, too. Designing clothing for children is one of his favorite endeavors. One long-range goal is to come out with a line of children’s clothing. “I love the freedom of creating and designing for them. It’s more fun because I get to play with the trims and colors more,” he explained. “You can put lime green and hot pink and turquoise and ruffles on a pair of pants for a little girl, whereas it’s not commonly done for adult women.” Children’s clothing, he added, is more fanciful and fun, and the fit doesn’t have to be as precise. There are more variables in adult fashion and fewer opportunities to make something outlandish or creative. “I always try to come up with something different,” said Dick, adding he especially enjoys making custom pageant dresses for little girls. A couple of years ago he created the drum major outfit for Red Bay High School. “Costumes are fun,” Dick said. “You get to play with the fanciful and design things you wouldn’t normally see while walking down the street.”

Another hobby is woodworking; he has done a lot of carpentry with his father. “I love building with wood, including remodeling houses, and I’m currently helping with the restoration of a historic home. I love anything creative that can keep my hands and mind busy, but sewing is always my go-to,” Dick said. He creates vinyl decals, too, and also makes hair bows and jewelry – necklaces and earrings made of beads and pendants. Other popular requests are sewn name keychains for school backpacks and embroidered towels – such as a popular one celebrating traveling by motorhome, a big seller because of the high number of motorhomes that come through Red Bay. Monogramming is another popular service.

Dick says he has always been an entrepreneur at heart. Most of his time is spent running his shop, where services include sewing, quilting, alterations, personalized acid etched glassware,

monogramming, creating hair bows, making jewelry and selling a few items from other people.

An ever-increasing variety of projects leaves little downtime.

One recent project was re-covering lobby cushions for The Wharf in Orange Beach. The opportunity arose after a friend in the sewing business decided to retire. As a result of that job, The Wharf has hired him to sew three hundred plus bed covers. Southeast Sales, which is owned by Lex Tiffin, supplies the uniforms for Tiffin Motorhomes, and Dick does the hemming and other alterations.

Being part of a large family of brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews is an important part of Dick’s life. His sisters live in Kansas, and he frequently talks to them on the phone and via Facetime to help them learn new sewing skills, embroider, make

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Franklin Living

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things out of vinyl or whatever they’re interested in doing. Dick said he counts himself fortunate to have a supportive family, including parents Danny Hamm and Nancy Hamm, and friends that are like family.

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“I’m grateful to be a part of downtown Red Bay and to see the businesses flourishing, to see downtown coming back to life,” Dick added, “because 17 years ago when I moved here from Kansas, things were very different.”

Franklin Living

TASTE OF FRANKLIN

Cooking with Coan

Cindy Coan brings kids into the kitchen

Franklin Living

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Cindy Coan’s top recipes for

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN Here are several tasty recipes for children chefs – and their adult helpers! Don’t forget to observe these safety tips in the kitchen: get permission from an adult before cooking; wash hands; tie up long hair; use a potholder when taking food from a hot oven or microwave; turn off the stovetop or oven when finished cooking, and remember the stovetop will remain hot even after you turn it off; and don’t forget to clean up.

French Toast Ingredients: 2 eggs 1/3 cup milk 8 slices of bread Toppings: syrup, confectioners sugar and cinnamon/sugar mix Directions: Step 1: In a pie plate or large bowl, beat the eggs and milk with a whisk or fork.

Step 2: Dip slices of bread in the egg mixture, coating both sides.

Step 3: Place the skillet on the cooktop on medium heat.

Step 4: Put two to four slices of bread into the heated skillet at a time and cook one to two minutes on each side until golden brown. Continue with additional slices of bread.

Step 5: Turn off the cook top. Serve warm with your favorite syrup or sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and/or cinnamon/sugar mixture.

• • •

Monkey Bread Muffins Ingredients: 3 12 oz. cans of refrigerated biscuit dough 1 cup of white granulated sugar 2 teaspoons of cinnamon 2 sticks of butter 1 cup of brown sugar cooking spray Directions: Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To preheat the oven, press the bake button on the oven, then press the up arrow until the number 350 appears.

Step 2: Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

Step 3: Place cinnamon and white sugar in a gallon-sized zip-top bag.

Step 4: Open one can of biscuits. Separate the biscuits.

Step 5: Cut each biscuit into four pieces using scissors. Place the biscuit pieces into the zip-top bag and close the bag. Shake the bag to coat all the pieces with sugar and cinnamon.

Step 6: Place all the dough pieces into muffin cups.

Step 7: Continue with remaining cans of dough.

Step 8: Melt two sticks of butter in a saucepan.

Add the brown sugar and bring to a boil. Cook for one minute.

Step 9: Carefully spoon the butter and sugar mixture over the muffins.

Step 10: Bake for 17 minutes or until cooked through.

Step 11: Carefully remove pan from the oven using oven mitts. Cool on wire cooling rack.

Step 12: Remove from pan and serve.

• • • • • •

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Chicken Quesadillas

Fruit Pizza Crust Ingredients: Roll of refrigerated cookie dough (or prepared sugar cookies) • Cooking spray White Sauce Ingredients: • 8 oz. cream cheese • 1 container of marshmallow fluff Toppings: Fruit of your choice, washed and sliced Directions: Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To preheat the oven, press the bake button on the oven, then press the up arrow until the number 350 appears.

Step 2: Spray round pizza pan with cooking spray.

Step 3: Press cookie dough onto pan to form a crust. Use all the cookie dough.

Step 4: Carefully place pizza pan in hot oven using oven mitts.

Step 5: Cook for 12-15 minutes or until edges start to brown. Carefully remove pan from the oven using oven mitts. Set on cooling rack to cool.

Step 6: Prepare white sauce: Mix cream cheese and marshmallow fluff with electric mixer until well blended. You may stop the mixer and scrape the edges of the mixing bowl so all ingredients are mixed together.

Step 7: Set white sauce aside until crust is cooked and cooled.

Step 8: Wash fruit of your choice, slice if needed and set aside.

Step 9: When crust has cooled, spread white sauce onto crust and top with fruit.

Step 11: Slice and serve.

•

Mini Beach Cups Ingredients: 1 large box vanilla pudding 3 cups cold milk 10-12 graham crackers Gummy fish Paper umbrellas Directions: Step 1: Pour three cups of milk into a mixing bowl. Add the pudding. Beat with mixer until well blended.

Step 2: Add two drops of blue food coloring.

Mix again until pudding is a blue color.

Step 3: Place pudding in the refrigerator for five minutes to set.

Step 4: While the pudding is chilling, place crackers in a gallon size zip-top bag and crush to make “sand.”

Step 5: Once pudding has chilled and set, spoon sand in the bottom of a clear cup; spoon pudding on top; and add more sand on top.

Step 6: Decorate the beach with gummy fish and a beach umbrella.

Step 7: Enjoy!

• • • • •

Ingredients: 8 flour tortillas 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 bag pre-cooked fajita chicken 1 cup Mexican cheese blend Additional oil for cooking tortillas Optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, jalapeños, avocados Directions: Step 1: Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on the cook top. Cook chicken on medium high until heated through and warm.

Step 2: Remove cooked chicken to a cutting board to cool.

Step 3: Chop cooled chicken with a knife.

Step 4: Brush the surface of the griddle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Step 5: Heat the griddle to medium heat.

Place tortillas on the griddle.

Step 6: On four of the tortillas, place ½ cup of the chopped chicken and ½ cup grated cheese. Place a tortilla on top of the chicken and cheese and tap with a spatula.

Flip the quesadilla to heat the other side.

Step 7: Remove from griddle. Serve warm with chosen toppings. Turn off the griddle.

• • • • • •

Sub Roll Pizza Ingredients: 1 sub roll cut in half length-wise to form two pieces • 1 jar of pizza sauce • Mozzarella cheese Toppings of your choice: pepperoni, cooked sausage, cooked ground beef, onion, green pepper, mushrooms Directions: Step 1: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. To preheat the oven, press the bake button on the oven then press the up arrow until the number 450 appears.

Step 2: Open sub roll and place on a baking sheet.

Step 3: Open pizza sauce. Spoon sauce on the rolls and spread all over the top of the rolls.

Step 4: Open pepperoni and other toppings and place on top of sauce.

Step 5: Top with mozzarella cheese.

Step 6: Open the oven door. Carefully place pizza in the hot oven on the top rack.

Step 7: Bake pizza for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Step 8: Use a potholder to remove the pan of pizza from the oven.

Step 9: Turn off the oven.

Step 10: Place sub roll pizza on dinner plates using a spatula.

•

Franklin Living

Story by ALISON JAMES Photos by APRIL WARHURST and MONTANA HESTER

W

hen school lets out for the summer, that means things are just heating up in Cindy Coan’s kitchen classroom at Russellville High School. As the Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at RHS, Coan takes the same culinary skills she teaches throughout the year to high school students and transforms the lessons into bite-sized cooking classes for even the youngest participants in Russellville City Schools’ PAWS Summer Program.

Th excitement is evident on the faces of aspiring chefs as they file into Coan’s kitchen and dining area at the high school.

Seated at a long table in small groups, each student is assigned a specialized job for the day’s kitchen adventure, including host, supply person, cook and cook’s helper.

“It is the No. 1 thing for the summer program. It started out with just the third, fourth and fifth grade the first year we did it, and they did so well,” Coan said. “The next year West Elementary said ‘We want to come too.’”

This is Coan’s third year of offering the summer program cooking classes, and she said her young chef protégés are always so excited to get hands on in the kitchen. From stirring and spreading to sprinkling and slicing, her student cooks get the chance to create their own tasty treats, from ingredients to finished products, using child-friendly recipes Coan has perfected over time. They also learn crucial soft skills, like teamwork and time management, good manners and organization.

Coan is sharing her recipes in Taste of Franklin so young chefsin-the-making can continue to hone their culinary skills and enjoy time in the kitchen.

Franklin Living

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LET US CAPTURE

EDUCATION CORNER

A quick word from

Franklin County Schools

T

he Franklin County Schools district is off to a great start this 2019-2020 school year. The employees and students in our system are absolutely amazing. I am honored to work in a system with such incredible people who love and care about children and teaching students to do and be their very best.

Our school system has many construction projects taking place at several of our campuses. This is a very positive movement in our district, as we continue to upgrade facilities and equipment so our teach-

ers and students can have the best possible resources available.

The plans are to maintain and improve the infrastructure of our campuses so students are provided with a safe and prosperous learning environment.

We are very fortunate to have a great school resource officer helping to ensure we have a safe learning environment. The Franklin County Schools system added a second resource officer Aug. 21.

I am looking forward to a very productive and exciting school year.

Greg Hamilton is superintendent of Franklin County Schools. He and his wife Jessica have four children: Taylor, Carolyna, Dakota and Ty.

bluebirdredbirds.com

A quick word from

Russellville City Schools

W

YOUR LOVE STORY

h e n I first came to Russellville, there were many things I admired about this system and about this area, but one of the things that impressed me most was the community and its support for the schools.

Now that school is back in session, our fall sports season is in full swing, and no doubt the stands at Golden Tiger Stadium will be filled with community members cheering for and supporting our student athletes, band members and cheerleaders.

We can’t stress enough how much this support means to our students when they can look out and see a community that stands behind them When there’s an athletic event, a band concert, a drama production, a fundraiser or an accomplishment to celebrate, our community never fails to show up. Besides being encouraging for our students, it also shows them the importance of being involved in their community, showing kindness, supporting and helping others and the important role our schools play in our area.

Heath Grimes is the superintendent of Russellville City Schools. He and his wife Amy have three daughters: Leah, Halle and Erin.

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Franklin Living

FACES OF FRANKLIN COUNTY Jam on Sloss Lake promises fun for the whole family in July, with inflatables, a car show, festival foods, live music and fireworks.

Photos by MARĂ?A CAMP

Addie and Tyler Rose

Kazylyn Hammett and Kellie Hargett

Luke Patrick and Brianna Wood

Brandt and Gary Cummings

Randy and Lisa McDowell

Franklin Living

Laura Stockton, Addy Beth Stockton, Lisa Stockton, Jolene Stockton and Tim Stockton

John White

Kate and Mayor David Grissom

Elton and Delorise Camp

John and Dan Smith

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Carol and Ed Bryant

Harper, Tanya, Harleigh and William Wallace

Roy and Peggy Gieske

Bobby Welch and Billy Boyd

Braelyn and Kaylee Jo Wilson

Jeanne Hodo, John Hodo, Ashlynn Cochran, Allison Cochran, Maddox Cochran, Lonnie Cochran and Matthew Hulsey

Jim and Pam Mixon

Gloria and Joe Watts

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Judy Carson

Shalia Hargett and Brooke Putman

Franklin Living

Why I Love Franklin County

Barry Moore

B

arry Moore is a dyed-in-thewool Franklin County native.

He and his wife Deedra, a retired Russellville High School business teacher who now works for Alabama Industrial Development Training, have one daughter, Ashton, a sophomore civil engineering major at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Barry is a 1984 alumnus of Russellville High School, and he earned his business management degree from the University of North Alabama in 1990 after starting at Northwest Junior College in Phil Campbell.

“I love Franklin County because of the people.

They are some of the nicest and friendliest you will come in contact with. They are always willing to extend a helping hand.”

What is your job title, and what does your work entail?

Probate judge and chairman of the Franklin County Commission. As probate judge, I probate estates, grant adoptions and guardian/conservatorships and handle election functions. As chairman of the county commission, I work with department heads and county employees on the day-to-day operations of county government.

How did you choose your job, and what do you like about it?

I wanted to help people. I enjoy interacting with all the people of Franklin County, being able to help the citizens with their concerns and trying to resolve their issues.

What is your favorite place to visit in Franklin County?

Franklin County has so many great places to visit because of the many festivals it has to offer.

What is your favorite Franklin County restaurant, and what do you like about it?

We have a variety of places to eat that I enjoy, so I can’t just name one.

Why do you love Franklin County?

I love Franklin County because of the people. They are some of the nicest and friendliest you will come in contact with. They are always willing to extend a helping hand.

FAST 5 1. Favorite hobby: planting and working in my vegetable garden 2. Favorite food: grilled hamburger 3. Goal or ambition: to make Franklin County a better place to live and work and to be remembered as being fair and impartial 4. Church: North Highlands Church of Christ 5. Something people might not know about me is: I survived a year in Iraq to come back to Wisconsin and break my neck snow tubing at Fort McCoy.

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