MADISON LIVING THE GUIDE • AROUND TOWN • RICKY SHACK • CHAMBER CONNECTIONS • OUT & ABOUT
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Women athletes finding success in life and business National Charity League in Madison Competition time at the Ricky Shack Chamber looks back at 2020 Local Shopping
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Alison James John Few
MADISON CONTRIBUTORS MADISON Gregg Parker LIVING LIVING Bob Labbe
EDITORIAL Richard George EDITOR Rebekah Martin Joshua Berry JohnJames Few Alison Erin Coggins John Few Lee Marshall CONTRIBUTORS Mayor Paul Finley Bob Labbe CONTRIBUTORS MaryGregg LynneParker Wright Parker MaryGregg Anne Swanstrom Erin Coggins Bob Labbe Joshua Berry Richard George Erica DeSpain MARKETING Joshua Berry MaryCounts Anne Donna Erin Coggins Swanstrom Lee Marshall Lee Marshall ADMINISTRATIVE Mayor Paul Finley Mary Lynne Wright Sierra Jackson Richard George Mary Lynne Wright French Salter Mayor Finley Mary AnnePaul Swanstrom
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and Dadeville, followed by a stop in Opelika before landing in north Alabama. She loves sharing the stories – and correcting the grammar of those stories – of the people and places that make north Alabama such a special place.
...
CONTRIBUTORS John Few, Editor Alison James, copy editor
John Few hasearned been in thebachelor’s field of newspaper journalism at and production for over 25 Alison James her degree in journalism Auburn University, years. Johninhas served staffher writer, editor and publisher for a variety of publications graduating 2012. She as began career in community journalism in Alexander City in Alabama and Mississippi. He was transferred 2009 toinbegin coverage of loves and Dadeville, followed by a stop in Opelika beforeinlanding northhis Alabama. She Madison. covering thecorrecting City of Madison the past 10 years, John onplaces sharing theIn stories – and the grammar of those stories – ofhas the reported people and several key events, such as construction of the Hogan Family YMCA and James that make north Alabama such a special place. Clemens High School. Over the years, as Madison has grown, John has been there to cover the news that has made Madison home. Together John and his wife, Lori, have seven children, ranging from 15-23 years old.
John Few, contributing writer Bob Labbe, contributing writer
Bob Labbe is abeen lifelong resident the Huntsville community. He has beenfor innearly the local John Few has in the field ofofnewspaper journalism and production 25 news media for served 48 years, journalistTimes, in television, radio and print years. John has as a multi-award-winning staff writer for The Demopolis the daily newspaper media. is a member of thefor Huntsville-Madison County HallGazette. of FameHe and has in West He Alabama, and editor the weekly newspaper theAthletic Black Belt was been nominated for to both the his Alabama Press Association Alabama of transferred in 2009 begin coverage of Madison. Inand covering the Music City ofhalls Madison fame. Bob hosted radio program, The Years,such for 29 on WLRH-FM the past 10 has years, Johna has reported onReelin’ severalinkey events, asyears construction of the Public Family Radio. He has also a local highHigh school basketball for 28 years andhas was Hogan YMCA and been James Clemens School. Overreferee the years, as Madison a high school football 15 years. Bob is anhas avidmade sportsMadison fan and home. collector of 45 grown, John has been referee there tofor cover the news that Together rpm records. He once boxed Ali and was from the reporter who asked John and his wife, Lori, haveMuhammad seven children, ranging 15-23 years old. the famed Paul Bear Bryant his last question as coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Gregg Parker, contributing writer Bob Labbe, contributing writer
A graduate Mississippi State Gregg Parker relocated to Madison with Bob Labbe isof a lifelong resident ofUniversity, the Huntsville community. He has been in the local Intergraph Corporation 1990 with wife Brenda and son For radio 15 years news media for 48 years, ainmulti-award-winning journalist in Andy. television, andGregg print wrote for Spirit” “Limestone Spirit” sections in “The Times.” media. He “Madison is a member of theand Huntsville-Madison County Athletic HallHuntsville of Fame and has His articles havefor been in numerous chamber of Alabama commerce publications, been nominated bothpublished the Alabama Press Association and Music halls of “Southern Family Magazine” and “Life on the Gregg considers a privilege to fame. Bob has hosted a radio program, Reelin’ inWater.” The Years, for 29 years onitWLRH-FM document Madison’s coming age high in hisschool hundreds of articles forfor “The Madison Public Radio. He has also been aoflocal basketball referee 28 years and was andfootball “Madison Living” magazine. Gregg spoiling his collector rescue dachshund, aRecord” high school referee for 15 years. Bob is an enjoys avid sports fan and of 45 rpm Francis He Underwood Parker; binge-watching Netfl series;and andwife records. once boxed Muhammad Ali and was theix reporter whovisiting asked Andy the famed Paul Saadia, bothhis physicians, in Nashville, Bear Bryant last question as coach ofTenn. the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Erin Coggins, Gregg Parker, contributing contributing writer
AErin graduate of is Mississippi University, Gregg Madison High with Coggins a scholasticState journalism adviser andParker historyrelocated teacher attoSparkman Intergraph in 1990 withand wifepublic Brenda and son Andy. ForHer 15 years Gregg School. SheCorporation is also a freelance writer relations consultant. writing muse is wrote “Madison Spirit” and “Limestone “The Huntsville Times.” Worldfor War II war correspondent Ernie Pyle,Spirit” whom sections she fell ininlove with while a student His articles have been published in numerous chamberErin of commerce publications, studying communications at the University of Alabama. and her husband Jamie “Southern Family Magazine” and “Life on the Water.” Gregg considers it a privilege reside in Madison. to document Madison’s coming of age in his hundreds of articles for “The Madison Record” and “Madison Living” magazine. Gregg enjoys spoiling his rescue dachshund, Francis Underwood Parker; binge-watching Netflix series; and visiting Andy and wife Saadia, both physicians, in Nashville, Tenn.
Erin Coggins, writer Joshua Berry, contributing photographer
Erin Coggins a scholastic journalism adviser and teacher at Sparkman High Joshua Berryishas a degree in biology and works fullhistory time as an aquatic instructor for the School. She is also aHe freelance writer public relations consultant. Herdistances. writing muse is City of Huntsville. is also an avidand runner, ranging from short to long When World War II war correspondent Ernie Pyle, whom he sheenjoys fell in trying love with while a the student he’s not spending time with his wife and daughter, to capture perfect studying theowner University of Alabama. Erin andhis heradvice husband Jamie momentcommunications on his camera. Asatthe of Everlong Photography, for beautiful reside in Madison. pictures is that nothing looks better than being confi dent in oneself.
Joshua Berry, photographer Joshua Berry has a degree in biology and works full time as an aquatic instructor for the City of Huntsville. He is also an avid runner, ranging from short to long distances. When he’s not spending time with his wife and daughter, he enjoys trying to capture the perfect moment on his camera. As the owner of Everlong Photography, his advice for beautiful pictures is that nothing looks better than being confident in oneself.
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13 SUCCESS OF WOMEN ATHLETES: The rise in female athletics has increased the success rate of women in life and in the business world
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Thursday, January 7 – Saturday, January 9
The Cook Museum in Decatur is wild about whoopers! Come see the newest addition to the wetland diorama in the Rivers & Streams Exhibit, a taxidermy juvenile whooping crane that was donated by the International Crane Foundation. Learn cool facts about different species that make their home in a wetland biome with the collectable card set. Find out why whooping cranes are so amazing in the Lunch & Learn presentation on Thursday. Go to www.cookmuseum.org.
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....................... AROUND TOWN .......................
...
Lee Marshall
Founder / CEO Kids to Love Foundation
12 Madison Living
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It’s January and usually by this time of year I have all the dates of events lined up with a clear defined strategic plan. This January is different. We’re a community still in the middle of the COVID crisis. Yes, crisis… I don’t know about you but I know several friends who have been personally affected. If 2020 taught me anything, it’s that best laid plans can change in the blink of an eye. It’s made me appreciate what we have -- to see the blessings. The year 2020 proved what I’ve always known.. our service to children in foster care is essential. Our team continued to work to serve our kids and families all year long. Our service never stopped, but how we served certainly changed. We had to take a
new approach to be safe while still serving. 2020 proved to be the biggest year of service yet for Kids to Love. From feeding families every week, to converting classrooms for social distancing, to bringing in a teacher to support our girls at Davidson Farms as they navigated a virtual classroom. Yes, 2020 was a challenge… but I also believe it’s been a blessing. We were forced to evaluate how we serve, and as a result we’ve made changes for the better. Many we will keep in place moving forward. The blessings far outweigh the stressings. While I pray that 2021 brings healing and hope, I think we will all come out stronger. Happy New Year friends!
SPORTS
SUCCESS
The rise in female athletics has increased the success rate of women in the business world STORY BY BOB LABBE PHOTO BY JOSHUA BERRY
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The late singer-songwriter Helen Reddy sang it best in her 1972 classic song “I Am Woman” when the Australian artist sang, “I am woman, hear me roar in numbers too big to ignore.” The line from the now culture favorite has radiated for women ever since and many have used the inspiration of the song to be successful in ways never before achieved, but success for many women have come from other ways including their experiences participating in sports. Traditional sports programs were virtually geared towards male participation, but over the last 40 years female athletics has grown at an unbelievable rate. The rise in female athletics has also increased the success rate of women in life and in the business world and a recent study discovered nearly 90-percent of women in highlevel positions at work have a sports
“Being athletic is mental health and important as a major contributor to healthy lifestyles and being successful in the current work force.” - Sylvia Lambert background. “Being athletic is mental health and important as a major contributor to healthy lifestyles and being successful in the current work force,” said Sylvia Lambert, principal of Bob Jones High and a former multi-sport all-star athlete. “I thrive on the team concept with my administration and teachers as a positive team sets the stage for a healthy environment.” Sports teach you about winning, losing and actually how to “play” with
others. Those skills are easily transferable to business, and leaders of businesses help others to enhance the business and their personal growth through skills learned while participating in sports. The area of sports allows working with a variety of people, personalities and skill levels. Plus, you quickly learn how to work under pressure, but remain calm during those moments of adversity. For women, tackling athletics at a young age gives them confidence,
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“In sports, once you have that taste of winning you strive to be a constant winner...”
ball and became an All-Star caliber player in both basketball and volleyball. “There was never a season I didn’t play,” added Lambert. A graduate of Ole Miss in 1984 she also played softball and soon after moved to Memphis where she took her first job as a teacher in Special Education and English. She also coached basketball. She soon - Merrill Wright moved to Montgomery and became a volleyball coach and mental toughness and resiliency, all of which are a must to also coached both basketball and softball for her children’s travel teams. Along with her husband, Mark and their two be successful at work and in life. “The emotional benefits of playing a sport helped me to children, Lambert made the move to Madison in 1995. Today, Lambert remains active by running and cycling learn to be a team player and succeed at team projects,” said Merrill Wright, 25, interim director of the Madison when she can on a three-four day routine and said fitness is Chamber of Commerce and one-time volleyball player and important to her. “Through my experience in sports I have learned com2013 graduate of Bob Jones High. “In sports, once you have that taste of winning you strive to be a constant winner and mitment to team work, leadership, encouragement, bonding and communication,” said Lambert. “At Bob Jones I that emotion has carried over to my working as an adult.” In any sport, at any age, sports teach how to solve prob- believe a positive team sets the stage for a healthy environlems. When things don’t go correctly you have to think ment.” Gina Turner, 45, is Director of Emergency Operations about how to get out of that situation. The same will happen in everyday life, family or work. Playing sports builds Imaging and Cardio Pulmonary at Madison Hospital. She consensus of team thinking and you learn to strive to get feels strongly about athletics and the connection to success better every single day. It’s a matter of pride to be the best. beyond your playing years. She was a three-sport athlete For Lambert, 57, growing up in Winchester, Tenn., she attending Butler High in Huntsville and was an All-Star participated in swimming, tennis volleyball and basket- performer in both volleyball and basketball. She earned a
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volleyball scholarship to Northwest Shoals Community College before continuing her education at both Cumberland College and the University of Alabama-Huntsville (UAH). “Sports taught me self-discipline as practice makes perfect,” said Turner, who earned her degree in nursing at UAH and is a mother of three children. “Sports helped me in many areas as an adult, especially in the work force, as those years of hard work in sports helped me in my leadership role at work and at home.” One area of significant training that is a huge part of any sport is organizing strategies- setting up a game plan. Sports teaches how to set goals and attempt to accomplish those goals, all while learning networking skills. Wright attended Troy University earning a degree in psychology and marketing and gives sports a lot of the credit for preparing her for adulthood, especially in the business world. “I had many mentors in my early life, but only my coach had the biggest impact on me as I had that person to look up to,” said Wright. “I tell young athletes today to don’t get your feelings hurt as a loss is just a loss. Con-
tinue working and do your best. Build your confidence and be a better person. That’s what sports taught me and I’ve carried this with me throughout my professional life. Social benefits of playing on a sports team helped me develop many social skills and those skills include cooperate with others, listen to others and not to be selfish as it’s all about being a team player.” Lambert credits much of her success to her participation in athletics. She was recently named the District 8 Principal of the Year by the Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals along with Bob Jones High being regarded as one of the top learning facilities in the nation. She added, “I love the balance of active lifestyles. I love helping high school students set their paths for life as I believe an active lifestyle will last a lifetime.” “Sports taught me to lead by example and bring others together for success,” said Turner. “Players in sports develop bonds and community awareness, which is what you need in the business world of today.” For the successful women of today who set a solid foundation in sports, there is no need for them to roar like the Reddy song of 1972…their success roars for them.
“ ”
Sports taught me self-discipline as practice makes perfect.”
- Gina Turner
Madison Living 19
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Madison Living 21
OUT&ABOUT ROCKET CITY SPECTACULAR AND WINTER WONDERLAND - Madison Living writer Erica DeSpain visited the Rocket City Christmas Spectacular and Winter Wonderland at Toyota Field. The brand new Christmas tradition was hosted by the Rocket City Trash Pandas. Erica and her three daughters, Hadley, Sadie and Jillian, had a blast. A Bob Jones High School graduate, Erica and her husband Jamie moved back to Madison in 2018 where she fell in love in her hometown all over again. To express her love for the city, Erica created the blog “All Things Madison”. You can find it at www.allthingsmadison.com
22 Madison Living
PEOPLE
NATIONAL CHARITY LEAGUE A new group in Madison nurtures mother-daughter relationships STORY BY GREGG PARKER
Madison Living 23
A
A new group in Madison is promoting the invaluable bond between a mother and daughter. This connection eventually can develop strong women leaders that impact communities today and for generations to come. National Charity League Inc. or NCL is a non-profit national organization of mother and daughters with the objective to foster these relationships through community philanthropy, leadership development and cultural experiences. Chapter President Michelle Ventigan was the driving force behind the league’s formation after witnessing her friend and daughter complete the pro-
24 Madison Living
gram in California. Ventigan gauged interest for a Madison chapter with a post on “What’s Happening Madison” on Facebook. From that message, most board members joined. “With multiple transplants from around the country, our chapter was formed (in March 2020) with members who wanted the same positive impact here,” Lindsey Arnold, Vice President of Membership, said. “The Madison City chapter was fortunate to have a professional advisory and formation team from the corporate level … and a well-established template to guide us.” Founded in 1925 in Los Angeles,
the league remains nonpolitical and nonsectarian in all policies. Mothers are called ‘Patronesses.’ Daughters are named ‘Ticktockers.’ In the United States, members volunteer approximately 3 million hours annually to more than 6,000 charities. National Charity League uses three pillars of programming: • Community service -- Chapters learn their community’s philanthropic needs and activate to solve these. Mothers and daughters serve together. • Leadership development -- Solve problems, build teams, garner consensus, plan events and learn parliamentary procedure.
• Cultural experiences – Embrace local traditions in art of etiquette and performing arts. “Our organization supports needs of our partnering philanthropies. We can provide a group of willing mothers and daughters volunteering together for events and special projects,” Arnold said. Currently, many philanthropy partners are not accepting volunteers because of COVID19 restrictions. However, the league has helped at Manna House, weeding beds at CASA community garden, a Halloween bash at Early Works Museum and at Madison Senior Center. Ventigan joined the league as a newcomer searching for activities for her daughter. “Volunteering with my daughter really appealed to me,” Ventigan said. “I like that girls are grouped together, in the same grade and will grow up with each other.” “In this season of life (the teenage years), it’s such a great idea to have an organization to encourage independence while nurturing that mother/ daughter relationship,” Ventigan said. To identify people in need, National Charity League collaborates with their philanthropy partners. Individuals in need can contact the league. League members also nominate potential 501(c)3 philanthropies and the patronesses (mothers) vote to decide recipient groups. Currently, the local league is assisting about six philanthropies and hopes to accept more. Arnold was inspired to join the league because of her aunt and two cousins in a chapter in San Diego. “I watched them help their community and cement their mother-daughter relationship. My aunt is my role model.” “I loved watching my aunt lead her chapter with integrity, dedication and a lot of humor! She trained dozens of girls in leadership … and to appreciate plays, gospel music, ballet and tea etiquette,” Arnold said. “Not only do I want to emulate my aunt’s involvement, I would like my daughter to have the same experiences as her
Madison Living 25
cousins.� The league’s board also includes vice presidents Rebecca Duke, Ticktocker; Sarah Patterson, Patroness; Kristin Donahue, Philanthropy; Whitney Hunter, Communication, along with Treasurer Wendy Evans, Secretary Jackie Johnson and Parliamentarian Erin Percy Board members meet monthly on first Sundays at 6 p.m. Patronesses (mothers) meet monthly on second Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Ticktockers (daughters) meet monthly on second Sundays at 4 p.m. Locations change, depending on the activity. Currently, the organization is accepting applications for mothers with daughters in grades 6-10. An informational meeting is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2021 at 7 p.m. in the Walden Clubhouse, 208 Walden Glen Road in Madison. For more information, email membershipmadisoncity@nclonline.org or visit nationalcharityleague.org or Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
26 Madison Living
Madison Living 27
....................... Madison City Schools .......................
MCS builds bridges to accommodate growing student diversity
...
John Peck
Madison City Schools Public Relations Manager
M
Madison City Schools is not only growing in enrollment. It is also increasing in diversity. Twelve percent (12) of the district’s student population speaks a language other than English as their native tongue. That’s more than 1,400 students spread across 86 different languages. The 86 primary languages is up from 71 in 2018 and 52 in 2016. Spanish is tops, followed by Chinese, Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese. Japanese is the fastest growing native language, doubling in number just in the
past year. The rapid rise in Japanese-speaking students is mainly due to families moving in for the new Mazda-Toyota plant just west of Madison. Having international students adds a rich culture to any school district. Diversity in classrooms: * Helps foster open mindedness and new perspectives * Promotes growth and student reflection * Broadens awareness and tolerance * Better prepares students for diversity in the workplace. It also can promote empathy and student achievement, reduce prejudice, and strengthen creativity. Dr. Natalia Dooley, Federal Programs Coordinator for Madison City Schools, says an international student base helps prepare them for their increasingly globally-connected world. “We want to make their adjustment to Madison as welcoming as we can, just as we would want if it was us having to adjust to a new language and culture.” Communicating with such a broad group of English Learn-
28 Madison Living
ers (EL) led Madison City Schools to some creative tools to do so. The district continues to support its growing language diversity through contract interpreting and translation services. It offers a “Talking Points” app that can automatically translate email and text messages with EL families. There has been staff training to raise awareness about language barriers. The Talking Points app includes an on-demand “human” interpreter feature to help navigate through terms/ concepts that are difficult to comprehend. Additionally, the District has enlisted a contract with Foreign Language Services for large documents and legal language needs. These translation services have been particularly helpful this school year with all the specialized messaging coming from COVID-19. Under the pandemic, the district expanded translations to include district webpage updates, FAQs, video messages from the superintendent, and various correspondences. The district team works closely with its language services to ensure that newcomer families can get the communications in a language they are more versed in. Of course, interpretation services aren’t the only example of how MCS is trying to serve its growing EL population. The District has been making great strides each year with its EL summer camps, which helps those kids hone their English language and culture skills. The district’s cultural bridge doesn’t end with simply helping EL families understanding English. Madison City Schools has also broadened its curriculum in recent years to include an introduction to World Languages course in middle schools, expanded its Spanish instruction to include all elementary grades, and established a Seal of Biliteracy program for graduating seniors who demonstrate proficiency in two or more languages.
ON THE GRILL
AT THE RICKY SHACK World Championship Barbeque Competition BY RICHARD GEORGE
Madison Living 29
Gayle and Richard George, KCBS CEO Emily Detwiler, and KCBS Board of Directors Member Myron Berry.
I
If anyone ever questioned the love of BBQ in world’s largest organization of barbeque and the Tennessee Valley, they should just try and grilling enthusiasts, numbering approximately count the BBQ restaurants, the number of BBQ 20,000 members. The Tennessee Valley is ably grills at every big box store and the big cookers and proudly represented by Randy Bigler of on trailers at Firehouses. What about the smell Madison, AL and Myron Berry of Florence, AL arising from a neighbor’s backyard cookout? as Directors of KCBS. I was extremely fortuWhat about the smoke and wonderful smells nate to be selected to judge in the World Chamarising from a BBQ contest? We do love our pionship Competition. BBQ. This competition provided an opportunity We all know that 2020 has been a crazy year for top performing KCBS Pitmasters to comdue to the Covid-19 pandemic. Medical, popete on a global stage for the title of “KCBS litical, and business issues have dominated the World Champion.” The competition was held Richard George news. The restrictions placed on public gathwest of Kansas City, Kansas at the Prairie Band @ricky_shack erings have been devastating to the many BBQ Indian Casino and Resort. contests and the charities that were supported To qualify for the title of World Champion, by them. Riverfest on the Tennessee River in Decatur (26th the bragging rights, trophies and cash, the Master Series year), WhistleStop at the Historic Huntsville Depot (20th (Professional) Division Pitmasters must have won Grand year), and even THE JACK (31st year) at the Jack Daniels Champion or Reserve Grand Champion at a KCBS sancDistillery were cancelled due to “health, safety and well-be- tioned Master series at one of the nearly 500 contests sancing” reasons. Many others were rescheduled or cancelled. tioned annually in the US and across 42 countries globally. The Kansas City Barbeque Society World Championship New for 2020 was the addition of the Backyard Division, Competition fell victim to being rescheduled to a later time in which amateur pitmasters competed for the title of KCBS but was finally able to be held on November 13- 14, 2020. World Backyard Chicken Champion and KCBS World BackThe Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) is a non-profit yard Rib Champion. organization dedicated to preserving, celebrating, promotThe National Turkey Federation partnered with KCBS ing, and educating the public about barbeque. It is the to inspire pitmasters to include turkey during the smoking
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and grilling season and showcase the versatility of turkey on the smoker. The finale of the Inaugural “Turkey Smoke Series” was held on Friday evening, November 13th, in conjunction with the KCBS World Championship Competition. My wife, Gayle, and I were also selected to judge in this finale of the National Turkey Federation “Turkey Smoke Series.” We enjoyed smoky, tender turkey entries, prepared in interesting ways. Emily Detwiler, CEO of KCBS recognized Redbones BBQ (Russ Allen) from Florence, AL as the KCBS Backyard Chicken Team of the Year, and Lee La Q (Patrick Swindoll) from Cullman, AL as the KCBS Ribs Team of the Year. Puckdaddy’s Killer Q (David Puckett) of Athens, AL was awarded the Reserve Grand Champion of the Backyard Series, and Hickory Hangover (Jay Honea and Brian and Greg Walker) of Madison, AL followed with third place overall. North Alabama was well represented in the winner’s circle! TO COOK OR TO JUDGE Competitive cooking is expensive, labor intensive, hot and stressful. Judging is no easy task! However, traveling to the competitions, seeing old friends, and making new friends, admiring various cooking equipment setups and certainly tasting delicious barbeque makes judging as a hobby great fun. After my initial judges training and certification, my goal was to achieve the Master Judge certification. The requirements for this certification are to judge 30 sanctioned contests, to cook with a professional team and to pass a rigorous written exam. Thanks to the professional team of Bob Fite and Steve Blake of Jiggy Piggy from Decatur, AL., I was able to fulfill that cooking with a professional team requirement. Next comes the opportunity to judge regional or national events. For several years, I have been judging BBQ contests in Alabama and the contiguous states. Hopefully, next year I can judge contests in North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisianna. Judging is a process of grading chicken, pork ribs, sliced or pulled pork and beef brisket. (For anyone interested, KCBS offers training classes throughout the year in various locations.) Each BBQ team or Pitmaster provides 6 pieces of meat for judging. Those meats are judged on their own merit, i.e.; not comparing one entry to another, and scored as to: 1. Presentation. We eat with our eyes. You must score the meat as to how it looks. You are presented only one meat at a time so that you are not comparing one entry with another. 2. Taste. Does it have flavor or is it lacking flavor? Is it too spicy or is there some odd taste? 3. Tenderness. Does it have a good texture and moist, yet not mushy? Is it tough? Scoring is (9) Excellent, (8) Very Good, (7) Above Average, (6) Average, (5) Below Average, (4) Poor, (3) Bad, and
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(2) Inedible. Receiving a 9-9-9 from multiple judges makes your entry a real contender. You might also expect that an 8 or lower on any meat decreases the Pitmasters chance of winning the competition. KCBS utilizes a double-blind judging process whereby the Pitmaster is unknown to the Judges as well as the Judges are unknown to the Pitmasters. You still think Judging is easy? Imagine tasting six bites of chicken, six bites of ribs, six bites of pork (most times sliced and pulled pork is presented and you must taste each meat presented, so maybe 12 bites), and six bites of beef brisket. Between each bite you eat a portion of an unsalted cracker and sip water to cleanse your palate. Are you full yet? The next time you sit down to a meal, count your bites! Fraternizing between judges and teams is obviously prohibited during the competitions. I enjoy wandering around and visiting with different teams after the judging is completed. There were many different cooking set-ups in this competition of almost 125 teams. I recognized many Big Green Eggs, Weber grills, “recteq” pellet smokers, vertical drums and even some homemade grills. How do you say: “boys and their toys?” Almost all cooks/pitmasters are happy to show you their cooking equipment and are friendly. Some are willing to share their styles of cooking and their recipes; however, some consider their cooking styles and recipes a well-guarded secret. After the KCBS World Championship, I was introduced to Brian Walker of Madison, AL and discovered that he attended high school with my daughter and son-inlaw. He graciously shared the following recipe that Hickory Hangover likes: Smoking good competition ribs starts with picking the right ribs. We like to cook St. Louis style spareribs, as these are more flavorful than baby backs. We look for racks that are heavily marbled with fat. The fat provides excellent flavor and will give you a moist rib with the right tenderness. For competitions, we will remove the membrane from the back of the ribs (using a paper towel helps- without one the membrane can be slick and tough to remove). We will also trim off the small thin bones at the end of the rack and square them up, as this helps with appearance- they will be consistently sized. Our target is to have racks with approximately ten bones each. We cook our ribs on a “recteq RT700” pellet smoker. Our fuel is Cookinpellets Perfect Mix pellets, which is a blend of Hickory, Cherry, Hard Maple, and Apple. This provides a nice balanced smoke flavor without overpowering the meat. We use several different Dirty South BBQ rubs on our ribs. We will set the RT700 to 275 degrees, then apply the rub as the pit comes up to temp. Initially we apply a light layer of the Dirty South Competition Blend rub on the underside of the ribs, followed by a heavier coat of Dirty South Mama’s Rub. This is the primary rub flavor, so do not be shy here. We finish with an exceptionally light layer of Dirty South
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foil and wrap the ribs in the foil- the goal here is to create pouch that will hold in moisture and steam/braise the ribs. We add several liquids to the foil pouch to assist with this....they are 1/3 C of Parkay, 1/8 C of Honey, 1/8 C of Agave nectar, and a splash of apple juice. After the liquids, we add a few shakes of the Dirty South SeXXXy Mama’s Rub. Wrap the foil pouch tightly so air will not escape, making sure to not puncture the pouch. Put the wrapped ribs back on the smoker for 1-1/2 hours. After the ribs have cooked for 1-1/2 hours wrapped in foil, they will be close to being finished...now it’s time to sauce them. We use Blues Hog Champions Blend sauce, as it has the right combination of sweet and smokey flavor, SeXXXy Mama’s Rub but be careful.... this rub is spicy. A and they give the ribs a nice sheen that helps with appearlittle goes a long way. After about 20 minutes the ribs will ance. start to sweat....that means it is time to flip the ribs over, We brush the sauce on both sides of the ribs, then place so they are meat side up, and apply the same sequence them on the smoker for about 15 minutes...this sets the of rubs on this side. Once the top side sweats (approxi- sauce. Once the sauce is set, remove the ribs, slice, and mately 20 minutes on this side as well), place the ribs on serve! the smoker. Congratulations and thanks again to Brian and Greg The ribs will smoke at 275 for approximately 2-1/2 Walker and Jay Honea of Hickory Hangover for sharing hours. At this point you will usually have achieved the de- this recipe. sired color, and the rub will have “set”. To see if you’ve After experiencing the competition side of cooking barreached this point, scrape the rack of ribs with your fin- beque with the professional team of Jiggy Piggy of Decatur, gernail. If no rub comes off, it’s time to wrap! AL, and the Backyard team of Cluck & Swine of Madison, Wrapping is also known as the Texas crutch...this is a AL, I have decided to stick to cooking at the Deercamp and technique used to ensure you achieve the desired color and the Ricky Shack. I prefer cooking, eating, and judging my tenderness for competition. Take two pieces of heavy-duty own food. After all, I am my own worst critic.
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MADISON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CONNECTIONS
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2020, what a year!
Happy New Year! As we look forward to what 2021 has to bring, here is a look back at some of the many highlights of 2020 involving the Madison Chamber of Commerce. The Madison Chamber of Commerce hosted the following events in 2021: - Connect 2020 – Mayor Finley’s State of the City Address - Alabama Credit Union Business After Hours - Insanity Complex Business After Hours - Meet More Members Ribbon Cutting for our no office, shared office or small office, and home-based businesses at The Offices at Spenryn with seven of our business member and 75+ attendees along with Mayor Finley to support these fantastic businesses. - Fat Tuesday event hosted at Madison Hospital with For-
ever Grateful Food Truck - Quarterly luncheon with Josh Carey – Announcer for the Rocket City Trash Pandas - Leap of Kindness Day – showing kindness to our First Responders - Light Up Madison Event to say thank you to our Frontline Health Care Professionals - Virtual Girlfriends Meet & Eat - Virtual Coffee & Community - Virtual Family Quarantine Challenge - #MadisonALStrong T-Shirt and Madison Mask Campaign raised enough money to feed all frontline workers twice. We fed Madison Hospital Health Care Professionals, HEMSI, Madison Fire Stations 1, 2 and 3, Madison Policemen, Postal
The MCC reserves the right, in its sole reasonable discretion, to remove a nominee from the selection process. 103 SPENRYN DR., MADISON, ALABAMA 35758
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PHONE 256-325-8317
MADISON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CONNECTIONS
Workers at Post Office on Hughes Rd, Madison County Sanitation workers – Monies purchased gift cards from our restaurant Chamber members to provide financial support to those business members. - Community Produce Support at Tazikis - packed produce bags to hand out to Community - Virtual Quarterly Meeting – Sponsored by Thrive Alabama – Featuring Mary Elizabeth Marr, CEO of Thrive Alabama - Parking lot pop up lunch with Chick-Fil-A at The Offices at Spenryn - Ambassadors Night Out – Topgolf - Partnered with MVP to assist with the River of Hope project at Dublin Park - Groundbreaking of the new Midtown Elementary School - Kids to Love – Over the Edge – Merrill Wright - Mayor’s $5k Scholarship Presentation sponsored by Lockheed Martin - Madison Chamber Scholarships - $1k for a student at James Clemens and Bob Jones - Partnered with the Madison Senior Center for their Parking Lot Social - Virtual Quarterly Meeting – Sponsored by Progress Bank – Featuring Dr. Ed Nichols, Superintendent of Madison City Schools - Best in Business Awards 2020 - Champagne Toast for Winners for Best in Business Awards Grand Openings & Ribbon Cuttings for 2020 AL Shish Avalon Family Care Burn Boot Camp Crumbl Cookies Culver’s Dermatology Specialist of Alabama - Madison Filthy Gorgeous on Main Freddy’s
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W W W. FAC E B O O K . CO M / M A D I S O N C H A M B E R
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MADISON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CONNECTIONS
Goodwill Donation Drive Thru Facility Healthrox HLA Consulting Insanity Complex Drive Thru Halloween Event Madison City Fueling Station NOW Soccer Oasis Med Spa Palladian Luxury Apartment Homes Publix – Clift Farm Say Ahh Dental Southern Food Services dba Dunkin Doughnuts Sports Med Orthopedic Spine & Surgery Tom Brown’s Restaurant Wine and Design
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OUT&ABOUT MADISON ON THE RANGE CHRISTMAS PARADE - The Madison Christmas Parade may have been canceled this year, but that was not the case at Madison on the Range. A special Christmas Parade was held at the senior living facility on County Line Road on Friday, December 11. It included the Madison Police Department, Madison Fire an Rescue, HEMSI, Madison Public Library, plus several businesses and family members of the residents. “We had hot cocoa, cookies, a special visit by Santa and lots of fun,” said Jennifer Finlay, the marketing director at Madison on the Range. “Our residents, staff and their families had a fun and festive time. It was great to see the faces light up on our residents.” Below are some fun scenes from the parade.
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