WEDNESDAY
December 6, 2023
SPORTS: Basketball action heated up with a OT thriller between Bob Jones and Sparkman
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Santa came to town!
INSIDE
Kids Kingdom reopened last month with a ribbon cutting and check presentation.
Intergenerational
Madison Senior Center has launched an activity that will be mutually beneficial to older citizens and youth. Both generations will interact to demonstrate skills that each age group can learn. Page 2A
City accepts funds for Kids Kingdom renovation By MARIA RAKOCZY maria@themadisonrecord.com
Noble Passage Interiors in downtown Madison has been creating a Christmas wonderland with their displays and merchandise for years. Page 3A
Madison Academy overcomes Geraldine to reach state final By CALEB ODOM caleb@themadisonrecord.com
Perfect holiday ham
Bringing together loved ones with classic seasonal meals is a staple of the holiday season, and few centerpieces call to mind childhood memories like a tender ham cooked to perfection Page 5A
Ring and Sing Concert
The “Ring and Sing Concert” at Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison has been so popular over the years that the event is celebrating its silver anniversary in 2023. Page 7A
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INSIDE Local News ....... 2A Living................ 5A Events............... 6A Sports .............. 1B
Schools ............ 4B History.............. 5B Kids.................. 6B Faith................. 7B
16 pages • 2 sections
GERALDINE Madison Academy (14-0) punched its ticket to the 3A State Championship game with the 48-43 road defeat of Geraldine (12-2) this past Friday. Only the exceptional high school teams remain at this point of the year and Madison Academy continues to climb that lonely mountain with a perfect record. The Mustangs face Mobile Christian (14-0) this Thursday at 11 a.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Madison Academy’s white road uniforms glowed in relief compared to the dingy brown grass of Geraldine’s field on the first day of December. At this point of the year, most high school football teams are eliminated from contention and firmly into the offseason. Not the Mustangs. Sure, the playoff games have See MUSTANGS Page 4A
It too an 11-yard touchdown run up the middle by Madison Academy’s senior running back #5 Ken Cherry with just 57 seconds left on the clock to take down the Bulldogs in the nail-bitter semi-finals match-up. Photo by Andrew Noles (Noles Nest Photography).
MADISON - Last week the Madison City Council accepted the final donation of Madison Visionary Partners for the Kids Kingdom playground renovations. MVP contributed a total of $607,000 to the project, represented by a check presented to Madison Mayor Paul Finley at the playground’s ribbon cutting on November 20. The donation of $492,537.16 made at the council meeting was the organization’s final contribution to the project after two years of fundraising from a total of twenty-six donors that included local organizations and businesses such as the Rotary Club and Mazda Toyota Manufacturing. Executive Director of MVP Melanie Thornton stated about the fundraising process, “In total, we raised just over $600,000 which includes legislative grant money that went directly to the city of Madison. It’s important to recognize that the achievement was the result of a collaborative community endeavor.” MVP worked with multiple organizations including MCDAD and the Madison City Schools to transform Kids Kingdom into an updated and accessible playground. Mayor Finley extended his gratitude to MVP and the city’s teams. “I want to thank Public Works for all the efforts they did while Madison Visionary Partners helped secure $600,000 in funding. A lot of revenue was also saved for the city by what Public Works did for us. I want to thank See CITY COUNCIL Page 4A
‘Christmas Time with The Beasley Brothers’ concert in Madison slated for Dec. 9 By GREGG PARKER gregg@themadisonrecord.com MADISON – “Christmas Time with The Beasley Brothers” is billed as ‘a Christmas show like nothing else in town.’ The Beasley Brothers will perform on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. in James Clemens High School Auditorium. “We’re bringing our Christmas show back to the North Alabama area. It’s hard to believe, but this is actually our eighth year of hosting the Christmas
show,” Jackson Beasley said. The Nashville-based country/rock duo delivers a family-friendly show that features Christmas classics, original Christmas music by The Beasley Brothers and special guests from the local music scene. The band works tirelessly to win over fans in the Southeast and beyond by showcasing their unique ability to wrap heartfelt stories in familial harmonies, catchy melodies and tasteful guiSee BEASLEY Page 8A
“Christmas Time with The Beasley Brothers” promises an enjoyable evening with a different slant on holiday music. The Beasley Brothers will perform on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. in James Clemens High School Auditorium.
It’s all about FAMILY! Come Join Ours! 2405 JORDAN LANE NW, HUNTSVILLE
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Christmas magic
Santa make an early visit to Madison Friday for the lighting ceremony of the city’s Polar Express Christmas Trees on Main Street. Located in historic downtown Madison, dozens of traditional and themed trees are now on exhibit, decorated by businesses, municipal groups, students, churches, and agencies. The event Friday included several fun activities, and the annual Wassail Fest. See page 4A for photos. Photo by Cristie Clark of Captured By Cristie LLC (www.cbcmediaco.com).