The Madison Record, Sept. 22, 2021

SPORTS: James Clemens, Sparkman and Bob Jones football programs win in road games

M adison RECORD WEDNESDAY September 22, 2021

THE

Free Edition • Published Every Wednesday

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Trash Pandas end 2021 season, final home games canceled due to COVID

INSIDE

Advisory Committee Nine members of the new resident-police group, Madison Police Citizens Advisory Committee, will bring varied backgrounds to the table at the first public meeting on Sept.

29. Page 3A

By BOB LABBE bob0873@yahoo.com

EVENTS The Rocket City Trash Pandas will host the Pensacola Blue Wahoos through Sunday.

SPARKMAN LEADS THE WAY IN NEW HIGH SCHOOL SPORT - Scoring touchdowns is now part of girls athletics in high schools across Alabama. The Alabama High School Athletic Association sanctioned flag football for this school season and 22 student-athletes at Sparkman High are the trailblazers for the new sport. Pictured above, Grace Anne Ingram awaits to snap the ball to awaiting quarterback Jenna Kiger in one of the practices for the Sparkman Senators. Both girls are seniors and excited about the start-up sport. See full story on page 1B. Photo by Bob Labbe

Get your appetites for good food and good music revved up for the debut of the Railyard BBQ Brawl and Music Festival on Oct. 22-23.

Page 5A

SCHOOLS

Madison named in Money Magazine’s list of Best Places to Live in America

By STAFF REPORTS

National Merit Semifinalists Bob Jones and James Clemens high schools far outpaced any other high school in Alabama in the number of National Merit Semifinalists. In fact, no other entire school district produced more than either Bob Jones or James Clemens, which had a combined 37 split nearly even between them. Page 6A

BUSINESS

Ribbon Cuttings Check out the latest ribbin cuttings and grand openings hosted by the Madison Chamber of Commerce.

Page 8A

CLASSIFIEDS

FIND JOBS INSIDE: There are plenty of jobs within today’s classifieds pages.

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INSIDE Records .......... 2A Events ............. 5A Education ........ 6A Sports ............. 1B

Business ......... 4B Kids................. 5B Church ............ 6B Lifestyles ......... 7B

16 pages • 2 sections

MADISON - Madison officials were jubilant last week over the city’s inclusion in Money Magazine’s list of Best Places to Live in America. Madison was ranked 12th.

When choosing the rankings, Money considered how each city highlights job and economic growth, creates affordable cost of living, and enhances quality of life.

“This accolade substantiates what Madison residents already know to be true, Madison is an incredible place to live and raise a family,” Mayor Paul Finley said. “Managing our explosive growth in Madison while still maintaining the high caliber of lifestyle continues to remain the main priority for this Mayor and Council team. We will continue to serve our City and are

proud of this recognition.”

“It’s no wonder Madison continues to receive accolades, we have a very special city to call home!” Madison City Council President Greg Shaw stated. “The teamwork among our city employees, school system, Chamber, and citizens all contribute to our City’s success.

The last time Madison qualified for this recognition was in 2009 when it ranked 49th. In the last 12 years, Madison’s population has grown by over 18,000.

City officials say businesses and residents alike are attracted to the area because of its low unemployment rates, top ranked schools, and average household income 35.5% higher than the national average. This follows the distinction of being named Niche’s #1 Zip Code to live in Alabama ranking for Madison’s 35758 zip code.

Madison Mayor Paul Finley “We have a great internal team working at City Hall to continually provide excellent services to our residents, stretching the revenue we receive to provide the highest quality of life possible in our area,” added Finley.

MADISON - The inaugural 2021 season of the Rocket City Trash Pandas is over.

The team cancelled the final four games of the schedule due to COVID protocol, thus ending the campaign for the new team at Toyota Field.

“The one takeaway from the season I’ll always remember is the group of players in the clubhouse were phenomenal human beings,” said Jay Bell, manager of the Trash Pandas.

“It was certainly a strange finish to the season, but we did win our last game of the season.”

The Trash Pandas defeated Pensacola 4-0 on Wednesday night before 5,303 fans at Toyota Field not knowing the contest would be the final game of the 2021 campaign. Starting pitcher Christopher Molina threw eight scoreless innings for the victory against the Blue Wahoos thus snapping a season-long eight-game losing streak. The final standings have the Trash Pandas with a 54-56 record, four games behind North Division leading Birmingham.

In all, 61 players wore the Trash Pandas uniform this season with 10 being promoted to the Major Leagues.

“To start this franchise the way this organization did took everybody to be involved and it showed how much the people were passionate about the start up,” added Bell. “I am very impressed with the Rocket City fans. They appreciated what See TRASH PANDAS Page 2A

Kids to Love “Over the Edge” a huge success despite rain says Lee Marshall Madison Mayor Paul Finley was one of many volunteers who went “over the edge”

By JOHN FEW John@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON – Madison Mayor Paul Finley once again went over the edge.

He joined dozens of others in rappelling 160 feet from atop the Regions Center in downtown Huntsville Friday and Saturday. He has made the feat an annual contribution to helping a great non-profit organization based in Madison.

The event is a partnership between

Kids to Love, a local nonprofit benefiting foster children, and Over the Edge, an “adventure experience” company that helps organizations like Kids to Love raise money to support their causes.

After watching Over the Edge fundraisers in other cities over the years, Kids to Love Founder and CEO Lee Marshall knew Huntsville would be a perfect fit for the thrilling fundraiser.

She said 100 percent of the proceeds that rappellers raised will go straight to the foster children and programs that Kids to Love supports.

“Our 4th Annual Over the Edge was our best yet!” Marshall stated. “Our See OVER THE EDGE Page 2A

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themadisonrecord

2A • THE RECORD

September 22, 2021

Letter to the Editor

To our community from the Huntsville Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees 432455-1

432451-1

To advertise in The Madison Record, call Donna Counts at 256-714-7152

Our community is different. We have a history of creative solutions to tremendous challenges, and a tradition of taking care of our neighbors during crises.

Recently, the Huntsville Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees heard firsthand accounts from our Hospital leaders about the devastating impact of COVID on our frontline health care workers. More children are being admitted. Intensive Care Unit and emergency room bed space is maxed out. And because there are a limited number of skilled health care workers who can treat COVID patients, those in the trenches have to carry the weight of their regular patient caseload alongside this surge in COVID patients. This means, in many cases, our caregivers must work four or five days a week for 12-hour shifts just to keep up with the demands of patient care.

We serve on this board because we care about our community hospitals and the patients who walk through those doors expecting to receive exceptional care, no matter who they are or what their illness is. And as we listened to the stark realities of what is happening in our hospitals, we felt compelled to help. Last year, there was a constant stream of meals, mask donations, and motivation sent to frontline workers. Now, there is next to nothing, while their everyday reality is even worse than before.

That is why we, as a group, want

to encourage our community to let these health care workers know that they are valued and seen. While each of us may come from different backgrounds, lines of work and perspectives, we can all agree that every health care worker deserves our immense respect and support. They are there for us at our most vulnerable, and have dedicated their lives to serve us. This need is as local as it gets – these are our neighbors and family members.

Ideas that companies, school groups, service organizations, churches and families can do to help include: • Contribute gift cards and other morale boosters to specific hospital units (30 to 100 of any item). These donations can be coordinated by calling (256) 265-8077 or by emailing hhfoundation@hhsys.org.

• Donate to HHF’s Healthcare Heroes Fund at huntsvillehospitalfoundation.org/covid19. One-hundred percent of these funds go directly toward employee assistance and morale boosters for the employ-

ees serving on the frontlines. This includes nurses, hospitalists, environmental services, respiratory therapists and more.

• Encourage best practices within your company or circle. Suggestions include incentives and giveaway drawings for those who have been vaccinated, convenient testing for those who have not, and continued mask requirements regardless of vaccination status.

• Separate, sanitize and get vaccinated if able – only then can you be confident you are not contributing to a hospitalization or even death.

These national recommendations are scientifically proven to slow the spread and reduce the strain on our hospitals. Do it for your family, co-workers and for yourself.

Madison County, let’s join together to show our health care heroes that we are still behind them in this fight.

Dave King, Chairman Sarah Savage-Jones, President Bill Roark, Vice Chairman

Over the Edge

A new day.

A new beginning.

sold out event filled the streets of Huntsville with our community supporting our kids. We navigated rain delays, food trucks, face painting and some amazing costumes! Thank you to all of our edgers, sponsors, volunteers, and participants.”

Mayor Finley went over the edge on Friday afternoon.

“I’m a strong believer in Kids to Love— the multiple programs that they have and what they’re doing for our foster kids,” Finley said. “I’ve helped wrap gifts, I’ve helped with backpacks, watched them with their KTECH program, and in all instances, it’s making a major impact for a group of folks who strongly deserve it.”

KTECH is Kids to Love’s workforce initiative that helps young people who are aging out of foster care develop skill sets that they can use to go straight to the workforce.

At nearly 189 feet in total height, the Regions Center is one of the tallest buildings in Huntsville. Rappellers committed to raise at least $1,000 for Kids to Love in order to participate in the event. Companies also had to opportunity to sponsor

It all starts with amazing care in a new facility nestled at the base of Monte Sano – the mountain of health.

The Orthopedic & Spine teams move to a new free-standing tower which is likely to become a destination for people seeking life-improving treatment options — a new beginning to do the important things in life.

It’s what people want from orthopedic and spine treatment.

teams of up to four people for a commitment of $5,000.

A former foster child herself, Marshall founded Kids to Love in 2004 to meet the needs of foster children in the Tennessee Valley. According to their website, Kids to Love has helped more than 200,000 foster children since the organization’s inception. The organization remains committed to helping as many foster children find “forever families” as they can. Marshall will rappel off the Regions Center on Saturday.

“I was adopted at a young age—born into foster care and adopted—so I could be any of the kids that we serve, but I was very lucky to be placed with a forever family early and adopted, so that’s one of the reasons why we work so hard,” Marshall said. “ … When I get to see the faces of the kids that we have a direct impact on every single day and knowing that we’re changing their lives, it’s all worth it.”

To learn more about Kids to Love and their programs, visit kidstolove.org.

Their office is located at 140 Castle Drive in Madison.

Trash Pandas has been done here with the limitations they had. The front office did a great job and I’m proud of the players who were put here by the Angels (parent team)

and they represented the Angels and Trash Pandas in a positive way.”

More details on the 2021 season coming soon.

Madison Weather with Steve Norris

Cooler temperatures are on the way

By STEVE NORRIS MADISON - We are going into a much cooler weather pattern this week and it is right on schedule for the beginning of Autumn.

There will be a day or two later in the week with highs in the low 70s and lows near 50. Below-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall is expected from September 22nd through October 3rd. Several inches of rain fell this past weekend in many areas and we can sure

use a prolonged dry spell Autumn arrives Wednesday afternoon and the feel of fall will be in the air.

Autumn begins when the center of the sun crosses the earth’s equator and it will continue getting lower in the sky until the first day of winter. The sun will set directly in the West on Wednesday and Rise directly in the east and day and night will be almost equal length.

You can reach me anytime at weather1@charter.net

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Madison County Record is published each Wednesday by Madison Publications, LLC, P.O. Box 859 Madison, AL 35758.

John Few Editor 256-772-6677 john.few@madisoncountyrecord.com Gregg L. Parker News Writer gregg.parker@madisoncountyrecord.com Bob Labbe Sports Writer bob0873@yahoo.com

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September 22, 2021

Curtis Potts

THE RECORD • 3A

Sara Browder

Billie Goodson

Frank Fletcher

Dwayne Craft

Rebecca Colon Franz

Arthur Brackett

Marc Highsmith

Rajiv Sharma

Who are they?

The Madison Police Advisory Committee will meet publicly for the first time next week

By GREGG PARKER Gregg@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON – Nine members of the new resident-police group, Madison Police Citizens Advisory Committee, will bring varied backgrounds to the table at the first public meeting on Sept. 29.

The committee, tasked to promote dialogue between police and residents, will convene at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers of City Hall. The agenda will cover nominations for chairman, vice chairman and secretary, along with review of training, goals and adoption of bylaws.

“Forming this committee was another positive step in building communication between our citizens and their local government,” Mayor Paul Finley said.

“We’re enthusiastic about committee engagement and willingness to serve.” The mayor, City Council and chief of police selected committee members.

Marc Highsmith, Finley’s appointed member, is happy “to sit on this committee and actively serve Madison. Our priority will be to build trust and transparency between our residents and officers that work diligently to keep our community safe.”

Police Chief Johnny Gandy is optimistic that steps are in progress “to further connect our department to the public.

Committee members are passionate and equipped to facilitate a spirit of partnership and communication.”

Committee meetings are open to the public. After the meeting, residents can talk to committee members: • District 1, Curtis Potts -- Recently retired from SAIC as a Vice President for Business Operations. Potts, his wife and two daughters are 12-years residents of Madison. He has served with Madison County Planning Citizen Advisory Board, Huntsville and Madison County Leadership Program, Rotary Club of Madison and Madison Reserve Police Force.

Potts holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from U.S. Army War College.

He retired as a Colonel from the U.S. Army with 29 years of service including three combat tours. curtis.madisoncac@ gmail.com • District 2, Sara Browder -- Works as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Senior Consultant with JP Enterprises LLC. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Pennsyl-

vania State University and a master’s degree in public policy from Northwestern University.

Browder has 10 years of experience with root cause analysis, corrective action development and performance improvement. She volunteers with Village of Promise and American Red Cross Disaster Relief. She and husband Jeff have two children. sara.madisoncac@gmail. com • District 3, Billie Goodson – Has lived in Madison County since 2007. He is a member of Madison Station Historical Preservation Society and Madison United Methodist Church. Goodson earned a bachelor’s degree at University of South Alabama. He served in National Guard and Army Reserve as enlistee and officer.

He has a deep interest in law enforcement. He and wife Susan are parents of four daughters and have 10 grandchildren. billie.madisoncac@gmail.com • District 4, Frank Fletcher -- Retired from Amoco Chemical in Decatur after 30 years. After attending school in Madison County, he studied at Calhoun Community College and Albertson Broughton College in Huntsville. Fletcher served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam.

Fletcher promises to keep an unbiased voice in police matters. He and his wife have four children. frankmpcac@gmail. com • District 5, Dwayne Craft – A native of Madison County, Craft taught technical theatre for many years at Bob Jones High School and now works in that field at Calhoun Community College. Craft is a published playwright and an accomplished actor in community theatre. He studied at Athens State University, Florida State University and University of Alabama at Birmingham. He and his wife have two children. barton.d.craft@gmail.com • District 6, Rebecca Colon Franz – Served in officer slots, including president, with PTA at Horizon Elementary School. Franz actively volunteers at St. Matthew Episcopal Church in various capacities, including Senior Warden. She is involved with a new ministry, Beloved Community.

An Army veteran, Franz served in country and in Germany. She has police and firefighter training. She, her husband (both disabled veterans) and her sons have lived in Madison for 11 years. rebecca.madisoncac@gmail.com • District 7, Arthur Brackett. arthur. madisoncac@gmail.com • Mayor’s appointment, Marc Highsmith – Retired from U.S. Army after 21 years as a Lieutenant Colonel. He worked as Inspector General at Redstone Arsenal. Highsmith earned a bachelor’s degree at Missouri Western State University and a master’s degree from the UniSee COMMITTEE Page 8A

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Police Citizens Advisory Committee brings resident cross-section to the table

4A • THE RECORD

September 22, 2021

State’s unemployment rate continues to fall, Madison is one of the lowest among cities

By STAFF REPORTS

Special Education Director, Dr. Susan Zinkil, (left) and Jerome Villarreal, president of Knights of Columbus Council 10232 in Madison, (right of poster) with other members of the Knights of Columbus, display a poster promoting the run. The Knights of Columbus will host their Tootsie Roll 5K run on Nov. 6 to benefit the special education programs at Madison City Schools.

Tootsie Roll 5K will benefit an extra sweet cause - special education

By JOHN PECK Madison City Schools MADISON - When runners take off in the Tootsie Roll 5K in Madison next month, they will be doing so for a special cause. What makes this annual candy-themed run extra sweet is that it benefits special education programs in Madison City Schools.

Support for special education in Madison continues to grow, thanks to generous support from donors like Knights of Columbus and unwavering commitment from MCS and the community to help students with disabilities achieve to the best of their abilities.

“There is an old African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child.

I believe it also takes a village to educate our children as well. A great educational system, like Madison City Schools, is stronger and educates our students better because of our partnerships and support from our community. The Knights of Columbus is a great example of that support,” offered Special Education Director, Dr. Susan Zinkil.

Prime race sponsor KOC has been a longtime supporter of the Special Education Department in Madison

City Schools. The run became the primary SPED fundraiser when traditional Tootsie Roll campaigns at area storefronts began disappearing due to COVID and other concerns. “This has been part of the national campaign of Knights of Columbus for over 50 years. We have done it in Madison for 30 years,” said Jerome Villarreal, president of Knights of Columbus Council 10232 in Madison. KOC chapters from St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (#10232) in Madison and Council #17519 from Most Merciful Jesus Catholic Church are jointly putting on the Tootsie Roll 5K. The run is Nov. 6 and will start and end at Madison City Stadium.

Villarreal said Knights of Columbus has always been a strong supporter of programs for those with intellectual disabilities. “Special Education is in keeping with KOC’s pillars to support causes related to Life, Community, Faith and Family, to celebrate the worth and dignity of every human being,” he said.

For Tootsie Roll Run information, stop by any Fleet Feet location in Huntsville or Madison or visit the following website: https://runsignup.com/Race/AL/Madison/ KofCTootsieRoll5K

The Special Education Department at Madison City Schools provides services for more than 1,400 students with disabilities. SPED services are provided to students with disabilities ages 3 – 21 or until they earn a high school diploma.

Students who receive SPED services range from ones with more common disabilities such as speech impairments, learning disabilities, autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional handicaps, to those with lower incidences of disabilities such as hearing or visually impaired students and those with orthopedic or physical impairments.

The services schools provide include education and access to education so that they can receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education. For example, students may have physical therapy or orientation or mobility support at school.

Providing special education is an unfunded mandate; meaning that it is much more costly to provide special education services to our 1,400 students than what the federal and state funds provide us. That is why we rely so heavily on our community partnerships. We hope to see everyone at the Tootsie Roll Race on November 6th.

Snap Shot

MONTGOMERY – The city of Madison has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state, Gov. Kay Ivey announced Friday. Madison remained at 2.2% unemployment for August. Last year at this time the rate was at 4.3% due to the pandemic’s impact on local businesses.

Ivey said the unemployment rate for the state is 3.1% for August, down from July’s rate of 3.2%, and well below August 2020’s rate of 7.1%.

August’s rate represents 69,005 unemployed persons, compared to 71,678 in July and 156,709 in August 2020. This is an overthe-year drop of 87,704.

“Alabama continues our streak of dropping unemployment, getting more of our people back to work and able to provide for their families, and we are seeing our jobs count and wages consistently rise,” Governor Ivey said. “Employers in Alabama have jobs to fill, and they’re doing so at a good pace. We’re proud of the progress Alabama is making as we continue to overcome the challenges we faced due to the pandemic. Alabama is working again, and we know our work is not done yet.”

Total private average weekly earnings rose to $993.35 in August, up from $980.56 in July and $942.57 in August of 2020.

Over the year, wage and salary employment increased 54,200, with gains in the leisure and hospitality sector (+20,700), the manufacturing sector (+10,300), and the professional and business

Kids to Love to benefit from campaign by Jack’s Family Restaurants

By STAFF REPORTS

PAINTING WITH THE PRINCIPAL - Speaking of fun activities at Madison schools, one of our favorite principals recent held a fun event in Triana for students and their families. Rodney Richardson, the principal at Horizon Elementary School, hosted a “Paint with the Principal” workshop at the Triana Public Library recently. Everyone who attended had fun painting rocks in the beautiful outdoors. Mr. Richardson’s special talent is painting the Horizon Eagle, of course. He is an artist!

services sector (+7,300), among others.

Over the month, wage and salary employment increased in August by 1,500. Monthly gains were seen in the government sector (+7,100), the professional and business services sector (+3,400), and the financial activities sector (+400), among others.

“We are working hard every day to reach out to those employers who still need assistance in finding employees, while at the same time working to reach those who are still looking for work, or those who are looking to advance their careers,” said Alabama Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington.

“Right now is a great time to search for a job, as wages have once again hit a new record high in Alabama. Both employers and jobseekers can obtain free services by visiting any of our local career centers. We’re here to help in any way we can.”

Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County at 2.1%, Cullman County at 2.3%, and Marshall, Limestone, and Blount Counties at 2.4%. Counties with the highest unemployment rates are: Wilcox County at 11.1%, Lowndes County at 9.2%, and Perry County at 9.0%.

Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are: Alabaster, Homewood, and Vestavia Hills at 2.0%, Hoover and Madison at 2.2%, and Athens at 2.4%. Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are: Selma at 9.1%, Prichard at 8.8%, and Bessemer at 6.2%.

MADISON – Jack’s Family Restaurants has launched a charitable campaign to benefit the Kids to Love Foundation, based in Madison.

The Kids to Love Foundation has the mission to find ‘forever families’ for children who are waiting for adoption. The dates for the fundraising campaign

by Jack’s Kids to Love Foundation are Sept. 8-29 at every Jack’s location.

Jack’s corporate giving arm, Jack’s Family Fund, is supporting this important cause in its fourth consecutive year. With family and community value at its core, Jack’s is dedicated to helping Kids to Love make life brighter for thousands of Alabama children in foster care, according to a company release.

For its children in foster care, Kids to Love is dedicated to help find lifelong homes and to recruit adoptive parents.

Lee Marshall, Kids to Love Foundation CEO, said Jack’s has been a cherished community partner with Kids to Love for many years.

“We’re grateful for their continued partnership in supporting the youth we serve,” Marshall said. “For the past several years, Jack’s Family Restaurants has supported Kids to Love . . . to make corporate giving a permanent part of their business.”

Since 2017, the Jack’s Family Fund has donated

more than $1,194,318 and assisted with 600 grants in various Southern communities. In 2020, Jack’s Kids to Love Campaign raised $125,000.

Contributors can donate online and via text message or donate in-person at a neighborhood Jack’s restaurant. Jack’s employees also are hosting their own fundraising events at various locations in creative efforts to increase contributions; employees are staging community car shows, yard sales and other events.

“We are proud to continue to support such an impactful and admirable nonprofit organization across all Jack’s locations,” Jack’s CEO Todd Bartmess said. “Our team is honored to come together with our community to raise awareness and help fund efforts that support children and families in need.”

Bartmess hopes for 2021 to result as their most successful year of donations yet, especially considering the growing number of restaurant locations.

Founded in 1960 in Homewood, Jack’s Family Restaurants started as Jack’s Hamburgers, a walk-up stand that served hamburgers, fries, sodas and shakes. The business has grown to about 200 locations in four Southern states.

For more information, visit eatatjacks.com or on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Kids to Love’s website is kidstolove.org.

5B

EVENTS

September 22, 2021

Railyard BBQ Brawl and Music Festival

The premiere event promises to deliver good food, fellowship and fun on Oct. 23-23 on Martin Street in downtown Madison

By GREGG PARKER

Gregg@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON – Get your appetites for good food and good music revved up for the debut of the Railyard BBQ Brawl and Music Festival on Oct. 22-23.

The brawl will be held in downtown Madison on an open field on Martin Street, one street south of Main Street, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“Coming off one of the most unprecedented years in our lifetimes, families are ready to get out and start getting back to a ‘normal’ life,” organizer Eu-

GO.SEE.DO

$5 AFTER 5 AT EARLYWORKS Recurring weekly on Thursday 5-7 p.m.

EarlyWorks Children’s Museum 404 Madison Street, Huntsville The “Summer of Innovation” is in full swing with new exhibits and new play areas at EarlyWorks Children’s Museum. Take advantage of special pricing to enjoy the Tinker Lab, Bobbi’s Think Big Studio, the Toys: The Inside Story exhibit and all the hands-on state history stations that allow for learning through play.

GREENE STREET MARKET Weekly on Thursday 4-8 pm Downtown Huntsville - Eustis Ave. from Greene Street to Southside Sq. No admission charged Huntsville’s downtown open-air market will have locally-grown fruits and vegetables, flowers and herbs, food items, music and more.

LOWE MILL COMIC CON September 24-25 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment 2211 Seminole Drive $10 parking www.lowemill.art/comiccon Better late than never! The 2021 Lowe Mill Comic Con features great guests, comics, collectables, live music and cosplay all within the same halls that studio artists call home. Admission to the Con is included with your $10.00 parking fee each day of the event. It’s the best deal in Fandom!

MOON TAXI September 24 Mars Music Hall www.vonbrauncenter.com/event/ moon-taxi/3061 Don’t miss the Moon Taxi’s Silver Dream Tour coming to the VBC. SYMPHONY CLASSICAL SERIES: DVO ÁK DANCES & SERENADES September 24

book/ Rotary Club of Madison - Sunset Group.

For more festival information, email railyardbbqfest@ gmail.com or visit railyardbbqfest.com/cooker-faq, Facebook/Railyard BBQ Festival or Twitter @RailyardBBQFestival.

Von Braun Center Mark Smith Concert Hall • 700 Monroe Street www.hso.org/concerts/dvorak-dances-serenades The HSO is the oldest, continuously operating professional orchestra in the state of Alabama.

PIONEER VILLAGE FAMILY DAY September 25 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sharon Johnston Park 783 Coleman Road Admission charged Family friendly event with games, food trucks, bouncy houses, vendors, barrel train, hay rides and much more.

CRUSH WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL September 25 Big Spring Park East 100 Church Street Admission charged, advanced ticket sales only. www.crushwinefestival.com This annual downtown wine festival will feature over 150 wine labels, live entertainment, local restaurants, food trucks and more! Purchase tickets before coming as they are limited and won’t be sold the day of the event.

HUNTSVILLE GHOST WALK Through October 30 Recurring weekly on Friday, Saturday Fri/Sat promptly at 6 p.m.

Harrison Brothers Hardware 124 South Side Square, Huntsville It’s lucky 13 for the Huntsville Ghost Walk! On Friday, September 3, the Huntsville Ghost Walk returned for another frightful season. Tickets must be purchased through huntsvilleghostwalk.com or the Huntsville Ghost Walk Facebook page.

MISSION EXPERIENCES AT US SPACE & ROCKET CENTER Ongoing U.S. Space & Rocket Center Reservations required. www.rocketcenter.com See if you have what it takes to get the crew safely to space and back home again in the Shuttle Experience. Journey into the world of SCUBA and Neutral Buoyancy through the Underwater Astronaut Training Experience. Explore history and get ready for the next era of space exploration in the Family or Adult Astronaut Training Experience. Some experiences are offered on weekends only. Check website for availability.

ARAAOKE NIGH H

OUTDOOR MARKET Recurring weekly on Saturday Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment 2211 Seminole Drive www.lowemill.art Visit Lowe Mill A&E Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., from May till October for an Outdoor Market. Vendors from all over the area will present their finest products, whether made-byhand, second-hand or made by the earth. With community safety still in mind Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment will host this event throughout the grounds providing patrons, pickers, and art lovers with an open air shopping experience.

FESTIFALL Through October 31 Huntsville Botanical Garden 4747 Bob Wallace Avenue www.hsvbg.org/festifall It’s harvest time, and nothing says FALL quite like Festifall at the Garden! This two-month celebration of the changing seasons features pumpkins, scarecrows, campouts, nature hikes, and more. As the air turns crisp and the leaves begin to change color, there’s no better place to connect with nature and enjoy the beauty of autumn.

THE MARKET AT MIDCITY Weekly on Sunday - 1-5 p.m.

The Camp • 5909 University Drive facebook.com/themarketatmidcity It’s so much more than a farmers market! In addition to locally grown, fresh produce, there are artisans, makers and musicians.

DRONES: IS THE SKY THE LIMIT U.S. Space & Rocket Center One Tranquility Base www.rocketcenter.com Developed by subject experts from the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and produced by Imagine Exhibitions, Drones: Is The Sky The Limit? explores the modern phenomenon of drones, their uses throughout history and the exciting possibilities of the future role that drones will play in our society.

THURSDAY - SEPT 23

Bike Night / Big Daddy Kingfish FRIDAY - SEPT 24

LUNCH DINNER SUNDAY BRUNCH

SATURDAY - SEPT 25

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• Cornhole Tournment • 4 Musical Performances headlined by country music star Rodney Atkins

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NIGHT BLOOMS Huntsville Botanical Garden www.hsvbg.org Enter Night Blooms: a botanical dreamscape where flowers glow from within, birds and insects flit across the night sky, and light transforms the landscape into a new world, waiting to be explored! Night Blooms will lead you on a one-mile walking journey through the Garden in the evening. As you make your way through the Garden, you will discover vignettes of botanical lanterns integrated into the natural surroundings.

WEDNESDAY WEDNES Y JEEP JAM

www.themadisonrecord.com

THE MARKET AT LEIGH ACRES Recurring weekly on Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

5655 Maysville Road www.leighacres.com Leigh Acres is approximately ten acres in New Market, Alabama. Every Saturday from 8:00 am – 2:00 pm, Leigh Acres has hundreds of artifacts and antiques displayed from around the world!

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year-olds and younger will be admitted free.

Rotary Club of Madison - Sunset Group, a satellite club of Rotary Club of Madison, is sponsoring the event. Sunset Group meets monthly on first and third Tuesdays at 5:45 p.m. For more information, visit Face-

A list of fun things to do and see in Madison or within easy driving distance.

MADISON CITY FARMERS MARKET www.madisoncityfarmersmarket.com Madison City Farmers Market, open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, is the area’s original local, producer-only farmers market, founded in 2007. Everything sold at the market is grown or crafted by local farmers and craftspeople. The vendors provide a wide selection of the freshest local veggies, fruits, cheese, eggs, meats, milk, herbs, honey, jams, relishes, home-baked goods, plants and flowers. The Madison City Farmers Market is Located at 1088 Hughes Road, Madison at Trinity Baptist Church.

$10.50

The festival will feature Rodney Atkins, who has six chart-topping singles in his arsenal.

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$5 AFTER 5 AT THE HUNTSVILLE MUSEUM OF ART Recurring weekly on Thursday 5-8 p.m.

Huntsville Museum of Art 300 Church Street hsvmuseum.org Enjoy art after hours every Thursday night when admission to the Huntsville Museum of Art is only $5. Pair a glass of wine with the latest exhibit, and watch for meet-and-greet events with winemakers.

gene J. Jung said. “Being cautiously optimistic, we believe that hosting a barbecue and music festival outdoors in the fall in downtown historic Madison with barbecue and music from Rodney Atkins, who has six chart-topping singles in his arsenal, will get people out and about.”

Live entertainment will open at 4 p.m. on Oct. 23. The three opening acts will be the Beasley Brothers with their original music, like “Here We Go Again”; Alyssa Palmer singing her new single, “All Screwed Up”; and Adam Hood, who has

a new single, “This Opening Line.” Music headliner Rodney Atkins’ current hit is “Caught up in the Country.”

The barbecue cook-off is sanctioned by Kansas City Barbecue Society. Barbecue teams can register at railyardbbqfest.com/ register. Registration fee is $250.

The contest can accept 50 barbecue teams maximum – first come, first served. Competition cooking begins early on Oct. 23 with meat turn-in at 4 p.m.

Cooking spaces will be 20-feet square. Spaces will be chosen in the order of registration on Oct. 21 at 9 a.m. Team leads must be at least 18 years old.

The festival will include the North Alabama Open Cornhole Tournament on Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. The contest will be handled for ‘winner take all.’ Competing teams can face off against the best players in the region.

Ticket price is $35 (plus fees at $3.77 and sales tax $3.49). Five-

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6A

SCHOOLS

September 22, 2021

National Merit Scholarship Program honors 37 high school seniors in Madison as Merit Semifinalists

By GREGG PARKER Gregg@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON – High-achieving teenagers in Madison have claimed an impressive number of slots as 2022 National Merit Semifinalists with the National Merit Scholarship Program.

The program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

In this iteration of awards, a total of 37 students in Madison have achieved status of National Merit Semifinalists -- 18 students from James Clemens High School, 19 teens from Bob Jones High School.

Semifinalists from James Clemens are Om N. Badhe, Aaron J. Brighta, Grace A. Cardinale, Adeleine E. Chatterton, William D. Fox, Tyler D. Gohlich, Sarah Guo, Sydney Y. Hur, Afolabi A. Idowu, One Kim, Yewon Lee, Haripriya Mantraratnam, Joshua T. Murphree, Minh A. Phan, Santosh S. Sadasivam, Kaija K. Sorensen, Grant C. Spivey and Sarah K. Vaughan.

Bob Jones semifinalists include Elise P. Baumgartner, Xueer Chen, James M. Clark, James D. Garrison, Yashas Gentela, Kailyn R. Grant, Benjamin A. Gunasekaran, Jonathan A. Gunasekaran, Benjamin J. Kosan, Everett N. Krome, Maanasi A. Limaye, Thomas M. Nguyen, Diane D. Pham, Aubteen Pour-Biazar, Dalton P. Shurtz, Collin M. Spindle, Brandon R. Todd, Mike R. Zhang and Lillian X. Zhu.

These talented high school seniors now can continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships.

In spring 2022, the program will award approximately $30 million. For award consideration, a Semifinalist must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level.

The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors; these students are the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application. This filing will state the student’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, proven abilities in leadership, employment history and honors and awards.

A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, receive endorsement and recommendation by a high school official, write an essay and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

From approximately 16,000 Semifinalists, approximately 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level. The program will notify advancing students in February 2022.

For more information, visit nationalmerit.org.

National Merit Semifinalists from James Clemens.

National Merit Semifinalists from Bob Jones

Teachers become the students in manikin simulator training

By STAFF REPORTS

MADISON - Health Science teachers from Bob Jones and James Clemens were the students recently undergoing extensive training with state-of-the-art “manikin” patient simulators to use in teaching.

Tim Whitaker and Sasha Edwards from CAE Healthcare Academy led extensive training on the high tech simulators. The equipment was purchased for the Health Science

hands-on instruction on how to use state-of-the-art manikins to teach students with computer-driven and individualized scenarios.

MCS high school health science students will be able to practice care basics and proceed to advanced skills. This addition will better prepare MCS students for Health Science and Biomedical Careers by helping them achieve valuable industry-recognized workforce credentials.

and Biomedical programs at both schools with help from a $1.5 million DoDEA grant.

Each school acquired infant, child and adult manikin patients that can be programmed to emit real-life medical conditions.

Teachers participating from BJHS and JCHS were Ashley Steinert, Patricia Collins, Jennifer Dennis, Kara Koler, Kathryn Teare, and John Crow,.

The training course consisted of

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EL RETREAT - EL teachers from Madison City Schools held a retreat last week at the Madison City Hall. The off-site location was in theme with the group’s focus this year on community connections. The retreat included a tour of the Madison Police Department and a brief talk from Mayor Paul Finley, who said a diverse population is good for cities. EL are the English Learner teachers in Madison City Schools who work with students whose culture/native language is different from English. The retreat included sessions on team-building, collaboration, adult learning/coaching with other teachers, and more. Mayor Finley is pictured with the EL teachers above. A few teachers managed to get themselves “locked-up”, right, but were let out for good behavior.

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September 22, 2021

THE RECORD • 7A

Students AnDrew Carlson, from left, Nicole Conaway and teacher sponsor Meleighsa McLaughlin review a layout for “Journey,” James Clemens High School’s yearbook that recently won the Design Wars contest.

CHROMEBOOK DISTRIBUTIONS are continuing in Madison City Schools in the district’s initiative for every student to be issued one. Last Monday, Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols and Bob Jones Principal Sylvia Lambert invited Sen. Tom Butler to a device handout at the school, above. Students applauded as the rolling cart filled with electronic devices accompanied the entourage into the classroom. Butler helped secure $25,000 for Chromebooks for MCS. Once all 10th graders have been issued their devices, distributions will move to 11th and 12th grade then work down to elementary schools. The technology team remains busy processing huge pallets of Chromebooks into the schools inventory system and assigning them to individual students.

‘Journey’ yearbook staff at James Clemens aces Design Wars contest

Gregg@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON – The staff for “Journey,” yearbook for James Clemens High School, has won Design Wars, a national design competition that Walsworth Yearbooks sponsors.

This summer, James Clemens students responded to the yearbook challenge from the Walsworth National Virtual Workshop.

Business Editor AnDrew Carlson directed the challenge’s planning and implementation, with guidance from sponsor Meleighsa McLaughlin and Editor-in-Chief Nicole Conaway. Every staff member was expected to individually create one design minimum. Categories included marketing posters, yearbook cover, social media posts, press passes, teambuilding materials and T-shirts.

“I’m especially proud given that only two of my yearbook staffers have experience, while the other 11 Jets are all new to the world of yearbooking. The support that we receive from our admin team is a vital component to the growth, resiliency and support of our program. What a way to kick off Flight TEN! Go Jets!”

McLaughlin said. McLaughlin is English Content Lead and representative to Madison City Education Association.

Journey’s staff includes Anthony

Beltran, Laila Brantley, Madelyn Broussard, Chloe Burrow, Camille Crosby, Lacey Goode, Gabriella Kerrigan, Haripriya Mantraratnam, Ava Walker, Kathryn Wille and Ethan Xu. This year, the staff is using its yearbook theme as a brand. “Marketing is crucial to the yearbook’s success, as it allows students and parents to know when to buy a yearbook, how to buy a yearbook and when to get the best price,” McLaughlin said.

“When you transform your theme into a brand, you do it to project your visions and aspirations for the year to the community,” McLaughlin said. “You grant them insights into and generate interest for the upcoming yearbook. As schools grant more and more power and autonomy to their staffs, the practice of brand advertising will become increasingly common.”

The staff is using Walsworth Yearbooks for the first time this year.

However, two staff members became familiar with Walsworth at Liberty Middle School.

The 2022 Journey “not only does its job -- as a time capsule -- but reaffirms our personal goals for quality while celebrating 10 years of our school, where opportunity meets inspiration,” McLaughlin said. The theme is confidential now but will showcase “our grit and analyze the adversities we have endured as in-

dividuals, a community, as a school and in the world.”

The theme will unfold best in the title, colophon (publisher’s emblem), opening/closing and divider pages.

“We’re filled with excitement and cannot wait to show everyone what we have in store for this tenth edition,” McLaughlin said.

The 312-page yearbook will include a 16-page insert documenting school events from March 2022 through graduation. This edition will feature the most students ever, with additional coverage of business, computer science and construction academies. For a meager fee, a student can add icons or extra text on the cover for customization.

Students, parents and residents can buy yearbooks or ads at bit.ly/ JC2022YB. Yearbooks start at $85 until Sept.

30, when the price will increase.

Starting at $75, parents can purchase quarter-, half- or full-page advertisements online to honor graduates; the individual can design the ad, or the staff can create it.

The Journey staff invites businesses to partner and reach out to ‘Jet Nation’ at James Clemens. Contact McLaughlin to purchase ads to celebrate James’s Clemens first decade. Limited space is available.

For information, call 256-216-5313 or email mamclaughlin@madisoncity. k12.al.us.

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LEADER IN ME LIGHTHOUSE SCHOOL - Horizon Elementary formally celebrated its Leader In Me Lighthouse School of Distinction recertification last week. Faculty were treated to Crumbl Cookies by school and MCS leadership. The coveted Leader in Me Lighthouse School title honors the attainment of a well-rounded leadership model. Lighthouse Schools serve as models of leadership and mentors to other schools. Students learn leadership skills through the seven positive habits emphasized, like #6 seek first to understand, then to be understood.

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS - There was a great turnout and discussion last Tuesday night at the Mental Health Matters health fair at James Clemens High School. Pictured top right: Keynote speaker Chris Newlin, executive director of the National Children’s Advocacy Center, spoke about brain development in adolescents, anxiety triggered by feelings of lost control, mental health disorders across all ages, the need for kids to have stability and not fear through COVID, not being reluctant about seeking help, and other issues related to mental health. An emphasis throughout the mental health fair was to remove any stigma of mental health and not to go through dealing with issues alone. Pictured above and lower right: Before and after the talk, attendees milled by tables manned by various mental health organizations for resources to put in their mental health toolkit. Groups represented included the Enrichment Center, MCS social workers, Caring House, Madison PD/SROs, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Crisis Services of North Alabama, Military Child Education Coalition, E.We Foundation, MCS PTA Council, Partnership for A Drug Free America, Wellstone/NOVA, United Way of Huntsville. If you the fair, you can view the keynote speech at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=rtWEN-xChwk.

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A look at the new

Home Place Park Lacrosse

One of America’s fastest growing sports has found a place in Madison schools

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The Song Engineer

Around Town with Lee Marshall Out & About

Jarrod Barrier “engineers” songs from his unique style of writing

Madison City Schools The Ricky Shack Chamber News Upcoming events and much more

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September 22, 2021

Snap Shot Congratulations to the following businesses for their ribbon cuttings and grand openings hosted by the Madison Chamber of Commerce recently. You can follow the Chamber on Facebook to see more photos.

Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting for MCC Member Twice Daily White Bison Clift Farm located at 8426 Hwy 72 W Madison

Ribbon Cutting for MCC Member Tower Community Bank located at 8097 Madison Blvd, Suite 106 Madison

Twice Daily White Bison Clift Farm gives back to the community with a $1500 donation to The Salvation Army

Avenue Madison in downtown Madison held their grand opening Friday.

Committee versity of Oklahoma.

Highsmith has worked as an adjunct professor at Alabama A&M University.

He is a member of Rotary Club of Madison, Alpha Phi Alpha and volunteer with Friends of Africa in Djibouti, Africa. He and his wife are parents of two children. marc.madisoncac@gmail.com • Police Chief’s appointment, Rajiv

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Call us at Twice Daily White Bison Clift Farm makes a $1500 donation to the City of Madison Parks and Recreation Department.

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Sharma – A native of India but grew up in Nashville. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree from Emory University. He has worked at Deutsche Bank in New York City and locally for Raytheon and SAIC. He and his wife, a family physician, are parents of one daughter. rajiv.madisoncac@gmail.com

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First ever high school flag football team

INSIDE SPORTS

Football Friday The Patriots ran for 238 yards on just 23 carries (10.3 yards per carry), to hand Wade Waldrop’s new team at Florence a 29-21 loss.

Page 2B

By AARON CHERIS Rocket City Trash Pandas

James Arnette instructs his team during a recent practice as he’s taken on the duties as head coach of the Sparkman Senators first ever flag football team. Photo by Bob Labbe

Volleyball Sand volleyball or indoor volleyball? That is among the questions Aleah Stogner has to answer once her senior season of play at Sparkman High has concluded.

Page 3B

Sparkman girls are “trailblazers” for female high school athletics

By BOB LABBE bob0873@yahoo.com

HISTORY

History with John Rankin Learn about the history of one of Madison’s pioneering citizens, Judge Robert Emmett Wiggins.

Page 7B

KIDS & CHURCH

Special Weekly Pages

HARVEST- Scoring touchdowns is now part of girls athletics in high schools across Alabama. The Alabama High School Athletic Association sanctioned flag football for this school season and 22 student-athletes at Sparkman High are the trailblazers for the new sport.

Once the announcement of the new sport radiated throughout the hallways of the fourth largest high school in Alabama over 100 girls showed high interest in becoming involved, but only 40 actually signed up to play. The final cut came down to the current roster for the Lady Senators and this week the season kickoffs within a lot of excitement among the pioneers.

“I’m super excited to be among the first team and quarterback in this sport to make history and I feel super blessed,” said Jenna Kiger named starting signal caller by head coach James Arnette.

“Compared to the first day of practice I have seen a tremendous improvement in the girls, their knowledge of the game and willingness to do what will

Each player wears flags around their waist as defenders must pull off one flag to end the play. Photo by Bob Labbe be necessary to succeed,” said Arnette. “For me, it’s a 100-percent thrill every day to see them experience something new and make history for the school, the state and female sports.”

Sparkman along with Huntsville High are the only schools in the immediate area to field teams for the inaugural season and the Senators have added other schools closer to Birmingham to formulate a 10-game sea-

son schedule.

Grace Anne Ingram was a longtime cheerleader and was approached by two friends about joining the flag football team in a way to play a sport together for the first time. She grew up in a family that had major interest in football. “My dad made sure I knew how to throw a football when I was a young girl,” said Ingram, who will be a quarterSee FLAG FOOTBALL Page 2B

Check our weekly Kids and Church pages with games and activities for kids, and area church listings.

Pages 5B and 6B

See TRASH PANDAS Page 4B

By BOB LABBE bob0873@yahoo.com

Who will win Saturday?

JETS WIN AGAIN - James Clemens held off Class 7A, Region 4 rival Huntsville 43-40 on Friday at Alabama A&M’s Louis Crews Stadium. The Jets stayed unbeaten with the win, improving to 5-0 and 3-0 in region play. The Jets will host Lee at Madison City Stadium on Friday.

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MADISON - The goal of every baseball player is to reach the Major Leagues.

For a quarter of the pitchers to take the mound for the Rocket City Trash Pandas in 2021, that dream has come true. Nine former Trash Pandas have climbed the ladder to reach the Major Leagues in 2021, making MLB debut for the Los Angeles Angels this season.

The first of those was star prospect Reid Detmers. The southpaw was the Opening Day starter for the Trash Pandas and quickly displayed his dominance. During his time in Rocket City, Detmers dazzled on the mound, recording both a 14-strikeout and 16-strikeouts performance in back-to-back starts in June.

Although he left Rocket City in July, Detmers still leads the Trash Pandas with 97 strikeouts. After one start for Triple-A Salt Lake on July 24, Detmers got the call to the show in August.

“It was just a matter of time for him. He’s an extremely talented guy and I’m thrilled he’s getting the opportunity,” Trash Pandas manager Jay Bell said of Detmers on August 1. “I’m excited to see him do some really cool things over the course of the next 15 years or so. I think he’s got the ability to pitch a long time at the Major League level. I think he’ll stay at the that level for a very long time.”

He made his MLB debut that day against the Oakland A’s as his former Rocket City teammates watched on the video board at Toyota Field.

In his third MLB start, Detmers twirled six brilliant innings, allowing one run while striking out six to beat

Jorhdan Brown to play in All-American Bowl

FOOTBALL PICKS

Check out a new weekly feature where we and joined with guests to pick who we think will win on Saturday. Page 8B

Nine Trash Pandas make it to the Angels in inaugural season

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HARVEST- As a twoway player for the Sparkman football team Jorhdan Brown is making heads turn within opposing offensive and defensive coordinators by his outstanding line play for the Senators. His talents were also showcased throughout this summer at a bevy of camps he attended. He made such a big impression on college

Jorhdan Brown

recruiters he has been selected to play in the DREAM All-American See BROWN Page 4B

2B • THE RECORD

September 22, 2021

Bob Jones quarterback Rayshawn Hardy ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots’ win over Florence.

Bob Jones defeats Florence To advertise in The Madison Record, call Donna Counts at 256-714-7152 29-21; ‘They physically kicked our rear end,’ says Waldrop

By STAFF REPORTS

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FLORENCE — Wade Waldrop knows a thing or two about Bob Jones. The first year head coach at Florence faced the Patriots each year in the Madison Bowl when he coached the Patriots’ cross-city rival James Clemens. When he ran off the turf field at Braly Stadium into the Florence locker room, the Falcons head coach made one thing quite clear: Friday’s game was going to take some time to get over.

“We made mistakes, but they physically kicked our rear end and that’s the name of this game,” Waldrop said after the game. “I told (Bob Jones), it been a long time since I’ve seen a Bob Jones team line up, run over somebody and whip somebody and they lined up and whipped us tonight.”

The Patriots ran for 238 yards on just 23 carries (10.3 yards per carry), to hand Waldrop’s new team a 29-21 loss.

Bob Jones quarterback Rayshawn Hardy and running

back Terrance Salter did most of the damage.

Hardy ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns. His first score came in the opening quarter six plays after Florence’s 1-yard punt to make it 6-0. His second came with 4 minutes and 30 seconds left in the third where he waited behind his offensive linemen before juking and darting the Falcons on a 15-yard run.

Salter finished with 132 yards on 22 touches. But most of his damage came in the second half, when he rushed for 105 of his yards. The Patriots running back was able to break off tackles to extend drives and eat up clock.

“Kudos to Bob Jones,” Florence senior tight end and defensive player Elijah Hartnett said. “(Hardy) is a great ballplayer. They’ve got themselves some good players.”

Florence (2-3, 2-1 Class 7A, Region 4) had a 14-6 lead at halftime, but 37 seconds into the third quarter, Florence QB Caleb Mahan was picked off by Cosey Scarebook, who

capped off the play with a 20-yard return for a touchdown. A 2-point conversion made it 14-14.

Later in the fourth quarter, on a drive that began at its own 6-yard line, Florence attempted to punt with the score tied 21-21, but a bad snap sent the ball out of the back of the end zone. The safety turned out to be the deciding score. Bob Jones (2-2, 2-1 Class 7A, Region 4) tacked on an insurance touchdown by Hardy six plays later.

But the Falcons blocked the point after to keep it a one-possession game and on their final drive on the game with 4:05 left on the clock, it looked like they might find a way to tie it up.

After starting at its own 27, Florence marched its way to the Bob Jones 38, only to have Rowan Jones jump in front of a third-down pass to cap the win for Bob Jones.

The Patriots will travel to Auburn on Friday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

They will return home on Oct. 8 to face Albertville, after another away game at Sparkman on Oct. 1.

What’s up at the Sparkman’s Robert Jones recovers a fumble against Austin.

Sparkman says “nope” to Austin’s comeback hopes in 38-21 road win

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DECATUR - Sparkman added to Austin’s woes this season with a 3821 win on the road. The Black Bears chased Sparkman all over the field at Austin Stadium. They especially chased Sparkman’s Devon Agee when he returned the opening kickoff to give the Senators a quick 7-0 lead.

The Senators scored again with a short run into the end zone to open the second quarter. Then, Luke Schomburg scored with a a 15 yard rushing touchdown, followed by a Jack Rice PAT to put Sparkman up 21-0 at halftime.

Austin scored on its first possession of the second half to make it 21-7. Sparkman answered with a big play three plays later on a 72-yard touchdown pass from Schomburg to Matthew Rozier, making it 28-7. Austin’s Tra Stover then ran the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown to cut the lead to 28-14. Four plays later, Austin scored again with a 17-yard touchdown to make it 28-21 with 5:35 left to play in the third quarter.

After a short Sparkman punt, Austin had the ball at the Senators’ 38 with a chance to possibly tie the

game. Five plays later, the comeback momentum disappeared when Sparkman’s Justin Caudle returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown.

Sparkman (3-2, 3-0) added a field goal in the fourth quarter to produce the final margin of 38-21.

The win was big for Sparkman,

coached by Laron White. “We played well in the first half, but should have had a couple of more touchdowns,” White said. “That nearly came back to bite us in the second half.”

Sparkman will host Class 7A Region 4 rival Bob Jones on Friday at 7 p.m. The Patriots are coming off a big win against Florence on Friday.

The Bob Jones swim and dive team opened their season in a big way. The boys and girls took first at the Alabama Sprint Championship in Madison over the weekend. Great first step for our Girls and Boys team. In individuals, Jessica Swartz won with a 1st place finish for the girls. Congratulations!

September 22, 2021

THE RECORD • 3B

Player Spotlight

Sparkman’s Aleah Stogner plays both indoor and sand volleyball

Sparkman senior volleyball player Aleah Stogner has the opportunity to play indoor or sand volleyball…or both. The longtime player is making waves in both areas of the sport.

By BOB LABBE bob0873@yahoo.com HARVEST - Sand volleyball or indoor volleyball? That is among the questions Aleah Stogner has to answer once her senior season of play at Sparkman High has concluded. The super talented Stogner, who her teammates nicknamed “Lele,” is undecided on which version of the sport she will pursue once her last season of traditional high school indoor volleyball is completed. She’s also presented the conundrum on what college to indeed, possibly to play volleyball.

“I love to play sand volleyball and I like it more than I do indoor,” said Stogner. “I’d like to have the possibility to play professional volleyball.”

As a member of the Sparkman volleyball team, the 5-foot-10, 130-pound Stogner has helped propel the Senators’ squad both as a junior and now a senior to enormous heights among Class 7A in Alabama. The Sen-

ators are currently among the top four in the state rankings and Stogner has been a powerhouse player even making the Alabama High School Athletic Association volleyball spotlight listing earlier in the season. In the recent Ironman Invitational in Huntsville, Stogner had 156 kills, 63 digs and eight service aces to lead the Senators to nine straight wins and the tournament championship. In 2020, she had 540 kills, 300 digs and 43 blocks.

The daughter of Eric and Karla Stogner, the multi-sport athlete once played softball and basketball along with cross country running, but volleyball became her sport of choice, although she indicated she wants to try out for the school’s soccer team in the spring. Stogner’s older sister, Sydney, a 2018 graduate of Sparkman, played volleyball and just being around the spirit and competiveness of the game gravitated Stogner to joining a recreational team at age eight.

When she turned 12 she took to a club volleyball team. She played one year in middle school, but chose to remain with the club team instead until her junior year at Sparkman.

Along with her indoor play, Stogner has played sand volleyball mostly in the league based in Huntsville. She has teamed up with Gracie Lynn Butler of nearby Hazel Green to play in numerous outings including the state tournament in Gulf Shores earlier this summer.

Wearing their team color of pink, Stogner and Butler easily made a name for themselves in what could be a lucrative venture into professional sand volleyball. The decision of which

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Aleah Stogner, No. 1, currently leads the Sparkman volleyball team to be among the top four teams in Class 7A. The senior Senator has posted impressive statistics in 2021 but is regarded as possibly a better sand volleyball player. way to tread after high school is one Stogner is currently facing.

“I’ve had several schools show interest in my volleyball talent and I would like to move away from home to attend college,” said Stogner, who has a 4.2 grade point average and is eyeing an education in science or chemistry.

On the indoor court with the Senators, Stogner is a communicator within the squad. She’s known to be an accurate player among the action and is a level-headed team captain. “I keep my emotions under control and I feel I can read the court action during a match,” added Stogner. “I’ve been known to jump 9-feet, 9-inches during drills and that’s what colleges are looking for.”

Her academic recognition includes being a member of the National Honor Society. As for her athletic recognition, Stogner is very humble. She said she doesn’t really see what the big hoopla is all about. “I try not to let it get to my head. I remain humble. I see I’m a good player, but I believe I’m more of an asset to the team and not an individual player,” said Stogner.

“Aleah doesn’t stress about the game as she’s truly a very good player and fun to watch,” said Chandler Philips, Sparkman head coach.

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“I like sand volleyball because I like the fact I get to touch the ball on every play and with just two of us out there, it’s more of a strategy game,” said Stogner, who will soon be faced to come up with a strategy of her own.

For the last five years she has been a strict vegetarian. When out with her friends or family she will eat a salad or even a veggie burger instead of like most others who order a meat entrée.

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4B • THE RECORD

September 22, 2021

James Clemens sets school marks at Oakville meet

By BOB LABBE • bob0873@yahoo.com

It was a great evening for Bob Jones XC at the Southern Showcase at John Hunt Park this past weekend. The JV Boys finished 2nd overall.

Caleb Johnson came in 3rd Overall and Eric Joy 8th overall. The Varsity Girls finished 1st in the Open Division. Ami Marks finished 2nd overall, Lucy Halter finished 5th, Piper Larkin 6th, Molly Halter 7th, Rachel Pennell 9th, Ilene Pour-Biazar 10th, Marjorie Baumbach 11th, Charlotte Droege 12th. Jackie Sullivan 18th, Kricket Johnston 19th, and Elise Baumgartner 20th. Varsity Boys also finished 1st overall in the Open Division. Senior Adam Baer was the overall winner with a personal best, Sam Pope 3rd, Owen Crow 4th, Nick Lozano 7th, Matthew Pimmel 8th. The Patriot runners will take a week off before heading to Guntersville on Oct. 2nd for the Lake Guntersville Invitational.

Flag football back and center on the squad. “I have practiced with my dad at home especially snapping the football as I’ve never had that experience, but I’ve surprised myself as I’ve done so well as a snapper.”

The format will be 7-on-7 with no physical blocking, only screen blocking allowed. All players are eligible to catch a pass on the 80 by 40-yard field dimensions. Arnette added, “Flag is close to backyard football in the fact there is no physical blocking and tackling.”

Pulling flags to end plays may be one of the most difficult facets of the sport. Kiger, one of seven seniors on the squad, said pulling flags on a runner is much more difficult than she imagined. The team has gone through numerous drills to learn how to stop a runner by pulling the flags wrapped around their waist. “I’ve been impressed with their efforts as for some of the girls it seems pulling the flag is a second nature to them,” added Arnette.

A competitive dancer for 10 years and a former travel softball player, Kiger has always loved watching football and now is experiencing the sport from a different perspective. She said, “There is more running and we rely on each other on every play. Those are the biggest differences in the game than what I thought. For the physical portion of the game, I’m ready.”

Arnette has tried to simplify the playbook using route numbers for each play. He has taught each player on the roster football terminology and tried quickly to acclimating the girls to their new sport. He knows much of his coaching will be to help the players understand and feel comfortable with their newfound passion. Fathers of the girls and some players from the boys football team have assisted Arnette and his assistant coach Monica Davis.

“The school administration has been very supportive of our efforts

as they asked for volunteers to coach and I responded as I played intermural flag football in college,” said Arnette.

Ingram is set to graduate in December and with a 4.3 grade point average will advance to college with assistance through her academics, but she wanted one last chance to try something new before she exited the school on her way to becoming an adult and chose the start-up sport after dropping cheer from her repertoire after her junior year.

“In competition cheerleading you have one chance and you’re done, but with football you have many chances to succeed,” said the 5-foot8 senior Ingram. “I’m not scared, but nervous. This is going to be a fun way to end high school for me.”

“Each of these girls has worked hard on learning the sport and they are truly making history and will pave the way for the future of female sports,” said Arnette.

MOULTON - One of the largest high school cross country meets of the 2021 season was recently held in nearby Moulton as over 600 competitors in the large school division hit the trail at the Oakville Indian Mounds. In all, 130 schools from Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia took part in the invitational meet.

James Clemens set new school records in both boys and girls with new marks in average finish times for their top five runners while finishing fourth in both divisions and were the second overall team from Alabama in the team total scoring. In boys, the Jets scored 228 points to winner Hoover, which tallied 120 points, while the Lady Jets posted 200 points to division winner Brentwood, Tenn., which topped the female runners with 49 points.

In the boys 5K, top local performer was senior Ryan Bender of Bob Jones. He completed the trail course at 16-minutes, 29.35 seconds and was No. 32 overall among the 364 participants. Dylan Dryer, 10, of James Clemens was next at No. 33 with a time of 16:29.84. In girls, Sydney Freeman, 12, was tops at No. 33 overall with a time of 19:51.42 to lead James Clemens. There were 282 runners in the girls race.

In team standings, the boys division was won

by Hoover, 120, followed by 4. James Clemens, 228, 17. Bob Jones, 518 and 49. Sparkman, 1,359. In girls, Brentwood was No. 1 with 49 points followed by 4.

James Clemens, 200, 24. Sparkman, 743 and 27. Bob Jones, 760. James Clemens defeated defending Class 7A state champion Huntsville for the first time.

In boys Jr. High, 30 teams with 395 runners took to the 2K course with Mountain Brook tops with 26 points. Bob Jones No. 6 with 223 points followed by James Clemens at No. 10 with 294 points tallied. Jake Bryan, 8, of Bob Jones was No. 7 overall with a time of 12:06 and was followed by Ethan Brewer, 9, of James Clemens who was No. 18 at 12:18.94.

In girls Jr. High, 327 runners representing 27 schools challenged the course with Mountain Brook posting 44 points, which was good enough for the team victory. Bob Jones was No. 8 with 233 points and James Clemens was No. 11 with 316. Individually, No. 33 was Claire Colo, 8 of James Clemens and finished at 14:55.31 followed by No. 38 Ilene Pout-Blazar, 7, of Bob Jones at 15:18.89 and No. 40 Josie Willis, 8, of Sparkman with a race time of 15:24. 65.

Trash Pandas the first-place Houston Astros.

Three days after Detmers debuted, fellow southpaw Packy Naughton was the second former Trash Pandas pitcher to

appear for Los Angeles in a relief appearance at Dodger Stadium. Naughton pitched one game for Rocket City in May. Chris Rodriguez was next, having started the

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role is a different route than originally planned for Tyler, who was one of Rocket City’s steadiest starters for the majority of the season.

“The General Manager of the Angels has taken note of Kyle Tyler. He likes what he sees from him,” Bell said earlier in the season. “He also sees the opportunity to have him make it to the big leagues as a reliever. This is a guy that has a chance to be effective at the big league level. It’s exciting to hear from the General Manager of the Major League team and whenever they take note of our players at this level it’s special.”

Flame-throwing righty Oliver Ortega was the Rocket City closer early in the season featuring a fastball that routinely hit triple digits. That same fastball caught Padres infielder and former MLB All-Star Wil Myers looking for his first MLB strikeout on September 8.

Most recently, Bell had the pleasure of telling Janson Junk that he was

going straight from the Trash Pandas to the Angels without a stop in Triple-A. The moment is one the Rocket City manager will remember.

“I didn’t get the call about him until I was already home. So I had to tell him over FaceTime,” Bell recalled. “That’s a little different. But nonetheless it’s still just as satisfying to give him that news. It’s

a big deal to send someone to Triple-A, but it’s a huge deal to send him to Anaheim. I was really excited for him.”

Junk debuted on September 5, becoming the ninth Rocket City alum to reach the show in what looks to be an illustrious line of former Trash Pandas to make a name for themselves at baseball’s highest level.

er,” added Brown, who has added a personal trainer to his repertoire of workouts.

His strenuous physical transformation includes trips to the training room at Sparkman and stops at 24-7 Fitness on Highway 53 in Harvest. Today, Brown sets the weights at 320 pounds on the bench press and 450 pounds in the squat.

As a youth football player beginning at age eight he was forced to play in leagues featuring older boys due to his large physical size. He played at Sparkman Middle School and joined the Sparkman varsity squad as a sophomore. His work through to his current status as a senior has led to several colleges showing an interest in his athletic talents, as well as, his current 3.5 grade point average. He’s a recent addition to the National Honor Society and will soon join a recruitment trip to Vanderbilt University.

Brown underwent surgery to repair a labrum injury he suffered while wrestling in the heavyweight division on last year’s wrestling team.

The surgery was performed on Valentine’s Day and he went through a battery of rehabilitation to regain his strength and flexibility to make his way to the 2021 football season.

The son of Frank and Quavis Brown, carries a different spelling of what is a common first name with the letter ‘h’ stuck in the middle. “I was a big Michael Jordan fan and my wife spoke Spanish so we decided to have the Spanish influence in Jorhdan’s name,” said Frank.

The DREAM All-American Bowl is sponsored

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Brown feels he’s ready for the big game.

“I attended camps throughout the Southeast during the month of June and have worked hard on being a two-way player,” said Brown, who also has the talent of playing the piano. “I feel I have good footwork and I finish my block on offense and I get off the line quick and use my power on defense. I play through the whistle and I am a team player.”

Brown and his family will make the four-day trip to Texas on their own, while game management will provide accommodations for Brown the remainder of the trip. His selection came after submitting video highlights of his play.

“I’d like to go out and show what kind of good program we have at Sparkman and what kind of athletes we have,” added Brown.

Brown 436289-1

• • • •

year in the Angels bullpen. He was optioned to Rocket City in June before returning to the Angels in a starting role in August after five Double-A starts.

From there, trade deadline acquisitions Jose Marte and Elvis Peguero each got the call after a handful of appearances for the Trash Pandas. Peguero’s second MLB appearance was especially memorable, as he faced the organization that traded him, the New York Yankees.

That night, Marte induced a double play ground ball from Brett Gardner to help the Angels beat their foes from the Bronx.

On August 27-28, the Angels promoted two more members of the Rocket City rotation from Opening Day as Cooper Criswell and Kyle Tyler each joined the Angels. Criswell took the loss against San Diego in his MLB debut on August 27.

Tyler waited patiently in the Angels bullpen for over a week until he was finally called into action on September 5. The relief

Bowl.

The 2022 game will be held Monday, Jan. 17 and played at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Tex. “I received an e-mail indicating I was chosen to play in the game and I’m really excited as the game will give me a chance to impress even more scouts,” said Brown.

At 6-foot-2, 305 pounds, Brown is a solid force among the offensive and defensive lines for Sparkman.

“He wanted to play both ways so he had to convince me with his work ethic because playing both offense and defense on the line at our level is brutal,” said Laron White, head coach at Sparkman. “I’m glad he does and he will continue to play and contribute on both sides of the ball.

He’s an awesome young man who works extremely hard.”

“I worked for two years on being a two-way play-

Reid Detmers was the first former Rocket City player to pitch for the Angels. Photo by Blaine Ohigashi/Los Angeles Angels

September 22, 2021

THE RECORD • 5B

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MADISON HISTORY with John Rankin A look at Madison’s

7B

September 22, 2021

Robert Emmett Wiggins

By JOHN P. RANKIN Madison Historian Sugars Turner, one of the most prolific land speculators in early Madison County history was a great grandfather of Lutie Fletcher (1856-1918), wife of Madison’s “Judge” Robert Emmett Wiggins (1843-1929). Lutie’s given name was actually Lucy, but sometimes found in records as Lucie. Her parents were Edward Augustus Fletcher (born 1808, died about 1879) and his wife Rebecca Moore (1834-1909). Edward’s census records in 1850, 1860, and 1870 show him with his family living in the Shoal Ford area of Limestone County, and land records further indicate that he was likely a son of James Nicholas Fletcher, who owned extensive lands in both Limestone and Madison County. In the census records, Edward lived in the Shoal Ford area next to John J. Fletcher, known to be a son of James Nicholas Fletcher. However, both Edward and John were designated in the Last Will & Testament of Nathan Fletcher (b. 1835, d. 1869) as executors of Nathan’s estate, along with his widow Susan Fletcher. Nathan resided in Morgan County and was the owner-operator of Fletcher’s Ferry on the river immediately west of Triana, where he owned significant lands.

He was a child of Edward A. Fletcher and therefore a brother of Lutie Fletcher Wiggins.

Prominence ran in the Fletcher and the Wiggins families. Robert was a Justice of the Peace and early historian of Madison. He was selected to provide inputs to Thomas McAdory Owen for the Madison portion of Owens’ multi-volume work entitled the “History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography” published in 1921 after Thomas died. Thomas M Owen was a lawyer and founder of the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery. Robert Wiggins’ inputs to the History of Alabama were in the form of a handwritten letter sent to Owen in 1916. That letter has been deciphered and is shown below, typed with a few corrections.

Robert E. Wiggins was born in 1843 and raised on the plantation established by his grandfather James very near Madison. He was age 14 when the town was founded by James Clemens with George Washington Martin’s purchase of the first lot sold. Therefore, Robert watched the town grow from its infancy. He remained here for

most of his life except for the last decade of his life in Birmingham and excepting the years that he served in the Confederate Army, entailing tours of duty in many of the Southern states. According to some reports, he even served with Col. Josiah Patterson during the May 17, 1864 battle in the town of Madison.

As mentioned in the town’s sesquicentennial book “Memories of Madison: A Connected Community, 1857-2007” the Wiggins plantation home was south of Martin Road and east of Wall-Triana Highway. James Wiggins came here from Martin County, North Carolina, before 1818. That was the year when he purchased most of his land, in February. However, he added smaller parcels as late as 1830, just one year before his death at age 58. Altogether he owned over 1200 acres when he died on August 24 of 1831. James’ southernmost holdings ran to the west of Wall-Triana Highway along both sides of Swancott Road, but most of his property lay along Barren Fork and Betts Creek, including the Ragland Cemetery near the fire station on the south side of Martin Road close to Zierdt Road.

The old Wiggins plantation house (now gone) was close to the Wiggins Family Cemetery and the separate nearby slave cemetery.

That relatively unknown slave cemetery is on the west side of his holdings. The slave cemetery has no tombstones, but many grave depressions are quite evident. There are also more than a hundred graves aligned in precise rows and columns, an arrangement not at all typical of slave cemeteries. It may well have been a cemetery used for Union soldier burials during the Civil War days. That slave cemetery lies just east of Wall-Triana Highway and immediately south of Pentastar Drive. A Veterans Administration stone marks the grave of Corporal William Ward of the 15th U. S. Colored Troops, but his grave is not in the military area of the cemetery because he died well after the war and not during his service as a soldier.

The Wiggins plantation family cemetery is on the east side of Electronics Boulevard at Pentastar Drive. When last visited, it was enclosed by a white picket fence, with a tall central obelisk.

There are a few graves with separate tombstones for people of other surnames in the cemetery. The obelisk is inscribed with multiple names and dates on three sides.

Individual graves for the names inscribed on the obelisk are marked with initials on footstones. One of those named on the obelisk, John Dunn (born 1787 in North Carolina), was the father of Jackey Dunn and Ann Eliza Dunn. Both were wives of Richard A. Wiggins (b.

1810 NC), son of James and father of Madison’s Robert Emmett Wiggins. The Dunn sisters were also siblings of William B. Dunn and John H. Dunn. These Dunn brothers were enumerated in the household headed by Richard Wiggins in two censuses. William Dunn was a physician and became Madison’s first Railroad Depot Agent.

The known ancestry of James Wiggins, father of Richard, goes through his father Lemuel (born 1742 in North Carolina) back to a Thomas Wiggins born about 1615 in England. The line includes a Sarah Sparkman of England, born about 1640. She may possibly connect to the local Sparkman families. Neighbors of the Wiggins family included the surnames of Jamar, Toney, Miller, Collier, Blackwell, Ragland, Rowe, and Betts, among others in this area. The connections of the Wiggins family show that James was a contemporary and 6th cousin (three times removed) of frontiersman Davey Crockett. He was also a contemporary of noted English author Jane Austen, who was a 7th cousin, one time removed. Data on Ancestry.com shows that even current Queen Elizabeth II of England is a 6th cousin (four times removed) of James Wiggins.

Robert Emmett Wiggins’ wife Lutie Fletcher birthed two children. Annie Moore Wiggins was born in 1886 and died in 1924. Her sister Lucille was born in 1889 and died in 1890 of scarlet fever. Lutie herself had an illness of several weeks in 1916 and tried to commit suicide by jumping into the cistern behind their house about an hour after midnight. Lutie’s sister Ann came out of the house in time to see the act and summoned help, but it took almost another hour to rescue Lutie from the well.

After Lutie’s death in 1918, Robert left Madison to live out his days in Birmingham in the household of his daughter Annie Moore Wiggins (1886-1924), who had married Searcy Hereford Johnson (18831962) of Cullman and produced three grandchildren for Robert in Birmingham. Robert and Lutie are now at peace, buried beside one another in the old section of the Madison City Cemetery.

Robert Emmett Wiggins

Lucy (Lutie) B. Fletcher Wiggins

Annie Moore Wiggins

Wednesday, Nov. 1, 1916

Three pioneer citizens who saw the first house built in Madison: Elijah T Martin, Arthur H. Lewis and Robert E. Wiggins. This is from a newspaper clipping of The Weekly Mercury on Dec. 17, 1913.

Letter by R. E. Wiggins Madison, Ala. August 10,1916 Hon. Thomas M. Owen Montgomery, Ala. Dear Sir: Squire E. T. Martin has handed me a letter from you to him to answer as he could not give the information asked for. When the Memphis & Charleston Railway was built, about 1854 or 5, there was a station or depot established ten miles west of Huntsville in Madison County Ala. The station was on the land of Mr. James Clemens, who wanted the depot named for him and offered to donate the land necessary for the station, but the RR officials named the station Madison Station from it being in Madison County, I suppose. Clemens got mad and did not deed any land to the railway, and the railroad does not own any land except the right of way through the town.

Soon after the depot was established here, Geo. W. Martin and Thomas J. Clay, who were merchandising in different localities in the County, came to the Station and opened up stores on opposite sides of railroad near the depot. They were the principal stores here until after the (Civil) war. A blacksmith shop, a saloon, and a post office were also established soon after Martin & Clay came. About 1859 one or two other stores, small ones, opened up for business. From 1862 to 65 nothing in the way of business was done as the Federal army occupied the County and used the RR. In 1866 the land around the depot was divided into lots and sold to the highest bidder at auction by Robt. Spraggins, Administrator of James Clemens, deceased. Parties

who had bought the lots proceeded to build on them both business and dwelling houses and soon a thriving village was the result. In 1868 (actually in 1869) a charter was obtained and the town was incorporated. W. R. Johnston was the first mayor. W. B. Dunn was the first Railway agent and continued in that office until his death in Nov. 1871. Thomas J Clay was the first postmaster, the office being in his store. Theodorick S. Clay and John W. Cosby came in about 1859 or 60 and opened up stores.

W. T. Sanders & R. M. Fletcher (partners) were the physicians in the neighborhood living two miles from Madison.

Dr. A. S. Harris came to Madison in 1867 to practice his profession. Dr. George R. Sullivan came in 1868 and (later) with J.W. Burton started a drug store. E. J. Hughes taught the public school near Madison, but John T. Lipscomb was the first teacher in the corporate limits of Madison. The first Cumberland Presbyterian preacher was Dr. Constantine Sanders. The first Methodist was Moses Whitter or Dr. Sampler. There were circuit riders preaching in a church near Madison up to 1870 when the church was moved into Madison.

Madison is on one of the public roads from Huntsville to Triana, ¾ of a mile south of the Huntsville and Decatur Road (Old Madison Pike now) and two miles from & east of the Limestone County line.

It is in the NW/4 of Section 16 and the NE/4 of Section 17 in Township 4, Range 2 West. There are two Steam gins with a capacity of fifty bales a day each. There is one sawmill and gristmill combined.

One blacksmith & woodshop &

Robert Emmett Wiggins later in life. gristmill combined. There are two other blacksmith shops, each doing a good business.

Hon. C. C. Clay Jr. and Hon. Jeremiah Clemens, both U.S. Senators from Ala., were born within two miles of Madison on plantations owned at that time by their fathers, who lived on them.

There are no natural curiosities near Madison -- only some sinks that rise and fall with the Tennessee River. Great fishing places.

Madison is nine miles north from the Tennessee River at the place where Triana (a second Cahaba) is located. Triana was at one time a great shipping point for cotton for New Orleans. It is now on one of the three Rural routes out from the Madison Post Office, and Mr. Harris Toney can give you some very interesting data in regard to that, if you will write him at Madison R. F. D. Route 3. I will send you under separate cover some newspaper clippings.

Yours truly, R. E. Wiggins Madison, Ala. Private in Co. D, 35th Regt., Ala. Infantry, and by the way, I understand there is no record of the 35th in Montgomery. Is that so?

End of yourself but beginning of God

By BECKY MILLER God’s Lemonade Stand He must become greater; I must become less.”John 3:30 Do you suppose you could begin thinking less of yourself and what you want and more of God? This is a pretty tall order for a selfie dominated culture.

When you get to the end of yourself and your wish list, there is Christian maturity and God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit waiting for you! Three in one. The great I Am! Can you think of ways you can make someone else’s life easier today? Do something unexpected.

Stay off Facebook worship long enough that if you do post put something about Jesus, resisting the urge to brag on your good deeds. Rewards come in not telling everyone. God knows.

PRAYER: Today is your day Lord not mine. Each breath I take is a gift from you and you alone. You created mankind and said “It is good” and indeed it is. Forgive us when we mess up the perfect world and plan you had for us. Direct me in the path of someone who needs a gentle touch, some care, and help. Use me to meet a need then not tell anyone. In Jesus’ name. Amen. www.godslemonadestand.blogspot.com.

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Clemson at NC St. Texas at Texas Tech

UCLA at Stanford

Check each week for the College Football Picks of the Week. Thank you to this week’s sponsor: Joe East One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, and Casey Wardynski for Congress Picks record: Bob: 18-0 for the week, 27-6 for the season so far; John: 17-1 and 27-6; Gregg: 13-5 and 23-10; Judy 17-1 and 30-3; Casey 16-2 and 26-6; and William 17-1.

WA R DY N S K I FOR CONGRESS

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Pol. Ad paid for by Casey for Congress, P.O. Box 690, Huntsville, AL 35804

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