SPRINGVILLE — The City of Springville celebrated its sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary, Thursday night, December 8, with events in the city’s historic downtown.
“We had a great time last night celebrating The City of Springville’s 150th
MOODY – The Moody City Council awarded the winners of the recent Christmas parade and then accepted a bid to construct a new building for the police department
TRUSSVILLE – A passionate group of young adults from Trussville and the surrounding communities teamed up while in high school to create their own film production team, which would later grow into the company now known as Chog Media LLC.
Chog Media CEO Austin Scarborough, along with CFO and production manager Anthony Berneche, Creative Director/Director of Photography Josh Hale and Composer/Department of Music head Ryan Owens, are proud to announce the official DVD and streaming release of their second feature film, “New South Cottage,” just in time for the holidays.
According to Scarborough, “New South Cottage” is a period piece, set in the 1940s, that will appeal to fans of movies such as “The Notebook.”
While Scarborough called it a “sweet movie with a goal
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville City Council heard from Stanley Wormely discussing the Truss Bus, and
TRUSSVILLE — Kemp’s Kitchen & Bakery and Golden Rule BBQ & Grill, two greatly missed Trussville
to show the characters develop emotionally,” he also said it has some hard edges, such as characters possibly going off to war, due to the World War II setting. The film takes place in a fictional Alabama town and centers around a boxer named Henry DeVito, played by actor Thomas Gagliano.
“He was a young boxer in a fictional boxing league, that we created for the purpose of the story, who falls in love with a night club singer named Tabitha Sanders,” Scarborough said.
Kate Hindman, who plays Sanders in the movie, won an award for her performance in the film at the Texas Faith and Family Film Festival.
“(It) was a real surprise to us,” Scarborough said. “She’d done such a good job, but we’d had so many delays in the release of our film (after) we first entered the movie into various film festivals across the country, we had
TRUSSVILLE — Once you’ve seen one Hallmark Channel movie, you’ve seen them all, but you’ve never seen a Holiday Channel movie like this one. ACTA presents The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon, a comedy by Don Zolidis directed by Curtis Frost.
The performance is brilliantly narrated by two Christmas-loving, hot chocolate-sipping, whipped creamslurping holiday romance enthusiasts, so don’t be discouraged; they will help you along the way with various cues IF they are paying attention. But, on the other hand, their hands-on approach may have you throwing snowballs at an unconscious man in a wheelchair for the purpose of true love?
That’s not the only questionable decision the audience will be making throughout the night. Your choices
during the performance may leave one of the couples fighting for their life as wild wolves attack them; holiday romance is no joke.
“Two years ago, some ACTA Boardmembers wondered if there was a play that made fun of Hallmark movies,” Curtis Frost stated. “After a short search, we found The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon by Don Zolidis. I laughed out loud reading the script, and I
felt the urge to direct my first show.”
With a hilarious assembly of actors consisting of familiar faces alongside newcomers, the cast is comprised of Angela Forehand, Brian Allison, Jana Hoffman, Josh McDaniel, Kathryn Gilmer, Zach Skaggs, Lynn Kalchik, Mike DiLaura, Christa McCrorie, Soren Klinger, Olivia Reeves, Connor Hart, Leslie Price, Stacy Lowery, Teriann Cox, and Carter Sanderson,
with Hailey Lowery and Sean Frost in the role of dual-narrators.
“Directing this cast has been both fun and challenging, as I roped in the barely contained chaos that is this cast, who have plenty of stage experience and are surprisingly professional when they want to be,” Curtis Frost stated.
As the narrators open the performance, they drop you into Hopewood Falls, Vermont, where the Christmas spirit is everywhere. But will this lovely town survive evil city slickers trying to destroy the Inn and Christmas Tree Farm? Only in a holiday movie can two princes from two very different royal families be found in the same town, and what’s a Christmas movie without a meet-cute to depend on one person being in a coma?
This is just the play for you for those out there who love holiday romance movies.
PINSON – The Pinson City Council has a longstanding tradition of holding one meeting each year at the Palmerdale Homestead Community Center. This year, the
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville City Council approved the adoption of an ordinance respecting the issuance by The Public Building Authority (PBA) of its $7,700,000
IRONDALE – During a meeting on Thursday, Dec. 6, the Irondale City Council authorized the purchase of a property for a new fire station and training facility.
TRUSSVILLE — The Second Annual Holiday with Heroes took place on Wednesday, Dec. 7, and over 20 children from The Boys and Girls Club of Central Alabama received an early Christmas.
Enterprise Holdings Foundation hosted Holiday with
Trussville council workshop
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at a meeting on Monday, Dec. 12.
The Moody Christmas Parade took place on Saturday, Dec. 12. Four winners were chosen in the categories of businesses and organizations that took part in the parade as well as the Mayor’s Trophy.
“It was a very successful event,” Mayor Joe Lee said. “We’re thankful for everyone who were in it.”
In first place in the businesses categories were Chris Favors, Bubba Ingram, and Candace Brigman from Line of Fire. Second place was Sara Uribe from Sara’s Creations.
In the organization’s category was First Baptist Church of Moody, which won last year. Michaela Crisler accepted the award. There was no second-place entry in this category.
Winning the Mayor’s Tro-
phy was Iron City Wranglers Jeep Club. Catie Fry accepted the award.
Later in the meeting, the council approved accepting a bid from Camron Construction from Albertville to build a new police station. The company was one among five bidders. The bid was $6,547,849.
In past meetings, Police Chief Thomas Hunt has spoken about the need for a new station due to the current building’s condition. The new
building will feature a number of upgrades a gym, safe rooms for children, several training areas, a break room, an expanded evidence room and storage area, a number of different offices, a patrol meeting room, and a sally port for vehicles.
The council also heard reports from the police and fire departments for the month of November. Hunt reported 1,563 calls, 47 arrests, 48 warning tickets, 197 citations, 84 reports written, 85 misde-
meanors (closed 70), 24 felonies (closed 14), and police vehicles drove 16,854 miles.
Fire Chief Larry Horton reported that there were 170 responses, nine fires (one residential and eight wood, grass, and rubbish), 89 emergency medical calls, eight wrecks, 17 public service calls, 28 lift assists, 19 false alarms, and mutual aid given once and received two times.
The average dispatch to en route time was two minutes and 50 seconds. The average dispatch to arrival time was seven minutes and 56 seconds. There were 93 overlapping calls. In addition, there were 34 annual inspections, four re-inspections, and one pump inspection.
Meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday of every month at 6 p.m. at Moody City Hall on 670 Park Ave.
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@ gmail.com.
Rob
Lease Revenue Bonds (Civic Center Annex Project) and its $9,225,000 Lease Revenue Bonds (Fire Station Project) during a special called meeting Thursday, Dec. 8.
“The bonds are sold, and all this was tonight is the PBA has signed off on it, and the council just approved it,” Mayor Buddy Choat said.
The PBA, a political subdivision of the State of Alabama, was created by the City pursuant to Chapter 56 of Title 11 of the Code of Alabama 1975, as amended, in order to own and lease certain public buildings to the city.
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PHCC-based meeting took place on Thursday, Dec. 8, at noon, where the council announced the first, second and third place winners for the floats in the Pinson Christmas Parade, which took place on Dec. 1, 2022.
The first-place winners were Howell Solutions and Denson’s Tree Service, who shared a float in the parade.
Bradford Sanctuary of Praise was named the second-place winner, and Barking Bee Coffee received third place.
“I, for one, thought it was a great parade,” Mayor Joe Cochran said. “We had a great turnout. … We appreciate all the participants and everyone that came out.”
Councilor Glenda Kirkland opened a discussion regarding the future of Pinson Trade Days on Main Street. Trade Days, started by the businesses of Main Street to help the local small business owners recover after the pandemic, celebrated
“The purpose of this financing is to obtain funds for the construction of two projects, a new fire station and an expansion to your Civic Center complex,” Kanter said.
Kanter explained that these bonds are being issued through the PBA.
“Usually, when the city incurs debt, it’s the city of Trussville that promises to pay it back,” Kanter said. “In this case, the PBA are the ones promising to pay back, but the
its one-year anniversary in November.
“We all want to – our goal is to – help Main Street and bring Main Street up,” Kirkland said. “We’ve got some good vendors down there, and shops, and we want to help them. But … we’ve gave them a year, mostly every month, except for CityFest, Butterbean (and) certain months we couldn’t do it.”
Kirkland put a motion before the council to reduce the city’s financial support of Trade Days from monthly to quarterly in 2023. “It cost us $18,000 last year to support them with the officers and port-a-johns that we furnished,” she said. “So, what we’re suggesting … the months that we think would be good would be March, June, September and November.”
Mayor Cochran clarified that if the businesses still wanted to hold an event monthly, they could, but the city would not be closing Main Street or providing other services except on the aforementioned months.
“I think it’s the right way to go,” he said, “sitting back at
money they pay comes from the city. So really, this is a city obligation, for lack of better terms, money that you, the city, pay to the authority gets pledged to the bonds to pay the bonds.”
Kanter said that the authority is just a paper entity; it doesn’t have employees or staff, and it’s being used solely to issue this debt so that it doesn’t count on the city’s constitutional debt limit.
“It doesn’t count against our constitutional debt limit that each city has,” Choat said. “This allows us to continue to look if we have other needs that we as a city could go the bond market, that does not hurt us as far as what we
a sky-view after a full year of doing it.”
The mayor and council unanimously approved Kirkland’s motion to change their support of Trade Days to quarterly.
Additionally, Councilor Robbie Roberts opened a discussion between the council and City Attorney Shane Black regarding waste disposal service complaints.
“Our friends at Waste Management are spotty, at best,” Roberts said. “I know they had a major malfunction with recycling two weeks ago, so basically, we went an entire cycle between (recycling pickups). They’re supposed to be picking up every-other week and they completely skipped a large amount of the city. … I just didn’t know whether or not there was something that we could do as far as to get their attention and let them know that’s unacceptable. Personally, I feel like we should be entitled to some type of financial consideration for having basically no service for two weeks.”
need. If we need to come up with another short-term bond of $8 to $10 million down the road somewhere. At least this does not count against that.”
This doesn’t count legally as a debt of the city, which frees up the city’s ability and capacity to continue meeting city and citizen needs for roadway improvements and other things that have to be done as Capital D Debts.
The city will be building a project on behalf of the PBA with the proceeds of these bonds. After it’s built, the project will be leased by the PBA to the city, and that lease agreement is another document the city approved tonight. Under that lease
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ACTA has slammed six warmhearted and filled with holiday spirit love stories in one performance that will leave you laughing and cheering along for your favorite couple.
“The cast has the talent and the skill,” Curtis Frost said. “They just have that natural instinct to take a script that is funny on its own and really ramp it up and make it even funnier.”
The six different couples, who “are all really, really attractive people,” consist of:
● Holly (Angela Forehand), owner of Evergreen Inn, and Brett (Brian Allison), a secret wealthy prince;
● Joy (Lynn Kalchik), a romance writer with writer’s block, and Paul (Mike DiLaura), also a romance writer;
● Merry (Kathryn Gilmer), a very important businesswoman, trying to destroy the Christmas Tree Farm, and Blake (Zach Skaggs), the owner of said Christmas Tree Farm;
agreement, the city agreed to make lease payments equal to maturing installments of debt on the bonds.
The proceeds of which will be used to pay the costs of an addition to the public civic center in the city and for a new fire station in the city, respectively, for lease to the city from the PBA, which such ordinance shall authorize and approve, among other things,
1. The lease agreements between the city and the PBA under which the city will lease the projects from the PBA and make payments to the PBA referable to maturing principal and interest on the above-described bonds, 2. All terms of the bonds,
● Carol (Jana Hoffman), a psychopath, and Jackson (Josh McDaniel), a veterinarian;
● Noelle (Olivia Reeves), Christmas ornament shop owner, and Kris (Connor Hart), son of town’s former Santa Claus; and
● Sven (Soren Klinger), another secret wealthy prince, and Rita (Christa McCrorie), a secret rich movie star.
A perfect holiday movie isn’t complete without Bridgette (Leslie Price), the sassy, red-headed best friend of ALL the women. Price’s character was there for ALL of her best friends, only occasionally forgetting/confusing some of their romance/criminal problems.
“Eventhough each cast member comes from a different background, after spending many hours together over two months, facing fun and frustration, including flu and Stacy’s complaining, we have become fast friends even more than we are a cast. I hope this season brings you peace and joy because deep down, we are all
3. The trust indentures respecting the bonds, 4. The offering statement used to market and sell the bonds, and 5. All other documents and instruments to be executed by the city in connection with the foregoing and various other instruments and actions.
“Through our PBA, we had talked about what the funding will be to pay for a new fire station and the expansion of the civic center,” Choat said. “Those are two items we have always talked about; those two of the three items that we talked about PBA being established for. So twothirds of what we want to do was approved tonight.”
really, really attractive people and don’t want to get eaten by wolves.”
The lines of each love story blur the further into the performance you get, and no matter how hectic and a little unsettling (thank you, Carol), you HAVE to fall in love.
Also, in every holiday romance movie, crime such as assault, kidnapping, arson, and theft is not real if it’s in the name of love.
“This holiday season, I think we need to take stock of the things in life that matter,” Curtis Frost stated. “With all the unnecessary contentiousness in our world, it is up to us to remember we can all sit together in a little theatre and laugh.”
“Every show has been fantastic,” Curtis Frost said. “I have been really pleased and really proud of how things have gone. We had an audience last night that was oddly applauding in the most random spots, and we loved it. It makes the whole show even more electric.”
The property is located at 2101 John Rogers Drive in Birmingham and will be purchased for $300,000. Fire Chief Josh McDaniel said the new station will offer more space than the current building.
“The whole reason for the station is the station that we’re currently in – it’s not big enough to house what we have,” McDaniel said. “The last time that we bought a fire engine for that station, we had to literally go and find a manufacturer that could make a truck that could fit in there.”
McDaniel added that the growth of firefighters has contributed to the need for a new station.
“We have a lot of new employees, a lot of young employees,” McDaniel said. “And this is just something that when we get this done; it’s not just going to be great for our employees but for departments around
us that we can offer mutual aid training and other classes. We’re excited.”
He said the old building may be used for storage after the move. As the plan is in its early stage, it is not yet known when construction will begin and be completed.
The subject of redistricting came up earlier in the meeting, an effort has been in the works for several months, said Mayor James Stewart. Councilwoman Cindy Cuellar pointed out that a case filed with the Supreme Court will “more than likely” be ruled on in May 2023, which could affect districting policies.
“So that still gives us time,” Cuellar said. “And the concern I have is if we go on and proceed work with this and you have a Supreme Court ruling, then we’re bound to that ruling we’ll have to go back and do it again.”
GIS administration Brett Isom said that he was not sure what exactly the court would rule on but speculated that it
may not affect Irondale’s redistricting plan too much as it will be based on census block data or overall population.
Cuellar then said that she wanted to make sure that the city was “contiguous” when studying the streets and the number of people, stating that there is a lack of balance because of population increase. She asked that more time be devoted to studying the maps drawn of the districts.
After some discussion, it was decided to meet in the future to consider options and present them to the public for input.
During their reports, the council spoke on the recent Thanksgiving turkey giveaway and the Christmas Night of Lights that took place on Dec. 2. Thoughts on the parade were generally positive, but Cuellar addressed rumors that she would not attend the event.
Cuellar said this was a miscommunication as she was asked if she wanted to ride a
car for the procession down the parade but said she preferred to walk and meet people in person. As a result, her name was not included in the program of events. However, Cuellar said that she did indeed attend.
“One of the things that I do not like – and one of the things that I will be working on because it needs to stop – and that is gossip,” Cuellar said. “The gossip needs to stop, and the only way that you can stop the gossiping and the miscommunication from going on is to nip it in the bud and be clear: this was an oversight, it was inadvertent, and I intend to make those comments because it was not intentional.”
In other business, the council:
● Declared a property on Abigale Lane to be a nuisance and ordered its abatement,
● Heard a report from Darren Hamrick of Sain Engineering Associates on a piece of land being considered for a new library,
● Delayed a proclamation for a special guest as they were not able to attend,
● Approved Resolution 2022-R-219 allowing employees to sell back up to 80 hours of vacation leave to the city if an employee’s accrued leave balance exceeds the maximum allowable amount permitted by the Personnel Board of Jefferson County,
● Approved Resolution 2022-R-220 amending Resolution 2011-R-28 to adopt the Personnel Board of Jefferson County’s definition of “Immediate Family” for the purposes of employee leave,
● Authorized Stewart to enter into an agreement with ALDOT to repair interstate lighting on I-20 from MP 135 to and including the I-459/20 route interchange,
● Agreed to enter into an agreement with Keep America Beautiful for $2,500 for application fees and $115 per year after completing certification,
● Authorized Stewart or
his designee to apply for grant funding for the Irondale Senior Activity Center for $15,000 from the Jefferson County Commission,
● Appointed Brett Bloomston as the municipal judge for the City of Irondale and Dorothea Batiste as the alternate judge in his absence,
● Appointed Brandon Price as the municipal prosecutor and Roderick Evans as the alternate prosecutor in his absence,
● Authorized Stewart to execute an amendment to the commercial sale agreement for the property located at 1080 Grants Mill Road to extend the due diligence period,
● Authorized Stewart to execute a medical director agreement for the Irondale Fire Department in the amount of $12,500 per year, and
● Approved Resolution 2022-R-229 authorizing a moratorium on the issuance of sign permits within the city for a period of 120 days.
a total loss.
restaurants, announced the grand opening of their newly renovated location in Trussville, Alabama. The Grand Opening will take place on Monday, Dec. 19, at 6:30 a.m.
This newly remodeled space is now home to two be-
loved restaurants. It is interiorly designed with a relaxing setting to enjoy the variety of meals that are offered. The space now features a new drive-thru, dining area, bathrooms, kitchens, and a bakery.
In addition, Kemp’s & Golden Rule will be bringing back most of the original menu items and more.
“My family has worked very hard on the remodeling of this building,” Brain Kemp said. “We hope that everyone who comes in feels welcome and enjoys this new environment. I am very thankful for this opportunity and cannot express my gratitude to my family, the city of Trussville, and Coby Lake. We are very
excited for you all to see all the new things we have done.”
Golden Rule BBQ is Alabama’s oldest-running restaurant and the 16th oldest in the country. Golden Rule opened the Irondale location in 1891 and has been in the Matos family since 1969. The Trussville location closed its doors on Aug. 12, 2022.
Kemp’s Kitchen opened its first location in Trussville back in Nov. 2017. In Aug. 2021, Kemp’s opened their second location in Gardendale, which included a full bakery and a private dining area. Then moved to the old Hardees building in Aug. 2020 and caught on fire in Nov. 2021. The building was
These greatly missed restaurants will be found under the same roof. The new location will be in the original Golden Rule building off South Chalkville Road in Trussville. This is a historic moment not only for Kemp’s and Golden Rule but for the city of Trussville.
Amy Peterson O’Brien explained the Cahaba Project Monuments during the council workshop on Thursday, Dec. 8.
Wormely explained that the Truss Bus is an opportunity for the city of Trussville to have an option of how they want to travel around the Trussville Entertainment District (TED). Wormely has worked in the city of Trussville for about 15 years and has watched the revamp take place, but has noticed the greatest problem that Trussville faces is parking.
Wormely said out of great problems come great opportunities.
“The Truss Bus is an exciting, convenient, and exclusive experience on wheels,” Wormely said. “These are electric-powered, street-legal vehicles that will provide a new and innovative way to offer Trussville the best at its best.”
The Truss Bus would be completely app-driven, similar to Uber and Lyft, and could hold up to eight passengers on each trip. Wormely explained that Truss Bus would function during specific hours and work alongside different events in the city.
“We’re looking at possibly starting with two carts,” Wormely said. “If it catches on, then we can always increase from that.”
The Truss Buss will help less “bottleneck” traffic, helps eliminate unwanted illegal parking, lessen congestion in the prime areas, will not affect “walkability,” generate tax revenue, and provide designated and convenient stops.
“We will run a loop every 15 to 20 minutes,” Wormely said. “Let’s say you’re going to dinner at Half-Shell. We know that it is going to take around half an hour to an hour to eat; all the while, we will still be going through our stops. Then as they get closer to finishing dinner, they can
either go on the app, or they’ll see that we’re traveling every 15 to 20 minutes.”
The radius for the Truss Bus is ideally around 1/8 to 1/4 of a mile from the TED. This allows just enough distance so that rides stay within 15 minutes. Wormely explained they initially planned for there to be four stops, which will include designated parking areas, and they would only pick up from those areas.
Mayor Buddy Choat reminded Wormely that the recent “low-speed vehicle” ordinance that the city passed lists that street legal carts can only travel on “City Streets,” which is any public street that is maintained by Trussville, the speed limit of which is set at 25 miles per hour or less.
Choat said the Truss Bus stops would need to have access to roads that are 25 miles or less so that they abide by the new ordinance.
“Stanley brought this to me one day, and we were just kicking it around, and I told him to bring it before when he was ready,” Choat said. “It’s a cool idea.”
Wormely explained that Trussville will be the first city to have this concept. Truss Bus will assume all the training for the drivers and the insurance for the vehicles. The cost to use the Truss Bus has not been determined at this time, but Wormely said the plan is to have the Truss Bus up and running by the Spring of 2023.
In other matters, O’Brien presented the council with the Cahaba Project Monuments. She explained that Trimm Landscaping is offering to build the projects, and, in total, the entrances would cost under $75,000.
The Cahaba Project’s original gazebo entrance stands at Parkway Drive and Highway 11. The Stone Gateway Project identifies the other entrances into Trussville Historic District. The center sign says, “Cahaba Homestead Village — U.S. Resettlement
Administration — Est. 19361938.”
O’Brien explained that the Cahaba Project is Trussville’s one and only historic district. Practically every neighborhood in Trussville has an entrance sign, yet the Cahaba Project does not. The Cahaba Project is the largest and most historically intact Great Depression-era community in Alabama and is one of a kind in the nation.
“Mayor Choat and I spoke, but we didn’t talk about figures or anything,” O’Brien said. “We just spoke about the city also investing in this.”
The sandstone entrance designs are based on the original sandstone entrance at the Parkway Drive and Highway 11 intersection.
This Project is designed to complement the original entrance; the three gateway locations include the intersection of North Chalkville and Rockridge, Poplar Street and Parkway Drive, and on Chalkville Road at Magnolia Court and Hewitt Street Mall.
“This is so important because it is identifying our historic district in a way that a historical marker does not do,” O’Brien said. “This is not just educational; it also enhances in terms of the beauty of the Project in those corners.”
A $100 or more donation qualifies you for a brick with your family or business name at the base of one of the gateways. The Cahaba Heritage Foundation is a 501c3 organization. Your tax-deductible donation is an investment in the legacy of historic Trussville.
“I would like the council to consider a figure to contribute to this project,” O’Brien said.
The council suggested that Mayor Choat determine an amount they could contribute to the project.
They anticipate the construction of the stone gateways in 2023.
To learn more, visit www.cahabaheritage.org/ stone-gateways.
Heroes, which allowed children with the Boys and Girls Club of Central Alabama to spend an afternoon with local law enforcement/military personnel, such as the Trussville Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, Birmingham Police Department, and representatives for the United States Military.
This year’s event has doubled in size and was able to help twice as many families and children.
The event started at Spare Time Entertainment in Trussville, where law enforcement/ military personnel paired up with The Boys and Girls Club children, and the night of fun and excitement began.
“We’re pairing children with first responders from multiple organizations or jurisdictions,” Group truck manager for Enterprise’s South Central Division Eric Lund said. “We’ve got over 20 kids that are going to have dinner, we’re gonna go play some games like bowling and arcade games, and then they’re gonna go down to Target.”
The children were wound up with anticipation of what would come when they reached Target. All the law enforcement/military personnel gave the children a full lights and sirens escort to Target to begin the second phase of the night.
Each child was given $450 to shop their little hearts out, and it was hard to tell who was having more fun the children or the heroes. But, of course, the children weren’t the only ones receiving early Christmas gifts.
“The adults are going to do some shopping for needs for their family,” Lund said.
“The parents and guardians stayed behind; we’ve got bowling for them, we’ve got what we’re calling the ‘Heroes Closet,’ which is a bunch of great items donated by the Power of Life Foundation.
We’ve got everything from Under Armour socks to Kate Spade purses and different shoe types.”
Lund said this event allows Enterprise to give back to the communities they serve.
“So enterprise as a company, we do business in these neighborhoods,” Lund said.
“So our goal is to give back and to partner with the corporate community, also with the government agencies to say, ‘Hey, look, let’s have some fun, and let’s help some families that may be potentially underserved.’”
However, none of this would be possible without their sponsors.
“We couldn’t do it without everybody’s generous donations,” Lund said. “We’ve had so many different sponsors. Some of our key sponsors are Spare Time, Target, and Enterprise Foundation, but we had numerous corporate partners, Courtesy Buick GMC, Doster Construction, and Jim n’ Nick’s. It just wouldn’t be possible without their generous donations.”
Enterprise Holdings Foundation also presented a check to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Alabama for $10,000.
This coupon is only valid with a new
almost put that in the backseat. We hadn’t really worried about that for probably six months, from the point at which we had finished work on the film and when that film festival took place. So, when she won the award, we were just blown away. She absolutely earned it, though. If there’s anyone that worked hard on that film, it’s her. She has absolutely earned that accolade.”
The Chog team held a DVD Release and Marketing event at Nichols Nook Coffee House in Springville on Saturday, Dec. 3.
“I’m glad that we are able to be partnering with (Nichols Nook) over this Christmas season,” Scarborough said, “so we can get some copies (of the DVD) out there, as well.”
“New South Cottage” premiered in January 2022 at the Leeds Art Council, but its release to the general public was delayed while the Chog Media team shopped around for the best distribution deal.
The full-length feature film is now available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
“We’re also going to be releasing DVDs to several different vendors around the Birmingham area,” Scarborough said. “That’s the way I know a lot of people still prefer to view movies. We’re trying to target that market, and digital.”
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In 2019, Scarborough was a junior in high school when he started working on a script for a movie called “Remember the Light.” When the script was finished, he shared it with classmate Ryan Owens, as well as their friends Josh Hale and Anthony Berneche.
“When I finished that script, at this point I was still friends with each of them,” Scarborough said. “Anthony is a little bit older than the other three of us – I was classmates with his brother and he mentioned to me (that) Anthony was interested in working in design or in film, things like that. He had recently left the military and was interested in working on his own … or rather, for himself, but with other people, so that he could be his
own boss. That’s something I appreciate; my dad is an entrepreneur, as well, so I appreciate both of them for that.”
The group originally called themselves Chog Theatre Troupe, with Chog being an acronym for Creatives Helping Out in Groups.
“We had been interested in working together for a while,” Scarborough said. “We complement each other’s skills very well and when we all finished school, we knew we wanted to start a company, which became Chog Media LLC. I wouldn’t be anywhere without those three guys.”
“Remember the Light” was originally intended to be a short film, but a group decision was made to expand it into a feature film.
“It’s a short feature, only an hour long – now the duration of most TV pilots – but it is a science fiction type story, which fans of ‘Twin Peaks’ or ‘Stranger Things’ might appreciate,” Scarborough said. “That was our target audience.”
The young entrepreneurs have already finished production of their third film, titled “Jublowski,” which is expect-
ed to be released late spring or early summer of 2023.
“It’s named after the main character of the film, who is played by another local actor named Maximos Tatum,” Scarborough said. “It is semi-biographical –with many details altered for dramatic effect – of how we started our company. Unlike the other films that we have done, it’s primarily comedic. It’s still a serious movie, but more humorous than our other movies. A little more quick-paced.”
In addition to Amazon Prime Video, “New South Cottage” DVDs are currently available for purchase at Nichols Nook in Springville and DeDe’s Book Rack in Trussville for $15 each.
More information about the movie can be found on the “New South Cottage” IMDB page at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16917146/?ref_=tt_mv_ close.
Information about Chog Media LLC can be found on their Instagram at https://www.instagram. com/chogmedia/ or their Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=100075936591226.
“While I’m very excited that ‘New South Cottage’ is out there, I think people will enjoy each new project that we continue to release,” Scarborough said. “Each one is just improving on the last.”
Crystal McGough can be contacted at mcgoughcrystal@gmail.com
From front page
anniversary. We honored Springville’s past, present, and future,” Rick Hopkins said. “The citizens make Springville so special, and they showed up last night to celebrate.”
Hopkins serves as Director of Springville Parks & Recreation.
“All of the shops that were open this evening were packed full of people,” Mayor Dave Thomas said. “It was fantastic, it really was.” Stores in the city remained open later for shoppers, and many distributed free gifts of a Springville Christmas ornament or a lapel pin commemorating the event. I think our local merchants were quite thrilled with the turnout tonight.”
The event also featured an appearance by Santa Claus, crafts for children, concerts by the middle school and high school choirs, and the unveiling of a design for a potential commemorative feature near Big Springs Park.
The city recognizes the year 1872 as its founding, but the area has a rich history dating back to settlements in the early 1800s, including a church chartered in 1817, two years before Alabama became a state.
First known as Big Springs, the town was renamed Pinkhill when the first post office was opened in 1833 but was soon re-
named Springville after the freshwater springs that first attracted settlers and tourists to the area.
“Various sources give dates from the early 1880s as the date of incorporation, but state records show a recording of a city charter in early 1873 suggesting that the date of incorporation was in 1872 as reflected on the city seal,” said Mayor Dave Thomas who spoke at the event and narrated a video of the city’s history.
Thomas also took a moment to read a proclamation being presented to the City Council in honor of councilmember Wayne Tucker, who has served the city representing his district since first elected in 1980.
“You’ve got to be doing something right and be well thought of to hang onto the same council seat for 42 years,” Thomas said, speaking to The Trussville Tribune after the reception. “Wayne has been able to hold that seat, serve his district and obviously serve it well.”
Thomas spoke about the history of the city and the honor of serving his hometown as mayor as the city turns 150 years old.
“It is truly such an honor to serve as Mayor or on the Council; it’s certainly an honor,” Thomas said. “To do so at this point in time really is quite memorable.”
Thomas praised City Clerk Lynn Porter for bringing the anniversary to the attention of the City Council and expressed gratitude to city employees and community members who worked together to make the event a reality. It was just the quintessential, small town, tightknit community supporting one another and celebrating with each other.”
Springville will host its annual Christmas Parade Saturday night, December 10, beginning at 6 p.m., followed by fireworks.
Video Game Tournament
Wednesday, December 14: 4:00pm - 5:30pm
a.m.
All ages. Every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
Venue
Trussville - LBK Auditorium
Yarn Manglers (Knit & Crochet Group)
Thursday, December 15 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Each month the library will be hosting a video game tournament for teens. We will play a different competitive game each month with our champion winning a prize. The type of game will vary. Some months it will be a fighting game, a racing game, or even motion games. Snacks and refreshments are provided at the event. Open to anyone in the 6th to 12th grade.
(Photographs may be taken during the program and used by the TPL. If you do not want pictures of your child to be taken please let the Librarian in charge of the event know)
Venue Trussville - LBK Auditorium
Children’s Storytime
Thursday, December 15: 10:30am - 11:30am
Knitters and crocheters, join us for fellowship and creativity!
Knit & crochet meetup group (aka The Yarn Manglers). Bring any projects you are working on; join us for fellowship and creativity. This is a great way to check in, catch up, see what everyone is working on, and get help if you are stuck. Please join usnewcomers are welcome!
Join our Facebook group: YARN MANGLERS ANONYMOUS
Venue
Trussville - LBK Auditorium
Take Home Craft: Paper Ornaments Monday, December 19 All Day
PJ Movie Night December 19 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Free (All ages)
One of our favorite things to do during the winter holidays is to watch movies together in our cozy pajamas with a cup of hot cocoa & snacks.
Join us to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol on Monday, December 19th at 6 PM. You are encouraged to wear pajamas & bring a throw blanket or stuffed friend to get cozy for the movie. Hot chocolate, coffee, & cookies will be provided. We will also have a simple craft set up for anyone to create during the movie or take home afterwards.
No registration required.
Pinson Public Library (RSMC)
Murder on the Buffalo Express Mystery Dinner December 20 @ 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Free (Teens, 7th-12th graders only)
It’s time for another Murder Mystery on Tuesday, December 20th at 4 PM! Dinner will be served. Be a part of the mystery & perform as characters while also solving a mystery. Registration is required to attend the event as a character or as a guest. You may register now: https://forms.gle/hEKcLkFH7Fs4ZqFe8
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LONG DISTANCE MOVING: Call today for a FREE QUOTE from America’s Most Trusted Interstate Movers. Let us take the stress out of moving! Speak to a Relocation Specialist, call 844-925-3534
ATTENTION ACTIVE Duty & Military Veterans! Begin a new career and earn your Degree at CTI! Online Computer & Medical training available
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Join Ms. Alicia for stories, songs, bubble time, and lots of fun!
Join Ms. Alicia for stories, songs, bubble time, and lots of fun! The event will be held in the library auditorium every Thursday at 10:30
Use the provided supplies to make a paper ornament. Use the provided supplies to make book paper/paper ornaments. Pick up your bag in the Adult Department, but hurry to claim yours before they’re all gone!
Venue Trussville - LBK Auditorium
SYNOPSIS:
Built in 1891, the Buffalo Express is a luxury steam locomotive that makes five stops between New York City to Cleveland, Ohio. It’s 1934 & the next voyage of the train will roll out from New York City with a fully-booked FirstClass carriage. The train
staff has ensured the food is fresh, the ice cubes are perfect squares, & every nook & cranny is free of dust. With this many VIPs onboard, everything must be in perfect order. You will be on the locomotive for the journey to Cleveland. This is where your story begins.
Venue
Pinson Public Library (RSMC)
2023 Alabama Wedding Showcase January 28, 2023 @ 10:00 am - January 29, 2023 @ 5:00 pm
The first annual Alabama Wedding Showcase presented by The Trussville Tribune, sponsored by Shirley’s Florist, will take place on January 28th and 29th at the Trussville Civic Center. We will have dozens of vendors for all your engagement, wedding, and honeymoon needs.
Venue
Trussville Civic Center
november 21, 2002 ~ november 30, 2022 (age 20)
Ashton Jared Davis was a caring heartfelt kid. Words cannot explain how loved he was by so many. He was very stubborn, but when it came down to it he would be there for anybody and anything. He loved to work out and write music which is his passion. He believed and just kept dreaming and trying to push towards his goals. He is going to be missed by so many people and words cannot even explain that.
The family will receive friends at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home on Friday, December 2, 2022 from 5:00pm-7:00pm. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 2:00pm with Graveside Services following.
Mrs. Jan Maria Holmes Holley passed away on the Lord's day, Sunday, December 4, 2022. The family will receive friends at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home and Gardens Friday, December 9, 2022 from 11am to 12 pm at the Funeral Home. Graveside services will begin at 12pm. She is survived by her loving husband of 50 years, Tom Holley, three children: Kimberly Holley Soper (Brent), Kerri Holley Dewett (Ted), and Matthew Thomas Holley (Dena), nine grandchildren: Kaylan Glass (Michael), Hannah Kalmbach (Shawn), Lydia Ruth Holley, Olivia Grace Martinez, Jared Brent Soper II, Lindy Kay Holley, Taylor Elyse Dewett, Kamryn Renee Dewett, and Lily Anna Holley, three great grandchildren: Eli Patrick Kalmbach, Tucker Brent Kalmbach, and Michael John Glass III; three sisters: Karen Holmes, Sandy Lancaster (George), Terry Gillison (Danny); two brothers, Norman Holmes (Leigh Ann) and Ricky Holmes (Hollie); as well as other loving family and friends.
Jan is preceded in death by her mother, Glenn Jewel McDonald Holmes, father, Norman Troy Holmes and her brother Mark Edward Holmes.
She grew up Clay, Alabama. She resided in Tupelo, Mississippi. Jan loved the Lord and was very loved by anyone who knew her. She lived for God, her husband, and her family. Her favorite place was the beach, and she loved scrapbooking and decorating. She collected memories of every kind of friends and family, and treasured them all. Jan was the reflection of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
november 12, 2022
Clarence E. “Chuck” Tompkins, a long time resident of Trussville and a highly decorated WW2 Veteran who was awarded 2 Purple Hearts, Bronze Star with Cluster, Silver Star, and 2 French Government Medals passed away on November 12th,2022 at his daughter’s house in Surfside Beach SC. Graveside Services will be on December 16th 2:00pm at Jefferson Memorial Gardens in Trussville.
Survivors include a daughter, Patricia Tompkins McCormick of Surfside Beach,SC and Larry Keith Tompkins of Savannah, GA. Two sisters, Martha Jean Todd of Trussville and Barbarann Farney of Vancleave, MS. Grandchildren Kelly Tompkins of Foley Al. Brian McCormick of Reston VA, Stacie McCormick Reap of Nashville TN .5 Great Grandchildren, 4 Step-Grandchildren and 5 Step-Great Grand Children and 1 Step-Great Great Grandchild.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to the Tunnel of Towers organization thst builds smart homes for Veterans and First Responders.
november 15, 1967 ~ december 6, 2022 (age 55)
Kameron “Kami” Elizabeth Wise passed peacefully in her home on December 6, 2022. Kami was a strong wife, mother, grandmother, and sister, full of life and laughter. She will be missed but never forgotten and will live forever in our hearts. She was 55 years old, born on November 15, 1967, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Ray and Kathy Blevins. She is preceded in death by her mother, Katherine Chaney, Father, Raymond Blevins, and Grandmother, Ella Louise Lawless Forrester. She is survived by her husband, Jeffery Earl Wise, her sons, Jeffrey Earle Wise II (Amanda Anne), Anderson Forester Wise; daughter, Hope Mary Elizabeth Wise, and Grandchildren, Jeffrey Earle Wise III (Jett) and Novalee Ella Wise (Nova). Siblings, Stephanie Bacon, Keisha Wilson, Michael Spencer, and Melissa Dobson, and a Mother-in-law, Myra Carolyn Speer. Services will be held on Saturday, December 10, 2022, at Jefferson Memorial of Birmingham at 2:00 pm with graveside to follow.
august 1, 1944 ~ december 5, 2022 (age 78)
Funeral services for Charles S. Ayers will be held on Friday, December 9, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home in Trussville, Alabama with Reverend Gary Ward officiating. Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Charles was born on August 1, 1944 in Chulafinnee, Alabama. Charles grew up on a farm on the Tallapoosa River and enjoyed his time growing up with his brothers while learning the importance of hard work. He played a number of sports at Ranburne High School where he graduated in 1962. He attended Jacksonville State University where he played on their basketball team and met his future wife Donna. After college, Charles served in the United States Army for two years with one of those serving in the Vietnam War. Charles’s career was at Stockham Valve & Fittings where he met many lifelong friends. He had an abundance of close friends that stayed in touch throughout his lifetime. He was a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ and kept records of his entire family in his Bible.
Charles is survived by his daughter Alisa Ayers Hawthorne (Jay Hawthorne), grandchildren Amanda Ayers Davis, Andrew Logan Dortch, Harrison Taylor Hawthorne, and great grandchild Hudson Tate Hawthorne. Charles was preceded in death by his father, Henry Lindley Ayers, his mother , Edna Grubbs Ayers, his brother Bill Grubbs Ayers, and brother Robert Wilson Ayers.
The family requests no flowers and the memorials be made to First Baptist Church Prattville, Alabama 138 S Washington St Prattville, Alabama 36067
june 24, 1927 ~ december 4, 2022 (age 95)
Sylvia Posey, age 95 of Center Point, AL passed away on December 4, 2022 in Athens, AL surrounded by her loved ones. Sylvia was preceded in death by her loving husband, Paul Calvin Posey and her daughter-in-law, Nadine Posey. She is survived by her three sons, Larry Posey (Robin), Alan Posey (Theresa) and Donald Posey; grandchildren, Michael Posey (Charlotte) and Lisa Shirley (Shawn), Amy Weaver and Chad Posey; five great grandchildren. Friends and family will gather at Jefferson Memorial Funeral home in Trussville on Friday, December 9, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. A graveside service will follow at Jefferson Memorial’s adjoining cemetery at 10:00 a.m. with Dr. Ryan Whitley of Crosspoint Baptist Church will be officiating.
Seeing a Therapist
Mental health professionals can help you anticipate upcoming stressors and help you come up with a plan to deal with them. And it can also be helpful to have someone to talk to who is not a close friend or family member, especially as those people may be grieving as well.
If you do decide that you want to pursue seeing a therapist, first decide what you are looking for in a therapist. What style of therapy are you looking for? Do you have preference for a man or a woman? Do they take your insurance? Do you want to see someone who specializes in grief?
Once you have decided a bit about what you want, look around. Ask for recommendations and read up on a therapist’s website.
Journaling: Journal about your feelings and what is going on. Often, journaling can be a release and it gives you an outlet to talk about things that you might not be able to discuss with friends and family.
Remember that crying is OK: It can feel natural to try to hide your emotions. After all, the holidays are supposed to be a happy time of year. But keep in mind that trying to suppress your emotions won’t make them go away. It is OK to cry! Ask for and say yes to help: If someone offers to help you, say yes. You will likely need it. And if no one offers to help you, ASK! It may be that friends or family don’t know exactly what you need, so they are hesitant to ask. But in most cases, they want to help and are happy to do so.
Practice self-care: It can be hard with all that is going on. But remember to take time for yourself and do what makes you happy.
Go to a grief group: If you aren’t quite ready to visit a therapist, a grief group can be a great way to start. It can be very helpful to talk to a group of people who are going through similar experiences. You can find local grief groups online, at houses of worship or possibly through friends and family.
TRUSSVILLE — The Hewitt Girls basketball team cruised to an easy victory at home Monday night vs. Hillcrest of Tuscaloosa 45-28.
turned out to be an extra special night for head coach Tonya Hunter and the entire Hunter family as daughter Jordan scored her 1000th career point for the Huskies.
Hunter had nothing but praises for Jordan, who
eclipsed 1000 points in her junior season.
“This is Jordan’s 5th year playing with Hewitt Trussville Girls basketball. She has definitely given her entire self to this program,” Hunter said. “Since 7th grade, her role has changed drastically each year. She played in the 7A state championship game as a 7th grader and again as a 9th grader.”
Hunter said preparation was a key to Jordan’s success.
“She watches film and
The Moody Girls Basketball team traveled to Hoover to take on the Spain Park Jaguars and came back to 411 with a big win to continue their current winning streak as they have won their last three games.
The home-standing Jaguars jumped out to an early lead, finishing the first quarter up 7-5. From there, the Lady Blue Devils would dominate.
Moody outscored Spain Park 15-3 in the second quarter with stifling defense and four different players hitting shots to pour it on on the of-
fensive side of the ball. The half would end with Moody doubling up the Jaguars 2010.
The third quarter would see more scoring from the Lady Blue Devils, but the defense would allow Spain Park to score 12 points and continue to have hope. But there was no slowing down the Moody offense. Led by Tori Pyles, who had 12 points on the night, Moody would continue to have success shooting the ball. Despite the fact that Spain Park would outscore them 24-22 in the second half, the dominant second quarter would prove to be too much for the Lady Jaguars to
overcome, leading to the 4234 victory for Moody.
Other leading scorers for Moody were Kendall Stephens with 11 points and Emma Kyle with 9.
“Defense set the tone for the game. They live and die by the 3 and our girls did a
good job rotating on defense and covering the corners,” said Coach Becca Davis. “Our program has the utmost respect for coach Chase and the legacy he has built. It was a positive experience for us to have them on our schedule,” Coach Davis said of the matchup with Spain Park.
“We have the individual pieces to be competitive this year. Hopefully we are trending up and starting to put all of those pieces together.”
The Lady Blue Devils, now 4-3 overall, will host Leeds Friday night, December 9, in the ladies basketball version of the Battle of the Bridge at 6:00 pm.
prepares for games like it’s her last,” said Hunter of her daughter. “I always stress to her about the different categories of basketball, and she works extremely hard to be in those stat lines. She strives to keep growing her game on her own, and that’s what growth of a player looks like.”
The hard work has paid off for Jordan, who has already received several scholarship offers. She is committed to play for Auburn after college.
Jordan and the Husky ladies used great defense to limit Hillcrest to just 28 points.
“We played really hardnosed defense for 4 quarters,” Hunter said. “We committed a few unforced turnovers, and we will definitely go to work to do a better job on our next opportunity.”
April Hooks led Hewitt with 12 points. Jordan scored thirteen points and added 5 rebounds. Sophomore Ashlyn Howard scored 10 points and added 6 rebounds.
By John Goolsby
Irondale – Shades Valley (4-4) went into their rematch with Clay-Chalkville (3-5) on a three-game losing streak. From the opening tip, it was apparent this was going to be a different game than the Cougars’ 73-49 win last month. This time the Mounties came away with a 62-59 win at home. “The guys have done everything we have asked them to, and we’ve had some tough, rigorous practice to try to end this losing streak,” said Mountie head coach Audwin Howard.
The Mounties got off to a fast start with a thunderous
dunk by senior Kendarius Irvin, who finished with10 points and 4 rebounds. “Kendarius stepped up,” Howard said. “He did some really good things offensively and defensively for us tonight.”
Shades Valley led 20-6 at the end of the first period.
Behind a solid defensive effort and the shooting of Jamarcus Jackson, who had 19 points on the night and Sean Crawford who added 14 points, the Mounties went to the locker room with a 38-21 lead at the half.
The Cougars, led by Devon McKinnon’s 29 points
On Friday night, the Moody Blue Devils welcomed rival Leeds Green Wave for the Battle of the Bridge, the men’s basketball version. Leeds, sporting a 1-4 record and 2 straight losses, came into the region matchup looking to get on track and, if their performance against Moody was any indication, they are back on track.
Leeds never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 17-9 lead in the first quarter. Tabari Davis had 6 of the 17 points scored for the Green Wave.
Moody got some things going offensively in the second quarter, but Leeds would match them as both teams put up 15 points. Moody was
led by Carson Dillashaw and Aden Johnson while Leeds would be led by Davis and Ronald Miller. The half would end with a score of 32-24.
In the third quarter, Moody would find some defensive success against Leeds, hold-
ing them to just 9 points, while scoring 12 themselves and sending us into the final stanza with a score of 41-36.
The final period would prove to be the most excit-
The Moody Lady Blue Devils continued their winning streak Friday night as they welcomed the Leeds
Lady Green Wave for the Battle of the Bridge rivalry. With the 58-34 win, Moody picked up their fourth straight victory and started off region play 1-0 as well. “Tonight opened area
play for us and I think that they understand that today starts a whole new season,” said Becca Davis, Moody’s coach.
PELL CITY — The ClayChalkville boys basketball team nearly dug its way out of a deep hole, but fell short in a gritty comeback effort to Pell City Thursday, 55-51.
The Cougars came into the non-region matchup with a record of 3-5 hoping to put the brakes on a five-game skid dating back to a November 17 loss to Oak Mountain.
On the other end of the floor was a Pell City Panther squad (6-2) that has won six
See COUGARS, Page 11
of its last seven after opening the season with a 15-point loss in Clay to the Cougars, 62-47.
The rematch on the shores of Logan Martin Lake went to the Panthers, who dominated the first half and held off a surging Cougars squad that had several opportunities to claim victory, but just couldn’t seem to get the right bounces and rolls of the ball to put the game away for good.
The Cougar shooters started out hot, capitalizing on Pell City turnovers and hauling down defensive rebounds, jumping out to a 10-6 lead midway into the first quarter. Then the lid slammed shut on the Cougar basket.
Pell City center Michael Snow took control of the pain, leading the Panthers on a 9-0 run to finish the first quarter with a 15-10 lead. In the meantime, Clay-Chalkville’s shooters couldn’t buy a hoop as every three-point attempt missed the mark, and attempts to force the ball inside failed to gain traction.
The Cougars went on an eight-plus minute drought without scoring until sophomore Devon McKinnon slammed home an exciting dunk on a fast-break midway through the second quarter. For the remainder of the second quarter, Clay-Chaliville
started to show signs of life on offense but tailed Pell City by nine points at halftime, 2819.
Pell City came out rolling in the third quarter, led by the three-point shooting of Collin McCombs, pushing the lead to 14 points, 33-19.
Finally, the Cougar offense woke up as the Cougars sank four straight three-point attempts in the third quarter to close the gap to three points, 36-33, with just over four minutes left to play in the third quarter.
With just under one minute left in the third period, senior Tiawan Hardy, Jr. hit a jumper in the lane to tie the game at 40-40. Barely a minute into the fourth quarter, sophomore Victor Odiari hit a short-range jump shot, giving the Cougars their first lead since the first quarter, 45-44.
Clay-Chalkville would go up by as much as three points as each team jockeyed for control of the final period. Toward the end of the fourth quarter, the Cougar shooters, once again, went cold, as they frantically tried to hang on to a slim lead.
In the end, turnovers and several missed free throws down the stretch were the difference as Pell City relied on its big man, Snow, to put the game out of reach, 55-51.
Clay-Chalkville Head Coach Chris Richardson said his Cougar squad had trouble
attempt and finishing off the Blue Devils 53-47.
at the free throw line for the last several games, a problem that may have cost them a victory Thursday night. He also said that the team needs to settle down and wait for the right shot rather than force difficult, low-percentage shots like the
“It’s about the right shot, knowing what shot I want, and what shot is the best in the situation,” said Richardson. “We have guys that can knock it down, but sometimes we get a little shot happy. So we’ve got to make sure we get the right shot at the right time of the game.”
Clay-Chalkville falls to 3-6 with a handful of games left to play in December before area games begin in January. The Cougars will face some tough teams in the area such as Pinson Valley and Mortimer Jordan. However, Richardson believes the Cougars can build off of their performance against Pell City despite the loss.
“We’ve got to get ready for area play. You can win or lose all these games and they mean nothing if you can’t win in area play,” Richardson said “We’ll film this game up, we’ll get back to practice and get ready for next week.”
McKinnon led the Cougars with 14 points followed by junior Kevin Kirk with 11 points. Clay-Chalkville will host Etowah High School December 13.
From
and Kevin Kirk’s 9 points, stormed back in the third quarter and cut the Valley lead to nine, 49-40, as the two teams entered the final period.
Clay-Chalkville continued to cut into the Mountie lead with big baskets and crucial defensive stops. The Cougars tied the game at 54 apiece with 3:28 remaining.
Shades Valley broke the tie with a pair of free throws by Crawford that pushed the Mountie lead to 56-54 with 3:03 to play.
A steal by Jeremiah Williams, who had 8 points on the night, and an outlet pass to Erin Callens for a layup extended the Mountie lead to four with 2:49 to play.
A Cougar three-pointer was waived off due to an official’s timeout, but Clay was able to pull within a basket to 58-56, on a short McKinnon jumper.
A pair of Callens’ free throws, after a foul by the Cougars on a drive to the basket, extended the Valley lead back to four with 1:49 to play.
A huge three-pointer by the Cougars’ Victor Odiari,
From page 10
who scored 8 points, pulled Clay to within one at 60-59, with 61 seconds to go.
Valley’s Crawford drew a foul while driving to the basket. The senior calmly sank two free throws with 25 seconds on the clock to push the Mounties to a 62-59 lead.
The Cougars had one last opportunity to send the
game to overtime but missed a three-pointer at the buzzer and the Mounties escaped with a win after a tremendous comeback by ClayChalkville.
“We got off to a fast start but went back to our old ways,” Howard said. “I like how the guys fought hard and finished.”
From
ing one of the night. Moody would close the gap by the 6:06 mark as Johnson would hit a clutch 3-pointer that made the score 43-42 Green Wave. That got the fans out of their seats and the place got loud. But the Leeds Green Wave would not be denied on this night. The defense clamped down and the offense responded, slamming the door on the comeback
On the night, Tabari Davis and Ronald Miller finished with 13 points each to lead the Green Wave. Moody was led by Aden Johnson, who had 16 points and Carson Dillashaw, who had 15.
“We’ve won 2 games and both were area games, so that’s good,” said Jeremiah Millington, Leeds’ head coach. “We started really well. We had good attention to detail and good energy. They
came out in the second quarter and found a little spark. Dillashaw got loose a little bit inside and they gained confidence. We didn’t handle those situations in the second and third quarter but I’m proud of the way we finished. I’ve seen some growth, which is good.”
Moody looks to get back into the win column Tuesday during a trip to St. Clair County while Leeds looks to building on their momentum at Briarwood Christian Monday night.
Offensively, Moody wasted no time scoring and they did so very often in the first quarter, jumping out to a 21-6 lead on the shoulders of Tori Pyles who had 10 points in the frame and finished the night with 18 points total.
Slowing down a little, they Lady Blue Devils scored 12 in the second half while Leeds’ Marley Miller put up 6 of their 7 points in the quarter. Moody went into the locker room with a commanding 33-13 lead.
The third quarter was much of the same with smothering defense from Moody and more scoring on
the offensive side of the ball. Pyles’ teammates Emma Kyle (10 points total) and 7th grader Serenity Rutledge (6 points) were more than willing to pitch in on the offensive side of the ball, while Kendall Stephens’ presence in the paint proved dominant on the defensive side of the ball.
For Leeds, Miller finished with 9 points, all 3-pointers, and Gianna Davis had 12 points with 6 of them coming from the free throw line. Davis was 6-7 from the charity stripe on the night.
But the Moody offense proved to be just too much for the Lady Green Wave on Friday night. “I was a little worried after the big win
against Spain Park last night. Generally, with girls when that happens, you come out a little flat the next night. There are some things that we need to clean up, but I can’t complain too much,” said Coach Davis. “These kids have been playing for me for a long time. I think in that time together, they have matured. It doesn’t take much to get them pumped to play rivals. We executed and we were not flat coming out of the door.”
Moody is now 5-3 overall and 1-0 in the area. They will play at St. Clair County Tuesday night. Leeds is now 0-6 on the year and 0-1 in the area. They will travel to Briarwood Christian Monday night.
