Walker Magazine | Summer 2018

A Publication of the Daily Mountain Eagle

volume 6 • issue 4 • summer 2018

FREE

What’s Inside

+ Travels With Grace + Man In Motion + Going The Distance + Photo Essay + More!

JIM CANNON

H FOSTER

ABE CANNON

TYLER HERRON

BUTCH FOSTER

TH RICE

TYLER HERRON

NICK KEY

KEITH RICE

NICK BARNETT

FINCHER

BRIAN BURGETT

TOMMY FOWLER

CURT BALLARD

CURT BALLARD

JOSH SALTER

JOSH SALTER

BARRY ELAM

GREG WILLIAMS

JR MINSHALL

BOOGIE FRANKLIN

BOOGIE FRANKLIN

TOMMY P

TOMMY PARRISH

STAN COLLINS

STAN COLLINS

JOWAINE

JOWAINE DUNCAN

STEVE SULLIVAN

TIM D

CALL US FOR A GREAT DEAL CALL US FOR A GREAT DEAL ON ON YOUR CAROROR TRUCK! YOURNEXT NEXT CAR TRUCK! JIM FINCHER

BRIAN BURGETT

BARRY ELAM

ADAM SMALLWOOD

TIM DODD

WHEN OTHER DEALERS CAN’T - CANNON WHEN OTHER DEALERS CAN’T - CANNON CAN! CAN! Carl Cannon Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC

Carl Cannon Chevrolet Cadillac BuickBlvd GMC 299 Carl Cannon 299 Carl Cannon Blvd Jasper, AL 35501 Sales: (877) 535-2112 Jasper, AL 35501 Service: (866) 268-8081 Sales: (877) 535-2112 Fax: (205) 295-4941 Service: (866) 268-8081 www.carlcannon.com Fax: (205) 295-4941 www.carlcannon.com SUMMER 2018 / 3

VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 4 • SUMMER 2018

FromTheStaff...

MAGAZINE Established October 2012

PUBLISHER James Phillips EDITOR Jennifer Cohron ART DIRECTOR Malarie Brakefield CONTRIBUTORS Scott Day, Elane Jones, Ron Harris, Ed Howell, Nicole Smith ADVERTISING Jake Aaron, Brenda Anthony, Zach Baker, Renee Holly, Christy Hyche, Liz Steffan BUSINESS MANAGER Charlette Caterson DISTRIBUTION Michael Keeton Walker Magazine is a publication of and distributed seasonally by the Daily Mountain Eagle, a division of Cleveland Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored for retrieval by any means without written consent from the publisher. Walker Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited materials and the publisher accepts no responsibility for the contents or accuracy of claims in any advertisement in any issue. Walker Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or changes in information.

The opinions of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine and its publisher.

Our mission is to promote Walker County and to showcase its many attributes as a quality place in which to live, to work and to play. We welcome ideas and suggestions for future editions of the magazine. Just send us a brief note via email. © 2018 Daily Mountain Eagle WALKER MAGAZINE P.O. Box 1469 Jasper, AL 35502 (205) 221-2840 email: walkermagazine@mountaineagle.com 4 / WALKER MAGAZINE

We at Walker Magazine are celebrating our favorite things about summer in this latest issue.

Grace Williams loves to travel, and she also loves Disney. Several years ago, she stumbled upon an opportunity to combine the two without giving up her day job as an educator. Williams, a travel agent specializing in Disney vacations, shared some of her favorite Disney memories with us and also provided several tips for planning a Disney vacation without overwhelming the family budget.

Like many of our readers, we also enjoy spending some time out on one of Walker County’s many waterways during the summer. Our photo essay highlights local residents enjoying fishing opportunities at Walker County Lake, Clear Creek and the Sipsey Fork. We also sat down with Lauren Richburg to talk about her job as a lifeguard and supervisor at Memorial Park Natatorium and with Danny Arnold to learn more about the 35-mile relay that he and members of the Natatorium’s U.S. Masters Swim Team are planning in August.

The summer heat doesn’t seem to deter Clifford Elliott, known locally as “the running man,” from logging between five and seven miles each day. Elliott spoke to us about how he nurtured his God-given talent and how he hopes that his running benefits the many community members who encounter him each day.

We’re also honored to share some of Winston O’Rear’s amazing artwork in this issue.

As always, we encourage feedback and story suggestions. You can contact us at walkermagazine@mountaineagle.com or 205-221-2840.

Jennifer Cohron, Editor

OnTheCover A fly fisherman waits patiently for a catch on the Sipsey Fork.

Photo by Scott Eric Day Photography

::: SUBSCRIBE to Walker Magazine! If you’re an out-of-towner, get a year of great stories right at your doorstep.

Call: (205) 221-2840 Email: editor@mountaineagle.com

::: FOLLOW the Daily Mountain Eagle and Walker Magazine on Facebook for the latest community news!

::: SUBMIT AN IDEA We are always eager to receive suggestions from our readers. Please email your ideas to walkermagazine@ mountaineagle.com.

::: ADVERTISE For any information needed on how to promote your products and services, call (205) 221-2840 or send an email to advertising@ mountaineagle.com.

GetHooked!

For your entertainment we have placed this fishing hook (actual size) within the pages of Walker Magazine. This will be a permanent feature for our readers. We hope you enjoy searching for the fishing hook in each issue.

HAPP Y HUNTING!

SUMMER 2018 / 5

What’sInside 30 | Photo Essay Fishing around Walker County 08 | From The Vault Save Our Schools 10 | Travels With Grace Grace Williams makes Disney dreams come true 16 | Man In Motion Clifford Elliott’s zest for the fast lane 24 | Going the Distance Danny Arnold plans long distance swim on Smith Lake

8

10

24

30

16

44 | Community Calendar What’s going on in the county 46 | Snapshots Past events in Walker County 50 | We Are Walker County Lauren Richburg

38 38 | Super Talented Winston O’Rear’s artistic passion

6 / WALKER MAGAZINE

50

The Holladay Agency Auto • Home • Business • Life • Annuities • Mutual Funds

WE’VE GOT WALKER COUNTY COVERED...

Let me help protect you before mayhem strikes.

From a tree branch falling on your car during a windstorm to a GPS that sends you the wrong way down a one-way, mayhem can strike anytime. So get an Allstate Agent like me who knows how to help you make sure you’re protected. Don’t wait—call me today!

nathanAcross Holladay from Home Depot & Chick-Fil-A in Jasper 5-221-3216

Next to Sumiton Walmart by former David’s Pharmacy

From The

Save Our Schools Compiled by Jennifer Cohron Photos courtesy of the Daily Mountain Eagle

The fears of three communities at opposite ends of the county were realized on April 11, 1991, when the Walker County Board of Education voted 3-1 to close T.W. Martin High School as well as schools in Eldridge and Empire. The lone dissenting vote came from Paul Graves, a 1972 Martin graduate. The proposal from superintendent-elect Maury Fowler called for Martin to be consolidated with Parrish and for Empire to be consolidated with schools in Sipsey and Sumiton. Fowler said exorbitant spending, proration and recession had left the board in a dire financial situation. The projected deficit for fall 1991 was $1.5 million. Enrollment in the county school system had also been in decline since the 1980s, leading to cuts in state funding and the loss of teach-

8 8 / / WALKER WALKER MAGAZINE MAGAZINE

ing units. Before the April 11 meeting, supporters of the schools congregated in front of the central office and chanted, “Heck, no, we won’t go” as passers-by honked in support. Emotions ran high during the meeting with audience members shouting “You’re a traitor” and “Hell is too good for you” at board members. Students at Martin and Cordova High School walked out in protest on April 12. Rumors circulated that the board’s intent was to close schools in Oakman and Cordova next and consolidate them with Parrish and Martin. On May 9, 1991, the board voted 3-1 to rescind the previous month’s vote. The victory was only temporary.

Residents of Eldridge saw their school close in 1992. The board closed Empire’s schools in 2001, and Martin closed in 2006.

summer 2018 / 9

10 / WALKER MAGAZINE

Photo by Walt Express Travel client Kimberly Pate

Grace Travels With

their IT’S Text by JENNIFER COHRON first Disney cruise.

5 A.M. AND GRACE Photographs courtesy of “I’ve never been on any WILLIAMS is at her computer GRACE WILLIAMS other vacation where you can act like making another family’s Walt Disney and DISNEY MEMORY MAKER a child and people embrace it. If you want World dream come true. to skip down Main Street with cotton candy in The luxury of sleeping in is one of the one hand and holding your kid’s hand with the services that Williams offers to clients as a Walt other, no one is going to stop you or look at you Express travel agent. The popular Disney FastPasses, funny. They might just skip with you,” Williams said. which allow visitors to reserve access to theme park After Williams began documenting each Disney attractions and character greetings 60 days before visit on Facebook, family and friends asked her to help their trip, become available at 6 a.m. each morning them plan their vacations. and disappear quickly due to demand. Reservations “I think most people know my personality as being pretty orgafor famous Disney eateries such as Cinderella’s Royal Table, which nized. They saw how much fun we were having, and they trusted are taken six months in advance, also open early. me with their vacations,” Williams said.

Williams spends at least two hours each morning securing Three years ago, a conversation on a Disney discussion her clients’ selections before heading to work as a school board caught her eye. One of the posts was from a teacher librarian in Cordova. After her two sons go to bed, she who said that she worked as a travel planner on the side. returns to her computer to make additional reservations “I thought that to be a travel agent, you would and respond to emails. work in a brick and mortar office and Clients don’t seem to mind that Williams, who has been at Cordova Ele- it would be a 40-hour week. Teaching has always been my passion, so I would mentary School for 13 years and recently never give that up, and it never occurred accepted a job at Cordova High School, to me that I could do both,” she said. can’t discuss Disney during school hours.

After undergoing an extensive inter“I thought that would be a barrier, but view, Williams was hired by a travel agency people are so receptive to it. Most want to specializing in Disney. In 2016, she made the talk after hours anyway. Usually they don’t move to Walt Express when it was launched want their kids to know, so it’s good to talk by friend Amanda Middleton. about their trip at 9 p.m.,” Williams said.

Williams is certified to plan a range of Williams has been a Disney fanatic since vacations but specializes in theme parks and childhood. Her father’s military discount cruises. She receives annual training from afforded her family the opportunity to make Disney, Universal and Carnival as well as frequent trips to Walt Disney World when Walt Express. she was young.

Approximately 90 percent of her Williams carried on the tradition work is Disney-related. when her own sons, Logan,9, and Williams recommends that clients Levi,5, were born. contact her at least seven months She and her husband, Chris, before they plan to visit Disney have been taking the boys to Walt Disney World twice a year since (though she has booked vacations as late as three days in they were born. This sumadvance). mer, they deviated from For new clients, their usual routine Williams and went on

SUMMER 2018 / 11

“I’ve never been on any other vacation where you can act like a child and people embrace it. If you want to skip down Main Street with cotton candy in one hand and holding your kid’s hand with the other, no one is going to stop you or look at you funny. They might just skip with you.”

12 / WALKER MAGAZINE

“WHERE THE DEALER MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!”

HONDA OF JASPER

MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 8 AM TO 7 PM SATURDAY 8 AM TO 6 PM

SERVICE DEPARTMENT: MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 7:30 AM TO 6 PM / SATURDAY 7:30 AM TO 2 PM

4102 Hwy 78 East • Jasper, AL • www.hondaofjasper.com (205) 385-0100 or Toll Free 866-395-0100

HYUNDAI OF JASPER MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 8 AM TO 7 PM | SATURDAY 8 AM – 6 PM SERVICE DEPARTMENT: MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 7:30 AM – 6 PM WWW.HYUNDAIOFJASPER.COM | 4011 OLD U.S. 78, JASPER, AL 35501 | (205) 282-4601 | (205)282-4427 SUMMER 2018 / 13

14 / WALKER MAGAZINE

Pardon Our Progress!

WE ARE EXPANDING TO BETTER SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS!

Marlee Jane’s Baby & Kid’s Boutique

460 20th St. West, Downtown Jasper

(205) 512-1199

SUMMER 2018 / 15

MAN IN

Motion ON A DAILY BASIS, drivers in Jasper pass by a man that runs despite Mother Nature. He returns the hellos of honking horns and waving hands with a wave back or a simple nod as he continues on his path to inner peace.

He’s known as “the running man.”

Clifford Elliott says it was never his intention to be a local celebrity of sorts, though he is often stopped and referred to as the running man or “marathon man” by people intrigued by his dedication.

“A lot of folks have stopped me and are curious, and they tell me they are amazed at me, that I can run,” Elliott said. “I’m 63, and guess what I can do? I can outrun a youngster, but the only reason I can do that is because God is in my life. I’m hoping that is what they can see. If they can see that, guess what? I’m happy.”

Born and raised in Jasper, Elliott started running as a teenager when he attended Maddox Middle School. He recalled winning a race against another student during gym class one day, and it’s when he first got a taste of going fast.

“I can run. It’s a talent. God gives people talents, and that’s just one of my talents that he’s given me,” he said.

After graduating from Walker High School, he enrolled at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, and as fate would have it, he had a chance to prove he was a good runner when a friend of his pressured him to go run with some cross-country students at the college.

“He said, ‘You think you can run? Let’s see you go back there and deal with them.’ To me, it was a challenge,” Elliott said.

He joined the pack and was immediately offered a scholarship as a walk-on cross country-runner by the team’s coach.

“I didn’t know what I was doing, but it was good,”

Text by NICOLE SMITH Photography by MALARIE BRAKEFIELD, RON HARRIS AND NICOLE SMITH

16 / WALKER MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2018 / 17

18 / WALKER MAGAZINE

he said. “God has always blessed me to put people in my life.”

Around that time, a transfer student and experienced runner from Kenya saw Elliott running. His name was Joshua Wakiihuri, and he offered to be Elliott’s running coach.

“Thank God he saw me running. He approached me and he told me, ‘I would like to train you how to run as a cross-country runner. The other cross-country runners, they’re a joke,’” he said. “He trained me how to run, and I thank him for that. ...

The Kenyan wasn’t no joke. The guy ran like a deer.”

Wakiihuri taught Elliott how to conserve his energy and come out ahead of other runners.

“When you’re running cross-country, there’s a lot going on, and the way he trained me is to not go out with the rabbits. The rabbits are the ones that will be running at the front of the pack when the gun goes off, and all they want to do is take the steam out of you so you won’t have anything to come in,” he said. “What you want to do is be with that second pack, because they’re going to be the ones that are going to score and come in. And he was right.”

Elliott attempted his first marathon in 1978, despite Wakiihuri telling him it was a bad idea. It was the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville on a cold winter’s day, and he hadn’t had enough time to properly train for the strenuous feat. Elliott said he finished the race in a little over three hours and 40 minutes, but he had medical issues afterwards that signaled he had pushed his body too far.

“I should have listened to the Kenyan, but I was cocky and I paid the price,” he said.

Once Elliott graduated from college the following year with a science degree, he was in the Air Force for four years, stationed at the George Air Force Base in southern California.

Again, he was met with a challenge when his supervisor entered him into a race in San Bernardino — his first major race out of college. He

was better prepared and finished second out of 500 other runners.

Elliott had wanted to be a doctor, but instead found a career in law enforcement while he continued to enjoy running. His first job was with the Alabama Department of Corrections, when he worked at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka. He resigned from that position after being a corrections officer for eight years.

He then moved to Texas with family and took a job at the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center as a certified juvenile detention officer. He stayed at that job another eight years and moved back to Jasper nearly two years ago when his mother became

SUMMER 2018 / 19

20 / WALKER MAGAZINE

“When I run, it’s a feeling out of this world.”

SUMMER 2018 / 21

ill.

Elliott estimates he has participated in nearly 20 races over time. One of his most memorable races was a half marathon in Mobile. It was 27 degrees, and he placed in the 200’s out of 800 runners.

With a laugh, Elliott said he used to have several trophies that his son bit the heads off of when he was little. Following in his father’s footsteps, his son was a cross-country runner for Walker High and went to college on scholarship. Elliott also has two daughters.

He is currently training for another marathon, but is waiting to get the green light that he is ready to compete from his coach and girlfriend, Joyce Miller.

To practice, Elliott runs six mornings each week and does sprint work. He typically starts his runs from a church in Jasper and travels to Son’s Supermarket. He then runs down Highway 78 and back to downtown Jasper. It’s a five and a half mile run each day, and Elliott said he sometimes runs over seven miles.

He finishes each day’s run in roughly 50 minutes.

“When I do it in 50 minutes, I don’t even feel it. I can do it faster than that,” he said.

Elliott says he can run to Parrish, and he used to run from Oakman to Jasper when he was younger.

22 / WALKER MAGAZINE

He said there’s nothing that can compare to the adrenaline rush of running.

“When I run, it’s a feeling out of this world,” he said. “You experience a runner’s high. I enjoy running, and it’s a gift that’s been given to me.”

Elliott said he will soon be moving to Jefferson County to take advantage of the Birmingham CrossPlex that will allow him to run and practice for his next big race, regardless of weather conditions.

He recalled running his first marathon when he wasn’t ready, but said he will be prepared for the next one.

“This time, to run a marathon for my 65th birthday, I’ll be ready,” he said. “The next race I enter, I’m going to do everything possible to win it.”

People who see Elliott running often say to him that they couldn’t do it, and he said it’s his mission to tell people that they can.

“All you have to do is get that motivation, get out there, and you can do it,” he said. “Everywhere I go, they acknowledge me as the running man, the marathon man. I have no problem with it, but I’m hoping they can see there’s also some goodness in it. If they can see that, I’ve done my job.” •

Larry Reese, Jacob Jackson, LaDena Edwards, Kevin Dove, Alisha Stokes, Jerry Wilson and Darren Keeton

Wilson Funeral Home & Crematory Being one of the only full service funeral homes and on-site crematories in Northwest Alabama we felt the need to expand. Larry, Kevin and Jacob have recently joined our staff with a combined 73 years of experience and service to families locally and in surrounding communities. We are pleased to have them on our staff. Likewise, we have acquired additional square footage and will soon have a chapel area to better serve you and your families.

Offering: •TRADITIONAL FUNERAL SERVICE •CREMATIONS WITH MEMORIAL SERVICE TO FOLLOW •TRADITIONAL FUNERAL SERVICE WITH VISITATION AND CREMATION TO FOLLOW •DIRECT CREMATIONS •FULL SELECTION QUALITY CASKETS, VAULTS AND URNS AT AFFORDABLE PRICES

BOB WILSON of

31404 NE 1st Ave, Carbon Hill, AL 35549

(205) 924-4147 SUMMER 2018 / 23

24 / WALKER MAGAZINE

Going the

Distance Text by JENNIFER COHRON | Photographs courtesy of DANNY ARNOLD

DANNY ARNOLD SETS AMBITIOUS SWIMMING GOALS for a man who waited over 50 years to get serious about the sport.

In 2006, Arnold set his sights on swimming from Alcatraz Island to the shore of San Francisco.

“About 10 years before, I took the tour of Alcatraz, looked across there and thought, ‘I could swim that,’” said Arnold, who learned to swim in the 1980s in order to compete in triathlons with a group of friends.

Arnold began training for the Alcatraz swim after a back injury forced him to find an alternative to his preferred form of exercise, running, in 2005.

The 1.5-mile swim across San Francisco Bay, which he completed in 2007 at age 58, was his first open water swim. Though he had been training for months, logging 13,000 yards a week at Memorial Park Natatorium, Arnold was unprepared for the chilliness of the water as well as the strength of the two currents that cross near Alcatraz Island.

“They let us out at ebb tide, which should be when the water was the calmest. It felt like I was in a dishwasher. When I hit the water, it was cold. I had a wet suit on, but it was 64 degrees,” Arnold said.

Arnold struggled to stay on course and went at least half a mile out of the way. He was also caught off guard when something under the water bumped him twice. He feared a shark attack but later learned that it isn’t uncommon for swimmers to encounter sea lions in the bay.

Arnold completed the swim in an hour and 15 minutes.

“I got out of the water, and I remember telling my friends, ‘Don’t ever let me do that again,’” Arnold said.

His resolve eventually wavered, and Arnold entered other open water swims in Bermuda, Barbados and Italy. In Barbados, he once again had a companion in the water when a sea turtle swam underneath him. In Italy, the wind was blowing so hard during the event that Arnold watched mist being whipped into whirlwinds on top of the water.

Recently, Arnold has shifted his focus from seeking out his next open swim opportunity to training a group of local swimmers to comScott Eric Day Photography

SUMMER 2018 / 25

PREVIOUS PAGE: Arnold speaks to members of the U.S. Masters Swim Team at Memorial Park Natatorium. THIS PAGE: Top - Arnold participating in the Swim The Island event in Bergeggi which is on Italy’s northwest coast in 2013; Bottom - The U.S. Masters Swim Team, Danny Arnold, Randy Wilhite, Angie Jo Harris, Amanda Darty, Christie Blankenship, Shannon Wood-Day, Ginger Odom and Brad Adkins.

plete a 35-mile relay on Smith Lake.

He was inspired by an article in a magazine about a group of amateur swimmers who crossed 70 kilometers of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva in August 2017.

After consulting a map of Smith Lake, Arnold presented the challenge to the U.S. Masters Swim Team, a group of adult swimmers who train at the Natatorium three days a week.

Arnold serves as the team’s coach.

The Smith Lake swim, which is scheduled for Aug. 23 and 24, will mark the team’s first opportunity to prove themselves in competition and will also serve as a fundraiser for Relay for Life.

Six swimmers will take turns swimming for an hour at a time.

They will start near Lakeshore Inn in Double Springs and end at Smith Lake Dam, approximately 35 miles away.

When some of the swimmers 26 / WALKER MAGAZINE

Scott Eric Day Photography

Easy banking from our

Mobile App

Download our App in the App Store or the Google Play Store!

www.fnbhamilton.com (205) 924-4471

DOWNS & ASSOCIATES Certified Public Accountants, LLC

Certified Public Accountants JOSEPH R. DOWNS, IV, CPA

email: JRDowns@DandAcpa.com

HUNTER J. ALLEN, CPA email: Hunter@DandAcpa.com

1603 1st Ave. East, Jasper, AL

205.221.5454 SUMMER 2018 / 27

Arnold with his wife, Brenda, in Bermuda in 2010.

joined the team, they struggled to complete one lap in the pool, according to Arnold. By the end of August, they will be swimming for nearly three hours nonstop during practice.

Arnold is getting them prepared to swim between four and five miles over the course of the relay. All will swim at least one mile each hour, though some will average closer to two miles.

The distance isn’t the only obstacle the swimmers will have to overcome.

“In most of the big swims, like swimming the English Channel, you just swim straight ahead and currents dictate where you end up. On Smith Lake, it’s a challenge because it’s so curvy. At the start, there’s no way to swim a straight line. You have to navigate through there until you get to the main body,” Arnold said.

The swimmers will also be experiencing their first night swim, which will present a mental challenge, according to Arnold. The only light will be provided by the boat, kayakers serving as scouts and glow sticks worn by the swimmers.

“You don’t want to draw creatures, and bright lights draw creatures. So they’ll just have to put fear aside.

You can’t think about how deep you are either because we’ll be in some of the deepest portions of Smith Lake.

You can’t think; you just have to swim, focusing on your rhythm and form and things like that,” he said.

Arnold, who will only participate as a back-up if one of the swimmers must exit the relay, has spent months trying to secure a boat large enough to accommodate the group of swimmers as well as lifeguards and independent observers.

Finding a boat with a restroom and enough space for the swimmers to stretch out and get some rest has been a bigger challenge than getting the swimmers in shape.

If Arnold doesn’t find a boat by the end of the month, the relay will be moved to the Natatorium.

However, he is hopeful that it will be held on the lake as planned.

“I’ve had challenges and done some things, but this will stick with them forever,” Arnold said. • 28 / WALKER MAGAZINE

Barbados 2016

SUMMER 2018 / 29

30 / WALKER MAGAZINE

Catching

UP

It’s summer in Walker County, a season for sitting on a bank

or in a boat with a rod and reel in hand. As the temperatures rise, escape to the Sipsey Fork, where the water is always cool and rainbow trout await, or make plans to spend a day at Walker County Lake, a hidden jewel that hosts over 10,000 anglers each year. When the sun sets, head to Clear Creek Campground, the largest recreation area on Lewis Smith Lake, to set up a camp and cook the biggest catches of the day over an open fire.

Text by JENNIFER COHRON Photos by SCOTT ERIC DAY PHOTOGRAPHY

SUMMER 2018 / 31

Sipsey Fork

32 / WALKER MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2018 / 33

Clear Creek Campground

34 / WALKER MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2018 / 35

Walker County Lake

36 / WALKER MAGAZINE

High Point Furniture CLASSIC. ELEGANT. STYLE.

2403 Hwy. 78 East, Jasper, Alabama 35501 www.highpoint-furniture.com

205-384-5990

SUMMER 2018 / 37

38 / WALKER MAGAZINE

Super Talented WINSTON O’REAR LOVES SUPERHEROES. To his parents, Griff O’Rear and Suzanne Snow, he is one.

O’Rear, now 29, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 6. By the time he turned 8, he had undergone two surgeries in which doctors removed a majority of his left temporal lobe.

The surgeries affected O’Rear’s ability to speak but not to draw.

“I started drawing at a very young age, and the first things I drew were cartoon characters,” O’Rear said. “I just mimicked what I saw on the cartoons. It seems mediocre now, but as a kid I just drew what I saw.”

O’Rear eventually moved on to superheroes. In one of the sketches he has saved, Spiderman seems ready to jump off the page. In another, he recreated every detail of the moment that Superman died in Lois Lane’s arms in a 1990s DC Comic.

Snow said her son is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to superheroes.

“He can tell you anything about them you want to know,” Snow said. “It still amazes me what he has stored in his brain.”

O’Rear said he was drawn to cartoons and superheroes because of the images’ depth and shading.

“As I grew older, I started improving and making the pictures more fitting in depth and perception. I went to a local community college and took art classes which helped me understand more about art in depths, perception, scales, shading and lighting,” said O’Rear, who earned an art degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Pencil drawings are his favorite, though he has also done several charcoal illustrations.

His more recent works include portraits of family pets and architectural renderings of homes belonging to friends of his family.

He has recently become interested in abstract art.

Text and Photos by ELANE JONES

SUMMER 2018 / 39

40 / WALKER MAGAZINE

OPPOSITE PAGE: O’Rear’s graphite rendering of Superman dying in Lois Lane’s arms.

THIS PAGE: O’Rear’s portfolio includes a wide range of art from the drawing of Pluto he made after his first brain surgery to more recent experiments with style.

Griff O’Rear said his son has a good eye when it comes to art.

“Winston actually takes his own photos and then draws his pictures from the photos. He has also done a lot of pet portraits for family and friends,” he said. “He gives the pets so much personality. I told him he could sit all day and just draw pet portraits and make a living from it.”

Snow has saved the picture of Walt Disney’s Pluto that her son drew the morning after his first brain surgery.

The family also has calendars that his sister, Claire, would help him create from some of his earlier drawings, which he would give to family and friends at Christmas.

“Winston has the sweetest, kindest heart and has given a lot of his drawings away over the years, and he probably has a lot he hasn’t even shared with anyone,” Snow said. “So when I see him doing something, I try to either get a picture of it or make a copy of it before it disappears for good.” •

SUMMER 2018 / 41

42 / WALKER MAGAZINE

MATTERHORN What America’s Heroes Wear

Locally Owned & Operated

295-5596 2979 Viking Dr. Jasper, Alabama across from the Hospital and beside Mr. Subs

M-S 8am-8pm | Sun. 9am-8pm

Always Giving Back To Our Community!

We Are Supporters Of Local Schools

HANDLEY’S

Celebrating 37 Years W ESTER N W EAR AND SHOE R EPAIR handleyshoe@bellsouth.net

8-6 Mon.-Sat. W ESTER N W EAR 645 Hwy. 195, Suite 126 Jasper, AL 35503 W OR K W EAR Debbie Tittle Owner SHOE & LEATHER R EPAIR

(205) 221-9078

LAMAR’S GLASS Glass & Mirror

Voted #1 GLASS COMPANY in Walker County 4 years in a row!!

Auto • Home Business lamarsglass.com 1800 6th Avenue Jasper, Alabama

(205) 387-0297 SUMMER 2018 / 43

july – october

CommunityCalendar To submit major community events for consideration in the next issue, send them to walkermagazine@mountaineagle.com.

July 28 BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH City of Lights in Dora will hold a Back 2 School Bash on Saturday, July 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the old T. S. Boyd School property.

August 3 BACK2SCHOOL SUPPLIES GIVEAWAY & HEALTH FAIR Capstone Rural Health Center will host its annual Back2School Supplies Giveaway & Health Fair on Friday, Aug. 3, from 9 a.m. until noon at the Parrish Community Center. There will be guest appearances by the Alabama Wildlife Petting Zoo and Bumblebee the Transformer. Kids activities, free food and giveaways to be held. Children must be present to receive school supplies.

August 7 JASPER KIDS’ NIGHT OUT Jasper Kids’ Night Out has been organized by the Jasper Police Department offering a fun night with free food, games and a Kidzone on Tuesday, August 7 from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Jasper High School softball field. The City of Jasper Fire Rescue and Regional Paramedical Services, Inc. are partnering with JPD to make this the perfect night to come and get to know your First Responders.

August 9 JASPER EATS Jasper Main Street will host the JASPER EATS Downtown Food Crawl featuring 15 eateries and breweries Aug. 9–11. Come to Downtown Jasper and experience our award-winning cuisine and our new craft beer scene.

44 / WALKER MAGAZINE

August 10 THE NUTCRACKER AUDITIONS Want to join the cast? Auditions for the 10th annual production of “The Nutcracker” for performers ages 5 years and up will be held on Aug. 10 from 3 to 6 p.m. Please call 205-387-9337 to reserve your time.

August 11 FIRST RESPONDERS UNITY BALL The Second Annual First Responders Unity Ball will be Saturday, Aug. 11, from 6 until 10 p.m. at the Jasper Civic Center located on 19th Street in Jasper. Tickets are $30 per person. The event will include a semi-formal sit-down meal, drinks, music, dancing and a guest speaker. For information or to purchase tickets, call Chief Ken Marbury at 205-530-4695, Fire Chief David Clark at 205-221-8509 or Dee Dee Fikes at 205-275-8913.

August 13 NEW SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS Students in the Walker County and Jasper City school systems will return to school on Monday, Aug. 13 August 18 BLUE DEVIL DAY The Cordova Quarterback Club will host its annual “Blue Devil” Day on Saturday, Aug. 18, from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. Vendor booths are currently available for $25 each. For more information, call 205-275-4360.

August 18 VALLEY ROAD BLUEGRASS CONCERT The Bankhead House and Heritage Center will host Valley Road Bluegrass in concert on Saturday, Aug. 18 from 7 until 9 p.m. Valley Road Bluegrass is an exciting and entertaining band playing traditional bluegrass, progressive “new” grass, “blues”grass, and bluegrass gospel. They have opened for and performed with some of the biggest names in bluegrass and played at festivals and events from Nashville to the Gulf Coast.

September 7–8 FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL The 2018 Foothills Festival will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 7–8, in downtown Jasper. The SteelDrivers and Robert Randolph & The Family Band will headline the event. River Dan, Taylor Hicks, Will Hoge, Chris Simmons, the McCrary Sisters and Paul Thorn will also perform. This is an all ages, free event. Come out and experience music, food, kid’s activities and much more.

October 7 MISS HEART OF DIXIE SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION Official Open Preliminary Competition to the Miss Alabama Pageant and Miss America Organization will be held on Oct. 7 at 6 p.m.. Miss and Outstanding Teen will both be held simultaneously. Please visit www. missheartofdixie.com for paperwork.

Snapshots ELDRIDGE FIREMAN’S GALA May 11, 2018 | Eldridge Community Gym

Brittany Colburn, Anna Grace and Jeffrey Mullins

Gail and Ronnie Joe Tucker

Ronald and Debbie Heathcock

46 / WALKER MAGAZINE

Bobbie Jean Dodd and Hoyt Dodd

Sebastian Lares and Kynlee Makemson

Ronnie and Sandra Warren

NAUVOO CAR SHOW June 16, 2018 | Nauvoo

Larry and Susan Hallmark

Larry and Abby Neal

Jerry Sadberry, Lacy Hicks and Randy Briggs

Mark Amerson and Kacee Thomas

Dale and Barbara Ledlow and their dog, Bree

SUMMER 2018 / 47

Snapshots OAKMAN’S 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION June 30, 2018 | Oakman

Rodney and Linda Hester

Lisa Lockhart and Marcus Rogers

48 / WALKER MAGAZINE

Ayla, Corey and Aubrie Franks

Kannyn, Ralph and Emsley Jenkins

Courtney Pruitt, Joseph Madison and Hayden Pruitt

WALKER COUNTY HOMECOMING REUNION July 14, 2018 | Percy Goode Community Center

Tajay White, Leconyea Duncan, Sandi Sudduth, Shirley Mitchell, Leslie Davis, Karen Boone and Shirley Anderson

Leconyea Duncan, Roselyn Tripp, Sybil Ingram and Lottie Hendrick

Mary Moore, Kenneth McDavid and Birdell Atkins

Jackie Cato, Rita Shepherd, Glenda Henderick, James Smith and Past President Lawrence Cooper

Jackie Cato, Eva Bowers, National President John Cowen and Margo Bickham

Sam Jackson, Zadi Thompson, Toni Garrett, Carter McWhorter and Lenoria Curry

SUMMER 2018 / 49

WeAreWalkerCounty with

Lauren Richburg

Lauren Richburg got her first job at Memorial Park Natatorium when she was 16. She has ser ved in a variety of capacities, from front desk clerk to concession worker and swimming instructor. Now 21, Richburg was recently promoted to lifeguard super visor, a job in which she oversees up to eight lifeguards per shift.

She is a 2015 graduate of Walker High School and is currently enrolled in Bevill State Community College’s nursing program.

“The pool is a fun place to work. I spent all summer around the pool growing up.

Now I get paid to do it.

It’s been a great first job. Now that I’m a supervisor, I can teach the new guards skills that they’re going to use later on in life.

You learn a lot about responsibility and work ethic.”

50 / WALKER MAGAZINE

Voted “Best Marina” in Walker County for 5 years straight!

Readers’

Choice Awards 2017

uskin oint N

marina

W

E

S

Duskin Point Team: Harold, Danny, Brandon, Scott and Michael Beasley

198 Duskin Point Rd., Jasper, AL 35504 • 205.384.6942 (phone) • 205.384.6903 (fax)

— SMALL CHANGE —

BIG DIFFERENCE Follow these tips to lower your power bill.

Clean air filters increase AC efficiency.

LED bulbs use less energy.

For more ways to save by making your home more energy efficient, visit AlabamaPower.com/tips.

© 2018 Alabama Power Company

Keep your outdoor AC unit free of leaves and debris.