SPORTS, PAGE B1: DARNELL NAMED ELMORE COUNTY PLAYER OF THE YEAR
THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper Est. 1898 | thewetumpkaherald.com WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2021 | VOL. 123, NO. 22 | $1.00
Community lends a helping hand to historic Wetumpka church By BRIANA WILSON Bureau Chief
Members of the Wetumpka community recently gathered at Second Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday, May 22, to clean up land adjacent to the church. Church member Betty Smith said the cleanup effort was much needed. The church
purchased the land years ago to serve as a space for the church’s youth department, but in recent years the space has become overgrown with weeds. The church is rich in history. It was created after the Civil War when African American congregants of the Coosa River Baptist Church left to establish their own
church. A plot of land was donated and the first church was erected in 1887. However, a violent storm destroyed the building in 1899. Despite the devastation, members rallied and rebuilt the structure in the same year. During the fight for Civil Rights, the church served as a meeting place for Civil Rights activists and
leaders, and commencement ceremonies for the Elmore County Training School, which educated the area’s black children, were also held at the church. In August, the church will celebrate its 134th anniversary. Smith said the church doesn’t have the manpower needed to clean the property or financial means to hire
someone, so she reached out to Wetumpka’s District 2 Council member Cheryl Tucker for help. “She immediately showed interest and wanted to help,” Smith said. “We are very grateful and blessed to have Ms. Tucker over District 2.” “I knew I couldn’t use city See CHURCH • Page A3
‘LIVE HERE, BUY HERE’ Commission, ECEDA partner to promote local spending By BRIANA WILSON Bureau Chief
The Elmore County Commission has partnered with the Elmore County Economic Development Authority to create a campaign that raises awareness about the importance of shopping local. The ‘Live Here, Buy Here’ campaign kicked off in mid-May and the Commission and ECEDA have hit the ground running with trying to spread the word. With the tagline, ‘A Better Way of Life,’ the campaign is designed to educate the citizens of Elmore County on how spending locally in the county yields positive results in every sector of the local economy.
Briana Wilson / The Herald
A dedication ceremony was held for this Veterans Memorial Monument on Memorial Day. Above: A wreath is placed at the Veterans Memorial Monument, which is located on the grounds of VFW Smith Leonard Post 4572.
See BUY LOCAL • Page A9
Chamber job fair ‘There are no greater heroes’ VFW Post 4572 hosts Memorial Day ceremony, dedication set for June 2 By BRIANA WILSON Bureau Chief
By BRIANA WILSON Bureau Chief
The Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a job fair on Wednesday, June 2, that focuses on careers in the hospitality industry. The job fair is set to take place at the Wetumpka Civic Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Chamber executive director Shellie Whitfield said the job fair will include hotels, restaurants and other businesses in the hospitality industry that are looking to hire. The event will also include Wharf Casual Seafood’s food truck and snow cones. The idea for the event was formed out of need. “If you drive through our downtown, we have lines outside of our restaurants and sometimes our restaurants can’t even open because everyone is so shortstaffed,” Whitfield said. “We went from
A
crowd of veterans, active duty service members, first responders, Boy Scouts and
members of the community united at VFW Smith Leonard Post 4572 on Monday, May 31, for a Memorial Day ceremony that doubled as a dedication ceremony for the newly erected Veterans Memorial Monument.
The ceremony and luncheon began at 11 a.m. at VFW Post 4572, which is located on Otter Track Road in Wetumpka. See HEROES • Page A10
See JOB FAIR • Page A9
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