Cullman Good Life Magazine - Fall 2016

CULLMAN COUNTY

Lessons from Appalachian Trail hike serve Cullman-tied couple’s life today Amanda York’s ‘historic’ house sits on fifth-generation family land A look at the Duck River project by boat, helicopter and mountain bike

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Welcome

Anniversaries, memory lanes and coconut pie W e didn’t do anything formal in this issue for Cullman Electric Cooperative’s 80th birthday. We didn’t bake a cake or even a coconut cream pie.

But we did make it a point to work CEC into some of our regular features in recognition of its big anniversary and the critical though usually quiet contributions the co-op has made over eight decades to the economic growth and the lifestyle so many folks in Cullman County enjoy.

Thanks to CEC’s Dennis Reed, in the process of getting those pictures and stories I managed to finagle a piece of the best coconut pie to ever entertain my tongue.

The rest of me was thoroughly entertained

by the opportunity to photograph John Phillips, toddler son of Brian and CJ Lacy, as he got his first taste – and then some – of coconut pie. See page 25 to understand the entertainment factor.

Actually, I enjoy all of the stories I do, but I especially enjoyed writing in this issue about the former Sally Keller of Cullman and her husband, Keith Gilyard, who live in Montana.

I owe (another) thanks to Cullman Mayor Max Townson who told me about Sally and Keith and thought I would enjoy their story. They’re celebrating several anniversaries this fall, one of which is completing their 2,184-mile hike of the Appalachian Trail.

A slightly younger version of me hiked the AT 35 years ago, so talking to Sally and Keith about their adventure and seeing a bunch of their pictures was literally a walk up and down a mountainous memory lane that I thoroughly enjoyed. Hope you enjoy their story, too.

Speaking of anniversaries, this issue marks the start of our fourth year to publish Cullman County Good Life Magazine.

Thanks to our all of readers and advertisers.

It’s you who make this journey possible.

David Moore Publisher/editor

Contributors Deb Laslie of Deb’s Bookstore and GLM book reviews recently visited family in New Mexico. She was, shall we say, underwhelmed by the “farms” of big turbine wind fans marring the otherwise beautiful hillside. All those huge turning blades and they still weren’t cooling a dang thing, she sorta said. It was still 100 degrees.

Patrick Oden recently refurbished an old building in Guntersville as a photo studio. It was a toss-up which was worse: too many hours on an 8-foot ladder (he’s doesn’t do heights) or riding a grinder three days to remove old carpet glue. He doesn’t know much about fresh glue, but breathing the old stuff is nasty.

Sheila McAnear, Good Life’s advertising/art director, has always had her own artistic style of dressing.

But after a run-in with an aerial boat paddle that landed blade first on her bare foot, her doctor’s had her wearing an ungainly cast-like boot.

And the dang thing just won’t go with a single outfit in her closet.

6

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

Steve Maze is plugging along after a string of medical issues and was looking forward to neck improvements after yet another surgery, this on July 25. “I’m not bad for a broken down old writer.” he laughs. One morning, he hopes, he can wake up and find his issues nothing but “Yesterday’s Memories.”

A regional Extension agent working out of the Cullman office, Tim Crow keeps busy, but he still loves his sports. Lately his leisure has been occupied by a dirt diamond and 12 little players. He’s got an eye on fall, too, and hopes to see his Auburn Tigers “reclaim the power in this state from the evil foe in West Alabama.”

How much coffee is required to crank your engine in the morning?

Good Life’s David Moore finds it doesn’t make much difference if he’s in bed by 9:30 or works to 3 a.m. and later. Along with his wife he usually requires their ritualistic “Sweet Hour of Coffee.” It’s like an all-you-eat buffet only caffeinated.

Hawaiian rib eye is (one of) the brothers’ favorites.

Spicy Cajun shrimp ... it’s to live for.

There’s a lot of brotherly fun between Jason, left, and Josh, right, but they share the family passion for making customers happy.

Brotherly ‘love’ and all, Jason and Josh want you satisfied – and hungry to return You know the food is great at “We have a saying: Keep Augusta’s Sports Grill. You probathe pretty one out front and bly don’t know how much broththe good one in the back,” erly banter goes into the recipe. says Jason, who claims to be The sons of Jeff and restaurant the best cook of the two. owner/head chef Deb Veres, “We fight like brothers,” Jason and Josh cook, bartend Josh says. “But at the end of and otherwise do what’s necesthe day, if there’s anyone I can sary to keep customers happily go to for anything, it’s him. Or coming back. Former athletes Mom.” Stephanie Maynard serves at Vinemont High, they have a “I enjoy working with famiJohn Thrasher a cold draft. friendly, competitive edge in ly,” Jason says. “We all care for their common genetics. each other and enjoy this.”

Josh, the younger, laughs that Jason and Katie, their Their goal is satisfying customers, having them leave nurse sister, instigated all fights when they were kids. full of good food ... and hungry to come back again.

“But if not for us,” Jason insists, “Josh would not be John Thrasher is one of those loyal customers. what he is today. Some days, he’s actually good.”

“They have wonderful steaks,” he says, “and the best “The truth is,” Josh says, “when our parents had Ja- hamburgers in town. And their wings are great.” son they said, ‘We’ve got to do better.’ When they had And what about the dynamic brotherly duo?

Katie, they said, ‘We can do better than that, too.’ It “Josh and Jason?” John laughs, feeling just like famended with me. They stopped with perfection.” ily. “I just try to ignore them as much as I can ...”

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Inside

10 Good Fun

Make a memo to yourself to get out

16 Good People

Sammie Danford and the United Way make a good fit for each other

On the cover: Katelyn Williams and Justin Loyd preview a stretch of the 21-mile biking/hiking trail around the Duck River Reservoir. Most people in Cullman County are unaware of the dramatic bluffs along the river below the dam. Photo by David Moore.

This page: Patrick Oden visited Goat Island Brewing for a story in this issue. This is the local craft brewers’ Palomino Pale, named for the old motel and restaurant the late Ottis and Evelyn Burrow owned.

22 Good Reads

A dangerous past; a disturbing future

25 Good Cooking

CEC employees cook for an anniversary

32 Good Eats

Popular Sunflour exceeds expectations

34 Good ’n’ Green

Hardscaping may be easier than it sounds

36 Heather’s house

New became the new old when she built a new Victorian on old family land

44 A once and only queen

Jane Bottcher entered one pageant and won a national title for herself and CEC

48 Goat Island Brewing

Chances are you’ve heard the motto; but you probably haven’t heard the joke

53 How do you hike the AT?

The lessons Sally Keller and Keith Gilyard learned on the trail apply to life’s trials

60 Build it, they’ll come

Now that Duck River Reservoir is complete some things are coming – but one is not

69 Out ’n’ About

A retro look at Cullman Electric employees, their work and the results of it over the years

David F. Moore Publisher/editor 256-293-0888 david.goodlifemagazine@gmail.com

Vol. 4 No.1 Copyright 2016 Published quarterly

Sheila T. McAnear Advertising/art Director 256-640-3973 sheila.goodlifemagazine@gmail.com

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From farm to fork ... be there, y’all C

Randall Baldwin of Dyron’s Low Country, gives cooking tips at last year’s Farm Y’all.

ullman County will again say “thank you” to its agricultural community at the 4th Annual Farm Y’all Festival 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 at the Festhalle Market Platz.

Local farmers will be on hand with a good supply of their produce.

Celebrated chefs will prepare dishes featuring local foods for people to sample. Among those already lined up are Ron and Jacy Foust of Stone Bridge Farms who will get inventive with local sweet potatoes with farmer Travis Kress.

Matt Heim of All Steak will demonstrate cooking with fresh tomatoes.

Farm y’all annually draws participants from across the Southeast and beyond for one of the premier giant pumpkin competitions in the nation.

At day’s end you’ll want to stay for the great pumpkin drop when a tall crane unleashes the biggest pumpkin for an orange explosion.

There will be a watermelon contest and an educational trailer. Among other things, learn how to install a rain harvesting system at home.

There’ll be bluegrass and country music, watermelon seed spittin’ and other contests, a petting zoo, mechanical bull and arts and craft booths.

I

n conjunction with Farm Y’all, the 4th Annual Farm-To-Fork Dinner will be 6-8 p.m. Aug. 20 at Camp Meadowbrook. The scenic backcountry landscape provides the perfect venue for this elegant and true farm-to-fork culinary experience. The 200 tickets have been sold out each year.

Using locally sourced produce and meats, Dyron Powell, owner of Dyron’s Low Country, and his executive chef Randall Baldwin will prepare a fourcourse meal of peach salad, chicken and sausage gumbo, grass-fed beef short ribs and dessert.

Folk musician Mean Mary will entertain, and Cullman County Master Gardeners will hand the lavish decorations.

Cost is $65 per person; tables of six available for $450. For reservations and more info: Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce: 256-734-0454.

‘Rendezvous’ with this wild, wonderful sculpture exhibit T he work of more than dozen artists – including world-renowned sculptor Frank Fleming – is on exhibit Aug. 2-Oct. 30 at The Evelyn Burrow Museum. Wallace State Community College’s third annual Burrow Sculptors Invitational is fittingly called “Rendezvous.”

A public reception for the sculptors will be held 1-4 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 20, at the museum.

Also invited to show is Nov Ontos, an artist and design engineer from Cullman, whose work includes abstract graphic designs, architectural plans and models, ceramic sculptures and more.

The other featured artists are Everett Cox, Glenn Dasher, Casey Downing Jr., Stacey M. Holloway, Bruce Larsen, Ted Metz, Brad Morton, Duane Paxson, Robin Snyder, Kara Warren, Rachel Wright and Jason Tanner Young.

Admission to The Evelyn Burrow Museum is free. It is regularly open 9 a.m.-5 p.m Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. For more information call; 256-352-8547; or visit: www.burrowmuseum.org.

10 AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

“Duck Heads” by Frank Fleming is one of the pieces in the “Rendezvous” exhibit. A native of Bear Creek, Ala., his work is displayed worldwide.

One of his most recognizable pieces is the “Storyteller” fountain at Five Points South in Birmingham.

Memo to self: Get out this fall and have fun

Good Fun

• Aug. 11 – Dive-in Movies Grab your swim trunks and head to the Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center for the summer’s final movie in the pool. “Hook” will start at dark with open swim before included in the $5 entry. For more info: 256-7757946.

• Aug. 12- Sept. 9 – Second Friday’s at Festhalle Shop late and eat great. Cullman Parks and Recreation (CP&R) and the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce are continuing to offer fun nights on the town the second Friday of the month. Activities at Festhalle Marketplatz and Depot Park begin at 6 p.m., the farmer’s market with local farmers and craft vendors will be open until 10 p.m., a kid’s zone will offer free, fun activities, and local retailers will be on site selling merchandise.

For more info, call: the chamber of commerce, 256-734-0454.

• Aug. 15-Sept. 26 – Beyond “sit” Have fun with your best friend at dog obedience classes at the Cullman Civic Center on Monday nights. Puppy classes start at 6 p.m. followed by adult dog classes at 7.

Instructor is Tina Herfurth. The $70 cost covers six weeks of classes plus orientation. For more info, call: CP&R, 256-734-9157.

• Aug. 19 – Midnight Run CP&R’s most colorful event of the year starts at 11:59 p.m. at the Cullman Civic Center as nearly 1,000 runners race the streets with a glowin-the-dark and black-light theme.

Serious runners will be directed around the color stations to focus on their times; the race will be chiptimed for accuracy and cash prizes of $200 will be awarded to the overall and masters male and female winners, as well as medals to the top three in each age division.

One excursion on the holiday trip to Asheville and Pigeon Forge is a candlelight tour of Biltmore Estate. Learn more at an Aug. 26 meeting with travel reps and the alumni association at Wallace State Community College. You don’t have to be an alumnus to go.

A black light party will take place before and after the race; participants will also be provided with food at the conclusion of the race.

Register at the Cullman Civic Center or online: www. cullmanrecreation.org. For more info, call: CP&R, 256-734-9157.

• Aug. 26 – Holiday Magic in the Smokies Learn about the Dec. 5-9 trip to Asheville and Pigeon Forge through the Wallace State Community College Alumni Association at 5:30 p.m. meeting this day on the 12 floor of WSCC’s Bailey Building.

You’ll also hear about coming trips to Yellowstone and the Tetons next summer and a 2017 New England fall foliage tour.

The holiday trip price – ranging $650 to $860, depending on occupancy and whether or not you are an alumni – includes deluxe motorcoach transportation, two

nights at the Doubletree Hotel in Asheville, two nights at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort in Pigeon Forge, four breakfasts, four dinners, candlelight tour of the Biltmore Estate, entrance to the National Gingerbread House Grove Park Inn, Smoky Mountain Christmas Opry, Hatfield and McCoy’s Dinner Show and a tour of the Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery. There will be shopping at Tanger Five Oaks Outlet Mall and a $50 option for the evening Dollywood Christmas Spectacular.

You’ll need a $200 deposit to reserve your spot and final payment

by Oct. 17.

For more info contact: LaDonna Allen at ladonna.allen@wallacestate. edu or 256-352-8071.

• Sept. 1-29 – Free concerts CP&R invites you to its series of free Thursday night concerts in the park in the Heritage Park recognition gardens. Music – including country, AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

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classic rock, bluegrass and more – starts at 6 p.m. Bring lawn chairs for the entire family.

• Sept. 1-Nov. 17 – Exercise in the Park Join instructors from the Cullman Wellness & Aquatic Center Thursdays at 6 p.m. for free workouts at Depot Park. Classes vary week to week and include Zumba, yoga, a cardio party, aerobics and more. No registration is required. For a full list of classes visit: www.cullmanrecreation.org.

• Sept. 4-5 – Sweet Tater Festival The 20th Annual Sweet Tater Festival returns to Smith Lake Park to extend Labor Day weekend for an expected crowd of 5,000 people.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Admission is $3 for the weekend.

Visit booths selling arts, crafts and food. There’ll be fun for the kiddies and the annual Street Rod Car Show 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday.

Providing constant entertainment will be: Nikki Moore, Chapel Grove, 2 Heaton Brothers, Clog Wild Cloggers

and Kingsland Quartet on Sunday; Chandler Brown, Chimney Branch, Bama Country, Contest and the Ray Sparks Band on Monday.

Lots of sweet taters will be donated by the Cullman County Sweet Potato Growers. Proceeds help maintain Dowling Memorial Park in Crane Hill.

Deadline for $35 vendor booths is Aug. 10. More info? Call: Smith Lake Park, 256-739-2916; or visit: www. cullmancountyparks.com.

• Sept. 13 – David Burnham’s Broadway Cullman Community Concert Association kicks off its 67th season with David Burnham. Winner of the prestigious Helen Hayes Award, the Miami Herald called “…as good as it gets!” He played Fiyero in the mega-hit musical “Wicked” and is an original Broadway cast member of the musical “The Light In The Piazza.”

A performer on the Tony Awards and the PBS telecast “Live From Lincoln Center,” he’ll sing songs from his numerous roles on Broadway.

The show starts at 7 p.m. in the Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre at Wallace State. Season tickets are $60 for an adult. Tickets at the door are $30. For more information or to order, visit: www. cullmancommunityconcertassociation. com.

• Sept 17 – Fair Parade The big annual parade starts at 2 p.m. and runs along U.S. 31 from Cullman First Baptist Church to McGriff Tires.

Cost to enter is $20. Register at the fair office at Sportsman Lake Park Sept. 6- noon Sept. 14.

• Sept. 17 – Clucknbrew CP&R is throwing its annual tailgate party 2:30-11 p.m. Saturday at Depot Park. This wing festival will feature dozens of local businesses and organizations cooking off their version of the infamous chicken wing.

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Free kid’s games and activities will also be on hand for the duration along with special contests, activities and more.

• Sept. 22-Oct. 1 – 62nd Cullman County Fair The gates open and the fun begins at 5 p.m., Thursday.

Sponsored by the Cullman Lions Club, there will be nightly pageants or entertainment at 7 p.m. and tons of exhibits, prizes and rides on the big midway.

Fairgrounds admission is free for kids 10 and under and “kids” over 55; $7 for all others. Buy individual tickets for rides, or $22 armbands – good for a day of unlimited rides – will be sold at the fair or, through Sept. 26, at Peoples Bank (these also get you in the gate for free).

Gates open at 5 p.m. weeknights and 2 p.m. both Saturdays and Sunday. Sponsored by Peoples Bank, all students are admitted to the fairground for free, noon-6 p.m.

Monday. Senior citizen day is 10 a.m.

– 1 p.m. Wednesday.

For more information, call: 256734-0661; or visit: www.cullmanfair. com.

• Sept. 24-25 – Pow Wow The 19th Annual Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama Festival and Pow Wow runs 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday with the grand entry at 11 a.m.

Sunday hours 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with grand entry at noon.

Besides inter-tribal dancing, the festival features Native American artisans, craftsmen, story telling, dancing, flute playing, living history and demonstrations and children’s participation dancing. Admission $5; $3 children 6-12.

Be the first to turn in a bass whose weight in pounds ends with an even .00, and win a new Phoenix 920 XP and 250 Merc from Kenneth Chambers and Freedom Marine.

Deadline for the $125 registration fee is Sept. 25.

During the day there’ll be a music festival – including Bama Country – and other fun activities at the park beach area where weigh-in will be held.

For details and registration visit: http: www.smithlakeparkbassfest. com; or call: 256-734-4803.

For tourney registration call: Tony Harris, 256-338-8367. For vendor info, call Denise, 256-739-2916.

• Oct. 1 – Win $10,000 and a bass boat Go fishin’ and festin’ at Smith Lake Park’s Third Annual Bass Fest. Last year’s tourney drew 248 entrants, and this one will draw many, too. Best stringer wins $10,000, big fish nets $500 and there are payouts to top 40 teams, top college team and top parent-child team.

• Oct. 5-9 – Cullman Oktoberfest Be on hand for five days and evenings of German heritage, Southern style. There will be numerous authentic German meals served around town, costumes and music; a biergarten, arts and crafts, a car show featuring classic German cars, a bratwurst-eating contest, stein-hosting contest, the

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Spend Saturday, Oct. 22, at the 1930s era Peinhardt Living History Farm Day. A hands-on, annual event for all ages is spread over 40 acres.

Farm Day includes pumpkin painting, antique farm equipment and tractors, farm animals, field crops, live music, quilting demonstrations, wagon rides, sorghum making and woodworking. Watch a blacksmith shoe a horse and grist at work. The event is 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Admission is $7 adults; kids ages 5-12 are $5; 4 and under free. Parking is on Talley Ho Street off of U.S. 278 on the west side of Cullman. For more info visit: www.peinhardtfarm. org. Photos provided by Peinhardt Farm.

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Burgermeister Ball, historical tours and much more.

The Oktoberfest Magazine, published by Good Life Magazine, will be out the first week of September and contain much more information on the event.

• Oct. 8 – Biking for Bosom Buddies Bosom Buddies are holding their annual motorcycle ride this day (Oct. 15 if it rains). The event last year attracted some 120 bikes.

Registration starts at 8 a.m. in back parking lot at Cullman Regional Medical Centers center building.

The group will leave there at 10 a.m. for two-hour ride to a yet-to-bedetermined location.

Cost is $25 per bike, $10 for an extra rider, and cost includes a complimentary breakfast and lunch in a community room at the hospital.

Proceeds benefit the Bosom Buddies support group that works to meet the needs of cancer patients and their families.

• Oct. 14 – Deadline for Galt House

That’s the payment date ($465$580) for a Galt House Christmas in Louisville Dec. 1-3. Price includes motor coach transportation, two nights accommodations, two dinners, breakfasts and shows, visits to the Kentucky Derby Museum, Lights under Louisville, the Louisville Slugger Museum and more.

The trip is through the Donald E. Green Senior Center. For more info: 256-734-4803 • Oct. 25 – Canadian country music Victoria Banks is billed as “Canada’s reigning queen of country music.”

Indeed, she won 2010 Female Vocalist of the Year from the Canadian Country Music Association. Her show, titled “Natural Woman … Songs and Stories for the Soul,” is a collection of the greatest female hits of all time plus her own Canadian hits.

The show starts at 7 p.m. in the Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre at Wallace State. Tickets at the door are $30. For more information or to order, visit: www. cullmancommunityconcertassociation. com.

• Nov. 1 – Deadline for cruise Enjoy a winter getaway cruise from New Orleans to the warm, inviting waters Mahogany Bay, Honduras, neighboring Belize and Cozumel, Mexico. The cruise – Jan. 22–29 – costs $1,100 or $1,400 per person depending on room berth choices, and the price includes motor coach transportation and more.

A payment of $325 is due Aug. 15 and the remainder is due Nov. 1. For more info: Donald E. Green Senior Center, 256-734-4803.

• Nov. 8 – Deadline for Nashville show Travel by motor coach to Night Life Theatre – voted Nashville’s No. 1 dinner show – for buffet lunch and the “Best of Country and Holiday Show.” House entertainers will perform country hits from the likes of yesteryear’s Hank Williams Sr. and Patsy Cline to today superstars.

Cost is $125 per person through the Donald E. Green Senior Center. For more info: 256-734-4803.

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Good People

5questions Story and photo

by David Moore

S

ammie Danford is chasing a large number – $425,000. She’s executive director of the Cullman County United Way, and that’s the goal the board set for its annual campaign. Sammie and staff will be passionately running full tilt from the campaign’s August kickoff until it winds down in November.

But slow her down for a few minutes, ask Sammie a few questions, and the forces and deep emotion behind her drive surface.

As a youngster in Fairview, she and her sister Kim both were very attentive to the needs of their aging grandmother. It was her earliest lesson in understanding the needs of those who cannot look after themselves.

“I think my turning point, though, came when Matt was born with special needs,” Sammie says.

Entering the world via C-section in 1979, her son was quickly diagnosed as hydrocephalic. Matt’s head was swollen with water on the brain.

By age 2 he’d undergone seven brain surgeries. By 5, his body had pretty much caught up with his head size, but learning disabilities had become apparent.

“It just made me love him all the more,” Sammie says.

Matt’s small achievements made her realize she’d taken for granted some of the normal advances by Chris, her older son.

“When you have a special needs child, all of those little hurdles are big hurdles,” Sammie says. “I learned a lot about going the extra mile, stepping up to the plate and helping.”

Matt died in 1994.

“His life taught me a lot of valuable lessons, like there are those who need help because they simply 16 AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

Sammie Danford A servant and a leader, she’s found a fit with Cullman County United Way can’t help themselves,” Sammie says.

“It taught me a lot of things that really helped prepare me for this position.”

She knows a client that local UW agencies are helping who lost absolutely everything she had in the December floods. The woman is 75 and has no family.

“Needs are not just physical or mental. They could be anything,” Sammie says. “And it could happen to me and you before the day is out.”

Sounds as if the former director of Cullman County Economic Development has found a fit for her compassion.

1.

What excites you about running the United Way? I love being a servant, helping others to help others who are less fortunate.

It’s totally different from my last job. I retired from the county with 27 years. For most of that time I did payroll deductions for United Way, so I knew what the agency did.

When I started, we were partners with 14 agencies. I knew most of them through my other job, so it was not a surprise what they do. Our primary reason for being is to raise money for these agencies, take some of the burden off of them.

It’s very rewarding to know we’ve had a good campaign and can help a group such as Cullman Caring for Kids. I am very passionate about all of the agencies and their value to the community, and I do get to see some of the clients and what they are doing.

I also get to see walk-ins here at the office. A man came earlier this year and needed a mattress. We don’t have mattresses, but we told him we would get him one.

We suggested he go to a carpet place and ask for a piece of scrap

carpet to get him by for a couple of days while we figured out how to get him a mattress.

When we asked him what size mattress, he said it didn’t matter. He didn’t have anything. He was sleeping on concrete. He had a roof over his head. That was it.

He’d been in a motorcycle accident and had a brain injury. Having a special needs child, that took me back.

He had just gotten an apartment at Cullman Housing Authority. All he had was a bowl, a fork and a spoon and was sleeping on an old army blanket.

We contacted Easter Seals, and they got him a mattress and a frame and a few other necessities. Cullman Caring for Kids gave him some food.

In sharing this situation with a few friends, several brought some items, like cookware, a radio and coffee pot.

He had taken the carpet padding he had gotten, rolled it up and that was his chair.

His truck broke down, and a local repairman had it towed in for repairs.

We said he could repay it when his disability check came in.

We hear from him from time to time. He really likes us. We did not take him on to raise, we just helped him get started.

We had a lady who’d had emergency surgery and could not pay her bills. Through one of our agencies we were able to help her.

While she was here she literally started crying. She had her kids with her, and one of the said, “Why is my momma crying.” I said “Because she is happy.”

I have to work hard not to get caught up in every case. I can’t take every client under my wing. I have to operate as the United Way. There are a lot of folks out there who milk the system. But there are a lot of real

Snapshot: Sammie Danford

EARLY LIFE: Born in Cullman in 1952 to the late Sam and Mary Dean Parrish. Sisters, Kim (and Greg) Arndt and Jimmie (and Mike) Hopper of Cullman; brother, the late Ray Parrish.

EDUCATION: Fairview High School, 1966 77; Wallace State Community College, 1984-87.

FAMILY: Sons, Chris Self of Cullman, the late Matt Self; grandchildren Andrew and Alicia.

CAREER: Seven years as a pharmacy clerk; 27 years as a Cullman County employee working as a parts runner, commission personnel/ payroll director, appraisal clerk, payroll officer and, from 2002 to retirement in 2013, as a grant writer to the director of Cullman County Economic Development.

ORGANIZATIONS: Chairman of the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce. Formerly on the executive board of HOPE Horses, Cullman Area Workforce Solutions Committee, Cullman Regional Medical Center Community Health Coalition, Section 16 advisor to the Cullman County Board of Education; Cullman County Lionesses and a board member and chair of the Farm City Organization.

CHURCH: member of Grace Episcopal; formerly served as secretary to the Vestry as well as secretary to the Grace Episcopal Church Woman and chair of the cheese ball fundraiser.

Sammie Danford, back, was shorthanded by one person as this story went to press.

Working out of the old Cullman Train Deopt and helping her keep United Way of Cullman County helping agencies that help thousands of people annually were parttime accountant Zelda Turner, left, and Katelyn Dooley, coordinator of marketing/ communication.

Photo and alterations by Sheila McAnear.

needs out there. I told my board we need more money.

There’s no short answer or simple answer. But when we have clients that come in, say, with no money and they need a prescription, we can connect them with the right agency. When you know there are real needs and you are able to fill in that space, even though it is temporary, you know you are doing the right thing. That excites me about my job.

2.

After coming to United Way in July 2013, did any aspect of your job take you by surprise?

Funding. We were in the red. Bold and in big letters: RED. I had no clue.

I told my staff that I didn’t fare well with red numbers, that we had to work hard and bring in more money.

Looking back at the records I saw where donations started going down during the 2008 economic downturn.

Trying to help people rather than cut funding, the board dipped into its reserves, thinking finances would turn around.

Then the tornados of 2011 hit. Over $1.3 million came into this office in the three years following that, but it was designated to rebuilding and repairing the community.

After I came in and realized our revenues and reserves were way down, we prorated allocations 35 percent in July 2014.

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AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

United Way agencies ...

All need your help in order to help others The 2017-18 will help fund 15 agencies that serve residents across Cullman County. The agencies are: • 4-H Clubs of Cullman County • Commission on Aging • Cullman Caring for Kids • Cullman County Center for the Developmentally Disabled • Daystar House • Easter Seals • Foster Grandparents and Senior Companion Program • Girl Scouts • Good Samaritan Health Clinic • Hospice of Cullman County • Pilot Light House •Victim Services • Youth Advocate Programs • American Red Cross • Hope Horses

It hurt the services our partner agencies were providing people. I cried. I really did.

The board called a meeting of all agency directors to break this sad news to them. I think they were probably not surprised, but the meeting was phenomenal. Rather than being mad, they rallied around me and asked what they could do to help.

We told them that as our donations increased, we would share with them, and by February 2015 we were able to give them a 13th check for the year instead of 12.

One thing that has helped us get donations up is working campaigns at businesses and industries. What I heard a lot when I would meet with someone about a campaign was why hadn’t United Way been there for the past several years.

I said I did not know, that I was not here then, but I am here now.

One industry had been getting about $3,200 a year in employee donations. After we held a campaign there and told them our story about all that our agencies do to help the community, their donations went up to $10,000 that year and $12,000 last year.

You have to stay with it. But citizens have been very receptive to our plea when we share about our agencies. It’s all about our agencies and what they give to the community.

3.

Have any of your other perceptions changed about United Way in the past three years?

As a county employee, I had given to United Way for years. I knew there was a need, but I realize now how important that need is and the value United Way provides our community.

The perception I have now is just

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Here are the people who serve on the UW board and with the Young Professionals Heath Taylor of Rusken Packaging chairs the United Way of Cullman County Board of Directors. Members of the board are: • Deborah “Pepper” Hoover, Wallace State College, chair-elect • Andy Heis, Desperation Church, secretary • Betty Dorris, McGriff Industries, treasurer • Albert von Pelser, REHAU Industries, pastchair • Seth Thompson, Attorney, allocations chair • Tricia Culpepper, Cullman Primary Schools • Dr. Joe Johnson, Cullman Family Practice • Judy White, Drinkard Development

enhanced by actually seeing the need.

I am closer to it now, so I realize it even more.

Before we set their allocations, the agency directors meet with our board to explain their need for money to provide their services. I think the allocation meetings are eye-openers for the board. They have been for me.

Also, it’s sad when you try to help someone, and they don’t want to help themselves. I’ve had a lot of growing to do in that regard.

I pray a lot for my staff and the folks we help, that God will give me the wisdom to make good decisions and that others can see His love through me.

4.

What can the community expect from United Way of Cullman County’s 2017-18 campaign you’re about to kick off, and what are your expectations for it?

The goal is $425,000 – same as this year’s goal, which we did not quite make. The major push will be from August through November.

At that point we will have a pretty good idea how collections for 201718 will go, and we’ll meet with the agencies and let them know what their projected allocations will be each month.

They will start getting those allocations in April.

20

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

• David Palmer, The Cullman Times • Steve Moore, Walmart Distribution Center • Maxine Ray, Merchants Bank • Alex Chaney, Attorney, liaison to Young Professionals • Shane Barnette, Cullman County Schools Jake Johnson, a coach at Cullman City Schools, is chairman of the Young Professional Board of the United Way of Cullman County. Members are: • Stephanie Wood, Daystar Church, secretary • Andrew Wood, Action Environmental

We want people to understand that out of all the money we collect, 98 percent of it stays here in Cullman County. The other 2 percent goes to United Way Worldwide, to United Way of Alabama and to the 2-1-1 resource service we have with Jefferson County.

We also want people to understand that we are out of the red and in the black, but the money coming in today should be going into reserves in the bank to pay next year’s allocations, not to meet our current commitments.

This gets back to using the reserves in the past to keep from cutting agency funding.

In a perfect world we would have a year’s worth of allocations in reserves.

We only have about half of that in reserves, but we are working to get there.

As for making next year’s goal, I have a list of industries and places where United Way does not have a footprint. They don’t participate. We are hoping to get in to talk to them and get them onboard.

It’s a good hit list. I’m an optimist.

The glass is half full.

I was told once I would never turn this agency around. I have two things to say to that person …

First, I am going to work my butt off. Second, God did not put me here to fail. I don’t know what God you serve but the God I serve is bigger

• Dusty Baker, Commission on Aging, pastchair • Catherine Hillman, Peoples Bank • Lora Kent, Louisiana Pacific • Megan Bartlett , Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce • Meredith Easterwood, CRMC • Michael Gray, Chick-fil-A • Natalie Bonner, Royal Technologies • Ross West, Merchants Bank • Leanna Bedard, Webb Wheel • Lindsey Kent, ATC • Jennifer Chambers, R.E. Garrison • Jennifer Parker, Payroll Services • Zac Smith, Agcor Steel

than both of us, and He didn’t put me here to fail. He just didn’t tell me how bumpy the road would be.

5.

What are some things about Sammie Danford that most people don’t know?

I think everybody knows more about me than I know about myself (laugh)! But a lot of people don’t know I’m a handy person.

For instance, I can lay tile, finish Sheetrock and hang crown molding. I have all of my own tools. And I love to paint, inside and out.

My sister Kim and her husband bought a lake house. She was going to hire a painter for the exterior. I said no. So we had scaffolding up three stories high and put four coats of paint on the house.

I told Kim I thought I’d bit off more than I could chew, but we did it.

Once I rented a jackhammer and took up the concrete sidewalk at my house and laid brick pavers to replace it. I love working like that. I wish I could make a living at it – but then I wouldn’t be a servant, I guess.

My first and maybe only true love in life was horses. I inherited Big Boy from my grandparents when I was 14.

Later, we had a horse, Mandy, and a horse buggy. Matt loved to ride her and ride in the buggy.

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Good Reads

Society living in virtual reality creates this dystopian future

Struggling prehistoric man finds an unlikely companion

olks of my generation who grew up with computer games such as Pong and Pac-Man don’t have a clue when it comes to this new generation of virtual reality games currently on the market. But Ernest Cline’s “Ready Player One” has brought out my inner geek.

I created the OASIS A bazillionaire because I never felt at game designer has died and has left his entire home in the real world. fortune to the winner I didn’t know how to of his new game inside connect with the people his virtual world called there. I was afraid, for all OASIS. Everyone in this futuristic dystopian of my life, right up until I earth, and I do mean knew it was ending. That everyone, spends their was when I realized, as waking hours in a virtual terrifying and painful as reality.

No God, no real reality can be, it’s also private property, no real the only place where you job or occupation per se, can find true happiness. just a virtual existence Because reality is real. where you create your own world with virtual friends, co-workers and even the body and voice that you want.

Is this where we’re headed in 2016 as we continue to spend more and more of our lives online and less and less time interacting with people we can actually touch? Is there hope? Or will game over define our existence?

– Deb Laslie

cave painting is discovered depicting a man and a large wolf. Nothing special. But wait ... is the wolf on a leash? And so the story of ”The Dog Master” by Bruce Cameron begins.

How did we, as humans, get from being prey to sleeping with poodles? Cameron creates a world (Year I was scanning the One) that could very well explain the process. newspaper for some good Three tribes – each news one day . . . . when different in its lifestyles I came across a simple (hunters, predators and statement that had such a group somewhere in between) – begin slowly, profound implications I moving, one generation could barely comprehend after another, into each them all. Around 30,000 other’s territory as the years ago something glaciers sweep down from the north. extraordinary happened: The great She-Wolf a wolf became a human’s carries both myth and companion. In other pack example for these words, it was the birth of pre-people.

These were incredibly the first dog. terrifying times in which to survive for both man and beast. Cameron expertly weaves between the human and wolf world.

And the next time my 80-pound mixed breed tells me his food bowl is empty, I might step a little quicker lest he revert to his wolven ways. A great summer read.

– Deb Laslie

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Good Cooking

Power to the cooks

Folks at Cullman Electric Co-op not only bring power to your life, they tickle your taste buds, too

Story and photos

by David Moore

F

or 80 years, Cullman Electric Cooperative employees have kept the power flowing that lights, comforts and feeds people across Cullman County. But make no mistake about it. Those same employees love to eat, too.

And many of them love to cook.

During their anniversary year, six CEC workers shared some of their favorite recipes with Good Life Magazine. And three of them in the central office agreed to be guest cooks.

Dennis Reid, a 23-year employee in energy services, prepared one of his coconut cream John Phillips Lacy, 14 months, had a big day June 30. He visited Cullman Electric Co-op pies, famous office-wide, along where his dad, Brian, works. He officially became a toddler and took his first steps there that with his chocolate ones. morning. And, to the delight of Melissa Cartee, Brian, center, and Dennis Reed, right, John He modestly – if not Phillips also got his first taste – and then some – of coconut cream pie, which Dennis baked. dangerously – says he learned to cook out of sheer necessity.

“I’ve cooked for 40 years,” “I started when I was 12 because she didn’t like to cook he laughs, “ever since we got married and I realized Luanne anymore,” Melissa says. “And she was an excellent cook.” couldn’t cook.

She married an excellent cook, too. In fact, Steve was a “Actually, she cooks some. She makes some kind of broccoli cooking instructor in the Army Reserves, and everyone knows casserole. I don’t eat it, but everybody else says it's good.” the Army moves on its stomach.

Dennis learned his way around the kitchen from watching his Melissa is vice president of member services and community late mother, Dot, who had plenty of experience. development at CEC, where she’s worked for 11 years. After she “She was a southern cook, had six kids and cooked three and Steve moved to Cullman from Sheffield 16 years ago, they meals a day,” he says, “and you all sat down and ate” planted a large vegetable garden at home and pack two freezers He learned well and, while his and Luanne’s children were full of veggies every year. still young, he fell into the habit of cooking big Sunday dinners “We cook a lot of plain food out of the garden,” she says. for the family. A testament to their goodness, one Sunday a “We like our own cooking.” friend asked their daughter Raleigh to come home with her after Unlike Dennis and his pies, Melissa says she’s not famous church. for any particular recipe.

“She said, ‘I can’t today. My dad cooked,’” Dennis recalls “But when the children and grandchildren come, they want with relish. “It’s the only good meal I’m going to get this week Steve’s roast and my fried okra, purple hull peas, slaw and fried ...'" (cream) corn.”

That ought to account for some level of fame. elissa Cartee learned to cook from her mother, too.

Her Dutch oven apple cobbler is a favorite of her boss,

M

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

25

Grady Smith, general manager of Cullman Electric, so Melissa sometimes makes it for him.

“I probably should make it more often!” she laughs. “But I told him I was bringing some today, so he’s ready.”

M

elissa takes credit for hiring Brian Lacy as the co-op’s award-winning communications manager. Brian had worked his way up from a sports writer to managing editor at The Huntsville Item in Texas, then came to its sister Cullman Times in the same capacity in August 2006.

The following June, Brian left the paper to work for the coop where he met and three years ago married CJ Smith.

Besides journalism and communications, Brian has long been drawn to the kitchen.

“Growing up, I always enjoyed being in the kitchen and helping my parents,” he says. “It was a chance to get a little more food.”

He got a good life lesson that allowed him to fend for

himself, first at Sam Houston State University and later as a young adult.

“If you don’t want to eat microwave dinners or Ramen noodles every night, then you had better learn to cook some real food,” Brian says.

He calls CJ a fantastic cook and is glad to help in the kitchen, but it’s no longer a matter a survival. He does sometimes prepare one of his specialties, such as quesadillas, which he made for this food shoot.

Brian and CJ also cooked up a recipe submitted by CEC lineman Chad Thompson for jalapeno corn casserole.

“Especially around the holidays we have a few office gatherings, and Chad always makes his jalapeno corn casserole,” Brian says. “His casserole is always the first to go.”

Various CEC employees submitted the recipes on the following pages. Be sure to thank them if you like the dishes.

And if you cook them with electricity, you can thank them for that, too …

DUTCH OVEN BAKED APPLE PIE Melissa (and Steve) Cartee VP of member services and community development 1 stick butter 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 cans apple pie filling ½ cup butter ¾ cup granulated sugar 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 3 tsp. cinnamon 2 pinches of ground nutmeg 2 pinches of ground allspice 1 egg, separated 2 refrigerator pie crusts Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt one stick of butter in Dutch oven: add brown sugar and cook stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Set aside and let cool.

Pour apple pie filling in large sauce pan; add ½ cup butter, sugar, egg yolk, 1½ tsp. cinnamon, one pinch each of nutmeg and allspice; bring to boil to melt butter and then let simmer to mix all ingredients.

Layer one crust, lightly floured, over brown sugar and butter mixture with excess crust laying up the side of the Dutch oven. Pour apple mixture over this crust.

Layer second crust, lightly floured, over entire mixture. Press two crusts edges lightly together.

Whisk egg white and brush over crust. Next sprinkle rest of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice over crust; then sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Dot with butter. Bake on 350 for 45 minutes.

COCONUT PIE Dennis Reid Energy services 2/3

cup sugar ½ tsp. salt 4 Tbsp. corn starch 3 cups milk 3 egg yolks (reserve egg whites for meringue) 2 Tbsp. butter 1 Tbsp. imitation vanilla (if using real vanilla extract, use less) 1 cup coconut 1 pre-made Pillsbury pie crust MERINGUE 3 egg whites ¾ cup of sugar ½ tsp. of vanilla. dash of salt coconut sprinkled to taste Mix first three ingredients with a little milk to make a paste. Beat egg yolks well with remaining milk using a countertop mixer, then add to other ingredients. Cook in a heavy pan over medium heat, stirring constantly (should take 15-20 minutes). When mixture thickens, add butter, vanilla and coconut. Mix well. Cook and stir for several minutes to thicken it more. Pour mixture into pie crust. Let cool for 30 minutes before adding the meringue.

To make the meringue, add a dash of salt to egg whites and beat at room temp until peaks are stiff. Continue beating and gradually add sugar and vanilla. Beat until peaks are stiff and glossy. Sprinkle some more coconut on top of meringue and bake at 350-375 for 6-8 minutes until meringue tips are lightly brown.

BARBECUE PORK & BEANS Steve Link Lineman 1 large (No. 10) can of pork and beans, drained 1 large bell pepper, chopped 1 large onion, chopped Mustard Ketchup Brown sugar Pre-cooked (leftover) barbecue meat Combine all ingredients. The amount of barbecued meat, mustard, ketchup and brown sugar will depend on each cook’s individual preference. Flavor to taste and adjust as necessary. Once the flavor is right, pour mixture into a large casserole dish and bake in a 350-degree oven until done. Stir and taste occasionally, and you’ll know when it’s ready. (This can be served as a side dish or an easy all-in-one meal.)

CAULIFLOWER MOUNTAIN Melissa Cartee VP of member services and community development 1 medium-sized head of cauliflower 1 cup mayonnaise 1 Tbsp. prepared mustard 1 tsp. dry mustard 4 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded Place whole head of cauliflower, stem end down, in an 8-inch glass casserole dish. Cover with plastic wrap.

Microwave at HIGH 7 to 8 minutes or until tender.

Mix mayonnaise, prepared mustard and dry mustard in a bowl. Pour mayonnaise mixture over top of cooked cauliflower. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute to melt cheese.

Yield: 6–8 servings AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

27

BARBECUE QUESADILLAS Brian (and CJ) Lacy Communications manager

1 large onion, sautéed 2 Tbsps. olive oil 1 large tomato, diced 1 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped 1 lb. BBQ (pulled pork or chopped brisket) 8 large (10 in.) flour tortillas 4 cups finely shredded cheese, chef’s choice (Cheddar is fine, but Colby and Monterey Jack or a Mexican 4 cheese blend are best.)

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Once melted, add chopped onion and olive oil, stirring occasionally until they are sautéed deep golden

brown and caramelized, about 30 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place a medium sized, non-stick skillet on the stove over medium heat.

Place a tortilla in the skillet. Cover the tortilla with a ½ cup of cheese. Add sautéed onions, tomato, jalapeno and barbecue meat. Then add another ½ cup of shredded cheese and cover with a tortilla. Press down with your hand to combine the ingredients inside the tortilla. Allow enough time for the cheese on the bottom to melt and the bottom tortilla to become lightly toasted (2-3 minutes; if you smell

burning, flip quesadilla immediately and reduce heat slightly to avoid burning as you continue to cook).

Remove the skillet from the stove.

Put a plate over the skillet and turn the skillet over to remove the quesadilla so that the toasted side is facing up on the plate. Slide the quesadilla back into the skillet to toast the other side (2-3 minutes). Remove the quesadilla and cut into quarters.

Repeat the process until all of the ingredients have been used. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, jalapeno ranch, salsa or whatever dipping sauce you prefer. Recipe also works great with chicken or steak fajita meat.

PINEAPPLE CHEESE BALL Melissa Cartee VP of member services and community development 2 1 3 3 1 1 28

pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese flat can crushed pineapple, drained Tbsp. onion, grated Tbsp., bell pepper, grated Tbsp. seasoning salt (I use about 1½ teaspoons) cup chopped pecans AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

Mix all ingredients.

Pour onto waxed paper, wrap into ball-shape, cover with aluminum foil and chill (preferably over-night). Serve chilled.

Great with Triscuits.

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29

JALAPENO CORN Chad (and Brenda) Thompson Lineman 4 cans (11 oz. each) shoepeg corn 8 oz. cream cheese, softened ½ cup whole milk 1 stick butter, melted 3 Tbsp. flour 1-2 cups shredded cheese

GRANNY SMITH PORK CHOPS Recommended by CEC employees From “Southern Occasions,” Alabama Living’s 2008 cookbook ¼ cup oil 4 ¼-inch (4-6 oz.) loin pork chops 1 cup apple juice 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 12 slices Brown sugar to taste Salt to taste Pepper to taste Salt and pepper the pork chops.

Pour oil into large iron skillet with a tight fitting lid and brown the chops. Place chops on a paper towel and remove oil from the skillet. Add apple juice to the skillet and scrape the bottom to deglaze. Place the chops back in the skillet and put 3 slices of apple on each pork chop. Sprinkle brown sugar over apple slices. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Remove chops to a platter. Stir the sauce in the skillet, pour over pork chops and serve.

30

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

1 large jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped Mix all of the ingredients well (make sure the cream cheese has fully melted and blended with the other

CROCK POT MAC & CHEESE Karen Barnes Member services representative 8 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions and drained 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk ¾ cup whole milk ¼ cup melted butter 2 eggs, beaten 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese Salt and white pepper to taste Combine macaroni and next four ingredients in a large bowl.

Add 3 cups cheddar and salt and pepper and mix well.

Spoon into a 3-quart slow cooker coated with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle with remaining cheddar and Parmesan.

Cook on low for 3 hours.

Yields 8 servings.

ingredients).

Pour into a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Add shredded cheese to the top of the casserole and return to the oven until melted.

GARLIC & LEMON PEPPER POTATOES Dennis Reid Energy services Enough new potatoes (small round) to fill a 9x13 glass pan California blend garlic salt Lemon pepper seasoning Olive oil Stick of butter Melt a stick of butter in the glass dish in a 350-275 degree oven. Cut a band with a potato peeler or knife around each potato.

Drizzle enough olive oil to coat the potatoes. Add potatoes to dish with the melted butter. Sprinkle liberally with combination of garlic salt and lemon pepper.

Bake in a 350-375 degree oven for 1.5 to 2 hours. Stir approximately every 30 minutes and add more spices (you cannot over-season them). Cook until lightly browned.

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Good Eats

Sunflour Bakery and Eatery Good food is exceeding expectations on both sides of that case full of rolls

the Quattlebaums opened the Sunflour, named after one of her favorite flowers and nicely tying in with the nursery and bakery.

She’s no longer on call, facing the long hours and pressures of surgery, but the Sunflour and its hungry customers require lots of work.

It’s open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. TuesdayFriday for breakfast and lunch and Saturday’s from 7 a.m. to noon. The family trio starts baking at 4:30 a.m. When they leave depends on the number of special orders they have.

“We work until it gets done,” Amanda says, “whether it’s 5 o’clock or midnight.”

Story and photos

by David Moore

N

ew customers are happily surprised by just how delicious the food is at Sunflour Bakery and Eatery … the ample and satisfying wake-up call breakfast brings; the fresh taste of the big, juicy burgers and sandwiches; the moist, richness of the rolls, cookies and cakes. It brings to mind eating at Grandma’s house.

Also happily surprised are owner and head cook Amanda Wallace Quattlebaum, husband and hard working partner Brad and their equally dedicated son Bryant.

After four months of business they are where they’d hoped to be financially in two years.

“The first few weeks were slow, then word of mouth spread,” Brad says. “It’s been doing good ever since. It’s way exceeded our expectations.”

That’s good because the cozy little Sunflour represents a huge leap of faith.

“I used to wake up at night wondering, ‘What have I done? Have I made the right decision?’” Amanda says.

She worked 15 of her 17 years in health care as a surgical nurse, first in her hometown of Decatur then at Cullman Regional Medical Center. A regular paycheck with no financial investment offers a lot of security, and Amanda loved what she did.

But she also loved baking. Over the years her birthday cakes had lit up many parties, her cinnamon rolls sweetened many events. Friends and family, especially Logan native Brad, urged her to pursue her love and making people’s mouths and stomachs happy.

“I’m not the one to take chances,” Amanda says. “If he had not encouraged me, I would not have quite a good job. I would be too scared. He knew how much I loved baking.”

S

o in February 2015 Amanda took the leap and abruptly quit nursing. As she 32 AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

W

Cinnamon and orange rolls, customer favorites, are baked daily. You also might find one of 20 other flavors, including key lime and peanut chocolate chip. The Red Diamond Southern Pecan and European Roast coffee the Quattlebaums serve are so popular they plan to start grinding and bagging their own. stirred plans in her head, she worked that spring and summer with Sandy Walker, who owns the Mustard Seed Nursery on County Road 222 in Good Hope, just off I-65.

In previous carnations the location had housed several restaurants, and a seed began to grow. Sandy agreed to lease most of the front of the building to Amanda.

With family help, she began building a kitchen and creating a country tearoom atmosphere.

Last August, Brad left his dispatching job with Cemex Concrete to help her finish the restaurant.

On Oct. 7, with Bryant joining them,

ithout special orders, they bake up to 120 giant rolls a day, which allowing for the yeast in the homemade dough to rise is a two-day process.

Several times a week, sometimes several times a day, banks, doctor offices and the like place to-go orders for 15 to 30 lunches.

The small dining area is often filled with people waiting to order or pick up food at the cash register. Things can get crazy, but orders are promptly served and worth any wait.

Amanda credits a combination of grandmothers for their influence. Frances Quattlebaum was famous for feeding most of Logan with her huge Saturday spreads.

Amanda’s grandmother, Rumell Wallace of Hartselle, provided a number of recipes.

Where the success goes is up in the air.

They discussed cooking Sunday dinners, trademarking their name and opening a location for Bryant to run in a neighboring town. For now, they’re wide open baking cakes, Brad’s new Philly omelet and Bryant’s popular sausage balls.

We just want to make this feel like you are at your grandmother’s or your mom’s eating – home-cooked made from scratch,” Amanda says. “It makes me feel good that people actually enjoy what we cook.”

It makes all those people feel good, too.

Good Life Magazine

Bryant, Brad and Amanda put in long hours serving breakfast and lunch at the at Sunflour Bakery and Eatery. Their second son, Paul, is 21. The breakfast platter, breakfast sandwich, both at left, and other items are served in the morning. The patty melt and 100 percent Angus cheeseburger and Philly sandwich, above, are the favorite lunch sandwiches at Sunflour. They make their own tuna salad, pimento cheese and everything else except potato salad and chicken salad, which they bought and tried and liked so much they ended up keeping them on the menu. Helping the Quattlebaums at their restaurant are Aloha Chavers, niece Lexi Bell, who’s been out on maternity leave and other family who fill in from time to time.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

33

Good ’n’ Green

Landscaping ...

the ‘hard way’ This smart-looking fire pit is located at Camp Meadowbrook, on County Road 747 between Cullman and Fairview.

It’s built with a freestanding stacked wall with cobblestone pavers used for wall capping.

Story and photos

by Tim Crow

S

ome of the best landscape ideas I’ve seen over the last several years were not full of elaborate plants or beautiful specimen trees. They didn’t consist of huge color beds of annuals and perennials.

Homeowners tend to over-think their plan from the start.

Some of the best laid out designs I’ve seen were by people who incorporated natural and fabricated stone into the landscape to maximize their space and highlight certain areas, while making the space more usable throughout the year.

In the hot dry summers of the South, plants can sometimes struggle in their first several months to establish and thrive.

We spend most of our time worrying and working to make sure the investment we’ve made will flourish.

Don’t get me wrong. Plants and turf are excellent additions to any landscape, but they also come with a time investment 34

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

early and throughout their existence.

Once established, they still come with maintenance requirements that can be under estimated sometimes.

So consider hardscape … that is, using stone, natural or fabricated, to utilize space in the landscape and make more of it usable.

A

s homeowners we have multitudes of options of different stones we can use.

Flagstone, sandstone, slate or pavers make great materials to create patio space for grilling and entertaining.

When selecting your material, consider the overall look of your existing landscape. Pavers, or prefabricated stone, can be a little more formal looking when used in the landscape, while natural stone can provide a more rustic look.

Decide what kind of look you want before just adding stone.

While most people don’t consider themselves masons, don’t let this scare you away from using stone. Hardscape

doesn’t have to be that hard.

The addition of hardscape material in landscapes offers several options for doit-yourself kind of people.

Polymeric sand has made life easy for people that are not great with mortar.

When laying stone or pavers polymeric sand is added to fill in the seams and connect the stone.

It provides a great mortar by simply sweeping it in and wetting the surface.

The sand sets up to form a great mortar.

And, because stones come in lots of different colors, manufacturers of polymeric sand give us the options of different colors in this material that make life easier when matching stone.

Construction adhesives can make life very easy when stacking stone or facing it to existing walls. When building small sitting walls or overlaying stone, consider this material for easy attachment. It can be as simple as caulking a window.

H

ardscape material can be used to

Regional Extension Agent Tim Crow says the walkways are constructed with Crush and Run, an 89-10 gravel. Once the dirt work is complete and the ground is level, this could be installed by two people in pretty much a day,” Tim says. “For homeowners, I would recommend renting a diamond blade saw from your local rental place to cut the stone for corners.”

create almost anything in the landscape. Fire pits, fireplaces, outdoor kitchens and even beautiful walls can be constructed with both natural and fabricated stone. Many of these come in pre-constructed kits, which make it very attractive for homeowners.

Contact local vendors to see what patterns and options they offer. Most of them will deliver the material directly to your home.

There are many vendor websites that you can go to for ideas to help you pick your material. They offer great specifications for different material to help you lay out and determine quantities needed.

So for the next project in the backyard, think about how the space can work for you.

Instead of adding more work for years to come, think about how you like to use the backyard.

Maybe it’s sitting outside in the nice fall breeze, while watching a college football game. Maybe it’s barbecuing with the family.

It could be watching the sunset in the western sky while nestled up to a warm fire.

All these can be achieved with some of the great stone options that are provided.

Sometimes landscaping the hard way can make life easy and more enjoyable.

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35

New ...

It’s the new old

Heather York built her Victorian house in 20052006 on property that, fittingly, has been in her family since the days when Victorian houses were the common style.

Buying a historic house in town failed, so Heather built her own Story and photos

by David Moore

H

Britton and Colt York head out the front door for adventures on their mother’s expansive 136-acre property. The house Heather York built is expansive, too, with 5,000 square feet. That includes five bedrooms, counting one nook, and three and half baths. The wood on the entrance staircase is from a gym floor salvaged from an old Chattanooga YMCA and purchased from James & Co. in Collinsville. Except for the kitchen and attic, wooden floors in the house came from salvaged, heart pine rafters milled down by Roy Lumber in Bessemer.

38

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

eather York built her house 10 years ago, making it relatively new in market terms.

Its design, however, is pulled from 19th century drawing boards. That she built it on fifth-generation family land west of Jones Chapel lends a legitimate foundation to its Victorian-era charm. And given that Heather’s been “junking” since she was a teenager and owns an antique store made it a forgone conclusion that the décor of her home be rooted in the ages.

So, when it comes to the house that Heather built, new is the new old.

Her connection with the land dates to the 1880s when her great-great grandparents, Marshall and Josephine Gregory, homesteaded 120 acres in what’s now the Water Valley community on U.S. 278.

Both were full-blooded Cherokees whose love nearly failed to take flight.

While she was yet young, a raiding party of warring Creeks captured Josephine.

Marshall, however, was able to buy her back for $200.

Heather’s great grandfather, Rob Gregory, grew up on the farm, built a house next door and, with his wife, Lela, raised his family there. Rob and Lela later raised their granddaughter, Lorene Wren, there, following the divorce of her parents.

After Lorene married Rudolph Waldrep, they moved five miles away to the New Mount Zion community, where they raised five girls: Pam Gable, Nena Hudson and Debbie Yearwood of Cullman, Vickie Mulcahy of Michigan and Heather, the baby of the lot.

Heather was close to Rob until he died on Thanksgiving Day 1990 in his old house.

“It was a cute little house, more of

An accountant by profession, Heather, along with her mom, owns nearby Water Valley Antiques, where much of her decor came from. As evidenced in the living room, above, she’s mixed her antiques well with contemporary pieces. Her kitchen is floored with new hickory.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

39

a cottage,” Heather says. “All of the wood to build his house came from his own land. He had it cut and stacked in the barn until he had enough to build the house. He saved rocks off the property to use, too.”

She was quite familiar with that property. With her dad, she often fished the quiet ponds there, never imagining she’d one day own all of that land.

E

Turquoise accents set off the formal dining room.

The print, above, and a companion print in the living room, are two of Heather’s favorite pieces in the house.

40

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

yes on becoming a nurse anesthetist, Heather graduated from West Point High School in 1994. But at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, she earned an accounting degree. She went on to get a master’s there in 2001, the same year she got married.

She worked five years for “Big Four” accounting firm Deloitte & Touche, travelling extensively from its Birmingham branch office. Heather was assistant comptroller for Cavalier Homes for several years before going to TSE Brakes in Cullman, a division of Marmon Highway Technologies outside of Birmingham.

For the past three years she’s been TSE’s comptroller, traveling annually six times to the plant in Mexico plus making a trip to the facility in Germany.

For two years she’s been a single mom to Britton, 9, and Colt, 4.

It was in 2004 that Heather’s uncle Hollis Gregory, who lived in a brick house on the old homestead approached her about buying the property. Concerned with his health, he wanted to ensure the land stayed in the family.

Heather had been trying to buy a historic house in Cullman. That deal had gone south, but she saw new opportunity in Hollis’s offer.

“My theory,” she says, “was if I couldn’t buy an old house I was going to build an old one.”

“I have pieces here I love so much they will never leave the house,” Heather says. A big fan of books, she has a reading area in her bedroom, above. The door out to the front balcony came from her great grandfather’s house. Most other doors came from Southern Accents in Cullman, were stripped down to the original wood and refinished. Above is the boys’ bathroom. In her bathroom, at right, is a frame she refinished with a wire mesh behind it that’s perfect for hanging her ear rings.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

41

The attic is a special place for the Yorks. Heather’s long-time dream and a year long, stop-andgo project, the 1,300-square-foot attic was finished out this May. Heather says it wouldn’t have gotten done without the help of Bess Waldrep, a cousin-in-law who grasped her vision. “I knew exactly what I wanted,” Heather says. “So did she.” The walls are built with boards salvaged from her great grandparents’ former house on the property. The floor is new hickory. Heather attended elementary school at the former Dowling Junior High and had her mother – a 30-year-veteran in education – for her first grade teacher. The table in the attic came from her mom’s classroom.

The small square door in the far wall is the entrance to Colt’s train room, upper right, which is tucked into an angled dormer. Another angled dormer was finished out for Britton’s “Lego Lab.” 42

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

The pool is a blast for the two boys – and a mom. Heather added it a few years after building the house and recently had it relined. The container garden – and a matching sister to it on the other side of the pool – she did herself.

Be it coincidence or destiny, a big part of her life had prepared her to build a new old house.

H

eather had been drawn to – if not totally infatuated with – antiques since age 19. She and her parents would go on “junking trips,” as she calls them, selling their booty at a booth at Water Valley Antiques.

In 2000, the year Heather earned her bachelor’s degree, she and her parents bought Water Valley. (Rudolph died in 2009, but Lorene continues to run the business and Heather still owns it.)

Mother and daughter cut back their big junking trips – most of them to Michigan – back from biannual to annually after Britton and Colt were born.

“We’d buy so much we would not have room for a handkerchief in the back of a dual axel trailer,” Heather says.

Many antique pieces she loved, including chandeliers and sconces, went into storage for her future home … not

unlike the wood her great grandfather had milled from the property and stored in his barn until he had enough to build a house.

After buying the old homestead from Uncle Hollis, Heather found plans for a Victorian house she loved in a magazine.

Mike Walker at Walker’s Discount Building Supply in Hanceville tweaked them to her exact vision.

Freddie Byrd of Cullman County built the house in 2005-2006.

Had termites not jeopardized the foundation of her great-grandparents’ old cottage, Heather would have saved it. As it was, she did the next best thing and had Freddie salvage wallboards to use on her interior. She found new places to hang old doors.

And, as her new old house took shape, Heather walked through construction detritus and sawdust picking out where to hang the antique chandeliers she had in storage.

“I have pulled stuff from everywhere for this house,” she laughs. “I had the back

doors to the house before I ever had the plans.”

F

rom the start, Heather had a firm vision of what she wanted her home to look and feel like, the sense of antiquity, the character she wanted to create. And a visitor would be hard pressed to say she’s not succeeded beautifully.

While indoor plumbing, central heat and air and a backyard pool would leave most of her ancestors’ heads swimming, still they would have to find an appreciation for the house in which they played some part.

On the other end of the generational spectrum, Britton and Colt have the opportunity to grow with unique connections to their past.

“I love that we get to walk through the woods,” Heather says, “that they get to fish in the same ponds I used to fish in.”

And in that sense, perhaps Britton and Colt will find that old is the new new.

Good Life Magazine AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

43

A young Hanceville woman’s first beauty contest lead her and CEC to a national title Story by Steve A. Maze

W

hen the Cullman Electric Cooperative sponsored a beauty pageant in the summer of 1952, June Bottcher didn’t give it a second thought. The attractive brunette was not interested in beauty contests since she was too busy with school activities and working on the family dairy farm in Hanceville.

Her father, E.C. Bottcher – a master farmer – was serving a five-year stint in the military at the time. June’s mother, Madeline, ran the dairy farm while he was in the service. Of course, June and her siblings also helped out with the farm work.

44

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

As it turned out, June didn’t have to think about the beauty contest. The 19-year-old didn’t volunteer to participate … she was drafted. Well, sort of.

“Someone at the co-op saw my senior picture in our high school yearbook and called to ask if I would participate in their beauty pageant,” June says, recalling the story for the co-op’s 80th anniversary this year. “I had already graduated from high school and was in my freshman year at Auburn at the time, but I was home on the weekends.”

Shortly after, thousands of co-op members attended the CEC annual fair (as annual meetings were often called at the time) at Sportsman Lake Park on a warm

summer evening. They watched June and other Cullman County beauties parade across a stage under the “big top,” first in evening gowns, later in bathing suits.

At the end of the evening June was chosen “Miss Cullman Electric – 1952.”

The Cullman County beauty was surprised she won, and the first-place finish meant she would now compete for the state title held at Fort Payne.

T

he Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives held its annual fair at Fort Payne. Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative sponsored it, and folks flocked by the hundreds to the huge tent that housed electric exhibits and

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would be the site of the state pageant.

June faced even stiffer competition in this contest with beauties from all over the state competing. Nonetheless, she was selected queen of all Alabama’s rural electric cooperatives. Her official title was now “Miss Alabama REA,” and she was getting an all-expense-paid trip to the national pageant in Chicago.

I was delighted to have won,” says June, “but I knew the nationals would be quite different from the two contests I had already participated in. First of all, the contestants would have to actually speak with the judges. We would also be judged on personality, charm and accomplishments. It wouldn’t be as simple as walking across a stage in an evening gown or bathing suit.”

June’s twin sister, Jo Ann, and a Cullman couple by the last name of Woods, accompanied her to Chicago by train.

It proved to be truly big doings.

contestant met for a few brief moments with the judges before proceeding to the overflowing exhibit hall of the Conrad Hilton Hotel where the contest was held.

when June’s name was announced as the winner of the 1952 national title. “Miss Electrification” received a bouquet of roses and was awarded a beautiful silver bowl engraved with the date and title she had won.

“I was stunned when they called my name,” June says.

“It was really unbelievable.”

In addition, she received a certificate from a prominent Chicago school for a complete course in fashion and photographic modeling.

The plane trip home provided a whirlwind of excitement, too, but totally different than June’s weekend of the contest.

“A windstorm was coming the day we left,” she explains.

“We were on a small plane, and the wind was blowing very hard. It was my first time to be on a plane, and I was very scared. The wind was blowing so hard against the door when we landed that we had a hard time getting out of the plane.”

J

une, who is now 83 and lives in Centre, went on to graduate at the top of her class from Auburn he afternoon of their in 1954. She went to work arrival the contestants and for Alabama Power after their companions were college before following June Bottcher from her days at Auburn University. entertained at a reception her passion of teaching. She given by Mr. and Mrs. George taught at Hanceville High Wagoner of the Kelvinator School, Centre High School, After the judging and a session with Corporation. There they met state and Sand Rock High School and a Cullman national REA officials, as well as Marquis photographers, the young ladies hurried business school. to where the National Directors were in Childs – a well-known author and June married James Ellis in 1955, session for their final presentation of the newspaper editor. and they had three sons. She gave up day.

In between the chaos of attending teaching after 10 years to stay home “It was a very good experience,” June banquets and receptions, the contestants with her children. says. “I got along well with the other had to make themselves available for Doing television and newspaper contestants. The girls were also from interviews with local television stations interviews, meeting a well-known rural areas and a lot of fun to be around. and newspaper reporters. Virtually every writer and editor, staying in a luxury We attended plays together, and dined at newspaper in Chicago ran articles and hotel and riding in an airplane were beautiful restaurants … my favorite was photos of the contestants. all exciting firsts for the 19-year-old the Idaho.” beauty in 1952.

Then there was a two-hour session at And to win the national title was the Patricia Vance School of Modeling to something even more special … learn how to walk gracefully and receive ot until the following night, when especially for someone who had never important tips on personality and charm the awards were made at the closing for their crucial few minutes before the thought about entering a beauty contest banquet, did anyone except the judges judges. before then. know who the winner was.

Dressed in evening gowns, each The exhibit hall erupted in applause Good Life Magazine

T

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46 AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

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AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

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Goat Island Brewing is named for an island in Smith Lake. T-shirts and other gear with the logo and motto on them have been seen around town for a year or two, but in dealing with regulations, the brewery and tap room did not have their grand opening until this June. The facility is located just inside the city limits on John H. Cooper Drive, just off the Old Hanceville Highway.

Goat Island beer ‘Because life is too short ...’

OK, you probably know the motto, but do you know the punch line?

Story and photos

by Patrick Oden

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police officer, an engineer, an environmentalist and an insurance agent walk into a bar …

If you’re expecting a punch line, you’re going to be disappointed. But if you like beer, get ready to be giddy with excitement.

It really all started back in 2012 when John Dean (the insurance agent) introduced friend, client and avid home brewer Gery Teichmiller (the engineer) to childhood friend and home brewer Mike Mullaney (an environmental health and safety manager for REHAU).

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Together with John and Mike’s childhood friend and beer connoisseur Brad Glenn (the police officer), the four set a course for Goat Island … on the back of a Blue Moose.

That’s actually the Blue Moose Café in downtown Cullman, where the four friends became the Blue Moose Brew Crew and began developing craft beers together.

The time spent brewing for Blue Moose allowed them to refine their beers, develop a business plan and, most importantly, gage the public’s response to their creations.

“People loved our beer there at the Blue Moose and that gave us the confidence to peruse the dream of having our own brewery,” says Brad.

Cullman was still thirsty for their local craft beers when the Blue Moose Café closed its doors. With strong community support and rave reviews of their beer portfolio, the four friends decided it was time to move forward with their plans … to make their dream of a craft brewery and tap house in Cullman a reality.

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They brew and serve beer, but Goat Island Brewing and tap room bills itself as a family friendly environment with games for big and little kids and sports on the big screen. While they don’t serve food, they occasionally have food trucks on hand, several great local restaurants will deliver, and guests are always welcome to bring food with them.

And city leaders were behind them all the way.

“From modifying the alcohol ordinance to allow manufacturing and approving a tax abatement, they’ve always supported our start-up,” says Brad.

But that’s not the only help the four had. Mike is quick to recognize all of the hard work and support their wives – Lisa Mullaney, Linda Glenn, Lisa Dean and Richie Teichmiller – contributed during the process and continue even now.

“All of our wives worked very hard to help us get where we are now,” adds Gery. “I’m not sure we would have made it without them.”

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nd so Goat Island Brewing was born.

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John Dean, Gery Teichmiller, Brad Glen and Mike Mullaney, from left above, stand on the stainless steel brewing platform located in the Goat Island tap room.

A lot of technology, science, experience and love goes into making their craft beers.

the four guys’ fastidious attention to detail and unanimous commitment to producing a quality product, the demand wouldn’t have been there and Goat Island Brewing and Tap room wouldn’t exist.

“One of our founding values is to stay true to that original idea of making the best beer, no matter the time, no matter the cost … no matter what,” says Mike.

So what exactly goes into making the best beer? A lot more than you may think and a lot more than most beer lovers want to read here, but it really boils down to knowing beer, having a vision of what you’re trying to create and, most importantly, knowing how to execute the process at the highest level of competence and standards.

“I get all the parameters fixed in my mind and then sit down and start putting ingredients down on paper,” says Goat Island’s brewmaster Gery. “There are a lot of things that go in to making a beer, but the only way to really know is to make it. If it’s not up to par, then make small changes until the beer becomes what it was in your mind.”

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ith four current offerings available at the Goat Island tap house (and just about everywhere else in Cullman with a beer tap) and plans for a series of small batch, one-off beers, there is bound to be a Goat Island brew to suit all tastes. But picking a favorite may be hard. For brewmaster Gery, it’s impossible.

“Can you tell me which of your children you like best?” asks Gery. “My beer is like my offspring. Some days I like one and another day I like the other.

Let’s just say I like them all.”

OK, so a police officer, an engineer, an environmentalist and an insurance agent walk into a brewery … and they make some mighty fine beer.

Good Life Magazine 52

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

How do you hike the AT?

One step at a time, a Cullman woman and her husband learn – the same way you tackle life’s trials Story by David Moore Photos by Keith and Sally Gilyard

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eith and Sally Gilyard spent a year and a half planning their nearly six-month, 2,184-mile hike of the Appalachian Trail. The experience recast their lives, solidified philosophies already held and prepared them for new challenges and adventures today, one step at a time.

All of that took two years, but the decision to embark on the epic journey took maybe two minutes.

It was fall 2010, and Sally Keller, a Cullman native, accompanied Keith, her boyfriend from Minnesota, to Maine for a pottery residency at an art center. Living in Montana, they loved the outdoors and decided to make the 10.4-mile round trip hike up Mount Katahdin.

They knew the mile-high monolith was Maine’s tallest mountain, but until they registered at the ranger station they didn’t know Katahdin is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.

Climbing upwards, they met a couple of descending hikers. It appeared they lived in the wild. Keith and Sally asked if they’d just completed the AT. They weren’t exactly Moses coming down from the mountain, but with the wonderment of new conviction they said yes, they’d just completed the hike, and they sang praise to the incredible journey from Springer Mountain in distant Georgia.

“They said it was the best experience of their lives,” Keith recalls. “They were sincere in their enjoyment.”

As they hiked on, Sally thought about her and AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

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Keith and Sally grab a selfie on a fire tower north of Hot Springs, N.C. Sally is the daughter of Clark and Janie Keller of Cullman.

She has a brother in Gadsden and a sister in Cullman. Keith’s parents, Kevin and Carol Gilyard, live in St. Cloud, Minn.

“It’s beautiful,” she says.

More recently she worked at Yellowstone Club, a high-end, private ski and golf resort in Big Sky, Mont.

Keith grew up in St. Cloud, Minn., and went west to earn a BFA from Montana State with an emphasis in ceramics. He throws he Appalachian Trail is a pottery and lays tile for a living. twisting, roller-coaster ribbon of Sally and Keith met through rock, earth and occasional toemutual friends in Bozeman in stumping roots that laces it way 2009 and fell in love. Over the along the highest ridges of Georgia, course of three years or so, they North Carolina, Tennessee, talked about marriage, but it Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, remained a maybe-someday thing.

Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Keith and Sally’s “ultralight packs,” parked on Max “I thought maybe after the trail, York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, if we were still together, we’d Vermont, New Hampshire and a Patch Bald, N.C., weighed 25 and 20 pounds each. probably get married,” Sally says. final 282 miles through Maine. It “We figured if we could make requires 5 million steps – marked it six months on the trail together, by 2x6-inch white blazes painted laugh, could sum up their relationship. we could make it through a lot of things,” on trees and rocks – up and down enough Sally grew up in Cullman where she Keith says. mountainsides to equate to 16 round trips graduated from high school in 1997. from sea level to the summit of Everest.

She attended Wallace State Community It’s not for the feint of heart. The effort ated 1934, the plaque bolted to College for a few years before striking out is as mental as it is physical. But Sally and the exposed rock spine atop Springer to Montana for a summer job at Glacier Keith were game. Love at first hike, they Mountain reads: A Footpath for Those National Park.

Keith’s situation in Bozeman. They had no mortgage, kids or dogs, no jobs they couldn’t leave, no confining anchors at all.

“Can we do that?” she asked.

“Well,” Keith said, fully understanding her “that.” “Sure.”

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An early stretch of smooth trail in northern Georgia, above right, incorporates a stone wall built during the Great Depression by the CCC. Sally watches the sun set over Vermont from Bromley Mountain. Ski poles helped Sally’s painful knees on the extremely steep and relentless slopes of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, above right.

Not everything about the hike was large in scope, as evidenced below. who seek Fellowship with the Wilderness. From there, on April 13, 2012, Keith and Sally trekked northward, a step at a time, little knowing the relentless climbs and descents that lay ahead.

“I didn’t want to read about the sections of the trail, what to expect,” he says. “We had no idea.”

They had organized supply boxes for their parents to mail on certain dates to certain post offices in small towns the AT passes through or near. Thanks to previous experience, they’d also researched and invested in ultra-lightweight backpacks, tent and sleeping bags, determined to tote only absolute essentials. For coolness and one less worry, they shaved their heads before they left.

“I knew if we were comfortable hiking, we could keep going,” Keith says. “If all you want to do all day is set down your pack, you can’t walk and enjoy yourself.”

As they hiked, they watched spring in the valleys slowly creep up the slopes. They crossed their first state line, they climbed high through the Smoky Mountains, one step at a time. Burning some 5,000 calories a day, food ever haunted their minds. Muscles sometimes screamed with each step.

Easing the pain and hunger, feeding their souls, they sometimes discovered “trail magic.”

It might be in the form of a passing stranger at AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

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It’s hard not to spread your arms to embrace the outdoors, which Sally does above atop Bigelow Mountain in Maine. Fall caught up with the couple in earnest in Maine. Sally, left, sits in trail shelter along the 100-mile stretch of wilderness between Monson and Baxter State Park, where Katahdin lords over the landscape.

Keith and Sally kept a blog of their hike. You can read it at: summeronfoot. blogspot.

56 AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

the odd road crossing giving them a lift to a post office. Or empathetic people leaving a box of Little Debbies and soft drinks at trailside. Or pizza out of the blue.

“The good definitely outweighed the bad by far, but it tends to be the scary things, the bad things that get a lot more media attention,” Keith says.

Fellowship with wilderness abounded, but they were surprised at social aspects of the AT. They made numerous friends. Some they would see on and off over days or weeks. Others they might see three states later.

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quarter of the AT traversed diagonally through Virginia. It seemed to go on forever. They took it a step at a time.

They eventually reached New England, and the landscape began changing. They found the daunting White Mountains of New Hampshire reminiscent of those out west as the AT led them miles at a time above timberline, exposed to the vastness of the world, the freedom of the wind.

But freedom is not free. Trail elevations jumped from 400 to 6,288 feet, wreaking misery on Sally’s knees.

“I was miserable, ready to quit,” she says. “It’s hard to put that kind of wear and tear on yourself and not feel it.

But we had come so far …”

Sally soldiered on, one step at a time.

“It’s almost trite but very true,” Keith says. “Slow and steady wins the race.”

Some 330 miles later, he and Sally reached the base of Katahdin, coming nearly full circle from two years earlier.

Snow and ice coldly, however, rebuked their first attempt at summiting. It threatened to be a bitter end to the hike.

But the next day, Oct. 9, 2012, brought a crystalline sky.

Wearing warmer clothes, they climbed through the woods, above timberline, over the huge, exposed boulders, crossed the Talbeland and at last touched the weather battered sign at the end of their quest.

S

o they did it, they hiked from Georgia to Maine, through idyllic woods, through the heat, the cold, the rain, through the hunger and bodily pain, aching up mountainsides, passing seemingly random miracles of trail magic and reaching dizzily exhilarating vistas and new perspectives on the world all around them and things deep inside. It was a sense of accomplishment, theirs for keeps.

Along the way they’d taken a few side trips, one to visit friends in the stunningly different world of New York City only 40 miles downstream of the AT’s crossing on the Hudson.

What happened there was perhaps the shock of Sally’s life.

Before they left Montana, Keith had made a ring with an uncut diamond for her, secretly taping it in the bottom of his backpack. He’d figured he’d pop the surprise on top of Katahdin, but he just couldn’t wait another 786 trail miles.

On Aug. 1, in the midst of Times Square, he asked Sally to marry him, hiking partners forever, so to speak, wherever the trail led.

“There are few things in life that strike that emotional cord like finishing a six month hike in the woods,” Keith says. “It’s like the birth of a child after a nine-month gestation, or being engaged for a long time and finally getting to kiss the bride. It’s the same thing with AT. You struggle, then it’s all wrapped up when you get your hands or lips on the Katahdin sign, you have done it.”

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Sally said yes.

They married Aug. 10, 2013, in Bozeman.

This fall, following their third wedding anniversary and fourth anniversary of completing the AT, they have much to reflect upon and celebrate – not the least of which is Flax, born Sept. 22, 2014.

But fear was their first emotion when the physician said their son has Down syndrome, setting off an emotional roller coaster as up and down as the Appalachian Trail. Patience, a lesson from the hike, helped settle them.

“We took it head on and quickly developed a decision to take it one day at a time and move forward,” Sally says. “It’s trail mentality – just one step at a time.”

Over time the weight lifted, the journey lightened. Flax helped tremendously, his smile and love easing their fears.

“He’s so wonderful, just such a joy and great baby,” Sally says. “We try not to compare him to other kids because, in all honesty, he’s better than most of them.”

I

Flax loves to get outdoors with his parents. At top, Sally gives him a hike through Montana’s Absaroka Mountains about 20 miles east of Bozeman. Below, Keith holds Flax in Hyalite Canyon, just outside of Bozeman. The Gilyards now live in Belgrade, five miles from Bozeman.

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t’s been four years since the AT. What do you make of it?

“I remember how little we actually needed,” Sally says. “We had a backpack and a change of clothes. The simple things in life are what you bring. Material things are just – material things. We need to pare the urge to accumulate material things in life.”

What she holds most closely from the hike is far from material.

“It was a monumental thing in my life,” she says. “Aside from my now wonderful husband and son, it was one of the best things I’ve ever done.

“The sense of accomplishment and the people you meet and stories you get to tell … it was all worth it. I’m not sure I would do it again, but I might do something similar.”

In true trail fashion she adds, “We’ll take it a day at a time and see.”

Good Life Magazine

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Build it ... they will come That can refer to a number of things, but water shortage shouldn’t be one of them

An engineer with Corps of Engineers once called Duck River one of the most natural dam sites he’d ever seen. The dam – pictured from a helicopter piloted by Cullman Police Lt. Danny Hite – stretches 2,000 feet east to west and stands 141 feet tall. Not counting extensive site work, actual dam construction started in 2015. All the stone in the dam was quarried and crushed at sites that are now under as much as 120 feet of water. Other on-site stone was made into the cement used on the spillway in the center. Engineers expected the reservoir to fill in 10 months or so, but a torrential, 100-year flood over Christmas filled it to near capacity in just days. A test such as that, said Dale Greer of the Cullman Economic Development Agency, speaks to the solidity of the dam.

Satisfied, in 2000 the Army Corps of Engineers issued a five-year permit for dam construction. It was quickly stymied when the Alabama Rivers Alliance, uild it,” Susan Eller said, “and American Canoe Association and other they will come.” concerned groups filed suit arguing that a She was talking specifically about the new water supply was unnecessary and the coming of snowy egrets, blue herons and, dam would further harm a river already on appropriate to the name, ducks. the state’s impaired waters list.

After 22 years of slow moving, ater flows downhill. But building It was five years before a judge ruled construction of the dam on the Duck River the Duck River dam was an uphill battle. was all but complete when it filled up in Reservoir manager Tim Scott and Susan the need justified and said issues of water quality and a shocking rush with cumulative and the torrential rains last downstream impacts Christmas. And, indeed, had been adequately the wild birds came. addressed.

The bird magnet was So in 2006 ACE all the dead bugs floating issued a second on the surface, drowned permit, this one in the holiday deluge, giving the utilities laughed Tim Scott as we board 10 years cruised up the reservoir to complete the recently aboard a small dam and fill the pontoon, egrets flying reservoir. But another before us. lawsuit was filed But the more we claiming the board talked about the new did not conduct reservoir and dam, and an appropriate the more I thought about environmental it, I realized Susan’s impact statement. “build it” comment could A judge eventually just as well refer to the ruled for the board fish population and the A white egret – also called a cow bird – glides gracefully over the water. and finally, in 2012, anglers who’d certainly site work started. follow, to people attracted Geological to other recreational problems later Eller, special projects coordinator for opportunities – especially trail bike riding surfaced, suspending construction again.

– and even folks seeking sites for cabins or Cullman Economic Development Agency, discussed the battle as Al Davis steered the Engineers developed a solution, but the homes with a quiet lake view. boat across the calm waters. Al retired after dam’s new design upped the cost from $70 First and foremost, however, the Duck million to $90 million.

River Project was built to provide a reliable working 35 years at the treatment plant drinking water source for the people, farms operated by the Cullman Utilities Board, ork on the dam was nearly and industries – for the quality of the good which owns the dam, the reservoir and our complete when the Duck got a 100-year life – in Cullman County. What should boat. flood for Christmas. Fed by its 24,000-acre not come, exactly because the dam and Susan credited Tim for laying crucial watershed, the reservoir rose 92 feet in 48 groundwork that eventually cleared the reservoir were built, are local water wars hours, Susan said. Engineers had given the way for the reservoir. Using an EPA and shortages occurring in some regions. reservoir an 87-percent chance of filling in grant in 1999, he conducted a thorough Since starting Good Life Magazine a year. watershed study establishing a biological three years ago, I had visited the project Because it filled so quickly, some database against which all dam effects twice for stories. The second time was last of the final construction work had to be summer to ride mountain bikes on the first would be measured. completed by divers, but the actual project completed section of the 21-mile hiking/ “We knew we had some water quality was expected to be officially completed by biking trail built around the reservoir. It issues with land use practices, but we had Aug. 1.

Tim out there,” Susan said. “We were was then just a vast barren bowl roughly Despite the lengthy effort – or, more addressing those issues through voluntary scrapped of growth, an ugly scar mostly withered and dry with a small river efforts of agriculture and other land users.” accurately, because of it – the Duck River “The dam and reservoir can’t have any has been removed from the “impaired trickling through it. detrimental effects on critters and bugs and waters” list. Susan said the state lists it as Today, water has vanquished the scar, a “qualified stream,” a status expected to worms,” Tim added. leaving behind a beautiful, rippling 640-

Story and photos

by David Moore

“B

acre reservoir. I returned this third time to see the completed project, not just from the bike trail, but from the open deck of a pontoon boat and from the cramped quarters of a helicopter which allowed expansive views of just what had been built.

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With Tim Scott and Susan Eller aboard, Al Davis backs a small pontoon boat from the launch near the dam on a beautifully clear day. Left, they cruise along Henderson Branch. The first inlet northeast of the dam, it’s the largest of four or five creeks that once fed the Duck River and now supplement the reservoir. A handicapaccessible viewing and fishing area was built there on County Road 1650. It’s one of the areas Tim predicts will make for good fishing in the future.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

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The 640-acre Duck River Reservoir will yield 32 million gallons of drinking water a day on top of the 24 million gallons Lake Catoma yields. At right, construction on the foot/bike bridge across the Duck at the northern turning point of the trail around the reservoir is under way.

Reservoir manager Tim Scott has been directly involved in the Duck River Project since 1999. “I take personal pride in it, and it’s something different every day,” he said. “I get a lot of credit for a lot of stuff here, but a lot of people have made me look good. We’re a big team. The Cullman Utilities Board, Susan Eller and Dale Greer have fought for this for years.”

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Katelyn Williams of Cullman samples a soon-to-be-opened section of the biking trail alongside the Duck River below the dam.

The Army Corps of Engineers permit requires a recreational component to the Duck River Reservoir. The Utilities Board is coordinating with Cullman Park and Recreation to oversee recreation, including responsibility for the biking/hiking trail. further improve to that of “water supply.”

Beyond the peninsula that juts from the western shore at the boat ramp on County Road 1651, our boat passed over the old Tanner Bridge, now 58 feet under water.

Tim talked about rock bluffs and overhangs beneath us that once overlooked the river. Native Americans undoubtedly used the bluffs as hunting shelters. As part of the early comprehensive studies on the effects of the dam, an archeology team from The University of Alabama had sifted through the sites and found no significant cultural importance, Tim said.

For the last several miles of our trip upstream, five or six egrets escorted us, flying several hundred yards or so ahead, landing, waiting for us to catch up, then flying off again. We turned around beneath the bridge on the Fairview-Holly Pond Road.

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n the seven-mile cruise back to the dam, Susan and Tim talked about drinking water, fishing, building restrictions around

the reservoir and the flow of the Duck River.

Before any water can be pumped for drinking, the state requires a year of water quality testing, which recently started.

Because of that hiatus, the bid to lay a 30-inch water main to the treatment plant seven miles away was put off until this October. The lake’s big straw is expected to cost about $18 million.

In March, the state wildlife and fisheries department released 100,000 bream fingerlings in the reservoir, which should be capture-size by next summer. Catfish, crappie and baitfish are planned for release this fall.

In May, the state stocked the reservoir with 20,000 Florida bass, which should add their fighting qualities to the Alabama largemouth when they spawn.

A fish survey found the population of spotted bass already in the lake to be sufficient. Tim said some of those bass are already six inches long, and they can grow about 1.25 pounds per year.

The Utilities Board has not adopted regulations yet, but it’s been suggested that boats be limited to 25 hp engines.

The project permit requires a minimum release of water from the dam to maintain the flow of the Duck River below it. That, Tim said, ensures something nature was unable to do: keep the river alive and flowing during droughts.

To safeguard water quality, the federal permit requires that the utilities board own and maintain a 100-foot wide buffer around the lake. Boat access to the water is limited to three public launches. Access to the water by foot will be limited to trailheads and picnic spots and boat launches. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the biking/hiking trail, which is located inside the buffer.

The buffer will turn back most people looking to buy waterfront property, because the federal permit – which the utilities board cannot change – prohibits anyone from building a private pier, dock or other access to the reservoir except at AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

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Justin Loyd and his fiancé, Katelyn Williams, peddle out on the peninsula on the west side of the reservoir. “The guys who built the trail did such a great job designing it,” said Justin, who sells, rents and maintain bikes at Werner’s Trading Post. “All of my local customers are enjoying it. I’m sure people will be coming from out of town to ride as well. I’ve already had several of them come in the shop asking directions for it.

I’m excited to see what it does for the local bike scene. Bike technology keeps getting better and better, and now we get this awesome trail right in our backyard. the public sites that are open to everyone.

Still, now that the reservoir is built, some homeowners will likely come, drawn to property adjacent to the buffer if for no other reason than the calming view and general solitude.

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ale Greer’s entire career with Cullman Economic Development Agency has been tied to the Duck River Project.

Now CEDA’s assistant director– as well as project manager for the dam – he was hired by the agency in 1993 to administer a $5 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. The money funded a Corps of Engineers study to determine how to best increase the county’s water supply, especially in light of Cullman ruling the roost as Alabama’s top poultry producer, a highly water-dependent industry.

“That represented 10 percent of the ARC’s entire federal budget, which tells 66

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

you the significance of the study,” Dale said in a recent phone interview.

The extensive study encompassed 20 possible water sources, ranging from the Tennessee River and Smith Lake, to damming Flint Creek and drilling wells.

In the end, the study concluded, the Duck River promised the biggest splash for the buck with the least environmental impact on wetlands and privately owned property.

So the Duck it was.

“I think the lawsuits were filed by people who truly believe in preservation of the rivers,” Dale said. “We’re the same way. We want to preserve water for the things it provides. You have to have drinking water, too. You have to have a balance.”

The city makes no profit from water sales to individuals or the five independent systems countywide it provides to at wholesale.

“There was never any reason to do

anything that was not in the best interest of everyone,” Dale said.

Combined with the Utilities Board’s Lake Catoma, the Corps estimates the Duck River Reservoir will provide ample water for a growing Cullman County for 75 years. Dale estimated longer.

“When I sit back and see water shortages across the county and the world and realize we’re protected for 75 to 100 years, that we won’t have water issues and shortages, that’s pretty satisfying,” he said.

And six or seven years from now, if Dale pulls a fighting, eight-pound largemouth out of the Duck River Reservoir …

“That would not hurt my feelings,” he laughed. “But there are a lot of other fishermen who will appreciate the opportunity to do that, too.”

As Susan would say, and Scott would agree, “Build it, and they will come.”

Good Life Magazine

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B reezes T a on take ings rs n build for owne wntow oks – old do – and lo rden lives tiful ga w new au rro be ley’s pths of so mob ie de Ed from ptious rung scrum ting has sp ea offers Dyer ) light teresa s for (sorta 15 idea G 20

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Open to the Public Tuesday-Saturday 2201 2nd Avenue NW, Cullman

✦ Lifetime Warranty ✦ Recycled Poly ✦ Made in USA ✦ Variety of Colors

CLAY COLVARD

VISIT OUR NEW PATIO FURNITURE SHOW ROOM

423 2nd Avenue SW, Cullman Across from First Community Bank

256-708-4413 Open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm

www.nadiyaspatiostore.com

Agent/Financial Representative

256-739-5555

Premier Service Agency 1726 Cherokee Avenue SW Suite C, Cullman

Lake Catoma Water Front Lots In Cullman City Limits – Maintenance Free Living WILL BUILD TO SUIT

DEVELOPED BY WALKER PROPERTIES,LLC

Wyn Crest Estates Town Houses on Lake Catoma

Located off HWY 157

Insuring our friends and neighbors since 1943

256-796-2211 Behind CRMC Hospital

Berkeley Bob’s

Coffee House & Whole Earth Store

A CULLMAN CLASSIC Original 1960’s Hippie Era Coffee House

256-734-4060 Wescoat Free

410 1st Ave SE, Suite 100 Cullman, AL 35055

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A Full Service Coffee House with full espresso bar, baked goods, healthy breakfast and lunches, soup, salad, sandwiches, wraps and LIVE MUSIC

Serving Downtown Cullman Since 2003 304 1st Ave. SE, Cullman, Alabama 256-775-2944

www.berkeleybob.com AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

67

2016 Annual Meeting Saturday, Sept. 17th, 8 a.m. - noon Northbrook Baptist Church (registration ends at 11 a.m.)

All registered members in attendance receive a $15 power bill credit and enter the grand-prize drawing* for a 2006 Chevy Colorado truck!

FREE CONCERT

9 a.m. in the church sanctuary

Award Winning Southern Gospel Group

The McKamey’s

• Hot dogs, popcorn and drinks for all members and their guests • Kids’ games, inflatables, spin art and bucket truck rides • Health fair hosted by Cullman Regional Medical Center

Members who register and vote are eligible to win one of 20 $100 power bill credits! * (*winners do not have to be present at time of drawing)

256-737-3200 www.cullmanec.com

Out ‘n’ About Alabama Rural Electric News, a monthly predecessor to Alabama Living today, was out and about in past decades documenting the work of Cullman Electric Cooperative employees and the benefits that they produced.

Here is a three-page sampling of those old pictures.

Above, fluffy cotton comes from the electric-powered Vinemont Gin Company in 1956. At left, H.F. Landers of Mt. Olive was the first co-op member to request help with a water pumping system back in 1955.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

69

Clockwise from upper left, in 1956 a proud Mrs. M.H. Bagett of Fairview is the first to own an electric auto washing machine and water heater, installed by George Boike of Luyben-Boike.

Cullman Electric crews make repairs after the April 8, 1957, tornado that hit northwest of Addison. Leonard Calvert, Claude Wood and Malcom Vest attend the opening of the Bremen substation in 1963. Folks in Holly Pond might have stayed up past their normal bedtime to witness or play in the first night game held under the lights in Holly Pond in 1957. And first-year voc-ag students at Fairview study wiring in 1958.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER

71

HOLLY POND

BRONCOS

CULLMAN

60

WE’RE CELEBRATING OUR

TH

GOOD HOPE

RAIDERS FAIRVIEW

THANKS TO OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY!

We proudly support all area football – GO TEAMS!!

AGGIES

HANCEVILLE

COLD SPRINGS

BULLDOGS

EAGLES

VINEMONT

WEST POINT

EAGLES

Remember ... Tailgating is better when you have a

WARRIORS

Home Of The Best Price Guarantee! We Have The Best Price — Everyday

– Since 1956–

1940 Second Avenue NW Cullman AL 35055

256-734-4472

www.billsmithbuickgmc.com