Cullman Good Life Magazine - Fall 19

CULLMAN COUNTY

Sharon Townson says the library is about so much more than books

Just in time for a spooky Halloween – Southern Ghost Girls Tours FALL 2019 | COMPLIMENTARY

At age 24, airline pilot Aaron Mathis says he never ‘works’

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Welcome

Gotta’ pay your dues to see the views ... same goes for creating a ‘good life’

A

long with buddies Jeff Mitchell and Kris Kincaid, I dragged my rear off to North Carolina in June to re-hike a section of the Appalachian Trail through the bald mountains of the Roan Highlands.

I was eager and thrilled to go, but I say “dragged” because I sometimes feel the toll of 67 birthdays on my body, and I had real questions about being physically able to make the hike.

So did my wife. But I think Diane finally understood that until my body emphatically says otherwise, I’m too young to say, “I can’t anymore.”

So off I went, lugging a 35-pound backpack, camera and a sleeping bag I’d not spent a night in since Jeff and I through-hiking the AT in 1981.

For a warm-up on this trip, that first afternoon we made a short 1.5-mile loop hike up Max Patch, a 4,616-foot bald with stunningly wide open views of the Smokey Mountains to the south. The trail to the top poses less than a 300-foot gain in elevation, but it was enough to set my lungs a-huffing.

The next day, farther north, we set out from Carvers Gap for a 13.3-mile overnighter to where the AT crosses U.S. 19E. The open balds here loom up to 5,880 feet in elevation. In all, we hiked uphill 2,060 feet. I ate freeze-dried chili. My tent flooded that night in an Old Testament thunderstorm.

But it was fantastic. To paraphrase Ringo Star, Got to pay your dues / if you want to see the views / and you know it don’t come easy.

It got me thinking about everyone featured in this issue of Good Life (minor watermelon thieves excluded). Each one of them climbed some figurative mountain or the other to achieve his or her own version of whatever a “good life” is.

I don’t have a license to preach, so I tread carefully here, but I do want say that you can’t see the views, you can’t get much out of life, without getting off your rear and making it happen.

You know. . . that “just do it” thing.

Oh, and please don’t think I’m bragging about a little hike. Heck, I got passed by people running up and down the same mountains that nearly did me in.

Mo Mc PUBLISHING LLC

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AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Contributors Writing book reviews, running Deb’s Bookstore and juggling other projects prevented Deb Laslie from planting her usual large garden this year. But she did get out the basics and enjoys what time she can gardening (fighting off bookworms, perhaps) – which fits in with the accidental theme of this issue.

Like Steve Maze’s stories? He’s also a featured public speaker for a variety of organizations, such as schools, businesses, churches and senior groups. He is known for his humorous, down-toearth style of speaking. If you need a speaker for your group, contact him at ystmem@otelco.net.

Besides writing about ghost tours in this issue, teaching an English course this summer at Wallace and building a house, Seth Terrell is writing a book ... besides his serious one. Collaborating with a friend on illustrations, this one targets young children and is about waiting. “Is it finished yet, Daddy?”

David Myers attributes his love of food to his growing up in southern Louisiana and his love of writing to the nuns of St. Agnes School in Old Jefferson. For him and his wife Rose, there’s no shortage of good restaurants to visit and review.

“What a delicious destiny,” he says. “Bon appétit!”

Advertising/art director Sheila McAnear doesn’t usually have problems getting her creative juices flowing, be they for designing ads or moving.

Now the summer sunshine, she says, has left her feeling especially creative. “I can’t wait for cooler temperatures this fall to start a few new projects.”

GLM’s birthday sneaked up on editor/publisher David Moore. He didn’t realize this starts year seven for Good Life until he updated the volume number below. In case you wondered, a periodical’s volume depicts years of publication. “No” is the issue number. GLM publishes four times a year.

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

Vol. 7 No. 1 Copyright 2019 Published quarterly

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

MoMc Publishing LLC P.O. Box 28, Arab, Al 35016 www.good-life-magazine.net

The goal is to attend all big local events and set up daily at locations around town.

In the future they may even take their delicious brand to Huntsville and Birmingham.

Neeley Florence serves an eager customer.

Augusta’s tailors its trailer menu to the venue.

Hutch Sutter gets a hand from son Bailey. “It’s all a blessing,” says Josh Veres. “We are very fortunate for the entire family to be in a position to spend a lot of time together.”

Now enjoy your favorite food at your favorite event!

“Mom always said that idle hands are the devil’s workshop, so I try to stay busy,” laughs Josh, also a cook at the restaurant.

Hey, Mom, look at our new food trailer!

“You know how Mom finds out about things later?” chuckles Deb Veres, owner of Augusta’s Sports Grill. “It wasn’t exactly like that. The kids swear they told me about getting a food trailer and blame it on my forgetfulness …”

Let’s just say her son Josh and daughter and son-in-law Katie and Hutch Sutter took the trailer bull by the horns and bought the new rig. And now the restaurant that loves serving up “food for the body, good times for the soul” is taking the show on the road.

It’s off to a great start with the Strawberry Festival, Memorial Day and Fourth of July at the lake, Second Fridays and stints at fun places like Goat Island Brewery.

Neeley Florence, Josh’s girlfriend, has stepped in to help, too, both on site and beforehand. “She helps set up events,” Josh says. “There’s no way we could do it without her. She keeps us sane and organized.”

Well, at least organized. You might have to be a tad crazy to successfully serve up insanely good food – not just in your restaurant but now in your food trailer, too.

Obviously, Augusta’s offers a more extensive menu at the restaurant. But Josh wants to cook up something special for the trailer that they don’t serve at the restaurant.

“We have something in mind that should be a good fit,” he grins. “But you have to come visit us at the food trailer to get that one.”

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Inside 10 | Good Fun

Make the most of fall ... get out and do something interesting

16 | Good People

Sharon Townson took a roundabout road to library director

20 | Good Reads

Want-to-reads for fall: ‘Sacred Duty,’ ‘The Bottom of the Pool’

23 | Good Cooking

Stephanie Jowers’ cooking brings her family together at the table

32 | Good Eats

Good memories of the old All Steak? Make some tastier ones

34 | Good Getaways

Have a good little adventure – hike up to Stephens Gap Cave

38 | Haynes Farm

Juanita’s house is the hub of a sprawling farm with deep roots

49 | Colony garden

A South African native and lots of volunteers make things grow

56 | Gone melons

Watermelons are a tasty treat ... so the ol’ patch got hit

59 | Ghost tours

Step into the unknown with the Southern Ghost Girls

66 | Young pilot

At age 24, Aaron Mathis flies his Cessna – and jet airliners

72 | Out ‘n’ About

Maybe you can’t fish with MLF, but maybe you saw it at the park On the cover | Ben Haynes harvests wheat on a part of the 4,500 acre his family farms.

This page | A baby egg plant grows in one of the raised-bed gardens in Colony.

Photos by David Moore 8

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Oktoberfest promises to be viel spaß as Cullman again celebrates its German heritage Story and photos

by David Moore

O

Here are but a view of scenes from the 2018 Cullman Oktoberfest. There were lots of children’s activities going on Saturday. Accompanied as always by Col. Cullman, the burgermiester, Ben Harrison tapped the first keg. The sheriff ’s office was one of the teams in the bed race, which is one of the events that was not yet confirmed as Good Life Magazine went to press.

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AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

ktoberfest returns Oct. 2-5 for its 38th annual celebration of Cullman’s German heritage – and, let’s face it, also an excuse to have viel spaß (lots of fun).

It takes place at Festhalle Platz, Depot Park and the Warehouse District.

Admission, of course, is free.

Various churches, restaurants will sell authentic German meals around town, and caterer Freddie Day will sell them during Oktoberfest at the Festhalle.

There will be viel live entertainment, the ever-popular beer biergarten, lots of inflatables for the kids, food trucks and trailers, a farmers market, a huge arts and crafts show, 5K and 10K runs, wiener dog races and other K9 happenings, a big car show, a historical candle-light tour and fun contests for costumes, beards and braids, bratwurst-eating, pickle-eating, stein-hosting and paper airplanes.

Oct. 2 is senior day at the Festhalle with bingo, door prizes, entertainment and a free lunch for those 50 and older.

Opening ceremonies kick it off at 6 p.m. at the Festhalle and will include the “cupcake contest” to determine Miss Oktoberfest 2019.

The official Oktoberfest Magazine will have details on everything.

Published by MoMc Publishing/Good Life Magazine, it is scheduled to be back from the press and available at advertisers and at the Cullman County Museum beginning Sept. 3-6.

Want your business seen by thousands of potential customers?

Then reserve advertising space in the official Oktoberfest Magazine

by Wednesday, Aug. 7. Call: Sheila McAnear, 256-640-3973.

• Oct. 1-Dec. 20 – “A Life in the Wild” This exhibition of 40 “legacy” images by internationally acclaimed wildlife photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen will be presented by the Evelyn Burrow Museum. His images have been described as “declarations of why wildness matters and how wild places are defined by the kinds of creatures inhabiting them.”

All of his fine art prints were shot in the wild under natural conditions, the result of his waiting for the “picture perfect moment” across decades and often in hostile conditions.

His body of work was achieved by Thomas’ heightened sense of animal behavior, an uncanny feel for being able to read changing atmospherics in the environment and patience – a stunning testament to the rewards that can come to people who slow down their lives and wait for nature’s revelations to happen.

Mangelsen is expected to be on campus for a special event Oct. 10. This special exhibit is being sponsored in part by Cullman Savings Bank.

Admission to the Evelyn Burrow Museum is free. It’s open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. TuesdayFriday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. For more information: www.burrowmuseum.org; or 256-352-8457. * Photos at left copyrighted

by Thomas D. Mangelsen.

Good Fun • Aug. 9, Sept. 14 – 2nd Fridays Shop late and eat great at this fast-growing happening 5-10 p.m. in the Downtown Entertainment District along First from Depot Park to the Busy Bee. Each second Friday of the month you can enjoy a diverse range of activities, including discounts and specials at area boutiques and restaurants, lots of live entertainment, an antique and classic car cruisein, extended hours at the Festhalle Farmers Market, inflatables, lots of food trucks and beverages.

Second Fridays are sponsored by Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce and Cullman Parks, Recreation & Sports Tourism. For more info: see 2ndFridaysCullman on Facebook.

• Aug. 15 – Sacred Harp Singing

The time is right ... get out Join local sacred harp singers at 6 p.m. at the North Alabama Agriplex.

Hear the beauty of this historical music and learn the basics. It part of Agriplex’s Heritage Skills programs.

To register, visit: www.Agriplex.org; click on the register tab and follow the link to our new registration system RecDesk. Cost is $5. For more info: 256-297-1044.

• Aug. 24 – Summer Concert Series The final event in the Hanceville Summer Concert Series features the Kingsmen Quartet with Genesis opening. Civitans will also have meals for sale. The event will be at the Hanceville Civic Center; admission is $10. Time and other details were incomplete at press time, but you can get more info from the events tab on

the city’s Facebook page by calling Kim Reburn at city hall: 256-352-9830 ext.

23.

• Sept. 1-2 – Sweet Tater Festival & Car Show Get ready to love yourself some sweet taters … and fun. The 23nd Annual Sweet Tater Festival returns to Smith Lake Park extending Labor Day weekend for some 5,000 of your closest friends. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday.

Admission is $5 for the weekend.

Vendors will be selling arts, crafts and food. There’ll be music both days, fun for the kiddies and the pool will be opened for its last hurrah of the season. The Cruise Fest and Swap Meet 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday. Cruise Fest registration is 7-11 a.m. and $15. For

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

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• Sept. 28 – Fair Parade The annual parade starts at 2 p.m. and runs along U.S. 31 from Cullman First Baptist Church to McGriff Tire and Service. Cost to enter is $20.

Register Sept. 3-noon, Sept. 25 at the fair office at Sportsman Lake Park.

Rides on the fair’s spectacular midway will again be provided

by Kissel Entertainment. Photo by Charlie Powell. more information, call: David Speegle, 256-385-1401.

And of course there will be lots of sweet taters donated by

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the Cullman County Sweet Potato Growers. More info? Call: Smith Lake Park, 256-739-2916; or visit: www. cullmancountyparks.com.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

• Oct. 1 – Little Pink Dress Garlic Put on your little pink dress and enjoy a ladies night out to benefit the Cullman County Bosom Buddies Foundation. The dinner and program – 5:30- 9 p.m. – will held at the Top of the Town in Cullman and features a four-course meal catered by Designs

by Grace. The menu includes stuffed chicken breast, pork tenderloin medallions, baby carrots, garlic mashed potato salad, dessert, tea, coffee and – with the purchase of drink tickets – wine or beer, all of which will be served by special guest male waiters. Bid on silent auction items, and receive a complimentary photo with a gift bag containing coupons provided by sponsors.

Guest speaker is Birmingham 33/40 newscaster Brenda Ladun.

Emcee is Cullman native Christina Chambers, a Fox6 sportscaster.

Tickets go on sale August 1 – $75; $500 for a table of eight – available at Options; Wendy’s Health and Nutrition; The Sweetheart Tree, or through PayPal. Cullman County Bosom Buddies Foundation is an all-volunteer, nonprofit that assists area residents in cancer treatment programs.

For more info about the event or sponsorships call: Louise Cole, 256503-5301; or Judy Grissom, 256347-5993.

• Oct. 3-12 – 65th 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 9 and under and $7 for all others. Buy a $22 megapass armband (available through Oct. 3 at Peoples Bank branches) for admission

and unlimited rides. Admission and individual ride tickets are available at the fair. Senior Citizens Day is Oct 9 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m. weeknights and 2 p.m. both Saturdays and Sunday.

For more info on rides, entertainment, exhibits and pageants visit: www.cullmanfair.org; or call: 256-734-0661.

• Oct- 5- Nov. 22 – Thanksgiving Turkey, Ham and Ribs Place your order for Thanksgiving turkeys, hams and ribs from the Cullman County Bosom Buddies Foundation. Turkeys, 15-17 lbs., are $30; hams, 10-12 lbs., $30; full rack of ribs $25. Orders may be picked up 10-11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 23; and 10-11 a.m. Thanksgiving Day at Freddy Day Catering, 1628 2nd Ave. NW in Cullman. Will work with businesses on pickups. To order or for more information: Judy W. Grissom, 256-347-5993; or Mary Dyer, 256-339-0911.

• Oct. 5 – Catch a $10K stringer

Go fishin’ and festin’ at Smith Lake Park’s Sixth Annual Bass Fest.

Expect a crowd of anglers who think they’re better than you who are out to catch the guaranteed top prize of $10,000.

Biggest fish wins $500, as does the top parent-child team.

During the day, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., there’ll be music, vendors and other fun activities at the park beach area where weigh-in will be held.

Deadline for online registration is Sept. 27, fee is $150.00, and a mandatory meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Oct. 4 at the Agriculture Trade Center. (You can sign up then for $175 cash.)

Fish Life will be there to sell apparel at the pre-tournament meeting and everyone that buys something will receive a ticket for a drawing to win $250 on tournament day (must be present to win).

For details and registration visit: http: www.smithlakeparkbassfest. com; or call Doug Davenport, 256590-2667; or Sara Morgan, 256347-8334.

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a ‘benefit.’ It just so happens that you are able to help others while having a good time as well.”

Tickets at the door are $15 and also available at The Good Samaritan Health Clinic, Yates Chance Christian Bookstore and Borden Family Pharmacy. Tickets may also be purchased online for $18: www. goodsamaritancullman.com. Visit the website for more about the free clinic.

Farm day is always fun for the kids ... plus educational. Photo by Rachel Dawsey.

•Oct. 19 – Peinhardt Farm Day Some 2,000 school students visit Peinhardt Farm throughout October, leading up to Saturday at the historic, family-owned farm. Young and Old can experience the hands-on activities during Farm Day on its 40-acre spread while enjoying antique farm and home items in the well-stocked museums.

Learn how to make quilt samplers, how turpentine is made, and watch cotton being ginned. Hear old-time music, plow with a mule, compete in sack races and more.

Families come away with armloads of remembrances including pumpkins, cotton, sweet potatoes, blue bird houses, apple pigs, cotton ball ornaments, wooden pegs, crosscut saw rounds, and more.

The event – 9 a.m.-3 p.m. – is free for ages 4 and under, $5 for kids 5-11; $7 for 13 and up. The farm is located at 1711 Talley Ho Street, Cullman. For more info: www.peinhardtfarm.org; or FB Peinhardt Living History Farm.

• Oct. 22 – Caring for Cullman Concert Award-winning Triumphant Quartet returns for the 5th Annual Caring for Cullman Concert, along with Mickey Bell. Doors to Cullman’s Northside Baptist Church open at 6 p.m. and the good times start at 7 p.m. All proceeds go to fund Cullman’s free, nonprofit Good Samaritan Health Clinic, which provides free medical care to 14

• Oct. 24-27 – “Sherwood – The Adventures of Robin Hood” This stage presentation by Wallace State Theatre will be held 7 p.m.

Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre.

Admission: suggested donations of $5 children, $10 adults.

• Oct. 26 – Trick or Treat at the Lake Campers at Smith Lake Park are decorating for Halloween, and area parents are invited to the bring their children there to trick or treat from 5-8 p.m. For more info call the park: 256-739-2916.

Mickey Bell is a Christian comedian and author hundreds of qualified, uninsured, lowincome residents of Cullman County.

The Triumphant Quartet, a mainstay at the concert, hails from Tennessee and includes Eric Bennett, formerly of West Point. Together since 2008, the group has been voted Fan Favorite Quartet in the gospel music field numerous times.

“As an artist, I get asked all the time to support various projects,” says Mickey. “While I can’t do them all, Good Samaritan will always be at the top of my list to help simply because I believe in their work. The event is a fun evening that is not presented as

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

• Dec. 12-14 – “Victorian Christmas” Space is limited so register now for the Wallace State Alumni Association’s “Victorian Christmas” trip to Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee. You don’t have to be an alumni member to go.

The package includes two nights at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Franklin, five meals – including luncheon and “Miracle on 34th Street” show at Chaffin’s Dinner Barn, Ray Steven’s CABARAY Christmas Dinner Show and a five-course Victorian Dinner at Monell’s Restaurant. Also tour the Hermitage, attend the Dickens of a Christmas Festival and shop at Opry Mills Mall or view the decorations at Gaylord Opryland Hotel.

Cost per person (includes motor coach, baggage handling, taxes and most gratuities) is $650 single occupancy, $530 double, $490 triple/ quad. Price per non-member of the alumni association is an additional $100.

Register online: www.wsccalumni. org; for more information call LaDonna Allen, 256-352-8071.

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Good People

5questions

Sharon Townson

Connecting people with what they need, libraries are about far more than books

Story and photo

by David Moore

center,” says Sharon. “But the library can offer a program and they will come out.”

ay “library” and most people think of books. Shelf after shelf of books.

No matter how many shelves there are, Sharon Townson, director of the Cullman County Public Library System, finds a view of only books to be narrow.

“We connect people with what they need,” she says. “If you need your taxes done. We’ve done computer classes. You might just want an excuse to get out of the house, so you come to the library.

“That’s what we are here for, connecting people with what they need.”

Sharon goes so far as to say the biggest challenges for libraries today is conveying the message that they are not just about books. They’re about service.

She tells the story of a man in his 60s –call him David – who came in the Cullman County Library several years ago needing help learning to read.

“He’d had to drop out of school when he was young and work on the farm. Over the years his wife had covered for him and the fact he could not read,” Sharon says. “But now she was in a nursing home and could no longer help him.”

Rachael Howze, currently Director of Dual Enrollment at Wallace State Community College, worked in the library when David appeared. Rachael took David under her wing.

“She worked with him on phonics and built up from there,” Sharon says.

“She had him reading easy books, and he started reading to his grandkids.

“Much later, David got in touch with Rachael and said he’d been in hospital and that was the first time he’d been able to read a menu by himself.”

People are beginning to realize that libraries are more than just books, Sharon says. Take for example her parents, both in their 70s.

“Neither one will step foot in a senior

rowing up first in Selma, then Cullman, then Blount Springs, libraries and books were not high on Sharon’s activities list.

“I was too busy playing outside,” she laughs. “When I read, it was mostly books from school libraries – ‘Danny the Dinosaur,’ ‘Sammy the Seal.’ I guess that’s why I always liked seals.”

After graduating from Hayden High School, she went to Wallace State Community College, initially for cosmetology but quit after a semester.

“You have to be a people pleaser to do that,” Sharon laughs, “and women are very picky.”

Still at Wallace, she signed up for academic courses and hit her pace.

“I was left to my own devices to figure things out,” she says. “I worked better without helicopter teachers.”

Sue Spradlin, with Wallace’s coop program, helped Sharon get a job spinning southern gospel records at WHZI AM. In 1989, while at Wallace Sharon married.

The couple moved to Cullman, where she enrolled at Athens State for a degree in human resources. She worked in personnel at Porter Mills.

She graduated in ’93, divorced in ’94. During this time she commuted to Birmingham where she worked in child resources for DHR. “It was crazy hours, a huge responsibility and not many success stories,” Sharon says. “When they had an opening at the Cullman County Water Department, I took it.”

S

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G

G

ood things began to happen.

Co-worker Jennifer Baxter arranged a date for Sharon with Mark Townson, who worked with Jennifer’s husband at American Protein. It was December 1996, and they had their first date – to see

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

the Christmas lights at Sportsman Lake.

Mark, also divorced, had lost his second wife to meningitis.

“He had his three kids lined up in the back seat,” Sharon fondly recalls.

“He was not playing around. He was saying, ‘This is what I am about.’ He was definitely a family man.

“Mark is just one of those people … a really, really good person.”

They married in June 1997.

Sharon was providing customer service at the Water Department in 2001 when she spotted a job posting that grabbed her attention – an opening at the Cullman County Library.

She interviewed and director John Paul Myrick hired her as youth/outreach coordinator in 1991. More than just her boss, he mentored Sharon.

“He took a chance on me,” she says.

She did puppets and story time at the library, planned summer programs and drove the bookmobile.

“It was wonderful taking books to schools with libraries and to people in nursing homes and assisted living,” Sharon says. “I loved it. The light quickly came on. Mark knew it too. He was like, ‘Oh, yeah!’”

John Paul also encouraged her to get a master’s degree and helped her land a scholarship.

“But,” Sharon adds, “it was my husband, Mom, Dad, mother-in-law and work family that made my master’s degree possible.”

1.

What are some of the changes you’ve seen in your 18 years with the Cullman County Library System?

Libraries evolve and change the same as other living things. As digital books became available, you heard some people say it would be the end of libraries. That’s not the case. We embrace that technology. Libraries move forward as times change.

SNAPSHOT: Sharon Townson

Born Jan. 11, 1969 in Selma, Alabama. Daughter of Nina Johns of Warrior and Johnny Osburn of Lacey’s Spring; older brother

is Randy Nalley. Moved to Cullman in 1974 and later to Blount Springs.

FAMILY: Married to Mark (best blind date ever) Townson. Blended children are: Heather (Jason) Howard, Heath (Katlynn)

Townson, Cody (Carmen) Wiley, Hunter (Kendra) Townson, Tyler “The Glue” (Amy) Townson; two “grandblessings”:

S.J. and Lane Townson.

EDUCATION: Hayden High School, 1986; Wallace State Community College, AA, 1990; Athens State College, BA, 1993;

University of Alabama, MA in library and information studies, 2006. She jokingly adds that she’s attending Life University, School of Hard Knocks.

CAREER: Hired by Cullman County Public Library System, 2001; worked as children and youth coordinator, outreach

coordinator, assistant director; now director.

ORGANIZATIONS/ACTIVITIES: District 4 Representative for Alabama Public Library Service; advisory council for Library Services

and Technology Act; Alabama Library Association Scholarship Fund board member and committee member for author awards, public relations and the children and school librarians division. Former longtime member of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Welti, now member of Temple Baptist in Cullman; member of the Dripping Springs Chapter of the DAR. AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019 17

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While he was the librarian, John Paul teamed up with Orange Beach Public Library and Thomas B. Norton Library and began a collaborative effort in 2005 to bring eBooks and audiobooks to Alabama’s public libraries.

At that time some were of the opinion that digital access to books would be detrimental to public libraries. That’s proven to be just the opposite.

Public libraries in Alabama created Camellia Net – named after our state flower – and 120 member libraries formed a statewide digital library. It is a branch of the very popular Overdrive, which offers eBooks, audiobooks, music and videos.

As I said, public libraries are not just about books. Never have been. Libraries connect people with what they need.

Our library in Cullman averages about 350 visits per day. Not everyone has internet access at home. Some do not have it available in their area, others may not be able to afford the monthly fee, and sometimes your printer just stops working and people come in to print. We offer free computer/internet access. We even offer wireless “hot spots” that check out for two weeks.

Many employers require applications to be completed online. College students come to the library to attend online classes. Every day our staff helps someone create an email account to take care of a variety of needs.

This past tax season we offered free AARP tax help. AARP set up shop in the library, and appointment slots filled up immediately.

That tells us there is a need in our area for such services. AARP will be back next year with highly trained volunteers to assist our community during tax season.

We offer free access to Ancestry.com. One patron was able to find her birth parents via Ancestry’s DNA testing. She relocated across country to be near her newly found blood relatives.

We offer a variety of programs – some ongoing events, some special events. We want people to feel free to join any program and connect to others with similar interests. People need a reason to come together.

When I think about retiring – I do have more “grandblessings” on the way! – I think about what I will do every day. I pray whoever takes my position here will come up with more ideas for programs to get me out of the house.

I hope we are always changing.

2.

Your baby goat yoga class in April created a good stir for the library. Can you talk

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

about it and some of the ways you and the staff promote the library?

Yoga is held each Wednesdays at 11:30 with our instructor, Sheila Sobotka. A few months ago we decided to include a few baby goats in the program with the help of Wendy Childers, our baby goat loaner, and Willette Harbison and Virginia Barber, who transported them for us.

It was exciting. The Cullman Tribune put a story and photos of it on their Facebook page.

It went crazy. The American Library Magazine picked it up on their electronic version. Brodart Library Supplies put it out on their Facebook page. Additionally, we are working on an article about the baby goats for the International Federation of Library Associations.

It was terrific exposure for the library, as are all of our programs – which, by the way are free and open to the public.

Jean’s Knifty Knitter was initiated by Jean Dueland to knit baby caps for all children born at CRMC. It meets every Tuesday at the library.

Preschool story time is held each Monday and Tuesday during the school year. We partnered with Panera Bread and have a free, monthly milk-and-cookie story time there.

Polly Easterwood visits monthly to teach children about music. Former students of Polly’s are now the parents and even grandparents of the children visiting the library for music class.

They’re learning “new” songs that somehow their grandparents already know.

Summer programs lean heavily toward introducing young children to a life-long love of reading and encouraging older students to continue reading and maturing as they prepare for school to resume in the fall. The 2019 summer reading theme is “A Universe of Stories,” helping celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

We offer programs to local assisted living facilities and nursing homes with “bi-focal kits.”

These kits get folks to reminisce about a variety of topics such as “Remembering the Home Front” and “Remembering Automobiles.” There are DVDs and songs to help get them talking about memories.

3.

The Friends of the Library lost its non-profit status in 2003 but recently got it reinstated. What does the future hold for the Friends?

Our Friends group had their 501(c)(3) reinstated in May. This is such good news. This is a game changer for our community. It opens so many doors for grant opportunities.

The community answered our call for help. Renee Welch, oneFUN WIDOWER SEEKS DRIVING of our dedicated patrons, mentioned her experience with nonCOMPANION to Las profits, and we asked if she could check into it for us. Within aVegas. I’ll pay for food and gas if you few months she was able to get the non-profit status reinstated. pay for hotel rooms There are many businesses and foundations that can only there and back. If you donate to a charity that is categorized as 501(c)(3) with the love IRS.buffets, glittering lights, and big stage Ross Dress for Less wanted to give us a donation to celebrate shows, let me know. opening its new store here in Cullman but couldn’t because of the tax status at the time.

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4.

What is the board’s vision for the library?

DAD. I have 2 boys and looking for a man to teach them baseball, how Friends to fish, change a tire, and other guy

It will take a little time to get things going, but the of the Library are working closely with our dedicated library board, which is comprised of Ron Hogue, Dean Green, Rusty Turner, Lea Scott and Brenda Scott.

Our mission statement is: To provide services and materials for the education, enrichment, and entertainment of the people of Cullman County and its municipalities.

Our board is working to make a positive impact on the community as far as the future of the library is concerned – moving forward, changing with the times, helping people embrace new technologies.

I know they want more room for programming. We have to pack people into our special collections room, which is really our only flexible space. It’s only about 25x12 with a little overflow space in the aisles and the hall to the bathrooms When we had the baby goat yoga, 27 people signed up.

Others came just to watch. We had to turn away some people for a lack of space. One lady left because it became too crowded.

I’m sure expanding space is a concern of the board’s.

5.

. What is something most people don’t know about Sharon Townson?

Stereotypically, librarians are scholarly. That’s not me. Not everyone gets it right straightaway. It took nearly seven years to get my four-year degree, and there is nothing wrong with that.

That was my path.

We may not know we are resilient until we need to be, and you can never go wrong with education.

Also, I am a huge fan of audiobooks. I actually listen to more books than I read.

Usually I will have one print book and one audio book going at the same time. If I am in my kitchen I am listening to something.

Several times I have tried to get interested in a book in print and finally gave up on it. Then I would try that same book in the audio version and love it. The person reading the book can make all the difference. I love distinct voices. Maybe I am an audible learner, I don’t know.

I do want to say how much I love my job. This is my thing.

You don’t realize how much you get to help people until you work here. I guess maybe I could have been a nurse, but I don’t know about that whole thing with body fluids …I get woozy at the sight of blood.

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19

Good Reads

Tom Cotton offers an intimate look inside the Old Guard

‘Bottom of the Pool’ opens up a different view of yourself

acred Duty” by Tom Cotton is a book that made me want to be a better and more honorable human being.

This is not your average history book about the Old Guard and Arlington National Cemetery. It is a book about the true meaning of the Old Guard, how it was created ... Arlington National and why it exists today.

It is a book about Cemetery and The Arlington, not just the Old Guard transcend land, not just the tourist politics. We live in attraction, not just the row politically divided upon row of headstones times, to be sure. Yet the and flags, and not just the military remains our Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. nation’s most respected “Sacred Duty” is about institution, and the honor, loyalty and humble fields of Arlington are service. It includes one place where we can intimate stories of life set aside our differences. inside the Old Guard and the soldiers who strive for perfection in every aspect of their duty.

The soldiers who perform these very personal ceremonies understand their role in the lives of the families of the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for all of us. The Old Guard, Tom writes “embodies our respect, our gratitude, our love for those who have borne the battles of a great nation – and those who will bear the burdens of tomorrow.”

I am so proud to be an American.

– Deb Laslie

ndy Andrews, author of the “Traveler’s Gift,” “The Noticer” – and many, many others – has a new book, “The Bottom of the Pool.” You might think you know what to expect, but remember, this is our Andy and you are not going to know where you’re going until you get there. ... Don’t EVEN tell me Andy will lead you, step by step to places you haven’t got much you didn’t even know imagination or that you existed. If you’re like don’t have a very good me, you’ll be surprised, sense of humor. If you a little convicted, and really believe that about entertained … but more yourself, you might as importantly, you’ll think about life in general just a well understand this little differently – and be too: You are living life in better for it. an unnecessarily tough Mom told me once way.

And every day – by when I had arrived at the imagining you lack a breakfast table grumpy funny bone – you’re that I needed to go back to bed, get up and start choosing to make it the day over again. So, tougher still. too, does Andy tell us that we need to think about things from a different perspective and with humility. “The Bottom of the Pool” is a book you’ll want to read several times before you pass it along.

I’m so glad I read it. I know you will be, too.

– Deb Laslie

“S

20

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21

Stephanie Jowers’ cooking brings her family together

Good Cooking

Story and photos

by David Moore

S

tephanie Jowers has a degree in hotel and restaurant management from Auburn University. She worked in several restaurants when she was younger, then moved on to large hotels and two fast food chains. In 2015 she co-founded Southern Eats in Cullman.

But she never had any formal training in cooking and truly got into it only after her husband, Dr. Joe Jowers, started his residency. Stephanie felt he deserved a homecooked meal after long hours of hospital rotations.

And, as their three girls came along, cooking became the key to bringing everyone together as a family.

She almost sounds apologetic about her culinary abilities.

“I don’t consider myself an amazing cook,” Stephanie says. “I like to cook for my family and cook meals that are simple and easy for the most part.

“But I do enjoy it and think it’s important that families sit down around the table and see each other and have that personal contact,” she adds. “More than anything else, my love of cooking comes from what our family likes.”

Stephanie’s early cooking endeavors were out of necessity. Her mom, then Cathy Oberlander, was single and working in West Palm Beach, Fla. “She left my younger sister and me a chore list, and part of that was starting dinner,” Stephanie says.

Though not necessarily cooking, she also worked at McDonalds’s when she was 14 and later at a Jewish deli.

D

uring her junior year at Auburn University, her roommate got her a date with Joe Jowers, a pre-med student from Birmingham, who was a year ahead of her. Their first date was to Auburn’s 1993 homecoming game.

“I still have the t-shirt from it,” she laughs. “And the husband.”

Prior to their marriage, Stephanie interned at the Sheraton Birmingham

Stephanie Jowers’ use of her kitchen strengthens the bonds of her and Joe’s family, which includes Catie, 17, Jamie, 15, and Addie, 12. Jamie is a vegetarian. “She chose that not from health reasons, but because she loves animals,” Stephanie says. “That makes it a little more challenging to cook, because the rest of us love meat, especially bacon.

I try to be thoughtful and figure out meals with options that are not meaty. Jamie will try every once in a while to make us a meal. We’re like, ‘Where is the meat?’” and had the opportunity to work with chefs.

“I mostly planned events, but I would sit down with the chefs to help create menus,” she says. “A lot of times they let me come back and watch and help.”

After they married in 1995, they moved to Birmingham where Joe was at UAB Medical School, then to Huntsville for part of his residency and back to Birmingham for rotations.

Meanwhile, Stephanie worked as a Wendy’s training coordinator. Later, she was a Sub Zone director of training, traveling out of state. She also worked at the former Sheraton 280 and at the

Tutwiler Hotel as director of catering.

She sometimes cooked when she and Joe were both at home.

Under contract to practice in underserved communities, Joe worked first in a clinic in south Jemison. Then he found he could meet his obligations serving in Cullman. It was only an hour’s commute from Birmingham, and the couple had a number of friends there, including Hank and Julie Apel, Jeff Hill, Stephen and Julie Skinner. So he finished out his contract here.

When Cullman Primary Care approached Joe for job, he readily took it.

Cullman was an easy fit, Stephanie

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

23

PUMPKIN OOEY GOOEY BARS Crust 1 box yellow cake mix 1 egg 8 tsp. butter, melted Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients and pat into greased 9x13-inch baking dish.

Prepare filling.

Filling 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 8 tsp. butter, melted 16 oz. powdered sugar 15 oz. can pumpkin ¼ tsp. cinnamon Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, pumpkin, cinnamon and butter and beat until mixed.

Slowly add powdered sugar and mix well. Pour over crust. Bake for 40-50 minutes. The center will be a little wet looking, do not over-bake. says, and they decided it was where they’d raise their family. So they moved here in 2003 with Catie, 20 months, and Jamie, 1 month, in tow. Addie was born here in 2007.

And more and more they found themselves gathered around the table for the evening meal together.

G

rowing up, Stephanie got involved with volunteer work. In Cullman she re-immersed herself, volunteering with the likes of United Cerebral Palsy, the Medical Alliance of Cullman County and the Cullman Regional Medical Center Guild and Foundation Board. At St. John’s, she was in various women’s groups,, taught children’s Sunday school and Wednesday night classes.

“I feel like we are so on the go nowadays,” she laughs. “The kids are doing like 80 activities.”

Other families with kids are the same way, something she and her friend Laci 24

Schuman discussed. Both cook for their families, and friends they saw regularly at the ballfield jokingly – sort of – said, “Y’all should cook for us!”

“One day,” Steph laughs, “we looked at each and said, should we?”

So in 2014 they started cooking a few extra casseroles and selling them to friends. It was such a hit that in 2015 they opened Southern Eats, working with two employees to prepare “home-made” graband-go chicken salad, pimento cheese, soups, sausage balls and casseroles.

It became a big time commitment and in 2017 Stephanie turned the business over to Laci.

“I am in the end stage of my kids being here,” she explains. “Once they get into high school, it just flies by. I didn’t want to miss it.

But shortly afterward she did answer the call to take over as Director of Children’s Ministries at St. John’s.

In 2016, through St. John’s, Stephanie

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

– along with Leslie Echols and Dana Starnes – started “Created for a Purpose,” a week-long summer program designed to help empower young girls through lessons on sewing, cooking and other life skills.

“It was on my heart to do something that helped them realize who they are and that they were created by God, for a purpose,” she says. “We celebrate their unique traits and personalities.”

This summer they expected about 75 campers, 26 high school counselors and 15 adults. Each grade spends a day in the church kitchen – along with Stephanie’s daughters – helping prepare a meal for about 120 people.

But she and the girls will be home in time for supper around the table with Joe. “For as long as I can,” Stephanie says, “I want to enjoy spending time together before everyone scatters.”

And her home-cooked meals are an important part of that time together.

Good Life Magazine

Our thanks for feeding needs, minds and hearts "We thank our sponsors for supporting Cullman Christian School and our recent Feed the Need mission program. Our students were able to bag 10,000 meals by hand. Meals that went locally to Cullman Caring for Kids, The Link and Northbrook’s Caring Center. Meals also benefited schools and orphanages in Haiti. It was a great lesson for our students.

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25

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ½ lb. sliced honey ham 6 slices Swiss cheese Salt Pepper 1 cup all-purpose flour 3 eggs, beaten 2 cup panko bread crumbs Vegetable oil, for frying Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound until

about ½ inch thick using meat mallet, rolling pin or heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken breast with salt and pepper.

Place 2 slices ham and then 1½ slices of cheese on chicken. Evenly roll the chicken and place onto a new sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap chicken tightly and twist ends of excess plastic, firming up the roll of chicken cordon bleu. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While chilling, preheat high sided pan with 2 inches oil to 325 degrees.

GREEN BEANS WITH SHALLOTS AND BACON 1 lb. fresh or frozen green beans (trim fresh beans) 1 tsp. chopped shallots (onion can also be substituted, if preferred) 2 slices bacon, chopped 2 tsp. red wine vinegar 1 tsp. sugar Salt Pepper Bring to boil a large pot of salted water. Add green beans 26

and cook for 5-6 minutes or until desired doneness. Drain beans. Return hot pot to stove, add bacon and cook on medium until partially cooked.

Add shallots to bacon and continue to cook until bacon is fully cooked. Add green beans back to pot and toss in the bacon and shallot mixture.

Add vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and remove from heat. Serve.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Also, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

After the rolls are chilled, prepare 3 shallow dishes – 1 with flour, 1 with eggs, 1 with bread crumbs. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.

Place prepared chicken in the hot oil and cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until outside is an even golden brown. Place on foil-lined cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees until chicken reaches 165 degrees.

SKILLET RED POTATOES AND ARTICHOKES 3 tsp. olive oil 1 22 oz package Alexia’s Oven Red Potatoes (freezer section) 3 tsp. butter or margarine 1 can quartered artichoke hearts 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 tsp. drained capers 1 tsp. lemon juice Cook frozen potatoes in hot oil in large skillet

over medium-high, stirring occasionally, 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Remove from skillet. Melt 2 tsp. butter in skillet, add artichokes and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until garlic is golden, stirring often. Stir in capers, lemon juice and potatoes and remaining butter. Cook additional 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Serve.

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This is your home. You love it too!

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Talk up Cullman with all non-residents you know and meet!

“I tell people all of the time this is a great place to raise a family. We are people who care about people. Cullman is special.” – Christie Bright, business development manager, Mitch Smith Chevrolet

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

27

CHICKEN POT PIE 1 box refrigerated pie crust 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded 1 tsp. butter 1 tsp. olive oil ¼ tsp. poultry seasoning (optional) 1 cup potatoes, peeled and diced ½ cup carrots, diced ½ cup green beans – canned or frozen ½ cup corn (canned or frozen) 1 can cream of chicken soup ½ cup milk Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat butter and olive oil in skillet. Add potatoes, carrots and poultry seasoning and cook until softened, stirring frequently.

Line bottom of 9-inch pie plate with pie crust. Stir

together soup, milk, chicken and vegetables in medium sized bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spoon into crust and cover with second pie crust.

Crimp top and bottom edges together and trim excess.

Cut several slits in top crust with a sharp knife. Bake for 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. * I like to cover the crust with strips of foil for the first 15-20 minutes to keep the crust from getting overly browned. Also, the best thing about chicken pot pie is how easy it is to customize it for your family. Leave out any vegetables that you don’t want and add what your family loves – peas, onions, lima beans, etc.

SLOW COOKER POT ROAST 1 pot roast (I usually use chuck or shoulder roast) 1 pkg. ranch dressing dry mix 1 packet au jus dry mix 1 stick margarine or butter 3-4 peperoncini peppers MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH BALSAMIC DRESSING Bag of mixed greens Dried cranberries 1 pear, thinly sliced 6 oz. feta cheese 6 oz. candied pecans Balsamic dressing Balsamic Dressing ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 1 tsp. honey ¼ tsp. seasoned salt ¼ tsp. garlic powder Pepper, to taste ½ cup olive oil Whisk vinegar, mustard, honey and seasonings until blended. Slowly add olive oil while whisking until emulsified (thickened).

Toss ingredients together – dressing can be tossed with salad ingredients or served on the side.

28

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Place roast in bottom of crock pot. Place butter and peppers on top of roast and

sprinkle dry mixes over top (No liquid is needed). Cook on low heat 7-8 hours or until meat is tender. * I sometimes throw some carrots and potatoes in 2-3 hours before the roast is finished. It is also delicious served with mashed potatoes.

SOUTHWEST CHEESE BALL 2 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese (softened) ¼ tsp. garlic powder ¼ tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce 1 tsp. minced garlic ¼ tsp. dried red pepper flakes (plus some additional for garnish) 1 tsp. chopped cilantro (some additional for garnish) ¼ tsp. turmeric ¼ tsp. cumin powder Mix ingredients together.

Mold into desired shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Place

in refrigerator until ready to serve. I like to split the mixture in two portions and make smaller cheese balls.

It makes it easier to put out a fresh portion halfway through and reduces waste.

Before serving, roll lightly in additional chopped cilantro and dried red pepper flakes. * Use red pepper flakes sparingly – they can quickly make it too hot!

Serve with your favorite crackers or carrot or celery sticks.

2019Co-op Co-op Annual Annual Meeting 2019 Meeting Saturday, Sept. 14th 8 a.m. - noon Northbrook Baptist Church Saturday, Sept. 14th 8 a.m. - noon Northbrook Baptist Church (registration and activities from 8-11 a.m.; business meeting begins at 11 a.m.) (registration and activities from 8-11 a.m.; business meeting begins at 11 a.m.)

• Hot dogs, popcorn and drinks for all members and their guests • Hot dogs, popcorn and drinks for all members and their guests • Kids’ games, inflatables, spin art and lineman photo booth • Kids’ games, inflatables, spin art and lineman photo booth • Health fair hosted by Cullman Regional • Health fair hosted by Cullman Regional

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29

MAGIC BITES 1 cup graham cracker crumbs ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted ¼ cup sugar

1 cup sugar 8 oz. Cool Whip

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together until crumbly. Line mini-cupcake pan with liners.

Fill each liner with mix and press firmly – should fill liner about half way.

Bake for 4 minutes. Allow to cool.

Beat cream cheese in medium sized bowl until creamy and add sugar. Continue to beat until sugar is blended. Add Cool Whip and beat until all ingredients are blended. Fill gallon size Ziploc bag with filling and snip off corner. Pipe into crusts.

Filling 8 oz. cream cheese

Topping ¼ cup coconut

3 cup sweet potatoes 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla ¼ cup milk ½ cup butter or margarine Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place sweet potatoes on foil-lined cookie sheets, cover with foil and bake 45-60 minutes or until soft.

Allow to cool slightly and then 30

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE scoop out potato. Place in large mixing bowl with butter. Beat with mixer until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk and beat until thoroughly mixed.

Pour into greased 9x11 casserole dish, sprinkle topping mixture over casserole and bake for 30 minutes or until hot. * You can also top with marshmallows in place of the topping.

Bake un-topped and then add

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

3 tsp. chopped pecans Mini chocolate chips Caramel syrup Chocolate syrup Heat oven to 325 degrees. On foil lined cookie sheet, spread coconut and pecans. Toast for 5-7 minutes or until coconut is golden brown, stirring once or twice. Allow to cool. Sprinkle toasted coconut, pecans and mini chocolate chips over bites. Drizzle caramel and chocolate syrups before serving.

marshmallows during last 5 minutes.

My family likes half marshmallow, half topping.

Topping 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup flour 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 cup pecans Mix all ingredients and sprinkle over casserole before baking.

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31

Good Eats

Make delicious new memories at the ‘new’ All Steak Restaurant

Story by David Myers Photos by David Moore

M

ost folks who’ve lived around Cullman have memories of All Steak Restaurant, a Cullman landmark since the 1930s.

Our family does. Rose’s mother, Dot, was a waitress for decades at the old All Steak and often came in after a long shift with leftover orange rolls for the kids.

With all those memories in mind, the new All Steak had enormous shoes to fill when we visited for a Saturday night supper. The latest reincarnation of the classic re-opened in April, where it’s been since 2013. The fresh décor against that backdrop is stunning.

A wonderful sight – and divine smell – welcomed us as we sat down – a basket of orange rolls and yeast rolls. Fearful of disappointment but hoping for the best, Rose tore off a hunk of orange roll and tasted the warm buttery goodness – as heavenly as ever.

The rest of the menu has definitely been updated. From signature cocktails to appetizers with creative dipping sauces to seafood entrees, the owners have brought the tradition into the modern dining scene – and have done an impressive job of it.

“It was time to elevate it. That’s the plan moving forward,” says Zac Wood. Zac is a Cullman native who co-owns All Steak with Dyron Powell. A resident of Cullman, Powell also owns the acclaimed Dyron’s Lowcountry restaurant in Mountain Brook.

F

rom the list of starters that include French onion soup, Alabama blue crab claws, fried Gulf platter, peel-and-eat shrimp and All Steak onion rings, we opted for fried green tomatoes and fried okra basket.

Crispy and delicious all around, they were made even tastier by a perfectly seasoned remoulade sauce.

The “Market Greens” raise “salad” to a 32

whole new level. Chock-full of shaved apple, roasted beets, pecans, goat cheese and topped with apple cider vinaigrette, it was one of the best we’ve ever had.

On the recommendation of our server, I selected Gulf red snapper topped with lump crab and a citrus butter sauce on a bed of parmesan grits with sautéed green beans. Despite the name of this restaurant, they know how to prepare fish. The snapper was crispy on the outside and deliciously complemented by the topping.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Rose went with the smallest but arguably the best steak. Her filet arrived cooked medium just like she wanted. The steak knife was hardly necessary it was so tender and juicy. Neither of us left a scrap to take home.

We also emptied the basket of rolls, but we were not at all ashamed of the carton of orange rolls we hauled out for homework.

Other beef choices include a ribeye, New York strip, signature cut prime sirloin and the traditional All Steak hamburger steak,

Orange rolls are always served. Fried green tomatoes, bottom left, make a great appetizer. Executive chef Anthony Barnes’ ribeyes and other steaks are Prime Certified Angus Beef, and the succotash bed under his Gulf snapper is fresh from local farms. You can also eat –and probably see folks you know –in the bar, left. All Steak –located at 323 Third Ave. SE – is open Monday through Saturday for lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner 4:30 to 9 p.m. You might want to make a reservation. The lounge is open until 11 p.m. which Zac says is still the restaurant’s best seller. Like sauces on her steak? You can add bordelaise, balsamic roasted mushrooms, compound butter and tobacco onions, horseradish-blue cheese or bacon jam.

All Steak also features tempting buttermilk fried chicken, pan-seared salmon, grilled pork porterhouse, Gulf shrimp and grits, chicken fettuccine, hand-breaded chicken tenders and a vegetable plate.

Z

ac and Dyron have made shopping

locally a mainstay. They buy their produce fresh from a local farmer.

“It just makes sense,” Zac says.

Their signature cocktails enhance the fine dining experience. The Fernet 57 looks like a sunset with the golden Fernet – a bitter herbal liqueur – floating atop the gin, lemon and champagne. Smooth and sultry, it was like none we had ever tasted. The Tijuana Honeybee is similar to a margarita, sweetened with honey and topped with a chili pepper salt on the rim. We loved it.

To our delight, Dyron and Zac also offer the Hard Orange Roll, a drink with vodka, orange-flavored triple sec and fresh-squeezed orange juice.

All food and drinks, including an extensive list of beers by the bottle and craft beers on tap, are available in the All Steak Lounge, a tastefully outfitted and very cozy bar in back of the dining room where you can also order food. Care for a little intrigue?

Ask about the “Back Door.”

Good Life Magazine AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

33

Stephens Gap Cave provides an adventurous getaway ... and you don’t have to be a spelunker to enjoy the thrill

Good Getaways

Daniel Fisher and Kevin Crandall, right, drive from the Marietta, Ga., area to rappel into the vertical shaft of Stephen’s Gap Cave, located in Jackson County. “Descending down the first time was surreal,” says Kevin. “I was overwhelmed with excitement and the joy of being in such an incredible place.

It was a strange combination of being extremely thrilled and awed, while at the same time feeling this calm contentment.”

Read more about this dramatic “Good Getaway” on the next page. Photo by David Moore.

Put some adventure in your next getaway Story and photos

by David Moore

A

dramatic vertical cave in Jackson County is a premier lure for spelunkers across the Southeast. But you don’t have to be an experienced caver to enjoy Stephens Gap Cave, and it’s only about 80 minutes from Cullman – making it a great outdoor getaway for a day.

The vertical shaft is 143 feet deep and cannot be entered without proper rappelling gear and training.

But what makes it such a draw for the uninitiated – and so unusual among caves – is a second, “horizontal” entrance.

Horizontal is relative term. The opening is a steep rock scramble made trickier by damp, slick surfaces, but it’s well worth the effort. You arrive on a shelf offering a great view of the shaft. The darkness is split by spotlight beams of sunlight from above that illuminate a stone pedestal which can be reached by rappelling or by a scramble down from the shelf.

Adding to the feel of this surreal drama is a seasonal waterfall spilling from the top of the shaft.

The Southeastern Cave Conservancy maintains the trail to the cave. In the early summer a profusion of wildflowers, top, surround the trail.

It’s 1.4 miles round trip with an elevation gain of some 300 feet. Wear appropriate shoes, carry water, maybe a light. And do exercise caution.

The best lighting, below, is usually in the morning and early afternoon.

Planning your getaway Stephens Gap Cave is one of 170 caves on 31 preserves under the protection of the Southeastern Cave Conservancy. Before you do anything, you must register with SCCi to get a permit and gate code. It’s free and you can register at: permits.scci.org.

Directions from downtown Cullman This 62-mile route takes you on Ala. 69 to Guntersville; then U.S. 431 north. In 7.5 miles exit onto Cathedral Caverns Highway. Follow it over Gunter Mountain, through the town of Grant, down the other side of Gunter and past the Cathedral Caverns entrance road. At the Jackson County line the road becomes County Road 63; continue north to tiny Woodville.

At the T-intersection in Woodville, turn left then right onto Ala. 35. Go about 4.1 miles, then turn left across the train tracks on a short connector road and immediately left again onto County Road 30. The coded gate into the preserve is about 500 feet on your right.

Before you come home If Stephens Gap Cave arouses a desire for more underground splendor, by all means visit Cathedral Caverns State Park before heading home. It’s “awesome” in the true sense of the word. Cost: $19; $9 for ages 5-12; free for younger. Call for times for the 90-minute tours: 256-728-8193.

Good Life Magazine

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37

Haynes Farm Heritage Family traces its agricultural lineage back seven generations Story and photos

by David Moore

J

uanita and Bud Haynes were out by her huge garden shucking corn for Bible school as the ugly afternoon thunderstorm approached Fairview, jabbing the earth with lightning bolts. Suddenly the sky flashed.

Simultaneously a boom shook the very air, far too scary-close for comfort.

“We’d better get in the house,” Juanita urged.

It was July 22, 1996, seven years to the day Bud had been paralyzed when a hay bale fell on him, breaking his back. So it was from his wheelchair that he told his wife to scoot inside. He would roll himself in after shucking the last few ears.

Juanita entered the French doors to her kitchen and was astounded.

“I saw fire coming out from all of the electrical plugs,” she recalls.

She glanced down the hallway. The whole back of house was burning along with all her photos of their children and grandkids hanging on the walls.

Lightning from the ground had sizzled through a switch box in their bedroom.

Juanita didn’t know that then. She knew only that things were terribly wrong.

“It fried all the wires leading into house.

It’s a wonder I was not electrocuted,” she says. “Windows were breaking out.”

She managed to move the vehicles from the carport. Bud, a founder of the Fairview VFD, told her to turn on a hose. Several fire departments and scores of neighbors came to help, but it was futile.

“I said, ‘Honey, it’s gone.’ We walked 38

back and watched it burn. It was,” Juanita says, “sad.”

That was the destruction of the first house to serve as the hub of Haynes Farm, a sprawling, diversified family farm that manages 4,500 acres of land, owned or rented, that produce beef cattle, wheat, corn, soybeans and hay; a farm with a heritage

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

that’s more than a century old and spans seven generations.

B

ud’s father, Jack Haynes, had built that house – that homestead – in 1941 for his wife Ava and their family. A carpenter by trade, Jack often worked away from home and was on a job at Joppa School when

a scaffold broke. His leg broke when he hit ground, the exposed bone embedding in the dirt, a wound that never fully healed.

Ava was the farmer of the two. It was in her strawberry patch at the house that Juanita met Bud. They married in 1950, bought 20 acres and a small house nearby and lived there until Jack got so sick Ava asked them to move in with her.

After Jack died in ’52, Ava insisted that Darrel, her baby, and Juanita move into the house permanently. They bought it – and the farm – from Bud’s siblings and completely remodeled it.

In that house Juanita and Bud raised their four children, who today are: • Cullman veterinarian Dr. Dennis Haynes;

Today’s four generations gather often at the hub of Haynes Farm – the rebuilt house of Juanita on Cullman County 1662. From left are: Caroline, Ben, Whitney, Juanita, Charlie (on top), Lydia, Lola Kate, Jack, Darrel and Bart.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

39

• Darrel, now patriarch of Haynes Farm; • Sharon Litchfield, a Montgomery pharmacist; • Kevin Haynes, a financial advisor for a multinational financial service in Montgomery.

Bud grew the farm by working every minute. When not busy farming, he worked away. Like Jack, Bud could do carpentry plus wire a house, lay brick and rock and install plumbing.

“We worked hard as kids on the farm,” Darrel recalls. “Sometimes my buddies worked with us. Daddy always made it fun. Momma fed everybody who was around at lunch, whether there were two or 20.”

And so Haynes Farm grew under Bud’s capable and hard-working hands.

B

ud is hardly the only farmer in Darrel’s family tree. The roots run deep and wide.

Great-grandfather Joshua “Bo” Haynes migrated from Blount County to farm the low, undulating hills around Fairview. A progressive farmer, he opened a country store for his shareholders and wore a handlebar mustache.

Charlie Tankersley, Darrel’s greatgrandfather on Juanita’s side, farmed two hills over, never owned a motorized vehicle and also wore a handlebar mustache, says Darrel, giving his own ‘stache handles an exaggerated twist.

Ava’s daddy, Thomas Cicero Yeager, farmed on a hill to the northeast.

“I’ve got the Haynes linage, Tankersley linage and Yeager lineage,” says Darrel.

“Their roots are in this dirt around here.”

One might suppose that Darrel, a 1970 Fairview grad, automatically planned to plant farming roots, too … but one might suppose wrongly.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be a farmer,” he laughs. “No question.”

He went to Auburn University, but that provided no clues to his future.

“I didn’t have an answer to what I wanted to be, but when I got away from this sand rock I knew I wanted to come back,” Darrel confesses.

“I know he hated every minute of it,” Juanita says. “He wrote a letter saying that Auburn did not even have the same moon, stars and sun as the farm.”

In 1974 Bud needed help to make his 40

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

After the old homestead burned, Juanita’s son-in-law – Sharon’s husband Frank Litchfield III of Montgomery – drew up plans for the new house, built on the same foundation. Juanita wanted the kitchen and dining room, below, open to the living area so she could see her family while cooking. A deck, above, opens off her bedroom. All of her old family photos were destroyed in the fire, but she has others in the hallway, bottom left. Big gettogethers draw the entire family. “To name all 55 of us,” laughs Juanita, 87, “I am doing pretty good, I guess.”

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41

Prior to his accident, Bud Haynes, stands with son Darrel deep in a crop of soybeans. This year soybeans are part of the 1,600 acres Haynes Farm planted in row crops on land they own and rent. “The first ‘dirt’ we bought cost about $200 per acre,” Darrel says.

“Today an acre of land goes in the $5,000 range. We use a lot of dirt. It’s pretty humbling to think of what we do.” crop, so Darrel came back. He still had a quarter to go and initially thought he might return to Auburn, but soon realized the farm was his home. His calling.

B

efore leaving Auburn, Darrel started dating his future wife.

Lydia and her twin sister, Lynne, are daughters of the late John and Addie Lovelady and grew up in Berlin. John, a World War II Marine veteran, planted cotton on some of his 200 acres, but most was in timber. During the war, Addie was one of the few women in Army intelligence and later retired from the U.S. Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal as a weapons system manager.

Lydia graduated in 1977 from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, but initially she and Lynne went to Auburn. There they met Darrel in 1972.

A friend told Darrel the Lovelady 42

twins were coming to Auburn and urged him to go on a blind date with one and find a date for the other.

“Obviously, ‘Lynne’ was easier to say than ‘Lydia,’ so I asked out Lynne and I got a buddy a date with Lydia,” Darrel says.

After dating Lynne on and off for a while, he realized it was going nowhere, so in early 1974 he asked Lydia out. The rest is family history.

“I can proudly say,” Darrel laughs, “that I got the pick of the litter.”

They married in 1976, prior to Lydia’s graduation from UAB. She had a degree in physical therapy on top of a farming heritage. That heritage started in 1832 with her great-great grandfather, Mace Thomas Payne Brindley, who first settled what became known as Brindley Mountain.

Today, Lydia owns two farms and is

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

part owner of a third one – all of which have been in her family for 100 years or more.

I

nitially, she and Darrel rented a house in Fairview. As Haynes Farm grew, they eventually bought and remodeled three houses and built another one, all in that general area.

It was 1993 when they built what Lydia considered “the house of my dreams,” designed by Susan LeSueur of Arab with lots of room and open spaces.

Some people find it odd that in 2013 she and Darrel swapped houses with their oldest son, Ben, and his wife, Whitney, who were expecting their third child and needed more room.

With the swap, Darrel and Lydia moved into her grandparents’ house, the Charlie Gorham home place, which turns 100 this year.

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43

Haynes Farm planted 300 acres of corn this year. Darrel and Lydia check out the 60 acres of it growing on her mother’s homeplace where they live. Next year the house there will be 100 years old. The Hayneses keep about 40 bulls and 600 head of brood cows, certified all natural and identified through computer chips in their ear tags. After their calves are about 9 months old, they are separated from the momma cows, branded and vaccinated. The Hayneses sell them by the tractor trailer load to finishing farms or feed lots via online video hookups through Superior Livestock Auction. Last year, most of the Hayneses’ beef products ended up being sold to Whole Foods.

“Whatever makes sense, that’s what we do,” Lydia laughs of the swap. “There is no ‘mine’ and ‘yours’ in the Haynes family.

“It’s an example of how people who farm have to look at things differently. Your money is invested in dirt, and you go to great lengths to hang onto heritage. Money,” she adds, “is not everything by any means.”

Speaking of heritage, after the fire that destroyed Bud and Juanita’s second-generation house – the physical hub of Haynes Farm – they rebuilt on the same foundation, everyone pitching in. Wheelchair bound, even Bud insisted on pulling nails from old wood.

He and Juanita were able to move into the present house one year after the fateful lightning strike. Bud died in 2015 at age 87, and Juanita continues to live in the house at the hub of Haynes Farm.

D

arrel and Lydia’s sons Ben and Bart, the family’s sixth generation to farm in the Fairview area, 44

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

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AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

45

are crucial to the operation of Haynes Farm.

Bart, 38, has an apartment in the shop next door to Juanita’s house. She hears him at all hours of the night, getting a tractor ready or coming and going in the farm trucks.

“I am doing what I wanted to do – farming,” Bart says. “I never had any other thoughts.”

A 1998 alum of Fairview, he graduated from Auburn in 2003.

One might question the necessity of attending college to become a farmer. Ben, 41, a ‘96 alum of Fairview and a 2000 graduate of Auburn, answers that.

“If you want to farm right, you go,” he says. “Reading a market report or spraying or planting crops or working cows … every day I use things I learned in college. I may have learned the ‘how’ here on the farm, but I learned the ‘why’ at Auburn.”

With a major in animal science and nearly enough ag-econ and agronomy for a triple major, Ben is well versed in all aspects of farming.

“The reality is it’s getting harder and harder to enter farming, and the number of producing entities is getting smaller and smaller,” he says.

“You have to be really big or really small.”

Small operations have found a niche selling directly to consumers in the farm-to-table market. Chicken houses are doing well, Ben says, but they require a “couple million dollars of debt on stick buildings.”

And being big brings its own crop of issues.

O

ne thing that Haynes Farm has going for it is its womenfolk – Lydia is a physical therapist at Encore in Arab; Whitney teaches family and consumer science at Fairview High. While their jobs provide a regular paycheck and, importantly, access to health insurance, income from the farm is cyclical.

The Haynes Farm is making it big as a family enterprise mainly because Darrel, Ben and Bart work so hard. And they work smart, embracing technology and its accompanying efficiency.

“The fruits of our labor.” That’s what Bart says keeps him going on the farm.

46

“You see the results from your efforts.”

But for those “fruits” to prosper, farmers have to know what and when to plant, when to wean and go to market,

Part of the foundation to one of his forefather’s barns, Ben steps on this old stone daily – a reminder of his heritage. when to invest in technology and equipment. Such decisions can make or break an operation.

Naturally, weather is a always critical factor. But, as Darrel notes, “In regard to the weather, all a farmer can do is talk about it.”

As for the other decisions, Ben offers this personal metaphor: “There’s a sand rock in the farm’s driveway that was the corner of an old barn that used to sit out there. Every day when I walk in here to eat dinner, I step on the sand rock. If there is gravel on it, I brush it off with my foot.

“Every time I step on that rock I am reminded of other generations and their desire to leave something better and not screw it up for the next generation,” Ben continues. “That’s my greatest fear … that’s what keeps me up at night, worrying about making bad choices.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

“I pray to the Lord to help me make good choices.”

H

eritage is the fertilizer that keeps Haynes Farm vibrant and growing. A lot of kin have tilled the soil over the years.

“We work the dirt that every one of them worked,” Ben notes.

“God lets us touch his stuff for a little while to feed our families,” Darrel says. “That gets pretty special.

Even though it’s His dirt, He let my ancestors use it and He let me use it and possibly my grandchildren use it, too.

“I know that gave my mom and dad pride. And it gives me pride, too,” he continues. “Not many people can walk in their yard where their grandparents walked.”

And so he and his family find great satisfaction in Haynes Farm.

“Momma and Daddy helped me do what I love to do, and, thankfully, I married Lydia who has helped me help Ben and Bart to do what they love to do,” Darrel says. “I know Bud was proud to see the farm continue to grow, even though he was not as physically involved as he wanted to be.

“It would give me pride to know we’ve been able to grow it. And hopefully there will be something there if Ben’s kids come back.

“Humbled,” Darrel says, returning to a theme. “I know the farm has grown, but I don’t wonder on that. I wonder on the fact that God lets me touch a lot of His stuff.

Why He chose to let me do that I am not quite sure. But hopefully I can go home a lot of nights and think I took good care of His stuff.”

“A

t the end of the day,” Darrel says,” you want to see the farm grow and continue. You like seeing cattle in deep grass and picking or combining a good crop.”

And at the end of the day, Juanita, who turns 88 in October, and her house remain the hub of Haynes Farm, the homestead.

“Hopefully,” says Lydia, “Darrel and I will one day have the privilege of living there, too.”

Because that’s how life and heritage operate at Haynes Farm.

Good Life Magazine

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48

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

(What a catch!)

Photo by Alan McGuckin/BASS

And I’m honored to take care of your animals.

- Dr. Bruce Lee

How does the Colony garden grow?

Neville Franks and volunteers know Story and photos

by David Moore

E

ver been hungry? Truly hungry? Where you had far too little to eat for an extended period? Or had nothing to eat at all?

Neville Franks sometimes asks that question – not so much in relation to firefighting but certainly in relation to gardening and growing food.

“It is,” says Neville, “the most horrible feeling in the world to be hungry.”

He was 7 in 1979 when his family immigrated from South African Zimbabwe, via Europe, to first Florida and later California. Neville’s father came to the U.S. to farm. His mom was a nurse.

While his dad would later become a leading expert in micro- and drip irrigation, initially life in the U.S. proved extremely difficult. Work was scarce for Neville’s dad; his mother’s certification did not transfer and she had to start over with her education.

“My dad is a good man,” Neville says. “He did his best. But it’s hard to stretch $20,000 a year for a family of eight. There were times when – if it wasn’t grown on one of dad’s farms, or we didn’t grow it, fish it or hunt it – we didn’t have food.”

He never outgrew the gnawing memory of hunger pains. Perhaps related to that, he’s always had a desire to help people.

So when Neville, now a lieutenant with the Cullman Fire Department, heard about a program initiated by Colony Mayor Donnis Leeth to provide raised-bed vegetable gardens for residents in the south Cullman County town, he was all in.

Neville Franks, top, was named Cullman Fire Rescue’s Firefighter of the Year for 2018 and was promoted this year to lieutenant of B shift at fire station No. 2. Directing the project in Colony is one of the ways he’s found outside of the fire department to help people.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

49

Neville explains to Colony Mayor Donnis Leeth how he plants marigolds, mint, basil and other herbs in the bed to keep away pests that might destroy the gardens. He had other good news, too, saying the beds wouldn’t need fertilizer or weeding.

Volunteer Sonya Nail, right, waters a freshly tilled section of the land where Neville also planted corn.

And after sharing his ideas, Donnis made him director of the program.

While the project has, at least so far, not yet panned out exactly as envisioned, the eight raised-beds gardens are successfully growing – and will continue to grow – lots of healthy and nutritious vegetables.

F

arming is not only under Neville’s fingernails, it’s in his DNA. “Every summer, for as long as I remember, I worked with irrigation or in the fields,” he says. But it was not his dream.

He dreamed of being a Marine – a dream that proved painfully disappointing.

After high school in Lemoore, California, and some college, Neville enlisted. It was 1991, and the U.S. was in the First Gulf War. During his training in San Diego, Neville fell down a mountain side with an 80-pound combat pack on his back. He broke his right leg in 10 places, 50

his left one in 7. The Corps decided to give him a medical discharge.

“It was a dark time for me,” he says. “I really wanted to be a Marine. I fought it. I did everything I could to stay in.”

He lost out and, for about five years, did private security work in the entertainment field.

More darkness ensued when he and his woman went different ways, but he did get custody of his daughter, Trista Franks, now 28 and living in Cullman, which helped bring Neville out of a dark place.

He moved back to Lemoore and began gardening again. And, while working at Walmart, he met Tammy, a department manager, whom he married in 1999.

“We had,” he grins, “a Walmart romance.”

More misfortune befell him. Neville was laid off, but was able to enroll in a jobtraining program. He also took firefighting classes and was hired by the King County

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Fire Department. Part of the attraction was the paramilitary structure of fire departments, but it went beyond that.

“I’ve always wanted to help people,” he says. “And there I could help people.”

W

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So they visited Georgia, Florida and Alabama. Tammy fell in love with the area from Birmingham to Huntsville.

In 2002 Neville was hired by a Birmingham area fire department, a position from which he could help people.

The Franks bought a house in Good Hope; he commuted, working 24 hours on with 48 off. And their third daughter was born – Liberty, now at Good Hope Middle School.

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Neville says. “I raise organic veggies and have fruit trees and chickens.”

Through the Extension office, he got involved with Master Gardeners. He came to know Sonya Nail, who was, at that time, with the North Alabama Agriplex as Outreach Coordinator for its Food for Life program. Neville volunteered at various community gardens in the county and gave classes on raised-bed gardening.

Through Sonya he was introduced to a group whose mission is right up, well, if not his alley then his garden furrow – the Society of St. Andrew. It also helped with the gardens.

Founded in 1979 by two United Methodist ministers, SoSA – which has an office in Birmingham – is a nondenominational, grassroots, faith-based, hunger relief nonprofit working to bridge the hunger gap between 96 billion pounds of food wasted every year in the United States and the nearly 40 million Americans who live in poverty.

SoSA relies on support from donors, volunteers and farmers as they glean nutritious excess produce from farmers and deliver it to people in need across the United States

L

ast summer, Mayor Leeth attended a conference at Morehouse College of Medicine in Atlanta where he heard about a $10,000 grant that enables towns to build raised-bed gardens for the community. He applied for and got the grant through cooperation with the Agriplex.

“Once I found out they needed a project director, Neville was the first person I thought about,” Sonya says. “He knew what needed to be done from the ground up, and he and the Mayor sketched out plans on piece of paper.”

Though paid minimum wage for 90 days beginning in January, Neville’s passion for growing food and helping people propelled his input far beyond the bounds of the grant, donating his tractor, gas and months more of his time, Sonya says.

Because of the wet spring, Neville and various volunteers built frames for the raised beds inside Colony’s town complex. One dry day they moved them out to the adjacent 48 x 80-foot garden area.

Planting started May 17 with cucumbers, squash, zucchini, jalapeños, watermelon, new potatoes, eggplant and corn. SoSA was involved in that effort.

Stimulated with Neville’s special mix of soil and watered by volunteers, most of those plants were producing vegetables ready for harvest by late June and early July.

Neville has taught classes on raised-bed gardens and even devised a design that allows people in wheelchairs access to them. He made one for his ailing motherin-law, Patsy Slayton, top left. He also “makes” his own soil for raised-bed gardens by layering topsoil, grass, compost and sawdust. Colony volunteer Linda Bradford, center and bottom, calls the potting mixture “lasagna” dirt because of the layers. The cucumber she’s holding shows how well it works.

52

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

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53

The community garden in Colony is located in the sprawling green area on Byars Road between town hall and the civic center. An amazing transformation took place from planting in early May, above, to the beginning of the first harvest, celebrated at right by Linda and Donnis. Neville dreams of planting the field behind the raised beds with corn, maybe digging a pond for irrigation. So much has been accomplished this year due to the grant procured by the mayor, a number of volunteers who pitched in and donations of time and materials by others. The latter include Lori and Wes Self with Creative Construction for the concrete work; Sonya Nail procured the shed from Vinemont vocational teacher Mike Burkette, whose students built it; the shed got a new coat of a paint after Stan Wood of Action Excavating moved it to Colony.

“They expect to harvest squash in about three more weeks,” Colony resident and volunteer Linda Bradford said. Peas and butter beans were to be planted in midJuly, followed later by cabbage and collard greens, then some winter squash and winter okra and scallions.

“Things will come in through September and October,” Donnis says.

U

nfortunately, residents who signed up to work the gardens didn’t show up.

“They said it was too hot to ‘work in the fields,’” Donnis says with an ironic laugh. “We’ll try again next year. It will be better. We’ll know what to do.”

“Later on, there will be more participants,” Linda agrees. “But it was 100-percent successful this year foodwise.”

And the food is getting out. People are invited to come and harvest what they can 54

eat. And she and the mayor have harvested vegetables and handed them out around the community.

Importantly, in the long run, the raised community gardens were a hit with 17 or so kids – ages 3-16 – who participated in late June in Colony’s annual summer camp.

“They had a field trip and worked in the gardens,” Linda says. “All of them took home vegetables. Their parents enjoyed them. The kids came back and thanked us.”

“Some of them had never seen vegetables growing,” Donnis added.

That, they explain, is because about a dozen of the campers and their parents are from out of town. They grew up in Colony, left for employment elsewhere, decided they’d had enough of city life and returned “home.”

“Some of them have family land here

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

and their families died,” Donnis says.

“The kids have wide open area here. They don’t want to go back to the city.”

Others, like his grandkids from Georgia suburbs – Jalon and Danielle Leeth – come back every summer and attend the camp.

A

lot of people made – and continue to make – the gardens happen, not the least of whom is the immigrant firefighter from South Africa.

“Neville,” says Donnis, “was outstanding at getting stuff for the gardens and the boxes. He showed us how to plant and fertilize in a raised bed. He knows that stuff.”

“He was,” Linda adds, “highly instrumental in the success of our gardens.”

That’s because Neville wants to help people. And he remembers what it’s like to be truly hungry.

Good Life Magazine

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

55

Watermelons

Story by Steve A. Maze Photos from the author’s collection

Of summer treats, southern heritage ... and, occasionally, tasty misdemeanors

After they reached maturity, the seeds would be removed and placed on a newspaper or wire screen to dry.

When they had completely dried, Grandpa would put them in a snuff

I

t was truly a great day when the first melons were finally ripe enough to here’s just something special cut. Grandpa would pull two or three about watermelons grown in the rural of them early in the morning and place South. Nothing is more them in a nearby branch to refreshing than sitting cool. under a shade tree on a We gathered around the hot day and digging into shady pecan tree that evening the cool red meat of a as he went to retrieve them melon that’s been grown from the cold water. Grandma in Cullman County soil. would already have the Grandpa always butcher knife and salt shaker grew some of the waiting when he got back.

The ripe watermelons biggest and sweetest would burst open at the first watermelons in our part of the county. Along touch of the sharp blade. The with the cantaloupes, melons would be cut in half, he would plant an and then quartered.

Grandpa and Grandma early patch of melons ate with a knife and fork, but in April each year so at least a few of them the grandkids most often ate would “come in” by the straight from the rind. Our Fourth of July. clothes would turn a pinkish Yesterday – and to some degree even today – watermelons But preparation hue as the sweet, sticky juice were cause for social and family gatherings. for a watermelon ran down our chins. crop actually began in A seed battle would February. That is when immediately ensue after the glass and set them on a shelf until the Grandpa would take a middle-buster melons were eaten down to the rind. plow and “lay off” the row for the furrow following spring when they would be Sometimes, we would spit the seeds at planted. where the melons would be planted. each other. More often we would mash Most farmers planted more redThe row was fertilized with cow them between our fingers so they would meated melons than yellow-meated ones. squirt toward our intended victim. manure that had been scooped up from I don’t know why, but I liked the yellowbehind the barn, and a two-horse turning The rinds were then fed to the hogs meated ones better. They were planted plow was then used to “list” the loose and cows. on opposite ends of the row so Grandpa soil back into the furrow. This formed By the end of September all that could tell them apart when they were a terrace row that was allowed to lay remained of the melons was the smaller ready to pull. He would always thump fallow for two months in order to let ones that we called runts. Grandpa the melons to see when they were ripe. the manure decay. The terrace row also allowed us to pretty much do whatever made it easier to plow the patch and keep A “dead” thumping sound indicated that we wanted with those. Sometimes we they were ready to pull. excess water off the plants. would bust them open in the fields and Grandpa seemed to know whenever a eat just the heart. The rest were thrown new bloom popped up on a vine. It was over the fence to the livestock. ater, Grandpa would break up the almost impossible to sneak a melon out soil with a pronged “scratcher” to kill of his patch without being detected. the grass, and plant the seeds about six o melon tasted as good, however, That didn’t thwart Dad from trying feet apart with a hoe. The seeds had been as one that had been stolen from a when he was a youngster. He would also saved from the previous year’s biggest neighbor’s patch. The anticipation – as “plug” a melon by taking his pocketknife well as the challenge – of swiping one and best melons. Grandpa marked three and cutting out a small, square section or four “seed melons” by scratching an that didn’t belong to you seemed to to see if it was ripe. Dad would replace “X” on the rind with his pocketknife. enhance the taste in some strange way. the plug if it was still green but the Everyone knew not to pull those melons To prevent stealing, one of grandpa’s melon would sour within a day or two, since Grandpa let them ripen more than neighbors would inject a few of his especially if it rained. the rest. melons with croton oil, a substance

T

L

56

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

N

that would guarantee a 24-hour case of diarrhea. He injected the melons with a small syringe through the stem that was still attached to the vine. It was virtually impossible for the average person to determine which melons had been injected in this manner.

The neighbor would secretly mark the melons so that only he and his family knew which ones had been injected. The melons around the edge of the patch were sure to be injected since they were the most likely to be stolen.

The temptation was still too great for some kids in the community to resist, however.

Not surprisingly, Dad stole one of the injected melons and developed a severe case of diarrhea.

To retaliate, he and one of his friends went to the neighbor’s patch and injected several more of the melons. To rub salt in the wound, the boys decided to tell the neighbor’s son what they had done in order to keep them from enjoying the tasty treats from their own patch.

The son told his dad, but he didn’t know whether to believe the boys. The dad decided to sample one and came

The author’s uncle, J.C. Maze, wears a guilty looking grin as he ponders a toy wagon-load of suspiciously plump watermelons. down with a severe case of diarrhea … as did his son.

After that, no one was shocked when

the neighbor’s entire watermelon patch went to waste that year.

Good Life Magazine

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

57

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AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

The crowd on tour with The Southern Ghost Girls listens as leader Lesley Hyde introduces them to Charlie Mann, owner of Mann’s Home & Garden Shop in Hanceville. At night, and mostly in the dark, the old historic building provides an aptly spooky atmosphere. Some paranormal investigators say that orbs appearing in photographs are caused by spiritual sources.

A photographer’s explanation for the curious green light in the shadow at the lower right is that it’s caused when a strong source of light in the background – such as the streetlight – creates a flared spot on the image when the light hits the lens at a certain angle and reflects off the surface inside the camera.

Ghost tours draw crowds of the curious and believers Story by Seth Terrell Photos by David Moore

I

t’s nearing 10 o’clock in the evening on a humid – perhaps even ghostly – summer night in downtown Hanceville.

Southern Ghost Girls Tours has drawn about 40 participants from far and wide who flock around the still sweltering building that is home to Mann’s Home & Garden Shop.

Yes, a quick Google search would tell you this historic business, a stalwart to gardeners and farmers for 106 years, is open six days a week, normally closing its doors around 5 p.m.

But tonight, business of a different sort is in full swing.

In the near darkness, with only the timid light of an electric candle flaring near the ancient, but clean as a whistle heirloom cash register, this unlikely crowd has gathered in hopeful silence, waiting for a voice to come crackling through the stillness on a handheld, state-of-the-art, spirit box (more on this in a minute). As the crowd presses in, Cullman insurance agent, Lesley Hyde, along with her fellow Southern Ghost Girls, all attired in 1800s dresses, holds the spirit box closer for everyone to hear, and speaks again to the voice in question again.

“Can you tell us what you see?”

After a few static-filled moments, the silence is broken by a voice coming through the spirit box to answer the question.

“Spooky Ladies,” the voice seems to say through the frequency, referring to Lesley and her team of paranormal tour guides.

The gathered crowd goes wild.

T

he night began three hours earlier and a few blocks away in front of Bulldog’s Country Cook’N as the last of daylight evaporates over the cozy downtown.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

59

Stretched across the sidewalk are two tables filled with merchandise – t-shirts and hats claiming “I survived the haunt with Southern Ghost Girls Tour” – and a sign-in sheet where people from as far away as Gordo and Huntsville eagerly pay a $15 admission to join in a night of history, trivia and, hopefully, an encounter with local spirits believed to be stalking the vacant lots and old historic buildings of a town full of spooky legend.

60

The crowd, made up of parents and children, husbands and wives, siblings and friends, bikers and thrill-seekers, has registered. Lesley stands before them – dressed in a 19th century, full-length dress, complete with hat and veil – with bullhorn in hand to lay out some basic ground rules for her Southern Ghost Girls paranormal tour.

The rules are simple: no dark arts allowed; don’t overwhelm any willing spirits with too many questions; take lots

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

of pictures and, most importantly, have fun.

As a near-full moon stretches up the southern sky, the crowd walks across Commercial Street to Outbreak Games where a set of murals on the outside wall illustrate some of the history and character of Hanceville. Christy Perry, one of the Southern Ghost Girls, tells the crowd about the history with a bullhorn, including delectable tidbits about places such as Gibb’s Hotel and nearby Bangor Cave.

Lesley Hyde, upper left, with her team of ghost girls; Amber Wilson of Blountsville, Christy Perry of Cullman and Tabitha Wilson of Hartselle. They encourage those on the tour to download one of numerous ghost apps for their phones, lower left, and lend those on the tour electromagnetic field detectors, above – which they say detect spirits in the area. At left, those on the tour get a history briefing. Upper center, Just Repurposed, a furniture and antique boutique, was itself repurposed from an old funeral home – Fischer Undertaker – built around the turn of the 20th century. The mortician and his family lived upstairs.

According to local lore, the Southern Ghost Girls say, a number of tragic murders and suicides occurred in the immediate vicinity while the funeral home was still in business.

Tour participants are urged to keep an eye on the upstairs windows. Lesley’s ghost touring company has been featured in The Birmingham News, as well as on various radio stations and television programs. A member of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, Lesley often hosts tours as fundraisers for groups as well raising awareness to a given area thorough her historical portraits. For more information visit: southenrghostgirls.com.

T

he tour itself, like all of Southern Ghost Girls Tours, is rooted in history.

“You have to know the local history to know what spirits may linger,” Tabitha tells the crowd.

And these girls certainly know their history. In fact, any Southern Ghost Girls Tour starts long beforehand when Lesley and her team meet with local historians, such as members of the Hanceville Historical Society. They pore over old

newspapers and interview various residents to properly immerse themselves in local lore, and to discover the best locations for potentially coming into contact with spirits.

Through her bullhorn, Lesley reminds the crowd that there are no guarantees that there will be interactions with these spirits, but with a little luck anything is possible.

The dream of Southern Ghost Girls Tours began when Lesley first experienced – and thoroughly enjoyed – ghost tours in cities such as New Orleans and Savannah.

“After years of experiences with this type of tour, I thought, ‘I’m going to bring this home,’” Lesley says.

And now the tours take her and her team throughout Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.

“I just really felt like people were looking for something new for entertainment,” she says.

Having driven all the way from Tuscaloosa, Hanceville tour participant Tim Sutton agrees.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

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“I’ve seen stuff I can’t explain,” he says, remembering a tour Lesley hosted in his home county.

“But I’m still questioning, so I’m always curious to see more.”

I

n the ambient light of the moon and streetlights of nearby U.S. 31, and little else, the crowd crosses the street to Just Repurposed, a local furniture and antique boutique (formerly the old Fischer Undertaker building).

If the members of the crowd haven’t already done so, “now is the time,” Lesley says, to download Ghost Detector, one of many such apps for smart phones.

The app, complete with a meter for measuring spirit activity, displays a text box on the screen. The text box will often pick up on words and phrases, perhaps offered by the spirits, that give the user context for whatever spirits might linger in a particular area.

When the crowd has had a few moments to consult their apps, and taken plenty of photos with their smart phones, Lesley guides everyone into the vacant lot behind the former funeral home with hopes of communicating with the locally famed Lady in White, who is said to appear from time to time in the second story windows. On this night, however, there seems to be little contact with the Lady in White.

Instead, tour participants are encouraged to seek out other spirits willing to interact. Lesley and her team pride themselves on allowing participants to use their paranormal search equipment, specifically the hand-held electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors she disperses. They seem to immediately pick up readings from something or someone.

“Spirits,” Lesley instructs the crowd, “are capable of using and manipulating radio frequency as well as electromagnetic fields to send energy as forms of communicating.”

When the EMF detectors and Ghost Detector apps are red with activity, the time is ripe for breaking out the spirit boxes: hand-held transmitters that work similarly to a walkie talkie or CB radio. The text boxes in the Ghost apps tonight offer words such as “pain” and “burning” that Lesley explains coincide with stories of local legend.

N

ow, with tour members congregated in the shadow of a funeral home, Tabitha and Lesley share numerous stories of tragedy and suicides that lend themselves to possible activity. They invite everyone to stand closer as the first question of the night is posed to the spirit box.

“Are there any spirits here with us?”

The spirit box crackles with static and eventually an answer comes: “Ten.” “What is your name?” Tabitha asks into the spirit box. Eventually, clearly, an answer comes (clear enough for even the highly-skeptical): “Michael.”

A mural on the side of the building now housing a furniture and antique store depicts its past as a funeral home. Those on the tour were encouraged to take lots of photos and watch the windows. In back of the building, below, tour guides use a “spirit box” – a kind of radio – to attempt communications with spirits in the afterlife. The crackly voice from the spirit box first identifies itself as “Michael.”

Lesley, left, along with others, ventures into the warehouse area of Mann’s Home & Garden Shop, a seemingly apt place to search out spirits. “My entire life I have had unexplainable things happen to me and I have always considered myself an empathetic person,” she says. “I’ve been interested for probably 20 years in finding answers that would make sense to things that are known in the paranormal realm.”

It is the name of a young man who is believed to have committed suicide in this very location.

Lesley and her team are comprised of women of faith, as she says, and they never actually “claim” 100 percent that a place is haunted or has paranormal activity. But having heard the voice of Michael and another voice who gives his name as “Eddie,” the participants on this night are drawing their own conclusions.

The crowd, now invigorated, walks a block through the quietness of the sleepy town to Mann’s Home & Garden Shop. Lesley points out that one of the fundamental qualities of her tours is to help 64

acquaint residents with the importance and accessibility of local businesses.

And when the tour arrives at Mann’s, owner Charlie Mann greets everyone with an open mind and open doors.

T

he crowd winds its way into the front of the store, then into the back labyrinthine depths of the warehouse, where ancient wooden beams cast shadows into the nearly unbearably hot area where various bags of seeds and fertilizers lie stacked on pallets in the darkness.

Lesley’s infrared cameras, now handled by tour participants, are trained on shifting

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

light, pointed around dark corners and into the rafters for even a glimpse of something mysterious.

Soon enough the crowd re-enters the storefront as Tabitha places an electric candle near the old cash register. Soon enough the candle quavers with light, and the crowd of believers and skeptics alike are left scratching their heads excitedly wondering what (or who) caused the light to shine.

Yet there’s only a timid voice coming across the radio frequency of the spirit box, mingled in childish laughter.

“I did it,” the voice claims.

Good Life Magazine

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Off-days often finds Aaron piloting his old, trusty Cessna 150, a two-seater he bought in March. Here he’s pictured making an approach to one of his former stomping grounds, Cullman Regional Airport. Photo

by David Moore

‘Cleared for takeoff’ That’s music to the ears of 24-year-old airline pilot Aaron Mathis

Story by David Moore Photos provided by Aaron Mathis

“J

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So says Aaron Mathis, who ought to know. He flies the latter for, well, fun; the former as his job.

What’s unusual about Aaron’s situation is that he only turned 24 in June. And he’s been flying for PSA Airlines since July 2016.

“Cleared for takeoff” are three of the young pilot’s favorite words. With that radio nod from the tower, he moves the thrust levers forward in the cockpit of a Bombardier CRJ900, and the G-force of 66

28,000 pounds of thrust presses him and his passengers into their seats.

“It is,” Aaron says, “always a rush.”

A 2015 graduate of the Aviation/Flight Technology program at Wallace State Community College, Aaron lives in both his hometown of Pell City and Charlotte, N.C., where he’s based.

Airline pilots are limited to 100 hours of flying per month. Aaron usually logs 80-85 hours monthly, leaving him a dozen or so off days.

“I ask for and get specific days off,” he says, “and I work as much as possible.”

Soaring through the skies at 515 mph in a $46.5 million jet carrying 76

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passengers plus a crew is an enormous responsibility. But the rewards are equally enormous.

On top of good money and benefits, there’s also travel after work – weekends in London, an impromptu vacation in Tokyo. Queenstown, New Zealand, has become Aaron’s favorite place in the world.

In aviation parlance, CAVU means “ceiling and visibility unlimited.” Aaron’s love of his job is similarly clear.

“I don’t even think about the paycheck, but it is nice to get one,” he says. “There is a level of extremism to flying, and a plane full of passengers

Son of Johnny and Regina Mathis of Pell City, Aaron, in the door, is one of 2,000 pilots flying for PSA Airlines. PSA once stood for the former Pacific Southwest Airlines, which, through various mergers and acquisitions now flies under the American Eagle brand, a subsidiary of American Airlines Group. A regional carrier, PSA conducts more than 800 flights daily to nearly 100 destinations in the East and Midwestern parts of the country. intensifies that. But I love it. Every single day I go to work is a day of not working. I have not worked in three years.”

A

aron first flew as a kid, accompanying his mother on a family visit to Ohio. It was momentous.

“From that moment on I knew exactly want I wanted to do,” he says of the flight.

“I was terrified, but for some weird reason I think that’s why I liked it. I always liked things on the edge. I have always been a thrill seeker.”

To feed that desire he took up dirt bike racing at 14, pushing himself to collect trophies and broken bones on the track,

meanwhile going through the motions in school to collect C’s on his report card.

“The only thing that kept me from giving up completely on school was the fear of being grounded or being punished,” he grins.

His senior year, at age 17, Aaron readily said farewell to dirt bikes and signed up for flying lessons. He well remembers his first time behind the controls of a plane flying over the patchwork landscape of St. Clair County.

“It was everything I dreamed it would be,” Aaron says. “I was terrified and exalted, amazed, inspired, overjoyed. It was everything you would think it would

be for someone who had just found their life’s calling. That’s what I felt.”

Strapped into the backseat of the plane, his dad accompanied Aaron and his instructor on that maiden flight.

“I was glad my dad enjoyed it so much, because he then understood why he was going to be spending tons of money to get my license,” Aaron laughs.

With the goal of an aviation career now visible on his horizon, Aaron’s grades took off his senior year.

“Suddenly my life had purpose and motivation,” he explains. “Flying changed my life from someone who just gets by to someone setting huge goals for himself.”

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67

O

As an instructor in Foley, Aaron took Hunter Faircloth of Mobile, right, on his first training flight. Hunter, who also attended Wallace State, was later hired by PSA. In April, he made his first airline flight as a co-pilot with his buddy Aaron as pilot.

Their four-day schedule took them from Charlotte to Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Lexington, Ky., and Chattanooga. “That flight closed a full circle, from him being one of my first students to my first officer,” Aaron says. “He made first officer about as fast as I did.”

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ne could compare Aaron’s aviation career path to the arc of a jet roaring off the runway into the heavens. It was a fast climb.

“I had it methodically planned out,” he says.

His arc started with 40 hours of flying time for his private pilot’s license while still a high school senior.

Research showed him that Wallace State offered the most affordable flight program in Alabama, and the $5,000 Richard Caretti Career Technical Scholarship he earned made the choice a no-brainer. Aaron loved the “family” atmosphere at Wallace and found it convenient to live on campus and drive home to Pell City for long weekends.

Already having his pilot’s license allowed him to immediately start instrument training when he enrolled at WSCC in 2013. Beyond his basic courses, under the direction of long-time aviation program head Bert Mackentepe and instructor Judd Davidson, Aaron took in-depth classes in aviation procedures, regulations, meteorology, aerodynamics and the like.

Aaron’s employer, PSA Airlines, operates an all-jet fleet of 130 Bombardier regional aircrafts: the 50-passenger CRJ200, the 69-passenger CRJ700 and the 76-passenger CRJ900. “The hardest part about being a pilot is getting off the ground because of the programing, set-ups, check lists and various flows,” Aaron says. “It requires a lot of concentration taxiing with so many moving planes and vehicles close to each other. Sometimes it takes longer to get off the ground than it does to fly from A to B.” He didn’t earn frequent flyer awards at Wallace, but before graduating with his associate of applied science in flight technology in 2015, Aaron racked up 400 hours of flying time and earned his commercial pilot’s license.

Aaron’s soaring career arc next took him to American Flyers flight school near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for an intensive, 32hour, three-week crash course/grad-school equivalent program to become a CFI – certified flight instructor. The final exam required him to stand seven and a half hours before a highly trained designated FAA examiner and “teach” 34 subjects both on the ground and while flying. Firsttime fail rate is 93 percent.

He soared through on his first attempt.

At this point, Aaron had about 500 hours flying time. The Federal Aviation Administration, however, requires a

minimum 1,500 hours to become an airline pilot.

Amassing another 1,000 hours in the air could have taken a long time, but his decision to become a CFI was like a fighter pilot hitting the afterburners. Aaron got an instructor’s job at Lightning Aviation located in Foley, training recent graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy or Officer Candidate School. On top of a paycheck, he chalked up the requisite 1,000 hours of flying in only 10 months.

“Every day the weather was suitable, I was flying,” Aaron says. “I accumulated the equivalent of 42 full days in the air.”

B

eing a flight instructor carries a high danger level than merely flying, which he was reminded of this spring. While he was teaching, Aaron befriended a group of instructors calling themselves “the

Foley Bros”. One of the “Bros” is Jessica Pohlman, who, in May was giving lessons to a private student when their trainer experienced catastrophic engine failure at 300 feet and crashed.

The student later died. Jessica, severely injured, is slowly recovering. Aaron spent a lot of time in close contact with the rest of the “bros” in support of Jessica and her family.

Still, Aaron says, statistics show that flying is very safe.

“The drive to the airport is 27 times more dangerous than the flight itself,” he says.

Instructing dangers aside, Aaron’s short stint as a flight instructor allowed him to log the hours required to take and pass the exam for his airline transport pilot license. With that in hand, Aaron was hired at PSA in July 2016.

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69

As an airline pilot, travel opportunities are plentiful for Aaron Mathis. Earlier this year he and his girlfriend, Taylor Shively, flew to London for a short vacation. A native of Greensboro, N.C., Taylor is in college, learning to fly and pursuing a career in aviation.

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High Flight Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings.

Sunward I’ve climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds – and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung high in the sunlit silence.

Hovering there I’ve chased the shouting wind along and flung my eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long delirious burning blue I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace, where never lark or even eagle flew; and, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod the high un-trespassed sanctity of space, put out my hand and touched the face of God.

Aaron was flying southbound somewhere over Connecticut around 5:30 in the morning looking out to the east at 32,000 feet and simply had to shoot this photo. He says it brings to mind the famous poem “High Flight” by John Gillespie Magee, Jr. During his first year and a half with PSA he completed his bachelor’s degree online through Athens State University in management of technology with a minor in aviation management.

A

aron initially hired on as a first officer. He flew from the co-pilot’s seat two years before “upgrading” in July 2018 to the position of captain, or “the pilot.” While thrilled with his non-job job, he’s not one to be content.

His next upgrade, perhaps in six months or so, will be to the position of line check airman – essentially an instructor. As such, he would evaluate other commercial pilots entering the airline world along with newly minted captains to ensure they meet and maintain competency standards. Flying as much as possible, he hopes in a year, maybe three, to work for Delta or American.

Aaron also works as a pilot recruiter and on a PSA selection team, interviewing candidates weekly.

“I love staying busy and being

involved wherever and whenever I can,” he says.

As a recruiter for PSA, he speaks at large flight schools with perhaps 1,000 students, such as Ohio State, Embry Riddle, American Flyers and The University of North Dakota. He repeatedly sought permission to speak to the 50 or so students at Wallace State, which PSA finally agreed to last December after an engagement elsewhere got canceled.

Aaron was thrilled. At his “homecoming,” he explained to students what it’s like to fly for PSA, pay scales, benefits and scheduling procedures. It was also a pep talk.

“I am by no means an overachiever,” he says. “I just got by in high school. And now a lot of people ask how I achieved my goal.”

Aaron opens a photo, a meme, he keeps on his phone. It shows a sculpture of man chiseling himself out of a rock with this caption: “Your body is your sculpture, and you are your artist.”

“Dedicate yourself to something you

truly love and desire,” says the pilot.

“You don’t have to set big, unachievable goals. Achieve little goals along the way.

Dedicate yourself to something you truly love and desire.”

A

aron is not just talk, not just hot air blowing by a cockpit window.

Recalling how much his scholarship helped him, he established one himself through the Wallace State Future Foundation to assist students pursuing degrees through the college’s Flight Technology/Aviation program.

He’s wanted to do something along those lines since graduating from Wallace.

“The school gave me in an incredible – and affordable – opportunity to pursue my dream,” Aaron says. “Dad always told me whenever someone helps you to find a way to give back. This is just one of the ways to do it.”

It’s very likely that one day, through his generosity, a Wallace grad will hear through a headset those words Aaron so loves: “Cleared for takeoff.”

Good Life Magazine

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

71

Out ‘n’ About Cullman’s top angling sons, Jordan and Matt Lee and Jesse Wiggins, did not make it to the championship round May 5 when Major League Fishing came to Smith Lake for five days of elite pro fishing. Nonetheless, a good crowd turned out that Sunday for the post show at Depot Park. The national tournament was streamed live as were related events at the park. Clockwise from upper left: Mike Livingstone of Cullman meets fifth-place finisher Todd Faircloth. “I watched all of the streaming,” says Mike, who has been fishing for 68 of his 71 years. “I watched them fish in places where I fish. The only difference is they caught fish there ...” Ryan Wood of the Hanceville High fishing team gets an autograph from Mike “Ike” Iaconelli. Mason Taylor, a member of the Hayden fishing team, meets pro Brent Ehrler. Alyssa Sandlin of Cullman High School sang the National Anthem a cappella to open the post-tournament show. MLF stage announcer Steven Scott introduces the Auburn Tigers fishing team, which won the MLF College Faceoff earlier that day at Lake Guntersville. Talking about Cullman’s coup in hosting the MLF pros are, from left above, economic director Dale Greer, park and rec director Nathan Anderson, Mayor Woody Jacobs, local boat driver Barry Johnson and MLF events coordinator Charity Muehlenweg. Photos by David Moore.

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Postcards

It’s always fun to peer into the past through old postcards. The Dreher plant, located north of the depot, built furniture, notably pie safes. Interestingly, the postcard, circa 1914-17, says it was made in Germany. It and the Peoples Drug Store card, above, were provided by the Cullman County Museum.

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