Cullman Good Life Magazine - Fall 2014

Cullman County

A man’s dream catches on, bringing HOPE to those with disabilities There’s a farm in Baileyton where history and horses offer perspective You know that big ’un that got away?

He was joined by 12,000 little ’uns

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Contributors

Welcome

Good Life Magazine, I remind myself, is not a destination; it’s a trip

T

ime goes fast when you’re having fun.

Sometimes even when you’re not.

Either way, it hardly seems like a year ago that Sheila McAnear and I put out the first issue of Cullman Good Life Magazine. That means you’re holding our first anniversary issue in your hands.

First and foremost, thanks to everyone of you who read and advertise in the magazine. We would not be here without each of you. Going in, we had hoped people would like GLM, but not in our wildest dreams did we think we’d hear so many glowing comments.

I was honored to speak at the Cullman Kiwanis Club in June. In explaining how we got started and what we hope to provide for the community, it apparently came across that I truly enjoy what I do.

“If you love what you do,” one member commented, “then you never work a day in your life.”

It’s a good quote, but sometimes I doubt it when, as to be realistically expected, I get rejection from some business owner or get exasperated trying to contact people, staying up all hours writing or dealing with finicky technology, all in the wild riptides of deadlines.

So I’ve made a renewed effort to apply a lesson I learned 33 years ago hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. The point of the six-month trek was not reaching a distant destination, the trail’s end atop Mount Katahdin in the wilds of the Maine. The point was the trip itself, enjoying and making the best of each day and the beauty around me, despite lugging a 40-50-pound pack, an aching body, constantly craving more food and having to sleep in a small tent next to my hiking buddy whose smell scared off skunks.

Likewise, Good Life Magazine is not a destination to be reached. It’s a journey to be savored. And if I enjoy myself along the way, which I intend to do, I believe you’ll continue to enjoy Good Life Magazine.

David Moore Publisher/editor 4 AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

Former teacher Jane-Ann Heitmueller of Vinemont has been busy this year compiling her various works into the Amazon e-book “Barnwood and Lace.” She still found time to take GLM readers back in time with her piece on a former family camp on the Mulberry.

Deb Laslie is well known for her bookstore downtown. And many people now know her as the writer who reviews books in Good Life Magazine. Some people even know her as ... the former Cullman High School mascot? “That was a looong time ago,” she laughs.

Marshall County Extension coordinator Tony Glover will be busy Aug. 23 at Farm Y’all, so don’t bug him. He won’t mind, but he might drop a 1,000-pound pumpkin on you.

At any rate, he will again be helping drop the “pumpkin bomb” at the festival’s end.

As co-owner and advertising and art director for GLM, Sheila McAnear really has lots of spare time on her hands, so she’s planning to write and illustrate a series of books on the joys and thrills of raising three boys ... well, maybe if they ever allow her time to do it. Or maybe not.

Student pilot Jessica Lopez didn’t put David Moore in a tailspin during an aerial photo shoot, but he went into one of his own getting out this issue of GLM. As soon as it was done, he hurried off to the mountains for a bi-annual family reunion with, well, more Moores.

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Inside

9

Good Fun

Sculpture, Farm Y’all, New Year’s in Paris

14 Good People

You just might know Betty Leeth Haynes...

18 Good Reads

Take a walk or make an escape

20 Good ’n’ Green

Invasives look pretty but quickly turn ugly

24 Good Cooking

Pilot Club cooks make most of pecans

28 Good Eats

Looking for an “oasis” on the lake?

30 Bailey Mews

This Baileyton farm is home to horses and deep running Bailey history

41 HOPE horses

David Poynor’s dream of helping those with disabilities lassoes in caring folks

48 Old Mulberry camp

Generations of Stiefelmeyers sought escape from the city on the river

52 Restocking the lake

There are 12,000 more stripers for you to catch – after they get much bigger

54 Learning to fly

She is not the stereotypical pilot, but Jessica Lopez shares ”the trait”

58 Out ‘n’ About

Fall is beautiful at Hurricane Creek

David F. Moore Publisher/editor 256-293-0888 david.goodlifemagazine@gmail.com Sheila T. McAnear Advertising/art Director 256-640-3973 sheila.goodlifemagazine@gmail.com

On the cover: Student pilot Jessica Lopez banks over downtown Cullman. Pictured here: The woods at Hurricane Creek beckon in the fall. Photos by David Moore

Vol. 2 No. 1 Copyright 2014 Published quarterly MoMc Publishing LLC P.O. Box 28, Arab, Al 35016 www.good-life-magazine.net

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The circus is coming to town ... the New Shanghai Circus, that is. The acrobatic troupe brings 2,000 years of tradition to life with gymnastic medalists in a colorful, athletic-theatrical presentation CBS News called “Fantastic!” The finale of the 65th Anniversary Season of the Cullman Community Concert Association, you can see it at 7 p.m., March 17, in the Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre at Wallace State Community College, where all the performances are held.

Season tickets, or memberships, are $150 for a family, $60 for an adult, $35 for a student. About 600 memberships are sold annually with 300 or more tickets at the door ($30 for an adult). For more information or to order, call: Kathy Scruggs, 256-339-4447 or Lavell Thrasher, 256-590-6637; or visit: www.cullmancommunityconcertassociation.com.

65 years of ‘concerts’ see changes and constants At its conception in 1949,

the Cullman Community Concert Association set out to stage seasons of three purely classical music concerts.

But the seasons have changed. Today, a season might include sevens shows covering genres from jazz and Celtic to Motown, Broadway and more.

As the association enters its 65th season, however, one thing hasn’t changed, says board member Lavell Thrasher: the importance the group places on the arts.

“They have always realized that the level of a nation’s art is a reflection of that nation’s maturity and progress,” he says. “They knew the arts were important not only to cultural life but also to economic development. People are attracted to areas with a good quality of cultural life supported by a strong economic base, and Cullman is fortunate to have that.”

Another constant is presenting highcaliber artists skilled in entertaining audiences of all tastes, Lavell says.

He took the opportunity of the 65th anniversary to research association records, finding they go back only to 8

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

The 65th season

The 65th season of the Cullman Community Concert Association offers a variety of entertainment: • “Those Were The Days” – Folkrock with William Florian, former lead singer for the New Christy Minstrels; 7 p.m., Oct. 16 • “SAXsational!” Rob Verdi with a wild collections of saxophones and five decades of jazz and pop; 2 p.m., Nov. 2 • Cullman County Community Band takes the big stage again for a free concert; 7 p.m., Dec. 15 • The Diamonds – Their 1957 hit “Little Darlin’” sold 20 million copies, but play classic rock with today’s attitude; 7 p.m., Jan. 22 • Alex DePue with Miguel De Hoyos – the violin and guitar duo blazes through a supercharged, genre-crossing repertoire; 7 p.m., Feb. 3 • The New Shanghai Circus.

the early 1980s, which coincides with its non-profit status.

“I would love to know who started it,” he says. “And what that first season was.”

Records also show the ebb and flow of finances, which apparently played a part in the evolution of the types of acts the association brings. Because cultural tastes change, the board monitors turnout and reactions to best gauge what shows to bring, Lavell says.

“We moved to a blended season and that approach is working for us,” he says.

Also working for the association’s health is the time, talent and leadership volunteers have poured into it. Among the many names he came across in the records, Lavell says, are Charlotte Speegle, Margaret Plunkett, Lorene Apel, Don Williamson, Myrna Hermetz and George Hammett who served 23 years as president and remains on the board.

“It was obvious there have been a lot of people who kept this alive for 65 years,” he says.

It would be a heck of a stage call, Lavell says, if all the former volunteers were still around to take a bow when the Cullman Community Concert Association opens its 65th season on Oct. 16.

– David Moore

Good Fun

17 acclaimed artists cover sculpture gamut in Burrow exhibit

Clockwise from top left: Fleet by Glenn Dasher; Joe Louis by Casey Downing Jr.; Saint Peter Uprooted by Ted Whisenhunt; and Violin by Nall

The wildly different works of 17 acclaimed artists are on display in the Evelyn Burrow Museum’s first Regional Sculptors Invitational Exhibit.

“This is a marvelous show that rivals exhibits at larger museums,” says museum director Donny Wilson. “The caliber of artists is amazing, and the pieces we have on display will have something to suit everyone’s taste. And, if it’s not to their taste, they’ll definitely have something to talk about.”

The sculptors, most showing four pieces, include: Everett Cox of Huntsville; Glen Dasher of Huntsville; Casey Downing Jr., of Mobile; Jude Johnston (NovOntus) of Cullman; Dale Lewis of Oneonta; Christopher McNulty of Opelika; Branko Medenica of Birmingham; Ted Metz of Montevallo; Scott Meyer of Montevallo; Larry Millard of Athens, Ga.; Brad Morton of Birmingham; Nall, formerly of Arab and now of Alabama and France; Robin Snyder of Birmingham; Lee Somers of Montevallo; Ted Whisenhunt, formerly of Birmingham and now of Young Harris, Ga.; Emily Williams of Columbus, Ga.; and Rachel Wright of Mobile.

The exhibit runs through Sept. 30.

Admission is free.

The museum, at Wallace State Community College, is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday. For more info call: 256-3528457.

Farm Y’all – with lots of food – heads the list of lots to do Farm Y’all – Farm to Fork Festival returns for its second delicious year at the Festhalle Market Platz in downtown Cullman, celebrating area farmers and the use of the locally grown produce and its fine cuisine. The free event is from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Cullman’s most-celebrated of many fine chefs, native Frank Stitt, will be

honored at 11. Celebrity chefs will offer 45-minute cooking demonstrations – and samples – of their dishes using local produce at these starting times: 10 a.m., Alan Martin, Dyron’s Lowcountry; 11:15 a.m., Zack Redes, Highlands Bar and Grill; 12:30 p.m.,Clif Holt, Little Savannah; 1:45 p.m., Mauricio Papapietro, Brick and

Tin; and All-Steak’s Matt Heim at 2:45 p.m.

Among music, games and other activities will be giant pumpkin and watermelon contests, with registration until 10 a.m. Pumpkin prizes are $1,000, $500 and $250; $500, $250 and $100 for the largest watermelons.

Growers from several states are AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

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expected. There’ll also be a youth division and, something new, a gourd growing contest.

Vendors will have tons of food to eat, and of course the farmers market will be loaded with local fruits and vegetables.

• Aug. 31-Sept. 1 – Sweet taters After 16 years at Dowling Memorial Park, the Sweet Tater Festival had grown so much it moved last year to Smith Lake Park. It will be back there again this year, with lots of music, camping, arts and crafts, food, fun, games, door prizes, a car show and, of course, sweet potatoes.

For more information visit: facebook or www.sweettaterfestival. com.

Looking for a different New Year’s?

Try Paris on for size.

• Sept. 9 – New Year’s in Paris This is the deadline to sign up for an eight-day trip that starts in London and ends up ringing in the New Year in Paris. Wallace State Community College and The Evelyn Burrow Museum are offering the trip to the public as well as Wallace students.

Travelers depart Birmingham on Dec. 27 and return on Jan. 3. See Big Ben, Windsor Castle and St. Paul’s Cathedral with a full day in London to enjoy your own pursuits. Scoot to Paris by Eurostar train for three days visiting the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, the Louvre, Notre Dame and more.

The projected cost of $3,000 per person covers round-trip airfare, on-tour transportation, lodging, admissions to included attractions and tours, daily breakfasts and select dinners.

For more information, contact: Kristen Holmes, 256-352-8118 or kristen.holmes@wallacestate.edu. A detailed itinerary can be found at: www.wallacestate.edu/abroad.

• Sept. 20 – Cullman County Fair Parade Attracting folks from across the county, the parade kicks off the coming county fair which opens Sept.

25. The hour-or-so-long parade, sponsored by the Cullman Lions Club, starts at 2 p.m. and runs north through downtown on U.S. 31. For entry and

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• Sept. 20 – Clucknbrew Back for seconds, or at least a second year, this festival at Depot Park features amateurs and local restaurants in a wings cook-off to salute the county’s top standing in the state poultry industry. The $5 admissions gets you lots of free samples plus access to the game day tent for football games, live music and a kids zone for the youngsters. A cash bar takes care of the “brew” portion of the festival’s name.

Clucknbrew, held by Cullman Park and Recreation, starts at 3 p.m. after the parade (see above) and runs until 11 p.m. For more information, call: 256-734-9157.

• Sept. 25- Oct. 4 – Fair time The Cullman County Fair will be wide open at Sportsman’s Park for 10 days with all of its unique sights, sounds, smells, chills and thrills.

Cullman Lions Club members think it will be their best fair since starting it in 1954 – and National Geographic

already calls it one of the country’s best.

There will be nightly pageants, and shows at 7 p.m. on the main stage, including the Grascals on Oct. 3 and the state finals of the Annual Texaco Country Showdown Oct. 4.

The showdown, America’s largest country music talent search, includes the talent finalists from a series of live radio programs across the area.

Contestants will compete for $1,000 and the chance to go to one of five regional events leading up to the nationals in Nashville, where $100,000 and the title “Best New Act in Country Music” will be at stake.

Of course there also will be lots of exhibits, prizes … and rides.

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

• Oct. 4 – $10,000 fish check It would be a nice day’s “work” to win first place and $10K at the Smith Lake Park Bass Fest, put on by Cullman County Parks and Recreation. Heck, it’d be great to finish second and land

$5,000 or bring in the big fish and win $2,500. There also are payouts for highest placing college and parent/ child teams.

Sept. 15 is the deadline to pay the $125 entry fee, though you can pay $150 and register up until the dinner and pre-tourney meeting on Oct. 3.

It’ll be emceed by Sammy Lee, and you can meet Elite Series Pro Kevin Hawk.

The park will have arts and crafts and food vendors during the weekend along with music. Admission is free to the general public. For registration and more information, call: 256-590-2667; or visit: www.smithlakeparkbassfest. com.

• Oct. 4-Oct. 11 – Oktoberfest Special meals, choir performances and music events throughout the community. Streets in downtown Cullman are roped off for weekend activities which include authentic German food, Festhalle biergarten, costumes, arts and crafts shows and sales, live bands and entertainers, historic district tours, retail store

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AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

Grover and Irma Reeves stand next to his favorite print in the “Days Gone By” exhibit featuring dozens of watercolor prints they have collected. On loan from the Reeves, the exhibit is on display through Sept. 30 at the Evelyn Burrow Museum at Wallace State Community College. The museum is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m., TuesdayFriday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday. For more information or to schedule a tour, call: 256-352-8457. specials, a barbecue cookoff and the Burgermeister ball.

For more information, call: 256-739-1258; or visit: www.cullmanoktoberfest.com.

• Oct. 18-19 – Gourds aplenty At the 2014 Alabama Gourd Show at the Cullman Civic Center, the theme is “Gourds Take Flight,” so there will be hundreds of gourds decorated with that in mind for sale by gourd artists. You can also buy raw gourds, and if you’re a kid you can decorate a gourd for free.

Show hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $3; kids under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult.

• Oct. 19 – Happy birthday, CRMC CRMC Celebrates 75 Years with a Community “Thank You” Celebration - Join Cullman Regional Medical Center in a celebration of community support and healthcare excellence in our community for 75 years!

Fun for all ages, Sunday, October 19 from 2-4 pm at CRMC. For more information call the CRMC Community Relations Department at (256) 737-2600 or visit online at www.crmchospital.com.

Good People

5questions Story and photo

by David Moore

If you are among those who don’t

know Betty Leeth Haynes, perhaps you have attended a concert or other special event at the venue named for her in 2008 on the campus of Wallace State Community College – The Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre. Perhaps you noticed the stunning, full-length portrait in the lobby. That’s her.

But there’s a very good chance you do know her, maybe from when she was growing up as Betty Hooten, or as the Holly Pond Strawberry Queen of 1947. Maybe you saw her at the recent 1948 Holly Pond High School reunion. Or perhaps you know her as a member of Cullman First Baptist Church for six decades or so.

Perhaps you know Betty as the 37-year wife and long-time caregiver of the late Calvin Leeth, perhaps as the 24-year wife of Earnie Haynes in Hanceville or as their new neighbor on the shores of Lake Catoma. You might know Betty for her care and devotion to her siblings.

Perhaps you’ve worked with Betty on one of the seemingly jillions of volunteer boards she’s served or serves on that do so much for Cullman County’s quality of life. Or you may know her from her years of association, initially through Cal, with Leeth National Bank/SouthTrust/ Wachovia/Wells Fargo banks.

Maybe you know Betty as winner of just about every imaginable award and honor bestowed in Cullman.

Perhaps you know her as an advocate of senior citizens and remember her as Ms. Senior Alabama 1997 and third alternate in the Ms. Senior America Pageant.

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AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

Betty Leeth Haynes Young beyond her years, she’s still smiling, caring and running wide open Or just maybe she cleaned your teeth years ago as a dental hygienist for Dr. G.W. Bledsoe.

Betty Leeth Haynes is the quintessential southern lady whose zest for life is only slightly dimmed when compared to her loving soul.

Good Life Magazine caught up with her, appropriately enough, in the lobby of the theatre at Wallace State ...

1.

Is it really true that blonds have more fun?

I can’t really be sure about this answer because I haven’t seen my true hair color in years. I don’t know if I’m blond or not. My hair stylist, Jimmy Drake, says I have very little gray hair, but believe me I’m praying to turn gray so that I can stop trying to be blond.

I have asked true blonds this question. They say most definitely, blonds have more fun. They should know!

2.

While no “fountain of youth” exists, you seem to be young beyond your years, and it can’t all be because of your hair color. What’s your secret?

I am a senior, by far! I wish it were true that I was “young beyond my years,” but any youthfulness I do have I must give all the credit to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

He has given me good health to remain active and involved; a positive attitude in my beliefs and actions; a zest and joy for living; a caring heart for those in need; and a willingness and desire to be there for them. Yes, I do believe we are our “brother’s keeper.”

So, you see, I have no “secrets” to any youthfulness. This pathway is open for all!

You can’t spill happiness on someone without getting a few drops on yourself. That’s a good philosophy.

3. As an advocate for seniors,

what are the biggest challenges they face today? And what are the solutions?

As an advocate for seniors, I find that they have so many pluses, and as I interact with them I find them to be absolutely amazing. Although we are all physically, mentally and emotionally challenged in today’s world, most of us try to rise above circumstances and meet life head on.

I asked my doctor one day the difference between Alzheimer’s and just a progression of old age. He said if you can’t remember something and it comes back to you later, well, that’s just a progression of age. But if you can’t remember something and it never comes back to you, well, that’s Alzheimer’s.

I think the greatest challenges we seniors face today are severalfold.

Number one is loneliness. Number two is health problems and number three is financial problems.

The solutions are obvious. We find that for the lonely, the loving, human touch helps steer away loneliness and makes one feel needed and wanted.

So keep close to family and friends.

Share with close friends and perhaps your minister and church friends.

As for health problems, stay as active as you can for as long as possible. Enjoy some outside interests, even contacts on the phone. And keep regular visits with your doctor.

Snapshot: Betty Leeth Haynes

Early years: Born in Birmingham, youngest of seven children; valedictorian of first grade class; moved to her roots in Holly Pond as a child; salutatorian, Holly Pond High School, 1948; honor student, Sacred Heart Academy; Partial list of activities: Charter member of Terri Pines Country Club and Cullman Community Concert Association; SouthTrust/Wachovia/Wells Fargo board of directors, 32 years, only female member; foundation boards of Cullman Regional Medical Center and Wallace State Community College; Partial list of honors: Olympic Gold Medal, Hospice of Cullman County; Personality of the South; Pinch Hitter aviation certificate, Wallace State; Emma Marie Eddleman Citizenship Award; Henry C. Arnold Humanitarian Award; Rotary Service Above Self Award; Alabama Outstanding Senior Citizen; Ms. Senior Cullman County 1997; author of ‘I Am a Senior American,’ adopted as the creed for Ms. Senior America.

Number three, financial problems ... For starts, keep your lifestyle comparable to your financial income and keep in regular touch with governmental financial aid, as well as other closer means.

But I think loneliness is by far the biggest problem. Seniors love company as much as anything. They say, “Oh, sit down and visit with me.”

They are just hungry for people.

They want to feel acknowledged.

Anytime I can, I say something positive to them. “Oh, your hair looks so nice today!” Just anything to perk up their day. They look for that.

4.

If you could magically bestow the learning of a single lesson upon today’s young people, what would that be, and why?

Be true to yourself. Take Jesus with you everywhere you go and live according to His word.

As a young girl in Holly Pond, my church was important to me, and I participated in it. As I got older I realized the importance of a faith that keeps you going. I ask the Lord things. I say, “I know you say to put my burdens on you, so I am letting you take charge.” He does it, too.

I also would suggest young people seek out the older people in their families. If they did that, the

Acknowledge the world around you and the people therein, and give yourself to them.

‘Her’ theatre will again be host the Ms. Sr. Alabama

5.

The 2014 Ms. Sr. Alabama Pageant will be held in the Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre on the campus of Wallace State Community College at 3 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 9.

Admission is $5.

During the pageant Betty –the 1999 winner – will recite her poem, “I am a Senior American,” which has become the creed of Ms. Sr. America.

The non-profit organization honors woman who have gracefully and elegantly reached the age of 60 years or older.

seniors would just light up all over.

Our church has a group of young people who visit people in the nursing home. I feel that young people today, before they actually become participants in the world, are getting much of their background and influence through their parents.

That puts them on the right road.

So I also would say to listen to your parents.

You are rather well known in these parts, but what is something about Betty Leeth Haynes that people don’t know?

I have been around 100 years.

Many people know me from a child up ...

But many people don’t know that as many times as I have been before people – business occasions, community meetings, stage performances and such – I have developed a terrible feeling of stage fright each and every time. I perform and speak, so people don’t seem to believe I have stage fright. They say, “My goodness! I would have never guessed!”

Recently in Birmingham I recited a poem I wrote about seniors. I have recited it as my talent in the Ms. Senior America pageant and many other times, but still I got worried. I thought, “Sooner or later I am going to forget that thing!” I know it like the back of my hand, but there is always a first time.

Actually, I think it’s healthy to have a little stage fright. It keeps you on your toes. Life is crazy, but I love every minute of it.

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Good Reads

Holocaust history comes alive in a thriller of desperate hope

Richard Paul Evans’ ‘The Walk’ becomes our journey

hen the rescue mission planned so carefully by the resistance goes horribly wrong, young Jacob Weisz finds himself trapped inside a rail car destined for Auschwitz.

More than just a story, the Auschwitz Escape by Joel C. Rosenberg is history made real. (If only my high school texts had been this riveting!)

So many books have “... the question shouldn’t been written about the be ‘Why are you, a trains, the death camps, the indescribable conditions Christian, here in a death and the evil associated camp, condemned for with the Holocaust, do we trying to save Jews?’ The really need another? The answer, in this case, is yes! real question is ‘Why Events in this aren’t all the Christians “fictional” work are here?’” documented. The fear experienced by prisoners who have learned the truth of the camps contrasts with the resistance movement inside them to get that truth exposed. Jacob is determined to warn others about the trains.

Thriller readers will be up all night with this one. Readers of history will find yet another remarkable account of this period in our history. And readers of faith will be reminded that hope, any shred of hope, can lead even the most desperate to realize greatness.

– Deb Laslie

read a lot of books. A lot. I devoured this book. I couldn’t wait to turn the next page.

Thoughtful, funny, suspenseful, romantic ... this book has it all. Alan Christoffersen’s journey in “The Walk” becomes our journey.

Without being preachy, this book will What would you do if you stay with you long lost everything – your job, after you’ve finished.

I found myself reyour home, and the love of reading passages. Did your life – all at the same Alan write this or did time? When it happens I? Each new day to Seattle ad executive on the walk brings Alan Christoffersen, he’s another insight into tempted by his darkest why we do what we do, why we think the thoughts. Instead, he way we think and, decides to take a walk. most of all, that it’s OK not to have the right answer.

Richard Paul Evans, author of “The Christmas Box” and a host of other books, has achieved what few writers can even hope to dream about: a book that can be savored by anyone, anytime, wherever they are on their walk.

– Deb Laslie

W

18

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

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Good ’n‘ Green

An off-shoot of the Bradford, the Callery pear has pretty blossoms in the spring, but ...

Pretty, yes, but look out

Fall is a good time to control those wild invasive plants

N

Story by Tony A. Glover Photos by Nancy Loewenstein

ot everything that is “good ’n’ green” is good. Take invasive plants for example. Please.

So, what is an invasive? It’s a plant species characterized by robust vegetative growth, high reproductive rate and longevity, to paraphrase the Alabama Invasive Plant Council. Some native plants can become invasive under the right conditions.

There are literally thousands of species of invasive plants in the U.S., 20

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

and we have more than our share in Alabama. As is so often the case, we have brought most of the problems on ourselves. Many were brought for erosion control, livestock grazing, improving wildlife habitat and as landscape ornamentals.

Why does a perfectly well behaved plant in its native habitat go berserk in its new home? The short answer is that it lacks the natural controls present in its native habitat.

I want to focus on three infamously invasive woody shrubs and trees in our area. Which plants people call the worst of the worst may be up for debate, but at the top of many lists

are: Chinese privet, Callery pear and Paulownia.

I will start with the one I hate the most ...

Chinese privet I have tried multiple methods of controlling the large patches of privet on my property.

The first was to fence the area and let the goats eat it. The goats ate every last green sprig on every plant, so I had to move them to another area so they wouldn’t starve. But within a few weeks the privet was growing in this new area that was previously uninvaded. This method might work with

persistence but I could not keep the goats from escaping so I gave up after a year or so.

My newest assault is to cut the plant down and treat the fresh wound with glyphosate herbicide. It takes multiple treatments, but at least I don’t have to keep catching the goats which also liked my neighbor’s shrubbery just as much as my privet.

Another approach is to treat the lower portion of the trunk with the correct herbicide. This method is called the basal bark treatment. Although you can treat most of the year, the optimal timing for either method is fall to early winter when nights are fairly cold but day temperatures rise into the 50s and 60s.

For details on control options, visit: http://tinyurl.com/killprivet Callery pear Who would have thought an ornamental pear tree could become one of the worst invasive trees now taking over pasture fence rows and

Callery pear trees are taking over and invading this field unmaintained areas everywhere? The tree, called Callery pear, became a pest as a direct result of the beautiful and ubiquitous Bradford pear.

About 18 years ago I did a landscape design for my mother and planted a number of wonderful trees.

I returned for a visit and, much to my

consternation, she had planted six Bradford pears.

At the time, my main objection to Bradfords was their tendency to develop poor angled branches that easily snap off as the tree rapidly enlarges. I told Mom she would regret planting them, that they would snap off

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and fall. “I won’t live long enough to worry about them,” she replied positively.

Over the years, one by one, the Bradfords broke off as I predicted. The last holdout fell this summer in a pop-up thunderstorm. I mentioned it the next day when I visited.

“And it almost killed me,” she said, distressed. “I took out the trash before the storm hit, and less than a minute after I went by it, the tree fell directly in my path.”

I hated to say “I told you so” ... but I did anyway.

If the only problem with this tree was its tendency to fall apart, we would not have the tremendous problem we have today. But plant breeders began to look for cultivars with better limb structure. And they found them.

After many different cultivars were developed and in common use, the once sterile pears with self-incompatible pollen started cross-pollinating with other genetic types.

These started producing viable small fruit that birds love.

You can guess what happened next.

Once the birds feed on these small fruit they plant them everywhere, and the trees are so vigorous they grow anywhere they find a little sunlight and they often out compete other plants in the same environment.

The wild forms have the same white blooms and actually a much better looking limb structure than the Bradford.

They can be controlled the same way as privet, but be careful. They have a wicked thorn that makes them difficult to handle.

Chinese privet quickly gets out of hand

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Paulownia trees This third invasive has been around for a long time and brings back painful memories.

We had two Paulownia trees in the yard where I spent most of my early childhood. We called it a cotton boll tree because of the shape of its fruit.

This directly relates to the pain I mentioned. The fruit made excellent projectile weapons, and the trees made an almost endless supply of ammunition. They could be thrown or shot through a slingshot. Either way was painful, especially if the pointy end hit first.

Sometimes this tree is called the Royal Paulownia or Princess tree. It can reach 60 feet tall and it grows extremely fast. It is often featured in newspaper inserts where the fast growth rate is touted as a reason to buy and plant them in your landscape.

It does have a beautiful panicle of pale violet blooms that are quite ornamental. However, these attributes are overshadowed by the dark side of this invasive species. They spread via the prolific seed and by root sprouts which allow them to form large colonies once established in a given area.

They are also notorious for weak limbs and making a huge mess in home landscapes. Don’t plant them or you will regret it.

They can be controlled like the others with persistent use of the proper herbicides.

My main concern is for people expecting fast shade from a beautiful ornamental tree, and they stand near them during windy weather. I don’t want to have to tell you, “I told you so.”

Planting a Paulownia is asking for “I told you so...”

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

23

Story and photos

by David Moore

Good Cooking

You can pick them

Pilot Club members light the way to some of the many pleasures of

COOKING WITH

PECANS

up off the ground, crack them open and pop them in your mouth.

You can butter and salt them and toast them in the oven or a skillet.

And, whether you call them pee-cans or pehkahns, there are hundreds of ways you can use them in cooking, especially if you’re a Southerner. Here are some recipes provided by members of the Cullman Pilot Club, who know a thing or two about pecans because they’ve sold them for years as a fundraiser ...

PINEAPPLE PECAN CHEESE BALL Peggy Harris 2 8-oz. pkgs. of cream cheese at room temperature 1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion 1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper 12 finely chopped red cherries (well drained) 2 cups chopped pecans (1 cup in mixture, 1 cup coating on ball) 1 small can crushed pineapple (well drained) 1 tsp. seasoned salt Press chopped onion, green pepper, and chopped cherries between several sheets of paper towel.

Drain crushed pineapple in wire strainer pressing to remove juice.

Pecans add a delectable crunch to a classic cheese ball

These pecan banana muffins were made with Priester’s Pecans. The Pilot Club’s annual sale of pecans will take place in November and December.

Details, including prices, were still being worked out at press time, but watch for more information at public places in town and through other local media.

Orders can be placed through any club member or by calling: Peggy Day, 256-734-6049; or Joyce Black, 256-595-0622.

Reserve 1 cup of pecans for coating on cheese ball. Mix all ingredients well, by hand or rubber spatula. Dump mixture on sheet of plastic wrap.

Bring plastic wrap around the mixture twisting ends together and shape into a ball. Refrigerate until firm. Roll in the reserved cup of chopped pecans until completely coated. Serve with favorite crackers.

Great for Christmas and New Years.

The recipe was given to me by Marie Hodges.

SWEET POTATO PECAN CASSEROLE Nancy Gamble 3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes 1 cup sugar (can be omitted if potatoes are really sweet) 1/4 cup milk 2 eggs slightly beaten 1/4 cup butter at room temperature 1tsp. pure vanilla extract A little nutmeg For topping, mix: 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup self-rising flour 1 stick butter, melted 1 cup chopped pecans Cream main ingredients together and put in a 13x9-in. casserole dish.

Cover with topping. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

ITALIAN CREAM CAKE Rebecca Branch (from Favorite Recipes Collected

By The Cullman County Hospital Auxiliary, 1976 edition) 1 stick margarine 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup shortening 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 cups sugar 1 small can coconut 5 egg yolks 5 egg whites, stiffly beaten 1 cup chopped pecans 2 cups plain flour 1 tsp. baking soda Cream margarine and shortening; add sugar and beat until mixture is smooth. Add egg yolks and beat well. Combine flour and baking soda and add to cream mixture, alternating with buttermilk; mix well with each addition. Stir in vanilla extract; add coconut and chopped pecans; mix well. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour batter into three greased and floured 8-in. cake pans. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese frosting 1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 stick margarine Chopped pecans 1 box powdered sugar Coconut Beat cream cheese and margarine until smooth; add sugar and beat well. Add vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Spread between layers and on top and sides.

Sprinkle layers and top of cake with coconut and chopped pecans.

PECAN BANANA MUFFINS Melba Walker 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 3/4 cup oil 1 tsp. vanilla extract 3-4 bananas 3/4 cup oatmeal 1 cup chopped pecans 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda Cream together sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla extract and bananas.

Separately mix oatmeal, pecans, flour and baking soda. Add dry mixture to creamed mixture. Mix quickly. Do not over-stir. Spoon batter into 12-count muffin pan sprayed with vegetable spray. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

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Dessert, anyone? Try a classic pecan pie, Easiest Pecan Bars Ever and/or Italian Cream Cake PECAN PIE Carole Garrett 1 stick butter 1 cup sugar 1 cup light corn syrup 4 eggs, well beaten 1 tsp. vanilla 1/4 tsp. salt Pecan halves 9-inch deep dish pie shell Cook butter, sugar, and corn syrup over low heat until dissolved (full rolling boil). Cool. Add eggs, vanilla and salt, and beat. Pour over pecans in unbaked pie shell. Preheat oven to 325 and bake for 55 minutes. Do not overbake. It may still be slightly “jiggly” in the center. If you bake it until it looks done, you may have over-baked it.

CRISPY KICKIN’ BAKED CHICKEN Heather Branch 2-3 pounds, chicken legs, trimmed and skin removed 1-1/4 cup whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely shredded 1/4 up chopped pecans 26 AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

1/4 cup white cornmeal 2 eggs 1/4 cup olive oil 1 Tbsp. milk 1 Tbsp. rosemary 1 Tbsp. basil 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. paprika 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley 1 tsp. oregano 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp. sugar Coarse salt and cracked pepper to taste Olive oil spray Preheat oven to 325. Line baking pan with aluminum foil. In food processor combine bread pieces, Parmesan, pecans, cornmeal, and all herbs/ seasonings. Pour into a shallow dish and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, oil, and milk. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel Dip chicken in egg/oil mixture, then coat with bread/pecan mixture; shake gently. Holding coated chicken over lined baking pan, lightly mist chicken with olive oil spray. Place chicken

leg on the lined baking pan and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining chicken legs. Bake uncovered for 45-60 minutes – turning over chicken after 25 minutes – until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest 2-3 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan and chopped parsley and serve.

EASIEST PECAN BARS EVER Beverly Wilkerson 1 8-oz. can refrigerated crescent rolls 3/4 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup corn syrup 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted 1 tsp. vanilla 1 egg, beaten Preheat oven to 350. Unroll dough and press in bottom and 1/2 in. up sides of a 9x13-in. pan. Firmly press perforations to seal. Bake 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Pour filling over partially baked crust. Bake 18-22 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Cool completely, about 1 hour, and cut into bars.

About the Pilots

Fifty members strong, The Pilot

Club of Cullman was organized in 1981 to further humanitarian efforts through charitable, educational and research programs.

“Pilots serve others unselfishly and in return find our lives enriched in countless ways,” says Peggy Harris, president of the Cullman Pilots.

The club assists in the following community projects: Pilot Light Home, Project Lifesaver, Cullman Regional Medical Center’s Alzheimer’s caregiver support group, Brainminders, Cullman Park and Recreation’s Field of Miracles, Margaret Jean Jones Center, Special Olympics and the Sheriff’s Rodeo.

The club also sponsors the Anchor Club at St. Bernard’s Prep School.

Annual fundraisers besides the pecan sales include: raffling Auburn and Alabama football tickets in the

Helping with the baking and these recipes and pecan sales are Peggy Harris, Joyce Black, Melba Walker, Peggy Day, Julie Wilhite, Carol Garrett and Rebecca Branch fall; an October rummage sale at the fair grounds; a fashion show and luncheon at the Cullman Civic Center set for April 22, 2015; and selling tickets for the Belk Days sale.

Pilot International has more than 400 clubs with 10,000 members,

in five countries. It was founded in 1921, the name “Pilot” chosen for the intrepid riverboat pilots of that era.

Interested in joining The Pilot Club of Cullman? Contact: Peggy Harris, 256-734-2831, 256-531-2525 or gooderharris@gmail.com.

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Good Eating

Here’s the place to go if you’re looking for an ‘oasis’ on the lake T

Story and photos by David Moore

he only restaurant actually on Smith Lake in Cullman County provides an oasis for boaters with a hankering for burgers and anglers who catch a hunger pang. That’s why Peggy Rovnak named her restaurant, well, The Oasis at Smith Lake.

“Location, location, location” is the real estate mantra. But with the Oasis – located on Cullman County 222 at Ryan Creek Marina – perhaps it should be “fun, food, location.”

“Fun is the first word,” says Peggy. “Most of the people who come in are happy. They’re out here on the lake with friends and family.”

You need the obligatory shoes and shirt for service, but attire is lake casual like the plastic baskets and Styrofoam cups here. A rainbow of Oasis T-shirts hanging in the windows colors the casual interior.

Want to stay in your boat and keep the party or fishing clicking along? Call ahead and Peggy and staff will have your food ready and walk it down to the dock for you. Or you can eat outside on the wrap-around porch, under the trees or in the pavilion overlooking the lake.

Befitting atmosphere and location, food is casual and fun. Heck, even the steak and grilled chicken salads come with French fries on them.

Fries are befitting Peggy’s Pittsburgh roots, but more about that later …

U

nique to the Oasis, Pontoon Pizza is a double layer of pepperoni and mozzarella sandwiched between two layers of homemade crust then cut into strips that, with only a little imagination, look like pontoons. It’s portable so you can take it on, say, your pontoon boat.

Along with buffalo and “wicked” wings, peel-and-eat shrimp, quesadillas and Macho Nachos, another popular item is the Onion Loaf.

Basically it’s a bunch of onion rings cooked in loaf form. Add catsup and you’re good to go.

28 AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

The Mirage Burger … despite its size, one minute it’s there; a few

minutes later, it’s devoured. It’s a cheeseburger with the trimming, plus an avalanche of deep fried pickles that, among other things, adds a delectable crunch to every mouthful. Oasis owner Peggy

Rovnak modestly says the shakes they make are “out of this world.”

A signature palm tree – made of pink-dyed white chocolate – is

plucked down in the whip cream on top. The Oasis is open Wednesday

through Monday with the longest day being 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday.

The menu features any number of sandwiches including the TBCR – that’s turkey, bacon, cheese and ranch – and the Smith Lake Whaler with golden brown, breaded catfish.

Hamburgers are 100 percent Angus and start with the basic Oasis Burger.

They expand into the likes of the Bama Burger, with double bacon, cheese and a special sauce, and the Oasis original Au Burn Burger, with spicy meat, pepper jack cheese and pepper mayo.

Or there’s the Steel City Burger, a cheeseburger topped with special slaw, tomato and … French fries.

Peggy has been experimenting with breakfast on the weekends.

There are omelet wraps, French toast sticks, homemade muffins and the Peg McMuffin – bacon and cheese on a toasted muffin.

Several kids with a sweet tooth can chow down on the Smith Lake Monster with its four or more scoops of ice cream, candy eyeballs and gummy worm legs; while the Strawberry Paradise features whipped cream, strawberries in syrup and vanilla ice cream heaped on a waffle.

Terry Bentley of Rock Creek lives five miles away by car. One of the growing number of locals visiting the Oasis, he offers a succinct critique.

“I come here twice a week,” he says after lunch one day. “They have good food. I like the catfish best. I hate they don’t stay open all year round, but I understand. After September, things on the lake die down.”

U

nder various ownerships and names, a restaurant has been at Ryan Creek Marina some 20 years, says Peggy, who confesses she’s still too new to know all of the details.

She hails from Pittsburgh where, she laughs, people eat French fries on just about any and everything – which explains several of her dishes.

She and her husband, Mike, used to talk about retiring one day, moving to a warm lake area and Peggy opening an ice cream shop. Mike, vice president of sales for a medical

Coming off the lake leaves folks hungry. That’s fine with Oasis owner Peggy Rovnak, who serves a crew from Hartselle that includes, from left, Calli Partlow, Kennadi Hogan and Tonya and Greg Garmany.

Meet the Oasis staff: from bottom left, Dylan Grauel, Cameron Marquis, Meagan Ballenger, Peggy Rovnak; back row, Mandy Handley, Heather Jett, Emily Campbell, Paula Eles; not pictured are Ramsey Sleevar and the Rovnaks’ son, Michael, who joined them this year and works weekends. devices company, heard about Smith Lake, and in 2010 they made their first of three reconnaissance visits to the area, loving what they found.

His early retirement brought changes sooner than expected, and, along with their dog Kato, they left their 11 acres in Pennsylvania and moved to Smith Lake two weeks before the April 2011 tornadoes.

Peggy’s background was working for J.C. Penney, so a full-blown restaurant had not been in her sights.

But in October 2012 she stopped by Ryan Marina to inquire about the restaurant there. She was told it was closed for the season.

“In March I got a call from the marina asking if I was still interested,”

she says. “I’d forgotten all about it.”

Peggy said yes then went into a panic, knowing nothing about the restaurant business and having no one to help her open with the season in May. She turned to her sister, Paula Eles back in Pittsburgh, who came to the rescue and moved to Cullman County with her boyfriend. By opening time they’d rustled up a staff, prepared a menu, moved into the building.

Oh … she needed a name, too.

“I live my life not necessarily all planned out,” she perhaps understates.

“I like to believe this is my path laid before me by God. ‘Oasis’ popped into my head. I have to give credit to God for that one.”

The Oasis at Smith Lake it is.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

29

Bailey Mews

Offering views on horses, on history and the continuance of a family in town that bears its name

Story and photos by David Moore Horses and history do nothing but enhance the beauty of Bailey Mews.

Stan Bailey is innately aware of this. It’s part of what beckoned him back to Baileyton.

He, along with his wife, Virginia, is the third-generation owner of Bailey Mews, a 16-acre horse farm in Baileyton, unique as a bucolic retirement home for warmblood horses that have been jumped and shown across the country for two decades.

A few definitions are perhaps in order ...

“Mews” is an English term

had been added when Stan’s grandparents, Noel Robert and Lillian Bailey, bought the place in 1920, the year they were married.

Known as Uncle Bob, Noel

also bears the family name.

Stan’s father, Dr. Paul Bailey for a row of homes or apartments Sr., came along in 1921, a year converted from horse stables or after N.R. and Lillian bought the built to look like them.

Lovvorn place.

“Warmbloods” are “Paul was born in registered horses bred the living room in in Europe for equestrian October,” Stan says. sport purposes. In this “It had a fireplace.” case, the Baileys acquired Paul’s mother them for show jumping, bought pecan trees which Virginia once from a peddler did and their daughter, in 1930 that still now Brittan Bailey produce nuts and Richardson, 29, of Delray shade. The old well Beach, Fla., has done that stood to the right most of her life. front of the house “She’s been one when it was near of the top 25 riders A photo of the house taken about 1923 shows the road, still stands in the country,” her today. Its more recent Lillian and Noel Robert Bailey on the front steps understandably proud concrete foundation with their son, Paul, about 2 at the time. dad says while touring bears Paul’s initials the farm in an off-road and the date 1930. four-wheel-drive utility vehicle.

Robert was already the third “I guess that’s when they poured Stan stops in the pasture to feed generation of Baileys rooted in it,” Stan says. apples to three of the six horses that the community, going back to live in the classic white, copulathe 1870s when Stan’s great-great orn in Cullman, Stan spent topped barn across the way. Brittan grandparents, Robert Benson and only a year on the farm before shows and rides their warmbloods, Mary Ford Bailey moved their he, his mother, the former Eileen and when they’re retired, they come family from Blount County to Garmon, and Paul moved in 1947 to the farm in Baileyton. what’s now Baileyton. to Montevallo, where his father “We don’t sell our horses,” Stan “He probably found this served as a professor and chair of says, bouncing off toward the barn. place during ‘The War,’” Stan the biology department at what was “They stay with us a long time. says of Robert, a member of the then Alabama College.

They’ve been good to us, we’re good Confederate calvary unit known as They relocated to Birmingham to them.”

Lewis’ Raiders. If so, he was the first in 1963 when Paul joined the While the barn might be Bailey beckoned back.

Birmingham-Southern College the prominent feature on the faculty as chairman of the biology property, the farmhouse is the obert Benson Bailey department and division of math soul and center of its history. It’s homesteaded 160 acres, including and science. Highly regarded been through several evolutions what’s now “downtown” Baileyton. as a professor, Stan’s father also including being physically moved He operated a cotton gin and, was noted for his research into in 1993. in 1881, started what today is lymphoma, authoring one of the In the deep shade on the Baileyton United Methodist basic textbooks in biology and southwest side of the property, Church. When the post office his inclusion in “Who’s Who in Stan shows where the house was was chartered in 1882, the town the World” and “Outstanding located when the Lovvorn family Educators of America.” was named for Robert. The town built it around 1890 as a two-room cemetery, which Stan worked to get Paul retired as dean of the college dog-trot. Four rooms and porches listed on the state historical register, in 1985 and, beckoned back to

B

R

32

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

Stan stops to feed horses. Alan Walker of Walker Brothers LTD in Baileyton built the 5,000-square-foot barn.

“Alan does a great job,” Stan says. The barn’s eight stalls are oversized to better accommodate the jumping horses, which go 16-17 hands. Double doors on the east and west allow westerly breezes to drop temperatures inside by 10 degrees. An enclosed paddock adjacent to the barn can be set up for jumping.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

33

Baileyton, he and Eileen lived across the road from the family farm where she, now 91, still lives. In 1992 Rolfe Burke, the town’s only mayor since incorporation in 1973, recruited Paul to fill the last two years of his term. Paul did so and was elected to four full terms before he died in 2009.

Stan, who graduated from Birmingham-Southern in

1971, married Virginia the same year. They were horse people long before that, so much so that her uncle gave them a horse for a wedding present.

“There are,” Stan laughs, “horses in our blood.”

He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree and MBA from Samford University and a graduate degree in banking from Rutgers. He worked 40 years as a banking executive, much of it with AmSouth Bank in Birmingham, where he was a vice chairman and chief financial officer. He left to work in mergers and acquisitions of banks and other businesses for investors.

Pictures on an antique table in the entry hall of the house offer a nod to the family’s past as well as a nod to history.

The 2,000-square-foot master suite, with a closet-dressing room and large bath, was added in 2008, doubling the size of the house. It’s decorated in a tasteful mix of modern and antique. Not surprisingly, horses and riding are the motif, from hand-painted scenes on a 1721 European secretary with a top that opens to a gun rack, to photos and original artwork on the walls. Another painting, this one of Virginia, was done in 1993 by then unknown Birmingham artist Mark Carder, who went on to paint commissioned portraits of two U.S. presidents. At right, a side table in a reading room between the master suite and main house. The room was once the back porch.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

35

Brittan Bailey Richardson and Sunlight, in a family photo at left, make a jump at the national horse show in Palm Beach shortly before Sunlight retired to Bailey Mews in 2013.

Brittan’s top showing at the event was part of a season which made her one of the top 25 riders nationally in her division. Born in 1985, she was riding horses three years later. And she didn’t start on ponies, it was a 17-hand show horse named Nightcap.

Virgina Bailey, pictured below in 2010, began showing horses as a child. In the last 20 years or so she rode American Saddlebreds and hunter-jumpers.

Baileyton beckoned in 1993 when Stan took possession of the farm as a weekend home, and he and Virginia started keeping horses there. He also had the house moved back several hundred feet from the road and remodeled.

“The original timber is still in good shape,” he says.

In 2005 the barn, arena and fencing were added. In 2007 he and Virginia officially moved their residence from Little Rock to Baileyton, and the following year they added a huge master suite onto the back of the house.

Stan “retired” in 2010.

“I stayed retired for one month,” he says. “Then I began consulting.”

In 2012 he acquired Transworld Business Advisors of Alabama, creating a network of 24 advisory professionals across the state to facilitate clients in succession planning and the selling and buying of their businesses.

W

hat’s next? Stan tends to take major steps in his life in five-year increments. If that holds true, he’s got another three years or so before his next big move.

“But I’m home,” he says of Bailey Mews. “And when I’m gone, Brittan will own this. If nothing else, she needs a place to retire her horses.” man steeped in family history feel about that?

This seems to raise another question. With one “It doesn’t bother me,” he says. “The bloodline daughter, Stan’s eventual passing will mark the end of continues through Brittan, and the name continues one line of the Bailey name in Baileyton. How does a through Baileyton.”

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AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

Stan, below, traced his genealogy back to 1509 on the Bailey side. The living room, above, has old photos and framed land deeds from 1884 and 1890. That Paul was born in the corner of the room only adds to its history. Stan has two siblings: Paul Bailey Jr. is an energy lobbyist in Washington, D.C.; Jeanne Bailey Green is a special ed teacher in Selma. Both earned undergraduate degrees at Birmingham-Southern and went to graduate school at Vanderbilt University.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

37

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39

Fueling Your Life In Cullman County

...For

Less

Jet-Pep

There’s a just down the road from you

Arab

Cullman

2276 U.S. Highway 231 South 256-586-4353

1608 4th Street Sw 256-739-1995

Baileyton

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Cullman

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18055 U.S. Highway 31 North 256-734-7385

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10840 Alabama Highway 278/91 256-796-5450

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645 Alabama Highway 157/69 256-736-8917

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Cullman

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74 U.S. Highway 31 256-352-6353

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HOPE horses Therapy and joy ride to the rescue for challenged kids, adults as a dream catches on HOPE founder David Poynor pets a

friend in the barn of Jon and Dr. Glori

Short, who are temporarily boarding specially trained horses for the non-profit program.

T

Story and photos

by David Moore

hese might seem like odd horserelated questions to pose, but ...

What are our dreams?

From whence do they come?

Short of a cure, the dream of parents of children struggling with disabilities is providing a better life for their struggling youngsters. Their dream emanates from love.

One of David Poynor’s dreams is offering those children and their parents a better life, a glimmer of “hope,” if you will. His dream

emanates from his love and understanding of horses and – of all things – a chance meeting with a woman whose path he crossed while establishing a horseback security patrol for the 22-mile perimeter of George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

David’s dream is to saddle mentally and physically challenged children with gentle horses and trained handlers, in the process opening doors to new emotional joys, physical challenges, cognitive sensations and just plain joy.

The dream has a name: HOPE, an acronym for Horses Offering People

Encouragement. And David has shared it with a group of like-minded people whose drive, resources and horsepower moved HOPE from the realm of dream stuff into a reality for Cullman County.

Headed by an 11-person board, program director Kerri Roberts, instructor Keli Anders and executive director Rhonda Riley, the non-profit organization has four horses certified for therapeutic riding, two certified riding instructors, a temporary location at the farm of board member Jon Short and his wife, Dr. Glori Short, and a barn of its own nearing completion on 19 acres leased from the Benedictine AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

41

Jordan Davis, 18, rides HOPE certified Loula during his evaluation under the eyes of trained volunteers Keli Anders, left, Terre Sutherland and program director Kerri Roberts, right. As an autistic youngster who could not vocalize, Jordan often cried and screamed, says his mom, Rhonda. When he was 3, though, his dad, Phillip, held him for a 30-minute horse ride.

“By the end, it had calmed him so much he was happily asleep. He loved it. It was calming, and the bouncing soothed his muscles.” When Jordan turned 9, they drove him to a horse therapy program south of Birmingham. The long drive was well worth it, Rhonda says, as was the subsequent drive to a similar program in Jasper. Having HOPE so near their home in Cullman is an extra blessing to the therapeutic benefits Jordan gets from horses, Rhonda says. Riding has improved his motor skills, his ability to focus, and helping groom and feed the horse after a ride has taught him a sense of responsibility.

Sisters of Cullman.

As of this writing, parents seeking a better life for their challenged children have signed up 13 young people, ages 8 to 27, and had them approved for 3060 minutes of riding a week or other horse related therapy for those who simply cannot ride. There is room to schedule more kids.

Making it all happen thus far is some $135,000 the HOPE board has pulled in from fundraisers and donations.

HOPE provides equine therapy for individuals with Down syndrome, autism, muscular dystrophy, multiple 42 AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

sclerosis and cerebral palsy, and many other disorders and disabilities. With increased funding and more volunteers, David says, they can reach more of the 1,222 special needs children in the Cullman County and Cullman City schools who stand to benefit from horse therapy. Their needs range from blindness and deafness to amputations, ADD, brain and spinal disorders and severe emotional problems.

HOPE will provide them physical therapy – and something much more.

“A horse,” says David, “gives you unconditional love like a dog, only it’s bigger.”

After retiring in 2000 as manager

editor and operations manager of The Cullman Times, David, a long-time journalist, and his wife, Paula, rode the grandkid trail for seven years, moving to Arizona when their daughter Leslie had a baby then to Texas where their daughter Jennifer had two babies.

While in Houston, David – a lifetime horse lover – got a job establishing a security detail that patrolled the massive perimeter of the George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

In the process he met a teacher who had an equine riding program for

challenged children and adults.

He had never heard of such, but old newspaper habits die hard, so David researched therapy horses. The more he learned, the more he liked the idea, and a dream began to materialize.

“When we moved back to Cullman,” he informed Paula, “we’re going to start a therapeutic riding program.”

They returned to Cullman March 7, 2007. On March 8, he was in the office of Cullman Police Chief Kenny Culpepper talking up therapeutic riding. Kenny was active in a Rotary Club program that annually takes mentally and physically challenged adults to the Cullman County Fair. Though he’d not seen the therapeutic side of horseback riding, he’d seen the joy basic pony rides brought to clients of the Margaret Jean Jones Cullman County Center for the Developmentally Disabled.

So Kenny found himself lassoed into David’s big dream. It was apparently a contagious dream because others soon caught it.

T

he dream was out of the starting gate, but it would take several years to get it up and running.

Procuring land loomed as an obstacle until 2010 when The Benedictine Sisters at Sacred Heart Monastery rode to the rescue. That happened with the help of attorney Steve Griffith of the Cullman County Ag Center board, attorney Sister Lynn McKenzie and Sister Janet Marie Flemming.

The sisters were tentatively agreeable to leasing the group 19 acres of land on Convent Road for $10 per year. Doing so required jumping several legal hurdles.

First, the group had to incorporate as a non-profit, which it did, and so HOPE was officially born. Then, in April 2011, the 42 Sisters at Sacred Heart unanimously approved the lease.

“The only question from the Sisters came from an octogenarian who wanted to know when she could ride a horse,” David laughs. “I said I could make that happen.”

HOPE faced other hurdles, but the determined board worked around them.

Finally, this May, the first youngsters mounted up for evaluation rides.

Led by HOPE volunteer Caroline Thomas, Stormi Brock rides Wizer during her successful evaluation. Stormi underwent four years of equine therapy through a program in Jasper. “I was afraid of the horses when I was little, says Stormi, who is mildly autistic and turns 20 Aug. 31. That fear is no longer in her. The daughter of Penny and Richard Brock of Cullman, she proudly calls herself a cowgirl and says she’d rather ride a horse than eat ice cream. “She’s come a long way,” Penny says. “It’s amazing to us, a blessing, something we never dreamed she could do.”

Equine therapy, she adds, has opened doors for Stormi, helping teach her to listen to instructions, to learn responsibility and independence. “She says, ‘Look at me! I can do this myself!’” Mom beams. “It’s a great thing now, coming here for this,” Penny says of the HOPE program.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

43

Stormi Brock, a take-charge kind of cowgirl, counts down on her fingers before she and Jordan Davis begin an exercise during their evaluations with HOPE horses in May. They’re under the close eyes of trained volunteers Sherri England, Caroline Thomas, Terre Sutherland and Kerri Roberts. In June, Stormi and Jordan became the first two youngsters to officially begin the equine therapy program.

“These are not your basic pony rides,” David explains. “Participants are evaluated first. In some cases, they might need a letter from a doctor.

“They can’t just show up and get on a horse. Each child has goals like the individual education plans they have in school. It’s a long process. But there are lots of ways to use a therapeutic horse.”

L

acking motor skills, some children in the program will never be able to ride a horse. But given the basic nature of horses, just being around them will help, everyone in HOPE agrees.

In the program’s still formative years, David one day introduced a 15-year old with cerebral palsy to his 44

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

horse, Shalako. The boy tried to pet the horse’s nose.

“But his hand wouldn’t go where he wanted it to go,” David says.

Exasperated with failure, the boy finally slapped Shalako’s nose – three times.

“But the horse never moved his head,” David says. “It was amazing to see that interaction between that 1,000-pound animal and that child.

That horse knew that child was not trying to hurt it.”

While that incident nearly brought tears to the former newspaper editor’s eyes, at least two other incidents did.

The first time, a young girl with severe cerebral palsy was rolled out to see Shalako. But the girl showed absolutely no emotion. She just lay in

her buggy beside the horse.

A volunteer gently took the girl’s hand and rubbed the horse’s nose.

“That horse looked at that child and very slowly put his nose down and nuzzled her – and she laughed,” says David. “That’s when, sure enough, the tears began to run down my face.”

The same girl later met Paula Poynor’s horse, Mirados. Again, she showed no emotion as she was rolled up to the animal, but when Mirados put his head down to nuzzle her, she laughed out loud. The beauty of the moment again brought tears to David’s eyes.

Riding a HOPE horse won’t

return locomotion to a youngster afflicted with muscular dystrophy or

Jordan Davis and Stormi Brock join David Poynor for a bit of the joy one gets from simply petting a horse. cerebral palsy. It won’t miraculously change the genetic makeup of a girl with down syndrome or rein in a boy with attention deficit disorder.

“It’s not going to cure them,” David readily admits.

“But it can teach confidence. It helps develop core muscles.

Horses can have a calming effect on rambunctious children, and lots of times they learn if they don’t behave in the appropriate way, they won’t be allowed to be with the horse.”

Beyond those positive steps, a HOPE horse can bring a smile to a young face that often goes without.

“Even if they can’t ride a horse,” David adds, “they’ll be able to pet it.”

And that simple connection with a big, beautiful, living, loving creature can provide a therapeutic boost to children who have seen far too much happiness trampled in their lives. In David’s dream – in the dream of many others – HOPE rides to the rescue bringing joy on a horse.

Board takes the reins of bringing HOPE to the disabled

The HOPE board of directors is

headed up by Kenny Culpepper as president. Other board members are: • Sammie Danford, treasurer • Melanie Howell, secretary • Rex Adams • Missy Blaylock • Will Bonds • Lynne Morton • John Riley

• Jon Short • Sister Tonette Sperando • Liz St. John David Poynor, who sparked the dream of HOPE, is founder and board emeritus. He speaks highly of the board and various talents and resources its members bring to the table.

“It’s an incredible program, and I am impressed with all of the

incredible people involved in it.” he says. “It’s not something any one of us can do by ourselves.

“Through the sharing of our gifts we will be able to make life a little brighter for those who often only see darkness,” he adds. “We will be able to give hope to those who may have little hope in their lives ... This is what HOPE is about, and I am honored to be a part of it.”

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

45

Volunteers and donations bring HOPE beyond dreams

Now Open In Our New Location 601 7th Avenue S.W. Cullman , AL

T

wo numbers – 60 and 50,000 – illustrate just how much Cullman County residents believe in HOPE, the local, non-profit organization that provides equine therapy for youth and adults with disabilities.

So far, more than 60 people have volunteered to help ensure the success of the program, and the estate of Evelyn Burrow has pledged $50,000 toward the program’s recently completed barn.

But donations don’t need five digits. A gift of only $5 will buy a bale of hay, says HOPE’s David Poynor, and $25 will allow a child to ride for an hour.

It’s the goal of HOPE to raise enough “scholarship” money so that no candidate will be ever be denied.

Volunteers are as crucial as money.

“If you don’t know one end of a horse from the other, you can still clean tack or volunteer in the office, David says. “You can never have too many volunteers or too much money.”

For more information: e-mail HOPE@hopehorses. org; or visit www.hopehorses.org.

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AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

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47

An unidentified friend or family member, left, joins Louise, Betty and John Stiefelmeyer, a cat and dog at the camp long before the trip from 1950 recounted below.

Back in the day, summer for the Stiefelmeyers meant a trip to

C

Story by Jane-Ann Heitmueller

louds of choking dust, and stinging grit from the barren southern roadbed swirled in through the open windows of the old brown and cream colored wood-paneled Ford. Clawing thorns from the profuse blackberry bushes grabbed at the unwelcome mechanical intruder. Sticky, resin 48

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

encased boughs from overhanging pine saplings slapped angrily at the occupants inside. The Ford – filled with ice, cooking utensils, food and clothes – haltingly groaned and bumped down the steep, rugged hillside that stiflingly humid Sunday afternoon in June 1950.

Clamoring for a better view and squealing with excitement, the five rambunctious Stiefelmeyer cousins,

ranging from ages 4 to 9, tumbled over each other in the back seat like a litter of famished puppies greedily jockeying for position at supper.

“Hey, you wild Indians, settle down back there,” shouted George Jr., father of Linda, Brother and Marye. Infant sister Betsy remained at home, but would soon relish the fun with her siblings and cousins. “If you don’t stop that ruckus I’ll turn this car around and

Views of the camp George Stiefelmeyer built in 1920, where several generations of his family went on to build special memories that remain strong, if not somewhat faded, like their old photos.

go straight back to town with you!”

“Oh, George, don’t be so hard,” his older brother Carl gently chided. His children Carlie and Karen added their share of youthful glee to the melee.

The following year Lydia was born and would soon contribute her own unique measure of merriment each summer.

“Remember how excited we were to come to the camp when we were children?” Carl said. “They’re just kids, let ’em be.”

W

inding lazily through the northeastern section of Cullman County, the Mulberry Fork forms the boundary between Cullman and Blount counties. It was along this river in 1920 that George Stiefelmeyer Sr., one of Cullman’s earliest German

residents and respected businessmen, bought 13 acres of woodland on which he built a spacious, rustic cabin where his family and friends could relax some 15 miles from the demands of city life. It was large enough to accommodate his growing family comfortably, yet remain simplistic in nature – a refuge where everyone could enjoy a sense of adventure, freedom and camaraderie.

In 1888 young George had moved from Canada to Cullman to help his uncle C.A. manage Stiefelmeyer’s Mercantile Store. He met and married the lovely, musically talented Elizabeth Kleibacher and became the proud father of five children: George Jr., Carl, John, Betty and Louise. He was anxious to unleash the exuberant

energy of his large clan and felt the wooded setting hugging the banks of this beautiful river would be the perfect spot for them to spend their summers.

On this bright June afternoon, some 30 years after construction of the camp, George Jr.’s gruff admonition only momentarily quelled the rowdy behavior of the latest generation of Stiefelmeyer youngsters. They continued to push and strain out the windows for first sight of the familiar landmark that would lead them the final yards down the hillside to their beloved river. For the moment they would have to be satisfied to catch slight glimpses of the crystalline water meandering placidly between large rock cliffs and native foliage in the verdant valley below.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

49

“L

Uncle CA and Aunt Maggie Stiefelmeyer

Carl, George, Betty, Louise and John

ook!” shouted Carlie, the eldest cousin.

“There’s the double well. We’re almost there.”

His red hair was twisted from the wind and caked with dust and grime. The huge smile on his sunburned, freckled face mirrored the immense excitement they all felt in anticipation of the weeks ahead.

The eager occupants became quiet as George eased the old Ford to a standstill. They were greeted by a scene almost identical to the one their parents and grandparents had viewed in past years – a sight that never failed to thrill the hearts of each generation – the Stiefelmeyer Camp.

The large, sturdy, tin-roofed, wooden cabin had hand-sawn pine boards, aged over decades, adding a comforting mellowness to the welcoming scene nestled under the shady canopy of massive oak limbs.

The back door was the main entrance. It opened into a large room in the center of the house. Every wall was covered with an array of river-life equipment. Hanging helter-skelter on hooks were life jackets, bathing suits, frog gigging poles, fishing canes, inner tubes, oars, swimming fins and masks.

Mr. George had built roomy, comfortable sleeping areas on either side of the main hallway. Each room was furnished with several sturdy bunk beds and three or four double iron bedsteads adorned with cozy feather mattresses and pillows for the comfort of his guests.

Today, recalling her childhood memories, Karen Leffingwell Mitchell says the fun feature of the house was that both bedrooms were open at the top interior wall facing into the hallway.

“We had boisterous pillow fights in those rooms,” she says. “And I remember being regularly stung by wasps that had slipped in through tears in the bedroom screens.”

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Grandma and Louise take a dip in the river

50 AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

he entire front of the house was built on a sloping hill that faced the picturesque Mulberry, framed by a background of huge rocky cliffs, creating a wild, primitive setting. The ample front porch was fully screened and furnished with a variety of lounge chairs and card tables.

A continuous breeze created a refreshing location where the grownups could spend their lazy summer afternoons chatting, napping, playing cards or board games. Their parental perch gave them a perfect panoramic view of the noisy youngsters frolicking and splashing in

the river or chasing each other on the sandy beach just yards below.

The rear of the cabin housed a sparsely furnished kitchen with a primitive wood stove and ample dining space. The lack of electricity and indoor plumbing never seemed to hinder the cooking process. Food was always abundant, delicious and well received.

The children routinely braved the slippery algae covered rocks in the river when they crossed to fill large wooden buckets from a spring on the other side, Betty Evans said prior to her death in 2008, the last of Mr. George’s offspring. Eventually, a deep well was dug behind the house and a 15-foot-long well house erected with a tin roof and concrete floor.

Numerous meals were enjoyed on the sturdy wooden table Mr. George built inside the well house. Two large metal drink coolers in the well house were kept stocked with Cokes, Orange Crush and grape sodas for the everthirsty children scurrying to and fro on those scorching, southern summer afternoons on the Mulberry.

T

own was town. Camp was camp.

“Until the 1950’s, when an indoor bathroom was installed, we had to go out back and through a small wooded area to the outhouse,” recalls Linda Stiefelmeyer. “Since we were accustomed to indoor plumbing at home, we simply considered the outhouse to be part of our rugged camp life.”

Snake shooting was routine.

Main Office (256)-734-1740

“They were draped on tree limbs by the men as prize kills,” Linda says.

“We were warned to stay away from the poisonous water moccasins when we went swimming or exploring in the

risked life and limb when they took the dare from taunting peers to swing from the heavy rope hanging from the oak on the edge of the steep river bank and catapult into the frigid waters far below.

As in all areas of life, time and

Elizabeth and George sandpits downstream from the cabin.”

Each summer the family welcomed their entire congregation at St. John’s Evangelical and Reformed Church to a festive day at the camp. Excitement reigned as the parade of cars, overflowing with jovial church folks carrying hefty picnic baskets, left town and slowly wound its way to the camp.

The Stiefelmeyers provided homemade ice cream, lemonade and the delightful promise of a full day of swimming, exploring and companionship.

The river teemed with boisterous youngsters attempting to scale the rapids, but most found themselves repeatedly plunging headlong into the cold water when the slippery rocks dashed their determined efforts.

Nearby hills and cliffs echoed with the sound of laughter and playful merriment. A few brave young men

South Branch (256)-737-7200

Highway 157 (256)-734-7449

circumstance took their toll on the camp. In the late ’50s, as the younger generation drifted into a different era and their individual lives, fewer and fewer summers were spent at the camp. Left to fend for itself, exposed to the elements of nature and man, it was looted by vandals, ransacked by animals and finally destroyed by fire, leaving behind few tangible remnants of the once flourishing and cherished family retreat.

Some 20 years ago, Marye Stiefelmeyer Tolbert and husband Jeff tried to gradually restore the property. They diligently worked to make improvements by cutting pines and clearing away the underbrush, hoping to once again create a refuge where their family could relax in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility – just as grandfather George Sr. had done some three-quarters of a century earlier. Due to family illness, however, they eventually had to abandon their lofty project.

“Mother Nature has returned and claimed a lot of what we did,” says Marye, speaking, it would seem, on behalf of the entire clan. “However, the memories are still there, and our love for the camp will always be with us.”

Such were summers, back in the day, on the Mulberry.

Hanceville (256)-352-6411

www.cullmansavingsbank.com AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

51

Little fish in a little ‘pond,’ the striper fingerlings above were delivered to Smith Lake Park boat launch in a 450-gallon tank on the back of a truck.

The little ’uns that got away (And will turn into big stripes you might catch someday) 52

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

E

Story and photos by David Moore

veryone knows about the big ’un that got away, but Ray Knighten had a few little ’uns get away recently – actually 12,000 of them, give or take a few. They were all stripe bass.

Ray, who works for Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, released the final delivery of this year’s restocking allocation that added 84,000 Gulf coast fingerling stripers to Smith Lake.

Raised at the state fishery in Marion, the stripes were about 1 month old when released. Those that survive will grow some 5 pounds a year. That means in nine years those that survive will be the size of the current record of 45 pounds, but it’s suspected that Smith already harbors stripes weighing 50 pounds plus.

Ray doesn’t fish on his off days – which makes sense to him – but the 25-year veteran says his job is fun.

“I think about some little kid and his dad out catching our fish,” he says, “and that’s as cool as grits.”

Ray Knighten pumped 72-degree lake water into the fish tank water for about 15 minutes until the temperatures were equalized. After that he opened the drain pipe to the tank and out flushed the fingerlings, becoming – for the next several years, anyway – proverbial little fish in a big pond.

Wallace State aviation and flight technology student Jessica Lopez banks her four-seater Piper over the college’s campus in Hanceville. With the control yoke in hand and air under her wings, she’s in her element. She loves to fly.

Pilots – and student pilots – come from many walks of life, but they share one trait in common ...

The love of flying P

Story and photos

by David Moore

icture an airplane pilot.

A fit guy in a sharp Delta uniform wheeling a carry-on through Atlanta International bound for parts unknown ...

A helmeted and visored Air Force captain, breathing through an oxygen line, contrails streaming from behind his F-15 as it screams through the sky ...

A barnstorming old-timer in an open-cockpit Jenny, his slightly dirty white scarf flapping behind him against the blue sky …

Okay. Erase all of those images from your mind.

Picture Jessica Lopez, a 24-year-old single mom petite enough to be mistaken for a middle school co-ed, wearing a headset over her long dark hair, banking a Piper Warrior over the campus of Wallace State Community College.

She’s different than the above-mention stereotypical pilots. For one thing, she’s only been flying for a year, and that as a student. Starting her third semester in Wallace State’s aviation and flight technology program this fall, her plan was to earn her pilot’s license before summer’s end.

But in one sense, Jessica is like nearly every pilot who has ever “slipped the surly bonds of Earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings.” She loves to fly.

So does Anthony Harper, her Wallace State instructor, who is sitting beside her in the cockpit of the Piper. He lives in Vinemont and also provides flight training, piloting and aerial photography services through his company, Anthony Aviation.

“It’s been kind of a dream,” Jessica says of flying. “And I am finally doing it.”

A

native of Utah, Jessica was 13 when she flew for the first time while moving to Cullman with her family.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

55

There has always been a romantic element to flying high above the earth, flight instructor Anthony Harper says. “It’s not like anything else. It’s a freedom.

You’re above everything. Its like looking at the world from God’s eye.” It brings to his mind the song “From A Distance”

by Bette Midler, which goes, in part: “From a distance, there is harmony, and it echoes through the land. / It’s the voice of hope, it’s the voice of peace, it’s the voice of every man. / From a distance we all have enough, and no one is in need. / And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease, no hungry mouths to feed.”

“It was very exciting,” she’d said during her preflight briefing at Cullman Regional/Folsom Field. “My uncle didn’t want his window seat, so I took it.

“There’s nothing about flying that scares me.”

“She’s fearless,” Anthony had agreed. “That’s a whole lot about learning to flying – not being afraid.

She’s a little crazy, I think. But she’s a good student.”

A 2008 graduate of Hanceville High School, Jessica started Wallace State last year and began flying in August a year ago. She lives in Cullman and has a work-study job with Wallace’s flight department. Her commercial ground school classes ended in May, completing her second semester in the flight program.

“I wanted to be a commercial pilot for an airline, but I am leaning more toward getting my CFI (certified flight instructor) license. That way I could teach,” she said.

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ack in March she made her first cross-country solo flight, following 56

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

a VOR, a high-frequency navigation beam, from Cullman to Birmingham then on to Tuscaloosa Regional Airport where she landed among its commercial flights. She handled that successfully, took off again and set a course straight for Cullman. It was about a 75-minute adventure – alone, of course.

On the leg to Birmingham Jessica had used the freeway as a visual reference. Coming back, however, she followed the flight plan she filed using sectional charts and a couple of landmark towers to find her way.

The young pilot who claims to be fearless confessed to being “very nervous” that day.

“They said the winds would be calm, but there was definitely a little bit of wind, more than I thought there would be. It was pretty intense. I was making sure I was doing what I was supposed to. I was worried I would get off course and end up somewhere completely different.”

Before taking off today, Anthony told her to keep it basic. This would be her first time flying a four-seater, and

the weight contributed by a passenger in the back would affect how the plane handled.

“Nothing fancy,” he’d warned with a half-smile. “No rolls, hammerheads or spins.”

“Darn!” Jessica had replied.

In the sky, Jessica flies Anthony

and her passenger over downtown Cullman, banking steeply to provide a rotating panorama of the patchwork of buildings, roads and blocks. She is cool behind the controls. Confident sounding in her occasional radio contacts.

There’s no question as to who’s piloting the plane, but Anthony offers a few suggestions. One is climb up through the low clouds for cooler blue skies above.

Jessica pulls back on the yoke. The “surly bonds” fall farther away.

“I had an evil thought,” she says over the headsets.

Anthony throws her a glance.

“I thought about cutting the engine.”

The pilot, though a fledgling still learning to fly, is in her element.

Jessica Lopez goes through her pre-flight list, including checking to ensure there’s no moisture in the fuel. The Wallace State students fly out of and take classes at Folsom Field.

Want to lean to fly?

Pursue a career ... or just soar A

bout 40 percent of all baby eagles do not survive their first flight. Fortunately, students in the Wallace State Community College aviation and flight training program not only have a perfect survival rate, but many go on to exciting and rewarding careers as commercial airplane and helicopter pilots, co-pilots and flight engineers.

And all of them learn to do something they have dreamed of doing – flying.

The program is based at Cullman Regional Airport, headed by Bert Mackentepe and open to Wallace students and, through the college, the public at large.

At a minimum, it takes 35 hours of flight time plus 17 hours of ground school to earn your license, according to the program’s assistant chief flight instructor, Anthony Harper. Ground school classes are held one hour a week at night, starting up again this fall. Anthony says some high school students take the classes.

It can take six months to earn your license if you fly only once a week, but more is recommended. The cost of classes, flight instructors, plane rentals and gas is about $6,000, more if you rent bigger planes.

Students can acquire FAA certification for private pilot, instrument rating and commercial pilot certificates.

Advanced certificates and ratings also can be earned, including instructor training. Through arrangements with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Wallace State aviation grads can earn a bachelor’s degree in professional aeronautics or transfer to Athens State University for a degree in management of technology with a minor in aviation management.

Or, after you earn you license, you can simply and safely go flying.

For more information, call: Bert Mackentepe, 256-7373040.

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AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

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Out ’n’ About If you plan to go out ’n’ about hiking, fall is a good time because the weather is usually nice. But an even better reason is to catch the palette of colors that paint the woods. One place to catch the display is the 67-acre Hurricane Creek Park off U.S. 31 north of Cullman near the county line. Tucked away in a 500-foot canyon, the park’s trails offer a varied afternoon of casual hiking. Last fall found Nicholas and Delilah Wood of Addison enjoying a hike as well as a school group from Decatur, far right. Operated by Cullman Park and Rec, Hurricane Creek is open noon to 5 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m.-5p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

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AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | October

256-734-6430