Marshall Good Life Magazine - Fall 19

MARSHALL COUNTY

Trekking trails with park naturalist Mike Ezell reveals extra wonders

Tammy and Dr. Victor Sparks created a “cottage” for family, solace FALL 2019 | COMPLIMENTARY

Bill Ingram loves his clocks but is more aware of how he spends time

THIS AREA’S LARGEST SELECTION OF LA-Z-BOY COMFORT FOR YOUR HOME!

THE FURNITURE SHOPPE Just 4 miles from beautiful Lake Guntersville

10276 US Highway 431 • Albertville

256-660-5200

www.thefurnitureshoppe.com

Every 5.9 hours ...

That’s how often we sell a house and make someone’s dream come true

Sell a home ... Find a home with the fastest growing agency around!

256-486-3274

436 Gunter Avenue, Guntersville, AL 35976

Also with Alabama offices in Huntsville, Madison, Athens, Birmingham and Fayetteville, Tennessee

www.LakeGuntersville.LeadingEdgeAl.com

Tyler Martin

Kim Lake

Jeff Gibbs

Scott & Terri Haga

256-302-7398

256-200-1032

256-640-3085

256-673-1223 256-673-0959

Realtor

4

Realtor

Realtor

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Realtors

Tammy Parsley

Julie Brown Realtor

Associate Broker

Managing Broker

256-477-5548

256-486-7339

256-572-4280

256-503-7949

Realtor

Jeri Jones

Jerry O’Neal

Small-town living has its advantages.

At Citizens Bank & Trust, great banking is one of the biggest.

No doubt about it, where you choose to live affects your quality of life — including access to excellent banking. With Citizens Bank & Trust, living in a smaller town means having banking products and services that are second to none. From friendly, knowledgable customer service to reward checking and great CD rates, we offer a level of banking satisfaction beyond the ordinary. Quality banking, quality of life — they work together in a big way at Citizens Bank & Trust.

BAN K & T RU S T

visit us at citizensbanktrust.com Guntersville 256-505-4600

Albertville 256-878-9893

Arab 256-931-4600

Cullman 256-841-6600

Elkmont 256-732-4602

Hazel Green 256-828-1611

New Hope 256-723-4600

Rogersville 256-247-0203

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-hiked 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. I’d be willing to say that 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 Proudly printed in Marshall County by BPI Media of Boaz

6

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 –which in her case might require fighting off bookworms.

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.

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!”

In this issue, Jacquelyn Hall learned about sailboat racing and shares it with you. She enjoys writing articles for GLM while balancing life as a stay-athome wife and mom. She and her husband relish their life in the tranquil corner of Marshall county they and their four children call home.

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 editor/publisher David Moore was sorta’ surprised when he updated the volume number below. In case you wondered, a periodical’s “Vol.’ depicts the years of publication. “No.” is the issue’s number in that year. We publish quarterly, so this is the final issue of our sixth year – a good surprise.

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

Vol. 6 No. 4 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

Ment io ad for n th is a disco 5% u any e nt on quip purch ment ase.

We're the #1 turnkey generator business in Alabama and Tennessee ● We specialize in generators for home and business

Power Outage

● We offer full service for industrial, home and small business units

Potential Cost To Homeowners

● We do it right with the most certified

10,000

$

generator technicians in the area ● We’ve been serving you since 1987

Burst or frozen pipes

We sell, rent and service Done Right lawn equipment.

21,000

$

Flooded Basement

500-$30,000

$

Mold Removal

250-$500

$

Food Loss

110/night

$

Alternative Shelter

Source: Michigan Fire Claims, Inc.; Auburn Hills Michigan Source: FloodSmart.gov (A two-inch flood in a 2,000 sq. ft. home) Source: MoldRemediationCostGuide.com Source: Carrns, Ann. “Hurricane Damage Questions, Part 2: Flooding and Food.” The New York Times, 31 Aug. 2011. Web. http://nyti.ms/1kRyv2z. Source: Hotels. com® Hotel Price Index (HPI®)

Visit our Lacey’s Spring showroom ... the only one in North Ala.! 1068 U.S. 231, Lacey’s Spring, AL. 35754

256-880-1880

www.huntsvillegenerators.com

Inside 10 | Good Fun

There’s a new kid in town ...

Arab is starting the SugarFest

18 | Good People

Janet Calhoun and others out to preserve history, a village at a time

24 | Good Reads

Tom Cotton’s “Sacred Duty” and “The Bottom of the Pool

27 | Good Cooking

Cindy Duncan’s gift is service, her talent is old-fashioned cooking

36 | Good Eats

Homemade is part of the joy of eating at Old Napoli in Albertville

38 | A place of solace

Tammy and Dr. Victor Sparks built a special home secluded in Arab

48 | Good Getaways

Add some adventure to your life by visiting Stephens Gap Cave

52 | “King Tat”

Tat Bailey spent years of his life preparing to depart from his life

55 | Bill Ingram

He spent years collecting clocks, but is careful spending his time

59 | Sailboat racing

Hydroplanes are faster, but some like the nuances of taming wind

64 | Mike Ezell

Visit the woods with this naturalist and you see that he’s a natural

71 | Out ‘n’ About

HydroFest brought even more racing fun to the lake this year On the cover | Skipper Ania Gorska of Nashville and local sailor Jacob Williams race on Lake Guntersville.

This page | Two ospreys and their tiny offspring nest in a dead tree at Lake Guntersville State Park. Photos by David Moore.

ALBERTVILLE

TEAM ONE SALES DEPARTMENT –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WHERE YOU ARE CUSTOMER ONE ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Team One Nissan of Albertville

9736 US Highway 431 SALES HOURS Mon.-Sat. 9 AM - 6 PM Closed Sunday SERVICE HOURS Mon.-Fri. 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM Sat. 8 AM – 1 PM Closed Sunday

256-878-4390

Nissanofalbertville.net

Denson Honea Sales Manager

Finance Manager

Jake King

Greg Harden

Denson has been with Nissan over 9 years.

Need of a laugh or just some good conversation?

He’s your man. What he loves most about his job is interacting with customers and providing them with the sharpest vehicles in the area.

Denson is also in charge of our radio and TV commercials. A graduate of Boaz High, he creates a great work environment for our employees.

A graduate of Albertville High and a former police officer in town here, Jake joined Team One five years ago as a car salesman and worked his way up to Finance Manager. Whether you are looking for fast approval on a low-rate auto loan or need help overcoming no credit or bad credit, Jake will efficiently processing the paperwork for your new vehicle He’s here to help you!

New Vehicle Director

Earnie Duffy

Pre-Owned Vehicle Director

Dedicated and loyal to his customers, Greg does everything from overseeing day-to-day operations and managing the sales staff, to organizing training and pricing inventory.

Although selling cars isn’t his main focus, that doesn’t stop him from doing it! A Guntersville graduate, he has 30+ years of experience in the automobile industry, 15 of those with Nissan.

After graduating from Albertville High School, Earnie dove head first into the wonderful world of car dealerships. In an ever-changing market, he’s responsible for the quality, pre-owned inventory we offer our customers and has been at Team one for 26 years. If you would like your vehicle appraised, or need help finding a nice, pre-owned vehicle, come see Earnie Duffy today!

Plan now for April ‘20 trip to visit Switzerland, Austria and Bavaria

S

Experience Bavaria’s Neuschwanstein Castle, inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle; travel the GoldenPass Panoramic Train from Montreux through the Swiss Alps to Gstaad; and visit scenic Oberammergau in Bavaria.

witzerland, Austria, Bavaria.

Sound great, right? So attend the organizational meeting for this fantastic trip at 5 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Albertville Chamber of Commerce. It’s another in a series of international trips through the Arab and Albertville Chambers of Commerce, and representatives from Collette and Al-Bo Travel will be on hand to answer questions.

The trip is April 21-30, 2020 and includes five nights at the Hotel Ambassador in Bern, Switzerland, your base from which to explore Château de Chillon, Montreux, Lucerne, catch an Alpine train to Gstaad and more. Then it’s off to four nights at Hotel Innsbruck in Austria, home base for enjoying the Alps and Salzburg.

Price per person starts at $4,049 (double); book now and save $150 each. Price includes air transportation, 10 nights lodging, 12 meals and much more. For more information, call: 256-891-0888, Marcheta Chandler, AlBo Travel Agency.

There’s a new kid in town – Arab’s SugarFest T

here’s a new kid in town, as the song goes. It’s the SugarFest, organized by a bunch of civic-minded folks in Arab whose initial intention was to return a fireworks show to Arab. (Hasn’t been one for decades.) But once lit, the idea took on a life of its own.

SugarFest will include an arts and crafts show, a kid’s area, a food court and food trucks, a classic car show, a 5K race, a beauty pageant, a bake-off, live music … oh, yeah, and fireworks.

And it’s free. How sweet it is!

In mulling over a name, the organizers decided there’s nothing sweeter in the South, Sweetie, than sweet tea. So they 10

dubbed it SugarFest and set it for August 31, the Saturday before Labor Day. It will go from 9 a.m. (actually 7:30 a.m. if you’re a runner) until the movie is over. Here’s the rundown…

• Sugar Rush 5K, 7:30-8:30 a.m.

For more info: Randy.Ferguson@hycohydraulic.com or: 256-684-9842; • Sweet Rides Car Show, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

For more info: bjoslin@arabcity.org or 256-506-6424; • Miss SugarFest Pageant, 9:30-11:30 a.m. For more info: ehayes@arabcity.org or 256-640-6784.

• Sweetie Pie kids’ area, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more info: jakeh@ desperationchurch.tv or 256-531-6733.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

• Sugar cookie kids’ contest, noon-2 p.m. For more info: mcook@arabcity.org or 662-549-8294.

• Sugah Bakers adult baking contest, 2-4 p.m. For more info: mcook@arabcity. org or 662-549-8294.

• Market place, arts, crafts and food trucks. For more info: kjohnson@arabcity. org or 256-200-1234.

• Fireworks finale, 8-8:15 p.m. For more info: gullionmark@gmail.com or 256-506-5505.

• “I Can Only Imagine,” family movie, 8:15 p.m. Info: gullionmark@gmail.com.

• General info: Brooke Hemphill – bhemphill@arab-chamber.org or 256-5863138. Or visit: www.thesugarfest.com.

Good Fun

Find something fun, interesting to do this fall • Now-Aug. 30 – Bogdan Ghita exhibit This Romanian-born artist will exhibit his woodcut prints at this show at the Mountain Valley Arts Council. He works at studio 323 at Lowe Mill in Huntsville.

Bogdan got interested in woodcut prints while taking an elective art class at The University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2008. “The medium’s surface textures inspired me to explore its many possibilities for design,” he says. “Woodcuts can be bold or subtle, crude or refined. I enjoy the process of carving the blocks – it provides for hours of meditation … I’m an untutored artist, and my style is untainted by rules.”

A public reception for Bogdan will be 5-7 p.m. Aug. 8 at The MVAC gallery.

It is open 1-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free.

For more info: 256-571-7199.

• Now–Aug. 31 – Vintage Map Exhibition Find maps fascinating? History fascinating? Then you should enjoy the collections of historical maps of early southern territories, Marshall County, Guntersville (including old street maps) and the Tennessee River that are on exhibit through August at the Guntersville Museum. The maps are from its permanent collection, Marshall County Archives, Guntersville Historical Society and private collections.

Admission is free, and the museum is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 1-4 p.m. weekends.

• Aug. 8-10 – Auditions for ‘Noise Off! The Whole Backstage and Sonny

“Lowe Mill Water Tower” is one of Bogdan Ghita’s woodcut prints.

This one is finished a with blue metallic foil application.

Lewis will present this mature comedy, directed by Johnny Brewer, on Oct. 5-Nov. 3. Auditions will be at the theatre at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 8-9 and at 10 a.m. Aug. 10. Call backs will be at 2 p.m. Aug. 11.

For more information, check: www. wholebackstage.com; or call 256-5827469.

• Aug. 24 – River Run Charity Car Show From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., hundreds of cool cars, trucks and motorcycles will be at this annual car show, as will several thousand people, including some regular favorites: Barney will be

back along with the Floyd the Barber (get your picture made outside his barbershop). The Dukes of Hazzard are returning along with the mobile museum. There will be entertainment, fun for kiddos and lots of food trucks to keep your tank filled. Wonder Woman and some of her buddies are expected too. Door prizes will be given out throughout the day.

Sponsored by the Guntersville Lions Club, it’s one of the biggest and best car shows in Alabama. Register online for the car show – it’s only $20 – at www.

RiverRunCarShow.net; or call at 256677-9763. Gate admission is only $5

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

11

per carload. It all happens on U.S. 431, 1.5 miles north of Guntersville.

More info? Visit: www. riverruncarshow.net.

• Aug. 30-31– 49th Annual St. Williams Seafood Festival Seafood is always great at this Labor Day weekend tradition held by St. Williams Catholic Church in Guntersville.

This year, the event – along with its famous gumbo – has moved to the new Foley Center at 915 Gunter Ave., just north of the church – but the seafood will be as scrumptious as ever.

Drive-thru hours for quarts of gumbo and Cajun boiled shrimp are 4-6 p.m.

Friday. Come by anytime Saturday after 10:30 (until it’s sold out) for Cajun boiled shrimp by the pound, hot or frozen gumbo by the quart, catfish or BBQ half-chicken dinners with coleslaw and hushpuppies, crawfish by the pound, gumbo pints served hot and a la carte items.

Don’t be surprised to find a line.

• Sept. 4-27 – “MVAC’s Favorite Things” This collective exhibit will feature

favorite works of artist members of the Mountain Valley Arts Council. Up to 40 different artists are expected to participate. Registered by magazine deadline were Deborah Belcher, Anne Blue, Milla Sachs, Mason Holcomb, Jim Nix, Tracy Conner, Elizabeth Starnes, Kala Clontz, Jane Waldrop, Dave Burks, Michael Kirkpatrick, Emily Busby, Donnie Wier, Lyndall Hamlett, Sue Kirkpatrick, Linda Hisaw, John Hackney, Sherry Montez, Susan Turner, Jenell Weaver, Sandy Mann, Lynda Geddes, Becky H. Scheinert and Marty Bibee.

A public reception will be 5-7 p.m.

Sept. 5 at The MVAC gallery. It is open 1-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. For more info: 256-571-7199.

• Sept. 6-7 – Fire on the Mountain For its fifth year, this event has moved from summer to September. The weather might be a little cooler, but the BBQ competition will be good and hot. A fundraiser for Tri-County and Four-C Volunteer Fire Departments, the event kicks off Friday evening at Arab

City Park with Swamp John’s seafood dinners for sale from its famous truck.

Competition cooks for both days will meet at 5:30, and those entering the steak cookoff will pick their steaks at 6, cook and turn them in at 7:30. Entry fee is $100 and there will be cash prizes.

There’s also a dessert contest.

Entertainment that night and Saturday was not finalized at press time, but the Arab High jazz band will play at 11 a.m. Saturday at the gazebo. Along with steak cookoff, Saturday’s cookoffs will be ABA and KCBS sanctioned. Any backyard teams can ante up $175 and enter their best chicken, ribs and pork, to be judged at noon, 12:30 and 1. Cash prizes will be 50-50 splits with the VFDs. There will also be a corn hole tournament, a U.S. Army rock climbing wall, bounce houses for kids and more than 30 vendors with arts, crafts and food and more.

All cooking teams need to register by the prior week. For rules and more info visit: www.fotmarab.org. For vendor info, call: Regina Bodine, 256-3023871; for cooking competition info, call: Jason Haggard, 256-309-8611.

CO

NTRACTI NG

GENERAL CONTRACTORS

WHITAKE R ESTABLISHED 1957 BY J.G.W. JR.

On August 31, 2019, the Arab City Park will be transformed into a fun-lovers dream! SugarFest is a one day festival promoting culture and community in Arab, Alabama. Everyone is guaranteed to have a great day of family fun.

So, bring a lawn chair, stay awhile, and end your day with the grand fireworks showcase Sweet Tunes Musicians at sundown.

12

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Sugar Rush 5K

GUNTERSVILLE ALA.

R P O AT I O R

N

CO

Sugar Cookie Kids Decorating Sugah’ Baker Cake Decorating

Sweetie Pie Kids Area

Food Trucks

Sweet Rides Car Show

Sugar Explosion

Sweet Arts & Crafts,Vendors

SugarFest Beauty Pageant

• Sept. 8 – At your leisure …

Frances Robb from the Alabama Humanities Foundation’s Road Scholar Speaker’s Bureau will speak on “Spare Time, Leisure and Recreation in Alabama 1890-1950” at the Guntersville Museum at 2 p.m. It’s part of the Alabama Bicentennial Celebration and the year of “Sharing Our Stories.”

Her overview explores how Alabamians spent their spare time in bygone days and how these activities changed. She’ll also explain how the coming of an eight-hour and five-day work week was central to the creation of spare time for other pursuits.

Robb is a museum consultant and photograph historian. She taught humanities and art history at Texas Christian University, the University of North Texas and at the University of the South, Sewanee. She holds master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina and Yale University and recently completed books on the “History of Photography in Alabama, 1839-1941” and a checklist of

Maybe you know how to relax and enjoy your time, but on Sept. 8 you can learn how they did it – and why they had time for it - in bygone years.

Alabama photographers, both now under review by the University of Alabama Press.

The Guntersville Museum is

located at 1215 Rayburn Avenue and open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

Free admission.

Fall means changes are in the air ... Stay ahead of cool weather & check fluid levels

Over 40 Years Of Service

256-586-3191 152 North Main Street

r te en C ce vi er S o ut A & LLC

General Auto Repair by ASE Mechanics • Belts • Brakes • Alignments • Suspension • Batteries • Oil Changes

ARAB

Visit us at www.wilkstirearab.com

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

13

• Sept. 11 – Healthcare Breakfast The breakfast event by Marshall Medical Centers, is free and open to everyone in Marshall County who registers to attend. The speaker this year is David Spillers, CEO of Huntsville Hospital. The breakfast is at 7:30 a.m. at Gunter’s Landing. To register, call the sponsor, Guntersville Chamber of Commerce: 256-582-3612.

• Sept. 14 – Arab Community Fair The Arab Historical Society invites you to its annual day of fun, arts and crafts, games and history in the Historic Village at Arab City Park. (For more on the historic village, please see the “Good People” feature on Janet Calhoun on page 18.)

The fair – 9 a.m.-3 p.m. – harkens back to Arab’s first fair in 1922.

Watch old fashioned corn grindin’, blacksmithin’, needleworkin’ and soap makin’ at various buildings in the village.

There will be lots of singing at the Rice Church, a band and Karen Bates and Betty Holt performing bluegrass and folk songs. Vendors will sell food.

A Civil War re-enactment group is expected to be there. “And if the old fellows show up, we’ll have a car show,” laughs Juanita Edmondson, director of the village.

It’s all fun – and it’s all free.

• Sept. 28 – Southern Belle Riverboat Cruise This fun event by Marshall GoldCare 55+ will be Sept. 28, but you should register now to be assured a seat. It’s a picture-perfect way to enjoy views of Lookout Mountain and the beauty of the Tennessee River in the always fun city of Chattanooga. Includes luxury bus transportation, a sumptuous menu and a bonus game of bingo onboard the Southern Belle, plus a visit to Hunter Museum of American Art. Cost is $99, payable upon registration. For more info or to register: 256-571-8025; or 256-753-8025 in the Arab area.

• Sept. 28 – Grant’s Mile-Plus Yard Sale The Grant Chamber of Commerce’s 14th annual Mile-Plus Yard Sale is expected to bring thousands of bargain hunters, starting at 6 a.m., to browse 14

Join GoldCare 55+ on Sept. 28 for a Southern Belle riverboat dinner cruise on the Tennessee River in the fun city of Chattanooga. and shop their way a mile down Main Street where 100 or more vendors will offer tons of yard sale bargains.

Food vendors will also be on hand.

Booth space rents for $25 before Aug. 3. For guidelines visit: www. grantchamberofcommerce.com; or Grant’s Mile-Plus Yard Sale on Facebook.

• Oct. 2-31 – Conor O’Brien exhibit Paintings by the artist will be on display at the Mountain Valley Arts Council during October.

Working on prepared panels and sometimes prepared linen canvases at studio 306 at Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment in Huntsville, Conor mostly paints scenes that catch his attention in northern Alabama and

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

southern Tennessee. “The abstract shapes of the land and the angles formed by perspective and their juxtaposition to one another interest me,” he says. “I apply textures to the surface of the panels and canvases to give an interesting ground over which to paint and use a limited palette of a warm and cool version of each of the three primary colors, plus white and two or three earth colors.”

A public reception for Conor will be 5-7 p.m. Oct. 8 at The MVAC gallery. It is open 1-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. For more info: 256-571-7199.

• Oct. 4-5 – Boaz Harvest Festival The free, 55th annual event will

Beautiful Storage Solutions!!!

Custom Built Locally For You 165 Co. Rd. 1242 • Cullman, AL

“I’ve never seen sheds like these.”

That’s the sentiment Linfred Kauffman and Donald Yoder – his partner and fatherin-law – hear most about the sheds and cabins they build at Superior Custom Barns in Cullman County.

The insulated ceilings go beyond industry standards. Ditto for overhanging vented eves and vented rooflines that make these sheds 5-10 degrees cooler than others.

Windows and other options add to the pleasing aesthetics. All at comparable prices.

It’s called “Superior” for a reason.

“This is by design, not necessarily for pride but as a fact,” says Linfred. “We endeavor to live up to our name.”

The shed business has been in the family 20-plus years, and Linfred and Donald have owned Superior since 2017.

As active members of the Mennonite community, their strong faith is reflected in their mission statement. In part it calls for “teamwork, leadership, a Godly work environment, a high-quality product, good customer service, and maintaining a high standard of honesty and integrity in all business dealings.”

Matthew 6:33 sums it up for Linfred and Donald: But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

Customize to Your Needs — Choose Your Colors, Add Shelves, Ramps, Lofts, Shutters, Porches and More!

Carriage House Designs

Custom Colors

Garage Doors

Rustic Shutters

Lofted Barn Designs Specialty Woods

God Is Good All The Time — All The Time God Is Good

Your Marshall County locations are owned by Jeff and Debbie Still of 10K Barns.

ARAB

ALBERTVILLE

256-640-6430

256-558-0369

85 N. Brindlee Mtn. Pkwy.

M-F 10AM - 5PM SAT 8AM - 12PM

6468 US-431 B

M-F 10AM - 5PM SAT 8AM - 12PM

Jessica Leigeber, Amber Shirey and Katie Hatley were on last year’s “Hakuna Ma-TaTas” Pink Pumpkin run team. They’re from Albertville. You’re invited to enter a team for this year’s run on Oct. 26. Or run by yourself. You won’t be alone. A huge throng of people run every year. take place not just along Main Street but at the big, new city park located downtown. More than 20 arts and crafts vendors will be set up as well as loads of food trucks and vendors and an inflatable play area with kid rides and games. It all happens 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, but the fun doesn’t stop then. New for this year, the Boaz Area Chamber of Commerce has added a corn hole tournament starting at 6 p.m. There will also be an archery tournament and outside games for adults. Live entertainment – including country, gospel and bluegrass – will go on all weekend at the stage by the chamber and from the new park stage.

A farmer’s market will be open during the festival both days, and Saturday the popular pumpkin contests return with prizes for the biggest and best decorated entries.

Saturday the fun continues. A big car and truck show starts at 8 a.m. with awards at 3 p.m. The annual Miss Harvest Festival Pageant starts on the park stage at 9 a.m. Entertainment was still being finalized when the magazine went to press in late July, but a country music concert or two were planned for Saturday night.

For more information on registration, vendor space and the event, contact the Chamber of Commerce: 256-593-8154; or boazchamberassist@gmail.com.

16

• Oct. 11-12 – Fallfest 2019 Downtown Guntersville will be hopping with this new festival by the North Town Merchants Association and the City of Guntersville vendors will be set up from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday; vendors, music and other events are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday.

There will be arts and crafts, food trucks, live music at Errol Allen Park, a rock wall climbing and lots of fun activities for the kids, including inflatables, train rides and face painting.

Entertainment will include a dedication to Pat Upton. Other events include a costume contest, pumpkin bowling and a pumpkin pie eating contest. Don’t miss “Brunchapalooza” at Baker’s on Main or the great sales and activities at stores downtown.

For more info contact Lisa Baker: lisa@bakersonmain.com.

• Oct. 23 – Hiking and birdwatching GoldCare 55+ has started a hiking club that also is doing some birdwatching. The group will be birding at 7 a.m. at Guntersville State Park, led by park naturalist Mike Ezell. (See page 64 for more on Mike.) Anyone can attend and should bring a folding chair, binoculars and snacks. Water will be provided. To sign up or for more information: 256-571-8025.

The group’s next hike will see fall color at the park at 2 p.m., Nov. 14.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

• Oct. 26 – Pink Pumpkin Run Pink Pumpkin Run/Walk always draws a crowd, and this being its 10th anniversary, it should be more pink than ever. To have fun with the anniversary, the theme for this year is “running through the decades,” and participants are encouraged to dress up from their favorite decade.

Other zaniness is in the works.

Sponsored by the Foundation for Marshall Medical Centers, the run starts at Guntersville’s Civitan Park and features a 10K, 5K and a 1-mile fun run; they begin respectively at 9, 9:15 and 10:15 a.m. with awards at 11. There’ll be music, children’s activities and the popular Pink Pancake Brunch at 10:30 a.m.

Proceeds benefit mammography and cancer services at MMC for those who cannot afford them. Register online (before Oct. 1 to save $5); or register 4-6 p.m. Oct. 17 at Therapy Plus Boaz; 3-6 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Guntersville Rec Center; or 7-8:45 a.m. on race day. For more info and online pre-registration: www. pinkpumpkinrun.com.

• Oct. 31 – Trunk or Treat Score big for Halloween, 4-6 p.m. at the Farmers Market in downtown Albertville. For more info: Albertville Chamber of Commerce, 256-8783821.

The Premiere Agency FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS Serving Arab and surrounding areas for 38 years. Our team of professionals have a strong market knowledge and community insight because this is where we call home. When you are ready to buy or sell, contact one of our experienced agents to work with you from start to finish. Experience the difference!

Dreaming Up the Ideal Retirement Is Your Job. Helping You Get There Is Ours.

To learn more about why Edward Jones makes sense for you, call or visit a financial advisor today.

Teressa Campbell ASSOC. BROKER

256-572-9192

Joan Harper

Dianne Prestridge

256-200-0200

256-505-7870

ASSOC. BROKER

GRI, ABR®, CRS

Lorna S O’Leary, AAMS® Financial Advisor 12 Guntersville Road Arab, AL 35016 256-586-0494

Celeste Wooten

Kim Carey

Melinda Hamilton

256-990-9643

256-506-8454

256-200-6925

REALTOR

REALTOR

lorna.oleary@edwardjones.com

REALTOR

It’s a great time to buy or sell a home!

GIVE US A CALL TODAY.

CENTURY 21: The Gold Standard.

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

Aron Matsuyama Financial Advisor 1325 Gunter Ave. Guntersville, AL 35976 256-582-8007 aron.matsuyama@edwardjones.com

edwardjones.com Member SIPC

423 North Main Street • Arab , AL 256-586-7450

Visit us at www.Century21ThePremiereAgency.com AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

17

SNAPSHOT: Janet Calhoun

EARLY LIFE: Daughter of the late Clarence and Elsie Mae Allen and a child of the Great Depression, she was born in 1936

in Huntsville; second oldest in a family of five girls and a baby brother.

EDUCATION: Huntsville High School, graduated 1954, the last class at the Randolph Avenue location. She studied at The

University of Alabama in Huntsville and Athens State College.

FAMILY: Married Fred Calhoun, 1954, who died in 1999. Married Bill Michael, 2002, who died in 2004. Adopted Melanie

Arbuckle, 1959; adopted Renée Winslett (Brent), 1962; three grandsons, Cameron Arbuckle, 26, Atlanta; Clay Winslett,

Birmingham; and Kyle Winslett, Arab.

ACTIVITIES: Reorganized and is former president of Arab Historical Society, 1987 and vice president of it today; 1988, organized

the former Young Historians. Arab First United Methodist Church: long-time choir member; started children’s handbells and

choir; taught children’s Sunday school and now teaches Class of Our Redeemer.

PUBLICATIONS: Co-editor and writer, “Trails and Traces, People and Places,” the centennial history of Arab; published “Century

Reflections” cookbook; wrote and edited the series “Fifty Years Ago in Arab; compiled “J.A. Thomason’s General History

of Marshall County;” long-time columnist for The Arab Tribune.

Good People

5questions

Janet Calhoun

If it takes a village to preserve history, she and the historical society built one

Story and photo

by David Moore

And much of her life revolved around Huntsville Methodist Church.

ronically, Janet Calhoun – who perhaps knows more about Arab history than anyone – lived the first 39 years of her life in Huntsville.

There are other ironies, too. Janet is pronounced Ja-net. She lives in Arab, which was supposed to be named A-rad.

It’s located on what U.S. Geological Survey maps show as Brindley Mountain – named for Mace Thomas Payne Brindley – but is commonly spelled Brindlee.

The last two ironies are part of the local history Janet finds so interesting and strives to preserve, as do other members of the Arab Historical Society. And their crown-jewel project is the Arab Historical Village.

Located in Arab City Park, the village comprises 10 restored, reconstructed and new buildings, a dream built by many volunteers with old-fashioned determination and resources that capture the ways of life from the late 1800s through the 1940s in not just Arab, but across North Central Alabama.

“I grew up around history in Huntsville,” Janet says. “I was born into history in more ways than one.”

This was during the Great Depression, before missiles and rockets launched Huntsville’s future. The population was only about 16,000. Janet lived in a 100-year-old house. She walked most everywhere she went.

Both sides of her family loved history. And Janet soaked up stories her grandfather plucked from their family tree.

From that tree she developed a can-do work ethic.

“When I thought I could not do something, my mother always said, ‘Of course you can! You come from pioneer stock. Yes you can. Get in there and do it.’”

red Calhoun was an Ohio boy who joined the Navy in 1945, then earned a math degree from Kent State. Because of his math background, when he was drafted into the Army for the Korean War, Fred was sent to Redstone Arsenal to work with Wernher von Braun’s rocket team.

He and Janet met about 1950 at church. By the time they married in 1954, she was taking night classes at what would become The University of Alabama in Huntsville and at Athens State College. Even without a degree, Janet was asked to teach fifth grade at Fifth Avenue School, where she’d once been a student.

Janet and Fred had applied with the state for adoptions and the first one came through in 1959 with Melanie.

“I swapped 39 fifth graders for one little girl,” Janet says.

In 1962 they adopted their second child, Renée.

“I had just brought her home when President Kennedy was facing the conflict with the Cubans,” Janet recalls her history. “I remember rocking her with the TV on. It was a very scary time not knowing if we would be blown apart.”

I

F

M

ore questions swirled in 1970 when layoffs hit Marshall Space Flight Center. Even original members of the von Braun team were cut.

“It was happening to a lot of families,” Janet says. And I had five brothers-in-law.

They all decided they needed to figure out what to do so they could take care of a member of the family if he lost his job.”

Fred hit on the answer. He’d been driving to Arab to play golf at Twin Lakes. It came up for sale in 1973, and they jumped on it. Bill Pike, one of the brothers-in-law, ran the golf course.

“Fred was still at the arsenal, but

instead of coming home to Huntsville, he went straight to Arab. He’d spend all weekend here,” Janet says. “I loved putting a table cloth on the table and having a big fancy Sunday dinner. I said something has to give. So in an effort to keep the family together, I said I would go to Arab, but he had to build me the house I wanted.”

She got her house – overlooking one of the lakes on the golf course – and moved to Arab in 1975. She was 39, and a realization hit her, spawned from her immersion in history.

“I will probably live the biggest part of my life right here,” she said herself. “I want to know about the history.” to.

S

o Janet started digging. Or trying

“I probably asked the wrong people, but I could not find out anything,” she laughs.

She did, however, find those who questioned why an “outsider” would be interested in Arab history. They didn’t understand Janet.

In 1977 Melanie, studying communications at The University of Alabama, was assigned to learn why Arab then had no blacks. Janet sent her to see librarian Flora Ann Hinds.

“I had heard she was collecting the history of Arab for a book, and I knew she would know the answer,” Janet says.

“Flora Ann sent Trice to challenge me to put the Arab Historical Society back together. It had been defunct for 10 years.”

Trice Hinds, now of Huntsville, is known for his pen and ink renditions of early Arab. He’d been a member of the society when it formed in 1974. The group, however fell apart after organizing a celebration of the country’s bicentennial in 1977.

Up to Trice’s challenge, Janet organized a meeting, got a story about it in the newspaper and, sure to draw a

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

19

crowd, secured the use of the Gilliam Springs Baptist Church sanctuary.

Five people showed up, including Janet and Trice. But they stuck to it, grew and spearheaded the local effort to participate in the Alabama Reunion, marking the state’s 170th birthday in 1989.

“We had a parade downtown with horses and all,” Janet recalls. “You should have seen all of the buggies that showed up. We made a display of historic things at the old community center.”

1.

How did the village get started?

It started with the old Hunt School.

Even before the Alabama Reunion in 1989, we realized it was a three-year countdown to Arab’s centennial in 1992.

We volunteered to raise money and do the planning for the town to celebrate the centennial.

I started reading books on how to head up a centennial and what you should do. One thing was to do something that remains as a gift to the city.

After trying several ideas, we looked at and checked out several buildings to restore, including the old 1922 Arab High School in town. Then Bobby Miller donated the two-room Hunt School if we could move it from the Strawberry area.

It had been built in 1935 and was in bad shape, but we thought we could move it to Arab and restore it.

Somebody told me Elvin Light had some old tools he wanted to donate to the historical society. I bebopped over there to pick up his “box of tools.” He took me out back to a huge building full of tools. That’s what he wanted the museum for.

Anyway, Elvin became the leader, and he would get me to help. He got the school ready to move after the tool incident. Half of it was rotten and got torn off. He took it apart and had to find other old buildings to tear down to get lumber that matched. Nobody made that old trim, so old houses had to be torn down.

We had no money and less sense. If we had even thought about it, we would have never done it. We did not count in the cost.

20

We had no money to buy land and could not afford insurance. Steve Hallman (former Arab park director) went to bat for us to put the school on city property at the park.

We had asked nothing about moving power lines. Alabama Power and Arab Electric Cooperative had to cut powerlines for us to get it through. They were really happy with that!

There was a wide gully through the park, and the movers had to pull the school down into it and back up the other side. They had to cut off part of the roof to get it in. The school cracked and popped. When they got it up there, they had to take ropes and tie and pull it back in shape.

We didn’t even know you had to dig a foundation before you could set it down. It was still on wheels and we sat up under it with a spoon digging the foundation. That’s when Charles Winslett jumped in big time helping with Hunt School.

We were as green as grass. None of us knew what we were doing.

Johnny Hart was mayor and got eaten alive for that old dilapidated building sitting on the walking trail at the park. Johnny jumped in and did all he could to get carpenters and brick layers to come in and help us restore it.

We held “Johnny Nights” at the park and would string up lights. Men would volunteer after working all day on their jobs and work until midnight.

We also got work release inmates from Decatur to come and help. Elvin showed all the guys what to do. They worked their tails off.

The inmates fought over who came because the women in the historic society cooked and served breakfast and lunch on Saturday mornings.

One of the inmates was in line for more dessert and said, “I know somebody old made that banana pudding because you can’t get it like that anymore.” I was standing next to him and said, “Hush your mouth, because I am not old. But I made it the old-fashioned way.”

Joe Collier brought his own tractor and put in a drainage system and covered up that gully.

It took a lot of people, but Hunt School finally came together. At the

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

time, though, we were not even thinking about creating a village.

2.

Which structure in the village is your favorite or holds the most special memories?

All of the buildings there today have stories behind them, but my favorite is still the Hunt School … it still is. When we have big events like Christmas in the Park and Back When Days, I am assigned as the host at the Hunt School.

That’s my building.

I think more sweat and blood was put into it than all the others. We had a big opening at the centennial celebration for the refurbished Hunt School and invited people who were kids and went to school in that building.

It was packed.

Hunt School was a big part of Arab’s centennial celebration in 1992. We had an event about every month that year.

We started collecting Arab history, and The Arab Tribune published what we received. We started the monthly Historic Arab newsletter. People subscribed and became members of the historical society. We had more than 300 paid members from everywhere with roots in Arab.

Little communities around Arab got involved. Businesses got involved. A lot of people were very excited about what we were doing, although without The Tribune that would have never worked.

We started the Young Historians and took them out to the communities for their history. We started a genealogical group.

We published the “J.A. Thomason’s General History of Marshall County.”

We presold the books. They sold like hotcakes because they were full of history of this area. Even the city of New York wanted a copy.

It was all part of the centennial and the beginning of the Arab Historical Village.

It was a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-aweek job to be president at the time, but it got me off Fred’s back so I could have fun with the historic society while he was tied up at the golf course.

3.

It would be hard to name everyone who played – and still plays

A Complete Home Center Store 130,000 square feet filled with products for your home, lawn, deck or patio ... Plus, as always, quality building supplies you’ve found here since 1972

See Us For Fall Hunting Gear & Supplies

We see more than a bundle.

While other insurers just see your home and car as a bundle or a combo deal, we take the time to see what they mean to you and give them the protection they deserve. LET’S TALK TODAY.

Flavored Wood Pellets for Your Smokers

Grills And Smokers

Anytime.

Anywhere.

Any day...

Keith Webb, Agent 232 N Broad St Albertville, AL 35950 Bus: 256-878-1563 keith.webb.chm3@statefarm.com

Alan Murphy, Agent 227 Cullman Rd Arab, AL 35016 Bus: 256-586-2644 alan.murphy.lxmk@statefarm.com

Keith Webb, Agent

Lynn Holifield, Agent

232 N Broad St Albertville, AL 35950 Bus: 256-878-1563

1528 Gunter Avenue Guntersville, AL 35976 Bus: 256-582-3127

Lynn Holifield, Agent 1528 Gunter Avenue Guntersville, AL 35976 keith.webb.chm3@statefarm.com Bus: 256-582-3127 lynn.holifield.b9vl@statefarm.com

Libby Mays, Agent 1162 N Brindlee Mountain Pkwy Arab, AL 35016 ® lynn.holifield.b9vl@statefarm.com Bus: 256-586-6243 libby.mays.gscz@statefarm.com

That’s when you can count on State Farm .

Discount Building Supply

Your Family Owned & Operated Home Center And Building Supply Store

Great Service — Great Prices Great Customer Satisfaction

256-582-2792

3801 AL Hwy. 69, Guntersville Mon.-Fri. 7am-5pm, Sat. 7am-Noon

We know life doesn’t come with a schedule. That’s why at State Farm you can always count on us for whatever you need – 24/7, 365.

GET TO A BETTER STATE™. CONTACT AN AGENT TODAY.

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Fire and Casualty Company Bloomington, IL

1706810

Libby Mays, Agent 1162 N Brindlee Mountain Pkwy Arab, AL 35016 Bus: 256-586-6243 libby.mays.gscz@statefarm.com

Alan Murphy, Agent 227 Cullman Rd Arab, AL 35016 Bus: 256-586-2644 alan.murphy.lxmk@statefarm.com

Libby Mays, Agent

Alan Murphy, Agent

1162 N Brindlee Mountain Pkwy Arab, AL 35016 Bus: 256-586-6243

227 Cullman Rd Arab, AL 35016 Bus: 256-586-2644

Lynn Holifield, Agent

1528 Gunter Avenue libby.mays.gscz@statefarm.com Guntersville, AL 35976 Bus: 256-582-3127 lynn.holifield.b9vl@statefarm.com

Keith Webb, Agent

232 N Broad St alan.murphy.lxmk@statefarm.com Albertville, AL 35950 Bus: 256-878-1563 keith.webb.chm3@statefarm.com

statefarm.com®

1101199.1 1101199.1

State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

21

– a part in making the Arab Historic Village what it is. Can you talk some about the ringleaders?

Elvin Light. We called Elvin and his team the “Hammer and Nails” team, the “Miracle Team,” because they could take an old building like the Hunt School and make something beautiful out of it.

As soon as we got the school finished – it might have been 1992 but it was very cold weather – Elvin wanted to move the old Rice Church to the park.

He got out there with a pick and shovel and dug the foundation.

The city said, “Hold up! We didn’t give you permission to put up another building out there. You didn’t ask.”

They told him to fill in the foundation.

Elvin said, “Can I fill it with concrete?” Which is what he did. And the foundations were poured for what became the second building.

Charles Winslett started out helping with Hunt School and is the only one who stayed with it and worked on all of the buildings, including the barn, which was named after him. I was shocked he let us do that. He doesn’t like any spotlighting.

Charles took over after Elvin got too old. He did things like make all of the cabinets and shelves inside the front of the museum.

Hundreds of people, really, helped.

Me, Elvin, Charles Winslett, and Joe Collier – Joe formatted first Historic Arab. And later Ila Ruth Cooley was a big help. She joined the historical society and took over from me as president. Golly … all the work that girl did!

I had two baby grandsons then. One placed in my arms in June and her other in October 1993. It was like having twins, but I am thankful we had the time to be part of their lives, especially Fred, because he died when the boys were 5.

Lois Lyon wanted so much to help and secured donations for the tiles on the wall in the museum. She’d get her son Benny to bring her up there. She made a list of people whose names were not on the donor wall and she’d contact them.

She’d come in nearly every day with $50 or $100.

We opened the museum on $2,000. If 22

we needed a nurse’s hat for an exhibit, Ila Ruth knew who to go to and get it from. She knew everyone in town and could go get it.

Those were the ramrods then. Today, they are Juanita and James Edmondson and Shirley Gullion. They keep the place up and work very, very hard with the city to keep the village and grounds looking attractive. They also provide our leadership.

4.

What’s the future hold for the historic village?

I hope it will emerge as the Arab Library did. Once it was entirely volunteer space, volunteer helpers and donated books. In fact, Elvin had a huge number of books stored at his house for the library.

The library is what it is today because the city took it over.

My vision, for somewhere on down the road when I am gone, is that the city will entirely take over running the village with the historic society being like Friends of the Village – much like the Friends of the Library. The city already owns the village because it’s on city property.

I personally want to see a building added to house a local genealogy society library. After all, the history of a town is the composite of the old family histories.

If you have the old family histories, you have the history of the town.

The building could also house the history and artifacts of the founder, Steven Tuttle Thompson and his family.

I know of one family who said that if we had a good building for such things, he would donate them.

There could still be a lot of artifacts and items still out there that would come to us if we had such a facility.

When we first started the Arab Historical Village, we had a huge number of retired teachers who jumped in with us to provide history we did not know. But we don’t have teachers today joining. There is a hole there. There could be additional history added instead of just how life was lived in the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s.

We need to record the history of the ‘50’s and into the ‘60s. Now, the village and society need to concentrate on when

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Arab grew so much from the tiny little cotton town to what it is today.

We are in desperate need of younger folks to join the Arab Historical Society.

Most of us are getting old, and not too many of us who started are still going.

We have outgrown our ability to handle the times we have big crowds at the village, like at Christmas in the Park. Eric Hayes, director of Arab Park and Recreation, has lots of ideas for new things his year for Christmas in the Park. He said he’s hiring four people to help on those weekends, but we could use a lot more.

We desperately need younger members in the historical society.

5.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I think I was the first woman in Arab to have a computer in the house. That was Fred’s thing – computers. But I have not kept up.

I am also the world’s worst speller.

And I use old words, like “duffer,” and phrases like “It will do for right now.”

I don’t think a lot of people know that the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution presented me with the Historic Preservation Medal for 2007-2008. Nominees were from DAR chapters nationwide.

(According to DAR, the medal recognizes a person who has done extraordinary work over a long period of time in establishing an historic district, preserving a local landmark, restoring or preserving objects of historic cultural significance, or establishing or participating in oral history projects, youth leadership and education, as it pertains to historic preservation, at the regional, state, and/ or national level.)

It was a win for the town and the village, because everybody helped. It was our combined efforts that made the village happen.

It’s been fun, fun, fun. It’s been a wonderful life. I would do it over in a minute.

It was really hard to give up what I was in Huntsville, who I was and what my life was like then, but it’s like I was supposed to be in Arab all my life.

Good Life Magazine

DR. TAYLOR III LIA JOHNSON, WHNP  Specializing in obstetrics and gynecology  Providing wellness visits, gynecology care, routine examinations and surgery  Offering new 4D imaging ultrasounds  Dedicated to the wellbeing of each patient  Accepting new patients

2505 US HWY 431 Womens Center Suite A Boaz, AL 35957 256-840-4530 www.swtaylorobgyn.com

Bank with people who

KNOW you by your first name. ~ WHERE PEOPLE COME FIRST

WE KNOW YOU BY NAME

Visit our website at peoplesbankal.com and learn more about how you can save, grow, and invest with confidence

ALBERTVILLE ARAB BOAZ GUNTERSVILLE

Fine dining by Lake Guntersville

See our menu @ www.aquarestaurantal.com

22 CRAFT BEERS ON TAP

Buffalo Eddie’s Pour House Seasonal Special: Open Saturdays at 2 p.m.

Full Bar with Great Food Menu

2140 GUNTER AVENUE • GUNTERSVILLE AL

Aqua Restaurant Wyndham Hotel Buffalo Eddie’s

256-264-0141 256-582-2220 256-505-0966 AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

23

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

24

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

A

For Your Convenience SATURDAY BANKING! Our Lobby and Drive Thru is Open 8:30 till 12:00 ◆ 15-30 Year Fixed Rate Home Mortgages ◆ Online Banking ◆ Free Bill Pay ◆ E-Statements ◆ Mobile Banking

256-728-8000

◆ Remote Deposit Capture

Photo IDs, from left: Branch Manager and VP, Kathy Ferguson; Teller, Kaleb Gowan; Assistant VP, Jacob Stubblefield; Head Teller, Gloria Shipman;

4770 Main Street ● Grant, Alabama

www.fsbal.com

Always Smoking!

102 East Main Street, Albertville, AL 35950

Albert ville

256-400-5600

www.mylocaljoes.com

“Hometown Banking Wherever You Are”

ASK ABOUT OUR DAILY SPECIALS & CATERING Hours: Monday – Thursday 10:30-8; Friday & Saturday 10:30-9

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

25

Botox For Your Clothes CLEAN RIGHT CLEANERS

Proudly Celebrating Our 50th Anniversary Your One Stop Shop For Better Health Located in Boaz, AL, we’ve been serving the Marshall, Dekalb, and Etowah counties since 1969.

Our pharmacy has more than 100 years of combined experience and our friendly staff will treat you like family.

PHARMACISTS: Dale Johnson Anna J. Noojin Rachel R. Lambert Brian Williams Michelle Thomason Bob Blaker David Robbins

We provide a wide range of services to meet your health care needs

TWO LOCATIONS WITH DRIVE-THRU SERVICE Convenient Drop-Off And Pick-Up Open Mon.-Fri. 7 am-6 pm, Sat. 9-12 Same Day Service In Arab : Drop off before 10 am Mon.-Fri. 223 Plaza Drive, Arab

256-586-1104

Next Day Service In Guntersville: Drop off before 1 pm 11893E U.S. Hwy. 431

256-891-0008

10460 Suite 1 AL Hwy. 168 ● Boaz, AL 35957

256-593-6546 ● www.boazdiscount.com

Dry Cleaning • Laundry • Alterations 250 N Brindlee Mtn. Pkwy.

Arab, AL 256-586-6567 1615 Town Square Cullman, AL 256-739-4380 5754 AL Hwy 157 Cullman, AL 256-739-4310 780 Main Street NE Hanceville, AL 256-352-6245

Warehouse Discount Groceries proudly serves our customers with the freshest variety of meats and produce, along with a full line of grocery items at competitive prices. Whether you are needing Back-to-School snacks or finger foods for Fall tailgating, we have what you need at great prices!

Each of or locations is managed and staffed with friendly, knowledgeable folks who are happy to serve you! Don’t forget to check out our weekly specials online or in your local circuliar.

We are proud to serve our local communities!

“A FAMILY TRADITION SINCE 1976” WWW.WAREHOUSEDISCOUNTGROCERIES.COM

26

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Randy and lots of other folks love Cindy Duncan’s country cooking

Good Cooking

Story and photos

by David Moore

D

r. Evan Johnson: Randy, all looks good.

Randy: I’d like to lose a little weight.

Dr. Evan Johnson: Are you still married to Cindy?

Randy: Yep. Dr. Evan Johnson: It ain’t gonna happen.

Randy Duncan stands in the kitchen as he tells that story in front of Cindy, his wife of 21 years.

“I can,” she says with a threatening stare, “make him salads ...”

After all, it’s her kitchen.

“I am a cook,” Cindy says. “I am no chef. I do a lot of country cooking, oldfashioned cooking. I enjoy cooking.”

And Randy enjoys eating it.

The Duncans live on a 25-acre farm in Sardis and have a large garden where, during season, they “shop” for most of what Cindy cooks.

“We were both raised on a farm,” she says. “Randy and I grew up with country cooking and three meals a day: breakfast, dinner and supper. I didn’t know any different.”

Cindy learned to cook mostly from watching her grandmothers, “watching” being the operative word.

“I’d call and ask, ‘Now how do you make your biscuits?’ Grandmother had no recipe. She’d say I just had to watch her. The first biscuits I made were hard as a brick.”

C

indy grew up on Lookout Mountain, graduated from Etowah High School, married early and later divorced.

Her second husband died. Randy had been divorced 17 years when, in January 1997, they met – in passing – at Boots Plus in Boaz.

Randy’s son asked him why he didn’t invite her horseback riding with them.

“She doesn’t know me,” he said.

Cindy, initially, paid him no mind.

All of that was about to change, perhaps because Boots Plus has “Plus”

Randy doesn’t have to ask what Cindy is cooking for supper. He basically loves it all. in the name for a reason – their sales people.

“After we left, those girls called him and called me. They made the arrangement,” Cindy laughs.

Turns out both had horses and loved trail riding. It was great commonality, and none of the humans involved said, “neigh!” They married in ‘99, combined their four grown sons, and he moved to her farm.

Cindy worked at Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing, and riding continued to be a cherished pastime.

Their horse trailers featured living quarters for people, and they’d spend weekends on trails somewhere or another.

Eating for Randy also greatly improved.

T

hen, in 2006, Cindy’s cooking took her life in a new direction – she opened a restaurant in Boaz, appropriately named Feedsack Café, cooking breakfast and lunch.

“I let two friends talk me into that,” she grins.

It opened behind Y Mart, but soon her fans talked her into a larger location where Grumpy’s is today. Her downhome cooking packed in hungry folks.

“We set dishes on the floor because we didn’t have time to wash them,” Cindy laughs. Sometimes Randy helped, sometimes her parents.

“I loved cooking and serving people.

I loved my customers,” she says. “But the café was running me.

“I did that for three and a half years, and the Lord opened the door for me to sell it.”

She and Randy were very involved with Sardis Baptist Church, which she missed while working. But within two weeks of selling the Feedsack, the preacher called and asked her to help in the church kitchen, which she’s done ever since. She, Marilyn Johnson and Margie Turner cook for 150 people on Wednesday nights.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

27

CORNBREAD 2 cups self-rising corn meal 2 eggs ½ cup oil 2 cups butter milk Mix ingredients. Pour into a well-greased, 10-inch cast iron skillet. Bake in pre-heated oven at 450° for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and turn upside down on a serving plate.

BLUEBERRY BREAD PUDDING 4 eggs 2 cups sugar 2 cups milk 2 tsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. vanilla 1 cup blueberries, fresh 1 dozen biscuits or rolls of your choice Mix eggs, sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Break enough bread into pieces to soak up the mixture. (I prefer to use leftover biscuits or rolls if I have them.) Mix in blueberries. Pour into 8x11 pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes to an hour.

C

indy and Randy also go on incountry mission trips at least once a year.

She cooks for 35-50 people, sometimes in nice church kitchens, sometimes on a propane burner they brought.

With her friend Margie Turner helping, she also cooks on winter retreats to Gatlinburg, and this summer for a student group at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Sometimes mentors from their church bring kids to ride horses and fish on the farm, and of course Cindy cooks for them. Tom and Lane McNew from Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing sometimes bring students, and they shoe horses while she cooks.

What’s more, for 10 years she’s cooked the pre-game meal for the Sardis football team. Initially, while her grandson Dakota Goosby played, the team was bused to her Boaz café. Now she cooks in the church kitchen.

“When Dakota graduated, I told 28

coach Gene Hill I didn’t have anybody playing anymore,” Cindy laughs. “He said they are all your grandchildren, Cindy. You claim them all.”

Her cooking demands have changed an old notion.

“I got married at an early age and thought I was supposed to cook three meals a day,” she says. “Now we can go through fast food. That was an unpardonable sin.”

F

amily get-togethers with their boys, wives, seven grandkids ages 6-24 and her mom, dad, a few friends and, of course, Randy – might be Cindy’s favorite time to cook. Mother’s Day is a turnaround, and the boys set up on the carport and grill steaks, burgers and hot dogs.

Not surprisingly, Cindy can cook out with the best of them, using either charcoal, gas or a smoker. Sometimes, from the back porch overlooking the farm, she fries fruit pies.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

“When the word gets out, people come down the driveway,” Randy says.

When the garden is producing, Randy’s favorites are her fried green tomatoes, fried squash, “taters” and green beans. Sometimes he’s so engrossed in the veggies he almost forgets about the beef tips and gravy or whatever meat Cindy has cooked.

In the winter he loves her vegetablebeef soup, chicken and dumplings, chili, beef stew, potato soup …

“I don’t ask her what she cooked,” Randy grins. “When she says it’s ready, I come in here and eat.”

C

indy, as one might gather, enjoys “serving” others.

“My gift is service,” she says. “My talent is cooking.

“There are a lot of good cooks who cook better than I can,” she adds, “but there are not many that enjoy it any more than I do.”

Good Life Magazine

532 Gunter Avenue, Guntersville

256-860-0462

Tues.- Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-1 Owner: Tyler Hawkins

pureandsimpleretail@gmail.com

pureandsimpleretail.com

Get to know your neighbor! Visit us at 8180 Alabama Highway 69, Guntersville

Providing healthy, organic options to keep you well

500 mg capsules

ON SALE

60

$

Retails for $80

Piper & Leaf Artisan Teas NOW Supplements, Snacks & Essential Oils Organic Honey Dissolvable Tea Drops Sun Leaf Essential Oils Massage Products Essential Oil Jewelry Hair Care Products Hygiene Products Organic Candles Diffusers Yoga Mats Yogi Tea

CERTIFIED CBD PRODUCTS

Get all the benefits of Hemp with a THC FREE product Tincture available in 500 mg & 1000 mg.

We also carry locally made medicinal tinctures and elderberry.

256-753-9500

LIFT C

24-Hour Emergency Line Convenient Drive Through Sever al mod els to c Compounding Pharmacy

HAIRS hoose

from

Fully Accredited Durable Medical Equipment

Bio Identical Hormones Diabetic Shoes Diabetic Supplies HOME HEALTH OXYGEN SERVICES Prescriptions Are The Heart Of Our Business!

Extended Supply Available ... 90-Day, 6-Month, Year Long

We Install For Less ... Get A Quote Today

S•A•L•O•N CLUB 5TH AVENUE

ELITE SALON

Kelly’s Salon...A leader in the hair care industry!

One of only 200 REDKEN ELITE SALONS Worldwide.

1008 North Brindlee Mountain Parkway • ARAB

256-586-0058

• Granite, Quartz & Solid Surface Countertops • Blinds • Shutters • Hardwood Flooring • Carpet • Tile • Rugs • Vinyl

Parkway Flooring & Interiors 2626 N. BRINDLEE MT. PKWY., ARAB

256-586-3435

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

29

MEAT LOAF 5 pounds ground beef 2 cups oatmeal 4 eggs 2 cups ketchup 1 onion, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. garlic 1 tsp. seasoned salt 1 cup brown sugar Mix first nine ingredients together

– using only 1 cup ketchup – and form into a loaf. Bake at 350° for one hour or until well done. Remove from oven.

Mix brown sugar and remaining ketchup together and spread on top of loaf . Bake for 10 minutes more.

GREEN BEANS 2 lbs. fresh green beans ¼ cup vegetable oil (or bacon grease) Salt and pepper Chunks of ham or uncooked slices of bacon String, snap, wash and drain beans, then put them in a 2-quart pot. (Again, I like cast iron.)

Cover beans with water. Add oil. Salt to taste and season with ham or uncooked sliced bacon (or fat back!). Bring to boil uncovered. Cover and continue to boil until tender. Check water level often so as not to let it boil dry.

I put oil in mine because my grandmother did it. She called it “cooking the green beans down,” and it’s what makes them extra good 30

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

FRIED SQUASH 8 yellow squash, sliced thinly ½ cup self-rising corn meal ½ cup of self-rising flour Salt and pepper to taste Mix flour, corn meal, salt and pepper. Pour mixture over squash and mix together. Pour into hot oil in a skillet. (I use cast iron.) Cook until tender and brown, stirring often. Pour it in a bowl and eat it.

BOILED CORN 4-8 ears of fresh corn, shucked and silked Place in pot big enough to hold corn and cover with water. Bring to boil and turn to medium heat and cover.

Continue to cook about 20 minutes – too easy.

This is the way Randy likes it – not from a microwave!

New Fall Collections Now Arriving

Save Hundreds on Your Insurance We represent over 30 “A” rated insurance companies.

We do the shopping ... You save the money!

 Home  Auto  Boat  RV  Commercial  Motorcycle

Locally owned independent family pharmacy and gift shop for over 30 years Register For Our Bridal & Baby Registries • Custom Invitations

Haralson Drugs HealthMart PHARMACY

1941 Patterson Street • Guntersville, Alabama Monday - Friday 8:30 - 7:00, Saturday 9:00-5:00

256-582-3661

Darlene Shelton, Owner/Agent

Darlene Shelton Insurance

dsinsured@gmail.com  darlenesheltoninsurance.net 1436 N. Brindlee Mtn. Pkwy.  In front of Arab Walmart Let us cut your insurance cost

256-931-4226 313 E. Sand Mtn. Drive Albertville, AL 256-891-0390 137 N. Brindlee Pkwy Arab, AL 256-586-8625 9464 Hwy 168 Boaz, AL 256-593-7206 14214 Southgate Plaza Guntersville, AL 256-582-3470

Foodland proudly serves our customers with the freshest variety of meats and produce, along with a full line of grocery items at competitive prices. Whether you are needing Back-to-School snacks or finger foods for Fall tailgating, we have what you need at great prices!

Each of our locations is managed and staffed with friendly, knowledgeable folks who are happy to serve you. Don’t forget to check out our weekly specials online or in your local circular.

We are proud to serve our local communities!

“A FAMILY TRADITION SINCE 1976” WWW.FOODLANDGROCERY.COM

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

31

“I am guessing at a lot of the amounts in these recipes. I never use a recipe. I just ‘know’ how much of everything to use.” – Cindy Duncan, guest cook

PEACH ICE CREAM 2 cups fresh peaches (peeled, chopped into fine pieces) ½ cup sugar 1 can condensed milk 1 can evaporated milk 1 8 oz. carton whipping cream Add sugar to chopped peaches and

mix. Then mix in other ingredients. I put the mixture in a counter-top ice cream maker and it takes about 20 minutes.

Makes 2 quarts.

If you use a traditional crank freezer and need 4 quarts, simply double the recipe.

PEACH COBBLER 1 qt. peaches 1 stick butter 2 cups self-rising flour 2 cups sugar 2 cups milk

Melt butter and pour into 8x11 pan.

Pour peaches over butter. Mix flour sugar and milk together and pour over peaches – do not stir.

Bake in 350° oven for about 30 minutes or until nice golden brown.

GRAPE FLUFF 16 oz. cottage cheese 16 oz. Cool Whip 1 large box grape Jell-O mix 2 cups of fresh, seedless purple grapes, sliced 32

½ bag of miniature marshmallows Fold ingredients together in a bowl or container with a lid until well mixed.

Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

You can change your Jell-O and fruit flavors, such as strawberry Jell-O and fresh, sliced strawberries. It’s versatile.

TWIN LAKES GOLF COURSE

Owners David & Shirley Chastain invite you to come play Twin Lakes Large Selection of Football Favorites

211 Golfview Drive NE • Arab

256-586-3269

Monday - Friday:

15 $ 18 holes w/cart 23 $ Senior 18 holes w/cart 21 9 holes w/cart

Something for everyone celebrating a special occasion

• BRIDAL • BABY • BIRTHDAY • ANNIVERSARY • RETIREMENT

JONES DISCOUNT PHARMACY

1036 N Brindlee Mountain Parkway Northgate Shopping Center

$

Weekend:

256-586-3179

18 $ 18 holes w/cart 28 9 holes w/cart

The Joneses that keep up with you • Check us out on Facebook & the web

www.JONESPHARMACY.net

$

Arab First United Methodist Church 1058 N. Main Street Main Service Times 9am Contemporary Worship 10am Sunday School 11 am Traditional Worship

www.arabumc.org 256-586-5792

EPIC Every Person Invested in Christ

The Spirit is moving in “epic” ways, and we invite you to join us!

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

33

SUMMER SALAD ½ cup mayonnaise ½ cup sugar ½ cup vinegar 1 large cucumber, sliced 1 large tomato, cubed 1 small onion, broken into rings Put vegetables in a bowl.

Mixed together first three ingredients and pour over vegetables. Chill before serving.

BOATHOUSE ‘TATERS 2½ lbs. potatoes, quartered or diced, peeling optional 4 slices of uncooked bacon 1 large onion, diced 1 jar mild pepper rings 1 stick butter or margarine Salt and pepper to taste Line bottom of 9x13 roasting pan with bacon. Add potatoes (I usually use russet potatoes), then onion and pepper rings. Add juice from pepper jar. Slice butter on top.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Cover with foil and bake 1 to 1½ hours in 350° oven.

Serve.

ROASTED RED SKIN LITTLE POTATOES 3 lbs. of small new (red) potatoes Salt Black pepper Seasoned salt Garlic powder Paprika ½ stick butter or margarine, melted Boil potatoes until just tender. Drain water, pour into roasting pan. Add seasonings to taste and pour butter over potatoes. Roast at 400° for 1520 minutes.

34

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Don’t Miss Our Kid’s Halloween Party

A Family Owned & Operated Building Supply Store Since 1984

Schedule your event for groups of 20-50

● Building Materials ● Hardware ● YETI ● Carhartt ● Guns ● Ammo ● Case Knives ● Gun Safes ● Toboggans ● Big Green Egg

Monday, Oct. 28th 4-8 pm

Lunch

Tues. - Fri.

I

C

hocolate

ndulgence

Delectable Chocolates, Baked Goods & Specialty Cakes 1938 Brindlee Mountain Parkway, Arab

256-586-2462

We Also Offer A Wide Range Of Hunting Equipment

Arab Lumber & Supply, Inc. 841 N Brindlee Mountain Parkway, Arab ● 256-586-4197

Your Buddy in the Pharmacy Business!

Call me to order ...

BUNCH

PHARMACY 1800 Henry Street Guntersville, AL

256-582-5700

Your Pampered Chef Consultant

Jami Russell

jami.cooking@yahoo.com

256-348-1325

WWW.BUNCHRX.COM

www.pamperedchef.biz/jamicooking

We Specialize in Gift Registries

Owner, Heather Frey Gibbs

A Gift For Everyone

We’ve Moved To A New Location

Bridal Registries Baby Registries Jewelry & Apparel Interior Home Decor Monogramming Vinyl Lettering

Save The Date: Holiday Open House – Saturday, November 2nd

Refreshments ● Door Prizes ● 20% Off 8 am - 5 pm

Some Exclusions May Apply

•

256-586-4246 • 946 North Brindlee Mountain Parkway • Arab

everyone needs a little •

New Location: 1950 North Brindlee Mountain Parkway • Arab, AL

256-640-8122

Leigh-Anna Franks, Owner

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

35

Good Eats

Homemade dough, sauces spice up dishes at Old Napoli

Story by David Myers Photos by David Moore

A

sign that a pizza maker knows how to handle dough is strong, tired arms. That was the first thing that stood out when Rose and I met the owner of Old Napoli Italian Cuisine on Albertville’s Main Street.

“My arms are killing me,” mumbled John Babbino, who tosses his dough in the air with a spin learned from growing up around his Uncle Nino’s pizzeria in New York.

That legacy of pie making really stands out in the South, where most pizzas are thick, greasy and heavy. John’s pies, in contrast, are light with a delicate, crispy crust that sings handmade. This is the real deal, handed down through generations.

“It’s authentic like my mother makes at home,” John says.

He says a good sauce must have a trio of tanginess, spiciness and sweetness to cut the acidity. His own tasty trio of hand-tossed crust and sauce – created with California Roma tomatoes – partners deliciously with a layer of cheese made from buffalo milk, which we didn’t know existed.

“My cheese was just rated one of the best in the country,” John says proudly of Bacio, promoted as “premium pizza cheese crafted with a kiss of buffalo milk for signature flavor.”

He has at least 10 pizza choices but recommended we sample a cheese pizza so we could really taste the sauce and crust. It was simply delicious, fresh from one of two brick ovens in the kitchen. However, we had to pace ourselves because the line-up of Italian dishes came at us unrelentingly and we didn’t want to turn down a bite.

A

36

piping hot basket of garlic knots

was the first dish to march across our table.

They were irresistible crunchy little golden bites tossed in garlic and olive oil. Dipped in a marinara sauce so rich and delicious, there was no question it was created by genuine Italian hands.

Sure enough, John makes all his sauces from scratch, just like he grew up watching his mother make. A stepped-up version called Garlic Knot ala Creme is slathered in Alfredo sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Next came a real work of art – Sicilian spaghetti and meatballs. John told us one dish was enough for two people, which was not surprising – the meatballs are literally the size of baseballs. Fork tender and delicately seasoned, they are hands

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

down the best we ever had. I could not stop mopping up the sauce with the toasted, heavily buttered garlic bread.

With hardly time to wipe the sauce from my chin, a platter of lobster ravioli arrived wearing a delicate sauce and topped with shrimp. Seafood is my weakness. Rose did get a taste but I claimed the rest as my own.

Not the shredded stuff you sometimes get, John’s sweet lumps of lobster are nestled in pockets of pasta. I couldn’t decide whether the lobster complemented the shrimp or the shrimp complemented the lobster. Either way, it was culinary bliss.

W

e weren’t through yet. The real blow to our bellies arrived in the form of

John Babbino and his crew at Old Napoli in Albertville cook and serve up some delicious Italian dishes, including, clockwise from upper left: spaghetti and baseball-size meatballs; a fresh mozzarella plate (ask, it’s not on the menu), Babbino’s Famous (and succulent) Garlic Knots; chicken Alfredo; and crazy good pizzas. What makes them all good is John’s homemade dough and sauces. The restaurant is located at 123 East Main Street. Phone: 256-572-8540. a crispy, cream-filled cannoli, showered with powdered sugar and cradled atop a chocolate sauce. The first taste was a hint of cinnamon, followed by the rich Italian sweet cream riding on the crispy shell.

Simply divine. Traditional cheesecake and gelato also are available.

Believe it or not, there were many dishes we reluctantly had to skip. We couldn’t resist, however, packing home a slab of Mama Lucia’s lasagna – didn’t want to miss out on its ricotta, mozzarella and Romano cheesy goodness.

Old Napoli Italian Cuisine’s dinner menu includes Alfredo pasta, stromboli, calzone and chicken parmesan – all my favorites, so we will be back.

The lunch menu features those dishes plus pizza by the slice and gyros with beef and lamb on pita bread with sauce. The express lunch – ready in 15 minutes or less – includes a meatball sub with chips and low-carb selections such as gyro bowl, chicken bacon ranch bowl and chef bowl.

Avoiding carbs? Any 12-inch pizza can be ordered with a cauliflower crust.

Pizzas choices are 12-, 14- and 18-inches priced from $12 to $22. A huge 28-inch traditional cheese will feed a crowd for $29.99.

We couldn’t imagine the 36-inch monster that John declares the biggest pizza in the state weighing in at 15 pounds. Now that’s a heavyweight.

J

ohn left the Big Apple for the South when his physician father began practicing medicine in Marshall County and opened the first medical clinic in Douglas. He has worked in restaurants for most of the past 20 years, his last stint as chef at Olivo Pizza in Boaz.

He and his wife Melissa, who runs the front of the restaurant, opened Old Napoli in February with the most authentic food from Italy to be found in the area.

Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10:30 am to 2 pm for lunch and 4-8 pm for dinner.

Good Life Magazine

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

37

Victor and

Tammy’s home

An English cottage built

for solace, family and love

Story and photos

by David Moore

I

n the emergency room at Marshall Medical Center North, Dr. Victor Sparks works up to 240 hours per month in 12-hour shifts, sometimes for days in a row, seeing victims of heart attacks, dog attacks, attacks with knives and guns; patients who have fallen down stairs, off ladders and off their rocker; who’ve been hit by cars, trucks and boat propellers; who suffer from flu, abdominal pains, broken bones, the infection of the day, headaches and the odd foreign object embedded in their body; patients who are babies, teens and great-great grandparents; who have a good prognosis, who hang in the balance and who are DOA. Such is the life of an ER physician.

Furthermore, Victor is medical director of the ER. He collaborates with five other full-time physicians, multiple staff physicians, scores of nurses and a scad of support personnel to ensure quality care; he develops policies, procedures and protocols; coordinates staffing and scheduling; ensures compliance with tangles of hospital, insurance and government policies and laws.

Most days he eats lunch.

Suffice it to say, Victor looks forward to getting home in Arab, his place of family, his place of solace.

Usually, he takes the longer of his two driveways, a ½-mile of gravel that turns off Eddy-Scant City Road,

skirting a pasture, dipping and winding through woods, across the creek and up the hill to the front of his and Tammy’s house. And a fine house it is.

The style is English cottage, though “cottage” is an understatement.

The main area, two stories with a basement, is shaped like a cross, each facing of the four wings unique. The roofline has swag as do those on the separate, large garage with a pool house and second-floor guest house and the adjoining breezeway.

Rhododendron and oak leaf hydrangea nestle the house which is surrounded by the peaceful privacy of wooded acreage. Flood and landscape lights illuminate the exterior at night.

“It is warm and inviting,” says the jovial doctor, “and it’s absolutely my favorite time of the day to see the house in all its glory.”

And Tammy is there, too.

The breezeway connects the garage – with its pool house and upstairs guest area – to the main house. Spring sees the blooming of azaleas and rhododendron, such as those around the unassuming front entrance, right, which does have gas lamps. Jack Campbell of Arab was the general contractor on the house and instrumental in it turning out like it did, the Sparkses say.

It says something, Victor laughs, that he remains a lifelong friend, even after the year-and-ahalf long project.

40

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

T

enough to contemplate finality, death. I had more questions than I had answers.”

He would become a doctor and answer at least some of those questions.

With a scholarship in hand, after

towel: “Study hard – play less – keep balance.”

“They knew I was hashing through this stuff seriously,” Victor says. “That I was dead serious about my future – our future.”

ammy and Victor wear their love like a fun, favorite, comfortable shirt.

Four years apart, they didn’t know each other at Arab High School. A 1984 graduate, Victor was in his second year at The University of Alabama ictor graduated in Huntsville when he from UA in December 1989 spotted Tammy, still an and entered med school at Arab sophomore, at Gilliam UAB the following July.

Springs Baptist Church.

Tammy – the other half of “Man, she was the “our future” – got a real prettiest thing in the room,” estate job in Birmingham.

Victor says. “And the least She roomed with Dr. Gina assuming. She was dropRutledge Scott, now an dead gorgeous without optometrist in Arab. trying. And she still doesn’t His four years of med have to try.” school – punctuated with Their first date was to their wedding in 1992 – and a Lionel Richey concert in three years of residency Birmingham. On the way Victor plants a kiss on Tammy. They have four children: Alada ended in 1997. home they grabbed a burger Tammy and Victor had (Clint) Kelly, 24, Caroline, 22, Olivia, 18 and Grayson, 14. Tammy in Tarrant City. long desired to live in Arab. lists as parents Gloria and Jim Barnes of Huntsville, Mack and “When she ate every bit “We decided we did not Bernice Maze of Guntersville and Joel and Denise Lawler of of a whopper – she weighed want to live in a big city,” Cedartown, Ga. Her siblings are: Terri (Kevin) Waddell of Arab, she says. “This was a good only 100 pounds – I said, ‘That’s my girl. She knows place to raise a family.” senior VP and CFO at Citizens Bank & Trust; Tonya ( Jason) how hard-earned that buck So in 1994 they built Reaves of Anniston; and Justin (Kristin) Lawler of Tampa, Fla. a house in the Fox Chase and a half was,’” Victor Victor is the son of Sandra and the late Robert J. Sparks subdivision. From there laughs. “She ate every strip and the brother of Clark, all of Arab.

Victor commuted to of lettuce.”

Huntsville for his last Her assessment of Victor two years of residency, was less culinary. high school he went into premed at moonlighting some at the Marshall North “He was honest, compassionate and UAH. But …

ER and others. For several years during good looking,” Tammy says. “I loved his “I hated college,” he says. “God’s call that time Tammy was office manager at dimples. He had gorgeous eyes. He was in my life was to be a physician, but I what became TherapyPlus. funny with a great personality.” didn’t want to go to school for that long. I After his residency Victor remained a They ended up dating six and a half wondered what I could do to intellectually year at the ER and continued there part years. challenge myself. time when he joined Drs. Keith Morgan Tammy had been a Candy Striper “It was a time of prayer and and Robert Hargraves in a new family at the old Arab Hospital, and after high supplication. I was struggling.” practice in Arab. school she went to Wallace State for a Engineering was Victor’s answer, It was an emergency that led him while and contemplated nursing. She was back to full-time emergency room work. from a split home, however, and since age and for about two years he alternated Their daughter Alada fell from a swing 18 was financially responsible for herself. school with working at the former Ryder International in Arab (now Atrion set and broke her neck, landing “like a “I could not afford to go to school and Medical). He made a little money, dated pogo stick,” Victor says. Responsibility work,” Tammy says. She had to work.

Tammy and learned something – he didn’t of dealing with neurosurgeons in like engineering. So he left UAH and Birmingham fell heavily on Tammy ictor was five or six years old enrolled at the university’s Tuscaloosa because it was so hard for him to get away when a good friend, Susan Burnett, campus. from the clinic. while visiting family in Mississippi, was “Liking college was not an option,” “I realized my time with my family jumping on a bed, fell, hit her head, went was more important,” Victor says. He into a coma and died. That’s when he first Victor says. “God had called me to be a doctor. I knew there was only one pathway had liked emergency work, and with thought about becoming a doctor. there – to buckle down and make A’s.” scheduled ER shifts he could arrange time “I contemplated how and why His parents supported his decision. His off. So in 1999 he returned full time to six-year-old kids die. That’s when it Uncle Bill wrote him a note on a paper Marshall North ER. started,” he says. “I guess I was just old

V

V

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

41

Besides a new job, he had something else on his mind – about 40 acres. And he had looked almost everywhere,

E

nter Snooks and Lucy Singleton.

Grandparent figures to Victor and Tammy, the Singletons always told the Sparks at church to bring their young daughter, Alada, and visit them at their home adjacent to the Marion Farm on Eddy Scant City Road.

One day in 1998, Victor happened to fly past the Singletons’ house with Alada in the car, said what the heck, turned around, pulled in and announced that – “Ta-da!” – he was finally there with his daughter.

“This was,” he laughs, “a purely innocent visit.”

Drinking ice tea in their small den, Snooks asked where the Sparks family lived. Victor told him, then saw his opening.

“I was sitting on the couch looking out their back window and said, ‘… But what I am really looking for is about 40 acres – about like that out there.’

42

“Lucy,” Victor continues, “looked like she’d seen a ghost. ‘Are you serious?’ ‘Yes, ma’am.’”

The night before, Lucy explained, her family had decided to sell the property and put an ad in that week’s newspaper. Victor perked up. Before long the Singletons’ son came over and they agreed on a price.

“I gave him $100 earnest money,” Victor says. “And the rest is history.”

Then let history show some initial opposition.

“I was very frugal,” Tammy recalls.

“I was thinking in the moment. We didn’t need that farm with two kids then in an 1,800-square-foot house. I wanted to be debt free.”

“And I,” hubby says, “was thinking about raising a passel of kids on a farm.”

T

he property included the old house – purportedly the first built in the county with an FHA loan – a pond, pastures and woodlands dissected by Brock Branch. Victor agreed not to

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Beams and doors in the house are made of ash. Floors are oak. The fireplace in the front room, top, is double sided, also functioning in the den area. Tammy likes her hummingbird sink, above, in one of two half and five full baths.

CUSTOM BUILT HOMES AND REMODELING

Dewayne

GREEN

Contracting

256-302-0644

brothers lt r e k l wa Hwy. 69 •Baileyton, al d.

256-796-2211

LLC

Let us put our experience and expertise to work for you

dgreen3905@yahoo.com

we have everything for your building needs do it yourself

AreA-wide deLivery

Let us install

FURNITURE BOAZ

256-593-4218

10055 Alabama Highway 168

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ALBERTVILLE

256-878-4311

201 North Broad Street

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– GUNTERSVILLE

256-582-3265

1326 Gunter Avenue

www.shopweathers.com Have a meal even during a power outage with Natural Gas

Pay your bill online @ www.marshallcountygas.com

G

MARSHALL COUNTY

as District

ARAB

ALBERTVILLE

GUNTERSVILLE

TOLL FREE

256-586-8303 256-878-4591 256-582-5641

1-800-552-1382

Your natural gas company since 1953 Before you dig call or visit

www.

811

call811.com

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

43

subdivide the land or build chicken houses, but that was never intended.

Off days found him stomping across the property contemplating building not chicken houses, but a fine family home, a place he and Tammy could raise that passel of kids and create some solace insulated by woods from the worries of work. It would happen … some day in the fog of the future when they had saved enough money.

When his dad died in 2002, Victor’s views on money shifted.

“I watched him work like a Trojan.

He worked in a strip coal mine in Walker County. He had zero debt when he died at 66. But shoot,” Victor says, “he worked all those years.

“I wanted to enjoy life while I’m here with Tammy and the kids. So we added two kids and went to about 5,800 square feet.”

T

The house has about 5,800 square feet, not including the garage area. “The design process was very exciting,” Tammy says. She wanted a galley kitchen open to the step-down den area, and a farmhouse sink. The kitchen looks out one of the porches and the pool. A claw-foot tub was also on her wish list.

Above is the living room, located in the north-facing wing.

44

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

hey didn’t immediately know how big the house would be, but they had a general style in mind, a departure from most area homes, but they weren’t sure how to go about it. Then one day Victor saw the name of a Birmingham architectural firm – Dungan-Nequette – in a magazine story on a house and visited their website.

“They built houses like nothing we’d ever seen,” he says. “Rounded eaves, swag rooflines and gables. I knew those guys were out of the box.”

He and Tammy met them, and they later visited the property. They queried the Sparkses about their life, their family orientation and strong faith.

The architects came back with an idea built around a cruciform shape when viewed from above. Tammy and Victor had a list of details they wanted, and pretty soon the plan had grown bigger than the bank.

“We had to rein it in,” Tammy says. “It was extravagant to me.”

Construction took a year and a half – a year longer than it took to sell the house in Fox Chase, so the Sparks family lived with Victor’s mother in the interim. Finally, in August 2004, they moved into their English cottage in the woods.

An 800-foot paved drive accesses the house from a nearby subdivision. Money to pave the long driveway to Eddy Scant City Road had to be diverted to the cost of running a six-inch water line from Haynes

Lake City Auto & Tire

NOW OPEN at 78 Main St.

– Historic Downtown Arab –

Namely Claudia

Family-owned and operated for over 30 years

SEE US FOR ALL YOUR AUTO REPAIR

Exclusive dealer of ...

Quality auto repair, including oil changes, brakes, shocks, alignments, exhaust, collision repair and more.

Let Claudia Do Your Engraving

WE GUARANTEE OUR WORK! 24 months/24K miles on most models L to R: Danny, Brandi, Joe, Linda, Davy, Ronnie. Shane not pictured. Front: Riley

FULL LINE OF NEW TIRES AND A GOOD SELECTION OF USED TIRES 628 Gunter Ave., Guntersville — Open Mon. - Fri. 7:30am - 5pm

256-582-8844 24-hour towing & recovery

Day 256-582-8844

Mens Shirts, Shorts, Socks

770-500-0001 Open Tue.-Fri. 11-6; Sat. 10-2 Experience...

Connect...

Grow...

Affect

MARSHALL COUNTY

Tammy and Dr. Victor Sparks created a “cottage” for family, solace

S

Visit our FB @ Namely Claudia For Details Call Claudia Schultz

Night 256-302-0485

Trekking trails with park naturalist Mike Ezell reveals extra wonders

Home Decor ’hy igrap l l a Fashion Jewelry C s Sterling Silver Jewelry ervice Fashion Accessories Engraving/Calligraphy Services

Bill Ingram loves his clocks but is more aware of how he spends time

FALL 2019 | COMPLIMENTARY

A Quarter Page Ad Is Only

125

$

Monthly, with a 1-year advertising commitment

Sheila McAnear 256-640-3973 Stefanie Ogle 407-967-1599 David Moore 256-293-0888

Lake City Assembly of God Sunday Morning Service Time: 10:30 am 5025 Spring Creek Drive, Guntersville, AL

Lake City

256-582-8509

www.lakecityag.org

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

45

Road to install a fire hydrant by the house. But the privacy is worth it.

“It’s not for people to drive by and look at,” Victor says.

“It’s not a showhouse.”

“His off time,” Tammy pauses. “… We just chose not to be social outside our family because time is so precious.”

S

A friend of the family, Grant photographer Donna Prickett, has photographed the Sparks’ house in all seasons, including these shots during the fall and winter. “It is,” Tammy says, “a seasonal house. I love it in any season.”

46

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

o they have a house well suited for the raising of a passel of four kids; well suited for solace.

Tammy, an avid runner, worked with friends Ron and Katrin Smith, Lynn and Ruth Vanzandt and Chuck and Janie Lang to create a 5K running path on the property. The house over the years also provides Tammy a fine place to pursue her career.

“My major job has been a homemaker – a home engineer,” she grins. “I’m a nurse, as well as a carpenter, electrician, engineer, accountant, yard girl and chef. I can look back at all of my jobs over the years, and they have served me well. I raised a family.”

“And,” laughs the ER director, “a husband!

“I am a workaholic by definition. But when I am home, I am home. This is my abode. I lift a finger when Tammy tells me to, and more times than not she tells me not to lift one.”

“Sometimes I make him do some things.” Then to Victor she says. “But you need to rest. Chill.”

And that’s why this house of solace looks so good and inviting when the doctor gets home from the ER. Good Life Magazine

One Of A Kind Home / Equestrian Property / Cattle Farm / Recreational Family Compound Plus More On Approximately 145 Acres +/- Located Just Out Of Town

8563 US Hwy. 431, Albertville

For All Your Real Estate Needs Commercial ● Residential Land ● Waterfront

Tracy Honea 256-302-2590 Mike Gentry 256-506-3319

Features 7 Bedrooms, 5 Full Baths plus 2 Half Baths, 2 Full Kitchens, 2 Laundry Rooms, Theatre Room, Work-Out Room, Fall Out / Storm Shelter w/Underground tunnel for Emergency Escape, Generac Generator, Barn w/8 Stalls & an Office, Large Indoor Riding Arena and Workshop

Let Terry Bennett and staff take care of all your pharmacy needs.

WE ACCEPT MOST INSURANCE PLANS Conveniently located at 606 North Brindlee Mountain Parkway in Arab

tracyhonea.remax-alabama.com email: tracyhonea@remax.net

Full Service Pharmacy – including

Parkway

•PHARMACY• Your Friend In Pharmacy

More than 35 years of service

• Compounds • Saliva Testing • Pure Encapsulations • Most Immunizations, including Shingles Shot

256-586-4120

“Serving the people of Marshall County for 36 Years” • Landscape Installation • Lawn & Plant Bed Maintenance • Irrigation • Turf Management • Residential and Commercial • State Certified and Licensed

For an outstanding lawn call Robert Bodine or David Thrower

MARSHALL LAWN CARE & LANDSCAPING, INC. www.MARSHALLLAWNCARE.com

GUNTERSVILLE, ALABAMA 35976 • 256-582-8593

Guntersville Merle Norman 380 Gunter Avenue, Guntersville, AL Open Tues. - Sat. 10am-5pm

256-582-6493

Find Us On Facebook

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

47

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 Stephens 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 30 minutes from Guntersville – 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 Guntersville The cave is only a 25-mile drive. Take U.S. 431 7.5 miles north to the Cathedral Caverns Highway exit.

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

Let us cater your next event!

Neena's

COURTHOUSE GRILL A great – and fun! place for lunch

Daily plate lunch specials & a menu

256-571-7731

Located on the ground floor of the Marshall County Courthouse, 424 Blount Avenue, Guntersville

ARAB STONE WORKS

See what six weeks can do for you when you visit us!

Memories Etched in Stone

Bella

Highest quality monuments for the lowest prices.

SKIN CARE

We stand by yo ur side to ensure that your loved ones’ memorie s last forever.

Now doing

We are an authorized provider of chemical peels, IPL, Hydrafacials and other professional services

by Obagi, SkinMedica, Revision and more.

TWO LOCATIONS!

death dates

Convenient Product Pickups Ask about Free Shipping

Terry & Ren ee Humphri es, Owners Kenan Warre n, Operations Manager 671 Sundow n Drive NW • Arab

Located in the offices of

DR. THOMAS W. DOWNES, III 2525 US Highway 431, Suite 170, Boaz

256-586-786

www.arabsto

Tues. and Thurs. 7:30 to 5 and Fri. 8 to 4 7938 AL Highway 69, Guntersville Mon. and Wed. 7:30 to 5

6

neworks.com

256-593-1611

Stop Mosquitoes in their tracks Sign up now for mosquito control before the breeding season begins

✓ Mosquito, Termite & Pest Control ✓ Rodent Control ✓ Lady Bug Control ✓ Convenient Scheduling ✓ Residential, Commercial & Industrial

L-R: Adam Holmes, Darlene Cornelius, Max Pesnell, Chris Cornelius, Martha Pesnell

✓ The ONLY local pest control business

owned by a professional Entomologist!

Total Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back!

Laura Huckaby, Owner/Stylist; Maliea Hill, Stylist; Johanna Miller, Stylist; Amber Pack, Stylist; Angie Click, Stylist, former owner of Lifestyles Salon; and Tonya Henderson Smith, formerly of Route 2 Call for your appointment today

256-586-5060

570 N Brindlee Mtn. Pkwy. In Arab, by Burger King

Serving you, our valued customers, for more than 39 years...and still counting!

ASE Certified MECHANIC

We do AC and other mechanical work on most American and foreign vehicles.

Pesnell Tire & Auto Care, LLC.

Arab 256-586-7549 Huntsville 256-722-2752 Main Office 256-582-2750

4121 AL Hwy. 69, Guntersville, AL 35976

www.bugdoctor911.com

216 Cullman Road, Arab

256-586-4164

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

51

King ‘Tat’s’ Tomb

And perhaps with that final breeze, his spirit sang sacred harp songs, yet again Story and photos

by Steve A. Maze

I

n 1922, archaeologist Howard Carter was asked if he could see anything as he peered into the newly discovered 3,000-year-old tomb of King Tut. “Yes,” he whispered, “wonderful things.”

Tat Bailey passed away back on Sept.

23, 2013 at the age of 100. He may have been thinking about King Tut – or maybe “King Tat” – when he preplanned his funeral and interment into the rock mausoleum he constructed at BerryBrookshire Cemetery, nestled at the foot of Brindley Mountain.

Perhaps someone will peer into King Tat’s rock tomb in 3,000 years and see “wonderful things.”

Instead of the jewels and gold buried with King Tut, King Tat’s tomb will contain his homemade cedar coffin, the patriotic red, white and blue suit he was buried in and the hundreds of photos taken during his century-long lifespan that he had been storing in his coffin.

“I would rather be buried with memories of friends and relatives than with flowers,” he once told me.

Tat Bailey was a local legend in Marshall County and beyond due to his unique home and lifestyle. He was one of those colorful individuals who were not afraid to discard the so-called traditional lifestyles laid out by others.

T

at marched to the beat of his own drum, even though he cracked the drumhead a few times. By his own admission, his impatience, short temper and stubbornness was fatal to some of his most precious personal relationships – something he regretted in his latter years.

52

After driving the nails into Tat’s homemade casket, his pallbearers slid it into the tomb.

“But I just feel better after I get mad,” he had told me.

A good example of that was recalled by his friend Rodney Tompkins.

“He called me one morning about daylight to help him get his garden tiller running. I had to get out of bed and get ready before I left, so I guess I didn’t get there quick enough, and Tat was pretty tore up by the time I got there.

“When I arrived, he was standing beside the tiller in just his underwear that were stretched so badly they reached down to his knees. He didn’t even have on a shirt or shoes.

“I pulled the choke on his tiller, and it started on the first pull of the cord. Tat grabbed the tiller and took off without saying a word. The last thing I saw was Tat’s shiny bald head and his drawer tails as he headed for the vegetable garden behind his home.”

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

T

at’s favorite hangout was Don Fleming’s storage unit office south of Arab, and he was a frequent visitor until his health began failing. One of the reasons he enjoyed his visits there was because he was always the center of attention.

Everyone would gather around to ask Tat about his house, his military service or the numerous accidents he was involved in that nearly cost him his life on many occasions.

If a cat has nine lives, then Tat outlived 11 of them.

Tat cut off part of one finger with a table saw, was involved in a serious motorcycle accident, was struck in the head by a large tree limb … and that is just a short list of potentially fatal events he was involved with.

Tat’s two-story rock home sits atop

After he built it, Tat’s casket waited 23 years in his living room to be used. Tat loved to show it to visitors, show them the hundreds of photos he had packed inside it to take with him, show them the hammers his pallbearers would use at the funeral, and show the red, white and blue coat he would be buried in. He also took pride in showing people the stone tomb he built as his final resting place.

Brindley Mountain at Fry Gap. (It’s for sale.) Situated in the middle of a sprawling four-acre estate he called “Singing Hills,” much of the house was constructed out of what other people had thrown away. The rocks used for his home were mostly discovered on hills, roadsides, and old abandoned homes that he found hidden in briar patches throughout North Alabama.

Tat loved history and actually helped to preserve our local history by using the discarded material in the construction of his home.

A flower planter, partially constructed of five mud bricks more than a century old, still contain the fingerprints of the slaves who made them. The fireplace mantle is made from a floor sill that slaves also hewed by hand.

Hanging on one wall of his home is a wood plank that contains a single bullet hole. The plank is from an old house in nearby Red Hill where a Union officer was killed during the Civil War.

A

s was the case with most everything in Tat’s life, his funeral was different from any I’ve ever heard of, much less attended.

Four days after his death, the cedar casket that he had constructed and stored in the living room of his home for 23 years sat at the entrance of the rock tomb he had painstakingly erected at Berry-Brookshire Cemetery.

The weather was perfect, not too hot or too cold – and no wind.

The funeral director started the service by playing a tape of a sacred harp singing Tat had attended years earlier. It was his favorite music, and I could tell from his voice on the tape that he was enjoying the singing.

But as the music started, a stiff breeze abruptly whistled through a nearby water oak tree. Leaves soon began falling around Tat’s coffin and those standing alongside it. The breeze died down as the first song ended but resumed as the second song was played.

When the music ended, so did the breeze.

Tat had provided six hammers that pallbearers used to nail the coffin shut.

The men gently drove the nails down and stepped aside.

In a symbolic gesture of their respect for the centenarian, other funeral attendees came forward and tapped on the nails after they were driven into the casket.

After the service, his coffin was pushed into the tomb on rollers Tat had installed for the occasion. The stone door he designed and built himself was closed and sealed.

T

at had preplanned his funeral for many years, and I thought I had known what to expect. But the breeze that blew with his music was one last surprise from him.

He never thought of himself as any kind of king, but I think that breeze was Tat’s way of letting us know that he was there in spirit.

And you know what? To this day I believe he was.

Good Life Magazine

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

53

• QUALITY FISH & SEAFOOD • QUALITY FISH & SEAFOOD

Bragg’s FISH MARKET & SEAFOOD Over 80 Quality Items Available

-- Since 1962 -1625 Henry Street HWY 69 - Guntersville

256-582-5996

• QUALITY FISH & SEAFOOD • QUALITY FISH & SEAFOOD

• QUALITY FISH & SEAFOOD

Uncommon Footwear

& Accessories

enerations GFOOTWEAR

352 Gunter Avenue, Guntersville

256-582-8995

580 N. Brindlee Mtn. Pkwy., Arab

256-586-0304

• QUALITY FISH & SEAFOOD

Antiques & Sweets

• Gift boxes • Great craft beer selection • Kegs

Fall Colors Have Arrived!

Custom Slipcovers Cushions Pillows Window Treatments

When it comes to your home you want something that reflects your style. Let Judy custom design your indoor and outdoor furniture.

727-804-2368

email: jcesews4u@aol.com See us on FB or visit jcesews4u.com

Flower Shop, Inc. Rodney Hasty, Owner

2214 Henry Street, Guntersville

256-582-5354

One-of-a-kind Southern accents!

Shop Arab Meat Market for the best cuts of meat in Marshall County

Pat Wilson, Owner 355B Gunter Avenue, Guntersville

Specialty Meats, Cut-To-Order Your Favorite Frozen Foods Discounted Meat Packages

UNDER THE NEW OWNERSHIP OF

Angie Schaefer

PREMIUM SPIRITS & IMPORTS.

256-505-8172

Next to Guntersville Publix 9-11 Mon-Thur; 9-midnight, Fri-Sun

256-486-2323

Open Wed. - Saturday 10-5 376 Gunter Avenue

Case Knives, Electronics, Full Line Jewelry Store,

Musical Instruments Estate Jewelry Engagement & Wedding Rings 50 N. Main Street, Arab

256-586-2567 We Buy Gold & Diamonds

256-586-4811

BUDDY’S Flowers

Steve Craft, Insurance Specialist 415 North Main Street

256-586-1136

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

HERITAGE

74 N. Main Street

IN DOWNTOWN ARAB

CRAFT

INSURANCE AGENCY Boat • Auto Home • Life

Arab Meat Market

10 North Main Street

256-582-7745

Arab Jewelry & Pawn LLC

54

Rodney’s

Office: 256-586-4410

www.teambrendaking.com www.brendaking@remax.net

An Arab Tradition for over 40 years Flowers For All Occasions 229 North Main Street

256-586-4115

Let me help you find your next home

Broker/Realtor®

Brenda King 256-550-2101

He loves his clock collection but says how you spend time is far more important than how you keep up with it Story and photos

by David Moore

B

y the count of one grandson, over the years Bill Ingram collected 37 antique clocks. Most were purchased in Germany during vacations with his family during his second tour of duty there. Others came from England or France, and he bought an armload of old mantel clocks as the family traveled around the U.S. But don’t think of Bill as being Father Time. It would be more apt to call him Mr. Clock. He does, however, believe that what you do with your time is far more important than how you keep up with it.

From their many travels – a good way to spend time – he and his late wife Gisela lugged more than clocks back home to their house in Albertville. Every room has at least one unique piece of furniture or object d’art from their treks across the U.S. and abroad.

His favorite timepieces are the four grandfather clocks standing tall against the walls with their chain-hung weights and hypnotically oscillating pendulums.

Bill also loves the clocks with ornate casings, some of which look like elaborate wooden castles.

“Gisela finally put her foot down and said no more clocks,” he laughs.

Bill delves into no deep philosophy or ideology in regard to the ticking passage of time.

“Days go by,” he grins. “It’s Monday and then it’s Friday. Then it’s Monday and then it’s Friday …

“I wake up some nights and wonder what time it is and wait awhile and I’ll hear chiming. But the clocks don’t wake me up. I’m used to them. It doesn’t bother me.”

Bill Ingram stands in his entrance hall next a Bavarian grandfather clock he guesses is more than 100 years old. He’s had it almost 50 years. Bill and his wife, the late Gisela, have two sons. Dr. Richard ( Janice) Ingram of LaGrange, Ga.; and Dr. Steven (Betsy) Ingram of Dayton, Ohio. Bill has four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

He’s been a member of the Albertville Planning Board for 20 years.

Indeed, he lives with time.

Understandably, however, time does pass differently than it did before Gisela died in 2016.

Bill had known her since 1947, when she was 20. And today his clocks and other items they collected serve as anchor to what one might call different ports of time in his life.

A

farm boy from Seminary, Mississippi, north of Hattiesburg, Bill was

drafted into the Army shortly after World War II ended in 1945. After training, he was sent to Germany in 1946.

His worst memory is of Dachau, one of Nazi Germany’s concentration/death camps.

“It was a ‘mop up’ job,” he says. “I shall never forget the smell of it.”

His proudest memory is serving with a unit in the Berlin airlift. Twice he rode in cargo planes loaded with direly needed flour and coal.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

55

But his fondest memories of Germany – those of Gisela – began in 1947 in a village near Berlin. It was a sputtering beginning for the Mississippi Yank who spoke no German.

“I saw her in an ice cream parlor, and I thought she was the prettiest girl I‘d ever seen,” Bill says. “I tried to talk to her, but she’d have nothing to do with me.”

Often he returned, hoping to catch her there but never did.

“There’s no telling how much ice cream I ate,” Bill grins. “But I hung in there.”

He enlisted help from several locals at the base, his goal to learn 10 German words a day.

Later, riding in a jeep with another soldier, Bill spotted “my girl’s” portrait as he passed the window of a photography studio. He insisted the driver circle the 56

block, then Bill went inside and told the proprietor – in German – that he wanted to buy the picture.

“No,” was the curt reply. “She may not want you to have it, and I don’t want you to have it.”

“I’ll pay you dearly …”

“You’re not getting the picture,” he was told. “I don’t care how much money you’ve got.”

Dejected but persistent, Bill finally saw Gisela again at the ice cream parlor and spoke to her with his newly acquired German.

“Well,” he chuckles, “I got that picture of her about two years later.”

They married Sept. 15, 1951 – first in a government building as a required legality then four hours later in a Lutheran church

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

in Erding. Shortly afterwards, he was transferred to the states and returned with his new German bride.

B

ill did some administrative work in the Army and, while in Germany, transferred into the Air Force and full-time admin work.

He and Gisela were next stationed at a California air base where their son Richard was born. Then they transferred to Texas, then to Alaska three years before returning to Texas. There he trained on the side to sell World Book Encyclopedias.

In 1960, the Air Force abruptly relocated Bill to Germany. Pregnant with their second son, Gisela and Richard flew to Hattiesburg where Steven was born, and Bill later brought the family to Germany.

The oldest clock in the house – over 200 years – is the German timepiece at the far left. Bill’s favorite is the ornate French clock in his den, second from left. He bought the green mantel clock in Canada, but it was made in the U.S. A friend brought him the brass coffee table from Turkey. He got the grapes from Pisa, Italy, the crystal piece from Belgium. The clock above is German.

Whenever they could, they traveled, sometimes camping, several times cruising the Rhine on Hitler’s captured yacht and, yes, sometimes buying clocks. He also sold World Books there.

“That’s when I got on my feet,” Bill says, financially speaking.

With 11½ years total in Germany, Bill was sent to Smyrna, Tenn., where he retired from the Air Force in 1966.

Unable then to go straight into government work, Bill went full time with World Book. Moving his family to Albertville, he advanced to divisional sales manager, a lucrative position based in Huntsville from which he handled nine counties.

He spent, seemingly, days and nights on the road. Finally, after a near wreck

one night in Asbury, he uttered the words, “Lord, if you want me to do something else …”

When a friend said he’d help Bill study for a civil service job, he readily took the offer, took the test, graded out high and, in 1979, took a good research and development job with the Army Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal.

Before retiring in 1993, Bill worked on the Hawk and Patriot missiles and one project that was secret.

“I worked,” he says, “with some brilliant people – visionaries. They were forward thinkers.”

B

ill and Gisela enjoyed their life together in Albertville. There the boys finished high school. From there they went

to college, got married, raised families and became successful.

“There were three things we never discussed at our house,” Bill says.

“Brushing your teeth, taking a bath and getting a good education. Those things were expected. Education is so important.”

While not working or raising boys, Bill and Gisela traveled extensively, an education in itself. And, until she said enough, he collected clocks.

“She was a lovely woman,” he says of his companion who traveled a chunk of the globe and 69 years of his life with him. And it hurt when she died three years ago. Bill, however, can turn anywhere in the house and see reminders of the places they’d been.

“It’s not a sadness to see those things,” he says. “It’s a happy feeling.”

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

57

On top of that, Bill stays busy.

Over the years he took courses through the University of Maryland’s distant learning program. Today, he still takes college courses at home on DVDs. He’s also active with their church, Central Baptist and continues a visitation ministry he’s done for 12 years, dropping in to see people in nursing homes and widows with whom he visits and chats. Bill also visits a veteran with dementia, sitting with him a while to relieve his wife.

“I don’t like to be a braggadocio but the Lord’s blessed me,” he says.

One of the blessings Bill is most proud of is being a “reading buddy” for 10 years through Marshall County Retired Senior and Volunteer Program. As such, he works one-on-one with students at Albertville Elementary who struggle with reading.

“About 50 percent of those children are from broken homes,” he says.

“We talk to them about everything. I asked one kid, ‘What do you like best about school?’ He said, ‘Monday.’ I said, ‘Monday? What in the world for?’”

“Because,” the youngster answered, “you come and we talk.”

Bill Ingram loves his clocks, loves telling visitors stories about them.

Same with the array of interesting items from his and Gisela’s travels.

But, truthfully, possessions are not the most important aspect of his life.

“I believe a person’s net worth is not money or things,” Bill says. “It’s what they do for mankind.”

What they do for mankind, Mr. Clock might specify, with the time they have.

Good Life Magazine 58

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

The coconuts in the entrance hall with Bill’s German grandfather clock are souvenirs of Hawaii. A smaller German grandfather, above, stands in the living room, next to a “peace pipe” that belonged to a German regiment in 1914. Their daughter-in-law, Janice, started giving Gisela nice dolls after learning she never had dolls as a little girl. Below is the face of an antique grandfather from Germany’s Black Forest.

A “Westminster” clock, it chimes on quarter hours.

Racing enthusiasts take the turn in one of the regattas the Browns Creek Sailing Association hosted this spring.

Racing with the wind The Browns Creek Sailing Association’s regattas pit mariners’ skills against each other and nuances of the sport

Story by Jacquelyn Hall Photos by David Moore

I

f you have ever crossed Lake Guntersville on the Ala. 69 causeway in the spring or autumn and have seen a dozen or more sailboats cruising around in what seems a nonsensical fashion, you most likely had the pleasure of seeing a regatta taking place.

The Browns Creek Sailing Association, located on Browns Creek Road, just off the highway, hosts the regattas.

For those of us not savvy with sailing lingo, a regatta is a series of sailboat or yacht races. In the case of the BCSA, the regattas take place twice a month during the spring and autumn.

Naturally, the regattas rely on wind in order to race and keep to a schedule, but, as everyone knows, nature is a fickle beast. Assuming the wind decides to cooperate, the association’s committee boat – a pontoon on which the race officer and any spotters and assistants are stationed – will go out on the lake and mark the course by setting buoys at the starting point and the turn or turns on the course layout chosen for the day.

Capt. Dave Ellis often is the organizer of the regattas for BCSA and is also the one-man racing committee, acting as judge for the races.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

59

Capt. Dave Ellis of Guntersville is the racing chairman of the Browns Creek Sailing Association in Warrenton. A sailing master, he has owned 51 boats in his lifetime, his favorite being a Raider, a highperformance skiff that looks like a stealth aircraft and can be sailed single handedly. Dave prefers to participate – in some form or fashion – in races close to land. Sailing across oceans does not appeal to him as he finds the sight of nothing but water to be boring. He would rather fly to an international location and sail near the locale. But he’s fine with sailing on Lake Guntersville. Photo

by Jacquelyn Hall.

After he sets the course, racers sail by the committee boat and check in by shouting their sail numbers, which Dave enters into the records.

The countdown to the start of the race is done by hoisting a series of flags on the committee boat, each at a set time. At the end, with the blare of a horn, Dave signals the start of the race.

I

lovely, crisp, white sails gliding across the lake is rather reminiscent of ballet dancers flitting across a stage with grace, power and adeptness. The boats, along with their crews, look as though they find harmony in nature’s elements as they slip over the water, making the whole endeavor look effortless from afar.

Up close, one can see how much physical work is actually involved in even the smallest of sailboats, namely the Sunfish, though the physical work on that particular class of boat is slight compared to others. The Sunfish is a good boat for the novice beginning his

or her sailing pursuits, as it is relatively easy to understand and handle.

Because captains have not all planned the same strategy, some boats might tack one direction while others start in another, but each is ultimately out to round the distant turn buoy.

They also want to avoid any penalties, such as hitting the turn buoy, a faux pas the spotter there would notice and radio to Dave, who knows the rules inside and out.

t does not start as one might expect with all the sailboats lined up like foot racers and taking off from a starting line.

In fact, to the uninitiated, the countdown sailing master formerly of St. appears to be the very definition of chaos Petersburg, Florida, Dave is the Browns as the continuously moving Creek Sailing Association’s boats jockey for position racing chairman. and plan their strategy for Sailboats come as getting the most out of the naturally to Dave as wind speed and direction. breathing. His parents met The initial goal of each at Gulfport Yacht Club captain and his or her crew near St. Petersburg, started is to be under full sail, on by his maternal grandfather their chosen course and to in the 1930s. His uncles have been associated with cross the starting line when the St. Petersburg Yacht the horn sounds.

Club since 1917. He is, It eventually sorts itself consequently, a thirdout, though penalties are generation recreational charged against any boat sailor. crossing the line too early.

Dave Ellis, maroon life jacket over white shirt, In 1953, at the ripe ol’ Once the race is well gets a race under way from what’s referred to as the committee boat. age of nine, he won his underway, watching all the 60

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

A

The course was about two miles long, there and back, which is why some of the boats above are sailing in opposite directions. At far left, Don and Susan Moser race in their Flying Scot. Both are members of the Browns Creek Sailing Association. At left, Brad Morales and Zack Lawson nearly lost it during a tacking maneuver, but recovered from the brink of capsizing.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

61

first race; his prize was a barometer he has kept all these years. As an adult, he went on to win seven national championships and the title of International Champion Racer for the Windmill class of sailboats.

After a couple of career changes, including selling a business, Dave returned to the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and held the position of sailmaster at its sailing center for 13 years – a position usually held an average of 18 months due to the club’s unusual, and sometimes difficult set up with 62

the city. During his tenure there, he and his staff taught approximately 2,500 children how to sail.

He and his wife Judy moved to Marshall County a couple of years ago to be closer to his sister, brother-in-law and some friends.

She started a business here, JCESews4U. Dave knew he could not simply give up sailing altogether, so he looked for a club to call home.

He knew he had found it when he walked up to the Browns Creek Sailing Association clubhouse, and before even

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

setting foot on the porch he was greeted with a cheerful, “Ellis! What are you doing here?”

It was a friend he’d known from Florida, and just like that Dave felt at home.

S

ailing is full of small nuances, most of which are so subtle it truly takes a master to make a novice aware of them.

Dave and others say that sailing is more about anticipation rather than reaction.

Planning ahead and having competent crew members communicate their orders and

The 18-foot Y Flyer class of sailboat was designed by Alvin Youngquist in 1938. Once popular as homebuild projects, most today are manufactured of fiberglass. Fifteen of them – identified by the “Y” on their sails, entered the regatta last May with five larger boats.

Jeff Rodgers and Lisa Parker, far left, came from Little Rock, Ark., to race. Others came from Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia and Tennessee. Bea Picou, Allyson Lewter and a third crew member cut through the water at center. At left, two “Y” class boats sail in close proximity . observations is nearly as important as the wind itself.

As for the wind, one must pay attention to all sorts of variables and cues, some of which seem to have nothing whatsoever to do with sailing. Such as, which way a cow in a field near the water is facing – which helps indicate wind direction.

Another tidbit that is handy to know is how the hot air from the land affects the wind over the water.

One interesting thing about sailing is that since it is so remarkably full of seemingly

insignificant elements, once sailors are familiar with them they can find their way across the water at night, or simply by following all the clues and information laid out by nature that are telltales for guidance.

Due to weather and wind patterns, races are held on Lake Guntersville only in the spring and autumn. But throughout the year, the Browns Creek Sailing Association has other sailing events, is family friendly and welcomes visitors.

Sailing classes are available two weekends a year for a nominal fee of $180, which

includes membership to the association for a year. Students must attend all four days of classes as well as bring a Type III life vest.

For more information contact Susan Wilson: brownscreeksailingassociation.org.

C

urious about sailing but not quite ready to plunge into a class or buy a boat?

The book “Fast Track to Sailing” by Steve and Doris Colgate is a good place to start.

And Capt. Dave Ellis at Browns Creek would also be glad to talk to you.

Good Life Magazine

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

63

Mike Ezell ponders the fall forest of Lake Guntersville State Park from the Lickskillet Trail.

64

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

If you ever wondered, these are American beautyberries. They’re sometimes grown as ornamentals but appear as open-habitat, native shrubs across the South. “They are not edible, at least for us,” Mike says, “but birds love them.” If you’re in the woods and mosquitoes or other insects are bothering you, it’s good to know the leaves contain a natural repellent. “Just break off a leaf at the stem and rub it on you,” says the naturalist. “It works. I can vouch for that.”

The natural naturalist A walk in the park with Mike Ezell sheds light on the world’s wonders Story and photos

by David Moore

T

rekking trails with Mike Ezell at Lake Guntersville State Park is akin to visiting the forest with a highly educated Big Foot.

Not that there’s necessarily any physical resemblance, but the park’s good-natured naturalist is completely at home in these southern Appalachian woods. And he loves imparting his vast knowledge about that which he loves so much.

The naturalist is a natural.

He comes by it both honestly and by hard work. And by a roundabout career.

Growing up in Rogersville, Mike seemingly lived in the woods.

“We’d go walking along streams and branches, catching crawfish, frog gigging, hunting water fowl and fishing and swimming,” he laughs. “It’s a wonder some micro-organism didn’t take me out.”

Mike joined the Boy Scouts – a rogue troop, he says – mostly for the outdoor activities.

“We didn’t earn any badges. We just

went out and camped and didn’t bathe for days,” he says. “Instead of bringing our laundry home for our moms, we just burned it as a sacrifice.”

Despite any rogue inclinations, his heart was pure.

“I was,” Mike says, “amazed at the wonder of the natural world. I never lost that.”

H

is amazement and wonder were fed by an inspiring chemistry teacher at Lauderdale County High School and by a visiting representative of the American

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

65

Chemical Society chapter at the University of North Alabama. Mike also enjoyed math.

“I realized I have a flair for the abstract concepts of chemistry and the unseen world of atoms and electrons,” he says. “I decided that would be my chosen vocation.”

On the periodic table, “W” is the abbreviation for tungsten – a strong natural metal. In that sense, “W” could represent the determination Mike had when he entered UNA in 1976, dead set on becoming a chemist.

“Most kids who go to college now, I think, change their majors four or five times,” he says. “I never wavered. I just lined it up from day one.”

As a chemist, Mike worked in a fertilizer lab in Muscle Shoals then for 15 years at Goodyear Dunlop in Huntsville. Meanwhile, he and his wife, Kelly – who has been in management for Alabama State Parks for 13 years – raised their combined three children.

When Goodyear closed the plant in 2002, Mike enrolled at Athens State and earned a teaching degree, a feat some might think would be hard to do 23 years out of school with children still at home.

“It was just hard on my wife,” he grins.

“Actually I didn’t have much problem with it.”

Mike taught high school science for 15 years in the Lauderdale and Lawrence County school systems. As one might guess, he enjoyed carrying on while imparting knowledge.

“I had a kid tell me one time, ‘You could be making up all this stuff and we’d never know the difference,’” he laughs. “He was a very insightful student.”

As fall winds down, among blooming wildflowers you can still see at Lake Guntersville State Park are rosinweed and late purple asters. “It’s one of our last wildflowers to bloom,” park naturalist Mike Ezell says of the delicate late purple aster.

M

ike had been teaching eight years when he learned the state has a job classification titled “park naturalist.” He was captivated. Park naturalist. What a way to share his passions for the wonders of the natural world.

It became his dream job.

So, when their last child graduated from college and Mike could afford the pay cut, he applied and for an opening as park naturalist, “got lucky,” landed the job and started in August 2017.

And what a place to enjoy the natural world … his assignment was Lake Guntersville State Park.

In addition to giving nature programs and tours and running events such as Eagle Awareness, Mike, ever the teacher, has earned numerous continuing education units in environmental education.

“Our learning process is continual,” he says.

Mike stays in an apartment at the ranger’s station. Much of his work is on the weekends when the park sees the most visitors. Kelly’s situation as district superintendent at Oak 66

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Mike makes no claim to being a mycologist, a specialist in fungi, such as molds, yeast, mushrooms and toadstools.

“But these are fungi,” he says. “Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi that break down decomposing plant material.

Without fungi our forests would be incredibly messy places.

They recycle nutrients from previously living things and make them available for presently living things. They are the ‘janitors of the forest’ … how do you like that?” He grins. “That comes from teaching. You have to teach in metaphors.” A mushroom, or toadstool, is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. “When fungi are ready to reproduce, they send up mushrooms to spread their reproductive cells, which are spores, and send them out to the winds to spread and conquer the earth,” Mike laughs. “Sounds kind of scary when you put it that way.”

Naturalist Mike Ezell is in his element in the woods of Lake Guntersville State Park. Well, one of his elements. His hobbies and passions include hunting, fishing, hiking, gardening, bird watching and reading.

He and his wife Kelly have three grown children between them and four grandchildren.

Sometimes in a pinch in the woods, you have to make do. For instance, Mike curls up a large leaf from a tulip poplar to make a cup, upper left. “All I’ve tried it on is water,” he laughs. The webworm moth is best known in its larval stage, when it spins webs in tree limbs. Mike uses such a web to form a primitive bandage. He laughs and warns that it won’t work for “just a flesh wound – a reference to what the Black Knight in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” says after King Arthur cuts off both the knight’s arms. “And it’s not going to keep it from getting infected,” Mike continues. “That’s what you pour whiskey on it for. But the bandage will stop minor bleeding in a pinch.”

Hickory, above, and sourwood show off their fall splendor. “Hickory switches,” says the knowing naturalist, “is what you got beat with as a kid. But hickory nuts are good to eat. You can chew on a sourwood leaf and it will help indigestion,” he adds. “But it is sour!” And why do deciduous trees change colors in the fall? Says Mike, “They notice the shorter daylight hours and decide to slowly deplete their green chlorophyll that builds their food during the summer. As they do this, other pigments – which are present but overwhelmed by the chlorophyll – let their colors shine in many combinations. This presents to us humans a visual feast of beauty that is enjoyed year after year.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

67

The loop road at the state park winds down Taylor Mountain from the lodge, providing visitors with views of the surrounding Appalachian foothills .

68

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Not too many years ago, low-lying, uncultivated ground that collected water was called a swamp, bog or marsh. Today, its status has risen to “wetlands.” “Typically,”’ Mike says, “such areas were seen as waste places on our landscape. We now know they play a large roll in purifying our water supplies as well as providing homes for many plants and animals to thrive and contribute to our food webs.” The swampy wetlands pictured here are in the state park on the south side of Ala. 227 at the far end of a Town Creek slough.

Mountain State Park is similar, so they usually take off during the middle of the week; Mike visits her in Birmingham, or they go to their home in Rogersville.

“I really enjoy sharing my passion and understanding of the natural world with our guests on a daily basis,” he says.

M

If you slice open a persimmon seed lengthwise in the fall, you should see one of three tableware designs in the meat – a knife, fork or spoon.

According to folklore, Mike says, a knife predicts icy winter winds that cut like a knife. A fork predicts only light snow on your doorstep that can be removed with, well, a fork. The spoon, above, is supposedly a winter predictor of deep snow that will require a big spoon – or shovel – to remove it. This seed, cut open late last fall, shows a “spoon,” but snow last winter was only negligible. “That’s about as accurate as any weather forecast we get today,” Mike laughs.

ike broadens the reach of his sharing by writing outdoors columns for the Alabama State Parks website and local newspapers. Here is part of one those columns …

Something us naturalists preach all of the time is that Alabama is blessed with more species of plants and animals than any state east of the Mississippi.

We call this biodiversity.

We are also blessed with a mild climate, and 10 percent of the United States’ fresh water flows through our boundaries. I like to say we are a “biological superstar.” (I stole that phrase from someone whom I cannot remember.)

With that said, we reap the benefit of clean air, clean water and fertile soil, something we should never take for granted.

We like to feel we showcase this amazing diversity in our state parks and state lands in any season. It’s a good place to call home, y’all.

Good Life Magazine AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

69

Give the Gift of MARSHALL COUNTY MARSH ALL CO UNTY

UNTY ALL CO MARSH

MA RS HA LL CO UN TY

TY UN CO LL HA RS MA

ader la le r? erril l pasto l gu ca Rebe e a lo me m gue a na a ro d beco ing Did mak he’s 13 rm an o is ... refo evin riding y, Tr ll on raph ’ Cany mself bu otog king ph oo hi for ly ‘b es to com er is tru n it Whe Kennam Judy

ar old kid

can get

into a lot g

13-ye into cookin 2018 A things – Cole is RY of TER WIN ENTA LIM MP

is why guy, which is a DIY progress Bob Willis a (big) work in n is his garde 2019 SPRING

LIMENTARY | COMP

Here’s what all happe ss Burgened after it crashe Elizabethd at 97 to U-27 she’sHydroFest Most days still 60 – feels she’s

The Powel ls in the familykept a historic house for all its memories

SUMMER 2019

| COMP LIMENTARY

CO

Take a trip

into the isolation, and histor Tre beauty y ofkkin g trai MikeParch es wit Ezell lsCove reveals h park extra naturalist won ders

Tam create my and d a “co Dr. ttag Victor Sparks e” for

family, FAL L 201 sola ce 9| COM PLIME NTA RY

Bill is mo Ingram re awa love re of s his cloc how he spe ks but nds time

One Year Subscription $18 Four magazines, with quarterly home delivery

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Name (Please Print)

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Street Address

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

City

State

Zip

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Phone

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Email

PLEASE CHECK ONE BOX ONLY:

� CULLMAN COUNTY MAGAZINE $18 � MARSHALL COUNTY MAGAZINE $18 � GET BOTH MAGAZINES FOR $32 To get your gift subscription started, just mail your check and this completed form to Good Life Magazine, P.O. Box 28, Arab, AL 35016

We can send a gift card to you to wrap ... ... or we can send the gift card with the first magazine. You decide.

70

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

Out ‘n’ About

The Alabama H1 team from Gadsden, still rebuilding from a crash last year, missed HydroFest 2019 in June. But if you were among the thousands there, you probably saw the yellow and red U-11, above. Driver Tom Thompson of Maryland spent many summers growing up at his grandfather’s farm in Boaz where he has other family.

His weekend ended badly when his boat wouldn’t start for the finals. New to the races on Lake Guntersville this year were the Powerboat Nationals Protunnel boats, below.

Propelled by Mercury Marine V6, two-stroke that generate 400+ hp, these lightweight 20-foot boats can zip to 62 mph in less than two seconds and top out at over 155 mph. More photos on the next page.

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

71

Jimmy Shane in the U-6 “Miss HomeStreet” won the Southern Cup at the second annual Guntersville Lake HydroFest in June, turning in the fastest lap in the finals at 155.044 mph. At left he’s passing Bert Henderson in the U-7 “Spirit of Detroit,” who finished third in the finals. “This aqua oval is the Talladega Speedway of boat racing,” Bert said. “I got to thank all the volunteers and people that put this event on – I mean, what an event. It’s awesome.” New to the races this year was the Powerboat Nationals Hydro-Cross series, featuring jet skis on steroids in races where they zig-zagged around buoys and through each other’s wake. Twenty-thousand spectators attended the weekend of racing, food, fun and concerts.

Photos by David Moore.

Postcards

Hotel Saunders opened Aug. 19, 1932, replacing the original which burned in 1930. Though built during the Great Depression, the 30-room facility featured some of the most modern concepts of hotel design in its day. The state chose Albertville for one of its district ag schools. Built in 1894, the school was destroyed by fire on Jan. 12, 1912. Postcards provided by Guntersville Museum.

Frog Hollow

Tree of Life Wellness

LLC

Unique Plants & Gifts

Your CBD Store Albertville, AL

Unique And Colorful Wind Spinners

Located next to Jefferson’s on Highway 431

New Alabama And Auburn Collectibles Come see Teresa & Tommy Smith Today

256-660-2662

3720 Hopewell Road • Arab

DIRECTIONS: Turn off HWY 231 just south of Arab at Strawberry Bridge.

Go east 2.3 miles on Hopewell Rd.

Fall Hours Tues.-Sat. 9-5 256-679-1538

www.treeoflifecbd.net

Come See Us!

Cherokee Ridge Golf Community - View of the Course

JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE

Unique Dining Experience Sushi

Hibachi

Bar

View photos/get info at myhomeisinalabama.com

Menu and daily specials available on website:

www.sakuraguntersville.com

11888 US HWY 431 S. Guntersville, AL 35976

Phone: 256-878-1886

977 CHEROKEE RIDGE DR. — GOLFERS DELIGHT Elite living in private gated golf community minutes to Huntsville.

Custom-built 6500 sq ft brick/stone home, 2 lots pro-landscaped overlooking hole 6, 3-car garage & golf cart garage, 6 BR, 4 FPs, gourmet kitchen with gas grill, warming drawer, sub zero refrigerator, island, lavish amenities like granite, marble, tile, hardwood, extensive molding, surround sound, plantation shutters, full basement w/2nd kitchen, 2nd laundry room, exercise room, covered back porch. $747,500. Go online to see all the extras this home has to offer. MLS #1105221

HOMETOWN REALTY, LLC

Larry Walden

256-302-2727

www.myhomeisinalabama.com

GUNTERSVILLE ANIMAL HOSPITAL

1609 Henry Street Guntersville, AL

Dr. Chuck H. Young

256-582-3184

www.guntersvillevet.com

Hours of operation: Monday - Friday 7:30 - 5:30, Saturday 7:30 - Noon

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019

75

A short drive to good care.

It’s what a community-owned health system does best.

Community-owned means community convenience — having excellent healthcare available close to home. That starts with recruiting good doctors and investing in the latest technology.

At Marshall Medical, our local commitment makes all that possible. Whether it’s for routine healthcare services or specialized medicine, we’re always working had to deliver the right care, right down the road.

Our affiliation with the Huntsville Hospital Health System means an even stronger commitment to our community focus.

256.571.8925 (256.753.8925 for Arab area residents) • mmcenters.com