Around Alabama

Several cities and towns around Alabama will have fireworks events for the

Independence Day holiday. PHOTO COURTESY ALABAMA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SYSTEM

JULY AUGUST

1Fort Rucker Freedom Fest Rumble over Rucker, beginning at 4:30 p.m. on the Festival Fields on the Army installation. Live entertainment, including country music artist Darryl Worley, Shane Owens, the Brown Goose and the MCoE Band from Fort Benning. Fireworks begin at 9 p.m. Local businesses, food vendors and food trucks will be on site. Rucker.armymwr.com

3Anniston Noble Street Festival, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pro bike racing, children’s races, KidZone, live music, local cuisine and more to benefit Calhoun County Relay for Life. Search for the event’s page on Facebook.

3Chatom Independence Day Celebration beginning at 5 p.m. at the Chatom Community Center. Live music by COOL RAYZ, water slides, trackless train, balloon art, carnival rides and fireworks beginning at 9 p.m. Admission free; parking is $1 per vehicle. Bring lawn chairs; no coolers or dogs allowed. There will be food and arts and crafts booths on site. 251-680-3075 or email thorntonfran@yahoo.com

3-4 Decatur Spirit of America Festival and Fireworks Show, Point Mallard Park. Annual Fourth of July celebration, featuring live music, family games, sports tournaments, food and craft vendors and fireworks. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 3 and 12 to 9 p.m. July 4. Fireworks begin around 9 p.m. SpiritofAmericaFestival.org 4 Cullman annual fireworks festival at Smith Lake Park, beginning at 9:30 a.m., 403 County Road 386. Food and arts and crafts vendors, live music, golf cart parade and other park activities. Park admission is $5 per person; fireworks begin at 9 p.m. Check the Facebook pages for Smith Lake Park and Cullman County Parks for details.

4Gulf Shores July Fourth Celebration and Cookout at the Lodge at Gulf State Park, 21196 East Beach Blvd. Live music, food, face painting, carnival-style games and pie eating contests. 5:30 to 9 p.m. on the outdoor terrace. Adults $65, children 5-12 $30, children under 5 free. 251-540-4000 or email info@lodgegsp.com

14-18 Orange Beach Blue Marlin Grand Championship of the Gulf, The Wharf, 4673 Wharf Parkway. The championship is the finale of the acclaimed Gulf Coast Triple Crown Series, with a boat parade at 10 a.m. July 15 and weigh-in from 5 to 7 p.m. July 17. Admission free to spectators. BlueMarlinGrandChampionship.com

23-Aug. 1

Florence W.C. Handy Music Festival. Details are still being planned; follow the event’s Facebook page for updates. 31 Clanton 11th annual Chilton County Arts Festival, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Clanton Performing Arts Center, 1850 Lay Dam Road. This free indoor event features artists selling fine hand-crafted art, including pottery, wood, jewelry, glass, gourds and more. ChiltonCountyArtsCouncil.com

6Theodore Mr. Bellingrath’s Birthday Celebration at Bellingrath Gardens and Home. Walter D. Bellingrath was Mobile’s first Coca-Cola bottler and the founder of the Bellingrath Gardens and Home. In honor of his birthday, admission to the gardens is free to Mobile and Baldwin County residents on this date. Home tour tickets are $10 per person and are led by longtime guides. 251-9732217 or Bellingrath.org

7Dothan Landmark Park Education Festival, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Teachers, youth group leaders and families are invited to a showcase of the educational opportunities available at Landmark Park. Activities will include planetarium shows, live animal programs, dulcimer lessons and more. Free with paid admission. 334-794-3452 or LandmarkParkDothan.com

13-14 Frisco City Monroe County NCPRA Rodeo, Frisco City Park. This family-friendly event is sanctioned by the National Cowboy Pro Rodeo Association. Tickets will go on sale in July; $15 for ages 13 and older, $5 for ages 3-12, and children under 3 are free. Monroecountyal. com

20 Guntersville “Water/ Ways,” a traveling exhibit that explores the role that water plays in human society and culture and the importance of protecting this critical resource.

To place an event, e-mail events@alabamaliving.coop. or visit www.alabamaliving.coop. You can also mail to Events Calendar, P.O. Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124; Each submission must include a contact name and phone number. Deadline is two months prior to issue date. We regret that we cannot publish every event due to space limitations. The exhibit is made possible by a partnership between the Alabama Humanities Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution Museum’s Museum on Main Street program, which gives access to the Smithsonian for small-town America. The next stop is Aug. 20 at Guntersville Museum. Alabamahumanities.org and MuseumOnMainStreet.org

20-21 Russellville 40th annual Franklin County Watermelon Festival. Music, contests and entertainment, as well as arts and crafts, 5K run, antique car and truck show, festival foods, tractor show and of course watermelon. Follow the event’s pages on Instagram and Facebook.

21 Ardmore 29th annual Crape Myrtle Festival, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., John Barnes Park in Ardmore, Tenn. Arts and crafts and other vendors, crape myrtle sale, food trucks, entertainment and more. Search for the event’s page on Facebook.

SUMMER

Daviston Horseshoe Bend National Military Park will hold a series of free ranger talks on Wednesdays and Saturdays through Labor Day. Topics will cover the Creek War of 1813-14, the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Muscogee (Creek) culture and history and more. All talks will begin at tour stop #2 and will begin at 2 p.m. Wednesdays and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays. The park is located at 11288 Horseshoe Bend Road, Daviston, AL 36256. Follow the park on Facebook @ HorseshoeBendNMP.

Call or verify events before you make plans to attend. Due to the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, some events may change or be canceled after press time.

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Keeping America’s story alive

Tom Walker is the founder and president of the American Village Citizenship Trust. He conceived the idea of the American Village, a 188-acre campus of rolling hills just north of Montevallo, as a place to engage young people in the stories of America’s revolutionary beginning as a foundation for their becoming good citizens and leaders. (Although closed for more than a year during the pandemic, the Village is now open through July 30, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays, and reopens its school season Oct. 1.) In the late 1980s, when studies showed a decline in knowledge of civics and American history, Walker wanted to make a difference. He drew up sketches and concepts for a “unique campus devoted to students having exciting ways to learn more about our nation’s history and the importance of being involved as good citizens.” As he worked to gain support for his vision, speaking publicly to groups and officials, those sketches evolved into what eventually became the American Village, chartered by legislative act in 1995 and opening in November 1999. Today it features more than a dozen historically inspired structures and immerses visitors in the journey to American independence. The American Village is only possible, its Board of Trustees has stated, “because of the extraordinary vision, leadership and perseverance of Tom Walker.” – Lenore Vickrey

Why is it important that young people know our country’s history and heritage?

It’s been said “history is to a people what memory is to an individual.”

Or more succinctly, “History is to all of us what memory is to each one of us.” Our memory helps inform the essence of our personal being: things we value, love, and respect; a record of our experiences that have shaped us into who we are. So it is with our country’s history: it informs us of our common and different experiences, and ultimately gives us identity as Americans who share a love of freedom. My dear grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Outwardly she appeared the same, but the substance of her being – her identity – succumbed to the relentless march of the disease. I mourned ahead of time because I knew the day would come when she would not know who I was. That day came and I was devastated. But, selfishly, I had overlooked a worse day was ahead of her: the day she would no longer know who SHE was. So we see what loss of memory does for an individual. How worse for a nation to lose its memory: its very identity when it loses connections to the drama, risk-taking, and saga of our country’s history.

What has been your proudest moment in the history of the American Village?

Every day that I see students engaged in learning more about their country – when I see them having fun AND getting into the spirit of the programs by participating as historical figures in many scenes from American history – is a proud moment. I am proud because of the tremendously talented corps of “historical interpreters,” or actors and actresses, who lead students in these vignettes which truly engage young people to be “part of moments” taken from history.

Our 20th anniversary of our school program observed on Washington’s birthday, 2020 – right before the pandemic shut things down – was a time for all who have had a part in this important work to share in that proud moment. The day celebrated the work of literally thousands of people who have made this work possible – and who made it possible for over 750,000 students from the Southeastern states to participate in our programs.

Some of our most moving moments are quiet ones, as we witness veterans or surviving family members saluting the consecrated place at the National Veterans Shrine where sacred ground is enshrined from over 30 international battlegrounds.

What’s ahead for the Village?

This fall we will open the West Wing of Independence Hall which will feature powerfully engaging interactive exhibits recreating scenes in Boston on the night of Paul Revere’s ride. It will be followed by an equally compelling movie about the outbreak of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775, and the decision by colonists to band together for the cause of independence.

Our focus is on securing private funds for finishing the central portion and east wing of Independence Hall. This will have an interactive experience concluding with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, exhibit space, a working Senate chamber for young people, and an interactive classroom focused on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

One of our goals is to invite more and more citizens to become a part of sharing America’s stories with young people. So we invite anyone to connect with us through our website: americanvillage. org.

Appreciating nature’s summer concerts

• Water container plants and lawns as needed. • Plant field peas, spinach, Irish potatoes and other warm-season crops. • Begin planting collards, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and other fall crops. • Divide overcrowded irises and other perennials. • Keep an eye out for insect and disease problems. • Remove dead or sickly vegetable plants from the garden. • Harvest summer vegetables and fruits frequently.

Summertime can be quite a noisy season, what with ple, usually call at night using melodious trills and chirps. They are roaring lawnmowers, squealing children and pop-bang-booming fireworks, but if you’ve ever spent a summer in Alabama, you know these sounds pale in comparison to the racket raised by nature’s chorus of summer love songs.

Those songs may be performed by a variety of creatures, including birds and frogs, but the loudest performers are almost always insects that use their unique and often voluble voices to attract mates. In the process, their loud, sometimes disconcerting performances attract our attention, especially this year when the loudest of the crew, the cicadas, have received so much press.

In case you missed the media buzz, groups (broods) of periodical cicadas emerged this year in parts of the eastern U.S. after 17 years underground to hold synchronized and uproarious courtship concerts. To be clear, the 17-year cicadas didn’t play a gig here in Alabama, where we only have 13-year cicada broods that won’t put on their shows until 2024. But our annual cicadas — sharing the stage with katydids, crickets and grasshoppers — are currently holding outdoor performances across the state.

According to University of Alabama entomologist John Abbott, the 20 or so species of annual cicadas native to Alabama are pretty amazing creatures themselves. JULY TIPS Like their more famous periodical relatives, annual cicadas spend most of their lives (2 to 5 years depending on the species) underground before they emerge for brief and furious periods of courtship and mating. But unlike their periodical kin, annual cicadas don’t synchronize their appearances during a single year. Instead, different populations of various “annual” cicada species emerge every year, which means we get annual concerts performed by the male cicadas trying to impress (attract) females. Though cicadas may emerge anytime from May through September and even into October, they are at their most active during the hottest days of summer (usually July and August) thus earning them the nickname of “dog-day” cicadas. And, of course, they are not alone in their use of music to attract mates. Katydids, crickets and grasshoppers also perform summer love songs for their female audiences. But lucky us, we get free admission to their concerts, which feature a variety of musical styles and techniques unique to each species. According to Abbott, katydids, crickets and grasshoppers use stridulation, the process of rubbing their wings and/or legs together to make their music. Cicadas, on the other hand, flex their tymbals, accordion-like membranes located in their abdomens, to create their signature sounds. Together, these various insects join together for a festival of sound that goes on day and night through the summer, one that may admittedly be a bit much for the unaccustomed ear. But developing an ear for their music can also provide hours of summer entertainment, or at least a chance to develop a deeper appreciation of new musical genres. Like birds, each of these insect species has a distinctive sound that we can use to identify them by ear. Crickets, for examjoined after dark by the nighttime buzzing, rattling and rasping tunes of katydids. Grasshoppers sound much like katydids, but they sing during the day, joining their sounds with the shriller, louder and more sustained voices of cicadas, which typically call during the day and at dusk. Yes, those sounds can Cicadas are among several insect species that create the soundtrack of summer. Earlier be obnoxious and even this year in parts of the U.S., that soundtrack featured performances by members of the a bit creepy to some, but Brood X cicada band (pictured here), one of two periodical cicada species that emerge there’s nothing to fear synchronously every 17 and 13 years. PHOTO BY JOHN ABBOTT as none of these insects pose a threat to us humans, other animals or to our plants and crops. In fact, they are important to our ecosystems, providing sustenance for birds and other wildlife and helping aerate and fertilize soils. Abbott suggests checking out the songsofinsects.com website or other wildlife and entomologic organizations to learn more about these summer musicians. You can also become a citizen science effort, ideal for adults and children alike, by submitting observations about the flora and fauna in your yard and garden to iNaturalist (inaturalist.org) and other nature-focused databases. Most important of all is to listen to the insects, birds and frogs performing this summer’s concert season. “It’s part of our natural history and a part of nature we should enjoy,” Abbott says. Katie Jackson is a freelance writer and editor based in Opelika, Alabama. Contact her at katielamarjackson@gmail.com.

Finding solutions to reduce the number of unwanted pets

Ipromise next time, I will go back to a safer topic of diseases in pets. But please be patient, and let’s see if we can do something for many of our unlucky companions.

On a cold February morning this year, we were driving north, running late for an appointment. I missed it, but my wife Julie noticed on the southbound side of the highway there were three loose dogs surrounding a bag of dog food. The two young dogs had their nose in the bag and the older dog was not eating but staring at the flowing traffic, wondering what just happened. Someone had just dumped off three dogs with a bag of dog food!

Sadly in our area, this happens a lot. People may believe that abandoned dogs and puppies can fend for themselves; the truth is that some die a quick death by car, but most just starve to death, lingering on for months scrounging for food while being cussed and chased or shot at by annoyed folks.

Of course, some of these creatures find good homes like all three of our dogs did. We have so many excess dogs here that the rescue organizations are routinely shipping them to the north. That makes me feel a little ashamed. I want my state to be a place where the northerners are sending their excess unwanted dogs because we provide them with such good homes!

Why do we abandon cats and dogs? This is a complex question. Maybe because we don’t quite understand what it means to take care of a dog or a cat before getting one. Then with time, the magic and the cuteness wear off and they become a burden due to social or financial reasons. But writing this problem off as a complex social issue does not solve anything.

What do we do? One simple answer is to rescue them. Many noble human beings do just that. But I am going to go out on a limb and say that rescuing these poor creatures probably does not make a dent in the end.

Over the last 25 years, I have worked with many kind and generous folks who worked as rescuers. They feel satisfied and fulfilled but many feel in the end, they may not have made a difference in terms of the big picture. If rescuing these creatures does not address the big picture, then what does? Not have to rescue any to begin with – because there are no dogs or cats to be thrown away. How do we achieve that? I would say education and legislation.

Educating people to change their attitudes and values definitely works, but I cannot imagine how many decades it will take to change the mindset of our society.

I think legislation is the key, and of course, there has to be public awareness through education, along with continuing rescue efforts. Where do we make legislative changes? Most of us are not savvy in politics, which is often a cage-fight of various conflicting interests. We may think we should prevail because we are asking for the “right thing,” like the well-being of fellow creatures, and through that create a kind and responsible neighborhood.

This may trigger a warning bell in some lobbies where people profit from animal use. Others may decry that not allowing a dog to be chained outside all hours of the day may infringe on someone’s personal property and rights.

What else can we do?  Join a mainstream organization like the Humane Society of the U.S. After many years of following them, I feel like there are many sane and wise people in this organization. Of course, others will disagree.  Seek and follow Facebook pages of organizations like Alabama Voters for Responsible Animal Legislation (AVRAL).  Lower our expectations. Instead of aiming for lofty goals like ending all animal suffering, focus on something more attainable, like local leash or tethering laws or ordinances.  Establish proper licensing requirements. For example, every pet has to be licensed, and loose or roaming pet owners could face consequences.  Fine people for abandoning pets.  Increase our taxes by just a few dollars every year to hire well-educated, caring, and intelligent animal care officers who advocate for the animals (not just “dog-catchers.”) I bet you will not mind paying a few extra dollars if you knew where that money was going.

I want to end with a nod to “Hardy” Jackson, Alabama Living’s very own historian and humorist for his May 2021 column on his beloved dog Bo and also for ending the column by saying that Bo would have liked him to rescue another dog. Rest well, Bo!

Goutam Mukherjee, DVM, MS, Ph.D. (Dr. G) has been a veterinarian for more than 30 years. He owns High Falls Holistic Veterinary Care near Geraldine, Alabama. To suggest topics for future discussions, email him at drg.vet@gmail.com

With thousands of miles of power lines, nearly 200,000 utility employees and 7,300 power plants, America’s electric grid and all its parts must work together to keep power flowing smoothly.

PHOTO COURTESY DENNIS GAINER, NRECA

4

keys to understanding the new electric grid

By Paul Wesslund

America’s electric grid is often called the most complex machine in the world. That’s not a stretch when you think about what it does: it runs your refrigerator and charges your phone, all from a ray of sunshine, a lump of coal, falling water or a prairie breeze.

In between those starting and ending points are 160,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, millions of miles of low-voltage power lines, 7,300 power plants, nearly 200,000 electric utility employees, thousands of electrical substations and transformers that adjust voltage for the cross-country trip along transmission lines, then back down before it enters your house––and all these parts must work together to keep power flowing safely. In addition, this complex network is adapting to weather patterns, increasing cybersecurity threats, consumer expectations and additional decentralized power sources like rooftop solar panels. Those are big changes for such a vast and intricate system, “But the silver lining is that technology is available to help address that,” says Venkat Banunarayanan, vice president of Integrated Grid Business & Technology Strategies with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). For all its complexity, the electric grid can be described in three major parts: a power source (like a natural gas plant or wind turbine); the wires The electric grid is constantly adapting to changing weather patterns, increasing cybersecurity threats, consumer expectations and additional decentralized power and equipment that deliver power; and a home or sources like rooftop solar panels. business that receives the PHOTO COURTESY ALEXIS MATSUI, NRECA power.

To understand the grid more deeply, here are four ways it’s adapting to the world’s new realities.

1 3 2 4

Resilience in the face of more severe weather

Last year was the busiest recorded hurricane season along the Atlantic Coast. Wildfires are increasingly intense, especially in the west, and ice storms and cold weather surprised the South this winter. These changes call for new ways to make sure the lights stay on. Electric utilities are increasing grid resilience by integrating weather forecasting with other smart technologies that monitor electric current and analyze how to respond. NRECA’s Banunarayanan calls this “predictive technology.” By knowing how weather will affect power equipment, he says, “An electric co-op can preposition work crews so they can quickly respond to the outage, and they can redirect the flow of electricity to take an alternate route to minimize the duration of a power outage.”

Strengthening cyber safety

Cybersecurity measures have become standard operating procedure for utilities to protect against cyber attacks. Electric co-ops and other utilities work closely with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to monitor and strengthen defenses. “Utilities are constantly improving to make sure they are more cyber-resilient,” says Banunarayanan. Electric co-ops also urge consumer-members at home to protect themselves from hackers. When devices like printers and smart TVs connect to the internet, that actually makes them part of the electric grid.

More power to consumers

Many utilities have voluntary programs that manage electric loads by turning off water heaters or air conditioners for short periods of time. Those programs add another layer of coordination. Additionally, homeowners are installing solar panels on their roofs or in their backyards, with some even selling excess electricity back to the utility—over the electric grid.

Utilities keeping up with the change

Large fields of wind turbine farms and solar power arrays require building transmission lines to new locations, and planning for a kind of power that might only operate when the sun shines or the wind blows. These changes are necessary and helpful, but they are also expensive.

Annual spending on the U.S. transmission system has increased from $9 billion a year in 2002, to $40 billion in 2019.

But that spending is paying off.

In 2017, Americans experienced about eight hours of power interruptions, according to the Energy Information Administration. By 2019, that was down to five hours.

“Power outages have been going down because there’s investment being made to increase the robustness of the grid,” says Banunarayanan. “I expect the reliability of the grid to increase.”

Last year was the busiest recorded hurricane season along the Atlantic Coast. Wildfires are increasingly intense, especially in the west, and ice storms and cold weather surprised the South this winter. These changing weather patterns call for new ways to make sure the lights stay on.

PHOTO COURTESY ANDREA KEE, CHICKASAW ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE