October 2018 Wiregrass

Stories | Recipes | Events | People | Places | Things | Local News October 2018

Wiregrass

Electric Cooperative

www.wiregrass.coop

Strong representation U.S. Rep. Martha Roby visits WEC

WIREGRASS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE is a member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 24,000 accounts in Houston and Geneva counties in Alabama and parts of Dale, Coffee and Covington counties in southeast Alabama.

ALABAMA LIVING is delivered to some 420,000 Alabama families and businesses, which are members of 22 not-for-profit, consumer-owned, locally directed and taxpaying electric cooperatives. Subscriptions are $12 a year for individuals not subscribing through participating Alabama electric cooperatives. Alabama Living (USPS 029-920) is published monthly by the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Alabama, and at additional mailing office.

Remembering the Trail of Tears This fall, Cherokees across the country will commemorate the 180th anniversary of the Trail of Tears, the forced removal of the Cherokee people from their homes in the Southeast to Oklahoma. Five known routes crossed north Alabama and took the Cherokee on foot, by boat and train through towns like Guntersville, Tuscumbia, Decatur, Huntsville and Waterloo.

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VOL. 71 NO. 10 n OCTOBER 2018

POSTMASTER send forms 3579 to: Alabama Living, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, Alabama 36124-4014.

ALABAMA RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

AREA President Fred Braswell Editor Lenore Vickrey Managing Editor Allison Law Creative Director Mark Stephenson Art Director Danny Weston Advertising Director Jacob Johnson Graphic Designer/Ad Coordinator Brooke Echols Communications Coordinator Laura Stewart

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Appreciation

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Great music

WEC hosts media appreciation lunches.

Golden voice

His voice is one of the most identifiable in sports broadcasting. We visit with Alabama Crimson Tide radio announcer Eli Gold this month.

The Coffee County Arts Alliance celebrates its 45th year.

D E PA R T M E N T S

ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL OFFICES:

340 TechnaCenter Drive Montgomery, Alabama 36117-6031 1-800-410-2737 For advertising, email: advertising@areapower.com For editorial inquiries, email: contact@alabamaliving.coop

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! ONLINE: www.alabamaliving.coop EMAIL: letters@alabamaliving.coop MAIL: Alabama Living 340 Technacenter Drive Montgomery, AL 36117

In this issue: Page 11 Page 12 Page 28

11 Spotlight 30 Gardens 29 Around Alabama 40 Outdoors 41 Fish & Game Forecast 34 Cook of the Month 46 Hardy Jackson’s Alabama ONLINE: alabamaliving.coop ON THE COVER: U.S. Rep. Martha Roby recently visited Wiregrass Electric Cooperative to learn more about the partnership between WEC and Troy Cable. See story, Page 6

OCTOBER 2018 3

Cooperatives build community Board of Trustees John Clark, Jr. District 3 President Donna Parrish District 2 Vice-President Debra E. Baxley District 1 Secretary

Danny McNeil District 4

Tracy Reeder District 5

Kip Justice District 6

Donald Ray Wilks District 7

Greg McCullough District 8

David Winstead District 9

Les Moreland, CEO Wiregrass Electric Cooperative Each day, I get to come to work at a special company with a unique mission. I consider myself blessed to work at Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, where we spend every day trying to make life better for our members. I believe that everyone else who works here would say the same.

that details what WEC has been doing over the last 12 months. I hope everyone will take the time to read it and learn about the utility that you own. Throughout the pages of that report, you’ll see concern for community demonstrated by the good works of this cooperative and its employees.

Annual meeting

Connecting the Wiregrass

Each October, we’re reminded of why WEC is so unique. First, this month is our annual meeting. See, cooperatively owned utilities are different from most of the businesses you come into contact with each day. We’re owned by the very people we serve. We do not have investors living far away asking us to drive up profits. Instead, we have farmers, teachers, policemen and small-business owners. Each year, the annual meeting gives our members a chance to come together and visit with others and with our employees. We love the chance to see our regular attendees and to meet new people.

It also gives people a chance to vote on who will serve them as their voice on our board of trustees. That, too, is part of being a cooperative and being member-owned.

Cooperative Month

October is also National Cooperative Month.

There are many different types of cooperatives all across the nation. What unites us is that we are all guided by the same principles. These principles help define our mission and our culture, and they spur us on to provide the best possible service to our members while making the Wiregrass a better place.

One of the most important principles we operate by is “Concern for Community.” Your annual meeting packet includes a 20-page annual report

The theme of this year’s annual meeting is “Connecting the Wiregrass.” One of the largest things we’ve accomplished this year is the start of our fiber project in partnership with Troy Cable.

Today, there are WEC members signing up for broadband that would not have been available without this partnership.

It will take time, but our goal is to work every day to try and provide a broadband connection for every WEC member. We firmly believe access to broadband is essential for the success of this area. I believe there is no better example of a cooperative expressing Concern for Community than this fiber project, and we are excited to see what possibilities it will bring.

We appreciate everyone who has supported us for this project. Our members have been receptive and excited about this possibility. We also are thankful for our local media who have helped us communicate this message as we’ve moved forward. They’re also vital to many of our community programs such as the Silent Hero of the Wiregrass. You can read more about how important the media is to spreading WEC’s news and cooperative message on Page 8.

I hope to see everyone at our annual meeting, and I encourage all our members to read the excellent annual report included in their meeting packet. WEC is serving the Wiregrass, and our members, in new and exciting ways! 

JOIN US FOR WEC’S 2018

ANNUAL MEETING OCT. 19 | HARTFORD OFFICE

4 OCTOBER 2018

www.alabamaliving.coop

WEC’s annual Christmas Card Art Contest is here!

We hope you will encourage your child to enter WEC’s annual Christmas Card Art Contest!

Any student in kindergarten through fifth grade is eligible to apply and possibly see their work on the cover of Alabama Living. The overall first-place winner will receive 30 printed cards featuring their artwork to mail to their family and friends, as well as a $50 gift certificate to Michaels craft supply store.

The first-place design will also be featured on the 2018 WEC Christmas card and the cover of the December issue of Alabama Living (with credit given to the student). Second- and third-place winners will receive a $25 gift card to Michaels craft supply store. In addition, one winner from each school will receive a $10 gift card. All students entering the contest will receive a gift.

To enter, please fill out the attached form and return it, along with the artwork, to:

WEC Christmas Card Contest 6167 Fortner St. • Dothan, AL 36305 Or, you may turn it in at any WEC office. Please do not fold the artwork.

The deadline for entries is Oct. 5. The winner will be announced by Nov. 10.

WEC Service Area

Contact Information Mailing address 509 N. State Hwy 167 P.O. Box 158, Hartford, AL 36344 Phone 1-800-239-4602 Toll Free Outage “Hotline” 1-888-4-MY-OUTAGE 1-888-469-6882 (24 hrs/day) Website www.wiregrass.coop Find us here:

Find Wiregrass Electric Co-op on Twitter (twitter. com/wec2), Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Contest Rules:

yy This contest is open to any student living in the Wiregrass area.

Payment Options

yy Only students in kindergarten through fifth grade are eligible to participate.

BY MAIL Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, Inc. Department 1340, P.O. Box 2153 Birmingham, AL 35287-1340

yy Artwork must be approximately 8.5” x 11” in size — do not fold artwork. Vertical drawings are preferred.

yy Artwork should be of a Christmas theme and reference Wiregrass Electric Cooperative. yy Artwork must be an original creation of the child. Artwork should be in color (markers, crayons, paint, etc.).

yy This entry form or a reasonable facsimile signed by parent or guardian must be enclosed with artwork.

yy Deadline to turn in the artwork is Oct. 5. Only one entry per child.

Entry form

By submitting, I give permission for identification of my child and his/her artwork in WEC’s publications and on WEC’s website.

Student’s Name Name of Parents or Guardian Address Telephone Number Email Address Grade in School Name and City of School Teacher Are you a member of WEC? Yes No (This question is for our information only — not necessary to enter.)

For questions, contact Jennifer Ward at WEC. Call 1-800-239-4602, or email jward@wiregrass.coop.

Alabama Living

WEBSITE Payments may be made 24 hrs/day by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and E-Check on our website at www.wiregrass.coop.

PHONE PAYMENTS Payments may be made any time by dialing 1-800-239-4602.

NIGHT DEPOSITORY Available at each office location.

IN PERSON Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Payment kiosks also available 24/7 in all offices.

Hartford 509 N. State Hwy. 167 • Hartford, AL 36344 Samson 13148 W. State Hwy. 52 • Samson, AL 36477 Ashford 1066 Ashford Highway • Ashford, AL 36312 Dothan 6167 Fortner St. • Dothan, AL 36305 For questions regarding sanitation service, call Houston County Sanitation Department at 334-677-4781 or Dothan City Sanitation at 334-615-3820.

OCTOBER 2018 5

U.S. Rep. Martha Roby met with WEC, Troy Cable and local leaders of the Wiregrass to discuss bringing broadband to the region.

Congresswoman Martha Roby visits WEC Support for broadband in the Wiregrass continues to grow Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s efforts to connect its members to broadband internet — which can benefit economic development, education and much more — is winning support locally and nationally.

U.S. Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, recently visited WEC’s offices, where she learned more about the efforts to link all of the electric cooperative’s substations and offices with a fiber optic backbone.

The network, created through a partnership with Troy Cable, will provide access to internet download speeds of 100 Mbps to about 25 percent of WEC’s membership during its first buildout.

Also, WEC is working with a satellite

internet provider to make internet service with speeds of at least 12 Mbps available to remaining members. WEC is hoping the fiber offering will continue to grow throughout its service area as more people participate.

On behalf of WEC and Troy Cable, WEC Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro welcomed Roby and expressed the appreciation the cooperative has for her support of rural broadband initiatives.

“Martha Roby has a history of helping Alabama, assisting electric cooperatives and for standing in the gap for rural America,” he says.

During the visit, Roby discussed how she helped her children with homework,

which is a task made more difficult without high-speed internet. As a result, she understands the importance of the efforts of WEC and Troy Cable.

“I appreciate all the relationships in this room,” Roby says. “Everyone here has helped me understand the complex issues that have gone into this project. Living in rural Alabama, I understand the issue and challenges that can come from not having a reliable internet connection. People understand that Alabama can be better with access to broadband through not only more jobs, industry and economic infrastructure but also through your normal life.”

In addition to visiting the cooperative, Roby held a brief Q&A with WEC:

Q:

Your support for the rural electric cooperatives in the country has been wonderful, and we appreciate your support so much! Can you elaborate on why you feel the role of electric cooperatives in our nation and, specifically, the role of WEC in the Wiregrass is so important?

A:

For more than 50 years, your outstanding organization has been instrumental in bringing electricity to parts of the Wiregrass. The role of electric cooperatives throughout our country, and specifically in Southeast Alabama, is critically important to ensuring that the electric needs of our rural communities are met. I will always support these important efforts.

Q:

The focus of Wiregrass Electric Cooperative is to take care of our members with the best service possible.

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Our mission is to “stand in the gap” for rural America and to improve the quality of life for our members and our area. That is why we have partnered with Troy Cable to bring high-speed broadband internet service to our Wiregrass community. We know you support this effort, and we know you will be doing all you can to help this partnership become successful. In what ways will you be using your U.S. congressional seat to help our efforts here in the Wiregrass?

A:

First, let me say how proud I am of this partnership between WEC and Troy Cable. I wholeheartedly believe it will be successful and serve the best interests of those living here in the Wiregrass. As the representative for this area in Congress, I will work alongside my colleagues to secure proper support and funding for increased access to rural broadband. I am www.alabamaliving.coop

pleased that these conversations are ongoing between members of Congress and the Trump administration, and I will remain actively involved. My family lives in a rural community, and we know all too well how important partnerships like the one you have are in meeting the needs of underserved areas.

Q:

We know you support this partnership with Troy Cable to bring high-speed broadband internet to our rural areas in the Wiregrass. Would you like to offer any words about this effort and how you feel it will change the Wiregrass area for the better?

Martha Roby speaks with Ronnie Davis, former USDA rural development director for Alabama. He is the current director for the Wiregrass RC&D.

A:

Your efforts to bring high-speed broadband internet to rural areas in the Wiregrass are critically important. I believe this action will change the lives of the people you serve for the better by improving their access to quality internet. This is one example of collaboration from community-entrenched companies that are working with local and federal agencies to help expand access to broadband throughout Southeast Alabama.

Q:

In your opinion, what is the importance of cooperatives like WEC and communityminded companies such as Troy Cable?

A:

Throughout my time in Congress, I have been proud to support the important work of WEC and Troy Cable, and I will continue to do so. Our rural communities are the backbone of this country, and it is imperative that they have access to the same services as larger communities do. WEC and Troy Cable have been instrumental in bridging this gap, and I look forward to seeing this great work continue for the people I represent in Congress. 

WEC CEO Les Moreland and Troy Cable’s Vice President of Engineering and Operations Chad Copeland speak with Martha Roby during her visit to the Wiregrass.

Martha Roby discussed how she has similar issues with quality internet at her home in rural Alabama.

Welcoming their representative Community leaders joined with Wiregrass Electric Cooperative leaders to welcome U.S. Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, to the cooperative.

Attendees included: • Jeff Sorrells, Hartford mayor • Frankie Lindsey, Geneva mayor • Scott Farmer, Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission • Emily VanScyoc, Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission • Ronnie Davis, former USDA rural development director and current director for the Wiregrass RC&D • Taylor Williams, PowerSouth • Chad Copeland, Troy Cable VP of E and O • Jason Thrash, WEC VP of Engineering and Operations • Les Moreland, WEC CEO • Jake Cowen, Troy Cable CEO, CFO and General Manager • Jimmy Copeland, Troy Cable Community and Legislative Affairs Director • Lisa LeNoir, WEC Chief Financial Officer

Alabama Living

WEC COO Brad Kimbro gave a detailed presentation to Martha Roby on how WEC and Troy Cable plan to bring fiber internet to the region.

OCTOBER 2018 7

WOOF’s owner Leigh Simpson receives a door prize at the media appreciation event.

WEC visited WTVY to thank them for all they do to serve the community.

Kitty Edwards shows off her door prize at WOOF’s media appreciation event.

Spreading the message WEC thanks local media

WEC COO Brad Kimbro speaks to the newsroom at WDHN.

Wiregrass media outlets are a vital resource when Wiregrass Electric Cooperative must quickly communicate with members.

From severe weather to outages, the local news has you covered.

As an example, WTVY in Dothan has been a great partner in the Silent Hero of the Wiregrass program, which recognizes citizens of the Wiregrass who help the community move forward.

In thanks for all the help they provide, WEC visited WOOF FM and TV stations WDHN and WTVY in August to continue to build and foster positive relationships with local media outlets.

WEC provided lunch and door prizes to all the employees.

WEC takes seriously its responsibility to effectively communicate with members. Members are the reason behind everything the cooperative does, and providing them with information about the cooperative is critical.

WEC has several avenues to communicate with members, including the monthly Alabama Living magazine, monthly bill inserts, an email newsletter and social media. But local TV and radio stations are a critical part of the mix.

“Our local media have been great partners over the years to help us get our message out to our members in a fair and positive way and to partner with us through community activities to support of our local area,” WEC Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro says. “We are very grateful for their partnership and for everything they do to serve our community.” 

WTVY employee Willie Rhymes enjoys lunch at the WTVY media appreciation event.

WEC’s Rhonda Webb and Jennifer Ward with WTVY meteorologist Evan Chickvara at the WTVY media appreciation event.

From left are Leigh Simpson, owner of WOOF; Brad Kimbro, WEC COO; Donna Parrish, WEC board member; and Hal Edwards, general sales manager at WOOF, during the media appreciation event.

Jennifer Ward gives WDHN anchor Tonya Pruitt a door prize at the media appreciation event.

Brad Kimbro and WDHN news director and anchor Ben Stanfield.

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Jennifer Ward, WEC’s Manager of Communications and Public Relations, presented a door prize to WDHN’s national sales assistant Debbie Bridges at the media appreciation event.

www.alabamaliving.coop

| Alabama Snapshots |

Pumpkin Patch Rachel and Lauren Parnell are the “cat burglar” duo at their pumpkin patch during Halloween.

SUBMITTED

BY Rachel Parnell, Millry.

Renyn, Rylan and Rhys Watkins at Dreamfield Farms. SUBMITTED BY Rebekah Watkins, Eclectic.

Cooper Hayes (10 months) at 4-D Farm in Cullman County in 2014.

SUBMITTED BY Debby Boyd, Addison.

Cooper Rainer enjoying her first trip to the pumpkin patch.

SUBMITTED

BY Faye Pike, Foley.

Webb Cannon at Cornfield County Farms.

SUBMITTED BY Laurie Blazer, Wetumpka.

Our sweet angel, Jessica, gained her wings May 7, 2018. SUBMITTED BY Kim Smith, Albertville.

Emerson Josey (6 months) at Old Farmer In The Dell Pumpkin Patch in Auburn.

SUBMITTED

BY Megan Josey, Montgomery.

Submit Your Images! January Theme: “Snow Day” Deadline for Jan: Nov 30

SUBMIT PHOTOS ONLINE: www.alabamaliving.coop/submit-photo/ or send color photos with a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Photos, Alabama Living, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, AL 36124 RULES: Alabama Living will pay $10 for photos that best match our theme of the month. Photos may also be published on our website at www.alabamaliving.coop and on our Facebook page. Alabama Living is not responsible for lost or damaged photos.

Alabama Living

OCTOBER 2018 9

Al News you can use | October SOCIAL SECURITY

How Social Security defines disability

D

isability affects millions of Americans, in one form or another. Social Security is here to help you and your family, but there are strict criteria for meeting the definition of disability. The definition of disability under Social Security is also different than it is for other programs. We do not pay benefits for partial or short-term disability.

We consider you disabled under Social Security rules if:

Kylle’ McKinney, SSA Public Affairs Specialist, can be reached by email at kylle.mckinney@ssa.gov.

• You can’t do work that you did before; • We decide that you cannot adjust to other work because of your medical condition(s); and • Your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death.

This is a strict definition of disability.

Social Security is also required by law to review the current medical condition of all people receiving disability benefits to make sure they continue to have a qualifying disability. Generally, if someone’s health hasn’t improved, or if their disability still keeps them from working, they will continue to receive benefits.

To help us make our decision, we’ll first

gather new information about a benefit recipient’s medical condition. We’ll ask their doctors, hospitals, and other medical sources for their medical records. We’ll ask them how their medical condition limits their activities, what their medical tests show, and what medical treatments they have been given. If we need more information, we’ll ask them to go for an examination or test for which we’ll pay.

Social Security is a support system for people who cannot work because of a disability. You can learn more about Social Security disability at socialsecurity.gov/ disability and also by accessing our starter kits and checklists at socialsecurity.gov/ planners/disability.

RURAL HEALTH

Choctaw General Hospital offers innovative senior care

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ith 86 percent of Alabama’s rural hospitals having a net operating loss, new ideas and innovation in providing services must be developed. The Choctaw General Hospital, located in Butler in Choctaw County, has a program for providing health and health-related services to seniors with special needs that could be an example for possible statewide implementation.

This Senior Care program involves bringing seniors experiencing difficulties in adjusting to life without a spouse or other challenges to a special unit three mornings a week. They are given primary health care, an opportunity to socialize, a delicious and healthy lunch, counseling and other mental health care, social worker assistance and other services. Transportation is provided by a hospital van dedicated to this program.

Area churches help identify those who need help. The hospital hosts a Pastor Education Luncheon each year where area ministers and hospital officials share information on health care and the health needs of the community and individuals.

While this excellent and innovative program is not entirely the same as adult day care, it could serve as an example of services that could be provided through the expanDale Quinney is the founder of Operation Save Rural Alabama, www. osral.net, and a past director of the Alabama Rural Health Association

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Choctaw General Hospital

sion of adult day care in Alabama, especially as a reimbursable Medicaid service.

Alabama’s rural hospitals need to develop new streams of revenue to bolster their serious financial crisis. Alabama’s Medicaid program needs to find ways to cut costs.

Can Alabama’s Medicaid program seek a federal waiver to offer reimbursement for adult day care service to those who do not need full time residency in a nursing facility? This could possibly be a new revenue stream for rural hospitals and/or nursing facilities, especially those with large numbers of empty beds. It could offer savings to the Alabama Medicaid program since day care would cost less than full-time residency in nursing facilities. It could benefit seniors who want to remain at home as long as possible before being institutionalized.

It could offer peace of mind to those wanting to keep Mom or Dad at home, but are not able because of work demands.

The people of Choctaw County, located in the Black Warrior Electric Membership Corporation service area, lost their hospital in 1993 and were forced to struggle without a hospital for 17 years until the Rush Health Systems of Meridian, Mississippi, invested approximately $20 million in building an excellent 25-bed critical access hospital on the site of an abandoned Vanity Fair sewing plant. Rush specializes in rural hospitals and clinics, owning or managing several other rural hospitals or clinics in Mississippi along with rural health clinics in Gilbertown and Livingston in Alabama. Rush has plans for expanding its role in the provision of rural health care in Alabama. www.alabamaliving.coop

October | Spotlight

Whereville, AL

I Woodlands Plantation is a classic Creole cottage with Greek revival detailing. The plantation home has an elegant as well as a scandalous past, which will be revealed during the Old Claiborne pilgrimage, Oct. 13-14.

Old Claiborne Pilgrimage offers history lesson on southwest Alabama

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onroe County’s Old Claiborne Pilgrimage, set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 13 and 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 14, will provide a rare glimpse into the settlement of this Alabama ghost town, and of Monroe County.

Pioneers, planters and paddlewheelers created Claiborne on the Alabama River, a gateway to the old Southwest in the early 1800s, before Alabama was a state, says Gail Deas of Monroeville, who is spearheading the pilgrimage. But as quickly as Claiborne’s fortunes and population had risen, Yellow Fever, the Civil War and the effects of Reconstruction hastened its demise.

To help illustrate this forgotten town’s importance, the pilgrimage will feature docent tours of four rarely seen, private antebellum plantation homes; early churches; and sites of historic significance in southwest Alabama, along the Alabama River in Monroe County and in neighboring Clarke County.

Historian Tom McGehee will entertain with stories, scandals and legends of life along the river at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the courtroom of the Old Courthouse Museum in Monroeville, followed by a wine and cheese reception on the courthouse lawn.

Ticket information and sales are available through the Old Courthouse Museum in Monroeville at 251-575-7433. For more information, visit monroecountymuseum.org.

The pilgrimage is presented by the Monroe County Museum Endowment, to generate financial support for maintenance of the historic Old Courthouse Museum in Monroeville, and by the Perdue Hill-Claiborne Foundation, Inc., which works to support and maintain sites of historic significance in Perdue Hill and the Claiborne area.

Celebrate fall’s arrival in Covington County

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he Lake Frank Jackson Trail Masters will hold their annual Scarecrows in the Park event this fall at Frank Jackson State Park, 100 Jerry Adams Drive in Opp. Scarecrow displays created by local businesses, clubs, churches and individuals will line the park’s hiking trails.

This family-friendly event will be open to the public during October and November. Admission for adults is $4; ages 4-11 is $2; and ages 62 and up is $2. Golf cart tours are available for those with physical limitations.

For more information, call the park at 334-493-6988, or visit alapark.com and click on Frank Jackson State Park.

Alabama Living

dentify and place this Alabama landmark and you could win $25!

Winner is chosen at random from all correct entries. Multiple entries from the same person will be disqualified.

Send your answer by Oct. 10 with your name, address and the name of your rural electric cooperative. The winner and answer will be announced in the November issue.

Submit by email: whereville@alabamaliving.coop, or by mail: Whereville, P.O. Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124.

Contribute your own photo for an upcoming issue! Send a photo of an interesting or unusual landmark in Alabama, which must be accessible to the public. A reader whose photo is chosen will also win $25.

SEPTEMBER'S ANSWER

This large iron ore rock crusher at Ruffner Mountain was used during Ruffner’s mining years. The Mountain, which is in Birmingham, was mined for iron ore from the late 19th century through the 1950s.

Today, Ruffner is a 1,040-acre nonprofit urban nature preserve with the mission of advancing the understanding of ecology in our rapidly changing world. Learn more at ruffnermountain.org. (Submitted by Dorothy O’Bara) The correct guess winner is Jeff Marsh of Coosa Valley EC.

This Month In

®

ALABAMA HISTORY Honoring Our People

Oct. 5, 1956

B

irmingham native Charles A. Boswell shot an 81 at Highland Park Golf Course in Birmingham--a world record for a blind golfer. Permanently blinded by a tank explosion in Germany during World War II, Boswell became an international golfing icon and committed advocate for the blind.

Throughout his career, he won a remarkable 16 national championships and 11 international championships. He served as the president of the United States Blind Golfers Association from 1956 to 1976 and founded the Charley Boswell Celebrity Golf Classic to raise funds for Birmingham’s Eye Foundation Hospital. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1972 and the Alabama Academy of Honor in 1983. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1771 OCTOBER 2018 11

Alabama has its place in the Trail of Tears

By Pamela A. Keene

I

magine being forced to leave your homeland for an unknown place 900 miles away. That’s what happened 180 years ago when more than 17,000 Cherokee men, women and children living in the Southeast walked, rode boats, and boarded trains to their new home in Oklahoma.

Along the way, nearly 25 percent of the men, women and children died of disease, cold, hunger and hardship. The remaining Cherokee recreated the Cherokee Nation, which still thrives today as a sovereign nation with more than 330,000 citizens across the United States. It is based in Oklahoma.

“For centuries the Cherokees lived on and hunted the lands in what is now Kentucky, parts of Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina,” says Troy Wayne Poteete, executive director of the Oklahoma-based National Trail of Tears Association. “As the European settlers moved in, the Cherokees assimilated into the settlers’ way of life; their lands shrank, and they adapted to an agricultural lifestyle and left their hunting ways behind.”

By the 1790s, Revolutionary American leadership negotiated treaties with the Cherokees, each time taking more land for the white settlers. Some Cherokees voluntarily left their land to move west. Talk of relocation began and by 1830, the U.S. government had passed the Indian Removal Act. Over several years, the Supreme Court heard two cases about the removal.

Marker on Hwy. 72 near Bridgeport.

Cherokee John Benge led a group of American Indians out of Fort Payne in 1838 to begin their nearly 800-mile trip to Indian territory in what is now Oklahoma.

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www.alabamaliving.coop

The documentary “The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy” was filmed in several states, including Georgia and Tennessee.

Some Cherokees willingly moved west, but about 75 percent remained, split between moving to preserve their nation’s identity or remaining on their native homeland.

By this time, Cherokees living in northern Alabama had become part of the sovereign Cherokee Nation, which was then headquartered in New Echota, Ga. By 1835, a splinter group of Cherokees signed the Treaty of New Echota that, although signed by a minority of Cherokee leadership, forced the Cherokees to give up their native lands and move to 160,000 acres in Oklahoma.

Three years later the federal government began the forced removal of the Cherokees on what has now become known as the Trail of Tears. Many Cherokees were rounded up and imprisoned in forts and camps before they began the grueling journey westward to Oklahoma. Many lives were lost, but the Cherokee nation survived.

As Cherokees across the country commemorate the 180th Trail of Tears, Poteete makes it clear why it should be remembered.

“We participate in the commemoration of that sad episode because it affords us the opportunity to honor the resilience, the tenacity, and the perseverance of that generation who refused to be defeated,” Poteete says. “We certainly don’t do it because we wish to somehow appropriate their victimization to ourselves. We personally didn’t endure the Trail of Tears and no one alive today had anything to do with that tragedy.”

Alabama’s connections

Many sites in Alabama factored into the removal on the Trail of Tears. The Cherokees were rounded up and detained in places like Fort Payne, or across the state lines at Chattanooga. Five known routes crossed north Alabama and took the Cherokee from their homeland on foot, by boat and train through towns

Alabama Living

PHOTO BY RICH-HEAPE PRODUCTIONS

like Guntersville, Tuscumbia, Decatur, Huntsville and Waterloo.

Several of these towns have historic markers, memorials, visitor and interpretive centers, monuments and remnants of witness buildings, which existed when the Trail of Tears took place. State and federal parks help preserve the history.

Shannon Keith is president of the Alabama chapter of the Trail of Tears Association and a member of the Trail of Tears National Board of Directors. “Alabama factored significantly in the lives of the Cherokees and the Trail of Tears,” she says.

“And our state has been very supportive of our work to commemorate this part of our history. In fact, our annual meeting of the Trail of Tears National Association is taking place in Decatur in October. It is an official event of Alabama’ s bicentennial and the National Park Service celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the National Trails System. It will be a chance to again draw attention to the Trail of Tears and the tribes that were removed.”

Commemoration events

Alabamians have recognized the story of the Trail of Tears with several events: • 23rd Annual Trail of Tears National Annual Conference and Symposium (www.nationaltota.com), will be Oct. 26-28 in various locations in Decatur. Several events in this conference are open to the public, including guided walking tours of Decatur and significant sites related to the Trail of Tears on Friday, Oct. 26, and a concert by playwright and country-Western singer-songwriter and member of the Cherokee Nation Becky Hobbs on Saturday, Oct. 27. There will be workshops about genealogy and Cherokee history, and the group will also tour the Tuscumbia Landing preservation project.

OCTOBER 2018 13

• The Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride gives participants a chance to see the Trail of Tears, to learn about its history and legacy and to travel across the state on one of the same routes that the Cherokees walked toward their new homeland. It routinely attracts upwards of 15,000 motorcyclists. This year’s 25th anniversary one-day event was Sept. 15; it began in Bridgeport and ended in Waterloo. al-tn-trailoftears.net • Oka Kapassa, The Return to Cold Water Festival, took place in September in Tuscumbia’s Spring Park. A gathering of representatives of Native American Tribes, the festival celebrates the kindness shown to them by the citizens of Tuscumbia during the Indian Removal.

“The residents of Tuscumbia were the documented only people who offered assistance back then to the Native Americans on the Trail of Tears,” says Terry McGee, chairman of the Oka Kapassa Festival. “They brought food, blankets and other supplies to make sure they were well taken care of.” This year’s fes-

The U.S. government moved Cherokee and Muskogee Creek tribes through Tuscumbia Landing in the 1830s.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TUSCUMBIA LANDING-PORT AUTHORITY

tival featured a school day with hands-on activities for students.

Saturday offered a showcase of native music and dance, native craft artisans, storytelling and Chickasaw, Choctaw and Cherokee foods. (256) 383-0783 or visit okakapassa.org

Places to visit in Alabama to learn more about the Trail of Tears A sampling of historic sites around the state that are open to the public Decatur: Numerous historical markers dot the landscape of Decatur and mark significant events of the Trail of Tears. Located on the Tennessee River, Decatur factored heavily in the Trail of Tears.

This is where many Cherokees transitioned from boat to train to journey farther west. Rhodes Ferry Park includes a wayside exhibit that tells the story of this part of the Trail of Tears. (256) 341-4930 or visit decaturparks.com Willstown Mission Cemetery, Fort Payne: The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions agreed to open a mission and school in Willstown in 1823.

Only a few of the graves there have been identified. Two historical markers tell the story of the school, the cemetery and the importance to the Cherokee. (256) 845-6888 or visitlandmarksdekalbal.org/articles/ WillstownCemetery.html

Tuscumbia Landing, Sheffield: Archeological digs since 2007 have revealed a railroad bed and other remnants of the Trail of Tears, the Civil War and bomb factories used in World War I. The site is being commercially developed with the intent of preserving history and protecting the environment. Plans are to open a Native American Visitors’ Center there in the next several years. The site is fenced, so direct access is not permitted.

However, visitors can view the location. (256) 383-0250 or visit tuscumbialanding.org 14 OCTOBER 2018

Waterloo Landing: At the end of a 230-mile evacuation walk over land through North Alabama, Cherokees were transferred to the steamboat Smelter to follow a water trail to their new homeland.

(256) 764-3237.

Fort Payne Cabin: The cabin, once owned by Cherokee John Huss, was overtaken by the military that were stationed at Fort Payne to oversee the forced removal of the Cherokees in the mid-1830s. Only a chimney, the foundation and a stacked stone wall mark the site today.

(256) 845-6888 or visit landmarksdekalbal. org/preserving-dekalbcounty-alabamalandmarks/the-oldcabin-site www.alabamaliving.coop

Alabama Living

OCTOBER 2018  15

At 70,

Alabama Living still connecting to readers

By Allison Law Alabama Living magazine turned 70 this year, and we think it’s better than ever.

The Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives (AREA), which publishes Alabama Living, was formed in 1947, and immediately jumped into the communications realm and began publishing the Alabama Rural Electric News in 1948 as a broadsheet-sized newspaper. Leaders undoubtedly saw a need for a publication that would communicate the cooperative message to rural electric co-op members across the state.

It’s hard to imagine in our current 24/7 news cycle world, but for many readers, the Rural Electric News was likely one of the few sources of information tailored especially for them. Those editions followed the news coming out of Washington and Montgomery that would have an impact on the rural Alabama home- and landowner, including news about the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), created by the federal government to help farmers and other rural folks receive electricity.

For the first few decades, the pages of the Alabama Rural Electric News reflected the agricultural roots of the rural electrification movement. After all, rural electric cooperatives were formed to bring electricity to the farms and rural areas that investor-owned utilities didn’t find profitable to serve. The pages were filled with stories about homesteaders who used electricity to modernize their farms; as late as the 1970s, most coop editions featured stories about satisfied members who’d built new homes that were all-electric.

As electricity became less of a novelty in the rural areas, there was less need for us to explain how essential and convenient it was. So we broadened our focus to better reflect the more modern lifestyles of our largely rural and small-town readership.

Changing, but remaining the same

The look and style of the publication has evolved over the years; in 1968, the name changed to AREA Magazine, with a more 16 OCTOBER 2018

modern magazine-style format that included more feature stories. The magazine became Alabama Living in 1989, to make the magazine feel more local and personal to readers.

Some longtime readers will remember the late Darryl Gates, who was the editor of Alabama Living for almost 30 years before he retired in May 2012 and brought the magazine into the modern era. In his final column for the magazine, he said, “Alabama Living is not only the voice of the 22 electric cooperatives in the state, but it serves as a mirror that reflects the faces of more than 1 million electric co-op members. You folks are the backbone of our great state.”

Today, the magazine continues to be the voice of our electric cooperatives, with a monthly circulation of about 420,000 copies.

For decades, the magazine has shared the news and photos following natural disasters and chronicled the co-ops’ power restoration efforts in the wake of destructive hurricanes and tornadoes. Your co-op and its sister co-ops across the state and region participate in mutual aid, and we’ll continue to share those powerful stories.

The magazine today is politically neutral, but we do encourage our readers to stay current on the issues that affect them, and to make their rural voices heard by voting and by keeping in touch with their elected representatives. We write about topics that have a political focus, such as the push by some cooperatives for government grants to help provide high-speed broadband in unserved areas.

While we’ve abandoned the “homemakers page” of decades ago that featured clothing patterns and extolled the virtues of frost-free refrigerators, we’ve kept and enhanced the reader-submitted recipes and photos, which remain our most popular feature.

And month after month, we try to include a mix of story types: personality profiles, stories that highlight Alabama-based businesses and/or industries, features on food and cooking (which often tie in to the www.alabamaliving.coop

Alabama Living

OCTOBER 2018  17

recipes) and monthly columns on gardening and the outdoors.

We try to provide you with stories about history, travel, home and garden and features that reflect the rural and small-town life of much of our readership. We publish a monthly feature called Worth the Drive, about a restaurant and its owner(s) in geographically diverse areas of the state. We try to cultivate stories that have a connection to a community, or feature a cultural or regional tradition. We regularly feature articles about safety and energy efficiency. And we try to provide some humor as well, with a monthly column from Alabama author Hardy Jackson.

even the recipes remind us of why living in rural Alabama is special to so many people,” says Brian Lacy, manager of communications and external affairs at Cullman Electric Cooperative. “We try to add to that feeling in our local pages with feature stories and other lifestyle content that is unique to our communities.

“But we also use that space to share important messages about the cooperative – events, programs and services, energy saving tips and other information that can help our members control their energy usage and save money on their power bill.”

The magazine has changed and adapted to emerging technoloConnections gy. Pages are designed, and technology produced and transFrom its very first mitted electronically issue, each edition feato Freeport Press, our tured news written or printer in Ohio (the Longtime readers may recognize the selected specifically character Willie Wiredhand, who remains complexity of printing for each rural electric the mascot of rural electrification. In this 22 different editions, cooperative that was a story from a 1956 issue of the Alabama with backup equipmember of AREA. We Rural Electric News, Willie illustrated a ment, makes it curcontinue that tradition story on the benefits of using electricity rently beyond the catoday – each issue of to power irrigation equipment. pabilities of printers in your Alabama Living Alabama); gone are the contains several pages of local-focused condays of manual, physical paste-up of pages.

And we’ve embraced the Internet. Our tent, in addition to the stories, columns and website, alabamaliving.coop, has an arfeatures of a statewide interest. chive of each month’s stories and videos, as “I think people enjoy reading the magwell as recipe archives and a continuously azine because its feature stories on people, updated events listing. Readers can also places and events, the photography and communicate with us through the site and submit recipes, events and participate in our monthly and annual photo contests.

Our social media channels continue to flourish. We have a robust audience on Facebook, with more than 9,000 page likes, as well as a presence on Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

Today, the magazine’s challenge is to continue to be the primary source of information for the consumer-members of our electric cooperatives, while making the most of the newest technologies to communicate in ways that are relevant to future generations, says Lenore Vickrey, editor of Alabama Living.

“We want the children and grandchildren of today’s co-op consumer-members to be as loyal to Alabama Living as their grandparents are and were,” Vickrey says.

18 OCTOBER 2018

www.alabamaliving.coop

Alabama Living

OCTOBER 2018  19

| Worth the drive |

Cuisine banese Sage Le ners Maritza ow and Cafe r Salibi sample e d a d N and nade an de lemo at their a m e m ho klava fresh ba hope cafe Fair

R

Authenticity adds flavor at Fairhope’s Sage restaurant Story and photos by Emmett Burnett

estaurateurs Nader and Maritza Salibi take pride in hometown menus. His home is Beirut, the one in Lebanon. Hers is Cuenca, the one in Ecuador.

Their restaurant is Sage Lebanese Cuisine and Cafe, the one in Fairhope.

But regardless of who is where, the food is amazing here. It is also surprising. “People visit not knowing what to expect,” says Nader, as we sip homemade lemonade over a plate of freshly baked baklava. “Customers don’t expect the flavors. They are surprised how familiar entries taste different.”

He explains that food varies between countries, regions, even cities. For example, fried chicken is common in the south. But South Alabama’s differs from South Carolina’s. The same holds true for Mediterranean – Lebanese.

The Meza Mixer, a sample of appetizers.

20 OCTOBER 2018



To see more of Sage, Go to alabamaliving.coop! www.alabamaliving.coop

Alabama Living

OCTOBER 2018  21

“Sometimes things you plan do not work out.

But sometimes things you do not plan, do work out. It did for us.”

“Everything here is as authentic as possible,” Nader adds. “Many recipes are based on mother and grandmother’s recipes back when I was growing up in Beirut.”

Kebab varieties of grilled prime beef, marinated chicken breasts, and spiced ground beef are examples of the aforementioned “unexpected flavors.” Other favorites include grilled savory lamb chops, beef over hummus with pita bread, and the Mousaka Plate – eggplant, yellow rice and house salad.

Sage offers 11 sandwiches including the Shawarma Mix – mammoth portions of beef and/ or marinated chicken wrapped in pita bread – or the Kafta Burger – ground beef, caramelized onions, brioche and Swiss cheese.

Everything is cooked on site.

Everything is oven/stovetop fresh. The only thing missing is a microwave oven.

He continues, “We serve the very best. Much of our ingredients and foods are imported. New Zealand grass fed beef isn’t easy to obtain when you’re a small town restaurant, but we get it.”

Hometown support

Sage Lebanese Cuisine and Cafe

An international love story

The Salibis readily admit that Lebanese cooking in small-town, south Alabama is unique, just as unique as the couple’s story, a 3,000-mile journey spanning three countries and ending in Fairhope.

About 20 years ago, Nader at age 17 left Beirut for New York City to study business courses at Brooklyn College. While in the Big Apple he met another college student and future wife, Maritza Astudillo. Short version: They fell in love, married and moved to Ecuador to work in Maritza’s family’s business. But not for long.

“I wanted to be in business for myself.

I wanted to open a restaurant,” Nader recalls. “But I did not want to return to New York. It’s crazy up there.” A friend told him about a really cool town in America.

The couple knew nothing about Alabama and neither had ever heard of Fairhope. But both agreed to research the restaurant-business venture, cautiously and slowly for 3 to 6 months. It sounded good – in theory.

In the spring of 2015, Nader left Ecuador for the “Heart of Dixie’s” Eastern Shore. He visited Fairhope, loved it, and leased a building – his first day in town.

22 OCTOBER 2018

“I called my wife and said, ‘I think we’re opening a restaurant, uh, actually, I’ve signed a lease.” And he laughs, “Her version of the story is a lot more dramatic.

She expresses her feelings more.” She did.

“I was in shock,” Maritza laughs, recalling the South Alabama-Ecuador telephone conversation. She hung up the phone and Googled “Fairhope.”

“Nader said I could stay home for six months to a year as he rebuilt and prepared the vacant building for business.”

But she answered, “No. My place is with you.”

And so it began. Maritza packed her bags and with three young children boarded a plane for a cross-world flight to the town she only knew from Google Maps. “We worked hard for months, refurbishing, repairing, remodeling. We did everything,” she says. “It was hard work.”

Sage opened in August 2015. It still is hard work but a labor of love. “You always have opening day jitters,” says Nader, recalling the first day of business. “But my mindset has always been about work.

I have the skills to do this and so does Maritza. I believe in working hard and doing your job well. People want good products, quality, and service.”

Customers agree. “Nader and Maritza are my friends who cook great,” says Dick Bacon of nearby Barnwell. “You come here once and you know them.”

When asked to name her favorite dish, weekly patron Mary Reiser of Daphne pondered, “I can’t. Everything is good. I order something different every week.

Once you smell the aroma from the sidewalk, you’re hooked.”

As for Fairhope, “We loved it,” says Maritza. “It has excellent schools for our children, safe streets, and genuinely friendly people who have been so supportive.” Many locals refer to Maritza as ‘Sage’ –“because ‘Maritza’ is often difficult to remember,” she smiles.

As for Sage the restaurant, find it on 319 Fairhope Avenue, the original spot Nader closed the deal on the day he came to town. It seats 55 and often.

“We came here with nothing, just our bags,” recalls the lady who took a leap of faith and landed in Baldwin County. “I was supposed to return to Ecuador from college and help our family’s business. But then I met Nader in New York. Things changed,” she smiles.

Maritza flips the restaurant’s front door sign from “closed” to “open,” welcoming 11:30 a.m. diners. Watching happy customers file in, she ponders, “Sometimes things you plan do not work out. But sometimes things you do not plan, do work out. It did for us.”

Sage advice from Sage the restaurant. Sage Lebanese Cuisine and Café

319 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, Ala. 251-517-7536 Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4:30 to 9 p.m., Monday-Friday; 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday Online: sagelebanesecuisine.com

Fairhope



www.alabamaliving.coop

Alabama Living

OCTOBER 2018  23

| Alabama People |

Eli Gold

Golden voice Eli Gold’s voice is one of the most recognizable on radio. He’s best known to Alabamians as the voice of the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he has called both football and basketball games since 1988. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he knew he wanted to be a sports broadcaster at an early age, and got a job selling peanuts at Madison Square Garden so he could be around the great sportscasters of the day. He’s announced NASCAR races and games for the Arena Football League, the NFL and the UAB Blazers. He is the author of several books, including From Peanuts to the Pressbox. He and his wife Claudette live in Birmingham, and their daughter, Elise, is a UA graduate. We caught up with Eli at the beginning of the 2018 football season. – Lenore Vickrey In 2009, you said that the Alabama broadcasting job is the best in the business. After 30 years, do you still feel that way?

Oh, gosh, yes. It’s a spectacular position. This is a job that brings with it a lot of responsibility and scrutiny. I cradle this job in my hands like a rare piece of crystal. I don’t want to drop it, I don’t want to mess with it or cause it any harm or disrepair. You want to work for a program where people care, and that’s certainly true of Alabama where the fans are as passionate as you’ll find anywhere.

Do you have the same spotter who helps you?

Yes, Butch Owens has been with me for 30-someodd years. We use a system of hand signals.

Brian Roberts also does that on some occasions, and we have Jimmy Bank, who worked in Major League Baseball for 30 years. This year we have an all-new crew with former quarterback John Parker Wilson as our color man, and sideline reporter Rashad Johnson, who played for Alabama and in the NFL. Chris Stewart, who had been our sideline reporter, has been promoted to host of the show in the broadcast booth.

What’s a typical game day like for you?

It’s the same format for away games and home games. The variable is the time of the game. If it’s an early game at 11, we get to the stadium by 7 and are on the air at 8. If it’s a night game at 8, we’re on the air at 5. We get to the stadium no later than 3 or 3:30. We’ll sleep in as a crew, have lunch some-

where, get a decent meal, because that has to last us until 2 the next morning! Then we all get our routines going. After about 40 minutes on the air, I go downstairs and Coach Saban and I tape our pregame show about two hours before kickoff. That’s his deal.

All the other coaches did it on Friday, but Coach Saban says this is the most important interview of the week because it’s the one that immediately precedes the game. He wants to give listeners the latest information. In Tuscaloosa, we do this in his private dressing area. On the road, I always search for a (quiet) area to do the show, not within earshot of the players.

What’s Coach Saban like to work with?

He’s all about preparing for the football game. He never stops.

With other coaches, you could sit down and shoot the breeze with them for 30 or 40 minutes. He’s none of that. Now that said, if I need to talk to him I have full access. He’s a wonderful guy, he and Miss Terry. There are things he does, things for others, that he doesn’t want people to know. He doesn’t like to talk about it because that’s not why he does it.

Do you know (Auburn announcer) Rod Bramlett?

Yes, Rod and I are good friends, we talk a good bit. When he got the job, I was the first guy to call and congratulate him. His color man, Stan White, is my insurance man. Jim Fyffe (former AU announcer) and I were dear friends. We’d ride to the games together from Montgomery.

You’ve recounted your top 5 favorite calls for al.com. Your top call was the final play of the Georgia game for the national championship. That was fun to watch.

I had to eliminate some to get it down to five. I’ve heard from so many fans who agree wholeheartedly. Now will something like that happen this year? Who expected the end of the game against Georgia would be like that? That was remarkable.

You have part interest in Nino’s Restaurant in Pelham. What’s the best thing on the menu?

I personally love our seafood dishes, the Salmon Milano, the Seafood Primavera. Our pizza is to die for. Our calzones are wonderful. I like to go by and grab a chair and sit down with customers. I don’t get to go there as often this time of year because of football. football. PHOTO BY CRIMSON TIDE PHOTOS

24 OCTOBER 2018

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Alabama Living

OCTOBER 2018 25

Cast your vote for the Best of Alabama for the chance to win

Vote online for a chance to win an extra

250

$

$

2019

Deadline to vote is Oct. 31, 2018.

100

www.alabamaliving.coop

It’s back! Once again, Alabama Living readers have a chance to vote on the places and things that make our state great! We’ve got some new categories this year. So check out the questions and tell us what’s your choice for the “Best of Alabama!”

1. Best museum dedicated to a famous Alabamian

o Helen Keller

o Hank Williams

o Jesse Owens

o Rosa Parks

o your choice______________________________

o Gulf Coast Zoo

o Animal Safari Park (Hope Hull) o your choice___________________

2. Best zoo/wildlife park

o Birmingham Zoo

o Montgomery Zoo

3. Best new tourist destination

o OWA Park o Memorial for Peace and Justice (Montgomery) o New Alabama Gulf State Park and Lodge (opening November 2018)

o Pirate’s Bay Water Park (Leesburg) o Your choice ____________________________________________

4. Best hometown restaurant or diner ____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Best music venue

o Iron City

o Hangout

o BJCC

(Birmingham)

(Gulf Shores)

(Birmingham) (Montgomery)

o MPAC

o Alabama Theatre

o Flora-Bama

(Birmingham)

(Orange Beach)

o your choice_____________________

6. Best open-air amphitheater

o Oak Mountain

o Tuscaloosa

o Phenix City

o The Wharf

o Lake Martin

o Helena

o Mort Glosser

(Orange Beach)

(Gadsden)

7. Best lake to spend the weekend

o Guntersville

o Martin

o Weiss

o Eufaula

o your choice______________________________

8. Best Heisman Trophy winner from an Alabama school

o Pat Sullivan

o Bo Jackson

o Mark Ingram

o Cam Newton

o Derrick Henry

9. Best small college town _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. Best shopping attraction

o Tanger Outlets

o Unclaimed Baggage Store

o Sikes & Kohn

(Foley)

(Scottsboro)

(Pine Level)

o your choice______________________________

Bonus question:

What does Alabama not have that you wish it did? Tell us!_________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Name: __________________________________________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________ City: ________________ St: ______ Zip: __________ Phone Number: _________________________ Your Co-op: ___________________________________ Email: ___________________________________________________________________________________

R if you emember, r and y name is d o www. u voted o rawn alaba nline mal at you’ll iving.coop , win

$

350!

Vote online at www.alabamaliving.coop or mail to: Alabama Living Survey • P.O. Box 244014 • Montgomery, AL 36124 No purchase necessary. Eligibility: Contest open to all persons age 18 and over, except employees and their immediate family members of Alabama Rural Electric Association, and Alabama Electric Cooperatives; and their respective divisions, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising, and promotion agencies.

26 OCTOBER 2018

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Letters to the editor Liked ‘Cousin Benny” column I enjoy your column [Hardy Jackson’s Alabama] very much each month in the publication my dear mother used to call “the electric paper.” I was also most interested today to read the letter to the editor concerning Cousin Benny the Snake Killer. I am a retired newspaper publisher and continue to write a weekly column. I have been writing the column for 32 years.

Attitudes have changed a lot since I began. I mentioned about 10 years ago that one of the favorite activities of my friends and I when we were kids was “skinning cats.” Now any born and bred Southerner (especially we country kids) knows that means turning a flip over a

Alabama Living

E-mail us at: letters@alabamaliving.coop or write us at: Letters to the editor P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, AL 36124 tree limb. One reader was so upset he came to see me and could hardly control his tears enough to tongue lash me properly---but somehow he managed!

Where I come from, a good sharp hoe or a well-aimed gun is the answer to all snakes. That has always been true in my family ----except for the rat snake that lived in our corn crib. My grandfather thought that slithery reptile was a wonderful rat killer. Therefore, I kept my distance from the corn crib. The snake could have it, corn, rats and all! And, if you can get a message to Cousin Benny; tell him he’s my kind of guy!

Joy and laughter, LaVale Mills Retired publisher, The Red Bay News

Agrees with Doug Phillips Really enjoyed reading the Dr. Doug Phillips interview (September 2018). He is so right about our state’s approach to “growth.” As he says, we are losing our rural countryside and our biodiversity.

I live in Baldwin County where many of our politicians and local leaders are happy as clams that we are the fastest growing county in the state. Yes, we have a growing economy, but it comes at the expense of losing forests, agricultural land, wetlands, wildlife habitat, and a general peaceful lifestyle, in exchange for more subdivisions, more traffic, more litter, crowded schools, and more urban sprawl. Dr. Phillips says, “Alabama has got to quit being ashamed of its ruralness...equating ruralness with ugliness.” I agree. Growth is not all bad but it needs to be smart and controlled.

John C. Shaw Magnolia Springs

OCTOBER 2018 27

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October | Around Alabama Valley Volunteer Fire Department Facebook page.

6

Cullman, Oktoberfest Corn Hole Tournament at Goat Island Brewery. 4-7 p.m. For registration information, visit stpaulscullman.com.

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder will perform in Enterprise Oct. 25.

Month of October, Hanceville, The Evelyn Burrow Museum will feature the artwork of sports artist Daniel A. Moore through Nov. 2. A collection of original paintings and bronze sculpture will be on display in the museum on the campus of Wallace State Community College.

Museum hours- 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Saturday. Free. burrowmuseum.org Month of October, Troy, Butter and Egg Adventures has created a nearly two-acre Alabama Maze, formed into the shape of the state, out of Sudan grass. Trails are cut through the maze, leading to different “cities” of Alabama. Find the correct trail by answering Alabama history and trivia questions. Maze is open Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30. butterandeggadventures.com or call 334-670-9954.

Months of October & November, Opp, 11th Annual Scarecrows in the Park at Frank Jackson State Park, 100 Jerry Adams Drive. Scarecrows are created by local businesses, clubs and churches located throughout the park’s hiking trails. Family-friendly.

Photo courtesy of the Coffee County Arts Alliance.

6

Ages 62 and up-$2, ages 12-61-$4, ages 4-11-$2, 4 and under free. 334493-6988

2, 9, 16, 17

South Baldwin County, Testing 1, 2, 3. Free confidential memory and balance screenings. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 2, Orange Beach Community Center; 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 9, Foley Civic Center; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 16, Daphne Senior Center; and 12-4 p.m. Oct. 17, Gulf Shores Cultural Center. Walk-ins welcome. 251-965-5122

4-5

Guntersville, Quilt Show, Guntersville Recreation Center, 1500 Sunset Drive. Beautiful quilts, handmade items for sale, vendors and a Quilts of Valor presentation. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. $5. For more information, contact Donna Edwards, 256-659-4416.

5-7

Sylacauga, Marble Valley Volunteer Fire Department 5th Annual Open House and Yard Sale, 2372 Coosa County Road 5. 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Preview some of the larger items for sale by visiting the Marble

Dothan, A Walk to Remember at Westgate Park. 1, 3, and 5-mile walks, refreshments, and barbecue plates. Donate online or pre-register at wesharethecare.org. Walk begins at 8:30 a.m. with on-site registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. Sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Resource Center.

334-702-2273

6

18

Orange Beach, Arts Afire Fall Festival, Coastal Arts Center of Orange Beach. Hot glass demonstrations, clay studio pottery raku firings, kids games and crafts. 26389 Canal Road. coastalartscenter.com

19

Sheffield, “Road to Race Day” producer/director Cynthia Hill digs deep into stock-car racing with unprecedented access to NASCAR’s most-winning team, Hendrick Motorsports. Ritz Theater. $8 adults, $5 students. 7 p.m. tvaa.net

Falkville, Massey School and Community Reunion. Those who have lived in Massey, attended school there, worked there, taught there or live there now are invited.

Light refreshments provided. 1-5 p.m.

Massey Volunteer Fire Department, 386 Evergreen Road. Email Frances Vest Rowe at franvrowe@aol.com or find the event’s page on Facebook.

20

12-13

25

Troy, Pioneer Days at the Pioneer Museum of Alabama. Blacksmithing, Dutch oven cooking, weaving, wood working and re-enactors. 10 a.m.4 p.m. Admission $10, 5 and under free. Pioneer-museum.org

13

Thorsby, Thorsby Swedish Festival, Richard Wood Park, 8696 Lincoln Ave. 5K run, parade, arts and crafts and car show. Parade begins at 9 a.m. Craft and car shows, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. 205-217-9395.

13, 20, 27

Woodville, DAR High School Marching Band presents Haunted Hollow Cave Tour at Cathedral Caverns State Park, 637 Cave Road.

6-11 p.m. Carnival games and light concessions available. Tickets $10.

A portion of admission price will go to the DAR High School Marching Band.

18

Cullman, 4th Annual Caring for Cullman Concert benefitting the Good Samaritan Health Clinic. Features the Triumphant Quartet and Wallace State Jazz Band. 7 p.m. at Cullman High School auditorium, 510 13th

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.

Alabama Living

St. NE. General admission tickets are $15 in advance or at the door, $18 if purchased online. For ticket outlets, call 256-255-5965.

Goodsamaritancullman.com

Hanceville, 9th Annual Mud Creek Arts & Crafts Festival in Historic Downtown Hanceville. For more information, contact Michele Allen, 256-352-1214, ext. 20.

Enterprise, An Evening with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder at Enterprise High School Performing Arts Center, 1801 Boll Weevil Circle. Known as bluegrass music’s official ambassador, Ricky Skaggs has brought the genre to a greater level of popularity.

For ticket information, visit coffeecountyartsalliance.com or call 334-406-2787.

27

Dixonville, 3rd Annual LaRae Harvest Festival, 464 Highway 41 South. 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Live entertainment, arts and crafts, children’s activities and vintage car show. $5, 12 and under free. 850723-8582, brattendana7@gmail. com

27

Holly Pond, Holly Pond Vintage Market at Governor’s Park, 28 Brooklyn Road. Features antiques and vintage items, dough bowls, bread bowls, furniture, boutique clothing, and homemade items. Entertainment by Round Two and a children’s activity area. 9 a.m.5 p.m. Free.

Hpvintagemarket@gmail.com

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OCTOBER 2018 29

Al

| Gardens |

Celebrating garden myths and superstitions W

OCTOBER TIPS • Plant shrubs and trees.

• Plant lettuces, spinach, turnips, radishes, onions and garlic.

• Test soil and add amendments as needed.

• Keep bird feeders and birdbaths clean and full.

• Add compost to garden beds and turn compost piles.

• Dry and save seed from end-of-season flowers, vegetables and herbs.

• Prepare and store garden tools, equipment, containers and chemical supplies for the winter.

• Make plans for winterizing, including mulching, your garden and landscape plants.

30 OCTOBER 2018

hether you’re superstitious by nature or not, it’s hard to avoid this month’s focus on the otherworldly, and there’s no place better than the garden to focus our attention on myth and lore.

Considering how important plants and animals are to our very survival, it should come as no surprise that, over the eons of human existence, we’ve created an abundance of garden-related traditions and superstitions, many of which have become part of our vocabularies, if not our belief systems.

Knocking on or touching wood, which is supposed to help us avoid tempting fate by either warding off bad or encouraging good luck, is a case in point. The practice has been traced back to early Germanic pagans (however, many cultures and religions across the world and centuries share a similar practice), who believed that tapping or touching a tree summoned help from protective tree spirits.

Herbs, with their often aromatic and medicinal qualities, are perhaps the most superstition-laced plants. Take parsley for example. Because it can be difficult to grow from seed, gardeners of yore used to make three sowings — two for the devil and one for the gardener — and the ability to grow parsley from seed is supposed to be proof of a person’s honesty. However, bringing a parsley plant into a house is said to bring along bad luck, as does giving it away to someone, so if you want to share parsley with a friend, have them “steal” it from your yard.

While parsley may bring about some bad luck, other plants such as rosemary, ivy and snapdragons are thought to offer protection from evil spirits and curses, so they are welcome both indoors and planted near entryways to keep such problems at bay.

A superstition that I struggle with is the one that says we should never thank someone for a plant or cutting or the plant will fail to thrive or even die. It goes against my raising to not say “thank you,” but after I sent a thank you note for a lovely plant gift and then promptly killed the plant, I decid-

ed to be safe rather than sorry: These days I offer heartfelt thanks for the pot or the potting media rather than the plant, or simply say “I’ll really enjoy this.”

What we say to plants and other garden creatures is also considered important in garden lore. Cursing parsley or basil as you’re planting it is supposed to make it grow better. Peppers are said to be hotter and more prolific if you plant them when you’re angry. Talking to plants and bees is supposed to make both more productive, though bees reportedly prefer juicy gossip rather than polite conversation.

Want to protect your garden or home?

Try some garden artifacts. St. Francis of Assisi and St. Fiacre statues are always nice, but so are garden gnomes, which protect gardens from pests and evil spirits. Gazing balls and windchimes ward off evil spirits, bottle trees repel and capture evil spirits and those gnarled and wizened green man faces channel ancient forest and nature spirits to watch over plants and homes.

The list of garden lore and superstitions could go on and on, including planting by the signs and other traditions still practiced today in every culture across the globe. To learn more about these intriguing and varied traditions and beliefs, a huge selection of books and articles can be found online and in bookstores and libraries, or ask your gardening friends about their practices and beliefs. Oh, and please share yours with me at katielamarjackson@gmail.com!

Finally, if you want to spend time this month in a garden with otherworldly creatures, create your own superstition-influenced garden decorations or visit the Huntsville Botanical Garden’s Gardens of Myth exhibit, which features sculptures of mythical creatures — think fairies and dragons — created by artist Kendall R. Hart. (Learn more at hsvbg.org or by calling 256-830-4447.) Katie Jackson is a freelance writer and editor based in Opelika, Alabama. Contact her at katielamarjackson@gmail.com.

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1 tablespoon plus ¾ cup butter, divided 2 cups sugar ¾ cup packed brown sugar 2 /3 cup evaporated milk ½ cup canned pumpkin 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 package (10 ounces) cinnamon baking chips 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow créme 1 cup chopped pecans 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Line a 13-inch by 9-inch pan with foil and grease the foil with 1 tablespoon butter; set aside. Cube the remaining butter and place in a large saucepan; add the sugars, milk, pumpkin, cinnamon pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 238 degrees. Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon chips until melted. Stir in the marshmallow créme, pecans and vanilla. Transfer to prepared pan.

Chill until firm. Discard the foil; cut fudge into 1-inch squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes 3 pounds.

Alabama Living

‘Best of Alabama Living’ cookbook Order your copy for $19.95 at alabamaliving.coop, or send a check for $19.95 for each book ordered to: Alabama Living Cookbook P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, AL 36124

Please provide the information below and mail with your payment.

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| Consumer Wise |

Tips to stay comfortable this winter and keep your home warmer

By Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen

Q:

Last year, we spent our first winter in our new place, which is actually an older home. Even with the heat turned up, it always felt chilly indoors. This year, we added insulation, but we’re wondering if there are additional steps we can take to make the house more comfortable this winter. Can you offer any advice?

A:

When we talk about comfort in our homes, we usually think about where the thermostat is set. But, as you’re finding, there’s more to the picture than just the indoor temperature.

An important piece of the comfort puzzle is radiant heat, which transfers heat from a warm surface to a colder one. A person sitting in a room that’s 70 degrees can still feel chilly if there’s a cold surface nearby, like a single-pane window, a hardwood floor or an exterior wall. Covering these cold surfaces can help. Try using area rugs, wall quilts or tapestries, bookcases and heavy curtains to help prevent heat loss and make your home feel more comfortable. Keep in mind, radiant heat can really work in your favor. A dark-colored tile floor that receives several hours of direct sun can retain heat during the day and radiate it into the room during the evening.

Another possible cause of discomfort during the winter is air movement. We recognize this when weather forecasts report chill factor, which is a calculation of air temperature and wind speed.

Moving air makes us feel colder, which is why we use fans in the summer. But during the winter, cold, outdoor air can infiltrate our homes.

On average, a typical home loses about half its air every hour, and that amount can increase when outdoor temperatures are extremely cold and the wind is blowing. In this case, the best way to keep your home toasty is to minimize air leaks. You can easily locate air leaks in your home Patrick Keegan writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Write to energytips@ collaborativeefficiency.com for more information.

32 OCTOBER 2018

During the winter, covering cold surfaces like hardwood floors can improve comfort. An area rug can be visually appealing while helping retain indoor heat.

PHOTO: PIXABAY.COM

with a blower door test, which is typically conducted by an energy auditor. These are some of the most common spots air leaks occur: • Penetrations and cracks around windows and doors • Exterior cracks in brickwork and siding • Plumbing and wiring penetrations from the exterior to the interior of the home • Mail slots or pet doors A variety of products like caulk, weather stripping, outlet cover gaskets and dryer vent covers can be used to seal these leaks.

A fireplace can also be a major source of air leakage. If you don’t use the fireplace, you can seal the opening or install an inflatable chimney balloon. Before using the fireplace, consider this: unless you have a high-efficiency insert, your fireplace will suck heated air from the room out through the chimney. Always close the fireplace flue when it’s not in use.

Your pursuit of comfort should also include a careful look at your home’s heating system. Is it distributing heat evenly and efficiently? Forced-air systems distribute air through supply ducts and registers.

Small rooms may only have one register, but large rooms could have several. You may find some supply registers are blowing copious amounts of warm air and others little at all.

Ideally, every room should have return air registers. If you see possible shortcomings with your forced-air system, enlist the help of a certified contractor that really knows how to improve ductwork.

Ensure your furnace is running at peak efficiency by scheduling an annual inspection. Check your filter monthly and replace or clean it as necessary. If you heat your home with radiators, bleed them at the beginning of the season so they flow more efficiently.

Beyond that, you can always warm yourself by wearing heavier clothing, doing some light exercise throughout the day, and snuggling with a pet or under a blanket.

By taking some of these small steps, I hope you will enjoy a more comfortable winter in your new (older) home! This column was co-written by Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen of Collaborative Efficiency. For more information on staying comfortable in winter, please visit: www.collaborativeefficiency.com/energytips. www.alabamaliving.coop

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| Alabama Recipes |

Buffalo Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin pie will never lose its popularity, but there are plenty of other ways to enjoy this fall favorite.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Pass the

Pumpkin

BY JENNIFER KORNEGAY Food/Photography BY BROOKE ECHOLS

34 OCTOBER 2018

www.alabamaliving.coop

T

here are so many signals of fall, the sights, sounds and sensations that tell us autumn has arrived: the slant of sunlight filtered through leaves beginning to lose their green; the beat of school bands practicing for football halftime shows; the feel of crisp cool in the evening and early morning.

But in the last few years, a deluge of “pumpkin-spiced” dishes and drinks has dominated the seasonal shift, and as a side-effect, convinced some that the flavor of pumpkin spice — a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and clove — is synonymous with the flavor of actual pumpkin itself. It’s not.

Pumpkin-spiced anything (latte, muffins, beer) has a taste akin to pumpkin pie, which includes pumpkin spice (or the afore-mentioned individual spices) on its ingredient list.

On their own, pumpkins have a distinct profile devoid of any “spice.” Their orange flesh has a light freshness (that can even be a bit bland), close to a sweet potato, but less sugary and

less starchy. This semi-blank canvas works wonderfully when pureed, mixed with stronger flavors (like pumpkin spice) and baked in a piecrust. Hence the prevalence of pumpkin pie, the fall dessert that always makes this season’s “most popular” list, and all its offshoots.

But pumpkin is equally delicious in savory preparations. It is a species of squash after all. Chunks of pumpkin, dusted with a hint of chili powder or cumin and roasted till tender, pair nicely with all kinds of meat. Or throw them into a food processor, drizzle in some cream and make a pumpkin soup. Treat pumpkins like summer squash and shred, bread and fry them into fritters. And don’t forget those seeds. Tossed in oil, toasted and salted, they make an extremely craveable snack. Pumpkins also shine in desserts other than that ubiquitous pie.

If these options have piqued your interest in pumpkins and have you thinking about ingesting them in some new ways, check out our reader-submitted recipes.

Cook of the Month: Sheila Copenhaver, Southern Pine EC Creamy Pumpkin Soup 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 1/2 1/4 1/2 1/4

medium onion, chopped garlic clove, minced tablespoons butter 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth cups potatoes, peeled and diced cups cooked pumpkin cups milk teaspoon ground nutmeg teaspoon ground cloves teaspoon salt teaspoon pepper

A

bout five years ago, when Sheila Copenhaver was looking for a way to use up some pumpkin she had on hand, she came up with her Creamy Pumpkin Soup recipe. The idea of pumpkin in a savory dish intrigued her. “You often think of pumpkin in sweet things, but its flavor pairs really well with the garlic, onion and other ingredients in this,” she said. “And of course, the bacon on top is wonderful.” She’s not the only one who thinks so. Her husband and three young kids request this soup and then gobble it up every autumn.

For topping: Sour cream Bacon, cooked and crumbled Green onions, thinly sliced In a large cooking pot, sauté onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add the broth, potatoes and pumpkin.

Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Puree with an immersion blender or puree (half of the mixture at a time) in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return all to the pot. Add the milk, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper. Heat through. Taste and season as needed. Spoon soup into bowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream, bacon crumbles and green onions.

Alabama Living

OCTOBER 2018 35

1 1 1 1 1 1 1/4 1/8

large green pepper, chopped 15-ounce can pumpkin 2.25-ounces can sliced olives tablespoon pumpkin pie spice tablespoon hot sauce tablespoon chili powder teaspoon smoked paprika teaspoon cayenne pepper

Brown the bison (or beef ) in a large pot, then add onions and mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes. Add everything else, bring to a boil then back to a simmer for 1 hour.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes 1/2 cups milk 1 1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned) 1 egg 2 tablespoons melted butter or oil 2 tablespoons vinegar 11/2 cups whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon sugar, optional 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 11/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon (pinch) ground cloves 1/2 cup oats In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in another bowl, adding oats last. Stir dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture just until combined. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium high heat, and lightly oil if desired. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake, and cook on each side until brown.

Serve with syrup. Makes 15-20 3-4-inch pancakes.

Christiane McKelvey South Alabama EC

Buffalo Pumpkin Chili 2 pounds ground bison (or substitute beef ) 1 quart tomato juice 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes 1 large onion, chopped 1 large portobello mushroom, chopped 36  OCTOBER 2018

Jamie Petterson Tallapoosa River EC

Pumpkin Bites 1 box yellow cake mix 1 14.5-oz can pumpkin 11/4 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake mix and pumpkin on low speed of mixer until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Spoon about 11/2 tablespoons dough into each hole. Bake for about 15-17 minutes. Makes 48 mini muffins.

Debra Adams Black Warrior EMC

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle 12 chocolate shortbread cookies, crushed into crumbs 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 8-ounces cream cheese, softened 1 cup pure pumpkin puree 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup sugar 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 large tub (12-ounces) whipped topping, thawed, divided in half 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips In a medium bowl, combine chocolate cookie crumbs and butter. Transfer into a trifle dish or large glass bowl.

Gently press down crumbs to form an even layer of crust. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin, vanilla, sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Beat until well combined and creamy. Use

a spatula to fold in half of the whipped topping. Gently combine ingredients until smooth. Spoon a layer of pumpkin cheesecake onto the cookie crust in trifle dish, followed by a layer of whipped topping. Repeat layers until your trifle reaches the top of your dish. Store trifle in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Garnish with mini chocolate chips.

Robin O'Sullivan Wiregrass EC

Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake Cake: 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 4 large eggs 1 box spice cake mix 15-ounce can pumpkin 8-ounce package toffee bits In a large mixing bowl, mix together: cake mix, canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and eggs. Mix well, stir in 8-ounce package of toffee bits. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 28 to 33 minutes. Cool 1 hour.

Icing: 8-ounces cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring 2 cups powdered sugar Mix well and spread over cooled cake.

Garnish top of cake with chopped Heath English Toffee candy bars.

Jane Kendrick Coosa Valley EC

Pumpkin Dip 2 packages cream cheese, softened 1 15-ounce canned pumpkin 2 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ginger (Pumpkin pie spice can be used too) Beat all ingredients together and chill one hour before serving. This dip is a crowd pleaser when served with ginger snap cookies. Graham crackers are also suitable for serving with this dip.

Joy Griswold Dixie EC www.alabamaliving.coop

Sticky Bun Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Rolls

2 cups pecan halves and pieces 1/2 cup butter, melted 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 31/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 cups granulated sugar 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 15-ounce can pumpkin 1 cup canola oil 4 large eggs 2/3 cup water

1 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/4 1 2 1/2

1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon, active dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees) 1 teaspoon sugar 2/3 cup warm milk 1/3 cup melted butter 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 11/2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons ground flax seed 1 cup canned pumpkin 2 cups white whole-wheat flour 2-21/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8-10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Stir together melted butter, sugar and corn syrup. Spoon one rounded teaspoonful butter mixture into each cup of 2 lightly greased 12-cup muffin pans and top each with 1 rounded tablespoon pecans. Stir together flour and next four ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in center of mixture. Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs and 2/3 cup of water; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans, filling ¾ full. Place an aluminum foil-lined jelly pan on lower rack to catch any overflow. Bake at 350 degrees on middle rack for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert pan immediately to remove muffins and arrange muffins on a wire rack to cool. Spoon any remaining topping over muffins. Cool 5 minutes. Yield: 2 dozen.

Tracey Estes Pioneer EC

unbaked Pillsbury piecrust 15-ounce can pumpkin (not pie mix) cup light or dark brown sugar teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon ground ginger teaspoon salt teaspoon vanilla eggs, well beaten cup evaporated milk

Topping: 1/4 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup pecans, chopped Line pie tin with pastry, tucking overlap inward and pinch up edges. Using electric hand mixer, blend ingredients together in order listed. Add to pie crust and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 40 minutes and then sprinkle on mixture of: 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup light brown sugar and 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Bake an additional 25 minutes.

Cool and refrigerate a few hours to set well for slicing. If a ginger snap crust is preferred use 38 ginger snaps, 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans mixed with 1/4 cup melted butter.

Barbara Umland Sand Mountain EC

Coming up in November...

Nuts!

Dissolve the yeast in warm water with the teaspoon of sugar for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk, butter, brown sugar, salt, flax and pumpkin. Add whole-wheat flour and beat until well mixed, about 2 minutes. Add enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface until smooth or mix in a stand mixer for about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and turn to grease the top of the dough. Cover with a clean towel. Let rise in a warm place until double, about an hour. Punch down and return to floured surface. Roll out and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with a towel and let rise again for about an hour. Bake at 400 degrees for 11-13 minutes until golden brown.

Carolyn Johnson Sand Mountain EC

Send us your recipes for a chance to win!

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October's prize pack winner is Jane Kendrick of Coosa Valley EC! Alabama Living

December: Party Foods | Oct 8 January: Protein-packed | Nov 8 February: Pasta | Dec 3

3 ways to submit: Online: alabamaliving.coop Email: recipes@alabamaliving.coop Mail: Recipes, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, AL 36124

Cook of the Month winners will receive $50, and may win “Cook of the Month” only once per calendar year. One gift basket winner will be drawn monthly at random and each name will be entered only once. Items in basket may vary each month. To be eligible, submissions must include a name, phone number, mailing address and co-op name. Alabama Living reserves the right to reprint recipes in our other publications.

OCTOBER 2018 37

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38 OCTOBER 2018

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Alabama Living

OCTOBER 2018 39

| Outdoors |

Alabama hunters anticipate excellent deer season

M

Forest, Oakmulgee spreads across ore than 300,000 Alabama 44,500 acres of Bibb, Hale, Perry sportsmen will take to the and Tuscaloosa counties. The habfields and forests this fall itat consists mostly of mature pine to hunt whitetail deer, the most and upland hardwood forests. Peopopular game animal in North ple can also hunt the surrounding America.

392,567-acre national forest.

“During the last season, hunters killed some really good deer, “Oakmulgee is usually near the but the overall harvest was down,” top in number of deer killed evsays Chris Cook, the Alabama Diery year,” Cook says. “It also has vision of Wildlife and Freshwater some good age structure and antFisheries deer studies leader in ler quality, but not quite as good Northport. “Since the harvest was as Barbour or Black Warrior. Bardown in 2017-18, a lot more bucks bour has some of the best habitat lived to grow another year, so they in the state with pretty good soils.

Alabama whitetail caught on game camera. should be bigger.”

Skyline is another area that tradiALABAMA DIVISION OF WILDLIFE AND FRESHWATER FISHERIES When any sportsman kills a buck tionally produces good deer.” or a doe, that person must report it Barbour WMA covers 28,214 the disease. to Game Check within 48 hours. acres of Barbour and Bullock “Before people can bring a deer or any This includes people hunting on private or counties near Clayton. The property inother animal in the deer family to Alapublic lands. The data allows biologists to cludes a good mix of pine and hardwood bama, they need to completely debone monitor population trends and the overall forests. James D. Martin-Skyline WMA the meat or have it processed,” Cook says. health of the deer herd. The easiest way to covers 60,732 acres of the Cumberland “They also need to remove all brain, meat report a kill is to download a free app to Plateau near Scottsboro. The area contains and spinal tissue from any deer parts they a smart phone. New this year, sportsmen abundant oak trees that provide excellent plan to mount. Once an animal is exposed must delete the old app they used last deer food. The largest WMA in the state, to CWD, the disease can stay dormant for season and download a new one. The Black Warrior covers 91,263 acres of the up to 60 months without the animal showold app won’t work this year. For details, Bankhead National Forest near Moulton. ing any signs of it. CWD is a major probsee outdooralabama.com/contact-us/ People can also hunt the 181,230-acre lem. Fortunately, we haven’t seen CWD in mobile-apps. national forest outside the management Alabama yet and we want to keep it that “Even in places where there is no cell area. way.” service, people still need to enter their in“For older bucks with better antler deWith the purchase of an annual wildlife formation on the new app and submit it,” velopment, I recommend Black Warrior management area license, people can Cook says. “The app will automatically upWMA,” Cook says. “The Bankhead Nahunt more than 721,000 acres in 35 stateload when it senses a cell signal. In additional Forest has a low deer density, but managed WMAs across the Cotton State. tion, that harvest record is on the phone in a lot of big bucks. It’s very rough country Sportsmen can also hunt several national case someone checks to see if that person and a tough place to hunt. Black Warrior wildlife refuges, other federal properties reported the deer.”

WMA has the earliest rutting dates in and some special opportunity areas. For Another change this season: Alabama Alabama. The rut there typically peaks more on applying to hunt SOAs, see sportsmen traveling out of state to hunt around Thanksgiving. During the rut, it’s outdooralabama.com/hunting/specialdeer must comply with new procedures to easier to kill big bucks because they are opportunity-areas. prevent the spread of chronic wasting dismoving around looking for does.”

“Each county in Alabama has a healthy ease. Also called CWD, the disease affects Depending upon where one hunts and huntable deer population,” Cook says. all members of the deer family and attacks how, the Alabama deer season could last “Some of the best counties are in the northan animal’s brain like mad cow disease. So from Oct. 15 through Feb. 10, 2019. Seawestern part of the state such as Lamar, far, CWD has not been confirmed in Alasons and regulations may differ on public Fayette and Marion. Deer populations are bama, but a deer found in western Missisproperties, so always check before hunton the rise in those counties and in good sippi in February 2018 tested positive for ing anywhere. shape because they have good habitat. HisFor season dates and other information, torically, the Black Belt in the central part see outdooralabama.com/hunting/deerof Alabama has also been good deer counseason-zone-map. For information on John N. Felsher lives in Semmes, Ala. try and produces some quality deer. ” specific WMAs, see outdooralabama.

Contact him through Facebook.

Cook recommends Oakmulgee and com/hunting/wildlife-managementBarbour WMAs. In the Talladega National areas.

40 OCTOBER 2018

www.alabamaliving.coop

Tables indicate peak fish and game feeding and migration times. Major periods can bracket the peak by an hour before and an hour after. Minor peaks, half-hour before and after. Adjusted for daylight savings time.

Minor

AM Major

---01:37 03:07 04:07 05:07 05:37 --07:52 08:37 09:22 10:37 11:52 ---

04:52 06:22 07:52 08:52 09:37 10:22 10:52 11:37 06:22 07:07 01:07 01:37 02:07 02:52 03:52 04:52 06:22

07:52 -10:22 10:37 10:52 11:07 05:22 05:37 12:07 12:37 01:07 01:52 02:22 03:22 04:37 09:37 12:37

02:37 03:37 04:07 04:22 04:37 05:07 11:37 12:07 12:37 06:22 06:37 07:07 07:37 07:52 08:37 01:22 02:37

NOV. 1 -2 01:46 3 03:01 4 04:01 5 10:46 6 11:16 7 11:46 8 07:01 9 07:46 10 08:46 11 09:31 12 10:46 13 -14 -15 -16 -17 02:01 18 03:16 19 09:31 20 10:16 21 10:46 22 11:31 23 -24 07:46 25 08:31 26 09:31 27 10:46 28 11:46 29 -30 --

07:01 08:16 09:16 10:01 05:01 05:46 06:31 12:16 12:46 01:16 01:46 02:31 03:16 04:01 05:16 06:31 07:46 08:46 04:01 04:46 05:31 06:16 07:01 12:31 01:16 02:01 02:46 03:46 05:01 06:16

08:46 09:31 03:31 04:01 04:31 05:01 -12:16 12:46 01:31 02:01 03:01 06:31 -09:16 09:01 09:31 03:01 03:31 03:46 04:16 04:46 12:16 12:46 01:46 02:31 04:01 06:01 07:31 08:31

02:31 03:16 10:01 10:31 11:01 11:46 05:16 05:46 06:01 06:16 06:46 07:01 12:16 01:16 01:46 02:16 02:46 09:46 10:16 10:46 11:16 11:46 05:16 05:46 06:31 07:01 08:01 09:31 12:46 01:46

OCT. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Alabama Living

PM Minor Major

OCTOBER 2018 41

Mitchell selected as

July Silent Hero Growing up, Becky Mitchell realized that a small gesture can go a long way in making someone’s day better. As an adult, she put that lesson into action.

Mitchell works in the lunchroom of the James A. Mulkey Elementary School in Geneva, and for 23 years she has gone above and beyond to care for the students who have walked those halls.

“The impact people working in our schools, like Ms. Mitchell, have on our children is huge,” says WEC Chief Operating Officer Brad Kimbro. “Everything she does to help those students is a perfect example of what a silent hero is.”

Each morning, she stands at the entrance of the school to greet the students. She can tell when some of the kids have had a bad night or maybe didn’t eat the night before. She’s quick to get them food or whatever else they might need.

She keeps a closet at school stocked with clothes, jackets, shoe strings and other items for students.

She also decorates the school every year for Dr. Seuss’ birthday with a theme centered around a book. She then makes each student a craft they can hang on their backpack. The school, which serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade, has 600-700 students.

Mulkey Elementary School’s Becky Mitchell with WEC COO Brad Kimbro during the Silent Hero segment at Dothan’s WTVY.

Also, before the fifth-graders go to middle school, she presents them with a gift that includes a motivational saying. “It’s just to let them know we are going to miss them,” she says.

For all of her work, Mitchell, who also teaches Sunday school at Trinity Church in Geneva, was named as the July Silent Hero of the Wiregrass presented by WTVY in Dothan and Wiregrass Electric Cooperative.

“This award means so much to me because it makes me feel like what I’ve done is worthwhile, but I don’t do this for the awards. I do it for the kids,” she says.

You can nominate a Silent Hero by going to wtvy.com or wiregrass.coop/roundup/ and filling out a nomination form. 

Coffee County Arts Alliance returns for 45th season For 45 years, the Coffee County Arts Alliance has believed in giving everyone the opportunity to experience great art, and this year it will continue that mission. The CCAA brings world-class shows and musical performances to Wiregrass residents.

For information on event locations and for the full schedule, visit www.CoffeeCountyArtsAlliance.com. Performances are made possible by support from corporate and individual memberships, by the Alabama State Council on the Arts and by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Oct. 25 Enjoy country chart-topper and bluegrass music’s official ambassador Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder at Enterprise State Community College.

Feb. 14 Enterprise High School hosts The Cab Calloway Orchestra, which brings Harlem jazz to life by creating an authentic brand of hot “Cotton Club-style” music and hijinks.

Nov. 8 Elba High School hosts Chicago tribute band, Orlando Transit Authority. OTA takes it to another level by offering a “tribute within a tribute” to the group that was indirectly responsible for Chicago’s success: Blood, Sweat and Tears.

April 13-14 Piney Woods Arts Festival at Enterprise State Community College is one of the oldest juried arts and crafts shows in the area with original arts and crafts, a student art display and a Civil War Living Display.

Jan. 17 Enterprise High School hosts the Ensemble Mélange, a joyful sextet of allstar musicians performing romantic, jazz, Latin, broadway and classical music.

Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 Enterprise, Elba and Coffee County schools host Birmingham Children’s Theatre, which is an educational and cultural enrichment for students.

42 OCTOBER 2018

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder

For information on individual or season tickets, call 334-406-2787. www.alabamaliving.coop

Do you live in a manufactured home and want to upgrade to a cost-saving heat pump? Great news. Wiregrass Electric Cooperative now offers a rebate program to help you save.

The program will reduce the cost of investing in a heat pump now so that you can lower heating costs in the long term. The rebate, which is based on the size of the heat pump, begins at $400.

For more information, visit wiregrass.coop or call 800-239-4602.

“I’ve been a member since 1960, and the people at Wiregrass Electric have always been helpful to me. I thought the hot water heater program was great, and this program is just as good if not better. The process was easy, and it’s helping the people who live in these homes save money on their electric bill.”

— Byron Ingram, owner of a manufactured home park in Ashford

Lighting Up Members’ Lives and Powering through Storms Together!

Alabama Living

OCTOBER 2018 51

| Our Sources Say |

The value of electricity continues to shine

By Baynard Ward

D

o you remember going with your parents or grandparents to pay the “light bill”? When electric cooperatives first formed more than 80 years ago, most farms only used electricity to power a single light bulb over the kitchen table. How times have changed! Today’s monthly energy bill covers so much more than just the lights.

Electricity keeps us connected to our modern world. Consider all the necessities and conveniences we enjoy (and take for granted) because of the power lines running to the electric meter outside our homes.

Count up your televisions, desktop, laptop and tablet computers, printers, your gaming consoles, music and video players and charging devices.

In fact, the average home now has 10 Wi-Fi connected devices. That number is expected to explode to 50 by 2020.

Technology and the gateways that keep it working use electricity, and the hardworking people at your local cooperative work 24/7 to keep the lights on, so you can use the stove, heating and air conditioning, and get hot water from the tap. The good news is, even as we rely more on electricity, it’s still a bargain, especially compared to other things we pay for regularly.

The average American spends less than $4 per day on electricity. The $4 per day is also well below the cost of many other common purchases, such as $7 for a burger and fries, $8 for theater popcorn and $40 for a pair of jeans.

When it comes to value, electricity is a clear winner, and we’re always looking for ways to work with you to make it even better.

Approximately up to 70 percent of your electric bill is directly

related to the cost of generating power. Your electric cooperative purchases electricity from PowerSouth Energy Cooperative – which is owned by 20 electric distribution systems in Alabama and Florida. PowerSouth helps control costs by using a diverse mix of natural gas, coal, hydroelectricity and economic power purchases to generate your electricity. This diversity allows PowerSouth to choose the cheapest resources for power generation and control the consumers’ cost of energy.

There are also other factors impacting the cost of generating and delivering power to your home or business. PowerSouth and your electric cooperative invest millions of dollars in infrastructure to meet the demands of a growing population base. The expense to build substations and install power lines impacts the bottom line.

And because we are a cooperative, all the expenses are shared by you – the owners and members.

Because cooperatives are not-forprofit organizations, our focus is on people, not profits.

That’s good for people trying to live within their budgets. And it’s going to become even more important as digital devices and internet-connected technologies become more prevalent in our lives.

That’s why we’re always working to provide service that’s reliable and economical for our members and those they serve — you, your family and your neighbors. This article was written by PowerSouth’s Communications department, as President and CEO Gary Smith enjoys a respite from writing to focus on issues important to PowerSouth, its members and those they serve.

Baynard Ward is Communications Manager at PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.

44 OCTOBER 2018

www.alabamaliving.coop

CALL FOR ENTRIES

10

Alabama Rural Electric Association’s

th

Quilt Competition Our 2019 theme is:

Alabama’s Bicentennial

Mail, form below or E-mail information for your entry package. Deadline to submit quilt square is January 25, 2019.

Name: ________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________ City, State Zip: __________________________________________ Mail to: Linda Partin AREA E-mail: ________________________________________________ 340 TechnaCenter Drive Montgomery, AL 36117 Phone: ________________________________________________ Cooperative: ___________________________________________ or Phone: 334-215-2732 E-mail: lpartin@areapower.com (The electric cooperative name on front of this Alabama Living.)

Alabama Living OCTOBER 2018 45

| Hardy Jackson's Alabama |

Illustration by Dennis Auth

The evolution of tailgating

I

t began as such a simple pleasure.

Drive early to the game in a pick-up truck full of stuff to eat and drink. Get there, park, lower the tailgate, use it as your table, and there you have it -- tailgating.

Only hardly anyone goes in a pick-up any more.

I do, sometimes, but I am hardly anybody, which is my point.

My first experience with tailgating was as a boy with my Daddy.

We would drive over to Auburn from the home place at Slapout, stopping along the way to buy barbecue sandwiches from church folks who set stands by the side of the road. When we arrived at the stadium, we parked, ate and then went to the game.

A few years later, some college friends and I wandered down from our Birmingham-Southern hilltop campus to Legion Field to mingle with tailgaters who packed the parking lot. Things had gotten fancy. Some had set up tents and grills and such.

Then I was at the University of Alabama, living not far from Bryant-Denny Stadium. My housemates and I marked off our yard and sold slots to eager tailgaters who paid us well and let us party with them.

Then it was the University of Georgia (by this time my father had about decided that my goal was to attend every school in the SEC). There, tailgaters crowded into the lawn around the history department building and we graduate students mingled and consumed because everyone belonged to the Bulldog nation.

Finally, I taught and tailgated at Jacksonville State.

Harvey H. (Hardy) Jackson is Professor Emeritus of History at Jacksonville State University and a columnist for Alabama Living.

He can be reached at hjackson@cableone.net.

46  OCTOBER 2018

All of which is to say that I have watched the evolution of tailgating from a way to get a good parking place and a bite to eat before kickoff into a pre-game/post-game event that, for some, is more important than the game itself.

Another sign of the sophisticating of the South.

As football spread beyond its small-town Friday night roots and as more Southerners developed loyalties to college teams, tailgating became part of the weekend ritual. Even the ticketless who could not make it inside the stadium gathered with food and friends and a radio or TV. Today, at home or on campus, tables are loaded with food and drink appropriate for the occasion. Like so much else that is Southern, football has become yet another excuse to eat.

Wings, fried chicken, barbecue, and a mess of other stuff that can be eaten from a paper plate with one hand. Occasionally someone will whip up something fancy, but most buy it and bring it.

For many, tailgating is multi-family affair, so the food is kid-friendly. The vehicles also form a protective barrier that keeps the small ones in.

There they are, we are, dressed in team colors. Milling about or sprawled in lawn chairs, waiting while the Tigers, the Tide, the Trojans, the Gamecocks, get ready to take the field.

Then the band marches by, with majorettes and flag corps and cheerleaders, whipping fans into a frenzy.

Then it is off to the stadium to cheer and stomp and have a fine time.

And when it is over, everyone returns for a little more of the same.

Which is often more fun than the game.ď Ž www.alabamaliving.coop