Discover St. Clair February and March 2021 by Discover The Essence of St. Clair

Zeke Gossett Goes Pro • First Baptist Church South • Heritage South Northside Medical • Year for Hiking • Landmark Restaurants

February & March 2021

Michael Barber

A life of stories in one small book

History Preserved A Civil War collection headed for a museum

Local Leadership Ashville mayor points the way ahead

OUTDOORS FROM LAKES TO MOUNTAINS, ST. CLAIR COUNTY HAS NO SHORTAGE OF ADVENTURE

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Discover The Essence of St. Clair February & March 2021

ZEKE GOSSETT

GET OUTDOORS

DESTINATIONS

Local fishing phenom going pro

Hiking St. Clair gets boost in 2020

Ridge, CMP, TOP Trails and Much more

Preserving History

Outdoors

Favorite hiking spots

Relics of the Civil War

Page 8

Traveling the Backroads

First Baptist Church South Page 20

Vegetables for Sale

Michael Barber turns author Page 27

Tips for the trail Fishing with a pro Top tennis training

Page 45 Page 52 Page 54

St. Clair Business Landmark restaurants

Derrick Mostella

Northside Medical merger means big things

Page 32 Ashville community responds Page 37

Heritage South receives award

A profile in leadership

Page 40

www.discoverstclair.com

Page 62 Page 72 Page 74

Writers AND Photographers Carol Pappas Carol Pappas is editor and publisher of Discover St. Clair Magazine. A retired newspaper executive, she served as editor and publisher of several newspapers and magazines during her career. She won dozens of writing awards in features, news and commentary and was named Distinguished Alabama Community Journalist at Auburn University. She serves as president/CEO of Partners by Design, the multimedia group that publishes Discover.

Graham Hadley Graham Hadley is the managing editor and designer for Discover The Essence of St. Clair Magazine and also manages the magazine website. Along with Carol Pappas, he left The Daily Home as managing editor to become vice president of the Creative Division of Partners by Design multimedia company. An Auburn journalism graduate, Hadley also served as the news editor for The Rome News Tribune in Rome,Ga.

Elaine Hobson Miller

Joe Whitten Joe Whitten was born in Bryant on Sand Mountain. When he arrived in Odenville in 1961 to teach at St. Clair County High School, he found a place to call home. He and his wife, Gail, taught across the hall from each other. He continues to live in Odenville in a 1904 house they called home for 36 years. Joe was active in the Alabama Writers’ Conclave and the Alabama State Poetry Society. The society named him Poet of the Year in 2000. Joe has also published a number of St. Clair County local history books.

Leigh Pritchett

Elaine Hobson Miller is a freelance writer with a B.A. in Journalism from Samford University. She was the first female to cover Birmingham City Hall for the Birmingham Post-Herald, where she worked as reporter, food editor and features writer. A former editor of Birmingham Home & Garden magazine and staff writer for Birmingham magazine, she has written for a variety of local, regional and national publications. She is a member of Alabama Media Professionals and NFPW (the National Federation of Press Women). Follow her weekly blog about life with a dozen four-legged critters, life in the country and life in general at www.countrylife-elaine.

Leigh Pritchett is a wife and mother. She earned the Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Montevallo. In the late 1990s, she left a career with a New York Times Regional Newspaper to be a stay-athome mom and freelance writer. She was blessed with the opportunity to spend 22 years homeschooling her three children.

Scottie Vickery

Paul South

Buddy Eiland

Paul South, a native of Fairfield, is an Au¬burn graduate with a degree in journalism and a double minor in history. He also has a Juris Doctorate degree from the Birmingham School of Law. Although sports writing was always his first love, he had a versa¬tile career as reporter, columnist and first full-time sports information director at Samford University.

Buddy Eiland is an Anniston resident who retired from Alabama Power Company as a public information and public relations specialist after more than 37 years of service. He has served Anniston and Calhoun County on the boards of directors of numerous non-profit and civic organizations. He is a graduate of Auburn University.

Scottie Vickery is a writer with a degree in journalism from the University of Alabama and was a reporter for The Birmingham News. Her first assignment was covering St. Clair and Blount counties. She has more than 30 years of writing and editing experience and her work has appeared in a variety of publications. She also has worked in the nonprofit industry.

About THE Cover Courtney Fernandez Petty, a professor at Jefferson State Community College, hiking with her dog, Rooney.

From the Editor

Discoveries and Rediscoveries

I know the name of our magazine is Discover, but it could just as easily go by the moniker of Rediscover. In virtually every issue, readers tend to find something they once knew but cast aside in favor of other pursuits, only to see them resurge as worth pursuing once again. As the pandemic took its toll on normal activities in 2020, a growing number of St. Clair Countians began to rediscover outdoor activities, like hiking, walking and camping, rediscovering that they didn’t have to travel far at all to find access to those amenities all around them. St. Clair Tourism Coordinator Blair Goodgame is our guide as we discover and rediscover some of the best hiking spots around in our special Outdoors section in this edition. But that’s not all for the great outdoors in St. Clair County. You’ll discover some of the best “hot spots” and strategies for fishing on Neely Henry and Logan Martin lakes with champion collegiate angler Zeke Gossett, who just turned pro, hoping to continue his winning ways on the next level. We’ll take you courtside at Pell City Tennis Center, where pro Sarah Stewart has grown a world-class tennis program for her community, proving that by thinking big, anything is possible. Check out a new vocation for former Pell City Schools Superintendent Michael Barber, who has penned a new book of rediscovered lessons of life called Vegetables for Sale, A Child’s Discovery of Redemption in the American South. This edition also takes you inside the home of a St. Clair County collector extraordinaire, whose ‘finds’ of Civil War relics and rarities, like cannonballs and a coal torpedo, are among the most sought after in retelling history. We interview history-making Ashville Mayor Derrick Mostella, the city’s first biracial mayor. But he is quick to tell you it isn’t about race, it’s about vision. And his constituency is

discovering how this small St. Clair County town can ascend to new heights. And travel back in time with Joe Whitten as he recounts the history of First Baptist Church South, organized by freed slaves and their families to serve the community for more than a century. Its storied history is one to be savored and preserved. It’s all here, and more, in this issue of Discover Magazine. Turn the page and discover or rediscover (your choice) it all with us. Carol Pappas Editor and Publisher

Discover The Essence of St. Clair

February & March 2021 • Vol. 58 • www.discoverstclair.com

Carol Pappas • Editor and Publisher Graham Hadley • Managing Editor and Designer Dale Halpin • Advertising Toni Franklin • Graphic Designer Brandon Wynn • Director Online Services

A product of Partners by Design www.partnersmultimedia.com 1911 Cogswell Avenue Pell City, AL 35125 205-335-0281

Printed at Russell Printing, Alexander City, AL 7

Relics of the Civil War

PRESERVING

HISTORY

Confederate land mines and other ordnance

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair â&#x20AC;¢ February & March 2021

Cannonball Man holds our past in his hands and heart Story by Buddy Eiland Photos by Graham Hadley Submitted Photos Searching for history can become a lifetime obsession. Just ask Steve Phillips. Although the guns of the American Civil War fell silent in 1865, Phillips has spent more than 50 years searching for the cannonballs and artillery shells, along with other artifacts left behind from that great conflict. In the process, he has become a knowledgeable student of Civil War history and has built one of the most extensive private collections of its artifacts in existence. Phillips is a retired professional diver, having owned and operated Southern Skin Diver Supply Company in Birmingham for many years. His sons, Spencer and Forrest, still operate the business, and both are expert professional divers. After leaving the Air Force and before he became involved in the dive business, Phillips was in the office machine business in Birmingham. He and his wife, Susan, live on a comfortable acreage straddling the St. Clair/Shelby County line. Their property has a lake, a creek and a secret mountain waterfall. Long ago, Native Americans lived there, and he and his family have found thousands of stone points over the years that they left behind. Phillips has spent years reading, researching and learning where to look and how to find Civil War relics and artifacts. Searching by metal detecting on private land permissions and diving in public waters, he has found about half of his collection. The rest he has bought from other collectors, dealers and museums selling surplus items from their collections. Although his collection contains an unbelievable variety of artifacts, Phillips says, “I’m really all about cannonballs and artillery projectiles.” Learning from an early mentor, Tom Dickey of Atlanta, Phillips became an expert at disarming and preserving artillery projectiles. (Dickey is the brother of Deliverance author James Dickey). Over the

Relics of the Civil War War logs, full of bullets, shells and shrapnel from battles, were highly prized

Gunner levels, sights and other armament tools

years, he has disarmed and preserved over 2,000 cannonballs and artillery shells, developing his own methods from trial and error along the way. The preservation is necessary because the iron will deteriorate from exposure to the air after being in the ground or water for so many years. The disarming process is extremely dangerous, as, even after over 150 years, the black powder sealed inside can still be viable and can explode if improperly handled. He has designed a way to disarm projectiles safely and remotely, using a shed about a hundred yards behind his house and barn with a drilling apparatus controlled by ropes and pulleys to allow him to maintain a safe distance from the operation. “I don’t recommend people try this,” he says. “I’ve never had one to explode, but I treat every one like it might.” After drilling into a shell, the black powder can then be safely washed out. Phillips uses a process of electrolysis to remove rust and scale that results from many years in water or in the ground. Then he boils the shell, usually several times, to remove salt and sulphites from the iron and help stabilize it. Finally comes a coat of preservative to complete the process. Interesting among Phillips’ extensive and quite varied collection is probably the greatest number of

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

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Relics of the Civil War

Phillips with the Enfield rifle that belonged to his great-grandfather, Private/ Corporal John C. Deason, that was recovered from Devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Den, part of the battle of Gettysburg

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair â&#x20AC;˘ February & March 2021

Cannister shot, made up of small balls, and other shells “war logs” in any private collection. These are tree trunks from the Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, that have artillery shells embedded in them. They speak to the intensity of the battle and were obtained from Tom Dickey’s collection after his death and from a museum in Atlanta. The Enfield and the Coal Torpedo What does he consider the most valuable item in his entire collection? Phillips is quick with an answer. “Monetarily, or to me personally?” he asks. “Probably money-wise would be the coal torpedo because it’s so rare. To me, personally, it would be my great-grandfather’s Enfield rifle that was left for me on the battlefield at Gettysburg. Of all the hundreds of items in my collection, it would be my favorite. It’s not the rarest, but it’s my favorite,” which leads us to two of Phillips’ most intriguing stories about his collection. Rifle returns ‘home’ Some years ago, Phillips was attending the Nashville Relics Show, displaying some of his cannonballs and other items from his collection. “I subscribed to a magazine for The Horse Soldier, an antiques dealer in Gettysburg that sells relics and other artifacts from the Civil War. I was looking at a copy of

Civil War bayonets.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

Relics of the Civil War A spar torpedo was an explosive charge mounted on a long pole.

Phillips has a number of relic long guns in all states of preservation

Colt revolvers

An actual carpet bag complete with the owner’s name inscribed inside 14

the magazine, and, normally, I would just look at the cannonball and artillery section, but I was bored, and I began to look at other sections. “I saw a listing for a British-made Enfield rifle, a very well-made rifle, better than most people had. On one side of the stock were carved the initials “JCD,” and on the other side was carved, “Co B 44th Ala Infantry.” It was identified to a Private/Corporal John C. Deason of Company B, of the 44th Alabama Infantry. John C. Deason was John Columbus Deason, my great-grandfather on my mother’s side of my family.” Deason fought in the battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War as a member of Company B of the 44th Alabama Infantry. They were involved in the part of the battle known as Devil’s Den. The fighting took place in close quarters among some large rocks. The rifle was picked up by the owner of the Slyder farm, which was part of the battlefield. It was missing the ramrod, and because of the close quarters of the fighting, the ramrod was likely bent, rendering the rifle useless. Without the ramrod, it couldn’t be reloaded, so he probably dropped it, picked up another rifle and continued to fight.” About 130 years later, Slyder family descendants sold their collection of relics collected after the battle. Phillips contacted The Horse Soldier, expressing an interest in buying the rifle. Told that the rifle had been sold, he said he would like to contact the buyer and try to purchase it. “Don’t let him know,” he was told, “because he is a Yankee, and if he finds out you want it, you’re not

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

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Relics of the Civil War

Confederate and union bullets fused together (suspended middle) after striking mid-air with examples of what the bullets looked like before.

Whole boxes of ammo and primers have been recovered from river mud

The coal torpedo - one of only four known to exist 16

going to get it.” He backed away from trying to buy the gun, and about five years later, he received a call from The Horse Soldier, asking if he was still interested in buying it. “I told them I was, so I bought it and brought it home.” This special rifle now occupies a place of honor, hanging over the mantle in his den. Rare find The coal torpedo Phillips found on an underwater dive. “I picked it up and thought it was just trash, but I kept it because I didn’t want to keep hearing it on my metal detector. I had found a 12-pound ball that day, and when I began to start cleaning it up, I threw the ‘trash’ into the tumbler with it to help knock some of the rust off.” The tumbling cleaned rust from the odd piece he had found as well, and he noticed what looked like copper in the side of it. Comparing it with several artillery fuses from his collection, he determined that it was, indeed, a fuse plug. Taking the object to his veterinarian, who X-rayed it for him, he determined that it was hollow. Further research determined that what he had found was a coal torpedo, used by Confederate spies in the Civil War. It was cast from iron in the form of a lump of coal, filled with four or five ounces of powder, and, when covered with pitch and coal dust, disguised it so it could be placed in the coal bunker of a ship. Shoveled into the firebox of the ship, it would blow up the firebox. That would rupture the boiler, which, essentially blew up the ship.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

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Relics of the Civil War

Phillips with just a small portion of his enormous collection

Phillips and his son prospecting for gold in Alaska 18

Oldest law-enforcement badge in the state

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair â&#x20AC;˘ February & March 2021

Coal torpedoes were credited with destroying several ships during the war, and many, including Phillips, believe one was used to destroy the Sultana on the Mississippi River, resulting in the largest loss of life from a single ship in U.S. maritime history. Over 1,800 people died in the explosion and fire. Phillips has the only coal torpedo known to have been found since the Civil War, and one of only four known to still exist. One was found on Jefferson Davis’ desk when Richmond surrendered, being used as a paperweight. Two were found at the Confederate spy headquarters, which was located in Canada during the war. According to Phillips, it is likely one of the rarest and most valuable relics of the war. “I thought I had found trash,” he said, “but what I had found was just wonderful. We don’t really know what its value to a collector might be because it will never be sold.” The Alaska connection If you are paying close attention, you might notice that Phillips quite often wears a solid, 14-carat-gold belt buckle. It was cast from a mold made from a Confederate belt buckle. In addition to being a Civil War relic collector, Phillips is also a gold prospector. For more than 25 years, he has spent about two months in Alaska, mining for gold. Diving and dredging in the Bering Sea at Nome, on claims he and his son, Spencer own, he has very successfully found gold over the years. He also has working claims further inland from Nome. Although he no longer dives, his son, Spencer does, joining him in Alaska during the summer. According to Phillips, gold mining there is not as productive as it once was, but he continues to find gold. Inland, most of their pursuit involves dredging in the river there. The inland claim is extremely remote, so much so that, when they leave for the summer, the cabin there is left unlocked, providing refuge and shelter in case a hunter might become stranded there in the harsh winter. The greatest winter threat to the cabin is bears, who sometimes do damage to the property while they are away. The remoteness of the area presents its own problems, according to Phillips, and resourcefulness and self-sufficiency become virtues. Failures to vehicles and equipment left to the elements over the harsh winters, along with poor access to spare parts, present their own challenges, and major repairs are especially diffiuclt ... and frequent. Phillips has made a hobby-business of fashioning jewelry from gold “pickers” he has found gold mining. These are gold particles larger than gold dust, but not large enough to be considered nuggets. Phillips has generously shared his Civil War collection, placing many items on permanent loan to be displayed for the interest and enjoyment of the public. The museum at Tannehill State Park is furnished with items from his collection. In keeping with that practice and with a personal desire that his collection will always be accessible for enjoyment and study by the public, Phillips’ collection will soon be moving to a new home. It will be placed on permanent loan at the Sons of Confederate Veterans’ headquarters and museum in Columbia, Tenn. A number of videos Phillips has made to share his stories about collection are available on YouTube. Videos include the John Columbus Deason rifle, the confederate coal torpedo, artillery projectiles from Selma, Confederate mines, disarming and preserving artillery shells, and more. Also posted are videos about his gold prospecting adventures in Alaska. l

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

Traveling the

BACKROADS

First Baptist Church South A storied history worth telling and preserving

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair â&#x20AC;¢ February & March 2021

Story by Joe Whitten Submitted photos Today’s destination is the corner of 19th Street South and 7th Avenue, the location of First Baptist Church South, hereafter FBC South. Organized by ex-slaves and their families, this church has served Pell City for 119 years. During antebellum days, slaves worshiped together with whites, but in separate areas. When freedom came, Blacks continued worshiping interracially for a while. In Uplifting the People: Three Centuries of Black Baptists in Alabama, Wilson Fallin Jr. writes, “After emancipation, many Blacks began to leave white churches and form their own congregations. … By 1874, the year in which reconstruction ended in Alabama, the process of separation was complete…. “A desire for independence and …the opportunity to worship as they desired motivated Blacks to establish their own churches. …Blacks wanted a setting in which they could listen to and react to their own preachers, singing, dancing, and shouting in their own church.” This gave the freedmen “some measure of freedom over their lives and the opportunity to develop pride and self-respect. … These churches provided former slaves with a caring community.” This freedom resulted in Blooming Light Baptist Church in Seddon. The former slaves who organized this church probably first met in homes, but by 1881, they officially organized as Blooming Light. They soon joined Rushing Springs Association which served churches in Coosa, St. Clair and Calhoun counties. According to The Cyclopedia of the Colored Baptists in Alabama, Their Leaders and Their Work by Charles Octavius Boothe, by 1895, there were 6,500 Black Baptist in this Association. Now, picture Pell City in 1901. The booklet, Hon. Sumter Cogswell and His Service as Founder of Pell City, Alabama, records that the town had one grocery store, the Cornett House Hotel and a train station for three railways traveling through. No highways – instead, “the principal artery of travel being the road from Eden to Cropwell to Talladega and Anniston.” The town progressed, and by 1902, a second St. Clair County Courthouse stood in Pell City. By 1900, Blacks had formed a community south of today’s Cogswell Avenue and the railroad, establishing homes from today’s 19th Street South to U.S. 231. Many of these families belonged to Blooming Light Baptist, the nearest Black church. Many ministers had a circuit of four churches, preaching once a month to each congregation. Pell City members of Blooming Light walked to church, and bad weather on Sundays hindered attendance. By 1902, Pell City’s Black community had enough Baptists to form a church. Therefore, several Blooming Light members requested dismissal from that church so they could organize their own. A typescript history of FBC South names some who met to organize: “Bro. C.J. Collins and wife, Coline; Rev. A.Z. Beavers and wife, Mary; Bro. Sam Collins and wife, Mary; Bro. Joe Collins; Bro. Joe Lawson and others.” The group chose the name Union Baptist Church with Rev. J.T. Chatman as pastor. This meeting took place “… at the old House of Knowledge School. …on U.S. Highway 231 North of the Alacare Center location where the home of Bro. Dibb (and Millie) Curry…was located.” The Currys’ granddaughter, Josephine Curry Watson, grew up in their home and called them “Mama and Papa.” “They were

The Currys plain people who stayed home and took care of the household,” she recalled. “They didn’t have problems with anyone.” She remembered their home as a welcoming one where visitors sought advice from Dibb. “I got my values from them,” she reflected. “I learned the Bible from them, and today, I’m a teacher and a missionary. They were good people.” This describes a stable, “salt-of-the-earth” family and probably describes other families who formed Union Baptist/FBC South. Union Baptist soon joined the Colored Baptist Association, which served churches in Shelby and St. Clair counties. Today, the Association’s name is Mt. Zion Coosa Valley Association. Sometime after 1902, Union Baptist purchased a lot on 19th Street South and constructed the building where New Beginnings Baptist Church holds services now. The church history records that, in 1934, “…the church was rebuilt on the site and was named the First Baptist Church of Pell City.” Rev. M.H. Sims was pastor. Community news in The St. Clair News-Aegis regularly reported church activities, as shown in this of Jan. 31, 1952, “Rev. M.H. Sims, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Pell City, preached his farewell sermon last Sunday. He has pastored here for 23 years and is the oldest minister in the district.” After Rev. Sims, Rev. R.E. Avery pastored for a few years. The St. Clair News-Aegis of Oct. 13, 1955, reported, “Sunday October 9th was a grand day at the First Baptist Church in Pell City. Rev. R.E. Avery, pastor, preached a wonderful sermon. His text was ‘Stay on the ship or you will be lost.’ Sunday afternoon the church held Appreciation Day for R.E. Avery.” Remembered as a dynamic speaker, Rev. Avery pastored until 1955. About two years later, Rev. W.F. Poole began his 19-year ministry and worked for racial unity in Pell City during that time. On Oct. 19, 1962, The St. Clair News-Aegis published this letter from Rev. Poole: “To the Citizens of Pell City: Please allow me this space to express my gratitude to all our white and colored friends for the fine support we have received during my five years of pastoring in the city of Pell City. “I have worked in other places, but at no other place I’ve worked have I received any better cooperation. ...

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

Traveling the

BACKROADS “Let us continue with peace between the races and the cooperation we have enjoyed in the past. Rev. W.F. Poole (Colored), Pastor First Baptist Church Pell City.” Rev. Ronnie C. Beavers accepted the pastorate of the church Feb. 2, 1976. Under his leadership, the church expanded its ministries, updated the sanctuary and purchased property for future expansion. Marion Frazier remembers well many of these pastors. Rev. Avery baptized her in the outside baptistry the deacons had recently dug and lined. “I was baptized in August of 1952, and he stayed, I believe, until 1955. He was a dynamic preacher. ... He would end his sermons by singing a hymn, and the congregation would sing with him.” Of Rev. W.F. Poole, Mrs. Frazier said, “I remember him and his wife and children very well. He was instrumental in our church because he loved singing hymns. He often closed his sermons with a hymn. His favorite hymn was In a Time Like This, I Need the Lord to Help Me. “Rev. Poole came in ’56 or ’57 and stayed for 19 years. He worked for unity among the races, and we had a good relationship. We had associations with First Baptist here in Pell City on the north side. That’s where the distinction of FBC South came in; they were First Baptist North.” “Rev. Beavers came in 1976 and stayed until 2000,” she recalled. During his ministry, he organized The R.C. Beavers’ Singers. Rev. Beavers loved to sing.” Under his leadership, the church choirs recorded an album. Mrs. Frazier loves her church and enjoys recalling its history and events. Known in Pell City as an exceptional singer herself, she spoke fondly of their Choir Anniversaries. Observed every September, FBC South invited choirs from throughout the district to participate. Choir member Billy Joe Robinson, Dibb and Minnie Curry’s grandson, sang with the Star Lights of Pell City and often invited choirs from outside the district. These concerts filled the church to capacity. District churches observe yearly homecomings, and they have arranged for each church to hold celebrations on different Sunday so congregations can celebrate together. Celebrating together results in unity and cooperation. FBC South has Homecoming the second Sunday in August. On Oct. 18, 1981, FBC South celebrated its 79th anniversary. The memorial booklet for that event contains observations by pastor Rev. Ronnie C. Beavers, who gives praise and thanksgiving to God for the church. It also records historical events and a rich pictorial history with names under the photos. Rev. Beavers conducted the regular worship hour after which the congregation enjoyed a meal together. The afternoon service included Deacon Charles Jones singing the chosen anniversary hymn, Guide Me Oh Thou Great Jehovah, and Rev. Samuel Turner of Union Springs Baptist Church, Talladega, preaching the sermon. In the memorial booklet, Rev. Beavers wrote, “We are truly grateful to God our Heavenly Father for those who toiled and labored so hard before us in breaking the ground to establish the foundation of this church which is dedicated to the upbuilding of God’s kingdom. Surely, He has smiled on us down through the years as even the old patriots continued to worship Him after having walked to the church in the rain, sunshine, sleet, and snow. Now, we, the present generation,

Dr. Jeffrey Wilson and his family must continue to move forward with that same spirit of determination to meet the need of a sinful world by spreading the message of Jesus Christ. This is the task of the church, and we dedicate and rededicate ourselves to accepting the challenge that the Lord has put before us ….” Rev. Beavers concluded his remarks by thanking the church for working untiringly during his six years of his ministry and concluded, “I ask you to join me in looking to the Hills from whence cometh our help to seek the future directions through the grace of God that has brought us safe thus far and that His same grace will lead us on.” Rev. Beavers’ comments for that 79th anniversary spoke of the past, present and future. Under his ministry, the church purchased the property on the corner of 7th Avenue and 19th Street South for constructing a larger sanctuary. In 2000, at the end of his 24 years as pastor, the church stood ready, through God’s grace, to plan for a new sanctuary. In a special service on Jan.12, 2002, under Rev. Elliot T. Ivey’s ministry, the church broke ground for their new building. Goodgame Co. of Pell City did the work, and construction progressed steadily month by month. Goodgame completed their work in October 2002 in time for First Baptist’s 100th anniversary. And what a celebration that was for church members and their friends! The Goodgame family, construction workers, Pell City mayor and city officials attended and joined the congregation’s afternoon walk from the old building to the new one for a dedication worship service. Mrs. Frazier recalls, “We got congratulation letters from the State of Alabama, the governor and local officials. We framed those, and they hang on the church walls today.” Among the papers about First Baptist on file at the Pell City

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

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Library is a page titled, A Prayer for Our New Sanctuary, which reads in part: “Thou gracious and giving God…,We thank Thee for having given to our predecessors the vision and will to provide the church which has served us so far. Because of their devotion and Thy blessings our church family has outgrown the work of their hands. ... “We would build wisely and so well that long years hence our sons and daughters may gratefully say, ‘See! This our forefathers builded for us.’ “In HIS NAME, who loves us and gave Himself for us, we pray. Amen.” George Forman grew up in this church and said of Rev. Elliot T. Ivey, “He was the most electrifying preacher I ever heard.” Forman also told how FBC South deacons mentored him as a boy. “My father died when I was one year old. Mr. Tobe Williams, Mr. William Matthews and Mr. Virgil Oden took me under their wings and taught me about life – what’s right and what’s wrong, how to respect and be respected, how to love your fellow man, how to go through life treating people. If people mistreat you, don’t go back and try to do the same thing to them; just believe in the Lord, cause, ‘Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.’ They went out of their way to spend time with me. And Mr. M.C. McCoy was a businessman who taught me that education was essential. “All those men were a blessing to me. They didn’t have a high school education, but they had more than a high school education. And they shared it.” That’s high praise for any man, but especially so for the deacon body of a church. Twenty-four-year-old Christopher Evans II joined Forman in the interview, and both spoke of taking part in Christmas and Easter programs at church. Forman said that participating in these music and drama programs “… was like living what you’d been taught. You act it out and it’s gonna stick with you.” Christopher agreed, saying that for young people, the dramas “… helped us understand what was going on.” He added that sometimes “young people don’t like to read,” and the programs helped them understand the Bible. Mrs. Frazier directed the drama, and the late Ronnie White the music for these programs. One of Christopher’s favorite times as a youth was yearly Vacation Bible School at FBC South. “That was the best thing,” he recalled. “We always went to Boys’ and Girls’ Club, and we just went from there to Vacation Bible School where you learned different things.” Other churches took part, so there was fellowship among the congregations at these events. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic curtailed in-person worship services, which precluded the joy and comfort in corporate fellowship. At FBC South, beginning in March, worship was streamed online, but by autumn 2020, the deacons and choir members were meeting each Sunday with Dr. Wilson to stream the service. The pandemic prevented these yearly events in 2020. Dr. Wilson, pastor since 2007, recently reflected upon this unprecedented situation: “In the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic, it is no secret that many people are suffering or experiencing loss in some way. The same holds true for the believer. Fear, stress and hopelessness have gripped many homes, even the households of Christians.

Centennial booklet cover

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

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Rocky Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Pell City congregate. This definite lack of socialization has caused some to suffer more than others. “As a pastor, it has always been my job to guide and uplift the people of God through whatever season of life they are experiencing. There are more seeking this pastoral direction than ever before, and I must admit, facing so many obstacles has become a daunting challenge. It is sometimes hard ‘reaching’ to your congregants when the physical doors of the church are closed because we understand that the spiritual doors of the church are always open, along with other measures in place due to this pandemic. “However, we understand that the spiritual doors of the church are always open, making way for the obstacles to become opportunities through continual prayer. As I strive to continue to render an effective pastoral ministry and to provide social support for those members who have become slightly anxious, to say the least, I try to remind my congregants that although we may be going through a brief period of separation as a body of believers, God is still in the business of protecting His own, and we are to stay strong until the Lord’s deliverance is fully exerted over this coronavirus outbreak.” For long-time member Peggie Bothwell Frazier, Dr. Wilson has been a blessing to her and her family, for under his ministry her son, Charles Ryan Frazier, was ordained as a deacon, and her grandson, Griffin Ryan Frazier, was baptized. Griffin, at an early age, began talking about wanting to be a preacher. He spoke of it so often that Dr. Wilson and deacons met with Griffin and his parents to talk about his desire to serve Christ by preaching. Satisfied about his desire, Dr. Wilson baptized him. Griffin’s dad, Charles, stood in the baptismal pool with him. Dr. Wilson was a special comfort to the Fraziers when Peggie’s husband, Charles, battled cancer. The Wilsons met with the Fraziers the night before Charles’ surgery, then visited him faithfully during his cancer journey. Peggie recalled that, Charles, knowing that Dr. Wilson especially enjoyed banana pudding, said to him, “Any time you want a banana pudding, you just tell her, and she will make you one.” She continued, “I do make him banana puddings. Dr. Wilson and his family will always have a special place in my heart.”

Dorothy Brice, Rev. R.C. Beavers and Marion Frazier Chairman of the Deacons, Donald Allen, spoke of the blessing of working with Dr. Wilson. “We deacons work out of his office, and whatever he asks us to do we try to do it. If he calls us, we try to do what he asks us to do.” He also spoke of the disruption of COVID-19. “We’re used to coming in there, shaking each other’s hands, acting as a deacon body, you know, deacons and the pastor together. We miss that so much now – meeting with the pastor before he goes out to give the message. ... I love working out of Dr. Wilson’s office because of his ability and gift to preach the unmitigated truth of God’s word. I pray every day that God keeps him and his family in his loving hands.” Wilson Fallin, Jr. notes in his Black Baptists in Alabama that some owners allowed slaves to worship with singing and preaching, whereas irreligious owners didn’t, and their slaves worshiped secretly. One of the old hymns from that era speaks as much of the church today as it did then. “We will travel on together, Hallelujah, Gwine to pull down Satan’s kingdom, Hallelujah, Gwine build up the walls of Zion, Hallelujah! I don’t feel noways tired, Glory Hallelujah!” One hopes that those former slave families who founded today’s FBC South are aware that this church continues “to build up the walls of Zion” as they “travel on together, Hallelujah!” l

Children at the old church

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

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Barber with his book and framed Vegetables for Sale sign

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair â&#x20AC;¢ February & March 2021

‘Vegetables for Sale’ Former Pell City superintendent pens uplifting book Story by Scottie Vickery Submitted photos Michael Barber was 10 years old the day he took his daddy’s prized Pontiac Catalina for a joyride. After returning it safely to its covered parking spot, he thought he’d gotten away with his grave sin. But a twist of fate and a dog named Whiskers caused things to take a terrible turn. Let’s just say a dog mistakenly left overnight in a car is capable of causing a whole lot of damage. That’s not the only lesson young Michael learned that day. He realized his father loved him far more than his most prized possession. “My father never stood behind a pulpit and preached a sermon, but he taught me the most important spiritual lesson I carry in my heart to this day,” Barber recalled. “Total forgiveness is just that, it is total.” A former teacher and retired superintendent of Pell City Schools, Barber has spent his adult life educating children, but the “eternal lessons” of his childhood were learned outside of a classroom. They often took place on front porches and came in the form of joyrides, dogs, shotguns and a cheap necklace. Barber shares seven stories from his childhood – including the story of his father’s Catalina – in his new book, Vegetables for Sale: A Child’s Discovery of Redemption in the American South, published in November. “It’s a simple book for a complicated time,” Barber said. “These are stories of redemption, unconditional love, forgiveness and mercy.” The title comes from a sign 5-year-old Michael helped his grandmother make, a testament of his grandmother’s wisdom. She was tired of him asking for candy money, so she set up a vegetable stand on the side of the highway and put young Michael in charge. “My grandfather had a third-grade education, and my grandmother only finished sixth grade, but they knew we needed to know the value of certain things, and one was the value of money,” he said. “I didn’t make much money, but the lesson I learned was worth millions,” he wrote in the book’s introduction. “It is better to earn than to be given, with the exception of God’s love.” As a reminder, Barber framed the sign he made with his grandmother (“She wrote the letters and I painted it”) and hung it alongside his diplomas in every office he has ever had. A preacher, public speaker, and bluegrass musician, Barber didn’t set out to write a great work of literature or theology. He intended the book to be a ministry tool, one he could leave behind when he spoke at prisons, jails, nursing homes or revivals. “These are stories I’ve used from the pulpit,” said Barber, the pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. “I knew some had the ability to move people because I’d seen how God had used them during sermons.”

Mother Pearl, Cobbler Cook Extraordinaire

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

‘Vegetables for Sale’ The book is a small one, measuring 5 inches by 7 inches with fewer than 100 pages, and that was Barber’s intention. “It’s designed to be a book you could put in a purse, in a glove box, in a tacklebox,” he said, adding that his hope was to make the book more inviting by writing something that could be read in one sitting. “It’s written by a preacher, but it’s not preaching. Whatever God wants to do with it, it’s out there. He’ll put it in the right hands.” A special place Barber, 55, grew up in Pell City with his brother and sister in a time when life was simpler. “The American South has changed in the past half century of my life, much for the good, but I admit sometimes I find myself missing a place I never left,” he wrote. His days were filled with bike rides, fishing, baseball, watermelon, peach cobbler and lessons he didn’t realize he was learning. “I’ve always had people invest in the right things in my life – my parents, my grandparents, church folks,” Barber said. “They made sure we learned the right things. We were held accountable if we did something wrong, and they didn’t always come to our aid bailing us out.” They also served as wonderful role models. His father, who was the first in his family to go to college, was a certified registered nurse anesthetist and owned an anesthesia corporation. “I think he put everyone in the county to sleep at some time,” Barber said. His mother was a registered nurse, and Barber thought he would follow in his parents’ footsteps and enter the medical field. His plans changed, though, when he got a feeling he just couldn’t shake. “The Lord kept leading me to education,” Barber said. His Sunday school teacher, Andrew Wright, was the principal of Iola Roberts Elementary School at the time, and his pastors were teachers, as well. “To have three men in your life who were elementary school teachers and in ministry showed me how God could use you in education,” Barber said. “God has always put the right people around me.” Although he retired from the school system in 2019, Barber performs contract work for the Alabama Association of School Boards. “I’ve had a great experience in public education,” he said. “To me, education is ministry,” he said. Barber was an assistant principal in 1995 when God called him to preach, as well. He had a guitar and his Bible, and he traveled around ministering at nursing homes and “wherever God placed me.” He landed at Mt. Zion as a deacon and has been preaching for about 25 years. One ministry he particularly enjoys is Cake Walk, the bluegrass band he helped form that earned its name from the early days of playing at cake walks and fall festivals. “Mt. Zion is a musically blessed haven,” he said. “Anyone you pick out of a pew can pick something, play something or sing something.” Barber, who plays mandolin, guitar, banjo and bass, said the size of the group fluctuates and the members range from 8-year-olds to 90-year-olds. “We’re not the best musicians in the world, but for some reason when you put us all together, it sounds pretty good,” he said. “It’s a joyful noise, I know that.” The group plays live every Sunday morning on WFHK 94.1 The River, and before the coronavirus pandemic, the members regularly shared their music at nursing homes and other places. “I’ve seen people who were really sick wiggle a toe under the cover when they hear the banjo,” Barber said. “It’s a wonderful ministry, and members of the band have said they had no idea that service could be so much fun. For me, that’s when you really hit the mark.”

Michael’s best friend, Crispy

A tool for ministry Barber’s outreach ministry was the impetus for Vegetables for Sale, and the idea had been in the back of his mind for a while. “I had a bunch of stories I wrote years ago, and I’d always planned on doing something with them, but I didn’t know what that would look like,” he said. Once the pandemic hit last March, Barber finally had time, so “I went to the attic and started gathering stories I’d written in old spiral notebooks.” Although he’d planned to leave them behind at speaking engagements, COVID-19 changed those plans, so Barber started to give them away. “My idea of promoting it is leaving a copy on the table at Starbucks,” he said with a laugh. After his wife, Legay, posted about the book on social media, it started taking off. “We accidentally, I guess, launched it,” Barber said. “The potential to reach people through the internet is mind boggling.” The book, which features a childhood photo of his father on the cover, is available through Amazon, Walmart.com, Barnes & Noble and Kindle. It will soon be available on Audible, an audiobook book service from Amazon. Barber said he read the book for the Audible recording because the subject was so close to his heart. “This is a book about my mom, my daddy, my sister and brother and my grandparents,” he said. “I sure didn’t want someone reading it and having it be just a book to them. Besides, I hate when people try to fake a Southern accent.” Although he never expected to sell a single copy, Barber said he’s heard from people from all over the country who have shared how the book has touched them. A hospice nurse shared how a family read it together during the last hours of their mother’s life, and it gave them a chance to laugh and cry together. Another woman wrote to say the book helped her after receiving a cancer diagnosis. “If God doesn’t use it for anything other than that, it was worth writing it and putting it out there,” Barber said. “I’m definitely not a writer, and I’ll never be a best-selling author, but this was a labor of love. Whatever voice we have, whether it’s a guitar or an ink pen, as long as we’re giving God the glory, He’ll use it.” l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

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DERRICK MOSTELLA Becoming Ashville’s mayor was a lifelong destiny

Photo credit Meghan Frondorf

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Graham Hadley Derrick Mostella was destined to be mayor of Ashville. The first time he walked into the old B&R Grocery on Sixth Street as a kid, proprietor Bill Murray looked down at him and declared, “You’re gonna be mayor one day, kid.” “My mom told that story so much with me growing up, at some point, I just decided it was already written, that it was something I had to do,” Mostella says. “She told the story like I didn’t have a choice.” The path to the mayor’s office wasn’t a straight one, nor was it lined with roses and violins. Rather, it was a circuitous route fraught with identity issues because of his biracial background. But dealing with those issues shaped Mostella’s character and, ultimately, his vision for the City of Ashville. It’s a vision that is changing the face of the downtown area and the way city government operates. Mostella hopes it’s changing the way Ashvillians feel about their town, too. “My mom and I do a Thanksgiving dinner every year that’s free to the public,” Mostella says. “We did it take-out style in 2020, but it really kind of embodies what we want for Ashville. We want it to be a kind of mix of Mayberry and Cheers, where everybody knows your name.” When Mostella was elected mayor for his first term in 2016, he was 37, making him one of the city’s youngest mayors and its first biracial one at the same time. Local newspaper headlines portrayed him as the city’s first Black mayor, and that made Mostella cringe. He works hard at avoiding labels, believing they are meant to separate and divide. Besides, calling him “Black” doesn’t tell his whole story. “I do understand the pride our Black citizens feel about my election, and I appreciate the fact that they feel they have a voice now where they may have not in the past,” Mostella says. It’s no secret that Mostella has a Black mother and a white father. His mother, Belinda Mostella, was a dispatcher at the city jail when she met his father, James Murray, who was an Ashville police officer. Although he has never had an in-depth relationship with his father’s family, Mostella has always known where he came from and is proud of that. “I’m a child of Ashville,” he says. “Everybody knows who my folks are. I would hope that race doesn’t do a whole lot to dictate how somebody feels about me. I got elected not by Black people, not by white people, but by the people of Ashville, and I like to think they elected me because I share their values, and they trust me, and none of that has anything to do with race at the end of the day.” Race played a big role in Mostella’s childhood, though. He was raised in a Black household by his mom and his greatgrandparents, Walter and Lila Mostella, but his light skin and curly blonde hair led casual acquaintances to think he was white. That made for some testy situations, some of them funny, some of them heart-breaking, all of them shaping his view of the world. “My first experience in elementary school, and I can remember it like it was yesterday, was having a white kid ask me, ‘Why you gittin’ on the bus with all those N****s?” Mostella recalls. “Same thing on the playground. I’m out there with my brother, my cousins, and some kid comes up and says, ‘What you doin’ over there with them, why ain’t you over here?’ A shy kid, often he just ran off and cried. “There were many, many times I would cry myself to sleep,” he says. His great-grandparents tried to shield him from the slings

Mayor Mostella at work during a meeting

and arrows of racial tensions as much as they could. “I can remember our church going to Six Flags and my greatgrandmother wouldn’t let me go because she was convinced something bad would happen to me,” he says, choking back tears at the painful memory. “She said, ‘Being this little white kid over there with all those Black folks (from his church), everybody having fun, not paying attention, they’re not going to watch you, and something will happen, you just can’t go, baby.’ As much as that hurt, I knew she did it because she loved me, and she was really, really trying to protect me.” He sees wry humor, however, in a repeating high school experience. His all-time favorite teacher was Gina Wilson, who now works for the St. Clair County Board of Education. Every time a standardized test came around, she would allow Mostella to stand up in class and flip a coin to decide his race for that day. “You know those standardized tests where they ask for your race,” Mostella says, smiling at the memory. “I would say heads Black, tails white. So that was a running joke, what color are you going to be today, dear?” His nickname, Flip, had nothing to do with that coin toss, however. An uncle who was a fan of comedian Flip Wilson gifted him with that moniker and it stuck. “Everybody knows me as ‘Flip,’” he says. Mostella says his early years were tough because he caught whacks from both ends of the racial stick. “I’ve probably seen more racism than the average 100 percent Black person. There was a period in my life where I wasn’t white enough for white folks and not Black enough for Black folks, and that was rough,” he says, the tears flowing freely now. “It was brutal. My great-grandmother was my rock. She was the one I would go and cry on.” When Mostella was in middle school, his mom moved to Memphis. He persuaded her to let him stay in Ashville with his great-grandparents. She convinced him to join her when he was

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

DERRICK MOSTELLA Derrick Mostella and his mother, Belinda Mostella

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair â&#x20AC;¢ February & March 2021

15, and it was his first time to leave the state of Alabama. That move lasted six weeks. During the middle of those six weeks, he returned to Ashville for a football game and ran into Amanda Minton. After admitting they had crushes on each other, they hung out, and he decided then and there to move home. Mostella was always near the top of his class at Ashville High School and wanted to go to college. His grandparents couldn’t read or write, so they couldn’t sign applications for college and financial aid. Amanda, who is now his wife, did all of that for him. “She forced me to do it, letting me know it needed to be done and holding me accountable to get it done,” he says, tearing up again. “She’s fantastic, she really is, and I probably don’t tell her that enough.” Mostella and Minton, who is white, graduated from AHS in 1997. Both went to UAB for a year, then transferred to Gadsden State Community College to finish their prerequisites. Around 1999 or 2000, both moved to Memphis, where he worked and lived with his mom while Minton lived in the dorm and got her occupational therapist degree at UT-Memphis. They stayed in Memphis for a year or two after she graduated, then returned home to Ashville in 2004 and got married. “We knew that whatever we wanted to accomplish, we wanted it to be here,” he says. He worked for his father-in-law, Terry Minton, at Teague’s Hardware for a couple of years while contemplating his next move. He enjoyed most of his time there, but it’s also where he had some of the same type of painful experiences he had growing up. He was often the guy standing in a corner that no one knows is part Black. “I couldn’t believe some of the hatred that people would spew and really more for laughs,” he says. “What was hurtful more than anything is that it was for chuckles and giggles and little one-off comments and things like that, and that really was just like a thousand cuts.” He considered buying the store from Minton but decided that was not what he wanted to do with his life. So, he enrolled at Jacksonville State University, finishing in 2013 with an accounting degree.He worked in the accounts payable office at Steris Instrument Management Services in Birmingham for a few years, then joined Boatner & Pugh, an accounting firm in Gadsden. “Being mayor here by nature is a full-time job with part-time pay, and that’s why I’m very selective about the places I work,” he says.

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Early political career Mostella’s first foray into politics was in 2012, when he was elected to the Ashville City Council. His motivation to run for office came from some of his experiences while working at Teague Hardware, where he heard people complain about city government without offering any solutions. “Hearing how much they cared about the city and all the things they wanted for it just motivated me to get involved and to try to see some of these things through,” he says. His frustration with the way city government was being run prompted him to run for mayor in 2016. “The one thing that I learned in being on the Council is that Ashville never had a cash-flow problem, we had a cash management problem,” he says. “We were run inefficiently. We had an antiquated way of doing everything.” He didn’t have a picture in his head of the way he wanted Ashville to be or to look like, he just wanted people to get more involved, to take ownership of their town, and to realize its potential. “I wanted to empower people and let them know that the City of Ashville should be a reflection of what the people

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

DERRICK MOSTELLA who live here want it to be, not (a reflection of) one person who sits at City Hall, not the mayor or the City Council. What we should be striving to do should be a reflection of what the people of Ashville want to see.” One of Mostella’s earliest projects during his first term was to revamp the city’s employee handbook. Working closely with the Council and City Clerk Chrystal St. John, he re-wrote the old handbook that was simply a photocopy of one belonging to another city that had nothing in common with Ashville. “We had no pay scales, no job descriptions, nothing like that, so we had to start from scratch on a lot of stuff,” he says. “We revisited literally every policy and procedure, every city ordinance, that’s on the books.” The update resulted in pay raises for many employees. His second term got off to a bumpy start, however, when a pair of candidates who fell short in the general election sued their opponents over alleged voter fraud. Former Mayor Robert McKay sued Mostella, while McKay’s nephew, Randy McKay, sued Councilwoman Sue Price. Mostella and Price breathed a sigh of relief when the pair dropped their lawsuit after three days of hearings at the St. Clair County Courthouse. With a lot of input from local citizens, the same team that revamped the employee handbook is reworking an old, 20-year Comprehensive Plan to cover the next 20 years and developing a five-year strategic plan. Those plans include a new library, revamping downtown’s image and updating the city’s parks systems. The city purchased the Alabama Power Building on U.S. 231 South with the intention of moving the library there. They shifted gears when they discovered that the medical building next door, which the city already owned and had been vacated by Dr. George Harris when he consolidated his offices in Springville, was more suitable. Bids for its renovation are still out. The process will be helped by a $100,000 donation from David O. and R.L. Louisa McCain, a couple with deep roots in Ashville. “David is from Ashville, and his wife was heavily involved in the Shelby County Library System,” Mostella says. “They recently moved back to the area, read the original newspaper article about our library plans and wanted to help.” The former Alabama Power Building was leased to the state’s Pardons and Parole Board for five years, and the lease money is paying for the building. Mostella caused a minor uproar when the city tore down the old rock building at the corner of U.S. 231 and Sixth Street. It was necessary, he says, to accomplish the facelift he wants to see around the Courthouse Square. That facelift includes updating the sidewalks and increasing the turn radius at the traffic light to accommodate the large semis that come through. To do that, overhead utilities will have to be moved a block. The city will build a pocket park where the rock building stood, incorporating some of the rocks saved from the building as well as the historic mounting block that stood in front of it. Plans also include updating signage, some of which is almost unreadable in places, and repairing sidewalks, which are buckled and have grass growing in the cracks in many places. Retail shops have come and gone around the Courthouse Square for several years, and part of the problem is absentee ownership of the buildings there, according to Mostella. A lack of parking and publicity have contributed to the retention problem, too. The city purchased an old gas station behind the former Ashville Drugs building and tore it down to provide more parking and has contacted the state highway department about signage near the Ashville I-59 exit. Meanwhile, several of

Masks and screens in place at a City Council meeting

those buildings were purchased by local people recently, and the city hopes to make announcements soon regarding new shops and businesses moving in. “One of the problems we fought downtown was that the property owners weren’t very heavily invested, and I think the city has to take a large part of that responsibility because we haven’t progressed and created an environment down there that’s conducive to a business surviving,” Mostella says. “No parking, not a whole lot of aesthetics there. The flow of it doesn’t work from one side of the street to the other, there are no crosswalks painted, you’re literally dodging 18-wheelers at times, so we never put in the work to really build it up.” Mostella believes the city’s future lies in residential growth, and that people will see Ashville as an alternative to what he calls “big-city living” in Springville. The city’s approach under his administration will be to keep that small-city feel without the small-town mentality. “We wanted to play up the small-town feel but modernize our approach to it and get some modern amenities for our citizens who may never have experienced something like that, and for the other generations that are coming along, where green space and pocket parks is not a foreign language,” he says. Eventually, he plans to upgrade the city’s parks system, which includes the City Splash Pad Park and D.O Langston Park (in front of City Hall), maybe even hire a parks and recreation director. That upgrade will include more green space, more walking trails and replacing outdated equipment at the splash pad. “Half of the equipment at that park was there when I was a kid,” he says. “We haven’t replaced it because I think it’s an inefficient approach to just go in and say, ‘Hey this piece of equipment is old, let’s put another one in its spot,’ when we need to be looking at the park as a whole.” He says the city has the capital and the potential to do so much more now than it did four years ago due to better money management. “My saying has always been that I just want Ashville to be the best version of itself that it can be,” Mostella says. “I’m not here to dictate what that is, I’m here to make sure that we do so efficiently and that we do so together.”

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

A popular leader

What community has to say about Mostella

Mostella talks with city employees after a Council meeting

By Elaine Hobson Miller City employees say Mayor Derrick Mostella is easy to get along with, his wife’s Dad insists he’s a good son-in-law, and his mom describes him as having been “an awesome kid.” As for the people of Ashville, well, they elected him mayor for a second term in 2020. “He’s very professional, he’s an accountant, he has done an excellent job with city finances for sure,” says Councilwoman Sue Price. “He works very well with our employees. He has reclassified jobs so we could get them decent salaries that are competitive with other municipalities.” Price says police salaries, in particular, weren’t up to par with those of other municipalities the size of Ashville when Mostella took office. “We’ve all worked real hard to improve our city,” she says. “None of our employees made very good money when we were first elected in 2016. We’ve improved the city all the way around, due to his leadership. We all work really well together, too. We’re very pleased, and I think Ashville’s citizens are, too.” Chrystal St. John, Ashville’s city clerk, describes Mostella as “easy-going, very cooperative, very passionate about the city and the employees as well.” She says he wants Ashville to thrive and do well. “He takes pride in the city and gets along with everybody,” she says. Police Chief Ed Hampton says Mostella has a lot of fresh ideas, “a lot of new and good ideas,” and he’s thankful that the mayor appointed him as police chief. “I have enjoyed working with him; he is a good boss,” Chief Hampton says. “I hope to be able to work with him as long he’s here.”

Mostella’s father-in-law, Terry Minton, says race has been never an issue in his family. “He’s a good son-in-law,” Minton says. “He worked for me at various times, did a real good job, but he didn’t care much about it. He’s doing a great job as mayor, as far as I’m concerned, but I don’t get into politics.” “He’s very respectful, smart, just one in a million,” boasts Derrick’s mother, Belinda Mostella. “He had visions growing up that the average 30- or 40-year-old doesn’t have. I feel like he could have been a lawyer or anything he wanted to be.” Describing him as her “go-to son” of the four boys she birthed, she says he sometimes has to calm her down when she’s having a bad day. “He’s a family man, loves his kids,” she adds. “He has never been a party person. His four kids are A-students, too.” Children didn’t know how to accept Mostella when he was in kindergarten or first grade, and often Derrick didn’t know where the line was for him then, according to his mom. “Children would come up and ask whether he was Black or white, and that bothered him,” she says. “There weren’t a lot of biracial kids around here in the 1980s.” She says the Mostellas were always a very close-knit family, so he would talk to her and she would tell him that color has no barrier. “He was never treated any different by family because his color was a little lighter,” she says. “He was picked on by kids at school but not in our family. It bothers me sometimes when color comes into a situation because it should never be about color. When you have a family, you accept them for who they are. He has had to deal with a lot, but it has made him stronger.” l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

OUTDOORS

COME DISCOVER ST. CLAIR

Courtney Fernandez Petty, a professor at Jefferson State Community College, hiking with her dog, Rooney

FROM LAKES TO MOUNTAINS, OUR CORNER OF ALABAMA HAS NO SHORTAGE OF ADVENTURE

FIND YOUR PATH

NATURE GETS A BOOST FROM 2020

Camping on the trail with the Smith family

Story by Leigh Pritchett Submitted photos from Blair Goodgame and Don Smith Amid the uncertainty of 2020, something positive appears to have occurred: a reawakening to the great outdoors. The days, weeks, months of being confined and working or schooling remotely fed the desire to roam carefree in the wide open. The outdoors became a refuge – a convenient and affordable one at that. “There were so many unknowns about COVID-19 when it was first reported,” explained Don Smith, father of three children. “It seemed very contagious and the more populated, urbanized areas were having the highest outbreaks.

“When the lockdown in late March took place, my family and I decided we would focus our time outdoors, getting exercise, creating new memories instead of staying locked in our homes,” continued Smith, who is executive director of St. Clair County Economic Development Council (EDC). Every weekend that the weather cooperated, Smith, wife April and their family went hiking in and out of St. Clair or kayaking on Big Canoe Creek in Springville and Ashville. Blair Goodgame, the EDC’s tourism coordinator, can understand why. Enjoying nature and the outdoors helps to

relieve stress and gets people out of their homes “to refresh and rejuvenate.” Natural settings are not difficult to find and are basically free of charge, which is a plus for individuals and families whose income may have decreased during the pandemic. Settings close to home also became the destination of choice as vacation plans were put on hold during the summer. People took shorter trips instead and rediscovered what was in their community and county. “We’re seeing a resurgence of that,” Goodgame said. Smith, in fact, spoke of a camping trip his sons had right in their own

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

OUTDOORS neighborhood. People can enjoy the outdoors simply by strolling through their community or along city blocks, they both agreed. Valerie Painter, manager of Pell City Civic Center, said foot traffic was up not only in Lakeside Park, which features a mile-long walking trail, but also at the adjoining Pell City Sports Complex. “My husband walks out there (in the park) every day with our dog, and he has noticed an increase,” Painter said. She observed, as well, that people were renting pavilions and using the amenities of Lakeside Park later into 2020 than she has seen in previous years. Right up to the end of 2020, Lakeside Park was being used for exercising, playing, picnicking, gathering, ... “everything but swimming,” Painter said. The park appeared to serve as relief for “cabin fever,” and a solution for socialdistancing dilemmas. In October 2020, three weddings, some receptions and a large baptismal service were held at Lakeside Park. November’s tally included a wedding, four birthday parties and a baby shower. One family celebrated Thanksgiving there. The uptick in visitors going to natural settings apparently has grown common. Goodgame said that each time she went to Double Cove at Logan Martin Dam Park during the fall, she saw a greater number of people than usual. To Goodgame, this indicates a rediscovery of the outdoors, a new awareness of St. Clair’s assets, and a fresh vision of the possibilities they present. A case in point is open-air venues, such as St. Clair County Arena. Goodgame said open-air venues have become welcome alternatives for holding craft shows and other events. “This resurrection of the outdoors started even before COVID,” she noted. Prior to the pandemic slowdown that began in March 2020, boat traffic on lakes in the county had increased noticeably. People were taking advantage of opportunities close to home, she said. Those possibilities in St. Clair are growing in number and size. One wilderness area is under development and another wilderness area has been proposed. When completed in 2022, Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville will boast 28 miles of trails, Goodgame said.

Hiking is one of Blair Goodgame’s favorite activities.

Blair’s Favorites Blair Goodgame, tourism coordinator for St. Clair County Economic Development Council, is an avid hiker. She hikes frequently and enjoys helping others to get started in it. Here are her recommendations for where to hike in St. Clair County: • Double Cove at Logan Martin Dam Park and Ten Islands Park at Neely Henry Dam are both Alabama Power properties. These offer such amenities as hiking trails, pavilions, grills, beaches, piers, boat launch and picnic tables. Ten Island Park is also a great place for birdwatching. For more about these and other Alabama Power Preserves, visit apcshorelines.com. • Lakeside Park in Pell City is good for people who prefer a paved path. Even though the walking trail is inside a park, it borders the lake, features the wetlands overlook, native botanical species in a walking garden, plenty of wooded areas and waterfowl, giving you the feeling of being immersed in nature. • Numerous other locations in the county, such as Horse Pens 40, offer many possibilities for hiking, climbing, camping and various outdoor activities.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

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OUTDOORS The preserve is part of Alabama’s Forever Wild program. Another Forever Wild preserve has been proposed for the Ragland area. Goodgame said it would offer miles and miles of trails as well. St. Clair County’s numerous outlets for hiking, kayaking, boating, birding, climbing and camping draw a large number of visitors from outside the county, too. Interestingly, Goodgame said, the visitors are even finding places that have largely been well-kept secrets. Those secrets – along with the county’s assets, spaciousness and proximity to Birmingham and Atlanta – attracted scores of people to relocate to St. Clair in 2020 despite the pandemic, Goodgame said. This continues St. Clair County’s growing trend. According to recent population figures compiled by Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, St. Clair gained an estimated 858 residents in 2018-2019. Between 2010 and 2019, the county’s population increased by an estimated 6,162 people.

Horse Pens 40

Take a hike!

Hiking ranks high on Goodgame’s list of favorite outdoor activities. In fact, she spends two weekends a month hiking with her dog. One of her favorite hiking spots in St. Clair County is Double Cove at Logan Martin Dam Park. Another is Ten Islands Park at Neely Henry Dam. Goodgame includes Pell City’s Lakeside Park on her suggested list of hiking spots, saying it is ideal for people who prefer a paved path. Goodgame said the wetlands overlook, a project by Logan Martin Lake Protection Association, the botanical display of the Pell City Garden Club’s native plant garden, waterfowl and wildlife along the path make it a good place to walk and observe nature. Hiking and being outdoors can be particularly beneficial for children, she said, because the youth learn about plants, creatures, geography, geology and the world around them. The expanse overseen by Coosa Riverkeepers is one area of the county that she recommends for a nature “classroom.” The riverkeepers, she said, strive to document different species and to maintain a pristine environment. Camp Sumatanga features the Sumatanga Mountain Trail, which is a 2.4-mile, lightly-trafficked out-and-back trail near Gallant, north of Ashville. The trail is rated moderate and features a lake. It is mainly used for hiking and running and is open on weekends. Dogs are allowed on the trail, but they must be kept on a leash. Camp Sumatanga was founded in 1947 as part of a United Methodist camping ministry, according to its website. The original property consisted of 430 acres extending from the crest of Chandler Mountain down into the valley of Greasy Cove. Breathtaking vistas are part of its allure. Its name means: “… a place low enough for all

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

Kayaking with Don Smith

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Sumatanga

Smith family ready for a hike

Blair Goodgame’s dog at Double Cove 44

who have a mind to climb to reach its heights and yet high enough for all to catch a vision of higher heights.” Any hiking trail can be educational, as children look, for example, for bird holes in trees or count the different species of flowers, Goodgame said. Hiking is a source of fun, too. “You can plan scavenger hunts with (the children),” she said. Also, using a hiking app lets children keep up with where they are on the trail and to compete in challenges. Developing a love of and an appreciation for nature “is going to be better for our kids because they will be better guardians of our land later,” Goodgame said. “It gives us something positive to look forward to in the future.” One of the many benefits of hiking, Goodgame said, is that it gets adults and children away from computer screens, phones, television and other technological devices.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

OUTDOORS

Smith agreed wholeheartedly. “The great thing about hiking is it disconnects the family from electronics and allows for great conversation.” Time spent discovering new places, hiking and enjoying nature knits family members together and forms memories to cherish always, said Goodgame and Smith. “Hiking ... costs nothing to walk on a trail and enjoy fresh air, wildlife and natural views,” Smith said. “... Overnight camping can require some investment, but it can be done on a reasonable budget and includes a campfire and stories for free. Sleeping under the stars miles from civilization really helps you appreciate all that we have that makes our life easier. It’s good to be reminded of how far we have come and all the incredible things nature offers us.”

Trail Tips Blair Goodgame’s tips for a safe hiking trip • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • •

Have an emergency plan. Know how much you can handle in your backpack. Pack all the essentials, in addition to sunscreen, first-aid kit and headlamp. Take bottles of water and a water-purification device. Take a loud whistle. In case of emergency, the sound of a whistle will travel farther than a human voice can. Keep informed about the weather. Know what to do upon encountering wildlife. Research beforehand what wildlife might be in that area and learn how to defend against it. In St. Clair County, the list would include bears, coyotes, mountain lions and snakes, among others. Have a map and compass on longer hikes because cell phones may not have reception. Start small. Plan short hikes (an hour or less) in the beginning and build up to more intense ventures. Let slow hikers in the group set the pace for everyone. Remain together. Stay on the trail. Never veer off. Don’t be afraid to turn around and go back to the trailhead. Don’t push yourself to exhaustion. Take rest, snack and water breaks for children, pets and yourself. Stay well hydrated. Be mindful not to drop debris along trails, not even fruit peels. Clean up after pets. Make certain someone knows your plans (where you will be, how long you will be gone, etc.). Don’t hike alone. If planning to hike on private property, be certain to obtain permission beforehand from the property owner.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

Zeke behind the wheel of his top-of-the-line boat

OUTDOORS

GoingPro Zeke Gossett has a ‘big string’ of blessings Story by Paul South Submitted photos For most, in fishing terms, 2020 was an empty net, a snapped rod or a snarled line. But the past 12 months witnessed a string of blessings for Zeke Gossett. As a member of the Jacksonville State University Fishing Team, Gossett was one of the nation’s top collegiate anglers. Teamed with fellow Gamecock Lucas Smith, he was part of the Carhartt Bassmaster College Team of the Year. In December, he received his degree in Recreational Leadership with a minor in Coaching. He joined the B.A.S.S. Pro Tour. And best tidings of all, his parents, Curtis and Laura, are recovering from the coronavirus. “It was terrible,” Zeke told bassmaster.com about his parents’ illness. Curtis Gossett, who suffers from asthma, wound up on a ventilator. “One day, they tried to take the tube out, and it didn’t work. The next day, by the grace of God, his numbers went up to where he was strong enough to get the tube out. I just want to thank everyone for the prayers. Him and Mom are on the uptrend and doing a lot better.” ‘Gone fishing’ a way of life On a windless day in early December, Zeke was in a boat on Logan Martin, working his craft. Fishing was slow, perfect for a phone interview. He recounted his unusual, but magical year. Like many youngsters, his fishing journey began with his father, who also competed on the tournament trail. He was his coach at Pell City High School and now coaches at Briarwood. “He was always real patient with me,” Zeke said. “I loved spending time with him, of course. But fishing has always been a part of my life and our family’s life for sure.” He added, “Just having a dad that spent the time with me – junior fishing and high school fishing were just starting to become popular. I grew up in it. Doing it from a young age, I love the competition. No drug can get you as high as winning a tournament, big or small.” His parents have been with him on this journey to the professional

Zeke and Lucas, Bassmaster College Team of the Year

Years of experience on the water have paid off for Zeke and his teammates.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

OUTDOORS

Zeke’s career so far has been full of notable tournament wins.

ranks, particularly Curtis, who has spent “countless hours” and at every tournament, every weigh-in on the journey. “They’ve always supported me in my dream to become a professional angler,” Zeke said. “They’ve always wanted me to do this ever since I said I wanted to. They are definitely my biggest supporters, bar none, to this day.” He didn’t disappoint. Zeke captured 12 state titles between ages 11 and 18 on the way to becoming a high school All-American. In fact, he won the first two tournaments he ever fished as a junior angler (B.A.S.S. And FLW). As you can guess, he was hooked. At the collegiate level, Jacksonville State competed against SEC schools. There are no divisions, so schools compete against each other, regardless of size. “We fished against everybody. Auburn, Alabama, people like that,” he said. Competing first at Jefferson State, then for Jacksonville, his teams were nationally ranked four times in five years. Jacksonville’s best finish was 16th nationally. Zeke fished his first tournament as a pro in December 2020, finishing in the middle of the pack among some 170 anglers in the B.A.S.S. Open Series on Lay Lake. But he won’t officially join the tour until the 2021 season. He’s come up through the B.A.S.S. ranks, from juniors, to college and now to the pros, fishing lakes from Upstate New York to Florida. He will compete on the B.A.S.S. Pro Tour, and he laid out his reasons for joining B.A.S.S. “The people that work there, I love them to death. B.A.S.S. offers steppingstones from juniors to high school – then the college experience. Taking part in all they offer really taught me a lot – especially the college experience – I believe this is best way for an angler to learn. If you want to do this as a profession one day, that is the way to go.” He added, “I really feel like B.A.S.S. prepares you the best of any of the organizations, and I feel like sticking with them is the right choice. Their grassroots are here in Alabama.” After only one tournament, Zeke sees a difference between college and the pros. There’s a similarity between pro fishing and pro football. “It’s pretty much the same deal,” he explained. “Everybody’s bigger and faster. You can be pretty dominant in high school. In college, you’re fishing against your buddies. You get to kick around and stuff, and it’s a great time, and you don’t feel much pressure. When I sat down in the boat at the Open and I looked over, and Jason Christie is to my left, and he’s won about everything in the sport, and I look to my right, and there’s Scott Martin, who’s won about everything in the sport. The intensity level in a pro tournament is a lot higher than I expected it to be … The competitiveness of those tournaments is through the roof compared to where I’ve ever fished.” Even as a rookie on tour, Zeke has landed

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

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A quiet fishing spot along the shore

Zeke Shows off his boat and truck.

endorsement deals from Xpress Boats®, Woods Surfside Marina, Daiwa rods and reels, Vicious Fishing®, Elite Tungsten and LakeLife 24/7®, the creators of Discover magazine. Through it all, the Gossetts have been there. Professional fishing is a precision sport that in part requires competitors to consistently cast a lure in a spot the size of a paper cup and do it quietly without much splash. Zeke learned those techniques from his dad. Experience on the water and not losing heart when that big bass gets away are critical. As a high school senior, he fished 43 of 52 weekends. And as for the mental side, “When you lose a big fish in a tournament, don’t get down on yourself, that’s one of the biggest things you have to do when it comes to tournament fishing,” Zeke said. “That’s all between the ears.” That’s a lesson Zeke learned well. He knows vision and goals are critical to long-term success on the tour. What’s his vision for life on tour after five years on the water? “I’d love to see myself fishing the Bassmaster Elite Series. You can’t go any higher. I’d like to have won a tournament by then.” Even at 24, he knows how tough the waters of pro fishing can be. “They did a study and determined the odds of winning a B.A.S.S. tournament is .05 percent, once you hit the water,” Gossett said. “So, it’s really hard. But maybe I’ll have a couple of wins and maybe an Angler of the Year title. You got to shoot high for sure.”

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

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Zeke shows off a couple of great catches

OUTDOORS

Tips From a Pro Fishing Logan Martin, Neely Henry with Zeke Gossett Story by Paul South Submitted photos Alabama is an angler’s paradise. Just ask B.A.S.S. rookie Zeke Gossett. “That’s what’s so good about Alabama. It has so many different lakes,” Gossett said. “Guntersville has grass. Lake Martin has real deep water. “Logan Martin has dirty water and sharp points and rocks. It’s just so diverse. If I see something I need to work on – and there always is – you can fish 100 years and never learn everything.” Here’s Gossett’s take on each of St. Clair County’s lakes any time of year: Logan Martin “Logan Martin, I would say, is a much more structured lake. And what I mean by that, it has a lot of long gravel bars, a lot of humps, a lot of offshore structures. So, if you want to be successful on Logan Martin to catch fish, you really need to learn electronics and stuff. “As far as finding bait, there’s a lot more bait on Logan Martin. If I had to choose one bait to fish Logan Martin, it’d probably be like a crank bait, medium diver and a jig if you want to be successful year-round on Logan Martin. “As for the water, it always has a little bit of color to it. Another big thing – and this goes for both lakes – is current is a big deal, too, and what it does to those fish on both lakes, especially Logan Martin and how it sets up those offshore places is a big deal.” Trying to learn those offshore structures is key if you want to have success on Logan Martin. Neely Henry “I fish Neely Henry a lot different, even though they’re kind of set up the same. I think Neely Henry has a lot more stain to it. So, I typically fish year round, fish are always in five feet or less. You can catch fish in five feet or less on Neely Henry whether the water is 50 degrees or 98 degrees. “In my opinion, I think those fish like to stay shallow year round. You can win fishing the bank. If I had to choose a couple of baits to fish it year round, it’s a chatter bait and a jig as well. A lot more visual targets is what I fish on Neely Henry as well.” Gossett added, “If I had to give somebody advice, I would definitely stay shallow on Neely Henry and mid-depth (15 feet) on Logan Martin.”

Zeke knows exactly where to catch fish on the Coosa. On both lakes The water’s color – or stain – dictates how deep anglers should go. Neely Henry keeps a stain year round. The clearer water of Logan Martin means success in deeper waters. “Usually the more stained the water, the shallower I’m going to go,” Gossett said. “Fish are more apt to stay shallow if they don’t have that clear water. Most of these fish on the Coosa River, they want to be feeding on the bank most of the time, especially on Neely Henry.” Visual targets are important on both lakes, especially Neely Henry. As for the best times to fish, on Logan Martin, it is late March to early April. For Neely Henry, late February to early March are the best times for fun fishing. It comes as no surprise, but Gossett’s home waters on the Coosa lakes are his favorite. “I love the Coosa River just because I grew up on it,” Gossett said. “I love current when they’re moving water out of the dams and stuff, and I love to fish current breaks and current seams. I love Logan Martin the best. It’s my home lake. When they’re biting here, you can catch 70-80 fish a day.” But wherever you fish, an open mind is critical for any angler. “Don’t get locked into the same spots, like ‘Your grandfather fished this same spot for 30 years, and they bite on these certain days,’ because like everything else, the times change. Spots change. Stumps get washed away. Keeping an open mind all the time and trying to learn new techniques is a big thing, for sure.”

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

Tennis practice at Pell Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s courts

OUTDOORS

Tennis taken to new level PELL CITY INSTRUCTOR TRAINED WITH THE BEST OF THE BEST

Sarah Stewart, center, and some of her award-winning students

Story by Paul South Submitted photos It was a love match from the start between Pell City’s Sarah Stewart and tennis. At 11, dreams of becoming the next Billie Jean King, Chris Evert or Martina Navratilova would drive her to learn from some of the best teachers in the sport, Nick Bollettieri and Harry Hopman. Pete Sampras, Tracy Austin and Andre Agassi learned their game from Bollettieri, while Hopman schooled another generation of tennis greats – Australian standouts Rod Laver and John Newcombe and the American legend, John McEnroe. Stewart refined her game, often while Austin, Andrea Jaeger, Sampras and Agassi toiled nearby. While Stewart’s tennis odyssey wouldn’t take her to Centre Court at Wimbledon or to the finals at Forest Hills, she would go on to a standout collegiate career at LSU. And for the past 22 years, Stewart has built Pell City’s municipal tennis program into one of the best in Alabama, perhaps even in the Southeast.

In 2008 she was named Alabama’s Professional of the Year by the United States Tennis Association’s Alabama section. And the Logan Martin Tennis Association, of which Pell City is a part, has been named Association of the Year several times. Just announced is her election into the Alabama Tennis Hall of Fame for 2021. Combine Stewart’s background and passion for excellence with Pell City’s commitment to state-of the-art facilities, and this town of 13,796 has a Grand Slam feel when it comes to tennis. Stewart’s time at the Hopman and Bollettieri academies was transformative. “It changed my life,” Stewart said. “I can remember at 11 going to my Dad and saying, ‘I want to be a professional tennis player and for me to do that, I can’t stay in Anniston. I have to go somewhere to get the kind of training and attention I need. I was really blessed to have two parents that stood by me and knew that their 11-year-old was absolutely, 100 percent serious, that this is what I want to do.” At first, it wasn’t easy, homesickness flooded with tears marked her first week at Hopman’s.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

OUTDOORS Players get top-level training in Pell City

But that changed with a star sighting. “I can remember walking out on the practice court and Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger (both retired from the tour) were there.” Jaeger was a teacher there, along with her father, who coached Stewart, a self-described “student of the game.” “I knew everything there was to know about the pros that I would see on TV. When I walked out and saw (Jaeger), I already knew everything about her. After a week of being homesick and crying, I called home and said, ‘You’re not going to believe who I saw today and who I hit with today and who coached me today.’ A mindblowing experience for me.” She added, “You learn that there’s a whole other level. I thought I was an unbelievable tennis player. But you wake up with players from other countries who can’t speak English but can hit the ball 100 times harder and better

and smarter than you can. I definitely learned a work ethic, and I learned an appreciation for the game and for what I was lucky enough to be able to work towards.” Stewart returned home and graduated from the Donoho School in 1989. She earned a scholarship to LSU, where she played under recently retired Vanderbilt women’s tennis coach Geoff Macdonald, a former national coach of the year. In her sophomore season, she led the nation’s second-year collegians, losing just three matches in the calendar year. “The best four years of my life were there,” Stewart said of her time at LSU. “It was another step up in terms of commitment and dedication.” Stewart then went on to win small pro tournaments on the “satellite circuit.” But after the death of her father, she returned home. “I wouldn’t change anything, because that’s how I ended

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

up at Pell City had it not played out as it has.” Stewart built the Pell City tennis program from the ground up beginning in 1997. The city only had two courts, where she taught lessons, but without official title. She became tennis manager and pro in 1998. The tennis program has blossomed into one of Alabama’s best. In 2018, the city opened a new tennis facility with 10 lighted courts that are considered state of the art. Two courts have recently been resurfaced. An estimated 40 kids and some 90 adults participate in the Pell City program, numbers knocked down by the coronavirus. Some 25 to 30 kids have gone from the local program to compete at the collegiate level. Pell City has hosted United States Tennis Association junior tournaments at level three, a solid level of competition featuring players from across the Southeast. “It’s been a long time coming for our program and for the city, and I’m so excited for the people of our program that play and for our kids. The city and the city council and the city manager, Brian Muenger, have done amazing things to help our program.” She added, “It’s a continuous process of growing and staying on top of things.” As for the USTA events, Stewart said, “It’s great exposure for our program and for the city.” Stewart’s coaching philosophy is simple, crafted after seeing both the good, bad and ugly of the highly competitive world of junior tennis as a player and coach. “There’s definitely a fine line,” she said. “I’m the No. 1 proponent of ‘Let’s push your child to be the best they can be’ – to see that they can achieve the goals that they set out for and don’t accept anything less than their 100 percent commitment. But there is a line that you have to stand on and not cross. I learned that at a young age just from watching.” While tennis is considered by some to be a “country club sport,” it’s intense and competitive. And Stewart has set a championship standard. “As long as the kids, the parents and I are on the same page, good things are going to happen.” Stewart credits the success of the Pell City tennis program to the people in the program, some of whom have been there since the start. “It is a matter of who you put yourself around and who’s involved,” Stewart said. “Getting those people really involved is the reason that our program is where it is.”

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www.TheCMP.org 256.474.4408

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MARKSMANSHIP PARK

Aerial view of Pell City’s tennis courts DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

No shortage of mud at TOP Trails

OUTDOORS

Always something going on! CMP, TOP TRAILS, THE RIDGE AND MORE

The Ridge has great OHV trails for all levels of riding.

When it comes to heading outdoors for wideranging activities, St. Clair County sits in an ideal spot. Not only does the county boast hunting, fishing, kayaking, hiking, trail riding and a host of other outdoor offerings, it is centrally located near attractions just across the county line in Talladega County that fit just about any outdoor agenda. First stop is inside the county is at The Ridge in Springville, which now has over 35 miles of one-way OHV trails all marked by difficulty. The trails are tailored to motorcycles, four wheelers and side by sides. Plus, there’s more than 15 miles of motorcycle only single track. For years, The Ridge has attracted riders from all around the Southeast in search of a challenge. A one-mile plus motocross track with lots of elevation changes, natural terrain and plenty of jumps makes The Ridge the go-to place for yet another challenge. For the younger set, there is a kids only motocross

track, a pee-wee track just for beginners and another supercross/motocross track called Area 51. Want to spend more time there? No problem. The Ridge offers two cabins, five hotel rooms and plenty of primitive camping sites with fire pits complete with firewood provided. ATV and Side by Sides are available for rental. Want to go fishing? The campground has two stocked fishing ponds. But the offerings don’t stop there. The Ridge has a bathhouse with hot showers, a disc golf course, a 12,000 square foot clubhouse with a pro shop with bikes and gear for sale, five hotel rooms, a grill/ restaurant and a motorcycle/ATV repair shop. Events include Hare Scramble Races, Kids Motocross and trail running races. We also have ATV and Side by Side rentals! Kayaking is growing in popularity and so are Yak Tha Creek in Ashville and Big Canoe Creek Outfitters

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

OUTDOORS

Competitive M1 Garand shooting at CMP in Springville – both offering memorable ‘floats’ on Big Canoe Creek. Cycling has put St. Clair County on the map with its scenic vistas and winding roads, drawing thousands to the area each year. Cross the county line, and you’ll find an oasis for firearm enthusiasts at Civilian Marksmanship Park in Talladega. Open to the public year-round, CMP offers all kinds of opportunities to marksmen of all ages. This premier 500-acre facility features a 600-yard rifle range with targets at 200, 300 and 600 yards, a 100-yard multi-purpose range and a 50-yard pistol range. Add to that 15 action pistol bays and a trap field, 5-stand field and a 15-station sporting clays field. All are equipped with automated trap machines. Want to learn more? CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park offers weekly clinics, including basic pistol course, basic rifle class and an introduction to shotguns. each week to individuals. Clinics include: Basic Pistol Course, Basic Rifle Class and Introduction to Shotgun.

No membership is required. This is a public facility. Nearby to CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park find yet another outdoor experience thousands flock to each year – Top Trails – more than 100 miles of off road trails for quads, side-by-sides and single track bikes. In the foothills of Alabama’s highest point, Mt. Cheaha, Top Trails has quickly become a destination point for breathtaking views, challenging trails and an unparalleled outdoor experience. Top Trails has something for everybody. A full-service campground tops the list with water, sewer and power hook-ups along with an Environmental Center and shower house. From beginner to pro, Top Trails has it all, including a Kiddie Track, a 12-mile single track trail loop, archery ranges and primitive camping sites. They call it “2,800 acres of pure adventure and unrivaled fun,” and once you visit, you’ll understand why it has become a huge draw to riders throughout the region and around the Southeast.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2021

It’s easy to love the rain when you’re prepared for the storm. In Alabama, we love the rain. It gives us beautiful forests, a thriving agriculture and even helps power our hydro plants. But a thunderstorm is a different story, especially if the power goes out. Good thing Alabama Power is engineering and incorporating the latest technology to prevent outages and restore power faster than ever. As soon as it’s safe, our whole team works around the clock to get your lights back on. And we keep you informed about our progress. If you’ve got an outage, we’ve got you covered. Report online at AlabamaPower.com/reliable. Or call our 24/7 outage support line at 1-800-888-APCO (2726).

St. Clair, Alabama

Business Review

Butts To Go and Kitchen now share space on Alabama 34 62 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • Business Review • February & March 2021

Story by Leigh Pritchett Photos by Graham Hadley

Landmark Restaurants Kitchen and Butts to Go join forces; Wake Zone open for business

Last fall, lake life grew yummier in the Alabama 34 area when something monumental happened to three eateries. Two of the three decided to come together in one location in the Logan Martin Lake community. The partnership has produced more menu items and the promise of extra hours to enjoy them. The third one opened on the shores of the Coosa River right at the St. Clair-Talladega County line.

THE KITCHEN AND BUTTS TO GO

In October 2020, Butts to Go moved onto the property of The Kitchen, located at the intersection of Pine Harbor Road and Alabama 34. The two establishments officially combined culinary talents at 4 p.m. Oct. 29, said Wade Reich, who has owned and managed Butts to Go since 2009. The Kitchen and Butts to Go both are known for award-winning fare – The Kitchen for its breakfasts and steaks, and Butts to Go for anything that can be grilled or smoked. The Kitchen garnered mention in USA Today, and Butts to Go was featured in the foreign-based publications The Guardian and Toronto Star, as well as the book The South’s Best Butts: Pitmaster Secrets for Southern Barbecue Perfection. Kat Tucker, owner of The Kitchen for more than 20 years, said the partnership brings to one place the best breakfast in town and the best barbecue in town. Two of the dishes for which The Kitchen is known are Eggs Benedict and Home Fries. One regular customer describes Home Fries as, “Ecstacy! Thin-sliced potatoes fried to crispy perfection and dusted with delicious spices and herbs.” Tucker said her goal has always been to provide “the best food and the best service I can possibly give them.” The restaurant currently is open Tuesday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., then Saturday and Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. for breakfast only. The Kitchen’s hours may soon extend into the evening with a dinner menu that is yet to be decided, said Tucker and Reich.

Wake Zone has the perfect bar made from a ski boat.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • Business Review • February & March 2021 • 63

Business Review

Customers, some of whom have eaten at The Kitchen 20 years, might be heard saying, “I want my usual.” The staff know exactly what “the usual” is for each person. Regulars might even have their own personal coffee cup hanging on The Kitchen’s mug tree. “Our customers are the reason we are still in business,” Tucker said. “We focus on that. They are the purpose of our day.” Al Guido and wife Nancy were fans of The Kitchen even before they moved to Pell City 10 years ago from Beavercreek, Ohio. “It’s fun to go into a restaurant and sit down and tell her just two things about our order, and she knows everything else,” Guido said. Tucker, her staff and her food keep the Guidos coming back week after week. During the months of 2020 that the Guidos did not dine inside the restaurant, they ordered takeout or ate in the parking lot. “Whatever we’ve needed, she does,” Guido said. “She’s nice. ... We also enjoy supporting her business because of how she has supported community organizations, such as Tablescapes, Lakeside Hospice, Loaves & Fishes and Chapel in the Pines.” Jerry and Margie Argo of Pell City have gone to The Kitchen “virtually every day,” Tuesday through Sunday, for 10 years. They have missed eating breakfast there, maybe, 30 times. Tucker’s steak nights even influence when the Argos visit their grandchildren in Maryland and Montana. “My wife and I schedule our trips around her steak nights,” Argo said, estimating they have missed only three in a decade. The Guidos enjoy Tucker’s steak nights, too. “That’s another thing we look forward to in the summers.” Argo said he and his wife have been to 45 states and seven countries and find “the quality of (Kat’s) food can’t be beat, especially her coffee. ... Probably the best bacon I have ever eaten in my life.” When asked to give their reason for going to The Kitchen so often, customers are likely to say one word: “Kat.” David Smith of Alpine said that “Kat’s good food and her personality” keep him returning for breakfasts on weekends and cheeseburgers on weekdays. Before the partnership with Butts to Go, The Kitchen’s lunch menu included hamburgers, club sandwiches, salads and other items. Now, The Kitchen’s lunch menu encompasses everything Butts to Go was serving at the Texaco station where Butts to Go previously was based, said Tucker and Reich. A few examples are wings, baby back ribs, brisket, chicken, steaks and pulled pork seasoned with rubs and special sauces. Add to that, side selections.

Kitchen, Butts To Go, Wake Zone Kat Tucker, owner of The Kitchen

Wade Reich and Butts to Go staff at The Kitchen

64 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • Business Review • February & March 2021

Reich prepares specials for holidays and seafood gumbo in winter. He, too, holds steak nights. A long-time restauranteur from a family of restauranteurs, Reich has exercised his culinary know-how on two continents. “Their food is out of this world,” said one customer (name withheld by request). She said she gets food from Butts to Go probably 10 times a month. “He makes all different kinds of stuff from his world travels (that) he incorporates into his food. ... My brother will drive from Oneonta over here to get wings.” She added that Butts to Go caters special events at her church almost quarterly. Darryl Brewer of Pell City is a 10-year customer. Brewer, who is in corporate aviation, entrusts Butts to Go with catering Thanksgiving and Christmas luncheons for the Birmingham aviation community. That means “feeding probably 400 attendees to each luncheon,” he said. Brewer not only praises the food, but also said he enjoys Reich’s personality. “He’s never let me down in any way. ... Wade has gone as far as helping to serve when things get really hectic,” Brewer said. “... He goes way above and beyond for the customer. ... Everything I’ve ever asked for, he was able to accommodate.” Butts to Go continues to accept catering orders, call 205223-8165, as does Tucker, 205-362-2766. Tucker also bakes specialty cakes, a talent she developed 40 years ago while stationed abroad in the military. Reich started selling Boston butts and ribs on Memorial Day 2009 at the Texaco station he operated on Martin Street (U.S. 231) in Pell City. His barbecue business needed a name for advertising purposes and “Butts to Go” immediately came to mind. Reich cooked the meats outside the station to the delight of motorists, who got a whiff of barbecue as they passed. He relocated the business to The Kitchen after selling the station in June 2020. A second Butts to Go location is at Sweet Southern Market in Heflin, with the possibility of more sites through franchise opportunities.

Carving up the perfect brisket

Wade keeps watch over hams smoking at Christmas.

WAKE ZONE RESTAURANT AND MARINA

Wake Zone Restaurant and Marina opened Nov. 1, 2020, on the St. Clair County side of the Logan Martin Lake at Stemley Bridge. The family eatery serves lunch and dinner five days a week, plus breakfast on certain days. The restaurant is accessible by land or water. “Come up in a pontoon boat and have something to eat,” said Joe Pilato, one of the three people who brought Wake Zone to its fruition. The others in the trio are Mike McCullers and Joseph Pilato, who is Joe Pilato’s son. Winter hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday; 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Daily lunches feature Philly cheese steak, hamburgers, sandwiches, salads, wings, barbecue, onion rings and homestyle sides, for starters. The evening menu includes steaks, seafood and pork chops, among others. Children’s favorites are offered, too. Joe Pilato described the food as family cooking and says the caramel pie is “to die for.” The entrées, sides and desserts are the culinary work of McCullers, who has been in the restaurant business 32 years.

Wake Zone has plenty of seating space and a stage for music

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • Business Review • February & March 2021 • 65

Business Review He oversees operations of Wake Zone. Catering is available. (Call 659-658-6040.) Wake Zone also has a great staff, said McCullers and Joseph Pilato. When retired corporate pilot Joe Pilato saw the property formerly known as Surfside 6 was for sale five years ago, he bought it, knowing it would be a great location for a family restaurant. Joseph Pilato, a commercial pilot, now owns it. Joe Pilato said the property covers threeand-a-half acres and boasts 1,000 feet of waterfront. The restaurant’s hillside perch gives customers an expansive view of Logan Martin. Indoor diners enjoy a cozy stone fireplace, while outdoor patrons watch sunsets from a spacious deck shaded with sails. Seating in the dining room and on the deck is arranged for current distancing requirements. Joseph Pilato said the decor gives the feeling of being on the lake. “You aren’t really leaving the water. You’re just going inside.” The dining room’s nautical motif is accented by a water-blue floor and a 1984 Mastercraft “Stars and Stripes” ski boat that doubles as the cashier stand and mini-bar. The boat’s positioning makes it look like it is simply docked in the dining room, said Joseph Pilato, who collects “Stars and Stripes” ski boats. “We cut up one of (Joseph’s) good boats to do that bar,” Joe Pilato said. Reclaimed wood from the previous deck frames the mirror in the bar area and trims the fireplace. The Pilatos, McCullers and helper Isaiah Boyd made the dining tables of wood and concrete. They were built special because “we couldn’t find any that fit what we were trying to do,” Joseph Pilato said. Incorporated into the design of the restaurant building are eight shipping containers. Two shipping containers serve as the kitchen area; five will provide diningroom space, and one offers support, Joseph Pilato said. Bringing the property to its current state required four years of renovation and construction overseen by Joe Pilato. “It has come a long way,” Joseph Pilato said. Soon, six piers – each extending about 120 feet – are expected to be completed, with a goal of 15 piers altogether, Joe Pilato said. He said other projects may provide an arcade for children, more levels to the deck, boat launch and storage and camp sites. Live entertainment and dock-side order pickups may be in the works, too.

Kitchen, Butts To Go, Wake Zone

Wake Zone entrance next to Stemley Bridge on Alabama 34

Wake Zone outdoor deck overlooking the lake

66 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • Business Review • February & March 2021

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair â&#x20AC;¢ February & March 2021

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair â&#x20AC;¢ February & March 2021

Business Review

News in Brief

Joining Forces Northside Medical merges to form one of the largest Alabama primary-care groups New frontiers are nothing new to Northside Medical Associates. Since the day it was founded in 2001, the St. Clair County-based primary care group seems to have climbed aboard an upward trajectory that rarely showed signs of slowing. From three physicians that first year, it has grown to more than 150 care providers and staff in four medical offices. Headquartered in Pell City with an 80,000-square-foot campus with clinics in Moody, Springville and Trussville, Northside continued throughout the years to be on the cutting edge of new technology and services for its patients, including onsite laboratory, advanced imaging, urgent care and an in-house pharmacy. All along the way, it was guided by a single principle: Value-based health care for its patients. That goal has never wavered, said Northside CEO Dr. Rock Helms, it has been enhanced. In November, it merged with Birmingham Internal Medicine Associates as part of the Complete Health Group and is joined by Adamsville Family Practice, making it the largest primary care group in Alabama. Helms now serves as the group’s medical director for Alabama. “We intend to heal, honor and serve our community, both physically and emotionally, throughout their life,” Helms said. “Joining Complete Health allows us to provide the absolute best care to our patients. We serve our patients as friends and create long-lasting partnerships focused on well-being and quality of life.” Becoming a part of Complete Health gives Northside Medical additional resources to bolster the services it already provides as a private company. “We want to make the patient experience across the board better for everybody,” said Helms. Value-based, he explained, starts with Medicare, the highest risk group with the most needs. “It’s not just about the visit with the doctor, but prevention, whether they are a fall risk, or need the ability to have 24-hour access to care team members.” As an example, he talked of a patient with progressing Parkinson’s disease. They may not be able to get authorization for a lift chair at home or a power mobility device, like a wheelchair or scooter, because of the bureaucracy. This new approach cuts through all the red tape. The care team is assigned to this group of patients to prevent falls and bad outcomes and streamline the process for the patient. A value-based care team strives to “keep the patient healthy and out of the hospital and at home,” Helms said. On the hospital side, the care team follows the patient every step of the way. If the patient is hospitalized and develops complications requiring extended hospital stay and eventually skilled nursing, that transition time is critical, where consistency of care can deviate, causing a bad outcome.

Now, the care team will follow up while the patient is in the hospital and skilled nursing. “Primary care will know every step of the way,” Helms explained. “A lot of things can be prevented by good coordination of care. That’s the basic tenet.” Rather than “silos” of doctor, hospital and skilled nursing, the patient will have “one quarterback” all the time in contact with that patient, ensuring continuity and consistency of care. “It’s a worldwide Dr. Rock Helms movement,” Helms said. “Legislation is coming together along with technology with more knowledge among all the players. Working together, we can de-silo the case, and through primary care, is how it is going to be achieved.” To the care team, they are adding Medicare Services Representatives, who help patients navigate through Medicare Advantage opportunities, for instance. “They will be the point of contact for anything the patient may need,” Helms said. They will enlist the help of a broker to compare and assess Advantage plans to help patients choose the best plan for their situation. The transition should look seamless to the Northside patients but with access to improvements like response time to medical questions by phone or portal. “They will be able to more easily get what they need,” Helms said. The home care program will resume at Northside and in Birmingham, providing home visits for patients who cannot get in to see a doctor. It will further assist them with non-medical barriers to better health care as well. Demonstrating the vastness of the group’s reach in Alabama, it includes Northside’s four locations – Pell City, Moody, Springville and Trussville – Adamsville Family Medicine and Birmingham Internal Medicine’s One-Nineteen Health and Wellness. Florida-based Complete Health is looking at other markets in Georgia and North Carolina as well as new start-ups in the Birmingham Metro and merging with other practices in the Birmingham area.

72 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • Business Review • February & March 2021

Northside Pell City

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • Business Review • February & March 2021 • 73

Business Review

News in Brief

Heritage South

Recognized as a top credit union in state

Heritage South Credit Union, based in Sylacauga with branches throughout Talladega County, Moody in St. Clair and Alexander City in Tallapoosa, won 2019 Credit Union of the Year for the state of Alabama in the $100 million to $500 million in assets category. Because of COVID-19, the award has just now been presented. The award came from the League of Southeastern Credit Unions and Affiliates, which represents 333 credit unions in Alabama, Florida and Georgia with a combined total of more than $120 billion in assets and more than 10.3 million members. “This is a huge honor for all of us here at HSCU – for me, especially, as my focus since joining the company three years ago has been to get HSCU involved in the communities we serve by giving back,” said Marketing Director Kevin Whitman. “I am very proud of the 650+ volunteer hours our employees contributed to community service.” Employees have done everything from cleaning up streets in their communities to helping members learn how to build their credit. “We not only strive to be the best community partners we can be but to also be the best financial institution to our 14,000+ members by offering superb member service and all of the financial products and services that you can find at major national financial institutions,” Whitman said. “We could not have accomplished this honor without our incomparable leader and CEO Jamie Payton, who has been with HSCU for over 30 years.” The award is based on outstanding achievements in daily operations, financial strength and member outreach. Heritage

South is committed to its mission to “Help People Live Their Best Financial Lives.” The not-for-profit institution is “locally focused, providing the best in value for local residents and keeping the money here, not sending it to some investment banker on the other side of the country or the world, while staying involved in local community events.” Its outreach includes branches in local school systems, helping younger citizens learn the value of their financial health. It awards a scholarship each year to a deserving high school senior, and financial education in the community goes to those even younger through Kids’ Club, offering programs for youths up to age 18. Its charitable donations go to a variety of organizations, including the animal shelter and local food drives. Employees, officials say, are HSCU’s “greatest asset.” Together, they have 351 years of service to HSCU and in 2019, Credit Union Journal named Heritage South as one of the “Best Credit Unions To Work For.” Over 650 volunteer hours by employees have gone toward manning booths to promote financial education and getting involved in all kinds of events to benefit the communities they serve. Since opening in 1937 as the Avondale Mills Eva Jane Department Employees Federal Credit Union, it has grown significantly to more than 14,000 members in 13 Alabama counties who have made it their primary financial institution with $161 million in assets. Through it all, officials say, the aim has remained the same: Make all members feel like they are all part of “one big family.”

74 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • Business Review • February & March 2021

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