BY ANDREA BURROUGHS THE DEMOPOLIS TIMES
The river system in Demopolis is a vital part of the economy and the community. The river system carries heavy traffic between Mobile and Birmingham, is a popular boating and fishing spot, and is the location of several community events like Christmas on the River and Freedom on the River.
The Tombigbee is a tributary, a river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake, of the Mobile River and is approximately 200 miles long and crosses both Alabama and Mississippi. The river flows south and southeast for nearly 525 miles until it merges with the Alabama River. The two bodies of water come together to form the Mobile River about 45 miles north of Mobile.
The word “Tombigbee” comes
from the Choctaw language, specifically from “itumbi ikbi” which means “box maker.”
In the 19th century, the Tombigbee was important navigation to Aberdeen, MS, but after 1900 only the 185-mile stretch below Demopolis was still in use. Later in the 20th century, a series of 17 locks and dams were opened on the lower end of the Tombigbee and Black Warrior rivers, with the last one being completed in 1915. The dams provided a 426mile long and 9-foot deep channel that ran from Mobile to Port Birmingham.
By the late 1990s, many of the original locks and dams had been replaced ones implemented at Jackson, Demopolis, Oliver, Bankhead, and Warrior. Those dams are John. C Stennis Lock
and Dam at river mile 334.7, Tom Bevill Lock and Dam at mile 306.8, Howell Heflin Lock and Dam at mile 266.1, Demopolis Lock and Dam at mile 213.2, and the Coffeeville Lock and Dam at mile 116.6.
Today, the Tombigbee is a busy waterway year-round. Multiple barges go up and down the river each day, locals and visitors take their boats out to the various fishing and camping spots, and the river is home to three Demopolis city events; Christmas on the River, Freedom on the River, and Rumble on the River.
This river is an important and beloved part of Demopolis that is carefully maintained patrolled. It’s an area that brings people together from far and wide.
Spillway Falls Park is one of several locations in Marengo County that draws in tourists from all over. This park overlooks the Tombigbee River and the iconic falls are created by the Demopolis Lock and Dam.
Spillway Falls is a must see location for any birdwatchers, as Demopolis has a variety of bird species that may be difficult to spot elsewhere. Songbirds such as Hermit Thrushes, Orange-crowned Warblers, and Palm Warblers are common sites in the winter months.
Shorebirds such as gulls, herons, egrets, and white pelicans can be seen all along the river, and, in the case of pelicans, can be seen in large flocks over the
water or even downtown Demopolis. Other birds include Wild Turkeys, Barred Owls, Wood Storks, Double-crested Cormorants, Ospreys, and Bald Eagles. Another tourist attraction at Spillway Falls are the unique wooden sculptures around the park. Local wood carver Ed Davidson has created around 25 sculptures for the park including a 10-foot tall Bigfoot, a giant totem pole, and other carvings dotted around the park.
The Bigfoot statue was inspired by a park ranger’s love for the giant cryptid. Davison created the statue in 10 days with the help of James Smith, who served as Davison “support staff” by taking care of the saws, refueling and
some carving.
In a 2018 interview with the Demopolis Times, Davison said that his sculptures bring two things: people to the park and smiles on park-goers faces. “That’s the best part of it. Seeing how people react to these. I had no idea that there would be so much joy in a sculpture like that. And it’s brought more people down to the parks just do come down and look at things.”
Spillway Falls Park is a unique location that shows off just a few of the beautiful, natural areas of Marengo County. It is a must see place for bird lovers and families looking for a nice outing with the kids.
Kingfisher Bay Marina is another popular spot in Marengo County and along the Tombigbee River. The marina is located in Demopolis and sits at the 217 mile marker on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The entrance to the marina is on the north bank just past the Demopolis Yacht Basin.
Kingfisher Bay Marina applied for its permits in the first quarter of 2010, then construction began in November of that same year. The bulkhead was the first construction project that was started. Next the dock construction started and also a new travel lift pier was constructed. On July 15, 2010 we
put the first boats into the marina. The boater’s laundry and restroom/shower building were completed in September of 2010. This building also has a boater’s social area with wet bar on the top. It also has a flat screen tv, so that boaters may gather and watch ballgames and other events on tv together. The marina prides itself on having “first class, modern, and clean facilities” for all local residents and transient boaters. The marina is also home to Back Water Boat Rentals that opened in July 2021. Unique and luxury boats are available for rent for anyone who wants to a trip up or down the river. Owner
Clint Sumlin had always wanted to open a boat rental business in Demopolis, and he got his wish nearly two years ago. He enlisted his friends Jeb and Niki Bailey to help make that dream a reality. Back Water Boat Rentals offers people who don’t own boats the opportunity to spend and enjoy time on the river.
Whether you’re an avid boater or only take to the river every now and then, Kingfisher Bay Marina is a must visit location that can meet the needs of any client who comes through their doors.
Christmas on the River in Demopolis began 51 years ago in 1972. It began as an idea between Mem Webb and Barry Collins who wanted to something special that utilized the Tombigbee River.
The first time a Christmas on the River oat rolled down the Tombigbee River was Dec. 1, 1972. And every year since then, the river has seen a parade of lighted oats make its way downstream on the first weekend in December.
That first year was something special. It saw a lot of work from a lot of people, ultimately leading to the first ever Christmas on the
River, which featured Cornelia Wallace, then wife of former governor George Wallace, as the first Grand Marshal.
“After the first year or two, I could see that this thing could really bloom into a nice festival that could really last,” Webb said.
Since that first parade in 1972, COTR has become a staple event in Demopolis and it is the city’s biggest celebration of the year. COTR brings in visitors from all over who want to experience the event that helped make Demopolis a popular spot to visit. The event draws in thousands of people from as nearby as Linden
to as far away as Florida and Indianapolis.
The week-long event features music performances, a BBQ cook off, tours of Bluff Hall and Gaineswood, a Gala party at the Civic Center, and beautiful firework displays over the river to cap on the celebration.
COTR is a wonderful family friendly event that provides something for everyone to enjoy, from children to the elderly. COTR is an event that one must experience for themselves to understand why it is so beloved by locals and draws in thousands of visitors each year.
Demopolis is known for a lot of things, and one of those things is hosting events on the Tombigbee River. One its summer events is Rumble on the River that brings out boating fans of all ages. This is a two-day event of the Outboard Drag Boat Association. The speed boat races are held on the Tombigbee River with over 100 boats competing. The spec-
tators can enjoy the races from the banks of the Tombigbee at the Demopolis City Landing. There is also live entertainment, children’s activities and good food to enjoy. Each boat races in a different class and racers were divided into six classes: Pro Stock, Pro Mod, Unlimited, Lake Racer, River Racer, and V6 Pro. Each class has up to 10 boats that race
on an 800ft track and ran at over 100mph.
Rumble on the River brings out boating and racing enthusiasts and often draws a fairly large and diverse crowd to Demopolis. Last year’s event saw a large turnout for the event on both days, with visitors coming from as far away as Florida.
Freedom on the River is one of the many community celebrations held in Demopolis each year. This day-long event celebrates the Fourth of July, takes place on the Tombigbee River, and is a joint effort between the City of Demopolis and the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce.
The festival includes fireworks, food, vendors, and fun along the banks of the Tombigbee River at the Demopolis City Landing on Commissioners Avenue, which runs parallel to the Tombigbee River.
Activities begin with a Children’s Patriotic Parade where children are encouraged to enter all non-motorized types of childhood transportation — like strollers, bikes, wagons or skateboards — to compete for prizes for best decorations, creativity and the patriotic spirit. The Freedom Fireworks Extravaganza begins just after dark.
BY ANDREA BURROUGHS THE DEMOPOLIS TIMES
U.S. Highway 80 is the main road through Demopolis. It is a major highway that sees traffic from every direction and people from all over passing through. Some of Demopolis’ best restaurants and shops are on the highway and draws in locals and tourists alike.
U.S. Highway 80 stretches across Alabama for roughly 218.621 miles, and the entirety of U.S. 80 is called the Dixie Overland Highway. The Dixie Overland Highway was an auto trail (an informal network of marked routes in the US and Canada) that was originally developed as a cross country route from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. Highway 80 was created in 1925 that largely follows the DOH. This highway is also made up of several byways and scenic trails such as the Black Belt Nature and Heritage Trail, the Selma to Montgomery March National Historic Trail, and the Selma to Montgomery March Byway. U.S. Hwy. 80 is the main road through the Black Belt Region, and Demopolis is one of the four largest cities on the highway with the others being Selma, Tuskegee, and Montgomery.
The Highway 80 Songwriter’s Festival is an annual summer event in Demopolis that showcases local talent and provides a night of fun and good music. The festival was first held in 2013 and has been a popular staple in Marengo County ever since.
The Highway 80 Songwriter’s Festival was created through a partnership between the city of Demopolis, the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce, the Two Rivers Arts Council, the Meridian Mainstreet program and the Montgomery Institute of Meridi-
an.
The styles of music at the festival vary as much as the places the artists come from. In festivals past, rock, blues, folk, country and more genres have been performed over the years.
River. The Rooster Bridge is an iconic part of U.S. Highway 80. The bridge crosses over the Tombigbee River and connects Marengo County to Sumter County. Many people cross the bridge every day and never wonder if it holds any significance beyond allowing one to easily cross the river. But for the people in Demopolis, it is much more than just a bridge. It is the subject of the annual Rooster Day celebration that takes place in Demopolis every April. Rooster Day celebrates “The Great Rooster Auction of 1919” in which funds were raised
help build the bridge that exists today, although the modern day bridge has been rebuilt a few times over the years.
In 1919, the Dixie Overland Highway was near completion. This highway stretched from San Diego, California to Savannah, Georgia; with the only major waterway without an adequate bridge being the Tombigbee River in West Alabama. The people of Demopolis and Marengo County formed the Demopolis Road Committee to raise half of the funds needed to build the bridge. The other half of funds would come from the State
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of Alabama and Federal Funds.
The fundraiser was organized by Frank Inge Derby, Sr. of Sumter County. Donations from the Big Four were obtained - President Woodrow Wilson; Prime Minister David Lloyd George of
England; Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau of France; Prime Minister Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy.
The bridge opened in May 1925 and was named The Memorial Bridge, but locals always referred
to the bridge as Rooster Bridge. Thirty-five years later in 1959 the bridge was officially renamed “The Rooster Bridge” in honor of that 1919 auction and continues to be referred to as such today.
BY ANDREA BURROUGHS THE DEMOPOLIS TIMES
tricts are located along the highway as well in the Marengo County School District (Marengo High School, Sweet Water High School, and A.L. Johnson High School), and the Linden City Schools District (Linden Elementary, George P. Austin Middle School, and Linden
High School. In 2021, Gov. Kay Ivey broke ground for the proposed West Alabama Corridor project that will expand Highway 43 beginning in Thomasville and then leaving the route near Linden to join Alabama 96 all the way to Tuscaloosa.
U.S. Highway 43 is another main road through Marengo County that sees hundreds, if not thousands, of travelers every day. It has existed since 1934 and is a 410-mile long north-south U.S. Highway in Alabama and Tennessee, with the majority of the route being in Alabama. The route begins in Prichard in Mobile County and ends Columbia, Tennessee in Maury County. After reaching Columbia, Tennessee, the highway branches off into US 31 or US 412.
Highway 43 enters Marengo County at Dixons Mills where it intersects with SR 10. It con-
tinues north into Linden where is meets SR 69. The two highways merge together through Linden and briefly cross with SR 28. In Providence, the roads split and U.S. 43 goes west towards Demopolis where it eventually meets Highway 80.
North of Demopolis, the route follows a two lane road that goes through wooded areas and farmland until it crosses into Greene County. Highway 43 passes two community colleges in Coastal Alabama Community College in Thomasville and Wallace Community College Demopolis. Two school dis-
Charley Burl’s is a surprisingly busy coffee shop in Linden. It is located at 420 S Main St (also U.S. Highway 43) next to the Langley’s Shell station. At first glance, one would assume it is simply a plant nursery given all the green leaves and bright, blooming flowers out front. But it is a hidden gem in Marengo County that most travelers would pass by without a second thought. Charley Burl’s provides gift items, seasoned plants, frappes, smoothies, and “the best coffee.” Owner Charlotte Barkley is proud of the business she has created.
Charley Burl’s has been in operation for the last ten years and Barkley said it had always been a dream of hers to have a small business to interact with people. The name of the business came from Barkley’s father always calling her “Charley” and her brother calling her “Burl.” The name stuck and became the business that it is today.
One thing that makes this road-
side coffee shop unique are the events Barkley hosts for children. Earlier this year in February, Barkley hosted a group of children who liked make crafts and bake. She called the event “For the Love of Children.”
“Children are our future. We should make every effort to love
them, encourage them, and let them know how valuable they are,” said Barkley. “We should do our best to teach them. Today’s children are our future doctors, nurses, business owners, farmers, and scientists. We all need to keep them encouraged and moving forward.”
In March, Charley Burl’s hosted author Keri Payne who wrote the children’s book Phyllis the Flamingo that follows a flamingo “who meets new friends and teaches others to make the best out of a negative situation.” In April, Barkley hosted another group of children who came for photos with the Easter Bunny.
Barkley is proud of what she, her family, and friends have been able to accomplish with the shop in the ten years it has been open. She has met a variety of people who all brighten her day with a visit.
“We have been very blessed to be here and serve the precious people who stop by,” said Barkley.
Another big-time Christmas party that goes on in Marengo County is held in Linden every December. Chilly Fest is Linden’s big holiday celebration just like Christmas on River celebrates the big holiday in Demopolis. This annual celebration attracts people from all over Marengo County and people from the surrounding area.
The two-day festival grew out the annual Christmas Parade of Lights. Now the event features a Christmas Carnival, live entertainment, a firework show, and a chili cook off.
The 2022 celebration saw a huge crowd descend on Linden to take part in the festivities. The cel-
ebration is a joint effort between the City of Linden and the Chilly Fest Committee who strive to make the celebration as memorable as possible. The celebration provides lots of entertainment for children and adults alike with performances, breakfast and photo ops with the Grinch, and of course the Chilly Cook Off and judging.
The night then ends with the Christmas Parade of Lights and fireworks that follow soon after. Last year’s parade featured at least 40 floats, three marching bands, and organizations both within and outside of Linden.
The Jefferson Country Store is a unique location in Marengo County. It is located on County Road 11 away from the hustle and bustle of busy highways like in Demopolis. But that doesn’t stop people from dropping in on owners Betsy Compton Luker and her husband Tony Luker. The old time general store sees a steady flow of customers from locals, to truck drivers, to visitors from as far away as England and France.
The Jefferson Country Store was built in 1957 and has been serving the tiny Jefferson community for over 60 years. The store has also been managed by the Compton family for all these years. In 2013, Betsy and Tony took over the store after Betsy’s aunt retired from managing the popular stop on the backroad.
“We opened up and didn’t really know what to think. Neither one of us
really had any restaurant or store experience. We just started on a whim,” said Tony Luker.
Stepping inside the store almost like stepping back in time. One can find vintage items like old records, an old fashioned cash register, and dispenser machines. Food items that most places don’t sell any more like rag bologna or hoop cheese. Banners and posters from all over cover the ceilings and walls along with autographed pictures from celebrities.
The menu is full of delicious items to try like old fashioned hamburgers and cheeseburgers, chicken salad, BBQ such as ribs, chopped pork and leg quarters, and thick fried bologna sandwiches. The store even has its own BBQ sauce called Sa’rday sauce that came about from the Lukers testing recipes until they found one they liked and Betsy
named. So just like it’s written on the bottle, “It isn’t as fancy as it sounds.”
Tony Luker said that when people come inside to sit an eat, the table layout is meant to encourage talking face to face with the person next to them rather than looking at a cell phone or tablet the entire time.
“We’ve kept the tables close to
each other and don’t really have satellite or anything because we want people to talk to each other. We want them to talk and enjoy themselves while getting away from the hustle and bustle,” said Luker.
Luker said that what makes the Jefferson Country Store special is its uniqueness.
“Our place is laid back and
people can come here and get a good meal. They can look around at all our vintage things and go down memory lane,” said Luker. “If they’re having a bad day they can come out here and put all their problems away for a while and then leave happy.”
Sumter Timber was started in 1984 by Roy Geiger and JC McElroy as a short wood supplier to James River paper mill in Pennington Alabama. Started with contract short wood crews. Started company run tree length logging crews in the late 1980’s. Started a mechanical site prep division in the early 1990’s to assist land owners in preparing cutover land to be replanted.
Sumter Timber offers a wide range of services to meet all forestry needs; timber buying, logging, site prep, forest management, and tree planting. Their professional staff of foresters and PLM certified loggers are ready to assist you in obtaining the greatest return from your forest investment.
Sumter Timber currently employs around 60 directly and provide jobs to 140 people in Marengo and surrounding counties with a procurement arm and large log supplier to Two Rivers Lumber Company.
Sumter Timber is located in the “wood basket of the south” and continues to be a supplier of raw materials for many of the wood consuming mills within the surrounding area. Sumter Timber’s team of foresters in West Alabama and East Mississippi have numerous
years of experience in buying, selling, and supplying forest products to pulp and paper mills, pine pole facilities, and hardwood lumber mills. Sumter Timber Company, LLC continues to supply these facilities through the purchase of pine plantations and stands of both natural pine or hardwood timber as well as cedar.
Logging is another service provided by Sumter Timber. They offer a wide variety of logging techniques designed to accommodate the ever-changing timber market. From pine plantation first thinning and understory removal to harvesting in mature timber stands and salvage cuts. Sumter Timber Company, LLC ensures a “job well done” by using the latest equipment. Crew foremen
who are certified have completed the Professional Logging Manager (PLM) training courses.
Sumter Timber also maintains a fleet of trucks, trailers, and chip vans (lightweight aluminum and live bottom trailers) which are capable of hauling most types of forest products.
Sumter Timber’s key to success with its new tree seedlings is site preparation prior to reforestation. The benefits of such an investment offer earlier and greater rewards. Sumter Timber offers a variety of mechanical site preparation techniques to assist landowners and provide maximum returns from timber growth.
Tree planting is another service provided by Sumter Timber. They offer reforestation services and methods as well as a wide variety of pine and hardwood seedlings. They use both machine and manual hand planting crews that allows Sumter Timber to plant genetically improved loblolly pines in addition to an assortment of hardwood tree seedlings- including but not limited to cherrybark and water oaks for timber production and sawtooth oaks and certain fruit and flowering trees for wildlife enhancement.
