The Madison Record - April 24, 2024

Bob Jones sweeps rival Jets to march into playoffs as top dog

Both Madison teams to enter first round of state playoffs this week By

- It was the same song on a different day as Bob Jones took down James Clemens on the road 6-1 to win the Area title this past weekend. Bob Jones Baseball is now 20-4 in the past eight seasons against their cross-town rival in Jet blue.

James Clemens had its chances, but the Patriots always seemed to make one more play to shut down scoring opportunities.

MADISON - The Big Ol’ Ballpark Fair makes its return to Toyota Field from Thursday, April 25 through Sunday, May 5. It will mark the fifth consecutive year that Toyota Field has teamed up with Kissel Entertainment for the event.

“It meant a lot,” Hermesch said as he stood in the outfield of The Jets Plex fresh off the win.

Bob Jones turned to a solid effort on the mound from Tanner Hermesch who went the distance for his team allowing just one run with six strikeouts in the Game 2 victory.

“We always seem to finish it off here. This is the one that solidifies it and it means a lot.” There was some bad blood in this second game of the series, but that was to be expected when these two foes lock horns. Most of the frustration was just JC trying in vain to break through and Bob Jones moving the proverbial carrot over

For the first time in team history, the first four days of the fair will align with Rocket City Trash Pandas home games. Fans who purchase a ticket to one of those games from Thursday, April 25 to Sunday, April 29 will receive free adission to the fair on the day of the game. The Fair will open at 4 p.m. on weeknights and 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and nightly specials return such as Mommy Monday, free admission for students on Tuesday, and Buy One, Get One Free Ride Armbands on Wednesday. Big Ol’ Ballpark Fair features 30 rides and numerous games and activities in and around Toyota Field, plus free entertainment with admission. New for this year will be the Dominguez Circus, a 3rd and 4th generation circus family who appeared on America’s Got Talent. Alongside the circus, the sea lion splash show returns to the Fair. Parking will be $10 throughout the entirety of the event. Fans will not be allowed to enter Toyota Field with food and beverage from the Fair.

Discounted ride wristbands are available in advance if you purchase them on or before Wednesday, April 24 at midnight. For more information on the Fair, combo tickets and specials, fans can visit kisselentertainment.com.

The Patriots celebrate their win over cross-city rival James Clemens to win the area title.

Both Madison teams faced each other before entering the first round of state playoffs this week.

Asbury Car &

By GREGG PARKER gregg@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON – Without a doubt, pride of ownership will shine in the impressive entries in the 2024 Asbury Car & Bike Show.

Along with sedans, coupes and trucks, the line-up will feature motorcycles, hot rods, cruisers, pick-ups, hogs, vintage beauties and exotic imports. Displaying a vehicle is easy because owners can enter on the day of the event –free of charge and no pre-registration is required.

Asbury Church, 980 Hughes Road in Madison is hosting the show on April 27 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the north parking lot. Rain date will be May 4. Owners can arrive at 8 a.m. to enter a vehicle on ‘show day’ before the event opens at 9 a.m.

Whether showing a car

Bike

or browsing the collection, guests can enjoy a fun day . . . and don’t forget the free hotdogs! Generous sponsors and volunteers for the event have helped in providing trophies for the winners and giveaway prizes to the audience.

Organizers urge residents to bring the entire family for free fun outdoors. Volunteers can help with the show by signing up at asburycarshow.com.

Judges will vote on top entries from 10 to 11 a.m. Awarding of trophies will start at noon.

Competition categories

span the decades for American and Import vintage, antique and modern rides, along with “Best Truck” or “Best Bike.” And the much anticipated winners for “Dog of the Show” that recognizes a clunker that arrives on its own power but needs some

Show set to impress on April 27

tender, loving care; “Mayor’s Award” and “Best in Show.”

Sponsorship costs return to support ministries of Asbury Church, including local partnerships with organizations that serve the vulnerable in the community. Outreach ventures include free oil changes, food, school supplies, Kids Camp and orphan care.

For more information, especially about entering the show or serving as a sponsor, visit asburycarshow.com or weareasbury.com.

Options for Sunday worship at Asbury Church in Madison include Contemporary Worship at 9 and 10:30 a.m. in Building 4, Worship Center, and Traditional Worship at 9 and 10:30 a.m. in Building 2, Sanctuary. Asbury Church also has a location in Harvest at 8089 Wall Triana with Sunday worship at 10 a.m. in the Worship Center.

Bill would put deadlines on open records requests

By STAFF REPORTS staff@themadisonrecord.com

The Issue: Legislation that passed the state Senate this week and now awaits action in the state House would hopefully deter state and local government bodies from stalling open records requests.

On paper, the state of Alabama has one of the most expansive open records laws in the nation. It says any citizen has the right to inspect and take copies of public writings, except for those exempted by law.

But in practice, Alabama’s law is one of the worst, because it’s essentially toothless.

State and local agencies can stall requests for information almost indefinitely, and ultimately members of the public and news organizations — usually the latter — have to sue in order to gain access to records that are supposed to be public as a matter of law.

That’s because Alabama’s current open records law doesn’t say when public agencies have to respond.

“It takes an average of 188 days for state agencies to respond to open records requests, according to MuckRock, a nonprofit organization that focuses on open government,” reports the nonprofit news and politics site Alabama Reflector. “The organization says there is only a 16.29% success rate for obtaining public records.”

In other words, the attitude of most state and local government bodies is, “Sure, you can have what you want, when we get around to it.”

It’s no wonder, then, that according

to Al.com, “a 2019 study by a researcher at the University of Arizona ranked Alabama last among states in responsiveness to requests for records.”

But a bill filed by state Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, which last week passed the state Senate unanimously, would change that.

“The legislation would require a public records officer to acknowledge the receipt of a simple request within 10 days and then ‘provide a substantive response’ to the request within 15 additional business days,” according to The Associated Press summary, “Public entities would be given more time to respond to requests that would require more than eight hours of work to fulfill.”

A request would be presumed denied if there is no response within 30 business days or 60 calendar days, although agencies could get extensions for time-intensive requests, provided they provide written notification to the requester. Afterward, a denied party could file suit.

“This bill establishes timelines and creates a framework for the public to make requests for public records. It also provides guidelines for the custodians of records in fulfilling the requests,” Felicia Mason, executive director of the Alabama Press Association, wrote in an email to The AP.

Unfortunately, filing suit is still the only enforcement mechanism under the bill. Previous legislation that Orr sponsored unsuccessfully would have created a board to deal with denied requests without forcing those denied to resort to

Liberty Math Team takes first-place in State MathCounts competition

By GREGG PARKER gregg@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON – Facing the top teams and individuals from across Alabama, Liberty Math Team claimed first place in both team and individual scores at State MathCounts competition at the University of Mobile.

Jeffrey Duan, eighth-grader at Liberty Middle School, ranked in first place individually. Duan had the highest scores in Sprint and Target rounds and will compete at Nationals.

A national competition, MathCounts is open to students in grades 6-8 in four levels of competition: School, Chapter, State and National. Liberty had more than 80 students competing at the School level. Approximately 40 students from across Alabama competed at the State level.

Liberty Math Team includes eighth-graders Jeffrey Duan, Kriti Akarapu and Eddie Wen and seventh-grader Joseph Lee. These students won first place at the Chapter and State levels.

Coaches are Lory Schieler and Billie Wilhelm. Schieler teaches geometry with data analysis, honors and accelerated eighth-grade mathematics. Wilhelm teaches seventh-grade honors mathematics and sixth- and seventh-grade Math Team.

“The top 12 students competed in February at the Chapter competition against other schools from North Alabama. The top two teams, Liberty and Discovery middle schools, competed at the State level on March 23,” Wilhelm said.

At the state competition, the students competed in four rounds:

• Sprint -- Focused on speed and accuracy. Students had 40 minutes to complete 30 math problems without calculators.

• Target – Emphasizing problem-solving and mathematical reasoning. Students received four pairs of problems and had six minutes for each pair. Calculators allowed.

• Team – Concentrating on prob-

lem-solving and collaboration for a team to complete 10 problems in 20 minutes. Eight students with the highest, combined Sprint and Target scores competed in the Countdown round.

• Countdown – Focused on speed and accuracy. Students have 45 seconds maximum per problem without calculators. Students buzzed in to answer questions before opponents. Jeffrey Duan and Eddie Wen qualified for Countdown. The top four students from the State competition will compete at Nationals in Washington D.C. on May 11-13 with 244 students attending. Alabama’s team includes Jeffrey Duan from Liberty; Abigail Li, Pizitz Middle School; Alex Zhu, Northridge Middle School; and

For the third time, Wilhelm will coach the Alabama team for Nationals, because tradition calls for the winning team’s coach to lead.

“I am very proud of the hard work of these students. They dedicate many hours to learning new math skills and (can) apply that knowledge to compete against other top-notch students from across the state,” Wilhelm said. “It’s great to see students excited about math.”

Liberty Math Team usually enters seven competitions each year. Their contests typically include Muscle Shoals, one in the Birmingham area, Huntsville and MathCounts national competition.

James Clemens football team to host mattress sale this Sunday

By BOB LABBE bob@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON - Get a good night’s sleep compliments of the James Clemens High football team. That’s the goal of the Jets as they are hosting their 12th annual Mattress Sale on Sunday, April 28.

A high-quality set of bedding is what the high school student-athletes are hoping each buyer receives on their way to a better, restful night’s sleep. Sunday’s sale will be held 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. inside the

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Several graphics with QR codes directed parents to the HEALS website and Regensburger’s videos, along with promoting her donation drive. Regensburger visited the HEALS clinic four times for video footage. With the footage, Regensburger made three informational videos for potential patients and parents – a virtual tour of the mobile clinic and two interviews with HEALS staff and patients. She hosted a donation drive at two schools and her dance studio, along with posting 75 fliers at James Clemens High

school’s cafeteria area and professionally hosted by Charlie Colwell of Customs Fundraising Solutions. “We have salespeople who are experts and can help customers find the right fit for them,” said Chad McGehee, head coach of the James Clemens football team. “The cafeteria is set up just like any mattress store you can walk into as we have many mattress options on the floor.”

“All the money raised from the sale will go towards renovations and upgrades for the school’s athletic field house,”

School, Liberty Middle School and The Dance Company. “Once the drive was over, I took all the supplies to my house and sorted -- over 580 items!” Regensburger said. “I met with the MCS tech team and my Project Advisor Lee Shaw. They agreed to post fliers on MCS’ website and put my project in MCS Weekly Update.” “I want to go into the medical field so this project aligned perfectly. I believe every child should have access to a doctor and dentist. I’m so glad that I got to make this possible for more children in MCS,” Regens-

said Chad McGehee head coach of the Jets. “Every purchase goes toward supporting our football team with equipment and upgrading facilities.” Custom Fundraising Solutions of Alabama will handle the inventory and actual sale of merchandise and all offers are guaranteed. A professional crew will be on hand in the makeshift showroom of the school cafeteria to assist on selections of bedding. In addition to mattresses in all different styles, sizes and firmness, the sale will also include luxury pillows and mattress

burger said. “My project benefited parents, HEALS staff, school staffs and school nurses, and HEALS acquired more patients,” Regensburger said. “When I started, the clinic had only seen three patients in two months; in four months during my project, HEALS saw over 50 patients.”

pads. The brands of mattresses available will include Simmons, Beautyrest and Therapedic among others.

“The prices offered are 30-40-percent less than retail and all mattresses come with a full comfort guarantee and factory warranty,” added McGehee.

In Girl Scout Troop 926, Regensburger praised “my wonderful leaders Jean Downs and Andrea Johnson. Jean has done a fantastic job leading our group; I’ve learned so much from her. She has taught us (about) leadership, communica-

Once the customer decides their choice of bedding, they place their order and the goods are shipped directly to the customer’s front door.

“We have many satisfied customers. In fact, I’ve never heard a complaint,” added McGehee.

Because Custom Fundraising Solutions has very little overhead of operating the sale, that fact allows sales 30-40-percent under retail prices. In the 11 years the football program has hosted the event, $67-thousand has been made from the sales, all of which has gone straight to the football portion of athletics at the Class 7A school. McGehee’s message about the event included, “We ask everyone to come and support athletes. We’re not selling something people don’t need.”

tion and what a heart for serving can accomplish,” Regensburger said.

In her troop, Finley Koswoski helped tremendously. Others supporters were HEALS employee Sandra Diaz, The Dance Company Inc., Terrie Regensburger, Ryan Regensburger, Blake Regensburger, Patricia Collins, James Clemens HOSA club and residents who donated. A senior at James Clemens High School, Regensburger participates in National Honor Society, HOSA and national honor societies for science, French

and technology. She is a member of James Clemens Medical Academy. Regensburger has studied for 14 years at The Dance Company. Devotion to reading lets her “enter a different world.” This fall, she will major in nursing at the University of South Alabama. Regensburger has been accepted into Honors College and Early Acceptance Nursing School. Her parents are Ryan Regensburger, a software engineer, and Terrie Regensburger, apparel designer and volunteer in PTA and Band Boosters.

Henry Gladden, St. Paul’s Episcopal School.

Eddie Wen, from left, Jeffrey Duan, Joseph Lee and Kriti Akarapu in Liberty Math Team won first place in State MathCounts competition. Duan was the top individual player.

LIVING

Rocket City Novas

a new space-themed dance krewe, sashay into town

By GREGG PARKER gregg@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON – What are silver, from skirts to shifts, with striking contrasts of blue, specifically in hairstyles as they joyfully march down the street? They’re the newest dance krewe, Rocket City Novas.

Rocket City Novas “celebrates the joy of movement, power of creativity and spirit of community. We look forward to performing at local events and fundraisers, as well as dancing in holiday parades for Madison, Huntsville and beyond,” Novas Co-Director Carly Jordan said. Allie Barron and Starlit Shero are also Co-Directors.

The group’s concept began in November 2023 in a casual conversation and became reality in March 2024. “A group of dance friends came together and bonded over their love of ‘all things nerdy.’ It was clear that a spacethemed dance krewe was needed in town,” Jordan said.

Deciding on the group’s name involved “fun but rigorous three full days of going over every space and sci-fi name” to pair with ‘Rocket City.’ “We kept it simple,” Jordan said.

Currently, the area has five krewes . . . “each with its own flair and personality,” Jordan said. “We were grateful to receive guidance from Jenn Besaw, Vice President of The Cotton Candies, to formulate our leadership style, by-laws and hear what 10-year staying power looks and feels like.”

“It feels amazing to support the

other krewes and encourage our growing parade community to possibly one day mirror enthusiasm and size of a Mobile or New Orleans Mardi Gras,” Jordan said.

For its diverse group, Novas welcome women older than 25 years who enjoy dancing. Members should embrace the team’s pillars: teamwork, dance and fun. Choreographers excel in differing routines, including hiphop, cheerleading, Broadway and marching krewe themes. “Whether it’s drizzle, sleet or sunshine, you’ll find our krewe practicing on Sunday afternoons in one of the many wide-open green spaces or walking tracks around town,” Jordan said.

Rocket City Novas have curated a diverse playlist with lyrics about aliens, the galaxy, robots and more. Charter members polled friends and family for feedback on songs that ‘pump them up’ in parades. Their parade routines must accommodate quick/slow pace,

level/uphill routes . . . even potholes. However, Novas respond with simple legwork but dramatic, exaggerated arm movements and gestures.

Their parade season opens with Christmas, then Mardi Gras and ends with St. Patrick’s Day. For their inaugural year in 2024, the Novas have accepted an invitation to parade at Madison Street Festival on Oct. 5.

“We’ll perfect our performance piece in June, so we’re looking for event opportunities to entertain the town as early as July,” Jordan said.

Novas will host a “Mission Mixer” at Lipz Lounge, 2610 Clinton Ave. W. in Huntsville on May 5 from 4 to 6 p.m. “We’re inviting all prospective members to attend, hear about our requirements and apply for the recruitment process,” Jordan said.

For more information, email rocketcitynovas@gmail.com or visit Facebook/Rocket City Novas and Messenger, or Instagram @rocket_city_novas.

By GREGG PARKER gregg@themadisonrecord.com

HUNTSVILLE – Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater & Academy will soon launch the world premiere production, “Space Monkeys! The Adventures of Baker & Able.” Artistic Director Stephen Tyler Davis wrote and directed “Space Monkeys!,” which will round out Fantasy Playhouse’s all-original season.

“This fresh new script is fun, the history is true, and the cast is huge with 50-plus actors at Von Braun Center Playhouse, 700 Monroe St. SW.,” Emily Rodrick said. Rodrick is Marketing/Public Relations Manager for Fantasy Playhouse. Key cast members include Lydia Gray (Miss Baker) and Rachel Maxwell (Able). Several cast members are in “Squad Secret Society of the Rocket City Junior Space Enthusiasts and Future Astronauts of America” or SPAMO for short: Naomi Coleman (Avi), Emma Soto (Jo), Emma Jean Lowder (Norah), Eden Hashman (Toad), Bradley Sabatini (Skip) and Emma Rose Berry (Barney).

The show’s plot involves five kids in Huntsville who convene every full moon for their secret space society. This month, they seek to induct a new member. However, the inductee has never heard of America’s infamous “Space Monkeys,” so the five embark on sharing the 65-year-old

courageous story.

“In 1959, two brave monkeys – Baker and Able -- lead the charge for space exploration. Buckle up and hold on tight for an adventure of galactic magnitude. A story of friendship, bravery, sacrifice and dreaming big, this world-premiere play will inspire all ages,” Rodrick said.

The Boeing Company is the sponsor for “Space Monkeys!”

Show times will be May 9 and May 10 (which is Fantasy Playhouse Alumni Night) at 7 p.m. Shows on May 11 and May 12 will be 1 and 6 p.m. In addition, a sensory-friendly performance will be presented on May 11 at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults and $17 for 17-yearolds and younger; children younger than two years old will be admitted free if they lap sit. Guests should get a lap-seat ticket at the Box Office before the performance. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater and Academy provides theatre-arts access that reaches 31,000plus residents annually, including 21,000 youth.

Core programs include live children’s theatre productions, classes, camps, workshops and educational outreach with after-school classes and in-school touring programs.

For more information, call 256-539-6829 or visit fantasyplayhouse.org.

FRI,MAY3,202412NOON 1480PerimeterPkwy

Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater & Academy will present “Space Monkeys! The Adventures of Baker & Able” at the Von Braun Center Playhouse on May 9-10 at 7 p.m., May 11-12 at 1 and 6 p.m., along with a sensory-friendly performance on May 11 at 10 a.m. Actors in the SPAMO segment include Emma Jean Lowder, from left, Emma Soto, Naomi Coleman, Emma Rose Berry and Bradley Sabatini. Photo by Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater & Academy

Currently blasting off to street scenes, Rocket City Novas is the area’s newest dance krewe and have adopted a spacethemed aura.

This

weekend marks the 42nd year of Panoply’s three-day celebration of art, music and more

By STAFF REPORTS staff@themadisonrecord.com

HUNTSVILLE – This weekend marks the annual return of Panoply Arts Festival to downtown Huntsville’s Big Spring Park, April 26 through 28, to celebrate the event’s 42nd year.

Hosted by Arts Huntsville, Panoply Arts Festival has evolved into a premiere arts weekend showcasing the area’s innovative spark through a three-day celebration of art, music and more. The celebration kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 26, with regionally celebrated bands and musicians, the fan-favorite juried Art Marketplace, STEAM Street, art and STEAM interactives, an interactive temporary art project, craft beer and wine, local food trucks and more. This year the festival will again span across Church Street and into Big Spring Park East.

Featured Music: Panoply 2024 brings together a vibrant musical lineup featuring over 33 bands and musicians. Get ready to experience a wide range of musical genres across two festival stages: the Indie Stage and

the Showcase Stage presented by Church Street Family. From soulful jazz and electrifying rock to smooth R&B and catchy pop, Panoply offers something for every musical taste. Festivalgoers will discover local favorites and regional talents, showcasing Huntsville’s incredible music scene. On Friday night, the Showcase stage will feature two dynamic local women in music. Young singer-songwriter Delaney Faulds debuted on Panoply’s Indie Stage in 2023, but this year she is bringing her full band to the festival Showcase Stage. Local pop powerhouse The Dawn Osbourne Band will rock audiences and close out the festival’s Friday night lineup. Saturday features a full day of music that starts when the festival opens at 10 a.m. One of the bands gracing the Panoply stage for the first time is The Band Silhouette, a new indie rock group. Their debut album “Seedlings” drops on April 12th! Returning favorites are also in the music mix throughout the day, as bands like Little and the Giants return to Panoply with their sweet contemporary folk sound. On Saturday night, get ready to dance as Soul Lit Band warms up the crowd before Huntsville’s favorite progressive funk rock band, Quantaphonics, takes the stage. This 13-piece band is known for their energetic improvisation, on-stage chemistry and killer original music. Panoply’s Sunday stage lineup begins with jazz from City Vibes and features an array of R&B and soul from Victoria Jones, Kristoffer Leshaun and Jazz McKenzie. Panoply’s Indie Stage, located in Big Spring East, plays host to many of Huntsville’s favorite local singers and songwriters, duos, and instrumentalists such as: Shelly Saxman Williams, The Love Ap-

Performers for the 2024 Panoply Showcase Stage

Panoply will take over Big Spring Park in Huntsville this weekend

Performers for the 2024 Panoply Indie Stage

Panoply Continued from page 6A

ples, Tyler AK, Cheryl Llewellyn, GORRIO, Preston Watts, C1Live and more. (Full programming schedule is available on artshuntsville.org.) Arts Huntsville is proud to celebrate and elevate the city’s thriving local music scene, and the HSV Music Office will host Panoply musicians throughout the weekend at the festival’s Relaxation Station Green Room.

New to Panoply 2024: “The Big Swim” Interactive Art Installation: Festivalgoers of all ages will immerse themselves in a kaleidoscope of color as they walk through a tunnel-like art installation designed exclusively for Panoply. The interactive art piece is created by local artist Susie Garrett.

The Panoply ZenZone

The Panoply ZenZone, presented by Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children, is a new sensory-friendly space within the festival. Panoply, by definition, is a magnificent array. At the Panoply ZenZone, festivalgoers of all ages will find an intentionally designed space in Big Spring Park that provides sensory resources for attendees to better enjoy the Panoply experience.

Arts in Action and Community Art: Regional artists will offer demonstrations of their craft at Panoply’s Arts in Action tents, where children and adults can try their hand at fiber arts with yarn or silk dying or learn to play music with cigar box guitars. Festivalgoers of all ages will also get to stretch their creative muscles with hands-on community art activities, including festival favorite “Paint the Panoply” letters presented by SCHOEL. The First Baptist Church Arts Team is also returning to Panoply this year, and with the support of First Baptist and the Trideum Foundation, festivalgoers will create an original mosaic installation to be installed at the new Sandra Moon Arts Rehearsal Wing.

Art OutLoud Stage Panoply welcomes the return of the Art OutLoud Stage, presented by the Carrie Link Foundation for the Arts and Education. This stage features spoken word performances from local literary figures and poets. (Full schedule available on artshuntsville.org.)

Art Marketplace

The Panoply Art Marketplace provides prime shopping across Huntsville’s picturesque and beloved Big Spring Park. This year the juried Art Marketplace will welcome more than 100 visual artists. One of the festival’s most popular features, the 2024 Art Marketplace will showcase longtime festival artists and over 40 first-time Panoply exhibitors. This year’s artists come from 23 states, with some traveling from as far as Colorado and Massachusetts for the 42nd Panoply Arts Festival. A full list of artists available on artshuntsville.org.

Student Art Tent and Face Painting Tent

Children and adults will discover budding local artistic talent at the Panoply Student Art Tent in Big Spring Park East, presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama. This popular Panoply destination features artwork from

students of all ages who attend public and private schools in Madison County. Across Big Spring Park by the Travellers public art installation, festivalgoers can celebrate their creative side at the Panoply Face Painting Tent – a festival favorite! – presented by Mirabel Chan & the Pei-Ling Charitable Trust. Panoply Poster Artist Each year, Arts Huntsville commissions an artist to create an art piece that captures the festival’s spirit and the community. This year’s Panoply poster artist is Jessica Nunno. Originally from Connecticut, Jessica holds a BFA in illustration from New York’s School of Visual Arts. Her work focuses on creature and character design, concept art, and comic and pop culture illustrations. She works out of her studio at Lowe Mill ARTS and Entertainment and she teaches locally with the Huntsville Museum of Art and Arts Huntsville’s Creative Launchpad. “We were thrilled when Jessica agreed to create the artwork for our Panoply 2024 poster,” shared Arts Huntsville Executive Director Allison Dillon-Jauken. “Jessica’s work is filled with artistic energy and creative details, and it fancifully captures the vibrancy and excitement when Huntsville’s arts, entertainment and music scene takes over Big Spring Park for the Panoply Arts Festival.” Nunno will sell her original paintings at Panoply, and festivalgoers can purchase merchandise featuring her artwork at the Panoply Store, presented by Georgia Pacific. Arts Huntsville will also offer a limited number of signed posters for the public to purchase.

Hands-on Activities

Panoply’s STEAM Street, presented by Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Alabama, will celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the Panoply Arts Festival with special activities:

• Huntsville City Schools Magnet Programs ’Thaumatropes’ presented by Intrepid

• Huntsville Ballet’s ‘Balancing Ballet Dancers’ presented by KBR

• ‘Cup-icopters’ presented by Hexagon

• Missile Defense Agency ‘Bridges’ presented by Boeing

• Fantasy Playhouse Theatre’s ‘Marionettes’ presented by the National Space Club

This year’s Panoply Creativity Corner, presented by Virginia and Parker Griffith, will offer Art Adventures for all to enjoy:

• Koi Windsock presented by Marilyn Lands and Robin Cozby

• Fisheye Weaving

• Watercolor Magic

• Creepy Crawlies

• Huntsville Symphony Orchestra

Guilds ‘Discover Music’ presented by the VBC 50th. The Symphony Guild’s popular interactive experience introduces young people to musical instruments.

• The VBC 50th will be joining the Huntsville Symphony Guild at Panoply,

Panoply

Continued from page 7A and festivalgoers can stop and write down their favorite memory of the VBC which will be incorporated into a special 50th anniversary display within the VBC.

Military Salute Night

The Panoply tradition of Military Salute Night, presented by Northrop Grumman, continues Friday, April 26th. All active-duty military and Armed Forces Reserves and their dependents are welcomed to the park for a free evening of entertainment. Military personnel will be asked to show their current military ID at the entrances.

Panoply Beer, Wine and Festival Food

Baseball

Continued from page 1A

and over.

One of the biggest plays of the game came in the in the bottom of the sixth inning when James Clemens had the bases loaded with two outs and Jets second baseman Jesse Isensee nearly lined a ball over the head of Bob Jones third baseman Gresham Baker.

“I think my arm was hurting because I reached so far,” Baker said.

“I thought I missed it at first.”

The ball stuck into Baker’s glove in some kind of movie moment and the Patriots dugout erupted into cheers for the massive play to stifle yet another Jets rally.

in Braden Booth and Baker, who walked and eventually stole home.

The lone run of the game for James Clemens came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Ben Graves knocked in his teammate Hayden Markfort who reached on a throwing error.

Bob Jones kept the pressure on the Jets with three runs in the final three innings to fend off JC who was feeling the pressure as frustrations were boiling over down the stretch.

There was a moment where Jets relief pitcher Luke Davenport and his catcher JT Johnson got heated with each other after the top of the seventh inning.

get the best of JC in the first game of the series that was played at Bob Jones.

Saturday Game 3: Bob Jones 4, James Clemens 3 Bob Jones had to dig deep in the series finale on Saturday to pull off the sweep of the Jets with two runs in the top of the seventh inning to bust out the brooms.

Both Bob Jones and James Clemens take part in the 7A playoffs this weekend with games in the area.

The Patriots are tabbed to welcome rival Sparkman to Bob Jones for the first round of the playoffs with times to be announced.

Festival Seating and Fireworks: Enjoy Panoply’s music and performances with open-air seating. Festival patrons are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets to sit on as they enjoy the lineup of Panoply performers. Friday and Saturday nights will end with a stunning firework display presented by Delta Research.

Tickets, Festival Entrances and Services Arts Huntsville is offering a Panoply weekend pass available online in advance for $20. Weekend passes are only available until 4 p.m. on Friday, April 26. Day passes are $15 and can be purchased in advance online and at the festival ticket booths, presented by Redstone Federal Credit Union.

Children 12 and under are free of charge. Tickets are on sale now at artshuntsville.org.

Along with Panoply’s diverse array of art and music, festivalgoers can enjoy local tastes from 17 food trucks featuring Pepsi products from the official soft drink of Panoply. The popular Panoply Craft Beer and Wine Tent is once again centrally located between the main park and Big Spring East and will feature select wine and local craft beer from Yellowhammer and Straight to Ale.

The Panoply Arts Festival

April 26th, 27, and 28 Panoply 2024 hours: Friday, April 26: 5 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 27: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. (Art Marketplace closes 7:30 p.m.)

Sunday, April 28: from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Arts Huntsville website at www.artshuntsville.org/panoply-arts-festival/. Follow @ ArtsHuntsville on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) for the latest updates leading up to Panoply Arts Festival.

Bob Jones started the game with a run in the top of the first inning to lead 1-0 when Baker knocked in second baseman Jacob Pearl with an RBI single.

The Patriots were able to add to their lead with two more runs in the top of the third inning when the catcher Zach Johnson drove in

Open records

Bob Jones got the last laugh in the end as Hermesch finished the game off with a strikeout of Ty Marsh looking to finish the close things out with an exclamation point.

Thursday Game 1: Bob Jones 6, James Clemens 4

The Patriots used the long ball to

Continued from page 3A

expensive and often time-consuming litigation. It also doesn’t address the issue of law enforcement bodycam video, which local and state agencies still withhold for the most frivolous of reasons.

On that score, the state Senate seems unwilling to budge. The Senate Judiciary Committee last

Wednesday voted down a proposal that would have made most law enforcement dashboard and bodycam videos public record and widely distributable within 30 days.

The Jets travel to Grissom for a playoff series that takes place on Friday and Saturday with the Friday Game 1 start time to be announced.

The second game of JC vs Grissom is on Friday at 7 p.m. while Game 3 is slated for Saturday at 1 p.m. in Huntsville.

The secrecy surrounding bodycam and dashcam video has become a particular flashpoint within recent years involving incidents involving fatal shootings by police in Madison, Huntsville and Decatur. Orr’s bill now goes to the state House of Representatives, which we hope will act quickly to pass it.

The Issue Legislation that passed the state Senate last week and now awaits action in the state House would hopefully deter state and local government bodies from stalling open records requests.

Renovating Rooms. Building Relationships.

2024 Panoply poster by Jessica Nunno

UAH baseball

3B

Track and field

Bob Jones’ Urrutia continues to shine in area track and field

By BOB LABBE bob@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON - Bob Jones sprinter Jordan Urrutia won three events at the Sparkman Senator Classic outdoor track and field meet delivering the state’s best outdoor performance of the season in both the 100 and 400-meter dashes. His efforts put the senior Patriot in the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Track Spotlight. Urrutia’s spotlight is the second of the school year for the super sprinter as he was named to the AHSAA Track Spotlight in January during the indoor track season.

The 6-foot-2, 165-pound Urrutia carries a highly sought after 3.9 grade point average by college coaches and his talents on the track are also courted by numerous colleges, but the talented senior recently signed with the Ole Miss Rebels and is looking toward completing his outdoor season. Urrutia, whose younger sister, Alivia, is a member of the

Bob Jones girls track team, ran a personal record time of 47.48 seconds to win the 400-meter at the meet in Harvest at Sparkman High, while also clocking a state best 10.60 in the 100meter dash. Urrutia also won the 200meter event clocking 21.51.

After moving here from Louisville, Ky., Urrutia was in the seventh grade when a coach urged him to join the track team. The young lad wasn’t completely sure what he wanted to do in athletics as he played soccer for 10 years and also tried his hand in both basketball and baseball prior to this point in his life. He followed his coach’s suggestion and was soon at the starting block in his first track competition. “I was in the 400m and finished second in the heat I was selected to run in. I had terrible form and wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue running track,” said Urrutia. “I wasn’t hooked on the sport, but it did jump-start my love of track.”

The senior student-athlete currently holds the AHSAA’s

fastest times of the season in three events- the 100meter (10.60), 200meter (21.34) and 400meter (47.48). At last year’s State Meet, he won the Class 7A 200meter and was runner-up in the 400meter. He was also part of the 400meter relay team which finished second. Additional performances that were featured in recent track events included:

Girls:

ZARIA PARKER, JAMES

CLEMENS: Won the 100 meters in 12.06 seconds at the Mountain Brook Invitational and won the 200 meters in 24.49 seconds.

NICOLA PETERS, SPARKMAN: Won the 100 meters by clocking 12.13 seconds at the Sparkman Senator Classic in Harvest.

ALIVIA URRUTIA, BOB

JONES: Won the 400 meters at the Sparkman Senator Classic with a time of 56.76 seconds.

CHARITY COLLIER, SPARKMAN: Won the discus at the Sparkman Senator Classic

See TRACK Page 2B

the Trash Pandas up three. Fontenelle would reach base in all four of his at-bats in the game.

Rocket City starting pitcher Caden Dana (W, 1-1) was lights out to keep the away team in front, tossing seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out eight Blue Wahoos. Those seven innings pitched marked a career-high in professional baseball for the Trash Pandas right hander.

Reliever Hayden Seig (S, 1) entered for Dana and completed a six-out save to complete the series victory.

The Trash Pandas returned to Toyota Field to begin a sixgame series with the Tennessee Smokies on Tuesday.

Josh Caray will have the call on WZZN 97.7-HD2.

Saturday, April 20

The Rocket City Trash Pandas prevented late magic as they held off the Pensacola Blue Wahoos 3-2 on Saturday.

Rocket City found the scoreboard first as infielder Kyren Paris drove home outfielder Tucker Flint on a sacrifice fly. Flint got on base via his first triple of the season.

Outfielder Nelson Rada drove in a run with a third-inning single to add onto the Trash Pandas lead. A groundout from infielder Sam Brown plated another runner later in the inning to make it 3-0 Rocket City off Pensacola starter M.D. Johnson (L, 0-2).

Pensacola got on the board in the fifth as infielder Harrison Spohn hit a solo homer narrowing the deficit to two. The Trash Pandas lead was cut to one in the sixth as infielder Jacob Berry scored on a wild pitch from Rocket City starter Alan Rangel (W, 2-0).

See

The UAH baseball team won the final game and clinched a Gulf South Conference road series victory against West Alabama. Page

Bob Jones senior sprinter Jordan Urrutia has been chosen as the AHSAA Outdoor Track Spotlight for his recent outstanding performances at the Sparkman Senator Classic.

Trash Pandas

Invitational with a time of 4:13.87.

SAMUEL JOHNSON, BOB JONES: Won the triple jump at the Sparkman Senator Classic with a jump of 45 feet, 3 inches.

REESE BAKER, MADISON ACADEMY: Won the javelin at the Sparkman Senator Classic with a throw of 177 feet.

ALVERSON, JAMES CLEMENS: Ran second in the 3,200 meters at the Mountain Brook Invitational with a time of 9:02.38 and ran second in the 1,600 meters at the Mountain

Continued from page 1B

Rangel got through the sixth inning and put together a strong night, allowing just two runs on five hits and striking out seven batters. The performance was good enough for Rangel’s second straight quality start.

Ivan Armstrong entered from the bullpen tossing two shutout innings and Mason Erla (S, 3) closed the game with a scoreless ninth.

April 19

An eighth inning rally was enough for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to edge out a 5-4 win over the Rocket City Trash Pandas and even the sixgame series at two wins each.

Rocket City would start fast as catcher Tyler Payne singled for the game’s first run in the second inning. A grounder off the bat of outfielder David Calabrese followed by a double from infielder Arol Vera extended the Trash Pandas lead to three by the end of the inning.

Outfielder Nelson Rada singled to bring home Payne in the fourth adding onto the lead for Rocket City.

Pensacola got on the board in the fifth with a two-run home run from infielder Javier Sanoja. That was the only damage allowed by Trash Pandas starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz who tossed five innings while allowing two runs on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Sanoja drove in another run, this time against the Rocket City bullpen, off an error in the seventh.

Blue Wahoos designated hitter Jake Thompson tied the game with a single in the eighth and infielder Sean Roby gave Pensacola its first lead of the day on a sacrifice fly off Trash Pandas reliever Nick Jones (L, 0-1). Pitcher Austin Roberts (S, 4) threw a clean ninth inning to complete the comeback victory for the Blue Wahoos.

April 18

Rocket City won its second straight game in Pensacola in a 5-3 thriller on Thursday. Trash Pandas catcher Caleb Hamilton hit a run-scoring single for the game’s first run in the second inning. Hamilton extended his hitting streak to four games with two of them now coming against his former team in Pensacola. In the next half inning, outfielder

Tanner Allen tied the game with a single for the Blue Wahoos. Rocket City got the lead back in the sixth as outfielder Tucker Flint hit a two-run homer for his second of the season, putting the Trash Pandas up 3-1.

Trash Pandas starting pitcher Victor Mederos kept that lead going with six innings of one-run ball. That lasted until the seventh as Allen hit a two-run homer of his own to tie the game.

Rocket City took the lead for good as a Hamilton sacrifice bunt led to an errant throw from Blue Wahoos pitcher Matt Pushard (L, 1-1) to drive in two runs and get the Trash Pandas a 5-3 lead.

Pitcher Michael Darrell-Hicks entered for Rocket City in the eighth and remained on the mound the rest of the way, becoming the first Southern League pitcher with three wins this season.

April 17

On the strength of three home runs, the Rocket City Trash Pandas rebounded for a 9-2 win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Moved up to the No. 2 spot in the lineup, outfielder Gustavo Campero hit a two-run home run in the third for his second of the season. That followed Nelson Rada’s first Double-A extra-base hit one batter prior.

Infielder Arol Vera doubled in the fourth to add two more onto the Trash Pandas lead. Rada hit a sacrifice fly later in the frame to bring Vera around.

The big hit in the fourth came from Campero who hit his second home run of the game, this time a solo shot, again off Pensacola starting pitcher Luis Palacios (L, 0-2).

It’s the second multi-homer game in Campero’s career who last did so in July of last season with High-A Tri-City.

Pensacola finally cracked Trash Pandas starting pitcher Chase Chaney (W, 1-0) in the sixth as infielder Harrison Spohn doubled to drive in a run.

Outfielder Javier Sanoja hit a line drive for another run-scoring single later in the inning. Chaney was taken out after that hit after tossing 5.2 innings and working around 11 hits, Eric Torres entered from the bullpen and struck

out the first man he faced to end the inning.

The Rocket City starting pitcher earned his first Double-A win. Rocket City got those runs back in the seventh as catcher Tyler Payne hit a run-scoring single and infielder Kyren Paris grounded into a fielder’s choice to get the Trash Pandas back to an 8-2 advantage.

Infielder Cole Fontenelle added another with a ninth-inning home run for his first at the Double-A level.

That would be more than enough for the Trash Pandas to even the series back up and get back over .500 at 6-5 on the season.

April 16

In a low scoring battle, the Rocket City Trash Pandas failed to muster any offensive momentum as they fell 1-0 in the series opener against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Pensacola designated hitter Zach Zubia hit a solo home run in the third to get the home team on the board after a fast-paced first two innings. The Trash Pandas were held without a hit until the sixth inning and managed to load the bases with one out but couldn’t bring across the tying run thanks to six shutout innings from Pensacola starting pitcher Jonathan Bermudez (W, 1-1), who allowed just two hits in his six shutout frames.

In just his second Double-A start, Trash Pandas pitcher Caden Dana (L, 0-1) was on his game following the early home run. Dana matched his season-high with 6.2 innings pitched while allowing just three hits and striking out four.

Dana had a chance to break that career-high, but a full-count walk prompted a bullpen change where Nick Jones would escape a jam where the Blue Wahoos had two runners on.

Rocket City outfielder Tucker Flint saved a run from scoring on the defensive side with a laser from right field to throw out infielder Harrison Spohn in the eighth to give the Trash Pandas a chance in the final frame. It wasn’t meant to be for Rocket City however as Austin Roberts (S, 3) slammed the door in the ninth to complete a 1-0 Pensacola victory.

Brook

BEN THOMASON SIGNS - James Clemens senior track athlete Ben Thomason signed an athletic scholarship with Samford University at a recent signing among family, friends and teammates at James Clemens. The two-time State Indoor Pentathlon Champion won his second consecutive title amassing points rated fourth best in the United States. He also was the first in the history of the event to win back-to-back titles as he began track in the eighth grade and soon sprang into elite status. He currently participates for the Jets’ outdoor track team.

The Trash Pandas return to Toyota Field this week for a week-long series. For inf and tickets, go to trashpandasbaseball.com.

log miles by running, walking, hiking, rolling, mountain biking, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, skating and more! New this year, the challenge includes an activity converter for activities such as aerobics, baseball, basketball, climbing, football, frisbee, golf/disc golf, kickball, soccer, softball, pickleball/tennis, volleyball, and yoga/Pilates.

For more information, check out the Madison Parks and Recreation Facebook page.

By STAFF REPORTS news@themadisonrecord.com

LIVINGSTON, - The UAH baseball team won the final game and clinched a Gulf South Conference road series victory against West Alabama on Saturday morning with a 13-5 win. The Chargers improved to 21-22 (9-18 GSC) while the Tigers are now 19-24 (11-16 GSC). The series win is the second in the past three weeks for UAH as they defeated West Georgia two weeks ago in a three-game set. The Chargers knocked three home runs in Saturday’s game against the Tigers and tied a team season-high. West Alabama took the lead in the first inning of the rubber match with four runs, but after the UAH comeback in Friday’s game two, the Chargers were prepared to make their climb back into the contest, scoring two runs to reduce the Tiger lead. A four-run fourth inning put UAH in front for good as they would go on to score seven additional unanswered runs till the ninth when UWA scored one. Three Charger batters hit home runs

Nearly 800 turnout for some dirty fun in the 2024 Mustang Mud Run

By BOB LABBE bob@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON - The Mustang Mud Run, it’s not if you win or lose, because there are no placements, it’s how everyone `tries to conquer the obstacles that stand in their way.

Recent rains made for a tremendous amount of water and mud in the creek located on the back portion of the campus of Madison Academy causing the 20-plus obstacles to be even more challenging than normal for the seventh annual fun-day event.

Almost 800 participants ranging in ages 7-69, took to the 5K (3.1. miles) distance course with an obstacle course situated along and through Indian Creek and the adjacent wooded areas on the private school campus. Obstacles had names such as Tarzan twist, Leap of Faith, Pully Bulley, Walls of Jericho, Muddy Whopper, Pike’s Peak and Mine Shaft to name a few. The event is known as dirty and challenging and is for everyone. The event also included a 1-mile Lil Muddy for ages 7-11.

Only the 1977 song Slip Slidin’ Away from Paul Simon featuring the Oak Ridge Boys could correctly describe the tons of fun each participant experienced at the seventh annual Mud Run.

“It was dirty. Mud head to toe,” said 42-year old April Payne of Madison who experienced her first Mud Run. “It was one of the most fun events ever for me and I did the race with my 12-year old son Cameron, who attends sixth grade at Madison Academy. “The mud was everywhere. I had to wash my clothes three times af-

ter getting home.”

Participants were split into different heats to allow space between those brave enough to face the elements and challenges of the Mud Run. Once from the starting point, runners were expected to face the following: slip, slide, climb, jump, slog and swing their way to a fun finish. Organizers had plenty of volunteers and emergency personnel were also on hand just in case a participant could not handle the rushing waters of the creek or were injured at some point on the course.

Terri Speir, Mud Run race director, said of the entire day, “It was a beautiful fun day for the amazing and family-friendly event.” The Lil’ Muddy 1K event was held for those ages 7-11 and was led by a race staff member who help direct the youngsters exactly where to go on the course. Just to see the excitement among the faces of all those who participated or volunteered guaranteed a good time was had by all.

“The race was more than I expected and was amazing,” said Payne, who is an investigator for the Huntsville Police Dept. “Most interesting portion of the race for me was the ‘Shoe Snatcher’ where we had to go down a berm into thick mud and then climb back up another berm to exit the mud. When we arrived at that spot the ropes that were supposed to be there to assist you to get out of the mud were not there. The thick mud grips your legs and feet. Someone nearby had to throw us a rope and help pull us out. For me, I’m doing this race again next year.”

HISTORY with John Rankin

Tribble Family & Gray Cemetery

By JOHN P. RANKIN Madison Historian

MADISON - Sometimes family research is greatly aided by research done by others who left records for later generations to find. Tucked away in the Tribble family folder in the Archives Room of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library is a DAR application worksheet compiled by Eva Landers Grantland. Mrs. Grantland lived in Louisville, Kentucky, at the time that she filed the papers showing her ancestry to James E. Tribble (who died in what is now Madison) via her mother Elizabeth (Tribble) Landers (1874-1942), who was born here. Elizabeth (Tribble) Landers’ father was James E. Tribble (1848-1921), and her mother was Amanda Landers who died in 1883 in the Madison area.

However, the James E. Tribble born in 1848 is not the focus of this article. Rather, the focus is on his great-grandfather who had the same name (but sometimes shown as James H. Tribble) and according to family records is buried in the Gray Cemetery in Madison. That cemetery has the earliest death date (1822, for Eleanor Gray, wife of William Gray, a Revolutionary War patriot) found on a tombstone within the Madison City limits, making it provably the oldest cemetery within the town. The older James Tribble of particular interest here lived 1756-1840 and was a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. He came to the Madison area in 1819 at the age of 63 and died in April 1840 at the age of 84.

While James Tribble now has no tombstone in the Gray Cemetery, a descendant living in Texas said about 30 years ago that she took his tombstone from the southwest corner of the Gray Cemetery many years earlier, when she saw that the cemetery was unattended and being badly overgrown. This is why it is so very important to maintain old cemeteries before the damages through time destroy the last traces of the former existence of pioneers of the area. Volunteers are essential for this work when municipalities and private landowners do not recognize their significance or maintain the cemeteries in their areas. Since 2007 Alabama has a state law that guarantees the right of access for maintenance and historical or genealogical research by volunteers or descendants of the deceased anywhere within the state.

The senior James Tribble was born in Maryland. He was orphaned at an early age and resided in Virginia until 1785. From there, he moved to South Carolina, and from that state he relocated to Madison County of Alabama in 1819. This was where he applied for and received his pension as a Revolutionary War veteran. His wife was Ann Echols (1760-1842). It wasn’t until 1830 that James Tribble patented 80 acres of government land along with James Gray in the northern area of today’s City of Madison. That 80 acres of land extended from today’s Eastview Drive, including its westward extension across Hughes Road beyond where Bob Jones High School is located now. The 80acre parcel ran southward along Hughes Road, extending southward to the Sun Temple Drive area on the east of Hughes Road. It included the Abbington Downs housing development on the west side of Hughes Road, immediately north of the Church of Christ with the tall steeple. The parcel extended about a hundred feet eastward from Hughes Road, long before that road was built. My house today is located adjacent to the east margin of the Tribble and Gray land. The southern half of the 80-acre parcel was sold for $400 in 1839 by James Tribble and his wife Ann Echols (of the famed Huntsville family) to William Echols, father-in-law of Col. Egbert J. Jones of local Civil War fame. The timing and ages suggest that Ann may have been an aunt of this William Echols, or they well have been siblings or some other close relationship. It is difficult to determine the exact relationship because there were several known residents and land owners named William Echols at the time, mostly involved in Huntsville.

In all likelihood the purchaser of the land from James and Ann Echols Tribble was William Echols Junior, whose wife was named Mary. The senior William Echols of Huntsville had a wife named Sarah. Of course, in the old days the wives were not always named in the land records with their husbands. While the Echols men bought and sold literally about a hundred parcels of land throughout all of Madison County from before 1819 until their demise, they purchased only one other small parcel of land in the

future City of Madison area. That additional parcel was adjacent to the holdings of David Gray, who deeded the five acres of the Gray Cemetery to the Providence Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1838. (That church was disbanded in the early 1920’s.)

William Echols certainly did not need 40 more acres to add to his Huntsville holdings or to become a farmer in the Madison area. This fact indicates that the 1839 land sale to him by James and his wife Ann Echols Tribble probably was intended to financially assist Ann as William’s close relative. That assumption is supported by the fact that William and Mary Echols in 1858 sold the parcel that they had bought from the Tribbles. It was identified in the deed as the “Tribble Tract,” and the Echols sold it at half the price they had paid for it in 1839. The 1858 sale was to Hezekiah Baines Cartwright and Alexander Russell as “assignees” of Daniel Whitworth, who must have paid part of the purchase price before defaulting (thereby never receiving a deed to the land) and assigning his right to his assignees or agents for completion of the procurement process. Obviously, all of these families tied to the Gray Cemetery area are well-known throughout the history of the settlement of lands within the City Limits of Madison as well as that of Huntsville.

Oddly enough, James Tribble fought (among other engagements) in the Revolutionary War on the land of this author’s 5th great grandfather. The land was then owned by Robert Rankin (b. 1759 NC, d. 1840 TN), another Revolutionary War patriot (S4042) who was engaged in one of the same battles as James. The engagement was called the Battle of Guilford County Courthouse in Greensboro of North Carolina. Today this author lives immediately east of and adjoining the parcel that James and Ann Tribble sold to William Echols. Family papers indicate that James and Ann are both buried without headstones in the Gray Cemetery, now behind the Balch Road Self Storage facility, which an old plat indicates was actually constructed over that portion of the cemetery, if the plat is correctly drawn, but there is some indication that the plat drawn by a Gooch descendant may be incorrect about dimensions and the layout.

The Gray Cemetery of about five acres is shown as the Betts Cemetery on some recent maps, but it was known as the Providence Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cemetery in the 1800s and early 1900s. Today the Gray family graves there are the most numerous with inscribed cement or masonry markers in the cemetery, and there are no Betts graves known to be there. However, there are a few Betts grave funeral home markers about 50 yards to the east in a separate small and overgrown burial plot of descendants of former slaves of the neighboring Betts Plantation of the times before the Civil War.

James Tribble’s obituary stated that he had been a Baptist for 46 years. It is possible that the little Presbyterian church began as a Baptist church and changed to Presbyterian around 1831, when deed records first mention it. In any event, the church met in a small structure immediately beside the southeast corner of today’s 5-acre cemetery, but it disbanded in the 1920’s, and there is no trace of the structure today. However, it was found several years ago that there were “roof drip lines” in the soil that indicated old roof drainage at the location, measuring about 15 to 20 feet on the edges. As an additional note from early maps, an old road between Huntsville and Mooresville ran along the south edge of the cemetery. The deeply-worn ruts can still be seen at the site, running toward the southwest and sunken several feet deep from heavy usage through the years before it was abandoned when automobiles replaced horseback and small wagon transportation.

James and Ann Echols Tribble had seven children, six of whom were born in South Carolina, whereas the firstborn was birthed in Virginia. According data compiled in 1994 by Violet Louise Young of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, their second child was Stephen Tribble (1786-1850). Her records show that he is buried in the old Providence (Gray) Cemetery in Madison. As with his parents, there is no headstone above the ground there for him today. Stephen’s son John Petty Tribble (1811-1860) was the father of the James E. Tribble of 1848-1921, who was in turn a grandfather of Mrs. Grantland (mentioned in the first paragraph of this article). John Petty Tribble married

Elizabeth Moore Bailey in 1840. Family data says that both are buried in the Gray Cemetery, and this Bailey connection may indicate a basis through the connection of the Tribble and Bailey families for old statements that Hezekiah Bailey, another Revolutionary War soldier, is also buried in the Gray Cemetery. In 1833 John Petty Tribble recorded 40 acres between today’s locations of Liberty Middle School and Columbia Elementary School, generally the site of Walden Preserve housing development. While the descendants of James Tribble in Madison are prominent in the history of the town, it should also be noted that the family may have connections to prominent Tribble and Clark and figures in American history. A George Tribble (1715-1792) married a Betty Clark in Virginia. She was a sister of George Rogers Clark and famed explorer William Clark. W. E. Clark, 1927 Mayor of Madison, may have likewise been connected. George and Betty Clark Tribble were the right ages and places to possibly be grandparents of our local James E. Tribble. James Tribble’s grandson John P. Tribble became the father of Robert Donnell Tribble (1841-1914), a Civil War Confederate soldier. R. D. Tribble married Martha “Mattie” Gooch (1856-1930), and they are buried in the old section of the Madison City Cemetery. R. D. Tribble was the father of William Henry Tribble (1876-1945), who married Annie Inez Powell (1879-1926). They are buried in the new section of the Madison City Cemetery. William Henry Tribble became the father of Caudice Henry Tribble (1900-1992), who married Ozelle Hereford (1905-1984) in 1924. They are buried in the Huntsville Memory Gardens Cemetery on Highway 72. The name “Caudice” is sometimes found in records as “Caudis”, “Caudus”, or “Cordice” – and even the poorly-written surname “Tribble” was interpreted in the 1930 census index as “Brible”, when the family of Caudice lived in New Hope, Alabama. There the occupation of Caudice was listed in 1930 as “cashier in bank”. Some people recall that Caudice was vice president of the State National Bank in Huntsville overlooking Big Spring Park in Huntsville, which could tie back to the 1930 occupation. Sometime between 1930 and 1935 the Caudice Tribble family built a house in Madison and lived at 316 Church Street. During the Great Depression Caudice left the

banking business for a time, and the 1940 census in Madison shows the occupation of Caudice as “garage owner” – doing automobile repairs and the frequently-needed flat tire “fixes” so much in demand during those times. On school mornings during the years that Madison high school students went into Huntsville to attend Butler High School, Caudice would often take students to the school in his car.

Caudice and Ozelle were the parents of two daughters, both born in New Hope. Their first child, Mary Elizabeth Tribble (born 1926), married Charles Heustis King, Jr. in 1945. Fifty years later, in 1995, she married Hugh White Buck and still lives in Huntsville, while her daughter Elizabeth Ann King Fletcher lives in Ft. Walton, Florida. The second child of Caudice and Ozelle, Margaret Ann Tribble (1930-2016), married James Orville Schrimsher (1926-2001). A few years ago, a personal visit was greatly enjoyed by the author with Mary Elizabeth Tribble King Buck, a fifth-generation descendant of Revolutionary War soldier James Tribble. The visit in her home revealed that at age 95 she still had a very good memory of her childhood events in Madison, and that she was quite fit mentally and physically. She still was driving herself around town and leading an active life in the community, as well as having toured in Europe several times and enjoying bus excursions throughout the United States. Tribble pioneers and their descendants of today apparently have a strong longevity trait that is to be envied.

Mattie Gooch Tribble, Helen Whitworth’s grandmother, was a daughter of Nathaniel Matson Gooch and his wife Susan Caroline Litzy, so this photo goes back another generation before R. D. Tribble and his wife Mattie Gooch.

Understanding tornadoes

Basement, Cellar, Forecast, Fujita Scale, Funnel Cloud, Great Plains, Kansas, Nebraska, Predictions, Rotation, Shelter, Storm, Supercell, Texas, Tornado, Tornado Alley, Twister, Warning, Watch, Waterspout

enhanced FUjita scale

Springtime in the United States is the most-active time for tornadoes. A tornado is a column of air that rotates violently, stretching down from a thunderstorm to the ground. When hot air masses slide over the top of cold air masses, the atmosphere becomes unstable. The changes in the temperature, wind direction and speed cause a swirling of winds. When the conditions are right for a tornado, these swirls are pushed up farther into the atmosphere causing the swirling winds to go from horizontal to vertical. This vertical storm is a tornado. The winds they produce can spin at speeds up to 300 miles per hour, and they can travel as fast as 200 miles per hour. Their paths of destruction can go on for miles and miles. Waterspouts are tornadoes that have formed over a body of water. A tornado can begin as a transparent storm; the debris and dirt they pick up are what gives them their dark coloration. The area in the United States known as Tornado Alley sees most of these storms, although a tornado can occur anywhere and at any time of the year if the right conditions are present. The states of the Great Plains, mainly Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, are the main areas of Tornado Alley. Tornadoes do occur in other parts of the World, such as Canada and Europe, but are most common in the United States. With the right weather conditions, a tornado can occur anywhere. A tornado’s intensity is rated on the Enhanced Fujita scale, ranging from the weakest EF0 at 40 to 72 miles per hour to the largest EF5 storm at 260 miles per hour and up. If a tornado watch is issued, it means that the conditions are perfect for a tornado to develop, and you should use caution. If a tornado warning is issued, it means that a tornado has been spotted, and you should seek shelter immediately, underground if possible!

soda Bottle s tornado t

How To Make Your Tornado:

Step One: Take both 2-liter bottles and rinse them out thoroughly. Fill one bottle 3/4’s full. Add about 6 drops of food coloring of your choice.

Step Two: With the caps remaining off, place a washer on top of the bottle with water in it. Place the empty bottle on top of the other bottle with the washer between them. Make sure they are evenly lined up.

Step Three: With the two bottles securely in place with the washer between them, take the duct tape and tightly wrap it around the bottle necks, sealing tightly.

a special thank YoU to all o s

Step Four: Once the bottles are securely together it is time to make the tornado. In order to start the tornado you must flip the bottles over so that the full bottle circular motion for a few seconds without really tilting them. Watch

God is not the author of confusion A trip to the Bahamas

ness and involving others, I went back to my original plan before I had messed things up, said my apologies and prayed for peace.

Satan was probably loving it. Think things through. Pros and cons and then from there ask yourself how your changes affect others and if it is a good idea. Be sure to pray. That was my first mistake, jumping the gun without prayer.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for your love and understanding and patience when I go off on tangents without a real plan. Help me stay peaceful. In Jesus’ name. Amen. God’s Lemonade Stand is written by former Madison resident Becky Miller. Her daily devotions appear on Facebook or at godslemonadestand.blogspot.com.