Opelika Observer 06-05-19 E-edition

pelika Observer O Vol. 11, No. 35

Wednesday, June 05, 2019

Opelika, Alabama

Turn to A10 for more photos from Burger Wars

“By local people, for local people.”

Historic Dorris Signs Company relocates from downtown Opelika to Ermine Street

Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

Lucy’s wins 2019 ‘Burger Wars’ Restaurant Divison title Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer Dorris Signs Owner Ricky Dorris helps his Shop Manager Brandon Beasley load their old sign from 1st Avenue on Monday. After 67 years of operating in downtown Opelika, Dorris Signs has relocated to better accomodate their customers. Beasley is the great-grandson of David Canon, who owned and operated “Cannon Motor Company” out of the same building back in the early 20th century.

By Morgan Bryce Editor After 67 years of operating in downtown Opelika, Dorris Signs has moved from its 1st Avenue location into a new warehouse at 409

Ermine St. Relocating became an option three years ago as the Dorrises learned of the developments coming to 1st Avenue. After some discussion, they decided earlier this year that it would be best for

them to move and allow progress to continue on the street.

“We loved being on 1st Avenue and in downtown and I was very proud to see all that was going on. But Ricky and I were proud enough to

say, ‘hey, let’s keep this going on and let us get out of the way,’” Lagina said.

Within their new 5,000 square feet facility is an already existing paint booth, and the See Dorris, page A3

By Morgan Bryce Editor The fifth-annual “Burger Wars” drew hundreds of people to downtown Opelika last Saturday.

Despite a handful of withdrawals prior to the event, nearly 30 grillers competed in three different categories for this year’s event.

Following are a list of winners by category, along with their official entry name:

Corporate: - Capell & Howard “Burger She Wrote” - Simply Southern “Triple Threat Burger” - Golden State Foods “Dusseldorf Burger” Professional: - Lucy’s Restaurant “Juicy Lucy” - Auburn University Club - “Cabana Burger” - Hamburger King “The Beard” Tailgater: See Burgers, page A3

‘Red Chandelier Boutique’ now open for business in downtown Smiths Station

By Morgan Bryce Editor The latest clothing styles and fashions can be found at the recently opened Red Chandelier Boutique in downtown Smiths Station.

Owned and operated

by Smiths Station native Christy Blythe, the boutique officially opened its doors April 13 and is slowly but surely building a loyal clientele.

The Smiths Station native said the idea of opening her own boutique had been a dream of hers for nearly 15

Photo special to the Opelika Observer

Photo by Morgan Bryce/Opelika Observer years. A librarian at East Smiths Station Elementary, Blythe said she saw a chance to turn her dreams into reality after her husband Jason purchased the land where

the Red Chandelier is located last year.

“Smiths Station really needed a cool place like this, and when he started building his storage See Boutique, page A3

Index

OPINION.....................................A4 SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY..............A7 RELIGION..............................A12 CALENDAR..................................A14

Spencer Cancer Center to host open house June 11

By Kelly Daniel For the Opelika Observer

SPORTS................................B1 POLITICS...................................B7 LEGALS.......................................B12 ENTERTAINMENT......................B14

On Tuesday, June 11, the Cancer Center of EAMC will host

an open house for the new Spencer Cancer See Center, page A2

pelika O Observer.com

pelika O Observer

A2 June 05, 2019

2019 ‘School’s Out Bash’ for children, youth with special needs held last Friday Special to the Opelika Observer

Vocational Rehabilitation Service and Computer Services divisions of the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, along with the Lee County Achievement Center.

The School’s Out Bash is a chance to celebrate kids with special needs and their supporters as they welcome summer.

The 2019 School’s Out Bash for children, youth and young adults with special health care needs again provided plenty of fun and smiles for its Opelika participants.

The event is sponsored by the Children’s Rehabilitation Service,

Photos special to the Opelika Observer

Center, from A1 “Our Mission is Your Health”

Beauregard Drugs SPRING IS HERE…

And so are your Allergies!

We can help get you feeling better faster.

Stop by today.

334-364-9993 phone | 334-364-9997 fax 7667 Alabama Hwy 51, Ste. A, Opelika www.beauregarddrugs.com

pelika Observer

Publisher: Michelle Key Editor: Morgan Bryce Marketing: Doug Horn and Woody Ross Photojournalist: Robert Noles Phone: 334.749.8003 editor@opelikaobserver.com Sports Writers: Rick Lanier and Michelle@opelikaobserver.com D. Mark Mitchell

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w w w. o p e l i k a o b s e r v e r . c o m 216 S. 8th Street, Opelika, AL 36801 Copyright 2009. All right reserved. Opelika Observer is published weekly by Opelika Observer, 216 S 8th St. Opelika, AL 36801. Periodicals postage is paid at Opelika, AL. USPS #025104 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Opelika Observer, 216 S. 8th Street, Opelika, AL 36801

CORRECTIONS The Opelika Observer will correct any errors, omissions or

their radiation and/or infusions, have blood drawn for lab tests, and pick up prescriptions. Additionally, the new facility has plenty of space to accommodate patients who wish to bring family members for support, which can help to improve treatment outcomes by providing a second set of ears for treatment instructions and recommendations.

The center features beautiful architecture, landscaping, and a view of the forest outside that is visible from treatment areas, all of which contribute to the calming and healing ambiance that the Cancer Center wishes to provide for patients.

the new facility’s opening. Dr. John Cabelka, a radiation oncologist, and Dr. Brandon Johnson, a medical oncologist, explained during the media tour that one of the great benefits of the new cancer center for patients is that everything that patients need for treatment is in one place and close to home.

Patients do not have to leave their families and support systems to travel to an unfamiliar city to receive the best treatment. Having everything in one location also reduces the stress of having to travel between offices and facilities to see doctors, receive

Center facility from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. prior to the facility opening to see its first patients on June 17.

On June 4, administrators and physicians with the Cancer Center of EAMC held a media tour at the new building, which is located at 2501 Village Professional Drive in Opelika. Construction has been completed, and workers are adding the last finishing touches in anticipation of the center’s opening.

Doctors with The Cancer Center were present to share their perspective into

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pelika O Observer EAMC recognized as one of Local church district raises the country’s best hospitals money for tornado relief for women

A3

June 05, 2019

By Kelly Daniel For the Opelika Observer

Women’s Choice Award, an organization that ranks a range of medical specialties, products and services, has recognized East Alabama Medical Center (EAMC) as one of the top hospitals in the nation for women in the field of orthopedics. Out of almost 5,000 hospitals surveyed, EAMC is rated in the top 10% and is featured alongside 21 other leaders in orthopedic care. EAMC provides orthopedic services through two medical groups, The Orthopedic Clinic and East Alabama Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

The prioritization of women in orthopedics is crucial because the majority of joint replacement surgeries are performed on women, and because women face an increased risk for bone and joint disorders as they grow older (www.

eamc.org/2019-womenschoice-award/). Delia Passi, the founder of Women’s Choice, said that in addition to having an increased risk of conditions such as osteoporosis, women often have “different healthcare preferences.”

“We are the only award that recognizes a hospital’s ability to meet women’s distinctive needs,” Passi said.

Women’s Choice Award divides the factors that go into ranking hospital orthopedic programs into three categories: patient experience, the range of orthopedic services provided and the rate of surgical complications. The Women’s Choice webpage for orthopedic services stated, “In addition to patient recommendation, facilities whose recovery information exceeds the national average on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Hospital Providers and Systems are eligible for the Women’s Choice Award.”

Boutique, from A1 business (Storage Station) with some retail spaces here, it seemed like the right time to do it. Plus, pairing my love of clothes shopping with my skills of helping people find what they need, it was the perfect opportunity for me,” Blythe said.

In the midst of the clothes racks on Red Chandelier’s interior is the boutique’s namesake, helping add to an atmosphere and shopping experience that leaves customers feeling “beautiful and gorgeous,” according to Blythe.

“We have trendy, stylish things that a high school or college-age girl could wear to school or a special function. But then it spans all the way to the working woman

Dorris, from A1 Dorrises said that they are in the process of obtaining the “latest and most sophisticated machinery” to help “streamline (their) workload” and enable a

Blythe because I have pieces that aren’t just crop tops ... they have sleeves and they appropriate for where they work,” Blythe said. “I’ve been a boutique shopper for a long, long time so I already had a vision for what items I believed should be in the store. I don’t stock anything in the store that I wouldn’t wear myself ... and with our overhead being lower, I can offer more affordable pieces for people.”

A grand-opening faster turnaround for their customers. There is also adequate room for vehicles in need of decaling or lettering to park inside or outside the structure.

Another change in their business plan is to reduce their service area to a 60mile radius “to insure that

Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

Organizations that prioritize the unique characteristics of female physiology are crucial to achieving equality in medical outcomes for women. In spite of efforts to achieve parity in medical care for women, healthcare organizations still often base their medical research and clinical training on the physical characteristics of men even though women often have symptoms and face complications that differ from those of men with the same condition.

A lack of knowledge about women’s unique characteristics and needs contributes to women being diagnosed much later than men for the same issue, as explained

by NBC News, www. nbcnews.com/health/ health-news/women-arediagnosed-years-latermen- same-diseasesstudy-finds-n987216.

More information on the orthopedic services offered by EAMC, visit www.eamc.org/services/ orthopaedic/. ceremony with representatives from the city of Smiths Station is expected to take place later this month.

Based on demand and a continual growth of Red Chandelier’s customer base, Blythe said she might expand into the neighboring retail space of Jason’s building in the future.

She recently launched a website for the boutique and said she hopes to add shoppers “from Smiths Station and beyond.”

Red Chandelier’s current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call 334-4084884, like and follow the boutique’s social media pages or visit www. shoptheredchandelierboutique.com.

The business is located at 110 Lee Road 562 Suite B.

(their) local customers can have service on their signs in a more timely fashion” according to Ricky.

Signs from their shop adorn the sides of major retailers and local companies including East Alabama Medical Center. No matter how big or small their client is, however, Lagina said the part they enjoy most is the lasting relationships formed through business.

“We don’t have just ‘customers,’ we have ‘friends’ that buy signs with us. With a lot of customers, I know their kids and am Facebook friends with them,” Lagina said.

“When you come into our shop, we want you to feel like you’re a part of us and know that we’re a small business that puts family first.”

The Dorrises plan to

Photo special to the Opelika Observer Special to the Opelika Observer In the immediate aftermath of the horrific tornado that brought incomprehensible destruction to homes, disruption of lives, even death to those in its path, some clergy of the Ninth District African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church were among the "boots on the ground" ministering to those who were left in shock and awe.

Pastors Debbie Dowdell, Willie Lyles, Mattie Edwards, Joe Benton, Monique Summers, Loretta Fuller and many others were there giving aid and comfort at "ground zero."

"First, we offered prayer and comfort,” Dowdell said. “Then, I left to go pull good clothes off the racks of my closets to share with those who lost everything."

Elsewhere, Pastors Kendra Jacobs and Dr. Clementine Warren were organizing and conducting prayer vigils.

Just days later, the resident Bishop of Alabama for the AME Church, Bishop Harry L. Seawright, journeyed from Birmingham to meet with area host a reception later this summer to showcase their new shop and its accessories.

Plans for their previous location on 1st Avenue have yet to be determined, according to the property purchaser. The Dorrises will officially close on the property during the month of July.

“When Ricky and (the future building owner) made the decision and were shaking hands, I balled my eyes out. They came over to apologize later and I told them that it was not a sad cry,” Lagina said. “It was simply recognizing the closing of the Gene chapter of Dorris Signs and the beginning of a new and improved Dorris Signs Company.”

To learn more about the history and origins of the

clergy and laity, for prayer and a first-hand look at the work of rapid responders.

"So often there is a rush to meet needs from the very outset of a natural disaster,” Seawright said after his visit. “However, in the waning days after that, there are always those whose unmet needs are an ongoing challenge. The Ninth District will return at a later date. We will purposefully seek to serve those who will have 'fallen through the cracks.' Furthermore, we will seek to fill any voids in the efforts of nonprofits that are continuing to service unfulfilled need."

On May 25, several area AME Clergy, along with presiding elders Rev. Samuel Smith and Dr. Letitia Williams-Watford, met at St. Paul AME Church in Opelika to present tangible gifts in of $10,500 to two area nonprofits and to several individuals that local pastors identified as having a continued need for relief.

Chaplain Laura Eason, East Alabama Medical Center Foundation, received funds earmarked for the MEND project.

These funds will business, visit the following link: https://opelikaobserver.com/dorris-signscelebrates-65-years/,

provide cabinetry for 12 homes being built from the ground up in the Beauregard area by the Fuller Center for Housing. A representative of Mayor F. L. "Bubba" Copeland of Smiths Station received funds to be administered by the city’s Disaster Relief Fund. These nonprofit grantees were commended to Seawright

by Benton, Lyles and Fuller.

Pastor Mattie Edwards of Lee Chapel AME in Auburn summed up the thoughts of the individual recipients, when she said that anyone experiencing the degree of devastation as these have cannot be reminded too often that the church is here for them.

"I am so happy the AME Church is here to represent the presence of God for some who in such trying times may need to feel God's presence the most,” Edwards said.

The small gathering opened with prayer.

The gathering closed with prayer, but not before survivors representing nine families, each the recipient of a $500 cash grant, lent their voices in an exuberant rendition of "Every Praise is to Our God!" which was published on Feb. 22, 2017.

For more information, call 334-745-2645.

pelika O Opinion

A4 June 05, 2019

I Think I Broke the Monkey Park

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very great city in the world has that one special landmark; a spot so unique and iconic, that it’s immediately recognizable. Paris has the Eiffel Tower. London has Big Ben. Rome has the Colosseum.

And Opelika? Opelika has the Monkey Park.

That’s not actually its name. The wooden sign at the entrance to the park reads Opelika Municipal Park. But only Yankees and visitors call it that.

Yankees – God bless ‘em.

Like a lot of Opelika natives, I spent many childhood Saturdays playing in the park. It was the early 70’s, and things moved a bit slower. There was no social media to record everyday activities.

But I can picture those days just as clearly as I can see the paper I’m writing this on.

The park sat in a valley surrounded by trees.

There was a meandering creek that ran like a border from one end of the park to the other, separating it from the rest of Opelika. A train track circled the perimeter of the park, and the shiny red Rocky Brook Rocket rode that track every few minutes. There was a train depot/concession stand where I lined up with other kids fortunate enough to be in Opelika on a hot summer Saturday to buy Everlasting Gobstoppers, a Coca Cola ICEE, and tickets to ride the Rocket. And in the center of it all were

I

By Wendy Hodge

huge metal swings – the kind where you could sit on the wide rubber seat and pump your legs hard enough to make the poles leave the ground while your toes touched the stretched-out sky.

Gleaming metal slides, hot enough to scorch the skin off the back of your legs; animal-shaped concrete climbing structures, squatting like prehistoric fossils in the wilting grass; and a squeaking, spinning, red metal contraption dedicated to producing the feeling you were flying as you lay looking up at the clouds (and a profound regret over the gobstoppers and the ICEE) were placed up and down the bank of the creek.

The real attraction, though….the piece de resistance….was the 18 x 8 foot cage in the middle of the park that was home to several spider monkeys.

There were as many as a dozen living there at any given time. Adult monkeys, and the occasional baby or two, swung from bar to branch.

They ate peanuts we tossed into the enclosure.

They slept. They chattered. And they watched – each other and all of us.

I was absolutely enchanted. The truest desire of my heart throughout most of that decade was to own a monkey of my own. She would be a girl with a frilly purple dress and shiny black shoes.

She would wear lacy underwear and carry a purse to match her shoes.

We would speak to each other in a language only we understood. And she would be mine forever.

The closest I ever got to that dream was to stand and watch the monkeys, maybe throw the occasional peanut. I imagined that they looked at me with the same longing and affection I had for them. Oh, young Wendy – God bless you.

One particularly hot summer Saturday, I had two quarters that were burning a hole in my pocket, so my dad drove me and some of the other kids from our neighborhood down to the park.

I went straight to the concession stand and bought one perfect piece of bubble game, and then I headed for the monkey cage.

There was a crowd already gathered. A new baby monkey was the center of attention, but I noticed one lonelylooking, older monkey sitting above the rest of them. I’d seen him before and given him the name Joe. He was watching the other monkeys, slowly chewing a peanut. To my eyes, he looked wise but See Hodge, page A5

Retirement

f Hula hoops, Barbie dolls, slinkies, Easy Bake Ovens, Mr. Potato Head, frisbees, the Mickey Mouse Club television show and Tonka trucks still stir good memories, you might be considered to be a Baby Boomer.

To clearly define who Baby Boomers are, if you were born between 1946 and 1964, you are considered to be a Baby Boomer. I am a Baby Boomer because I was born in 1952 and we are considered "post World War II babies."

Some Baby Boomer qualities include the respect of an individual's choice, community involvement, goal-oriented, positive attitudes, striving to be healthy and well and team building.

Baby Boomers are being strongly reminded that retirement is right around the corner. Research shows us that the largest generation (approximately 80 million) are preparing to retire! How are we Baby Boomers going to “do” retirement?

Our thoughts and beliefs on retirement

By Beth Pinyerd

may be different than those of our parents and the previous generation.

Some normal reactions about the reality of retirement might be excitement, curiosity or even anxiety.

All through our lives we pass through developmental life stages such as birth, child, teenager, young adult, middle age and old age. Each stage brings with it memorable events such as being an adolescence and leaving home for the first time, marriage and the birth of children.

Through sit and chats and being in friendship circles with Baby Boomers, the topic of retirement comes up in the conversations quite often. Emotional responses such as: How will I cope with the changes that come with retirement?

Will I be able to say goodbye to fel-

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ashville, Tennessee—Nathan is twelve.

He is on his way to soccer practice. His mother is driving. He is in the backseat of the car. He sees something.

“Pull over, Mom!” says Nathan.

She does.

It’s a family, walking along the shoulder of the road. They are Hispanic. A woman pushes a stroller, two young boys walk behind her. None of them speak much English.

But this is no problem. Nathan has been taking Spanish in school. Nathan translates. He tells his mother that the family’s car has broken down.

So, his mother calls a tow truck. While they wait, Nathan’s mother treats the family to supper. They carry on choppy conversations in broken tongues. Nathan translates the best he can.

By the end of the night, two families have become friends.

And to shorten a long story, today Nathan is a grown man who can say things in Spanish, and explain them.

For instance, Nathan tells me: “Did you know that ‘bondad’ means ‘goodness’ in Spanish? It’s my favorite word.”

Bueno, Nathan.

low workers, friends and the schedule and structure of the work world?

So many times our identity is tied up with our work identity. Will my sense of worth be lost when I retire?

How can I plan for the unknown such as health and finances?

The stages of life are a process. This is true about retirement, it is a process.

We Baby Boomers are embarking on the planning phase of retirement even when we are still working.

Too, it is important for baby boomers to anticipate how retirement can take on a new role in their lives.

They can investigate new interests, learn new and different skills for postretirement work.

Retirement will no longer be defined as a stage in life where “we are not working and are enjoying our rocking chairs” Retirement for the upcoming “Baby Boomer” will be defined in consisting of purpose driven activities and meaningful relationships as we live our lives well.

“They are nice to have. A dog.”

- F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby while back a beagle named Ono won the top dog prize at the Westminster Kennel Club dog do-rah.

Good for Ono. Good for beagles.

I got my first beagles when I was about 12 years old. A pair. Got them on George Washington’s birthday, so I named them George and Martha. Naturally.

Those beagles led to more beagles and in time I was the go-to guy if you wanted a small dog for rabbit hunting.

But as I grew older, and in the process of putting away childish things, I also got out of the beagle business.

Still, I never gave up my love of the breed.

Years passed and I had other dogs. Then I went dogless, until my then 9-year-old son and his 4-year-old sister began lobbying.

With all the usual promises.

All the usual lies.

“We’ll feed it.”

“We’ll clean up after it.”

“We’ll…” You know the rest.

I held them off with cost. We’d have to hire someone to take care of it when we were away.

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Good

By Sean Dietrich

Katy, Texas—She is an EMT student. She doesn’t know whether she wants this for a career. She’s been on ride-alongs, sitting in ambulances, watching emergency workers.

She has seen some terrible scenes.

“The first accident I ever saw,” she says, “was so traumatic, I couldn’t stop thinking about it for months.

I just didn’t know if I was cut out to be a paramedic.”

One night, she is walking into a movie theater. She sees an old woman leaving the theater. The woman stumbles on the curb and falls onto her face.

Blood. Broken bones. Hollering. It is a mess.

The EMT in her kicks into action. The staff brings her an emergency first-aid kit. She dresses the woman’s wounds just like she’d been studying. She immobilizes the woman’s neck.

She keeps her calm.

“I was cool under pressure,” she says.

“It surprised me. I was like, ‘Hey dude, I can actually do this.’”

She rides with the

Dogs

By Hardy Jackson

We’d have to fence the yard. Get a dog house. Have it spayed.

I hemmed and hawed and delayed and made excuses.

And they enlisted Mama.

Mama.

If you are married and have children then I don’t have to tell you that when Mama sides with the kids you are done for. And if you are not married or are, but don’t have children, read on and learn. At moments like this all you can hope for is a few concessions to save at least a shred of dignity.

Pater Familias my foot.

So I said, “OK, but it will be an outdoor dog.”

And my wife said “they.”

And I, “they?”

And she, “They. The two dogs.”

And I, “Two dogs?”

And she, “We have two children.”

I could see the logic, but more than that, I could see the inevitability. There was no

woman to the hospital.

She calls the family and tells them she is all right.

Today, she’s a tenyear first-responder veteran. A paramedical instructor. A mother of three. A hero.

Chanute, Kansas—Gary has no high school education, a minimum wage fast-food job, and not much money. He’s dropped out of school to become a full-time caregiver to his older brother, who is in a wheelchair.

Gary’s brother needs help bathing himself, feeding himself, and using the bathroom.

Looking after his brother is more important than textbooks and pencil sharpeners.

Doctors don’t know how much time Gary’s brother has left.

And as it happens, Gary’s brother doesn’t have much time. He dies when Gary is twenty-four.

A few weeks after the funeral, a man shows on Gary’s porch. He is a distant cousin. He is a pipewelder. He tells Gary he wants to pay for welding school if he is interested.

“No thanks,” says Gary. “I don’t wanna be a welder.”

“Think it over,” the man goes on.

“Welders make good money.”

See Dietrich, page A5

way to argue that we had fewer children than we had, for there they were, eyes pleading for puppies. And having two, there was no way to argue that they should share a dog, because I knew that despite all my efforts (and their Mama’s) sharing was not something they did on a regular basis.

So I reluctantly agreed, On one condition.

They would have to be beagles.

Now I did not know of anyone that raised beagles. But assuming that my wife could find someone, at least I would have dogs I wouldn’t mind taking care of, since I was pretty sure that is what I would be doing – sooner or later.

And I left the ball in their court.

“When you find them, let me know.”

Which my lovely wife took as a challenge.

And so it came to pass that in the weeks that followed she scoured the classified ads, looking for what I hoped wasn’t there.

Until the day she came in and showed it to me.

“Free to a good home.” (The price was See Jackson, page A5

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A5 June 05, 2019

Artwork of Opelika’s Greg and Roger Brown on display in Auburn

By Ann Cipperly Opelika Observer Highly awarded brothers Roger and Greg Brown grew up in Opelika, taking art classes in school and painting storefront windows in downtown Opelika for the Halloween painting contest, winning first and second place every year. While Greg pursued a variety of art as he taught in three Alabama colleges, Roger’s passion for painting led to two covers on “Time” magazines and his art housed in major galleries across the globe.

A sampling of art from the brothers is currently on exhibit at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in Auburn through Nov. 3.

Roger was born in Hamilton in north Alabama, and moved with his family to Opelika when he was about five years old. His father, James Brown, owned

Dietrich,

from A4

It is quite an offer from a half-stranger.

Gary takes him up on it.

And as fate has it, he is a natural. He is not only good at welding, he is an expert underwater welder.

Today, he has seen almost every state in the Lower FortyEight, and even gone to Hawaii once.

And as of last year, he just completed his college education. He majored in English.

He likes literature and

Hodge,

from A4 sad. I wanted to reach out and hold him….maybe take him home and see how he felt about shiny black shoes.

Joe saw me watching and climbed down to eye level to return my stare.

We stayed that way for a minute or two, watching each other with an occasional glance at the baby and her mama, the summer sun practically sizzling around us. Joe chewed his peanut, and I chewed my bubble gum.

I was perfectly content and closed my eyes for a moment. In a flash, Joe reached out his skinny monkey arm and grabbed my ponytail.

There’s something about monkeys that you need to know – they’re strong. Like “a mom who lifts a car off her trapped child” strong. With my hair entwined in his fingers, he pulled my head against the bars of the cage. Repeatedly.

I must have screamed

a grocery store that moved to several locations over the years in downtown Opelika.

The Brown family lived on the south side of town. Both Roger and Greg attended the Miriam S. Brown School where they took art classes from Sam Mason.

Greg remembers when they were growing up, Roger would create buildings, shops and train depots from shoeboxes in the backyard. He would paint doors and windows with silhouettes of people.

Once everything was built, Roger and Greg would crash toy airplanes into the buildings.

“You can establish a link between Roger’s work as a child and an adult,” Greg said, who has taught art appreciation. “He would stage crashes with trains, cars and airplanes, and he did the same thing poetry the best.

“Welding school changed my life,” says Gary. “It’s funny, I wish my brother could see me now, I think he’d be proud of me.”

I have more stories I want to tell you—a lot more—but I don’t have enough room.

So before I go, there’s something I received in the mail a few days ago. The letter was from Nashville, Tennessee, from a man who teaches Spanish for a living, and coaches soccer on the weekends.

A man who still remembers giving a ride to strangers once, because dads came running from everywhere.

Tall dads, young dads, red-faced dads, and my own dad. They swatted at the monkey who refused for a moment to let go.

Finally, realizing dads are crazy strong too, Joe let go and retreated to a high branch. Utter chaos broke out. Dads were talking loudly, to each other and to the monkeys in general.

Other kids were crying, but I was not. I stood, too stunned to make another sound, and looked up at Joe. Utter betrayal, that’s what I felt. The shattering of an illusion is never an easy thing.

Shortly after, the cage in the middle of the monkey park was removed. The monkeys were gone. A hurricane the previous year and three years before that had gone through and destroyed the cage, scattering monkeys to the four corners of Opelika. But they’d been replaced. Both times. My wanton display of bubble gum and Joe’s uncontrollable desire to possess it, were apparently more than the citizens of Opelika could tolerate.

when he was older in his paintings. I think when you are an artist you try to have fun with your work and go back to childhood memories that manifest themselves in your artwork.”

Growing up, Roger was influenced by his great-grandmother Mammy, who raised his mother after her father died in a car wreck.

Roger dedicated a painting to Mammy called “Autobiography of Alabama.”

One side is the painting of Alabama as a state, and the flipside is Mammy’s door, telling his story growing up.

While Roger wanted to be an artist throughout school, he also wanted to please his family. With the religious influence of his great-grandmother and the Church of Christ in Opelika, he decided to become a minister. He attended the David Lipscomb Christian School when he was a boy.

The letter reads: “I truly believe there’s more good (bondad) out there than the television people want us to know about...”

I believe that, too, Nathan.

Gracias.

Sean Dietrich is a columnist, and novelist, known for his commentary on life in the American South.

His work has appeared in Southern Living, the Tallahassee Democrat, Southern Magazine, Yellowhammer News, the Bitter Southerner, the Mobile Press Register and he has authored seven books.

I’d like to say I felt a crushing guilt at the downfall of the town’s one claim to fame. But I didn’t.

Regret? Yes. Because no longer could I stand face to face with the object of my desire.

Embarrassment? Not at all. Around my neighborhood, I became a legend. I’d survived a wild monkey attack, after all.

My overriding feeling was disillusionment, though I didn’t know what to call it at that age. What I did know was that monkeys, as cute and beguiling as they may be, have a dark side. Maybe it’s all the peanuts.

We still call it the monkey park, those of us who have called Opelika home for enough years.

The creek still runs; the train still rides the tracks; and the swings and slides still sit where they’ve always sat. At the center, a cage stands. It’s smaller than the original. Inside it are several bronze statues of monkeys, sitting and staring. One looks remarkably like Joe. I went to the monkey

in Nashville in 1960, and took art classes on the side.

“He soon learned that being in the ministry was not for him,” Greg said.

After he came back from Nashville, he studied graphic art in Chicago and received a degree in commercial art. While working as a commercial artist, he was encouraged to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he received a master’s degree.

“Roger was at the institute when there were many good teachers and talented students,” Greg said, who also has a master’s degree from the Art Institute.

“Roger was part of about ten artists called the Chicago Imagists, whose shows were very successful. The artists became well known nationally and internationally. Chicago artists had their own brand that

Jackson,

from A4 right.) “Part-beagle and part Walker hound.”

“Walker hound!”

Now my sweetheart, bless her, grew up in the Atlanta suburbs.

She knew about as much about Walker hounds as I knew about shoe sales at Macy’s.

So I gently asked, “Have you ever seen a Walker hound?”

“No,” she admitted, “but they can’t be very big if they can mate with a beagle.”

And once again I was caught in the web of wifely logic from park the other day. It was a Saturday, and the place was packed. Laughter echoed up from the swing sets in the valley; bare feet splashed in the creek; and the whistle of the Rocky Brook Rocket called my name.

So I rode, and I remem-

Photo special to the Observer Artist Roger Brown, who grew up in Opelika, looks over a copy of “Time” magazine with one of his paintings on the cover. The artist had a painting on two covers of the magazine, and his art is housed in major galleries across the globe. A sampling of art from the late Brown and his brother, Greg, will be on exhibit at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art through Nov. 3.

was earthier than the New York artists. It was out of that soil that the images grew.”

Roger became a wellknown, rising star with his art collection at galleries across the country. As he was featured

in national magazines, his fame extended to international galleries.

“Roger was internationally known for his distinctive painting style,” Greg added, “and shrewd social com-

which there was no escape.

And a few days later we were on the way to see the puppies. And of course the children loved them. Who doesn’t love puppies.

Small, warm tummies, little ears and big feet.

Big feet!

I feared for the future.

And in the months and years that followed the puppies – named Freckles and Sprinkles – grew.

As they did “free to a good home” cost me a chain-link fence, spaying (both were girls), increasingly large bags of dog food, vet bills and dog sit-

ters. They also grew in ways I never imagined.

Sprinkles became a sleek Walker hound with a voice to match.

Not a hint of beagle in her. And dumb as a brick (“challenged” according to my wife).

Meanwhile Freckles evolved into a black and white sausage on toothpick legs. An eating machine.

But I loved them.

For they were always glad to see me when I came home.

Harvey H. (“Hardy”) Jackson is Professor Emeritus at Jacksonville State University.

He can be reached at hjackson@cableone. net.

bered. For just a few minutes, I could feel the sun on my little girl face, and it was so good to be in that spot. I go back often….

To read, to write, and to swing high enough to make the posts leave the ground. And some days…..some days, I even

chew gum and wear a ponytail.

Wendy Hodge is an Opelika native, an empty nester and lover of all things Opelika. She previously had a column titled A Word or Ten, which was featured in the Tennessee Star Journal.

See Art, page A6

pelika O Opinion

A6 June 05, 2019

Extension office notes: information on corn crops, peanut production and snake acitivity

By Kaite Nichols and Justin Miller Special to the Opelika Observer Wiregrass corn Expectations for higher-than-normal May temperatures have Wiregrass corn producers on edge as the spring growing season shapes up to be a dry one.

Brandon Dillard, an Alabama Extension regional agent of agronomic crops, said farmers in the area were ahead of the planting schedule earlier in the season.

“This was one of the best looking dryland corn crops I’ve seen in recent years,” Dillard said. “On May 19, the corn plants started wilting. With no real chance of rain in the forecast, producers are concerned about the future of the corn crop.”

The last rain in the area came through on May 12. Since then, no pop-up showers or rain chances have come through the area.

The Wiregrass area is generally cotton and peanut country. While there is cause for major

concern if the corn doesn’t get rain soon, Dillard said a saving grace is the lower number of corn acreage in comparison to peanut and cotton acres.

“Producers with irrigated corn are also struggling,” Dillard said. “They’re spending money to irrigate a corn crop on their most productive land, but may not produce a high yield as expected due to anticipated 95 degree temperatures.”

Planting dates vary throughout the state, but Wiregrass farmers planted corn in midMarch. Dillard said some of the earliest planted corn is tasseling—a stage at which corn plants need ample amount of water.

Though it is not a common situation, Dillard said if record-high temperatures continue producers could be looking at a “scattered grain situation.”

This means the heat renders pollen nonviable. Without viable pollen, ears will not fully develop or fill out with kernels. In a worstcase scenario, producers could see losses of up to

90%.

Alabama Extension plant pathologist Dr. Austin Hagan, said producers have one less thing to worry about as foliar disease spread is suppressed by dry weather conditions.

Hope for peanuts and cotton Although the corn is in dire straits, Dillard wants Wiregrass producers to know cotton and peanuts are in a growth stage that can withstand short-term drought scenarios.

“Water demand for cotton and peanuts is low right now,” Dillard said. “The young plants will be able to withstand drought without yield effects at this point.”

For more information, or assistance in the field, contact your regional Extension crops agent.

Snakes As the weather gets warmer, snakes and other wildlife will be on the move. Many people will come across a non venomous snake at some point. Though they have many good qualities, non venomous snakes can still pose a health risk to people.

While they do not have venom, a bite from a non venomous snake can cause infections.

If left untreated, these infections could cause serious health problems.

Knowing basic information about non venomous snakes can help reduce your chance of being bitten.

Snakes are found just about anywhere. Sheds, barns, flower beds, gardens and wood piles are great places for them to hang out. Ironically, the greatest health risk non venomous snakes pose to humans has little to do with the snake at all. People trying to get away from non venomous snakes when they are frightened is a greater risk for injury than the snake itself.

Dr. Jim Armstrong, an Alabama Extension wildlife specialist, said snakes like to stay in areas where they can find food and feel protected.

“Snakes are most likely to be found in areas that provide cover or shelter for them and their prey,” Armstrong said. “Removing these types of areas from around your house will help reduce, but not

eliminate, the possibility of snakes around the home.”

When near these types of areas, be alert for snakes so they do not catch you by surprise. As a general rule, Armstrong said if you are in an area where snakes might be present, closed-toe shoes and long pants are a must.

In general snakes are not aggressive, but put in the right situation they can be.

“Overall, most snakes, regardless of species, are not aggressive. However, any snake, venomous or not, may be aggressive if cornered or picked up,” Armstrong said.

“Some species tend to bite more readily than others, but there is great variation even within a species.”

Non-venomous snake bites can cause problems because of possible infection. Armstrong said that any time skin is opened, the risk of infection is there.

“All snakes have teeth so, they all have the potential to break the skin,” Armstrong said.

“This introduces infection to the area.”

Second Saturday at Pioneer Park to feature blacksmithing, food, learning music and more Special to the Opelika Observer On June 9, like the second Saturday of every other month, volunteers and reenactors gather at Pioneer Park in Loachapoka to demonstrate their arts and crafts.

Blacksmiths are usually working at the forge, spinners and weavers are upstairs in the trade center, and someone is always cooking up a period meal in the cook house or outdoors over an open fire.

Visit the period gardens at Pioneer Park. The Trade Center Museum and others are open on Second Saturdays, and the Whistle Stop Pickers

Brown, from A5 mentaries on politics, religion, and art. He was doing a lot of cityscapes that was connected to current events.”

When his health began to deteriorate, Roger began to think of his legacy. He had become close friends with the teachers at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) who had been instrumental in his success.

Roger owned three houses across the country. At his home in Chicago, the first floor was an art studio, and the upstairs was his living quarters. He traveled a great deal and collected art from all over the world and built a huge collection.

Roger decided to leave the Chicago collection with more than

gather to practice at 1 pm.

Each aspect of the event is free as an educational service provided by the Lee County Historical Society.

Dr. Charles Mitchell will host a “Garden Walk ‘n Talk” at 9 a.m. at the herb and medicinal and crops gardens.

Mike Thurman will be leading a pine needle basketry class from 9:30 a.m. to noon. This free class will in the Trade Center Museum.

Also happening at that time is Dr. Paul Mask helping children learn how to make rope from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Rope was essential on the pioneer farm to harness

1,000 objects to SAIC. The Roger Brown Study Collection is in his historic house museum and special collection of the School. His gift included two homes and their collections, and a large selection of his paintings.

Lisa Stone, the curator, worked with Roger for about a year before he passed away in 1997. It is one of the top artist’s homes in the country.

Roger also donated his house in New Buffalo, Michigan to SAIC in 1995. It is surrounded by nature, providing a retreat for faculty and staff year round.

“Roger Brown was recognized nationally and internationally for his significant contributions to the history of Chicago art and to Twentieth Century American art,” Stone said, “through his distinctive, original artistic

Photo by Morgan Bryce/Opelika Observer

livestock and lash timbers.

Children can make their own jump rope to take home and use.

Mary Delaney and Terri Leme will be available in the Textile Room to guide

vision and his works in many mediums. He was known for responding adroitly to the fabric of 20th century life, through works that addressed a range of subjects and issues.

Brown’s legacy has enriched the school’s resources and offerings in immeasurable ways.”

Roger’s legacy lives on to influence other artists who study his work in his Chicago home.

Before retiring in spring 2015, Greg was an adjunct professor at Troy University in Montgomery, where he taught art appreciation/ visual art since 2004.

He has a BFA degree in visual design from Auburn University, and an MFA degree in painting and drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

His career also includes teaching at Auburn University at Montgomery and at

participants in a variety of spinning, weaving and needle work from 9:30 a.m. until noon.

For more information, visit www.leecountyhistoricalsociety.org/

Alabama State University in Montgomery as adjunct professor.

Greg has been involved with several organizations and art galleries over the years, including West Hubbard Gallery in Chicago, Phyllis Needlman Gallery in Chicago, Artifex Rex Group in Montgomery and the Montgomery Art Guild.

He has received numerous awards and honors for his art.

The Auburn museum exhibition includes four color pencil drawings that he completed during 1988 in Opelika, about a year before moving to Montgomery.

“They were done after a long five-year period of doing no artwork at all,” he said. “I had come back to work in my father’s supermarket business, which did not allow any time to produce artwork.

“Finally the creative

In the event of a person being bitten, Armstrong said that thoroughly washing the wound is usually enough. However, people should always watch the area for any signs of infection.

He said any wound, regardless of the source, should be monitored.

When a snake comes near a home, a general first reaction is to want to move the snake far away. Armstrong said that this is the main reason people are bitten by non venomous snakes.

“Most bites occur when people are handling snakes,” he said.

“I recommend leaving them alone if they are not venomous.”

Armstrong also reminded people of picking up snakes.

“Some snakes bite, but others don’t,” he said. “It’s a chance you shouldn’t take. So, in the wild don’t pick ‘em up and you won’t make a big mistake.”

Find more information about snakes at Alabama Extension online.

For further information, contact your county extension office.

Burgers, from A1 - Matt Robinson and Matt Richards - “Matty Melt” - Harris Brothers - “The Alabama Aloha” - Chris Ficarra - “The Red, White and Blue BBQ.” Members of the Opelika Fire Department were able to defend their title during the “Big Bite Challenge” between themselves and the Auburn Fire Department.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Food Bank of East Alabama’s Backpack program, which provides meals for students at two local schools during the summer.

For more information about the event, like and follow the Happy Hour or Opelika rotary clubs.

Greg Brown urge got the best of me,” Greg added, “and I produced these four color pencil drawings.

I spent many hours laboring over them, and I consider them to be among my best works.

I feel that I pretty much perfected my color pencil technique with these four drawings.”

His artwork in the exhibition features six categories: oil paintings, charcoal and pastel drawings, papier mache works, linocut prints, color pencil drawings

and Hypertufa masks and wall hangings.

Greg has also written a book “Fields of Clover” about his grandfather and the ancestors that came before him.

The artist and his wife, Benedicte, reside in Montgomery.

Creative Cadences: Works by Roger and Greg Brown exhibition can be viewed at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art through Nov. 3. The museum is closed on Mondays.

Opelika E vents, Society, & Food

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: • June 7 - Summernight Downtown Art Walk in Auburn • June 8 - National Get Outdoors Day • June 14 and 15 - Opelika Theatre Company’s performances of ‘Daddy’s Dyin ... Who’s Got the Will?’

• June 15 - Brent Cobb at Standard Deluxe

Serve refreshing salad combinations on sultry summer days Ann Cipperly’s

Southern

Hospitality

W

ith temperatures soaring to record-breaking heat, it has been challenging to decide what to cook that the family will be interested in eating. When it is so hot, refreshing salads sound appealing, whether it is chicken or shrimp salad, or a green salad with fresh ingredients and cheese.

When I was growing up, it did not matter how hot the temperature, my mom would be in the kitchen cooking. We lived in an old wood frame house without air-conditioning.

It was sultry hot during summer and freezing cold in winter with quilts piled

high on all the beds.

During summer, windows with screens would be raised and the front and back doors open with screen doors that were impossible to close without slamming. My favorite place was on the big front porch relaxing in a swing.

On Sundays, chicken would be sizzling in a big cast iron skillet, and freshly shelled peas would be simmering in a big pot, while cornbread was baking. Potato salad and lemon ice box pie would be chilling in the refrigerator. Thick slices of just picked tomatoes along with pitchers of sweet tea were on the table.

For cooking most southern dishes, Mom did not use recipes. The ingrediPhoto by Ann Cipperly ents and methods that had salad on lettuce leaf and orzo salad stuffed tomatoes are a refreshing combinabeen passed down for gen- Shrimp tion for a summer lunch or supper. erations were taught and learned by cooking. Mom kitchens, some with wood red onion and celery were to prepare by boiling a sprinkled over the lettuce, whole chicken, chicken burning stoves. and her sisters helped my breasts or tenders, and then a thawed package of While there were asgrandmother cook huge even easier if picking up green peas.

She covsorted vegetable dishes, meals every day during a rotisserie chicken at the ered the top with 2 cups mom didn’t prepare many summer for field workgrocery store. mayonnaise and sprinkled salads when I was growers at their peanut farm in If using a roasted Parmesan cheese on top. ing up.

There were sliced lower Alabama. chicken from the grocery Sliced tomatoes and bacon tomatoes at lunch and They were traditional store for chicken salad, be were often added before supper, but not often in a southern cuisine dishes sure to get plain chicken serving. salad. with fresh meats, garden without herbs.

The only This salad was made Later, mom made a vegetables and berries problem I have had with ahead and stored in the layered salad that was hand-picked from fields rotisserie chickens from refrigerator until ready to popular.

She broke a head of wild briar patches or the store is that sometimes serve.

It is still a favorite of lettuce into bite sized selected from fruit trees. the thighs are too pink. to make when I need a pieces and placed it in a I don’t know how my Be sure to cook the thigh salad prepared ahead.

9-by-13-inch glass dish. mom and grandmothChicken salad is a cinch A half cup of chopped ers did it all in those hot See Cipperly, page A9

Bulls, Bands and Barrels returning OTC to host three shows of to Lee County Fairgrounds on Aug. 17 ‘Daddy’s Dyin, Who’s Got the

Will?’ on June 14 and 15

Special to the Opelika Observer Up-and-coming Alabama country music artists Muscadine Bloodline will join Opelika native and fan favorite Blane Rudd for the long awaited return of Bulls, Bands and Barrels to the Lee County Fairgrounds in Opelika as part of the 2019 Summer Tour on Aug. 17.

“We’ve been looking forward to coming back to Opelika ever since the first event we did here. Opelika is where we really got our start and we are excited to come back home this

By Morgan Bryce Editor

Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

summer,” said Bulls Bands and Barrels Tour President Hunter Price. “This year’s line-up promises to be the most exciting yet, with Alabama’s own, Muscadine Bloodline headlining and the very popular, Blane Rudd and Dallas Dorsey as our opening artists, both

from Opelika. We are very proud to bring this great event back to Opelika where we know first-hand how great the fans are and how much they love to party! The Lee County Fairgrounds are definitely See Barrels, page A9

Audiences can expect a good dose of Texas-sized humor during the Opelika Theatre Company’s three performances of “Daddy’s Dyin’ ... Who’s Got the Will?” June 14 and 15 at the Southside Center for the Performing Arts.

Written by American filmmaker and playwright Del Shores, the play

has been a standard in theaters across the country and was adapted into a feature-length film in 1990 starring award-winning actor Beau Bridges and Beverly D’Angelo, who portrayed Ellen Griswold in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

Set in a small Texas town, the play’s story is centered on the impending death of Buford “Daddy” Turnover,

which prompts family members to assemble for a reunion of sorts. Will clashes and personal interests of the soonto-be-drafted will get in the way, or will the family find a way to look past their differences and stand united through challenging circumstances?

Numerous theater critics have praised the play’s timeless See OTC, page A8

Monday-Saturday 11 AM - 8 PM

pelika Observer O

A8 June 05, 2019

Neighborhood shows support for injured Auburn officer Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer The Collinwood community is rallying around Auburn Police officer and Opelika resident Webb Sistruck as he recovers from his injuries sustained on May 19 while responding to a domestic dispute call. Sistrunk and Evan Elliott were both injured as a result of the shooting while William Buechner ultimately lost his life.

Braveheart Center staff Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones shares speak to Opelika Rotary stories from March 3 tornadoes with Club last week Opelika Kiwanis Club members

Special to the Opelika Observer Danilea Werner and Angela Powell recently talked to the Opelika Rotary club about the Braveheart Center for Place and Purpose, a fine arts program for teens with disabilities. Braveheart is a social work program under the auspices of the Auburn University School of Liberal Arts.

During the current year Braveheart is serving 12 young adults through the involvement of 116 Auburn University students, and 240 plus volunteer hours shared by church members. Program activities include food collection, holiday toy drives and regular campus walks; photography is a favorite pastime. Pictured (from left): Walter Dorsey, club member; Danilea Werner; Dorsey Kate Barron and Angela Powell.

OTC,

from A7 storytelling and wit, including the Hollywood Reporter and L.A. Times.

"Without becoming ponderous, losing

a sense of humor or pandering to timeworn cliches about Texans or Texas drawls, the story ... shares many elements of a good summer novel - it's a fast, delicious, easy read with funny moments, tense moments, touching moments, and characters

you care about.” "(The play) is a wellwritten piece of mainstream theatre that's consistently funny and occasionally touching.”

Advance tickets cost $10 and are available online at www.opelikatheatrecompany.com and day-of-tickets will cost $15.

Special to the Opelika Observer Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones spoke about the trials and tribulations the past few months for Lee County law enforcement and his insightes into the devastating tornadoes that struck Lee County. Pictured below Sheriff Jay Jones, Joanne Camp, and Club president Robert Harris.

Showtimes are set for 7 p.m. on Friday, and a doubleheader on Saturday with shows at 2 and 7 p.m.

For more information, call 334-663-2593, like and follow the group’s social media page or visit their website.

The venue is located at 1103 Glenn St.

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pelika O Observer

A9 June 05, 2019

Art’s Music Shop sponsors ‘Sounds of Summer Percussion Camp’ at Auburn University to promote the thrill of music-making Special to the Opelika Observer Art’s Music Shop and Auburn University joined forces to present an exciting Yamaha Sounds of Summer Percussion Camp that was held June 4 to 5.

Featuring nationally

Barrels, from A7 where great country music and entertainment fans want to be on Aug. 17 so ya’ll come out and get ready for a great time!”

Featuring the Southeast’s rankest bulls and fastest equines, Bull, Bands and Barrels strives to deliver on its promise to be three of the most exciting hours in westerns sports and entertainment.

For 20-30 minutes, some of the best bull riders will tackle the rankest bucking bulls, striving to make the eight-second buzzer. If a rider stays on his bull for the required eight seconds, he gets a score and a chance to compete in the

known percussion artists working with local educators, Sounds of Summer provided intensive, hands-on instruction to young percussionists, grades 7 to 12, and covered drumline fundamentals, basic and advanced techniques, sectional playing, ensemble per-

formance and leadership skills.

The 2019 Sounds of Summer Percussion Camp will took place at Auburn University Bands Practice Facility, and included two full days of group rehearsals, sectionals, individual instruction, special clinics

and performances.

Percussion players at this year’s Sounds of Summer session will studied under the tutelage of Michael McIntosh, percussion writer and arranger for Drum Corps International, performing exercises and etudes designed to

increase their skill level.

“It’s one of our favorite times of the year when Art’s Music Shop partners with Auburn University to present Sounds of Summer, one of the top percussion programs in the country,” said Matt King, program coordinator at Art’s

Music Shop. “Students develop greater mastery and confidence as they experience the excitement of playing music and working as a team, and we are proud to team with Yamaha to provide one of the best percussion experiences to these young musicians.”

championship round. If he gets bucked off, he is finished.

The cowgirls will take the dirt following the bull riding to see which of them can get the fastest time as they race around barrels in a figure-eight pattern.

Intermission will feature the nail-biting competition of freestyle bull fighting.

The world’s premier bull fighting competition series will keep fans on the edge of their seats throughout intermission as these athletes take center stage to face their opponents in a true battle of man versus beast.

Following the competition, Muscadine Bloodline will take to the stage to dazzle fans with a powerfully refreshing mix of talent, passion and unfiltered authenticity. Dorsey

will play as soon as doors open that evening through the start of the western sports portion of the event, followed by Blane Rudd, Muscadine Bloodline’s opening act.

Adding to the excitement will be a special guest appearance by world renowned championship cowboy and two-time PBR world champion Chris Shivers.

Tickets are available now and can be purchased BigTickets.com or at the gate on the day of the event. Adult tickets start at just $25 ($5 increase on the day of the event) and children’s tickets are only $12. For more information, like and follow the group’s social media pages or visit www.BullsBandsandBarrels.com.

Cipperly,

white bread and adding a slice of canned pineapple for a sandwich. His eyes grew bigger, and no thanks, he didn’t want to try one.

Once in awhile in my cool kitchen, I will try to recreate my beloved mom’s famous fried chicken. Unlike my mother, I will have flour flying. Sometimes when the cooking is over and I look around the kitchen, I know my mother is smiling in heaven, thinking

I will never be able to cook without getting flour everywhere.

I might try frying chicken one night this week, but it will probably be several of the following salads on the menu for the next few days. Of course, I could surprise my hubby with a pineapple sandwich on the side.

Ann Cipperly can be reached at recipes@cipperly.com

from A7

meat in the microwave or wrap in foil and bake a few minutes until no longer pink before using.

One of my favorite things to eat during summer is a tomato sandwich. I recently read an article by Rick Bragg about his mother making pineapple sandwiches, which I thought was interesting.

I remember telling my New York born husband that sometimes we ate pineapple sandwiches when I was growing up.

He raised his eyebrows as I explained about lavishly spreading mayonnaise on two slices of

See Recipes, page A11

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5th Annual Burger War fires up downtown Opelika

Opelika Fire Department sucessfully defends their ‘Big Bite Battle’ title

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

pelika O Observer Recipes,

from A9 Chicken Salad with Grapes, Pineapple and Toasted Almonds 1¼ cups mayonnaise ½ tsp. curry powder 2 Tbsp. soy sauce 1 Tbsp. lemon juice Seedless grapes, halves 20-oz. can pineapple chunks, drained 4 cups chicken, cooked and cubed 1 cup celery, sliced ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds (or pecans), toasted Mix mayonnaise, curry powder, soy sauce and lemon juice in a small bowl. Combine chicken, celery, grapes, pineapple and almonds in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise mixture and stir well. Chill several hours before serving. Serves 8 to 10.

Shrimp Salad on Lettuce Leaf Laura McKay 2 lbs. boiled shrimp, chopped (save a few to garnish) 1 cup chopped celery 1/3 to ½ cup chopped green onions 3 to 4 boiled eggs, chopped, optional 3/4 cup mayonnaise ¼ cup chili sauce 2 tsp. horseradish Salt to taste Leaf Lettuce Combine shrimp, celery, onions and boiled eggs (optional). In another bowl mix together mayonnaise, chili sauce and horseradish. Toss sauce mixture with shrimp; season with salt to taste. Serve on a bed of leaf lettuce. Garnish with whole shrimp and green onions or parsley. Serves 6 to 8.

Crab or Shrimp Salad 1 lb. crab or 1 lb. medium shrimp, cooked and chopped 2 ribs celery, finely chopped ¼ cup onion, finely chopped 3 Tbsp. or more mayonnaise ¼ cup chili sauce 1 tsp. hot sauce or horseradish sauce 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper to taste Leaf lettuce Combine celery, onion, mayonnaise, chili, hot sauce and Worcestershire.

Fold in shrimp.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pile shrimp salad on lettuce leaves for serving for use as a filling for sandwiches.

Orzo Salad Stuffed Tomatoes 16 oz. pkg. orzo ½ cup or more extra virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 green onions, chopped or small red onion, chopped Salt to taste 1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped 4 oz. can sliced black olives, drained Parmesan cheese Tomatoes, halved

Chopped parsley or green onions for garnish, optional.

Cook orzo according to package directions; drain. Mix in olive oil, garlic, onions and salt to taste. Stir in peppers and olives. Add several sprinkles of parmesan cheese. Chill until ready to fill tomatoes.

Slice tomatoes, scoop out pulp. Set upside down on paper towels to drain. Fill with orzo.

Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese, if desired. Can serve cold, at room temperature or warm in a 325 degrees oven for a few minutes. Garnish if desired. Serves 8 or more.

Watermelon Salad Jo Ellen James 1 (5 lb.) watermelon 1 Vidalia onion 1/4 cup red wine vinegar Salt and pepper 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint 4 oz. feta cheese crumbled Salt and pepper 6 whole mint sprigs Cut melon into bitesize pieces, removing seeds, and set aside.

Peel and slice the onion into rings. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, salt and pepper; whisk until salt is dissolved.

Slowly whisk in olive oil, a few drops at a time. Add chopped mint. In a large bowl, combine melon, onion and feta. Pour dressing over melon mixture and toss.

Garnish with mint sprigs.

Shrimp and Rice Salad 1 lb. fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined, cooked and chopped 3 cups white rice, cooked ½ cup chopped bell pepper ½ cup chopped yellow bell pepper 1 tomato, seeded and chopped ¼ cup chopped celery ¼ cup sliced green onions ½ cup mayonnaise 2 Tbsp. lime juice ¼ tsp. Old Bay seasoning Salt and pepper to taste Combine shrimp and next 6 ingredients in large bowl and set aside. Combine mayonnaise, lime juice and seasoning, mixing well. Toss with shrimp mixture, coating well.

Season with salt and pepper and chill at least two hours. Serve over bed of greens or in hollowed tomatoes.

Green Salad Topped with Smoked Salmon ¼ cup olive oil 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives or green onion Freshly ground pep-

per to taste Spring mix salad greens for eight 8 oz. smoked salmon, thinly sliced 1 red onion, thinly sliced 8 tsp. drained capers Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, chives and pepper in a jar with a tight fitting lid.

Cover with the lid and shake to mix well.

Adjust the seasonings to taste. Drizzle over the mixed salad greens in a large salad bowl and toss to coat. Divide the salad among 8 salad plates. Top with the salmon, red onion and capers. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Makes 8 servings.

Salmon Salad 2 lbs. cooked salmon, chilled 1 cup small-diced celery (3 stalks) 1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion) 2 Tbsp. minced fresh dill 2 Tbsp. capers, drained 2 Tbsp. vinegar 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper Break salmon into very large flakes, removing any skin and bones. Place salmon in a bowl. Add celery, red onion, dill, capers, raspberry vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Season, to taste. Mix well and serve cold.

Egg Salad Nealey Dozier 8 eggs 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise 2 Tbsp. snipped chives 2 tsp. cider vinegar 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled Bring the eggs to a boil, then remove from heat and allow to cook for 12 minutes. Rinse with cold water (or place in an ice bath) to stop the cooking. Peel and chop. Combine chopped eggs, mayonnaise, chives, cider vinegar, mustard, salt and bacon crumbles.

Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve on lettuce or in sandwiches. Will make four sandwiches.

Fresh Green Bean, Walnut and Feta Salad Marian Scharpf 2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed 1 small purple onion, thinly sliced 4 oz. pkg. crumbled feta cheese 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted ¾ cup olive oil ¼ cup white wine vinegar 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill or dried to taste

½ tsp. minced garlic, optional ¼ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper Cut green beans into thirds, and arrange in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam 15 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Immediately plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process; drain and pat dry. Toss together green beans, onion, cheese and walnuts in a large bowl.

Cover and chill one hour. Whisk together olive oil and next 5 ingredients; cover and chill one hour. Pour vinaigrette over green bean mixture. Chill one hour or longer; toss just before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Mama’s Chicken Salad Susan Ballard This is the chicken salad our children grew up on!

1 cooked chicken, cut up into small chunks (It’s easier now to just buy a rotisserie chicken!)

1 stalk celery, finely chopped 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped Sweet salad cubes plus a little juice Salt and pepper to taste Hellmann’s light mayonnaise Paprika Combine chicken, celery, eggs and several spoonfuls of pickles.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Add mayonnaise to moisten until salad holds together. Dust with paprika.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with club crackers.

Surprise Greek Salad Pat Odom I have yet to find anywhere that serves this Greek Salad other than Pappas Restaurant on the docks of Tarpon Springs, Florida.What makes this so unique is the unusual potato salad at the bottom of the bowl. Pappas’ includes anchovies and such, but this is my version.

Sounds complicated but isn’t.

2 heads leaf lettuce or 1 leaf and 1 iceberg Potatoes, any kind (figure about a 1/2 potato for each serving, depending on potato size) Tomatoes 1 bunch green onions (chop up tops for potato salad, use bulbs for Greek salad) 1 small onion Shrimp-optional (fresh, canned or frozen) Olives Salad vegetables, whatever you want to use Feta or goat cheese ½ cup white vinegar ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup vegetable or salad oil Oregano flakes or Italian seasoning Several hours ahead of serving time, cook potatoes. I peel them first but leave them whole, or, if large, cut

A11 June 05, 2019 them in half. Bring to boil and cook about 10 minutes, then turn off. Let set about 10 minutes and test to see if fork goes easily into center. If so, pour off water, and run under cold water to stop cooking. You don’t want them to be mushy. Store in refrigerator (dry) for later use. Potatoes need to be cold when mixing salad.

Greek Potato Salad: Cut up cold, cooked potatoes into chunks (large). Mix in onions and enough mayonnaise to moisten (probably a couple of serving spoon sizes at least). Salt to taste.

Greek Salad: A couple of hours before serving, put potato salad into bottom of bowl. I usually line the bowl with leaf lettuce for presentation. On top of potato salad, add broken lettuce. Top with olives, shrimp, green onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, cheese, anything else you like.

Dressing: In separate bowl, put vinegar, oils and oregano flakes. Mix together with whisk, and quickly pour over finished salad. This sinks to the bottom and into potato salad.

If you are making a huge salad, you may need to make a little more dressing. Probably just a half recipe more would do.

Taco Salad with Black Beans 1 head iceberg lettuce, torn into bite size pieces 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped ½ cup sliced black olives, optional ½ cup sliced or chopped red onions or use regular onions 1 cup or more shredded cheddar cheese 1 can black beans, drained Dressing 1 cup guacamole, freshly made or frozen ½ cup sour cream 1 tsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. chili powder or to taste Coarsely broken tortilla chips or Fritos Spread two-thirds of the lettuce into a glass bowl. Add a layer of tomatoes and olives, then add remaining lettuce.

Cover with onion, cheese and beans.

Make dressing.

Combine dressing ingredients; spread over salad. Chill up to 24 hours. Just before serving, cover top with broken chips.

Shrimp and Orzo Salad Ursula Higgins 12 oz. orzo (2 cups) Cook orzo in large pot of boiling salted water 8 minutes, until just tender. Drain well.

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined Simmer in seasoned water just until done, 2-3 minutes.

1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half 1 cup black olives 1/2 cup red onion, cut in thin strips 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cubes Combine these.

Zest from 1 lemon Dressing: 1 egg Juice of 1 lemon 3 sliced garlic cloves 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano 1/2 Tbsp. fresh thyme Pulse in food processor until combined.

1 cup olive oil Slowly add until thick.

1 Tbsp. rinsed capers 1/4 cup chopped green onions Fold these into dressing. Combine pasta, shrimp, and vegetables and add dressing. Serves four.

Chicken Pasta Salad Easy to half the recipe.

Sally McCormick 5-6 chicken breasts, cooked 1 lb. box small bow tie pasta, cooked 1 pkg. slivered almonds Red grapes cut in half, as many as desired Dressing 2 cups real mayonnaise 2 cups sour cream 2 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix Chop chicken into small cubes; add almonds and grapes. Mix with dressing and pasta while hot. Refrigerate at least 24 hours. May need to add more mayonnaise or sour cream before serving. Serve on romaine or Bibb lettuce.

Food Ratings John Emerald Distillery 706 N. Railroad Ave. Opelika Score: 100 Red Clay Brewing Company 704 N. Railroad Ave. Opelika Score: 100 Burger King 1740 S. College St., Auburn Score: 99 Pizza Hut 1923 S. College St. Auburn Score: 98 The Mason Jar 1936 S. College St. Auburn Score: 95 Niffer’s at the Tracks 917 S. Railroad Ave. Opelika Score: 93

Opelika

A12

Family & Religion

June 05, 2019

The Mathematics of Grace

C

Hunley Group Lambert Transfer & Storage An Interstate Agent for North American Van Lines 1102 Fox Trail Opelika, AL 36803 745-5706

ould there be a worse scenario for a parent than to have one of their children missing? I guess there could be something, but it’s hard to fathom (and who really wants to try?). But suppose one of your children was missing. You can only imagine the gnawing emptiness that would be yours.

Every waking moment that child would be on your mind. As your other children comforted you and helped in whatever way they were able, you would be pleased by their efforts.

Their support would be no small thing, but neither would it diminish the sense of loss you had.

That’s the story we’re given in Luke 15:11ff. It is the third and final story Jesus tells in response to the complaint of the Pharisees and teachers of the law that “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (v. 2). Luke, who features

the table prominently in his gospel, has shown Jesus eating with all sorts of people: sinners and tax collectors (5:29ff); Pharisees (7:36ff, 11:37ff, 14:1ff); and close friends (10:38ff).

He tells us in 15:1 that, “The tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.” Note they were not eating—they were there to listen to Jesus. This shows that Jesus’ approach (to welcome, build relationships and call to repentance) was superior to the Pharisee’s approach (call to repentance, then welcome and build relationships). There was nothing left for them to do but “mutter” (v. 2).

But there was something left for Jesus to do and he shares with them three stories in an effort to help them see the heart of God that values rescue even more than righteousness.

The first story captures this well as the shepherd leaves

By Bruce Green Teaching Minister at 10th Street Church of Christ in Opelika

99 sheep to go after the one that is missing. Why would someone do that?

Because the 99 are "safe" and the lost one is not! This is precisely why there is more joy over finding the lost sinner than the 99 who don’t need to repent.

The mathematics of grace are astounding, aren’t they? Does God put any value on 99 righteous people? You know he does! The scripture is full of texts from Psalm 1 to the Sermon on the Mount that teach us this. So however we understand Jesus here, he’s not minimizing

Church calendar

• Pepperell Baptist’s youth program meets on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m.

This is an evening of prayer, Bible Study, and discussion.

For more information, contact youth and children’s pastor Ryno Jones if you need more information at 334-745-3108.

• Registration for Farmville Baptist Church’s First Steps Preschool program for fall 2019 is now open to the public. For more information or to register, call 334-887-7361 or visit them at 3607 Alabama Highway 147 N. in Auburn.

•Tenth Street Church of Christ will be holding their Vacation Bible School June 2 to 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. This year’s theme is Marooned

Catch ‘On the Mark’ with D. Mark Mitchell and Jeff Sasser weekday mornings from 7-9 a.m.

ANGLICAN Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd 1311 Second Ave. #758-6749 ASSEMBLY OF GOD Bridge Church 1000 Lee Road 263, Cusseta #742-0144 AME Mount Zion AME Church West Point Hwy #749-3916 St. Luke AME Church 1308 Auburn St. #749-1690 St. Paul AME Church 713 Powledge Ave. #745-6279 Thompson Chapel AME Zion 187 Columbus Pkwy #749-8676 BAPTIST Abundant Life Baptist Church 1220 Fox Run Ave. Suite B #7064421464 Airview Baptist Church 2301 Airport Rd. #745-6670 Antioch Baptist Church 605 W. East Morton Ave #742-0696 Bethesda Baptist Church 201 S. 4th St. #745-7528 Bethel Baptist Church Hwy. 29 Sasser Rd #745-4865 Central Baptist Church 1611 2nd Ave. #745-2482 Community Baptist Church 154 N. 16th St. #745-6552 Cornerstone Missionary Baptist 500 N. Railroad Ave. #742-2008 Eastview Baptist Church 1208 Spring Dr #749-9595 Farmville Baptist Church 3607 Alabama Hwy N. #887-7361 First Baptist Church of Opelika

- Steady Faith in Shifting Sands. Children from ages 4 to sixth grade are welcome to attend. For more information, call 334-745-5181. The church is located at 500 N. 10th St. •First Baptist Church of Opelika will hold their Vacation Bible School June 10 to 13. This year’s theme is “In the Wild: Amazing Encounters with Jesus” which is taken from John 20:31. Children from ages 4 to sixth grade are welcome to attend. For more information, call 334-7455715. The church is located at 301 S. 8th St.

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our lost child was found, wouldn't we? If one of our other children went into a pout about all of the fuss and attention given to the rescued child, we would say something like he did.

The difference (and it’s rather astounding) is that God feels this way about every person on the planet.

He is in pain over their lostness and wants nothing more than to rejoice over their rescue.

This speaks volumes to churches, leaders and disciples about our tendency to become smug and selfsatisfied with “business as usual.” To have the heart of our father means there is always an emptiness there as long as there is anyone who is away from God! Bruce Green has written a book on the model pray called “Praying in the Reign.” It is available through 21st Century Christian.

Verse of the Week “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.”

Events can be emailed to the Observer at editor@opelikaobserver.com.

314 S. 9th St. #745-6143 First Baptist Church 301 S. 8th St. #745-5715 First Baptist Church Impact 709 Avenue E #741-0624 First Freewill Baptist Church 103 19th St. #703-3333 Friendship Missionary Baptist 432 Maple Avenue #742-0105 Greater Peace Baptist Church 650 Jeter Ave. #749-9487 Heritage Baptist Church 1103 Glenn St. #363-8943 High Hope Baptist Church 227 Lee Road 673 Liberty Baptist Church 2701 West Point Pkwy #749-9632 Love Freewill Baptist Church 1113 Frederick Ave. #745-2905 Ridge Grove Missionary Baptist Church 1098 Lee Road 155 #334-745-3600 Northside Baptist Church 3001 Lafayette Hwy #745-5340 Pepperell Baptist Church 2702 2nd Ave. #745-3108 Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Uniroyal Rd #749-2773 Providence Baptist Church 2807 Lee Rd 166 #745-0807 Purpose Baptist Church 3211 Waverly Pkwy #704-0302 St. James Baptist Church 1335 Auburn St. #745-3224 Union Grove Missionary Baptist 908 Huguley Rd #741-7770 BUDDHIST Buddha Heart Village 3170 Sandhill Rd. #821-7238

righteousness.

What he is doing is maximizing the importance of rescue. This becomes even clearer in the story of the two sons. The father is pleased with the presence and righteousness of the older brother (though as with all righteous people he's not without some issues of his own). He withholds nothing from him but tells him “we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (v. 32). The father's righteousness is mature and complete—he looks at the unrighteous (in this case his younger son) and longs for his rescue. The righteousness the older brother displays is immature and incomplete because his thoughts are dominated by resentment rather than rescue.

We would feel the same way the father did if

CATHOLIC St. Mary’s Catholic Church 1000 4th Ave. #749-8359 CHURCH OF CHRIST Church of Christ 2215 Marvyn Pkwy #742-9721 10th Street Church of Christ 500 N. 10th St. #745-5181 Southside Church of Christ 405 Carver Ave. #745-6015 Church of Christ 2660 Cunningham Drive #745-6377 CHURCH OF GOD Airview Church of God 3015 Old Opelika Rd #749-9112 Church of God 114 17th Place #7496432 Tabernacle Church of God 3 Oak Court #745-7979 CHURCH OF NAZARENE Opelika Church of Nazarene 1500 Bruce Ave. #749-1302 EPISCOPAL Emmanuel Episcopal Church 800 1st Ave. #745-2054 HOLINESS Eastside Emmanuel Holiness Church 86 Lee Road 186 Opelika, Ala. 36804 JEWISH Beth Shalom Congregation 134 S. Cary Dr. #826-1050 LATTERDAY SAINTS Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints 510 Groce St. #742-9981 METHODIST First United Methodist Church of Opelika 702 Avenue A #745-7604 Hopewell United Methodist 1993 Lee Rd 136 #745-0460

Psalm 37:7 Pierce Chapel United Methodist 8685 AL Hwy. 51 #749-4469 Pepperell United Methodist 200 26th St. #745-9334 Trinity United Methodist Church 800 Second Ave. #745-2632 Wesley Memorial United Methodist 2506 Marvyn Pkwy #745-2841 PENTECOSTAL Full Gospel Pentecostal Church Hwy. 29, PO Box 1691 #741-8675 Gateway Community Church 2715 Frederick Rd #745-6926 PRESBYTERIAN First Presbyterian Church of Opelika 900 2nd Ave. #745-3421 Trinity Presbyterian Church 1010 India Rd #745-4889 SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST Outreach Seventh-Day Adventist 1808 S. Long St. #749-3151 NON-DENOMINATIONAL Apostolic Holiness Church 610 Canton St. #749-6759 Auburn Opelika Korean Church 1800 Rocky Brook Rd #749-5386 Beauregard Full Gospel Revival 2089 Lee Road 42 #745-0455 Christ Church International 1311 2nd Ave. #745-0832 Church of the Harvest 2520 Society Hill Rd #745-2247 Church at Opelika 1901 Waverly Pkwy #705-0505 East Congregation of Jehovah Witnesses 1250 McCoy St. #737-1488 Emmanuel Temple of Deliverance 207 S. Railroad Ave. #745-6430 Faith Alliance Church 3211 Waverly Pkwy #749-9516 Faith Christian Center 600 S. 8th St. Faith Church 3920 Marvyn Pkwy #707-3922

Family Life Christian Center 601 S. 7th St. #741-7013 Father’s House Christian Fellowship 214 Morris Ave. #749-1070 Fellowship Bible Church 2202 Hamilton Rd #749-1445 Ferguson Chapel Church 310 S. 4th St. #745-2913 First Assembly of God Church 510 Simmons St. #749-3722 Garden of Gethsemane Fellowship 915 Old Columbus Rd #745-2686 Grace Heritage Church Opelika #559-0846 Holy Deliverance Church 831 S. Railroad #749-5682 Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 1250 McCoy St. #737-1488 Living Way Ministries 1100 Old Columbus Rd #749-6241 Move of God Fellowship Church 1119 Old Columbus Rd #741-1006 Connect Church 2900 Waverly Pkwy #749-3916 New Life Christian Center 2051 West Point Pkwy #741-7373 New Life Independent Church 10 Meadowview Estates Trailer 741-9001 Opelika’s First Seventh Day 2011 Columbus Pkwy #737-3222 Power of Praise, Inc. Church 3811 Marvyn Pkwy #745-6136 Shady Grove Christian Church West Point Hwy #745-7770

pelika O Observer

A13 June 05, 2019

OBITUARIES LaPatka Anne Yarbrough Brand (“Pat”) LaPatka Anne Yarbrough Brand (“Pat”), age 85, passed away at her home in Opelika on May 28th, 2019. She was born to Nim and Ellen Mitchell Yarbrough on October 9, 1934 in Lanett. She was educated in the Lanett school system and graduated from Lanett High School in 1953, then graduated from Auburn University in 1957.

She is survived by her two sons, Chuck Brand of Opelika, AL and Chris Brand of Minneapolis, MN. Other survivors include her grandsons, Scott (Caitlin) Brand and Adam Brand, her only great-grandchild, Brelynn Brand, her siblings Tony Thomas Harold Buchanan Mr. Thomas Harold Buchanan, 66, of Opelika, born July 4, 1951, passed away May 27, 2019 at his residence.

Funeral services were held at 1 p.m. Friday, May 31, 2019 at White-Ransom Funeral Home in Union City, Tennessee with burial following at West Hill Cemetery, Union City.

Visitation was held Friday, May 31, 2019 from 11 a.m. until 1p.m.

Mr. Buchanan had been Mary Nan McCullough Mrs. Mary Nan McCullough passed away on Monday, May 27, 2019 at her residence in Opelika, AL after a brief illness. She was the daughter of the late Thomas Clinton & Lydia Finklea Hurd and was born on April 26, 1935 in Brewton, Alabama. She graduated from Escambia County High School in Atmore, Alabama after her family relocated from Brewton.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert L. “Bobby” McCullough and her brother, Dr. Thomas Clinton Hurd, Jr. A Celebration of Life memorial service was held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2, 2019 at First United Methodist Church of Opelika with the Rev-

(Carolyn) Jones, NaTasha (Shelby) Sewell, Marsha (Scotty) Scott, Philip (Christy) Jones and Jenny (Randy) Crenshaw, a host of family members and too many friends to number.

She was predeceased by her parents, the man who raised her after her father died in August 1935, James H. Jones, and her sister Mary Ellen Weldon Prestridge.

Visitation was Friday, May 31st, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at Jeffcoat Trant Funeral Home in Opelika, followed by a graveside service at the Lanett Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the charity of your choice in Pat’s memory.

Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home directed. a resident of Opelika since 2003 following their move from Tennessee. He was retired from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company with 27 years of service. He also retired from the U.S. Army with 27 years of service.

While in the Army he served in Vietnam.

He is survived by his wife: Norma Sue Buchanan; children: Harold C. (Glenda) Duncan, Elaunda S. Madison, Latina G. (Rob) Hughes; and grandchildren.

Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home directed.

erend Robin Wilson officiating. Visitation immediately followed the memorial in the Fellowship Hall.

Mary Nan attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn University) where she majored in Music Theory and continued her love of music in general and more specifically her passion for piano and the pipe organ.

She was a major influence in the growth of the music and choir departments at First (United) Methodist Church where she was a fixture behind the organ for decades beginning with the arrival of the late “Brother Si” Mathison.

She was a true “Southern Lady” and exemplified the definitions of woman, mother, grandmother, friend, hostess and

Please send your loved one’s obituary for publication to editor@opelikaobserver.com Alexis Dowdell Funeral service for Alexis Dowdell, 18, of Opelika, AL, will be at 11:00 a.m., Monday, June 3, 2019, at Harris Funeral Home Chapel with interment in Evergreen Cemetery, Reverend Aaron Daniel will officiate.

Ms. Dowdell, who passed away Tuesday, May 28, 2019 in Wedowee, AL, was born October 12, 2000 in Lee County, Alabama. Alexis was preceded in death by

Renee Rousseau Tillery Renee Rousseau Tillery, 93 of Opelika passed away peacefully at her home after a long illness May 26, 2019. She was surrounded by her two children, niece and her devoted caregivers.

She was born on February 13, 1926 in Macon, Georgia and

“chef” extraordinaire.

In addition to her God-given musical talents she was a champion on the golf course, a pro on the tennis court, a master cook in any kitchen, a gifted writer and one of the wittiest individuals anyone could meet. She deeply valued family, friendships, music and her Faith in Our Lord and Savior.

She is survived by her son: Robert L. McCullough Jr. (Shayne); daughter: Lydia Lee McCullough, grand-

her mother, Carla McDade.

Public viewing was Sunday, June 2, 2019 from 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Survivors include: father and step-mother, Melvin (Stacy) Dowdell of Wedowee, AL; special aunt, Gusta Dowdell (Mervin Ingram) of Opelika, AL; three siblings, Cierra Gadston of Atlanta, GA, Lennie Webber and Jeremiah Gaston both of Providence, Rhode Island; grandparents, Annie

the daughter of Adelaide Hargrett Rousseau and James Clements Rousseau, Sr. In addition to her parents, she was pre-deceased by her husband of 50 years, Homer W. Tillery of Opelika, her sister Sue Ashley of Montgomery, and her brother James C, Rousseau Jr.of Pt. Charlotte Fl. She is survived by her son, Alan

daughter: Jordan McCullough-Hecht (Matt); grandson: Robert Kincaid McCullough; great-grand ”fur” daughter: Willa, sister-in-law: Rose Anne Hurd, cousin: Nancy MacIntosh Burgess; niece: Kevin Denise Hurd; nephew: Alan Russell Hurd (Lea Anne); greatnephew: Kyle Lashley, great-niece: Makaley Hurd; first-cousin: Dr. John Finklea; firstcousin: Betty Finklea Florey and numerous others that she considered as her extended family: (Whatley’s,

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B. Dowdell of Opelika, AL and Essie B. (Moses) Lewis of Screven, GA; four aunts, Pamela Stevens of Lake Mary, FL, Debra Lewis of Alexandria, VA, Teresa Allen of Virginia Beach, VA and Neicey Lewis of Raleigh, NC; two uncles, Jerry Dowdell and Donald Dowdell both of Opelika, AL; two special cousins as sisters, Shqueena Houston and Nykarsha Milford both of Opelika, AL; a host of other cousins and friends.

R Tillery of Fleming Island, Florida and daughter Drake Renee Ondrovic of Clayton, Georgia She also is survived by many nieces and nephews as well as three grandchildren, Paige Wilder of Grayson Georgia, Gregory Alan Tillery of Hollywood, California and Laura Renee Tillery of Trond-

Strother’s, Cunningham’s, BL Stephens, Sheckles, Stewart’s, Melton’s, Torbert’s) and more.

She was a member of First United Methodist Church of Opelika and the family requests that in lieu

heim, Norway.

She also had 5 step grandchildren as well as 3 great grandchildren and 3 step great grandchildren.

In lieu of a funeral it was her wish to be cremated and a Celebration of Life to be announced at a later date with the date, time and venue. Details will be published as soon as they are known.

of flowers memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church (Music Ministry or Youth Music Ministry) or any children’s musical charity.

Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home & Crematory directed.

pelika Observer O

A14 June 05, 2019

Community Calendar: Events around town

• June 14 - Ribbon Cutting - Whistle Stop Brew Shop 4 p.m.

• June 19 - U.S. Chamber Update Noon to 1 p.m.

• June 24 - Legislative Reception 5 to 7 p.m.

• July 10 - 78th Annual Meeting 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Ongoing: • Village Friends/Village Values is a nonprofit organization that supports seniors who prefer to stay in their own homes as they grow older. For info or to schedule a presentation to your group, call 334209-4641. For the website, Google “village friends village values.”

• The Martha Wayles Jefferson DAR chapter is appealing for sweaters, jackets, trousers, shirts and socks, women’s clothing, soft soap in individual containers, shaving supplies, disposable razors, denture cleanser, toothpaste and toothbrushes, DVDs, games, books and magazines to take to veterans at the CAVHCS in Tuskegee. The Martha Wayles Jefferson DAR Chapter regularly visits veterans living in assisted living, the homeless domiciliary and psych (trauma) ward in Tuskegee. Donations are tax deductible and will be much appreciated. Pick up is provided. Please call Linda Shabo at 887-6659 or at 256-307-1449.

Mondays: • The Lee County Voters League meets the first Mondays of the month at 6 p.m. at Bethesda Baptist Church located at 201 S. 4th Street, Opelika • The John Powell American Legion Post 18 and Auxiliary meets the third Monday at 7 p.m. at 910 West Point Parkway in Opelika.

• The Opelika Community Band practices from 6:30

to 8 p.m. in the Auburn High School band room.

Everyone is welcome, amateurs and professionals alike.

• Smiths Station Military Chapter of Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) meets weekly at Mike & Ed’s at 5 p.m. For more information, call 297-5581 or visit www.nonukesforiran.org.

• The Touched by Suicide Support Group meets the first Monday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at the East Alabama Medical Center Health Resource Center, 2027 Pepperell Parkway. For more information, contact Deborah Owen, EAMC’s director of Psychiatric Services at 334-528-4197 or deborahowen@eamc.org.

• The fourth Monday of each month a Community Grief Support Group meets from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the EAMC Health Resource Center. No reservations are necessary; everyone is welcome. For more information call 8261899 or 502-0216.

• T.O.P.S (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly), a weight loss support group, meets every Monday night from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Covington Recreation Center, 213 Carver Ave., Opelika.

For more info contact Mary Johnson, 749-1584.

• The Lee County Commission meets the second and last Mondays of each month at the courthouse beginning at 5 p.m.

• The Commercial Horticulture Extension Team

organizes webinars to provide quick updates for producers on various topics of interest. Whether you are interested in the proper way to plant fruit trees or have questions in turf management, these webinars cover a wide range of subjects. Webinars are streamed live via Panopto on the last Monday of every month starting in January and ending in November. During the presentation, participants can send questions via email.

The webinars also are recorded and stored in the archive on the Beginning Farmer website. Webinar topics include: trap cropping for reducing squash insect pests, cowpea curculio updates, nutsedge control, introduction to potting mixes in ornamental container production, dealing with drought in commercial horticulture crops, and many more.

To view the full schedule, please visit www.aces. edu/anr/beginningfarms/ webinars.php. Please send questions during the presentations to Ann Chambliss, thameae@auburn. edu. For questions regarding the webinar series or for providing suggestions, please email Dr. Ayanava Majumdar at bugdoctor@ auburn.edu.

Tuesdays: • Ballroom Dance Classes at the Opelika Sportsplex from 7 to 8 p.m. every Tuesday. Instructor is Cody Wayne Foote. For more info call Diane at 749-6320.

• The East Alabama Old Car Club meets every first Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Monarch Estates Clubhouse, located at 1550 East University Drive, Auburn. A program of interest to the old car enthusiast is presented.

Car ownership is not required.

• The Opelika City Council meets the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7 p.m. Meetings are preceded by nonvoting work sessions that typically begin about 6:30 to 6:45 p.m.

• Every second Tuesday, a country, gospel and bluegrass music jam session is held at Pierce Chapel United Methodist Church in Beauregard. The event is free and open to the public. Those who play an instrument should bring it and plan to join in. The jam session is held from 6 to 8 p.m. 8685 AL Highway 51.

• A Grief Support Group meets at Oak Bowery United Methodist Church Tuesdays at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. for anyone dealing with the pain of loss and feeling the need for support on their journey as they attempt to bring order and wholeness back into their life. Attendance and participation is strictly voluntary for any and all sessions. There are no fees or charges involved.

The church is located on U.S. Highway 431 – eight miles north from Southern Union State Community College and Opelika High School. For more information contact Bill Parker at 459-0214 or 706-5189122.

• The Auburn Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol meets every Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Auburn University Regional Airport. The Civil Air Patrol is a nonprofit organization that is Congressionally chartered to be the civilian auxiliary of the Air Force and focuses on three missions: aerospace education, cadet programs and emergency services.

For more information visit www.auburncap.org or find the organization on Facebook.

• East Alabama Gem & Mineral Society meet the 4th Tuesday of every month at 5:45 p.m. Meetings are held at the Covington Rec. Center located at 213 Carver Ave. in Opelika.

Wednesdays: • The second Wednesday of each month a Community Grief Support Group meets from 10 to 11 a.m. at the EAMC Health Resource Center. No reservations are necessary. For more info call 826-1899 or 502-0216.

• The John Powell American Legion Post 18 and Auxiliary hosts Bingo every Wednesday night at 6 p.m.

• Every Wednesday is Wine Down Wednesday at the Bottling Plant Event Center from 5 to 8 p.m.

Thursdays: • American Legion Auxiliary Unit 152 meets the first Thursday of every month at 11 a.m. at Niffer’s Place, 917 S. Railroad Ave. in Opelika.

• The Teal Magnolias Gynecological Cancer Support Group meets the second Thursday of every third month at 6 p.m. at EAMC Health Resource Center, 2027 Pepperell Parkway. For more information on the Teal Magnolias, email tealmagnoliasAL@yahoo.com or find them on Facebook.

• Opelika-Auburn Newcomers’ Club provides a variety of programs for the betterment of the Auburn/ Opelika community to assist women transitioning into the area or to help women adjust to recent lifestyle changes. The club meets on the third Thursday of each month at 11:30 a.m. for a luncheon at various local restaurants.

Please call or email Cheri Paradice at 334-737-5215 or cheri.paradice@gmail. com for more information or luncheon location of the month.

• T.O.U.C.H. Cancer Support Group meets

the third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. at EAMC’s Health Resource Center. This is a support group for people living with any type of cancer or their families and friends.

Call 334-528-1076 for more information.

•After School Art Classes for Children & Youth Weekly Studio Classes featuring Drawing, Painting & More.. *beginners are welcome *all fine art supplies are always provided The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art A Center for Cultural Arts - Enroll Today- 334-480-2008 •Afternoon Art Classes for Adults featuring Studio Drawing, Painting & More.. *beginners are welcome *all fine art supplies are always provided Thursdays at 3 p.m.

Eastern Standard Time The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, A Center for Cultural Arts - Enroll Today- 334-480-2008 • Evening Art Classes for Adults Fundamental Drawing Studio - Every Tuesday: 6:30 p.m. *beginners are welcome *all fine art supplies are always provided The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, A Center for Cultural Arts - Enroll Today- 334-480-2008 • Portrait Drawing Studio - portrait drawing classes for beginners, Every Wednesday 2 p.m.

EST *all fine art supplies are provided The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, A Center for Cultural Arts - Enroll Today- 334-480-2008 • Senior Studio Art Classes Every Wednesday 11 a.m. EST *beginners are welcome *all fine art supplies are always provided - Enroll Today- 334-480-2008 Email editor@opelikaobserver.com to place your community events.

Upcoming Events • June 5 - Master Gardeners June Meeting - Planting ‘Summer Containers’ will be held June 5 at the Kiesel Park Pavilion. The meeting starts at 12:30 p.m. and the public is invited.

The speaker this month is Jane Farr, director of the Plant Science Research Center at Auburn University. Visit LeeMG.org.

• June 7 - Summernight Downtown Art Walk in downtown Auburn.

• June 8 - National Get Outdoors Day. • June 11 - Summer Swing at Municipal Part at 7 p.m.

• June 15 - Brent Cobb at Standard Deluxe.

Special to the Opelika Observer Following is a calender of events provided through the Lee County Extension Office: ● July 10 - Adult jam making class from 1 to 4 p.m. Cost $10. Call 334749-3353 to register. ● Summer 4-H activities are full of fun! Must be ages 9-18 to participate and registered in 4-H online. Call the Lee County Extension Office at 334-749-3353 and pay by check or money order payable to “Alabama 4-H Foundation.” To be placed on the list, please drop payment by the office or mail to 600 South 7th St., Opelika, AL 36801. There are only 2 programs not full for the summer: - Sew It Seams: Intermediate Class: June 24-28, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., $25. Call to register 334749-3353.

- Beginning Quilting Class - All three days are required to complete the project. June 11, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., bring brown bag lunch; July 11, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., snack only; Aug. 1, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., bring brown bag lunch. Cost $50. Call to register. ● Lee County Extension System Fall Master Gardener Class. If you are interested, please visit leemg.org and fill out the MG application and mail it to the extension office or call for more information at 334-749-3353. The class will be each Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting Aug. 15 through Oct. 31. Cost: $150. ● 2019 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series - Please join us for this webinar series for information you can use about good and bad insects. We will discuss troublesome insects such as fire ants and landscape pests as

well as other animals like arachnids and bats! Remember, the majority of insects are not pests. Let’s talk about the good guys too and a wealth of other topics. Webinars will be on the first Friday of each month at 2 p.m.

EST. Use the link below for the entire schedule. www.articles.extension. org/pages/74786/2019all-bugs-good-and-badwebinar-series

● Call Master Gardener Helpline toll free 1-877252-4769. Lee County Extension has Master Gardeners in their office every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. ● Want to be a Friend of Lee County Master Gardeners? A friend supports the projects and mission of the Lee County Master Gardeners program, enjoys spending time with other gardeners

and learning more about gardening, likes to attend garden-related field trips and programs, and just having loads of fun. Your participation is flexible and voluntary. Find out more about our projects, programs, and community partnerships at www.

LeeMG.org or call 334749-3353. LCMGA The cost of an annual Friend Membership is $20.

pelika Observer O

A15 June 05, 2019

An ‘Alabama Bucket List: The Plan’ S

ummer is here and I honestly cannot believe it. Wasn’t is just January when time was moving so slow?

We are almost halfway through 2019!

Time goes be so incredibly fast, which is why we created our Alabama Bucket List.

I have learned a lot during the last few years running George’s Farmers Market, but one idea that always comes back to me is this: You must create what you want.

Sounds simple right? In many ways yes, but all too often we want things and fail to stop in time to create them.

After making the decision to close our doors full-time (another post for another day), I had an empty space in my soul. All my customers, all my efforts, all my joy, all that I had created,

came to a screeching halt. I had no idea what to do with myself.

Enter the wild world of my children. My three spirited, loud, out-door loving, farm kids. My time was placed back into their lives. It was time for them to fill their space in my life.

What I have always wanted, for as long as I can remember, was to be a mother. A present mother. A fun mother. A mother that laughs and enjoys her children. A mother with adventure and joy. A mother that teaches and explores and engages with her kids. All these things had been missing, for way too long.

In order to have the desires of my heart, I had to create it…welcome to our Alabama Bucket List!

Our mission: to explore all the beautiful, unique places in

Bradley Robertson Alabama; to spend adventurous quality time with my kids; to create space with my children to laugh and learn and grow together.

The cool thing about my kids at this time, is they are eager to work and explore.

I’m owning this stage in their lives and using it to its fullest glory. They are like worker ants. They are gritty and hustle and have the energy of superheroes. Do you get what I’m saying here? They are a work

force!

Pitching a tent, done. Building a fire, done. Cooking over said fire, done. The excitement of this endeavor is heart swelling! It is truly a gift.

If they are so eager to work and to be “doers” of life, then by all means, I will allow them to grab it by the horns and kill it!

Do you sense my enthusiasm?

Teaching our kids to work together has always been a goal of my husband and me.

It is a hard skill to

learn. They are all so different and they all want to be the boss.

But how will they learn if not given the opportunity?

Our adventures will involve a lot of camping.

Am I a seasoned camper? No. I am not.

Honestly, it is not my vacation of choice.

Give me a beach front condo, a book and a cup of coffee and I am one happy lady.

But guess what, this is not about me. It’s about us. It’s about them and creating a summer we will never forget.

During the last few weeks, I’ve been researching and exploring all that Alabama has to offer. I have been amazed and blown away at the beauty and cool things right in our own backyard. We have mountains and caves and waterfalls. We have movie sets and a

whimsical castle. We have a handful of rivers and lakes and tons of natural wildlife.

We have bayous and beaches and historical forts. I’m 100 % sure we cannot cover it all this summer and be still long enough to enjoy it.

I want to use this time to soak it all in.

To ponder all we see and rest in it. I have no desire to rush from here to there. One of my favorite quotes is “hurry always hurts…” by Ann Voskamp. We will be in no hurry. We will enjoy all that we can see, even if it takes longer than expected.

Moving right along with our list…

I began by making one list of all Alabama destinations we wish to travel. With it being summer, I focused on outdoor destinations. We are an See List, page A16

Volunteer ushers needed for opening of Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center Special to the Opelika Observer The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University is currently seeking volunteer ushers to help support its patron services team at performances and special events starting with the 2019–20 inaugural season.

Beginning with its Grand Opening Festival, Aug. 22–25, the Gogue Center will require community volunteers to assist at all performances and special events continuing through the 2019–2020 season. Usher duties will include distributing programs, scanning tickets, escorting patrons to their seats and other general frontof-house functions.

“Over the course of our first season, the Gogue Center will present more than thirty live events and host many more.

We estimate needing 12 to 14 ushers for each of them,” said patron services manager for the Gogue Center Izzy Brown. “We are looking for volunteers who have a strong interest in the performing arts and share in our commitment to providing a positive patron experience for our guests.”

The Gogue Center looks to establish a volunteer base of at approximately 100 ushers who can be called upon throughout the season.

Students and community members with the desire and availability to volunteer on a regular basis are encouraged

to contact the Gogue Center for more information.

“Volunteer ushers are an immensely important part of our operation,” said Brown. “This is an amazing opportunity to experience the performing arts from the inside—as part of the Gogue Center team.”

In June, the Gogue Center will begin hosting informational training sessions to instruct volunteers on the details of usher duties.

Topics will include an overview of the center’s ticket scanning system, safety policies and procedures, and venue layout. Sessions will be held at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art; dates and times are to be determined and will be announced soon.

Those interested in volunteering as ushers should contact Brown

directly by telephone at 334-844-8499 or via email at eabrown@au-

burn.edu. Emails should include all relevant contact information.

Check Out Our New Tiger Town Location Across from Lowe’s, another convenient location to serve our customers

AuburnBank’s Tiger Town Kroger location has moved to a new, full-service location on Frederick Road in front of Lowe’s. Under the leadership of City President Eddie Smith, our new location provides three drive-up windows, a drive-up ATM, a night deposit drop, safe deposit boxes, consumer and commercial loans in addition to all our checking accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts,

Eddie Smith CITY PRESIDENT

certificates of deposit and numerous electronic products and services.

We look forward to serving you at the new Tiger Town Branch.

ICK RD.

FREDER

Tiger Town

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R.

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Our New Location

Visit us here: www.auburnbank.com MEMBER FDIC

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Equal Housing Lender

334-275-9600

pelika Observer O

A16 June 05, 2019

Summer,

from A15 outdoor family and honestly, my kids are too rowdy for indoors. We kept a few indoor spaces on the list, we don’t want to skip out on cool things.

Then I separated the list into regions of our state: NorthEast, North-Central, North-West, Central AL, South-East, South-West. There is a lot up North, and we have never traveled up there. We have spent a great deal of time in central and southern Alabama, but there’s a lot more to explore than we ever knew.

We are starting our journey in central Alabama. I feel like it’s not too far from home and we can get our feet wet in the camping department.

I’m planning out the rest of our summer based on region.

I’m not planning out specific dates just yet, only the regions with

the places we want to visit.

Our first journey is planned: Oak Mountain State Park (also including three to four other destinations) We are super excited for this adventure!

I’m also happy to share our experiences and travels with you.

I will give detailed reports and pictures along the way and hopefully many stories too.

I hope that our journey will inspire others to discover the world around them, to get off the beaten path and try something new with your family.

We can travel around the world to see lovely things, and yet we can travel close to home too. We are blessed with a great country and discovering it starts in our own backyards.

Our Alabama Bucket List: Central: • Kymulga Covered Bridge and Grist Mill - Childersburg • Moss Rock Preserve- Hoover; also Aldridge Gardens • Botanical Gar-

dens- Vestavia • Pelham- Blue Water Quarry • Millbrook- Specter (from movie Big Fish) • Hot Air Balloon Ride- Helena • Oak Mountain State Park / Pea Vine Falls – Pelham • Rickwood Caverns State Park • Natural Bridge Jasper • Cheaha State Park North-West • Bankhead National Forest • Sipsey Wilderness • Dismals Canyon • Rock Bridge Canyon • Friends of Cane Creek Canyon • Rattlesnake Saloon- Muscle Shoals • Florence North-Central • Space CenterHuntsville • Tuscumbia • Pointe MallardDecatur North-East • Walls of Jericho – Scottsboro • Mentone • Fort Payne • Little River Canyon Falls • Desoto State Park • Lake Guntersville /Cathedral Caverns /

Photo special to the Opelika Observer

Cave Mountain Small Wild Area / Honeycomb Natural Bridge / Ghost Creek Falls • Noccalula Falls – Gadsden / Bucks Island • Cherokee Rock Village • Cedar Bluff – Weiss Lake South-West • Bayou La Batre

• Blakely Sate Park • Dauphin Island • Fort Morgan • Swift Cole Historical Homes • Mobile South-East • Blue Springs • Elberta • Fairhope / Mosher Castle • Pointe Clear / The Grand

• Orange Beach Bradley Robertson is a local mother, wife and creative. She is an Auburn University graduate, loves good food and getting outside with her family.

Robertson enjoys feature writing, as well as southern culture and lifestyle writing.

Opelika Schools & Sports Inside • opelika schools • lee county schools • community sports

Opelika High School hires Jonathan Fischer as girls track coach

On the Mark

Turn to B6 for more photos from Jean Dean RIF’s last ‘Ride to Read’ Saturday.

Beauregard High School’s Ricahrd Brown set to retire after 48 years

By D. Mark Mitchell

Booster club plays crucial role in funding of Opelika High School athletics

T

he Opelika High School AllSports Booster Club plays a crucial role in the school’s athletics and their funding.

The ASBC raises funds through the Corporate Sponsor program, football program ad sales, booster passes and a fan bus to watch the girls basketball team in the finals.

Total monies raised for the 2018-19 school year was $95,360.

The total for 201819, after adding the reserve from 201718 ($9,933.00) is $105,293.68.

Each individual sport received a lump sum in August, and a total amount of $39,000 was split among the different sports programs. Golf received the lowest at $1,300 while football received $4,500, the most of any sport.

The Opelika Middle School Athletics department received $6,000 for all sports.

The ASBC spent $9,200 printing the football program, $1,300 on the Corporate Sponsor dinner and $18,495 in miscellaneous expenses.

Expenses listed “mis-

cellaneous” include: venue security for football and basketball games and the tailgate tent at Bulldog Stadium among other items.

The All-Sports Booster Club has $22,800 in reserve for the 2019-20 school and athletic year.

Opelika athletics received added funds from the Opelika City Council, with each member allocating $1,000 from their discretionary fund to help offset expenses at the state track meet.

OHS Principal Dr. Farrell Seymore explained the request, saying that it came from a parent of a child on the track team.

Opelika All-Sports Booster Club continues to help provide extras for the student athletes at both Opelika High and Opelika Middle schools.

OHS HIRES GIRLS TRACK / CROSS COUNTRY COACH Opelika announced the hiring of Jonathan Fischer as head coach of the girls track and field team and cross country teams. Fischer comes to Opelika from See Sports, page B6

Fischer Special to the Opelika Observer Jonathan Fischer has been named the new head girls track and field coach at Opelika High School.

“We are excited to have Jonathan Fischer as a teacher and coach at Opelika High School. His extensive background in track and cross country will be an asset to our students,” said OHS Principal Dr. Farrell Seymore.

Fischer is a 2008 Smiths Station High

School graduate. Following graduation, he received a scholarship and ran four years of cross country and track at the University of West Georgia.

After receiving his physical education degree from the University of West Georgia in 2012, Fischer was hired at Smiths Station High School. He taught and coached there from 2012-2017.

In 2017, Fischer was hired as a physical education teacher at Beauregard ElemenSee School, page B5

Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

By Morgan Bryce Editor Following 48 successful years of teaching and serving as its principal, Beauregard High School’s Richard Brown has announced his retirement, effective Aug. 1.

The 73-year-old Brown made the announcement to faculty and staff on May 24 in a specially called session inside

the school’s gym.

After sharing his news, he led them in the traditional “Two Bits” cheer, something he has done after every football pep rally since becoming principal 40 years ago.

“That was a really emotional moment for me. But it was really, really good,” Brown said.

Brown’s path to Beauregard See School, page B5

Lewis Cooper Library to host events all summer long for patrons

By Morgan Bryce Editor Summer will be hopping at Opelika’s Lewis Cooper Jr. Memorial Library this year.

More than 400 people attended the kickoff of the library’s summer reading program, a feat that Library Director Rosanna McGinnis

credits to her staff and loyal patrons. “(The event) was a ton of fun and I was so proud of the way our team came together to manage the chaos and make sure everyone had a great experience. I think our success in attendance this past year is due to the amount of listening we have been doing in preparation for the

development of our next strategic plan,” McGinnis said in a statement. “Library staff have worked very hard to listen to the community and use that feedback to develop a set of programs that people want to attend. Thank you, Opelika, for continuing to trust us and grow with us as we build library services

and programs!”

Following is the library’s full schedule of events for children, teens and adults this summer: (Children) - Monday Movie Madness each Monday during the months of June and July at 10 a.m.

- Story Time FriSee Library, page B5

B2 June 05, 2019

pelika Observer O

Opelika Police Department holds annual youth camp in Spring Villa last week

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer The Opelika Police Department held its annual youth camp last week. Open to Opelika City Schools students entering the fifth grade, the children participated in a number of activities including: crafts, games, nature hikes and daily swimming times at the Covington Recreation Center.

pelika O Observer

B3 June 05, 2019

Farm to Table | Texas Flavor, Alabama Chef Pt.II

I

t’s Friday evening. The crowd assembles, a line forms, zigzagging ‘round Bow & Arrow’s entrance. An eclectic blend of old country folk and newer grooves render the soundtrack for the staff who usher butcher trays down the line adding farm fresh soul-food sides to smoking cuts of brisket and ribs. Tonight is Friday, this means it is also fried catfish night.

While the crowd sways, peering to read the listed specials in advance, I’ve already made my decision. Who can resist the best catfish around? Light, flaky and hot, right out of the fryer and brought to my table with a refreshing spoonful of house made tartar sauce, my mind was made up.

Then, David appears asking enthu-

By Sarah West siastically “have you seen my post on Instagram?” Surprised to see this busy chef in front of house, boosting a jubilant social atmosphere along the line, I pause, reach for my phone and scroll. It has been a busy day, with little time for social media.

As I search for the insta-news, he can’t resist sharing with us his new dish. I toss my previous decision aside. About the time I find the post, we’ve already heard first hand the delicious

works that his team have been smoking for us all day.

Double cut, dry aged and smoked short ribs from Gold Hill Cattle Farm, paired with collard green colcannon and PBR onion rings with butter barbeque sauce. The chef proudly proclaims “I promise these are the best smoked short ribs in the state of Alabama at this very moment.” Like a miner who has just struck gold, or the all too familiar moment an artist paints with a stroke of genius, his enthusiasm for his work lights up the room. His staff shine with pride and the exuberance among the line spills forth. It is contagious and we are all overwhelmed with delight, eager to try his latest creation.

From my table, I can see into the kitchen. Two chefs stack

YOUR DESTINATION for CONTINUED FINE ARTS EDUCATION STUDIO CLASSES | DRAWING, PAINTING & MORE for ALL AGES www.thesarahwestgalleryoffineart.com

and carefully arrange the components to this dish on a butcher tray. They pause for a photo opp. Although I’m anxious with anticipation, I wait somewhat patiently hoping they catch the right lighting, to share this image with fans and followers far and near. When David arrives, I ask if they captured a picture. In the current age, there is a benefit

to imagery, affording all the opportunity to savor the memory of such extravagance long after the occasion. Aside from their intent to share, I too have my intentions. Anything worth writing about should be written, and accompanying pictorial content makes for a pleasant addition.

This occasion calls for special dishes which David pulls

from the kitchen. We chat a moment about cutlery, and then retract any statement about it, as for this, none is needed. The meat falls from the bone with savory drips onto the pan.

Rich and hearty collard green colcannon pair brilliantly with the butter barbeque sauce. PBR onion rings are a perfect See West, page B5

Let’s reminisce, dive into joys of summer

Beth Pinyerd The Classroom Observer

T

his is an intergenerational article for families. For we parents, grandparents, let’s spend time with our children and grandchildren in sharing how “summer was in the good old days.”

The time you spend with each other will be a time rich in memories and appreciation of each other. Families I am sharing a summer sensory enrichment lesson as your guide. Here goes, let’s dive into the joys of summer!

1. Feeling, Touch, Texture: How did people live and survive day-to-day before air condition-

ing. In looking at our great grandparents’ and grandparents’ homes, we can see that older homes had higher ceilings. Heat would rise so that families could enjoy the cooler spaces and rooms below. Deep eaves and porches would protect windows from the heat of the sun. Trees were planted around older homes to provide cool shade.

Windows were also built opposite of each other to provide a cool cross breeze. Looking at the architecture of older homes in Opelika and Lee County you can see that this pattern was followed. Folks in earlier

times also sat out on porches more rocking, swinging, and playing games. Families were a lot more sociable with their neighbors when sitting out on the porch. This writer remembers like yesterday sitting out on our back porch and enjoying the coolness of a summer afternoon rain. We also had electric fans, hand held fans, and attic fans to keep cool. In church I remember that we did not have air conditioning. We kept cool as a fellowship by fanning with cardboard fans.

In the South, we use to take afternoon naps to escape the hottest part of the day.

Spring-fed pools to swim in and cool well water poured into big aluminum pans to splash in were other ways to stay cool during the summer. Touching a flower or lawn with early morning dew as well as walking barefoot through this cool grass remind us of appreciation of the touch and feel of summer.

Touching shells bring memories of warm

sand between your toes as well as touching a smooth shell bring memories of waves crashing against the beach and shore.

Beach balls and beach pails bring up the memories of the many afternoons at the beach where we played games as well as building sand castles.

2. Smells: The smells of summer are gentle reminders of how delightful this season can be.

The gentle fragrance of honeysuckle, magnolias or gardenias signal that summer has arrived! The smell of suntan lotion floods me with love memories of my grandmother making sure her grandchildren didn’t get sunburn.

Smelling a summer rain, a summer breeze, ocean breeze, newly mowed lawn, or someone cooking or barbecuing, floods us with sensory enrichment and appreciation of summer.

3. Tastes: All of us remember and still enjoy the quenching of thirst with fresh squeezed lemon-

1 OUT OF 10

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“This project was supported by Subgrant #16-VA-VS-076 awarded by the Law Enforcement / Traffic Safety Division of ADECA and the U.S. Department of Justice.” The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice or grant-making component.”

ade. The smells of barbecue, fish, hotdogs and other meats has always been a favorite summer pastime. Opelika and Lee County summers bring us fresh tastes of watermelon, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, etc.

How many of us remember that shelling butterbeans or peas were a family’s responsibility especially during the summer.

Shucking corn, canning and freezing vegetables were and still are the tasks to be accomplished during the summer months. I love to ride the country roads in Opelika, Lee County and see the tall cornstalks waving in the very hot breezes of the evening sun. We can remember the good old homemade ice cream full of fresh fruit. Turning the handle on an old fashion ice cream churn was worth the work and wait.

4. Sounds: Going out on a summer night, one can hear crickets, cicadas, and can catch the sound of frogs croaking here

and there. The sound of lawn mowers and children joyfully playing on a summer evening echo in our memories as well as being heard. As a child I remember we children played outside more. Our parents and grandparents let us play outside more during the summer months.

Play is truly welcome during the summer months after spending many months of structure in a school setting.

Play is a child’s work.

My grandmother had we cousins to come spend many weeks with her at the family farm.

We used our imaginations more as we played house in the shade of the pecan trees.

5. Sights: Taking time to “watch” summer can fill your day. Looking for the glow of fireflies in the evening, watching Hummingbirds getting nectar from a flower or feeder, following the flight of butterflies as they dart here and there can fill your day with enjoyment and observation. In Opelika and See Pinyerd, page B5

TEXTILE MILLS ASBESTOS CLAIMS If you began working in a Textile Mill, Tire Plant, Paper Mill, Steel Mill or any other industrial setting before 1980: You may have a claim against the asbestos manufacturers.

Call now for your free evaluation.

1-(888)432-6020 Asbestos Claims, LLC, Jubal L. Hamil Attorney at Law ARPC 7.2.(e) “No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.”

pelika Observer O

B4 June 05, 2019

Auburn bass anglers to compete at 2019 Yeti FLW College Fishing National Championship on Potomac River Special to the Opelika Observer The nation’s top collegiate bass-fishing anglers are set to compete at the most prestigious college bass-fishing championship in the country on the Potomac River next week – the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship on the Potomac River presented by Lowrance June 4-6.

Three teams from Auburn University will be among the 155 teams competing in the event. Anglers in the no-entry-fee tournament will be competing for a prize package that includes a new Ranger Z175 boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard and an automatic qualification for both team members to move on to compete against the best bass-anglers in the world at the 2019 FLW Cup, this August at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Auburn University – FLW College Fishing National Championship Competitors: Anthony Vintson of Auburn and Ju-

Brown,

from B1 A Smiths Station native, Brown grew up in their city school system and was coached and taught by the legendary T.C. Britton and his wife Vernice, two prominent figures in his life that guided him toward a career in education.

“Through the example they set for my life (and others), they inspired me to want to pursue teaching. Like I always tell my staff, you may not know it, but there will be somebody you teach whom you inspire and help make a difference in their life,” Brown said.

Because of his standout high school baseball career, Brown accepted a two-year scholarship to play baseball at Southern Union. Two years later, he transferred to Jacksonville State,where he furthered his baseball career and focused on his major.

During a time that the United States was deeply embroiled in the Vietnam War, Brown was drafted for a brief stint of service with the Alabama National Guard before he was able to finish his college education.

Newly married,

lian Suero of Winter Springs, Alabama.

Logan Parks and Lucas Lindsay, both of Auburn.

William Phillips of Auburn and Sean Murphy of Lutz, Florida.

For the first time in college fishing history, the event will be streamed live on the popular FLW Live on-the-water program airing on June 5 and June 6.

FLW Live features live action from the boats of the tournament’s top anglers each day. Host Travis Moran will be joined

by FLW Tour pro and former college angler Miles Burghoff to break down the extended action each day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The on-thewater broadcast will be live streamed on FLWFishing.com, the FLW YouTube channel and the FLW Facebook page.

The 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship at the Potomac River presented by Lowrance will be comprised of the top qualifying teams from 15 regular-season tournaments from around the country, along with the top-20

teams from the annual FLW College Fishing Open. A field of 155 teams representing 92 different colleges and universities will be participating.

“Every year the FLW College Fishing National Championship seems to get a little bigger and a little better and this year is no exception,” said FLW College Fishing Director of Tournament Operations Kevin Hunt.

“We’ve got some of the top college teams from across the country competing in this tournament and with the expanded live coverage, they are more than ready to show off their skills at one of the best, most unique fisheries in the world.”

The FLW College Fishing National Championship anglers will take off each day at 7 a.m.

E.S.T. June 4-6 from Smallwood State Park, which is located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury.

All weigh-ins will be held at the State Park, beginning at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. The tournament is hosted by the Charles

Brown and his wife Marilyn moved to Hefflin in 1969 to teach at Cleburne County High School.

Besides teaching health and physical education, Brown assumed the head baseball, basketball and football coaching positions at the school.

In 1971, Britton offered Brown and his family relocated to Lee County after he accepted a position at Sanford Middle School, but transferred to Beauregard High School later that summer.

Humble Beginnings Classified as a 2A school, Beauregard’s facilities were antiquated and cramped upon Brown’s arrival, with the school also having to accommodate students from Loachapoka because the town did not have its own high school at the time.

“Marilyn and I say all the time that we wish they had taken pictures when we came. The football field had hog-wire around the outside, one little-bitty press box set up on the 50yard line and about 10 rows of bleachers set up,” Brown said. “Our facilities were old and wooden … not in very good shape.”

Much like he did at Cleburne County,

Brown taught health and physical education classes at Beauregard. Originally serving as the head coach of the basketball program and an assistant coach for football, he was also responsible for the formation of the Hornet baseball program in 1973.

Brown successfully juggled those coaching and teaching responsibilities until 1979 when the principal position opened.

After prayer and careful consideration, he said he decided to step away from his current tasks and accept the position “because I didn’t know if I’d ever get the chance to again.”

Under Brown’s leadership, Beauregard immediately began to see results, as the school became the first Lee County school to become SACS accredited in 1980.

In addition to better and improving facilities schoolwide, Brown has been responsible for major developments like the gym built in 1987, the recently built football facility and weight room as well as the new high school, which is expected to be completed by next spring. He has also made the recommendation for hiring every coach and teacher at the school for the last

Photo special to the Opelika Observer County Board of Commissioners and Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism.

Television coverage of the event will premiere in the fall of 2019. The Emmynominated "FLW" television show airs each Saturday night at 7 p.m. EST and is broadcast to more than 63 million cable, satellite and telecommunications households in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean on the World Fishing Network (WFN), the leading entertainment destination and digital resource for anglers throughout North America. FLW television is also distributed internationally to FLW

partner countries, including Canada, China, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.

For complete details and updated information, visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the sport’s top anglers on the FLW Tour on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About FLW FLW is the world’s largest tournamentfishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2019 across

five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, and with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.

FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

40 years.

As Beauregard’s principal, Brown has served as a distinguished member of statewide and national boards, and was honored as Alabama’s “Principal of the Year” in 2006.

Visit Beauregard High School’s website to view the full list.

Family and accomplishments While Brown may have been the face of Beauregard High School, Marilyn was a beloved English teacher who taught at the school for the next 38 years until retiring in 2009. Their children both grew up in the Beauregard school system and went on to have successful careers locally, with son Richard Jr. currently serving as Beulah High School’s assistant principal and athletic director and daughter Misty working at Auburn University.

A number of the school’s graduates “have gone on to make names for themselves and make a difference,” Brown said, rattling off a number of athletes, doctors, nurses and high-ranking military officials who are Beauregard alumni.

“There are people from the Beauregard family all across the country, which is something I’m re-

ally proud of,” Brown said.

Beauregard has also won 10 state titles during Brown’s tenure, including nine combined boys and girls state titles and winning the county’s first-ever state football championship in 2016.

After witnessing the school’s largest senior class (177 members) graduate in 2017, Brown said a slight dip in attendance the last two years is only an aberration, citing the large amount of neighborhoods under construction in the community and talks of incorporating Beauregard as reasons to expect the school to grow in the future.

What the future holds for Brown and the “Hornet Nation” Brown officially tendered his resignation at Thursday night’s Lee County Board of Education meeting. With their approval, the school can proceed to post the job listing and begin the hiring process.

While he had planned to time his retirement with the opening of the new school, Brown said he “knew the timing was just right and when God wanted me to step away.”

During the weeks between now and his retirement, Brown said there are a num-

ber of meetings and personal obligations to fulfill, including a 50-year anniversary cruise with Marilyn to Alaska later in the summer.

Despite stepping away from the dayto-day activities at the school, Brown said he plans to remain active in the community, hinting at a possible run for Lee County School Board or helping with the incorporation process if it proceeds.

When asked why he has stayed at Beauregard for nearly half a century, Brown said it all boiled down to one factor – love.

“I love this community and this community has loved my family and I in return.

That and the Good Lord’s wisdom has kept me here,” Brown said laughingly.

Athletic Director and Football Coach Rob Carter said he believes that Brown’s legacy will carry on for years to come.

“He was like my second father. He devoted his entire professional career to our community and young people,” Carter said. “Mr. Brown was a great mentor to his staff and will be greatly missed, but what he taught will carry on for generations. I love him.”

pelika O Observer

B5 June 05, 2019

Three Opelika City schools Opelika’s Firing Pin and Shooting to provide free lunches for Sports to host youth summer camps

By Michelle Key Features .22 caliber tend.

Publisher pistol, .22 caliber rifle ​Parents must sign a students during summer and on the last day waiver of liability for

By Morgan Bryce Editor

Through a partnership with the USDA, Opelika City Schools will be able to provide free lunches for any child up to 18 years old during the summer.

Carver and Jeter primary schools will serve lunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and Opelika High School from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Monday through Thursday.

In a previous interview with the Observer, Opelika

City Schools’ Child Nutrition Program Director Nancy Olaveson said the meals are available to all children in Opelika, regardless of where they attend school.

“We will serve a hot meal every daythe same meals we serve at school. The children don’t have to attend any of the schools. They can come from Alaska,” Olaveson said.. “If they see the sign, ‘Summer Feeding Program,’ and they want a meal, we give it to them.

We don’t ask their names or anything.

We welcome any

Fischer,

from B1 tary. In the 2018-19 season, he served as the head cross country coach for Beauregard High School and helped the girls cross country team make their first ever appearance at the AHSAA 5A State Cross Country competition. That year, Beauregard also had the individual cross country sectional champions in both the boys and girls division.

In addition to his coaching experience, Fischer was nominated and selected by his peers to coach the Boys South All-Star Cross Country team this summer during AHSAA All-Star Sports Week in July.

“We are very excited to have a person with Coach Fischer’s background to coach our girls track program,” said OHS Athletic Director Mike Pugh.

Fischer and his wife Kelli are the parents of son Davis (two years old) and daughter Charlotte (five months old) and are active members of the Opelika Church of the Highlands campus.

Pinyerd,

from B3

Lee County, we have so many beautiful sunsets to enjoy! There are so many parks in our area that offer shade and enjoyment for the old and young alike. We are more than blessed with so many outside family friendly community resources.

6. Safety Reminders: I am going to remind us again of safety tips again for the young and old. Stay hydrated, stay in cool spots, don’t go out in the very heat of the day, be aware of temperature highs, wear lightcolored and loose fitting

and all to come.”

Summer menu items include barbecued pork, beefaroni, cheeseburgers, chicken parmesan, Sloppy Joe’s and spaghetti with meat sauce, among several others.

Following are addresses for the three participating Opelika City Schools: Carver Primary 307 Carver Ave. Jeter Primary 700 Jeter Ave. Opelika High - 1700 Lafayette Parkway.

For more information, call Olaveson at 334-7459700.

Library,

from B1

day’s each Friday during the months of June and July at 10 a.m.

- Tuesday Code Club each Tuesday during the months of June and July from 2 to 3 p.m.

West,

from B3 accompaniment for this chef-curated meat and potatoes concoction that is simply satisfying.

Following a dinner of this magnitude, dessert is out of the question. However, recent visits to Bow & Arrow have provided opportunities to pair lighter fare with locally roasted Mama Mocha’s coffee, served conscientiously in your choice of a unique coffee mug. Bow & Arrow in their continued endeavors to be respectful stew-

clothes, protect your eyes, rub on sunscreen and wear hats.

Now let’s all dive in to the joys of summer living! Look, hear, smell, taste, touch and feel what all that summer has to offer! Let’s store up our summer memories to bring up for future cold winter days!

Pinyerd has taught young children in the early childhood classroom for 34 years as well as outreaching to the elderly in intergenerational settings. She has taught and outreached in the schools in Opelika and Baldwin County. She holds a master’s degree in early childhood education as well as a bachelor’s de-

The Firing Pin and Shooting Sports will be hosting a series of youth shooting camps this summer.

The focus of the camps will be to give an age appropriate shooting experience to youth in the community.

For three days, students will be given gun safety, basic firearms knowledge and marksmanship training.

There will also be demonstrations relating to shooting and public safety.

On the last day of both camps, there will be a graduation lunch/ cook out that parents and family may at-

their son or daughter prior to them attending. ​Fees must be paid prior to attending.

The most important goal is for everyone to have a safe, positive and exciting shooting experience and to have fun.

Camps: • The Junior Shooting Camp - 8 to 11 a.m.

For youths ages eight to 12 Features sling shot, BB gun, archery and .22 caliber rifle shooting.

The cost is $150 • The Shooting Camp 8 to 11 a.m.

For youths ages 13 to 17

9-millimeter pistol shooting.

The cost is $175 During both camps students will be trained according to the National Rifle Association standards.

The camps include class material, eye and ear protection, use of firearms, ammunition and targets.

No personal firearms will be permitted.

Each class is limited to 15 participants.

For more information, visit www.firingpinshootingsports. com/course-instructors---youth-shootingcamps.

The range is located at 2195 1st Ave. in Opelika.

- Thursday Brick Builders on June 13, 20 and 27 and July 11, 18 and 25 (all day) - Community Art each Friday during the month of June and the first three Fridays of July at 10 a.m.

- Cubing on June 11 from 3 to 4 p.m.

- Didgeridoo Down Under on June 12, starting at 2 p.m.

- Science Tellers on

June 19 at 2 p.m.

- Traveling Trunks (Alabama Department of Archives and History) on June 26 at 2 p.m.

- Arthur Atsma (magician) on July 10 at 2 p.m.

- Animal Tales on July 17 at 2 p.m.

- Summer Reading Finale Party on July 24 from 2 to 3 p.m.

(Teens)

- Adulting 101 (Life lessons program series) each Saturday from 4 to 5 p.m.

- Cosmic Art on June 27 from 2 to 3 p.m.

- New Dungeons and Dragons campaign on May 4 from 1 to 5 p.m.

(Adults) - Crafter Hours: Miniature Painting on June 13 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

- Bossy Pants Book

Club on June 25 and July 23 at 6:30 p.m.

- Crochet on July 1 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

- Smarty Pants Book Club on July 7 at 3 p.m.

For more information, call 334-705-5380, like and follow the library’s social media pages or visit catalog.opelika.org.

The library is located at 200 S. 6th St.

ards of people and planet have eliminated paper coffee cups and offer straw alternatives. The dessert menu reads like a grandmother’s well-worn cookbook, boasting selections fit for any luncheon on the grounds or lakeside picnic.

When looking for the best pecan or lemon meringue pie, you reach for the heirloom recipe box in the cupboard and you set to work making the faithful recipe passed down through time. The only other way to experience something of worthy resemblance is to make your way to Bow & Arrow and try

whatever Chef Caleb Fischer has added to the menu. His banana pudding with homemade vanilla wafers is second to none.

Refreshing as the rain, and as honest as the farm harvest, the work of these Alabama chefs raises the bar.

-Art is Life Expressed- Sarah West *special acknowledgements to Chef Bancroft, Bow & Arrow and the team of stewards who make every experience exemplary.

Sarah West serves the Opelika Observer as a contributing columnist, with written works of Cultural Arts relevance and

prose. She is a preservation, and conservation advocate, activist, and visual artist of American Illustration with a focus on Regional Narrative Painting.

She is founder of the Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, A Center for Cultural Arts, Smiths Station, Alabama’s premier fine arts destination. She is the appointed Official Artist to the City of Smiths Station, a Lee County syndicated columnist, the director of her art center’s Cultural Arts Outreach Initiative which partners with local schools to make the arts accessible to all.

She also serves a

chief curator to the City of Smiths Station, City Hall Art Galleries. She is a founding member of the Smith Station Historic Commission. She is a member of the Women’s Philanthropy BoardCary Center, Auburn University College of Human Science. She is an elected member of the Society of Illustrators- NYC. She mentors art students of every age through weekly classes at her studio located in the heart of Smiths Station, Alabama. To learn more about her work and activism visit, www.thesarahwestgalleryoffineart. com.

gree in family and child development both from Auburn University. Her husband is the late Carl Pinyerd and she has one son, Gus Pinyerd who has taught her so much about learning.

Classroom Observer is here to serve the community in sharing the wonderful teaching programs in our local public schools, private schools, and homeschools. The column is provided to enrich the education of our children, youth, and families. Classroom Observer welcomes educational news, school news, pictures, and events by e-mailing her at donnapinyerd@ charter.net

pelika O Observer

B6 June 05, 2019

Big Swamp Harley Davidson hosts ‘Ride to Read’ Saturday

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

Sports,

from B1 Beauregard High, where he served in the same capacity.

He joins his wife

Keli who is an assistant principal at Opelika.

ON THE MARK RADIO CHANGES Starting July 1, the “On the Mark” radio show will move to 1520 AM and 1310

AM weekdays 6 to 9 a.m. The station format will change to FOX Sports which will also bring more local sports programming. Jeff Sasser and I are in our 12th year of co-hosting the show.

Congratulations Mr Brown Beauregard High School Principal Mr. Richard “Dickie” Brown announced his retirement two weeks ago. He retires after 50 years of service as an

educator.

Brown served as Beauregard principal for as long as I can remember. It’s a pleasure knowing and working with Brown over the years!

I wish Brown and

his wife a wonderful retirement.

D. Mark Mitchell is sports director for iHeart Media, Alabama Dixie Boys State Director and vice president of the A-O Sports Council.

presenting our 2019-20 inaugural season

27

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9

distinct series

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Montrose Trio Tuesday, December 3

FEATURING Americana Roots Broadway Celebrity Concerts Chamber Arts Dance Family Global Stage Jazz Vocal Songbook

334.844.TIXS (8497) GOGUECENTER.AUBURN.EDU

Season subscriptions available now

Opelika, L ee County & A labama Politics Wednesday, June 05, 2019

Inside the Statehouse Lee County Commission to use

Legends of Girls State rebates to purchase life-saving

F

or nearly 100 years, one of, if not the best annual event for young Alabama high school leaders in Alabama has been the Alabama Boys State and the Alabama Girls State programs.

These events are sponsored by the American Legion and the American Legion Auxillary. Boys State and Girls State are sponsored nationwide by the American Legion. The programs epitomize the American Legion’s mission to honor those who have bought us our American freedom.

The Girls State and Boys State programs brings the brightest high school leaders together every June.

These young Alabama leaders will be Alabama’s governmental leaders in the future.

During the weeklong session these high school rising seniors develop leadership skills and action-based understanding of the governmental process that gives them a lasting foundation for success both professionally and personally.

Boys State has spawned Alabama’s governmental leaders for decades. I attended Boys State 50 years ago this month.

I remember it like it was yesterday. It is a lifetime memory.

You make friends that last throughout life and have resurfaced my entire life.

One of my contem-

By Steve Flowers poraries from Boys State, who became a lifetime friend, is current Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Tom Parker.

Now that women have taken their rightful place in Alabama governmental positions, it is appropriate that our top-two female leaders in Alabama got their start at Alabama Girls State.

Gov. Kay Ivey and BCA CEO Katie Britt were leaders at Girls State. Britt, who was young Katie Boyd, has always been an outstanding leader. Britt became governor of Girls State.

Ivey has stayed extremely active as a board member and director of Girls State ever since her years at Auburn University.

She has volunteered as a counselor for more than 50 years.

She loves Girls State.

In fact, when these young female leaders meet next week at the University of Alabama for the 79th time, Ivey will address them as their governor and fellow Girls Stater.

These young women leaders will

organize and assume the roles of government leaders. They will campaign in mock parties called the “Federalists” and “Nationalists.”

They will divide up in cities and become mayors and county officials. Then others will have bigger roles as state constitutional officers and Supreme Court judges. One will become governor. She and the Lt. Governor will go to Washington D.C. to attend Girls Nation.

They may even run for president of Girls Nation.

Ivey has mentored several Girls State leaders over the years. Lee Grant Sellers, “Mrs.” Girls State, was an outstanding leader from Montgomery. She is now the 18-year director of Alabama’s Girls State. Lee’s husband, Will Sellers, currently sits on the Alabama Supreme Court. By the way, Lee and Will are Ivey’s closest friends and confidants.

We have had a president of Girls Nation mentored

by Governor Ivey, Cathy Johnson Randall. Ivey bonded with Randall through Girls State. Randall has been one of the most outstanding leaders in Alabama during the past 50 years. She headed Ivey’s Gubernatorial Inauguration Committee.

I knew Randall as a See Flowers, page B13

A Transformed Voice?

H

oward Stern is a changed man.

Or that is at least what he is claiming as he touts his new book, “Howard Stern Comes Again.” I, for one, have never listened to Howard Stern’s radio show, although his reputation certainly precedes him.

His fame was largely achieved through controversy and on-air antics, including off-color and invasive personal questions lobbed at guests during interviews, along with crude objectification of women. Yet Stern has apparently softened with age. In a recent interview with NPR’s Terry Gross, he credits therapy with his recent transformation.

By Samuel MooreSobel “I had never sat alone in a room with any human being on this planet and been listened to in a real way,” he told Gross, as he recalled his very first therapy session. He described how he began the session by launching into an explanation of himself, regaling the psychiatrist with stories from his youth, replete with imitations. Instead of responding in laughter,

the psychiatrist interjected. “I don’t find any of this funny…no, I find it rather sad,” as told by Stern to Gross.

Apparent in the act of undergoing therapy is the admission that we need assistance that we cannot provide ourselves. It requires a certain amount of humbleness, and a willingness to delve deep in order to heal. “…I hope something that comes out of this book [is] that people aren’t afraid of therapy,” Stern told Gross. For many, it might be hard to imagine Stern being an advocate for mental health counseling.

No matter what one thinks of Stern, he certainSee Stern, page B11

AEDs for county buildings

By Michelle Key Publisher The Lee County Commission approved a request from Lee County Administrator Roger Rendleman to use rebates earned through the county’s procurement card purchase program to purchase automated external dfibrillators (AEDs) for various county offices.

According to Rendleman, the idea was inspired from Sheriff Jay Jones, who used rebate funds last year to purchase several of the devices following the near-fatal cardiac event that his long-time secretary suffered while

at work.

AEDs are portable electronic devices that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and are designed to deliver electrical shocks that can help the heart establish effective rhythms.

During the meeting, the commission also fielded concerns from Peter Byrd regarding decisions made pertaining to the Smiths Station recreation park that is currently under construction.

In other business, the commission also: • approved a restaurant retail liquor license ap-

plication for Mi Ranchito in District 4 • received a report from Revenue Commissioner Oline Price regarding the Annual Final Report of Litigations & Insolvencies • approved a federal aid resolution for resurfacing Lee Road 243 also known as Chicken Farm Road.

• approved the Final Plat for Willow Heights Subdivision Phase I • approved the 2019 Full depth reclamation, resurfacing & traffic stripe bid from D & J Enterprises, Inc., for the resurfacing of 9 miles of See LCC, page B11

Smiths Station City Council discuss future opening of Jones Store Museum

By Morgan Bryce/Opelika Observer

By Morgan Bryce Editor The opening of the historic Jones Store Museum was the focal point of conversation during last Tuesday’s Smiths Station City

Council meeting.

During the group’s work session, Place 2 Member and Council President Pro Tem Morris Jackson asked City Clerk Scott Johnston for an update on the building’s planned

opening later this summer.

“From what I understand, the items that are being placed in the museum have been moved and are curSee Council, page B10

pelika O Observer

B8 June 05, 2019

Alabama Legislature unaminously passes human trafficking bills Special to the Opelika Observer

Last week, the Alabama Legislature unanimously passed two bi-partisan human trafficking bills: HB261 and HB262. Rep. Merika Coleman (DBirmingham) sponsored both bills, and Sen. Cam Ward (R- Alabaster) guided each through the Senate. The bills now head to Governor Ivey for signature.

HB261 requires all new commercial driver licensees to undergo industryspecific human trafficking training. Truckers Against Trafficking, a national

organization that trains truckers on identifying human trafficking victims in their daily work life, will work with junior colleges and trade schools to facilitate the training.

With passage of HB261, Alabama becomes the ninth state to partner with Truckers Against Trafficking and pass a law mandating human trafficking training for new CDL drivers.

“Professional truck drivers are in a critical position to recognize human trafficking, and when properly equipped, to know how to respond,” said Deputy Political Di-

rector of Truckers Against Training Kylla Lanier.

“To know that Alabama has decided to educate and empower the next generation of professional drivers at the CDL school level with anti-trafficking training is phenomenal!”

HB262 clarifies existing law to prohibit publishing photos of those charged with the act of prostitution, while allowing for publishing photos of those charged with soliciting or procuring prostitution. The bill is aimed at deterring “John’s” from purchasing sex and supporting human trafficking, while protecting potential

victims of human trafficking from public identification.

“This is another step in expanding the tools in the toolbox to combat human trafficking,” Coleman said. “I want to thank the House co-sponsor, Rep. Terri Collins, and Senate sponsor, Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison and co-sponsor Sen. Cam Ward.”

“We could not have done this without Sen. Ward’s tremendous dedication and work in seeing them over the finish line before sine die,” Coleman added. “I look forward to continuing this bi-partisan

work next year, perhaps following Florida’s lead in requiring human trafficking awareness in schools.”

The legislature also passed two human trafficking resolutions.

HJR145 encourages ALEA to continue developing curriculum to ensure that every officer in the state is trained regarding human trafficking.

HJR244 creates the Alabama Healthcare Human Trafficking Training Program Commission, which is tasked with developing a training module for all health-

care related employees to readily identify and provide trauma-centered care for human trafficking victims.

“With the human trafficking bills and resolutions passing through the legislature this week, Alabama is sending a very loud and powerful message to traffickers that we are extremely serious about stopping these horrible crimes,” said Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force Chair Pat McCay. “A big thank you to everyone who called and emailed their legislators to make this a reality.”

Alabama Sen. Del Marsh releases statement on passage of school-goverence amendment Special to the Opelika Observer Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh (R-Anniston) released the following statement regarding final passage of the school governance constitutional amendment.

“This is a great day for education in Alabama.

In the spring the voters will have the opportunity to fundamentally reform education in this state unlike we have seen at any point in the past

50 years and move to a system that has proven to work in the states who are top ranked in education across the country.”

“For far too long, our children and our teachers have been held hostage and used as a bargaining chip and we have seen the sad results- last in the country in education.”

“Next March, the voters will have the chance to send a strong message that enough is enough.

We want a school board that is capable of making decisions in the best in-

terests of our schools, a school board that has the interests of our teachers and students at heart and a school board this resembles the face of education in this state.”

“I believe our students learn best when innovation is allowed to take place in the classroom.

That is not happening with our current system.

If we have a school board that is made up of qualified individuals, we can increase local control and significantly reduce the amount of

time the Legislature spends on education reform and put the power back where it belongs, in the hands of educators.”

“Finally, the voters will have the opportunity to remove the last vestiges of the failed common core standards.

Like many, I wanted to give common core a chance to work but it is beyond obvious to anyone paying attention that it has not been a success.

Repeal and replacing this failed system with strong standards, put

forward by a reasonable school board, will only improve the quality of education for our students and put Alabama back on the right track of making our education system competitive on a national level.”

“I want to thank everybody in the Legislature who supported this bold reform. Change is never easy, yet members of the House and the Senate supported this legislation regardless of political party, economic status, race or gender. Every

member of the Legislature who voted for this showed that they believe our children and their education come first and I thank them all for their support.”

“I also want to thank Governor Ivey. As I have stated in the past, there is nobody else in the state who could have built such a broad coalition of support. I truly believe that this is a watershed moment for education in Alabama and I thank her for her leadership.”

Storm debris removal Opelika Theatre Company presents: to resume June 17 for Daddy’s Dyin’ June 14 and 15 Friday - 6 p.m. final pickup service Saturday 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Special to the Opelika Observer At this time, county officials are taking a break between round two and the third and final round of debris pick up which will begin on June 17.

During this time citizens are encouraged to push their debris

forward to the county right-of-way as this will be the final round of pick up.

The contractor will make one sweep when the final round begins and will pick up Monday through Friday until complete.

After the final round, any debris pushed to the county

right-of-way will not be picked up by the county.

Any costs incurred with debris removal after the final round will be at the responsibility of the citizen.

For questions or concerns, contact the Lee County Highway Department 334-7377011.

Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

pelika O Observer

B9 June 05, 2019

Area chilren interact with city, law enforcement vehicles at Touch-a-Truck last Saturday

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

pelika O Observer

B10 June 05, 2019

Sen. Doug Jones updates constituents with press releases Special to the Opelika Oberver U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) introduced a bipartisan package of legislation to provide and enhance support systems for older Americans. This package of legislation is the latest offering in a series of bills Jones is introducing to strengthen families in Alabama and across the country.

“As a society, we need to do a much better job of caring for the elderly and ensuring that they can continue to live in dignity as they age,” Jones said. Jones is a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. “These bills will expand resources and support for older Americans and their families, and enable them to participate in meaningful ways in their communities.”

The Promoting Opportunity for Women Entering Retirement (POWER) Act, legislation co-sponsored

Smiths,

from B7 rently being staged and eventually they’ll start cataloguing everything. It looks really, really good out there,” Johnston said.

According to an interview with the

by Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), would improve older women’s economic security by codifying the National Resource Center on Women and Retirement Planning, which provides retirement planning tools and financial education to women who are most at-risk for poverty in older age.

In addition to helping women plan for their future financial, health care, and caregiving needs, the center educates seniors about scams and predatory practices, which disproportionately affect older women and cost Americans billions of dollars each year.

By strengthening this program, the POWER Act would help thousands of additional seniors avoid poverty and remain independent and financially secure.

The Care Across Generations Act, also co-sponsored

by McSally, would establish child care

programs at longterm care facilities and fund activities to bring people from different generations together. Intergenerational programs provide a wide range of benefits to both the older adults and the children who participate. Children in intergenerational programs benefit from the wisdom and support of older adults, which can translate to significant academic and behavioral gains.

Meanwhile, engaging with children reduces older adults’ social isolation, which is tied to a wide range of positive health outcomes.

The Aging Together Act, introduced with Sen. Bob Casey (DPa.), would create a new grant program for multigenerational and civic engagement activities that improve participants’ health and wellness.

These programs would promote lifelong learning and volunteerism, improve older indi-

viduals’ economic well-being, promote social connectedness and support family caregivers.

Earlier this year, Jones also introduced the bipartisan Younger Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Act with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Casey and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.). This bill would help the 200,000 Americans suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease by allowing them to access resources and services provided by the Older Americans Act, even if they are younger than 60.

Disaster Relief Bill The Senate approved a compromise bill to provide disaster relief for Americans impacted by eligible natural disasters between 2017 and 2019. The bill passed after months of negotiations, which were primarily delayed over disagreements about funding for Puerto Rico hurricane recovery efforts and

the southern border.

The legislation will now go to the House of Representatives for consideration.

“I am glad the Senate finally stepped up to pass a disaster relief bill that will help folks in Alabama who have suffered so much already, from our farmers in the Wiregrass to the tornado survivors in Lee County,” Jones said. He has visited with disaster survivors in Lee County and impacted farmers in the Wiregrass.

“This relief will be a great help to the ongoing recovery and rebuilding efforts in our state. And while I am glad that we’ve finally found common ground on this important step, I am disappointed that this disaster bill took so long to get done. We should never allow politics to get in the way of helping our fellow Americans recover from a disaster.”

Since late last year, Jones has worked to

advocate for a strong disaster relief funding bill that would benefit Alabamians. He has reiterated his commitment to recovery efforts in meetings with impacted residents, farmers and local officials. In February, he joined with several of his Republican colleagues to propose a bipartisan $13.6 billion disaster relief package, which also included aid to Lee County as a result of the March 3 tornadoes, as well as farmers in the Wiregrass whose crops were devastated by Hurricane Michael.

That legislation was incorporated into the broader bill that the Senate approved.

In April, Jones was the only member of the Senate to support both disaster relief bills that were brought to a vote. After both bills failed, he personally reached out to the President to ask him to strike a compromise that could earn bipartisan support.

city’s Communications, Planning and Zoning Director Lisa Deason last summer, the museum will house Smiths Stationthemed memorabilia, photos prehistoric artifacts and more to pay homage to the city’s past. Once complete, the 523 square-foot space will

serve as place for the “city to remember our past but focus on our future,” according to a quote from Mayor Bubba Copeland.

Another focal point of discussion during the group’s work session was the renaming of roads within city limits to either their original name or new

ones. Following some discussion amongst members, Copeland explained to the council that that will not be a possibility unless they are wholly maintaining all of their city roads.

The council approved financial statements from the month of April presented

by Chief Financial Officer Shelby Branton, its only item of business on Tuesday’s agenda.

The Smiths Station City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month with a work session beginning at 5:30 p.m. E.S.T. and regular meeting at 6

p.m. Their meetings are held within the council chambers of the Smiths Station Government Center, which is located at 2336 Lee Road 430.

For more information, call 334-2978771, like and follow the city’s Facebook page or visit www. smithsstational.gov.

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pelika O Observer

B11 June 05, 2019

Congressman Rogers invites constituents Auburn’s Lt. junior grade to visit him at his Washington D.C. office Tyler Trumbly shares details Special to the Opelika Observer Congressman Mike Rogers reminded folks today that he is holding weekly events when Congress is in session that are open to any constituents visiting Washington, D.C. “Mornings with Mike” events take place in Rogers’ Washington office in the Rayburn House Office Building.

The meetings offer East Alabamians a unique chance to meet with Congressman Rogers while enjoying coffee and donuts

Stern,

from B7 ly has had an illustrious career. His net worth is estimated to be more than $500 million. His move to SiriusXM in the mid2000’s enabled satellite radio to reach more than 30 million subscribers.

His methods for topping the ratings charts (at least in the past) are quite well-known to millions of Americans. "All the sexual antics, the religious antics, the race antics — everything that I talked about, every outrageous thing that I did — was to entertain my audience and grow my audience," he told Gross. Yet was it necessary for Stern to act in such a way in order to build a large following?

This question of what it takes to achieve success – and by what means – is a fascinating one. Is it true that one must make sacrifices along the way in order to achieve fame and fortune? If so, such concessions would likely take away from the end result.

The methods by which professional success is attained seem just as important as the achievement itself. Perhaps serving as a cautionary tale for those intent on building illustrious careers, providing an opportunity to carefully consider whether or not it is indeed possible to avoid selling one’s soul

LCC,

from B7 county roads • approved the creation of a network and access system analyst - this new position will be staffed by a current employee and did not require any changes to the current budget • approved the request for from the Revenue Commissioner’s Office for an intern • approved amendments to the 2019 budget to add in $150,000 in rebates from the procurement card purchasing system and approved the use of those funds with $50,000 going to the purchase of the AEDs and with $100,000 going to the Lee County Highway department and the Lee

in his office.

“Summer is such a busy time in the city. With school out, many families come to Washington for their summer vacation. I want to remind anyone who will be visiting the DCarea to stop by for a cup of coffee.

“I have always had my offices open to everyone across the Third Congressional District, but these weekly events give folks the chance to come in and share their concerns and visit with my staff and me. I hope people will take advantage

of them when in our nation’s capital,” Rogers said.

The event is hosted in June on the last in-session morning of each week at 9:30 a.m. EDT in 2184 Rayburn. Anyone interested in attending should sign up on Mike’s website to ensure enough coffee and donuts are ordered each week. The dates for the June meetings are: June 13, 21 and 27.

Please visit www.mikerogers.house.gov/mornings-with-mike for more information, or call Rogers’ Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-3261.

in order to achieve big dreams.

Stern’s most recent book is a compilation of interviews, helping chart his genesis from reaching for the reaction to exhibiting a bit more depth. He tells Gross about a particularly moving conversation with late night host Steven Colbert, where Colbert spoke about the death of his father. He seems to tout this story as evidence of his metamorphosis, although he concedes his show still contains plenty of off-color and vulgar humor.

I wonder how this new version of Stern is being received. Has he really changed, or is he simply doing this for affect?

It’s entirely possible this second act is entirely a ruse, an effort to keep his name in the public eye while building a more palatable, long-lasting legacy. Has the #MeToo Movement forced him to reconsider his past? Or perhaps this does indeed capture a genuine change of heart. After all, who among us hasn’t changed throughout the course of a lifetime?

We, as Americans, love stories such as these. We revel in tales of transformation because we all want to believe that the same could be true of us. We, too, want to feel as if we can conquer our demons and build a life resembling the one

we desire. Stories such as Stern’s seemingly provide fodder to the premise that it is never too late for someone to be granted a second chance.

As of now, Stern is still unsure of what the future holds. “I’m kind of afraid of retirement,” Stern told Gross. With two years left on his contract, he will continue talking to his audience for at least a little while longer - forcing listeners to continue grappling with the implications of his words. For, those on the radio can say what they like; yet, listeners are left to make sense of what is being heard. “…I want to thank you for staying in radio for all these years,” Gross told Stern, highlighting his decision to forsake other mediums and instead remain in radio for decades. For Stern, leaving radio would likely be quite anathema. After all, it’s quite clear that he is doing what he loves.

“I love radio, radio is the best…” Stern said.

The interview ends, without a definitive answer regarding the true nature of Stern’s transformation.

Maybe this is as intended. For, isn’t it up to the listener to decide?

Samuel Moore-Sobel is a freelance writer. To read more of his work, visit www.holdingontohopetoday.com.

County Sheriff’s office.

Also, funds from the proceeds of a recent sale of surplus property was approved to be added into the budget. These funds will be reinvested into capital equipment with the highway department utilizing $146,000 and Environmental Services using $3,000 of these sale proceeds.

• recognized the Lee County Building Inspections department for the improved ISO rating that they recently received. This rating, when combined with the ratings for the volunteer fire departments is used in determining insurance premiums for citizens of Lee County. As a result, the new rating of Class 4 could result in lower insurance rates for citizens.

City Engineer Justin Hardee stated his appreciation for the

department. “I (we) are very proud of Mr. (Joel) Hubbard and his staff in receiving an improved rating score from the previous Class 5 to the current Class 4 rating for both residential and commercial properties. This department worked hard to ensure the rebuiling of the Beauregard and Smiths Stations areas affected by the tornado of Mar. 3 is done with all the current safety standards and regulations,” Hardee said.

County Commission meetings are held on the second and last Monday nights of every month.

The next meeting will be on June 10 at 5 p.m. in the commission chambers in the Lee County Courthouse.

Meeting agendas can be accessed at www.leeco. us/government/county_ commission/agenda.php.

about Navy experiences

By Jake Joy Navy Office of Community Outreach Special to the Opelika Observer Lt. j.g. Tyler Trumbly, an Auburn native, said he came from a very patriotic family background, with his grandfather, father and uncles all serving their country. His high school offered an NROTC program, and he said he enjoyed it, so after continuing to participate at Auburn University, he became the first of his family to join the U.S. Navy.

Now, three years later and half a world away, Trumbly serves aboard one of the Navy’s most dependable amphibious ships at Fleet Activities Sasebo, patrolling one of the world’s busiest maritime regions as part of U.S. 7th Fleet.

“It's great,” he said.

“My first tour was on minesweeper, where I got used to living in a very confined space. I shared a room with nine people. Now, I share a room with one person.

It's way different.”

Trumbly, a 2011 graduate of Pelham High School and an Auburn alum, is a surface warfare officer aboard the forward-deployed Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Ashland in Sasebo, Japan.

“I work in the combat information center, and serve as assistant operations officer, Trumbly siad. “I’m getting messages out, keeping timelines and maintenance schedules straight, and managing the career paths of enlisted guys there, helping them with their financial, educational and personal goals.”

Trumbly credits some of his success in the Navy to lessons he’s learned since setting out from Auburn.

“I had a desire to become a leader,” he said.

“I was very introverted when I was younger.

I stayed inside and played video games.

I kind of stood in the back and let everyone else run the show. I wanted to challenge myself, and it's made me grow and helped me make the tough decisions. Sometimes, you have to give someone tough love and ensure they account for their actions, but you get to help the younger sailors, teaching them to make the right decisions.”

U.S. 7th Fleet spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. U.S. 7th Fleet's area of operations en-

Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Ward

compasses 36 maritime countries and 50% of the world’s population with between 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 sailors.

“Sasebo is pretty quiet, but you still get that cultural aspect and shock,” Trumbly said.

“I first got here and couldn't shop because I couldn’t read items in the store. You get to see how the Japanese view the world. Even their family structure is very different. It's been interesting to learn about them.”

With more than 50% of the world's shipping tonnage and a third of the world's crude oil passing through the region, the United States has historic and enduring interests in this part of the world.

The Navy's presence in Sasebo is part of that long-standing commitment.

"The Navy is forward-deployed to provide security and strengthen relationships in a free and open Indo-Pacific. It's not just the ships and aircraft that have shown up to prevent conflict and promote peace," said Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet. "It is, and will continue to be our people who define the role our Navy plays around the world.

People who've made a choice, and have the will and strength of character to make a difference."

USS Ashland is 610 feet long. The ship can travel at speed in excess of 20 nautical miles per hour. It is one of eight Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships currently in service. The ship’s primary purpose is to launch equipment and personnel for amphibious missions.

Approximately 22 officers and 390 enlisted men and women make up the ship's company.

Their jobs are highly specialized and keep each part of the ship running smoothly. The jobs range from washing dishes and preparing meals to maintaining engines and handling weaponry.

Serving in the Navy means Trumbly is part

of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80% of the world’s population lives close to a coast and 90% of all global trade by volume travels by sea.

“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”

There are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career. Trumbly is most proud of helping other officers and sailors gain job qualifications and reach their goals.

“I remember when I was an ensign, I didn't know anything, I didn't know what the heck to do,” he said. “I want to help them get ahead so that they can become an even better officer than I am.”

As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Trumbly and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, contributing to the Navy the nation needs.

“Service allows you to lead and to be able to meet new people from all over and get out of the American bubble,” he said. “There's a lot of folks who don't leave and never get to see how the rest of the world operates. It's also a pride thing, I'm serving the country I love. Even though we struggle, we all want the common goal of making things better.

I believe service is helping to do my part in fortifying our values.”

pelika O Observer

B12 June 05, 2019

LEGALS STATE OF ALABAMA IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF LEE COUNTY FAMILY COURT DIVISION DR – 2019 - 900085.00 Gina Lynn Oldenburg, Plaintiff vs. Christopher Shannon Carver, Defendant NOTICE OF DIVORCE ACTION Christopher Shannon Carver, whose whereabouts are unknown, must answer Gina Lynn Oldenburg’s Complaint for Divorce and other relief by: June 27, 2019, or, thereafter, a Judgment by Default may be rendered against him in Case No.: DR-19-900085 In The Circuit Court Of Lee County.

Done April 2, 2019.

Mary Roberson, Clerk Circuit Court Of Lee County John F. Hitchcock P.O. Box 729 Smiths Station, AL 36877 Attorney for Gina Lynn Oldenburg Legal Run 6/5/19, 6/12/19, 6/19/19 & 6/26/19

A Bid Bond in the amount of five (5) percent of the bid amount made payable to the City of Opelika must accompany each bid. Performance and Payment Bonds for the full contract sum will be required of the successful bidder. The right is reserved by the Owner to reject all Bids and to waive irregularities.

Envelopes containing bids must be sealed, marked, addressed as follows, and delivered to: Lillie Finley, PurchasingRevenue Manager, City of Opelika, 204 South 7th Street, P.O. Box 390, Ope lika, Alabama, 368030390. Attn: Removal of Dead, Dying, or Dangerous Trees and Stumps with Tree Pruning LILLIE FINLEY- PURCHASING REVENUE MANAGER CITY OF OPELIKA 204 SOUTH SEVENTH STREET (36801) POST OFFICE BOX 390 (36803-0390) OPELIKA, ALABAMA PH: (334) 705-5120 Legal Run 5/22/2019, 5/29/19 and 06/05/19

INVITATION TO BID 19020 Sealed bids for the construction of the Removal of Dead, Dying, or Dangerous Trees and Stumps with Tree Pruning shall be received at the Opelika City Hall Conference Room, 204 South Seventh Street, Opelika, Alabama, until 2:00 p.m., local time on Tuesday, June 11, 2019, and then publicly opened and read aloud.

All interested parties are invited to attend. Only bids from competent general contractors will be considered. At the time of contract award, the successful bidder must be a properly licensed general contractor. No bid will be accepted from anyone except a qualified Contractor licensed by the State Licensing Board for General Contractors.

Drawings and Specifications may be examined at the Office of the City Engineer located at 700 Fox Trail, Opelika, Alabama.

Phone number: 334-7055450 Bid documents may be obtained from the Office of the City Engineer at no charge as an electronic file if the bidder supplies a storage drive or as an email attachment or electronic drop box.

The bidder’s proposal must be submitted on the complete original proposal furnished to him/her by the City of Opelika. All information in the proposal must be completed by the bidder for the proposal to be accepted.

IN THE PROBATE COURT FOR LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA, CASE NO. 2019-A-224 IN RE: The Estate of Shirley A. Scoggins, Deceased NOTICE TO CREDITORS TAKE NOTICE that Letters Testamentary having been granted to, Melissa Karen Gatlin, as Executrix of the Estate of Shirley A. Scoggins, deceased, on the 7th day of May, 2019, by the Honorable Bill English.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that all persons having claims against the said Estate are hereby required to present the same within the time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

MELISSA KAREN GATLIN Executrix of the Estate of Shirley A. Scoggins, deceased Legal Run 5/22, 5/29 and 06/05/19

IN THE PROBATE COURT FOR LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA IN RE: The Estate of Elizabeth Ann Harper, Deceased NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION TO BE PUBLISHED Letters of Administration on said deceased having been granted to ALEXIS HARPER, Administrator on this the 8th day of May, 2019, by the Honorable Bill English, Judge of Probate Court of Lee

County, Alabama notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said estate are hereby required to present the same within time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

BY: James E. Hall, Attorney for Administrator.

Legal Run 5/22, 5/29 & 6/5/19

IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF SHIRLEY F. WATSON , DECEASED. IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Letters Testamentary on the estate of said decedent having been granted to the undersigned on the 14th day of May, 2019, by the Hon. Bill English, Judge of the Probate Court of Lee County, Alabama, notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said estate are hereby required to present the same within time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

MICHAEL P. WATSON Personal Representative Robert H. Pettey Samford & Denson, LLP P.O. Box 2345 Opelika, AL 36803-2345 (334) 745-3504 Legal Run 5/22/2019, 5/29/19 and 06/05/19

Lee County Commission Lee County, Alabama Request for Proposals for a Communications Tower Replacement The Lee County Commission (County) is requesting proposals for the replacement of a primary communications tower on a location known as Salem Hill.

Please submit three sealed (3) copies of the proposal to: Lee County Commission RE: Salem Hill Communications Tower Replacement Lee County Courthouse 215 South 9th Street Opelika, Alabama 36801 No later than 4:00 PM CST on Wednesday, June 26, 2019.

General Conditions All proposals shall be valid for a minimum of forty-five (45) days and state so in the submitted proposal.

There is no expressed or implied obligation for the County to reimburse responding companies for any expenses incurred in preparing proposals and participating in response to this request.

The County reserves the right to waive informalities and irregularities and to accept or reject any or

all proposals, if doing so is in the best interest of citizens of Lee County, Alabama. Additional information may be requested from one and/ or all the companies that submit a proposal.

All submitted proposals will become property of the County and are subject to inspection as public records upon the completion of the proposal review process.

The County will consider innovative solutions including public/private partnerships; therefore, any company may submit more than one proposal for consideration.

Requested Services The Lee County Commission “County” is receiving proposals for the replacement of one of the County’s main communications tower. The tower is located off Lee Road 252 on a location know as Salem Hill. The tower is approximately 118 feet on a site elevation of approximately 284 feet with an overall height of 402 feet. The existing tower is a guyed structure. The location is a repeater station with three repeaters and an antenna combiner at the base of the tower with a transmit and a receiving antenna near the top of the existing tower.

Lee County is requesting proposals for the following: At a Minimum • All public safety communication equipment must remain operational during the project.

• Removal of the current tower • Lee County’s public safety repeater requires an overall height of 340 feet.

• The tower is constructed to meet all applicable regulatory requirements, including but not limited to, FCC and FAA regulations Proposals will be accepted for the minimum services. Please provide a total price for the tower replacement, completion of a fully operational tower as found acceptable by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Lee County Commission, and removal of the existing tower.

In addition, the County will consider any public/ private partnership proposals granting exclusive rights and access for the site if the minimum objectives above are met.

Any public/private partnership proposal should also address the following terms or expectations: • Guarantee of public safety communication’s priority over any other proposed or potential additional communication systems use of the tower.

(Provide details how

those guarantees will be met, especially protection against any inference with the public safety frequencies) • Length of a partnership agreement • Ownership of the new tower (The County would prefer to retain ownership) • Maintenance of tower • Maintenance and responsibility of other equipment • Liability • Revenue sharing or potential revenue sharing A Bid Bond of 5% of the bid up to $10,000 in accordance with the laws of the State of Alabama will be required with submission of the bid. A Performance Bond of 100% and Payment Bond of 50% will be required from the successful bidder in accordance with the laws of the State of Alabama.

See County Website Current Bids at www.leeco.us for Additional Requirements or contact Wendy Swann (334) 737-3674 Legal Run 5/29 & 6/5/19

IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF GEORGE SMITH PRINCE, JR., DECEASED IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA NOTICE TO FILE CLAIMS TAKE NOTICE that Letters Testamentary having been granted to Nancy P. Anderson Fisher, as Personal Representative of the Estate of George Smith Prince, Jr., deceased, on the 28th day of May, 2019, by the Hon. Bill English, Judge of Probate of Lee County, Alabama.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that all persons having claims against said Estate are hereby required to present the same within the time allowed by law, or the same will be barred.

PREPARED BY: Blake L. Oliver Adams White & Oliver LLP 205 S. 9th Street, P. O. Box 2069 Opelika, AL 36803-2069 (334) 745-6466 Legal Run 6/5/19, 6/12/19 & 6/19/19

IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF ROBERT ROY STEWART, JR., DECEASED. IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Letters Testamentary on the estate of said decedent having been granted to the undersigned on the 23rd day of May, 2019, by the Hon. Bill English, Judge of the Probate Court of Lee County,

Alabama, notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said estate are hereby required to present the same within time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

JOHN MICHAEL STEWART Personal Representative Robert H. Pettey Samford & Denson, LLP P.O. Box 2345 Opelika, AL 36803-2345 (334) 745-3504 Legal Run 6/5/19, 6/12/19 & 6/19/19

STATE OF ALABAMA IN THE PROBATE COURT LEE COUNTY DOCKET NO. 2019-B-015 RE: ESTATE OF BRYANT BYRD, DECEASED: NOTICE OF PUBLICATION Letters Testamentary of said deceased having been granted to the undersigned on the 30th day of May, 2019, by the Judge of Probate Court of Lee County, Alabama, notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said estate are hereby required to present the same within time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

Amy S. Byrd, Personal Representative Claud E. (Skip) McCoy, Jr., Esq. Attorney for Personal Representative Johnson, Caldwell & McCoy, LLC 117 North Lanier Avenue, Suite 201 Lanett, Alabama 36863 (334) 644-1171 Legal Run 6/5/19, 6/12/19 & 6/19/19

IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF LAURA ANN FOREST, Deceased CASE NO. 2019-B-013 NOTICE TO CREDITORS In the Matter of the Estate of LAURA ANN FOREST, Deceased Letters Administration of the Estate of LAURA ANN FOREST, deceased, having been granted to the undersigned on May 30th, 2019, by the Honorable BILL ENGLISH, Judge of Probate Court of said County, notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said Estate are hereby required to present the same within the time allowed by law, or the same will be barred.

LINDA CARTER Personal Representative Legal Run 6/5/19, 6/12/19 & 6/19/19

City of Opelika announces road projects, closures Special to Opelika Observer From the City of Opelika The City of Opelika’s Public Works/ ESG Department will be working on several road issues in the Northside neighborhood during the next few weeks.

Please be aware of these projects. Avoid these areas if possible and use caution as you travel through these areas.

• 4th Avenue between South 2nd Street and South 3rd Street This road will be closed for two to three weeks while crews work to repair an underground pipe and redo the road surface.

They began work May 30, and will continue until the work is complete.

Please follow detour signs and use South 2nd Street to Rockybrook/South 3rd Street.

City officials understand that this is a

heavy traffic area and ask that you be patient while we restore this portion of the road.

• Change at North 13th Street and 3rd Avenue The intersection at North 13th Street and 3rd Avenue is now a three-way stop. This should help control traffic speed in that area. The city has put in signage to help make citizens aware.

For more information, visit www. opelika-al.gov.

pelika O Observer

B13 June 05, 2019

Attorney Gen. Steve Marshall hails Alabama Senate passage of legislation to reform state’s badly broken pardons and paroles board Special to the Opelika Observer Attorney Gen. Steve Marshall hailed the passage of legislation by the Alabama Senate to reform the badly broken Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. House Bill 380, sponsored by Rep. Connie Rowe, R-Jasper, passed the Senate by a vote of 25to-5. The legislation was carried in the upper house by Sen. Cam Ward, R- Alabaster.

The Alabama House of Representatives passed the bill on May 9, by a vote of 73-to-27. It now goes to the governor for her signature.

“The first civil right of every citizen is to be free from the fear of

violence. The people of Alabama deserve the assurance that their criminal-justice system is operating in the best interest of public safety,” Marshall said.

“Today, the Alabama Legislature passed legislation that will reform our state’s badly broken system of pardons and paroles.

But this was about far more than fixing a failing agency; this was about securing public safety. We will now be able to better protect the people of our great state.”

Last week, Marshall announced that Alabama had settled with the families of Marie Martin, Colton Lee and Martha Reliford, who were brutally

legislation, which the members of the Board and the agency’s executive director have stridently opposed,” Marshall said. “The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles needs fresh, new leadership.

The status quo is no longer acceptable.

“I applaud Rep. Connie Rowe and Senator Cam Ward for their commitment to correcting this extremely important publicsafety problem. I am grateful to the leadership of the House and Senate, and to all of those who voted for this bill throughout the legislative process. I greatly look forward to Governor Ivey signing this legislation into law.”

murdered last year

by Jimmy O’Neal Spencer — a violent offender, sentenced to life imprisonment, who was released from prison and improperly supervised by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Throughout the course of the debate, Marshall has identified numerous other instances in which the Board has failed in its duties in recent years, underscoring the need for legislative change.

“For months, the Board has claimed that it was ‘under attack . . . by the Attorney General’ and that I was simply overreacting to one, isolated instance of ‘human error’ by advocating for this

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student at the University of Alabama.

She was by far the most respected leader on campus, male or female. She was president of everything on campus. While at the university, she was a Chi Omega, a Crimson Girl, SGA Senator and ODK and a member of Mortar Board.

After graduation from the Capstone, she married Pettus Randall from Tuscaloosa, thus becoming Cathy Johnson Randall. Upon his death she became the Chairman of the Board of Randall Holdings. She is also on the Board of the Alabama Power

Company and Mercedes Benz.

While in high School, Cathy Johnson Randall was elected Governor of Girls State and then went on to become President of Girls Nation. Believe it or not, her husband Pettus, was Boys State Governor and Boys Nation President.

Furthermore, she and Pettus had a daughter who was Governor of Girls State and President of Girls Nation.

See you next week.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist.

His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers.

He served 16 years in the state legislature.

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Volunteers Needed Alacare Hospice is seeking volunteers to help provide neighborly love & support to patients in their final days. All training provided free of charge.

Do you have the gift of time? Please call Katie Spotswood 334-741-9918”

B14 June 05, 2019

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Like crossword puzzles? Sudoku?

Play online at www.opelikaobserver.com/puzzles/

Last week’s answers:

05-29 Scramblers Answers: 1.Atone, 2.Trace, 3. Asunder, 4. Mingle Solution: REMOTE

pelika O Observer

B15 June 05, 2019

Democratic resolutions addressing bullying pass the house last week Special to the Opelika Observer Resolutions introduced by Alabama House Democratic Caucus Members Reps.

Neil Rafferty (D-Birmingham) and Merika Coleman (D-Birmingham) passed the House last Thursday, putting a

spotlight on the growing problem of bullying and promoting anti-bullying programs in schools and the workplace statewide.

“Last month, we lost a bright young mind when Nigel Shelby of Huntsville committed suicide,” Rafferty said.

“LGBTQ+ teens across the state struggle with

their identities as they try to earn an education and enjoy their youth. When bullying enters picture, we have an almost impossible situation which prohibits our kids from succeeding and thriving.

Anti-bullying programs must be supported in every school district so that we may generate aware-

ness, promote safety, and build the character of every child.”

HJR 247 condemns bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and recognizes the correlation between suicide and bullying.

HJR 246 condemns bullying, as a whole, in any form and place.

“One life lost to bullying and depression is one life too many,” Coleman said. “Tragically, we see our kids take their own lives at increasingly younger ages, as we saw in fifth grader Jamari Terrell Williams.

Legislators, teachers, parents, administrators and students themselves

must strongly support and encourage understanding and love in our every day lives. The further development and availability of anti-bullying programs in schools, workplaces and any other appropriate place is critical to the health and wellbeing of our young citizens.”

The Alabama Forfeiture Accountability System created

Will collect and report data on state civil asset forfeitures Special to the Opelika Observer A bill passed last week by the Alabama Legislature to require law enforcement to report and track the seizures of property connected to drug dealing or other crimes should help reassure the public that law enforcement is using the tool of civil asset forfeiture in a responsible manner, said the Alabama District Attorneys Association (ADAA).

The bill adds to the Alabama Forfeiture Accountability System, which was created by district attorneys and law enforcement earlier this year to track

and report on asset forfeitures in the state, said Barry Matson, the ADAA’s executive director.

“Alabama district attorneys, ALEA, chiefs of police, county commissions and sheriffs created the nation’s most comprehensive database for asset forfeiture,” Matson said.

“We are excited to now have those progressive efforts codified into law.”

“In this bill, the district attorneys also sought the additional measure to publicly identify all asset forfeiture dollars and expenses by separating them into audited accounts with detailed individual line-items.

This new measure will create unprecedented transparency that will identify the source and expenditures of all asset forfeiture monies.”

In a press conference in February, the AADA joined with state Rep. Arnold Mooney, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and a wide range of public policy groups to announce the creation of the Alabama Forfeiture Accountability System. The new database system will track and compile data of all state civil asset forfeiture cases in Alabama and generate reports to lawmakers and state officials. It will also make information regarding the use of

forfeitures available to the public.

Mooney co-sponsored a bill last year to require a datareporting system, but the bill died at the end of the legislation session. This year’s bill was sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr. “We began working on this last spring after some groups, based on misinformation, pushed legislation to gut civil asset forfeiture, even though it has proved to be an effective crime fighting tool,” Matson said.

“We knew accurate information was needed regarding how often and under what circumstances asset forfeiture is used in

Alabama, rather than the flawed and misleading, agenda-driving narrative that was being pushed out. This system will provide that information and, we hope, put to rest the fears of some people that asset forfeiture is being abused.”

On March 1, district attorneys across the state began collecting data related to asset forfeitures – including filings, pleadings and court rulings – and submitting that information to the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center database. Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC), a division of ALEA, is compiling the data and

will make reports to the governor, lawmakers and the public. The University of Alabama’s Center for the Advancement of Public Safety created the AFAS database, which is operated by ACJIC. Matson noted that the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, the Alabama Sheriffs Association and the Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as state and national organizations including the Alabama Policy Institute, the Institute for Justice, the Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), all contributed to the creation of AFAS.

Alabama Arise offers statement on Civil asset forfeiture bill Special to the Opelika Observer The civil asset forfeiture transparency bill is a good start, but Alabamians still need much stronger protections The Alabama House passed SB 191 last week, which would increase transparency around civil asset forfeiture in the state, sending it to Gov. Kay Ivey.

Alabama Arise Executive Director Robyn Hyden issued the following in response to the bill: “SB 191’s passage is a good first step toward bringing more transparency to Alabama’s civil asset forfeiture practices.

This bill will help shine some needed light on this process, and we hope the governor signs it. But simply gathering more

information about the problem isn’t enough.

We must change our state’s forfeiture practices to ensure they protect due process for all Alabamians.

Alabama’s current civil asset forfeiture practices allow too much room for abuse.

Hundreds of Alabamians lose cash, cars and other property under this practice every year. Many of them are never con-

Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller endorses Bradley Byrne for U.S. Senate Special to the Opelika Observer In an endorsement video released Tuesday, Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller announced his support and endorsement of Bradley Byrne's run for U.S. Senate.

"I'm happy to support Bradley Byrne for the U.S. Senate.

I've known Bradley for many years, back when he served in the Alabama legislature and then later I got to know

him very well when he was chancellor of the community college system. And of course, our great college here in Opelika, Southern Union. Bradley was conscientious. He was honest. He has integrity. Exactly the kind of person that I want representing me in the U.S. Senate. I want a person in the Senate that's going to reflect Alabama values.

Values that I believe in.

I want border protection. I want to ban

abortions. I want our economy to continue to grow and proposer, here in Opelika, East Alabama and the state of Alabama. And I think we'll have that with a person like Bradley Byrne in the U.S. Senate. I know that he will speak for me and many, many other Alabamians when he is on the floor of the U.S. Senate. So, I hope you'll join me. Let's vote for and let's elect Bradley Byrne to the Senate."

victed of a crime – or even charged with one. And many people can’t afford to hire a lawyer to challenge these seizures in court.

The original version of this bill showed the path to real reform. It would have required a felony conviction before property became subject to forfeiture in most cases. It also would have required the state to meet a

higher burden of proof in connecting property to a crime.

And it would have mandated a detailed, publicly searchable database laying out the full scale of seizures in the state.

These reforms are still needed, and we’ll continue to fight for them. We thank all of the Alabama Arise members and other advocates across the state who helped SB

191 win legislative approval. And we appreciate their determination to keep pushing for the comprehensive change that the people of our state need and want.”

Alabama Arise is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of congregations, organizations and individuals promoting public policies to improve the lives of low-income Alabamians.

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A good laugh heals a lot of hurts. — Madeleine L’Engle