LIVE Lee Magazine | Wheels Down, Wings Up | February 2024

LIVELee ISSUE NO. 23 — JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2024

WHEELS DOWN — WINGS UP

ROBERT N P H O TO B Y

OLES | KE Y

MEDIA LLC

Flying High Page 36 —1—

FEBRUARY 2024

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CONTRIBUTORS Matthan Brown Kendyl Hollingsworth Tucker Massey Haley Mautz Steven Stiefel Tom Wofford

DESIGN / LAYOUT Michelle Key Hannah Goldfinger

MARKETING Michelle Key

STAFF BIOS Michelle Key, Publisher Originally from Albertville, Alabama, Michelle Key and her family moved to the Opelika-Auburn area in 2011 after her husband’s retirement from the U.S. Navy. She is a graduate of Troy University, and she joined the Observer in 2014 as an office administrator before assuming ownership of the newspaper in January 2018.

Hannah Goldfinger, LIVE Lee Editor Hannah Goldfinger is an Auburn University 2019 journalism graduate who started with The Observer in July 2020 as the associate editor for the LIVE Lee Magazine. She was named editor of LIVE Lee in July 2021. She was previously published as Hannah Lester.

PHOTOGRAPHY Jerry Ballas

Anita Stiefel, Key Media LLC Managing Editor

Robert Noles

Anita Stiefel joined Key Media in 2023. A native of Fort Payne, she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Auburn University and completed doctoral studies at the University of Southern Mississippi. She has decades of experience working as a journalist and college educator.

Bob Parsons Edward Sikora Anita Stiefel Steven Stiefel

CONTACT US Key Media, LLC 223 S. 8th St., Opelika Phone:

Robert Noles, Photographer Robert Noles is an award-winning photojournalist who has been with The Observer for more than 10 years.

Originally from Tallassee, he is a graduate of Alabama Christian College and Auburn University.

334-749-8003 www.LiveLeeMagazine.com editor@opelikaobserver.com.

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is a publication created by Key Media, LLC.

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Letter From The Editor Welcome back to LIVE Lee! I want to start by thanking all of you for so intentionally reading and loving on this magazine. It has been a heart project and such a joy to provide to our area. When our first magazine came out, I did a whole photoshoot with my mom and excitedly showed it off to friends, family and local officials.

It’s time to share some news, we are moving to a new format. In 2024, following this issue, we will be moving to fewer issues per year.

We will still be producing special issues each year: graduation, veterans, Christmas/holiday, etc.

Our whole team has enjoyed putting together these issues for you, showcasing all the good in our community and sharing about the wonderful people we live with.

This issue is new and fun. We highlighted all sorts of vehicles, particularly planes, trains and automobiles.

You’ll find history inside on both the Opelika train and Auburn Depot, a feature on the Auburn University’s NCAT track in Opelika, the Auburn School of Aviation and more.

Please enjoy and, as always, feel free to contact us if you have stories you want to share with the community at editor@opelikaobserver.com.

r e g n i f d l o Hannah G

Table Of Contents Opelika Aims High .............................................. 7

Opelika’s Little Engine That Could ................... 42

Soar With Auburn Aviation ................................ 10 From A to Z: Oars & Octane Has It All ............... 48 Go Down to the Depot ...................................... 17 CAP Helping Communities ............................... 55 The Great Race .................................................. 24 Testing The Track ............................................... 61 Going To The Extreme ...................................... 32

BAMA RV Elevates Recreation .......................... 67

Flying High ....................................................... 36 AU Car Meets Unite ........................................... 70

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FEBRUARY 2024

The Opelika Public Library is located at 1100 Glenn St. Photo by Robert Noles | Key Media LLC

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Opelika AIMS High Story By Hannah Goldfinger Photos By Robert Noles and Edward Sikora Contibuted Photos By The Opelika Public Library

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Beginning in early February, AIM High: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen, will visit the Opelika Public Library for two months, allowing children to learn more about aviation and the historic Tuskegee Airmen. “[The exhibit] honors the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen by exploring STEAM concepts and aviation themes through the lens of the pioneering group’s Six Guiding Principles,” said information from the Opelika Public Library. “Inspired by the tools and tasks connected to airplanes and flying, the interactive exhibit mixes real artifacts with hands-on imaginative play. AIM High will let visitors of all ages imagine themselves as future aviators, inspired by the stories from the past.”

There will be ten different parts of the exhibit, listed by the Opelika Public Library, as follows: Cockpit Flight Trainer: Get an up-close view of the inside of a Cockpit Flight Trainer. Watch videos of the plane taking off and landing from the captain’s seat vantage point. This life-size Cockpit Flight Trainer is perfect for dramatic play and also includes a row of actual airplane seats.

Dress-Up, Light-Up Photo-Op Mirror: Choose the outfit of one of the many jobs necessary in the aviation and aeronautics industries. See yourself as a pilot, a mechanic, engineer,

ground-crew or flight attendant. Be whoever you want to be.

Land The Plan Radar Maze: Tilt the table to roll the ball through the maze while avoiding other aircraft in the sky, like an Air Trac Controller. Take a breath, concentrate and see how long it takes you to land your airplane.

Flying Machines In Motion: Bring drawings of flying machines to life using the praxinoscope, an early form of animation. From DaVinci’s flying machine to hot air balloons and rockets, this creative and interactive device lets users spin pre-made illustrations and view them in motion on the mirrored display above.

Wearable Wings and Runway Run: Assemble your own pair of wearable wings and then try them on for size before racing down the runway. Learn what the numbers and letters on the runway mean and imagine where you will go.

Airplane Hangar Table: Assemble a P51 Mustang using Discovery Cards to learn facts about the iconic airplane and how to create your own mini-version.

Magnetic Tangrams: Explore the six principles of the Tuskegee Airmen through tangrams. These seven piece geometric puzzles make shapes representing these principles and share the stories behind each one.

View Finder: Scroll through an interactive slide show featuring the historical images of the Tuskegee Airmen and their airplanes, as well as the generations of men and women who followed in their footsteps.

Airplane Launcher: Using just paper and tape, design and build your own custom airplane. Then, take it to the flight table and use a plunger launcher to propel the plane into the air.

Artifact Displays: Dive into aviation history by exploring historical artifacts and information panels on display. Learn about the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and their influence on the future of the aviation.

The exhibit will run from Feb. 3 through April 28. It will only be open to the public on Monday and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays are reserved for field trips.

The Opelika Public Library has opportunities for docents, or guides, for the exhibit. Those interested in applying can do so at: bit.ly/oplah. Interested docents must be over 16 years old.

The library is also seeking sponsors during this exhibit.

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FEBRUARY 2024

Photo taken during an event hosted by the city of Auburn in 2013.

Photo by Edward Sikora

Our family serving your family Bill Trant, Coley Trant, Gene Ward, Allison Owens, Ginger Gray-Busby, Paul Kemp, David Phillips, Roger Hughes, Lee Smith, Linda Stewart, John McCollum, Bobby McBurney

r a o S With Auburn Aviation

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Story By Haley Mautz Photos By Robert Noles and Contributed to LIVE Lee

For more than 100 years, Auburn University’s aviation program has flourished into what it is today; the second-best ranked aviation college in the nation, according to a May 2023 article from the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts.

But, like everything involving Auburn, in order to understand the significance of this ranking, it is essential to understand the history of the program. In the early 1920s, the API (Alabama Polytechnic Institute, which became Auburn University in 1960) began teaching its first course in aviation administration. By 1939, API had absorbed the local airport with plans to participate in “Civilian Pilot Training.” This program trained its students to fly in aerial combat, a skill that was crucial during World War II. As the end of the war drew near, the university continued to expand and enhance the program.

Today, the program said it takes pride in cultivating a curriculum of holistic, multidisciplinary studies to accommodate more than 1,000 students and over 4,000 alumni. A strong advocate to these students and alumni is James Witte, aviation program chair and director of the school of aviation. Witte has held this position since 2020, but has

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been licensed to fly aircrafts since 1957.

According to Witte, his responsibility is overseeing the program’s success and progress.

“That overall philosophy makes the current job exciting and rewarding at the same time,” Witte said. “Aviation is not only a place for active learning, it’s also a place for active job performance. Because of the inherent dangers in our normal work environment, the minimums are not good enough.”

Witte also said that safety is stressed just as much as technique and basic skills for students enrolled in the program.

“Someday an Auburn flight school graduate may be driving an aluminum tube at 300 miles per hour with 300 people on board,” Witte said. “The safety and well-being of the passengers is the ultimate test for any pilot.”

In a world where flying is quickly becoming a preferred mode of transportation, programs like Auburn’s are working hard to produce pilots that understand their aircrafts and can work diligently in stressful situations.

Witte said that some of his favorite memories have been watching the program grow and flourish throughout the years.

“My favorite memory working here took place on June

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FEBRUARY 2024

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16, 2022, [when] three Auburn University aircrafts departed Tallahassee Airport for the Annual Air Race Classic, a female-led race of over 2,400 miles,” Witte said. “Shortly after takeoff, Team 65, consisting of pilot Maggie Hearn and copilot Elizabeth Moorman, experienced catastrophic engine failure. Executing a 180 degree turn to return to the airport they found it was beyond glide distance. Working as a team, they identified a suitable field and successfully landed with no personal injuries or damage to the aircraft.”

Witte said that very few pilots can execute an off-airfield, dead-stick landing, which is when a pilot is forced to land after engine failure or loss of power.

“Even after thousands of flying hours, their skill and professionalism in a truly perilous situation serve as a model for all who fly and remain a proud moment for the individuals and the flight school,” Witte said.

The School of Aviation continues to expand into new territories every day.

Within the school, there are two paths of study: professional flight and aviation management.

Nicole Bilotta, senior and professional flight major, decided to take the first route.

“It feels great to be a part of such an amazing program,” Bilotta said.

“The way this program is run is impressive given the number of students and capacity the program is dealing with on a day-to-day basis. As a

flight major, you start flight training your first semester at Auburn, we typically have lessons three days a week on the ground, we have classes of about 30 people that cover any number of things [including] aviation weather, human factors, aerodynamics and propulsion.”

According to Bilotta, the class even has an Airbus 320 simulator, which provides students with hands-on simulated flight experience, including reproductions of authentic pedestals, control, knobs, dials and levers found in real aircrafts.

Because of the tremendous support felt at

Auburn, Bilotta said she holds big aspirations for her future.

“In the next five to 10 years, I hope to be at a mainline like Delta or American [Airlines],” Bilotta said. “I think one day it would be really cool to be a captain on the A320 or A330.”

Additionally, the second branch of the program is aviation management, and students hold a similar drive for success.

Jenna Palazzolo is a junior and aviation management major, with a minor in business and aerospace studies.

“What's interesting about this major is there's a business minor built in, so every student takes classes like accounting, finance, management and marketing to broaden their knowledge of the business and logistical side of aviation,” Palazzolo said. “My dream has always been to be a pilot; I went to an airshow with my parents in high school and immediately knew I had to be in the sky.”

The daily schedule for a student in this field can look different depending on who you ask, according to Palazzolo, who is also member of the ROTC program [Reserve Officers' Training Corps].

“For many others and I in this field, the end goal is to fly [for] the military,” Palazzolo said.

When both Bilotta and Palazzolo were asked what it was like to be studying in a male dominated industry, both women had only positive experiences to share.

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FEBRUARY 2024

“All the guys are very nice, and we all just want to learn the best we can and become pilots for [a] bigger aircraft one day,” Bilotta said. “Auburn also has a leading standard of women in our program sitting at around 21%.”

Palazzolo shared a similar sentiment, and said she admires her female professors.

“I think seeing these powerful women in the air making a difference changes a lot of the men's perspectives on the topic,” Palazzolo said.

Coupled with the cutting-edge technology like the Airbus 320 simulator, the program has its eyes set on improvement, becoming more competitive and innovative every day and playing a role in Auburn University’s rapid growth.

Nicole Bilotta

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Auburn University | Marion Military Institute

Partners in Aviation Story and Photo Contributed By Auburn University

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Auburn University’s School of Aviation signed a partnership agreement with the Marion Military Institute (MMI) designating the Marion, Alabama, based institution as an official feeder school for Auburn’s professional flight and aviation management programs.

Since MMI is a member of the Alabama Community College System and features an FAA approved flight school, this agreement fully supports the goals and standards of both institutions. Auburn Aviation leaders are proud to be associated with MMI and are looking forward to a mutually beneficial relationship for the future.

Auburn’s School of Aviation is one of the highest-ranked programs in the country and has formed partnerships with Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines in recent years.

The program has grown to more than 700 students and is led by Dr. James Witte, a Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award winner whose career spans more than 65 years.

Founded in 1842, MMI has a national reputation for preparing

students for successful civilian and military careers. The topranked junior college in Alabama, MMI is one of only four military junior colleges in the United States.

About Auburn University: Auburn University is a nationally-ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.

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FEBRUARY 2024

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D Go o to the w Depot n

Digital reproduction of a painting of the Opelika Depot.

Photo Used With Permission From The David Dorsey Family

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Story By Michelle Key, Tucker Massey and Anita Stiefel

Although they rumble daily through Lee County, since discontinuation of local passenger rail service in the early 1970s the trains no longer stop in any of the cities along the line.

However, the historic train depots stand, preserving reminders of days gone by ...

LOACHAPOKA The Creek village that encompassed what is now known as Loachapoka was established in 1796. The name which is believed to mean “where turtles live” or “turtle killing place,” was later reclaimed after the area was briefly being named Ball’s Fork after being settled by white pioneers.

The first white settler, a man named Square Talley, arrived via

stagecoach in 1836 after the forced migration of the Creek tribe in the years proceeding.

The Western Railroad advanced from Montgomery to Loachapoka in 1845. Since it was the end of the line at the time, the depot was built with a nearby turntable to reverse the engines back to Montgomery. During its peak years, upwards of 12 trains ran daily.

The building that now houses the Lee County Historical Museum was once a trade center, where settlers in the area could purchase goods delievered by rail. This building is the oldest commercial structure in Lee County.

A historical marker was erected in 1978 by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission. It reads:

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Operator at village of Loachapoka, Alabama, watches eastbound West Point Route Crescent passenger train as it races past station in March 1955. (Note: that falling mail bag was recorded only inches from the ground.)

Photo By J. Parker Lamb Collection, Collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art

Coming of the railroad from Montgomery in 1845 started a new era, with Loachapoka’s name revived. It became the trade center for Waverly, Roxana, Rome, Camp Hill, Dudleyville and Dadeville.

Rousseau’s Raiders hit Loachapoka at sun down, Sunday, July 17, 1864, and stayed one day.

Census of 1870 indicated a population of 1,254, but

Atlanta-bound West Point Route Crescent passenger train pulls into station at Auburn, Alabama, in July 1952, under watchful eyes of curious youngster, as well as an older resident (left) who seems to like watching trains come and go.

Photo By J. Parker Lamb Collection, Collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art

reconstruction, migration, 1873 panic and railroad extension from Opelika to Dadeville in the early 1870’s destroyed the town’s pre-eminence, Loachapoka was placed on the National Register of historic places May 11, 1973.

Today the tracks are only used to transport freight.

AUBURN A five-minute walk away from the famed Toomer’s Corner in downtown Auburn sits The Depot, a landmark included on the Alabama Register of Historic Places.

The city’s original train depot was built in 1847 to service the

Montgomery and West Point Railroad. It was a bustling hub of activity, was crucial to the Confederacy during the Civil War, when it was used to transport military supplies. The site was visited by Jefferson Davis during his inauguration tour in 1861. In 1864, Union forces “Rousseau’s Raiders,” led by Maj. Gen. Lovell Harrison Rousseau, burned down the station and destroyed the tracks.

A few years after the war ended, with the rise of the “golden railroad era,” the depot was rebuilt in 1870. It was also the scene of an infamous 1896 university prank the night before Georgia Tech’s football team was set to arrive in town. Auburn students

Baggage handlers at station in Auburn, Alabama, are busy getting Montgomery-bound local no. 31 ready for departure in August 1952.

Photo By J. Parker Lamb Collection, Collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art

The Auburn Depot has housed “The Depot” restaurant since 2015.

Photo By Hannah Goldfinger snuck out of their dorms in the middle of the night and greased the railroad tracks.

The arriving team’s train slid past the station, forcing the players to walk miles back to town (some sources say a mile, some say five miles and others say “all the way to Notasulga”). The notorious incident was the genesis of the “Wreck Tech Pajama Parade,” an Auburn tradition celebrated preceding the football matchup for decades.

In 1904, a lightning strike sparked a fire that destroyed the second station. The depot was rebuilt that same year, and still stands today. The Victorian structure was designed by AU architecture student Ralph Dudley.

The depot served as the transportation hub of Auburn during the early 20th century and remained in service until the last passenger train pulled out of the station on Jan. 7, 1970. The building was used as commercial office space until 2003, when it was abandoned and fell into disrepair.

The building was saved when it was purchased by the city of Auburn in 2013.

Executive Chef and Co-owner Scott Simpson came to Auburn in 2014 to become executive chef and culinary educator at The Hotel at Auburn University and a culinary instructor in the school’s hospitality program. Matt and Jana Poirier, who own The Hound in Auburn, said they wanted to expand and create another

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concept restaurant, and they reached out to Simpson for ideas and to gauge his interest.

Simpson felt the area lacked a highquality seafood-focused restaurant. The Poiriers found the depot location and worked with the city to restore the historic landmark while making it suitable for a restaurant. The Depot opened in September 2015.

“The time-worn tracks of The Depot have seen the face of war and abandonment, but now, over 150 years later, The Depot has once again been resurrected,” states The Depot’s website.

“Bringing globally-inspired cuisine to the heart of Alabama in this historic landmark, we are proud to be part of Auburn’s revitalization.”

The original elements of the Depot from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s were all repurposed — the 200-year-old knotted pine that was once the train platform was repurposed into the chef’s table, bar and hostess stand, and original doors were restored along with the black and white floor tiles from another era.

The Depot offers an upscale dining experience, featuring award-winning seafood cuisine and an extensive wine list.

“We want people to be blown away, to exceed their expectations and make sure that eating here is a noteworthy, lingering memory,” Simpson said.

The locally-sourced menu includes

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appetizers such as original gumbo with andouille sausage, spicy blue crab dip and Oysters Rockefeller.

The menu changes daily, with featured dishes posted by 5 p.m. on the website allaboardauburn. com. Entrees include specialties such as giant sea scallops with jumbo red shrimp and grits, blackened redfish and crabstuffed rainbow trout. While seafood is the main attraction, The Depot also offers woodfire grilled steakhouse cuts and other meat and poultry dishes.

The dessert menu includes the classics: crème brulee, bananas Foster and New York style cheesecake.

Located at 124 Mitcham Ave. in Auburn, the restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday evenings (closed Sunday and Monday), with happy hour at The Bar from 5 to 7 p.m. Reservations are recommended and can be made online at allaboardauburn. com.

OPELIKA In 1848, six years before Opelika was even incorporated as a town and 18 years before Lee County was established, the first rails of Opelika’s now-historic railway were laid.

Prior to the railway’s construction, Opelika had very little settlement and was once called Lebenon, according to Opelika Main Street. The first white settlers moved to the area in 1832, after the United States government signed a treaty with the Muskogee (Creek) Nation.

These settlers gave the town its name of Lebenon, having previously been Opelika when it was under the Muskogee.

According to Visit Auburn-Opelika, the name of Lebenon did not stick very long and was changed back to Opelika soon after.

Despite initial slow growth in the newly settled area, the completion of a railroad from Montgomery, Alabama, to Opelika in 1848 altered the course of the city’s history.

This railroad soon connected Opelika to West Point, Georgia, in 1851 — a city that had recently began construction on a railway to Atlanta, that was eventually completed in 1854, according to the city of

Birmingham-bound Central of Georgia Railway local no. 3 pulls into Opelika, Alabama, behind 4-8-2, passing diesels on freight no.

38 in July 1952.

Photo By J. Parker Lamb Collection, Collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art

West Point.

Not only did this new connection put Opelika in the center of Montgomery and Atlanta, but it also connected New Orleans to the eastern seaboard directly — the first and only direct connection for New Orleans at the time.

The railroads built in what became Lee County were some of the earliest lines in Alabama and the South as a whole. East Alabama Arts (EAA) published a piece detailing the history of Opelika’s historic railroad and included an excerpt from a paper by a man named J. Lawrence Lee, in which he discussed the earliest history of the railway in Lee County.

“The first railroad to be built into what is now Lee County was

also the second line in Alabama and one of the earliest in the South. First chartered by the state in 1832, as the Montgomery Railroad, the Montgomery and West Point reached Loachapoka and Auburn in 1847, Opelika in 1848 and completed its line to West Point in 1851,” Lee wrote.

By 1851, this railroad operated eight trains with 10 passenger cars and more than 70 freight cars across an 88-mile track.

According to EAA, the fiscal year 1850-51 receipts totaled more than $140,000, and train depots were built in Auburn, Opelika and Loachapoka. When the West Point to Atlanta railroad opened in 1854, service from Opelika to Atlanta was offered.

Suddenly, Opelika served as a railway junction and commercial

The depot in Opelika following its complete renovation.

Photo By Robert Noles | Key Media LLC

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Southbound Illinois Central Railroad Seminole passenger train crosses main line of West Point Route at station in Opelika, Alabama, in August 1955. Absence of interlocker required crew member to flag crossing.

Photo By J. Parker Lamb Collection, Collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art

hub for the surrounding rural, agriculture-based area. As a result, many agricultural storehouses were built for cotton and other goods. Opelika became a staple in the cotton industry, as much of the cotton concentrated in the area was transported northeast through the Opelika train station.

However, not long after the construction of the railways and rapid growth of Opelika, the Civil War began. According to Opelika Main Street, these agricultural warehouses were converted into Confederate storehouses.

As the Union barreled through the South, and burned and destroyed everything in sight, Opelika’s once-mighty position on the railway was demolished by Union generals Lovell Rousseau and James H. Wilson. The Union forces tore up the railway infrastructure and depleted the commercial success of the railway in Opelika.

Lee wrote about the success of Opelika coming from the construction of the railroad, particularly as Opelika sat at a junction between the West Point railway and the Columbus railway. He said that this is why Union generals targeted the area.

“What really put Opelika on the map was the construction of a second line between Columbus and Opelika,”Lee wrote. “So, even before the Civil War, we had become a railroad junction point.

Opelika's prominence as a rail center caused General [William] Sherman, who was pressing down from Chattanooga toward Atlanta, to order General Rousseau to descend from North Alabama in a calvary raid and destroy the railroad between Opelika and Loachapoka to burn supplies and rolling stock, mainly located in Opelika, destined for the Confederate defense of

Alabama.”

In total, Union forces destroyed 30 miles of railroad, and Wilson continued to dismantle railways in the South even after Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered in April 1865.

Like many other areas in the South, Opelika had some rebuilding to do. Lee County was established in 1866, and railway reconstruction began in Opelika. According to the Museum of East Alabama, the success of Opelika’s railway just never reached the heights it had leading up to the Civil War. Other eastbound routes were being constructed at a more rapid pace, and Opelika’s reconstruction never caught up.

Goods were still shipped out of Opelika, not at the rate that they were pre-Civil War, but in the early 20th century, textiles produced in the Pepperell and Opelika Cotton Mills were shipped out of Opelika.

Aside from shipping goods, the railway in Opelika was used for prisoner-of-war transport during World War II and for passenger use. However, the railways’ days as a passenger transport dwindled with a new era of automotive innovation, and the last passenger trains left the city in 1971, ending more than 125 years of passenger service, according to EAA. Today, freight trains still roll through downtown Opelika, and the once-vacant train depot was renovated in the early 2000s and is currently used for Pre-K classrooms.

The depot and freight trains — while not as crucial and vibrant as they used to be — still sit in downtown Opelika, serving as reminders of an era of prosperity, growth and the decline of a particular era in American industrialization.

However, they still serve as a vital part of Opelika — a part that built the city and made it what it is today.

FEBRUARY 2024

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The

GREAT

RACE

Story By Hannah Goldfinger Photos By Jerry Ballas | Key Media LLC

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FEBRUARY 2024

T

The Great Race made a pit stop in Auburn last summer.

Sorry, no, not The Amazing Race. The Great Race.

The Great Race is a car event that takes participants through 17 stops in cities across the country to show off vintage vehicles.

“The Great Race is an antique, vintage and collector car competitive controlled-speed endurance road rally on public highways,” said The Great Race website. “It is not a test of top speed. It is a test of a driver/navigator teams’ ability to follow precise course instructions and the cars’ (and teams’) ability to endure on a cross-country trip. The course instructions require the competing teams to drive at or below the posted speed limits at all times.”

The Great Race visited Auburn with 125 vintage cars on June 25 at 12:15 p.m.

The event as a whole comprises 2,300 miles and this was the first time The Great Race visit to Auburn.

“Each day the driver and navigator team receives a set of course

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instructions that indicate every turn, speed change, stop and start that the team must make throughout the day (usually 220 to 250 such instructions per day),” the website said. “Along the course route, there will be from four to seven checkpoints recording the exact time that the team passes that point. The objective is to arrive at each checkpoint at the correct time, not the fastest.

“The score for each team is the result of the team’s ability to follow the designated course instructions precisely. Every second off the perfect time (early or late) at each checkpoint is a penalty point. This format is much more mentally demanding than a flat-out cross-country race. Also, GPS or computers are not permitted and odometers are taped over. This is a test of human mental agility and endurance as well as classic car endurance, rather than programming capability. The course avoids timed segments on interstate highways, opting instead for scenic local, county and state highways whenever possible through some of the prettiest country in the

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United States.”

One of the teams that passed through Auburn was actually made up of Auburn alumni — Mallory Henderson (’20) and her boyfriend Jack Fruin (’19.)

“All the way back in 1992, The Great Race came through Mobile, where I’m from, and at that time, my grandfather and my dad sponsored a racer, and took them to dinner and showed them and told them a little about the city, and ever since then said that they really, really wanted to get involved but it had never really come that close to Mobile, or they just forgot about it,” Henderson said. “Time passed, and then in 2013, The Great Race was ending in Mobile.

“And a lot of the time, the race likes to have teams participate from either the start or end cities, so there was an opportunity to participate, being the end city of Mobile. And so my dad volunteered him and myself and the rest is kind of history.”

This past summer was Henderson’s eighth race.

“I think the race itself hasn’t changed a ton, in a good way,” she said.

“I mean, obviously besides having a different route, they kind of have it perfectly down pat,” she said. “It runs very well, the logistics are great, all

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of the new cities are awesome. The only thing that’s really changed is the food over the years. But, from my personal experience, I’ve just gotten a lot better at it. Like they say, practice makes perfect. So doing it each year I’ve tweaked different things over the years to see what works better.”

Henderson raced with her dad in six races, until his passing in 2018.

“Getting to do it with my dad was something really important to me; it was something we looked forward to every summer,” she said.

Henderson said she thinks her dad would be glad she’s continued on with the tradition. Now, she is racing with her boyfriend, Fruin, who raced this summer for the first time.

“Even after [her father] passed, I still wanted to do it,” she said. “Because there’s about 500 people that go along this race and everyone is really kind, really friendly.”

Traveling is a big plus for The Great Race participants.

“I think I’m on my 48th state because of The Great Race,” Henderson said.

Of course, there aren’t just the fun aspects of showing off the cars, making friends and experiencing new cities; the race is also a bit stressful.

“It really tests your relationship because it is kind of a high-stress

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FEBRUARY 2024

environment,” she said. “ ... A lot of the time, it’s the performance of the car that can really negatively affect it.”

The rules and regulations are in-depth.

“You’re having to stay on alert all day, every day, because you can easily miss a sign or a turn,” she said. “And when that happens, it’s very stressful to try to make that up and correct where you went wrong.”

The 2024 Great Race will start in Owensboro, Kentucky, on Saturday, June 22. The nine-day, 2,300-mile adventure will travel to 19 cities in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and will end in Gardiner, Maine, on June 30. Visit www.greatrace.com/ for more information.

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Going to the Extreme

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By Anita Stiefel Photos Contributed to LIVE Lee and By Anita Stiefel

Any motorcycle enthusiast will tell you that straddling a seat, feeling the wind against your face and hearing the roar of the engine is a feeling of freedom that transcends the usual, mundane task of getting from point A to point B. For many people, motorcycles are an extension of their identity. The type of bike ridden, how its ridden and even the gear adorning the rider — all of these elements can be forms of self-expression, reflecting personality and values.

Americans purchased half a million motorcycles in 2021, up 9% over 2020 sales, according to Statistica, which reported that the global motorcycle market was estimated to grow to $136 billion in 2023 as the market continued to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues. Statistica also notes that while sales of motorcycles is climbing, the average price has remained stable.

But move over motorcycles, there’s a new best-selling powersports vehicle in town.

Steve Prichard, sales manager of Extreme Powersports Opelika, said while motorcycle sales remain steady, the most popular products he sells right now are ROVs, followed closely by ATVs. Generally the powersports market is segmented into the categories of motorcycles, dirt bikes and scooters, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs), jet skis and snowmobiles.

“That right there is the number one thing we’re selling right

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now,” Prichard said, pointing to a 4-seat, camouflage-painted ROV. “And four-wheelers are second.”

The ROVs segment now holds the largest share of the powersports market and “is anticipated to exhibit consistent growth due to the ability to handle both utility and luxury tasks, advanced rollover protection systems, versatility in off-road applications (including forestry and agriculture) and the presence of multiple seating configurations,” according to Fortune Business Insights.

ROVs, also known as UTVs (utility terrain vehicles) in some parts of the country but better known regionally as “sideby-sides,” are steadily gaining in popularity, according to the Recreational Off-highway Vehicle Association, because although they are intended primarily for recreational use, they have “carved a niche in the workplace, including farming, construction and just about anywhere there’s a job to be done.”

“Current models are designed for a driver and may have seats for one or more passengers,” states the ROV Association website.

“Their performance and durability make them ideally suited for a variety of outdoor recreational activities and work applications.”

Side-by-sides have a steering wheel, non-straddle seating with seat belts, a safety frame and foot pedals for acceleration and braking. They are typically designed for two people, but there are also models that can accommodate four and six.

Also hot on the market are ATVs — more commonly known

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locally as “four-wheelers.” Whereas, side-by-sides are “driven” and are to be operated by licensed drivers ages 16 and older, fourwheelers are “ridden” like a motorcycle and are manufactured in variety of sizes, even for small children. They are primarily made for one passenger who straddles the seat and steers with a handlebar.

Kim Stringer of Auburn has experience as an owner of motorcycles, four-wheelers and side-by-sides.

“My motorcycle is strictly for fun,” she said, showing off a chopper she custom-built herself. She’s owned several motorbikes through the years, from dirt bikes to street cruisers.

“But, before I retired, I used four-wheelers to get around in the woods behind my house, for hunting and maintaining the property, and then the side-byside was good when I had people with me or cargo I needed to carry.

“They’re basically toys, yes, but you can justify having them because they can be used for work, too,” she explained.

Extreme Powersports Opelika has a wide selection of new and used ROVs, ATVs and motorcycles to choose from on the lot and in the store, located at 1110 Frederick Ave., along with dirt bikes, scooters, reverse trikes, go carts, jet skis, power equipment (generators, lawn mowers, etc.) and more. The website, www.extremeopelika. com, keeps the extensive inventory updated regularly, making shopping from home a

breeze.

The company offers sales, parts and service for all the top brands — Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Polaris, Polaris Slingshot, Ranger, RZR, CF Moto, SSR Motorsports, TrailMaster, Hammerhead, Kayo, GEM, Benelli, Can-Am and Sea-Doo. Its industry-recognized staff has decades of powersports experience, and its offer a wide range of aftermarket parts and accessories for those who want to customize their vehicle and ride in style.

“We have expanded our capacity to handle today's customer and business demands,” the Extreme Powersports Opelika’s website states. “We pride ourselves with great service, products and

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FEBRUARY 2024

knowledge so that you feel comfortable doing business with us. We value and respect our customers and offer the best service and products available in the area.”

Prichard said the business stays equally busy on both the sales side and the parts and service side. They also have a finance department that can help make purchases affordable. Extreme Powersports Opelika also has two sister stores in Columbus, Georgia.

Pictured is Steve Pritchard, Sales Manager, Opelika

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FEBRUARY 2024

Flying High

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Story By Hannah Goldfinger Photos By Robert Noles

Did you know you can soar over Jordan-Hare stadium? Or get a birds-eye view of Samford Hall? Did you know that located in the Lee County community is a helicopter program available for tours or flight school?

In September 2022, Tier-1 Helicopters came to Auburn. At the

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time, it was known as South Atlanta Helicopters.

Tier-1 has two aircraft that it uses for both flight trainings and tours. It operates out of the Auburn University Regional Airport but is not affiliated with Auburn University.

Mark Estrada, one of the instructors through Tier-1, completed his

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flight training with the company, as well. “[We teach] typically 50 to 60 hours a month on the aircraft so that’s at least an hour every day of flight training,” Estrada said.

Flight training is definitely the main goal of the company, Estrada said, with tours on the side.

“A lot of times, we get a lot of people during the weekends and we get 34 lessons a day on the weekends but sometimes the weekdays are a little bit more sparse, [because] people work,” he said.

Estrada said the company also works with students at Fort Moore, as well.

“They’ll come over here, they get their FAA certificates, we work with them and then there’s the Auburn school over here so it’s like an

alternative to them because the helicopter career path is very different than the airplane,” he said. “Airlines aren’t for everybody. Flying helicopters is a little bit more dynamic, like it’s more mission based.”

Options in helicopters include air ambulance, fire suppression, tours and more.

“But there’s a lot larger variety of jobs,” he said.

Estradas said about two-and-a-half years ago he was on vacation in Oregon and his family took a helicopter tour. And that was it, he was hooked, he said.

“I could do this every single day,” he said.

For the next two years, he worked on getting in his flight training.

Now, he’s teaching others.

A couple of his students are Auburn University students in the

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aviation department that are just wanting to earn other ratings, he said.

“We have people who are looking for a recreational private license for themselves and our primary … [is the] career base people who come in there like ‘I wanna get a commercial license … and make this a career.’ So we get a large variety of different people from different backgrounds.”

Estrada said its a lot of fun to take new students or people who have never flown in a helicopter before.

“If you watch movies and TVs there’s a lot that happens in there that doesn’t happen in real life and so it’s exciting to be able to get into the dynamics of helicopter limitations, differing from public perspective,” he said.

One of the biggest challenges of teaching is how sensitive the controls are on a helicopter, Estrada said.

“The controls are very sensitive,” he said. “It can be hard to get

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a grasp of hovering. That’s what almost every student has trouble with so … like it’s exciting and fun, so I have to be pretty aware and responsive to what’s going on, right? So, it’s a fun mix. That’s a lot of pressure … about keeping everybody safe, including yourself.”

Estrada said that the helicopter is never out of his control.

Anyone interested in taking lessons can do so, right here in the community.

“There’s no commitments,” Estrada said. “Just one hour of ground instruction or safety helicopter instruction, we give them as much time as possible [in a] helicopter.”

He said that after that one lesson, there doesn’t have to be a commitment and if the student isn’t interested, they don’t have to come back. “[But] they might realize [it’s] something they love as well,” he said.

In the four-seater helicopter, lessons to get the lower rating is going

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FEBRUARY 2024

to be between $16,000 to $24,000 or for commercial rating, $50,000.

For anyone interested in becoming a private commercial flight instructor, it’s looking to be $80,000 to $100,000. But, Estrada said, this can be a great cost-effective option in comparison to a four-year degree. And this also provides a career.

“On the front end, it sounds like $100,000 is a lot of money, but if you think of it versus a college career you can be done with this in

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[a] year,” he said. “College tuition is probably gonna cost the same but then you have three additional years of housing, food, insurance, vehicle expenses, so really, as far as a career, it could be less than college.

“It’s a passion thing if you love helicopters, right?”

Find more about Tier-1 Helicopters on its Facebook page: www. facebook.com/Tier1Helicopters.

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Opelika’s Little Engine That Could Story By Kendyl Hollingsworth Photos Contributed By Opelika Parks & Recreation

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The Rocky Brook Rocket following its restoration.

Photo Contributed By Opelika Parks & Recreation

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As Opelika continues to grow and change, some things remain the same. Events, businesses, parks and more have become mainstays in a city known for its Southern charm, putting smiles on families’ faces for generations.

If you’ve attended a summer concert in the park or beheld the twinkling lights during one of Opelika’s storied Christmas events, you may recognize the sights and sounds of a little train rolling through Municipal Park. That familiar engine drone — and occasional “Honk! Honk!” — of this miniature train signal one thing to gaggles of excited children: all aboard the Rocky Brook Rocket.

“I have wonderful memories of the Rocket,” said Gary Fuller, mayor of Opelika. “Municipal, or Monkey, Park was a regular place for us to take our children. Ginny and Gary Jr. rode the Rocky Brook Rocket many times, starting when they were just toddlers — precious memories for my family.”

Municipal Park’s little engine has towed thousands of children, parents and even grandparents through the park since 1955, but this popular train almost didn’t come to be.

According to former Parks and Recreation Director Bill Harrelson, who wrote a history of Municipal Park in 2008, it was September 1951 when the still-fairly-new Opelika Board of Parks and Recreation hired its first full-time director. Nashville, Tennessee, native W.J. “Bill” Calhoun was barely over 30 years old when he took up the reins from previous director Ann Cannon Price. But despite his young age, said he had lofty visions for the city’s recreation scene.

“Although the city of Opelika had the foresight to form a park board through the Alabama Legislature, public recreation was not considered a city service that needed to be funded,” Harrelson wrote. “There was no capital plan or any funding other than inkind city services given to the park board at that time.”

Opelika touted its newly dedicated Municipal Park, as well as a new softball field adjacent to Rocky Brook Road — later named Miles Thomas Field — but other activities were usually confined to the local school facilities; that is, until Calhoun was struck with a grand idea.

According to Harrelson, Calhoun was drawn to the wooded area behind Northside School. He admired its beauty — especially the creek that ran through — and could picture the space being developed for “playgrounds, camping, church and family outings.”

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Once city crews had cleared the area, Calhoun wracked his brain for something that would attract visitors to Municipal Park and encourage more recreation in Opelika.

His answer: a miniature train.

The train was the brainchild of both Calhoun and the Parks and Recreation Board. But without state funding, it was going to be a feat to bring that idea to life.

The early 1950s saw a 2-cent tax on each package of cigarettes in Opelika, and these proceeds supported the parks board, but it was going to take more than that tax alone. The board’s budget for the project sat at $10,000.

“Records indicate there was considerable jockeying between the [Parks and Recreation] board and representatives from the neighborhoods [in the area] for equitable disbursement of these funds,” Harrelson noted. “The board soon realized that any money spent in Municipal Park in the Northside Neighborhood would have to be a citywide effort.”

At first, the project was met with mixed reactions from the community. Some were certain it would fail, even dubbing it “Calhoun’s Folly,” among other derogatory names.

Nevertheless, Calhoun obtained approval from the Opelika Interclub Council for the city’s civic clubs to help fund the project.

He then met with each club to ask for their help, bringing with him a representative from a miniature train company in Atlanta, Georgia. The pair explained how the addition of a miniature train in Municipal Park could bring in revenue and benefit citizens. The budget set would be used to purchase a 43-foot miniature train and more than 1,100 feet of tracks, as well as the necessary materials to operate the train.

With seven clubs on board, the Opelika Civic Clubs’ Scenic Railroad Association (OCCSRA) was officially born in June 1955.

Even with this support, though, there would be stipulations.

“The fact that the Opelika Civic Clubs underwrote the $10,000 cost

The Rocky Brook Rocket in 1955.

Photo Contributed by Opelika Parks & Recreation

The Rocky Brook Rocket before it was restored.

Photo by Billy Jackson | Opelika Parks & Recreation

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of the train is common knowledge among most Opelika citizens,” Harrelson wrote. “What is not known by most is that the money was not donated but loaned.”

OCCSRA would have to pay $1 per year to the city of Opelika for the next 20 years in a lease agreement for the park space and train. The OCCSRA was also bound to pay the civic clubs a set amount each year, with 5% interest to come from the proceeds of the train rides.

Preparations for the project had begun in May 1955; various clubs, citizens and businesses also donated grills and tables to set up in the park. A target date of July 1, 1955, was set to reveal the new ride.

According to Harrelson, the G-16 train was ordered through Wichita, Kansas-based Chance Manufacturing Co., but it was built by its sister company: Illinois-based Miniature Train Company, later bought out by the Allen Hershell Company.

“The 16 [in G-16] denoted the space between the two rails, and every detail of the train was one-fifth scale of the modern diesel locomotive of the time,” Harrelson explained.

The board also struck a deal with Central of Georgia, which provided the cross ties, constructed the bridges and laid the track “at no cost to the city or the OCCSRA.” With everything seemingly good to go, the OCCSRA held a citywide contest to name the train. The winning entry came from David McGinty, a fifth-grade student at Northside School. Thus, the little engine would bear the name of the “Rocky Brook Rocket,” and McGinty would be able to ride the train for free in its first year of operation.

“I don’t believe in the 53 years that have followed, that there could have been a more appropriate name,” Harrelson wrote.

For all other passengers, three trips around the park would cost 15 cents per person.

Opelika was eager to welcome the Rocky Brook Rocket to town; the preparations were complete and celebrations planned. But less than a week to go until the big day, Harrelson said the train went AWOL somewhere between Indiana and Opelika. The opening ceremony was pushed back one week to July 8 with promises to welcome passengers aboard as soon as it arrived and was deemed ready to operate.

Luckily, Calhoun was informed on June 30 that the train had made it to Opelika. By 6:05 p.m. the

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next day, the Rocky Brook Rocket pulled out of its station at Municipal Park with 15 passengers in tow. Of course, Calhoun sat at the throttle. For the next few decades, H.J. Freeman would serve as the little train’s engineer and repairman.

The train’s rocky welcome didn’t end after its first day, though.

The day of the ceremony brought with it a mighty storm, and while the fun was cut short in many ways, Parks and Recreation Board Chairman A.D. Sanders still “christened” the train that day “with a bottle of fresh, cool creek water from the park, and the legend began.”

The train has been well used and well loved since, becoming a welcome sight during various Municipal Park events and transforming into the Rocky Brook Rocket Reindeer Express each December.

“Mr. Calhoun always told me that when the clubs began to see the growth of public recreation in Opelika and the success of the Rocket, the clubs, one by one, began to forgive the debt,” Harrelson wrote. “He also said that he didn’t think the OCCSRA continued to pay the $1-per-year lease.”

But after about four decades of use, the Rocky Brook Rocket began slowing down in the 1990s, showing signs of wear and tear that come with age and frequent use. The Opelika Kiwanis Club raised money to keep it going for a few more years, but soon after, its parts became unavailable, Harrelson said. Luckily, they were able to obtain some a few years later, and around 2007, the Rocky Brook Rocket received more repairs to keep it going.

Seven years later, the Rocket was facing another slew of issues:

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a vacuum braking system that malfunctioned, drive axles that would separate and damage to the wheels and body. It wasn’t until 2015 that the little train would receive its next big restoration.

“Parts for the train were extremely hard to come by, and most of the time we would have to take the broken parts to a local machinist to get made,” said Matthew Battles, the municipal area supervisor in charge of Municipal Park and the Rocky Brook Rocket. “I knew that the train was an integral part of Opelika history and if it continued on the path that it was going, we would not have it around for much longer.”

So Battles presented the city with a plan to restore the train and tracks to their former glory. The plan included upgrades to Municipal Park as well. In the end, several citizens, corporations, nonprofits and civic clubs raised over $150,000 to complete the project.

Originally, the train would receive this service as part of the History Channel show “American Restoration,” but when the show was canceled beforehand, the city instead contracted California-based RMI Railworks Inc. to perform the restoration.

Fuller said he was proud to play a role in the Rocket’s restoration.

“We spent no taxpayer money on the restoration of this special train,” he said. “While it was gone, Matt Battles led the effort — and did a terrific job — to renovate the depot, storage shed and the area around the depot. I love living in a community that realizes and values the importance of continuing to make memories at Municipal Park and riding on the Rocky Brook Rocket.”

The new project took about 15 months to complete and included a complete replacement.

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From A to Z Oars & Octone Has it All

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Story and Photos by Matthan Brown

From food trucks to Ford trucks, there was something for everyone at the Oars and Octane car show. The parking lot was buzzing with rumbling engines and wide eyed motor enthusiasts as the smell of Rolling Pepperoni's pizza and Frankie June's hotdogs drifted through the warm air.

A ruby red Cadillac with a license plate reading "CADZILLA" cruised past a VW van that had been converted into a "photo bus" where attendees could take photobooth style pictures in the converted back seat. Energetic, upbeat music pulsed through the air and could be heard throughout the lot, and from Ford Model A to Nissan Z, vehicles of all kinds were in attendance.

Oars and Octane is a yearly event hosted by the Auburn University Rowing Team and the Octane Car Club that invites members of the community to showcase their vehicles, meet other car enthusiasts and enter their vehicles into various competitions including best in antique, best engine and best paint job.

Steve Abinett was in attendance showcasing his Ford Model A Phaeton. It's unique green hue and bright yellow wheels gleamed in the sunlight, presenting the vehicle in all its refurbished glory.

Black leather adorned both the top of the vehicle and the spare

tire fastened to the passenger side, and two small American flags decorated the front bumper. When asked if he still drove the vehicle, Abinett replied, “Oh, yeah! You'll see me going to get ice cream with my wife and grandkids. ... It doesn’t go very fast, the top speed is maybe 40 [mph] … I won't put it on the interstate or 280 because I'd get run over.”

He estimated he had owned the car for about 30 years.

“It was restored in '85 and I've just taken care of it,” he said. “I keep it covered in my garage.”

For Abinett, the Model A was a perfect hobby.

“It's always been fun just to tinker, and these older cars don’t have electronics in them you know,” he said. “I don't have a radio. I don’t have windows that roll up and down. ... It's just easy to work on. I can rebuild the engine, I can adjust my breaks, don't have to take it to a mechanic or anything; it's just fun and gives me something to do on the weekends.”

Many participants in the car show had similar stories. Maybe they had an antique they rarely drove, or perhaps even a modern make they drove daily, but they all loved to get under the hood in their free time — whether to get their hands dirty or just gaze in awe.

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FEBRUARY 2024

One participant, Bruce Thompson, stood out in a small way.

Parked on a table next to his bright blue Nissan Versa sat around a hundred Hot Wheels cars — most of them custom painted

by Thompson himself. He is the owner of Southern Nightmare Customs based out of Columbus.

For more than five years, Thompson has been creating custom decals for Hot Wheels cars. He said he started by filling a void he noticed in the toy car industry and making the Nascar vehicles that the official Hot Wheels brand didn’t — the tobacco and alcohol sponsored vehicles. When these started to take off he branched out and now has a multitude of different tiny customs from psychedelic Baltimore Raven trucks to blood splattered “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” Corvettes. Thompson said he has an affinity for horror films, which is evident as soon as you see his

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vanity plate reading "HORROR VERSA" and he sometimes even dresses as fan favorite blade-fingered horror icon — Freddy Krueger.

Find Southern Nightmare Custom on Instagram or Facebook.

To participate or attend the next Oars and Octane event, check the website at www.oarsandoctane.com for more information.

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FEBRUARY 2024

For more information about the Memories in Motion Photo Bus visit the website www.memoriesinmotionphotobus.com/ or find it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MemoriesInMotionPhotoBus.

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FEBRUARY 2024

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Civil Air Patrol NCO Jack Parsons Photo By Bob Parsons

HELPING COMMUNITIES Story By Hannah Goldfinger Photos Contributed By CAP and Bob Parsons

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FEBRUARY 2024

N

Not 45 minutes from Auburn is the headquarters for the Civil Air Patrol — United States Air Force Auxillary.

The Civil Air Patrol is located on Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. But what is the Civil Air Patrol? “[The] Civil Air Patrol is a nonprofit corporation that was chartered

by Congress that also serves as the United States Air Force’s Auxiliary when doing missions for the Air Force,” said John Desmarais, chief operating officer for Civil Air Patrol. “So we’ve got basically a threetiered mission. We have an emergency services program supporting a lot of mid-disaster relief and search and rescue work. We also have a youth program in our cadet program for cadets aged 12 through 20.

And then we also have an airspace education program that reaches across the country as well. It’s both internal and external, supporting not only our cadets and our adult members, but also the classroom teachers and education programs across the country.”

Cadet Program: “[The Cadet Program] is set up to be very aviation-focused,”

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Desmarais said. “It’s, basically, a multi-tier program. And it’s achievement-based. So cadets take tests and participate in activities to promote in the program. They work through airman and the officer ranks over the course of potentially several years. But, it’s not just academic-based. So even though they’re taking academic tests in both leadership and aerospace to promote, they also do a lot of hands-on activities and participate in our operational missions as well. So cadets can take orientation flights and … we also have programs where they can actually learn how to fly.

“But, you know, it’s not necessarily just aviation-based. We have cadets that are able to participate in activities that tie to our missions in a variety of ways, or to the Air Force, potentially. So we have cadets for example, that would go to familiarization courses with Space Command. We have cadets that will end up going through our Cadet Officer School and they get leadership training.”

Desmarais was a cadet himself — he joined on Dec. 1, 1987.

There are 1,400 squadrons across the United States, Desmarais said, about 29,000 total cadets, and 408 cadets in Alabama alone.

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“You know, it’s a pretty large program and ... in day-to-day, our cadets, do a lot of neat things,” he said. “Cadets meet generally on a weekly basis for a few hours each week, where they have not only their academics but hands-on activities are kind of initiated there. But then there’s a lot of weekend activities and after a cadet joins, typically in their first year, they participate in what we call an encampment where they get the exposure to all sorts of aspects of military bases as well as careers, [and] a lot of career exploration opportunities.

“So typical encampment activities will take orientation flights and military aircraft. They may be able to, you know, take tours on the bases, everything from the base fire department to the tower to the … security forces offices to actually seeing all of the aspects of supporting aviation, like maintenance and such. And then, beyond that, and once a cadet has attended encampment, they, actually get access to a lot of other activities across the country. We have spots for about 1,800 cadets to go to National Cadet special activities in the summer across the country where they can do things like go to flight academies where they learn how to fly.

“We have cyber programs where they get to work with people that network generally for Cyber Command or doing that as their career for the military, working Cyber defense, and training. We also have programs where they do job shadowing of a varied sort. So, we have cadets that will go to [a factory] for example, out in Kansas, where they’ll get to work with the folks on the line,

actually building some of our own airplanes.”

Desmarais said that it changed his life, being a cadet.

“I had never actually been involved in aviation at all before I got involved in civil patrol,” he said. “I got my first orientation flight. That was the first time I had ever flown, and I was hooked. So, you know, I’ve gone on and got my pilot’s license and obviously done a lot of things in aviation with Civil Air Patrol over the years. But it’s pretty amazing what our cadets are able to do that as part of that program. So there’s lots of opportunities for cadets and in general, for members.”

Membership: The Civil Air Patrol has about 65,000 members, Desmarais said.

“A lot of the adult members are, not necessarily former cadets or even former military,” he said. “A lot of them are moms and dads of cadets that were people that were just generally interested in aviation.

And so there’s lots of opportunities for them to support across all of our range of activities.”

Many members support the cadet program and others support operational missions — such as disaster relief.

“We also have some that, you know, they just see that their skills can be used as a good volunteer,” Desmarais said. “You know, we’re really a good way of giving back. Our mission statement is ‘Volunteers serving America’s community, saving lives and shaping futures.’

“And we really do a lot of that every day, and a lot of our adult members even get a lot of education that helps them in their day-today lives. You know, a lot of them are able to access instant command training and a lot of the emergency services, things that can also help them in their professional careers. But they also get access to a lot of leadership training and a lot of career development activities.

They just, like a lot of our cadets, are really able to give back to the

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organization with that training. So, it’s pretty amazing.”

A lot of the data that the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) uses is collected by the Civil Air Patrol, Desmarais said.

There are 52 wings across the Civil Air Patrol — eight regions — the 50 states, the national capitol and a combined wing of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“So it’s a pretty amazing organization and our volunteers do some amazing things in a typical year,” he said. “Our CFP members are credited with saving, on average, 84 lives, and then our search and rescue activities. They’re incredibly dedicated … and we support pretty much every disaster out there on some level. You know, obviously, we are the largest single owner assessed to airplanes in the world. And we use those airplanes to support not only our program with flight training and those kinds of things, but we also do a lot of airborne imagery collection after disaster. So, a lot of times the imagery that you’re seeing from FEMA after a disaster, like [after] a tornado goes through here in Alabama, was actually collected by our people. “… We have a huge partnership with FEMA across the country, as well as with most of the state and local emergency management agencies to not only collect the airborne imagery using our airplanes or even small and manned aerial systems, but we also do a lot of the

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assessments. We’ve got about 1,000 people across the country that volunteer just to do assessments online of imagery. ... After we collect that imagery, [following] a tornado, or a hurricane, or [flood] or you name it, those images are uploaded to a FEMA site for review and then they classify the damage. “… When we’re supporting these disasters with that imagery assessment, those members, in many cases, what will happen is you work inventory during the day and they upload it to the FEMA site and people are assessing it. But now, we have members around the globe that are, the squadrons, they literally, you know, the sun doesn’t set on our squadrons around the globe now because we have them all over the place. We’ve got members in Korea, and Japan and Guam that will review imagery overnight so that when responders are going out the next day to do assessments and team is trying to decide where do we need to use the resources and have the same locals, they’ve got it readily available literally within an hour.”

Get Involved: Desmarais said that the easiest way to get involved is on www. gocivilairpatrol.com/join/join-cap.

There is a join button there on the website. This is the process for youth in the cadet program or adult volunteers.

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Member SIPC

Testing The Track Story and Photos By Steven Stiefel

Story By Natalie Salvatore Photos Contributed By Tannehill Ironworks Historical Site

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Randy West, NCAT Director

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Tucked away in a wooded area off of Lee County Road 151 in Opelika sits a 1.7-mile oval track where researchers evaluate innovative asphalt technologies. The experiments conducted at this “accelerated pavement testing facility” allow the rapid deployment of materials and design methods that advance safer, more durable and sustainable asphalt pavements.

Experiments at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) Test Track are sponsored over a three-year research cycle. The current cycle is scheduled to end in early 2024, when five tractor trailer rigs will complete 11 million miles of circling the track sometime in early January.

The truck drivers simultaneously complete hundreds of laps each day in order to intentionally deteriorate the pavement.

The heavily-loaded trucks, each carrying about 18,000 pounds of loaded metal, simulate the damage that happens from more than a decade of interstate-type traffic on actual highways, but in a drastically shortened time frame of just two years.

Using the controlled test environment gives researchers safe ways of evaluating the impact of using various materials, construction practices

and design methods. Twenty-six highway agencies and private sector partners funded experiments in the 46 main test sections, each nominally 200 feet in length.

NCAT operates the Test Track because it provides unique opportunities to determine the field performance of breakthrough materials and concepts without the risk of failure on public roads. This gives highway agencies clear proof of what new ideas are ready to implement or what needs further development.

Studying the results of all this wear-and-tear gives the sponsors greater confidence to make specification decisions. Since the facility’s construction in 2000, the data collected has saved state highway departments an estimated $160 million in taxpayer dollars. Meanwhile, the public has been rewarded with longer-lasting roads that are also safer to drive on.

Test Track Manager Jason Nelson said some of the sections are divided into subsections depending on the objective of the experiment. Twentysix sections are located on the straight segments and the remaining 20 sections are equally divided between the two curves.

At the end of the current research cycle next year, the damaged pavement will be carefully analyzed, then the sections will be scraped away with new asphalt pavements specifically prepared to test aspects such as resistance to cracking and how roadways react to the use of recycled materials. Beneath the surface of these sections, NCAT installs strain gauges, pressure plates and temperature probes to monitor pavement structural response to traffic loading and temperature changes.

Nelson said that the Opelika track tests the impact of hot summer days, while an ongoing partnership with the Minnesota Road Research Facility (MnROAD) provides a means of comparing how extreme cold temperatures affect the surface mixtures.

NCAT, led by Director Randy West, was established in 1986 as a partnership between Auburn University and the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) Research and Education Foundation to provide practical research and development to meet the needs of maintaining America’s highway infrastructure. The researchers aim to provide innovative, relevant and implementable research, technology development and education that advances safe, durable and sustainable asphalt pavements.

The organization stresses credibility in its research, offering honest assessments of how various materials end up performing under the stresses of debilitation. The practical research and development often lead to groundbreaking discoveries. Mixtures used can vary greatly based on the availability of materials from different parts of the nation. Those materials are typically shipped to the NCAT Laboratory in Auburn for forensic examination of asphalt samples.

“When the right treatment is applied to the right road at the right time, roads can be kept in good condition instead of performing costly rehabilitation and reconstruction alternatives later in the pavement’s life when the structure has deteriorated,” said Associate Research Professor Adriana Vargas, an expert on preservation efforts.

Another huge part of NCAT’s mission is educating and training those working in the asphalt industry, offering workshops where the researchers share the latest findings so road engineers can become certified and employ the latest strategies. Graduate

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students from Auburn’s civil engineering program get hands-on experience studying these treatments.

NCAT and affiliated programs under the Auburn’s Transportation Research Institute secure millions in funding each year for research, education and outreach efforts — levels of funding for transportation greater than any other single research topic on the Auburn campus.

The Opelika Test Track is a huge part of what makes this groundbreaking research possible.

On May 7 through 9, NCAT will host its annual Test Track Conference, a two-and-a-half day showcase of what is learned from the accelerated pavement testing. Hundreds of engineers from across the world will gather at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center to learn the latest advancements. The event will include a bus tour of the Opelika track. To learn more about the Test Track Conference, visit the website at www.eng.auburn.edu/research/ centers/ncat/testtrack/conference.html.

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ALLEN ASPHALT SERVICES 4590 Co C Rd 430 Smiths Station, AL 36877 Tallen@allenasphalt.com Office: (334) 297-5725 www.allenasphaltservices.com

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BAMA RV Elevates Recreation

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Story By Tom Wofford Photos Contributed by Bama RV and By Tom Wofford

Eric Moore and Dave Chavers have been in the recreation vehicle business practically their entire adult lives, in sales and in management, and for the past seven years, as the bosses, after the two bought their own RV business, Bama RV in Dothan in 2016.

Moore and Chavers got to know each other while working at Camping World in Dothan, one the nation’s largest RV sales chains. Dave had 17 years under his belt as a general manager.

And over the years, the two would discuss owning their own operation. They thought there was so much opportunity for growth.

“Bama RV (in Dothan) had been around for years, they were a solid business, though not very big,” Moore said about his decision to become an owner. “But I looked at them and saw growth. Growth has been our focus for six years, since day one.”

This growth began with a larger Dothan facility in 2018 and has now extended to a second location.

In October, Moore and Chavers brought their eye for growth to Opelika.

Bama RV held its grand opening in early October, and had a special appearance by Auburn University quarterback Payton Thorne, who signed autographs during the event.

“The grand opening was a great success,” said Kristy Trusty,

the manager of business development and marketing for Bama RV, who also organized the special event.

“We had representatives from most of our manufacturers who came into town to take part in the opening and we had so much participation from the community, which was so nice.”

The new Bama RV location in Opelika has a large selection of new and pre-owned fifth wheels, toy haulers, travel trailers and more.

As Moore and Chavers began their careers as RV business owners in 2016, the RV business was booming nationwide as younger buyers were discovering their products. The average age of an RV buyer was dropping by three years to 45 during that time. Millennials continued to drive growth until the end of the decade.

But that impressive growth was nothing when compared to what was about to happen when the pandemic hit. RV sales exploded as the covid virus spread. Nationally, June 2020 sales were up 90% over the year before. During the first four months of 2021, RV sales were up 86% over the first four months of 2020.

RVs were certainly not just for campers and outdoorsmen anymore. The market for RVs grew to nearly anybody who wanted to maintain social distance while avoiding confinement.

Bama RV’s growth has extended to Opelika, to a prime

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location on U.S. 280 near Lee Road 189.

“Dave and I had heard that Marshall Blount in Opelika was getting ready to retire,” Moore said. “We came to see him and the property, and we had a deal pretty quick.”

The Bama RV team prepped the site for three months, getting it ready for its grand opening in Opelika.

“We completely redid the place,” Moore said.

At the grand opening, Bama RV in Opelika had 50 units

ready for sale, with prices ranging from $15,000 to $140,000, artfully positioned across its sizeable five-acre lot.

Even though Bama RV in Opelika has only been open for business for a short time, Moore is already enthusiastic.

“We’re getting lots of service business,” he said, “and that’s a great sign early on.”

Bama RV Opelika is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and it is closed on Sunday.

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AU CAR MEETS UNITE Story By Hannah Goldfinger Photos Contributed By AU Car Meets

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Looking for a way to show off that car of yours? Do you have a “project” to which you devote your free time?

AU Car Meets is the perfect opportunity to showcase your work and your cars.

“We started about five years ago and pretty much it’s been just kind of a conglomeration of people that enjoy the same passion, cars, automotive things in general,” said John Price, organizer of the meets. “My wife [Jessica Price] and I decided to start that back when we didn’t have a Cars and Coffee. So it was like, hey, let’s add this to Auburn and the mall kind of supported it a little bit and we started the process of making the meets and getting everybody together.”

AU Car Meets typically take place once a month, the third Saturday of each month, at the Auburn Mall.

“The attendance has changed,” Price said. “It’s up and down.

We’ve had some really, really good turnouts. Overall I think we’ve had anywhere from sometimes 30 cars where it’s just kind of a cold day and nobody really wants to bring their cars out and then on the nice days you’ve got, well over 200 cars there sometimes. So, pretty big changes throughout the year.”

There are normally all types of cars in attendance, Price said.

“You could have a super car parked next to a Honda Civic,” he said. “… We have motorcycles, we have cars. We’ve had everything from like a shopping cart that was turned into a golf cart to a super car. So, we’ve had a little bit of everything.”

People come from all over, too.

“Oh, every Saturday we have people come from out of town just to come to the meet,” Price said. “We have people from Montgomery, Columbus, Atlanta, all the way from LaGrange. I’ve had people come from Alex City, all over the area just to come, come see our area and see what we got going on and then after the meet, sometimes we’ll go have a drink or grab something to eat right in the local areas … or over in Opelika. We’ll go downtown.”

AU Car Meets also tries to promote family activities.

“So it’s all just friends that wanna come out and anybody that wants to join, bring your kids or anything like that,” Price said.

“We’ve done trunk or treats, we’ve done Christmas toy runs and stuff like that. So, it’s kind of free for everybody.”

The group also likes to support other car groups and

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organizations, Price said.

“We try to do different little runs to Pine Mountain and stuff like that,” he said. “It’s just as you go through it, everybody makes different friends and different groups and they all kind of merged on that Saturday. So it works for everybody.”

Price said that he and his wife will get up early in the morning to clean up their cars and make them ready to show off at the mall.

“We stay with the cars and hang out and everybody just talks about their different builds and what they’ve got going on with their cars, what future cars they have coming, you know, what their plans are and all that stuff and it could be any kind of car,” he said. “Just getting likeminded people together and networking, I think that’s the best part and being able to give back to the community. I think that is the best part of all of it, really.”

Price said cars are his passion — along with motorcycles. He even hopes to own a business one day.

“I’d like to have something at the mall that is an actual business there, a detail shop or something and then kind of make it work off of that and, that’s my future,” he said. “We’re in talks with [the mall] now to see about a location and kind of see what the financial side of it looks like and then maybe one day in the future. We don’t have a timeline right now. I would say it’s my five-year plan. So, you know, we’ll see, but you never know, it could come to fruition way quicker or way later.”

AU Car Meets typically communicates through its Facebook page, or Instagram page, giving updates on the meets and other events.

“The networking side of its grown tenfold just being able to meet people that are like-minded and kind of have the same interests as me,” Price said. “I feel like, you know, cars unite people. That’s kind of been my mindset on it all. It’s things that people unite with like food and cars. Everybody can tell you about their favorite car, you know … I think it’s a really good asset to the community.”

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