Unique Town Atop Sand Mountain

By Marla Ballard Reporter

DEKALB COUNTY

- The population of this one-traffic light town bounces right around 1,000 residents. The rural city encompasses just under five-square miles on top of Sand Mountain. The settlement was founded in the 1880s and established a high school by 1917.

The town’s claim to fame includes: Being known for bringing home a state championship trophy in football almost every year, hosting the National Sacred Harp Singing Convention in 1959, (where noted musicologist Alan Lomax recorded many of the performances), the well-known April 2011 EF4 tornado, and its annual August UFO festival. The town is Fyffe and although small in size it is large in history, interesting facts, and things to do.

It was this month 34 years ago when over 50 people over a two-day period called in to report an unidentified flying object. Fyffe made the New York Times when it reported that 4,000 people were lured to the town hoping to see a UFO after reports of one hit the news. The memory of those sightings is kept at the forefront with a festival featuring hot air balloons, comfort foods, and local entertainment.

For a small town, it has a surprising number of notable people which includes; Lowell Barron, Alabama state senator; Vestal Goodman, Southern Gospel artist and founding member of the Happy Goodman Family musical group; Charlie Long, former professional football player; Frank O. Slater, Navy sailor killed in World War 2. The USS Slater is named in his honor; and Bobby G. Wood, Tennessee state representative.

Lowell Barron was Mayor of Fyffe from 1968 - 1982 when he was first elected to the Alabama Senate. In 1965 Barron opened a pharmacy in Fyffe after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from Auburn

Collinsville Drugs

“Caring for you like family” up in Fyffe dreaming of a career as an opera singer. All that changed when she met Howard “Happy” Goodman at a revival in Albertville. The two were wed in 1949 and her career made her a millionaire. She was born in 1929 and passed away in 2003. She was an active Southern gospel singer from 1949 to 2003.

Charlie Long, born April 6, 1938, played college football as an offensive tackle and guard at the University of Tennessee. In 1961, he joined the Boston Patriots of the American Football League. Career highlights include 2x AFL All-Star in 1962 and 1963.

The USS Slater is a Cannon-class destroyer escort that served in the United States Navy. The vessel was Decommissioned in 1991 after having