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News from Elmore County and surrounding areas

Wind Creek's Simmons awarded for exceptional work with Main Street Wetumpka

Main Street Wetumpka awarded Wind Creek Wetumpka Property Manager Kay Simmons with the 2019 Main Street Alabama Community Award. Each designated community nominates a volunteer individual or organization that goes above and beyond to move the Main Street missions forward.

“Kay and Wind Creek’s support and encouragement have been paramount to our success. She was deserving, to say the very least,” said Main Street Wetumpka executive director Jenny Stubbs.

Praise service honors progress since tornado devastation

Members of the community gathered to look back at the day the tornado tore through Wetumpka and to look to the future during a praise service held Jan. 19 at First Baptist Church of Wetumpka.

The service included a video that detailed the damage caused by the tornado and the efforts by the community to put the city together again.

Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis recalled the day of the tornado during his address to the audience.

“I thought, ‘What do you do?,’ said Willis. “I’d never been part of anything like this. I think God puts you where you’re supposed to be and expects you to bloom.”

Troy graduate joins the team at AWF

Millbrook native Tanner Hicks joins the team at Alabama Wildlife Federation last month as the community relations/development assistant. Hicks is a graduate of Troy University, former Trojans pitcher and most recently was employed in alumni affairs and development for Troy.

His responsibilities will focus on strategic assistance to AWF’s Wild Game Cook-off series; relationship building with corporate entities; supporting conservation education partnerships; and fundraising assistance to the executive and development director.

SOAR class promotes gun safety for youth

Tallassee’s SOAR, Inc., held its first group outing of 2020 last month when it launched its gun safety program.

The course aims to teach young people and parents how to appropriately handle a firearm.

Chris Cantrell from the Reeltown community hosted the event.

The organization is planning to hold another gun safety class in late February or early March. These classes aim to teach youth who are 7 to 13 years old the fundamentals of gun safety, but SOAR founder Andrus Love said anyone is welcome to attend.

Eclectic Middle School welcomes new principal

Elmore County Schools’ Superintendent Richard Dennis introduced Mark McGhee as the new principal of Eclectic Middle School at the Elmore County Board of Education meeting last month.

“I’ve lived in Eclectic all my life,” he said. “I graduated from high school there in 2004. When I got out of college I worked at Elmore County High School for a few years. I’ve most recently worked at Holtville High School as assistant principal.”

McGhee said he’s had a desire to lead a school for some time and the location of EMS is ideal.

“I’m probably partial, but there is no place quite like Eclectic,” he said. “We are certainly going to focus on student achievement and student growth. It’s a good thing to go and to become part of a team where there are no huge issues.”

McGhee has a total of 12 years of experience in education with 10 of those at Elmore County Schools.

Jacqueline Lacey and her group of friends have been quilting together since 1997. It is a passion they all found long before they formed Thread My Needle.

They started out meeting at Lacey’s home. Since 1998, they've been working out of the Elmore County Black History Museum.

They meet every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to quilt and fellowship. They’ve taught elementary students to quilt squares and hope interest in this dying art will grow among younger generations. Friends meet to keep quilting alive