How art impacts our lives, from painting to quilting, dance, music, woodworking and more
We discovered anew that art is the heartbeat of Elmore County while researching stories for this year’s annual Horizons magazine, a celebration of the many forms of art in our communities. From Tallassee to Millbrook and Titus to Spectre, art speaks to us through surprising and unexpected ways. I think we’ve known this for a long time, but we rarely look at the big picture and recognize the asset it is across the county and in our lives. In the following pages, we offer a cross-section of art’s impact in our beloved Elmore County.
In Tallassee, Corrie Sid adds an artistic spin to hospitality and the culinary arts at Grove Station, the butcher shop/bakery/market where she cares for guests in an inviting atmosphere. She shares the basic how-to of her art on page 26.
Jade Snell at The Pointed Toe now owns the studio where she found expression and fulfillment as a child in the art of dance. Here, she helps Tallassee’s children gain self-confidence and develop social skills, work ethics and healthy exercise habits. Check out the article on page 30 to learn more.
The art scene in Millbrook is busting wide open with the enthusiasm and energy of Cultural Arts and Special Events Director Danae Morgan, who will further art appreciation and education at the Millbrook Arts Center, now under renovation on Grandview Road. Get to know Danae and the City’s plans to promote art tourism on page 60.
Elmore County’s music scene feeds the soul and keeps the beat going with school music programs and a variety of concert events, including the annual Titus Bluegrass Festival (page 20) and Eclectic’s Cotton Festival (page 14).
Eclectic also hosts one of the county’s most spectacular holiday events, An Eclectic Christmas, a walk-through Nativity staged with the help of 200 volunteers every December. You’ll learn how they do it in the article on page 8.
Our beloved county also is a popular venue for movie makers. One of the most iconic films created here was Big Fish, starring Ewan McGregor, Jessica Lange and Albert Finney. The movie set at Spectre is open for visitors, weddings and overnight campers. But you can visit it now on page 37. The Big Fish house still stands in Wetumpka, where art takes a front row seat at local events, among lifelong friends and throughout history.
The women of Thread My Needle have been creating textile art through quilt making at the Black History Museum for generations. They passed some pointers on to Kymberly Donowski in the article on page 34.
On page 38, Mark Harris at Dixie Art Colony Foundation has dedicated more than 10 years to tracing the history and impact of the original art colony artists, demonstrating that Elmore County’s fascination with art is more than a flash-in-the-pan trend: It’s a mindset that has endured and fed the hearts of Elmore County residents and visitors for more than 85 years.
This publication offers a mere glimpse of the art in our lives, but we hope it will inspire you to create your own art and to visit art venues and events in Elmore County throughout all of 2023.
Let’s get creative!
STAFF Chairman
Kenneth Boone
General Manager
Tippy Hunter tippy.hunter@alexcityoutlook.com
Editor-in-Chief
Betsy Iler betsy.iler@alexcityoutlook.com
Creative Services
Audra Spears audra.spears@alexcityoutlook.com
Marketing Consultants
Marilyn Hawkins marilyn.hawkins@thewetumpkaherald.com
Sheryl Jennings
sheryl.jennings@tallasseetribune.com
Business & Digital Development Director
Angela Mullins
angela.mullins@alexcityoutlook.com
Audience Development Director
Erin Burton erin.burton@alexcityoutlook.com
Contributors
Breanna Manley
Cliff Williams
Kaitlin Fleming
William Marlow
Abigail Murphy
Henry Zimmer
Dalton Middleton
Kymberly Donowski
Tippy Hunter, TPI General Manager
An Eclectic festival draws crafters and customers
Managing growth in an arts town
Art in Schools
Music Everywhere
Music in Schools
The Art of Hospitality
Pointing to the future
Rich History in Quilting
On Location in Elmore County
Art tells stories of time gone by The Kelly
The Art of Sharing
Now Playing in Millbrook
The City in Pictures
Millbrook launches arts tourism initiative
The Art of Living
An Eclectic Christmas attracts sold-out audiences for a full week of performances every December
STORY & PHOTOS BY BREANNA MANLEY
With upwards of 200 volunteers this season, An Eclectic Christmas wrapped up its 10th year of bringing locals closer to the real meaning of Christmas through a Nativity walk-through event at a local farm. Sporting a fantastic volunteer crew of stagehands, actors and actresses, it’s no surprise the effort continues to draw a crowd each year.
The Nativity scene site at the Falk family farm in Eclectic, which is maintained and upgraded year round, features a beautiful lake, paths woven throughout the woods, and of course, a re-created city of Bethlehem. The city setting is only one of the eight locations guests visit on tours that are scheduled over 10 days in early December.
Long before guests make reservations, volunteers clear paths, spread gravel, construct buildings and place props, among other tasks that pull the performances together. Though there are no big group rehearsals, actors and actresses prepare to wow the guests with skilled
dialogue, building the anticipation from one scene to another.
“Each area, they’ll have a team captain. They make sure that we have everybody each night, and they’ll also make sure everyone knows their part. We have scripts written for each area, but we don’t really do a full-dress rehearsal like you would for a play,” said Michael Yundt, one of the tour guides for An Eclectic Christmas
Along with the actors and actresses that make the night come alive, including a real infant portraying the Baby Jesus, live animals are included. This year’s event incorporated donkeys, goats and lambs. Roman soldiers rode horseback along the paths as well.
“All total volunteers, we usually have between 200 or 300 to put it on every night. You’ve got the different scenes, and the volunteers will have various routines to go through. There are a lot of support people, especially in the city area. It really looks like a full vil-
lage. You have a lot of people behind the scenes coordinating traffic, bringing food and drinks around to everybody, making sure the lights work and fixing whatever problems come up,” he explained.
Upon arrival before the first showing each night, volunteers not only have to make it to their sets, which could be anywhere surrounding the lake, but also they get into costume and character. Near the city set, two sheds house the vast number of costumes needed for the actors and actresses.
Local churches take turns providing volunteers with food and hot beverages.
A guide escorts each group of attendees to the Christmas story scenes on a lighted path around the beautiful lake. Actors and actresses’ range in age, all adding an authentic feel to the evening. At the beginning of each tour, attendees are given a gold coin and are instructed to hold onto it until they reach the Bethlehem station. Upon arrival, attendees pay the coin as a tax to Roman soldiers to gain entrance to the city. The Roman soldiers, some on foot and some on horseback, are one of the most spectacular sights of the evening. Most of the time, the soldiers on horseback are local equestrians who dedicate their time to the role.
“Most of our riders, the best riders we can find,
are young women, and they’re really good. We have to get a few guys because we have to get that manly, intimidating voice. There are a few different equestrian trainers in the area, and they have lots of their own horses. They’ll volunteer the horses, bring them out, take care of them. A lot of times, they have their own students on horseback for different scenes,” Yundt said.
An Eclectic Christmas is put on every year by An Eclectic Ministry, a non-denominational, faith-based organization. Through the collaborative effort of local churches and individuals, the tradition of this live Nativity scene, including a choir of angels declaring the good news of Christ’s birth to shepherds in the field, has awed an audience of more than since 2012.
With glowing reviews of the audience experience, there’s no question whether it’s worth the drive to see these volunteers put on a show that consistently features outstanding scene creation, costuming, script and organization from year to year. Audiences return time and time again to catch the amazing volunteers in a spectacular performance each year in early December. Don’t miss this event later this year. It truly is a sight to behold.
Nearly 300 vendors lined Main Street in Eclectic in October for the highly anticipated return of the Cotton Festival, with upwards of 15,000 attendees flocking to craft booths for trinkets, gifts and décor.
The Cotton Festival, which returned for its 29th year, has long served as a dream event for vendors and visitors alike. Along with a vast collection of arts and crafts booths lining the streets, food trucks and a stage had their places at the festival. With seemingly endless displays of hobbies involving art, the creative wares were laid out and available for purchase. Several booths offered indoor and outdoor décor, from authentic wood signs to holiday inspired wreaths for every occasion. Personalized gifts were on full display, including journals, tumblers and keychains.
One of the returning vendors, Cherri Designs by Brittany Kelly, has been on the vending scene for most of her life. Having grown up around vending, Kelly gets to share her love of crafting while gaining more experience.
“I’ve been doing vendor events for close to 30
years,” explained Kelly, whose crocheted and embroidered items have connected with Cotton Festival visitors for three years now. “I’m from Montgomery, and my best friend that vends with me is local. She’s from Eclectic. We make crocheted and embroidered items, even some jewelry. I also have T-shirts that I make, too.”
Kelly and other vendors at last year’s festival couldn’t help but notice the smalltown charm illuminated through the locals perusing the booths. With a friendly atmosphere to welcome the vendors in, it was apparent to Kelly it was going to be a good day to vend.
“I like that the festival is local to me. The people are always really nice. I know they’re working on expanding, and I really like doing smalltown events and stuff,” Kelly said.
One of the most cherished parts of the vending experience for Kelly is the opportunity to meet new people and share with them her passion for her creativity. Vending continues to be one of the best ways for smalltown businesses like Kelly’s to expand their fol-
lowing.
“You get to share your passion for creating with new people. We always meet new people, and we see friends and family members that we haven’t seen in a while, too. It’s great,” Kelly said.
Another vendor that decided to share her woodworking abilities at the festival this year was Christina Perkins, owner of Two Peaz Designz. Perkins creates wreaths for every occasion, as well as door welcome signs made from natural, real wood from the 30-acre property in Montgomery where she lives with her husband. Décor is her specialty, and with a growing passion to share her work with the surrounding communities, Perkins continues to find vending events in which to participate.
“This was the first year that I’ve done a lot of festivals, all year long. Last year, I did about five festivals; and then, this year, I’ve done about 15,” Perkins explained.
One of the things that stuck out most to Perkins about this festival was the impressive organization of the Cotton Festival team leading up to and during the
event.
“They thought of everything that would concern a vendor, like the setup. Having one day before to set up was fantastic. It made things a lot less stressful than getting there at 3 or 4 in the morning to set up the day of. They let us come in the night before to kind of do it at our own pace. They also provided security all throughout the night before the festival to protect our stuff. They really did think of everything. There was also something for everybody who went to the festival. From the kids to the food to the petting zoo; then, there was the car show. All the crafts and things; you can’t just find that every day in stores,” Perkins said.
The Cotton Festival couldn’t have come at a better time for vendors like Perkins and Kelly. With the holidays sneaking up on everybody, searching for that last minute Christmas present was made easier with oneof-a-kind gifts from booths just like theirs.
Another special skill on full display at the festival was pottery. Several potters made an appearance at the event with plenty of handcrafted pieces to catch the crowd’s attention. One of the local potters who set up a booth at this year’s festival wass Chris McElvaine, who owns and operates Fleahop Pottery.
“I’ve been making pottery since about 2011 when I retired, and I’ve vended for the Cotton Festival for either four or five years, but it’s just been in the past couple of years that the festival has really exploded,” McElvaine explained.
The massive numbers of festivalgoers added to the excitement of the event for vendors like McElvaine who can’t wait to attend the event again next year.
“It was great. All of the customers were very excited to be there. It was a big deal, both for Eclectic and for the community. A lot of the customers came from the surrounding area, but there were a lot of people who actually live in Montgomery but have a place at the lake. So it was a mixed crowd, but they were all excited to be there. Everybody was smiling,” McElvaine explained.
Sharing her skills through various stoneware pieces is a big deal for McElvaine, who is part of the Tallassee area. Connecting with others through her art has given her so much joy throughout her retirement years.
“It’s huge. When I went into this, I had no idea that I would be as successful as I’ve been, but I have customers who follow me to different venues and customers who come back year after year to either buy for themselves or as gifts for family members. I specialize in functional stoneware pottery that you can serve in, that you can cook in. So they can actually pass it on to their family,” McElvaine said.
Both new and returning vendors admired the efforts by the organizers of the events and the truly warm welcoming they received at the festival from customers. With such a receptive audience at this year’s festival, the vendors are eager to come back and continue sharing their crafts next year.
Eclectic’s population is up by approximately 200 people, and Mayor Gary Davenport hopes to draw more to this artisit Southern town with upcoming improvements, ample employment opportunities and the town’s rich history. To accommodate the recent addition in residents and prepare for the possibility of more, plans are in the works to build new subdivisions, grow the town’s infrastructure and nearly double the population.
“We have the opportunity and proposals together to build three subdivisions, and those will equate to approximately 550 to 600 families,” Davenport explained.
Though Davenport and other city officials are excited about the possibility of more growth, they also hope to maintain the town’s atmosphere of Southern charm, which is evident in the abundance one-of-a-kind boutiques and shops that line Main Street.
“We want to still maintain the smalltown feel. Our target is to be somewhere in the 2,000-resident range within the next three years. We have a lot of what I call small, hometown businesses. We have three or four family stores that cater to female clothing and family clothing. We also have shops with household items and goods. It really keeps the town going,” Davenport said.
Along with exuding that smalltown charm through these hometown businesses, Eclectic also includes some major businesses and industries.
“We’ve got the Russell Do it Center, the bigger type businesses. We have D&R Kwik Stop, so it’s a stable growth. It’s the type of growth to where the people that travel to this area because of the lake have a place to go and shop and enjoy themselves. We see a lot of tourists come through here,” Davenport explained.
And Davenport said the town is wasting no time in moving forward. Plans already are in the works and soon to be set into motion.
“We are in the process of redoing our playground. We got a grant for it. We’re putting in all new playground equipment. While we’re doing that, we’re also improving the playground itself, as far as drainage and making it more
user-friendly. In addition to that, we have a national concern business that is trying to come to town. We’ve been working with them for several years. They’ll employ about 50 people, so that will help, too,” Davenport said.
One of Eclectic’s biggest employers is located in the industrial park. Madix offers more than 65,000 steel, wire and wood products, and steady growth within the company is bringing even more job opportunities to Eclectic.
“Madix is doing very well. They have doubled the number of contracts they have now, so they are constantly looking for new employees. They will typically employ somewhere between 500 and 600 employees,” Davenport explained.
Along with improving the playground for area children and bringing new job opportunities to town, Eclectic will soon see new and improved roads throughout the city.
“The No. 1 thing that I believe the city has on its target list this year is to redo some road paving and parking lot paving. The city has contracted with the Elmore County Highway Department, and they have accepted and approved our proposal. Over the next 24 months or so, they’ll do six streets and our town parking lot,” Davenport said.
The town of Eclectic is also expanding sewer lines, which will benefit the upcoming construction of the new subdivisions.
“We are in the process of starting to expand our sewer line and our sewer plant. We will start work on it probably in the next three months. It will allow us to have at least one subdivision come in with sewer capability. That will equate to approximately 28 homes that will be on sewer. Around 25 will be new homes. We’re working on extending that later on down the road, probably a couple of years, to bring in an additional subdivision,” Davenport explained.
Davenport’s focus on the smalltown feel seems to be paying off. With growth steadily making its way into town limits, Eclectic could be the next hotspot.
“We’ve got everything along the family atmosphere, and that’s basically what we try to keep it at,” Davenport said.
Schools in the Elmore County area encourage students to tap into the creative side of their brains with available resources that include art classes, clubs and the occasional art competition. With school-provided resources available at all age levels, students build up a creative background and learn the art of selfexpression.
Wetumpka High School is dedicated to providing extensive outlets through which students have opportunities to showcase their art. The high school’s art teacher and art club sponsor, Adriane Duvall, loves showcasing her students’ work through the club’s Instagram, @theartofwhs.
Wetumpka High offers six art classes for students, including Painting 1 and 2 and Art 1 through Art 4. Students who want to explore art more deeply could participate in the art club.
“The art club has about 25 to 30 members, and the kids participate in several community projects throughout the year. So far this year, we’ve done murals, painted paddles for the Great Alabama 650 and collected canned goods for the Elmore County Food Bank. The most recent community project we’ve participated in was the Coosa Candy Crawl,” Duvall explained.
Though the school offers a wide variety of classes, students all start at the beginner’s art class to build upon foundational skills before advancing to the other art classes. If students choose to continue art classes, Duvall said, they could be doing much more than drawing and painting.
“Currently in my advanced art classes, I have kids that are painting, woodburning, whittling, sewing, painting with beads and even generating art,” she explained.
Another school that offers students multiple art classes, as well as an art club in which to participate, is Elmore County High School in Eclectic. One of the unique classes offered at this high school is art history, which gives students a look into the history of art and famous artists. Visual arts teacher and club sponsor Marie Gates believes having art in schools is benefiting students greatly following the pandemic.
“Here lately, it’s been interesting because other classes are using art to help reinforce what students are learning. Again, the kids have gone through a couple of bad years with the pandemic, and I really feel like visual arts and the performing arts are really giving the kids ownership and helping them learn new things,” Gates said.
After a break from arts-based field trips due to the pandemic, Gates planned for her students to take a trip to the
Montgomery Museum last year to expose them to even more forms of art.
Though students could choose to continue art classes as they grow older, elementary-aged students are exposed to art early to teach them about shapes, lines and other elements of art. According to Tallassee Elementary School art teacher Tara Battles, art also helps students learn about geography.
“I usually pick projects based on artists, and they learn about those artists. They learn about their techniques. They learn about where they are from in the world. They get a little bit of geography,” Battles said.
At such young ages, it’s important for students to learn about the basics, often shown through the seven elements of art: shape, texture, space, color, line, value and form. Battles said even though the seven elements are split up between grades, they often overlap.
Another elementary school in Elmore County adds a twist to their art resources. Coosada Elementary uses an online art program, Abrakadoodle, to give students a chance to immerse themselves in creative outlet. Abrakadoodle, which has been around since 2002, is known for providing arts classes, camps, parties and events for students of all ages.
Through the mobile art program, the company provides trained art teachers and a variety of lesson plans that delve into the seven elements of art. Students who use Abrakadoodle explore different art forms and styles while also learning about artists from around the world.
Though art is an elective in most school systems, it could help students cultivate self-confidence and discipline, as well as other traits when it comes to developing the brain further. With so many promising programs, classes and extracurricular opportunities laid out for students within the county school system, the possibilities are endless for students to explore their creative side. Elmore County Public Schools Superintendent Richard Dennis said he hopes to further expand programs offered throughout the county, specifically targeting the elementary and middle schools.
“I think problem solving is the greatest benefit from taking art classes, but if you ask my kids, they might tell you that it is learning to fail. You have to fail a lot in order to be successful and to be okay with failing so that you don’t just give up. Art is hard. Making fine art is really hard. At risk of sounding cliche, you really do have to enjoy the process, as you don’t always end up where you had planned,” Duvall said.
From northeast to southwest, music has filled Elmore County’s summer afternoons and evenings with concerts on the grass, through the halls and on the streets for generations.
It wouldn’t be summer without the annual 4th of July concert and fireworks show at Lake Martin Amphitheater in Eclectic. Spectators pay $10 to sit on the grassy hillside with friends and family for a well-known headliner concert with a view of the lake. As dusk turns to night, boats anchor off the shoreline, and when the time is right, the stage rolls away to make room for one of the South’s most outstanding fireworks displays on the ground and in the air. When the last rocket has exploded, the band returns for a final set.
One of the longest running concert events in Elmore County, the annual Titus Bluegrass Festival, draws more than a thousand people to the lawn of the Titus Community Center every fall. This small community of fewer than 2,500 people grows by more than a third on the last Saturday of September for a toe-tapping good time to raise funds for the maintenance of the building that is the center of town life. Time-honored musicians take the stage on the very spot where Hanks Williams Sr. once gave a concert for 25 cents per ticket.
In Millbrook, townspeople and visitors pack coolers and lawn chairs and head to the Village Green on Thursday nights in June and July. All genres play at this free-admission casual get-together for all ages. Bring a picnic or purchase dinner and treats from the
food trucks in attendance.
“It’s a nice evening out and always has fantastic music,” said Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley.
The music starts at 6:30 p.m.
Not to be outdone, Wetumpka brings the music to the streets with colorfully painted pianos positioned around town for free play by anyone who chooses to sit down and trip the keys. On warm summer nights, the pianos can be rolled outside for ready access during outdoor events. Pianos are located at The Market Shoppes, the Kelly, the Wetumpka Chamber of Commerce and Provisions.
Wind Creek Entertainment Center books world renowned performers throughout the year, like Peter Frampton and Jill Scott. The venue offers everyone the best seat in the house no matter where you sit.
Of course, many restaurants and lounges throughout Elmore County host music on weekends to entertain patrons as they dine, dance and visit with friends. Check out websites and Facebook pages for your favorite eateries and concert venues.
STORY BY BREANNA MANLEY
Elmore County Schools have the fine arts down pat with music programs available in most schools, including elementary schools in the area. Whether it be marching band, jazz band or even choir, students experience and participate in music with helpful teachers and directors leading the way.
Opportunities to learn more about music usually widen as students move from school to school. Most high schools offer music-related classes, such as symphonic band, marching band or even a jazz band class. Wetumpka High School offers all three to its students.
WHS band director, Jason Warnix, believes music influences students’ lives more than one might think.
“Just participation in band has benefits students don’t even realize. It helps develop teamwork skills and self-motivation because each student has to be accountable for their performance. On the music side of it, it develops creative thinking, as well as logical thinking. Music is the only activity, really, that utilizes both sides of the brain. One
side is the creative side, and the other side is the logical side. Both of those have to apply in music making,” Warnix explained.
The WHS symphonic band performs concerts throughout the year, including their winter concert coming up in February. Marching band students are exposed to even more opportunities to share their musical talent with crowds through marching band competitions and exhibitions, as well as honor bands. The jazz band, which meets after school for practice, participates in a jazz concert at Tallassee High School every year to present their musical abilities.
Another local high school, Elmore County High School, has a terrific music program in place. Led by Director Anthony Vittore, band students have the option to participate in concert band and/or marching band. Vittore and the rest of the faculty and staff involved in the music department encourage students to expand their experience with music by looking to outside resources and events in addition to school programs.
“That’s one thing we really try to push. Doing things outside of the class kind of gives them a different
experience. Here, you have one take on a thing, but when you go outside, you experience the small fish in a big pond feel. We really push Troy University for both the middle and high school students, and of course, there’s the all-county band. We also do allstate bands for middle and high school. Last year, we even had kids do all-state orchestra,” Vittore said.
Middle school band programs are where most students first come into contact with creating music with instruments. Southside Middle School Band Director Melanie Skeen loves the first part of the school year, when students who have never picked up instruments before learn the basics.
“It’s my favorite thing, just seeing them learn how to put together their instruments for the first time and watching them learn to create music for the first time. It’s great,” Skeen said.
Much like other bands throughout the county, Southside Middle’s band puts on concerts throughout the year to showcase their talents in the community. Band programs are found in nearly every school, but another way for students to create music is through choir. Redland Elementary School is one of the schools that offers its students a choir program. Led by Choir Director Brooke Williamson, the students perform several times throughout the year at a number of events; most of the time, performing songs the students have never heard of before joining the choir program.
“When I got the opportunity to do our school’s choir, I was very excited to expose the kids to all sorts of music that they may not be familiar with already. I like to pull a lot of classic songs like, Home on the Range and Oh, What a Beautiful Morning . Last year, our spring program was all about the ’50s, so
we had kids singing Elvis Presley and all that stuff. It was really fun, and it’s just really fun for me to see how excited they get about some of the songs,” Williamson explained.
The choir is made up of 28 students, all of whom meet after school once a week to practice for upcoming gigs. Some of their most recent events include singing the national anthem at sporting events; singing a few pieces at the elementary school’s fall festival; and for Christmas, they traveled to the Montgomery Zoo to perform for the Christmas Festival of Lights.
Including music programs throughout all of the schools is still a work in progress, but Elmore County Public Schools Superintendent Richard Dennis said he is appreciative and supportive of the fine arts programs and hopes to improve them while adding more to the county.
“I think fine arts is one of the biggest programs you’re going to see actually implemented in a school. Athletics is always recognized, and that’s the first thing people think about. But quite frankly, when you look at your music programs in most of your schools, between music and theater, you’ve got two of your largest programs. It’s one of the things I’m trying to support and grow,” Dennis explained.
Keep an eye out on Elmore County Schools and their music programs. Supporting them could be as easy as attending a band or choir concert on a weeknight. For more information on upcoming music program events, check out the Elmore County Schools website at elmoreco.com.
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Grove Station is a butcher shop, bakery, market and event space with vintage charm and modern style
Food is so much more than food to Grove Station owner, Corrie Sid, who believes dining is an experience all its own. And food is just one aspect when it comes to serving up a meal for friends and family. According to Sid, the atmosphere of the environment is just as important.
Sid, a proud Tallassee native, owns Grove Station in Tallassee, which includes a butcher shop, bakery, market and even an event space. Having spent 30 years in California before recently moving back home, she hopes to share more about culinary arts and hospitality with those who come into the shop.
One of the easiest ways to elevate a dining experience is by paying careful attention to plating dishes. Just a little more attention to decorating or adding color to a dish could make a world of difference for guests.
“Plating makes a huge difference when it comes to serving a dish. People eat with their eyes. They will immediately respond and salivate from what they see first; second from what they smell; and lastly, from what they actually taste,” she explained.
Another way to elevate a dining experience, whether it be a holiday party or an evening serving dinner for friends, is upping the cozy environment. Sid believes an inviting environment can lead guests to feeling more comfortable and perhaps even a bit more willing to try dishes they’ve never had before.
If you’re serving a dish, try arranging it on the plate with a pop of color, she suggested. Sid recommends adding elements that don’t necessarily alter the taste of the meal, but rather draw the eye and capture the attention of guests. This could mean adding a lemon wedge or even a colorful seasoning that pops across the dish.
When it comes to hosting, three simple tips could enhance the evening and leave guests eager to return for another evening.
“Use real plates; it doesn’t even matter if they match. Find a way to organize those patterns, even if they don’t go together, and create an ambiance that lets your guests know you put effort in, that you were preparing for them. Nothing makes a person feel more special than when they show up at someone’s home and they know that person has tried really hard to make it special for them,” she said. When hosting a dinner party, avoid inserting conflicting smells with candles. Though candles add an intimate and inviting feel to the evening, it’s best to avoid having them in the dining room while serving a meal. The flavors of the meal with the smells of the candle could clash and make the evening anything but what you imagined.
“Never use scented candles on your dinner table. It really impacts the flavor profile that you’re trying to give people. The last thing you want to smell is cotton candy when you’re sitting down eating roast beef, so scented candles are a no-no at your dinner table,” Sid explained.
If, however, you want your house to smell amazing for guests without a candle during dinner, she recommends throwing a few pieces of bacon in the oven. Simply put bacon on a cookie sheet in the oven, and your house will smell great. If you would rather have a sweet smell wafting throughout your home, baking cookies is also a good option.
“Some people say if you put a little drop of vanilla extract on the tops of your lightbulbs your whole house smells like vanilla. So if you wanted it to smell like sweets, that’s a trick you can do as well,” Sid said.
With these tips tucked away, the next time you host a dinner party, guests could be enamored by the attention to detail. Serving a meal goes much further than preparing a dish.
Atmosphere is as much a culinary art as the food itself.
STORY BY BREANNA MANLEY & PHOTOS BY BETSY ILER
The art of dance is alive and well in Tallassee and surrounding communities and has easily become one of the most cherished extracurricular activities for all ages. With numerous health and personal benefits obtainable through the art discipline, many choose to dance.
Located in Tallassee, The Pointed Toe offers numerous dance classes for students to choose from. The current owner, Jade Snell, grew up learning to dance in the studio and loves seeing what dance does for her students.
“It teaches self-confidence, social skills, selfexpression. Dance is way more than just choreography. Dance is an outlet to let students express themselves in a way like no other. Dance is all about selfconfidence. It helps them become proud of what they stand for,” Snell explained.
There are many different forms of dance to explore. The Pointed Toe offerss classes for jazz, ballet, tap, baton, point, hip-hop and gymnastics – all of which take a high level of dedication.
“Dance relies heavily on a strong work ethic. It just builds up their self-confidence, makes them proud of who they are. I love seeing them become comfortable with their bodies and self-images. It’s an emotional thing, too, not just a skill where you’re looking at your body. It’s showing the emotion of the point you’re trying to get across,” Snell said.
Though one of the biggest benefits of dance is building self-image and learning a skill, a number of recent studies have shown that dance improves physical and mental health.
According to a study produced by The New England Journal of Medicine, dancing can improve
cognitive skills by helping to boost memory. With the constant influx of choreography steps a dancer learns, the mind works on its memory in response. Dance is also known to improve the brain’s organizing and planning skills.
Another study produced by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine praises dance as an outlet for those of all ages to improve cardiovascular health. The source concluded that moderate-intensity dancing is linked to a reduced risk in cardiovascular disease.
The Osteoporosis Foundation found that exercise, including dance, could even aid in improving and maintaining bone density. Dancing, which is considered a weight-bearing exercise, helps with building up the bones and keeps them strong.
As Snell said, the emotional benefits of dancing are seemingly endless. Dancing helps with self-image and has been shown to combat depression and other mental health issues. It also improves mood and attitude just by the interaction of attending a dance class or competing in a dance competition.
As students continue throughout the dance classes offered at The Pointed Toe, they could absorb even more dance time and experience by joining the company’s competition dance team or the Golden Girls, which is a twirling competition team. Both teams compete and showcase their talents at several events throughout the year.
Through dance, friendships and connections are oftentimes made between the students, their families and their instructors. With such a tightknit bond necessary to pull together choreography, those involved tend to get close to one another.
Instructors at The Pointed Toe teach students from 2 to 18 years old, but dancing isn’t just for those under the age of 18.
Located in Wetumpka, Tammy’s Academy of Dance serves as the perfect place for older residents to enjoy dancing. Tammy’s welcomes all and encourages those who wish to participate. They offer tap, jazz and ballet classes for adults through three different types of programs: adult performance level; adult non-performance level; and adult ballet, which is a technique-only class with no choreography and no performances.
To register and learn more information about the different classes available for adults at Tammy’s, visit tammysacademyofdance.net.
With so many benefits of dancing, it may be time to dust off your old tap shoes and put on those tights. Do a little jig, and experience the exhilarating art of dance.
Thread My Needle adds love and history to the rich fabric of the community through quilting projects at the Black History Museum in Wetumpka, explained founding member, Jacqueline Lacey, now 98.
Sewing connects Lacey to the past, the present and her family.
“When I was young, I would go with mama and ladies in the community to quilt. I learned how to thread my needle and how to use a thimble,” Lacey said. “I watched the ladies and my mom sewing; and then, I learned.”
As Lacey became an adult, her eager mind and heart led her to work as a nurse.
“I worked at Valley Brook Park Nursing Home. I wanted to be a nurse, and later on, I wanted to deliver babies. I wanted to do so many things. I had so many things in my heart that I wanted to do, and I did them.”
Sewing remained a constant comfort to Lacey in her career as a nurse. Her sewing, especially her handmade quilts, were a physical representation of her love for patients, as well as her children and grandchildren.
“When I was at the hospital, and someone was having a baby, I’d make them the whole outfit, the little booties and everything for them,” she said.
In addition to her professional skills, Lacey also learned other crafts.
“In my later years, when I retired, Martha Piner and I decided we would meet at my house and do some crafts, like quilting, crocheting, cross-stitching. The main thing I’d go right back to was quilting. I put crocheting down. I put cross stitch down. I put all of it down, and I went back to quilting.”
This meeting began the roots of the quilting bee that today is Thread My Needle. Lacey’s excitement and natural inclination to build community led her to spread the word about the quilting bee. Every week, two or three more ladies showed up to take part.
In the early 2000s, president of the Elmore County Association of Black Heritage and a friend of Lacey, Frazine Taylor, was excited by the growth of the quilting bee.
“Miss Frazine Taylor said, ‘Y’all got to be in a bigger place. Go down to the Black History Museum;
then, we can have people coming into the museum.’ Oh, that was just the right thing!” Lacey said.
Taylor recognized the synchronicity between the local museum and the group.
“The Elmore County Association of Black Heritage, ECABH, asked Thread My Needle to meet and work at the museum. This was a way to open the Museum to the public once a week and on some weekends,” Taylor explained.
“One morning we were all there, and I said, if we’re gonna have a quilting bee, we’ve got to get a name for it. I said, ‘Next week y’all bring in some names; and then, we’re gonna name it.’ I went to get some more fabric, and I heard Miss Irene Milner tell Miss Martha Jean Pine, ‘Thread my needle.’ I didn’t bother with it too much right then, but later on that night, I woke up, and I said, thread my needle. That could be a good one. So I got me a piece of paper, and I drew out a spool of thread with a needle in it. And now, that’s our logo,” Lacey laughed. “So now, Miss Irene always says she named it.”
Thread My Needle is as important to the Black History Museum as it is to the members.
“Before 1986, the Elmore County Training School was a community recreation center. I don’t think the mayor understood the importance of the Rosenwald aspect of the building but knew it was a vital structure that must not be demolished,” Taylor said. “In 1986, about 80 citizens decided the best thing to do would be to turn it into a museum. At the same time, I was asked to be president of the Elmore County Association of Black Heritage, which would run the museum.”
It is fitting for Thread My Needle to meet in the Wetumpka Black History museum because quilting is a vital part of the Black community.
“All this started back in the Underground Railroads. You have to know the story. Underground Railroad quilters first made quilts for warmth; then, they used them to communicate,” Lacey explained. “When the slaves were trying to leave South Carolina to get to Canada, where they were treated better, they would make a quilt to show the way. The quilt patterns show directions. Each pattern tells a story. The pattern is like a map, and they followed it.”
Quilting is more than art or craft; it is a neces-
sary element of warmth, communication and community, Lacey said.
“The fireplaces would not put out enough heat for the whole house. You needed a lot of covers. My mama would take the good parts of old overalls and put them together to make quilts for the bed.”
Lacey has a respect and passion for the traditions of hand sewing and wants to see the tradition continued.
“Some quilt with all these sergers and all that, but they always admire me with my hand quilting. I tell them I want to hand-quilt to keep going. I don’t want it to fade away. It’s an art, an old art. They’ve been doing it since the Underground Railroad. They didn’t have any machines then. They just got them some thread and a needle and put some old pieces together.”
“I want the art to continue. I don’t want it to fade. I wish that all of the young people would come in and check this out and see what we have been doing and learn how to do it. Whatever I know, I want to share it. I always got something for somebody,” Lacey said, “Some come in here and have never used a thimble or learned how to thread a needle.”
Lacey’s nursing career and loving mothering manifests into a natural gift of teaching. She welcomes all skill levels to sit right next to her and learn the traditions and skills of quilting.
Thread My Needle welcomes people of any skill level to join them. For more information or to plan a trip to the Black History Museum, contact the Wetumpka Chamber of Commerce at 334-567-4811.
Big Fish isn’t the only big movie that was filmed in Elmore County. Tim Burton, who directed Big Fish in 2003, returned to Alabama a few years ago to record The Devil All the Time, starring Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson of the Spider Man and Twilight series films, respectively.
Fans can visit the historic Pine Flat Presbyterian Church in Deatsville, which was featured in both films. Scenes from The Devil All the Time include about 50 locals as extras in the church congregation.
And at Spectre, a town that never really existed, fans can stroll through the movie set for Big Fish, which still stands on a private island in Elmore County. Visitors to the Town of Spectre travel from as far away as Europe and Canada to fish, camp and take in the peaceful atmosphere of this town out of time where island owners Bobby and Lynn Bright love seeing guests enjoy all that the island has to offer.
The set survived because the landowners had a change of heart. When Bright’s family first agreed to the use of the property as a set location for the film, the crew was under contract to leave the island as they found it. But over the course of the nine months of construction and filming, the Brights fell in love with the town that Burton’s crew created.
“We were invited to watch the filming of the party scene, where all the townspeople dance in streets. It was so perfect, right down to the grass. That town, that night, would have taken your breath away,” Lynn Bright told us in 2016.
The Brights got to meet several of the actors, as well as director Tim Burton, and as filming neared completion, they started to think about changing their contract.
“As it got close to time, we thought, ‘Why would we ask them to tear it all down? People might want to see this,’” Bright said.
As it turns out, they were right, but it took a while for word to get out.
“For the first eight, nine or 10 years, there was hardly any interest. A lot of people from the area didn’t even know it was here,” she added.
In that time, some of the town was lost. The film crew had already aged the town’s buildings for the latter scenes of the movie, when Ewan McGregor’s character, Edward,
returns to Spectre years after his first visit to find it in disrepair. On top of that, several parts of the set had to be removed for safety reasons, like the spooky forest constructed of Styrofoam and metal that Edward braved in order to reach Spectre.
“In very little time, it started becoming dangerous. The whole forest was full of metal spikes, weeds and vines. My husband finally had to get it out of here,” she said.
The tilted house on the water’s edge, which belonged to Helena Bonham Carter’s character, also had to be removed after flooding left it unsafe to enter. The Brights left the house’s porch pillars standing on the shore, along with a plaque to mark the spot.
Another loss was the storefronts that lined Spectre’s main street in the film. Soon after filming ended, the false three-sided storefronts began to lean and collapse. When Bobby Bright tried to burn the remains of one of the fallen structures, a stray spark drifted across the road and set the rest of Spectre’s commercial district on fire.
“It burned to the ground,” said Bright. “I think we had about 11 fire departments come to our rescue that day.”
At first, the Brights believed they had been wrong about the town’s tourism draw. But that changed with the increase in social media outlets in the early 2010s.
“When social media picked up, they started coming from farther and farther away. Now every weekend we have people from another state, if not another country,” said Bright.
Visitors have come from as far away as Australia and France to see the remains of Spectre. Although Lynn Bright loved being part of the experience of making Big Fish, she originally was lukewarm about the film itself; however, talking to fans of the film who travelled such long distances to see Spectre changed her perception.
“I’m really proud we kept it,” said Bright.
Jackson Lake Island is located off Alabama River Parkway, about 4.5 miles south of Millbrook. It can be accessed seven days a week during daylight hours. Admission is $3. For more information, visit the Jackson Lake Island Facebook page.
Pine Flat Presbyterian Church is located between Deatsville and Marbury on state Route 143.
President and Director of The Dixie Art Colony Foundation, Mark A. Harris has a passion for bringing together both art and the historical period in which it was produced.
“We not only hang art on the walls, but also, we talk about the history of the art and how it ties art and history together,” explained Harris. “In many ways, artists serve as historians, creating visual records of
our society and culture.”
Art had a strong impact on Harris, who grew up in Wetumpka. From a young age, he realized the impact of Southern art, not only in galleries but also in history.
“In the spring of 2014, I curated an exhibition about The Dixie Art Colony. That was spurred by an article published in the late ’90s in Alabama Heritage maga-
zine. The exhibition was exclusively Dixie Art Colony artwork and also information about the story of the colony. It was well attended, and there seemed to be a lot of interest in it. That’s when I had the idea to form The Dixie Art Colony Foundation. This foundation was formed in an effort to preserve the history behind The Dixie Art Colony,” explained Harris.
The Dixie Art Colony, which initially met at a lake house in Elmore County, was one of the Deep South’s early art colonies. Some of the area’s most celebrated artists of the early and mid 20th century met there to paint and encourage each other’s artistic efforts, including Kelly Fitzpatrick, Arthur Stewart, Carlos Alpha (Shiney) Moon, Frank Applebee, Waree Carmichael LeBron and others. More than 140 men and women participated in The Dixie Art Colony. Working mostly in watercolor, the artists captured portraits, landscapes and vignettes of everyday life in colorful works.
Through these and other studies, Harris found art a helpful and useful lens through which the viewer and student could gain insight into the history of the area.
“I felt that this unique part of Alabama’s history, Southern history really, needed to be preserved. You
had this group of people from all different walks of life. Some came from well-to-do families; some were middle class families. Young and old alike. The youngest artist that participated was 18; and then, you had artists that were in their 60s and 70s, and basically they lived in this location together for several weeks,” he explained.
The painters of The Dixie Art Colony provide viewers a mirror into what the land and lifestyle once was.
“The first year The Dixie Art Colony met was in 1933 on Lake Martin, the area referred to as Cherokee Heights. They actually met at a place called Camp Dixie, which is where they got their name, The Dixie Art Colony. The area was built by the Russell family of Alexander City. The last year that they met was in Elmore County in 1948,” he said.
Many will notice the painters have a distinct purpose and style to their work.
“Their typical paintings are colorful and depict everyday things, Southern things. They did primarily landscapes and a few portraits. The bulk of their work was watercolor. Watercolor is very difficult. In order to be good at it, you have to be really quick and fast.
Watercolor is a quick medium, and they could produce a lot of it. They wanted to help preserve things in painted scenes. They would paint things, like turpentine stills and pottery kills and cotton gins, that don’t exist anymore. In the rural landscape, they were painting things to document what life was like here during the ’30s and ’40s,” explained Harris.
Some of the colony artists were instrumental in the foundation of the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
Locally, The Dixie Art Colony Foundation keeps a current exhibition at the Dixie Art Colony Museum and Gallery at 219 Hill St., Wetumpka.
“We do programs in Wetumpka, but we also do programs out of town. They are all educational programs that talk about history, as well as art. In Andalusia, we focused on one particular artist who grew up in Andalusia and also during the time he participated in the colony. In the programs, we talk about the history of the area; the history of them meeting there; how they met; where they stayed and so forth. We talked about the history of the location where we’re meeting and how it is related to the Dixie Art Colony. Then we show the art and talk about the artist,” explained Harris.
The gallery is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and by appointment. Visit the website at dixieartcolony.org to learn more or call 334-328-0730 to schedule a tour.
The new gallery will include space for children’s art education
Art kickstarts relationships, and Kelly Fitzpatrick Memorial Gallery Executive Director Jennifer Eifert wants to start conversations as the nonprofit gallery and museum relocates to Commerce Street this year.
“We have had such a fabulous year that we have already outgrown our current space. This will enable us to expand our programs and offer more to the community,” Eifert said. “The new building is on Hill St. We hope to be in the new building by late spring or early summer.”
The new facility will include a designated children’s space, allowing The Kelly to better support art education, Eifert said.
“I’m very excited about having a designated children’s space. We’re going to be able to do so much. I want to introduce an art start program for the little bitty ones and eventually all up through schooling,”
she explained.
The Kelly opened in 2011 in an airy second floor gallery in Wetumpka’s City Administration Building. When the January 2019 tornado damaged city offices in other locations, The Kelly’s space was neeeded for city services, so the gallery moved to Company Street. This newest downtown space will offer room for expansion.
Children’s art education is essential to Eifert and the gallery, which offers the Sylvia McConnell scholarship to high school students who want to further their arts educations.
“There’s a poem somebody wrote about how they give you crayons when you’re young, and you learn all these great things with color. Then, when you reach a certain age, they take the crayons away. They tell you to do all these grownup things without color or life. Let’s give them back the crayons,” she
look at someone and judge them, but you don’t know if that person is a genius or millionaire or just a really nice person. You find this out by talking to them, getting to know them, and the gallery gives us
People interact with visual art in a completely different way than other art forms and disciplines, she
“You can’t have a conversation while you’re watching a show or listening to music. A gallery is different in that way. When I see Shakespeare, I’m not going to talk to 14 people there, but when somebody comes in here, they’re going to talk.
“Some people may have nothing in common, but they have this piece of art to talk about. Maybe they both like the piece, or they both may dislike it, but it gives them something to share and talk about.”
The value of art is in what it provides to its viewers, Eifert said, including understanding, validation,
“I think that the value in art is that it provides something to us, to our soul, really. It gives you somebody else that understands; somebody else has been through it. You see, there’s something bigger than just me or my particular problem,” she said. “Some emotions you can’t necessarily share, or they’re hard to share, but you know how to use them
“In supporting the gallery, we support each other, that’s being local. You build those relationships and
On date nights, couples work together to create projects, like this cutting board
Small towns harbor infinite hidden gems, mostly known only to the locals. One of Wetumpka’s hidden gems opened in 2020 but didn’t stay hidden for long, thanks to HGTV’s Hometown Takeover, which aired in March 2020. After Longleaf Wood Shop’s custom work was on full display throughout the show, owner Neill Thompson got orders from all over the country.
Originally from Tuscaloosa, Thompson got into woodworking nearly 30 years ago as a hobby after retiring from 32 years as a DEA special agent. He shares the business with his wife, Sylvia, and the rest of his family.
“I’ve been woodworking since the oldest son of ours – he’s 30 now – when he turned 2, he had to have a bed. We thought it’d be a good idea to make him a bed and save money. The bed went all right, and I’ve just been building things ever since. There’s not a room in our house in which I haven’t built something,” Thompson explained.
“I just got to where I enjoyed it more than anything. I really enjoy it,” Thompson said.
Like many, Thompson wasn’t quite ready to slow down after his retirement from law enforcement, so the hunt for something else to occupy his time was on.
“All our friends watch HGTV, but none of them ever did any woodworking. It’s just become a lost art. We
thought it would be a good idea that instead of people just watching it, let them have an opportunity to try it,” Thompson explained.
Before long, Thompson and his wife were searching for a possible shop location in Wetumpka. One day, he just happened upon the location that would be his future woodworking shop.
“We looked forever for a place to put the shop, and everything just didn’t work because if a space was too big, it was out of our budget. My wife kept telling me I needed to look at an old bar where we were in Wetumpka. I knew the place, I had to raid it when I worked with law enforcement. I told her I’ve been there, done that. One day, I was buying her a camellia bush from the nursery across the road. It was snowing really bad, and anyways, I looked down, and the for-sale sign was on the ground. I called the realtor,” Thompson explained.
After purchasing the building, it took the couple close to nine months to transform the space into the perfect wood shop. While renovating the building, Sylvia came up with the idea to host date-night classes after they opened their doors.
“She came up with the idea to have couples at these classes and feed them. Her grandmother and my mom, you just couldn’t come around them without getting stuffed with cornbread, pound cakes or something, so
we started date-night classes. The first two months, we had 350 couples. It was just crazy,” he explained.
Though their date-night classes featuring charcuterie boards is one of their most popular, the shop also offers classes in basic and bowl wood turning, as well as woodshop 101. All of the classes are about three hours each and can be booked online.
Once the pandemic hit, the classes were put on hold, leaving ample time for Thompson and everyone at the shop to focus solely on custom orders. And then, an amazing thing happened.
“HGTV called, and we ended up doing all of the custom work for the show in Wetumpka. We got to hang out with Ben and Erin, mainly Ben. We just love them. We also got to do a commercial for Michelin that was seen by 6.5 million people. From that, we’ve sent orders
to 40 states because the show was so popular. Now that COVID has eased back up, we’ve had over 4,500 people in our classes,” Thompson said.
The shop sees a lot of customers coming to classes, including the occasional bachelorette party. The shop also hosts corporate businesses in their shop for classes. With classes and custom work orders, Thompson and his family stay busy at the shop. Last year, Thompson was tasked with making 80 cutting boards for Alabama Power Company’s Christmas catalogue.
“We do a lot of business with people at the lake. We do a lot of bar tops and things like that. We do all kinds of stuff – islands, headboards, tables. We just love our Lake Martin people,” he said.
One of the most popular custom projects is tables. With the option for a custom order, customers could
receive several mock-ups of their order. Communication and complete customer approval are big for Thompson and the rest of the team.
“We love doing tables because families gather around them. Memories are made around them. When our family gets together, we don’t like to get up from the table. We just like to sit there, so it’s important to us that our customers have exactly what they want. We just want it to be real custom,” Thompson said.
The shop has a number of different woods for customers to experiment with, which offers more flexibility and options for ordering custom pieces. Customers can fill out a form on the shop’s website, detailing their idea for a custom piece.
Following this, customers will be in close contact with Thompson and others from the shop to create
their dream, custom piece. Along with displays of their accomplished woodworking, the shop welds for projects that require metal work. They also engrave items for shop class members that want to add a recipe or saying on their finished works.
Last year, the shop added a retail showroom for customers that want to purchase items right when they enter the shop. Items available for immediate purchase include cutting boards and bowls.
Longleaf Wood Shop could be the perfect place to start a new hobby or purchase a unique gift. The shop at 3116 Wetumpka Highway, Montgomery, is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Wednesdays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check out pictures of their work and contact information on their website at longleafwoodshop.com.
Millbrook Players spark laughter, conversation, friendship, cultural education, confidence, discipline and more across the community through the theatrical productions they stage at an old Main Street schoolhouse rented from the City.
“It’s good, clean family friendly entertainment that is unique to Millbrook,” said Susan Chain, president of the community theater organization she and her husband, John, started in 2006.
“John and I have been involved in theater most of our lives. When we moved here, there was no theater, so we started one,” she said.
The group’s first performance was held at a local church. They performed at a variety of venues for their first few years of operation until they were offered the opportunity to use the auditorium space in an old school.
“We use the old classrooms for storing props and costumes. We have a green room and a place where we can sell concessions. We have a construction room for making the sets,” Chain explained.
Every calendar year, the Millbrook Players stage a musical, comedies, dinner theaters and concerts in an auditorium that seats about 125 people. There is always a show in production, which means there is always work to be done.
“We have an acting company that holds open auditions. They take head shots of everybody who auditions. We also have many behind-the-scenes things to do: Props; backstage crew; directors, costumes, makeup and hair,” Chain added. “We have a 12-person board, and they are a very active, hardworking board.”
Each show runs for eight performances over
two weekends, and tickets are $12 to $15. Season tickets also are available. In 2023, the season will include Willy Wonka, Mr. Roberts, She Loves Me, Good Old-fashioned Country Christmas, the female version of Odd Couple and a Gospel concert. In addition, the Millbrook Players will offer a one-week theater camp for children.
“Children learn discipline, how to take direction, confidence, team work – and they do a production at the end,” Chain added. “We have bussed school kids in for the plays sometimes.”
Theater also offers a creative outlet and social activities for those who choose to work backstage or in one of the many off-stage areas of service.
“We always need people to work on costumes or do the makeup,” she said.
When one show is finished, there’s always another one right behind it. That makes it difficult for the building to be used by other organizations, though the group allows the concessions room to be used for a few years by a local bingo group. The bingo players had to disband when COVID-19 restrictions were placed on the building.
“But we went right on. We did virtual shows during the pandemic,” Chain said.
“We get great support from the community
of Millbrook, and we have always operated at a profit,” Chain said. “We provide a night out – a date night – where people can have some fun entertainment, maybe some wine and appetizers.
“It’s fun for the actors. It gives them a social life, and several have met here and married over the years,” she noted. “This is a good place for family togetherness. It helps the community.
“And we have a Wish List on our website, so if people want to help the theater out, they could go there and see what we need.”
Visit the Millbrook Community Players’ Facebook page to learn about upcoming opportunities and show times. Check out the new season of plays, buy tickets and learn more at millbrooktheater.com.
STORY BY BREANNA MANLEY
PHOTOS BY BETSY ILER
A mural at Main Street Vintage Market traces the city’s history
Millbrook is on the move, adding colorful murals to create social experiences and opportunities throughout the city.
Talented artists have partnered with city officials and business owners to paint the murals and offer one more reason to visit Millbrook.
According to Brenda Dennis, executive director of the Millbrook Chamber of Commerce, another mural will soon be created on state Route 14. Though details as to the artist and design were not yet available when this publication was printed, the added color was highly anticipated across the area.
One of the completed murals in Millbrook is located on the side of the Main Street Vintage Market building at 2910 Main St. and was created by a new artist on the scene. Originally from Illinois, Jordan Murphy, moved here with his wife in August and has been on the hunt for the perfect place, and the perfect way, to display his creative talents.
“I came into the economic development center because I heard about the mural grant program. Whoever I spoke with gave me Amy Floyd’s contact information. I reached out to have a booth to sell my artwork, not for the mural. When I came to the store to look around, I gave my card, and one of the workers actually told me they were looking for a muralist. Amy told me she wanted a mural, so we got on it,” Murphy explained.
The mural, which spans the side of the building, introduces a number of elements, some of which were chosen by Floyd, the market’s owner. But Floyd also wanted to give Murphy creative freedom on the project. He started the work in September and completed the solo project a month later.
“She had some things that she wanted to incorporate into the mural, but for the most part, she gave me creative freedom to do whatever needed to be done to articulate it. It was a modge-podge of stuff that all suited the temperament of her store. It works;
it’s fitting,” Murphy said.
Along with painting murals, Murphy also creates commission paintings and other pieces of artwork, some of which are sold at the sight of his mural in Millbrook.
“I have a lot of commission paintings I do on canvas, stuff I’ll just paint myself and sell. Sometimes, people reach out and will want something painted to hang in their house or something like that,” Murphy explained.
As far as post-mural work, Murphy continues to make a name for himself around the Millbrook area and hopes to showcase his art in and around the area. He recently returned from a trip to Illinois for another art opportunity.
“Right now, mural-wise, I just got back from southern Illinois, which is where we are originally from; some friends of mine are opening a coffee shop that we’ve been collaborating on. I was the design consultant guy, so I’ll do anything that involves creative, executive decisions. The job meant everything from wall color to mural placement,” Murphy said.
While up there working on the collaboration, Murphy also submitted a bid to paint a mural for a grade school cafeteria.
Another Millbrook mural can be found just up the road from the Vintage Market work. This mural, which tells a story about Millbrook’s past, present and future, was created by local artist Milton Madison. The mural on the side of the Advanced Appraisal Service building faces the Millbrook Chamber of Commerce.
The city’s mural grant program played a part in Madison’s work. He came up with the concept of the mural and executed it with two of his friends. The mural, which spans the side of the building, uses a wide array of colors to relate the passage of time through a cherished story of the community of
Millbrook.
“I wanted to use colors that would really pop. We also found out that this building used to be a post office, so the owners wanted to incorporate a postman. They didn’t really know what else they wanted, so we came together to try and figure out what people do and what people say. I started thinking that the community has been here for a long time,” Madison explained.
With the community’s history in his head, Madison began thinking about past, present and future of the community and incorporated it into the piece.
One of the most stunning aspects to this mural is the sun’s rays etched across the cinderblocks. Though Milton’s original plan to have the rays extend across the entirety of the wall didn’t pan out, the piece catches eyes by the different colors and hues.
Past the sun’s rays is the depiction of a postman, and just past the postman Madison painted a group of children, which he believes are the connective tissue of the community.
“The children are the connective tissue for the community, being that tomorrow –that future. The postman is supposed to be a representation of happiness. You know when you get a letter as a kid, you’re all excited, so the postman is supposed to be delivering good news,” Madison explained.
The next time you’re near Millbrook, make your way to Main Street. Seeing beautiful works of art like Murphy’s and Madison’s just might add a pop of color to your day.
This mural vignette offers a nod to the building’s post office past Rich colors and unique materials keep the murals interesting Another mural focuses on the city’s recreational opportunitiesanae Morgan has turned on the Millbrook art scene since she joined the City as cultural arts and special events director to boost local tourism and manage a new arts center on Grandview Avenue. Her hire, which took place last April, is a key factor in the development of a town center area for economic benefit, cultural arts and special events, Mayor Al Kelley said.
“Art tourism is a growing industry.
Danae will not only take our existing events to another level but also introduce new programming that will involve art, music, festivals, performances and more,” Kelley explained.
Morgan brings more than 23 years of arts administration experience to the new position. As Montgomery’s cultural arts director and executive director of the Arts Council of Montgomery and director of the Armory Learning Arts Center, she
in a restored historic home.
Her timing couldn’t have been better. About 18 months ago, the City purchased a small three-bedroom home adjacent to the Millbrook Civic Center and close to City offices. The original plan was to tear down the house and use the large lot for parking; instead, the building is being renovated to provide exhibit space for local artists, as well as classrooms for art and music programs.
“It will be called The Art Mill. It’s near the site of an old mill,” Morgan said in early January. “Everything has been freshened up inside. It’s been painted, and we installed new lighting that will
showcase the art exhibits in the three main rooms. We’ll start on the exterior this month, and we hope to have the ribbon cutting in February or March with classes starting in March.”
The grand opening will include a wine and cheese reception featuring some 150 pieces in an Elmore County Art Guild exhibit. Rotating exhibits will keep the gallery content fresh and ensure that visitors will have reason to return often.
Bedrooms in the 1600-square-foot center have been converted to creative spaces for children’s art classes, oneon-one lessons and small group activities. The garage will be set up as an indoor/outdoor pottery room with a kiln, pottery wheel and ample shelving for projects. Morgan said she’s building a list of people who could teach at the new center.
The large yard will host yoga classes, plein aire painting opportunities and elegant weddings in the shade of moss-laden oldgrowth oak trees.
“We’re very close to the creek, and we’re hoping to create a creek walk on Mill Creek. The whole complex with the park will be a walkable space,” she explained. “Millbrook is a new city. We don’t have a historic downtown, but everything we’ve done is growing. We want to bring quality of life to the community. We want it to be fun and colorful and invoke creativity.”
Morgan will expand existing local events, such as the annual Mardi Gras celebration, as well as bring new festival projects to the community. She also will coordinate the growth of the farmers’ market and will promote the town’s murals to local residents and visitors. She will foster partnerships with community groups, nonprofits, schools, businesses, foundations and cul -
tural organizations.
Executive Director of the Millbrook Area Chamber of Commerce Brenda Dennis said the area will stand out as a place where people want to live, work and visit with Morgan’s help.
“It’s like having a vitamin shot to the city’s overall economic health,” Dennis said.
In addition, Morgan will promote the city’s murals. Earlier this month, the City appropriated funds for a mural grant project to promote art tourism and economic development. Recipients will be reimbursed up to $6,000 after a 20 percent match of the total project cost has been met.
“Mural programs in other cities have proven to create jobs, attract investments, generate tax revenue and stimulate local economies,” Mayor Kelley said.
Businesses within city limits will be eligible to apply for the grants, which will be awarded based on property requirements, location and proposed content.
“Murals aren’t just about slapping paint on the side of a building. They’re about bringing communities together to tell a shared story; and then, sharing that story with the rest of the world,” said Dennis.
For Morgan, who is passionate about her adopted hometown and the potential positive impact of arts programming, the mural grants and The Art Mill are steps in the right direction.
“Momentum has been building here for a while,”
