Tallassee Tribune June 14 2023

One injured in train-truck collision

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

“There

CELEBRATE SUMMER

Summer Fest returns with new attractions

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

The Tallassee Chamber of Commerce is hosting Summer Fest again to provide a community event as summer begins.

It started with humble beginnings in downtown Tallassee just four years ago but has grown to now include more than 50 vendors for this year’s event.

“We did the very first one as a sidewalk sale here in the historic district,” Tallas-

see Chamber of Commerce executive director Jerry Cunningham said. “For two years it was downtown and then because of all the construction we moved it to city hall.” SummerFest will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday on the Tallassee City Hall lawn and gazebo. Cunningham said there will be a few new things not seen at SummerFest in the past.

“We will have a petting zoo and pony rides for the

children sponsored by the Tallassee Police Department and the Tallassee Fire Department,” Cunningham said. “We’ve added another water slide for the kids too.

Just in case a large cooling station will be set up in the middle of the vendors. The 20x40 tent will have two misting fans.

“It hasn’t been too hot yet, but it could be,” Cunningham said. “This will be a good thing to have if it

In Recovery

Local animal sanctuary caring for shot dog

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

BamBam is getting the care he needs after he was shot last Saturday. BamBam was found shot in the face by Sunny Ward, of Tallassee, who sought help in caring for the wounded pet. Soon after, Lake Martin Animal Sanctuary’s Jennie Zinn and supporters got BamBam to care at a local veterinary clinic.

Zinn said an X-ray at the vet office showed BamBam was hit only once by a gunshot. Ward said Sunday she heard four shots before finding BamBam.

“BamBam was shot in the head and the bullet fragmented,” Zinn said. “Part of it came out of his neck and another struck and broke parts of his jaw before exiting. Another part remains in

“He is doing great considering,” Zinn said Tuesday night. “He’s eating and drinking and trying to play. He’s going up to staff trying to get in laps. He’s licking and loving on them. He’s so sweet.”

Learning doesn’t stop for summer in robotics camp

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

Many rising fifth graders are at home for the summer. Some are reading, more are playing video

games. Some are going on vacations and others are playing sports. But for a few soon-to-be fifth and sixth graders in Tallassee, school was in session last

SUBMITTED THE TRIBUNE

BamBam rests at Lake Martin Animal Sanctuary following treatment for a gunshot wound. BamBam was shot last Saturday by an unknown suspect.

CLIFF WILLIAMS THE TRIBUNE

Ben Speak, right, a rising fifth grader in Tallassee helps assemble a VEX robot as Southside Middle School hosted a robotics camp last week.The aim of the camp was to introduce students to engineering

Obituaries

WILLIE LOU MAYFIELD

Willie Lou Mayfield, 95, a former resident of Lilburn, GA, was born on April 30, 1928, in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, and passed away on June 7, 2023. She was a loving mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, great friend, and dedicated wife to Hayward E. Mayfield who were married on Dec. 16, 1950, for 70 years. Mrs. Mayfield is preceded in dead by her husband, her parents Homer and Berta Lynn, her brother Billy Lynn, her sisters Blanche L. Cox and Peggy Ann Lynn, and her precious daughter Beverly Ann Mayfield. She is survived by her son Michael. E.

MRS. MARTHA “JEAN” MCCARTY

Mrs. Martha “Jean” McCarty, a resident of Montgomery, Alabama, formerly of Tallassee, Alabama, passed away Saturday, June 10, 2023, at the age of 87. She was born February 6, 1936, in Tallassee, Alabama, to James Whitt and Melvin Vernell Hornsby.

Mrs. McCarty is survived by her daughter, Carol Eason; brother, Wayne Hornsby (Becky); sisters, Ruth Wallace and Jeanette Lambert; her best friend for more than 70 years,

Police Reports

JUNE 12

• A domestic incident was reported on Darnell Road.

• Assistance was given to a motorist on Central Boulevard.

• A suspicious person was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

JUNE 11

• A verbal altercation was reported on Third Avenue.

• Criminal mischief was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• Assistance was given to a citizen on Elm Street.

• A civil disturbance was reported on Second Avenue.

• A juvenile complaint was reported on Godwin Road.

• Unauthorized use of a vehicle was reported on Clover Street.

• A disorderly subject was reported on Hillcrest Street.

• Trespassing was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• Panhandling was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• A motor vehicle accident with no injuries was reported on Notasulga Road.

JUNE 10

• A motor vehicle accident with no injuries was reported on Notasulga Road.

• Theft was reported on Sims Avenue.

• A juvenile complaint was reported on Little Road.

• A noise complaint was reported on Little Road.

• A private property motor vehicle accident was reported on Macedonia Road.

• Panhandling was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• A white male was arrested on U.S. Highway 231.

• A domestic dispute was re-

(Rhonda) Mayfield; her grandchildren Jennifer L. Mayfield, Matthew E. Mayfield, Amy Mayfield; many nieces and nephews on both sides of the family. She grew up in the Reeltown area and graduated from Reeltown High School. After high school, she went to work in the cotton mill where she met her future husband. After they married she helped send him to college at Auburn where he graduated. She then traveled with her husband in

Betty Singleton; grandchildren, Erik Eason (Candice), Evan Eason and Elis Eason (Sherri); great grandchildren, Hannah Eason, Ella Eason, Avery Eason, Eyan Eason, Amil Eason and Emily Eason; several nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, James Whitt and Melvin Vernell Hornsby and her son, Dennis McCarty; five brothers and sisters. Mrs. McCarty attended Macedonia Christian Church while raising her children and living in Tallassee,

ported on Birch Street.

• Assistance was given to a motorist on Hall Farm Road.

• Reckless driving was reported on Highway 229.

JUNE 9

• Gunfire was reported on Gen. Chappy James Street.

• A domestic incident was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• Animal control was requested on Rushing Circle.

• Assistance was given during a medical call on Gilmer Avenue.

• An animal complaint was reported on White Oak Lane.

• A stolen vehicle was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• A domestic complaint was reported on Grimes Street.

• A white female was arrested on Burt Mill Road.

• Assistance was given to medics on Hillcrest Street.

• A suspicious person was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• Menacing was reported on Gen. Chappy James Street.

• A prowler was reported on Central Boulevard.

JUNE 8

• Trespassing was reported on Macedonia Road.

• Animal control was requested on Gilmer Avenue.

• A fight was reported on Gen. Chappy James Street.

• Assistance was given to a motorist on Softball Way.

• A motor vehicle accident with no injuries was reported on Central Avenue.

• A domestic incident was reported on Grimes Street.

• A white male was arrested during a domestic incident call on Ashurst Avenue.

• Reckless endangerment was

week at robotics camp at Southside Middle School. It is all to exercise the most valuable organ in the human body — the brain.

support of his work while raising two wonderful children. They settled in Nashville, TN, prior to permanently retiring in Lilburn, GA, where their son and family resided. Since they were Christians, there is no doubt that they passed through the pearly gates without a hitch. They are enjoying all the fruits that were waiting for them as quintessential examples for fellow Christians to follow during the time they spent here on Earth. Graveside services will be Friday, June 9, 2023, at 12:00 noon in Reeltown Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to your favorite charity.

Alabama. She was a singer, dancer and excellent cook. “Mimi” was also extremely family-oriented.

The family will receive friends Friday, June 16, 2023, from 10:00AM until funeral time at 11:00AM at Macedonia Christian Church. Burial will follow in Macedonia Christian Church Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, 700 Century Park S., #225, Birmingham, Alabama 35226 - resourcecenter@mdausa.org.

reported on Derry Street.

• Assistance was given to a citizen on Barnett Boulevard.

• A juvenile complaint was filed on Cotton Ridge Road.

• Assistance was given to a citizen on Friendship Road.

• Trespassing was reported on Benson Avenue.

• A white female was arrested during a traffic stop on Highway 229.

• A welfare check was conducted on Freeman Avenue.

• A Black male was arrested during a disorderly subject call on Friendship Road.

JUNE 7

• A welfare check was conducted on Gilmer Avenue.

• Animal control was requested on Griffith Lane.

• Assistance was given to a motorist on Gilmer Avenue.

• Fraud was reported on Central Boulevard.

• A Black male was arrested during a domestic dispute on North Ann Avenue.

• Assistance was given to a citizen on Gilmer Avenue.

• An animal complaint was reported on Second Street.

• An animal complaint was reported on Wallace Drive.

• A suspicious person was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• A suspicious vehicle was reported on Friendship Road.

• A hit and run accident was reported on Friendship Road.

• A stolen vehicle was reported on South Tallassee Drive.

JUNE 6

• Reckless driving was reported on Notasulga Road.

• Gunfire was reported on Parler Street.

• A domestic incident was reported on Cliff Street.

• An animal complaint was reported on Freeman Avenue.

• A white male was arrested on Barnett Boulevard.

• A motor vehicle accident was reported on Central Boulevard.

• A vehicle vs. train accident was reported on Highway 229.

• A suspicious subject was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• A stolen vehicle was reported on Murphy Road.

• Animal control was requested on Benson Avenue.

• A suspicious vehicle was reported on Main Street.

• Harassing communications was reported on Ashurst Avenue.

• A white male was arrested following a vehicle pursuit on Highway 229. JUNE 5

• A suspicious vehicle was reported on E.B. Payne Sr. Drive.

• Forgery was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• Violation of a protection order was reported on Riley Road.

• Drug activity was reported on Gilmer Avenue.

• Reckless driving was reported on Highway 229.

• Burglary was reported on Ice Plant Road.

• Assistance was given to a motorist on Notasulga Road.

• Forgery was reported on Highway 229.

• Theft was reported on Freeman Avenue.

• Assistance was given during a medical call on Gilmer Avenue.

WETUMPKA POLICE DEPARTMENT JUNE 1

• Theft of property was reported on U.S. Highway 231.

Tallassee High School physics and robotics teacher John Hilbish was leading rising fifth and sixth graders through some of the activities he has done with his sophomores and juniors. In fact the high schoolers were the ones helping him.

“I wouldn’t do it without them,” Hilbish said. “This stuff is for high schoolers and the fifth and sixth graders are already getting experience with it”

Hilbish and his team of rising Tallassee juniors brought VEX robots for a week of learning — and fun. Michael Moore will soon be a junior and believes the younger students are getting a great experience.

“It helps them for the future,” Moore said. “When they get to high school they will have already been introduced to a lot of what we do on the robotics team. They will be extremely ready.”

Moore said one of his first experiences with robotics was in a seventh-grade club. But it was something much more simple than the VEX system.

“There were no screws,” Moore said. “You just clicked the pieces together.”

Soon-to-be fifth grader Ben Speak and his team were trying to figure out where they went wrong assembling a claw attachment. But it didn’t take long. They put one screw in the wrong place.

“We did most of this by ourselves,” Speak said. “Once we screw that one in we will be ready to attach our claw.”

Hilbish provided instructions for building the basic robot but the students still experimented some.

“I think it’s awesome,” Speak said. It is really neat. It’s like Legos but is heavy duty. It’s more like electronics mixed with Legos mixed with hangman.”

Hilbish said building the robots in a team atmosphere encourages many soft skills such as collaboration with others, reasoning, problem solving and time management.

“They do a lot of thinking too,” Hilbish said. “Even though they have instructions, problems arise and there is a figuring out that needs to be done.”

Moore said the fifth graders are even doing one of the hardest things he has — the engineering notebook.

“You have to write down everything you do or think, the process you follow,” Moore said.

Hillbish said the engineering notebook teaches valuable skills especially when studying something new or challenging. The engineering notebook is also valuable if the students

chose to compete in VEX and Best Robotics competitions.

“That engineering notebook counts as much as the competition with the robot,” Hillbish said. “Somebody should be able to pick up your engineering notebook and build your robot. It is supposed to be that detailed.”

The engineering notebook keeps track of notes, thoughts, ideas and questions.

“Later on you can come back and write notes that an idea didn’t work,” Hillbish said. “It might be that we modified the instructions to add mass to keep it from tipping.”

Such notes come in handy. Hillbish and the older students created a challenge for the fifth and sixth graders. The game forced the younger students to maneuver their robots to pick up and move balls. With a little practice the another challenge was presented — head-to-head competition and even team competition.

“It forces them to think beyond what the robot can do,” Hillbish said. “Now they think through strategies, do we block for each other and so on.”

Regardless of the outcome of the robot competitions, Hillbish’s mission is the same.

“I’m trying to keep them engaged in learning,” Hillbish said. “Learning doesn’t have to stop for summer. It can continue and will help them be successful as they continue their academic journey.”

MAYFIELD

Turning pens pays homage to past, escape from the present

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

David Thornton likes to pay attention to detail.

His job has him looking over 3D drawings, plans and specifications every day to make sure parts fit together. But about 10 years ago Thornton was seeking a daily break from looking at a computer screen and wanting to use his hands. Thornton soon realized he could mix his attention to detail and pay homage to his grandfather Charles Crump by making writing pens.

“I told my wife I think I’m going to buy a wood lathe,” Thornton said in his Tallassee shop. “She was like we have been married for how long and I never knew that I liked woodworking.”

The lathe arrived soon after and Thornton created his first pens from a few different woods with different appearances. He gave them as Christmas gifts the first year.

“Everyone was like these are really cool,” Thornton said. “We have

never seen anything like this. They were like, ‘Where did you get those?’ I was like, ‘I made them.’”

Quickly, Tallassee Custom Pens was in business.

But Thornton’s journey into working with wood started as a teenager living with Crump in Lanett.

“When he retired he started a woodworking business,” Thornton said. “He did bigger things like puzzles and trucks and boats for kids. His wood business was large enough his stuff was in stores up to Callaway Gardens but also did arts and crafts shows. He needed help at the shows and I tagged along and I picked up a few woodworking tips.”

Crump died and so did Thornton’s woodworking until he realized he needed something to escape and relax his mind from daily routines. Thornton went to drafting school before starting his career as a draftsman and developed a love for writing utensils. It was before computers and all the software used to create today’s 3D models.

“We did everything on a board with paper,” Thornton said. “We used good pens and pencils. It was always nice to have something good to write with.”

At the same time Thornton was tired of using mass produced pens and believed others would appreciate a quality handmade pen.

“When I started turning pens, I wanted something a little different,” Thornton said. “No two are the same. Wood grain is never the same. Finishes are never the same. That is what got me was I can make this and there will never be another one just like it.”

A new wood lathe and a decade later and Thornton stocks a little bit of everything to make his pens. There are wood blanks of Bethlehem olive wood from Israel, Mesquite, local black walnut, teak, stabilized burl, hybrids and resin and wood mixes. There is dyed wood and storied wood such as oak from the tree in “Shawshank Redemption.” He has also

used material from seats and such at Bryant Denny Stadium and Beard Eaves Memorial Coliseum.

In ten years Thornton has developed his eye and feel. He looks at wood and other materials and can imagine the pen in them.

“I start thinking about what component set to use and finish before I ever start turning,” Thornton said. “Now I almost always use gold colored components with walnut because I love the contrast. It makes the dark walnut pop.”

The process of turning pens plays to Thornton’s mindfulness of drafting by thinking about shapes and tolerances in measurements — how things go together.

A rectangle wood blank just larger than a marker is first drilled through the center and a sleeve inserted. Thornton then carefully lines the merged metal and wood in his lathe

CLIFF WILLIAMS THE TRIBUNE

David Thornton presses components of a pen into the walnut barrel he just turned and finished. Pens like it will be available at Arti Gras at Russell Crossroads next month.

Tallassee Talks

Obituaries: 35 cents per word with a $25 charge for picture per paper (Herald, Observer, Tribune). Obituaries are only accepted via the funeral home in charge of arrangements. We do not accept obituaries from individuals.

Weddings, Engagements, Anniversaries, or Birth

Announcements: These significant family events or milestones are 35 cents per word and $25 for a photo and must be emailed to us at announcements@thewetumpkaherald.com. Include name and telephone number. The text for the announcement must be in the body of the email (not as an attachment) and photographs must be sent as a .jpeg attached to the email. Announcements will appear within 10 days in The Herald or The Tribune.

Air your grievances in the right places

Far too often recently, I’ve seen local establishments getting just bashed on social media.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with bad reviews. If a person really receives poor service or is treated badly, then there’s a complaint to be made.

However, these social media posts never seem to be that.

Typically, it’s something along the lines of, “I’ve been going to this place for years, but Friday I went there and it took 45 minutes just to get my meal! I am never going back.”

There are so many flaws in this type of review, and frankly, in this type of thinking.

First and foremost, if you’ve been frequenting a place for years and one night is the reason you’ll turn away from it forever, you need to look at your loyalty. Everyone is entitled to a bad night.

This also doesn’t take into consideration any extenuating circumstances. Maybe someone called in; maybe a person quit without notice the day prior. Could it be the restaurant was incredibly busy, or you ordered a meal more complicated than usual?

But I think most importantly, this is just another example of why social media is a threat to our society. In the past, if you

had a bad night at a restaurant, you may have told your best friend the next day. You certainly wouldn’t have sent out a mass email to all your friends — and, in many cases, a bunch of strangers too — telling everyone your experience.

more money than the menu price for food items — essentially accusing someone of theft.

hamlet of town, there were luck ily many people that rushed to the defense of the restaurant, saying if the issue was taken up with management it would’ve been corrected right away. But not all posts like this are so lucky.

That’s essentially what posting on social media is doing.

It lets an innumerable amount of people see this one bad experience and make judgments from that without knowing a full story.

Moreover, I always wonder to myself if these issues have been brought up with management. Did you speak to someone higher up about an employee you felt was rude, or did you ask to discuss with an owner of a business an issue you’ve had with one of his services?

Accusing someone of theft — or even rude service, increased prices or slow timing — can ruin a small business. And in so many cases, the establishments being critiqued are being done so by people whose businesses are in the same understaffed boat. It seems like now would be the ultimate time for giving some grace.

This story you are about to read took many years to live and several to write.

In 2017, Alabama-based potato chip maker Golden Flake announced it was being bought by Utz, a company out of Pennsylvania.

In May 2018, I noted here in The Tribune about the disappearance of the Golden Flake mascot from the back of the chip bags in a column titled “The Disappearing Clown.” Here’s what I wrote then:

“The back of every Golden Flake bag has featured a clown throwing a potato chip bag into a trash can, saying ‘Don’t litter.’

I always wondered about the identity of this clown. Who is he, and how did he get to appear on every Golden Flake bag?

Recently, I asked Larry, our Golden Flake representative, about the clown, which is being phased out on newer bags of Golden Flake products. He said the clown has always been there and used to have a TV show in Birmingham. Interested, I started looking up Birmingham TV personalities like Country Boy Eddie to see if they once portrayed this clown. But no one knew who he was.”

Moving ahead to July 2019, I

Now, I’m not advocating for “being a Karen.”

People don’t need to call man agement at every turn. However, if there is really an issue, bring it up with someone. I recently saw a post about a local restaurant in Alexander City basically accusing the employees of charging

around an hour for bad service with a rude waitress. But per haps next time this happens, you should consider your reac tion too. A lot can be solved by calmly talking to a manager or taking your issue up with the right person. But going on social media to air your grievances hurts way more people than you might think.

began receiving phone calls from a man who claimed to be the real Flako the Clown — the name of the Golden Flake mascot. He left messages asking me to call him back; the people in my house found it funny, as I suppose they should, I was getting telephone calls from a retired clown. What I found out was very interesting and really beyond the scope of this editorial page — it’s really a story more deserving of a full feature in a Tallapoosa Publishers Inc. magazine, but for now, this space will have to do. The gentleman who was contacting me is a well-known writer, teacher, administrator and businessman in Georgia who just happened to see my little story in The Tallassee Tribune. The man’s real name is Chuck Bowen. Speaking with him led to some of the most enlightening phone calls I’ve ever experienced. He also sends packages with some of his wonderfully enjoyable

Lizi Arbogast Gwin is the managing editor at Tallapoosa Publishers Inc.

essays and articles that have been published regionally. And that doesn’t even include an appearance on “America’s Got Talent” in 2018.

Bowen has had a most interesting career trajectory.

After graduating with a teaching certificate in 1949, he was an educator and school administrator in Georgia during the 1950s including a stint pulling double duty as a principal and eighthgrade teacher earning $119 per month.

Then after serving as the Master of Ceremonies for a Phenix City beauty pageant, the call came to work with renowned news-talk station WBML-AM 900 in Warner Robins, Georgia. From there, he heard about a job at WTVM-TV 9 in Columbus and applied – and spent the 1960s employed at WTVM as a news anchor, reporter and personality.

One of the more fascinating facets of early television was the interchangeability of the on-camera jobs. Even at the big networks, a tough hard-news interviewer like Mike Wallace could also be seen hosting game shows and doing commercials

MICHAEL BIRD Columnist

Tallassee resident and author to appear on Huckabee show

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

Tallassee is going to be on a national network this weekend.

Tallassee resident Willie Moseley is scheduled to tape a segment with former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential nominee Mike Huckabee for Huckabee’s weekly show on the Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN). Moseley’s appearance will center around his latest book “Basses and Guitars: The Huckabee Collection” released earlier this year.

SUBMITTED THE TRIBUNE

ments.”

“We talked about players we had both listened to growing up,” Moseley said. “We talked about instruments, some of the instruments we played in the 60s. We had that common turf as well. We had a lot in common. I didn’t want to talk about politics.”

differences from the regional television programs he has appeared on in the past.

“I understand I will get to go through makeup and hairstyling,” Moseley said. “That should be an interesting experience. It will be better than botox.”

“We will have some of the instruments in the book there to discuss on stage,” Moseley said. “It will be a free sampler from the book of sorts. I will provide details about them and we will talk about some of the stories behind the instruments.”

CELEBRATE

Continued from A1

Moseley is no stranger to writing. He retired from The Tallassee Tribune after 12 years as a reporter but has spent decades writing for Vintage Guitar magazine and writing books mostly about music and instruments.

Moseley’s book on Huckabee’s instrument collection was released earlier this year but doesn’t get into politics. Moseley said he and Huckabee connected over music and instruments and the multiple conversations for the book stuck to just “music and instru -

year to see how the community will engage.

gets hot that day.” It wouldn’t be a summer festival without some sort of contest.

A children’s watermelon eating contest is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., a pet costume contest is at 11 a.m. and the judging for a baking contest starts at 11:30 a.m. Cunningham said the baking contest is something else new this

DOG

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him.”

Zinn said the vet told her BamBam is currently on only oral medications and not being sedated.

“He has a good prognosis,” Zinn said. “He could possibly have issues from the bone fragments but we just don’t know.”

It is still unknown if BamBam’s injured eye will need to be removed.

Zinn said donations to Lake Martin Animal Sanctuary for BamBam so far have covered the treatment from the gunshot wound, but now she is looking to the future for BamBam.

“We still have to do the normal tests and neuter him like we do for adoptions,” Zinn said. “Donors can still donate to those costs. We will also have to vet

COLLISION

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“I saw it at a festival I went to see how they did and things they did,” Cunningham said. “We will have to wait and see how many and what kind of entries we have before creating any categories.”

Registration for all the contests needs to be completed at SummerFest before the start of the watermelon eating.

Mother Moon Pie will open the music in the gazebo about 10

possible fosters and people that would like to care for BamBam.”

Zinn said she is swamped with calls about the investigation but said it is necessary for law enforcement to handle.

The Tallassee Police Department has not identified and police chief Todd Buce is asking if anyone saw the incident Saturday night to contact the police.

Now, BamBam’s former owner is being harassed on social media after he was accused of shooting BamBam.

The Tallassee Police Department is still investigating the shooting and harassment and has concluded the former owner of BamBam had nothing to do with the shooting.

“It is blowing up on social media,” Buce said Tuesday. “Everybody is pointing to [the former owner] as the person who did this but he does

Buce said. “The driver was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.”

Continued from A1

during other dayparts. The same was true at local stations, where a news, sports or weather personality also hosted children’s programming or talk shows.

“Romper Room” is an example of a program concept that was imitated with different hosts at local stations across the country; similarly, Bozo the Clown was licensed to TV stations everywhere. There was a Birmingham Bozo on WBRC-TV 6, for example, as well as the more famous Bozo on WGNTV 9 out of Chicago.

So, being a TV clown was nothing new. There was no real coulrophobia, or fear of evil clowns, in those days. A clown was there for

Moseley said he expects his role in the show to be much the same. “I believe there will be at least three instruments there for us to talk about — the similarities and differences of them,” Moseley said. “We are also going to talk about what he collects and why and the stories behind them.”

Moseley will tape the segment on Friday and is already seeing a few

a.m. followed by Head N South at 11:15 a.m. The area will feature food vendors with kettle corn, snow cones, boiled peanuts and ice cream. MaePop’s Barbecue and The Wharf Casual Seafood will also have trucks there.

“We will have picnic tables set up under tents so people can get out of the sun,” Cunningham said. “We are trying to provide fun, positive events for families and children to do. We are trying to do events that appeal to the entire community.”

not match the description.”

Buce said the alleged shooter of BamBam is described as tall and thin while BamBam’s former owner is described as short and stocky. Buce had investigators and the Tallassee animal control officer visit the former owner whose residence is outside the city limits of Tallassee but within the city’s police jurisdiction.

“They talked to him [Tuesday],” Buce said. “They checked on the welfare of the animals he has. They are all fine, fed, sheltered. They didn’t have any visible issues or problems.”

Buce said Tallassee can’t enforce state animal control laws outside the city limits but the former owner did allow Tallassee animal control to check his current animals.

Buce said BamBam was found by a Tal -

Buce said he could not comment on how or why the accident happened.

“But trains are never at fault in collisions with automobiles,” he said.

The pickup truck was struck in the rear on the driver’s side.

laughs, to take the pie in the face, to juggle or perform magic tricks or be sprayed with seltzer.

Bowen said as a news man, he handled everything from “ripand-read” Associated Press wire stories to covering local news as a reporter in addition to doing advertisements and serving as a booth announcer.

At WTVM, he did it all — including appearing as Flako the Clown on the Golden Flake show.

Bowen remembered how Channel 9 approached him with the job.

“Wanna be a clown?” they asked.

His answer: “Sure!

More money!” You see, Bowen and his wife Syd had already made a career out of dressing up and performing with a traveling

lassee animal control officer in February and soon returned to the owner. The owner surrendered BamBam because he couldn’t afford the care. He said the animal got away from a tether a day or two prior to the shooting in Burnt Springs Mobile Home Community Saturday night.

“His only involvement in this is that it was his dog,” Buce said.

Buce said the former owner said he would surrender BamBam because he couldn’t afford the medical care for the gunshots.

BamBam was shot near the residence of Ward who described the alleged shooter running away as a Black male but didn’t know who he was. She has volunteered to take in BamBam after he recovers.

“We will talk further about where he and I might be staying,” Ward said.

Damage was done to the crossing arm and other equipment at the crossing.

The crossing was closed for two days in March as CSX renovated it and its property on either side of the crossing including in the roadway.

troupe; Syd and Chuck had enough adventures as a performing couple to fill a thousand movie reels, but that’s another story. The end result was if anyone was prepared for the demands of a TV clown, Chuck Bowen was ready.

“You couldn’t make a mistake,” Bowen said of live television in the 1960s. And as a trusted Columbus media personality, Bowen thrilled to his new role on behalf of the potato chip company.

“Save your bags and add up your points,” Flako would say to the kids near the conclusion of his broadcast. Viewers could win prizes like toys and games, even bicycles, if they sent in the points on the back of the Golden Flake bags.

“Clowns have always been a part of entertain -

ment since the earliest circus,” Bowen said when I mentioned the modern-day evil clown persona featured in books and films featuring characters such as Pennywise and the Joker. “Time changes everything. How could you imagine a mascot better than a clown?”

And, boys and girls, that is Chuck Bowen — the proud real-life Flako the Clown on the back of your Golden Flake chip bag, throwing his trash into a barrel that says, “Don’t litter.” Save your bags and add up your points!

Michael Bird is a music teacher at Tallassee High School and radio host on 580 WACQ & FM 98.5 who also enjoys Golden Flake products from Super Foods. Don’t litter!

Moseley said the segment is scheduled to be a part of the Huckabee Show on TBN for Saturday.

“He has more than 2 million cumulative

viewers of the show each week,” Moseley said. “There are also multiple rebroadcasts and it will be online. He also has more than 2.3 million Facebook followers.”

Moseley doesn’t plan to stay around long in Hendersonville, Tennessee after the filming of the segment.

“I will be coming back Saturday morning to Tallassee,” Moseley said. “I will watch the show at home.”

CLOWN

Tallassee resident and author Willie Moseley, left, will appear on Trinity Broadcast Network’s Huckabee Show with Mike Huckabee. Moseley and Huckabee will talk about Moseley’s latest book on Huckabee’s guitar collection.

Everyone learns at ‘Summer Learning Rocks’

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

Kindergarteners, third graders and even teachers learn things at Tallassee Elementary School's “Summer Learning Rocks.”

Educational summer camps at schools are not new. But they are far removed from just being a place for parents to drop children off for the day. Rather than just keep students busy, staff have created a fun environment to help students retain what they have learned already and pick up a few new skills.

“We want to keep their minds engaged,” STEM teacher Peyton Moore said. “We have math and science projects for everyone. Some involve building bridges for play cars and others will build circuits and more.”

Moore was helping soon-to-be first graders think through building a bridge.

“Look at the picture and see how many pieces you need,” Moore said to a group of students struggling just a little. “Does it have the red pieces in it?”

Other students had quickly moved on from the basic bridge in the picture to creating a multi-level structure — something found in New York or ancient Rome.

“You can have cars going different directions on different levels,” Moore told a different group of students.

Moore said the summer program is less rigid than programs during the regular school year.

“We still want them to think about how it works,” she said. “We will count with the kindergarteners but we aren’t testing.”

Art teacher Tara Battles isn’t testing either but it doesn’t mean everything goes off without a hitch. Battles is trying to keep with the theme “Summer Learning Rocks.”

“It is difficult to make everything in art rock related,” Battles said. “We are painting rocks, like the ones you find in lots of places.”

Battles had only 30 minutes twice a week with the students in art so

she limited the themes and colors students could use in the painted rock creations.

“They would never decide what to do,” Battles said. “They had to decide white, yellow or blue last week. Monday they used pens to create the design.”

Battles used what she had available. She used paint, brushes and pens she already had on hand. Moore purchased the flat rocks the students were painting. Battles tried to speed up the process by applying a protective coating to the rocks before the students took them home. She used Mod Podge for the first time on the combination of rocks, paint and pens.

“Elizabeth [Sharpe], I have bad news but we are going to work it out,” Battles said. “I tried to put a top coat on your rock and it smeared. I now know not to do that again. I was trying to protect it for you to take home.”

The week before Sharpe with Battles help created a fish on a blue background. Battles already painted another rock blue in preparation for another try.

“Do you want to retry your fish again?” Battles asked.

Sharpe nodded in acknowledgement. Battles knew Sharpe needed a little help and already had PlayDoh at the ready for the other students. Battles helped Sharpe with a new fish. Haley Thornton used a pen to put stars on her American flag themed rock. Other students practiced creating shapes and compositions with cut PlayDoh.

Nearing the end of the 30 minutes of art class, Battles looked around.

“Elizabeth, let's let this dry for a bit,” Battles said. “Those of you with PlayDoh, please make sure the lids are on tight.”

The students quickly lined up to go visit physical education teacher Terrel Brown where they played volleyball with an earth inspired ball.

It gave Battles a chance to clean up and get ready for the next group.

“It’s fast but fun,” she said. “We are able to introduce a lot of students to art this way.”

Humane Society of Elmore County News

Make sure your pets are ready for disaster

By REA CORD HSEC Executive Director

June is National Pet

Preparedness Month to encourage pet owners to plan ahead for the worst case. For our area, tornados, hurricanes and fire are probably the most likely and all of us should plan for our family’s safety, including our pets.

The first step is to find a safe place to stay whether that is a friend, family member, emergency shelter run by a local organization (many of which will not accept pets or will have a limit as to how many) or even a pet-friendly hotel outside of the affected area.

Most humane societies or animal shelters in our area are unable to board pets during a disaster as shelters tend to have heavy intake before bad weather and are simply full of homeless pets of varying temperaments and health issues.

Identifying when to evacuate is perhaps the most important step as evacuating with a pet can sometimes slow you down a bit, so be sure to leave early to give yourself the extra travel time.

Ensure your pet is wearing a collar, rabies tag and identification tag (we can

make custom tags at our shelter) and if at all possible, a microchip — call your veterinarian and make sure your contact information is current.

Keep your pets leashed and if your pets are traveling in a carrier, be sure to secure identification to the travel carrier.

Having a crate large enough to accommodate a cat and its litter box, food and water is important for cat owners as your cat(s) might have to stay in that crate for more than a few days. It will be fine and better to leave it a well-appointed crate than losing it when you open a car or hotel room door.

Crating your dog while staying in a new area will protect your dog just the same. Prepare a Pet Evacuation and Disaster Kit in a sturdy, waterproof carrier containing: Food for a minimum of three days for each pet, can opener for any canned pet food, bottled water for a minimum of seven days for each pet, food/water bowls, leashes/ harnesses/pet carriers, bedding, pet medications, copies of pet medical records, litter/litter box for cats, disposable bags for pet waste, current photos and

Pet of the Week - Martha

description of your pets to help identify them if you were to become separated, as well as toys/treats that may help distract/calm your pet.

Take and store photos of your pets in your cell phone along with their tag and microchip numbers so you can access them in the event you lose or cannot get to stored records. If you are away and your pets are under the care of a friend/neighbor or even a boarding facility, make sure they have a pet information sheet with your pet’s description, ID tag and microchip numbers, photo, veterinarian address and contact info, information on feeding schedules, medical conditions, and behavioral issues. Also make sure your pet caregiver knows how to contact you in the event of an emergency and where you have gone. There is no better time to prepare than right now. For more tips, go to: https://www.ready.gov/ pet-toolkit or https://www. aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/disaster-preparedness.

Rea Cord is the executive director of the Humane Society of Elmore County.

Martha is a 2-yearold female Lab mix who weighs about 55 pounds. She came to the shelter as a stray but was never reclaimed. She is a very low key gal who would make a great couch potato buddy. She is good with other dogs as long as they are also low-key as she is not a fan of high-energy dogs. The Humane Society of Elmore County’s adoption fees are $100

for dogs and $50 for cats under 1 year old. Cats over 1 can be adopted by approved adopters for a fee of their choosing. This adoption fee covers the mandatory spay or neuter, basic immunizations, deworming, microchip, heartworm check for dogs, rabies vaccination if old enough and a free health exam with your participating veterinar-

ian. If you are interested in meeting Cola or any of the pets at HSEC, the first step is to fill out an adoption application online. Once approved, you will be contacted by someone from the humane society. HSEC is located at 255 Central Plank Road in Wetumpka. The phone number is 334-567-3377 and the website is www.elmorehumane.org.

CLIFF WILLIAMS | THE TRIBUNE

TOP: Haley Thornton, 10, adds stars to her American Flag rock Tuesday.Tara Battles and other staff at Tallassee Elementary School are hosting a summer learning camp “Summer Learning Rocks” where most activities are based around rocks and geology.

ABOVE: Elizabeth Sharpe, 10, repaints her rock after a coating smeared the first try in Tara Battles art room Tuesday. BOTTOM: Rising Tallassee Elementary School first grader Aniyah Peaks reaches into the box of parts to create a bridge as the school hosts a summer learning camp “Summer Learning Rocks.”

Embracing Juneteenth

Greetings from the corner of Bridge and Bridge! I do hope everyone reading this column is doing well as the dog days of summer approach.

High humidity and pop-up thunderstorms will be our norm for the next few months.

In just a few days, our nation will observe another Monday federal holiday: Juneteenth.

The holiday was established in 2021 by the Biden administration.

The reason for the holiday has been celebrated since June 19, 1865 — the day Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army issued an order all slaves in Texas be freed.

U.S. President Abra -

REV. JONATHAN YARBORO Columnist

ham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. That document did not fully end the practice of chattel slavery in the United States. It granted freedom to all slaves held in the states of the Confederacy. It would take 2 ½ years for that proclamation to be enforced in the state of Texas.

The creation of a federal holiday in recognition of Juneteenth was and continues to be met with controversy. The action is heralded

by some as a step in the right direction for our country and lamented as what is wrong with these United States by others. As is always the case, differences of opinion do not have to lead to division.

I attended Ramsay High School from 1980-1984, a Birmingham City School located just below Vulcan on Birmingham’s southside. Ramsay was a magnet school at the time I attended. Any student living in the city limits could apply.

A placement test was part of the admission process. The test results were used for placement purposes in the registration process. I discovered many

years after graduation the main function of that test was to ensure a racially balanced incoming freshman class each year — 50/50 Black to white. By the time my class reached graduation, the racial makeup was closer to 60/40 Black to white. I cannot remember a single time the racial makeup of our class was ever a topic of discussion at the school. It was never an issue.

Obviously, racial makeup, for some reason, was an issue for the powers that be in the Birmingham City School System at that time.

Birmingham was just 15 years removed from the height of the

Tallassee Churches

Civil Rights Movement and 18 years from the bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church. Racial inequality and its resulting destruction were a known commodity.

I do not claim to know the school board’s motive regarding Ramsay’s admission criteria. I do fully claim its outcome. I attended a public high school in Birmingham, Alabama in the early 1980s that was intentionally racially balanced, and there were little to no incidents of racial tension during my entire four years there. Simply put, race was not an issue.

Acknowledging a significant moment in our nation’s history does

not have to become any kind of issue. It affords opportunity to learn from the past and improve on the future. People of every race and ethnicity can benefit from thinking about what Juneteenth is all about.

The best part is no one has to be demonized in the process.

Division separates supposed winners from losers. When history is examined honestly and sincerely by all, everybody wins. The painful realities of the past can be avoided. Just ask any member of Ramsay Class of 1984.

Rev. Jonathan Yarboro is the Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Wetumpka.

Dalton MiDDleton SportS eDitor dalton.middleton@thewetumpkaherald.com

Position change sparks Stanhope Elmore’s Walls

By DALTON MIDDLETON Sports Editor

When Stanhope Elmore needed someone to step up and start at catcher this season, the Mustangs turned to one of their veterans.

Colton Walls, who is signed to play baseball and football at Troy this upcoming year, had some of the most experience behind the

plate as he played catcher as a kid growing up. So he took on the responsibility and made the move from third base to catcher. In the process, he completely dominated in the field, at the plate, and on the mound as Stanhope Elmore reached the AHSAA Class 6A semifinals for the first time since 2006. Walls hit .491 with 17

Tubbs leads Holtville to Class 5A state title

By DALTON MIDDLETON Sports Editor

Holtville head baseball

coach Scott Tubbs knew his 2023 baseball team would have enough talent to make another run, but they needed an identity.

The Bulldogs were coming off a state championship run, where they lost in three games to Russellville. They then lost their best pitcher and four other starters to graduation and had to plug in new faces all across the diamond.

Despite putting in younger players with little experience, Holtville overcame adversity nearly every week and put together a postseason run for the ages.

After clinching the area championship, the Bulldogs lost the first game of the first three rounds of the playoffs but went on to win all three series. They then swept their way through the semifinals and championship series and won the first baseball state title for Holtville since 1983.

For his team’s ability to overcome adversity and claim the state championship, Tubbs has been named the 2023 All-Elmore County Baseball Coach of the Year.

“With a tough schedule early this year, we had a lot of trouble finding our identity,” Tubbs said. “We were having a hard time. But we stuck with our younger guys that didn’t have experience and they were able to get more confident. Then they were able to

make the plays when it mattered.”

Holtville faced a gauntlet schedule this year. Tubbs did not make the team’s schedule until after the Bulldogs finished last year, and a lot of other schedules were full. Some teams didn’t want to play the 5A runner-ups, so Tubbs made his schedule with whoever he could get to play the team.

And that resulted in some early losses.

Coming out of Spring Break, Holtville had a 10-8 record and didn’t have an identity. In those 18 games, the Bulldogs faced the best pitcher on the opposing team 13 times. That resulted in some humbling losses to teams like Opelika, Stanhope Elmore, Collierville and Mosley.

But then Holtville started to find its way and found a resilient personality. The Bulldogs got into area play and were more than ready to face whatever arms opposing teams would throw at them.

They finished the regular season winning eight of their last 11 and entered a first-round playoff matchup against one of the best teams in the state. But Holtville was prepared due to that early schedule.

“You have to use the regular season as an opportunity to figure out what you have and what works for you as a group,” Tubbs said.”

That’s what we did even when we lost games. But I’ll be honest. The one

doubles, five home runs and 43 RBIs. On the mound, he had an 8-0 record with a 1.20 earned run average and struck out 66 batters compared to nine walks. In the field, he had a .980 fielding percentage. For his success, he has been named the 2023 AllElmore County Baseball

2023 ALL-ELMORE COUNTY BASEBALL TEAM

By DALTON MIDDLETON Sports Editor

The 2023 baseball season has come to an end, and Elmore County across the board proved to be one of the best counties across the state in terms of baseball. All six teams reached the playoffs and five reached at least the second round.

Holtville, led by Coach of the Year Scott Tubbs, won the Class 5A championship. Elmore County and Tallassee each reached the second round of the playoffs, while Stanhope Elmore and Edgewood Academy both earned bids to the semifinals.

Stanhope’s Colton Walls had one of best seasons of anyone in the state, and earned the Elmore County Player of the Year honor in the process. The senior Troy signee hit .491 with 17 doubles, five home runs and 43 RBIs. On the mound, he had an 8-0 record with a 1.20 earned run

average and struck out 66 batters compared to nine walks. In the field, he had a .980 fielding percentage. He wasn’t the only player who saw successful seasons as many county players have picked up statewide honors in the postseason. Here is the 2023 All-Elmore County Baseball Team.

FIRST TEAM

DREY BARRETT, HOLTVILLE INF/P

Barrett had a stellar season both at the plate and on the mound for the Bulldogs this season. He hit .366 with 45 hits, 15 doubles, two triples, five home runs, and 43 RBIs. On the mound, he went 6-3 with a 2.64 earned run average with 61 strikeouts. He was 5-0 in the playoffs with five complete games.

TY BROOKS, WETUMPKA INF Wetumpka’s star shortstop and South Alabama signee had a knack for getting on base this season. Brooks led

the Indians with a .485 batting average and .626 on base percentage. He walked 27 times and stole 14 bases. He had a 99% fielding percentage and made only one error on the year.

EVAN DUNCAN, STANHOPE ELMORE OF/P Like most of his Stanhope Elmore counterparts, Duncan got it done both on the mound and at the plate this season. The hard-throwing senior went 6-0 on the mound with one save and a 1.44 ERA. At the plate, he hit .301 with 12 extra base hits and 15 stolen bases and 42 RBIs.

CADE EVERSON, TALLASSEE OF The Tallassee baseball team made it way back to the playoffs this season, and junior Cade Everson was a big reason why. The outfielder was the leading hitter as he racked up a team-high .467 batting

See BASEBALL, Page B2

ELMORE COUNTY BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

ELMORE COUNTY BASEBALL COACH OF THE YEAR

FILE | THE TRIBUNE

Drey Barrett Ty Brooks Evan Duncan

Payton Hall Walker Hall Tanner Potts

Sam Silas Payton Stephenson

Cade Everson

Chase Williams

thing that really made a difference for this team was nobody cared who got the accolades. Everybody just wanted to win and help the team in whatever role that was.”

Holtville entered the postseason 18-11, and the Bulldogs got punched in the face immediately. After losing starter Markus Broderick to injury just before the playoffs, Mobile Christian came out and run-ruled Holtville, 11-0, in the first game of the first round.

Tubbs said he sensed some doubt following the first loss but didn’t let the Bulldogs think about it for long. He told them to not let the Game 1 loss define them, and they certainly didn’t.

The Bulldogs bounced back in Game 2 and runruled the Leopards right back, 13-3, and knocked around 16 hits.

The two teams came back the next day and Holtville won Game 3, 12-6, to advance to the second round.

“When we beat them by 10 runs in that second game, our guys knew we had it,” Tubbs said.

“We had just run-ruled the team that was probably favored to win the whole thing. After that, it just started to click and we started playing some good baseball.”

That wasn’t the last of the adversity Holtville faced, however.

The Bulldogs lost Game 1 of the second round to Elmore County and Game 1 of the third round to Headland, but battled back and won both series.

Tubbs didn’t let the losses change how his team played, and he saw the resiliency that his team learned early with the tough schedule.

After the Game 3 walk-off hit over Headland, another injury took place in Holtville’s top base runner. After scoring the game-winning run, Aiden Perry went down with a torn ACL.

But for Holtville and Tubbs, it was just the next-man-up mentality.

“You hate it for the guys who got hurt because you never want them to get hurt and want them to have the same opportunities as everyone else, but we had other guys step up and play well in those roles,” Tubbs said. “It forces your hand on some things, but it worked out for us because the new guys who stepped in played some of the biggest roles in the playoffs. Good things happen when you try to play the game the right way.”

By the time Holtville reached the playoffs, nothing could phase the Bulldogs. That showed as Holtville found itself down by two runs in the seventh inning of Game 1. Holtville had been no-hit through 4 ⅔ innings but put it together late with a huge rally. After a walk, three singles and a sacrifice fly later, Holtville led 3-2 and stunned Sardis in Game 1. Holtville then carried that momentum into Game 2 and turned an early 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 win and a championship series sweep.

“I think by the time we got to the finals and were losing 2-0, you never saw panic in anybody on our staff or our team,” Tubbs said. “We had been there. Getting to the finals last year helped us understand the magnitude of the game as well. It was new for us last year, but we came in with a sense of being relaxed this year. They never panicked.”

Local softball players named All-State

By DALTON MIDDLETON Sports Editor

A few of the area’s best softball players picked up statewide honors on Thursday morning.

The Alabama Sports Writers Association released its annual softball All-State teams, and schools from Elmore County were well represented.

Overall, 11 players from the county were selected by sports writers across the state. In Class 6A, Wetumpka led the way with four total players. Junior Mya Holt, senior Ashlynn Campbell, and sophomore Lily Davenport were all named first team while junior Ella Watson was named honorable mention. Holt, named first team as a pitcher, was also named Class 6A’s Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year. The Troy commit had a 37-4 record with a 0.74 earned run average and 223 strikeouts. At the plate, she hit .512 with 20 home runs and 96 RBIs. Campbell, named first team infielder, hit .534 with 102 hits, six doubles, three triples, two home runs, 48 RBIs, 90 runs, 28 walks, 78 stolen bases and only five strikeouts. She led the state in runs, hits and stolen bases. Davenport was named to the first team as a

BASEBALL Continued from B1

Elmore County’s Ashtyn Pannell was named All-State after hitting .381 with 19 doubles, eight triples, 12 home runs, and 65 RBIs.

designated hitter, and finished her sophomore year with a .425 batting average with nine home runs, 15 doubles, and 58 RBIs. Watson finished her junior year with a 15-2 record on the mound with a 1.42 ERA and hit .370 with seven home runs and 47 RBIs. She was listed as a utility player.

Stanhope Elmore’s Jada McLeod was also named honorable mention at designated hitter after finishing her junior

average, nearly 100 points higher than anyone else on the team.

PAYTON HALL, ELMORE COUNTY P/1B

Payton Hall has always been one of Elmore County’s best pitchers, but he took that to a new level during his senior campaign. The right-handed ace went 7-0 this year with a 1.83 ERA and struck out 77 batters in only 55.1 innings. At the plate, he hit .380 with six doubles and 25 RBIs.

WALKER HALL, EDGEWOOD ACADEMY P Hall proved himself as one of the best pitchers in AISA this season. Edgewood Academy’s ace went 6-1 on the mound with a 1.71 earned run average in 61.1 innings. He allowed only 15 earned runs while he struck out 66 batters and walked only 13. In the playoffs, he went 4-0 and pitched three complete game shutouts.

CHANGE Continued from B1

Player of the Year. “His versatility was one of the key factors to the team’s success all season long,” Stanhope coach DK Shuman said. “For him to put up those kinds of numbers hitting in the 3-hole against the level of competition we played alone is a testament to his ability, but for him to have the same level of success on the mound shows how versatile of a ball player he is.”

When Walls moved to catcher, it not only helped out the team but it helped him out as a player both at the plate and in the field. Walls already pitched and hit for the Mustangs, so he was used to seeing pitches

year with a .426 batting average, 11 home runs, 15 doubles, 46 RBIs, and 40 runs scored. In Class 5A, Holtville sophomore Bailea Boone was the only county player to be named to the first team. She was listed as an outfielder, and shined this year as Holtville’s leadoff hitter. She had a county-best .560 averaged with 54 runs scored and 47 stolen bases. Tallassee’s Brooke Royster (utility) and Elmore County’s Ash-

TANNER POTTS, HOLTVILLE INF/P

Potts was another Bulldog who played a key role in the state championship run. Playing third base and pitcher, Potts hit .333 with 44 hits, 12 doubles, and 32 RBIs. He was just as effective on the mound as he racked up an 8-3 record with a 3.41 ERA in 67.2 innings. He went 5-0 in the playoffs with five complete games.

SAM SILAS, HOLTVILLE INF Silas, a Jacksonville State signee, played his best baseball when the lights were the brightest. He hit .400 with 50 hits, eight doubles, one triple, three home runs, 27 RBIs, 49 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases. He was named the Class 5A championship game MVP after leading Holtville to the title.

PAYTON STEPHENSON, ELMORE COUNTY INF Elmore County’s Stephenson proved once again that he was one of the top shortstops in the state of Alabama as he hit .432 with

and understood the strike zone. But when he got behind the plate, he was able to understand the strike zone even better both as a hitter and catcher. He also learned the different umpires and how they called pitches, and he was able to use that to his advantage. That showed as he struck out only 10 times on the year and was able to work a .601 on-base percentage. He was walked 22 times and hit by pitch another 12 times. That was due to him understanding the zones and understanding pitch sequences.

“Playing catcher helped him gain a better understanding of how pitchers attack hitters based on strengths and weaknesses,” Shuman said. “That also helped in his approach and on

tyn Pannell (designated hitter) were listed on the second team. Royster had a 2.22 ERA in the circle this season and hit .430 with 25 extra base hits and 58 RBIs. Pannell helped lead Elmore County to a third-place finish in Class 5A with a .381 average with 19 doubles, eight triples, 12 home runs and 65 RBIs.

Holtville’s Taylor Price was named honorable mention as a pitcher. She finished the year with an 18-3 record

six home runs, five doubles, three triples, and 31 RBIs. He stole 25 bases and only struck out seven times the entire season. He was walked 22 times and hit by a pitch seven times.

CHASE WILLIAMS, STANHOPE ELMORE OF Williams has made a name for himself with his speed the last few seasons, but the senior speedster showed he can also hit for power. The outfielder hit .313 this year with 15 doubles, five triples, and six home runs. He still showed off his speed with 19 stolen bases and a team-high 43 runs scored.

SECOND TEAM

Drew Allison, Edgewood Academy INF Brodie Cockrell, Stanhope Elmore P Randy Davis, Holtville P/1B Trent Harris, Wetumpka P Brock Herring, Elmore County OF Braxton Potts, Holtville OF Zach Stevens, Stanhope

the mound. It helped how he attacked hitters and helped identify holes in opposing batter’s swing and timings.” Another thing that helped lead to his success at the plate was the talent around him. It was no secret he was surrounded with talent in the lineup. The first four batters in Stanhope Elmore’s lineup were all signed or committed to play at a high-level junior college or a Division I school.

All four batters — Walls, Zach Stevens, Chase Williams and Evan Duncan — all hit over .300 and had a combined 19 home runs. That made it to where nobody could pitch around Walls. Duncan hit behind him and had 12 extra base hits and 42 RBIs.

“I had a lot of

protection in the lineup,” Walls said.

in the circle and a 2.37 ERA.

Two of Edgewood Academy’s stars were selected in AISA. Junior catcher Lindsey Brown was listed on first team, while senior infielder Jaylyn Strength was listed on second team. Brown had a teamhigh .441 average with 30 extra base hits, 66 runs, and 47 stolen bases.

Strength hit .300 this season with 12 extra base hits, 21 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.

Elmore INF Ethan Walls, Stanhope Elmore INF Davis Wells, Wetumpka C/OF Clark Wood, Elmore County INF Colin Woodham, Stanhope Elmore P/INF

HONORABLE MENTION

EDGEWOOD ACADEMY: INF Ethan Evans, OF Hunter Reaves, DH Jackson Hudson, P Logan Moomey. ELMORE COUNTY: UTIL Brandon White, P Cooper Rogers, C Shea Darnell, INF/P Jaden Eason HOLTVILLE: OF Weston Tubbs, DH Lane Talley, C Randy Bridges, OF Markus Broderick.

STANHOPE ELMORE: INF Hayden Anderson, OF Tevin Landrum, P Dylan Dent, P Tyler Woodham, P/ INF Jackson Stallworth.

TALLASSEE: INF/P Brady Mason, P/ OF Jackson Rhodes, OF/P Mason Stewart.

WETUMPKA: P/1B Jaxon Shineflew, P Kurtis Schuyler, INF Mason Fuller, C Logan Fawcett.

“It’s always good to have players around you that can scare the other team. Anytime Chase, Zach or Evan stepped up to the plate, they could hit the ball out of the park. That made pitchers have to pitch to me this year and that helped me out.” When it came to his success on the mound, it was basic. Walls threw strikes. He gave up only 16 free bases this season and that came from nine walks and seven hits by pitch.

Every time Walls took the mound, his approach was just to hit his spots and throw strikes. He said if he could do that, he knew opposing players would make normal high school batter mistakes.

So he filled up the zone as best he could with his high velocity and dangerous breaking balls, and hitters had trouble catching up to the ball. He struck out 66 batters in 52.2 innings, and allowed only 28 hits during that same span. He had a .147 batting average against him and had a WHIP of 0.70.

“He’s always thrown strikes,” Shuman said. “He’s done a good job of working ahead in counts and being competitive around the zone. He improved both his breaking ball and his changeup, and he got more confident in throwing them in any count. His ability to throw those pitches kept hitters off balanced and always guessing up there.”

County approves bid for 17 Springs

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

The Elmore County Commission gave its go ahead at its Monday meeting to proceed with Phase 2 of 17 Springs.

The commission approved a bid with Stone Builders Inc. but the final number is yet to be fully determined, but officials are hoping for something around $70 million. The costs would be spilt with the City of Millbrook just like the first phase.

“The entire time it has been like a 50/50 split,” Elmore County chief operations officer Richie Beyer said.

“Since there is only one bidder, we are going through the process of value engineering. The price could still go down depending on that. We are working through numbers.”

Value engineering is allowed by Alabama bid law when there is only one bidder on a project. Beyer said the process allows some negotiations.

The county floated bonds in 2021 to fund its portion of the project. The City of Millbrook is set to take the

matter up at its Tuesday meeting.

“This would complete the recreational projects at 17 Springs,” Beyer said. “It would put us in a position to fully build out the park.”

On the front end of the project, Elmore County and the county’s municipalities passed a levelized lodging tax to fund 17 Springs and similar yet to be determined quality of life projects across Elmore County. Since Millbrook has the lion’s share of hotel rooms in the county, events attracted to 17 Springs would fund other projects.

Currently initial meetings with appropriate stakeholders are being scheduled to start the discussion of possible future projects in the county.

“I think we will look back in a few years and see that they will have a generational positive effect in our county,” Elmore County Commission chair Bart Mercer said.

IN OTHER ACTION THE ELMORE COUNTY COMMISSION:

• Approved minutes of the May 22 meeting.

• Approved a motion declaring June 15 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Elmore County.

• Approved a memorandum of warrants totaling $3,104,613.49 for May 2 through June 2.

• Approved an annual report on Insolvents, errors, litigations and unsold tax liens.

• Approved moving the voting center at Seman Community Center to Seman Congregational Christian Church.

• Set a public hearing for a special events retail alcohol license for the The Black Jacket Symphony by JROK Inc. at the Lake martin Amphitheater for 5 p.m. June 26.

• Authorized an application for ADEM ARP funded stormwater program.

• Recognized members of Scouting Troop 185 in attendance working towards badges.

The next meeting of the Elmore County Commission is scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, June 26.

The first phase of 17 Springs is nearing completion in Millbrook. When finished, the development will have 12 tennis courts, 12 pickleball courts, four tennis courts, a 85,000 square football field house, a football stadium, six softball fields and a commercial development.

Submissions sought for art guild’s summer show

TPI STAFF

Staff Report

The Elmore County Art Guild

(ECAG) will hold its Annual Summer Art Show at the Wetumpka Depot Players Theatre next month. The River and Blues Summer Art Show is July 10 to 28 with an opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. July 15.

“Since 1985, the Elmore County Art Guild Summer Art Show continues to highlight and reward the

Continued from A3

reaching for a turning tool.

Soon chips come off the wood as Thornton makes the rectangle round. Carefully shaping the body of what will soon be a pen. Sandpaper and sand-andsealer creates the smooth finish before Thornton presses the other needed components in place to complete a working pen. Thornton’s creations are everywhere. He has shipped them to Houston and Australia too. People have bought them out of his hand at the bank and at a class reunion in Lanett.

“One of my classmates asked me to bring some,” Thornton said. “Everyone got to looking at them and I sold several right there. A couple are pen guys and

finest artists of our region,” ECAG said on its website. “The show is open to all artists 18 and older who are members of the guild. Participants may join at the time of entry.” Awards will be presented at the reception for first through third place with numerous honorable mentions. First place will receive $300, second place $200 and third place $100. Each artist is limited to three entries and the entry fee is $10

didn’t know I did this.”

Some of Thornton’s pens are in the hands of executives, doctors and dentists. Most have found his creations at local arts and crafts shows.

When Thornton retires from full time work, he wants to expand the number of shows he sells his wares at but for now he stays near Tallassee. His next show is Arti Gras coming up next month at Russell Crossroads. Until retirement, “turning pens” is Thornton’s escape from daily life.

“My wife laughs sometimes,” Thornton said.

“If I have had a bad day, she just tells me to go to the shop. To be honest sometimes when I come in, I just go straight to the shop. I will turn the music on and turn on the lathe. After a little while, I’m all good.”

per entry. Intake for this year’s show is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 6. No copies of other artwork will be accepted. Artwork must not have been shown in previous ECAG shows. Guild membership is $35 per calendar year or $45 for couples. Membership runs Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. A prospectus on the show can be found on the guild’s website at www.elmorecountyartguild.com.

SUBMITTED THE TRIBUNE

Tallassee 8U softball walks off Wetumpka for championship win

By DALTON MIDDLETON Sports Editor

The Tallassee 8U softball team earned a massive win this weekend in the Prea-Area 2 tournament.

Tallassee hosted the USSSA South Central Pre-Area 2 Tournament this weekend. The 8U girls, which already won a tournament championship last weekend, swept through its competition this weekend in the Gold Bracket.

Tallassee beat Eclectic, 22-2, in the first game before beating Wetumpka, 12-6, and Prattville, 16-6. That set up a championship matchup with Wetumpka, and Tallassee won a thriller.

Tallassee beat Wetumpka in the championship game, 17-16, on a walk-off double from Ava Blackwell to cap off the perfect 4-0 weekend and a second championship win. The 7U team also com-

peted and went 1-1-1 after beating Holtville, 19-10, tying Marbury, 10-10, and losing to Wetumpka, 17-0. The 10U team went 2-1, while the 12U team went 3-1 and the 6U team went 1-2. The softball teams now turn their sights to the area tournament games, which all age groups will participate in. Game will be be Thursday-Saturday, June 15-17 in Prattville. On the baseball side of things, the 10U baseball All-Stars went 2-3 and reached the championship before falling to Wetumpka, 8-5. They beat Holtville and Millbrook and lost to Millbrook and Phenix-City. The 6U baseball team went 0-3, the 8U team went 1-2, and the 12U team went 1-2. All four baseball teams are automatic qualifiers for the state tournament.

SUBMITTED THE HERALD

Lake River & Classi eds

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Public Notices py report for Elmore County, Alabama and Incorporated determinations are the basis measures that your community is required to either adopt or show evidence of being already in effect in order to qualify or in the National Flood Insurance Program. However, before these determinations are effective purposes, you will be provided an opportunity to appeal the proposed information. For information on the statutory 90-day period provided for appeals, as well as a complete listing of the communities affected and the locations where copies of the FIRM are available for review, please visit FEMA’s website at https://www.

FEMA Mapping and Insurance eXchange (FMIX) toll free at 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-3362627).

Tallassee Tribune: Jun. 7 and 14, 2023 FIRM

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Public Notices

Public Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE In accordance with Chapter 1, Title 39, Code of Alabama, 1975, as amended, notice is hereby given that WHATLEY CONSTRUCTION, LLC, Contractor, has completed the Contract for the Tallassee Restoration at 2382 Gilmer Avenue, Tallassee, Alabama 36078 for The Armory Commission of Alabama, Montgomery, State of Alabama, Owner(s), and havement of said Contract. All persons having any claim for labor, materials, or otherwise in connection with this project should immediately notify: Hendon + Huckestein Architects, PC, 2126 Morris Ave., Birmingham, AL 35203 WHATLEY CONSTRUCTION, LLC / CONTRACTOR P.O. BOX 137 OPELIKA, AL 36802

Tallassee Triubune: Jun. 14, 21, 28 and Jul. 5, 2023

COMPLETION PUBLIC NOTICE IN THE PROBATE COURT OF ELMORE COUNTY, ALABAMA IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF JAMES A. HENDERSON, DECEASED CASE NO: 2023-113 NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATE

Letters Testamentary in the Estate of JAMES A. HENDERSON, deceased, having been granted to JAMES SCOTT HENDERSON on May 31, 2023 by John Thornton, Judge of Probate of Elmore County, Alabama, notice is hereby given that all persons and parties having claims against said estate are required, within the time allowed by law, to present the same to the Court or the same will be barred.

JAMES SCOTT HENDERSON PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ESTATE OF JAMES A. HENDERSON, DECEASED

Attorney of Record for Personal Representative: JAMES R. BOWLES ATTORNEY AT LAW 2 SOUTH DUBOIS AVENUE PO BOX 780397 TALLASSEE, ALABAMA 36078 334-283-6548

Tallassee Tribune: Jun. 7, 14 and 21, 2023 EST/HENDERSON J. PUBLIC NOTICE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

Proposed Flood Hazard Determinations for Elmore County, Alabama and Incorporated Areas The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency has issued a preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), and where applicable, Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report, hazard determinations within Elmore County, Alabama and Incorporated Areas. These may include the addition or depths, Special Flood Hazard Area boundaries or zone designations, or the regulatory or comments are solicited on determinations shown on the preliminary FIRM and/or FIS

A FAMILIAR FACE

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

Jason Eason is the new principal at Elmore County High School but he is no stranger to Eclectic or the halls of the school.

“I went to school there,” Eason said. “I graduated from there. My parents Jeef and Jane Eason graduated from there. I just had a daughter graduate from there. I have a son that will be a junior there this school year.”

For the last two years Eason was an assistant principal at Wetumpka Middle School and was an assistant principal at Stanhope Elmore High School for four years prior. He interviewed for the posi -

tion once held by Wes Rogers. Eason has high expectations for getting students to succeed.

“I told the panel (last week) it is not a job for me, it is a passion for me,” Eason said. “I feel like I’m prepared. I feel like there are a lot of things we need to accomplish. It is a great community.”

Eason said most of the pieces for ECHS students and staff are already in place.

“Everything is there already,” Eason said. “I just want to turn it up a notch and make it better than it already is for everybody involved.”

Eason said through his family and living in Eclectic he already knows many

of the students and faculty. Eason took to social media Thursday after the Elmore County Board of Education’s vote saying he was very excited about the opportunity to serve as principal at his alma mater.

“ECHS is a great place surrounded by a supportive community and to be able to lead the school that has given so much to me over the years is something I do not take lightly,” Eason wrote. “I look forward to working with an awesome faculty and staff, great students and a community that is second to none.”

Eason said it is hard to describe the feeling of returning to a school that

Feeling Jazzy

he has so many personal connections with.

“Being there walking those halls when I was in high school was special,” Eason said. “We had amazing administrators like Mr. McGhee and Coach Brown. Those are huge shoes to fill.”

Rogers taught and coached Eason in baseball his senior year at ECHS. The team went to the state semifinals, and Eason eventually ended up at Central Alabama Community College the next year to win a state championship and complete his associates degree. An injury stopped his baseball career at Auburn Montgomery and he transferred to Troy Montgomery to

complete his bachelor’s degree. Later Eason completed his masters degree at AUM.

Eason taught in Tallassee and at ECHS before stepping into administration.

Eason said he is looking forward to being a larger part of the community through academics, art and sports — especially Friday nights in the fall.

“There is nothing like the lights of Friday night,” Eason said. “I can’t wait to get back to that. There is nothing like high school football with a packed stadium with students, band going crazy under the lights. It gives me chills going back to that environment.”

KENNETH