Cullman County Good Life Magazine - Winter 2021 by The Good Life Magazine

CULLMAN COUNTY

You may call him Joe McElroy, or Photo Joe ... but you don’t call him average

Molly Hardin gets a lot of mileage from her “old” dream kitchen WINTER 2021 | COMPLIMENTARY

See Trena and Ron Pierce’s loft home decked out for Christmas

Cosmetic and Family Dentistry Featuring: Porcelain Veneers, Dental Implants, Crowns, Bridges, Zoom Whitening, and Full Smile Rehabilitations. Dental Arts has provided high-quality dental care to our area since 1981. In 2015, Dr. Kari Bartlett took over Dental Arts continuing the tradition of dental excellence. With the old office on 2nd Avenue growing crowded, Dr. Bartlett built a state-of-the-art office on 4th Avenue to better serve her patients. She and her growing staff – complimented by her associate, Dr. Abby DiLuzio – remain committed to providing top-quality dentistry and friendly, personal service for you and your family. We’d love to have you visit our new office and help you smile more!

WHERE COMEBACK STORIES ARE WRITTEN EVERY DAY. At Cullman Regional’s Center of Excellence – Orthopedics & Spine, some of the nation’s top orthopedic specialists and surgeons support you through every

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Welcome

It’s not a road less traveled ... so 157 really needs this four-laning

iven a choice and the time – and enough gas in the tank – I’ll usually opt for the road less traveled in my comings and goings. Less congestion, less stress, probably nicer scenery. If we’re going anywhere toward Atlanta on vacation, my wife lobbies hard and passionately for taking the road less traveled. We’ll loop 100 miles out of the way to miss that hot mess of traffic. More often than not, it seems, the road more traveled is the road we need to reach

wherever we’re going whenever that pushy word “expediency” is in play. Ala. 157 is one such road, which is why so many of us were glad in October 2020 when the state began its long-awaited widening project. It’s no good when a high-traffic four-lane narrows to two lanes. Naturally, now that the project has started, we’re all anxious for it to end. Alabama Department of information officer Seth Burkett says that once the earthwork is finished, the remaining base and paving will go pretty quickly, and,

weather permitting, we should be driving the new four-lane by late 2022. If we’re going to travel roads more traveled, we need good roads. Kudos to those responsible for 157. Maybe next U.S. 278 east out of Cullman and Ala. 69 to Arab can get the same treatment. Then, all the quicker and safer, we can enjoy the journey on roads more traveled.

Count on reviewer Deb Laslie always having books in the batter’s box. “I’m reading a Brad Meltzer I missed. Next up (in no real order): another in the Joe Pickett series by C.J. Box; ‘Butterfly Cabinet’ by Bernie McGill ... So many books, so little time.”

It’s not that Steve Maze is the type to hold a grudge, but ... “One of my childhood letters to Santa was intercepted by the post office. I still haven’t forgiven them.” Read his story on page 46 for a little more understanding.

Jacquelyn Hall daydreams of a marginally less chaotic kitchen – with four kids, there’s always someone in there – so she can indulge not only her creative side but her “foody” side by cooking all the scrumptious recipes folks give her.

Liz Smith is definitely not a cold weather person. Or an early riser, for that matter, now that she is retired. Still, the Joppa photographer just couldn’t resist going out and capturing last winters beauty to share in this year’s GLM.

In this issue, Seth Terrell writes about the “family” that is Christ Lutheran Church in Cullman. In terms of his personal family, his two girls, Rilah Jewel and Selah Mae, are excited about their new pet. A turtle. His name? Barney Fife .

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2021-22

Jim Cheatham

Adam Aker

Billy Hulsey

Dylan Curvin

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David Myers and his restaurant review cohort/wife Rose are impressed with growth of Cullman County. “We are happy to test and report on its everevolving dining scene and have yet to find a lack of good eateries,” he says.

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Erik Harris

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Contributors

Sheila McAnear has enjoyed getting out lately with a bit of fall in the air. “I really look forward to cooler days ahead this winter, but I bristle just thinking of January’s cold air,”she says, bristling for effect. “I’d choose being cool any day over cold.”

Samuel Tucker

“When I was young,” says David Moore, “and my brothers were off and my parents were in the den, I loved cutting the living room lights, curling under the tree and dreaming of what Santa would bring me. ‘Is it Christmas yet?’ I’d holler. ‘Son,” Dad would reply, ‘you’re 35.” David F. Moore Publisher/editor | 256-293-0888 david.goodlifemagazine@gmail.com

Sheila T. McAnear Advertising/art director | 256-640-3973 sheila.goodlifemagazine@gmail.com

MoMc Publishing LLC P.O. Box 28, Arab, Al 35016 www.good-life-magazine.net

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BDC Manager NOVEMBER | JANUARY 2021-22 7 F & I Manager | DECEMBER F & I Manager

Inside 11 | Good Fun

With winter coming on, you can still find lots of reasons to get out

14 | Good People

Joe McElroy ... well, for starts, he’s certainly not your average Joe

20 | Good Reads

Read ‘The Many Deaths of the Firefly Boys’ and ‘Miss Julia’

23 | Good Cooking

Molly Hardin’s cooking binds her love of family and love of food

32 | Good Eats

Karma’s is good for breakfast and lunch ... and always coffee

34 | Good Getaways

The newest future family employee at Augusta’s is Josephine, daughter of Neeley and co-owner/chef Josh Veres. Josh is at center left with his nieces and nephews, most – most already working some at Augusta’s. They are, from left, Rawlin Sutter, Jake Veres, Brooklyn Sutter, Kai Sutter, Hannah Veres, Bailey Sutter and Kipton Sutter.

Visit Lynchburg, Tenn., for a taste of the Jack Daniel’s story

38 | Christmas loft

The Pierces laid a lot of plans to get where they never planned

A family place in more ways than one

46 | Dear Santa ...

He really thought Gold Bond savings stamps would work

48 | Brandon Boike

Here’s what happens when a guy plugs in his whole brain

57 | 100 years

A lot of years have passed, but Lutherans keep the family feeling

66 | Brooke Desnoës

Bringing the influence of great ballet dancers/mentors to WSCC

74 | Out ‘n’ About

Mix a bunch of young kids with baby farm animals and it’s cute On the cover | Trena and Ron Pierce will be decorating their loft again for a beautiful Cullman Christmas. This page | A Lynchburg, Tenn., turkey is a very colorful character without any Jack Daniel’s. Photos by David Moore. 8

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How can you go wrong with an Augusta burger, top, or crisp chicken tenders, for that matter? Open Tues.-Thurs, 4-8:30 / Fri.-Sat. 11-10

It says something about how Augusta’s Sports Grill is run that, even with Covid issues, you still get great, reasonably priced food, and great service to boot. “We have a good core on our staff,” says restaurant founder Deb Veres. “But the unexpected naturally comes up. Employees do have illnesses, family emergencies, trips planned ... That’s when I recruit the grandkids.” It’s good to have the backup, and the kids enjoy having some spending money. Hannah, the second oldest grand, is 14 and has a work permit. She sometimes serves as a hostess. Brooklyn, 11, also pitches in. “She wants to take over the restaurant and run the place in a few years,” Deb (AKA Mimi) laughs. Brooklyn – along with brothers Rawlin and Kipton and cousin Jake – mostly buses tables.

Jake is especially on fire at work. “He gets tips all the time,” Mimi says. “People are impressed by how hard he works. People just give him money.” Now, especially with the pandemic, everyone pulls together. “It’s unfortunate that, because of Covid, some of the items are just so expensive,” Deb says of the menu. “But I’ll not put something on the menu that the average person can’t afford. I can’t bring myself to … It hurts my heart. “We want to be a place where the average person can come and enjoy good food,” she adds. Mimi’s grandkids might someday be running the restaurant, but even then it’s a good bet at least one thing never changes – Augusta’s will be THE place to go for “food for the body and good times for the soul.”

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Button up and get outside

Good Fun

• Nov. 6 – Veterans Day Celebration Cullman VFW’s expansive event at Sportsman Lake Park will be 9 a.m.-3 p.m. with opening ceremonies at 10 a.m. at the pavilion. See displays of military vehicles. Climb aboard a Huey and meet a veteran pilot. See Army Aviation, Marine and Vietnam weapons displays. Enjoy a USOstyle musical show staring Gracie and Lacy at 11 a.m. and a patriotic concert at noon by the US Army Band. Vets and their spouses will be treated to a free lunch; food vendors will be on hand for the public. There will also be a veterans celebration car show and a tractor show. Admission is free. • Nov. 12-14 – Christmas Open House For over three decades, Cullman has kicked off the Christmas shopping season with our Christmas Open House. The tradition continues on the second weekend of November, known for great shopping, fun events and amazing food from all over Cullman County. Businesses are gearing up, many planning special deals and prizes specifically designed to get you in that holiday mood. For more information visit: cullmanopenhouse. com.

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• Nov. 19-20 – Arts and Crafts This year the annual Vinemont Band Boosters Arts and Craft Show will be held at the Cullman Church of Christ on Ala. 157, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Find more than 60 local and regional vendors with handmade jewelry, children’s and women’s clothing, UA/AU items, woodworking, metal art, candles, inspirational framed art and more great Christmas ideas. Win a door prize or buy a ticket for a drawing for $1,000 at noon Saturday. Concessions are available for purchase and local musicians provide free entertainment.

Cullman will light its Christmas pyramid – tallest in the U.S. and located next to the Cullman County Museum – on Nov. 26. Photo by Liz Smith. NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2021-22

• Nov. 19-20 – “Clara’s Dream” ballet Local ballet dancers will perform “Clara’s Dream” from the Christmas classic, “The Nutcracker.” Directed by Brooke Desnoës (see page 66), it is a joint production of Wallace State Community College’s Allegro Dance Theatre and Ballet South. Performances are 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre at WSCC. Tickets are $12; available at the door and at: http://balletsouth.bppktix. com. • Nov. 20 – Tinsel Trail Walk the Tinsel Trail around the pond at Veterans Park in Hancveville and see the Christmas Tree lighting there at 6 p.m.. After entertainment and a short program, visit the open house downtown where you can find Santa and stores open late for shopping and deals. The sponsoring Hanceville Civitan Club is again offering businesses and individuals the opportunity to rent 10x10 spaces to set up displays

along the trail around the pond at the park. They had 35 displays last year. Decorate your space, show your group’s spirit, do a memorial for someone. Electricity provided. Setup begins Nov. 15; displays remain up thru December. $25 cost funds scholarships. For info and registration: Hanceville Civitan Club Facebook; hancevillecivitanclub@gmail.com; or call Patty Dean 256-338-7149 • Nov. 26 – Light the Pyramid Cullman’s newest holiday tradition continues with the lighting of the Weihnachtspyramide, the rotating, 30-foot, German-inspired, Christmas pyramid set up next to the Cullman County Museum. It is the tallest such pyramid in the US. A brief lighting ceremony will take place when it’s dark, and the pyramid will stay lit until after the New Year. • Dec. 3 – Christmas in Cullman parade and festival Join thousands of celebrants

at the annual Christmas parade beginning at 6 p.m.. It starts at Busy Bee and ends at Depot Park for the annual tree-lighting production directly following the parade. There will be photos with Santa, kids’ activities and entertainment. It’s all free and brought to you by Cullman Parks, Recreation and Sports Tourism. You and your group are also invited to join the parade. There’s no entrance fee, and you can register online at Christmas in Cullman Facebook. For more info: 256-734-9157. (Rainout date is Dec. 4.) • Dec. 4 – Cullman County Christmas Parade Miss USA Alabama Alexandria Flanigan will be grand marshal of the 32nd annual parade sponsored by the Hanceville Civitan Club. The parade rolls at noon from Wallace State. The suggested theme, “Rapid Responders – God’s Gift to our Community” commemorates 9/11 anniversary. All are welcome to

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enter. Civitans are asking for $5 entry donation to benefit Cullman County Schools. Four high school bands had committed by early October. For more info: Civitan Brenda Carter, 256-8873508; or Kim Reburn, Hanceville City Hall: 256-3529830, ext. 23; or register the day of.

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• Dec. 10-11 – Cullman Christkindlmarkt More than a dozen vendors will be set in the style of a traditional German Christmas market for this popular event. Find unique gifts among the booths set up at Festhalle and parking lot across the street,featuring local artisans, craft folks, merchants and food vendors. Hours are 6-9 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Entertainment is planned throughout the day and Santa will be there periodically. Want to be a vendor? Crafts: email Kelly, kpulliam@cprst.org; food: specialevents@ cullmanrecreation.org. • Dec. 10-11 – Sheriff’s Rodeo Bucking thrills and spills are set to return for the annual Cullman County Sheriff’s Office Jimmy Arrington Memorial Rodeo. The rodeo is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Cullman County Agriculture and Trade Center on US 31 North, with all of the pro cowboys, riding, racing and roping that have drawn thousands in the past. Watch the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page for details on tickets as the event nears. Meanwhile, you can buy raffle tickets – $1 each, six for $5 – for chances on a saddle, shotgun or rifle. Raffle tickets are available at Chamber’s Farm & Garden Supply and Wilborn Outdoors in Cullman, C&M Farm Supply in Joppa, both locations of Branding Iron Steakhouse, Jack’s Western Wear or Van’s Sporting Goods in Good Hope, the courthouse, Sheriff’s Office or its FB page. Proceeds raise money for special needs students countywide. As always, Sheriff Matt Gentry and crew are holding a free rodeo beforehand, bussing in all special needs children from the schools in the county. • Jan. 20 – Relay for Life Kickoff The Cullman County Relay for Life kickoff and team spirit meetings for 2022 will be held at the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office training center. The kickoff is set for Jan 20. Refreshments will be served and one and all are invited to attend and make plans for the Relay. The Relay itself is set for April 30 this year with a new venue – Depot Park. New teams encouraged to join; details online at: www.relayforlife.org/cullmanal; or visit: Relay for Life of Cullman County Facebook page. For questions, feel free to call: Helen Allen, 256-709-4019.

Good Thru 12/30/2021

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Good People

5questions Story by David Moore Photo provided

SNAPSHOT: Joe McElroy

Early life: Born April 14, 1957, to the late Bill and Amelia McElroy. Grew up in Attalla with an older sister, four younger sisters and brother all now living in South Carolina. Education: Graduated from Etowah High School, 1976. Attended Jacksonville State University on a football scholarship; played linebacker one season for coach Charlie Pell before joining the U.S. Army in 1977. Family: Married his first wife in 1979; two daughters: Jessica Elizabeth Black, a mortgage lender in Tuscaloosa and Kristy Nicole Willmon, a designer for Buettner Brothers in Cullman. Married his second wife and “soulmate,” Towana, on Nov. 11, 2005. Career: Active Green Beret, 5th Special Forces Group, 197781; Special Forces Reserve, 1981-91, achieving the rank of staff sergeant; worked at Ainbinder and Associates, a major commercial developer in Houston, 1979-84; Tapp Development in Oklahoma City, 1984-87; The Still Company, a commercial developers in Chattanooga, 1987-90; Drinkard Development in Cullman, 1990-1995; started McElroy and Associates in Cullman, 1995-present. Other activities: Life member of the American Legion; member of Cullman First United Methodist, formerly sang in the choir; volunteer sports photographer and other civic responsibilities with Cullman High School; loves fly fishing, bass fishing and these days fishes tournaments for pedalpropelled kayaks. Enjoys farming on land he owns in Kentucky.

e’s not your average Joe. Joe McElroy played linebacker at Jacksonville State University for coach Charley Pell. He volunteered for the Army, became an elite Green Beret and served 13 years. In 42 years of commercial real estate development, he counts among his projects the iconic, 72-story, Bank of America Plaza in Dallas. As owner of McElroy & Associates in Cullman, Joe’s developed more than 300 CVS pharmacies in Alabama and neighboring states. Over the past 25 years he’s been a mainstay on the sidelines of Cullman High – and Middle School – sports events. As “Photo Joe,” he wields huge Canon lenses to capture pro-grade action shots he gives away for free. Around town, he turns a sad, patriotic eye to tattered American flags flying at businesses and homes, replacing them with new ones. He also purchased and having installed an 80-foot pole and a 20x30-foot Stars and Stripes at CHS’s Oliver Woodard Stadium. “My life is centered on God, family and country,” Joe says. “It starts with knowing God. Accepting God. Living life for Him. Doing good works. The biggest part of what makes me successful is sharing my blessings with others, and I try to be humble about it. “Family … I’ll do anything for them. I love our history, traditions and future – and I say ‘future’ because I am little worried about the future for us all. We’ll see how that shakes out. “Country … Freedom is not free. I served with honor, as others have done before – my dad in the Korean War, my ancestors before him – and since. “That,” says the not-so-average Joe McElroy, “is my circle of life.”

Joe McElroy

Nope, he’s not your average Joe ... not by any stretch of the imagination

oe traces his ancestors to McElroys who moved from Ireland to colonial America in 1669. He had family in the War of 1812 who are buried in DeKalb County. His Terrell family line moved to Alabama in 1830, settling in the Altoona area where they established a farm that descendants today run as a family museum. “Our roots run deep in Alabama ,” Joe says. “It means a lot to me.” He was born in Gadsden, but his dad – an Air Force fighter technician later with ICBMs – was often transferred. Joe didn’t mind. “It was cool,” he says. “I got to go on base, out on the tarmac, sit in pilot seats.” Joe’s mother settled the family in Attalla, where he started kindergarten. His father was often stationed elsewhere. Joe’s grandfather, Oscar Haynes, filled in for his “father.” With five siblings and money tight, Joe got a job at age 12 running a Grit Newspaper route. His grandparents had a television, and it was at their house that he saw his first movie on TV, the 1968 classic “The Green Berets.” “The movie fit some of my idols, like Superman, Tarzan, Popeye,” Joe says. It also struck a chord deep inside him, extending from his dad’s service to those ancestors back in 1812.

t Etowah County High, Joe earned a reputation as a tough linebacker and hoped to play for Auburn University. He didn’t have the size for Auburn, he was all-county and all-state and earned a scholarship to play at Jax State. “I did it because I loved it,” he says. “I watch these kids play today, and it’s like they want to run up and hug somebody.” But negative forces were brewing on and off the field. Joe got injured. Plus he struggled with a long-distance

relationship with his girlfriend at Auburn. And, on the other side of the globe, his country was at war in Vietnam. “I was probably not real stable then,” he says. “My best friend in high school, Robert Moon, talked me into signing up with him for the Army.” So, in 1977, Joe set sights becoming a Green Beret like the elder Moon and John Wayne. “I didn’t realize what it would take to wear a green beret,” Joe says. But he soon learned. Upon completing basic and jump school, Joe undertook signal corps training. A top grad there, he began the three grueling stages of Special Forces training Green Beret candidates must complete at Fort Bragg, N.C. Phase one saw his group of 150 candidates reduced to 20. “It was physically and mentally brutal,” he says. “They starved us and pushed us to the point of breaking and beyond.”

hase two involved more intensive training. “The first thing they do is run you into the ground then try to drown you, and all of that is done with no sleep,” Joe says. Then the candidates must learn the working roles of the Special Forces, such as that of “advisors” who trained Contra rebels in Nicaragua and later Afghan rebels who are fighting the Taliban. “I have been to a lot of different places for such training exercises,” Joe says. “The idea was to train and equip people to defend their country from aggressors.” Other Green Beret responsibilities require direct action, such as rescue and hostage missions and knocking out bridges and other infrastructure. Special Forces “A-Teams” are 12 man teams, cross trained, and normally deployed by jumping into a area of operation during the night.

NOVEMBER | DECEMBEr | JANUARY 2021-22

Joe’s A Team specialty was communications. He had be ready to go anywhere at any time, make his own antennas, calculate frequencies and plot drop zones for supplies and extractions. Phase three required executing a mission with your team in a real-world, mock situation. “You either pass or fail,” Joe says. “If your team fails you go home.” For his team’s extraction after the mission, he had to set up communications and call in helicopters – in the midst of an Old Testament electrical storm at night. It rendered his objective unattainable. “My inability to communicate put my whole team at risk,” Joe says. “They reviewed my actions and failure, and I was the only candidate who got a second chance.” This time he made his link-up. The mission succeeded. And at Fort Bragg, on Sept. 13, 1977, not-so-average Joe was awarded his Green Beret.

or three years, Joe served as an active Green Beret. In the immediate wake of Vietnam, not many missions called for Green Berets. Still, his team was deployed four times to various points on the globe on missions up to 45 days long. “I can’t get into a lot of that,” he says. “But you trained every day just in case your number got called – and everybody wanted their number called.” During 10 years as a reservist, Joe spent most of his military time training special ops units. “We were probably the most elite special ops arm in the Department of Defense,” he says. “We trained Navy SEALS. Marines came to us for training … they were really good in bar fights.” Beyond training duties, he deployed more as reservist than as an active Green Beret, taking part in missions to South America, Granada, the Middle East and Afghanistan. Even after he moved to Cullman in 1990, Joe in the Individual Ready Reserve, comprised of soldiers who, if needed, can be called up to replace Active or Reserve troops. As such, Joe was reactivated at age 44 for 9/11. “I got myself physically prepared in case they needed me,” says Joe, who still holds a top secret clearance. “I humped 16

around Cullman carrying an 80-pound rucksack to get in shape. People didn’t know what I was doing.”

oe went to work in 1979 for a Houston-based company that developed regional malls in Texas and the Southwest. It also began the 72-floor project that today is the Bank of America Plaza, Dallas’s tallest skyscraper. Joe continued development work in Oklahoma City before joining The Still Company in Chattanooga as a partner in 1987. They developed Walmarts, Krogers and Winn Dixies across the Southeast. When the other partners announced they were retiring in 1990, Joe went searching. “I didn’t want a job,” he said. “I wanted a partnership.” An architectural partner from Still told Joe that Drinkard Development in Cullman needed help with several projects, so Joe met with Roy Drinkard and Judy White. “They had a project in Hazard Kentucky that needed help, so I jumped right in there with them,” Joe says. He went on to help them build several projects in Cullman and elsewhere in Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. Initially, he lived in a 30-foot camper at Smith Lake, returning to Chattanooga for weekends with his family. But Cullman quickly grew on him. “I decided the town was good for my family,” says Joe, who moved his wife and girls to a house here at Loch Landing in 1991. Jessica was in fourth grade; Kristy in the second. “It was a great decision. This is a great community for raising my family.”

oe stayed with Drinkard until 1995, when he started his own real estate development firm, McElroy and Associates, and maintains long term relationships with contractors, architects, engineers and lenders. While his firm thrived, his personal life withered. Joe and his wife underwent a protracted divorce, ending in 2002. Interestingly, he met his new wife-tobe within moments of signing the divorce papers. “I heard her heels clopping down the hall in the Stiefelmeyer Building, looked up and saw her in the door,” Joe beams.

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2021-22

They dated three and half years, marrying Nov. 11, 2005. “My first wife gave me two wonderful daughters,” he says. “Towana, is my best friend and soulmate.

eanwhile, his business still thrives. Indeed, for the next five years, Joe already has over 200 active projects in the pipeline to include with Dollar Tree, AutoZone, Chicken Salad Chick, and AT&T. “We’ve been blessed,” he says, “to the point where I get to play a lot now.” For Joe, playing means shooting photos at sporting events and fishing – two things other than his girls and wife that he loves immensely.

What is the deep, philosophical meaning of fishing ... or shallow philosophical meaning, as the case might be? To have fun, see new places and meet new people and experience God’s Creations. My grandfather and I went fishing and hunting to put food on our table. Years later, I started fishing for fun. I started fishing bass tournaments in 1985. And when the Alabama Bass Trial organized nine years ago I started fishing the North Division. Kayak bass fishing has been around for some years, but I didn’t try it until two years ago. I fell in love with everything about fishing from a kayak. I have fished well over 100 tournaments, from the Hobie Bass Open Series to local tournaments. I’ve fished over 25 kayak tournaments so far this year. I love kayaks more than big bass boat fishing. I’m closer to nature. I can get into areas big boats can’t. I like the exercise pedaling a kayak eight miles a day. You are really close to the fish, too. I’ve had them follow the bait and jump nearly up into the kayak, literally. It’s so much quieter. Bassmaster started its BASS Nation Kayak Series last year with five regional events, with the top 10 percent from each advancing the championship. I advanced to the two-day championship in June on Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas. Scores are determined by the length of the five biggest fish you catch every day.

Day one, I lead by nine inches. Day two, I lost a couple of good fish, but was told the scoring was still really close. I said good, but I didn’t really care. I was in new water, in a new place, enjoying myself. After it was over, I learned I’d made the top 10. Then I learned one of my fish had its mouth open a little on my measuring board. I got penalized one inch – which knocked me out of winning by a half-inch. Second place was just fine with me. I was tickled to death. I don’t fish to win. I do it for enjoyment, going new places, meeting new people. The kayak family is hugely welcoming and made up of people that love the outdoors. They are some of the most dedicated conservationists, period. It’s all catch, photo and release. I like that philosophy.

On the spur of the moment, you gave away the $5,000 you won for finishing second in the championship. What’s the beauty of spontaneity and sharing? After day one, we had a meeting of the top 10 anglers that day. One guy, Jason Borofka, told the story how his son, JT, was diagnosed with a rare disease, TPI. There are only like 70 cases worldwide. He said JT had three to five years to live. They found a doctor at the University of Pittsburg who’s studying the disease and in need of funding for the research. I just sort of took all that in. After day two of the fishing, I was in the top 10. I found a truck to carry Jason, his wife, Tara, JT and his specialized stroller, and my wife, Towana, to the awards ceremony. Jason finished seventh place. When he went up on the stage and got his check, he told the crowd JT’s story. I was thrilled to finish second and get $5,000. Mark Pendergraf followed me up to the stage for championship trophy and a $20,000 check. While Mark was talking, I looked out at JT, Tara, Jason and Towana. The ceremony was live and running out of time. I whispered to a director that I needed to say something else. He let me go back to the podium, and I said I donated my check to JT. The money awarded to me was a blessing from God. Just being there and 18

sharing this amazing moment with was enough. I didn’t need a financial reward, and an inner voice urged me to donate it to JT. So, I listened and my blessings were passed to JT. Honestly, if I had won the $20,000 check I would done the same thing. Little did I know my small gesture would ignite a movement. The kayak fishing family organized a nationwide tournament in July, raising almost $100,000 for JT. Anyone could fish anywhere across the US. It was the largest tournament in the history of kayak fishing with over 1,000 anglers. That’s what came of spontaneity that day: one good deed. After I donated that check, I was contacted for dozens of podcasts, news articles, interviews etc. I never knew all of that would explode. It was just a gift, like a mustard seed.

You are a long-time fixture on the sidelines of Cullman High School sporting events. What does photography mean to you, and why do you give away your photos? When I was in high school, someone took pictures of me playing and gave them to me. Those captured moments are priceless to me. So now I do it to ensure those kids, coaches, fans, cheerleaders, parents, bandmembers . . . I want to ensure they have snapshots of their life. I want them to look back and say those were the good ol’ days. I have been doing this over 25 years. I started taking pictures of my kids back in school using film. I can’t tell you how many people tell me how precious those pictures still are to them. I call it “capturing memories through my lens.” It’s personal to me. I plan my travel around ball games.

You can’t discuss details of your 13 years in the Green Berets. Can you instead share your feelings about patriotism and the flag? I buy 5x8-foot American flags in bulk. If I see a tattered flag hanging at a business, I’ll change it out. I’ve even replaced tattered flags off people’s houses. I bring the old ones home and do the

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2021-22

honors or take them to the American Legion and let them do it. I respect the flag more than the average American, I guess. I have seen the sacrifices military people make. I know what my contribution has been. I respect the freedoms we have despite the onslaught on them I see today. But I have seen other countries, and I know our flag truly does stand for freedom. At Cullman High, I tried all year to put up a new flag and pole. The project had been on my mind for years. They currently have a short pole on the hill. When the band’s color guard circle around it, they are on that hillside. I wanted to provide a better place for them to raise and lower our American Flag. So I came up with the flag project. But with Covid, it has taken a long time to get the project finished. I bought an 80-foot pole and two 20-by-30-foot flags, one as a backup. Because the pole is so tall, I wanted to ensure the base was adequate, so I hired a geotechnical firm to do a soil test and a civil engineering firm to redesign the base so it never comes down. Nearen Construction is assisting with the final installation, that’s been delayed until post football season. The new flag will be visible from every outside sporting venue. Placing that flag on that big pole gives everyone something to look up to. We need a resurgence of pride in this great country we have.

What’s something most people don’t know about Joe McElroy? My mother, predominately a single parent, provided for us with the tips she made waiting tables – our clothes, housing, food, and even my first pair of football cleats, everything. Over the years, we’ve been served by many waiters and waitresses – some single parents, some students. When it comes time to pay our check, we always include a substantial gratuity. No one knows better than me what that extra money means. Although I earn a good living, I know all of it comes from God. He blesses me, so I can pass it along. It’s just one of our ways of giving back – one good deed, at a time. Good Life Magazine

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Good Reads

Jump on the running board with the wild Firefly Brothers

You may know characters in this charming southern series

’m always on the hunt for a good story, something that makes me think, or laugh, or wonder about, or engages my brain in some new way – a mystery perhaps, a part of history newly revealed, or new worlds to discover. “The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers” by We believe there are things Thomas Mullen had me engaged from the first that are possible and page. It’s part mystery, things that are not, actions part history, with an added we can imagine doing and touch of wonder. others that are beyond Jason Fireson is a the pale. But the doors are novice bootlegger near swung and what once was the end of Prohibition. Driving the backroads and impossible, unthinkable, outwitting the police are is there before us, quite a thrill, but as his happening to us. skills progress, so also do his ambitions. Like robbing banks, “because that’s where the money is!” The Depression has hit his family hard. Soon his brother Whit has joined Jason. Exhausting the goodwill and bad judgment of old pals, surviving late-night police raids,sneaking through stake-outs ... the Firefly Brothers become the stuff of legends in a country desperate for distraction from real life. Are the bank-robbing Firefly Brothers out for themselves, or are they do-gooders for the downtrodden? What’s the secret hanging between the brothers, and why is it they can’t be killed? Plant your feet firmly on the running boards and hang on. – Deb Laslie

ooking for good southern writing with characters that you feel you already know (because you live next door to them)? Ann B. Ross’ charming “Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind” begins the series featuring Julia Springer. Miss Julia, recently widowed banker’s Men, religious men, had wife of 45 years and proud member of First been making decisions for Presbyterian, finds her me all my life, telling me life and her community not to worry, do what I tell turned upside down you, I know what’s best when her dead husband’s for you, what you want is “lady friend” (Wesley not important. And I’d let Lloyd hasn’t been in his bank-related meetings them, always assuming every Thursday evening that they were right, that for years?) drops her they knew more than I husband’s 9-year-old son did, that it was my place on her doorstep. to agree and go along, What’s an upstanding even as the icy knife of matron to do? What will the neighbor’s think? Her resentment cut wider and friends? Her pastor? As deeper into my heart. the prayer-chain phone lines buzz with what will suffice for the latest “concern,” Julia is learning to deal with her inheritance, manage a household that now includes a young boy who desperately needs a haircut, and coming to the realization that her very satisfactory life has not been satisfactory at all. A page-turner. – Deb Laslie

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Cullman is …

Molly’s cooking brings her love of food and family together at the table

Good Cooking

... where we launched our firm “Cullman provided the opportunity. Dale Greer with CEDA started things rolling. Dr. Vicki Karolewics at Wallace State said she’d incubate us. Hanceville is helping with our new building. It’s all a blessing.” – Dr. David and Dr. Patricia Branscomb, DP Technologies.

Not only can the very energetic and talented Molly Hardin whip up a feast in her kitchen, she can also go all out with a table setting.

... where I shop “Cullman is very convenient, and it’s growing in a good way. The stores sell what we need and want. We have options here.” – Madisyn Jones, RN, mother of Jagger Storm Jones and wife of Mason Jones; shopping at Platform in the Cullman Warehouse District.

...where opportunity thrives Did you know? From 2010 to 2020, we recorded one of Alabama’s highest growth rates. According to the Census, the population of Cullman city grew 23.9 percent, while the county increased 9 percent. Find your place in Cullman

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Story by Jacquelyn Hall Photos by David Moore

olly and Marty Hardin moved from the Birmingham area to Cullman in 2010 to help her brother plant Desperation Church here. Before moving, she was taking culinary classes in order to further her knowledge and passion for cooking. She had to leave the culinary course incomplete, but it did not hamper her love of cooking and baking. The couple live in a most idyllic late 19th century farmhouse. When buying the home, they contemplated tearing the dilapidated home down and replacing it with new construction. However, at the last minute before signing the purchasing agreement, they told the seller that they were going to respectfully renovate his ancestral home; news which he received with much joy. In the nearly completed remodeling

process, Molly was able to create the kitchen of her dreams and indulge her love of all things antique or meaningful when furnishing and decorating. Restoring the long unoccupied home to a livable state has been an extensive process. Part of the Hardins’ renovation included some 19th century style additions to make room for their adult children and their families to visit. Molly began her foray into cooking when she was just 12. In true “necessityis-the-mother-of-invention” style, Molly began cooking simple recipes for her siblings while her mother attended night school. Her mother being busy, Molly learned how to cook merely by reading the recipes and following the directions to the letter. “I always made each recipe exactly as the instructions said, a few times before I started to tweak it,” she says. Once she mastered a recipe, she began

adjusting it a little, experimenting and learning what worked and what did not. And a passion was born.

s such, Molly’s making sure she does what she can to pass on her love of preparing delicious and beautiful food to her children and grandchildren. When she is not busy in the kitchen, she is writing her recipes in notebooks to give to her daughters and daughters in law as keepsakes. Eventually, she will make videos demonstrating each recipe so future generations can “be with her” in the kitchen to learn the little nuances which are most easily learned in person. One of Molly’s early experimentsturned-favorite recipe are her Bluemoon cupcakes. Much like the beer of the same name, she compliments the cake with citrus in her orange cream icing. She finds that cakes – her favorite thing to make and tinker with – have the

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November 12-14 2021 BOURBON GLAZED PORK LOIN WITH GRILLED PEACHES Rub 1 tsp .smoked paprika ¼ tsp .cinnamon 1 tsp .salt 2 tsp .olive oil Glaze ½ cup peach preserves 2 Tbsp. bourbon 2 lb. pork tenderloin 5 peaches unpeeled, cut into quarters In small bowl combine paprika, cinnamon and salt. Rub tenderloin with olive oil and sprinkle with spice rub Grill pork at 400 degrees turning as needed until lightly charred and meat thermometer inserted at thickest part registers 135 degrees. During the last few minutes of grilling brush pork with peach glaze to finish While pork is grilling place peach quarters on grill about 2 minutes each side, until lightly charred. Allow pork to rest 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with grilled peaches .

most potential for creativity. “There are so many flavors, aking sure that all her “Molly says. “Inspiration for flavor children – both biological and combinations comes from friends and “children of the heart” – have more surprising places.” than enough to eat is her primary One of her inspired recipes is her way of communicating her abundant Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple love. Cream Cheese Icing. The cake is The Hardins make it a point to delicately moist and spiced to a warm “hang up and hang out” at mealtimes. perfection. The maple cream cheese Dinner is spent having conversations icing is dreamy with its light, smooth and enjoying oft-requested dishes of texture, and the syrup adds the perfect lasagna, bacon wrapped green beans, Molly is compiling handwritten copies of her level of sweetness while the notes of and twice-baked potatoes, to name a recipes in notebooks for the women in her family. few. maple evoke feelings of nostalgia. Molly’s love and skill in baking Meals with the family are a little cakes accidentally ran away with piece of perfection for Molly; all her in April 2020. What started out her loves – food and family – in one she-shed in the back just to have space for as a favor to a few friends during Covid, place, everyone enjoying each other’s it all. After a few months, she decided to turned into a little business. By July company while making memories. dial it back to spend more time with her demand was so high that she had to put a family. Good Life Magazine 24

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since 1 9 9 0

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BACON-WRAPPED GREEN BEANS

16 oz. thinly sliced bacon 2 cans whole green beans Catalina dressing

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Cut bacon pack in half. Drain juice from green beans. Take about 5 green beans per bundle, wrap with 1 half piece of bacon. Continue until all beans are wrapped using one can per half pack of bacon. Place in a 9x9 baking dish. Drizzle Catalina dressing over green bean bundles. About ¼-½ cup. Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bacon is done.

CRUNCHY SLAW

BISCUITS

A Family Tradition Since 1976

1 stick frozen butter 3 cups self-rising flour 2 cups buttermilk

1 10 oz. pack of slaw mix 1 pack ramen noodles ½ cup roasted sunflower seeds ½ cup slivered almonds Green onion to taste Salt and pepper to taste Dressing ¾ cup of vegetable oil 4 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar 4 Tbsp. sugar Mix well and set aside In a bowl break up ramen noodles (the flavoring packet is not needed for this recipe). Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pour dressing over slaw when you’re ready to serve.

Grease the bottom of a 9x9 pan Cut and melt 2 tsp .of butter from stick. Put aside. In a large bowl add 3 cups of flour. Take a cheese grater and grate remainder of frozen butter over flour. Hand mix butter and flour until crumbly. Add 2 cups of buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir. On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, scoop a large spoonful of batter onto the floured surface. Gently flip it until it is coated with flour. Place in pan. Repeat with remaining batter till pan is full of round biscuits. Usually makes 8-10 large biscuits. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Preheat oven to 450. Bake until tops are brown, about 20-25 minutes.

SLOW COOKER MAC AND CHEESE 12 oz. cooked macaroni 18 oz. evaporated milk 2¼ cup whole milk ¾ stick of butter melted 3 eggs 26

15 oz. shredded cheddar cheese Salt and pepper to taste Add liner to slow cooker and spray with cooking spray. Mix in ingredients,

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2021-22

http://www.colleges-fenway.org/events/outspokens-chosen-family-thanksgiving-dinner/

reserving ½ cup of cheese to sprinkle on top. Sprinkle reserved cheese on top. Cover and cook 3 hours on low. Alternate cooking method: spray 9x13 pan and cook in oven on 350 for 50 minutes.

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WORKING TO IMPROVE OUR Community TODAY AND INTO THE FUTURE. BROCCOLI CORNBREAD 10 oz. frozen chopped broccoli defrosted and drained 2 8.5-oz. boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix 4 eggs 1 stick butter ¼-½ cup diced onion 1 cup cottage cheese 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese Melt the stick of butter. Add it and diced onion to the bottom of the baking dish and place in the oven while it preheats. Chop and drain broccoli. Mix together all ingredients except ½ cup of cheddar cheese. Once the oven is heated and butter is sizzling, add most of the hot butter and onion to the batter and mix well. Leave a little in the bottom of the baking dish. Add batter to the baking dish and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of cheese. Preheat oven to 375. Bake until brown on top, about 35-40 minutes.

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TWICE BAKED POTATOES 8 baking potatoes 8 slices of thick cut bacon, fried 2 sticks of butter 1 cup of sour cream ½ cup of whole milk Seasoning salt (Lawry’s) and pepper to taste 2 cups of cheddar cheese 28

Wash and dry potatoes. Rub outside of potatoes with vegetable oil. Bake 45 minutes or until inside is done. Reduce heat to 325. Put butter and bacon in a bowl. While potatoes are still hot, cut in half lengthwise. Scrape the inside of the potato into the bowl with butter and bacon. Place potato shells on large baking sheet.

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Mix potato, bacon and butter. Add sour cream and milk and salt/pepper to taste. Stir in one cup of cheddar cheese. Fill each potato shell with potato mixture and return to baking sheet. Top with remaining cheese. Preheat oven to 400, Bake 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and potatoes are hot.

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PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE WITH MAPLE SYRUP CREAM CHEESE ICING

Over $150 Million SOLD in 2020

½ cup (300 g) granulated sugar 3/4 cup (165 g) packed brown light brown sugar 5 large eggs room temperature 1 cup (218 g) vegetable oil 1½ tsp .(6.3 g) vanilla 2 cups (400 g) pumpkin purée 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour 1½ Tbsp. (18 g) baking powder 3 tsp .(7.8 g) ground cinnamon 1½ tsp .(4 g) ground ginger 1 tsp .(3 g) nutmeg 1 tsp .(5.6 g) salt Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds and spray again. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs together with paddle on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the oil and vanilla. Beat on medium until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin filling and mix until combined, about another 30 seconds. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Gradually add to the pumpkin/egg mixture. Evenly distribute batter into the prepared pans, smooth with a small offset palette knife. Preheat oven to 350. Place in the center of the middle oven rack, about 2 inches apart. Bake until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

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Let pans cool on a wire rack, 10 minutes, and then invert cakes onto rack and cool them completely.

1 tsp. (4.2 g) vanilla extract ½ tsp. (1.3 g) cinnamon 1/4 cup (56.25 g) pure maple syrup

Frosting 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter slightly cold 1 cup (225 g) cream cheese room temperature 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar measured, then sifted

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar. Add vanilla, cinnamon and maple syrup. Whip until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.

1 stick butter 4 oz. chocolate 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 pie crust – uncooked

BANANA PUDDING 1 box Nilla Wafers Meringue 3-4 bananas Heat oven to 325 degrees 2 - 12 oz. cans (3 cups) evaporated milk 3 eggs whites 2 large boxes cook and serve (not 1/8 tsp .cream of tartar instant) vanilla pudding 6 Tbsp. sugar 8 oz. Cool Whip ½ tsp. vanilla

On stovetop, cook butter and chocolate until completely melted and incorporated. Add sugar and stir well. Beat eggs in a separate bowl and add to chocolate mixture. Pour into pie crust and bake 20-25 minutes. Pie will crack when done.

Cook pudding and evaporated milk and whisk constantly until thickened. In the serving bowl, layer bottom with Nilla wafers. Slice bananas, cover with Nilla wafers and half the hot pudding; repeat with a second layer. Once cooled, top with cool whip or meringue.

CRACK PIE

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Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in the vanilla. Spread meringue on top of pudding. Place on a baking sheet then bake for 12-15 minutes until browned.

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Good breakfast, good lunch ... good Karma Story by David Myers Photos by David Moore

Good Eats

I’m not too embarrassed to admit that we also ate, and thoroughly enjoyed, a breakfast sandwich on a fresh-baked croissant. Perhaps the star of our meal was a sampling of sausage balls elevated to new heights by locally sourced pork. This sausage lent a noticeable freshness that stood out. I imagined myself picking up a big portion of these to bring in to work for my crew. At this point we found it very difficult to put space between us and the table. Nor did we want to.

t probably wouldn’t surprise It was delightful. A piece of anybody to learn that I’m not the type sourdough toast loaded with sliced to splurge on fancy coffee. I brew the avocado, fresh spinach and an egg java at my house, and I make it stout. Rose says it tastes like asphalt, but I always thought real men should drink strong coffee, even if you could pave roads with it. I found out just how poorly my cup of joe stacked up against a pro brew when we sleepwalked into Karma’s Coffee House in Cullman he quality of Karma’s one recent Saturday morning. shouldn’t be surprising, and Even before my first cup I the credit goes to owner Katie felt a very nice sensation of Fine, who worked in a local enthusiasm and energy. The coffee shop while she was in young staff moved smoothly high school and college. Once and efficiently to service she graduated from Auburn, the patrons waiting for their she found a way to start her morning’s all important first own place in a 150-year-old cup. converted cotton warehouse. We ordered a regular, which Something unique about the was noticeably smoother and place is that it attracts all ages milder than what I’m used and there’s no sales pressure. to. Then, tempted by the long “We don’t ask people to list of options, we ordered a buy anything,” Katie says. designer version. The barista “They can just hang out. whipped up a Kurt Kobean, Anybody’s welcome.” which boasts white chocolate, This was evidenced by a toffee nut and an extra shot of group gathered in the back for Karma Coffee House owner Katie Fine espresso, and a Golden Yang a Bob Ross painting class. A holds a welcoming platter of lemon blueberry muffins. Mocha with white chocolate midwifery group also meets in the shop. and caramel – two of Karma’s Katie married Jacob Fine, most popular brews. sprinkled with bagel seasoning, a touch a videographer, in 2016. They have a At first, I couldn’t get past the fancy boy and girl – Cooper is 2 and Ellie is 8 milk froth leaf floating on top of my cup, of cayenne and a drizzle of honey. The months. marveling at how it remained as I sipped. bagel seasoning is made in-house and awakened taste buds that must have Jacob told Katie if they could survive But as I gushed, Rose warned me that I opening a business together, they could was showing how seldom I get out of the been raring to begin the day. Tip: You do anything. house. So I switched my focus to the rich absolutely have to try it. Then we split a slice of French toast “The first year or two was the hardest roast and full-flavored blend before me. with strawberries and maple syrup, thing I’ve ever done,” she recalls. “We We savored every drop. which we loved because it wasn’t made it though.” overly sweet and the bread retained its oon we were ready for some Indeed, they have. Their coffee shop crispness. breakfast and, to our delight, Karma’s is a bustling downtown destination six We also sampled an Amazebowl, has a very enticing menu. On a strong years later. Katie gives part of the credit which was like no breakfast I’ve ever recommendation from the younger to finding a good roaster in Birmingham had. Homemade granola is dressed up crowd, we started with Hope’s Avocado for their beans, Non-Fiction Coffee Co., with Nutella, peanut butter and fresh Toast, named for the employee of the which also handles training to turn new fruit for a winning start to the day. month who designed the dish. hires into baristas.

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Located in Cullman’s Warehouse District, Karma’s is open 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday is a little more laid back, opening at 8 a.m. and closing at 6. Breakfast is served until 10:30. You can order lunch the rest of the day. Clockwise from the top: French toast with strawberries; bacon-cheese biscuit with a latte; Sweet Home Alabama Amazebowl; Hope’s Avocado Toast with an egg and cayenne-honey drizzle goes well with medium roast Thialand coffee.

reakfast transitions into lunch daily at 10:30 a.m. Diners line up for hearty, hip sandwiches like The Karen, with turkey, avocado, ranch, lettuce,

tomato on toasted wheat; or King Club, loaded with turkey, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese on sourdough. Kitschy versions of grilled cheese sandwiches, flatbreads and more are offered for

lunch. Coffee is available all day. “We try to be different from other sandwich shops,” Katie says. They are, and for the better. Good Life Magazine

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2021-22

Lynchburg, Tennessee

Home of the world-famous Jack Daniel’s distillery

The Moore County courthouse anchors Lynchburg’s square. Nearby is the distillery campus, where a bronze statue of Jack Daniel (on the rocks) stands in front of Cave Springs, source of 800 gallons of water per minute for whiskey making. A tour takes you to see the charcoal works, the grain mill, the distilling process and, at right, a barrel house and Jack’s preserved office.

Good Getaways Story and photos by David Moore

ou don’t have to be a whiskey drinker to enjoy a getaway to Lynchburg, Tennessee, and the Jack Daniel’s distillery. And you don’t have to – but you certainly can – make it an overnight stay. Only about a 100 miles from Cullman to the distillery in Lynchburg, a town of some 6,000 34

folks in the scenic, rolling hills of south-central Tennessee. Listed on National Register of Historic Places, the distillery is located on part of a 1,700-acre campus scattered with 78 barrel houses. Jack Daniel’s 700 or so workers – many of them multi-generational employees – ship 119 million bottles of the famous whiskey annually to over 170 countries around the globe. While its home of Moore County is dry, you

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Overnight accommodations will likely take you out of Lynchburg, but there are hotels and quaint inns nearby. One option is down the road at Mulberry Lavender Farm and B&B. Breakfast, above, is served at the door of its rustic-chic cottage. Family-style lunches are served at Miss Mary Bobo’s in downtown Lynchburg, left. can buy beer and wine in town, but Jack Daniel’s is sold only at the attractive visitor’s center. Even then, by state law, you are only paying for a souvenir bottle. The whiskey is technically free. Tours of the distillery cost $20-$35 and last between just over an hour to an hour and a half – the difference being if you take the “dry” tour or sign up for one including a tasting. You’ll learn a lot about not just Jack the whiskey, but Jack the man, who for his stature in the world of whiskey-making stood only 5-foot-2 – shorter than eight of his black-label bottles stacked end to end. As a young boy, he ran away to the next-door farm of a preacher who had a whiskey still. As a teen, Jack bought the still for $25 and launched his legacy. Not surprisingly, the presence of Jack Daniel the man can be seen nearly everywhere in the small town that a visitor turns. And there are a lot of visitors. Annually, Jack Daniel’s the distillery draws 275,000 people from every state and many countries. Good Life Magazine

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Lynchburg is about 100 miles from Cullman via Fayetteville, Tennessee. The countryside is attractive. If you enjoy driving and want to see a corner of Alabama many folks miss, you can return home via an easterly route to Winchester, TN, then south through Hytop, AL, to Scottsboro. From there you can drive through Guntersville or Huntsville.

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Christmas in a loft

It took the Pierces a lot of different plans to get where they never planned to go

Trena and Ronnie Pierce say they decorate for Christmas for their three grandkids as much as for anyone else. Center front is Jake, whose dad, Ryan, works with Ronnie and lives with his wife, Dr. Muller-Pierce, in Huntsville; Jake lives with his mom in Phoenix, Ariz., so it was special when he got to visit last Christmas. Left and right, respectively, are Heather and Garlan Gudger’s sons, Tripp and Pierce.

Funny how those 2- and 5-year plans add up sometimes Story and photos by David Moore

Trena and Ronnie Pierce refer to their home as a loft, though they inhabit both 1,800-square-foot floors of the 1994 bank building.

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rena and Ron Pierce didn’t move here for a job opportunity or lazy lake life. Nor did they set out to becoming advocates for Cullman, much less extensively restore a historic downtown bank as their loft home. Instead, they look forward to celebrating another Christmas this year with the reasons that did bring them here: their daughter, Heather Gudger, her husband, Garlan, and the couple’s now teenaged boys, Tripp and Pierce. “We came here on a two-year plan,” Ron grins. “It got extended.” The Pierces decided to move from Huntsville after Heather and Garlan announced they were pregnant with Tripp. Trena wanted to be a helpful grandmother while Heather finished nursing school,

and Ron was happy to commute to Huntsville. So back in 2004, in preparation for the move, they bought an old building on 4th Street SE and started restoring it as a first-floor office and second-floor loft apartment. A year later, with restoration still underway and Tripp already a year old, the Pierces went ahead and moved into a Cullman rental for what they thought might be six months. It was over a year more before the loft was ready for them to occupy. By then, Heather and Garlan were expecting Pierce, so Trena and Ron nixed that twoyear plan. Numerous plans later, in 2014, they moved into their current loft, the 3,600-square-foot, two-story building they restored from the remnants of the original Parker Bank and Trust, which was nearly destroyed in the tornado of 2011.

“Sometimes,” Trena summarizes, “you get really lucky in life. We had no intention of moving to Cullman, ever. We had no intention of living in a building downtown … or having to chase a dog and cat through a commercial district.” They laugh as their fury culprits – Winston the dog and Tiger the cat – lounge in the Pierces’ graciously decorated living room. “We had not known or seen what Cullman could actually be,” Trena says, completing her summary. “But we hit the jackpot.”

itting the jackpot took a lot of plan-changing over the years. Ron lived in Virginia until age 12, when his dad moved the family to Huntsville. He went on to earn a business degree from the University of Alabama in 1971.

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He returned to Huntsville for a job with the former G.C. Murphy variety store – a fortuitous step because it’s where he met Trena Nunley, a native of the city who worked there part time after high school. The Murphy chain sent Ron to South Carolina to open a store. Meanwhile, Trena graduated from Lee High in 1972. Ron returned, they married that June and over the next several years Murphy moved them to Orlando, Daytona Beach and Jacksonville Beach. Ron was in management; Trena held various position with the Former Sun Bank. They had transferred to Fort Worth, Texas when, in 1976, their son, Ryan, was born, a 26-week preemie weighing less than two pounds. “They told us we would never take him home,” Ron recalls. “They” were wrong. The Pierces brought him home 100 days later, weighing just over five pounds. “That,” says Trena, “is how we got back to Alabama. Ryan was in and out of the hospital and we thought it would be nice to be closer to family.” So, in 1979, they bought a house in Huntsville.

fter leaving Murphy, Ron obtained a distributorship for a wholesale and import pottery company. He bought a trailer, converted an old church in Lacey’s Spring to a warehouse, then traveled extensively for five years selling pottery across the Southeast. Heather was born in Huntsville in 1981. When she was two, Trena got a job at Central Bank. When Heather started junior high, Trena opened Paper Dolls, selling and installing wallpaper. As laptops got hot, Ron shifted gears and sold computers. He took engineering and technology courses at John C. Calhoun State Technical Junior College and worked about five years for National Semiconductors and Interep Associates, Inc. “We were always on a four- to six-year plan,” Ron grins. In 2003, he and partner Eric Moore formed MMG – Manufacturers Marketing Group – in Huntsville, offering engineering, manufacturing and sourcing services with an emphasis on radio frequency antennas. MMG remains in business, but Ron and Eric later formed the companion Skywave Antennas, Inc.

The main part of downstairs is open from the living room, through the dining area and into the well-appointed galley kitchen. The front door enters to original steps and railing, far left, that once allowed bank customers access to two front offices; Ronnie uses one and Trena donated her side to the piano she bought him. “I always wanted to learn to play,” Ronnie says, “but can’t find time.” The downstairs bathroom is decorated with a grouping of Dot Graff’s historic drawings of Cullman. Trena makes good use throughout the home of her next-door flower shop.

Trena, with some help, decorates the rear of their home for Christmas, above right. But this past summer, she and Ron solved a problem with keeping the back area green by purchasing artificial turf that compliments her hydrangeas and is pet friendly. Above, center, is the side entrance to their loft, which comes off the alley to the rear, where there’s room to park. The firms do business worldwide, together employing eight people locally and 57 others at a partner factory in Taiwan. “People ask me what I do for a living,” Ron says. “I tell them I work hard and pray a lot.”

s a former side job, Ron once helped develop Berry Hill Estates on the Flint River. Because of that, he was later invited to bid on a house in Monte Sano’s gated Wakefield subdivision. The Pierces were tickled to get a deal on the big house. Later, they downsized to a 4,800-square-foot house at the Ledges, planning to live there into retirement. Tripp’s birth nixed that. With Cullman as a temporary plan, in 2004 the Pierces bought an old building on 4th Street SE to restore as a first-floor office and second-floor loft apartment. When their house at the Ledges quickly sold, they moved to a rental house in Cullman, planning to stay six months. The loft project, however, had ballooned into two-plus years when they finally moved in 2006. (Now owned by Joseph Fisher, that loft was 44

A handsome date plaque is mounted in front. featured in GLM’s summer 2019 issue.) Totally unplanned, the Pierces found they enjoyed town life, especially living around the corner from family. “We thought we’d make it easier on them,” Trena says. “Instead of them going to grandma, we brought grandma to them.” They enjoyed the city so much that when Garlan, then on the Cullman council, wanted to help bring merchants back downtown, Ron joined the cause. As a fundraiser, he sold $50 memberships to businesses and included them on a

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Downtown Merchants Association cartoon map of the city, which he had printed and distributed. “We took that income and used it for promotions, hired bands to play downtown,” Ron says. After 2011’s ravaging tornado, Ron and Nathan Anderson filed paperwork to form the Downtown Merchants Disaster Relief Fund. To fund it, he helped organize the annual Celebrate Cullman, predecessor to downtown’s popular Second Friday celebrations.

mong the architectural victims of the 2011 tornado was the initial Parker Bank and Trust Building on 2nd Avenue SE, two doors down from Southern Accents. Built in 1884, the bank moved a block north in 1951. The old building had last been a photographer’s residence. The tornado had destroyed a third of the upstairs flooring, the staircase, the heating system, the plumbing and wiring. The two-brick thick side walls were dangerously softened because of the badly leaking roof. “The only thing undamaged,” Ron

says, “was the walk-in building and restore it,” Ron safe.” says. Their current loft But something else, had only one bedroom; perhaps ultimately more they wanted a second for important, grew apparent as guests and a bunkroom for they settled in – they loved grandkids. They looked their new place. for lots in town, but “I like the open space,” instead bought the bank Ron says. “I like the in 2012, partly because location. And I like being its proximity to Heather’s close to our family – and my family. wife! The Pierces kept the “It took a long time to front and back walls and get here, but it was worth the safe, then basically all the time and money,” he gutted the rest. They continues. “We restored an salvaged enough pine old building that’s on the flooring downstairs to historic register … and God replace the missing floor lets us call it home.” upstairs. They salvaged “I am at home here,” and reinstalled original Trena declares. “I am safe sliding doors and wood and secure. I am so content Ronnie and Trena give Winston, who’s trained as a therapy dog, railings along the inside I cannot think of anywhere some quality time. “Ronnie is an entrepreneur and a good mentor,” else I’d rather be.” front steps and by the old she says. He helps mentor a lot of young men. God has blessed him front offices. Of course one never Garlan got flooring knows what the future holds, with a good mind for business.” As for Trena, since October 2020 from an old Decatur especially in terms of health. she’s owned Fairview Florist in Cullman, partnering with Heather church to replace “As long as God lets me and Garlan, a state senator and owner of Southern Accents. the downstairs floor. go up and down these steps, His woodshop crew as long as I can have my dog constructed new side and and cats and Ronnie,” Trena “We worked with the city, and city front doors in the style of laughs, “I am in heaven. I am worked with us,” Trena says. the 1800s. a very happy lady.” Joel Leonard of Leonard Design and Thinking of the stairs, Ron laughs, n 2014, the Pierces moved into their “We can always add an elevator.” Trena redesigned the interior. “We drew it out, and Joel worked with “new” loft home. One thing had become It wasn’t planned, but restoring the old apparent before they moved. us making it livable,” she says. bank has another bonus, Trena says: “I “It’s cheaper to build a building and They had to followed numerous feel we gave something back to Cullman.” make it look old than to take an old requirements to meet city codes. Good Life Magazine

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1964 promised to be a golden Christmas Story by Steve A. Maze

ven though it has been more than three decades, it doesn’t seem that long ago that I assisted my daughter with her annual letter to Santa. I couldn’t help but chuckle as we assembled her wish list each December. I wasn’t laughing at the huge number of items she was requesting from Santa. It was because her Santa note reminded me of a letter I mailed to St. Nick when I was a kid going back to the late 1950s. My mother usually helped me with my Santa letter. Unfortunately, she always cut the length of my wish list down to three items before personally mailing the letter to the North Pole. I made up my mind that the Christmas of 1964 would be different. Lois Lyons, my second grade teacher, had done a good job of teaching me to read and write the year before, so I decided I could send a letter to the Jolly Ole Elf without Mother’s help. To put my plan into action, I first had to secretively find the Sears-Roebuck catalog. Then I leafed through the pages and began writing up my wish list.

t wasn’t long before I filled up five full sheets of notebook paper intended for schoolwork. But I reasoned the paper was being used for educational purposes – after all, I did a lot of adding while totaling up the items on the list. I was especially careful not to forget the most desperately needed items from my list: baseball uniform, complete cowboy outfit with boots and hat, basketball goal, pup tent, sleeping bag, walkie talkies, Swiss Army knife, pool table, ping pong table and a bicycle. I knew mother wouldn’t be happy unless I asked for some clothes, so I listed a variety of those as well – some like the other kids wore to school, not the ones Santa normally brought me. 46

In my humble opinion, I had been especially good that year, so I felt justified in asking for a few “surprises,” such as a microscope, telescope, baseball cards, a little cash

stuck it beside the first one. Better safe than sorry. I slipped out of the house and placed the letter in our mailbox. I even raised the flag so the mailman would pick up and deliver my unedited list on time. Now, all I had to do was wait for the “big day.” To my surprise it came the next morning … but it wasn’t Christmas.

and other miscellaneous items. With the list finally completed, I stuffed it into a plain white envelope. The flap would not fold completely over the bulging envelope, so I pulled it over as far as it would go and taped it. Then I scrawled Santa’s name and “North Pole” on the front of the envelope. Not wanting Kris Kringle to deliver my bounty to another kid by mistake, I added my name and return address to the upper left hand corner of the envelope.

ven at my young age, I knew the post office would not deliver a letter without a stamp. It seemed I had seen some postage stamps in the kitchen junk drawer, so I sneaked off to see if I could find one. All I found were some Gold Bond trading stamps – similar to S&H Green Stamps – that grocery stores once gave shoppers. I figured a stamp was a stamp, so I stuck one on the upper right corner of the envelope. Recalling that Mother sometimes put two stamps on thick envelopes, I licked another Gold Bond stamp and

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hen the phone rang, Mother answered it. I tried but couldn’t hear who she was talking to. It didn’t sound good, though. “Yes,” she affirmed, “I have a son named Steve.” A slight smile grew on her face as the conversation continued. “What kind of stamp?” Mumble, crackle. Mumble, crackle. “How many pages?” Mumble, crackle. Mumble, crackle. “What ? The longest Santa letter you have ever received?” Mother turned and looked at me, phone to her ear, and burst into hysterics. My face growing redder with each passing moment until it matched St. Nick’s Christmas suit. The gig was up. Someone at the North Pole had ratted me out.

o everything on my list got whacked out but three measly items. To top if off, the only “surprise” I got that Christmas was a telephone call, this one from some idiot at the post office who identified himself as one of Santa’s elves. I hadn’t been that embarrassed since I tried to cure a headache by taking one of my mother’s birth control pills that I found hidden in the junk drawer with the Gold Bond Stamps. But that’s another story. Good Life Magazine

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Brandon Boike

Brandon really does have a computer at work – several of them, in fact. But he and the Torch team members he shares an office with, often find it beneficial to use a white board for diagrams and equations for discussion. Story and photos By David Moore

Responding to the call from both sides of his brain

ost people are either predominantly right-handed or predominantly left-handed. Only about 1 percent of the population is truly ambidextrous – equally handy with either hand. Generally speaking, people use both sides of their brain, though one hemisphere or the other is predominant. If you’re very analytical and methodical, you’re said to be leftbrained. Creative and artistic? You’re said to be right-brained. So most mathematicians are not

Opposite page: By day, Brandon plugs his brain into the workings of Torch Technology as an electrical engineer. By night, he plugs himself – or his Stratocaster, to be more precise – into an amp and plays and sings for Avenue G, a popular Cullman band. Brain graphic by Hal Gatewood at unsplash.com.

musicians. Most artists are not rocket scientists. Brandon Boike is not most people. It’s as if a fully integrated circuit board is wired between his ears. He seemingly taps equally into both sides of his brain. Perhaps his love of home brewing beer plays into this. Either way, meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Boike … By day, he’s an electrical engineer working on classified military projects at Torch Technologies in Huntsville. The 29-year-old landed the job because of a process he developed while co-oping during college at Mercedes Benz. It provided an efficient way for the German automaker to precisely align SUV liftgates with rear quarter panels. By night, Brandon plays lead guitar and belts out classic rock, country and dance hits for Cullman’s popular Avenue G band, rocking stages at Oktoberfest, Goat Island Brewing and other such gigs. “When you are on a stage,” he says, eyes aglow, “and it’s you, a guitar and a microphone and 1,000 people out there … it’s such a rush. It’s crazy.” And he goes crazy, too.

“I guess I do use both sides of my brain,” Brandon says, considering the theory. “I do technical, and I do music. There are not a lot of engineers who do music.” Adding two halves, as if for the first time, he lights: “I got a whole brain.”

randon’s family is a big influence on his life – most everyone in Avenue G is a family member. For now, suffice it to say that his dad, Barry, is a software engineer; his older brother, Alex, does commercial electrical work. That spoke to Brandon’s left brain. He also considered being an eye doctor, but analysis led to the conclusion that would require more school. “I knew the day I graduated that I wanted to be an electrical engineer,” he says. Leaving Cullman High in 2010, he studied at Wallace State Community College then earned his EE degree from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2015. For several college years Brandon alternated semesters between classes in Huntsville and working in the

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development department at the Mercedes Benz plant in Vance. “I got paid 20 bucks an hour and had my own GL-63 AMG – a $130,000 vehicle – to drive at the plant,” he says. Though just a co-op student, leaning on his left brain Brandon developed a remote-controlled stepper motor to precisely align liftgates with the rear quarter panels. He later gave a presentation on it to the president of Mercedes Benz. After graduating from UAH in 2015, he considered staying on at Mercedes, but people there urged him away from manufacturing work. “I was looking for a place where people liked where they worked,” he says. “That was when I found out about Torch.” Brandon had never heard of Torch, but quickly learned that it’s employee-owned, one of the nation’s top 100 defense contractors and ranked by Forbes among the best workplaces for millennials. He applied.

a direct line to the Pentagon. But for all that, he says, Torch is a great place to work.

ne might get the entirely wrong idea if told a band is comprised of a dad, step-mom, two of their kids and a family friend. But that’s Avenue G makeup – and they rock. Barry Boike, the dad, had a country band back in the day. He tried teaching Brandon piano at age 12, but his son, a young music junkie, gravitated to guitar, so that’s what Barry taught him. In 2008, they formed Avenue G, with Brandon as lead singer, he and Barry alternating on lead and rhythm. LaTonya, Barry’s wife and Brandon’s step-mom, plays keyboard and synthesizer; youngest of three Boike boys, Jerad, talented in numerous musical genres, plays drums; longtime family friend Davy Hancock, provides bass and backup vocals. Alex, eldest of Boike brothers, is the sound engineer and band advisor. The band is an appreciated creative outlet for Brandon. He exercises the right side of his brain on the strings and frets of his Fender Stratocaster while belting rock and country into his mic. To hear his vocals and guitar work on “Sultans of Swing,” you’d think Dire Straits was on stage. Learning that song, he laughs, was a good use of reverse engineering. The band plays mostly gigs in Cullman and probably every other show at Goat Island. They prefer not to travel, and touring sounds too much like camouflaged work. “We try to make it a hobby,” Brandon says, “not a job.” Their three-hour playlist spans “Hound Dog,” “Friends in Low Places” and “Hillbilly Shoes,” to “Life in the Fast Lane,” “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” and “Another Brick in the Wall.” Early on, Brandon realized that rocking shows can bring out the rowdy in crowds. “At first I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to continue to do this for a long time.’ Then we became really popular and I thought, ‘Well, maybe …”

or its part, Torch was impressed by Brandon’s work at Mercedes and hired him. “Our team is like a friendship,” he says. “‘Really big family’ is the best way to describe Torch. They care about the employees.” Sounding like the engineer he is, Brandon describes Torch as a “testing integration prototyping center,” meaning it designs, say, a new helicopter control unit, builds a prototype for testing and analysis. One of Torch’s mainstays is designing replacements for components that have grown obsolete in equipment that’s still in use. Reverse engineering is often used. “We understand and document how an obsolete device works,” Brandon says. “Once we’ve discovered that, we move on to engineering and developing a prototype, and once we have that it’s tested.” He particularly enjoys designing FPGAs – that is field programmable gate arrays – for chips to solve any computable problem. He writes codes and embeds the FPGA into firmware. “They are used in missiles, helicopters, space hardware … anything where timing is critical,” Brandon 50

“Before a show, I am very anxious – crazy anxious. But the moment I get the guitar in my hand, it’s gone and I feel like I can do anything in that moment,” Brandon says. Out of the moment, he shot the photo above, a stage-eye view of the crowd at Oktoberfest. His wife, Miranda, shot the other two photos of that show on this page. says. “I can have 40 different things happen in five nano-seconds.” Perhaps even cooler, twice he’s flown

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to Houston as part of the development team for the lunar landing system. He worked with engineers from Dynetics,

Space X and the National team, led by Blue Origin. Security at Torch is a way of life. Even

non-classified information is proprietary, Brandon says, and security really sinks in to be a room with a red phone that’s

randon first tried a micro beer on draft at Straight to Ale’s taproom in Huntsville.

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Miranda enjoys her husband’s home-brewing creativity. Four offering he and Sister City Brewing recently had at their house are, from left: Oktoberfest, a Märzen-style lager weighing in at 5.7 ABV; a malty, chocolate-tasting brown ale, perfect for fall at 5.8 ABV; a 4. 3 ABV Mexican lager brewed with Motueka hops for a lime aroma and taste; and his Fuzzy Navel, a fruity wheat ale with a 5.2 ABV. “It’s pool tested and approved,” Brandon laughs. Below, he proudly shows the second place trophy his New England pale ale won at Rocket City Brewing competition in Huntsville in February 2019.

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“It blew me away,” he says. “I was like, ‘This was made right here in these tanks … and I had it fresh.” By 2016, he was home brewing, his main interest in making different beers and styles of beer. And these days, all of his different brews are from his own recipes, his own mixes of Barley, hops, yeast and water. Back in high school, he had a part-time job cooking at Downtown Grill and later got interested in making sauces. So cooking, too, influenced his brewing, but so did engineering and art. “The key to brewing beer is you have to have the ‘art’ to understand how malts and hops combine to create other tastes,” Brandon says. “But you have to 52

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have the engineering to understand the process. Brewing is all process.” Dedicated to the cause, he purchased brewing equipment, refrigerators and a nifty canning machine. He formed a home-brew group with brother Alex, Mason Hardin and Marc Hodges, calling themselves Sister City Homebrewing, a nod to Cullman’s sister city, Frankweiler, Germany. Beyond home brewing, Brandon has also helped brew at Goat Island. Avenue G and Cullman band Round 2 recently collaborated with the Goat to create Rock On, a new India pale lager. The 2,000-gallon batch was canned and should still be available at Goat Island. The collaboration thrilled Brandon, who brews at home with a

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Brandon and Miranda give Margo some quality family time at home west of Cullman after work. Miranda works at home as an operations research analyst with the missile defense agency. Brandon’s mom, Larraine, married Dale Greer in 1987, so he has step-brothers in Corey, Casey and Jeremy Greer. “I’m super close to all of them,” Brandon says. 20-gallon kettle that fills two 5-gallon corny kegs. His current project is developing a recipe for a Belgian beer, challenging because of the style’s complex taste.

o, does a circuit board wired between his ears give Brandon seemingly equal use of the left and right sides of his brain? Genetics are more likely – guitarist-dad Barry is a software engineer at Torch; drummer-brother Jared co-ops there as a cybersecurity analyst. Either way, Brandon’s wife, Miranda, sees the rarity of his leftand right-brained abilities and beer’s commonality to both. When they met, he was a high school office aide four months from graduating. She was a junior. “She won an award and came to the office to check out to go eat lunch with her mom,” Brandon says. “I looked at the vice principal and said, ‘I’m going to lunch too!’” By the time Brandon called his mom 54

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FUN 92.7 to check out and reached the restaurant, he passed Miranda leaving: “Hi.” “It was totally stalking,” he confesses, but that’s how it started. They dated six years and married Oct. 29, 2016. She knows him well. “It is interesting that people like Brandon exist, but are somewhat rare,” Miranda says. “He can excel using both sides of his brain.” He’s recognized at work for his technical abilities, attributes of being left-brained, and for being a team player and leader, she says. And he astounds her with his sheer knowledge and understanding of all things technical. “He is also incredibly right-brained, which shines through in his musical abilities,” Miranda says. “Watching him perform on stage is amazing. He is a ham through and through and loves being in the spotlight.” She’s also amazed at how Brandon combines his technical and creative passions in brewing. “Beer is both an art in the fact he can create the most amazing recipes,”

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she says, “and science, in his execution to make these recipes come to life and taste incredible.” Brandon is very social and friendly, yet skilled at presenting technical content, which Miranda sees as another indication of his fully integrated brain.

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ow might all of this sift out for their future? “Torch is a fantastic company to work for,” Brandon says. Still … “I’d turn down engineering all day long to have my own brewery.” Perhaps drawing from both sides of his brain, he adds: “I think my goal is that one day I’ll have kids that could play music with me. That was my dad’s dream. I don’t think I would be opposed to having the same dream. And maybe I’ll just play at my own brewery.” And after the gig, hop in your helicopter with non-obsolete instruments and fly home, right? “There you go,” he grins. “Or maybe my Mercedes Benz.” Good Life Magazine

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Christ Lutheran turns 100 The church family has seen hardly any challenge unmet by faith and perseverance

Story by Seth Terrell Photos by David Moore

eb Veres leans over an old scrapbook spread out on the pew where she sits in Christ Lutheran Church. Her great grandparents were founding members of the church; the pew – one in a line of several other time-worn, but beautiful seats – is the very same spot in which her grandparents sat and worshiped many years before. Deb’s mother, Dot Christiansen, one of the oldest church members, sits nearby looking on. Her brother, Wayne Christiansen, begins preparing the candles for the worship service. In a few minutes, the service will commence as it does every Sunday here at Christ Lutheran Church in downtown Cullman. But for now, there is a break between church prayer time and the worship service. And Deb spends the moments leafing through the scrapbook, arriving at a black and white copied photograph of her own confirmation service, 50 years ago, as well as those of her children, Jason, Josh and Mary Katherine. But Deb doesn’t stop there. Her bright, blue eyes flash around the sanctuary as she connects names and people with pages of the scrapbook. Photos and newspaper clippings, writings, accomplishments and dedications. “This little girl is Pam Kreps,” Deb says of an old photo. She points to Pam who now sits a few pews away. “And this little girl is Cindy,” Deb says, connecting another photo to Cindy Gondstad, who sits with her husband, Robert, near the far window. Cindy’s

Prayer time for the church was held before a recent Sunday service at Christ Lutheran in downtown Cullman, which marks its 100th anniversary in February. father, W.C. Peinhardt, the church’s oldest member, joins them while Cindy’s sister, Mary Jo Lakin, another face from the photos, plays the organ, filling the sanctuary with Sunday melodies.

There are other pictures, too, those of rebuilding and rededicating the church grounds after the devastating tornado of 2011. There is a deep sense of century-long

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The church first met at the Deere Paint Store, top left. A tornado-bent cross is kept in the new sanctuary. Pam Kreps found the old hymnal, left, after the storm. Later she realized it was turned to The Lord’s Prayer. 58

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A look at Christ Lutheran Church over the years, shows, from clockwise above, the original building in 1924; after the addition made in 1964; a photo by member Pam Kreps showing the destruction wrought by the tornado in 2011; and the building today. It has remained all these years at 424 2nd Ave. SE in downtown Cullman. NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2021-22

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This photo of the congregation was shot circa 1965. Recognize anyone? history and personal connection here in the pages of the scrapbook … and in the church itself. Outside the church walls, a spitting rain turns the world gray, speckling the stained-glass and dampening the stone walkway that leads from Second Avenue to the church’s front doors. As the scrapbook’s photos and histories become names, and as names become people, the church’s story comes alive in the small crowd of Christ Lutheran members who now take their seats.

hough the Sunday morning is wet and dreary, the people here offer warmest welcomes and thoughtful smiles as they settle in for worship. While the official count of worship services held here might vary slightly (somewhere around 5,148) and while this Sunday morning is no more or less memorable than any previous, it is yet remarkable because of what it signifies to the members here – one more Sunday in 100 years of Sundays. This February, Christ Lutheran will celebrate its 100th birthday. Begun in 1922, it was first officially named Christ 60

English Lutheran Church, a congregation that arose from St. John’s Church where, at the time, all services were still held in German. The charter families, which included the ancestors of several members who are present on this wet day, decided that with changing times and changing needs of the Cullman area, it was best to start a new church focused on reaching the community. They hoped to establish a positive presence for English speaking Lutherans. The “new” building was erected in 1924. As service begins, the sanctuary buzzes with the enthusiasm of hymns and prayers. There are times to stand and sing loudly, and there are times to sit meditatively. Yet there is a certain fervor undaunted by tornadoes or the exhausting recent toll of Covid. For a church standing 100 years, there is hardly any challenge unmet by faith and perseverance. The Rev. Debbie Williams leads the service and offers the sermon, taking her listeners into a thought experiment of sorts. “What does greatness look like?” she asks. She has the subtle charisma that betrays her Baptist upbringing, but also

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the depth and connection of thought that seem best suited for a contemplative Sunday such as this. “A church with a dream,” she preaches, “can make a difference.”

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he stories of Christ Lutheran Church – and thereby the stories of its members are – above all, rooted in such dreams of determination and hope. When the 2011 tornado hit Cullman and the building was destroyed, for a brief period of time the members met together at Sacred Heart Benedictine Manor. Not much was left after the storm, but the church managed to salvage a few pews, and notably, a piece of stained glass depicting “the Good Shepherd.” Serving as perfect complement to the stained glass, there is a metal cross, bent and twisted by the storm, that now rests in the back of the church, serendipitously shaped in the form of a shepherd’s crook. Once the service winds to a close and communion is completed, church members stand near the doorway, looking out to the rain that has only now begun to slacken. They hover in the gentle thrum of togetherness.

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One of the things Christ Lutheran wants to focus on the next 100 years is the redevelopment of its once strong children’s program. Bob Redic points out the unlikely cross-turned-shepherd’s crook while emphasizing other unique markings of the sanctuary. When he and his wife, Gloria, moved to Cullman from Indiana years ago, it was the warmth and kindness of the members that drew them in and convinced them to stay. While the congregation is not large, each of its members seem to share in a collective sense of ownership and fulfillment. Bob sweeps his hand over the sanctuary, pointing out fixtures and furnishings, some he has helped build and some he has rebuilt and refurnished after the tornado. “But it’s really the people here who are a treasure,” he says. “A great joy to be around.” For Bob, these are no mere platitudes. Several years ago, he donated a kidney to fellow church member and Vietnam veteran, Bill Korwach.

ohnny Fricke, another Christ

Lutheran member, recalls stories about his grandfather John Fricke and the founding of the church. In such recollections, it becomes clear the church’s historical tapestry is also woven with work and vision. Theirs is a story of a people and a physical location all engendered from labors of love and the ensuing sweat and tears that often follow such commitments. There was a brief period of time when the church met above Deere’s paint store downtown. And Johnny speaks of mud and rock, mules digging out the church’s original basement. Personal stories with Christ Lutheran often have a cyclical symmetry, too: several of the members were born here, baptized here, confirmed and married here, and have full intentions, as Johnny puts it with a smile, “to be buried here.” Deb and her son, Josh, are owner operators of Augusta’s Sports Grill in town,

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with a love for food and fellowship that she is convinced grew from church life. She recalls a children’s service when Josh was young. Being asked by the pastor what his favorite aspect of the church was, Josh, perhaps reflecting upon the many authentic German dishes and potluck dinners he’d enjoyed in his young life, simply replied, “I like the food.” But beyond the food and fellowship lies something more. “This place,” Deb says, “has always been a solace.”

hether transplanted like the Redics, or one of the oldest members like Dot Christiansen, or married into the Christ Lutheran family like member, Betty Voight, the past 100 years have felt like one long family reunion. “It’s an extension of our family,” Cindy Gondstad says. “And we’ve been here a hundred years; we’re not going anywhere.” “People here get along and support

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Finishing up a hymn, above, are W.C. Peinhardt, who’s seated and almost as old as the church, one of his daughters and his son-inlaw, Robert and Cindy (in stripes) Gondstad, and Pam Kreps and Bob Short, standing behind W.C. Mary Jo Lakin, right, plays organ during worship services at Christ Lutheran. each other,” Cindy’s sister, Mary Jo agrees. “We’ve never been really big, but we’ve always had an interest and commitment to the community and to the word.”

earby, their father, W.C. Peinhardt speaks over a Zoom call to his son, Bill, who like several other former and current members, has tuned into the livestreamed service online. From his home in Connecticut, Bill waves at old familiar faces and chats with others who are excited to see and hear from him. Often, Bill’s siblings, Al in Oregon, 64

Chris in Germany and Amy in South Carolina tune in, too. And every other Christmas they all return to Christ Lutheran to worship and reconnect. When asked about the nature of this church community, and the nature of the sacrifices necessary to endure 100 years, W.C. considers the present moment. “It took some dedicated Christians to come in a rainstorm today,” he smiled. And perhaps nobody knows better than he; W.C. has been making those Sunday journeys to Christ Lutheran for all of his 94 years.

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Having overcome a bout with Covid earlier in the year, W.C. is grateful for the support from those around him and aware of the secret ingredient that makes a church last a century and beyond. Standing amid the blended audience of online and in-person gatherers, of families with generational ties and those who have been welcomed later in life, he repeats that earnest slogan that so perfectly captures the essence of this place and its dreams. “Everyone here,” says E.C., “is family.” Good Life Magazine

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Brooke teaches a student at the American Academy of Dance in Paris, which she started in 1997.

Desnoës applies her big picture ‘pointe’ to the art of ballet Wallace instructor doesn’t believe in perfect bodies; rather she strives to develop the technical and artistic ability of each individual dancer 66

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Story by David Moore Photos by Vincent Desnoës

allet, the graceful art, has a rich history sweeping back 600 years to the Italian Renaissance. It sets to music aesthetic moves choreographed so that the eloquent bodies of dancers create flowing lines in the space of a stage. Such ethereal beauty notwithstanding, ballet instructor Brooke Desnoës (day-no-AY) offers a down-to-earth description of the art of teaching the art of ballet. “There’s more than one way to skin a cat,” she says. Brooke, a Cullman native, makes the proclamation while discussing ballet and life in her office at the Burrow Center for the Fine and Performing Arts on the campus of Wallace State Community College.

She returned to the U.S. in 2017 from Paris and a year later created Wallace State’s ballet program after spending more than two decades dancing and teaching in the U.S. and abroad. It was in France that Brooke had the both the vision – and audacity – to found the highly regarded American Academy of Dance in Paris. So, about that cat … The Russians and French, to some degree, still insist that classical ballet dancers have perfect bodies, Brooke says. They go to extremes defining perfect, such as a dancer’s second toe cannot be longer than the big toe. “They only teach perfect bodies with perfect turnout, long legs, flexible muscles,” she says. “They only consider those perfect bodies – which are maybe two percent of the population – for taking classes. But we can’t teach that way … in the United States,

anyone can take dance. Our job as teachers is not to adopt a technique to a student, but to adapt a student to a technique.” Brooke counts herself fortunate to have gained extensive knowledge from renown ballet dancers and teachers. “When you can do that,” she says, “you begin to see the big pictures more clearly. You have to understand technique and the different schools of teaching, the Russian method, French method … but the more you learn, the more you can be flexible to choose what fits your students. “Yes,” she laughs, “one could argue that if you are not flexible, you cannot dance.”

oung ballet dancers need encouragement. Brooke was no exception. The only child of Blanche and the late Euvel Kent, she took ballet from Niki Link

in Cullman, growing serious by age 10. Seeing the “The Nutcracker” performed in Birmingham settled it. “I was hooked,” Brooke says. “This was what I wanted to do.” At 12, with Niki’s encouragement, she interviewed at the Alabama School of Fine Arts Birmingham. “They asked to see me frog, which is a stomach stretch,” Brooke laughs. “I thought they meant to jump – ‘How high?’ – so I started jumping. That was the incorrect response, but I suppose it showed that I had enough energy and curiosity and go-for-itness that they could work with me. There was a small artistic quality they thought I could capitalize on.” So until she graduated from Cullman High in 1986, Brooke checked out early every day and her mother drove her to ASFA

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Russian ballet evolve to make it what it needed to be to have successful dancers in the U.S.”

As owner of the American Academy of Dance in Paris, Brooke, wearing white, maintained a close relationship with top ballet schools. Here she hosts visitors from the Royal Ballet School of London. From left, they are the RBS’s late director Gailene Stock, her husband and ballet teacher there, Gary Norman; and principal Kathryn Wade. for elective dance courses with Sonia Arova. After graduating from Cullman, Brooke was invited into the corps de ballet in the Scottish-American Ballet under Alexander Bennett’s direction and was soon performing in Scotland, England and France. “They needed dancers without the cost – Alexander was an expert at that,” she says. “We danced right alongside the company and did other things the company did not want to do, such as Scottish Highland dances.”

he experience was priceless. “It was a lot of hard work,” Brooke says. “It was also very eye-opening. It was my first time far away from home. I met a variety of new people. I was pretty talented … I guess in retrospect had to have been. Realistically, I didn’t have anything else to do but dance and sleep.” Her repertoire grew to include leading roles in contemporary programs as well as “Sleeping Beauty,” “Paquita,” “Romeo and Juliet” and other classic ballets. 68

She says she got her big break into lead roles and solos “the old fashion way” – another dancer got hurt. Injuries are common in ballet, and within the year Brooke badly sprained her ankle. A break would have probably healed quicker. Though not anorexic, back home convalescing she realized how much weight she’d lost, how extremely overworked she was. So she decided to try college, and in 1990 earned a BA in ballet pedagogy from Brenau University in Georgia. After that, she declined a contract with the Atlanta Ballet and, for a break, taught ballet, jazz and modern dance to an international group of students at a camp in Maine. It was there she met her future husband Vincent Desnoës, a French photographer. They married and returned to Europe. In ensuing years, Brooke taught at various schools in England and France before returning to the U.S. for similar positions in Virginia and Maryland.

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tarting in 1994, for nearly two years, Brooke danced with the Georgetown Ballet, but a much bigger influence on her then was teaching 8-10-year-olds at the Washington School of Ballet. Founded by the iconic Mary Day, it was called the best ballet school in the nation by Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the greatest dancers of all time. “At the Washington School of Ballet, the goal was educating the whole child, developing her or his artistic side,” Brooke says. “It was a very good place to be, but Miss Day was unforgiving in what she expected of her teachers. Her office was next to my studio. The walls were paper thin, and she could hear everything I said. She’d come into the studio and correct my mistakes, but everything she said was right and I remember those things.” Among the many things Brooke asked her mentor was how she’d managed to keep her school so celebrated for 50 years. “It’s simple,” Miss Day told her. “There’s the artistic side of it and the business side. You can’t make business and

“I try to teach individuals instead of a mass,” Brook says. “They are each different, coming in with their own baggage, so to speak, in good ways and bad ways. They have things that need to be worked on, things they understand. Strengths and weaknesses.” Here she works in Paris with Olga Petiteau, who was a finalist in Youth America Grand Prix and now dances with Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada. ballet decisions separately. There will be only one point where those interests cross.” Brooke would apply lessons learned from Miss Day to her Académie Américaine de Danse de Paris, which she opened in 1997. She’d also apply the philosophy of the famous late choreographer George Balanchine, co-

founder of the New York City Ballet and considered the father of American ballet. “In Russia and France they would have only cast those with perfect bodies,” Brooke says. “He took ballet and Americanized it. So much of what we do in the U.S. – and really around the world – comes from Balanchine. He let that old

s Brooke and Vincent returned to Paris in ’97, she was not yet set on opening her own school. Her goal was to teach at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (also known as the Paris Conservatory), considered one of the most preeminent dance schools in the world. Most Americans don’t even get hired there, but Brooke had the resume´, gave it her best shot and was hired – but immediately recognized it was a mistake. “It was like leaving the rain forest and going to Antarctica,” she says. “It was frigid. The kids were not allowed to speak. The pianists glared. Communications were highly restricted.” Even worse, the approach to teaching was 180 degrees off Miss Day’s methods and the influences of Balanchine. “At Washington, the goal was educating the whole child, developing the artistic side,” Brooke says. “At the Conservatory, they just wanted ballet taught in the image of old Russia – don’t ask questions, just do it. And if you can’t, we’ll find someone who will.” After three days, Brooke left – but she left with ideas and the seed of a plan which quickly grew like the Christmas tree in the first act of “The Nutcracker.” Brooke walked out the door of Paris Conservatory that day and, literally around the corner, entered the door of the American Church of Paris, which had a culture center with rooms for rent. Snooping around, she discovered that one was a large, mirrored gym that the American University formerly used for ballet classes. Three weeks later Brooke started Académie Américaine de Danse de Paris – the American Academy of Dance in Paris – as a non-profit school with eight students. Enrollment quickly grew to 50. Then it hit 150 and, after five years, 350. She hired more teachers. She moved thrice to larger facilities. The demand for an Americanized approach to ballet – among American expats, other foreign transplants and Parisians – was substantial.

alented staffing was expensive, as was property in central Paris. So Brooke

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mailed letters each term soliciting donations. Early on, Regina and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, parents of one of her students, said their family had a foundation that might be interested in helping acquire a new school building. When they met, Gregory asked if she could discuss her goals and plans. “How much time do you have?” Brooke replied, launching into her business plans and philosophy. She explained how modern socialist countries supports the arts, which is good at face value, but also means the government can make mandates. This was true of teaching only dancers with perfect bodies. “I just don’t believe that,” she told Gregory. “It helps but is not a necessity, because I have enough knowledge to help children become whatever they want to be.” Had she grown up in Paris, Brooke’s nearly perfect ballet body would have disallowed dance lessons.

“H

ow many could be taught but don’t have a perfect body?” she asks aloud. “The French believed they’re the only ones who can teach ballet. If I was going to run a ballet school in Paris, I needed to do something different … fill the gap. I adopted the American philosophy and an American curriculum. I wanted it right out there. I didn’t want to waste time with people who wanted a French school.” Brooke skinned the cat her way that day in Paris. And Gregory was impressed. “That’s it,” he told her. “You got your building.” He said his grandfather was Walter H. Annenberg, a retired publishing magnet who set up a $1.2 billion charitable trust after he sold TV Guide, Seventeen magazine and his radio and TV stations. About two weeks later, Brooke got a short email notifying her of a $1,000,000 grant. She looked at it again. And again. It couldn’t be right. Perhaps a decimal was left out? She showed Vincent. “I think,” he said, “this is serious.”

ltimately, Brooke’s American Academy of Dance in Paris grew to an enrollment of some 900 students, ages 4-22. With the help of several similar Annenberg grants, she established master, preprofessional and trainee programs; opened a satellite school in rural France; broadened curriculum to include voice, theatre and jazz 70

dance; created a ballet and modern repertoire company. And definitely lightened the learning atmosphere. In 2007, the New York Times featured Brooke and the school under the headline, “An American in Paris, Making Classical Dance Training (Gasp!) Fun.” The story quotes Gregory, VP and director of the Annenberg Foundation, on the foundation’s reason for supporting the school: The combination of discipline and effort required by dance, all this is taught, but with a smile on the students’ faces. [Her school offers] an alternative to the state-run École de l’Opéra [Paris’ other big classical ballet school], where you either fit the mold, or are ejected. “In the end, we saw 3,000 students walk through our door,” Brook says. “We had people from all over the word coming to the school, wanting to be a part of it.” She grins and says she’s pretty sure that success was not lost on the director of the Conservatory.

or all of her school’s success for 25 years, a number of factors converged to say it was time for Brooke to leave. For starts, Paris and the world were changing. A multi-cultural international school with a high percentage of Jewish students located in a building with lots of glass would be a tempting terrorist target. Additionally, the Paris economy was souring like a wine with a dry-rotted cork. “We would have been forced to make a lot of adjustments and have government people on the board,” Brooke adds. Furthermore, they wanted their daughters – Eglantine and Sidonie, now, respectively, 18 and 16 and students at Vanderbilt University and Cullman High – to eventually attend U.S. colleges. “We decided it was time to go back,” Brooke says. So they returned in 2017. She had a pen in hand to sign a contract as the artistic director of Wichita Ballet. The job called for growing the company and developing a feeder school. “I froze,” Brooke says of the signing. “‘I realized that I had no connection to the Wichita community. I decided I would like to promote the arts and dance in a community where I had a connection and that had supported me.” That would be her hometown. So in 2018, she emailed Wallace State President Dr. Vicki Karolewics.

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2021-22

Katelyn Hallmark, above, and other students on this page work in Brooke’s class at Wallace State. At far left, Brooke works with Bri McAnnally. At left is Royce Cleghorn. Brooke brings considerable knowledge to her class. “Throughout my years of teaching,” she says. “I have been fortunate to have the privilege to work with some of the best dance educators of the 20th and 21st century; the late Gailleine Stock who was director of the Royal Ballet School in London, Balanchine ballerinas and instructors Suzanne Farrell and Suki Schorer and, of course, my close relationship with the late Violette Verdy. They were all instrumental in helping me understand the history and influence of Balanchine. It was like a living history book. They all were wonderful mentors to me.” NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2021-22

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2021-22

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A promotional photograph, top, shows a diversity of happy dancers at Brooke’s school in Paris. Below, she works at her school in Cullman with Nathalie Myrex, left, Lili Howze and Anna Sutherland. Says Brooke, “I strongly believe that teaching students to love ballet helps them learn the technique with more ease and less apprehension. Students, no matter how young they are, should never be underestimated. Brains and muscles must be at work in a dance studio. Going through the motions is not enough. Our students are encouraged to ask questions and our teachers are asked to deconstruct movements.”

rooke likes to say she teaches students from the inside out. “I think that comes from having had great teachers and having had the opportunity of working alongside great teachers and great mentors.” She thinks of herself as a student, constantly learning. “I can’t pretend I learned to teach 30 years ago when I got my degree in ballet pedagogy. No,” Brooke says. “It’s evolving. It’s constantly changing. I constantly stay abreast of what’s new, what’s out there – the demands of new choreographers. And I prepare my students to meet those demands.” This past spring, her first two-year students at Wallace graduated. All eight got teaching jobs, went to four-year schools or entered pre-professional training with a dance contract. One of them, Elizabeth Griffith, is at the American Repertory Ballet studio in Princeton, N.J. She recently sent Brooke this quote she gave to an ARB publication: Taking classes from Ms. Brooke was a turning point in my dance career. She pushed me and helped cultivate not only my physical ability but my thought process as well. She cares about the whole dancer, not just the physical ability. She also helps students think about their future and where they want to go and what they need to focus on to achieve their goals. There is more than one way to teach ballet – and that’s good. “I am having fun because I am seeing success – not my success but my students’ success. I’m seeing light bulbs go off – ‘Wow!’ That,” adds Brooke Desnoës, “is exciting to me.” Good Life Magazine

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“I asked if she’d ever thought about having a dance program here,” Brooke says. “She said they had. We started the process and, so … voila!” She wants to see the arts in general grow in Cullman and says dance is one way to do that. To interest more young people in dance requires motivation and education. Toward that end, she started Brooke Desnoës Ballet Academy and has about 80 students. She also created a performing company, Ballet South, and is staging “Clara’s Dream” from “The Nutcracker” at Wallace (see page 12).

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Out ‘n’ About Liz Smith, a Joppa photographer and frequent contributor to GLM, has shot pictures from Germany to Yellowstone National Park and Nappa Valley – and loved it. But she’ll be the first to say it’s not necessary to travel great distances to shoot great photos. Those on this page – her photo essay on winter – were taken within several miles of her home. For more of her work visit: Lizzypatphotos on Facebook or Instgram.

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