By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

Mayors from all across Shelby County recently signed a statement, which vocalizes their support for the nation of Israel in the wake of the war crimes committed by Hamas.

“We recognize the brutality of war and the death and destruction it wreaks; however, the battle for justice against injustice and good versus evil must prevail to protect the innocent and ensure liberty,” the statement reads. “We pray for a speedy end to hostilities and a lasting peace.”

The statement goes on to condemn Hamas attacks on civilian populations on Oct. 7, Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself against terrorist forces and demands the immediate release of all hostages currently held by Hamas. 

The document itself cements the mayors of Shelby County as being firmly on the side of Israel, and focuses heavily on the crimes Hamas has committed against the Israeli people. However, the document neglects to mention many of the war crimes also perpetuated by Israel itself on its Islamic population and citizens in Gaza which include the violation of medical neutrality.

The letter was signed by the following local politicians:

• Tony Picklesimer, mayor of Chelsea
• Scott Brakefield, mayor of Alabaster
• Theoangelo Perkins, mayor of Harpersville
• Frank Brocato, mayor of Hoover
• Rusty Nix, mayor of Montevallo
• James Latimer, mayor of Vincent
• Ricky Ray Morris, mayor of Wilsonville
• David Mitchell, mayor of Columbiana
• Jon Graham, mayor of Calera
• Brian Puckett, mayor of Helena
• Brenda Bell-Guercio, mayor of Indian Springs
• Gary Waters, mayor of Pelham
• Larry Riggins, mayor of Westover
• Deborah Wilson, mayor of Wilton

The post Mayors of Shelby County speak out in support of Israel appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By JOSH BOUTWELL | Special to the Reporter

TROY – It’s been a long road, but Alabama’s very first legal bourbon whiskey distillery attraction, Conecuh Ridge Distillery, is planning for a May 2024 opening as the complex in Troy nears completion.

Conecuh Ridge Distillery will produce the official state spirit of Alabama, Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey. The moonshine whiskey was made famous by former moonshiner Clyde May, a native of Alabama.

After proudly serving his country in the Army’s 77th Infantry in World War II – earning a Bronze Star and Purple Heart – Clyde May returned home to Alabama and became known as one of the “most wanted” moonshiners in the state. His original still was set up close to Pike County in nearby Bullock County.

While Clyde May passed away in 1990, his son, Kenny May, launched the legal Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey in 2001 and it became the official state spirit of Alabama in 2004.

While Conecuh Ridge Distillery has bottled and produced its products outside of Clyde May’s home state of Alabama over the years, it will now return to Troy, Ala., when it opens in 2024.

Conecuh Ridge Distillery will produce numerous products, including Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey, Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon, Clyde May’s Cask Strength, Clyde May’s Straight Rye Whiskey and Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

The facility will feature not only the distillery but also a bottling plant, a restaurant and bar, tasting rooms, a retail shop and a barrelhouse to age barrels of whiskey.  All of that will be part of tours that will be featured at Conecuh Ridge Distillery.

The distillery will create approximately 50 new jobs in Pike County once it is fully operational and up to capacity.

Steve May (no relation to Clyde May) serves as vice president and general manager of the Conecuh Ridge Distillery. Prior to joining Conecuh Ridge, May served as director of marketing operations for the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Tennessee.

During his tenure there, he oversaw significant growth in the distillery’s retail sales and annual guest count, which grew from 191,000 to over 300,000 annually. That growth also added to the economic growth of the area. During his tenure, the Jack Daniel’s Distillery invested more than $25 million in capital improvements at the site, as well.

“I was responsible for marketing operations for the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, one of the largest tourist attractions in Tennessee,” May said. “Before the pandemic, we had over 300,000 people a year taking tours there and 190 employees just in marketing. It had an enormous economic impact on the area and it’s our hope that we can do similar things in Troy.”

The distillery will offer five different types of tours when it opens with prices ranging from $20 to $45. Tours will begin at the Clyde 240, Clyde May’s original moonshine still, which was named so because it took $240 worth of copper to make the still. After learning the history of May and Conecuh Ridge Distillery, tourists will get to tour the entire distillery facility and process.

“We will be very family friendly. If you bring your children you can take a tour that doesn’t include any alcohol,” May said. “We have a little bit of everything going on here. We are not just a tourist attraction but a full-fledged distillery with a bottling plant that will produce Clyde May’s whiskey and Conecuh Ridge whiskey.”

“We’ll be buying local grain grown in Alabama,” May said. “Our corn will come from farms right here in this area.  We’ll sell our spent grain, which is very nutritious, to local cattle farmers.”

Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said that he believed the distillery would bring a unique tourist experience to Troy.

“The Conecuh Ridge Distillery will provide a quality tourism destination and investment on the north side of Troy,” Reeves said. “It will be a unique opportunity for those traveling through Troy as well as those within a few hours who would like to take a weekend or even a day trip to see our community and the Clyde May brands’ process. I have no doubt it will be a distinctly fun experience.”

Steve May said that the distillery is planning for a May 2024 opening, but weather and other issues may push that back. Regardless, Summer 2024 looks like it will see the opening of Alabama’s first whiskey distillery that will be located off Highway 231 where 3 million cars travel annually.

The post Alabama’s first bourbon distillery experience to open in 2024 appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By SASHA JOHNS | Special to the Reporter

Shelby County Schools is on the lookout for new school bus drivers to meet the ongoing needs and growth of the county’s school transportation system.

Currently, there are available driver positions all over the county, but there is also a great need for substitute drivers, particularly in the Helena and Oak Mountain school systems.

Wanda Adams, who works out of the main Bus Shop in Columbiana, wants potential drivers to know that there are benefits to both having a regular route and being a substitute driver and that each offers attributes that may appeal to different kinds of candidates.

“The obvious benefit to taking on a regular route is the county benefits like health insurance and retirement, but substitute drivers have more flexibility in their schedules and can choose which days they want to work,” Adams said. “And of course, there (is no working on) weekends or holidays for drivers.”

There are also available opportunities for drivers to pick up extra work, such as driving for field trips and transporting students and teams for games.

Bus driving is a great job for retirees and stay at home parents, but often entrepreneurs find that it works well with their schedules too, and it presents a viable route to receive benefits.

The Bus Shop will accept a new class of trainees on Thursday, Jan. 4, but wants interested parties to know there are a few things that candidates need to accomplish to qualify for the class. Most importantly, those interested need to acquire a CDL Learners Permit and must submit to a background check as well as a few other prerequisites.

One new driver, Connor Preston, is one of several new additions to the roster who completed the most recent class this past fall and did so in a search to acquire insurance. Preston, who is also a children’s minister at a local church, is currently working as a substitute driver in Columbiana.

“When I first started the classes, I didn’t realize all the things I’d have to learn when it came to the safety checks you have to memorize for the pre-trip and it was a little intimidating,” Preston said. “Austin Shifflet, one of the bus mechanics, was a great trainer though and it ended up being a lot easier than I thought it would be.”

Interested candidates can hear more information about the qualifications and prerequisites needed to join the January bus class by visiting the Shelby County Board of Education website under the Transportation tab or by calling the Bus Shop at 205-682-7130.

The post Shelby County Schools seeks new bus drivers appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

A hazy smoke fills the air, forcing cars to a stop as police close one of the busiest highways between Columbiana and Alabaster on Friday, Nov. 3 as local firefighters tried to control a fire spreading across the dry grass and leaves along County Road 26.

This has been a common theme recently with seven brush fires occurring in Shelby County during the past 30 days, while 393 have been spurred across the state with more than 3,000 acres burning.

“It’s definitely very dry,” said Chelsea Fire Chief Joe Lee, who recently had his department battling a brush fire near U.S. 280. “We haven’t had significant rain in a couple of months now.”

A fire requires only three specific things in order to occur which are fuel, the right weather conditions and a single spark. At the moment, Alabama is dangerously abundant with all three.

Fuel

In Alabama, the months of October, November and December are marked by a steady dryness and lack of humidity. Weeks can and do go by without a drop of rain, rivers and streams run lower and lower and combustibles, such as dead leaves and dry grass,  gather on the forest floor. For the last 60 days there has not been any rain in the entirety of Alabama, and Gov. Kay Ivey has officially declared both a statewide “no burn order” and a “drought emergency.” 

“We haven’t gotten a lot of rain recently,” said Dave Holley of the Alabama Forestry Commission. “When you combine that with other weather conditions like relative humidity that dries out the leaves, the grass and just everything else. You can hear it when you walk through the forest. Everything just goes ‘crunch, crunch, crunch.’”

Similar to starting a campfire, a forest fire begins with small combustibles being set aflame. The fire then rapidly builds from there, spreading out and consuming sticks then logs and then finally larger materials, such as trees and buildings

“The number of wildland or grass fires has increased this year,” Calera Fire Department Deputy Chief Shane Stoudenmire said. “Nothing has been really big yet, and we’ve been significantly blessed for that.”

To some people, the obvious answer to the problem of having this degree of kindling lying around and simply waiting to start a massive fire is to just have a series of controlled burns. But this is not viable for a couple of reasons.

“Population density plays a big role in that, because of air quality,” Stoudenmire said. “When you start burning off all the underbrush in rural areas some of it will start to settle in the nearby urban areas and create all sorts of issues with air quality.”

Stoudenmire noted that the way the winds have been working the last few months plays a big factor in this, both in how they push smoke into more populated areas and how they can help wildfires spread quickly.

Correct weather conditions

In addition to a fuel source, fire also requires the presence of oxygen and active winds help flames grow and spread. This leads to wildfires finding purchase in more of the dry grass and kudzu that covers much of the county.

“Windy days are when you’re at your highest risk when you burn, because the wind is gonna push these embers in the direction of the land,” Stoudenmire said.

Higher wind speeds and drought are both major contributors to wildfire risk, and both have also been linked to global warming and climate change.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has stated that increased temperature has resulted in a severe lack of moisture in potential fire fuels such as trees, shrubs and forest debris. Studies have also shown that this has in turn more than doubled the rate of large wildfires in the US since 1984.

The current weather conditions may be providing the perfect environment for wildfires, but ultimately a fire cannot be started without a source. While wildfires do naturally occur, brought about by lightning and other natural phenomena, more often than not they are brought about through human action and error.

The spark

When the Saginaw Fire Department reported that six acres of land was burned in a brush fire near County Road 26 on Friday, Nov. 3, they were able to determine that the fire’s origin stemmed from a single bottle rocket.

When conditions are as primed and prepared for fire as Alabama is currently witnessing, something as small as a bottle rocket can lead to a wildfire that can potentially consume countless acres. It was only thanks to the immediate action and reaction from firefighters that this latest fire only spread across six acres.

According to Stoudenmire, the incident was hardly an outlier, saying he has been called to multiple scenes where fires have been started from something as small as someone tossing a smoking cigarette out of their window while driving down the highway.

“Luckily those fires are usually small, but if you get a good windy day, they can quickly get hard to control,”  Stoudenmire said.

Similar to the Smokey Bear saying, “Only you can prevent wildfires,” local fire departments across Shelby County are asking for the help of the public to make sure residents aren’t put into those dangerous situations.

“The best thing that people living in the community can do is just refrain from outdoor burning of all types,” Lee said. “If they can just hold out until this winter when we have plenty of rain, then it’ll be fine. But this isn’t the right time of year to have fires outside.”

The Dangers of fighting fires

When fighting a wildfire, it’s less about putting the fire out and more about just keeping the flames contained and preventing the spread of destruction.

“Depending on the terrain and where the fire’s at, we sometimes just can’t get water up there,” Cahaba Valley Fire Chief Buddy Wilks said. “A lot of times, it just gets into a position where we’re just trying to contain it by clear-cutting lines into the ground.”

Wilks noted that fire departments often call in the local forestry commission to aid in wildfire containment efforts by using tractors to dig trenches around the fire. 

“It’s a lot,” Wilks said. “It’s a very strenuous activity because we are just basically using rakes, hoes and chainsaws to cut down trees and to monitor things.”

Alarmingly, these wildfires can continue on for days. Wilks went so far as to comment that several fire departments in Shelby County have been fighting the same fires for days on end at the time of this writing.

“It’s a very difficult operation we go through and very manpower intensive,” Wilks said. “Just rotating companies around and working with the forestry commission to keep things contained.”

Sometimes, though, the environment gets ahead of the firefighters. The wind may start blowing the other direction, or a stray ember may jump over the trenches and into a fresh batch of dead leaves. That’s when things get truly dangerous.

“There comes a point that you just have to let it go because you can’t get can’t get ahead of it,” Wilks said. “Then it’s all just trying to protect houses and doing your best.”

Luckily, there have been no recorded fatalities in Shelby County from any of the recent wildfires, and all of the firefighters across the assorted departments in the county have expressed their dedication to continuing fighting fires and keeping people safe. They all stressed the importance of abiding by the burn ban as long as it lasts.

“The rain this weekend, if we get it, will probably help the fires that are burning right now,” Wilks said. “But it’s not going to change the drought conditions enough to keep fires from starting elsewhere. It’ll help a little bit, but we’ve got a long period of time for us to get out of real danger.”

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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – During a span of two days, youth leaders from across Shelby County participated in a special kickoff event at the Alabama 4H Center in Columbiana along the banks of Lay Lake.

The group of carefully selected leaders are members of the Youth Leadership Shelby County Class of 2024 and were hand selected by a committee.

The class of 33 were picked from more than 100 applications to participate in the prestigious program and took part in the opening retreat Nov. 5-6.

The retreat kicked off a special start to a journey that will last throughout the school year with the students participating set to take part in different class days that will occur each month.

Throughout the year, the participants will also join together in different groups to work on projects that will help make a difference in the community by picking a non-profit or organization in need of help.

The students will use their different leadership skills and personalities to come together and make a difference in their community as juniors in high school.

Throughout the opening retreat, they got their first taste of what to expect throughout the months long venture that will culminate with a graduation near the end of the school year.

Activities included going through the ropes course at the 4H Center and working together as teams, personality assessments, a round table with Youth Leadership Shelby County alumni to learn what to take advantage of during the class, a class introduction featuring the participants introducing each other in unique skits and many more icebreakers.

“The Youth Leadership Shelby County Opening Retreat opened my mind up to so many different possibilities and ideas I had never thought of before,” said class member Abby Nave of Shelby County High School. “I got to meet so many wonderful, remarkable, and truly inspiring people, who I can’t wait to continue this journey with. The Class of 2024 is definitely the best class yet!”

The event, however, was centered around the goal of the class, which is learning about each other as leaders in the community.

Students, who range from high schools around the county, got to hear from Alabama Teacher of the Year Jeff Norris, motivational speaker Timothy Alexander and many more throughout the two days, showcasing the true definition of what it takes to be a selfless leader and leave your impact.

“The professionals we had the opportunity to learn from at the retreat provided great insights on how to successfully apply leadership qualities to life endeavors outside of school,” Pelham student Brenna Vickery said.

The opening retreat helped build bonds and friendships, while bring together young leaders in the community who all make a difference in their own way.

Now, they’ll work together the next few months to bring their leadership skills together to make a difference.

This year’s class includes:

-Grant Blakely, Chelsea High School

-Belle Casey, Oak Mountain High School

-Sofia Contreras, Spain Park High School

-Ella Fields, Vincent High School

-Sasha Gann, Thompson High School

-Andrew George, Chelsea High School

-Addison Grigsby, Shelby County High School

-Ava Horn, Calera High School

-Abe Ivey, Oak Mountain High School

-Mia Kendrick, Evangel Christian Classical School

-Addie Knight, Pelham High School

-Patrick Maddox, Chelsea High School

-Camdyn Martin, Pelham High School

-Ali Mims, Chelsea High School

-Halle Morris, Evangel Christian School

-Abby Nave, Shelby County High School

-Will O’Dell, Oak Mountain High School

-Lissy O’Kelley, Oak Mountain High School

-Abby Olsen, Briarwood Christian School

-Jake Parker, Evangel Christian School

-John Will Peterson, Oak Mountain High School

-Aiden Poe, Vincent High School

-Alyson Ragland, Helena High School

-Anjali Reed, Helena High School

-Kailyn Reynolds, Thompson High School

-Jarret Scott, Helena High School

-Maddie Shebs, Pelham High School

-Madi Claire Sims, Chelsea High School

-Thomas Starkey, Calera High School

-Mallory Venable, Shelby County High School

-Brenna Vickery, Pelham High School

-Sydney Williams, Calera High School

The post Youth Leadership Shelby County celebrates new class at opening retreat appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

VESTAVIA HILLS – The Megan Montgomery Foundation is readying to hold their second annual Gingerbread Jam on Saturday, Dec. 9.

Set to take place at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center at 1090 Montgomery Highway, the event holds its origins in a family tradition that stretches back more than 4 decades. For Susann Montgomery-Clark, building gingerbread houses was always a special and distinct family tradition that saw herself, her two daughters Meredith and Megan, family members and a long list of friends gather together in the spirit of the season.

Following the tragic murder of her daughter, Megan, on Dec. 1, 2019 and the founding of MMF in April 2021, that family festivity is being continued with the added vestige of raising awareness.

“It’s a way to carry on the tradition that our family and friends loved for many years and now a new generation can participate as they build their own houses to enter,” Montgomery-Clark said, “The most fun will be viewing and voting for your favorite houses through the People’s Choice Awards and bidding in the silent auction for beautiful gingerbread houses made by professional bakers in the culinary division.”

MMF’s Gingerbread Jam currently holds the distinction of being the only gingerbread house competition of its kind in the Birmingham metro area. Returning after its support of the inaugural event, Edgar’s Bakery will once again serve as the signature sponsor of the event.

“This event is a fun way to raise funds for implementing healthy relationship education for men and women,” said Meredith Montgomery-Price, Megan’s sister and executive director of the Megan Montgomery Foundation.

In accordance with the foundation’s goal of ending domestic violence before it begins, this year’s theme for the Gingerbread Jam is, “every home should be a happy home.”

The Gingerbread Jam will be free and open to the public for viewing the gingerbread houses from 9 a.m. to noon. Children of all ages are also invited to visit and take part in the kid’s corner which will offer a host of craft activities for their enjoyment. Kids will also have the chance to meet and have their picture taken with Santa, who will also be in attendance.

A $5 admission fee applies for those seeking to submit a gingerbread house of their own. Those who choose to do so are asked to design, build and decorate their houses at home and then drop them off at the Vestavia Civic Center the day prior to the event, Friday Dec. 8.

Those who are interested in submitting a gingerbread house for the competition are encouraged to submit their application and view more details on the event’s website at Gingerbreadjam.swell.gives.

All proceeds from the event will benefit The Megan Montgomery Foundation which provides grants to high schools, colleges and non-profits in order to bring about age-appropriate healthy relationship education, help young adults recognize unhealthy behaviors and stop relationship violence before it starts.

More information regarding MMF and their mission can be located at Megansfoundation.org.

For more information about the event, please contact Kim McAdams at 205-837-4649.

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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

MONTGOMERY – The Coosa Valley Rebels earned a hard fought AISA Class 1A state championship with a five-set win over the South Choctaw Rebels, 3-2, in the state title match on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

Coosa Valley had to come from behind from two sets down to take a reverse sweep and win the match in a tiebreaking final set.

After sweep wins over Escambia and Snook to reach the finals, Coosa Valley found itself in a battle in the first two sets of the championship match against South Choctaw.

In the opening set, the teams were tied midway through the set before Coosa Valley pulled away to a 23-17 lead. South Choctaw came back and took the set in extra points, 26-24.

Coosa Valley was also close to winning the second set with a 22-19, but South Choctaw edged out a 25-23 win in the second set to put the pressure on Coosa Valley.

From there, though, Coosa Valley fought back and rallied for the win. CVA took a 21-15 lead and closed out the set from there with a great effort to win the third set, 25-21.

In the fourth set, South Choctaw emerged with the lead after a tight opening stretch, but Coosa Valley responded in a big way and rallied from being down 19-17. CVA surged to an 8-1 run to win the fourth set, 25-20, to tie the match and send it to a fifth and final set.

In the tiebreaking set, Coosa Valley had to come back again, this time from 6-1 down, to cut the gap to two before tying the set at 9. The teams traded blows until extra points as the state championship sat just two points away.

After they remained tied after the first round of extra points, Coosa Valley took back-to-back points to claim the championship with a 17-15 win in the fifth set.

The win capped off a long road to the state championship, including a quarterfinal victory over Escambia with set wins of 25-20, 25-22 and 25-19, and a semifinal victory against Snook thanks to set wins of 25-18, 25-22 and 25-17. During the run to the title game, Kadence Fields reached 1,000 career assists to power the Rebels’ offense, and she was one of many Coosa Valley players that helped the team accomplish its goal of a state title.

The post Coosa Valley claims AISA championship with comeback win in finals appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

HARPERSVILLE – Families will have the opportunity to participate in a weekend of fall fun during Old Baker Farm’s upcoming Festival Weekend.

Old Baker Farm in Harpersville will holds its annual Festival Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gates will close at 5 p.m. but attendees are welcomed to stay afterward.

The festival will feature a variety of activities for local residents to enjoy, including vendors, live music, a carnival, a pumpkin patch, food trucks and more.

“We just hope that there is something here that everybody comes and definitely enjoys,” said Pam Baker, who runs the farm with her husband Jerry.

This year’s edition of the Festival Weekend will feature a carnival show.

“Our event for that weekend is a mid-1800s traveling carnival show (and the actors) reenact that intermittently all day,” Baker said.

There will also be live music performed by the local bluegrass band, Big Canoe Creek, who were recently featured at Old Baker Farm’s Cowboy Day.

During the Festival Weekend, children will be able to enjoy a variety of festivities including a cotton bounce for them to jump around in, a hay mountain, corn maze, hay maze, a rat race, a trackless train ride and more.

Around 40 vendors will be present at the event and food trucks will sell a variety of options for food and snacks, including lemonade, roasted corn, roasted pork and popcorn.

The entrance fee for the Festival Weekend is $13 per person with a card, or $12 in cash and each person gets a pumpkin from the Old Baker Farm pumpkin patch. Children ages one and under get in free. All activities on the farm are free with the exception of goods purchased from vendors.

Baker said she hopes that the sunflowers that they planted will also be ready by the time of the festival for attendees to pick and purchase.

“We are thankful very much and we owe everything to the public,” Baker said. “We are very grateful to everyone who comes to our home.”

The post Old Baker Farm to host annual Festival Weekend appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

HARPERSVILLE – Families wore western wear and enjoyed a variety of festivities while celebrating Cowboy Day at Old Baker Farm.

Old Baker Farm in Harpersville held its annual Cowboy Day celebration on Saturday, Oct. 14 and Sunday, Oct. 15.

“It was great,” said Pam Baker, who manages the farm with her husband Jerry. “The weather was pretty, and the cowboys were great. We just had a very nice weekend.”

During the Cowboy Day celebration, residents were able to enjoy a variety of festivities including a cotton bounce for children to play in, a hay mountain, corn maze, barn animals, a trackless train ride and more.

This year’s event also featured the farm’s newest activity, the “Rat Race” in which children were able to crawl through and play in a series of tubes.

Families in attendance were also able to enjoy the annual series of mock cowboy shoot outs.

“The main event for Cowboy Day is the Cowboys and the Old West,” Baker said. “They have a shootout in the street in front of the barn and some of them (pretend to) die and then they get up and walk off.”

The farm also has a mock settlement named Tombstone featuring a variety of Old West themed attractions for attendees to learn about, including a saloon, a general store, casket maker, undertaker and a telegraph office with a working telegraph line.

“It’s really to teach people about history, and it’s fun,” Baker said. “It’s amazing how they dress, how they built the town. They’re great reenactors but they are also historians and that’s their goal to teach families about real American history. I think that’s the goal of every Cowboy Day.”

During the event, residents could also enjoy live music from the local bluegrass band Big Canoe Creek as well as young artist Lynnox Poe

An annual staple of the farm—residents were also able to pick their own pumpkins to take home from the Old Baker Farm pumpkin patch.

Although the Cowboy Day festivities have ended, Old Baker Farm remains open till Monday, Oct. 31 for residents to come and purchase pumpkins and enjoy other festivities.

“My main goal in this business is to have a way to make a living that is honest and I can grow old there,” Baker said. “It’s a good a way to work hard and make a living and, at the same time, you get to enjoy a lot of wonderful people.”

The post Local families enjoy Cowboy Day at Old Baker Farm appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – Speaking at The Shelby County Chamber’s annual Tourism and Recreation All-Star Awards inside Columbiana’s Shelby County Arts Council on Thursday, Oct. 5, Deputy Director of Alabama State Parks Matthew Capps shared updates on Oak Mountain State Park, including a new parking lot with entrance access at the U.S. 280 portion of the park.

“We are currently working with Shelby County on trying to build a new parking lot off of 280 to allow guests to get into that area,” Capps said. “Our first phase is going to be for us to build trails and also have natural resources and interpretive programming there. That is coming in the near future.”

While the entire park would see benefits, it gives added exposure to the new Belcher Tract, which recently brought an additional 1,644 more acres to the OMSP.

The new entrance will be a partnership with the county and Alabama State Parks and will feature a parking lot that will allow foot and off-road bike traffic in from the 280 side of the park.

It is one of many projects Capps highlighted during his time talking about Oak Mountain State Park, as the park continues to be one of the best in the state.

OMSP is one of 10 out of 21 total parks that helped bring in 94 percent of guest revenue and attendance.

Now the largest park from an acreage standpoint with 11,920 acres, the park had the second highest attendance out of all 21 state parks this past year, only trailing Gulf State Park, while the $4,567,000 in revenue was the seventh highest.

Another major upgrade coming to the state park includes a complete renovation of the campground that was built in the 1960s and hasn’t been renovated much since.

The upgrades include a new entrance and building for check ins and guest arrivals, the old camper storage now upgraded to a playground, new bathhouses, a dog park, new pavilions and some tiny cabins as well.

“We’re trying to blend and be more diverse in the units we can have here so people can have plenty of different types of camping opportunities,” Capps said.

Capps also thanked Chad Scroggins, county manager for Shelby County, and the commission for their help in all of the projects to continue making Oak Mountain State Park one of the best in the state.

“Shelby County does a tremendous job to help us,” he said. “Literally, I think every maintenance project we do involves them. Without Chad and his team helping us, they’ve been able to help us repave the road, add a new bike lane, add new bathrooms by the beach and then change our aesthetics and traffic flow to manage that better, so we now have a new roundabout.”

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