By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

The Cawaco Resource Conservation and Development Council held two separate events on Thursday, Nov. 16 that recognized the award of more than $37,000 in total grant funding and bolstered a variety of projects in the local community.

Cawaco RC&D’s grant announcement day for Shelby County organizations consisted of two events that celebrated its latest steps

During the first event of the day, which began at 10:45 a.m., State Rep. Corley Ellis, Cawaco RC&D Council representatives, Drayton Cosby of the Cosby Company, students and other guests toured Shelby County High School as they were presented displays of two separate projects that received grant funding.

The first of these two projects was an outdoor instructional garden, which received a grant in the amount $5,000 to aid in its further expansion, support and development.

“We try to make sure that we find projects that are vetted, strong and have good support,” Cosby said. “We also get projects that need seed funding in order to get started. This (garden) is just one example.”

Currently, the garden serves as an educational tool to teach gardening skills and agricultural lessons to students and also serves as a source of activities presented to the school’s special needs students. The garden’s initial development also holds its origins thanks largely to preceding grants from Cawaco.

Thanks to community support and these grants, it has now grown from a collection of garden beds to an established, fenced and landscaped area that sits adjacent to an included greenhouse.

“The fact that it has moved from where it was—from just little (garden) beds—to this is just amazing,” Ellis said. “We could not do it without the funding from Cuwaco. It speaks volumes to me on why they do what they do, it gives me chills just thinking about it. When you come out here and watch the students—its teaching them life skills. It’s an amazing thing to do”

Dustin Cleckler, who serves as an agriscience teacher at the high school, also thanked Ellis, members of the Cawaco RC&D Council and the Cosby company, which works closely with the council in their grant efforts on both the state and local level, for their continued support of the garden and the school’s program.

The second grant to go toward Shelby County High School, in the amount of $10,000, was directed toward the purchase and installation of the school’s new theater and stage sound equipment. According to Ashlyn Kuyrkendall, who serves as the school’s choir director, the previous system had been in place since the school’s construction and was partially inoperable and had long needed improvements.

“The new system is such a blessing,” said Kathryn Myrick, the school’s theatre teacher. “We’re so glad it is setup, and everyone can now see everything.”

Following the tour of the high school, Rep. Ellis, Cosby and Cawaco representatives reconvened at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum for the second event at 1:30 p.m. and were met by State Sens. Lance Bell and April Weaver. There, all attendants boarded one of the museum’s historical passenger railcars for presentations of four grants amounting to $22,198.47.

“To everyone at Cawaco RC&D, I want to thank you for being here today and helping us work with our community partners,” Weaver said. “A lot of times we do things in Montgomery that we don’t actually get to see what the end result is. (Cawaco) has always been great partners to us from a legislative standpoint and to be here today seeing all of these worthwhile projects here in our district and our county—I just want to thank you again for supporting all of these efforts, our county and our community.”

The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum itself was one of the grant recipients, with a grant in the amount of $5,000 that will go toward the planned establishment of a Discovery Center which will house a miniature train display.

“We had a large model train collection donated to us from a family in South Carolina that encompassed 2,400 square feet of trains,” said Mark Walker, with the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum. “It is currently in storage here in Calera and for the last two and a half years we’ve been working on how to get a building to house it as right now we just don’t have the space to put it in. We started out trying to raise money for a master site plan and learned about Cawaco through Jackie Batson with Calera Main Street. Cawaco has helped us do this master site plan and we’re most appreciative of them and of course our legislators.

In addition, John Vanderford, who serves as county extension coordinator with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, spoke on the many efforts the 4-H program undertakes to provide learning experiences to children in Shelby County. This included outdoor activities and the 4-H Clover classrooms, which were the focus of the received grant in the amount of $4,861.91.

“We are extremely blessed in Shelby County, in our office with the partners that we have,” Vanderford said. “We can show kids the impact that farmers have on all of us every single day. It’s very cool to see that lightbulb go off when they see that. They learn that they can make real money (with agriculture) too. They don’t have to have a thousand acres and a tractor, they can make real money doing it with no background, they just have to be exposed to it.”

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is the primary outreach organization for the land-grant mission of Alabama A&M University and Auburn University, which delivers research-based educational programs that enable people to improve their quality of life and economic well-being.

In addition, The Shoal Creek Park Foundation was awarded a grant in the amount of $7,826.03 for their efforts in bettering and expanding the parks offerings including the emplacement of park benches along the trail.

The Shelby County Historical Society also received funding with a grant in the amount of $4,510.53 for their development of the Shelby Iron Works Park’s Historic Ruins Walking Trail.

Cawaco Resource Conservation & Development is a non-profit organization that supports educational and community development projects in Central Alabama throughout Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby and Walker Counties.

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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

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By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

NORTH SHELBY – Local residents enjoyed the fall atmosphere as they shopped for arts and crafts during The Town of Mt Laurel’s annual fall festival.

The Mt Laurel Fall Festival took place this year on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the town’s center.

The festival serves as a biannual showcase for local artists and as a way to promote the community. The event boasted a variety of activities including a craft fair, inflatables, live music, food trucks, a farmers market and more. A kids zone was also present at Olmsted Park.

“It’s just such a wonderful time of year in The Town of Mt Laurel, it’s a beautiful landscape,” said Codie Thoma, office coordinator at the Mt Laurel Arc Realty Office. “It’s just got a really nice feel.”

The event featured a variety of local vendors and craftsmen for locals to discover.

“We do get a lovely collection of home items, we (have) young entrepreneurs breaking out in the business as well as seasoned veterans,” Thoma said. “We are very familiar with the arts and crafts scene in Birmingham.”

Residents were also able to enjoy live music throughout the event as they traveled about the festival.

This year’s edition of the fall festival symbolizes a special milestone as 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the Town of Mt Laurel.

“Mt Laurel is a sustainable neighborhood that offers residents a relaxed pace of life,” reads the town’s website. “ It’s a place with a unique identity, formed by three core values: community, respect for nature and a commitment to the future.”

Those interested in more information on events at Mt Laurel may visit its website at Mtlaurel.com.

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By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

CHELSEA – The Chelsea City Council approved an economic incentive for a new Waffle House coming to the city and made various appointments to the newly created Board of Zoning during a regularly scheduled city council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 21.

During the meeting, the Chelsea approved an economic development incentive for HCI Chelsea, LLC which will support its efforts to bring a Waffle House to the city of Chelsea.

The new Waffle House will be located on Atchison Drive in front of the hotel—next to where Arby’s is currently located.

“We’re very excited about that, and we really appreciate all the work HCI Chelsea did in making that possible,” Mayor Tony Picklesimer said.

During the council meeting, Picklesimer shared that construction on the ABC wholesale distribution center is complete and that the business hopes to take possession of the building sometime in November and hopes to be operational by Friday, Dec. 1.

The expansion of ABC’s operations is expected to bring 15 jobs to Chelsea and the business will continue to be a revenue generator for the city.

The Chelsea City Council also approved the appointment of Councilmember Casey Morris to the library board.

“I’m excited to serve,” Morris said. “I attended my first meeting unofficially last week, and we’ve got a great library board doing some really cool things over there. I’m excited to be a part of it (and to) learn more.”

In other news, the Chelsea City Council:

• Approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a managed print services agreement.
• Approved a resolution to declare property as surplus and authorize its disposal.
• Approved the appointment of six individuals to the Board of Zoning and Adjustments.
• Approved an ordinance for an annexation request by Paul and Holly Preston for property located 755 Salser Lane.

The Chelsea City Council meetings for the month of December are scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Dec. 5 and Tuesday, Dec. 19. The Chelsea High School theatre is set to perform songs from its upcoming production at the Chelsea City Council meeting on Dec. 5.

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By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – Residents are used to downtown Montevallo looking like a Norman Rockwell painting during the Christmas season, and on Thursday, Nov. 30, downtown will become even more festive during the city’s Christmas parade.

The annual Christmas parade will start at 6 p.m. at the intersection of Wadsworth and Ashville Road (Alabama 119) and proceed south on Main Street for five blocks ending at Shelby Street.

“The event will start with Christmas music from JQ’s One Man Swing Band on the post office lawn prior to the tree-lighting ceremony by Tim Tingle at 5:30 p.m.,” said Adele Nelson, executive director of the Montevallo Chamber of Commerce.

Parade attendees will be able to enjoy the holiday window decorations in businesses’ storefronts, and will also have the chance to win awards in a variety of different categories; Best Overall, Most Creative, Most Christmas Spirit and Best Theme.

“The winners of the Montevallo Main Street 7th Annual Holiday Window Decorating Competition will be announced at the tree-lighting ceremony”, Nelson said. “Our Christmas tree, Christmas banners, lights and parade will help kick off the holiday season.”

Parade registration is free, but those wanting to participate must return a completed application to the Chamber either by emailing it to montevallochamber@gmail.com or mailing it to P.O. Box 270, Montevallo, AL 35115 no later than Monday, Nov. 20.  Participants and attendees are encouraged to follow all safety guidelines during the parade.

This year’s Montevallo Christmas Parade sponsors include the City of Montevallo, Dixie Decorations, Dixon Designs, Lucky’s Foodland, Montevallo Main Street, Team Lehman, The Type Shop, Trustmark Bank, Slice, Montevallo ACE Hardware, State Farm/Bob Butterworth, Blue Phrog Gallery, Falcon Art Supply,  University of Montevallo and State Legislators: Sen. April Weaver, Rep. Russell Bedsole and Rep. Kenneth Paschal.

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By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

PELHAM – As a homage to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the students of the Linda Nolen Learning Center paraded around the school and through the halls at the second-ever Balloons Over LNLC parade on Thursday, Nov. 16.

“Just seeing the excitement from the children, the joy on their faces and the excitement that the teachers and faculty and staff had, we just all had a blast,” LNLC’s Librarian Meredith Hornsby said.

The Linda Nolen Learning Center is a specialized learning center in Shelby County Schools that serves students with special needs by individualizing programs to prepare these students mentally, physically, socially and emotionally for independence. 

“The kind of kids that go here are typically students who have multiple disabilities. Some are medically fragile and can’t be served in their home school.” LNLC’s assistant principal Molly Parks said. “But we also have students who have emotional disabilities. And they need a smaller environment to thrive and be independent.”

The parade was inspired by “Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade,” which documents the origin story of the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving parade.

“We read the book, and we talked about how the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade got started, how the balloons became a part of it, things like that,” Hornsby said. “And then we decided we were going to do our own parade because most of our students will never have the opportunity to participate in a city parade or something larger. So we wanted to give them that experience.”

Students had the chance to decorate their own balloons and parade through the hallways of LNLC, and several teachers even chose to accompany them. Along with the school’s students and teachers, members of the Oak Mountain High School’s Dance Line came to serve as an homage to the Radio City Rockettes. Several golden retriever puppies training to be facility dogs at Rover Chase also attended.

We had Leslie Claybrook, the general manager of the Birmingham Squadron, come and she was our grand marshal,” Hornsby said. “She (Claybrook) passed out a bunch of swag to all of our students and faculty.”

While this was LNLC’s second year putting on the event, it was Hornsby’s first year organizing it, and by all accounts, it was a wonderful experience for the students.

“It’s a very special school,” Hornsby said. “It’s the happiest place I’ve ever worked. We work hard every day to make each day awesome. We have fun every day, no matter what we wind up doing.”

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By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

CHELSEA – Locals enjoyed a variety of festivities during the first-ever Save the Camp Fall Festival Fundraiser

The festival took place on Nov. 18 from 5-8 p.m. at the field between Chelsea Corners and Winn Dixie where the Big Kaboom and the Bikes 4 Kids Rodeo normally take place.

The event brought an evening filled with smiles, food and a variety of entertainment for local families all while helping raise funds to save Hargis Christian Camp.

“We wanted to have something for our community,” said Aaron Knight who runs Hargis Christian Camp with his wife Kellie. “Our community has been really good to us and so really this festival is more than a fundraiser—it’s more of a way for us to show appreciation to the community that has helped us raise money to save this camp that means so much to our town.”

Attendees were also able to enjoy live music throughout the event and children were able to participate in a variety of games and enjoy a petting zoo.

The event featured around 80-90 different vendors, with a variety of food trucks and local merchants selling goods. Vendors at the event were able to register for free.

“There’s no vendor fee set up,” Aaron said. “We wanted them to be able to come in and be able to enjoy whatever they’re selling. If they want to give a portion of the proceeds to the camp, they can.”

Hargis Christian Camp has been a staple of the area since 1965 and has served a space for generations of local residents to congregate and spend time together.

“It’s more than just (a) church camp and church camps are great—what we do is we try to connect with the community and be an asset,” Aaron said. “The local teams come in—the Shelby County High School football team, Chelsea football team, the volleyball team, soccer team, baseball team—local teams come in and we share the gospel with them. Also, a lot of special needs groups come in to the camp.

Aaron and Kellie have working over the last two years to pay back a $2.5 million loan in order to keep the camp after buying back the camp’s property.

“Not every town gets to have a camp, not every town around here has a camp,” Aaron said. “And so, in saving the camp, we wanted to make Jesus known, that was our main objective for this generation. We also wanted to be an asset to our community and (be) something that people could use and come around be able to share in God’s creation out there.”

The Knights are close to meeting their goal of raising funds for the camp. After a recent donation by Avadian Credit Union, Hargis Christian Camp needs to raise $475,000 by Dec. 31.

“We’ve raised almost half a million dollars in six weeks—that’s a good spot to be in,” Aaron said. “We’ve gotten kind of used to being uncomfortable. “It’s a good place and it’s a challenging place but it’s fun to see how the Lord raises that money. It’s really not up to us, it’s up to him.”

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By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

PELHAM – The city of Pelham officially entered contracts with RCX Sports, LLC for the right to operate both a NFL Flag Football and a NHL Street hockey programs for local youth at a regularly scheduled city council meeting on Monday, Nov. 20.

The possibility of creating these teams was previously discussed at a prior work session on Monday, Nov. 6. 

Both the NFL Flag Football and the NHL Street Hockey program would be youth leagues geared towards kids ages five to 13, and each team in the league will have NFL and NHL connections and logos on their respective equipment. Pelham will be one of only two cities in Alabama to have these leagues.

While the two new youth teams have been approved, no other plans have been announced at this time.

After the resolution was passed to officially enter contracts with RCX Sport, the city council then listened to a public hearing from business owner Ammar Alsabahi who is applying for a conditional use permit for a CBD, vape, alternative health and wellness store where Cahaba Cycles was previously located on Pelham Parkway. 

No formal decisions were made, and the city council decided to continue considerations of Alsabahi’s request at a future meeting. In other news, the Pelham City Council also approved the following items on the agenda:

• The designation of the city of Pelham as a Bee City USA affiliate.
• The approval of pay grades and changes to the job title for the position of Groundskeeper at Ballantrae Golf.
• Approval of the low bid and Notice of Award to JTL Golf, LLC for cart path and Bunker improvements at Ballantrae Golf Club and the amendments to the FY2024 Ballantrae Golf Club’s Project Budget.
• An agreement with the Shelby County Park and Recreational Authority to install conduit for the Campus No. 124 park project, to approve a quote from Alabama Power Company to install overhead to underground electrical service to the Campus No. 124 power meter, and to amend the FY2024 Campus No. 124 Project Budget to complete the park development.
• Approval of an agreement with the Shelby County Park and Recreational Authority for site preparation for the City Park Playground Project.

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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

HELENA – Helena’s Boy Scout Troop 532 will host a special pancake breakfast with a special expected guest on Saturday, Dec. 2.

On the morning of the Helena Christmas Parade and before the event gets underway, Helena residents will have the opportunity to grab a pancake breakfast and have their pictures taken with Santa Claus before he makes his grand appearance atop Helena’s firetruck.

Scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and run until 11 a.m., the pancake breakfast will be held at the Helena Sports Complex and will seek to raise funds for the troop and to provide a fun and festive kick off for the holiday season.

This event will serve as a replacement for the Helena Boy Scout Troop’s Christmas tree sale, which was discontinued in 2021 after 15 years due to dwindling tree supplies and rising transportation costs brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are a boy-led troop,” Scoutmaster Michael O’Brien said. “Overwhelmingly, our scouts kept telling us that they wanted to figure out some other way for us to try and be a part of the holiday tradition. So, we came up with a pancake breakfast with Santa.”

With the goal of selling several hundred tickets to the event, the primary hope for Troop 532 is to raise money for their general fund, which will allow the troop to offset the costs of the program, purchase equipment and continue to promote scouting for future members.

This fundraising event comes at the cusp of a major change for Troop 532, which will be changing chartered organizations after the start of the new year. Since 1985, the troop has been chartered by the Helena Methodist Church but this will change on Jan. 1 due to the church’s disaffiliation with the United Methodist Church and their subsequent decision to discontinue their support of scouting.

After Jan. 1, the troop, which currently stands at over 60 scouts strong and which has produced 28 Eagle Scouts since 2020, will be chartered by the Church at Cahaba Bend.

“We are looking forward to becoming another part of their growing family and outreach starting Jan. 1,” O’Brien said. “The troop is excited about the future and is looking forward to continuing to serve the Helena community.

Troops leaders always encourage the growth of the troop and want the community to know that spots are always available. Boys who are interested in joining the troop can contact Scoutmaster O’Brien at obrie007@bellsouth.net.

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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer 

CALERA – Calera Main Street will offer festive features as part of the city’s Small Business Saturday on Nov. 25.

From 8:30 a.m. to noon, Downtown Calera will welcome a visit from Santa Claus that marks his fourth annual visit to the city. The visit and tour serve to encourage everyone to shop small after Black Friday and to bring more holiday shopping and traffic to small and locally owned businesses.

Santa’s visit this year is sponsored by local Realtors Alicia Anderson and Lisa Guarino from ERA King Real Estate.

“This event is very important to me as a small business myself,” Lisa Guarino said. “Our tagline is ‘Your Neighbor, Your Realtor!’ and we try to practice what we preach. Having lived in Calera for more than 15 years, I believe in supporting our fellow small businesses. We are excited about what’s ahead for our historic district and jumped at the opportunity to help out by sponsoring Santa. We have goodie bags planned, festive attire, and bells ready, it’s going to be a fun day for our community.”

The event will officially kick off at Calera’s new courtyard pavilion located at 1120 17th Avenue, Calera, AL 35040, behind the shops in historic downtown.

“Our pavilion is the first new structure of Phase One of the Downtown Development Plan,” Executive Director of Calera Main Street Jackie Batson said. “There is still some finishing work to be done, but we are thrilled that we will be able to use it for this event. We are having one of our Calera High School musical groups performing their unique style of music with Christmas carols mixed in. They will kick off the morning under the pavilion where families will gather. Children will receive sleigh bells to welcome Santa’s arrival at 9:00.”

Santa’s visit will involve multiple stops throughout town, with the first being at Creations Galore and Moore. There, Santa will introduce the Sing Cordelia Sing Vocal Studio as they present “Cookies and Carols.” He will then swing in for a visit at Adventurer’s Coffee Co. and enjoy hot cocoa and listen to and receive letters addressed to him from local children. Before departing, he will then make one last stop at Plant, Gifts and Décor for another photo opportunity.

The full schedule for the day is as follows:

• 8:30 a.m. – The band Flat Cap Boggins performs
• 9:00 a.m. – Santa arrives at the new pavilion
• 9:30 a.m. – Santa at Creations Galore and Moore for “Cookies & Carols”
• 10:45 a.m. – Santa at Adventurer’s Coffee Co. for “Letters to Santa”
• 11:15 a.m. – Santa at plant for “Pictures with Santa”
• Noon – Santa heads back to North Pole

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