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Innovation comes home

Town and Country Ford’s massive Pell City expansion means jobs, improved service and cutting-edge technology

Story by Paul South
Photos by David Smith and submitted

“Businesses that grow by development and improvement do not die.”

— Henry Ford

Henry Ford, the innovator who brought us the assembly line process that produced automobiles in large numbers, knew a thing or two about development and improvement. Over the years, the company that bears his name brought America the Model A, the Mustang and the wildly popular pickup truck.

That spirit of innovation is now at work close to home at Pell City’s Town & Country Ford. A new customization facility, electric vehicle charging stations and an expanded service presence of 48 service bays mean a multimillion-dollar investment in the local economy, with more growth on the way.

In short, Town & Country – with locations in Pell City and Bessemer – has the pedal to the metal, with a new 36,000-square-foot building soon to be online.

Town & Country Dealer Principal and CEO Steve Watts calls the new facility, a customization operation and two EV charging stations, “the verification of our dream.”

He and his partner, Bill Sain, brought Pell City Ford Lincoln Mercury in December 2009. It was something of a risk. The American economy was in the tank. But Watts saw something in the dealership, then in a 9,150-square-foot building.

“It was my vision that it one day could really become something. It had a lot of potential being off the interstate (I-20),” Watts said. “You know, back in 2009, the economy was going to hell in a handbasket, and we were glad that we could step in and purchase the business.”

The dealership had 19 employees back then and rented its property. Today, Town & Country has a staff of 71 in its state-of-the art headquarters and now owns 13 acres on the blossoming Interstate 20/59 corridor.

“We’re planning to double our size and capacity and the number of people employed there in the coming weeks and months, once this new building comes online,” Watts said.

Customer demand fueled the new building, Watts said.

“Right now, we can’t get the work out,” Watts said. “Currently, we’ve got 22 service bays for our customers. When we get this thing completed by November, 2024, we’ll have 48 service bays … more than double the capacity of service.”

The customization facility will serve both electric, gasoline-powered and hybrid vehicles.

“This building is going to be a (Ford) Bronco building. It’s going to be an accessory and customization shop showroom, and it’s going to do everything commercial for emergency vehicles. It’s going to be for (internal combustion) vehicles and electric vehicles.

“I really believe Ford’s strategy for EV is appropriate because we’re not giving up on internal combustion vehicles. We’re going to continue to produce those, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.”

However, Watts is also sold on EVs. He drives a Lightning F-150, which he calls, ‘the best driving vehicle I’ve ever ridden in.”

The dealership is investing “seven figures” in dollars to construct two Level 3 EV charging stations, with more to come in order to accommodate the growing fleet of electric and hybrid cars and trucks on the nation’s highways.

These stations – with 24-hour, seven-day access – will be the first such facilities in Pell City and St. Clair County, Watts said.

The state and federal governments are providing funding to grow the number of charging stations around the country. In November 2023, for example, the state provided funding for the construction of three stations near Coosa Landing in Gadsden. Bipartisan infrastructure legislation passed by Congress provided $7.5 billion to construct more charging stations.

The new Pell City stations are expected to provide an additional economic boost to restaurants and other businesses eager to serve travelers and locals alike. The two stations were expected to go online this month (February), with plans to expand to as many as eight stations.

“If (motorists) stop to buy electricity, or stop to eat or spend the night, it drives more tax dollars. That’s a thing we’re really excited about,” Watts said. “It’s an opportunity, not only for my business and our associates, but also for the city and the county.”

And just as Ford’s founder was an innovation pioneer at a global level, Town & Country is innovating locally, in the spirit of Henry Ford.

“We have a choice to invest in EV or not,” Watts said. “I think the strategy is going to include those as well as ICE (internal combustion engines), and I think you’re going to see a lot more hybrid.”

But even with the growth of EVs, Watts says they’re not for everybody.

“The more infrastructure we get – because people don’t have ‘range anxiety,’ they have ‘charging anxiety’ – the better it is. But you’d be surprised at the number of local people who’ve bought electric vehicles and love them.”

At the end of the day, even with the land, the sparkling new facility and its amenities, that’s not what’s most important, Watts said. He reflected on those early days in 2009.

“The most important thing is not the land. It’s not the building. It’s the people,” Watts said. “I’m just so honored that we’ve been able to go from 19 people to 71 and being able to double that by November of 2024,” Watts says. “That just creates a lot of opportunity for the people. We’re desperately looking for people in all areas.”

The dealership has an Asset Training Program to grow the number of automotive repair technicians. Four local high school graduates are currently enrolled in the program at Lawson State Community College. A fully trained, experienced certified technician can earn up to $45 an hour.

“It’s really a great career path,” Watts said. “You have to work and you have to have the desire to get you there.”

He should know. The Alabama native began his automotive career as a high school student working on the assembly line at the Ford plant in Wayne, Mich., installing heater cords on Ford Granadas and moved on to auto finance and then to ownership. Two uncles owned dealerships in Talladega and Pensacola, Fla.

But Watts emphasized, it’s not about dollars or buildings or charging stations.

“My biggest and best investment is the people,” he said. “Every day, we’ve got 180 people in Bessemer and 71 in Pell City that clock out and go home. And I’m praying that they come back the next day, because without good people, we have nothing.”

Editor’s Note: For more information about Town & Country Ford, its Asset Training Program, inventory, service and employment opportunities, visit them online pellcityford.com and also visit tccustoms.com and on YouTube.

Features

These paths …

Did you know it was once rumored that the streets of Boston were nothing more than paved cow paths?

This was proved a myth, of course, but it’s still an interesting thought.
And, giving consideration to the trajectories of our earliest transportation system, it does seem almost plausible.

Because that’s the thing about cow paths … they always lead somewhere beneficial to the cow …To shelter. To safety. To water. To greener grass … or the farmers feed lot.

They aren’t just mindlessly meandering. There is a means and method to these wayfaring passages.

The “cow path theory” in the modern business world has given these well-beaten paths a bad wrap by associating them with a mindless “follow the leader” approach to managing employees.
But despite the negative connotations associated with these paths, they are actually inherently intelligent “maps.”

These “paths of least resistance” aren’t aimless … they are instinctual.
They follow the natural slope of the land to help the animal conserve energy. Through woods and tall grass these well-beaten paths offer an unobstructed view of what lies ahead to keep them safe.

They also give insight into their interdependent nature. They trust the path the way we trust a map. They inherently trust that the trail carved out for them by generations before is good … so they follow it. However, if the map or path no longer agree with the ground, they adjust, and a new path is formed.

Personally, I think we can find a deeper understanding to the overall design for our lives, too, through these cow paths.

Generally speaking, we can and should trust the rudimentary path our parents and future generations have charted out for us. Our lives are all different, but the same. They may look different, but they should be pointed in the same direction with the same eternal objective in the end.
Their life journey will never be our journey, but they have left behind guides and signposts for us to follow to keep us from wandering too far off course. They have carved out a preliminary path to keep us on solid ground and keep us pointed in the right direction.

But as times change and the earth evolves, if we should ever find the map no longer agrees with the ground we’re on … don’t rewrite it entirely or abandon the map completely … just adjust it a bit and carry on so the next generation will know the way and can follow our path down the “narrow road.”

(Which, in my mind, looks a lot like a cow
path)

– Mackenzie Free –

Wife, mother, photographer & current resident of the unassumingly magical town of Steele, Alabama

Other Stories

Christmas in St. Clair

Cooking up the holidays: Area chefs share seasonal secrets

Story and photos by
Elaine Hobson Miller
Contributed photos

Christmas time’s a-comin’, and you can almost smell the aroma of holiday foods. Cakes, pies, scrumptious side dishes, standing rib roasts and turkeys take center stage, or should we say, center table, in homes throughout the world.

It’s not just homes that feature holiday dishes, though. Many restaurants, including several here in St. Clair County, also bring out holiday foods that add a touch of festiveness to their daily menus. Discover managed to gather up a few that their chefs were willing to share. Many of them, like those on our readers’ tables, were handed down from mothers and grandmothers, making them extra special at family holiday gatherings.

Special dishes The St. Clair’s signature

Chef de Cuisine Sean Fincher at The St. Clair in Pell City developed an amazing appetizer recipe called, “Spiced Red Wine Braised Sausage Rolls with Caramelized Onion Fig Jam.” In fact, it could be used a side dish, too. It takes a little work but is well worth the effort. Co-owner Rebecca Robinson says the item isn’t on the menu yet but may be during the holidays. Or, they may add it to their catering menu.

The restaurant and The Tavern at The St. Clair are the brainchild of Rebecca and Carson Robinson, business partners for nearly two decades. Their menu is a mix of steaks, seafood, game, chicken, lamb and pork and a variety of appetizers and salads. Offerings are upscale, but not pretentious. This white-tablecloth restaurant doesn’t care whether you dress up or wear jeans, and patrons can be seen in both.

Always something good at Greasy Cove

Greasy Cove General Store’s contribution, Cranberry Salad, is a recipe handed down from owner/manager Donald Reeves’ grandmother. “She made it at family gatherings,” Reeves said. He also said he may be serving it in his Gallant-area restaurant, affectionately known by customers as the Greasy Spoon, during the current holiday season.

“The store building was in our family, but it was falling in, and I wanted to do something difficult,” Reeves said regarding the development of his business. “I always wanted a general store with a produce market and kitchen in it. We opened in 2019, but it took another year to get the restaurant open.” Prior to running a general store and restaurant, Reeves was a machinist. “I like hole-in-the-wall places with really good food,” he said.

Head to The Grill for palate pleasing dishes

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts will make a vegetable eater out of hard-core meat and potatoes folks. Contributed by The Grill at the Farm, in Cropwell, it is part of a menu 75 percent of which was created by owner Wade Reich, his son/manager Eakin Reich, and Chef Patrick.

Wade Reich says part of his reasoning for opening The Grill (formerly Louie’s) was a lack of properly functioning synapses in his brain. This may be attributed to his having grown up in his family’s hotel business, which started in 1894 in Gadsden, as well as in the food business, with chefs out of New Orleans and 100-year-old recipes. “You get the food business in your blood, and you can’t get it out,” Reich said.

He wouldn’t have done it by himself, but his son joined him. “This used to be Louie’s Grill at the Countryside Farm,” Reich said. “We have 62 acres, and we’re trying to figure out how to develop the rest of the property.”

Besides its 100-seat restaurant, The Grill offers a 140-seat party room and a 40-seat sports or oyster bar. “Then there’s the Residence Inn and a barn we’re trying to do something with,” Reich says. “I also own Butts To Go on May’s Drive. The Grill at the Farm is at 230 Hamby Road, off US 231, then the Dam Road.”

What’s for dessert?

For a sweet-salty ending to your holiday meal, try Peanut Butter Pie, contributed by Scott Holmes, owner of Charlie’s BBQ in Odenville. In 2016, Charlie’s beat out nine other barbecue joints across the state to be selected Best Barbecue in The Dives division during Alabama Tourism’s Year of Alabama Barbecue.

Holmes thinks his location at the corner of US 411 and Alabama 174 South, in front of the Piggly Wiggly grocery store and adjacent to a service station, probably placed him in the right category. “If you’re a barbecue place in Alabama attached to a service station, you’re probably a dive,” he said.

“Briskets are our signature dish,” he added. “We smoke six a week. A brisket is the chest muscle of a cow, and it’s hard to do. We cook them up to 16 hours to get them tender.” There’s a different special every Monday, such as the popular Soul Bowl, consisting of a bed of garlic cheese grits layered with turnip greens, pork and a cornbread muffin on top.

Look what’s cookin’ in Ragland

Anthony Soles and his business partner, longtime City Councilman Carl Byers, opened Chef T’s (for Tony) in Ragland in 2010, building on the success of their original Alexandria location. Chef T says he inherited his love of cooking from his mother, and he has used that “inheritance” for years as he worked his way up in the food industry.

For the holidays, Soles chose to share Apple Dumplings as the go-to favorite.

The mainstay of his everyday menu is the barbecue pork, and they offer a small-chopped pork sandwich for just $1.25.

The barbecue sauce is homemade and is described by Byers as a “sneaky heat, but not overpowering.” The signature Chef T’s burger is served with a steak knife holding it all together.

In addition to running a Southern, home-style eatery, catering is an aspect of the business and is supported by two food trucks. They cater for many of the large corporations and businesses in the surrounding areas.

If these recipes aren’t enough to inspire your holiday cooking, maybe you should pick up Christmas dinner at one of these St. Clair restaurants.

Holiday recipes

Spiced Red Wine Braised Sausage Rolls with Caramelized Onion Fig Jam
From Chef de Cuisine Sean Fincher at The Tavern at The St. Clair (Pell City)
Ingredients for the Braised Sausage:

8 – 5” Lengths of Conecuh Mild Sausages (or your favorite link sausages)
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups dry red wine, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir
1 cup beef broth
1 stick of cinnamon, whole
8 whole cloves
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 orange, peel only
Salt

Directions:
Add oil and sausages in a small braising pan (or other pan with 2” sides) heated on medium-high. Brown links on each side, then add cinnamon, cloves and rosemary and saute lightly for 2 minutes. Deglaze with wine, adding the beef broth and orange peel. Cover with a lid and braise for 1 hour. Remove sausages and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill thoroughly. Reduce braising liquid by half and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Reserve for jam preparation. While the sausages cool, begin making the jam.

Ingredients for the Jam:

4 red onions, thinly sliced (Julienned)
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 cups fresh figs, chopped*
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. sugar, or to taste if you prefer it sweeter
Reserved braising liquid

Directions:
In the braising pan after straining liquids out, add onions. Cook the onions on low heat, stirring often until they are caramelized. They should have a deep brown color to them. Deglaze with reserved braising liquid and scrape the bottom of the pan from all the fond (brown bits) that has developed. Add figs, balsamic vinegar, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a bare simmer for 1 hour and stir often. The mixture should have thickened with very little residual liquid left in the pan. Taste for salt and sweetness and adjust to your personal taste. Remove to a storage container and allow to cool to room temperature. Serve warm.

Bring it all together:
Ingredients:

1 package of puff pastry, thawed
1 egg + 1 tsp of water for egg wash

Cut puff pastry into 8 equal pieces with a sharp knife. Place each sausage in the center of the pastry horizontally. Lightly brush egg wash onto the back edge, furthest from you. Fold the pastry closest to you over the sausage and then onto the back edge, leaving the seam side down on the cutting board. After completing all the sausages, place them on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Brush each roll with the remainder of the egg wash. Bake at 400* F for 25 minutes or until the puff pastry has turned golden brown.
Enjoy the Sausage Rolls with the Jam
*When fresh figs aren’t available, replace with ¾ cup of fig preserves. Don’t add sugar to the jam because the preserves are going to have more than enough.

Clara’s Cranberry Salad
From Donald Reeves at Greasy Cove
General Store (Gallant)
Ingredients:

2 small boxes raspberry Jello
1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
1 pint sour cream
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 cups boiling water

Directions:
Put 2 cups boiling water in a large bowl and add Jello. Stir until dissolved. Stir in cranberry sauce. Let set in refrigerator until syrupy. Add cranberry sauce, pineapple, sour cream and nuts, and fold in. Put in refrigerator until set.

Peanut Butter Pie
From Charlie’s BBQ (Odenville)
Ingredients:

16 oz. jar of natural peanut butter
8 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
¾ cup of honey
8 oz. Cool Whip
6 oz. chocolate pie crust
2 Tbs. semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ Tsp. shortening

Directions:
Beat together cream cheese and honey until well blended. Stir in peanut butter and mix well. Gently fold in Cool Whip. Spoon into crust. Heat chocolate chips and shortening over low heat until melted, drizzle over pie. Chill overnight or freeze.
Serves 8.

Apple Dumplings
From Chef T’s (Ragland)
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon divided
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg divided
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 (15 oz) packages refrigerated pie crusts
8 med apples of your choice peeled and cored
3 tbsp butter cut up

Directions:
Boil 2 cups water, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg in saucepan on med high heat stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low simmering and stirring occasionally for 10 min. This will turn to syrup. Once it does add 1/4 cup sugar and set to the side. In a separate bowl mix your leftover cinnamon, nutmeg and 2/3 cup sugar.
Cut pie crusts quarters and roll out into circles. Place an apple in the middle of each circle sprinkling each evenly with your cinnamon sugar mixture. Dot each evenly with butter. Fold dough over apples, pinching each closed. Place in lightly greased baking dish. Drizzle with syrup. Bake dumplings at 375° for 45 minutes.
You can always find a way to cut corners and use canned fried apples for a sweeter simpler dish.
Serve hot or cold. Goes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Hope you enjoy this great dessert like we do.

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
From The Grill at The Farm (Cropwell)
Ingredients:

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved
2 pieces thick-cut bacon, such as Nueske’s
Applewood smoked bacon
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large-rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place bacon on sheets and cook until beginning to crisp, about 7 minutes.
Remove bacon from oven and transfer to a paper towel- lined plate; reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings. Chop bacon into small strips. Discard aluminum foil and return rimmed baking sheet to hot oven.
Meanwhile, fill large stock pot with water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add Brussels sprouts and boil until leaves are dark green in color, about 4 minutes. Transfer Brussels and any loose leaves to a large bowl filled with ice water. Drain, pat dry and transfer to medium bowl. Add half of the chopped bacon, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, reserved bacon drippings and salt and pepper to the bowl; toss to combine. Remove baking sheet from oven and evenly spread mixture over sheet; cook Brussels sprouts until caramelized and bacon is crisp, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Transfer Brussels sprouts to a serving bowl and drizzle with remaining maple syrup and bacon.
Serves 6-8

Other Stories

Springville Community Theater

Still getting rave reviews after 47 years

Story by Paul South
Submitted photos

For 47 years, the story of the Springville Community Theater has been stagecraft by “the seat of the pants,” according to founder June Mack.

Think a line from something like one of the classic Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland movies: “Hey gang, let’s put on a show.”

Everybody contributes. Everybody performs.

SCT is a small volunteer army of amateur actors, singers, dancers, set builders and ticket takers. The company has few rules: Check your ego at the stage door, no divas allowed and get ready to have fun and work hard.

That’s been the story of the theater troupe since Mack started it in 1976 after graduating from Hollins College, and her summer job fell through.

Archie Jones, a neighbor at a nearby farm, suggested that Mack put on a show in Springville. She spent a month writing a children’s fantasy, filled with song, dance and dialogue.

“I put the word out that I needed help to put this thing on, and about 20 people – lifelong friends of all ages – stepped in to be a part of it. We had a blast,” Mack says.

The next year saw another original production that drew 70 cast and crew, including The Shake, Rattle and Roll Senior Citizens Band from Odenville.

“I didn›t exactly know what to do with them so I created a scene with a birthday party so the band (about 25 senior citizens) became the entertainment at the party in the play. They were a real hit.”

Since those initial offerings, Mack, with degrees from Florida State and Harvard, has directed the SCT in a mix of original works and Broadway classics, like Oklahoma!, South Pacific, Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan.

Mack describes the growing troupe with a single word – brave.

“They’re not afraid to take a risk. Especially if it’s funny or unusual – something that would delight a crowd,” Mack says. “When you describe something to them that you’re thinking of them doing, and it could be embarrassing or even dangerous, they get a glint in their eye like ‘bring it on.’”

Risks, it seems, are part of life on the stage, from New York to community playhouses. But in Springville, the theater has no set script for success.

“No formula, just trying to see if we can do it,” Mack says. “It’s not that we decided we’re going renegade and not have a safety net. We just don’t have a net, or we’d definitely use it. We’ve done things that we knew could turn out catastrophic, but we just had to try — and it always turned out.”

For example, “we did an outdoor performance of Annie Get Your Gun at Homestead Hollow. One of our leads, Madison Forman, decided at age 80 that he’d like to try acting. He was great. To do this show, we braved mosquitoes, record temperatures and humidity plus horses, lots of kids, gunshots, fireworks and longhorn steers. Plus, we moved the audience from scene to scene instead of changing the scenery, which meant relocating sound, lights and orchestra as we moved to the settings around Homestead Hollow. Just had to try it.”

One of the foundations at Springville Community Theater is that everyone who auditions is cast. Locals from ages 4 to 85 have basked in the applause of joyful audiences. “It’s amazing what people can do when you tell them they can,” Mack says.

“We’ve had 100 (exactly) people audition for several of our shows, and since we cast every person, that meant a cast of… yep, 100. We’re not trying to grow a theater program. We just want to do fun, creative things in front of our families and friends.

“Recently, we gathered old cast and crew lists to create a spreadsheet of everyone who had worked on our shows, and the number was 970 in 47 years. We were amazed because it’s a small town.”

Mack says that having a community theater isn’t really the important thing – it could be any kind of project that involves a lot of people working together.“The fact that it was theater just means there are a lot of different types of jobs for different kinds of people. So, it’s a very practical device for a community project. And then you present it to the community, and you’ve got participation on every level.”

The seeds for what would become Springville Community Theater were planted in the 1970s at Springville United Methodist Church, where Mack, her mother and siblings created and performed church programs along with other members of the congregation. “It was the time of the hit musical, Godspell, and youth programs everywhere were experimenting with drama, music and movement. I was fortunate to work with a lot of really talented people, and this was the norm all over Springville — not just at the Methodist Church. It’s still true today. It’s a very unusual place.”

What do they think are the secrets behind keeping it going for almost five decades?

In the beginning – for about 10 years – we did a show every year. Now, with the size of our shows, the volunteer staff and crew need a longer break. Spacing the shows is our remedy for burn out. We go off and live our lives, and when we get the itch to do a show, we bring that life energy back to the next play.”

She explains it like this: “The stage really isn’t our lives — it comes out of our lives. We just pretend it’s about the show (these characters, their stories), but it’s really about community, about our stories as we do this other thing called a show.”

From the beginning, she adds, it was a teaching group. “We teach anyone to act, build, paint, run a box office, operate lighting and sound equipment, make costumes, find the right props, be a stagehand. Since nobody gets paid, anyone can volunteer to do anything. We’re sort of the “no rules” theater troupe.”

As for its staying power, she notes, “Incredibly talented people just keep showing up for sets, art, props, costumes, sound and lights. We couldn’t afford these people if we were paying them. But they’ll work for free because the creative atmosphere is super, and they are so appreciated – it just feels good to be a part of these shows.

“It’s incredibly hard work, but these people know that hard work and long hours come with quality art, and they pour themselves into it, teaching others along the way. That continuity of expertise sprinkled through all of the committees has been key to our ability to handle the hundreds of people who head our way now for every show.”

Mack points to other keys to their success. “We have no overhead because we don’t own a building or have a payroll, and this makes it possible for us to have a lot of freedom to do shows when we want to and take risks – risks that come with doing really big shows and a lot of crazy stunts.

“We keep ticket prices as low as we can to make the shows accessible to everyone. We just want to break even – we’re not interested in socking away any money. With donations from the City of Springville, St. Clair County and a few special friends, we’re able to mount extravagant shows with very low ticket prices.

They keep the spotlight trained where it should be, she says. “With less focus on money and sustaining a large organization, we’re able to keep our main goal in sight: process is more important than product. The cool part is that, by focusing on the process, the quality of the product is always amazing.

“We focus on the experience of the people who work on the shows. We want everyone to be proud of themselves, and this expands to the pride and love their families and friends feel for them when they see them on the stage. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Mack taught at UAB from 2001 to 2019, where she led the university’s film program. Before that, she taught at Ohio University, The Ringling School of Art and Design and at Florida State.

For the former college faculty member, Springville Community Theater teaches a powerful lesson. “Doing something that’s fun and wanting to give back to friends, family and community really works out in the long run.”

And after 47 years, how does Mack see the future Springville Community Theater? “More of the same, only, it’s never the same.”

Other Stories

One day of love and music

Lovestock Festival Promotes Unity and Love

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Mackenzie Free

In August of 1969, there was a music festival of some note, held on a dairy farm a few hours outside of New York City. Attended by over 400,000 people, that music festival, known as Woodstock, was promoted with the slogan, “Three Days of Peace and Music.” The country was in the middle of turbulent times, and organizers thought music could bring some inner peace to festival goers.

Fast-forward 54 years to a farm in the heart of Pell City, Alabama. Hundreds of people have gathered to enjoy a free music festival. The festival is called Lovestock, a nod to the intent of the historic 1969 music mega-festival. As you walk from the parking area toward the stage, you enjoy the serene beauty of this farm, with its expansive views of gently sloping green hills and fields.

As you approach the stage, you hear the master of ceremonies tell the crowd that today there are no races, no black, no white, just love. “Today,” the voice explains, “will be all about the collective experiences of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and their expressions of love in music.” Throughout the day, the shared joy and community among the participants creates a truly palpable sense of love and unity.

Spectators fill the fields in front of the stage

During breaks in the music, squeals of joy can be heard from the children’s inflatables play area. Groups of festival goers wander about to visit the food truck and vendor area as they wait to hear their favorite group sing. Unlike the rainy, muddy conditions that characterized the Woodstock festival site, the weather on this October day is sunny and warm, with a breeze that hints of the changing seasons.

Individuals and bands from five states share the stage at various times throughout this day-long music festival. The 17 acts will later be edited into four shows for Alabama Gospel Roots, a popular television show which airs on Saturday nights at 8 p.m. on Alabama Public TV (APT).

Al Lewis has been playing saxophone for 64 years. He’s playing with two different bands on this day. “I was around at the time of Woodstock,” he says. “Lovestock is different and so much better. No alcohol, no chemicals, just totally Christian love.” He joins the band, Lite Brigade, in the morning set and Healed by the Blood in the closing act of the day.

Rev. Dr. Renita Allen-Dixon is a popular gospel recording artist from Tallahassee, Florida, and has just finished her set on stage. She agrees with Lewis about the festival and its location. “You can feel life and the presence of God here,” she adds. “It’s an opportunity for God to bring serenity and peace and for faith to be renewed.”

The idea for Lovestock began two years ago as the brainchild of four men working on various projects in the entertainment industry in Alabama. George W. Stewart, host of the Alabama Gospel Roots television show pitched to his friend, Charlie Beavers, the idea of putting on an outdoor music festival. Beavers, a Birmingham attorney and frequent guest musician on the gospel show, agreed to help, and the idea took flight. Beavers suggested including Rodney Burrow, a friend he had worked with previously on a charity music event. Michael Sutton, who manages Iron City Collective, a pop-up worship event group which produces worship events at places like Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham, rounded out the group.

APT had been taping Alabama Gospel Roots at venues all around the state since the COVID pandemic shut down their studio in Montgomery. As they continued to talk about it, the plan began to take shape as a Christian Woodstock equivalent, with back-to-back groups playing throughout the day, but without the negative connotations and volatility that became associated with the iconic ‘60s festival.

Lovestock organizers added to their event promotion the tagline, “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” a reference to a popular 1965 song recorded by Jackie DeShannon. “That’s truly what the world needs now,” said Stewart. “There’s a lot of hurt in the world today. We’re going to show a pure expression of love for each other and love for God. We hope people leave empowered to share this example of unity with the world.”

Organizers booked Lovestock at Rodney Burrow’s 123-acre farm. Its green, rolling hills and water features project a decidedly golf course feel, with good reason. Burrow purchased the land from the estate of Charles Carter, owner of Carter Golf Company, a world-renowned company that built many famous golf courses, including the Robert Trent Jones courses in Alabama.

“Carter used his company equipment and sculpted it, I’m told, from basically swampland to the tranquil and beautiful hills and lush greenways that it is now,” tells Burrow.

Burrow had been looking for land to buy outside of Birmingham in 2012 when the property became available. He recalls the story of how he knew it was the right land for him. “A friend came out with me to look at the land. He got down on one knee and scooped up some dirt in his hand, let it sift through his fingers and told me that one day I would be able to call this land my own,” says Burrow, choking back tears.

“I came back a few days later and promised God that if he gave me this property, I would give it back to him.” Thirty days later, Burrow closed on the property, which he now calls Willow Tree Ranch.

His journey to fulfill that promise includes offering sections of the property for use for events like Lovestock and for use in his work with area youth and families. “When I bought it, I really didn’t know what that would look like. What began as a youth camp idea has expanded into something far beyond my expectations,” adds Burrow.

He has plans to develop the land further and build a conference center with lodging, and fishing and recreation areas, along with barns with horses for guests to ride.

Burrow introduces one of his volunteers at the festival. Joseph Carrion smiles as he tells his story of gratitude and the reason he is happy to help. He had been serving two life sentences plus 13 years at Donaldson Correctional Facility as a repeat offender convicted on a charge of drug possession.

After participating in a prison ministry event called Kairos in 2003, he turned his life around. Charlie Beavers was working with that ministry on that April weekend at Donaldson. “I asked him if God could really save me,” said Carrion.

“A year later, I was released on parole. The next year, Charlie and some others went with me to Montgomery to receive a full pardon. Helping with these kinds of events helps me to give back for the gift of love and salvation I didn’t deserve.”

Breaking down barriers and offering life-changing love is what has fueled the efforts of all who worked on this music festival. “Lovestock crosses all boundaries,” says Stewart. “It’s a collective of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and their expressions of love in music. It’s unfacilitated peace through all walks of life.”

Plans are already underway for Lovestock 2024.

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Salute to service

Museum of Pell City’s special focus on veterans

Story and photos by
Carol Pappas

In its first community outreach program since opening in March, Museum of Pell City presented Salute to Service Nov. 2, hosting a crowd of over 80 veterans and community and governmental leaders.

The event included lunch, speaker, a state senate resolution, a special presentation to veterans, a new military service exhibit and premier of a short film produced by the museum.

A section of the expanded Salute to Service exhibits at the museum

“We chose this as our very first community outreach program for a reason – veterans form the very foundation of all of our communities across our country,” Museum President Carol Pappas said in opening remarks. “Their history is what our history is built upon, and we truly thank them for their service.”

Salute to Service hosted a group of veterans and staff from Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home as special guests, and veterans throughout the audience were recognized for their service. The museum presented each with a special memento – a commemorative challenge coin thanking them for their service.

The museum presented its coin with a specially designed card saying: “Historically, military commanders presented challenge coins to members of their units in recognition of special achievements. Today, we respectfully present it to you for the ultimate achievement – your service and sacrifice in defense of our country, our freedoms and our way of life.”

Museum First Vice President Deanna Lawley directed the day’s program, noting her own roots in a military family. “Veterans are men and women who have put others before self to guarantee the security of our community and country. The sacrifices were also made by your families who often had an empty chair at the head of the table. I know this because for the first 15 years of my life, I watched my mother move four daughters from the dust blown plains of Ft. Sill Field Artillery School, Oklahoma, to Newnan, Georgia, where family took us in as Daddy was deployed to join Patton’s 3rd Army.”

She detailed the family’s moves during her father’s service after World War II – Panama Canal and Boston. Then, he was called to Korea. When the war ended, she and her sisters thought he would be home soon, but duty called again. “He remained to negotiate prisoner of war exchanges and saw the harsh sacrifices made by those who had been captured.”

He was home for a time, then orders sent him with family in tow to Verona, Italy, where he’d work to establish SETAF relationships and find a home for us on the Italian economy,” she said, noting that she went to school in a converted shoe factory with a potbelly stove for heat.

“Military families learned to be resilient and independent. I don’t know the length of service each of you gave, but I know it involved many sacrifices from you and your loved ones. My father will always be my hero, Col. Neil Nolen of Alexander City, Alabama, just as you surely are to your family. Freedom is never free, and we thank each veteran here today for all you gave.”

Salute to Service Program

“This event was made possible through the efforts of so many,” Pappas said, noting the work of the board of directors, the museum docents and volunteers. Union State Bank sponsored the lunch. Pell City Flower and Gifts donated centerpieces for each table. Metro Bank, through a five-year financial commitment, is making special programs like this and traveling exhibits possible.

“Col. Robert L. Howard Veterans Home and Director Hiliary Hardwick were instrumental in the success of this event, loaning many of the artifacts, uniforms and photographs we have on display, greatly expanding the exhibit we were able to create. Jeremy Gossett, who designed the museum, created our new exhibit, which triples the size of the military portion of the museum’s “For Their Service” displays.

“Jeremy’s talent in bringing this together in such a special way shows the pride in which we all take in saluting our veterans and their sacrifice,” Pappas said.

Docent Annette Manning presents veteran Jay Jenkins with challenge coin

“We thank Dr. Marty Olliff, professor, author and historian for his presentation on Alabama’s role in World War I,” she added. “His talk reminds us of how our own story fits into the bigger picture of Alabama and U.S. history.”

The living history studio where oral histories are videoed was turned into a screening room for the event and throughout the rest of the year, where they are showing the museum produced-film, War and Remembrance. The video features local veterans and others from the state veterans home, who represent World War II, Korea and Vietnam, who share their own experiences of conflict.

“This is a powerfully moving video, helping us better understand the sacrifices of war,” Pappas said. The video is the first in a series of such videos made possible through grants from Alabama Humanities Alliance and the Greater Pell City Rotary Community Foundation.

She commended videographers Ed Tyler and David Smith, volunteers who filmed these interviews, and Larry Krantz, who put it all together as video editor. “They did a tremendous job in bringing the battlefield home to us so that we have an even deeper appreciation for our veterans.”

State Sen. Lance Bell presented a resolution proclaiming the month of November as Veterans Month at the Museum, underscoring that “Veterans have earned and deserve such recognition and deep gratitude for their service and sacrifice.”

The exhibit and film are featured through the end of the year. The museum is open Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. but will be closed for holidays Dec. 22 and 23.

Any veteran visiting will receive the special challenge coin and card as a special gift from the museum. Admission is always free.

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