Ryder Carpenetti

Moody’s rising rodeo star

Story by Paul South
Submitted photos

Truth be told, the closest most of us have come to mounting a bucking bull was as a kid on the 25-cent-powered horses at the local five and dime, watching John Travolta in “Urban Cowboy” in college,  or worst-case, when  liquid courage in a shot glass convinced usually sensible adults that they could tame the mechanical bull at the neighborhood cowboy bar.

But the miniature bulls that Moody’s Ryder Carpenetti takes on in rodeos from North Carolina to Las Vegas are the real deal – 1,200 pounds of thick muscle and foul mood that are as unpredictable as it gets. These animals can with a buck, or spin or dip send their riders into the air like a rag doll, leaving them with a face full of mud, bumps and bruises – or worse.

But Carpenetti has captured three world titles riding miniature bucking horses and half-ton bulls.

He’s 4-foot-6, weighs 71 pounds and still has some of his baby teeth. And he’s only turned 12 years old in September.

As John Wayne might put it: Pilgrim, this is one tough little hombre.

It all started with a bulletin board. Ryder’s Dad, Frankie Carpenetti, remembers.

“He was 3 years old. I saw a flier at a Tractor Supply down in Sterrett, and they had ‘mutton bustin,’ you know, where they ride the sheep. I said, ‘I’ll take him down there and let him ride in that. Maybe he’ll ride in that, and then he’ll be done with it.”

Ryder won. And he wasn’t done. Turns out, the sport had lassoed the toddler. From there it was riding his first calf at 5, then steers to junior bulls to mini-bulls. In 2013, he won his first world title in mutton busting. In 2015, he captured world titles in bucking horses and mini bulls.

Watch Ryder Carpenetti on YouTube and you see a kid as cool as the backside of a pillow. He has a quick grin that gleams from beneath the long shadow cast by his big, black cowboy hat. While waiting for his next ride, he waits quietly. His demeanor seems more school play backstage than bull rider.

Once his protective gear is on – a helmet and vest mandated by the MBR (Mini Bull Riders Association) – he’s unflappable.

“He really doesn’t have any fear,” Frankie Carpenetti says.

“We have dirt bikes at the house, and he does jumps and all that. When he gets on the back of the bucking chutes, a lot of the kids are nervous. You can tell. We always have people say, ‘How’s he so calm?’ He just sits on the back of the bucking chutes and waits his turn. Nothing bothers him. He’ll find my wife in the crowd, and he’ll wave to her. The other kids, they’re back there shaking and stuff.”

Carpenetti added, “There’s times when I’m a little more nervous than he is. We go to a lot of big deals. The PBRs (Professional Bull Riders), the Built Ford Toughs (rodeos), you know. I guess I get a lot more nervous than he does sometimes. I guess my nervousness would be him getting hurt. He’s pulled the tendons out in his elbow a couple of times, aside from the normal bumps and bruises.

“But nothing bothers him. He’s in his own world right there. He’s getting ready to ride,” Frankie Carpenetti said. “He’s in his own zone. He just gets in there and rides”

Like any mother, April Carpenetti had the jitters, too. But now, her worries aren’t as great as when he plays youth football in Moody, as a running back and defensive back. On a recent Saturday, Ryder played a half day of football, then was on the road for a rodeo in Bessemer City, N.C.

“Any mom would be terrified,” she says. “But it’s just like anything. The more they do it, the more I feel comfortable. He had to move up in (weight class) in football. Right now, I worry more about him playing against bigger kids in football than I do about him rodeoing. I guess it’s just something he’s been doing so long that I’m comfortable with him doing it.”

At only 12, Carpenetti has drawn comparisons to the late Lane Frost. Frost, who won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Bull Riding World Championship in 1987 when he was just 24, was killed in the arena in 1989. To this day, long after his death, Frost casts an almost mythic shadow over the sport.

Gary Leffew, a member of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and the 1970 National Finals Rodeo champion, is Carpenetti’s coach. He believes the comparison to Frost is on target.

“He’ll go wherever he wants to go,” Leffew said. “He’ll either be in the PBR or the PRCA. He’ll be in there somewhere where he’s a star. He’s like a young Lane Frost. He’s charismatic. People are going to know his name, wherever he decides to go.”

Leffew’s career offers a backstory to Ryder Carpenetti’s championship ride. Leffew is called “the rodeo guru” of positive thinking. Leffew finished 10th in the world in 1966, then hit a slump. As a new husband, soon with a baby on the way, Leffew worried more about making a paycheck than setting goals and visualizing how life could be for him and his family if he won. Worry beat down on him like a July Texas sun.

Then he read Maxwell Maltz’s 1960 bestseller – “Psycho-Cybernetics.” His thinking – and his career – took a turn

“Once I read that book, I just sat up in bed and laughed,” Leffew says. “I was 22 years old, and it was the first time anyone had explained to me how the mind works and that it can work for you or against you. (The mind) doesn’t care, it’s a piece of machinery. Whatever you program in, it will take and give it back to you. I realized I was a victim of my own thinking.”

Leffew also studied the style and technique of George Paul, who Leffew calls “the greatest bull rider I ever saw.” Paul, who tragically died in a plane crash in 1970, rode 79 consecutive bulls without being thrown. Paul was considered “the strongest man ever to ride bulls in professional rodeo.”

Studying Paul and diving into the workings of the subconscious mind, transformed Leffew’s career.

“That next year, I was third in the world. I rode the Bull of the Year his last ride. I came out in 1970 and won the world title and the National Finals Rodeo. Once I got into positive thinking, it took me three years to reach my goal of the world championship,” Leffew said. “During that period, I was no lower than third.”

And those who were skeptical of his positive thinking approach started to come around.

“(Early on), there was a lot of laughing. The first rodeo I went to at Denver in 1968, I was one point from the all-time record – 89 points – on a bull that had never been rode. I rode him like Patton for a dance. I was runner up for the championship. I went three months without getting thrown off. They were like, ‘This kid’s on to something’ They’d come around and ask, ‘What page was that on?’”

Now, Carpenetti is part of a stable of star pupils who have embraced Leffew’s power-of-positive-thinking approach. Leffew has mentored 19 world champions.

“What we teach is hyper body, quiet mind. Your heart will be pounding, your adrenaline will be running, which is good, but you want a quiet mind. A quiet mind operates at the speed of light. It processes a billion pieces of information per second. A hyper mind works a second at a time. You’d think a hyper mind works faster. It just screws things up. There’s no continuity, no timing, no flow. So, you have to get in a quiet mind state. You just focus much better.”

Carpenetti has that laser focus. Like other St. Clair County athletes, like Springville’s Casey Mize, the first pick in last summer’s major league baseball draft, and Odenville’s Dee Ford of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, Ryder has a dream.

“He wants to do bigger things,” April Carpenetti says. “We don’t make him go to any rodeos. We’ll be in the car on Friday afternoon after school, drive 12 hours to Dallas for a Saturday rodeo and drive back on Sunday to keep his points up.”

Therein is another part of the story. No competitor in any sport reaches a high level without a support system. Last year, the Carpenettis rolled up 56,000 miles traveling the rodeo circuit. And Ryder’s sister, Harley, a student at Moody Junior High, is a competitive cheerleader on a Birmingham-based squad. It’s not unusual for Ryder and his Dad to be traveling in one direction, April and Harley, 13, off in another.

A quick note: Before taking her talent in another direction, Harley Carpenetti excelled as a barrel racer, another competitive rodeo sport.

“We’re all over the place,” Frankie Carpenetti says.

Both Leffew and Frankie Carpenetti praised the young rider’s work ethic.

“He’s got persistence. He’s got goals set. He’s got a great support system. He’s got everything he needs to be a superstar. He’s a very focused young man and he’s a talented young rider. But he’s a gentleman. That’s one of the things we try to teach our kids. You can’t be too polite,” Leffew says. “You want to think about other people. You don’t want them to just say he’s a good rider, but that he’s a good young man, a role model for everybody who comes behind you. People don’t just judge you on how good you ride, but what kind of human being you are. Integrity.”

Says Frankie Carpenetti: “He’s just a humble kid. He doesn’t boast about anything he wins. You know he can go out there and win the world championship. He’s not out there boasting. He’s just as happy for the other kid who beats him one day. He’s just as happy for the kid who won the rodeo as he would be for himself. His sportsmanship is what makes me the proudest,” he says. “A kid can be bucked off and get mad and throw their helmet or something, and he’ll go back to the back and try to figure out what he did wrong. Then a few minutes later, he’s back to himself, out playing or whatever. That’s what makes me proud. And he’s got a real good work ethic. He’s up in the morning wanting to go ride the bulls.”

That integrity, that gentlemanly spirit, has captured the attention of corporate sponsors. The Lane Frost brand, owned by the late champion’s family, backs Ryder, as does Rodeo King hats, 100X helmets, Capri Campers, Flying P Farms and of course, Carpenetti’s Pizza, owned by Ryder’s grandfather, Frank Sr., and the family.

And Ryder and his family have also won the respect of Cirildo “Junior” Leal and his wife Lilly, who along with two-time Professional Bull Riding (PBR) champion Chris Shivers, own the Mini Bull Riders.

Born in 2010, the MBR began with 120 kids in Ogden, Utah, and has grown to an international sport, attracting competitors from Brazil, Canada, Australia and the United States. Kids ages 8 to 14 compete in the events, which emphasize safety, respect, sportsmanship and building confidence. Venues have included AT&T Stadium in Dallas, the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas and elsewhere. In 2015, Professional Bull Riders became a presenting sponsor of the Miniature Bull Riders Association.

Junior Leal sports a bushy handlebar moustache and bears a striking resemblance to country singer Freddy Fender. He’s quick with a laugh. As the father of six daughters, he jokes “I’ve already got my ticket to heaven. I raised six girls.” And, it seems he and his wife Lilly have hundreds of sons – the bull riders like Ryder, who the website proclaims, are “the toughest little cowboys on the planet.”

Leffew calls MBR and its competitors “the future of the game.”

Cirildo Leal, whose day job is raising mini bulls and daily delivering feed for 200,000 head of cattle to ranchers from his home in Lockney, Texas, sees a world title or a National Finals Rodeo crown in Ryder’s future. For the Leals, Cirildo, Lilly and daughter Alysa – a family of faith – the MBR is a labor of love.

“He’ll be a PBR world champion or an NFR world champion … because he’s just got a lot of potential, and his parents really support him and take him, and the kid doesn’t give up. Sometimes he might get trampled on, but he just gets up, shakes it off and goes on. And he’s ready to ride again.”

Lilly Leal agrees. “Ryder is a super good kid. He’s always been super good. What you see with him is what you get. Ryder gets on a bull, and he’s businesslike, ‘Come on, I gotta do what I gotta do.’ ”

She adds, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ryder cry. Like I said, he’s tough, and he’s got super good parents and grandparents, all of his family.”

Ryder also has fans close to home, like Pell City steel executive John Garrison, a longtime fan of rodeo. He believes the sport is part of the “great Western experience” that helped make America great.

For Garrison, seeing young people like Ryder Carpenetti excel is an encouragement. Garrison studies different generations. Kids like Ryder give Garrison – a Baby Boomer – hope for the future. “Any time I see a young person that’s doing something special, I have a tendency to take particular notice of that young person because they’re doing something outside the norm. I think Ryder Carpenetti and Harley, his sister, are doing positive things. Ryder is making a mark in the rodeo world.”

Predictions of future greatness for Ryder are “spot on,” Garrison says.

“A young person who starts in that kind of sport, it’s remarkable that he comes from Alabama … a state not known for rodeo greats. That a young kid from Alabama can go out there and compete is just over-the-top amazing.”

He adds: “It’s a dangerous sport, and you get banged up now and then. He’s no doubt a tough kid and a hard competitor. As long as he stays healthy, I think he’s unstoppable.”

Talk to Ryder, and you hear the competitive fire of a cowboy who successfully rode all four bulls on the way to the 2015 world title at the Chris Shivers Bull Riding. But you also hear the heart of an 11-year-old kid, who likes to play Fortnite, ride dirt bikes, to play with the animals at the family home and who giggles at the names of some of the bulls he’s ridden, like “Butthead.”

 The reason he rides?

“It’s fun,” Ryder says. “I have a lot of friends that ride. When you get a good score, you win.”

And as the adults in this story have said, he is fearless.

“It’s fun to me. When I’m doing something fun, I don’t get nervous or anything.”

It’s important to note, too, that Ryder is an A-student. His lowest grade at the end of the last school year was a 96.5.

And as most kids will, he makes the complex – like riding a half-ton bull – a simple thing.

“You gotta stay on the front end,” he says. “Don’t lose your feet and keep your hand shut. I ride with my left hand shut and my right hand up. You can’t tell what a bull’s going to do. But when they open the gate, you have to stay on for a full eight seconds.”

When asked, he’ll talk about his world titles and the 50 bright belt buckles he’s won in competitive rodeo. And he’ll say he wants to win a PBR world title one day He says his world titles “mean a lot.”

 But while some talk about his boundless future. Ryder Carpenetti hangs his big, black hat on humility, like most kids his age would do.

“I don’t really care if I win. I’m happy if I ride for the full eight seconds.”

Somewhere, Lane Frost, the rodeo legend, is smiling. l

 

Journey’s End

Big Canoe Creek Preserve
in Springville is now
a part of Forever Wild

Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Susan Wall
and Emily Y. Horton

He was no doubt inspired by the groundwork they meticulously laid in making a compelling case for saving this property for the future, others entered the picture to eventually move this project over what had been an elusive finish line.

Prominent Springville businessman Dean Goforth, helped them navigate the political process. So did Candice Hill and Don Smith of the St. Clair Economic Development Council. Vickey Wheeler, a local artist and head of Nature Planning for Friends was among those helping push it to fruition.

Wendy Jackson, former executive director of Alabama Freshwater Land Trust and now executive VP of the Land Trust Alliance in Washington, D.C., was instrumental as was Barnett Lawley, former commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and now a board member of the St. Clair EDC.

“The Big Canoe Creek Preserve is perseverance at its finest,” Jackson said. “So many people committed to making the preserve a reality and never quit. Doug Morrison and all of the Friends of Big Canoe Creek, the City of Springville, St. Clair County Commission and Freshwater Land Trust were early champions and stayed the course, even when success seemed far from certain.

“Kudos to their forward thinking and leadership that created a remarkable legacy for my beloved home county. I grew up playing in Canoe Creek and look forward to visiting this new beautiful, preserve that brought so many people together. For me, it will always stand as a symbol to great character of the people in St. Clair County and why, no matter where my travels take me, I am so proud to call it home!”It is easy to use words like perseverance when describing the project’s history. At one point in the process, “They were at a place where they felt like it was dead,” said Goforth. “It wasn’t going anywhere.” He worked with State Rep. Jim Hill and State Sen. Jim McClendon as well as State Lands Manager Doug Deaton of ADCNR.

Referring to Morrison and the Friends of Big Canoe Creek, Goforth said they had done “an awesome job of nominating the property and helping people understand its importance.” Because of the relationships he and others had, they were able to combine forces and work together to take the effort to a whole new level.

“It was a team effort,” Morrison said. The city of Springville, St. Clair County Commission and various state officials and agencies invested all the support that was needed, and the preserve became official. “It will benefit people from now on,” Goforth added.

They predicted it will become one of the premier destinations in the state. It’s centrally located. It’s easy to access. And it has it has a number of diverse development possibilities over time, including horseback riding, canoeing, kayaking, bird watching, hiking, walking trails and possibly, mountain bike trails.

Look in any direction, and you cannot help but see an outdoor classroom surrounding you. The education component is limitless. Goforth called it a “huge opportunity from an education standpoint” with schools and colleges as natural partners along with other organizations who will use it as a teaching and research tool.

“The impact of this project will be felt across St. Clair County, both from a tourism perspective and a preservation presence,” said Retail Development Specialist Candice Hill of St. Clair EDC.

“Because Springville is already set up to receive tourism dollars in its retail districts, they will feel the spinoff immediately. The participation of both St. Clair County and the City of Springville in this projects says to all of us that they care about the quality of life and the preservation of green space, and we look forward to the future of this preserve,” she said. “Over 100,000 people visited the Forever Wild prerserve at Turkey Creek last year, and if we see similar results, this could really help local businesses.”

 

Preparing for the future

On an August morning of overcast skies, dozens of volunteers, environmentalists and conservationists combed the tracts of land that run along Big Canoe Creek looking for even more reasons – species – this watershed should be preserved.

Two graduate students from the University of Alabama, Frank Gigliotti and Thomas Franzem showed up for the Bio-Blitz “just for fun. They were there looking for species of birds and insects. They are working with the State now for a return visit for a more thorough exploration.

Kim Waites of Wild South, a leader in public lands protection in the Southeast, volunteered to map the distance of the entire border of the property and look for places to develop trails.

Henry Hughes, retired director of Education at Botanical Gardens, a forester by trade, was looking forward to his first Bio-Blitz as well. His task would be identifying the trees found on the expansive parcel.

Educator Lacy Kamber talked of the programs Turkey Creek, where she works, has put in place. Named a Forever Wild property in 2008, its 466-acre park in Pinson is a growing attraction. It has six miles of hiking and biking trails and a creek that is “incredibly clean” with a waterfall that visitors can tube down, a natural waterslide. With more protected species than any other preserve, Turkey Creek has earned a reputation for its richness in education, recreation and environmental resources.

It is known for three species of darters, one of which – vermillion – is on the critically endangered species list. It only exists in 10 square miles of Turkey Creek.

 

About Big Canoe Creek

Big Canoe Creek has plenty of its own precious resources. The main part of the creek is more than 50 miles long with four tributaries flowing into it – Gulf Creek, Muckleroy Creek and two “Little Canoe” creeks.

Along its shores, the preserve is home to a mix of oak-hickory and oak-pine forests. Thickets of mountain laurel and native azaleas populate its slopes.

Bordering the creek are Beech, Red and Sugar Maples, Hornbeams, Catalpa, Butternut and Big Leaf Magnolia trees. In limited supply, but nevertheless dwelling n the land, are fire suppressed stands of river cane.

The creek itself is home more than 50 species of fish, including a rarity, the Trispot Darter, discovered in 2008 in Little Canoe Creek – a species that used to occur in Alabama but had not been observed in nearly 50 years. It is a species of conservation concern in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia and is under review by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Because it had not been collected in Alabama since the mid-20th Century, it was considered locally extirpated. With the discovery of the Trispot Darter, it is now designated, “Highest Conservation Concern” by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Mussels – nature’s water filter – are in great supply in Big Canoe Creek, illustrating and ensuring the creek as an ecological treasure. The creek has retained a majority of its mussel species. They are the most endangered because of their dependency on exceptionally high water quality.

Big Canoe Creek watershed has eight federally listed freshwater mussel species associated with it. And an 18-mile stretch of its main stem was designated in 2004 as a “critical habitat” under the Endangered Species Act. A distinct new species, The Canoe Creek Clubshell, only found in Big Canoe Creek, has been discovered in one of its tributaries.

Conservation status is designated for 10 species of mussels in Big Canoe Creek. Two species have state conservation status while eight have designations under the Endangered Species Act. Three of the eight are known from historic records only. Of the remaining five extant species, three are listed as endangered, one as threatened, and another is proposed for listing.

Dr. Wayne Barger of Alabama Department of Conservation, State Lands Division, talked of the importance of adding to the collections and identifying the species, like those found in the Bio-Blitz. “We are still working to get all the data identified. It was a good day. It adds to our knowledge as we move forward.” Regarding its potential, Barger added, “It scored well as a nature preserve. This will protect its diversity” and allow people to observe nature, bird watch and hike – “enjoy nature as it should be.”

“For The Friends of Big Canoe Creek it has always been about protecting and educating ourselves and our community about Big Canoe Creek,” said Vickey Wheeler.

 “The Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve is our ‘living museum.’  We are planning ways everyone of all ages and abilities will have the opportunity to observe and learn about the natural world. A system of educational, gentle walking trails in combination with more strenuous hiking trails is what we are looking at first for public use.   Whichever direction our community chooses to support, we must put the health and protection of the creek at the forefront of all decisions we make in planning Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve.

Healthy creeks equal healthy communities.”

Future plans will include ways to connect with the city and bring support to local businesses. “We are continuing our talks with the city and county to bring more conservation areas into Alabama,” she said.

Evan Lawrence, a biologist in State Land Recreational Management, said his group is working closely with Springville to guide the process. “Plans call for a hiking trail system through there, mountain biking trails and possibly horseback trails.”

As the preserve nears opening in about six months, boundaries are being marked, a gate will be installed at the entrance to the property, the road is being improved and a kiosk in the parking area will be set up to offer information about the property.

Development of it will come in phases en route to a preserve destined to become a destination point, supporters say.

 

Success at last

Why so much preliminary work? Alabama’s biodiversity ranks Number 1 in so many categories, first in the U.S. in freshwater fishes, freshwater snails, freshwater mussels, crayfish and turtles. It is important to document the flora and fauna on this tract of land and the creatures in the creek. It gives historical data about the existing ecosystem and helps us better understand this Nature balance.  Are there existing conditions affecting the plants or wildlife? Invasive species are everywhere, how bad is it here? Where exactly are they on the property? Are there any rare species found? Where can new trails go that won’t affect any special plants found?

Nine years is a long time for a quest, but Morrison said all the work and the angst were worth it in the end. But he is quick to point out that it really isn’t the end, it’s a new beginning.

“At one time, there was talk of a development on this property, and we were concerned about the effects this would have on the creek as this property borders the creek. As we were looking for ways to preserve this property, Vickey Wheeler and I had a meeting with two members of Springville’s Planning and Zoning group, Stephen Graham and David Jones. Mr. Jones, now on the City Council, pointed out the Forever Wild program to us. We took the idea and ran with it.

“Alex Varner, now with The Nature Conservancy, a good friend and fellow Friends member, went with me to meet one of the landowners on the property and pitch the idea to him, to let The Friends of Big Canoe Creek nominate this property to Forever Wild. I’ll never forget the landowner asking how long it would take. I said then, “I have no idea, but what do you have to lose?”  Who knew it would take nine years? One of our board members, Sean Andrews, was very beneficial in drawing up the necessary documents, maps, etc. for the nomination package and the journey began.”

 

Help along the way

“We met Wendy Jackson with the Freshwater Land Trust, and she was very instrumental from the beginning. She helped pitch the idea of a different type of economy with green space to the City of Springville and St. Clair County.  We met with the Springville City Council and the St. Clair County Commission, and they jumped on board and assisted financially to make this happen,” Morrison said. “This would not have happened, period, without their backing.

“Libba Vaughn carried the torch after Wendy left FWLT and attended the Forever Wild Board meetings with us. There were many roadblocks along the way, a lot of heartaches, headaches and frustrations, but we never lost hope.” 

Morrison expressed gratitude to Friends members and board members, Mayor Isley for seeing the possibilities and believing in the project, the St. Clair Commission chairmen, Stan Batemon, originally, then Paul Manning, the Springville City Council, the St. Clair County Commission, Candice Hill, Don Smith and Dean Goforth for “helping get us to the goal line. Myself, I had many sleepless nights in those nine years – too many to count. The bottom line is, we got it going, the community paid attention, and the resources needed joined forces to make the Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve a reality.”

“I believe that part of the the impact of the Forever Wild nature park in Springville will be to provide an untouched, natural and beautiful  portion of God’s creation – Earth –  made available to our citizens, neighbors, families and friends,” said Springville Mayor William “Butch” Isley. “The users of this beautiful sanctuary full of wildlife, fish and foliage will be able to spend time there in wonder and bewilderment at the beauty of this preserved area.”

In addition, he said, “The city of Springville – its citizens, businesses, churches and community residents will be benefitted in many ways by hosting guests and visitors from all parts of St. Clair and surrounding counties as everyone hears about this beautiful nature park.”

 

A bright future

“I see the Forever Wild program as a unique way to preserve property in the State of Alabama, for the good of the State and its people. We hope this Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve will benefit folks in our communities, benefit our educational institutions for research, outdoor classrooms, etc., and help maintain a natural balance for generations to come,” he said.

With an unmistakable passion, he added, “Big Canoe Creek is a special tributary. I know this Preserve just adds a small bit of protection from over development along the creek, but perhaps it can serve as food for thought. It will be wonderful to see folks getting outdoors and just enjoying nature for what it is. Take a clean breath and enjoy a little bit of tranquility while observing nature. I think folks will come, especially when the weather is cool, to enjoy a hike, get some exercise and just unwind. It may be like Field of Dreams, in reverse.  If you don’t build it, they will come.”

Ron Partain’s World of Music

Distilling a love and life of music into one store

Story and Photos by Graham Hadley

Window shopping on Cogswell Avenue in Pell City’s historic downtown, anyone with any interest in music will be drawn to Ron Partain’s store.

Following the sound of classic rock from the past four decades piped through speakers in the front of Ron Partain’s World of Music, visitors can look in and see guitars — electric and acoustic, mandolins, keyboards and electric pianos, banjos, amplifiers, drum sets, even a colorful row of ukuleles.

Plus everything else under the sun necessary for people to make music: effects pedals, sound mixing equipment, pics, microphones, speakers, strings, instrument straps and much more. Every inch of Ron Partain’s World of Music is a testament to his love of music.

And that is exactly the way he wants it — for Ron Partain, since his mid teenage years, his life has centered on music — and it’s a love that he wants to share with the world. So he, with the help of long-time employee Karen Poe, distill that love into the store that has been open on Cogswell for 41 years now.

The original store was located just down the street from its current location at 1914 Cogswell. Partain, who has spent his life as a music director for various church choirs in St. Clair and Talladega counties, knew he wanted and needed to do more with his life, and a music store seemed the perfect fit. “I loved the choir work, but I had two daughters to get through college. I had to do something — and here we are,” he said.

“I had no real money in 1977 when I decided to do this. I had maybe $1,000 and had to borrow three to four thousand more.”

Everything came together, and Ron Partain’s World of Music opened its doors for the first time across the street from the St. Clair County Courthouse in 1978. The original shop was much smaller than the current one — “a hole in the wall” he called it — and that was a particular issue because, back then, they sold full-size pianos and organs.

But it did the trick, cementing World of Music as a downtown staple for almost half a century.

It was also the beginning of a business relationship and friendship that has lasted almost as long as the business has been around. There were more than one business located in the building Partain bought all those years ago, and one of them was a Sneaky Pete’s restaurant. The owners were looking to sell their business, and Partain took the opportunity to expand his income. Within a few years, someone presented him with an offer to purchase the restaurant that was too good to refuse.

Karen, who was 19 at the time, was the cashier at the restaurant. “I figured I was out of a job,” she said.

Not so. “I handed her the keys to the music store and said, ‘You run the business for a while. I am going to play golf.’” And he did exactly that. Partain confessed he needed some relaxation time. Between his duties as a music director, running the music store and managing a restaurant, he admittedly needed to catch his breath.

“I had no idea what I was doing,” Karen joked. “I spent the first few weeks just stacking and sorting papers so I would look busy.” But she quickly grew into the job of managing the day-to-day operation of World of Music and is still doing so now, 38 years later, something Partain is quick to point out has been a key to the business’ long-term success.

That success should not surprise anyone who knows Partain. At 15, he, like most boys his age, was very focused on sports. Nothing could be further from his mind than music. All that changed when a gentleman named R.U. Green came into the locker room after football practice and announced he was looking for some young men to participate in a concert choir.

Hesitant at first, Partain and a few of the other players realized a choir might be a great place to meet some young ladies. So he joined up, and his life’s path was set.

“I had never sung before. By the third or fourth week, I was head of the vocal choir. Music set my heart on fire. I was still 15 when I took my first paying job directing a church choir,” he said, “and I have been doing it ever since. Music just speaks to me.”

And he did get to meet a girl — his wife, in one of the choirs he participated in.

Partain has made a name for himself over the years as a music director, taking choirs, usually groups of high-school students and young college-age adults, all around the globe to perform. They have sung the national anthem at the opening of sporting events in some of the most famous stadiums, like Wrigley Field and the Astro Dome, in the country.

And playing those sports venues has had the added bonus of feeding one of Partain’s other loves — sports. “I got to see Cal Ripken play,” he said.

They also have performed at national monuments, the United Nations, places like the Brooklyn Tabernacle, and been as far away as Hawaii, more than once.

Partain said one of the biggest challenges, other than getting ready to perform before huge crowds, is keeping track of all of the teens and young adults in his group, so they have shirts printed up before each trip that everyone has to wear.

One of Partain’s prized possessions is a quilt made up of the different shirt designs they have used over the years.

“I have gotten to see and do things in my life that I would not have been able to do without music,” he said, adding that one of his proudest achievements is that he got to “sing with my daughters.”

It’s the life that his love of music has given him Partain wants to share with others through his store, which has been in its current location since 1986.

He readily admits, as does Karen, that they can’t play their instruments very well, but that is not the point. “I have a love of music, but I’m not a great musician myself. I love helping other people learn to love music.

“I wanted to give musicians a place in this area to shop,” he said. “I really get my personal fulfilment from watching people, adults and kids, come out here to make music.”

So he took a building and filled it with everything local musicians need. His personal favorites are acoustic guitars — Alvarez in particular. And though he keeps a broad inventory in his store, Partain realizes that to compete with big retailers and the Internet, he needs to have more than what he can fit in one building. He does that by keeping up a network with instrument distributors all over the country and beyond and can order pretty much anything his customers need or want.

But to keep a music store open in a small town, even in an area growing as fast as Pell City, means you have to have something for everyone, and do more than just sell instruments and sound equipment.

Partain says he is probably one of the oldest locally owned retail businesses in the area, and the key has been diversity. They repair instruments, help set up sound systems, even move pianos — if a customer needs an item or needs something done, they find a way to make it happen.

He estimates as many as 75 people a week have taken music lessons at World of Music — from guitar to horns, they can teach it all. They even work with local school bands to keep their instruments in top shape.

As he credits Karen with the success of running the business, Partain says Steven Begley is not only a fantastic music instructor, he can repair almost any instrument.

“We had a guy come in here with his father’s guitar that had gotten water on it. It was all bowed out and warped on the sides, all over.

“Steven took that guitar and worked on it. When the guy came back to pick it up and saw Steven coming out with the completely repaired guitar from the back of the shop, he stopped right here and started crying. He had thought the guitar his father had left him was ruined. Steven made it look like it had never been damaged.”

It is those types of experiences that bring it all home for Partain. “I love sharing music with people. I love everything about this business, talking to people as they come in, the purchasing, the selling — everything.”

And he will share that love with his customers even if you are not looking to buy that day, with people coming by the store just to talk, visit or listen to music.

The doors of Ron Partain’s World of Music are open to musicians and music lovers alike.

Northside Medical Home

Wellness center, more expansion in planning

Story by Carol Pappas
Discover Archive photos
Submitted renderings

No sooner had Dr. Rock Helms cut the ribbon on the state-of-the-art, 50,000 square-foot Northside Medical Home earlier this year than he was envisioning Northside’s next phase. After all, in an ever-changing medical landscape, Helms usually blazes a trail right through the middle of it.

Helms and his partners, Drs. Michael Dupre’, Steve Fortson, Scott Boykin, Tom Perkins and Hunter Russell are united in the vision that patient-centered health care means putting the patient’s needs at the center of everything they do. That’s why you see expansion after expansion, improvement after improvement.

Beginning from a 3,000 square foot, small town doctor’s office, Northside Medical Home now encompasses three building phases, a cutting-edge imaging suite, access to more than a dozen specialties all under one roof, infusion center, laboratory and diagnostic center.

So, what’s next? A wellness center, he said, complete with indoor pool, workout facilities, classrooms for activities like aerobics or spinner biking, racquetball, physical, occupational and massage therapy and a walking track. He even envisions day care for ill children and after-hours daycare.

Helms and the partners at Northside are in the early stages of planning a wellness center through a partnership among community members, government and private entities to help further its development. When it comes to fruition, it would top a longtime wish list for the region.

“I’d love to see the senior center move there as well as a daycare for children,” he said. Both would fill a niche needed. Seniors would have access to many more activities through a wellness center and staying active is vital to their everyday lives.

On the daycare issue, he noted that after hours care is essentially not available, yet parents’ jobs may not fit the usual 8 to 5 work day or a Monday through Friday schedule. This would give them an option.

And where do children go when they are sick, and the parent must work? Helms sees the wellness center daycare for children when they are ill as a natural fit. “We have the ability to take care of them with RNs,” he said.

The daycare could even be used on an hourly basis for parents who want to work out in the wellness center.

Having an indoor pool would fill a variety of quality of life needs. The high school could have a swim team. Water therapy and swimming for exercise could be an integral component of programming there.

 “We’re in the early stages working with community partners to develop it,” Helms said. “We don’t want to own it, but we are willing to take the lead on it to make it happen.”

That is evident in the architectural drawings already done by Russ Realmutto of Birchfield-Penuel Architects for the proposed 50,000 square foot center on property targeted next to Northside Medical Home on a ridge overlooking Interstate 20. Drawings indicate it will be two stories with plenty of glass to give a bird’s eye view high above the heavily traveled highway.

It all centers around the question Helms continues to ask – ‘What if…?’ It’s a question he asks all too often. And he generally answers it with a well thought out plan that benefits the entire community.

That’s why you see innovative programs like Northside’s CARE Team, which sees about 200 people, providing services inside and outside the office to keep them healthier and out of the hospital. It was the first of its kind in the state.

‘What if?’ is why you see a patient-centered medical home with specialties ranging from vision to cardiology, from gastroenterology to general and oral surgery and an in-house pharmacy. 

And it’s why the dedicated staff has grown from a few in those early years to more than 150 today. Or Northside clinics are found in Moody, Springville, Ashville and Trussville.

What drives the planning for more, Helms said, is how much Northside and its partners are able to improve the quality of care here at home. “They get better care, and patients love it. It is rewarding to see patients come and thank us because they can see a doctor here and have their testing done” in their own hometown.

But the drive doesn’t stop there. Helms hopes to develop an urgent care center within the main operation at Northside, a vision of Dr. Dupre’s, expanding hours to seven days a week and giving patients the ability to have better continuity because they will be cared for at their own medical providers’ offices.

Stressing that it, too, is in the “early works,” a feasibility study is being done for an outpatient surgery center at Northside. And initial discussions are being held for partners on senior living and patient rehabilitation facilities.

Northside has added the latest in CT scanners for its growing, cutting edge diagnostics, and 3-D Mammography is on the horizon.

“We are always looking for ways to improve upon things,” Helms said. “I’m a builder by nature. I like to build things. I guess it could be selfish. I get a charge out of seeing good things happen.” l

Business booming in Springville

New growth driving local economy

Story by Katie Beth Buckner
Photos by Mike Callahan

If numbers are any indicator, Springville is in the midst of what is being called a business boom for this northeast St. Clair County city.

Five businesses have opened their doors to the community already this year, and the outlook for the future is promising, officials say.

On Saturday, May 19, the Springville Area Chamber of Commerce hosted grand openings for HBI Salon, Daylight Donuts, Laster’s Sundries and Bam’s Coin Laundry. The owners and their families and friends took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of their new businesses.

 

Hair. Beauty. Inspiration

HBI Salon served Springville for many years from a location right off of Main Street, but it relocated to a larger space at 6448 US Highway 11. The new location in downtown Springville has added artistic flare to the area.

The staff is dedicated to using their knowledge, passion and experience to meet their clients’ hair care needs. To help her clients achieve their hair style goals with minimal effort, owner Jenny Ryan uses high-quality products she’s confident will keep her client’s hair healthy, yet stylish.

“We are so excited to be a part of what makes downtown Springville hop,” Ryan said. “Our clientele pulls from Springville all the way to Nashville. We love that all of our (Springville’s) unique shopping options can offer them an experience that goes beyond great hair.”

 

Sweets, sweets
and more sweets!

Amid the growth, Springville has gained two small businesses that cater to that sweet tooth. Daylight Donuts opened a new location at 449 Marietta Road. They serve a wide variety of donuts, croissants and coffee that are made fresh daily. The most popular treat sold is the apple fritter.

Co-Owner Vatanak Sap said he fell in love with the town and its friendly people and decided it was the perfect place to open a donut shop since there wasn’t one nearby.

“I love the support the locals have shown me. Business has been great,” Sap said. “We are very busy in the mornings. People like to stop by and grab breakfast on their way to work.”

Meanwhile, what was old has become new again. Laster’s Sundries, a historical ice-cream parlor, recently reopened under new ownership. Its lively atmosphere and central location in downtown Springville make it a great place to host a birthday party or similar event.

Their ice-cream is imported from New York and offers customers a large variety of flavors you can’t get elsewhere. They also serve shakes, floats and sundaes for customers who want a sweet treat beyond a regular ice-cream cone.

Locals have been very receptive of Laster’s reopening and wish to see their limited hours extended, according to Mayor Butch Isley.

“Business has been great and busy,” Laster’s manager Jordan Hamilton said. “People seem to really enjoy our ice cream.”

 

Wash, dry and fold!

A convenient new service is now available in Springville. Bam’s Coin Laundry, LLC opened a new location at 143 Marietta Road. They provide 24-hour access to large capacity washers and dryers, allowing customers to wash their clothes, comforters and blankets for a reasonable price. Bam’s is also equipped with video surveillance, free Wi-Fi and cable television.

Individuals on a tight schedule can take advantage of their newly offered wash, dry and fold service. They can coordinate a drop-off and pick-up time with an employee and have their laundry done for them at a small additional charge.

“People from Springville were coming to our laundromat in Pell City and saying that they wanted us to open one closer to them,” owner Billy Blaylock said. “We found a location and opened to meet their needs.”

 

First pediatric clinic comes to town.

Springville Pediatrics, located at 350 Springville Station near Walmart, opened its doors to patients on March 12. The clinic is the only one in the community tailored toward pediatric care with patients ranging in age from infants to 18 years old.

“We have new patients coming in everyday, so we are excited about being able to take care of children in Springville and the surrounding areas,” office manager Jennifer Richardson said. “We are set and ready to care for our patients in the best way possible.”

 

What’s Ahead?

“People have been very receptive of these new businesses,” Mayor Isely said. “They’re meeting the needs of the community.”

Looking forward, he hopes to see more development of businesses near Interstate 59. He’d like to bring a large chain restaurant and a full-service gas station to town.

Candice Hill, retail specialist for St. Clair County Economic Development Council, is working with Isely to bring more retailers to town in the shopping area near Walmart.

But while Isley likes growing big city amenities for the community, he notes that there are elements of downtown he wants to maintain. He plans to work alongside business owners to preserve the historical charm of the area by restoring some of the aging and unoccupied buildings.

Downtown revitalization is part of the plan for the future.

And while Springville has visions of continued growth, Isley said it’s vital the town doesn’t grow too rapidly and become something he and locals aren’t proud of. Growth is good, he said, but it needs to grow in the right way, filling needs while maintaining the city’s allure.

 

Making Alabama – Bicentennial Exhibit

Taking center stage in St. Clair County

Story by Katie Beth Buckner
Photos by Carol Pappas
Submitted photos

To celebrate the bicentennial of a county older than the state, officials in St. Clair knew the series of events they planned en route to November 2018, marking the county’s 200th year, had to be special.

At the heart of the county’s celebration was the state’s own bicentennial event – Making Alabama: A Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit presented by Alabama Humanities Foundation in partnership with Alabama Department of Archives and History and Alabama Bicentennial Commission. After all, a year later, on Dec. 14, 2019, Alabama would follow St. Clair’s move and become a state.

To commemorate, Alabama Humanities Foundation led a movement to assemble a traveling collection of interactive displays to retrace Alabama’s footsteps through eight periods of defining history. The exhibit features key events, people and cultures that played vital roles in shaping Alabama and is traveling to all 67 counties.

St. Clair County was one of the first stops on the exhibit’s journey through the state and was on display at Moody Civic Center April 9-22. Open to the public free of charge, it was an ideal time and venue to display historic moments, people and places in St. Clair County’s own history.

“That’s what makes these exhibit stops so amazing,” said AHF Executive Director Armand DeKeyser. “They each put their own one-of-a-kind signature on the state’s history and how their county fits into that larger story of Alabama becoming a state. St. Clair was no exception.”

“Hosting the bicentennial exhibit gave St. Clair County, the city of Moody and its civic center statewide recognition,” said Linda Crowe, a bicentennial committee member who serves as Moody’s mayor pro-tem. The St. Clair County Bicentennial Committee, a group of 34 appointed individuals, worked tirelessly to make the event successful. They devoted several hours of their time to plan, promote, set up and work this event.

“Putting on something like this takes the efforts of several folks. Fortunately, we had a wonderful committee that volunteered a lot of hours to put this event together and be a part of it while it was exhibited,” said St. Clair County District Judge Alan Furr, who chaired the committee.

The end result was an impressive display of the county’s history told through storyboards and artifacts from not only the county’s overall vantage point but from the angle of every community in St. Clair.

The county exhibit combined iconic photographs and brief overviews of historically significant events and people to create informative storyboards for each of the county’s 10 municipalities. Two additional storyboards were dedicated to the history of the county’s early modes of transportation and settlements that no longer exist.

Several of the locals were intrigued by the storyboards. According to Furr, they enjoyed the storyboard’s visual elements and easy to read descriptions.

“A lot of people were appreciative of the state exhibit, but they responded really well to what we did locally,” Furr said. “We saw people spend a lot more time looking at the storyboards.”

The St. Clair County storyboards sparked great conversation. A few locals recognized individuals and places pictured on the boards and were able to share memorable stories with others in attendance. For others, the storyboards served as educational tools, enabling them to learn about monumental pieces of their town’s history.

“Getting to meet and hear stories from folks who love and appreciate the history of the county was exciting,” Furr said. “We had several folks come through and share information about some of the photographs – how they came to be and the people in them.”

The traveling exhibit’s various displays kept visitors engaged while showcasing important pieces of Alabama’s history. A combination of artistic collages, an audio sound wall and interactive computer tablets that delved deeper into the history of each period provided them a rare learning experience.

Moody Civic Center proved to be a great location to host the exhibit. The newly built building offered adequate square footage for the exhibit’s vast layout and ample parking for guests. Its central location made it easily accessible as well.

“The civic center’s layout kept the flow of people moving, especially when we had large attendance from schools,” Crowe said.

“Despite all our efforts to promote and advertise it, the exhibit came and went with a relatively small part of our population getting a chance to see it,” Furr said. But they now have an opportunity to see portions of it in their own communities.

After the exhibit’s time in Moody ended, Furr distributed the storyboards to each respective municipality. They are currently on display at city halls, museums, community centers and libraries throughout the county for locals to view. Also, each courthouse has a storyboard on display highlighting its historical significance.

In addition to hosting Making Alabama: A Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit, St. Clair County has already held or will hold more celebratory events leading up to its bicentennial. The St. Clair County bicentennial hymn sing held in Ashville earlier this year had an impressive turnout. Since it was a success, a second hymn sing will be held Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. First Baptist Church in Moody. It’s a great opportunity for locals to fellowship and sing old-fashioned hymns with one another.

A St. Clair County Bicentennial calendar, full of historic anecdotes and old photographs, was published by the committee, and this keepsake is available at libraries throughout the county.

The crowning event will occur on November 20, the county’s 200th anniversary of statehood. A birthday type celebration will be held at each courthouse, complete with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque. Festivities will kick off at the Ashville courthouse at 10 a.m. and move to the Pell City courthouse at 2 p.m.