Friends Bound for New Horizons

Unique fundraiser nets $24,000 for nonprofits

Story by Carol Pappas
Submitted Photos

It was 2011 when retired Pell City educator Deanna Lawley offered an idea to help boost the Pell City Schools Educational Foundation’s funding following an economic downturn for investments.

A group trip to Italy with friend Diane Schilleci sparked the idea. The representative of the travel company, Collette Tours, asked her if she ever thought about getting groups to travel. “You’d be perfect,” they said, and she could put the commission into whatever project she wanted.

Diane and Craig Caufield admire incredible view from hilltop village of LaMorra over Langhe wine country.

She loved to travel and as a natural born teacher, she remembered how important grants were to her classroom. This would give her an opportunity to organize trips for groups so they could learn more about the world, and it could raise money for the Foundation.

Friends Bound for New Horizons is the moniker she gave it, and off they went to Ireland that first year, raising $7,000.

Since that time, the Foundation’s coffers have grown by more than $100,000 courtesy of the travels of Friends Bound for New Horizons.

Lawley and her groups didn’t stop there – on their traveling or their giving. A few years ago, the Pell City Library became a recipient of funds each year. “I couldn’t do this job without Danny,” Lawley said, referring to Library Director Danny Stewart, who helps coordinate the trips.

Two years ago, the Museum of Pell City, co-founded by Lawley, was added to the list of beneficiaries of the gifts. “The museum is special to my heart,” she said. Since serving as co-project manager for Pell City’s hosting of the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street in 2014, “I started thinking about people and our history that was being forgotten about.” In 2023, the city’s own museum opened in a 4,000 square foot suite in the Municipal Complex.

In May, the group traveled to Italy – 41 ‘Friends’ – and while they benefitted from a ‘bucket list’ trip filled with memories, their travels generated $10,000 for the Education Foundation and $7,000 each for the museum and library.

Their Italian adventure took them to Tuscany, where they spent the final four days at an historic estate outside Florence called Hotel Villa Casagrande.  They visited Turin, known for fashion and design, and saw the Shroud of Turin in the chapel at Savoy Palace.

They stayed at Sestre Levante, right on the Italian Riviera, and they visited Cinque Terre – five villages on the coast that hang over the sea.

Among the many sights they still savor were Lucca, the Medieval-walled Tuscan hill town, home of Puccini, the great Italian opera composer and the Chianti Road to the winery and olive oil cannery. “Both were incredible,” said Lawley.

Greve was a small Chianti village with only two squares, where they shopped and had farm-to-table lunch.

As for the group’s favorite moments, “I loved seeing all the laundry hanging from balconies,” said Patti Harper. “I’ve always seen it in pictures, and they really do it! Also, how the boats had rented spaces on the walkway in Cinque Terre” because there isn’t enough space on the water. The captains have to carry boats down to the sea.

Johnny and Cheryl Gregg’s favorite experience was “the day trip to Cinque Terre. The train ride, the architecture and the beautiful blue water of the Mediterranean.”

For Mara Walls, it was “the town of La Morra, but especially the camaraderie of everyone in our group.” Husband Blythe singled out “City of Greve and the countryside.”

“The village at Manola was especially beautiful, nestled in the hills, and the Mediterranean,” added Jeff Hestley. His wife, Vicki, had a vivid recollection. “The day we spent at the olive vineyard and the afternoon in Greve were a perfect day for me.”

Their stories are typical of the conversations among these travelers upon returning home. They are dream trips carefully put together for maximum enjoyment and memories to last a lifetime.

There were three Danas on the trip – Dana Corte of Fairhope, Dana Merrymon and Dana Ellison of Pell City

About a month after returning home, they recounted their experiences at a special Italian dinner held at The Grill at the Farm in Cropwell. It was an opportunity for them to reunite, reminisce and be honored for their gifts to the Foundation, library and museum.

In accepting for the Foundation, Vice President Jackie Robinson said how vital the funds have been to their efforts to enhance classroom experiences through grants to teachers. The Foundation’s account now stands at over $1 million, with grants for everything from microscopes to books funded through the interest earned.

Stewart recounted traveling with the group in years past, helping Lawley coordinate trips and the personal enrichment it gave to him. Through the fundraising, the library is now able to do so much more to serve its patrons, especially children. A Christmas event featuring Santa and the Grinch draws over 300 children and landscaping lights outside the library were but two of the projects made possible in part with the funding.

Museum President Carol Pappas called the gift an honor to accept. The museum is launching its “Digging Deeper Initiative,” a series of new exhibits and oral history films that will dig deeper into Pell City’s history and present those stories in new, compelling and interactive ways.

“Stay tuned,” she said. “Because of Friends Bound for New Horizons, Museum of Pell City is bound for new horizons, too.”

Next up on the itinerary for the Friends group are a Rhine River Cruise and Painted Canyons of Utah, both in September.

In August 2025, the group plans to head to Scotland with tickets to the famous Royal Edinburgh Military Tatoo, a spectacular show “celebrating British Military, Scottish Heritage and international culture with world-class lighting projects and cutting-edge sound technology.” They are even offering an additional option trip – a 4-day, 3-night London pre-tour with fast train to Edinburgh.

Editor’s note: For more information on joining Friends Bound for New Horizons on their next adventure, contact Lawley at dnlawley@gmail.com.

Big Canoe Creek Jam

Jammin’ for a great cause

Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Mackenzie Free

It certainly wasn’t a first for Homestead Hollow. They’re used to hosting an outdoor festival drawing crowds from all around the region. But for newly opened Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve, its successful first venture looks like a gateway to an annual fundraiser.

Event was held to help fund the Big Canoe Creek Preserve

Creek Jam was an all-day, outdoor musical festival, featuring bands, entertainment and activities for the entire family and drawing 1,500 to 2,000 attendees. And Homestead Hollow provided the ideal setting on its main stage featuring: Winston Ramble, Jason Bailey Trio, The Stepdads, Love Rat, Len Park, Cottonmouth Creek, LeeJ The DJ and more.

An educational tent was run by two of the Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners, Jimmy Stiles and Jill Chambers. Jimmy brought creek critters, such as a baby alligator, snakes, turtles and other species. Jill brought microscopes for kids to view all sorts of things found in Nature. The Nature Conservancy, Forever Wild and the Coosa Riverkeeper also manned educational tents.

Camping was available, providing more time to listen to the bands and to explore the preserve.

“It was a good turnout,” said Preserve Manager Doug Morrison. “We’ve had good feedback. People came from Gadsden, Hoover, Locust Fork – from all over. We were real pleased.”

The feedback, he added, centered on how impressed they were with the venue and “how well put together the event was.”

It had a little something for everybody with artisans and makers as vendors, food galore and music of all genres – and plenty of it.

Festival goers spread blankets, set up camp and lawn chairs or strolled through the open fields to just enjoy the day and the outdoors.

After all, that’s what it was all about – the treasures found in simply getting outside – just like at the preserve.

Morrison thanked sponsors for their support:

A great day was had by people of all ages at the festival
  • St. Clair County Commission
  • City of Springville
  • Buffalo Rock/Pepsi, our Presenting Sponsor
  • Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners
  • APEX Roofing
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, The Caring Foundation
  • St. Clair EDC
  • AmFirst
  • Peritus Wealth Management
  • PPM Consultants
  • Hill, Gossett, Kemp, P.C.
  • Thompsons Tractor Rental
  • Schoel Engineering
  • Springville Dental

In-Kind Sponsors:

  • Cahaba Brewing Company
  • Ghost Train Brewery
  • Back Forty Beer Company
  • Steel Hall Brewing
  • Sweet Home Spirits
  • Creative Entertainment
  • Bob Tedrow of Homewood Music
  • Rusty’s BBQ
  • The Farm House

In addition, Morrison had high praise for:

Terri and Dean Goforth, who provided the venue space; Mayor Dave Thomas and Springville City Council; Commission Chairman Stan Batemon and the County Commission; all volunteers; Salient Projects, who organized the soundstage, bands and helped tremendously with planning; city employees from Parks and Rec; the planning committee – Terri & Dean Goforth, Mayor Thomas, Lucy Cleaver, Lee Jeffrey, Mandi Rae Trot, Candice Hill, Blair Goodgame and Morrison; Springville Parks and Rec Board; bands and individual musicians who played on the side stage and vendors.

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.

Oklahoma

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.”

Peter Pan wire work

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.”

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.

Fall on the Farm

Pumpkins and peanuts and handcrafts, oh my!

Story by Elaine Hobson Miller
Photos by Richard Rybka

The smell of caramel popcorn, the sounds of children laughing, the sea of tents filled with handmade crafts. There’s nothing like a fall festival to entertain you on a cool, crisp Saturday, especially one like Fall on the Farm on Chandler Mountain.

Held at Smith’s Tomato Farm, this year’s event — the seventh — featured all of the above plus good, old-fashioned guitar and banjo picking for entertainment. It doesn’t get much better than this!

“We just wanna do something for the community, where families can come out and enjoy the day with no admission charge,” said Kista Lowe, manager of Smith Tomato Farm. “We just want families to come have a good time.”

At the entrance to the festival, fall displays such as a rusty Farmall tractor with pumpkins and a scarecrow beside it provided the perfect place for a family photo shoot. Two giant John Deere 200 h.p.+ tractors normally used in the tomato fields were parked nearby.

Esther Smith mans her booth at the event

Carrying the farm theme even further, a “tractor track” allowedtots to ride old toy tractors within the confines of a pumpkin “patch.” A bench at one end provided another photo op, with its backdrop of a slatted wood fence piece bearing a sign reading, “Hello Pumpkins.” Squeals and giggles of delight came from the two inflatable slides nearby.

Kristin Simpson painted smiling faces in her Starshine Faces booth near rows of potted mums in garnet, yellow and white, for sale at $30 a pot. Turning the corner, the familiar smells of festival foods made you hungry, no matter when you last ate breakfast. And the sight of all those crafts made you wish you had left your wallet at home, because you knew you weren’t going to get away without spending some money.

As you turned the corner, the hum of a portable generator provided a backdrop against a cacophony of bargaining voices, squeals of delight, and questions of, “How much does that cost?” Aromas of caramel popcorn and grilled meat filled the air, and the longest line was at the big booth serving tamales, asada (strips of grilled beef) and grilled chicken on quesadillas, tacos and more.

“Our (farm) crew leader’s wife did the asada booth to benefit the family of a little girl hit and killed while waiting on a school bus in Oneonta recently,” said Kista Lowe. “Her family worked on another farm in Blount County. Our crew chief is Pepe Gonzales, and his wife is Estella.”

Although Lowe said the number of vendors was down slightly this year, you couldn’t tell it from gazing at the rows of tents lined up. Some 2,000-3,000 people shopped with vendors selling jewelry, T-shirts and hoodies, water color art, pottery, candles and hand-woven dish towels. The latter sold for $15 each, with several woven on-the-spot by Marcia Wells of Springville. She brought along her loom to demonstrate her craft. “I have several more looms at home, including four I inherited from my mother,” Wells said.

Other booths sold “Welcome” signs for porches, sarapes and ponchos with western art in their designs and brightly-colored Mexican ceramics. Brown Hat Bakery, a north Gadsden establishment, contributed to the sweet aromas of baked goods at another booth.

Fall and Christmas wreaths, handmade stuffed animals, hand-decorated tumblers, caramel and chocolate-covered apples, T’s Nuts (key lime, Cajun, garlic, Parmesan, coconut rum flavors) and Woodcraft30 of Fosters, AL, with its signs, and Christmas ornaments, were lined up nearby.

Moon’s Resin Designsoffered trinket trays, tarot boards, charcuterie boards, plus birdhouses made of gourds. Jessica Wade of Bee Leaf of Springville sold candles of beeswax and soaps made with honey. Beau Blossom Blowof Springville had skull-shaped flicker lights. Run by Amethyst Blow and Jeremy Varden, who are raising money for their wedding, the business got its name from the nickname Amethyst’s grandfather used for her.

Bluegrass band turns out to entertain

Tiffany Tibbs of Odenville manned the booth called His Grace Creations, which featured embroidered gifts and apparel such as baby bibs, tees and home decor. This was Tibbs’ third year at the festival. Embroidering, she said, is “a hobby that pays me a little bit.”

Dorrie’s Salvage Art, fromTalladega County, featured decorative signs such as smiling pumpkins, prancing roosters and a cabin in the woods painted on wood planks, not to mention banana gourds, egg gourds and birdhouse gourds transformed into Christmas ornaments and, guess what? Birdhouses!

 “This is our first time here,“ said Dorrie, whose husband helps in the business. “A fellow vendor from the Rustic Bucket (another festival) in Odenville told me about it.” Fall on the Farm was well worth her time. “I’m a hoarder of wood,” she said. “My husband was a saw-miller before his stroke.”

Stephanie Abernathy of Steph’s Hand-Stamped Jewelry had a booth that sold her own creations as well as bracelets made by her daughter, Sophie. It was their second year at the festival. “I like supporting local fairs by selling something locally made, and I like seeing my students come through,” said Abernathy, who teaches second grade at Ashville Elementary.

She makes jewelry by using a hammer to stamp pre-cut designs onto aluminum, brass and copper. “I’ve been doing this for 12 years,” she said. Sophie, 13 and an eighth-grader at Ashville Middle School, makes Sophie’s Handmade Bracelets from glass and plastic beads.

Music for the day was furnished by Phillip Mulkey and Friends, an old-time bluegrass group that featured Phillip on banjo, Rick Morton on upright bass, Wes Phillips on mandolin, Mark and Adron Willingham on guitars, and Robbie Lawson, female vocalist singing harmony and playing guitar.

“We always hold this on the first Saturday in October, and there’s no charge for parking or admission,” said Kista Lowe. “Come out and join us next year!”

Springville Preservation Society

A labor of love for the past

Story by Paul South
Photos by Richard Rybka

Love comes in many forms.
A dozen roses.
A whispered lullaby
A perfumed letter.
Driving a nail or sweating over a grant application.

But the love the Springville Preservation Society holds for its historic hometown can be seen in preserving the iconic Rock School, restoring the Presbyterian Church, the Springville Museum and historic homes dotting the city’s landscape.

It can even be seen in celebrating the life of Springville natives Hank Patterson and St. Clair County native Pat Buttram, stars of the zany 1960s sitcom, Green Acres.

Patterson and Buttram have passed on, but their lives and the TV show are celebrated in Springville with “Green Acres Day”, featuring a doppelganger of the precocious porker pet Arnold Ziffel, the “son” of Patterson’s character.

The society, about 100 members strong, raises money for its all-volunteer labor through grants and membership fees, ice cream socials and appropriate for this season, a festival of Christmas trees.

For Carol Waid, the reason for the tireless work is simple. She serves on the society board, and her husband Frank, an Air Force veteran, is its chairman.

After his military service ended, the couple came home.

Clay Allison and others take part in the skit

“We were born and raised here,” Carol Waid says. “We love this little town. It’s just a wonderful community.”

The Preservation Society has poured its heart into restoring the Old Rock School. Built in 1902 as a general store, it became a center of learning for generations of Springville children.  The Preservation Society’s efforts to restore the school have earned recognition from the State of Alabama. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

The Preservation Society started in 1992. Carol’s father, Marcus Pearson, was among its founders.

The school, the preserved church and other projects are far more than bricks and mortar, sweat and maybe a few tears for members of the organization. They speak volumes about the people who call Springville home, whether those folks are newcomers, or part of a long lineage of local families.

“It’s a real hometown feel,” she says. “Neighbors helping neighbors. You always have a friend.”

While it works to preserve the city’s cherished heritage, the society also strives to help Springville strike a balance between growth and preserving the past.

“That’s one of the appeals of Springville is its history,” she adds. “People love the history of the town, and the old buildings are just full of history. We want to preserve that.”

Frank Waid says that while growth is inevitable, they want residents –  old and new – to celebrate and preserve the past.

“You can’t stop growth,” he says. “But we want people coming into the town to know about the town and its history. That’s why we have things like the home tour. We have tour guides who tell the stories of the old homes.

“As people come into town, we want them to know about the town so that they feel like they’re a part of it, and they’re not just moving in. They feel right at home.”

Not only is the society restoring buildings, but it’s building relationships. Ice Cream Sundays at the Rock School are popular events where friendships form.

Organizers Carol Waid, Brad Waid and Kathy Burttram

It’s easy to think that only older people are in love with the older buildings in town. But when Frank Waid strolls downtown to grab a cup of coffee at Nichols Nook, he sees a different, diverse demographic.

“It’s full of people and it’s full of people of all ages,” Waid says. “There are a lot of young people and families – mothers pushing strollers coming in, and you just feel at home right off the bat.”

And younger people are embracing the Springville Preservation Society’s efforts. In October, local fourth graders from Springville Elementary flocked to the museum – some with their parents in tow – to explore and find joy in small things, like pecking on an antique manual typewriter.

By the way, the school was designated a “School of Excellence” by the state of Alabama in the state’s bicentennial year.

Students from Springville Elementary restored a first-grade classroom at the Rock School, where teacher Nina Crandall taught for generations.

Board member Tami Spires, a counselor at Springville Elementary and a member of the society board, spearheaded the school’s efforts, not only at the Rock School, but in other winning efforts, like the Blue-Ribbon designation.

The society is also converting the manse at the old Presbyterian Church into a city archive, known as the Springville Heritage Center, where genealogy and family histories can be researched. The society also hopes to create a digital oral history archive.

As committed as it is to history, the Springville Preservation Society also makes new memories for this and future generations. Remember Arnold, Jr., the star of Green Acres Day?

“We had a huge crowd, and it was a lot of fun,” Frank Waid says. “People are going to say, ‘I saw Arnold run wild.’”

Fittingly, Spires looked back to the construction of the Rock School when early 20th century residents hauled wagonloads of rock to the top of the city’s highest point to build a beacon of learning for future generations. Their ethic survives in Springville to this day.

“They spent a lot of their own money so that the town could have something that they were proud of,” Spires says. “We need to keep that to teach people that this is the way we do things. Friends help friends.

“That’s what a community does,” she adds. “We come together for a common good and do what needs to be done for one another.”

But at the end of the day, the Preservation Society’s driving force hasn’t changed from that of their forbearers, who mined rocks to build a school for future generations. Spires put it simply:

“We just love Springville.”

Editor’s Note: Individual memberships for the Springville Preservation Society are $10 and $15 for families. Contributions can be sent to P.O. Box 92, Springville, AL 35146. The society meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Masonic Lodge on Main Street. For more information, write info@springvillepreservation.org.