Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Mackenzie Free and Jolie Free
If you didn’t know Tanner Carleton, the 11-year-old boy who lost his life in a tragic accident at St. Clair County Arena, a single photo seemed to have the ability to capture the essence of his passion.
The youngster’s eyes peer out beneath the oversized brim of a cowboy hat, a wide grin crossing his face, telling you all you needed to know. Cowboy life fit him as comfortably as a well-worn pair of jeans. Life fit him just fine. There was no mistaking it.
Friends and family talked endlessly of his love of everything cowboy.
When the annual St. Clair Cattleman’s Rodeo was heading to St. Clair Arena, he wanted to be there, helping get things set up the day before. He was like that. Always ready to help. And it was there in one of the places he loved best – the rodeo – doing what he loved best – offering a helping hand.
“He was a real good boy, well mannered, always willing to help,” said Adam Stansell, president of the Cattleman’s Association.
It would have been understandable for the rodeo to be cancelled. But recognizing their son’s love for it, parents Lacey and Trevor Carleton encouraged the cattlemen to go on with the rodeo. Tanner would have wanted it that way, they said.
“Tanner Carleton has been a fan of rodeos from a very young age,” the Cattleman’s Association announced on March 9. “With his parents’ complete support and absolute insistence, we will move forward with the 3rd Annual St. Clair County Cattlemen’s Rodeo.”
The rodeo, the association’s largest fundraiser, did indeed go on, but not before a poignant tribute to the young cowboy.
Tanner had a zest for life. He put his all into every endeavor. He was as passionate about his baseball as he was being a cowboy. Countless photos show him in uniform year after year, one where he was even sporting a championship ring.
Dozens of fellow players from various teams he played with circled the arena the night of the tribute, a show of respect for their beloved teammate. The arena darkened, and a small line of fire began to light a path in its center, eventually forming the shape of a baseball diamond.
As the announcer began, the fire followed his words, symbolizing Tanner’s run of the bases – to first base, on to second, rounding third and heading quickly to home. Tanner, he said, “lived life to the fullest of his ability. He loved life. He loved his friends, and he had a passion for baseball. That young man was always swinging for the fence.”
As the fire blazed its path toward home plate, the announcer referenced the uncertainty of life and the absence of a guarantee of another day. “We don’t know if we are in the home stretch,” he told the crowd. “We might be. You need to hug your family, hug your friends and tell them you love them every chance you get. Tonight, Tanner has made that home run.”
And with a nod to Tanner’s passion for life, he said, “Take time to remember that cowboy smile.”
A rider on horseback galloped through the arena carrying an American flag to conclude the tribute and signal the beginning of the rodeo that Tanner would have wanted to go on.
Tanner’s photo – the one with the cowboy hat and that contented grin – hung above the gate as each of the rodeo competitors entered the arena. It was their personal reminder of that cowboy smile.
“He ran his race spiritually,” his parents said. “He ran home to the Lord. He was all about church. He loved being there, he even went on Spring break one time just to help plant flowers.”
That’s just the way he was. He loved helping others.
Across the community, an outpouring of love and compassion has enveloped the family in the days since, offering comforting remembrances of a special young man.
A sampling of social media posts from those who knew him help tell his story and his impact in a life cut too short:
We will never forget your smile. You just being you.
Playing baseball with the greats now! Rest easy, sweet boy.
With broken hearts, the Williams Intermediate School family is praying for Tanner’s family, friends, teachers and classmates. Rest in peace, sweet boy.
I knew the first time I ever met him that he was special. He was good, good like deep down in his bones, all the way to the center of his soul. He worked harder than most grown men and had more compassion in his little finger than some have their entire life. But the one thing that radiated out of him like laser beams was how unconditionally thoughtful he was … just good as gold and steady as a rocker.
I am so thankful to have known your kind heart, if only for a few short years. You taught me (along with tons of others!) what it means to put others needs first – before ourselves, to be selfless, the very essence of Jesus Christ.
What an example of a Christian, a son, a student, a cowboy, an athlete, a worker, and the list goes on and on.
From his parents, came their own heartfelt message:
We miss his smile, his laugh and so much more than we could ever imagine about you, son! We miss seeing you on the ballfield, and we miss seeing you with your brother.
God had a plan for your life, and it’s something we never knew, but prayed for His will to be done in your life. Your life brought so much happiness! Your life brought so much meaning. You made us parents!
It’s early in the morning of Saturday, March 2, and a diverse group of people are straggling into the grounds of Horse Pens 40. The air is crisp and cool, evidence that while spring is just around the corner, it hasn’t quite arrived.
Despite the temperature hovering in in the mid-40s, many of those assembled are walking around the grounds in T-shirts and shorts, specialty athletic shoes, and large, polyurethane mats strapped to their backs.
This group of outdoors enthusiasts is on site to compete in the 2022 Chandler Mountain Challenge. An annual bouldering competition at Horse Pens 40, the Chandler Mountain Challenge has become one of the most anticipated events among the rock-climbing community. The event is organized by Climbers For Christ, a Christian organization launched in 1989 in Yosemite Valley with a mission to equip, encourage and empower climbers to share the love of Christ with the climbing community.
“The mission that we have in Climbers For Christ is really just to show Jesus to the climbing and outdoor community through service and through conversation,” says Joshua Reyes, a member of the volunteer leadership team covering the southeastern United States.
Originally from New Mexico, Reyes now lives in Jacksonville, Ala., and is a technical advisor for AECOM/URS Corporation and a former nuclear submarine mechanic with the U.S. Navy. He explains that Climbers For Christ most often plays a support role at other climbing and outdoor events, giving the volunteer opportunities to share the Gospel.
“We have teams that go out and serve breakfast, cooking pancakes and stuff like that. With a bunch of hungry climbers, you go through a lot of food pretty quick, and they’re really appreciative of that,” says Reyes. “We like to connect by just serving like that and helping people out wherever they need bodies and people to do the heavy lifting, but we also like to establish those relationships and meet people and talk with them because we’re all about showing them who Jesus is – the truth of who He is.”
The Chandler Mountain Challenge brings climbers of all skill levels to St. Clair County each March, but the event also helps raise funds for a nonprofit or ministry doing important social work throughout the nation.
This year, the Chandler Mountain Challenge supported Orphan Voice, a ministry based in Lexington, Ky., with a mission to serve orphans, children with special needs, abused children and poor single mothers. Founded by Tony and Cindy Brewer, the organization has facilitated the adoption of more than 1,000 Asian orphans to parents in the U.S. and established several anti-trafficking ministries working to rescue children, mostly from Vietnam, who were forced into sexual or labor slavery.
Supporting causes like Orphan Voice’s mission through registration fees is just another feature that makes the Chandler Mountain Challenge an event so many in the bouldering world look forward to, whether they are people of faith or not.
Chris Wendell is an automobile customizer and active boulderer from Philadelphia. With his long hair, bushy beard and laissez-faire attitude, Wendell was straight and to the point when asked if Christian faith was an important factor in taking part in the Chandler Mountain Challenge. “Not really, no, but I can get behind a lot of the causes they support.”
Climbers For Christ works to encounter and minister to fellow climbers, whatever their spiritual opinions or experiences may be. “A friend of mine mentioned to me that the climbers she speaks with out west are more likely to be unchurched and kind of curious about what we’re doing, whereas folks back east, a lot of them have had really negative experiences with the church,” says Kristen McKenzie, a volunteer board member with Climbers For Christ. “We’re hoping to show them, maybe a different kind of Christianity than they grew up with, and just maybe if they see some Christians walking around not being hypocrites, they might reconsider Jesus.”
Wendell is exactly the type of person Climbers For Christ is focused upon reaching, fellow climbers who aren’t active in any religion but who have open minds and, perhaps more importantly, open hearts. “The best thing about (The Chandler Mountain Challenge) is we get everybody to climb just doing what we love and that turns into money that’s donated by someone else, and we take that money, and we donate it to a nonprofit to be picked for the year.
It’s just a great, easy cause for people to rally around,” says Reyes. “I was going to climb here anyway, but 20 bucks gets me a shirt and dinner and then I’m raising money for some kids somewhere? Count me in.”
Why Horse Pens 40?
It may come as a surprise to many people from St. Clair County but the boulders at Horse Pens 40 are well respected among the climbing community. The site is part of what is known as the bouldering “triple crown,” – a bouldering series that also includes Hounds Ears in Boone, N.C., and Stone Fort in Chattanooga, Tenn. – and is also compared favorably to a bouldering site 40 miles south of Paris, France, known as Fontainebleau.
At first glance, it’s difficult to see why. For starters, the boulders at Horse Pens 40 aren’t majestically high. In fact, most of them struggle to reach 30 feet. However, bouldering is a sport that, unlike rock and mountain climbing, utilizes no equipment. Instead boulderers rely only on special climbing shoes and chalk to help the climber grip the rock face and climb to the top. One of the most concentrated areas of boulders in the world, Horse Pens 40 is ideally situated to be one of the best bouldering sites on earth.
“It’s really unique in the formations. It has a lot of these rounded formations and when you get to the top of the ball that’s called doing the “top out” and those big, rounded hulls are called slopers, and you have really nothing good to grab onto to hoist yourself over the edge. It’s like your agave to squeeze,” Reyes says. “I tell people it’s like grabbing the size of a refrigerator and squeezing and holding yourself up.”
Additionally, Reyes says the Southern sandstone that make up the boulders at Horse Pens is world-renowned for its friction, especially in the winter time. “That’s the most popular season, because it’s like Velcro,” he says. “You slap these big, rounded hulls that you can’t normally grab, and your hand just magically sticks. It’s amazing.
“People come here from all over the country and actually internationally,” Reyes adds. “Over the years, I’ve met people from Sweden, Spain, Italy, France and, of course, Canada and Mexico. I mean people from everywhere come here just to climb at Horse Pens 40. So as a transplant local that helps me never take it for granted, I can come here anytime that I want. When I see people that have flown here from Europe. I’m like, ‘OK, I have to remember this place is really special.’”
Every sport has its own language, a vernacular that to the outsider makes not a lick of sense at first glance, but as you study the lingo, you start to get a glimpse of what the sport is all about.
To the sport’s passionate, true believers, that vernacular is more than just a way of communication, it becomes an art form of its own. Bouldering is no different. For the Chandler Mountain Challenge, organizers taped cards on the boulders throughout Horse Pens 40 with advice on solving specific challenges.
Out of context, you could easily see the text on these cards printed in a college literary journal. For instance: “Stand alert. Move to crimp, then jump to right-facing block. Be careful as block creaks a bit … continue up to easy mantle.” Or this one: “Sit start, then move to good chickenheads. Move to good right sidepull, then jugs.”
The jargon on these cards assists the competitors in solving what the bouldering community refers to as “problems.” Before charging ahead and scaling the side of a huge rock, a climber has to consider his/her options; how to attack the problem to ensure success.
It’s no wonder, trial and error is a large part of the process. “You’re trying these problems that are really hard, so you’re often going to fall off,” says McKenzie. “Bouldering involves a lot of failure.”
And, this particular challenge involves a lot of successes. Whether it’s for the world-class challenge, the scenic beauty or the opportunity to support a worthy cause, it brings people of all walks of life to St. Clair County for a day of bouldering and fellowship that helps bridge gaps.
“The climbing community is pretty close-knit and tied together, but quite diverse – race, gender and religious beliefs, political beliefs – it’s just across the spectrum,” says Reyes. “But it’s so neat because even with that diversity of thought and lifestyle, we all have that common thread of climbing. When we show up here, all that goes out the window.”
A trio of St. Clair anglers make a splash at Bassmaster Classic
Story by Paul South Submitted, staff photos
The PGA Tour has its FedEx Cup. NASCAR drivers put the pedal to the metal and trade paint gunning for The Chase.
And Matt Herren, Wes Logan and Joey Nania professional anglers with St. Clair County ties, hoped to make their mark at the 2022 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, where the best bass fishermen in the world gathered in hopes of reeling in the sport’s most prestigious prize, fishing’s Super Bowl.
Nania finished 13th with winnings of $15,000; Logan finished 23rd with $13,000 in winnings; and Herren finished 32nd with $10,000 in winnings.
Wes Logan reels one in.
The 2022 classic came to Lake Hartwell, a man-made body of water near Greenville, S.C., in early March. While St. Clair County has made a mark in the NFL – with San Francisco defensive end Dee Ford (Odenville) and Major League Baseball with Springville native and Detroit Tiger hurler Casey Mize, the county’s biggest pro sports splash may be in professional fishing, thanks in large part to Herren, Logan and Nania. Seven anglers who have competed on the pro circuit call the county home.
It’s not unusual in sports to see large metropolitan areas produce world-class competitors. But for a largely rural county like St. Clair that’s peppered with small towns, three world-class competitors from the county in a sport’s marquee event is worth cheering, regardless of the end results.
“It’s kind of a cool thing to think about,” said Springville’s Logan. “With our county being so small and three of us competing in it. I think it just shows the caliber of fishing in Alabama and especially in Central Alabama where our county’s located. It gives a testament to the lakes and rivers in the surrounding area about how good they are and how diverse they are.”
Located near the South Carolina-Georgia border, the 87.5-square-mile Lake Hartwell reservoir is comprised by waters from the Savannah, Tugaloo and Seneca rivers and is one of the Southeast’s largest lakes.
Hartwell’s deep waters presented a trophy-sized challenge for Classic competitors. In fact, the 2022 Classic was Logan’s first-ever tournament on Hartwell. The lake is known for its deep waters, similar to Northwest Alabama’s Smith Lake. By contrast, the lakes of the Coosa are stained and shallow.
Anglers call Hartwell a Blueback Herring lake, named for the small migratory fish that’s a favorite bite for the big bass of Hartwell. Because the herring are on the move, it makes anglers’ quest for a catch a bigger challenge. Bluebacks can be in one patch of water in the morning, another by the afternoon, taking the famished bigger fish with them.
“(The herring) roam around a lot,” Logan said. “They’re nomadic. “If you find fish on Tuesday. They’re liable to be gone by Tuesday afternoon. The fish just follow the bait.”
The 50,000-acre lake’s deep waters – a maximum of 185 feet – offers another challenge for anglers.
“It’s going to set up a little bit different than I’m used to, being from around the Coosa River, where it’s shallow fishing mostly. The baitfish and the way the fish act is going to be really different,” Logan said.
“Hartwell is a really good lake, just in general,” he added. “I got to free practice over there for a couple of days, and it seemed to have a really good population of fish in it … I know from past Classics there, it’s a really good lake.”
Joey Nania celebrates win at Bassmaster Elite Series
Herren is an Ashville resident who grew up fishing with his dad, Butch, on Neely Henry Lake. At 59, he’s one of the senior competitors on the B.A.S.S. circuit who didn’t become a full pro angler until 2003. Before that, he worked in his dad’s Birmingham body shop. He married his wife, Candy, and the couple raised two sons, Josh and Jacob.
But this year’s Bassmaster Classic will mark his 17th major championship tournament since 2003.
“To me, the tournament fishing was kind of an afterthought; I just always loved to fish. I’ve been competitive my whole life. I mean, I played sports in school … One thing led to another.”
The pro fishing game has changed since Herren was in high school and college, when tournament fishing “just wasn’t that big a deal.” Now, it’s a big money game, with tournament cash, television, endorsement deals, even video games. Hank Cherry Jr. took home a $300,000 first-prize check after winning last year’s Classic.
“I think I was 39 when I went full time. The sport has kind of evolved into something the younger guys are getting into. It’s growing by leaps and bounds,” Herren said.
But one of pro fishing’s graybeards isn’t intimidated by the young bucks he faces on tour.
“I’m still highly competitive now,” Herren said. “These young whippersnappers, I can still run with ‘em.”
Herren breaks down Lake Hartwell, much like a football or basketball coach breaks down an opponent. In fishing, the seasons, weather patterns and more are taken into account.
“Every body of water we fish will offer an angler areas that he likes to fish, styles, certain techniques. That’s how I try to go about doing my job,” Herren said. “I try to fish the techniques and patterns that are my strong suit and just see what happens … I just try to be consistent and do what I do.”
A St. Clair County transplant – Joey Nania – moved with his wife and kids to Cropwell from Washington state. In 2009, he competed in the Bassmaster Classic on Lay Lake. He met Rick Hughes, a Cropwell evangelist and “a really good fisherman.” The two became friends, and Nania visited the following summer. The combination of faith, family values and fishing lured Nania to settle in the county. He now calls Pell City home.
Nania accepted Christ at 19 after meeting Hughes. Later, Nania met his future wife, Jessica, and his career took off. He calls it “a string of blessings.” His newfound faith – belief he shares on tour, played a role in his decision to move south.
Along with his pro career, he is a fishing guide on the Coosa River system, Smith Lake and Lake Martin.
“It’s just such a great location, and it’s just the fact about Alabama. If you can learn to fish in Alabama, you can fish anywhere in the country because we have such diversity, Nania said.
Nania has fished Hartwell before, beginning with an episode of a fishing show he hosted for seven years called, Sweetwater. Hartwell is comparable to Smith Lake in Alabama, Nania said.
“I really like the size of the lake. It’s a big body of water; but it didn’t seem like overwhelmingly big. Having the mixture of spotted bass and largemouth and having multiple options that aren’t far apart, is great … If you can catch spots and have a largemouth pattern going, it’s a good way to go. And Lake Hartwell fits that bill.”
Regardless of how St. Clair’s three Bassmaster Classic competitors fared, Logan, Herren and Nania are proud to represent their home county in pro bass fishing’s Super Bowl. The trio are good friends. And all take pride in representing St. Clair County.
“It really just goes to show that fishing is deeply rooted in the South, especially this area of Alabama.” Nania said. “There’s just so many different lakes, and fishing is just sort of a way of life around here. It’s faith, family and then fishing is kind of the motto for people around here. I know Wes Logan and Matt are like that, too
“It’s really a cool thing to see all of us succeeding and has been awesome and just a total blessing.”
Long-awaited groundbreaking celebrates 422-acre nature preserve in Springville
Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Mackenzie Free Discover Archive and submitted Photos
When public officials hoist shovels full of dirt into the air, it traditionally celebrates the coming of a new business or industry. But when officials struck that familiar pose for the cameras in March, it signaled the coming of a new era for St. Clair County.
On a ridge surrounded by dense forest above Big Canoe Creek in Springville, a crowd gathered in a clearing to celebrate the groundbreaking for Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve – 422 acres of nature –preserved, protected and treasured.
Now designated as a Forever Wild site in Alabama, this preserve protects the pristine creek that runs through it, allowing its rare species to thrive. It preserves its flora and fauna. And it is being designed so that all can enjoy now and for generations to come.
“In 1999, the St. Clair Economic Development Council was formed to recruit projects that would create jobs and improve the quality of life” in St. Clair County, said EDC Executive Director Don Smith. “This doesn’t normally fit with what we usually do,” but it does not stray from its mission to improve the quality of life. “People will be able to hike and enjoy nature with their friends, family and children.”
Early day
Go back a bit – 2009, to be precise – and the idea of Forever Wild came to the attention of Doug Morrison, who was president of Friends of Big Canoe Creek at the time, and Vicki Wheeler, who holds that title now. “It took nine years to make it happen, but it happened,” Morrison said.
“Friends of Big Canoe Creek brought to the attention of our community the importance of protecting Big Canoe Creek – its channel, its banks and its forested flood plain – that led to the creation of Big Canoe Nature Preserve,” Wheeler said. “For it to be designated as a ‘preserve’ was rewarding for us because it spoke to the importance of the ongoing protection of the natural aesthetic and ecological properties of the land and the creek and, by extension, the entire watershed.”
She noted that “As a member of the Alabama Rivers Alliance, Friends of Big Canoe Creek wanted to ensure that the preserve would be an example for other watershed protection groups in the state to follow, a model for ecological preservation and restoration and environmental stewardship. It also would serve as an educational resource for the community, to teach that ‘Through Nature Comes Understanding.’”
Team work
They had help along the way. Wendy Jackson, then executive director of Alabama Freshwater Land Trust pitched the idea to then Springville Mayor Butch Isley, who embraced it. Springville Mayor Dave Thomas got behind the project and enhanced it through the push for creating Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners, a nonprofit that will help with sustainable funding. Morrison chairs that nonprofit.
St. Clair EDC Executive Director Don Smith addresses crowd.
“We will have funding for outdoor education, new trails and endless opportunities,” Morrison said. He noted that Alabama ranks fourth nationally in biodiversity, but No. 1 in species like fish, salamanders, snails, mussels, crayfish and turtles, all of which are found in Big Canoe Creek. “There are so many discoveries to be made. It’s here in our own backyard. We are going to bring people to nature.”
Former Alabama Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources Barnett Lawley was a driving force behind the Forever Wild push along with Jackson. While their positions were lofty on the state level – Lawley as a cabinet member for former Gov. Bob Riley, and Jackson, as a leader in acquiring lands that enhance water quality and preserve open spaces, this project was personal to them, too. Their roots are firmly planted in St. Clair County soil as native born – Lawley in Pell City and Jackson in Ashville.
Dean Goforth, a Springville businessman who owns nearby Homestead Hollow, and Candice Hill, an executive with St. Clair EDC, entered the picture to push the project along, and “things got off the ground,” Morrison said.
In 2018, it became a site in the Forever Wild program, which funds the acquisition of land to preserve what the name implies. St. Clair County and City of Springville have joined forces behind the project along with EDC, and investment to date is $1.5 million.
Patti McCurdy, director of Alabama State Lands Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, called the unprecedented show of support locally an example she holds up to other communities across the state working toward similar goals. “You deserve a true pat on the back,” she said.
About the preserve
A visit to the preserve area is like discovering a long-hidden treasure. Preserve officials call the Big Canoe Creek watershed “a jewel in the crown of Alabama’s biodiversity.” And rightly so.
According to the preserve’s own description, “About 80% of the main stem remains free-flowing through its 50-plus-mile length, as do all four of its major tributaries. Both the main stem and tributaries throughout the watershed retain much of their forest cover, helping maintain critical natural water temperatures. And to a significant degree, the watershed’s high quality is attributable to its drainage area remaining essentially rural and agricultural in character and land use.”
The creek is home to more than 50 species of fish, including the rare Trispot Darter, which was discovered in 2008 in Little Canoe Creek. The Trispot Darter is a species that used to be found in Alabama but had not been seen in nearly 50 years. It is now listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act.
Mussels, nature’s own water filter, are in “great supply” in Big Canoe Creek, which has retained most of its species, and has kept the creek pristine. Officials note that they are most endangered because of the need for extremely high water quality.
“Mussels are one of the most imperiled animal groups in North America, and their presence in the Big Canoe Creek watershed is a testament to its ecological integrity,” according to the preserve. “Big Canoe Creek has eight federally listed freshwater mussel species, and an 18-mile stretch of its main stem was designated in 2004 as a ‘critical habitat’ under the Endangered Species Act.”
Rainbow shiner
A brand-new species, The Canoe Creek Clubshell (Pleurobema athearni), is only found in Big Canoe Creek and has been discovered in one of its tributaries.
The preserve’s 422 acres includes hilly, forested terrain as well as the creek, and its northern border is about a mile long with the northwestern corner spanning both sides of the creek.
Creekside scenery is abundant and higher points of the preserve provide views of the Big Canoe Creek watershed, including picturesque Canoe Creek Valley and the ridges of Pine and Blount mountains.
Realizing the vision
The groundbreaking ceremony celebrated the beginning of the foundational aspects of the preserve property. It includes improvements to the entrance road and the initiation of its first hiking trail designed by Flow Motion Trail Builders through a contract with the City of Springville. Once completed, the goal is to have a series of trails that will eventually cross the preserve.
Other activities anticipated to eventually become part of the preserve’s offerings include horseback riding, kayaking and hiking.
“The Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve is a project that we are all behind here in Springville,” said Mayor Thomas. “Giving the public a place to experience the beauty of this area, increase their knowledge about nature, exercise and spend time in the quietness of the outdoors is something this entire administration has a desire to do.”
He noted that previous administrations began this project, “and we plan to see it through. We look forward to welcoming those in the surrounding communities as they visit Springville to enjoy this beautiful area at the heart of our community.”
Perseverance pays off
Lawley, by virtue of his cabinet post, was chairman of Forever Wild. “This is what Forever Wild is for,” he said. These properties are “an asset for the community and provide free opportunities for citizens to utilize property that is theirs. It’s taxpayer property.”
This project took longer than most because of the land acquisition delays in dealing with landowners. “But everybody stayed committed to it. It was a great team,” he said. “You can’t give enough credit to Doug Morrison. He hung in there, was tenacious and kept people motivated.”
He noted that the program around the state has great potential, pointing to other Forever Wild properties that communities can take advantage of and have a real impact on their economy. “They see major increases in their tax base,” Lawley said.
Springville, he added, will reap sizable benefits because it gives the city the opportunity to “create its own economic impact.” Similar properties without as many amenities as Big Canoe Creek draw hundreds of thousands of people each year. “This is going to be a destination point.”
Jackson sees the potential as well. Through her work at Freshwater Land Trust, she was heavily involved in the early stages. “I have had the honor of being involved with land conservation here in Alabama and across the country. This project in my home county, is an excellent example of how to do successful conservation. Over the years, the project traversed multiple political administrations who all stayed the course. The leadership shown by the City of Springville and the St. Clair County Commission is amazing as are the public-private partnerships” with the Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners, Freshwater Land Trust and Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.
“It is a testament to what I have always known and that is the beauty of the people who call this amazing place home and how special our natural areas are,” she said. “This is why, no matter how far I travel, my home will always be here with some of the finest people in the world. I really can’t emphasize how rare it is to find a lack of egos and such a collaborative nature in these projects.
“Every single person and agency made tremendous contributions, yet all of them stood at the podium giving credit to others.”
She had a name for them all – “land conservation rock stars” – but singled out one in particular. “Doug Morrison poured his heart, soul, sweat and tears in this effort. Every project needs a local person with the determination to see it through, and he is that person on this project.”
Hill sees the value in the work, too. “It is exciting to be able to offer opportunities for recreation on public properties in St. Clair County. The land itself is beautiful, and it will be preserved as greenspace in the middle of one of our fastest growing communities.”
Looking to the future, she said, “We believe that this project sets a tone for other projects yet to come. We would love to see more greenspace preserved and allow more public recreation throughout the county. All of the parties involved work together so seamlessly, and it really makes you proud to be a part. So much can be done with this type of concerted effort, and we applaud our current leadership for their role in this endeavor.”
Crossing the finish line
It took a yeoman effort from a number of corners to get the project where it needed to be to become Forever Wild. Goforth, who now serves on the Preserve Partners board, was instrumental in that process.
When he was asked by the former Springville administration to help the project along, “I didn’t fully realize the impact it would have on this city, county and the entire area.”
The pieces were there, but it needed a point person who knew their way around state agencies to put it all together. Goforth had those contacts and knew the inner workings, and he helped move it closer to fruition.
“I reached out to Candice Hill (at EDC) and others at the state level. We involved others at the county, state and city level to get it over the finish line,” he said. “I really believe it is going to become a premier destination spot in our state,” he said. “It’s going to be great for everyone. It’s not just about the economics, it’s education and preservation.”
A byproduct in opening the space is “providing a way for people to get together with family and friends and enjoy the outdoors,” he added. “It’s going to be wonderful for the local community, the county, the state and for people who travel in and out of this area.”
Smith agreed. He told the groundbreaking audience, “It’s in our nature,” coincidentally giving a nod to the county’s tourism slogan. “This kind of property would normally be in private hands with few to enjoy it. This preserve gives the public “opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and create those memories. They don’t have to drive out of state. I think they’ll like our good nature.”
Two large pallets sit shrink-wrapped and ready to go on the loading dock, just waiting for pickup. Dozens of similar shipments have started their treks from this location already this year.
From the simple facade in Ashville, you’d never know that within its walls is produced a product sought after by the military, by campers, by other countries and by your own neighbors. Owned and managed by two military veterans, the company, GO-KOT®, produces a foldable and packable cot and does it all in St. Clair County.
Mike and Teresa Downing bought the 43-year-old company in 2017 from O’Neal Behel and Pete Smith, who were operating it in Jasper. Several other buyers were interested but wanted to take the operation overseas. Behel and Smith were passionate about selling to someone who was committed to keeping the operation in Alabama. Equally committed to keep the product “Made in America,” the Downings bought the company, operated it in Springville, then moved it to Ashville just over a year ago.
Mike Downing demonstrates the gear.
American-made is also the reason they sell to their biggest domestic client, the U.S. military. “We are the only Berry-compliant, low-profile cot on the market,” explains Teresa. The Berry Amendment is a federal requirement that items purchased by the Department of Defense give preference to domestic companies who grow, produce and/or manufacture products in the United States. The cot’s fabric, aluminum, steel and hinges are all domestically made. “Everything about it is made right here in the USA. We’re very proud of that,” says Mike.
The fabric, an extremely durable Cordura brand 1,000 Denier, comes in 50-yard rolls, each weighing about 65 pounds. The frame is made of aluminum, and legs are steel. Both of those elements are shipped in. “Shout out to the best UPS driver out there, Tina Hopper,” Mike says enthusiastically. “She works hard for us.”
Their facility is capable of shipping out 4,000 cots a year, a modest number by major chain standards, but a challenge for a “boutique” local company. “Our competitors are big companies. They have lots of products. We have one product that we make really well,” Mike adds. “The big companies have massive budgets. And they don’t make it locally.
“The biggest challenge in current times is, predictably, shipping. Lead times for materials they need for production has more than tripled in the past year. “What used to take us 6-8 weeks can now take 6-8 months,” Teresa explains. “That means we have to order it way before we need it. That’s not typically good for a business plan.”
The pandemic has also caused some staffing issues. They have a small staff of mostly family and friends. One of their employees on the sewing line is a working mom who struggles with being able to work amid COVID-related school closings and exposures.
Greg Burckhard at the cutting table
Two days a week the Downings have help with the business, but both work hands-on with their product – Teresa on the sewing line and Mike in the metal shop. On those days, after the fabric is marked and cut, the leg holes are stamped out by a huge hydraulic press. Each of the four sewing stations completes a specific task in finishing the fabric and carrying bag.
Meanwhile, in the metal shop, aluminum tubes are being cut and hinged, and the steel legs are bent into the cot’s signature pattern. As the fabric and frames are finished, they are sent to the packing station to be assembled.
The company’s beginnings can be traced back to Pete Smith’s work with a Boy Scout troop. The boys needed cots, so Smith experimented with a product and began making them. The youths and leaders loved the cots, and subsequently the business took off.
Still, quality remained a foundational tenet for the company. When someone complained that the cot squeaked, founder Smith developed a technique to stop the squeak. It’s a technique that is still followed today. Each of the frames is assembled and rubbed end to end with a bar of soap prior to putting the fabric on. “He was such a perfectionist. He took any little comment he ever got and figured out how to make it better,” says Mike. “We don’t get returns. And we have a great product and a great warranty.”
Campers love the cot to get them up off the ground. It’s warmer and more comfortable. But it doesn’t stop at camping. “People also buy them for use at home,” says Teresa. “When my son was still at home, he’d have six or seven friends over, and we used the cots for extra sleeping.” Mike even says he sleeps on one occasionally to help his back.
Son, Gabriel, may be using the cots more in the future, since he’s a military man himself. A 2018 graduate of Moody High School, the 22-year-old is now a junior at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Gabriel is at least partially responsible for their involvement in the GO-KOT® business. “I owned a small boutique in Springville when Gabriel was in 8th grade. We just didn’t have any time to spend together,” explains Teresa. So, she decided to close the boutique and the couple got into the military supply procurement business, sourcing items for the government. They discovered GO-KOT® products in the process and contacted one of the owners about becoming a distributor for him.
He declined because he didn’t want to create a bigger need than he could fulfill locally. The 80-year-old Smith did, however, offer to sell it to them. They spent several months being mentored by him and learning the business. “I didn’t even know how to operate a sewing machine,” says Teresa. “The extent of my sewing skills was putting back on the occasional button.”
Mike and Teresa are quiet, unassuming people. They met when they were both in the Air Force. After tours in Germany, Georgia, Mississippi, Iowa and Ohio, they retired at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi. Now they’re working more than full time and say they are inspired by the opportunities their business success has afforded them in missions. They’ve taken several mission trips to Bulgaria, but their favorite mission is a local one. They produce a specialized cot for a homeless mission in Birmingham called “Ethan’s Heart.”
Mike and Teresa Downing
Teresa explains how she saw the story about Ethan Hill on the news and knew they had to help. “He’s a really good person,” she comments on Ethan. “He was just six years old and met a homeless man, used his own Christmas money that first year to buy things to help him and others.”
The couple invited Ethan to come to their operation and decided to support him in his effort to help the homeless. The specialized cots are printed with the words “Jesus loves me, this I know,” a message they hope will be encouraging to those who have found themselves in difficult times.
“Our thought process is that people who don’t have a place to sleep, (those words are) the last thing they see before they close their eyes,” Teresa adds. Since their meeting, the Downings and GO-KOT® have provided about 25 of these cots for Ethan’s mission each year. Ethan trains the recipients on the 60-second set-up procedure before he gives them to each person.
“They’re super fast to put together,” says Mike, demonstrating as he talks. He opens the bag, pulls out the cot and unfolds it. Then he pops the legs into holes in the frame and flips it over. It’s ready to use in seconds.
The cots come in two sizes and several colors. The standard cot is 74-inches long and sells for $189. The premium cot is 84-inches long and sells for $209. Cot accessories, like end kits (to keep sleeping pads in place) and side bags for cellphones and flashlights are also available.
They recently added a dog bed that is two-thirds the length of the standard cot. Go to campingcot.com for more information or to order. Teresa also invites locals to call (205) 384-4134 if they would like to purchase a cot.
For the local bargain hunter, they sell products with slight imperfections at a 25% discount.
The two pallets on the loading dock are headed to Japan, one of GO-KOT’s biggest markets. “They love things that are made in America,” explains Mike. “The Asian market is extremely big for us, so much so that we have three distributors there.”
Mike adds, “The shipping rates are good here, though, because of being in such an accessible location near Interstate 20.”
The Downings also credit the St. Clair County Economic Development Council with being helpful and accessible. “You can talk to an actual person to get help and answers,” says Mike. “It’s our life and our business. People tell you it’s just business. Don’t take it personally. But for us, as involved as we are, it’s very personal.”
Even as all-consuming as the business is, they see themselves continuing for years to come.
Ethan’s Heart and GO-KOT on a mission together
By Roxann Edsall Submitted photos
Ethan Hill and his nonprofit Ethan’s Heart-Bags4Blessings handed out special editions of the GO-KOT® to some of Birmingham’s homeless population in December at the city’s Linn Park.
Along with the cots, more than 200 Winter Survival duffel bags were given to those for whom the cold is more than just an inconvenience. These bags included food and non-food items donated to the 501(c)(3) nonprofit group through corporate sponsors, a GoFundMe page and an Amazon Wish List. Non-food items included sleeping bags, washcloths, hand warmers, raincoats and thermal blankets.
At just six years old, Ethan was moved by his concerns for a homeless man he kept seeing under the freeway. “He wanted to know what was going to happen to him when it got cold,” said mom Ebony Hill. He was so deeply concerned that he asked to use his Christmas money that year to purchase supplies for “Mr. Marcus” and other homeless people living under the freeway in Birmingham.
In the five years since its inception, the nonprofit has grown so much that the young philanthropist is frequently asked to speak on behalf of the homeless and holds fundraisers throughout the year to raise money and supplies for the next giveaway event.
Editor’s note: For more information or to donate to this continuing mission, go to ethansheartbham.org.
Pell City native discovers his future along hiking trail
Story by Scottie Vickery Photos courtesy of Bennett Fisher
When Bennett Fisher agreed to hike the Appalachian Trail with his father after his high school graduation, he thought the trip would buy him some time before making major life decisions. But somewhere along the 2,189-mile trek he took to avoid thinking about his future, the Pell City native discovered it instead.
Bennett Fisher, also known as Jolly, on Continental Divide Trail in Tetons
“I didn’t know where I wanted to go to college or what I wanted to do, and I figured it would allow me to put the decision off a bit,” said Bennett, a 2015 Pell City High School graduate. “But while we were backpacking, the people we met were really cool, the gear was really cool, and I started thinking it would be fun to be a designer.”
Seven years later, Bennett’s dream, which started taking shape on that trail, is a reality. Last October, he launched his online company, Jolly Gear (jollygearapparel.com), which offers the hybrid sun shirt he designed to meet a hiker’s every need.
It’s fast drying, offers sun and odor protection, and unlike most outdoor shirts available, it’s a vibrant, colorful creation that looks great in photos. He named the shirt the Triple Crown Button Down Sun Hoodie, a nod to the Triple Crown of Hiking: conquering the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide.
“It’s where fun meets functional,” said Bennett, quoting the tagline on the Jolly Gear logo. “I really enjoy the outdoors, and I like to problem-solve. I wanted to design something and make it different, better and special. People are buying them, and I’m just overjoyed.”
The first steps
The summer before Bennett’s senior year of high school, he was at the beach with his parents, Henry and Vicki Fisher, when they saw a father teaching his son to catch a wave. “I was joking around and said, ‘I wish my parents were cool enough to teach me to surf,’” he recalled. “My father said, ‘Well, if you want a cool dad, why don’t we hike the Appalachian Trail next summer?’”
Bennett agreed, and a few months later he posted about it on Instagram. “My dad texted me and said, ‘Oh, you’re serious. I guess we’re doing this,’” he said. “We’d never backpacked before. I grew up camping, and we’d take day hikes, but we’d never loaded up a backpack with four days of food and set out with no vehicle or anything. I knew nothing.”
His father researched gear and got what they needed, but Bennett didn’t give the trip a lot of thought in advance. “The day we left was the first time I’d fully loaded my pack,” he said. “My friends asked all these ‘what if’ questions – what if you get hurt, what if the weather is bad – but my plan was that I was just going to walk.”
The trek, which stretches from Georgia to Maine, took 5 ½ months, and Bennett was a different person when they finished in December. “I had some of the most real conversations I’d ever had with my dad,” he said. “He told me that he wanted to prove to himself that he could still do something that was epic.”
Bennett didn’t know it then, but each step he took brought him closer to his own epic adventure: designing a product, launching a brand and becoming a business owner at 24. “Right now, this is a side hustle, but I can see it becoming something much bigger,” he said.
The winding trail
Bennett, now 25, has always loved the outdoors, but he was surprised at how many other people seemed to, as well. Hikers were everywhere on the Appalachian Trail, and “I thought, ‘There are jobs here; people are doing this,’” he said, adding that the hiking community has grown tremendously since 2015.
He came home, enrolled at Jefferson State Community College and graduated in the spring of 2017. During his last semester, he began preparing to hike the Pacific Crest Trail with a friend while also researching options for the next phase of his education.
He stumbled across Utah State, which offered a major in outdoor product design and development. “I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I’d had the idea to work for a brand like Osprey or Patagonia, and I thought I could get a degree in this and work for a company like that. Plus, I’d always wanted to go to Utah. It seemed like kind of a mystical place to me.”
To make it work, Bennett needed to save some money. He decided to take a gap year and enroll in the fall of 2018. In the meantime, he and a buddy set off to conquer the 2,650 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, which starts at the Mexican border in southern California and winds through Oregon and Washington before ending at the Canadian border.
It was a lofty goal, and Bennett made it halfway before breaking his ankle. Although he was disappointed, he wasn’t giving up on his hiking goals or the dreams for his future. He found jobs at an outdoor apparel store and an indoor climbing facility, put some money aside and learned he’d earned a scholarship that made his Utah adventure possible.
“Before school started, I finally did the whole Pacific Crest Trail that summer,” Bennett said. In addition to marking the hike off his bucket list, he got the inspiration for the Triple Crown Button Down he would eventually design.
“You become pretty close to people pretty fast when you’re backpacking because you spend so much time together,” Bennett said. “You meet folks out there, and they become your trail family – the people you camp with, eat with, hike with.”
One hiker he met was a guy named Max. “He was wearing his mother’s gardening shirt, which had a hood, long sleeves, and buttons,” Bennett recalled. “At the time, everyone had to choose between a sun hoodie, which didn’t have buttons (allowing you to open the shirt to catch a breeze), or a fishing shirt. The rest of the trail, I kept thinking that I wanted to design something like that.”
Triple Crown design
The thought made him even more excited about school, but once in Utah, he grew discouraged. “All these people had been in art classes growing up, and they were all light-years ahead of me,” he said. Being several years older than his classmates didn’t help either, and “it was pretty intimidating to be around such talented folks.”
Despite his doubts, Bennett continued to do what he’s always done: he just kept going. Two sewing classes were required for his major, and that’s when everything started falling into place. In the first class, he had to make either a jacket or a shirt, and his Triple Crown Button Down first came to life. “It took me 72 hours to hand-sew that first prototype,” he said.
The shirt was a combination of a Performance Fishing Gear shirt and a sun hoodie. Thumb holes in the sleeves offered sun protection for the hands while the hood protected the neck. Two zipper pockets on the chest are perfect for holding a phone or wallet.
“I combined a button down and sun hoodie into one; there’s no more compromise,” Bennett said. “At that point, I thought I had just made the shirt for myself, and I was pretty proud of it.” His confidence grew when he earned a perfect score, and the shirt was named runner-up in a vote by his classmates.
His final semester, he took a class on logo design and branding. “We had to create a fake company and a fake clothing line,” he said. The logo he designed was an outline of a man’s face with a long beard, which is actually an image of a pine cone. He landed on Jolly Gear for the name, in honor of the nickname he got on the Appalachian Trail.
“They called me Jolly because I was very positive and optimistic,” he said, adding that long-distance hikers go by nicknames. “Most of the time, people give you the name. My dad was Powerslide because he slipped on the rocks a lot but still managed not to fall.”
Continental Divide Trail, 2021. From left, Wildcard, Rocket, Turbo, Jesus, Poison, Jolly, Walkie Talkie, Mittens and Salty
Launching a dream
At the time, Bennett thought he was just completing a class project, but graduating in May 2020 in the middle of a pandemic made him rethink things. “I graduated when no one was hiring, and everyone was getting laid off,” he said. “All of these outdoor companies were letting people go. How was I, a guy with no experience, going to get a job over people who had been doing this for 10 years?”
He found a job as a software tester and decided to launch Jolly Gear on the side. He offers hats and T-shirts, as well, but the star is the Triple Crown Button Down, which features all of Bennett’s must-haves. The four-way stretch fabric is extremely lightweight, odor-resistant and offers UPF-50 sun protection.
In addition to thumb holes, there’s a hair hole and cinch cord in the hood, and most importantly, it’s bright and colorful. “I wanted to have fun patterns” so it would stand out from the typical solid khaki, gray, light blue or yellow options. Long-distance hikers typically wear one shirt for weeks or months at a time, and “I wanted to create something you’d be proud to show in every single picture on the trail,” he said.
In an effort to earn his own Triple Crown, Bennett was hiking the Continental Divide, which spans some 3,100 miles through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, when the first samples were finished last summer. He had some shipped to himself, and he and a few members of his trail family picked them up together. “We literally ripped our shirts off in the post office and tried them on,” he said.
“I had never seen the print in person, and the size of the flowers was exactly what I had imagined,” he said. “Eight of us wore them on the trail and out to dinner. They got a lot of attention, and everybody loved them. People have told me it’s the fastest-drying shirt they’ve ever had.”
While Bennett hoped to earn his Triple Crown while wearing his Triple Crown Button Down, he fractured his left foot 1,650 miles into the trip. He plans to pick up the trail where he left off and finish the hike this summer, but he’s thrilled that one of his seven friends who wore the shirt finished and earned his Triple Crown in style.
Despite having been worn for thousands of sweaty miles, the shirt “still looks beautiful,” Bennett said. “He actually wore it on a date a few days later. I was so excited – it’s everything I hoped for and more.”
