Gatway Community Garden

The place where hope grows

Story by Paul South
Photos by Mandy Baughn

From an acre of God’s good earth, a small army of volunteers at Pell City Community Garden helps feed the hungry

Ten years ago, Renee Lilly and like-minded people had a vision for a place where hope and fresh food grew for the food insecure.

On the old Avondale Mills property in Pell City, Lilly wanted to create a space where needy folks could learn to tend a small piece of God’s good earth and grow their own  herbs, fruits and vegetables.

Two years later, Pell City’s Gateway Community Garden and its small army of volunteers moved to an acre or more of land donated by St. Simon Peter Episcopal Church across the road from the church.

 The result? A bumper harvest, not just of fresh food, but of hope. The garden, Lilly said, has exceeded expectations.

When the garden began at Avondale, the hope was to inexpensively rent out plots to individuals to allow them to grow their own food. But there were few takers.

Renee Lilly and Rhonda Dial talk to a crowd at the garden

Two years later the effort moved to the church and the mission changed direction.

“We just decided, we’ll grow the food, and we’ll just distribute that food to the people who need it,” Lilly said. “Once we made that decision, everything just took off.”

Since 2018, the garden has produced more than 14,000 pounds of fresh food for county residents in need, Lilly said.

Volunteers – the number varies, but usually there is a core group of a dozen – tend, nurture, harvest and distribute seasonal fresh foods.

More have joined the effort. In fact, some 3,500 volunteer hours have been sown into the garden since 2018.

The work is vital, especially in a county where 13 percent of residents are food insecure, according to U.S. News and World Report.

“Boy Scouts have helped us. We’ve got the Boys and Girls Clubs, and other groups have helped us,” Lilly said.

Because the garden has been so successful, and because of its partnership with the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama, it has been designated as one of 16 “Open Spaces, Sacred Places” sites located in nine Alabama counties.

Those sites are “intended for the encouragement of community well-being and resilience of mind/body/spirit of both individuals and communities,” according to the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama website.

“Our garden is one of those sacred spots. It’s an incredible thing that we have that here,” Lilly said.

For Lilly, certain things make the garden sacred.

“It’s a healing and restorative garden,” she said. “Not only is it a working garden where we are harvesting chemical-free food out of that garden. We also have an area in nature where people can come and sit. We have a bench with a little book library, and there’s a picnic table in the nature area where people can come and reflect on the beauty of the garden.”

The garden wouldn’t happen without the collaboration with the Community Foundation and St. Simon Peter, as well as corporate and individual support, Lilly said.

Attendees tour the garden and grab food and drinks

Though a secular organization, Gateway’s work dovetails with the mission of the church by feeding the mind, body and spirit of those in need. “We’re serving people,” Lilly said.

The garden’s harvest changes with the season. This fall, cabbage, kale, Brussel sprouts, broccoli and Swiss chard made up the crop. In past years, collards were a fall staple.

Herbs – parsley, thyme, basil and mint among them – call the garden home.

What does the success of the Gateway Community Garden say about the people of St. Clair County?

“What it says was that there was a core group of people who decided that it would be nice for Pell City to have a community garden that could take care of people in need,” Lilly said. “I think that core group of people spread the wealth, if you will, with their hard work, and more people have joined that mission.”

There is a commonality they share.

“There is a love for serving and a love for gardening.”

Recent evidence of that growth, a woman who is a master gardener enlisted her green thumb in the garden’s efforts. Some volunteers are masters, others are newcomers to putting their hand to the soil.

“We have new people coming in and joining us all the time,” Lilly said.

One of the beneficiaries of the garden is a local senior center, where food is distributed. More than once, encounters with local seniors have assured Lilly that her vision was spot on.

“A lot of times, we get to see their faces when the food is brought in,” Lilly said. “They love it. They get all excited, and they run over to us to see what we’ve brought. It’s an awesome thing.”

Lilly recalled one senior who needed food during the Covid-19 pandemic. She was driving a vanload of cabbage.

“Would you like a head of cabbage?,” she asked the man.

“I wouldn’t know what to do with it,” he replied.

“You just put it in a pan with water, salt and pepper and cook it, and it’s awesome. You’ll love it,” Lilly answered. Cabbage may have won a new fan that day.

The problems of the underprivileged are often misunderstood or dismissed outright. Lilly sometimes hears that the reason her cadre of volunteers is not as large as it could be is “because they don’t want to distribute food to lazy people.”

As the product of a broken home that faced food insecurity, she bristled at the notion.

“I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, there are a lot of people who aren’t lazy who are just in situations out of their control. I understand people who are going through a divorce or they lose a spouse, or somebody gets sick, there are all kinds of situations where people need help,’” Lilly said. “That’s why we have been distributing healthy food to people in need since 2014.”

Along with its cultivation efforts, Gateway Community Garden celebrated its third annual fundraiser earlier this month. In exchange for a $20 donation, donors were given the opportunity to win a chest freezer full of beef and pork. Chili, white and red gave extra flavor to the event, along with live music. Polly Warren prepared the beef chili and Wade Reich of the popular barbecue eatery, “Butts To Go,” prepared white chicken chili.

Back in 2014, if someone had told Lilly that the garden would flower into a success, there may have been a few weeds of skepticism.

“I would have probably said, ‘I know it’s going to take a lot of hard work. But I would have never thought that it would be the place that it is today.’”

She added, “It’s an awesome space, and we do good work there.” l

Kolectic Treasures

Antique mall with a unique twist opens
second location in downtown Pell City

Story and photos
by Graham Hadley

When Jason and Danny Kellner first considered opening an antique mall in historic downtown Pell City, they knew they had a good chance of making it work because they already had almost a decade of success with a similar venture in Anniston – Kolectic Treasures Antique Market.

They just needed to find the perfect location.

They found it in the old roller-skating rink and adjoining Maytag building next to Brittle Heaven on Cogswell Avenue. And the second location for Kolectic Treasures is going to be even bigger than the Anniston store.

“We have around 19,000 square feet in Anniston, and this one will be 20,000 square feet,” Jason said. “We live on Logan Martin and saw Pell City as a good fit for what we wanted to do.”

Jason and Danny’s vision for the antique malls is almost unique in the business. They not only want to have a wide variety of “treasures” to sell – from rustic country pieces to mid-century modern – they want to make finding those something of an adventure.

Anyone who has visited the Anniston location will be familiar with the concept.

Jason Kellner helped the DeGaris family sell off the huge collection of antiques stored in the buildings

“I worked really hard in Anniston to build it,” Jason said. “I wanted to come up with something different from other antique malls. I have a mental image of a maze, you are exploring it, there are lots of twists and turns. I want our customers to feel like they are going back in time, get lost for a minute away from the stresses of the outside world.”

The Kellners have filled the two buildings with a series of booths and passages that wind and twist their way through the structures, which share an adjoining wall that has been opened across the front to allow access to both from one entrance. Customers find something new around every corner.

“We have something for everyone. That’s kind of my motto,” Jason said.

That idea has served them well in the Anniston location, which they created out of an old strip mall off Alabama 21 next to the bypass.

“I got in there and expanded as more customers found us.”

When Jason and Danny first saw the old buildings, owned by the DeGaris family, they knew they had found the perfect fit for their plans. In only six weeks, they were able to recondition the structures, which had been used for storage of all kinds of local artifacts for years, build out most of the booth spaces, and have a soft opening with around 100 vendors already in by Nov. 4. There will be room for 275 vendors, many of whom are already lined up, by their grand opening, Dec. 13.

“That is the day of the parade. We will also have our Christmas Open House the same day and will be staying open later so people can stop by after the parade,” Jason said.

“We want to bring something really special to Downtown Pell City. We hope to bring more customers and more foot traffic to the area. We want to see the same level of business here that we see in Anniston.”

They are working on remodeling the exterior of the buildings, while keeping the important historical features. “We want it really rustic looking – keep the old style and make it new at the same time. We want to get our signs up, but also want to get the old Maytag sign working again. We want to replace all the old glass, make it look almost like an old-English style, and repave the parking lots. It’s going to look really pretty when it’s all done.”

A variety of vendors are already in the location with more than 100 more on the way

And this is just the beginning of what he envisions for their Pell City location.

“We have room on the property to expand the market by around 3,000 to 4,000 square feet in a year or so as our customer base grows, if people shop local.” And like their Anniston location, they want to have a little library and food bank boxes next to the parking area. They have held successful music festivals at the original store for years, something Jason is considering doing in Pell City, along with showing movies on the adjoining property.

The Kellners are already familiar with their next-door neighbor – Brittle Heaven and More. Owner Sarah Deese used to sell her peanut brittle and other goods out of Kolectic Treasures in Anniston.

“She started with me in our Anniston store and eventually wanted to open her own location here. We were both excited when we found out we would be next to each other,” Jason said.

She is not the only one who has made the owners of Kolectic Treasures feel welcome in Pell City.

“People are excited about us being here, and we are thankful to everyone who has helped us. The Chamber has been really phenomenal with all the support, so has the City and the DeGaris family,” Jason said. “Danny and I have worked really hard to make this happen. We are just very happy to be here.”

Editor’s Note: You can follow Kolectic Treasures on Facebook and their website at kolectictreasures.com.

Kayak fishing

Paddle, pedal and have fun on the water

Story by Roxann Edsall
Submitted photos

Sitting out on the dock sipping your first cup of coffee, you watch the morning sun begin to cast a pinkish-orange glow on the water. Absorbed in the majesty of the morning, you startle as you catch the movement of the boat as it silently glides by just yards away.

 Silent, that is, until the snap of the line as it is cast again, all the while drifting past the dock.  Almost immediately, he jerks the line and reels in the prize. After a moment to inspect and admire his catch, the angler releases the fish off the side of his kayak.

Kayak fishing has exploded in popularity in recent years, thanks to huge improvements in materials, technology and available accessories. Fishing tournament organizers have even created competitive tournament series specifically designed for kayak anglers. Since having no live well makes transporting live fish to a weigh-in problematic, new rules were created for kayakers.

Kayak-specific tournaments and most tournaments with kayak divisions use cumulative length, rather than weight, as the unit of measure. Competitors in kayaks are often governed by the CPR (Catch, Photograph, Release) Rule, which includes catching, photographing the fish on a special measuring “ketch” board, then immediately releasing the catch.

Allen Norris and his catch

The evolution of the kayak from simple shell to tricked out vessel, loaded with fish-finding tech and gear storage has helped to define the growth of the kayak fishing industry. Technology and electronics originally developed for bass boats have been redesigned, and in some cases, retrofitted for use in kayaks. Live scope electronics can be added to fishing kayaks, too.

Arguably, the biggest development propelling its popularity has been the application of pedal drives to the hull, allowing the kayak to be moved through the water without the need for a paddle. The hands-free option allows anglers to cast and reel without having to switch to a paddle to maneuver the kayak.  As anglers are known to say, it’s a numbers game. And more casts equate to more fish.

“There are so many options when choosing a kayak,” says Allen Norris, co-owner of Cropwell’s Yak Shak and veteran kayak angler. “When you see something labeled fishing kayak, lights should go off to let you know it’s going to be more comfortable, more stable, and be able to carry more gear.”

He and Jessica, his co-owner and wife, ask a lot of questions of potential buyers to make sure they get them into the right kayak. Buyers will likely need to do a bit of research to be prepared to answer those questions, which would likely begin with what you want to do in your kayak and whether you’re looking for a sit-in or a sit-on type design.

The sit-on design, according to Norris, is more stable and many models are large enough to allow stand-up fishing. Also, with sit-on designs, there is no worry of taking on water, as they are designed to allow water to flow over the top and to drain through scupper holes.

After having the pedal/paddle, sit-in/sit-on, stand up/sit down discussion, then comes the question of motor versus muscle. Fishing kayaks can be fitted with small trolling motors, if desired, although Norris admits to being a bit of a purist. “When I’m kayak fishing, I want to be as tactical and stealthy as possible,” he says. “I don’t want to put more in the water than I have to. If you’re into lots of vegetation and stumps, you can’t use the motor anyway.”

Jessica Norris’ catch of the day kayaking on the Coosa

In a sit-in kayak, be prepared to use a different set of muscles while casting, as opposed to those you’d use performing the same activity while standing. “Casting and aiming are very different when you are sitting,” says Norris.

 “It’s very strenuous.  A lot of people would describe kayak fishing as intense.” Being so close to the water and to the fish adds to the intensity of the fishing experience, Norris explains. “You can get close to the nooks and crannies that boats can’t, places where the fish really are.”

Adding to the excitement, he says, “You feel every movement on a catch in a kayak. You can also see the movement of wildlife and fish along the shore as you move through the shallow areas in coves and among boathouses and piers. Kayaks are perfect for wildlife photography, for exercise, and for just getting out and enjoying the water,” he adds. “The tranquility and therapy are very real.”

Josh Tidwell agrees wholeheartedly. He’s a huge fan of kayaking and fishing. He’s combined the two for more than 25 years and now runs a kayak rental and tour company at Big Wills Creek, a tributary to Neely Henry Lake. “It’s quite a bit of fun,” he says. “You get to be out in nature and even if you’re not catching, you’re still enjoying nature.”

Tidwell, an accomplished tournament fisherman, began fishing nearly three decades ago from creeks and riverbanks, either wading or by canoe. Kayak fishing made it easier for him to get to the tight places he wanted to fish. “Bass boats can’t get to where I go,” he says. “I like to fish smaller waters. I don’t want to look at the back of somebody’s house, when I could be looking at cliffs or waterfalls.”

Although he says he likes small water fishing, he says, kayaks are not just for lake fishing. He took his kayak to Gulf Shores a few years ago and hooked a 6-foot shark. His brother-in-law caught a 150–200-pound tarpon.  For reasons which seem obvious, they did not try to bring it aboard their kayaks. “We got dragged all over the place. That’s part of the appeal,” he laughed. “You just have to prepare for it. And don’t go alone!”

The Coosa River system offers a variety of fish, from crappie to catfish, to several species of bass, including the Alabama bass. “On Logan Martin, I’ve pulled in a 15-pound channel catfish in my kayak,” says Norris. “I’ve seen a 50-75-pound catfish pulled in, unfortunately not by me.”

Strategies for success in kayak fishing are somewhat different, Norris explains. “We attack fishing in a very different way. We don’t fish the open waters as much as we do the tighter places. Where the bass boat world is launch as fast as possible, get to your spots as fast as possible, and cover lots of water. We might launch and stay near that launch fishing the harder to get places and cover only a mile or two.”

No matter what type of vessel you use or how you fish, all nautical rules apply. Kayaks are no exception. Before sunrise and after sunset, kayaks must have a stern light. The same holds true for red and green navigation lights. These are especially important for kayaks, which sit lower in the water and are harder to see.

Equipment add-ons for safety and for convenience and comfort make kayaking an activity perfect for anyone ages 5 to 95. Your grandpa’s kayak may have given you the inspiration to learn, but it is definitely not the only design option anymore. Today’s kayaks are lighter and stronger. They offer options in how they are propelled, how you fit into it and how you maneuver it. They can be outfitted for whatever activity you want to do on the water.

A final reminder that whatever fun you’re having in a kayak, be sure to remember safety is paramount. Alabama law requires all boaters, including kayakers to have a personal floatation device onboard for each occupant.

While it’s not required that boaters wear them, it’s a good idea. It’s also a good idea to always include water, a hat, and sunscreen in your float plan.

You may catch a beautiful sunrise, too, so don’t forget your camera. And give a wave to the lady sipping coffee on the dock as you drift by.

Lighting the way for kayaking

Chad Watts knows all too well how hard kayaks are to see in the dark. Several years ago, while fishing in a tournament on Lake Jordan, he nearly ran over a kayaker.

They were fishing at what is considered “safe light,” just as it is getting light enough to see, but before the sun has risen. “I was running 75 miles an hour toward a wide cove. There was a piece of land that jutted out about 30 feet, so I couldn’t see around the other side of it until I got almost even with it,” said Watts.

“By that time, I was doing about 60. When I came around, there was a kayaker 20 yards from my boat. How I avoided running completely over the top of him, I don’t know. I was so rattled, I couldn’t fish.”

Watts went to check on the kayaker and wound up talking to him for 30 minutes (in the middle of the tournament). What came from the experience was a friendship and a product that makes kayak fishing safer.

Watts started Firefly Marine, a company out of Trussville, that produces the Firefly stern light. The difference in their product over what was available previously is both the height of the light (telescopes to over 9 feet) and the material of the light (refracting plastic to eliminate blinding light).

St. Clair Outdoors

Hiking Big Canoe Creek Preserve

Story by Loyd McIntosh
Staff photos

Located just off of St. Clair County 9 in Springville, Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve can make you forget you’re just a mile or two away from the highway’s busy intersection of U.S. 11  in the middle of town.

As you drive along the winding, two-lane road covered with trees, you can already feel the temperature drop, even on this hot-as-molten-lava day in mid-August. It’s possible to roll your window down and take in a nice breeze.

The entrance to Big Canoe Creek is just under a half-mile past Homestead Hollow, but, if you’re not paying attention, you can drive right by it without noticing it.

Once you arrive on site, you’re reminded immediately of just how spectacular this part of St. Clair County truly is. On today’s visit, the sky overhead is mostly blue with a few clouds meandering by, and everywhere you look, you see green – undisturbed green. In a word, it’s breathtaking.

The Preserve, which opened to the public in February 2024, began to take shape when Alabama’s Forever Wild Land Trust purchased 382 acres of land in Springville in 2018. A year later the trust added 40 acres, bringing the Preserve to its massive footprint of 422 acres.

Preserve’s Historic Path

The Preserve’s caretaker and longtime advocate is Doug Morrison, now manager of it for the City of Springville. His interest in the area’s preservation goes back to 2007 while serving as the president of the Friends of Big Canoe Creek. Upon learning that the property was being eyed for development, Morrison and other members of Friends of Big Canoe lobbied the Springville City Council to take action to protect the creek.

Doug Morrison on the trail

At minimum, they asked for a riparian buffer, a strip of trees, grass, or shrubs either planted or left intact to protect bodies of water from development. Morrison said they even looked at what other nearby cities were doing to protect other bodies of water.

“A lot of times, developers will just clear every tree, and all of that sediment just goes into the creek,” says Morrison. “We were just trying to get them to be better stewards of the earth and at least leave riparian buffers.

“We even looked at some ordinances that Trussville had, for instance, with the Cahaba River and how they have setbacks leaving riparian buffers, basically just saying ‘leave the natural vegetation that’s already there,’ “ Morrison recalls.

Soon after the developers scrapped their plans altogether in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, and Morrison and others continued their quest to preserve and protect the creek and surrounding property.

Upon learning about the Forever Wild Land Trust, an initiative created by the state of Alabama in the early 90s, Morrison began approaching landowners about nominating their land for a potential sale to Forever Wild, a goal that took almost a decade of negotiations to accomplish.

With help from Springville and St. Clair County leadership and the owners of Homestead Hollow, the initial 386 acres were sold to Forever Wild in 2018.

Morrison says the creek had been affected by other developments in the area over the years, but it is now well on its way to full recovery. Big Canoe Creek is home to more than 58 species of fish, making it number one in Alabama in aquatic biodiversity. It is number four nationally in total biodiversity, and number one in the nation in aquatic diversity.

Still, Morrison says efforts are needed to protect “the special critters” of Big Canoe Creek. For instance, the creek is home to the Big Canoe Creek Club Shell, a mussel that can only be found in Big Canoe Creek that was listed as endangered in 2022.

“That’s one of the things we’re trying to tout and educate people about is our waterways are important, they’re special. They are home to a lot of different species of animals, and they’re disappearing at an alarming rate,” explains Morrison. “So hopefully with this preserve, we can get an educational program off the ground to help teach people about our great biodiversity.”

Today’s Path(s)

Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve boasts four trails, Creek Loop Trail, Easy Rider Trail, Fallen Oak Trail and Slab Creek Trail, ranging from 1.2 miles to 2.5 miles in length available for a mixture of uses – hiking, biking and horseback riding.

All sorts of interesting finds along the trail

You can also canoe or kayak with outfitters on the creek offering gear rentals and guided tours along the creek.

This writer, on the day of his visit, hiked for a bit along the Fallen Oak trail and the Easy Rider Trail, and was struck by the preserve’s natural, rustic beauty – if the word “rustic” isn’t redundant when discussing nature. After a few yards of crushed gravel, the trails give way to narrow dirt paths winding along the natural topography of the land under dense tree cover. The trails are suitable for novices and children, however, anyone who is moderately active to the most experienced hikers will enjoy the trails and the chance to see a variety of wildlife, including the occasional deer.

Morrison says this is the ultimate goal of Big Canoe Creek Preserve: to give everyone a chance to experience the natural surroundings and biodiversity of Big Canoe Creek. He added that the organization, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, is exploring grants for the construction of a pavilion where they can hold educational events and field trips for the county’s school children.

“We want classes to go on field trips and along the trails and along the creeks and just experience nature,” Morrison says. He references an influential book by non-fiction author and journalist Richard Louv titled, Last Child In The Woods. In the book, Louv coined the term “nature deficit disorder,” a concept that resonated with Morrison and one he hopes to remedy over time.

Through the Preserve, he says, “We’re hoping we can do away with nature deficit disorder in St. Clair County.” llock repairman.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.

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.