A Life Well Done: September 9, 1955 – August 21, 2026
Story by Carol Pappas, editor & publisher
Wallace Bromberg, Jr.
Today marks a bittersweet moment for our team at Discover, The Essence of St. Clair. We mourn the loss of longtime photographer Wally Bromberg, and we celebrate his talent that graced our pages through photographs for many years.
In fact, his photo credit sits atop yet another story in this edition, sadly his final one for us.
I met Wally years ago when we both wound up in Pell City. It’s surprising we hadn’t met before. We’re the same age, grew up in Birmingham and attended Auburn University at the same time.
But our creative paths did later cross, and I am incredibly thankful that Wally has been part of our success story over the years. His photo credit reflects not only the name of who took the pictures, it is synonymous with a keen ability to capture the moment for our readers.
Gifted quilter Willie Mae “Snookie” Turner Beavers, 99, draped in her handiwork. This image, perfectly capturing the moment, was from a collection of photos taken by the late Wally Bromberg for a 2025 story. It is the cover from the October-November 2026 edition of Discover
More than a few times, his work became our most popular covers. Teddy, the Wonder Dog, a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon training to be a pet therapy dog, quickly comes to mind. So do the Kelly Creek kayakers riding the rapids near Winnataska.
His photos of goats chowing down on overgrowth blanketing a hillside near Ashville that needed clearing offered us a glimpse into an unusual veteran-owned business called Rent a Ruminant. And especially on hot, summer days, I often flashback to his cover shot of a little girl quickly enjoying an ice cream cone before it melted into a memory.
Wally was intellectually curious. While most photographers silently go about their business, not Wally. Sometimes, I had to interrupt him to get my own questions in. But that was Wally, he just wanted to know. And afterward, it was not unusual for him to pontificate on what he had learned. That, too, was Wally.
What impressed me the most, though, is his sense of community. He wanted to give back. His faith led him to serve others through Rotary and other avenues.
He and wife, Nettie, opened The Gallery of Eden for hers and others’ artwork, his photography and her art classes. It became a gathering place on Tuesday nights when he hosted a ‘community pickin’ for musicians, friends and neighbors sharing music and fellowship. That was Wally, too.
Wally on assignment
At the time of his death, he was putting the finishing touches on a new, larger gathering place, an art and music center called Beebo’s Place and Wolf Creek Coffee. He envisioned it as a gathering spot for artists and musicians to showcase and share their talents, and people could come together and enjoy each other’s company in fellowship.
And while there, of course, they could enjoy a good cup of coffee. Again, that was Wally – bringing community together.
It has been our honor for Wally to be a part of our team. His legacy lives on in our magazine and in the lives of so many he touched. That, indeed, was Wally, and he will be missed for a long, long time to come.
Editor’s Note: Want to check out more of Wally’s work for Discover Magazine? Put his last name, Bromberg, into the search panel on the home page and it will return all of the stories he has done for us.
What began as an outlet for creativity and therapy has grown into a thriving cottage business for Pell City’s Sydney Warren. Each Saturday morning, customers can stop by the Little Bear Bakery porch stand for fresh sourdough breads, cookies, muffins, cinnamon rolls and other baked goods, or place orders in advance for pickup. Warren also brings her sourdough treats to occasional popup markets.
Warren named the micro bakery Little Bear Bakery in honor of her firstborn, Thomas, now 3, whom she often called her “little bear.” She says he’s the inspiration for her leap of faith in starting her business. Her pregnancy with him was defined by a rare medical condition called hyperemesis gravidarum or HG, which causes severe and debilitating nausea for the entire duration of the pregnancy.
Well-stocked store
Her condition was so severe that, even as much as she loved her work, she had to leave her job. Essentially bedridden, she required intravenous fluids multiple times a week. “I couldn’t do anything (during the pregnancy) without being sick.
“I used to be super consumed with my job as a baker in Birmingham,” says Warren. “I worked for a small bakery. I started out doing their marketing, but with a small business, you kind of wear all the hats and help where needed. That’s where I really dove into the baking part. It was a cinnamon roll-based bakery that began as a micro bakery.”
The plan had always been for her to go back to work after Thomas was born, but the health challenges she had just endured caused her to rethink that plan. “When I got pulled out of my work situation so unexpectedly because of being so sick, it kind of made me reevaluate what I wanted in life,” Warren remembers. “It was kind of God’s way of pulling me out of something when I probably wouldn’t have done it on my own. I just didn’t want to miss any of the firsts with my baby – the first words, first steps, all the first moments.”
Sydney and her husband, Austin, decided they would try to make it work without her income. To help her deal with postpartum anxiety and the loss of her career identity, she began baking again, this time at home.
“My sister helped me figure out how to do sourdough starter,” said Warren. “I could tend to the baby, and then whenever I put him down for a nap, I could go and do my stretching folds or feed my starter. It really worked with the needs of his schedule.”
This new sourdough breadmaking began to grow until she had way too many loaves than her family could use. Warren decided to try posting on social media to see if anyone would be interested in some bread. “I was like, hey, I have extra loaves,” Warren recounts. “The next day I took four orders.” Those customers turned into repeat customers, and the business grew from there.
From her experience helping to build the micro bakery she worked for in Birmingham, Warren knew how to get licensed. “I helped her to grow that business large enough to get a storefront,” explains Warren. “So, I had that knowledge about needing a cottage license and how you have to follow these specific rules and everything like that.”
Family taste test
The new family of three were living in Moody at the time, but wanted to return to Pell City, where both she and Austin grew up. By the time Jack, their second “little bear” arrived, they had moved back to be near family. “I didn’t really have to start over, but Pell City was a new market for me,” Warren admits. “It was a little overwhelming. It got so wild with people wanting stuff every day.
“If you’ve ever worked with sourdough, you know it’s a process that takes time,” explains Warren. “The process takes about three days by the time you feed the starter, allow it to rise, mix the dough, stretch it, fold it intermittently, allow it to rise again, shape it, ferment in the fridge, then finally score and bake it.”
To meet the growing demand for her baked goods, Warren started making extras over and above the pre-orders. Those extras consistently sold out too. “I started thinking about ways people wouldn’t have to contact me to see if I had something available. I said maybe I could do a bakery stand that could be self-serve. Then they could just come to the stand and buy what was available.”
Thus, the Little Bear Bakery stand was born. Each Saturday morning beginning at 10, the self-serve bakery stand opens its doors on Warren’s porch in the Oak Village neighborhood not far off Interstate 20 in Pell City. The shelves are overflowing with beautifully packaged baked goods to satisfy the sweet tooth or savory appetite.
Warren says 99 percent of what she makes uses her sourdough starter. Her specialty sourdough loaves include cheddar jalapeno, butter croissant, garlic butter and herbs, and other flavors when she has time. She dresses those up for the holidays, making them in the shapes of pumpkins, turkeys and bunnies.
Sweets include the cinnamon rolls, muffins, scones, candied pecans, cookies and the extremely popular oatmeal cream pies. “I really, really love the oatmeal cream pies,” Warren gushes. “It’s two sourdough oatmeal cookies sandwiched with the yummy, fluffy, icing. Store-bought doesn’t even hold a candle to these.”
Unique handmade craft items are also available at the stand. Warren’s sister, Taylor Funderburg, sells her “Taylor Made” vintage and upcycled products like fabric bags, potholders, bowl cozies, oven mitts and even some vintage clothing at the stand. Payment for both the baked goods and craft items can be made through an honor box or by digital payment platforms using a scan code.
Cinnamon rolls ready to bake
Denise Pollard of Pell City is one of Little Bear Bakery’s repeat customers. “This is the third or fourth week I’ve pre-ordered the sourdough bread,” she says. “I’ve tried two other places, and hers is superior. It’s a little denser and cuts really nice. The flavor of her sourdough is much stronger and it’s really good.” She’s also a fan of the brookie and the oatmeal cream pies.
As her family schedule allows, Warren brings her products to Seed and Sun Bloom’s market days on May’s Bend Road and to other popup markets.
Her husband, who works as an intensive care nurse at Children’s Hospital, is her biggest cheerleader. When he’s not working, he steps up to support her by helping set up the markets, loading her car or helping with the boys. Her “little bears” are always ready to help out as taste testers.
Warren emphasizes that she is a mom first and a business owner second. She admits that sometimes it feels like it’s a fulltime job, with 12 hours of work on bake day alone. “I work 30 to 40 hours a week, but I work around nap times,” she explains. “Each day I have a set of things I can do to prep, which makes bake day easier.”
There are three critical components to Warren’s sourdough success. Accurate timing at various stages of the process is paramount, a fact that she learned the hard way. She says it is also important to add ingredients by weight, rather than by volume. That, she says, guarantees a more accurate and consistent product. The last essential element in the process is steam. As soon as she puts her loaves in the oven to bake, she adds a cast iron skillet below them and adds water several times during the baking time.
There have been failures, Warren admits. But often failures bring adjustments and improvements. Sometimes they even bring new products, like one of her very first porch sales when she made 18 sourdough loaves and didn’t proof them long enough. “They tasted good but didn’t rise well,” recounts the baker. “They didn’t look good, so I cut them up and turned them into sourdough croutons.” The incident made her add to her offerings because while she didn’t have time to make more sourdough loaves for the sale, she had time to make cookies and muffins, which were a huge hit.
As a licensed cottage bakery, Warren follows an extensive set of rules and regulations established by the State of Alabama, which includes what types of foods she can sell. That list excludes anything that requires refrigeration. The Cottage Food Law also requires each item to be labeled with the business name, address, name of the food, allergens, and a list of ingredients. Warren uses a thermal printer to make the labels that she specifically designs for each of her products.
One of the benefits of being a cottage business is a better work/life balance. “The whole point is to be here for my family and to connect with community,” said Warren. “It’s been my prayer that it will grow authentically. I may think I know what I want, but the Lord’s plans are so much greater and more fulfilling than anything I think I need.”
Editor’s Note:For more information check, the bakery out on Facebook or Instagram. Connect with Little Bear Bakery online at littlebearbakery.square.site and place your order to ensure you get exactly what you want or just visit them at the stand Saturday mornings. The Little Bear Bakery stand will be dressed for fall and offering new items like pumpkin bread and apple cinnamon muffins in addition to the usual sourdough goods.
For Tara Martin, Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve has become a place to get stronger, slow down and find herself again
Story by Molly Gilbert Photos by Mackenzie Free Submitted Photos
The trails at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve are more than a place for Tara Martin to exercise.
Just a half-mile from her home in Springville, the Preserve has become her personal playground, training ground and place to breathe. She walks, hikes and climbs its rugged trails as often as she can, sometimes covering 15 or 20 miles in a day.
And when she leaves, she doesn’t feel worn out.
“I come back feeling energized and recharged,” she says. “I feel awesome.”
For Tara, the explanation is simple. There is something about being outside – surrounded by trees, streams, birds, wind and uneven ground – that restores her.
“The Preserve cleanses me,” she says. “It gets my body in shape. It stops the chaotic brain.”
Over the past two years, the Preserve has helped Tara become stronger physically and emotionally. It has been the place where she built her endurance, discovered a love of climbing and prepared for some of the biggest adventures of her life.
But perhaps most importantly, it has become a place where she can simply be.
“I feel very connected to nature,” she says. “There aren’t that many places where I feel that way, but I always do at the Preserve.”
Finding her way back
Two years ago, Tara was living a very different life.
She was a wife and mother, and at work she was a lead support specialist overseeing about 100 caregivers. The job was demanding, stressful and essentially non-stop. For years, much of her energy went toward taking care of everyone else.
Tools of the training trade
“I never thought about my life and future – it was all about survival mode,” she says. “I went to work and was on call. I never thought about what I wanted. I just let myself go.”
Then came a vacation she had dreamed about since she was a child.
Tara and her husband, Mark, had planned a trip along the Pacific Coast, something she had looked forward to for years. But when the time came, she couldn’t enjoy it the way she had imagined.
It hurt to walk. Her body wasn’t prepared for the demands of the trip, and the experience forced her to confront something she could no longer ignore.
“I needed to get my life together,” she says. “I needed more movement.”
She began making some changes. She sought out therapy and started walking at a park in Springville. She could put in the miles, but she wasn’t getting stronger.
Then her son told her about Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve.
It was close to home and offered something the park didn’t: elevation, hills and rugged, changing terrain. The Preserve’s trails climb and descend through the woods, with uneven footing, streams, creeks and fallen trees that make every walk a little different.
“I started going out there every day, even if it was only a mile or mile-and-a-half,” Tara says.
Soon, the miles added up.
“I walked up hills and noticed my leg muscles had gotten so much stronger,” she says. “I realized how much I loved climbing.”
Tara began wondering what she might be capable of beyond the Preserve.
Testing her strength
Tara was ready to put her new conditioning to the test. She traveled to Zion National Park in Utah, where she took on Angels Landing.
For Tara, completing the hike was about more than reaching the top. Not long before, she had struggled simply to walk during a vacation she had dreamed about for years. Now she was tackling a demanding climb in one of the country’s most spectacular landscapes.
She loved the challenge. The physical effort, the adrenaline and the satisfaction of accomplishing something difficult appealed to a part of Tara she was only beginning to discover.
“I developed confidence,” she says.
A month after returning from Zion, Tara reached another turning point.
She quit her job.
Sunrise summit at Yona
After years of a demanding position, she had reached a point where the work was no longer sustainable. She wanted a life with room for more than work – a life that allowed space for her family, her health and herself.
She drove to Colorado, car camped and climbed the Manitou Incline, completing all 2,768 steps.
Tara took three months off before finding a new job. Instead of simply slowing down, she used the time to explore what she could do.
Choosing a life of adventure
She went backpacking at Cheaha State Park and Sipsey Wilderness.
In a five-month period, she climbed Yonah Mountain three times, Slaughter Mountain and Brasstown Bald, and tackled Calloway Peak twice.
“I’m always after the next bigger mountain,” she says.
Each climb gave her another reason to believe in herself. She was seeking out steeper trails, longer distances and more difficult terrain.
“When you weren’t able to do this before – low self-esteem and no confidence – and then you accomplish it, it’s such a point of pride,” she says. “When you thought you could do nothing and realize you can do everything, that’s life-changing.”
The change showed in more than what she could accomplish on a trail.
“I walk differently now,” she says. “I stand up straight. I move with confidence. I feel amazing as a human being.”
A life with room to breathe
Now, Tara’s job has a more flexible schedule and gives her something her previous career had not: time.
She could work and take care of her family without putting herself last. Exercise and time outdoors could become part of her regular life rather than something she squeezed in when everything else was finished.
And she kept returning to Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve.
Over the past two years, Tara has steadily lost weight, built muscle and developed the endurance she once thought was beyond her reach. What started as short walks became longer hikes. Miles became double-digit miles.
“I can walk 20 miles now and it’s nothing,” she says.
She credits the Preserve with giving her the terrain and consistency she needed to build that strength.
But the physical benefits are only part of why she keeps coming back.
Where she finds peace
For Tara, the Preserve is also a place of solitude and reflection.
There is a spot she affectionately calls “Tara’s Rock.” She sits there to pray, meditate or simply eat her lunch.
“I wanted to be able to have privacy and peace,” she says.
She describes the experience of being in the woods in almost physical terms: listening to the wind and birds, smelling the rain, feeling dirt beneath her fingers.
“Our bodies are composed of water; we are nature,” she says. “There’s nothing like being outside.”
Those sensory experiences help her feel connected – not just to the landscape, but to herself.
“It’s so cathartic,” she says.
A 15-mile day on the trail doesn’t necessarily leave her depleted. Instead, she often returns home feeling recharged.
“When I go out of state, it’s for the challenge,” she says.
The big mountains give her that challenge. The Preserve gives her something else.
Connection.
“If you’re running up and down Yonah, that’s about endurance,” she says. “At the Preserve, I connect with the earth and nature.”
That distinction is important to Tara. The mountains have become places where she can test herself, but the Preserve has become part of her everyday life.
It is where she trains, but it is also where she returns to herself.
The adventure in herown backyard
Tara’s adventures have continued to grow.
Her greatest accomplishment so far was completing the Cascade Canyon and Paintbrush Canyon Loop in Grand Teton National Park. The achievement represents just how far she has come.
And there is already another goal on the horizon: Mount Rainier.
She’ll train for that challenge the same way she has trained for everything else – by putting in the miles and tackling the hills at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve.
But Tara doesn’t believe someone needs to be preparing for a major expedition to appreciate what the Preserve offers.
That’s one of the things she loves most about it.
It is raw rather than perfectly manicured. Rugged rather than predictable. There are five trails with different terrain and challenges, making it a place for hikers, runners and mountain bikers.
Kids can ride their bikes. Families can explore. Someone can spend hours covering miles or simply take a short walk through the woods.
“You feel like you’re in the middle of the wilderness,” Tara says. “You feel so in tune with nature. You’re in a different world.”
Having a place like this nearby is a tremendous asset.
Just start walking
Tara is proud of the mountains she has climbed. She is proud of the miles she can cover now. She is proud of the Tetons and the adventures that once seemed impossible.
But when she talks about how she got here, her advice is remarkably simple.
“It’s just one foot in front of the other,” she says. “Don’t focus on 10 miles. Focus on one step.”
That’s how her transformation began.
One step became another. A short walk became a longer one. A hill became a mountain. A difficult hike became evidence that she could do something she once thought she couldn’t.
The process was gradual, but the effect was profound.
For Tara, Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve has been part of learning how to take care of herself.
“It has saved my life,” she says. “Not just physically, emotionally.”
Sometimes the next adventure begins with something as simple as taking a walk in the woods.
Local beekeepers are helping boost St. Clair County’s reputation while protecting pollinators, building healthy hives and turning hard work into a sweeter agricultural story
Story by Paul South Photos by Ben Orvis Submitted photos
The sweetest agriculture story in St. Clair County is flying under the radar – literally.
Just ask Bill McTyeire, Daniel Kirby and Nikkie Posey. The trio are part of a buzzing business – beekeeping and honey production.
“I’m passionate about bees,” McTyeire said.
Bill McTyeire
That’s the story, it seems, for McTyeire, Kirby, Posey and beekeepers and researchers across the country. The bee population is critical to food production. So, by extension, the small insects are vital to humanity’s survival.
And the sweet amber liquid they produce is a popular product, found on and in everything from hot breakfast biscuits to bourbon.
Honey bees themselves are under siege, thanks to the Varroa mite, herbicides and pesticides, climate change and human development.
Nosh Crockette, the Honey Bee Outreach and Development Coordinator at Auburn University, spelled out the impact if bee populations and pollinating plants disappear.
“If pollinators disappeared, we’d be at risk of losing many of the crops we rely on, and our produce options could become extremely limited,” Crockette said.
Deanna and Daniel Kirby with their prize-winning honey
There are more than 400 species of native bees in Alabama and some 2,000 beekeepers registered in the state, Crockette said. Auburn researchers collaborate with beekeepers to help minimize the impact of the mites on honey bees.
The honey bee doesn’t only produce the thick, sweet amber liquid used in American kitchens. Nor is it just about beeswax, candles, lotions and balms.
“Honey bees help pollinate many fruit, nut and vegetable crops, with some crops such as almonds being reliant on the bee population to produce fruit,” Crockette said.
McTyeire, Kirby and Posey are on the front lines of the quiet battle to save bee populations.
Bees as a Passion
Bill McTyeire spent more than 34 years as a landscape contractor. Now, bees are his focus. He travels throughout the region capturing swarms of the insects when local landowners call.
“Bees are my passion now,” he said. “I love dealing with bees.”
That’s seemingly the story of the growing beekeeping industry.
McTyeire has been keeping bees since 2020. His bee and honey production has been up and down. Early on, he bought packages of bees. Then he switched to purchasing “nucs,” a nucleus of bees. Nucs are five or six frames of bees – a queen, honey, pollen, drones and babies, everything needed for a successful start. In central Alabama, beekeepers have only about a two-month window in summer for developing hives.
But McTyeire is “really into” capturing wild swarms of bees that attach their colonies to tree limbs and the like.
“If you’re a deer hunter, you like to go out and get the biggest buck. If you’re a beekeeper, for me, catching a wild swarm of bees. Or someone calls me and says, ‘Hey, I’ve got a wild swarm of bees in a tree in my yard. Are you interested?’ If I can get ‘em to the ground, I’m interested. I’ll put on my bee suit, and I’ll go. I’ll take ‘em home and put them in the bee yard.”
Right now, the hobbyist has 35 hives, up from 11 last winter. In peak season, from May through July, there are an estimated 100,000 bees per brood box.
“My ultimate target is probably going to be 50 (hives). I’ve grown so fast,” he said.
Though small, bees are some of the most intelligent members of the animal kingdom, flying up to five miles looking for pollinators. Most return to the hive. It’s baked into their DNA.
“They’ll visit like 5,500 flowers and produce like a 12th of a teaspoon of honey in their lifetime,” he said. “That’s each individual bee.”
The Allure
What drew McTyeire to beekeeping?
“I do it for the love of the bees,” he said. “I’ve never been a patient person at all. I’m very impatient. When I get into a hive working with bees, you have to be patient. You can’t get in a hurry. You have to be very methodical when going through a hive box.”
Hive management is critical, especially when battling the honey bee’s public enemy number one.
Kirby during swarm removal process
“If you do good, proper hive management and then you treat your bees for Varroa mites – I don’t treat them for anything else. The mites are the number one killer,” he said.
According to a survey led by Auburn in collaboration with Oregon State University and the Apiary Inspectors of America, beekeepers lost 39.9 percent of their colonies in 2025-26. Keepers saw record losses in 2023-24 (55.1 percent) and 2024-25 (55.6 percent).
Failure to maintain a healthy bee population can devastate the food chain.
In terms of honey production, 2025 was a good year for McTyeire’s company, McLuckie’s Honey, that he and his “sidekick,” Laura Niemann, sell.
He sold 60 two-pound jars and 120 one-pound jars of his wildflower small batch honey last year. He’s also seen his smooth, not-too-sweet honey, with a pleasing floral aftertaste become a barter currency.
Neighbors will trade their offerings for a jar of his honey.
“It’s like money,” he said. “Every year is kind of a yo-yo. I do small-batch honey. I don’t want to be a bigwig. I want to sell what I have and try to grow my bee yard and to help other people learn about bees.”
The bottom-line lesson?
“Without the bees, we’re all goners,” he said. “I’m passionate about bees. I’m passionate about honey. But that’s not my main goal. It’s about building a healthy population of bees. We’ve got to do a better job as Americans and humans to save the bees,” McTyeire said. “When they’re gone, so are we.”
The Sweet Taste of Success
Daniel Kirby of Odenville serves with McTyeire and Nikkie Posey on Springville’s Bee City, U.S.A. board. His honey of a story began in 2015 as a hobby that’s now a flourishing family business, Bee Still Honey Company, LLC. It’s built on feral bees caught in the wild. Unlike packages of bees, the wild, hardy creatures have already adapted to the colder winter weather in east central Alabama.
For Kirby, the life of the bee is a source of boundless fascination.
“Just the life of a honey bee, the way they interact and communicate and live their lives,” Kirby said. “They work as one organism. It takes all of them working together to make it. Just the way they communicate with each other to complete what they have to do.”
He added, “If humanity was like honey bees, we wouldn’t have any problems whatsoever.”
A native of Rome, Georgia, Kirby worked a variety of jobs from pipefitting and welding to law enforcement before discovering the bee business.
“God has really blessed us,” Kirby said. “Last year, we grew like 200 percent.”
Bee Still had 100 colonies in 2025, 200 this year. But like McTyeire, the number is constantly changing.
Echoing McTyeire, Kirby’s biggest challenge is fighting off the Varroa destructor mite and pesticides.
Worker Bees
The bees are brilliant. Like homing pigeons, many will return home after searching two to five miles, even in harsh conditions, for food and water.
“Could you imagine flying five miles for food and water and by the time you get home you’ve used half of it? They work themselves to death. They don’t sleep,” Kirby said.
Divine providence brought Kirby and his wife to St. Clair County. “We think it was a God thing, honestly,” he said. “There were a ton of little things that brought us here.” Those “little things” included Springville’s “Bee City” designation.
Small-batch honey from Bill McTyeire in Springville
Like McTyeire and Crockette, Kirby paints a dire picture for humanity if honey bees were to disappear. However, he believes increased awareness has helped bee populations turn the corner.
People have really started paying attention to honey bees in the past few years in trying to keep them alive, Kirby said. “The Varroa was the main threat, but we’ve got that pretty much under control.”
The bee business is blossoming, not only in St. Clair County, but across the country. And honey is fast becoming a big boost for the human immune system. One note: Heating honey, or adding it to hot coffee or tea, kills the healthy enzymes and bacteria in the natural sweetener.
“I predict that in a few years there’s going to be a honey shortage … unless there are more beekeepers. The youth are not getting interested in beekeeping. We teach classes to 4H and to school classes,” Kirby said. “But all the wellness and health stuff has really taken off in the past five years. Everybody is wanting healthier products and they want honey.”
Bee Healthy
Posey’s beekeeping and her store, Pinkhill Organics in Springville, came together in 2019. Health was the big draw.
“The medicinal qualities of honey first and wanting to have that for myself and my family. But I also make Elderberry syrup for my store and having good honey to make it with was also important,” Posey said.
She has 10 hives and more than 1 million bees. The insects provide a big challenge, Posey said.
“Bees are curious creatures, and some years you lose hives and they abscond. This past winter, I lost five hives. You can catch swarms and do everything right. But sometimes, the little Airbnb you’ve set up for them, they just don’t like. The bees themselves are most frustrating.”
For example, when Posey and her family were starting their apiary, they bought packages of bees, costing $300 a pop. All flew away. Since then, the focus is on feral bees. It takes 18 months to two years to establish honey-producing hives.
Posey produced more than 10 gallons of honey last year. She expects to produce 25 gallons this year.
Posey made a key point about bees.
“They are the only insects that give us a product we can eat,” she said. “Honey bees aren’t the only pollinators. But people are more and more understanding of the role (of bees). When it’s swarming season in March, I see a lot more posts (on social media). ‘Does anyone know a beekeeper?’ It seems a lot of people are trying to save the bees.”
For those who want to increase the bee population, delay spring yardwork. “Let the dandelions come up. Let little flowers come up and let clover grow,” Posey said.
“The bees are going to work that and use that as their initial sources of nectar and pollen. If people would delay mowing for that pristine yard. But if you have some property, let it grow up. Those wild things are important to the bees as well. Let the natural things grow.”
Beekeepers are popping up across St. Clair County, from Washington Valley to Chandler Mountain. There are also beekeeping groups. A local elementary school promoted beekeeping in its summer reading program.
“More and more people come into my store are interested in beekeeping,” Posey said.
While honey can seemingly be used in countless ways, one simple way to eat the sweet treat seems most popular, at least for Niemann and Posey.
“By the spoonful.”
Lessons From the Bees
And as for a last piece of advice to potential beekeepers, Posey said, “The frustration is absolutely worth it. A piece of advice my mentor gave me when we bought packaged bees and they flew away, he said, don’t give up. And I would encourage people to support local beekeepers and buy their honey. Be mindful of the honey you’re buying. If you see honey in the store with a label that says, ‘USDA Certified Organic,’ there’s no such thing.”
What’s the bee lesson for humanity?
“Teamwork is important for the success of society,” she said. “If you think of each colony of bees as its own society, it takes their teamwork aside from personalities. If we can take that lesson of teamwork and how successful that is and how successful that can be for our community – even here in Springville – that it takes all of us to have a successful community.” l
From Chandler Mountain’s famed tomato fields comes the South’s simplest summer obsession: thick slices, soft bread, plenty of mayo and a sandwich worth the wait
Story by Roxann Edsall Photos by Mackenzie Free
Any way you slice it, the facts are clear. Southerners love a good “mater sammich.” Long considered the staple of summertime goodness, the tomato sandwich is the belle of the Southern culinary ball. Top fans include former President Jimmy Carter, who was well known for his love of this simple summer fare made with ripe tomatoes, mayonnaise, and bread.
“I love a good tomato sandwich!” says Springville resident Tiphanie Gatgens. “I love good, soft white bread with several big slices of tomatoes with Duke’s mayonnaise (although my mother swore by Bama mayo). Add a good bit of salt, and sometimes pepper. And now I’m in the mood for a tomato sandwich.”
Chandler Mountain water tower stands over field of tomatoes
“Tomatoes speak of summer,” adds Texas transplant Heidi Cupstid-Bader, now a Pell City resident. “As a child, we’d pick them from my dad’s garden. We’d come home with buckets of vegetables, but before we started shelling peas, we had a delicious tomato sandwich and a cold glass of sweet tea. It’s not just the sandwich; it’s childhood summer memories.”
Even the movie industry recognizes the emotional connection to the tomato sandwich experience. In the 1996 movie “Harriet the Spy,” while 11-year-old Harriet makes her school lunch, her mother suggests some variety in sandwich choices. Harriet quickly admonishes her mother for even suggesting that she take something other than her beloved tomato sandwich. “I know what I like,” she flatly stated.
Southerners know what they like, too, and for tomato lovers in north and central Alabama, quenching the hunger for a tomato sandwich begins with a trip to Chandler Mountain beginning around July 4 when the first fruits are ready. Due to the volume of tomatoes produced and shipped from there, Chandler Mountain is known as the unofficial “Tomato Capital of Alabama.” And because of the sandy soil and breezy, cooler temperatures, Chandler Mountain is uniquely suited for producing high-quality flavorful tomatoes.
The Chandler Mountain tomato is something of a love story, the desire for the unattainable finally quenched after months of waiting. The season is four months long, at best, so these beauties are unavailable for the remaining eight months of the year. For tomato sandwich lovers, the wait is torture. Thankfully, the wait is over and until the end of October or early November, the tomato sandwich is back on the menu.
Paul and Cindy Alexander with a basket of their bounty
Chandler Mountain is home to several multi-generational tomato farms. Paul and Cindy Alexander own Alexander Farms in Steele. Paul, who also serves as pastor of Reeves Grove Baptist Church in nearby Whitney, is the third generation of his family to work the farm. He runs the farm with Cindy and his brother, Glenn. With no children to pass the farm down to, the couple is taking it a season at a time, with no immediate plans for retirement. “The Lord’s blessed us,” says Alexander.
The Alexanders have 240 acres and use 60 acres for their tomato crops. They hope to produce 100,000-150,000 25-pound boxes of tomatoes to sell. In addition to tomatoes, they grow squash, cucumbers, corn, okra, peas, peppers, pumpkins, peanuts, and flowers, most of which they sell from the farmstand on their property. The farm produces two varieties of tomatoes called Lancer and Patsy, both are big rounds and perfect for tomato sandwiches.
They still laugh when they tell the story of the day the lady came with knife in hand to test their product. “She said she’d bought tomatoes somewhere else last year and didn’t like them,” said Alexander. “She had a knife with her and asked if she could cut into one. I told her to help herself and if she didn’t like it, I didn’t want her to buy it. Both she and her husband tried it, and the husband said, ‘Now, that’s a tomato!’ And they come back about every two weeks (during the season) to buy more.”
Just up the road at Smith Tomato Farm, Chad Smith grows many types of heirlooms, rounds, Romas, grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and yellow non-acid tomatoes. Their 300-acre farm, which his uncle started in 1965, features 80 acres of tomatoes and 20 acres of other vegetables and pumpkins. Their typical crop yield is five million pounds of tomatoes.
Esther and Chad Smith check the crop at Smith tomato Farm
“Last year we had bad weather, and certain insects were more of a problem. Because of that, about 50 percent of the farmers went out of business,” said Smith. “That’s why I tell people it’s important to buy from local farmers. This year’s crop is better than last year’s.”
Tomatoes are widely recognized as a superfood, which is reportedly good for your heart, eyes, skin, and bones. They are also high in vitamin C and lycopene, both powerful antioxidants. Ironically, the tomato is even better for your body when cooked, especially in olive oil. According to a finding released by the National Institutes of Health, cooking tomatoes in healthy fats like olive oil greatly increases the body’s ability to absorb the beneficial lycopene.
Whether you crave tomatoes because of their health benefits or simply for the taste, there are many ways to prepare them. Salads, pastas, soups, stews, and chili have their flavors amplified by the addition of tomatoes. The best tomatoes, however, can stand on their own, dressed only in mayonnaise and bread.
All hail the tomato sandwich. While not universally loved, the tomato sandwich is a summertime ritual in the South. However, there is serious contention in the tomato sandwich arena. People are fiercely passionate about their own recipe for this most sacred of summertime fare.
For instance, should the tomato be peeled or not? What type of bread should the tomato be nestled between? What spices or herbs are used (salt and pepper, garlic, paprika, oregano, basil)? While most agree the mayonnaise should be applied liberally, people tend to be zealous regarding the brand of mayo to use. Lastly, are other ingredients invited to the party? Many around the country include bacon, leafy greens, or cheese.
Traditionalists call for a simple approach, allowing the tomato flavor to shine. Around here, it’s a simple recipe, with essentially 3 ingredients – tomato, cheap white bread, and mayonnaise, along with salt and pepper. And then there’s the finesse.
The tomato should be an heirloom variety from a local farm, preferably from Chandler Mountain, and should be large enough to fill out the bread. Cut a beefy slice of at least one inch. Slather one slice of cheap white bread with Duke’s (or Hellmann’s or Blue Plate). Place tomato slice on the bread, then liberally cover the tomato with more mayonnaise. Salt and pepper before finally placing second piece of cheap white bread on top of tomato.
Pell City native Joe Dorough looks forward to the arrival of ripe fresh tomatoes on the Fourth of July. “My favorite is the better boy variety!” he says. “Use Duke’s mayonnaise on sourdough bread and if you want more flavor, add four slices of thick bacon and a slice of Vidalia onion. This is southern soul food!”
Dorough’s friend, Fayne Howell, agrees with the mayonnaise choice but insists that white Sunbeam bread is the only option. “Sometimes I add a slice of Vidalia onion,” she adds with a smile, “but only if I won’t be in close proximity to people.” Her favorite sandwich tomato is the Cherokee Red.
A common sentiment when eating a tomato sandwich is that it is best eaten over the kitchen sink. Biting into the juicy goodness is sure to leave your arms, if not your clothes, dripping with tomato succulence. The juice from the tomato blends perfectly with the mayonnaise and seeps into the white bread, creating a thin, wet, pulpy, somewhat precarious vessel for holding the tomato.
There are many variations and adaptations to this recipe worldwide. Some regions prefer sourdough, wheat bread, or even biscuits. Some toast the bread. Still more variations surround the seasonings and additional ingredients. One of the most surprising twists comes from beyond our planet. Crumbs in zero gravity can float away and become problematic for equipment, so tomato sandwiches in space are made with tortillas.
One thing people do agree on is that one should not skimp on the mayonnaise. In a comedy sketch, author and humorist Sean Dietrich, known as “Sean of the South,” suggests that only by using a masonry trowel can you really get enough Duke’s on your tomato sandwich. At Smith Tomato Farm, Smith tells the story of his uncle, Carl, who when asked what they put on their tomatoes at the farm to make them taste so good would answer “mayonnaise” with a grin on his face.
Truly what makes Chandler Mountain tomatoes taste so good, says Smith, is the sandy, rich, and well-drained soil, along with the elevation at which the plants grow. “When you have well-drained soil,” explains Smith, “it dries out and you can add water as you need it. The next thing is the steady air flow and cooler weather. The expertise and the timing of certain things you do is a big thing, too.”
Cathy Limbaugh of Lincoln is a huge fan of Smith Farms tomatoes. She and husband, Curtis, enjoy a spin on the classic tomato sandwich using homemade biscuits with butter, tomatoes, and cheese. “It was always a special Friday night dinner when my mother lived with us,” she remembers. “We still enjoy them when tomatoes are in season.”
So, what will your tomato sandwich cost this year? “It’s simply supply and demand,” explains Alexander. “If everybody’s got good crops, the product is out there, and the price is going to be pretty cheap. And the market can change from week to week.”
As long as the supply is there, the demand for Chandler Mountain tomatoes is sure to be strong. The mighty ‘mater sammich may not actually be manna from Heaven, but after the long wait for the perfect tomato, it just feels Heaven sent. It’s just so good it’ll make your tongue slap your brains out.we are just the caretakers of it.”
From the kitchen of Cindy Alexander
Green Tomato Casserole
Ingredients:
4 medium green tomatoes cut in 1/4 inch slices
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
Arrange one layer of tomato slices in bottom of greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Combine salt, sugar and pepper, mix well. Sprinkle tomatoes with 1/2 sugar mixture, 1/3 bread crumbs and 1/3 cheese. Repeat layers, but omit cheese. Dot butter over top of casserole. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Add remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
Oven-Canned Tomatoes/Vegetables
Prepare tomato or vegetable as usual. Blanch. Fill jar with mixture and close lid. Place in cold oven. Set temperature to 275 degrees. Cook 1 hour and turn off oven. Leave until oven has cooled down.
At Fishers of Men Farm, a faith-filled day of joy, welcome, and outdoor connection for children and young adults with disabilities and their families
Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Submitted photos
On the day Eddie and Dedra Adams first looked at their 80-acre farm in Steele, a thunderstorm came up. When the couple and their Realtor took shelter on the porch of a 100-year-old wooden house, Dedra looked out over the five-acre lake in front of the house and proclaimed, “This is where we’ll raise our boys.”
Family photo of Levi (front) with Caleb, Eddie, Dedra and Noah
The couple had two sons at that time and had been looking for property that would help them fulfill their dream of building a Christian family retreat. While it would be another seven years before the family actually moved to the farm, the boys were raised spending lots of weekends there.
“Noah was 7 and Caleb was 5 when we bought this place in 2013, but we didn’t move here until 2020,” says Dedra. “Eddie and the boys occasionally used a tiny camper to spend time up here together during that first seven years, but more importantly, the ministry began very quickly, within the first six months.”
They dubbed their acreage Fishers of Men Farm, a ministry dedicated to helping families and individuals reconnect with God and each other through activities in His great outdoors. “We’ve had men’s ministry events, church services and picnics, father-son campouts, weddings, family reunions, family Christmas parties and anniversary celebrations here,” Dedra says.
The couple isparticular about what they allow to be held on their property. “We drew up bylaws that say events cannot contradict God’s word,” says Eddie. “We host Christian events or any event that promotes family. We also do smaller events like church cookouts. The Farm is used to promote and strengthen family relationships through activities such as hunting, fishing, hiking and camping.”
When their third son, Levi, was born in 2015 with Chromosome 9p Deletion Syndrome and Down Syndrome (see sidebar), the couple quickly realized how isolated families often feel when they have children with physical or mental disabilities. Their special-needs son inspired the couple to add another event to their roster, a Levi and Friends Day aimed at supporting these families.
“Within the first two years of having Levi in our lives, our hearts were burdened by the number of families who also have children with disabilities, but who do not have a strong, loving community surrounding them, helping them realize they are not alone on this journey,” says Dedra. “We are blessed with a community and a church (Faith Community Fellowship in Springville) that embraces Levi. We want these families to know they are not alone either.”
That’s how Levi and Friends Day, or LaF Day, as they affectionately call it, came about. By far the largest event on the Farm, it’s usually held on the second Saturday in October. (That’s the 10th this year.) It’s a free, all-day event for families with kids with disabilities. “We share resources with them, tell them about programs that help them, and love on them, so they won’t feel so isolated.”
Dedrasends Facebook invitations as well as digital versions via her contacts list. She tells folks to invite others as well. “Attendees need to RSVP, though, so I’ll know how many goody bags to make up for the kids and will have a head count for the food team,” she says. The bags contain items such as fidget spinners, stickers, snacks and sometimes T-shirts.
Levi & Friends is now the biggest event the farm sponsors and involves other Christian-based ministries that donate time to be part of it. “Hunting for Christ comes out and does archery,” Dedra says. “Canoe Creek Stables brings a petting zoo, Miss Magoo’s Reptile Zoo brings snakes and lizards.”
“We have hayrides, fishing teams, a cooking team that donates food and time, and 40-50 volunteers helping out,” Eddie says. “We assign buddies when the families check in, and they help the kids navigate through the day so the parents can relax. A lot of these kids have never shot a bow and arrow or caught a fish. We try to give them a country experience.”
Some of the kids have autism, others, Down syndrome, some are blind and some are limbless. “We welcome kids and young adults with any kind of disability,” Eddie says. “One girl without arms shot a bow and arrow here with her feet one year. She also caught several fish.”
Advertising is mostly by Facebook, word-of-mouth and local churches. About 150 people attended the event last year, including families and volunteers. “We had at least 50 kids from 33 families here in 2025,” Eddie says.
Fishers of Men Farm fulfills dreams God placed on the couple’s heart at various times in their lives. Eddie, a physical therapist at Back in Motion in Springville, was raised in Pinson, and grew up spending a lot of time visiting his grandfather’s farm in Blount County. That gave him the desire to own his own farm one day.
Dedra, who taught pre-K at Springville Elementary School for several years but will be working at the front desk at the new Springville Intermediate School this fall, was born to missionary parents in Guatemala, and grew up there.
Shortly after they were married, the couple did a short-term mission trip to Brazil. They’ve done medical and evangelical missions there, evangelical crusades and Bible teaching in Uganda, built churches in Honduras and helped build an orphanage in Costa Rica. It seems that their two older sons may be following in their parents’ footsteps.
“They are such incredible young men,” says Dedra. “Having a sibling with disabilities has influenced them a lot. Our oldest, Noah, who is 20, has a heart for rescuing trafficking victims. Caleb, 18, just graduated high school with honors, and feels called into ministry, but he’s not sure what that looks like just yet.”
Proceeds from their Fishers of Men property rentals go to support Fishers of Men International Ministries, a 501c3 non-profit organization that supports mission trips for them and others.
“We formed a 501(c) 3 because we had some big donations, and we wanted to let donors take tax deductions,” Dedra says. “We still have ministry partners we’ve had from the beginning.”
“We tithe 10 percent to two other local ministries, Hunting for Christ and Restoration Academy,” Eddie says.
There have been lots of donations of services, too, especially when constructing the farm’s buildings. “We’ve had electrical, plumbing and carpentry skills donated,” he says.
They are still in Phase I of their Master Plan, which includes a gazebo, two fishing piers and a covered pavilion with tables and chairs. They also have an equipment barn, and Eddie wants to add a handicap-accessible shooting house.
Their rustic, board-and-batten Event Barn, like the other buildings on the farm, is handicap accessible. It has a kitchen, bathrooms, meeting room with a stage and an outdoor grilling area. Its inside walls are decorated with fish caught in the farm’s lake and deer heads harvested on the property, as well as photos of baptisms in the lake and other events. “The tin wall boards in the bathrooms came from an old barn in Trussville,” Eddie points out.
Phase II of their Master Plan includes taking the road to the other side of the property and building handicap-accessible cabins.
“It’s on our hearts to build some guest cabins, and our design is to do three across from the lake,” says Eddie. “We want two-bedroom cabins, about 1,000 square feet each, that we can rent to anyone or provide to a family with special-needs or even missionaries on a temporary basis. We hope this is the next thing God lets us do. But there will be no charge to families with disabilities. We will have to get a road into that area,” too.
They’ve come a long way since first viewing the farm in 2013. “It was way overgrown then,” Dedra says. “It had that dilapidated farmhouse, which we weren’t able to save.”
The house had to be torn down, but the couple salvaged all they could from it and used parts in building their family home. The clawfoot tub, the cast-iron, wall-mounted sink and washboards are all part of their house now, and the farmhouse’s foundation of hand-carved stone is part of their fireplace. They also saved a lot of the lumber, stone and tin and continue to find uses for those.
“This place was a blank canvas when we first saw it,” Eddie says. “The sisters who owned it wanted it to become a church camp. They had seen our brochure and wanted us to have it. They already had two cash offers, but one of the sisters said, ‘We’ll wait on them.’ We had to get financing,” he says.
“Praise the Lord, we closed within 60 days from the time we first saw the property. I think God set this aside for His purposes years ago. We are excited to see what God does with the farm in the future. He owns the farm, we are just the caretakers of it.”
Levi writing his own story
Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Submitted photos
Levi Adams, who turns 11 in November, is a very special child who brings joy to his family every day.
He has Chromosome 9p-Deletion Syndrome, as well as translocation Down Syndrome. The former means part of Chromosome 9 is missing, according to Dedra. “Neither us, nor the eight specialists he has, have ever met anyone with his specific genetic makeup, but his pediatrician described it accurately, saying, ‘All this means is that he will write his own story.’”
And so he has.
“When he was diagnosed in-utero, we were told multiple times that because of the many markers indicating chromosomal abnormalities, he would probably never walk, never talk, be severely intellectually disabled, which would probably render him wheelchair bound in a vegetative state for life, and all that only IF he survived outside the womb,” Dedra says.
Levi not only survived but is thriving. His development was delayed, and he does have intellectual disabilities and continues to have medical complexities. But before he was born, God promised Dedra in a dream that he would walk one day.
“Within the first year after his birth, when I was doubting that we would ever see him walk, the Lord confirmed His promise through three other people who also had dreams of Levi walking,” she says. “And sure enough, at almost 5-years-old, Levi began walking completely on his own.”
Levi is considered non-verbal, although he has roughly 25 words or word-approximations (his version of words), about 20 signs, as well as the ability to use LAMP – an assisted technology device that allows him to communicate through pushing word buttons. Because of his intellectual disabilities, this will most likely be the way he communicates for the rest of his life.
“As the saying goes, ‘Actions speak louder than words,’ and this is true for Levi,” Dedra says. “He has this incredible ability to communicate with others without using words. His smile, his eyes, his laughter and his hugs communicate more than most of our words ever could. He is a gift and teaches us so many lessons about life, love, strength and purpose!”
There are no textbooks or medical information that can tell them exactly who Levi will be, or what he will be capable of doing or achieving. All they know is that Levi has a level of joy and love that seems to be straight from God.
“It’s definitely not natural. It’s supernatural,” Dedra says.
