Sweet taste of success

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

The best ‘mater sammich

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.

Where Levi & friends belong

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. 

Nature provides

Pell City Gateway Community Garden growing strong

Story by Paul South
Submitted photos

For more than a decade, on a small piece of God’s good earth, folks here have found sustenance for the body and solace for the soul.

The precious piece of ground is known as Pell City Gateway Community Garden, where a small cadre of volunteers tends to the one-acre field that yields a growing harvest to help the hungry.

The garden has a natural garden area where organizers have recently planted Alabama native plants. The nature sacred area, said Gateway Director Renee Lilly, “Is a really a big deal,”  “The Nature Sacred program is a national program created for people of all faiths by the Nature Sacred Foundation. They wanted to create places where people could be meditative.”

Riley Robinson, Savanna Rutledge, Mercedeze Glanze and Grayson Glanze explore garden’s bounty

Founded by an Iowa couple, Kitty and Tom Stoner, the aim is to create more green spaces in communities to ease the fatigue and clamor of modern life. The idea took root some three decades ago after the Stoners moved to the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area. Now known as Sacred Places, the sites “serve as a kind of a healing poultice for people to regain balance as an antidote to stress,” according to the website, naturesacred.org.

The Pell City Gateway Community Garden was established in 2014 on the former Avondale Mills site near downtown Pell City. It later moved to land across from St. Simon Peter Episcopal Church at 3705 Mays Bend Road.

While organizers want the Gateway community garden to be the sacred space, it also holds fast to the mission of raising fresh food – like kale, collards and cabbage in winter. Everything harvested from the garden is donated to the local food pantry and senior center.

At the end of the year 2025 The Anniston-based Northeast Alabama Community Foundation provided an emergency grant to boost a food drive because last winter, the federal government put a hold on funding for the SNAP food assistance program. “They (the foundation) have been good to us,” Lilly said.

Food insecurity and affordability have added to the urgency of the work of the garden, Lilly said. It brings to mind the Victory Gardens that sprouted across the nation during World War I.

But the garden’s vision isn’t simply to grow food, but to grow gardeners as well. “We’ll still provide harvest for the places where we provide food, but it’s like teaching people to fish,” Lilly said.

Lillian Olin-Sanchez, April Sanders, Audrey Sanders, Charlena Miller, Riley Robinson and Tia Glanze learning to garden

“If we teach people to garden, they can provide for their own needs, making people self-reliant and showing them they can grow food in a very small space,” said Gateway Community Gaden President Rebel Negley.

The garden produces food grown without the use of pesticides, said Negley, who at one time worked in the food industry. “That will really open your eyes. There are so many chemicals that are banned in European countries that (the American food industry) continues to use. That’s why we’ve been passionate about growing fresh food,” she said.

“We live in a society, where increasingly, people don’t know where their food comes from. A lot of kids eat canned foods, and they eat frozen stuff,” Negley said. “There’s nothing wrong with that sometimes. But our mission is to teach people where their food comes from. Good nutrition is not as affordable, unless you grow it yourself. It takes a village to make a community garden work.”

That’s why organizers are looking for people to invest their time to make the garden and its sacred space flourish.

“We need people. We need volunteers. We need teachers who want to teach, and we need administrative people. It’s not just tilling the soil. It’s administrative work as well,” Lilly said. “We need social media and marketing help. If you can show up, we’ll find something for you to do,” Lilly said.

The garden has the support of two local churches, St. Simon Peter Episcopal Church along with First United Methodist Church of Pell City.

Gateway is also collaborating with similar successful programs like Sylacauga Grows community garden in Sylacauga.

Sacred Space bench lures visitors to find solace in nature

While food for the body is a critical part of the Gateway mission, so is nourishment for the soul.

“The sacred space is a place where you can reflect,” Lilly said. “There is a journal underneath a wooden bench in the garden where people can sit and write and listen to the birds and see the beautiful plants that are in the nature area. They’re also able to see all the growing vegetables in our growing garden. People need to see that it’s a special place.”

The garden now flourishes with cucumber plants, okra, beans, potatoes – sweet, red and white – heading toward a seasonal harvest. The garden has produced some 30,000 pounds of food in its history.

Volunteers like Lilly and Negley haven’t just learned lessons about working the land, but also about themselves.

“One of the most important things is that any one of us could be food insecure at any given moment,” Negley said. “It doesn’t matter where you live or how much you have. Things can change, and you can find yourself with food insecurity. And there’s so much satisfaction in growing your own food because you know where it comes from, and you have excitement through the efforts in growing a garden. It’s a stress reliever. It’s peaceful.”

Lilly, who knew food insecurity as a child, recalled last December’s food drive. “I spoke to every person who came through our line,” she said. “People that were educators, people who had lost their husbands or had just lost their jobs. The feeling that you are able to help people. We all need to love one another and take care of each other.”

Gateway Community Garden has a Facebook page, and donations may be sent to Pell City Gateway Community Garden, P.O. Box 17, Pell City.AL 35125.

“Come see us,” Negley said. “See what we’re doing and if you want to get involved,” Negley said. “It takes all of us just working together to make the garden work.”

From Pell City Gateway Community Garden, hope – like the flowers and vegetables – is blossoming, even in these difficult days. And so is something comforting to be found here, Lilly said. “There is good in the world, and there are people who are kind.”

Test of agility

Fast paced, exciting dog agility trial takes center ring at arena

Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Bob Crisp

Four-footed competitors from across the Southeast headed to Odenville in April for an action-packed event at what has become a destination point for events as diverse and wide-ranging as the organizers who plan them.

St. Clair County Arena and Event Center has played host to everything from rodeos and circuses to vintage markets and truck shows.  And in April, dogs of all shapes and sizes took to the arena filled with jumps, tunnels, weave poles and what planners called “plenty of tail-wagging excitement.”

Spectators, dog lovers and handlers came together for three days of Greater Birmingham Agility Club’s Spring Into Agility Trial, a mixture of a qualifying run for further competition, fine-tuning skills or simply sharing time with other dog agility enthusiasts. Organizers billed it as “a weekend of fast dogs, great runs, and even better community.”

Dog agility is “a dynamic and fast-paced canine sport where dogs navigate through a timed obstacle course, showcasing their agility, speed, and teamwork with their handlers,” according to GBAC’s website.

“Yes, your dog can definitely participate in dog agility,” GBAC added, “and we welcome all breeds, both mixed and pure, to join the excitement and fun of agility training and competitions.”

Agility training involves obstacle courses, obedience drills and agility trials.

When the day is done, the final hurdle crossed and a clean jump through the ring is made, it comes down to connections – the bond between dog and handler. Through this sport, that bond is promoted, strengthened and on display for all to see.

The next Odenville event is Nov. 15-17 for GBAC’s Fall Trial. Club officials are already looking forward to it, noting that the 100 x 100-foot ring offers plenty of room for “exciting and challenging courses for the dogs to navigate.

“This event promises an exhilarating experience for both competitors and spectators, making it a must-attend for the agility community.”

“We’ve really enjoyed working with the Greater Birmingham Agility Club and have had a great response from them about hosting events at the Arena,” said Public/Recreation Asset Manager Ashley Hay. “We try to work closely with every group that uses the facility to make sure we’re meeting their specific needs, especially when it comes to footing and ground preparation.”

She noted that dog agility trials have very specific requirements, “and we’re happy to accommodate those details, just like we would for any group using the space. Seeing them choose to return is a great sign that the partnership is working.”

 The goal of the center complex and campus has centered on creating a facility that serves the community and evolves alongside the needs of the people and organizations using it.

“We want groups to know we’re listening and willing to adapt where we can,” she said. “In fact, groups like GBAC have helped shape some of our future improvements.” She credits their hosting of multi-day events and bringing participants in from outside the area with reinforcing the need for RV and trailer hookups, “which we’re now working to add.”

 Hay also talked of the overall interest in the Arena continuing to grow. “More people realize it’s more than just a place that hosts rodeos. We’ve had great interest across a wide variety of events, from dog agility and vintage markets to equestrian events and community gatherings. It’s been exciting to see people discover new uses for the space and reinforces our belief that the Arena can continue growing as a place that brings together a wide range of interests across our community.”

Editor’s Note: The St. Clair Arena and Event Center is located at 100 Arena Drive, Odenville. Learn more about the facilities at:  stclairco.recdesk.com

A greater understanding

Dr. Ed Glasscock writes with the end in mind

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Mackenzie Free

In the very home where Dr. Robert A. Martin once lived while ministering to the medical needs of early Pell City residents, a doctor of another sort works on a prescription for the souls of today’s people well beyond the streets of Pell City.

The treatment plan calls for an infusion of discernment, acute wakefulness and a hunger for spiritual growth.

“The phrase, ‘Keep the cookies on the bottom shelf,’ is an old educational philosophy often utilized in contemporary Christianity,” says Dr. Ed Glasscock. “That is contrary to my philosophy of ministry. If first-grade-level classes are all that is taught to students, they cannot become mature and productive adults. Christians must be progressively stretched to greater levels of understanding.”

A minister and educator, Glasscock is also published author, specializing in books designed to help modern day readers make sense of the lessons and prophesies contained in the Bible, specifically relating to the end-times.

In his latest book, Olivet Discourse, Glasscock underscores the need to stay vigilant (awake) and to live spiritually productive lives. The 300-page book is a deep dive into two chapters of the Bible within the Book of Matthew.

Matthew chapters 24 and 25 specifically address the questions posed by four of Jesus’ disciples pertaining to the signs of the second coming of Christ, the timing of the end of the age, and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem as prophesied in the Old Testament.

Modern day Christians face the same confusion, Glasscock writes, as did those disciples who questioned Jesus on the Mount of Olives. Glasscock goes on to emphasize that while no specific day or date is given in answer to the timing, the admonition is given to Christians to not grow lazy or apathetic about displaying what he calls “kingdom character.”

“I wrote a separate book on those two chapters because they’re really often misunderstood,” adds Glasscock. “They’re critical, I think, for us in getting a perspective of what Christianity means and how it all works out in the end. They help us understand what’s happening in the world and how scripture makes us aware of the spiritual realities behind earthly events.”

This is Glasscock’s third book and second specific to the Book of Matthew. His first book, The Gospel According to Matthew, was first published in 1997, then reprinted in 2025. A second book, a work of fiction titled, Deadly Beast – a Case for Mr. Parks, was published in 2020.

Olivet Discourse took nearly five years to write, says Glasscock, “mostly because I didn’t work on it seriously at first. I put it aside and did other things. About a year and a half ago, I decided to get serious about it.”

Glasscock’s wife, Gail, is his sounding board and manuscript reader. She has experience working at a printing house and holds a degree in print media communication. “She doesn’t just correct my punctuation,” Glasscock emphasizes, smiling. “She’ll come in and offer suggestions so that readers might better understand the intent of the text.”

Dr. Ed Glasscock and his wife, Gail

The two have been in ministry together for most of their 60-year marriage. “She has been a great pastor’s wife,” says Glasscock. “And she was an incredibly great faculty member’s wife.” Glasscock has over 22 years of pastoral experience and 18 years of teaching as a seminary professor at Chicago’s Moody Graduate School and Virginia Beach Theological Seminary, including six years in Birmingham as academic dean at Southeastern Bible College. He earned his doctor of theology from Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana.

This is all a far cry from the much younger Glasscock’s plan to be a professional musician. He was born in Sylacauga and raised in Leeds. He and Gail were high school sweethearts. A bass guitar player, he planned to make a living working in the music industry. But it was not to be.

It was the late 60s, and Glasscock and a drummer friend headed out west to find fame and fortune.

With the country entrenched in the Vietnam War, the draft was taking many young men, making it hard for them to find other band members. “I’d already been turned down by the army, so this last attempt to make a music career shattered my dreams,” remembers Glasscock. “I had to find a real job, which ended up being at a binding company in Birmingham.”

Inexperienced and headstrong, it wasn’t long before Glasscock faced another challenge, this time a physical one. He nearly lost one hand after it was crushed by a printing press. “When I got my hand caught in the printing press, that’s part of how I became a Christian,” says Glasscock. “I was setting up a machine. The boss checked on me, but I wanted to do it myself. So, I taped down a switch to allow me to feed the machine by myself. The doctors had to put my hand back together like a puzzle.”

Following the accident, Glasscock received a call from a younger cousin. “My cousin talked about how messed up I was and wanted me to talk to her pastor, so Gail and I hopped in our MGB and went to Tampa to see this pastor named Hank.”

The resulting discussions between the two men brought a complete turnaround in Glasscock, who says his life was forever changed. Glasscock says that from that moment, he knew he was called into the ministry.

An acoustic guitar sits among all the books as a reminder of Glasscock’s love of music

After retiring from seminary teaching, Glasscock started an independent ministry in 2009 called Xdoulos, the name meaning Christ’s Servant. The non-profit organization specializes in providing teaching resources and education, and publishing articles and books.

The focus of Xdoulos is to help churches equip Christians for ministry within their churches. His work is international, taking him to places like Uganda, Nigeria, Ukraine, Austria and the United Kingdom.

Christians often suffer persecution in those areas, and part of Glasscock’s message is that Christianity is not designed to “conquer the world with love and popularity.” We are called, he says, to have loving and respectful discussions about Christianity and the end of times. 

At 80 years old, Glasscock still teaches three classes per week in his local church and has plans to open a Bible Institute in Pell City.

The author is not resting in his success. He says he has at least one more book in him and can’t wait to work out the details and get to work.

In the meantime, you’re invited to satisfy your hunger and grab Glasscock’s latest book, Olivet Discourse. It is a thought-provoking work and truly written with the end in mind..