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SERVING ATHENS/LIMESTONE COUNTY & THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AREA www.thevalleystar.net

FREEApril 10, 2015

THE VALLEY

STAR Antiques and Home DecorOpen Wednesday-Saturday 10-5

109 S. Marion St. • Athens, Alabama256-262-9415

The Willow Cottage

By Sonny Turner

Nip & Tuck is one of the old-est businesses in Athensand will soon celebrate its

43rd anniversary here. The florist,located at 808 U.S. Highway 72West, has been family owned andoperated since 1972.

"The florist was purchased in 1972by my parents, Eugene andMartha Tuck," said Jeannie Pirtle,who now owns and operates Nip &Tuck. "My parents moved herefrom Memphis, Tenn. to raise theirchildren in a small town."

Jeannie worked co-op while a jun-ior and senior at Athens HighSchool. She returned to working atthe florist alongside her parentswhen she started doing floraldécor for weddings in March,1999.

When Pirtle's dad started the busi-ness he decided on the name "Nip& Tuck" from what he heard froma sports radio announcer who saidthe game he was covering at thetime was so close it was nip andtuck.

continued on page 4

Nip & Tuck Florist will sooncelebrate 43 years in Athens

Jeannie Pirtle at the Athens Nip & Tuck Florist

the valley star April 10, 2015

Apr 11th and Apr 18th— Athens Saturday His-toric Walks Athens-Limestone Visitors Center 100North Beaty Street, Athens, AL Come choose from 4different tours - Houston Historic District, Beaty His-toric District, Downtown Athens Historic District andAthens City Cemetery. Check in is 9:45AM at theAthens-Limestone Visitors Center. Tours are 1-2 hourslong and are free. Comfortable shoes and light jacketare suggested. For more information: 256-232-5411or Visit: www.visitathensal.com/3/saturdaywalks.htmApr 11th — 1st Annual Mattress FundraiserBenefiting Golden Eagle Football Athens HighSchool Gymnasium 100 U.S. Highway 31N, Athens,AL All sizes, pillow-top, orthopedic, latexs, memoryfoam and more at discounted prices. Profits go di-rectly to the team. Shop from 10:00AM-5:00PM withcash, checks or credit cards.Apr 11th — Puttin’ On The Glitz Gala 2015Westin 6800 Govenors West Road NW, Huntsville, ALJoin the Athens-Limestone Hospital Foundation forthis highly anticipated annual black-tie fundraiserbenefiting the remodel of 52 hospital rooms at theAthens-Limestone Hospital. Tickets are $175.00 perperson. For more information: Laine Terry 256-233-9557 [email protected] or visit alhfevents.orgApr 12th — Planning and Designing YourRaised Bed Garden with 1818Farms 1818 Farms24889 Lauderdale Street, Mooresville, AL 1818

Farms will give you the knowledge to locate your ownraised garden in your yard, determine its size, pre-pare the site, mix the soil, choose the plants and cre-ate a diagram to show each crop and its location.Class starts at 1:30PM. To register:1818farms.com/products-page/classes/Apr 12th — Chicken 101: Keeping a BackyardFlock with 1818 Farms 1818 Farms 24889 Laud-erdale Street, Mooresville, AL Learn the basic of man-aging your own flock: why raise a flock, buyingchickens, brooders, heat, water, feed, litter, roosting,space and coops - plus a snippet on disease and pred-ators. Class starts at 3:00PM. To register:1818farms.com/products-page/classes/Apr 14th - Relay for Life Celebrity Waiter NightApplebees 1331 U.S. Highway 72E, Athens, AL Comeenjoy a meal and be served by a local celebrity waiter- Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks, Athens Council Presi-dent Jimmy Gill, East Limestone Band Director Jen-nifer Janzen, WHNT’s Greg Screws and LimestoneCounty Commission Chairman Mark Yarbrough. Alltips given to the celebrity waiters go to the AmericanCancer Society and local cancer patients.Apr 17th — Singing in the Park Big Spring Me-morial Park East Street, Athens, AL Grab your lawnchair and kick off Athens-Limestone County Tourism’sSinging in the Park 2015 concert season with South-ern Splendor Mens Chorus at 6:00PM and Miss Lil-

lian Glanton at 7:00PM. For more information: 256-232-5411 or visit www.visitathensal.com/3/singin-on-the-square.htmApr 18th — Blacksmith Project Artistic Anvil208 Commercial Drive, Athens, AL Students are sug-gested to have taken Basic Blacksmithing but is notrequired. Students will make either grilling tongs ora utensil rack. Students will need to bring their owngloves and be prepared to wear safety glasses, cot-ton long-sleeve shirts, long pants, leather high topboots. Instructors: Travis Fleming & Al Stephens;From 8:00AM-4:00PM. Cost is $79.00.athens.edu/cll/personal-interest.php?category=PIApr 18th — Athens-Limestone County MasterGardeners’ Plant Sale Athens-Limestone FarmersMarket, Green Street, Athens, AL Join the Master Gar-deners for their plan sale from 8:00AM-12:00PMwhere you can purchase a variety of plants for yourhome and garden.Apr 18th — Eli’s Block Party - Car Show LindsayLane Baptist Church 1300 Lindsay Lane, Athens, ALPresented by Champion Chevrolet of Athens — Opento all cars and trucks plus lots of fun for the wholefamily - music food vendors from 9:00AM-3:00PMbenefitting St. Jude’s. Mater Prater performs at1:30PM.

Apr 18th — Walk for Autism 2015 - AthensAthens High School 100 U.S. Highway 31N, Athens,AL The walk for Autism is the single most powerfulfundraising event in April that unifies thousands ofparticipants statewide in support of the missions andprojects of the Autism Socity. You can join this effortat 9:30AM at Athens High School. For more infor-mation, please visit www.walkforautismal.comApr 18th — Center For Lifelong Learning DayTrip: Annual Bloomin’ Festival - Cullman Center forLifelong Learning 121 South Marion Street, Athens,AL Join the CLL for a day trip that includes a trip to theAva Maria Grotto and the festival departng from theCLL at 9:00AM. The picturesque landscape of stonecut buildings on the grounds of Alabama’s onlyAbbey provides a backdrop for the out-of-doors show.More than 140 booths are filled with artists demon-strating and exhibiting their work. The festival is thelargest fundraiser annually for the operation andmaintenance of the school. Fee includes transporta-tion, entry ticket to the festival and grotto. Lunch is onyour own. Fee is $55.00 per person. Pre-registrationand payment required. For more information or tomake reservations: 256-233-8262

TheFloor Gallery

25065 US HWY 72 Athens, AL 356133 miles East of I-65 in big tan building

256-216-9055

Owners, Steve & Wanda Clutts

For Friendly Service andTop Quality Flooring

Come by The Floor Gallery

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Come by The Floor Gallery

April 10, 2015 the valley star

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I’m happy to report that thespring turkey hunting seasonthat opened last week in Lime-

stone County appears to be backto normal.

Many local hunters that I havetalked to sincethe seasonopened, said theyare seeing andhearing plenty ofbirds, both hensand gobblers.That is good news

for all of you turkey hunters in thecounty.

Turkey hunting over the past twoto three years has not been good,and that led the state to conducta survey last year to determinewhat had happened to the birds.

The turkey hunting seasonstarted at daybreak April 1 andcontinues until dusk on April 30.

A Montgomery biologist last yearrequested state game and fish of-ficials to look into the decliningnumbers in the wild turkey popu-lation in northern Alabama in-cluding Limestone County. Thereis a big concern of what has hap-pened to them, said state conser-vation officer Wendell Fulks whois stationed in Limestone County.A biologist in Montgomery re-quested the survey to determinethe cause of the decline in turkeynumbers.

Fulks said recently that whilethere is no definite reason whythe numbers declined, biologistsbelieve the birds may have devel-

oped a disease from grain thatwas spread on the ground prior tohunting season.

Hunters have complained thepast three years that turkey hunt-ing has been a disaster in Lime-stone County and surroundingcounties including Giles County,Tenn. Some hunters first blamedit on the weather because if youwill remember two of the threeyears we had a very mild Marchand a cold April, the month thestate allows us to hunt the wildbirds. But last year it was perfectweather to hunt and still no birds.

The big rebound this year is a bigindication that the birds are back.Let’s just hope it stays that wayfor years to come.

THE SONNY SIDE by Sonny Turnerby Sonny Turnerby Sonny Turner

Publisher/Editor in ChiefSonny Turner

[email protected]

Co-Publisher/PhotographyDanny Johnson

[email protected]

Copy EditorDebra Johnson

[email protected]

OwnersChris Shindorf

and Bob Teaven

Advertising staff:Sonny Turner@256-431-5498,Danny Johnson@256-874-7571Kathy Thornton@256-777-1425

Sonny Turner

The birds are back!Turkey season off to a good start this year

THE VALLEY

STAR


NIP & TUCK FLORISTWEDDINGS BY JEANNIE



JEANNIE T PIRTLE | FULL SERVICE FLORIAL DESIGN808 US HWY 72 WEST | ATHENS AL 35611 | 256-232-4640 FLORIST

[email protected] | FACEBOOK PAGE: Weddings By Jeannie





Roses for yourSweet Valentine

$29.99dozen

Jeannie purchased the florist in July,2014 and has been running the op-erations since.

Remodeling is now underway, a newsign, fresh paint inside and out. Alsoa new meeting space is planned forwedding planning.

Nip & Tuck has fresh live flowers instock for purchase, special order bulkfresh or silk flowers available, freshand silk funeral sprays, baskets andfamily pieces, novelties, framed pic-tures and collegiate trimmings forarrangements, and live plants rang-ing from $15 to $75.

Nip & Tuck offers free delivery to hos-pital, nursing homes, funeral homesand all businesses.

Services offered by Nip &Tuck in-

clude full service event planning, flo-ral décor for corporate events, fullservice floral design for weddings,free consultation, and during theSpring and on Mother's Day they willhave fresh shipments of hanging bas-kets and blooming pots.

If you need a florist,call Jeannie at 256-232-4640. Visit

them on Facebook at www.face-book.com/pages/NipandTuck-

Florist/782235705159309or go to Weddings by Jeannie at

www.facebook.com/pages/Weddings-by-Jeannie/198434296897251.

Nip & Tuck continued from front page

ASU Athenian Players to present Modern American One Acts

The Athenian Players of AthensState University present pro-ductions of a grouping of

modern American one act plays bySusan Gaspell and Eugene O’Neill.The plays will include “Trifles” and“The Outside” by Glaspell, and“The Web,” “Before Breakfast,”and “The Rope,” by O’Neill.These vignettes, directed by Assis-tant Professor of Drama Dr. HughLong, will be held in McCandlessHall on the Athens State Campus.

Gaspell was as an AmericanPulitzer Prize-winning playwright,actress, novelist, and journalistwho is known to have composednine novels, fifteen plays, over fiftyshort stories. O’Neill was the firstAmerican dramatist to regard the

stage as a literary medium and thefirst U.S. playwright to receive theNobel Prize for Literature.

Performances will run Thursday,Friday and Saturday April 16, 17,and 18 and Thursday, Friday andSaturday April 23, 24, and 25 at7:30 p.m. A matinee performancewill be held on Sunday April 19 at2:00 p.m. Admission will becharged at the door and is $10.00per person, $7.00 for students andseniors.

Dr. Kimberly Jack will design cos-tumes; Tracy Szappan will serve asStage Manager; and VictoriaCochran as Technical Director.

More information can be found atwww.athens.edu/athenianplayers.


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Athens State art students take top prizes in state contest

Public Library hosting art exhibit by students at Ardmore

Winners have been an-nounced in a statewide2015 Ability Counts

Poster Competition sponsored byThe Alabama Department of Re-habilitation Services. For the sec-ond year in a row the top threeawards in the Postsecondary Divi-sion will be presented to AthensState University art departmentstudents.

Receiving 1st Place in the Post-secondary Division was AllenMeeks. 2nd Place was awarded toPatricia Jones. 3rd Place went toDrew Davidson. All three studentswill receive cash prizes, are jun-iors, and are Art majors with agraphic design track.

The purpose of this competition isto reward artistic ability and to pro-

mote awareness of the talents thatpeople with disabilities bring to thejob market. This year’s themewas: Expect. Employ. Empower.“Every student enrolled in thecourse completed an entry to thecompetition as part of the courselessons, “ said Pamela Keller, Pro-fessor of Art at Athens State whotaught the students in her AdobeIllustrator Design course. “Theseare three outstanding examples ofposter design and reflect the over-all high quality of every member ofthe class.”

The Athens State University art de-partment is housed in the Ala-bama Center for the Arts inDecatur, Alabama.

Winning poster by Allen Meeks.

The Athens-Limestone Public Li-brary is hosting an exhibit of art-work created by students ofArdmore High School April 2 –16, 2015. The exhibit, entitledNot Invisible, contains multi-media art works inspired byHolocaust victims and sur-vivors. This is the first time the

art work has been displayedand the Library is planning ac-tivities to coincide with the ex-hibit. An opening reception willbe held on April 2nd, at 6:00pm. The Executive Library Di-rector, Paula Laurita remarkedthat this exhibit is, “exactly whythe Library is here... to educate

and enlighten. How we remem-ber and learn from the Holo-caust speaks to our humanity.”A closing reception will be heldon April 16th at 6:00 pm., in-cluding a discussion panel on“Lessons from the Holocaust forToday.” For more informationtelephone 256-232-1233.

Athens-Limestone County

Home Builders Association

7th Annual Bass TournamentIngalls Boat Harbor - Wheeler Lake

Saturday, April 25th, 2015 • Safe Light until 3:00 P.M.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

Flanagan Lumber ...............................................................................$2000

Persell Lumber & Mill .......................................................................$1500

City of Athens Gas Dept. .................................................................$1000

McClary Ford ...........................................................................................$750

Inline Lighting and Electrical......................................................................$500

Collins Supply ...................................................................................................................$450

Morell Engineering ........................................................................................................$400

Park Supply........................................................................................................................$350

Grayson Carter & Son Contracting .........................................................................$300

Warrior Tractor & Equip. ..............................................................................................$250

Bobby Terry Company ..................................................................................................$225

Athens Glass Company ................................................................................................$200

EMW Construction Inc. .................................................................................................$175

Hughes Gas Piping & Repair......................................................................................$150

Grayson Bailey Landscaping .....................................................................................$125

www.athenslimestonehba.org

Early Entry Fee:$100.00 per boat

BIG Fish Pot:$10.00 (Optional)

$9,375

Guaranteed

Payout

WEIGH-IN SPONSORED BY:

First National Bank

Troy Elmore Realty and Auction

Hall’s Concrete Finishing

TR Electrical LLC

$500 Gift Certificate

Give-a-Way

Donated by

Special Thanks To:

Lowe’s ofAthens

$250Big Bass Bonus

Sponsored by:Patsy Gooch Century 21

In Memory of SKIDADDY

$250Big SmallmouthThe Elmore Team

Roger, David & Deborah

Special21st Place Prize

Sponsored by

D&D Marine

Special Thanks To:Ken Griffin @

Southern Satellites256-232-6445

Special Thanks To:

Holts PestControl

16th, 17th, 18th, 19th & 20th Places = $100SPONSORED BYTerrell Carden Home BuildersKeith Griffin Home BuildersPreston Green Home BuildersCapstone Custom HomesStrickland Home Builders

We would also like to gratefully acknowledge all of our other fine sponsors:M.E.W.S. & Shea Leigh’sSouthern Valley ServicesBank IndependentBailey’s Pest ControlNixon’s Cabinet CompanyBishop’s FlooringAthens Fence CompanyJ&R Sheet MetalLawLers BBQ306 BBQWhitt’s BBQ DecaturHickory Barn BBQIsbell Concrete


The 2015 Robotics Team at theLimestone County Career Tech-nical Center recently competed

in the Bayou Regional in Kenner,Louisiana. The Rockets advanced tothe semifinals and finished 4th outof 59 teams from all over the US.

Special recognition to:•Team 34 Dean’s List StudentAward Nominee: Rachel Long•Team 34 Woodie Flowers MentorAward Nominee: Mr. Trevor Harris

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recogni-tion of Science and Technology) isan exciting, multinational competi-tion that partners professional adultmentors with young people to solveengineering design problems in anintense and competitive way. Theprogram is a life-changing, career-shaping experience and a lot of funfor students and teachers. It is de-signed to promote interests and ca-reers in science, technology,engineering, and mathematics(STEM) and inspire them to be lead-ers in those areas. FIRST buildsSTEM skills that inspire innovationand foster well-rounded life capabil-ities including self-confidence, com-munication, and leadership.

FIRST Robotics is the ultimate“Sport for the Mind”.

The Robotics Team is comprised ofstudents from all 6 LimestoneCounty high schools and Athens

High School and who attend theLimestone County Career TechnicalCenter in various career technicalprograms and the high school giftededucation program. Any studentwho attends LCTC has the opportu-nity to become a member of theTeam 34.

For further information about therobotics team, you can visit the

school website at www.careertech-nical.org or the team website at

team34rockets.weebly.com.

For further information on addi-tional FIRST programs, visit

www.usfirst.org.

Education Mentors/Team Contacts:

Ms. Monica McConnell;[email protected];

256-710-2941

Ms. Debbie Wilson:[email protected]

Mr. Casey Wigginton:[email protected]

Team members solicited businessand industry sponsorships/grantsand conducted multiple fundraisersfor operational expenses for theteam. We are currently seeking torenew existing business/industrypartnerships and grants and to so-licit additional partners for fundingopportunities.

Team 34 is accepting a challengefrom within to help promote andspread FIRST robotics programsthroughout Limestone CountySchools, our surrounding counties,and the state of Alabama. Our teamwill be available to non-profit civicand leadership organizations forpresentations. Our team is continu-ally growing and striving to reach outto younger students to further pro-mote the STEM interest at an earlierage.

2015 Robotics Team Members:Kaitlyn AbernathyBlake BennettJonathan BrownSarah ChristopherColeman CookBrooklyn CraigMichael FarrisLily HallSeth HarrisEmily HornAl IshamTristan JaySharan KaurJordan KearnsRachel LongMENTORS:Monica McConnellLanise OligeeCasey WiggintonDebbie WilsonBob GabrysTrevor HarrisRick HarrisGrant ReevesChris SouthardPatrick Shields Zane OligeeSalma PereznegronLance PerryLevi PipesTyler PressnellPresley Price Carolina RodriguezRiley ShafferLauren SimpsonMcKenzie StoreyLevi Terry -*Team CaptainKarlie TurnerKaylee Wilson

Limestone Rockets place in national contest

Our Robotics Team - known as Team 34 The Rockets- is comprised

of students from all over the county in grades 9-12.

By: Danny Johnson

Bass fishing has been goodthis spring on Wheeler Lake.I have competed in a couple

of tournaments held in March thisyear and big weights were neededto take first place. It has taken a5 fish limit bumping the scales at24 pound to win first place. Inpast years, 18 to 20 pounds wasall that was needed to win. Theneed for bigger bass this year is agood indicator the 80 year oldlake is still producing some goodbass.

The benefit tournament held GoodFriday by the West Limestone

summer ball league had a goodturnout of fishermen. Over 75boat teams competed in the Fri-day tournament despite the fore-cast for bad weather later in theday. The pre-front bass were bitinggreat, and again it took 24 poundsto take first place honors.

Well known fishermen, Eddie Jew-ell and son Shane, wowed the au-dience with the big bag ofbucketmouth bass. Mark and WillBeutjer took 2nd place with a finecatch going 22 pounds. JerryLawler and I had a shot at big fishhonors with a 6.34 largemouth,but was beaten by a 6.41 fish. After a stormy night, the weather

moved out of the area by daybreak. A strong cold front camethrough, and the Saturday morn-ing fishermen were welcomed withcolder temperatures and a stiffNorth West wind. Fishers of MenTournament held the Saturdayevent out of Ingalls Harbor. Thecompetition field was comprisedof 48 boats. The cold weatherand brisk wind to deal with, gavethe anglers a challenge to catchfish.

Just like the day before, good bagsof fish were caught, and it tookover 20 pounds to take 1st place.Will Beutjer and fishing partner,Braden Preston, despite the condi-

tion sacked up a big catch. Sev-eral other good bags of fish wereweighed in including a nice small-mouth.

The tournament competition al-lows one to compete with some ofthe best talent in the North Ala-bama area. Fishing is fun, butalso getting to fellowship with fish-ing friends is very rewarding .Some of us have been fishingagainst each other for over 40years. We are getting older, butthe competition is always gettingmore competitive. Our young fish-ermen are amazing, and thesport lives on through them. Besafe, wear your pfd, and respectothers on the waters.

OUTDOORS with Danny Johnson

Wheeler Lake Bass Tournament weights up for 2015


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Will Beutjer and Braden Preston Fishers of Men tournament.

Lacey and Andrew Lambert with a nice catch

Jim and Joe Garrie with a nice smallmouth


SCHOOL BELLS by Debra Johnsonby Debra Johnsonby Debra Johnson

Athens Intermediate School6th graders recently visitedCamp McDowell Environ-

mental Center near Jasper, AL fora 3 day field trip. Camp McDow-ell website states - “At the Mc-Dowell Environmental Center, ourcurriculum is more than a walk inthe woods, although it may startthere. We believe experientialclasses help students to betterunderstand the natural world,leading them to a sense of re-sponsibility for it. Focused onbasic ecological concepts, thecurriculum is hands-on and ourclassroom is the great outdoors,giving students the greatest op-portunity to learn about them-selves and their environment. “

Fifty campers and 5 chaperonesleft Athens Intermediate Schoollast Wednesday making the inau-gural trip to Camp McDowell.

Students spent the night in cab-ins and explored hiking trails,identified critters in ponds andstreams, and learned about foodwaste and reduction. Other activi-ties included team-building exer-cises and goal-setting through theTrust Swing. Nighttime classeswere made up of skit night by acampfire, games focusing oncommunication, and student in-ventions which covered sciencestandards.

Certified Camp McDowell instruc-tors led all of the classes.

This was truly a unique learningexperience for the students. Thispossibly will become an annualopportunity for the 6th graders atAIS. The 5th graders have the op-portunity to experience theDauphin Island field trip eachyear. Both provide a “hands on”learning experience from nature.

Nature’s field trip

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Jack Tregoning learns about ani-mal environments during

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Ella Romine faces her fearson the trust swing.

AIS students at camp.


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YEARS AGO IN LIMESTONE COUNTYYEARS AGO IN LIMESTONE COUNTY by Rebekah DavisLimestone County Archivist

by Rebekah DavisLimestone County Archivist

by Rebekah DavisLimestone County Archivist

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The Athens newspaper head-lines in the summer of 1913used words like “Wonderful

Increase” and “ProgressiveCounty Site.” Athens wasn’t justgrowing, it was booming as moreand more young families chose tomake the town their home.

Between 1900 and 1920, thepopulation of the city of Athensgrew from 1,011 to 3,323, andthe city stretched itself in all di-rections to make room for theboom. By the end of the century’ssecond decade, Athens had anew courthouse that was morethan double the size of its oldone; two new train depots – onefor passengers and one forfreight; a new music hall atAthens College; new store build-ings downtown; and new cottagesas well as larger homes in thecity’s most fashionable newneighborhoods – ColemanHeights on Coleman Hill, andFairview and Pinehurst in what isnow the Houston Historic District.

The town limits had also beenmoved outward to include moreneighborhoods and businesses,which accounted for some of thepopulation growth, but the 70percent increase from 1900 to

1910 was due solely to “naturalgrowth,” or people moving in andgrowing families. The fact that somany young couples were choos-ing Athens as a place to raisetheir families was reflected in theaverage age of the town’s resi-dents by 1913: 27 years, 5months.

On a Friday night in July, 1913,the Athens City Council heardfrom census takers I.B. Lermanand G.G. McCracken about howthe city was growing, and where.The local papers reported on theresults:

Population had grown from1,011 in 1900, to 1,715 in 1913,to 2,693 in 1913.The 978-person increase in theprior three years was primarilydue to the extension of the corpo-rate limits.Population breakdown:929 white males, 1,016 whitefemales, 342 “colored” males,406 “colored” females.Of those, 538 were street taxpayers and 529 were voters.One very helpful resource at theLimestone County Archives is aroll of microfilm containing theSanborn Maps of Athens from

1882 to 1934. Originally createdto show the layouts of buildings indowntown areas for fire insur-ance assessment, these mapsmake it easy to see the boominggrowth of the city of Athens dur-ing this time frame as morestreets, businesses and homesare marked on each successivemap.

The footprint of the LimestoneCounty Courthouse on thesemaps is a vivid indicator of why anew one was needed by 1916:The 1835 courthouse that hadtook up less than half the spacein the center of the Square that

the current one does. Quite sim-ply, the courthouse was able tosurvive Union occupation, a firethat gutted it, and reconstructionduring Reconstruction, but itcouldn’t survive a town andcounty that grew so fast that itwas bursting at the seams.

The map section pictured is theindex print for the Sanborn Mapof 1910. To see Athens of 1910in more detail, and to compare itthe town of other years and oftoday, come visit us at the Lime-stone County Archives.

Boom Town: Athens population tripled in early 1900s

When Iwasgrow

ing up, sum-mer was myfavorite timeof the year.

There was noschool, weplayed outside

all day, and I got to stay up late.However, as I’ve grown older andno longer have my summers off, Ihave grown to really love spring.All winter we stare at browngrass, bare trees, and endurefreezing temperatures, but whenspring comes along, there is acertain feeling that comes alongwith it. Grass starts turninggreen, flowers begin to bloom,and trees start to fill out. Thereare warmer temperatures and

frequent rain showers. To me,this is beautiful because it repre-sents something new and fresh.It’s almost like God is breathinglife back into His creation.

I don’t think it’s a coincidencethat our seasons go through theprocess of life and death. I am abeliever that God did that on pur-pose to remind us of our ownfragile lives. When we are youngwe are exuberant and full of life,but as we grow old our bodiesbegin to break down and eventu-ally even shut down.

What’s interesting to me is thatour spiritual lives are the exactopposite. As we grow older andour bodies begin to break down,often that’s when our spirituallives begin to soar. It’s no secretthat “all have sinned and fallshort of the glory of God” (Ro-

mans 6:23) and the “wages of sinis death” (Romans 6:23). If thereis sin in our lives that means ourspiritual lives are dead. Sadly, toomany people are satisfied withbeing dead spiritually. We be-come complacent with what weare doing and feel there is noneed to change. We need to wakeup and see that our sin will onlylead to death. Maybe not a physi-cal death, but definitely a spiri-tual one that will last for alleternity.

I’m thankful that God gives us achance to live a spiritually healthylife. Right after Paul tells us thatthe wages of our sin is death, hereminds us about the gift of God;“For the wages of sin is death,but the gift of God is eternal lifein Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans6:23). Sin leads us to spiritual

death, but God leads us to eter-nal life. Paul described it this way,“Or do you not know that as manyof us as were baptized into ChristJesus were baptized into Hisdeath? Therefore we were buriedwith Him through baptism intodeath, that just as Christ wasraised from the dead by the gloryof the Father, even so we alsoshould walk in newness of life”(Romans 6:3-4). It’s out with theold life of sin and in with the newlife of Christ. Paul tells us thatonly happens through baptism.

There is no better time thannow to start living your life forGod. As we transition from winterto spring, think of all the new lifethis earth is about to show us.Maybe God is trying to send you amessage. You can start your newlife today. It’s like spring cleaningfor your soul.

SEARCHING FOR TRUTH by Kevin Harrington, Marion Street Chuch of Christby Kevin Harrington, Marion Street Chuch of Christ


Kevin

Harrington

1910 Hwy 31 SouthAthens, AL 35611

(256) 232-5500

We have everything you need to getyour lawn and garden ready this spring!

OPEN: Monday-Friday 7am-5pmSaturday 7am-Noon

Seeds • Plants • Bulk Soil/Mulch

Bonnie Plants and Garden Seed

10% offMust present

coupon.

MarionStreetchurch of Christ

124 N. Marion Street

256-232-1786

Website: www.marionstreet.org

Radio Program:

Sunday Mornings at 10:30 a.m.

on WKAC 1080

Services

Sunday - Manor Service 8:30 a.m.

Worship 9:30 a.m.

Bible Class 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday - Bible Class 6:30 p.m.

Evangelist - Kevin Harrington

Out with the old, in with the new

We always looked forwardto an early Spring andthe first mess of fresh

cooked polk salad, and goingdown to the creek fishing for redeye and catfish. These weresome of the spring time pleas-

ures we enjoyedas boys growingup in the holler.Aunt Bessie wouldcome over a cou-ple of times aweek and ask,“Boys, be on the

look out for some tender, freshpolk salad. “ Fence rows andblown down treed were a goodplace to start looking for thespring time green. The south hillsided were the first to offer thestalks of polk salad. The sunwarmed the south side of thehills first, resulting in the firstwarm soil to sprout the desiredtreat.

Dalton said he had found a bigpatch of polk salad in a newground where a fence row hadbeen cleaned out with a bull-dozer. The spot we had found wason the Johnson property, andAunt Bessie said, “Boys, ya’ll besure to ask Mr. Johnson beforegoing on his property.” The polkspot was located on the back

side of his place, and we didn’twant to get tied up talking to Mr.Johnson. It would take a half daygetting away from this man be-cause he liked to talk. Humpysaid. “Shoot, let’s just go andpick the polk salad. Nobody willever know.” We made plans to goearly Tuesday morning and pickthe greens before Mr. Johnsonhad a chance to know we wereever around his property.

Bright and early on Tuesday wegot some grocery sacks andmade our way to the locationwhere the polk salad was grow-ing. We had been there about 30minutes when a 12 gauge shotgun blasted, scaring us out of ourskins. Dalton starting running forthe woods when this deep voiceyelled, “Come back here youthief! I ought to shoot all of ya’ll.”He went on to say, “People nowdays just think they can come onyour property and take what theywant. I’ve had my eye on this spotfor a couple of weeks. Now, youbirds have come and stolen mypolk salad.”

Mr. Johnson said, “Your AuntBessie asked me at church lastSunday for a mess of polk salad,and I said it would be alright topick some. Bu, I asked her to letyou boys come by and ask me

first just for the oppor-tunity to teach youyoungsters some com-mon courtesy. I like tohave someone to talkto now and then sincemy wife died last Feb-ruary. It’s just me andole Blackie now thatlive on my farm. OleBlackie is a good lis-tener, but I needsomeone to talk backto me every now andthen.”

The elderly man said,“Go on and continueto pick a mess of polksalad. I was just hav-ing a little fun out of you boys.” Ifelt pretty bad after hearing Mr.Johnson’s side of the story andinvited him over next Sunday forour lunch meal which consistedof fried chicken , baked tatersand yes, a big pot of polk saladand eggs cooked up to perfectionserved with a hot pone of cornbread. Mr. Johnson said the

grace and seemed to enjoy thefood and company we sharedthat afternoon. From that timeon, I made it a point to go by andtalk to the older man anytime Ihad a chance. We became goodfriends, and I learned a lot abouta neighbor I barely knew beforethe time he got our attention witha 12 gauge shotgun.

UNCLE BONDEE’S ADVENTURES by Uncle Bondeeby Uncle Bondee

Uncle Bondee


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Springtime and a good mess of polk salad


FHLBA Home Improvements GrantsFor Low Income Veteran Homeowners

What does the Grant Cover:

Provides up to $12,500 or $15,000 (15-20% used for processing fees) in grant funding for

weatherization, energy efficient and/or handicap accessibility improvements of an

existing owner-occupied home. Grant funding does not require repayment as long as the

homeowner does not sell the home or do a cash-out refinance within 5 years. Eligible

improvements include exterior doors, HVAC systems, insulation, water heaters, roofs,

windows, low-flow plumbing fixtures, exterior ramps and sidewalks, bathroom and kitchen

renovations (for handicap accessibility), door widening, floor replacement, and other general

repairs. The grant starts at $12,500 for all veterans/active military, but goes up to $15,000

for veterans/active military who have served in an Overseas Military Intervention Environ-

ment. As a FHLB member bank, Reliance Bank, processes and facilities applications for the

counties listed below.

Please note: We can only work applications that are requesting the above rehabilitation work. The

FHLB cannot fund applications for removable improvements such as dishwashers, refrigerators,

washers, dryers, or air conditioning window units.

Who Qualifies:

1. Veterans, active duty members of any branch of the U.S. military, or their surviving spouse

2. Household Income: The household income must be below the following limits

3. Homeowners: You must have owned and occupied the subject property for at least 30 days

4. Intent to Occupy the Property for Five Years: Each applicant must sign a Security Agree-

ment that is attached to the title for five years. If the home is sold or a cash-out refinance is

done over the five year period, then there is a possibility the grant will have to be repaid. The

amount on the Security Agreement (amount to be paid payback if sold, etc) decreases 20%

each year over the five year period. This is to prevent fraud and abuse of the grant program.

Number of People in theHousehold

1Person

2Person

3Person

4Person

5Person

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7Person

Madison & Limestone County $39,050 $44,640 $50,240 $55,760 $60,250 $64,720 $69,200

Morgan, Marshall, andLawrence County

$30,300 $34,600 $38,950 $43,300 $46,750 $50,200 $53,650

Please pick up Applications @ CGS Construction, located at 218 S. Madison St., Athens, AL 256-233-3400 or 256-431-7917

Required with Application: copy of your deed, DD-214, and if a surviving spouse, a marriage and death certificate.


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So call or email us today to schedule your appointment.

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Jefferson Street at Green Street

Athens, AL 35611

256-232-1130

Our #1 goal is to provide the best legal representationfor each and every person that we work with.



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- Workman’s Compensation

- 18-Wheeler Accidents

- Products Liability

• Social Security Disability

• General Law- Litigation

- Corporate and LLC Formations

- Real Estate Closings & Title Insurance

- Landlord — Tenant Matters

- Real Property Issues

• Family Law- Divorce

- Guardianship

- Custody

- Wills and Probate

James M. Corder

[email protected]

No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the legal services performed by other lawyers.

Mitch Shelly

[email protected]

Zac Burgreen

[email protected]

DEB’S Delights by Debra Johnsonby Debra Johnsonby Debra Johnsonby Debra Johnson

Crock Pot Chicken and Dressing


We are offering you BIG SAVINGS NOW!!

2 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU.Hwy. 72 in Athens, across from Walmart • 256-771-2990

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Mon-Fri 9:00am–6:00pmSat 9:00am–1:00pm • Sun Closed

valleypoolsofmadison.com

With Spring around the corner, this would be the time to start thinkingabout that NEW POOL, NEW POOL LINER, or convert to SALT WATERand we're here to JUMP START your Spring. Maybe you were thinkingabout replacing your liner, going ahead with a salt system, upgradingyour cleaner, or filtration system, or sand change.

We also have great Spring Dealsto offer with a purchase of a NEW POOL

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Come see Kayla for more details — We want to help you start early and save money!Remember FREE water testing and 20% off every Thursday and 2 locations to serve you.

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1/2 cup butter (melted)1 cup chopped onion1 cup chopped celery2 tsp sage1 tsp poultry seasoning1/2 tsp marjoram1/2 tsp thyme1/2 tsp salt1/4 tsp pepper1 well beaten egg1 large pan cornbread(crumbled)1 chickenchicken broth

Mix up your favorite cornbread in-gredients and add the choppedonions and celery before baking.Bake, cool, then crumble. Cookchicken and save broth. Add sea-sonings, egg, and melted butter

to crumbled cornbread. Pour inenough broth to stir easily. Addboned chicken and stir. Coat

crock pot with spray oil and pourchicken and dressing into pot.Cook on High for 1 hour, then on

Low until done to preferred con-sistency. (2 to 4 hours)

by Flo Doughtyby Flo Doughtyby Flo Doughty


The definition of unsung herois, “a person who makes asubstantive yet unrecognized

contribution”. Our community hasa group of unsung heroes who areout quietly making a difference inthe lives of others and they areThe Optimist Club of Athens.

You may not hear much about thisgroup who are busily out in thecommunity providing opportunitiesfor our children to excel. The Opti-mist Club of Athens is a nonprofitorganization whose motto is “Bring-ing Out the Best in Kids”. They areout raising money and providingkids with opportunities that wouldotherwise not be available.

They have helped Savvy Kids Fit-ness multiple times by sponsoringchildren to participate who couldnot afford to do so otherwise andbuying equipment so that the chil-dren can have a fun and highquality program.

My son recently participated in theOptimist Club Regional OratoricalCompetition in Birmingham andFOUR members of the OptimistClub of Athens drove to Birming-ham to cheer him on! They alsoprovide funds that make thisevent even possible. These arejust some of the MANY things thisorganization does!

When you see the Optimist Clubconcession trailer at festivals andevents around the community besure to support them becausethey are going to take that supportand use it to make a difference inthe lives of others! And, you willnever hear them boast about it.That’s just how they are, quietlygoing about doing so much good!Here is a list of other great thingsthey do:

Youth Appreciation Banquet – rec-ognizes several well roundedyouth emphasizing character andcommunity serviceRespect for Law Week – conces-sion trailer is used to bring lunchto the Sheriff’s Department, PoliceDepartment, Fire Department and

numerous other county and cityemployees in Athens and Ardmore.Octagon Club of Athens HighSchool – Athens Optimist Clubsponsors this 40+ member youthclub which emphasizes commu-nity service.Junior Golf Tournament – An an-nual golf tournament is held eachyear for youth between the agesof 10 and 18 with the winnergoing to the Alabama-MississippiDistrict Tournament in Hatties-burg, Mississippi, and hopefullythe International Tournament atthe PGA Course in Florida.Foster Children’s Birthday Project– Every foster child 13 and overreceives a birthday card from theOptimist club containing a $25Wal-Mart gift card.Essay Contest – The Optimist In-ternational Essay Contest is opento all youth 19 and under to en-courage their writing skills and of-fers cash prizes and scholarshipsup to $2500 (District Winner).Full Tummy Project – The clubmakes an annual cash/food do-nation to enable those school chil-dren on the free-lunch program tohave access to food when schoolis not in session.Senior Breakfast – The club cov-ers the cost of a breakfast forgraduating Seniors on Class Dayat Athens High School. A formergraduate serves as the motiva-tional speaker.Christmas Charities – The clubprovides the Christmas presentsfor several foster children thatwould otherwise not be provided.Back to School Project – Back-packs and school supplies areprovided for numerous foster chil-dren.Christmas Float – The Float con-taining Santa’s Sleigh is providedannually.Hugh O’Brian Youth Foundation –The club covers the annual costfor a deserving student to partici-pate in the motivational weekend.

Communication Contest for TheDeaf and Hard of Hearing – theclub furnishes funds to help de-fray the expenses of this DistrictContest.Funds are donated to AthensState University, Julian NewmanElementary School, and Lindsay

Lane Christian Academy throughjoint fund raisers.

If you’d like information on gettinginvolved in the Optimist Club andjoining with them in making a dif-ference in our community you can

contact Jim Minor at256-233-7977.

Optimist Club doing great things for Athens Community

Emily Leopard after she won the $2500 college scholarship in theOptimist Oratorical Competition in 2014.

Savvy Kids Fitness class posing with equipment bought by the Op-timist Club of Athens.

When you are asking yourhorse for a yield,whether it is for forward,

backward or sideways, does yourhorse understandwhat you’re ask-ing? Are you ask-ing correctly?What I tell my stu-dents is, (speak-ing about

softness) start as light as youwant your horse to be but gowhere your horse needs you togo to help it learn. What I meanby that, you have to rememberyou are teaching your horse, nottrying to make your horse.

If you are trying to make yourhorse you have already lost thegame and the respect of yourhorse and you will have to startbig every time. This is whatmakes horses heavy and hard towork with, when we begin tooheavy.

What I mean by start with howsoft you want your horse to be isto start as light as possible andthen begin to escalate your pres-sure slowly and as soon as yourhorse tries (and I mean if he

leans away from the pressure)stop the pressure immediately. Al-ways begin with the lightest pres-sure possible and add pressureslowly to where your horse needsit and soon your horse will be re-sponding at the lightestpoint. Don’t start too heavy withthe make mentality. In my teach-ings, it’s not about the horsedoing what I ask in the beginning,it’s about it learning the conceptof what I’m doing.

I always begin on the groundteaching the horse yields frompressure. It learns the conceptand when in the saddle it under-stands the pressure and re-sponds to it from what wastaught from the ground.

Know how to teach your horsefrom the ground to disengage,sideways, turn on the hindquar-ters, back up from leg pressure,etc. If you get this good for yourhorse, you may not need to pickup your reins. Wouldn’t that benice? No more head shaking orhead bobbing fighting the bit nomore foaming at the mouth, theirmouth is kept tender.

Give this a try from the ground

first. I have never seen anyonestrong enough to push anything,let alone a horse, while setting onit. This is true ground work. Thisis the concept we teach you toteach your horse.

If you want to know more aboutthis concept, get in touch with usat KIN Stables or enroll in one ofour many “Skills LearningSchools”. JimSwanner.com

Jim Swanner13124 Carter RoadAthens, AL 35611www.JimSwanner.comEnjoying Horses throughCommunication256.874.6781Host ‘All About Horses’ radioWKAC 1080 AM(Streaming atwww.WKAC1080.com)Member: Board of Director Ala-bama Horse CouncilOwner KIN Stables - Horse Board-ing FacilitySpeaker, Writer, ClinicianHorsemanship SessionsRiding LessonsPersonal page...www.facebook.com/jim.swan-ner.9 Professional Page...www.facebook.com/JimSwanner

HORSE SENSEHORSE SENSEHORSE SENSE by Jim Swannerby Jim Swannerby Jim Swanner


Jim Swanner

Does your horse understand?

did you get the propane service you deservedthrough these last winter days?

If not, call LOCAL PEOPLES GAS at 256-230-3600

or FERGUSON L.P. GAS at 256-423-3320.

Offering great service and fair prices,with professional personnel!

If you are a pre-pay customer of theirs, you cancount on them to honor your pre-buy price no

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Check us out at facebook.com/jandgvariety

Come check us out! We have something for everyone!Come see the tool side, we now carry everything for welding, including the gases!

Our new spring flowers have arrived andwe’re busting at the seams with inventory!

Come pick your flowers while they are fresh! Cemetery Vase Inserts starting at $25.00Cemetery Saddles starting at $18.00 Funeral Sprays starting at $35.00

See us for all your memorial needs! We keep hundreds of vase insert, saddles, sprays and palls instock for you to chose from. You can also pick out your flowers and we can custom design your

arrangement to your liking (please allow plenty of time for us to do your customs).

Bushes starting at .79 cents

Wide Mesh Ribbon 21" x 10yd $7.88

BUYING ◊ SELLING ◊ RENTING ◊ BUILDING … WE HAVE THE SOLUTION!

218 South Madison Street • Athens, AL 35611Phone (256) 233-3400

Toll Free 1-877-311-ARES (2737)Fax: (256) 233-3422

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HEATHER GREEN

Realtor(256) 874-1147

LARRY SCHRIMSHER, ABR

Assoc. Broker(256) 431-2401

CLIFF MANSELL

Broker(256) 777-5170

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305 SW Woodridge Drive

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21747 David Drive

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Realtor(256) 431-7916

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Realtor(256) 777-0412

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"No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performedis greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers."

205 West Washington Street • P.O. Box 1061

Athens, Alabama 35612

256.233.3377 Phone • 256.233.3232 Fax

[email protected]

Growchurch continued from page 24Colossians 2:7 says, “Let your rootsgrow into Him and draw up nourish-ment from Him, so you will grow infaith, strong and vigorous in thetruth you were taught. Let your livesoverflow with thanksgiving for all Hehas done.”

A life-giving church overflows from arelationship with God. Churchshould be a place where lives aretransformed, families are strength-ened, wounds are healed, and peo-ple experience an encounter withthe living and present God. In manyplaces, “religion” is so powerful, thatpeople don’t even know what a rela-tionship with God looks like.

“Religion controls people. It’s basedon an if/then understanding. That’snot why Jesus came. That’s notwhat God has promised each one ofus,” he said.

The Breslows have been serving inministry for the past eight years in

Phoenix, Ariz. and Southern Califor-nia. Last summer, through a seriesof events, “God did, what God does,”says Jonathan, “and we knew thatGod had finally called us here to Al-abama. We are so blessed to be inthis beautiful place, reunited withfamily that have lived in Athens-Limestone and Lauderdale countiessince 1812.”

Together with a few other families,and young singles who have a God-given passion for the growchurchmission and for Northern Alabama,they are forming a launch team forgrowchurch, which will begin holdingservices this fall.

September 20th is the launch datefor growchurch, which may seem likea long ways off, but for the Breslows,there is much to do between nowand then. Most importantly: get theword out and grow…the team.

“We have heard from a lot of people,

that they are anxious to see a churchthat is not a place where you dressup with a smile, hoping that some-thing will get through to you, but aplace where you can speak yourworst truths, share your fears, yourhopes, and dreams, and know thatyou still belong to something biggerthan yourself. A place where youcan find your Redeemed Purposethat God has for you and live a lifefulfilled! After all, it’s God promiseto each of us.

“People want to be themselves; peo-ple want to experience God, be-cause they are created toexperience God in real ways, andcreated to experience God withother people. Some of the most im-portant people to all of us are family– kin. Especially our children. That’swhy growchurch puts a paramountimportance on having a dynamicand inspiring children’s ministry

where they can learn the four-foldvalues: Love God. Love People. DoYour Best. Have Fun!”

Breslow said the team is workinghard to get the word out that Godhas given them this mission, andanyone who wants to find a littlemore about this move of God takingplace is invited to come meet, askquestions, and find out more in afun, and no pressure environment.

The first interest/vision meeting willbe a Nacho party on April 16th, atthe Popular Place at 16100 PoplarCreek Road in Athens. Come havesome great, creative and differentkind of nachos and learn about the“how” of this vision. Childcare will beprovided.

For more information, check out thegrowchurch website: www.grow-church.com, or look for them onfacebook as growchurchone.

For information on advertising256-431-5498, 256-874-7571

or 256-777-1425

THE VALLEY

STAR


When Pastor Jonathan Bres-low and his wife, Amy, tellpeople that they are here

in Northern Alabama to plant achurch, the first question they areasked is, “What kind of church?”The answer is “a life-givingchurch.”

“People usually want to know whatdenomination we are, what our be-liefs are. Those are normal ques-tions to ask. They’ve never heard ofa life-giving church,” says PastorJonathan. “Our statement of faithand church body associations canbe found on our website, but thequestion everyone asks is: ‘What ex-actly is “a life-giving church?’”

It’s not a denomination, doctrine oreven particular style. It exists to dowhat God has called His church todo: “It gives: life. In every detail. Wearen’t life-taking.“

It shouldn’t be just a show on Sun-day (either by the Pastor or thechurch body), Church should not bea place you go because “you haveto,” or a habit of doing “what youhave always done.”— Those thingsare life-taking. Ask yourself, “Whydo I go to church?” The answershould be: “because it gives melife!”

Growchurch has a simple four-pointmission that is soundly and Bibli-cally based on the four promisesthat God gave His People in thebook of Exodus Chapter 6:Verses 6-7.

“We want to see people Saved, De-livered, Redeemed, and Fulfilled.Most people go to church and theyhear about getting saved, and some-times they get delivered, but theydon’t know what it means to live a re-deemed or a fulfilled life. Barna Re-search Group concluded that 87percent of people who attend churchnever get past the first two promises— it’s our passion and mission to haveall people in Northern Alabama andbeyond to live redeemed and fulfilledlives,” says Pastor Jonathan.

“Jesus came that we would have life‘to the full.’ We don’t want to just seepeople get saved; we want them to

know what it means to REALLY livelife. A life-giving church exists to re-move all barriers for people to experi-ence all of God’s promises, not justsome of them.” From the smallest de-tails-like how you do or don’t need to

sign up for a class, to big things likeworship and Bible-centered mes-sages that are engaging.

Colossians 2:7 says, “Let your rootsgrow into Him and draw up nourish-ment from Him, so you will grow in

faith, strong and vigorous in thetruth you were taught. Let your livesoverflow with thanksgiving for all Hehas done.”

continued on page 23

Life-giving church coming to Athens

Amy and Jonathan Breslow

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