If you've ever wondered if Trussville wasa good place to live and raise a family, youcan now rest assured. The August issue ofMoney Magazine, as compiled in partner-ship with CNN/Money, released its 2005findings of the 100 best places to live. Thequaint yet booming city of Trussville waslisted as number 56, beating the glamorous

Santa Barbara, CA and the tourist-packedHollywood, FL. Daphne, AL was number 96.

"I did not have any inclination. It was asurprise to me that we were named in thetop 100, but I'm not surprised that we werein the running," said Harley Willis, TrussvilleChamber of Commerce president.

He added, "On behalf of the businessesof Trussville and the area Chamber ofCommerce, we just want to thank every-body for their support and for their engage-

ment in the community."The Money Magazine and CNN/Money

research team maintained databases ofapproximately 40,000 places in the country,narrowing the entries based on specificqualifications including: location within 30miles of a major teaching hospital, having amajor airport within 60 miles and a popula-tion above 14,000. These and other guide-lines trimmed the list down to a little morethan 1,000 prospects. From those, towns

which fell below the 25th percentile inunemployment, income growth, crime orarts resources were eliminated.

After interviews and more data research,the list was finalized. Moorestown, NJ, withits top schools, good jobs, reasonably-pricedhomes, and quintessential appearancemade for a Normal Rockwell painting, wasnamed the top place to live in America.

Rollin’ down the highwayTrussville, U.S. 11 andtheir history together

Zoning board nixesTrussville Regencyre-zoning plan

Photo by Leigh Ann Shaw

“Oh public road . . . Youexpress me better than Iexpress myself.”

- Walt Whitman, "Song of the Open Road"

In this issue of The Cahaba TIn this issue of The Cahaba Times,imes,we take a look at some of thewe take a look at some of theplaces, faces and stories that haveplaces, faces and stories that haveshaped our city along Highway 11.shaped our city along Highway 11.FFrom Vrom Velma’s to the site of aelma’s to the site of aburned Civil Wburned Civil War wharehouse, therear wharehouse, thereis a lot of history to be discoveredis a lot of history to be discoveredup and down this section of blackup and down this section of blacktop. Below is a list of the storiestop. Below is a list of the storiesincluded in Pincluded in Part 1 of our three-partart 1 of our three-partseries on Useries on U.S. Highway 11 and.S. Highway 11 andTrussville.Trussville.

PPage 5 • age 5 • Cemetery a treasure chest of local lore.Cemetery a treasure chest of local lore.PPage 6 • Tage 6 • Trussville seniors discuss city’s early days.russville seniors discuss city’s early days.PPage 7 • Fage 7 • From humble honkyrom humble honky-tonk to trend karoke.-tonk to trend karoke.PPage 16 • Tage 16 • Trussville’s mark on the Civil Wrussville’s mark on the Civil Warar..

Trussville among nation’s top townsFarah A. Ferguson

The Cahaba Times

August 2005 Trussville, Alabama 16 pages

See, CNN/Money, page 14

Loyd McIntoshThe Cahaba Times

Council to take up zoning planat September 13 meeting

Day 1 for new school system.Page 8.

The Trussville Planning and ZoningBoard voted 4-1 against a proposed devel-opment on the current site of TrussvilleRegency Mobile Home Community duringthe board's August 9 meeting at city hall.

Dozens of residents of the long-timemobile home community on GadsdenHighway arrived at the weekly zoningboard meeting to protest plans to redevel-op the property into a luxury townhomecommunity and commercial develop-ment. Originally known as London Village,Trussville Regency is one of Trussville'sonly trailer parks and has been a regularpart of Trussville life for over 30 years.

Angry at plans to wipe out their com-munity, many residents of TrussvilleRegency were given time to voice theiropinion on the issue of low-income resi-dents being forced out of their homes tomake way for higher income housing.Siding with the residents, the zoning boardvoted not to authorize the rezoning. Theissue is now expected to come before thecity council at their meeting on September13.

For many, the issue came as a surprise,including city councilman Jim Robinson,who says he was unaware of the motion torezone the property until shortly beforethe zoning board meeting. He says, at thistime, there is not enough information

See, Regency, page 16

Commentary . . . . page 2

Education . . . . page 3

Business . . . . page 4

Community . . . . page 8

Sports . . . . page 9

Community . . . . . page 11

Arts & Culture , . . . . page 13

IN

SID

E

2 • The Cahaba Times • August 2005 EDITORIAL

Send your comments to The Cahaba Times by e-mail to editor@thecahabatimes.com

Highway 11 a true gemamong great highways

The late television reporter for CBSCharles Kuralt was, perhaps, the mostfamous open road-infatuated person mostAmericans have heard of. Many of you willremember the'On the Road'segments hehosted on theCBS EveningNews programsfor several years,armed with atelevision cam-era, a bus and astory-teller'ssense of won-der.

Kuralt's mis-sion in those segments was to documentthe hidden of our nation that can only bediscovered by outsiders by hitting the openhighways and byways, back roads and sideroads in search the real America.

It is with this same spirit that we bringyou then next three issues of The CahabaTimes as we attempt to capture a little ofthe history and significance of Highway 11.

U.S. 11 has always held a certain fasci-nation with me. I grew up on MohawkDrive just off Highway 11 as it trims from

four lanes to two on it's way into St. ClairCounty and beyond. The highway played aprominent role in my formative years. Itwas a big deal to me when I was finally oldenough to walk to the old WesternSupermarket (currently to home to Cafe onMain) and spend a few bucks in quartersplaying Ms. Pac Man and Centipede.

As I got older and was competing forplaying time as a soccer player in highschool and college, summers were spentjogging and bike riding up and down US 11and even on the railroad tracks runningparallel to Main Street - much to my moth-er's disapproval.

During winter breaks from classes, Iwould, on occasion, gas up my 1980 FordFairmont and head out on 11 North intoArgo, Springville and points beyond andstopping in some choke-n-puke for a bit toeat and a cup of coffee before taking off onsome side road for an afternoon of sightseeing.

One of my favorite memories is headingout one Saturday in June over 10 years agowith a camera and several rolls of film.During my trip, I was struck by a multi-col-ored mobile home on the side of the high-

Loyd McIntosh

See, McIntosh, page 14

The Cahaba Times • August 2005 • 3EDUCATION

Hewitt-Trussville Middle School News

Breakfast with Principal Dr. Williams will be held at 7:00 am in the media cen-ter on Friday, August 26th .

A PTO Board Meeting will be held at 7 pm at the middle school on August 30th.

Dear Fellow Trussvillians,

It is time - the beginning of the first school year for Trussville City Schools! What anexciting time for Trussville. I look forward to our students return and the beginningof a great year. In addition, I am proud to announce the completion of the newBoard of Education building, a visible and significant reminder that Trussville CitySchools is a reality. Thanks to Mayor Melton, City Council Members, School BoardMembers, and the citizens of this community for planning and preparing for thenew Trussville City Schools. The school system is rapidly expanding. The enrollment projection includes anannual increase of approximately 170 students. A new high school will assist inmeeting this demand. During construction of the new high school, quality modu-lar classrooms will ease crowded conditions at all schools. Though not ideal, thesequality modular classrooms will reduce class sizes and will accommodate a grow-ing student population. We have an opportunity to design our high school to reflect the needs of our citi-zens. Conversations with community and neighborhood meetings will continueregarding how to prepare high school students for college and the workforce. Theseconversations will influence the design of our new high school. I invite you to be apart of this process; your suggestions and input will positively influence studentsfor many generations. If you would like to give input and/or serve on a committee,please call Sandra Vernon at 228-3018 or email her at sandra.vernon@trussvil-lecityschools.com.The staff and I have conducted several community and neighborhood meetings toascertain the hopes and dreams of Trussville citizenry for the school system. I amdelighted with the feedback from our fine citizens. The school system belongs tothe citizens of Trussville and we want to be responsive to your aspirations. As always, I ask that you hold us accountable for providing high quality andauthentic learning opportunities for all of our students. The entire central officestaff and I thank you for your strong support of Trussville City Schools.

Sincerely yours,

Suzanne Freeman, Ph.D.Superintendent

For announcements, information, and employment opportunities, please view ournewly created web page at wwwwww..ttrruussssvviilllleecciittyysscchhoooollss..ccoomm.

Special message from SchoolSuperintendent Dr. Suzanne Freeman

Baptist Health System and theBirmingham YMCA recemtly announcedthey have signed an agreement for theYMCA to purchase SportsFirst from BaptistHealth System. It is anticipated that thetransaction will be finalized in the comingmonths.

The transaction will include fourSportsFirst facilities: Greystone, MountainBrook, Trussville and Vestavia, as well as theMercedes management contract.SportsFirst facilities at Montclair Baptist,Citizens Baptist and DeKalb BaptistMedical Centers, as well as the facility atCullman Regional Medical Center, are notincluded in the sale and will remain hospi-tal-operated sports clubs.

“We’re excited to welcome SportFirst tothe Metropolitan Birmingham YMCA fami-ly,” said James N. Lombard, President andCEO. “Our commitment to providing highquality programs and services is similar tothe SportsFirst mission, and as one associ-ation we will leverage these synergies toenhance our offerings to the Birminghamcommunity.

Lombard continued, “The YMCA com-mitment has always been to build strongkids, strong families, and strong communi-ties. This expansion will allow us to bettermeet that strategic goal, particularly bybringing service to new areas, increasingvolunteer involvement, and reaching addi-tional people in need of YMCA services.”

“The Birmingham YMCA is an excellentchoice for SportsFirst, with a similar philos-ophy and a family-friendly environment,”said Mark Bryan, Senior VicePresident/COO of Baptist Health System.“As we focus our resources on enhancingthe care we offer in our core hospitals, ourgoal has been to find an owner that would

maintain the high standard of quality thathas been established by SportsFirst – we areconfident that we have found that organi-zation with the YMCA.”

Officials at Baptist Health Systemannounced its intentions to sellSportsFirst, Inc., a for profit subsidiary ofBaptist, early last summer as part of aneffort to raise capital for improvements ofits area hospitals – Montclair, Princeton,Shelby County and Walker County.

After months of speculation as to theeventualy buyer, the Birmingham YMCAemerged as the front runner in acquringthe company’s SportsFirst locations inTrussville, Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hillsand Greystone. While both Baptist HealthSystem and the YMCA have not releaseddetails of the sale, sourced close to theprocess estimate the deal to be worth closeto $19 million.

Of the four clubs, SportsFirst Trussvillemore closely resembles a typical YMCAoperation with a larger emphasis on chil-dren’s programming than at otherSportsFirst facilities. In addition,SportsFirst Trussville recently completedan extensive $2.5 mllion renovation projectadding several thousand more square feetto the facility, including expanded fitnessspace, new playroom and infant care area,renovated and expanded locker rooms andnew front entrance.

Initial contracts were signed on the saleWednesday, August 10, with closing expect-ed to be complete by August 31. Otherissues, including reciprocity of member-ships, future membership rates and thestatus of current contracts will be discussedin the coming months sources said.

4 • The Cahaba Times • August 2005 BUSINESSSportsFirst sold toBirmingham YMCA

Loyd McIntoshThe Cahaba Times

The Cahaba Times • August 2005 • 5FEATURECemetery a treasure chest of local lore

Grief-stricken by the loss of her husband,Mary Blake Carlisle paused a moment on herway to visit his grave. She removed a shootfrom a holly tree, then continued toward thecemetery.

So begins one of Trussville's oldest andbest-loved legends. Mrs. Carlisle had lost her

h u s b a n d ,W i l l i a mT h o m a sCarlisle, inOctober of1887, in anunusual acci-

dent. An archive attributed to Earl Masseyexplains that he "was accidentally killedwhen a crowbar fell on him while working atthe bottom of a well." He was buried in oneof Alabama's oldest cemeteries, which, atthat time was called the Cahaba BaptistChurch Cemetery.

Today the cemetery, known as theTrussville Memorial Cemetery, has become apowerful reminder of the city's past. A land-mark in the heart of Trussville, it is locatednext to Holy Cross Episcopal Church andacross Highway 11 from the municipalbuildings.

The Carlisle story, which was recorded in

an early family history and has been widelypublished since then, explains that Mrs.Carlisle had chosen the holly branch whenshe rode side-saddle because she needed agood switch to prod her horse. Her visit tothe cemetery must have been a somber one,so upon leaving, it is likely that she gave littlethought to the holly shoot, which she leftstuck in the soil near her husband's grave.

During Mrs. Carlisle's next visit to thecemetery, she found that the shoot had takenroot. Even now, almost 118 years later, theholly tree continues to grow there as a sym-bol of their love. It is "the second largest treein the cemetery, being exceeded in heightonly by a venerable magnolia," according toKatherine Hale Hanlin's book, The SteepleBeckons.

Cahaba Baptist Church eventuallybecame the First Baptist Church of Trussville,and as the years passed, the church hadsome interesting decisions to make aboutthe cemetery. Hanlin recorded one of thefirst issues they had to resolve. By 1945 itseemed that "people from all over the com-munity were continuing to pick out a 'spot'and bury without permission or payment."

The solution to this problem was simplyto allow any community member (not justchurch members) to use the cemetery, pro-

Darrell StovallThe Cahaba Times

Photo by Nancy Galloway

For nearly 120 years, the holly tree stands as a symbol of enduring companionship andis an important landmark for all Trussvillians. See, Cemetery, page 15

6 • The Cahaba Times • August 2005 FEATURETrussville seniors talkabout city’s early days

It used to be a barren two lane dirt road.Over the years, buildings sprouted along itsedges. Highway 11 became home to busi-nesses such as "the old ice house", Mabe's,Bailey's Barber Shop, Bama Drive-in, severalservice stations, Trussville Post Office, and asmall movie theater affectionately referredto as "the picture show". However, much of

Highway 11was residen-tial.

It was athoroughfarefor many, as

everyone had to come through Trussville toget to Gadsden, Fort Payne, or Chattanooga."There was no other way," explained BettyHocutt.

Police EnforcementTrussville was protected by a walking

policeman. "Sheriff Quick would walk downMain Street at night and rattle the door-knobs to see if they would open," recalledBetty Hocutt. A bicycle was later bought toaid in the city's protection. A.E. Quick wasthe first policeman, and Joe B. Vann was thesecond. "I remember when Joe B. Vannwrecked the police car. Seemed like he was

chasing somebody doing something- Hewas our one man police force," recalled GusKennedy.

EntertainmentMary Kennedy has lived here since 1939.

Her husband Gus actually courted her inTrussville. Gus recalled that he "startedcoming out here in the latter part of '38because my aunt was the fifth person tomove in the Cahaba Project. We came out atleast once a week to visit her. I met Mary ata backward party. At a backward party, thegirl would ask the boy out. The party washeld in a room on the end of the old highschool by the co-op building (now HeritageHall). I remember going in the roomthrough the window because there wasn't aback door. After all, it was a backwardaffair," Gus laughingly added.

"On dates, we would go to the BamaDrive-in down below the ice house," theKennedys recalled. Gus recalled carhopsthat would come to your car window andtake your food order. They also went todances in the old high school auditoriumand had dates at the movie theater. Gus saidthat the picture show cost "maybe a dime- itwasn't much because I didn't have much. Ijust got out of the Navy, and I wasn't long on

Christy DooleyThe Cahaba Times

See, Seniors, page 14

Photo courtesy Trussville Senior Activity Center

A shot of Dixie Superstore on Main Street in Trussville, circa 1950.

Keep on top of the 2005 HewittHuskies this season with

The Cahaba Times • August 2005 • 7FEATUREFrom humble honkey tonk to trendy karaoke

Growing up in Trussville in the early1960's was just like living in Mayberry, R.F.D.As kids, we would stay barefoot all summer,walk to the Cahaba with fishing poles andnets, cruise the streets on bikes and hit theDairy Cone on Saturdays. One of the favoriteplaces of exploration was the woods behind

the old ceme-tery onHighway 11( n o wC a l u m e t )where we'dpick mus-

cadines and blackberries and acquire ouryearly case of redbug bites. Times were dif-ferent then.

Our parents allowed us to roam up anddown Highway 11, knowing there wasn'tmuch we could get in to. There was only oneplace that was off limits; a place that wore anair of mystery and hinted of a world that wasforeign and taboo. A place where none of uswould ever consider going unless we want-ed a "tan hiding." That place was Velma's -one of the last bastions of honky-tonkdomthat edged the right side of Highway 11where folks could stop in for a last chancedrink in a "wet" county.

My mother was Velma's biggest critic.When the roads would ice and cars would

slam into the ditch by the PresbyterianChurch, Mother always blamed it on morethan just the weather. "Bet they came fromVelma's," she'd say, slightly lifting her nosein the air to accentuate her disdain. For a

long time I thought Velma was an actual per-son. With mother's comments igniting myimagination, I envisioned her as a ratherportly woman with lots of red lipstick, pinkhair and a big beauty mark glued to her

cheek.When my parents and I moved across

town, Velma's quickly faded from my mem-ory. The image of the pink haired lady andthe childlike wonder about unmentionablegrownup activities faded into the normalpursuits of an average teenager. I didn'tthink of her again until I moved my ownfamily back to Trussville in the late 1980's.

Driving back into Trussville on 11 for thefirst time in years, this time with my ownkids in tow, I was awestruck when I spiedVelma's. She'd had a facelift; her cinderblock exterior had been covered in a moreup-to-date siding, and her sign was a trendyneon blue. "I can't believe she's still there!"I shrieked in fascination and delight, andwent into a bit of Velma's history. Of coursemy own children who grew up with cable TVwere more than a little bored with my mus-ings. They didn't understand the mysterythat place had once held for me.

A short time after moving back, severalfriends invited me to join them at Velma'sfor lunch. I thought surely they were talkingabout another "Velma's," until once day Iagreed to join them and was renderedspeechless when we pulled into the actualVelma's parking lot. With an almost a child-like resistance, I crossed her threshold. Iglanced from side to side and to my back to

Kathy DunlapThe Cahaba Times

See, Velma’s, page 15

Photo by Nancy GallowayOnce Trussville’s most infamous establishment, Velma’s has transformed into a hipHighway 11 landmark while shedding some of its rough and tumble past.

Photo by Abby WingardNorthpark Baptist Church’s Chill Mobile offers free ice cream to children outside HewittTrussville Middle School followig the end of the first day of school.

What certainly may seemed to be amirage recently outside Hewitt MiddleSchool turned out to be true as students weretreated to free ice cream at the end of theirfirst day of classes. Volunteers from NorthPark Baptist Church handed out free sam-ples of Mayfield Ice Cream to all sixththrough eighth graders at the end of the firstday of school from a vintage 1970s ice creamtruck

Painted 1969 Dodge Charger green andchristened the Chill Mobile, the ice creamtruck is only the latest unusual method oflocal outreach cooked up by the fertile mindsat North Park, a church that, according Dr.Stan Albright, associate pastor of evangelismand missions, prides itself on unique ideas toreach the community at large. For instance,North Park has sponsored the gift wrappingbooth in the parking lot of the Target

Shopping Center each year aroundChristmas, but, with its shocking green icecream freezer on wheels, Albright says thechurch now has a one-of-a-kind vehicle forlocal missions.

"The purpose of the chill mobile wastwofold. Number one is to be a good neigh-bor and to show Trussville that we're achurch that loves its community," saysAlbright. "Secondly, our thinking is that itcan be an outreach to the community foranyone looking for a church home or inter-ested in being part of a church with an excit-ing ministry."

Albright says the congregation at NorthPark Baptist Church have always favoredinteresting and non-traditional ways ofspreading the church's message throughoutthe community and was totally behind theoriginal and, admittedly, quirky idea from

8 • The Cahaba Times • August 2005 COMMUNITYSchool system takes off on inaugural flight

History was made on Thursday, August 11, 2005 as buses beganrolling, bells began ringing and teachers began instructingstudents on Trussville City Schools first official day of opera-

tion. Years of planning have gone into this dayby administrators, teach-ers, and parents, with everyone hoping and crossing their figers that thedecision to break away from Jefferson County was the best thing to do.

But, what do the students think? Many of them, perhaps, were com-pletely unaware of the work and planning that went into to beginning anew school system. Others were more aware of what exactly has goneinto making this dream for many a reality. Did they notice anything dif-ferent? Here is what Caitlin Wells, a 15-year-old sophomore said atHewitt-Trussville High School about the first day at school in the newTrussville City School system.

“I did notice some changes. For instance, they let us wear flip flopsto school, whcih is great because I wear flip flops a lot,” Wells said. “Andthis year we get three tardies a month instead of only three a semester.

“Also they changed our lunches this year. They’ve made the food alot healthier and they don’t let you go back for seconds. I don’t really likeit, though,” Wells added. “

While more of the minor rules changes were immediately noticed,Wells said she has noticed some other things that could be a result ofthe systems vow to create smaller class sizes.

“In some of the classes I have this semester there are plenty of desksto sit in. It seems like they’ve trimmed our class sizes down this year,”Wells said. “In my French class last year we had about 30 students, butthis year we have about 15.”

Overall, Wells says it’s neat to know she is a part of somethingnew even if things aren’t dramatically different from last year.

“It’s cool to know we’ve broken away and are starting somethingnew,” Wells said. “As far as eveything goes, it's not really that differ-ent. I’ve noticed the minor changes that they've made but it’s stillpretty much the same.

Loyd McIntoshThe Cahaba Times

Local church provides coolcommunity program

Loyd McIntoshThe Cahaba Times

Photo by Nancy Galloway

Teachers greet students outside Hewitt-Trussville Middle School on the first day of school, August 11,2005. It was the first day of classes for the new Trussville City School system.

See, Chill, page 15

The Cahaba Times • August 2005 • 9SPORTSHewitt football to see red in ‘05

This fall, if you come to Jack Wood Stadium expecting tosee the Huskies do battle, don't be surprised if you get a lit-tle confused. At least, that is, if you're looking for the tradi-tional gray helmets Hewitt-Trussville has donned since theearly 1980's. At first glance, it may look like another teamhas invaded the Husky sidelines.

Old has given way to new, as the team will unveil a newhelmet this season. The new headgear is solid red with awhite facemask. The traditional "HT" is still featured, but inwhite on either side.

"When I played here our helmets were red," said HeadCoach Hal Riddle, entering his fourth season at the helmand a former Hewitt football player. "Coach (Jack) Woodmade the change to gray when he came, which I think was agood move. We just decided to do something a little differentthis season."

Changes to the Husky uniform haven't been uncom-mon through the years. In the late 80's the team beganwearing red cleats, then shifted back to more traditional col-ors in the next decade. Later, the gray pants with red andwhite stripes were replaced in favor of white and redoptions, the red used primarily for away games.

It also hasn't been uncommon for other area high schoolteams to revamp their look from time-to-time. In recentyears, Gardendale changed their traditional silver helmets tothe current maroon. Huffman removed the orange andgreen stripes, migrating to a "no frills" solid white look.Shades Valley has experimented with black and white ver-sions of their headgear, with Pinson making similar adjust-ments.

"I like the change," says coach Marty Rozelle, anotheralumnus of Hewitt-Trussville on the coaching staff. "It'lltake getting used to, but it's something different. It's whattakes place under the pads and equipment that matters any-way."

There's an old saying that offense winsgames, but defense wins championships. Ifthat's the case, the Hewitt-Trussville Huskieshave high hopes for 2005. Fielding a deeperand more experienced defensive unit thisyear, Defensive Coordinator David Partridgeseems to believe that experience, depth andmaybe a little more girth will lead to bigplays, big wins and hopefully a little hard-ware at the end of the season.

"Defensively, we were younger last yearthan we are this year," says Coach Partridge,now in his second year. "Not to take any-thing away from our guys last year, but theexperience some key players gained last yearwill come into play in our favor this season,no doubt. Going into practice this fall, ourdefense is a little ahead of our offense. This isprobably the reverse of last year. We justhave a lot of guys who've been on the fieldwho return this year."

One area where the Huskies look to bestable is in the secondary, where startersBraxton Cescutti, Seth Carlisle and BubbaMassey return for their senior seasons. Andif that isn't enough, junior David Carter willstep in early and often, providing depth.Though Carter wasn't a starter last season,he logged enough playing time to pass asone. With these players having so muchexperience under their belts, moving the ballthrough the air will be more than challengingfor Husky opponents. That experience looksto come in handy this season as the schedulecalls for several teams who aren't afraid to airit out.

"High school offenses today have gottenpretty smart," says Partridge, who has nowbeen walking the sidelines for twenty-oneyears. "They are just better capable of doingwhat you're accustomed to college teams

doing on Saturdays. Huffman and ShadesValley usually have a pretty run-orientedattack, offensively. But they can throw it ifthey need to. Though stopping the pass is adefensive back's first responsibility, we'llhave to step up and support the run wellagainst those teams. But Clay-Chalkville and

Pell City like to mix the pass into what theydo a bit more, making our experience in thesecondary crucial."

The key to any defense is being physical,but Coach Partridge believes enthusiasm is

Defense key to success this fallChad Summers

The Cahaba Times

Photo by Abby Wingard

Hewitt-Trussville defensive coordinator David Partridge works with a group of Huskydefensive players during a recent practice session at Hewitt-Trussville High School.

Photo by Abby WingardHT’s helmets have a new look; red with white lettering.

Chad SummersThe Cahaba Times

HTAC Corner

s

The 2005 Silver Husky section at JackWood Stadium will have installed 261 chairsby the Fall Jamboree. Due to the size of thechairs, the chairs will be installed on everyother row in The Den allowing a footrest foreach seat. The chairs will be reserved for everyvarsity, junior varsity, 9th, 8th and 7th gradegame. Only Silver Husky members and theirfamilies will be allowed to sit in this section dur-ing the games.

As of July 1, 2005, all chairs are first come,first served opportunity upon assignment. Wehave a limited number of chairs remaining,and we do anticipate selling out of the chairs.

The terms of participating in Silver Huskyare as follows,The Silver Husky PlanFamily Membership (required one per family)• $ 30.Silver Husky Chair • $ 135 per chair.Silver Husky Parking Inside Stadium (per auto& optional) • $ 50 (transferable to other cars).Season Tickets- 6 home games • $ 30.

The minimum required to participate in the2005 Silver Husky Membership is $165 ($30HTAC membership plus $135). Many of thefamilies participating in the Silver Husky pro-motion are purchasing chairs for the adults inthe family, and kids of Silver Husky memberswill be allowed to sit on the 'footrest'.

We respectfully request that Silver Huskymembers not allow adult friends and family tosit on the 'footrest' to maintain the integrity ofthe Silver Husky Membership.

If you have questions concerning theSilver Husky Chairs, you may call Jay Vines(655-9223), Jay Segars (655-1470) or AnnMiller (655-8623). Otherwise, checks are to besent to Silver Husky, P.O. Box, Trussville, AL35173. Made payable to HTAC.

The Silver Husky Chairsare going, going . . .

See, Defense, page 15

Hewitt’s Nix signs base-ball scholarship Joel Nix signed a baseball scholarship with GadsdenState on July 19. Nix is a 2005 graduate of HewittTrussville High School. The signing party took place inHewitt's hitting house with family, friends and coaches.Pictured with Nix are his parents, Mark & Cindy Nix,Coach Tim Meacham of HT varsity baseball team, andcoach Chuck Medders of Gadsden State Cardinalsbaseball team.

10 • The Cahaba Times • August 2005 SPORTS

The Trussville Racquet Club 2.5 Senior Women's teamrecently placed second in sectional play in Charleston,South Carolina. Representing the state of Alabama, theTrussville Racquet Club was edged out by Arkansas in theteam's first trip to the sectional tournament and the club'sfirst season to field a 2.5 senior women's team.

The team won their first two matches against SouthCarolina and Tennessee in hard fought matches beforeseeing their win streak come to an end against Arkansas.

Members of the team are: Laurie Pitts, SuzieHammons, Linda Sullivan, Joy Brewer, Connie Boone andDale Thompson.

Senior 2.5 team takes secondplace in sectional tournament

The SportsFirst Trussville USTA 3.5 Senior League teamrecently won the 2005 Birmingham Spring 2005 league.After winning all 10 of their matches this spring and thentaking the weekend division, the team advanced to thestate championships at Pelham Racquet Club May 13-15.The SportsFirst ladies made it to the semi-finals wherethey played a very close match with the Muscle Shoalsteam, who eventually won the state title. Congratulationsladies!Front Row: Diane Booker, Gladys Myers, Martha Taylor,Jo Ann Harris, and Ruth Willoughby. Back Row: DotHagood, Trish Donaldson, Sherl Woods, Pat Summers,and Dot Mullins.

USTA team wins city title

The Cahaba Times • August 2005 • 11COMMUNITY

The Hewitt-Trussville High SchoolHighsteppers honored their 2005 departing sen-iors with a tea on May 21, 2005. The departingseniors are Andrea Kennemur, Brittany Finley,Kala Orr and Meagan Steele. The tea was held atthe home of incoming senior, Haley Johnson.The menu consisted of fresh chicken saladserved in pastry shells, grape salad with crackersand finger sandwiches made of cream cheese &pineapple. The girls also enjoyed chocolate cov-ered strawberries, scones, brownies, petit foursand homemade mints in the shape of teacups.The beverage selection included punch andpeach tea with fresh mint.

During the tea, the girls reminisced about theevents of the past year and presented gifts to thedeparting seniors. Each senior received a mono-grammed cosmetic case to take to college. Thegirls also enjoyed the company of their schoolsponsor, Mrs. Wanda Wright. In addition, theHTHS Highsteppers welcomed newcomers tothe dance line: Megan Bowers, Dori Dobbs,Heather Hickman, Michelle Knowles, MichelleMeadows, Savannah Clark, Ally Forehand, KalaGibson, Katie Mann, Kelsey Pennington,Mallorie Popwell, and Stephanie Pannell (absentfrom the event). Pictures were taken to capture

the event.The tea was organized and the menu

planned by the incoming senior dancers whominclude: Katie Burton (Head), Hannah Kelley(Co-Head), Molly Choat (Co-Head), CaitlinBrothers, Maegan Carroll, Amber Covington,Stephanie Eason, Kelley Hydrick, Haley Johnson,and Jessica Weathers.ACTA to offer children’s actingclasses

ACTA Theater in Trussville will be offeringChildren's Acting Classes at the theater begin-ning in September. Session I begins September6 and runs through October 11. Session 2 beginsOctober 25 and runs through November 29.Both sessions will be offering Acting for Youth onTuesday afternoons from 3:30 to 4:30 for ages 8 -13 years old. Beginning Playwriting forPerformance will be on Tuesday afternoonsfrom 4:30 to 5:30 for ages 12 - 16 years old. Thefee is $60.00 per six weeks session. Teacher willbe Jeanmarie Collins.

Classes will be limited to 15 students. Formore information or to register, call the theaterat 655-3902, leave a message and your call willbe returned.

Highsteppers honor departing seniors; ACTA announces fall classes

Dog Daze festival celebrates 25 years Twenty-five years ago, Dog Daze was created to boost the

community through the last lazy hazy days of summer.Today, with school starting within a week of the weekend cel-ebration, it is the farewell to summer break and the preambleto the new school year.

Dog Daze 2005, held at the mall on Saturday, August 6th,brought a day of fun and entertainment to the Trussville com-munity.

The event was well attended despite temperatures in thehigh eighties and humidity in the sticky tee-shirt range. Wetbandanas and hand held fans were the order of the day asTrussvegans, undaunted by the summer heat, enjoyed funnelcakes, homemade lemonade, and a wide variety of meals ona stick.

Children in the orange plastic fence enclosure enjoyedtwirling, sliding, swinging and climbing on the rides andinflatable games. A large adjacent expanse was left open forFrisbee, pick-up games and general running and romping. Inother words, kids being kids.

To relieve the heat, kids could dash through a mistingwater spray or stop by Holy Episcopal of the Cross Church'sfishing pool, stocked with large mouth bass, to try theirangling abilities.

Entertainment on the open-air stage included squaredancers and line dancers from the Senior Activities Centerand cloggers, tappers and singers from Miss Kelly's School ofDance.

The crowd flocked to see the mid-morning demonstra-tion by High Fly Cheerleading Squads. A large group of girlsand a few brave boys flipped, jumped and twirled throughoutthe gravity-defying gymnastics display. The afternoon enter-tainment was Nashville Jones and Kountry Mile and a wor-ship band from ClearBranch Methodist Church.

There seemed to be less craft vendors than in year's past,

but those that set up tents enjoyed a steady flow of customers.Newcomer Mike Hulsey said he was pleased with the turnoutand the success of his sales. Mike, who turns wood and otherinteresting materials such as corncobs and acrylics into one-of-a-kind pen casings, enjoyed the small town atmosphereand said he plans to return next year.

There were numerous booths staffed by local medicalprofessionals just "letting people know who we are and whatwe do", according to local orthodontist Dr. Christy Savage.Many churches also staked a tent to promote communityservice and outreach.

Chamber of Commerce President, Harley Willis, waspleased with the turnout. "It is the biggest crowd I have seenin several years," he said.

And, as you might expect, Dog Daze was well attended by

the four-legged citizens of the community. "I've never seenso many dogs in attendance," Willis commented. A widevariety of canines, from Lindsay Hinkle's massive "Samson",winner of "Biggest Dog Award", to the tiniest furball, dogowners enjoyed a stroll in the park with man's best friend.And the animals didn't mind "putting on the dog" as theymodeled every conceivable outfit chosen for them by theirowners. Doggy fashions ran the gamut from spiky blackleather collars and colorful neck bandanas to pink plasticshoes (four of them, no less).

Murphy, owned by Sheryl Morrow, won the award for"Best Trick", while Riley, owned by Katelyn Bradberry,brought home the award for "cutest". Serious and his ownerCelia Rudd were deemed "look a likes" and Peaches, ownedby Wade Scott, won for "smallest dog".

Trussville leaders turned out to meet and greet, as well asrepresentatives from the Trussville police, fire and rescueteams.

Official ceremonies honored Trussville Beautificationwinners and winners of the Miss and Master Dog DazePhotogenic contest. Miss Dog Daze is Lauren Chiarella.Others crowned in their age groups were Veronica Anderson,Emma Grace McElwain, Katie Bonham, Rachel Baits andMorgan Hendrix. Master Dog Daze winners were GrantCorson, Kaleb Bentley, Elliott McElwain and BaileyMcElwain.

Newly crowned Miss Trussville, Ryan Omenski and MissJunior Trussville, Jordan Dailey greeted well-wishers in theirfirst public appearances of the season.

But as it has been for twenty-five years, Dog Daze is aboutvisiting with your neighbors. It is also a time to catch up onnews about those brave soldiers from Trussville and sur-rounding areas and those who have been battling with can-cer or other ailments. Dog Daze gives a stage to what being aneighbor is all about: keeping up with friends. It is a slice ofwhat makes Trussville a great place to live.

Paige TurnerThe Cahaba Times

Photo by Abby WingardBlaine Whitt pushes his wagon during Dog Daze 2005.

12 • The Cahaba Times • August 2005 COMMUNITY

September issue.

Don’t miss part 2 ofour three-part series

on Highway 11

Huntsville native takes Miss Trussville crown

Fifteen contestants competed for the crown of MissTrussville 2006 on July 30, but, in the end, it was RyanOmenski, a Huntsville native, winning the title in front of alarge crowd at the Hewitt-Trussville High School auditorium.

"I'm really excited about being Miss Trussville. "I'mthrilled that Trussville has just started its own school system,"said Omenski. "It will hopefully give me the opportunity toget in there and speak to students and faculty within theschools to promote my platform, organ donor awareness.Hopefully we will be able to raise awareness in the communi-ty, helping people better understand the importance ofbecoming an organ donor."

Though the most visual aspect of any pageant is seem-ingly the evening gown competition, there are actually sixcomponents that the judges used to determine the winner.Contestants competed in casual wear, swimsuit, talent and ofcourse, evening wear competitions. But they were also sub-jected to an intense interview with the judges beforehand, aswell as what can often be a grueling obstacle: the on-stagequestion. Miss Alabama preliminary requirements call forthese six categories to be met in order for the winner to com-pete for the crown of Miss Alabama.

Next Spring's Miss Alabama Pageant won't be a new ven-ture for our new Miss Trussville. Omenski has actually beeninvolved in the program for four years. "I was pleased withmy performance in Miss Alabama last year. My plans are tostay the course, keep it going, and hope for the best," she says.

The evening began with an opening number by B.J. Price,of the First Baptist Church of Trussville, and Melinda Toole,Miss Trussville 2005, singing New York, New York and Lullaby

of Broadway. The theme for the evening was Live From NewYork: Celebrating New York City and the Songs of Broadway.Following this theme, the Hewitt-Trussville Middle SchoolDance Team performed to I Want To Be A Rockette and One.Melinda Toole later shared a vocal performance of Vienna,which she performed earlier this year in the Miss Alabamapageant. Toole placed in the Top 10 in that pageant.

Individual award winners were also announced. MaryKathryn Gaines was the winner of the Jaime ClementsJackson Community Service Award and the Sandra S.Gardner Congeniality Award. "I'm truly honored for beingselected for these awards," said Gaines, a native of Heflin. "Itespecially means the world to me that my peers selected meas someone they could look up to and follow." Both awardsoffer cash scholarships to their recipients. The talent compe-tition was won by the overall winner, Ryan Omenski. MissOmenski did a vocal of All Improvviso Amore. She received aplaque from All Star Trophy for the distinction.

Jordan Dailey, an upcoming junior at Hewitt-TrussvilleHigh School, was introduced as the Miss Teen Trussville 2006winner. The teen pageant was held during the afternoon ofthat same day. "This was my first preliminary ever," saidDailey. "I'm very excited, and plan now to get ready for thestate (teen) pageant."

In addition to gaining entry into the Miss AlabamaPageant through this preliminary, Miss Trussville will receivea $1,000.00 cash scholarship and a wide host of gifts from areamerchants and sponsors.

Monique SummersThe Cahaba Times

Photo by Nancy Galloway

Huntsville native Ryan Omenski is crowned during the MissTrussville pageant at H ewitt-Trussville High School, July 30.

The Cahaba Times • August 2005 • 13ARTS & CULTURENew ACTA season launched with Dames at Sea

ACTA Theatre opened its new seasonwith the long running off-Broadway musicalDames at Sea. The play, directed by RoyHudson, is a musical parody reminiscent ofHollywood song and dance shows of the1930's.

Choreographed by Haley Borders, thetalented cast tap danced, crooned andswooned to a wide array of Broadway tunesincluding Broadway Baby, That Mister Manof Mine, The Beguine, and There'sSomething About You.

The play, written by George Haimsohnand Robin Miller, is the love story of a smalltown girl, Ruby, who travels to New York tobecome a Broadway dancer and a smalltown boy, Dick, who joins the Navy and isabout to ship out of New York Harbor.

Brooke Lowry led the cast as the inno-cent Ruby and Josh Bruner played Dick, whois also an aspiring songwriter.

Set in the days of the Great Depression,the two hopefuls arrive in New York to find aproducer on the brink of financial ruin, los-ing his theater to creditors. But in the never-say-die optimism of the 1930's, the charac-ters plot to put on the show on a nearby navybattleship, filling in holes in the cast withsailors that just happen to sing and dance.

The demanding and manipulative divaof the 'show within the show' was played

convincingly by Brittney Rentschler. DanielScheinert carried dual roles as the ship's cap-tain and as the desperate producer,Hennessey, showing his acting versatility.Rounding out the talented cast was HaleyBorders, who played the show's big-hearteddance line leader and Will Bruner, her loveinterest and best friend of shipmate Dick.

Members of the chorus were AmyBorders, Dionne Hammond, Jeff Hawkins,Erin Johnson,Linnea Pepper, Tyree Walker,and Grant Wilson.

Karen Krekelberg was the musical direc-tor and Haley Borders was assistant directorfor the production. Also lending a hand wereJanice Sanders, David McNeeley, JenniferBruno and Laurie Borders.

ACTA's next show will be the DecemberFund Raiser, HHoolliiddaayy MMaaggiicc, which is billedas a Christmas variety show for all ages. Theperformances will be December 9th and10th at 7:30 p.m. and December 11th at2p.m.

AAlliiccee iinn WWoonnddeerrllaanndd, directed by Capers

Doss, will be the first production of the newyear. Performances will be February 10,11and February 17, 18, 2006, at 7:30 p.m.andFebruary 12 and 19, 2006, at 2p.m. This clas-sic fairy tale promises to be a huge hit forchildren and will be presented in the style ofChildren's Theatre, with adults playing theroles. Auditions will be held December 12thand 13th at 7:00 p.m. in the theater. ACTAhas received special funding for this produc-tion from the Jefferson County CommunityArts Fund, which is administered by theCultural Alliance of Greater Birmingham.

Finishing the exciting season will be thecomedy CChheeaappeerr bbyy tthhee DDoozzeenn, directed byMike Bridges. Auditions for the play will beheld February 20 and 21, 2006, at 7p.m. in thetheatre. Performances will be April 28,29 andMay 4 and May 6, 2006, at 7:30 p.m. Therewill be no May 5th performance due to theRelay for Life Event. Sunday matinees will beheld on April 30 and May 7, 2006, at 2p.m.

Mike Lambert, president of the ACTAboard, is excited about the new season."This year ACTA will begin to aggressivelyupdate the theater's lighting and sound sys-tems, in order to continue bringing qualitycommunity theater to the Trussville area,"said Lambert. "The board is pursuing fund-ing now and is ready to commit the moneyand time to provide the kind of facility thatwill showcase Trussville's talented commu-nity. We feel that it is time for the arts to catchup with the growth in Trussville."

Paige TurnerThe Cahaba Times

The cast of Dames at Sea

14 • The Cahaba Times August 2005

To advertise in The Cahaba Times

Call 661-2242

Ten towns in Alabama were contenders,but only two made the 100 list. Trussville,with its 19,000 and growing population, wasone of the finalists due to its growth, reason-able prices for homes and its access to uni-versities and colleges. Data also showed thecity to have a student-teacher ratio, personalcrime rate, and property crime rate lowerthan the "Best Places" average.

"As a total package for a communitythat's a suburb of greater Birmingham, wehave tremendous opportunities for growth.We have a lot of qualities that people andbusinesses look for. Obviously what peopleare looking for is a safe place to live, low crimerate along with a safe environment," saidWillis.

The school system is also a "big, big win,"with estimated 160-170 new children enter-ing the newly formed school system eachyear.

Willis also noted that influx of new busi-nesses create new job opportunities, thusretaining much of the youth that go to collegeand giving them incentive to return home,knowing there are jobs for them.

"Anything we can do to attract new busi-nesses to our community that's fit for theentire community, whether it is shoppingcenters or a restaurant, that's a plus for us. It'sa place were businesses want to go wherefamilies are," he said.

But with "managed growth comes oppor-tunity for traffic," and plans are in works todeal with minimizing potential traffic issues.Willis commented that city and communityleaders strive to make Trussville an ideal

place to live and work. The amenities provid-ed for residents aren't limited to quality serv-ices provided by law enforcement or firedepartment but also applies to well-main-tained parks and facilities.

Here is a list of some of the best places tolive in America as rated by CNN and MoneyMagazine:

1. Moorestown, NJ2. Bainbridge Island, WA3. Naperville, IL4. Vienna, VA5. Louisville, CO6. Barrington, RI7. Middleton, WI8. Peachtree City, GA9. Chatham, NJ10. Mill Valley, CA5566.. TTrruussssvviillllee,, AALL100. Clemmons, NC

CNN/MoneyFrom page 1

way on the outskirts of Steele. It turned outto be a small restaurant run by a recentimmigrant from Mexico. We talked for a bitabout his life and the tribulations on comingto America from central Mexico and heallowed me to take a few shots before feed-ing me the best homemade tamale I've evereaten - on the house.

To me, Highway 11 is every bit a coming-of-age open road as Route 66 was to to pre-vious generations. U.S. 11 holds as mushhistory, mythology, hope, possibility, and

beauty as any more celebrated highways,much of which can be found along thepotion of the road that flows throughTrussville. From the romantic folklore of oneof the state's oldest cemeteries, to the smalltown nostalgia of the criminally closed DairyCone; from the economic impact of thedevelopments on one end of town, to thestate of the art Paine Primary School on theother, Trussville simply wouldn't be what itis today without Highway 11.

Once the main artery that connectedBirmingham with the outside world, theimportance of 'The Great White Way' - as itwas once known - has diminished over the

years, as have other state and federal roads,primarily due to the rise of the interstate.Kuralt himself said it best when he noted,"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, itis now possible to travel from coast to coastwithout seeing anything."

Regardless of how many new stores andrestaurants plant down roots on the inter-state exits that surrounds us, Highway 11will always play a vital role in Trussville'sfuture while remaining respectful and grate-ful to the past. In this issue, we've focusedon some of the best of Highway 11's past.We hope you enjoy these stories.

McIntoshFrom page 2

money! That movie theater was a pretty pop-ular place," he recalled. Lully Wheelerremembered "seeing Gone with the Wind atthe picture show. I believe it was ten cents,"she said.

Vennie Lee Payne, a lifetime resident ofTrussville, also reminisced about the movietheater. "We were thrilled when they decid-ed to put a movie theater out here. Youngpeople didn't have anything to do at all, sowe lined up on Friday and Saturday nights tosee the picture show. The theater seatedabout 100 people, and it was full every time,"she remembered.

Shopping and points of interest"The theater was next door to Ralph

Steven's service station. At that service sta-tion, you could go and get gas, groceries, andhave the car repaired. Back then storesweren't so specialized. That one cornerstore took care of a lot of things. It was evena greyhound bus stop," said Ms. Payne, themother of Congressman Arthur Payne. "Thefirst post office was located where TotalPrinting is now. My grandfather J. B. Martinwas the postmaster," she said. The postoffice was in two other locations on Highway11 before being moved to its current locationon Watterson Curve. Its second location waswhere The Old Post Office store is now, and itwas later located next to AmSouth's presentlocation. "A grist mill used to be in what isnow a parking lot next to Total Printing.People brought corn and other commoditiesto have them ground. Ted Martin's servicestation was next to the Grist Mill," she said.

"Glendale Mills was in the location whereSticks and Stuff is now," said Ms. "Lib" Steele,a Cahaba Project resident since 1950. "Theysold farm equipment and seed-a lot of farm-ing took place in the area. It was sort of a

general store. Norrell's grocery store (in theapproximate location of present day DollarGeneral) had a soda fountain inside, and thekids liked to go there. Everyone said thatthey had good hamburgers," she recalled.

"First Baptist Church of Trussville (estab-lished in 1821) was a little white church nextto the present day cemetery on Highway 11.The benches were so hard," Mary Kennedyrecalled. "We'd have assembly in the church,walk across Main Street, and have Sundayschool in a white house across the street.There was hardly any traffic at that time. Ijoined the church in 1941, and I was baptizedin the Cahaba River," Mary said.

Mary and Gus fondly remembered theold Trussville train depot, located behind thecurrent Hardee's location, close to the rail-road tracks. They'd go there and mail bigpackages. They both expressed disappoint-ment that it was demolished.

A historical marker at the corner byBraden's Furniture describes that it was oncethe site of a confederate storehouse whichwas burned in 1865 by federal troops.According to the memories of local seniors,Glenn's department store, and later Lee'sMercantile, occupied the site.

Highway 11 ResidentsMary Elizabeth "Lully" Wheeler, a high-

way 11 resident for 70 years, lives in a histor-ical 1870 home next to Captain D's presentlocation. She was one of Trussville's firstkindergarten teachers. She still recalls thesongs she sang with her students around thelong table in her kitchen. Her first class con-sisted of ten children. They would play in thebackyard, and they'd sit on the side porch orat the table for lessons. She also taughtSunday school at the Methodist church for55 years. "My father-in-law was a doctor andhad a surrey (carriage) house in the back-yard. When he passed away, I closed it in andtaught school there," she said. "Highway 11

wasn't like it is now. It used to be mainly res-idential," she explained.

As a child, Gladys Wolff lived on Highway11 close to where Don's Carpet is now. Herchildren Barbara and Hal Waldrop went tokindergarten at Ms. Lully Wheeler's home."They would sit out on the porch and havetheir lessons," she recalled. Ms. Wolff alsorecalled the old ice house. "We used to go tothe Ice House, and get cold watermelon.George Glenn owned it, and refrigeratedtrucks would stop there to fill up their truckswith ice. They'd take big chunks of ice out onthe platform and blow it onto the trucks,"she explained. Trussville was a little off thebeaten path back then. "People thought theywere going to the end of the world, it was sofar out," Gladys explained. People would askus "Why'd you move out so far?"

There were several historical homes thatare no longer on highway 11. "Across theroad from where Food World is now, JudgeBass used to sit on his front porch in a rock-ing chair and hold court, I think, and marrypeople," Gus laughingly recalled. Propertyprices have certainly changed. When theCahaba Project homes were sold in 1947,prices were only $4400 to $9000.

One fact that no one could recall waswhen Highway 11 was paved. Estimateswould place it in the 1930s. Although thehighway has changed over the years, if youlook closely, remnants of its history remain.The gazebo at the end of Parkway Drive stillbeckons visitors into the historic CahabaProject. One remaining business, althoughpartially rebuilt, is Mabe's Power andEquipment, and the storefront proclaimsproudly "Since 1921". The old ice housebuilding still resembles its original structure,and has recently served as a consignmentshop and a CPA's office.

Mary Kennedy stressed that one thingremains constant. "Trussville has alwaysbeen a wonderful place to live," she said.

SeniorsFrom page 6

vided that they follow certainguidelines set forth by the newlycreated Trussville CommunityCemetery Association, which

consisted of trustees from several local churches. By 1948, just a few years afterthe association formed, the Baptist church voted to deed the cemetery to thecity of Trussville.

A huge controversy arose in Trussville thirteen years later, partly because thedeed did not specifically state that the cemetery would be forever used as acemetery. The story begins innocently enough. The Dairy Cone, a small busi-ness which many Trussville residents will fondly remember, needed some extraproperty for use as a parking lot. The City Council agreed to "leasing a 70-by-90-foot piece of land from the cemetery," according to George Cook's 1961 articlefor the Birmingham News. Apparently the funds raised from the lease woulddefray the cost of the cemetery's upkeep, and the parking lot could be used freeof charge for anyone visiting the cemetery.

Walton Lowry, another Birmingham News contributor, wrote, "When abulldozer was brought in, people got wind of it pronto, and got work stopped.People protesting the lease contend that there are several unmarked graves inthe area proposed for a parking lot." The City Council chambers at theNovember 28th meeting overflowed when "more than 100 persons showed upto protest." Trussville's mayor at that time, James Barr, was quoted as calling it"the largest crowd in City Hall history."

Because it was not a public hearing but only a council meeting, the mayorallowed only one spokesperson to address the issue. The Hewitt ElementarySchool principal, Mrs. Mary Lou Farley, spoke. She asked those in favor of pre-serving the cemetery to stand, which made the opinion of the community quiteclear to the councilmen.

Still, it was not until two months later that the controversy finally came to anend. A fact-finding committee's report concluded that unmarked graves actu-ally did exist where they had hoped to put the parking lot, so it was not built. Atthe same time the city gave both the ownership of the property and the respon-sibility to maintain it to the Trussville Memorial Cemetery Association.

The cemetery continues to be well kept even today. It remains a solemnreminder of Trussville's profound heritage to residents who pass by it onHighway 11.

CemeteryFrom page 5

see if anyone had glimpsed me going in. Although, Imust confess, secretly I had always wondered aboutthe inside. What did a den of iniquity look like? Tosay I was disappointed when I walked in the doorwas an understatement. There were no ladies of theevening propped on barstools, or drunken cowboysbrawling on the floor. It was full of ballpark parentsand other respectable citizens chomping down onVelma's fare.

What surprised me more than anything was thefood. It's true that Velma's does have the best burg-ers around. Especially the bacon cheeseburgersalong with the fried mushrooms. Even though shehas a questionable past, Velma's is now just anothergreat place to eat for lunch, and at night, people canhave a good time singing tunes as it's one of themost favored spots for Karaoke.

The image of the portly-pink haired woman stilllingers in my memory. But now I see her flippingburgers with a spatula and taking the stage to singalong with Britney Spears.

Velma’sFrom page 7

the get-go. "Our people are just pumped and they

think this is great. We have never had a con-flict with our congregation about being out-side the box," Albright said. "They've donenothing be cheer us on and I think one of thereasons why is the chill mobile is so multi-faceted."

The Chill Mobile has already been busyproviding a little cool refreshment from thesummer heat for Hewitt-Trussville footballplayers. Albright says they brought thebright, green truck to the Huskie's practicefacility and were given permission by thecoaches to hand out ice cream to the players

after practice. The word has already been spreading

about North Park's Chill Mobile. Albrightsays many community groups and organiza-tions have already contacted the churchhoping to get the Chill Mobile to set up attheir events. The church's frozen mission onwheels has been remarkably successful inthe short time it's been active, especiallyconsidering its humble beginnings.

"We were in the middle of a brainstorm-ing storming session and somebody said.'wouldn't it be cool if we had an ice creamtruck that we could drive around and giveout ice cream after school lets out," Albrightsaid. "I Got on the internet found an old IceCream Truck on EBAY in Chicago and had itdelivered.

"It was like any other truck that was 30

years old. We had to do a lot of body work onit, and we've done some mechanical work onit make sure it's working fine," Albrightadded. "Southern Comfort did the paintwork and modification on the truck and theyhave been an important partner in this mis-sion project."

Albright says North Park intends for thetruck to become a regular part of the com-munity over the coming months. The churchhopes to begin making appearancesthroughout the communities in easternJefferson and western St. Clair Countiesincluding Trussville, Clay, Pinson Valley, Argoand Springville giving out free ice cream dur-ing the last weeks of warm weather. They alsohope to bring the truck to high school foot-ball games and other community events dur-ing the fall and winter months giving our

complimentary hot chocolate and coffee. Designed for mission purposes, Albright

says the church doesn't want the ChillMobile to compete with concessions forfund raising during football games and otherevents and will make a financial donation toband boosters and other organizations thatmay lose any business due to the ChillMobile's presence. Albright says the ChillMobile is simply an extension of the church'sphilosophy on missions

"We're not here to take away their money.We are their friends and partners," Albrightsaid. "The Chill Mobile is just one way for usto let the community know we're a goodneighbor and we are here for them if theyneed us."

ChillFrom page 8

just as important. "One thing I saw our guys doingin the spring was just being enthusiastic-jumpingaround, rushing to the ball, having fun," he said."That has carried over to fall practice. Enthusiasmcan be very intimidating for an opposing offense.They look across the line of scrimmage and see adefense excited about getting after you, confidentthat they are going to beat you. We have that kindof enthusiasm now. In game situations, it can leadyou to get in the other team's head, not to mentionmake you play faster than you really are."

If being physical is a key, one should look nofurther than the player who is arguably the anchorof the Husky defense, senior middle-linebackerJase Walls. A three year starter, Walls figures to playa huge role in the Huskies taking care of businesswhen they don't have the ball. "In our spring gameagainst Thompson, Jase had five tackles in the first

six plays of the game-the first three of which weresolo tackles," Coach Partridge said. "Because it wasa spring game, we wanted to play a lot of guys. Butin the twelve plays or so he was in, number 34 waseverywhere."

In a unit filled with play makers, other notablesare senior defensive end Alex Benson and SeanDailey. The strongest player on the team, Bensonhas the ability to clog a running lane, overcome apass blocker and create problems for an opposingquarterback looking for ever precious time in thepocket. Dailey possesses natural athletic ability tofind the ball and make good things happen.

Whereas the 2004 campaign left them a littleundersized to do battle on Friday nights, this sea-son's Husky defense won't have that problem. "Wereally stressed getting bigger and better in the off-season," says Coach Partridge. "Our guys haveworked really hard, and they should see that workpay off."

DefenseFrom page 9

August 2005 The Cahaba Times • 15

Wear Red on Fridays to support U.S.Troops

You will soon see a lot of people wearing Red onFridays. Here's why.

The Americans, who support our troops, are the silentmajority.

We are not "organized" to reflect who we are, or toreflect what our opinions are.

Many Americans, like yourself, and all their friends,simply want to recognize that Americans support ourtroops.

Our idea of showing our solidarity and support for ourtroops is starting Friday and continuing on each and everyFriday, until this is over, that every red blooded Americanwho supports our young men and women, WEAR SOME-THING RED.

Word of mouth, press, TV -- let's see if we can make theUnited States, on any given Friday, a sea of red much like ahome football game at a University.

If every one of our memberships share this with otheracquaintances, fellow workers, friends, and neighbors, Iguarantee that it will not be long before the USA will becovered in RED - and make our troops know there aremany people thinking of their well-being. You will feel bet-

ter all day Friday when you wear Red! Get the word out and lead by example; wear RED on

Fridays.

Friends of Trussville LibraryCollecting Books for Sale

Friends of the Trussville Library are collecting booksand other media for the annual book sale set for Saturday,October 22.

"We want to start collecting sale items now," said SueKuechenmeister, Friends' co-chair. "There'll be a place setaside at the library entrance so that patrons can drop offdonations. We'll store them until time for the sale."

She said that paperback fiction and current non-fictionbooks, children's literature, and video/audio tapes andcassettes are the best sellers. "We prefer not to receive usedtextbooks, medical books or legal books, because theydon't sell," she added.

The library, located at 201 Parkway Drive, Trussville,serves a large portion of northeastern Jefferson County,including Trussville, Pinson, Argo, Clay and Center Point.

It also draws patrons from Springville, Odenville andother parts of St. Clair County. Its circulation is among thetop five in the Jefferson County Library system, accordingto Brenda Brasher, library director.

Local Communicators Win NationalAwards

Trussville resident Marti Webb Slay has received anaward in a national competition sponsored by theNational Federation of Press Women (NFPW).

Slay won third place for one-to-three color brochures.Among numerous professional assignments, she edits?The Gazebo,? publication of the Trussville Chamber ofCommerce.

Other Birmingham area winners in the competition,like Slay, had previously won top honors in a state compe-tition sponsored by Alabama Media Professionals. Theseinclude Jennifer Hale, Deborah Lockridge and NancyMann Jackson, all of Hoover; Cara Morrison, NorthShelby; Verna Gates, Birmingham; and David Black,Pelham.

Alabama Media Professionals is an affiliate of NFPW, a68-year-old organization of professional journalists andcommunicators. Awards will be presented at the annualNFPW convention this fall.

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Community News

16 • The Cahaba Times August 2005

Have you ever squinted to read the historic marker whilewaiting for the traffic light at the intersection of Main Streetand Chalkville-Trussville Road? By the time the light changes,you have probably only had time to determine the obvious -

that something "historic" hap-pened there. Well, it marks thespot of an interesting eventfrom Trussville's past, duringthe Civil War.

One archive notes that"prior to the beginning of the war, Trussville was one of themost prosperous agricultural communities in NorthAlabama." When almost every able-bodied man of the cityleft for the war, most of their farms were forced to scale backproduction considerably. Still, they grew enough that "onetenth of all meat, corn, and wheat...was taken by the confed-erate government for support of its army and navy, this tenth

being designated as awar tax known as a 'taxin kind.'"

According to thehistoric marker, a mannamed "Felix M. Woodreceived the tax," keep-ing it in the storehousethat was located nearwhere Braden'sFurniture is now locat-ed. Carol and EarlMassey's book,Trussville through the

Years, explains that the storehouse had also been used as ageneral store and a post office, and that it was owned andoperated by Captain Thomas K. Truss. The book also tells thefollowing story: "Major General James H. Wilson of the UnionArmy sent his 'Raiders' to Trussville in 1865. They took of the'stores' as needed and burned the storehouse."

The residents of Trussville put out the flames and tried tosalvage what they could after the raiders had fled. KatherineHale Hanlin wrote, "Luckily, the burning did not go throughthe pile of wheat and the Trussville people scraped off theburned layers and used the remainder. It did not matter thatthere was a burned 'taint' to the bread. It was still bread!"These were our wise and frugal predecessors.

Wilson's Raiders were sent through Alabama and otherConfederate states on a mission to "destroy railroads, ironfurnaces, machine shops, arsenals, food supplies, livestockand homes," according to Hanlin. She also noted that it wasthe same Union general, Wilson, who eventually won the$100,000 reward for capturing Jefferson Davis, the Presidentof the Confederacy.

The next time you find yourself waiting on a traffic light atthat corner, imagine the life-and-death drama that took placethere 140 years ago, and remember the founders of Trussvillewho weathered that war with dignity.

Trussville's unique mark on the Civil WarDarrell Stovall

The Cahaba Times

Photo by Darrell Stovall

RegencyFrom front page

available to give any indication how he intends to vote, ifthe issue isn't tabled until a later date.

"I have no idea how the council is going to go on this.I just don't have enough information to make any deci-sion one way or the other on this," Robinson said.

"Before I make any decision I will do as much researchas I can to find out what information is available and whatis the right thing to do," Robinson added.

Currently over 200 families live in the community,many of whom are long-term residents, but there are alsomany Hispanic families living in Trussville Regency whohave very little resources and could not afford to move ifforced to vacate the property, according to MartinMiranda, a local realtor, a retired Air Force engineer and adeacon with the First Baptist Church of Trussville, servesTrussville Regency as part of a local mission effort calledT.E.A.M. (Trussville Economic Assistance Mission)through many area churches.

As part of T.E.A.M., Miranda regular visits families inTrussville Regency helping them with such needs as pro-viding food and clothing as well as educational needssuch as tutoring, English as Second Language (ESL) class-es and other assistance. A familiar face to many in thecommunity, Miranda said news of the possible sale of theproperty hit the families hard.

"The folks had begun to hear rumors and were wor-ried and had begun asking 'what's going to happen tous,'" Miranda said. "They came out in force to expresstheir opinion

Miranda, who is fluent in English and Spanish, saysmany of the trailers are at least 25 to 30 years old andwould not survive being moved to another location. Inaddition, at a cost of $3,000 to $3,500 to move a singlemobile home, Miranda says many residents lack theresources to pay for relocation.

"The majority of these trailers would not be able to bemoved. They are in horrible condition with floors are rot-ting out and other problems," Miranda said. "This is theonly place they have, and redeveloping would literallymean putting them out with no where to go."

Developer Randy Brooks has plans to buy the proper-ty and develop a 148 unit gated garden home communityand retail development on the property's 40 acres. Thedevelopment would be located only several hundredblocks from two other shopping malls in the area.

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