free happy new year! january 13, 2017 starthevalleystar.net/archives/011317edition.pdf · pliment...

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

FREE January 13, 2017

THE VALLEY

STAR

Consign World is proud to beginour 6th year of business inAthens, Alabama. We contribute

our success to wonderful consignorsand great customers. Also, we feel ourexceptional staff is a huge part of oursuccess. The friendly and professionalstaff are: Jessie McAllister (Store Man-ager), Beth Rickard, Mandi Parker,Robin Holden, Karlie Turner, Julia Lee,

and Tatum Tielking.

At Consign World, we understand to besuccessful that we have to have a storethat customers will want to come backto and shop time after time. For that tohappen, we only take in items that arein excellent condition, current styles,and top designer brands. We take pridein merchandising and displaying all

items in a way that they are appealingto the customer. If you have not had achance to visit us, stop by sometimeand see why we have been voted #1Consignment Store in Athens for thepast four years. Our 6,000 square footstore is filled with wonderful merchan-dise at great prices.

continued on page 4

Consign World celebrates 6 years

Happy New Year!

THEVALLEYSTAR.NET January 13, 2017

It was a hop, skip and crash!Imust have been up and down

those steps a million times inthe 25 years they've been there

without a thought of a slip, muchless a fall.

But that record came to a screech-ing halt two weeks ago when amisstep sent me from the top offive brick steps in my garage tothe concrete floor below, my bodystriking the front of my car with myhead, hip and back.

Isn't it funny how we take thingsfor granted? Such was the casehere. But in a second, things cango from sweet to sour in a hurry.

"Oh, it hurts," I told my wife as shetried to help me to my feet as I layin front of the car. "No, don't touchmy right shoulder," I screamed. "Ican't move it."

I ended up in the emergency roomthat morning with severe bruising

on my hip and shoulder. A weeklater, a visit to the doctor revealedI had a couple of broken ribs. I sur-vived the hit on my head with asmall cut on the skull, but theshock of it all felt like I had beenhit over the head with a brick ortwo.

Some say the fall is just a case ofgetting old. But getting older hadnothing to do with this fall. It waspure carelessness.

When I went out that door to thegarage, I had other things on my

mind like replacing a bulb in theoutside light that my wife hadbeen nagging me to replace fordays. When I skipped out thatdoor to the garage that day, a fallnever entered my mind although Irealize I should have been morecareful.

But looking back on it, I think Iwas lucky - not because I fell butthe end result. Falling from thatheight at full force onto the carmight have saved me from seriousinjury such as a possible brokenhip or severe head injury if I hadhit the concrete alone at full force.Plus, it came at a time when I wasrecovering from a head cold andnagging cough. Just imagine whatit feels like with a deep cough andbroken ribs - unbearable pain.

The doctor said it could take six toeight weeks to fully recover from

the broken ribs, but that is notbad. I should have plenty of timeto heal before golfing season. Butfor now, I'm thinking before I goskipping out the door to thegarage.

Publisher/Editor in ChiefSonny Turner

[email protected]

Co-Publisher/PhotographyDanny Johnson | [email protected]

Copy EditorDebra Johnson | [email protected]

OwnerChris Shindorf

Advertising staff:Sonny Turner | 256-431-5498,

Danny Johnson | [email protected] Thornton | 256-777-1425

THE VALLEY

STAR

THE SONNY SIDE by Sonny Turnerby Sonny Turnerby Sonny Turner

LIFE AT 60°

Whatever your perfect temperature, you’ll enjoy consistent comfort with the heating and cooling systems homeowners ranked number one in durability.* American Standard. A better way to chill.

CONSISTENT COMFORT. ANYTHING ELSE IS UNBEARABLE.

1003 South Jefferson St.Athens, Alabama 35611

January 13, 2017 THEVALLEYSTAR.NET

Soil Conditioner $25 per yardMulch in Chocolate, Brown, Black $29 per yard, Natural $19.99 per yard

Specializing in Residential & CommercialTree Removal & Trimming

We Work With Your Insurance CompanyOn Storm Related Damage

Soil Conditioner Available

Dangerous Tree Removal • Stump GrindingLot Clearing • Licensed & Insured

FREE ESTIMATES

Mobile 256-759-3317

www.eagerbeaverstreeservice.com

256-772-8009

Mention this adfor a

10% discount

Mention this adfor a

10% discount

—SAWMILL NOW OPEN—

Athens BicentennialBig Spring has undergone a

few transformations sincesettlers first located on its

site in the early 1800s. For exam-ple, it was covered during WorldWar II for fear of intentional watersupply tampering.

It was explored by Burt Nelson andAndy Todd in the 1980s as the

covering was being removed. Theduo forayed underneath with asmall flashlight and fell into holesexposing the natural spring thatruns underneath. They pho-tographed albino fish and craw-dads and came up with a plan todo 4-hour cave tours from June toLabor Day for $15 a person. Since

it is city property, and there weresafety issues to consider, the plannever evolved past the planningstage. City officials do appreciatethe photos being found and givento the City of Athens, which is cel-ebrating its history as part of thestatewide Bicentennial.

Athens will be 200 years old on

Nov. 19, 2018. Athens became acity before Alabama became astate, and the city is gearing up tocelebrate its Bicentennial in con-junction with the State of Alabamakicking off this spring with a three-year statewide Bicentennial cele-bration.

The city's swimming pool.The city's water supply. The city's "Duck Pond."

The Valley Star | cover feature


With Prom season approaching,we have over 800 beautiful promdresses to choose from and morearriving daily. Seventy five percentof our prom dresses are brandnew. Bridal and formal retail storesconsign their overstock with us.Some of the brand names you willfind are: Jovani, Alyce, Riva, Landa,Scala, and many more. And do notforget your accessories! We have abeautiful selection of eveningshoes, purses, and jewelry to com-pliment your gown.

We also have a wonderful selec-tion of wedding gowns, veils,bridesmaid dresses, and Motherof the Bride dresses with priceshalf of retail value. We currentlyhave well over 2,000 consignorsthat continue to bring great itemssuch as Ladies’, Men’s, and Chil-dren’s better label clothing and ac-cessories, (we consistently have agood selection of designer hand-bags), home decor, furniture, andmusical instruments.

At Consign World, we love ourmusic. We have one entire roomdedicated to musical instruments.We have a great selection of gui-tars that are really inspected be-fore they are taken in and hung onthe wall for sale. We make sure allthe necks are straight and the in-tonation is good. We do not wantanyone getting home with a guitarand find something wrong with it.

We have a wonderful selection ofviolins (We call them fiddles). Wehave some really nice fiddles onconsignment with great prices.These violins would cost twice asmuch as most other places. Sev-eral of them are very old and ingreat condition. If you need astarter violin or need to upgrade toa professional violin, we have it.Come check them out. We alsohave Banjos, Mandolins, Gig bagsand band instruments. If you reallylove Country, Gospel, Bluegrass,Bluegrass Gospel music, then youare in for a treat. On the first andthird Saturday of each month, joinus for some great picking andsinging. On the fourth Saturday, itis Dulcimers. (A lot of the mem-

bers of the Athens Dulcimer Clubcome and play).

The picking and singing on the firstand third Saturdays has reallygrown. This music room is full eachSaturday that we have music atthe store. This is because of thetalented musicians and singers

that we have. They are some of thebest around! Come join in and jamwith us. We usually start around11a.m. until ?? Check out themusic room pictures on Facebookand Instagram.

We would like to sincerely thankeveryone who has contributed toour store’s success. We hope thatConsign World has a positive im-pact on the Athens Business Com-munity. Our consignors make extramoney and our customers get topurchase items at a fraction of re-tail prices. It is a win-win situation!!

Hope to see you soonBrenda & Gary Stapler

Consign World continued from page 1


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

For Friendly Service andTop Quality Flooring

Come by The Floor Gallery


From public safety to painting,the members of the AthensMayor's Youth Commission

learn about many aspects of theCity of Athens. On Dec. 21, 2016part of the Youth Commissioners

went to Athens Fire and RescueStation No. 1 and part of themwent to High Cotton Arts.

At Station No. 1, they tried onturnout gear, checked out the fire

truck, learned about the equip-ment and more. At High CottonArts, they painted with artist DebbySmith thanks to a donor whofunded their art class.

Our hope is these students willcontinue to call Athens home, butif they don't, we want them to beinformed citizens who get involvedin whatever community theychoose as home.

In 2016, Dekko Foundation gavethe Athens Mayor's Youth Com-mission $3,500. The Youth Com-

missioners voted to give away$3,000 as community grants andkept $500 for its own use. Part ofthat $500 is funding the Share theArt Program and the Art Corner atAthens City Hall. Youth Commis-

sioners choose an art theme everythree months and invite studentsfrom Athens and LimestoneCounty schools to submit artworkthat coincides with the theme. TheYouth Commissioners then havethe responsibility of choosing up to19 art pieces for temporary displayin the Art Corner. They also choose

a grand prize winner who receives$15.

The Fall 2016 theme was "LocalLoving" where students submittedartwork that highlighted places,events and historic sites in Athensthat they loved. Some of the siteswere Gulf Station, the Duck Pond,

Kiddie Carnival, Kreme Delite, andCinemagic Theater. The currenttheme is "The Art of New YearWords." Students were challengedto create artwork that incorporatedwords associated with New Year'sand resolutions. The Youth Com-mission is in the process of choos-ing that theme's winners.

Youth Commission

Art Corner project

City Hall's Art Corner Some submissions for the current art them "The Art of New Year Words"


The Valley Star | feature

Athens Intermediate Schoolheld their school wideSpelling Bee in December.

Winners were:

1st place: Britton Vaughan, 2ndplace: Hannah Claire Carter, 3rdplace: Diya Patel.

These students will compete at thenext level - the County wideSpelling Bee. County Spelling Bee

will be held at Clements HighSchool on January 31, 2017 at6:00 p.m.

All Spelling Bee winners from localcity and county schools will repre-sent their perspective schools atthis Bee.

The winner will advance to the Al-abama Spelling Bee in Birming-ham to compete for the state

championship. The AlabamaSpelling Bee winner will representthe state at the Scripps NationalSpelling Bee.

The Alabama Spelling Bee, spon-sored by Adventure Travel, sendsthe only Alabama entry to theScripps National Spelling Bee inWashington, D.C. area.

“The spelling bee tradition im-

proves students’ spelling skills andincreases their vocabularies. Beeparticipation also provides valu-able experience in developingpoise – a necessary skill for publicspeaking, performing arts, andathletics.” (Quoted from the Ala-bama Spelling Bee website)

Spelling Bee winnersPictured left to right, faculty sponsor, Melissa Moore, Diya Patel, Hannah Claire Carter, Britton Vaughn, and Assistant Principal, Lorian Charles.

THE VALLEY

STAR

To advertise, please contact

Sonny Turner | 256-431-5498,

Danny Johnson | [email protected]

Kathy Thornton | 256-777-1425

Wheeler Lake has becomeone of the favorite lakesin the country for catfish-

ing events. Wheeler has fertilewater quality and good current,which is conductivity to the abun-dance of catfish. Several speciesof catfish can be caught onWheeler. Bluecat, Channel andYellowcat are found throughoutthe lake.

Major catfish tournaments noware held on Wheeler Lake on aregular basis. Fishermen through-out the country enjoy competingin their sport on Wheeler Lake.The 82 year old impoundmenthas been a treasure for sports-men and water enthusiasts overthe years. I often wonder if theengineers of TVA back in the 30’swhen the dams were constructedhad any idea of the pleasure thislake would bring to fishermen.The primary purpose for buildingthe TVA chain of lakes was togenerate electricity and floodcontrol.

Catfishing can be enjoyed by allages. This is an easy fish to catchand a great way to introduce kidsto fishing.

One has to be careful when re-

moving a catfish from the hook.They have some sharp fins andcan do damage to your hand. Iwear a glove when handling and

un-hooking these fish. A varietyof bait can be used when catfish-ing; earthworms, chicken liversand skipjack are some of the fa-vorite among anglers.

Modern day sonar fishfindershave become a tool of the com-petition tournament fishermen.These units have perfected theability to display big catfish locat-ing on flats and deep water pools.Cats like to hold in eddies aroundcover like log jams and rock piles.The fish suspend in the currentbreaks waiting for a meal to floatby. The flat head catfish like livebait such as minnows and shad.

A good method for catchingspring time catfish is after a bigrain when creeks get high anddirty. The mouth of a creek flow-ing into the backwater is a greatplace to tight line fish. Place aheavy sinker about 18 inches

above the hook. The sinker needsto be heavy enough to withstandthe water current. Cast your of-fering out, prop up the rod on aforked stick, and wait for a bite.

Wheeler Lake has a lot to offerwhether you are a bass, stripe,crappie or cat fisherman. The67,100 acre impoundment thatstretches 60 miles dam to damhas provided years of enjoymentto many.

This great lake must be cherishedand taken care of for our futuregeneration of outdoor sportsmenfor years to come. As good stew-ards of the lake, we must strivefor good water quality and neverlitter our water way.

Volunteer groups do a great serv-ice by removing litter from the ElkRiver and other parts of the lake.Let’s help, as fishermen, to keepour lakes clean.

Catfishing: Good on Wheeler Lake


OUTDOORS with Danny Johnson

Covering North Alabama With Quality Electrical Work

RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL

Licensed, Insured, and Workman’s Comp

FREE ESTIMATES256-206-5776www.trelectrical.com

Tournament angler holding a giant Wheeler Lake bluecat.


When cold and flu seasonstrikes, millions of Ameri-cans find themselves

coughing, sneezing, congested,aching, uncomfortable – andsometimes, downright miserable.The widespread prevalence ofthese symptoms sweeps the coun-try each year and affects people ofall ages.

According to the Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention,Americans suffer from one billioncolds annually. While adults catchan average of two to three coldsper year, children suffer evenmore, especially during cold sea-son.

“The cold and flu are both highlycontagious viral infections,” saidDr. Keri Peterson, a Manhattan-based physician. “While theyspread easily, there are some easymeasures that families can take toprotect themselves from getting in-fected, and even while they aresick, to prevent prolonged illnessand recover more quickly.”

To protect you and your family, andto prevent the spread of illness,Peterson offers these tips for nav-igating cold and flu season:

• Wash your hands with soap andwater regularly, especially aftertouching dirty surfaces like door-knobs and keyboards. Thoroughwashing should take as long assinging “Happy Birthday” twice.Don’t touch your eyes, nose ormouth. These are direct entrypoints for germs. Most adultstouch their face about 16 times aday, and children even more often,increasing the spread of germs.

• Germs live on surfaces andspread to humans through skincontact, so anything that you touchfrequently can be a threat. Use dis-infectant wipes to wipe down yourworkspace daily, as well as yourtelephone, mouse and keyboard.Make sure you regularly disinfectdoorknobs and shared electronics

like TV remotes. Also, wash yourchildren’s toys after playtime.

• Studies indicate flu virusesthrive best in cold and dry places,making winter air an ideal breed-ing ground. Use a humidifier tokeep humidity levels in your homebetween 40 and 60 percent to re-duce viruses’ chances at survival.Humidifiers can also help relievecold and flu symptoms and dis-comfort. An option such as theVicks Filter-Free Cool Mist Humidi-fier is a convenient way to meetthe American Academy of Pediatri-cians’ recommendation to use acool mist humidifier throughoutthe winter months to help relievecongestion and cough in children.For adults and children ages 2 andolder, Vicks VapoSteam pairedwith a warm mist humidifier or va-porizer releases a medicatedsteam with cough suppressant tohelp relieve coughs and colds.

• Everyone 6 months of age andolder should get a flu vaccineevery year. Flu vaccination shouldtake place soon after the vaccinebecomes available to the public,

preferably in October.

• Watch your symptoms. Coldsymptoms come on gradually andprogress over time, typically start-ing with a sore throat, then a runnynose and eventually a cough. Onthe other hand, the flu hits fastand furious with the sudden onsetof fever, aches, fatigue, cough andheadache.

• Fever can sometimes occur witha cold and is usually mild; with theflu it is common and higher, rang-ing from 100-102 F. Taking yourtemperature with a thermometersuch as the Braun ThermoScan,the No. 1 brand among pediatri-cians and moms, is a good way tohelp determine which type of virusyou have.

Practical Tips toCombat Cold and Flu

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

For Your

HEALTH

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

Cinnamon Raisin Strata from Taste of Home

This recipe could be used forbreakfast or a brunch.Sounds delicious!

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 Tbsp ground cinnamon

8 slices day-old raisin bread

4 Tbsp brown sugar, divided

6 eggs, lightly beaten

1-1/2 cups 2% milk

3 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

Additional maple syrup

In a small bowl, combine butterand cinnamon; spread over oneside of each slice of bread.

Place four slices, buttered sideup, in a greased 8-in. square bak-ing dish (trim if necessary).

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoonsbrown sugar. Repeat with re-maining bread and brown sugar.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs,milk, syrup and vanilla; pour overbread. Cover and refrigerateovernight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30minutes before baking. Bake, un-covered, at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until a knifeinserted near the center comesout clean. Serve with additionalsyrup. Yields 4 servings.


Chilly nights are the perfecttime to pull out your favoritesoup or stew recipe. Settle

down with a blanket while a big potof chili simmers on the stove.Warm, hearty and flavorful, chili is aclassic comfort food, and it’s easyto customize with your favorite fla-vor combinations. Whether you pre-fer it spicy or mild, with or withoutbeans, you can develop your ownsignature style.

For chili connoisseurs, ground beefis usually the go-to meat, but try anew take on an old favorite byadding ground duck to your chili forsomething creative. Duck has therobust, red-meat texture of beef butwith the lean nutritional benefits ofother poultry. Farm-raised whitePekin duck has less saturated fatthan beef and a mild flavor that’snot considered gamey. Plus, it’s ver-satile and complements a variety ofdishes.

Substitute duck in your favorite ver-sion of chili or try this Duck Chili.Like many chili recipes, this onetastes even better the next day,making it a great dish to makeahead of time and reheat whenneeded.

Find other duck recipes and moreinformation about cooking withduck at mapleleaffarms.com.

Duck Chili2 tablespoons Rendered Duck

Fat, divided 2 pounds Ground Duck1 teaspoon salt, plus additional,

to taste pepper, to taste3 tablespoons ground cumin,

divided1 large red onion, chopped4 garlic cloves, minced2 jalapeno peppers, minced

(remove seeds to reduce heat)2 red bell peppers, cored andchopped3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano1 teaspoon cayenne pepper24 ounces dark beer2 cups chicken stock6 ounces tomato paste28 ounces canned tomatoes24 ounces canned great northernbeans, drained8 ounces canned whole kernel

corn, drained Hot sauce, to taste Sour cream (optional) Shredded cheese (optional)Chopped scallions (optional)Fresh cilantro, rough chopped

(optional)

In large pot over medium-high heat,

heat 1 tablespoon duck fat. Addground duck; sprinkle with salt andpepper, to taste, and 1 tablespooncumin.

Cook meat until just slightlybrowned, stirring occasionally tobreak into small pieces. Removeduck from pot and set aside.

Return pot to medium-high burnerand add remaining duck fat. Addonion, garlic, jalapenos and red pep-pers to pot and saute 3 minutes,stirring so garlic doesn’t burn. Stir inchili powder, oregano, cayenne pep-per, 1 teaspoon salt and remainingcumin. Saute 2 minutes, stirring fre-quently.

Add beer and stock to pot. Stir,scraping up bits from bottom of pot.Add tomato paste and mix well. Addtomatoes and duck then bring toboil. Reduce heat and simmer, cov-ered, 1 hour.

Stir in beans, corn and hot sauce.Cook uncovered 30 minutes, oruntil chili is thick.

Serve in bowls with optional top-pings: sour cream, cheese, scal-lions and cilantro.

Change Up Your Chili


Athens Police officers handing out random Christmas giftsto children they encountered for Christmas 2016

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

by Rebekah DavisLimestone County Archivist

by Rebekah DavisLimestone County Archivist


Note: This is the sixth in a seriesof articles sharing the stories be-hind the names of some localstreets.

“Love has a big heart and longarms,” Fred Brownlee wrotein 1939. “Wherever Miss

Allyn goes, Trinity will be in herheart and Athens in her embrace.She will not forget and she willnot be forgotten.”

Although the gen-erations havepassed – andmany havepassed on – sinceBrownlee madethis statementabout Trinity

School Principal Louise Allyn, hername lives on, written on theshort stretch of road that lies be-tween the former Trinity HighSchool and Miller Public School,and in the hearts and minds offormer students and their fami-lies.

As Charlotte Fulton wrote in Hold-ing the Fort, “The last Union sol-diers had been gone from Athensless than 40 years when October1909 saw the arrival of LouiseHurlbut Allyn, who would presideover Trinity School for the next 31years with a devotion thatprompted Fred Brownlee, retiredgeneral secretary of the AmericanMissionary Association andAllyn’s longtime friend, to eulo-gize her in 1951 as ‘a saint ac-cording to any yardstick anyonecares to apply.’”

Allyn once wrote that Negro spiri-tuals inspired her to enter theAMA’s southern field as a mis-sionary. Born in 1870 in Brooklyn,N.Y., Allyn grew up in Connecticut,where in training to become ateacher she learned of the AMA’swork in the South.

Allyn arrived to a Trinity recentlyrebuilt within the walls of the for-

mer Fort Henderson, following a1907 fire, and immediately puton the many hats of Trinity princi-pal. A typical day would includechapel, academic lessons, andvocational training, as well as fix-ing problems with the furnace ordelving into missionary barrels toshare clothing with communitymembers.

Trinity was growing in number, aswell in positive influence in thecommunity, when the buildingagain went up in flames in 1913.

In face of this disaster, Allyn re-mained positive, writing, “Alto-gether we feel that what seems acalamity will surely prove a bless-ing in disguise and that out of theashes will arise a yet more beau-tiful Trinity to do a still noblerwork.”

By the next year, Trinity had a newbuilding, which stood until 1959,and there Allyn spent two moredecades educating and prayingfor hundreds of students. Herwork paid off as many of thosestudents continued to share thatpositive influence as teachers,business leaders, clergy, doctors,judges, and more, often givingcredit to Allyn for her direction.

Allyn’s perspective was that of asculptor, releasing the beauty of acarved angel from an unhewnrock. “There is an angel in everyone of our boys and girls; we haveseen it with the sculptor’s visionand it is with exceeding great joythat we hack away day after day

at the stony prison of sin and ig-norance and watch the lines ofbeauty appear one by one until alovely character steps forth, or aremarkable intellect,” Allyn wrotein a letter to northern supporters.

In 1940, Allyn retired from Trinityand moved back to Connecticut,but her heart remained at Trinity.She missed being at the school,“not for pay but to be in the thickof the fray,” she wrote in 1945,and in 1949, she returned forone last visit, to give the bac-calaureate address.

Allyn died in Connecticut in 1951,at age 81, and in her obituary,her old friend Brownlee wrote,“She crowned the procession ofNew England CongregationalChristian women who went Southto help freedmen become freemen.”

Note: Information for this articlecame from Holding the Fort:A History of Trinity School inAthens, Alabama 1865-1970.

Driving Forces: Allyn was ‘a saintaccording to any yardstick’

LIMESTONE DRUG

CITY-WIDE DELIVERY ONLY $1

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

HOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY 7:30AM-7PM • SATURDAY 7:30AM-5PM • SUNDAY 9AM-5PM

256-232-3811

LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN ATHENS ON THE SQUARE

RebekahDavis


UNCLE BONDEE’S ADVENTURES by Uncle Bondeeby Uncle Bondee

The winter months were a veryfun time to live in the coun-try. Rabbit hunting was eas-

ier when a light snow covered theground. The ole cottontail stoodout like a sore thumb against thewhite background the snow pro-vided. Hunting wasn’t the onlything going that was fun in thecold air. When the first significantsnow of the season blanketed thearea, it was time for some sled-ding. No, we didn’t have a fancysnow sled. We had somethingbetter, a car hood from a 1951Plymouth car. The metal hoodcould carry 4 or 5 boys down thesnow covered hill at warp speeds.The only problem was steering therun away sheet of metal. I remem-ber one cold January day we weresledding in the Gardner Hollerwhen the car hood went flying

over a bank, and the riders fellabout twenty feet to the ground.The snow helped cushion the fall.The only injury was Humpy lost afront tooth. He was a tough nutand we just kept on sledding.When he got home he washed hismouth with some salty water andnever went to a dentist.

Ponds and creeks would freezeover and make for some fun ice-skating. The frozen streams andponds were seldom over four feetdeep and if you broke through allyou got was cold, wet feet. Never

play on ice if you are unfamiliarwith it because it can cause deathif you break through.

One of the games we would playon ice was to get a running startand see how far one could slide.After a few falls the boys could sailacross a bed of ice with the great-est of ease. Another fun thing wasto push Dalton in a wooden boxacross the frozen pond. Daltonmade a good guinea pig becausehe was the lightest of the three.We would use the giant iciclesfound hanging from bluff rocks asswords. Some pretty mean swordfights erupted between the threeof us.

Last, but not least, was the bigsnowball fight that would close outthe day of events. Launching theballs of snow at your friends waslots of fun. We would call time out

and construct a pile of snow ballsand then it was on again.

By the time the sun was gettinglow and the cold night air was re-turning to the holler, it was time tocome in and get warm by the bigwood heater. We would all be tiredand hungry for a hot meal. GrannySmith would have some tastychicken and dumplings cooked upand some hot buttered cornbread. After getting our choresdone and eating supper, it wastime to get in that feather bed fora night of sleep.

If the fire went out in the night youwould wake up to a very coldhouse and the dipper froze in thewater bucket. In really coldweather we took turns loading theheater at night to prevent thisfrom happening. The boys of Gas-ton Holler didn’t have many toys toplays with, but with a little creativ-ity and natural resources we had afun time growing up.

Athens Gas Department reminds you“MAKE EVERY DIG A SAFE DIG”

Alabama State Law requires you to call theAlabama One Call Center 48 hours prior to any

excavation, to have underground utilities located.

811 is the new nationalthree digit call number.

1-877-885-5592Emergency Line:

256-216-8621

1806 Wilkinson Street Athens, AL 35611

256-242-1444

Winter activities in the holler


collinssupply.doitbest.com

Dewalt 12AReciprocating

Saw

17616 U.S. Hwy 72(256) 232-3498

Monday thru Friday 7:00am-5:00pmSaturday 7:00am-4:00pm

SALE PRICES GOOD THRU JANUARY 2017

$1999

January SpecialsJanuary SpecialsDewalt 12 Piece

Reciprocating SawBlade Set

Johnson 48” AluminumBeam Level

$999Regular$32.99

Regular$18.49

Regular$99.99

SALEPRICE

SALEPRICE

SALEPRICE

$299

StanleyUtility Knife

Regular$5.49

SALEPRICE

$7999

January is National Glaucoma Awareness MonthCurrently, more than 3 million peo-ple in the United States have glau-coma. The National Eye Instituteprojects this number will reach 4.2million by 2030, a 58 percent in-crease.

Glaucoma is called "the sneakthief of sight" since there are nosymptoms and once vision is lost,it's permanent. As much as 40% ofvision can be lost without a personnoticing.

Glaucoma is the leading cause ofpreventable blindness. Moreover,among African American andLatino populations, glaucoma ismore prevalent. Glaucoma is 6 to8 times more common in AfricanAmericans than Caucasians.

Over 3 million Americans, and over60 million people worldwide, haveglaucoma. Experts estimate thathalf of them don’t know they haveit. Combined with our aging popu-lation, we can see an epidemic ofblindness looming if we don’t raiseawareness about the importance

of regular eye examinations to pre-serve vision. The World Health Or-ganization estimates that 4.5million people worldwide are blinddue to glaucoma.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a group of eye dis-eases that gradually steal sightwithout warning. Although the mostcommon forms primarily affect themiddle-aged and the elderly, glau-coma can affect people of all ages.

Vision loss is caused by damage to

the optic nerve. This nerve actslike an electric cable with over amillion wires. It is responsible forcarrying images from the eye tothe brain.

There is no cure for glaucoma—yet.However, medication or surgery canslow or prevent further vision loss.The appropriate treatment de-pends upon the type of glaucomaamong other factors. Early detec-tion is vital to stopping the progressof the disease.

There are two main types of glau-coma: primary open-angle glau-coma (POAG), and angle-closureglaucoma. These are marked by anincrease of intraocular pressure(IOP), or pressure inside the eye.When optic nerve damage has oc-curred despite a normal IOP, this iscalled normal tension glaucoma.

Secondary glaucoma refers to anycase in which another diseasecauses or contributes to increasedeye pressure, resulting in opticnerve damage and vision loss.

Risk Factors

Are you at risk for glaucoma?Those at higher risk include peo-ple of African, Asian, and Hispanicdescent. Other high-risk groups in-clude: people over 60, familymembers of those already diag-nosed, diabetics, and people whoare severely nearsighted. Regulareye exams are especially impor-tant for those at higher risk forglaucoma, and may help to pre-vent unnecessary vision loss.

It’s the first month of the newyear and hopefully it’s off to agood start for you and your fam-

ily! This is the time of year whenwe make resolutions and goalsfor ourselves to accomplish in thecoming months. This is when westart our new diets and exerciseprograms. It’s when we startreading our Bibles, attendingservices, or trying to pray more.One of my goals this year is to fol-low a Bible reading plan that willtake me through the entire Bibleby the end of the year.

By the time this article is printed,there will be about two weeks ofthe year already gone. How areyour resolutions going? Have youlasted the first two weeks or haveyou already given up? Accordingto Statisticbrain.com, only 9.2%of the people who make NewYear’s resolutions feel like theysucceed in following through withtheir goals. Only 68.4% of thepeople will continue with theirresolutions after the first twoweeks of the year. And that num-ber drops another 10% down to58.4% of people who are still fol-lowing their resolutions after thefirst month. That almost half ofthe people who have given up ontheir goals after only one month.And there’s still eleven monthsleft in the year!

I don’t know what your goals arethis year, but my prayer is thatyou can see them through. If youhave already “fallen down” andgiven up, then it’s time to getback up. There’s still plenty oftime left in the year to accom-plish those goals. 2 Chronicles15:7 says, “But as for you, bestrong and do not give up, foryour work will be rewarded.”

Lord willing, we all made goalsthat will help us grow strongerspiritually. If you want to praymore, then set a reminder and

alarm on your phone to go off ata certain time. You can evenname your alarm “PRAY NOW” soit an extra incentive to followthrough. If your goal was to readmore of your Bible, set smallgoals. Don’t stress out about fin-ish your Bible in a year. Instead,pick a single book. Once you fin-ish that book, pick another.Maybe you only read through 4-5books in your Bible this year,that’s okay. Maybe that’s 4-5more books than you read lastyear. At Marion Street Church ofChrist, we are spending 2017 fo-cusing on Serving One Another(Gal. 5:13). I have our yearlybooklet out on my desk so I don’tforget to read it and apply it. It’sjust a simple reminder.

Whatever your goals and resolu-

tions are, don’t give up so soon.There is always time to get backup and start working again. Isa-iah 41:10 says, “So do not fear,for I am with you; do not be dis-mayed, for I am your God. I willstrengthen you and help you; Iwill uphold you with my righteoushand.” It’s a good thing to want to

grow spiritually. And it’s an evenbetter thing to know that God willbe there with us every step of theway. He will strengthen us andhelp us.

Only 9.2% of those that make res-olutions will succeed in followingthem. Let God help you succeed.With Him, anything is possible.


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

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

Kevin Harrington

Giving up already?


ALEXANDER, CORDER, & SHELLY, P.C.ALEXANDER, CORDER, & SHELLY, P.C.ALEXANDER, CORDER, & SHELLY, P.C.

AREAS OF PRACTICE:

NO MATTER IS TOO BIG OR SMALL

FREECONSULTATIONS

So call or email us today to schedule your appointment.

FREECONSULTATIONS


FREECONSULTATIONS


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.



• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• Personal Injury- Automobile Accidents

- 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]

by Flo Doughtyby Flo Doughtyby Flo Doughty


We all want our children tobe successful. Every par-ent wants their child to

be healthy, get a good education,make good friends, etc. We try tofeed our kids good food; we takethem for check ups or to the doc-tor when they are sick. We readto our kids, help with their home-work and eagerly anticipate thatreport card or test score to seehow they are doing in school andthe higher the grade the betterwe feel, right?

We put a lot into our kids be-cause we want the absolute verybest for them. I want to sharesome interesting statistics Ilearned about while reading a re-search article on activelivingre-search.org. The name of thearticle is Active Learning: Grow-ing Evidence on Physical Activityand Academic Performance. It

seems like physical activity playsa big role in how our children doacademically.

The repeated findings in existingresearch were that regular partici-pation in physical activity andhigher levels of physical fitnesshave been linked to improved ac-ademic performance and brainfunctions such as memory andattention. The authors tell of bothimmediate and long term positiveeffects physical activity has onacademic performance. I’ll givesome examples. One study of287 Canadian children in 4th and5th grade found a beneficial rela-tionship between physical activityand standardized test scores.Several studies show that vigor-ous physical activities, like run-ning and playing tag, may havelarger effects on academic per-formance than lower-intensity ac-

tivities.

Over one school year, childrenwho played active video gameslike Dance, Dance,

Revolution during recess experi-enced more improvements inboth physical fitness and aca-demic performance in math thanstudents who participated in tra-ditional recess. After walking on atreadmill for 20 minutes at amoderate pace, children re-sponded to test questions (in thecontent areas of reading,spelling, and arithmetic) withgreater accuracy, and had a moreintense response within thebrain, than children who hadbeen sitting. Further, childrenwho walked for 20 minutes per-formed better on reading compre-hension than those who sat for asimilar length of time. Followingphysical activity, children also

completed learning tasks fasterand more accurately, and weremore likely to read above theirgrade level.

This gives me even more encour-agement to get kids moving!! I en-courage you to visit this site andread the article in its entirety andyou too will be encouraged towork more exercise into yourchild’s day! I am a homeschoolmom and one of the items on myson’s checklist before he canhave free time is to exercise. Heenjoys running and likes to getthis in at the beginning of his daybecause he has learned that hedoes indeed focus better andcomplete the rest of his schooltasks in a more timely mannedue to increased concentrationand attention. Let’s get our kidsmoving and watch all areas oftheir lives benefit from it!

Exercise improves academicperformance in children

Flash Dash on Superhero Day. An Athens police officer running with the kids at the end of the race.

HORSE SENSEHORSE SENSEHORSE SENSE by Jim Swannerby Jim Swannerby Jim Swanner


#10 The CircleIf you have been following along

with this series of articles in‘The Language of the Horse’,

hopefully you have began to un-derstand the concepts of ourteachings and the reasoning be-

hind these con-cepts. As always,we have to bemindful that weare teaching con-cepts that we willuse for the re-mainder of our

time with our horse. It’s a lan-guage the horse understandsand now we are beginning to un-derstand it for the horse and ourrelationship with the horse.

In this article we are going to befocused on the circle. We will beasking the horse to go around usin a circle. (Some call it lounging).There is a huge difference in our

concept of circling vs simplylounging. We don’t necessarilylounge horses. Lounging in someeyes is sending your horse in acircle and continually chasing ornagging the horse to continue.We don’t do it that way for manyreasons but for one, we don’twant to teach our horse to runfrom us.

I am going to get as much infor-

mation in this article as I can butthe print space is limited.

We’re going to break this exercisedown into several articles.

We will begin with the send.

Again, you will have your rope hal-ter on the horse and a 12’ or 10’yachting braid lead rope. (I will ex-plain later why the yachting braidlead rope and the rope halter).

You will need enough room foryou to ask your horse to movearound you in a circle of about40-50’ in diameter.

Position yourself in front of thehorse with you in the center ofthe circle, your horse facing youabout 8-10’ away. Let’s say, youare going to ask your horse tomove out going to your left.

1. With the lead rope in your lefthand, slide your left had about 2-2.5 ft. down from the end of therope. You have your 4’ stick with6’ string attached in your righthand. The end of the stick is onthe ground to your side. You arenow in the position to ask thehorse to begin the circle to yourleft.

2. (1 )You will lift your left hand,your rope hand, out to the side asif to say let’s go over there. At thesame time you will open up, thatis, turn your left foot out in the di-rection of your left hand. This isan offering for the horse to moveonto the left circle. If it goes, putyour hand down. (Keep in mind,DO NOT lift up the stick until andif you need the next step).

3. (2) If the horse didn’t go thennow pick up you stick and hold itparallel with the horse, just holdit there. Give the horse a few sec-onds. This is pressure also.

4. (3) OK, if the horse didn’t goyou will begin to rotate your stickin an overhand direction. You willdo this motion in a rhythmic mo-tion. Not fast, simple slow andwith your circling about 4’ in di-ameter.

5. (4) Ok, let’s say your horse did-n’t move you will in an aggravat-ing kind of way twirl the stickswings the string over enoughthat the end of the string tags ortouches the horse in front of itsshoulder. Not on top of its back,withers or anywhere else but theshoulder point. The reason forthe point of the shoulder is youare asking your horse to step it’sfront quarter out before goinginto the circle.

OK, this is about as much as Ican get in the space allotted. Sofor now this is it. I will continuethe Circle in the next article. Inthe mean time if you want toknow more about the previous ar-ticles or this article or these con-cepts, feel free to contact me atmy website, JimSwanner.com. Iwould love to help you.Jim Swanner13124 Carter RoadAthens, AL 35611www.JimSwanner.comEnjoying Horses throughCommunication256.874.6781Host ‘All About Horses’radio WKAC 1080 AM(Streaming atwww.WKAC1080.com)Member: Board of DirectorAlabama Horse CouncilOwner KIN Stables -Horse Boarding FacilityNatural Horsemanship SessionsAvailable one-on-oneAvailable for ClinicsSpeaker, ClinicianWriter for: The Valley Star;The Star Sportsman newspapersTennessee Valley Agriculture Maga-zine; Horse and Ranch Magazine

Personal page:www.facebook.com/jim.swanner.9 Professional Page:www.facebook.com/JimSwannerwww.facebook.com/jimswannermediawww.facebook.com/jimswanner.kinstables

Jim Swanner

StricklandStricklandDirt Works, LLC

Services Include:White Gravel • Stone • Fill Dirt • Top SoilPonds • Basements • Property Clearning

Rusty & Russell Strickland

(256) 771-3857Rusty & Russell Strickland

(256) 771-3857Rusty & Russell Strickland

(256) 771-3857

25YEARS

EXP25

YEARS

EXP

Jan. 14th — Join the Tiger Soft-ball Club for a fundraiser start-ing at 5:00PM at the LimestoneCounty Event Center with GuestSpeaker Al Del Greco, formerAuburn and Tennessee TitanKicker. Tickets are $30.00 eachand include steak dinner. Atable of six is $240.00 and atable of 8 is $300.00. To pur-chase tickets contact CoachStephen Baugh or Coach SherriGraviet 256-423-2685.

Jan. 16th — Martin Luther KingJr. Holiday Unity March inDowntown Athens, AL. Join theLimestone County NAACP for aUnity March honoring the lifeand legacy of Martin LutherKing Jr. More details to come.

Jan. 19th — Dr. Martin LutherKing, Jr. Tribute Time 11:00 AM- 12:00 PM at Calhoun Com-munity College Aerospace Train-ing Center US31N Tanner, ALGuest Speaker: Rev. Dr. F.D.Reese, Civil Rights Leader, Ed-ucator and Minister best knownas a member of the “Coura-geous Eight”. His legacy in-cludes the Dallas County VotingRights Movements and theSelma-Montgomery Marches.

Jan. 19th — Family ResourceCenterSTEP-UP Meeting. Re-freshments: 8:00 A.M. Speak-ers: 8:20 A.M. Guest Speakers:Patience Enyinda, LMSW, So-cial Work Mgr., Alabama De-partment of Public Health andMark Kearley, SW Specialist,Children’s Rehabilitation Serv-ice. Door prize drawing for at-tendees! First PresbyterianChurch, 112 S JeffersonStreet(The Rodgers Center).The Family Resource Centercordially invites you and yourguest to attend the bi-monthlyStep-Up meeting at 8 A.M.every third Thursday of January,March, May, July, September,and November. We would liketo especially invite anyone whohas not previously attended.STEP UP meetings are an op-portunity for community agen-cies and residents tocollaborate social services inour area. We look forward toseeing you there!

Jan. 19th — Yesterday’s SeniorLunch Matinee: SophisticatedSwingers Yesterdays EventCenter Brownsferry RoadAthens, AL All seating is re-served and include lunch andshow for $12.00. Groups areseated together, doors open10:30am, events start at 11AMwith seating, opening an-nouncements, blessing, andlunch, with show beginningabout 12 noon. (About 1 hourshow) We have bus parkingavailable, e-mail reservationsare required [email protected]

Jan. 21st — Hound Dog Half-Marathon Elkmont, AL Beauti-ful, CERTIFIED (USATF#AL15062JD) half marathonthrough the rolling hills of Elk-mont, Alabama. The course be-gins in downtown Elkmont andheads out into the country on

the rolling rural roads. About 7-8 miles into the race, runnerswill move off the road and ontothe old L&N Railroad bed and isnow known as the Richard Mar-tin Trail and is part of the Railsto Trails Conservancy, wherethey will run the final 5-6 milesof the half marathon. For moreinformation or to register,https://runsignup.com/Race/Events/AL/Elkmont/Elkmon-tHalfMarathon#event-90406

Jan. 28th — 2nd AnniversaryCelebration Of The Athens-Limestone Public Library’s“New Home” 3:00 – 5:00 pm.Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres,beverages, live music, and anart exhibit featuring originalwork by Peter Max, and limitededition lithographs by Chagall,Picasso, and other renownedartists. The Library Foundationwill unveil plans for the LibraryGreen Space project.TicketsAre $20 and may be purchasedat the Athens-Limestone PublicLibrary 603 S. Jefferson St., oronline



183 Rolling Brook DriveLauderdale Co. • $164,459

MLS#1057896

13597 Shaw RoadClements • $235,000

MLS#1059923

15530 Curtis LaneClements • $139,000

MLS#1059857

22153 N. Yarbrough RoadElkmont • $72,900

MLS#1058943

CALL ONE OF OUR AGENTS TODAY!CALL ONE OF OUR AGENTS TODAY!

NEW LISTING! NEW LISTING! NEW LISTING! NEW LISTING!

BUYING•SELLING•RENTING•BUILDING… We Have the Solution


22232 Merlot DriveAthens • $250,000

MLS#1044133

PRICE REDUCED!

25575 Gray Stone DriveE. Limestone • $224,000

MLS# 1024234

12872 Saint Andrews Dr.Clements • $395,000

MLS#1053730

17961 Davis StreetAthens • $198,000

MLS#1016977

17358 Sledge RoadClements • $155,000

MLS#1026688

2087 N Looney Road WElement • $129,900

MLS#1046135

3.9 ACRES!

12526 U.S. Why 31 SAthens • $139,900

MLS#1049640

14160 Hunter RoadEast Limestone - $255,000

MLS#1042941

5796 Bay Hill DriveClements - $199,000

MLS#1042157

PENDING!! POOL!!

Curtis LaneClements • $139,900

MLS#1049908

21850 Oakland MeadowsArdmore • $114,00

MLS#1043981

Henry DriveAthens • $64,900

MLS#1037289

Tract 2 Poplar Creek Rd.Clements • $25,000

MLS#1059893

Fort Hampton RoadElkmont • $250,000

MLS#1056029

PRICE REDUCED!

305 Wickerberry WayAthens - $218,000

MLS#1040755

SOLD

!!!

SOLD

!!!NEW construction!

PRICE REDUCED!

PRICE REDUCED!

PRICE REDUCED!TN River

14160 Hunter RoadEast Limestone - $255,000

MLS#1042941

5796 Bay Hill DriveClements - $199,000

MLS#1042157

PENDING!! POOL!!

5799 Bay Village DriveClements • $1,050 mo.

MLS#1050651

16234 E. Glenn Valley Dr.Athens • $950/mo.

MLS#1057366

407 Washington StreetAthens • $950/mo.

MLS#1059309

TN River

Commercial For Sale

Land & LotsFor Sale

RENTALS

24362 Sycamore Lane

Elkmont • $10,000

MLS#1039092

16031 Parker Road

Athens • $60,000

MLS#1053024

Shinnecock Hills Drive

Athens • $130,000

MLS#1053216

PRICE REDUCED!

Land for Sale: Mary Davis Hollow Road, Athens • $14,800

727 W. Market StreetAthens • $184,900

MLS#1047831

free happy new year! january 13, 2017 starthevalleystar.net/archives/011317edition.pdf · pliment...

Documents