March/April 2012 issue

Connected
March/April 2012
Published for the
members of
“We Keep You Connected”
Sweet
Seasons
Farm
hosts their annual
Art at the Barn event
Clyde Wisner’s love for Plainview
spans the decades
Create your own masterpiece at
Zivery Art studio
General Manager Comments
What were they thinking?
A
s this column is written,
newspaper and television
headlines continue to cover
the wreck of an Italian cruise
ship, the Costa Concordia. Images of
the cruise liner lying on its side amidst
rocky shoals are truly stark. Worse
yet are videos of crew members telling passengers, “It’s just an electrical
problem. Go back to your cabins.” But
most troubling of all are allegations of a
captain who failed his primary duty and
then committed a ship captain’s worse
sin: abandoning his ship, passengers,
and crew. Please don’t misunderstand
me. This is no rush to judgment. In fact,
the ONLY thing we know for sure is that
we DO NOT yet know the whole story.
It will be a long time before we do and,
candidly, we may never know it all.
Still, there are a few obvious facts.
First, the ship ran aground and began
taking on water and listing to its starboard side. The Italian Coast Guard
learned of the accident from police on
shore who were called by passengers
from the ship. When the Coast Guard
asked the ship’s command if assistance
was needed they were originally told
no. According to Wall Street Journal
accounts, the captain spent much of his
time immediately following the accident
on the phone with his cruise line. Apparently, his first action after damage reports was not to issue an order to stand
by all boats and prepare to evacuate the
ship. Only the ship’s proximity to the
shoreline prevented this from being a
horrible maritime tragedy. And so the
question: Talk on the phone or prepare
for a possible orderly evacuation? What
were they thinking?
While we are talking about shipwrecks, let’s revisit Titanic. After all,
the 100th Anniversary of that tragedy
approaches. Imagine being in a room
with the brightest maritime engineers
and designers of the early 20th century.
Someone makes this suggestion. “Let’s
put only half the number of needed lifeboats aboard.” Another person asks why
and is reportedly told a full complement
of boats would unnecessarily clutter the
2 Connected - March/April 2012
decks. I suppose, and hope, someone
also asked what would happen should
there be an accident. The famous answer, of course, was that the Titanic was
“unsinkable.” Well, if the boat was unsinkable then why would it need ANY
boats? What were they thinking?
So what am I trying to say? The
captain of the Costa Concordia did not
become Master of that boat by being
an idiot and neither were the men who
designed and built the Titanic. The
point is quite simple; smart people
make stupid decisions. Often, harsh
reality reveals just how ridiculous those
decisions actually were. For example,
after what happened to Titanic, can you
imagine suggesting only half the number of boats necessary? This discussion
wouldn’t bother me so much but for
one thing: I am guilty. Thank God I have
missed a few icebergs or I would not be
writing this article. I suspect many of
you can relate. The last time I checked,
no one is perfect. During a recent safety
education series, I challenged all of our
employees to avoid at all costs any of
those “what were they thinking” moments. We can do that, of course, if we
JUST THINK. Please, I beg of you, for
your own sake, approach major decisions of your life with caution. Examine
the consequences of your actions if there
is a bed of rocks or an iceberg in your
path that you don’t see. We make a difference in our lives by paying attention
to those little things that many people
take for granted or don’t consider at all.
That’s part of the price and hard work
of getting it right. Maybe no one will
ask of you or yours, “What WERE they
thinking?”n
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Pisgah Exchange
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Henagar Exchange
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Rainsville Exchange
Connected
Vol. 16, No. 2 March/April 2012
is a bimonthly magazine
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Sweet Seasons Farm in Valley Head is
175 acres of rolling hills and beautiful
scenery. Owners Richard and Paulette
Manning host an annual Art at the
Barn event each May. Read more on
page 10.
Photo by Monica Dooley of Mon-el Fine
Art & Images in Boaz.
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“We Keep You Connected”
Connected - March/April 2012 3
the
power
of fiber




4 Connected - March/April 2012
New lines will bring stateof-the-art Internet speeds
to local homes, businesses
By Andy Johns
Note: This is the first article in an ongoing series examining how worldclass fiber Internet access will benefit various sectors of our community.
O
ptical fiber technology has
been used for years in telecommunications networks.
Now, FTC is using the same technology that forms America’s communications backbone to bring lightning-fast
Internet and crystal-clear television
service into homes and businesses.
“It’s amazing,” said Greg Wigley,
an engineering assistant with FTC.
“We have the latest technology, and
it’s allowing us to offer world-class
service to our customers — service
that many people in the big cities
don’t even have access to.”
Simply put, fiber optic lines are
hair-thin strands of refined glass that
are used to carry information at close
to the speed of light. One tiny strand
allows FTC to deliver broadband
Internet, high-definition television
and crystal-clear phone service to
members. Because bandwidth on fiber
is virtually unlimited, an amazing
amount of information can be transferred over the line. “The range of
services we can offer is just so much
wider than has ever been possible,”
Wigley says.
Fiber allows fast downloads and
capacity for all of your connected
devices. Some households, with game
systems, smartphones, multiple computers and Wi-Fi enabled televisions,
can max out the capacity of traditional
copper lines. Fiber provides the bandwidth needed to get the most out of all
your favorite devices.
Also important for rural cooperatives like FTC, fiber service does not
noticeably lose speed like copper does
as it gets farther from the central of-
fice. “With copper, the farther you go
out the slower the service is,” Wigley
says. Fiber gives FTC customers access
to the same download speeds as residents in Birmingham, Atlanta or other
urban areas.
“It’s as fast as they’re going to get
anywhere,” Wigley explains. “To be
able to offer that in a small market is
significant.”
And it’s not just families that will
benefit from fiber. In future issues
of Connected, we will examine how
businesses, medical professionals and
government agencies have benefitted
from broadband connections and how
their work will be enhanced by fiber.
“Everybody will benefit,” Wigley says.
“The capabilities that fiber will allow
businesses will be unlimited.”
FTC crews are working hard
to bring that upgrade to all of our
customers, but the process takes
time. After the fiber mains are laid in
your area, expect a letter in the mail
notifying you about the opportunity
to upgrade. If you opt for upgraded
services that require a fiber connection, a crew will come out and plow
a line running from the main to your
home. Outside the house, the box and
wiring will look similar to your existing copper connection. “A week later,
you won’t even know we’ve been in
there,” Wigley says.
So far, from the feedback Wigley
has heard, members like the idea of
world class Internet speeds. “They’re
very pleased with it,” he said.
“They’re excited to be able to get
the faster speeds. It’s been a very positive reaction.”n
keeps hope alive
Paula Nance
T
here is a suitcase sitting
beside the door in Paula
Nance’s home in Rainsville,
filled with everything she will need
when the call comes. She tries not to
think about that suitcase, or the call,
as the days turn into months, and
then years. It has been two already
– and the waiting makes it hard for
her to keep hope alive.
Paula needs a kidney, and time
is running out. She has been on a
transplant recipient list at UAB hospital since the day she first packed
that suitcase. The phone call she
is waiting for, saying a donor has
been found, is the one that could
save her life.
Diagnosed with polycystic
kidney disease in 1995, she is no
stranger to the genetic disease that
has ravaged her mother’s family.
Seven family members, including
her mother, grandfather, three aunts
and two cousins, have already lost
their lives. And Paula fears for her own.
Her kidneys began to fail a year-and-a-half ago, and she was placed on
dialysis. Paula chose to use peritoneal dialysis, a type which allows her the
freedom to stay at home and self-administer the treatment each night instead
of traveling to a dialysis center.
“When my kidneys started to fail and I went on dialysis,” she says, “I
didn’t want to tell anybody. I’m very independent and I didn’t want people to
feel sorry for me. But it was a terrible burden to bear alone, knowing I might
not live.”
After finally opening up about her disease to her church family at Nazareth Baptist in Rainsville, she felt the burden lift. “My church family and Pastor
Roger (Graham) have been a tremendous source of love and support,” she
says. “I couldn’t make it without them.”
Paula also found that her friends were anxious to help in any way. So were
her coworkers at the DeKalb County School System, where she has been a
computer software technician for 18 years. “It’s still hard to talk about it with
people,” she says.
Paula is one of more than 105,000 people currently on the United Network
of Organ Sharing (UNOS) list awaiting an organ transplant in the United
States.
While she waits for the phone to ring, she draws strength from her faith in
God and the love of her husband, Eddie, and daughter, Brandy Byrum. “I don’t
know if I’ll get a kidney,” she says. “I hope so, but I’m not sure if that is God’s
plan for me. If He chooses to use my life this way, I’m okay with that. But I do
want to live.”n
March is National
Kidney Month
According to the National Kidney Foundation, 4,000 names are
added to the national waiting list
for organ transplants every month,
and about 18 people die every day
while waiting for an organ transplant in the U.S.
How to get involved:
Donation
Support the work of the National
Kidney Foundation by making
a monetary donation online at
www.kidney.org/support. Donations help fund patient education,
early detection screenings, professional education, research and organ donation awareness.
Living Donor
Living donation takes place when
a living person donates an organ
or part of an organ to someone in
need of a transplant. The donor is
most often a close family member,
such as a parent, child, brother or
sister. A donor can also be a more
distant family member, spouse,
friend or co-worker. Non-directed donors — those who donate
anonymously and do not know
their recipients — are also becoming more common. Learn more
about living donation by visiting
www.livingdonors.org.
Organ Donor
If living donation is not your
choice, you can still help save lives
by identifying yourself as an organ
and/or tissue donor. This can be
done on your drivers’ license or by
signing a donor registry. Simply
visit www.donatelife.net to learn
more about all the options.
Connected - March/April 2012 5
A friend of the
community
Clyde Wisner’s life has
intersected with Plainview
School for more than seven
decades. At 92, he is still in
love with the community he
helped shape through his
hard work and generosity.
By Stephen V. Smith
D
rive through a town like
Rainsville and it’s easy to see
the progress that has taken
place in the past few decades. New
businesses, highway development and
community buildings are evidence of
a population that works together, supports one another and wants to leave
their corner of the world a little better
than they found it.
What you don’t often see are the
stories behind the stories, the people
who were in the right place at the right
time — and with the right heart — to
do something positive that would impact their community for generations
to come.
Such a man is Clyde Wisner. Were
it not for Wisner’s hard work and love
for his community, Plainview School
could in fact be located somewhere
else today, and the DeKalb County
Schools Coliseum might not have been
built at all.
Learning to work
Wisner was born near Powell
in 1919. When he was five, his father died and his mother was forced
to move the family to Fort Payne,
where she worked for 18¢ an hour in
a hosiery mill. At age 92, Wisner still
6 Connected - March/April 2012
recalls those tough years after his father’s death. “It was a pretty hard time
back then,” he says. Their home was
so poorly sealed that he remembers
snow blowing in and watching chickens underneath the house through the
cracks in the floors.
Those early days taught Wisner
to work. He cleaned the house, swept
the floors, made up the beds and carried his little sister on his back to the
babysitter. When his mother remarried
and the family moved to the Chavies
community, he continued doing his
share and more, plowing and hoeing
on the family farm.
Wisner’s work ethic opened an
opportunity for him that would begin
his lifelong connection to Plainview
School. When he was 14, he was offered a job by Massey Patton, a man
who owned some of the land around
where Plainview sits today.
Patton was assisting a Mr. Shigley
of Valley Head and a Mr. Jones with
the construction of the first Plainview
School, as Wisner remembers. “Mr.
Patton told Mr. Shigley and Mr. Jones
that he had just as soon have me helping him as any man he’d ever seen,”
Wisner laughs. Patton would back a
wagon to the edge of nearby Town
Creek, and he and Wisner would fill
three large barrels with water. They
would drive the wagon, with its steel
spring seat, to the construction site,
where they would dip and pour the
water into barrels there.
The job was not full time, and
he was only paid 10¢ per hour, but
Wisner says “I was tickled to death to
get a job… for years I didn’t even have
enough money to buy a Coca-Cola.”
Helping run the school
The mid-1930’s were difficult for
a poor country family, and Wisner
continued to work hard to help make
ends meet. As a 16-year-old, he was
less interested in school and more
interested in earning money. “Things
didn’t work out just right,” he recalls.
“I didn’t have books, I didn’t have
paper, and had no money to buy any
with.”
But that didn’t keep him away
from Plainview School. Wisner hauled
in coal and kept the heaters going in
the nine classrooms during the winter
months. He kept water in the pans
that sat atop the coal stoves. He swept
the rooms once a day, and the hallway
twice a day.
The “dollar watch” Wisner kept in
Wisner was reconnected with
Plainview during this time, driving a
school bus for 16 years. But his biggest
contribution to the school was yet to
come.
Making expansion possible
Clyde Wisner stands with his sweetheart of
70 years, Marie, on the site where he planted
his first cotton crop in the 1960s. Wisner sold
the land for Plainview to build its football
field. In the distance sits the DeKalb County
Schools Coliseum as it is being repaired from
the April 27 tornado. Wisner raised corn on
that land for years before selling it for the
construction of the Rainsville Civic Center.
his pocket let him know when to ring
the large school bell, telling students
when recess began and when it was
time to get back to class. During
recess, he handled sales at the little
candy store set up in the principal’s
office.
Coming home to Sand Mountain
At age 22, Wisner married his
sweetheart, Dane Marie Carlyle. He
worked in a furniture factory in Rome,
Ga., for a while, then joined the Navy
where he served in Virginia during
World War II. After his discharge, it
didn’t take long to decide on the next
move for himself, his wife and their
new son, Ricky. “I’ve never found a
place yet that is any better place in the
world than Sand Mountain,” he says.
“I believe the best people in the world
are on Sand Mountain.”
In 1965, Wisner realized his dream
of owning enough land to farm on a
respectable scale. He bought a 99-acre
Chavies farm from the family of G.O.
Durham, paying $14,000 in cash. “It
was all the money I had,” Wisner
recalls. Over the next several years
he would raise hogs, cattle and corn
there, steadily improving the farm by
clearing land and building ponds.
As Plainview School continued
to grow, the need for land became
evident. Wisner owned some 20 acres
around Plainview, and thus held the
key to the school’s future. “A trustee
of the school came to me and asked if
I’d sell 10 acres,” Wisner remembers.
The trustee told Wisner that Plainview
needed a football field in order to
become a high school. If that couldn’t
happen in the current location, the
school would have to be moved.
Even though Wisner didn’t like
the idea of giving up part of his farm,
he disliked the thoughts of relocating Plainview even more. “Of course,
I didn’t want no part of moving the
school, so I sold them the land,” Wisner says. That would not be the end of
his sacrifices for Plainview.
In the mid-70s, Wisner received a
phone call from Plainview principal
W.D. Kirk, asking him to visit his office. When he arrived, Wisner found
Ray Williams and Dr. Marvin Barron
there as well. The group said they
wanted to see a coliseum built next to
Plainview, and Wisner’s corn field was
the perfect spot.
“I raised some mighty good corn
on those 10 acres,” Wisner says. “I
had a one-row corn picker on a Ford
tractor. I enjoyed that the best in the
world, gathering that corn… I’d pull
that Ford tractor back in first gear and
go to it, and it just pulled that corn off
and threw it in the trailer.”
Wisner loved farming those acres,
which supplied some of the corn necessary for his hog operation. But there
was something he loved even more —
Plainview School. He offered the land
at $3,000 per acre. “Someone told me
I was the craziest nut that he’d ever
seen,” Wisner laughs. “I said ‘why?’
and he said ‘that ground’s worth a
dollar an inch!’”
But the idea of a growing Plainview School was worth even more to
Wisner. He still remembers the names
of some of those who went door to
door in the community to raise funds
for the purchase. Dewey Williams, Ray
Williams, Hugh Don Williams, G.R.
Williams, Marvin Barron and W.D.
Kirk. “In about three weeks, they came
up with the money,” he says.
The project hit a snag when organizers realized the DeKalb County
Board of Education did not have the
money to build the coliseum. A meeting was held and Wisner was asked
if he would mind letting the City of
Rainsville build the coliseum instead,
since it could borrow the money as a
municipality. “I told them it was fine
with me, as long as the city would
give the school some benefit out of it,”
he recalls.
The Rainsville Civic Center
opened in 1981. The DeKalb County
Board of Education purchased the
property from the city in 2001, renaming it the DeKalb County Schools
Coliseum.
Wisner has been to many events in
the coliseum through the years. “I love
it,” he says. “I see lots of good friends
every time I’ve been in there.”
He is also very proud of the
renovation being done to the building
following the direct hit it took from a
tornado last spring. “I was afraid they
would have to tear it down.”
As Wisner looks back on his long
life, he is not impressed by the story
of the young boy so poor he couldn’t
afford a Coca-Cola, who grew up to
be a large landowner who blessed his
community. He never considers the
fact that his hard work and generosity made him the right man in the
right place to do the right things to
help his beloved school grow. When
Wisner thinks about his time here on
earth, he sees only how he has been
blessed, with a wife he has spent the
past 70 years with, a son that lovingly
cares for them, two grandchildren and
three great-grandchildren, a family at
Chavies Church with “the sweetest
bunch I’ve ever met in my life,” and
a community that loves and respects
him.
For Wisner, life is summed up
simply: “Me and the wife have been
mighty pleased and happy.”n
Connected - March/April 2012 7
Better than ever
When repairs are complete, the DeKalb
County Schools Coliseum will feature many
improvements for convenience and comfort
t was the worst scene Dewitt Jackson had ever witnessed. As director of the DeKalb County Schools Coliseum, he knew the building inside and out. Throughout
the drive home from Montgomery, where he had been attending a legislative event with Alabama’s county commissioners, Jackson tried to imagine what the coliseum looked
like based on the phone calls he was receiving.
When he arrived at the site where an EF-5 tornado had
slammed into the back of the coliseum, he became physically sick. Standing in the parking lot littered with metal
and smashed vehicles and debris from homes of people he
knew, he wondered at the fate of the structure that would
soon celebrate 30 years of service to the people of Rainsville, DeKalb County, Sand Mountain and beyond.
“It took six weeks to determine that the building was
structurally sound,” says Jackson. Even so, the extensive
damage to the roof system was allowing rain to pour in
and deteriorate the building. An emergency phase was
contracted in order to dry in the building.
As part of this process, all trusses were replaced. Rolled
insulation, the type used before in the roof that was visible
from below, has been covered in metal decking.
The roofing insulation is just one feature that will help
make the building more energy efficient. Additional
insulation has also been placed in the side walls that were
repaired. The building will also boast high-efficiency lights,
electrical system upgrades and a climate-control system
that balances comfort with affordability.
In February, the DeKalb County School Board made its
final determination on what enhancements would be made
inside. The work will bring great improvements to the community facility. n
I
Improvements coming to the Coliseum
Air Conditioning
The lack of air conditioning has always
been one of the challenges with the facility. With the energy efficiency improvements, operating a cooling system will
now be more affordable. Two large fans,
like the ones in the Agri-Business Center
on Highway 75 North, will circulate over
the “blue seat” sections, and a smaller
separate cooling unit will be added to
handle the lobby for when events are
held in that space.
New Bleachers
The mechanical parts of the 30-year-old
bleachers were wearing, making it difficult to manually pull them out and align
them properly to avoid cracks that could
catch a foot and cause injury. The new
bleachers will extend and retract electronically, ensuring proper alignment.
They will also feature several flip seats for
additional comfort.
Elevator
The stairs from the lobby to the arena
have always proven to be a difficult climb
for many citizens. When the coliseum reopens, an elevator will provide quick access to those who want to avoid the steps.
8 Connected - March/April 2012
Tornado memorial
I
t has been almost a year since
tornadoes turned life upside
down in Northeast Alabama.
No one has forgotten the storms,
or the many precious lives that
were lost.
A group of citizens, led by a
city councilman, wants to make
sure no one ever does.
“We just want to always
remember them,” Rainsville
Councilman Bejan Taheri says of
the 34 DeKalb County residents
who will be memorialized on
a new monument. “I want the
young people to realize not to
take things for granted. Something like that can happen pretty
quick.”
Taheri and other locals have
Wayne Dukes (left) and Daniel Sapp work on a
been working to get a marble
monument that will memorialize DeKalb County
memorial in place at the DeKalb
victims of the deadly April 27, 2011, tornadoes.
County Schools Coliseum. “It’s
very important to remember we
got through it,” says Luanne Bowman, former chairperson of the Rainsville
Beautification Committee. “We’re resilient and if bad times come again in
whatever shape, form or fashion, it’s important to remember we can come
through it again.”
The memorial will include an angular, black marble monument, as well as
a fountain and waterfall. One side of the monument will feature the names of
the 34 victims, while the other will have a depiction of a swirling tornado and
snapped trees.
Taheri, who first proposed the monument, says he was in the basement of
Rainsville Holiness Church when the funnel touched down. The idea for the
memorial came to him in the days after the storms as he watched his community struggle to recover. “I was riding around and looking at the devastation,” he remembers. “I just wanted something positive out of this. I said
‘What can we do to bring life back to the city?’”
He’s been impressed with the town’s response. Kirkpatrick Concrete and
Supply, Johnson Lumber Company and S&S Wholesale Supply have all donated supplies, along with Adams Masonry from Chattanooga. Several local
banks and the Rainsville Lions Club have donated money. Bird and Kamback
Architects in Huntsville, who designed the coliseum, crafted the monument’s
design at no charge. “People are just amazed by the way everyone came
together,” Taheri says.
Bowman calls the support “amazing” and says even those without the
financial means for cash donations have given of their time. “I think everybody’s on board with it and excited,” she says. “It’s been a real touching
thing and a wonderful testament to our community.” n
A tornado anniversary service is planned for
April 28 at the Coliseum.
Donations may be mailed and made payable to:
The DeKalb County Tornado Monument/Memorial • P.O. Box 396 • Rainsville, AL 35986
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are tailored to meet your needs or may save you money.
If you approve of our use of your
CPNI as described above, no action is
necessary on your part.
You have the right to disapprove this use of your CPNI
by contacting us in writing at P.O. Box 217, Rainsville,
Alabama 35986, or by phone at 256-638-2144 or tollfree at 866-638-2144, within thirty-three (33) days after
this notice is sent to you. Our drop box, located at 144
McCurdy Avenue North, Rainsville, Alabama, is accessible
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If you disapprove of our use of your CPNI, you may not
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Thank you for your patronage!
Connected - March/April 2012 9
Sweet
Seasons
Farm
If you have ever dreamed of a storybook
wedding or longed to visit a place where
beauty and simplicity take your breath away,
you are going to fall in love with Sweet
Seasons Farm in Valley Head.
10 Connected - March/April 2012
J
By Tina Thurmond
ust a short distance from Fort Payne
lies one of the most charming and
fastest-growing visitor destinations
in DeKalb County: Sweet Seasons Farm.
For more than 40 years, Richard and
Paulette Manning have put their hearts
into developing the picturesque rolling
hills and green pastures of their 175-acre
working sheep farm — making it an
ideal destination for both visitors and
cameras. Besides being one of the oldest
and largest farms in the state, it is also a
model example of the many ways to have
fun with a family business.
The farm’s heirloom pumpkin operation was featured in a 2006 issue of
Southern Living magazine, even making
the cover. “We raised heirloom pumpkins
for years, but now only on a very small
scale,” says Paulette. “Since then Southern
Living has done quite a few shoots at the
farm featuring flowers mostly. They did a
shoot on making wreaths, but mostly just
used our scenery.”
These days the Mannings are more
focused on their newest addition to the
farm — the Event Barn. Artfully mingling rustic charm with modern-day
amenities, the barn is an ideal location
for weddings, receptions or large
social gatherings of any kind. The
Event Barn is available to rent during
the months of April through November, and offers a large commercial
kitchen and plenty of atmosphere to
make any day unforgettable.
Shabby Sheep Antiques, Paulette’s antique store on the premises,
is open by appointment only through
the week. “With parties and weddings scheduled a lot of Saturdays,”
she says, “we’ve had to adjust our
schedule to accommodate. I have
booths at various places in town, too,
so I don’t have to depend solely on
sales from the farm’s location. A lot
of my stuff gets used as props for
parties held at the Event Barn.”
For more information about
Sweet Seasons Farm, the Event Barn
or Shabby Sheep Antiques, visit
www.sweetseasonsfarm.com, call
256-635-6791 or find them on Facebook by searching Sweet Seasons
Farm.n
1
2
3
4
5
Art at the Barn
Saturday, May 5
10 a.m. — 4 p.m.
Admission: FREE
Art at the Barn is an annual event
hosted by the Mannings at their
farm where artists and artisans
from across the region showcase
their work. This year will be the
fourth and largest in the event's
history with almost 100 vendors
and more than 1,000 guests expected to attend.
Spend the day browsing and
purchasing original paintings,
handmade pottery, jewelry, iron
and metal works, blown glass, reclaimed wood furniture and much
more. There will be a special Border
Collie and sheep demonstration
sure to delight visitors of all ages.
Proceeds from the baked goods
served at the Event Barn will benefit a DeKalb County man battling
cancer.
6
1 A playful sign moves visitors along the scenic
path to the day-long event.
2 Original art from local and regional artists
can be purchased or just admired by the many
visitors to the farm.
3 Nearly 100 artisans are expected at this
year’s event. Jesse Hemphill of Skirum Creek
Forge will be among them with his hand-made
Damascus Steel knives. “I’m honored to be among such a prestigious group of artists,” he says.
4 Sales from the baked goods at this years’ event will benefit a DeKalb County man who is
battling cancer.
5 The rafters of the eclectic Event Barn at Sweet Seasons Farm are hung with 15 chandeliers, creating the perfect ambiance for an evening of fun. Sturdy farm tables coupled with
mismatched chairs of every shape and size and topped with breezy tablecloths add to the
rustic elegance. “It is a place you will never forget and will always want to come back to,” says
owner Paulette Manning.
6 Glowing bride Abby Horton Albright poses with her wedding party in November 2011.
Connected - March/April 2012 11
Students concentrate on creating
their own works of art at the new
studio on Main Street in Fyffe.
By Tina Thurmond
a r ea l p l ac e f o r r ea l a rt
A
lthough The Zivery Art Studio
in Fyffe just opened in November 2011, it is a place owner
Ann Richards has been looking for her
entire life.
Richards, who now lives in Geraldine, grew up in Sylvania. She was
very loved, but as the second eldest
daughter in a family of 13 children,
her childhood was mostly spent taking
care of her siblings and helping to run
the household. There was little time to
be a kid and sometimes her responsibilities weighed heavy.
“I was like a little mom,” she says.
“For some reason, my father always
called me the ‘Princess of Zivery.’”
She liked the nickname, and although
she never knew what or where Zivery
was, she was sure if she ever found
it there would be something magical
waiting for her.
12 Connected - March/April 2012
A blessed, broken road
Richards remembers her childhood fondly, despite growing up
without the luxuries that other kids
had. “We always wanted to go to other
kids’ houses because we had so little,”
she says. “But all those kids wanted to
come to our house because there were
so many other kids to play with.”
Out of necessity, Richards left
school in the 11th grade and got her
GED. She left home at 17 looking
for that perfect life she had always
dreamed of. Her road led to Gadsden
where she moved into an apartment
with her brother’s girlfriend. “I wanted to go to beauty college,” she says.
“Of course, college had never been an
option in our house and I didn’t know
anything about it.”
A chance encounter with the
right person helped Richards find the
direction she yearned for in her life.
“I went to the unemployment office
and someone enrolled me in the CETA
program and sent me to work in the
Social Security Office,” she says. The
Comprehensive Employment and
Training Act (CETA) was a United
States federal law enacted in 1973 to
train workers and provide them with
jobs in the public service.
“I got to go to Gadsden Business College where I got an associate
degree as an executive secretary,” she
says. “If someone hadn’t given me
that opportunity, I’d have never gone
to college.” Richards worked at the
social security office for several years
then decided to move back to DeKalb
County to live near her family.
Eventually, she met and married
Mark Richards from Geraldine. “After
we got married, I started going to a
little art class just for fun,” she says.
“That was when I discovered that I
had a natural talent for art. I had never
even tried to draw or paint anything
until then.”
Learning by doing
Richards learned some basic fundamentals in her classes, and began to
pursue art more on her own. “I read
lots of books and studied the works
of artists like Leonardo da Vinci,” she
says. “I taught myself to draw and
paint. I found that creating art was one
of the true loves in my life.”
In 1986, Richards, along with her
mom and mother-in-law, opened a
store in Rainsville called The Country Connection. “I taught art classes
there,” she says, “but then my husband and I started our family and we
decided to close the shop.” Eventually
she went to work for the Head Start
program in DeKalb County. “I worked
there for eight years,” she says, “and
then I left my job to be at home more
with my kids, Logan and Taylor.”
She became a member of the
North Alabama Arts Council and
remained active by doing murals and
paintings for the public. But the desire
to teach art again was something that
never left her.
Zivery is a place
In 2011, a large building that
Richards had always admired became
available for rent. With each passing
day, she began to dream of turning it
into the place she had longed to find
all of her life – Zivery. After a lot of
prayer and planning, she stepped out
on faith and made it her own.
“I named it The Zivery Art Studio after my dad,” she says. “It’s an
unusual name, but once people hear
the story behind it, they understand.”
With hours and hours of help from her
sister Tammy Jones of Fyffe and her
other family members, Zivery became
a reality.
The studio is open to all ages and
offers classes for everyone from beginners to experienced artists. “I teach
private art lessons in painting and
drawing,” says Richards. “I also offer
‘Simply Strokes’ art parties. They are
fun group classes where people who
are curious about art get together and
BIRTHDAY GIRL! Darby Culpepper celebrates her ninth birthday with an art party for ten of her
closest friends. “She loved it,” says her mom Lori. “Now she wants to start taking art lessons.”
paint for a few hours and everyone
takes home a finished painting of their
own.”
Church groups, mother/daughter
teams and friends who just want to get
out and do something artistic come
to the classes. “Some of the church
groups even set up tables with food on
them and they’ll paint a while and eat
a while,” Richards says with a laugh.
“The art parties give people a chance
to see if they have a knack for painting
or not, without making them feel selfconscious.
“I’ve got plans to have different artists visit in the future to teach
things like watercolor and sculpting,”
Richards continues. “My dream is to
be a central location for different kinds
of art. I would love for this to be a
gathering place where all kinds of artists could perfect their craft.”
Kids love this place
The Zivery Art Studio is very kidfriendly with art classes and art birthday parties. “Each child gets to create
their own painting to take home, and
we have a special party room in the
back where they can eat and open
their gifts,” Richards says.
While she enjoys all of her students, Richards admits there is a
special place in her heart for children.
“I teach Sunday school at Rainsville
Church of God, and I have a heart for
children who may encounter difficult
circumstances like I did,” she says.
“In my family, we were always the
children watching from the sidelines;
we were never the ones that got to be
involved. My parents did their best for
Artist Ann Richards smiles proudly in front of
one of her paintings on display at the studio.
us. They just couldn’t afford extras.”
For that reason, Richards is exploring ways to offer scholarships to
children and teens for art lessons or a
day-camp during the summer where
they could learn different art forms.
“As a child, I didn’t have an opportunity to be introduced to art,”
she says. “They didn’t have art in the
schools back then and, due to budget
cuts, there is very little of it in schools
today. Because of that, I know that so
many children do not realize the potential they have to paint or draw. And
it is so satisfying to create something
of your very own. I’d love to see The
Zivery Art Studio be a starting place
for anyone, any age, who wants to
explore the world of art.
“It’s a very special place,” she
adds. “And it really is magical in
here.” Visit ziveryart.com to learn
more.n
Connected - March/April 2012 13
Gracious dining
with Pat Harper
E
ver since she was 8 years old and baked her first pan of brownies, Pat
Harper of Dawson has been a natural in the kitchen. Never satisfied
to cook anything the traditional way, she is known for her inventive
and mouth-watering recipes that look every bit as good as they taste.
During the Easter holidays, Pat and her husband, Mike, a nurse anesthetist at Gadsden Regional Medical Center, are very busy with church and
family activities. They attend Grace Presbyterian Church in Fort Payne and
have three grown sons: Seth (married to Beth), Brandon (married to Jenna)
and Eric.
“When our boys are here, they love to eat,” Pat says. “But I don’t like
to cook on Easter Sunday. I like to prepare things the night before so we can
spend more time together. I also make dishes to take to our church functions.
So it is important that everything be portable as well as delicious.”
Her most famous dish, according to her friends, is her fresh banana
pudding topped with meringue. “Pat’s banana pudding is incredible,” says
Alethea Wofford, a friend of Pat’s from church. “She bakes her meringue
separately and puts it on top of the pudding after it’s finished. It’s not just
delicious, it’s beautiful.”
Pat and Mike are very involved with their church and have gone on
several church mission trips over the years. “We’ve been to Uruguay three
times,” Pat says. “We love it there. The people are so wonderful. I cooked
meatloaf and mashed potatoes for a youth group there on one of our trips.
They loved it! They had never tasted food like that before.”
Although Mike just returned from a mission trip to Africa, the Harpers
also do mission work closer to home. “We’ve been to New York City and
helped people there,” says Pat, “and I cook at Bread of Life in Fort Payne
sometimes. I just love to cook and I love to care for other people. It’s a
nice combination.”
At one time, Pat dreamed of opening her own restaurant,
but never felt it was in God’s plan. “I believe I am exactly
where the Lord wants me to be in my life,” she says. “And
that is all that matters to me. I have a wonderful husband,
and I was fortunate enough to work from home in my own
accounting business and home school two of our sons. I am
very proud of who all three of them have become.
“I’m very active in the women’s ministries in our
church,” she continues. “I did a lot of work on our
cookbook ‘Gracious Dining II’ which is a fantastic
and easy-to-use book. Several ladies in the church
contributed recipes. Our church is actually full of
great cooks.”
When she is not cooking or caring for others,
Pat spends time with her mother, Lillian Stover, in
Fort Payne. She even finds a little time to travel
for fun.
“Mike and I went to Scotland last year for a
vacation,” she says, “and it was so beautiful. It
looked just like a postcard.”
The “Gracious Dining II” Cookbook is available
for $8 each or two for $10. Sales benefit the Grace Presbyterian Women’s Ministry Group. For more information, email Pat at mharper@farmerstel.com.n
14 Connected - March/April 2012
Pasta Salad
16 ounces rigatoni noodles, cooked
al dente, rinsed, drained
1/4 pound diced mozzarella cheese
1/4 pound (or less) diced hard salami
1/4 pound (or less) thinly sliced
pepperoni
1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 cup (or less) chopped green onions
Toss above ingredients together.
Dressing:
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (no
substitute)
3/4 cup oil
2.25 ounce can of sliced black olives, drained
Mix the oregano, salt, sugar, pepper
and vinegar together. Add oil and
whisk until well blended. Add olives
and toss with salad ingredients. Chill
overnight and stir well before serving.
Stuffed Eggs
12 eggs
Electric Stove method: Place eggs in sauce
pan. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil.
Turn off eye, but leave pan in place. Let
sit for 30 minutes and eggs will be done.
Drain off the hot water and cover with ice
water to “shock” so eggs will stop cooking
and be easy to peel. Peel eggs and cut in
half, lengthwise. Carefully scoop yolk into
small bowl. With a fork, crumble the yolks
well.
Add approximately:
2 tablespoons light sour cream
4 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (to taste)
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
salt (to taste)
Whip with fork until smooth. Then fill egg
halves. Keep refrigerated. Hint: If you don’t
have an egg carrier, you can “scrunch”
plastic wrap to set the eggs on to keep
them from sliding.
German Potato Salad
5 pounds red potatoes, washed well,
1/2 pound bacon
1/2 small onion, chopped very fine, to
taste
3 ounces water
3 ounces apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
celery seed and salt to taste
1-1/2 cups Miracle Whip® salad dressing
(do not use fat-free)
Old-Fashioned Banana
Pudding
Pudding:
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups low fat milk
2 cups half and half
4 egg yolks (reserve egg whites
and refrigerate until ready to use)
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar,
cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in milk
and half and half. Cook over medium
heat until mixture boils and thickens,
stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. In a
small bowl, blend about 1/3 of the mixture into egg yolks. Return yolk mixture
to hot mix; blend well. Cook until mix
bubbles, stirring constantly. Remove
from heat; add butter and vanilla. Cool
completely. (I make the day before or
in plenty of time to cool completely in
refrigerator, topped with plastic wrap.)
Meringues:
4-6 egg whites (4 from pudding recipe)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar per egg white
Make the meringues right before you
assemble the pudding, remembering
that the assembled dessert needs
to set for at least 6 to 8 hours for the
wafers to soften. I usually add 2 to
4 more egg whites to have plenty of
meringue (discard the yolks). Bring
the egg whites to room temperature.
Whip until foamy. Add cream of tartar
and beat until a little stiff. Slowly add
sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and
continue beating until stiff peaks
form. Then beat a little longer — 2 to
3 minutes. Line a baking sheet with
parchment paper and spray with
non-stick coating, then wipe with
paper towel. Using a serving spoon,
pile meringue on parchment paper
in small heaps. Bake at 250º to 300º
until brown, or about 15 minutes.
Dessert:
pudding
4-6 bananas, fresher is better (not green) thinly sliced
vanilla wafers
meringues
Layer pudding, wafers, bananas, pudding, wafers, bananas, pudding. Top
with meringue heaps, close together.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Boil potatoes with skins on. Let them
cool then dice (not too small). Cook
bacon. Pour out the fat, but reserve the
drippings. Crumble the bacon on top of
potatoes. Finely chop onions and add to
potatoes. In the skillet where bacon was
cooked, add water, vinegar and sugar to
the drippings and heat just until the sugar
is dissolved. Add celery seed to the potatoes and pour the warm liquid on top. Stir
in Miracle Whip salad dressing. Add salt to
taste. Serve warm or cold.
German Potato Salad
Connected - March/April 2012 15
“We
Keep217•
You Connected”
P.O.
Box
144 McCurdy Ave. N.
Rainsville, Alabama 35986
Fiddler on the Roof
at NACC Theatre
April 18-22 & 25-29, 2012
Wed. – Sat. 7 p.m., Sunday matinees 2 p.m.
All seats reserved • Tickets $5 • 256-638-4418
The timeless classic Fiddler on the Roof is being brought back
to the NACC stage for the fifth time. This award-winning musical
includes such hits as “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “If I Were a Rich
Man” and “Tradition.”
Tevye is the father of five daughters, and they each fall in love with
hopes of pursuing their own hopes and dreams. Much to Tevye’s
frustration, however, each suitor tests the proud papa’s ability to
accept the attitudes of a younger generation. Heartbreaking as
often as it is heartwarming, Fiddler on the Roof never fails to remind
audiences of the joys and hardships of life and the powerful bonds
between good friends and loving family.
CROSSROADS
TO THE ARTS
May 5 • 10 a.m.
Rainsville
Several local artists, singers and musicians, authors
and storytellers will be at the
Rainsville City Park and Bevill
Center at this annual event.
Many will have items for sale
and will be demonstrating
their special talent throughout the day. The entire family
is sure to enjoy this day-long
event! Call 256-717-4050 for
more information.
Administrative
Professionals Luncheon
Wednesday, April 25 • Noon
Bevill Center, Rainsville
Show your appreciation to your office staff by
treating those who help keep your business running
to a special luncheon on Administrative Professionals
Day at the Tom Bevill Enrichment Center in Rainsville.
The event begins at noon. There will be a catered
lunch, entertainment and door prizes. Tickets are
$20. Call 256-638-7800 for more information.