Athens is looking for a new image and motto. Based on some ideas thrown out by the community at a public hearing tonight, I came up with a few. They were not included in my coverage of the meeting, so I thought I would share them here.
Some suggested Athens has unknown treasures, is a best-kept secret, is ideal for families and offers a helping hand. This is what came up with from that:
Athens - Come as a visitor, leave as a friend.
Athens - Come back home.
Athens - Seek your treasure here.
Athens - Uncover the secret.
If y'all have suggestions, add them under comments!
Today was a day of celebrations, one to celebrate a birth and one to celebrate a rebirth.
Two years ago, my best friend Hilton woke me up in the middle of the night with a phone call, "I'm having the baby."
I jumped out of bed, grabbed some snacks and extras clothes, threw them in a bag, and headed to Huntsville Hospital. As I walked into the maternity area, Hilton looked at her husband Justin and said, "Oh, look. She packed a bag." Apparently the expectant couple was not prepared and showed up with nothing but suckers, a sports bra, and a hairbrush.
Two years later, my nephew Tyler celebrated his 2nd birthday and said my name for the first time. It sounded something like, "Ha-eee." I can remember each moment my nieces Hannah and Allie first said my name, and now I will forever remember the first time Tyler uttered it.
The second celebration was an anniversary. Today, four months ago, my photographer Gary Cosby and I covered a super outbreak of tornadoes, including an EF5. We worked separately and both managed to live through the seven twisters without sustaining injury. By the time the EF5 struck just south of me, I was seeking shelter at Hilton's house and hiding in the bathroom with her family as hail battered the house and vehicles and winds bent pine trees parallel to the ground.
Cosby was on U.S. 31 in Tanner shooting the massive monster as it feasted on Limestone County, gobbling up anything in its path. He barely split the scene before being hit.
In the aftermath, we worked together to tell stories of tragedy and triumph. We hitched a ride with volunteer firefighters as they delivered food and water in East Limestone, and it was then we met Chris Preston. The tornado hit Chris' house, his son's house, his mom's house, his business and his church. Many from a nearby subdivision sought shelter in his basement after Chris and his sons went to get them.
Chris invited the community to supper for the four-month anniversary. We sat at tables in the yard, eating barbecue and drinking lemonade and Sun-Drop as a summer breeze blew. In the distance, a scarred land was visible, but so were signs of tenacity. Trees stripped of bark had clumps of leaves growing. Roofs covered with blue tarps were next to frames for new houses.
And a family that has twice survived and EF5 - 1974 and April 27 - gathered with friends and family to offer thanks to God for sparing the lives of those present and for instilling that desire to live on.
Chris addressed the crowd before prayer was offered for the food. Tears threatened as he thanked those who helped rebuild, sweep glass from the yard, report the story, and hand out water.
"We prayed together. We worked together. We brought this community together," Chris said. "We've gone from saying a prayer while hiding in a dug out basement with 200 mph winds to gathering here today."
Lady Vols Coach Pat Summitt may not be from Limestone County, but she has the grit of many women I have met not only in this county, but throughout the South. I feel it is fitting to include her in a blog about Lovin' it in Limestone because she has influenced so many in basketball as I know she will now influence so many with her new battle.
This week she announced she has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, the Alzheimer's type. She threatened to punch one doctor who suggested she retire. She plans to coach and strive for her ninth national championship this year.
I say, "Carry on, Coach." Fight this disease like it was an SEC foe or even worse, connecticut standing in your way of that championship. (I lower cased connectitcut on purpose. I think Pat would approve.)
I grew up watching her coach. My Momma and many of her sisters played basketball when women were told they could not run the length of the floor. Instead, they played half-court. Momma was a guard and resented the fact she could only play defense. It tickled her each time Coach Summitt defeated a team coached by a man and when she became the coach with the most wins ever, man or woman.
Momma talks sports with her sisters, especially my Aunt Bonnie in Memphis and until this year, my Aunt Charlene in Nashville. Aunt Charlene loved Vandy, so she and Momma often argued over Vandy and the Vols. Sports held Aunt Charlene's attention even after she was diagnosed with dementia. There were days she did not know who Momma was when Momma called her. There were times Momma and my Aunt Jimalee visited her that she cried for her own mother.
She died from the disease this year.
The disease is cruel, taking memories and dignity from its victims. If anyone can give it a tough fight, I know it is Coach Summitt. After all, she recruited one of her best players while going into labor, and she refused to allow the plane to land in Virginia as she left the recruiting trip. She gave birth to her baby boy in Tennessee.
So I say, carry on, Coach, like the tough Southern lady you are.
I was attacked by a bazooka on a Sunday afternoon in Athens. Not the weapon. The bubble gum. I took my second mom, Debra Sampieri, to the VJ Day Remembered program at the Athens Senior Center. While looking at my program, a piece of the square pink gum struck my hand and landed on the floor. I looked up to find the town's Bubble Gum Man, also known as Hugo Bates, smiling at me from a couple of rows ahead. This is the kind of town where you can get struck by bazooka gum by a real life character named Bubble Gum Man. It's also the kind of town where you can spend a Sunday afternoon with characters like Ray Charles, Bob Hope, and Gen. George Patton - characters played by local residents for the rememberance program. With humor, dance, songs, and local stories, the program took a packed senior center back to the World War II era. Evan Thornton had audience members laughing as he played an overly exhuberant G.I. who won a chance to be on stage with Carmen Miranda during a Bob Hope NCO Show. He and three other "G.I.s" danced with Carmen while wearing fruit on their heads. Jerry Barksdale left some crying as he told the story of Winston Garth of Athens, who survived being a POW and helped a friend survive a forced march in the snow, only to come home and learn his younger brother was killed in battle. Gratitude had the audience rise in standing ovation as World War II veterans, one for each military branch, stood by a screen showing their service photographs. As the program ended, Ray Charles sang "America the Beautiful" and Celine Dion sang "God Bless America" with the cast. Instead of pieces of gum flying, Old Glory was flying as the crowd waved the Stars and Stripes. A woman in front of us cried as she watched a man I assume was her father and a veteran, struggle to stand with the help of family and his cane. Athens is this kind of town, too. One where you can laugh and cry with your neighbors, and leave with a piece of gum.
I discovered something about myself today. I am officially a "shelter seeker."
I have been a seeker since the April 27 tornado outbreak, but my psyche hid it from me well. I failed to realize that while driving around Limestone County, I have been collecting data on places to hide during a storm.
What woke my mind up today was when I drove by a culvert on a Tanner back road and thought, "I can fit in there."
I realized that since the tornado outbreak and subsequent storms, my subconscious self has been noting and filing away locations of safety. Outdoor shelters, large culverts, deep drainage ditches, community safe rooms and houses that I know contain safe rooms. My mind created a file for this body called, "Note to self, hide here."
It's understandable.
The day of the tornadoes - last count I saw was seven hit Limestone, including an EF5 - I somehow managed to cover the damage all day without getting blown away. More tornadoes, electrical storms and straight-line winds have followed. I have escaped without getting struck by lightning, toppled by a tree, or washed off the road. I would like to keep that streak going.
As November and another tornado season looms, my eyes dart to the left and right side of the road when I drive.
"I could bust the lock on that shelter." Location noted. "That family looks friendly and might let me in." Location noted. "That ditch doesn't flood." Location noted.
So, if you hear the warning sirens blaring one afternoon and run for your shelter, and you find a curly haired lady has already taken up residence, this is my official introduction. It's nice to meet you. My name's Holly, and I'm a shelter seeker.
Monday, August 8, 2011
A person (name withheld to protect the guilty) recently said to me, in a tone that bespoke aggravation, that Athens is always having patriotic events.
I fail to see that as a bad trait for any community.
Limestone County has sent many of its fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters to defend this country and in some cases, die for it. I welcome the Flag Days, Veterans Day Parade, Alabama Veterans Museum programs and other celebrations.
My mother, who was the youngest of 12 (11 natural born children and one cousin raised as a sibling), had three brothers who left their Tennessee farm and fought in World War II.
Another boy wanted to make his card for firefighters and thanked them for "Putting out our fires."
Living in a community that honors those who serve and hosts many patriotic events is not an aggravation to me. It's another rea
My father got his shots and was within a week of being sent to Korea when the military began withdrawing troops. He served his time in Europe. His brother fought in Vietnam, and they lost a cousin who died shortly after arriving in Vietnam.
I was lucky enough to be on the last Tennessee Valley Honor Flight, which flew on Sept. 11, 2010. I took with me pictures of my uncles and a Japanese flag one uncle captured and had his fellow servicemen sign. I found the Tennessee pillar at the World War II memorial and propped black and white pictures of my uncles by the state name and took their pictures. They died long before the memorial was a concept, so this was my way of sharing the memorial with them.
Karen Middleton took my picture holding the Japanese flag, which drew the attention of some foreign visitors who began snapping their own photos of my uncles.
In November, I plan to accompany the East Limestone High School Band to New York where they will march in the Veterans Day Parade and see the World Trade Center Memorial.
To me, patriotism should never take a break. If the men and women who fought and still fight for our country ever took a break, I shudder to think of the outcome.
A few weeks ago, my home congregation, Coxey Church of Christ, held its annual Vacation Bible School. I wrote the material and was asked to cover three attitudes: obey, respect, and serve. For the lesson on serve, the students learned how Jesus served others, but I also made sure to note how we should thank those who have served and are serving us, including police officers, firefighters, and military. The students made cards for the Veterans Museum to display at Coffee Call and/or the upcoming VJ Day program. One boy thanked everyone for serving in the Navy. One girl thanked the soldiers for being brave.
Another boy wanted to make his card for firefighters and thanked them for, "Putting out our fires."
Living in a community that honors those who serve and hosts patriotic events is not an aggravation for me. It's another reason I'm Lovin' it in Limestone.
When I moved to Limestone County, one of the first people I met was a woman I only knew as Nanny. I soon learned that if this woman called Nanny was at a function, there was a good chance I would get a slice of Elvis Presley cake.
As I started to learn to make family connections in the community, I finally realized Nanny was Margaret McElyea, mother of Debbie Blakely and mother-in-law of Sheriff Mike Blakely.
I also learned she is kin to 3/4 of the people I go to church with, the Smith clan at Coxey Church of Christ. The Smith clan adopted me as one of their family, so Nanny in turn has adopted me as well.
On Thursday, she celebrated her 80th birthday, a surprise Debbie was able to pull off despite the fact gossip here can run from mouth to mouth faster than an SEC wide receiver can run for the end zone.
The party was not the only surprise for Nanny. Gov. Robert Bentley had lunch with with her at the party and gave her a state of Alabama pin, shown in the picture Jonathan Hinton shared with me.
Nanny, a well-known Democrat, told me having her picture made with a Republican governor was not so bad, and that the party was a wonderful surprise.
"I thought we were going to Pizza Hut," she said.
That an 80-year-old local icon can have a surprise birthday attended by the governor and half the county is a reason I'm Lovin it in Limestone.
I love it even more that a rookie resident - like I was in 1997 - could know a woman only by the name Nanny and her Elvis Presley cake and feel at home.
I love living in Limestone County, and I want to share my experiences and the interesting people I meet in this community. That's why I have started this blog and aptly named it, "Lovin' it in Limestone."
On Thursday, I greeted the pre-dawn hours sitting on the back of an Athens Fire and Rescue truck. My plan was to capture dawn breaking behind the smoldering ruins of Athens Church of God to symbolize how the worshippers plan to greet another day despite losing their building.
That plan fell apart when yet another storm front rumbled in like cannon with lightning flashing like air strikes and wind and rain charging through like an army. We all had to seek shelter in our vehicles.
It was eerie covering yet another attack from Mother Nature when the county still is recovering from the April 27 tornado outbreak. But it was also reassuring to meet storm victims like the worshippers and downtown business owners Derrick Young and Jerry Sandlin who plan to rebuild and recover.
That unbreakable spirit is but one of the reasons I'm Lovin' it in Limestone.
