Thursday, May 31, 2012

New military monument includes list of county's war dead


Monday was Memorial Day, that is, the day that our country has set aside for citizens to pause and remember U.S. service members who died during military service.

All of us enjoy, and often take for granted, the freedoms that have been secured for us by members of the military, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalves to protect our way of life.

A number of service members from Conecuh County have lost their lives during our nation’s wars, and local Navy retiree James Leon Windham has spent the past several years compiling a list of county residents who died during military service. His list was most recently used during the construction of the new war memorial in Evergreen, which includes the names of the county’s war dead.

Windham sent me this somber list a year or so ago, and I’m reprinting it here with his permission. Take a few minutes to read the names on this list and remember that these men were once living, breathing individuals, just like you, with a lot of life left in front of them. In the end, it was not to be because their lives were cut short in the service of our nation. Without further ado, here’s the list.

World War I:
Benjamin F. Arant of Belleville
Mack Autry of Brooklyn
James Atkins of Flat Rock
Newton Blackman of Evergreen
Jodie Booker of McKenzie
James W. Brown of Owassa
Robert A. Christopher of Flat Rock
Jim Crosby of Evergreen
Fletcher Darby of Castleberry
Dentley Daw of Evergreen
Will Dickson of Repton
George K. Ealum of McKenzie
Edward E. English of Evergreen
William H. Harris of Flat Rock
Jeff Holloway
Charlie Johnson of Repton
George Jones of Cohassett
George Lee of Evergreen
Joshua Lowe of Repton
Wily Marshall of Burnt Corn
Almer M. Martin of Castleberry
Archie D. McCrory of Repton
Bryant W. Price of McKenzie
Lazarus B. Rabb of Castleberry
Emmett N. Richburg of Castleberry
Raymond L. Seale of Repton
Carl B. Smith of Belleville
Roy I. Smith of Evergreen
Amos Weatherspoon of Evergreen

World War II:
Daniel W. Baggett
Edward C. Ballard
Ennis R. Bennett
William Dawson Booker
William Dawson Caro
Willie S. Cook
Elly H. Cowart
Neadie Crawford
Ben Crum Foshee of Cohassett
James E. Freeman
Earl M. Fussell
James Cecil Gaston
John W. Gibson
Fredrick Butler Heaton of Castleberry
Grady H. Johnson
Sommer S. Kelly
Walter S. Kelly
Laula M. Middleton
Judson C. Murphy
Carl Leroy Nall of Repton
Donald E. Oliver
Alex Pettis
James Reeford Reaves of McKenzie
Marvin M. Ross
Mason M. Singleton
A.C. Smith
Douglas Smith
Robert L. Snowden
William E. Stinson
John E. Stringer
Dempsey Stuckey
Fred L. Stuckey
Oscar Wilsey
Martin L. Young
Ralph Edwin Boggs of Repton

Korean War:
Robert L. Booker
Robert H. Hart
Elven J. Hobbs
Joel R. Martin
Leonard E. Worrell

Vietnam War:
William Michael “Mike” Fields of Evergreen
Armstead Johnson of Castleberry
Billy Wayne Pettis of Castleberry
James Robert “Bobby” Hammonds of Evergreen
Bruce Dale Jones of Evergreen
Dwayne Lamont Salter of Evergreen
Frank Demon Salter of Evergreen
Joel Kenton Brown of Evergreen
Grady Gantt Jr. of Belleville
James Thomas Likely of Evergreen
Thomas Charles Littles

War in Iraq:
Troy David Jenkins.

If you know of any other county war casualties that aren’t on this list, please contact Windham at 251-230-1507 or jandtwind@bellsouth.net, so that he can add that person to the list.

What is the proper definition of 'runners in scoring position'?

A reader e-mailed me a good sports-related question last Thursday, wanting to know about the baseball term “runners in scoring position.”

The e-mail read as follows – “I was listening to the Braves-Reds game on the Brewton radio station yesterday (Wednesday of last week), and during the first inning one of the Atlanta announcers talked about how many runners Atlanta left in scoring position in their loss the night before. I’d never thought much about what runners in scoring position means. Does it mean that they had runners anywhere on base, on second or third or just on third?”

I thought this e-mail was interesting because it brought up something that I’d never thought much about before either, that is, the proper definition for “runners in scoring position.”

The best definition I found said that “a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on second or third can score on a single.”

Related to this is the term “runners left in scoring position,” which is what the Atlanta radio announcer was talking about the other night. This term “refers to the number of runners on second or third base at the end of an inning” and is a way to measure a team’s lack of offensive performance.

If you’ve got a sports-related question you’d like me to look into, e-mail it to me at courantsports@earthlink.net. I’ll look into it and run the answer in the following week’s paper.

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Another reader shot me a message last Thursday in response to my sports column last week.

The message read as follows – “Hey, Peacock. I read your bit about Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, and it made me think about something I read the other day. Did you hear about the 16-year-old girl from the Netherlands who completed a solo sailing trip around the world in January? I find that hard to believe.”

While it is hard to believe, 16-year-old Laura Dekker, a native of the Netherlands, completed a solo sailing trip around the globe on Jan. 21.

According to news reports, Dekker departed Gibraltar on Aug. 21, 2010 and finished the trip on Jan. 21 when she arrived in Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten. She made the trip on a 38-foot two-masted ketch boat called “Guppy.”

Dekker not only became the youngest person to sail solo around the world, but she’s also cemented her name on the list of top female adventurers. She beat the previous solo record by 239 days, which was set by Australian Jessica Watson in 2010.

The youngest American sailor to have ever circumnavigated the globe is Zac Sunderland, who was 17 years, 229 days old when he completed the trip in July 2009. His trip lasted a total of 396 days.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for May 31, 2012

TWO YEARS AGO
MAY 27, 2010

“The Conecuh County Junior High School Athletic Club and Castleberry Little League traveled to Auburn University on Sat., May 15, 2010 to watch the Auburn Tigers baseball team play the Tennessee Volunteers. The Athletic Club would like to thank everyone who helped make the trip possible. The Tigers defeated the Volunteers, 18-0.”

“Brown University senior All-Ivy tackle David Howard was drafted recently by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round of the National Football League draft as the 241st overall pick. Howard is the son of Robert Howard and the late Jenetta East Howard, formerly of Evergreen and graduates of Conecuh County public schools.
“A two-time All-Ivy defensive lineman, Howard drew double-team on virtually every down this season and finished with 29 total tackles, including six tackles for a loss of 23 yards. He was also credited with a team high eight quarterback hurries.
“The 6-3, 295-pound Howard had outstanding workouts in front of pro scouts that obviously has paid off.”

“Ramona Ward of Evergreen recently caught this large mouth bass using a beetle spinner. The bass weighed 13 pounds and was 23 inches long. Ramona would not tell us where she caught this nice bass but rumor has it she was fishing in Charlie Ward’s pond.”

17 YEARS AGO
MAY 25, 1995

“9th annual Special Olympics successful: Conecuh County’s Ninth Annual Special Olympics was hosted by Lyeffion Junior High School on May 16, 1995. Participating in opening ceremonies were: Mr. Ronnie Brogden, Superintendent of Conecuh County Schools; Mr. Joey Varner, Principal of Lyeffion Junior High School; Mrs. Janet Cooper, Coordinator of the Special Olympics; Mrs. Nancy Wiggins, Speech Pathologist; Terrance Trent, Leslie Hooks, and Melodie Nettles, Special Olympians who presented the Lighting of the Torch.
“Mrs. Janet Cooper presented medals to the 1995 winners:
“Balloon Pop – 8 and 9 year olds – 1st place: Iris Portis, Marshall.
“10 and 11 year olds – 1st place: Asia Grace.
“12 and 13 year olds – 1st place: Renee Duncan, Marshall.
“14 and 15 year olds – 1st place: Nancy Pryor, Evergreen Junior High.
“Wheelchair Race – 1st place: Melodie Nettles, Marshall.
“Bean Bag Toss – 1st place: Leslie Hooks, Marshall.
“Basketball Run, Dribble and Shoot: 8 and 9 year olds – 1st place: David Jenkins, Conecuh County.
“10 and 11 year olds – 1st place: Tiffany Watkins, Repton.
“12 and 13 year olds – 1st place: Tina Watkins, Repton.
“14 and 15 year olds – 1st place: Tonya Brown Rudolph, Evergreen Junior High.
“Standing Long Jump: 8 and 9 year olds – 1st place: Greg Watkins, Repton.
“10 and 11 year olds, 1st place: Travis Ingram, Marshall.”

32 YEARS AGO
MAY 29, 1980

“Terry Peacock was awarded the coveted Jerry Peacock Memorial Trophy by Sparta Academy at the private school’s annual athletic banquet. The trophy is awarded in memory of Terry’s late older brother, Jerry, an outstanding athlete and student at Sparta who drowned in a tragedy shortly after his graduation. Sportsmanship, leadership, character and athletic ability are all taken into consideration in selecting the trophy winner, and Terry exhibited all of these during his playing days on Sparta football, basketball and baseball teams.”

“Cliff Harper’s death shocks and saddens: Friends and relatives here were shocked and saddened by the death Monday night of Cliff Harper, 67, former Evergreen High School principal. He collapsed during a Southeastern Conference dinner and died about two hours later in a West Palm Beach, Florida hospital.
“Doctors said that the associate commissioner emeritus of the Southeastern Conference had suffered a massive heart attack.
“Mr. Harper, who was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in February, was a prominent figure in Alabama sports for more than 50 years. He was an all-round star at Moore Academy in his hometown of Pine Apple and lettered in three sports, football, basketball and baseball at Birmingham Southern College.
“Mr. Harper came here in 1946 as principal of Evergreen High School. He employed the late Wendell Hart as head coach and helped launch an all-around sports program that soon developed into one of the best in the state. He helped with the coaching and was instrumental in the lighting and enlargement of Brooks Stadium and the construction of Memorial Gymnasium.”

47 YEARS AGO
MAY 27, 1965

“Play will begin in the Evergreen Pony League on Mon., June 7, according to President Bill Chapman.
“The player auction for the boys coming up from the Junior League was held Wednesday night. Players were purchased by the various teams as follows:
“Pirates: Terry Coleman and Bill Seales, managers: Jimmy Hamiter, Larry Windham, Jimmy Bell, Norman Ross, Leon Hinson, Stanley Mitchell, Wayne Hammonds, Charles Grant.
“Braves: Pete Hicks and Sam Brown, managers: Jeb Barron, Wesley Poole, David Rabren, Arnold Hall.
“Indians: J.W. Weaver and Mr. Burt, managers: Ivon Gomes, Hollis Tranum, Gerald Salter, Danny Hall, Michael Tolbert.
“Tigers: Luther McDonald, manager: David Davis, Ronald Halford, Tommy Johnson, Johnny Daw.
“These new boys are the older boys who played last year are asked to contact their managers to learn the days they are to practice.”

“Two From EHS Play In Montgomery: Two members of Coach Henry Allmon’s Evergreen High Aggie baseball team played in the Lions Club’s East-West All Star game in Montgomery Monday night, won by the East, 3 to 0.
“Mike Fields, catcher-outfielder, and Steve Baggett, third baseman, were chosen for the West team.”

62 YEARS AGO
MAY 25, 1950

“Evergreen High School’s first intramural golf tournament was won by Bonnie King and Hobson (Junior) White last Saturday. The nine hole matches were played at the Evergreen Golf Course.
“The tournament was organized by Coach John Lockwood as a part of the Evergreen High physical education program.
"Other golfers in the tournament included Wayne Bell, Dickey Bozeman, Pace Bozeman, John Henry Brantley, Don Cunningham, Jimmy Frazier, James Indindoli, Leslie Johnson, Norman Johnson, Billy Mudge Lee, Billy Lewis, Gillis Morgan, Pete Moseley, Don Pate, Roger Peacock, Bayne Petrey, John Greel Ralls, James Ryan, George Salter, Clarence Smith, Bobby Frank Snowden and Charles Williams."

“The Shreve Eagles scored early to defeat the Paul Aces, 6-2, Sunday behind the steady pitching of Ferrell Smith. The Eagles bunched their hits to score three runs in the first and a like number in the second.
“Harold Godwin settled down after the first two innings and blanked Shreve the rest of the way. Leroy Smith caught for Shreve and Bertie Hassel was behind the plate for Paul.
“Flat Rock almost upset the undefeated, league-leading Centerville Rookies in the league’s other game Sunday.
“The game featured a tight pitching duel between Flat Rock’s James Barlow and Centerville’s J.W. Windham. Delano Smith and Jim Windham shared the catching chores for Centerville. Huston Barlow was behind the plate for Flat Rock.”

Daily Weather Observations for Thurs., May 31, 2012

Temp: 69.1 degrees F (20.6 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.1 inches.

Humidity: 79 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Mostly Cloudy.

Winds: 0.1 mph out of the East (Calm)

Barometric Pressure: 29.39 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.1 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 7.9 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 33.1 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

NOTES: Today is the 152nd day of 2012 and the 73rd day of Spring. There are 214 days left in the year.

And Remember - "A summer fog for fair, a winter fog for rain."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

This week's movie picks are 'Snow White and the Huntsman' and 'Man on a Ledge'



It’s Wednesday, so today I give you my weekly list of movies that will open in theatres this week as well as a list of movies that will be released this week on DVD.

I hope this will serve as a useful guide as to what’s going on this week if you happen to be near a movie theatre or if you’re looking for something to drop into your NetFlix queue.

Movies that are scheduled to hit theatres this week include:

Apartment 143 (Suspense, Horror, R): Directed by Carles Toreens and starring Kai Lennox, Michael O’Keefe, Rick Gonzalez, Fiona Glascott and Gia Mantegna.

Battlefield America (Drama, Musical, PG-13): Directed by Chris Stokes and starring Marques Houston and Mekia Cox.

A Cat in Harris (Comedy, Crime): Directed by Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol and starring the voices of Marcia Gay Harden, Anjelica Huston and Matthew Modine.

Cellmates (Comedy): Directed by Jesse Baget and starring Hector Jimenez, Tom Sizemore, Stacy Keach, Kevin Farley and Olga Segura.

For the Greater Glory (Drama, War, R): Directed by Dean Wright and starring Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Bruce Greenwood, Oscar Isaac and Peter O’Toole.

High School (Comedy, R): Directed by John Stahlberg Jr. and starring Matt Bush, Sean Marquette, Adrien Brody, Michael Chiklis and Colin Hanks.

Like Water (Documentary, Sports, Not Rated): Directed by Pablo Croce and starring Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.

Piranha 3DD (Horror, Comedy, R): Directed by John Gulager and starring Ving Rhames, Katrina Bowden, Danielle Panabaker, Christopher Lloyd and Gary Busey.

Snow White and the Huntsman (Adventure, Fantasy, PG-13): Directed by Rupert Sanders and starring Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Sam Claflin and Ray Winstone.

Ultrasonic (Drama, Suspense, R): Directed by Rohit Colin Rao and starring Silas Gordon Brigham, Sam Repshas, Cate Buscher, Josh Davidson and Richardo Kingsbury.

New DVD releases for the week of May 29 include:

96 Minutes (Drama, Suspense, R): Directed by Aimee Lagos and starring Brittany Snow, Christian Serratos, Evan Ross, David Oyelowo and Elena Varela.

Coriolanus (Drama, Suspense, R): Directed by Ralph Fiennes and starring Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and Vanessa Redgrave.

Gone (Suspense, PG-13): Directed by Heitor Dhalia and starring Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter, Sebastian Stan, Wes Bentley and Daniel Sunjata.

Goon (Comedy, R): Directed by Michael Dowse and starring Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Live Schreiber and Kim Coates.

Man on a Ledge (Action, Suspense, PG-13): Directed by Asger Leth and starring Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Anthony Mackie, Jamie Bell and Ed Harris.

Memorial Day (Action, Drama, R): Directed by Sam Fischer and starring Jonathan Bennett, James Cromwell, John Cromwell and Jackson Bond.

Take Me Home (Drama, Comedy, PG-13): Directed by Sam Jaeger and starring Sam Jaeger, Amber Jaeger, Lin Shaye, Victor Garber and Cristine Rose.

Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston (Documentary, Not Rated): Directed by Whitney Sudler-Smith.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Drama, Suspense, R): Directed by Lynne Ramsay and starring Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell and Rocky Duer.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “Snow White and the Huntsman,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “Man on a Ledge.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Daily Weather Observations for Wed., May 30, 2012

Temp: 75.7 degrees F (24.3 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.0 inches.

Humidity: 75 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Clear.

Winds: 0.1 mph out of the South-Southwest (Calm)

Barometric Pressure: 29.42 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.0 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 7.8 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 33.0 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

NOTES: Today is the 151st day of 2012 and the 72nd day of Spring. There are 215 days left in the year.

And Remember - "A sunshiny shower won't last half an hour."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

T.C. McCarthy's 'Germline' wins Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Memorial Award

The Baltimore Science Fiction Society announced on Friday that the novel “Germline” by T.C. McCarthy has won the 2012 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Memorial Award. This award is given annually to recognize the best first science fiction, fantasy or horror novel of the year as selected by the membership of the BSFS.

The Compton Cook/Stephen Tall Memorial Award has been awarded annually since 1983 and is given each year at the Balticon SM convention. The Compton Cook/Stephen Tall Award is sometimes called “The Compton Cook Award” because Stephen Tall was the pen name of Baltimore science fiction author Compton Cook, who died in 1981.

1983 – “Courtship Rite” by Donald Kingsbury
1984 – “War For Eternity” by Christopher Rowley
1985 – “Emergence” by David R. Palmer
1986 – “Infinity’s Web” by Sheila Finch
1987 – “Doomsday Effect” by Thomas Wren

1988 – “Liege-Killer” by Christopher Hinz
1989 – “Sheepfarmer’s Daughter” by Elizabeth Moon
1990 – “The Shining Falcon” by Josepha Sherman
1991 – “In the Country of the Blind” by Michael Flynn
1992 – “Reefsong” by Carol Severance

1993 – “Fire in the Mist” by Holly Lisle
1994 – “The Drylands” by Mary Rosenblum
1995 – “Dun Lady’s Jess” by Doranna Durgin
1996 – “The Gatekeepers” by Daniel Graham Jr.
1997 – “Celestial Matters” by Richard Garfinkle

1998 – “The Merro Tree” by Katie Waitman
1999 – “The High House” by James Stoddard
2000 – “Flesh and Silver” by Stephen L. Burns
2001 – “Murphy’s Gambit” by Syne Mitchell
2002 – “Alien Taste” by Wen Spencer

2003 – “Devlin’s Luck” by Patricia Bray
2004 – “Way of the Wolf” by E.E. Knight
2005 – “Ghosts in the Snow” by Tamara Siler Jones
2006 – “Poison Study” by Maria V. Snyder
2007 – “His Majesty’s Dragon” by Naomi Novik

2008 – “One Jump Ahead” by Mark L. Van Name
2009 – “Singularity’s Ring” by Paul Melko
2010 – “The Windup Girl” by Paolo Bacigalupi
2011 – “State of Decay” by James Knapp
2012 – “Germline” by T.C. McCarthy

Crook, who was a native of Tennessee, only wrote three books, but he wrote a number of noteworthy short stories. His books include “The Stardust Voyages” (1975), “The Ramsgate Paradox” (1976) and “The People Beyond the Wall” (1980). His most famous short story was “The Bear with the Knot on His Tail,” which was nominated for a Hugo Award in the short fiction category in 1972. (He lost to “Inconstant Moon” by Larry Niven.)

For more information about the Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Memorial Awards, visit www.bsfs.org/bsfsccw.htm. For more information about T.C. McCarthy, visit his Web site at http://www.tcmccarthy.com/index.html.

In the end, how many of the books mentioned above have you had the chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Which book above do you think is the best Compton Cook/Stephen Tall award winner of all time? Let us know in the comments section below.

Daily Weather Observations for Tues., May 29, 2012

Temp: 77.2 degrees F (25.1 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.0 inches.

Humidity: 72 percent (Normal)

Conditions: Clear.

Winds: 0.1 mph out of the North (Calm)

Barometric Pressure: 29.41 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.0 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 7.8 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 33.0 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

NOTES: Today is the 150th day of 2012 and the 71st day of Spring. There are 216 days left in the year.

And Remember - "Expect the weather to be fair when crows fly in pairs."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level.

Monday, May 28, 2012

BUCKET LIST UPDATE – No. 362: See the face tombstones at Mt. Nebo Cemetery in Clarke Co.

I scratched another item off my bucket list on Saturday when my family and I visited Carlton, Ala. to see the unusual, death mask tombstones in the Mount Nebo Baptist Church Cemetery. Located about 15 miles south of Jackson in Clarke County, Ala., these unusual tombstones are also known as the Isaac Nettles Gravestones.

I’d never heard of these tombstones until about a decade ago when Kyle Crider, the publisher of Strange Alabama magazine, asked me if I knew anything about them. Later, I would read about them in an outstanding book called “Forgotten Tales of Alabama” by Kelly Kazek, the managing editor of The News Courier newspaper in Athens, Ala. Crider and Kazek stirred my curiosity to such a degree that I had to see these grave markers for myself.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places on Feb. 24, 2000, these concrete grave markers feature what is believed to be the death masks of the people buried beneath them. The markers are believed to have been made by Isaac “Ike” Nettles Sr. between 1933 and 1946. Ironically, Nettles is believed to be buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in the one-acre cemetery.

No one knows for sure how many of these death mask markers once existed in the cemetery, but only three remain there today. The largest of the three features three faces and marks the final resting place of “Mother” Nettles, who was born in January 1859 and died July 6, 1933. Another is a marker for Ezella Nettles and is inscribed with the words “Angel” and “Six Dollies.” The other is a marker for “Manul Burell,” who died in 1946.

No one’s exactly sure how Nettles created these death mask markers, but experts think that he made them while his subjects were still alive. According to Kazek’s book and other sources, Nettles is thought to have pressed his subjects' faces into wet sand before pouring a concrete mixture into the impressions left in the sand.

If you’d like to see these tombstones for yourself, here’s how to get there. Take U.S. Highway 43 to Jackson. Turn south onto College Avenue and travel 2.2 miles before taking a slight right onto Commerce Street. Travel about half a mile, then turn left onto Depot Road. Travel another half-mile and keep left at the fork. Then travel another three miles and continue onto County Road 15/Rockville Road. Then travel 10 miles to downtown Carlton, Ala. At the stop sign, turn right onto Choctaw Bluff Road/County Road 19. Travel another mile, then turn left onto Belgreen Road, which is a dirt road. After about eight-tenths of a mile, turn right onto Kentucky Road. Less than 100 feet later, take a slight right onto Mount Nebo Road. Continue down this road until you reach the cemetery and church.

Before I wrap this thing up, I want to make it perfectly clear that if you get the idea to visit this cemetery, do so with the proper respect. This is an actively used cemetery at an active church site. I’d strongly advise you to respect your surroundings and not to touch or otherwise disturb these historically unique markers or anything else on the property.

In the end, how many of you have seen these tombstones? What do you think about them? Can you provide any more information about them? Do you know of any other grave markers like these? If so, let us know in the comments section below.

Yesterday's News from The Evergreen Courant for May 28, 2012

TWO YEARS AGO
MAY 27, 2010

“O’Reilly Auto Parts held a ribbon cutting Wednesday for the new Evergreen store that opened recently. The new store is located on West Front Street next to Family Dollar. Pictured at the ceremony are Michael Edmonds, Chamber Board Member Frank Higginbotham, Store Manager Jeff Brown, Mayor Pete Wolff, Chamber Representative Shanna Anderson, Chamber Board Member Mary Williams and Richard Lee.”

“The Conecuh County Commission approved the contract for administrative services and also installation services for a grant implementation at the Conecuh County Courthouse at their meeting Monday. The county recently received an Energy Efficiency grant for $250,000 that will help conserve energy in the courthouse through updating electrical systems.”

“Conecuh County voters will go to polls next Tuesday to vote on several local and state races in the 2010 primary elections.
“On the Democratic ballot the following races will be included: Governor, United States Senator, Attorney General, State Senate District 23, House of Representatives District 68, State Treasurer, Sheriff of Conecuh County, Conecuh County Board of Education Districts 1,2,4 and 5, and State Democratic Executive Committee (Female) District 68.”

17 YEARS AGO
MAY 25, 1995

“An extremely large crowd came by the Open House at Vaughan Evergreen Medical Center Sunday afternoon. On hand to greet the visitors were Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Fred West, Vaughan Evergreen Administrator Jim Peace and his wife, Lisa, and Vaughan Health Services President Bob Morrow and his wife, Deborah.”

“Valedictorian of Hillcrest High School’s graduating class of 1995 is Preston Albritton, son of Greg and Deborah Albritton of Evergreen.
“Preston has a 93.2 grade point average and scored a composite of 30 on the ACT.”

“Doug Bolden, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bolden, is the salutatorian of the 1995 graduating class of Hillcrest High School. He has a 93.0 grade point average. He scored a composite of 31 on the ACT, with a perfect score of 36 on science.”

“R. Conner Warren, son of Mrs. Lucy Warren, and the late Byron Warren of Evergreen, has been elected President of the Alabama Cast Metals Association at their annual meeting in Montgomery. The ACMA serves companies in the metal casting industry in Alabama which has over 23,000 employees.”

“The Conecuh Women’s League announced today that Carmon Salter and Chad Chesser are the recipients of the League’s annual Scholarship Award.”

32 YEARS AGO
MAY 29, 1980

“Weatherman Earl Windham reports some rain on only four of seven days during the week’s reporting period: 1.33 inches May 20, .45 of an inch May 22, .13 on May 23 and .13 again on May 25.”

“Damage from a tornado or tornadoes that struck about 1:15 o’clock on the morning of May 20 caused damage in and around Evergreen that totaled an estimated $43,500, according to John Gibson, coordinator for Conecuh County Civil Defense.
“Gibson said that there was damage to the residences of Circuit Judge Robert E.L. Key, including a pickup truck, house and yard, Mabry Cook and Harry Ellis.
“Two businesses, Evergreen Fertilizer & Chemical Co. and Daniels Floorcovering, suffered damages, and there was extensive loss from damage to timber.”

“Mrs. Dovie Montgomery, one of Conecuh County’s oldest citizens, will be honored on Fri., June 6, when she celebrates here 100th birthday. She is a resident of Castleberry, where she has lived most of her adult life, although she was born in Monroe County on June 6, 1880.”

“Clint Rogers is valedictorian of the Class of 1980 that will graduate tomorrow night at Evergreen High School. Cordella Johnson is the salutatorian of the Class of 1980 at Evergreen High School.”

“Mayor Wm. J. (Sonny) Barlow announced today that he has qualified as a candidate for election to a full term of office as mayor of Castleberry.”

47 YEARS AGO
MAY 27, 1965

“Graduation exercises will be held at the Evergreen City School auditorium tonight at 7:30 o’clock, according to principal Marcus O’Gwynn.
“The school is giving diplomas to one of its largest classes this year with a total of 75 boys and girls graduating.”

“Evergreen High graduates 65: One of the largest senior classes in the history of the school is to be graduated at exercises Friday night in the Memorial Gymnasium. The program begins at 8 o’clock and will be highlighted by presentation of diplomas to 65 graduates.”

“Dorothy Waller is valedictorian and Willene Powell is salutatorian of Repton’s Class of 1965.”

“Keith Holcombe is valedictorian and Bobbie J. Carter is salutatorian of the (Lyeffion High School) Class of 1965.”

“Donald Sawyer is valedictorian and Jimmy Oliver is salutatorian of the 1965 Class (at Conecuh County High School).”

“Kay Holman is valedictorian and Nancy Nix is salutatorian of the Class of 1965 (at Evergreen High School).”

“BAUMHOLDER, Germany – Army Pfc. George R. Williams, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul L. Williams, Route 1, Owassa, Ala. took part in a river crossing exercise conducted by the 8th Infantry Division in Germany May 9-17.
“During the maneuvers, Williams received practical training in the skills and procedures necessary to cross water obstacles. He is a 1961 graduate of Lyeffion High School.”

62 YEARS AGO
MAY 25, 1950

“Seven persons lost their lives in a tragic auto-truck collision here early Saturday morning. The accident happened on the outskirts of Evergreen on the Loree road at about 6:15 Saturday morning. The site was within the city limits and the accident investigated by city authorities.”

“Fifteen members of the Evergreen Volunteer Fire Department received certificates at graduation ceremonies last (Wednesday) night ending the 12-week school and training program conducted here.
“The following firemen received certificates: Chief Ed Carrier, Assistant Chief Forrest Douglas, C.E. Carrier, H.S. Dunn, J.H. Dunn, John Thompson, W.L. Thames, Henry Powell, James Nall, Winston Pierce, J.W. Weaver, Randolph Moorer Jr., Woodford Bolton, Wilbur Hamilton and A.B. Johnson.”

“Bill Langham will receive his high school diploma at Evergreen High School Friday night thus ending one of the most super-perfect attendance records ever compiled by a local student. Since he entered the first grade in September 1938, Bill has never been absent or tardy – 12 years of school present every day and on time every time.”

“Evergreen High School will award diplomas to 55 students at graduation exercises Friday night. The program will be held in Memorial Gymnasium to afford room for the large number of people expected to attend.”

Daily Weather Observations for Mon., May 28, 2012

Temp: 76.6 degrees F (24.8 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.0 inches.

Humidity: 66 percent (Normal)

Conditions: Clear.

Winds: 0.1 mph out of the North (Calm)

Barometric Pressure: 29.47 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.0 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 7.8 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 33.0 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

NOTES: Today is the 149th day of 2012 and the 70th day of Spring. There are 217 days left in the year. Today is Memorial Day. First Quarter Moon.

And Remember - "A wind in the south has rain in her mouth."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

John Sandford's 'Stolen Prey' takes top spot on best-sellers list

It’s Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly breakdown of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, there are three new books at the top of the four major best-sellers lists this week.

"Stolen Prey" by John Sandford replaced "11th Hour" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro as the No. 1 book on the hardcover fiction best-sellers list.

"The Amateur" by Edward Klein replaced "The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson" by Robert A. Caro as the No. 1 book on the hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list.

"Explosive Eighteen" by Janet Evanovich replaced "The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks as the top book on the mass market paperback best-sellers list.

"Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L. James retained its place atop the trade paperbacks best-sellers list for the seventh week in a row.

There are three books on this week’s hardcover fiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They (along with their place on the list) include "Stolen Prey" by John Sandford (1), "The Columbus Affair" by Steve Berry (3) and "A Dance with Dragons" by George R.R. Martin (14).

There are seven books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "The Amateur" by Edward Klein (1), "The Skinny Rules" by Bob Harper with Greg Critser (2), "The Art of Intelligence" by Henry A. Crumpton (4), "The Charge" by Brendon Burchard (5), "How Will You Measure Your Life?" by Clayton M. Christensen et al. (9), "Imagine" by Jonah Lehrer (14) and "Wheat Belly" by William Davis (15).

There are two books on this week’s mass market paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on that list last week. They include "Explosive Eighteen" by Janet Evanovich (1) and "Southern Comfort" by Fern Michaels (15).

There are two books on this week’s trade paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "The Greater Journey" by David McCullough (11) and "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell (14).

As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. These lists are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com. Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists.

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "Stolen Prey" by John Sandford
2. "11th Hour" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
3. "The Columbus Affair" by Steve Berry
4. "Deadlocked" by Charlaine Harris
5. "Calico Joe" by John Grisham
6. "The Innocent" by David Baldacci
7. "In One Person" by John Irving
8. "The Wind Through the Keyhole" by Stephen King
9. "Bring Up the Bodies" by Hilary Mantel
10. "The Road to Grace" by Richard Paul Evans
11. "Home" by Toni Morrison
12. "The Witness" by Nora Roberts
13. "The Sins of the Father" by Jeffrey Archer
14. "A Dance with Dragons" by George R.R. Martin
15. "The Family Corleone" by Ed Falco

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. "The Amateur" by Edward Klein
2. "The Skinny Rules" by Bob Harper with Greg Critser
3. "The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson" by Robert A. Caro
4. "The Art of Intelligence" by Henry A. Crumpton
5. "The Charge" by Brendon Burchard
6. "My Cross to Bear" by Gregg Allman
7. "Most Talkative" by Andy Cohen
8. "I Am a Pole (And So Can You!)" by Stephen Colbert
9. "How Will You Measure Your Life?" by Clayton M. Christensen, et al.
10 "Killing Lincoln" by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard
11. "Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake" by Anna Quindlen
12. "The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier" by Ree Drummond
13. "Service" by Marcus Luttrell with James D. Hornfischer
14. "Imagine" by Jonah Lehrer
15. "Wheat Belly" by William Davis

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. "Explosive Eighteen" by Janet Evanovich
2. "The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks
3. "The Fifth Witness" by Michael Connelly
4. "Vision in White" by Nora Roberts
5. "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" by Seth Grahame-Smith
6. "Buried Prey" by John Sandford
7. "Mystery" by Jonathan Kellerman
8. "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
9. "Sunrise Point" by Robyn Carr
10. "The Affair" by Lee Child
11. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson
12. "A Storm of Swords" by George R.R. Martin
13. "Chasing Fire" by Nora Roberts
14. "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
15. "Southern Comfort" by Fern Michaels

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. "Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L. James
2. "Fifty Shades Darker" by E.L. James
3. "Fifty Shades Freed" by E.L. James
4. "State of Wonder" by Ann Patchett
5. "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Lawson
6. "The Last Boyfriend: Book Two of the InnsBoro Trilogy" by Nora Roberts
7. "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent
8. "The Art of Fielding: A Novel" by Chad Harbach
9. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
10. "Bossypants" by Tina Fey
11. "The Greater Journey" by David McCullough
12. "The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks
13. "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" by Seth Grahame-Smith
14. "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
15. "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man" by Steve Harvey

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Daily Weather Observations for Sun., May 27, 2012

Temp: 80.6 degrees F (26.99 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.0 inches.

Humidity: 64 percent (Normal)

Conditions: Clear.

Winds: 2.9 mph out of the Northeast (Calm)

Barometric Pressure: 29.54 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.1 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 7.8 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 33.0 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

NOTES: Today is the 148th day of 2012 and the 69th day of Spring. There are 218 days left in the year. Today's readings were taken a few minutes after 0800 hours due to the fact that I accidentially overslept.

And Remember - "If clouds move against the wind, rain will follow."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Which of these 10 recent movies was your personal favorite?

I’ve watched a number of decent movies recently, and I think that more than a few of you out there will find them entertaining. Here’s a little information about each as well as my two cents about what makes them worth watching.

The Adventures of Tintin (2011): Directed by Steven Spielberg, this animated movie is based on the comic book adventures of a young reporter named Tintin. The Tintin comics have been around for decades, but this was my first exposure to the character. Not surprisingly, since the movie was directed by Spielberg, this movie had a very heavy Indiana Jones feel to it. I thought it was cool that the hero was a reporter.

The Devil Inside (2012): This very creepy movie is about exorcisms. Very similar to “The Exorcist” and “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” this movie tries to come off as a documentary about a young woman who tries to make sense of an exorcism gone wrong that involved her mother. I enjoyed this movie but was glad when it ended. Material about exorcisms and demons gives me the willies.

The Double (2011): Directed by Michael Brandt and starring Richard Gere and Topher Grace, this movie is a spy tale that will leave you hooked until the very end. Gere is a double Soviet secret agent and assassin. Grace is an expert on the assassin and is charged with bringing him down for the FBI. This movie contained a lot of entertaining twists.

Dream House (2011): To be honest, before watching this movie, I thought it was a horror movie. I’d actually put it in the psychological thriller category. It stars Daniel Craig and Naomi Watts and is about a man who’s having to come to grips with the murder of his family. This movie does contain a number of satisfying twists, and I probably enjoyed it more because I knew so little about it going in.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): Based on the international best-seller by Stieg Larsson, this movie was directed by one of my favorite directors, David Fincher. Starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, this movie is about a reporter and a hacker who investigate a 40-year-old missing persons case. This movie made me want to read the novel more than a little.

Haywire (2011): Very similar in many ways to “Killer Elite,” this action movie was worth watching. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor and Channing Tatum, this movie is about a group of mercenaries who find themselves in big trouble. The best thing about this movie was the fight scenes. They reminded me a lot of the Jason Bourne movies that starred Matt Damon.

Immortals (2011): Think “300” meets “Achilles” and you’ve got the “Immortals.” Based on the heroics of Greek mythological figures, this movie offers up a different take on the story of Theseus, who is probably best known for being the slayer of the mythical Minotaur. If you liked “Clash of the Titans” and other such films, you’ll love this one.

J. Edgar (2011): Directed by Clint Eastwood, this movie starred Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role of former FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover. I thought this movie was very educational, and it made me want to learn more about the inner workings and history of the FBI. It also made me want to watch a lot of old “X-Files” reruns.

Killer Elite (2011): Based on the novel “The Feather Men” by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, this action film stars Robert De Niro, Clive Owen and Jason Statham. Supposedly based on a true story, this movie is about globe trotting mercenaries who find themselves in deep trouble. This movie’s action-packed, has some cool fight scenes and lots of gunplay.

Tower Heist (2011): This comedy had a lot of star power. It featured Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick and Tea Leone. In a nutshell, it’s about former staff members at an upscale New York City apartment building, who get revenge on the crook who lives in the penthouse. I love a good comedy, and this one made me laugh more than a little.

In the end, I enjoyed each of these movies for different reasons. How many of the movies above have you had the chance to watch? Which did you like or dislike? Which was your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below.

Daily Weather Observations for Sat., May 26, 2012

Temp: 75.2 degrees F (24.0 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.0 inches.

Humidity: 75 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Clear.

Winds: 0.1 mph out of the North-Northwest (Calm)

Barometric Pressure: 29.64 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.1 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 7.8 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 33.0 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

NOTES: Today is the 147th day of 2012 and the 68th day of Spring. There are 219 days left in the year.

And Remember - "If birds fly low, expect rain and a blow."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Into the Wild: Heaviest item in McCandless's backpack was his library

If you’ve never read Jon Krakauer’s book “Into the Wild,” I highly recommend it to those of you with a taste for adventure and the strong itch to wander.

First published in 1996, “Into the Wild” is the story of Virginia native Chris McCandless, who graduated with outstanding grades from Emory University in 1990, promptly gave away all of his money, stopped talking to his family and began wandering the country under the assumed name of “Alex Supertramp.” Over a two-year period, his travels took him all over the American west, the Dakotas and even into Mexico. McCandless, a huge fan of Jack London, eventually set off for Alaska, where he tried to survive on his own deep in the wilderness. In the end, a group of hunters would find his dead body at his camp in August 1992.

The above summary doesn’t do this awesome book justice, and I strongly encourage you to read it for yourself to get the full effect. The book is generally considered to be one of the greatest adventure books of all time. Outside Magazine ranked "Into the Wild" No. 8 on its list of "25 Best Adventure Books of the Last 100 Years" list. The Art of Manliness Web site ranked it No. 4 on its “The Essential Adventure Library: 50 Non-fiction Adventure Books” list and No. 37 on its “100 Must Read Books: The Man’s Essential Library” list.

Also, many of you might be interested in watching the 2007 film adaptation of “Into the Wild,” which was directed by Sean Penn. I actually watched the movie before reading the book and enjoyed it a lot.

Chris McCandless was a fascinating guy. He was highly educated, fatally idealistic and a voracious reader. Among his final possessions were a collection of reading materials and library cards. The follow quote from the book describes the books found in McCandless’s backpack.

“The heaviest item in McCandless’s half-full backpack was his library: nine or ten paperbound books, most of which had been given to him by Jan Burres in Niland. Among those volumes were titles by Thoreau and Tolstoy and Gogol, but McCandless was no literary snob: He simply carried what he thought he might enjoy reading, including mass-market books by Michael Crichton, Robert Pirsig and Louis L’Amour. Having neglected to pack writing paper, he began a laconic journal on some blank pages in the back of Tanaina Plantlore.”

Being the book nerd that I am, I went back through my copy of “Into the Wild” and noted all of the books and short stories that were either referenced by Krakauer, read by McCandless or found with his remains. Here are the lists that I came up with:

Books:
1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
2. The American West As Living Space by Wallace Stegner
3. Breaking Point by Glenn Randall
4. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
5. The Dead Father by Donald Barthelme
6. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (found with his remains and supposedly the last book he ever read)
7. Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour (found with his remains)
8. Everett Ruess: A Vagabond for Beauty by W.L. Ruscho
9. Holy the Firm by Annie Dillard
10. The Hungry Summer by John M. Campbell
11. Journal by Henry David Thoreau
12. The Journals of Sir John Richardson
13. Man in the Landscape: A Historic View of the Esthetics of Nature by Paul Shepard
14. The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey
15. Mormon Country by Wallace Stegner
16. The Mountains of California by John Muir
17. O Jerusalem! by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins (found with remains)
18. A Pedestrious Tour, or Four Thousand Miles, Through the Western States and Territories, During the Winter and Spring of 1818 by Estwick Evans
19. Scrambles Amongst the Alps by Edward Whymper
20. Solitude: A Return to the Self by Anthony Storr
21. The Stars, the Snow, the Fire: Twenty-Five Years in the Northern Wilderness by John Haines
22. Tanaina Plantlore/Dena’ina K’et’una: An Ethnobotany of the Dena’ina Indians of Southcentral Alaska by Priscilla Russell Kari (found with his remains)
23. Taras Bulba by Nikolai Vasilievitch Gogol
24. Terminal Man by Michael Crichton
25. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
26. Walden, or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau (found with his remains)
27. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
28. White Fang by Jack London
29. Wilderness and the American Mind by Roderick Nash
30. The works of English author Stephen Potter

Short Stories/Essays:
1. Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
2. The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy
3. Family Happiness by Leo Tolstoy
4. In Search of the Miraculous by Theodore Roszak
5. Ktaadn by Henry David Thoreau
6. To Build a Fire by Jack London
7. The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstory (included in a story collection found with his remains.)
8. Letter from a Man by John Menlove Edwards
9. An Odyssey of the North by Jack London
10. Up the Black to Chalkyitsik by Edward Hoagland
11. The Wit of Porportuk by Jack London

In the end, how many of you have read “Into the Wild” or any of the other books mentioned above? What did you think about them? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Daily Weather Observations for Fri., May 25, 2012

Temp: 70.9 degrees F (21.6 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.0 inches.

Humidity: 77 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Clear.

Winds: 0.0 mph (Calm)

Barometric Pressure: 29.55 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.1 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 7.8 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 33.0 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

NOTES: Today is the 146th day of 2012 and the 67th day of Spring. There are 220 days left in the year.

And Remember - "Evening red and morning gray, two sure signs of one fine day."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Remember the nation's war dead, support monument effort this Memorial Day


I had the pleasure of sitting down with two of my personal heroes Wednesday of last week when I had lunch with World War II combat veterans George Thomas Jones and Stan Richardson.

Richardson, who lives with his wife, Chat, in New Site, is the author of “Growing Up in a Foxhole, 1944-1946: A Foot Soldier Looks Back,” a 2005 book that is the best personal account of WWII that I’ve ever read.

Jones, a retired businessman who lives in Monroeville, is a long-running, award-winning columnist for The Monroe Journal newspaper. He also happens to be my former next-door neighbor.

Jones, 89, and Richardson, 86, were soldiers in the U.S. Army and fought in Europe during World War II. During our visit last week at the McDonald’s restaurant off Exit 96, both men told stories of their experiences during the worst parts of the war. They both described numerous near misses with death, and said they owed their survival to a combination of common sense, good luck, blind chance and God’s divine will.

“I didn’t have one guardian angel looking out for me,” Jones said. “I had about 20!”

Coming less than two weeks before Memorial Day, this got me to thinking about all the GIs who didn’t make it home, including many service members from Conecuh County. When I think about war casualties from this area, I can’t help but think of men like the late Guy Dawson Booker.

Booker was lost in action while serving as a member of the 84-man crew of the U.S. Submarine Growler, which was sunk by Japanese vessels west of the Philippines on Nov. 8, 1944. Experts believe that enemy depth charges sank the Growler, and the sub’s wreckage has never been found.

Booker was typical of our war dead. He made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and more than deserves to be remembered. With that in mind, with Memorial Day just around the corner, I encourage each of you to support the ongoing effort to have a memorial to the county’s war dead constructed in Evergreen.

The local Disabled American Veterans chapter is leading the effort to have the memorial built, and we should do everything we can to help them. Evergreen City Councilman and Vietnam War combat veteran Luther Upton is the spokesman for the group.

“This is a monumental undertaking for such a small group of disabled veterans,” Upton said. “We need your help. This will be a lasting tribute to those who died and to those who served. Won’t you help us out? Everyone pays lip service to honoring our veterans, but how many actually do anything about it?”

To find out how to help, see the full story elsewhere in this week’s paper.

In the end, Memorial Day is Monday, so take the time to remember all the men and women who have paid the ultimate price to protect all the freedoms we have today. We do live in the greatest country in the world and in the history of the world, and we owe it all to the men and women in the armed forces.

Also take the time to thank our living veterans - men like Jones, Richardson and Upton - because when it’s all said and done, there’s no way that we can really thank them enough.

Countdown to fall football season is underway for many sports fans

Now that spring football has wrapped up at Hillcrest High School and Sparta Academy, we’re moving into that part of the year where there’s very little going on in the local sports world aside from youth baseball and softball.

Many sports fans have already began counting the days until the fall football season. Hillcrest High School can began fall practice on Aug. 6 and the Jags will begin regular season play on Aug. 31 when they will travel to Chatom to play Washington County High School. Sparta will kick off their regular season schedule on Aug. 24 when the Warriors will go on the road to play region opponent, Pickens Academy.

Alabama’s first football game will be played on Sept. 1 when the Crimson Tide faces Michigan at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Auburn will also kick off the season on that day when they play Clemson in Atlanta, Ga.

----- 0 -----

I’m never disappointed by the syndicated Ripley’s Believe It or Not! cartoon. During the past week, those entertaining, daily feature cartoons mentioned two sports that I’d never heard of – downhill shovel racing and combat juggling.

Monday of last week’s cartoon mentioned that Angel Fire, N.M. is the home to an annual downhill shovel racing competition. Friday’s cartoon talked about the sport of combat juggling in which participants do battle by attempting to knock an opponent’s balls or bowling pin-like clubs out of the air while maintaining control over their own.

I did some checking and downhill shovel racing is just what it sounds like. Competitors find a snowy hill, sit on the blade of a snow shovel with the handle between their legs and race downhill. This sport originated in New Mexico ski resorts in the 1970s, and got its start when resort employees used shovels to move quickly from one location to another while working. Some shovel racers wax the undersides of their shovels to make them faster, and some shovel racers have reached speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. Believe it or not, but this sport was actually featured in the 1997 Winter X Games.

If you can believe it, the details about combat juggling are even more bizarre. The basic rules of this game are simple. At a signal, everyone begins juggling a set number of clubs (usually three), and the last person still juggling a full set of clubs wins. While juggling, players intentionally juggle in a way that will interfere with the other competitors. However, it’s against the rules to come in actual physical contact with the other players, but its perfectly fine to grab an opponent’s club out of the air.

In order to win, some jugglers employ a number of unusual tactics. They’ve been known to move face to face with an opponent to confuse them or to throw a club high enough so that they’ll have time to wave a hand or club in front of an opponent. You also don’t necessarily have to end up with all the clubs you started with, so you can grab an opponent’s club and drop one of your own or continue on with four clubs. You can also bat an opponent’s club out of the air with one of your own.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for May 24, 2012

19 YEARS AGO
MAY 27, 1993

“OPEN HORSE SHOW: The Blue Ribbon Saddle Club is sponsoring an Open Horse Show Sat., June 19, 3 p.m. at the R.P. Shelley Arena, Hwy. 84 West, Andalusia, Ala.
“Classes include: Halter, Pleasure, Gaited, Timed events, Saddle Horse, Pee Wee and Walking Horse. Everyone is welcome.”

“EVERGREEN TINY MITE & PEE WEE CHEERLEADERS: Evergreen Tiny Mite and Pee Wee Jaguar Cheerleader sign-up will be held Sat., May 29, at the Carver Recreation Center from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. There will be a $10 sign-up fee.”

34 YEARS AGO
MAY 25, 1978

“Sparta Academy athletes are recognized: Girl and boy athletes of Sparta Academy were honored at the Sparta Quarterback Club’s annual Athletic Banquet held in the school gymnatorium on Thursday night.
“Wayne Frazier, an all-everything at Evergreen High School and former star football player at Auburn University and for the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers of the NFL, was the principal speaker. Wayne, who played in the Super Bowl with the Chiefs, now lives in Brewton.
“The Jerry Peacock Memorial Trophy was presented for the first time at the banquet with the honor going to Gray Stevens. The Trophy is given by the Class of 1977 in memory of their late classmate, who was an outstanding athlete and student and drowned in a tragic accident last year.
“The Class of 1977 has provided a big, handsome trophy which will remain at the school with the name of the athlete winning the honor to be engraved on it each year. The Jerry Peacock Memorial Trophy is awarded to a senior, male athlete who has been outstanding in football, basketball and baseball and is selected the most outstanding by the votes of the athletes participating in those sports.
“Athletes recognized in the various sports were: Girls Basketball: Best Defensive Player, Sharon Johnson; Best Offensive Player, Angie Driver; Best Free Throw Shooter, Michell Joyner; and Most Valuable Player, Mary Claire Robinson. Girls Softball: Hustler, Rosemary Ralls; Best Batting Average, Missy Thacker; and Most Valuable Player, Mary Claire Robinson.
“Football: Best Offensive Lineman, Harry Crabtree; Best Defensive Lineman, Greg Anthony; Best Offensive Back, Ronny McKenzie; and Best Defensive Back, Johnny Ralls.
“Basketball: Most Valuable Player, Gray Stevens; Best Rebounder, Tony Raines; Best Scorer, Terry Peacock; and Best Free Throw Percentage, Stevens.
“Recognized for winning All District Honors were: football, Harry Crabtree and David Sabino; basketball, Gray Stevens; and baseball, Terry Peacock."

“Tony Rogers, outstanding quarterback for the Evergreen High School Aggies, signs a full grant-in-aid scholarship to Livingston State University as his high school coach, Charles Branum, looks on. Rogers was an outstanding passer and runner for the Aggies.”

49 YEARS AGO
MAY 23, 1963

“Aggie Baseballers Given Player Awards: The Evergreen Aggies have selected the winners of the baseball team’s three awards for the 1963 season, Coach Henry Allmon announced this week.
“Selected as the team’s Most Valuable Player was Jimmy Weaver, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Weaver. The first member of the Evergreen Baseball Hall of Fame is Donnie Jones, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Jones. The winner of the Batting Championship Trophy is Sid Lambert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Lambert, with an average of .370. Lambert barely edged out Weaver, who hit .367. Weaver and Jones were chosen by a vote by the team. Jones is a senior and both Lambert and Weaver are juniors.”

“Two Local Players in All-Star Game: Jimmy Weaver, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Weaver, and Sid Lambert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Lambert, participated in the 1963 East-West High School All-Star Game on Thurs., May 16, at Patterson Field in Montgomery.
“Lambert and Weaver played for the West squad which emerged victorious, 5-2. Weaver pitched for the last three innings, surrendering two runs and three hits. He doubled in his only appearance at the plate. Lambert caught for six innings and batted twice, but failed to get a hit.”

“The Evergreen Aggies wound up their baseball season in Red Level Wednesday afternoon with an 11-5 victory over the host Tigers to give them an 8-5 record for the season. The game ended on a sour note however, as Aggie rightfielder Donnie Jones ran into a light pole while chasing a fly ball and had to be taken to the Conecuh County Hospital in Evergreen.”

64 YEARS AGO
MAY 25, 1948

“AGGIES PLAY INTRA-SQUAD GAME MONDAY NIGHT by John Law Robinson: The first annual Green and White football game will be held at Brooks Stadium Monday night at 8 p.m. Preceding the varsity contest, a Green and White Junior game will be played.
“The Greens, have a slight weight advantage over the Whites in both the line and backfield. The Green line will be about four pounds heavier per man and the line will outweigh the White forward wall by approximately three pounds per man.
“Leading the Greens’ offensive attack will be Co-Captain John Green Ralls, who will be running from the tailback position for the first time. Little Mudge Lee will be handling the ball from the quarterback slot and hard-running Nick Stallworth has been shifted from end to wingback. At fullback, the Greenies have Jeff Moorer, who also backs up the line on defense.
“Co-Captain Sammy Hanks heads a forward wall of seven experienced linemen, six having earned their monograms. Hanks and Max Pope will start at the tackle posts while Dean Shaver and Donald Wiggins, both former backfield men, will open at guards. Dudley Bartlett will open at center and will back up the line along with Jeff Moorer on defense. Benton Carpenter and Pete White, a pair of pass-snagging ends, will start, at those positions.”

79 YEARS AGO
MAY 25, 1933

“The Evergreen colored baseball team played Brewton last Monday, losing 2-0. A small, black, left-handed flinger from Brewton, who threw sweeping curve balls interspersed with a high ‘hard one,’ kept such redoubtable sluggers as Wilson Cross, Willie Lloyd and Sim Brown at bay throughout the game.
“Evergreen will go to Andalusia to play the team representing that city on next Mon., May 29. The local team defeated Andalusia here last week, and it is expected a large crowd of colored fans will accompany the team there for the game.”

“Locals Win Thursday; Lose Sunday: Evergreen broke even in last week’s baseball play, winning one from Luverne and losing one on Sunday to Ft. Deposit, the latter affair being ‘one of this things’ – weird in every respect of the word. Fielding, umpiring and base-running was of the fanatical kind.
“Paced by Joe Hagood, slugging third baseman, Evergreen defeated Luverne last Thursday, 11-10, at Gantt Field. Hagood slammed out two doubles to right field, lacing one over Stringer’s head and dragging the second over first base and down the foul line to the right field fence. Skeeter Amos, local centerfielder, banged out a three-base clout to the same territory to account for the third extra-base hit by the local club.
“As the score indicates, the game was a slugfest from beginning to end, Evergreen using two hurlers, while Luverne used only one pitcher, in a losing way. Bradley, Luverne outfielder, hit a double and a triple, to lead his team at bat.”

Daily Weather Observations for Thurs., May 24, 2012

Temp: 68.9 degrees F (20.5 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.0 inches.

Humidity: 83 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Heavy Fog.

Winds: 0.1 mph out of the South-Southeast (Calm)

Barometric Pressure: 29.42 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.1 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 7.8 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 33.0 inches

Local Weather Alerts: Dense Fog Advisory in effect until 8 a.m.

NOTES: Today is the 145th day of 2012 and the 66th day of Spring. There are 221 days left in the year.

And Remember - "When the dew is on the grass, rain will never come to pass."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

This week's movie picks are 'Men in Black 3' and 'The Woman in Black'

It’s Wednesday, so today I give you my weekly list of movies that will open in theatres this week as well as a list of movies that will be released this week on DVD.

I hope this will serve as a useful guide as to what’s going on this week if you happen to be near a movie theatre or if you’re looking for something to drop into your NetFlix queue.

Movies that are scheduled to hit theatres this week include:

Chernobyl Diaries (Horror, Suspense, R): Directed by Bradley Parker and starring Jesse McCartney, Jonathan Sadowski, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Nathan Phillips and Ingrid Bolson Berdal.

Cowgirls n’ Angels (Family, PG): Directed by Timothy Armstrong and starring Bailee Madison, James Cromwell, Jackson Rathbone, Alicia Witt and Kathleen Rose Perkins.

The Intouchables (Comedy, Drama): Directed by Eric Toledano and starring Omar Sy, Francois Cluzet, Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot and Clotilde Mollet.

Men in Black 3 (Comedy, Science Fiction, PG-13): Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Emma Thompson and Alice Eve.

Mighty Fine (Comedy, Drama, R): Directed by Debbie Goodstein and starring Chazz Palminteri, Andie MacDowell, Jodelle Ferland, Rainey Qualley and Paul Ben-Victor.

Moonrise Kingdom (Romance, Comedy, PG-13): Directed by Wes Anderson and starring Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray and Frances McDormand.

OC87: The Obsessive Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar, Asperger’s Movie (Documentary, Not Rated): Directed by Glenn Holsten, Bud Clayman and Scott Johnston and starring Bud Clayman.

New DVD releases for the week of May 22 include:

Beyond (Suspense, Action, PG-13): Directed by Josef Rusnak and starring Jon Voight, Teri Polo, Dermot Mulroney, Brett Baker and Julian Morris.

Black Cobra (Action, R): Directed by Scott Donovan and Lilly Melgar and starring Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, T.J. Storm, Jeff Wolfe and Michael Chiny Amurandi.

Certified Copy (Drama, Note Rated): Directed by Abbas Kiarostami and starring Juliette Binoche, Jean-Claude Carrier, Agathe Natanson and William Shimell.

Newlyweds (Comedy, Drama, Not Rated): Directed by Edward Burns and starring Edward Burns, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Kerry Bishe, Marsha Dietlein Bennett and Max Baker.

Perfect Sense (Romance, Drama, R): Directed by David Mackenzie and starring Ewan McGregor, Evan Green, Connie Nielsen, Stephen Dillane and Ewen Bremner.

Red Tails (Action, War, PG-13): Directed by Anthony Hemingway and starring Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Tristan Wilds and Lee Tergesen.

The Secret World of Arrietty (Family, Fantasy, G): Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and starring the voices of Bridgit Mendler, David Henrie, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett and Carol Burnett.

This Means War (Action, Comedy, PG-13): Directed by McG and starring Tom Hardy, Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon, Til Schweiger and Chelsea Handler.

United (Drama, Sports, PG-13): Directed by James Strong and starring Jack O’Connell, David Tennant and Dougray Scott.

The Woman in Black (Horror, Suspense, PG-13): Directed by James Watkins and starring Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer, Shaun Dooley and Alisa Khazanova.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “Men in Black 3,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “The Woman in Black.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Daily Weather Observations for Wed., May 23, 2012

Temp: 70.9 degrees F (21.6 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.0 inches.

Humidity: 76 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Partly Cloudy.

Winds: 0.0 mph (Calm)

Barometric Pressure: 29.40 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.1 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 7.8 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 33.0 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

NOTES: Today is the 144th day of 2012 and the 65th day of Spring. There are 222 days left in the year.

And Remember - "If salt is sticky and gains in weight, it will rain before too late."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

'Among Others' joins long list of past Nebula Award Best Novel winners

The Science Fiction Writers of American (SFWA) announced the winners of this year’s slate of Nebula Awards during an awards banquet Saturday night in Arlington, Va. and “Among Others” by Jo Walton received the Nebula Award for Best Novel.

The other nominees for Best Novel this year included:

- “God’s War” by Kameron Hurley

- “The Kingdom of Gods” by N.K. Jemisin

- “Firebird” by Jack McDevitt

- “Embassytown” by China Mieville

- “Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti” Genevieve Valentine

The Nebula Awards, which are voted on by the SFWA’s membership and are given annually to recognize the best science fiction and fantasy fiction published in the U.S. during the previous year, were also given in three other categories, i.e., best novelette, best novella and best short story. There are also three special awards – the Andre Norton Award for Excellence in Science Fiction or Fantasy for Young Adults, the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation and the Solstice Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field.

This year’s Best Novella award went to “The Man Who Bridged the Mist” by Kij Johnson.

The winner for Best Novelette went to “What We Found” by Geoff Ryman.

The winner for Best Short Story went to “The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Lui.

The Ray Bradbury Award went to “Doctor Who: The Doctor’s Wife,” and the Andre Norton Award went to “The Freedom Maze” by Delia Sherman.

The first Nebula Awards were awarded in 1965, and, as you might imagine, more than a few outstanding and famous sci-fi and fantasy novels have received the Best Novel award over the years. What follows is a complete of the Best Novel winners over the years.

1965 – “Dune” by Frank Herbert
1966 (tie) – “Babel-17” by Samuel R. Delany and “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes
1967 – “The Einstein Intersection” by Samuel R. Delany
1968 – “Rite of Passage” by Alexei Panshin
1969 – “The Left Hand of Darkness” by Ursula K. Le Guin

1970 – “Ringworld” by Larry Niven
1971 – “A Time of Changes” by Robert Silverberg
1972 – “The Gods Themselves” by Isaac Asimov
1973 – “Rendezvous with Rama” by Arthur C. Clarke
1974 – “The Dispossessed” by Ursula K. Le Guin

1975 – “The Forever War” by Joe Haldeman
1976 – “Man Plus” by Frederick Pohl
1977 – “Gateway” by Frederick Pohl
1978 – “Dreamsnake” by Vonda McIntyre
1979 – “The Fountains of Paradise” by Arthur C. Clarke

1980 – “Timescape” by Gregory Benford
1981 – “The Claw of the Conciliator” by Gene Wolfe
1982 – “No Enemy But Time” by Michael Bishop
1983 – “Startide Rising” by David Brin
1984 – “Neuromancer” by William Gibson

1985 – “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card
1986 – “Speaker for the Dead” by Orson Scott Card
1987 – “The Falling Woman” by Pat Murphy
1988 – “Falling Free” by Lois McMaster Bujold
1989 – “The Healer’s War” by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

1990 – “Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea” by Ursula K. Le Guin
1991 – “Stations of the Tide” by Michael Swanwick
1992 – “Doomsday Book” by Connie Willis
1993 – “Red Mars” by Kim Stanley Robinson
1994 – “Moving Mars” by Greg Bear

1995 – “The Terminal Experiment” by Robert J. Sawyer
1996 – “Slow River” by Nicola Griffith
1997 – “The Moon and the Sun” by Vonda McIntyre
1998 – “Forever Peace” by Joe Haldeman
1999 – “Parable of the Talents” by Octavia E. Butler

2000 – “Darwin’s Radio” by Greg Bear
2001 – “The Quantum Rose” by Catherine Asaro
2002 – “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman
2003 – “The Speed of Dark” by Elizabeth Moon
2004 – “Paladin of Souls” by Lois McMaster Bujold

2005 – “Camouflage” by Joe Haldeman
2006 – “Seeker” by Jack McDevitt
2007 – “The Yiddish Policemen’s Union” by Michael Chabon
2008 – “Powers” by Ursula K. Le Guin
2009 – “The Windup Girl” by Paolo Bacigalupi
2010 – “Blackout/All Clear” by Connie Willis
2011 - “Among Others” by Jo Walton

In the end, how many of the books mentioned above have you had a chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Daily Weather Observations for Tues., May 22, 2012

Temp: 66.4 degrees F (19.1 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.1 inches.

Humidity: 75 percent (Normal)

Conditions: Clear.

Winds: 0.1 mph out of the East. (Calm)

Barometric Pressure: 29.48 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.1 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 7.8 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 33.0 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

NOTES: Today is the 143rd day of 2012 and the 64th day of Spring. There are 223 days left in the year.

And Remember - "When the sun shines while raining, it will rain the same time again tomorrow."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level.

Monday, May 21, 2012

BUCKET LIST UPDATE – No. 179: Take the Old Federal Road Driving Tour

I scratched another item off my bucket list on Saturday when my family and I took “The Federal Road Driving Tour.” The tour is about 65 miles long, and it took us about four hours to complete. You could probably drive it faster, but we took our time and stopped for a picnic along the way.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Federal Road, it was established by the federal government in 1806 and stretched from Augusta, Ga. to New Orleans. It first served as a postal route between those two cities and was also used by frontiersmen who traded with the Indians. It was later used by settlers who moved into the area after the Creek Indian War. The Federal Road was also used to establish the boundary line between Monroe and Conecuh counties, and the present-day driving tour follows that route.

Armed with a pamphlet/map published by the Monroe County Heritage Museums, we started the tour in the northeast corner of Monroe County, a stone’s throw from the Conecuh County line and a short distance from Butler County. Eight OLD FEDERAL ROAD monuments, placed just off the highway, mark the route, and the first marker is found off County Road 29, in front of the Salem Church Cemetery.

That marker reads as follow – “North of Salem Cemetery and the former church was the site of Price’s Hotel, the first place to spend the night on the Federal Road after Greenville. Mr. Price was also the stagecoach driver for this section between Greenville and his hotel. Mrs. McNeil’s Tavern was located halfway between the church and Midway.”

While there, we also checked out the cemetery, which contained a number of Civil War graves and other old tombstones. The Salem Church building isn’t there any more, and it was hard to tell exactly where the church was exactly located.

From there, we took County Road 29, some of which is a dirt road, to County Road 106, which we took east to the intersection of State Highway 47 at Midway. A short distance later, less than a quarter of a mile, we turned south on State Highway 83, then decided to take advantage of the nice big shade trees at Midway Baptist Church. There we ate a picnic lunch and stretched our legs by looking around the old cemetery there. This cemetery contained a number of Civil War graves and Masonic tombstones.

From there we continued south on Highway 83 and began looking for the second marker, which we didn’t find. According to the pamphlet, it was designated the “Thompson Hare” marker and should have been located near the intersection of State Highway 83 and County Road 5. We looked and looked, turning around several times, but never found this marker. These markers were erected in 1998 by the Monroe County Heritage Museums and the J.L. Bedsole Foundation, and I figure that something may have happened to this one in the meantime. Of course, we may have just flat out missed it.

We continued south on County Road 5 and passed through the community of Skinnerton, before arriving in Pine Orchard, the site of the third marker on the tour. That marker is located just south of Monroe County Road 42 in front of a private residence.

That marker reads as follows – “Site of Fort Warren, built in 1816 by Colonel Richard Warren, who owned considerable land in this vicinity. This facility was used as a refuge for settlers who feared for their lives in the early days of the aftermath of the Creek Indian Wars of 1812-1814.”

From there we continued south on County Road 5, and not far out of Pine Orchard we encountered another historic marker. This one, however, isn’t part of the Old Federal Road Tour, but you might want to stop and check it out anyway. If you’re headed south, it’s a large white stone monument on the left hand side of the road.

That marker reads as follows – “JAMES SALTER, N.C., 1760-1835, COMSY. 2 REGT. CONTENITIAL TROOPS, REV. WAR, MEMBER STATE LEGISLATURE ALA., 1823-1828, MEMORIAL ERECTED BY CONECUH CHAPTER 1972 DAR AND DECENDANTS HON. WILEY SALTER AND JUDGE FRANK T. SALTER.”

Continuing south on County Road 5, you’ll pass through the Ramah community before arriving in the historic community of Burnt Corn. There, in front of the Old Bethany Baptist Church, you’ll find the next Old Federal Road maker.

That marker reads as follows – “Burnt Corn, Monroe County’s earliest settlement, became the crossroads of the Great Pensacola Trading Path and the Federal Road. Settler Jim Cornells returned from Pensacola in 1813, finding his home destroyed and his wife kidnapped by a Creek Indian war party. As the Creeks returned from procuring arms in Pensacola, Cornells and volunteers ambushed the Indians. Thus began the Creek Indian War of 1813-14."

From there we continued south on County Road 5 to the community of Bermuda. Just past the intersection of County Road 5 and the Loree Road, you’ll find the next Old Federal Road marker. It’s beside the Bermuda Grocery building.

That marker reads as follows – “Near Bermuda was the home of Jeremiah Austill, who won fame in the canoe fight on the Alabama River during the Creek Indian War. His first wife, Sarah, died of injuries from falling off a fence during an Indian raid.”

At this intersection, you’ll want to take a left to remain on County Road 5. If you take the other fork, you’ll be on what’s known as Drewry Road, which will carry you into Monroeville. Continuing south on County Road 5, you’ll pass Owens Chapel Church before coming up on the intersection of County Road 5 and a dirt road called Reed Road, where you’ll find the next marker.

It reads as follows – “Duncan MacMillan’s stage stop was located near here. According to traveler James Stuart in 1830, he (Duncan) “did not taste fermented liquor” and “thought coffee was the best stimulant.” Mr. McMillan came from Scotland and like many early settlers cleared his own land and grew sugar and cotton."

I’ve always been told that the Reed Road is impassable from that end, and the museum pamphlet backs that up by advising you to stay on County Road 5 and to travel south into the Town of Repton. You’ll eventually reach U.S. Highway 84. Turn right and travel west for about two miles, and just past Lee’s Quick Stop, turn left onto the Old Stage Road.

On this road, you’ll travel what might feel like a long time before encountering another marker. (Actually, it’s less than 10 miles.) This paved road will eventually become a dirt road, and you’ll know you’re on the right track when you pass what’s known as the Wild Fork Fire Tower on your right. The road will eventually become paved again and just past Partin Road, you’ll encounter the bridge over Little Escambia Creek.

The next Old Federal Road marker is on the north end of the bridge and reads as follows – “John Poebles had an established toll bridge over Little Escambia Creek in the early 1800’s. A dispute over the bridge arose between Poebles and John Hollinger. As a result Hollinger built a toll free bridge adjacent to Poebles’ toll bridge.”

From here, continue south on the Old Stage Road, pass Enon Church, and keep going until you reach the intersection of Old Stage Road and Butler Street. Turn left onto Butler Street and continue on a short distance until you reach Coley Chapel, which is just north of the Escambia County line.

The last Old Federal Road marker is located in the churchyard and reads as follows – “Coley Chapel is the present day site of the former town of Hadley. MacDavid’s Hotel was also located here and was recorded by travelers in the 1830’s as a hotel which had “plenty of very nice pork, which in some shape or other is the food generally used in this thinly peopled country…”

In the end, this was a pretty neat little field trip. The weather was nice, and we took our time. Mostly, we cruised along about 40 miles per hour with our windows down. The traffic on these roads was very light, and all it cost us was a little gas and whatever it took to assemble the picnic lunch.

How many of you have taken this tour from start to finish? What did you think about it? Did you like it or not? Why? How would you improve it? What’s the deal with the Thompson Hare marker north of Skinnerton? Does anyone know where it is or what happened to it? Let us know in the comments section below.