While most are throwing out sparks of holiday spirit, students at Andalusia Elementary School are doing one better by combining that holiday spirit with a heavy dose of patriotism.
Recently, students in the second, third and fifth grades have worked to give service members serving as part of Operation Enduring Freedom how much they appreciate what they do for all Americans.
First, third graders in Beth Weed’s class drew patriotic pictures for Veterans Day, which were sent to the 278th Signal Company “Spartans,” stationed at Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan.
This week, students were presented a certificate of appreciation from the group.
“Your generosity symbolized the will and resolve of the American people to stand strong, defeat all who attempt to bring us harm and bring peace, security and stability to the people of Afghanistan,” the certificate read.
And on Friday, Santa got a little help from students in the second and fifth grades that, instead of exchanging presents among themselves, elected to bring a gift for a soldier.
Second grade teacher Ashley Black said the project was a group effort among all the teachers.
“The students were very receptive of the idea,” she said. “It was actually the second year we did it, and support this year was great. I think our service men (and women) will be pleased to receive all those goodies.”
Students donated numerous food items like microwave popcorn and nuts, as well as reading material and games.
The items were picked up by local veterans and taken to Pack-N-Ship, who will ship the items. Both projects were facilitated by Paul Spears Jr., an Andalusia resident currently working for a private company in Afghanistan, who hand- delivered the posters to a neighboring unit and helped coordinate the distribution of gifts to an Alabama National Guard unit stationed in Kabul.
John Hall, a two-tour Vietnam vet and Purple Heart recipient, helped Friday with the collections at the school.
“It’s an incredible feeling, when you’re serving, to know that someone at home thinks enough of you to send you something,” Hall said. “I would get something from my mom and my aunt when I was in, but to get something from someone that you don’t even known, would do wonders for morale and for what you were put there to do.”
Gary Castillo, a U.S. Air Force veteran, also assisted with the collections. He served two tours with Operation Desert Storm.
“I’ve been there – it means the world,” he said of the donations. “You’re there to do a duty, to serve our country. When roll call came around, it didn’t matter if it was a letter or cookies. It came from home and that meant the world.”
The local Adopt-A-Deployed-Family group is covering the shipping costs, which is estimated at $200; however, donations are still being accepted at Pack-N-Ship to help cover the costs.
Children from around the county received Christmas cheer last night at the annual Community Christmas. Above: Amaya Williams, 4, won a bicycle.
The South Alabama Regional Airport just got famous — or at least it will be when it appears on the next season of CMT’s “Sweet Home Alabama.”
Jed Blackwell, co-director of SARA, said there were seven to eight people, including cast and crew, on a 560 Cessna Citation jet airplane from Atlanta that flew into the Sanford airport Thursday. While here, the group shot scenes of the runway and contestants getting off the plane.
It was rumored that the filming spilled over into Geneva County yesterday.
In the show’s first two seasons, a bachelor searched for love among both city and country girls. In the third season, Southern bachelorette Paige Duke, a Lancaster, S.C., native and former ambassador for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is looking for love.
This is at least the second time the show has made its way to the area filming for the season. A few weeks ago, filming was conducted at Brooklyn’s Boggs and Boulders.
A spokesperson for CMT said she did not have any information about the next season because filming is managed by a third party production company, and the company has no public relations representative.
This season’s premiere is scheduled to air Fri., Jan. 13, on CMT at 8 p.m. CMT can be viewed locally on Andy Cable Channel 55.
Gov. Robert Bentley has awarded grants totaling $678,701 to combat illegal drugs and drug-related violent crime in seven south Alabama counties – including nearly $100,000 for the fight in Covington County.
The total funding will also help support drug task forces that operate in Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Escambia, Mobile and Washington counties. The task forces conduct undercover operations to arrest and prosecute drug offenders, find and dismantle dangerous methamphetamine laboratories and assist with other violent crime investigations.
“Illegal drugs are a destructive force that damages lives and communities,” Bentley said. “I commend the agents of these task forces for their dedication to protecting Alabama families by removing drugs and drug offenders from our neighborhoods.”
Formed in 2000, the 22nd Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force will use the $98,800 grant to continue its operations and investigations. The unit is comprised of five investigators from the county Sheriff’s Office and the police departments of Andalusia and Opp, and one prosecutor from the District Attorney’s Office. Local matching funds of $32,933 have been committed to the unit.
“The war on drugs is everlasting and the Drug Task Force is the best tool we have to fight that war,” said District Attorney Walt Merrell, whose office is tasked with prosecuting drug cases. “Without this money, there would be no task force. So, we are extremely grateful to the Governor and ADECA for awarding us this grant.”
A model of a planned tribute to Andalusia’s textile history turned heads and nearly caused traffic jams on River Falls Street yesterday.
When the City of Andalusia purchased what is known as the Alatex property for a light industrial park, Mayor Earl Johnson announced plans to build a national monument to textile and apparel workers on the property.
Wednesday, local residents got a sneak peek at what that monument might look like, when city workers erected three very large white shirts on the property.
Mayor Earl Johnson explained that the shirts are mock-ups of what will eventually be a large metal shirt, painted white.
“We’re going to be able to change the ties with the season,” he said. “It will keep people driving by to see what tie is on display this week.
“We were the white dress shirt capital of the world,” he said.
City employees built the shirts on display this week to help determine how large the eventual statue should be. Johnson is voting for one shirt that will be 30 percent larger than the largest one currently on display, or approximately 11 feet wide. Landscape architect Dale Fritz of Dale Fritz and Associates, wants three shirts. Wednesday afternoon, the jury was still out.
Johnson said the goal is to dedicate the monument to textile workers on Labor Day 2012.
Between now and then, there will be an opportunity for people who worked here, or whose parents or grandparents worked here, to have their names inscribed on some kind of monument, he said. There also will be a monument about the late John G. Scherf and his contributions to Andalusia.
Already, the building that was once Alatex’s corporate office is undergoing renovations to become the chamber of commerce office and a welcome center. Memorabilia from the Alatex era will be displayed inside.
Fritz encouraged anyone who has photographs, old equipment or other items related to Alatex that they might be willing to donate or loan to the visitors’ center to call city hall.
Fritz previously worked with the City of Andalusia to design the court square, the gateway, the grounds of city hall, veterans park and Robert Horry Park.