Sheila Smith cuts the ribbon on the marker at the pavilion dedicated in her husband’s memory on Saturday. She is shown with council members Will Sconiers, Kennith Mount, Hazel Griffin, Ralph Wells and Rep. Mike Jones.
If Duke Smith had been at the opening day of rec ball in Andalusia Saturday, there is no doubt where he would have been.
“He would have his chair right here, where he could see everything that was going on,” said Dwight Mikel, indicating the pavilion that had just been dedicated in Duke’s honor. “This spot would have been perfect.”
The pavilion is the newest addition to Miracle League Park, and is positioned to provide a view of at least three fields and the Miracle League playground. It has had picnic tables and grills.
Smith was the assistant director of parks and recreation when his larger than life heart gave out on Dec. 30, 2012. It was announced at his funeral that a pavilion would be named in his honor. Saturday, Smith’s widow, Shelia, wiped away tears as the facility was formally dedicated.
“It is beyond my wildest dreams,” she said. “It is awesome.”
Both Mrs. Smith and Mikel noted it was appropriate that the pavilion has grills.
“Those two grills are back there,” Mrs. Smith said. “He would love that.”
Cooking for friends and family was a passion for Smith, as was working with youth and cheering for Auburn. Even his wife, an Alabama... READ MORE>
Andalusia residents Pam and Guy Wyche are excited about this weekend’s tandem bike event in Andalusia, but they also want to remind motorists to be mindful of bicyclists on the roads.
“Most of the people we come across are really nice about it, but I think a lot of people just don’t know what to do when they run up on bicyclists,” Guy Wyche said.
Guy’s wife, Pam, said there are actually laws that govern how bicyclists and motorists should interact on the road.
“By law, you need to treat it like any other vehicle on the road,” she said. “You need to wait until it is safe to pass. You have to have at least three feet of passing distance around the bicycle.”
Pam also said, for motorists who wonder why the bicyclists don’t simply pull off the road for traffic, it is because that is not how the bikes were designed.
“These aren’t children’s toys,” she said. “In a lot of cases they are very expensive. Most of them were not made to go off road. Now, if it comes down to it, I’ll go in the ditch before I’ll face down a 2-ton car, but that’s how we wreck and get hurt.”
The Wyches said if motorists will just remember to treat bicyclists like any other slow-moving vehicle, the road will be a lot safer for both groups.
“We’re just like a big old tractor in the road,” she said. “Just wait until cars aren’t coming and give us enough room when you pass us.”
Bicyclists from near and far will be Covington County Friday through Sunday for the annual Alabama Tandem Weekend, being hosted this year by the City of Andalusia.
Even as construction workers seek to finish the two new buildings under construction at Andalusia City Schools, administrators are under pressure to make sure the transition of students from the current Andalusia Middle School is flawless.
Superintendent Ted Watson told board members Monday night that the new sixth grade wing at AES will be completed before school is out, giving teachers and administrators time to move over the summer.
The addition to Andalusia High School that will house... READ MORE>
If you’re out and about this weekend and suddenly think you are seeing double, it may just be that you have come across Guy and Pam Wyche, or some of their tandem bike-riding friends.
The Wyches, who live in Andalusia and are avid cyclists, said they are excited that this year’s Alabama Tandem Weekend will be hosted by their hometown.
“It’s going to be good to show off our city,” Pam Wyche said. “If the weather cooperates, we’ll have about 16 tandem bicycles and one triple meeting at the Holiday Inn Friday morning.”
Wyche said the three-day event will kick off around 8 each morning, with the group of cyclists choosing from three routes to ride, each with a long and short version.
“The routes vary,” she said. “There are seven routes in the county, ranging from 27 miles to 57 miles. There is a short, medium and long route.”
Wyche said the event is free, but a block of hotel rooms has been reserved for the cyclists, who will spend the weekend in the Andalusia area.
“We have packets for them with maps and a little info about our city,” Wyche said. “And the city has really rolled out the red carpet. We’ve been invited to a wonderful reception Saturday evening at Springdale.”
Wyche said Andalusia in the spring is the perfect time and place for the weekend event, and interest in a repeat visit next year has already been discussed.
“We are really just sight seeing bicyclists,” she said. “On a tandem, you can listen and talk to each other and hear each other. It’s just so much more fun on a tandem.”
In fact, Wyche said it was she and her husband’s love of tandem riding that steered the event toward Andalusia in the first place.
“The people at Tandem Unlimited, the place where we get our bicycles in Birmingham, and the guy who did the one last year kind of talked us into,” she said. “But we all love it. My husband has always enjoyed bicycling. I enjoy getting out on a bicycle and being close to nature and the countryside. I don’t really like to worry so much about gears. We like to travel and see different things, but we don’t’ like to just sit in the car and look out the window.”
So, keep watch out your windows this weekend and you just may see some cyclists pedaling away, two by two.
The Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce has space available for about a dozen people to join them on an enrichment trip to the State Capitol set for Tues., March 18.
Chamber Executive Director Chrissie Duffy said the event was planned by the Chamber’s Education and Governmental Affairs committees, and is geared first toward SGA members at five area high schools.
“We left it to the schools to determine which students should go, but we felt like SGA members would be the natural choice,” Duffy said.
The students’ trip is being sponsored by PowerSouth, Southeast Alabama Gas District and Covington Electric Cooperative.
And 12 of the remaining 17 spots on the bus are up for grabs, Duffy said.
“There are plenty of people other than... READ MORE>