A year after a Mobile family experienced the magic of Candyland in an unplanned visit, Andalusia has four new residents.
Jena and Daniel Anderson decided to move to Andalusia after visiting during last year’s Christmas in Candyland festivities.
“We’re very familiar with the area,” Jena Anderson said. “Dan’s family lives in Brooklyn and we drive through here often to visit my family back home in Colombia, near Dothan.”
“One night we were wanting to try out Big Mike’s in Andalusia, so we came into town. We got to the restaurant they told us about the hour wait so we went up the square,” she said.
Anderson said her two sons, Will and Drew, had lots of fun.
“It was just the cutest, the snow had just started. The boys loved it. They were jumping around and having a great time.”
Anderson said it was then that she knew she wanted to move to Andalusia.
Because of Dan’s job as a chemical engineer, the family could pick where they wanted to live.
“We already had it in our minds that we were going to move somewhere besides Mobile,” she said.
“We were looking at several small towns but I still wasn’t sure until I saw Andalusia.”
The family sold their house in Mobile two months later, and moved to Andalusia in August.
It isn’t all about Candyland for the Andersons, however, it’s about what Andalusia has to offer.
“It’s just so convenient. We love it and the community. Every day I feel like I made the right decision because of how much pride the community has,” she said.
“We love all the pep rallies at the square and those kind of things really let us know that we made the right decision.”
Anderson said that she’s finding new reasons to love Andalusia every day she’s here.
“The boys love their school. There’s so many local shops in town that we love,” she said.
But she said she’s looking forward to discovering more.
“Honestly, we are still finding more reasons to love this town,” she said.
“We discover all these little hidden things that solidifies our decision to move here.”
With extra tables set up and set with Christmas finery in the grand central hallway of her South Three Notch Street home, Harriet Hubbard waited for the arrival of a limousine.
When it arrived at the side entrance, little girls poured out of it, racing to the party that awaited them indoors.
“We’ve been talking a lot about manners,” Hubbard, who works with the third through sixth-grade girls at the A.P.P.L.E. after school program said. “We’ve talked about the way we eat everyday – which is everywhere – is not how you always eat. Sometimes you might eat some place that is really fancy.”
She’s been reviewing manners with them, the proper use of silverware, how to serve and pass food at the table, and how to not react if there is something on the plate they don’t like.
“You can pass it, or not put it on the plate, but you don’t comment,” she said.
The girls also have been studying women who overcame odds to do great things, including Coco Chanel, Rosa Parks, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
And on Tuesday, the young ladies left the after-school program in a limousine that delivered them to the Hubbards’ door. Many changed into party clothes before taking the ride across town.
“It was really fun,” Britton Bennett said. “It made me feel luxurious and important.”
Zoey Robertson said the limousine was outfitted with beautiful lights that made the ride special.
Dryden Wilkerson said it was her first chance to ride in a limousine, which she described as colorful and stylish, and said she was looking forward to a fun night with friends.
For dinner, the girls had lemon pepper chicken, glazed baby carrots, green beans, spiced rice, iced tea, and tiramisu. Mrs. Hubbard and her husband, Steve, previously had opened their home for the Luncheon Pilot Club’s annual Tour of Homes.
A host of government and industry officials were on hand Wednesday when Shaw Industries officially celebrated its $250 million investment in its Andalusia manufacturing facility.
Plant co-manager Ron Fantroy said the new technology being installed means employees “are as safe as humanly possible,” and also gives the company an operations edge in the manufacturing of carpet fiber.
“We are basically building a brand new plant inside our existing plant,” he said. “A lot of the work has already been done, and work continues to be done.”
Related story: Local associates excited about changes
Mayor Earl Johnson called Wednesday a “Red Letter Day” in Andalusia and Covington County – his favorite description of days when good things happen.
“This investment is a result of the effort and team work of many people who have put forth tireless efforts over the course of a year,” he said.
Johnson recalled the day that Fantroy told him Shaw was thinking about investing a quarter-billion in its local plant, and asked if the city would be willing to help.
“I asked him, ‘Is this a trick question,’ ” the mayor said, adding that Southeast Gas and the Covington County Economic Development Commission “helped push this ball across the finish line.”
But, he said, the investment would not have been made if the company didn’t have excellent employees working here.
“Thank you for your hard work, 24 hours a day,” he said.
Gov. Kay Ivey expressed her appreciation to Shaw officials for choosing to be “made in Alabama.”
“In Alabama, we share with our employers a super workforce and a favorable business climate.”
“We appreciate the local leaders who have made this possible, and most importantly, our friends at Shaw for their investment in Andalusia.”
Turning to local Shaw employees attending the event, she expressed her thanks.
“It is you and your hard work that made this possible,” she said. “Thank you for your dedication to Shaw Industries and your dedication to the Made in Alabama brand.”
Commission Chairman Greg White said when he thinks of Shaw, he things of Ramona, his neighbor; Ronnie and Faye, his longtime clients; and Dominique, his coffee-drinking buddy – all Shaw employees who are among the local faces of the company.
“Their quarter-billion-dollar investment means t hey are here to stay,” White said. “Good jobs translate to good earning opportunities, and I can’t think of a better place to be in business and raise a family than here.”
White said he was thrilled the commission was able to extend a hand and help make the expansion possible.
David Morgan, executive vice president of operations for Shaw, said the company’s vision “is always the creation of a better future, for our company, our customers, our associates, and the communities where we operate.”
To achieve that, he said, the company is constantly searching and investigating what’s next.
“The work on this innovation started more than five years ago,” he said, adding that the innovations increase safety for employees, and ensure a quality product for customers.
He said the local plant has basically completed a total reset while remaining in operation.
“I am very, very proud of you,” he said to the local associates. “It is amazing what you have continued to do. You are creating a better future for yourselves, for the company, its customers, and the community.”
The project includes construction of new and expanded building assets, and installation of substantial amounts of new manufacturing equipment.
The changes will improve efficiency and production as well as ergonomics and safety for the more than 1,000 associates who work in the plant.
Shaw Industries Group, Inc. provides carpet, resilient, hardwood, tile and stone, laminate, synthetic turf and other specialty items for residential and commercial markets worldwide. Its portfolio of brands includes Anderson Tuftex, COREtec, Patcraft, Philadelphia Commercial, Shaw Contract, Shaw Floors, Shaw Hospitality, Shaw Sports Turf, Southwest Greens, USFloors and more.
Headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, Shaw is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway with nearly $6 billion in annual revenue and representation throughout the U.S., as well as in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, India, Mexico, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
The South Alabama Regional Airport spent $148,000 to stage the 2018 South Alabama Airshow, and recouped $90,000 of that from sponsorships, SARA Executive Director Jed Blackwell told board members Monday.
“We knew that we would spend more than we raised for this airshow,” Blackwell said. “So the difference comes from our general funds.”
The airport’s general fund is funded primarily from fuel sales.
“None of the difference came from the county or the cities’ money,” Blackwell said. “We knew going in that we would be spending around this much, so we went ahead and started saving.”
The City of Andalusia, City of Opp and Covington County each have debt associated with economic development projects at the airport. When the airport receives lease payments for those properties, the payments are prorated to the three entities.
Blackwell said that if they had charged admission to the airshow, they could have made that difference up without having to spend money from the general fund.
“I think the fact that we did it for free is what kept people coming in the gates,” Blackwell said. “I think taxpayers get a feeling of what they are getting with their money that they spend.”
He said that one of the biggest contributions that helped for the airshow was the funds that the county and city allowed the airport to keep for the month of October.
“We couldn’t have done it without that contribution,” Blackwell said. “That money was very well spent. Most of that money went back into the community.”
The final attendance estimate for the show is 8,100.
“We counted 8,100 people inside the gates of the airport,” Blackwell said. “Within that, about 10 to 15 percent were people from outside of the county. People that were buying our food, staying in our hotels and buying things in our county.”
Blackwell said that the only negative thing that he heard about the airshow was people asking why they waited so long for the airshow.
“The biggest thing that I keep getting back on our end is how often we want to do this,” Blackwell said. “I think over the next several months, we want to get with our supporters, the city and the county and figure out what we want to do, how often we want to do it and how much money we want to allocate.”
The board also:
- Voted to reinstate board officers.
- Considered an airport safety plan and airport organization that changes board meetings from monthly to every other month.
- Approved an airshow/Christmas bonus for the airport staff.
- Approved a three percent raise for the employees.
Christmas in Candyland could be the perfect antidote for seasonal affective disorder, Ruth Racz of the South Central Alabama Mental Health Center, said
SAD is a type of depression that is related to changes in the season, sometimes occurring during the holidays.
“At this time of year a lot of people may be alone during the holidays,” Racz said. “They may be coming up on an anniversary of when they lost a loved one, or their kids have left for college and they are alone. Whatever the case is, seasonal affective disorder is a real thing.”
Racz said that the number one thing to do to cope with SAD is to remember the things that bring one joy.
“I always tell my patients to remember the things that bring them joy,” Racz said. “Maybe light some candles of a scent that brings you back to a time where you were happy. Exercise is also another thing that works wonders. I actually love to look at Christmas lights during the holidays, so that could be something. Candyland is here and could actually help as well. You could go to Candyland and watch other people running around and having fun.”
When the holidays come around the corner, Racz usually sees an increase in sadness in her patients, but she tries to find ways to occupy their time.
“Seasonal affective disorder is a tricky thing,” Racz said. “When we treat patients with this disorder, we have to look at a lot of their background. If they are really having a hard time with it, then we will recommend bumping up their therapy a little bit during this season, just so they can have someone to talk to.”
Racz said that weather also has an affect on people’s moods during the fall and winter seasons.
“Weather plays a big role on people’s moods,” Racz said. “Some people hate the cold and the rainy weather can also be a downer for people.”