During a special called meeting on July 16, the Fayette City Council voted to purchase the land from Norfolk Southern Railroad to build a walking trail. Councilman Jason Cowart was absent from the meeting with all of the other council members present. Mayor Ray Nelson scheduled the meeting during the council’s regular meeting last week for the expressed purpose of voting on the issue concerning the “Rails-to-Trails” land purchase.

Self Express Productions, in conjuction with The Fayette Arts Council, will present a theatrical version of the hit Broadway musical “Annie” this week at the Fayette Civic Center. Self Express Productions was founded nine years ago by the husband-wife team of Josh and Casey Kauffman. The Kauffmans met and married in New York, but opted to relocate in the Winfield area to be near Casey Kauffman’s dad, Ted Cox, who is a physician in Winfield.

Former state senator and longtime Fayette businessman George Bolling died at his home on July 21 at the age of 81. Bolling was born in the Brilliant in Marion County and grew up in Hamilton. After graduating from high school, he attended Auburn University, where he graduated with a pharmacy degree in 1959.

Morgan, Norris graduate from Law Enforcement Academy
Dustin Morgan and Trace Norris are shown with Fayette Police Chief Danny Jenkins after graduating from the Law Enforcement Academy of Tuscaloosa on July 18. Jenkins said that the two officers are the first to attend the academy from the City of Fayette in several years, and said that he is proud they chose to work at the Fayette Police Department.

Nineteen Fayette County 4-H members and three adults enjoyed session three of the 4-H Summer Camps at the 4-H Center in Columbiana on June 10-12. Campers participated in a variety of activities including canoeing, water games, climbing wall, giant swing, pool time, sports night and luau.

A Southern Gospel Concert at Belk Community Center will be on August 1 at 6:30 p.m. The featured group will be The New Revivers from Columbus, Miss., with Don Pennington,  Ryan Musgrove, Michelle Tucker,  and Michelle Tucker’s daughter, Lynn Tucker.

Samford University recognized 1,519 students who were named to the 2019 spring semester Dean’s List. To qualify for the Dean’s List, a student must have earned a minimum 3.5 grade point average out of a possible 4.0 while attempting at least 12 credit hours of coursework. The Dean’s List is the highest academic recognition given by the school at the end of each semester.
Local students receiving this recognition were: Anna Pinkerton of Fayette, Charles Nolen of Fayette, and Allie Taylor of Winfield.

The Fayette County Commission approved the closing of the Studdard’s Crossroads voting precinct during its July8 meeting. All commissioners and Commission Chairman Mike Freeman were in attendance for the meeting. Commissioner Barry Corkren made the motion to close the precinct, citing the small number of people using the precinct and the lack of adequate plumbing as reasons for the closure. Corkren added that the voters at the precinct could be relocated to nearby precincts without causing unnecessary hardships.

The Fayette City Council voted at its July 9 meeting to cancel its current contract with Avenu/RDS for sales tax collection and return to having the tax collected by the State of Alabama. Councilwoman Linda McCraw was absent from the meeting, with all other council members in attendance. Prior to the start of the meeting, current Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill spoke to the city council concerning his upcoming bid for a U.S. Senate seat.

Local artist and mural painter Missy Miles has completed a mural for the Town of Glen Allen depicting the town’s rich history. The mural is painted on the south wall of the Glen Allen Volunteer Fire Department, next to the Glen Allen Town Hall and Post Office. A grant from the Alabama Bicentennial Commission Foundation paid for the cost of the mural.

The municipalities of Fayette and Berry, in conjunction with Fayette County and the State of Alabama, will participate in the annual school sales tax holiday on July 19-21. This is the 14th year that Alabama has held the tax holiday, and the third time that the event has been held in July. The sales tax holiday will begin on Friday, July 19 at 12:01 a.m. and end on Sunday, July 21 at 11:59 p.m.

The Fayette Medical Center Long-Term Care facility hosted an Independence Day “Watermelon Celebration” for its residents. The Long-Term Care facility provides daily activities for its residents and always sponsors special events during the major holidays, as well as Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day.

Eli Champion, 12, an eighth-grader at Fayette Middle School, recently attended Space Academy for Leading Students in Alabama (SALSA) at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, home of Space Camp®, Space Camp® Robotics™, Aviation Challenge®, U.S. Cyber Camp® and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s Official Visitor Center.

Fayette County 4-H, with help from grant proceeds from the Tombigbee RC&D, established a 4-H RiverKids program this year. Grant proceeds were used to have a kayak trailer built and to purchase nine kayaks. In addition, the grant helped pay for personal flotation devices, dry bags, throw ropes, whistles and other essential safety items.

The Fayette Garden Club selected the yard at the home of Jacqueline Johnson as its “Yard of the Month” for July. Johnson moved to Fayette from Indiana about 11 years ago, and she has worked very hard since moving to Fayette to transform her yard into the flowering oasis that it is today.

An accident within the Fayette City Limits on July 2 at approximately 4:24 p.m. caused multiple injuries to local residents. The accident occurred on Highway 18, approximately one mile west of Fayette. A 2011 Honda Ridgeline, driven by John Brasher of Fayette, was struck in the rear by a 2007 Chevrolet Colorado, driven by Leroy Dale Simmons of Fayette. The collision destroyed the back portion of the double-cab Ridgeline, and caused the Chevrolet Colorado to cross the four-lane highway and exit the road on the opposite side.

The local Baptist Association churches held a “Celebrate America Rally” on Sunday, June 30 at First Baptist Church in Fayette “to honor God for His blessings on America.” The event was organized by Fayette County Baptist Association Director John Killian, and featured special patriotic music, color guards from the Alabama Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, and a featured message tracing America’s roots back to its Biblical heritage.

The Berry Town Council held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, July 1. Councilman Chris Rice and Councilman Troyce Townsel were absent, with all other council members present.
Councilman Russell Madison made a motion to appoint Andy Lowery to the Berry Park and Recreation Board, and the motion was seconded by Councilman Calvin Madison. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote of the council members present.

The popular “Tunes on Temple” returns to downtown Fayette this Friday night for its debut performance of the season. The June event was postponed due to rain, and this event, typically held on the first Friday of the month, was rescheduled for the second week due to the Independence Day holiday last week. The featured group for Friday night’s Tunes on Temple is the Vaughn Family from Berry.

The annual Fayette Truck and Tractor Pull was held on July 6 at the Multipurpose Complex in Fayette.