Fayette Christian Academy, an outreach program of the Fayette First Free Will Baptist Church, is now offering classes for students from Pre-K to 12th grade, according to school director Bill Sullivan. Sullivan said that the school helps to fill the void for a private school that was left in the community following the closure of Fayette Academy several years ago.
The stage is again scheduled to come alive at the Fayette Civic Center Thursday, July 26 - Sunday July 29 as Self Express Productions performs the Disney classic “Mary Poppins.”
The movie version of theis classic, starring Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews, remains popular more than 50 years after its release. Its popularity is so immense that a new film version, “Mary Poppins Returns,” is slated for release later this year.
The Fayette County Board of Education approved the hiring of Mary Raines as the new deputy superintendent, following the resignation of current deputy superintendent Vic Herren, during its July 17 meeting. Raines has served as the board’s director of curriculum and technology for the past few years and was unanimously approved by the board members in attendance to replace Herren. Herren resigned to take a job teaching seventh grade math at New Hope Middle School in Mississippi.
Mike Freeman and Byron Yerby were the big winners in the Republican primary runoff for local office held on July 17. Freeman defeated Mike Newman 2,288 (67.49 percent) to 1,102 (32.51 percent) to win his party’s nomination for Fayette County probate judge. Freeman will face the Democratic nominee Greg Lowery, who defeated Scott Porter in the June 5 primary, in the Nov. 6 general election.
The Syrup City Pullers held its annual Lawn and Garden Tractor Pull on July 14 in the Fayette Multipurpose Complex building. Many lawn and garden tractors from Alabama and neighboring states entered the event, including several modified models.
The Fayette City Council approved Mayor Ray Nelson’s selection for new fire chief during its July 10 meeting. Shannon Taylor of Brookwood was selected by Mayor Nelson as the new fire chief replacing Tony Ellis who retired last month. The council is required to affirm the mayor’s choice, and after Councilman Jason Cowart made a motion that was seconded by Councilwoman Linda McCraw, the council unanimously approved Taylor as the next fire chief.
The Fayette County Commission held a work session prior to its regular monthly meeting on July 9. County Administrator John Gordon told the commissioners during the work session that most departments and items were well within their budgeted amounts after nine months of the 12-month fiscal budget for 2018.
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 20-22. This is the 13th year that Alabama has held the tax holiday, and the second time that the event has been held in July. The sales tax holiday will begin on Friday, July 20 at 12:01 a.m. and end on Sunday, July 22 at 11:59 p.m.
The Alabama Board of Education held its regular board meeting on Tuesday, July 10 in Montgomery and elected District 7 board member Jeff Newman as President Pro Tem of the board for the upcoming year. Newman, who previously served as vice-president of the board in 2015-16, is a former Lamar County Superintendent of Education. His district includes Fayette and Lamar counties. Newman was elected to the board in Nov. 2012 and was re-elected in Nov. 2016 for a second term.
Fayette County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Russ Taylor recently completed the educational requirements and training to receive the designation of Advanced Level Emergency Manager. To become an Advanced Level Emergency Manager, Taylor had to complete 700 hours of core curriculum coursework and 300 hours of management-related training.
The Friday, July 13 “Tunes on Temple will showcase the musical talents and vocal abilities of The Stephens Trio from Northport. This Southern Gospel Group is composed of Thom and Melody Stephens of Northport and Melody Stephens’ sister Bethany Dunnam of Hayden.
The Berry Council held its regular monthly meeting on July 2 with all of the councilmen present except for Councilman Calvin Madison. Mayor Jimmy Madison said that the councilmen inspected the former armory building on June 21 that is currently leased to Ronnie Magouirk. The councilmen found several items that needed attention, some of the items were the leasee’s responsibility and some things needed to be repaired by the council.
Mike Freeman and Mike Newman will face each other in the Republican runoff for Fayette County probate judge, while Byron Yerby and Fayette Police Chief Danny Jenkins will square off against each other for the Republican nomination for sheriff during the July 17 Republican Party runoff.
During the regular monthly meeting of the Glen Allen Town Council on Tuesday, July 3, Mayor Allen J. Dunavant announced that the Alabama Bicentennial Commission Foundation has awarded the town a community grant in the amount of $2,500. The grant funding is awarded without the requirement of a local matching amount and will be issued upon the receipt of an official agreement executed between the Municipality of Glen Allen and the Alabama Bicentennial Commission Foundation.
The Fayette County Tractor Pull Association held its annual tractor and truck pull on July 7 at the Fayette County Multi-Purpose Arena.
Self Express Productions and the Fayette Arts Council proudly announces that a live musical production of the Disney classic Mary Poppins will be held at the Fayette Civic Center on July 26-29. Mary Poppins was one of the most popular Disney movies of all-time and later became a Broadway musical with more than 2,500 performances. It is a story of how Mary Poppins uses magic and musical enchantment to win over two young children and their family.
The Fayette County Commission approved hiring a replacement Class I Operator during its June 25 meeting. County Engineer Luke Porter said that an operator had recently left the department to take another job, leaving the maintenance crew on employee short. A motion was made by Billy Rodgers and seconded by James Knight allow the hiring of an Operator I position. The motion was approved by all the commissioners in attendance, with Commissioner Barry Corkren being absent due to illness.
The Fayette County Board of Education received its audit report and made several personnel changes during its June 26 meeting. Brooke Hynds, of the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts, reported to the board that no irregularities were found regarding the finances for the 2017-18 school year. She emphasized that the audit was a good clean audit for the entire school system. The board accepted the resignations of Shelby Humphres and Michelle Porter, both teachers at Fayette Elementary. These resignations are effective immediately.
The Fayette City Council heard a request for a vehicle upgrade from city mechanic Curtis Moore concerning the need for repair or replacement of a dump truck during its June 26 meeting. Moore said that the dump truck they are using is 18 years old and needs a new transmission. He said the approximate cost to fix the transmission will be $4,500, and he also stated that the truck is too small to pull the equipment that they need.
Eugene and Florence Farris of Fayette have seemingly defied the odds on raising vegetables in a small space. This small garden at their home has produced a bountiful harvest of tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, squash, okra, pepper and many other varieties of vegetables. Florence Farris said that she has been amazed at the amount of fresh produce the tiny space has produced. She encourages other people to utilize the space around their homes to grow vegetables to eat and enjoy throughout the year.
