Members of the Andalusia High School band got to be a part of history as they marched up Montgomery’s Dexter Avenue so the state Capitol to celebrate the inauguration of Gov. Kay Ivey.
Band director Benny Shellhouse said it was hectic trying to get everything in order for the band’s participation.
“The amount of people participating in the parade was amazing,” Shellhouse said. “Just trying to unload and get in line was pretty chaotic. I don’t know if there were as many people watching the parade as there were participating in the parade.”
The parade featured five university bands and 17 high school bands.
Despite quick turnaround between the band’s Jan. 2 invitation and Jan. 14 performance, Shellhouse said that it was an honor to be invited.
“It is a great honor for us to be able to come here and represent Andalusia here at the inaugural parade,” Shellhouse said. “This is something that I think would kind of be an influence to our kids and something that they can remember.”
He said that people in northern Alabama don’t see the band, so the parade was great exposure for them.
“This parade was definitely something where people got a chance to see us a little bit more,” Shellhouse said. “A lot of people in South Alabama know who we are, but most people in north Alabama don’t have a clue who we are.”
For the seniors in the band, performing in the inaugural parade is something they can always remember, Shellhouse said.
“I am really excited for the kids to be able to do this,” Shellhouse said. “Especially for seniors, now they get the opportunity to put it on their resume or in their memory book. It is just a great honor all around.”
For senior band member Lindsay Dobyne, performing in the inaugural parade was heartwarming.
“It was a very fun parade to march in, even though it was really cold,” Dobine said. “But despite that, it was very fun and it was a great time to march in it with my friends. I’m glad I get to end my senior year with a bang.”
Senior Sara Piggott said that this semester she is looking at band as a blessing.
“It’s something that I look forward to coming to do,” Piggott said. Now that I’ve made so many friendships in band, I am going to miss it a lot. This parade is something that I wouldn’t have gotten to experience without band, so I am very thankful.”
Sophomore Skyler York said, “It really was a great opportunity. Kay Ivey was beautiful.”
Gina and Steven French made the hour and a half drive to watch their son, Grayson French, march.
“It is just unbelievable,” French said. “I want to say it’s heartbreaking to watch him since it is his senior year, but it is also joyful because I know there will be stuff down the road that will hopefully be just as big.”
Those participating in the parade included the University of Alabama’s Million Dollar Band, the Auburn University Marching Band, Troy University’s Sound of the South, Alabama State University and Jacksonville State University.
AHS grad Hampton Glenn is a drummer in UA’s Million Dollar Band and AnaSara Kipp is a color guard member in the Auburn University Marching Band.
Other participating high schools included BB Comer, Jefferson Davis, Wilcox County, Headland, Jemison, Briarwood Christian, Hillcrest, Leeds, Fayette County, Arab, Piedmont, Springville, Jasper, Brindlee, Haleyville and Sparkman.
Andalusia High School’s A Sound Tradition has been hard at work this past week preparing to participate in Monday’s inaugural parade for Gov. Kay Ivey.
The band was officially invited on Jan. 2, while students were on holiday break. Band members practiced all week, and will perform “God Bless America” in the Montgomery parade, band director Benny Shellhouse said.
For those travelling to Montgomery for the inaugural events, the swearing in ceremony begins on the Capitol steps at 10 a.m.
There will be another Andalusia tie to the inauguration there, as Rep. Mike Jones, R-Andalusia, who also is a municipal judge, will administer the oath of office to Secretary of State John Merrill. The two formerly served together in the House of Representatives.
The parade, which begins at noon, will roll up Dexter Avenue to the Capitol, turn left, and end at Cramton Bowl.
Shellhouse said the band buses will park on Bibb Street and walk to Perry Street, where they will be staged until the parade begins.
After the parade, the group will assemble for an official photograph at the Capitol.
For a history of AHS’s participation in inaugural parades, see “Remember When: Monday won’t be 1st time band witnessed history.”
The Andalusia City Council on Wednesday approved the $80,000 sale of 18 acres off Sixth Avenue for development as an apartment complex.
The property is part of a tract commonly known as the Sneed-Kennedy property that was acquired during Benny Barrow’s tenure as mayor for development as an industrial park. However, efforts to locate industry there have been unsuccessful.
City Clerk John Thompson said that local developer Robert Bishop approached the city recently about purchasing the land for proposed workforce housing.
Mayor Earl Johnson said if the group led by Bishop does not secure approval for the apartments, the property will revert back to the city. The council executed a mortgage, which will be paid in full if the project is funded.
The development will be similar to a 56-unit complex scheduled for construction on Shreve Road behind Ireland Trailer early this year, Johnson said.
“We are terribly deficient in housing available here,” Mayor Earl Johnson said. “This is very nice housing, and would be appropriate for teachers, police officers and other working families.”
Johnson said the topography of most of the property is rough, and not suitable for development.
“I runs behind PowerSouth, but cannot be accessed from Hwy. 29,” he said. “The only access is on Sixth Avenue.”
“If this deal should work out, we would have two brand-new workforce housing complexes,” Johnson said. “We’ve not had anything built like this in Andalusia in 30 years.”
The Shreve Road development by Invictus Development, LLC, will be a 56-unit family development with 36 two-bedroom units and 24 three-bedroom units. All units have two bathrooms. The complex will also have a clubhouse and fitness center. A leasing office will be located on-site. Construction on Appaloosa Run is scheduled to start the first quarter of 2019 with completion in approximately 12 months.
Even as City of Andalusia employees were hard at work starting to put away all of the pieces Candyland on the first work day of the new year Wednesday, members of the city council were talking with staff members about its success and how to make it better in 2019.
City employees and chamber officials will have a debriefing on Friday, Director of Planning Andy Wiggins said.
Mayor Earl Johnson said among the ideas already being discussed are adding another lane to the Polar Bear Slide, and potentially setting up a second skating venue for younger children.
“That way, you don’t have to worry about smaller children being run over,” he said.
“We also could work with a contractor to do a carousel,” he said. “That would help us spread the crowd out more. I think we’ve got to add a little something different to keep people’s interest up.”
National publicity for the event also added to this year’s crowds.
In November, Country Living magazine ranked Andalusia and Candyland among the Top 30 places in the nation for Christmas., and Atlanta Magazine featured the venue in early December.
On Dec. 12, Candyland was in the national news again when the homepage of msn.com featured a Reader’s Digest story titled “The Best Christmas Town in Every State.
Director of Planning Andy Wiggins said the city took in about $28,000 in revenue at the Springdale venue, where the only charges were for skate rental and the polar bear slide.
“Everybody thought that Sat., Dec. 15, was our biggest day because of Cocoa with Characters,” Wiggins said. “But we actually had a bigger day on Saturday the 22nd. The crowd was spread throughout the day as opposed to condensed into the time the characters were there.”
The city sold 3,129 skating tickets, he said.
Parks and Rec Director Tommie Agee, who joined the city in 2018, said he had been told about Candyland’s success, but really didn’t comprehend the crowds and the work until he experienced it.
“Our staff from the city did an outstanding job,” he said. “Those guys and those young ladies were here every day. My hat goes off to them. They put in a lot of hours.”
Councilman Ralph Wells thought his daughter Kim, who lives in Alaska, might have travelled the greatest distance to Candyland, but Wiggins said he met a couple from South Africa who was in Panama City and heard about the event.
Johnson expressed his thanks to the Chamber of Commerce for its creativity in adding to the event, and to city workers for their execution of the details.
Existing industries’ growth, planned new developments lauded
Local leaders predict Covington County will continue to see slow, steady growth in the new year.
“If we look at last year, we start with Shaw, and what it means to the whole region,” Covington County Economic Development Commission Executive Director Rick Clifton said. “Couple that with the airport being able to secure some good tenants, and that’s where we start.”
Shaw is in the midst of a $250 million project at the local plant. 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.
At South Alabama Regional Airport, the board has entered a contract with DynCorp to operate in the building previously used by Vector and Standard Aero. DynCorp’s has a five-year government contract to provide maintenance and upgrades to military helicopters, and plans to hire 65 to 80 people in 2019.
The board also has leased its twin hangars to Yulista Holding LLC.
But Clifton said he is equally excited about growth in existing manufacturing operations.
“In Opp, Sonoco, MFG, American Apparel and Global Aerospace have expanded and are looking for people,” he said. “That’s where most economic growth comes, and we plan to concentrate on that in 2019.”
Regional marketing also is a big focus.
“We’ve worked on promoting an eight-county region in Southeast Alabama,” Clifton said. “Grow Southeast Alabama is a website that we’ve developed, and we’ll be doing regional marketing for that.”
In Andalusia, Mayor Earl Johnson said residents should anticipate the announcement of another fast food restaurant locating on the west bypass in the near future.
“It’s very popular with local people,” Johnson said.
He also anticipates the announcement of a large convenience/gasoline store on the bypass.
“We’ll also finish the school project this year,” he said. “That’s going to be a huge uplift for our community to have those two fine facilities.”
Construction for “workforce” apartments designed for working people not yet ready for home ownership is slated to begin in March or April, near the Holiday Inn Express.
“We also have another developer looking at us for similar apartments,” Johnson said. “We’ll know more about that in the next 90 days or so. We are getting some nicer places to live in Andalusia.”
The mayor still hopes to add more upscale apartments to the local housing mix, a feature that he believes would help attract businesses.
“That is our next big cat to skin, and we’ve got to get it done,” he said.
In 2019, the city will continue to develop plans for the First National Bank building, developing the floors above Milky Moos, he said.
“We will continue to put together long-range plans for the museum/art facility at the old Count Darling building,” he said.
In addition, the city is expected to use grant proceeds for a sewerage improvement and resurfacing project, and may add additional resurfacing. Read More>