With spring comes those April showers and May flowers, warmer weather and sunny days, and of course, pollen.
However, pollen doesn’t just add a yellow powder coat to cars though. It’s the culprit behind itchy watery eyes, sneezing, coughing and stuffy noses as allergies react to the airborne molecules.
According to pollen count tracking website Pollen.com, allergy symptoms affect more than 67 million Americans. The website defines allergies as “a heightened sensitivity to a foreign substance – called an allergen – that causes the body’s immune system to overreact when defending itself.”
Pollen.com focuses on tracking pollen levels around the country and states that the levels for Covington County have consistently been high. Pollen count is a number that tracks the number of grains of pollen per cubic meter of air. It is ranked on a scale from low (0) to high (12). It’s tracked separately for the trees, grass species and weeds that produce it. With the number of people pollen allergies affect, it has become a staple in weather forecasts.
On Wednesday, the pollen count in Andalusia and Opp was at 11.4, and in Florala, 10.5.
Those figures are expected to decrease slightly throughout the week to 9.5 on Saturday in Andalusia and Opp and 10.1 in Florala, which means the county never drops from the “high” range.
Plant species that flower and specifically affect Covington County include elm and maple trees, and junipers, which are also known as “cedars.”
For local residents, there are many ways to combat allergy problems, said local ENT Dr. A. Agro.
“The old adage in allergy and immunology is that the best treatment is avoidance,” Agro said. “That is impossible in living normal life in lower Alabama when all bloomed. So, the idea is try to minimize contact with pollen by staying in temperature and climate regulated areas.
“Kids who have asthma should stay indoors or minimize playing outside,” he said. “For adults, avoidance, again, is almost impossible. But you can get pollen out by using saltwater nasal spray before it gets too far in the respiratory track. Problem with pollen is that the smaller pollen is breathed into the lungs. The bigger pollens get filtered out. That’s why it’s important to keep the nose clear as possible. It may sound old-fashioned, but it works.”
Agro said if medication is needed, one should choose an over-the-counter antihistamine such as Zyrtec, Allegra or Claritin.
“You can get those with a built in decongestant, but only get that if your nose feels congested,” he said. “In my opinion, 80 percent of people can handle the peak pollen season with common sense and antihistamine.”
Work should begin on Andalusia’s next downtown mural within the next month.
Pat Palmore, who chairs the city’s mural committee, presented a sketch of the new mural to the Andalusia City Council Tuesday.
Prep work will begin on Dairy Queen’s dine-in building soon, she said. The new mural will focus on education, and in addition to including early classroom scenes, will also include early schools. As well, more than 20 tiles of education-themed artwork designed by the county’s students will be an element of the mural.
Palmore said most area residents would be surprised by the traffic the Hank and Audrey Williams mural brings to Andalusia.
The education mural will be the city’s seventh.
Also planned are murals devoted to textiles and piney woods cattle.
A kick-off social for Project Miracle is planned for 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. this Thurs., March 22, at Springdale.
Dwight Mikel is leading the fund-raising effort to build a new Miracle League field.
Miracle League removes the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field. Children play on custom-designed, rubberized turf fields that accommodate wheelchairs and other assertive devices.
The league uses a “buddy” system, pairing each player with an able-bodied peer. More than 500 potential Miracle League players have been identified in Covington County.
This week’s kick-off will begin the $450,000 fundraising effort, and will include live music, a silent auction hors d’oeuvres and light beverages. The event is sponsored in part by Horn Beverage Co., Inc.
A $15 donation to Miracle League is the required admission.
James Newton is a man living his dream.
Spotted Monday morning traveling through Andalusia on a horse and covered wagon, the long line of traffic stood as a testament to his method of taking it slow and easy.
Newton said he left Corpus Christi, Texas, in February 2009.
“Since then, I’ve been just traveling,” Newton said. “Making my way from here to there. I’ve been across eight states, and right now, I’m headed to Louisiana.”
Being on a tight timetable – and considering the lack of an optimum stopping stop, Newton apologized for his inability to discuss his trip further.
However, passersby could easily see inside his small covered wagon, which was filled with the necessary trip items – a cooler filled with drinks and eats; a radio to break up the quiet; a bale of hay for his traveling partner and his best friend – a beagle.
A Star-News staffer said she also spotted Newton as she traveled back home from a weekend trip to Georgia.
I t is surely to be a night to remember as a host of beautiful young women from Andalusia and the surrounding areas take the stage in the first-ever Relay for Life Runway Show.
A collaboration between Angie Parker, owner and photographer of Parker Photography, and Dianne Jones of the Andalusia Adult Activity Center, the event is set for 7 p.m., on Fri., March 10, at the Adult Activity Center.
“This show will be a professional runway show, from start to finish,” Parker said.
Tickets are $10 per person, and $5 for children 6 and under.
“Even those who are not stricken with the illness are touched in some way by the deadly disease,” Parker said of cancer. “You probably know someone who is fighting this horrible battle and if you don’t, then chances are you will.
“Cancer changes your life,” she said. “You learn what’s important; you learn to prioritize, and you learn not to waste your time. You tell people you love them and they tell you the same.
“My father, William “Bill” Cross, who passed on Sept. 2, 2011, from lung cancer, even on his last day of life said often, ‘Count it all joy,’” she said.
“Those words inspired me to become a better person and to do everything I could possible to make a difference,” she said. “It is our goal for this event to bring additional awareness to this disease and to contribute to finding a cure.”
Models, who are affiliated with Parker Photography and the Lower Alabama Photography Division, will be showcasing clothing lines from Oasis, Elegant Apparel, Maurices, Touch of Country and other local retailers. Staging will be provided by MaryAnn’s.
On the entertainment front, the Sweet Magnolia Gypsies will be performing a tribal dance routine; the Company Dance Center will be performing a dance routine mixed with hip-hop, jazz and more, while vocal entertainment will be provided by Salynn Mullen, Daryll Blakely and Nathan and Kayla Bagwell.
Parker said at closing, there will be a candlelight ceremony in remembrance of those who have passed on. Participants may purchase leaves for $5 to commemorate loved ones, which will be displayed on a Tree of Remembrance. To purchase a leaf before the event, contact Angie Parker at 334-892-2257 or by email at .
On the catwalk:
Jakelyn Carter
Candice Sosebee
Ansley Shipp
Candice McNeill
Alexa Watson
Courtney Lawson
Amy Morrison Jacobs
Jade Maddox Taylor
Autumn Marie Spicer
Chelsea Moseley
Brittany Paige Smith
Cassey Hayes
Brennan Woodham
Kimberly Teel