It’s not even November yet, but Andalusia is hard at work getting ready for Christmas in Candyland.
This is the 4th year of the event, and each year it gets bigger and bigger. The month long celebration can’t happen without months of carefully crafted work.
“Preparation starts as early as January,” Chrissy Duffy, executive director of the Andalusia Chamber of Commerce said, “The budget has to be done by June.”
In the past couple of weeks, the city’s building and maintenance workers have been hard at work pouring a cement slab on Sprindale’s grounds.
In past years, the skating rink was a subfloor erected for the event, but city employees recognized a height issue.
This year, instead of risking any safety issues, the city decided to pour in a slab, which can double as a patio for the rest of the year.
That’s just a very small part of the assembly for Candyland.
Everything that goes into this south Alabama winter wonderland is custom created.
Electricity has to be provided for most of the event, so in an effort to remove ugly extension cords, electricians come out and install underground electric transmission lines.
“It’s hard to sum up everything that goes into this event,” Duffy said.
The city of Andalusia serves as the backbone for this event, although there is help from outside engineers and creative minds, which includes Burr Industries and Blockwire.
Burr Industries constructs the giant Christmas bows, fiberglass ornaments, glitter mesh creations, as well as custom foam signs and props.
Blockwire designs and produces the foam core signs, and created the large Candyland sign featured.
The theme for this year is “Winter wonderland is closer than you think,” and Duffy said there are some extras added amongst traditional Candyland décor.
In addition, the polar bear slide is longer and taller; the ice skating rink is taller; Santa’s sleigh, where Santa will visit every Saturday of the event is being added; the lighted tunnel for the train has been extended, and a polar bear ticket booth will be added.
“I feel blessed to work on this project,” Ricky Wiggins, supervisor of building maintenance for Andalusia, said, “Just by looking at all the children’s faces when they see it,”
Not only does Candyland bring joy to everyone, it also brings revenue to Andalusia.
“It’s such an exciting time to visit Andalusia, Candyland truly transforms the town,” Duffy said, “Candyland also brings plenty of retail stimulation, tourism, and pride.”
Just last year, the event drew 30,000 people.
The tax revenue has also increased by 10 percent in the last three years during the month of December.
Candyland was also featured in Southern Living as the top small town Christmas destination.
For more information, visit: http://www.christmasincandyland.com/
Andalusia Star News
Andalusia Superintendent of Education Ted Watson, architect Chuck Jones, Mayor Earl Johnson, City Clerk John Thompson, and AHS Athletic Director Trent Taylor were on hand at 2 o’clock Tuesday afternoon, the appointed time for opening bids in a massive project to renovate both the Andalusia High School auditorium and the stadium.
And all of them agreed that having no bids to open may be a good thing.
It’s the second time the Andalusia Board of Education has let bids for this project. In July, the low bid on just the auditorium portion of the project was $5.1 million, approximately $1.1 million higher that a professional estimator had predicted, and did not include architect’s fees, which will be approximately 8 percent.
The board agreed to have architects with Goodwyn Mills and Cawood complete new bid spics that combine both projects, in hopes there would be some cost savings in doing both projects simultaneous.
And it looked for a while as if there was interest. Several contractors attended a pre-bid conference last week, but by Monday night, “word” was all but one had decided not to bid. That contractor also backed away.
“It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the project,” Watson said. “What we’ve been told is there is $186 million worth of bidding taking place in the City of Auburn alone. There are some other big projects under way, too. A lot of sub-contractors are already covered up.
“Some people who were looking at our project got big projects between this week and last week,” he said.
Jones, the board’s architect, said he has actually had this scenario with projects before.
“It does happen,” he said. “It gives us flexibility. We will continue working.”
Jones said because there is no bid, officials will now negotiate to find a contractor for the project.
“We’ve met the requirements of the bid law and the Building Commission,” he said. “Now we can negotiate a price. This gives contractors some flexibility in pricing because they know they'll have the work. Bid prices are usually higher.
“We will find a suitable builder, not tomorrow, but hopefully soon,” Watson said. “We hope we can keep on target with our planned start date, which is the conclusion of football season, assuming coach Taylor takes us to the playoffs.”
Johnson said the Board of Education now will be in the position the city was in when it rejected all bids in its restaurant and theater projects.
“Working it this way, the city can come in and do some in-kind work, which should reduce the price significantly,” he said.
The board’s next meeting is sset for Mon., Nov. 13.
Andalusia Star News
The Andalusia High School Outstanding Graduate Committee will honor five graduates of the city’s schools with the annual award this Friday.
Ivan Bishop, Class of 1963
Ivan Bishop grew T.V. Cable Company of Andalusia, Inc., which his father founded, from a small antenna service company to a full-blown communications company providing Internet, broadband, and phone services. Under his guidance, the company grew from approximately 1,500 accounts in the early 1970s to more 14,000 accounts. The company was sold in 2017.
Bishop serves as president of the Andalusia Health Services Foundation. He is a 44-year member and former president of the Andalusia Lions Club, and past chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Andalusia Hospital.
Harvey Donaldson, Class of 1961
Harvey Mitchell (Pete) Donaldson spent much of his management and engineering career making the U.S. Postal Service more efficient, working in the Washington, D.C., headquarters from 1981 until 1997. Donaldson has presented his work on postal automation internationally, and was loaned to the Georgia Institute of Technology for one year, in 1997. He later worked at Georgia Tech as a faculty member from 1998 until his retirement in 2012.
He is a longstanding board member of the Andalusia High School Scholarship Foundation (formerly the Class of ’48 Foundation), and has chaired the organization’s scholarship committee since 2008.
Doris Bass Tyler, Class of 1950
Doris Bass Tyler is the president of the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation. In this role, and in many others, she has given her support to the community, its schools, and civic organizations.
She previously served as office manager, executive secretary and bookkeeper to the Dixon Family Partnership, L.P., and in a similar role with Charles Dixon and Co., from 1967 until her retirement in 2001. She has been engaged in civic endeavors throughout her life.
Charles Vickery, Class of 1954
Charles Vickery is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who spent his career in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a brigadier general. As a command pilot, he accumulated more than 5,000 flying hours. He held many command and staff positions including Deputy Director for Operations, National Command Center for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. His last command was Vice Commander, Military Traffic Management Command.
Johnnie Vinson, Class of 1962
Johnnie Vinson’s career is inseparable from the band programs at Auburn University, where he served as Director of Bands and Professor of Music from l 991-2007, including symphonic band, two concert bands, marching band, jazz ensemble and two basketball pep bands. He also spent five years as an associate director of bands, with responsibility for the Auburn University Marching Band.
He currently was as an arranger/composer/clinician of music.
The Andalusia High School Outstanding Graduate Award, also known as the Robert Brown Outstanding Graduate Award, was established in 2007 by the Class of 1948 Foundation. The award is designed to honor those graduates of Andalusia High School, Woodson High School and Ralph Bunche High School whose personal lives, professional accomplishments and community service exemplify the ideals of Andalusia High School. Nominations are accepted each year, and awards are made by members of the Outstanding Graduate Committee, currently chaired by Andalusia Mayor Earl V. Johnson (Class of 1965).
This year, the Adult Activity Center is trying a different kind of Christmas for their homebound seniors.
Homebound seniors are seniors 60 and older who are too weak to leave their homes – for reasons that vary from from dialysis to a broken bone – to participate in activities at the center.
In the past, Adult Activity Center employees would organize drives and provide gifts for each senior, and each senior received the same gifts.
But Adult Activity Director Sonja Godwin noticed that not all homebound seniors need the exact same thing.
“Not everyone is the same size, not everyone has the same needs,” she said. “I wanted to get more personal with our gift giving system.”
Godwin put together a survey and sent it to all the homebound seniors. Some responded with, “No, I don’t need anything,” and others responded by saying they needed lots of things.
“Some are on strict income, and going through an incredible amount of hardship.” Godwin said.
Godwin put a list of all of those seniors who needed things, and from there, the created an angel tree of sorts, using praying hands as a motif.
There are 21 “praying hands” on a Christmas tree, and people can come to the center, select a certain set of hands, and honor the requests from a specific gift list complied by the senior. The minimum limit spent on gifts is $40, but if the amount was over, all of it will go to that senior in need.
The deadline to turn in a gift for a homebound senior is Dec. 5.
“They are honestly so grateful, they act like you’ve given them a million dollars,” Godwin said, remembering when she delivered presents last year for the center.
The Adult Activity Center also provides daily meals for the homebound seniors as well.
If there are any questions please contact the Andalusia Adult Activity Center at 334-222-6891. To participate in the praying hands, please visit the ACC, located behind the Church Street Cultural Arts Center.
The Andalusia City Council may take action to declare a private access road a nuisance if property owners don’t repair the massive potholes in the street.
Councilman Ralph Wells told fellow council members he had had a call from a constituent inquiring about the condition of the access road that leads to the Kangaroo station, Burger King, and other businesses directly across the bypass from Winn Dixie.
“She said her daughter hit the pothole, and had to have about $800 work done on her car,” Wells said.
Mayor Earl Johnson said the city officials have contacted the numerous property owners who are responsible for parts of the road and asked for it to be repaired.
“Our abatement ordinance does not give us the legal right to do anything about pot holes on private property,” he said. “Now, we have had the city attorney write a letter pointing out to them the issue has become a danger for people’s property and personal safety.
“Now that we’ve asked them to get it repaired, the council can declare the potholes nuisances. Then we can fix it and add the charges to their tax bills,” he said.