In addition to its unique Italian style architecture, the home of Roy and Belinda Price features bowling lanes, a basketball court, a movie theater and many pieces of sports memorabilia.

By Emily Beckett

Stepping into Roy and Belinda Price’s home is like stepping into an Italian villa in the terraced lands of Tuscany.

The couple intended for their Clanton home to resemble one that could be found in this scenic region in Italy, one of their favorite vacation destinations and the primary inspiration behind their Mediterranean-style manor.

Coincidentally, the couple’s current home is not their first to bear the clay tiles on the roof, the sherbet-colored exterior and the arched windows and breezeways that mark a typical Mediterranean-style house.

Their former home—where their daughter Sonja and her family live now—is located right next door and is where Roy and Belinda were able to look out the windows and chart the progress of their “dream home” during its 12-month construction.

As a general contractor, developer and owner of Price Ceilings Inc. and Alumni Developing in Clanton, Roy spearheaded the project and maintained an active role in the building process. Roy’s propensity for building was the main catalyst for their move.

“Since I’m a contractor from the beginning, I love to build and I always knew I was going to build my final house one day,” Roy said. “This was it.”

If Belinda has her way, she said they would downsize to a smaller house for their final one. Regardless of what happens, the Prices and their family have plenty to love about their luxurious Tuscan retreat they have called home for nearly four years now.

A gated driveway inlaid with bricks and the letter “P” for Price leads up a small hill to the house and opens into a circle with a fountain at its center.

Two dark-stained wood front doors open into the foyer and formal living room with high ceilings, an ornate chandelier and lavish furniture.

Cream-colored travertine tiles line the main level which includes the formal living room, family room, study/music room, master bedroom, kitchen, pantry, mother-in-law suite and the spacious, screened-in patio encompassing the pool, Jacuzzi and a full kitchen.

Crown molding runs throughout the house, and tall windows in every room provide views of the patio and the backyard complete with a small vineyard Roy planted in keeping with the Tuscan theme.

With help from Cullman-based interior decorator Amy Wood, the couple found one-of-a-kind, rustic materials to incorporate in their house such as old wooden beams that run across the ceiling in their kitchen, and hand-carved mantels made of wood from a pine tree formerly located on Belinda’s parents’ property in Clanton.

The rich, dark brown walnut cabinets in the kitchen bear intricate designs carved into the upper trim by Nathan Kempter, a member of a local gospel singing group called The Kempters.

Belinda said they were about to give up finding a cabinetmaker who could also do the carvings they wanted by hand instead of with a laser machine until they found the Kempter family.

“When he got through with this, he said, ‘I never want to carve again,’” Roy said, laughing.

The cabinets mesh well with the smooth, black, brown and beige granite countertops along the walls and on the island.

Next to the kitchen is the family room with comfortable seating and a television. Possibly the best features of the family room are the retractable glass doors that, when opened, seamlessly join the interior of the house to the patio area—an ideal situation during the warmer months of the year and during family get-togethers and grill-outs around the pool in the summertime.

Belinda said she often takes her morning coffee to a sitting area next to a fireplace on the patio—an outdoor retreat protected by the roof and screening over and around the pool.

The multi-depth pool has features that appeal to both adults and children. Roy designed an offset ledge near the water large enough for his wife and two daughters to lie side-by-side on their lounge chairs, and “bubblers” that stir up water in the shallow end are favorites among the couple’s grandchildren.

A waterfall near the sun ledge cascades down into the pool, as do small water spouts in each corner that light up different colors.

Palm trees line the patio and add a tropical element to the home.

Back inside, a staircase is not the only means of passage from one level to another.

A small elevator accessible on all three floors is a not only a luxury but sometimes a necessity when Roy and Belinda have heavy loads or items to move.

“You think this is just a novelty,” Roy said. “When you’re carrying something from one floor to the other, you don’t go up and down the stairs with it. I’ll never have another house without an elevator.”

Guest bedrooms fill the upstairs level of the house, along with a fitness room and a playroom for the grandchildren.

The basement is a Mecca for the Prices’ grandchildren because of its spectacular entertainment options.

A Brunswick bowling alley dubbed “Price Lanes” sees much use and offers hours of fun for the family and their friends.

The lanes are identical to the ones installed in commercial bowling alleys across the country because Brunswick only makes one type of bowling lane. The accompanying furniture, bowling balls and shoes are from Brunswick, too.

A theater room next to the bowling alley contains a large screen, reclining leather seats and a shooting star LED-light ceiling.

The wall stretching from the theater to an enclosed basketball court is covered with old metal basketball goals and team pictures and paraphernalia from Roy’s basketball days at Thorsby High School.

Old signs from THS and Chilton County High School (Belinda’s alma mater) hang on the court’s walls, along with a “possession” light that was used in the THS gym when Roy played for the Rebels.

The basement also has a snack bar area with bar stools, two televisions and leather couches.

“With the grandkids coming over and football season, we use this room a lot,” Roy said. “We enjoy the whole house. We thoroughly enjoy living here.”

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Crystal Russell of Hull and Russell P.C. is one of the professionals in the tax preparation business who stay busy each spring.

By Drew Granthum

While April is generally considered a beautiful time of year, with winter’s cold weather finally moving on, there is something about the month that can send chills down anyone’s spine: Tax Day.

April 15 is the deadline for all citizens to file their income taxes, and for those who are new to the process, this can be a frightening time. Although tackling taxes can be an intimidating task, there’s no need to fear; in fact, there are plenty of professionals willing to help you.

Professionals such as Crystal Russell, of Hull and Russell, P.C. in Clanton, who said there are certain procedures to help make filing easier on you and those who you choose to assist you when it comes time to file.

“In regard to making the tax filing process easier, have your deductions itemized and totaled by category,” she said. “We provide our clients a tax organizer which helps in organizing their information, and also serves as a reminder of the things they can deduct.”

Russell also said that those filing should be sure to explore all deduction possibilities.

“[There] are some of the more common deductions which taxpayers tend forget,” she said. “[Such as] tax on real estate and ad valorem taxes on car tags.”

While there are plenty of professionals out there who specialize in all things taxes, some people insist on braving it and taking on their taxes by themselves. This has become easier in recent years with the addition of personal computers and aided greatly by programs such as TurboTax.

In addition to the help provided from user-friendly programs, even the IRS is providing assistance to those who choose to file on their own. Their website offers several pages of tips and guidelines to help even the most novice tax filer.

In theory, taxes are the great equalizer; everyone has to pay them, from the smallest business to the largest company. That said, you might be surprised how similar personal tax filings and business tax filings are.

In fact, in some instances, they’re the same thing.

Ann Glasscock, owner of MorLyn’s Jewelers in Clanton, said she files her personal and business taxes together.

“We keep them separate, but they’re filed together,” she said. “We keep notes [for] each account. I give [my accountant] three separate piles, one for personal, one for business, and one for real estate property we have.”

The reason Glasscock does so is because she and her husband own MorLyn’s through a proprietorship, or an unincorporated business owned by a sole entity that is entitled to its profits.

“We filed for LLC in November,” she said. “[When we are granted it], we will file for business, and will have to file two separate accounts.”

While they have to file separately from their personal accounts, large business filings aren’t all that different from personal ones, either, according to Franklin IronWorks CEO and President Allen Franklin.

“Basically, there’s not a whole lot of difference,” he said. “We have a tax accountant we give our information to. In a business, for what we do, we provide information and they come back and let us know what we owe.”

Except for different forms and a few write offs, Franklin said the resemblances were very close.

“Not much unlike [personal filing], maybe a few more deductions,” he said. “[With] personal [filings one can] file a short form or a long form. I would suspect most businesses file long form.”

While the similarity of all tax forms might ease the intimidation of tax season, Russell said tax season never truly ends; in fact, you can get tax help just about any time of year.

“We provide bookkeeping, business taxes and auditing services for small business, non-profit, and governmental entities,” she said. “In addition to individual income tax preparation.”

For more information on how to file for yourself, or how to better prepare your taxes for professional help, visit www.irs.org.

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Jemison tennis recently won its 100th match with Benton Morton (far right) as coach. Morton has had help from wife Cindy and sons (from left) Reece, William, Benjamin and Andrew.

By Stephen Dawkins

Benton Morton knew little to nothing about the sport when he accepted the position as Jemison High School tennis coach in 2002. Morton had played intramural tennis at the University of Montevallo, but that was just some fraternity brothers hitting the ball around.

Eleven years and much success later, Morton has learned quite a bit about tennis, but more importantly, he has passed that knowledge on to countless pupils. Some of those players have used the JHS program as a springboard to a college career, while others, students that might never have played one of the higher profile sports, have taken advantage of the opportunity to learn the lessons taught by athletic competition.

Morton became coach when his oldest son, Reece, was in the seventh grade. Reece’s friend Mickey Robbins wanted to play, and Mickey’s family asked Benton if he would coach the team. Morton agreed, and Reece ended up playing. So began the story of Jemison’s first family of tennis.

“With the rich tradition here, I couldn’t stand to see it go away,” Morton said.

As Jemison tennis was winning boys state championships in 1991-93, and a girls championship in 1996, Morton was transitioning the school’s softball program to fastpitch, the first in Chilton County to do so. Now, all of the county’s softball teams compete in fastpitch.

“Everybody hated me because we weren’t playing these teams around here,” Morton said. “I saw it coming.”

The tennis program under Morton had a modest beginning, winning four matches and losing four. But given Morton’s inexperience, it was cause for celebration.

“We were as excited about that year as anything because we didn’t have any idea what we were doing,” Morton said, but he did his homework by studying video and printed instructionals. “I just watched a lot of tennis, watched other coaches, just tried to learn something every time we played.”

One academic year behind Reece came Benjamin Morton. William Morton followed after one short year of there not being a Morton son at Jemison High School. William, 19, is a senior and the team’s No. 1 individual player; and last in the long line of Morton tennis players is Andrew, a 17-year-old junior.

If you think there have been a lot of Mortons on the JHS tennis team, think about all the ones on the other side of the fence during matches. There’s Benton, of course, but his wife Cindy is also a program fixture.

“I’m the momma,” Cindy Morton said. “I make sure they have a drink. I’m a support person. I don’t have an athletic bone in my body.”

And Reece, now 24 years old and a teacher at the high school after playing for a time at Central Alabama Community College, helps his father coach. Reece said he likes coaching, but being so soon removed from his playing days, it’s difficult sometimes having to explain the game to someone else instead of just grabbing a racket and doing it himself.

“I used to just have to worry about one match; now I have to worry about nine matches,” he said.

Most days, the worrying turns to celebrating a victory. In his 12th season as coach, Benton Morton has taken JHS tennis to the state tournament nine times—every year except his first two as coach. The Panthers boys have lost to rival Chilton County High School just once. In February, Morton celebrated earning his 100th win as coach.

“I didn’t do it myself,” he said. “I owe my success to my wife, my kids, my players and my parents. I’ve had a lot of help.”

Morton takes pride in the fact that the Jemison tennis program offers opportunities to students who might not have them otherwise. The program is a haven for those who don’t play the more recognized spring sports, baseball and softball, and it doesn’t take much to play: the cost of a uniform and five cans of balls.

“We’ll give you a racket if you don’t have one,” Morton said.

Next season, the last with a Morton on the Jemison tennis team, will be Morton’s 25th year in education. He thinks about what it would be like trying to coach a team that doesn’t include one of his sons, and he’s not sure that sticking around would be the right thing to do.

“It won’t be the same without the kids,” he said. “I don’t know if the motivation will be there. It takes a family to do it, and we’re a family. I don’t think we would have done it so long and enjoyed it so much had it not been that we were all involved.”

But if it comes to it, it will be hard for Morton, 47, to walk away from the position because of all the players that he isn’t related to—at least not technically.

“You get so attached to them that you start to feel like a dad to all of them,” he said.

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Today’s youth are heavier than youth from any other generation. Nearly one out of every three children in the United States is obese or at risk of becoming obese, with children in minority families at an even greater risk.

Obesity is the most common disease of childhood, and it’s usually preventable.

“We have seen all the statistics on childhood obesity in Alabama,” said Dr. Barbara Struempler, a professor at Auburn University. “It’s almost overwhelming. We have one of the highest obesity rates in the country, and one-third of kids between the ages of 6 and 11 are obese. That has an impact on health costs and future employment—not to mention the quality of life for obese children.”

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is addressing this issue across the state with a unique program that utilizes technology and nutrition education to promote behavior change. “Body Quest: Food of the Warrior” uses Apple iPads as teaching tools.

“We quickly realized that the best way to engage kids was with the coolest technology we could find. That led to Extension’s developing one of the first and best nutrition and health apps that students use on the Apple iPad. Alabama is truly leading the way with this project,” said Dr. Sondra Parmer, Extension Specialist, Auburn University.

Body Quest uses colorful animé-style cartoon characters (referred to as Body Quest Warriors) to represent each food group. Some of these characters include: Body Doctor – fruit, Shining Rainbow – vegetables, Muscle Max – protein, and Graino Supa – grains.

The curriculum spans 17 weeks and incorporates iPads, vegetable tasting and various classroom activities as well as periodic assessments to determine the strength of the program.

As a result of Body Quest, data indicated that there was a steady spike in the amounts of fruits and vegetables children ate during school lunch throughout the program.

Evaluations also showed that 97 percent of children were highly engaged in the content using the iPad apps.

Body Quest educator Charity Battles currently teaches seven Body Quest classes to third-graders throughout schools in Chilton and Bibb counties.

There is already a waiting list for the next school year’s line-up for Body Quest in these counties.

Children that participate not only learn good eating habits and to open their minds to eating more fruits and vegetables, but they also receive a free T-shirt for participating, along with stickers and other items.

As for the students, they might be the biggest fans of all. Each week there is something new and exciting.

Perhaps the most rewarding aspect is the Warrior Reports each week. Warrior reports are reports students share regarding their personal experiences about trying new fruits and vegetables or whom they might have encouraged to take the warrior vow (a short vow about trying new fruits and vegetables while learning to be healthy).

Some of the stories are unexpected. One boy explained that he surprised his mother with asking to try a new vegetable, and the following day she bought him a go-cart. He felt it was a reward for his brave new behavior.

About a third of the kids share similar stories, though they don’t always have such an impressive prize.

Children are asking their parents to participate and to buy new vegetables that they have discovered they enjoy.

They are learning that even if they don’t like something the first time they try it, that doesn’t mean they won’t like it the next time.

Body Quest has proven successful in helping children develop lifelong healthy habits and with thecurriculum only a couple of years old, we’re only getting started.

–Charity Battles is a Regional Extension Agent in the Nutrition Education Program of Alabama Cooperative Extension.

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One of Elizabeth Byrd’s paintings, “I’m Lookin’ At You,” was featured in the 14th annual Energen Art Competition in Birmingham.

By Scott Mims

It’s one thing to be an artist; it’s quite another to have your art displayed in a reputable show or gallery.

Elizabeth Byrd of Clanton, founder of the Chilton County Arts Council, wants to help local artists know where they stand in the art world.

“Artists need affirmation,” she has said on more than one occasion.

One of Byrd’s paintings, a post-impressionistic piece entitled “I’m Lookin’ At You,” was featured recently in the 14th annual Energen Art Competition at the Energen Plaza in downtown Birmingham.

The painting allows the observer a glimpse into the window of a home, where people are conversing amongst a piano and a fireplace. In the bottom right corner of the window, a black cat stares directly back at the observer, hence the title.

Byrd calls the piece “fun” and says it’s her husband Albert’s favorite painting that she’s done.

Although Byrd’s work was not selected as a winner, she considered it an honor to be accepted. The judge for this year’s Energen Art Competition was Jean Ignatz of Northport, a well-known portrait painter and co-owner of Riverport Gallery in historic downtown Northport. The competition featured 482 entries, from which 200 works were selected for the final round of judging and exhibition.

Rewind back to third grade, when Byrd drew a picture of a girl in a dress and her art teacher hung her work on the bulletin board. As best as Byrd can remember, it was the detail on the girl’s dress that caught her teacher’s attention. That moment is Byrd’s earliest memory of acceptance as an artist.

Byrd graduated from Chilton County High in 1972 and took a year of art at UAB. Fast-forward to 1995, when she found herself raising a very artistic child without many opportunities. It was during this time that she decided to go back to school and graduated from the University of Montevallo in 1997 with a degree in marketing.

Although marketing might seem like an odd field of study for an artist, it goes hand in hand with developing a style and promoting one’s work.

“It’s a perfect marriage—marketing and art,” Byrd said.

Another thing that seems to go hand in hand with art is travel—experiences Byrd said she feels blessed to have had. At the age of 21, she lived in Brazil with her first husband, Dan, whose father was married to a Brazilian woman. In February of this year, she traveled back to Brazil with Albert.

“I wanted to put my foot down in the same place it had been before,” she said.

Byrd speaks fluent Portuguese and parts of several other languages. Among other places she has soaked up culture are France, Hawaii and Japan.

But perhaps Byrd’s passion for art is centered in Chilton County. She started the Chilton County Arts Council, which filed articles of incorporation in March 2010 and achieved nonprofit status in September 2011. At first it was a part-time endeavor, but now Byrd devotes her full attention to the council.

“It was a real passion because growing up in Clanton, there were very few opportunities for art instruction,” said Byrd, former president and current vice-president of CCAC.

CCAC sponsored a Sweetheart Showcase fine art show at the Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center in February of this year. The show was juried by Ted Metz, a professor of art at Montevallo and a well-known sculptor throughout the Southeast. Because entry did not guarantee a spot in the competition, inclusion in the show granted a unique opportunity to local artists.

“Just being in the show exemplified a certain level of accomplishment,” Byrd said.

One of her primary goals through CCAC is to provide opportunities to kids, especially at-risk kids, in the area.

Recently, Byrd taught an art lesson to members of Tiger Trails, a grant-funded after-school program at Clanton Elementary and Clanton Intermediate schools. Students painted fruit and vegetables and had their work displayed at the Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center in March.

If Byrd has her way, there will be more such opportunities on the horizon for the children of Chilton County.

“If my generation walks away and leaves this county exactly as we found it in respect to the arts, we will be doing it a disservice,” she said.

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Ken Gilliland, 60, with B&G Flying Service in Clanton has been flying airplanes and helicopters since 1973. Gilliland was named Aviation Maintenance Technician of the year for Alabama and Northwest Florida in November 2012 by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and spends most of his days up in the air. Gilliland recently spoke with Peach Living about his love of flying and what he enjoys most about soaring to the clouds.

PEACH LIVING MAGAZINE: When did you first start flying?

Ken Gilliland: I started flying in 1972-73 when I was in the United States Air Force. I got drafted in Vietnam and went into the air force. I was a toll reel operator and it got me wanting to fly.

The program ended in 1975 and it was either get out or do something different so I went into maintenance and continued flying. The next 15 year or so I was a maintenance officer, I went to Florida but hurricane Andrew wiped that out and a lot of cutbacks started happening. Due to the cutbacks, I decided to retire and came back home to Chilton County.

PL: What was it about flying that captured your interest?

KG: Nobody can get to you when you are in the air. You are the sole person that is in charge of your destiny. If you do everything right, you are OK. If you do it wrong, you aren’t. You just feel more relaxed in the air.

PL: Which do you prefer to fly more, a helicopter or an airplane?

KG: A helicopter because it is more challenging to fly. I have been flying fixed wings since 1972 and helicopters since 1993. It is just more challenging to fly a helicopter. The only hard part with an airplane is worrying about the landing. The minute you start a helicopter you have to be on top of something and once you have mastered everything you feel like you have accomplished something.

PL: If you could fly one place in the world, where would you go and why?

KG: Alaska. I have always wanted to fly to Alaska but I have never made it. One of these days I might go. Alaska has always been my number one place to fly and Australia has been my number two because I have always wanted to see the outback.

PL: What is the hardest thing about flying?

KG: The landing. Sometimes you get complacent or tired and it makes it hard.

PL: You have taught a lot of people how to fly. What has been the most enjoyable part for you in teaching others to fly?

KG: The moment it clicks in their head. All I can do is tell them and they have to practice but when it finally clicks and they perform a maneuver or do something big is a lot of fun for me. I have lost track over the years of how many people I have taught but it has been a couple of hundred. I had one young man that I taught who went on and is flying for the FBI.

PL: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

KG: I wont throw T-shirts away. I have old pairs of T-shirts that I have had for decades. I won’t wear them out in public but I do wear them around the house a lot.

PL: Is there a time of year that is better to fly than others?

KG: Late fall is better to fly. The spring is also pretty but the winds are always coming in from the West. Early in the mornings and late afternoons any time of the year are generally the best times to fly. You can always look at the water and tell if it is a good day to fly—if the water is smooth then it is a good time but if it choppy then you know it might be rough in the air.

PL: How often do you fly?

KG: I fly every day.

PL: What is the best piece of advice you have received?

KG: My grandfather always told me, you are only a failure if you quit, other than that there are stepping-stones for success.

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By Drew Granthum

For Verbena’s Jody Scott, no gathering is complete without his “venison poppers.”

The consummate country appetizer, the poppers take a wide range of flavors, along with some wild game, and put them together for a small snack that has become a hit. He said they were discovered when he and his brother “were playing around” about four years ago.

“We came upon it on our own,” he said. “I don’t know what cream cheese [does], but you put it on there and it makes [all the difference.]”

While this style of appetizers can be found at various wild game suppers and parties, Scott prepares his venison differently than most.

“Some do the whole backstrap,” he said. “I do a butterfly cut. I cut it across the grain. Depending on how big the deer is, it can be a 10- to 20-inch cut.”

He also said it provides a great introduction to deer meat, or a different spin on those who have tried it before.

“If you don’t want just regular deer meat,” he said, “It adds a few more flavors.”

JODY SCOTT’S VENISON POPPERS

2 fresh chopped jalapenos (deseeded)

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

Dale’s steak seasoning

Bacon Deer tenderloin butterfly backstrap

Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning (optional)

Pound deer steak with meat tenderizing hammer or top of jar. Marinate deer in Dale’s sauce at least one hour. Mix well cream cheese and jalapenos (and optional Cajun seasoning). Butterfly tenderloins and spread cream cheese mix wrap in bacon. Grill until desired wellness. Secure bacon with toothpicks. Prepare grill just as you would for grilling, and cook to desired wellness. Cooked too long, the deer will get too tough. Medium well is the longest suggested level of cooking.

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Gerald Smitherman sands a wooden cutting board he made with pieces from different types of trees like oak, cherry, walnut and maple.

By Emily Beckett

The wedges of wood about the size of watermelons sitting on the floor of Clanton native Gerald Smitherman’s workshop look like prime candidates for a log fire in his fireplace.

The jagged bark and roughly cut chunks of lumber seem as ordinary as the trees outside Smitherman’s woodworking domain, but what Smitherman sees when he looks at the blocks are the smooth wooden bowls he plans to make from them.

“I’m thinking that there’s something pretty inside that,” he said. “I accentuate the beauty of the wood. God put that there. How do I get it out and accentuate it?”

The answer to his question is found in the hours Smitherman spends in the shop most days, turning the wood and chiseling it into evenly round bowls and then buffing out the remaining impurities with a super-fine abrasive compound.

Bowls are not the only items Smitherman makes. His extensive collection of wooden items—not including those he has given away to family and friends—fills his and his wife Tammy’s home.

“You can probably just look around and see all of his work,” Tammy Smitherman said. “When they (our children) find something they like, they just bring him a picture and he just builds it from a picture. He can build any style and from a picture, which is amazing to me.”

Smitherman sketches pieces prior to constructing them if they are requests from friends, and he jots down mathematical calculations and measurements for larger pieces of furniture with multiple parts that fasten together.

For many pieces, however, he follows the blueprints in his head, the instincts of his hands and the passion in his heart.

“I love the entire process,” Smitherman said. “I love the smell of wood, the look of wood, everything about woodworking, and I always have. I’ve always been fascinated with that.”

Smitherman

Before he retired in November 2011, Smitherman was an agriscience teacher at Isabella High School for 22 years and taught basic woodworking.

More importantly, he hails from a line of men who passed down to him at a young age their affinity for woodwork in various capacities.

Smitherman’s father, James Earl, operated a cabinet shop when Smitherman was a teenager and eventually began building musical instruments such as violins and fiddles.

Smitherman’s grandfather, R.E., was a carpenter and basket maker later in life.

“With my granddaddy and my dad, I was always raised and we’ve always kind of lived on the philosophy: ‘Don’t buy anything if you can build it. Don’t hire anybody to do anything that you can do yourself,’” Smitherman said. “Everybody knows at Christmas they’re getting something made out of wood.”

One of the most significant projects Smitherman undertook was constructing his and Tammy’s craftsman-style bedroom suite from red oak, his favorite species of wood particularly for furniture.

“At some point I really got interested in what they call ‘craftsman,’ or Arts and Crafts style,” Smitherman said. “The wood that was always used in this furniture was quarter-sawn red oak.”

The craftsman style originated in the early 1900s and is characterized in furniture by simplicity of design and slats on headboards and chairs.

The Smithermans’ bedroom suit includes a bed, a mule chest (a taller version of a dresser), two nightstands and a library table. It took him about two months of working nearly all day, every day, to complete everything.

Smitherman said much of the wood he uses for his projects comes from Hardwoods Inc. of Alabama LLC in Alabaster.

The other portion is reclaimed wood from old or fallen lumber on his property or that of a family member or friend.

“A lot of friends call us and say, ‘I’ve got a tree. Do you want it?’” Tammy said.

From oak to cherry to walnut to maple, Smitherman incorporates a variety of tree types in his items.

Displayed are many of the items Smitherman has made over the years, including bowls, rolling pins, trivets, baby rattles, clocks, spinning tops, spatulas, jewelry boxes, cutting boards, vases, candle holders, playing card holders, seam rippers, ink pens, door stops, walking sticks and fan pulls.

He makes cutting boards, candleholders, vases, clocks, playing card holders, seam rippers, rolling pins, jewelry boxes, ink pens, fan pulls, walking sticks, door stops, spatulas, trivets and more.

“For smaller items, I try to choose woods that have natural beauty and don’t need a stain,” he said. “If it’s an item connected to food, I’ll use a food-safe finish. Different projects require different finishes for different purposes.”

Baby rattles merit a coating of shellac since it is safe to use on items children might put in their mouths.

Smitherman creates the smaller items through a method called “turning,” which involves securing a piece of wood between two adjustable prongs on a device known as a lay and holding a chisel against the wood to shape it as it turns on the lay.

After Smitherman is satisfied with the turning, he begins the buffing process using a felt buffing wheel and an abrasive compound that when applied to the item produces “a glass-smooth finish.”

Large items like tables require making a series of parts from rough lumber, fastening the parts together with wood glue, sanding the entire piece until its surface is smooth, applying however many necessary coats of a finish and allowing it to dry.

Tabletops require varnish to withstand hard use and potential damage.

“I do take a lot of pains in doing good finishes,” Smitherman said. “The joinery is very time-consuming.”

While Tammy works as a reading coach at Isabella, Smitherman said he averages six to eight hours a day in his shop in the months he isn’t helping his son Josh on his farm.

For Smitherman, woodworking is a creative outlet and a way to eliminate life’s frustrations.

“We had a running joke (that) if I got snappy, she’d tell me to go turn a rolling pin,” he said. “(It is) a wonderful stress reliever.”

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At a OMK Technology Retreat at the Alabama 4-H Center, military youth spent the weekend using technology to prepare educational videos for their families.

By Josine Walter

Increased stress, a feeling of loss and added responsibilities are just some of the issues facing military kids when a family member is deployed.

Usual support networks may not be adequate or available during these times. Media coverage of military operations can heighten anxiety and stress in military kids who know their deployed parent may be in harm’s way.

Operation: Military Kids (OMK), the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense and Alabama 4-H, in partnership with local organizations, businesses and community leaders, are connecting military youth with local resources to build a network of support and promote emotional and physical health by providing research-driven programming tailored to the situations that military youth face, educating the public on the impact of the deployment cycle on military families and acknowledging and recognizing the home-front heroes (military kids) for their strengths and sacrifices.

At a recent OMK Technology Retreat at the Alabama 4-H Center, military youth spent the weekend using technology to prepare educational videos while touring behind the scenes in the Raptor Mew (enclosure), participating in team-building activities in the Challenge Course and doing activities on the archery field.

They were treated with presentations from two local authors, Anne Dalton from Clanton and Wayne Martin from Billingsley, who shared their experiences as author, teacher and retired military.

Each youth received two personally autographed books from the authors. After dinner, the youth were challenged to create their personal touches to a skit and bring the characters alive in innovative ways.

Most importantly, each youth was given the opportunity to create a personal video to share with their deployed serviceperson.

The weekend culminated with the youth receiving appreciation certificates and the premiere viewing of their educational videos by family members, who returned to take them home.

The true success of the OMK event is measured by the networking and peer support that naturally develops when the youth have the opportunity to share their deployment period experiences with one another and in the videos that they share with their serviceperson.

After exchanging addresses and e-mails, the youth departed better prepared to handle the stressors that exist during this deployment period.

Our next OMK event will be an OMK 4-H Babysitter Training and CPR Certification course in Prattville on March 14, 21, and 28, from 5–8 p.m.

If you would like to participate in this or upcoming OMK events, contact Josine Walter at jaw0023@aces.edu or 334-750-2032.

We welcome individuals, local organizations and businesses to partner with us as well.

–Josine Walter is a Regional Extension Agent in 4-H and Youth Development.

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Wayne Arnold has researched the Civil War since discovering his first piece of history at age 12 and hopes to educate others on the history of the Civil War with the pieces he has located in Stanton. Some of the artifacts including ammunition, sandstone and an 1861 Springfield rifle (opposite page) are displayed at Arnold’s home.

By Emily Etheredge

On an afternoon jaunt in a canoe made out of tin, Wayne Arnold, 12, decided to float down the creek that ran beside his grandmother’s house in Stanton. When his canoe hit a snag in Bogles Creek, Arnold reached into the water to grab a stick that would continue his flow downstream.

As Arnold picked up what he thought was a heavy stick, he looked down and to his astonishment the stories he had read from his school history book became strikingly real.

“It was not a stick, it was a gun,” Arnold said. “The weapon was covered in moss but the gun made me realize that I had found a piece of history that I needed to hold on to.”

Soon after Arnold’s discovery of an 1861 Springfield rifle, he quickly became “the boy who found the gun,” throughout the town he had grown up in and started researching the story that would accompany the piece of history he discovered at a young age.

“History had always been words on a piece of paper,” Arnold said. “It wasn’t until I started finding things near the area where I grew up that history became real.”

History at home

Arnold would soon discover many pieces of Civil War memorabilia from guns, ammunition, buttons from soldier’s uniforms and many other things dating back to the April 1, 1865 battle of Ebenezer Church that took place near property his family owns in Stanton.

The battle took place when General James Wilson advanced his troops toward Selma who were coming from Tannehill, Brierfield and Tuscaloosa. General Nathan Bedford Forrest led the Confederate Army and chose to head off Wilson and his Union soldiers about 25 miles north of Selma in Stanton to give reinforcements time to reach and help defend Selma, but Forrest did not have enough manpower to defend Wilson’s troops.

Forrest was unable to fend off Wilson’s troops and retreated to Selma leaving memories of the battle that lingered in Stanton for decades.

After Arnold found the rifle in the creek near his home he began a quest to discover more items associated with the battle to find out more information about the history surrounding the community he called home.

Now 63, Arnold has researched the Civil War since discovering his first piece of history at age 12 and hopes to educate others on the history of the Civil War with the pieces he has located in Stanton.

“I think when you can pick up something and touch it and trace it back to a point in time that you have read about, it can become real and fascinating,” Arnold said. “For me, I have walked on a lot of ground near my home and my family’s homes that once was a scene of a battle in the Civil War where real people fought and died, and that is an incredible feeling.”

One story Arnold researched was trying to find out why the 1861 Springfield rifle was bent when he found it in Bogles Creek.

After reading different pieces of information and locating Civil War diaries from a captain in the Union army who cleaned up the battlefield documenting the exact artifacts Arnold found, answers to many questions started to surface.

“When the Union soldiers left the area, they bent all of the artillery by softening it in a fire and whacking it on trees,” Arnold said. “They didn’t want Confederate soldiers shooting their guns so they bent everything they left behind to prevent them from ever being used again.”

Another artifact Arnold located was a piece of sandstone found from a southern soldier who carved a mule and initialed the sandstone with the letters “J.S.”

A resident near Arnold’s home was cleaning up an area for his daughter’s playhouse and placed a large rock in front of the playhouse as a stepping-stone inside.

After turning the stone over, it was revealed to have a carved picture on the outside and the neighbors called Arnold to see if he wanted the piece of sandstone.

“This is probably one of my favorite pieces I own,” Arnold said. “When the soldiers weren’t fighting they had a lot of down time and the soldier who carved this picture was probably carving during his down time.”

A portion of the rock is missing with the upper edge displaying what appears to be part of a wagon wheel.

Arnold said he may never know what the soldier originally carved in the sandstone but it appears to have been a work in progress depicting a southern soldier atop a mule.

“For many years this piece of history documenting the Civil War was the stepping stone for a little girl’s playhouse,” Arnold said. “It just goes to show you that things with historical connection can turn up anywhere.”

O.P. McGee

One story Arnold discovered about the battle of Ebenezer Church involved a plantation owner, Oliver Perry McGee and his family who lived in Stanton during the time of the battle.

Arnold said McGee, his wife Annie and two daughters along with two servants Josh and Henrietta were forced to relocate due to the threat of soldiers coming into the town for battle.

The females retreated to a different area and McGee and Josh took their livestock and stayed atop a mountain until it was safe to return to their home.

Once the family returned, Arnold said Union soldiers had turned McGee’s plantation home into a hospital to treat many Union soldiers wounded in battle.

“Many of the doors inside the home had been taken off of the hinges and used for makeshift stretchers for the soldiers to rest on,” Arnold said.

Arnold said after surveying his property, McGee discovered bodies of seven of the Union soldiers near his property that had been left by the Union Army.

“They didn’t bury them, they just left them lying around McGee’s plantation,” Arnold said. “It was the custom back then to just walk off and leave the soldiers if they were shot. There were no dog tags to indicate who had died so it was hard to know everyone that had been wounded in battle.”

Arnold said Annie McGee instructed O.P. and Josh to bury the soldiers even though it meant burying Union soldiers on Southern ground.

“Annie knew these soldiers were the enemy but she wanted them to have a proper burial,” Arnold said.

Instead of placing tombstones along the area where the seven soldiers were buried, McGee planted cedar trees near the back of the cemetery that still stand today.

Arnold said a monument was erected on November 11, 1977 to signify Union soldiers buried on Southern soil.

The cedar trees still stand in the cemetery near the monument.

“The story shows the character of Annie McGee who wanted to give the soldiers a proper burial,” Arnold said. “She recognized the humanity that these men deserved to be buried and wanted to respect them even though they had ransacked her home.”

Preserving the past

Arnold has acquired information spanning several decades of his life that he now shares with people throughout his community of Stanton and Maplesville as well as anyone interested in the Civil War.

“I enjoy telling people about the history that happened near my home,” Arnold said. “People will come and visit me and I will take them to the areas of the battlefield and show them some of the things I have found. It is one thing to read about something but another thing to actually walk the area where soldiers battled.”

Arnold said he has spent money on high-tech metal detectors to locate some of the memorabilia from the war but most of the items found were by walking and scouring the sites with his eyes.

One day, Arnold hopes the town of Maplesville will expand the picture museum currently open to a historical museum where he would donate some of the items he has found over the years for people to learn about.

“I know I won’t be around forever,” Arnold said. “I think there are a lot of people out there who have stopped caring about history and in some ways all of the things that I have found throughout the years will one day be lost to people. I hope that the stories and the artifacts I have found will mean something to someone so a museum would be wonderful.”

Arnold said the biggest challenge with history is locating accuracy and preserving that accuracy for the future.

“History is a tricky thing,” Arnold said. “People remember things as they want them to occur, not as it actually occurred.”

Arnold said in many ways he didn’t discover history as a young boy floating down a creek near his home but history found him.

“I have always been the boy who found the gun and I knew when I found that gun that it was my job to locate the story behind what I had found,” Arnold said. “When I found that particular piece of history it was up to me to do the research, and I have devoted the majority of my life to understanding the stories of an era that helped make the area I call home, a home.”

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