free march 10, 2017 star · boys, giggle moon, and funtasia. calico critters and an assortment of...

SERVING ATHENS/LIMESTONE COUNTY & THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AREA www.thevalleystar.net

FREE March 10, 2017

THE VALLEY

STAR

By Sonny Turner

Snapdragon Kids is a children'sclothing boutique that offersboth trendy and traditional ap-

parel for girls and boys. Sizes rangefrom newborn to 16 in girls, and babyto size 14 in boys. They offer uniqueaccessories, gifts, baby items, andshoes. They also have a baby reg-istry.

Snapdragon Kids is located just offthe Limestone County CourthouseSquare in downtown Athens under anew, snappy black and white awning.

It is a shop with a green door that in-vites you to see what can happenwhen a family comes together tolaunch a kid’s clothing and gift busi-ness.

Snapdragon Kids is at 113 WestWashington Street in Athens and isthe brainchild of Tiffany Seibert, thewife of Athens City Councilman ChrisSeibert.

Snapdragon Kids was started by theSeibert family. The name of the busi-ness came from the Seiberts' son,Brock, who was into knights and

dragons at the time. They came upwith the idea before the familymoved back to Athens from Birming-ham where Tiffany was doing the on-line version of Snapdragon Kids fromher home.

"We have a variety of toys and giftsincluding the popular Calico Crittersand Madame Alexander dolls," Seib-ert said. "We have custom heirloomdresses and boys outfits available toorder. Some of our most popularbrands are Bailey Boys, Giggle Moon,

continued on page 5

Snapdragon Kids: A great children's boutiqueSnapdragon Kids store owned by Tiffany Seibert.

THEVALLEYSTAR.NET March 10, 2017

Publisher/Editor in ChiefSonny Turner

[email protected]

Co-Publisher/PhotographyDanny Johnson | [email protected]

Copy EditorDebra Johnson | [email protected]

OwnerChris Shindorf

Advertising staff:Sonny Turner | 256-431-5498,

Danny Johnson | [email protected] Thornton | 256-777-1425

THE VALLEY

STAR

1003 South Jefferson St.Athens, Alabama 35611

Poke Sallet Follies celebrated 25 yearsThe variety show performed by

the Prime Time Players raisesmoney for the Limestone

County Foundation for Aging.

Director Stacey Givens announcedshe is retiring after five years atthe helm. Athens City Councilmanand actor/director Frank Travis willdirect the show in 2018.

Harriette Rost created the show

25 years ago. She suggested aspring production where civic andcommunity leaders performed wildantics in various skits. She cameup with the name Poke Sallet as aplay on words for the Southernweed that comes up in the springand grows wild. The show is in thespring and community leaders aredoing wild skits and poking fun atthemselves, so the name fit.

Laci Ham, Holly Hollman. Alisha Can-

non, Hannah Taylor and Chief Floyd

Johnson.Jim Minor

Chief Bryan Thornton

and Brad Curnutt Jennifer White and

Chief Bryan Thornton.

Mayor Ronnie Marks and

Sheriff Mike Blakely

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—SAWMILL NOW OPEN—

Athens is the seat of acounty named for its lime-stone, and Athens is ready

to rock it in an artistic way.

High Cotton Arts artist RobertaRess is using rocks and art toencourage Limestone Countyfamilies to explore Athens. Herproject is called Athens ROCKS.

On Saturday, March 18, from 2-4 p.m., children will paint rocksat High Cotton Arts and hidethem in public places aroundAthens. Families are encouragedto conduct a scavenger hunt forthe rocks and re-hide them.

“When you find a rock, snap aphoto of your child or take aselfie and post it to the AthensROCKS Facebook page,” Resssaid. “This is a fun creative ac-tivity for kids of all ages.”

As Athens and Limestone Countyembark on their bicentennial in

2018, Athens ROCKS is a way toencourage families to sightseein their community.“

To register for Athens ROCKS,call High Cotton Arts at 256-232-

7717 and leave a message withname and contact information.

Children should bring up to fivepalm size rocks. Athens ArtsLeague is providing the paint.

During the paint session, Resswill read a book called, “Every-body Needs A Rock.”

Athens ‘Rocks’ with rocks and art

Roberta Ress


Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks hon-ored two ladies at Limestone

Manor last week for reaching mile-stone birthdays. Sue Clark turned

103 and Mildred Raby turned 104.Mrs. Clark asked Mayor Marks if

he would remember to honor hernext year when she reached 104.

Senior ladies honored by mayor

Sue Clark with Mayor Ronnie Marks. Mildred Raby with Mayor Ronnie Marks.

Athens Gas Department reminds you“MAKE EVERY DIG A SAFE DIG”

Alabama State Law requires you to call theAlabama One Call Center 48 hours prior to any

excavation, to have underground utilities located.

811 is the new nationalthree digit call number.

1-877-885-5592Emergency Line:

256-216-8621

1806 Wilkinson Street Athens, AL 35611

256-242-1444


Livie & Luca, Wes & Willy, Flit &Flitter, The Proper Peony, MustardPie and Properly Tied."

Seibert taught school for severalyears and after staying home withher boys for a few years she de-cided she wanted to open a chil-dren's store.

"I had worked at a store similar tomine in Tuscaloosa when I was incollege and I loved it so I thought Iwould give it a shot and I'm so glad

I did," she said. "We love our cus-tomers and we love helping themfind special purchases whether it'sa perfect dress for Easter, a fungift for a birthday or treat boughtwith Tooth Fairy money."

In business since 2013, the shop

has a place for kids to play, and awrapping room. There are genuineBeatrix Potter books, a gift registry,excellent educational toys, (includ-ing interactive writing books by Lit-eracy,) and worm farms. There aredolls made of organic cotton and

stuffed with corn silk, and a fullline of dolls by Gotz.

Snapdragon is also a place to getclothing for private schools. One ofthe things that was important toTiffany was to have beautiful cloth-ing at affordable prices.

Go by and visit Snapdragon Kids orjust give them a call at 256-232-1572. They have what you need inchildren's clothing.

Snapdragon Kids continued from page 1

The Valley Star | cover feature

Handmade heirloom dresses madeto order by Susan Chittam.

Girls dressesby Proper Peony,

Mustard Pie, Flitt andFlitter, The Oaks, Bailey

Boys, Giggle Moon,and Funtasia.

Calico Critters and anassortment of toys.

Madame Alexander dolls. Notpictured, we also have Gotz dolls.

Shoes and boots byLivie Luca,

Mini Melissa andL'Amour.

New born gifts and clothes forbabies 0-24 months.

Boys shirts and tiesby J. Bailey, Properly Tied,

and Bailey Boys.

Emoji overnight bags and other Emoji items.

Deborah Davis and Brenda Walker.


TheFloor Gallery

25065 US HWY 72 Athens, AL 356133 miles East of I-65 in big tan building

256-216-9055

Owners, Steve & Wanda Clutts

For Friendly Service andTop Quality Flooring

Come by The Floor Gallery

For Friendly Service andTop Quality Flooring

Come by The Floor Gallery

Burial Detail receives checks

The president of Calibre presenting a check to

Limestone County Veterans Burial Detail.

Ardmore VETS presenting check to

Limestone County Veterans Burial Detail.


The Valley Star | feature

The Alabama Territory becamethe nation’s twenty-secondstate on December 14, 1819.

Limestone County was establishedin February, 1818, and Athens wasincorporated in November of1818. From 2017 through 2019,ALABAMA 200 will present educa-tional programs, community activ-ities, and statewide initiatives thatteach about the beginnings of ourstate. This is a great time for theresidents of Alabama to learnmore about the history of thestate.

On March 4, 2017, the LimestoneCounty Bicentennial Committeeproudly helped Limestone Countykick off its own bicentennial cele-brations at the Revival Center onWashington Street with speakers,Rebekah Davis, Limestone CountyArchivist and Professor HarryJoiner from Athens State Univer-

sity. Many other historical groupshad booths set up for visitors tobrowse with brochures detailinglots of interesting information, oldphotos, and books for sale about

our local history. Downtown mer-chants around the Square also

participated in acknowledging thiscelebration. Many people from thecommunity came out in support ofthe event. The Athens-LimestoneCounty Tourism Association is alsoinvolved in promoting Alabama200 Bicentennial highlighting ourown local places of historical inter-est including: The Donnell House,Historic Mooresville and Elkmont,Houston Memorial Library and Mu-seum, Alabama Veterans Museumand Archives, and much more.

For more information and to fol-low events go to

www.facebook.com/Limestone200/

A birthday 200 years in the making

Artist Lyn Stone's depiction of Fort Hampton, the U.S. military fort estab-

lished near the Elk River to protect Chickasaws from early settlers who lived

here illegally..

Kristina Hendrix, with Athens Lime-

stone Community Association dis-

playing books about Trinity School.

Professor Harry Joiner from ASU

speaking to crowd at the Alabama

200 Bicentennial event.

Sara Love and Robby King from the Archives of Athens State University.

Teresa Todd, Tourism Director and

Co-Chair of the Bicentennial Event

displaying a commemorative cutting

board.

Historian and author, Jerry Barks-

dale and April Davis share informa-

tion about the History of Athens.

Credit to Alabama Bass Trail forthis article

As the 2017 Alabama BassTrail Northern Division sea-son opener was approach-

ing, the entire State of Alabamahad been treated to warmer andmilder conditions than the norm.As Friday’s practice day wounddown, and the registration meet-ing commenced, it became clearthat those conditions were set tomake an about face.

Friday’s high temperature ofnearly 80 degrees gave way toovernight thunderstorms and apost front high of 52 degrees withheavy winds and high skies. Anearly 30 degree temperaturechange and strong post-front con-ditions mean rough seas and badfishing.

None of that mattered to MitchMitchell and Candler McCollum.

The pair made a long, backbreak-

ing ride to the Guntersville Damand battled the conditions in thetailrace for three hours, then nav-igated the treacherous conditionsheaded back downstream tobring their 30.59-pound limit tothe scales to blow away a big fieldand take home the $10,000 firstprize for winning an ABT event.

Their limit was a true spectacle,consisting of three smallmouth,one weighing 6.99 pounds, asolid four-pound spotted bass,and a 9.47-pound largemouththat took home the $5,000 bigbass bonus. The team’s totalprize including ABT payout andPhoenix First Flight bonus prizetotals $17,500 for a one day tour-nament.

The pair had to wait a long timeto receive their credit and takehome the money. “We had ourlimit by 10:30, and left upriver ataround 11:30 to try and take ourtime getting back because we

knew we had a special bag,” theysaid. “We pulled into Ingalls Har-bor around 12:30 to 12:45 andwaited until ABT staff got here sowe could check-in; it’s still prettyamazing to think that this is howour day went.”

The anglers from Muscle Shoals,Ala. and Little Rock, Ark. reportedcatching a 15-pound limit early,then spending the next two hoursculling all but one of their originallimit. “We caught 12 or 13 fishall day, and we caught all of themby making the same two casts,”they said. “It was an underwaterpoint upriver, and the smallmouthwere out off the end of the point,and the spotted bass and thelargemouth came off the back-side of it; we caught them all onswimbaits.”

They reported throwing 5.5 to 7.5-inch Basstrix Paddletail andStrike King Shadalicious swim-baits on 3/4-ounce jigheads to

get the job done. They said theycaught their early limit on shadcolored versions, but turned to achartreuse and blue model asthe day wore on. “We didn’t ex-pect the day to go like this whenthe weather turned,” they re-ported. “We expected it to betough, but we walk out of herewith a personal best smallmouthand largemouth, our biggest winand our biggest payday too – thisis truly unbelievable, and we areso happy to be standing here.”

While finishing more than 10pounds behind the winners,Lanny Guthrie and Bobby Brownproduced an impressive 20.11-pound limit to finish the day insecond place and earn the$5,000 runners up prize. Thepair attempted to run thecrankbait pattern that they hadfound in practice early, but had to

continued on page 9

Alabama Bass Trail held on Wheeler Lake


OUTDOORS with Danny Johnson

Mitch Mitchell and Candler McCollum win the 2017 Alabama Bass Trail on Wheeler Lake.


adjust. “Things just didn’t hap-pen like we had planned early,”they said. “But, we made the ad-justment to go throw spinnerbaitson bluff walls and it really startedto happen.”

They said they selected a 3/8-ounce double willowleaf WarEagle chartreuse spinnerbait withpainted blades and drifted withthe wind, slow rolling the spinner-bait. “Lanny is the one that fig-ured it out,” said Brown. “Oncehe did, we both got on the frontdeck and made the most of it wecould; we are really pleased withthe way everything turned out.”

Third place finishers Jason Smithand Chaz McMahan weighed-intheir 20.09-pound limit within thefirst 10 minutes of the afternoon,then got to watch the whole fieldweigh, but their limit was goodenough to hang onto the $4,000third place prize. Rounding outthe top five were David Kyle andScott Callahan, who earned$3,000 with their 19.96-poundlimit, followed in fifth by JamesHarrison and Larry Hill whoearned $2,000 for their 19.51-pound performance, as well asthe Wedowee Marine $1,000

bonus for being the highest fin-ishing anglers who purchasedtheir Phoenix Boat from sponsorWedowee Marin.

The top 10 standings are below,for complete standings go tohttp://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/wl-results/

First Place: Mitch Mitchell andCandler McCollum with 30.5lbs.and Big Fish 9.47 lbs. Winning:$10,000 (plus $7,000 PhoenixFirst Flight bonus)Second Place: Lanny Guthrie andBobby Brown with 20.11 lbs. Win-ning: $5,000Third Place: Jason Smith andChaz McMahan with 20.09 lbs.and Big Fish 5.37 lbs. Winning:$4,000Fourth Place: David Kyle andScott Callahan with 19.96 lbs.Winning: $3,000Fifth Place: James Harrison andLarry Hill with 19.51 lbs. Winning:$2,000 (plus $1,000 WedoweeMarine Bonus)Sixth Place: Ryan Salzman andJon Canada with 18.06lbs. andBig Fish 5.33 lbs. Winning:$1,500Seventh Place: Gary Thacker andWinston Jackson with 17.58 lbs.Winning: $1,100

Eighth Place: Josh Benford andJerry McCaferty with 16.67 lbs.Winning: $1,100Eighth Place: Mark McCaig andTim Hurst with 16.67 lbs. Win-ning: $1,100Tenth Place: Bobby Simmons andAustin Simmons with 16.45 lbs.Winning: $1,100

The sponsors of the 2017 Ala-bama Bass Trail include; Bill Pen-ney Toyota, Phoenix Bass Boats,GP8 Oxygen Water, Garmin, Acad-emy Sports & Outdoors, Wind

Creek Hospitality – Wetumpka,Wind Creek Hospitality – Mont-gomery, Alabama Tourism Depart-ment, SCA Performance, T-HMarine Supplies, Wedowee Ma-rine, AFTCO, Fish Neely HenryLake.com, Lew’s Fishing, CrossedIndustries, YETI, E3 Apparel, TVAand Alabama Power.

For information about AlabamaBass Trail and for complete tour-

nament standings visitwww.alabamabasstrail.org.

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Alabama Bass Trail continued from page 8

DEB’S Delights by Debra Johnsonby Debra Johnsonby Debra Johnsonby Debra Johnson


Fishing is heating up onWheeler Lake . Last weekendthe Heartland Bass Trail held

a tournament out of Lee High atElk River. The fishermen brought

some nice bags of bass to thescales for the weigh in.

Fish are being caught all over thelake. Creeks are prime spots to lo-cate early bass. The feeder creek

that flows into the Elk are prime lo-cations for pre-spawn bass.

Locating a good pattern is quite achallenge from year to year. Thisspring the warmer temps haveplants and fish 3 to 4 weeksahead of where they were lastyear. Fishing is showing signs ofgetting better. The Alabama BassTrail winner wow on lookers with a

30 plus bag. Not bad for only 5fish.. The Tennessee River lakesremain some of the best out therefor producing large bags of fish.

The next Heartland Tournament isscheduled for March 25th out ofLee-High ramp located on ElkRiver.

Billy Adcock and Jim Barnett win Heartland Bass Tournament

Tournament Leaders1st Place

Billy Adcock/Jim Barnett

20.14 #

2nd Place

Bobby Simmons/Randy Cornelius

18.18 #

3rd Place

Gary Thacker/ Winston Jackson

16.96 #

4th Place

Jimmy Curruth/Jon Simpson

15.50 #

5th Place

Rick Harmon/ Larry Pierce

14.10 #

6th Place

Benny Stewart /Roy Grinfin

13.88 #

Big Fish Jacob Holt

7.20 #

Billy Adcock and Jim Barnett with some nice largemouth bass.

Jacob Holt with 7.20 lb.

big fish of the day.

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick butter)

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1 cup half-and-half

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 pounds russet orYukon gold potatoes, washed

2 cups dice cooked ham

2cups gratedMonterey Jack cheese

Chopped parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Add butter and onion to alarge skillet over medium

heat and saute’ it until it’s start-ing to soften. Sprinkle the flourover the onion and whisk them

together. Continue cooking theonion/flour mixture for 2 min-utes, or until golden brown.

Stir in the milk and half-and-halfand whisk the mixture allowing itto thicken. Add the pepper, stir,reduce the heat and keep warm.

Slice the potatoes really thin.Generously butter a 2 quart bak-ing dish. Add half the sliced pota-toes and half the diced ham.

Sprinkle on half the cheese, thenpour on half the sauce from theskillet. Repeat with the rest of

the ingredients. Sprinkle extrapepper on top. Cover the dishwith foil and bake it for 40 min-utes, then remove the foil andbake it for an additional 15 to 20minutes, until the cheese isgolden brown and the sauce isbubbling. Sprinkle with choppedparsley and serve.

DEB’S Delights by Debra Johnsonby Debra Johnsonby Debra Johnsonby Debra Johnson

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham


YEARS AGO IN LIMESTONE COUNTYYEARS AGO IN LIMESTONE COUNTY by Rebekah DavisLimestone County Archivist

by Rebekah DavisLimestone County Archivist

by Rebekah DavisLimestone County Archivist


Note: This article is the first in aseries highlighting the history ofLimestone County place names.By the time Limestone Countywas established in 1818, it hadalready had an identity crisis.

Originally a battle zone be-tween the Cherokee andChickasaw tribes, this area

would be claimed by France, Eng-land, Georgia, and Mississippi be-fore finally becoming an Alabamacounty. And for each group ofpeople that called this place

“home,” therewas a new nameidentified for thecreeks, rivers,hills, and hollowsthat make up thiscounty today.

Let’s take a lookat some of the earliest namesgiven to the county and its geo-graphical features and towns:

Chu-Wa-Lee River: The originalname of today’s Elk River, sogiven by the Cherokees whonamed the river for their chief,Chu-Wa-Lee, and his village on abranch of the Tennessee River.

Elk River: By the time Chicka-saws ceded their land to the U.S.government in 1805, the“Chewallee” River was alsoknown as the Elk River becauseof large herds of elk along theriver banks.

Elk County: After the Territory ofAlabama was established onMarch 3, 1817, the territorial leg-islature designated much oftoday’s Lauderdale and Lime-stone counties as one county,and on May 9, 1817, establishedit with the name Elk County, afterthe river.

Limestone County: The AlabamaTerritorial Legislature, on Feb. 6,

1818, divided Elk County into twocounties, Lauderdale and Lime-stone. Limestone County was sonamed because of LimestoneCreek flowing through it.

Limestone Creek: Early residentsLevi Cummings, Thomas May-field, Benjamin Peete andFletcher Lane named the creekfor its limestone bed and thelarge number of limestone bluffson its banks. Before that, it wasknown as…

Black Creek: The Cherokees andChickasaws named the creek forits deep swimming holes thatlooked black compared to theshallow water beside them.

Mooresville: The oldest incorpo-rated town in Limestone County,Mooresville was established Nov.16, 1818. Alexander Moore andhis sons, Robert and John, werethe first settlers, and they namedthe town for their family. One ofthe Moores ran a shoe-makingshop there, and another one rana tavern that was an important

stagecoach stop.

Athens: Established three daysafter Mooresville, on Nov. 19,1818, the town was founded byRobert Beaty and John Carriel (orCarroll), and first populated bymany well-to-do Virginians whoestablished a school soon aftersettling there. In that time, it waspopular to name towns after im-portant hubs of Western civiliza-tion such as Rome and Athens,and Athens was chosen as a ref-erence to a place of learning andculture. While some say the townwas originally named Athenson,the Limestone County Archiveshas no record of this. However,the very first deed in Deed Book1 of the Limestone County gov-ernment documents is the recordof Beaty’s and Carriel’s purchasein February 1818 of the land tolay out the new town.

Note: Information for this articlecame from A Tentative Survey ofLimestone County Place Names byDeborah Ashford.

What’s in a name? Early settlers took on task of naming Limestone’s places

RebekahDavis

LIMESTONE DRUG

CITY-WIDE DELIVERY ONLY $1

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HOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY 7:30AM-7PM • SATURDAY 7:30AM-5PM • SUNDAY 9AM-5PM

256-232-3811

LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN ATHENS ON THE SQUARE


UNCLE BONDEE’S ADVENTURES by Uncle Bondeeby Uncle Bondee

The spring rain had arrivedwith a vengeance causingthe Elk River to get out of it

banks. The 3 or 4 days of rainingput water over the bottom farmland below Maples Bridge onHighway 127. Dalton came bywith a roll of chicken wire andsome long hickory poles. I askedwhat he was up to. Dalton askedif I would help him make a fishbasket with a long handle. I said,“Sure, but what in tarnation doyou need such a crazy lookingbasket for?” Dalton explained tome that when the river got out ofthe banks in the spring, the fishwould also venture into the newterritory in search of worms andbugs. The main fish Dalton wasafter was carp and buffalo, whichgrew to 15 to 20 pounds. The fishwould be in 3 or 4 feet of watercovering the farm land bottom.The plan was to walk around inthe newly flooded land and dropthe chicken wire hoop basketsover the big fish. In about 3 or 4hours we had this fish basketready for a trial run. Uncle Gradydrove us over to the MaplesBridge and let us out and said hewould be back to get us beforedark.

We got started wading around inthe waste deep water looking forsome fish movement. After fallinga few times and tripping oversummered corn stalks we sawsome fish. Dalton dropped thehome made net over 2 big olecarp, and they commenced toflop and ram the chicken wire netbreaking a hole through the wireand both fish escaped. Daltonwas pretty aggravated about los-ing the fish and getting the netbusted. We got a piece of barbwire off a fence post andpatched the weak place in thewire net. Then another group ofcarp swam by, and Daltondropped the net on 5 fish. Thistime they didn’t get away, and weput the fish in an onion sack tied

to my belt. Dalton said we shouldhave brought Humpy along tokeep up with the fish. After a cou-ple hours we had the onion sackfull of fish. Dalton took out hisshoe string and used it for a fishstringer. By dark we had morefish than we could possibly eat.Uncle Grady came up and start-ing blowing his truck horn signal-ing us it was time to go. Hecouldn’t believe how many fishwe had caught with the chickenwire dip net.

On our way back through Leg-gtown we gave several messes offish away to friends who livedalong the way. We also received afew gifts in return like a gallon jugof the fruit of the vine. When wegot home and cleaned the fish,we needed Aunt Minnie to cookthem. She said she would cookthem up for us tomorrow. TheCarp and Buffalo were known tobe quite bony, and a pressurecooker was used to soften up thebones making the fish eatable.Aunt Minnie confiscated thegrape juice and said she wouldshare on special occasions.

A meal of fresh fish was hard tobeat topped off with hushpup-pies, fried tatters, cabbage slaw,

and a big glass of tea. Eachspring when the mighty Elk Riverbroke it banks and covered the

bottom land, we repeated the tra-dition of catching our share offish using the chicken wire net.

Catching carp and buffalo in the flooded corn fields


Scout House renovation project

Rep. Danny Crawford, R-Athens, came by Athens CityHall this week to deliver a

$2,500 check to Mayor RonnieMarks for the Scout House reno-vation project. The TVA-in-lieu-of-tax grant will go toward renovation.

The City of Athens owns the1930s-era Scout House and hasleased it to Athens Arts Leaguewith the challenge to renovate theiconic site and re-purpose it into amusic venue. Athens Arts League,with assistance from Keep Athens-

Limestone Beautiful, alreadyraised enough funds to refurbishand landscape the front and israising funds to refurbish the re-mainder of the exterior and inte-rior. Boy Scouts and Girl Scoutsare assisting as well. For more in-

formation about saving the ScoutHouse and supporting a localmusic venue, contact Diane Lehrby email at [email protected].

THE VALLEY

STAR

To advertise, please contact

Sonny Turner | 256-431-5498,

Danny Johnson | [email protected]

Kathy Thornton | 256-777-1425

If you had to list all the difficul-ties you are currently gothrough in your life, how long

would that list be? Some listsmight be very short, while othercould fill an entire notebook. Nomatter what stage of life we arein, it always feels like there issome sort of problem to dealwith. It may be problems withfriends, family, school, work, sick-ness, a death in the family,money trouble, etc. It’s very easyto start questioning God duringthese difficult times. We ask our-selves questions like, “Why doesGod allow me to hurt?” We maytell ourselves that when we be-came a Christian, it was sup-posed to get easier.

Let me suggest something to you.God never promised an easy life,but he did promise eternal life.Just because we call ourselvesChristians does not mean that lifewill get any easier. In fact, quitethe opposite is true. Jesus toldHis apostles, “If the world hatesyou, keep in mind that it hatedme first” (John 15:18). Godmakes the “sun to rise on the eviland on the good, and sends rainon the just and on the unjust”(Matthew 5:45). We always askourselves why good things hap-pen to bad people while badthings happen to good people.But don’t good things happen toboth bad and good people? Anddon’t bad things happen to bothgood and bad people?

So why is life so difficult? Whycan’t life be fun and easy? Whydo we have to go through sick-ness and pain? Why do we havehardships and difficulties? First,we need to understand that manbrought sin into this world, notGod (see Genesis 1-3). Sure, Godgave us freewill and the ability tochoose to do right or wrong, butthat is not the same as God mak-ing our lives difficult. If I’m truly

being honest with myself, most ofthe difficulties I have in my lifeare the fault of no one but myself.I can’t blame God.

The second thing we need to un-derstand is that God does not likeseeing us suffer. God loved us somuch that He sent His only Sonto die on the cross so that youand I can have relief from this sinstricken world (John 3:16).

The third thing we need to under-stand is this: I am a firm believerthat a difficult life here on earthwill only make heaven that muchbetter. Matthew 10:22 says, “Youwill be hated by everyone be-cause of Me, but the one whostands firm to the end will besaved.”

Yes, life is difficult. Yes, there aretimes I wish life would be easier.However, we can’t blame God andwe can’t give up. God wants eachone of us to be with him inheaven (2 Peter 3:9). “Jesus toldHis disciples, ‘If anyone wouldcome after me, let him deny him-self and take up his cross and fol-low me. For whoever would savehis life will lose it, but whoeverloses his life for my sake will findit. For what will it profit a man if

he gains the whole world and for-feits his soul? Or what shall aman give in return for his soul?”

(Matthew 16:24-26)

It’s time we take up our cross andfollow Him.


SEARCHING FOR TRUTH by Kevin Harrington, Marion Street Chuch of Christby Kevin Harrington, Marion Street Chuch of Christ

MarionStreetchurch of Christ

124 N. Marion Street

256-232-1786

Website: www.marionstreet.org

SERVICES

Sunday - Manor Service 8:30 a.m.

Worship 9:30 a.m.

Bible Class 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday - Bible Class 6:30 p.m.

Evangelist - Kevin Harrington

Kevin Harrington

Taking My Cross


ALEXANDER, CORDER, & SHELLY, P.C.ALEXANDER, CORDER, & SHELLY, P.C.ALEXANDER, CORDER, & SHELLY, P.C.

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FREECONSULTATIONS

So call or email us today to schedule your appointment.

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Jefferson Street at Green Street

Athens, AL 35611

256-232-1130

Our #1 goal is to provide the best legal representationfor each and every person that we work with.



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• Personal Injury- Automobile Accidents

- Workman’s Compensation

- 18-Wheeler Accidents

- Products Liability

• Social Security Disability

• General Law- Litigation

- Corporate and LLC Formations

- Real Estate Closings & Title Insurance

- Landlord — Tenant Matters

- Real Property Issues

• Family Law- Divorce

- Guardianship

- Custody

- Wills and Probate

James M. Corder

[email protected]

No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the legal services performed by other lawyers.

Mitch Shelly

[email protected]

Zac Burgreen

[email protected]

by Flo Doughtyby Flo Doughtyby Flo Doughty


We are very blessed tohave an active founda-tion in our community

who works every single day to de-feat childhood cancer! Here aresome ways you can help them!Coming up we have two eventsyou can go ahead and mark onyour calendars so you can helpus defeat this beast of childhoodcancer!

On May 20th at Lindsay LaneBaptist Church join us for thefourth annual Eli’s Block Party,and help raise money for child-hood brain cancer. This is ajudged show with trophies, andcash prizes for registered partici-pants. Winners are invited to adinner in December for an exclu-sive car show. Eli’s Block Party isfree to attend for the public, andanyone can bring a vehicle andshow it off for free. Enjoy music,food, and vendors, too.

Help us BLAST Childhood Cancerat Superhero Day this year onSeptember 9th! This is a freecommunity awareness event thatincludes The Defenders of Hopekid’s activities competition, TheFlash Dash Family Walk, TheSuper Shear (hair donations),Community Heroes, Super Car

Show, Super Secret CostumeContest, The Brick House LegoCompetition, Prizes, Music, Food,and Realistic Superheroes! Digout your mask and cape fromyour closet, and mark your calen-dar! If you would like to partici-pate as a sponsor, or join theDefenders of Hope and host akid’s activity booth, contact us atEli’s Block Party Foundation [email protected]! Re-member, if you are interested ingrowing your hair out for donationyou can donate your lovely locksin the Super Shear at SuperheroDay! You’ve got several months togrow it out, and make a 12-inchdonation to Wigs 4 Kids at thehands of professional stylists whowill be at Superhero Day. Wigs 4Kids donates their wigs to chil-dren who have lost hair due todisease or treatment, there is nocharge to the families at all.

How you can help defeat childhood cancer

Luke Coenen at Superhero Day

last year.

HORSE SENSEHORSE SENSEHORSE SENSE by Jim Swannerby Jim Swannerby Jim Swanner


Being a Good Boarder…Your Responsibilities

Iam writing thisarticle from ahorse boarding

facility’s perspec-tive and what isexpected. The rea-son is, I own a

horse boarding facility and it’swhat I expect from my boardersand sometimes have to demandfrom some. They are in numericalorder but not necessarily in the

order of importance becauseevery aspect of the boarder is im-portant.

1. Pay your boarding fee on time.Why, because it’s difficult forsomeone to care for your horse(s)without the proper financial sup-port that has been agreed upon.There is a lot of cost in keepingup and maintaining your pasture.There is the reseeding, fertilize,weed treatment, fencing, repairs,

shelters, etc, not to mention thetime involved in the upkeep.

2. Respect for the facility’s open-ing and closing hours.If you really need to visit the barnoutside of the business hours, bepolite and give the barn owner asmuch notice as you can. Ofcourse, extenuating circum-stances happen, but do your bestto let the people who care foryour horse know you need to bethere early or late. Remember,this is a business and oftentimesyou have to be checked behind toensure everything is closed upand turned off correctly.

3. Clean up after Yourself.I cannot stress this enough. Noone wants to clean up after you,as much as you don’t want toclean up after someone else. Ifyou and your horse put it there,clean it up; if you opened it, closeit; if you turned it on, turn it off;do the right thing. Facility upkeepisn’t easy. Do your part. I have im-plemented a $10.00 per occur-rence if I have to clean up afteryour horse. Usually there are onlya couple of people in a facilitythst cause these rules to be im-plemented. Disrespectful people..

4. Read your Boarding Agreement.Your signed agreement is a legaland binding contract. Follow allthe guidelines set forth within it.

5. If you want to change barns,do so.You don’t always need to providea reason—just adhere to yourboarding agreement on timelines

for notice. Pay your board ontime, or make other arrange-ments if necessary well in ad-vance, or be prepared forwhatever consequences might beoutlined in your boarding doc.Boarding barns—small and large—are often a business, and it’s im-portant to understand why therules, regulations, and require-ments of a boarding agreementare put in place.

6. If the facility requires you to pro-vide feed for your horses, do so.

7. A reliable boarding facilitycares for your horses. When the owner tells you yourhorse is in need of something;farrier; deworming; feed, etc, it isyour responsibility to take careand provide these things, not thefacilities responsibility unless it’sin the agreement.

8. Be a responsible Horse Owner.It’s your responsibility to visit yourhorse and observe your horse forthings it may need, Veterinariancare, farrier care. Go visit yourhorse at least twice per week orget rid of your horse.

9. Be respectful of the property,it’s not yours.Follow ALL the rules and policies.No exception……

Jim Swanner13124 Carter RoadAthens, AL 35611

www.JimSwanner.comEnjoying Horses through

Communication256.874.6781

Jim Swanner

StricklandStricklandDirt Works, LLC

Services Include:White Gravel • Stone • Fill Dirt • Top SoilPonds • Basements • Property Clearning

Rusty & Russell Strickland

(256) 771-3857Rusty & Russell Strickland

(256) 771-3857Rusty & Russell Strickland

(256) 771-3857

25YEARS

EXP25

YEARS

EXP

Mar 10th & 11th — The2017 Limestone CountyHome and Garden ShowFriday from 5pm-8pm andSaturday from 8am-4pm.Admission is $2.00 for oneday and $3.00 for two daysat the Limestone CountyEvent Center 114 WestPryor Street in Athens. Formore information: 256-232-2600

Mar 11th — Cabela’s KingKat Tournament Trail onWheeler Lake starting at6:30AM until 3:00PMlaunching from Ingall’s Har-bor. All anglers must be inweigh-in line by 4 p.m. Mustbe a member of the KingKat Association to fish thisevent. A one-year member-ship is $30. To pre-register,kingkatusa.com or 502-384-5924. Fuel, supplies,and food are available atthe Lucy’s Branch MarinaMile Marker 287 on theTennessee River.www.lucysbranch.com

Mar 12th — 2-S Spring Se-ries 2017 Join 2-S Arena fortheir Spring Series 2017Barrel Racing Series at the

2-S Arena 26155 ThachRoad in Athens, Alabamastarting with Exhibition Bar-rels at 12:00PM to 2:30PMwith the show starting at3:00PM. Membership is$25.00 for individuals;Family $40.00 (samehousehold) Day Permits:$10.00; class competitionrates vary. For more infor-mation: Mindy Sanders256-278-5758 or WilSanders 256-246-0628

Mar 16th — The Cadillacsat Yesterday’s SeniorLunch Matinee Show at15631 Brownsferry Road inAthens. March’s featuredperformers will be the TheCadillacs with a collectionof Oldies, Doo-Wop and OldCountry.. All seating is re-served - $12.00 each,groups are seated together,doors open 10:30am,events start at 11AM withseating, opening an-nouncements, blessing,and lunch, with show begin-ning about 12 noon.(About1 hour show) They have busparking available, e-mailreservations are [email protected].

Mar 18th — Rocket City TenMiler in Mooresville, AL.Join the Huntsville TrackClub for this 10 Mile HTC

Grand Prix event throughscenic Mooresville - Al-abama’s oldest town. Racestarts at 8:00AM. For moreinformation: Valerie Con-naughton, (256) 337-0417.

Mar 25th — Heartland An-glers Bass Tournament DIV1 Wheeler / Elk River (LeeHigh Ramp US72) SafeLight until 3PM Open to theweekend angler. Member-ship: $35; TournamentFees: $50; Lunker: $10.Matt Leicher ~ 256-777-9843 E-mail: [email protected] orDoc Dumas ~ 256-497-0084

Mar 25th — JoinMooresville Mercantile inwelcoming Spring by enjoythe crafters, artists, smallbusinesses and communityorganizations that jointhem under the trees from9:30AM to 2:00PM at 5081Mooresville Road inMooresville, AL. The SpringGathering is being held inconjunction with the SheepShearing Day at 1818Farms.

Mar 31st — Join the City ofAthens Relay for Life teamand the Limestone CountyCattleman Association for aRibeye Steak SandwichFundraiser at Friendship

Church, 16479 Lucas FerryRoad in Athens from11:00AM-1:00PM. Cost is$10.00 for eat in or carryout.

April 1,8,15,22,& 29 AprilWalking Tours As part ofthe Alabama200 Bicenten-nial, there will be 26 townsacross the state offeringfree guided walking tourseach Saturday in April at 10a.m. and is approximately 1hour long. Check with Ala-bama Tourism Departmentwww.alabama.travel ForAthens, check with Athens Vis-itor Center or Athens Chamberof Commerce/ Tourism.



BUYING•SELLING•RENTING•BUILDING…We Have the Solution

600 Horton StreetAthens • $36,000

MLS#1061396

901 W. Prior Street W.Athens • $63,600

MLS#1060434

29958 Lester RoadW. Limestone • $72,000

MLS#1061508

507 W. 1st Ave. W.Athens • $73,900

MLS#1060791

NEW LISTING! NEW LISTING! NEW LISTING! NEW LISTING!

15308 Line RoadAthens • $119,900

MLS#1061367

25405 Cedar AvenueElkmont • $127,900

MLS#1061140

17358 Sledge RoadClements • $154,900

MLS#1061059

183 Rolling Brook DriveLauderdale Co. • $164,459

MLS#1057896

NEW LISTING! NEW LISTING! NEW LISTING! NEW LISTING!


22232 Merlot DriveAthens • $250,000

MLS#1044133

PRICE REDUCED!

25575 Gray Stone DriveE. Limestone • $224,000

MLS# 1024234

13597 Shaw RoadClements • $235,000

MLS#1059923

183 Rolling Brook DriveLauderdale Co. • $164,459

MLS#1057896

17961 Davis StreetAthens • $198,000

MLS#1016977

2087 N Looney Road WElement • $129,900

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12526 U.S. Why 31 SAthens • $139,900

MLS#1049640

Curtis LaneClements • $139,900

MLS#1049908

22153 N. Yarbrough RoadElkmont • $72,900

MLS#1058943

Henry DriveAthens • $64,900

MLS#1037289

Tract 2 Poplar Creek Rd.Clements • $25,000

MLS#1059893

Fort Hampton RoadElkmont • $250,000

MLS#1056029

15530 Curtis LaneClements • $139,000

MLS#1059857

SOLD

!!!

SOLD!!!

NEW construction!PRICE REDUCED! PRICE REDUCED!

PENDING!!

14160 Hunter RoadEast Limestone - $255,000

MLS#1042941

5796 Bay Hill DriveClements - $199,000

MLS#1042157

POOL!!

5799 Bay Village DriveClements • $1,050 mo.

MLS#1050651

16234 E. Glenn Valley Dr.Athens • $950/mo.

MLS#1057366

407 Washington StreetAthens • $950/mo.

MLS#1059309

TN River

Commercial For Sale

Land & LotsFor Sale

RENTALS

24362 Sycamore Lane

Elkmont • $10,000

MLS#1039092

16031 Parker Road

Athens • $60,000

MLS#1053024

Shinnecock Hills Drive

Athens • $130,000

MLS#1053216

Land for Sale: Mary Davis Hollow Road, Athens • $14,800

727 W. Market StreetAthens • $184,900

MLS#1047831

free march 10, 2017 star · boys, giggle moon, and funtasia. calico critters and an assortment of...

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