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(12/12/13 2:06am)
he Auburn City Council honored high school athletic teams, approved contracts and made board appointments, Tuesday, Dec. 3.
The council recognized the Auburn High School football team for their achievement this fall.
Friday, Dec. 6, the team will travel to the 6A state playoffs to face Hoover High School.
This year's team is the first in AHS history to compete in the final round of the state playoffs.
The council approved to recognize Friday as "Blue Friday" and Mayor Bill Ham requested citizens show their pride by wearing Auburn High School blue.
The high school also recognized the Auburn High School boys' cross country team for their victory in the Alabama High School Athletic Association 6A State Championship.
The council approved the closing of city streets for the Auburn Chamber Christmas Parade Thursday, Dec. 12 at 5 p.m.
Santa, as well as Aubie, will make an appearance in the parade. The event includes pictures with Santa, a live nativity scene, music and downtown shopping specials.
Before the meeting adjourned, city council members Arthur Dowdell and Robin Kelley addressed concerns of alleged racial discrimination in the fire department that were mentioned in the Nov. 19 meeting.
Dowdell wants to change the hiring practices of minorities in the fire department because he believes racial discrimination is present in the department, while Kelley disagrees.
The council also approved alcoholic beverage license for Taqueria Y Carniceria La Plaza on 1627 S. College St.
(11/25/13 8:45pm)
Who knew a simple disposable camera could teach kids moral lessons such as how to be better leaders and citizens?
This semester, with the help of Auburn students, a group of children ranging from 6-12 years old, learned how to express themselves through photography, writing and drawing in a pilot program called Be You: A Citizen Photography Project.
"There's a disconnect on what's being focused on in the schools, so the family environment and the personal characteristic environment at home are separated," said Mary Afton Day, senior in public administration and civic and community engagement. "We realized that art, critical thinking and writing were main issues that needed to be focused on."
Day organized the program as part of her capstone project, along with assistance from the Ridgecrest Housing Community.
She encouraged the kids to discover what makes them unique, how to express themselves and how to solve issues in their community they are passionate about.
"I learned that it doesn't take much to help kids or make an impact because even if they don't admit it, they enjoy having someone there who listens to them and have someone to talk to and engage with," said Morgan Allison, senior in mechanical engineering. "It doesn't take much. Even if you don't see results, over time, the stuff that you do really does make an impact."
Day said she wanted the kids to learn about themselves, because she said she feels individuality is not a bad thing, and it can be taken and ran with to really create a better leader and citizen for tomorrow.
The group met Tuesday afternoons to discuss how to be better leaders in the community and be creative in solving issues facing their communities.
One week, Day gave the children a disposable camera and told them to photograph scenes demonstrating their uniqueness.
"My favorite part was when we took the pictures and we had to write about them," said 9-year-old Jamiyah. "I took a picture of a flower. My granddad, he died in the U.S. Army. The flower and my granddaddy are connected because I put flowers on his grave."
Another week, the kids were asked to think about leadership characteristics.
They were given a popsicle-stick frame made out of four sticks, and asked to write one leadership quality on each stick.
Jamiyah said the lesson helped her "learn about leadership - like help anyone she should be nice. Because you have to follow those to be a good leader."
Allison said he worked with one student in particular throughout the project and said he was lucky to mentor the boy.
"I think I helped him change because he needed someone who was there, who he could count on and someone who listened," Allison said. "Not saying that he didn't have that, but he needed someone in the program to show him that he didn't need to act like a tough guy."
Day said the object of the project was not to change the children's outlook or their maturity, but to allow them to be children in a constructive environment.
"They have grown up so much faster than any of us realized," Day said. "Even though I was 10-15 years older than most of these kids, it was unfathomable to what they have seen, what they have heard and the way they act."
Day said he understands that even though they're young, they have dynamic feelings like all people.
"You are pretty much dealing with small adults, size-wise they are small, and they're mature in some ways more so in the world than you would expect for an 8-year-old," Day said.
The pilot project began in the Ridgecrest Community, but will spread to the other five Auburn Housing Authority communities.
"Be You was really an effort to show them their greatness. I know that's not a wonderful way to describe it because it doesn't have a deep meaning," Day said. "It's hard to put words to what those kids accomplished, especially what they taught me and definitely the other volunteers."
(11/20/13 5:16am)
The Auburn City Council met Tuesday, Nov. 19, to discuss board vacancies, traffic developments, the purchase of the Auburn Depot, but Council member Arthur Dowdell dominated the meeting with claims of racial discrimination.
Two men spoke on behalf of Christopher Turner during Citizens' Communications. Turner is an African-American firefighter suing the Auburn Fire Department for alleged racial discrimination after he was demoted from lieutenant to firefighter.
Turner's attorney, Julian McPhillips demanded the council to eliminate the fire department assessment test, which screens candidates for promotion.
"Eighteen years and we have not had a black promoted," Dowdell said during the meeting. "Only because we have allowed the assessment center to be there and it should be deleted, it should not even be there. But we got it there. To me, it's there only to predicate things upon black firefighters."
Dowdell said he is concerned, as an elected official, with what he sees in the city.
"Do we really look like America?" Dowdell said. "We aren't going any place. We got black and white, rich and poor."
Dowdell did admit the Auburn Police Division fit his qualifications and reflected America.
"We believe our hiring and promotional practices are race-neutral," said Charlie Duggan, city manager. "Race does not play a part in our decision making. We hire and promote the most qualified candidates for the job."
Duggan assured professionals with experience and background in fire service run the assessment center.
"They come in, and they rate individuals on a number of criteria, not just the test. They put them through a number of exercises," Duggan said. "We believe the most qualified are identified and promoted."
While McPhillips was at the stand, he passed envelopes filled with case details to all council members and the press.
Mayor Bill Ham could not answer questions, because the lawsuit lists him, along with many other city officials, as defendants in the case.
"I thoroughly, faithfully, believe this city is fair in all of its practices and the council has no authority in hiring anybody," Ham said. "I personally think that's a good thing. It's unfortunate that these accusations are out there, but certainly that's what lawyers do."
Dowdell followed these accusations toward city officials with concerns that school principals have expressed racial issues in the school system to him.
"I'm not going to retire from this city council or somebody defeat me until we see change for all of the people in the city of Auburn," Dowdell said. "And let the record know that I was the first to say students should have a voice in this city council. Let's be realistic, we all know why we don't allow students to be here when we have elections."
In reply, Ham said that for the past two city elections, Auburn University was in session for the fall semester.
In other council news,
* Current city code restricts solicitation from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Phelan proposed the code be altered to 8 a.m. until dark.
* The council approved alcoholic beverage license for J and S Food Mart at 1700 Opelika Road, and a no parking zone stretching from 600 to 604 Edgewood Drive.
* It also approved a development agreement between the city and Eastwynn Theaters, Carmike Wynnsong Cinemas, to redevelop the area to make infrastructure improvements in order to redevelop the facility.
* Approved four planning commission recommendations dealing with the Auburn Club Fitness Center, Initial Outfitters, Project Special K and Vapor Craft of Auburn.
* Approved a sewer study conducted by Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc. to evaluate the sewer system's sufficiency rates and sewer operational fees.
* Approved a contract with C.W. Smith Decorating Co. to complete sealant and wall restoration work at the Douglas J. Watson Municipal Complex. The cost of the restoration is $201,083 to include labor, equipment and materials.
* Approved a preliminary engineering agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation to install stagger traffic signals to control traffic in the City. The council approved to match the funding of the project. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $760,500 with federal funding through the Metropolitan Planning Organization of $608,400 (80%) and City match funding of $152,100 (20%).
* Approved various drainage and utility easements for One-Sixty Ross Subdivision and 2025 Brenton Lane.
* Appointed Rex Griffin to the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Metropolitan Planning Organization. His term is effective immediately and will end March 8, 2017.
* Appointed Bobby Poole and Doug Klinkenborg to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. The terms expire March 8, 2017.
* The council approved for the Industrial Board to purchase the Auburn Depot, located at 104, 120 and 124 Mitcham Ave., for economic development.
(11/15/13 9:35pm)
A short drive down Highway 14 in Loachapoka is a passage back in time to the home of the Lee County Historical Society's Trade Center Museum and heritage town.
"For us, preserving our past is extremely important," said Deborah McCord, secretary for the Lee County Historical Society. "We have artifacts and documents that, if we had not been here, would have been lost. These are things like signed deeds from the Creek Indians who lived here, land documents and journals from the general stores in this area."
The Lee County Historical Society was founded in 1968 to preserve the surrounding area's history, documents and educate the public about East Alabama. The Society also restores, preserves and presents historical artifacts from the area.
The historical museum is completely volunteer-operated, and many of these volunteers are middle-aged or older.
"We try to teach people historical crafts from the area including spinning, weaving, quilting, blacksmith, pottery, soap making, basket weaving and other heritage crafts," McCord said. "Our heritage gardens have 10 historical buildings on site. Part of our mission here is to keep these buildings and their contents preserved and in good working order for the public to see."
The Lee County Historical Society's Pioneer Park holds 10 historic buildings and exhibits from the area. The buildings were built during the mid-1800s and the Lee County Historical Society worked to preserve the historical artifacts.
"The Lee County Historical Society brings a sense of who we are," said Charles Mitchell, vice president of the Lee County Historical Society. "All of us are a product of our heritage. Some of us have experienced Lee County all of our lives."
Mitchell explains the Society strives to preserve and share the human history of this part of the South and has done so since 1968, amazingly, with only volunteers.
History is more than artifacts and old buildings, McCord explains, because history teaches us about our ancestors and how society has progressed to modern times.
"We feel like we are a quite vital source for information on the East Alabama of 1850," said Jeannette Frandsen, president of the Lee County Historical Society. "Granted, we have many other items of later vintage, but we try to do the old-timey crafts and projects of early settlement times."
Saturday, the Society will hold December's Second Saturday. The event features a heritage garden walk, blacksmith demonstrations and a performance from the dulcimer group, Whistle Stop Pickers. Frandsen said it will be a day for both the young and old to experience seasonal food and holiday crafts.
"The school field trips that we schedule are my favorite because we are teaching kids about things that won't be anywhere else in this area," McCord said. "Especially as accessible as we are to the surrounding counties and the surrounding school systems."
McCord, a retired school teacher, said she enjoys educating the public about the area's history. The Society holds various events throughout the year and welcomes school children to attend various field trips.
"You can see the excitement in the children when kids learn about the past," McCord said. "We try to have hands-on things so they just aren't reading about history in a textbook or hearing their teacher lecture."
In October, Pioneer Park was the home to the 42nd annual Historical Fair called Syrup Sopping.
"Here they see it demonstrated in the blacksmith's shop, the pioneer living, one-room school house, the spinning, weaving, the Creek heritage, heritage gardens," McCord said. "All those things they get to see and actually put their hands on. They can taste, see and feel. I really think our education program is the most exciting."
Learning works as the staple to the Society, and their preservation of local history motivates them to ensure it stays prominent, McCord said.
"I feel our history is so important. It's my history and your history. Everyone who is from here, this is our history," McCord said. "It tells about our ancestors, tells about our neighbors. It's something that I hope will be passed down to more generations."
McCord said history alters people's perspective of how life was like in the past and how events shaped our future.
"Preserving the past is what we do best," Fransden said. "And we do try to collect and record things used in those early days."
The Pioneer Park and museum is open Wednesday through Friday, 12:30-5 p.m. The museum is open on Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
(11/08/13 9:00pm)
The majority of the Nov. 5 Auburn City Counci meeting, after a three-week hiatus from the last meeting Oct. 15, consisted of a quick discussion of traffic control ordinance, utility easements and closing of the streets for the Auburn Christmas parade.
The parade will be held Dec. 6 and is hosted by the Auburn Chamber of Commerce. The council agreed to shut down portions of Gay Street, Thatch Avenue, College Street and Glenn Avenue.
Also approved was a road-paving agreement between the city of Auburn and Lee County.
Parts of Mrs. James Road or Lee Road 081 are in the county and others are in the city. The county engineer recieved a good price for the job valued at $204,921.71 from East Alabama Paving Company, Inc.
The city will remburse the county for the cost of resurfacing the portion of Mrs. James Road that is maintained by the city.
The Council approved a service agreement with Allcomm Wireless, Inc for the city's 911 management system. The company will provide technical assistance, site response, 24/7 remote equipment diagnostics and software/firmware support for the city's 911 equipment at a cost of $23,125.50 for one year.
This is an annual contract that ensures citizens are in constant communication with the Emergency Management System.
The Council approved the purchase of 15 sets of turnout coats and pants for the fire department at a cost of $24,345 and one 2014 Ford F-150 Supercab pickup truck at a value of $21,930 for Environmental Services.
They also approved utility agreement with Southern Natural Gas Company for pipeline relocation costs for $19,720.
The agreement costs include preliminary engineering, preparation of design drawings and environmental evaluation.
The Council approved drainage and utility easements at Mimms Trail Subdivision and the southeast corner of Moores Mill and Grove Hill Roads.
Three people were appointed to the Tree Commission: Chuck Furlow, Steve Eden and Ed Lowenstein. The term expires, Nov, 7, 2016.
The city decided to continue a development agreement with WBB, LLC Hyundai of Auburn located at 823 Opelika Road.
The Council recognized Tim Youngblood as November's employee of the month.
Edward Charles Howard of water resource management was recognized for his 29 years of service and was recognized as a retiring employee.
Catrina Cook from the environmental services department and Houston Manning from the parks and recreation department received 15-year service pins.
(11/06/13 2:33am)
The Auburn City Council recognized Tim Youngblood as November's employee of the month.
Catrina Cook from the environmental services department and Houston Manning from the parks and recreation department received 15-year service pins.
Edward Charles Howard of water resource management was recognized for his 29 years of service and was recognized as a retiring employee.
The city is not in a development agreement with WBB, LLC Hyundai of Auburn located at 823 Opelika Road.
The Council approved the purchase of 15 sets of turnout coats and pants for the fire department at a cost of $24,345.
The Council also approved a service agreement with Allcomm Wireless, Inc for the city's 911 management system. The company will provide technical assistance, site response, 24/7 remote equipment diagnostics, and software/firmware support for the city's 911 equipment at a cost of $23,125.50 for one year.
Additionally, the Council approved the purchase of one 2014 Ford F-150 Supercab pickup truck at a value of $21,930.
They also approved utility agreement with Southern Natural Gas Company for pipeline relocation costs for $19,720. The agreement costs include preliminary engineering, preparation of design drawings and environmental evaluation.
The Council approved drainage and utility easements at Mimms Trail Subdivision and the southeast corner of Moores Mill and Grove Hill Roads. Mimms Trail Subdivision was approved for a sewer easement.
Three people were appointed to the Tree Commission -- Chuck Furlow, Steve Eden and Ed Lowenstein.
(10/24/13 5:45pm)
Update, Oct. 24, 10:45 a.m.:
Two juveniles, a 16-year-old and 17-year-old, both of Opelika, have been arrested for first-degree robbery, according to a news release sent out by the Auburn Police Division at 10 a.m. Oct. 24.
Wednesday, Oct. 23, the APD responded to a "shots fired" call made at the 200 Block of W. Longleaf Drive.
As officers arrived two persons already known to the officer explained a scenario involving two juveniles, according to the news release.
"[They] entered the apartment and demanded property from the complainant," the release said.
The juveniles allegedly threatened the residents with a weapon.
"An altercation ensued and shots were exchanged between the complainant and the suspects after which the suspects fled," the release said.
Responding officers canvassed the area and located the suspects at the Murphy USA gas station adjoining the Walmart parking lot.
Both were transported to the East Alabama Medical Center Emergency Room for gunshot related injuries before transfer to the Lee County jail. Both bonds are set for $100,000.
(10/17/13 4:10pm)
At the Oct. 15 Auburn City Council meeting tax referendums, construction plans and board vacancies were discussed.
In Auburn University Communications, the SGA liaison reported the Homecoming parade was a success and voiced students' concerns over the current government shutdown.
In Citizens' Communications, an Auburn High School band member questioned the effects and status of the failed tax referendum.
"I think I can speak for the Council and say they too are concerned about the direction we are going and how we are going handle the ongoing growth in the schools," said Mayor Bill Ham. "This Council certainly believes in public education in this community and invests in it with this community's tax dollars heavily and we are equally as concerned going forward as each of you are."
The Frank Brown Recreation Center will receive $334,211 in renovations as part of the racquetball court renovations project. As part of the project, the existing racquetball courts will be reconfigured into fitness areas.
City Manager Charlie Duggan said the money is not able to be transferred to the school budget to help build a new high school.
(10/21/13 5:40pm)
Traveling down Gay Street, you may have noticed three shacks on the front lawn of the Wesley Foundation. These are not shacks, but homes.
Lisa Pierce, founder and director of Alabama Rural Ministries (ARM), is living in a house made of plywood and scrap materials to raise awareness of poverty in Alabama. Pierce moved in Friday, Oct. 11, and will stay until she raises $50,000 as part of her No More Shacks Campaign.
Approching the houses, one expects an endless regurgitation of facts and possibly a lackluster speech on poverty in Alabama, but that is not the case with Pierce's campaign. Pierce brings people into her home and for a few, all-too-brief moments, displays the poverty experience first-hand.
"It's also more of an awareness of the poverty housing and it's a volunteer drive," Pierce said. "We really want to get people hands-on with helping us in the community. It's really to show what sub-standard poverty housing looks like."
So far, ARM has raised $13,000, which will help build four small houses, and $50,000 goal will go to repairing 16 houses.
There are three houses on the lawn this year.Pierce is living in one, Wesley students built the second and the third replicates international poverty housing.
"For us, when we repair a home there are three things we look at." Pierce said. "We are looking to make it warm, safe and dry."
ARM evaluates a home's weatherization to see if the windows and doors are insulated, if the house is handicapped accessible and if the plumbing is in working order.
Pierce said she wants people to have a hands-on experience with poverty.
Guests will feel the splintering wood underneath their finger nails, and the cool breeze flowing through the cracks of the house.
"What we are trying to do is give a visual representation, be a little bit sacrificial in when we stay in it," Pierce said. "Me and others are going to be susceptible to the elements, and engage the everyday person who might want to help out in some way."
She said, there are a lot of Alabamians that live in houses similar to the one she lives in for the week.
"I've been in this when a tropical storm came through and I stayed in it," Pierce said. "That helps people get a visual of what's going on. It's hard for families to live in these conditions and when they just don't have the resources to hire somebody to fix the house."
Pierce asked a group of middle school girls what they would do if their grandparents had to live in a house like this, what happens when it rains or if it is cold outside.
She recieved answers such as: "My grandpa would go off the deep end!"
There are some families that do not have running water or electricity in their houses. Most of the families ARM works with live in their home, so the construction team tries to repair their home to make it better.
When Pierce explained to the girls she sleeps in the "shacks" to raise awareness and fundraise $50,000.
"Let me put (it) into perspective, how much do you think a small car would cost?" Pierce asked. The girls estimated thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
One girl asked if any of the houses Pierce lived in had bathrooms.
"The first house I ever repaired, the family had been living in a bus " Pierce said. "They had about nine kids about your age. The school system found out and gave them a portable classroom, which did not have a bathroom. So we had to help them with their bathroom. "
In Alabama, there is a shortage of 90,000 housing units and rapidly deteriorating homes in the area.
(10/13/13 5:00am)
Don't drink the paint water is the catchphrase.
Spirited Art, a franchised painting studio, offers classes for people wanting to learn the basics of acrylic painting with good friends while sipping good wine.
Each class features a different masterpiece and instructor, taught step-by-step.
"We are mainly about having a good time and you get to leave with something you are proud of and you actually enjoyed doing," said Sarah Canivez, lead teacher and owner of Spirited Art in Auburn. "It's meant to be fun and it's meant to be relaxing."
The studio, located at 3051 Frederick Road in Opelika in the Shoppes at Midtown next to Momma Goldberg's, officially opens Oct. 11.
"The way it works, is we already have a pre-set calendar where we pick most of the paintings on a daily basis," said Vincent Canivez, studio manager and owner. "The way we pick it could be, we like the painting or we've heard people coming to our class saying 'Hey, we really like this kind of painting.' Basically, it's driven by requests or personal interest from us."
Spirited Art offers one class per day starting at 6:30 p.m., and usually takes two - two and a half hours to complete.
All adult classes are $35 each. The Canivez's encourage customers to bring their own food and beverages. The studio also offers summer camps and is working on a Christmas mini-camp.
"Even if they have tried other painting places, we are not all the same," Sarah said. "It's like watching one movie and you don't like it, and decide you don't like movies. You know, maybe give it another shot."
Sarah taught classes at the Spirited Art studio in Huntsville before moving to Auburn. She graduated from Auburn in 2009 with a degree in art and English.
"In college, I got really big into painting, I used to be into drawing super realistic stuff," Sarah said. "Then you start painting and you're like, this is way more fun, because it doesn't have to look exactly like a picture. You can use your creative energy."
All ages are welcome to take classes, and Sarah said she has even taught a group of ladies in their '90s.
"Everyone, even if you're not an artist or someone who is super mathematical or super type-A, you are still going to have a little creative side," Sarah said. "But I think it gives people a way to almost be a kid again, to do something just because it's fun not because you have to or because you have accomplish something."
Vincent, Sarah's husband, was raised in France and attended a French university. As part of his business-school curriculum, he studied abroad in Auburn.
"For the past two years, we have had an entrepreneurial lifestyle," Vincent said. "We try to do our own stuff."
Sarah and Vincent married in 2009 and lived in France for more than a year while Vincent finished graduate school.
While he was in class, Sarah taught English classes, learned graphic design and French.
"We are really adventurous [and] really crazy," Sarah said. "We are kind of fly by the seat of our pants kind of people."
Vincent said professionally, the two are not living a mainstream business life.
"Definitely we love Auburn, that's a big reason why we came. That was our first idea," Vincent said. "We know Auburn, we know the people and we love it."
But making southern routes hasn't always been the Canivez way.
"We lived in France for almost a year and a half. We did the whole city thing. We lived up North, where it's cold," Sarah said. "We decided after that, we are small town people. We like to travel, but as far as making a home, Auburn I think is perfect."
Since settling south, the Canivez's made art their life with Spirited Art and their family has only accommodated.
"We like to take on unusual things, I think," Sarah said. "Like diaper-wearing cats and multiple businesses."
Chubby, their cat, suffers from Spina Bifida, but still rocks an Auburn diaper. Their other cat, Tiger, likes the Auburn Tigers.
"None of it has been planned, one thing has led to another. And we met in a parking lot through a mutual friend," Sarah said. "And then we started dating and never thought it would go anywhere, but we are still here. You make plans and at least with my life apparently, plans don't mean anything to the one who is controlling it."
(10/11/13 1:05pm)
Auburn's Homecoming weekend is packed with traditions, events and the crowning of Miss Homecoming herself. Homecoming is not the usual Auburn game-day weekend because it's loaded with events, such as the parade.
"Homecoming is a great weekend for all kinds of activities and seems more relaxed than other SEC game weekends," said John Wild, president of Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau. "Parents, students and fans can have a good time tailgating, meeting for business reasons and including all the normal game weekend activities."
Wild said he wants people to see the benefits and additional activities homecoming weekend provides. Wild said there are new restaurants and shops in the area that were not open last season.
Wild said for the past several years, the tourism bureau monitored hotel occupancy rates and homecoming does not have the same draw as other games throughout the season. Wild said a good game weekend brings in as much as $1 million in revenue from lodging, while homecoming may bring in only half.
"In terms of the actual impact, as compared to our current schedule, it's going to be minimal. We already have containers downtown for recycling and any bottles that we collect, which we hope there are not many bottles," said Tim Woody, director of environmental services. "Any plastic bottles, glass bottles any cardboard that we collect by cleanup efforts, we automatically recycle. We do that as a part of our operations anyway."
Woody said on a typical game day weekend, a crew will monitor downtown Friday night, clean up Saturday after the game and then Sunday morning a crew cleans the entire area.
The new tradition of rolling the wires instead of trees causes some changes in regards to cleanup.
"We use one of our KnuckleBoom trucks, they collect yard debris out of yards with a big claw," Woody said. "We bring that big truck down there and we have some poles a few of our guys made out of PVC pipe."
The pipes are used remove tissue from the wires, the KnuckleBoom truck picks up the piles and the street sweeper takes care of the rest.
"Then we will come in Sunday and clean up before folks start venturing downtown to go to church and eat at restaurants," Woody said. "I would assume to expect that as the season progresses and we keep winning, and have other schools coming to town, we will have more material to clean up, which we hope we do."
Bill James, director of public safety, said the majority of the city's police officers are assigned to work game days.
"Sometimes there are more events going on around homecoming and we generally staff some of those, depending what the event is," James said. "Homecoming in itself, not a whole lot. It's another game day."
James said the parade "is something extra," but believes Homecoming is "nothing more than a regular football game."
(10/13/13 5:00am)
Proper approval and mere licenses are the only two roadblocks stopping the John Emerald Distilling Company from opening.
The father and son owner's, John and Jimmy Sharp, final approval for the distillery will be heard at the next Opelika Planning Commission meeting, Oct. 22. The distillery plans to open early 2014.
"John Emerald is my grandfather's first and middle name," said Jimmy Sharp, head distiller. "That's kind of the theme of our business, is all of the products are named after family members."
The distillery's signature products are John's Alabama Single Malt Whiskey, Hugh Wesley's Gin, Spurgeon's Rum and Gene's Spiced Rum.
All of the products are named after Sharp family members.
"The idea is making this product honoring our forefathers, or ancestors, if you will," Sharp said. "We are creating a tradition. There is not currently a tradition for Alabama whiskey. And so it's kind of like an open slate to be defined. We feel spirits can be a product that can be associated with the community and be part of the identity of the community."
Sharp owned a plaster company and after shutting down the company, Sharp and his father decided to open a distillery. Sharp said it is illegal to home distill, but is legal to home brew.
"They hear distillery and 'Oh, what kind of beer are you going to make?'" Sharp said. "It's not beer, it's different."
Craft distilling is often synonymous with micro-distilling, but Sharp said the latter is the preferred term by people in the industry.
Sharp said he plans to build a glass wall separating the stills from the public tasting area. That way, people can watch the process, but be behind glass.
"Craft distilling was at the same point craft breweries were 15 years ago," Sharp said. "We started going to school, did an internship in Scotland and went to some schools out West. We just got as much knowledge as we could."
Sharp said craft distilling implies a small operation most organizations define as producing less than 100,000 gallons per year.
Oct. 1, the City of Opelika approved craft distilleries, such as the John Emerald Distilling Company, may produce no more than 75,000 gallons annually.
"Everything is more hands on," Sharp said. "Even down to bottling, we bottle it by hand. There's no automated anything really, from start to finish it's a hands-on process."
The distillery will also operate a season simulator as a way around aging the whiskey for 10 years.
Sharp said a storage room will be heated for a week, left alone and cooled for a week to simulate the four seasons.
"I think the distillery is going to bring in a lot of tourism," Sharp said. "Every small distillery I've visited told us that they are bombarded by tourists. All of them, in the first six months, had to hire someone to deal with that. Bus loads came in to visit these places."
The distillery is located at 706 N. Railroad Ave. in the previous Railroad Art location.
"Our feature product is our single malt whiskey," Sharp said. "Basically because our family heritage goes back to Scotland and I've always enjoyed scotch myself."
Sharp said the Distillery will use as many Alabama products as they can.
A large portion of the sugar used in production will come from Alabama sugar cane.
"But we are going to smoke ours with local woods, predominately peach and pecan woods," Sharp said. "So to kind of give it more of a local flare, we are also making rum."
(10/04/13 3:20am)
Auburn City Council met Tuesday, Oct. 1, to discuss street closings, board appointments and alcoholic beverage licenses. The Citizens Communication brought discussions of racism in the fire department and questioned the Council's support of schools.
Julian McPhillips, of McPhillips Shinbaum, LLP in Montgomery, represents Christopher Turner, an Auburn firefighter.
McPhillips said Auburn's population is approximately half black and half white, however according to the 2010 Census, Auburn is approximately 75 percent white and 16.5 percent black.
"Few blacks are being hired to begin with, and whites with much less experience and time on the job are being promoted, while blacks are being denied," McPhillips said.
McPhillips said no black people have been promoted by the fire department since 1996.
"Auburn's fire department, in its defense, says that in order to be promoted, the fireman must pass an assessment center validation. And Mr. Turner has not done that, they say," McPhillips said. "We say, the assessment center requirement is frankly a ruse or pretext that allows the Auburn Fire Department to discriminate against black employees, especially in promotion."
Council member Arthur Dowdell of Ward 1, said the firefighter assessment test is not designed to take into account experience. He said the test asks difficult and often trick questions.
"We ought to eradicate or delete, as far as I'm concerned, the assessment center at our discretion, we could do that," Dowdell said. "I think it's time we look at the fire department and see [that] it does not look like America."
"And we must look at this and see there is something remiss, there's something wrong in the Auburn Fire Department," Dowdell said. "It seems like we are not going forwards, we are regressing."
The city defended their practices citing a history of equality.
"We use race-neutral hiring practices when they hire, or promote," said Bill James, director of Auburn Public Safety.
He said every city department uses race-neutral standards of practice when hiring or promoting.
When asked if racial claims had been made before, James said, "Yes, there have been some allegations."
(10/06/13 1:15pm)
After 10 years, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest accreditation for a museum.
"It's sort of the industry's gold housekeeping seal of approval, if you will," said Charlotte Hendrix, print and digital media producer for the museum. "It lists that we are sound, and it can be used when applying for grant funds, going to donors they see that we have this industry seal of approval."
The nation has more than 17,500 museums but only 1,005 are accredited.
"Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile -- those are accredited museums, but Auburn has the only University art museum that's accredited in the state," Hendrix said. "That's something that's a great source of pride for people attending school here and our alumni.
"The museum has both a University and community audience. We work with faculty, staff and students at the University, but we also have people who live and work here in the community that we want to provide with unparalleled art experiences and quality programming."
The AAM are advocates for museums, provide development resources and hold museums to standards of practice.
"It can also help with if we were to bring in a particular exhibition or borrow items from a museum's collection," Hendrix said. "They'll see we have been checked off for having good practices. For some exhibitions, it can be a requirement and it just lets people in our community know we are among the industry leaders."
One of the first steps in the accreditation process is implementing the Museum Assessment Program. The museum is reviewed from the mission statement to how the museum works with different audiences.
"From there, there was a site visit by peer reviewers where they came and looked at everything from how our storage area, our preservation area for art, is kept," Hendrix said. "They looked at how we hold the collection in the public trust and how well we manage that, how well we manage things operationally."
Hendrix said museums must be open for a period of time before submitting an accreditation application. She also said the museum's advisory board and staff knew accreditation was a goal.
"It's part of our ongoing celebration which will culminate, Oct. 4, when we open the first-ever outdoor sculpture exhibition called 'Out of the Box,'" Hendrix said. "That will be on view for one year, and we had artists from all over the country submit entries."
More than 100 entries from 70 different artists were submitted.
The artistic team then narrowed the entries to 10 finalists.
Hendrix said sculpture has been the focus for the semester.
Currently, Jean Woodham, Auburn alumna and noted sculptor, has sculptures that are on display.
Woodham graduated in 1946 and moved to New York.
Woodham will be at the museum for the exhibition opening where her sculpture will be displayed for public viewing.
"You've heard the song, 'It's a Man's World,'" Hendrix said. "Well, she was doing something at the time that wasn't really being done in terms of an art."
Woodham has two sculptures on Auburn's campus: "Spinoff," at the entrance of the museum and "Monody" in front of Goodwin Hall.
"The accreditation is really the tip of the iceberg in terms of what's going on," Hendrix said. "All the excitement with JCSM in the 10 years that we have served Auburn University and the Auburn community."
(10/07/13 1:00am)
Some people spend their entire lives avoiding the past, but one college student journeys to uncover his past.
This young genealogist celebrates family-history month every month, not just in October when it's the theme.
Daniel Whitten, senior in building science, researches history.
He is not interested in world history, but his family's history.
"It's important to know where you came from," Whitten said. "People don't think about it. Does anyone think about what did my great-great-grandfather do for a living? Or where did they come from? Did they come from England; did they come from Ireland, Africa? To me it fills a void."
Whitten said he began his family history quest two years ago with a wooden chest.
"I knew my grandparents had an old wooden chest that supposedly was brought over from England when one side of my family came (to the U.S.)," Whitten said. "It was full of old pictures and some of them did not have names and some of them did."
Whitten said he used Ancestry.com for the majority of his research. He also watches TLC's "Who Do You Think You Are?" and PBS' "Genealogy."
"I decided to document everything we had in that chest," Whitten said. "Scan all the pictures so each family member could have a copy because I did not want them to go to one family and no one else see them."
Whitten said he plans to compile his research into a book one day.
"I had some mystery pictures and I really wanted to find out who they were and also go further back in the family tree," Whitten said. "I spend a lot of my time pouring through census records, looking through old biographies other people have written before me. I just want to preserve my family's past and make sure we do not lose any more."
Whitten took a DNA test to find out his family heritage.
He is 67 percent British Isles, 20 percent Scandinavian and 13 percent Southern European.
"I got into it too late because by the time I really got into it, I had already lost two grandparents and right after I got interested in it, I lost my dad's mom," Whitten said. "So I lost three grandparents and pretty much did not get to talk to them about genealogy, and if I had, I would have a lot more information than I do now."
Whitten said he is trying to convince his 103-year-old great aunt to take the DNA test because he wants to debunk a family myth.
He feels she is the key to unlocking the mystery if his family is related to royalty.
"If I was to give someone advice on getting started, it would be talk to people," Whitten said. "Write down their stories, record them and make sure they are not forgotten. That's part of my goal, to regain some of the stories we have lost."
Whitten encourages people to document family history while they still can, while they still have great-great-aunts or great-aunts or grandparents who can tell their stories.
"I never will stop," Whitten said. "When I retire, many years from now, I am going to want to go on trips. And the trips are going to be somewhat dictated by where my family lived."
Whitten said genealogy is addicting and he has connected with distant relatives through his research.
"One great thing about all of this is, I have contacted, and run across, a lot of family members," Whitten said.
"Distant family members, like fourth cousins twice removed or something -- some crazy relation. But you know, we are related. We have a common grandparent if you go back far enough," Whitten said. "Say I have a picture of their great-grand parent that they have never seen before, and I am more than willing to share that with them," Whitten said.
"And if it was me, if someone shared that picture with me, it would make my day -- really just make my week. I like to do that for others too, because it is important to share information."
Whitten said his grandparents told him stories and he wishes he had listened harder, because he does not remember the tales.
He wants to get the stories back, so he studies genealogy.
"If I really wanted to go back and talk to an ancestor from like the 1700s," Whitten said. "I would just want to go to their house and hang out with them, you know?"
(09/26/13 4:05am)
Standard Deluxe, a design and silk screen print shop located out of Waverly, will back the second Waverly Fall Boogie Saturday, Sept. 28, at 1015 Mayberry Ave. in Waverly. Adult tickets are $20 each and children 14 and younger get in free. Music starts at noon and continues until 8:30 p.m.
The Boogie is held in Standard Deluxe's neighborhood outdoor amphitheater. Food vendors include Jim N' Nicks BBQ and Wilton's Catering. Standard Deluxe will sell T-shirts and artisan vendors will be set up too.
The Lee County Police Department, as well as Farmville Fire and Rescue, will be on the site. Parking will be available on the street, downtown and at the Nutrition Center.
People are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets, flashlights, or small coolers. Glass containers and pets are not allowed, but smoking will be permitted in designated areas.
The event will happen rain or shine.
Boogie Line Up
Noon: Doc Dailey
1 p.m.: Great Peacock
2:30 p.m.: Peewee Moore
4 p.m.: Ramsay Midwood
5:30 p.m.: Houndmouth
7 p.m.: Jason Isbell
(09/30/13 1:00pm)
Ryan Lloyd brings relief to those suffering from hunger, both physical and spiritual.
Lloyd, junior in pre-social work, said he is passionate about changing the community. This year, Lloyd was the local missions coordinator for the Auburn Wesley Foundation and helped organize four different mission projects.
Lloyd corrals college students to tutor kids through the Loachapoka Elementary School after-school program.
On Saturdays, he challenges students with Super Mission Saturday and even finds time to work with the Loachapoka Food Pantry.
"I am not from Alabama, and so I didn't know anything about it when I moved here," Lloyd said. "Poverty is such a real thing here and hunger is such a real thing, it just blew me away. It made me want to do something about it, so luckily I have this place to filter that."
Lloyd, 20, was originally from Houston. Last year, he took hunger studies and said the course threw his world upside-down and opened his eyes to so many things. He said he is passionate about hunger related issues.
Lloyd is working in a partnership with the Society of Saint Andrews on projects focused on gleaning and food wastage. With the Society of Saint Andrews, Lloyd coordinates "potato drop" gleaning projects throughout the year. He said his favorite community-outreach project was working with the Loachapoka Food Pantry.
"People in poverty have this stigma that they are lazy and trying to beat the system," Lloyd said. "Being able to interact with them is super cool and just being able to hope and pray that we are meeting some tangible need."
The Loachapoka Food Pantry is based at the Loachapoka Methodist Church. The first Tuesday of every month, families come to the church to recieve 49 pounds of food.
"I think students live in a white, middle-class bubble and that's all that we know," Lloyd said. "A lot of us have grown up in it and, now, we are at Auburn and in it again."
Lloyd's said his desipite his major is in social work, but he said he does not want to be a social worker. His minor is in philanthropy and non-profit studies. He said he wants to work for a Christian, non-profit organization, preferably something hunger-related.
Lloyd said working with the Loachapoka Food Pantry is an opportunity for students to realize how people live 10 minutes from the University.
"To get us outside of ourselves because I think that's what Christ calls us to do," Lloyd said. "We should get outside of ourselves and outside of our minds and invest in the people around us."
Lloyd said he believes social work plays into this work well because it teaches how to look at people and how to think when you meet people. It teaches to not just make snap judgments and listen to stereotypes.
"That's really easy, it's very natural," Lloyd said. "Social work is teaching me that there is much more to a person than that and people are so much further beyond the stereotype."
Lloyd said his coursework taught him to understand the connections between a person's background and surroundings to see a holistic picture of a person.
"Humans are naturally judgmental," Lloyd said. "Jesus teaches us not to be judgmental, so I guess social work is helping me how to view people and learning what it means to help a person."
(09/28/13 8:00pm)
Food.
Good, now we've got your attention.
There's someone amongst us.
He's got a quiet smile and an easy way. He epitomizes southern cuisine, and why shouldn't he? He's an artist, and it's his medium.
David Bancroft's new restaurant, Acre, epitomizes one of the prominent movements in Auburn's culture: farm-to-table.
Reducing the distance and time from vine-to-plate means more quality in food eaten all over the world. Here, those space-time issues spurred aggressive change in Auburn's culinary ideals.
"We do clean food and it's fresh," Bancroft said. "People mistake that for organic, vegan, trendy, but it's not. We're buying food that is local, harvested no later than yesterday. It's all fresh, in house. We're not buying sauces out of gallons; we're making sauces in house. We're making soups, in house, making stocks, butchering whole animals, fish. When you see that on the menu, that fish came in whole."
There are limitless options for fresh ingredients. Everyone wants his or her food to taste better and be healthier, that's the goal of farm-to-table.
Farm-to-table centers around the production of farm-grown food delivered to local consumers. The farm-to-table movement began in the 1960s and 70s.
According to the Alabama Farmers' Federation, Alabama has more than 48,000 farms spreading across 9 million acres of farmland. These farms produce the state's top commodities -- poultry, livestock, nursery products, cotton and peanuts. The average American farmer produces enough food for 155 people per year. The Alabama Farmers' Federation estimates American consumers spend more than 10 percent of their disposable income on food annually.
One Alabama farm took Bancroft's dream and put it on the table.
Bancroft's began his culinary exploits as one part of the culinary team at Amsterdam Cafe.
It was a regular day when he decided the cardboard-packaged produce from an indistinguishable farm did not cover it anymore.
That day, he called Randle Farms with a simple idea.
They arranged a meeting, which would eventually change their lives and, potentially, Auburn's history.
"They were all just looking at me when I walked up in my chef coat," Bancroft said. "They were like 'this is what a chef looks like,' and I was like, 'all right, so (these are) farmers.' We were all just excited."
Randle Farms began operating in 1975 and gained popularity for their yearly blueberry picking. The approximately 220-acre farm functions as a family business. Zack and Frank Randle, sons to Frank Randle Sr., both grew up on the farm and gradated from Auburn.
The produce Bancroft received from the Randle's change his views. He acquired two unused acres behind Amsterdam, between College Street and Gay Street, and converted it to farmland. Before he knew it, his surplus allowed him to invite other chefs to pick from the harvest.
"It was just creating something that could be shared in the community," Bancroft said. "It wasn't to boast; it was to share. I wanted everybody to have some. I even ran a farmers market out of Amsterdam one time."
Similarly, in 2005, Zack created a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program for the farm because it had "become a popular way for small farmers like us to market vegetables."
In CSAs, customers purchase shares twice a year, spring and fall, and each share consists of 4-15 pounds of food, depending on availability.
Right now, the Randle's are planting fall produce such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and sweet potatoes.
Zack Randal said he found the best communication to be, "just word of mouth, our customers, the ones that we've made happy over the years, they tell their friends. That's how we operate as of right now."
Now, three restaurants later, Bancroft's current menu literally puts Randle Farms on the map. The menu's watermark labels Randle Farms.
"They are like family members," Bancroft said. "When I pull in we talk about the weather, the crops; we don't talk about business; we talk about family. It's just different. It's extremely special."
Bancroft has immense respect for the farming culture. He encourages it and promotes it in his own cooking.
"I do it to support our local economy and support local farmer's families," Bancroft said. "These are families that -- their standards of living are things I want to emulate, their respect for the land, respect for the harvest. All are things forgotten in our society today. Everyone is about speed, fast food, get in, get out, get home. These people just have a slower pace of life and a higher and greater respect that's been lost. I enjoy getting it back in my life piece-by-piece by watching their lives, how they run their farms and watching them with their families."
And believe it, because if Bancroft knows something other than cooking, it's family. The decor of Acre reflects greatly on the Bancroft name. His father and uncle invested, his cousin interior designed and his brother donated trees and building supplies. Portraits throughout the Bancroft ages hang in the hallways. All the oak on the exterior walls came from his family farm. Beams and salvaged wood came from a friend's 100-year-old general store in Beauregard, Va., and a fish basket from his grandfather's fish farm was repurposed to be a chandelier.
"We just made it a family project," Bancroft said. "We grabbed wood and salvaged pieces from here and there and I took all the pictures, tried to wrap it with as many family stories as possible."
Bancroft has had an illustrious culinary career in Auburn, and now the restaurant reflects him. He's able to create a menu that's timeless, seasonal, modern and interesting. His dishes depend on available produce. If a farmer drops off squashes, he serves squash soup at dinner. If watermelons are in excess, they can be found in the margaritas.
And the customers can't stop.
"It's been without a doubt a gathering of locals," Bancroft said. "I see so many friendly faces every night coming to support and they're coming to support because they've eaten with me for seven years in town, I've cooked at their houses, I was friends with them in college; our kids are in day care together; they go to our church."
Acre's farm-fresh ingredients don't always come from Randle, Acre has potential to be self-sustainable. The foundation sits on an acre of land. An olive tree stands by the front door, blackberries and Meyer lemons are found along the walls. Two Toomer's Oak clones from Bancroft's brother's tree farm sway in the distance. Apples grow down the fence, plums past the apples, peaches across the apartment complex and pears in the middle. Limes, mandarin oranges, figs, persimmons and pomegranates hide in the corner, and blueberries are growing by the gas station. Guava ripens behind the building, and to top it off, a vegetable garden soaks in the sunlight next to the parking lot.
Here, the freshness doesn't stop at the plate. The staff utilizes these herbs at the bar, in a farm-to-bar program. Bartenders mix jars of preserves, local honeys and syrups and fuse them into cocktails.
Also on board with farm-to-table is Opelika's Jimmy's, located at 104 S. Eighth St. The restaurant opened in 2005 and delivered New Orleans-style cuisine. Owner Jim Sikes writes a food column in the Opelika-Auburn News and explores unique food experiences.
Jimmy's uses fresh basil grown in Sikes' garden. He harvests and preserves the basil in canning jars. The restaurant also uses fresh mint in specialty drinks.
"We don't grow very much for ourselves, because we don't have the room," Sikes said. "But we do grow some herbs out front. We've got rosemary that could take care of the whole county, there's a giant bed of it out there, fresh picked mint."
Sikes said the benefits of farm-to-table go beyond the consumer's fork.
"So buying those neat fresh things is a lot better than that bag of frozen things, for the person working," Sikes said. "It's a lot better for you as a customer, but it's also better for the person working. Fresh and local treats your customer and it treats your employees well. It's good for your soul. And there's not a lot that you can say that is that way."
Opelika Cafe One Twenty Three also combines locally grown food with a Southern twist. The restaurant, located at 123 S. Eighth St., operates as a smaller restaurant and doesn't necessarily need to purchase in bulk, especially when it comes to produce or fresh ingredients.
"My vision for the cafe is a place where you can relax and not worry about if you used the wrong fork or spoon. Basically fusing the Old South with fine dining," said Eron Bass, executive chef at Cafe One Twenty Three.
Bass' vision for the Cafe's atmosphere fuses classy dining and Southern cuisine. He said sourcing ingredients benefits them economically, because they don't necessarily need the quantities others have. He said all the produce used comes from local farmers markets in the area.
"I would much rather go out and handpick my produce than order a 50-pound case of squash from California," Bass said. "Buying local helps everybody, from local businesses and the community, even the environment by cutting down on the carbon footprint that is used to ship these products."
Definitions of local differ from chef to chef, restaurant to restaurant and product to product. Proximity matters in a restaurant that implements farm-to-table.
"Not only is local an element of distance, it is an element of time," Sikes said. "You know trying to get local food, you have the opportunity to interface with the farmer or grower or whoever it is."
Auburn University's acclaimed Lambert-Powell Meats Laboratory is USDA controlled, regularly inspected, controlled properly and provides a clean environment.
"There are no other options in the area outside of two hours, it's a two hour radius in every direction," Bancroft said. "You have to go to Auburn University Meat Lab, and it's right here."
In farm-to-table, all parties benefit. The farmer or supplier sells products to local vendors, and vendors are secured a steady, fresh and local supply thus ensuring the quality and consistency when a meal meets a consumer.
The Randle's eat their food, and McDonalds is out of the question. Zack Randle said he never even eats fast food.
"I know what good food is and I know you're not going to get it at any of those places," Randle said.
The movement's influence intersects with an on-campus organization working to get real food options to Auburn. The Real FoodChallenge works to get real food, specified as: humane, local, ecologically sound and fair, into Auburn.
"Of course we want food that comes from all of these categories but local is kind of the most prominent one, because it has the most impact," said Rosa Cantrell, president of The Real Food Challenge.
The main hurdle for The Real Food Challenge and Auburn University is it's contract with Chartwells, a dining services company based out of the United Kingdom. Chartwells representatives and national representatives of The Real Food Challenge will meet in New York City Oct. 7 to discuss potential implementation of real food.
Cantrell already has a plane ticket.
Auburn's Agriculture opens an even larger oppertunity for this happy town.
"When you open that ideal of community involvement that's when people start realizing there is an outlet here for them to try growing things, get back in the dirt and play in the gardens," Bancroft said.
Next time you look at your plate, think about the lettuce inside your sandwich and the meat inside the bun. So, live long, eat good and live better.
(09/19/13 3:08pm)
Most Auburn freshmen live on campus in the residence halls.
Few sophomores or juniors live on campus, and even fewer seniors live on campus.
I am in that small percentage of Auburn seniors who live in the residence halls. I have lived on campus all four years in college.
Most people look at me funny when I say I live on campus. I have private security, personal trash collection, complimentary cleaning services and I don't have to cook -- what more could you ask for?
There are four housing areas on campus now -- South Donahue, the Village, the Quad and the Hill.
Each housing area has its own personality and each area is set up differently.
In the Hill, there are 12 residence halls, all in a cluster focused around the dining hall, Terrell (some pronounce it Ter-rail, I don't judge).
The Quad has 10 residence halls divided into upper and lower sections. These halls are on central campus.
The Village has eight residence halls and a dining hall.
The South Donahue Residence Hall is one hall, but houses 418 students.
Many people do not see the silver lining, but living on campus has perks. I have unlimited hot water, fantastic WiFi (who are we kidding, it's not THAT great) and Antarctic air conditioning. My air conditioner has two settings -- soul-freezingly cold or off.
After living on campus for three years, you learn the prime time for laundry, the best food places, the best parking places and the quickest way to the Haley Center. You learn which washers don't have nasty encrusted into them and which dryers are portals to hell.
Harvard University estimated 97 percent of their undergraduate students live on campus. There's a reason for that, and it has to do with academics. Living in the dorms provides structure because you never leave the University setting. I think, living on campus provides students with an academic structure. Since I live on campus, everything is more convenient.
I can walk to the library or hitch a ride on the Security Shuttle (known in other social circles as the drunk bus).
Most students think parking on Auburn's campus is a nightmare.
Since I live in the dorms, I can park right outside and merrily skip to my room. I mostly walk everywhere and central campus is right across the street.
But let me be frank, living on campus has a downside. I can't tell you how many times I've been woken up from a delightful nap by the banshee lady trapped in the fire alarm because someone tried to microwave their Pop-Tart with the wrapper still on, or tried to see if their popcorn could begin nuclear fusion.
If I had the choice, I would not live anywhere else in Auburn. Living on Auburn's campus is like a home away from home. I do not see my room as a concrete prison, like some on-campus residents.
When you get to the front door with your Tiger Card, there is always a smiling face to greet you or some sobbing fool who has been locked out for a day and a night.
Living on campus is what you make of it.
You can hate the structure and be miserable, or embrace the community you share with the other residents, and make the best of it. When you live on campus, you realize there is something always going on.
(09/16/13 9:36pm)
It's that time of month again; it's First Fridays in downtown Opelika.
On the first Friday of every month, shops in downtown Opelika use the motto "shop late, eat local."
"First Fridays is the only opportunity to shop late in downtown Opelika in our retail stores," said Pam Powers-Smith, director of Opelika Main Street. "So our retail stores are open until at least 8 p.m., some of them are open a little bit later."
This year marks the third year Opelika Main Street has done the event. First Fridays takes place on Railroad Avenue, 8th and 9th Street, an area Powers-Smith refers to as the horseshoe of Opelika.
"The other component of First Fridays is live music on the street corners," Powers-Smith said. "So as you are walking around or eating out on the patio, you can hear music."
This month, there were three bands located throughout the downtown area. Pomeranian Muffler Shop was set up on Railroad Avenue, and Kristen Morgan was on 8th Street.
Powers-Smith said First Fridays is simply music and late night shopping.
September and October's First Fridays are in conjunction with Auburn Athletics and are promoted as Football First Fridays. October's First Friday is the weekend of the Ole Miss game.
"Usually we see people run into people they know and that's always fun in downtown Opelika," Powers-Smith said. "You get to see old friends on the street and then you hang out or get a drink or visit one of our dessert shops or something like that."
Powers-Smith said walking around downtown Opelika is a great option for those who do not want to shop. She said the pedestrian walkways make strolling a safe option in downtown.
"I would try to communicate to people that the atmosphere is just great," Powers-Smith said. "We have our own little feel here in Opelika, we have great restaurants. And now we have plenty of restaurants for people to eat at."
Not every store stays open late, but this month Southern Crossing, Coveted Closet, Fringe, The Curious Fox Co., The Cheesecake Cottage, Heritage Gifts and Gourmet, TLC Gift Shop, Taylor Made Design and The Gallery on Railroad welcomed visitors.
"Ours is different than just staying open and shopping because we try to make it feel like an open house party, especially football season and pre-Christmas shopping," said Amy Bertocci, gallery manager of The Gallery on Railroad. "We will really be bringing out all of the gift items that we are getting in from market and just having a good time."
The Gallery on Railroad played music, offered cranberry sangria and refreshments to patrons. The Gallery sells gourmet foods as well as framing and shared samples of the food.
Bertocci said her favorite part of First Fridays is setting out silver trays and making hors d'oeuvres look fun instead of just putting out potato chips for people.
"I think it's also an opportunity for people to experiment and maybe try a restaurant they have never tried before," Powers-Smith said. "It's just a fun night out, casual."