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(12/06/14 7:00pm)
Thanksgiving and Christmas truly are the most wonderful times of the year.
My parents, however, may not feel the same way.
Going home for Thanksgiving break was extremely necessary after one of the busiest semesters I've had in awhile.
With Auburn having a week off of school, I was home before most of my friends.
This gave me time to spend with my family before the influx of college students came back into town, and after that I spent most of my time with my friends.
My parents tolerated my scattered schedule and lack of productive plans for Thanksgiving break because it was only a week and they hadn't seen me in awhile.
Christmas break is an entirely different story.
It is my belief Auburn students could benefit from having a shorter Christmas break.
With more than a month off for Christmas break, this can be difficult for out-of-state students like myself.
It's that awkward period of time where you're home for long enough that if you don't get a job or have some sort of plan, your parents get mad at you for just laying around and watching Netflix all day.
It's also too short to apply to any sort of real job.
No company wants to hire someone so as soon, as they are finally done training the person it's time for them to leave and go back to school.
When I'm at school, my parents say school is my job.
My job is to make good grades and to get involved in as many things as possible to help my resume and hopefully find a good job after graduation.
Instead of having a paying job at school, I have devoted my time to working for two newspapers and joining organizations.
Over the past three years, Christmas break has always been the constant battle of my parents telling me to get a job and me telling them that it's almost impossible to get a job anywhere for a month unless you've already worked there in the past.
Over previous Christmas breaks, I have worked at the Sportsclub Kids Camp.
They allowed me to work there because I had already worked there for many summers before that, so training me was not an issue.
It's a great job, but it is only about two weeks or less of Christmas break, so I still had a lot of down time.
I have other friends who go to Washington and Lee University who just have a little bit more than three weeks off from school for Christmas break.
Other universities have a similar policy, such as the University of Georgia, which only gives students an 18-day break.
That is still a long time to be idle, but it's short enough where your parents haven't really gotten tired of you being home yet.
I love going home, and I love seeing my friends and family.
However, there's only so much laundry and house-cleaning I can do so I don't feel like a freeloader to my parents before I start getting restless and wish I could come back to Auburn where I'm busy all day, every day.
Babysitting is always another option, but that's not a consistent job for the most part and it's you and every other college student home for the holidays fighting for the same families.
I'm not saying that we should have more class days. However, if Christmas break was shorter, the University could push graduation back to an earlier time to make up for the difference, which would give students more time to work after they graduate.
(11/27/14 7:00pm)
The Pick Elementary School students and staff members have channeled their inner Taylor Swift to enter a contest that could award them $60,000 for the school's technology infrastructure.
They entered the Compass Learning Classroom Refresh contest by making a video to the Taylor Swift Song "Shake it Off," but they changed the lyrics to fit their theme, "I Need Technology."
Shelley Patterson, enrichment specialist at Pick Elementary, said she had the idea from how technology inspires kids.
"I just had a flashback of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," like, 'Oh they're so bored and how much progress we've made in the 21st century, in 2014,'" Patterson said. "What would life be like if we had kind of interjected into old traditional classrooms, how would the mood or the passion of the children transform."
Some of the faculty and students at Pick Elementary helped make the video. The ultimate goal is to win the technology package for their school.
"With that comes 25 Google Chromebooks, access to SmartBoard and access to several of their programs," said Debbie Brooks, principal at Pick Elementary.
To make the video the students had access to a green screen app, iMovie and Garageband, according to Deana Schnuelle, media specialist at Pick Elementary.
"We have a few apps that we taught our students," Schnuelle said. "We had a little technology camp for our students."
Schnuelle plays the role of the tech teacher in the clip. The children come into her room and go from being bored to excited and become engaged in the classroom.
"Eventually this technology teacher gets the traditional teachers on board, and that's why at the end you see everyone dancing because the excitement has just ignited the whole entire faculty," Patterson said.
Patterson not only came up with the theme, but she said she wrote the lyrics to the song as well. She said she used a rhyming dictionary to help with the lyrics.
"She was thinking about the Taylor Swift song at night when she was taking a shower and she came back the next day and she said, 'I think I've got it,'" Schnuelle said. "I was like, 'OK, well, you write it and then we'll start going from there.'"
Patterson said the most meaningful part is how involved and excited the children have been about the contest. Each day they check the votes to see how much they have improved in the standings, according to Patterson.
"I always knew we were a team at Pick, but we've shown we are a team just with the teachers who have been involved with writing and collaborating and acting and the administrative support, the students and now the parents," Patterson said. "Everybody is on board. We're really showing that we really are just like a family and a team together."
The voting will close December 1 for the contest. Voters can log in and make an account to register to vote to support Pick Elementary School. The link to the movie and the voting is here: http://www.classroomrefreshcontest.com
(11/26/14 1:00pm)
The Auburn community is coming together to burn some calories and help others in the community before feasting on their Thanksgiving meals this year.
The 6th annual Turkey Trot is coming up Nov. 27 at the Moore's Mill Club in Auburn. Sydnee Cleveland, founder and director of the Turkey Trot, started the event five years ago.
"I love to run and so many towns have a great Thanksgiving run and Auburn was lacking that," Sydnee said. "A friend of mine said, 'You should start it,' and so I did."
The run or walk takes place on the Moore's Mill golf course on the cart paths. Runners and walkers can choose to take the three-mile or one-mile route.
"It's a beautiful run on the golf course," Sydnee said. "We run the back nine, there's no traffic and there's a great fireplace before and after the race."
The staff at Moore's Mill Club and volunteers help to set up the premises for the run.
"We build a big fire in the fireplace at the pavilion, and we set up registration tables, and we provide drinks, coffee and juice, and snacks, bagels and things like that," said Billy Cleveland, owner of Moore's Mill Club. "The day that the event is held it's held early in the morning on Thanksgiving morning and everyone's in a festive mood and ready to burn some calories."
All of the proceeds raised by the run are given to the Food Bank of East Alabama. Sydnee said they also accept donations because they keep the cost of the run fairly low so all families can afford to participate in the run.
Cans of food can be donated directly to the food bank, but monetary donations can be donated at the run that morning.
"It was just sort of a good fit with Thanksgiving morning with hunger and with a huge focus on feasting," Sydnee said. "There's so many in our community who are still hungry."
Sydnee said the event has grown over the years, but attendance sometimes depends on whether the Iron Bowl is at Auburn or at the University of Alabama.
Occasionally participants dress up in costumes as Indians or pilgrims, but it is optional.
The event is also timed.
"The run is fairly serious, I guess, you know as far as the runners take it a little more serious than the walkers obviously," said Greg Kebe, general manager of Moore's Mill Club. "Last year was so cold and we still had 500 people here."
The event starts at 8 a.m., and Kebe said it's usually over by approximately 9:30 a.m., so people still have time to cook their Thanksgiving meals.
"It's become people's way to start their Thanksgiving as a family," Kebe said. "They probably don't even question it anymore as to what they're doing on Thanksgiving. It's the way they start their Thanksgiving every year, it's pretty cool."
Participants can register at the event.
(11/20/14 10:00pm)
There are a lot of classic Christmas movies and shows that have been adapted into plays over the years, like A Christmas Carol and Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer. The Auburn Area Community Theater has chosen to do the play It's a Wonderful Life, adapted from the 1946 movie.
Unlike other Christmas movies however, It's a Wonderful Life has a darker part of the storyline when the main character, George Bailey, contemplates committing suicide by jumping off of a bridge.
"He's an ordinary man from a small town in New York and he's had big dreams from a young age where he wants to get out of town and see the world and do great things, but just events in his life keep him in town and eventually he feels like he has failed by not achieving his dreams," said Ashley Hansana, assistant director of the play. "He gets pretty depressed and decides that he wishes he had never been born."
At just the right time, an angel is sent down to show Bailey what the world would be like if he weren't there, if he had never been born, to show him how important he actually is, Hansana said.
The cast for the play is 21 people, six of which are children.
"We haven't actually talked to the children too much about that topic," Hansana said. "The children did not rehearse with us on the darker scenes."
Hansana said they portray the scene when George is contemplating taking his life by having him standing on the bridge looking over the edge as if he were about to jump, but he doesn't because the angel arrives.
Too offset the darker part of the play, the cast has added some humor of their own.
"We've found little spots that might not have been written in the script that we are trying to kind of make it more lighthearted to balance that all out," said Keith McDow, an actor playing four different characters in the play. "There are some pretty intense serious moments, you try to kind of throw some humor in there when you can and lighten in up."
Teressa Morbidelli, superintendent angel in the show, said that the moment with Bailey on the bridge is portrayed as more of an "I wish I'd never been born," moment instead of him having thoughts of suicide.
"It's a very good spring board for them to work of off for you know, life will get hard but that you never give up on it," Morbidelli said about the children learning about that moment in the play.
Morbidelli's character shows the other angel all about Bailey's life, with flashbacks of his past.
"An individuals life may not seem very significant to them, but you don't always realize the impact you might have on those around you," McDow said about the underlying message of the play.
McDow said that he thinks the story itself became a Christmas classic because it is set in that time period, but that the message it has could be just as powerful any time of the year.
Hansana said that the play is a family story and suitable for children.
The cast has already performed the play a few times, and they will have a show at 7 p.m. November 20-22, and November 23rd at 2:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
(11/17/14 4:00pm)
As the temperatures drop, costs, such as heating bills start to rise, and not everyone in the community are able to keep up.
For some local families, groceries end up taking a back seat to other necessities during the holiday season.
The community has many places to help those in need, but they are always looking for more volunteers.
Lakeview Baptist Church, the Food Bank of East Alabama and Auburn United Methodist Church are some of the places accepting food donations, especially around Thanksgiving.
"It is something that is necessary, unfortunately, in our community," said Pamela Baginski, volunteer food pantry director at Lakeview Baptist Church. "We have a lot of need here, and this is one way to actually meet the need and also to show people that have not ever been to a church that it's what we stand for."
Lakeview Baptist Church food pantry is open Monday mornings from 9-11 a.m.
Families of four or fewer recieve one box, and families of five or more recieve a bigger box.
They fill the boxes with groceries from the Food Bank of East Alabama, different grocery stores and donations from church members and the public.
"Our job is to gather together the best supply of donated food that we can, and then we make that available to churches and nonprofit organizations that have some kind of outreach to the community in need," said Martha Henk, executive director of the Food Bank of East Alabama. "Winter is an issue for people that are living very close to the bones. A lot of times, winter puts a particular strain on budgets."
Henk said the best way for people to volunteer is to call the Food Bank, or go online to find information on how to help.
Henk said a lot of the agencies they work with are working hard to gather Thanksgiving food before the holiday.
"One year we were able to provide the turkey and the fixings and she said, 'Oh, now I can invite my family home for a meal," Henk said about a woman they were able to help one year. "'Now I'll have something to feed them.' I can certainly understand those of us that are looking forward to a nice Thanksgiving and Christmas meal. We really understand that there are others in the community that also would like to have that same blessing."
The AUMC food pantry relies mostly on donations for their pantry, but they get some of their food from the Food Bank of East Alabama as well.
Volunteers prepare their boxes Thursdays and serve Fridays. Some of the boxes have staple foods, such as peanut butter, while other boxes have cold products, such as milk.
"They are allowed the opportunity when we call their names to go through the line of the other goods and pick some of their personal preferences," said Dianne Hill, volunteer with the AUMC food pantry.
For Thanksgiving, guests pre-register and are able to go through a drive-thru where the boxes are given to them, according to Hill.
For more information on how to volunteer at any of these places, go to foodbankofeastalabama.com/donate/volunteer, aumc.net/Ministries/CommunityOutreach/AUMCFoodPantry or lakeviewbaptist.org.
(11/11/14 3:50pm)
Patriotism may run through the Auburn community year round, but this week is a day made specifically to honor those who have fought, died, served and protected our country. This Veterans Day there is plenty for the community to do to honor veterans.
The City of Auburn is having a Veterans Day ceremony at the Veterans Memorial on the corner of Ross Street and Glenn Avenue.
"I think it's very important not only to recognize the service of the veterans who have sacrificed for the country and the freedoms that we enjoy, but it's also a tremendous opportunity for the general public... to show their appreciation to veterans," said Sam Nichols, chairman of the City of Auburn Veterans Committee.
Nichols is also a veteran himself.
Performing at this ceremony will be the Auburn University Choir, the Drake Middle School Choir and Dan Drummond playing the bagpipes.
Each year, people can purchase bricks to honor a family member, acquaintance, a loved one or any veteran. The bricks are placed at the memorial before the service on Veterans Day.
"Following the ceremony, everybody will be invited to go right up the street to the City of Auburn Chamber of Commerce where they'll have a reception," Nichols said. "You can meet the people who were involved in the ceremony and talk to some veterans."
The ceremony at the Veterans Memorial starts at 10 a.m., so the reception will follow whenever the ceremony concludes.
We simply just invite all those gathered including any veterans and guests and so forth to come," said Lolly Steiner, president of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce. "Just as a way to continue on the acknowledgement of Veterans Day."
Daniel Robinson, junior in physics, served in the Army from August 2004 until March 2009. He was stationed at Fort Stewart in Savannah, Georgia.
Robinson will be attending the Veterans Day ceremony and then attending a luncheon for veterans.
Robinson, president of the Student Veterans Association, said their club is having a veterans lunch where all of the proceeds will go to their scholarship, which they award to two veterans each academic year.
Tickets to the lunch are $20 per seat.
"Veterans Day isn't the only day that you can remember veterans," Robinson said. "We're not looking for handouts, I'm not looking for someone to come up to me and shake my hand... even if its just a passing thought saying 'Hey, you know what, they did sacrifice a lot.'"
Robinson said he chose to join the Army after his best friend from high school showed him a recruiting video. Robinson also said he had a military background in his family.
"I'm extremely proud of my service, all veterans are," Robinson said.
The Student Veterans Association meets once a month. Robinson said because many of the student veterans are older than the average student, it's a great place for them to find students who have something in common, especially for new veterans coming to Auburn.
(11/07/14 7:00pm)
Nuns are coming to town for one night only.
"Sister Act" is coming to East Alabama Arts on Nov. 12 after being on national tour for less than a month. The group will begin their performance at 7:30 p.m.
"Sister Act" is a musical comedy about Deloris, who joins a convent in an effort to flee from her mobster boyfriend.
Renee Freeman of Liberia will play three parts in the show.
"She shares the role of Deloris with another actress named Kerissa Arrington," said Courtney Davis, marketing manager for Troika Entertainment, LLC. "Her traditional role is of Michelle, and then also an ensemble member."
Michelle is a backup vocalist for Deloris, who is in the first few scenes in the show. After Freeman plays Michelle, she changes into her habit to play a nun in the ensemble.
Freeman came to New York from West Africa when she was a toddler, according to her online bio.
Since then, she has played parts in "High School Musical," "Law & Order: SVU" and Broadway's rendition of "Aladdin."
"I didn't just want acting," Freeman said. "I didn't just want to sing. I didn't just want to dance. When I realized there's a whole musical world out there, such as Broadway shows and musical theater, I thought, that's the perfect way for me to sort of do everything I want to do."
When the "Sister Act" cast is on tour, Freeman said they spend a lot of the time on the tour bus.
Freeman said the cast always tries to go to the historical areas of the city and take in their culture when they have days off in certain cities.
According to Freeman, the place she feels the most comfortable on stage.
"It feels like home," Freeman said. "It feels like that thing you've always wanted to do your whole life, and you've dreamt about it your whole life and then you finally get to do it, and it feels like you're right where you're supposed to be."
Director of East Alabama Arts, Phillip Preston, said they chose "Sister Act" because it fit their criteria. He said their goal is to bring the best of all the arts there are, and when that area is Broadway, they focus on Tony Award-winning musicals they know the audience will like.
Preston said he saw "Sister Act" three years ago in New York during its original Broadway run.
"There's just so many fun things about this show, and we just kept finding ourselves doubled over in pain just from the laughter," Preston said.
Freeman said her favorite parts of the show are the humor and how much joy the performance brings their audience each night.
Freeman said she and the character Deloris have a lot in common.
"She's got so much moxie," Freeman said. "I do definitely feel that I'm someone who has the spirit of a fighter and someone who doesn't stop until I see what it is what I want, but, man, Deloris. To run away from someone who's trying to kill you, hide in a convent and then, you know, turn around and completely change the way that nuns live their lives -- it's a little crazy, isn't it?"
Davis described the show as having a fun 70s style that gets the audience on their feet.
Davis said Freeman is phenomenal in her role and adds a wonderful element to the production.
"You literally feel just such joy, and you walk out of the theater just feeling really fantastic," Davis said. "It just fills your spirit and your soul."
Tickets for the show are $49 for adults, $41 for seniors and $25 for students.
(10/30/14 11:00pm)
Halloween is a great holiday for many reasons. It's an acceptable time to dress up so creepily that you scare yourself when you walk by the mirror, but most importantly is the food. And by food I mean candy, and by candy, I mean chocolate.
(10/31/14 12:00pm)
Halloween in Auburn is no small matter, and there are events going on for all ages in the city.
The Opelika Sportsplex and Aquatic Center is having a Fall Festival from 6-8 p.m. at the W. James Samford Soccer Complex Tuesday, Oct. 26.
An alternative to trick-or treating, families can come take their children and still dress up.
Reid Pope, Sportsplex manager, said local mascots will be at the event, including Aubie.
"We've done this for at least 20 years," Pope said. "It's not just Opelika community, it's the whole Lee County (area) that gets to come."
Route 66 will be performing during the event, and McAlister's Deli will be one of the vendors.
"We have a lot of different game booths," Pope said. "Anything from picking up ducks, bowling, bean-bag tosses."
Pope said they will also have inflatable games and an electronic bull ride that is new to the festival.
They have a hayride and a train ride as well.
Tickets are 25 cents, and are sold for each of the games at a booth.
"You don't have to worry about going up to someone's house," Pope said. "You get plenty of candy still."
For Halloween-goers looking for something a little bit scarier, Farmer Brown's Party Animals is having a Sleepy Hollow Haunted adventure.
A four-part event, the trail goes through a haunted house from the 1800s.
"They come out of (the house) and go through another building, then they go up to a section of woods and then go into another mobile home type thing," said Patrick Star, an owner of the farm. "We just went in there and made a spook house out of it."
Star said they added effects, such as strobe lights and smoke machines, and ghosts and goblins dress up.
Children 18 and under must have a parent or guardian present to sign the legal waiver.
There is also a petting zoo on site for younger children to go to if they don't want to go through the haunted houses.
Tickets are $10 per person and the house will be open Oct. 30 - Nov. 1, from 7:30-11 p.m.
The city of Auburn Parks and Recreation have organized another Halloween event along with the downtown Auburn merchants.
Auburn's Downtown Trick or Treat event will be from 6-8 p.m. on Halloween night.
The streets will close starting at 5:30 p.m. to set up for the event.
"A lot of the merchants, they dress up too," said Dana Stewart, special programs coordinator for Auburn. "They have some of their employees stand outside at the door."
Other stores will be giving out their specialty items as treats, such as Gigi's Cupcakes, which will be handing out mini cupcakes.
Different organizations are bringing animals, such as birds and snakes for guests to see, and pets are also welcome.
The event will have a costume contest where winners will win a trophy or a gift coupon from one of the downtown merchants.
"We have one winner for best dressed, most original, best group, which is usually like a family, and best costume for pets," Stewart said.
DJ Ozz will be playing music for the event, and face painting will also be available.
(10/23/14 4:46pm)
Dog lovers are always looking for places to go with their furry friends, and now there is an opportunity for owner and pet to both get exercise, while helping the community.
The Omega Tau Sigma coed professional veterinary fraternity is hosting "Paws for a Cause Walk for Breast Cancer," on October 24, from 4:30-7:00 p.m. The event will be located in Kiesel Park.
"We got the idea because it was breast cancer awareness month as well as adopt a shelter dog month," said Tina Leasor, junior in veterinary school and one of the coordinators of the event.
The event is a 5k walk or run, with activities beforehand for both owners and pets.
OTS is working with veterinary suppliers and food companies for the event including Dechra, Hill's, SCAVMA, Purina and AVESS, the veterinary school's own business.
They have also paired up with Leigh Clark, a masseuse from Better Bodies in Opelika, to make sure no one is sore after the event.
"I figured I could serve a dual purpose," Clark said. "I could help the dogs and the people feel better after the dog walk." Clark will be giving out massages for free throughout the whole event. She will have a massage chair and a sign in sheet if anyone wants more information.
"It's for breast cancer, and that hits very close to home for my family," Clark said. "I think when you have a skill and a business in town you need to give back when you can."
Before the walk, The American Veterinary Medical Association will be giving out gift baskets and other objects in a raffle. The first 100 people to sign up will get a free gift, which is a breast cancer pin, Leasor said.
Laurie LeMonds, junior in veterinary medicine, helped Leasor come up with the idea for the event.
"We've been wanting to do more philanthropic work for the community for quite some time," LeMonds said. "It's been quite a challenge because we've had difficulties within the chapter and then we had the tornado a few years ago that hit the house that we still are in the process of trying to rebuild."
Because of this, their community service efforts have been declining in the past few years, and they wanted to give back to the community.
All of the proceeds made at the event are going to breast cancer research, LeMonds said.
"My mother had breast cancer (and) survived it," LeMonds said. "Students here (are) going through the same scenario."
They ask that only dogs that are on leashes and have current vaccinations attend. Admission is a $20 donation, or $10 with a student ID; including student ID's from Tuskegee, who also has a veterinary school.
"After the 5k we'll have a dog washing station for anybody who's dog gets a little rambunctious," Leasor said.
Clark says that she hopes that the event is able to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.
"It's a growing interest and funding research for a good cause, " LeMonds said.
(10/23/14 12:00pm)
Many people can carve a pumpkin, but some people make it into art.
Auburn's chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students is holding their 26th Annual Pumpkin Carve on Oct. 31 from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. at Dudley Hall.
The day is full of activities for anyone from the community who wants to be involved.
The event will begin with pumpkin carving at 9 a.m.
At that time, T-shirts for the event will also be sold for $20.
Later there will be a costume parade, and hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and drinks will be served.
The group has also organized a dessert cook-off.
"Different members of our organization are just going to be bringing in different desserts, and we're going to be voting on them to see which one is going to be the best," said Sarah Wahlgren, senior in architecture. "We're going to probably involve a cake walk as well."
Aubie will also be at the pumpkin carve.
For participants who want to come to the later half of the event, food will be served again at 5 p.m. followed by another dessert cook-off.
The pumpkin carving will end at approximately 6 p.m., when the pumpkins will be lit.
"We'll illuminate all of the pumpkins," said Saxon Gibbs, senior in architecture. "In years past the designs have been amazing. Some of the pumpkins are actually breathtakingly designed."
The pumpkins will be judged by a few of the professors at the event. The winning pumpkins will be auctioned off, and the other carved pumpkins will go on sale for a minimum $5 donation. The proceeds will go to the American Institute of Architecture Students.
"Hands down, the coolest pumpkin I ever saw was someone made a pumpkin carriage like the one from Cinderella and carved horses out of another pumpkin," Wahlgren said. "They made four individual horses that were carrying or dragging this pumpkin carriage behind it. It was really beautiful."
Anyone can dress up, and there will be a kids' costume competition after the pumpkins are lit.
Also included at the pumpkin carve will be a silent auction and carnival games.
Halloween movies will be playing throughout the day.
For anyone who's ever wanted to throw something at a professor, there is a pie-a-professor challenge, where participants try to hit a professor in the face with their pie.
Ellise Gallagher, senior in architecture, said her favorite part of the event in the past was the chili cook-off.
"A bunch of different people bring all these different types of chili," Gallagher said. "We choose a winner and they get a little award. It's really nice to have all the different flavors of chili there."
Wahlgren said that last year they raised more money than they ever have before.
"I think we made upwards of about $2,000," Wahlgren said.
(10/21/14 6:00pm)
On home game weekends, it's not just Auburn students flooding the bars, but friends and family from home, along with die-hard fans from the opposing team.
With the extra spirit pulsing through the campus, it can be tricky to get into the bars.
The game against Louisiana Tech had so many fans going to the bars that the lines spread way past the doorway, both Friday and Saturday night.
Moe's Original Bar-B-Que and 17-16 were no exceptions.
Ricky Carmack, general manager of Moe's Original Bar-B-Que, said they are allowed to have 99 people inside and as many as they want on the back patio.
"You have to stay at your occupancy," Carmack said. "The fire marshal did come last weekend. You just have to hold people out until somebody comes out, so you pretty much just have to do one in, one out."
The fire marshal will come in and count how many people are in the bar. If the bar is over capacity they can get an over capacity ticket, which is a misdemeanor and a fine, Carmack said.
During the LSU game, Moe's was so over capacity, they had to stop serving drinks until people left.
"Normally, once the game ends, people go out and roll Toomer's, but with being such a late game and the blow out, I feel like no one went to roll Toomer's, so we just really had way too many people inside at that time," Carmack said. "If you're over, they literally can write you a ticket and shut you down for the remainder of the night, so being over is just not worth it because you could miss out on thousands [of people], versus upsetting a couple hundred that you don't let in."
Brandon Sapp, general manager at 17-16, said they had to enforce one in, one out for the rest of the night after halftime of the LSU game.
"We've been open for seven and a half years, so we're pretty much well established to where we can handle situations like that," Sapp said. "You just can't get really nervous or ... anxious or anything like that."
The entire weekend is affected, not just the night of the game.
Kimberlyn Webster, senior in social science education, went to Skybar Cafe on Friday night.
"It was absolutely insane, like packed, jam packed," Webster said. "There was no cell phone service, so you couldn't find anybody, and I ended up just leaving after an hour because I couldn't find my friends."
Webster said she went at approximately 10:30 p.m. It took her about 30 minutes to get into the bar, then she had to wait another 20 minutes in line before she could get a drink. The cover to get in was $10.
Sapp said the best time to arrive before the crowds at the bar is before the game or during the game.
As far as future home games, Sapp said he thinks South Carolina and Texas A&M weekends won't be as crowded.
"Not as many of their fans come down," Sapp said. "LSU fans travel more, and Georgia fans."
(10/15/14 3:50pm)
In honor of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month, the East Alabama Birth Village is sponsoring Birth Stories of Loss, a gathering for mothers and fathers whose babies were born still, or lost after birth.
The meeting will coincide with Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day on Oct. 15.
"Talking about birth in our culture is something we don't do very often, as well as we don't talk about death, it's just something our society doesn't talk about often," said Ashley Lovell, cofounder of East Alabama Birth Village. "These parents have given birth and they need to be able to tell those stories. They need to be free to do that in an environment that's comfortable."
The East Alabama Birth Village opened in April 2014, and holds monthly birth story gatherings. This is the first time they will be having birth stories of loss.
Unique to this gathering, they will also be partnering with Auburn University Marriage and Family Therapy Center so that they can have at least one and possibly two therapists available at the gathering from Auburn University.
"We see individual families and couples for a range of different things that might be going on like you know, marriage problems or depression, those kinds of things," said Leah Albers, graduate student in marriage and family therapy and intern therapist at Auburn University Marriage and Family Therapy Center.
At the birth stories of loss gathering, Albers will be one of the therapists available.
"My roll is going to be more to talk about topics related to grief and just explain how therapy could be helpful for what these women might be experiencing," Albers said.
Lovell said that part of the reason that they started East Alabama Birth Village was to create a community support group for women in their childbearing years.
Lovell has gone through the community in search of a variety of resources that can help these women and their families.
One of these women is Lisa Horstkamp, Opelika resident, who lost her son.
Horstkamp has attended some of the East Alabama Birth Village meetings, and is also the leader of a breast-feeding support group. She plans to attend the birth stories of loss gathering Wednesday.
"A lot of times it becomes so taboo to speak of when you lose a child and it becomes a thing that is hidden and not spoken of even between family and relatives," Horstkamp said. "Nobody speaks about it anymore and it's hoped to be forgotten, (but) those children are never forgotten in their mother's heart. The birth is never forgotten in the mother's heart."
Horstkamp said she wants to go to the meeting so that they can raise awareness. She said it is a way to connect with others that have been in the same situations.
"Some people have gone on to have more children, some people haven't," Horstkamp said. "Connecting with those other moms is a way for us to know that someone else has gone through what we've gone through."
The gathering will take place at the Frank Brown Recreation Center room F and G, from 6-7:30 p.m.
(10/14/14 9:00pm)
Danielle Clow, senior in apparel merchandising and design, has followed her dream all the way from Auburn to Newport Beach, California. Danielle makes her own bathing suits and said she someday hopes to start her own clothing line.
Danielle moved to California to be closer to her boyfriend, but also to search for an internship to get credit for graduation.
Having grown up in Florida, Danielle has always loved being at the beach and in the water, especially when she was surfing.
"I was a competitive surfer, and I really have lived an ocean lifestyle my entire life," Danielle said.
Danielle's mother, Julie Clow, said Danielle started sewing with her grandmother and experimenting with bathing suit designs.
"She was surfing every weekend and spending a lot of time at the beach, so it just became as big a part of her wardrobe as the clothes she would wear to school," Julie said. "Having spent so much time in the sun, on the beach, in the water, being active, it was a huge part of who you were. But it also had a lot of functional requirements."
Danielle uses a sewing technique where seams are hidden and the material forms to the customer's body.
"I've always felt the most comfortable in a bathing suit and a lot of people have an issue with that area of their life," Danielle said. "I would love to make every woman feel amazing in a bathing suit and basically enhance their best features in their bodies and hide other features that they aren't proud of and make everybody happy and feel comfortable."
Danielle's designs are marketed toward 18-30-year-old women, with a focus on bikinis.
Danielle is currently working for a company called Solkissed, where she is helping to put together a trunk show.
Danielle made her first bathing suit sale recently, selling a bikini for $40.
Danielle does not have a website yet, but she said if she does start to take it viral she will probably use Etsy to sell her suits.
"I think she's very talented," said Paige Sorensen, friend of Danielle. "She's very up to date [and] creative."
Sorensen said Danielle is always drafting, designing and looking up things on the web to stay current.
"I've seen all her designs and drafts and everything, and they're gorgeous," Sorensen said. "She whips this stuff out so fast. She can make bikinis in no time."
According to Julie, despite Danielle's passion for fashion, it took Danielle time to understand how she could turn a hobby into a career.
"I don't think it occurred to her until she realized that she could major in fashion design, that making clothes might be a living she might want to consider," Julie said.
"She also has a real appreciation for how different peoples' bodies are and how you have to design around that."
Danielle said she loves the freedom of her major and being able to be as creative as she wants to be.
(10/14/15 10:28pm)
On home game weekends, it's not just Auburn students flooding the bars, but friends and family from home, along with die-hard fans from the opposing team.
With the extra spirit pulsing through the campus, it can be tricky to get into the bars.
The game against Louisiana Tech had so many fans going to the bars that the lines spread way past the doorway, both Friday and Saturday night.
Moe's Original Bar-B-Que and 17-16 were no exceptions.
Ricky Carmack, general manager of Moe's Original Bar-B-Que, said they are allowed to have 99 people inside and as many as they want on the back patio.
"You have to stay at your occupancy," Carmack said. "The fire marshal did come last weekend. You just have to hold people out until somebody comes out, so you pretty much just have to do one in, one out."
The fire marshal will come in and count how many people are in the bar. If the bar is over capacity they can get an over capacity ticket, which is a misdemeanor and a fine, Carmack said.
During the LSU game, Moe's was so over capacity, they had to stop serving drinks until people left.
"Normally, once the game ends, people go out and roll Toomer's, but with being such a late game and the blow out, I feel like no one went to roll Toomer's, so we just really had way too many people inside at that time," Carmack said. "If you're over, they literally can write you a ticket and shut you down for the remainder of the night, so being over is just not worth it because you could miss out on thousands [of people], versus upsetting a couple hundred that you don't let in."
Brandon Sapp, general manager at 17-16, said they had to enforce one in, one out for the rest of the night after halftime of the LSU game.
"We've been open for seven and a half years, so we're pretty much well established to where we can handle situations like that," Sapp said. "You just can't get really nervous or anxious or anything like that."
The entire weekend is affected, not just the night of the game.
Kimberlyn Webster, senior in social science education, went to Skybar Cafe on Friday night.
"It was absolutely insane, like packed, jam packed," Webster said. "There was no cell phone service, so you couldn't find anybody, and I ended up just leaving after an hour because I couldn't find my friends."
Webster said she went at approximately 10:30 p.m. It took her about 30 minutes to get into the bar, then she had to wait another 20 minutes in line before she could get a drink. The cover to get in was $10.
Sapp said the best time to arrive before the crowds at the bar is before the game or during the game.
As far as future home games, Sapp said he thinks South Carolina and Texas A&M weekends won't be as crowded.
"Not as many of their fans come down," Sapp said. "LSU fans travel more, and Georgia fans."
(10/14/14 4:00pm)
Up and coming artist Isaac Hayden is traveling down to Alabama from Nashville, Tennessee, to begin his first tour at the Event Center Downtown in Opelika on Oct. 16, from 7-9 p.m.
Originally from Wyoming, Hayden started playing guitar when he was in college. He writes his own songs and has traveled all over the world playing his music, including in Munich, Germany; Amsterdam; London; and Canada.
"He's starting a national tour that's starting here, so that's exciting," said Lisa Ditchkoff, owner of the Event Center Downtown. "I don't know that we've ever had one actually start their very first tour here."
Sam Booker, Hayden's executive producer from Artist Revolution, said Hayden's acoustic soul music is reminiscent of artists such as Amos Lee and Ben Harper.
"I saw him play a show here in Nashville and was just blown away by his talent," Booker said. "I've been in Nashville long enough to know when I come across something that is worth it, and Isaac is definitely worth it."
Artist Revolution also produced Florida Georgia Line's hit single "Cruise."
Hayden said he will play songs he has written on his acoustic guitar with a percussion player.
His songs are about relationships, loss, family dynamics, love, his relationship with himself and overcoming obstacles, Booker said.
"My goal with my music is to connect with people and to write about things that matter to the collective conscious and that matter to me individually on a personal level," Hayden said. "Hopefully it brings some inspiration and some joy and some passion into the world."
After Hayden comes to Opelika, his tour will go all over the country, starting along the southeast coast, back to Nashville and then out west by spring.
Booker said they will be announcing the rest of the dates soon, but the tour is going to be busier in the spring.
Booker said his favorite thing about Hayden's music is that it's honest.
"A lot of music today is kind of contrived, they're trying to fit into what's hip or what's cool, and Isaac, it's just honest, it's just what he does so you hear it," Booker said. "They use the word soul to describe a style of music, but really that style of music is meant to stir the soul. I think that's what Isaac does, he stirs your soul."
Booker said a lot of artists in Nashville get caught up in thinking it's cool to be an artist, but Booker said because it comes naturally to Hayden, he is humble about what he does and takes his music seriously.
"I just can't wait for the show," Hayden said. "I love playing live and connecting with everybody. I'm really excited to play music for the people that are there and see what they think of it."
Ditchkoff and Hayden both said there may be an opening act before his performance, but they were not sure of the details yet.
Tickets to see Hayden perform will be $10 at the
(10/13/14 6:00pm)
Danielle Clow, senior in apparel merchandising and design, has followed her dream all the way from Auburn to Newport Beach, California. Danielle makes her own bathing suits and said she someday hopes to start her own clothing line.
Danielle moved to California to be closer to her boyfriend, but also to search for an internship to get credit for graduation.
Having grown up in Florida, Danielle has always loved being at the beach and in the water, especially when she was surfing.
"I was a competitive surfer, and I really have lived an ocean lifestyle my entire life," Danielle said.
Danielle's mother, Julie Clow, said Danielle started sewing with her grandmother and experimenting with bathing suit designs.
"She was surfing every weekend and spending a lot of time at the beach, so it just became as big a part of her wardrobe as the clothes she would wear to school," Julie said. "Having spent so much time in the sun, on the beach, in the water, being active, it was a huge part of who you were. But it also had a lot of functional requirements."
Danielle uses a sewing technique where seams are hidden and the material forms to the customer's body.
"I've always felt the most comfortable in a bathing suit and a lot of people have an issue with that area of their life," Danielle said. "I would love to make every woman feel amazing in a bathing suit and basically enhance their best features in their bodies and hide other features that they aren't proud of and make everybody happy and feel comfortable."
Danielle's designs are marketed toward 18-30-year-old women, with a focus on bikinis.
Danielle is currently working for a company called Solkissed, where she is helping to put together a trunk show.
Danielle made her first bathing suit sale recently, selling a bikini for $40.
Danielle does not have a website yet, but she said if she does start to take it viral she will probably use Etsy to sell her suits.
"I think she's very talented," said Paige Sorensen, friend of Danielle. "She's very up to date [and] creative."
Sorensen said Danielle is always drafting, designing and looking up things on the web to stay current.
"I've seen all her designs and drafts and everything, and they're gorgeous," Sorensen said. "She whips this stuff out so fast. She can make bikinis in no time."
According to Julie, despite Danielle's passion for fashion, it took Danielle time to understand how she could turn a hobby into a career.
"I don't think it occurred to her until she realized that she could major in fashion design, that making clothes might be a living she might want to consider," Julie said.
"She also has a real appreciation for how different peoples' bodies are and how you have to design around that."
Danielle said she loves the freedom of her major and being able to be as creative as she wants to be.
(10/09/14 7:30pm)
Opelika Main Street is having their 18th biannual On The Tracks food and wine event Oct. 10. Opelika Main Street holds this event to raise funds and promote the local businesses in the Auburn and Opelika area.
The streets will come alive with music, wine tastings and restaurants serving their best dishes.
The idea of the event is for people to enjoy the local food and wine options Opelika has to offer.
One of the companies participating in On The Tracks is Southern Crossing.
"It's just a generic gift store, I'd say," said Kathy Tenton, owner of Southern Crossing. "We can get your wedding present, your baby present, your graduation present, your birthday present. You name it, we got it."
Businesses will serve whatever wine is assigned to them, along with cheese straws and several kinds of dip. Tenton said Southern Crossing has been participating in On The Tracks since it started.
"They try to do red, white, red, white, so you don't have all red on one street," Tenton said. "It's always a fun night for us."
Uncle Sweetheart & The Salem Two, Sylvia Rose, The Roof Runners, The Acrostics and Brittany Avery will perform live music.
"It is different than a lot of other events," said Pam Powers-Smith, director of Opelika Main Street. "It's just a laid-back, cool night where you can hang out, eat food, drink wine, visit with your friends and make new friends. It's really just kind of a nice night to be outside."
Powers-Smith said the city started doing the event once a year, but had to switch to twice a year because people loved it so much.
"Not only did we want to have just an event, we wanted for people to take the opportunity to actually go inside each of our businesses," Powers-Smith said. "A lot of people may drive through, but they really don't know what every store has."
Fringe, a women's consignment store, is another business on the route.
Stacie Money, owner of Fringe, said they've been in downtown Opelika for 10 years, and they have participated in On The Tracks every year.
"It's always a success, it's a huge, big deal for downtown," Money said. "Not only is it a big night, but even the whole weekend is a big weekend."
Tables can be purchased for groups or businesses of up to 10 people for $350. This also includes a tent set up over the table.
Regular tickets are $25.
"Tables really are kind of the way to go, because there's nowhere else to sit down," Powers-Smith said.
A map comes with the tickets so guests can see which stores are participating in the event.
"Downtown Opelika has grown hugely in the past six or seven years," Money said. "We have new people come in and learn about downtown and learn about the store, and that's always fun."
(10/13/14 4:30pm)
As the weather turns cooler and fall begins to show in the leaves, local pumpkin patches reopen and become focal points for the autumnal experience.
Auburn has numerous places nearby for spending an afternoon pumpkin picking and getting in the fall mood.
Some of these places are Jack-O-Lantern Lane, Lazenby Farm and Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch.
They each offer experiences besides pumpkin picking.
Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch, located on County Road 61 in Loachapoka, has been open for approximately six years. They also grow sunflowers.
"The only thing we charge for is the hayride," said Marie Foshee, employee at Farmer in the Dell. "We have a big sunflower field that everyone loves, and we sell them by the stem. We sell them to florists or just people wanting bouquets."
Farmer in the Dell sells their pumpkins by the pound, and also have decorative gourds of all sizes for sale.
Foshee said they also have farm animals that roam around the farm.
"We try to keep it totally farmish, not commercialized," Foshee said. "Just a true farm experience. We just want people to come out and enjoy the outdoors and feel like they're not too far out of town, but they feel like they're way out in the country."
Lazenby Farm, located on County Road 54 in Auburn, grows cotton, corn, wheat, peanuts, rice, soybeans and pumpkins.
Dawn Lazenby, owner of the farm, said her family is fourth-generation farmers. Their farm has been in operation since 1890.
"We have miniature horses," Lazenby said. "There's a petting zoo, and, of course, we encourage people to go out into the fields and pick cotton or dig peanuts if we have those available."
Lazenby said their pumpkins grow approximately the size of a volleyball.
Anything Lazenby Farm has left after Oct. 31, they donate to a food bank.
Tammy Morgan and her husband own Jack-O-Lantern Lane, located at 18151 Veterans Memorial Parkway, in LaFayette. Morgan said this is the 10th year they have been farming pumpkins.
"You take the hayride to the patch and pick your own pumpkin," Morgan said. "We have a petting zoo, we have cornmeal demonstrations, which is corn beans ground down, and the kids get to grind their own ear of corn."
Jack-O-Lantern Lane also has inflatables, Thomas the Train, concessions, homemade ice cream and a country store.
Morgan said they even have mining for the children.
"We have a gem mine that we have set up, where they go down and do their pan of sand, and they mine until they get their gems out of the sand," Morgan said. "Kind of like you're mining for gold, but you're just mining for gems."
Their average pumpkins are approximately 10-15 pounds, but the biggest one they've ever grown was almost 350-375 pounds, Morgan said.
Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes are available for picking during this autumnal season.
(10/03/14 9:00pm)
A fancier type of alcohol is spreading around Auburn with growing popularity as more restaurants and bars are having a night specially designated for cheaper prices on their wine.
The Hound Bar and Restaurant, Bourbon Street Bar and Moe's Original BBQ are a few places participating in this trend.
Moe's Original BBQ was one of the first places to start wine night.
"We started a while back right when we opened we were looking for different types of specials to do, and wine was the first thing you could do with bottle service," said Ricky Carmack, general manager of Moe's Original BBQ. "We thought it would be pretty cool for everybody to come in, have their own individual bottle of wine and sit around the table and hang out."
Moe's Original BBQ has $5 bottles of wine every Tuesday night. Carmack said it's usually people approximately 21-25 years old who attend.
However, The Hound Bar and Restaurant bartender, Scott Terrell, said they also have an older crowd come through sometimes.
Their wine night is every Tuesday, and they have half-off prices on all of their wine bottles.
"We realize we are in a college town," Terrell said. "Sometimes a bottle of wine is sometimes out of the price range of your average college student."
Terrell said they like to help the general public have access to good wine at a reasonable cost.
"Wine is one of the things where a lot of people aren't really accustomed to it coming to college especially," Terrell said. "Cheap beer (and) cheap liquor is usually the mantra when you first get to college. Once students open up to the possibility of wine, it's a whole different avenue."
Terrell said The Hound Bar and Restaurant started doing wine nights before he started working there, and that it has, so far, been very successful.
Some students are taking wine tastings a step farther and driving out to Hodges Vineyards and Winery to do vineyard tours.
"They're learning that wine's got some pretty good taste to it," said Demeta Williams, Hodges Vineyards and Winery employee. "We have a lot of [students] come out here. They like our wine."
Hodges Vineyards and Winery has free vineyard tours, where people can see how wine is made, taste the wine and tour the vineyard. Williams said they are working with a distributor to have their wine sold in places such as Winn-Dixie and Kroger.
Another venue that has recently joined the wine night trend is Bourbon Street Bar.
They are starting a Wells and Wine Wednesdays event, where they have $5 bottles of wine, as well as $5 32oz well drinks all night.
They have a $3 cover on these nights, from 7-9 p.m.
Carmack said he thinks so many other places are trying wine nights now because they saw how successful it has become at businesses around Auburn.