Josh Gracin actually took it to the fans, but sneaking into the crowd and singing in the middle of the aisle surrounded by screaming fans. Gracin also played drums throwing the sticks out to the crowd after the show.
Historic Downtown Gadsden Free Guided
Walking Tours Begin June 6th
Downtown Gadsden Inc. announces free guided walking tours June 6th, 13th, 20th
and 27th. Mike Goodson will be leading these historic tours from the Pitman
Theatre through historic Downtown Gadsden to the Gadsden City Hall Gazebo.
Goodson is a local historian who has written many books about the history of
Etowah County. He will share very interesting stories about Downtown Gadsden
during the tour. This is great, free summer fun you do not want to miss!
All participants are invited to park in the Gadsden City
Hall parking lot at 10:00 a.m. and ride the trolley to the tour starting point.
The tour will end at Gadsden City Hall. The trolley rides are sponsored by
Downtown Gadsden Inc and are free to walking tour participants.
For more information, contact DGI at 547-8696 or bookmark
this link: www.downtowngadsden.com/events.htm
Glencoe has Annual Celebration in the park
Glencoe Elementary opens new Lunchroom
Glencoe Elementary has a new lunchroom.
Members of the Etowah County Board of Education, Glencoe City officials along
with teachers and members of the community were on hand to celebrate the
opening.
Tone Alert Radio Service to be Discontinued on April 30th
Service for Tone Alert Radios will be discontinued at midnight on Thursday April 30th. Tone Alert Radios were issued to schools, churches, hospitals, nursing homes, and special needs individuals as part of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP). People who utilized the Tone Alert Radios should now rely on their Emergency Alert Radios, which were distributed as part of a program with FEMA earlier this year.
Due to battery disposal, people are requested not to throw away their units. Various county volunteer fire departments, in conjunction with the Gadsden/Etowah County Emergency Management Agency, are setting up a recycling program to dispose of the units properly. More details of this program will be made available once the program is finalized.
For more information, please contact the Gadsden/Etowah County Emergency Management Agency at 549-4575.
The Southern Banc Company, Inc.
Declares No Dividend in the Fourth Quarter 2009
The Board of
Directors of The Southern Banc Company, Inc. (OTCBB: SRNN) has announced that it
will not pay a dividend in its fiscal fourth quarter of 2009. The decision not
to pay a dividend reflects the Board’s conservative management approach and
desire to preserve capital in the current national economic uncertainty. While
the Board believes that the Company is more than adequately capitalized at over
14%, the Board will continue to evaluate the Company’s earnings and capital plan
to determine the future payment of dividends.
<more>
Gadsden's Recycling program gets underway
Gadsden has two drop off points, one at
the Gadsden Amphitheater parking lot across from city hall and one
near the maintenance garage close to Attalla. Currently, they
accept plastic, newspaper, cardboard and cans.
Southside Lady Panthers playing in Nike Tournament in Orange Beach
Game Results ( Full Story below on
ALSportsLive.com page below ) Game 1 : Southside 6
- Sardis 2 ; Game 2 : Southside 3 - Lexington 5;
Game 3 : Southside 0 - Cherokee Co. 3 in Extra Innings.
Southside will play Baldwin Co. and Cullman; plus a game to be named
later.
Check out the
pics from the
2009 Alabama
Chocolate Festival
Send us your pics at
info@myGadsden.com
Alabama Chocolate Festival in Rainbow City "one of the
biggest ever"
Exile playing before a huge crowd
According to an
official with the Alabama Chocolate Festival this year was one of
the biggest ever. Rainbow Plaza was packed all day Saturday as
many people took advantage of the Free entertainment.
Jeremy
Lesley Band playing songs from the new album
The Taste Off was a huge hit as well with some amazing chocolate
entries.
Alabama Chocolate Festival Photo Gallery coming soon
CENTER STAGE READIES FOR JUNE OPEN
Dana Loconto's dream is nearing
completion in Rainbow City. It's been a long journey but,
what could be the "South's Premier Entertainment Complex"
has an opening date of June. A comedy act will come in to
town to kick the month off which is a deal that Mr. Laconto
and Bruce Ayers of Birmingham's Comedy Club worked out (the
act will come in a perform the night before they come into
the Stardome). A lot of speculation is out there on who the
first music act will be. Nothing is in stone as of yet. The
interior of the facility is quite impressive and still a
work in progress. Balcony seating, a kitchen, offices and of
course the main stage are getting the final touches. For
more information you can go to their website at
www.centerstagegadsden.com .
For more
Exclusive Pics: < Click Here >
Gadsden's Jeremy Lesley Band working on new album
*Exclusive to myGadsden.com
The Jeremy Lesley Band is working on
a new album in Fort Payne. The Band's Manager Chris
Sobonya flew in from his office in Seattle, Washington to watch them
record. JLB recorded over 14 hours Friday and Continued
recording Saturday until about 6pm. "New guitarist, Mike
Erwin, has kicked it up around here tonight!" commented Jeremy
Lesley on the addition of the new guitarist. The band is set
to concluded recording the album this week. The band will
conduct several practice rehearsals this week to prepare for the
Alabama Chocolate Festival this Saturday at 5pm. Follow the
band at
www.JeremyLesleyBand.com
Food World Rainbow City and others set to close May 17th
unless buyer is found
According to Rainbow City Mayor
Terry John Calhoun, they were sent a letter this week regarding the
potential closing of the Food World in Rainbow Plaza.
Wednesday the Bruno's company, which own Food World, had it's "Final
Hearing on Debtor's Motion for order authorizing
debtor-in-possession to obtain financing." Bruno's
Supermarkets, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 5th of
this year.
The states that "if our effort" to sell the stores are not completed by May 17th, then layoffs and liquidation would begin and end around the end of the month (May 31st). Mayor Terry John Calhoun expressed concern stating that "he hope they don't close." Other cities including Sylacauga have been sent letters regarding this matter.
David Gagne a spokes person for Bruno's, nor the Local store manager could comment on the matter and myGadsden.com was directed to Bruno's Lawyers which have not responded to our questions.
Appliance Direct Coming to Gadsden's REX TV location
According to an Appliance Direct
Official, the company will be taking over the lease from the REX TV
building in Gadsden. The Gadsden Store was suppose to open
this week, but has been pushed back for a couple of weeks due to
delays. Appliance Direct currently operates 22 stores in
Florida and one in Brunswick, Ga. The company is expanding to
Alabama with stores opening in Dothan, Decatur, Florence, Daphne,
Gadsden, and Montgomery in the next few weeks. All, but one,
will be located in former REX TV buildings. Appliance Direct
sells Kitchen Aid, GE, Whirlpool, Maytag and other top brands.
Appliance Direct will retain most of the employees who wished to
stay on from REX TV.
Etowah County Commission unanimously approves the
development plan for electric bingo
The Etowah County
Commission took about 4 minutes to approve and recorded the vote
Tuesday on the proposed development plan presented by CBS supply.
The development is a 200
million dollar project for the charity bingo operation to be
located on Pleasant Valley Road near the I-59
exchange. CBS supply is trying to get the permit before the
"Sweet Home Alabama" law goes into effect. The Commission did
ask if there was any opposition or comments, but the room remained
silent.
Click here to see a copy of the
Little Canoe Creek Industrial Park Development Agreement.pdf
William Thomas of Phenix City, wins Top Tracks Crate race at
Green Valley Speedway
William
"Smooth" Thomas of Phenix City, Alabama
was in a league of his own Friday Night in the Top Tracks warm up
event prior to the GVS Crate Nationals to be held this week at Green
Valley! 50 Crates showed up for the only race left before next
weekends spectacular 3 Day first of a kind Crate Race! If this race
was any indication "Smooth"
will be hard to beat this weekend. However he will be challenged be
a strong field of veteran drivers.
One of Gadsden's Oldest Jewelers is Going out of business.
Another Sad loss for the Local community.
In a letter/advertisement sent out to former
patrons of Grier Jewelers last week, it stated that after 67 years
of business it was going to close it doors. In the letter "The
decision has been made, and it is time. In this time of
recession, retail business for the jewelry industry has not been
going very well. " The letter also states that Marvin Grier
will going to work "within the industry, But in the area of
appraisals." Grier Jewelers has been a Icon of downtown
Gadsden since 1941.
Mayor of Rainbow City says baseball fields to ready by
"April 2nd"
Rainbow City Mayor Terry John
Calhoun said that the baseball field would be ready "by April 2nd."
Teams from the Coosa Baseball league are schedule to start playing
at the fields on that date.
According to the Coosa baseball website, members of the teams,
Parent and coaches are having a work day March 28th from 8am until
5pm to get the field ready to play. The baseball fields are
part of the Maddox Sports complex.
Color the County: ZeroMeth Art by Etowah
County Teens
More than $5,000 in awards and a
chance to express your views on the dangers of meth use. April 3-24
along Broad Street in Downtown Gadsden.
Drop off
artwork and entry forms 1pm - 5 pm, Thursday, March 26 or Friday,
March 27 at the Pitman Theater.
Entry forms are
available from your art teacher, school office or the Hardin Center
for Cultural Arts beginning March 2.
For
more info,visit www.myspace.com/colorthecounty
or email colorthecounty@gmail.com
Little League teams across the area take
the field
Spring is in the air, and Little League teams are hitting the practice fields. Rainbow City is set to open it's new sports complex this April.
Southside Panther Youth win cheerleading
championship
Standing from left
to right: Magan Saunders, Madison McFee, Lauren Hunt, Macy
Foshee, Taylor Moles, Lexi Pierce, Makenzi Duncan, Kaylee Fry,
Savannah Shaw, Bradley Couch, Christy Morgan, Isabella Bynum, and
Taylor Griffin Bottom Row: Brianna Goffe, Skylar Moles
and Britni Bottoms
Winning the cheerleading championship was a group of 6 – 10 year olds from Southside, Alabama. After much hard work and dedication the girls competed at the World of Sports in Orlando Florida bringing home the 1st place National Championship trophy, championship jackets and gold medals. Title: 2009 Youth Recreational National Cheerleading Champions : lead by head coach Jeannie Saunders.
It seems that at Disney…Dreams do come true!
Green Valley Speedway Kicks off New 2009
Season, New Website and New races.
Dennis and Debbie Harker, owners of Green
Valley Speedway welcomed city officials, media and others to the
ribbon cutting of the 2009 season sponsored by the Gadsden - Etowah
Chamber. Mayor Gilchrist of Glencoe and Mayor Burns of
Southside both spoke on the track contributions to the community.
The track is expected to generate Millions of dollars and attract
100's of thousand fans this year to boost the Etowah/Calhoun county
area.
Green Valley Speedway will host the GVS Crate Nationals in March, with will have the largest money prize offered to a Crate National winner $25,000. On February 19th - 22nd the track will have its 12th annual Bama Bash which is expected to bring in thousands of fans.
For more information about the track visit: www.GreenValleySpeedway.com
Gadsden - Etowah Chamber celebrates its
Annual Report; Honors Meehan, Harris.
JSU's President Dr. Meehan received the
Bobby Austin award for his "regional" achievements at JSU.
Mike Harris was given the Chairman's Award for his years of work
with the Chamber.
In other business, Chamber Chairman Mike Shannon was giving the
task of both the Incoming and Outgoing reports. Mr. Shannon replaced
Renee' Culverhouse after she resigned earlier due to health
concerns. Mike Shannon will also serve as Chamber Chairman for
the rest of 2009.
Former Etowah and Alabama Quarterback
Freddie Kitchens has chance to get a Super Bowl Ring with the
Arizona Cardinals.
Freddie Kitchens is in his second year with
the Arizona Cardinal as the Tight End coach. Kitchens in his
3rd year coaching in the NFL which included a one year stint with
the Dallas Cowboys. Kitchens also served on the LSU Staff and
the Mississippi State coaching staff before enter the NFL coaching
ranks. This will be first Super Bowl appearance.
In all, the University of Alabama will have 9 players in coaches
involved in this Superbowl. (photo credit:
AzCardinals.com )
President Obama Signs Former Gadsden
Goodyear employee's Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
It's about justice. It's about who we are.
And on this "wonderful day," we're getting a step closer to both of
those things.
That was President Obama's message as he signed his first piece of legislation, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which will make it easier for people to get the pay they deserve -- regardless of their gender, race, or age.
"Ultimately, equal pay isn't just an economic issue for millions of Americans and their families, it's a question of who we are -- and whether we're truly living up to our fundamental ideals," President Obama said. "Whether we'll do our part, as generations before us, to ensure those words put on paper some 200 years ago really mean something -- to breathe new life into them with a more enlightened understanding that is appropriate for our time.
Surrounded by leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and with the new law's namesake, Lilly Ledbetter, at his side, President Obama signed into law a powerful tool to fight discrimination.
The law is now up on our website, where you can review its full text and and submit your thoughts, comments, and ideas.
Gadsden Riverfest 2009 announced
Friday night will be Daybreakk, The
Marshall Tucker Band and Bret Michaels. Saturday night will be
Kevin Derryberry, Josh Gracin, and Little Big Town
Photo Credit:
Nancy Mazzei - Bret Michaels
Attalla gets new Superintendent job
Boaz Principal Ray Landers will be
the next superintendent for the Attalla Board of Education.
Landers will replace Danny Golden who retires at the end of
February.
Gadsden, Noccalula Falls Featured in
Atlanta Newspaper in " One-Tank Trips"
One-tank trip: Gadsden, Ala.: Natural
wonders only part of attraction Tips to help you plan a day trip or
overnight getaway
By Lisa Lowe Stauffer Contributor Sunday, January 11, 2009
story credit www.AJC.com
With the Coosa River at its heart
and the Appalachian foothills at its edge, Gadsden was voted
America’s Most Livable City in 2000. It’s a very visit-able city,
too, with its historic downtown, nearby parks, a cultural arts
center and the riverfront. Read
the whole story on AJC.com
Green Stories: Projects that make our community better.
Should Gadsden have a recycling program?
myGadsden.com spoke with someone the other day who describe his encounter with Mayor Guyton about the City of Gadsden starting a Recycling program. This group has petitioned to get a recycling program started for the Gadsden area, but fell short of the 40,000 signatures required to get matter processed further. myGadsden.com is following the story going into 2009. Tell us your thoughts on this matter by emailing info@mygadsden.com
Related story:
Grant Helps Baldwin County Turn
Landfill Waste into Energy
MONTGOMERY - A landfill in Baldwin County will soon convert gas generated by waste into electricity with the help of a $40,000 grant awarded by Governor Bob Riley. The County Commission will use the grant for a project to generate a limited amount of electricity from the gas produced by waste decomposition at the Magnolia Sanitary Landfill in Summerdale. County officials estimate the gas will generate enough electricity to offset up to $1,000 per month in energy costs. <more>
Gadsden Christmas Parade
City of Southside increases sales tax
from 3% to 4%, Southside Water, Garbage and Sewer increases 10%
Sales tax on goods purchased in the
city of Southside went up 1% on Monday, December 1st. During
the October 13th city council meeting, the Mayor Wally Burns and the
City Council unanimously passed the ordinance
to increase the sales tax from 3% to 4%. The 1% increase in
the rates will be used for the repair and maintenance of roadways in
Southside.
Several local
Southside business interview we're aware of the tax increase, but a
few were unclear that the tax increase would happen in December.
According to the Southside revenue department, Southside allowed
Alatax, the company in charge of collecting sales tax for Southside,
to mail out the notices to businesses.
< Read the full ordinance for the City
Council minutes>
In a separate department, the Southside Water and Sewer Board increase it's water, sewer and Garbage service 10% being at the first of the year.
Teresa Lokey named the new principal at Highland
School.
Teresa Lokey was named as the new principal
of Highland School at the Etowah County board of education meeting
Tuesday night. Lokey was previously the Assistant Principal at
Glencoe Middle School.
Glencoe Elementary gets new Principal.
The Etowah County Board of Education approved Tiffany Scott as the new Principal of Glencoe Elementary on Tuesday, effective immediately. Mrs. Scott has served at Highland School on Tabor Road as Principal, Teacher and other positions over the past 12 years.