Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Officially Opens New Gym At Elementary School
Piedmont Elementary School's Victory Gym was the scene of a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday and a perfect example of what can happen when government and a community come together for a common goal.
Representative Lea Fite told the audience of school officials, students, and guests that Piedmont has "a lot to be proud of" and praised the area residents for coming together to work on the project.
"You have done a great job," he said.
Several years ago concerned school administrators got together with government officials and discussed the need for a gymnasium at the local elementary school. Senator Del Marsh agreed with the group and went to work on securing funds. He obtained $60,000 in state discretionary funds and school officials put it in an escrow account for the project.
That amount is small compared to the total money needed to complete the gym.
"We started with $60,000 and had a $450,000 facility to build," said Mayor Charlie Fagan. "Through the efforts of many people, we have completed the job two years ahead of schedule and for less money than expected."
Community leaders, elected officials, and area residents worked hard to ensure students at the school had a modern facility to use for their physical education programs.
The PTO did their part by having fund raisers that included selling snacks on Snack Day at the school, selling cookie dough and tee shirts, and donating money raised during the fall festivals. Within the last two weeks, it has raised more than $5,000 of the gym's flooring costs. Calhoun county Commissioner Rudy Abbott has agreed to match these funds once the paperwork is completed, according to Christie Donaldson, PTO president.
City crews performed site work, framing and some electrical work as time allowed. The Athletic Boosters have agreed to furnish the gym with basketball hoops.
"You are on a roll in Piedmont," said Fite. "What are we going to do next?"
Work on the project began more than a year ago when city crews moved playground equipment from the old football field to make room for the gym. The facility is named in honor of the sporting field on which it is located.

Ladiga Trail Half-Marathon Staged Saturday
Saturday's cool temperatures and rain did not keep approximately 75 runners from accepting the challenge of the second annual Chief Ladiga Trail Half-Marathon.
Runners left the new Community Center in Jacksonville around 8 a.m., ran the 13-mile route on the Chief Ladiga Trail and crossed the finish line at mile marker 14 behind the Piedmont Police Department. According to Carter Jones, a Piedmont resident who was the event's original planner, the route was reversed from last year and will alternate starting points each year.
That didn't make much difference for Tim Lee of Cullman. For the second year, he finished in first place overall. Lee improved his performance this year by one minute, coming in with a finish time of one hour and 22 minutes.
Jacksonville State University student Steven DiBlasi took second place, and Dave Roberson, of Munford, came in third.
Anniston resident Linda Hearn placed first overall in the women's division and Andria Kendrick placed second.
"It was a good run," Lee said shortly after crossing the finish line.
Jones said the runners experienced a drizzling rain about two miles into the race, followed by a "pretty good rain" that lasted several miles. The sun peaked from the clouds, he said, and gave runners an overall good day for the event.
"If you looked out at 6 o'clock this morning, you understand why some of the runners chose to stay home today," Jones noted. He had expected 100 runners to compete in the half-marathon but was pleased with the number that ran.
Jones did not get to run in last year's event but a volunteer took over his responsibilities for this race and allowed him to participate Saturday.
"It is a very scenic route that we run between Piedmont and Jacksonville," Jones said.
Bill Baker represented the City of Piedmont at the finish line and presented 12 trophies to the winners.
After completing the marathon, runners were invited to go to a reception at the Eubanks Welcome Center to enjoy refreshments donated by Lea Fite of Food Outlet.
"The Eubanks Welcome Center was the place to be," said Elizabeth Mitchell, Jones' wife who withstood the cold to see him at the finish line.
"The runners are a close group of people. I heard that Yo Setser of Jacksonville became concerned with a younger runner who was lagging behind and turned back to find her. Yo gave up the opportunity for a trophy and ran with the younger runner," she reported.
Almost 100 percent of the runners made nice comments on the cards they filled out at the end of the race, Jones said. The only negative remark was made about the weather, something Jones had no control over.

Strictly Personal
X-Box 360, Board Games Are Hot...
This is one of those occasions when I'm going to inject a personal note in this column. Some things happened last weekend that were really depressing. To say I was unhappy was an understatement, but then I picked up the mail at my house. There was a letter from Shelley, and its contents helped me get through a really difficult time. Until now, I'm sure she never realized how a short, kind note could lift someone from the bottom of the emotional barrel to a level to cope with some tough situations. Thanks, Shelley.
I guess the big news this week is the price of gasoline. It actually dropped below $2. I never thought I would see the day when we Americans would be grateful for paying nearly two bucks for a 50-cent gallon of gas.
I guess our gratitude is a sign of the times, however, it isn't gasoline I want to talk about this week. It being the Christmas shopping season brings to mind toys for kids. If you have seen the movie, "A Christmas Story," you have a good idea of what kids wanted in the 1950s. I guess every boy wanted a Red Ryder B.B. gun. Other familiar items on Santa's lists were bicycles, cap pistols, model planes and cars, erector sets, board games, Lincoln Logs, electric train sets and the inevitable "fruits nuts and candies."
These were all simple and relatively inexpensive toys. The train sets and B.B. guns and bikes were made to last. The models, erector sets and Lincoln Logs provided hours of entertainment, whether playing alone or with friends.
When my kids were coming along, many toys were featuring electronic gadgets. These included dolls that could almost carry on conversations, a disk with several colored panels that flashed in random order and simple robots.
These came along about the same time as the first computer games. We had "Pong," and the kids had another one or two. They were very basic, by todays standards, though they were a little expensive.
As the years passed, the computer technology expanded and video game centers came into being. The first ones had to be played on computers, but now the centers are self-contained units, many with their own screens. Some games can be played on small, hand-held devices.
This year, however, the ultimate in computer games was put on the marked. It is called the X Box 360, and it was sold out only days after reaching stores. The manufacturer says it cannot have more of the devices ready by Christmas.
The X Box features life-like graphics with a definition that has not been available in video games. According to ads, it comes in two models, the plain one for $299 and the machine with all the features for $399.
OK, so there aren't any...or are there some being hoarded? I have been told from several sources that E-bay has an X Box listed with an asking price of $2,500.
As I said, this is the latest in a long string of electronic devices used solely for games. All this technology being directed at simple amusement seems a little out of kilter to me, but I guess the high-tech folks know what they're doing.
While the X Box is the latest, it is not the only game device available. There must be hundreds of them. Some are limited to only one game, while others can accept cartridges containing different games. The contests can be played with a mouse, "joy stick" or other controlling device, and each game has its own peculiar set of beeps, pops or musical sounds.
With all this available, I was surprised to read that the old-fashion board games are making a comeback this year. These are games that involve other family members or friends, and they usually take quite a bit of time to complete.
Do you remember Monopoly? I can't count the hours I have spent at the board with Mom and Dad or a few friends. We had a ball, and we actually talked while we played.
Could it be that the youngsters are seeing that genuine conversation and interaction with their parents aren't bad things? I certainly hope so, because without them, the kids are missing vital parts of their childhood.
By the way, parents, if you get your child a board game for Christmas, take time to play it when asked. It will be far more beneficial and interesting that that TV program you were going to watch.