14 years and counting ...

By Joe McAdory

April Fool’s Day marked the 14th anniversary of my first day on the job at the Opelika-Auburn News. This newspaper has come a long way since those days at the old facility on Pepperell Parkway. Back then, some of us even had to share desks and I’d never heard of the Internet.

Since that day I’ve gone through nine automobiles, two addresses and an infinite supply of notepads.

I’ve seen a lot of good people come and go. Perry Ballard, David Mundee, Bert Stewart, Lori Dann, Jared Macarin, Randy Kennedy, Mitch Sneed, Jeff Ayers, Melissa Glass, to name a few.

It’s good to reflect on the past, but also keep an open mind for the future and wonder where we’ll all be 14 years from now.

History, road-tripping and bogeys

By Joe McAdory

I took some time over the weekend for golf and a little exploring in Jefferson County, primarily the Bessemer region.

The Robert Trent Jones Trail facility at Oxmoor Valley (between Bessemer and Hoover) offers two very different courses. First, the Ridge Course is wildly undulated. It reminded me very much of Stillwaters. The Valley Course is fittingly named since it is set in a Valley. It’s a nice place that I’d recommend and it’s less expensive than Ross Bridge, which is a shale rock’s throw from Oxmoor Valley. Pictured above is the Ridge Course’s eighth hole. There is no fairway, only water. Don’t miss.

I had a chance to explore some family history too. First, I toured the Bessemer Hall of History and got a taste of this city’s iron ore past. Birmingham is known as a Steel City, but the Bessemer-Fairfield region to its west had plenty to do with that too. I also saw a photograph of Robert McAdory, Bessemer’s first mayor, back before the turn of the century. He didn’t look like me, which I suppose was good for him. The Hall of History also had a miniature re-creation of downtown Bessemer, circa 1952, with moving trains and buses (see above). Some of the city’s most famous buildings and businesses were prominently shown.

I went over to the McAdory House, a structure built in 1840 by Thomas McAdory, who is my great-great grandfather. There is lots of history in that house and a few artifacts that antique dealers would die for. It’s pretty cool to walk the floors that my ancestors once did. I’m coming back next time with wasp spray. The house and its property is now owned by the Jefferson County Historical Society I believe. Below is a picture of a dining area. Pretty fancy stuff, minus air conditioning and indoor plumbing.

McAdory High School isn’t far away, about five miles to the south of the McAdory House. I got the chance to see the football field that Bo Jackson once performed. The gates to the field were locked, so I didn’t walk on it or anything. No big deal, it’s just grass. There was also a Jefferson County School bus parked outside the school with nobody inside and the door wide open. Maybe next time the driver will lock up.

No conspiracy theory, really

By Joe McAdory

Conspiracy theorists who adamantly believe we do not print some letters to the editor simply because you might think we don’t agree with those respective points of view, I appreciate the humor. Some letters aren’t printed simply because the basic rules, 300-word limit or no telephone number listed, aren’t followed. I do believe, however, this basic information should be made more available to the readers. I’ll make a better effort to ensure that it does.

The next Alabama governor should be ...

By Joe McAdory

A recent poll on http://www.oanow.com asked who folks thought the best candidate for governor in Alabama should be. After all, elections are coming up next year.

And the winner is ... nobody. That’s right.

Here are the results:

Bradley Byrne 6% (25 votes)
Roy Moore 13% (57 votes)
Artur Davis 17% (75 votes)
Beth Chapman 1% (6 votes)
Troy King 6% (27 votes)
Mike Hubbard 20% (89 votes)
Ron Sparks 3% (12 votes)
Someone else 22% (97 votes)

Congratulations Someone Else. We’re not sure you’re Democratic or Republican, but we wish you the best.