Let’s play some ball!
Covington County Miracle League Board hammered out the season’s particulars Wednesday and announced the season is set to kick-off April 23, said Chairwoman Jill Metcalf.
The season will begin with an organizational practice that Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Johnson Park; however, those interested can get a sneak peak the Friday before, she said.
“We want to invite anyone who is curious about the League, about how the game is played, or if they have a child or know someone who might would enjoy playing to come out to Johnson Park on April 19,” Metcalf said
That day, the county’s three school systems and its special-needs students will participate in the second annual “Special Adventures” outing. CCML board members will be on hand to distribute league information to parents and care givers – and students can participate in a ball game on the specially-designed field.
Miracle League removes the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field and lets them experience America’s favorite pastime. Children play on custom-designed, rubberized turf fields that accommodate wheelchairs and other assertive devices. The league uses a “buddy” system, pairing each player with an able-bodied peer. More than 500 potential Miracle League players have been identified in Covington County, and Metcalf and other board members hope a good portion of those are seen playing on the field next month.
The league is free of charge and for all ages.
A T-shirt and hat will be provided at no cost, and no equipment – other than tennis shoes – is required. Gloves are optional. Play will be held on Tuesday nights for six weeks, with the first game set for April 30.
“And please remember that this league is countywide – not just for the people in Andalusia or Opp or Florala; it’s for everyone,” Metcalf said.
For more information about play, contact, Caitlin Shipman, City of Andalusia’s program coordinator of athletics, by phone at 334.428.2106 or 334.818.1057, or by email at .
Baby, it was cold outside Tuesday, but it wasn’t cold enough to stop play on the diamond in Opp.
Amid morning freeze warning and breezy temperatures, droves of parents braved the cold temperatures to watch their children play in the Opp baseball tournament on Tuesday.
Blankets, layers of clothing, scarves and gloves were used to stay warm.
Temperatures dipped to 29 for the low last night, and a freeze warning was in effect until 8 a.m. this morning.
Meteorologists said Tuesday temperatures are around 20 degrees too cold for this time of the year.
Forecasters predict temperatures to increase to 71 by Thursday, with showers and thunderstorms in the forecast by Friday evening and through Monday.
Plenty of sunshine and less wind will help push the Wednesday high into the upper 50s.
As Easter rolls around, forecasters predict the chance of rain on Saturday will be remote, while Easter Sunday will be mostly cloudy with a threat of a few showers later in the day.
The Andalusia Rotary Club awarded funding to local, regional and international charities during its annual banquet Tuesday night.
Rotary Foundation Board chairman David Darby said the awards were possible because of the club’s annual fundraising effort, the World Championship Domino Tournament. The Foundation will distribute a total of $25,000 this year.
Those funds went to:
• The Rotary International Foundation, which funds projects around the world, $3,000.
• Rotary’s Polio Plus effort, which has almost eradicated polio worldwide, $1,000.
• Lower Alabama Arts Coalition, $1,000.
• Andalusia Tourism and Relocation Committee, for the New Year’s Eve domino drop, $1,000.
• St. Vincent de Paul Society, Covington County chapter, $1,000. The organization provides food, utility, or other urgent relief to those in poverty.
• South Central Alabama Mental Health – $1,000.
• Jo’s Community Dinners, which provides meals at Thanksgiving and Christmas, $500.
• St. Mary’s Rice and Beans ministry, $500.
• Babe Ruth 18 and under World Series, set for Covington County this summer, $1,500.
• Camp ASCAA, funding for local residents to have a camping experience, $1,000.
• Covington County United Fund, $1,000.
• Andalusia Community Christmas, which provides a Christmas experience to more than 500 needy children each year, $1,500.
• Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable housing for partner families who put sweat equity into the project and make mortgage payments.
• Crossover Ministries, a residental addiction recovery program, $1,500.
• Andalusia High School, $300 for the art department; $118 for the math department; and $1,665 for equipment in the special education department.
• Andalusia Middle School, $1,000 for the library and $1,000 for the football program.
• Imagination Library, which provides one book per month to every child born in Covington County from birth to kindergarten, $1,000.
The Foundation also recently presented Honor Flight of Covington County with $1,000.
A recently-formed Andalusia Chamber Music Society will sponsor its first concert on Fri., April 19, at the Church Street Cultural Arts Centre.
LBW president Dr. Herb Riedel explained that chamber music has its roots in the classical period up until the advent of recorded music.
“Usually, it was a small ensemble,” he explained. “People would get together in somebody’s home. Like in the 19th century, you might have someone who played violin, viola, and cello practice the latest Beethoven quartet. It was a form of entertainment.”
As a person who loves classical music, Riedel said he thought that putting together a chamber music organization was more feasible than doing a small orchestra.
Riedel, LBW music instructor Johnny Brewer, former Wallace-Dothan music instructor Ralph Purvis, LBW faculty member and musician Steve Hubbard, Doty Henderson and Paula Harr formed the initial committee.
With a vision of bringing high quality live classical music to Andalusia and a mission of offering a minimum of two concerts annually, the group’s first event has been set. Three principal musicians from the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra will perform in Andalusia next month. Stephanie Riegle, flute, Katie Ott, harp, and Bryan Brown, violin, have put together an hour-long program of music that ranges from Debussy’s Clair de Lune to Shenandoah, a well-known folk tune.
Clair de Lune is a well-known piece of music that was used both in the first Twilight film and in Ocean’s 11. Classical music is “all around us,” he said. Most people just don’t realize it because it is background for a movie or a game.
Riedel said the group is very fortunate that the
Estep Foundation has agreed to underwrite this concert, and will fund a second concert in the fall.
Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert, which will be followed with a wine and cheese reception, are $25 for adults and $15 for students, and are available from Brooks Hardware, Ansley Place, Harold’s Furniture, or from members of the Andalusia Chamber Music group.
If Andalusia’s luck securing ATRIP funding holds for the third round, Prestwood Bridge Road will be widened and resurfaced.
And if the city could be fortunate enough to also receive grant funding from the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), a sidewalk will be extended from Dunson Street to the bypass, around the block to the Cooper Pool, and out Prestwood Bridge Road to Blueberry Hill, recently renamed Rosewood Lane.
The Andalusia City Council voted to pursue funding for the projects, which would total $605,000 for the paving and $524,000 for the sidewalks, after hearing a presentation from Jeremy McMath of DMD Engineers. The city would only be required to pay 20 percent of the project cost if the grant applications were approved.
McMath and DMD also are working with the City of Opp to secure ATRIP funding for improvements to Jeffcoat Avenue and Wilson Street, which would include new curbing, paving, and sidewalks from Main Street to Spurlin. McMath also proposed paving Wilson Street from Jeffcoat Street to Old Elba Road.
McMath estimated the cost of the Jeffcoat project to cost $323,608, with the city’s portion being $85,411.60, and the cost of the Wilson paving $31,208. The city would be responsible for $8,641.60.
Emily Waters of the Southeast Alabama Region Planning and Development Commission presented Opp with a proposal to seek a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to rehab the sewerage on Barnes Street.
Waters said the grant could be from $350,000 to $400,000 depending on how much sequestration cuts from the fund. Opp’s match would be 10 percent.
Council members agreed to consider the projects.