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Community News
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The Scots are Coming to Scottsboro |
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 The Tennessee Valley Scottish Society is hosting the North Alabama Scottish Festival at Goose Pond Colony Amphitheater. The Athletic Games are sponsored by High Country Toyota. Events get started on Friday, October 1st with a Patrons' reception in honor of Clan McDougall, the host clan for this year. Patron fees are $40.00 per person and include festival admission on Saturday, VIP parking, festival program and listing in program, patron's name badge, and badge admittance to the Friday night Patron's reception. Orders for Patron's package must be received by September 24th. Order Forms and general brochures about the event are available at the Chamber of Commerce.
Saturday, October 2nd, events start at 9:00 am when the gates open to the public. Admission is $7.00/adult and $3.00 for children ages 6-12, under 6 is free. Opening Ceremonies start at 11:30 am with a Parade of Tartans, a massed piping band parade and the presentation of the honored clan.
Saturday's activities include all day athletic competitions, Stan Moore's Border collie sheep and duck herding performances, as well as musical performances in the Amphitheater. Our featured entertainers are Colin Grant-Adams, Hooley, SlipJig, and Richard VanValkenburg. There will be special activities for the children including a Kiddie Caber Toss and Haggis Toss. There is also the chance to view Scotland's famous Highland Cows.
Bring your family pet and enter him/her in the Pet Parade. The parade takes place in Clan Row immediately following the Opening Ceremonies. This parade of pets will consist of the following categories - Mary Queen of Scots (Best Dressed), Rob Roy Macgregor (Best Celtic Dress), William Wallace (Fiercest looking), Bonnie Prince Charlie (prettiest), Robert The Bruce (most majestic), Loch Ness Monster (Biggest), Wee dram of whisky (wee/littlest) with prizes awarded for each. All pets must be on a leash and have proof of current rabies vaccination (paperwork or tag). Registration for pets in pet parade takes place at 11:00 am. There is no entry fee, just general admission to the festival. Have your pet dressed and ready to parade!
There will be a wide range of Scottish vendors, selling items including books, music, weaponry, jewelry, kilts and tartans and other Scottish items. Both Scottish and American food will be available on the festival grounds. The Eastern United States Pipe Band Association will hold a sanctioned piping competition for both bands and solo piping/drumming on the grounds during the morning.
A Kirking of the Tartans will be held Sunday, October 3rd at 11:00 am at Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Scottsboro, with the Reverend Roy Hall officiating.
 Highland games are events held throughout the year in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain aspects of the games are so well known as to have become emblematic of Scotland, such as the bagpipes, the kilt, and the heavy events, especially the caber toss. While centered on competitions in piping and drumming, dancing, and Scottish heavy athletics, the games also include entertainment and exhibits related to other aspects of Scottish and Gaelic culture.
During various times of English occupation, from before the Wars of Independence to the suppression after the Jacobite wars, the men of Scotland were forbidden to bear or train with arms, in an attempt to prevent another Scottish uprising. Scots continued to train for war; they simply did so with the implements of war replaced with the implements of the Highland games.
In their original form many centuries ago, Highland games revolved around athletic and sports competitions. Though other activities were always a part of the festivities, many today still consider Highland athletics to be what the games are all about - in short, that the athletics are the Games, and all the other activities are just entertainment. Regardless, it remains true today that the athletic competitions are at least an integral part of the events. Although quite a range of events can be a part of the Highland athletics competition, a few have become standard.
- Caber toss: A long tapered pine pole or log is stood upright and hoisted by the competitor who balances it vertically holding the smaller end in his hands. Then the competitor runs forward attempting to toss it in such a way that it turns end over end with the upper (larger) end striking the ground first. The smaller end that was originally held by the athlete then hits the ground in the 12 o'clock position measured relative to the direction of the run. If successful, the athlete is said to have turned the caber. Cabers vary greatly in length, weight, taper, and balance, all of which affect the degree of difficulty in making a successful toss. Competitors are judged on how closely their throws approximate the ideal 12 o'clock toss on an imaginary clock.
- Stone put: This event is similar to the modern-day shot put as seen in the Olympic Games. Instead of a steel shot, a large stone of variable weight is often used. There are two versions of the stone toss events, differing in allowable technique. The "Braemar Stone" uses a 20-26 lb stone for men (13-18 lb for women) and does not allow any run up to the toe board or "trig" to deliver the stone, i.e., it is a standing put. In the "Open Stone" using a 16-22 lb stone for men (or 8-12 lb for women), the thrower is allowed to use any throwing style so long as the stone is put with one hand with the stone resting cradled in the neck until the moment of release. Most athletes in the open stone event use either the "glide" or the "spin" techniques.
- Scottish hammer throw: This event is similar to the hammer throw as seen in modern-day track and field competitions, though with some differences. In the Scottish event, a round metal ball (weighing 16 or 22 lb for men or 12 or 16 lb for women) is attached to the end of a shaft about 4 feet in length and made out of wood, bamboo, rattan, or plastic. With the feet in a fixed position, the hammer is whirled about one's head and thrown for distance over the shoulder.
- Sheaf toss: A bundle of straw (the sheaf) weighing 20 pounds (9 kg) for the men and 10 pounds (4.5 kg) for the women and wrapped in a burlap bag is tossed vertically with a pitchfork over a raised bar much like that used in pole vaulting. The progression and scoring of this event is similar to the Weight over the Bar. There is significant debate among athletes as to whether the sheaf toss is in fact an authentic Highland event. Some argue it is actually a country fair event, but all agree that it is a great crowd pleaser.
Many of the Heavy Events competitors in Scottish highland athletics are former high school and college track and field athletes who find the Scottish games are a good way to continue their competitive skills.
For many Highland games festival attendees, the most memorable of all the events at the games is the massing of the pipe bands. Normally held in conjunction with the opening and closing ceremonies of the games, as many as 10 or more pipe bands will march and play together. The result is a thunderous rendition of traditional favorites Scotland the Brave or Amazing Grace, and other crowd-pleasing favorites.
For more information visit www.tennesseevalleyscottishsociety.org or email
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 The Scottsboro Three Arts Club is asking all students in the Scottsboro and Jackson County area to participate in a Photography Contest. All photographs will be displayed at the annual Scottsboro Three Arts Club - Art in the Park at King Caldwell Park on Sunday, September 5th.
To enter the contest you must fill out an entry form. Each entry is $5.00. Each entry must be an 8 x 10 photo. Please see rules and regulations on the back of the entry form. Drop off all pictures at the Scottsboro City or Jackson County Board of Education by August 18. (Must have a separate entry form for each photo along with cash or money order). All proceeds benefit the Scottsboro Three Arts Club.
Categories are Person - Place - Thing. Age Divisions are Kindergarten - 4th Grade, 5th - 8th Grade and 9th - 12 Grade.
For more information visit www.threeartsclub.org for a downloadable entry form.
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Forever Wild Secures Additon to Walls of Jericho |
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 The state's Forever Wild program has recently acquired hundreds of acres of biologically important forest in Jackson County, Ala. The 535-acre Sims, Swaim and Johnson addition to the Walls of Jericho Forever Wild tract was purchased in May 2010 from the Alabama Chapter of The Nature Conservancy with support from a $640,000 Forest Legacy grant from the USDA Forest Service. The land is located along the Estill Fork tributary to the Paint Rock River and isadjacent to the James D. Martin-Skyline Wildlife Management Area. The Sims, Swaim and Johnson addition will be used for public recreation and conservation efforts, and will increase public access to the popular Walls of Jericho trail system located near the communities of Skyline and Hytop. State lands managers have documented more than 15,000 hiking and horse trail users annually on the growing trail system. New land acquisitions such as this ensure the public's access to the property and enhance the quality of life that state lands afford Alabamians. Considered one of the most biologically diverse and important regions in the United States, the Walls of Jericho Tract supports several species of birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and plants recognized under the Alabama Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy as species of highest conservation concern. As part of the Paint Rock River watershed, this area contains several springs and more than 3,000 feet of perennial stream habitat along Estill Fork Creek. The habitats within and along the Estill Fork waterway support some of the last remaining populations of several species of fish and mussels protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The plan to purchase the land was developed in 2008 through a partnership formed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Forever Wild Program, the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC), the Alabama Forest Resources Center (AFRC), the Alabama Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and the State of Tennessee's Wildlife Resources Agency. Working cooperatively with the AFC to administer the Forest Legacy Program, the AFRC helped direct the project grant towards this purchase. For more information about the Forest Legacy Program, visit either the AFRC website, www.alfrc.org or the AFC website,www.forestry.alabama.gov. Forever Wild has secured more than 210,000 acres for public use and conservation efforts since its inception in 1992. The program also provides affordable and accessible hunting opportunities for all Alabamians, and helps to generate $1.4 billion of annual economic impact throughout the state. To learn more about the Forever Wild Program, visit www.alabamaforeverwild.com.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama's natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. For more information please see www.outdooralabama.com. |
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Scottsboro Police Department Recognized |
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 The Scottsboro Police Department was honored at the 2009 ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors) North Alabama Chapter awards on November 20th, 2009. The project, General Contractor, Architect and City of Scottsboro were recognized for the Award for Excellence in the "Renovation Less Than $4 Million Division and received the Project of the Year over all other projects of every category and size.
The project was completed in March 2009 for $3,114,632 with a major renovation to the existing vacated City Hall adding a new jail addition to the rear. The police department, circuit court and jail are located in one facility with 911.
The Greater Jackson County Chamber of Commerce congratulates Architect, JH Partners; General Contractor, Lee Builders; and the City of Scottsboro for these awards.
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Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center Opens |
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Seventy-eight years after the Jackson County trial of nine black men accused of raping two white women caught the world's attention, officials Monday dedicated a museum they say shows how far the civil rights movement has come. The Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center officially opened with a dedication ceremony, coinciding with the first day of Black History Month. The museum is located at Joyce Chapel United Methodist Church, the oldest standing African American church in Jackson County dating to 1878.
Featured speaker Lecia J. Brooks, the director of Montgomery's Civil Rights Museum and an employee of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said it takes a strong, courageous community to not hide the past. Brooks said the stories of the nine boys, Judge Horton and so many others will now have a place to be told. Shelia Washington, Jackson County Multi-Cultural Heritage Foundation Executive Committee member, has spent the last 17 years working on bringing honor to the case of nine black teenagers accused of raping two white women while on a train traveling through Jackson County.
 Kathy Horton Garrett, granddaughter of Judge James E. Horton, who presided over the re-trial of the nine men in Decatur in 1933, spoke of the convictions of her grandfather. Garrett, who was 17 when Horton died in 1973, said she really didn't get a chance to discuss the case with her grandfather but learned from the overwhelming number of letters he had received from around the world what an extraordinary man he was. About a year after all nine men were convicted in a Jackson County courtroom, with eight getting the death sentence and the ninth life in prison, Horton ordered a new trial for all nine because insufficient evidence was presented at the first trial.
History of The Scottsboro Boys
On March 25, 1931, a skirmish between a group of black boys, and a group of white boys broke out on a Southern Railroad freight train. The train stopped in Paint Rock, Alabama, and the nine black boys were arrested on charges of assault. Two girls dressed in boys clothing, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, were found hiding on the freight train as well. They were all taken to Scottsboro, Alabama, the Jackson County seat. The two girls agreed to testify against the boys on a rape charge. The men were sentenced to death, despite the fact that one of the girls later denied being raped. They were all eventually paroled, freed or pardoned, some after serving years of a prison sentence. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually overturned the verdicts under the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause. The court ruled that the right of the defendant's to have competent legal counsel had been denied in the Scottsboro trials and ordered new trials for each of the accused.
 However, they will forever be known simply as "The Scottsboro Boys." Their names were Charles Weems, Clarence Norris, Andy Wright, Ozie Powell, Olen Montgomery, Eugene Williams, Willie Roberson, Roy Wright and Haywood Patterson.
The Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center memorializes the struggles of a determined people to overcome the destructive, evil force of racism. It celebrates the positive actions of those of all colors, creeds and origins who have taken a stand against the evil tyranny of racial oppression. It stands as testimony of how faith and Christian values may "move mountains" and change lives for the betterment of our community through education.
 Visit the Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center and learn the lessons of the history of the beginning of the modern Civil Rights Movement in the event our society calls, "The Scottsboro Boys Trials." Joyce Chapel United Methodist Church is located at 428 West Willow Street, Scottsboro, Alabama. Their hours of operation starting in March are the 2nd and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. They will also open by special appointment. For an appointment call 256-244-1310.
Portions of this article were taken from The Huntsville Times, David Brewer - Times Staff Writer; The Daily Sentinel, DeWayne Patterson - Writer; and Scottsboro Stories Blog, Garry Morgan.
For more information please visit www.scottsborostories.blogspot.com. |
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September 2010 |
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