Although the weather caused a change of venue for this year’s Fiddle Fest and Southeast Fiddle Championship, the event’s organizers said the Fiddle Fest was still a huge favorite among the fans who attended. Glenn Taylor, one of the organizers of the event, said that despite the inclement weather, the event still ran smoothly and allowed the performers to showcase their talents.

Tommy Wilcox, former All-American football player at the University of Alabama and current host of the popular hunting and fishing show, “Tommy Wilcox Outdoors” will be the guest speaker at this year’s Fayette Area Chamber of Commerce banquet. The banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21 and will be held in the Earl McDonald Auditorium of Bevill State Community College, Fayette Campus. Tickets for the event are $15 each and will include a meal. Tickets can be purchased by contacting the Chamber’s office.

The Fayette Exchange Club annually honors the top senior students at Fayette County High School during the academic year. At the May Exchange Club meeting, the top three seniors receive plaques from the club in recognition of their outstanding achievement.

Fayette County Memorial Library (FCML) is proud to present the 2019 Summer Reading Program: “A Universe of Stories,” from May 28 – June 28. The program is comprised of the Summer Reading Challenge and a variety of events and programs offered throughout the summer.

On Thursday, May 9, the Berry High School softball team traveled to Choccolocco Park in Oxford to compete in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s East Central Regional.  
Game one paired Berry against the Area Seven winner, Victory Christian. Berry’s bats came alive early, scoring seven runs in the top of the first while coasting to a 23-0 victory.  

Fayette Middle School held its first-ever Eighth Grade Graduation this year on May 9 in the Arthur Hughes Gymnasium at the school. The graduation was initiated because the school’s administration and teachers felt the students should be rewarded for their accomplishment of completing middle school. The diplomas that they receive were also intended to serve as encouragement for the students as they begin a new journey of academics in high school.

Dexter Roberts of Fayette continues to win fans with his classic country sound as he advanced last week to the top 13 contestants on “The Voice.” The Fayette Civic Center hosted a viewing of “The Voice” last week during the Tuesday night results show, allowing many of Roberts’ family and friends to watch the show together to cheer on their hometown favorite.

The West Alabama Fiddle Fest and Southeast Fiddle Championship will be returning to Fayette this weekend for its third consecutive year. Daniel White, director of the Fayette Area Chamber of Commerce, said that last year’s crowd was great and that he anticipates another huge crowd for this year’s event.

Christopher Lee Price, who received a last-minute stay of execution on April 11, has a new execution date scheduled for May 30. At approximately 4 p.m. on April 11, U.S. Southern District Court Judge Kristi Dubose ordered a stay of execution for Price. At 11:34 p.m. that evening, the state called off the execution, stating that the U.S. Supreme Court had not issued a ruling on the stay, and that there was not sufficient time left in the day to carry out Price’s death warrant.

The Fayette Tigers baseball team put up a valiant fight, but ultimately lost its third round playoff games to Hokes Bluff by the score of 5-1 and 2-1. The Eagles traveled to Fayette for the games and keep its magical season alive. Hokes Bluff started the season ranked number one in Class 4A and has remained on its perch all-season.

A major resurfacing project on U.S. Highway 43/171 will force motorists in Fayette to exercise patience and caution during the next several weeks. The resurfacing is occurring from the intersection of Highway 159 (Gordo Rd.) on the south end of town and will conclude at the intersection of Highway 102 on the north end of Fayette. The road construction is expected to conclude during the summer.

The national rise in cases of measles - a disease which was considered virtually eradicated in the United States in 2000 - is causing worry throughout the nation. A press release from the Alabama Department of Public Health on Thursday, May 2, noted that ADPH had received notification of a presumptively positive case of measles that morning in an infant in St. Clair County. The child had not been in a daycare setting nor had the child traveled out-of-state.

The Berry softball team won two of its four games in the area tournament and advanced to the regional playoffs by finishing second in the area. The Lady Wildcats traveled to Holy Spirit and faced South Lamar in the first game of the tournament, losing a close game by the score of 4-3.

The Hubbertville Lady Lions traveled to Guin on April 29 to begin play in the area tournament. In the first game of the tournament, Lynn defeated the Lady Lions 8-0. Emma Nichols pitched a complete game in a losing effort for Hubbertville. Chelsea Porter and Madison Cribb collected the only hits in the game for Hubbertville.

The Fayette Lady Tigers concluded its 2019 softball season by traveling to Curry for the area tournament. Curry defeated Fayette 12-4 in the first game, with Haleyville winning the second game by a score of 11-5. No stats were available for either of the Fayette area tournament softball games at press time.

The Fayette City Council unanimously approved the transfer of West Alabama TV Cable to Spectrum/Charter Communications during its April 23 meeting.  All members of the council were present for the meeting.

The Fayette County Board of Education accepted several retirements and resignations during its April 16 meeting. Board members Waldon Tucker and John Stowe were not in attendance at the meeting.

Fayette held an Alabama Bicentennial Event on the courthouse lawn on April 27, featuring music by the band C Plus.

Berry celebrated its annual Heritage Festival on April 26-27. The event was well-attended by local residents and visitors.

The City of Fayette and the towns of Glen Allen and Berry recently held clean-up campaigns in their communities.