The Fayette Christmas parade was held in downtown Fayette on Monday, Dec. 3. The Fayette County High School band performed and their were many festive and spiritual entries in the parade.

The West Alabama Regional Commission held their Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony Thursday, Nov. 8 at Cypress Inn Pavilion. Candi Williams, State Director of AARP for Alabama, was the guest speaker for the evening. The highlight of the program was the presentation of the 2018 David M. Cochrane Award to the Honorable Jimmy Madison, Mayor of Berry. Members of the West Alabama Regional Commission’s board of directors were also recognized at the ceremony.

The Fayette County Commissioners donated $250 out of their personal funds to the Joey Day program in Fayette to buy Christmas presents for children in Fayette County.

The Fayette County Commission discussed its plans for the future of the aging program in the county, following the retirement in November of its long-time program director, Fay Meharg. All commissioners were present for the Nov. 26 meeting. Commissioner Barry Corkren said that he is certainly not against having an aging program in the county, but added that now by be the appropriate time to evaluate the way the program is funded and staffed to ensure that the program runs more efficiently and economically.

The Fayette City Council discussed options for street paving at its regularly scheduled Nov. 27 meeting. Councilman Jerry Nichols was absent from the meeting, with the remainder of the council members and Fayette Mayor Ray Nelson in attendance.

The Berry Wildcats boys basketball team opened its 2018-19 basketball season on Nov. 29 at Brilliant and started the season off with a road win against the Tigers by the score of 67-48.
Berry was led in scoring by Isaac Darty with 20 points, followed by Levi Cannon with 16 points. Also scoring in double-digits were Sam Franklin with 13 points and Tyler Lollar with 10 points. Johnathan Locke scored six points and Isaiah Kizzire rounded out the scoring with two points.

The Hubbertville Lions boys team won its first game of the season on Nov. 27 at Brilliant by a score of 48-33. The Lions’ Aaron Cribb scored 16 points and had 13 rebounds, with Brady Tucker scoring 12 points and nine rebounds. Others scoring for Hubbertville were Zach Hubbert with nine points, Ethan Nichols with five points, Tanner Upton with four points and Cannon Alexander with two points. Brilliant’s Kevin Bryant scored 20 points to lead the Tigers.

Note: The U.S. Postal Service office will be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 5. to honor the memory of the late President George H.W. Bush. This will delay delivery of The Times-Record to our subscribers. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Dr. Kim Ennis, president of the Bevill State Community College system, said that despite a few temporary setbacks, the college is still strong and looking ahead to a bright future. “We’re positive about the future of our institution and we want other people to feel the same,” Ennis said. “Bevill has impacted the lives of so many individuals during the last almost 60 years and we think the college will continue to be a vital part of its service communities in the future.”

This year marks the 14 anniversary of “Christmas at the Park” and according to organizers John and Doris Brasher, the lights and exhibits this year are better than ever. Doris Brasher said many new lights and two new scenes were added to the numerous exhibits that were already on display at Guthrie Smith Park. The two new scenes are “The 12 Days of Christmas” and a dinosaur Christmas display.

The veterans Christmas tree lighting ceremony, sponsored by the Fayette Garden Club, was held on Nov. 20 on the front lawn of the courthouse.

The City of Fayette will hold its annual Christmas parade this year on Monday, Dec. 3, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Participants in the parade are asked to be at the vacant lot of the former Fayette Square Shopping Center at 4:30 p.m. to line-up for the parade. The parade will follow the usual parade route, traveling south on Temple Avenue and proceeding to Second Avenue heading north before disbanding back at the starting location.

The Glen Allen Town Council held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov 6 at the town hall with all council members in attendance. Following standard opening procedures, Mayor Allen J. Dunavant stated the meeting would likely be very brief since the agenda consisted of only two items along with the monthly reports. The first item addressed from the agenda was the consideration of finding a date that would be best suitable for holding the annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony.

While Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) officials continue to do all they can to keep chronic wasting disease (CWD) out of Alabama, unfortunately the latest news from our neighbors in Mississippi is not good. Another deer in the lower Mississippi Delta in Issaquena County, a 2½-year-old doe, tested positive for CWD last week. The initial CWD case in Mississippi last January was also in Issaquena County, confirmed in a 4½-year-old buck.

The Fayette County commission held its annual organizational meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 14. All commissioners were present for the meeting and commissioner Joe Acker assumed the chairmanship of the commission until January 2019, when newly-elected probate Judge, Mike Freeman, will serve as chairman. Commissioner Acker asked Freeman to sit with the commissioners at the meeting table since he would soon be chairman of the commission.

The Fayette County Board of Education held its yearly organizational meeting on Nov. 13 at the Fayette Middle School gymnasium. Prior to the meeting the local school board toured the facilities at Fayette Elementary School and Fayette Middle School. The meeting also offered the general public an opportunity to address the board concerning any topic relevant to the local schools or the school board. No one took this opportunity to address the board.

The Fayette City Council voted unanimously to file a lawsuit to abate the former Cotton Mill property during its Nov. 13 meeting. All members of the council were present. Mayor Pro Tem Cedric Wilson presided over the meeting during the absence of Mayor Ray Nelson.

A very light dusting of snow fell and slightly accumulated, mostly on wood and metal surfaces, in Fayette County on the morning of Thursday, Nov. 15. While the snowfall was almost immeasurable, the temperature for Wednesday, Nov. 13 and Thursday, Nov. 14 stayed mostly between 30 and 40 degrees for the 48 hour period.

In a matchup of Tigers, the Deshler Tigers used a balanced and powerful offensive attack to take control of the game in the second quarter and defeat the Fayette Tigers 42-21. Deshler (7-5) will travel to Hokes Bluff for the third round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association playoffs, while Fayette is eliminated and finishes its football season with a 9-3 record.

The Fayette Long-Term Care facility held its annual Alabama - Auburn pep rally on Nov. 15 to the delight of the residents. They enjoyed facing the fans of the opposite team and, with the aid of the Fayette County High School cheerleaders, they cheered loudly and forcibly for their favorite school.

WBRC - 6 Meteorologist Wes Wyatt visited Fayette Middle School on Tuesday, Nov. 12 to talk to the sixth grade class about his work as a meteorologist and about becoming weather-aware during potential weather events.

Berry High School’s Volleyball team finished the season as the Area Seven Runner-Up and competed in Montgomery in the super regionals.

U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Ala.) joined Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) in introducing legislation to increase wildlife managers’ ability to keep wildlife healthy. The bill authorizes a special resource study to determine how chronic wasting disease (CWD) spreads and could be prevented in deer and elk. CWD can affect both wild and domestic herds of deer and elk in 25 states. However, state recommendations for preventing the spread of the disease vary.

Our nation’s service academies are elite institutions that train students to excel in academics and military affairs. These institutions seek well-rounded individuals with a high level of academic achievement, as well as a commitment to athletics, student activities, and civic organizations. Famous graduates of these institutions include Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Jimmy Carter, as well as legendary Generals George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, and Norman Schwarzkopf. The academies have also produced numerous astronauts.

The Republican candidates Mike Freeman and Byron Yerby won the two biggest contested offices in the county during the Nov. 6 general election. Yerby defeated current sheriff Rodney Ingle and current state trooper Tierre Agnew to win the sheriff race in Fayette County. Yerby received 3,893 votes and captured almost 52 percent of the votes cast in the sheriff’s race, easily outpolling Agnew (1,845 votes) and Ingle (1,777) votes. Agnew was the Democratic nominee and Ingle sought his fourth term as sheriff running as an Independent candidate.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell R. Spillers, Jr. delivered the keynote address at the joint Fayette County High School and Bevill State Community College Veterans Day Program, Held at Bevill State on Nov. 8. Veterans Day is a day celebrated annually to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have served their country honorably during times of war and peace. It originated as Armistice Day in 1919 to commemorate the first anniversary of the end of World War I.

Several Veterans' Day programs were held throughout the county last week to honor those who have honorably served this country in times of war and peace. This year also marks then 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

The Berry City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 5 at the Berry Town Hall. Councilman Troyce Townsel, Councilman Russell Madison and Councilman Calvin Madison were present for the meeting, and Councilman Chris Rice and Councilman Wesley Jacobs were absent. Berry Mayor Jimmy Madison declared that a legal quorum was present that would allow business to be conducted at the meeting.

The Fayette Tigers scored on its first offensive play and dominated the Randolph Raiders to take a first round playoff victory by the score of 26-8. The domination was so complete that Randolph accumulated only 40 yards in total offense prior to its last scoring drive of 97 yards. That drive by the Raiders was against the Fayette second and third team players after the outcome of the game had already been decided.

Hubbertville traveled north on Friday night to face the Waterloo Cougars. Advancing to the first round of the playoffs, the Lions season came to an end on the same field where its regular season began. The two teams met on Aug. 31, with the Lions exiting Waterloo with the win 49-18. This time, Waterloo got its revenge against the Lions, winning 20-15 and advancing in the state playoffs.

Matthew Austin Bolling, age 23 of Reform, was sentenced to 20 years in the Alabama Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to a lesser offense of possession with the intent to distribute. The plea deal was agreed to in Fayette County Circuit Clerk on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

For the first time in the storied history of the Fayette County Marching Band, the band has a true drum major to direct the music on the field. According to current FCHS band director Brent Traylor, the marching band at Fayette had never had a drum major to direct its on-the-field music. Traylor, in his third year at the school, added a color guard last year and he said this was just the next step in the progression to complete the band ensemble.

Jimmy Campbell of Fayette said that he always loved planes. His dad had been a pilot and Campbell said the concept and adventure of flying always fascinated him. As a young man, Campbell joined the Air Force in Feb. 1965, driven by two things - his love of planes and a desire to serve his country in the Arned Forces.

The 2018-2019 Fayette Middle School WIRED robotics team competed in the Bevill BEST Hub Robotics Competition, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26-27. There were 14 teams registered for the event. This year's challenge included some very difficult tasks, such as driving a robot on a two x four suspended off the ground and creating an expandable arm to locate and move objects. On the day of competition, FMS WIRED competed against nine other schools for the top spot.

The Fayette County Forestry, Agriculture, Wildlife and Natural Resources (FAWN) program was presented by the Forestry Service on Oct. 23 at Guthrie Smith Park in Fayette.The program was for sixth-grade students in the county and taught the students about preventing forest fires, types of forest products, how to use a compass, wildlife management, soil and water conservation, and other things relating to nature.

Residents at the Fayette Medical Center - Long-Term Care facility treated pre-school children in the area to treats on Halloween during the facility’s annual event. Children politely walked through the hallways in their colorful costumes, greeting the residents and receiving candy on their journey. Several of the residents and many of the staff members also dressed in colorful outfits as they waited to greet the children.

The Fayette County High School varsity volleyball team completed a successful 2018 season, winning the regular season area title and finishing as the area runner-up to the Haleyville Lions in the tournament. The Lady Tigers also were the West Alabama Conference (WAC) champions during the season. Fayette finished with an outstanding 29-10 overall record.

Bevill State finished its volleyball season with a 7-16 record and with Brooke Self being named Second Team All-Region. Head Coach Theresa Berry-Franks said she is proud of the team and their accomplishments during the second season of the renewal of Bevill Volleyball. Berry-Franks is also excited to have freshman players Ricki-Jill Burrough, Amanda Cunningham and Madison Pavlovec.She thanked the crowd for their support this season and said that she is hitting the recruiting trail to find new talent for next year’s squad.

The Fayette Fire Department responded to an apartment fire at 406 9th St. NE at 9:50 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5. According to Fayette Fire Chief Shannon Taylor, there was a “heavy” fire inside the apartment upon arrival. The fire was quickly brought under control by the firemen, but the apartment sufferred heavy damage throughout the building’s interior. No injuries were sustained as a result of the fire.

Fayette scored quickly, then used a solid defensive effort to defeat Dora and secure the number one seed in Class 4A, Region 5 for the Alabama high school football playoffs. The win broke a tie-breaker between Fayette, Good Hope and Northside to decide the first place seed in the region. Northside received the number two seed in the region, with Good Hope seeded third and Curry fourth.

Hubbertville closed out regular season play by hosting the Phillips High Bears on Friday night. Winning the coin toss, the Lions elected to receive the opening kick. Gage Key received the ball at the 20-yard line advancing to the 41-yard line and four plays later, he rambled his way down the right side line into end zone for the opening drive score. The PAT kick by Zach Hubbert was good and the Lions were on the scoreboard with 9:42 remaining in the first quarter.

Many people remember Mike Sexton: a native of Fayette, Fayette County High School graduate, husband, father, musician. Yet many people did not know the artistic side of Sexton, a sode that will be unveiled to the public during a showing of his artwork from 2-4 p.m. at The Venue in Fayette on Sunday, Nov. 4.

Gary “Tugboat” Hubbert was honored at the Fayette Civic Center on Oct. 25 with a retirement luncheon that was attended by many of his co-workers and friends. According to Fayette Mayor Ray Nelson, Hubbert’s tenure with the city is the longest ever by an employee, exceeding the tenure of long-time employee and former Mayor Guthrie Smith by about two months. Hubbert thanked his co-workers for attending, and told the city employees to remember to treat everyone equally.

The Fayette County Community-Wide Fall Festival, held on Oct. 28 at the Fayette Multi-Purpose Complex was a tremendous success. Hundreds of children of all ages attended the event to enjoy a time of masquerading, food, candy and fun. The event was sponsored by area churches, with many other organizations and individuals helping to host the event.

The Fayette City Council hired a new full-time fireman for the Fayette Fire Department during its Oct. 23 meeting. All council members were present for the meeting. Fayette Fire Chief Shannon Taylor recommendee to the council that Russell Oswalt be hired as a new fireman. He said that Oswalt has worked the past 1 1/2 years as a volunteer fireman with the department and has been an exemplary fireman in that capacity. He said that Oswalt is the kind of person that he feels good about promoting to full-time fireman.

A structure fire occurring on 6th Ave. SW in Fayette on Oct. 23 resulted in damage to a single residential home. Two occupants were home at the time, but managed to leave the home uninjured. The Fayette Fire Department responded to the fire and was able to quickly get the situation under control. According to Fayette Fire Chief Shannon Taylor, the home suffered moderate fire and smoke damage.

The Fayette County Commission hired Holly Duckworth as the new payables clerk during its Oct. 22 meeting. All commissioners were present for the meeting.
 More than 40 applications were received by the commission for the payables clerk position and after interviews were conducted, the selection committee reccommended that Duckworth be hired for the position. The payable clerk will work with County Administrator John Gordon’s office.

Sometimes, one play and just a few seconds make a difference in a football game. That was the case in Fayette’s game last Friday night against Good Hope. With 36.3 seconds remaining in the game, Fayette appeared to be in pretty good shape to win its region and the number one seed in the region for the playoffs. Good Hope’s quarterback, Bailey Quick, had just intentionally grounded the football while attempting to avoid a sack on third down near the Fayette goal line.

Hubbertville closed out region play by traveling to Reform to meet the Tornadoes of Pickens County. The Lions won the coin toss electing to receive but were held to three and out on its opening possession. Facing fourth and seven from its own 33-yard line, Ethan Nichols punted the ball away. The Tornadoes began its opening drive from its own 49-yard line and quickly advanced the ball downfield utilizing the passing game. Facing second down and nine, AlJaron Edwards connected with his receiver in the endzone for the first score of the evening.

The Berry Wildcats ended its 2018 campaign by traveling to Guin to face the Marion County Red Raiders. The Wildcats had three second half touchdowns, but turnovers would be the difference in the game. The Red Raiders took advantage of the three Wildcat turnovers to win the game 42–18.  Marion County won the toss and elected to receive. The Red Raiders returned the kickoff to the Berry 34-yard line to begin play. Marion County had the ball for seven plays before the Wildcats’ defense forced a punt on fourth and 11 from the Berry 49-yard line.