Troyce Townsel, a former councilman for the Town of Berry, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 5 at the age of 74. He died at Hospice of West Alabama following a lengthy illness.

The 2023 Fayette “Festival of Hope” Crusade was held last week and according to the organizers of the event, it was a tremendous success. “We really didn’t know what to expect,” said Robert Parrish, pastor of Southside Baptist Church and one of the organizers of the crusade. “We were hoping that souls would be saved and the crusade would be a beacon of light for the glory of Christ, and we are thrilled and overwhelmed with the results.

Alabama State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey, along with state staff officials, visited Hubbertville School on Sept. 27. Mackey, as well as Chief of Staff Chuck Marcum, Executive Director of the School Superintendents of Alabama Ryan Hollingsworth, and Alabama State Board of Education District 7 member Belinda McRae were in attendance.

The driver of a fire truck tanker was fortunate to receive no injuries during a partial road collapse and subsequent tanker turnover on Monday, Oct. 2. The Kirkland-Bluff-Wayside Volunteer Fire Department had been using a 1977 International 1600 Loadstar tanker to wet an area of Cook Road, a dirt and gravel road, to help residents with dust conditions, due to the road being part of a current detour.

The two-day annual Fayette Frog Level Festival and the second annual Fayette Airport Fly-In were both huge success, with hundreds of people attending the events. The Frog Level Festival had to compete with high school football games on Friday night, but numerous people attended the event, shopping the arts and crafts, and the merchandise booths while partaking of a wide variety of food that was available at the festival.

Fayette traveled to Oakman to face the Wildcats in a crucial regional game, losing by the score of 24-6. Fayette received the opening kickoff and advanced across midfield before having to punt. The punt went into the endzone, forcing Oakman to start its first possession on its 20-yard line.

The Berry Wildcats returned to region play by traveling to face the Holy Spirit Saints in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 2017. The Wildcats were looking for their first regional win of the season and to play spoiler on the Saints’ Homecoming. The Wildcats took control of the game early and cruised to a 44-13 victory.

Hubbertville returned to region play on Friday night, traveling to Brilliant to face the Tigers. Following Tucker Bowen’s opening kick, Brilliant’s offense, led by quarterback Brooks McLemore, began its opening possession at its 32-yard line. Back to back penalties left the Tigers facing fourth down and 15, sending Bruin Hulsey back to punt the ball away.

A man who traveled from Texas to engage in sexual activity with a teenager has been sentenced to serve 25 years in prison. De’Airo DeShawn Bryant, 30, pled guilty on Tuesday, Sept. 26 to Electronic Solicitation of a Child. The victim was 15 at the time and had met Bryant on a social media instant messaging app. Bryant was 27 at the time of the offense.

A crowd of approximately 1,250 - 1,400 people were in attendance on Sunday night at John Morgan Brown Stadium during the opening night of Fayette’s “Festival of Hope.” The crusade concludes tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 4), with the hope that the event has made a positive difference in the lives of many throughout the area. For additional pictures and details of the Fayette Festival of Hope, see next week’s edition of The Times-Record newspaper.

Following the Sept. 26 Republican Primary for the vacant Alabama House District 16 seat, Fayette County resident Brad Cox will face Tuscaloosa County resident Bryan Brinyark in the Oct. 24 Republican runoff. There was not a Sept. 26 Democratic primary, since John Underwood was the only Democratic qualifier.

The Fayette City Council held its regular council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 26. All council members were present for the meeting. Prior to the start of the meeting, former mayor, Ray Nelson, addressed the council members about the importance of the “Festival of Hope,” and extended an invitation to the mayor and council to attend the event as much as possible.

This week will be a week full of entertainment and family activities in the City of Fayette.
The activities for the week actually began on Sunday, Oct. 1, with the 2023 “Fayette Festival of Hope” Crusade in John Morgan Brown Stadium, led by Evangelist Ronnie Hill.

The Fayette County Commission approved its fiscal year 2024 budget during its Sept. 25 commission meeting. All commissioners were present for the meeting. Local resident Milborn Savage spoke to the commission concerning the Festival of Hope Crusade. He said that people everywhere need to come together in peace, fellowship and unity, and he said that is impossible without God leading the way.

Following an off-week, the Fayette Tigers returned to the football gridiron to face Marion County, spoiling the Red Raiders’ Homecoming with a 55-28 victory.

The Berry Wildcats were trying to get back on the winning track and play spoiler on Homecoming as they traveled to Vernon to face the ninth ranked team in Class 2A, the Lamar County Bulldogs. The Wildcats fought hard in the second half, but could not overcome the deficit in the 42-6 loss.

After months of preparation, and thousands of prayers seeking wisdom, direction and guidance, the “Festival of Hope 2023” begins in Fayette next week. The festival, a Christian Crusade that seeks to change lives and see souls saved for Jesus, will be held nightly from Sunday, Oct. 1 through Wednesday, Oct. 4 in John Morgan Brown Stadium (Fayette County High School’s football stadium). Services will begin each night at 7 p.m.

Charles Bianco, a Fayette resident and former University of Alabama bowling coach, won a gold medal in the team bowling event, and a bronze medal in the individual bowling event at the National Senior Games, held July 7-18 in Pittsburgh, Penn.

The Fayette County Board of Education held a brief special-called meeting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19 to take action on four personnel items. All board members were in attendance except for board member Brenda Webb.

The Berry Town Council voted to appoint Chris Lindsey to fill the Place 4 seat on the Berry Town Council, replacing former Councilman Troyce Townsel, during its Sept. 11 meeting. All council members were present, with the exception of Councilman Russell Madison.