| Friday, April 30, 2010 | Opelika, Alabama |
Vol. 2, No. 27 |
Miracle League scores big with kids
Photos by Robert Noles
The Miracle League games were a success on Sunday, April 25 at the West Ridge Baseball Complex in Opelika.
The Miracle Field of East Alabama project is not only a baseball field, but it includes an entire environment suited for special needs youth and ball players.
The field itself has a rubberized synthetic turf allowing wheelchairs and walkers to glide unrestricted in addition to the accessible dugouts and bleachers. The environment encompasses a control center with wheelchair and walker accessible restrooms & water fountains, an all accessible press box, a special needs accessible playground and a pavilion for family and community fellowship.
The Miracle League is an organization that provides the opportunity for persons of ALL AGES with cognitive or physical disabilities to play baseball.
“Noon Tunes” is back
By Jan Gunter, Every May, the Opelika Parks & Recreation Department celebrates the arrival of spring with a FREE lunchtime concert every Wednesday at Opelika's Courthouse Square in beautiful downtown Opelika! Folks are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch (or purchase lunch from a local restaurant), a quilt or lawn chair and relax by the fountain for an hour of unforgettable musical entertainment. The concerts begin at NOON and end by 1:00 p.m. |
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Spring 2010 Schedule Wednesday May 5th: Muse - Easy listening, vocal oriented acoustic soft rock played as only Muse can. Muse will appear for the 18 h year on the Summer Swing Bandstand on Tuesday July 15 th . Wednesday May 26th: Larcus Fuller - Country and Light Rock- Songs that make you want to sing along. And don't forget Summer Swing Concerts in the Park! Another “Opelika tradition” – Summer Swing concerts in Municipal Park – gets into action, beginning on Tuesday May 11, 2010. These series of concerts are FREE and begin at 7:00 p.m. The Summer Swing concert series is a 14 week long event and offers a wide variety of musical entertainment, including: Gospel, Jazz, R&B, Praise and Worship, Oldies, Country, Big Band Swing, Folk, and Community Band music. The Opelika Band Boosters prepare hamburgers and hotdogs in the park for a nominal fee from 6:15-7:30 p.m. These are ideal for a family picnic and the home-made ice cream is delicious. RBC Bank of Opelika provides complimentary lemonade during the concerts. The Rocky Brook Rocket, a vintage train with a long, rich history, has been restored and is back on the tracks for complimentary train rides. Come out early! Bring the whole family, a quilt or lawn chair and relax on the bank of Rocky Brook Creek for an evening of musical fun, fellowship and relaxation. For more information call the Opelika Parks and Recreation Department at 334-705-5560 or e-mail bkent@ci.opelika.al.us . Summer Swing Concert Schedule: May 11th Lee Scott Academy Jazz Band |
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Saving money in the heat
Submitted by
Jan H. Gunter
This summer, to maximize your energy dollars, the most important time to conserve energy is from 2 to 6 p.m.
Opelika Light & Power offers these summer tips to conserve energy and save on electricity bills:
• Try to schedule any activity using hot water (laundry, showers, baths, dishwashing) for before 2 p.m. or after 6 p.m.
• Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or slightly higher. The monthly savings could be between 3 and 5 percent. Raise the thermostat higher when away from home for extended periods. By installing a programmable thermostat, you can save money every month by lowering energy use when you do not need it.
• Clean or change the air conditioner filter regularly. A dirty filter cuts down on air flow and reduces efficiency. Air conditioners are the biggest source of electric use during the summer. In many homes, air conditioning accounts for more than half the electric bill.
• Keep your curtains and blinds closed during the day to reduce heat from direct sunlight.
• Using the microwave, slow cookers and outdoor grills for cooking also will reduce demand for power.
• Use room or ceiling fans to circulate air.
• Add insulation in the attic. Better attic insulation can save as much as 30 percent on cooling and heating costs.
• Make sure attic and crawl spaces are adequately ventilated. Poor ventilation will add to your summer cooling costs. It also can trap moisture in your attic, making insulation less effective.
• Use compact fluorescent lights instead of incandescent lamps when possible. CFLs last about 10 times longer and use about one-fourth the electricity of incandescent bulbs. CFLs can save 60 percent or more on lighting costs.
• Cleaning your dryer lint filter before every load helps dry your clothes more quickly, which means you save energy and money.
• When going on vacation, turn your water heater thermostat to low. It will save you a few dollars.
• Your mother was right. (“What do you think — we own the power company?!”) Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers. Results show that the average owner of a computer system spends about $100 per year in electricity bills, if the computer is left on 24/7. This cost, however, does not figure in the electricity used by printers, scanners, and other devices.
• Click your way to energy savings. Be a wise-energy user and put money back into your pocket each month with Energy Depot ® . Energy Depot is simple and convenient, and there is no cost associated with accessing the service. Energy Depot is an Internet-based suite of software applications for residential customers. Customers can receive online personalized energy profiles. You can input your energy billing history to assist your analysis, plus you can access advice on saving energy and a comprehensive library of energy information. To get started, visit www.opelika.org and type in “energy depot” in the search box on the front page. And don't forget to visit the Light & Power pages for more energy saving tips for your home or business!
Opelika Pillars - Albert Killian
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By Ann Cipperly
Opelika Observer
As a veteran of the Korean War, Albert Killian was among the 13 Opelikans who took the honor flight last Friday to Washington, D.C. to visit the World War II Memorial and other sites.
Killian served in the U.S. military with 10 years active duty and 32 years with the National Guard. He served in Korea and was twice deployed to Germany with his primary staff in the Guard.
The honor flight left Opelika early Friday morning for the Columbus Airport. The WWII veterans wore blue shirts and sported WWII caps. While visiting the memorials, they were thanked for their service by many visitors.
When the flight returned to Columbus Friday night, they were welcomed and cheered by Ft. Benning soldiers and many others who expressed their thanks for their sacrifices and service.
“It was a wonderful day,” says Killian. “We were welcomed and thanked everywhere we went during the day. Rayford Furlow of Opelika celebrated his 95 th birthday.”
Coming home to the cheering crowd was heartwarming. It was a day Killian will never forget.
At his home on North 8 th Street in Opelika, Killian is just a couple of blocks from where he graduated from high school in 1947. Although Clift High School has long been gone, the memories remain clear and sharp of good times playing football with classmates. One of those friends, Herschel Bass, lives at the end of the street.
Over the years, Killian has worked to preserve memories of the high school and other sites in Opelika by recording their history in 60 booklets.
When he was on the board for the Museum of East Alabama, Killian discovered old newspapers from 1880s through 1970. He went through the volumes discovering interesting stories. This sparked an interest in gathering material and photos from various sources to preserve in booklets with proceeds going to the museum.
The first booklet he assembled was on the Prisoner of War Camp “Camp Opelika” from 1942-45, which is now in its sixth printing. Several homes in Opelika, including his own, were divided into small apartments in the rear as residents for married soldiers. His father rented out a couple of rooms in their home. They stayed in contact with one soldier from New York for several years.
Other booklets include Pepperell Mill and village and football write-ups of Clift High School from 1935-55.
Along with the booklets, he was instrumental in establishing historic markers for the site of the Prisoner of War Camp and the Lt. Col. Dallas B. Smith Armory, The Opelika Historic Preservation Society paid for the markers.
While serving as president of the Museum of East Alabama for three years, he assembled the military display. While he is currently serving as a volunteer for the museum, he continues to have an interest in preserving local history.
Killian lived his early years in Salem while his father was operating a farm, country store and dairy for the W.C. Bradley Company. During the Depression, his family fared better than many as they had a garden, two cows and chickens. Friends shared a hog in the winter.
In the early 1930s, his father opened his own business, Jim Killian Motor Company in Opelika, a Dodge and Plymouth truck dealership. The site is where Alpen Café on South Railroad is located today.
In 1938 his father lost the business like many others during the Depression. He sold cars for another dealership before opening the Opelika Truck and Tractor Company in 1940.
Albert attended the first three grades of school in Salem. When his father started his business in Opelika, he took Albert and his sister to school at Northside Elementary and his brothers to Clift High.
In 1941 the Killian family moved to Opelika on Fourth Avenue.
Albert had an interest in athletics and wanted to be a physical education teacher and coach. After graduation from high school, he joined the Army and was stationed in Maryland for a year and half. While there, he played semi-pro football.
When he returned home, he joined the National Guard in 1949 with John Melson as his commander.
He attended Auburn University (API) for six quarters before his unit was activated for the Korean War in January 1951. While serving, his father died. He returned home in the spring of 1952 and was shortly discharged.
Killian returned to Auburn and graduated in 1953.
He went to work at Opelika Junior High School, which was called Alma S. Martin, as a teacher and coach, for three years.
Albert did not know Nancy until 1956 when he was attending a Lion's Club variety show that was held in Opelika. Nancy came out in “shorts and high heels” announcing acts with a sign. They began dating and married a few months later.
Albert had already accepted a position in England teaching dependent children of Air Force personnel. They lived in Oxford for a year, which was an adjustment but enjoyable as well.
When they returned, Albert taught and coached in Lanett and later in Opelika for his former coach, Coach Sam Mason. One of Albert's students was Col. Robert Howard, who is the only Medal of Honor recipient from Opelika. He recently visited the colonel in Ft. Benning.
After four years as a high school principal in Eufaula, he accepted a position at Auburn University. They moved to Auburn with their children, Jane Ann, Al Jr., James and Molly.
From 1964 to 1984 Killian held positions at Auburn as High School Relations Director, Registrar and associate director of Cooperative Education.
Eight years ago, they returned to Opelika and became active in the community again. Killian was a member of the Lion's Club in the 1950s. He has been in Kiwanis for 42 years serving as president and Lt. Governor for the division.
He has been a deacon at First Baptist in Opelika. He and Nancy are teaching Sunday school and singing in the Sunshine Choir.
“The best thing I ever did was marry Nancy,” he says. “She has been a great companion through the years.
“It is said you can't go home,” says Killian. “We have proven you can go home. Opelika has always been our spiritual home regardless of where we were living, whether it was in England or anywhere else.”
