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Celebrating its 100th year, Kate Duncan Smith DAR School sits as a unique piece of history on Gunter Mountain in the town of Grant.

Called the Gem of Gunter Mountain, the school was established by the Alabama Society Daughters of the American Revolution and welcomed its first students on February 26, 1924. The National Society DAR began supporting the school in 1928.

Each year, DAR members from around the country visit the school for Dedication Day, greeted by students waving flags from school sidewalks. Other schools are supported financially by the DAR, but Kate Duncan Smith, or KDS, is the sole remaining one founded by the DAR.

“Once somebody comes here, they sort of fall in love,” says Kate Duncan Smith DAR School Executive Director Heather Watson Green. “The campus is just beautiful. We have all these historic buildings that make it look like a college campus. It is just very quaint and picturesque. And of course, the kids are so excited when the ladies come to visit. It tugs at your heartstrings. So, once somebody comes, we kind of have them hooked and they want to come back.”

A Unique Organization

Education, historic preservation, and patriotism are the mission of the national DAR.

During the early 1900s, Alabama’s rural areas had limited access to schools. In the northern part of the state, isolated mountain communities where residents lacked transportation and roads were inadequate, had even less access. So, when the Alabama Society DAR raised money and decided to open a school in Grant, the community got behind the project, Green says. Timber from Gunter Mountain was used, and locals donated materials like rocks and stones tilled from their own fields and gardens.

Kate Duncan Smith was the DAR state regent of Alabama from 1897 through 1907. She was beloved, Green says, and instrumental in fundraising to establish the school. The school was named in her honor, and she was there when it opened.

Today, the school serves pre-K through 12th grade and has an enrollment of 1,346 students with more than 50% of those children living at or below the poverty level. The campus sits on 240 acres with 40 buildings, including 10 cottages used for faculty housing.

KDS is a public school and part of Marshall County Schools, a relationship established when the school was founded. The school complies with state educational requirements, receiving funding and support like any other public school. School staff and faculty are provided by the county school district.

The national and Alabama DAR societies, as well as other state societies, provide supplemental funding. The elementary, middle, and high schools each have a principal, but KDS is managed by a board of trustees with daily business conducted by an executive director hired by the board. The land and buildings are privately owned by the board of trustees. Construction of the buildings was funded by private donors, state DAR societies or the national organization.

Private funds are used for college and work scholarships for students. A children’s fund raises money to help cover necessities such as shoes, coats, and backpacks, as well as school fees, yearbooks, and field trips for families who cannot afford them. A student health clinic takes care of health screenings as well as dental and vision needs. Food assistance and a Christmas fund are also available thanks to private donations.

Green, a KDS alumna, says there is just something special about the school.

“When you attend school here, it’s something that just stays with you,” she says. “If you live in this town and you went to school here, it’s sort of part of your story, part of your history.”

Historic Campus

The KDS campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original 1924 stone schoolhouse — the Louise Willson Jacobs Building — is now used as an elementary building. Variations in stone and brick show additions added later.

A log cabin constructed in 1935 once served as a library and administrative office. Known as the Pennsylvania Log Cabin, the building is now a museum, housing items donated by DAR members from around the country, historical archives, and photographs.

The school’s stone bell tower, located between the elementary building and the museum, was built as a water tower in 1937 to provide drinking water for students. In 1973, it was converted into a carillon bells tower.

The school’s original recreation center, Becker-Horton Hall, was built in 1937 with timber cut from Gunter Mountain. It’s the world’s largest vertical log structure still in use.

Celebrating 100 Years

Kate Duncan Smith DAR School officially marked its 100th anniversary on Feb. 26 with a celebration for students, faculty, and staff. Everyone wore a shirt in either red, white, or blue and the entire school population posed for a photo in front of the historic Jacobs Building. The school hosted a separate community celebration with a pancake breakfast, music, a craft show, and baseball games.

Green says the school will host tours this summer and will hold its centennial Dedication Day on October 3 through 4, with national DAR members in attendance.

As part of the centennial celebration, donors have funded renovations to the area around the bell tower. The KDS Centennial Campus Commons will be a landscaped gathering space and should be finished by Dedication Day.

“That will be our gift to the school for the 100th anniversary,” Green says.

Community Outreach, Education in Future for Former High School

Credit: Photo by Taylor Myers

The term “communiversity” is being used to describe the future of an innovative school that blends the Paint Rock Valley community and Alabama A&M University. Closed in 2018, the former Paint Rock Valley High School building will eventually house educational outreach programs offered by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, also known as ACES.

“We look for those small communities where it’s very hard for them to participate in programs, especially if they are offered far away from those small communities,” says Majed Dweik, vice president of research and economic development at Alabama A&M University. “Being in that community and having that physical presence, it will allow us to have better interaction with that small community, so they don’t feel they’re lost or forgotten.”

Last year, the Jackson County Board of Education transferred ownership of the historic Paint Rock Valley High School to AAMU. It was one of the largest nonmonetary gifts in the university’s history.

Joining Forces

Plans for the campus are part of the Paint Rock Valley Collaboration Project, a joint effort between the Jackson County Board of Education, AAMU and ACES, along with the nearby Graham Farm and Nature Center, the Jackson County Commission and Singing River Trails.

Dweik envisions a future at Paint Rock Valley High School that includes extension programs offered by ACES on behalf of the state’s 2 land-grant universities, AAMU and Auburn University. Such programs might include youth outreach, small business and community development as well as forestry and agricultural research, he says.“Paint Rock really is a special site. It is special to the community,” Dweik says.

Paint Rock Valley High School opened in 1935, built with stones carried to the construction site by residents wanting more opportunities for the children in the region. When the school closed in 2018, it was serving 73 students in prekindergarten through 12th grades.

Taylor Myers is the new facilities and operations coordinator for the Paint Rock Valley center. Having studied fruit and vegetable production at Auburn University, Myers lived in the Paint Rock Valley area while doing research for his master’s degree in sustainable communities. With his background in small-market farming, Myers hopes the facility can promote urban agriculture and market-style farming through education as well as demonstration.

“There’s just an amazing opportunity here for Alabama A&M, the extension and for the community,” he says.

Breathing New Life Into Old Buildings

Myers is excited the former school campus has a future, and the surrounding community will be able to use the historic school building. He will interview people in the community to gather history about the school and the Paint Rock Valley area.

“I think the community is highly invested,” Myers says. “Alabama A&M is choosing to invest in this community and invest in this facility.”

The timeframe for opening the center depends on when renovations can be completed to bring the buildings into compliance with current codes. Along with the original main school building, other buildings housed the school’s gym and vocational programs. The school’s library, built in the 1990s, could be the first to reopen as it is the newest building on the 8-acre campus.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s Graham Farm and Nature Center is 2 miles from the Paint Rock Valley campus. Nita Graham Head, the previous owner of Graham Farm who donated the property to ACES, was a graduate of Paint Rock Valley High School.

Themika Sims, director of Graham Farm, says the 2 entities will work in tandem on programs for the community, the region and the state. The Paint Rock community’s involvement in the facility is just as important as the collaboration between the other parties, he says.

“What we’re doing now is researching what schools at Alabama A&M are interested in bringing their programs there,” Sims says. “We know for certain that forestry is interested, because one of the reasons that this happened is because of the location of the school to the Graham Farm and Nature Center.”

Jackson County Board of Education President Chad Gorham is also excited about the possibilities for Paint Rock Valley and for students from Jackson County and beyond to experience the facility. The school board, Gorham says, is thankful that the history and legacy of Paint Rock Valley High School will live on.

“Paint Rock Valley is such a special area full of beautiful and unique plants, animals and vegetation,” Gorham says. “Members of the Jackson County Board of Education hope that Paint Rock Valley Communiversity becomes a destination for learning and exploring for students and citizens all across Alabama.”

Local Sites Draw Bird Enthusiasts

Credit: Photography by Joe Watts

Bird-watchers often talk about their “spark bird,” the species that hooked them. It might be a brightly colored favorite or a majestic bird of prey, but for avid birder Joe Watts, it was the common eastern towhee.

It was the first bird Watts knew how to identify, and he was proud that he could do so. A regular visitor to Alabama backyards, the towhee is a large sparrow marked by black and white feathers with warm reddish-brown sides. Eastern towhees commonly scratch in the dirt for worms and are known for their distinctive call.

“Its song is ‘drink your tea, drink your tea,’ so it’s a quintessential Southern bird,” Watts says.

Watts is a consultant on the Alabama Birding Trails, established through the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development with the Alabama Tourism Department and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The 8 birding trails highlight the 430 bird species documented in Alabama. The trails include 280 sites — 9 in Jackson County and 7 in Marshall County.

Watts says it is amazing that the smallest birds can travel great distances, some flying from South America to the Arctic Circle during their migration. Bird-watchers, meanwhile, do not have to go far from home to see a variety of birds.

While Northeast Alabama birdwatchers regularly visit parks and wildlife management areas, you likely can observe migratory birds in your very own backyard. Watts suggests looking for them along the edges of woods where birds seek refuge as they search for food. Interest and a good pair of binoculars are all that’s needed.

“I think it’s a way to let everybody enjoy nature and get outside,” Watts says. “I love to hear the bird song. I love to see a new bird. I love to see a bird that I see every day. It’s a spark of joy.”

The All About Birds website, through the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, can help identify bird species. Cornell also provides eBird, a database of bird observations. The Alabama Birding Trails website has a link to the eBird database for each site on its trails.

Visit the Alabama Birding Trails website for specific county and site information.

Alabama Cooperative Extension System‘s Graham Farm & Nature Center

Located in Estillfork, cerulean warblers have been spotted at the nature center, eastern bluebirds nest on the property and a variety of hawks are year-round residents. Look for loggerhead shrikes hunting along fence rows.

Guntersville State Park

Considered a premier birding area for Northeast Alabama, bald eagles and waterfowl can be seen in the winter. Migration times bring warblers, vireos, tanagers and grosbeaks to the park’s woods. Great blue herons and great egrets nest on the lake’s islands.

Mud Creek Wildlife Management Area

American coots and common moorhens can be seen throughout the year along with wading birds, like great blue and green herons. The wildlife management area was the hatching site that first reintroduced bald eagles to Alabama’s Tennessee River Valley.

North Sauty Creek/Sauta Cave National Wildlife Refuge

North Sauty Creek hosts a variety of waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds during migration times and in the winter. The nearby Sauta Cave is home to endangered gray bats. In the summer at dusk, the cave has the largest emergence of bats east of the Mississippi River. Songbirds include summer tanagers and prothonotary warblers.

Roy B. Whitaker Paint Rock River Preserve

Spring, summer and fall are the best seasons for birding at the preserve — once a working farm now owned by The Nature Conservancy. Grasslands attract grasshopper sparrows and scissor-tailed flycatchers. The woods provide nesting sites for great crested flycatchers and red-eyed vireos.

Russell Cave National Monument

Summer and scarlet tanagers, as well as yellow-billed cuckoos, can be spotted along the boardwalk and nature trails at Russell Cave, where spring and fall are the best times for bird-watching. Warblers and vireos also appear during migration times.

Skyline Wildlife Management Area

Spring brings yellow-breasted chats, field sparrows, indigo buntings and prairie warblers. Skyline is also home to the state’s only population of ruffed grouse, whose drumming might be heard during the spring.

Stevenson Town Park

Bordering Crow Creek, the park provides opportunities to see common loons, horned grebes, herons and other shorebirds. Spring, fall and winter are the best seasons for birding.

Northeast Alabama filled with outdoor adventures

As the temperatures warm up, northeast Alabama offers many options to enjoy the area’s natural beauty. Trails, parks, caverns, and waterfalls beckon and, as spring passes into summer, you can find a cool reprieve underground or in a local swimming hole after a long hike.

Cathedral Caverns State Park, Woodville

Cathedral Caverns’ natural formations are breathtaking reminders of what Mother Nature can do with enough time and mineral deposits. Stalagmites and stalactites fill the caverns, including one of the largest stalagmites in the world, dubbed Goliath, measuring 45 feet tall and 243 feet in circumference.

Visitors are often in awe of the Cathedral Room which gives the park its name. “It’s a big stalagmite forest and has a bunch of formations,” says Park Superintendent Chris Bentley.

A state park since 2000, a 126-foot wide, 25-foot high cave entrance welcomes visitors. The caverns remain a comfortable 60 degrees throughout the year. Guided tours typically take about 90 minutes. Tour times change seasonally with up to 7 daily tours during the summer. The park features camping, hiking trails and gem mining.

Keep in mind there are steep inclines inside the cave. “It’s a smooth concrete path through the cave, but it is not ADA accessible or wheelchair friendly,” Bentley says. “There are some very steep hills in there.”

Reservations are recommended, although not required, and can be made online or by phone at (256) 888-0230, 7 days in advance. Park hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tour rates vary, including $20, for ages 13 and over; $18, for military with ID; $9, for ages 5 to 12; no charge for ages 4 and under. Group rates for 20 or more with a reservation are also available. For more, visit the park’s website, alapark.com/parks/cathedral-caverns-state-park.

Pisgah Gorge

The result of erosion by Little Bryant and Big Bryant creeks, Pisgah Gorge is home to beautiful views, waterfalls, and even a natural bridge.

Trails lead to scenic overlooks and are accessible through Pisgah Civitan Park. Walk through the park to get to the gorge trail that leads to both the top and bottom of the Pisgah Gorge upper waterfall. Depending on which trail you take, the trek to Pisgah Gorge can be easy to difficult, according to David Parham, founder of the Huntsville Adventurer website.

Parking to visit Pisgah Gorge is located off Jackson County Road 374 in Pisgah. There is no charge to visit the gorge.

Lake Guntersville State Park

With more than 36 miles of trails, a lakeside beach, and an opportunity to soar through the treetops, Lake Guntersville State Park offers many outdoor adventures.

The park, located on the southeastern side of Lake Guntersville, features a sandy beach, a dog park, fishing, geocaching, bird-watching, and golfing. Multiuse trails are available for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. There are also zip line canopy tours offered by Screaming Eagle Aerial Adventures that take thrill-seekers through the treetops on Taylor Mountain.

Lake Guntersville State Park has cabins, RV and tent camping, mountaintop chalets, a lodge, and glamping safari tents that sleep 4 to 6 people.

Walls of Jericho, Estillfork

The Walls of Jericho at the Alabama-Tennessee line is not for the faint of heart, but if you are up for it physically, the payoff is worth the effort.

The 7-mile trek includes a 1,000-foot change in elevation from the trailhead to the bottom of the canyon. It is an arduous hike with both uphill and downhill sections. There are narrow footbridges with handrails traversing Hurricane Creek and Turkey Creek.

The challenging hike and the unique rock formations at the end of the trail are big draws for those who visit the Walls of Jericho, managed by the Alabama State Lands Division and the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division.

Sturdy, comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing are necessary. Hikers need to stay aware of the weather as flash flooding is possible during heavy rain. With limited cellphone service, communicating plans to someone before starting your hike is wise. The journey itself takes about six hours, so it is best for hikers to start in the morning. Bring a trekking pole and a small first-aid kit.

Parham recommends taking frequent breaks and carrying water, snacks, waterproof boots, or a change of shoes. He also suggests starting with easier hikes first, such as Lost Sink Falls in the Keel Mountain Preserve in Gurley. If you do hike the Walls of Jericho, the payoff at the end is a beautiful amphitheater and waterfall where people swim during the sweltering summer months.

Russell Cave National Monument, Bridgeport

For lovers of human history, a trip to Russell Cave National Monument is a must. Visitors get a glimpse of the prehistoric Native Americans from the Paleo-Indian period to the Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian time periods. Established as a national monument in 1961, Russell Cave is an archaeological site first and foremost, with artifacts from more than 10,000 years of human history.

A boardwalk leads to the cave, however, you will not actually go into the cave but, rather, its entrance to view an ancient archeological site. There are hiking options outside of the cave site. Choices include a 1.2-mile hiking trail or a 0.2-mile cutoff trail.

The hours for Russell Cave are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with hiking trails open until 3:30 p.m. to ensure visitors have time to finish their hikes.

Visitors can picnic or visit the Russell Cave Museum, and kids can participate in junior ranger activities. Audio tours are available free on the National Park Service app, but be sure to download them before you get to the park as Russell Cave does not have reliable cellphone service nor Wi-Fi.

Russell Cave is pet-friendly, and leashed dogs are welcome in the museum, visitor’s center, boardwalk, and hiking trail. Visit the Russell Cave website for more information.

Preparedness Is Key to Safety

April is the peak of spring’s severe weather season in Alabama, and the key to staying safe is being prepared and keeping an eye out as conditions change.

The spring severe weather season can start as early as February and stretch into May, according to Kurt Weber, meteorologist and forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Huntsville office, which oversees Jackson and Marshall counties.

“We really can get the whole gamut of severe weather this far north, even up to the Tennessee-Alabama line,” Weber says.

Severe weather can include anything from tornadoes to large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding. April has the highest number of recorded tornadoes in Alabama — 581 between 1950 and 2023, according to the National Weather Service. Historically, April also has been the month with the highest number of strong tornadoes recorded.

“The main thing that we really stress is for people to be prepared and know where to go,” Weber says. “If they don’t have a good shelter place to go within their own residence, then (know) where shelter is so they can go to it when a tornado watch is issued.”

Basements or storm shelters are the best options during severe weather. If neither of those is available, go to the most central space on the lowest level of your home without windows, such as a closet or bathroom.

“The more walls you have between you and the outside, the better off you typically are,” Weber says.

Here are additional tips:

Know the strengths and weaknesses of your residence, Weber says. If you suspect it is not a safe place to ride out a storm, identify an alternative shelter and go there once a severe weather watch has been issued.

Have a kit ready and nearby when you know severe weather is approaching. A helmet and thick blanket can help protect you from falling debris. Shoes will protect your feet.

Make sure you have multiple ways to receive storm warnings. Weather radios are still a reliable way to receive storm warnings, but nowadays there are so many other ways to receive updates and warnings. Cellphones, weather apps, and local television stations all can provide updated weather information. Make sure to keep your devices charged and to keep a battery-powered radio on hand in case of a power outage, Weber says. The more options you have, the better off you will be during severe weather.

If you are away from home during severe weather, get inside a sturdy building as soon as possible. If you are in a vehicle during a tornado warning and cannot get to shelter, a low-lying ditch may be the safest place for you. During severe thunderstorms, however, remaining in your vehicle may be your safest bet, Weber said.

Take extra precautions if you happen to live in a low-lying area prone to flash flooding since heavy rain can accompany tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. Make sure your shelter or safe room is not prone to flooding.

Do not ignore severe thunderstorm warnings. Straight-line winds can be just as damaging as a tornado, and nobody wants to be outside when large hail is falling.

Pink Hard Hats

Building a future

Raised in construction

Reliable service is a priority at North Alabama Electric Cooperative. NAEC crews continually work to maintain equipment by removing trees from the right of way and upgrading the cooperative’s power system.

Sometimes Mother Nature strikes with severe and unusual weather. Sudden weather changes can create storms that may cause power outages. High winds causing downed trees and lightning are examples of natural conditions that can cause widespread damage to power equipment.

Given our large, diverse, and heavily treed service territory, outages could last a few hours to several days. Even with crews working around the clock, repairs are time-consuming, difficult, and often dangerous.

NAEC members should be prepared with an easily accessible emergency kit in case of a lengthy power outage.

Supplies should include:

• A flashlight, headlamps, battery- or solar-powered lantern, radio, and fresh batteries. Keep the batteries packaged until you are ready to use them. Many cell phones have a flashlight function, but you should save the battery power on your phone for checking weather updates and getting information.
• Candles and matches. Do not leave lit candles unattended.
• Bottled drinking water. Store at least 1 gallon per person per day. If a storm is in the forecast, fill the bathtub with water so bathroom facilities can still be used by pouring a bucket of water down the toilet to create a vacuum flush.
• If you have a fireplace or wood stove, keep kindling and dry firewood on hand.
• Clothing. In cooler weather, wear extra layers and a hat. Have sleeping bags and blankets handy, too.
• Easy-to-prepare food items. Buy items that do not require much cooking. Canned or instant soups, stews, chili, packaged freeze-dried meals, and protein or breakfast bars are good to have on hand.
• Gas camp stoves, lanterns, or barbecues. Make sure to have extra fuel for cooking outdoors. Never use a camp stove or barbecue indoors. Be sure to use any lanterns on a flat, stable, and nonflammable surface.
• An ample supply of essential prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs. During a storm, road travel may not be possible for several days.
• A first-aid kit. Make sure all supplies are filled and ready to go. If you have a medical condition, have a backup plan to enact at a moment’s notice.

Power Outage Do’s and Don’ts

If the lights go off, know what steps to take to be comfortable and safe and to help NAEC restore service quickly.

Check your electrical panel. Look for tripped breakers or blown fuses. Try to reset the breakers by switching them off, and then on.

Turn off major appliances. The water heater and heating system breakers need to be turned off to avoid overloading your circuits when the power is restored. Unplug any voltage-sensitive equipment.

Install surge protectors to protect voltage-sensitive equipment. You can buy high-quality surge protection devices from a variety of online dealers and local electricians.

Switch on an outside light. This may assist crews in determining if your power has been restored late into the night.

Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Food in a refrigerator will last 12 to 24 hours if the doors are kept closed. A full freezer can last 24 to 48 hours. Helpful hint: Drape a sleeping bag over your refrigerator or freezer for added insulating value in case of an extended power outage.

Keep the freezer full. The freezer will stay colder longer if it is full. Milk jugs filled with water and placed in a half-full freezer can be a supply of both water and ice in an emergency. Consider buying dry ice to help prevent spoilage.

Listen to radio reports. Keep either a battery-operated or battery-free hand-crank radio on hand for emergencies. During an extended outage, listen to local radio stations for updates and information.

Never go near or touch a downed power line. Call NAEC or the sheriff’s department immediately.

Never wire a portable generator directly into your electrical panel.

Important Outage Reminders

Remember these tips during an extended outage:

Let the repair crews do their job. It is tempting to stop crews and ask questions about when the power will be restored, but this only delays the restoration process. While the crews want to be helpful, they also want to restore your power quickly so they can get home to their families.

Be a good neighbor. Severe storms usually increase the number of accidents and medical problems. This can cause increased response time for service agencies. Organize people in your area to check on each other and lend assistance.

If not used correctly, portable generators can cause fatal accidents involving lineworkers. Plug appliances into the generator. Do not connect household breaker circuits to the generator without a transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician.

Investigate emergency water sources. Runoff from rooftops can be collected and used for washing, but do not drink it. A water heater can supply drinking water. Be sure the breaker is off before you drain it, and fill it before turning the breaker back on.

A Luxury Glamping Resort Offers Relaxation

Troy Hopkins believes he’s the luckiest person in the world. “I get to drive a 4-wheeler to work every day,” he says.

Hosting and customer service are 2 of Troy’s greatest joys, and he gets to see the results of his efforts daily in the smiles of his guests.

Troy and his wife, Patti, own and operate ReTreet, an innovative luxury glamping — glamorous camping — resort on Lake Guntersville. On a 40-acre property, ReTreet features extreme glamping tents, treehouses, and tiny cottages.

How It Started

The Hopkinses moved to Lake Guntersville in 2020. Patti works as a registered nurse, and the couple have owned a variety of businesses over the years, including a commercial cleaning company and The Interior Marketplace in Hampton Cove.

During their daily walks near their home, the couple noticed a beautiful piece of undeveloped property and dreamed of the possibilities. At first, they thought about building an angler’s retreat, but their daughters suggested another idea. With the growing popularity of glamping, they felt like a rustic retreat would draw visitors to come and enjoy the beauty of the area.

The terrain is steep, so the couple began by building 6 treehouses. “These aren’t just any treehouses,” Troy says. They are outfitted with granite countertops and king-size beds.

The first building phase of the property was so successful that in January 2023, the Hopkinses decided to branch out and build platform glamping tents and tiny cottages. While the tents are just that, a tent, they have interior walls and roofs. Also, each tent has its own theme. The Hogwarts House is very popular with Harry Potter fans. The Love Shack — which offers guests a private hot tub — is the most popular glamping tent.

All ReTreet guests are given access to a golf cart upon arrival. Troy says the first thing a lot of guests do is take a photo with their golf cart, which has their name on it. “We really give our guests a concierge experience,” he says. “It feels like camping at a very nice hotel.”

The Tiny Cottages, which are named after Sherwin Williams paint colors, are 280-square-foot studio spaces. Guests have access to a disc golf course, dog park, horseshoe pit, a general store, and more.

“We recently added a spa with a cedar soaking tub and an outdoor sauna so that everyone can enjoy a hot tub experience,” Troy says. “The Love Shack stays booked because people love the hot tub, so we are looking into adding more.”

1 of the most recent additions to the property is the Ekodome, a glass dome custom-made in Turkey and shipped to the property. Some of the plans for the future include a pop-up restaurant in the Ekodome featuring the talents of local chefs.

Coming Together

Troy has always been an entrepreneur. At 5 years old, he delivered fresh eggs from his family’s hens to customers for 50 cents per dozen. Today, he pays homage to his early entrepreneurial spirit by including fresh eggs in each cabin when guests check in.

Kevin Dukes Career & Innovation Academy Helps Students Excel

The Kevin Dukes Career and Innovation Academy — located at the heart of the Hollywood community in the Jackson County Industrial Park — is so much more than just a school. It’s more than a building, the technology, and the staff. It represents one man’s dream for Jackson County students.

Kevin Dukes was a well-known Jackson County educator who was elected as Jackson County Superintendent in 2016 and 2020. While his death in June 2022 affected the community deeply, his legacy lives on through the lives of his students and those impacted by the KDCIA.

KDCIA is a 30-acre campus offering technology, fine arts, and STEM — science, technology, engineering, and math — programs to high school sophomores through seniors in the Jackson County School District.

Passion Project

Dukes, a lifelong resident of Jackson County, grew up in Macedonia. His career as an English and physical education teacher and football coach brought him back to his old stomping grounds. He taught at Macedonia Elementary School for several years before moving on to teach at North Sand Mountain High School. He later served as assistant principal at North Jackson High School and then as principal at Skyline High School before becoming superintendent.

“He had a true passion for making this community better,” current Jackson County Superintendent Jason Davidson says.

Throughout his storied career in education, Dukes was committed to preparing students for life after school. “He knew our area was lacking in resources for tech skills and workforce readiness,” Davidson says. With Jackson County being located near major cities, preparing students for jobs so they could make a living close to home was a goal for Dukes.

“He realized there are jobs here and it’s a great place to live and work,” Davidson says. “He wanted the kids to have the option to stay here and make a life for themselves.”

Davidson, who has also spent his career in Jackson County, once served as the Career Tech Education director at the Ernest Pruett Center of Technology, where students prepared for careers prior to the opening of the KDCIA.

During his time at EPCOT, Davidson made connections with students and witnessed firsthand how some truly thrive in a tech school environment. “Seeing those students succeed and be recruited by industries is huge,” he says.

In fact, 1 of those students who is currently thriving at KDCIA is Davidson’s daughter, Brilyn, a senior at North Sand Mountain High School.

“She first came here to utilize the health care labs and take career tech classes. She’s decided she wants to pursue health science as a career instead of deciding during college. This experience gives kids the opportunity to be successful,” he says.

On a daily basis, between 500-600 students are on the KDCIA campus. In addition to the other benefits of attending the academy, many of the programs offer dual-enrollment credit through local community colleges.

“Students have access to technology that no other school in the state or country does. It’s a state-of-the-art facility,” Davidson says.

KDCIA also houses the Jackson County School District Central Office and has available meeting spaces for businesses, industry, and professional development training for educators. There is also a theater with seating for 750 people.

A Dream Come True

Even though Dukes died before the academy was completed, he was able to see part of the construction process. The academy opened in October 2023.

“To have the grand opening without him was a bittersweet moment because it was everything he wanted it to be,” Davidson says.

When people enter the expansive lobby at KDCIA, they’re greeted with a legacy video that plays on a loop. “There’s no better way to describe the vision he had for this project,” Davidson says.

“It all started in a meeting with supervisors discussing workforce development, career technical education, and removing the stigma to provide opportunities for our kids to stay here, close to home,” Dukes explains in the video. “We wanted to know what we could do for our students, to make a difference.”

Firearms Course Aims to Educate

In the Deep South, hunting is a way of life. Many people become familiar with handling firearms long before they can legally drive, often learning gun safety from family members or friends.
In Alabama, however, officials recognize a need for formalized firearm safety education.

The Introduction to Handguns course — for hunters as well as individuals looking to learn for personal protection — is offered to the public through the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. During the class, participants receive 1-on-1 instruction and learn the basics of firearms safety and storage.

The 4-hour class also includes time for shooting at the range. Firearms are provided, but attendees can bring their own if they wish. While there is no fee for the class, participants must have a Wildlife Heritage License to attend. Licenses can be purchased online, at local probate offices, as well as at many sporting goods stores. Participants must be at least 16 years old to take a class because that is the minimum age to hunt on Wildlife Management Area land.

Safety First

Scott Kellenberger oversees 12 counties in Northeast Alabama as regional hunter education coordinator with the Alabama Department of Conservation. Previously a game warden in Jackson County, he’s been with the Department of Conservation since 1996.

“I’ve been an outdoor person and a shooter my entire life,” Kellenberger says. “I don’t sit down much. I like to be outside moving around.” His father and grandfather hunted, and he has done the same since he was old enough to join them.

Kellenberger’s experience with properly handling firearms fuels his drive to help others learn. He says 1 of the main priorities of his job is to support the hunter education instructors, as well as help teach firearm safety classes at ranges at the WMAs around the state.

“I’ve been fortunate to have worked with and taken pistol classes with some very knowledgeable people,” he says. “I’ve taken and taught a lot of classes, and if you want a good introduction to handling firearms, this is a good and inexpensive way to get it. This Handgun 101 class is basically everything I’ve learned in 20 years of taking and teaching pistol classes.”

The 101 class series includes Handgun 101, Rifle 101, Shotgun 101, and Practical Pistol Skills, which is a nonshooting class. Kellenberger says these classes came from realizing that a lot of people weren’t confident handling guns. “It’s not that they were unsafe, but a lot of people just didn’t have the skill set,” he said. “We want them to use the ranges and we want them to be safe, so it just seemed like a natural thing that we would teach them.”

While the class locations are spread out across the state, Kellenberger says it’s worth the trip to travel to 1 of the free courses, considering the high cost of most private classes.
“People who don’t have friends and family to teach them about firearm safety have a hard time learning about it, and this is a great, economical way to do it,” he says.

Typically, classes are offered during the spring and fall with the number of participants capped at 12.

“These classes are truly designed for beginners, and we invite people to keep coming to class until they are a comfortable stand-alone shooter,” Kellenberger says.