The purpose of this page is to put recent pictures and stories of Rison-Dallas folks that might appear in the media from time to time, or other news that might interest the community. If you've found a story or picture or whatever that we might have missed and you'd like to see it on this page, please email us at the address below. POSTED JANUARY 2, 2014: One of our viewers, Lance N. George, asked the following question: "Any idea where the Master Market was at 5 points? It opened in 1947 and closed in 1948 on 5th Street; it was owned by Howard Gentle." If you recall this market please let us know. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED July 15, 2013: REUNION REMINDER: Rison-Dallas Association's 41st Annual Reunion Saturday, August 3, 2013 Jackson Way Baptist Church 10:00 AM – Registration and Visitation 11:45 AM – Luncheon. Please bring a 6-8 serving covered dish to share. 1:00 PM - Program. Entertainment will be provided by “Riverboat John” Ferguson as he tells of growing up in Huntsville in the 1950’s. Hosted by the Association Committee ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED June 21, 2012: REUNION REMINDER: Rison-Dallas Association's 40th Annual Reunion Saturday, August 4th, 2012 Jackson Way Baptist Church Starts: 10:00 AM Covered Dish Luncheon: 11:45 AM Program: 1:00 PM Hosted by the 9th Grade Class of 1957 Honored guests will be all former students, male or female, who were associated with the Rison-Dallas athletics programs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED NOVEMBER 28, 2011: RISON-DALLAS ASSOCIATION LIBRARY?: Over time, three other books and a thesis have been donated to the Association. These are: "A Million Tomorrows…Memories of the Class of '64 (Lee High School)," written by Tommy Towery, 1990. "The Cotton Mills of Huntsville," A Thesis by Whitney Adrienne Snow, 2008. "Days Gone By, Cotton Mill Village Life," by J. Curtis Lovvorn, June 2008. "Growing Up in 'The Rocket City' by Tommy Towery (with a little help from his friends!), 2010. These documents join the other two documents submitted to the collection in May of 2006 (see post below). The other two documents are: "Mr. Anderson's Monument - Stories of Meridian Street, Lincoln Mill and Lincoln Village," written by Tillman Hill in 1996. "Southern Recipes from the Friends of Tillman Hill Library," written and published by the friends of the Tillman Hill Library. I accepted these books and thesis on behalf of the association. If you'd like to see them, please let us know at risondallas@comcast.net and we'll make the necessary arrangements. ~Ann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED NOVEMBER 1, 2011: BRAZELTON FAMILY CEMETERY DECORATION DAY - NOVEMBER 5, 2011: Here's a note from Collins Wynn: Everyone, Our Brazelton Family Cemetery Decoration Day (read - Clean Up) for Saturday, November 5, 2011 is fast approaching. The weather is looking good for us at the moment with only some light rain and drizzle forecast for Thursday followed for sunshine on Friday and Saturday with highs around 70 and lows around 50 - practically ideal! DIRECTIONS: Our access route for the cemetery has changed so, if you have been there previously disregard your previous route and follow these instructions (they are much simpler as well). Turn off US Hwy 431 onto old Hwy 431; follow old Hwy 431 northward for 200 yards then turn right onto a construction road leading up and away from old Hwy 431; follow this winding red clay construction road with no turns for 1/2 mile or so; by then you will come out into our Meadow; take the second left turn (I think) still on the red clay construction road. In any event you should be able to see us in the distance across the meadow. If you are using GPS, the latitude and longitude of the cemetery is N34 37.612 W86 26.184. By the way, you will pass a small family cemetery just off the road in the woods on your right on the way in. It is the Parker Cemetery and is identified on maps as such. SCHEDULE: Friday, November 4, 2011, 6:00 pm No host dutch treat supper at Po' Boy Factory in Rison-Dallas across the street from 5 Points Style Shop (Floyd Hardin) and the old Mullins Drive-In on Andrew Jackson Way. A note from Deen Rice about the restaurant follows: I would like to suggest that we meet at the Po' Boy Factory on Andrew Jackson Way (across from Floyd Hardin's barber shop). Kevin and I usually eat at the "annex" which is the blue building next door which faces Stevens Avenue. If we get there by 6pm, we can probably get a table without a wait. It would probably be more convenient for everyone to meet in town rather than traipsing out to our house again. Please let me know via email or by phone (256-656-7571) if you are planning on coming to the Po' Boy Factory on Friday night so that I will know what size table to reserve. Saturday, November 5. 2011, 8:00 am No host dutch treat breakfast at Mullins on Andrew Jackson Way near 5 Points. Saturday, November 5, 2011, 10:00 am until ??? Annual Decoration Day at Brazelton Family Cemetery, Berkley, Alabama ACCOMMODATIONS AND CONTACT: Some of us Wynn's will be staying at the Monte Sano State Park in Cabins 13 and 14 beginning Friday afternoon. I can be reached via my cell fone at 251-213-0586. I don't think the cabins are WIFI but I will check my email from time to time anyway. ACTIVITIES AND SUPPORT: Due to the generosity of Ken Brazelton (he brought a tree cutting service and land maintenance company out to the cemetery a few weeks back), we do not have any heavy work to be done this year so we can concentrate on general clean up (mowing, raking, weed eating and such). My friend Charlie Taylor brought his earthmoving equipment out several weeks ago (at no cost) and worked on several heavy chores for us. He placed a sizeable load of fill dirt on the high side of the cemetery for us to use in filling some of our low spots so we will need to get that done as well. We have also placed 6 new small foot stones(about 40# each) and two large headstones (about 200# each) that will need to be set. To accomplish these tasks we will need: rakes, trash bags, weed eaters, a push or self propelled style walk behind mower, power blower, post hole digger, shovels, wheel barrows, hand trowel, level and general use hand tools, a few small stakes and some contruction line. I will have everything we need other than the weed eater, the mower, and the power blower. Please feel free to bring whatever equipment you think is appropriate - sometimes it helps to have two of things and certainly won't hurt to have more rather than less. FOOD AND DRINK: I will have a cooler with drinks and plan on having a grill for a light lunch (dogs and chips) around 2pm or so. I am asking everyone to bring a few folding chairs each. I also need a couple of light folding tables if someone could bring one or two of those. Since the markets are so close, I will ask someone to go and pick up the food after we determine how many are present. See you all soon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED July 31, 2011: UPDATED REUNION REMINDER: Rison-Dallas Association's 39th Annual Reunion Saturday August 6th, 2011 Starts: 10:00 AM Covered Dish Luncheon: 11:00 AM (this is a change from the original time) Program: 1:00 PM Huntsville Fire Department Presents: "The FARENHEIT Singers" Bring a canned food item for the Fire Department's food drive. Sponsored by the Class of 1957 Jackson Way Baptist Church 1001 Andrew Jackson Way ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED June 18, 2011: REUNION REMINDER: Rison-Dallas Association's 39th Annual Reunion Saturday August 6th, 2011 Starts: 10:00 AM Covered Dish Luncheon: 11:45 AM Program: 1:00 PM Huntsville Fire Department Presents: "The FARENHEIT Singers" Sponsored by the Class of 1957 Jackson Way Baptist Church 1001 Andrew Jackson Way ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED June 29, 2010: WEBSITE'S 6TH ANNIVERSARY: It occurred to me that, as of June 11th, the website was six years old; it hardly seems possible. I contacted the webmaster, Craig Clontz, to thank him for continuing to serve so faithfully and so well. His response was: "It has been a pleasure. I didn't realize it had been so long! I think the site has been a great resource for village folks as well as students of history, and I'm proud to be associated with it. Craig" How great is that? Craig had no previous connection to our little village - our little world - but he's become something of an expert on all things Rison-Dallas. ~Ann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED December 21, 2009: RECOGNITION PLAQUE FOR COACH HUB MYHAND: As discussed in the June 2d and May 31st postings below, Greg Patterson notified us of the following: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED September 8, 2009: CHAPMAN DAIRY: Do you remember the Chapman Dairy? If you do, please tell us all about it at risondallas@comcast.net. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED September 8, 2009: "Mill Village to Main Street" DVD: As promised in our write-up of the 2009 reunion, we have learned that 16 additional copies of this DVD are available at Harrison Brothers Hardware in downtown Huntsville. The total cost is $19.95 each and that includes tax; the phone number is 536-3631. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED June 2, 2009: A following contact person has been named to receive contributions for the Hub Myhand recognition plaque: Please mail your contribution to: Friends of Hub Myhand Attention: Steve Wilson 101 North Side Square Huntsville, AL 35801 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED May 31, 2009: There are many of us who would be interested in the project described in the following letter from Greg Patterson that appeared on the Lee Traveller website and is furnished with permission: “Dear Friend, Optimist Park is the oldest athletic facility in Huntsville and one of the oldest in the state of Alabama. Established in 1928 this venue has hosted a huge amount of baseball, softball and football games as well as many other activities in the past 81 years. In 2008 the grandstand area was cleaned and painted and the dugouts were also renovated in recent years. During this process it became apparent that there is no recognition for our former coach and friend Hub Myhand. Coach Myhand spent 40 plus years as the director of the YMCA for the Dallas Mill area and later served as teacher and coach for Rison, Gurley, Lee and Chapman before his retirement in the early 1970’s. The park has kept the name Optimist because it was previously owned by the Optimist Club, the field was named after a former Optimist Club member and the two gyms at the recreation center were also named after local citizens. We are now trying to find people who were former students, players and friends of Coach Myhand in order to raise money to honor him with a recognition plaque at the park. Our goal is to raise $1,900.00 to place a bronze plaque near the concession stand to show our appreciation of his contributions to our community. We have set up an account in the name of “Friends of Hub Myhand” to accumulate funds in order to proceed with this project. Once we reach our goal the purchase will be made and donated to the City of Huntsville. Please feel free to make copies of this letter and distribute to anyone that might have an interest in supporting this project. We hope that a one time effort will take care of the expenses that are needed. Please call 694-8179 if you have any questions. Please let’s step up and make this happen in a short period of time. Once the project is complete we will invite everyone to the park to see the finished product. Please mail your contribution to: Friends of Hub Myhand 101 North Side Square Huntsville, AL35801.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POSTED APRIL 18, 2009: I recently viewed a DVD titled, "North and South," thinking that it was the 1985 TV series about the Civil War between the northern and southern United States. What I got instead was a BCC DVD about operating cotton mills in the northern part of England in the 19th century . What I found shocking in this DVD was the inside of one of the mills showing an operating spinning room. While I knew from what I had been told that there was lint floating around in these rooms, I was shocked to see that the lint was so large and so dense. Our Thurman Frasier said that it was true and that it remained that way until OSHA became involved, and that didn't happen until after Dallas Mill closed. Please notice the children working at a very dangerous task. (See a clip of the DVD here.) It's not surprising then that so many of our people either died an early death with lung problems or suffered with breathing problems the rest of their lives. One wonders how they were able to breathe, or see, at all in that environment. While it makes me sad to see the working conditions that our loved ones endured, it makes me proud to understand that they were willing to do whatever necessary to support their families. ~Ann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted March 12, 2009 RISON BANK: One of our readers asked the questions: Do you know history of the “Rison Bank?” It disappears in 1947 from the phone book. Did it close or merge with First National, State National or Henderson? If you know the answers, please email us at risondallas@comcast.net. Editor's note (Sept 20, 2009): We've learned from one of our folks that when Rison Bank closed it merged with another Huntsville bank, which one is unknown. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted January 10, 2009 INTERESTING TV VIEWING: On January 7th, Huntsville City's Government Access Channel (GOVACC) began airing some interesting presentations, one of which is particularly important to us, "Mill Village to Main Street;" these will run for the next several weeks and will air simultaneously on both Comcast and Knology. WHAT'S ON GOVACC! TALKING WITH THE MASTERS: Gene Diamond        Midnight, 6 a.m., noon and 6 p.m. State of the City 2008 with Mayor Tommy Battle        1 a.m., 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Veterans History Project, Tree Tips, State Of The City 2008 (video only) (Volunteer PSA, ACS PSA, HPD PSA)        2 a.m., 8 a.m., 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. HEMSI: In Service To Our Community        3 a.m., 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. The Day Of The Killer Tornados (A documentary of the Super Outbreak of 1974)        4 a.m., 10 a.m., 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Army Newswatch: Year In Review Special        5 a.m., 11 a.m., 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. BOTH Segments (Bottom of the Hour) IN THE FIGHT: US Army Central        12:30 a.m.        12:30 p.m. ENGINEERING: Best Build Segment III        2:30 a.m.         2:30 p.m. Return To Peenemunde (A documentary about the Rocket Team’s beginnings)        5:30 a.m.         5:30 p.m. 911 Center Overview        6:30 a.m.         6:30 p.m. Mill Village to Main Street (A documentary about the mill villages of Huntsville) NEW!        8:30 a.m.         8:30 p.m. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted July 23, 2008 Jim McBride - Class of '65: (used with permission from Lee's Traveller) Jim is to perform at Von Braun Civic Center Playhouse July 25, 2008, 6:30 p.m. Click on this article on the Lee's Traveller website for all the details. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted July 23, 2008 UPDATE ON THE OPTIMIST PARK'S 80th YEAR CELEBRATION: The Jackson Way Baptist Church's parking lot will also be used during this celebration. It is hoped that shuttle service will be available to and from the park. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted July 16, 2008 Mystery Cover, "The Reflector 1929:" Do you recognize this cover? Do you know its origin? The inside is a 3-ring binder of sorts with clippings glued to some of the pages. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted July 12, 2008 A HISTORIC CELEBRATION: Let's help to celebrate Optimist Park's 80th year as shown below. Please read the history of Optimist Park on page 1 of our History section. (Click Here for the Celebration Flyer) This celebration will include: Free admission. Free shuttle from a nearby parking lot, the location of which will be announced on this website. Master of ceremonies - Robert Reeves. Guest speakers - Mayor Loretta Spencer, plus one person to represent each decade. Free games for the children. Concession stand will be open. Rain or shine! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted February 23, 2008 DALLAS MILL WATER TOWER GETS A NEW PAINT JOB! Work appears to have been nearly completed on the old water tower as a part of the Lincoln Mill renovation described below in the January 1 posting. Here is a photograph of the newly painted water tower (taken on February 16): ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted February 23, 2008 THE BON AIR RESTAURANT: We recently added a recipe for Bon Air Rolls to the Favorite Recipes page. What do you remember about the Bon Air Restaurant? Do you have other Bon Air recipes? Do you remember your favorite foods that were served or some of the people who worked there? Do you recall why the restaurant closed? The Bon Air was a meeting place for a lot of people, many of whom were very sad when the restaurant closed. Tell us about it and we’ll add your stories below the rolls recipe. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted January 1, 2008 LINCOLN MILL TO BE RENOVATED INTO SHOPS, OFFICES, AND CONDOS: As reported in the December 8 issue of the Huntsville Times, plans are in the works to renovate the old Lincoln Mill to include up to 70 condos as well as office space and restaurants. The city is spending $200,000 to restore the old Dallas Mill water tower as a part of that project, and work has already begun as you can see if you drive past on I-565.   This picture shows that work is in progress on the tank/tower. At one point, the entire structure was covered with a shroud from top to bottom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted December 7, 2007 VOLUNTEERS TO WORK WITH THE REUNION COMMITTEE: At the August 4th reunion, we asked if any of you would like to work with the reunion committee; these two people volunteered: Larry Keel Aubrey Turner Would you also like to volunteer? It will be an interesting experience and you’ll be sure to have fun. Please write us at risondallas@comcast.net and give us your name, phone number and how you’d like to help. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted November 17 2007 UPDATE ON BUILDING THE NEW LEE HIGH SCHOOL: When queried about the building of the new Lee High School, our Doug Martinson, Jr., City School Board President, reported: "There has been a delay in closing on the property because our attorneys are concerned about the right of way from the Railroad and getting the crosswalk. However, they do think they will have it worked out in the next few weeks and we will close in December. One owner didn’t want to close until January to put it into another tax year. But the architects are working on the design and I am pretty sure the soil has been tested so once we close, get approval on the plans from the State Dept of Education, we will be ready to move some dirt. Wish it were quicker, but that is how it goes sometimes." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted July 14, 2007 THE HONORED GUEST AT THE AUGUST 4th REUNION: The class of 1947 is sponsoring this year’s reunion and chose Eleanor Simmons Kerns to be our Honored Guest. Buddy Curry talked with Mrs. Kerns who told him that she’s 89 years old now and that she may not be able to attend the reunion; however, she’s sending information to share with us. If she’s unable to attend, the class will honor her in absentia. If you’d like to write Mrs. Kerns, her address is: 503 Country Club Drive, Gadsden, AL 35901. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted February 10, 2007 INFORMATION ABOUT TWO RECIPES IN THE RISON-DALLAS ASSOCIATION COOKBOOK: On pages 144 and 157 of this cookbook are two recipes for hot tamales, each of which refers the reader to Halsey Grocery as a source from which to purchase tamale papers. We have learned that Halsey's is no longer able to obtain these papers and that a recommended substitute is parchment paper. The contributor of one of the recipes, Betty Frasier, experimented with the parchment paper and found it to be acceptable. The paper comes in several sizes; Betty ordered 1,000 sheets in the 10x14 inch size so that she can cut in them in half thereby giving her 2,000 sheets. She ordered these from the Louisiana Fountain Supply Company by calling 1-800-434-9578. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted October 10, 2006 THE RISON-DALLAS ASSOCIATION COOKBOOK: As promised, members of the cookbook committee (five of us) met recently to discuss whether or not there is a need to do a second printing of our cookbook. After much discussion, it was decided that we will not do a second printing at this time. If you would be interested in buying a copy, or copies, of a second printing of the cookbook, please let us know at risondallas@comcast.net. If enough interest exists, we may reconsider our decision at a later time. We've heard some nice comments about the cookbook, such as: "I'm reading it all the way through for the second time;" "I'd like you to write a history book and leave off the recipes;" "It takes me back to a special time;" "Once I got started reading it, I couldn't put it down; I stayed up til midnight;" "I'm disappointed in it - it's not long enough - I ONLY have 4 or 5 more pages left to read and then it'll be over, and that's sad;" and on and on. We thank you sincerely for the great support. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted September 26, 2006 You'll want to read about our own Sue Smith Clark:, who is featured in this Huntsville Times article. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted September 18, 2006 THE RISON-DALLAS ASSOCIATION COOKBOOK: The sale of our cookbook was a complete success; we sold all of the 500 copies within 42 days! If you bought a cookbook, we hope that you have enjoyed reading it and perhaps have shared it with family and friends. Or, better yet, that you bought additional copies to share. While we're pleased that the cookbook was well received, it is also somewhat sad that they are all gone. We have been asked if we'd have a second printing. The cookbook committee will meet soon to make that decision. If you'd be interested in purchasing additional copies of the cookbook, please let us know at risondallas@comcast.net. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted September 2, 2006 OLD HUNTSVILLE MAGAZINE FEATURES OUR COOKBOOK: Exciting news! You'll want to take a look at the September issue (No. 163) of Old Huntsville Magazine; Cathey and Tom Carney chose to feature our cookbook, "Cooking with the Village People," by selecting nine of our recipes and featuring them on pages 22 and 23 in the Recipe section of their magazine. On page 21 of the magazine, Cathey tells the reader about our August 5, 2006, reunion. Our thanks to you, Cathey and Tom! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted August 25, 2006 OLD HUNTSVILLE PHOTO CALENDAR 2007: We were excited to learn from our friends at The Old Huntsville Magazine that they are publishing a calendar. Here's the information: First time available, "Old Huntsville Photo Calendar 2007." The black & white calendar contains old photos of Huntsville starting with 1898. Dallas & Lincoln mill pictures, old courthouse photo, street scenes from years ago. 14 large photos in all. Price is $12, add $2.50 for shipping/handling. Reserve yours today by calling 534-0502. Limited quantity - once these are sold out, they won't be re-printed. Makes great gifts! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted August 11, 2006 THE RISON-DALLAS ASSOCIATION COOKBOOK: We have learned that there is an important ingredient missing in one of our recipes in our cookbook, "Cooking with the Village People." In the future, we will use this page, the Bulletin Board, to make necessary changes to our recipes. Page       Recipe Title         Change 167 Chocolate Pie Add: 3 T cocoa ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted July 27, 2006 SUGGESTIONS NEEDED: During the first of three pre-union meetings, the committee learned that one of us recommended that we have a suggestion box available at each reunion. Upon hearing this, John Williams volunteered to make the suggestion box - and here it is: This box will be at the August 5th reunion, complete with pen and cards. We encourage you to give us your comments and suggestions. Of course you don't have to wait until the reunions to offer suggestions; we welcome them anytime. You may send them to our email address at: risondallas@comcast.net. The reunions belong to us all; having your input can only make them better. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted July 18, 2006 TUNE IN TO CHANNEL 48 AT NOON ON AUGUST 2nd: To see and hear our own John Williams, of the Class of 1946, talk about our 34th Annual Rison-Dallas Association Reunion to be held on August 5th. By that time we should also have a copy of our cookbook, "Cooking with the Village People," for John to show and discuss. Thanks John for volunteering to appear on TV on our behalf. August 5th will be an exciting and fun day, especially if you're there! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted June 19, 2006 COMING TO THE AUGUST 5, 2006, REUNION: We thought that you’d like to know that our honored guests this year will be the 1940 football team. You may see the team’s picture on page 1 at the Sports Programs section. This team had an almost perfect record and closed a successful season by winning six out of seven games, scoring 186 to 6. The Pilots captured the suburban Championship of Huntsville. We’re also pleased to announce that our guest speaker that day will be Major General James Pillsbury, Commander of the US Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted June 13, 2006 34TH ANNUAL RISON-DALLAS ASSOCIATION REUNION, AUGUST 5, 2006: The reunion is just around the corner and we hope that you are making plans to attend. Both your reunion committee and the Class of 1946 are happily making all necessary plans. We do hope that you'll be here because we need you, and it won't be the same if you're not here. We look forward to seeing you all! If you need additional information, please see our Annual Reunions page on this website. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted June 13, 2006 THE RISON-DALLAS ASSOCIATION COOKBOOK: The Cookbook Committee is happy to announce that we are now reviewing the draft copy of our cookbook, "Cooking with the Village People." The final version of the cookbook will go to the printer on June 16th. We'll have 500 copies of the book for sale at our August 5th reunion. No sales will be made before that date but we're happy to take orders in advance. If purchased locally, the cookbook price is $15.00 each; if mailed, there is an additional cost of $2.50 each. We think that you'll be happy with the cookbook; it's not only a cookbook, it's a history book too with lots of names in it - 'maybe your name is in there too. So please come prepared to buy cookbooks - for yourself, your family, your friends, and they'd make great Christmas gifts. If you'd like to place an order, please email us at risondallas@comcast.net. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted May 15, 2006 A RISON-DALLAS ASSOCIATION LIBRARY ?: Recently, Jimmie Sue McCollum Moore who is the administrative assistant to northeast county commissioner, Roger Jones, donated two books to the association. The first one is a book titled, "Mr. Anderson's Monument - Stories of Meridian Street, Lincoln Mill and Lincoln Village," written by Tillman Hill in 1996. It's an interesting read because life in that area was, of course, so similar to the lives we lived in Dallas Village. Jimmie Sue also assisted both Tillman Hill and Harold Harbin during their terms as county commissioner. The second book is a cookbook titled, "Southern Recipes from the Friends of Tillman Hill Library," written and published by the friends of the Tillman Hill Library. Here's an interesting recipe in this cookbook called, "Castor Oil Cookies:" Do you remember taking castor oil? I remember that each spring our daddy gave castor oil to all five of us kids; he must have thought it was a good idea - we didn't! I wonder if castor oil would be easier to swallow in a cookie? I'll never know! Castor Oil Cookies 1 cup sugar 1/2 t. soda 1 cup molasses 2 t. ginger 2 cups milk 1 t. salt 1/2 cup castor oil enough flour to make a soft dough Mix all together. Roll out on a floured surface. Cut in any desired shape. Bake in a 350 degree oven until light brown. Note: Two of these cookies are equal to a single dose of castor oil! I accepted these books on behalf of the association. If you'd like to see them, please let us know at risondallas@comcast.net and we'll make the necessary arrangements. ~Ann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted March 29, 2006 ADVERTISING OUR WEBSITE ADDRESS: While trying to find another way to advertise the website, I thought that when it came time for car tag renewal, I would buy a specialty tag with the website address on it. Unfortunately that was not an option because the tag is limited as to the number of characters. My "able assistant," my daughter, suggested that I consider using a tag holder instead. In Wal-Mart's automotive section I found a kit from which I fashioned this tag holder. While it's not perfect, I think that it'll do the job. What do you think? ~Ann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted January 10, 2006 GUEST SPEAKER FOR THE AUGUST 5, 2006, REUNION: I'm pleased to announce that Major General James Pillsbury, Commanding General at the US Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, has accepted our invitation to speak to us at our next reunion on August 5th. Since arriving at Redstone over two years ago, General Pillsbury has embraced the City of Huntsville. Twice we have quoted the general on this website, once on the Veterans page and once on the 2005 reunion page. The first quote is, "If you read a newspaper, thank a teacher; if you read it in English, thank a vet." The second quote is, "We weren't all born in Huntsville, but we got here as quickly as we could!" I'm sure that we'll all enjoy meeting and hearing General Pillsbury. ~Ann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted December 28, 2005 A DONATION TO THE ASSOCIATION: A generous donation has been made to the Association to help offset the future cost of publishing our cookbook, "Cooking with the Village People." This donation was made to honor one of our members. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted November 25, 2005 HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE “NEW Y”? While having lunch with some family members at Barnhill’s Restaurant on Thanksgiving Day, I learned that there are some folks who are referring to the Optimist Park Recreation Center as the “New Y.” Have you heard that? It sounds good, doesn’t it? ~Ann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted November 15, 2005 RISON-DALLAS ASSOCIATION MESSAGE BOARDS: Would you like to post a question to the Rison-Dallas community, or want to try to reconnect with folks from the area? Then visit our Message Board, an online forum where folks from Rison School and Dallas Village, or any who either knew or loved the people from Rison and Dallas can discuss Rison-Dallas issues! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted November 7, 2005 REMEMBERING FAMILY MEALTIME: As the cookbook committee is busy planning the contents of the cookbook, we thought that we might like to include some stories about what mealtimes were like when we were growing up. These stories can be while growing up in Dallas Village or in some other location. For instance, I remember when we five children sat around our kitchen table at mealtime, we were not allowed to speak unless spoken to, other than to ask, “Pass the beans (or whatever) please.” And when we went for big meals at our paternal grandparents’ home, the adults always ate first and the children waited – and waited – and waited - until they were finished eating. It seemed to us that they talked about everything! Our great uncle, Brickle Schrimsher, was very compassionate and would oftentimes slip us a cookie or two and say, “Maybe this will hold you ‘til you can come to the table.” When we finally got to the table, there were only the boney pieces of chicken left – and then we were rushed to finish eating so that the dishes could be washed. ~Ann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted November 2, 2005 COOKBOOK COMMITTEE MEETING: The first committee meeting was held on October 28, 2005, to make some decisions about the cookbook. Committee members present: Helen Acuff Jo Anna Gowan Burkett Ann Schrimsher Franklin Wanda Renegar Wilson Here are the results of the meeting: Cover page design and the title, "Cooking with the Village People," will remain as originally proposed. The approximate size, including binder, will be 6"x 9". The cookbook will be bound with plastic spiral binding; the pages will be buff colored (light tan), and the length is expected to be from 250-300 pages. Selected pictures and text from the Rison-Dallas website will be included in the cookbook. The cookbook will be available for purchase at the 2006 reunion on August 5, 2006. Advanced orders for copies will be solicited prior to the 2006 reunion. Cost has yet to be determined. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted September 12, 2005 UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE HUNTSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY, 915 MONROE STREET: Here are two Bicentennial events to be held at the library: September 14, Wednesday at noon: Former local television personality Dick Curtis will present his film, "From Mill Village to Main Street," featuring the cotton mill industry. This is a free brown-bag event. UPDATE: This presentation today was wonderful. It really takes one back; it was both happy and sad. The CD covered all Huntsville mills, schools, and villages with quite a lot about Rison and Dallas. There are segments of interviews with Mr. Fain that were especially touching. Dick Curtis has given us permission to use whatever material we choose from the CD. We will try to have some of this material on the website soon. September 20, Tuesday, 7:00-9:00PM: A presentation by Susanna Leberman, "The Ties That Bind: Huntsville's Textile Industry," with photos and stories of mill village life. David Lilly from the reference room of the library, asked permission to use several segments from the Memories page from our Rison-Dallas Association website; specifically, he plans to use a portion from the memories of Hattie Marie Webb about getting shots; Rudy Strickland about the whipping he got from his grandfather; and Ruby Crabbe's "Famous Strike at Dallas Mill." These selections will be read by actors. Both Hattie Marie and Rudy have been notified, but we've been unable to notify Ruby. UPDATE, September 21, 2005: Last night's presentation was both interesting and informative; Ms. Leberman presented it as her masters thesis. Interspersed throughout the presentation were the aforementioned segments and others that certainly gave additional insight and, in some cases, humor to times in our history. Ms. Leberman gave some never-before-heard facts concerning the original plans and development of Dallas Mill as well as minutes of board meetings. When asked, Ms. Leberman agreed to furnish us a copy of her thesis once it has been formally submitted to UAH. When received, we'll post the information on this website. NOTE: As mentioned during the 2005 reunion, Ruby Crabbe was one of the people from the Rison-Dallas community who died since the 2004 reunion. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted September 4, 2005 Address Changes to the Rison-Dallas Association Mailing List: Our mailing list has been updated following this year’s reunion; we have 424 names on this list, representing 334 addresses. We make every effort to maintain an accurate mailing list but we need your help. If: Your address changes and you’d like to continue to receive the annual reminder of the reunion, please notify us at risondallas@comcast.net. This year more than a dozen reminder cards were returned to us stamped by the post office that it was unable to forward, or that that the address was insufficient, or that it had the wrong ZIP code. This is frustrating to us because we want to be sure that EACH OF YOU receives a reminder. You’d no longer like to receive a reminder, please notify us at the same email address. You’d like to add a name to the mailing list, please notify us at the same email address. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted August 23, 2005 2005 REUNION GROUP PICTURE: Group pictures are still available. If you'd like to buy one, please send your check for $10 marked "For group picture," and your name and address to: Rison-Dallas Community c/o Ann Schrimsher Franklin 2603 Valley Brook Court, NE Huntsville, AL 35811 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted August 18, 2005 RISON SCHOOL RECORD LEDGERS: More good news - our school's two old huge record ledgers have a new home! The Records Room of the Huntsville City School System agreed to accept and store these ledgers. At one of our reunions in the late 70s, our principal, Cecil Fain, said that neither city nor county records offices would agree to accept the ledgers and asked for a volunteer to safeguard them. Since mine was both the last and youngest class to graduate at Rison, I volunteered and have kept them for all these years. Over time, two individuals asked for help in providing proof of birth dates so that they could receive their Social Security retirement incomes. I found the individuals' names and birth dates in the ledgers and prepared letters for them that provided the needed proof. ~Ann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted July 27, 2005 DALLAS MILL CEMETERY UPDATE: Good news! This morning, three association members met with Mark Russell, Huntsville City Councilman for the northeast area, to present him a package showing the improvements that we'd like to have made to the Dallas Mill Cemetery. These improvements include: installing a granite cemetery marker, replacing the fence surrounding the approximate 75'x35' portion of the cemetery, replacing the gate, and installing a small corner marker at a gravesite that is presently unmarked. Mr. Russell made the statement, "I think that it is do-able!" It is estimated that the entire project could cost about $5,000. Upon leaving the meeting, Mr. Russell planned to visit the cemetery. He told us that he'd keep us informed. We'll add pictures to the website when the improvements are made. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted July 17, 2005 INTRODUCING OUR WEBMASTER: This is our webmaster, Craig Clontz. It was our hope that Craig would be able to attend this year's reunion on August 6th so that you would have the opportunity to meet him. But, we've learned that the first Saturday in August each year is moving day at Auburn and, since Craig has a son who will be starting his second year at Auburn, the move must take precedence over our reunion. For more than a year Craig has continued to work, oftentimes daily, to add material to the website. If you think back as to how the website looked a year ago and how it looks today you know that Craig has been very busy. All this he does voluntarily. When he first volunteered to establish the website for us, he said, "I love doing this sort of thing." Fortunately, he must still love doing it because he has yet to ask us to find a replacement! Craig has no past tie to either Rison School or Dallas Village but he has taken a keen interest in both. So, if and when you meet him, know that you are speaking with someone who is something of an expert on the subject of Rison and Dallas! Craig has been dabbling in website creation for a number of years now. His earliest site recounted his exploits while traveling to Las Vegas back in the late 90's on business. Craig's Vegas site was made with a somewhat clunky WYSIWYG website editor called CoolPage. Craig's next venture into website creation was when he got involved in the infant DVD hacker community back in 2001, as he created his Sampo Zone website, which was a mixture of CoolPage and hand-coded HTML. Craig eventually merged his site with a like-minded fellow from England who was running the Area450 website, where Craig got a bit of experience using Microsoft Frontpage. In May of 2003, Craig took over development and maintainence of Epworth UMC's website, which was all written in hand-coded HTML using the wonderful freeware 1stPage2000 editor. Craig is now part of the website team at Trinity UMC. Craig's latest web project was developing a website for Scott and Lucy Thudium's S & L Marine website. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted April 5, 2005 Kari Hawkins wrote an interesting article about a long-time resident of the area, Joy Daniel, that appeared in the Huntsville Times on Sunday, March 27, 2005. You can read it by clicking here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted April 5, 2005 But - who is that good looking fella with her?? Of course the fella with her is Erskine (Erk) Payne.