January/February 2011 issue

Connected
January/February 2011
Published for the
members of
“We Keep You Connected”
Winter
Wonderland
Fyffe pee wees win
Super bowl
Learning is fun at
Dutton Library
Nettie Crow
of Geraldine is 101
General Manager Comments
A life lesson from the blind side
I
watched “The Blind Side” for the
first time a few weeks ago. For any
of you who happen to not know,
this movie tells the real life story of
University of Mississippi and Baltimore
Ravens football star Michael Oher and
his incredible journey from the housing projects of Memphis to the stardom
of the NFL. Michael was taken under
wing by the remarkable family of Sean
and Leigh Anne Tuohy. Actress Sandra
Bullock won an Academy Award for her
portrayal of Leigh Anne. Being a compulsive list maker, this movie quickly
found its place on my list of all-time favorite movies. I expect it will stay there
for many years. Because I have a friend
and colleague who happens to know the
Tuohys personally and assures me they
are the real deal, the story was all the
more impressive.
The title of this movie takes its operative meaning from the responsibility of
a football team’s offensive left tackle to
protect the “blind side” of a right-handed quarterback. There is a humorous
yet touching scene in the movie where
Leigh Ann explains this to Michael by
essentially reminding him of how he
promised to always watch her back. She
suggests that he think of his quarterback
as being her and thus protect him as if
he were. Needless to say, the results are
impressive. The next guy who tries to
hit the quarterback has a very unpleasant experience. However, in my opinion, the most powerful moment in the
story comes a bit later when one of Mrs.
Tuohy’s friends suggests she think of
how much she is changing Michael’s life
and Leigh Anne responds that, on the
contrary, Michael is changing hers.
What great truth there is in that
observation! When we take the time to
make a positive difference in another
person’s life, the impact is often greater
on us than we would imagine. Regrettably, despite how firmly I believe that,
I must admit much failure to practice
my preaching. More often than not, my
failure is usually the result of simply
2 Connected - January/February 2011
not taking the time to act when there is a
fleeting opportunity to do so. This most
often occurs when I am extremely busy
or very stressed which, according to my
family, happens a lot. You might say
this tendency may be one of my “blind
sides.” I so very much appreciate key
people in my life who tend to watch my
back at these moments. They’ve saved
me a lot of grief. The least I can do for
them is to watch their back the same
way they watch mine.
There’s another important lesson
to be drawn from this story and it’s not
a pleasant one. In furtherance of the
old axiom – no good deed goes unpunished – the Tuohys were subjected to no
small measure of skepticism regarding
their motives for helping Michael. Make
no mistake; we live in an increasingly
cynical society where many assume that
NO ONE does anything good without
expecting something in return. Don’t
expect to be rewarded for your acts of
kindness in this life. Rather, expect the
opposite. If you are surprised, all the
better – but let your real reward come
from knowing within you that you did
a good thing. In the end that’s what will
matter the most.
2011 is yet young. I challenge you
to look for and take advantage of every
opportunity you have to make a positive difference in someone’s life. While
you’re at it, join me in being grateful for
those kind folks who faithfully watch
our blind side. Who knows where we
would be without them.n
“We Keep You
Connected”
is a member-owned
corporation
dedicated
to providing communications technology
to the people of northeast Alabama. The
company has over 14,000 access lines, making it the state’s largest telecommunications cooperative.
Board of Trustees
Randy Wright, President
Flat Rock Exchange
Gary Smith, Vice President
Fyffe Exchange
Danny R. Richey, Secretary
Geraldine Exchange
Lynn Welden, Treasurer
Bryant Exchange
Robert B. Burkhalter
Pisgah Exchange
Greg Griffith
Henagar Exchange
Randy Tumlin
Rainsville Exchange
Connected
Vol. 15, No. 1 January/February 2011
is a bimonthly magazine
published by Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative, © 2011. It is
distributed without charge to all
member/owners of the Cooperative.
Send address
corrections to:
Farmers Telecommunications
Cooperative, Inc.
P.O. Box 217
144 McCurdy Ave. N.
Rainsville, Alabama 35986
Telephone: (256) 638-2144
www.farmerstel.com
Produced for FTC by:
WordSouth Public Relations, Inc.
www.wordsouth.com
On the Cover:
Fred Johnson
is General Manager
of Farmers
Telecommunications
Cooperative, Inc.
On the heels of a white Christmas,
Sand Mountain spent much of early
January under several inches of snow
and ice. It created beautiful scenes,
like this snow-laden evergreen at the
home of Ralph and Sybil Dawson on
Town Creek in Rainsville.
Photo by Stephen V. Smith
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*Number approximate. Actual lineup may vary. **Speeds are approximate, not guaranteed. Some areas not yet capable of receiving this service.
Some restrictions apply on use of FTC’s Unlimited Long Distance Service and Unlimited Incoming Calling. Please contact FTC for additional information.
Phone: 256-638-2144 | Online: farmerstel.com
Connected - January/February 2011 3
NO!
Businesses can be penalized
for not following registry rules
to unwanted telemarketing calls
Consumers have the opportunity to limit unwanted telemarketing calls thanks to the National Do Not Call Registry established
by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) along with the U.S.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Once your phone number has been registered with the National Do Not Call Registry, telemarketers have up to 31 days to
stop calling your number. Inclusion of a telephone number on the
National Do Not Call Registry becomes effective the day following
registration and will remain there permanently unless the number is
disconnected or you choose to remove it from the registry.
According to a Harris Interactive poll, 92 percent of people who
reported placing a number on the registry said they are receiving
fewer calls; a total of 78 percent said they are getting “far fewer
calls” or none at all.
To date, consumers have registered more than 58 million phone
numbers on the Do Not Call Registry, and according to the FTC,
most telemarketers have been diligent in their efforts to scrub their
lists and to meet the Registry’s requirements.
Consumers may register up to three non-business telephone
numbers, including wireless numbers.
To register by telephone, call 1-888-382-1222. For TTY, call 1-866260-4236. You must call from the telephone number you wish to
register. To register online, visit www.donotcall.gov.
The National Do Not Call Registry does not apply to certain
non-profit and political organizations or businesses with whom you
have an existing relationship.n
Businesses in the FTC coverage area that make
phone calls to customers or potential customers should
be aware of National Do Not Call Registry rules and
regulations.
The Do Not Call initiative, regulated by the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), requires FTC to
notify our customers who use our service for making
telephone solicitations and telemarketing calls of National Do Not Call rules and regulations. We recognize
that few of our customers utilize cooperative services
for telemarketing purposes; however, to ensure that our
customers adhere to these rules and regulations, we are
issuing this advisory to all business customers. If you are a company, individual, or organization
that places telemarketing calls, it is very important that
you familiarize yourself with the operations of the National Do Not Call Registry.
Unless you fall under one of the exceptions established in the Federal Communications Commission/
Federal Trade Commission rules, such as telemarketing by charitable organizations or for prior business
relationships, you may not make telemarketing calls to
numbers included in the National Do Not Call Registry.
For information regarding National Do Not Call
regulations, visit the National Do Not Call registry at
www.donotcall.gov. You can find the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission
rules governing telemarketing and telephone solicitation at 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200 and 16 C.F.R. Part 310, respectively. n
Sign up for
free amber alerts
on your cell phone
What could be worse than that feeling of dread when, even for a few seconds, you lose sight of
your child? Just imagine the feeling if your child were actually taken. Hopefully it is a feeling you
will never have to experience firsthand.
When a child is abducted, we all want to do everything we can to help parents find their children.
That's why Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative has teamed up with the National Center for
Exploited Children, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Ad Council to bring you this message.
Visit wirelessamberalerts.org to sign up today. Then when an AMBER Alert is issued in the areas
you've chosen, you'll receive a free text message. If you spot the vehicle, the suspect or the child
described in the Alert, call 911 immediately. If your phone is wireless, you're no longer helpless.
Sign up today!
www.wirelessamberalerts.org
4 Connected - January/February 2011
It’s time to
!
recycle
COLLECT
OLD FTC DIRECTORIES
DELIVER
THEM TO YOUR SCHOOL
EARN $$$
FOR EACH FTC DIRECTORY COLLECTED
Get your family and friends and the whole community involved
in helping collect old telephone books to recycle. FTC will
pay your school 25¢ for each FTC directory collected. Other
directories will be recycled, but only FTC directories will earn
money for your school.
HURRY!
Only directories turned in by Friday, MARCH 11, 2011
will be counted.
The 2011 FTC
Directory will be
in mailboxes soon
The 2011 Northeast Alabama Regional
Telephone Directory will soon be delivered to every home and business in the
FTC coverage area. It is an excellent
resource to have on hand and includes
such features as:
 Community pages
The Community Pages section is full of
information for both new and long-time
residents. Included are points of interest such as local attractions, parks and
historical sites, a calendar of events
for Jackson and DeKalb county, local
and state government and much more.
 government section
The special blue-tabbed Government
Section lists numbers for government offices for the state, DeKalb and
Jackson County, and cities in the FTC
service area.
“We Keep You Connected”
proudly sponsors this recycling project that keeps tons of
waste out of our landfills and helps schools earn money.
 surrounding area
FTC has provided residential and business telephone numbers for the Sand
Mountain area, as well as surrounding
cities in Northeast Alabama and Northwest Georgia.
For an extra copy of the directory, visit
the FTC office nearest you.
Connected - January/February 2011 5
Fyffe boys learn life lessons on road to
Pee Wee Super Bowl
O
n Highway 75, in the small
town of Fyffe, football is a
way of life, you might say.
They love it here, and their
rich tradition can rival any place in Alabama.
From the coaching days of Nelson
Ellis through the times of Ronnie Haushalter to the current moments of Paul
Benefield, Red Devil teams have always
had the strong support of the community.
The names are etched in football lore.
Names such as Long, Ridgeway, Benefield, Graben, Gipson, Cochran, Peppers
and so on. Sons wait for the day to follow
in the footsteps of their fathers. Boys long
for the time to put on that red jersey and
walk on the field on a Friday night just as
their older brothers did.
Pee wee comeback
The town had been without pee wee
football for several years until one day
early last year. On that day, Paul Long sat
in the Fyffe fieldhouse with varsity coach
Paul Benefield.
“Everyone always thought coach
Benefield was against pee wee football,”
says Long. “He told me if I would oversee it, we could bring it back. He wanted
people that would do it the right way.”
Benefield’s knock against pee wee
football, like many, is the bad habits a
young player can pick up – many times
6 Connected - January/February 2011
from coaches with no experience.
“He’s against the bad coaching,” says
Long. “And the parents who take all of
the fun out of it. It can ruin it for kids.
Parents can be too overbearing and get
out of control.”
That wasn’t going to happen at
Fyffe. The one condition for pee wee
football was that Benefield, who played
at the school and has served as the varsity coach since 1997, would select the
coaches.
Most people in the town were
against the idea of pee wee football until
they learned Benefield was picking the
coaches. “It wasn’t going to be daddy
ball like a lot of programs can be,” says
Heath Thrash, whose son Garrett signed
up to play.
A total of 116 players signed up to
play as Fyffe joined the North Alabama
Youth Football League in Albertville.
From scratch, $19,000 was raised to join
the league.
“All the credit goes to the parents,”
says Long. “We sold cokes and got
donations from the community. Fyffe
community is so good about supporting
football.”
Fyffe had three teams join the league.
The 9- and 10-year-old team finished 5-4,
and the 11- and 12-year-old team finished
5-3 in their first seasons.
“I was real concerned about us being able to compete,” says Long about
the players’ first year of football against
established programs. “But we competed
really well.”
One advantage, Thrash says, was
having a varsity coach helping with each
team. Tim Cochran, a former head coach,
coached the 9- and 10-year-old team,
while Brian Mashburn, also a former
head coach and current assistant coach
at Fyffe, helped with the 11- and 12-yearold team.
It was the 7- and 8-year-old team,
with help from varsity assistant coach
Steve Edge, that shined the brightest in
the inaugural season.
The young team, coached by former
Fyffe players Lee. J. Godwin, John Fowler
and Joey Dalton, finished 9-2 and won
the Super Bowl, played at Jacksonville
State University in October.
A strong start
Before there was football, the 7- and
8-year-olds were busy advancing to the
state baseball tournament last summer.
“They are an extremely good group,”
says Godwin.
“They’ve got a chance to be pretty
special,” added Thrash.
In P.E. class at school, Mashburn,
who teaches the class, says the group
loves all sports, especially football. “If
they’re starving to death and you put a
hamburger on the playground,” he says,
“they’re going to pick up the football.”
Twenty-six boys signed up for the
team. “The hardest thing was them learning all of the positions,” says Godwin.
“That was a big challenge to begin with.
“At 7 and 8 years old, you want to be
the quarterback, a running back or wide
receiver. You want the ball.” Godwin,
Fowler and Dalton, who all played as
linemen, stressed to the boys that all the
positions are important in being a good
football team.
The boys bought into their coaches’
way of thinking.
The team started 1-2, as fumbles
and penalties ruled the day. Slowly, it all
came together.
“Our defense was pretty steady all
year,” says Godwin.
“It hurt their feelings if anybody
scored on them,” added Thrash.
In the sixth game of the season, the
boys defeated Guntersville 12-6 in double
overtime. “They gained a lot confidence
after that game,” says Godwin. “We
knew if we got in the playoffs, we had a
chance.”
Making the playoffs
The team got in the playoffs as a
wildcard after finishing second in their
division. This set up a game with first
place Fort Payne, who defeated them
19-6 earlier in the year and were undefeated.
“The first game we fumbled the snap
left and right,” says Godwin. “We didn’t
give ourselves a chance.”
The second time was a different
story. For starters, Fyffe hadn’t lost since
the first Fort Payne game. With a close
score at halftime, the defense took over
allowing no second-half points, and Fyffe
won 34-12.
It was a prelude for the remaining of
the playoffs.
Scottsboro was up next in the AFC
Championship game. “They had some
really big kids,” says Godwin. “We gave
up a couple of big runs early.”
Then, once again, the defense took
over. Fyffe won 20-12, not allowing a
point in the second half.
That set up a Super Bowl showdown
against Etowah at Jacksonville State
University.
“The kids were so excited to go play
on a college field,” Godwin says.
Etowah was unbeaten, having
defeated Fyffe in a jamboree before the
season.
In the Super Bowl, it was a long way
from the jamboree.
Leading 16-12 at halftime, the little
Red Devils hung on, winning the championship 24-12.
Once again, the defense dominated
the second half, surely bringing a smile
to the high school coach.
Thrash, who says it was the first
time he’s sat in the stands and watched
his son rather than coaching, says it was
special. “It was fun to watch,” he says.
“The kids learned, but had fun too. The
coaches made it fun.”
Godwin says that was important.
“We had a lot of fun,” he says. “We didn’t
stress winning and losing so much. Learn
the little things and have fun.”
As for the season, Garrett Thrash
might have put it best. “I knew what
it meant to play football at Fyffe,” he
says.n
The season
Arab 6-21 (L)
Boaz 14-0 (W)
Fort Payne 6-19 (L)
Crossville 22-0 (W)
Geraldine 18-8 (W)
Guntersville 12-6 (W)
Etowah Blue 36-6 (W)
Fort Payne Gold 14-13 (W)
Playoffs
Fort Payne 34-12 (W)
AFC Championship:
Scottsboro 20-12 (W)
Super Bowl:
Etowah Gold 24-12 (W)
The players
Michael Blake, Everett
Wagner, Kobe Harris, Austin
Buster, Matthew Barnes,
Zachery Haynes, Will Edge,
Tucker Dodd, Andrew
Hamilton, Ike Rowell, Parker
Godwin, Dakota Manning,
Ashlee Crandel, Tanner
Cowart, Kyle Dukes, Dalton
Gilbert, Chase Wooten,
Eli Benefield, Caleb Lyles,
Brady Wilkie, Garrett Thrash,
Clayton O'Shields, Brody
Dalton, Justin Stiefel, Malachi
Mize and Caiden Gore
The coaches
Lee J. Godwin, Joey Dalton,
John Fowler and Steve Edge
SUPER BOWL CHAMPS—These 7- and 8-year-old Fyffe kids learned a lot about football, while
learning how it feels to be champions.
Connected - January/February 2011 7
Once
upon a
time...
By Tina Thurmond
Town of Dutton creates magic at growing library
I
magine your child curled up in a chair reading “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” or
“Little Women” instead of playing a video
game or watching television. With the sensory overload of today’s technology, too many kids
rarely open a book unless it is for a school assignment.
The art of using the imagination to paint a
fence with Tom Sawyer or put on plays with the
March sisters is being lost to the virtual reality
of all things electronic. What difference would
it make if kids could actually meet an author in
person or have Tom Sawyer himself talk them
into white-washing a fence? Besides getting them
interested in reading, it could boost their interest in
visiting the local library.
That is the idea behind the Dutton Community
Library in Dutton, Ala. On any given day you are
almost as likely to meet Mark Twain or the Tin
Man there as you are to see your next-door neighbor.
“This is not just your old, boring quiet library
with dusty books,” says Dutton Mayor Bryan
Stewart. “We want our books to come alive and
for you to come in and see Mark Twain and talk to
him, not just read about him in a book. We want
you to experience the Wizard of Oz or see what a
real pirate ship looks like.”
In order to accomplish that, the organizers
decided they would have to take the word ‘library’
to a whole new level. “At our grand opening,”
says Library Director Patricia Ann Romans,”we
talked with the state director and told her that we
READING TIME – Children from several towns enjoy the
Dutton Community Library. Enjoying the library are (l-r) Sydney
Holcomb, Chloe Holcomb and Anna Higgins.
8 Connected - January/February 2011
weren’t going to have a silent library. We wanted
our library to be creative and fun so children and
adults would feel welcome. So, we encourage participants here to dress up like storybook characters
or people in nursery rhymes, and we try to bring
the books to life.
“We see children running up to the door today
and they visibly want to participate,” she adds.
“That makes us so proud.”
Ms. Vergie’s house
The library is located on Main Street in the former home of Vergie Chambers, who taught school
at Dutton Elementary for 50 years.
“She was the first-grade teacher for most of the
community,” says Stewart, “so it is a very special
house. It has been a landmark in Dutton for a long
time and we are very privileged to be in it.”
The building itself is in keeping with the
library’s wish to be different from other libraries.
There are no bricks or imposing columns, just
simple white siding and an inviting front porch.
“We have a beautiful front yard,” says Stewart. “We’ve had the Easter Bunny out there for the
kids to hunt eggs at Easter. Santa Claus has been
out there, too.”
Besides making good use of the yard to entertain the kids, the library also takes full advantage of the spacious porch. “During Halloween
we always decorate the porch according to our
theme,” says Stewart. “It’s been a pirate ship, and
one year it was Oz from the Wizard of Oz. We’ve
done several things out there to attract the community.”
Inside, the library has filled every nook and
cranny with everything a person could want in a
community library.
There is a children’s room where kids can sit
at a table or even lie on the floor to color or read
a book. There is also a separate video room with
dozens of movies to check out free of charge.
There are computer stations for Internet access,
and over 10,000 books just waiting to be checked
out.
“We think Ms. Vergie would be very pleased
at what we’ve done with her home,” says Stewart.
Response has been so great that the library
has purchased land adjacent to the current location, with plans to build a larger facility. “We plan
to keep this building and use it for a community
center,” says Stewart.
The only one
Besides the storybook characters roaming
around, Dutton’s library is unique in at least one
other way — it is the only library in the Jackson
County portion of Sand Mountain.
“We are the only library east of the Tennessee River in Jackson County,” says Romans, “so
we get people from Pisgah, Section, Dutton and
Macedonia. There may only be 310 people inside
our city, but we have lots of patrons from other
towns who come here.”
Romans explains how important the library
is to those people. “Many of our patrons have no
access to the Internet unless they come here,” she
says. “School children who do not have computers at home come here to do their homework.
“We also get adults who come in to look for
a job on the Internet,” she continues, “or file for
Mark Twain, portrayed by Dorsey Walker, shows children
how Tom Sawyer whitewashed a fence.
unemployment benefits. Without the library here
in Dutton, they would have to drive 20 miles
or more to get to another library. That may not
sound like much, but for some of these people it
can be a hardship.”
Making life better
The library has also found that illiteracy is
still a problem on Sand Mountain. “In every community, there are people who still do not know
how to read,” says Stewart. “It is sad, but we encounter people who come in and say ‘I can’t read
a book.’ With help from our staff, those people
are able to start with a children’s short story and
progress from there over time.”
The library also offers Generations Online,
through TARCOG (Top of Alabama Regional
Council of Governments). “This program teaches
senior citizens computer literacy,” says Stewart.
“That means everything from how to turn on a
computer to how to go online and look something up. It is free, the lessons are private, and the
seniors really love it.”
Since it opened in March of 2008, the library
has already won a national award for its innovative approach to reaching its rural area. The
Alabama League of Municipalities awarded the
library its Quality of Life Award in 2008.
“That was such an honor,” says Romans.
Mayor Stewart is quick to hand the credit for
the library’s accomplishments over to the many
people who have worked to make the town’s
dream a reality. “This has been a group effort,”
says Stewart. “We’ve had a lot of help, a lot of
volunteers, and donations. Everyone can be
proud of what this library has accomplished.”n
Connected - January/February 2011 9
Earn cash for college
with FTC scholarship
Two $1,500 scholarships will be awarded to local students by FTC this
spring. One scholarship will be given to a graduating high school student and one to an individual already enrolled in college. To qualify,
students must be a dependant of or an active customer of FTC. Scholarship applications are due by March 14.
Another scholarship, given by The Foundation for Rural Service, is a
national scholarship for $2,000 and given only to 25 students in the
United States. If a high school senior from our service area receives one
of these scholarships, FTC will award them with an additional $500. Applications for this scholarship are due by 4 p.m. on Feb. 22. Preference
will be given to students planning to develop their professional careers
in a rural area.
Applications for both scholarships are available from high school guidance counselors, or can be downloaded from www.farmerstel.com.
All scholarships are made available without regard to race, ethnicity,
national origin, religion, gender or disability.
Two students will win a trip to
D.C. through FRS Youth Tour
Two deserving high school juniors will represent the Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative
area in the nation’s capital in June as part of the
FRS Washington Youth Tour.
FTC invites all students who will be 16 or
17 at the time of the tour and who have active
telecommunications services from FTC to
apply for the all-expense-paid, four-day trip
to Washington, D.C. To qualify, students
must submit a written three- to five-minute
speech on the topic “How My Wireless
Phone Has Impacted My Life.”
On March 10, students will deliver their speeches and will
be judged on points such
as grammar, posture and
clarity of message. The two
top-scoring students will be
chosen to participate in the
Youth Tour.
The program is administered by the Foundation
10 Connected - January/February 2011
for Rural Service. This organization was founded
in 1994 to help strengthen the ties between rural
communities and their families and businesses.
The program provides rural students with a
first-hand look at the telecommunications industry. Students are exposed to the legislative process,
and are given opportunities to visit historic sites
such as the Washington Monument and the U.S.
Capitol.
Past participants have also enjoyed meeting
other high school juniors from across the country.
Details regarding the program, along with
applications, are available from high school guidance counselors or online at www.farmerstel.com.
Submissions must be received no later than 4 p.m.
on March 3 and can be delivered in person or
mailed to:
FTC
Attn: Kim Williams
P.O. Box 217
Rainsville, AL 35986
The Broadband Story
Broadband:
bringing instant access to digital
movies right into your home
By Jared Dovers
(Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series
that looks at the many ways our members can
use broadband Internet service for entertainment, education and connecting with family
and friends.)
F
or many people, this Christmas
holiday resulted in new entertainment gadgets beside their
televisions. Blu-ray players and
gaming consoles, such as the Xbox 360
and Playstation 3 (PS3), were popular
gifts. One thing all of these items have in
common is the ability to bring you direct
access to a digital movie store — across
FTC’s broadband network.
Netflix (www.netflix.com) is a paid
service that can stream unlimited movies
and television shows to your TV using
the Internet. For an additional fee, users can also have DVDs mailed to their
home.
Through the power of broadband,
subscribers can digitally browse a video
library consisting of thousands of titles
and place them in a queue to have them
shipped to their mailbox. The easiest way
to manage your queue is on the computer. After having ordered just a few movies, Netflix will recommend films you
may like based on your interests. This is
a great way to find new favorites.
While customers can have DVDs
sent to their mailbox, there are over 200
devices that can stream Netflix directly
into your home using broadband Internet. Gaming consoles, blu-ray disc players, Internet-connected TV’s, iPhones,
iPods, iPads, Apple TVs and Google TVs
are just a few of the products you can use
with Netflix. Here are some of the ways
to bring this entertainment option to
your home:
Xbox 360: To access the Internet,
your console will need to be connected to
your modem with an Ethernet cable, or
by a wireless connection (a Wi-Fi adapter
is sold separately). To access Netflix from
your Xbox 360, you will need to first
purchase an Xbox Gold LIVE membership. Memberships are currently $9.99
per month, or $59.99 for a year. While the
PS3 and the Nintendo Wii allow you to
access Netflix without an additional fee,
the XBox 360 provides access to ESPN3
and Hulu Plus with their Gold LIVE
membership.
If your console is already on the
Internet and you’ve purchased a LIVE
Gold membership, you are ready to
install Netflix. From the Xbox menu, go
to the Video Marketplace. From here,
download and install the Netflix application. After you have done this, go to
www.netflix.com to purchase a subscription and activate your device. For added
fun, if you are an XBox Kinect owner you
can set your Kinect to operate the Netflix
application, controlling the movies you
view without the XBox controller.
Playstation 3: The PS3 comes
standard with a Blu-ray player, hard
drive and built-in Wi-Fi connection. Like
the XBox 360, the PS3 requires a membership in order to access Netflix. Unlike
the Xbox 360, however, the PlayStation
Network is free to join. Once you have
logged into the PlayStation Network, select “What’s New” from the menu. From
here, you will click on the Netflix icon
and install the application.
After you’ve installed the application, you will need to purchase a Netflix
subscription. This can be done at www.
netflix.com or through your PS3.
Nintendo Wii: The Wii makes
streaming video through Netflix simple.
Connect the Wii to your wireless network
through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
(visit us.wii.com/connect for a detailed
tutorial). Once your Wii is on the Internet, head to the Wii Shop Channel and
download the Netflix application. After
you’ve purchased your subscription
from www.netflix.com, the simple screen
instructions will help you connect your
Wii to your account.
Blu-ray players and HDTVs:
Several new televisions and Blu-ray players come out of the box with the Netflix
application installed. For specific instructions on your product, go to www.netflix.
com/NetflixReadyDevices. Here you
will be able to find detailed information
on how to activate Netflix on your HDTV
or Blu-ray player.
What about my computer?
With a broadband Internet connection
from FTC, your Mac or PC becomes a
perfect device for using the Netflix application. From the Netflix website you can
access your queue and instantly watch
most items by simply pressing play. This
is a great option for people who travel
with laptops, and want to have access to
their Netflix queue.
Regardless of the way you connect,
broadband gives you the power to enjoy
movies instantly from the comfort of
your home. Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative has several broadband
packages from which to choose. Visit
www.farmerstel.com to find the plan that
meets your family’s needs, or call 256638-2144.n
Connected - January/February 2011 11
At Dobbins Supermarket,
serving the community is still
Dawn and Roy Dobbins pause for a break
during a busy day in the meat department.
Delray Dobbins Wright gives customers a
smile every time they visit.
Viola Copeland and Joey Howard work hard
for the customers of Dobbins Supermarket.
12 Connected - January/February 2011
A family
tradition
I
t is a large and busy place
today, but 65 years ago, Dobbins Supermarket in Bryant was
little more than a small stock of
groceries, kerosene and coal in a back
bedroom of Gordon and Ruby Dobbins’ home. It was small, but in 1945, it was
all the town of Bryant had by way
of a grocery store, and residents
depended on it. They also grew to
depend on the family who owned
the store.
The Dobbins’ were good, honest folks who believed in practicing
the Golden Rule and taught their
nine children to do the same. If times
were hard, the Dobbins did what
they could to help their neighbors
get by. When times were good, the
hard-working folks of Bryant repaid
their kindness the best they could.
Little went on in the town that
did not include the Dobbins family
in some way. If someone had a special occasion to celebrate and needed
a fresh-cut ham, they knew Gordon
was always glad to do it for them.
Likewise, the women counted on
Ruby to bring food to the sick, and
even the children went out of their
way to help others.
In 1948, Gordon and Ruby
constructed a building next to their
home which housed the grocery
store and their new hardware store in
one large room. Gordon added new
gas pumps out front, and expanded
the meat department by selling fresh
sausage and beef from livestock he
raised himself.
By Tina Thurmond
All of the children worked in
the store, but as they grew up and
started families of their own, only
three of them chose to stay with
the family business. Roy, his twin
brother Troy, and their sister Delray,
all liked working in the store and
enjoyed the interaction with the local
townsfolk.
In 1962, Gordon separated the
two stores by building a large addition onto the building. He then
leased the grocery store to his son-inlaw on a five-year lease and ran the
hardware store himself.
In 1966, Roy and Troy took over
the lease and began making payments on the store even though they
were still just seniors in high school. Five years later, the enterprising
brothers, who also farmed potatoes
together, struck up a deal. In exchange for his brother’s half of the
store, Roy gave Troy his half of the
farming equipment. Delray continued to work in the supermarket.
Pig tales
That same year, Roy revived his
father’s old tradition and started
raising hogs and selling fresh sausage once again. The residents of
Bryant bought the savory breakfast
meat almost faster than he could
make it.
As it often does in small towns,
good news traveled fast, and soon
people from all over the Southeast
were lining up at the store to get
their share.
There is a good-humored bit of folklore around Dobbins Supermarket which
started about that time. According to the
story, Roy Dobbins has a closely guarded
secret recipe for making his popular sausage that not even his wife Dawn knows.
Like all good country tales, this one
is hardly ever told the same way twice.
For example, no one seems to know exactly where the recipe came from. Some
say Roy created it himself through trial
and error, while others are certain it was
handed down from his father in a secret
exchange before he died.
Some believe Roy
mixes the spices into the
sausage when he is alone,
while others say he brings
a bag of unknown ingredients to the store and lets
employees mix it in themselves.
Roy gets a good laugh
out of the pig tales, all the
while insisting there is no
secret recipe. “It’s the quality of the meat that is the
secret to the taste,” he says.
here roughly 70 years and I’ve actually
worked here for about 45 years.”
Delray’s job as the store’s cashier
gives her the opportunity to get to know
the customers. “Some customers come in
two or three times a day,” she says. “We
are the only grocery store in this area, so
we play a part in everyone’s lives. Being
locally owned and family oriented makes
me feel like the community is part of my
family. They may not be, but I feel like
they are.”
has. “We enjoy serving the people and try
to have what they ask for,” Delray says.
The People
Besides the brother and sister team,
there are four employees at the store.
Roy’s son, Stacey, and Delray’s daughter, Sandra Deerman, along with Joey
Howard and Viola Copeland, all work
together to keep everything running
smoothly.
“Joey has been here for about 19
years,” Delray says. “He’s
our number-one man and
he keeps us on our toes.”
Joey runs the busy
meat department which
produces more than 1,400
pounds of sausage every
week during the winter.
Besides sausage, the store
also carries a wealth of
other meats.
“We are proud of
our entire meat case,”
Joey says. “Everything
is carefully trimmed
to ensure that the customer gets as much pure
product as possible. Our
While
the
world
around
it
has
changed,
Dobbins
Supermarket
has
remained
compoultry doesn’t have
Besides the sausage,
mitted
to
providing
quality
grocery
products
to
the
community
through
down-home
any additives or growth
people say there is another
friendly
customer
service.
hormones, it’s as natural
reason they love shopping
at Dobbins Supermarket:
as you’d have gotten it in
Delray Dobbins Wright.
the 1960s.”
“Anybody that knows her will tell
you that she is a wonderful, wonderful
Dobbins Supermarket is open Monperson,” says Viola Copeland, of Bryant.
day through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30
Viola has worked at Dobbins Supermarp.m. CST. Inside and out, the building
Many people have wondered just
ket for the past 12 years and has seen
has remained much the same as it was
what will become of Dobbins Superfirsthand why people love Delray so
when Gordon and Ruby first built it.
market when Roy and Delray decide to
much.
Their home still sits beside it, beautiretire.
“She treats everyone so kindly,”
fully maintained.“We use the homeplace
“My daughter loves the grocery
Copeland says. “Delray is always going
for family gatherings,” Delray says. “The business,” Delray says. “But I can’t say
to the funeral home to comfort people
kids from the school come out and get
she’d ever want to take over. Stacey
in the community who have lost a loved
their pictures made out there, too.
might want to take it over some day, but
one. If someone is sick she tries to check
“Dobbins Supermarket still operit’s not something many young people
on them. Sometimes she’ll put a few
ates the old-fashioned way. We use the
are interested in.”
pieces of candy in a bag and give it to the cash registers that require us to key in
“If I did take over some day, “ Stacey
little kids. They just love her for it. No
the prices,” Delray says. “We don’t use
says, “I’d like to take the sausage proone can replace her.”
bar codes or scanners. We’re kind of low
duction up a notch.” He has researched
Delray married James Wright, of
tech.
ways to expand by selling his dad’s faBryant, when she was a young girl and
“We still carry a lot of older brands
mous sausage in other states via delivery
began her married life as a homemaker.
like Octagon soap and Borateam Mix,”
trucks, and even on the Internet.
“I got married at 15 and stayed at home a she adds, “because a lot of people make
Stacey admits there is one small deyear and a half,” she says. “Then I came
their own soap.”
tail that needs to be ironed out before his
to work here when I was 17.
The store also keeps plenty of local
expansion plans could ever work.
“My parents owned this store
honey, pork cracklins and fresh sliced
“I still don’t have the recipe,” he says
hog jowl in stock the same as it always
before I was born,” she adds. “It’s been
with a smile. n
Delray
The Store
The Future
Connected - January/February 2011 13
101
Nettie Crow is
and counting
T
By Tina Thurmond
he old upright piano in Nettie Crow’s living room sits
silent most days, its ivory keys tinged with age and
hidden beneath the closed cover. A timeline of photos
adorn its top, displaying the faces of people she has
loved – some in black and white, others in the faded colors of
decades gone by, each lovingly placed there by Crow’s own
hand.
At 101, Nettie Crow has outlived most of the people
in those photos, including her husband and one of her
children. Although she has witnessed a century of history,
technology and culture from the front porch of her modest home in Geraldine, when she speaks of her life it is the
faces atop her piano and the memories of their time together
that she recalls.
Her parents, Oswald and Dora Murdock, welcomed her
into the world on January 5, 1910, in the Mount Pleasant community where they made their living working the soil.
Crow was one of six children born to the couple, and spent
her days working along with her sisters and brother in the
fields or tending cows and hogs. Times were hard and Crow
says there was little time to enjoy life, and little to do besides
work.
“We walked to church,” she says, “but there wasn’t much
else to do back then.
“I always wanted to be a schoolteacher,” she says. “I was
good in school, and I finished the ninth grade at Hopewell.”
Crow says she had an opportunity to go to college in Jacksonville to become a teacher, but her father was afraid to send
her away unchaperoned. “Daddy wouldn’t let me go because
he was afraid I’d have a boyfriend and date,” Crow says, “so I
didn’t become a teacher.
“Parents used to be more strict than they are now,” she
says. “My folks weren’t mean. They didn’t whip us much, but
we knew when they spoke we’d better mind.”
She married Vernon Crow in 1931 when she turned 21
years old, and collected on a promise from her father. “Daddy
said he’d give me a cow if I stayed home and didn’t get married until I was 21,” she says.
According to Crow, having a cow in those days meant the
difference between eating or starving.
She and her husband built the house she still lives in today
the year they were married. There was no running water or
electricity for years, and the couple worked together to tend
their few animals, raise cotton and grow their food in the
vegetable garden. “The Depression was going on when we got
14 Connected - January/February 2011
married,” says Crow, “but we didn’t know it. Things were just
the same as they’d always been for folks in the country. Nobody had anything.”
Despite the hardships the young couple faced, their life
together was a happy one. “Vernon and I never had a fight
in all the years we were married,” she says. “We just decided
when we got married that neither one of us liked fighting and
we weren’t going to do it. He was always good to help me with
my work in the house and I’d help him with his work outside.
We shared everything.”
The couple had two children 16 years apart. Their daughter, Genada, passed away in 1983 just one year after Vernon
died. Son Jerry moved to Anniston where he still lives. His wife
has health problems but he visits his mother as often as he can.
Incredibly, at 101 years old Crow herself is in great health
except for some arthritis in her back and hands. The only medication she takes is a vitamin B-12 shot when she goes to the
doctor for regular check-ups.
Crow spends her days reading, playing the piano or watching television. If the weather is good she gets out for a change
of scenery. “I drive myself to town when it’s not too cold out,”
she says. “I go to the Senior Center in Geraldine almost every
day for a little while and I go to church on Sunday.”
Crow has been a member of the Hopewell Baptist Church
near Geraldine for the past 88 years, and a member of the
Geraldine Homemaker’s Club for 28 years. She says she has no
secret to living as long as she has. She believes God has kept
her alive through no effort of her own. “I don’t sit down much
cause I’d get too sore from arthritis,” she says, “but I don’t have
any secret to living long. I don’t think about my age. There’s no
reason to.”n
Sand Mountain Kitchens
Heavenly cooking at
Cloud’s in Higdon
Annette’s Chicken Pot Pie
Annette and Tony Perry of
Higdon are big fans of the Bisons at North
Sand Mountain High School. In fact, their
two daughters, Ashley and Brittany, are
both basketball players at NSM, so their free
time is usually spent courtside wherever the
Bisons are playing.
When they are not watching basketball,
the Perrys can be found in the kitchen at
the restaurant they own in Higdon, Cloud’s
Pizza and More. They bought Cloud’s five
years ago from Annette’s parents who
started it in 1991.
“My parents used to say there were no
places to eat on Sunday after church here,”
says Annette, “so they decided to open their
own.” The couple purchased the old Mt.
Olive Baptist Church building in Higdon
and had it moved to the restaurant’s current
location where they added on to accommodate the necessities of a restaurant.
“There is a legend around town that says
Hank Williams, Sr. once sang in this building on a Sunday morning as he was passing
through,” says Annette. “I don’t know if it’s
true or not, but we think it makes the place
special.”
Annette started cooking at Cloud’s when
she was 16. When she bought the restaurant, she began experimenting with different types of pizza. Her Buffalo chicken pizza
and taco pizza both do very well with the
customers. She thinks her best invention so
far is the grilled chicken stromboli. “It is one
of our best sellers,” she says.
Three years ago, she decided to try her
hand at making candy for the holidays. It
was a huge hit.
“I did peanut butter balls the first year, “
she says, “and since then I’ve added about
five other kinds of candy.” Annette starts
making candy the day after Halloween and
continues until the first of the year. Her
candies have become very popular with
customers and area businesses.n
3
2
1
1
2
boneless chicken breasts
cans Veg-All®
can cream of chicken soup
stick (1/2 cup) of butter
frozen pie crusts
Boil chicken in small amount of water
until tender. Cool, then chop chicken into
bite-size pieces. Combine chicken, soup,
butter and Veg-All® in medium saucepan;
bring to a boil. Remove one pie crust from
pie plate and place in bottom of buttered
casserole dish, add chicken mixture, top
with remaining pie crust. Bake at 350º for
30 minutes or until golden brown.
Oreo Cookie Balls
1 package of Oreo® cookies
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
1 package white chocolate
almond bark
Crush Oreos® in food processor. Add softened cream cheese and combine to create
a sticky dough. Chill dough for at least one
hour. Using hands, roll teaspoon amount
of dough into 1-inch balls and set aside
on a cookie sheet coated with non-stick
spray. Melt chocolate according to package instructions. Dip each ball in melted
chocolate, coating thoroughly. Place on
waxed paper to cool.
Peanut Butter & Banana Cake
1 pkg. Duncan Hines® Supreme
Banana Cake Mix
Icing:
3 heaping tablespoons creamy peanut
butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) of margarine
1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring
Prepare cake mix according to package
instructions. Bake in a 9” x 13” cake pan.
Cool.
Icing: Bring first four ingredients to a
boil in medium saucepan. Boil for 2-1/2
minutes. Remove from heat; mix in vanilla
flavoring. Punch holes in cake with a
toothpick. Pour icing over it. Serve warm
or refrigerate.
Caramel Coconut Pie
1 (16-ounce) tub Cool Whip®
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
1 can Eagle Brand® Sweetened
Condensed Milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter
1 large bag coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 jar caramel topping
2 graham cracker crusts
Lightly brown margarine, coconut and
pecans; set aside. Mix Cool Whip®, softened cream cheese and Eagle Brand® milk.
Pour half of cream cheese mixture in each
pie crust, then layer with half coconut
topping. Drizzle caramel topping over
each pie. This can be frozen for drop-in
company.
Chicken Dressing
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons sage
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 large pan of cornbread, crumbled
Mix all ingredients together in large mixing bowl. May vary amount of sage, salt
and pepper to taste. Bake at 450º for 45
minutes or until golden brown.
Connected - January/February 2011 15
“We
Keep217•
You Connected”
P.O.
Box
144 McCurdy Ave. N.
Rainsville, Alabama 35986
northeast Alabama
&
Home
Garden
Show
March 19-20
SAT 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. • SUN 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Dekalb County Schools Coliseum • Rainsville
If you are looking for ideas to spruce up your
home or yard, this is the place to be. More than
70 vendors will be on hand to give you ideas for
home improvements, gardening and landscape,
home interiors and more.
23rd Annual
Lions Club
Rodeo
March 3-5
Starts at 7 p.m. Nightly
Northeast Alabama
Agri-Business Center (Rainsville)
Advance tickets: Adults - $12;
Children 5-12 - $7; Under 5 - Free.
At the gate: Adults - $15;
Children 5-12 - $10, Under 5 - Free.
Advanced tickets on sale at the Agri-Business Center.
Geraldine
Quilt Show
March 25-26
Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Geraldine Homemakers &
Community Leaders Building
Admission $3
Be sure to enter the raffle and
you could take home a beautifully
handcrafted quilt. Raffle drawing
at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday.
For more info call:
256-638-8263 or 256-659-6678.
Tri-state
Arena-Cross
March 12
7 -10 p.m.
Tickets $10 (under 6 FREE)
Northeast Alabama
Agri-Business Center
(Rainsville)
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Racing begins
at 7 p.m.