Shorter University to Bring Its Alabama Arctic Blast to Wilson Morgan Softball Complex- February 20-22

Ten collegiate softball teams from as far away as Missouri will travel to Decatur to compete in the 2014 Alabama Arctic Blast hosted by Shorter University. The three-day tournament is set for February 20-22, 2014 at the Wilson Morgan Softball Complex in Decatur.

Teams competing in the 2014 Alabama Arctic Blast include Tennessee Wesleyan College, Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.), Campbellsville University (Ky.), Bellhaven University (Miss.), Auburn of Montgomery University (Ala.), Freed Hardeman University (Tenn.), Point University (Ga.), Martin Methodist College (Tenn.), Reinhardt College (Ga.), and William Woods University (Mo.). Games get underway at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 20^th. The following day, games are scheduled at 2 p.m., 4p.m., 6 p.m., and 7 p.m. and on Saturday, February 22, games will be played at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 3 p.m. Admission for spectators is $10 per day ($5/day student) or a weekend tournament pass will be available for $20 per person.

From 2008 to 2011, the invitational was held on Shorter University’s home field, Alto Park Softball Complex located in West Rome. In 2011, organizers announced the relocation of the event from Rome to Wilson Morgan Park to accommodate and allow for its continued growth. In 2012, the tournament made its first appearance in Decatur and attracted 14 teams from six states. Wilson Morgan Softball Complex will serve as host venue through 2016.

Wilson Morgan Softball Complex features six lighted fields, centrally located concessions, quad, press box, batting cages, and complete Wi-Fi access enabling live video and statistical streaming on all fields. Each field has a clay infield and beautiful grass, maintained by electronically controlled underground irrigation systems. The facility can seat over 2,000 spectators with additional seating available. For more information on Wilson Morgan Softball Complex, visit www.decaturparks.com.

For more information on the Alabama Arctic Blast, contact David Wisdom at 256.341.4831.

Shorter University is a liberal arts Southern Baptist-affiliated University located in Rome, Georgia. For more information, visit www.goshorterhawks.com.  

Decatur's Mardi Gras Celebration set for March 1

 In January, the Carnegie Visual Arts Center held its Twelfth Night Dinner, in preparation for the 2014 Carnegie Carnival, a day-long event where downtown Decatur transforms into a Mardi Gras-style celebration. Set for the first Saturday in March, Carnegie Carnival fills Decatur’s historic downtown area with parades, a red beans and rice cook-off, and other family-friendly activities.

Promoting art and creativity and family fun, the third annual Carnegie Carnival returns to Decatur March 1, 2014. The event gets underway at 8 a.m. with the Mardi Gras 5K sponsored by the Junior League of Morgan County, and throughout the day, a variety of activities geared for adults and children are planned. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Carnegie Visual Arts Center will host a photography exhibit “Captions of Carnegie Carnival.” The first parade of the day, sponsored by Animal Friends Humane Society, is the Carnival Canines on Parade. Starting at 11 a.m., four-legged friends will trot through downtown Decatur beginning on 2^nd Avenue at Gordon Drive and ending at Founder’s Park.

The Red Beans and Rice Cook-off is set for 11 a.m. at Casa Grande Park on 2^nd Avenue with the award presentation at 4 p.m. The tasty event is open to professional and amateur Cookin’ Crewes. There will be first, second, and third place winners and the team with the most “tips” in the Tip Jar will be presented the People’s Choice award.

From noon to 4 p.m. the Kiwanis of Decatur Creation Station art area will be set up at Founders Park with free hands-on art activities for children, and on 2^nd Avenue, adjacent to the Alabama Center for the Arts, a children’s play area sponsored by Morgan County CAC will provide family-friendly entertainment.

At 2 p.m., the Prince and Princess Parade for children takes to the streets of downtown Decatur beginning at Founders Park and ending in front of the Princess Theatre. The parade, for tots through teens, is sponsored by the Princess Theatre.

The grand finale is the Carnegie Carnival Parade at 6 p.m. Crewes will proceed in a traditional Mardi Gras-style, complete with themed floats, costumes, “throws”, and music with the route beginning on 2^nd Avenue at Gordon Drive, continuing onto Lee Street/Bank Street, and ending at Founder’s Park near the Old State Bank. The parade will be led by 2014 Carnegie Carnival King Jimmy Dawes and Queen Juanita Healy.  The evening will conclude with the crowning of the 2015 Carnegie Carnival King and Queen at the Carnegie Carnival Crewe Party at Ingalls Harbor.

During Carnegie Carnival, downtown merchants will be open and shoppers can browse for locally made and one-of-a-kind items and participate in the Carnival Crawl. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., shoppers can visit merchants and collect stickers for a chance to win a prize.

Parade registration forms and activity information are available at www.carnegiecarnival.org. Proceeds benefit the Carnegie Visual Arts Center and other non-profits organizations in the Decatur area. For additional information, call the Carnegie Visual Arts Center at 256.341.0562.

Weekend Bass Series Championship Renamed for Ray Scott

David Hagood, American Bass Anglers
dhagood@americanbassanglers.com
Office: (256)232-0406

The Weekend Bass Series Championship has been renamed the Ray Scott Championship, announced American Bass Anglers officials who conducts the largest and most prestigious tournament trail for weekend anglers.

“I am both honored and humbled that this great weekend angler championship will be named after me,” said Scott, a bass fishing legend. “My heart has always been with the weekend bass angler from the very first days of this great sport. I like the format used in the Weekend Bass Series because it really tests the mettle of the angler in fair and honest competition and it will be exciting to watch the best anglers rise to the top and take this championship.”

Most people know Ray Scott as the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society and for his involvement with promoting professional bass fishing over the past 45 years.  However, he has also been honored many times for his influential work in conservation, boating safety and the fishing environment.  He received the prestigious Horatio Alger award and was named by Field and Stream magazine as one of “Twenty Who Have Made a Difference” in the American outdoors during the 20^th century along with people like Theodore Roosevelt and Aldo Leopold.

“Ray Scott is a true living legend who created B.A.S.S. and the sport of bass fishing as we know it today,” said Morris Sheehan, president of American Bass Anglers, Inc. “We are extremely excited to have him in this position. Ray has been a very strong supporter of ABA and will serve as the official spokesman for ABA activities. He will do personal appearances on behalf of ABA and membership promotions throughout the year. This will be the most prestigious award ever given in bass fishing history. It is exciting that the first-ever Ray Scott Championship will crown the best weekend bass angler in the country in Ray’s home state.”

Set for Nov. 12-15, 2014, the first Ray Scott Championship will be held on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala. The no-entry fee championship will be awarded to the first-ever Ray Scott Champion. The Boater Division winner will receive $100,000 in cash and possibly more than $100,000 in contingency bonus money from sponsors. The Co-Angler Division champion will also win a big payout including $50,000 in cash and possibly more than $50,000 in contingency bonus money from sponsors.

As a special Ray Scott Championship bonus, the Boater Division and Co-Angler Division champions will each receive entry fees and sponsorship into the one of two professional bass fishing series of the angler’s choice. The sponsorship includes entry fees into three professional events and sponsorship support. This sponsorship will put the champion within striking distance of one of two professional bass fishing championships.

The Weekend Bass Series’ 2014 season kicks off on Lake Murray near Columbia, S.C. on Jan. 18, 2014. The anglers will run out of Dreher Island State Park, located at 3677 State Park Road in Prosperity, S.C. For more information about the Weekend Bass Series or the Ray Scott Championship, visit www.weekendseries.com

Pancake Day

Join the Kiwanis Club of Decatur for their 48th Annual Pancake Day!

Decatur High School

Saturday, February 22, 2014

6:00am until 6:00pm