Lawrence chamber to narrow its search

By Nancy Glasscock, The Decatur Daily

MOULTON — The Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce will narrow its search for a president next week, a member said.
Chamber members Kenneth Brackins, Danny Whitmon and Kathy Graham are leading a search committee to replace former chamber President Vicki Morese.
Morese will retire at the end of December after about six years with the chamber.
“We’ve got an advertisement out, and I think it’s going to run probably through the rest of this week; then we’ll start looking at the individuals who applied,” Brackins said.
He said he didn’t know how many applications were submitted.
Morese began her career in 1979 as director of the Moulton Parks and Recreation Department. She later took a job as a special events programmer for Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She also owned and operated Manley and Associates Event Management Co. while in Florida.
After returning to North Alabama, she became the special events director for Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Continue involvement
Morese said she will continue her involvement with the annual Chicken and Egg Festival as a volunteer event coordinator.
Applications will be accepted only by mail and must be postmarked by Dec. 7.
Qualifications include a bachelor’s degree, communication skills, computer knowledge and experience working with volunteers. For a complete job description, salary range and application, visit the chamber’s Web site at www.lawrencealaba ma.com.

Fiddlers named Event of the Year

ROGERSVILLE — The Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention received the Event of the Year Award at an annual tourism awards event.
The Alabama Mountain Lakes Association named Fiddlers the top event during its awards presentation at Joe Wheeler State Park on Thursday.
Fiddlers is the first weekend in October at Athens State University and draws more than 15,000 spectators and 200 competing musicians.
Local award winners
Other local award winners were:
Vicki Morese, president of the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Professional of the Year Award; she has started programs such as Youth Leadership Lawrence and launched the Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival.
Richard Martin of Elkmont, local historian, Good Neighbor Award; he is overseeing the completion of Rails-to-Trails in Limestone County and working on new projects such as a canoe/kayak trail, Civil War trail and Trinity School Museum.
Squee Bailey, sales coordinator for Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Lasting Impression Award; she is a leader of Saturday Walking Tours, a tour guide for Delta Queen riverboat passengers and an expert on local tourism destinations.

The Playing Fields Of Decatur Soccer fans raving about Jack Allen

The Playing Fields Of Decatur
Soccer fans raving about Jack Allen
By Michael Wetzeland Bradley Handwerger from the Decatur Daily
DAILY Sports Writerssports@decaturdaily.com
340-2462

"Decatur-Bound," "We're going to Alabama" and "Soccer player on board," were but a few hand-painted messages on the steady flow of cars, trucks and vans with license tags from as far away as Texas parking at Decatur's Jack Allen Recreation Complex.
"Folks seem real excited to be here," said Kellie Sims, Decatur therapeutics supervisor, who was one of five people working the entrance. "We've heard plenty of positives about the complex, and everyone seems to be glad they're here."
Another gate worker, David Wisdom, assistant manager at Wilson Morgan Park, perhaps summed it up best. "They love their soccer," he said.
For the third event in three months, Decatur's new sports complex passed the ultimate test — visitors continue to say it's simply one of the best facilities in the region.
Thousands are in town as 50 teams from 11 states participate in the United States Youth Soccer Association's President's Cup, a regional championship for youth soccer players.
On Friday, the fields at the Jack were even mentioned in the same breath as the ones at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla.
That's saying something, considering Orlando is a smidgen bigger than the River City and Disney has just a tiny bit more money than Decatur Parks and Recreation.
When Minerva Roman, whose son Pablo plays for the U-18 Greater Osceola United team based near Kissimmee, Fla., heard that the Division II, Region III championships were to be in Decatur, she said she wasn't quite sure where it was located.
"We got the atlas and found out where it was," Roman said. "It was far away. I like it (Decatur) because it's like when I moved to Kissimmee 17 years ago. It's small."
The drive took Roman and her son's team nearly 13 hours, including stops, to reach Decatur.
For others, the drive wasn't quite as long.
Mark McClurg's son Garrett plays for Atlanta Fire United, a U-14 team from Georgia. The 3�-hour trip was short enough, McClurg said, that they were able to leave Friday morning.
Even though his family had spent a short amount of time at the complex, it had left an indelible impression.
"I'd have to say I wasn't expecting anything quite as nice," McClurg said. "The fields looked to be in good shape. It's one of the nicer complexes we've traveled to and played at."
He said he would put it up there with Disney's Wide World of Sports.
Pat and Jody Boudreaux of Lafayette, La., sang praises about Decatur while their son Taylor, No. 11 for the Lafayette Thunder, played defender on field 7.
"This is certainly the best complex we've seen or played on," Pat said. "The fields are better than anything we have in Louisiana."
Her husband, Jody, agreed. "The tournament is so well-organized, and the facility is fantastic," he said. "You could tell when the kids walked out on the field for the first time, they would enjoy playing here against such quality teams.
"This is like the mini-World Cup for these kids, and the facility and hospitality in Decatur hasn't disappointed anyone."
New Iberia, La., natives Don and June Shoopman couldn't have agreed more with their fellow state representatives. They were in town to watch their son Jacob play for the Lafayette Krew, a U-18 squad.
"It's a privilege to be here," Don said. "It's prestigious to me, this setting and this whole thing. It's amazing."
Added June, "We're amazed at the facility. We've never seen anything this nice."
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