Decatur Ghost Walk

   New for 2014! Join guides of the brand new Decatur Ghost Walk as they tell stories of Decatur’s haunted past. Hear about the ghosts of Civil War soldiers who wait eternally for the train to carry their bodies home. The area once known as Dead Man’s Alley for several sinister murders that occurred there, still leaves visitors uneasy. Hear these stories, and many more, on the Decatur Ghost Walk.

   Tours begin promptly at 6 p.m., every Friday in September and October, on the steps of the Old State Bank on Bank Street. Tickets are $10 for adults; $5 for kids 12 and under (cash only). Tickets are available 30 minutes before tour time. NOTE: There will be no tours on the 3^rd Friday of September and the 3^rd Friday of October during Third Friday, Downtown Decatur. We encourage everyone to come to downtown on those nights and have a great time! We’ll see you the following Friday!

   For more information, call (256) 509-3940.

New Dates and Location for Jim Parker’s Songwriters Series

The Downtown Decatur Merchant and Business Association is pleased to announce the Jim Parker’s Songwriters Series has been moved to a new location and will be held the week following 3^rd Friday’s monthly celebration. The popular evening event, set for Thursday, August 21, 2014, will be held at the Magnolia Room in downtown Decatur.

Presented by Valley Budweiser and the Downtown Decatur Merchants and Business Association, the Jim Parker’s Songwriters Series showcases an incredible talent of songwriters from Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, Muscle Shoals, and surrounding area.

Performers for August 21^st include:

-        Wood Newton who has written some of country music’s biggest hits including “Bobbie Sue” for The Oak Ridge Boys, “Twenty Years Ago” for Kenny Rogers, “What I Didn’t Do” for Steve Wariner, and “Riding with Private Malone” which he produced for David Ball. All four songs have received BMI awards for being played over a million times. He also has two songs in the new movie “The Last Ride.”

-        Jim Sales who wrote “I Wonder Where We’d Be Tonight” for Vern Gosdin, a top 10 Billboard hit, and “Tonight We’re Gonna Tear Down the Walls” for Randy Travis.

-        Jim Parker, with a career spanning over 40 years, is an ASCAP award winner and the co-writer of Chicken Truck and co-writer/co-publisher of Bigger Hands, both recorded by John Anderson. As a performing artist, he recorded five albums and 10 single records.

The evening includes songwriters sharing stories and performing their hit songs, and according to organizers, the new venue offers more of a house-concert setting.

The Magnolia Room is located at 216 Moulton Street in downtown Decatur. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 7 p.m. Admission is $10 per person. Tickets are available for purchase at www.ddmba.myevent.com. Music lovers can also mark their calendar for two additional Songwriters Series on September 25 and October 23.

Jim Parker is also the creator and host of a popular songwriters series at the Von Braun Center Playhouse in Huntsville, Ala. For more information, visit www.jimparkermusic.com.

For more information, on the August 21 Songwriters Series in Decatur, visit www.ddmba.myevent.com or visit the Jim Parker’s Songwriters Series Facebook page.

Experience Decatur’s Role in the Civil War

More than 200 Civil War reenactors will take over Point Mallard Park Labor Day weekend, transforming the 500-acre municipal park into a weekend encampment complete with mock battles. Hosted by the 1^st Alabama Cavalry Company G “Wheelers Escort”, the Battle for Decatur Civil War Reenactment commemorates the four day battle which took place in October 1864, telling the story of Decatur’s small, but significant role in the War Between the States. Set for August 30 and 31, 2014, the annual event is sponsored by the City of Decatur, Decatur/Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Morgan County Commission and Camp 580 Sons of Confederate Veterans Alabama Division.  

This year marks the 150^th anniversary of the Battle for Decatur and to honor the piece of history, the weekend event includes Civil War relic displays and a Civil War camp with displays of authentic equipment, dress, and drills. Camps open to the public beginning at 10 a.m. with maneuvers and battles taking place at 2 p.m. The Union troops will win the day during one battle reenactment while the Confederates will capture the contested ground during the next day’s skirmish.  

The public is invited to a Ladies’ Tea at 10 a.m. and the Military Ball at 7 p.m. on Saturday and a Church Service at 10 a.m. on Sunday. All events are held at The Chapel in Point Mallard Park.

Other activities include drill and firing of mid-19^th century muskets mounted cavalry patrols and a living history of daily camp life where spectators can purchase Civil War related items and visit with soldiers.

The historical reenactment represents the historic battle event that took place 150 years ago on the east side of Decatur near the Old State Bank. The City of Decatur was an important transportation site for the Confederate States of America during the Civil War due to the Memphis and Charleston’s railroad bridge crossing the Tennessee River. During the 1864 battle at Decatur, Confederate General Hood attempted to break Union supply lines at the crucial railroad crossing at Decatur. He was not successful and had to cross the river at Florence. Decatur’s involvement in this campaign and the fierce four-day battle caused General Hood to refer to the city as “a hard nut to crack.”  

The two-day event is held at Point Mallard Park, a 750-acre municipal park providing year round recreation facilities in Decatur, Ala. Admission is free. For more information on the Battle for Decatur reenactment, call Larry Thomson, SCV Camp 580 Adjutant, at 256.520.2906.  

Schedule of Events:

BATTLE FOR DECATUR - Event Schedule

Friday - 29 August 2014

School Day Demonstrations 10:00 – 11:30

Reception 8:30 pm at Activity Tent

Saturday – 30 August 2014

        Camps open to public 10:00 to 13:00

Ladies Tea in the Chapel 10:00 to 11:00

Camps Closed to public 13:00

Battle for Decatur 14:00 to 15:00

Camps re-open to Public 15:00 to 17:00

Re-enactor’s meal served at the Pepsi wagon at 18:00.  ****Meal ticket required****

Period Ball with Yellow Hammer Stringed Quartet in the activity tent at 19:00

Sunday – 31 August 2014

    Camps open to public 10:00 to 12:00

Church services in the Chapel at 10:00

Camps Closed to public 12:00

Battle for Decatur 14:00 to 15:00

4th Annual Pepsi Cross Country Challenge Set for August 30

Approximately 1,000 high school cross-country runners from Alabama and Mississippi will travel to Moulton for the Pepsi Cross Country Challenge set for August 30, 2014. The annual meet will be held at H.A. Alexander Park.

The meet, hosted by Lawrence County High School and Cold Springs High School, will attract 1A to 7A junior high and high school teams. According to Event Organizer Stanley Johnson, as many as 1,000 high school runners from Alabama and Mississippi will take part in the race.

The meet gets underway at 8:30 a.m. with the awards ceremony set for 10:30 a.m. Trophies will be awarded to the top 3 teams in each division. T-shirts will be presented to the top 15 finishers in each division and special wards will be given to the top 10 finishers in each division. Registration deadline is August 27, 2014.

H.A. Alexander Park is located at 13490 Court Street, next to Lawrence County High School in Moulton. The race course offers shaded areas, grass trails, a few short hills and is spectator friendly.

For more information on the Pepsi Cross Country Challenge including registration information, visit http://alabamahighschoolrunner.com. 

The Funny Farm