WILL IT BE A COOL SEPTEMBER?

Joe Bastardi of WeatherBell says no.  He is often seen on Fox News as well as Fox Business when weather is the topic of interest.  Of all the forecasts I see, his are most often the closest to what the weather turns out to be.

Source:  Weatherbell.com

ELKMONT HAS FUN ON THEIR TIGER HUNT

Preparation for the tiger hunt  yesterday started out early as Elkmont and Ardmore students exchanged gifts of affection at the high schools.  Ardmore wins the first round this year.  Hill Spirit loves the excitement and fun that comes with the annual Elkmont/Ardmore season opener.

After the morning fun, came the Elkmont Pep Rally at the end of the school day.  Everyone gets into the pregame spirit.

However, the best part of the day is when Elkmont brings home a Tiger tied up in a bow, a big bow!!

Great action shots by Down Home Portraits - 253 of them.  Click on link to see them and then message Down Home Portraits if you would like to order some prints.  Hill Spirit wishes Robby had been around when the younger Hill Spirits were playing.

Articles about game can be found on the football blog.  Click here for link

ELKMONT VOLLEYBALL SEASON OPENER

The Elkmont Volleyball teams opened up their seasons by hosting Clements High School.  All three teams were in action yesterday.  The varsity Lady Devils split sets and lost the match in the final set.  Our JV team beat the Lady Colts in straight sets.  Our youngest Lady Devils, the middle school team, took it on the nose as they lost in two.  The varsity team will be playing in the West Morgan Tournament @ West Morgan tomorrow.  Best of luck to our net setters.

Varsity Match - 89 pictures (link below)

JV Match - 50 pictures (link below)

Middle School Match - 51 pictures (link below)

Robby Newport of Down Home Portraits, Elkmont's Sports Photographer, was at the gym to cover the volleyball games.  He has actions shots of both schools.  If you are interested in ordering a few, message him at this link:  Down Home Portraits

Album Links:
Varsity
JV
Middle School 
 

ELKMONT JV CROSS COUNTRY GIRLS TAKE FIRST

A few comments from our Running Devils Cross Country Team fans about the Elkmont Invitational yesterday.  The Hill Spirit is looking forward to reading the article from the cross country team reporter.  It will be posted this weekend.


First race was a success!!!! 1st place for JV girls and 3rd place for V boys and girls. So proud of each and everyone of these hard working young men and women.

Congratulations to the XC runners!!!! They really are a great group of kids!!! They encourage everyone they see as they train whether the runner is a team member or someone running among the team so they aren't on the trail alone. Thanks to all that have influenced these young people to be the best they can be in every way!!!!

JV boys did great too! They just didn't have enough runners to score as a team!

Down Home Portraits was at the Invitational.  Great action shots of the different teams in the races.  There are 141 photos.  If you would like to order, click on this link and message Robby.

LET'S GO ON A TIGER HUNT

Each year we look forward to the Ardmore vs Elkmont annual meeting.  This is always one of our biggest games.  The stands will be packed. Almost everyone from both communities will be there. The atmosphere will be electric — what high school football is all about.

The game will be broadcast on WSLV 1110 AM  or  click on link to wslvradio.com 

Look for a preview of the Ardmore Tigers over on the the Elkmont Football Blog.

To help you get ready for Friday night, here is the video from the 2011 game. Click on video title below to get to the game.

2011 Elkmont vs Ardmore 

*SEATS WILL DISAPPEAR FAST TOMORROW.  DON'T GET THERE LATER THAN 6:15 IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A SEAT.

It's time for some Friday Night Football!  No...it's actually time for Mr. Electric's Game of the Week, PLUS Friday Night Football!  Each Friday night, we're teaming with WAFF 48 and to bring some pre-game fun to an area high school.  Catch a limited edition football and win prizes  with WAFF 48, Today's Lite 96.9 and Mr. Electric...where they have the POWER to make things better! 

And, with the flip of the coin....it's Elkmont taking on Ardmore this Friday, August 29!

ACADEMIC HONORS AT CALHOUN

Calhoun Community College has announced the names of those students qualifying for the President's List for the 2014 Spring Semester.  Elkmont's Harold Wayne Gregory qualified for this list by completing 12 or more semester hours and maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

ELKMONT 2014 MIDDLE SCHOOL CHEERLEADERS

The Elkmont Alabama Blog is proud to introduce the 2014 Middle School Elkmont Red Devils cheerleaders.  These lovely ladies have been practicing all summer and are looking forward to cheering for our Middle School teams. They are coached by Tamara Holt.
 
The Elkmont Middle School football season starts, September 2.  The Red Devils will be traveling to Tanner.

Back row: 
Magan Smith, Gracey Norman, Abby Curnutt, Cassidy Ridgeway, Layla Norton, Aubrie Harwell, Claudia Allen

Front row: 
Madison Pepper, Maddie Thompson, Gracie Turner, Kiley Miller, Maddie Hewett

RUNNERS, RUNNERS, EVERYWHERE

Hey Elkmont!  Get ready to see LOTS of people at the Trail in Downtown Elkmont today.   What's all the fuss you ask?  It's the Elkmont Cross Country Invitational meet.  There will be over 200 runners from 8 high schools participating.  The race schedule is as follows:   
                              
JV races start at 3:30 

Varsity races start at 4:30
  
Coach's Corner

Another XC race season begins here in Elkmont. The summer volunteer runs and the last few weeks of practice will be put to the test tomorrow. This team has trained harder than any team I have ever had. We are re-building this year and every member has been working hard. Practice has put their muscles into the shape to endure these races. Now if their mind can focus and push through they should be able to accomplish their goals. Every runner knows the satisfaction of crossing that finish line knowing you left it all on the trail. True confidence comes from being prepared. My hope is that all the work we have put in has been enough to build these young ones up and give them that confidence!

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS START TOMORROW

Ten miles. That is about how much distance separates the campuses at Ardmore High and Elkmont.  Being that close means there are few strangers in the two communities. A few of the football players are related. Lots of them are friends.

And when the two schools lineup for the 69th kickoff, one of Limestone County’s oldest rivalries, as usual, emotions will run high.   Elkmont travels to Ardmore tomorrow, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. The rivals have been playing football since 1936, with Ardmore owning a 42-26 series lead, according to the Alabama High School Football Historical Society’s website.  Elkmont lost 24 straight from 1939 to 1973( did not play in the 40's and 1954).

Each year we look forward to this game.  This is always one of our biggest games.  The stands will be packed. Almost everyone from both communities will be there. The atmosphere will be electric — what high school football is all about.

The game will be broadcast on WSLV 1110 AM  or  click on link to wslvradio.com 

Look for a preview of the Ardmore Tigers tomorrow in the Elkmont Football Blog.

To help you get ready for Friday night, here is the video from the 2011 game. Click on video title below to get to the game.

2011 Elkmont vs Ardmore 

*SEATS WILL DISAPPEAR FAST TOMORROW.  DON'T GET THERE LATER THAN 6:15 IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A SEAT.

It's time for some Friday Night Football!  No...it's actually time for Mr. Electric's Game of the Week, PLUS Friday Night Football!  Each Friday night, we're teaming with WAFF 48 and to bring some pre-game fun to an area high school.  Catch a limited edition football and win prizes  with WAFF 48, Today's Lite 96.9 and Mr. Electric...where they have the POWER to make things better! 

And, with the flip of the coin....it's Elkmont taking on Ardmore this Friday, August 29!

NO ELECTRICITY?

There is a planned outage set for an Elkmont community Thursday morning.

Crews will be conducting maintenance and repairs on service lines. It will be necessary to shut off power beginning at 9:00 am until noon.

Streets effected by the scheduled outage are Bob Jones, Dogwood, Plum Tree and Locust.

ELKMONT VOLLEYBALL 2014 SEASON

The 2014 Elkmont Lady Devils Volleyball team is opening its season this Thursday, August 28 at Clements.  Elkmont has moved up to the 4A classification and will be in Area 15.  "Moving up from 3A to 4A will be an adjustment, but we're ready for the challenge," Elkmont coach Mary Jane Hobbs said.

Teams:
Brooks, East Lawrence, Elkmont, West Limestone

Elkmont's only seniors this year are:

 Bailee Gooch 

Caila Norman

2014 Volleyball Schedule
*teams play in order of appearance
*area games in red

AUGUST

28 Clements (MS/V/JV) @ home              4:15 pm

30 Varsity @ West Morgan Tournament         TBA

SEPTEMBER

02 @ Decatur Heritage (MS/JV/V)            4:30 pm

04 @ Tanner (V/JV/MS)                            4:00 pm

06 Elkmont Invitational (V)                             TBA

08 Ardmore/Athens Middle (MS)              4:15 pm

08 West Morgan/Athens (FR)                    4:15 pm

09 Whitesburg Academy (V/MS)               5:00 pm

11 @ Ardmore (V/MS/J)                            2:00 pm

13 Elkmont Invitational (MS)                          TBA

15 @Athens High School (FR)                  4:15 pm

15 @ Athens Middle School (MS)             4:15 pm

16 @ East Lawrence (V/JV)                       5:00 pm

18 Athens Bible School (MS/JV/V)           4:15 pm

20 Elkmont Invitational (JV)                           TBA

22 West Limestone (MS/JV/V)                  4:15 pm

23 Brooks (V/JV)                                        4:30 pm

23 ABS/Tanner (FR)                                   4:30 pm

27 @ East Limestone Tourney (JV/MS)         TBA

29 @ West Limestone (MS)                       4:15 pm

30 Giles County (V)                                    4:30 pm

30 Giles Co/East Limestone (FR)               5:30 pm

OCTOBER

02 East Limestone (V/MS/JV)                    2:00 pm

04 @ Florence Breast Cancer Tourney(V)    TBA

06 @ Ardmore - County Tourney (JV/MS)   TBA

07 @ Ardmore - County Tourney (JV/MS)   TBA

09 @ Athens/James Clemens (V)               5:00 pm

11 @ East Limestone-County Tourney (V)    TBA

14 @ ABS (V) ... PINK OUT NIGHT         4:00 pm

20 @ 4A Area Tourney (V)                            TBA

25  4A Regional Tournament                          TBA

JERRY DON DALY - OBITUARY

Jerry Don Daly, 71, of Athens, died Saturday, August 23, 2014, at Huntsville Hospital. Mr. Daly was born October 16, 1942, in Elkmont to Nobel and Louella Daly.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, August 27, at McConnell Funeral Home with Bill Perkins and Bob Watson officiating. Visitation will be Tuesday evening, August 26, from 5:00-9:00 pm at McConnell's. Burial will be at Athens City Cemetery.
Mr. Daly graduated from Elkmont High School in 1960. He completed a baccalaureate degree at Athens State University, a master's degree at Middle Tennessee State University, and a doctorate at Mississippi State University. He taught at Parsons College in Iowa, Troy University, and retired from Alabama A&M University following 29 years of service in the Department of Psychology: Guidance and Counseling. He was an active member of the Alabama Counseling Association, and at the time of his death was the owner and operator of Jerry Daly Landscaping and Irrigation.

Mr. Daly was preceded in death by his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Nobel Daly; brothers, John Daly, Billy Daly, and Jerome Daly; and sisters, Jenny College, Sue Aycock, and Peggy Ghee.

He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Brenda Lewis Daly, and two sons, Brad Daly of Birmingham, and Will Daly of Nashville, Tennessee; brother Joe Daly of Athens; sisters Wilma Austin, Jane Powers, Betty Willis, and Martha Daly, all of Athens, and Anita Daly of Decatur, AL.

Pallbearers will be: Elkton Romine, Kedrick Romine, Billy Knox, Brownie Nelson, Larry Thrasher, John Stockton, John Cole, and Mario Bustos.

Memorial donations may be made to American Diabetes Association , St Jude's Children's Hospital, and Mission Athens at Central Church of Christ (320 US Hwy 31 N; Athens AL 35611).

ELKMONT IN THE NAVY

Austin Moss and BJ Moss, two more of our Elkmont graduates, decided to join the Navy.  They are following in their older brothers' footsteps.  Austin and BJ both went to Navy Boot Camp at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois.  As their proud families looked on, these two Elkmont sailors graduated August 22.

Each year approximately 38,000 men and women complete the requirements to become enlisted Navy Sailors at the Navy’s only boot camp. Naval Station Great Lakes is also home to the Navy's technical training schools for surface warfare excellence supported by Training Support Center Great Lakes. Yearly, more than 13,000 students attend these initial and advanced training schools where they learn the basic skills of their Navy jobs.  

 

Austin is in Division 258, Ship 13.  He will be entering the field of Aircraft maintenance and will be stationed in Pensacola Florida.  Austin is a Maintenance Structural Mechanic.


 
BJ is in Division 259, Ship 14.  He and his lovely bride, Corina,  will be posted to Charleston, South Carolina for the next two years.  As a Nuclear Electronic Engineer, BJ will be going into the field of Nuclear Reactors. 

VOTE FOR ROBBY'S SUNFLOWERS

Robby Newport has entered one of his beautiful photos of the sunflower fields in the Southern Living Photography Contest.  Please vote for this touch of home.

VOTE HERE

JUST BECAUSE HILL SPIRIT LIKES IT

FORECAST FOR THIS FALL

This is what my weather guy, Joe Bastardi, thinks the fall will be like.

ELKMONT VOLUNTEERS AT NEW GARDEN FIRE

The Elkmont Fire Department were fighting fire in "sauna"weather on Wednesday.  They responded to a house fire Wednesday afternoon at the intersection of New Garden Road and Pepper Farm Lane.  Temperatures in the mid-90s and moderate winds made the response an exhausting effort. 

Elkmont training officer Marty Tyler said manpower was short and the heat was unrelenting as the flames enveloped the one-story home at 21420 New Garden Road.  “It drains us very quickly,” Tyler said. “Smoke is a big problem.”
A medical truck from Elkmont responded with water and Gatorade for firefighters as they took turns manning hoses.

The call came in at 1:40 p.m. and firefighters cleared the scene around 3:45 p.m. No one was home at the time of the incident, Tyler said, and there were no injuries reported.

Source: News Courier and Decatur Daily 

The life of a volunteer!

Just a few things you hear when you and your fire truck arrive at the fire. "What took so long? Where did you have to go to get water before getting here? Can't you drive faster? Can you not get the hose off faster? Why have you not started spraying water? The list of questions goes on and on! These same questions often greet us at each fire.  For those of you who find yourself asking these same questions as the fire truck goes by:

First, volunteers are just what that word means, we don't get paid to stay at the fire house 24/7. If we did, today would have not mattered because the hydrant is almost four miles one way and the other is seven. Volunteers drop what they are doing or leave their homes to go the other way to get trucks to come to fire and some leave after their job and come to help.  Back to getting that fire truck which I do most of the time during the day, we have to follow the same laws as you do in a car.  We have to stop at all signs, train tracks and most of all, slow down when somebody pulls out in front of the trucks.  How they can't see a big red fire truck with its lights on is always a wonder.  Being a driver has a great deal of responsibility.  You can have up to six people in your truck at one time.  You have to take care of them and the truck as you get them both to the fire in one piece.  

As hot as it was today, we have to worry about heat and people getting sick.  It doesn't take very long in full gear and air pack to get overheated.  We are all trained very well and some are very experienced  but we are all volunteers that love doing what we do.  Thank you to all those who came with water to drink, wet cool towels and the ones that rolled and cleaned hoses.  So please remember that we are volunteers!  Thank you Lord for keeping all safe!

A Volunteer Firefighter 

DAVID ALLEN SMITH - OBITUARY

Name:
David Allen Smith

Dates:
Birth date: 
September 11, 1942
 
Death date:
 August 22, 2014

Obituary:
David Allen Smith, 71 of Ardmore, Alabama died on Friday, August 22, 2014, at his home.
Born Friday, September 11, 1942 in Athens, Alabama, he was the son of the late John David Smith and the late Maggie Ruth Maddox Smith.
He was a member of Carter's Grove Baptist Church.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Lovell Smith, of Ardmore, AL sons, David Allen Smith, Jr.of Molina, TN, Derrick Lesley Smith of Taft, TN, Dennis Edger Smith of Ardmore, AL and Larry Dale Smith of Blanche, TN, sisters, Clara Hall of Ardmore, AL, Betty Dean Williams,of FL, Mary Jane Shelton of Elkmont, AL and Ruth Ann Allen of Elkmont, AL, grandchildren: Brea Cothren, Brittanie Smith, Kole Smith, Karson Smith, Daniel Smith, Derica Johnson, Michael Smith, Paige Barnes, Dylan Smith, Kaitlyn Smith, and Braden Smith, and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by parents, first wife Barbara Lane Vinson Smith, son, Johnny Darren Smith, brothers, Roy Smith and Clifford Smith, sister, Louise Jean Smith.

Funeral services will be at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at Ardmore Chapel Funeral Home, Ardmore, Alabama with Bro. Roger Cothren officiating. Burial will be in Madison City Cemetery, Madison, AL.

The family will receive friends from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM on Tuesday, August 26, 2014, at Ardmore Chapel Funeral Home, Ardmore, Alabama.

GREAT HERBS TO GROW AT HOME

Another good podcast on something you can do to make your family healthier and be more self-reliant. An introduction to twelve herbs that every home should be growing.  Skip to 8:00 into the podcast to get to the main topic.

 Okay you don’t want a garden, you don’t want the work I get that.  You don’t want to do permaculture, food forestry, raise chickens, etc.  Well fine, but if you have even a tiny yard, these are 12 plants you should consider growing.  If nothing else, you will cut less grass.

Now for everyone else, this show is right up your alley too!  These plants will blend right into what you are already doing, some may be growing as weeds already on your land!

The key is these 12 plants will provide you food, medicine, relaxation and beauty and require very little of you in return.  I truly believe that your quality of life can be improved just by growing and using fresh herbs.

1. Blackberry
2. Elderberry
3. Garlic
4. Wolfberry
5. Plantain
6. Roman Chamomile
7. Lemon Grass
8. Parsley
9. Basil
10. Oregano
11. Sorrel
12. Burdock

 The Following 12 plus Herbs You Should be Growing LINK

PHILLIP LYNN THORNTON - OBITUARY

Phillip Lynn Thornton age 58 of Elkmont, passed away Tuesday, August 19, 2014 at his residence. Mr. Thornton was born September 10, 1955 to John William Thornton and Annie Marie Power Thornton.

Services will be Friday, August 22, 2014 11:00 a.m., at Limestone Chapel Funeral Home with James Swindle officiating. Visitation will be Thursday, from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in Limestone Memorial Gardens.

Mr. Thornton was a member of New Garden Pentecostal Church, and he taught Sunday School. He was a wonderful father and grandfather.

He was preceded in death by one daughter, Courtney Thornton.

Survived by one daughter, Ashley Clifton and husband, Josh of Harvest; one grandchild, Camden Clifton of Harvest; two ex-wives, Angela Thornton of Elkmont and Brenda Jones of Athens; one step-daughter, Tiffany Sharp of Elkmont.

Pallbearers will be Daniel Jewell, Randy Dotson, John Hildebrand, Billy Thornton, Jason Thornton and Tim Morris. Honorary pallbearers will be Douglas
“Jimbo” Dotson and Ty Holt.

WATCH OUT FOR TWO WHEELERS

Hill Spirit was out and about around 6:30 pm last night and ran into a stampede of bikers on Veto road.  Got to Elkmont and met more of the roaming herd.  These were serious racers I suspect were practicing for the US Cycling Road Race on August 30.  I was surprised to see so many already practicing on the race route and it wasn't even a weekend.  Please be aware of them as you top hills and go around curves for the next 10 days.  Remember that impatient drivers might be in your lane as they pass bikers when they shouldn't. 

Link to article about the race on August 30 in Elkmont: Bike Race