2011 In Photos: May
December 29, 2011
All this week, we are looking back at the photos that were in the news in 2011. Today, we are featuring photos from May.
Northview High School presented their senior class play “Bye Bye Birdie”.
The annual Sawmill Day was held in Century.
Hundreds of elementary students participated in a Sunshine Math competition at the University of West Florida, with Jim Allen Elementary taking first place.
A driver that wrecked on Hanks Road in Bratt left messages spray painted on their vehicle.
A Century man was shot outside of the Piggly Wiggly on Highway 97 in Davisville.
The annual National Day of Prayer was held.
A Century man drowned in Bluff Springs lake in early May.
Our NorthEscambia.com cameras caught up with the Google Street View car in Walnut Hill.
The annual Relay for Life events were held at Tate High and in Century.
The annual Danceworks recital was held at Flomaton High School.
A woman was shot and killed outside of a Highway 29 convenience store.
The impending closure of the Atmore and Brewton animal shelters was announced.
A drought in the North Escambia area was officially labeled as “extreme” in late May.
Gov. Rick Scott signed a new budget that slashed $615 million.
Four people were left homeless after an early morning fire near Molino.
A new monument was dedicated on Memorial Day in Atmore to honor those that have served from Atmore and North Escambia.
2011 In Photos: April
December 28, 2011
All this week, we are looking back at the photos that were in the news in 2011. Today, we are featuring photos from April.
About 250 people attended a community meeting in April in Jay to learn about potential future plans for Jay Hospital.
Deputy David Bashore works to remove a bottle that was allegedly part of a meth lab thrown into a stream that feeds a gravel lake in Century.
A K-9 team prepares to search for a suspect along the Alabama/Florida line after an attempted home invasion at the home of a law enforcement officer in Escambia County, Ala.
North Escambia area residents collected hundreds of pounds of supplies for Alabama tornado victims. In this photo, goods are collected in Flomaton.
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan (right) presents a Life Saving Medal to Senior Deputy Rudy Brown of the Century Precinct in April.
Both Northview and Jay were defeated in softball Regional 1-2A Quarterfinals.
Partial demolition of this building on North Century Boulevard near the Alabama State Line revealed signage for the former Ash Dept. Store and Worley’s Food Store.
McCullough Christian Center marked Good Friday with a reenactment of the Crucifixion in Atmore.
Youth from the Greater First Baptist Church pick up trash from along Booker Street during an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office “Clean Sweep” in their neighborhood.
Chet Truett Named Ernest Ward Teacher Of The Year
December 27, 2011
Eighth grade science teacher Chet Truett has been named the Ernest Ward Middle School Teacher of the Year.
Teachers of the year are chosen by the faculty and staff at each school in the county. The Escambia County Teacher of the Year will be announced at the annual Golden Apple Awards Dinner in February 2012.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
2011 In Photos: March
December 27, 2011
All this week, we are looking back at the photos that were in the news in 2011. Today, we are featuring photos from March.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team prepares to enter a Cantonment home to end a domestic violence standoff. The 32-year old suspect was taken into custody without any injuries.
Molino Sandy Sansing’s Lauren Carnley missed a catch at third as the ball grazes the helmet of Northwest Escambia Alto’s Liberty Peebles during opening day games in Molino.
Teamwork: Members of the Ernest Ward Middle School track team compete in their season opening meet at Woodham Middle School.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Operation Clean Sweep was held in Cottage Hill.
A missing Escambia County, Ala., dog found 900 miles away in Texas was flown home.
Escambia County District 5 Commissioner Kevin White, County Administrator Randy Oliver and Century Mayor Freddie McCall discuss the future of Century while outside Century’s business incubator in March.
Open Day ceremonies were held in March at Northwest Escambia in Walnut Hill.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy stopped this truck with the bumper sticker “Buckle Up! Or Pay Up!” on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill. The driver was stopped because he was not wearing a seat belt.
Three people were arrested for firing shots into this Molino home.
A tornado hit McDavid in early March.
A National Weather Service team determined that a tornado that slammed McDavid was an EF1 with 105 mph winds.
A double shooting prompted Century to set new rules for community center rentals in the town.
One person was killed and two were injured in an Atmore Police Department pursuit near the Atmore City Hall.
Grammy award winner Marty Raybon performed in March at the Northview FFA Alumni Blue Jacket Jamboree in Bratt.
Spring flowers: Purple henbit covers a Walnut Hill field.
NorthEscambia.com photos.
Fallen Marine Travis Nelson’s Family Gives Back For Christmas
December 26, 2011
Scott and Beckie Nelson of Bratt just could not stand the thought of their first Christmas without their son LCpl. Travis M. Nelson who was killed in action in Afghanistan back in August. To take their minds off a Christmas without Travis in the house, they decided to give back to the communities that had supported them so much following his death.
The Nelson family, along with a small army of volunteers, prepared and delivered about 125 Christmas meals Sunday for elderly, shut-in and needy people in the Bratt, Atmore and surrounding areas.
“We wanted to do something to give back and wanted take our minds off Travis not being here,” Beckie said as she worked on getting the flavor just right on a sweet potato casserole. “We thought about volunteering at the Waterfront Rescue Mission. Then Scott said we should try to put back into this community and see if there was enough need.”
They initially planned to find about 70 individuals that needed Christmas lunch. But, before it was over, about 125 were on the list. For Beckie, it was her first time cooking a big Christmas lunch.
“We usually go to my mother-in-laws’ for Christmas lunch,” she said.
The recipients of the Nelson’s generosity ranged from the elderly to a family of 13, including eight children, that would have otherwise done without a traditional Christmas lunch.
Plans are already in the works to repeat the Christmas lunches next year in a program they are calling “Operation Enduring Loss”.
“We are continuing to endure the loss of Travis,” Beckie said. “For 19 years, he was here with us opening presents on Christmas. But he’s not coming home this time,” she said, pausing. “Or the next time. That chapter in our lives is closed.”
That’s been tough for the Nelson family, she said, where Christmas always meant family time and presents around the Christmas tree. The family put up a tree this year, but this time it’s a real tree with all brand new ornaments.
“I just couldn’t bear to open the box of our other ornaments,” she said. “There are so many special ornaments in there that belonged to Travis. It’s just never going to be the same.”
Pictured top: Beckie Nelson (left) and volunteer Sandy Brown work on a sweet potato casserole. Pictured inset: Beckie Nelson with a finished sweet potato casserole, one of many used in 125 Christmas lunches. Pictured below: Travis Nelson’s sister Anna Nelson (left) and friend McShane Ingalls prepare fresh string beans. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
2011 In Photos: January, February
December 26, 2011
All this week, we are looking back at the photos that were in the news in 2011. Today, we are featuring photos from January and February.
Fire ripped through this Jahaza Road home in Molino on January 12.
The winners, including Miss Northview High School Hayley Simpson, pose after the January Miss Northview High School pageant.
Ernest Ward Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society held an induction ceremony in late January.
An accidental fire destroys equipment at a work site in Walnut Hill.
In February, Molino residents got their first look at a proposed community center and library in the old Molino School.
Century residents gathered to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A Bessemer, Ala., man (inside police car) tries to explain why he used an ax as he forced his way into an elderly woman’s home west of Flomaton.
Commander Merlin Ladner, USN (Ret) addresses the audience during Northview High School’s NJROTC Annual Inspection in February.
A mobile home burns with a meth lab inside on Molino Road.
Four people were left homeless after a fire started by an oven being used for heat destroyed their Byrneville mobile home.
Drivers were inconvenienced for weeks as the North Highway 99 bridge over Pine Barren Creek was closed in January.
January’s weather was cold, as evidenced by this fountain at Century Care Center.
Rick Scott was sworn in as Florida’s new governor.
The 1165th Military Police Company, including many North Escambia area residents, deployed to Afghanistan.
Jacke Johnson, Gary Riley and Sandra McMurray Jackson were sworn in as new members of the Century Town Council.
Former Century Town Council member Sharon Scott passed away in late February.
In February, numerous arrests were made after a drug-related sweep. A meth lab was found as this Molino Road home.
Lifeflight awaits as a victim is freed from a traffic crash on Highway 4A west of Century.
Pretty Paper: Family Displays Paper Nativity Set For Over 40 Years
December 25, 2011
For over 40 years, the Cowen family has displayed his $2 paper nativity set on his lawn each Christmas.
Hugh Cowen’s grandfather purchased the do-it-yourself kit — a printed paper nativity designed to be glued to plywood and then varnished. It was sold for just $2 in the late 1950’s by The Douglas Fir Plywood Association of Tacoma, WA.
“Durable paper patterns printed in bright colors are specially made to use on fir plywood,” is how an ad in a 1959 Popular Science magazine describes the set. “Simply paste on plywood and cut out with saw…Exterior plywood makes figures last for years.”
“My dad says it is his last year putting it up,” Susan Cowen Langston said of her 78-year old father. “He is passing the baton to me. I help him every year and have learned just how he likes it done.”
The set is displayed at corner of Ninth Avenue and Keating Road, just north of Creighton Road.
Pictured top: A paper nativity scene that has been displayed for over 40 years. Pictured inset: A 1959 Popular Science advertisement offering the set for sale. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: FBC Bratt Presents “Search For The King”
December 25, 2011
The First Baptist Church of Bratt recently presented the cantata “Search for the King”.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Submitted photos by Marcella Wilson, click to enlarge.
Northview Students Provide Christmas Food For Needy Families
December 25, 2011
Northview High School students collected over 500 canned and nonperishable food items during the last week of classes before Christmas break.
The items were distributed to needy families in the Northview community in Christmas food baskets. The event was sponsored by guidance counselors Heather Crumm and Kimblery Corcoran.
Pictured: Some of the more than 500 food items donated by Northview High Students. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Have A Holly Jolly – Century Care Residents Celebrate Christmas
December 25, 2011
The Christmas season has been a busy and exiting time at the Century Care Center.
At a recent event, Sawyer Hudson of Jay High School, and Bobby Holland and Keith Faulk performed prior to a residents’ Christmas party.
“We all send out a heart-felt thank you for all who contributed time, money and gifts,” said Century Care Center Activities Director Mae Hildreth. “This is a wonderful and generous community. Thank you to all and Merry Christmas from the Century Care Center staff, the residents and their families.”
Pictured top: Gifts galore, many donated by the community, at Century Care Center’s annual Christmas party for residents. Pictured inset: Sawyer Hudson of Jay High School performs. Pictured below: The CCC resident Christmas party. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
