Parade Honors Area Veterans
November 12, 2009
The skies were gray, but the red, white and blue were shining brightly Wednesday afternoon as people from Atmore, North Escambia and surrounding areas honored veterans with a parade.
National Guard units, floats with veterans, a band, beauty queens, fire trucks, a congressman and more took part in the annual event.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the Atmore Veterans Day Parade, click here.
Pictured above: A group of veterans ride in this afternoon’s Veterans Day parade in Atmore. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Retiring Veteran Honored
November 12, 2009
Rickie Bonner never expected anything out of the ordinary when he headed out to raise the flag at Alto Products on Veteran’s Day. It had been taken down on Monday because of Tropical Storm Ida. With the storm gone, it was being put back to fly at half-staff to honor the fallen at Fort Hood. What he found brought a tear to his eye.
Rickie Bonner, who is Alto’s senior director of operations, was doing something he has done for ten years at Alto. Among his other, more demanding job duties, he took responsibility for flying the American flag at the Atmore plant many years ago. On Wednesday morning he found a plaque on the flag pole in his honor. Rickie is retiring from Alto soon and this was a way his fellow employees choose to honor him. His co-workers had hoped to surprise him with a small gathering as the plaque was presented, but things didn’t go exactly as planned.
“I wondered what was under the white sheet of paper taped to the pole”, said Bonner. “I was very surprised when I found the plaque.”
“I appreciate Rickie’s ten years of dedicated service to Alto,” said David Landa, president of Alto Products in Atmore. “We could always count on Rickie to be responsible for our flag. We wish him well in his retirement”.
Perhaps being responsible for the flag is just a part of who he is. Bonner served in the US Army. He served in the Vietnam conflict for one year and is a combat wounded veteran. Among the honors he earned for his service to his country are two Bronze Stars with Valor, an Army commendation, the Purple Heart and one Air Medal for combat air time.
“I served a lot of air hours in a helicopter to earn that medal,” Bonner said.
When he speaks of his time at Alto, he has good things to say. “I’m very grateful to have worked for a fine company, outstanding managers and David (Landa),” he said. “I appreciate the team atmosphere and have enjoyed the ten years I’ve worked at Alto.”
“I’ve enjoyed working with Rickie over the years and thank him for his service to Alto,” said Bill Busch, Chief Operating Officer of Alto Products. “He is really a great guy who will truly be missed.”
Pictured top: Retiring Rickie Bonner was honored Wednesday for ten years of service at Alto Products in Atmore. Pictured inset: The plaque on the company’s flag pole honors Bonner. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fort Hood Shootings: Local Mom’s Son ‘Was Close’
November 12, 2009
When tragedy struck at Fort Hood last week, one area mother spent several anxious hours waiting to hear from her son.
Bobbie Hobbs of Pollard, a small community east of Flomaton, could not understand how 11 people could be killed and 31 could be wounded by an gunman on an American military base.
She received a phone call from her son-in-law in Ohio. He had seen the events unfolding on television. Her thoughts immediately turned to her son, Sgt. Joseph Johnson, his wife and young child.
“We went around the world trying to get him. We did manage to get his wife and one-year old child,” Hobbs said. They were at a daycare off the base.
“It was scary,” she added. It was four or five hours before she could confirm that her son was uninjured. Sgt. Johnson would not tell his mom exactly where he was or what he was doing during the shootings at the Fort Hood’s “Soldier Readiness Center”.
“All he would say was that he was close,” Hobbs, who works at Alto Products in Atmore, said.
“It was a long scary day,” she said. “He has been to Iraq twice. I can understand that he was in danger over there, not here in the States.”
Pictured top: Jamie Anderson holds a candle for her daughter, Solana, 4, as her grandmother, Jo Ellen Freleigh, of New York, protects her candle from the wind at Fort Hood during candlelight prayer vigil to honor those who were killed and wounded. Pictured inset: Soldiers attend a chemical light vigil held in remembrance of comrades and loved ones who were killed and wounded in the shooting tragedy at Fort Hood, Texas. Photos courtesy U.S. Department of Defense for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Veterans Day: Three North Escambia Memorials Honor Those That Served
November 11, 2009
Three memorial walls in North Escambia — in Century, Barrineau Park and Molino — stand as tributes to veterans from across the area.
Century
About thirty of those that served from the Century area are now honored on the Century Veteran’s Wall of Honor that was unveiled in a 2008 Fourth of July ceremony at Century’s Roadside Park on Highway 29. For more information about adding a name to the wall, call the Town Hall at (850) 256-3208.
Barrineau Park
“In a way, it makes me sad,” Nancy Fillingim, the local resident that proposed the Wall of Honor inside the Barrineau Park Community Center, said. The picture of her husband, Aubie Fillingham, was one of the first photos on the wall. He spent 20 years in the Navy as a boiler technician and a criminal investigator. Pictures of his four brothers are also on the wall.
In all, over 100 Barrineau Park area veterans are honored on the Wall of Honor.
The wall was a project of the Barrineau Park Historical Society. Nita Berry, president of the organization, said the community has been very supportive of the project by providing the pictures. “It was something we could do to honor our veterans,” she said. “It’s a very small thing compared to what they did for us.”
For more information on the Wall of Honor, contact Nancy Fillingim at (850) 587-2266.
For a photo gallery from the Barrineau Park Wall of Honor, click here.
Walnut Hill
The largest such memorial in the North Escambia area, the Veteran’s Honor Wall has stood in front of the Walnut Hill Community Center since its dedication in 2003. There are about 275 names on the wall, including 13 names of soldiers killed in action. The wall honors those from the Walnut Hill area that have served in the nation’s military.
The Walnut Hill Ruritan Club began planning the wall in late 2001, and they decided that it would be a community project at no cost to the veterans listed.
“If you are a veteran, you deserve to be there,” Walnut Hill Ruritan Club Past-President Billy R. Ward said. “You’ve already paid your debt; we wanted this wall to honor the veterans.”
On the Walnut Hill Veteran’s Honor Wall, everyone is equal. It was decided that no service rank would be included on the name plaques, just the branch and years of service.
The Walnut Hill Veteran’s Wall is located in front of the community center at 7850 Highway 97.
If you know a veteran from the Walnut Hill area (including Bratt, Davisville, Oak Grove and Enon) that should be included on the honor wall, call Billy R. Ward at (850) 256-2907. Or mail the veteran’s name, address, city, state, phone, branch of service, dates of service and your name and phone number to: Walnut Hill Ruritan Club, P.O. Box 35, Walnut Hill, FL 32568.
For photographs that include most names on the Walnut Hill Veterans Honor Wall, click here.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Work Must Go On: Working During Ida
November 10, 2009
A few dozen people in North Escambia were hard at work Monday night and Tuesday morning during Tropical Storm Ida.
At Century Care Center, one of North Ecambia’s largest overnight employers, it was an ordinary night at work as the storm passed.
For more photos from Century Care Center, click here.
Pictured above and below: It was work as usual at the Century Care Center overnight as Tropical Storm Ida made landfall. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Walnut Hill Fire Honors Firemen, Community Members During Fish Fry
November 8, 2009
The Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department honored members of the community and the department during their annual fish fry Saturday.
Royce Ward was recognized for his part in forming the fire department in 1965. The fire department was organized by the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club, under the leadership of Ward who served as the group’s president.
The WHVFD presented their Community Service Award to Escambia Grain Manager Ed Nowlin for his long-time service to the Walnut Hill community.
The Officer of the Year Award was presented to Deputy Chief Kevin Mininger. Mininger joined the department in 1987, advancing to deputy chief by 2008.
Jonathan Koehn was named Firefighter of the Year. Koehn joined the fire department in early 2008 and completed his state Firefighter I certification by the end of the year.
Saturday’s fish fry marked the 40th annual event for the department, with over 550 fish and chicken plates sold.
“I would like to thank the department for all they do,” Escambia County Fire Chief Frank Edwards said. “We could not do what we do without the volunteer departments, especially up here.”
For more photos from the 40th annual Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department fish fry, click here.
Pictured top: Andrew Peters (left) takes fish out of a fryer with the help of Chad Rigby Saturday at the annual Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department fish fry. Pictured inset: Community Service Ward winner Ed Nowlin. Pictured below: The department sold over 550 plates of chicken or fish. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Church Holds Byrneville Carnival; Century Care Residents Visit
November 8, 2009
The Mt. Zion Chapel held a fall carnival Saturday, and some of the residents from Century Care Center were their special guests.
The carnival, at the Byrneville Community Center, featured a variety of fun games and food.
Pictured above and below: Residents from Century Care Center enjoyed a fall carnival sponsored by Mt. Zion Chapel Saturday at the Byrneville Community Center. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Molino Park Elementary School Fall Carnival
November 7, 2009
Hundreds of people attended the annual Molino Park Elementary School Fall Carnival Friday evening. Carnival games, food, vendors, a basket auction, horse rides and pies in the face were all part of the fun.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured top: Pie in the face. Pictured below: Face painting Friday night at the annual Molino Park Elementary Schol Fall Carnival. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Miss FHS: Taylor White
November 6, 2009
Sophomore Taylor White was named Miss FHS Thursday night at Flomaton High School.
First runner-up was Victoria Creamer, second runner-up was Hailey Lambeth, third runner-up was Summer Hinote, and fourth runner -up was Nicole Simpson.
Summer Hinote was named the talent winner and Miss Congeniality. Other talent winners were Victoria Creamer, first; Nicole Simpson, second; Blakelee White, third; and Haley White, fourth.
The Top Eight in the Miss FHS pageant were: Lori Chancery, Summer Hinote, Victoria Creamer, Nicole Simpson, Taylor White, Blakelee White, Haley Lambeth, and Dakota Lambeth.
Photos courtesy Mike Newton Photography.
Submitted photos by Mike Newton Photography for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Walnut Hill Fire Dept. Traces History
November 6, 2009
Saturday marked the 40th anniversary of what has become one of the biggest events in Walnut Hill and surrounding communities — the annual fish fry at the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department.
The fish fry has been held annually since 1969, according to Assistant Chief Kevin Mininger, who has been researching the department’s history in conjunction with the 40th annual event. The first fish fry on record was held about a month after the department was chartered.
The fire department’s first fish fry was held on Saturday, April 10, 1965, just after the Walnut Hill Fire Department was officially chartered on Monday, March 8, 1965, during a meeting held at the Ernest Ward High School.
Adult plates were sold for $1, and plates for children under 12 were 50 cents. According to minutes from the fire department’s charter meeting, the fish fry was suggested by O.D. Gibson. It was organized as a fund raiser, and “to let the community know what had been accomplished” with the new department. It was a two hour community event.
That first fish fry cost the department $87.62, including $43 for fish and $13.23 to Lawrence Cooper’s Grocery. The total income was $256.50, netting a $168.88 profit for the Walnut Hill Fire Department’s first fund raiser.
The fire department was organized by the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club, under the leadership of Ruritan President Royce Ward.
In 1968, the Walnut Hill Fire Department held an open house at their first building on November 16, 1968. The first firehouse was located under the water tower at Highway 97 and Arthur Brown Road. Before the building was completed, fire trucks and other equipment was stored in members’ sheds and barns.
According to Mininger, there are no records indicating that a fish fry was held each year between 1965 and 1968, but the fish fry events have been held annually since 1969.
The department’s first truck was about a 1957 model GMC 2 1/2 ton 4×2 fuel service truck loaned from the Florida Forest Service.
Mininger has also compiled a list of the department’s fire chiefs as follows: E. C. (Chuck) Church, 1965 to September 1966; Bob Holdeman, September 1966 to August 1968; Vern Peters from August 1968 to 1983; Jack Brown from 1983 to December 1984; Ervin Schneider, 1985 to 1987; Dennis Rigby, 1988 to 1989; Bill Jackson, 1990 to February 1991; Al Bradley, March 1991 to 1992; Robert Stewart, 1993 to September 2008; and Chris Brown October 2008 to present.
The department’s first board of directors were: C.L. Byrd, Robert E. Holdeman, Kenneth Brown, W.H. Corley, Chief E. C. Church, Assistant Chief Buddy Sharpless, Assistant Chief Therman Raines, Captain Don Strickland, Captain James Pierce, Lt. roger Johnson, Lt. Glenn Thrower, J.H. Morgan, Sam Jantz and Harvey Bradberry.
To read original fire department minutes from December 2, 1968, click here (pdf).
Pictured top: This undated photograph from the early days of the Walnut Hill Fire Department shows Robert Mininger, an assistant chief; Bob Holdeman, the department’s second chief; Royce Ward, president of the Ruritan Club; and Vern Peters who served 15 years as the department’s third chief. Pictured inset: The original handwritten minutes from the department’s first meeting. Pictured below: Former Chief Robert Stewart (left) is honored at last year’s Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department. He is being presented a framed uniform shirt by current Chief Chris Brown. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
