Jun
17
Fort Payne AL events you don’t want to miss

Events are planned across DeKalb County to commemorate the nation’s birthday.

Fort Payne AL event

Upcoming Fort Payne AL events include the Independence Day celebration.

Fort Payne AL events

The City of Fort Payne’s Independence Day Celebration is always a highlight, but this free event on Thursday, July 1, will be extra special this year with the return of in-person activities at the Sports Complex at 101 45thStreet NE, plus a performance by the Alabama tribute band, Boys in the Band, who did two sold old shows in recent years. The event from 7:30-9 p.m. The fireworks show can be viewed from the venue or from any of the parking lots at surrounding schools and businesses. To learn more, visit City of Fort Payne Official Facebook Page.
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Dec
26
Star Wars movies ranked favorite to least favorite…
  1. The Empire Strikes Back
  2. The Mandalorian
  3. Rogue One
  4. Revenge of the Sith
  5. A New Hope
  6. Attack of the Clones
  7. Return of the Jedi
  8. The Rise of Skywalker
  9. The Force Awakens
  10. Solo
  11. The Clone Wars/Rebels
  12. The Last Jedi
  13. The Phantom Menace

Shall I expand? How about you?

Dec
24
Christmas in Dixie

I just wanted to take a moment to say Merry Christmas to all of my friends, family, subscribers and supporters.

Downtown Fort Payne is looking incredible right now, so I encourage you to drive through and look at the Christmas decorations.

And from Fort Payne Alabama Merry Christmas tonight

Fort Payne takes on an amazing vibe every Christmas. We attract a lot of attention because of that song by Alabama called “Christmas in Dixie.”

The lyrics go…

“Christmas in Dixie, it’s snowin’ in the pines
Merry Christmas from Dixie, to everyone tonight
And from Fort Payne, Alabama
God bless why’all…We love ya…Happy New Year…Good night… Merry Christmas tonight!”
– Jeff Cook / Mark Herndon / Randy Owen / Teddy Gentry

Christmas in Dixie

Now’s the time to listen to holiday songs, watch Christmas movies (“It’s a Wonderful Life” is a requirement for me), play board games and relax.

I hope you all have a great day and make good choices to avoid spreading this COVID-19 virus around any more than it already is.

Due to the continuing public health emergency, our family opted out of doing the traditional dinner. It’s tough saying No to momma in times like these, but she understands that it is for her protection.

On a personal note, I felt a bit under the weather yesterday with a fever and headache. Just to be safe, I went to Encore Medical here in Fort Payne, just to make sure I did not catch the coronavirus.

I tested negative. I’ve become a regular there after having to test after people in my orbit got it. This was the first time I went due to me feeling crappy myself. I was diagnosed with an old-fashion garden variety sinus infection and given antibiotics.

Already feeling better. It was a bit of a scare, I won’t lie. I am so ready for this pandemic to ease up. I saw far too many people at the recent Fort Payne Christmas Parade out in public neither wearing masks or social distancing. We must do better!

Dude, I have gotten WAY off my Merry Christmas message, haven’t I? Forgive me. It’s been a traumatic year, but only 7 more days remaining.

I can’t say that 2020 has been ALL bad. I did get this amazing promotion at the newspaper, which I am doing my best to be successful at.

Christmas in Dixie

Speaking of the newspaper, indulge me for a second with a shameless plug… 

I typically procrastinate when it comes to buying a Christmas present for my mother. I mean, what does someone retired really want or need? A restaurant gift card is usually my 11th hour panic choice, but it occurred to me today that a Subscription to the Newspaper is a fantastic gift. It’s fast and easy to subscribe online, plus you can go to a rack at your nearest convenience store, buy a copy of the newest edition, and include a hand-written note saying a loved one will get upcoming papers delivered! It’s a gift that keeps on giving, plus you can say you want to get closer by having plenty of local news and sports to talk about by subscribing to the TJ yourself, either the print edition or online! Just a suggestion in case you’re scrambling to think of gift ideas for someone who is a challenge to shop for right now…
Please help me share this message. Whatever you decide (better hurry), please support our local businesses!
Jul
04
An American Celebration

I enjoyed watching the Fort Payne Fireworks celebration Thursday evening. Due to the need for social distancing, the city skipped the usual on-site entertainment, which I think was the right call considering how rapidly the coronavirus is spreading right now.

I went with my daughter and watched from the parking lot of the Wills Valley Recreation Center.

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Jun
09
Honored to Serve my Community

Honored to Serve on the Boards of Landmarks of DeKalb, Inc., and Little River Arts Council

Having an Impact Behind the scenes

I haven’t really publicized it before, but it’s worth noting that I am serving on a couple of boards for local organizations that are near and dear to my heart. It is my hope that by mentioning them to anyone following this blog, our membership ranks can grow as we set out to do some pretty amazing stuff.
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Mar
01
A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Fort Payne Opera House

Landmarks of DeKalb, Inc., brought the Alabama Shakespeare Festival to DeKalb County this week. I was at Saturday’s show in the Fort Payne Opera House. What a remarkable performance by these talented actors. We were so fortunate to have ASF visit our county, speak to kids at local schools and share their hard work for our entertainment.
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Feb
17
A Cast of Dozens… Or just a Dozen

I created this “group photo” of the cast of the dinner theater play “Deliver Us From Mama” at the request of director Amber Norman McPherson. It shows all 30 characters played by 11 cast members by combining them in a composite of several carefully choreographed different photos of various groupings following costume changes.

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Dec
19
Review: ‘The Rise of Skywalker’

I just finished “The Rise of Skywalker” and the little boy who fell in love with these movies 42 years ago is happy with the way it ended.

No spoilers, except to say that some characters don’t make it, and there’s a major plot twist. Duh.

Maybe you should stop reading if you want to go into it with your own fresh take.

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Nov
01
Fort Payne Halloween Block Party Portraits

The DeKalb County Democratic Party opened its doors during the Fort Payne Block Party, Halloween edition. These people came in off the street for me to photograph.

Thanks to everyone who participated. You can download a color version for free — or find your child’s photo if you don’t see it here.

Fort Payne Alabama Halloween Block Party Photos 2019

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Copyright Steven Stiefel 2018. All Rights Reserved