Today, the old Anniston Police Building at the corner of Gurnee Ave. and 12th St. is being taken down. This building was very old and had to be replaced. The new Justin Sollohub Justice Center is already open and the Anniston Police has already moved in. Also, two traffic light intersections at Gurnee Ave. and 12th St. and Moore Ave. and 11th St. were turned off today. 4-way stops now replace these traffic lights. The lights will stay up on red light flash mode so drivers can get used to the changes for 30 days. Enjoy the photos!
I did a special video edition of Seven Questions with a person I know in Anniston who is homeless. Jeffrey Leachman has come to the Anniston area from the Atlanta Metro and he thought he would find work but so far he has not. He has stayed with a group of friends who are also homeless in the Anniston Area. They have spent their nights at empty buildings and behind fences.
Now in this video below, Jeffrey Leachman explains his homeless problem while living in Anniston. He also has a plea to city and regional leaders in Anniston to do something about the homeless problem. As of this post, I have not heard from any city officials even though they said they would do something. This is a video you must watch!
Last night, I went to the Anniston City Council meeting and after they went through the agenda which included passing Sunday alcohol sales and lowering the speed limit along Noble St. in downtown to 20 mph. I got up to speak about some people I know who are homeless. After I talked about how good a job Dianna Michaels is doing as the Spirit of Anniston director, I told Mayor Vaughn Stewart and the city councilmen about the homeless problem in Anniston.
After speaking, two other people also got up to talk about the homeless problem. This is a great start as there are way too many people who are homeless in Anniston. One of the people I know, Jeffrey Leachman, has been homeless for a few months now. Sure, I have let him take a shower and use the washing machine at my apartment here and there. And at times, I have provided him a good meal including this cooking video I did.
Jeffrey has a master’s degree in Information Systems from Kennesaw State University. His last job was helping with a Wal-Mart remodel around three years ago. Here’s his resume.
Jeffrey has joined with a few other people and sleeps in abandoned buildings around Anniston each night. During the daytime, they go the public library to use the internet. One of these people was a victim of domestic violence and is not allowed into any shelters. And Jeffrey has gotten away from the Atlanta Metro because of some abusive friends. I drove by one of the places Jeffrey and the group sleeps at. This building is an old barber shop. This is a place I would not like sleeping at each night.
Yes, there is the Salvation Army shelter along Noble St. in Anniston. It’s great for a short-term emergency. But after the first few nights, they begin charging to stay each night. This charging of people forces many people to sleep on the streets each night.
Jeffrey wants the city officials to know that there is an extreme homeless problem and unemployment problem in Anniston. Jeffrey has had no luck finding a job in the Anniston/Oxford area. He has even been to Birmingham and Nashville to find work. But after a few interviews, nothing happens. Jeffrey just wants to have a job, that’s all. Mayor Vaughn Stewart wants to have a meeting with me, Jeffrey, and the homeless group. I hope something can be done to get these people off the streets. I will keep you updated.
On Friday night, many people came out to the McClellan Soccer Fields for the 2013 Calhoun County Relay For Life. 126 teams were registered in this year’s Relay For Life. And the total fundraising amount totaled at over $347,000! All of the money raised from this event supports cancer research and programs to help those battling the disease. This year is the 100th anniversary of the American Cancer Society. Today, two out of three people are surviving cancer and more than 400 people a day in the U.S. are celebrating birthdays that would otherwise be lost to cancer. That’s great progress!
Relay for Life is all about celebrating more birthdays! In the video and photos below, you will see the Survivors Lap, caregiver and team laps, photos from Cheaha Cheer and Tumble and the Alabama State Trooper Helicopter, photos of many of the tents and booths, the Luminaria Ceremony with the lighting of lanterns, a performance from More Than This, and much more!
Each year, Classic On Noble holds an amazing Mother’s Day brunch. Many people book reservations months in advance to be at Classic on Noble on Mother’s Day. So I was there taking photos of the buffet line and the crowd inside after getting a request from someone. I got to try their food and it was amazing. Their steak and ham was good and I like their chicken cordon bleu. Their sides like their scratch made mashed potatoes were very tasty. And I really enjoyed their desserts and sides like big muffins! Their service was also top-notched! The cost was around $27 per person which is okay for most people. But when you have been unemployed for almost two years now, that can hurt.
Are you a band, a choir, a performer, a gymnast, or you just have a special talent that is begging for that big break? Then you need to sign up for Anniston’s Got Talent which is being held on Friday July 19th at the Anniston Performing Arts Center. Auditions to be in the show will be held on Sunday June 2nd at the McClellan Theatre.
Anyone is allowed to audition for Anniston’s Got Talent. You do not have to be a resident of Anniston or Calhoun County to audition for Anniston’s Got Talent. Anyone from Alabama, Georgia, and the southeast can audition. This event is also open to all ages! This event is being put on as part of the city of Anniston’s 130th birthday celebration this summer and one of the events being planned is a big talent show.
Anniston’s Got Talent will have professional judges lined up at the auditions and in the finals. And there will be several talent scouts in the audience watching the auditions. Each performer will have two minutes at the general audition. For singers and bands, a piano and drums will be provided. All vocalists must be a capella unless providing their own accompaniment. Vocalists may use an acoustic guitar and no backup CD’s can be used during the general auditions. If music is used in your act, you must provide a CD with only your audition song.
The prize money is pretty awesome! If you win and come in first place, you will get $1000. Second place is $500 and third place is $250. Anniston’s Got Talent needs singers, actors, bands, dancers, magicians, jugglers, cheerleaders, choral groups, and more. It does not matter what your act is. If your act is interesting and can satisfy an audience, apply to Anniston’s Got Talent today. But hurry, all applications are due along with a $20 application fee by Friday May 24th. Yes, Geek Alabama will be covering this event. I even wonder if I could get in on the action by judging or hosting?
To learn more about Anniston’s Got Talent and to apply to audition, go to: http://www.annistonsgottalent.com/ You can also call at 256-241-7692.
I have lived in the Anniston Metro for the last six years now. Can you believe I have never gone to Betty’s BBQ in Anniston? Yeah, me either! After I got a $10 gift certificate for Betty’s BBQ, I decided to go and try them out!
Betty’s BBQ is located along South Quintard Ave. in Anniston. They specialize in BBQ, chicken tenders and fried chicken, fried catfish, and of course, down home sides like mom used to make it. When I went around 1 pm, there was a good crowd there! I was seated quickly and the server got me some sweet tea which was good! I got a BBQ Pork plate with three sides for $7.99. The food came in five minutes, that was some quick service! My three sides were macaroni and cheese, fries, and corn on the cob. The plate comes with BBQ Pork with sauce and some BBQ bread. This was a good amount of food for the money!
The BBQ pork was very tender and good. The BBQ sauce certainly had a good flavor. I really liked the macaroni and cheese as it was creamy and good! The server kept checking and making sure I had plenty of sweet tea. I really liked the service at Betty’s BBQ. My server then recommended I get some pie, so I got a piece of peanut butter pie with some whipped cream!
The peanut butter pie was awesome! It had good peanut butter flavor and they used a crumbled pie crust. It is definitely something I would consider getting!
Betty’s BBQ is a restaurant that features down home cooking. I would recommend you come and try this place. Yes, I will be back! Betty’s BBQ is located at 401 South Quintard Ave. in Anniston Alabama. You can reach them by phone at 256-237-1411.
Monday was a very special day. After a heavy rain shower came over the sun popped out. When the sun comes out when some rain is still falling, you get some rainbows. This rainbow has to be one of the brightest I have ever seen. And even better, this was a double rainbow! Enjoy the video and photos of this double rainbow!
This is week 67 in my series of Shape Up! The weekly post on what I did over the last week in my quest to getting healthier.
Shape Up! – Week 67
►
This is making the news in Alabama and I thought this would be a great time to talk about this. Last week, the Anniston City Council passed a tougher smoking ban. The original smoking ban still allowed bars to have smoking. But the new ordinance bans all indoor smoking in public buildings and restaurants! I think this is a major step forward for Anniston and for the health of people everywhere. Not too long ago, the two hospitals in Anniston banned smoking on their entire campus. This meant no one could smoke on the hospital property. Some people whined online saying they should have a right to smoke anywhere they want. And now with the city passing a tougher smoking ban, some people are again whining online saying there rights are being taken away and its one step closer in becoming a government nanny state.
Back in the 1960′s, smoking was very hip. You saw many people smoking and you also saw many commercials and advertising about cigarettes. Many stars on TV and in the movies were lighting up. Basically smoking was hot and very hip. Soon, doctors and health officials starting to come out with warnings about the effects of smoking. And the numbers of people smoking have dropped ever since. When I was a kid, my father was an avid smoker. He would smoke multiple times a day and here’s the worst part. Whenever we were in a car, he would light up and only crack the car window slightly. Yes, I had to smell a lot of cigarette smoke. Here’s a video showing you what happens to your body when you smoke.
Today, I can’t stand any cigarette smoke. I do not go to places where smoking is allowed. Whenever I am in public areas like festivals or concerts, I will walk away from people who light up. I can not stand the smell of cigarette smoke. Basically, I do not want to be around any cigarette smoke at all. I support cities that passes smoking bans, and I even think businesses will do better with smoking bans. Who wants to go to a bar or business and smell all of that smoke? I wish all cities and businesses would ban indoor smoking at public places. It would be good for everybody. And before someone says this, I support the rights of each individual person and you do have a right to smoke in your own home. Government is not going to ban people from smoking at their own homes.
Need help in quitting your smoking habit, go to: http://www.smokefree.gov/ Here’s a video showing you what happens to your body after you quit smoking.
As for me in the last week, just the usual walking and eating one meal a day. I am getting close to my second anniversary of being fired from my last job. Instead of sitting around and doing nothing, I have written the Geek Alabama blog while job searching. Stay tuned, I am going to announce something soon so I can move the Geek Alabama blog to the next level!
This is what I ate last week:
Saturday: Hotpockets, Sweet Tea.
Sunday: Pork Chops, Brown Rice, Sweet Tea.
Monday: Pork Chops, Brown Rice, Sweet Tea.
Tuesday: Party Pizza, Chips, Sweet Tea.
Wednesday: Party Pizza, Chips, Sweet Tea.
Thursday: BBQ Pork, Brown Rice, Sweet Tea, Cookies and Cream Cupcakes.
Friday: Hotpockets, Sweet Tea, Cookies and Cream Cupcakes.
On Saturday, several Christian bands and church leaders performed at the Consumed Concert Series at Zinn Park in Anniston. Consumed is the premier benefit concert of the year for Calhoun County and surrounding counties. Crimson Flame Ministries is the vessel God is using to bring about such a powerful event. This event was free to the public and relies on the monetary support of corporate, church, and individual sponsors. This event brought in Christian musicians from around the nation, as well as artists from this area and the State of Alabama. The ultimate mission is to glorify God and create positive life change through Christ.
I was there taking photos and videos of this event which included the bands Avenue from the University of Mobile and the headliner 7eventh Time Down. Even a couple of live baptisms took place as well! Enjoy!
