As the country celebrated Veteran’s Day on November 11, we continue to honor Alabaster’s veterans who have served with honor in the United States military. Ron McGriff—U.S. Navy Ron McGriff grew up in Columbia, Alabama, in Houston County northeast of Dothan. He laughs that Columbia was most known in the area for its one stoplight. … Read More
By Barry Wise Smith & Photos by Brit Huckabay Police Chief Curtis Rigney and Fire Chief Tim Love lead their departments with honor and experience. Chief Curtis Rigney and Chief Tim Love came to their positions in different ways, but they share a deep appreciation for the city they serve. Curtin Rigney has spent the … Read More
Noah Galloway lives post-combat life with No Excuses. Story and photos by Cara Clark and courtesy the Galloways As the early days of August bore down with heat and humidity on Alabama, Army veteran Noah Galloway joined fellow soldiers and the nonprofit organization Sheep Dog Impact Assistance to ascend Tanzania’s famous Mount Kilimanjaro, … Read More
The City of Alabaster introduces a new fall music festival. By Barry Wise Smith, photos courtesy of Black Jacket Symphony Jamie Cole, Ward 5 City Councilor, is ready for the music to play again in Alabaster after a long two-year absence of Alabaster’s popular spring music festival CityFest, due to the Covid 19 pandemic. “CityFest … Read More
A Century of Warriors Story by Barry Wise Smith. Photos by Brit Huckabay and courtesy of Margaret Dawson This year, Alabaster City Schools awill celebrate 100 years of Thompson High School. What started as a small community school has grown to be the second largest high school in the state with over 2,100 students. … Read More
Alabaster is the home of a new life-saving piece of equipment: the Sutphen Aerial Tower 19 ladder truck, which is able to reach 100 feet into the air. According to Deputy Chief Pat Conn, this new piece of equipment is key to the future protection of not only current properties, but future structures as well. … Read More
The Thompson High School Mountain Bike Team picked up speed this year by placing third in their division for the state. In its inaugural year for a team, athletes from Thompson competed in the Alabama NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) league. Coach Lennie Moon said the team is an offshoot of the former Shelby County … Read More
Alabaster features a diverse community full of families who have been here for years as well as a quickly growing number of new arrivals who are moving to the city thanks to the new school system and its successes. Tim Hamm is the director of the Parks and Rec Department. He pointed out that the … Read More
