Helena History

If you are a history buff or just want to know more about our community, be sure to stop by the new Helena Museum in Old Town Helena.  Ken Penhale has done a fantastic job of collecting and displaying many items from our community's past!

Recently, the entrance to Eureka Mine #4 was uncovered in the land preparation for the new high school.  Surf over to No Sleep in Helena web site at http://helena-alabama.blogspot.com/ for a great video on how the entrance has been preserved by removing it prior to the entrance being covered by the new construction.

Congratulations, Ken, on such a great job in preserving the history of Helena for future generations.

-Brian-

Below is a picture of the mine entrance courtesy of No Sleep in Helena.

Helena City News

I just got off the telephone with Dave Smith, editor of the Helena City News.  He had some great news that the Helena City News has gone digital in addition to the paper copy delivered to your mailbox each month.  So if you don't have time to read the paper version, maybe having an electronic one available will help you keep up on the latest happenings in our town.

You can find the Helena City News at http://www.myhelenacitynews.com/

Great job, Dave.

And while I'm writing about this, I noted that there is a link to the Helena City News Blog.  When I clicked to go there I found out my friend, Brian Davidson, has been honored for heroism!  You can read all about it by clicking on the link to the Blog above.  Congratulations, Brian!

-Brian-

Local Honors for Helena Spots

In the recent Best of the Best of Shelby Living Poll, Helena corralled some honors. Here are the results for Helena:

Best Burger: Helena Depot & Grill  (run by my friend, Matt)
Best Patio Dining: Helena Depot & Grill
Best Fried Green Tomatoes: Frankie’s Market Café  (run by Angie and Frankie, great people)
Best Place to Enjoy the Arts: Old Town HelenaBest Annual Festival: Buck Creek Festival  
Best Manicure: Foxy Nails (Helena)
Best Place for Child’s First Haircut: Hair Station (Helena)
Best Blog: No Sleep In Helena (my good friend Hal runs this)



Also nominated into the finals were San Antonio Grill, Fox Valley, La Reunion, Joe Tucker Park, and Dr. Michael Remillard.

Congratulations to all the winners and a big THANK YOU to everyone who nominated and voted for our local spots. Come visit Helena this weekend and take a victory lap around the area and see why these places earned the prize!


-Brian-

Helena Trade Days

While not your typical garb for Helena today, this picture takes us back to a wilder time.  So mark your calendars for a new event that breaks onto the Helena scene on the first Saturday in April and continues on the first Saturday of every month to November - Old Town Helena's Wild West Trade Days.

Link to Old Town Helena's Wild West Trade Days

Ron Holly, aka Major Dundee, has organized the continuing event which will be focused on 2nd Street in Old Town.  Activities will include arts and crafts, booths for vendors, cowboy gun fights, and life music from 11 am to 1 pm.

Hope to see you there!

-Brian-

Festival and Recycling Updates

Well, it has been a long, cold winter and perhaps winter is not completely through with us just yet even if the jonquils are blooming in my yard.  But it is time to mark your calendar.

The Helena Buck Creek Festival will be May 13 and 14 this year with lots of planning underway to make this one of the best festivals ever.  While all of the entertainment has not yet been locked down due to financial negotiation, the lineup is looking great.  You can keep up with all of the Buck Creek Festival news at their web site at www.buckcreekfestival.com.

Speaking of calendars, it is now one full year of recycling at our household, and I find myself somewhat staggered by the numbers.  Remember, there are only two of us in our household, but we have tried to be diligent in recycling as much as we can.  The first thing we've noticed is that the weekly garbage can is rarely full - in fact, most weeks it is nearly empty with only one or two paper bags of garbage.  Yea for less stuff in the landfill.

According to our account at www.recyclebank.com, we have recycled just a few pounds under 1,700 pounds over the last 52 weeks!!  That averages to about 65 pounds every two weeks.  WOW ! ! !  I am really awed by the amount and proud that so much did not go to the landfill.  My neighbor also mentioned in a casual conversation how much they were putting into the big blue recycle bin!  Who knows, maybe the recycled paper is some of my junk mail actually came from my recycle bin!

The number of recycle bins seen in Woodvale does not seem to have increased.  I really encourage everyone to make recycling a priority to reduce the stress on our landfills.

-Brian-