After enjoying the 2012 Brundidge Peanut Butter Parade, my husband and I usually taste our way through the festival booths around City Hall, visiting old friends and meeting new ones. Well, this year, we decided to start across the street near the old Mill.

When crossing Church Street we wondered what was under the large white tent and discovered a treasure of entertainment.

What we found was a small group of singers and musicians on stage, called the Dill Pickers.

What a treat we had listening to this Birmingham group (and one Tennessean), play every string instrument we could imagine, plus one more.

And when a train tried to interrupt one of their songs, being the professionals they were, they incorporated it into their tune, with a little comedy thrown in for extra flavor.

After a toe-tapping hour of blue grass, gospel, soft rock, country, and “yes”, a vegetable song, we felt lucky to have found this hidden gem, and left begging for more!

When talking to others in the audience, we whispered our pleasure, wanting to hold on to such an amazing surprise, while wondering why this talented group was not on center stage across the street.

So, we will keep our secret find and come next year we know where we will head for a short walk down memory lane with hours of great music and clean fun-and that’s to the white tent near the railroad track to enjoy the Dill Pickers one more time.

In secret gratitude,

Genie Jones

Fort Rucker

 

Lunsford’s tenure reflects his commitment, service

The citizens of Troy and Pike County have been fortunate to have had a mayor as tremendous as Jimmy Lunsford. A quick scan of your newspaper’s special section commemorating his service is a testament to his success while at the helm of the city. While many are quick to point this out, allow me to offer that I’ve have worked with, covered, and sometimes worked against, a great many mayors and city councils in my career that has spanned news coverage, local government lobbying and service on appointed municipal commissions.

I can say without reservation that Jimmy Lunsford’s administration has been among the most dynamic and versatile I’ve witnessed. Great things happen when good people are standing watch. The City of Troy and the county as a whole has benefitted by Mayor Lunsford’s approach – quite visibly one by which the best interests of the citizens are at the base of every decision.

The best public officials, I believe, are those who need no acclamation and who go about “We the People’s” business without regard for their own good – men and women who are not afraid to “do the right thing.” The results speak loudly for these servant leaders: affirmation of a job well done at the polls.

This is not to say that Mayor Lunsford and I have always been in lockstep. We have disagreed on approach from time to time, but in every, single case Mayor Lunsford’s pro-business, “good for us” philosophy has allowed for consensus building and achievement. He’s proven his worth and his skill time and time again.

No one stays in public office for any amount of time without gaining detractors. To say Mayor Lunsford has none would be wrong, but I suspect even they respect him for his stands and applaud the outward results of his administration: growth, even in dark economic days.

Newspaper editors – much like elected officials – can’t go out to dinner without someone interrupting the meal to offer a tip. Many times, these tips tend to be negative. Often, people outright complain that the newspaper needs to “jump on City Hall.” They would be right in most cases. If the local newspaper won’t stand as a surrogate for the people – champion their causes – then who will? Only once did I ever receive that request on the City of Troy, and then it was presented in a forthright, well-delivered and even eloquent manner. Even people who disagree with the city leadership’s decisions have been afforded a forum to express their opinions and concerns, and, solutions have been actively sought to address those concerns. That speaks volumes about the core nature of the man who sits behind the mayor’s desk. I humbly offer my gratitude and express my thanks for his service.

Clif Lusk

Clif Lusk served as managing editor of The Messenger from 2003 to 2004 and is a former editor of the Demopolis Times. He has been assistant metro editor of The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion Ledger and was assistant publisher and executive editor of The Magee Courier, Simpson County News and Southwest Rankin Times.