YEAR IN REVIEW: Top stories of 2025

Deshler baseball wins 1^st blue map

Playing a competitive team sport has a number of advantages for high school athletes.

Players learn things like hard work, work ethic, discipline, perse­verance and camarade­rie.

Sports, much like life, are all about learning to take advantage of the highs and bounce back from the lows.

The Deshler Tigers varsity baseball team experienced both during the Class 4A state cham­pionship at Jacksonville State University on May 14.

The Tigers had ripped through much of the 2025 postseason, with sweeps of West Lime­stone, Alexandria and Etowah.

The only loss so far had been one game to Haleyville, which still ended in a 2-1 series victory for DHS.

Deshler defeated Bibb County 2-1 in the first leg of a best-of-three series in Oxford, mean­ing one more win and the Tigers would bring home the first state title in DHS baseball pro­gram history.

Brady McKinney scored in the top of the fourth after a Choctaw throwing error, and Gar­rett Reid brought home George Youngblood on an RBI single in the fifth inning.

Price Thornton pitched six innings, giv­ing up one run on two hits with one strikeout and three walks.

Reid closed out the seventh inning, allow­ing no hits or runs with two strikeouts.

The Tigers had all the momentum going into the final at-bat for Bibb County in Game Two, leading 3-1 going into the top of the seventh and final inning.

The game had been deadlocked at 0-0 un­til Bibb County plated a run in the top of the sixth, but Deshler re­sponded when Brycen Williams reached on a fielder’s choice and brought home Warren Johnson.

Austin King then sin­gled through the left side, bringing in Wil­liams and Thornton.

The Tigers were only three outs away from the ultimate prize, val­idation for all the years of effort put in by the coaches and players.

But Bibb County ral­lied. A single, a hit by pitch and a wild pitch set up a two-RBI single followed by a RBI sin­gle, and just like that, the contest was tied.

The two teams would battle through extra in­nings until the Choc­taws finally plated three more runs in the top of the 10th, with Deshler unable to an­swer.

The Tigers, who had been three outs away from the trophy, were now once again an en­tire game away, with Bibb County taking all momentum into the de­ciding third game.

Reid pitched a com­plete game for DHS in Game Two, giving up six runs on 14 hits with 12 strikeouts and no walks.

The Choctaws struck first in the rubber match, a single run in the bottom of the first inning.

Deshler managed to hold its opponent scoreless over the next three innings but failed to produce any runs of its own.

Finally, in the top of the fifth, King hit an RBI single that plated Williams to tie the con­test at 1-1.

In the sixth, the Ti­gers took a 3-1 lead  after an RBI double by Jacob Alexander brought in Reid, and a single by McKinney led to Tripp Clark coming home after an error by Bibb County.

Just like that, the Ti­gers were again up 3-1 heading into the sev­enth and final inning of regulation.

However, things would be different this time around.

In the top of the sev­enth inning, Nash Ad­ams singled to right field, with Adrian Byram coming in to pinch run.

Byram stole second, and Cam Fuller drew a walk.

Reid grounded out to third base but advanced the runners to second and third.

Alexander was inten­tionally walked to load the bases but create a force out at any base with two outs. Carter Boyet was brought in to pinch run for Alexander.

Up to the plate came Thornton with a chance to really put Deshler in the driver’s seat going into the bottom of the inning.

Thornton cracked the ball into left field, and just like that, the bases were cleared. A three-RBI double scored Boyet, Fuller and Byram and put the Tigers up 6-1.

Alexander took the mound, three outs away from a state title. He had pitched a gem to that point, giving up one run on three hits with three strikeouts and one walk.

The first Choctaw batter grounded out to second. Two outs away.

The next struck out swinging. One more out.

One last swing. One final strikeout.

Deshler had won its first-ever state title in baseball.

Alexander’s hat flew off as he flung his glove into the air. He roared at his teammates before Judson Lindsey tackled him to the ground.

Within moments, ev­ery member of the Ti­gers, coaches included, were in a pile on the pitcher’s mound, a clas­sic celebration in base­ball after winning the big game.

“What a year,” said Deshler head baseball coach Justin Cantrell on social media. “So proud of these guys. The first team in Deshler Base­ball history to bring home the blue map. Thank you to all my as­sistant coaches for the help this year. We and I could not have done it without you all. It’s great to be a Deshler Ti­ger!!”

When the team came home from JSU to Tus­cumbia, they were giv­en a heroes’ return at Heinie Manush Field.

A celebration to cap an incredible season.

 

Tuscumbia cleans up after damage from EF-1 tornado

“It sounded just like a train coming.”

That’s what Scott Smallwood said after he witnessed the Feb. 15 storm moving in form his residence in downtown Tuscumbia.

Smallwood said he remained watching the weather until he saw power lines in the parking lot adjacent begin to snap from the high winds.

That’s when he rushed to his basement to ride out the storm.

By the time the severe weather had come and gone, pieces of a roof from across the park­ing lot had been carried over and struck at least four vehicles on Fifth Street, scraping the side of Smallwood’s truck while totaling a few others.

The National Weath­er Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado with winds speeds peaking at an estimated 105 mph touched down near the intersection of Lamar and Frankfort roads in Tuscumbia and went for just over 2 miles from 11:12 to 11:13 p.m. on Saturday night.

The max path of de­struction width was 215 yards, but fortu­nately there were no reported fatalities de­spite the storm hitting a populated area.

Some residents de­scribed downtown Tus­cumbia as looking like a war zone.

As of Monday, Feb. 17, there were doz­ens if not hundreds of trees down, especial­ly in District 2, many of which were already hewn into more man­ageable sections in or­der to let traffic flow through the area.

Mayor William Fos­ter, aided by the Emer­gency Management Agency (EMA), was helping to coordinate the recovery effort from a mobile com­mand post set up on the intersection of Main and Fifth streets, just a few yards from where the storm had removed a roof from a building on W Sixth Street and drug it across sever­al other rooftops be­fore landing on Main Street.

“From the time the incident happened we have had the EMA in­volved,” Foster said. “They brought their command post. We had 14 volunteer fire departments from the surrounding area go to work right after it went through.

“This community has got a lot of sup­port. Members of the police force around us came in as well and started barricading off the worst places. Vol­unteers began clearing out roads for transpor­tation.

Former Tuscumbia City Council mem­ber Scott Smart, who works in construction, confirmed the damage to the roofs of Super­hero Chefs and The Palace, with Foster saying there was a hole in the former’s roof.

Much of the down­town area was cor­doned off due to the widespread damage and risk of falling de­bris.

Smart and a group of workers pushed an entire section of brick off the top of Super­hero Chefs that came collapsing down threw awnings onto the side­walk.

The section had been at risk of falling any time, causing a poten­tially life-threatening hazard.

Tuscumbia Fire Chief J.T. Fox, who was ap­pointed to the position only a few weeks prior after spending years with the department, was constantly on the phone Monday direct­ing city firefighters in the cleanup effort.

That spot in down­town was far from the only area to see dam­age. Foster said there was roof damage to the Willie Green Center, and Muscle Shoals saw some damage as well, but not on the scale of Tuscumbia.

R.E. Thompson In­termediate School also had damage done to the building, with Tus­cumbia City Schools Superintendent Russ Tate closing the sys­tem through at least Feb. 18.

“Please stay safe and off the roads as much as possible to sup­port our utilities de­partment and first re­sponders as they clean up our city,” Tate said in a post to social me­dia. “Tuscumbia City Schools is praying for all those that have suf­fered in this storm.”

The seeming forest of downed trees did a fair bit of damage as well, falling on homes and garages across the area.

Cleanup effort

Foster said when the sun came up on Sun­day, Feb. 16, the city began working to get utilities restored.

“Our biggest con­cern Sunday was our water supply and sew­er,” he said. “Employ­ees worked overtime to make sure those things were going. We have most of the pow­er up already. We are working on cleaning the debris. I have a lot of people out there right now at residences and businesses doing cleanup.

“Neighboring cities have brought boom trucks, and we are tell­ing residents to get their debris to the road. We haven’t missed a beat. In two days, we have accomplished a lot. We are working on the lighting at some of our intersections and getting four-way stop signs put up where needed.”

The old saying goes, “when it rains it pours,” but in this case, the issue was a threat of snow or ice late on Feb. 18.

Foster said Tus­cumbia would have a warming center avail­able in the Multipur­pose Building, and Muscle Shoals would have one set up as well.

As of Feb. 17, Fos­ter said the total scope of the damage done by the storm was yet to be known. He said numbers were coming in and growing “by the second,” but there were no casualties.

“It is going to take some time to rebuild,” Foster said. “I know when something hap­pens to me, I want it fixed right then. There are thousands of peo­ple with that same at­titude right now. Just know we are working very hard.

“There are steps to be taken, and we are knocking everything out as fast as we can. It will take some time for Tuscumbia to rebuild. Some of the business­es downtown are going to struggle before they can reopen. I encour­age everybody around us, when they reopen, to help our local busi­nesses out. They need it.”

Foster said he would like to thank all the cit­ies, businesses, volun­teers and other private citizens who aided in the cleanup effort.

“We have a very strong community and lots of people willing to help with this disas­ter,” he said in a social media post. “Thanks to EMA and 911 to set up a command center and give us a place to organize the cleanup. Thanks to Congress­man (Robert) Ader­holt, Senator (Katie) Britt and (Tommy) Tu­berville for their sup­port.

“Thank you to all of our local legislation for giving us money to help with generators for those on oxygen with no power. These are some of our neigh­bors who helped: Mus­cle Shoals, Sheffield, Colbert County, all 14 volunteer fire depart­ments, Decatur, Ath­ens and Russellville. We have so many more individuals and private companies that have given us help. Thanks to Mayor’s (David) Grissom and (Ron) Morrow who personal­ly came out to help.

“We are currently working on clean up as our utilities work con­stantly on all electrical repairs. We have been able to accomplish so much in such a short time because of ALL the city employees and all the help from our neighbors. We are so much stronger to­gether. Thank you all again.”

 

 Vote is in for municipal elections 

The unofficial results of the 2025 municipal elections are in for cities in The Shoals.

For Sheffield and Tuscumbia, a change is in order.

For Muscle Shoals, the City Council will look much the same.

However, each of those cities will be led by a new mayor when the newly elected officials are sworn in to office.

It looked for a time like T.W. Billings and incumbent William Foster were headed for a runoff for Tuscumbia mayor, but later in the night as more official results came in, it seemed Billings cleared the 50 percent and one vote necessary to avoid a runoff.

“I am flabbergasted,” Billings said. “I have never run for any­thing before. We are going to pri­oritize a list of things we have already been thinking about that need to be addressed.

“One of them is finding a way to increase pay and benefits for our fire, police and Public Works departments. They desperately need that. We need to find a way to carve out some money to patch a few potholes, and we need to pursue some grants to do some major road repair. We need some­thing out on (Highway 72) like a big box store. Tuscumbia needs a bigger tax base, and it’s not go­ing to happen just from the store­fronts we have downtown. I want to see those filled too, but if you get something out on the highway, more will come naturally.”

Incumbent Foster was appoint­ed mayor after Kerry “Bubba” Underwood was elected as a state representative.

He said as results were coming in that if he failed to win elec­tion, he still had an­other “real job” wait­ing for him.

He owns Rattle­snake Saloon, and his family owns the ac­companying Seven Springs Lodge.

Katie Logan, the current District 1 council member, came in third in the voting.

She said the process of running for mayor was “amazing” and allowed her to meet many new people in Tuscumbia. She had served on the Council for nine years.

“I got to talk to cit­izens I’ve never met before, and it makes me love this town more,” Logan said.

“I will serve in a separate capacity whatever that may be. Our town will go big places, and I will al­ways be here.”

According to un­official results as of press time on Aug. 26, Council member Jen­nifer Bennetch was the only incumbent to win election. She was appointed to District 3 after Foster was ap­pointed mayor.

“I’m very excited about this term,” Ben­netch said.

“Going from an ap­pointment made by five people to feeling the love and support of the community en­courages me to want to push forward and continue to do the work and see Tuscum­bia move forward. I love this area, and I want to be a part of the continued growth of it.”

Other members of the Tuscumbia Coun­cil will be Roderick Metcalf (D-1), Sid­ney Nall (D-2), Rob­ert Gregory (D-4) and Krista Stanley (D-5).

Metcalf, Gregory and Stanley ran unop­posed. Nall defeated incumbent Geraldine Thompkins.

Muscle Shoals

Each of the Muscle Shoals City Coun­cil incumbents seek­ing election — Gina Clark (Place 2), Willis Thompson (Place 3), Ken Sockwell (Place 4) and Donie Lindley (Place 5) — won.

Place 1 Council member Chris Hall ran unopposed.

However, those Council members will be led by new mayor Billy Hudson, who defeated incumbent Mike Lockhart.

“I am humbled and honored to have been elected as the next Mayor of Muscle Shoals,” Hudson said in a statement posted to social media after the election.

“Thank you to every single supporter who believed in our vision and placed your trust in me.

“This victory be­longs to all of us—to­gether we are writing the next chapter in the history of our great city.

“As your mayor, I pledge to lead with transparency, open communication, and accountability. My commitment is to en­sure every citizen’s voice is heard, every concern is valued, and every decision is made with the best interest of Muscle Shoals in mind.

“This is not the end of a campaign, it’s the beginning of a new era of leadership. To­gether, we will move Muscle Shoals for­ward. It’s time Mus­cle Shoals is Great Again.”

Sheffield

According to unof­ficial results, the new mayor of Sheffield will be Bryan Van De­vender, who defeated incumbent Steve Stan­ley.

He will be joined by William “Hart Gar­gis (District 1), John Webb who ran un­opposed for District 2, Constance Finch, who defeated District 4 incumbent Cashe­ta Rutland and Carol Cooney (District 5).

The Council mem­ber for District 3 was yet to be decided as of press time, as Fred Mason and Ethan Stokes seemed to be headed to a runoff.

These results are again unofficial and do not include any provisional ballots.

 

City holds grand opening for new disc golf course

After nearly six months of work, the new disc golf course is open for play in downtown Tuscumbia’s Spring Park.

Mayor William Foster was joined by Jon and Melissa Avery of the Colbert County Disc Golf Club, as well as oth­er members and sponsors, in officially opening the course with a ribbon cutting on Jan. 1.

“Mr. and Mrs. Avery came to the office one day discussing a disc golf course,” Foster said. “From there, this whole thing began. I wanted to make a course that was community-based and funded.”

The course was announced during the July 15 meeting of the City Council.

Foster said each of the 18 holes, each containing a basket goal, would be pri­vately sponsored for funding.

He thanked each of the $1,000 spon­sors: First Metro Bank, Tuscumbia Util­ities, Bank Independent, Mayer Elec­tric, State Farm Insurance David Reed, Hometown Pizza, C & I Crane Service, Golden’s Professional Car Care, Kyle DeFoor Law, Coldwater Seed and Sup­ply, PROJECTXYZ, Singing River Den­tistry, Long Lewis Ford, Play It Again Sports, Advanced Surgical Care, Valley Credit Union, Rattlesnake Saloon, Nor­ton Underwood CPA, and the Colbert County Disc Golf Club, during the ribbon cutting ceremony.

“I cannot thank our sponsors enough,” Foster said. “Without them, this wouldn’t be here. This idea would have died at my office. This is great seeing everyone here. This is very fun. Thank you all for com­ing and supporting this.”

There were 20 or more visitors who at­tended the ribbon cutting waiting to play the course on Day One, with Foster say­ing around 50 total went through on New Years.

“We, along with the City of Tuscumbia, have designed and installed this course for the general good of the community,” Jon Avery said. “There are so many peo­ple to thank. We raised $19,000 through sponsorships, and we are well under bud­get. Everything was privately funded, and the mayor made that happen.”

 

New Shoals VA Clinic open in Sheffield

A new, state-of-the-art facility offering heath care services to all veterans is now open for patients in The Shoals.

Officials from Florence and the Tri-Cit­ies joined Birmingham VA Health Care System for the ribbon cutting of Shoals VA Clinic at 410 Cox Boulevard on Jan. 16.

“This new facility reflects their ongo­ing commitment to honoring and serving the men and women who have bravely served our country. We are proud they have built this comprehensive facility in the Shoals,” said Florence Mayor Andy Betterton.

The new 16,000-plus square foot clin­ic features 18 dedicated patient rooms for primary care, women’s health, and mental health, three specialized telehealth rooms and expanded face-to-face care and more specialized care like audiology and optometry.

The new clinic is more than double the size of its predecessor, which opened in 1999 and is meant to offer services to a wider array of patients.

“Access is something we take serious­ly in VA,” said Dr. Ladi Kukoyi, Exec­utive Director/CEO of the Birmingham VA Health Care System. “This clinic will make a large impact to veterans in the northern part of Alabama in terms of ac­cess, quality of care and a state-of-the-art facility.”

According to a release by the Birming­ham-based company, more than 100 peo­ple were in attendance when the ribbon was cut on the more modern facility.

Guests included staffers from the offic­es of Senator Tommy Tuberville, Senator Katie Britt, Congressman Robert Ader­holt and Congressman Dale Strong, as well as the mayors of Florence, Sheffield, Muscle Shoals and Tuscumbia. Members of local Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), community leaders and VA staff also joined to celebrate this milestone.

“To the veterans here today and who live in this region, this clinic is for you,” said Dr. David Walker, Network Director, VA Southeast Network. “It’s about ensur­ing your health and well-being remain at the forefront of everything we do. Thank you for allowing us to serve you.”

 

Fox named Tuscumbia fire chief 020825

The Tuscumbia Fire De­partment officially has its new chief.

Former assistant chief John Tyler (J.T.) Fox was promot­ed to fire chief at the Feb. 3 meeting of the Tuscumbia City Council.

“As mayor of the city of Tuscumbia, it gives me great pleasure to appoint you as the new fire chief of the Tuscum­bia Fire Department,” Mayor William Foster read as part of a statement. “Your skills and experience as assistant fire chief match our require­ments for this position. I look forward to our continued working relationship for the betterment of the City of Tus­cumbia.”

Fox will be sworn in to the position during the Council’s next meeting on Feb. 17.

“He has done a lot since he has been assistant,” Foster said. “I look forward to him carrying on the tradition and keeping our fire department rolling.”

Fox has been a member of Tuscumbia Fire Department for 13 years. He started as a volunteer before becoming a part-time member and later a full-time firefighter in 2014.

Fox said being a firefighter is in his blood.

“My grandfather was a fire­fighter for Muscle Shoals for about 30 years, and I grew up in it,” he said. “Around 18 I got into a volunteer department, and it re­ally stuck then. I knew then and there I want­ed to make a career out of it.”

Former Tuscumbia Fire Chief David Pate officially retired on Nov. 1 of last year, and Fox said his mentor readied him to be the successor of the posi­tion.

“He showed me all the ropes and made me into the leader I am to­day,” Fox said. “I’m still learning and still figuring out the new and improved ways in this new generation. He taught me all the old school ways, so now I’m melding the old and the new to­gether.”

Fox said being named Tuscumbia fire chief is an honor. He said the job is a stress­ful one, but one he’s willing and ready to do.

“We’ve got some new state-of-the-art equipment, and there’s always new techniques and new equipment being developed,” he said. “I want to see us come together as a city and get our hands on all this new equip­ment that makes our jobs easier and our cit­izens safer. I want us to move forward into the future overall as a community.”

 

Killen sets all-time career wins record

Jana Killen’s career at Deshler is what young coaches dream of when they join the profession.

Killen has spent all 35 years of her life teaching and coaching at Deshler, has won seven state ti­tles in basketball and has 926 to­tal wins in the sport, the Alabama High School Athletic Association all-time record for boys or girls.

When Killen set the state record at 920 wins against Hatton on Jan. 21, she said her main thoughts were on winning the game itself and get­ting ready for the next one.

Such is life for a coach. One of the most important things at any given time is the next game.

“It’s special,” Killen said. “It was a lot of basketball games, a lot of memories. First and foremost, I just wanted to make sure we won the game. That was my focus. All these years have been special.”

Killen is originally from Law­renceburg, Tennessee, where she grew up playing sports.

She said whatever her older brother Joey was doing, she was tagging along. She played basket­ball, volleyball, softball and tennis.

“I was a busy girl,” she said.

And throughout those years, she said her family were her biggest supporters.

It took inclement weather for her parents to miss a game of hers for the first time ever. While she was playing collegiate basketball for the University of North Alabama. Against a team in Georgia.

“My brother says he is the reason I was a good player, and my mom and dad never missed any games. That’s a lot of games. They were a steady force I could always count on. It makes it very enjoyable to have friends and family with you along the ride.”

For Killen, the next step after college was an easy one.

“I love the game, I love compe­tition, and I love kids,” she said. “When you love kids, love ball and love competition, you are headed to coaching.”

Since the 1989-1990 school year, Killen has been with Deshler. She said the kids, the community and the relationships you build are what have kept her there for 35 years.

“It all boils down to the kids,” Killen said. “Deshler kids are spe­cial to me. They are willing to work hard. They are competitive and hungry, wonderful kids. I love my teaching family, and the admin­istration is second to none.”

Killen has coached girls basket­ball, volleyball, softball, tennis and taught Algebra I and physical education in all those years in Tus­cumbia.

“I taught Algebra I for a lotta years,” she said. “The past three years I have just taught P.E., but I still love to tutor students who need help with math.”

Killen has certainly left a mark on the school and the program. Look at the banners hanging in the gym or trophies in the case, and practi­cally every accolade in girls sports she was the coach for.

Despite all that suc­cess, Killen said she is always working for the next one.

“Winning state is the ultimate competitive feeling,” she said. “To me the last game of the season is so sad, espe­cially for your seniors, so if you win state your last game, that eases the pain. At least the seniors are leaving feel­ing accomplished and happy.”

Killen said the sup­port system around her has been instrumental in her success over the years.

Assistant coach Sha­ron Garrison has been with her from the start, and former players Lau­ren Cantrell Sherill and Willa Murner are now assistants.

“They know how I think and the amount of work that goes into the program,” Killen said.

She also said she is happy to have volley­ball assistant Alyssa Minshew and new as­sistant coaches Nikki Robertson and Virginia Tate.

“You can’t do it alone,” Killen said.

Though the sports she coaches are very important to her, Kil­len is sure to point out those things are sec­ondary when it comes to the students.

“Your primary job is teaching,” she said. “I love teaching Al­gebra I. I tell young coaches coming in to realize coaching is a supplement. Teaching at the high school lev­el comes first. Treat it accordingly and put as much effort into the classroom as you do your sport. Then every­body wins.”

When she is not coaching, Killen said she loves riding horses. To the point of being “horse crazy.” She said she owns 15 now.

And when asked how much longer she plans to be a coach, there is no end in sight. Killen said she still gets a spe­cial feeling when she walks into the Desh­ler gym each morning, sees the excellent fa­cility and the banners hanging from the ceil­ing.

“I’m still feeling good right now,” she said. “You never know what the future holds. As far as my energy, it’s way up. I’m still competitive, and I still love the kids very much. I still love my job.”

 

Tuscumbia names Holt P&R director

The City of Tuscumbia has seen some turnover in the Parks and Recreation Department over the past few years.

Longtime director Joel Kendrick took over the Public Works De­partment when former director Bo Stanley retired, and his predeces­sor Brooks Canup moved to Mus­cle Shoals Parks and Rec earlier this year.

When it comes to the new Tus­cumbia Parks and Rec Director, however, there is a lot of familiar­ity.

The Tuscumbia City Council vot­ed 5-0 to appoint assistant Parks and Recreation Director Tammy Holt to the director position during its August 4 meeting. Council member Katie Logan was unable to attend.

A number of audience members applauded when Holt was official­ly appointed.

She has worked for Tuscumbia Parks and Rec since 2014 and has been the assistant director for a few years.

“We had our interviews for the position, and Miss Tammy did very well,” Mayor William Foster said.

Holt is originally from Memphis, Tennessee. She said she began playing rec league sports at 4 years old.

“I have played all my life,” she said.

“I played high school and college softball. I always loved parks and rec.”

Holt attended the University of North Alabama, where she did her internship with Florence Parks and Recreation and eventually worked there part time for three years.

“Money was tight, so I decided I couldn’t do it full time,” she said. “I worked in public housing in Sheffield until I retired. Then there was a police department opening for a dispatcher in Tuscumbia. Eventually, I applied for the Tus­cumbia Parks and Rec athletic di­rector job in 2014. I’ve worked my way up from there since.”

When Canup left the department, Holt said some of her employees came to her and asked her to apply for the director position.

“I thought, it’s time,” she said. “I’m excited. I feel like I have been doing the job for a while.

“Joel and I have worked together for years. We work well together. There won’t be a whole lot of new with this.”

Holt said she has an entire to-do list of projects and goals, including hiring more employees and getting them a raise in pay.

“I want to get the sportsplex we have updated and get a multipur­pose field for flag football and if soccer ever comes. There’s a lot of things,” she said.

 

Tuscumbia Retail Development celebrates 15 years at FiddleDee D!

Members of Tuscumbia Retail Development welcomed visitors to FiddleDee D! on June 24 in honor of the store’s 15^th anniversary.

According to TRD, the idea for the store began when a grassroots movement of women held a meeting and expressed concern that more merchandise — items which would appeal to a large number of women shoppers — was needed in downtown Tuscumbia and within the town’s perimeter.

An informal study was launched during that holiday shopping season, and information was compiled that gave them a list of items and types of shops that would offer them the full shopping experience that they desired.

With the support of the mayor and City Council, and with assistance from the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Community Development program, they undertook further study, setting up a market plan with a map showing a potential market area.

Tuscumbia Retail Development became incorporated as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the retail climate of the town.

The women held meetings, socials and fundraisers to further the cause of revitalizing the shopping district. The community’s response was tremendous.

In July of 2010, the vision was fulfilled when Fiddledee D! opened its doors in downtown Tuscumbia, offering an incubator program for small business owners to join as individuals into a cooperative sales effort.

In this retail cooperative, they have the opportunity to try out a merchandising concept before making a heavy investment.

Operating costs and work hours are shared, making participation in Fiddledee D! ideal for those who wish part-time work or who are hobbyist business owners.

FiddleDee D! currently houses products from a number of businesses, from gifts and jewelry to home décor and food.

In the fall of 2015, the building that houses Fiddledee D! was redesigned, and the store held a grand reopening to offer a brand-new look to loyal local customers and visitors alike.

During 2020-2022, adversity struck our nation, our town and all retail shops with the COVID 19 pandemic.

Through the loyalty of our customers and the dedication of our volunteers and our small business merchants, Fiddledee D! was able to survive and indeed thrive.

The use of social media and personal service for curbside shopping helped us to “weather the storm.”

Speaking of storms, most recently Fiddiedee D! miraculously escaped damage from a tornado that hit our downtown. We lost our sign, but not our spirit.

In celebrating 15 years in business, TRD looks to have many more successful years for Fiddledee D! and for retail development in beautiful downtown Tuscumbia.