By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
We met with gratitude, full hearts and no longer full tummies on December 1, and exchanged stories of the blessings of the season. Mayor Ronnie sometimes gets concerned about re-visiting topics, but once again we found ourselves discussing the number one concern no matter what time of year, and that is public safety. “Without it, we can’t celebrate anything,” he said. “We need to pray for Washington DC,” and I agreed. The topic of public prayer and the freedom to engage in it was one of things about which we expressed gratitude. “We are free to pray before City Council meetings. We are free to pray before games. We can never take that for granted,” he said.
Another topic that pops up often in our conversation is that of growth. It is no small task to endeavor to grow well, and it is one of the things that is continually on Mayor Marks’s heart and mind—how do we prepare for and respond to being one of the fastest-growing cities in the state of Alabama without losing our “Athens-ness?” There is the Food City complex on Lucas Ferry and Hwy 99 which is coming along well. Ground has been broken for the new Publix store on Mooresville Road. It is hard to imagine that when the first Publix store was built close to 15 years ago at the intersection of Lindsay Lane and Hwy 72 that there was serious concern as to whether it would be financially viable. Now we have Publix #3 in the works. We are definitely on the radar of several national chain enterprises, and with growth comes challenges along with jobs and a strengthened economy.
Athens-Limestone has a number of ways to celebrate the holidays. Sometime soon the movie, A Kangaroo Christmas, which was filmed here in Athens, is going to be broadcast, but those details are not yet available. Mayor Ronnie got to be a part of that movie and has a cameo role as the mayor. The undisputed “star” of the movie was the baby kangaroo, whose name in real life is Scarlett Johansson, and the movie could very well end up being our own It’s A Wonderful Life.
The annual Christmas Parade is having to be postponed due to un-cooperative weather, and hopefully the December 5th lighting of the columns at Athens State University followed by the Athens State choir concert won’t have to be. Athens High School has its annual Christmas Concert on Dec 6 at 7 p.m. at the AHS performing arts center. Sippin’ Cider will be on December 13, and the Storytelling Festival version of A Christmas Carol will be on December 14. The Lincoln-Bridgeforth Christmas Tree Lighting is on December 18, and Mayor Ronnie knew that the only way to enjoy the holidays might sound a bit paradoxical. “If you get engaged and involved in this city, the holidays are just better. But, if you overdo it, you will miss the whole point of the holidays,” he said. I could not agree more. Thankfully there is a wide variety of ways to celebrate, and even if the snow falls in abundance, it will not dampen the Christmas spirit.
We took the time to pray and thank God for more blessings than we can handle, and once again it was time for Ronnie to roll.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
