​Randolph the art snake is now the most popular guy in the county! He has been growing this summer and thanks to some special people Randolph is at home at French Park located on Old Highway 431. He is at the first driveway entrance right at the beginning of the walking path! Special thanks to Renee Johnson for the initial post and naming Randolph, Lisa Mirabelli Keling for the sign, Jennifer Grantham for Randolph's head, and Sherri Mulder with Melissa Burns for organizing Operation Randolph. Also special thanks to mayor Tim for finding Randolph his forever home. Get y’alls rocks down there people!

#localart #randolphtherocksnack #lakewedowee #WEDOwedowee

The frogs are getting restless and have started hopping around again in Wedowee! And it’s up to you to find them!

Registration will begin after Labor Day weekend for our second Lake Wedowee Life Feelin’ Froggy Scavenger Hunt. The cost to register is $5 per person and the first 50 people to register will receive a swag bag from local businesses.

The frogs have gotten smarter this year and stayed cool on the creek during the dreadful heat of summer. But, by October 14, the frogs will definitely be ready to play!!!!!

Cooler weather is one factor, but the frogs also heard about Art and Crafts on the Median presented by East Alabama Art Society. They started doing flips at the possibility of seeing awesome arts and crafts in Wedowee.

Art and Crafts on the Median has been a must attend event in Wedowee for more than a decade. It started in 2008 as Art on the Median, the second Saturday in June. A few years later Crafts on the Median was added in October. In recent years, the event has embraced both Art and Crafts at both shows.

The organizers want this to be a fun family event, but because there could be driving involved, at least one team member must be 16 years of age or older.

The grand prize is to be determined based on sponsor participation. There will also be door prizes given at the end of the event. All other information will be provided to participants closer to the start date.

If you are interested in vendor space at Art and Crafts on the Median, contact Sylvia Grant at 256.357.4582 for an application. It is a juried show, and a vendor fee is required.

To find out more details about the scavenger hunt and the possibility of a clue… visit www.lakewedoweelife.com

​The proceeds of the scavenger hunt will be used for a downtown art project in Wedowee.

#feelinfroggy #lakewedowee #artandcraft #WEDOwedowee

Every year the Lake Wedowee Property Owners Association (LWPOA) partners with Alabama Power to bring lake lovers together for one reason - keeping Lake Wedowee beautiful. It’s amazing to see such a diverse group of people joining in for a day (or three!) to give of their time and energy to take such good care of our playground. Arriving at the highway 48 bridge boat ramp parking lot, you will find pontoon boats ready to receive you and your hard work. Jump aboard, meet some new friends, ride to your designated part of the lake, and get to work pulling garbage off of the shoreline and out of the water. Thankfully after years of cleanup, the amount of trash pulled out of the lake is less than ever. 

​Renew Our Rivers is the official campaign started by Alabama Power in 2000 that now encompasses rivers, lakes and creeks getting cleaned up across four southern states. There are 37 lakes in the state of Alabama that participate and according to LWPOA, Lake Wedowee is the best organized group that they work with.

​Come join in for a day of fun, making new friends and doing your part in stewarding our beautiful water. 

​October 24, 25, 26, 2023. https://lakewedoweepoa.com

#lakewedowee #alabamalake  #ilovelakewedowee  #wedowee #WEDOwedowee #WEDOmedia

By Angie Stryker /   

​“Wedowee just has so much potential!”

“It’s such a sweet little town, I’d love to see some new things to do.”

“What about the kids and teens, what are they supposed to do around here after time on the lake?”

“We need this place to be a working town, not just for visitors.”

Stick around long enough and you will hear one of these quotes from those passing through, or those who have lake property, or long term residents. More and more, people come for the lake, but end up staying for the way of life here - long winding country roads, slower pace of life, long conversations in the driveway or on the porch, delicious southern food, and well, the skies are just bluer here. 

In the last summer, we have seen people - new and old - put their dreams for Wedowee into action in the way of new businesses. If you have only been on the lake - then you are missing out on some of the fun and wonderful spaces that have come to Wedowee. This is great news for when the sun sets early and the water level goes down. We are so thankful for all the business women and men who are working hard to make Wedowee a wonderful place to live, work and visit, year round.

The Range, https://thecreekatwedowee.com/the-range, 1310 County Road 269, Wedowee
Did you know that Wedowee now has a golf range, in the technological style of Top Golf? Hit balls and let the computer tell you how great (or terrible) your swing, your arc, your ball speed, your aim are! All while enjoying pizza, burgers, beer and drinks from the cooler. The Range is exactly what we have been missing in the “things for the teens to do” category.

Wake and Shake, https:/ wakeandshakedonutshop.square.site/  home, 108 Main Street South, Wedowee
We hope you haven’t missed the “best donuts I have ever had” as one patron declared out loud recently, at Wake and Shake. Espresso milkshakes (topped with a donut), to cake donuts with any possible topping that you can imagine, to lattes (and a breakfast donut) are all available at the cutest little donut shop in town (with a fantastic mural for photo opps outside). 

Wedowee Animal Hospital, https://wedoweeah. vetsfirstchoice.com/, 794 West Broad Street, Wedowee
Wedowee finally has its own animal hospital. Now, your fur babies can enjoy the lake AND a place to go if something happens to them while they are on vacation. Our local friends are happy that residents have a friendly place to go for pup and kitten checkups. In the words of Bob Barker, “Help control the pet population. Spay and neuter your pets!

Boondocks on the Lake, https://www.facebook.com/ BoondocksOTL, 9681 Hwy 48, Lineville
One thing that has been absolutely missing from Wedowee is yoga. That’s right. Saturday mornings this past summer at Boondocks at the Marina you got your stretch on with some amazing instructors who challenged you and helped you love yourself well, all while overlooking the lake. You left sweaty and feeling incredible. But only after grabbing a mimosa and brunch! Does it get any better?"

Decor and More, Dixie Doodle Dog Treats, Find Dixie Doodle Dog Treats on Facebook, 117 Main Street, Wedowee
Need a place to consign some of those home decor items to pay for the redecorating? How about shopping for what others are selling? And what if we told you that you could pick up some homemade treats for those fur babies while you were shopping (or selling)? Shari’s place does both.

48 West Music, https://48west.live/, 216 West Broad Street, Wedowee
Wedowee has always been the proud location of some wonderful bands and live music. Now, there is an official venue full of life and live music, right in downtown. 48 West Music hosts bands from near and far on a regular schedule in different genres. It’s a really cool vibe inside an old church. Did we mention you can bring alcohol? 

Fun fAxe Ax Throwing, Find Bobbers Bar and Grill on Facebook, 22295 Hwy 431, Wedowee
One thing we did not see coming — axes. Being thrown. For fun. If you haven’t done it yet, then you need to just go. Take the teens and the kids! There is something truly adrenaline grabbing about picking up an ax and throwing it at a wall. Trust us, it’s FUN. 

Anchor on Main, Find Anchor on Main on Facebook, 106 Main Street South, Wedowee
Take your time as you stroll through the new gift store in town to take it all in. Local vendors have some really beautiful gift items for men and women. And if you are wondering where all the fun earrings are that you see on women around town, Joy makes them and has them for sale inside.

Twin Rivers Business Center, 12 West Broad Street, Wedowee
Let’s say that you are in town for a special occasion and you want to commemorate it with ink? Now you can. Wedowee has a new tattoo artist in town, people. So get your ideas ready for that next piece of body art. Or let’s say instead of a tattoo type of vibe, you need to host an important meeting in town. Now you have a space outfitted just for that, at the business center at Twin Rivers Business Center (Old Bill’s Dollar Store). Now both are available in the same place, thanks to the rentable spaces inside. You could even have meetings about tattoos. Or get tattoos of meetings. Find more information with a visit to 12 West Broad Street, Wedowee.

We celebrate all the exciting progress in Wedowee and welcome new business owners and families who are making Wedowee an even better place to live. And speaking of development, if you haven’t met Chris Dunlap yet, he’s our new Economic Development Authority Director. Find him out and about in town to hear how he wants to help your idea or your business plan come to fruition.
https://randolphcountyeda.com/ 

WEDO love Wedowee and Cheers to an exciting summer’s worth of new.  Starting a new business or service in the Wedowee area, be sure to let us know so we can introduce you to the community. 

#WEDOgreatthingstogether #WEDOmedia #WEDOsmalltowns #businessisbooming 

BY CHARLEY NORTON

​As some of you may know, much of what I write about come’s from my dreams. Many of which can seem quite real. So real that sometimes I find them hard not to believe myself. There are stories I’ve written for Lake Wedowee Life that have had some readers also thinking they were true….. to the point that my editor had to put disclaimers on some so people wouldn’t take them for truth. I like to call them “Dream Stories,” written with my eyes shut and mind open. They naturally write themselves.                      

I must admit these last several months have left me to question whether or not I was dreaming. Most folks know I was pretty sick and in need of a transplant. To be honest, I really had written myself off and was doing the whole “affairs in order” thing. But while we were waiting at UAB hospital to have a procedure done, I got the call of my lifetime. A potential donor came into my world and just a few hours after that call I was in surgery and eight and a half hours later I woke up surrounded by machines, monitors and of course, Kim.

I’m not sure if it was karma, chance or maybe just luck that brought this gift to me… No, there is only one reason and most folks that followed my adventure know it. They played a big part in my being able to write this story today after so long. It was a gift from God. This blessing came to me on the prayers of hundreds, maybe thousands of people. Many I’ll  never know. Now, if that isn’t a miracle then I don’t know what is.

We all, at one time or another, have heard the expression  “You don’t know who your friends are until you really need them." This was usually said by someone who felt slighted or abandoned by those that he or she thought they could count on. My experience was the opposite. I found I have more friends than I could have ever imagined! There aren’t  enough words I can say to express how I feel about what so many did for Kim and me. I am truly, truly blessed. I have had a chance to see how I’m thought of by others. Like a different approach to “It’s a Wonderful life.” I have grown closer to my wife, my daughter and her family, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles. My brother Bill and his awesome wife Lori put Kim and I up after surgery so we’d be close to the hospital and brother Tom pulled and is pulling the load at the store in my absence. I'm closer and so much more appreciative  to the churches, Sunday school classes, prayer circles, friends and individuals that took time to put in a good word with the “Big Guy” for me. Bless you all for this kindness. I will strive to earn it. 

But, there is still one more to thank. And that is to the one who gave me my new life at the end of their own. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know your family or what circumstances brought us together. I don’t even know how old you were or if you were a male or female but I can promise you one thing, from now until the day I die, you will be a part of me and you will never be forgotten. 

But even If I were to die tomorrow, it will have been worth it just to see how precious every life is and just how much good there still is in this world. You just have to look for it. Just don’t be like me and wait til you are at death's door to find out because the door can always close and there may not be a second chance. For that reason, I encourage everyone to sign the back of their license and become a donor. It would possibly be the biggest gift you ever gave. God's blessings and favors to all of you.      

​Editor’s Note: We are over the moon thrilled to welcome our friend Charley back to the Lake Wedowee Life writer’s circle. When he talks about people that prayed for him, we were definitely on the list.

April is National Donate Life Month and April 14 (the first day you could be reading this) is Blue and Green Day to support organ donors.

Also, if you would like to learn more about organ donation in Alabama, visit www.legacyofhope.org

#CharleyNorton  #AWonderfulLife  #LakeWedowee #WEDOmedia

As a child I remember the library as gloomy and quiet place with very little activity other than searching for a book, checking it out or checking it back in with a possible fine for being late. I never watched a movie there, no games played or story time, no book club.

Oh how things have changes. As one of the librarians’ told me, “we are not quiet, we talk and love to laugh”. Today, our local libraries are a hub of activity in the community, they serve people of every age, income level, location, ethnicity, and physical ability. ​ ​They connect people and provide information and resources needed by people to live, learn, work, and grow. Kids get help with homework, play games, multiple age groups participate in art and craft classes, book clubs and computer classes are offered to older adults. There is place for everyone at the library.

Annie L. Awbrey Library
736 College St.
Roanoke, AL 36274
Phone: 334-863-2632
https://www.roanokealabama.org/library
​https://www.facebook.com/roanokecitylibrary

Ashland City Library
11 2nd Ave N
Ashland, AL 36251
Phone: 256-354-3427
https://www.cityofashlandal.com/library
​https://www.facebook.com/AshlandCityLibrary

Lineville City Library
60119 Highway 49
Lineville, AL
​Phone: 256-396-5162
https://linevillecitylibrary.mailchimpsites.com/
​https://www.facebook.com/linevillelibrary

Lucile L. Morgan Public Library aka "The Lucy"
541 Ross St.
Heflin, AL 36264
Phone: 256-463-2259
https://www.llmorganlibrary.com/
​https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064899122376

Wedowee Free Library
Main Street Small Brick Building in Median
Wedowee, AL 36278
Director: Sylvia Grant Hrs: 24/7

​The concept is simple “take a book, leave a book”. There is an ongoing supply of books at the free library from best sellers to classics to a large selection of children’s books. Search on Facebook for “Wedowee Free Library” for more information and to follow the page.

#communityresources #community
​#Ashland #Lineville #Roanoke #Heflin #Wedowee

​ I finished this story the day before Byrd Stewart passed away.I’m leaving the story just as it was written. I am so honored to have had the privilege to do this and get to know Byrds wonderful daughters. My heart goes out to this great family.

              A Man of Character
       I wonder how many people can say that they were born in World War I, lived through the Great Depression, fought in World War 2 and can speak of it today? Not many, if any, I’d say but we have such a person right here in Randolph County. His name is Mr. Byrd Stewart. At 103, he still lives at home, enjoys a good book, conversation and watching the birds outside his picture window.

Byrd Stewart enlisted in the Army in June of 1941, at the age of 25. He went in as a mechanic and as soon as his training was complete, he was loaded on the Queen Elizabeth, seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time, and shipped off to Scotland to eventually join the 6th Cavalry Mechanized Division.

In his service, he witnessed the tragedy of war. The effects of bombs, bullets, fire and inhumanity were obvious everywhere. As his exit paperwork shows, he was there in the Battle of the Bulge in Normandy, Central Europe and Ardennes Rhineland. In all, he was in three different campaigns that were called the Bronze Service Star Campaigns.

For his service, Sgt Stewart earned the Bronze Star as well as the European-African- Middle Eastern service medal with one silver star.

To read more about Mr. Stewart, pick up your copy of Southern Holiday Life.

​Tags: #Community   #Local Flavor  #CharleyNorton

​On a sunny, fall-like Wednesday afternoon in October, the Lake Wedowee Property Owners Association and all of their volunteers stopped for a meal at Rice Pavilion at Lake Wedowee. The 37 volunteers had just wrapped up another solid day of cleaning trash and other debris around the lake, as part of the “Renew Our Rivers” campaign, that has just wrapped up their 27th year. 

Following the wonderful lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches, Brunswick stew, and cookies provided by WM Grocery; Sheila Smith, Bob May, as well as Marlon and Betty Glover,  sat down for a discussion on how far the campaign has come over the last two decades, and how much the local community has helped the cause. 

Today’s journey has improved since beginning in 1992, says Bob May, one of the organizers of “Renew our Rivers.” May says that the effort began with less than 10 people on one boat, and would last upwards of six days, from 8 AM to dark. 

“We would spend two days just on one cove, it was a lot of work,” says May of the first lake cleanup. “I’d lose ten pounds in the week that we were doing it.”

Not only has the number of volunteers increased, but the amount of trash collected has dropped since the project began. 

Marlon Glover told us that the number of refrigerators, washing machines, tires, and even stranger items such as bowling balls were alarming. 

More volunteers began to come out, and the event became more organized and was then given the title of “the Tallapoosa Trashout,” says Sheila Smith of the Alabama Power Shorelines, who has also been a part of the efforts since the inception. Alabama Power then began to consolidate all 37 cleanup efforts into one campaign and became what it is known today as “Renew our Rivers” 19 years ago. 

The Lake Wedowee version of “Renew our Rivers” has been called the most organized lake cleanup efforts in the state, and it all goes back to the volunteers. 

In 2018, “Renew our Rivers” on Lake Wedowee averaged 36 volunteers per day, ranging from members of the Lake Wedowee Property Owners Association to community members who took a few vacation days to help out. Even the Randolph County High School fishing club sent members out to help with cleanup efforts. 

The volunteering does not stop at just cleanup. Local restaurants and grocery stores have donated food and water to volunteers, and others have donated boats to provide transportation around the lake. 

“This community is wonderful at donating,” says Betty Glover. Mrs. Glover took the time to thank Lakeside Marina, WM Grocery’s deli, and Crystal Barnes with Hunter Bend Realty for feeding the volunteers, in addition to Small Town Bank and Perryland Foods, who donated water and snacks respectively.  

“Renew our Rivers” has also seen an abundance of boats donated to aid in cleanup efforts. Randy Morris at Wedowee Marine donated three boats, as well as gas; Alabama Power and other local donations had the number up to nine donated boats. 

From humble beginnings filled with bologna sandwiches and six-day efforts to a growth in community involvement, “Renew our Rivers” is stronger than ever. Marlon, Betty, Bill, and Sheila all say that the event is more than just collecting trash and providing a better lake for residents and wildlife, it has become a fun experience full of memories and meeting others who share a love for our lake. 

For more information on “Renew Our Rivers”, as well as everything going on with the Lake Wedowee Property Owners Association, visit www.lakewedoweepoa.com

​For many, many years and trips back and forth from the North Pole visiting places where I could have stayed I kept coming back to Lake Wedowee. I always have the best time here with my crew from the far north region and decided to make this our annual stay over, during our off season. Fishing, sunshine, friendly people, hospitality on & on I could go but Lake Wedowee is the place to be.

A typical day for Santa K at Lake Wedowee...First I am awakened by my Elf Alarm. I jump up with glee for a new day on the lake. I normally will have my hot cocoa, (not too hot, shaken not stirred and strong with chocolate.) Today I have some of my elves helping me at the secret reindeer barn. We must replace some of the oatmeal and carrot feeders, which I need wood and nails for. I always stop at Wedowee Building Supply for everything to build with. Of course, I know everyone there from delivering toys when they were children. Most of them were on the nice list but, of course not all of them. HO HO HO Joe and all the boys are so helpful with advise and great prices. They even have a special parking place for my sleigh.

We are so anxious to get to work but, I haven’t had my special coffee and morning delights yet so, we are off to Miss Amber’s Main Street Coffee Shop for that. They are always open early and I know we can have goodies and lots of coffee and be on our way. I always love smiling faces and I know Miss Amber will give me that. Since this is a work day, we are packing our lunches so, we won’t have to stop. I’ve been there many times in the past and I love WM grocery. Santa’s favorite is always the homemade chicken pot pies...mmmm good! We load up with all we need, most importantly the cookies, (of course) and they have plenty to choose from!

When I was out on my boat the last time I almost ran out of gas so, I stopped at Wedowee Marina at 48 bridge to gas up. It was so easy to to get in and out. They have so many beautiful new boats to look at, I almost didn’t leave. Randy and his staff at all locations are easy to work with, they remain on my nice list, (at least for now.) HO HO HO

I want to especially thank Wedowee Life Magazine for all their help in telling me about this wonderful community and all the great people. They have been family for Santa K and the elves since all of them were kids and I delivered toys to them. I am so excited about living and playing at Lake Wedowee during my off season. Remember, if you see me on  the water I will always have my Santa K hat on. Wave to me and if i can, I will stop and give you a special card, (just for you!) Well, it’s work time and it’s hot so, let us get hammering.

​See you soon Santa K