Upcoming Equality events, plans
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
Equality and Nixburg News
Jennifer Williamson
Welcome to Nixburg and Equality community, where life is not truly slow, but at a more relaxed and comfortable pace. And eventually changes happen, and I am one of those changes, both to the community and “The Coosa County News.”
I hope you find I am a nice change to our community. I will do my best to share with y’all the community news, stories and events for Nixburg and Equality.
A bit about me, born up north, my parents were missionaries, so I spent some of my childhood in the jungles of Ecuador. Back in the states I spent many a summer on my granny’s Appalachian farm with no indoor plumbing, but baths and playing in the creek. I spent most of my life holding on to a dream that one day I would live in an old farmhouse with a creek running behind it, living off the land just like my Granny did. When I met Rodger in my middle-of-life years, I finally got that dream realized with his farm right here in Equality; I finally feel at home.
I love this area so much that I also purchased the property that once held the Arant General Store. The site later hosted a tire shop, garden centers and an antique store. I have dreams for these buildings and businesses. I would love to restore the main building to be more like the old Arant General Store, with modern amenities, but vintage small-town look and warmth. And with forward thinking, I’ve already named it Jenny’s General Store.
We also own “Rodger’s Shrubbery” garden center, but we have had to repair some storm damage to the greenhouse, and we still need to replace the now missing storm-damaged sign.
My husband, Rodger, still operates the Equality Performing Arts Center (EPAC) three nights a month with Open Mic Night on the second Friday, Karaoke on the third Friday and a booked performer on the fourth Friday of every month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. as a free service to the community and will continue to as long as we own this property.
Sadly, my plans for the general store have been delayed. I need to move the septic system to add a small kitchen and deli counter. I’ve called several engineers listed by the health department, but nearly all declined because it’s commercial property. We finally had one say yes, but he had been booked solid since the COVID-19 shutdowns, but finally had an opportunity earlier this spring. After redesigning the kitchen and having the property surveyed and then having a perk test done, he said it would be quite expensive, but to still let him know if we wanted to proceed. I said yes, and he then ghosted us.
My dream of a general store with a deli counter, with fresh locally grown produce, along with the existing herbs, spices and teas is on hold. I wait patiently, praying that things are being lined up in the background and that when I get the septic moved inflation will not make it too expensive for us to complete.
I have always wanted to be more involved in the community, and besides trying my best to fill this slot as our new community columnist, come January, Ms. Dianne Perrett is handing over to me the secretarial duties for the Equality Neighborhood Watch. It is my hope that I can do justice where others have left off as they move on to new adventures.
As some of you may know my husband is a historian, and we both share a love of genealogy and researching our family trees. So when the opportunity of writing a community column came my way my first thoughts were my own family search on what everyday life was like for my father’s mother who I had never met. How excited I was to find community/social articles with her name in them. And other than being a farmer’s wife and mother to seven boys, these articles in the community paper shared how she was involved in her church and a lady’s club, as well as how she participated in many socials and fundraisers over the years.
I also found announcements for uncles’ engagements, weddings, and births of several of their children in the column over the years. My hope is that you are willing to share these types of events with me to share with the community and possible future researchers looking for a glimpse of what our everyday lives were like right here in Equality and Nixburg.
Alton Johnson of Equality will be taking part in an Indian River Citrus fruit sale again this year, starting the first week of December. All of the proceeds from the citrus sales will go toward sponsoring mission trips in Central America.
On Friday, November 25 (the day after Thanksgiving), professional recording artist Lara Herscovitch will be performing at the Equality Performing Arts Center from 7 to 9 p.m. While this is free to attend, she would greatly appreciate any donations that you might be willing to drop into the donation jar in order to offset her costs to make a stop in Equality to perform for the community.
On December 3, the Equality “First Saturday” will host the regular EQVFD bake sale and rummage sale, with hamburger and hot dog plate lunches. Jenny’s General will have First Saturday discounts and has several holiday gift sets available.
Next week I hope to have less about me and more about the community to share, but that is dependent upon you the readers sharing with me what is happening within your organizations, churches, neighborhoods, groups, or family (if you are willing, birthdays, anniversaries, baby announcements, garage sales, or retirement if you are so blessed). Please contact me; call or text 256-531-6460 or email at coosacafe@gmail.com or look up the store or me on Facebook.