The McCollumn - 10/1

A toast for Jenn

We were never supposed to remain friends.

I have several yearbooks from elementary and middle school that have phrases written in them telling me that she would miss me when she moved to Birmingham that summer.

For all those threats, though, Jennifer Shepherd never did move to Birmingham, and I’m eternally grateful she didn’t, as being friends with Jennifer Shepherd has and always will make my life better.

I could wax melodic about numerous inside jokes and life experiences, so much so that none of the rest of you dear readers would know what the blazes I was talking about.

You guys don’t know the significance of sing-a-longs to songs from Disney’s “Hercules.”

You weren’t at that hotel waffle bar in Colorado.

You don’t know about “I no have frecial sped.”

Trust me when I say you probably don’t really want to know.

However, these random memories and occurrences mean a great deal to me, as they remind me of the wonderful times I’ve shared with that thoughtful, caring young woman.

She gets married tomorrow to a great guy, Ken Golden.

I knew I’d have no problem with this pairing after she informed me that, “Oh, Ken likes ‘The West Wing,’ too. You guys should talk about that some time.”

Fact: Anyone who likes “The West Wing” has to be a good person. This is universally true.

He has many other redeeming qualities, of course, and he treats her like the princess we’ve (and she’s) always thought she was.

He’s the type of guy you want for one of your best friends.

But, I still say he’s getting the better end of the deal.

Inside of Jennifer lies one of the most loving hearts I’ve ever come into contact with.

She’s a person who genuinely enjoys helping others and giving back.

She possesses a strong moral compass that always points due north. Mine wobbles a bit, so it’s good to have hers to check mine by every now and again.

She’s logical and rational without being cold and mechanical. Trust me when I say this is a rarity.

More than all of this, though, she has always been a fiercely loyal person, doing whatever she can to help out a friend in need.

Whether it’s a supportive phone call, a drive-by visit or even the occasional all-night talk-a-thon, she genuinely cares and checks up on people when she feels her help is needed.

We should all be so lucky to have such a person in our lives.

Jenn, congratulations on your marriage and your new life you are beginning with Ken.

I have no doubt in mind that yours will be a marriage for the ages, one that I can point to and say “I want a love like what they have.”

Best of luck, kids, although I’m certain you won’t need it.

May all of the joys and blessings you’ve brought to my life be returned to you tenfold.

The McCollumn - 9/24

The oligarch of downtown Opelika

“Land monopoly is not only monopoly, but it is by far the greatest of monopolies; it is a perpetual monopoly, and it is the mother of all other forms of monopoly” – Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill

Churchill has always been a favorite of mine, and he’s absolutely right in that quote: mass ownership of land (or property) by one individual or group in a particular area can be and usually is dangerous.

Unfortunately, downtown Opelika seems to be suffering from this particular ailment.

These days, more and more downtown buildings and businesses are coming under the influence and ownership of one particular person.

To their credit, the buildings they own and manage look lovely. The revitalization undertaken to restore and refurbish the buildings is admirable and has improved the aesthetic beauty of our historic downtown Opelika.

However, I feel leery in allowing one person, or the group they represent, to take hold of so much of one particular area.

It is the right of a property owner to raise rent on their tenants as they see fit; I won’t deny them that right.

But, when rents are raised so high that the businesses renting the space can’t afford to make ends meet, perhaps some injustice is being done.

Empty buildings and storefronts, pretty though the exteriors may be, do us no good.

If keeping downtown Opelika strong and viable is the main concern, folding businesses do not do much to advance that agenda.

What was once a vibrant, lovely coffee shop is now, sadly, an empty shell.

I’m also concerned with the leverage and influence such property owners can wield within this community, even on the boards and committees that oversee the renovations and building upgrades those property owners wish to undertake.

The Historical Preservation Commission, the body charged with maintaining the aesthetics and authenticity of our historical downtown, contains one of these owners.

At face value, this makes sense; someone who has interests downtown should have a voice on the body that governs such decisions.

I also want to make it clear that I know for a fact this member does not vote on any plan in which they have any interest, be it as an owner or as a developer. I give them credit for their forbearance.

However, as someone who derives their income from such restorations and redevelopments that are approved by the commission, I think their placement as a member is odd and perhaps a slight conflict of interest.

Sufficed to say, how the large, red neon strip that now adorns the top of the new Irish Bred Pub got past the commission is a mystery to me. There’s nothing historical or aesthetically appropriate about its brazen, sickly glow.

What’s to be done here?

I honestly don’t know.

Awareness, however, should be the first step.

This is happening, and it does need to be addressed.

Downtown’s future growth and preservation is at stake.

John Leland was a very wise man.

"Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say 'It is well, it is well with my soul.'"

The McCollumn- 9/10

Farewell, Tyler's

“Just saw the sign that said Tyler’s had closed for good. I’m crying,” the text message read.

After I saw it, I may not have cried, but I certainly felt a few odd pangs of sadness and regret.

For 42 years, Tyler’s Restaurant has been an Opelika institution, bringing good, affordable food to the citizenry.

Now, we have a darkened, empty building on Geneva Street, a hull of a place that was once teeming with life and energy.

It’s hard to place blame on any one factor for the death of this beloved icon.

It’s certain that the closure of plants like Ampex and Uniroyal dented their business.

It’s also true that when the growth and development of Opelika moved out toward Tigertown, some of us forgot about places like Tyler’s in lieu of a quick run for some Chicken Minis at Chick-fil-A.

There was many a Saturday that I fully intended to wake up early and run to Tyler’s for breakfast, grabbing a bag full of those heavenly biscuits for myself and the other Cottage Café folk.

However, intentions seldom led to action, as I usually just slept in until I was almost late for work.

While I mourn the death of Tyler’s, I can’t fully escape the guilt of that death.

If I loved the place so much, I should have been a better customer.

It’s all well and good to say you love something, but that love must be backed by action and example.

With small businesses, especially restaurants, the support and patronage of a returning clientele are essential.

Somewhere along the way, most of us just stopped being good customers and that shell on Geneva Street is a reminder of what can happen we just don’t make an effort.

The national economy is in shambles right now.

Unemployment climbs ever higher and we are all hurting right now.

However, if we don’t find the time and the way to try to support our local landmarks, we run the risk of losing them forever.

No business is immune. Tyler’s was here for 42 years and it went down.

We should all be worried.

Take time to rediscover and support your favorite Opelika businesses.

Stop, reminisce and remember why you fell in love with those places in the first place.

Bring others – make your support infectious.

Try new places – some of these new businesses may be the staples of the future.

We may never taste the crisp, flaky, buttery Tyler’s biscuits ever again, but if we act now, we can hopefully make sure that other businesses don’t meet that same fate.

Remember the biscuit.

Remember the well-grilled hamburgers and the perfectly salted shoestring fries.

Remember seeing the Geneva Street Think Tank as you picked up your order or sat down for the breakfast buffet.

Try to remember them because the memories are all we have now.

The McCollumn - 09/03

Denson Rec more important than recycling bins

The city’s recycling program is an admirable undertaking.

I’m proud to see the citizens of our town (what few of them do actually recycle) come together to try to help our environment.

For years, I’ve loved driving by Miles Thomas Field and seeing the multi-colored smiling faced receptacles waiting to be used.

Until now, that is.

Now, two large, green and compartmentalized dumpsters divided by material composition and an open-air trailer filled with cardboard blight the parking lot of the Denson Drive Recreation Center.

As I drove by and saw the bins for myself, I was immediately struck by one overwhelmingly apparent factor: the odor.

Even with most of the lids closed and my own sinuses being stricken with seasonal allergies, I could still make out a pungent and unpleasant attack on my sense of smell.

Recyclables they may be, but they’re also still garbage.

Do we really want that odor that close to one of our recreation centers – a place where children take power tumbling, where the citizenry gathers to vote, and, soon, where there will be pottery and ceramics classes.

For that matter, do we want those smells just a healthy breeze away from our middle school. Something tells me we might have trouble attracting new families to the area if our only middle school smells like a small landfill on the wrong days.

The parking spaces now occupied by the recycling receptacles seem usable at a glance, but I used my Jeep Grand Cherokee as a model to see if parking was still possible.

(I should mention that there were multiple signs telling me not to do this posted around the bins, but, like most drivers in this town, I ignore these sorts of signs as I see fit.)

If hard-pressed to find a parking spot for Summer Swing or some other event held at the Denson Rec, one could, in fact, park in the former spaces in front of the bins.

However, larger vehicles (Suburbans and their ilk) would block outgoing traffic quite easily.

Can we really afford to lose that many parking spaces in that area?

More than the practical concerns of this new scheme, though, I’m troubled by how the city is treating the old Denson Rec Center.

Maybe it’s just because I’m an Opelikian of a certain age, but many of my formative years were spent at Denson Drive.

There were countless hours spent at Friday Night Drop-Ins in middle school.

There was the ill-fated attempt at joining the Swim Team that resulted in me swimming two and half laps, getting out of the pool and storming to Ms. Ellen’s desk and demanding to use the phone to call my mother to come get me.

There were tons of visits to the offices to chat with Ms. Ellen and Ms. Betty – the lifeblood of that place back when I was a kid. Not many adults would take the time to talk with a mouthy know-it-all but they were always quite kind.

I understand the recycling bins have to go somewhere, but to put them at Denson Drive is an insult to those of us who spent our lives growing up there.

I don’t know who made the decision to move the bins there, but I’m almost certain the folks in charge at Parks and Recreation had no idea it was coming.

Those folks love Denson Drive more than I do, and I know they wouldn’t sully her in this manner.

Move the bins.

Find a more suitable spot.

Denson Drive is not an acceptable location – now or ever.