The Music Department Presents The Magic Flute

by: Madison Imbusch

Mozart's opera The Magic Flute will be performed in my Montevallo's Music Department on April 9, 10, 11 at 7:30 p.m., with a closing show on Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m.  The performance will be in LeBaron Recital Hall in the Davis Music building.  Dr. Melanie Williams, professor of Music, stars at the evil Queen of the Night.   The rest of the cast consists of Music students and a Musical Theatre student.  The Magic Flute is directed by Dr. Charles Wood, professor of Music.

The Queen of the Night's daughter, Pamina, is abducted from her mother.  A man of royal blood, Prince Tamino, falls in love with Pamina when her mother shows him Pamina's portrait.  During the opera, Pamina is faced with a difficult task between choosing right and wrong.  Sami Anselmo, a cast member, tells us that we'll have to wait and see the show to know what happens.  "Either Pamina will stay good, or she'll go bad."

Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students and may be purchased at the door.  For more information regarding the opera and the Music Department, you can call their office at 665-6670 or go to their website.

Spring Time in Montevallo

By Kiera Hood

Over the years, the University of Montevallo has been well known for having a beautiful campus, especially during the spring and summer. But, spring time is not always good to some students.

Now that springtime has come about, it is easy to recognize the root of the problem. Pollen! Now, it is easy to recognize the pollen that grazes your car in the sunshine.

Flowers on Montevallo's campus

Some signs and symptoms of allergies include runny nose, scratchy throat, and itchy eyes. Although many people have allergies, some do not.

Student Lilli Rowland loves spring in Montevallo, but does not enjoy the unbearable heat.

To help you better enjoy the spring and summer, try visiting WebMD to find out what triggers your allergies so that you can get out and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Flowers seen behind Bloch Hall

No More's Clothing & Toiletry Drive

By: Alyse Hartdegen

More often than not, those that have been abused go unheard. In March 2014, No More began as a means for helping those who had been effected by abuse to speak up, as well as teaching bystanders the proper way to respond.

“No More is important because it advocates to give a voice to people who feel like they may not have one. When it comes to domestic violence and sexual assault, a lot of victims feel like they’re not being heard,” explains Rachel Haase, the Coordinator of Case Management an Prevention. “Maybe it’s because no one’s listening to them, or maybe it’s because they don’t have the courage to talk about some of this stuff that’s happened to them.”

It is Haase’s job to ensure that prevention programs are in place for people to have the option to learn about them all year round if they choose. Montevallo not only chose to represent No More, as well as the other 5 schools involved in the BACHE Consortum.

The clothing and toiletry drive takes place the week of April 6^th, wrapping up on Friday, the 10^th. Representatives will be on hand to answer question and discuss the facilities, Safehouse and the crisis center.

The clothing drive not only serves as a method to give back to the organizations, but also as a prerequisite to Loud and Clear at the Tracks, taking place on April 16, from 4-8 at Railroad Park.

At the event, there will be a spoken word poet and representatives fro meach BACHE school, with their own bystander education table. 

For more information, visit No More's official site.

A New Sheriff In Town - By Austin Crafton

When you walk in the Walker County Sheriff’s Office these days – You can immediately tell something is different. It’s not just the new name over the front door as you walk in either. The people that work there have a new bounce in their step, a new urgency to serve those that walk through the door.

New Sheriff Jim Underwood is to thank for this rapid turnaround. Since his swearing-in in late November, he’s been honing in on what are assets to the department and what could be tweaked. His 40+ year career in the law enforcement has given Underwood the ability to be idealistic yet pragmatic about what the county’s largest crime-fighting agency needs going forward.

Underwood grew up in the West Jasper area and attended both Walker High School and Walker College. He attempted to get on with the Jasper Police Department at 21, but when that didn’t work out – He headed to Birmingham for 10 years before finding his true calling, The US Marshalls.

Underwood taking the Sheriff's oath in November of '14

He rose fast through the ranks and eventually ended up overseeing the Marshalls in Kentucky, being responsible for 67 counties. “The US Marshalls essentially act as a Sheriff for the Federal Government… I feel that there are a lot of similarities between that and my new job.” Spending over 30 years with the Marshalls, he oversaw many budgetary successes and resource upgrades. “When I first joined the Marshalls, we had to drive our personal cars, we didn’t have a proper training school. Now, Marshalls are among the best-trained and most well-equipped agents in the United States.”

After retirement, Underwood and his wife made it back home to Walker County to take care of his aging parents. He took a position with the District Attorney’s Office to keep himself busy and found his next calling in local government.

He joined an already crowded field for Sheriff last year, but handily won thanks to a strong record and solid values. “I’m a deacon in my church and I begged God to give me any reason not to run for Sheriff. He didn’t speak up, so I kept going.” 

When asked what won him the election – He said, “I told the public that I’ve never been associated with their Sheriff’s Department and that I am not part of the problem. I assured them that if I was in office we would do what’s right. Anyone down there that doesn’t want to help the public can go.”

To keep up with The Walker County Sheriff’s Office day-to-day activities – watch their Twitter page: Twitter.com/walkercosheriff

The Trails of Montevallo

By: Candice Crutchfield

Winter has gone, and spring is surely here. Montevallo has many beautiful places where nature can be enjoyed including: Orr Park, Stephens Park, and The Eco Park. 

One of the more exclusive walking areas is the trail that links these parks. The natural trail runs parallel to Shoal Creek. The complete trail is about 2.5 miles. 

Some people bike the trail while others run or walk. Many trail visitors bring their dogs as well. 

Benches line the trail to give trail travelers a chance to take a break or enjoy nature. A variety of birds and other animals can be heard and seen while traveling the trail.

A carving near Island Street

Artistic carvings can be seen along side the trail creating a friendly tone.

Some of the trail walkers do not reside in Montevallo.

Scott Wood lives in Dry Valley, AL. He comes to walk the trails in Montevallo every couple of months, he says. He doesn't come alone though; he brings his dogs.

"Its a nice peaceful trail to walk on," Wood says. "The dogs enjoy chasing the squirrels."

The main reason why Wood comes to the trails is the beautiful view and essence of Shoal Creek.

Another trail traveler, Spencer Sears, says that he simply passes through the trials on his walk on from the SAC.

"It is more beautiful than walking on the normal streets," says Sears.Sometimes the trails have more travelers than other times. "It is never consistent," says Sears.

The trails are always open for fun or a nice get-a-way, and the Creek is also available for fishing, kayaking, and other activities.

Bloch Gallery hosts 3-D collaboration exhibit

By Connor Bucy

"CoLab" is a construction consisting of parts designed by Del Harrow.

Students and faculty gathered in Bloch's gallery March 26 for the closing reception of "CoLab," a 3-D art exhibition crafted by Lee Sommers' 3-D design classes in collaboration with accomplished artist Del Harrow. The reception allowed students to meet Harrow after working with him long distance.

Based in Fort Collins, Colorado, Del Harrow's work explores the intersection of digital design and manual, physical creation.

"I often use music as an analogy," says Del Harrow. "I think in music we're familiar with this idea of the particular aesthetic qualities that come from the layering of human instruments with digitally-produced sounds."

"CoLab" began as digital designs created by Del Harrow. Utilizing the 3-D complex's new fabrication tools, students were able to create the pieces of what became sprawling installations.

Within its geometric construction system, "CoLab" allows for much variety. Individual preference, the spatial boundaries of the gallery and the collective interpretation of the pieces that make up the whole allow for many possibilities.

Despite the challenges of working in a gallery environment and collaborating with an esteemed artist, students worked to create something both inspired and original.

The Magic of the Alabama Wildlife Center

by Hannah Bell

Students and community members gathered together on March 24 for a Harry Potter game and activity night. For one dollar, participants could make a wand, pin the nose on Voldemort, play a miniature quidditch game, and several other activities inspired by the Harry Potter series.

All proceeds of the night were donated to the Alabama Wildlife Center located at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham. The Alabama Wildlife Center rescues injured animals and helps restore them back to health.

“The most rewarding part of what we do is being able to release these guys back into the wild,” Director of Education and Outreach Scottie Jackson said. Jackson says the wildlife center focuses on rehabilitation so that injured animals can have the opportunity to be reunited with their communities.

The members of the Alabama Wildlife Center brought along two owls to the event. Coosa the barred owl and VR-1(who will soon get a new name)the great horned owl received a lot of attention from the crowd.

The Alabama Wildlife Center has several birds in its care year-round. With a staff of two members and a few interns, Jackson says the center is always looking for volunteers.

“We have a very small core staff, so we take volunteers of all ages, all interests, and all disciplines.”

The Wildlife Center holds volunteer training days on the first Sunday of every month. For more information on volunteering call (205) 663-7930, ext. 3.