Lookout Mountain Photography Club by John Dersham

Lookout Mountain Photography Club

There is a new Photography club in DeKalb County for all of you photo enthusiasts.
The Lookout Mountain Photography Club formed on Jan 15th and is part of the Mentone Area Arts council.
The Lookout Mountain Photography Club has the intent to create the following;
A place for photography lovers to meet and talk and learn about photography on a monthly basis.
The club will have guest speakers whom will talk about their area of expertise in photography.
The club will have show and tell. You will be invited to show your prints, slides, or digital media.
The club will offer photo contests to interested parties. The competitions will be done by subject matter. A guest judge will pick winners based on the criterion of the subject matter chosen for that month.
The club will have field trips for its members. The field trips will provide an opportunity to photograph interesting or scenic places with other interested parties whom you can share information and photo technique.
The club will have a Facebook Fan Page (Lookout Mountain Photography Club) for members to submit photos and to talk about their work.
Photography is a wonderful hobby. It allows you many diverse niches of which to become interested. Any subject can become your art. It can be people, sports, landscape, still life, texture, close up, flowers, insects or it can be a host of fine art alternative methods. You can use film, shoot digital, video, have a darkroom, use Photoshop or pursue both. Photography equipment is fun to own and talk about. Photography is a hobby for anybody, at any age. The more pictures you take and the better your technique becomes the more enthused you get about improving your work.
The next club meeting will be February 19th at 6:30 p.m. at the Mentone Inn. I (John Dersham) will give a PowerPoint slide presentation on photo composition and impact. There are no dues to join. The club is open to all people interested in photography.
For more information contact John Dersham at the DeKalb County Tourist Association 845-3957 or Neal Whitt at the Mentone Area Arts Council at 634-3334.

Let’s Ski! by John Dersham

Last weekend I spent much of the time driving around our county taking pictures related to tourism for our county. The roads were mostly free of travelers until I got to Cloudmont Ski Resort and it was packed. What a great sight it was to see so many people enjoying DeKalb County and the only Ski Resort nearby and the only one in the state of Alabama. It was a beautiful Saturday morning about 10:00am when I arrived to find a crowded parking lot and skiers lined up to take the pony lift to the top for their exciting ski ride to the bottom. It was the perfect day for such a thing. It was cold but the sun made it perfect out here. Both slopes were in full operation and all the surrounding scenery was snow and ice covered. This is exactly why hundreds were there and thousands will come during the season at Cloudmont which lasts from the middle of December till it becomes too warm to make snow and keep it on the slopes. There have been some years skiing continued into March and occasionally April.
Cloudmont is fun for the whole family from the beginner to serious amateur. Equipment to ski and lessons are available as you arrive.
If you haven’t been skiing now is the time to give it a try. You will have fun. For more information call 256-634-4344 or go to www.cloudmont.com

Lookout Mountain Scenic Parkway by John Dersham

We have one of America’s most scenic drives right here in DeKalb County. The Lookout Mountain Scenic Parkway is a state scenic byway and is in the beginning stages of becoming a National Scenic Byway. Lookout Mountain Parkway runs from Gadsden, Alabama to Chattanooga, Tennessee through the Northwest corner of Georgia. The parkway runs 103 miles from its beginning at Noccalula Falls in Gadsden to its terminus at Ruby Falls in Chattanooga. The mountain itself is 93 miles long but the parkway meanders for added scenic value to its travelers. Over the last several years Lookout Mountain Parkway has been honored by Readers Digest as one of America’s Most Scenic Drives and by National Geographic Traveler Magazine’s Driving Tours of Appalachia. Thirty seven miles of this beautiful drive are in our county giving our county the longest single portion of the drive.
Lookout Mountain Parkway is beautiful year-round with its host of scenic venues along the way including Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden, Alabama then north through beautiful rural countryside up to Little River Canyon National Preserve. The scenic parkway includes an alternate drive along the rim of the canyon with multiple easily accessible overlooks that provide breath-taking views into the canyon. Little River Canyon National Preserve is host to many, many plant and animal species, some of which are native only to the canyon. Lookout Mountain Parkway runs through the portion of the eastern USA that is the transition geography between northern and southern plant and animal species and in this particular area many species of both northern and southern plants and animals thrive. After Little River Canyon you head north toward DeSoto State Park. From DeSoto State Park you will enjoy a seven mile wilderness drive to Mentone. Along the way you will see a short drive off the parkway to go visit the 104 foot DeSoto Falls. In Mentone you will find a host of cabins, B&B’s, restaurants and quaint artsy gift shops. Located in Mentone is the Mentone Springs Hotel built in 1884 which is now a B&B, it is the oldest hotel in Alabama still in operation. From Mentone follow the LMP signs that will lead you into Georgia and north along the eastern brow of Lookout Mountain. You will gradually work your way north toward Cloudland Canyon State Park, which is a short drop off the parkway. Cloudland Canyon is another marvel of Mother Nature that will make your Lookout Mountain Parkway trip well worth while. As you head toward Cloudland Canyon you will finish your trip back on the western brow of the mountain until you head down the mountain in Chattanooga. Along the western brow you will find Lookout Mountain Flight Park. It is the largest and most popular Hang Gliding resort and school in the US. Later along the drive you will pass Covenant College, known as the castle in the clouds from its prior days as a resort hotel. It can often be seen covered in fog when viewed from I-59 and I-24. Other things to see in as you head toward Tennessee are the famous Rock City located just before the Tennessee state line. Rock City is known for its view of seven states and for its incredible rock formations. As Lookout Mountain begins its decline down to Moccasin Bend on the Tennessee River you will find the quaint artsy town of Lookout Mountain Tennessee. Just off the parkway are Point Park Civil War Park and the famous incline railroad bringing you up or down from the foot of the mountain below. Finally there is Ruby Falls. This water fall is underground inside Lookout Cave. You ride in an elevator into the cave for this magnificent view of Ruby Falls. Lookout Mountain Parkway is the host to the southern portion of the very popular World’s Longest Yard Sale every August.
John Dersham Executive Director of the DeKalb County Tourist Association will serve as President of the Lookout Mountain Parkway Association in 2010.

DeKalb County Has Two Great Arts Councils by John Dersham

Considering we are a relatively small county from a population point of view we are blessed with an inordinate amount of interest in the arts. We have two large arts councils in our county in the Big Will Arts Council and the Mentone Area Arts Council.

The Big Wills Arts Council (BWAC) is designated by the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) as a Local Arts Council (LAC) and has operated under the authority of the City of Fort Payne since the early 1990s. Since that time, the BWAC, under the directorship of Russell Gulley, has been noted as an exemplary rural arts program by the Southern Arts Federation (SAF), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the ASCA.

The mission of this 501 (C3) non-profit organization is:
To aid, encourage, advise, and to correlate all activities dedicated to the promotion of cultural arts in this area, to include, but not be limited to, increasing our youth's appreciation of the arts through education, preserving this area's contribution to the arts and humanities, and encouraging an on-going participation therein.

Today the organization’s primary focus is arts in education programming. Director Russell Gulley is one of the few teaching artists in Alabama that has been studying "Integrated Arts Curriculum" as sponsored by the Alabama Institute for Arts in Education (AIEA) and instructed by Karen Erickson, noted master teaching artist with the Kennedy Center in Washington. Russell is on the ASCA's Roster of Arts in Education Artists, has for two years (2007 and 2009) participated in the ASCA’s Alabama Rural Schools Touring Program presenting his “Intro: Folk Music, Blues and Tradition” residency and concert program, and is currently serving the Fort Payne City Schools as an Artist in Residence in Music in his 3rd year.

Russell has been involved in local community arts for over 2 decades and has served the state on grant review panels, as President of the Board of Directors for the Alabama Folk life Association (AFA), is a graduate of the AFA's "Alabama Community Scholars Institute" sponsored by the ASCA and the NEA, and is dedicated to preserving the state's cultural heritage. (Information and text provided by Russell Gulley.)

The Mentone Area Arts Council was established by a group of farsighted individuals in 2004 and was incorporated in 2006. It received its designation as a private, non-profit organization in 2007. Growing steadily from humble beginnings, the Council now has well over 100 members, from as far west as Fort Worth , Texas, as far north as Bethesda, Maryland, and as far south as Tampa, Florida.

The Arts Council plays a significant role to enrich the quality of life for people in Mentone and neighboring communities by raising funds for the arts, sponsoring events, providing educational opportunities, and strengthening cultural resources for the benefit of all businesses and citizens in the Mentone area. Our primary focus is on three areas, namely, our artists, the Lookout Mountain community, and providing educational opportunities for children in our local schools and adults as well.

Our artists are an overlooked, valuable part of the cultural makeup of the Mentone Area. In the 1920’s, people from all over the country were attracted by the clean air and mineral springs in the Mentone Area for health enrichment, rest and relaxation. For the same reason, artists settled in the area where mountain environs were conducive to creativity and innovation. Their skills have been passed down for generations and today, we have located over 250 fine artists in the area who are contributing to the cultural fabric of the community and its economy on a daily basis. (Information and Text provided by Neal Whitt.)

This Christmas buy local and buy some of your gifts from our very talented artisans in DeKalb County.

Lookout Mountain Photography Club

Mentone Area Arts Council to Form Lookout Mountain Photography Club
With John Alexander Dersham
A new club for photography buffs is forming. The Lookout Mountain Photograpy Club is to be an informal group, sponsored by the Mentone Area Arts Council, with the specific purpose of bringing together people who have an interest in photography and to promote fellowship, fun, education and knowledge of photography. It is for all skill levels and the goal of the club is to encourage members to develop their photographic skills and to provide a venue for members to learn, share and display their photography, in their endeavor to become better photographers. To this end, the club will conduct programs, competitions, seminars, workshops and field trips. The club will also be a good neighbor to the community and wherever possible, engage photography in the community.

You Are Invited To Attend The Organizational Meeting
of the Lookout Mountain Photography Club

The organizational meeting of the Lookout Mountain Photography Club will be led by John Alexander Dersham. John was a career executive with Kodak prior to becoming the Executive Director of the DeKalb County Tourist Association. His photographs are prominently displayed throughout the corporate offices of Kodak around the country. His works are also displayed in a number of galleries in North Alabama. He recently participated in the highly acclaimed, Alabama Waterways, A Photographic Celebration, photography exhibit in Mentone.

When: 6:30 PM, Friday, December 11, 2009

Where: The Mentone Inn
Highway 117
Mentone, Alabama

For additional information, contact John Dersham at dcta@tourdekalb.com

Collinsville Historic Turkey Trot was a Hit!

November 14th was the Annual Collinsville Historic Turkey Trot. The Cherokee Ani-Yun-Wiya Nation shared a piece of their heritage beautifully in song, dance and drumming. The weather was perfect for their historic “turkey toss” from the roof of the newly restored library. The festival was very well attended by those listening to local musicians, tasting great southern food, enjoying the tractor show and participating in such games as the “greased pig chase” and “money in the hay”, great for all ages! They also introduced a new event this year called “Poker Run”.

Don’t Say there is Nothing to do in DeKalb County by John Dersham

Sometimes I hear people say there is nothing to do in our area. They must have blinders on. Every week 52 weeks a year there is more than any one person could attend. If you doubt this please view the DeKalb County Tourist Association website www.tourdekalb.com, and click on our calendar of events. You will be amazed at the fun things we have to do.
This last weekend was Canyon Fest at Little River Canyon National Preserve and The Battle of Missionary Ridge at Sequoyah Caverns and Ellis Homestead, just to name two. It was the perfect fall weekend, with some fall color still abounding and both days were clear, sunny and warm. The two events I am talking about were fantastic and both were extremely well attended. Roy Jones of Sequoyah Caverns said 1,400 people were present for their two day event re-enacting the Civil War Battle of Missionary Ridge. The property at Sequoyah Caverns and Ellis Homestead is tucked at the foot of Sand Mountain and Little Wills Ridge. It is a large, extremely scenic acreage and a perfect location for this event. Civil War re-enactments are much more than the battle itself. It is a view of life of that era. Present at the re-enactment are artists and craftsmen making Civil War era goods. They are all dressed in the period. There is period music, food, a tin type photographer and a Ball on Saturday night. The Battle of Missionary Ridge is held each November and is a must see if you have not been yet. If you have not visited Sequoyah Caverns and Ellis Homestead, or have not visited lately it is well worth going. The spectacular property and beautiful cave with its famous reflecting pools and formations makes for a great outing. For more information visit www.sequoyahcaverns.com or call 256-635-0024.
On Saturday Canyon Fest was held at JSU’s Canyon Center at Little River Canyon National Preserve. There were more than 1,000 people at this beautiful day full of arts, crafts, music, food, games, rock climbing, a dog agility demonstration and much more. We are very blessed in DeKalb County to have a lot to see and do and even more so when you figure in the scenic aspects of our events and the beautiful drive to get there.

We have had an outstanding fall tourist season here. There have been a lot of people in town since middle October. People from all over the country have stopping in our information center. We find the majority of our visitors this time of year are from points south that come here because of our outstanding fall color in comparison to where they live.