Chick-fil-A comes to the rescue of stranded drivers in Birmingham

This is one of the nicest stories I've seen on the national news in a long time.

A Chick-fil-A owner and his employees came to the rescue for hundreds of motorists stranded with no food in the ice and snow that hit Birmingham, Alabama. It was a remarkable act of kindness.

They deserve all the blessings I'm sure they will receive.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/01/29/chick-fil-gives-free-food-to-motorists-stranded-in-southern-snowstorm/

Oak Mountain State Park & Peavine Falls - Pelham, Alabama

On the southern edge of Birmingham in Pelham, Alabama's beautiful Oak Mountain State Park spreads out over nearly 10,000 acres of pristine and historic mountain country.

Situated in Shelby County, an area rich in historic sites, the popular state park is a great place to explore the natural history of Alabama. With over 50 miles of hiking trails that lead up and down mountain ridges as well as a paved drive leading up to picnic tables and overlooks high atop the mountain, the expansive park is perfect for exploring the outdoors and learning more about the birds and wildlife of the state.


The Alabama Wildlife Center, located at Oak Mountain State Park, is the oldest and largest animal rehabilitation center in the state. Each year its staff and volunteers care for over 2,500 injured wild animals. The center is open to the public, as is the Treetop Nature Trail, an elevated boardwalk that allows up close and personal views of Alabama birdlife including Great Barn Owls, hawks and more.

One of the most popular points of interest in the park is Peavine Falls, a beautiful waterfall formed by a 60-foot cascade down the mountainside. Accessible from several hiking trails, the falls run best in rainy weather and were one of the first major attractions at Oak Mountain. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) opened a trail to the waterfall when the park was under the development during the Great Depression.

To learn more about the history and points of interest at Oak Mountain State Park, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/oakmountain.

Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park - Birmingham, Alabama

Located just minutes from downtown Birmingham, Alabama's Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park is a major Civil War landmark.

Covering 1,500 acres of beautiful rolling country, the park centers around historic ironworks that once produced up to 22 tons of iron per day for the Confederate war effort. Tannehill iron was used to manufacture everything from cannon and artillery projectiles to cookware for the Southern military.

The massive furnaces at Tannehill were built using slave labor between 1859 and 1863. An estimated 500 workers lived on-site, operating the charcoal fueled furnaces to produce iron from locally mined ore. The product of the operation was shipped by wagon to Montevallo and from there by rail to the massive Confederate industrial complex at Selma.

The Tannehill furnaces operated until just weeks before the end of the war. On March 31, 1865, the ironwarks was seized by 3 companies of the 8th Iowa Cavalry as part of General James H. Wilson's raid through Alabama and Georgia. The wooden structures of the ironworks were burned and the massive stone furnaces damaged.

Now beautifully restored, the Tannehill furnaces are the historical centerpiece of a massive park that also preserves other historical structures and offers a wide array of recreational opportunities including cabins, campgrounds, a miniature train, picnic areas, hiking trails and more. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/tannehill.