Nelson continues. “And it was not until the
reports of the coliseum being leveled (which
were untrue) that I even clicked and considered
what it would mean to our rides.”
Randall’s Firework Extravaganza
READ ARTICLE
The thousands who have attended this event
over the years know that it is a great deal more
than a firework show. Bradley, along with wife,
Katie; father, Fred; mother, Lisa; sister, Lexi
Suttles; and brother-in-law, Blake Suttles work
together to create an experience that touches
the lives of everyone who attends.
The main show begins with the National
Anthem, followed by part one of a themed
video series the Randalls put together. Fred
Randall developed the theme for this year’s
show. “We try to do something on a war
that our veterans have been involved in,” he
says. “This year we’re doing it on the WWII
memorial.”
Cheaha Challenge
READ ARTICLE
“During the storm, as James Spann detailed
the path, my heart just sank. Not because
of our event scheduled to take place at Pete
Mathews Coliseum on May 20, but because
of all of our friends who live and work in
Jacksonville, and I love that beautiful campus.”
Brooke Nelson describes how she felt as she
watched weather coverage on the evening of
March 19.
Nelson serves as Race Director for Cheaha
Challenge, presented by Northeast Alabama
Bicycle Association (NEABA). For years, the ride
has centered around the city of Jacksonville
and the campus of Jacksonville State
University. Cyclists lodge in dorms and use the
facilities at the Coliseum.
“We stayed glued to the TV and Facebook,”
8
Drake White
READ ARTICLE
“There’s such pride, being a musician from
Alabama,” White says. “Percy Sledge, Hank
Williams Sr., Jamey Johnson, Alabama Shakes,
St. Paul and the Broken Bones, I mean all these
just incredible musicians. Alabama is just
historically well blessed with just extraordinary
talent. I’m very proud of that.”
Since the release of his first full-length album
Spark, in August 2016, White has been working
on new music which he is bursting at the
seems to share with his fans. “We’re about
to just bombard everybody with new music,”
White says. “There’s so many ideas that we
have right now . . . Instead of one album a year
I would love to release two or three songs a
month and at the end of the year turn around
there be 30 or 40 songs.”
Alabama Cycling Classic
READ ARTICLE
Meet the Teams
“The whole idea of an echelon is to support
and push those behind you, forward.” Eric Hill,
Project Echelon Racing Team Director explains
the motivation of the Domestic Elite Cycling
Team, “To use our talents to shine a positive
light on the veteran community.”
Project Echelon Racing was created in 2017
as an effort of community outreach for the
501c3 non-profit Project Echelon, which is a
“veterans health advocacy organization that
seeks engage, educate, equip, and empower
January 2019
INSIGHT