The goal of this project is to honor natives and/or citizens, past and present, of Thomasville who have brought honor and glory to Thomasville through their achievements in the world of sports. In order to do this, the committee plans to display items recognizing the inductees and related sports memorabilia. It is expected that this display will be a permanent museum with items of interest related to sports, sports heroes of the area, and related local history. We also hope to preserve and foster interest in local history.
2018
Choctaw County Chamber Welcome Sign
The Choctaw County Chamber Welcome Sign project was conceived as a way to help promote a more vibrant image of Choctaw County to travelers when crossing into the county. Previous “Welcome Signs” has rotted into disrepair and this project was created to help give the county a “fresh look.”
Camp Grist Enhancement Project
The project this grant was used for was maintenance of the roads leading to the primitive camping area, pressure washing the building, restrooms, picnic pavilions and equipment.
Disc Golf Course
An eighteen hole disc golf course was installed at the St. Stephens Historical Park. The course layout stretches through the historical site of the territorial capital of Alabama, and each hole features a historic fact about Old St. Stephens. The historic facts correspond with the hole numbers, and they provide insight into the lives of the people of the early 1800s in south Alabama. Our goal was to provide an additional recreational opportunity while promoting an awareness of the historical importance of the town site.
The course officially opened on July 31, 2018, but it has already attracted significant interest from the disc golf community and from park guests. We plan to host an inaugural tournament in the spring of 2019. The expectation is that the course will create a stream of income for the park through tournaments and through increased lodging revenue from guests who want to play the course. We have a selection of discs for sale in the park store and an assortment of discs that are available for rent. Both of those options should provide income to the park.
Amelia Love Johnson High School New Baseball/Softball Field
The purpose of this project was to provide the funding to purchase the equipment needed to provide the foundation for a new baseball and softball field and teams at ALJHS. The funding has helped us get the foundation started as documented by the invoices and cancelled checks that shows that we were able to purchase baseball uniforms, catcher protection equipment for the the boys and girls, bases and a home plate, bats, catcher gloves, practice baseballs, a pitcher safety screen, and aluminum bleachers for the actual field. We will receive in-kind donations of the necessary dirt and labor to prepare the field for play. We anticipate starting our first teams during the 2018-19 school year. The grant has provided ALJHS the needed funding to start these extra-curricula activities that will boost the school-spirit of the entire school. We anticipate new students enrolling in our school as a result of these additional sports opportunities.