CONTRIBUTED BY BFOTC
BEULAH —
Beulah Friends of the Community, Inc. (BFOTC) held a dedication of landscape project in Beulah, June 27.
“Our purpose tonight is to thank all of the people who made this project possible,” said John Findley, president of BFOTC.
The club began this almost seven-month project in November 2022.
“We started our landscape project by creating a design for the improvements we wanted to see here at the intersection,” Findley said.
It worked with Lee County Engineering (Justin Hardee) and Lee County Commissioner Tony Langley to approve the concept and the Lee County Highway Department to assist in upgrading the road shoulders.
“We next contacted Mrs. Cheryl Thompson, who with her brother Mr. Greg Crook, are the owners of the four corners of the intersection,” Findley said. “We explained what we would like to landscape the corner and she willingly gave her approval.”
Thompson is the granddaughter of Hubert Yarbrough, who originally owned the land and store which stood at the crossroads for many years. While Thompson and Cook were unable to attend the event, two of their cousins, Amy Mobley and Caroline Williams, were in attendance representing the Yarbrough family. Williams is the secretary at Beulah High School. Also present was Donnie Baggett, who managed the property for the family for many years.
“We would like to thank the family for their support of our project,” Findley said.
During the early stages of renovations, Beulah Friends of the Community uncovered an overgrown local treasure — a years-old rock well house that served the community residents from the early 1900s.
“The club started the project by removing the overgrowth around the intersection, uncovering the 1900’s well house in December of last year,” Findley said. “A lot of folks new to the community were not aware the structure existed. Club member Blake Simpkins and Daniel Cushman, with the help of Elizabeth Ham, downed a cedar tree growing out of the side of the building and Blake removed the stump with his stump grinding machine.”
BFOTC has added flower boxes, plantings, grassing and chain link sign panels to allow Beulah community churches and organizations a place to display information concerning local activities.
A new flagpole was donated and installed at the intersection by the club for use at the crossroads. Boy Scout Troop 11 from Auburn raised the United States and State of Alabama flags as part of the ceremony.
This year Beulah Family Day, a community day, was funded through sponsorships, which allowed the event to be open to the public at no charge. The event featured local craft vendors, a stage show put on by local talent, food trucks and the annual car show, featuring many local car enthusiasts. Beulah Family Day is the club’s chief fund-raising event which funds the community day and the maintenance/clean-up of the five-triangle intersection as one approaches the community, and which will also help to defray the cost of maintaining the crossroads. BFOTC’s sponsorships have also allowed for it to:
– Provide grants to varsity and junior varsity cheerleaders and the band at Beulah High School
– Recognize outstanding support personnel at Beulah Elementary and High School
– Continue maintenance at the triangle intersections as drivers approach Beulah and erect road signs at each pointing out the original names of some of the original communities and roads throughout Beulah.
Findley thanked numerous sponsors for their help in completing the crossroads project.
Local dignitaries who aided in sponsoring the project and Beulah Family Day who were in attendance for the dedication include: State Sen. Randy Price, State Rep. Debbie Hamby Wood and Lee County Commissioner Tony Langley.
The ceremony concluded with a call-to-action from Findley, asking the community to help maintain the work BFOTC has done.
“While we are dedicating this project to the community today, we still have plans to add additional flower boxes when it cools down a bit,” he said. “Draper Lawn Service, a local business, has been contracted to help maintain the grass at the crossroads. But we need the community’s help in spreading the word that we are proud of Beulah and that we all need to help keep this intersection, our triangles and all of our roadways free of litter and trash.”