COLUMN: March madness wasn’t just basketball

Sports fans, especially college basketball fans, can tell you that March Madness is the nickname of the NCAA Championship Tournament. Basketball, however, is not the only madness that happens in March, and strangely enough, it isn’t always contained in March. This year’s tournament, along with two-remaining SEC teams, will carry over into April. Let’s pray that another March madness does not carry over.

A couple of weeks ago, Jean and I witnessed the results of the other madness. On our trip to northeast Alabama, we passed through the small hamlet of Winterboro, Alabama. A few days prior, an unwelcomed visitor, an EF-2 tornado, passed through there and left quite a mess in its wake. I was deeply saddened when I saw the destruction. Later, I learned that one local gentleman lost his life in that storm. 

I was a child when I first heard of this community. My cousin-in-law, Ronald Howard, lived near there and attended school there. In case you don’t know what a cousin-in-law is, I’m not completely sure there is such, but I don’t know what else to call him. He was my oldest brother’s wife’s nephew. He and I were not actually cousins, but we were the best of buds. I had known him since I was 3 and he was 4.  I visited his Winterboro home several times. He must have lived at least 3,000 miles from my hometown of Rainsville, or so it seemed. My friend moved on to Heaven long before I made several return visits to Winterboro. A few years ago, I began singing and playing music with a wonderful group of songwriters from that general area. We had meetings to hone our craft, but we also took any opportunities given to perform. We used to joke that every restaurant where we performed soon closed its doors! I don’t think the restaurant owners found that as funny as we did. Actually, I don’t think the music of our songwriters was to be blamed!  

One of the places where we performed numerous times was the Aljerald Powers Memorial Lodge, or Plank Road Station, in Winterboro. The old wooden building was built as a Masonic Lodge around 1920. It served as such until 1958. The historic building sat empty for a number of years. In 2002, the Alabama Historical Commission asked the Winterboro Education Foundation about saving and restoring the building. They relocated it to its current location, which is next door to the old high school. It has served as host to all kinds of events since its rebirth. I have fond memories of performing there at arts-and-crafts fairs, chili dinners and who knows what else. There was something special about simply being in the old lodge building.   

I was saddened to see the damage the March storm caused. The school suffered severe damage, especially the gymnasium. Fortunately, the church next door was not damaged. The twister mowed a wide path through the nearby woods. I did not stop for a close-up look, but it looked like the lodge may have been dealt its final blow, but I sure hope not. The roof looked severely damaged, so everything inside, included newly installed floors, was flooded with rain. I was told later that the old relic had been shifted from its foundation.

The community was blessed that more lives were not lost. Our prayers are certainly with those who did lose a loved one, as well as those who lost their homes or suffered serious damage. It is now April, but more March madness has been predicted. Enjoy the remaining games and please stay safe!

Bill King can be reached at bkpreach@yahoo.com or 334-728-5514 (office).