Hometown Tour - Helena

Hello Everyone,

I hope you enjoy reading about today's Hometown Tour brought to you by Stacey. Her profile can be found at the bottom of the post.
~ Valerie

Helena is a booming little city in the heart of Alabama, loaded with charm. The growth that has taken place over the past few years, and continues to spread has not robbed our town of its quaint beauty and character. The waterfall, located in Old Town, is somewhat of a trademark.

The historic atmosphere of Old Town is an inviting place to walk, shop or eat. One may even wish to jump into the water and let the falls wash over them!

During the summer there are movies in Amphitheater Park on Friday nights. The Farmer's Market is held on Saturday mornings where fresh local produce, baked goods and homemade items are sold, and local chefs put on demonstrations. Despite the southern warmth that can sometimes be, well - hot!, we love to get outside and play. A great boundless play area has been recently added at Joe Tucker Park. This particular area allows access for wheelchairs and can be enjoyed by more children. Hiking, canoeing, fishing, biking...oh, yeah - there is a new pedestrian tunnel under construction linking the walking trails to give walkers the liberty to enjoy the city without motor traffic.

Helena has its own Fourth of July Celebration, complete with barbecue, games, music and fireworks. Then there is the Buck Creek Festival in the spring and the Christmas Parade that also bring citizens together for fun in December. There are plenty of city sports leagues as well as school activities.

Speaking of schools, our latest addition is the middle school. As Helena has grown, the student population has naturally exploded. In 2001 the sweet little elementary school divided its grade levels and the Intermediate School was built. The Middle School just finished its first year of operation...and some of us have hopes that the high school will come soon. Meanwhile the high school students still join nearby Panthers at Pelham High School.

Of course we are proud to be the hometown of 2002 gold medalist winner of the Winter Olympic Games, Vonetta Flowers. Mrs. Flowers was the first African American, and also the first Alabamian, to win a gold medal in the winter games. Also from Helena are 2005 American Idol, Bo Bice and 2009 Miss Alabama Liz Cochran.

There is enough diversity to be interesting, enough similitude to be kindred, there are celebrations for excellence and neighborly support in tough times. Helena is not a perfect place, but it is home and it is also...
(voted: top 100 places to live in the US, by Money magazine - 2007)!










~Helena Wedding Chapel
















~gift shop "The Monkey Basket"

















~Helena Intermediate School















Thanks for going on my little tour! I am looking forward to hearing about YOUR hometown.


Hi! My name is Stacey Sickmiller. I am wife to Mark and mom to three. We, along with our two dogs, live in Helena behind a picket fence where the sun always shines. (Well, most of that is true - there is actually no picket fence and sometimes we have tornadoes.) I am working toward a teaching degree with which I want to teach elementary school students. This all keeps me busy, to say the least. I enjoy spending time with my family. My favorite things are: dates with my husband, listening to my children play musical instruments, reading, taking leisurely walks and getting coffee with a friend. Somewhere in there I blog at Stacey~Stace.
I blog about all sorts of things but my main goal is to give glory to God for His gracious acts in my life. Because I often focus on His blessings it may seem that I am a hopeless "Pollyanna". The truth is that I am a broken sinner who has come to know the redemptive grace of God and the peace of His forgiveness. Therefore, I like to share these things. Additionally, anytime I can get away with it, I talk about my family, give updates about what's going on with us and even post a few pictures. The kids aren't crazy about that, though, so I have to be careful!

If you would like to feature your hometown on Alabama Bloggers, please contact Rachel (rachel@alabamabloggers.com) or Valerie (valwonderfullife@aol.com) and let us know!