Did You Know

Did You Know: Pics for a Cause

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 21:34:41 -0500

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - Pictures for a cause, that's what one photo shoot in Huntsville is all about.

While on a mission trip in Thailand, Melanie Robertson met a young orphan boy named El. Since that meeting she has made it her mission to be a part of his life, and to bring him to Huntsville for a visit.

"The biggest thing is that people understand about El. When we went to go visit him, this sweet boy on the last day before we left wrote us this letter and asked if he could call us papa and mama. From that day it's been how do I say no, how do I not include him in our family", said Mrs. Robertson.

So she's using her talents as a photographer to raise money to bring the young orphan here for a month.

"I know Melanie's heart and I know that she is just wanting people to see Jesus through this. They are just trying to bring this boy here to be loved, if anything I want people to know that is her main cause," said Ashley Smith. "He's a teenager, so the cost of their flights and anything they might need. We are thinking that should be around $3,000 and any extra money God blesses us with will got to the prison ministry in Bangkok."

She's asking for donations of $45 for each photo shoot. One is scheduled for this Saturday and another one tentatively planned for early October.

If you would like to take part you can contact Melanie via email mnsrobertson@yahoo.com.

Did You Know: Green Mountain Soap

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:15:00 -0500

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) She used to work at NASA. He used to work at Teledyne-Brown. Now, they both make soap.

"We did what is classic. We took a perfectly good hobby and turned it into a business and ruined it by making it a business," said Elaine Hamner.

That business is Green Mountain Soap, but this is not just any soap.

"Our initial goal for the formulation of our bar soap was to make the purest soap anywhere in the world. We just wanted a soap that was completley pure and we've accomplished that goal. What we found, is because it's so pure and free of any additives that people can use our soap that have chemical sensitivities to all the additives that are in other soaps," said Richard Hamner.

"Of course, it's good for anyone who wants something pure and natural because it's got no additives, no fragrance, except we do have one section that does have fragrance. So the soap is incredibly mild, it's full of glycerin. It's just gentle and mild and people find that it's very good for their skin."

Green Mountain Soap comes in bar and liquid form. To learn more about it, click here.

Did You Know: Worm castings

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:00:00 -0500

GURLEY, Ala. (WAAY) - Have you ever heard of worm castings?

"The nice way to put it is...worm castings are what comes out of the south end of a northbound worm. Just like any other animal when worms eat, the waste has to go somewhere and that's what the worm castings are," says Jim Steele, owner of Green Leaf Organics.

Mr. Steele then scoops up the castings, puts them in a bag and calls it organic fertilizer. That's the end of the process.

Here's how they start out. Steele says, "I take 300 night crawlers and I put them in a two and a half gallon pail. In that pail is about two gallons of organic peat, which is soil. I mix in a grain mixture, then put my worms in. I let them sit for two weeks. And in two weeks, they turn that into worm castings."

You can find Jim's unique brand of fertilizer at Across The Pond and Greenway in Huntsville.

Did You Know: Dean Jones

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 22:00:00 -0500

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - A Tennessee Valley native stars in one of the most successful Disney Movies of the 1960's, but most of us don't know about his roots here in the Valley.

The Disney classic, The Love Bug, spawned several other successful Love Bug movies, including Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. Did you know the star of those movies is from the River City?

Dean Jones was born in Decatur, Alabama in 1931. His list of film and TV credits spans from 1956 to 2008. They include That Darn Cat, The Shaggy D.A. and, of course, the Herbie the Love Bug movies.

Jones attended Decatur's Riverside High School and had his own local radio show called Dean Jones Sings, and boy could he sing.

Mr. Jones recorded the cast album of a musical by Stephen Sondheim called Company. He had several roles on Broadway, but most of his work over the years has been in front of the camera.

In the early 1970's, Jones became a Christian and has appeared in several Christian films and productions as well.
He also founded the Christian Rescue Committee in 1998. It's an organization that helps provide a way of escape to Jews, Christians and others persecuted for their faith.

He is semi-retired and currently lives in California.

Did You Know Helium Shortage

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 15:31:00 -0500

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - Did You Know there's a shortage of one of the most abundant elements in the universe?

That's right! There's a shortage of helium.

Some of you will not be surprised to find out the Federal Government is involved. It's complicated, but basically in 1996 Congress voted to sell off the Federal Helium Supply by 2015 hoping private production would pick up. It's not happening at this point and roughly 30 percent of the worlds helium supply comes from the U.S Federal Helium Reserve.

"From the last year it's probably gone up about twenty-five dollars a tank," said Dee Ann Daniel, of Party Works in Huntsville.

What that means to you is higher prices if your planning an event that involves helium balloons. For Party Works in Huntsville, the shortage has also been a positive at their store.

"Actually we have people coming to us because of the shortage affecting other stores. We get the benefit of being able to fulfill their orders," says Daniel.

The shortage will also affect college football, for example Nebraska's traditional release of nearly 5,000 balloons after the teams first touchdown of the game will be put on hold this season.

More importantly could be the impact on healthcare. Helium is essential for MRI machines. These machines need up to 12,000 liters of helium to operate properly. That's one example of many.

The U.S. Senate is considering a bill called the Helium Stewardship Act of 2012, but so far no action has been taken since it's introduction back in April.

Did You Know What's for Supper?

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:07:00 -0500

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - What's for Supper?

We've all said it, and then at some point most of us have said "I don't want to make anything and I don't want to go out."

Here's another option: "What's for Supper?"

This business provides freshly made, restaurant-quality meals for people to either pick up or have delivered instead.

Walter Thames started "What's for Supper?" in the Tennessee Valley about four years ago, but it's not his first career.

"I spent a lot of time traveling as a marketer at Intergraph and at my own ad agency in Huntsville and decided to pursue a lifelong dream and start cooking," said Thames. "We process everything from fresh ingredients, we package them up on Mondays, people pick them up, and many of our clients have ceased to cook at home."

The freshly made meals are delivered to several locations around Huntsville once a week and the people that pick them up don't have to ask "What's for Supper?"

Did You Know Terracycle

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:25:00 -0500

Back to school, means back to packing a lunch for lots of families around the Tennessee Valley. It also means lots of Capri Sun, granola bar, and chip bag wrappers that can't be recycled. Oops, uh, check that last statement.

" Nexus Energy Center, we participate in a program through a company called Teracycle, based in New Jersey. What they do is take all sorts of random items that are typically un-recyclable, we're talking about granola bar wrappers, chip bags, pens, yogurt containers, things that we can't put in our blue recycle bins at home," said Daniel Tait, of the Nexus Energy Center in Huntsville.

The items are shipped off to Teracycle and turned in to all kinds of cool things like backpacks, purses, toys and lawn furniture just to name a few.

" If you a homeowner a resident of Huntsville and Madison County then you can collect all this material, and we have a list on our website, you can collect it and bring it to our offices or one of the participating businesses. Or if you would like to become a participating business, all you have to do is whatever material you decide you want to take, you set up boxes and throw all that material in a box and when you are ready to ship, contact us and we give you a free UPS shipping label and they take it and ship it."

You can find more info through the link on this story to the Nexus Energy Center.

Did You Know Up A Creek

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 22:25:00 -0500

You want to take your kids out for a day fun, adventure and exercise..... but, it's too hot outside or maybe in a few months it's too cold.

" My husband and I have 4 kids and we're always looking for something fun to do and we've got 2 winter birthdays and there's not a whole lot to do around her during the winter. So we thought we would do something that would be good for people to come in and play, and a good place for birthday parties," said Melissa Stolaas, or Up A Creek Family Adventures.

It's about 3,700 square feet of paradise for kids of all ages.

" We have a crickety creek cabana café. You can sit down have a snack and watch your kids play. Just around the corner a 3 course rock climbing wall. It gets harder the farther to the right you go. Everybody wears a helmet and a harness."

" We have a custom built treehouse built from reclaimed barn wood. It's about a 120 square feet and it has a secret exit in the back that's a little twirl slide."

" Next up is our rainforest safari club. It's a big obstacle course. You go in one side, wind around do a 360 and over through the bouncer front then back around and out through a slide."

Up A Creek Family Adventures is located in Hampton Cove on South 431 and is open Monday through Saturday.

Did You Know Wendy's Girl

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:25:00 -0500

Lots of famous people have come from the Tennessee Valley, but there's a new star on the rise that you may not be aware of.

You've seen Morgan Smith on the new Wendy's commercials.

Did You Know she's a Tennessee Valley native?

" My family moved to Cullman when I was about 3, so I grew up there. Went to Cullman High School, graduated from there in 2002. Then went on to Birmingham Southern," said actress Morgan Smith.

As for the response to her new visibility.....

" I received a lot of overwhelmingly positive support which is really great and feels really good and I'm just glad people like the spots. I hope they go to Wendy's and grab a burger."

You know her from the small screen commercials, but she's a force to be reckon with on stage.... Having starred in an off broadway show with Julianne Moore, she also got a Best Actress Broadway World nomination for another role.
Morgan lives in New York now with her husband, but she always feels the effects of that Tennessee Valley love.

" I think that's what's so special about us as southerners, we're very proud and encouraging. I've felt the effects of that and am very grateful for that. In the community that I grew up in was so positive and so supportive and that's something I've carried with me."

You can see Morgan's acting talents on the upcoming season 3 of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. Look for her as Bernice in episode 9.

Did You Know: Amazon Lillies

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:18:00 -0500

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - A plant at the Huntsville Botanical Garden gets it's own special hot tub. It's called an Amazon Water Lilly, and it is amazing.

Here's what Harvey Cotten, Vice President of the Huntsville Botanical Garden, had to say, "We jokingly say we start them in the hot tub, because we've created a heated pool within a heated greenhouse so that we can get the water temperature up high enough for the seed to germinate and lilly to start growing. One of their other names is the platter lilly, because the leaves can grow up to six feet across and are strong enough to support an eighty pound child. As you look at it you can see it's quite dense and thick and when you turn the leaf over you have a great waffling pattern with longitudinal ribs that come out, and it has all kinds of spines to protect the plant from predators like fish that want to come in and eat it. We have to wear gloves, to prune these is not a fun job out in the garden."

In the 1800's an English gardener was so inspired by the incredible waffle shape on the underside of this plant that he created the first curved roof glass greenhouse using nature as his blueprint.

This plant also produces a flower, and it has a unique story as well.

"The first night that the flower comes out, and they do bloom at night, is pure white, and it's the female flower. After it's open for one night, it closes. Then the second night it opens and it's pure pink, and it's the male flower," says Cotten. "It's a beetle in the wild that is actually captured within the plant. It gets the pollen on it and then it moves to the next flower."

You can check out these amazing specimens for as long as it's warm enough at the Huntsville Botanical Garden.

Did You Know: Buckhorn High School

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 12:05:00 -0500

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - You've heard of Buckhorn High School, but do you know the story behind the name Buckhorn?

In the 1800's the "tavern" in the area took the unofficial name of the "Buckhorn Tavern" when 18 year old William Fanning killed a buck near the site and presented its antlers to the innkeeper. Buckhorn Tavern was an early stop for travelers going from Winchester, Tennessee to Madison County.

During the Civil War Buckhorn Tavern was the site of a skirmish on Oct. 12, 1863. Confederate General Phillip Roddey's Alabama Cavalry Brigade was moving south from New Market when it intercepted Union General Robert Mitchell's Cavalry Brigade, advancing northeast from Huntsville. A brisk firefight broke out at close range. Both sides hesitated to advance in the approaching darkness and heavy rain. The Union troops camped for the night in the woods; the Confederates retired to New Market. The next morning, Roddey's Brigade rode on to Athens.

In 1958, as a result of consolidation of New Market and Riverton High Schools, Buckhorn High School opened with approximately 200 students. The Fanning family presented the original horns to Buckhorn High School on December 12, 1958.
Those very same horns that have given such an identity to this area of Madison County still hang in the lobby of Buckhorn High School today.

Did You Know Holey Donuts

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 04:54:58 -0500

Who among us doesn't like a good donut? And, who wouldn't enjoy that donut just a little bit more if we knew the donut was low fat, but didn't taste like it. Behold, Holey Donuts!

" One day I walked away from the deep fat fryer, cooked donuts a different way and I literally tasted one and said holy cow these taste fantastic and Holey Donuts was born," said Frank Dilullo, founder of Holey Donuts.

Born to the delight of donut fans everywhere. He's been on QVC three times. All three times, sold out.

" All donuts untill now have been deep fryed and loaded with fat and colories. Food manufacturers have taken the fat out of everything from cheese to twinkies, yet no one has ever created a marketable low fat donut."

Until now, look at the comparison between Krispy Kreme and Holey Donuts. 3 grams of fat compared to about 20 grams for a Krispy Kreme.
Cinnabon compared to Holey Donuts.... 730 calories compared to 340.
So how do you get one in Alabama or Tenneessee?

" We sell out donuts on the web, they're shipped like you would order steaks. They come in frozen in custom cooler that's totally recyclable. There's dry ice inside, we send it to your home anywhere in the country via Fed Ex. The donuts arrive frozen, fabulous and picture perfect."

Did You Know : Cookin Outdoors

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:26:00 -0500

ALBERTVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - There's an international celebrity living in Albertville you may not be aware of.

" Cookin Outdoors with Johnny Nix is the name of the show. Basically what we do is go outdoors and we cook a full meal over the open campfire," said Mr. Nix.

Johnny's outdoor cooking expertise gave him the number one show on RFD-TV for four years, it also inspired him to create his own outdoor cooking system.

" From the ground up, we've got our fire pit. We've got it off the ground, so it doesn't do any damage to the ground. Then you've got the cooking set itself. Sidebars, a cross bar and 5 cooking hooks which are your temperature control. The hooks are at different levels to keep your pots at different levels and different temperatures. You have a fire poker and a lid lifter. We have grill that swings in over the fire and when you want to turn them or flip them you just swing it back out. You also have a warming tray for when you are cooking for a lot of folks. It works the same way, swings in and out."

Johnny has a cookbook, a DVD and a website. You can also watch his show Cookin Outdoors, now on Dish Network.

Did You Know : Zume Games

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 10:12:00 -0500

" First and foremost, they are very fun to play. They are easy to play, the rules are very simple," said Nick Martin of Zume Games.

The company has come out with a new line for 2012. It's summertime, so we decided to give these games a go. They are Canz, Spinnerz and Tenniz.

" It's pretty neat because you can swing and play almost like a real tennis game, but the effects of the compressed foam ball off of a racket deadens it enough that you can play in a fairly small space."

Small spaces and easy take with you anywhere, just a couple of reasons Zume games is making a splash this summer season.

" They are lightweight, they're compact, easy to set up and durable. A quality alternative to traditional outdoor games."

Did You Know : Drive-In

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 04:29:48 -0500

ATHENS, Ala. (WAAY) - The Drive-In movie theatre, a symbol of the 1950s, an art form thought to be long dead. In Alabama we're down to 11 drive-in's, from a high of 96 back in 1958.

Athens, Alabama still boasts one of these pillars of the past. Cinemagic, still going strong, although it's three times smaller than it used to be. That space now reserved for the indoor theatres on the same property.

"It amazes me how we have a lot of the older crowd that we have come in for the nostalgia of the drive-in. It reminds them of a different time of going to movies and the way it was then," said Mack Bullard, General Manager of the Cinemagic Theatres in Athens, Alabama.

But, it's not just the old folks keeping this place up and going these days.

"The younger kids that get to come are literally discovering it as a new thing, they think it's just the most incredible thing they've ever seen."

" We have a standard movie projector for the drive-in, just like any other projector. The one main difference is the projector bulb, which is much larger because you need a larger output of light for the bigger screen."

"I can't tell you how many times on a Friday or Saturday night especially during the summertime, and when they're getting ready before the show before the other cars start piling in, they are out here throwing a football or a frisbee. These folks just having the time of their lives out with the family, and that's an experience I don't think we get enough of anymore."

To see what's playing at Cinemagic's drive-in, visit their website.

Did You Know: Irish Society

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 05:49:07 -0500

It's not Saint Patrick's Day, but to the Bollinger family of Huntsville every day is a day to celebrate Irish culture. In 2010 they started the first and only Irish Society of North Alabama.

"The Irish Society's main focus is truly outreach. There's two parts, the back part is that we do monthly meetings that are meant to be social. The whole intent of that is to bring the Irish community together, said Michael Bollinger, President of the Irish Society of North Alabama"

"A great family friendly organization, you don't have to be Irish to join, you just have to appreciate the Irish, the culture, music, said Lisa Bollinger, of the Irish Society of North Alabama."

Their mission to promote the Irish culture through education, dance, art and music.

"We try to teach children and adults about the history of Ireland. There are a lot of people in Huntsville with a little bit of Irish in them, so a lot of people are interested when they see us to talk more about it."

Michael is also the President of the Father Tracey Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians which he just started in 2011. You can find out more about both organizations through our website waaytv.com.

Did You Know : Waterworks

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 04:46:05 -0500

HARTSELLE, Ala. (WAAY) - There's a local company turning waste and water into a learning experience.

Many years ago it was the Hartselle Water Treatment Plant, but now it's called Water Works. Jay Grantland and his staff have..... "Remodeled the facility into an education center where we highlight wetland function as far as water quality issues and concerns," said Mr. Grantland.

So lets have a look around at the unique eco system.

"We have a vermacular worm compost. We compost all of our paper waste and we also recycle the algae out of our wetland systems."

"We have a sewage treatment wetland. Anytime you flush the camode or use the sink in our facility, the waste goes here. From the septic tank to the wetland. The plants take up the nutrients that are in the water and transpire it out as water vapor and the microbes that live in the substrait between the rocks and root systems consume all the organics all the solid matter, the viruses, the pathogens and things like that."

"We raise the gamboga fish, which is also known as the mosquito fish. It's part of the wetland process that treats the water from Flint Creek. We just use two pits to raise this mosquito fish in to distribute out to the local community."

"Inside is the first of two wetland systems that begins the water treatment systems. The water flows out of a pipe from Flint Creek. It perculates from one cell to another where it's treated before it travels out to the outside wetlands."

If you would like to see and hear more, Water Works, has tours open to the public each and every week. They espcially like to cater tours to school groups who would like to learn more about this process of dealing with water and waste.

Did You Know : HD's Q-Out

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 22:25:00 -0500

ARDMORE, Tenn. (WAAY) - "I knew since I was seven years old, I wanted to be a cowboy," said Billy Darnell of Ardmore, Tennessee.

He pursued that dream from age of 15 till he was 34 at one time being ranked top 5 in the world.

" I rode bareback broncs, that was my main event, that's what I really loved to do. I did ride bulls for several years, fought bulls, contract acts. I slept with the animals, traveled with them up and down the road. Lived with them at the ranch, the whole nine yards."

After close to 20 years of competition it's hard to turn off those competitive juices, so Billy started focusing on juices of a different sort.

" I couldn't compete riding bucking horses anymore. Just going out and being a judge at rodeo is one thing, but you don't have the competitiveness. I said, well I'm going to start barbequing."

And, that's what he's done over the past few years with some pretty good results. You can see the results of his efforts on the walls of his new restaurant in Ardmore, Tennessee. It's called HD'S Q-OUT and Pitmaster service.

He's cooking up his special brand of BBQ every week on Main Street in Ardmore. He's also known for his roasted corn, it's worth the trip, trust me.

Did You Know : Shoot Like a Girl

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 05:07:56 -0500

ELKMONT, Ala. (WAAY) - You may have noticed recently there's been a couple of blockbuster movies that feature females using a bow and arrows. "The Hunger Games" was hugely popular at the box office, and now the animated story "Brave".

Elkmont, Alabama resident Karen Butler, is capitalizing on the interest in archery with her company 'Shoot Like A Girl.'

" I started ' Shoot Like A Girl ' about four years ago. What I found in the industry is that there were not many opportunities for women to get involved." Butler tells WAAY 31 News. "If we want to go out and purchase a bow, we would go to a store, but that wouldn't have a selection for us to try. I thought if we got the manufacturers to give us some bows, we could travel around the country and introduce women to archery in a safe controlled environment,"

" She made me feel really comfortable when I first did it, because I was kind of nervous. There was people around watching me, looking at me like they might want to do that. You feel powerful, when you do it," said Lacy Malone, of Holly Pond.

" They come in and they're like I can't do it, I'm not sure that I'll be able to pull it back, I'm not strong enough. Well, they are strong enough if they have the right equipment, and that's what we have. We put them in that equipment, we give them a quick tutorial and those women leave our booth with their heads held high, proud of what they've accomplished."

You can check out the ' shoot like a girl ' booth at the Tennessee Valley Fishing and Hunting Expo July 13, 14th and 15th at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville.

Did You Know : Spakovsky

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 05:08:00 -0500

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - You may have seen him on Fox News or PBS. You may have read his work in the Washington Times, Wall Street Journal or National Review Online. You may have even seen him testifying up on Capitol Hill. But, do you know Hans Von Spakovsky?

He's a Huntsville Native, graduated from Grissom in 1977, went on to MIT, then Vanderbilt Law School. He worked in the Justice Department and the Federal Election Commission during the Bush Administration. Now, he works at the largest conservative thinktank in the nation. It's called the Heritage Foundation, here's what they do.

"We do a lot of studies where we are trying to convince folks that limited government principles, protecting freedom and liberty are the most important things we need to abide by," said Mr. Spakovsky.

His boss in Washington D.C. Where the Heritage Foundation is based is Ed Meece, former Attorney General under President Ronald Reagan. As a Senior Legal Fellow at the Foundation he and his co-workers have been very busy lately with some big Supreme Court decisions coming down over the past few weeks. Here's his thoughts on the Arizona Illegal Immigration ruling.

"The main provision that President Obama was attacking, the Attorney General was attacking, that was the ability of local and state police officers to check on the immigration status of somebody they arrest, that was upheld. So the administration actually failed."

As for Obamacare...

"It was fundamentally one of the worst decisions by the court in the last hundred years."