POWERGRAMS

32 32 than our costs. But in this small of a town, me being here all the time, I get calls at all hours: a pipe has burst. I get up and sell them whatever it takes to fix it." Banks spends a lot of time in the woods and boating on the Black Warrior River, which are among the chief reasons he enjoys his hometown. He expects the end of Banks & Company will come with his retirement … one of these days. "I'll do it until I don't like it anymore, then I'll put a sign on the door that says, 'Closed.'" True Vine irty-two years ago, Dr. Finley McRae was looking for an escape from the pressures of being a neurosurgeon at St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham. He found 814 acres of sprawling oak, sweetgum and hickory trees alongside the Eutaw Airport and began transforming it, building a log cabin and pond to get away from the big city on weekends. McRae and his wife, Bette, built a retreat for their family but word of their wondrous woods began to spread, and friends wondered if they, too, might join in the fun 90 miles southwest of Birmingham. By 2000, the McRae's saw their home away from home as a mission, establishing the True Vine Foundation to open their doors in a way they'd never imagined in the beginning. ey deeded 70 acres to the nonprofit organization. A 10-member board through the years would include business leaders such as former University of Alabama System Chancellor Ray Hayes. Most everything the McRaes built has been swallowed up by True Vine. e big working barn with a 38-foot-high ceiling became perfect for square dances. "Musicians who play here say it has wonderful acoustics," he says. e hayloft opening was boarded over and the bigger space was changed into a conference room. Horse stalls were just the right size for sleeping quarters, so bunkbeds were built inside them. Nearby is what McRae had built as a "work shed," but became a dining room where Army Rangers from Fort Benning recently ate during a weekend session. e tack room and feed room became more dorm rooms. Other animal stalls were converted to men's and women's bathrooms. A large storage room became a commercial kitchen with ovens, freezers and catering equipment. Outside, McRae built a big barbecue pit. e trees originally planted and maintained by the McRaes would grow into a Treasure Forest that received the Helene Mosley Award from the Alabama Forestry Commission as the state's outstanding forest of 2009. But it was a towering lumber structure within those woods that truly heightened interest in True Vine. In 2007, Alpine Towers International constructed a 40-foot-high, 100-yard-long Odyssey rope course that takes teams of up to 32 people from two to four hours to complete. e course has been tackled by thousands of visitors, including university athletic teams and Alabama Power employees. "It's been very popular," McRae says. "It's a great teambuilder." While groups like the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts often camp in small tents on the grounds, McRae says demand for married couple retreats has created a need for "glamping," or overnight stays in glamorous tents. A large prototype canvas-walled and screened tent with wood flooring, porch and entrance ramp stands next to one of three ponds on the property. It includes a woodstove, large bed, solar-powered lighting, electronics charging station and rocking chairs. Nine similar tents and a bathhouse are planned. Today, the doctor's son, Colin McRae, is the managing director of True Vine. His wife, Amanda, handles finances and their family lives in a house on the property, as does a full-time caretaker and his family. College students are hired part-time to aid in upkeep, and summer interns help with the ever-growing True Vine. "Parents sometimes have to just about drag their kids out here, but by the end of the weekend they are enjoying all of it," the senior McRae says as he drives a golf cart on a path past his garden, sheep grazing nearby. "ere are no distractions out here. People have a chance to put down the cellphones and reconnect with one another." A huge barn and other facilities are part of True Vine's 70-acre park, which includes 'glamping,' an upscale outdoors overnight opportunity for married couples. Odyssey rope course popular at True Vine.

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