POWERGRAMS

Choir on the Mountain Finding the miracles at Dugger Mountain Music Hall is as easy as counting stars on a crisp night or magical notes flowing from the stage. In an old church along Highway 9 between Rabbittown and Piedmont, the miracles just seem to take root. "It was a Saturday night and I went to a concert at Dugger Mountain," said Blake Lowry, residential Marketing representative, Eastern Division. "It was supposed to be just music. Then I met Bob McLeod." That's enough for most people, meeting the man behind the music hall and the ministry called Our Father's Arms (OFA). McLeod chatted with Lowry for 15 minutes. At the end of that simple conversation, Lowry brimmed with ways for Alabama Power to assist. For starters, why not consider changing the old gas furnaces to electric? And shift the billing status from residential to commercial. Provide some energy checkups for the men's home and, a few miles away, the women's home under the wing of OFA (both places create a nurturing family situation for people in transition or crisis). And what about the needed insulation and flooring for the women's facility? The actions began early with Alabama Power's donation of $30,000 worth of recording and sound equipment. Energy assessments revealed ways to cut costs and, indeed, those outdated gas furnaces will be replaced by energy-efficient heat pumps. With $2,200 from the Alabama Power Foundation, plus man- hours and installation from Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) volunteers, the women's home received vinyl flooring and insulation. A dozen employees volunteered 146 service hours to the project, adding their own $500 in supplies. "It's worth more to me than anything I've ever done" said Eastern Division Vice President Julia Segars. "Anything we've given them has come back to us many times over. It was put in our path at the right time for the right reason." McLeod said things just seem to come along when they're needed. A Nashville friend gave analog recording equipment to McLeod, then the Calhoun Baptist Association offered a dilapidated building. The idea of a music hall emerged, bringing the building and the equipment together. Musicians stepped forward to fill the space with bluegrass, country and, later, Celtic tunes and jazz. People eagerly attended suppers and concerts. "A friend of mine said we needed to be on TV," said McLeod, who asked Potts Marketing Group to tape and edit some 30-minute shows. After popular airings in the Huntsville market, the friend called again. "He said, 'I'm part of another network called The Walk with 255 channels. Mind if I shoot it to them?' We went from 80 people once a month to 80 million homes a week in 43 states, Curacao and the Virgin Islands." Tom Potts picks it up from there. "We did that for about a year and a half, then got a call from The Nashville Network. We suddenly added another 22 million homes, mostly in the Southeast U.S. Then, somebody told Alabama Public Television about us – and we're on weekly." The estimated audience now: 115 million homes. A $25,000 Alabama Power Foundation award was the first sponsorship. Jacksonville State University matched that, providing students who help produce the broadcasts. The Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce and county government also sponsor. "We helped launch them and that's a point of pride," Segars said. McLeod adds, "The Alabama Power family has become a part of the Our Father's Arms family and vice versa. It has been an encouragement to see a company come forward and help. It's humbling and a true blessing." By Carolanne Roberts POWER TO ALABAMA 3 COM PANY, EM PLOYEES SI N G D U G G ER'S PR AISES McLeod is the man behind Dugger Mountain Music Hall. Photos by Joe Allen To attend a free taping and supper, visit duggermountainmusichall.com for schedules and contact information. Reserve your place promptly. Seats are highly sought-after and go quickly. DUGGER ON TV The Walk Network, thewalktv.wordpress.com, Saturday, 5:30 p.m. (14 affiliates in Alabama) The Heartland Network (formerly The Nashville Network), watchheartlandtv.com, Sunday, 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Alabama Public Television, aptv.org, Tuesday, 10 p.m. Musicians play in restored church building in rural Calhoun County.

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