POWERGRAMS

20 20 popular downtown spot. "We knew when people wanted to use the Alleyway before it was completed, we had hit a home run," she said. A 2020 miracle Wetumpka's Kelly Fitzpatrick Memorial Gallery, often known simply as "the Kelly," has also felt the combined impact of the 2019 tornado and the subsequent coronavirus. The gallery was on the brink of permanently shutting its doors when it received a modern-day miracle. Before the tornado, the gallery was housed in the city of Wetumpka administration building. The Kelly was forced to move to make way for the Wetumpka Police Department, whose building had been destroyed by the storm. "We had always dreamed of having our own home," said Belyn Richardson, president of the Kelly and president of Main Street Wetumpka. "Although initially stunned when we were asked to move, we quickly realized that this might be the spark we needed." For the next year, the gallery artworks went into storage as staff looked at more than 20 buildings in downtown Wetumpka – most of which were unsuitable or too expensive. With hope dwindling, it received a grant from the Alabama Power Foundation in early 2020. "Through a miracle – it's the only way to describe it – we found out about a piece of property downtown that an owner had not been interested in selling and worked out a deal," Richardson said. "The good news is, because of the grant, we will have a place of our own that will be suited for a combination gallery/museum, and we will have no debt." With the renovation of the building in full swing, Richardson said the gallery will move into its new home in spring 2021. The Alleyway sign recognizes contributors. Richardson is president of Main Street Wetumpka. PHOTO BY PHIL FREE PHOTO BY PHIL FREE PHOTO BY PHIL FREE

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