POWERGRAMS

Halfway between Birmingham and Atlanta an Amtrak train heads east on tracks just a block from the center of the old railroad town of Heflin. The depot doors no longer open to passengers; they're now a relocated relic for visitors to the Cleburne County Chamber of Commerce. Like most small towns, Heflin has seen its ups and downs since it was founded 135 years ago but has managed to add a few hundred residents every decade or so to reach its all-time high population of about 3,500. It is Alabama's smallest and most recent "Main Street" designee. There's a mix of old and new in this town 20 miles from the Georgia line to the east, and bordering the Talladega National Forest on the west. Folks gather at Jack's for breakfast, Marie's BBQ House for lunch and may visit Damn Yankees for supper. They pay their taxes in the 110-year-old courthouse, and buy gis in the Colonial Coage listed on the National Historic Registry. A decade ago Heflin joined the Alabama Communities of Excellence, spurring a downtown upgrade of new brick sidewalks, handrails and streetlights. Five years later, the Cleburne County Mountain Center opened with a half-mile loop trail beginning and ending at what many folks consider the most beautiful new building in the area. For nearly 40 years, people have waited in line for an ice cream cone at the Tasty Dip. In Heflin they still get their extra, extras from the 111-year-old Cleburne News, and still buy their pills from 115-year-old Wright Drug Co., which boasts of filling prescriptions "since Teddy Roosevelt was president." Todd Bates grew up in Heflin, played football for Cleburne County High School, was a star for the Alabama Crimson Tide and then earned a big paycheck with the NFL's Tennessee Titans before coaching Jax State's defensive line that helped the Gamecocks to unprecedented success the past few seasons. In January, he joined the Clemson Tigers' staff. Bates returns home each summer to lead his skills camp for local kids. "Heflin has got it going on right now," says Tanya Maloney, who came back home three years ago aer 10 years in the high-stress roles of congressional aide and lobbyist in Washington, D.C. She is director of economic development for Heflin and heads the Main Street program. A new industry is set to move into the long-vacant Moore Business Forms building following a $1.5 million renovation. Another one-time major industry building may soon have a new tenant. Chamber of Commerce membership has grown by 110 since 2014. "We have so many opportunities because of our natural resources," Maloney says. "We're beginning to capitalize on that." Up on Cahulga Creek Four ducks glide across 84-acre Cahulga Lake as a lone fisherman paddles a small boat in the distance. It is seldom so quiet on the west side of Heflin in this scenic park that has seen a major transformation since Cahulga Creek was dammed 45 years ago. "This used to be a place that wasn't desirable," says Tammy Perry, director of Parks and Recreation, as she drives up to the picnic pavilion. "Parents didn't want their kids to go here. We started trying to figure out a way we could make beer use of this piece of land." What they figured out has made the Cahulga Creek Watershed a recreation destination sought out by Scouting groups, disc golfers, hikers, teachers and workers who oen sit on the pier with a brown bag lunch. An Alabama Power Foundation Students to Stewards grant is funding a new outdoor classroom; a Gateway grant helped buy the colorful new wooden sign that welcomes visitors. Lake Point Disc Golf Course is the latest araction, with the 18-hole layout beginning below the dam and winding on up into the hills adjoining Talladega National Forest. New wooden signs and benches at each hole await the players. What started as a three- hole beginner's course has been steadily upgraded to a high level of difficulty. "Most of our disc golfers come from out of town," Perry says. "It's been named one of the most scenic courses in America." The lake plays a central role in most everything in the 4,200- acre watershed – "lots of discs end up in the lake," Perry says – including children's fishing derbies and camps that teach kayaking and fort-building. Those summer activities are a major focus for the facility just 1.5 miles from Heflin's downtown recreation complex. Free fishing (with a 24 by CHUCK CHANDLER Disc golf is popular at Cahulga Creek Watershed. Clockwise from top left, the clock tower of the Cleburne County Courthouse; fishermen on Cahulga Lake; the Cleburne County Mountain Center; Karen Estes pours wine at High Country Cellars; blue skies over downtown Heflin.

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