BUTLER COUNTY BEGINNINGS 200 Years of History

ANNIE CRENSHAW

 

Those of you who joined us at the Butler County Bicentennial celebration on Nov. 2 know what a wonderful event it was. What a day! What a crowd!

What great history, heritage and fun!

We had an amazing selection of musical performers, an unbelievable display of historical memorabilia of all kinds, gorgeous camellias selling like hot cakes, and the historical tour of a lifetime with costumed guides everywhere you went: Pioneer Cemetery, First Methodist Church, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, The Ritz Theater, First Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church and St. Elizabeth Catholic Church.

We celebrated Butler County’s two hundredth birthday with fantastic fanfare, and if you missed it – well, you’ll have to see if you make it to the NEXT centennial birthday.

We’d like to thank our Butler County Bicentennial SPONSORS. We can’t name every single person by name, but those of you who helped (and many of you helped a LOT)…. well, you know who you are! You didn’t do it for your name to go up in lights (or in print), but because you appreciate our past and you wanted to share it and enjoy it with everyone.

GOLD sponsors include the City of Greenville, the Butler County Commission, ASE Credit Union, State representative Chris Sells, Coca Cola Bottling Company, Montgomery, AL, the Town of McKenzie, and Trustmark Bank.

BRONZE sponsors include the Butler County Historical & Genealogical Society, Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Civitans Club, Sasanqua Garden Club, Greenville Equipment Center, and Alabama Rural Electric Association.

SILVER sponsors include the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce and Chamber Ambassadors, the City of Greenville Horticulture Department and City of Greenville Parks & Recreation Department, First United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, The Ritz Theater, The Greenville Standard, The Greenville Advocate, Q94 Radio with Kyle Haynes and David Norrell, and True South Outfitters.

Other SILVER sponsors were Walmart of Greenville, AL, Shirley Esco of Deatsville, AL, Lee Ryan Donald of Mobile, AL, Mary McKinley of Greenville, AL, American Legion Post 24, Fort Dale Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Hank Williams Boyhood Home Museum, Liberty Volunteer Fire Department, and Fort Dale Academy ECHO Club.

We thank all our musical performers, our stage director, the Boy Scouts and Junior ROTC.

And, we want to say a great big “THANK YOU” to all the individual volunteers who gave many many hours of their personal time to gather and display their community, church, school, organization and family history items; as well as demonstrators who showed heritage crafts, skills, and artifacts, vintage auto owners who brought their cherished “wheels” to display, and re-enactors and guides who dressed in costume to be historic hosts and hostesses.

We thank everyone who participated and helped make this the best birthday party ever for Butler County and the state of Alabama.

It was absolutely the celebration of a lifetime.