The Blackburn Institute’s annual rural Alabama tour hosted 65 University of Alabama students earlier this month. Before arriving in Andalusia, the students had already visited Lowndes and Conecuh counties.

Earl Johnson, Andalusia Mayor, is second from the left. He spends time at Candyland, with Blackburn Institute students.


They attended PowerSouth on Wednesday, December 14, for a session led by CEO Gary Smith and followed by a meal at the board room.


They stayed Wednesday night at the Best Western Opp. (Even though they had planned for the event in August, there weren’t enough rooms in Andalusia to accommodate them all in one hotel that night.


They met Thursday morning with representatives from CCB Community Bank, Southern Independent Bank, and attended a session about community banking.


Next was an appearance at Andalusia High School where Dr. Charles Eldridge and Dr. Daniel Shakespeare spoke about community involvement.


Mayor Johnson spoke to the students, saying, “You must invest in your community” and how the City, School System, Public Education Building Authority board, headed by Dr. Eldridge, collaborated to upgrade the stadium and auditorium.


Dr. Eldridge spoke about raising private funds to support the effort and stressed the importance of getting “buy in” from all stakeholders before embarking on such a project.


Dr. Dr. Shakespeare spoke about recent successes of the school system, such as winning the state football championship and receiving an “A” on their school system report card.


Coach Taylor gave a tour of both the indoor practice area and the stadium.


The afternoon session started with John Thompson, City Administrator, presenting on downtown redevelopment and Amendment 725 which allows municipalities in Covington to invest in their community. To see some of the projects, the students took a walk through downtown.


Other presenters included Daniel Wells, COO at CDG, Inc., Andy Gibson, owner Draftstone Properties, Lee and Debbie Williams, Bluebird Coffee owners, and Kim and Kyle Baumgartner, The B.


After an hour of fun in Candyland, the students returned to Andalusia City hall for a wrap up of their trip.


Mayor Johnson stated that it was refreshing to hear students’ comments about Andalusia.


He stated that Andalusia was always a place for young people to live, work and raise their families. “When these bright young people said that Andalusia was a great place to live, it was like a confirmation for us that hard work is paying off span>

The article City welcomes students from the University of Alabama’s Blackburn Institute was first published on The AndalusiaStar-News.