Did you know fall gardening is having a banner year here in the lower south. And, it’s because of the above normal high temperatures we are having. That’s what I read this week.

Many patches of green vegetables, especially collards and turnips, are flourishing right now. I bet my good friend Jimmy Biggs has his garden right in the swing of things, too. If anyone can make vegetables grow, he certainly can.

An abundance of vegetables like this reminds me of those days back in the late forties and early fifties when we drove up to the State Farm Prison gardens where we could purchase all types of fall greens and vegetables. Not only were vegetables available to purchase from the state but sugarcane stalks, as well. Cane syrup was also popular back then. The State Farm fall gardens were almost as popular as the spring and summer peach crops.

High school boys and young men found those peach orchards very tempting especially on the way back home from swimming sessions at Little River State Park. Those huge sparkling red and orange peaches clinging to swaying, heavily loaded limbs lured them right into the middle of the orchards where they dared to snatch one or two of the delicacies and dart to their cars parked along the highway. It’s a wonder they were not hauled in up there and placed under arrest. I am sure this would not happen if those orchards were there today.

In some news of interest from the business world this week, I learned that almost 60 percent of the world’s population is still without internet. It is available to them but they simply don’t want it. And this is causing tremendous concern for online publishers and publications. What’s happening is advertisers are holding back advertising to these firms. Many daily newspapers have closed their hard copy deliveries and have gone to online publication. And now they are discovering the reluctance of advertisers is making it difficult to exists . It makes sense. Why invest in online ads when there is only a scattering of readers. Many of those online publishers will not admit this is not happening. Only their ego drives them in their efforts. Now, weekly papers do not seem to experience this problem because they are geared to offer advertisers combo deals which include internet and hard copy circulation.

They are telling us it will be several years down the road for a satisfactory saturation of internet.

I do not mean to keep harping on this gambling situation and our governor but a flood of information is unraveling day by day. The latest rumors involve locating a casino in or near the proposed new beach resort and hotel near Gulf Shores. Notice I did say rumors. And, of course, new gambling venues would have to be voted on by the people. What’s surprising to me is the fact that our governor apparently is not fighting this. Prior to a few months ago he was dead set against gambling. Politicians in the Dothan area are conspicuously coveting a casino in that area if the state and voters OK the states four dog tracks for casino gambling. Dothan does not have a dog track.

I believe casino gambling and the lottery will drive the news in this upcoming year.

Speaking of casinos it was interesting to learn that a great percentage of Wind Creek’s employees come from out of town. Yes, residents from Monroe, Baldwin and adjacent Florida counties have found gainful employment with the Creeks. That’s not to say local folks don’t work there because they do. These jobs are so diversified that they spill over into three shifts during the twenty four hour span.

Now let’s take a look at some news from 1970.

Munson, Fla.’s Grand Ole Opry star Hank Locklin headlined an All-Star cast at the Atmore Saddle Club annual rodeo. Pretty Linda Helton reined as rodeo queen.

Bratt Baptist Church broke ground for a new-spacious educational building. Pastor Jerry Smith spoke on the church’s beginning in 1908.

Marian Elliot became the new prison warden at Holman. He transferred from Gadsden.

In1974 C M Graham’s farm in northwest Florida was grazed by a small tornado causing damage to his farm buildings. A man and his pickup were blown into a ditch destroying his vehicle but leaving un injured. He was on his way to his home in Jay.

There were quite a few Monsanto employees living here at that time. Escambia County employees, competing with adjacent county employees at the plant raised the most money for Monsanto United Fund drive. I have a feeling the workers who rode Alfred Brown-Ed Cole bus had a lot to do with it.

That same year Jimmy Brown, local well known and highly regarded high school football coach, left that field to enter local business. A 1967 graduate of Livingston University where he played on the gridiron, he coached at various schools in the area. His father was longtime principal at Canoe School.

We will have more news from years gone by next week.