Next Tuesday will be a special day for Franklin County residents as the Bear Creek Education Center in Hodges will reopen to the community.
Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow, who was instrumental in the transfer of Overton Farm (which includes the Education Center) from the Bear Creek Development Authority to the Town of Hodges last year, will host a special reopening ceremony.
After more than a year of negotiations, that transfer came April 29, 2015, as the BCDA Board voted to officially transfer control of the property to The Town of Hodges and Rock Bridge Canyon Equestrian Park.
Overton Farm, a 211-acre tract, was deeded by Forrest B. Overton and his wife Annie to BCDA in 1968. The property, which also includes historic family farm buildings from the 1880s, was closed several years ago after a string of consecutive years that saw the facility losing money.
At the request of Hodges officials, Morrow proposed to the board in January of 2014 that BCDA transfer day-to-day operations of the facility to the town, which will include the land as part of its growing tourism base featuring Rock Bridge Canyon and an equestrian trail.
The reopening ceremony is set for 12 p.m. next Tuesday, May 10 at the cafeteria building of the Bear Creek Education Center. A meal will be served by the new owners of the newly renovated restaurant contained in the facility.
“This is one of the more exciting things I've worked on, and next Tuesday will be a special day,” Morrow said. “For the public to be locked out of this facility we're so proud of was really sad. We will celebrate our Bicentennial in 2019, and when Abner Overton settled this property for his family farm, he had to go to Mississippi because Alabama wasn't a state yet.
“It's extremely exciting, and I'm proud to see this occur. My emphasis now is to forget all the struggles we had getting this facility open. Now it's to get people interested and create enough activity to keep it open."
Most of the renovations on the facility came from volunteer labor, including tremendous support from the Back Country Horsemen of Alabama, along with countless hours from local residents. Morrow and other local legislators worked to obtain grant monies for Overton Farm. He describes the renovation as a “true community effort.”
Morrow invited former Alabama chief justice Sue Bell Cobb to emcee Tuesday's ceremony. University of North Alabama president Kenneth Kitts will be among the dignitaries present.
Dr. Frank Gravlee, founder of Life Data Labs, Inc. in Cherokee, will be honored at the ceremony with a resolution from the Alabama Legislature.
“He is a true pioneer in the equine industry and someone whose contributions have been invaluable to improving the health of horses,” Morrow said.
The operations agreement calls for Hodges to manage the property for three years with an option to renew, upon approval from all parties, for an additional 20 years.
