BY MARLA BALLARD
REPORTER
DEKALB COUNTY - The population of this one-traffic light town bounces right
around 1,000 residents. The rural city encompasses just under five-square
miles on top of Sand Mountain. The settlement was founded in the 1880s and
established a high school by 1917.
The town's claim to fame includes: Being known for bringing home a state
championship trophy in football almost every year, hosting the National
Sacred Harp Singing Convention in 1959, (where noted musicologist Alan
Lomax recorded many of the performances), the well-known April 2011 EF4
tornado, and its annual August UFO festival. The town is Fyffe and although
small-in-size it is large in history, interesting facts, and things to do.
It was this month 34 years ago when over 50 people over a two-day period
called in to report an unidentified flying object. Fyffe made the New York
Times when it reported that 4,000 people were lured to the town hoping to
see a UFO after reports of one hit the news. The memory of those sightings
is kept in the forefront with a festival featuring hot air balloons, comfort
foods, and local entertainment.
For a small town it has a surprising number of notable people which
includes; Lowell Barron, Alabama state senator; Vestal Goodman, Southern
Gospel artist and founding member of the Happy Goodman Family musical group;
Charlie Long, former professional football player; Frank O. Slater, Navy
sailor killed in World War 2. The USS Slater is named in his honor; and
Bobby G. Wood, Tennessee state representative.
Lowell Barron was Mayor of Fyffe in 1968 - 1982, when he was first elected
to the Alabama Senate. In 1965 Barron opened a pharmacy in Fyffe after
receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from Auburn University.
Gospel Queen, Vestal Goodman grew up in Fyffe dreaming of a career as an
opera singer. All that changed when she met Howard "Happy" Goodman at a
revival in Albertville. The two were wed in 1949 and her career made her a
millionaire. She was born in 1929 and passed away in 2003. She was an active
Southern gospel singer from 1949 to 2003.
Charlie Long, born April 6, 1938 played college football as offensive tackle
and guard at the University of Tennessee. In 1961, he joined the Boston
Patriots of the American Football League. Career highlights include 2x AFL
All-Star in 1962 and 1963.
The USS Slater is a Cannon-class destroyer escort that served in the United
States Navy. The vessel was Decommissioned in 1991 after having served in
the Greek Navy as well. The ship is now a museum ship on the Hudson River in
Albany, New York. Slater was designated a National Historic Landmark on
March 2 2012. Slater has been featured in three motion pictures. One of the
films was The Guns of Navarone (1961), starring Gregory Peck. Currently the
museum ship is closed for repairs.
Bobby G. Wood was born in Fyffe in 1935. He served as a Republican in the
Tennessee House of Representatives from 1976 to 2004. He passed away at the
age of 87.
Throughout the year tourists will find the quaint town offers a range of
shops featuring both new and thrift store items. A variety of unique
businesses line Main Street, which include a bakery where tourists and
locals will find more than just sweet treats. In warmer months the laughter
of children fills the air at the modest-sized splash pad located behind the
school. Anyone looking for something interesting to do should visit Fyffe,
it is somewhere special and worth visiting both during the August festival
or throughout the year.
