THE SHOALS-On Saturday, April 17 there will be a lot to do kicking off the warmer weather with a ballgame, a nice walk and and fun bike ride.
Forks of Cypress Walking Tour
The Forks of Cypress was one of the oldest antebellum mansions in Alabama. It was built in 1822 by James Jackson, one of the first settlers in Lauderdale County and a friend of Andrew Jackson. Bring your lawn chairs for the beginning portion of the tour. Park along the road or enter the gate to park in the field leading to the columns. Tour begins at 10:00 am and your guide is Harry Wallace. Located at Jackson Road, Florence, AL
The Forks of Cypress Historic Home was one of the oldest antebellum mansions in Alabama. It was built in 1822 by James Jackson, one of the first settlers in Lauderdale County and a friend of Andrew Jackson. Bring your lawn chairs for the beginning portion of the tour.Directions to the site areas follows: take Cox Creek Pkwy. to Jackson Road and turn right (no traffic signal at intersection) and turn right at the dead end. Park along the road or enter the gate to park in the field leading to the columns.
Saturday Morning Gravel Ride
There will be 2 ride options.
Option 1: Gravel or cross bikes. Roll out from the Spinning Spoke at 8:30 am. We will ride to Evergreen Baptist Church on County Road 2 to meet any riders opting for option 2. After doing a few laps at the Key Cave Refuge we will continue on west to complete the long route of 52 miles
Option 2: 9:00 am. Evergreen Baptist Church, County Road 2.
Mountain bikes and riders who want to skip the start downtown.
Meet up with riders from the downtown start and ride to the gravel/dirt roads on the Key Cave Refuge. Once at the refuge the main loop is 3.5 miles. Ride as much as you want.
Heinie Manush Day
Keep April 17 open for the season opener of the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball teams The Stones River Scouts and The Cumberland Club of Nashville at Heinie Manush Field. The rules of 1864 Base Ball will be used and are different than today’s rules. There are no balls and strikes. The pitcher’s job is to deliver the ball as near as possible over the center of the home base, and for the striker to hit. The Tennessee Association of Vintage Baseball was established in 2012 to entertain and educate by recreating the civility of 19th century baseball. The association promotes living history by bringing the 19th century to life through baseball events that use the rules, equipment, costumes and culture of the 1860’s. Teams are traveling to Tuscumbia at their own expense.
The game is to honor the legacy of Tuscumbia’s native son Heinie Manush, who was the first Alabamian inducted into Cooperstown is planned. Heinie Manush, during his career in seventeen seasons from 1923 until 1939, he batted over .300 eleven times, nine with averages .333 or better. He finished with a lifetime batting average of .330 with 110 home runs. In nine of his seasons, he finished in the top ten in batting. He played for the Detroit Tigers 1923-1927, St Louis Browns 1928-1930, Washington Senators 1930-1935, Boston Red Sox 1936, Brooklyn Dodgers 1937-1938, Pittsburgh Pirates 1938-1939. Heinie Manush was the first Alabamian inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964. In addition he was inducted into the, Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1964, Alabama Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971, and the Colbert County Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.Two games are planned starting at noon. The gates will open at 10:30 Ted Guillaum, Organ grinder from Nashville will play an hour before the game and between the first and second game. Shoals Fox Sports will broadcast the game. Skip Nipper “Mr Baseball of Nashvile, author, a board member of the Nashville Old Timers Baseball Association, a member of SABR (Society of American Baseball Research – sabr.org), and SABR’s Grantland Rice-Fred Russell (Nashville) chapter and baseball historian will umpire the game. The teams have challenged the Shoals to the second game, so dust off your shoes, not your glove; the games using 1864 rules is played without baseball gloves. The Tuscumbia Fire Department will have a First Aid Station set up. A food vendor will be available.
Media Release/Visit The Shoals
