Tag: Featured Stories

By Tim Nail | Living 50 Plus Susan Hines, 62, of Hartselle, packed her suitcase for an excursion to Italy at the end of March. She wasn’t just getting ready for a vacation. For her, this trip also aimed to further her knowledge of Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. “I’m going to take a pasta cooking class over there,” Hines said.

By Wes Tomlinson | Living 50 Plus Bobby Hollis smiled as he remembered the first times he heard the iconic voice of Elvis Presley. “My (siblings) were constantly bringing his albums into the house when we were growing up,” Hollis said. “Back then, you had the black-and-white TVs and AM radio if you were lucky enough to have it. If

By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Flying north from Hartselle toward Decatur in his hot-air balloon decorated with strips of bright colors, Brian Dial found himself in a jam. A relatively new balloon pilot at the time, he wanted to land before his flight got too long. But as he hovered over woods near Flint, there were no large

By Dewayne Eddy For many who are decades away from leaving the workforce, retirement may seem like an abstract concept. But once you’ve entered your late fifties — like the youngest Baby Boomers, turning 57 in 2021 — retirement may begin to seem very real. A recent survey of Boomers found that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 52% of those

By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus Senior citizens in Morgan, Lawrence and Cullman counties don’t have to look far for free legal services, answers to Medicare questions, transportation assistance, prescription drug discounts and meals. The North Central Alabama Regional Council of Governments, NARCOG for short, utilizes state and federal money to provide those programs. Probably the most popular service

By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus Ronnie Dukes vividly remembers crossing the finish line in his first road race. The year was 1979, and the race was the inaugural River City Run, a 10-kilometer race, now in its 43rd year. “The feeling I had when I crossed the finish line was something I had never felt before,” said Dukes,

By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Dressed in tricorn hats, bandanas, frock coats, flowy lace-up shirts and skeleton accessories — the typical wardrobe for a Decatur pirate — members of Crewe O’ Ye Crooked Goat entertain and amuse crowds at the Mardi Gras-style Carnegie Carnival parade every year. Consisting mainly of individuals 50 and older, the camaraderie, creativity and