Special Feature

The American Village in Montevallo will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. When it opened its gates for the first time on November 30, 1999, only four buildings existed: Washington Hall, inspired by George Washington’s Mount Vernon; the Courthouse, modeled after Colonial Williamsburg’s Courthouse of 1770; Founders Hall, which served as the first administrative building for American Village staff; and the original Barn that remained from the time when the 188-acre campus was a working cattle farm.

Today you will find more than 20 buildings on the American Village’s campus, all inspired by some of our Nation’s most iconic and cherished historic sites. Replicas of the President’s Oval Office and the East Room of The White House; a Colonial Chapel reminiscent of Bruton Parish Church of Williamsburg; Concord Bridge, which spans a one and a half-acre lake; the National Veterans Shrine, patterned after Philadelphia’s Carpenters Hall; and Independence Hall West Wing are but a few of the additions to this unique place. But the American Village is not about its buildings, but rather it is about building in the hearts and minds of young people and adult alike a sense of stewardship of what George Washington called “the sacred fire of liberty.” Here, nationally acclaimed and richly immersive programs engage 40,000 K-12 students annually in discovering America’s stories of independence, liberty and self-government. Since opening in 1999, the American Village has served well over 750,000 school students from five Southeastern states, and at least that number of adult visitors.

The goals of the American Village today are the same as they were twenty-five years ago. These goals include teaching you the vital lessons of liberty and remembering the price of liberty and honoring those who have paid it. The American Village was created to combat a growing national amnesia of our Nation’s founding and to help Americans discover the timeless relevance of the principles of equality, inherent rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and the foundations of self-government by consent of the governed. On July 4, 2026, America will celebrate its 250th anniversary of independence. As this milestone approaches, the American Village is endeavoring to help prepare a new generation of citizens and leaders to lead and serve the country. To learn more about the American Village, visit www.americanvillage.org. †

Special Feature

Halloween was always fun at our house as the girls were growing up. Bay and Cape, our two oldest girls, grew up in the country, so Halloween was always a bit tricky. Our nearest neighbor was a quarter of a mile away, so we’d usually load the girls up and drive into town for some door-to-door trick-or-treating. The girls were sometimes envious of their friends’ fancy rubber masks and store-bought costumes. I could see it in their reactions when we approached a group of friends. And, as a dad, that always unsettled me. I don’t ever want my girls to feel “less than.”  I fear that sometimes they did because they never dressed as Wonder Woman or had a true Disney princess gown to wear.  Still, though, they learned some valuable lessons along the way. 

Hannah, a “do it with what you have” kind of mom, was always exceptionally creative in her endeavors. My favorite Halloween garb was some spinoff of “The Flintstones” she created when Bay was maybe eight years old. Cape would have been five or so. Complete with actual chicken bones as hair bows, the girls looked much the part of Fred and Wilma’s two daughters.  Move over, Pebbles, there are some new kids in town! Hannah always made the girls costumes for most theatrical occasions including Halloween, school dress-up days, character days, and homecoming themes. Give her a junk drawer and some old clothes, and she could make our girls look like the Little Mermaid or a Radio City Rockette! “This is who we are,” Hannah explained to Bay one night. “We don’t need to spend a bunch of money on plastic masks and vinyl clothes. Let’s just be authentic.” Bay nodded her head, not yet consoled, but she seemed to understand Hannah’s lesson. It’s an important one, too. One that permeates throughout parenting. Be authentic. Authenticity is, after all, the key to unlocking the gate of contentment.  

On being “who we are,” Cape stands 5’ foot 11” or so. From an early age, Hannah taught her- and all our girls- the value of the gift God gave her when He made her tall. “Wear those high heels, girl,” she would say as Cape pranced through the living room in Hannah’s shoes. “Be proud of who God made you to be and be content in it.” Cape is now a freshman at Mississippi State. When formal attire is appropriate, she oftentimes stands above the rest of the room sporting her very high heels. She is not only content with who God made her to be, but also confident in it, too. 

Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Indeed, His works are wonderful… including us. If only we could learn to be content and confident in who He made us to be. If we did, few would ever put on the masks of unauthentic adulthood. Too busy are some, chasing the illusions of contentment in the world. They never see beyond the masks they wear, and they never find true joy in Him. Take off the mask. Be authentic.  

-Walt Merrell

A Christian Outdoorsman who writes of his adventures with his family, with the hope that others might be inspired and encouraged to embrace God’s tapestry, otherwise known as the great outdoors, as a means of finding Common Ground. You can follow him at Shepherding Outdoors on FB, YT and IG and at shepherdingoutdoors.com. His most recent book is available at shepherdingbook.com. Read his faith story at www.BirminghamChristian.com.