Recollecting the Awe of Apollo 11
For most of us watching Neil Armstrong take those first steps on the moon, the awe of safely sending a man to the moon and back was mind boggling. Those first steps were mostly seen by the public in grainy shades of grey on cathode ray tube televisions. It was unimaginable that men could be traveling through space to explore another frontier. It was also unimaginable that the technology that brought the Saturn V to the moon would be adapted for consumer use in a short span of five decades.
Marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing on July 20, 2019 is a reminder that great moments in history are made up of a rich tapestry of people working together for a collective goal. For two decades, the Space Race dominated popular culture. For the City of Huntsville, the event had a personal face of neighbors who worked at the George Marshall C Space Flight Center and Redstone Arsenal where the Saturn V rocket was designed and built.
For TVA, it was the responsibility of overcoming a failed lock on Wheeler Dam to build a one mile bypass for the 363 foot, 75 ton rocket’s delivery to Cape Canaveral in time for fall testing. The original plan had been to ship the rocket on barge along the river systems on the 2200 mile journey, but with damage to the lock, an alternative plan was needed. With expediency, the TVA partnered with local agencies to design and build a road that had terminals to park transfer barges to load and reload the rocket. The urgency was to keep the space mission on schedule for testing and the ultimate launch date.
While the Apollo mission was born out of the Space Race and Cold War, this author prefers to remember a moment when the whole world was collectively holding their breath in wonder and awe at this achievement of mankind.
Spotlight on Electrification in the Tennessee River Valley
The Tennessee River Valley’s history is a story of generations of explorers, beginning with early explorations of the New World to today’s explorations of Space. What we see today is possible because of the vision of people that came before us. Alabama has been celebrating her Bicentennial over the past three years by honoring the people, places, and events that have defined the state’s past. Celebrations have included workshops, local events, as well as the traditional state events reserved for dignitaries. The State’s decision to fund project at both county and community levels has provided an opportunity for local citizens to participate and discover Alabama’s rich and varied history. How cool is that?
One of the community projects captured our attention with its clever use of art to tell a story. The project, A Bright Idea, is a newly dedicated light bulb sculpture in the City of Athens that commemorates the 85th anniversary of “turning on lights” in the city. The first street lights were installed in 1908, and in 1934, became the first city in Alabama to receive power from the newly created Tennessee Valley Authority. The City of Athens stated in their press release that “the light bulb sculpture pays tribute to the ingenuity behind providing electrical power, preserves our local history, and honors those who have lost their lives and those who risk their lives to ensure the lights stay on.”
We see this as a fitting tribute of celebrating the Valley’s history through the art of Placemaking.
An Ode to “Voluntourism”
The Tennessee River Valley’s rich bio-diverse habitat also serves as an important recreational and commercial address for the people and communities located in the watershed. The challenges of stewarding the public lands and waterways begins with the agencies that are charged with protecting the lands and waters, and extends to the many non-profit friends groups that build trails, pick up litter, organize public programs, and work to conserve these wide open spaces for future generations.
Across the Valley, there is a movement for friends groups to partner with public agencies and private entities including visitors to the area. On any given weekend, you may find the Friends of Land Between the Lakes guiding a paddling group that is also assisting with litter collection; a Knoxville brewery hosting a tap night to raise funds for Keep Tennessee River Beautiful; a kayak regatta event hosted by the Alabama Scenic Rivers to introduce youth to river paddling and river conservation, a TVA hosted BioBlitz on public lands; or one of the many bike/ hike trail clubs that host trail day days across the region.
Voluntourism is geotourism. Kudos to all of the voluntourists who engage, learn, and explore.
(use with Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful) https://www.tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org/content/conservation-comes-naturally-in-the-tennessee-river-valley/ten13b09b91b4f0f64cb
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