November 30, 2016 – Wednesday
Out of respect for Mother Nature, Andiamo is at Kingfisher Bay Marina waiting out a southern storm and possible tornado. The storm has brought us a range of weather conditions. After the first front passed the temperature rose from 65 to 85 degrees. The next segment brought us about 14 hours of light to heavy rain followed by clear skies and sunshine. Rick and I took advantage of a two-hour break in the storm to get provisions for the boat. By the time we arrived back at the marina, the temperature had dropped and the winds were back, it sure is nice to have a cozy little boat and geese to come home to.
The storm has passed but the yuletide festivity of Christmas on the River is calling us and we plan to engage in at a few of the activities before leaving Demopolis.
“Christmas on the River (COTR) is an annual event that is in its 45th year. It is a holiday celebration with several events over four days, main events are always the first weekend in December. We celebrate with a “Special child” and the announcement of our “St. Nick”. We have a reading of the Christmas Story and lighting of the park with a Santa visit, then on Friday and Saturday we have Christmas in the Canebrake, candlelit tours of historical homes, Canebrake children’s plays, the Alabama State BBQ Cook-Off, Fair in the Square arts and crafts show, a day parade and a nautical night parade with a fireworks show and semi-formal Gala on the Tombigbee.”
We won’t be attending the semi-formal Gala, somehow our semi-formal attire didn’t make it to the boat, but we do plan to visit the historical homes, attend the Alabama State BBQ Cook-Off, and perhaps stay for the nautical parade.
World War II History
At Pirate’s Marina Cove, I learned that we were only 10 miles from Aliceville, AL, site of the largest German prisoner of war camp in the United States. The camp was in operation from June 1943 through September 1945 and housed up to 6000 prisoners. After the war, the camp was dismantled and sold for scrap with only an old stone chimney to mark its location.
Most World War II POW camps were located in the South because of the higher expense of heating the barracks in other areas. By the end of the war, every state except Alaska, Nevada, North Dakota, and Vermont had POW camps. These camps held 371,683 Germans, 50,273 Italians, and 3,915 Japanese POW.