Farm meets city at annual banquet
Published 9:25 pm Thursday, November 18, 2010
Jerry and Peggy Harrison accept the award for Farm of the Year at Thursday’s Farm-City Week Banquet from Regional Extension Agent Gary Gray. The Harrisons are shown with family members.
Outstanding students throughout Chilton County as well as the Business of the Year and the Farm of the Year were honored Thursday during the annual Farm-City Week Banquet.
The dinner and program were held at Clanton First United Methodist Church’s Helen Parrish Activity Center.
Youth awards were given to members of Future Farmers of America; Family, Career and Community Leaders of America; and 4-H chapters from schools throughout the county.
Shown are youth award winners Natalie Arnold, Kaylynn Culp, Andrew Farris; Hylan Jackson; Payton Knight; James Robert Parnell; Andy Phillips; and Tiffany Wimberley. Not pictured is Rebecca Booker and Heather Foshee.
The following students were honored for their work in FCCLA: Rebecca Booker, Thorsby High School; Kaylynn Culp, Isabella High School; Natalie Arnold, Maplesville High School; Hylan Jackson, Jemison High School; and Tiffany Wimberley, Verbena High School.
The following students were recognized as outstanding FFA members: Andrew Farris, Thorsby High School; Andy Phillips, Maplesville High School; Payton Knight, Chilton County High School; and Heather Foshee, Jemison High School.
James Robert Parnell, a student of Autauga Academy, was honored for his work with Chilton County 4-H.
Dr. Lisa Green and her practice, Jemison Eye Care, was named Business of the Year, as announced Chilton County by Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mike Robertson.
Green opened Jemison Eye Care in 2002, after studying at the University of Montevallo and then the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis.
Dr. Lisa Green of Jemison Eye Care was named Business of the Year during Thursday’s banquet. She is shown with her parents and staff at Jemison Eye Care.
Green said she was honored and thanked her parents, staff and patients.
The Jerry Harrison family earned Farm of the Year.
The Harrisons are famous for their prize-winning peaches, having won the first place ribbon at 20 different Peach Auctions.
Born in Maplesville, Harrison was selling peaches at his family’s stand on U.S. 82 when he was 8 years old — a job he did until he was big enough to drive a tractor at age 12.
He graduated from Maplesville High School, played athletics at Alabama College (now the University of Montevallo) and was drafted in the Army.
He started working at the Horn of Plenty stand in 1962 and still does most of the work around his family’s farm.
Harrison and wife, Peggy, have four children and six grandchildren.
Harrison thanked the Lord for his family and his success as a farmer. He also thanked the Farm-City Week Committee for honoring local farmers each year.
“We are one of the dying breeds — there’s less of them every year,” Harrison said.
