Mar. 30—With improvements to parks, roads ready for patching, and a new way to recognize those who do good, there are a lot of big things happening in the small town of Baileyton.

For the first time, town leaders are kicking off what’s hoped to become an annual tradition, sounding a communitywide call for nominations for Baileyton’s first-ever Volunteer Citizen of the Year award.

“It’s a way to recognize people who contribute to our community and, really, throughout the whole county,” said Baileyton Mayor Windell Calloway. “It doesn’t just have to be someone in our community. We have a large number of people who contribute even if they aren’t necessarily Baileyton residents, and I don’t think they get enough recognition for it.”

The deadline to nominate someone for the honor is coming up soon, with submissions accepted at the Baileyton Town Hall before Saturday, April 6. The inaugural winner will be announced at the May meeting of the Baileyton town council on Monday, May 6 at 7 p.m.

With springtime ball season almost in full swing, Calloway noted that visitors (and working volunteers) at Baileyton Park should benefit from recent upgrades to the park’s electrical infrastructure as well as improved lighting. “We’ve redone a lot of stuff at the park to make it better for the kids and for ball,” he said.

“We’ve put up new poles in the park, which has been a big thing for us, and worked with TVA to make some changes to rewire our bathrooms and our concession stand, and put in new breaker boxes. It’s been an expense, but it was needed.”

The town also has made upgrades that aren’t so easy to see, though drivers in the area might appreciate them all the same once a springtime round of road improvements gets underway. “With funds from Rebuild Alabama, we’ve bought a lot of new and better equipment than what we had before,” said Calloway. “There’s a good bit of patching we have to do on our roads, plus bush hogging and working to keep our roadways clean.”

This year, the town is eyeing autumn as the date for its annual Family Fun Day at the park, which in the past has been held in either spring or summertime. “We’re moving it to September this year,” said Calloway, “because it’s been hard to find a date in the springtime when people aren’t doing other things. We’re hoping, too, that the weather in the fall will be a little cooler.”

The park and town hall serve as stone’s-throw venues for a pair of ongoing services that Baileyton provides, and those are set to continue throughout 2024. April 8 marks the likely date for the next installment of the semi-monthly Baileyton Bargain Days, an opportunity for locals to score low-cost deals on an eclectic array of household items whose purchase proceeds, in turn, help fund town projects.

“A lot of people come every time we have our Bargain Days,” said Calloway. “It’s a big thing for us as far as raising money to help improve the town, and it’s held at the old fire department at the park. You never know quite what you’re going to get: The items usually change each time, but it’s always something good, and it really keeps people interested. It starts around 8 a.m. and goes until noon, and people are usually lined up waiting for it to start — sometimes even before daylight.”

In partnership with Cullman Caring for Kids, the town also opens the doors at town hall on the third Wednesday of every month to distribute food bank items to residents. Held from 9 a.m. until noon each time, it’s a free food bank service that isn’t only for Baileyton residents.

“It’s really for people in need in this area of the county,” said Calloway. “We have people come from Holly Pond and Joppa, and that’s fine. We appreciate Cullman Caring for Kids for making that effort, and we want people to come and take advantage of it.”

Stay up to date with all the latest happenings in Baileyton on Facebook (www.facebook.com/thetownofbaileyton/), where the town regularly posts information on upcoming events, meetings and more.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 234.