A Final Blizzard Story….

On this date 15 years ago, the official low in Birmingham was 2 degrees, with a big blanket of snow on the ground thanks to the Blizzard of 93.

That Sunday would be perfectly sunny day, but the snow melt was barely noticeable as Birmingham and this part of Alabama remained shut down. Power was out to thousands, and I was still stuck at the WBRC-TV studio on Red Mountain.
I guess one of the most memorable things to happen during this historic weather event would come late that night (actually, during the pre-dawn hours of the following day, March 15). I was in my office at 2:00 a.m. listening to Tommy Charles on WERC radio taking phone calls from people needing help (the local radio guys were quite a life line for people; they did a great job).

About that time, in the middle of the night, my phone rang. I immediately recognized the voice on the line… Country Boy Eddie! For the first time his long TV career, he was not able to get his truck out of his driveway, and he could not come in to work that morning. After talking with Eddie, I called downstairs and woke up Bill Bolen, who was sleeping on a cot in an office, to let him know that we were going to have to host the Country Boy Eddie show. Bill and I did the show for two hours, from 4:00 until 6:00… I don’t remember too much about it, but I do know that I did not have to play a guitar, sing, or make mule noises. I was also thankful that I didn’t have to read his commercials, which included messages endorsing “Jogging In A Jug”, and rabbit nuggets (yep, they taste just like chicken, and are low in cholesterol!).

As the morning progressed, the temperature in Birmingham finally went above freezing around 8:30, and I remember Scott Richards ringing the Country Boy Eddie cowbell when that finally happened. The snow melt process really kicked in by Monday afternoon, and life started getting back to normal for those who had electrical service. I thank everyone here who took the time to share their memories of this big once in a lifetime storm.

It is one we won’t soon forget.

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