By Scott Mims

At last count, the Town of Thorsby had collected 145 signatures needed for a wet/dry referendum.
A recent bill passed by the Alabama Legislature allows cities and towns with a population of 1,000 or more to file a petition for a vote on the legalized sale of alcoholic beverages.
Thorsby needs at least 159 signatures from registered voters in the town to warrant a referendum. The number equals 30 percent of the number of voters who participated in the 2008 municipal election.
“I think probably we’ll go over this time,” said Council member Neil Benson, who expects to have a new count by the next Town Council meeting on Monday.
Supporters of a referendum have had some difficulty collecting names for the petition, which began circulating around July. Many signatures were not from registered voters, while others were duplicate signatures, Benson said.
“We’ve had a lot harder time getting our numbers together than we would have thought,” he said.
Supporters may opt to wait until next year’s elections to hold a vote rather than holding a special election. Benson indicated waiting until next year could yield better results.
“We just need the tax base,” he said. “We’re running out of tax money to run things in Thorsby.”
Benson also said revenue from alcohol sales could help the school.
The petitions are available at Mizzell’s, Service Mart and City Hall.

By Justin Averette

The town of Thorsby was featured Aug. 20 in a large Swedish newspaper.

The Nya Wermlands-Tidningent, which has a readership of more than 150,000, highlighted Thorsby’s history and hopes for the future.

Thorsby officials met with Per-Erik Person, a representative from the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce, in July about ways to strengthen business and cultural ties with its ancestral homeland.

“I’m really excited that this much interest is being stirred up and about all the possibilities this is presenting,” said Tracia Bussey, a member of the U.S. Swedish Chamber of Commerce. She also coordinates the Swedish Festival.

The article detailed Thorsby’s history and what the town is like today. The story also talked about the Swedish Festival in October and the town’s efforts to start a sister city relationship with Torsby, Sweden. Bussey and Mayor Dearl Hilyer are also mentioned.

 Another Swedish publication, a business journal, is scheduled to run an article about Thorsby on Sept. 15.

Torsby leaders are researching the city sister relations and hope to be contacting town leaders soon, Bussey said.

Thorsby was founded around the turn of the century by Scandinavian immigrants who had originally settled in the North but came south looking for a milder climate and good soil, from the town’s Web site.

Thorsby also hopes to host some Swedish leaders and families during its festival in October.

One of those earliest settlers was Theodore T. Thorson, for whom the town was eventually named.