Six years into its life as Cullman County’s newest municipality, Berlin has taken significant steps to tighten the community bonds that have long been in place in and around the small town just east of Cullman.
After incorporating in 2018, Berlin undertook a series of paving projects that have since seen the improvement of almost every public road within its corporate limits. The Berlin Farmers Market, located just off U.S. 278, has attracted increasing interest with each passing year, and will soon serve as the anchor for a multi-phase program of parks development on adjoining municipal land.
But the most recent new addition to the town’s growing slate of public-facing services is Berlin’s new storm shelter, which has finally arrived after years of planning amid efforts to secure funding. The new shelter now sits atop a freshly poured foundation along County Road 1615, sharing its parking space with that of the nearby town hall, and is expected to be ready for service in time for tornado season this spring.
The new shelter will feature a dedicated onsite generator, an ADA-complaint restroom, and wireless internet. Funded through a $75,000 grant obtained with assistance from the North Central Alabama Regional Council of Governments (NARCOG), as well as additional funding from the town, the shelter will be able to accommodate approximately 70 people.
The town will hold an official opening event for the shelter in the coming weeks, commemorating the aid of NARCOG, Alabama House Rep. Randall Shedd (R-Fairview), associate Cullman County commissioner Kelly Duke, and others who contributed their efforts on the project.
In the meantime, the Farmers Market is already eyeing the approach of the 2024 growing season, securing local produce and cottage-kitchen vendors in anticipation of a June 1 official opening date. Later into the summer, the market will host a day of entertainment, event vendors, a free tractor show, and more family-friendly activities on Saturday, July 13, in conjunction with this year’s statewide Sweet Grown Alabama Day.
The Berlin Farmers Market is located on Mt. Carmel Drive, easy to spot from its corner perch on the north side of U.S. Highway 278. To find out more about how you can take part as a vendor or exhibitor, contact the town at 256-736-3138 or via email at Clerk@BerlinAL.gov, and keep track of all the latest growers’ offerings and upcoming events on Facebook at @BerlinAlabamaFarmersMarket and on Instagram at @BerlinAlabamaFarmersMarket.