Hi y’all. I’m Leada Gore filling in for Ike Morgan for today’s Down in Alabama. We’re fresh off the July 4th holiday so I thought it’s the perfect time to talk about another holiday – Polly Holliday that is.

The Alabama native behind ‘Kiss my grits’

Polly Dean Holliday was born on July 2, 1937, in Walker County, where she grew up with her sights set on stardom. She later attended Alabama State Women’s College, now the University of Montevallo, where she excelled in theater before earning a masters at Florida State and then teaching music at Florida public schools. She spent her summers working in theaters across the southeast before moving to New York in 1972. She landed some commercials and spots on soap operas but her big break came when she was cast as Florence Jean Castleberry, the Southern smack talking big orange hair at Mel’s Diner in the sit-com “Alice.”

Flo, as the character became known, became famous for her catchphrase “Kiss My grits.” She was the show’s breakout star from 1976 to 1980, earning Emmy nominations in 1978, 1979 and 1980, and successive Golden Globes for best supporting actress in 1979 and 1980. Holliday left the cast of “Alice” in 1980 to head up her own show, “Flo,” earning an Emmy nomination in 1980 and a Golden Globe nomination in 1981 for best actress.

Holliday continued to work steadily after leaving “Flo,” appearing on shows such as “The Golden Girls,” “The Equalizer,” “Home Improvement” and “The Client,” as well starring in multiple stage productions. In 1985, she endowed the $1,000 Polly Holliday Scholarship Award, given out annually by the Southeastern Theatre Conference to a deserving high school actor in the Southeast.

Holliday turned 86 this week. Read more about Polly Holliday.

Tortoise vs. HOA

Fred the tortoise is getting an eviction reprieve. A Ross Bridge resident for eight years, the Sulcata tortoise has been a member of the Cannon household since he was Jayden Cannon’s Christmas present in 2015.

Tortoises are not allowed in Ross Bridge, and the Cannons said the development’s homeowners’ association sent them a notice Wednesday that Fred was being evicted. But at the time Fred moved to Ross Bridge, the development did not ban the reptiles.

While the Ross Bridge HOA did not return a request for comment on Friday afternoon, property manager Courtney Davis said in an email to AL.com on Monday night that the Cannons can keep Fred.

Funds were raised to help Jayden fight the Ross Bridge HOA through the sale of “Save Fred” T-shirts, but those proceeds will now go toward a party for residents to meet Fred, Jamie Cannon said.

Sweet home for endangered species

Alabama has long celebrated the remarkable biodiversity within its borders, but having a huge number of species means the state also has a large number of species at risk of extinction.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alabama has 151 endangered or threatened species, the third most of any state. Only Hawaii (484 species) and California (286) have more.

Alabama’s species include slimy salamanders like the Black Warrior waterdog, massive mammals like the West Indian manatee, and majestic birds like the whooping crane and red-cockaded woodpecker.

AL.com’s Dennis Pillion details all you need to know about Alabama’s animals at risk for extinction. Be sure to check out the story.

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