The first fundraising event for the new Dadeville Historic District, the 2024 Historic District Christmas Tour, fulfills a dream that the late local historian, Bill Ponder, held close for nearly 10 years. Featuring nine historic buildings on or near the courthouse square, the December 8 event is dedicated to the memory of Ponder, a Dadeville native who passed on August 7.

Ponder was a founding member of the Dadeville Beautification Board and served as a board member in the Tallapoosa County Historical Society. He received the Gwendolyn C. Turner Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation and the Laeman Butcher Award from the Dadeville Chamber of Commerce. In 2015, Ponder spearheaded the effort to identify a historic district in Dadeville. The district was registered with state and national registries but was not codified by the Dadeville City Council until last year.