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December 2012
Village Living
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Photo of the Month Mountain Brook High School senior Lamar Cooper, pictured here with last year’s queen Mary Harmon Tyson, was crowned Homecoming Queen at the Nov. 2 football game. Photo by Alison Gault.
Forever connected to Park Lane By BOBBIE HILL I read the Park Lane apartment article with a great deal of interest. When my husband got out of the military in Florida, we moved back to Birmingham in early 1965 and moved into the beautiful Park Lane apartments. At the time I was only 22 years old, and our children had not been born
yet. We lived there for about a year, and I really enjoyed our one bedroom apartment with the large living area and large bedroom. The grounds were always immaculately kept! During this timeframe I did not work, and since we only had one car, walking was my only means of transportation during the day. Walking into Mountain Brook Village was so convenient!
Letter to the Editor Fast forward into present day: I am a long-time single 69-year-old lady with two grown children. For the past 38 years, I have lived within 10 minutes of Mountain Brook Village. I will always have fond memories of the Park Lane apartments in Mountain Brook. Thank you for such an interesting article, which I have promptly cut out and mailed to my son in San Francisco!
Editor’s Note By Jennifer Gray December is a special time just about anywhere, but being in Mountain Brook makes it even better. The lights in Mountain Brook Village twinkling in the trees are a sure sign the holidays are here and memories are ready to be made. Most families have traditions that are an important part of their Christmas or Hanukah celebrations. You will see some of those traditions covered in this month’s issue, and maybe some new ones you want to try this year. The holiday parade kicks off things in Mountain Brook Village. This tradition has grown in recent years and includes many from our community participating in the parade. Grab a hot chocolate or a latte and enjoy the afternoon watching the action come through the village.
The Nutcracker ballet has long been a holiday tradition for many. If you haven’t been in several years, this would be a great year to go to Alabama Ballet’s Balanchine production. Mountain Brook’s Ella Frances Mandell plays the lead character, Marie, in selected productions and there are several other children from our community in the production. We have all the details in our cover story. Holiday lights are always a favorite for all ages. Some displays have been put up faithfully in neighborhoods for decades. On page 10 you can find out where some of the best displays are and other details. One of my favorite traditions is Mountain Brook Baptist’s living
nativity. There is something about watching the events unfold that led to the birth of Christ on a cold night with your family. Children enjoy the live animals, especially the camel. Make sure you check out our calendar of events to keep up with all that is going on. We also have a weekly newsletter that we send out via email each Friday to help you stay on top of what is happening in Mountain Brook and what there is to do. If you would like to receive it, you can sign up at villagelivingonline.com. Wishing you and your family a very joyous holiday season,
Village Living Publisher : Creative Director : Editor : Managing Editor : Contributing Editor: Sales and Distribution :
Dan Starnes Keith McCoy Jennifer Gray Madoline Markham Jeff Thompson Rhonda Smith Warren Caldwell Matthew Allen Contributing Writers : Susan Mathews Christiana Roussel Kari Kampakis Rick Watson Mary Kathryn Parrott Holley Wesley Intern : Kaitlin Bitz Published by : Village Living LLC
School House Contributors : Catherine Bodnar- Cherokee Bend, Britt Redden- Crestline, Alison Taylor- Brookwood Forest, Suzanne Milligan- Mountain Brook High School, Hilary Ross- Mountain Brook Elem. , Elizabeth FarrarMountain Brook Jr. High Contributing Photographer: Image Arts Contact Information: Please submit all Village Living articles, information #3 Office Park Circle, Suite 316 and photos to: Birmingham, AL 35223 Jennifer@VillageLivingOnline.com 313-1780 P.O. Box 530341 dan@VillageLivingOnline.com Birmingham, AL 35253 For advertising contact: dan@280living.com
Legals: Village Living is published monthly. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content without prior permission is prohibited. Village Living is designed to inform the Mountain Brook community of area school, faith, family and community events. Information in Village Living is gathered from sources considered reliable but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All articles/photos submitted become the property of Village Living. We reserve the right to edit articles/photos as deemed necessary and are under no obligation to publish or return photos submitted. Inaccuracies or errors should be brought to the attention of the publisher at (205) 370-0732 or by email.
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A Tiny Kingdom (22) A’Mano (19) Alabama Allergy & Asthma Center (24) Alabama Youth Ballet Company, Inc. (20) Aldridge Gardens (27) Amy Smith (22 ) Andrea Lucas Studios (17) Baker Lamps & Linens (26) Birmingham Speech and Hearing Associates (31) Brandino Brass (8) Briarcliff Shop (17) Bromberg & Company, Inc. (16, 18) Brookdale Place (15) Brookwood Medical Center (9) Children’s of Alabama (6) Etc. (25) Festivity (28) Frontera (11) Granger Thagard Associates (22) Hufham Orthondotics (20) iJump280 Isbell Jewelers (19) Jacqueline DeMarco (11) Jimmie Hale Mission (8) Koch Aesthetic Dentistry (11) Lamb’s Ears Ltd. (5, 21) Laura Kathryn (10) Leaf & Petal (7) Little Hardware, Inc. (23) Maid In Birmingham (20) Marguerite’s Conceits (6) MedHelp (29) Michelle’s (13 ) Mobley & Sons (2) Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce (30) Neurology East (10) Otey’s (13) Piggly Wiggly (18) Plastic Surgery Specialists (12) Ray Building Company (15) RealtySouth (32) Red Mountain Theatre Company (16) Red Wing Shoes (12, 29) Renasant Bank (3) Sew Sheri Designs (14) Sharp Carpet (31) Taco Mama (26) The Cook Store (15) The Diamond Dealer (7) The Lingerie Shoppe (14) Town and Country (24) Village Dermatology (5)