Cahaba Sun October 2022

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Longtime Trussville restaurant Golden Rule Bar-B-Q and Grill closes.

EDITOR’S NOTE | KYLE PARMLEY PHOTO OF THE MONTH

The seasons of life always seem to keep us on our toes. On the calen dar, we can always fore cast them. Winter turns to spring, which brings on summer, which fades into fall.

But in life, you’re never quite sure what the next chapter is going to look like, or when your seasons will begin to change.

One of my favorite parts of my job here at Starnes Media is that things are always shifting. Football season lasts a few months, then it’s onto basketball. After a few months of winter sports, the spring brings the mad dash of all its sports. The summer is a much quieter time for me to recharge.

One thing that’s easy to do, though, is get excited for the arrival of a new season (like going back to school). But too often, that energy fades within a few weeks, and we hit a rut.

This fall, I’m challenging myself to find positives in each day, to maintain that same energy I felt when school started back and football season was on the horizon. I hope you can do the same!

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Lee Marlow, RealtySouth (9)

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Virginia Samford Theatre (19) Whataburger (5)

Window World of Central Alabama (11)

Publisher: Dan Starnes

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Contact Information: Cahaba Sun P.O. Box 530341 Birmingham, AL 35253 (205) 313-1780 dan@starnesmedia.com

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Legals: Cahaba Sun is published monthly. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content without prior permission is prohibited. Cahaba Sun is designed to inform the Trussville community of area school, family and community events. Information in Cahaba Sun is gathered from sources considered reliable but the ac curacy cannot be guaranteed. All articles/photos submitted become the property of Cahaba Sun. 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) 313-1780 or by email.

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ON THE COVER: Rev. Larry Hollman sits in a pew at Mt. Joy Baptist Church in Trussville. Hollman has been leading the congregation at Mt. Joy Baptist for 30 years. Photo by Erin Nelson.

Hewitt-Trussville’s Cameron Vines (6) hits the ball at the net in a match against Spain Park at Hewitt-Trussville High School’s Bryant Bank Arena on Sept. 6. Photo by Erin Nelson.

BUSINESS HAPPENINGS

NOW OPEN

Main Street Soles, a shoe and apparel compa ny, opened in Trussville at 107 Kay Ave. on July 1. According to the Trussville Tribune, co-owners Spencer and Meagan Welch opened the storefront as a way to buy, sell and trade soles throughout the community. The business is planning to be active in the community and sees an opportunity for expan sion in the future.

205-492-9312, facebook.com/mainstsoles

Hero Doughnuts fifth location is now open in Truss ville at 314 Main St. Monday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. 205-825-8875, herodoughnutsandbuns.com

Peoples Bank of Alabama is pleased to announce its continued expansion in Jefferson County with the opening of its Trussville branch location at 305 Main St. Jefferson County Regional Market President Brian Bertella said. “Having a full-ser vice banking location in Trussville allows the bank another opportunity to expand our presence in

the Birmingham metro market, and continue to grow our brand in the neighboring communities. We are excited for the opportunity to prove to the Trussville community that our personal approach to banking sets us apart from every other bank.”

Peoples Bank President Chuck Herndon added, “We are honored to grow our footprint in the Birming ham market with this new location on Main Street in Trussville. Our board and executive management team are committed to delivering a differentiated banking experience and we invite you to visit this new location and meet our associates. We have invested in a first-class team of bankers who really care about people and stand ready to service the needs of our clients by developing relationships that last a lifetime.”

205-661-6900, peoplesbankal.com

COMING SOON

Grandview Freestanding Emergency Department is currently under construction. According to the Trussville Tribune, the new medical facility plans to open in the second quarter of 2023. The facility is to be built across from Winn-Dixie on Main Street, at the former Hamilton property. The emergency room facility will be open 24 hours a day yearround.

grandviewmedicalgroup.com

Community

Trussville eyes federal funding for railroad crossing elimination program

By GARY LLOYD

Time indeed may be money.

In late 2021, a train blocked the downtown Trussville railroad crossing for 10 days. Since then, blockages, albeit not for 10 consecutive days, have continued. Most recently, on Saturday, June 25, various railroad crossings in Truss ville were blocked multiple times for long periods of time.

Several residents came to the Trussville City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 28, to voice their concerns. One resident said a train stopped at the Camp Coleman Road railroad crossing at 9:05 a.m. and the train was disconnected so motorists could pass through at 10:21 a.m. Trussville Fire Chief Tim Shotts said the train was disconnected 35 minutes from the time Norfolk Southern was notified.

“We are doing all that we can from a city perspective to alleviate the train issues,” said Councilman Ben Short.

Another resident said she helps a relative in the Camp Coleman Road area — groceries, clothes, help around the house — and was unable to help Saturday, June 25.

“We were trapped,” she said. “We had no way in or out. I think what happened Saturday and the blocking is my breaking point. We need some kind of hope.”

At that point in the meeting, Councilwoman Lisa Bright may have outlined what could be that hope.

Bright was already scheduled to be in Washington, D.C., in late July for a delayed-since-2020 Appalachian Leader ship Institute graduation, but she also met with U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville and U.S. Reps. Gary Palmer and Terri Sewell, as well as representatives from Norfolk Southern and the city of Birmingham to discuss a potential project to alleviate train backup in the area. Bright said the day after her July 27 meetings in Washington D.C. that there were no new updates on the matter, that “we are in the early stages right now.”

Two days after the city council meeting, the U.S. Depart ment of Transportation issued a notice of funding opportu nity of more than $573 million in available grant funding this year for the Railroad Crossing Elimination Program, a discretionary grant program that aims to improve safety, eliminate lengthy delays at railroad crossing and lower the costs of transporting goods.

Time is money.

Bright said the goal is to collaborate with Birmingham, Irondale and Norfolk Southern to alleviate train backup in the area. Birmingham is south of the Norfolk Southern Norris Yard in Irondale, while Trussville is to the north. When the Norris Yard, a hub for trains, backs up with parked trains or trains being unloaded, Trussville feels the impact.

The “early” plan, Bright said, would be to construct a bridge, much like Watterson Parkway, over the railroad crossing on Mary Taylor Road, which includes portions of both the Trussville and Birmingham city limits. Addition ally, a bridge could allow Norfolk Southern approximately

eight miles to stop trains that would not block crossings in Trussville while offering motorists an alternative route. The price tag is estimated around $52 million, and all three cities — Birmingham, Irondale and Trussville — would collaborate on the grant. The project, if approved, would take about two years, Bright said.

“We’re trying to make some big changes because we can’t bridge down at Deerfoot [Parkway] and Camp Cole man [Road],” Bright said. “There’s not enough room there. I wish we could.”

Norfolk Southern also has space, Bright said, to con struct side tracks along the current railroad tracks for more parking.

“We’ve got to make big changes,” Bright said. “Working with Birmingham is key, because they’re a huge driving

engine, no pun intended. They’ll help us be able to get this going, because it affects them as it affects Irondale as it affects us. It’s not an answer-all, but it’ll definitely give Norfolk Southern more parking room and Trussville some relief from trains stopping non-maintenance involved.”

Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, introduced a bill in the Alabama House of Representatives earlier this year that would prohibit trains from blocking Alabama railroad crossings. The House passed the bill in March with a 95-1 vote. The bill did not make it to the Alabama Senate before the legislative session ended, meaning that Garrett would need to make any tweaks and re-file the bill at the next session in early 2023.

Specifically, the bill states that “except for trains stopped due to mechanical failure, derailment, or other unforesee able events outside the control of the rail carrier, where separation or movement is not possible, and except for trains stopped as required by federal law, any train that has come to a complete stop and is blocking a railroad-highway grade crossing for two or more continuous hours shall be cut, separated, or moved to clear the crossing upon the approach of any authorized emergency vehicle.”

The bill calls for the rail carrier to pay a civil penalty of $5,000 for each hour the train blocks the crossing, provided the penalty does not exceed $50,000. The attorney general or governing body of a local county or city “may file an emergency petition with a court of competent jurisdiction to request the public nuisance to be abated. The court may grant the petition and order the train to be cut, separated, or moved to allow passage through the railroad-highway grade crossing by an approaching authorized emergency vehicle.”

“This situation is avoidable,” Garrett said. “You either adjust your scheduling, adjust your modeling so you don’t have these backups, these backlogs, or if you do, then you break the train. This is a safety issue, and it’s avoidable.”

The Trussville City Council on March 8 approved a resolution supporting the bill. Garrett likened backups at Norris Yard in Irondale to an airplane landing and having no airport gate available.

“That’s the situation here,” he said. “You’re landing airplanes without a gate, and you’re sitting there for two hours waiting on a gate. Trains are miles long, so you have to plan around these things. There’s not a spot for that train to switch or to unload or to park in the yard, so we have to wait for something to move out.”

Locally, Trussville is working on a connector road from Commerce Lane to Camp Coleman Road that could “offer some help,” Bright said. Trussville’s 2040 Plan shows an opportunity for vehicular and pedestrian connections between Roper Road and Camp Coleman Road, which could help in the long run.

“It’s early, but it’s taking a step on the high level,” Bright said. “Everything railroad is federal, so you may as well start there. So that’s what our plan is, to work with Bir mingham and Norfolk Southern and get this thing going.”

Have a community announcement? Email Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com to be considered for inclusion in an upcoming issue.

A truck crosses the train tracks on Mary Taylor Road.

Photo by Erin Nelson.

Local foundation aiming for stone gateways

By GARY LLOYD

Trussville’s Cahaba Homestead Heritage Foundation, Inc. is fundraising for future stone gateways to complement the Cahaba Project.

The foundation announced the stone gate ways project May 1 but is actively fundraising toward a goal of $50,000.

The stone gateways project will iden tify Trussville’s historic community with entrances reading: “Cahaba Homestead Vil lage — U.S. Resettlement Administration — Est. 1936-1938.” The sandstone entrance designs are based on the original sandstone entrance at the Parkway Drive and Alabama 11 intersection. The three proposed loca tions, which surround the boundaries of the Cahaba Project, include:

► Chalkville Road/Rockridge Avenue/ Poplar Street intersection

► Poplar Street/Parkway Drive intersection

► Magnolia Mall along Chalkville Road between Hewitt Street and Magnolia Court

The foundation’s president, Amy Peterson O’Brien, said the goal is to be “sensitive” to the fact that the Cahaba Project is Truss ville’s historic district.

“How do we enhance it and not detract from it?” O’Brien said.

The stone gateways project falls under a larger umbrella called “Cahaba 100,” which will celebrate the Cahaba Project’s centennial years of 2036 through 2038.

“It’s really just an initiative to bring the community together, to add beauty, to add value, and to help tell the history of the his toric district of Trussville,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien said the foundation wanted to fundraise instead of asking the Trussville City Council for funding, though she did say Mayor Buddy Choat supports the stone gate ways initiative.

“I think this is a great opportunity to get the community together to invest in our commu nity,” she said.

Each stone gateway entrance will include engraved brick pavers that form a pathway that connects to nearby sidewalks. The gate ways will be functional — space for Christ mas wreaths, flags and spots to sit. The simple engraving on each is meant to educate about the historical significance of the Cahaba Project.

“You don’t know that if you don’t live here,” O’Brien said. “Even if you live here some people don’t know that because unless you’re getting out of your car to read the

[Cahaba Project] historic marker, it’s not that visible. This would make you not miss it.”

Donations for the stone gateways project are fully tax-deductible and can be made to the foundation via PayPal or mailed to P.O. Box 53, Trussville, AL 35173.

The Cahaba Project, a Resettlement Administration housing project consisting of 244 single-family homes and 43 duplexes, was constructed between 1936 and 1938 at a cost of $2,661,981. The total cost included work on public utilities, streets, curbs, gut ters and public buildings comprising the high school, community building and co-operative store. The acreage cost was not included.

Skirting the housing development was a green stretch of properties designated as park areas to protect the encroachment of any development that may detract from the beauty of the community. The properties took two years to construct and were opened in April 1938. A waterworks, sewage disposal plant, paved and lighted streets and some sidewalks were provided.

The neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

For more information, visit cahaba heritage.org/cahaba-100.

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One of the stone gateway entrances is planned for this Cahaba Homestead Village entrance at the intersection of North Chalkville Road and Poplar Street. Photo courtesy of the Cahaba Homestead Heritage Foundation, Inc.

‘Anything and everything for everyone’

HTMS head custodian preserves and inspires

By GARY LLOYD

Jeff Murphree said he’d send a photo of his office to provide a visual of the things he’s saved over the years, to get a feel for his affinity for the past.

He sent 22.

Murphree is the head custodian at Hewitt-Trussville Middle School, a career that started in the 1980s as a student at what was then Hewitt-Trussville High School. The 1987 graduate, sans a year teaching at Snow Rogers Elementary School and a while work ing at BellSouth, has spent a career inside the school building on Trussville-Clay Road, learning, fixing, collecting.

“He is very thrifty, he generally won’t throw things out if he believes they can be used at a later time or have some type of historic value,” said Cahaba Elementary School head custodian Tony Gagliano. “He loves doing electrical and maintenance type projects. He knows the middle school build ing from end to end. He can tell you about all the mechanical and electrical components of that building.”

Murphree started as a student custodian at what was then Hewitt-Trussville High School just to help. He started getting checks. He was offered benefits. He made more than $7 per hour and worked through college at UAB, where he earned a degree in elementary edu cation. Teaching elementary school, and sub sequently at BellSouth, were not for him. Bill Hamilton, then the principal at Hewitt-Truss ville High School, hired him back as head custodian in 2000. He’s been there since.

“I get to fix things, and I get to do stuff that no one else does,” Murphree said.

In June, he was preparing to install emer gency lights in the catwalk at the school’s auditorium. He is the head custodian, but he also handles wiring, plumbing, painting and more. If he were a baseball player, he would be a five-tool star.

“He has a servant heart, but he’s not overt about it,” said Hewitt-Trussville Middle School Principal Jennifer Abney, who met Murphree more than a decade ago when she was hired by Trussville City Schools. “His way of showing that he cares about you or that he loves you is by some sort of action or by him doing something at school. He just does anything and everything for everyone.”

Abney said Murphree works closely with the Facilities and Support Services depart ment because he can “fix or build anything, and I mean anything.”

“I think one of the reasons that this build ing is in the pristine shape that it is still in is mainly due to Jeff Murphree,” Abney said. “He’s been there, I believe, 33 years. He

knows that building inside, outside, upside down and inside out. If there is some kind of information that is needed for the building, he knows it off the top of his head.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Abney was trying to determine what the maximum capacity was for the middle school gym, so that the 50% capacity restriction could be followed. Murphree knew it off the top of his head. Not only does Murphree know the building, he tries to save relics of Trussville’s past.

“That’s not always the mentality of people

nowadays,” Abney said. “We kind of live in a throw-away society, and we’ll just get some thing new. Jeff does not operate that way, and I appreciate that in him because he’ll fix something so we don’t have to waste our money on buying something new.”

Murphree has donated multiple artifacts — a 100-year-old concrete lintel, the scoreboard inside the original Hewitt High School gym, school registers from the 1920s and 1930s — to the Trussville Historical Museum.

The lintel and scoreboard are wellknown artifacts to people who go back to

one-stoplight Trussville. The school registers might not be as familiar.

“The office was cleaning out old files and junk that was moved from the 1938 school to here,” Murphree said of the move from the original Hewitt High (now Cahaba Ele mentary) to the next Hewitt-Trussville High (now Hewitt-Trussville Middle) in 1984.

“They threw away a pile of old school reg isters and I couldn’t bear to throw the oldest ones away, so I saved the 1920s ones and some 1930s ones, I think. I kept them at home for decades and one day decided that they needed to go to where they would be appre ciated, so I donated them to the Historical Society. Those are very interesting to look at because it lists all the parents and their occupations as well as things going on at the school, such as a new flag or flagpole being purchased and other neat day-to-day things.”

Murphree volunteers at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera. He arranges dis plays, changes light bulbs, cleans and docu ments artifacts.

“I just do a little bit of everything,” he said.

In his free time, he enjoys walking through the alleys of downtown Birmingham, checking out old advertising signs and old storefronts.

“I like old buildings and old stuff,” Mur phree said. “My house is full of nothing but old stuff.”

When the former Hewitt-Trussville Middle building — now Cahaba Elementary — closed in 2008, Murphree went through it, the cabinets and light fixtures and bookshelves. His goal was to preserve parts of its history.

“He also has other items like yearbooks and old pictures from this building,” Gagli ano said. “He truly loves these schools and works to keep old memories of them alive.”

Murphree said he also has an aerial photo of that historic building that includes Jack Wood Stadium, which was demolished in 2015. He remembered telling folks back then that those photos, those memories, should not be destroyed.

“I said, ‘I’m taking these. They don’t need to be destroyed. If you want them back, you know where they’ll be,’” Murphree said.

They’re hanging in his office today, appearing in two of the 22 photos he sent.

“It means something to me,” Murphree said. “It may not mean anything to anybody else, but when I’m gone, they can do what ever they want to. If you look at something and it has value to you, and looks like some body in the future may care about it, don’t get rid of it.”

He configures the window displays out side the middle school library. They reflect the season and even have flashing lights and,

Jeff Murphree, because of his interest in historical artifacts, also volunteers at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera. Photos courtesy of Jeff Murphree.

sometimes, animatronic figures. Abney said she has gotten to know Murphree personally and thinks the world of him.

“I think he just sees the value in what we have, and respects and cherishes all things old,” Abney said. “It’s unbelievable. He cares about the people in that building, and he will do anything for any teacher or student in that building.”

Of those 22 photos Murphree sent, there are the two of the original high school; many of books, plates and cafeteria trays; HewittTrussville-themed signs; the Ned Paine Awards that Murphree won for outstanding school service from 1985 to 1987; and one cat-themed calendar. But there are also two

photos of a pencil sharpener screwed into a block of wood.

On the back of that block of wood are Murphree’s name and a date, Sept. 1, 1987.

Sometime after he graduated in 1987, Mur phree wrote on this wood block for one of the classrooms that didn’t have a pencil sharpener. These days, electric pencil sharp eners are used and, more, often, mechanical pencils. A few years ago, Murphree took the pencil sharpener and wood block from that classroom and saved it. It sits on a shelf in his office.

“Doesn’t mean anything to anybody else, but meant something to me, so I saved it,” he said.

City clerk now certified

By GARY LLOYD

Trussville City Clerk Dan Wein rib recently earned the designation of certified municipal clerk, which is awarded by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, Inc.

IIMC grants the CMC designation only to those municipal clerks who complete education requirements and have a record of significant contribu tions to their local government, com munity and state.

Weinrib became Trussville’s city clerk in November 2020. Before

coming to Trussville, he served as the city clerk in Tarrant for four years. He was the Jefferson County tax assessor from 2003 to 2009. It was in preparing for that role that he met Lynn Porter, the former Trussville city clerk.

The International Institute of Munic ipal Clerks, founded in 1947, has 14,000 members throughout the United States, Canada and 15 other coun tries, and the mission of this global non-profit corporation is to enhance the education opportunities and pro fessional development of its diverse membership.

Trussville City Clerk Dan Weinrib recently earned the municipal clerk certification through the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, Inc. Photo by Erin Nelson.

restaurant closes

By GARY LLOYD

They came from behind bank counters wearing button-down shirts, down from lad ders leaned high in the August sun and from their homes just a couple miles down the road. They came in two-door BMWs, Toyota trucks too large for the parking spaces and mid-size SUVs with the crimson script “A” stickered to the back windshield.

They came because the smell of barbecue hanging thick in the summer air is impossi ble to drive through. They came because the abruptness of it all. They came because within these old South Chalkville Road walls it feels like a family gathering, and on Friday, Aug. 12, it was the final outing.

Golden Rule Bar-B-Q and Grill, a staple in Trussville since 1992, closed its doors for good at 3 p.m. on Aug. 12.

“It saddens us to let you know we will be closing our doors at [3 p.m.] tomorrow,” the restaurant posted on its Facebook page on

Aug. 11. “We appreciate your support and will miss you dearly. Please stop by and say your farewells to the team.”

That last sentence, that call to action, was heard well by the community. Not even a train blocking the railroad crossing beside the restaurant — shockingly, it wasn’t blocked at lunchtime — could have stopped the parking lot from overflowing Friday. Many parked in the lot where Kemp’s Kitchen once stood, before it burned. Others found a space on Beech Street. They converged on Golden Rule, moths to a flame.

“Best baked beans and burgers around,” said 2016 Hewitt-Trussville High School graduate Garrett Terwilleger, who walked over from work in downtown Trussville.

Terwilleger said he went to the Irondale location as a kid with his dad. When he heard the Trussville spot was permanently closing, he had to go back for one more burger.

“I guess nostalgia [brought me here today],” he said.

Long before it was lunchtime, Anita and David Dobbs ate their final breakfast in the same booth they’ve slid into for more than two decades. For 20 years, David Dobbs, the longtime Hewitt-Trussville track and field and cross-country coach, ordered the same

breakfast — egg and cheese sandwich, grits, bacon and coffee. He was always interested to see which coffee mug his coffee would come in.

“We even donated all my mother’s and dad’s mugs from their travels after they passed

Golden Rule Bar-B-Q and Grill, a staple in Trussville since 1992, closed its doors on Aug. 12. Photos by Gary Lloyd.

away,” he said.

Anita Dobbs said that it was sad to walk out the doors a final time Friday morning. Their booth was filled with memories of family, friends, former students and former athletes.

“It wasn’t just about breakfast,” she said. “It was about relationships. Watching kids grow up, our granddaughter included, catching up with old friends, and making new friends.”

Students often asked the Dobbses, both retired Hewitt-Trussville teachers, on Fridays if they had been to Golden Rule. They didn’t even have to ask.

“They could smell it on us,” Anita Dobbs said. “It will be hard to replace somewhere like this, especially since there are no straight-up breakfast places with eggs and toast and grits. Thanks Rick, Britney, Pam, and all the others who have been there. We will dearly miss this tradition.”

Comparing a barbecue joint, even a little bit, to church might be somewhat sacrilegious, but this is Alabama, and a little bit of sacri lege seems allowable for barbecue and college football, but the line stops there.

“You know, it was a little like church,” David Dobbs said. “Everyone had their own place to sit. We have had people we didn’t know ask where we had been if we were on vacation. They knew we were gone because our booth was empty.”

The Dobbses just drove back home from Tennessee, and the question was obvious:

“What are we going to do next Friday?”

“It was something we always looked for ward to doing,” David Dobbs said. “We may not know it’s Friday anymore.”

One man, who said he moved to Trussville in the late 1970s and ordered from Golden Rule at least once per month, waited for over half an hour for his to-go lunch Friday, and he sat patiently and happily on the black bench just in front of the register. One man waited just as long, if not longer, and was told his food was free because of the wait. The man

laid a $20 bill on the register and walked out with his food. No wait was too long this Friday. It was about the food, sure, but it was more about the patronage, the people.

“It’s kind of sad, you know?” said one diner.

Sometimes, it’s that simple. Sometimes, it’s deeper than that.

One longtime Trussville resident said that after her father died, she stayed with her ill mother for a while. Her mother had a standing weekly hair appointment for decades so she’d

take her there and pick her up. One day, that daughter had to be somewhere after dropping her mom off, so she called her sister to see if she could pick up their mother. She couldn’t but sent her husband, a big guy with a big heart who rode a Harley-Davidson. He was new to the family and was told he could take his new mother-in-law through the Sonic drive-thru for a burger to eat at home. Instead of taking that easy route, he took her to Golden Rule, a restaurant she and the family always enjoyed, and sat with her while she had lunch.

“I was blown away by his kindness, and it’s a bittersweet memory because that’s the last time she got to eat there,” said the woman’s daughter. “He made the effort to give her that joy one last time.”

On the restaurant’s final Friday around 1 p.m., the noon rush created a line almost the width of the building to pay for their lunch a final time, to say goodbye. Customers hugged waitresses and waved to cooks. “I love you” and “We’re going to miss y’all, too” were overheard dozens of times. Finality, even the closing of a barbecue restaurant, is hard. One older patron, after she paid, turned and looked out over the seating area, as if she was taking a mental picture. When she headed for the exit, she did so slowly, perhaps because she was elderly, or maybe it was the strong pull that nostalgia has.

Said one woman, “At least [Golden Rule] leaves knowing people love them.”

Guests dine in on the establishment’s last day of business.

COVER STORY: Mt. Joy pastor marks 30th anniversary

‘Miraculous stuff’

By GARY LLOYD

When Larry Hollman came to Mt. Joy Baptist Church — Trussville in October 1992, there were 11 people coming to the biweekly church services, the annual church budget was $4,900, and the bath rooms were located outside.

Hollman, a Tarrant City native, came with a vision to “make bricks without straw.” The day he interviewed for the pastor position, he heard that phrase, that sermon, three different times. Bricks don’t hold without straw. The metaphor is that a task must sometimes be taken on without necessary resources. After his interview, he felt God speaking to him, “That’s your mission.”

“That’s what we did,” Hollman said. “We didn’t have a lot of money, we didn’t have a lot of people, but we had faith in God.”

It took a year to get indoor bathrooms and two years to hold church services every Sunday at the oldest Black church in Jefferson County, founded in 1857 by slaves. Prior to starting Mt. Joy, the slaves were attending First Baptist Church of Trussville, where they sat in the back on Sunday mornings and were not allowed to participate during worship services, according to church history. The white minister would preach to the slaves on Sunday afternoons. In 1857, the slaves were dismissed and allowed to organize their own church.

They first received permission to worship in a log cabin located on the Sam Latham plantation in Trussville, and it was initially called Latham’s Baptist Church. After the Civil War, two brothers, Henry and William Talley, settled in Trussville and purchased land. In 1867, worship services began on the land of William Talley. The Rev. Isom Talley became the first pastor. In 1868, Henry Talley donated land to the struggling church. Members constructed a box-framed building on the hill — Valley Road — where the current church is located.

Under Hollman, church membership grew. In 1998, the former church building was torn down and a new one constructed. While it was under construction, services were held at Mt. Canaan Baptist Church in Trussville. When the new Mt. Joy building was completed, Mt. Canaan merged with Mt. Joy, a reconnection after being split from each other for 84 years. In 2000, New Bethel Baptist dissolved, leading to more members joining Mt. Joy.

By 2007, Mt. Joy signed a note to construct a 350-seat sanctuary with a fellowship hall, pastor’s study, associate ministers’ study, Sunday school classrooms, and vari ous other rooms. The price tag was a bit more than $1 million.

“We had a note that would choke a mule,” Hollman said.

The timing was ominous. The economy lagged. Church offerings decreased. The new sanctuary was dedicated in

January 2008. Hollman said several “miraculous” things happened during that time. Mt. Joy was struggling to pay the bank note. A $1,400 check randomly came one month, without a name. It came again the next month. It came nine months in a row, doubling at Christmas, and it ultimately came 18 months.

“We’re talking about miraculous stuff,” Hollman said.

First Baptist Church of Trussville Pastor Buddy Cham pion met Hollman 15 years ago at a community Thanks giving service. The two churches have worked together as ministry partners over the years, and an annual gathering began in 2016, Champion said.

“Larry is a delightful individual that has a passion for life and Mt. Joy,” Champion said. “His infectious per sonality and heart for the Lord has enabled him to have a sustaining presence. He truly cares for the people of Mt. Joy as they worked together on life’s journey.”

In 2017, Alabama state Sen. Shay Shelnutt and Ala bama state Rep. Danny Garrett presented a proclamation to Hollman recognizing the church’s history. Garrett has been back several times since, including taking his dad to a men’s day service. Hollman was thrilled that Garrett had brought his father, who had grown up poor in Mississippi. From then on, Hollman asked about Garrett’s father. When Garrett’s father died, flowers from Mt. Joy were sent to the funeral, a caring gesture that Garrett didn’t know about beforehand.

“Very sincere, very genuine,” Garrett said. “Whenever

Left: Rev. Larry Hollman sits in a pew at Mt. Joy Baptist Church in Trussville on June 27. Hollman has been leading the congregation at Mt. Joy Baptist for 30 years. Above: A photograph of the former church building in 1992 and a photograph of Rev. Larry Hollman with his daughter, DeRenda Hollman, and his mother, Vera Walker Todd, after Hollman gave his first sermon in 1986 at Damascus Baptist Church in Tarrant, Alabama. Photos by Erin Nelson.

I’m around him, it’s a very positive, uplifting [time]. I would consider him a friend, and we have a good rela tionship. I appreciate what they do in our community, and want to help them any way I can.”

Today, there are about 275 people on the church roll. The COVID-19 pandemic was a tough time, but Hollman estimated that attendance now includes 65 to 70 people attending Sunday and 80 to 90 on Facebook Live. The Word finds a way.

“Miraculous,” Hollman said. “God takes care of His house.”

Hollman is 70 now. He said Mt. Joy will soon need to find his replacement. He wants to preach until he’s 75, but if the Lord brings the right person before then, he’ll be happy. He wants to get the church’s debt paid off and to find an energetic youth minister. He said the miracles of the last 30 years, not just of keeping Mt. Joy open but growing, are what got the church to where it is now.

“Now we’ve got to do what’s got to be done to build a ministry,” Hollman said.

Hollman is a planner, marketer and student of history. He has been a “builder” of this church and community, a consensus-maker, adjectives that he said define his legacy. He has had two hip replacements and wants to walk out of the church confidently. He knows, whenever the time comes, what his final sermon will be. It comes from 2 Timothy 4, something he has never preached before. In those verses, Paul talks about fighting the good fight, about finishing the race and keeping his faith along the way. Hollman will draw from it as his long Mt. Joy career ends.

“That’s exactly what I want to do,” he said. “I want to preach that sermon and drop the mic.”

Maggie’s Rules for Life softball tourney Oct. 8-9

By GARY LLOYD

The fourth annual Maggie’s Rules for Life Softball Tournament benefiting Chil dren’s Hospital of Alabama Pediatric Inten sive Care Unity and Maggie’s Kindness Foundation is scheduled for Oct. 8-9 in Trussville and Hoover.

In its first three years, $32,800 has been raised for Children’s Hospital of Alabama. Graduating high school soft ball players have been awarded $9,000 in scholarships.

This year’s tournament includes USA Softball of Alabama as a partner, allowing the tournament to expand to softball parks in Trussville and Hoover. The tournament includes all age groups.

For more information about tournament sponsorships, email maggieskindness foundation@gmail.com. For tournament information, visit gfp.tournamentusasoft ball.com.

Maggie's Kindness Foundation’s mission is to promote kindness of young athletes through sportsmanship and development

of student athletes through scholarship and to help and support the emotional needs of children and their families in medical crisis.

It was created in honor of Maggie Bowles, a 6-year-old Trussville girl who died as a result of a car accident in 2017.

A group of youth softball players stand in front of a sign with “Maggie’s Rules” during the Maggie’s Rules for Life softball tournament at Heardmont Park in Birmingham in October 2021. This year’s tournament is scheduled for Oct. 8-9 in Trussville and Hoover. Photo by Todd Lester.

Ka’Darius Barnes has emerged as Peyton Floyd’s primary target in the Huskies’ offense. In a 35-7 win over Tuscaloosa County on Sept. 8, Barnes caught five passes, going for 124 yards and a touchdown.

Clay-Chalkville started the season with a statement, beating Briarwood 48-0 on Aug. 19. In that game, Zac McCray started his campaign with a big night, going for 153 rushing yards on 11 carries with a touchdown.

UNDER THE LIGHTS

The high school football season is in full force, with Hewitt-Trussville and Clay-Chalkville’s games featuring plenty of standout performances and electric games. Here’s a look at some of the biggest moments from the first few games of the year.

Clay-Chalkville has had a few running backs have standout games so far, including Rodreckus Johnson. In the Cougars’ hard-fought 14-12 win over Pinson Valley on Sept. 9, Johnson rushed it 21 times for 139 yards and a touchdown.

Hewitt-Trussville quarterback Peyton Floyd is in his first year as the full-time starter and is growing into his role. Floyd had a breakout performance against Gadsden City, as he scored five total touchdowns. He followed that up in the Huskies’ 48-7 region win over Oak Mountain on Sept. 2, as he went 21-of-27 for 256 yards and two touchdowns through the air, plus four scores on the ground.

Photos by Shawn Bowles and James Nicholas.

Huskies seeing hard work pay off

By KYLE PARMLEY

The Hewitt-Trussville High School vol leyball team is beginning to see the fruits of its labor.

Head coach Jackie Cox has been planting and cultivating the seeds for four years, and the identity of the program is beginning to take root and show itself in a real and tan gible way.

The Huskies had a strong summer, impressing in playdates. They carried that momentum into the beginning of this season, winning their first nine matches and 12 of their first 13.

“I don’t think it’s been shocking for the girls,” Cox said, “because they’ve improved so much. It’s continued to flow in one direc tion. They’ve hopped on board with the direction that we’re going. As long as we keep on board with that, then we can con tinue to keep going with that.”

Hewitt-Trussville began the year Aug. 18 with a tri-match sweep of Springville and Altamont. The Huskies then traveled to Hayden and put together a tremendous day, winning six matches en route to winning the Hayden Invitational. They won 12 sets and dropped just two in a big day.

Winning that tournament was a big deal for Hewitt-Trussville. The progress is becoming evident and that is allowing the entire team to buy in.

“If they can see results happening, then they start to trust and that’s a huge piece of what helps a team get better. If you put something out there and it’s not making any positive change, it’s tough,” she said.

But the biggest victory of the season came the following week, as the Hus kies knocked off Vestavia Hills in a tight

three-set match. The Rebels are a perenni ally strong Class 7A program, and a team that was off to a 21-5 start to the season through mid-September.

The schedule gets tougher as area play begins and the season dwindles. The matches become more important and the best teams rise to the occasion. The Huskies

are aiming to be one of those teams this fall and in future seasons.

“I’m pleased but there is a bigger picture here,” Cox said. “It wasn’t beating Vestavia or starting 11-1. We’ve still got a lot more games. We want to keep inching up. That’s my big focus right now, is what’s next.”

Hewitt-Trussville has five seniors this year, with Haley Wilkinson, Abbie Kate Monski, Summer Cornelius, Marley Car michael and Julianna Perez looking to finish their careers on a high note.

Cox lauded them for their leadership and particularly Carmichael, who plays a signif icant role in the offense from her position in the middle. Perez serves as the team’s libero and is a smart player. Monski and Wilkinson play on the right side and on the back row, while Cornelius is an outside hitter.

There are other younger players on the roster making an impact. Sophomore Ken nedy Vincent has unlimited potential, while freshman setter Anna Green has jumped right into a big role as well. Cox has been particularly impressed with junior AC Ben nett, who showed willingness to take on a setter role as well.

Sophia Dailey, Cameron Vines and Mad elyn Bromley help out on the outside, while three-sport star Sara Phillips is a middle and “super competitive.”

“We have a great group of girls; they get along really well,” Cox said.

Varsity Sports Calendar

FOOTBALL

Oct. 7: vs. Vestavia Hills. 7 p.m.

Oct. 14: @ Spain Park. 7 p.m.

Oct. 21: vs. Chelsea. 7 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

Oct. 3: @ Oak Mountain. 5 p.m.

Oct. 12-15: Area tournament. TBD.

Oct. 19-21: Super regional tournament. TBD.

Oct. 25-27: State tournament. TBD.

CROSS-COUNTRY

Oct. 15: Husky Challenge. Hewitt-Trussville High School.

Oct. 20: Oakville Invitational. Oakville.

Oct. 27: Sectional meet. Veterans Park.

Hewitt-Trussville’s Marley Carmichael (7) hits the ball at the net in a match against Spain Park at Hewitt-Trussville High School’s Bryant Bank Arena on Sept. 6. Photo by Erin Nelson.

Seasonal tips from real estate veteran Donna O’Barr Robinson

Red Barn Real Estate • 205-305-6998 • redbarnala.com

Real estate veteran Donna O’Barr Robinson is the owner of Red Barn Real Estate, a full-service agency based in Pinson.

If you’re looking to sell your home or buy a new one, Donna will give you the attention you deserve.

And remember, whether your home is old or new, it can always use a little attention, too.

Donna offers homeowners these glowing seasonal tips to care for your home.

Winter is coming! Check your pipes to keep them from bursting, use weather stripping on storm doors and windows, check your fireplace for any

creosote buildup and check your roof, attic or ceiling for water stains.

Spring into action by having your heating and air conditioning checked. It’s also a great time to paint your home’s exterior if needed.

Summer showers make it easy to wash your windows to remove accumulated dirt and grime.

Fall into the holiday season by cleaning those cobwebs off the porch and sprucing up the home before your football company comes over!

And remember to come to Red Barn Real Estate for southern hospitality and real results!

Make your outdoor living space more luxrious

Hollywood Outdoor Living • 205-979-7727 • hollywoodoutdoorliving.com

How we started…

Hollywood Outdoor Living (previously Hollywood Pools) was founded in 1986 on Hollywood Boulevard. As a family-owned business, we pride ourselves in knowing our customers, selling high quality products, and offering reliable pool and spa services.

Where we’ve been...

In 2000, we moved from Homewood to 1020 Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills. That same year, we acquired Casual & Custom Furniture and began to offer lines of luxury outdoor furniture.

After more growth in 2005, we moved into our facility at 1441 Montgomery Highway. In 2018, we continued to expand our pool and spa services through the acquisition of Alabama Pools.

Where we’re going…

In 2021, we acquired Alabama Gaslight & Grill, and in 2022, we completed a rebranding and chose our new name: Hollywood Outdoor Living. Our company’s new identity reflects our growth and sustains our legacy of providing luxury pools, spas, grills, lighting, furniture, and fireplaces. Visit our new website, come see us in the store, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter!

Relaxation Begins in the Backyard

Donna Robinson Michael Early

Shelia GraySusie Gunter

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash.

OpiniOn

Southern Musings By Gary Lloyd

280 miles northeast of here

Almost 300 miles northeast of here, a drive that lasts nearly five hours, time stands still.

The T-shirt shops still amount to roughly half of the businesses along Gatlinburg Parkway, where you can fill an entire master closet with airbrushed clothing. Before you can park in the deck behind the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies and stroll those streets, though, drooling at the window of the Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen at the Mountain Mall, you must make your way to the Food City on East Parkway for sensible nutri tion, like strawberry Pop Tarts and buttery popcorn.

You unpack your suitcase at the same wood cabin or motel you have called home for five days since you were a pre-teen. Your first desire, as if you were still a child, is to head to the Skee-Ball lanes at Fannie Far kle’s, where you can blow through twenty bucks in half an hour, all to win a $2.99 mountain-themed shot glass. You question

that childhood innocence when you look up at the yellow sky lift, which ascends you 1,800 feet into the air with nothing but a rusted bar keeping you from certain death.

You hike the Great Smoky Mountain Trail until your feet throb and climb what seems like miles of pavement to the Cling mans Dome Observation Tower, the lone motivation in doing so knowing that the next morning, you’ll be first in line for Pancake Pantry’s 7 a.m. opening. If you’re reading this column as some sort of advice for your Gatlinburg excursion, please remember to take cash to Pancake Pantry.

You drive the winding roads through bursts of yellow and orange, often stopping

off to stand on the rocky banks of the Little River, and you refamiliarize your self with the history, struc tures and wildlife at Cades Cove.

It’s now been three years since my wife and I have been to Gatlinburg, a trip both our families made in our childhoods and has become sort of our own married tradition now. We went for our honeymoon in 2013 and for our last vacation in 2019 before our son was born, and several times in between. We have not been back since November 2019.

We have told our toddler son about Gatlin burg, shown him photos in our camera rolls and in Facebook albums. He has seen iPhone shots of Gatlinburg Parkway at sunset, our

dogs on a wooden porch overlooking the mountains, a massive turtle at the Ripley’s Aquarium, those neon yellow leaves in early November, and a plate of chocolate chip pan cakes. It all pales in comparison to seeing it all in person, to feeling the adrenaline when a buck bounds across the Cades Cove valley.

In our home, our son plays with a stuffed black bear we won at Fannie Farkle’s. Plastic blocks he builds towers with came from the Big Top Arcade in Pigeon Forge. The last thing I remember buying in Gatlinburg in November 2019 was a mini street sign, a cheap souvenir I found in a T-shirt shop on the Parkway. It has his name on it. It sits on the door header entering his bedroom.

One day, hopefully soon, he will see the place it came from. Maybe he will bring back some airbrushed T-shirts.

Gary Lloyd is the author of six books and is a contributing writer to the Cahaba Sun.

Sean of the South

I saw you. It was at an old Piggly Wiggly. The kind with swinging doors and neon let ters that don’t all light up. I watched you open the door for an old woman who used a walking cane.

You couldn’t have been older than 12. You swung the door open, then wheeled an empty shopping buggy toward the lady.

You said, “Here you go, ma’am.”

She thanked you. You blushed. It was a fine moment.

I also saw you when you stopped traffic to help that dog. You were driving your FedEx truck, making your route. It was a mutt. Tan and white. A pup with hardly any meat on its bones.

You ran across three lanes of traffic, waving your hands at the cars.

I could read your lips. “Stop! Stop! Please!” you were saying.

Three lanes of traffic rolled to a halt. Our vehicles formed a stand-still line while you coaxed a scared animal out of the center lane.

Once, I saw you help a child in the Home

By Sean Dietrich

for unseen good deeds

Depot find his mother. The boy was lost. He walked beside you.

When you found his mother, he ran to her. It was a Hollywood-style ending. You stood back several feet to take it all in, smiling.

And, by God, I saw you.

I saw you pay for that woman’s meal in the Mexi can restaurant. The waitress seemed surprised when you suggested it.

She answered, “You wanna do WHAT, sir?”

You whispered, “I wanna pay for that lady’s meal.”

Then, you pointed to a woman across the restaurant. She wore a Hardee’s uniform. She had three kids. They were loud, rowdy, sipping dangerous amounts of caffeine and carbonated sugar.

You paid, then stood to leave. You never

got to see the woman’s reaction. But I did. She was shocked. It was all over her face. Before she left, she placed a tip on the table.

Everybody won that day. Even me. It was something to see, sir. Yes, indeed.

Sometimes, I worry that you feel like you’re fighting a losing battle — whoever you are. You might believe the things you do go unno ticed. And for all I know, maybe you’re right.

After all, the world has its eyes glued to glowing screens. News outlets obsess over explosions and blood.

Turn on the TV. Read a paper. Another day; another dogfight between angry old men wearing Italian suits and lapel pins.

But if you ask me, it’s all a bunch of horse pies. And I mean the whole thing. The scandals, the mass hysteria, the gore, the

infomercials.

But anyway.

You don’t care about those things. And good for you. You’re after bigger fish.

You care about old people, homeless vets, lost boys, terrified mutts, single par ents, drug-addicted infants, prison baptisms, elderly chaplains and animal shelters.

Friday-night art classes for the sexually abused, battered women’s shelters and childhood cancer victims. Hard-working women in Hardee’s uniforms. Old women at supermarkets.

I know you. And I want you to know you’re a lot more important than you think. In fact, you’re the only bright thing left in this damned old world.

And I want you to know that I see you.

Sean Dietrich is a columnist and novel ist known for his commentary on life in the American South. He has authored nine books and is the creator of the “Sean of the South” blog and podcast.

Dietrich

Lloyd

TRUSSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

Mondays and Thursdays: Yarn manglers. Knitters and crocheters, join for fellowship and creativity. Ages 18 and older. Mondays 5:30-7:30 p.m., Thursdays 2-4 p.m.

Oct. 1 and 2: ACT Prep. The Trussville Public Library will be hosting a two-part ACT Prep class on Saturday, October 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and October 2, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The class will be conducted in person in the library auditorium. Saturday will be an extensive review session and Sunday will feature a practice test. Lunch will be provided on Saturday. The fee for both days of the class is $43.50. No refunds will be issued. Registration required.

Oct. 3: Teen Pumpkin Painting. Join us to paint/decorate a pumpkin. Space is limited, so please make sure to register. 6th12th grades. 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Oct. 9: FARM Table. Jennifer Conn will discuss all things related to the Epidemic of “Obesetes (Obesity/Diabetes)” and optimal food choices for prevention. Ages 18 and older. 1:30-2:30 p.m. Registration requested.

Oct. 10: Hogwarts Academy. Games, crafts, food, prizes and all things magical will happen. This will be held once a month. Make sure to register. Everyone is encouraged to wear their best

wizard robes. 6th-12th grades. 5-6 p.m.

Oct. 10: Books & Brews. An evening Adult Book Club meeting in the event room at Ferus Artisan Ales. Connect with your community and share your thoughts about this month's book while enjoying delicious food and drinks. October’s title is “Cackle” by Rachel Harrison. Ages 18 and older. 7:15-8:15 p.m.

Oct. 13: Mario Kart Tournament for Kids. Best for elementary ages. Registration required. 4-5 p.m.

Oct. 15: BOOKIN’ IT 5K. The Friends of the Trussville Library and the Trussville Public Library announce their first annual BOOKIN' IT 5K Race/Walk. All proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Trussville Library. All ages welcome. 8-10 a.m.

Oct. 15: Robotics Club. This club will dive into the basics of coding and allow you to use those skills to program robots. Registration required. 6th-12th grades. 11 a.m. to noon.

Oct. 17: Chess Club. Learn the basics, cool tricks, strategy, opening and tactic in chess from a professional chess teacher. Registration encouraged. Parents are welcome to participate with their children. K-8th grade students. 5-6 p.m.

Oct. 19: Adult Book Club 2022. Join us each month. This month’s title is “Hamnet” by Maggie O'Farrell. Ages 18 and older. 2-3 p.m.

Oct. 20: Understanding Medicare. Educational seminar about Medicare options. Your questions will be addressed by Health Benefits specialist Linda Reynolds. Ages 18 and older. 1-2 p.m.

Oct. 20 and 27: Life Skills. Join us for this series on useful skills to have after high school. This will include information on scholarships and grants, financial literacy, health, diet and more. Attendees of this series are eligible for a discount on ACT prep at the library. 6th-12th grades. 6-7 p.m.

Oct. 20: Horror Movie Trivia. Get a team together and test your horror movie prowess against other fans and win prizes. Prizes will be awarded for best costume and best team name with a large grand prize for the trivia winner. Ages 18 and older. 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Oct. 24: American Girl Club. Join us each month. This month we’ll talk about Rebecca. Registration required. K-5th grades. 4-5 p.m.

Oct. 26: Fall Gardening. Extension Agent Bethany O’Rear will share tips for gardening success and fall tasks. 10-11 a.m.

Oct. 31: Trick or Treat at the Library. Stations will be set up around the library for children to collect candy and prizes. The stations will be decorated with various literary themes, see if you can guess them all. Each child will be able to choose a book to keep from the last station. Dress up and bring a bag to join the fun. 5-7 p.m.

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