Sun
October 2013 • 1
HooverSun.com
Neighborly news & entertainment for Hoover
Literary milestone
Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2013
Golden year for art
In 1982, thousands of signatures brought Hoover a public library. Thirty years later, the state-of-the-art facility provides more than 100 jobs under the leadership of director Linda Andrews.
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Community page 14
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Bucs, Jags rolling
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Both Hoover and Spain Park High Schools finished their first three games undefeated. The 2013 season is looking bright for your local teams.
Sports page 20
INSIDE Sponsors ........... 4 City ..................... 6 Business ............ 8 Community ....... 12
School House ... 19 Sports ................ 20 Fall Home .......... 22 Calendar ............ 28
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1) Betty Brown’s donation of a painting to be sold for the library in 1963 launched the Bluff Park Art Show. With Brown is Henry Kimbrell, who organized the “Come as Your Favorite Book” dance. 2) Sara Perry, left, has worked the event for nearly 50 years. She is pictured with Jeff Pierson, current show chair, and other volunteers. 3) Susan, a dedicated volunteer, said in the 1960s that she thought the effort would never reach the goal of the library fund. 4) Henry Kimbrell and his band providing music at the Art Show. 5) Helen Kumli Stephens helped start the Art Show while serving as principal of Bluff Park Elementary from 1963-1976. 6) Pictured are Lois Albright and Elsie Pond. Lois Albright’s daughter Beth Albright Johns is the current president of the Bluff Park Art Association. 7) Bluff Park residents volunteer in the show’s early days. 8) Founding member Sally Johnson and Judy Rogers, who has exhibited, served as president and worked diligently for decades. 9) Founders Liz Kimbrell and Sally Johnson. Photos courtesy of Sally Johnson.
By KATIE TURPEN
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In 1963, there was no library at Bluff Park Elementary School. For a student to check out a book, he or she would visit the principal, who would go into her coat closet and retrieve it. As soon as she noticed the need, Sally Johnson got involved. “I asked [the principal], ‘Wouldn’t you like to have a real library?’” Johnson said. “She replied that the county wouldn’t let them because they were an independent grammar school. “I thought, ‘We’re going to change that.’” That year, Johnson and other school parents hosted
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the Bluff Park Elementary School “Come as Your Favorite Book” dance, where gawky children gathered in literaturethemed costumes. On the outside, it was a fun evening, but the event’s true purpose was to provide a better library for all. The dance raised $600, a promising first step. But it still wasn’t enough. Their next thought was to turn to their hobbies. At the time, Johnson and her best friends held nightly gatherings where they painted together in her basement. She had an idea, and the following year, the Bluff Park PTA sponsored an art auction
Anniversary Bluff Park Art Show
Saturday, Oct. 5
Bluff Park Community Center
9 a.m.-5 p.m. bluffparkartshow.com
See BLUFF PARK | page 26
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