Helena City News Serving the City of Helena and surrounding area
Summer 2016
Husky Boys Soccer team
WINS STATE 5A CHAMPIONSHIP!
HUSKIES BASEBALL/SOFTBALL TAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO 5A STATE Baseball wins Area Champsionship; Softball takes runnersup crown in 5A State Tourney
MOVIES IN THE PARK GOING ON NOW EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT
Free Family Entertainment at Old Town Amphitheater Park. Have dinner, too!
FIRST FRIDAY IN JULY, GET AN ADDED BONUS—FIREWORKS!
July 1st, Sponsored by City of Helena and FarmerGuard Pest Control
Helena Market Days SATURDAYS AT AMPHITHEATER PARK IN OLD TOWN HELENA 8AM-NOON THROUGH AUGUST 22 www.HelenaMarketDays.com www.MyHelenaCityNews.com / www.CityofHelena.org TO ADVERTISE, CALL the Publisher at 746.1188 / MyHelenaCityNews.com / Summer 2016
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From the Mayor
Greetings! Summer has arrived in the City of Helena bringing with it many great events and activities already taking place all around town, with more to come! I was excited to learn that Helena has been awarded the prestigious designation as an Alabama Community of Excellence. The City applied for acceptance into three phase program 2 years ago where a variety of issues were examined, including the communities assets, values, concerns and goals for the future. The ACE program, along with other benefits, offers access to a number of corporate professionals who offer their expertise to our city leaders, as needed, to help solve different challenges and make improvements. Over 20 large corporate agencies partner to
provide assistance to the ACE designated cities. I would like to thank the city council, our citizens that participated in various surveys and Katherine Ennis who served as our volunteer coordinator for the program. This organization will assist us as we continue to plan, grow and prosper. Congratulations to the 2016 graduating class of Helena High School. A special thanks goes out to the entire Helena High School administration, faculty and staff for your hard work, dedication and investment in the well being and education of our students at Helena High. These graduates have certainly earned this community’s respect and gratitude and will always have a special place in our hearts. The success in the classroom, the performing arts, sciences, volunteer civic groups and athletics continue to make a noted impact and undeniable difference in this community. This outstanding group of
graduates earned over 4 million dollars in scholarships to colleges and universities across the country. Best of luck to all of you. Allow me to also mention the success of Helena High School Athletics. As you know Boy’s Soccer is the 5A State Champions and Grayson Gladden won the 5A Girls individual Golf Championship! Girls Soccer finished 3rd in the State and the HHS Girls Softball team finished 2nd in the state after winning the area and regional championship. HHS Baseball had another great season as well winning the Area Championship and going deep into the playoffs. Every sport in the program enjoyed unprecedented success in the AHSAA 5A State competitions, including track and field, golf and tennis. This was a great year for the HHS Athletic programs and has set the bar even higher for future teams, not to mention we have the best marching band, cheer squads and performing arts programs in the state! The City Youth League baseball, softball and soccer teams also enjoyed success this season
as well. City Park and Recreation Director Bill Miller and staff have worked hard to do their best to make this a rewarding season for our kids and will continue to do their best for the program. In closing, I would like to commend the volunteers of the Buck Creek Festival on another successful event! The festival drew thousands to Old Town. The famous Duck Race raised thousands of dollars that will be given to various organizations in our city. thank you to all who worked so hard to make this event a huge success. Please remember to visit First Friday’s, Market Days and Movies in the Park this summer. The First Friday in July will feature the Annual City July Fireworks display, July 1st! Jazz in the Park also returns again in July with some of the top jazz musicians in the country set to perform. Your continued support of local Helena events and businesses is appreciated, it’s good for all of us! Please have a safe and happy summer and may God Bless you all! Kindest regards,
Mark
2 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org
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HELENA, AL
2600 HWY 58
(CORNER OF 58 AND 95)
664-2600
You Can’t Argue With Results like Lonna Tucker’s
In 2014, Lonna Tucker experienced a subarachnoid hemorrhage at work; a thunderclap headache that she says she had never felt anything like before. She says she sat for a few minutes, not knowing what to do. It wasn’t getting any better, so she texted her husband, Gregg, to pick her up, and together they decided to head straight to the Brookwood Emergency Room. There, the doctors confirmed a brain bleed and admitted her immediately to the hospital. An arteriogram confirmed that no aneurysm or vessel weakness was the culprit, so she was shortly able to shortly resume her normal activities. The only risk factor she had for this scary and dangerous condition was that she smoked. She said that she was a light smoker, only smoking about half a pack a day, but she figured since that was her only risk factor, she’d best give it up. Lonna says after recovering from her bleed, she put on some extra weight. Being a long time resident of Helena, she knew Snap Fitness was convenient to both her home and her work at nearby Avanti Polar Lipids, where she works as Director of Regulatory Affairs. She and husband Gregg,
who recently retired from the Birmingham Police Department, have called Helena home for 22 years, raising two sons, Chris and Trevor and a daughter, Karly “Lucille.” Lonna says she started exercising at Snap Fitness five days a week for about six months, and is currently exercising on a four-daya-week routine. She has dropped a total of 30 lbs after about seven months of exercise. The trainers at Snap Fitness set her up on a routine when she first started, and she’s basically stuck with it. Lorna says her diet plan is basically watching her calories and measuring out her portions. She tries to limit her eating to 1000-1200 calories per day in order to lose about a pound per week. Breakfast is usually an 80 calorie yogurt. Lunch is a lite soup. Supper is usually some lean meat, (chicken or fish) with a salad and one tablespoon of lite ranch dressing. Lonna says she usually enjoys a dessert consisting of a snack pack pudding, a cup of apple sauce or one of the Weight Watcher’s desserts. “The main thing is portion control for me,” she said. Getting back on the subject
of getting started with a workout routine at Snap, Lonna added, “Once you have a trainer take you through an orientation session, the workout machines at Snap are all very easy to use, and there is no reason at all to feel intimidated. I come in about the same time every day, and it’s nice to see a lot of the same folks here everyday. I’d recommend Snap Fitness to everyone. I’ve had lots of people comment on my
weight loss, and I always tell them about Snap Fitness here in Helena.” She finished, “I’ve also been able to pick back up on one of my favorite habits with my weight loss— clothes shopping!” You, too, can make a change for the better with your fitness no matter what your current level. Stop by and talk to the nice folks at Snap Fitness Helena today!
HHS boys soccer team became 2016 AHSAA 4A-5A State Champs
Last year, in the first year of the HHS Boys Soccer program, the team had an impressive run that took them all the way to the state semifinals, where they finally lost to St. Paul. On the way back from the semifinals, players commented to HHS Soccer Head Coach Zachary Morgan that St. Paul’s players were just faster, bigger, and stronger. “The juniors said, ‘We’ll have to work out this summer to get bigger and faster than they are,’” relayed Coach Morgan. “They saw what they wanted that first year, and worked hard for it.” All their hard work payed off—this season, the 22-man team with 15 seniors smashed their way through the competition to earn the title AHSAA 4A-5A State Champs! “Those juniors from last year really stepped up as seniors and leaders this year,” Coach Morgan said. “They helped the new players learn what they need to do to beat different teams, and showed them how to display leadership to the new 9th graders.”
Over the summer, all varsity players went through an athlete workout program together, and set goals for themselves to achieve what was necessary to get to the semifinals once again. Coach Morgan set a goal for the team as a whole—to make it back to state—and changed up the formations he uses on the field. “I have to play what mama brings me,” the coach joked. “Since high schools can’t recruit, we have to choose what formations bring out our players’ individual talents.” Thankfully, many younger Helena players have a background in club ball, which has given them a great chance to hone those talents and expand their skill sets before moving up to the high school level. The 2016 season started out strong for the Huskies, when they dominated Loveless, Guntersville and Shades Valley to win the Silver division of the annual Lakeshore Shootout Tournament. They also had an earlyseason matchup against Oak Mountain, which they lost. “Oak Mountain is the #1 team in the nation, and they only beat us 1-0,” Coach Morgan said. In fact,
the team’s only losses this season were from 6A or 7A teams, or those ranked in the top 5 in their areas. “My players love playing teams that are better than us on paper; that makes us better. Vestavia, Mountain Brook, Demopolis, ACA, Randolph, Sylacauga—they are all good teams who are going to give us a challenge and push us to be better.” When the Huskies came up against Alabama Christian Academy in the semifinals this year, it was a very different type of game than they were used to. “There was basically a monsoon for a good two hours before the game,” Coach Morgan described. “They tried to fix the field but it didn’t work—it was like playing in a lake.” The Huskies managed to pull out a double overtime win despite the terrible conditions. They then went on to soundly beat defending champions Randolph 4-0 to cinch the AHSAA 4A-5A State Championship title. “It felt great to win the state championship,” Coach Morgan said. “These wonderful guys that I had the opportunity to
coach and teach, the goal they set was to get back to state this year. We had to do the hard work to make it happen, and that’s what they did.” Starting goalkeeper, Phildon Dublin, who was named the AHSAA All-Star Game MVP last year, signed to play football for Delta State this fall. This year, freshman midfielder Vincent Narvaez was named the AHSAA 4A-5A State Championship MVP. Jeremy Hughes, a striker, was named to the All-Metro 1st team. Centerback Yelton Canalez, midfielder Landon Gaskins and defensive midfielder Eric Canalez were all recognized by outside organizations during the season for their accomplishments on the field. Congratulations, Huskies, on your well deserved title!
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Chief Doug Jones passes Doug Jones started with the Helena Police Department in 1981 as a reserve officer and dispatcher. He retired in 2015 as its chief with 34 years of service to the city he loved, and the city has lost a dear friend with his passing. Doug was a graduate of the University of Alabama Police Academy. One of Doug’s favorite positions held over the years in Helena was as the city’s first officer to work a K9 officer, working with the city’s first K9 officer, “Hasco.” Doug loved animals and he and wife Melissa had two fur babies, Katie and Casey. Doug and Melissa enjoyed taking long rides on Doug’s motorcycle, a Victory custom cruiser with heated hand grips and seats. They enjoyed day trips but rode as far as Panama City. They also enjoyed hauling the bike up to the Smokey Mountains and spending days touring the winding mountain roads.
Doug had many close friends throughout the community from all walks of life and of course many in the law enforcement community. A memorial service was held for Doug recently at Helena United Methodist Church where he was eulogized by friends upon whom he had made a special mark and fellow officer Brad Flynn, who told a few humorous anecdotes from their time together in the Helena Police Department. A card served as a handout at the memorial service, showing a young Doug with his K9 officer, Hasco. On the back, the card read: Douglas Wright Jones Born 1/8/1957 - End of Watch 5/20/2016 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” - Matthew 5:9 R.I.P. Chief, you will be sorely missed by all who knew you.
Sundown Cinemas 2016 H E L E N A O L D T O W N A M P H I T H E AT E R 4
June 24 Hotel Transylvania 2
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July 8
6
Despicable Me 2
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July 22 Guardians of the Galaxy July 29 Goosebumps
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July 15 Big Hero 6
Concessions open at 6:30 PM / Movie Starts around 7:30 PM
Free Admission!
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Be sure to bring a chair or a blanket because you enjoy the movie on a giant inflatable screen on the grass. No outside food or beverages permitted.
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Mike Sullivan and wife, Leah, have called Helena home the past 12 years. Mike works as Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Pinson. In 2014, he was honored to represent the State Park and Recreation Association as its president and attend the group’s national convention in Charlotte, NC. While there, Mike said he entered a drawing with his business card for a valuable piece of exercise
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equipment a vendor was giving away and what do you know? He won! “My family spends a lot of time at Joe Tucker Park and I just thought the piece of equipment would be a nice addition to place near the walking track where it would give another exercise option to those using the walking track for their cardio.” What a selfless gift to the city. Much thanks to Mike for the wonderful addition to the park! Mike and Leah have two children: Braden, 10, just won the spelling bee at HIS and will enter the middle school on the fall, and Lainey, his 4-year-old little sister.
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Old Town Vape provides an alternative to smoking “We get it, you vape,” is a common phrase heard anywhere plumes of water vapor can be found. Whether a harmless jibe from a friend, or a snide remark from a stranger catching the end of a smoke trick, the “We get it,” always has a hint of attitude behind it. But some former smokers protest this “meme.” They say no, unless you’ve gone from two packs a day to completely cutting the nicotine out of your liquid through vaping, you don’t get it. They proclaim, “I vape, I don’t smoke, and I’m proud.” Smoking a leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. and yet 42.1 million people light up, including new smokers, every day. Quitting smoking lowers your chances of lung, mouth, or throat cancer and lowers your risk for heart disease and stroke. And vaping is a great way to quit. A study published in the Journal of Addiction in 2014 of
nearly 2,000 smokers found that more than 65% of people who used a vape pen on a daily basis used it as a starting point to give up smoking within the year. And 14% of those who vaped daily, but didn’t use it to quit right away, still drastically reduced their tobacco consumption in a year’s time—often by more than half! “We already know that using an e-cigarette in an attempt to quit smoking increases the chances of success compared to quitting without any support,” said Dr. Leonie Brose, lead author of the study. “It is encouraging to see that regular e-cigarette use was linked to reduced numbers of lethal cigarettes smoked and increased attempts to quit smoking in the following year.” And another study published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research in 2015 revealed people trying to quit smoking with a vape pen were more successful if they used a refillable tank
model. 28% of those with tank models had given up tobacco smoking within a year, compared to 13% of smokers who did not vape. Unlike simpler models of e-cigarettes, vape pens with refillable tanks allow the user to control the nicotine content in the liquid they contain. Most people start off vaping at a high nicotine level when getting off cigarettes. They move to a device that produces more vapor, and need less nicotine. Then they decrease the nicotine strength even more, especially once finding out that higher nicotine content actually messes with the flavor of e-liquids. This brings up the other perk of using a device with a refillable tank: control over the flavor of the vapor, as well. Some vape shops mix and sell their own special blends of house “juice” along with popular e-liquid brands. There are now hundreds of online and brick-and-mortar
Vape Shops with thousands of e-liquid flavors available to try, from dessert delights like Baked Cinnamon Apple to simpler Mint or Vanilla and beyond. But the difference between a cigarette and e-liquid is much more than just flavor. A 2012 study in Greece found that vape pens create less toxic chemicals than cigarettes. Cigarette smoke has over 4,000 chemicals; 43 known carcinogenic compounds; arsenic, tar, formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide and DDT. The lungs of someone using a vape pen, or anyone around them, absorbs none of these chemicals, making vaping a much safer alternative to cigarettes. In fact, a research paper out in 2012 found that levels of toxicants in e-cigarette vapor were 9–450 times lower than in cigarette smoke, further cementing the idea that substituting cigarettes with vaping
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calendar of EVENTS REGULAR WEEKLY EVENTS
Mondays Exercise Classes, Helena Senior Center, 10:00am Police Explorers, Explorer Training Facility, 4:00-7:00pm Fire Explorers, Station 2, 5:00pm Tuesdays Kiwanis, Helena Senior Ctr, 7:00am; 3rd Tues. 5:30pm Story Time, Jane B. Holmes Public Library, 11:00am Helena Lions Club meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesday, Helena Senior Center, 7:00pm, Visit their Facebook page Helena Lions Club for info Wednesdays Summer Reading Events (til 7/13), City Hall, 2:00pm Thursdays Exercise Classes, Helena Senior Center, 10:00am Story Time, Jane B. Holmes Public Library, 11:00am Fridays HBA’s Helena First Fridays, Old Town, 5:30-8:30pm Now-End of Summer, For more info visit hbahelena.com or their Facebook page HBA’s Movies in the Park (til 7/29), OT Amphitheater, 7:30-8:00pm, Visit hbahelena.com for schedule Saturdays Helena Market Days (til 8/27), OT Amphitheater, 8:00am-12:00pm For a list of entertainment & events, visit helenamarketdays.com
august
2nd - Helena Business Association Meeting, 8:00 am, for meeting site visit hbahelena.com or their Facebook page 3rd - Emergency Siren Test, 10:00am 9th - Shelby County Schools, Full Day for Students 15th - Helena City Council, Helena Municipal Building, 6:00pm 18th - Helena Planning and Zoning, Helena Municipal Bldg, 6:00pm - Friends of the Jane B. Holmes Library Meeting, Library, 6:00pm 20th - Respite Care-special needs 0-21, free but must reserve aaronsstaffrespite.org
june
17th - Helena Planning & Zoning, Helena Municipal Building, 6:00pm - Friends of the Jane B. Holmes Library Meeting, Library, 6:00pm 18th - Respite Care-special needs 0-21, free of charge but must reserve aaronsstaffrespite.org 19th - FATHER’S DAY 27th - Helena City Council, Helena Municipal Building, 6:00pm
july
1st - First Friday, Old Town, 5:30-8:30pm, visit hbahelena.com Fireworks sponsored by the City of Helena and FarmerGuard to immediately follow First Friday 4th - INDEPENDENCE DAY OBSERVED: Municipal Offices/ Library Closed in observance of Independence Day; Trash will be collected as usual 5th - Helena Business Association Meeting, 8:00am, for meeting site visit hbahelena.com or their Facebook page 6th - Emergency Siren Test, 10:00am 11th - Helena City Council, Helena Municipal Building, 6:00pm 13th - Summer Reading Closeout Party, City Hall, 2:00pm 16th - Pelham Palooza, Pelham Civic Complex, 9:00am til … - Respite Care-special needs 0-21, free but must reserve aaronsstaffrespite.org 21st - Helena Planning and Zoning, Helena Municipal Bldg, 6:00pm - Friends of the Jane B. Holmes Library Meeting, Library, 6:00pm 25th - Helena City Council, Helena Municipal Building, 6:00pm TO ADVERTISE, CALL the Publisher at 746.1188 / MyHelenaCityNews.com / Summer 2016
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HHS girls soccer second year team rise all the way to playoffs
The HHS Lady Huskies Soccer team was hungry going into their second season this year. The fact that Head Coach Clif Naron was able to take a second-year team with a 5-15 record early in the season all the way to the playoffs shows the improvements they made as a team this year. “We had a lot of great firsts in 2015 as a first-year team,” said Coach Naron. “Our first four-win streak, our first time going to the playoffs... And most of the team from last year came back this season, with five or six 9th graders and a couple new players.” One of those new players was Aszah Preuce, who the coach said is a natural athlete. “She knew nothing about soccer coming onto the team this year, but after she scored her first goal, it was hard to get her back on defense,” Coach Naron said. “She wanted to score more goals!” “But coming into this season, we had to take a step back and ask, What can we do? How much better can we be?” the coach continued. “We could 10 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org
have won the state championship last year—so how can we work together to better all 20+ girls on the team?” The answer was a mixture of training and camaraderie. Over the summer, the girls were running three times a week, working on soccer skills every Wednesday and bonding over weight training. They hung out a lot as a team: worked out together, held pasta nights, had a lock-in at the school. “This year, we focused on working harder and being better—better people, better athletes, better students,” Coach Naron said. “The girls had to learn that to take ownership of the team, they had to take on team responsibilities.” As part of that, the three team captains, Skyler Conway, Allysa Dixon and Alexa Williams, chose a fourth “captain of the week” each week, both to recognize a player’s hard work for the team and to instill leadership skills in more players across the team. The coach also tried to make sure every girl got playing time
in games. So when the team was down 3-0 or 4-0, he’d send out girls who needed more time on the field. “Sure, we’d often lose by another point or two, but it’s worth it to get that playing time for all the girls,” Coach Naron explained. “So when they go out there later, they aren’t lost in the game.” But even during those hard games, the Huskies never backed down. “They never quit, never got down on themselves, and even came back from 0-0 to 6-0 in some games,” the coach said. “They always put forth 110% in practice and in games.” Coach Naron had the Huskies playing up against the big dogs—Chelsea, Oak Mountain, Briarwood, Homewood, etc— this season, to see what playing high-level soccer is really like before the school moves up to Class 6A next year. “This year was about learning what we can see other teams doing, and what we can identify that we need to work on,” Coach Naron said. But it became so much more than that. They were getting beat, but this allowed them to see how these powerful teams play, to witness their speed and analyze their passing skills. And halfway through the season? The girls really started to click, because they began to trust each other. “While we are working at
different skill levels, the lowerskilled players don’t bring each other down and the higher-skilled athletes don’t outplay each other,” said Skylar. “Even early in the season, everybody was already working together.” “We have an amazing team that always has great teamwork together,” agreed Allysa. “After we beat Calera, people actually started believing we were doing well,” Skyler said. Coach Naron said that’s when the girls really started playing like they deserved to be there. “We worked so hard for these two years, the girls bought into my program and they were a er because we all do different things, we are all players with different styles of play,” Juli said. The Lady Huskies fell to St. Paul in the playoffs this season, but they have all the confidence that next year, with another summer of workouts under their belts, they will be even better. “This is the first time I’m really excited about workouts. We’re hungry now, we want that championship,” Juli said. We can’t wait to watch them bring home that trophy!
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HES Meets HP0’s Dog Bak The Helena Elementary 2nd grade classes of Ms. Clay, Mrs. Posey, Mrs. Winter, Mrs. Curtis, and Mr. Cochran had a very special afternoon with two of our community’s finest! Helena Police Officers, Phillip Richards and Bak, demonstrated what they do and how they help keep our community safe. The students learned about jobs in law enforcement and how
the K-9 unit is able to help us when we need them. Bak only truly cares about his partner and his work, but was very patient to let the students (and teachers) pet him and take photos. Thank you HPD for making this community the best and for your partnership in raising and educating our future.
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HHS claims 2 AHSAA 5A Section Golf Tournaments Champion Titles Coach Steve Bromley is in his first year as head HHS golf coach, starting only 11 boys and 5 girls, but he has already seen his students achieving success on the green. Both the HHS girls and boys golf teams came in first place in their respective AHSAA 5A Section 2 Tournaments at the end of April, and two individuals qualified for the State Tournament, with Grayson Gladden going on to win the 2016 AHSAA 4A-5A Girls Individual State Championship. “We’ve been practicing at Bent Brook Golf Course, where they don’t charge us a fee—they have been really good to the school,” Coach Bromley said. “But playing in tournaments prepare us for the state playoffs format, so we’re planning on playing more tournaments going forward.” During the Section 2 Tournaments at Timberline Golf
Club, the boys team shot 316, which was their best score so far in the season. Freshman Michael Fain led with a score of 78. Senior Andrew Black shot 79; freshman Gabe Brooks shot 80; sophomore Alex Dawson shot 87 and Sophie Brock Baker shot 79. At true same tournament, the girls shot 276, beating Sylacauga for the win with just one stroke. Senior Grayson Gladden led them with a score of 74, which won her the Low Medalist Award. Junior Lindsey Oxley shot a 93; and HMS 8th grader Adaia Washington shot 108. On May 2, the boys traveled to Troy Country Club and the girls to Lagoon Park for their Substate Tournaments. There, the boys beat their previous best team score of the season by one stroke, 315. Sadly, they lost in a sudden death playoff, which meant the team did not finish in top two. The girls also failed to place in the top two. However, Andrew Black and Grayson Gladden each qualified as individuals for the state tournament. Grayson and Andrew travelled to Hampton Cove in Huntsville for the State Tournament, where Andrew shot 88 on day one and 80 on day two. Grayson did even better, shooting 77 on day one and 70 on day two, to win the AHSAA 4A-5A Girls Individual State Championship. Grayson has long been a golf phenom in Pelham schools, so
Coach Bromley was excited that she decided to make the jump to Helena. Her skills and raw talent helped propel the girls team to success this year. But as a senior, her time is up—she is pledged to Arkansas State on a golf scholarship for the fall. “Losing Grayson will be a struggle for the girls team next year,” the coach said. “But we have a larger young boys team looking to do well as they grow; they are a mixture of young
high school students and 8th graders.” It’s worth noting that Coach Bromley brought up members of the HMS golf team, like Adaia Washington, to practice with the high school team because HMS won their league championship this year. With talent like this, and such a young team, we can only expect the HHS golf teams to become even better in the coming years. Open Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm Emergency Svc. Avail.
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HHS Girl’s Softball, State Runners-Up in State Championship Tourney!
“A big reason the girls worked so well together this season is that so many of them have been playing ball together since they were 5 or 6, from park ball to travel ball to middle school and up to high school,” Coach Kouveras said. “They stick together here in Helena, which is really good for their camaraderie.” As a testament to that camaraderie, the stress of the state tournament only brought the best out in the girls. “We won every game we needed to win—the win against Marbury was great—and just knowing we made it to the championship game as a second year team was phenomenal,” Coach Kouveras said. They lost the championship games against Springville 6-3 and 6-2. “State is a Double Elimination tournament, which is good in case you lose the first game, but can also tire your players out,” Coach Kouveras said. “Between games, the girls could have been resting or complaining, As a testament to her skilled coaching this season, Coach but instead Heidi Kouveras was recognized as the Shelby County Coach of they were the Year for all classifications. Congratulations, Coach K! playing games
The HHS Softball team, still a young team with only three seniors and ten juniors, won their way through the state playoffs to the AHSAA 6A State Championship games against Springville. The girls played well and came out with an impressive second place finish, a huge accomplishment for a secondyear team. “I’m really proud of where we ended this season,” said Head Softball Coach Heidi Kouveras. “Hoover and Oak Mountain were our first games of the season, and we lost both. But we improved so much since then. If we’d been able to play them later in the season, we would have given them tougher games.”
16 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org
and keeping active. It was very inspiring how well they stayed together during that stress.” On the offensive side, sophomore pitcher Katie Lively is the Huskies’ #1 slugger. Mekhi Mayfield, a junior centerfielder, is another powerful hitter and player for the Huskies. But junior catcher Maggie Blanton is the most consistent hitter on the team. Maggie started out the first half of the season batting around .800, and ended the season with a most impressive average near .500. “The team got onto Maggie a lot—‘Oh, well, we can’t ALL bat .800,’” Coach Kouveras laughed. “But having those three girls batting consistently at .400 on my roster has been great.” Along with Maggie, freshman Laney Bruner is another strong base hitter, and the team can always count on these two to knock in the players who get on base before them. Senior left fielder Reagan Curtis is another powerful hitter who made some huge plays in the outfield this season. Coach Kouveras laughed while describing one, “She broke a hole running through a temporary fence to make a play in the state tournament.” On the defensive side, Katie Lively and senior Avery Barnett dominated in the circle this year. Avery was the starting pitcher. Katie played well as starting pitcher last year, and that, added to her batting average, led to her being scouted in 2015 as a freshman even prior to the playoffs. The 2016 season gave her a chance to bring to light
her more varied skills, since she played as an outfielder about half of her field time. This season the girls played 50 games—many more games than many of their competitors. “Twenty-five of our games were really tough, and 17 of them were against 6A or 7A teams,” Coach Kouveras explained. “We played more than last year, and we played a lot of teams in the division above us. That’s what you have to do to get better for your program. We could have played easier teams to buffer our win ratio, but we wouldn’t have gotten better. We do this to help the team, but also to further push our players who want to play collegiate sports.” For example: Katie Lively verbally committed to play for Troy this year, Mekhi Mayfield committed to Samford, and Reagan Curtis committed to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. As the young players on this team hone their skills and learn to play more cohesively, we can only expect the number of these pledges to go up. “A lot has to be said for Helena,” said Coach Kouveras. “Little league, park ball and middle school softball coaches ensure the players are used to working hard when they get to the high school level. And the coaches here at HHS really love the kids, on the field and in the classroom, too.” During the summer and fall, the team will focus on conditioning—mostly running and lifting weights, plus practices and conditioning camps. “The hardcore athletes, the heart of your team, they always want to get out and do the work,” Coach Kouveras said. “Because of these dedicated athletes, I look forward to next season. I feel really good about it. I know I need a break, but I’m ready to get started.” She laughed. “I could start practice tomorrow if the girls wanted to.”
Helena’s most distinctive neighborhood With generous rolling landscapes, beautiful public areas, old hardwood shade trees and spacious, executive style homes, Riverwoods is the place you want to be. For more information on making Riverwoods your home, contact Greg Arcara on his cell at (205) 566-1426 or his office at
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Nunally house heritage honored by Arcara Residential When Greg Arcara considered where to relocate his real estate office, Helena really stuck out to him. “Helena is a gem,” Greg said. “The close knit community, the welcoming atmosphere…that is why we wanted to move into the area. We really love it here.” The nondescript brown house on 2nd Street in Old Town Helena had seen its better days when it caught Greg’s eye, but Greg and his wife Donna decided to tackle the project of rescuing it from its state of decline and using it for the office of Arcara Residential. “I wanted a welcoming storefront, a place like this,” Greg gestured around his finished building. “At first, this just looked like an old building. Then we dug into its history, became very involved with the renovations, and it became personal for us.” “It was fun to research the heritage of the house and to learn more about places like this in Helena’s history,” Donna added. “It was important to us to preserve it once we realized it had been a treasured family home. Helena has such an appreciation of its past. Being part of the historic district makes that seem even more important.” The Arcaras don’t know much about the original homeplace, but they know that around the turn of the century it became the family home of Luther and Grace Nunnally. Nunnally ancestors had been Shelby County homesteaders, and there is a place along the Cahaba River that is called “Nunnally Ford” because the family forded the river there to reach Helena during pioneer times. The Nunnally House was in the family for many decades, as a generation of children was raised, and later was where family matriarch Grace Nunnally became “Biggy” to a large number of grandchildren. By the time the Arcaras bought it, the home had been moved to its current location and a new front porch had been added, but after existing a few years as a commercial 18 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org
building, time had thrown it into disrepair. The Arcaras replaced the termite-ruined floors and joists, completely renovated the bathroom, and preserved features such as the old, mismatched wood on the walls. “The Nunnallys lived here when the 1933 tornado destroyed most of Helena,” explained Donna. “The house was pretty much demolished. It’s crazy that in pictures of the aftermath, you can see the clothes still hanging on the line right there in the yard.” Even though many houses in town were destroyed, the Nunnally family of carpenters and others in town came together to rebuild the city’s churches before they rebuilt their own houses. “By the time they rebuilt the house, they used whatever wood they could get their hands on,” Greg said. “You will see a variety of wood throughout the house, such as the barn wood that was used on some of the walls. We repurposed those planks for use as a sliding door to our conference room, which we have named ‘Biggy’s’ Room.” Through a genealogy website, Donna found a Nunnally descendant, Dawn Nunnally Cole, a current Helena resident. They met for lunch at the Coal Yard, where Dawn shared family history and described memories of her grandmother, Biggy, sitting on the porch swing, baking Lemon Supreme cakes for special occasions, and hosting holiday get-togethers. The Arcaras were also quite surprised to learn that another of Biggy’s grandchildren is Kelli Gunnells, a local real estate agent and longtime friend of Greg’s. “She told us that as a child, she used to play in the back room, which is now our kitchen,” Greg said. “It was so cool to hear about the house as it was back then.”
Greg and Donna hosted a private Nunnally family event the night before the Ribbon Cutting to give them the first look at the refurbished home. “It was gratifying to have the family over,” Donna said. “There were a lot of tears that night when they saw the finished house for the first time.” “It was a pleasure to meet members of the family,” Greg agreed. “They were excited to see the layout of the house had stayed mostly the same, and they told us how much it meant to them to see the house will be preserved now for years to come.” Donna’s research about the longago tornado led her to discover an uncanny connection to the Nunnally House. The storm that hit Helena on May 5, 1933, swept along to lay waste to several homes in communities almost forty miles away. The same tornado that destroyed the Nunnally home also destroyed Donna’s grandmother’s house in the community of Union Grove, near Adamsville, when she was just a teenager. “My grandmother, Ollie Smith Garner, did not go a day of her life without talking about that tornado,” Donna recalled. “She was caught halfway from the house to the storm pit when the monster hit. She wrapped her arms around a tree and held on for dear life against roaring winds, watching as her house was totally destroyed. Words
cannot describe how much she was impacted by that experience her entire life. I still can’t believe that was the same exact storm.” In addition to destroying the Smith family home, the tornado also pulled Ollie’s young brother, Fred Smith, into the air and deposited him miles away in a field. The entire community searched for him and was thankful when the child was found with only a broken leg. Fred and their father, Leslie Smith, were treated in the same hospital as injured members of the Nunnally family. “Something about that shared experience makes me feel very connected to the Nunnally House,” Donna explained. “Many of the boards we worked so hard to reclaim and repurpose survived that May 1933 terror I call “Mama Ollie’s” tornado. The Smiths survived; the Nunnallys survived; the story continues.” “We figured buying this house was just meant to be,” Greg added. “It was fun to take something in such disrepair and save it, bring it back to life. We put our hearts and souls into restoring this home.” “Come by and visit us sometime in Old Town,” Donna invites the Helena community. “We love talking to visitors on the porch, sharing stories and showing off what we’ve been able to do with the historic Nunnally House.”
“I fell in love with Helena the first time I drove through it. From the charm of ‘Old Town,’ where my wife and I purchased and restored the historic Nunnally House as our office, to the ‘New Town’ atmosphere found in Helena’s RIVERWOODS, a dynamic new home community we represent, we’d like to be your Realtors of choice.” Greg Arcara
Call Arcara Residential today to discuss ways in which our team can help you with all your real estate needs! Looking for a new home? Beautiful rolling lots and a recreational lifestyle await you in Riverwoods.
Greg Arcara, Owner/Broker • Office (205) 560-0474 • Cell (205) 566-1426 • ArcaraHomes.com
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19
Helena named an Alabama Community of Excellence
The City of Helena was designated as an Alabama Community of Excellence after successfully completing the Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) program, a comprehensive three-phase approach to economic and community development for cities with populations between 2,000 and 18,000. The ACE program provides a “one stop shopping” development approach for helping Alabama’s smaller towns to plan, grow and prosper. Communities with eligible populations must complete a competitive application process in order to be considered for the ACE program,” said Sidney Hoover, Executive Director of ACE. “The two main criteria used in selecting ACE participants are 1, the level of local commitment to the ACE program, and 2, the community’s capacity to support the ACE program.” Helena’s achievement was recognized during the Saturday, May 14th Opening Session of the Alabama League of Municipalities Annual Convention held in Huntsville, AL. Mr. Ken Smith, ACE Partner and Executive Director of the Alabama League of Municipalities, and Ms. Sidney Hoover, ACE Executive Director presented a plaque to city officials. “We are so proud of Helena for successfully completing all three phases of the ACE program,” said Hoover. “Their dedication to community development should 20 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org
be commended.” “The ACE program would not be possible without the funding, hard work and participation of the 16 ACE Partner organizations,” Hoover stated. “Throughout each of the three phases, ACE Partners use their collective expertise to work with each community to assist it in successfully achieving its unique goals.” ACE Partner organizations include: Alabama Association of RC&D Councils, Alabama Association of Regional Councils, Alabama Department of Commerce, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, Alabama League of Municipalities, Alabama Municipal Electric Authority, Alabama Power Company, Auburn University – Government and Economic Development Institute, Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, Inc., Information Transport Solutions, Inc., Jackson Thornton and Company, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, Regions Bank, Southeast Alabama Gas District, The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development and The University of West Alabama. Thirty-one communities have previously been certified as Alabama Communities of Excellence. The addition of Helena brings the total to 32 Alabama communities that have achieved designation as Alabama Communities of Excellence. During the graduation
ceremony, Hoover explained ACE’s three-phase approach to community development. “Phase I is known as the assessment phase. During this time, a comprehensive report card detailing a community’s unique assets and weaknesses is prepared and presented to the community along with recommended strategies and actions,” Hoover said. “During Phase II, the Leadership Development and Strategic Planning component, each community must establish a leadership development program, and prepare an up-to-date strategic plan,” said Hoover. According to Hoover, “Phase III is the Strategic Plan Implementation and Comprehensive Planning segment. Issues addressed during Phase III include comprehensive planning, commercial business
development, education enhancement, infrastructure, health and human services, retiree attraction, tourism, economic development, and quality of life.” To maintain the Alabama Community of Excellence designation, a community must be recertified every three years. Helena will be eligible for recertification in 2019. About ACE: Created in 2002 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation organized for the purpose of utilizing the collective expertise of its partner organizations, ACE provides participants with a “one stop shopping” type of experience for the community development programs and tools needed to insure long term success. With ACE the tools needed for smaller communities to plan, grow and prosper can be found through one organization.
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Joseph Habshey, the man behind the vision for Old Town Helena If you live in Helena, you’ve seen the huge amount of growth and development in Old Town that has occurred over the past 20 years. You probably know the old service station in front of HES with the Habshey Properties sign out front. What you may not know is that inside is businessman Joseph Habshey, who has put a lot of time and dedication into creating his vision for Old Town. In fact, the Habshey Properties building itself was a restoration job, with Joseph bringing back the original design of the old service station and its stylistic elements to decorate the outside of his office. The antique gas pump adds a great authentic touch to the building, and he is looking for an old Firestone sign to replicate the one it used to have and complete the picture. A man by the name of Ronnie Morton had begun doing restoration work in Helena in the mid-90s, starting with a new roof for Bertha’s House at 3871 Helena Road. Joseph bought property south of the railroad on Helena Road in 1996 and paired up with Ronnie, who held property north of the tracks, to help restore this area of the city. “Ronnie and myself met with a group of design engineers at The Brickyard to look over their designs for Old Town—which looked a lot like how Papa Saia’s looks now,“ Joseph said. A few booths away, up on the wall of the restaurant, was a picture of Old Town in the 1890s that Joseph pulled down and took back to the table. “I said, ’Look, I know y’all are the greatest design engineers in the south, but what’s wrong with this?’“ “I want Old Town to look just like this old picture of Helena from the 1890s,“ Joseph told them. “It’s real, and shows what life was really like back then.“ Since then, Joseph’s dream for Old Town has stayed
consistent—make it look as much like it did in the 1890s as possible. The biggest issue with Joseph’s vision was the 1933 tornado that destroyed much of the town, displacing residents and thwarting the city’s growth. Many of Helena’s historical buildings were partially or totally destroyed. For example, the original wooden roof of the Coal Yard building was torn off by that tornado and had to be replaced, but now, if you look up at the rafters in the back, you can still see the nail holes from the original roof. Cracks in the front wall that occurred after the tornado were covered by a wooden façade with only two windows. “When the wooden façade of that building fell off, it gave us the opportunity to rebrick it and add back in the original four windows,“ Joseph said. “And we crafted the metal building next door to look like the old building that was once there.“ The Depot is the oldest building in Helena, and when it was functional as a freight depot, it actually sat behind the property where it is now. In its place was the historic Mrs. Francis’ House, covered in vines. Both were mercifully spared from the tornado of 1933. Ronnie moved The Depot to its current spot along the riverbank and made it a restaurant. Today, it’s the Depot Grill, one of Helena’s great draws to Old Town. In the early 2000s, Joseph and Ronnie’s project included fixing
and rebuilding many houses on Helena Road and around the area. “I wasn’t the typical developer—it wasn’t the money that motivated me. I could have gone somewhere else to make more money. I could have torn the houses down and built them new, but I spent more to keep and preserve what Helena was.“ Joseph moved the Nunnally House that once sat at the corner of Highway 52 and 261, next to Habshey Properties, to 2nd Street in Old Town, now inhabited by Arcara Realty. He bought the white house at 771 2nd Street and fixed it to fit the original house plans. The second floor of the house at 773 2nd Street had to be rebuilt, as it was lost to the ’33 tornado. He even bought the oldest house in Alabaster, cut it in half, moved the two pieces from next to Thompson High School to 767 2nd Street, and added a brick porch. The old Helena Police Station in Old Town was built in the 1950s, but the look wasn’t old enough for Joseph. “The buildings on the west side of the street, to me, are old. The other side was built in the 1950s, in my lifetime, the 20th Century,“ he said. “I wanted to bring back the older 1890s look.“ Although there are no existing pictures of the buildings on that side of the street from before the station was built, Joseph did a great job recreating the façade to make the building look older and match the design of Old Town. Also on that side of the
street is the stone building that hosts Buck Creek Glass. Prior to the partners starting work, back when one of the old railroad trestles was broken down, rocks from its construction were used to form that building. Joseph liked that even though it isn’t technically a historical building, it still matched the older style he envisioned. Several years ago, when Joseph was preparing to replace the last building in the picture (between Oh My Sole and the Coal Yard), the city council at the time began imposing rules on what kind of businesses could move into Old Town. He didn’t agree with the new rules, so he pulled out of the project. But just like everything else in Helena, leadership has changed since then. “We now have a city council who diligently works with us—and if I weren’t so old, I’d finish the town out,“ Joseph said, with a smile. “I may do it anyway, because the council wants to work with us rather than hindering us.“ “Old Town is definitely a plus for Helena,“ Joseph continued. “It’s starting to flourish, and in fact, most businesses down there want more space.“ As more Helena businesses start up and more residents and visitors frequent the area, Old Town will continue to grow and reflect the sensibilities and charm of the people of Helena. Thank to Joseph Habshey for his diligence in making his Old Town vision a reality.
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HES and Peer Mentors raise $500 for Two by Two Animal Rescue The Helena Elementary School Peer Helpers have been active this year. Every first and second grade class had an identified “peer helper” who participated in leadership training sessions, mixers with our new students, partner classroom visits, and mentoring meetings with the Helena High School Peer Helpers. They also shared concepts learned—such as active listening, problem solving, and conflict resolution—through turnaround lessons with their classroom peers. Throughout the year, the students looked for ways to help others, such as navigating friendships and resolving conflicts. HES Peer Helpers ended the year with two culminating activities. They planned and facilitated a service project, benefitting Two by Two Rescue of Helena. During the fundraiser,
they collected almost $500 in donations from students participating in a pajama day at school. HES Peer Helpers ended the year with a graduation ceremony. During the ceremony, they were encouraged by HES administrators Mary Cooper and Kara Burleson, school resource officer Casey O’Farrell, and school counselors Maegan Vick and Shelly Johnson about the opportunity to be lifelong helpers in their school, home, and community.
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The Helena Miners won the 10-year old Grand Slam Rookie State Championship June 4-5 in Calera. Their roster includes: Tripp Bouler, Tucker Arrington, Caleb Haney, Caleb Higgins, Hunter Hale, Joseph Roberto, Ty Stricklin, Braden Sullivan, Nathan Thomason and Reed Woods.
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Helena Market Days Saturdays at Amphitheater Park in Old Town Helena 8am-noon through August 27th Special events each Saturday plus produce and items from local farmers and vendors.
Who’s got the Best Butt in Helena? June 25th features our always famous BEST BUTT in Helena grilling contest! Register beforehand by emailing Hal Woodman at: nosleepinhelena@gmail.com Come out and participate in the fun and festivities as our local celebrity judges select the Best Butt in Town
and award the Judge’s Award for the best tasting butt. Bring your donations, too, as there will also be a People’s Choice Award given to the grill team earning the most donations. (All proceeds this year go to the Helena Belles.) To enter your grill team into the fracas (it’s free!), send an
email with your team members and team captain’s name to Hal at: NoSleepInHelena@gmail.com Bring your family and friends to Helena Market Days each Saturday morning from 8am til Noon at the Old Town Amphitheater from now through August 27th!
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HUSKY day
A huge thanks goes out to Dr. Priscila Denny of Oak Mountain Orthodontics for once again supporting Helena schools and kids by donating 1,200 t-shirts for the annual end-of-the-year celebration at HMS! Thank you also to all teachers and parent volunteers for making Husky Day a memorable one for all Helena students!
Cooking with Paul Dean discovers Fox Valley’s famous crab cakes Helena’s Fox Valley Restaurant is no stranger to praise in the local press. With consistently great food and great service for the past 20 years, it’s easy to understand why articles about chef owners Sue Lemieux and Anthony Mangold, the restaurant’s expansions, the art (painted by Sue) and especially the food have graced the pages of everything from the Helena City News to Birmingham Magazine to Southern Living magazine and beyond. In fact, Fox Valley’s crab cakes, which many consider their signature dish, were covered during the Year of Alabama Food and are included on several Alabama Tourism and foodie lists, including “100 Foods to Eat in Alabama Before You Die.” But recognition of these light, flavorful crab cakes has spread even further—Fox Valley’s crab cakes were praised by name in the April edition of Cooking With Paula Deen magazine.
The restauranteurs first announced the good news on the Fox Valley Restaurant Facebook page: “Our crab cakes are featured in Paula Deen’s magazine this month. Unsolicited, no PR press packet involved. Ever.” Sue expanded on the point she made in that post, saying that often when you see a restaurant’s recipe covered in a magazine, the restaurant called the magazine with the idea, asking them to send someone out to write about the dish. Instead, “A media representative from Paula’s magazine got in touch with us on Facebook, and said they’d heard a lot about our crab cakes from fans,” Sue related excitedly. She sent pictures and info on the crab cakes for the publication to use. It’s only fitting that Fox Valley is recognized, as they practically pioneered crab cakes in the Birmingham area. “I remember they had crab cakes at the Birmingham Racetrack at one time, and
nowhere else,” Sue said. “Anthony and I were working as dessert and pastry chefs at the time.” Before the pair bought Fox Valley and opened it as a meat-andthree in 1990, Sue tried to sell her Chesapeake-style crab cake recipe to several restaurants in the Birmingham area, but no one was biting. “Thank God,” Sue said, laughing and pointing out that although the Chef Chris Hastings’ Highlands restaurant also sells crab cakes, his are southern-style rather than Chesapeake. “I grew up in Delaware, near the Chesapeake Bay, and everybody eats crabs there,” Sue continued. “I’ve been making a form of these very crab cakes since I was eight years old.” Even so, for the first six years or so the restaurant was open, the chefs experimented with that old recipe before hitting the jackpot, and their award-winning crab cakes have been very consistent since then.
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“We only use fresh crab from the gulf—they are much better quality and more flavorful than Mediterranean crabs,” Anthony said, highlighting the recipe’s main ingredient. “If we can’t get what we use fresh, we won’t make it. We like to eat and don’t like to compromise—and we don’t want our customers to, either.” So each week, Sue and Anthony cook up to 50 pounds of fresh Gulf jumbo lump crab meat into cakes for the restaurant itself, and even more for local Western supermarkets, which consistently sell hundreds of these hot commodities to home cooks looking for something delicious for dinner. If there’s anything that Paula Deen knows, it’s flavorful food. So for those of you who have yet to try them, follow her lead and head to Fox Valley for the most wonderful, flaky, light, fresh crab cakes you can find south of Maryland.
If we can’t get what we use fresh, we won’t make it. We like to eat and don’t like to compromise— and we don’t want our customers to, either.
”
River & Cape Montessori Nursery School
MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 6:30 AM TO 5:30 PM
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Lisa Freeman’s legacy blooms
Contributed by Haley Freeman My grandmother, Olive Freeman, passed away on December 29, 2008. The summer before she passed, she gifted our family with tea rose bushes. My grandmother admired my mother for her ability to cook, clean, take care of a household, and her green thumb. She knew how much love and care mom would give the roses. We brought the rose bushes home and planted them in our front yard where they
would receive plenty of sunshine. My mom spent years developing her own methods to care for the roses. Every February, she cuts them back to within 18 inches above the ground, fertilizes them, and spreads fresh mulch to protect the roots. The roses bloom in April and stay until June; however, the roses go into dormancy until the first frost and then they bloom again. She spreads fresh mulch one more time in October to get them ready for the winter. When we first planted the roses, they were about knee high. Today, almost 8 years later, they measure around three feet tall with roses that are six inches in diameter. We dedicated our rose garden to my grandmother after her passing and we could not think of a more beautiful way to remember her by.
Lauri Williams, DMD, PC Charles Bordenca, DMD 219 North First St. Alabaster, AL 35007 Phone 205.664.2130 After Hours 205.941.0631
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Buck Creek Festival
The 15th annual Buck Creek Festival was a huge success, thanks to all the hard work of the BCF Committee members, event volunteers, and of course, everyone who attended! Lots of fun was had and well deserved charitable funds raised for some very worthy causes. See you next year! 32 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org
Welcome Our Newest Doctor — Timothy Ansley Schaeffer Eye Center welcomes our newest optometrist, Dr. Timothy James Ansley. Dr. Ansley is a native to the Helena community and a 2005 graduate of Pelham High School. He completed his undergraduate studies in sports medicine from Samford University and earned his Doctorate of Optometry from The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry. Since graduation, Ansley was appointed to the board of directors of the Birmingham Optometric Association and practiced at EyeCare Associates, Inc. Dr. Ansley joined Schaeffer Eye Center this June and will serve patients in the greater Birmingham area focusing on primary eye care, contact lenses, ocular disease and sports vision.
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t c e El Life long educator; Invested in the children of Helena for 2 generations Active in many community events, including the annual Helena Christmas Parade Strong Christian values Energetic Ene Enthusiastic Ready, willing and able to serve
Learn more at msalice.org or email Ms. Alice voteformsalice@gmail.com
Love
Committed to the community and dedicated to keeping Helena the wonderful city we all I ask for your vote Tuesday, August 23rd. I pledge to serve and to listen to the citizens of Helena. Paid for by the Alice Lobell campaign committee
34 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org
HMS OUTSTANDING 8TH GRADERS
JC Wilbur
Matthew Gudino
Zachary Goodwin
Jabe Hildreth
“My favorite memories from HMS are making the baseball team two years in a row and being a starter on the undefeated conference champions football team.” Mrs. Kessler is JC’s favorite teacher. “She taught me how to look at learning in different ways and she teaches in her own special way. She’s very encouraging, too.” JC’s dad is the most influential person in his life. “He makes me strive at not only being the best in school, but also to be the best on the field.”
Matthew’s favorite HMS memory was winning first place in the County Math Tournament. His dad is the most influential person in his life. “He teaches me how to be better, not just in school, but in everything I do in my life.” His plans for high school include being more involved, keep getting good grades and receive a scholarship for college. “I don’t exactly know what I want to do, but in 20 years I want to be working in a field where I can use my math skills.”
Zachary’s favorite HMS memories were from the last football game, which finished out the Huskies’ undefeated season; and winning the SCC Basketball game. “My favorite HMS teacher is Mrs. Cook. She always answered any questions I had and helped me to become more organized and ready for high school.” Renee Goodwin, Zachary’s mom, is the most influential person in his life. “ My mom makes me want to be to be the best at anything.”
Jabe’s favorite HMS memory was when the basketball team went undefeated to win the Southern Conference Championship. His favorite teacher is Mrs. Miller. “She always makes learning fun and is easy to talk to. She also helped us get the dinosaurs off the ceiling.” He hopes to get through high school with all A’s and a full scholarship to a Division 1 school. In 20 years, Jabe sees himself: “Hopefully not dead, and making 7 figures a year.”
Madison Chapman
Jayanna Cameron
Abigail Ford
Molly Dillahunty
Jeff Chapman, Madison’s dad, has had the most influence in her life. “He is a great leader, kind, supportive and a godly person. He encourages me to stay clam and be the best person that I can be.” In high school, she plans to prepare herself for college, but still enjoy her time. “In twenty years, I hope to have graduated college and finished law school. I would like to be an attorney for a hospital corporation. I’m also interested in being a missionary and in a foreign country.”
Jayanna didn’t limit her most influential person down to one, but both her parents. “They are such hard workers and they inspire me every day. They are the best support group because they encourage me and motivate me to strive for the best.” In high school, she will make good grades, grow as a person and be the best she can be. “In 20 years, I see myself having a job that I love and am content with a beautiful family that I will cherish.”
“My favorite HMS memories are those that I’ve had through track and cross country. Through these sports, I’ve experienced defeat, the reward of hard work, and the love of a loyal team.” Mrs. Miller is Abigail’s favorite HMS teacher. “Her classroom is a fun environment they encourages me to pursue learning. I know I can trust her with anything, or get advice.” In high school, Abigail will work for athletic and academic success, strengthened friendships and a strong character.
“My favorite memories at HMS would be meeting all the amazing new friends I have come to love.” Molly’s favorite HMS teacher is Mrs. Conner. “She is an outstanding teacher and makes learning Spanish so much more enjoyable. I don’t know what I will do next year without her!” Molly’s parents are the most influential people in her life. “They do everything for me and sacrifice so much to help me. They have taught and are still teaching me so much.”
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Helena is home to four AL Army National Guard Battalion Commanders
L-R: LTC David Crenshaw, LTC Heath Lewis, LTC Mike Davenport and LTC Roger “Brad” Benton
Helena is fortunate to have its own contingent of Alabama Army National Guard officers and their families living in town, all four of which are battalion commanders and lieutenant colonels. “The neat thing about all four of us is that we are all fulltime with the Guard, currently battalion commanders, and we all have children who are in Helena schools from elementary to high school,” LTC Benton shared. The group wants to let all young men and women reading this know that the Alabama Army National Guard has done much to afford each of them terrific career opportunities, and those same opportunities are available to everyone. Following are brief bios on these four hometown heroes… LTC Benton enlisted in the Alabama Army National Guard in 1990. He achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant and held qualifications in five military occupational skills as a soldier. In 1998, he attended Officer Candidate School and graduated in 2000 as the Distinguished Honor Graduate, receiving his commission as a Second Lieutenant, Medical Service Corps Officer. During his 15 year tenure as an officer, LTC Benton has served as a Medical Logistics Officer, 36 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org
Medical Human Resources Officer, Medical Operations Officer, Company Commander, Deputy Commander of Administration and is currently the Battalion Commander of the 22nd Recruiting and Retention Battalion. LTC Benton was deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003-2004 and has performed multiple overseas training rotations in Romania, Egypt and Panama. His military training is current through Intermediate Level Education, and he was selected to attend the Army War College Distant Education Program this year. In 2010, LTC Benton received national recognition when he was awarded the Major General Debra Wheeling Award of Excellence by the Office of the Chief Surgeon at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, VA. In addition, he is a Credentialed Medical Administrator with the American Academy of Medical Administrators. LTC Benton received his B.S. Degree in Human Resource Management from Faulkner University and an M.B.A. from Liberty University. He and his wife Christy have three sons, Dean, Brady and Daniel. LTC Mike Davenport has
over 25 years of total service. He enlisted in the military in 1991, served 6 years in the Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees), transferred to the Alabama Army National Guard in 1997 and graduated from Officer Candidate School in 1999. He was deployed to Afghanistan for a year in 2004. Some of LTC Davenport’s key assignments include 208th Chemical Company Commander, 145th Chemical Battalion Executive Officer and 31st Chemical Brigade Deputy Commander. Additionally, he takes command of the 145th Chemical Battalion this month. LTC Davenport has a BS Degree in Business from Troy University. He is married to Michelle Davenport, and the couple has three children: Madison, 13, Mason, 7 and Maddox, 4. Their family has called Hillsboro home for seven years. LTC Heath Lewis has over 18 years of military service. He completed the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at UAB in 1998 and entered active duty that same year. LTC Lewis served 10 years on active duty as an Air Defense Artillery Officer and an Infantry Officer. LTC Lewis transitioned from active duty to the Alabama Army National Guard in 2008.
LTC Lewis has a BS in Business Administration from Samford University and a Masters of Business Administration from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is married to Angela Lewis, and together they have two children: Austin, 9 and Chris, 7. The family has lived in Riverwoods since January. LTC David Crenshaw started his military career as a Tactical Helicopter mechanic in the 20th Special Forces Group Support Company. He continued his service while attending Jacksonville State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and was commissioned through ROTC a Second Lieutenant in the Alabama Army National Guard in 1991. He also holds a Master’s of Science in Information Technology from Grantham University. His military education includes the US Army Airborne School, Infantry Officer’s Basic course, Initial Entry Rotary Wing Aviation Course, Aviation Captain’s Career Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School and the Intermediate Level Education Course. He is a graduate of the Aviator Qualification courses for the UH1, CH-47D/F, UH-72A and the UH-60A aircraft. LTC Crenshaw holds Instructor and Test pilot ratings in the CH-47 and UH-72 aircraft. He is currently enrolled in the US Army War College’s Distance Education Program. LTC Crenshaw’s assignments include liaison officer with the 1stBattalion, 131st Aviation; Section Leader, Flight Platoon Leader and Maintenance Platoon Leader, Co F, 131st Aviation; Company. If you see any of these men out and and about, be sure to let them know that we are grateful for the role they play in keeping our state and nation as safe as it can be.
27
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Helena Founder’s Day snapshots 150 years ago, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad company sent Pete Boyle (left, played by Hal), a company engineer, to survey land in the area that is now Helena. After surveying the land, L & N built the “Helena Station,” which was named after Pete’s sweetheart, Helen Lee. Helena’s recent Founder’s Day had nice weather and was a huge hit! Held April 23 at the Old Town Amphitheater, this historic event included a skit from our founders, Helen Lee and Peter Boyle, a talk with local historian Dr. James Day, inflatables for kids, performances from the Helena High School choir and show choir, local bands Sparetime, the Jeremy Moore Band and Thomas Trussell, as
38 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org
well as art contests and door prizes. And of course, our lovely city ambassadors, the Helena Belles, were present as well as Helena City Councilman and blogger Hal Woodman, who served as the dapper emcee (shown on the trolley provided by Arcara Residential and Scozzaro Law. This event brought the community together to celebrate the founding of Helena, raised funds for the Helena Museum and the Helena Historic Preservation Committee, and brought awareness to the city’s rich history. Thanks to Charity Miller, the Helena Historic Preservation Committee and volunteers who helped make the event possible, and thanks to all who attended for making it so much fun!
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The
Future is in Good Hands
With Helena High School Class of 2016
Each year, the Senior Counselor and staff selects six Helena High School seniors that embody the traits that make them optimal representatives of their graduating class as well as their community. The following students share their favorite HHS memories and future plans. The day has arrived, and we want to commend each and every graduate on this major milestone—earning their high school diploma. Most importantly, we wish the Class of 2016 a future filled with happiness, good health and much success! Our caps are off to you—Helena High School Class of 2016! Meghan Sullivan: (daughter of Kimberly and Robert Sullivan) Meghan’s favorite memories at HHS were during Homecoming Week. “I made 40 shakers for the senior class, which played a good part in us winning and taking the Spirit Stick at the end of the week!” Her favorite teacher was Mr. Massey, because “through the three years he taught me, I learned not only important knowledge of history, but also a good sense of loving to laugh and acknowledging the power of laughter.” Kimberly Sullivan, Meghan’s mother, is the most influential person in her life. “Throughout every life-changing decision in my life, she has been a voice of reason, a constant comfort, and a sense of direction.” That direction will take Meghan to Auburn University this fall, where she will pursue a major in Environmental Design and a minor in Spanish. Then, she will pursue a master’s in International Business. “Twenty years from now, I see myself pushing to a high position of leadership within an energy source company to then start creating s brainstorm team to produce a huge difference within the energy field. Eventually, I’d like to expand public awareness using a TED Talk.” Landon Genry: (son of Tim and Tami Genry) His favorite memories are two: “First, I will never forget hitting four threes against Thompson in our rivalry game. Second, I will always remember performing ‘We’re All In This Together’ at our Homecoming Lip Sync Battle.” The most influential person in Landon’s life is his grandfather. “From a young age, my grandfather instilled in me the love of learning and trying new things.” In the fall, he will attend Harding University to major in Exercise Science, followed by Physician’s Assistant School. “Twenty years from now, I plan on having a family and being a practicing Physician’s Assistant. I hope to go on medical mission trips, too.” Jordan Ingram: (daughter of Kristy and Gene Ingram) Jordan’s favorite memory at HHS was playing in the 5A State Softball Championship. “My favorite HHS teacher is Mrs. Barnes because she is an amazing role model to all of our students, but especially the girls. Mrs. Barnes is a wonderful example of what an intelligent woman should be.” Jordan said the most influential person in her life is her mother, because she pushes her to strive to be her very best. “She is always supportive of everything I do.” This fall, Jordan will attend Furman University with a double major in Biology and Spanish, and a concentration in Pre-Med. She hopes to eventually go on to medical school. “In 20 years, I see myself as a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon practicing in the Southeast. I also hope to be involved with the Doctors Without Borders program.”
Jarred Wheeler: (son of Kim and Lee Wheeler) Jarred’s favorite high school memories are just sitting around in the HHS courtyard enjoying lunch with his friends. “My favorite teacher would be Coach Parker. He has a great teaching style and is very funny. He makes learning entertaining and fun.” The most influential person in Jarred’s life is his dad. “He always helps me and encourages me to accomplish my goals.” In the fall, he will attend Auburn University to major in Chemical Engineering at the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. “In 20 years, I hope to start my own business or company and be successful doing so.” Sarah Beth Dolinger: (daughter of David and Jan Dolinger) “My favorite memory at HHS was the Homecoming Week Lip Sync Battle when we performed ‘We’re All In This Together’ from High School Musical.” Sarah Beth says it’s hard to choose a favorite HHS teacher. “They all care a lot about us, and have all taught me so much in preparing me for college.” The most influential people in Sarah Beth’s life are her parents. “They have helped me, supported me, and cared for me throughout the years, always encouraging me to do my best.” In the fall, she will attend Auburn University to major in Biomedical Sciences. She plans to pursue a career in Physical Therapy with a specialization in Pediatrics. “Twenty years from now, I see myself with a family and working with children in the field of Physical Therapy.” Erin Atkinson: (daughter of Jeff and Jacqui Atkinson) “This year during the week of Homecoming, we had the opportunity to participate in a lip syncing battle. I was a part of a senior group of students that performed ‘We’re All In This Together’ from High School Musical. This event really pinpointed the fun we have together and that we are there for each other.” Erin’s favorite HHS teacher is Mrs. White, “because she encourages students to be their best, believes in each of her students, and that they are capable of math.” Mrs. White has taught Erin to never limit herself. “My mom has taught me to always give my best—no matter what. She has taught me to balance responsibilities and to never be afraid to stand for who I am.” In the fall, Erin will attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and major in Biology. “I will be part of their predental program to prepare to enter dental school for a career in orthodontics.” In 20 years, Erin would like to be in a partnership over a large orthodontics business. “I would also like to have a family of my own, because family is something that has always been close to my heart.”
Sole Inspired In November 2014, after 17 years at AT&T, Helena resident Lori Tatum suddenly found her job had been downsized. Most folks would have been devastated by a blow like that, but Lori kept her head up—she had a dream that became a plan. “Owning a small clothing boutique has always been my dream. I wanted to offer shoes, clothes and jewelry that my customers can’t find anywhere else,” Lori said. “So when I found out a store front in Old Town Helena was available, my husband Keith and I jumped on the opportunity.” They closed on the space February 10, 2015. “The very next day, on the way to get our business license, Matt Redmond’s ‘Bless the Lord, Oh My Soul,’ came on the radio, and it was serendipitous,” Lori said. “We’d been searching for the right name, and it was just perfect.” Thus Oh My Sole was born. That same day, Lori headed to market in Atlanta to begin curating what her boutique would sell. Meanwhile, Keith set to work refurbishing the building, making shelving for merchandise and creating what became the
focal piece of the store, a custom check-out area shaded by a canopy of recycled bedsprings. But Oh My Sole is about more than Lori and Keith, it’s a family affair. Lori takes their 13-year-old daughter Isabella to market to help pick out merchandise, and said she’s great with customers. Ten-year-old Cash helps out with stocking, and Lori’s mother Judy has worked the counter nearly every day since they opened last March. “This is what I want to do forever—I love coming in to work. We would love to eventually open a second location, but it will be hard to beat Helena with all its great community events like First Friday that pull in such large crowds.” Oh My Sole was pulling such large crowds so early on that they outgrew their part of the building. After Party Art moved behind Papa Saia’s, the Tatums were able to add two dressing rooms and more clothing space in the second room. “We want to be a one-stop shop for gifts and clothing, but not only for ladies,” Lori said. “We now carry Yeti products and men’s shirts, and we are working
on expanding our men’s clothing options.” For now, the men who come through Oh My Sole are often looking for gifts for their wives and daughters. Although Oh My Sole began carrying shoes in the $45-50 range, customers soon began asking for more variety, and then specific brands. They now carry everything from $25 flip-flops to $185 Antelopes, and everything in between. Bed Stu, Chocolat Blu, Naughty Monkey, Blowfish, Lucky, Sbicca and other brands now grace the shelves, all by customer request. But it’s not just big brands that Lori brings to her customers—she offers work by local artists, too. “I want to support artists and vendors who are local, because they have different and unique items that are not carried elsewhere,” Lori explained. “I want customers to feel like they’re getting unique items, not just the cookie-cutter department store look.” Oh My Sole carries the Surrendered jewelry line by Gina Brannon and Casey Huckestein,
Lucy’s Inspired by Lucy Farmer, and monogramming by Delesia Lloyd, Jennifer Gardner and Jamie Galvin. Around Christmas, they bring in jewelry that tells the story of Jesus made by Lori’s cousin Sonya Armstrong. Oh My Sole is open every Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, with longer hours for First Fridays and other events in Old Town. “There is life in Old Town—people are always coming around,” Lori said. “I love when everything is full down here.” Event hours and updated information on merchandise offerings can be found on Facebook by searching Oh My Sole Helena, or on the @ohmysolehelena Instagram account. Lori currently has no plans to open the store on Sundays, allowing her family a day of rest together. “We try to make it a real familyfriendly place, not only with our products but the way we run the business. So bring the family and come by Oh My Sole in Old Town Helena for creative, unique clothing, jewelry and shoes today.”
We are more than just a Shoe Boutique…
We are Family!
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Class of 2016 HELENA HIGH SCHOOL
Raya Feryal Abdullah Cameron Riley Acton Joseph Alexander Alcala Elizabeth Ann Alderete Sydney Aline Ammons Erin Lee Atkinson Kadin Reece Baker Ernesto Reymundo Barajas Jaimes Kennedie Lynn Bass Parker Rhett Bass Benjamin Daniel Batchelder Patience Nikole Bazzano Blake Thomas Benson Spencer Bailey Benson Austin Tucker Berry Andrew Bryant Black Camden Spencer Bowers Elaina Brooke Bratina Lillian Elizabeth Brewer Cassi Gabrielle Brodeur Chloe Robin Brown Hannah Tillian Brown Paul Alonzo Brown III Sylena-Storm Faye Brown Bradi Rose Brumfield Michaelynn Cortiss Buckhannon Preston Riley Burks Lindsey Suzanne Burnsed Andrew Hartman Byers Phillip David Byrd Erik Canales
42 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org
Yeltsin Canales Trenton Bailey Carpenter Jessa Leigh Cherones Jordan Cameron Clark Cassidy Elizabeth Clemenson Katherine Allyse Coats Zachary Allen Cole Spencer Elliott Collins Caleb Christopher Coons Pedro Henrique Araujo Costa Caitlin Hope Crawford William Cameron Crumpler Richard Keith Cummings Reagan DeVenne Curtis Alec Clayton Daughtry Justin Robert Daughtry Artasia Monique DeBose Emily Rae DeCroes Ethan Joseph Delcambre Myra Lashae Deskins Steven Matthew Dickson Freddy B Dillard III Vernon Wilson Dixon IV Sarah Beth Dolinger Joshua Michael Doonan Ren Ling Du Phildon Isaiah Dublin Abbey Delena Dudley Scoutt McKenzie Dundon Sydney Maureen Edmundson Jordan Wade Ellis Alexandra Grace Etheredge
Brandon Michael Flores Lindsey Renee Frank Tyler Andrew Franklin Jonathan Brooks Freeman Russell David Frei Jorden Lane Frost Emily Ann Gallant Lauren Taylor Gardner Keith Bryant Garrett Landon Timothy Genry Amy Michelle George Malaika Lehana Gill Grayson Lynn Gladden Jenna Elise Goodson Taylor Ashton Goodwin Diana Esther Granados Ramirez Maria Alejandra Granados Connor Brett Granger Emily Ann Gray Shaton Allisa Green Emily Rose Gustafson Johnathan Sawyer Haley Austin McKay Hall Mariah Ashtlen Hamrick Emily Leona Haralson Chandler Andrew Hare Tyler Hogan Harless Michael Dean Harper Jaylen Daniel McKinney Harris Noah Scott Hassler Bethaney Alexandra Hester Braxton Julius Hiatt
Jared Kane Hicks Jacob Cole Hodges Tiffany Elizabeth Hogue Jeremy Elton Holby Dale Austin Holsombeck Jr. Taylor Jordan Homrich Emily Claire Hopton-Jones Kyndall Delores Horton Jeremy Scholl Hughes Bradon Anderson Hulsey Michael Blake Humphrey Madison Marie Hyde Jordan Elizabeth Ingram Michael Chandler Ingram Tarrien James Jackson Aerial Kristin Johnson Amber Cristin Johnson Hannah Abbagayle Johnson Jennie Leigh Johnson Hamilton Deason Johnston Ashley Claire Jones Dyvon Rashaad Jones Niyah Arielle Jordan Haley Brianna Kiser Zachary Cole Knight Allison Leigh Laatsch Savannah Joy Lambert Antonio Deigo Estados Lane Allison Claire Lawley Daniel Micah Lawson Michelle Vy Le Juliana Dawn Lindsey
Jameson Edward Ling Robert Burton Lively V Maggie Kate Lucas Giuliana Macarena Maciel Kathleen Isabel Maestas Abigail Grace Manasco Avery Layne Mann Toni Mikael Massey Lindsey Michelle Masterson Joseph Bentley May Matthew James Mayfield Everlyne Wairimu Mbote Madison Elizabeth McAbee Nicolas Mikel McCarter Kyle James McCune Keanu Sheldon McLaughlin William Cooper McMeans James Daniel McRina Erin Nicole Milkay Jack Burt Miller Michael Lee Mitchem Austin Bailey Moon Kourtney Terrell Moore Matthew Douglas Moore Quiana Lashae Moore James Kentrell Morris Jr. Denise Alice Moulton Rainey Lissette Mozena Michael William Murray Marcus Narvaez Julianna Reduce Nelms William Blaine Newman Jason Alexis Nichols Jhonatan Esau Nuve Nunez Jose Domingo Ochoa
Emily Linn O’Dell Bradford Foster Owen Julia Leigh Owen Sydney Nicole Parks Anna Martina Paulk Kodie Gage Payne Savannah Mylea Pearson Wynton Xerard Perry Corey Alexander Price Andrew Silas Pritchett Gabrielle Colins Pritchett Kelyn Rosalba Quijada Austin Hunter Ray Olford Dewayne Ray IV Olivia Bryana Rayburn Jacob Charles Reaves Edward Brody Rhodes Samuel Milton Richardson Jenna Marie Rickey Angel Adailton Rivera Acuna Isaac Hiroshi Robison Brian Michael Rodgers Elizabeth Grace Rodgers Kaitlyn Faye Rogers Alexis Jane Romano Davis Connor Romanowski Grace Corona Romero Tyler Richard Rose Diondre’ Eliyas Sackreiter Cristian Alejandro Sanchez Jacob Chandler Savage Nina Alexandra Sawyer Katelyn Nichole Schreiber Sydney Eryn Alexzandria Scott Chloe Maria Christina Seabrooke
Katlyn Nicole Segars Katelynn Anne Sickels Zachery Chase Sicola Jordan Kaylee Sides Trevor Daniel Siebe Brian Peyton Simmons Jonathan Alejandro Simpson Tyler Reese Slover Anna-Marie Smith Julienne Clinton Smith Tyler Christian Smith Jaylen Charohd Speight Carly Patricia Stegall Janeka Lynee Stephens Susan Abigail Stith James Kelly Stratton Brianna Morgan Sturdivant Meghan Ferrell Sullivan Richard Easton Taylor Tanner Hugh Thomas Klaire Anne Thomason Kerry Jamaal Thompson Abigail Marie Trammell Nathaniel Zane Tucker Andrew Bradley Twitty Katherine Claire Vaughn Alex Christian Vavra Lauren Ashley Vines Lillian Grace Vonderau Monique Nicole Waldrop Patrick Ogden Walker John Clinton Wallace Theodore Carter Ward Trevor Glenn Wasden Allison Benita Watson Jacob Brayden Watts Jacob MacKenzie Wax Lauren Claire Wellborn Jarred Lee Wheeler Jacob Lee Wilkins Gabrielle Candace Williams Kendall McKeith Williams Steven Hunter Williams Katelyn Marie Wolf
Chase Andrew Wood Curtis James Woods Samuel Woods III Dylan Payne Wooten Rachel Anne Wurstner
Honor Graduates Erin Lee Atkinson Preston Riley Burks Alec Clayton Daughtry Justin Robert Daughtry Alexandra Grace Etheredge Landon Timothy Genry Taylor Jordan Homrich Michael Chandler Ingram Robert Burton Lively V Lindsey Michelle Masterson Gabrielle Colins Pritchett Edward Brody Rhodes Jonathan Alejandro Simpson Meghan Ferrell Sullivan Trevor Glenn Wasden Jarred Lee Wheeler Katelyn Marie Wolf
Valedictorian
Jordan Elizabeth Ingram
Salutatorian Sarah Beth Dolinger
Congratulations and best wishes!
HHS Science Olympiad
Future AU Majorette
Jace Aldrich, a sophomore at Helena High School, placed 2nd in the Electric Vehicle event at the Science Olympiad competition at UAB on February 20. Participants in this event designed, built, and programmed a battery-powered vehicle capable of traveling a distance of 9-12 meters and coming to a complete stop independently with the push of a button. Vehicles were judged on speed and stopping distance from the target point.
Helena High School senior Sydney Edmundson was as one of the newest Tigers Eyes at Auburn University. She will perform as a majorette with the Auburn University Band at pregame and halftime. She was one of only two new team members selected for next year.
Helena Middle School Choir in Time Square
Image courtesy of groupphotos.com
HES Junor Miss Princess
Flag Day Essay Winner
Ella Clare Updegraff, recently won the prestigious title of International Junior Miss Princess. She is a 2nd grader at HES. She will be able to travel to the National IJM competition in July in Virginia Beach to compete for the title of International Junior Miss Princess! Ella will need sponsors to help her go to the National Competition. For sponsorship, contact lacey.updegraff@gmail.com.
HHS Choir Each year, middle school students across the state write essays about what it means to be an American, what Patriotism means to them or related subjects for a statewide contest. 7th grader Britney Nguyen’s essay was selected as the State Winner in Divison 2 for 7th-8th grade students. “I’m actually really surprised I won it, I didn’t think I was going to win it at all,” Britney said. “My family, we have a flag on our car, so I wrote about family, community and what it means to live in the United States.” Congratulations, Britney!
HMS 7th and 8th Grade Bands have a great year
Congratulations to the HMS 7th Grade Band and the HMS 8th Grade Band for all your accomplishments this year! TO ADVERTISE, CALL the Publisher at 746.1188 / MyHelenaCityNews.com / Summer 2016
45
HHS’s own Maggie Lucas is BSC Cross Country Bound Local Schools Registration is Coming Soon The following information applies for ALL Shelby County Schools. Please go to each individual school’s registration web page for list of documents to bring to registration and to complete and print out on-line forms, and don’t forget to bring them with you to registration. A parent/legal guardian is REQUIRED to attend registration for ALL students of Shelby County Schools.
HELENA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (5K-Grade 2) • 682-5540 187 Third Street, Helena • Principal Mary Cooper http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/enrollment/hes.htm
Summer Registration: All Grades All Grades Meet the Teacher: 1st/2nd Grades 1st/2nd Grades Kindergarten Kindergarten Parent/Guardian Meeting
Tue., July 12 7 am-11 am / 5 pm-7 pm Thu., July 21 7 am-11 am / 5 pm-7 pm Fri., Aug. 5 8:00 am Fri., Aug. 5 8:45 am Fri., Aug. 5 9:30 am Sun., Aug. 7 4:00 pm
HELENA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL (Grades 3-5) • 682-5520 3500 Highway 52, Helena • Principal Kathy Paiml http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/enrollment/HLIS.htm
New Students - Contact the school registrar at 682-5522 Proof of Residence: All Grades Thu., July 7 7 am- 2 pm All Grades Tue., July 12 7 am- 2 pm Summer Registration: Last Name A-L Tue., July 19 7 am-11 am Last Name M-Z Thu., July 21 7 am-11 am Make-up for All Mon., July 25 4 pm- 7 pm Meet the Teacher: 3rd Grade Fri., Aug. 5 8:00 am 4th Grade Fri., Aug. 5 9:00 am 5th Grade Fri., Aug. 5 10:00 am
HELENA MIDDLE SCHOOL (Grades 6-8) • 682-5300 1299 Hillsboro Parkway, Helena • Principal Scott Knight http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/enrollment/HLMS.htm
New Students - Call 682-5300 to schedule an appointment Summer Registration: 6th Grade Mon., July 18 7 am-10 am 7th Grade Tue., July 19 7 am-10 am 8th Grade Tue., July 19 1 pm- 4 pm Make up for All Mon., July 25 8 am-10 am Husky Camp for 6th Grade Students Wed., Aug. 3 8 am-11 am
HELENA HIGH SCHOOL (Grades 9-12) • 682-3650 1301 Hillsboro Parkway, Helena • Principal April Brand http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/enrollment/HLHS.htm
Students New to Area - Call 682-3650 to make an appointment to enroll Summer Registration: Seniors Wed., July 13 9 am-11am Held in B Hall Juniors Wed., July 13 1 pm- 3 pm Sophomores Thu., July 14 9 am-11am Freshman Thu., July 14 1 pm- 3 pm Makeup All Mon., July 18 4 pm- 6 pm Husky Nation Orientation for Freshmen Wed., Aug. 3 9 am-12 pm
LINDA NOLEN LEARNING CENTER (Serving students age 3-21 years, with severe physical, mental or emotional needs) • 682-5800 2280 Highway 35, Pelham • Principal Michele Shepherd http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/enrollment/LNLC.htm Summer Registration: All Ages
Tue., June 21
7 am- 2 pm
Tuesday, August 9, 2016 – Full Day for All Shelby County Students 46 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org
Congratulations, Maggie Lucas who has been recruited by Birmingham Southern College’s track Coach Cox to run on the cross country team next year. Though the D3 school cannot award athletic scholarships, Maggie did receive a $76,000 Academic Scholarship. She will be majoring in environmental science to pursue a career in Wildlife Biology. Maggie has been a major attirbute to HHS’s team, with
an extensive history of track awards, inclulding: the MVP Cross County Award, All State Cross Country and Track, and the Runner up in State 54 3200. Maggie is also a member of Helena United Methodist Church, and the Fellowship of Chistain Athletes. She will also spend her summer at Vestavia Country Club, where she is a Red Cross Certified Life Guard. Amazing work, Maggie!
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H E L E N A’ S C O M M U N I T Y O F FA I T H A.M.E. New Bethel A.M.E. Church Highway 261 • 201-5531 Rev. Wilma Merriweather Sunday School 10:00 am Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 am
BAPTIST CrossBridge Community Church Starkey Street (off 261) • 621-2695 Pastors Harris Cook & Bruce Squires crossbridgehelena.com Sunday Worship 10:00 am Wednesday Prayer Service 6:30 pm
First Baptist Church Helena
815 Highway 52 E • 663-7879 Sr Pastor Greg Walker • fbhelena.org Sunday Bible Study 9:30 am Sunday Worship 10:30 am & 6:00 pm
Gospel Light Baptist Church
5781 Roy Drive • 685-0772 Pastor Steve Kilpatrick • glbcbham.com Sunday Bible Study 10:00 am Sunday Worship 11:00 am
Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church
Highway 261 • 663-5257 Rev. Edwin D. Dinkins • mpbchelena.com Sunday School 10:00 am Morning Worship 11:00 am
New Elam Baptist Church Cunningham Drive • 663-2230 Rev. Lester Sunday School 10:00 am Morning Worship 11:00 am
Riverside Baptist Church
1919 Highway 52 W • 426-1910 Pastor JJ Stanbridge • rbchelena.org Sunday Worship 9:00 am Sunday Bible Study 10:30 am
Shiloh Baptist Church
6700 County Road 13 • 424-4539 Rev. Pete Hubhins, Jr. Pastor Sunday School 10:00 am Sunday Worship 11:00 am
CHRISTIAN—DISCIPLES OF CHRIST Grace Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 869 Highway 52 • 426-1233 Rev. Tommy Morgan gracechristianchurch.org Sunday School 9:00 am Sunday Worship 10:00 am
EPISCOPAL Lamb of God Charismatic Episcopal
2383 Highway 95 • 664-4333 Pastor Van C. Houser, Sr. • nvcc4god.org 5140 County Road 17 • 378-8022 Sunday Corporate Prayer 9:00 am Rev. Glenn E. Davis • lambofgodcec.org Sunday Worship 10:15 am Children’s Church 10:00 am Sunday Worship 10:00 am
Voice of Faith Int’l Ministries
METHODIST Helena United Methodist Church 2035 County Road 58 • 663-0111 Rev. Mary Bendall • helenaumc.org Sunday Worship 8:30, 11:00, 11:02 am
The Church at Cahaba Bend
CHURCH OF CHRIST 2499 Highway 58 • 620-4575 Evgs Curtis Flatt & Bryan Moody church-of-christ.org Sunday School 9:30 am Morning Worship 10:30 am
1560 Cunningham Drive • 663-7396 Rev. Franklin L. Kirksey Sunday Worship 7:00 & 10:00 am Thursday Bible Teaching 10:00 am
PRESBYTERIAN Christ Community Church
3721 Highway 52 W • 621-8060 Rev. Lori Carden • cahababend.org Sunday School 9:15 am Contemporary Worship 10:30 am
Meets at Helena Intermediate • 621-6248 Pastor Phil Chambers • cccbham.org Sunday Worship 10:00 am
NAZARENE Trinity Church of the Nazarene
3396 Helena Road • 663-2174 Pastor Mike Ensminger helenacpchurch.com Sunday School 9:00 am Morning Worship 10:00 am
Laurel Woods Dr. & Hwy 58 • 664-4659 Rev. David Shirer • nazarene.ch/trinity/ Sunday School 9:00 am Morning Worship 10:00 am
Church of Christ at Helena
New Vision Christian Church
NON-DENOMINATIONAL Cornerstone Church 2694 Highway 58 • 663-9332 Rev. Tim Trimble cornerstonechurchhelena.org Sunday School 9:30 am Morning Worship 10:30 am
Helena Cumberland Presbyterian
Our community of faith offers many services and programs year-round. Please visit the church’s website for additional information about upcoming events and programs.
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Jane B. Holmes Public Library
JANE B. HOLMES PUBLIC LIBRARY
230 Tucker Road, Helena 35080 • 664-8308 HOURS: Mon 10:00 am-7:00 pm; Tues 10:00 am-6:00 pm; Wed 10:00 am-6:00 pm; Thurs 10:00 am-7:00 pm; Fri 10:00 am-5:00 pm; Sat 10:00 am-2:00 pm; Closed on Sun. Good day to everyone!
As you read this, the Summer Reading Program f is getting underway. The theme this year involves something we all love and need to explore and do often: Exercise! On your mark, get set, read! involves learning about exercise, athletes, the Olympics, and more! Stop by the library anytime before July 10th for a FREE book bag and reading log. Start reading for PRIZES! Sign up anytime this summer. For you teens, young adults, and adults out there, we have a program for you, too! Read for prizes and fun. It is also important to visit the library and check out items in order to be an example to younger kids. They are watching you, and they want to be like you! Check out the calendar portion of our website for information for library programs all summer at the library. Every Wednesday at 2:00 PM, the library will have a fun program, including: a great drummer and musician, Mark Seymour,, The McWane Science Center, a program featuring Alabamians in the Olympics, and more! All programs are held at City Hall. This year, the library is having programs at 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM to allow for crowds and flexible schedules. Hopefully, everyone can attend at least some of our programs! Sincerely, Daniel Dearing, Library Director
Story Time with Ms. Jennie: Tues & Thurs 11:00 am SPECIAL EVENTS WEDS at City Hall June 15, 10:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. McWane Science Center
funds and awareness for local causes, including YOUR hometown library! LSTA grant books: The library worked hard to receive and administer an LSTA grant provided by Alabama Public Library Service and the Library Service and Technology Act. Look for upcoming lists of new books for kids and young adults!
June 22, 2 p.m. :Alabamians in the Olympics
Stop by soon to get these Titles! 15th Affair by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews The Last Mile by David Baldacci Extreme Prey by John Sandford When Breath becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi Lab Girl by Hope Knopf
June 29, 2 p.m.: Visit with the Fire Department July 06, 2 p.m.: Visit with the Police Department July 13, 2pm: End of Summer Reading Close-out! *There will be a party with refreshments on this day! July 5th ! Mark this date to order pizza from or stop by Marco’s Pizza in Helena! It will be the Library Spirit Night, and 10% of all sales between 4:00 and 8:00 PM will benefit the library.
Or the best Movies: Risen – Starring Joseph Fiennes Race – Starring Stephan James Gods of Egypt – Starring Gerard Butler Zoolander 2 – Starring Ben Stiller Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies – Starring Lily James Curious George – Zoo Night
Lego Fun this summer! Check the library web-site or stop in for a printed calendar for dates. A big thanks to Primrose School of River Woods for supporting the library with The Primrose Spring Fling! This fun event raises
Or check out these Tunes: Black – Dierks Bentley Heat speaks in Whispers – Corrine Bailey Rae Boxes – Goo Goo Dolls I Still Do – Eric Clapton
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49
HMS Softball Coach Mark Sanders reaches 300th Win
This season, Helena Middle School Head Softball Coach Mark Sanders led the Huskies to his 300th win as a coach— and beyond! The Huskies had a fantastic season and went on to beat Riverchase Middle 5-1 and Chelsea Middle 9-1 to win the Southern Conference Championship. Coach Sanders, who also teaches 7th grade civics and geography, came over from Riverchase to open HMS and never looked back. “I had the opportunity to start a brand new program at HMS, which is what I really wanted to do,” Coach Sanders said. “And I’ve always taken more kids than any other team, from the start— because what I’m really interested in is mentoring. I’m teaching my players how to treat each other, their parents and their coaches, and softball has been my platform for that.” Growing up, Coach Sanders was a baseball fanatic, on the field the moment he could play as a small child, and playing under Coach Andy Shaw at Alexandria High School and for Emmanuel College in Georgia. “Coach Shaw taught me so much,” Coach Sanders said. “So much of what I know about coaching I learned from him, 50 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org
including how to run a practice.” He achieved his teaching degree at JSU, followed by his Masters in History Education from UAB. He planned to coach baseball, too, but life had other ideas. When he started in Shelby County in 2001, administrators told him, “We have a baseball coach, but need a softball coach. When the baseball coach leaves, you’ll get the job.” But he fell in love with softball that first year, and stuck with it ever since. “In my first season of Spring 2002, we won 11 games, which was a lot more than several years running prior to that,” Coach Sanders explained. “Our record was 11-15. But we never again had a losing season after that.” With only fourteen games and five tournaments each year, Coach Sanders said the 300th win surprised him. But ever since he came to Helena, his win record had been steadily building. Anybody following the Huskies’ progress over the past few years knew they were seeing something special. “We’ve beaten ‘better’ teams because our girls work so well together, because they love each
other,” Coach Sanders said. “I’ve been lucky and blessed by the wins. But I’m more proud that, to my knowledge, we have never lost a kid. No bad experiences playing, no one has ever left my program no longer wanting to play softball.” It could be the way the coach cares about the kids—as if they were his own. He talks to them about softball, class, school, their families—about life. Each year, the end-of-season program book includes a picture of that year’s team, which he cuts out, laminates and puts up on the whiteboard in his classroom, so he can see the students every day. “I pray for those kids, for their health and wellbeing, every day,” Coach Sanders said. “If you truly love the kids as your own, you can get them to believe in themselves and each other; and then you don’t have to know everything about softball.” It also helps that he has 7th grade science teacher Lindsey Minton to help out—she has served as an assistant coach for the team for four years now. “She’s got a great rapport with the girls, and she does a great job,” Coach Sanders said. He is much more humble than that, though. “I honestly don’t take any credit for our successes—from
2002 to now, we have averaged 20 wins a season—but I take no credit,” Coach Sanders said. “I’m very blessed. The kids I’ve had have been very prepared, and the parents have been extremely supportive.” “I have always gotten great support from the school administrators, Scott Knight, Jennifer Cofer and Bakari Young, as well as from Athletic Directors Bobby Cummings and Meredith George,” Coach Sanders continued. “My wife Dawn is very supportive, she wants and encourages me to coach softball.” Their own kids, Sarah Grace and Andruw, are in Helena schools and can be often seen at their father’s games to cheer him on. “I love being in Helena, I absolutely love to get up and go to work each day,” Coach Sanders said. “I love to give lessons, I love everything I do in Helena. It’s a great community, it’s an area I really want to give in, and my heart is here.” “I will keep coaching softball even after my kids are grown and I’ve stopped working for the schools,” Coach Sanders concluded. We can’t wait to cheer him on to his 500th win, his 1000th win, and beyond! Congratulations, Coach Sanders!
PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY PERSONNEL… We’re the Home of the Free Because of the Brave!
SGT Jon M. Aaron 4/14 K CO (DET B), UNIT 43671, FPO AP 96426-3671; Al Anbar, Iraq; Karen Dickinson’s son
SGT Brooks Gray USA; Ranger; Scofield BKS, HI; John Gray’s son, Lauren & Ryan Gray’s brother
SGT Peter J. “Pete” Reese ARNG; 152nd MP Co.; Lauren’s husband; Kai, Sam, Dalton, Brook & Kaiti’s father
SGT Steven M. Bennett USA; Paratrooper/Rigger; Fort Benning, GA; Clara & Ken Lorino’s son
SRA Brad Hubbard USAF Fort Gordon - Augusta, GA Rod & Susan Hubbard’s son
SFC Eric Bond USA; 82nd ABD, 1-504 PIR; Baghdad, Iraq; Paul Zimmerman’s cousin
SPC Michael Hubbard USA; Camp Liberty, Iraq; Ruth Meadows grandson, Kimberly’s husband, Bonnie Hubbard’s brother
LCPL Casey B. Reitz USMC, MCSF Battalion, Naval Submarine Base, King’s Bay, GA; Tom and Suzi’s son, brother of Tommy, Joey, and Emily.
Captain Joshua Bowen USA; 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division; Fort Carson, CO; Tom and Susan Bowen’s son, Fallon’s husband
SPC Eric Hunley ARNG; 1/167 Inf. Bn Co. B, Operation Enduring Freedom; Afghanistan; Mike & Barbara Hunley’s son; late Chris Hunley’s brother
Captain Fallon Bowen USA; Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division; Fort Carson, CO; Tom and Susan Bowen’s daughter-in-law, Joshua’s wife LT Sarah Bowen USN; USS John Stennis Aircraft Carrier; Bremerton, WA; Tom and Susan Bowen’s daughter LT Jordan Bowen USA; 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Ft. Hood, TX; Tom and Susan Bowen’s son SRA Mitch Braswell USAF; 16th EMS, 16th Special Op. Wing; Afghanistan; Mike & Judi Braswell’s son PVT Vincent Brown USMC; Chesapeake, VA; Leonetta Prevo’s son SGT Dallas C Caviness USA; 172 Inf. Brigade; Germany; Rebecca’s husband, Norah’s father, Rhonda’s son & Devin’s brother 1st LT William B. Cofer USA; Fort Campbell, KY; Dorothy & Jim Cofer’s son, Deborah’s brother CPO Austin C. Daniel USN; Norfolk, VA; Mike & Claudia Daniel’s son, Justin, Tatum & Autumn’s brother 2nd LT Eric C Darrenkamp USA; Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI; Carol Darrenkamp’s son, Jon & Stephen’s brother AEAN Benjamin Lee Doaks USN; NAS Jacksonville, FL; Joe & Tammy Williams’ son, Rev. Clifton & Mattie Taylor’s grandson LCPL Jared M. Fitzgerald USMC; 9th Communication Battalion; Camp Pendleton; CA; Rosemarie Butler’s son and Jeff’s stepson, Justin and Tyler’s brother Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin D. Gilbert USCG, Machinery Technician; Key West, FL; Leslie’s husband, Annette & Dan Duffy’s son-in-law SSG Jay Gortney ARNG; 20th Special Forces; Iraq; April’s husband
CPL Michael Jeffries ARNG; 1/167 Infantry Battalion Company B, Operation Enduring Freedom; Afghanistan; Amy’s husband, Colin & Gavin’s father MC1 Andrew “AJ” Johnson US Navy; Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU); Dam Neck Annex, NAS Oceana; Virginia Beach, VA. LT Commander David Kang USN; White House, Washinton, DC; Stanley & Sue Kang’s son, Sunny Kang’s brother CW3 Corey Lefebvre USA; Fort Rucker, AL.; Tom Lefebvre’s son SGT Jacob S. Lenoir USA; Sniper Unit of 1-64 Inf; Fort Stewart, GA; Beth Eades’ son, Caitlyn’s husband SRA Tanner McGinnis U.S. Air Force; 90th SFS Tactical Response Force; FE Warren AFB; Cheyenne, Wyoming Ken & Jo McGinnis’ son Petty Officer 3rd Class Erik B. McKenzie USN; USS Curtis Wilber, Yokosuka, Japan; Bond & Lisa McKenzie’s son, Brooke’s brother, Megan’s husband 2nd LT Jacob Allen Meins USAF, Special Operations Command; Kathy Meins Martin’s son MSG Jacqueline M. Moore USA, 387th; Wichita, KS; Leroy E. Lucas’ wife, Cameshia, Shaun, Chibukia & Chris’ mom SSGT Christopher S. Murphy USMC; MWHS 3, San Diego, CA; Jack & Karen Murphy’s son, Alyssa’s husband
Personnel SPC Second Class William T. Rice USA, USS Ronald Reagan, San Diego, CA. Son of Ginger Hamilton SPC Dwight A Rosse Jr. USA; 1-32 Cav 1st Bct, Fort Campbell, KY; Dwight & Michelle Rosse’s son, Britney & Carlton’s brother SPC Patrick D. Sharp USA; 82nd ABD; Al Asad, Iraq; Shawn Sharp’s son SPC Ashley Bruce Squires USA; 3rd Inf. Div., 1-30 Inf.; Ft. Stewart, GA; Jesi Mason Squires’s father, Bruce & Tammy son, Aubrey & Austin’s brother Cpl Rodney Stephens ARNG; 152nd Military Police Task Force 382nd, Iraq; Andrea & AnnaBelle’s father 2LT John M Traylor, Jr USAF; 552nd TRS; Tinker AFB, OK; Mark & Karole Traylor’s son PFC Zachary S Traylor USMC; 3-23 Inf; Baton Rouge, LA; Mark & Karole Traylor’s son SGT John Christian Vansant USMC; VMMT 204 Flightline, MCAS; New River, NC; Keith & Sherill Vansant’s son Major Maxwell B. Ward USAR; Afghanistan; Kathie’s husband, Maggie’s dad, Bette Ward’s son, Michelle (Lin) Saville’s brother PFC Zachary Walton USA; 3-1 Cav. Regt. Delta Troop; Ft Benning, GA; Becky Click’s son, Alex Walton & Sydney Mollica’s brother, Amber’s husband FC3 William J. Welch USN; USS Lake Erie, Pearl Harbor, HI; Devinne Brooks’ husband E3 Spencer R. Wood USN Corpman; Balboa Hospital; San Diego, CA Rish & Christa Wood’s son, Whitney Brown’s stepbrother
LT Commander Kimberly A. Oelschlager USN; US Navy Hospital (Balboa)-Physician’s Asst., San Diego, CA; Ted & the late Sara Oelschlager’s daughter Chief Petty Officer Termaine J. Pruitt USN; NAS Pensacola, FL; Termaine Jr, Trevorn, Chelicia & Tristin’s father, Janice & Austin Pruitt’s son
E-mail Helena active duty military personnel’s name, address and where they’re stationed to helenacitynews@aol.com. If your loved one has returned, PLEASE let us know so that we can keep our prayer list current. Thank you!
TO ADVERTISE, CALL the Publisher at 746.1188 / MyHelenaCityNews.com / Summer 2016
51
Helena High Baseball competes at high level, wins Area 7 Championship
24 Hour Service
The Helena Huskies High School baseball team had a very successful season this year, finishing up as Area 7 Champs and making a deep run in the State 5A Championship Tournament, where they were eliminated by Faith Academy from Mobile in the third round, splitting the best of three series and forcing an elimination round.
The Huskies ended the 2016 season with an overall No. 2 state ranking, according to the national site, MaxPreps.com. Helena will move up one classification to 6A next year, where they will compete in Area 8 with fellow Shelby County teams Chelsea and Pelham. Congratulations to Coach PJ Guy and his entire team and staff on a terrific second season!
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Updates from Helena Parks and Recreations
The Helena Parks and REC Baseball/softball season has come to a close. Allstar teams from each age group are participating in area tournaments this month. The Helena Knockouts, coached by Rick Sprouce, won the 8U league softball tournament this season.
The Helena Nightmare, coached by Carl Mauterer, won the 10U League Softball Tournament this season. This year we have 250 participants in our Football and Cheerleading programs. Helena is a member of the YSYFL league. We will compete
with Pelham, Alabaster, Chelsea, Trussville, Hoover , Vestavia, Oak Mountain, Spain Park, Cahaba Valley and Homewood. Games are played Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at each park. Helena home games are played at the Helena Sports Complex. Schedules will be on
our website soon. Our football group will be attending the Helena High School football camp July 11th, 12th and 18th. Our Cheerleaders will be attending the Helena Middle School Cheer Camp the week of July 18th. The Soccer season has also come to a close. The Helena Huskies U7 team, coached by Skyler Conway, won their division this year. We are also sending a U18 men’s soccer team, coached by Brian Gaskins, to the Alabama State Games this month. Our soccer participants will be attending a youth soccer camp at Helena High School this summer as well. Anyone interested in soccer please look for our fall registration coming up in August. Watch our website for updates. Online Registration for our fall baseball, softball and soccer leagues will begin August 1st. Visit us at http://www. helenaparkandrec.org for more information, and enjoy your summer!
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Helena City News P.O. Box 50, Helena, AL 35080 www.MyHelenaCityNews.com www.CityOfHelena.org
SHOP HELENA FIRST!
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MAYOR
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IMPORTANT CITY PHONE NUMBERS City Hall: 205-663-2161 Fire Dept.: 205-663-5809 Police Dept.: 205-663-6499 Utilities: 205-663-1670 Sports Complex: 205-620-2877 Library: 205-664-8308
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HELENA MARKET DAYS
Old Town Helena Amphitheater Saturdays 8am-Noon through August 27th
FIRST FRIDAY & FIREWORKS!
Friday July 1st, 5:30pm-Fireworks after dark Old Town Helena Amphitheater
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56 Summer 2016 / www.CityOfHelena.org