12 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2010
SOCIAL
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
Birmingham Botanical Gardens Does Antiquing in Style
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ntiques at The Gardens celebrated its fifth year at Birmingham Botanical Gardens in style, kicking off the event with the redthemed Sterne Agee First Look Party Sept. 30. More than 400 guests attended the party, which featured a red carpet runway and statues clothed in couture botanical gowns made by Integrity Landscapes. Twenty-four dealers from across the U.S. filled the Garden Center with Continental and American furniture, antique silver, See page 19 jewelry, paintings, for a round up lighting, china, oriof Birmingham ental rugs, majolica, Botanical Gardens’ books and more. Other highlights fall programs that benefited the BBG of the weekend-long event included the education Flower magazine programs. Designer Preview Oct. 1. Interior designers, decorators and architects were invited to shop with clients before the sale opened to the general public that morning. Also on Oct. 1, the Red Diamond Lecture Series brought in guests with Alabama ties. Presenting talks were floral designer and event planner DeJuan Stroud and interior designer Miles Redd. Both have their own design studios in Manhattan.
INSIDE:
Clockwise from top: Chairs for the 2010 Antiques at the Gardens were from left: Clarissa Harms, co-chair; Diana Slaughter, honorary chair; and Susan Elliott, co-chair. Among those attending the First Look Party were Kelly Hulsey and Norman Johnson and Melissa and Hanson Slaughter. Photos special to the Journal More than 2,000 guests attended the events, which raised more than $291,000 for educational programs at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Over the past five years, Antiques at The Gardens has raised nearly $1.6 million for the BBG. Last year, nearly 10,000 schoolchildren attended free award-winning, science curriculum-based Discovery field
trips at the gardens through support from Antiques at The Gardens, Junior League of Birmingham, Vulcan Materials Foundation, Regions Financial Corporation, Robert R. Meyer Foundation, Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation, Susan Mott Webb Charitable Trust, Hugh Kaul Foundation, Daniel Foundation of Alabama and the cities of Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills. ❖
New Library More than ‘Imagined’
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Checking out Vestavia Hills’ new Library in the Forest were from left: Karmin and Michael Lytle and Libbi and Ben Isbell. Below, from left are: Tom and Kiley Watson and Stuart Siegal.
Journal photos by Laura McAlister
ore than 300 guests came to a sneak peek event at Vestavia Hills’ new Library in the Forest Oct. 14. While the library’s official opening is slated for late November or early December, its foundation, staff and board members hosted the preview as a thank-you to those who have helped turn the community’s vision into reality. The facility, Alabama’s first LEED-certified library and only the 39th in the nation with this distinction, is the result of more than five years of fundraising and planning. Guests enjoyed catering from Vestavia’s Everything Iz and were entertained by a variety of Over the Mountain area performers, including classical vocalist Kiley Watson with Ken Watson on piano and country and bluegrass vocalist Kelli Johnson. A live auction was held for the naming opportunity to the rooftop garden patio furnishings. Winners were Vestavia Mayor Alberto “Butch” Zaragoza and his wife Diane. Throughout the evening, Colin Coyne, Library in the Forest board chairman, offered guided tours highlighting the library’s LEED features. Popular spaces with the guests included the grand hall, observation deck and Treehouse
reading room. Attending the event were Victor and Michelle Adamo, Ursula Ahmed, Rocklin and Pam Alling, Linda Allison, Steve and Shannon Ammons, Dennis Anderson, Lamar and Elaine Bagby, Gennia and Mitchell Baldwin, Steve Ball, Kim more photos at and John Barelare, Jack and Patricia Barr, Keith Belcher, Stacey and Linda Berthon, Susan Bethea, Faye Black, Arthur Black, David Blackmon, Adam Blair, Howard Bogard, Laurie Borland, Carol Bradley, Andy and Kim Brindley, Steven and Candace Brom, Matt and Sarah Bryan, Frank and Martha Buck, Gregory Canfield, Dawn Cannon, William Carrington, Richard and Amy Cashio and Herbert and Daisy Cheung. Others were Lisa Christopher, Robert and Ellen Coker, Carlton and Rhonda Cook, John and Rhonda Cooper, Jason and Merryl Cooper, Mae Coshatt, Mike and Sarah Cowart, Colin Coyne, Jim Davis, Krista and Bradley Dennis, Ruby Denson, Cori Dillon, Gary and Nancy Dunavant, Charles and Gladys
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Dunkin, John and Mary Sue Durant, Hugh Dye, Joy Maples, Edgar Elliott, Glenda Elliott, Jay and Kelley Evers, Charles and Margaret Farrell, Joe and Grace Finkel, Shelly Flagg, Phillip and Judy Flenniken, Matthew and Melissa Franklin, Cecelia S. Greer, Candice Gutierrez, Gene and Allison Hallman and Red and Pat Hamilton. Also there were Dennis and Henrietta Hardy, Julie C. Harper, Michael and Beth Haughery, John Henley, Becky and Ryan Hickel, Jane Monette, Lilla Hood, Dorothy and Jenny Hudson, Cecil and Jackie Hurt, Ben and Libbie Isbell, Tammy Johnson, Prakash and Santosh Kansal, Fred Keith, Maggie Keller, Charles and Nina Kessler, Clifton and Mary Catherine Kew, Chris and Mary Kramer, Jennifer Hagler, Gerald and Jennifer Laborde, George and Joy Langley, Joe and Theresa Lanzi, Carol Lawson, Billy Leach, Jim Limbaugh, Pat Linton, Albert and Rita LoBuglio, John Lovin, Hirlye and Gracie Lutz, Michael Lytle, Peggy Maddox, David and Vicky Maluff, Russ Mawn, Chip and Lynne McCallum and Charles “Scotty” McCallum. More guests were Edna McCarty, Jan McEniry,