3.8.18

OTMJ OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL u OTMJ.COM

SOCIAL

SPORTS

THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2018

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

SAFETY AND SECURITY

By Sam Prickett

F

eb. 14’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was the eighth recorded school shooting of 2018 and, with 17 casualties, among the deadliest high school shootings in American history.

It was also the deadliest school shooting overall since 2012’s Sandy Hook elementary massacre in Newtown,

Connecticut, which killed 28 people, mostly children.

The Parkland tragedy has been described by The Atlantic as a “tipping point” for the national conversation surrounding the prevention of similar shootings. On a federal and state level, activist efforts such as the “Never Again” movement have advocated for changes in gun laws, a controversial and bureaucratic process that will likely stretch on for months. But in Over the Mountain schools, more immediate progress is being made on a

Homewood High School

has two School Resource much more local level.

Officers, from left, John In Homewood, Hoover, Vestavia Fox and Jason Cuccuini.

Hills and Mountain Brook school systems, administrators and law enforcement officers are reassessing the ways their schools respond to such incidents – and the measures they can take to prevent school shootings from happening at all.

See SAFETY AND SECURITY, page 8

INSIDE SPRING FASHION Preview the latest looks for warmer weather. Plus OTM native opening Cahaba Heights boutique with hometown flair PAGE 26 HUMAN RIGHTS NEW WORKS FESTIVAL Mountain Brook actress comes home for RMTC festival focusing on social issues PAGE 4

TREE TOPS Mountain Brook continues legacy of protecting its canopy and Tree City title PAGE 18

READY TO ROLL Homewood’s Lucky Cat puts a new spin on ice cream PAGE 24

2 • Thursday, March 8, 2018

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

OPINION/CONTENTS

TumTum Presents Record-Breaking Donation to Children’s Charities The TumTum Tree Foundation’s 28th Annual Charity Wine Auction, held Nov. 2-4 resulted in record-breaking fundraising for the foundation.

On March 21, the foundation will present donations amounting to $680,000 to its beneficiaries: Alabama Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders, Angel Pillowcases, Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health Center, Kid One Transport, Magic Moments, Mitchell’s Place, The Red Barn, UAB’s Center for Arts in Medicine and UAB’s Department of Neurology.

On March 21, the Along with supporting these Alabama foundation will present charities, officials stated that the donations amounting TumTum Tree Foundation committed 5 to $680,000 to its percent of proceeds from the event to beneficiaries: Alabama Center for Childhood wildfire relief efforts in northern Cancer and Blood California in honor of the support, donaDisorders, Angel tions and commitment from winemakers Pillowcases, Glenwood in the region over the years.

Autism and Behavioral “The 28th Annual Auction truly blew Health Center, Kid us all away,” said Libby Sibley, execuOne Transport, Magic Moments, Mitchell’s tive director of the foundation. “We are deeply grateful for both the support from Place, The Red Barn, UAB’s Center for donors and bidders who have remained Arts in Medicine and longtime attendees and those who are UAB’s Department of new or returning to the auction. With a Neurology. solid foundation from years of good work and strong relationships and the momentum from the success of the 2017 auction, we have high hopes for the future of the foundation and its beneficiaries.”

The mission of the TumTum Tree Foundation is to enrich the lives of children in Alabama facing life-threatening and life-altering illnesses. ❖ CORRECTION: In a story in our last issue about Billy Angell, owner of Oak Street Garden and Local Market, and his participation in the Mountain Brook Restaurant Trail, the credit for the lunch Billy provided his staff should have gone to dinner. in Crestline Village.

IN THIS ISSUE ABOUT TOWN 4 NEWS 8 LIFE 10 SOCIAL 12 HOME 18

FOOD 24 FASHION 26 SCHOOLS 28 SPORTS 32

ON OTMJ.COM

There’s so much happening in the Over the Mountain area, we can’t fit it all in the paper! Visit www.otmj.com for more stories and photos.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN

JOU RNAL

March 8, 2018

Publisher & Editor: Maury Wald Copy Editor: Virginia Martin Features Writer: Donna Cornelius Staff Writers: Sarah Kuper, Emily Williams Editorial Assistant: Stacie Galbraith Sports: Blake Ells, Rubin E. Grant Contributors: Susan Murphy, Jordan Wald, June Mathews, Emil Wald, Marvin Gentry, Lee Walls Jr., Bryan Bunch, Sam Prickett Advertising Sales: Suzanne Wald, Julie Trammell Edwards, Tommy Wald Vol. 27, No. 15

Over The Mountain Journal is a suburban bi-weekly newspaper delivered to Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and North Shelby County areas. Subscriptions for The Journal are available for $24 yearly. Mail to: Over the Mountain Journal, P.O. Box 660502, Vestavia Hills, AL 35216. Phone: (205) 823-9646. E-mail the editorial department at editorial@otmj.com. E-mail our advertising department at mwald@otmj.com. Find us on the Web at otmj.com.

Copyright 2018 Over The Mountain Journal, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Journal is not responsible for return of photos, copy and other unsolicited materials submitted. To have materials returned, please specify when submitting and provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope. All materials submitted are subject to editorial review and may be edited or declined without notification.

MURPHY’S LAW

E

Gnats

verything is fine. Really, it is. photos that belong in frames. There’s But I find myself jittery at the a stray Lego that belongs somewhere end of the day and no amount on my Disney castle, but I don’t know exactly where and I don’t have of “Murder She Wrote” will fix it. I time to find it right now. I retrieve a know exactly what the problem is: new package of pens (Purchased on a gnats. day when I was more organized.) and Not actual insects, although those come across a half-dozen empty ink drive me crazy, too. I’m talking cartridges that need to be recycled. about the 1,001 teeny, tiny projects that never reach the top of the to-do I’ll put the bag in the car. list. The big projects, the squeaky I hurry back down the stairs, past the thermostat that says, “Replace air wheels in my life, get done. It’s the filter,” and see a bluebird hopping little things, the things I can easily around the backyard bark. If I don’t work around, that suffer and retaliate hurry up and clean out the bird by sitting back in the shadows and house, all the breeding pairs will whispering, “You still haven’t done Sue Murphy wind up where the homeowners will this.” not love them half as much. I need Like right now, the clock on I’m talking about to repair the bird feeder because my kitchen wall has stopped. I can overweight squirrel snapped get by looking at the clock on the the 1,001 teeny, tiny some oven, but every time I turn the the bottom off. I have to cut back projects that never corner, there’s the big one just the frostbitten morning glory vine hanging there frozen. I need to is clinging to the trellis where reach the top of the that call a clock repair person. This is the new shoots will need to grow. completely doable and easy to add I reach the car, which needs to to-do list. The big to the official to-do list if you be washed, but that’s perpetual. projects, the squeaky The thing that’s really driving me have a working pen, which I can’t seem to find in the kitchen drawer. wheels in my life, get crazy is the three partially used Not to worry, there are more in my gas cards in the glove compartdone. ment. They’re worth $3.43, $4.05 desk upstairs. While I’m up there, and $11.67, respectively and I can grab glue and see about fixthey’re not from the same gas staing the “Row, Row, Row Your tion.

Boat” book that was over-loved during the holidays I avert my eyes going back to the kitchen because and my wooden souvenir Don Quixote statue that I know there are Christmas CD’s still in the changer lost his arm in a tragic dusting accident. in the living room, the couch cushions look lumpy On top of my desk sits a card that says, “Don’t forget ... it’s time for your routine car maintenance.” and need a good rotation, and my mother-in-law’s tarnished coffee service is staring at me from the I know, I know. Phone call number two. There’s also china cabinet. Ahem... a letter from my Aunt Dot that I really need to Gnats! They’re small and insidious and, like time, answer. You should be so lucky as to have an aunt they stop for no man – unless you are a broken wall like her and it’s not nice to keep her waiting. clock on the wall of my kitchen. I know, I know. I’m Actually, my office is overrun with gnats. There’s going to call the repair person right now. ❖ filing that has to be done, and form-filling-out, and

OVER THE MOUNTAIN VIEWS

What are you planning to do for Spring Break?

“I’m going with my mom, aunt and cousins to Panama City Beach” Tara Milano Vestavia Hills “I’m going on a Disney Cruise. I’m really excited about the luau.”

Kristi Ferlisi Vestavia Hills “Going on vacation to Hawaii.”

Kelcie Guttshall Vestavia Hills “We’re going to Bradenton, Florida to watch the Red Sox spring practice and to Siesta Key for the beach.”

Lorin Podoris Vestavia Hills

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 3

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3/1/18 11:14 AM

Thursday, April 5, 2018 11:30 am, Vestavia Country Club Featured speaker Rosemarie Reinhard Musso,

Holocaust survivor and author, will give an encouraging message from her book: “FATHER Forgive ThemThe Four Laws of Forgiveness.”

Silent auction and door prizes will be offered.

Tickets: $25 each. Advance sales only.

To purchase tickets, please contact Gina Henley at ghenley401@charter.net or (205)910-4837.

Please join the Vestavia Hills Beautification Board in our annual Dogwood Festival celebration.

Date:

Debra Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 March

Human Rights New Works Festival

Mountain Brook Actress Comes Home for RMTC Festival Focusing on Social Issues Alie B. Gorrie

For Red Mountain Theatre Company, the inaugural Human Rights New Works Festival is a way to introduce new works and spark a conversation about social change.

For Alie B. Gorrie, it’s a chance to come home.

Gorrie, a New York City-based actress who is from Mountain Brook, will take several parts in a reading of Sam’s Room during the four-day event, set for March 15-18 at the RMTC Cabaret Theatre.

The event will feature a variety of dramatic staged readings of new works, panel discussions, a full production of a curated piece and talkback sessions.

Sam’s Room is a pop concert dramedy set in 1998 that follows a teenager with nonverbal special needs on his path to find a way to communicate.

“I am so happy to be back at RMTC working on a show that has made such an impact on me,” said Gorrie, who trained with the company. “Since moving to NYC

MARCH 8-22 Thurs., March 8

Taste of Homewood This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for17th theannual fundraiser featuring What: March 8, 2018 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246. food and beverages from about 30 of Homewood’s restaurants and eateries

and live music.

Please make sure all information is correct, 5:30-8 p.m.

Including address and phone number!When: Where: Rosewood Hall, SoHo Square

Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

Website: homewoodchamber.org

If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, Hoover Easter Basket your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Community Service

Thank you for your prompt attention.

Keeping it classy!

CUSTOM MONOGRAMS, ILLUSTRATIONS, PAPER GOODS AND MORE

!

205.870.1097

WEEZIEBDESIGNS.COM

What: Hoover Service Club will hold its community service project preparing baskets for the Green Valley United Way Food Bank. Lunch is available following the meeting. Reservations required. Call Winnie Cooper, 9795699.

When: 11 a.m.

Where: Hoover Country Club Website: hoover.al.org

Festival of Tulips

What: The only you-pick tulip field in the region offers over 100,000 tulips in addition to Colonial games, encounters with patriots of the past, a Continental Army encampment, Colonial Chapel, Randall Museum and National Veterans Shrine.

When: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sun. from noon to 4 p.m. through the end of March (weather permitting).

Where: American Village Website: americanvillage.org

three years ago, I have spent most of my time working on new theatre. It is such a gift to get to come home and work on something new and fresh,” she said in a news release from RMTC. The play gives the audience “a glimpse into the mind of a teenager who is wildly creative, witty and openhearted,” Gorrie said.

The festival itself gives the audience an inside look at new theater, she said.

“It’s incredible that a theatre in Alabama gets to host new writers and bring their work to life in a mission driven way,” Gorrie said. “I think people are nervous to talk about their feelings about social issues. Theatre allows these issues to be expressed in a dynamic way.”

Tickets for individual readings are $10 each, or you can buy a Readings Pass for $20. Tickets for Alabama Story are $15. For more information, visit RMTChumanrights.org.

—Virginia Martin

March 8-11

Maggies Perfect Match

What: This collaboration of Samford University and the Virginia Samford Theater is the world premiere of the stage play written by Bill Carl whose screenplay by the same name won both the Telluride Indiefest Screenwriting Award and the Dallas Screenwriting Award as well as other critical acclaim.

When: 2:30 p.m.

Where: Virginia Samford Theatre Website: virginiasamfordtheatare.org

Fri., March 9

SCBWI Book Signing

What: Newbery Award winner Linda Sue Park, Coretta Scott King Award winner Pat Cummings, local treasure Irene Latham and more will be signing books for young readers.

When: 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Where: Homewood Public Library, Round Auditorium Website: homewood.libnet.info

Opera Gala

What: Opera Birmingham will host its annual gala featuring cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, silent and live auctions, a seated dinner and concert of opera favorites featuring the cast of “Romeo & Juliet”. Black tie optional. Complimentary valet parking. Reservations must be made by March 2, 322-6737.

When: 6 p.m.

Where: The Florentine Website: operabirmingham.org

Sat., March 10

Village2Village 10k

What: Schaeffer Eye Center presents this annual 10K run with a 7.5K option and after party in Lane Parke in Mountain Brook Village featuring live bands, carnival games, a kids area, face painting, refreshments from local restaurants and more.

When: 7:30 a.m. 10K and 7.5K start Where: The Villages of Mountain Brook Website: village2village10k.com

Photo courtesy Red Mountain Theatre Company

Vestavia VestaviaHills HillsDogwood DogwoodLuncheon Luncheon

To: From:

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

ABOUT TOWN

Journal file photo by Maury Wald

4 • Thursday, March 8, 2018

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Sporting Clay Shoot

What: The Arc of Central Alabama presents a clay shoot, lunch included.

Proceeds benefit the Arc’s mission to provide services to the intellectually and developmentally disabled in the State of Alabama.

When: 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Where: Selwood Farms, Alpine Website: arcofcentralalabama.org

Holi Festival

What: The Indian Cultural Society will host a festival celebrating Holi, the Indian celebration of color. The event will include traditional music, food, storytelling, art-making and a special performance of classical Indian and Bollywood style dancing. The highlight of the celebration involves the throwing of powdered colors, a traditional part of Holi celebrations.

When: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Where: Birmingham Museum of Art Website: artsbma.org

Gershwin in Hollywood

What: The ASO performs Rhapsody in Blue with pianist Steve Beck. Other highlights include the music from “Shall We Dance”, “Damsel in Distress” and more.

Mon., March 12

Bluff Park UMC - Speaker and Luncheon

What: Bluff Park UMC host Hoover’s Nina Monosky and her team of detectives as they give an update on the issue of human trafficking and what is happening in our area. RSVP required for lunch, Sylvia Sumners, sumners@bellsouth.net.

When: 10 a.m., lunch at 11:30 a.m.

Where: Bluff Park UMC Fellowship Hall Website: bluffparkumc.org

Sat., March 17

Foundation Ball

What: Rotaract Club of Birmingham will host its annual black tie gala featuring live music form Groove Factor, light hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer, a signature

Trunks

Major Moving

Sale

Chests •

Sat., March 10

What: Central Alabama Theatre presents Birmingham’s own Broadway veteran Keith A. Bearden singing some of Broadways hits in his new show, Game Changer.

When: 7:30-10:30 p.m.

Where: CAT Cabaret at Steeple Arts Website: “CAT Cabaret - Keith A. Bearden” Facebook page

•

What: Cornerstone’s Junior Board will host the 13th annual fundraiser featuring music by 2nd Coming, an online silent auction, event giveaways, cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres. All proceeds directly benefit the students of Cornerstone School.

When: 7-11 p.m.

Where: Regions Field Website: “13th Annual SchoolHouse Rock” Facebook page

Keith A. Bearden

Mirrors

Stock

What: Weimaraner Rescue of the South will host its annual fundraiser featuring a silent auction, live music, hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine.

When: 3-6 p.m.

Where: Gabrella Manor Website: weimrescue.com

Bayer’s Choice Carolers Lamps • China • Frames Battery Candles

•

Gray Ghost Gala

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Alys Stephens Center Website: alabamasymphony.org

Tables

Sun., March 11

SchoolHouse Rock

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 5

ABOUT TOWN

Mountain Brook Village 879.0691

See ABOUT TOWN, page 6

To: From: Date:

The Dande Lion Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-824-1246 March 2018

This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL March 8, 2018 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-12

Please make sure all information is correc including address and phone number!

Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

6 • Thursday, March 8, 2018

ABOUT TOWN

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

You’re In Luck KEEP CALM AND SHAMROCK ON

Thurs., March 15

Irish Flag Raising & The Great Birmingham Irish Toast

What: Rev Birmingham will host the 3rd annual flag raising and Irish toast.

The ceremony will include a pipe performance, the announcement of this years parade marshall and an Irish blessing form the local Irish community.

When: 5:30 p.m.

Where: Chick-Fil-A flag pole in Five Points South Website: “Irish Flag Raising & The Great Birmingham Irish Toast” Facebook page

Fri., March 16

St. Patrick’s Dinner

What: The Birmingham Irish Cultural Society presents the 38th annual St. Patrick’s Dinner on behalf of Kidone Transport. Enjoy Irish food, Irish dancing from Westwood Irish, traditional music featuring the Eejits, Ian Sturrock Memorial Pipe Band and more.

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Pine Tree Country Club Website: fivepointsbham.com

2916 18th St S • Homewood • 871-4901 savagesbakery.com

ABOUT TOWN, From page 5

cocktail and a cash bar. All proceeds benefit the Rotaract Club of Birmingham Foundation and celebrate the continued success of Ready 2 Read, Ready 2 Succeed and Achieve Alabama.

When: 8 p.m.- midnight Where: B&A Warehouse Website: “2018 Rotaract Foundation Ball” Facebook page

Sun., March 18

ASO and ASYO Side by Side

What: The future and present of music perform together as the Alabama Symphony Orchestra teams up with the Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra in

Shamrock Shindig

THIS THANKSGIVING

What: The Arc of Jefferson County Junior Board hosts its sixth annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration featuring music by the Divines. Proceeds support the Arc’s mission to provide for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Iron City Website: “Shamrock Shindig 2018-Benefitting The Arc of Jefferson County” Facebook page

Sat., March 17

St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Day

What: The 34th annual parade will be led by Ian Sturrock Memorial Pipe Band. The event will include a ChickFil-A Lucky Zone for kids, Irish food and drink specials by area merchants and live music and entertainment at 11 different venues all day.

When: 11 a.m.-11 p.m., 1:30-2:30 p.m. parade Where: Five Points South Website: fivepointsbham.com

a program featuring music from Dvorak, Tchaikovsky and more.

When: 3 p.m.

Where: Alys Stephens Center Jemison Concert Hall Website: alabamasymphony.org

Tues., March 20

Networking for a Cause

What: A free fundraiser for Grace Klein Community, which assists local families with food clothing and household items, featuring food, live music, a silent auction and door prizes.

When: 5-9 p.m.

Where: Vecchia Pizzeria & Mercato Website: gracekleincommunity.com

Tour de Brewers

What: This 10th annual St. Patrick’s Day running/cycling event explores Birmingham’s breweries. Stops include Good People, Avondale Brewing, Cahaba Brewing, Trim Tab Brewing, Ghost Train Brewing and Hop City Birmingham and the event concludes with a post-run/ride party at Tin Roof.

When: 11 a.m.

Where: Tin Roof Website: runsignup.com.

Alys Stephens Center’s St. Patrick’s Day Party Marc Broussard

What: Come early and celebrate St. Patty’s Day with the ASC JPats including free drinks, food, door prizes and live music by Birmingham’s own Michael Warren before Marc Broussard takes the stage. When: 6 p.m.

Where: Alys Stephens Center - Jemison Concert Hall Website: alysstephens.org

SAVE THE DATE Sat., March 24

Rumpshaker 5K

What: Rumpshaker hosts the tenth annual 5k run/walk to benefit the organization’s mission to raise colorectal cancer awareness, raise funds to fight and treat it and provide hope for colorectal cancer survivors and those fighting the disease.

When: 8 a.m.

Where: Regions Field Website: rumpshaker5k.com

Egg Hunt in the Hills

What: Egg hunt for children third grade and younger. Bring your basket

If the jewelry's worth repairing, it's worth repairing right.

When something needs fixing, it needs the most professional, experienced fixer in town. When jewelry needs fixing, it needs us.

Diamonds that may be loose in their settings.

A strand of pearls that's broken, or seems about to break. A watch that no longer runs as it should. A ring that needs to be made larger or smaller. Stones that require remounting to bring them back to life.

For everything that needs to be done to fine jewelry to keep it fine, come see us. We have the professionals who can do it and do it right.

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2701 CAHABA ROAD • MOUNTAIN BROOK VILLAGE • 871-7060 • bartonclay.com

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

TASTE OF TEAL

LCBF to Honor Four GYN Cancer Heroes at Gala

By Emily Williams

The Laura Crandall Brown Foundation is honoring four people who have gone above and beyond to support the group’s mission to help more women diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer live longer.

GYN cancers kill about 80 percent of women within five years of diagnosis, according to information from the foundation. Some of those women could be saved if they were diagnosed earlier. The foundation works to support patients, fund research and spread awareness so that more women are diagnosed sooner and have better chances of survival.

Now, 247 women on average are diagnosed with GYN cancers every day, according to the foundation.

This year’s Legacy of Laura hon-

orees will be celebrated at the organization’s Taste of Teal Gala, to be held March 10 at 6 p.m. at The Wynfrey Hotel.

The corporate honoree will be Kassouf & Co., a local accounting firm that LCBF Executive Director Mary Anne King said has provided immense and consistent support to the organization.

Being honored as the healthcare hero will be Angela Williams. She is a navigator who works to help GYN cancer patients at UAB’s Division of Preventive Medicine obtain resources that could benefit their treatment.

This year’s memorial honoree will be Jennifer Shay McNamee, who after her own diagnosis began working to raise awareness and funds to save the lives of other women.

Finally, this year’s caregiver honoree will be Amanda Knerr, the

to hunt for eggs filled with candy and small prizes.

When: 9 a.m.

Where: Vestavia Hills City Hall Website: vestaviahills.org

HUMC Community Easter Egg Hunt

What: Highlands United Methodist Church presents a community Easter egg hunt featuring games and activities.

When: 9:30 a.m., the hunt begins at

executive director for the Hope for Autumn Foundation, which provides financial assistance for research as well as families of pediatric cancer patients. In addition to her work with Hope for Autumn, Knerr served as a caregiver to her daughter Emily, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer more than eight years ago.

“All four of our honorees have made a big difference in the lives of others and we are excited to celebrate their impact and accomplishments,” said King. “Most importantly, the funds raised from this event will further our mission of research, awareness and support.”

One of the premiere fundraisers for the organization, the annual event will feature a seated dinner and cocktails, live and silent auctions, and casino games and music.

Tickets are $125 and include dinner, drinks and “money” that can be used at the casino tables.

For more information, visit thinkoflaura.org/tasteofteal. ❖

The City of Homewood’s Easter Egg Hunt

10 a.m.

Where: Railroad Park in The Gardens - Wetlands View, adjacent to the Amphitheater Website: highlandsumc.net/events/ egghunt.

What: An evening egg hunt for toddlers to 11 years featuring games, prizes, bounce houses and the Easter Bunny available for pictures. Children will hunt for eggs with children of their own age group. The hunt for ages 7-11 years will begin after dark and flashlights are suggested.

When: 5:30 p.m.

Where: West Homewood Park Website: homewoodparks.com. ❖

Free Lunch and Learn Seminar:

Peripheral Artery Disease Friday, March 16 • Noon-1 p.m.

Grandview Conference Rooms inside Grandview Medical Center 3690 Grandview Parkway Lunch will be provided at 11:30 a.m.

Seating is limited and registration is required.

Christopher King, M.D., FACC Board-Certified in Cardiology

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 7

ABOUT TOWN

Call 205-971-7474.

To: Leaf and Petal From: Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-824-1246 Date: March This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the March 9, 2017 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

Please make sure all information is correct, Including address and phone number!

Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

STAY A STEP AHEAD OF PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE.

Do your legs ache or feel heavy? Do your feet or toes sometimes tingle or feel cold? Do you have sores on your feet that just won’t heal? Those could be symptoms of peripheral artery disease, or PAD. If allowed to progress, PAD can result in the loss of a limb. But fortunately, it’s treatable when detected early. So join cardiologist Christopher King, M.D., FACC, to learn more about PAD symptoms, early detection and treatment options.

Member of the Medical Staff at Grandview Medical Center

GrandviewMedicalGroup.com 101004_GRAN_L&L16Mar_10_375x6_25c.indd 1

Look Forward.

2/12/18 2:33 PM

NEWS

8 • Thursday, March 8, 2018

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Safety and Security: Schools Look for Ways to Prevent the Next School Shooting Plot From page 1

Homewood Police Chief Tim Ross has been focused on school safety for nearly two decades.

“It goes all the way back to Columbine,” he said, referring to the 1999 high school shooting that killed 15 people in Columbine, Colorado. At the time, Ross was assigned to the department’s tactical team, which he said “started doing specific training in the wake of that shooting as to the way we would handle a similar occurrence at one of our schools, heaven forbid.”

When the Sandy Hook massacre happened 14 years later, Ross was a lieutenant in the department’s patrol division. “I very much remember Sandy Hook and my reaction to that,” he said. “I had strong feelings about what our police department’s responsibility should be toward the school at that time.” When he became chief in late 2015, he already had some goals in mind.

“Now that I’m in a position to have a better grasp and control of the resources that we can allocate, I have made that a top priority,” he said. “It’s always been a priority of mine.”

When Ross started as chief, there were only four SROs working at the Homewood school system’s five schools — one at the high school, one at the middle, and two who rotated among the system’s three elementary schools. During Ross’s tenure, three new SROs have been hired — one more elementary school SRO, and one additional officer each for the high school and middle school.

Even before Ross’s tenure, the Homewood Police Department had worked with the school system to review existing safety plans, particularly in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings in 2013.

Some improvements, says Assistant Superintendent Kevin Maddox, came in the form of refining lockdown procedure — some of which was just as simple as making sure classroom doors could lock from the inside, which involved installing new locking mechanisms systemwide. Other building modifications, including secured vestibules at school entrances, will follow this summer.

“Active shooters typically have a timeframe of about three minutes,” Maddox said. “They can do a lot of damage in that time frame. We felt that just the ability to lock down, to lock yourself up and put a barrier between you and the active shooter, was instrumental as kind of a first step with us.”

After Sandy Hook, the police department also helped Homewood schools to implement the ALICE Protocol. The acronym, which stands for “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate,” is a program used nationwide to prepare schools for potential active shooter situations.

Most of the steps focus on keeping students and staff out of harm’s way, either through securing classrooms or exiting the school, as well as making sure a system of communication is open between people in the building during a potential active shooter situation. The counter part of that acronym, Maddox said, involves weaponizing items in a classroom for defense.

“You barricade the door with desks and furniture, and you identify items within that classroom that can be utilized as weapons against the shooter,” he says. “It can be pretty much anything: books, anything heavy that you could throw at the active shooter.”

Homewood schools have tested that ALICE protocol through active shooter drills, which are now a once-a-semester requirement statewide.

Those drills, Maddox said, were “very impactful, because lots of our staff members had never been around guns before.

“Just hearing the sounds really made an impact

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

“It’s Always Been a Priority”

School officials encourage staff members, as well as SROs to invest in getting to know their students and become advocates for them. Above, Homewood police officer Jason Cuccuini, with Homewood High School students.

on them,” he says. “Many teachers would say, ‘I will never forget what (gunfire) sounds like, so if I ever hear it again, I’m going to know immediately what that sound is.”

Teachers have also been prepared for much grimmer outcomes. In August, the school system implemented a program called “Stop the Bleed,” in which surgeons from UAB’s trauma team instruct teachers how to apply tourniquets and first aid to gunshot victims — essential, Maddox said, in keeping victims alive until first responders can enter the building.

Homewood’s focus on school safety isn’t unique among Over the Mountain schools. Hoover City Schools, said Superintendent Kathy Murphy, is working to limit entry to its school buildings, as well as repositioning cameras to focus on the entryways that will remain accessible.

Vestavia Hills has maintained at least one SRO in every one of its schools “going back at least 20 years,” says Whit McGee, the school system’s communications and public relations officer.

Hoover and Mountain Brook, meanwhile, have similarly focused on increasing police presence at schools. Hoover in particular, said Murphy, is preparing to add two new full-time SROs, one at each of the system’s high schools — a plan that she said had been in place “even before Parkland.”

SROs

Just a few miles from Hoover High School is the headquarters of the National Association of Resource Officers, a training organization that helps prepare SROs worldwide. NASRO, which is in its fourth decade of existence, has two Hoover Police Department alumni on its executive staff — Executive Director Mo Canady and Director of Operations Mac Hardy. Both of them, Hardy said, have “very close ties with officer in this area,” and have advised Homewood and Hoover schools on strategies and safety trends.

Hardy says that there’s been a nationwide effort to install SROs in every school, but there are obstacles to that goal, primarily funding challenges.

Homewood Chief Tim Ross says that positioning SROs in schools without hiring new personnel poses a significant challenge. The department, he said, has had to use what Ross describes as “outof-the-box thinking” — placing retired police officers in schools as SROs. “Compared to having to take a guy or girl who’s working a police beat or a patrol beat out there and then all of a sudden retasking them or re-assigning them and put them in a school… it’s very much a win-win,” he says.

But even this strategy has its challenges, partic-

ularly when it comes to paying those officers.

Retirement Systems of Alabama, which administers state employees’ pension funds, places limits on retired officers’ incomes, which makes hiring those officers difficult, Ross says.

“I have talked to a lot of good, quality candidates, retired police officers, and unfortunately most of them can’t afford to do the job for what I’m able to pay them,” Ross said. “I think that’s something we need to talk about (with the state legislature and the RSA) and try to explore a way for them to be paid more than we’re currently able to pay them.”

Despite this difficulty, Hardy applauds Over the Mountain schools for being proactive in their efforts. “I would like people to know that in our communities, in Hoover and Vestavia and Homewood and Mountain Brook, they’re very fortunate to have police departments that take school safety very seriously, as you can see,” he said.

“But it wasn’t just their reaction to the shooting.

These departments already had a good number of school resource officers in their schools prior to this. And they’re not just police officers. They are truly school resource officers. They have all been selected properly, they have specialized training in working in schools, and they are all sworn police officers. So it wasn’t a big jump for those communities.”

Mental Health

Just as important, if not more important, than these physically protective measures are the preventative tactics.

“Those are reactionary,” said Maddox. “The thing I think that we try to work the hardest on is how we can prevent them from happening in the first place.”

That involves dedicating resources to monitoring students’ mental health and wellness, making sure that schools are aware of at-risk youth and working to help them.

“This is going to sound silly, but we continually encourage our staff members to invest in our students, to get to know them, to learn about them, so that if I’m a staff member and I see that a kid in my classroom is not acting normal, I’m going to know it immediately,” he said. “I’m going to reach out to a counselor, an administrator. I’m going to call the parents. I’m going to be invested in the kid enough to be an advocate for him or her.”

In addition to employing Director of Guidance Leigh Cohen Long, who has an extensive background in dealing with mental health issues, Homewood Schools have “over time have developed an extensive network of professionals in

mental health to be able to respond quickly to needs that our kids have,” Maddox said. “We’ve got names and phone numbers. We know how to get parents and kids connected to the right resource, depending upon what’s going on in their lives. That’s huge in terms of prevention.”

Vestavia schools have a similar strategy, McGhee said. “(One of) our core tenets for all that we do in our school system is, we will create a culture of inclusivity and respect. For us, the whole idea behind that is creating a safe and nurturing environment,” McGhee said.” We have a little over 7,000 students that go here, and each one of them has a unique story, and we have a responsibility to make sure that they know and believe that their story matters to us.”

Stopping bullying and harassment is an essential part of that, he said, pointing to a recent policy change by the Vestavia school board to broaden the definition of bullying, which has often been linked to the motivations of school shooters.

“If you feel like you are being bullied, harassed, or threatened, it doesn’t really matter what the reason is,” he said. “Our teachers and our staff and our students all have a responsibility to prevent that from happening, and we want to make it clear that there are consequences for students who bully others.”

For Hoover City Schools, Murphy said, a complex system exists for addressing students’ mental health issues.

“We really have had a focus since the end of the last academic year on mental health,” she said.

“We do threat assessments anytime the conduct and behavior of a child is suspicious in terms of being harmful to himself, herself, or someone else, or if there are threats to himself, herself or others.”

These assessments are first handled at the school level, generally by guidance counselors, but if concerns continue, the issue will be raised at the central office.

“Our staff and other individuals study the matter, study the student, look at what’s new or different in their lives, look at their grades,” Murphy said. “And this has been in place for some time, many many years, where we really are trying to be thoughtful about those children that seem to show indications that they could hurt themselves or others… We’re trying to be proactive about the mental health issues. We can either bury our head in the sand and pretend those issues don’t exist, or we can look at them, call them out for what they are, and own them.”

The Dialogue Continues

“Something like (the Parkland shooting) happens, even when it’s in another state, and it has such a far-reaching ripple effect,” McGee said. “I can remember coming into work the day after the shooting happened, and it was a very somber mood at pretty much all of our schools, because it’s an unfortunate reminder to all of us that these things happen far too often, and that we all have a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our kids.”

In the wake of Parkland, McGee said, the Vestavia school system instigated “a very rich dialogue with our community” regarding school safety.

“We have received so many different thoughts, comments, questions, about our overall approach, things ranging from, ‘Should we have parent volunteers helping to keep an eye out on things at the school?’” McGee said. “Of course, the dialogue has somewhat followed the national conversation as well. ‘Should teachers be allowed to carry See SAFETY, page 9

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

OTM Mayors Host Inaugural Freedom From Addiction Event

By Emily Williams In Jefferson County, 267 people died last year from drug overdoses, up from 248 in 2016, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office found recently in its preliminary assessments of drug overdoses.

Nationwide, 42,000 of the almost 64,000 overdose deaths in 2016 were due to opioids, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent data. As such, the issue of drug overdose has warranted national attention, being deemed a public health emergency by President Trump, as well as local attention.

Knowing Over the Mountain areas are not immune to the crisis. Hoover’s Mayor Frank Brocato, Homewood’s Mayor Scott McBrayer, Mountain Brook’s Mayor Stewart Welch and Vestavia Hills’ Mayor Ashley Curry have teamed up to create the Freedom from Addiction Coalition.

The mission of the coalition is to boost awareness throughout the area, not just by passing on information about prevention, but also by shining a light on the reality of the addiction epidemic.

The focus of each event and initiative of the coalition will be to share ways every individual can help stop the spread of drug addiction.

The coalition, in league with the Addiction Prevention Coalition and the Alabama Teen Challenge, will be holding a breakfast March 13 at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

The breakfast is aimed at educating those in attendance on what each individual can do to make progress in the battle against opioid addiction.

The breakfast is focused on adults, but it is being presented alongside the Help the Hills Coalition, which is a Leadership Vestavia Hills program that focuses on students.

SAFETY, From page 8

weapons?’ We’ve heard that. ‘Should we have bulletproof doors in the building or other countermeasures like that inside the building? Should there be different systems in place for check-in and checkout?’”

But while McGee said the school system takes all of that feedback into account, having an open dialogue can also lead to more tips about potential threats.

“The main thing that I would say that we have emphasized to our parents and stakeholders after the shooting in Florida happened is, ‘If you see something, say something,’” he said. “Even if it’s not something that’s actively on the school campus… but if you know of someone or something that represents a threat to school safety, let someone know… Don’t be the person who regrets not speaking up in order to prevent a tragedy from happening here. We all have a responsibility.”

That’s a sentiment echoed by NASRO’s Mac Hardy. “A school

In conjunction with the event, Curry issued a proclamation during a city council meeting on Feb. 26 identifying March 13 as Freedom from Addiction Day.

Fighting the Good Fight

NEWS

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 9

together with the people who have found themselves enslaved to these addictions and help them come up with a plan on how they’re going to come out of that addiction and be successful long-term.”

In addition to this latest addition, the Vestavia Hills Fire Department has maintained a protocol introduced in 2017 to administer the drug naloxone, more commonly known as Narcan, to people they find unresponsive. Last year, the city administered the drug and successfully revived patients more than 30 times, though it is not known that every case was due to overdose.

According to Curry, the proclamation is an effort to raise even more awareness regarding opioid abuse.

Though exposed to the issue of opioid addiction during his tenure as an FBI agent, Curry noted that his image of the scope of the issue was intensifiedafter attending the End Heroin Birmingham Walk, held Feb. 24 and attended by more than 3,500 people.

“If you had seen the number of people there carrying signs dedicating that walk to the memory of one of their loved ones, you’d see the extent of this problem,” Curry said.

In coordination with the new proclamation, Curry invited Alabama Teen Challenge’s Jason Norris to present the city’s newest initiative, providing anyone who approaches city officials and first responders seeking help with addiction will be connected with the proper care.

Curry noted that he and his staff, “want to create a program wherein, if anybody walks up to us and needs help, we’ll be partnered with people who can give them immediate help.”

Though the initiative is in partnership with Teen Challenge, a nonclinical discipleship program, Norris and his team can connect addicts with a variety of other partnering organizations.

“I’ll personally come out and talk with anybody who wants to know more about the problems of addiction and the resources that we have available, even if it isn’t Teen Challenge,” Norris said.

“So, we’ve really got to work

Serving as keynote speakers at the breakfast will be Pelham’s Mike and Deborah Bailey.

The Baileys lost their daughter Ashlynn Nicole Bailey to drug addiction in January 2016 when she overdosed on Fentanyl, a much stronger drug that was sold to her disguised as heroin.

Norris noted at the council meeting that the dealer who sold Ashlynn the Fentanyl was arrested by the police and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Deborah published a book last year, “Anchored: A Devotional For Parents of Addicts,” recounting her daughters battle with drug addiction and the ways in which that battle affected the entire family as they struggled to help Ashlynn.

“Drug addiction is not only devastating for the addict, but it is also devastating to the family and loved ones of an addict,” Deborah said.

Following the loss of their daughter, the Baileys began the Ashlynn Bailey Foundation, which offers spiritual guidance for families and scholarships to Highlands College, a Biblical higher education institution that focuses on ministry training.

For more information or to buy a copy of “Anchored,” visit ashlynnbaileyfoundation.com or Amazon. ❖

administration and a school staff cannot by themselves keep a school as safe as possible,” he said. “Law enforcement cannot do it alone.... We certainly strive during our training to train school resource officers about being open, and being transparent, and being available and building relationships with students and building relationships with parents, because in our opinion, the school resource officer is not only a layer of security for the school, but it’s also one of the greatest community policing jobs you can possibly have.”

Some students have taken it upon themselves to initiate that dialogue; a March 24 rally and march, organized by students from Birmingham-area schools and colleges, will call for legislative solutions to address gun violence in schools; the rally will take place at Railroad Park at 2 p.m., with a march route to be determined.

But schools seem just as eager to begin a dialogue. Hoover schools, for instance, will be hosting two community forums. One will be Tuesday, March 6 at 6 p.m. at Spain Park High School, and the other will be Thursday, March 8 at Hoover High School at 6 p.m.

“We will have some of our school leaders, city of Hoover leaders, and even some of our state leaders and NASRO at the table with us so that we can all be collaborative in finding some better approaches,” Murphy said.

That dialogues with parents and community members are safeguards against complacency, which can be a fatal flaw in any security strategy, she said.

“According to Niche (a website that analyzes data regarding U.S. schools), Hoover City Schools is the safest school district in the state of Alabama and the fifth safest in the nation,” she said. “That’s all well and fine, but no one is deceived into believing that we couldn’t be an exception… While we are happy to be acknowledged for some of the really great things we’re doing to protect children and that we were doing even before Parkland, we (could still) face some similar challenges that other school districts have. (We want) others at the table with us so that we can all be collaborative in finding some better approaches.” ❖

The Message

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10 • Thursday, March 8, 2018

LIFE

A Russian Odyssey

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Mountain Brook’s Randolph Pens Book on Her Father’s Journey During the Russian Revolution

By Emily Williams

Making it to America

Following the slaying of two of his siblings by the Communist Bolsheviks and his eldest brother by firing squad, Blinov’s mother decided it was time to flee. At 12 years old, Blinov was subjected to a terrifying journey from Russia to Harbin, Manchuria, on the Trans-Siberian Railroad.

He traveled with his mother and eldest sister, packed in tiny boxcars with thousands of other refugees, little to no food and no control over their destination. Though they tried their best to keep as hygienic as possible, Blinov and his mother contracted typhoid fever because of the poor conditions, death and disease that was rampant on the train.

The family was saved by one of the 33 trains on the railway that the Red Cross used to help refugees traverse more than 4,000 miles of track. The Red Cross helped save his life and the lives of his sister and her children, but not his mother.

“When they arrived in China, he was taken into an orphanage that was run mostly by Russian nobles who were refugees. While he was there, he had a great education, but because there were so many Russian orphans, they made him leave once he turned 14,” Randolph said.

It was at that point that he had the idea to walk down the street to a missionary center, the members of which he had seen singing around town. He sang for them and they invited him to stay. It was there that he met Constance Rumbough, a missionary from Lynchburg who helped him and five other boys obtain scholarships to Emory University in Atlanta.

“He had this beautiful operatic voice and I often believe that’s why he was treated so well,” Randolph said.

To get Blinov to America, because he was not yet 16, Rumbough adopted him. He attended the Emory University School, a boarding school, until he could begin attending Emory University.

Randolph said that she believes singing saved her father’s life on more than one occasion. Throughout his studies, he garnered celebrity as he spent his summers traveling from Georgia to New Orleans, performing Russian folk songs while dressed in traditional attire.

He saved countless clippings from newspapers that recounted his stellar performances, and he even earned a spot singing on the local radio station.

To stay in the country and make enough money to live, Blinov eventually began taking just one course a semester. Along the way,

Journal photos by Emily Williams

Growing up in Lynchburg, Virginia, Natalie Blinov Randolph and her brother and sister boasted a wonderful childhood with their mother, Mary Lou Methvin, originally of Eufala, and their father, Venia “Ben” Blinov, originally of the Vyatka Province in Russia.

A boisterous and talented man who could command a room with his operatic singing, his outward appearance and attitude would never lead someone to conclude that he had survived one of the greatest human tragedies of his generation, Randolph said.

Randolph recently published “Venia: A Russian Odyssey,” which is a continuation of a shorter version she published in 2014 recounting her father’s life from 1913-1926, during the Russian Revolution.

“My whole life, I knew his story,” she said. “He told us all of his stories. And he saved everything, every piece of paper he ever had. When he was leaving Russia, he couldn’t take anything and the papers you had with you saved your life.”

Her book marries stories and words from her father’s own memoirs and historical references of the war.

“He was from an upper-class and well-educated family,” she said. “His father’s side of the family were viscounts, but that title wasn’t kept due to the fact that his grandfather and his father were Orthodox priests.”

Because the family was of nobility as well as devout Christians, they were subjects of persecution by the Communists who seized control of the country with the assassination of the Czar Nicholas II and his family. Blinov’s own father and grandfather were shot by firing squad as tensions rose in Russia.

Randolph confessed that her parents’ propensity to break out into operatic singing at any moment was, at times, embarrassing to a teenager, but it was something that she treasured.

“Papa had his moments of melancholy, but for the most part he was larger than life,” she said.

Randolph noted that one of her father’s favorite times in his difficult childhood was a period when he lived on the family farm in Russia, before he fled the revolution. While Randolph and her family lived in Virginia, her father moved them to a farm just outside of town, creating a similar environment.

One of her favorite memories of the farm were the weekends

Above, Natalie Randolph of Mountain Brook with a circa-1932 portrait by Ednah Davis of her father, Venia Blinov, wearing a Russian performance costume. Right, a collection of Russian artifacts celebrate Randolph’s Russian heritage, including a wooden religious icon, believed to be from the 16th century, and swords belonging to Czar Nicholas II and his son, Alexei.

he met and married his wife in 1935, and two years later he was able to become a naturalized citizen.

“He was so worried that my mother wasn’t going to make it to the ceremony,” she said. “But she got there just in time to see him get his flag.”

Though she hadn’t been born yet, Randolph has had a taste of what her mother must have experienced watching her father become a naturalized citizen.

As a member of the DAR and the Colonial Dames organizations, Randolph - who resides in Mountain Brook with her husband, Richard - began attending naturalization ceremonies to pass out flags to the new citizens.

“It’s hard to put it into words, but that was one of the most exciting things I have ever been able to be a part of,” she said.

“I’ve even kept a couple of flags. After the first time I attended, I’ve been most every year since.”

Art Saves Lives

Throughout her childhood, Randolph recognized her Russian heritage through her name as well as the arts.

“My father had Russian nicknames for all of us. Mine is Natasha, my sister, Constance, is Tanya. My brother James is Dmitri, which he never liked very much. He changed it to Jimmy,” she said. “Everyone, all of my friends and family call me Natasha.”

Randolph and her siblings were each exposed to the arts throughout their childhood and her mother could more than carry a tune. Randolph became quite accomplished in ballet and went on to teach dance at Birmingham Ballet and the Children’s Dance Foundation.

“The arts were something that was very important in his family,” she said, noting that many of her father’s siblings were accomplished musicians or singers.

when Venia would open all of the windows and play opera music loudly from the radio.

“The cows would hear it and would all gather around the house,” she said. “It was the most interesting thing. They loved it.”

The family also kept a horse. One weekend when Venia’s Russian friends came for a visit, one of them attempted to teach the horse how to perform classic Cossack stunt riding.

“That horse was never the same again,” she laughed. “They were standing on her back and trying to have her pick one leg up at a time. He even tried this thing where he rode without a saddle.”

Randolph noted that her family moved to Lynchburg when she was in the fourth grade to be closer to Constance Rumbough, who saw Blinov as one of her children. In turn, Blinov saw her as his foster mother. Following her death, Blinov and his wife moved back to Eufala, where he lived from 1960 until his death in 1986.

He continued to maintain his connection to the arts by volunteering with the local high school’s choir. One year, he taught the students a seven-part harmonic Russian Easter song that earned the choir a championship title.

“After he passed in 1986, the choir sang that song at his funeral and it was simply beautiful,” she said.

He never once felt the need to return to Russia, Randolph noted.

“We wanted to take him back in the ‘80s when things had calmed down for a little while, but he was too scared to go. He had too many bad memories,” Randolph said.

Though he maintained a group of Slavic friends from across the Southeast with whom he could speak Russian, Blinov never saw any of his family members following the revolution and escape.

He kept in touch with his eldest sister, Sasha, and her children, who lived in China until the country had its own communist struggles. Then they moved to Brazil.

Beyond that, he reconnected with one other sister who was a professor in the Ukraine. She sent him a photo she kept with her during her escape, torn down the middle. It was a posed image of his entire family – all eight siblings, his parents and his paternal grandparents – from 1913. It was the first time he had seen any image of his family since his escape from Russia.

“Through this book, through my father’s story, I want to show others what it is like to be a refugee and the sense of hope that they feel when they come to America,” Randolph said.

Randolph will be giving a presentation of the book to the church’s Searchers group March 12 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Mountain Brook.

The book “Venia: A Russian Odyssey” is available on Amazon. ❖

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Wesley Whitfield Whetstone recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America. As a member of Troop 367, he was recognized for his achievement at a Court of Honor ceremony Oct. 8 at Mountain Brook Baptist Church.

Wesley Whitfield Troop 367 is Whetstone sponsored by Riverchase United Methodist Church and led by Scoutmaster David Luthin.

On his trail to Eagle Scout, Whetstone earned 21 merit badges, camped 75 nights, performed hours of service, participated in National Youth Leadership Training and attended Philmont High Adventure Camp in Cimarron, New Mexico. Additionally, he held several leadership positions in the troop, including senior patrol leader and junior assistant scoutmaster. His peers also elected him to the Order of the Arrow, scouting’s National Honor Society.

For his Eagle project, Whetstone and his project crew constructed a 20 feet by 20 feet by 3 feet GaGa pit behind the missionary house at Mountain Brook Baptist Church. The pit allows the children and youth of the church and the surrounding community to participate in the GaGa Ball game.

Whetstone is a senior at Spain Park High School, where he is an Academic Letterman and a member of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society, cross-country team, several school choirs, Engineering Academy and Best robotics team.

He is the son of Melissa and Greg Whetstone of Hoover.

Velezis earned an Arrow of Light in Cub Scout Pack 1 and has held various leadership with Troop 4, earning 21 merit badges.

For his Eagle project, Velezis Ben Swearingen chose to design and build four oversized picnic tables for Camp Vakakes, a camp in Harpersville owned by Holy Cross Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, where he has Nick Velezis served as an altar server since second grade and volunteers at the church’s annual Greek Food Festival.

Velezis is a sophomore at VHHS and is an avid swimmer, earning a Varsity letter as Luke Walker a freshman as well as several southeastern rankings.

He is the son of Michael and Christine Velezis.

Luke Walker has held numerous leadership positions in Troop 4, including troop guide and assistant senior patrol.

For his Eagle Project, Walker refurbished and expanded a playground at Cornerstone Elementary School. He was able to pay for the

playground improvements and donate $720 to Cornerstone School to be used for after-school extracurricular clubs.

He is a sophomore at VHHS, where he is a member of the Just Singin’ acapella group, Honor Choir, the Youth Leadership program and the lacrosse team. In addition, he is an active member of the youth group at Covenant Presbyterian Church and will be going to Honduras on a mission trip this month.

Walker is the son of Jana and Ben Walker.

Jackie O’Neal’s Carter and Welch Bring Home Titles

Emma Carter and Ashley Welch, both dancers with the Jackie O’Neal School of Dance in Vestavia Hills, each earned a winning title at the Dance Masters of America Chapter 33, held in Montgomery on Feb. 1 and 2.

Carter was crowned Teen Miss Dance of Chapter 33, which includes Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.

She has studied at Jackie O’Neal School of Dance since the age of 5 and has been a company dancer on a competitive level for the studio for the past four years.

Carter won the ballet audition, contemporary audition and acrobatics audition in the Teen Division and performed a lyrical/contemporary piece called “Give Me Your Hand,” which was choreographed by her teacher, Nealey Towns Alonso.

Carter will be competing for the national title of Teen Miss Dance of America in Anaheim, California, from June 28 to July 4.

She is the daughter of Dr. Scott and Hayden Appell of Mountain Brook and attends Valleydale Christian Academy.

Welch was crowned Senior Miss Dance Chapter 33 at the competition and will also move on to the national competition in California.

She has studied dance at Jackie

Ashley Welch

Photos special to the Journal

Whetstone Achieves Rank of Eagle Scout

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 11

LIFE

Emma Carter

O’Neal since the age of 3 and has been a company dancer for 11 years.

During the convention, Welch won the ballet audition, contemporary audition and tap audition in the Senior Division. She was the first place Overall Scholarship Audition Winner in

the Teen/Senior Division, performing a lyrical/contemporary piece called, “I Am Free,” choreographed by Alonso.

Her parents are Susan and Wayne Welch of Vestavia Hills and she attends Valleydale Christian Academy. ❖

Troop 4 Honors Three Scouts With Eagle Rank

Boy Scout Troop 4, chartered through Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church, recently announced that Ben Swearingen, Nick Velezis and Luke Walker have earned the rank of Eagle. The troop will celebrate their achievements at a Court of Honor on March 18.

Swearingen joined Troop 4 after receiving his Arrow of Light in Cub Scout Pack 1 and has served in leadership positions that include patrol leader, assistant patrol leader, quartermaster and chaplain.

For his Eagle Project, Swearingen created a video documentary for Christian Service Mission. The documentary will be used on its website to help promote donations and volunteerism.

He is a sophomore at Vestavia Hills High School, where he is involved in Youth Leadership and the German Club. He also enjoys music and takes guitar lessons. In addition, he is a member of Shades Mountain Baptist Church, where he is in a discipleship group and youth choir.

Swearingen is the son of Burke and Joan Swearingen.

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12 • Thursday, March 8, 2018

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE UAB Cancer Center Hosts Annual ArtBlink Gala

Just Arrived

From left, UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Director Dr. Michael Birrer, Advisory Board President Mitzi Davis, Kitty and Gordon Robinson.

Photos special to the Journal

Guests arrived to a garden-themed evening of art and service as they attended the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center advisory board’s annual ArtBlink Gala, held Feb. 10 at the Kirklin Clinic.

Headlining the festivities were local professional artists who created original works of art in 90 minutes.

While perusing and bidding on artwork as it was created, guests listened to music from a jazz band and ate from food stations that featured Italian, Asian and American cuisine organized by Cafe Iz. Artists included Ahmad Austin, Sally Waldrup Boyd, Carol Carmichael, Gary Chapman, Amy Collins, Joan Curtis, Barbara Davis, Carol Misner, Linda Ellen Price, Michael Swann, Paul Ware, Robine Wright and Natalie Russo Zoghby.

The evening’s festivities were hosted by board President Mitzi Davis along with Susan Williams and Trisha Dodson.

Members of the advisory board include Lois Bankston, Alisa Belcher, John Bell, Jodi Benck, Frank Bromberg III, David Brown, George Buchanan III, Gary Burley, Barbara Burton, Robert Carr, Andrew Case, Edward Cassady III, Dana Davis, Charles DeBardeleben, Daniel Dillon, William Dodson Jr., Betsy Dreher, Lee Edwards, Helene Elkus, Jay Ezelle, Albert Folcher Jr., Cathy Friedman, Lisa Harris, Idie Hastings, Ann Hayes, Jim Huey Jr., Lessley Hynson, Bob Hynson, Mark Jackson, Betts Johnson, Andrew Kaufmann Jr., Cheryl Levy, Christa Lidikay, Gaines Livingston, Frank Lynch II, Jeanie MacKenzie, Caldwell Marks and Danny Markstein.

Also on the board are Terry McBride, Laura McDonald, Ed Meyerson, Robert Moore III, Colin Moorhouse, Craft O’Neal, Helen Pardue, Richard Pardue, “Foots” Parnell III, Charlie Perry, Guin Robinson, Kitty Robinson, Kim Rogers, Joel Rotenstreich, Becky Seay, Callen Sparrow, Dr. Terrell Spencer, Ralph Summerford, Rick Swagler, Lee Thuston, Sam Todd, Lissa Tyson, Jeffrey Underwood, Net Wade, Suzanne Wald, Lindy Walker, Cathy Watson, Joel Welker, George Wheelock III and Mike Wright.

Funds from the gala benefit the Cancer Center’s Fund for Excellence, which supports high-priority research efforts and specific projects, including the Deep South Network initiative, which works to eliminate cancer through prevention, diagnosis and treatment. ❖

Judd and Anna Slive Harwood.

—EUROPEAN SHIPMENT—

Clockwise from above, 2018 ArtBlink Artists; Dr. Smita Bhatia and Dr. Ravi Bhatia; and Liz Birrer and husband Dr. Michael Birrer with UAB President Ray Watts and wife Nancy Watts.

English Village 1900 Cahaba Road • 918.0505 www.henhouseantiques.com

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 13

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Silver Linings

Mimi Bremer Woodruff stood in the spotlight as the featured speaker at the February meeting of the Antiquarian Society of Birmingham.

An expert on all forms of silver decorative pieces and flatware, Woodruff represented Beverly Bremer Silver Shop of Atlanta. Antiquarian President Marjorie Forney presided over the meeting.

The first vice president for programs, Annie Green, introduced the program after Cookie Logan and Lynda Robertson welcomed guests.

Table decorations of silver containing red tulips were arranged by Diana Turnipseed, assisted by Carolyn Drennen.

Janet Krueger gave the invocation and Cece Dillard and Nancy Jones announced an April trip for club members.

Other members in attendance were: Amanda Adams. Judy Anderson, Barbara Baird, Redonda Broom, Kirke Cater, Elaine Clark, Kay Clark, Florence Cole, Angela Comfort, Martha Lee Culp, Caroline Daniel, Susan Dasher, Jane Ellis, Shirley Evans, Anne Gibbons, Claire Goodhew, Kay Grayson, Charmion Hain, Judy Haise, Judith Hand, Sandra Holley, Dottie Hoover, Margaret Howell,

Photo special to the Journal

Antiquarian Society Hears From Silver Expert During February Meeting

From left, Janet Krueger, Mimi Bremer Woodruff, Amy Tully and Beverly Phillips.

Sara Jackson and Annalisa Jager.

Also attending were Rosemary Jager, Becky Keyes, Rusty Kirkpatrick, Barbara Klyce, Janet Krueger, Lesley Lewis, Judy Long, Rebecca Mason, Nancy Morrow, Mary Jean Myers, Patty Natter, Betty Northen, Meredith Peeples, Barbara Petzold, Beverly Phillips, Helen Pittman, Kathryn Porter, Margie Preston, Gail Pugh, Lucianne Pugh, Laura Ramsay, Kathie Ramsey, Natasha Randolph, Carolyn Reich, Lucy Richardson, Aubrey Ross, Sara Ruiz de Molina, Carolyn Satterfield, Pat Scofield, Nan Skier, Jan Smith, Jane Paris

Smith, Mary Carol Smith and Caroline Sparrow.

Other members in attendance were Linda Stewart, Rhetta Tatum, Rebekah Taylor, Nan Teninbaum, Nancy Terrell, Carole Thomas, Amy Tully, Jean Vaughan, Barbara Wall, Laura Wallace, Celeste Waller, Liz Warren, Doris Wayman, Lynda Whitney, Elouise Williams, Margie Williams, Kay Wooten, and Janis Zeanah.

Guests were Cheree Carlton, Anne Finch, Terri Hamer, Elaine Lewis, Helen Thrasher Long, Carla Roberson, Alice Turk and Debbie Tanner. ❖

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

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A Winter’s Solstice

Guild of Birmingham Music Club Drums up Support for Music Scholarships in Annual Gala

Call Today: (205) 874-9730

Ron Bourdages and City Lights Band.

Photos special to the Journal

A night of food, auctions and philanthropy descended on the East Room of the Country Club of Birmingham Jan. 27 as The Guild of the Birmingham Music Club celebrated its annual gala cocktail dinner party with the theme of “A Winter’s Solstice.”

The table in the East Room We Offer: entrance was decorated as a winter • In-Home Care, Including Bathing, Grooming, scene with white roses, pine cones, winter greenery and a touch of dark Housekeeping, Meal Preparation, Incontinence pink roses. As guests entered the Care, Medication Reminders and Transportation room, they were greeted by Lesley • Skilled Nursing Services DeRamus, Powell Owens and Katherine Robinson.

• FREE Assisted Living Referral Services Since 1941, the Birmingham • The Only Agency in Alabama Accredited by the Music Club and the guild have sponAccreditation Commission of Health Care (ACHC) sored music scholarships for students at Alabama colleges and universities. for Aide, Companion and Skilled Nursing Services The Birmingham Music Club has • BlueCross BlueShield and and VIVA HEALTH been drawing music to Birmingham commercial insurance participating Home since 1905.

Health provider for Skilled Nursing services Judy Anderson, guild president and 2018 gala chairwoman, welcomed guests.

Kim Strickland, 1993 scholarship winner and 2014 gala honoree, introduced Akilah Bryant Kidd, the 2018 gala honoree. Kidd was a 2008 scholjmancuso@abc-seniors.com Jennifer Mancuso arship winner and is a flutist who is Owner on the music faculties at the www.AlwaysBestCare-Birmingham.com University of Montevallo and 4 Office Park Circle, Suite 109, Birmingham, AL 35223 Alabama State University. She perLocations independently owned and operated throughout the United States and Canada. formed several selections from Paganini, Mendelssohn, Karg-Elert, Ian Clarke and Marco Granados, accompanied on the piano by Dr. Laurie Middaugh, who has served as staff accompanist at the University of Montevallo for the past 15 years. The To: Jennifer concluding number was performed by From: Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 Kidd with her husband, Emery FAX: 205-824-1246 Braxton Kidd, who accompanied her Date: March on the guitar.

The 2018 gala committee consistThis is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for Anderson, the ed of Judy Kim March 8, 2018 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

Strickland, Beverly Parks, Marsha Drennen, Anne Lamkin, Elise Warren, Lochrane Coleman Smith, Please make sure all information is correct, Elizabeth Elliott, Becky Keyes, Including address and phone number!

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Birmingham Music Club your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Executive Director Ron Bourdages Thank you for your prompt attention. and his band, The City Lights, provided music for the evening.

Lochraine Coleman Smith entertained guests as Flossie Flounders.

Flossie, with long curly blonde hair, wore a smashing, long red sequin dress and gold stilettos as she presided over the solicitation of additional funds for the guild’s 2018 scholarship program.

Tables were covered with white cloths and royal blue overlays, with arrangements of different colors of roses mixed with greenery and other spring flowers. The night’s menu included shrimp and grits, turkey breasts, several sauces, prime rib, souffle potatoes, rolls and assorted pastries.

Among the guests attending were Lesley and Sterling DeRamus, Marjorie Forney, Margaret

Hubbard, Kirke Cater, Nancy Skinner, Carolyn Drennen, Ann Vrocher, Jerry Rayfield, Terri Hamer, Tracey Ousley, Charlann and Charles Anderson, Lake and Patrick Franklin, Susan and Douglas Bell, Beverly Parks, Lily Parks, Charles and Judy Anderson, Lochrane and Mell Smith, Sarah and Floris Van Os, Fred Simpler and Bess McCrory.

Kay and David Clark were in attendance, along with Anne and Tom Lamkin, Judy and Andrew Daniel, Kathy and Ted Miller, Jean and Curtis Liles, Katy and Charles Terry, Shae and Charles Terry, Stephen Hicks and Elizabeth Hicks, Mary Helen Terry and Charles Herron, Margery and Terry Whatley, Kathy and Charlie Pye, Laura June and Sherwood McDuffie, Kelley and Kendall Rich, Chris Browning, Babs Simpson, Linda Griggs, Nancy and Bart Morrow and Janis Zeanah.

Also attending were Tallulah Hargrove, Sue Watkins, Fran Howard, Caroline and Steve Reich, Kathy and Bill Pittman, Leslie Barineau, Carmen and Randall Morrow, Michelle and Mabry Smith, Nancy and Kevin Canada, Becky and Greg Keyes, Diana and Tom Gester, Lyn and James Bradford, Naomi and Kirk Cunningham, Claire and Alex Goodhew, Thad and Carolyn Long, Betty and Malcolm Miller, Susan and Wyatt Haskell, Judy and Edward Wiggins, Jeanne and Harry Bradford and Elouise Williams.

Also celebrating the occasion were Laura and David Bryan, Sherrie and Dell Futch, Cheree and Eric Carlton, Angie and Allen Holder, Cheryl Davidson and Adrian Blackmon, Miriam and Clay Morris, Susan Nuckolls, Joann Long, Linda Cooper, Sandra and Elam Holley, Kim and Stephen Strickland, Elaine and Oliver Clark, Janine and A. D. Goode, Heather and Ron Waldron, Jane and Charles Ellis, Anne Carey, Alice Harding, John and Jan Grant,

Bess McCrory and Fred Simpler.

Laura and David Bryan.

Judy Anderson and Eloise Williams.

Kelley and Kendall Rich, Diana Woodgester, Powell Owens, Beth Owens, Katherine Robinson, Rushton Robinson, and Sheila and Bill Horne.

Kidd, the honoree, and her husband attended with her mother, Vilveca Bryant, her cousin, Jennifer Reid and her accompanist, Laurie Middaugh. ❖

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 15

SOCIAL

Photos special to the Journal

Kathryn Porter, Barbara Ashford, Nancy Bagby, Jane Shalhoop, Courtney Brown, Yorke Williams, Patty Baker, Suzanne Brock, Nancy McCollum, Sara Beth Blair, Jane Gribbin, Romona Shannon, Dottie Kent, Mallory Gray, Anna Gainer, Julia Ann Venable, Pat Hinton, Debbie McCorquodale, Kathy Peerson, Jan Shannon, Laura Ramsey, Kathy Brush, Lynda Hiller, Mary Mellen, Caroline Daniel, Linda Compton, Sharon Denton, Molly

From left, Ann Morris, Bootsie Garrett, Fran Glendinning and Diane Hinkle.

Think Pink

Spring Colors Light Up Pickwick Club’s Annual Luncheon Pickwick Dance Club recently held its annual luncheon and membership meeting at the Birmingham Country Club on the Terrace Lounge.

The spring-like weather provided a perfect setting, with tables dressed in pink, with varying shades of pink flowers in burlap baskets for centerpieces.

A menu featured a spinach salad and petite sandwiches with an apple caramel tart for dessert.

The luncheon was organized by Charlotte Kearney and Peggy Lee.

President Trissy Holladay called the meeting to order and officers were nominated and voted on for the coming year.

Ann Morris gave the treasurer’s report and Jean Woodward presented updates to the club’s constitution. In addition, Allison Morgan and Lindsay Cook presented information about an upcoming spring party.

Members at the luncheon were Tricia Ford, Dale Prosch, Patsy Dreher, Barbara Badham,

Bradley, Ann Vrocher, Sharon Graham and Fran Glendinning.

Also attending were Diane Hinkle, Bootsie Garrett, Catherine Ann Schilleci, Susan Nolen, Garnett Baker, Dana Norton, Helen Pardue, Kelley Gage, Sarah Hodge, Elizabeth Meadows, Kathy Andrews, Marsha Lassiter, Melissa Wood, Liz Cooney, Lisa Venable, Barbara Jean Langston, Charlotte Foster, Pat Houseal, Bimi Cox, Beth Gunn, Marion Nichols and Dottie Miller. ❖

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

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Shine Bright

Journal photos by Jordan Wald

From left, Rob and Michelle Belcher with Lisa and Brent Warren.

Vestavia Schools Hosts Dinner and Diamonds Fundraiser

COME SHOP for Spring!

The Diamonds Direct ballroom at Regions Field shimmered Feb. 24 as the Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation hosted its annual Dinner and Diamonds Fundraiser.

The evening affair was organized by event chair Missy Lemons along with help from foundation Executive Director Tait Stoddard.

The evening began with a silent auction featuring season tickets, jewelry, home decor, art, ACT tutoring and vacation packages.

Big ticket items made their way into a life auction, with popular items including a one-week vacation to Gulf Shores, reserved seating for the 2018 Vestavia Hills High School graduation, four Iron Bowl tickets and diamonds from Paul’s Diamond Center.

Proceeds from the evening will benefit the foundation, its projects and the schools.

Helping organize the event were board members Janet Ball, Heath Beckham, Lance Black, Allison Bridges, Tyler Burgess, Sharon Bullock, Bert Crenshaw, Kim Cochran, James Decker, Tracie Dugas, Allison Herr, William Hocutt, Megan Humphries, Matt Legg, Eric Mann, Cinnamon McCulley, Kellie McIntyre, Jeff Moore, Jay Morrow, Craig Neely, Jim Patillo, Tiffany Persall, Emily Phillips, LeArden Pike, Larry Pirkle, Jacob Pugh, Tanya Shunnara, Amy Smith, Tim Smith, Kip Snowden, Shannon Stewart, Katherine Taylor and Vicki Tuggle. ❖

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Greg and Kelly Ellis and Annie and Roger Steur.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 17

SOCIAL From left, Nick and Brooke Whatley, Stacey Somerville and Brailyn Hardy.

Journal photos by Jordan Wald

Trunk Show

STEP RIGHT UP

Glenwood Junior Board Hosts 14th Annual Big Top Fundraiser

Friday, March 16 10am-5pm

Lindsey Hamric and Alan Walker.

Guests stepped right up to an evening of food, fun and festivities as the junior board for Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Center hosted its annual A Night Under the Big Top fundraiser Feb. 16 at The Club.

Music from The Divines filled the room as guests perused a variety of items up for silent auction, including a quail hunting trip, a bottle of 20-year old Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve bourbon, artwork and jewelry.

A fan favorite for the fourth year in a row was the silent disco, with guests dancing to music played on headphones and chosen by DJ Mark AD. Following the auction and a short program, the floor opened for casino games.

Throughout the evening, VIP guests could visit a special tasting room with fine food, prosecco, whiskey and music by The Drennen Brothers Band.

The proceeds raised from the event will support children and their families across the state who are affected by autism spectrum disorder.

The evening was organized by junior board officers Stacey Somerville, president; Steven Mote, vice president; Tommy Brown, treasurer; Lindsay Jones, secretary; Stephen Faust, event chair; and Glenn Drennen, past president.

Board members helping coordinate

the evening included Lauren Bates, Adam Baxter, Murray Bibb, Wil Cooper, Richard Danner, Brailyn Hardy, Tim Hennessy Jr., Alexander Krontomiras, Temple Millsap, Noah Oliphant, Andy

Sarah Gentry and Lauren Bates.

Christy and Trent Evans.

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Quality of LIFE

The Over the Mountain area offers homeowners a wide variety of outdoor amenities that make living here special.

Keeping Up With the Crowds

Homewood Parks and Recreation Works to Meet Demand for Athletic Fields and Community Facilities

By Sarah Kuper

Journal photo by Lee Walls Jr.

Growing families and involved residents are hallmarks of the Homewood community.

They also are what has Homewood Parks and Recreation spending $30 million dollars building and improving local parks.

“Over the past eight years, youth athletics has been exploding and you have families tearing down old homes and building five-bedroom houses to fill with children,” said Homewood Athletic Director Jakob Stephens, “It is the same problem the schools are running into.”

Growing basketball, softball and soccer leagues, plus the demand for updated facilities such as pools and pavilions, has the department completing its biggest endeavor since building the Homewood Community Center.

Work has been underway for several months at West Homewood Park. Improvements include new synthetic turf on the baseball fields plus a multipurpose synthetic turf field and indoor basketball courts and batting cages.

City leaders expect a new pool at Patriot Park to be opening this summer.

“This pool will be zero-entry with slides and

The tree-lined Jemison Park Nature Trail in Mountain Brook is a popular year-round walking area for people and pets alike.

TREE TOPS

Mountain Brook Continues Legacy of Protecting Its Canopy and Tree City Title

By Emily Williams Spring is an especially exciting time in Mountain Brook, thanks to a certain group of residents who outnumber its citizens by the thousands.

The trees in Mountain Brook have a lot to be proud of, including the city’s 24th year of recognition as a Tree City USA. “I remember when I first started working with the city, I was surprised by how active our citizens are and a lot of that is because of our natural landscape,” said city manager Sam Gaston. “We’re lucky in that our view changes seasonally as the leaves change.

That’s why you’ll see trees added into the landscape of our city, not just in the natural areas, but lining the streets in places like Crestline and Mountain Brook Village.”

According to Gaston, the protection and addition of trees to the city’s landscape is a consideration throughout the city’s planning, and it was in the original plans for the city,

created by city founder Robert Jemison Jr. When development means removing trees, Gaston noted, the city does its best to save what it can and replace the lost trees elsewhere.

“There are many that we just don’t want

‘We’re lucky in that you don’t see very many homeowners in this area moving in and clearing their land.’

DON CAFARO, CITY OF MOUNTAIN BROOK SENIOR ARBORIST

to see taken down,” Gaston said. “Some of our older trees are just too valuable.”

The tree population adds value to the city across the board, he said, from clean air and shade to picturesque landscapes that add to

property values. Because trees are important to the look, feel and ideals of the city, the city has a staff of landscape professionals dedicated to the protection and maintenance that comes with a heavy tree canopy.

“We tend to lean toward keeping our parks more natural,” said Shanda Williams, superintendent of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Williams, who studied horticulture in college, noted that the city has always chosen to embrace the city’s natural wooded landscape by maintaining more trail spaces rather than clearing land for conventional parks.

“We’ve been having some trouble keeping the sod alive on some of our ball fields because there is so much shade from the tree line,” Williams added.

Williams works closely with the city’s landscapers for the groundwork, but the man in tune with the trees is Don Cafaro, the city’s senior arborist.

See MOUNTAIN BROOK, page 20

VESTAVIA HILLS DOGWOOD LUNCHEON PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON CITY’S NATURAL BEAUTY, PAGE 20

///

‘Over the past eight years, youth athletics has been exploding and you have families tearing down old homes and building fivebedroom houses to fill with children.’

JAKOB STEPHENS, HOMEWOOD PARKS AND RECREATION ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

a splashpad. It is purely a recreational pool and will not have swim team capabilities,” Stephens said.

The goal is to lessen crowds at the Homewood Central Park pool, which reached capacity several times last summer.

The money is coming from $110 million in bonds sold with backing of the 1 cent sales tax increase instituted in 2017. In addition to parks and recreation projects, money from the bonds

See HOMEWOOD, page 20

HOOVER PLANTING FOR THE FUTURE, PAGE 21

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

EXPERT ADVICE

Real Estate Pros Talk About Trends for 2018 OTMJ asked some of the area’s top real estate professionals what 2018 is likely to bring for homebuyers. Here are their predictions and advice for people delving into the real estate market this year.

ANN ALLEN

Allen is a Realtor with LAH Real Estate’s Mountain Brook office.

What do you see happening in the 2018 OTM-area real estate market? People are really

looking for homes that fit their needs, now – from downsizing to finding a big backyard for entertaining (or their growing four-legged family).

What is at the top of the list for home buyers in our area this year? At the

top of the list are updated kitchens and baths and there are so many new design ideas. It’s really great how it adds to the function and style of the house.

After location, what are the three most important aspects of the current real estate environment?

Location, location, location. Just kidding! It’s schools, walking distance to places and the general style of the neighborhood, which, if you think about it, still boils down to location.

What is the best advice you could

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 19

HOME

give to someone looking to buy in 2018? Make your offers strong. It’s a

hot market for sellers. If you love the house, don’t wait, make the offer and make it the best you can; and good luck!

I love Birmingham and how it has grown in the time I have lived here.

With great changes, with all the new restaurants and venues to the parks and community events, there is always something to do. (Exploring) all the different experiences is what makes Birmingham special and that’s why I’m proud to call it home.

DEBBIE CATANZANO

Catanzano is a Realtor with RealtySouth’s Acton Road Office and has consistently been named a top producer since 2001.

What do you see happening in the 2018 OTM-area real estate market?

OTM communities experienced a low inventory in 2017 and will continue this into 2018. Low inventories will continue to drive home prices up and oftentimes create a bidding war with homes located in prime locations (such as good school districts or easy access to downtown).

As millennials age, they are settling down and having families, which

has prompted an increased demand for suburban housing. This pool of buyers are educated and well positioned financially to purchase.

Interest rates will continue to rise but they will not skyrocket. They should remain in the 4s throughout the year.

We’ll Get You Home!

What is the top of the list for homebuyers in our area this year?

Most buyers like new construction, but this is very limited in the OTM areas that are most popular to buyers.

Buyers are looking for homes that have been updated and well cared for throughout the years. Kitchen and baths most often will provide the most appeal to a buyer. Buyers are also looking for floor plans that allow for home entertaining and an outdoor area that will enhance and extend the living space.

After location, what are the three most important aspects of the current real estate environment?

Schools, resale value and a low crime rate. Buyers like a community environment with sidewalks and community amenities. It is also important to have easy access to everyday shopping, i.e. grocery, drug stores, schools, etc.

What is the best advice you could give someone looking to buy in 2018?

See TRENDS, page 22

THE

OFFICIAL

REALTOR®

OF

THE

BIRMINGHAM BARONS MTN. BROOK · HOMEWOOD · HOOVER · 30A (800) 545-6178 · LAHRealEstate.com

HOME

MOUNTAIN BROOK, From page 18

“Working with builders is probably one of the main things I do on a dayto-day basis,” Cafaro said.

The city maintains ordinances to help get Cafaro in the door when businesses enter the city to build or landscape, so where they are concerned he has a fair amount of leeway. It’s in those private property projects that the city fears losing trees without a fight.

“We’re lucky in that you don’t see very many homeowners in this area moving in and clearing their land,” Cafaro said.

Gaston added that, for the most part, the city draws in the kind of resident who places value in the curb appeal that comes with tall trees.

That being said, there is always work to be done when someone moves into a new house or expands their existing home. Whether a homeowner is protecting existing trees or planting new ones, it’s highly important to be knowledgeable about how those projects will affect the landscape of the home and life of the trees, according to Williams and Cafaro.

Save the Trees

It’s a simple fact that trees are finicky. The roots are their lifelines, and living with your brain buried in the soil magnifies the effects of any work done to the ground.

“It’s important to think about the trees ahead of time in the design process,” Cafaro said. “That way you can choose which trees you are keeping and you can find ways to work around them and incorporate them into your landscape design.”

During construction, it’s important to build a fence around the trees that are going to be saved. The fence should be wider than the trees’ branch lines, allowing any water the leaves collect to drip down to the ground beneath. It is also important to make sure that any digging will not affect the trees’ roots and that no chemicals will be disposed

of or used to clean tools on the ground above those roots.

“Trees that are close to a developed site are less resilient, so any damage or disturbances will be magnified but not immediately known,” Cafaro said. “You aren’t going to see that damage that was caused for a while.”

Cafaro added that any noticeable damage done to trees during construction needs to be quickly assessed by a certified arborist to assure it is properly repaired.

Williams added that the landscape

‘The hope is that this gives our local students a chance to learn more about the importance of trees in our community by providing them with trees that came from our very own Jemison Park.’

SIM S.W. JOHNSON

often is an afterthought when residents renovate or expand a home. But it is important to realize that, while trees are fairly easy to remove, they aren’t so easy to replace.

“You have to make sure you are using the right plant for the right site,” she said.

Because the soil in this area varies – you could be digging in dirt in one spot and reach red clay in another before hitting stone at the next – it’s important to pick a spot where the soil will allow the tree to thrive.

The trees that are most likely to flourish in the area are the ones that are indigenous to the climate. Williams suggests oak trees, maples, tulip poplars and beech trees, just to name a few.

“When you’re picking a spot, it’s really important to think about the full size of the mature tree,” Williams said, adding that trees shouldn’t be planted close to power lines or homes, or near sidewalks and driveways if the roots are expected to be large.

“Most of the time, people plant a

tree and there is not a lot of time spent on placement,” Williams said. “Think about what’s underneath the ground and if you are planting it near underground utilities.”

According to Williams, Cafaro and Gaston, what’s most important is to make sure you are informed. Anyone can stop by City Hall and grab a few brochures that the arborists and landscapers have put together citing guidelines for planting and protecting the trees.

Celebrate Arbor Day

Each year the city celebrates Arbor Day by handing out free trees to the public, but this year they are doing something a little bit differently.

On April 7, Mountain Brook and Homewood are teaming up for the inaugural Shades Creek Fest at the National Bank of Commerce on Shades Creek Parkway.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will feature live bluegrass music, nature demonstrations, hawk, owl and reptile exhibits, and flyfishing demonstrations in Jemison Park.

Just as it did last year, the Friends of Jemison Park will be passing out Jemison Heritage Beeches, grown from seeds collected along Jemison Trail, to local first-graders before the festival.

“The hope is that this gives our local students a chance to learn more about the importance of trees in our community by providing them with trees that came from our very own Jemison Park,” said Sim S.W. Johnson, chair of the city’s board of landscape design.

After the saplings have been distributed to students, the remainder of Heritage Beeches as well as a variety of native trees will be available to the public. The Mountain Brook Tree Commission and members of Leadership Mountain Brook will hand them out for free on a first-come, firstserved basis April 7 at the Piggly Wiggly in Crestline, the Mountain Brook Western, Whole Foods and the Overton Road Publix.

For more information, visit the Shades Creek Fest Facebook page. ❖

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

VHBB Dogwood Luncheon Helps Keep Vestavia Hills Beautiful

On April 5, Vestavia Country Club’s ballroom will be dressed in richly decorated tablescapes as the city’s annual Dogwood Luncheon helps celebrate they city’s beauty.

The annual event raises money for the Vestavia Hills Beautification Board, an organization that serves the community by providing incentives to businesses and homeowners to keep their landscaping and structures looking great through an annual yard judging with awards.

This year’s luncheon will be at 11:30 a.m. and will feature keynote speaker Rosemarie Reinhard Musso.

Musso is a Holocaust survivor, speaker and author who will share a presentation of her book “Father Forgive Them: The Four Laws of Forgiveness,” which presents her story of survival, struggle, love and forgiveness.

The event also will feature several well-known people of the city, including former Mayor Sara Wuska giving the invocation, and a performance by Miss Friendliest City 2017 Collins McMurray, who will sing accompanied by the board’s own Katherine Taylor.

In addition to the program, the event will feature door prizes, a silent auction and members of the Vestavia Belles, wearing their signature antebellum gowns as they greet guests.

Tickets to the luncheon are $25 and must be purchased in advance.

For more information, contact Gina Henley at 910-4837 or ghenley401@ charter.net. ❖

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

20 • Thursday, March 8, 2018

Ray & Poynor Properties is proud to announce the partnership of

Work has been underway for several months at West Homewood Park.

Improvements include new synthetic turf on the baseball fields, above, plus a multipurpose synthetic turf field and indoor basketball courts and batting cages.

Margaret Camp 205-567-6091

Susannah Camp 205-243-3510

mcamp@raypoynor.com

scamp@raypoynor.com

Ray & Poynor is pleased to provide our community with many extremely qualified agents. Recently, two of our dedicated representatives, Margaret and Susannah Camp, have teamed up to deliver exceptional service for our community and clients.

These sisters-in-law have a passion for real estate, enjoy people and are business minded with excellent marketing and negotiating skills.

Margaret and Susannah understand the importance of buying and sellling a home and work tirelessly to deliver a memorably pleasant real estate experience with personalized service and attention to detail. We know you will be pleased with their service and dedication.

raypoynor.com

2629 cahaba rd. birmingham al 35223 205-879-3036

HOMEWOOD, From page 18

will go toward schools and a new police station.

Stephens and Parks and Recreation Superintendent Rusty Holley said most projects will be complete by spring 2018, providing the recent heavy rain pattern clears up.

An overhaul of Spring Park in the Rosedale neighborhood of Homewood is in the works, as well, although funds for the project are coming out of the city’s budget.

“Two decades ago it was a swimming pool, but it was under-used, so it was converted into a playground,”

Holley said, “It was in bad shape and mainly concrete, so now it will have more usable greenspace with a walking track and the largest pavilion in our park system.”

Holley suggested the park will be a good rental option for family gatherings.

Looking at the demolition and construction work at these parks, it may be hard to picture the end result, but Stephens and Holley predicted residents will be blown away by the new facilities and the opportunities they will provide for Homewood families.

The department will soon be posting renderings of the parks on its website, homewoodparks.com. ❖

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 21

Journal photo by Emily Williams

HOME

The city of Hoover’s Landscape Architect Sharon Nelson and Urban Forester Colin Conner make it their daily duty to help maintain the city’s extensive tree canopy, which has earned Hoover the recognition of Tree City USA for the 22nd consecutive year.

Planting for the Future

ately harm the foliage in your yard, that doesn’t mean the tree is safe, Conner said. Some of the things that damage a tree may not appear for a while.

Conner explained that local trees are still showing damage from the 2016 drought, mostly in the form of hypoxylon cankers, which appear as a wound on the tree. Those can be remedied if they are on an outer stem, but the closer it gets to the main trunk of the tree, the more likely it is that the tree will need to be removed.

“It’s always going to be hard to try and tell people what to do on their property that they own,” Nelson said.

“But when they find out how a nice amount of trees effects their property economically, that’s when they begin to appreciate them.”

She noted that the trees not only provide shade, they break up high winds, they help create cleaner air and, for anyone who has flooding issues, they can help combat erosion

by holding the ground in place with their roots. They won’t combat storm flooding issues immediately after planting, but the future version of the

yard will benefit greatly.

“We’re planting trees, not for us, but for the future and to benefit our planet,” Nelson said. ❖

Color and Style

Still Around

2700 19th Place South, Homewood 871-9779 • Tue.-Fri. 10:30-5:30Sat. 11:00-4:30

Hoover’s Urban Forestry Department Offers Tips to Keep Trees Healthy and Happy

By Emily Williams With the level of development in Hoover, the city’s landscape architect, Sharon Nelson, and urban forester, Colin Conner, have a full plate each day working with developers to keep the city’s tree population intact.

“Trees are so very important,” Nelson said. “Also, who doesn’t have a great tree story from their childhood?”

On the outskirts of the city, Moss Rock Preserve, which Nelson identifies as the crown jewel of Hoover, offers a large tree canopy and trails that are maintained by the city. Though the preserve offers an immense amount of foliage, it’s the maintenance of trees in the city that requires a lot of extra work.

The city’s Urban Forestry team has the power to advise on the landscaping and trees in developments that include housing projects with two lots or more.

“Some of the businesses take a little more finger pointing than others, but people are generally easy to work with when they understand about what our trees give us,” said Conner.

Luckily, Nelson said, many of the larger housing communities take pride in the trees throughout their landscape for the privacy they provide the homes and the curb appeal.

But when it comes to the private lots, the duo depends on their efforts to educate the community on tree planting, cutting and maintenance, and the importance of those things in retaining Hoover’s status as a Tree City USA, a title it has maintained since 1999.

One way that this is achieved is by reaching out directly to future generations who will be enjoying the tree canopy in the city, hopefully, for many years to come.

“Our theme this year for Arbor Day is preservation,” Conner said. “Many of these trees we are planting now won’t reach their full potential for nearly 10 years. So, when you are planting a new tree, you aren’t planting it for you to enjoy. You’re planting it for the next generation.”

Last week, Conner visited Shades Mountain Elementary School for a pre-

Arbor Day tree planting program. The school asked for a new live Christmas tree that could provide a shade in the future near the school’s new garden.

While planting the tree, he noted that he enjoys talking to the kids and allowing them to get their hands dirty while learning a bit about what makes trees so interesting and important.

Conner recently had a tree cut down in his yard at home because a fungus was killing it. Seeing an opportunity for a visual to use with his lessons, he cut out a disc from the tree that showcases the rings of the tree.

“I counted about 60 plus rings on this one,” he said. “This is a great way to show the kids how long a tree can live as well as how it responds to its environment.”

He began to point out dark marks, holes and imperfections within the wood that are caused by disruptions such as construction and insect infestations.

“What we are trying to do is give these kids the tools to be good environmental stewards,” Conner said.

Tree Health 101

“I think I sometimes take for granted that the majority of people just aren’t exposed to a lot of this information about trees,” Nelson said.

Conner noted that many people don’t know how negatively certain yard practices can affect the health of trees, especially young ones.

“People really like a nice, bright green lawn, but a lot of the chemicals that are put on the lawn seeps through the soil, affecting the trees at the root.

Digging too close to a tree is always a risk to the roots as well, which are the lifeline of the tree, and certain weed killers will destroy it,” Conner said.

Fertilizers and weed killers that are high in pre-emergent herbicide will damage broad leafed plants, which include any broad-leafed tree such as oaks and maples. In addition, fertilizers high in nitrogen will cause stress to any tree.

Even if these things don’t immedi-

Color and Style

Still Around

2700 19th Place South, Homewood 871-9779 • Tue.-Fri. 10:30-5:30Sat. 11:00-4:30

To: From: Date:

Tricia Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 March This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the March 8 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

Please make sure all information is correct, including address and phone number!

Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, your ad will run as is. We print th Monday.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

CO N TAC T DA L E I N C . T O DAY F O R E X P E R T A DV I C E O N M A K I N G T H E B E S T D E C I S I O N F O R YO U R H O M E .

Dale Inc. Birmingham, AL 205-297-0173 DaleInc.net ®

©2018 Marvin Windows and Doors. All rights reserved. ®Registered trademark of Marvin Windows and Doors.

22 • Thursday, March 8, 2018

TRENDS, From page 19

Be prepared, talk to a lender and know your buying power as well as understand your comfort level. These are not always two of the same. List

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

HOME out your wants and needs. Will your purchase meet your objectives for three to five years, seven to 10 or longer? Depending on the length of your ownership, your financial investment may have differing rates of return.

BARRY DELOZIER

Delozier owns a residential home plan design company, Turnkey Newhouse, as well as a real estate marketing business, SoWowMe Marketing.

What do you see happening in the 2018 OTM-area real estate market?

Homes that have the winning combination of a location close to our city center, walkable amenities like shopping or recreation/parks/pools, and a great school system are selling quickly, as in a matter of days, even hours, often above asking price.

The renaissance happening in older, close-in communities has been spurred by our great restaurant scene and the popularity of home improvement television. First-time homebuyers are exploring potential “fixeruppers” and “as-is” properties as a way to be creative, have fun and potentially make money with their investment in a home.

What is at the top of the list for home buyers in our area this year?

Decorator Fabrics • Hardware • Trim 1820 Greensprings Highway 322-5878 www.kingcottonfabrics.com

The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 205-824-1246 h

Curb appeal is always a key factor.

If your home looks charming from the street, people want to see inside.

If it doesn’t, they pass by and keep looking.

A close second is an open kitchen with a large island and a walk-in pantry, two of the most popular features in new homes for several decades now.

After location, what are the three most important aspects of the current real estate environment?

Affordability is always a factor.

Outlying communities attract young families and retirees as sales prices climb out of reach in close-in neighborhoods. Resale potential is another factor, which is influenced by school systems and community amenities.

Walkability is a growing priority, the ability to leave your car parked at home and still dine out or grocery shop. Walkability’s appeal is in sync with today’s active lifestyles.

What is the best advice you could

‘The renaissance happening in older, close-in communities has been spurred by our great restaurant scene and the popularity of home improvement television. First-time homebuyers are exploring potential “fixer-uppers” and “as-is” properties as a way to be creative, have fun and potentially make money with their investment in a home.’

BARRY DELOZIER, TURNKEY NEWHOUSE

give to someone looking to buy in 2018? Find a Realtor and/or a home

builder who listens to you, someone who takes an interest in all the aspects of your life and who wants to help you enjoy the process of buying, selling or building a home. This is an exciting and fun part of life, and having partners who view it that way can make a tremendous difference in your overall experience.

STACY FLIPPEN

Flippen is a Realtor with ARC Realty’s Cahaba Heights Office.

Before her real estate career, she owned her own business for 12 years and taught school at Highlands Day School and Elvin Hill Elementary.

What do you see happening in the 2018 OTM-area real estate market?

2018 has been a sellers’ market and I do not see it changing in any way.

Due to the low inventory now is a great opportunity for those thinking of selling.

What is at the top of the list for home buyers in our area this year?

Home buyers this year are looking for move-in ready with very little updating (and) with an emphasis on an “amazing kitchen” and nice-sized master bed and bath.

After location, what are the three most important aspects of the

current real estate environment?

Walkability to restaurants, churches and schools (is) very important along with open floor plan for entertaining and updated kitchens.

What is the best advice you could give to someone looking to buy in 2018? With the market the way it is

right now, I would definitely have a pre-approval ready to go so that when the perfect home comes along, you are ready.

JANET HAMM

Hamm is a broker and Realtor for ARC Realty working out of the Cahaba Heights, downtown Birmingham and Hoover offices. In addition, her achievements include serving as director of the Birmingham Association of Realtors and director of the Greater Alabama MLS, among other leadership positions.

What do you see happening in the 2018 OTM-area real estate market?

I think inventory will still be an issue – too few homes for buyers to choose from, whether resale or new construction. In addition, there are very few “entry level” homes available for first-time home buyers.

Although home prices have increased, so (have) interest rates and building cost for new construction.

What is at the top of the list for home buyers in our area this year? Most

ur AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the March 9, 2017 issue.

Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

make sure all information is correct, including address and phone number!

Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

NAPLES

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:

Cindi Marshall 205.492.0336 cmarshall@realtysouth.com

Dan Flemming 205.369.0595 dflemming@realtysouth.com

www.villasonoldleeds.com | 5601 Old Leeds Rd

custom homes | beautiful lots | cahaba river natural surroundings | walking trails Trillium is a private, gated community with protective covenants nestled along the beautiful Cahaba River. An extensive network of walking trails and more than 1/2 mile of private river frontage offer many outdoor recreation opportunities for Trillium residents. Our close-in location affords easy access to downtown and shopping.

5651 Overton Rd., trilliumdrive.com

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

buyer’s today want an updated kitchen and an open floor plan.

These are the top two priorities no matter what the price of the home. And running a close third is the outdoor space functioning as a casual living space. Very few buyers want to undertake a kitchen renovation but will tackle smaller items like having rooms painted or replacing carpet with hardwood flooring After location, what are the three most important aspects of the current real estate environment?

Cost of course, not just the price, but is the home a good value for the price they are willing to pay? Can they recoup the cost of any updates they want and will it be a good investment in the future?

School systems still are a huge factor even if the buyer has no school-aged children. Most buyers understand that home values will stay steady or increase depending on the health of the school district.

Walkability. This is a new factor that more and more people are looking for in their home purchase. They want a neighborhood that has sidewalks and street lights so they can walk for exercise or even walk to restaurants or shopping areas.

What is the best advice you could give to someone looking to buy in 2018? Know what (the) top three

“must have features “of a home you want and don’t compromise.

If you find a home that hits two out of three, are you willing to sacrifice that third feature? Will you ever truly be happy just settling.

Knowing these top three keeps you from wasting time on homes that may prevent you from finding the home you want before someone else buys it.

CHARLES AND JASON KESSLER

Charles is the founder of Cahaba Real Estate, as well as the development company KADCO Homes.

Both are family companies, where he works alongside his son, Jason, above, and daughter, Maggie, building, developing and selling within the Greater Birmingham area.

What do you see happening in the 2018 OTM-area real estate market? The OTM area is typically

a hot market overall and we see that continuing into 2018. With rates still near historic lows, low inventory and the economy on the rise, we believe the market will only continue to thrive.

What is at the top of the list for home buyers in our area this year?

The buyers we interact with are much more interested in lifestyle than anything else. They want a specific location, one that is walkable more often than not these days, and they want homes that fit their style of living - whether that’s energy efficient homes, outdoor living spaces or very functional and open floor plans that fit their family’s needs.

After location, what are the three most important aspects of the current real estate environment?

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 23

HOME While rates are still low, they are starting to creep up so that is going to affect affordability. The time to act is now. Again, energy efficiency is big in today’s environment and that can be tough to find in some older homes. New homes can offer features like low-e windows, tankless water heaters, and smart home technology that allows you to more efficiently control your energy consumption. Make sure you can rely on the information you’re getting online. The home shopping websites can be great but a lot of times they have inaccurate information like the location of a home, the square footage, even the price.

and schools. Clean lines of fit and finish for the interior environment.

low for market standards and the community still investing heavily in improvements of their current homes. Expect strong appreciation on housing in this area.

What is the best advice you could give to someone looking to buy in 2018? An absolute must is have

What is at the top of the list for home buyers in our area this year? Top of the list is outdoor

entertainment areas and, of course, nicely appointed kitchens and baths.

After location, what are the three most important aspects of the

current real estate environment?

Walk-ability to coffee shops, dining

your financing in place ready to purchase because of the fast-moving market of today. Contact a real estate professional who knows the area. We receive information about options oftentimes before they come on the open market. ❖

What is the best advice you could give to someone looking to buy in 2018? Do your research and be

prepared when stepping into the market. Using an experienced real estate agent is always a good idea as is having a pre-qualification letter.

Sellers appreciate prepared and knowledgeable Buyers. Shop around and really study the pros and cons of potential homes. Some may seem like great deals but could leave you with serious problems to fix down the road.

GWEN VINZANT

Vinzant is a Realtor with RealtySouth’s Inverness Office and has 28 years of experience in real estate. As a Birmingham native, she knows the city well and has been a top producer year after year, and she is a life member of RealtySouth’s Club of Excellence.

“I’m proud to recommend Ann March with ARC Realty.”

I feel the market values will continue to rise. Inventory is low at this time, which makes it stronger.

There are more builders and developers who are coming into our area to invest in this market due to the high demand (for) great schools and the growth of new commercial development.

When Dane Peterson decided to move from a condo downtown to a home closer to his work with a yard for his dog, Woodrow, and space for a garden, he turned to Ann March with ARC Realty for guidance. “I met Ann when she was working an Open House for a friend and I was impressed with her knowledge and professionalism. She’s a great collaborator and really understood what I was looking for. She gave me sound advice but she was never pushy, unless it was on my behalf to make sure everything went smoothly. I’ve already recommended her to a colleague.”

What do you see happening in the 2018 OTM-area real estate market?

What is at the top of the list for home buyers in our area this year? Location.

After location, what are the three most important aspects of the current real estate environment?

The interest rates, price, amenities are each important.

Being a part of ARC Realty gives Ann the tools to provide customers like Dane with excellent service. “ARC stands for A Relationship Company,” says Ann. “And that’s what I love about this business: building relationships with customers like Dane Peterson.”

For more information on working with Ann March, visit www.arcrealtyco.com.

What is the best advice you could give to someone looking to buy in 2018? It is important to get

prequalified with a lender first to find out what price point to look for. Have your wish list and find a Realtor that will listen to your needs.

THE WADE TEAM

The family-operated real estate team has grown up in the Over the Mountain areas and has more than 60 years of combined experience buying and selling in the area.

Pictured are from left, Cindy Wade with Billy and Danielle Wade.

What do you see happening in the 2018 OTM-area real estate market?

The 2018 market is going to be fastmoving, with interest rates still very

A Relationship Company 5336 Stadium Trace Parkway, Suite 110 Hoover, AL 35244 • 205.969.8910 www.arcrealtyco.com Ann March • (205) 919-7927 • ann@annmarch.com

24 • Thursday, March 8, 2018

FOOD

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

FOODIE NEWS

BUILDING AND BBQ: COMPETITION, FESTIVAL HELP HOUSING MINISTRY

Amateur teams will compete at the 10th annual BBQ for Building on March 10 in Irondale.

The competition and festival benefits Habitat Birmingham’s housing ministry. Proceeds from the event will help build a house to sell to a lowincome family.

The event includes barbecue samples, drinks, live music and children’s activities. It’s from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Habitat ReStore, 7952 Crestwood Blvd.

Tickets are $10 at the gate. Admission is free for members of the military, first responders and children ages 10 and younger.

For more information, visit habitatbirmingham. org.

Journal photos by Jordan Wald

A REAL WINGDING: ALLSOUTH APPLIANCES WILL HOST FOOD AND WINE EVENT

AllSouth Appliances in Homewood is teaming up with Comedienne Joy, a Birmingham food blogger and TV host, for a fun food and wine event.

Wings & Wine is from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

March 15 at the store, 345 State Farm Parkway.

The event includes cooking demos, wine, music from Kenny Williams and door prizes.

Tickets are $45. They’re available online througheventbrite.com or at the door.

Lucky Cat owners Greg and Hannah Slamen.

SAVE THE DATE: HOMEWOOD GROWN SET FOR APRIL 12

READY TO ROLL Homewood’s Lucky Cat Puts a New Spin on Ice Cream

By Donna Cornelius

“Our Ginger Bell, for example, has peach and ginger,” Hannah said.

“Everything gets chopped.”

There’s a cool new kid on the She said the mixture is in the pan block in Homewood. about a minute and a half.

Feb. 3 was the official start “Then you spread the mixture date for Lucky Cat Rolled into a rectangle,” she said. “You Creams, an ice cream shop at scrape it and roll it. Each flavor 2908 18th St. South. The store is topped differently, and you can actually opened two weeks customize your order.” before that with a “soft opening” The rolls are packed into cups that let owners Hannah and Greg so that they stand on end before Slamen give their place a test run. toppings like candy sprinkles and Thus, there was little fanfare – mini waffle cones are added. but there were plenty of fans.

This is the Vestavia Hills couple’s “We ran out of our ice cream first venture into the food business. base the weekend before the actual Hannah is from Sacramento, opening,” Hannah said. “We doubled California, and came to UAB on a the order, and we ran out again. We THE ICE CREAM synchronized swimming scholarserved about 400 people on opening ROLLS ARE ship. She later worked in New York day alone.”

PACKED INTO as a photography intern.

Lucky Cat’s customers aren’t CUPS SO THAT “Greg proposed while I was alone in their attraction to rolled ice cream. The frozen dessert that got its THEY STAND ON there,” she said. “That was 14 years ago. I worked as a photographer for start with street vendors in Thailand, END BEFORE about eight years doing portraits, Malaysia, Cambodia and the TOPPINGS LIKE weddings and some editorial work. I Philippines is getting lots of attention. CANDY SPRINalso worked at a nonprofit for four An article in Food Network KLES AND MINI years.”

Magazine’s March 2018 issue touted WAFFLE CONES Greg is a Birmingham native the treat’s popularity.

ARE ADDED. who went to Indian Springs School The Slamens said their customers and the Jefferson County seem to like watching the rolled International Baccalaureate School. cream being made almost as much as He graduated from Auburn University, got a they like eating it. master’s degree in business administration from The recipe starts with an ice cream base UAB and is now IT manager for Big from Working Cows Dairy in Slocomb.

“We add vanilla and salt to the base and pour Communications.

“As a kid, I worked at different restaurants in it directly onto a very cold pan,” Greg said.

Auburn and at Bottega here in Birmingham, and Next, other ingredients are added to create I really wanted to open up a place,” he said. different flavors.

“My parents said, ‘Why don’t you get a job where you can go to nice restaurants instead of working at them?’”

He followed his parents’ advice but said he kept his dream of opening a restaurant “locked away.”

Inspiration From All Around

The Slamens were living in Crestwood when they first began talking about starting a new venture.

“Looking at the Crestwood Shopping Center with Seasick Records and the park nearby, I thought, ‘You know what would go really well here? Ice cream,’” Greg said.

A friend sent them a video of a street vendor in Thailand making rolled ice cream.

Rolled ice cream “started going viral,” Greg said. “The first place to have it in the United States on the east coast was 10Below in New York. We saw photos of the line around the block waiting to get in. We went from ‘somebody should do this’ to ‘maybe we should do this’ to ‘we can do this.’”

They bought one of the special pans used to make the ice cream from a company in Hong Kong.

“That was about a year ago,” Hannah said.

“We made it first for our neighbors. It was fun.”

The couple practiced and learned before selling their ice cream at pop-up events.

“There was no recipe book,” Hannah said.

“Many rolled ice cream shops do flavors with Asian influences. We do our own spin, a Southern spin, with ingredients like peaches.”

The Slamens said giving the ice cream their own twist lets them put their food values into See LUCKY CAT, page 25

The Homewood City Schools Foundation is getting ready for its fifth annual Homewood Grown celebration on April 12.

Last year’s event at SoHo Square included a seated dinner, music and teacher awards.

For more information, visit homewoodcityschoolsfoundation.com.

NEW TEAM IN TOWN: BRUNO LAUNCHES DINING AND HOSPITALITY COMPANY

The Bruno Event Team is launching a worldclass dining and hospitality company – Bruno Hospitality, formerly known as Five Star Event Catering.

Bruno Hospitality is a full-service concessions and catering company in Birmingham.

“We really wanted to take the catering division of the Bruno Event Team to the next level,” said Gene Hallman, president and CEO of the Bruno Event Team. “We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to bringing worldclass dining to the Birmingham community.”

Bruno Hospitality offers services for corporate gatherings, weddings, celebrations and other casual and fine-dining functions. It will offer a wide variety of menu options that include carving stations, hors d’oeuvres and cocktail sandwiches.

For more information, visit brunohospitality.com.

FRIED CHICKEN CHAMP: LITTLE DONKEY NAMED TO THRILLIST LIST

A Homewood restaurant that specializes in South of the Border fare earned praise for a distinctly Southern dish.

Little Donkey made Thrillist’s list of the 31 Best Fried Chicken Restaurants in America. The Thrillist website covers food, drink, entertainment and travel.

The article, posted Feb. 8, said that while the menu “is teeming with excellent smoked pork tortas and an arsenal of tacos, it’s the fried chicken that completely brings the heat.”

Little Donkey is at 2821 Central Ave. in Homewood.

To read the article, visit thrillist.com. ❖

LUCKY CAT, From page 24

practice.

“This allows us to source locally, to be as organic as possible and to have fresh and seasonal ingredients,” Hannah said.

On the menu are creations that start with a vanilla base, like the Maja, which has Taza Mexican chocolate, cinnamon and a butter waffle cookie. The Trolley Car has Ghirardelli chocolate and caramel sauce, a brownie and chocolate sticks.

The Fairy Tale includes marshmallow fluff, sprinkles, a mini waffle cone and Pocky sticks – chocolatecoated cookie sticks. Maple syrup, bacon pieces, chocolate-dipped bacon and a mini waffle cone make up the Sugar Moon.

The Slamens’ two children already have their favorites.

“Magdalena’s favorite is Fairy Tale because it turns purple and has gold sprinkles plus a Pocky stick,” Hannah said. “Canon likes vanilla with sprinkles.” Magdalena, age 8, and Canon, 5, are students at Vestavia Hills Elementary East.

She said the menu always features some interesting combinations plus simpler choices.

The couple said they didn’t think they’d be ready to open a storefront so soon after their first pop-up in their front yard last September.

“I was taking a business start-up class at REV Birmingham, and another student put me in touch with the previous owner of this space,” Hannah said. “It had been an ice cream shop before, so it already had equipment. Most changes we made were more cosmetic than structural.”

The 18th Street location appealed to them, too.

“There’s so much foot traffic here, and we’re close to UAB and Samford University – so we jumped on it,” Hannah said.

The store soon will offer treats just for grown-ups.

“We’re getting our license so we can have beer, wine, Prosecco and sake,” Greg said. “We’ve had times when the kids wanted ice cream and we wanted beer.”

The Slamens hope to share their rolled ice cream in other places.

“We’d like to one day open a second place, maybe in Lakeview or in downtown Birmingham,” Hannah said.

On one wall of the Homewood store is its namesake: a red cat. Called a “maneki neko” in Asian culture, the lucky cat symbolizes different things according to its color and which paw it’s holding up. The Slamens’ choice seems to be an apt one: The cat in their logo has a raised left paw, which traditionally is supposed to attract customers.

Lucky Cat Rolled Creams is at 2809 18th St. South in Homewood.

It’s open from 12:30-9 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; from 12:30-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; and from 2-7 p.m. on Sundays. The store is closed on Mondays. For more information, visit luckycatrolledcreams.com or follow the store on Facebook and Instagram. ❖

FOOD

Crowd-Pleasing Pizza ‘Reach for the Pie’ Cook-off Benefits Special Olympics

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 25

Rehab Reality...

by Julie and Jeff Butler (March 2017)

By Donna Cornelius

Red sauce or white? Meat or veggies? Thin crust or thick? If you’re particular about your pizza, here’s your chance to support your favorite version – and an organization that gives intellectually disabled people a chance to shine.

The Hoover Police Department is hosting its first Reach for the Pie Pizza Cook-Off on March 17. The foodthemed fundraiser benefiting Special Olympics is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Soiree Event Gallery, 2132 Lorna Ridge Lane in Hoover.

“We partner with the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which raises money for Special Olympics,” said Eric Myers, a Hoover police officer who’s heading up the event. “We’ve done other fundraisers for Special Olympics and got the idea for the pizza cook-off from an organization in another state.”

The world’s largest sports organization for those with intellectual disabilities, Special Olympics includes more than 4.9 million athletes in 172 countries and has more than a million volunteers around the world. It’s a cause that’s especially important to Myers.

“I have a son with Down syndrome, and one day he’ll be participating in Special Olympics,” Myers said. “This makes it really meaningful to me.

There’s a stigma that people with disabilities can’t do anything, but you’d be amazed at their capabilities.”

He said he was at a recent event for intellectually disabled athletes that included a 400-meter swim. As a police officer, he has to be in good shape. But he said he was impressed by the participants’ abilities.

“I don’t think I could swim that far,” he said. “If you haven’t been to a Special Olympics event, you don’t understand how much these young athletes can do.”

At the Reach for the Pie Cook-Off, several Hoover-area pizzerias will compete in four categories: traditional, gourmet, New York style and “no red,” as in a sauce other than red.

Myers said judges will choose winners. Those who attend also can vote on a fan favorite.

Set to pit their pizza-making skills against each other are Domino’s Pizza, IronStone Pizza, Jet’s Pizza, Publix, Salvatore’s Pizza & Pasta, Turner Foods Systems and Whole Foods Market.

Winners will receive a title that’s quite a mouthful: “la migliore pizzeria in città,” the Italian way to say “best pizza in town.”

Early bird tickets to the cook-off are $15. Regular tickets are $20. You can buy tickets at eventbrite.com.

“The tickets include two large slices of pizza,” Myers said. “You choose which pizzeria station to visit and then pick your slices. You can also buy additional slices for $1.”

Coca-Cola products will be served at the event.

Myers said he’s pleased with the support the inaugural Reach for the Pie has received.

“I think it will become an annual event,” he said.

For more information, follow the event on Facebook @ReachForThePie. ❖

Journal photos by Jordan Wald

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Spring Broken

The Hoover Police Department is hosting its first Reach for the Pie Pizza CookOff on March 17. The food-themed fundraiser benefits Special Olympics.

Eric Myers, a Hoover police officer who’s heading up the event is pictured with Special Olympics athletes. Above, from left, Catherine Grimes, Daniel Sturdivant, Myers, Catherine Stakes and Wyman Freeman. Below, Kelly Cook, Malone Morgan, Myers, Jacob Halpin and Ran Dorn.

‘If you haven’t been to a Special Olympics event, you don’t understand how much these young athletes can do.’

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FASHION

26 • Thursday, March 8, 2018

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

BRING ON

Spring!

FASHION

Journal photo by Sarah Kuper

JOURNAL PHOTOS BY LEE WALLS JR.

After graduating from Auburn University and then earning a master’s degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Beth Keplinger spent years teaching math. She is fulfilling a lifetime dream by opening the ladies’ boutique Ryan Reeve in Cahaba Heights.

Where Fashion and Nostalgia Meet OTM Native Opening Cahaba Heights Boutique With Hometown Flair

By Sarah Kuper Beth Keplinger is fulfilling a lifetime dream by opening the ladies’ boutique Ryan Reeve in Cahaba Heights.

The store will sell casual but sophisticated clothing for women of all ages at varying price points.

While Keplinger has a knack for style and a heart for customer service, her dream of owning a boutique goes beyond clothes and shoes. Keplinger’s goal is to create a place reminiscent of hometown shops she visited as a girl growing up in Mountain Brook.

“It will be the kind of place for ladies to come and, even if they don’t buy anything, there is always conversation, always laughter and you leave feeling better than you did when you came in,” she said.

In opening Ryan Reeve, Keplinger feels she is fulfilling what she was always destined to do, even if it isn’t what she always trained to do.

After graduating from Auburn University and then earning a master’s degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Keplinger spent years teaching math.

In fact, it was during a school career day that Keplinger became more determined than ever to chase her dream of opening a boutique.

“At that career day, every speaker would get up and say, ‘Follow your dreams,’ and I thought, ‘That’s it, I’m going to do this.’”

But leaving students and families

didn’t come easy for her, and she is grateful for the teaching experiences that gave her confidence to venture out on her own.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time teaching. That was the hardest part, leaving what I did love with all my heart, but I knew if I didn’t do it now, my window

‘It will be the kind of place for ladies to come and, even if they don’t buy anything, there is always conversation, always laughter and you leave feeling better than you did when you came in.’ was closing,” she said.

Keplinger said her husband and three daughters are supportive and she is optimistic the community will embrace her.

“Cahaba Heights is on the verge of really growing and expanding. There is a strong movement to shop local and I would love to be a part of it. Cahaba Heights is such a dear community with a sense of hometown loyalty.”

Re-creating Home

Ryan Reeve is located barely two miles from Keplinger’s childhood home, and she said the memories of growing up in Mountain Brook, near Cahaba Heights,

inspire her approach to business.

Keplinger names many Over the Mountain shops and proprietors who, in some way, shaped who she is today, including Shoe Corral in Cahaba Heights, Holly Tree gift shop in Crestline and Penny Palmer boutique in Homewood.

“It’s my hope that we would have a community of ladies that enjoy coming to the boutique to visit with favorite salespeople and ladies whose children will, in turn, shop with me as they grow.”

Keplinger describes the merchandise she will carry as “laid-back, sophisticated and casual.”

“Our clothes can be ‘California casual,’ but we also have four lines out of Europe – some beautiful Italian cotton and gorgeous cashmere pieces from a German designer.”

The store also will carry shoes and accessories, which Keplinger hopes will make Ryan Reeve approachable to anyone.

Over time, she expects the store will even further reflect the character of Over the Mountain shoppers.

“We are throwing all the seeds we can to see what digs in and starts blooming,” she said, “We will keep identifying what customers would like to see more of.”

Ultimately, the Mountain Brook High grad hopes Ryan Reeve will become a fixture in the community and have an impact on young women just like the stores that shaped her as a child, a teacher and a mother.

Ryan Reeve is at 3920 Crosshaven Drive in Cahaba Heights. The store will open for business mid-March. ❖

Jackson Pruitt, left, is wearing a slim fit Tucker Kennard plaid shirt in Bahama Breeze, $89.50, a Chambray Breaker pant in Ocean Breeze, $98.50, and an Anchor belt in brown, $98.50. Ellen Farris, right, is wearing a Geo embroidered top in blue, $88, and a stepped hem denim in white, $98.50, finished with a beaded tassel necklace in Citrus, $48. vineyard vines, 970-9758.

Cece Ferguson is wearing a Bloch’s Panel Back Diamante cap sleeve leotard in coral, $32. She is also wearing the Synchrony stretch canvas ballet shoe, $28.

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Claire Eagan, left, is wearing an Olive Free t-shirt dress, $39.99, crochet vest, $48.99, and Hapuku shoes by Blowfish, $49.99. Her handmade tassel necklace is made of recycled silk, $29.99. Caitlyn Jones, right, is wearing mauve flair jeans, $49.99, and a flower babydoll top with crochet accents, $34.99.

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Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 27

FASHION

Mary Catherine Dunham is wearing a Free People top, $25, white jeans by AG, $45, a Michael Kors handbag, $68, and Cole Haan sandals, $28.

Second Hand Rose, Vestavia Hills, 970-7997, Valleydale Rd., 987-7027.

Ellen Farris is wearing a linen ensemble from the Italian house, Fashion Culture. Her almond crop top with frayed edge, $152, is paired with a wide leg pant, $222, Marc Fisher espadrilles, $160, and Pacifica earrings, $132.

Ryan Reeve, coming midMarch to Cahaba Heights.

Lynn North, left, is wearing a Judy Tampa olive green jumpsuit, $265, belted with a leather belt by Johnny Farrah, $319. She is also wearing taupe Cordani heels, $288, gold hoop earrings, $24, and a Louise Abroms stone necklace, $155. Claire Haley, right, wears a blue grey color Crea top, $124, and pants, $182, separates outfit. Her cream-colored duster is from Jaga, $426, and can be worn with a number of different outfits. Claire’s shoes are cream suede sandals by Homers, $335, and her necklace is an ivory pendant with a long beaded chain from Fine Line, $448.

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KaKa Mixon, left, is wearing a hand-embroidered shirt, $126, paired with silk, layered pants, made in Italy, $98.

Mixon is accessorized with chandelier earrings, $22. On the right, Mixon is wearing a navy blue dress with cut-out long sleeves, $163, with a beaded drop necklace, $38.

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28 • Thursday, March 8, 2018

SCHOOLS

Fairytale Breakfast for a Cause Vestavia High’s Relay for Life Hosts Princess and Superhero Breakfast

At least 300 Over the Mountain preschoolers and their parents ate breakfast with favorite princesses and superheroes as part of Vestavia Hills High School’s Relay for Life fundraiser.

High school volunteers dressed as Disney princesses and comic book heroes, posed for photos and signed autographs during the event, held Feb. 24. Area merchants donated coffee, doughnuts and breakfast sandwiches.

The event, which raised more than $4,500, benefitted the Children’s of Alabama oncology department.

One of three sponsors for this year’s fundraiser, Hanna Nall, said the event accomplished one big goal.

“We always involve middle and high school students in a big way and this event helped even younger children and their families be a part of Relay for Life,” she said.

This was the second year for the breakfast, and student organizer Maggie Mince said the event doubled in size.

Mince and other Relay for Life leaders worked hard promoting the event to area preschools, day cares and churches.

She said the breakfast raised awareness and money for cancer research, but it also brought a lot of joy to local children.

“What a cool way to give kids a

Journal photos by Jordan Wald

By Sarah Kuper

Clockwise from above, Mary Katelyn Anthony, Brenna Seale and Emily Balogh; Kyser Barranco with Lawson and Fisher Grimes; Mary Callison and Virginia Macoy; and Ella Claire Hilsmier and Mary Cate Saville as Mulan.

special experience, especially if their family can’t afford to go somewhere like Disney,” she said, “It is a similar experience with photo backdrops and autograph books.”

Ultimately, the goal of the event

Serving Alabama Children through CASA For children who have experienced abuse or neglect, the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) can help make a difference by helping them work their way through the court and child welfare systems in search of a loving home. Each time a child is paired with a CASA Volunteer, their chances are greater to have the best possible outcome. CASA recruits and trains volunteers to advocate for the child’s best interest in the court process. They work with judges, lawyers, social workers, and families to ensure each child has an advocate in court, the child welfare, and foster care systems.

Many life goals and achievements that our culture considers normal rites of passage do not Devon lived in three occur for children who are in foster homes in one year. foster care. Statistics show that That’s a heavy burden for 40% do not graduate from high a child to carry. school, 20% become homeless within one year and 25% will be incarcerated after leaving foster care. In contrast, children with CASA volunteers spend 7.5 months less time in foster care, experience fewer outof-home placements, have significantly better educational performance, and are 90% less likely to reenter the system. By working to reduce the length of time a child spends in foster care, CASA saves the state thousands of dollars while drastically improving the quality of a child’s life, one child at a time. Every child that CASA helps to find a safe, permanent home is one more future adult who has a chance to thrive and succeed in our society.

In 2015, there were 10,279 dependency proceedings in Alabama. Currently, we only have the capacity to serve 10% of the children who need a CASA Volunteer. We must serve more but we cannot do it without the help of caring individuals willing to be trained to serve. You don’t have to be “qualified,” just a caring, compassionate and concerned person willing to be trained.

CASA is presently recruiting volunteers to work with abused and neglected children in all areas of Shelby County and parts of the Hoover area. Training classes begin April 2018.

For more information on how you can help, please visit www.casaofshelbycounty.org or call Beth at 243-8753.

and all of the school’s Relay for Life events is to fund cancer research, but participating students gain a lot from their experiences planning and executing the fundraisers.

“Planning the breakfast gave me responsibilities I wouldn’t have had without this leadership position. Plus, it was cool to see high schoolers get involved with young kids and to see how much fun the kids had,” she said.

Nall predicts organizers of next year’s breakfast will need to find a bigger space to host the festivities.

The Princess and Superhero Breakfast is just one of several events leading up to the Vestavia High School Relay for Life on April 14.

Last year the school raised more than $280,000. ❖

Dancewear 1629 Oxmoor Rd. Homewood 871-STEP (7837)

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Photo special to the Journal

With the recent success at UAB tournament, the VHHS Science Olympiad team, above, will advance to the statewide Alabama Science Olympiad, to be held March 31 at Auburn University.

VHHS Olympiad Team Places High at UAB Competition

The VHHS Science Olympiad team recently competed at the UAB Regional Science Olympiad, held Feb. 10. The team placed third overall.

According to school officials, the accomplishment is notable because the team is considered very young. Team members are three returning seniors and 10 new members.

To prepare for the competition, the students have trained since August, honing their skills in 23 science and engineering categories, including mousetrap-powered vehicles, model helicopters, herpetology, forensics and experimental design.

With the recent success, the team will advance to the statewide Alabama Science Olympiad, to be held March 31 at Auburn University.

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 29

SCHOOLS

Homewood Recognizes Teachers of the Year

A team of teachers, administrators and community members recently selected Homewood City Schools 2017-2018 Teachers of the Year.

Lisa Littlejohn is Homewood’s Elementary Teacher of the Year and Michele Cooley is Homewood’s Secondary Teacher of the Year.

Littlejohn is a gifted specialist at Hall-Kent Elementary School who has been an educator for 18 years.

She has served on Hall-Kent’s Building Vision Team and was a 2014 Homewood Foundation’s Teacher Impact Award winner.

“Lisa is invested in students’ lives,” said Principal Kiana Coleman, in a released statement. “Her personal characteristics such as patience, consideration, good judgment and tenacity are admirable qualities. She continuously looks for ways to make learning exciting and meaningful for

her students in order to enrich their experience in the Gifted Program. Her mission is for all students to receive engaging, relevant lessons.”

Cooley is an AP English teacher at Homewood High School, a position she has held for four years.

Her 19-year career in education includes teaching Pre-AP English at Homewood Middle School.

At the high school, Cooley, the creator and a sponsor of The Patriot Pride Ambassadors, serves as an instructional coach and mentor for new teachers.

“To be able to teach and teach well, one must acquire over time a variety of characteristics and traits that afford the educator the opportunity to be successful,” said Principal Zack Barnes. “Mrs. Cooley possesses more of those traits than any other educator with whom I’ve worked in the past 20 years. Mrs. Cooley is aware of the pulse of the school and wants everyone, both students and teachers, to challenge themselves to make Homewood High School a better place.”

In addition to overall Teachers of the Year, individual schools’ teachers of the year include Brooke Braswell of Edgewood Elementary, Emily Dunleavy of Shades Cahaba Elementary School and Kevin Hughes of Homewood Middle School.

Finley Committee Recognizes ‘Teachers in the Trenches”

Hoover City Schools’ Finley Award Committee recently recognized three

teachers at a breakfast at Hunter Street Baptist Church.

Blake Gilchrist, Rebecca Bueche and Lisa Gibson have earned the Teachers in the Trenches Award, which annually honors one elementary, middle and high school educator, each of whom go above and beyond in service to the community and school.

“These exceptional leaders each exemplify the character that is celebrated by the Finley Award and the goals of the committee,” said Hoover City Schools Superintendent.

Kathy Murphy. “We are very proud of each of the winners that were recognized this week.”

Created in 1996, the committee hosts events throughout the year to recognize students and teachers who exhibit exceptional character in the spirit of the late coach Bob Finley, longtime coach and educator at W.A. Berry High School.

Gilchrist is a physical education teacher at Riverchase Elementary School. According to school officials, the award recognizes his ability to build strong relationships with both his students and fellow teachers.

Bueche is an eighth-grade language arts teacher at Simmons Middle School. Award officials recognized her for her desire to advocate for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of all students.

Gibson, an 11th-grade English teacher at Hoover High School, according to a release, has a positive attitude that is infectious in the classroom. Going above and beyond the call, officials note that she often

uses her own financial resources to make sure students have the type of facilities and technology equipment needed for learning.

Berry’s Jacob Named HCS Spelling Bee Champion

Joshua Jacob, an eighth-grade student at Berry Middle School, emerged as the 2018 Hoover City Schools Spelling Bee Champion.

The final word on which Jacob won was “confinement.”

The bee recently was held at Spain Park High School and consisted of 14 participating students from across the school system Joshua Jacob and 42 rounds of words.

Hoover City Schools’ Curriculum and Instruction Department coordinated the annual event, under the leadership of chief academic officer Dr. Cindy Adams.

“These 14 students participated for bo beautifully. I’d like to commend their behavior and demeanor. All participants stayed until the end to Located in congratulate the winners,” Adams School su said. and adve Both Jacob and the runner-up, advantage Rishi Yellamraju from Brock’s Gap Intermediate, will participate in the and we of Jefferson County Spelling Bee on Feb. 9. ❖ FUN/SP

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

SPARTANS,

Journal photos by Marvin Gentry

From page 32

Mike Chase has been the head coach at Spain Park for nine years.

Spain Park’s Claire Holt, above, sank three 3-pointers, was 5-of-5 at the foul line, and had five rebounds and four steals to earn Class 7A state tournament MVP honors. Sophomore Sarah Ashlee Barker, right, added 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three steals and one blocked shot to earn her way onto the AllTournament Team. More photos at otmjsports.com.

JAGUARS, From page 32

ule around Birmingham this season that prepared them for the run and the dominating performance in the championship. Ramsay prepared the Jags; so did the Bucs.

“If you’re trying to get wins or you’re new to the system, you may not want to go out and schedule Ramsay three times, or Hoover or Hazel Green or LeFlore or these guys,” said Chase. “But I’ve been here long enough that we want to try to win a state championship. And if we’re going to try to win a state championship, we need to play the absolute toughest teams we can play, so that we don’t get into the playoffs and we don’t see something in the playoffs that we haven’t seen in a game.

“I wanna see teams that are athlet-

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ic. I wanna see teams that are disciplined. I wanna see teams that press. I wanna see teams that play man. I wanna see teams that play us in a zone. I wanna see teams with really good point guards. I wanna see teams with real teams with really good post players. So when we get to play a team like McGill – somebody that we don’t normally see – and they’ve got a really good point guard, we’ve already played 10 girls that are as good or better than her. We’ve already

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figured out how we’re gonna guard her. Because we had success against Jayla Crawford from Huffman or Caitlin Hose from Hazel Green.”

Chase has been the head coach at Spain Park for nine years. He’d spent a couple of years at Clay-Chalkville before taking over in 2009. He wasn’t always sure that this path would take him to the first girls basketball state championship in Spain Park history, but he was sure that he wanted to coach. And he is happy that it’s here.

“In ‘98, I was living in Florida and a girls basketball job opened up and the AD came to me and asked me if I would be interested in doing it,” said Chase. “I was like, ‘Heck yeah.’

So I’ve been a girls basketball coach for 22 years. If it would have been a boys job 20 years ago, I’d probably be coaching boys. If someone would have come up and offered me a football coaching job 20 years ago, I might have never been a basketball coach. I might have been a football coach for 20 years. It just worked out that way.”

Chase coached two teams at ClayChalkville to the AHSAA State Championship, and this was his first at Spain Park.

He has yet to take a day off; one day after his state championship, he’s in the gym practicing with his AAU team. Spain Park’s girls will technically get a two-week break, but their coach has no intentions of slowing down.

“Every coach out there wants to win a state championship,” said Chase. “If coaching was just about building relationships, then we would all coach upward basketball, because what would it matter? But when you win, the relationships become stronger. You’ve accomplished something together. I don’t buy into the idea that coaches coach for relationships. I want to win. I want to win a state championship.

I’m at the gym right now because I know people are going to be coming for us next year.”

Spain Park’s girls will take two weeks off to celebrate; catch up on school work, get to work with their AAU teams. Then they’ll hit the gym with coach Chase and focus on repeating. ❖

onship team is special to him. It’s a team that accomplished much more than a state championship; more than wins against Georgia’s Norcross by 20 points, Archbishop Molloy by 30 points and Atlanta’s Langston Hughes. This team defeated the 6A champions, Carver. This team beat the 4A champions, Cordova. This team beat the 1A champions, Sacred Heart.

They became a team and a program where no one thought this was possible as little as six years ago. But the 2017-18 Mountain Brook boys basketball team was much more than an undisputed champion; they were great people.

“We had four seniors this year,” McMillan said. “Three of them are National Honor Society members.

Two have signed in-state Division I athletic scholarships. Two are Eagle Scouts. Two scored a 35 on the ACT. One scored a 34 on the ACT. One has a 4.53 GPA. One has a 4.37 GPA. One has a 4.1 GPA. One is a National Merit Finalist. One is a National Merit Semifinalist. One is the recipient of the Bryant-Jordan Scholarship for 7A. And one is the My68 Scholar Athlete of the Year. That’s four guys,” he said, laughing. That’s four guys.

That’s crazy.”

McMillan took over the Spartans program in 2009. Since then, he’s bucked a stereotype that Mountain Brook couldn’t be a basketball school.

And sentimentally, he has done it at his alma mater; McMillan was part of the class of 2002.

“I went to Mountain Brook Elementary the other day; I had to go for a health screening,” said McMillan. “And I had not been there in 22 years. I asked the assistant principal there if I could just walk around.

I just wanted to see the school. And they said, ‘Man, come on. We’ll take you around. Which was really nostalgic.”

McMillan knew when he was 5 years old that he wanted to play college basketball. And his dad told him, “If you’re going to do that, you’re going to have to practice a minimum of two hours every day.”

So he did. When he was sick.

During the holidays. During Spring Break. Two hours. Every day. And

McMillan earned an opportunity to play for Coach Duane Reboul at Birmingham-Southern College when the Panthers were still competing at the Division I level.

“When I did that, it was unheard of,” McMillan said. “To be good at basketball at Mountain Brook and to want to try to be good at basketball.

People would laugh at me. It’s not what you do at Mountain Brook. Why are you wasting your time doing this?

Maybe baseball. Maybe something else. It just wasn’t a basketball culture.”

McMillan changed that. When he toured that elementary school four days before the Spartans won their fourth state championship, he really began to notice it.

“When we were walking around, I noticed, 40 percent of those boys were wearing neons,” he said. “This was kindergarten through 6th grade.

And I’d say 70 percent of them came up to me and said, ‘Hey coach Bucky, how’s it going? Who we playing next week?’ Asking questions about who we’re playing, asking questions about our players, telling me they’re coming to the civic center. That was moving to me. Because I can remember being them. And wanting that so bad, and it wasn’t there. It touches me.”

The Spartans will take a few weeks off and begin their quest toward repeating soon. They’ll obviously have Watford, but they’ll also have the assistance of Alex Washington – who has also played in two state championship games – and Paulie Stramaglia, who has been playing since ninth grade. Berman also returns.

Mountain Brook alumnus McMillan, at just 34 years old, has changed the culture of basketball for the Spartans. ❖

Junior Trendon Watford, below, was named the tournament MVP. Lior Berman, right, earned All-Tournament Team honors alongside fellow senior Sean Elmore. More photos at otmjsports.com.

Journal photos by Marvin Gentry

30 • Thursday, March 8, 2018

Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 31

SPORTS

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Vestavia Hills’ Anderson Named to National High School Hall of Fame

a positive impact for student-athletes and coaches in this state for many years to come. …

Through his strong commitment to faith and character, he exemplifies all the right lessons that participation in educational-based athletics can teach.”

From Anderson’s perspective, all that has happened almost in the blink of an eye.

Anderson guided the Vestavia Hills team to state football titles in 1980 and 1998. His teams have compiled a 47-28 playoff record in 29 appearances, including 12 straight playoff appearances from 1993 to 2004.

He and his father, former Thomasville High School coach Dovey Anderson, are the only father-son coaches in the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame.

The national hall of fame’s Class of 2018 will be inducted July 2 during the closing event of the 99th annual NFHS Summer Meeting, in

Journal file photo by Lee Walls Jr.

Vestavia Hills High School’s coach Buddy Anderson has been named to join the National High School Hall of Fame.

Twelve athletes are being added to the hall this year. Anderson is one of five coaches joining the group, which is administered by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Anderson will be beginning his 41st year as the Rebels’ head football coach in the fall, according to a press release from the Alabama High School Athletic Association. His overall 329-146 coaching record ranks him as the winningest high school football coach in state history.

“Buddy Anderson is an outstanding football coach, but more importantly, he is a role model all coaches can emulate,” AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese said in the statement.

“His influence as a teacher and coach will have

Buddy Anderson’s overall 329146 coaching record ranks him as the winningest high school football coach in state history.

Chicago.

“I’m a very blessed man,” Anderson said.

“God called me to be a coach on January 12, 1968, and I never dreamed that I would be at Vestavia all these years, but I’ve been very blessed. I’ve been blessed with the coaches that I’ve had an opportunity to work with, all the fine young people that we’ve been able to coach; my family, I’m very blessed to have a wonderful family; the administration and the

faculty that I’ve worked with at Vestavia through the years; it’s very humbling.”

Anderson is the fourth high school coach from the state and 12th Alabamian named to the hall.

The National High School Hall of Fame will include 470 people after this summer’s induction. The hall was started in 1982 by the NFHS to honor high school athletes, coaches, contest officials, administrators, performing arts coaches/directors and others.

New members are chosen in a two-level selection process involving a screening committee composed of active high school state association administrators, coaches and officials, and a final selection committee composed of coaches, former athletes, state association officials, media representatives and educational leaders.

Nominations were made through NFHS member associations.

Asked how he feels about getting the award while he’s still coaching, Anderson said, “I’m very thankful. Sometimes when these things happen people are dead,” he said with a laugh.

“It’s beyond my belief to receive this honor.”

Blake Ells contributed to this report. ❖

HEALTHY DICHIARA OFF TO SIZZLING START FOR HOOVER BASEBALL TEAM

By Rubin E. Grant Sonny DiChiara had one thing uppermost in his mind as Hoover prepared for its 2018 baseball season: be healthy.

That’s understandable, considering the number of health-related issues DiChiara has had in recent years.

When he was in the seventh grade, DiChiara had brain surgery related to a medical condition he had had for several years.

“The only way to fix it was for me to have surgery,” he said.

The procedure was performed in July 2012 just after DiChiara had participated in a baseball tournament for 12-year-olds in Cooperstown, N.Y. The recovery lasted seven months and ended his days of playing football. “They said I couldn’t play contact sports,” he recalled.

The summer after his freshman season on the Bucs’ baseball team, DiChiara cracked a bone in his back. “It was a freak accident,” he said. “I was pitching on a rainy day and slipped on the mound.

I arched my back and cracked something.”

Then, during fall baseball workouts his junior year, DiChiara underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. He was relegated to being the Bucs’ designated hitter during their run to the 2017 Class 7A championship.

“It was rough,” DiChiara said. “I was wonder-

ing, what next. So, my goal for my senior season was don’t get hurt.

“I wanted to be healthy, so I spent a lot of time on conditioning. I hit the weights, had better nutrition and did a lot of running, even though I hate running.”

Mission accomplished. The 6-foot-2-inch, 220pound senior first baseman/right-handed pitcher began this season completely healthy and got off to a sizzling start as Hoover won seven of its first eight games.

He hit .500 with three home runs and 12 RBIs, and he recorded two saves as Hoover’s closer.

“It’s been fairly good,” DiChiara said. “If you compare last season to this season, it’s certainly better.”

DiChiara had a solid junior season. He hit .352 with eight home runs and 42 RBI, was named to the Class 7A All-State team as a designated hitter and was a member of the All-Over the Mountain Journal team.

During the summer, Perfect Game listed DiChiara as the top-rated first baseman in Alabama and 16th in the nation.

“He’s a complete player,” Hoover baseball coach Adam Moseley said. “He can hit for power and average, and he uses the whole field.

“On the mound, he throws consistently 86-88 mph with his fastball. He has a three-quarters release, so it’s a funky delivery, and with him

OUR 33RD 33RD YEAR! OUR YEAR! SUMMER 2018 OUR 33RD SUMMER 2018 OUR 33RD YEAR! YEAR! SUMMER 2018 OUR 33RD YEAR! JUNE 10-14 SUMMER 2018 JUNE 10-14 JUNE 10-14 17-21 SUMMER 2018 JUNE JUNE 17-21 JUNE 10-14 JUNE 24-28 JUNE 17-21 JUNE 24-28 JUNE 17-21 JUNE 10-14 JUNE 24-28 JUNE JUNE24-28 17-21 JUNE 24-28

throwing so hard, it makes him very difficult to hit.”

Samford Bound

DiChiara already has signed with Samford because of a close relationship with Bulldogs head coach Casey Dunn.

“Coach Dunn offered me a scholarship after I had Tommy John surgery,” DiChiara said. “I’ve known him for a long time because growing up I played with his nephew Nolan Hammonds (another Hoover senior) and coach Dunn always came to our games. I knew he was the man I wanted to

play college baseball for.

“College of Charleston was going to make an offer to me, but I told them not to bother because there was no way I wasn’t going to Samford.”

With his college baseball future secure, DiChiara is concentrating on trying to help the Bucs repeat as 7A champs.

“I think coming off last season all of us realize we’ve got a chance to do it again,” DiChiara said.

“We’ve got good team chemistry and a bunch of talent with seven (NCAA) Division I players. We just have to go out and play up to our ability to give ourselves a chance to do it again.” ❖

BASEBALL

CASEY DUNN BASEBALL CAMPS 2018

YOUTH BASEBALL CAMPS

June 11-24, June 25-28, July 9-12 and July 23-26 Grades K-7, $195, 9 a.m.-noon

Fundamentals, including hitting, fielding, throwing, running bases, and game simulations.

MIDDLE SCHOOL ADVANCED CAMP June 20-21, 6th to 8th Grades, $200, 1:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

The camp is designed for campers at a higher level than the youth camps with a more advanced and technical level of instruction for the players.

HIGH SCHOOL ELITE CAMP

July 17-18 • Grades 9 - 2018 Graduates • Day 1 - 12:00-9 p.m., Day 2 - 9 a.m.-5 p.m. • $295 This camp is designed for players to receive detailed instruction while showcasing their talent for the Samford Coaching Staff.

A member institution's sports camp or clinic shall be open to any and all entrants (limited only by number, age, grade level and/or gender).

BENEFITS

• one-on-one instruction • daily games • instruction in all areas of baseball • exposure to many different coaches • Samford Baseball Camp t-shirt • Youth Campers receive Samford Baseball water bottle

BRING

• baseball glove and hat • baseball cleats and tennis shoes • baseball pants and shorts • a willingness to work hard and get better

Check in starts 30 minutes prior to first day of camp!

The camp is open to any and all registrants.

Registration information can be obtained online at www.subaseballcamps.com or call 205-726-4294

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2018

SPORTS

Vestavia Hills’ Coach Buddy Anderson Named to National High School Hall of Fame PAGE 31

A Double Dose of Domination

Mountain Brook Boys, Spain Park Girls Crush McGill-Toolen Boys and Girls to Claim Class 7A State Basketball Championships

History-making Finish for Jags

By Blake Ells Spain Park won its first girls basketball state championship March 3 in dominating fashion – a 56-26 victory over McGill-Toolen Catholic from Mobile.

McGill-Toolen made just nine field goals against a team that had been preparing for that moment.

The Jaguars were led by senior Claire Holt, who had 20 points, five rebounds and four steals. She knocked down three 3-pointers and was 5-of-5 at the foul line in an effort that earned her tournament MVP. “She had a good final four,” said head coach Mike Chase. “We played (in the final four) last year, and she

played well for us in both games. She had a really good comfort level; shooting and playing in that gym.

Last year’s experience definitely helped us this year.”

Sarah Ashlee Barker added 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three steals and a blocked shot.

A year ago, crosstown rival Hoover defeated the Jaguars 51-47 in overtime. But this year, many of the same girls were able to redeem themselves at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Two of them – Holt and Barker, just a sophomore – were named to the Girls 7A AllTournament Team.

Spain Park built a difficult sched-

See JAGUARS, page 30

TROPHY TIME Spain Park players, above, and Mountain Brook players, left, celebrate during trophy presentations last Saturday at the BJCC Legacy Arena. More photos at otmjsports.com.

Spartans Four on the Floor

Journal photos by Marvin Gentry

By Blake Ells Mountain Brook won its fourth boys basketball state championship in six years Saturday in a dominating 73-49 victory over Mobile’s McGillToolen.

The Spartans were led by junior Trendon Watford’s 26 points, 12 rebounds, five blocked shots, three assists and one steal.

Senior Sean Elmore complemented that with 20 points, sparked by 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, and eight rebounds. Seniors Lior Berman and Britton Johnson had six points

each.

“Great competitors play against great competition on big stages,” coach Bucky McMillan said of Elmore. “He’s an elite competitor. He finds something deep inside of him and always brings something that’s needed for our team.”

Watford was the tournament MVP. He has a senior year remaining, then he’ll be playing Division I basketball.

Elmore earned All-Tournament Team honors alongside fellow senior Lior Berman.

McMillan’s 2017-18 state champi-

See SPARTANS, page 30

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