4.30.20

OTMJ OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL u OTMJ.COM

SOCIAL

THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2020

SPORTS

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Encouraging Signs Shawn Fitzwater, above, in front of the mural he painted in downtown Homewood, see story page 14. Below, from left: OTM Moms find joy in the moment while working at home, page 12; Emmet O’Neal library promotes the benefits of shelter-in-place reading; Ted’s Restaurant owners find gratification in providing ‘Meals for Heroes’, page 21.

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

OPINION/CONTENTS

Inside

Murphy’s Law

J SCIENCE STILL RULES McWane’s Cabin Fever series seeks to inspire scientific minds while stuck at home PAGE 4

PASSING ON A FAMILY TRADITION Smith’s Variety owner sells store to couple with similar approach PAGE 10

SEND IN THE TROUP’S Pizza restaurant opening in Cahaba Heights with curbside service PAGE 20

SCHOOL PPE PROJECT Altamont students team up with teacher to create PPEs for local health care professionals PAGE 22

ABOUT TOWN 4 PEOPLE 8 NEWS 9 LIFE 12

SOCIAL 16 FOOD 20 SCHOOLS 22 SPORTS 24

otmj.com With everything that’s happening “Over the Mountain,” it can be difficult to keep up. That’s why we have launched the OTMJ newsletter.

Published every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - we’ll give you a quick recap of the latest news, sports and social events as well as a heads up on upcoming events so you won’t miss any of the interesting and fun happenings in the Greater Birmingham metro area.

To sign up for our newsletter, visit otmj.com.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, @overthemountainjournal, for daily updates on what’s going on around town, too.

ust a guess here, but I’d wager spilled the beans (zucchini?) to a group that when you made those masked of real live children who didn’t seem April emergency runs to the groto take it well. Kids are not of the cery store, you weren’t looking for mindset to receive this news and say, low-fat ice cream or pizza with cauli“By Jove, this does taste good. I must flower crust. Let’s face it: no one, not have been wrong about vegetables all even the healthiest health nut among this time. Bring on the kohlrabi, us, wanted to open his self-isolating Mother Dear!” refrigerator to find plain yogurt and The hiding tactic worked OK when beet juice. Nope, if ever there was a cooking for others, but you can’t time for comfort carbs, we were there. expect to hide vegetables from yourI mean, we were stuck in our house self. And so, the negotiations began. anyway. We could have all gone on a What if I made my pasta whole wheat?

Sue Murphy 30-day juice cleanse, but we didn’t. Or What if I fried zucchini slices? What if at least, I didn’t. I tried to be sensible, my burger was made from quinoa and though. I did. When I went to the black beans? It was worth a try. I store, I bought cottage cheese and mean, we’ve molded tofu into hot I mean, we were stuck dog-shapes and turkey-esque slices frozen veggie frittatas, and I ate them, but mostly out of food waste for years. in our house anyway. guilt, not because I wanted to.

But wait … what if we could Being by myself just heightened We could have all have a big serving of vegetables that my usual struggle between what I gone on a 30-day juice tasted like grilled beef? That’s the want to eat and what I know I behind the Incredulous cleanse, but we didn’t. theory should.

Burger. I tried it, and it was deliWe all know we should be eating cious, but I am a dyed-in-the-wool broccoli and whole grains and tofu, skeptic, so I started delving into but what we want to eat is burgers and pasta and fries. what actually went into this incredulous product. What During ordinary times (remember those?), we’d go to I discovered was that the company didn’t stumble upon great lengths to continue to eat what we wanted while some miraculous rib roast plant deep in the Amazon maintaining the aura of an informed, sensible eater. jungle. No, the burger, the literature said, was “plantIt started with camouflage, burying broccoli and based,” but so are my bamboo sheets and they didn’t cauliflower under layers of heavy cheese sauce. taste like a burger hot off the grill. (To be honest, I Broccoli cheese soup? 97% cheese. And we all know didn’t taste them. I’m just guessing that if they did, we that if you put ranch dressing on it, most of us will eat would have had the Incredulous Burger years ago.) No, just about anything. the plants the company started with were familiar, but Then there emerged the full-on hiding movement, the gyrations and chemical incantations involved in cookbooks and blogs devoted to nothing but cramming making those plant items taste like ground beef were a serving of vegetables into something the kids (or numerous and complicated, or at least complicated to reluctant spouses) were already agreeable to eating. me.

One chicken company is now hiding a serving of vegeAnd so I remained un-incredulized and went back to tables in their chicken nuggets. Brilliant. Their one mis- eating my “twigs and berries” when what I really wanttake was that they filmed a commercial in which they ed was noodles.

Over the Mountain Views Keep Calm and Read On

Vol. 29, No. 17

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 2020 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.

Journal photo by Emily Williams

OVER THE MOUNTAIN

April 30, 2020 JOU RNAL Publisher & Editor: Maury Wald Copy Editor: Virginia Martin Features Writer: Donna Cornelius Staff Writers: Emily Williams, Sam Prickett Photographer: Jordan Wald Editorial Assistant: Stacie Galbraith Sports: Rubin E. Grant Contributors: Susan Murphy, June Mathews, Emil Wald, Marvin Gentry, Lee Walls, Bryan Bunch Advertising Sales: Julie Trammell Edwards, Tommy Wald, Gail Kidd

Using Your Noodle

While Mountain Brook’s Emmet O’Neal Library has closed its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the staff has found ways to stay connected to the community, offering supportive messages on their windows and library content on their website.

Reopening the Economy, Community

As the COVID-19 shutdown enters its second month, the effects on our local economy have been significant.

With stay-at-home orders set to expire on April 30 and reports that Gov. Kay Ivey was to announce her plans this past Tuesday for reopening the state’s economy, there is some cause for optimism. Plans for reopening would be welcome news for many, for the small businesses who have seen commerce come to a screeching halt and for the well-being of community members struggling with confinement.

As we ease back into what we hope to be a V-shaped recovery, our plan is to publish monthly through the summer and return to our biweekly publication schedule in September - just in time for high school football! Our next issue will be May 28. Please sign up for our e-newsletter at otmj.com and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

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4 • Thursday, April 30, 2020

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

ABOUT TOWN

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Science Still Rules

By Emily Williams The doors of McWane Science Center have been closed to visitors for more than six weeks. There have been no spring break visitors, field trips or families gathering to explore science through educational fun.

Last week, McWane celebrated its annual Volunteer Appreciation Week – not within the museum’s walls, but online.

Similarly, Earth Day was celebrated throughout the week with science experiments and learning opportunities available online and via the museum’s social media pages.

According to McWane Director of Marketing and Communications Katie Baasen, the museum itself is now run by few staff members who consistently check the building for security and operational purposes, as well as maintaining the aquariums.

While the center is closed, the staff continues to create content for kids in a virtual setting, with a mission to, “spark wonder and curiosity about our world through hands-on science experiences.”

In response to social distancing and stay-at-home measures, the museum created a new virtual learning series dubbed “Cabin Fever.”

The series offers a little bit of everything visitors would see at the museum, including experiments,

museum installation demos, educational facts and more.

Last week, education specialist Kristin Goebel virtually presented an experiment inspired by American

‘Now more than ever, we depend on the support of those who value McWane and want to help us continue to serve our community.’

KATIE BAASEN, MCWANE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

geochemist and geobiologist Hope Jahren’s study of fossil forests. The installment was a throwback to the museum’s February programming series highlighting women in history.

The activity is all about creating your own paleontological dig site at home, with the use of various everyday household items as well as objects you can find in your own backyard.

The Cabin Fever series can be accessed at mcwane.org/cabin-fever/ and includes links to McWane’s social media and YouTube pages.

Central Alabama Theater Introduces Video Series, CAT Close-Ups

While live theatrical performances and social distancing don’t mesh very well, Central Alabama Theater is finding a way to reach its audience through social media. The organization recently presented CAT Close-Ups, a new series of videos featuring theatrical performances.

In its first installment of the video series, released April 21, Executive Director Carl Peoples announced that the organization has followed the example of Broadway as well as much of the theater community by rescheduling the remaining shows in its season.

The summer production of “Daddy Long Legs” will be rescheduled for a later date.

Previously scheduled installments of the CAT Cabaret series – including performances by Tawny Stephens, Dr. Jeff Kensmoe and Natalie Collins, JAB-aret and Three on a String – will now take place during the 2021 season. That season will begin Oct. 1.

“But, as promised, we are bringing you hope in the way of musical numbers from our past six years of productions,” Peoples said.

“It’s our way of giving you a taste of that magic that happens between the audience and the performer on stage.”

Episode 101 of the series featured Broadway

Additionally, the page offers links to activities and resources so kids can continue to explore and create their own experiments. These include downloadable Stay at Home science and Itty Bitty Science activity instructions, links to museum-recommended YouTube content and links to other online educational resources.

The new offerings, as well as the museum’s continued future, Baasen said, are only possible with the continued support of the community.

More than 70% of the museum’s revenue is generated through its admissions, as well as IMAX movie tickets, store sales, camps, classes and more.

All of these sources of funds are dependent on museum attendance.

Therefore, Baasen and her fellow museum staff members are asking the community to support the future of the museum through online donations.

“Now more than ever, we depend on the support of those who value McWane and want to help us continue to serve our community,” Baasen said. “We were opened 22 years ago by the citizens of Birmingham and we want to continue to serve those citizens.”

Outside of the museum walls, the scientific community is far from silent.

“Science people are the individuals on the front lines right now,

veteran Abdul Hamid Royal’s performance from the theater’s Feb. 8 CAT Cabaret production.

The organization also has created a fundraising campaign, Small Gift – Big Impact 2020. Funds raised will help the theater continue operations over the next few months, until audiences can gather for performances again.

To donate, visit small-gift-big-impact2020. eventbrite.com.

For more information, visit centralalabamatheater.org or the “Central Alabama Theater” Facebook page.

—Emily Williams

Junior League Community Service Projects Keep Busy Amid Pandemic

Members of the Junior League of Birmingham are typically busy during April.

The organization’s largest fundraiser of the year, Bargain Carousel, is held annually in the spring.

A Bargain Bash kick-off was celebrated Feb. 27, including a VIP trunk show and auction of more than 100 retail and donated heirloom items. But the remaining two events of this year’s three-part 1,000-family garage sale –a Community Pop-Up Shop that had been planned for April 4 at the YWCA of Central

Journal photo by Maury Wald

McWane’s Cabin Fever Series Seeks to Inspire Scientific Minds While Stuck at Home

The doors of McWane Science Center have been closed to visitors for more than six weeks.

working hard to keep us safe, finding a cure or vaccine for this virus and guiding the decisions to alleviate this crisis now and help us recover once the pandemic has passed,” Baasen

Alabama and a general sale that had been planned for April 25 – will be rescheduled for a later date.

Proceeds from the fundraiser benefit the organization’s 39 community projects, a number of which remain busier than ever in response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The organization has created an Amazon Wish List, available at https://bit.ly/ JLBamazonWishList, to replenish its Diaper Bank supply, as well as stock its Southside and One Place Metro Birmingham Family Justice Center meal delivery teams.

Items will be delivered straight to the JLB’s headquarters, where they will be distributed to those in need.

—Emily Williams

‘I’m With Mike Run’ Goes Virtual on Father’s Day Weekend

Like so many events during this time of social distancing, the Mike Slive Foundation’s fourth annual I’m With Mike Prostate Cancer Awareness 5K run/1-mile walk is going virtual.

This Father’s Day weekend, June 20 and 21, lace up your sneakers and join the Mike Slive Foundation in honoring prostate cancer survivors and all the men in your lives by raising money for

said. “We want to help inspire science people and want to continue to do so.”

For more information, visit mcwane.org.

prostate cancer research and awareness.

Register at ImWithMike5K.com by May 26 to guarantee your shirt and size selection.

Registration is $30, $25 of which goes to supporting the group’s mission. An I’m With Mike shirt will be shipped directly to you so you can wear it during your run or walk. ­ “Adapting to changing situations is something my father did beautifully well. He was a tremendous leader, especially during challenging times. I know he would be proud that we have found a way to still come together as a community to support prostate cancer survivors and bring awareness to a cancer that affects one in nine men,” said Anna Slive Harwood, executive director of the Mike Slive Foundation.

Participants may walk or run wherever they like for the event, but the foundation is asking that they take a photo while they’re doing it, tag it @ MikeSliveFdn on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and use #ImWithMike to show their support.

Gold level sponsors of the I’m With Mike 5K race include ARC Realty, Burton Advertising, Karl Storz, Urology Centers of Alabama and Vituro Health. Presenting sponsors of the Mike Slive Foundation include Medical Properties Trust, Burton Advertising, Regions Bank, UAB and Urology Centers of Alabama.

—Virginia Martin

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

ABOUT TOWN

Thursday, April 30, 2020 • 5

6 • Thursday, April 30, 2020

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

ABOUT TOWN

APRIL 30 - MAY 30

What: MCAC continues its week-long virtual event and online festival art market place, featuring original works for sale by many of MCAC’s 2020 exhibitors. Website: magiccityart.com

Editor’s note: Some of the events in our calendar may have been canceled after our press deadline.

Please check organiziation websites for the latest information.

Fri., May 1 Glow on the Green

April 30

What: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham presents a golf fundraiser featuring nine holes of golf during the afternoon and nine holes at night, games, music, dinner and a raffle. When: 4 p.m. Where: Highland Golf Course Website: bbbsbhm.org

Aldridge Gardens Nature and Art in Balance

#BMAfromHome

What: In addition to videos providing in-depth discussion, Birmingham Museum of Art is offering online classes, kids’ art activities, puzzles, mini exhibitions by museum curators and more. Website: artsbma.org or access through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Sat., May 2 Journal photo by Jordan Wald

What: The Gardens is opening its gates daily for guests to enjoy the walking trails, although the offices and restrooms will remain closed. No running, as the trails are natural and not conducive to running. When: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Where: Aldridge Gardens Website: aldridgegardens.com

Derby Party

BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS SPRING PLANT SALE AT LEAF & PETAL DEAL DEPOT

What: Support the gardens by purchasing herbs and perennials grown for the Spring Plant Sale (canceled due to COVID-19) at Leaf & Petal Deal Depot which will give all of the proceeds back to the gardens. Available now until the plants sell out. When: Mon.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Where: 370 Summit Blvd. Website: For curbside pickup call, 205-601-8900 or 205-473-9722

Red Mountain Park

What: The park’s 15 miles of multi-use trails will remain open to the public until further notice. The large and special needs dog parks of Remy’s Dog Park will also remain open. The small dog park remains closed due to drainage issues. When: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Where: Red Mountain Park Website: redmountainpark.org

Vulcan Park and Museum

What: The park grounds, including Kiwanis Centennial Plaza, will

remain open daily at no charge.

Vulcan Center, The Anvil, Vulcan’s observation tower and the picnic area are closed. Hand rails and branches are sanitized throughout the day. When: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Where:

Vulcan Park and Museum Website: visitvulcan.com

Aprill 24-May 3 Magic City Art Connection

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You will receive an invitation to participate in mid-March. You can fill it out online, or by phone.

Your information is not shared with any other agency.

Brought to you by the Jefferson County Complete Count Committee

What: Shelby Humane presents a 21+ party featuring a contest for best Derby hats and best dressd guys, prizes, specialty drinks, craft beer, food, music and more. When: 3-6 p.m. Where: Siluria Brewing Co. Website: birminghamderby.org

Sun., May 3 Virtual Mitzvah Day 2020

What: Due to the cancellation of Temple Emanu-El’s in-person Mitzvah Day, they will still celebrate good deeds and acts of loving kindness. Drop a comment with a photo of good deeds you have engaged in and celebrate with some surprise announcements, prizes and opportunities. When: noon-5 p.m.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Website: “Virtual Mitzvah Day 2020” Facebook page

Sat. May 9 Hope for Autumn Foundation “Drive-thru” Crawfish Boil

What: In support of childhood cancer patients and in light of the COVID19 pandemic, the foundation has cancelled its traditional boil and opted to hosts a drive-thru boil. Place your order online by midnight on May 6.

When: 2-5 p.m. Where: 2101 Grand Ave., Hoover Website: “2020 Hope for Autumn Foundation “Drive-Thru” Crawfish Boil” Facebook page

Tues., May 12 THE FOUNDRY MINISTRIES LEADERSHIP BREAKFAST

What: Bruce Pearl will be the guest speaker, raising awareness and funding for the Foundry Ministries and Changed Lives Christian Center’s long-term and transition programs for Bruce Pearl the homeless and addicted. When: 6:30-8 a.m.

Where: Sheraton Ball Room Website: foundryministries.com

Thursday, April 30, 2020 • 7

ABOUT TOWN Sun., May 19 Golfing for Good with The Arc

What: Enjoy lunch, dinner and play a round of golf at this fundraiser to benefit The Arc of Central Alabama and its mission of independence for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

When: TBA Where: Greystone Golf and Country Club Website:. arcofcentralalabama.org

May 23 - 30 TCHAIK 5K - VIRTUAL RACE

What: The Alabama Symphony Orchestra will provide the playlist, you complete your socially distanced 5k run or walk and receive a Tchaik 5K t-shirt while supporting the Symphony. Register

by May 23 to receive a shirt (to be mailed after May 30.) Where: Anywhere Website: alabamasymphony.org

Wed., May 27 Virtual Book and Film Club: Jane Campion

What: Sidewalk Film presents “The Piano” by Jane Campion. The book will be shipped to participants.

Participants will watch the film on their own and meet up for a discussion of the book and film via Zoom.

Registration cutoff is May 6 at 5 p.m. When: 7 p.m. Website: “Virtual Book + Film Club: Jane Campion” Facebook page

May 29 and 30 St. Elias Lebanese Food and Cultural Fest

What: The free annual festival includes a 5k, Lebanese food, music, dancing, a silent auction and church tours. Delivery options are available for orders over $100 in some areas.

When: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Where: St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church Website: “22nd Annual St. Elias Lebanese Food and Cultural Festival” Facebook page

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42nd Annual Spring Concert

What: Birmingham Boys Choir presents its season ending concert, to include the sounds of over 150 choristers singing together. When: 7 p.m. Where: Samford University, Wright Fine Arts Center Website: birminghamboyschoir.org

Fri., May 15 Songs of Hope Country & Comedy Edition

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What: Red, White & Boots presents an evening with comedian Henry Cho, service veterans and singer/ songwriters Chris Turner, Dan DeMay and more. Proceeds benefit veterans with PTSD and Moral Injury. When: 7 p.m.; doors open, 6 p.m. Where: Workplay Website: warriorsongsofhope.com

Sat., May 16 Cahaba Lily Virtual Festival

What: Enjoy a festival unlike any other, as this year’s event will be conducted entirely online, streaming from their website. Check the website for forthcoming details. When: 9:10 a.m. Website: cahabalily.com

Barber Historics

What: A vintage race car event featuring some of the world’s finest historic race cars competing on the track in a variety of classes. Included will be the Porsche GT4 Cup race.

When: Check the website Where: Barber Motorsports Park Website: barbermuseum.org

Call or visit these shops on Canterbury Road in Mountain Brook Village. Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 10!

8 • Thursday, April 30, 2020

Homewood’s Bunn Earns Eagle Award

Davis William Bunn, a member of Boy Scout Troop 95 at Shades Valley Lutheran Church, was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout in a Court of Honor in November.

As a member of Troop 95, Bunn earned 33 merit badges and served as Davis Bunn the assistant senior patrol leader for the troop, as well as patrol leader for numerous patrols. He was inducted into the Order

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

PEOPLE of the Arrow, attended National Youth Leadership Training and completed a High Adventure trip to Sea Base in the Florida Keys.

For his Eagle Project, Bunn designed and built three raised planting beds that were incorporated into Homewood High School’s outdoor classroom.

With the addition of the raised beds, the outdoor classroom has a broader appeal across multiple disciplines and can be used by a greater number of teachers and students. Over 200 hours of service were generated during his Eagle Project.

A senior at Homewood High School, Bunn was selected as a member of The Patriot Pride, the school’s ambassador organization. He is a trombonist in the Homewood Patriot Band and marched

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in the 2018 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, in addition to the 2016 Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade and 2019 Walt Disney World Parade.

Bunn was inducted into the National Honor Society, National Beta Club and Mu Alpha Theta and will be an honors graduate with a seal of distinction.

He is also a member of Trinity United Methodist Church and serves as a senior acolyte.

He plans to attend the University of Mississippi in the fall as a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and will pursue a degree in public policy leadership at the Lott Leadership Institute.

Bunn is the son of Alison and Jason Bunn of Homewood. He is the grandson of Rebecca Crenshaw of Birmingham and Huette Bunn of Opelika.

Hoover’s Timberlake Earns Highest Girl Scouting Award for Choir Uniform Project

Maria Timberlake, a senior at Hoover High School, earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for her project, “Choir Consignment Closet.”

Timberlake’s project focused on financial inequality. She noticed that students at her high school did not have the chance to join choir because they were ­­unable to buy uniforms.

She worked to give students an opportunity to join choir regardless of their financial position by creating a choir uniform consignment program.

Former and current students donated

their used uniforms, which were stored in huge cabinets built by Birmingham Door Works.

Students interested in joining choir could then rent a uniform for the year from the closet at an affordable price.

“Student financial inequality is Maria Timberlake not only a local problem but also a national issue found in high schools all over the United States,” Timberlake said. “With my choir consignment program, I hope that I can inspire other schools to figure out their own solutions to issues and provide equal opportunities to all students.”

Timberlake hopes that more people will become aware of financial inequality and be inspired to create similar programs to help bridge the gap. The choir consignment closet will continue to run from year to year to provide students with the ability to participate in choir.

For her work, Timberlake earned the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.

“By earning the Girl Scout Gold Award,” said Karen Peterlin, chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, “Maria has become a community leader. Her accomplishments reflect leadership and citizenship skills that set her apart.”

She said earning her Gold Award has helped develop her critical thinking

skills as well as her leadership skills.

“I learned that I am very determined and passionate for what I believe in,” Timberlake said. “I knew I could make a difference.”

Mountain Brook’s Toomey Earns Eagle Scout Rank

Bruce MacClary Toomey, a member of Boy Scout Troop 63 at Canterbury United Methodist Church, was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on Oct. 10 after his final board review.

During his scouting career, Toomey earned 21 merit badges and 37 camping nights, and he served in such leadership positions as assistant patrol leader.

Bruce Toomey For his Eagle project, Toomey built a Gaga ball pit for Glenn Iris Elementary School. The pit will allow students to play Gaga ball, a gentler variation of dodgeball, while outside. He completed the project with more than $1,000 left over, which was donated to the school.

Toomey is a senior at Mountain Brook High School, with plans to attend Auburn University in the fall.

He is the son of Donne and Patrick Toomey of Mountain Brook and the grandson of Jackie and Bruce MacClary.

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Photo courtesy Birmingham Zoo

Mischa is a first-time mother and has been attentive to her kittens and her motherly chores of feeding and grooming them.

Happy Mother’s Day Mischa Four Cute and Rare Pallas’ Cats Born at the Birmingham Zoo

Mischa, the 3-year-old Pallas’ cat at the Birmingham Zoo, gave birth to four kittens on April 10.

Mischa, according to a statement from the zoo, is a first-time mother and has been attentive to her kittens and her motherly chores of feeding and grooming them. The kittens, as well as their mother, seem to be active and healthy.

Animal care and veterinary staff have been monitoring the situation on a camera feed. They’ll do a first visual check on the kittens when

Thursday, April 30, 2020 • 9

NEWS

they are two weeks and a first physical exam when they are eight weeks, at which time the sex of each kitten can be determined.

The kittens will start to open their eyes about 20 days after birth, and they are expected to emerge from the nest den when they are about one month old.

Pallas’ cats are small wild cats native to central Asia. The kittens at the zoo were conceived through natural breeding with the zoo’s male Pallas’ cat, Bataar.

Pallas’ cats are near threatened in the wild and their populations continue to decline. The birth of four kittens is a feather in the cap for the zoo’s Species Survival Plan program.

“We are all very happy for this wonderful news – our first Pallas’ cat kittens in over two decades at the Birmingham Zoo,” said Chris Pfefferkorn, president & CEO of the zoo. “Mischa’s litter is significant for the zoo and crucial for the Pallas’ cat species. We are the only AZA-accredited zoo in the state of Alabama, and we take pride in being a part of the conservation of wildlife and wild places.”

Scott Kayser, the lead animal care professional in predators and vice coordinator of the Pallas’ cat SSP, said, “I hope the birth of the kittens will encourage people to learn more about how the zoo is contributing to the conservation of this amazing species.” Kayser has researched Pallas’ cats in central Asia as a grant recipient of the zoo’s Passion Into Conservation Action program.

“Pallas’ cats are a small population, so every birth is important,” said Hollie Colahan, vice president of Living Collections.

—Virginia Martin

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NEWS

10 • Thursday, April 30, 2020

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Smith’s Variety, the longtime Mountain Brook toy and gift shop, is under new management. But both former owner Jim Glazner and new owner Brad Simpson maintain that the store’s service-oriented approach to its customers and the community at large will remain the same.

Smith’s Variety had been in Glazner’s family since his parents, Lit and Mary Anne, bought the store in 1976. The couple ran the store until Lit’s death in 2003; after that, Mary Anne took over the store until her death in 2017. Shortly afterward, Jim Glazner put the store on the market, citing the difficulty of balancing management of Smith’s with his full-time job at Prescription Aesthetic and Wellness Spa, the Vestavia Hillsbased cosmetic medical center that he founded in 2007.

Then came the August 2017 solar eclipse, which changed Glazner’s mind. The store sold 17,000 eclipse glasses – paper eyewear that enabled people to safely view the eclipse – and the community hubbub surrounding the store reminded him how much he loved Smith’s.

The store went off the market.

But, for reasons she couldn’t explain, Glazner’s wife, Tammie, held onto the business card of one prospective buyer: Brad Simpson.

In late 2019, Glazner had a conversation with his accountant that once again highlighted the difficulties of maintaining both Smith’s and his medical practice.

“He said to me, ‘You can’t do both,’” Glazner said. “We were spending an average of two to three hours a night on paperwork just for Smith’s, in addition to the medical practice. It just wasn’t working, and I felt that I was actually hurting Smith’s, because they needed someone there on a day-to-day basis who could make decisions. And so when we met, my accountant told me, ’Jim, there’s nothing wrong with retiring from Smith’s. There comes a time.’”

Glazner gave Simpson a call to see

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

By Sam Prickett

Brad Simpson and his wife, Amy, with children Owen and Lolly above, had previously owned a retail gift store in Florida, but Smith’s had always been on their minds.

Passing on a Family Tradition Smith’s Variety Owner Sells Store to Couple With Similar Approach

whether he was still interested.

“And he said, ‘My wife and I have been praying about this for two and a

‘We’re going to have one heck of a story on the back end of this. We still have zero doubt that this is what we were supposed to do.’ half years,’” Glazner said.

Simpson and his wife, Amy, had previously owned a retail gift store in Florida, but Smith’s had always been on their minds. They both had attended Samford University, during which

UAB to Begin Offering Mobile Testing for COVID-19

By Emily Williams

Officials with the University of Alabama at Birmingham announced on April 27 that the hospital will begin COVID-19 mobile testing operations this week.

During a press conference, UAB Vice President of Clinical Operations Jordan DeMoss announced that the new venture is an effort to expand access to testing beyond UAB’s Downtown COVID-19 Testing Site.

DeMoss noted that officials have spent the past month working to expand the capacity of the testing site

and perfect drive-thru operations. To date, UAB has tested more than 5,000 people.

“We know that not all patients and citizens in Birmingham and Jefferson County want to or can come to a downtown, drive-thru testing site,” he said. “So, we want to be able to go to them and meet them in their communities where they are.”

UAB officials considered testing data in order to choose the first testing sites, DeMoss said, identifying locations where they have seen the highest instances of COVID-19 positive results.

time Smith’s had left an impression.

“When making decisions for our Florida store, we always thought, ‘If we had Smith’s, this is what we’d do,’” Simpson said. “Smith’s was always in our minds and on our hearts for years, even before we moved back here … . When we were back in town visiting friends and relatives, Smith’s would always be one of the places Amy would stop. It was something that’s always been near and dear to her.”

The Simpsons moved back to the Birmingham area in summer 2017, and when they heard Smith’s was selling, Brad dropped his business card off at the store.

“I didn’t really hear anything back, so I just figured it wasn’t going to happen,” he said. “We just knew it

Mobile testing will begin this week in two locations, at Central Park Christian School in the Bush Hills community and Cathedral of the Cross in Center Point.

“This will be a new opportunity for us, and something we want to learn from,” DeMoss said. “Our drive-thru site is unique in that our patients come to us and we have a lot of efficiency built in there. Going out into the community will be a little bit different.”

Demoss added that there are plans to expand the program into even more communities once they are able to iron out all of the details via the first few locations.

For more information, visit uab. edu.

wasn’t God’s timing at that point … .

But then, in December of last year, Jim reached out just out of the blue and asked if we were still interested.”

At that point, Brad had taken a corporate job with Alabama Outdoors.

“I had a great job at that point and was very happy,” he said. “But it had always been on our hearts … . It all really worked out the way it was supposed to.”

In Safe Hands

Glazner said he was drawn to the Simpsons because he felt they truly understood the service-oriented mindset that Smith’s had cultivated over its 70-year existence.

“They love the community, and that was one of the main things we discussed,” he said. “That’s what Smith’s

Over the Mountain High Schools Make Top 10 in U.S. News and World Report’s 2020 Best List U.S. News and World Report recently released its 2020 rankings for the best public high schools in Alabama, identifying multiple Over the Mountain schools in its highest slots.

Among the top five were Mountain Brook High School, third, and Homewood High School, fourth. In addition, the top ten included Vestavia Hills High School, sixth, and Oak Mountain High School, fourth.

According to U.S. News, overall data was collected from more than 24,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Of

does – we give. People understand that Smith’s loves them, and that’s just the way that Smith’s has to carry on … .

The key was, when we met Brad and Amy and went through the store, they were discussing how they couldn’t wait to carry on Smith’s for their kids.

What that was telling me was that Smith’s is no longer going to end at 70. It will be there for my kids, and my kids’ kids.”

“Smith’s is just a pillar of the community, and that’s something that is just so important to me and my family, maintaining and continuing that legacy and tradition,” Simpson said. “Smith’s has always been known as a place where people know they’re going to get taken care of, that they’re going to receive service well above and beyond anything that’s expected … .

Obviously, at the end of the day, we have to make a living doing this, but we’re going to do that by taking care of people. That’s something my wife and I focused on in the business we had in Florida and what we continue to do – just to put people above all else.”

The sale was finalized at the end of February, weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic placed significant strain on small businesses across the country.

“Looking at it on paper, you probably couldn’t pick worse timing than what we’ve had,” Simpson laughed.

The Smith’s business model has had to quickly adapt, offering personal shopping services and corresponding with customers through FaceTime and other messaging.

“We’re going to have one heck of a story on the back end of this,” Simpson said. “We still have zero doubt that this is what we were supposed to do.”

Without any customers in the store, Simpson said there’s been an opportunity “to do some remodeling, to try to freshen some things up and to bring some new fixtures in. We’re very excited to be able to open back up, because people will come in and say, ‘Wow, you did a lot of work while you were closed!’ It’s certainly not changing Smith’s, but it’s putting our unique stamp on things.”

the 18,000 schools that were ranked based on each schools’ performance on state-required tests, graduation and how well they prepare students for college.

The highest-ranked schools in Alabama were Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School in Montgomery and the New Century Tech Demo High School in Huntsville.

“The highest ranked U.S. public schools in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 Best High Schools rankings are those whose attendees demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math and reading state assessments, passed a diverse array of college-level exams and graduated in high proportions,” U.S. News stated.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, April 30, 2020 • 11

NEWS

porarily closed, our greatest priority is to continue providing exceptional care TIRED OF ALL THE CHANGES for our animals seven days a week, no matter the circumstance,” he said in AT YOUR OLD BANK? the statement.

Even though the zoo is closed, it has to maintain its staff of more than 60 animal care professionals to care for the animals.

Several avenues for donating have Serving Birmingham since 2008 been set up: • Emergency Animal Fund: Donate at www.birminghamzoo.com/donate.

• AmazonSmile: When shopping on Amazon, choose Birmingham Zoo Inc. as your charitable organization; 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products will be donated to the zoo.

• PayPal Giving Fund: PayPal www.southernstatesbank.net | 205.877.0195 delivers 100% of your donation to the Birmingham Zoo. • Giving Tuesday: A global day of giving has been set for May 5 as an emergency response to the pandemic.

Visit birminghamzoo.com/donate to give to the Birmingham Zoo on Giving Tuesday.

• Zoo Memberships: Renew your membership or join the zoo at birminghamzoo.com/memberships. All new and renewing memberships will include a full year of benefits from the date the zoo reopens.

• Planned Giving: Give at birmingScott Jenkins Mason Morris hamzoo.com/plannedgiving to ensure President, Jefferson & VP, Commercial the zoo’s future by providing money Shelby Counties Banking Officer to maintain operations, expand interNMLS 491825 NMLS 1381711 • In-Home Care, Including Bathing, Grooming, Housekeeping, national species survival research and buy food and medical supplies for the Incontinence Care, Medication Reminders Meal Preparation, animals.

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Journal file photo by Jordan Wald

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The zoo has set up an Emergency Animal Fund to help replace some of the hundreds of thousands of dollars it is losing during the closure.

Feed the Animals

Birmingham Zoo Seeks Support to Care for Animals During COVID-19 Closure The Birmingham Zoo spends about $30,000 a day feeding and caring for the more than 700 animals that live there. But with the zoo shut down because of the pandemic, money has gotten tight.

The zoo has set up an Emergency Animal Fund to help replace some of the hundreds of thousands of dollars it is losing during the closure, according

to a statement released by the zoo.

Normally, about 600,000 people visit the zoo each year, which generates millions for the organization, President and CEO Chris Pfefferkorn said in the statement.

“Like other non-profits, the coronavirus is having a major impact on the zoo’s revenue and the way we operate. Even though the zoo is tem-

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LIFE

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Photo courtesy Leslie Tanner

Photo courtesy Nichols family

Stay-at-Home Moms

Lauren Nichols’ home has taken on as many jobs as there are people who spend their days in it.

It’s a workplace for Nichols and her husband, Hunter, and it’s a preschool for their twin sons.

Leslie Tanner has been a member of the Homewood Middle School faculty for the past 16 years, taking only brief breaks while she and her husband, Matt, welcomed their three children.

Mountain Brook Mother Finds Joy in the Moment While Working at Home

By Emily Williams

O

n a typical Mother’s Day, Mountain Brook resident Lauren Nichols would have a schedule in place. The day would begin with church, followed by brunch and then time spent with her mother and her mother-in-law.

This year will be very different.

“Sometimes these holidays go by in a blur because we just don’t take the time to enjoy them and really just savor the moment,” Nichols said. “I think this year we’ll definitely have a much more laid-back approach.”

The laid-back approach is not something Nichols, who is marketing and communications lead for Ascension Alabama | St. Vincent’s Health System, typically favored before the life-altering coronavirus pandemic.

When the state began making strides toward social distancing, Nichols wasn’t sure whether she would be working more from home or at the hospital.

“We were out there preaching to the community that we needed for people to follow social distancing guidelines, and we just felt like we should do the same,” she said. Many employees working in any areas outside of in-patient care have been working from their homes.

She had to make the transition from working mother to “stay-at-home working mother” in a matter of days. Her home has taken on as many jobs as there are people who spend their days in it.

It’s a workplace for Nichols and her husband, Hunter, and it’s a preschool for their twin sons.

There has been a learning curve while accli-

mating to the new way of life, but Nichols said she believes the experience has changed her for the better.

“I feel like we have just now gotten into a good rhythm, which is funny because everything is probably about to change again,” she said. “It takes a while to unwind from what you have typically been doing and work on creating your new normal.”

Nichols has found that her workload hasn’t decreased at all. If anything, it has grown with the need to increase communication among remote workers and the public.

“There is definitely a lot of work to do, lots of long hours and lots of late nights, but now I’m trying to balance that with 5-year-old twins,” she said. “I will say, there has been many a conference call or Skype meeting that I’m on when a child has run through the background screaming.”

There are many things that Nichols “just rolls with” now, but in the beginning she and her husband tried to create a strict schedule for the boys, mapping their day out down to the half-hour.

“We found out quickly that that didn’t really work for us,” she said, laughing.

Nichols has learned that creating structure for a child doesn’t necessarily mean getting the timing right so much as creating a regular flow for the day.

The idea of a schedule has since inspired a routine Sunday afternoon activity of the boys’ making their own calendar for the week.

“We get out a big piece of butcher paper and lay out all of the days of the week,” she said.

See NICHOLS page 13

Homewood Middle School’s Tanner Takes It One Day at a Time

By Emily Williams

T

he COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine have provided Homewood Middle School sixth grade language arts and social studies teacher Leslie Tanner with a learning opportunity as her work and home life truly have collided for the first time.

She has been a member of the Homewood Middle School faculty for the past 16 years, taking only brief breaks while she and her husband, Matt, welcomed their three children – an 8-yearold son and two daughters, ages six and two.

“After the birth of each of our kids, I did not spend extended time at home but returned to teaching,” Tanner said. “Social distancing and our extended time at home has given me the chance to spend every day with our kids, especially our 2-year-old. She is growing so quickly, so this time I am able to spend with her has been irreplaceable.”

Overall, Tanner’s children have transitioned into the new normal pretty well. The couple’s parental philosophy has been to take it one day at a time.

“There may be days that work is busier for my husband or for my students and me, and the other parent has to help out more that day,” Tanner said. “Some days the kids wake up and become involved in a game or lost in an imaginary land of blanket forts and pillows, in which we let their creativity run the day and their school work is not completed until later in the afternoon. Some days the weather is beautiful and our back patio becomes our office and

classroom. Through all of this, our mindset has become flexibility and patience.”

There are days that are more challenging than others, but overall Tanner and her husband have been able to keep a few household rules in place to maintain a sense of consistency and stability.

Family dinners are spent at the table and chores are expected to be finished around the house.

To give her oldest two kids an added sense of responsibility, Tanner has put them in charge of their younger sister’s continuing education.

“We created a daily lesson plan for her, and I have modeled lessons and activities where they work with her on learning her letters, numbers, shapes and colors,” she said.

A few of the family rules have had to be relaxed. The Tanner kids typically aren’t allowed technological devices until the late afternoon, and then only if they have earned it by showcasing a good attitude throughout the day.

“With school going digital, that rule has had to be modified to include the exception of school work,” Tanner said.

Spring is typically an especially busy time of year for the Tanner family, so the lack of time with friends and moving between extracurricular activities initially left a void.

Before the Tanners worked from home, the kids’ grandparents usually watched them in the afternoon while Tanner and her husband worked until 5 p.m. each day. Afternoons and evenings See TANNER page 13

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

NICHOLS From page 12

Since the boys can’t read yet, Nichols and her husband have them draw visual representations. They will discuss what the weather will be each day, cutting out suns or clouds for rainy days. If the kids want to eat outside, they might draw a picnic table, or if they want to have a game night, they can draw games.

“It has given them great excitement because they know what to look forward to the next day,” she said.

The flow of the day typically remains the same, waking up at a certain time in the morning before spending the first half of the day working on educational activities and the latter half with more play-based fun.

Throughout the workday, Nichols and her husband tag-team, picking up the slack whenever the other has extra work. Nichols said learning resources provided by the boys’ preschool teachers at Crestline Elementary School have been a great help.

“I will say, I don’t know how the parents are doing it that have children who are older,” Nichols said. “We’re working on letters right now. We’re in a much easier place. I can handle that.

I don’t know how I would be dealing

TANNER From page 12

were filled by carting kids to sports practices and dance classes.

The parents typically would juggle taking their son to baseball practice three times a week or taking their oldest daughter to dance class once a week as she prepared for the studio’s annual recital. This also was supposed to be the first year their oldest daughter would participate in T-ball.

Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings were spent in church.

“It was certainly unusual to go through our family calendar for the months of March and April and scratch out T-ball and baseball games and practices and replace them with Google Meets and online classes and activities,” she said.

Luckily, there are also a plethora of activities being offered by organizations here in Birmingham and throughout the country that have helped fill in time after school work is finished.

Tanner said her kids love watching the Cincinnati Zoo’s daily animal encounters, presented via live video stream every day at 2 p.m.

“Our son continues his baseball practices twice a week with a group of dads that coordinate online practices,” she said. A current player or coach will speak to the boys at the beginning of practice and then the dads will lead their kids through each skill and drills for the rest of the session.

“My daughter’s dance studio continues to offer online classes she can participate in in our den – and sometimes even includes her toddler sister,” she said.

Thursday, April 30, 2020 • 13

LIFE with complicated math problems.”

Present for the Small Stuff

Nichols said she’s been surprised that her kids have loved spending more time at home.

She recalled a week or so ago watching her sons just playing in the mud in their yard.

“I have never seen bigger smiles,” she said. “And they thought this was just the most fun.”

When they noticed her, they immediately thought they would be in trouble. Instead she told them to just have fun.

Normally, she confessed, playing in the mud in the middle of the day would be frowned upon, because on a normal day there typically would be a busy schedule full of places to be and people to see.

“There was a moment in January when I thought, life is just so hectic,” Nichols said.

She was feeling the strain while balancing her career with volunteer work, whether serving on a board for a non-profit or taking part in a community group. In addition, though her kids are still young, they were already involved in T-ball and in church activities.

“We just felt like we were going all the time, and it’s funny because my children would always say, ‘Can we

Balancing Act

Before the quarantine, Tanner felt her greatest challenge as a working mother was missing out.

Though she loves connecting with students and watching them grow, she also missed similar moments of growth in her own children.

Tanner didn’t usually take her work home before the pandemic. She would stay at school until about 5 p.m., and when she arrived home her family would have her full attention.

Nowadays, two parts of Tanner’s world have collided, as her classroom moves into her home via virtual education.

“It has been a struggle to accept that my attention has to be split during the day and that my kids are having to see me on a computer more than I like,” she said.

The challenge also has been a treat, she said. A kind of collaboration has indirectly formed between Tanner’s students and her kids.

“As I record instructional videos and create lessons and activities for my students at home, I have tried to allow my own kids to be involved when I can,” she said.

“During the first few weeks of our quarantine, there were days I would ask my students to give one task my children needed to complete that day,” she said.

Her kids would excitedly rush to complete whatever task they were given and would take a picture or short video to share with the students.

“My kids still beg for days when, ‘Mommy’s school kids get to tell us what to do,’” she said. “My son also came up with the idea that he could read more chapter books by the end of

just stay home, Mom? We just want to stay home and play,’” Nichols said.

She has seen a change in the past month in the way her kids play that reminds her of her own childhood.

“It seems like we didn’t have as many distractions back then,” she said.

“Of course, we didn’t have iPads and tons of the games that we have now.

Some of my fondest memories were just playing in the backyard, and I feel like we’ve gotten back to the simple things in life.”

Nichols’ boys have been more creative in their play, making up games and holding nightly “concerts” to sing songs for their parents.

“We’re giving them more time to be kids, just be children. A lot of the learning in life, I think, comes from that,” she said.

Nichols also has enjoyed being present for more of the little things.

“For me, working a lot and not being home, there’s always that ‘mom guilt’ or ‘parent guilt.’ Am I not around enough? Am I missing moments?” she said.

Crestline Elementary representatives stopped by a couple of weeks ago to put their traditional crayon balloons on the Nichols’ mailbox, signifying the twins as rising kindergartners.

“It was great because I was actually here,” she said. “I got to experience the moment when they saw the cray-

ons and were so excited. Normally, I would be getting a picture or hearing about it later.”

Though she hasn’t had to have any deep conversations with her sons about the darker side of the pandemic, Nichols said they have been able to recognize how big the issue is without being able to understand it yet.

They know that they can’t see their friends because of “the sickness,” but they don’t totally understand why they can’t see their grandparents. Nichols

also has noticed that they mention the virus in their prayers and create themes akin to the pandemic’s effects when playing with their toys.

While her sons may only remember the fun aspects of their pandemic confinement, Nichols is sure she and her husband will remember it all.

“This is really helping us prioritize what is truly important,” she said. “I am hopeful, and I feel that this is definitely changing me and changing the way I view things.”

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school than my students. So, we have started a reading challenge to see who BE HAPPY EAT HEALTHY LIVE WELL can read more books by May.” Tanner has also had the opportunity to be a bit more active in her own chilquarantine cooking from home? dren’s education. we're your go-to for oils & vins and more! thecookstore@msn.com “Sitting beside them to completeTo: call for curbside pickup on all items and Mother's Day Mountain Happy Baskets - Free Local Delivery their lessons has allowed me to see From: Over The Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 where they are as a learner and their FAX: 205-824-1246 261 Rele Street Tuesdays & Thursdays 12-2pm 205.703.9003 talents and struggles,” she said. “As Date: a April teacher myself, I often don’t use my This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL f own skills to help my kids the way I Pick up. should because they have such amazing 4.30.20issue. teachers at school.”

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There is more time to explore the backyard and the neighborhood and more time for lengthy or tedious activities such as finishing a puzzle or building and taking down a fort.

“Despite many attempts for years to learn how to ride a bike, we have been able to commit to practicing more and now have one bike rider in the family and are close to a second,” Tanner said.

This also has been a time of growth for her as an educator because she has used the additional time and new experiences to create more ways to reach students.

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

LIFE

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

Shawn Fitzwater in front of the mural he painted in downtown Homewood.

Sign of the Times Unsanctioned Mural Spreads Message of Support and Is Picked Up by Others

By Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

S

hawn Fitzwater was confident his latest mural wouldn’t hang around very long.

“If I got in trouble over it,” the owner of Fitz Hand Painted Signs said, “I could easily cover it up.”

But a funny thing happened on the painter’s trip to buy whitewash. The feel-good message of his mural – We Are All In This Together – struck home and, for now, the mural has a home, not just on a building in downtown Homewood but on T-shirts that provide food for health care workers.

The painter lives in West Homewood with his wife, Shannon, an accountant at Borland Benefield in Homewood, and their three sons – 14-year-old Gabriel, 8-year-old Noah and 20-month-old Fin. Born in Indiana, “Fitz,” as he’s often called, moved to Texas and then Mississippi before putting down roots in Homewood from middle school on. He developed a knack for drawing at age 6 or 7.

“I never really was into painting until a couple years ago,” Fitzwater recalled. “I decided to paint a mural in my kids’ room and it took me to where I enjoyed painting, the painting part of it with a paintbrush. Prior to that, it had always been just sketching things in a sketchbook with a pencil on paper.”

Fitzwater was a land surveyor for 20 years before he “burned out” on that. His first solo venture was a bike advertising business, where he pulled an A-framed, wheeled sign behind a bicycle.

Fitz chronicled his progress on the mural in his children’s room on Facebook. A business

owner saw it and approached him about painting his logo at his store. That job led to more jobs and he realized, “I’m onto something here.”

Like many small business owners, Fitzwater has seen potential clients hit the pause button as the economy ground to a halt because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Beyond his bottom line, he wanted to inspire others.

“What can I do to give back through my business or give back through my skill set?” the 41-year-old wondered. “I thought, ‘What if I just paint a message somewhere, a positive message, maybe an uplifting thing for people to see

‘To see people post and tag the mural (online) so many times during the day and then just put messages like, ‘Whoever did this, thank you so much.’

That made me smile.’ and put a smile on people’s faces?’”

And the painter knew just where he wanted to put his message, on the north side of the building that houses Battle Republic, a boxinginspired gym. He had talked previously with the business owners about using their bare white outside wall as a canvas.

However, this rendering would be an unsanctioned job, without their permission.

“I kind of know those people,” Fitzwater said. “Once they figure out it’s me (and), if they’re mad, I’ll cover it up.”

But the emotion evoked by the mural wasn’t

anger. Fitzwater’s work, done under cloak of darkness and secrecy, brought a smile to the faces of the business owners, even if they worried about their landlord’s reaction.

Lindsey Miller, an owner of Battle Republic, said she was lounging at a lake when she got word of the mural from one of her coaches. He snapped a picture and texted it to her.

“I was, like, panicking a little bit because I didn’t want the landlord to think we did it and get upset,” she said. “My first instinct was definitely, ‘This is so freakin’ cool,’ but I really hope nobody gets upset.”

Miller alerted her landlord, Pronce Acker of Mountain Brook, explained that it wasn’t her doing and asked, “Can we keep it?”

“He was like, ‘Oh man, this is such a great message,’” the gym owner recounted. “Once he was cool with it, I kind of got to where I could appreciate it a little bit more than be worried about it.”

A Spark Ignited

The inspiration of Fitzwater’s mural hasn’t stopped at the wall. Vulcan Apparel Co. owners Michael Whitten and Drew Binkley have carried it further.

“Obviously with everything going on, it was just kind of an uplifting moment,” Binkley said. “Honestly, every time I’ve passed, it’s kind of been one of those things that you pass by and it kind of lifts your spirits a little bit.”

The business partners decided to lift more spirits by putting Fitzwater’s alternating black and white block text on T-shirts.

“What better way to combine both of our efforts and start a campaign,” Binkley said.

“We can let people wear that mural and have that good feeling when they’re wearing it, and maybe help somebody that’s maybe going through a tough time.”

The shirts have done more than just uplift.

Vulcan Apparel sold the white T-shirts, giving all the money raised to BHMcares to provide food for health care workers.

“We haven’t heard the final number,” Binkley said, “but I’m pretty sure we ended at 255 (shirts sold). That’s just over $3,300 in money raised for bhmcares.com. It has exceeded our expectations.”

The campaign has fed medical workers through multiple restaurants, providing a boost to those struggling businesses. And while that campaign ended April 17, another one could launch if demand prompts it.

“I think there has to be at least 10 or 20 shirts committed to purchasing before they will actually do the campaign,” Binkley said.

“Otherwise it’s just not worth their time and money.”

Fitzwater said he has felt the love from his work, which now bears his @FitzSigns signature.

“Just knowing that it is helping people,” he said. “To see people post and tag the mural (online) so many times during the day and then just put messages like, ‘Whoever did this, thank you so much.’ That made me smile.

“And with the T-shirt sales and the campaign, that’s probably right up there with it.

That’s what it’s meant for and that’s what means a lot to me.”

An earlier version of this story was published on Alabama News Center.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, April 30, 2020 • 15

LIFE

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

MOMS AND MARDI GRAS Over the Mountain Moms Club Hosts Ninth Annual Parade

T

Journal photos by Jordan Wald

he Moms Club of Birmingham’s Over the Mountain let the good times roll in Homewood’s Central Park on Feb. 25.

Families gathered dressed in green, purple and gold to celebrate the club’s ninth annual Kids’ Mardis Gras Parade.

Bikes, strollers and carts decked out as “floats” tossed treats to paradgoers. Following, the festivities continued with king cake. ❖

Finn and Ashlie Ithurburn and Greta Horton.

Above, Moms Club of Birmingham’s Over the Mountain chapter president Rachel Phillips, with daughter Hannah. Left, Max Lewis.

Lindsey Godlewski, Erin Letts and Jennifer Creel.

Amanda Hoffman and Melanie Peeples.

Save the New Date Out of an abundance of caution during the coronavirus pandemic, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital rescheduled its annual Alabama fundraiser, Field of Dreams, to Aug. 29.

The annual gala had been scheduled to take place April 18 at the Grand Bohemian Hotel Mountain Brook. While the date has shifted, the venue will remain the same, and the festivities will include live music, as well as a silent auction with a mobile bidding feature.

This year marks the sixth anniversary of the event, which is being chaired by Candice Watson and co-chaired by Carolyn Latham. Committee chairs include Savanna Lunch and Addie Cupit, auction co-chairs; Meleesa Jack and Molly Fielding, founders committee chairs; Jessica VanLandingham, logistics chair; Emily Anderson, patient family chair; Helon Baldone and Don Hawes, PR co-chairs; and Victoria Ports and Kelly Webb, side event chairs.

All proceeds will benefit the hospital, where families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food. ❖

Journal file photo by Jordan Wald

St. Jude Field of Dreams Delayed Until Aug. 29

Molly Fielding, left, and Meleesa Jack at last year’s Field of Dreams are founders committee chairs for the St. Jude Research Hospital fundraiser which has been rescheduled for late Auugust.

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, April 30, 2020 • 17

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Photos courtesy Coronets Dance Club

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After discussing plans related to the spring dance and other club issues, the members were served a luncheon on tables decorated with arrangements of pink roses by Patty Clay.

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maintain it. Smith was a charter member of the General Sumter Chapter. Other emphases include genealogical research, conservation, national defense, women’s issues, veteran’s affairs and volunteer service to America.

Chapter activities during the anniversary year have included Constitution Week Proclamations from Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills; sponsorship of two KDS students to the annual Alabama Governor’s School; support of the Veteran’s Day Parade, Wreaths Across America and Three Hots and a Cot; donation of National Day of Service bicentennial gift sets of 43 biographies of famous Alabamians to Briarwood Christian Elementary and Putnam Elementary schools; and provision of supplies and holiday parties for a KDS kindergarten class.

Elected at the March meeting, officers for the 2020-21 year will be Regent Emily Blount; First Vice Regent for Programs Rebekah Taylor; Second Vice Regent for Publications Patricia Bennett; Chaplain Molly Bradley; Recording Secretary Christina Sloan, Corresponding Secretary Mary Jean Myers, Treasurer Anita Dillon; Assistant Treasurer Cathy Boardman, Registrar Judy Anderson, Assistant Registrar Cindy Speake, Historian Holly Robertson and Librarian Bernadine Faulkner.

Members of the Nominating Committee were Carolyn Drennen, chair, Mary Helen Dixon,

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

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Photo courtesy DAR, General Sumter Chapter

Although the Celebration Tea has been canceled, Regent Ellen Brown Tucker has announced that Alabama’s oldest and largest chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution – General Sumter Chapter, Birmingham – is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.

Organized March 6, 1895, the chapter is named for General Thomas Sumter, a native of Virginia, a brigadier general in the South Carolina Militia during the War for Independence, a planter, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a U.S. senator from South Carolina.

Among the objectives of the DAR are perpetuation of the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American independence and fostering of education, patriotic citizenship and historic preservation.

The Alabama DAR established the Kate Duncan Smith School in Grant in 1919 and continues to

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

SOCIAL

From left: Emily Blount, Jean Vaughan, Ellen Tucker and Alabama DAR Regent Tammy Clemens.

Remembering General Sumter DAR Celebrates 125th Anniversary

Holly Robertson, Lynda Robertson and Peggy Selig. Retiring officers are Mallie Steele, Carolyn Johnson, Powell Owen, Rebecca Mason, Barbara Klyce, Becky Keyes and Sallie Cox. Christina Sloan was welcomed as a new member during the March meeting.

Others attending the meeting were Nell Rose Brackett, Sallie Brown, Lind Burks, Betsy

Campbell, Alleen Cater, Pam Cezayirli, Jamie Crockett, Martha Lee Culp, Annette Dean, Cece Dillard, Florence Dodge, June Eagan, Miriam Ford, Marlea Foster, Anne Gibbons, Patty Gilbert, Emily Hand, Judith Hand, Rosemary Jager, Carolyn King, Mindy Lalor, Donna Lummus, Sarah Lumpkin, Virginia McDorman, Judy Mann, Kathryn Porter, Gail Pugh, Lucianne Pugh,

Nelda Pugh, Patricia Putnam, Natasha Randolph, Carolyn Reich, Katherine Robinson, Phoebe Robinson, Aubrey Ross, Donald Roth, Cheri Sanders, Rhetta Tatum, Tracy Thrasher, Betsy Thwaite, Margaret Tucker, Alice Turk, Jean Vaughan, Marilyn Waggoner, Cheryl Williams, Elouise Williams, Margie Williams, Liz Wolff and Dorothy Zeigler. ❖

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, April 30, 2020 • 19

Photo courtesy Symphony Volunteer Council

SOCIAL

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ART BREAK SVC Hosts Gallery Social

Members and guests of the Symphony Volunteer Council recently gathered at the Jemison Art Gallery for a social.

While partaking of the hors d’oeuvres and wine, attendees enjoyed the many works of art and displays throughout the gallery.

Favorite bartenders, club members Bob Black and Bob Brown, manned their station throughout the evening while hospitality chairs Susan Atwood and Lynne Meeks oversaw the event.

Attending were Roberta and Jim Atkinson, Susan and John Atwood, Bob Black, Molly Bee and Tom Bloetscher, Char and Rick Bonsack, Shirley and Bob Brown, Cheree and

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The club’s next meeting is set to take place in May, including installation of the 2020-21 board members. ❖

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FOOD

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Feed the Need

Community Foodbank of Central Alabama Rises to the Occasion as Need Increases

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

By Emily Williams

Family ties can be found throughout the menu at Troup’s Pizza, with menu items inspired by owners Terrill Brazelton, above, and his wife, Ashley. Troup’s opens this week in Cahaba Heights.

SEND in the TROUP’S

Pizza Restaurant Opening in Cahaba Heights With Curbside Service

By Emily Williams

W

hile numerous restaurants and businesses have closed doors during the coronavirus pandemic, Terrill and Ashley Brazelton have been working hard to open theirs.

When the Vestavia Hills couple opens Troup’s Pizza this week in Cahaba Heights, they will be sticking to curbside service and a limited menu.

Troup’s has taken over the space formerly occupied by Wintzell’s Oyster house in the Heights Village, and will serve pizza, salads, wings and sandwiches made with locally sourced ingredients.

When looking for a location for Terrill to share his love of making pizzas, the Brazeltons said Cahaba Heights was a natural choice for a great family pizza joint.

Once the community transitions beyond social distancing, the restaurant will offer counter service only with an emphasis on to-go and grab-and-go options.

“We feel like counter service is the next direction in food service,” Terrill said. “We knew that fast casual is a hot trend and, by embracing technology, we could give our customers the options to grab it and go or stay a while and hang out somewhere fun.”

The Brazeltons will also offer “make-it-at-home” pizza kits, which will include fresh dough, sauce and toppings. Troup’s also offers instructional videos for these kits on its website, troupspizza.com.

Though the Brazeltons aren’t new to restaurants, Troup’s will be the first establishment that is all their own.

In 2002, the couple took over the Open Door Cafe, which was located in Crestline Park, after the death of owner Robert Hawkins, one of Terrill’s

close friends.

Years later, Terrill was invited to help create “chef inspired pizzas” for Slice Pizza & Brewhouse, which earned him much acclaim locally and nationally.

“Despite everything going on, this was the fastest opening of a restaurant I have ever seen,” Terrill said. “It took less than 120 days to get our doors open, albeit, not in the way we had originally envisioned it. The whole experience is a whirlwind of activity and emotions. That part is the same no matter who or where you are.”

From start to finish, building Troup’s has been all about family, starting with the name. Troup has been included in the names of Terrill’s great-grandfather, grandfather and father.

“The name ‘Troup’ just struck a chord with me as a way to honor the men who got us to this point,” Terrill said. “Dad would either love it or be embarrassed, either way this one’s for him and my family.”

Family ties can be found throughout the menu, he said. Nana’s Meatballs are inspired by Ashley’s mother, the simple grilled cheese is for his son and the Betty was his mother’s favorite salad.

The Troup is based on his father’s favorite sandwich, originally served, “at a little Italian deli right down the street from his office in Pasadena,” where Terrill spent his childhood.

The restaurant is also an opportunity for the Brazeltons to share something with their children.

Terrill said his children will be working at the restaurant, and he plans to continue to staff a “good group of kids” from the surrounding neighborhoods who are looking for their first job.

For more information and updates, visit troupspizza.com.

‘The name ‘Troup’ just struck a chord with me as a way to honor the men who got us to this point.’

TERRILL BRAZELTON

Hunger was here in Alabama before the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2019, research conducted by the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama showed that more than 232,000 children, seniors, veterans and neighbors in Central Alabama are food insecure. When it comes to buying food, many clients stated that they had to choose between buying enough food for their household or paying for things such as medicine, utilities, transportation and rent/ housing.

COVID-19 has simply increased the demand for food bank services.

Looking back at early March, Community Food Bank of Central Alabama Executive Director Elizabeth Wix said it feels as if the community shut down overnight.

“Once the first whispers of shutdowns began and people began cleaning out grocery store shelves, I think we saw another increase,” Wix said. “Then, once things became scarce in stores, we really saw the need jump up.”

While the food bank’s programs serve 12 counties in Central Alabama, Jefferson County accounts for its largest food insecure population. According to 2017 data from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study, Jefferson County had a food insecure population of 117,600, 17.8% of the population.

Many members of the community that the food bank’s initiatives serve live paycheck to paycheck; they don’t have the financial ability to stockpile for potential quarantine.

“Additionally, many people lost jobs overnight or had their hours significantly cut back,” Wix said. “Many of the calls we get now are from folks who are seeking food assistance for the very first time.”

The organization does have a disaster response program in place to provide emergency food and water or set up temporary food pantries in response to crises, but such response is for situations akin to a natural disaster.

“The pandemic was very different than a fire or tornado,” Wix said. “There really was no ‘playbook,’ so to speak.

“We worked closely with Feeding America to learn from other food banks in harder hit areas to prepare as much as possible for what was coming our way.”

To meet the need, the organization had to change the way it typically serves the community. There could not be large groups of volunteers working an assembly line in a gymnasium to pack meals, nor could those in need line up at gym doors to receive meals.

“We had to convert distributions to outdoor drive-through models so that clients could stay safe in their vehicles and volunteers could keep a safe distance from one another,” Wix said.

See FOOD, page 21

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

FOOD

‘A Life-changing Experience’

Ted’s Restaurant Finds Gratification in Providing Meals for Heroes

By Rubin E. Grant

FOOD From page 20

In a matter of weeks, the food bank has expanded its mobile food banks from four locations to 16 locations throughout central Alabama.

Seniors in Particular Risk

The food bank serves many seniors, who are among the highest at risk of death due to COVID-19, so safety has been of the highest priority when organizing the food bank’s response.

“We worked with our partner agencies who serve seniors to provide doorstep-drop deliveries when possible, to avoid exposure,” Wix said.

Some of the pickup sites for the organization’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which serves seniors, shut down due to the pandemic. Thus, seniors affected

Rehab Reality...

by Judy Butler

got to keep going and find a way to survive.

“We hope next month we’ll be

‘It’s very satisfying to bring some of our workers back to feed the frontline medical workers. The frontline workers work long hours and we feel if we can feed them just a hot meal, then it’s worth it.’

Journal file photo by Jordan Wald

The owners of Ted’s Restaurant on Southside were more than a little distraught when they received the order that they could serve only curbside meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But for nearly a month, they have found a rewarding way to keep their wits about them while continuing to serve food.

“We have been fortunate to take part in UAB Meals for Heroes Fund,” said Tasos Touloupis, who co-owns Ted’s with his wife, Beba. “We have raised over $12,000 for Ted’s to provide meals to UAB health care workers.”

“We’ve probably fed close to 900 workers in the past month,” Beba Touloupis added.

“We’re going to feed at least 115 next week so we’ll be over 1,000 (in April). I think that’s wonderful.”

Since April 1, UAB’s Meals for Heroes program has provided food to thousands of UAB health care workers at multiple UAB hospitals and the remote COVID-19 testing site.

Organized by the UAB Food Services staff, Meals for Heroes is placing orders with local restaurants and caterers in an effort to help its community partners.

Ted’s is still accepting donations for the campaign. Donations also can be made at: uab.edu/fightcovid19/ give/meals-for-heroes.

Steve Marmurek of the Vestavia Hills Rotary Club said the club will donate $1,680 to Ted’s for the campaign.

“Ted’s has been the caterer we’ve used for regular meetings,” Marmurek said. “I asked Tasos what assistance we could provide to help them get back up and running and he men-

Thursday, April 30, 2020 • 21

BEBA TOULOUPIS

Ted’s Restaurant owners Beba and Tasos Touloupis, above, have found a rewarding way during the pandemic to keep their wits about them while continuing to serve food.

Tasos and Beba Touloupis live in Vestavia Hills. They have owned Ted’s for 20 years, but Beba said this is the first time they have had to take such drastic measures.

“We’ve had our share of ups and downs,” she said. “It’s all stressful right now. We had to shut down and

reinvent ourselves. We had 200 people working a day and a catering staff.

They were all here each day. The first week we stopped we had no advance warning. We had to furlough our employees and cut down to the barebones.”

Ted’s has discontinued serving breakfast until further notice and offers a limited daily menu. The menu is posted on Facebook and Instragram. In addition to the curbside pickup, Ted’s is offering free delivery for five or more boxes of meals.

Customers can call Ted’s at 205324-3911 or order online.

“This is a life-changing experience,” Beba Touloupis said. “The whole world feels this. It’s affecting every facet of our society. We’ve just

were connected to other pick-up sites and were distributed months of food so that they would not have to put themselves at further risk by traveling to the site multiple times.

When asked what members of the community can do to support the organization’s efforts, Wix said the best help is to do your part to flatten the curve.

She asked the community to stay at home, wash your hands and, when you have to go out, keep your distance from others.

“We have got to work together to do everything it takes to get past this virus,” she said.

Making a donation on the food bank’s website is another great way to help out.

“We cannot have volunteers in our warehouse right now, but if you want to volunteer at a mobile pantry distribution, you can sign up online as well,” Wix said. “These are no-con-

tact, drive-through distributions where volunteers place groceries in participants’ trunks/cargo areas.”

Finally, Wix said it’s important to check on your neighbors, because you may never know someone is in need until you ask.

“You don’t have to come in contact to make a phone call, or leave a note on someone’s porch,” she said.

There are also a variety of resources that can be used to help neighbors in need.

Food pantry locations and access to other health and human services can be located through the United Way of Central Alabama’s 211 Call Center. This can be accessed by calling 2-1-1, texting 1-800-421-1266 or by chatting online at uwca.org/gethelp/2-1-1-call-center/.

In addition, Community Food Bank of Central Alabama locations and services can be found at feedingal.org.

tioned the Meals for Heroes.

“Ted’s is an icon down there, only two blocks from UAB. They’re in a wonderful location to provide those type of meals.”

Ted’s isn’t the only beneficiary of the Vestavia Hills Rotary Club fundraising. Marmurek said the group also will donate $1,680 to first responders in Vestavia Hills.

Reinvention

able to open, but we don’t know how we’re going to do that. It’s going to be a new normal.”

In the meantime, Ted’s will continue to provide meals for heroes.

“It’s very satisfying to bring some of our workers back to feed the frontline medical workers,” Beba Touloupis said. “The frontline workers work long hours and we feel if we can feed them just a hot meal, then it’s worth it.”

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Would You Drink Gasoline?

Answer: Actually, you already have if you’ve had a glass of wine, cocktail or any type of alcoholic drink.

You may be surprised to know that the ethanol you put in your gas tank is the exact same ethanol in the liquor you drink. Yep, alcohol without additives is ethanol.

Where are the warning signs “Contains Ethanol”? Seems it’s more important to warn you about the safety of your car than of your body.

Pure alcohol taste awful and a very small amount will kill you. Brewers use extensive additives to make it taste good enough to drink.

Unfortunately none of these processes reduce the harms associated with drinking fuel.

Alcohol destroys our health by attacking our liver and immune system and is related to more than sixty diseases ranging from blood clots to cancer. Yet because of the pro-alcohol messages, we often justify our drinking by saying we drink for the taste.

While the rare Coronavirus is reportedly killing thousands, alcohol claims the lives of nearly 88,000 EVERY YEAR. Where is the outcry against alcohol? No one plans on becoming an alcoholic. Alcohol is physically addictive and physical dependence on alcohol can occur in anyone. Also, where’s the warning label “Contains Ethanol” – nowhere except the gas pumps.

Much of this information comes from a book by Annie Grace - This Naked Mind Control Alcohol. Bayshore Retreat is the perfect place to help rid the body of the poison from alcohol and make a fresh start in life. With only 6 clients at a time it is also the safest place to do it.

22 • Thursday, April 30, 2020

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

SCHOOLS

Photos courtesy The Altamont School

We work tirelessly to help kids get well because the world needs to see what Natalie dreams up.

WE DO WHAT WE DO BECAUSE CHILDREN HAVE DREAMS.

School PPE Project

that I could to keep the doctors safe because they are at high risk to get corona, and they are at risk to then transfer it to their patients – many of whom have compromised immune systems already.”

About the same time, Warren began working on a prototype that could convert full-face snorkel masks into medical-standard masks for health professionals using 3D printed adaptive pieces. He, too, reached out to James to access Altamont’s technology to execute these PPEs. James volunteered to help both students with their projects, training them on proper use and care of machines while working with them throughout each step of their projects.

A prototype is just that – a place to start. The exact settings used to print PPEs varies by machine. A huge component of the students’ PPE creation process has been trouble shooting with James to find the right settings to

print the PPEs. Goyal, Warren and James each have been working on the project while practicing social distancing.

“This has been an Altamont community effort,” James said. “Noah received a 3D file and sent it to me on (Microsoft Teams), and I created a printable file for our 3D printer. The file was then printed on our Lulzbot 3D printer by Meghan, who arranged for the finished print to be picked up

by Noah.”

After a bit of trial and error, both Goyal and Warren have successfully produced their PPEs and plan to continue producing products as long as they can.

Warren’s masks have gone to a team of nurse anesthetists at UAB Highlands. Goyal is distributing her face shields to local hospitals through Bham Support.

“I found it rewarding that we could help make CRNAs at UAB Highlands smile and know that our community cares about them,” said Warren.

“So far, the biggest reward has been seeing pictures of the doctors that I have delivered masks to wearing them,” Goyal said. “It is comforting to know that they are being protected and safe.”

created them. It also was noted that neighbors began walking or driving by the park slowly so their families could also spot the rocks.

Roberson, who is a student at Hoover High School and a Prince of

Peace Catholic School graduate, has also painted and donated message rocks to the Bluff Park Baptist Church’s Sunday school class.

She is the daughter of Gina and Josh Roberson of Hoover.

Altamont Students Team Up With Teacher to Create PPEs for Local Health Care Professionals At The Altamont School, 10th grader Meghan Goyal, ninth grader Noah Warren and their computer science teacher have taken a high-tech approach to meet the widespread need for personal protective equipment in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both Goyal and Warren have relatives in the medical profession.

Goyal’s parents, Rita and Munish, are doctors, and Warren’s mother, Emily, is a nurse anesthetist.

In late March, Goyal approached her computer science teacher, Ryan James, and Head of School Chris Durst with a proposal. Working with a prototype created by the group Bham Support, she wanted to use Altamont’s 3D printer and laser cutter to create face shields to distribute to local hospitals.

“Birmingham has such a high concentration of health care workers, and there is a shocking deficit of PPEs,” Goyal said. “I wanted to do anything

Meghan Goyal, left and Noah Warren, above, students at The Altamont School and their computer science teacher have taken a hightech approach to meet the widespread need for personal protective equipment in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

1 6 0 0 7 T H AV E N U E S O U T H B I R M I N G H A M , A L 3 5 2 3 3 (205) 638-9100 ChildrensAL.org

During Holy Week, Prince of Peace teen parishioner Kinsey Roberson used her artistic talents to spread socially distant support throughout her community.

The Ross Bridge resident painted Bible quotes on rocks of various sizes and then placed them throughout the community’s James Hill neighborhood.

Rocks were placed in locations raging from the base of mailboxes or underneath trees to bushes where they were visible from the road.

According to Prince of Peace officials, those who found the rocks in the beginning had no idea who had

Photos courtesy Prince of Peace

Prince of Peace Parishioner Creates Mailbox Ministry

Thursday, April 30, 2020 • 23

SPORTS

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

SARGENT From page 24

From page 24

it a lot. I miss the team. I was excited about the season, just to get to see everybody. We had played a few matches and were doing really well.”

Mountain Brook won five of its first six matches, including an 8-1 victory against archrival Vestavia Hills. The Spartans’ only loss was a narrow 5-4 setback against powerful Baylor from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Karcher said she feels bad for the Spartans’ five seniors on the team.

Two of those seniors were singles champions in 2019, Madison Jenkins at No. 3 and Liz Vandevelde at No. 4, and another, Charlotte Gillum, was a runner-up at No. 2.

Vandevelde also teamed with Karcher to win No. 1 doubles last year.

May McInnis and Courtney Clark were the other two seniors on this year’s team.

Karcher had hopes of winning team state championships each of her four years on the varsity, but

“I think he has a lot of self-confidence and he works hard,” Seth Sargent said. “He’s fairly non-emotional. He’s even-keeled.

“He’s got an all-around game.

Putting is one of his strengths, and his short game.”

Gordon Sargent agrees with his dad.

“I struggle off the tee with my irons, but my short game is always there,” Gordon Sargent said. “Putting is probably the best part of my game. I’m working on my long game.”

Sargent will be competing again this summer. He’s already scheduled to play in an Alabama Golf Association tournament in early June.

In addition to his time on the course, Sargent co-hosted the AJGA Alabama Cup, which raised more than $100,000 for charity in the past two years. He also received the Paul Simon Character award from the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in Graniteville, South Carolina.

Even though Sargent, who has a 4.1 grade-point average, doesn’t graduate until 2021, he already has committed to Vanderbilt, something he did after his freshman year.

“The biggest thing in my decision was the coaches, the city of Nashville and I already know all the people who I’ll be there with,” Sargent said.

thing every day when you’re out there.”

Instead of attempting to win another state title, Sargent is doing online school at home along with his brother, Thomas, a freshman who also plays golf, and going to Shoal Creek on occasion to work with his golf coach, Eric Williamson.

Sargent credits Williamson for helping him develop his game.

“He’s been a great friend, a family friend,” Sargent said. “I’ve been working with him since I was 10.

He’s been great for my golf game. He does everything for me to help make me better.”

Sargent is a steady player who rarely gets rattled on the course. And he’s self-assured, expecting to win whenever he tees it up.

“He doesn’t let anything bother him,” Lockett said. “He’s not arrogant, just the best.

“I’ve had kids who don’t know how to handle that as well. Every time you show up, you’re supposed to win, and that pressure gets to them. That’s not the case with Gordon. He just shows up and goes out and plays. He’s fun to watch.”

Seth Sargent has a similar assessment of his son.

with the state tournament being canceled this year, she hopes her senior year in 2021 she will be able to make it three out of four.

“Next year will definitely be a challenge,” she said, “because we won’t have that many seniors. But we’ll see.”

Karcher also said she’ll have to see whether she wants to play in college after she graduates in 2021.

“I haven’t decided,” she said.

“I’ll see how I’m feeling next year.

I’ve gotten a few offers, but not any really good commitment.”

Karcher hopes to return to playing competitively this summer, competing in some USTA junior events.

“I’m just playing it by ear, waiting to see what happens,” she said.

Meanwhile, she’s still adjusting to all her free time this spring, including online school. “It’s hard to stay on track,” she said.

And then there’s the matter of her older brother Andrew being home from college.

“He’s been home for two months, crowding my personal space. I’m not used to it,” she said with a laugh.

“We are close, though.”

Karcher said she feels bad for the Spartans’ five seniors on the team. Two of those seniors were singles champions in 2019, Madison Jenkins at No. 3 and Liz Vandevelde at No. 4, and another, Charlotte Gillum, was a runner-up at No. 2. Vandevelde also teamed with Karcher to win No. 1 doubles last year. Members of the 2019 state championship team, front, from left: Margo Belden, Lillian Still, Kate Jeffcoat, Sully Ferreira, Madison Jenkins and Emma Karcher.

Back: Assistant coach Caroline Hall, head coach Susan Farlow, Courtney Clark, Liz Vandevelde, May McInnis, Warner Johnson, Charlotte Gillum and assistant coach Glenn Lamar.

Steady Confidence

Photo courtesy Susan Farlow

KARCHER

Even though Sargent, who has a 4.1 gradepoint average, doesn’t graduate until 2021, he already has committed to Vanderbilt, something he did after his freshman year.

Journal photo by JasonClarkImages

Ryder Cup standings, which is scheduled to be played in the fall.

As a freshman at Mountain Brook, Sargent and teammate William Wann tied for the low medalist honors with 36-hole totals of 11-under 133 at the Alabama High School Athletic Association State Golf Championships. Both tied the state tournament record for 36 holes while leading the Spartans to the 2018 Class 7A state title.

In the 2019 AHSAA state tournament, Sargent tied teammate Reynolds Lambert for second at 1-under 143 as Mountain Brook claimed its third consecutive Class 7A title.

But Sargent and the Spartans won’t get a chance to extend their state championship streak because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The state tournament was scheduled to be held May 11-12 in Mobile but was canceled when schools closed for the remainder of the school year on April 6.

“Our season was just getting started,” Sargent said. “Our next tournament would have been a couple days after they closed the schools.

“One of my favorite things to do is be with my teammates and hanging out with them. It’s tough to have to sit back and do nothing. I was looking forward to trying for another state championship.”

Sargent, a soft-spoken youngster, enjoys being part of a team and being around his fellow competitors.

“I think what I love about golf is a lot of the people you meet,” he said.

“And playing every day, there’s something new. You can’t expect the same

In addition to his time on the course, Sargent co-hosted the AJGA Alabama Cup, which raised more than $100,000 for charity in the past two years.

He also received the Paul Simon Character award from the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in Graniteville, South Carolina.

SPORTS Thursday, April 30, 2020 ❖ OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Free Time

Mountain Brook’s Karcher Misses Competing for a Tennis Crown

By Rubin E. Grant Emma Karcher has had more free time than she’s accustomed to this spring.

For the past two years, Karcher has been busy in April competing for tennis state championships.

She won the Class 7A No. 1 singles title in 2019 after finishing as runner-up in 2018.

Last week, the Mountain Brook junior would have been looking to repeat and trying to help the Spartans claim their fourth consecutive Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 7A girls tennis state championship.

Instead she was at home, doing online school

Mountain Brook won five of its first six matches, including an 8-1 victory against archrival Vestavia Hills.

‘Special Talent’

work and going to the Country Club of Birmingham for an hour each day during the week to keep her tennis skills sharp and, she said, “just to have something to do.”

Mountain Brook’s tennis season – along with all high school spring sports – came to a halt when schools were closed for the year earlier this month because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Everyone was heartbroken about it,” Karcher said. “We were hoping to get four years in a row as state champs. I’m trying to have a good attitude about it, but it’s been difficult.

“I miss it so much. I’ve been thinking about

Spartans’ Sargent Is One of the Top Junior Golfers in the Nation

By Rubin E. Grant

S

eth Sargent exposed his sons, Gordon and Thomas, to as many sporting activities as possible when they were younger.

He didn’t want them to become golfers just because he was a golfer, one of the top amateurs in Alabama.

But when Gordon was 9 years old, Sargent entered him in the Future Masters tournament in Dothan. Gordon was hooked. And now the Mountain Brook High School junior is one of

Gordon Sargent is a twotime Rolex Junior AllAmerican. He has won two American Junior Golf Association events and is ranked 16th nationally in Golfweek’s latest junior rankings.

the top junior golfers in the nation.

“Gordon has been on the radar screen for a while,” Mountain Brook golf coach Alex Lockett said. “His dad’s a really good player, so he has good golf genetics. He’s a special talent, a great kid, real respectful.”

Gordon Sargent is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American. He has won two American Junior Golf Association events and is ranked 16th nationally in Golfweek’s latest junior rankings.

He’s also currently fourth in the U.S. Junior

See SARGENT, page 23

Photo courtesy Susan Farlow

Journal photo by JasonClarkImages

See KARCHER, page 23

Emma Karcher, third from left, won the Class 7A No. 1 singles title in 2019 after finishing as runner-up in 2018.