OTMJ 4.17.25

Celebrating the communities of Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and North Shelby County

OTMJ

INSIDE

| OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL • OTMJ.COM | Thursday, April 17, 2025

2025 Birmingham

PARADE OF HOMES

Miss Astrid’s PAGE 16

Hope for Autumn Foundation PAGE 26

PHOTO COURTESY OF J.FANTE STUDIO

Magic City Art Connection PAGE 28

This year’s Parade features over 70 homes in the greater Birmingham area. PAGE 20 »

OPINION

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IN THIS

ISSUE SOCIAL

4 | Mountain Brook High School Class of 1975 Reunion 6 | Dawson Family of Faith Centennial 6 | The Ballerina Club Dinner Party 8 | Homewood Library Block Party 10 | Carousel’s St. Patty’s Day Luncheon 12 | Metropolitan Dinner Club 60th Anniversary 12 | Oasis of Hope Luncheon

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Welcome Spring and Happy Easter!

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love Springtime in Alabama (well, except maybe for the pollen count in the bajillions, but I digress)! The weather in spring is glorious, with the lush greens and vibrant blooms making the landscape look like a Monet painting. It’s the longer days that hint at summer coming and the still occasional cool evenings that beckon us outside to sit on porches and patios.

Springtime is also festival season in Alabama, with the wonderful weather bringing folks outside to indulge in yummy food, beautiful art, cute pets—just about anything.

Check out our profiles of several artists showing their wares at the 42nd Magic City Art Connection at Sloss Furnaces. I highly recommend a trip to this venerable festival and a stop at the popular Corks & Chefs event for a delicious bite and a cool cocktail.

And if you’re looking for something with an ethnic flair, check out the St. Elias Food & Cultural Festival, where parishioners at St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church showcase traditional Lebanese foods, music, dancing, along with church tours, a silent auction, and a 5K. So enjoy all the beauty of April, and Happy Easter! Breathe it all in (except for the pollen—ACHOO)!

ABOUT TOWN

14 | Things to do, people to hear and see

FOOD

16 | Miss Astrid’s Of Course 17 | Mudbugs & Madmen

SPIRITUALITY

18 | Way of the Cross Walk

PARADE OF HOMES

–BARRY WISE SMITH

20 | A 1960s Brookwood Forest home with a recent facelift will be on this year’s Parade of Homes.

24 | A resort-style ideal home

| OVER THE MOUNTAIN VIEWS |

GIVING TREE 26 | Hope for Autumn Foundation: Eat Crawfish, Give Hope 27 | Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month

ART 28 | The 42nd Annual Magic City Art Connection

SPORTS 30 | Mountain Brook’s Liv Heaps prefers lacrosse to soccer, her family’s sport of choice.

31 | Ansley Cox returns to Vestavia Hills’ girls tennis team.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN

JOU RNAL Thursday, April 17, 2025

Publisher & Executive Editor: Lee Hurley Editor: Barry Wise Smith Designer: Claire Cormany Photographer: Jordan Wald Contributors: Tally Dettling, Rubin Grant, Madoline Markham Koonce, Loyd McIntosh, Anne Ruisi Account Executives: Julie Trammell Edwards, Gail Kidd We would love to hear from you on any subject: lhurley@otmj.com

Vol. 34, No. 18

Over The Mountain Journal is a suburban bi-weekly newspaper celebrating the communities of Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and North Shelby County areas.

Mail to: Over the Mountain Journal, P.O. Box 660502, Vestavia Hills, AL 35216. E-mail the editorial department at editorial@otmj.com. E-mail our advertising department at lhurley@otmj.com. Find us on the Web at otmj.com.

Copyright 2024 Over The Mountain Journal, Inc. All rights reserved.

Name this couple!

If you are the first one to identify the couple in this image you will win two tickets to the Magic City Art Connection April 25-27.

Email your answer to editorial@otmj.com.

CORRECTION

//

We incorrectly wrote that Fred Powell was a founding member of Burr & Forman. He joined the law firm of Thomas, Taliaferro in 1963, which subsequently became Burr & Forman, and he practiced as a corporate and commercial real estate lawyer for 48 years. We apologize for that mistake.

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SOCIAL

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Mountain Brook High School Class of 1975 Reunion

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he class of 1975’s 50th reunion for Mountain Brook High School was held at Mountain Brook Club on April 5th. The reunion committee witnessed with great delight over 150 of their classmates, including nine couples from the class that were married to each other, gather in great anticipation of rekindling old friendships and reminiscing about the bygone days of their youth.

The weekend kicked off with a “meet and greet” at Seibels Cottage, an elegant yet rustic lake-themed outdoors establishment in Homewood owned by a classmate, Kelly Seibels who so graciously enlisted his “band of brothers” from his high school fraternity to host the event. Pete Nice and The Figments, joined by Kelly Simpson, two classmates, were the entertainment for the evening.

Saturday morning, classmates gathered for a tour of the high school led by school ambassadors and Liz Saunders. The school was practically unrecognizable to those who had not seen it since graduation with the extensive renovations it had undergone!

Saturday evening was the climax of the weekend at Mountain Brook Club. One classmate described it as “like re-discovering a lost extended family.

After a half a century apart, the reconnections felt profound and meaningful, overflowing with

unexpected joy and delightful surprises.”

Classmates enjoyed cocktails, a delicious buffet dinner, and of course a big-screen television where countless gathered to watch the NCAA final four tournament.

They were entertained by “Bigfoot County Revue,” a band comprised of more Mountain Brook High School graduates.

Maggie Brooke regaled the class with Spartanthemed decorations adorning the club. Sid Quarels Weatherly led the hard-working reunion committee consisting of Diane Waud, Anne Burke, Barbara Duffee, Sally Yeilding, Ralph Yeilding, Kit Roth, Donna Schiff, Maggie Brooke, Liz Saunders and Elizabeth Ezell.

Classmates traveling the farthest included Babs Mersereau from Annapolis, Louise Edmundson Hay from Virginia, Connie Crittenden from New Jersey, Scott Hackney from Nebraska, several from Texas including Forrest Rubinstein and Joe Kearney, and finally Mindy Glancz Badger who arrived from Ontario!

At the end of the evening, classmates were given a wine glass commemorating 50 years since their graduation, and departed, hopefully with renewed memories of their teenage years…and full hearts. OTMJ

Cathy and Graham Tayloe

Dave Rader and Chip Taylor

Lynne Sewell Damsky and Vicky Walton Rader

Susan and Glenn Waldrop

Class of ’75 planning committee from left: Ralph Yeilding, Barbara Bretz Duffee, Elizabeth Saunders, Kit Blach Roth, Anne Couch Burke, Sid Quarels Weatherly, Diane Shelton Waud, Sally Stevenson Yeilding, Donna Cohen Schiff, Elizabeth Yeilding Ezell and Maggie Williamson Brooke

Gary and Carolyn Wyatt and Karen Whitaker

Standing, from left: Kelly Seibels, Keith Nelson and Brian Singleton Seated, from left: Bobby Matthews, Tim Parsons and JJ Marable

Kathy Parsons, Margaret White Head, Georgia Miller and Elizabeth Elliott Tynes

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DAWSON FAMILY OF FAITH CENTENNIAL

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awson Family of Faith celebrated its 100th anniversary with a full day of services and activities at its Homewood campus on April 6.

Sunday morning worship services featured retired former pastor Dr. Gary Fenton as guest preacher, with a mid-morning reception for former church staff members. The Chapel Choir held a reunion in the afternoon, followed by a celebration service with special music by the Chapel Choir Reunion Choir and a screening of a film on Dawson’s history.

A picnic wrapped up the day, with free food, live music, a photo booth and selfie station, children’s activities, a “Decades of Dawson” display and entertainment by various church groups. OTMJ

Brandon, Laura, Campbell, Collins and Deacon Hale

Hayden Eldridge, Macy Stoffregen, Melissa Kaiser and Luke Eldridge

Jake, Courtney and Everett Tucker

Kevin and Lori Speed

Melanie McKinney and Carol Hoffman DeBell

Sarah and J.C. Daniel

The Chapel Choir added their beautiful harmony to the celebration.

Bess Martin, Colin and Julie Stewart and Craig Martin

The Ballerina Club

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Martha Smith, Edith Lyons, Tracey Boyd, Mary Beth Wood, Catherine Meehan and Glynis Jones

he Ballerina Club members enjoyed a Dinner Party at Birmingham Country Club on Feb. 21 with entertainment provided by Elvis and Patsy Cline tribute performers.

The Ballerina Club was first organized in 1946. OTMJ

Becky Keyes, Vicki Bailey, Laura Bryan

Michele and Mabry Smith

Amy and Sidney Knight

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

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Homewood Library Block Party

usic, food, giveaways and plenty of family friendly fun were on the menu at the Homewood Public Library’s annual Block Party on April 5.

The popular annual event, organized by the Homewood Library Foundation, is a fundraiser to benefit the library on Oxmoor Road.

Partygoers enjoyed sample bites from local restaurants, beverages and a variety of activities, including game stations for children. There, the kids could enjoy balloon art, bubbles and hair chalk. OTMJ

Harrison, Gracie Scott, Rosemary and Callie Hill

The annual Block Party is an important fundraiser for the Homewood Library.

Lee Fernon, Raoud Marayati and Francis Fernon

Brooks, AJ, Megan and Andrew Elliott

Rachel Roberts, Emmy and Morgan Hall

Plenty of entertainment for the kids including this muscular mascot.

Popular balloon artist Bill Farris works his magic creating all sorts of elastic animals.

Woods and Jane Walker

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

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Carousels St. Patrick’s Day Brunch T

he Carousels Dinner/Dance Club celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a brunch at The Country Club of Birmingham on March 15.

A carousel horse decorated with a green bow greeted members and guests in the country club’s entrance hall. The Irish theme was carried on at the event with guitarist Daniel Bowden, who performed and donned a bow tie and leprechaun hat.

The colors of the Irish flag, which are green, white and orange, inspired the menu: a green salad with bacon and sliced tomatoes, chicken piccata over wild rice topped with asparagus and sliced carrots. Miniature-size desserts were key lime, banana and chocolate mousse swirled with raspberry sauce.

Those who came to celebrate were Lynn Ault, Barbara Baird, Mary Alice and Dr. Donald Carmichael, Adele and Dr. Charles Colvin, Bebe and Roy Costner, Charlotte Donald, Pattie Perry Finney, Jo Anne and Nick Gaede, Jr., Virginia Gross, Mary Ruth and Fred Ingram, Sahra and Roland Lee, Patsy Norton, Helen Pittman, Patsy Porter, Phyllis Russell, Bartley Statham and Margie Williams. OTMJ

An Irish-themed carousel horse greeted guests.

Helen Pittman, Sarah Creveling, Patsy Norton and Virginia Gross

Mary Alice Carmichael, Roy Costner, Don Carmichael Roland Lee, Sarah Lee and Bebe Costner

Chuck Colvin, Patti Perry Finney, Margaret Billingsley, Joanne Gaede, Nick Gaede and Adele Colvin

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Metropolitan Dinner Club celebrates its 60 Anniversary th

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he Metropolitan Dinner Club (MDC) of Greater Birmingham was founded on April 24, 1964, by local leaders with the help of the Associated Clubs, a national organization. MDC has been an active and popular black-tie club since its start, holding events at The Club in Birmingham. In 2006, after the Associated Clubs dissolved, MDC began managing its own membership, venues and entertainment, expanding to include dancing and other forms of entertainment, including recognition of a community service partner at each event. This season the community service partners included Greater Birmingham Humane Society, Three Hots and a Cot, The Red Barn Equestrian, Community Food Bank of Central Alabama and Jimmie Hale Mission.

The club’s simple motto, “good fellowship, good food, good entertainment” has been central to its mission, with “evenings of elegance” becoming a signature since 1996. The MDC has close to 200 members and meets five times a year. At its last meeting of the 2024-2025 season in March, the MDC celebrated its 60th Anniversary at The Club with a gala event that honored many past presidents. The members enjoyed a wonderful cocktail hour, a delicious dinner and a lively night of jazz music and dancing provided by the First Edition. OTMJ

Johnnie and Rich Venglik

Wes Cox, Heather Jeffcoat and Ellam Holley

Jeanne Gallagher

Kat Prince and Woody Cox

Ed Gaw, Pattie Neill and Dick Coffee

Tim and Lisa Salem

Eric Oller, Beverly & Phil Stine, Pattie Neill and John Atwood

Maryln Bassett, Liz Bunch , Francis Wells, Ann Wells and Bill McCulla

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

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| SOCIAL |

Oasis of Hope Luncheon

asis Counseling for Women and Children celebrated its 30th anniversary at the Vestavia Country Club on April 1.

The Oasis of Hope Luncheon is an annual event to help raise funds to support the nonprofit’s mission to improve the quality of life for vulnerable women, children and families by providing quality mental health care in a safe and nurturing environment that is accessible and affordable.

Beth and James Scott chaired the event.

Six of Oasis’ supporters and advocates who have made significant contributions to Oasis’ mission over the last 30 years were honored at the event for their unwavering and incredible dedication to advancing the vision, mission and work established by Anne Bruno LaRussa in 1995. The honorees were Mary Johnson-Butterworth, Dr. Mark P. Cohen, Robin Sparks Davis, Barvette Patterson, James D. Sisson and Cindy Speake. OTMJ

Robin Sparks Davis, Mark Cohen, Mary Johnson-Butterworth, Barvette Patterson, Jim Sisson and Cindy Speake

Benny LaRussa, Sr., Steve Brickman and Huey Gardner

Protective Life (Champion Sponsor of Oasis of Hope luncheon) left to right: Shay Roberts, Aquilla Jackson, Kristy Goodwin, Kira Byrd, Kenneth Byrd, Lindsay Hackney and Beth Blomeley

Lucinda Harmon, Sara Nall, Adair Klapow, and Julie McDonald

Chaundaya Williams, Oasis Junior Board, Jessica Hopper, Junior League of Birmingham President, Dawn Zink, JLB, and Zoie Dailey, Oasis Junior Board

Oasis staff: Catherine Pittman Smith, Director of Development (incoming); Shenitha Hinton, Clinical Director; Kathryn Bowden, Executive Director; Jeri Kyle, Director of Development (retiring); and Alisha Penn, Counselor.

Marsha Morgan, Oasis 2025 President; Barvette Patterson (honoree) and Michael Patterson

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ABOUT TOWN | SOCIAL |

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thurs., April 24

WOVEN TOGETHER – BEYOND THE DIVIDE: HOUSING SOLUTIONS FROM THE LEFT AND RIGHT Communities large and small are grappling with the challenges of affordability, accessibility and stability in housing. The evening will feature a dialogue between speakers Andre Perry from Brookings Institute and Tobias Peter of American Enterprise Institute.

WHEN: 6 p.m.

WHERE: Red Mountain Theatre, 1600 Third Ave. S.

Thurs., April 24

SECRET SISTERS WITH THE SYMPHONY

Fri., April 25

THE WIZARD OF OZ A new musical version of the classic L. Frank Baum story is geared to ages six and older.

WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: Birmingham Children’s Theatre

Grammy-nominated Secret Sisters captivate audiences with spellbinding harmonies while exploring the complexities of life, love and womanhood in this concert with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.

WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: Alys Stephens Center

Oboist James Sullivan will perform in a free, 30-minute recital.

WHEN: Noon WHERE: Cathedral Church of the Advent

bring their lightning fast and thunderously weird version of long-form improv home to Birmingham, and they call it Gladys.

WHEN: 7 & 9 p.m.

WHERE: Virginia Samford Theatre

VIP concert viewing area. Space is limited.

Parking attendants will be available onsite to assist with event parking.

WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: The Edge in Homewood

April 25

ourHome MUSTACHE BASH

Fri., April 25

MIDDAY MUSIC

Secret Sisters performs with the symphony Thursday, April 24.

Fri., April 25

GLADYS IMPROV Trained in the New York, Chicago and LA improv scenes respectively, Michael, Jacob and Tim

ourHOME’s first ticketed fundraising event will feature food, fun, and live music from the ‘90s country party band, Mustache the Band!

The private outdoor event will celebrate and “set the stage” to transform lives through innovative solutions and unwavering commitment to adults with disabilities.

Drinks and food will be available for purchase, and a special VIP experience at Corbeau Wine Bar will include four free drinks, unlimited snacks, private restrooms and a

April 25-26

ST. ELIAS FOOD & CULTURAL FESTIVAL There will be plenty of food and fun at St. Elias’ 27th annual festival on Birmingham’s

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Southside. Delicious specialties, such as Lebanese doughnuts, spinach pies and baked kibbeh sandwiches will be served, along with music, traditional dancing, church tours and a silent auction. On April 26th, lace up your running shoes for the 5K Cedar Run and 1 Mile Fun Run. For details, visit stelias.org/festival.

WHEN: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. both days WHERE: St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church

April 25-27

42 ANNUAL MAGIC CITY ART CONNECTION ND

In 2025, MCAC’s 42nd Spring Arts Festival will take place at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in the heart of Birmingham. Take in the Festival’s array of sights, sounds, tastes, and aromas at this storied, rustic, industrial backdrop iconic to our city’s skyline.

WHEN: Friday 12 p.m.-6 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

WHERE: Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark

Sat., April 26

MUSICA DE MARIACHI! The Alabama Symphony Orchestra welcomes Mariachi Cobre, one of the best-known mariachi bands in the U.S. WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: BJCC Concert Hall.

| ABOUT TOWN | Sun., April 27

HOOVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY OPEN HOUSE The Hoover Historical Society will hold an Open House and membership drive. Learn about the society while enjoying light refreshments and music by the Hoover High School Jazz Ensemble.

The society will award its annual scholarships to Hoover School System students at 3 p.m.

WHEN: 2-4 p.m.

WHERE: Hoover-Randle Houme

Tues., April 29

CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERT The vocal music quartet New York Polyphony brings their Grammynominated, innovative programming spanning from the 12th to 17th centuries in an evening concert.

WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: Cathedral Church of the Advent

Sat., May 3

ART IN THE VILLAGE Presented by the Mountain Brook Art Association, this free community event will celebrate area artists offering a large variety of high-quality fine art paintings and drawings.

WHEN: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: Mountain Brook City Hall OTMJ

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FOOD

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Denise Boley in her Cahaba Heights tavern

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

A sampling of dishes from Miss Astrid’s menu.

“Bringing people together through good food and laughter, just makes me happy.”

–denise boley

Miss Astrid’s Of Course

A new tavern is creating a happy buzz In Cahaba Heights.

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BY LOYD MCINTOSH PHOTOS BY JORDAN WALD

n just a few short months since opening in December 2024, Miss Astrid’s Tavern has established itself as a part of Cahaba Heights’ heartbeat, a community spot for a great meal and conversation in a setting that is at once relaxed, funky, upscale and homey.

Owned and operated by Denise Boley, a longtime Cahaba Heights resident and business owner, and her business partner Richard Edge, Miss Astrid’s Tavern is somewhat hidden in the back of the building housing Boley’s hair salon, Resultz Day Spa. Despite the limited visibility from the road, and a plan to slowly build the tavern’s reputation, Boley says the community discovered Miss Astrid’s practically the moment they opened for business.

“We intentionally started slow,” admits Boley.

“We kept thinking we were going to have like a soft opening, but people just kept coming, and we were like, okay this rhythm is good.” Miss Astrid’s Tavern was named in honor of Edge’s mother, Astrid Smyer. Born in London, Astrid’s family moved to Gloucestershire during the Blitz in 1940, she was an English debutante in the 1950s, and she emigrated to the Birmingham area in the early 1970s with her husband, Sidney (Billy) W. Smyer.

In recent years, Astrid had been a regular client of Boley’s at her salon. Boley, whose mother passed at a relatively young age, says she “adopted” Astrid, and the two become close friends. During this time, Boley and Edge discussed ideas to turn the back half of the building into a tavern as an homage to Astrid’s roots in Great Britain, where pubs and taverns are as common as barbecue joints in the South. When Astrid died in 2021, Boley and Edge knew their tavern should honor this fascinating person.

“She (Astrid) was a great woman,” says Boley during a moment of downtime between the lunch service and dinner. “When she passed away, Richard asked me ‘Do you still want to do that tavern?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I do. I think it would be great for Cahaba Heights to have something like that.’”

“When you go to a tavern, you see three generations; grandparents, parents, and kids running around, and I think people just like that,” Boley adds. “This community is so fun and always doing festivals, and we’re in the entertainment district, it just made sense to do this.”

Situated in an old house, the restaurant’s dining area and bar are on the main floor, with tables set on the back deck overlooking the

parking lot. Boley and Edge are in the process of converting much of the parking lot. Edge says they recently received approval from the City of Vestavia Hills to build a second bar under the deck and expects to have up to 14 beers on tap, mostly from breweries throughout Alabama.

Additionally, Edge says they have hired a landscape architecture firm to turn the area into an entertainment space, including a pavilion for live music, and they are working on a more casual food menu.

“The hope is that by the end of April or early May, we’ll have an outdoor area where people can bring the children, sit outside, and enjoy a beer and some sort of bar food,” Edge says.

“Bringing people together through good food and laughter, just makes me happy,” Boley says. “It makes me happy to make other people happy.”

To run the kitchen, Boley hired Jessica Armstrong, a friend and chef with two decades of experience in restaurants and country clubs, including a stint as the executive chef of Anniston Country Club. Armstrong drew upon her unique experience to develop Miss Astrid’s menu, a style she affectionately calls “upscale how’s your momma and ‘em.” Additionally, Armstrong assembled an excellent staff whom

she encourages to be creative, a trait Boley says has contributed to the tavern’s identity.

Miss Astrid’s Tavern is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for brunch and features a take on the meatand-three. Diners can choose from a selection of meats, including fried chicken, hamburger steak and grilled salmon and classic vegetables like fried okra, squash casserole and Old Bay mac ‘n cheese.

The brunch menu also offers sandwiches, such as a steak sandwich with blue cheese cream, Boursin cheese and arugula, and the Heinz 57 Wagyu smashburger, with American cheese, grilled onions, pickles, brown sugar and chili aioli.

The restaurant reopens for dinner at 5 p.m. with a menu featuring Armstrong’s signature dish, Southern pork roulade. The dish, which Armstrong says she worked on for two years, features a pork tenderloin with collard greens, green apple, ham, candied bacon, sweet potato and green apple gratin and Brussels sprouts.

Other dinner options include sliced tenderloin with mushrooms, Yukon gold potatoes, broccolini and a mushroom broth and halibut with grilled broccolini, cauliflower puree, quinoa and a bacon vinaigrette.

With 40 years of experience in the service industry, it’s clear that Boley truly enjoys coming to work every day. “Everything is falling into place, and (the tavern) has the feeling we wanted it to have,” Boley says. “If somebody seems a little unhappy when they arrive,” she adds, “I feel like I’ve won if I can get them to smile and be happy when they leave.” OTMJ Miss Astrid’s Tavern is located at 3160 Pipeline Road in Cahaba Heights

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Thursday, April 17, 2025 • 17

| FOOD |

Billy Bob’s Étouffée THE REAL CAJUN / DONALD LINK CRAWFISH STOCK 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1 gal. crawfish shells 3 qts. water Trimmings and scrapes from trinity vegs 5 bay leaves ÉTOUFFÉE

Mudbugs & Madmen Chef Wylie’s Cajun Cuisine and Billy Bob’s Étouffée

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BY CHAD MCCOWAN

y favorite time of the year is here…and of course I should mean spring weather, Easter or even the Masters. But the return of crawfish season gets us mudbug lovers dragging our kettle boilers out from the garage and stocking up on the Cajun essentials. Crawfish boils are the epitome of Louisianna and all things Cajun; with fun music, full-of-life people and spice-filled cuisine. I have always found Cajun cooking the most fun of them all, and when done well, and at the right time, great memories are made. The greats chefs—Paul Prudhomme, Emeril Lagasse, recent James Beard winner Dooky Chase and my new favorite Donald Link of Herbsaint and Cochon retaurants in New Orleans—fill my cookbook shelves with far too many great dishes and with much too little time. Also a quick shout out to our local Cajun spots like Rougaroux for their fresh Cajun dishes and unique specials—we love both their locations and their staff, and I hope you do too.

Many years before the slew of Cajun restaurants started popping up around the Magic City, Chef Wylie Poundstone joined the staff at our quaint, neighborhood spot, the River Market and Deli in Liberty Park, after spending several years at Brennans in New Orleans as the sous chef under the great Jamie Shannon. Wylie, a young southern gentleman from south Alabama, was as charming as his food was amazing.

Cajun cuisine was just evolving in Birmingham, and quite frankly our cafe needed some menu changes. Wylie’s first Friday special was fresh peeled crawfish étouffée over a fried zucchini pirogue (for the Spanish boat the zucchini is peeled and carved to resemble). We were speechless! This was just the start of a Cajun cuisine education led by our new chef.

Wylie was also always free in spirit. I lent him my apartment for a time, and one night I spotted Wylie at the Back Alley on Cobb Lane outfitted in my clothes—he had rummaged through my closet and decided to hit the town. And men don’t share clothes! I often think of Chef Wylie fondly, and I hope all the Chef Wylies of the world are still out there stirring up amazing dishes and fun!

I do not know the Billy Bob for whom this recipe is named in Donald Link’s cookbook Real Cajun—we are in Alabama after all, and there are more than a few Billy Bobs. But of all the Cajun recipes I’ve tried, Billy Bob’s crawfish étouffée is quite frankly my favorite. Thie dish is time consuming but worth the effort. Beginning with a small crawfish boil or the leftovers from a gathering the day before, peeling and using the crawfish head fat (sparing the details), the base is well seasoned and thick and rich in taste. Preparing the crawfish stock takes a few hours, then adding the Cajun trinity (onion, bell pepper, and celery) along with a litany of spices and peppers, another half hour or so before you add the crawfish until they slightly break in the mixture. What I like about Donald Link’s recipes is that I feel like I am there as I follow his preparations.

So, as spring in Birmingham gathers momentum, and bushels of crawfish await, do yourself a favor and plan, or attend, a crawfish boil or inspire a Cajun-themed family meal.

Or check out a few local spots, like Saws in Crestline Park, that serve crawfish by the dozens in season until they sell out. And Red Mountain Crawfish are worth your Instagram follow as well. As Chef Link puts it, ‘put on some good music, get an icecold beer, add some good people and start peeling crawfish’.

Cheers. OTMJ

1 stick butter 1 med. onion, chopped 3 celery stalks, chopped 1 poblano chili, seeded and chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbsp. salt 1½ tsp. paprika 1½ tsp. white pepper 1½ tsp. black pepper 1½ tsp. thyme 1 tsp. red pepper flakes 1 tsp. cayenne pepper 4 bay leaves ¼ cup all purpose flour Juice of lemon 5 scallions, diced When using the whole crawfish, peel the crawfish around the meat such that the tail still has some fat attached. You need about 1/3 cup of fat and 2 pounds of crawfish meat. Make the stock, heating oil in large stock pot over medium high heat. Add the shells, breaking with a wooden spoon. Add water, and vegetable trimmings along with bay leaves, simmering until reduced by half, about one hour. Strain the stock and discard the solids. Measure 4 cups for étouffée.

Melt 4 Tbsp. butter and the head fat in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, poblano, bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic and seasonings and cook, stirring, until softened, for 4 minutes. Add the crawfish meat and the remaining 4 Tbsp. butter and cook until combined.

Sprinkle the mixture with flour and stir until all ingredients are coated. Stir in the crawfish stock and simmer 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened and crawfish begin to break down releasing their sweetness. Stir in a bit of lemon juice and taste for salt and pepper seasonings as desired. Add scallions garnish and serve over rice or, as Wylie would do, add a freshly fried zucchini pirogue.

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SPIRITUALITY | SOCIAL |

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Faith Walk

Homewood churches gather for the Way of the Cross.

F A bagpiper accompanies the walk, playing hymns throughout, as the crowd makes its way through the streets of Homewood.

BY BARRY WISE SMITH

or the past 30 years, starting in 1994, a group of Homewood churches, from different denominations, have gathered on Good Friday to honor the walk of Christ to the Cross.

This year, to mark the 30th Homewood Way of the Cross, the churches—All Saints Episcopal Church, Bethel A.M.E. Church, Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Edgewood Presbyterian Church, Friendship Baptist Church, Homewood Community Church, Homewood Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Shades Valley Lutheran Church, and Trinity United Methodist Church—will make the walk from Homewood Central Park to Edgewood Presbyterian Church to remember Christ’s walk through Jerusalem carrying his cross to the crucifixion.

The Way of the Cross begins with a crowd (generally 200+ people) gathering at 2 p.m. on Good Friday at Homewood Central Park and starts at 3 p.m.—the hour of Jesus’ death—with an opening prayer and meditation. The walk then continues, with people carrying the cross leading the crowd, to the nine other locations in the neighborhood, where the crowd pauses for prayer, scripture and a meditation. All of the participating ministers wear black robes with no stoles to mark the somber nature of the walk. Each year, the walk concludes in the sanctuary at Edgewood Presbyterian with the crossed placed at the front of the sanctuary, a final meditation and singing of the hymn “Were You There?” A bagpiper accompanies

the walk, playing hymns throughout, and the crowd is escorted by Homewood police officers.

“It is not a happy day, but it is a holy day,” says Reverend Joe Grenau, the pastor of Edgewood Presbyterian Church where the walk concludes. “It’s a bold act of worship, with prayer and scripture.”

The cross used in the Way of the Cross walk was built by Kenny Smith, a longtime member of Grenau’s congregation who passed away in 2016. The cross remains at Edgewood Presbyterian throughout the year and is brought out each year for Way of the Cross.

Reverend Ian Connerly, Associate Pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church, appreciates the churches coming together on this important day during Holy Week. “It’s the only event where churches in our area participate together,” he says. “It’s an ecumenical gathering, and it brings us all together.”

“What I love about Way of the Cross, is that one of the things that churches offer is talking about suffering and death,” Grenau says.

“It makes people uncomfortable, but in a world full of suffering and death, we have something to say about it and offer hope. Despite our differences, there’s a lot that connects us.” OTMJ Homewood’s Way of the Cross will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 18, in Homewood Central Park at the amphitheater and continue through the neighborhood to the conclusion at Edgewood Presbyterian.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

IN THEIR OWN WORDS | SOCIAL |

Thursday, April 17, 2025 • 19

What does the Easter Bunny do when Easter is over?

When asked to complete the sentence, “After Easter, the Easter Bunny will…,” the kids in Christy Cahoon’s 3rd Grade class at Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge had a lot of ideas on how the Easter Bunny spends his time when he’s not busy hiding eggs and filling baskets.

BY TALLY REYNOLDS DETTLING PHOTOS BY JORDAN WALD

“…disappear and wait for next Easter to give hugs.” —ELI

“…play on my lacrosse team with me.” —FORD

“…won’t take any more pictures with crying babies.” —EVANS

“…start to drop more eggs for next year.”—MAGGIE

“…be so hungry that he’ll go to his house and boil the rest of the eggs for a snack.” —CHAMP

“…go to Easter Sunday at church.”

—DAVID

“…go home.” —SIMMS

“…go back home and be sad because he had so much fun hiding Easter eggs for the kids.” —KINSLEY

“…use all the leftover eggs to make deviled eggs.” —SAM

“…make new eggs to be ready to put out for April Fool’s Day to prank people.”—NOAH

“…make new chocolate bunnies for next year.” —MILLIE

“…go to the Bahamas and rent a hotel to relax with his bunny family.” —MALAK

“…go to the chicken farm to gather more eggs for next Easter.” —JAMES

“…hop down to his burrow and get his chickens ready to lay eggs for next year.”—MARY BRITTON

“…be a mascot for the championship in the March Madness tournament.” —FINLEY

“…play for Walter Clayton, Jr. in the Final Four.” —JAKE

“…go on vacation because he is so tired from hiding Easter eggs.” —RILEY

“…sleep until Easter comes again.”

—LILA

20 • Thursday, April 17, 2025

PARADE OF HOMES | SOCIAL |

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

A NOT-SO-SPLIT-LEVEL

A 1960s Brookwood Forest home with a recent facelift will be on this year’s Parade of Homes.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM KOONCE PHOTOS COURTESY OF J.FANTE STUDIO

D

rive down Stoneridge Lane off Overton Road in Mountain Brook, and you might do a double take if you’re familiar with homes on the street. Where a white split-level home sat not too long ago on a corner lot, you’ll now see a ranch home with a darker coat of paint that no longer looks so split in design.

The cohesive roofline is hardly the only thing that changed at the house at 3301 either. J.Fante Studio, a design and construction firm, took the living areas of the 1967 home down to the floors and reframed them to have 10-foot ceilings, and that’s just the start of the renovation project.

top: The classic white kitchen has a more spacious footprint than the home’s original floorplan. left: A new screened-in porch doubles as an additional living room for the home, complete with an outdoor fireplace. above: The front exterior of this Mountain Brook ranch home was redesigned with a reframed roof line to no longer look like a split-level style.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, April 17, 2025 • 21

22 • Thursday, April 17, 2025

A larger dining room is now in the place of the home’s former formal living room. Like the other main living spaces, it now has 10-foot ceilings.

| PARADE OF HOMES |

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

“A lot of people can feel stuck in what their house is and may or may not have the vision to think outside the box of what they could get.”

–joe fante

A new butler’s pantry off the kitchen boasts a moody palette.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

The completed project will be open for the public to visit on this year’s Parade of Homes April 25-27 and May 2-4. While the Parade of Homes has traditionally featured new-build homes, it now has added some remodels as well, including this one in Brookwood Forest.

Joe Fante, owner of J.Fante Studio, says the project highlights what is possible with a larger scale renovation, and he hopes that visitors will be inspired for future projects in other homes from this era. “A lot of people can feel stuck in what their house is and may or may not have the vision to think outside the box of what they could get,” Fante says.

And what exactly could they get? While the home’s three bedrooms and bathrooms remained at the existing eight-foot height, the front of the house was reframed at 10 feet high and reworked in design, and the back deck as well as the living room that was at one point added onto the home was rebuilt with vaulted ceilings. Now a spacious screened-in porch with a stone fireplace has sliding doors that open to the living room. All in all, the home’s 2,822 square feet was expanded to 3,160 square feet of indoor space (or 3,580 square feet of living space if you count the screened-in porch). “We tried to honor the original floor plan that had some good potential,” Fante says.

At the front of the house, the original front formal living room was reworked into a larger dining room, and the original dining room space off the kitchen along with the existing front porch became not only a new butler’s

| PARADE OF HOMES | pantry and powder room but also a laundry room, now moved upstairs from its previous location in the basement. “It gave the home some breathing room and allowed some of the programming requirements that the homeowners were looking for,” Fante says.

Working with the owners, Fante also wanted to elevate the aesthetic of the exterior to fit in with the neighborhood while also making sure it was in keeping with the original style of the house. The front entry now features blue stone pavers surrounded by a stone knee wall that matches the fireplace on the back porch.

Above those features sits a standing seam copper roof, and gas lights hang against brick painted a charcoal hue (Sherwin-Williams Braintree).

Elegant design elements carry into the home’s renovated interior as well. A new wet bar in the butler’s pantry features a moody color scheme with black soapstone countertops, and the all-white kitchen has full custom inset cabinetry and white marble countertops. The kitchen also is home to an additional buffet serving area with even more cabinet space, and in the dining room, two sets of custom,

Thursday, April 17, 2025 • 23

built-in cabinets serve as China cabinets.

All in all, the home is now about 75 percent new construction. “It had a good core structure, so it didn’t make sense to tear it all the way down,” Fante says. “It was a good balancing act of respecting the existing home and working within its footprint.” All on a fantastic corner lot, to boot. OTMJ To learn more about how to visit 3301 Stoneridge Lane and other homes on the 2025 Parade of Homes, visit birminghamparadeofhomes.com.

24 • Thursday, April 17, 2025

| PARADE OF HOMES |

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

A RESORT-STYLE IDEAL HOME

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM KOONCE

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

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wo putting greens. A peninsula that extends onto a lake. A pool with tanning ledges and a bar. More than 6,500 square feet of interior space. It all sounds like a resort design, but in fact it’s a home–the 2025 Parade of Homes Ideal Home.

Touring its colossal primarily stone-exterior is sure to feel like a vacation too. Located on a private lake in Hoover’s Blackridge community, the five-bedroom, six-bathroom house integrates indoor and outdoor living with large living room windows that look out onto the marble patio with a double-sided fireplace that, in turn, looks out onto the black onyx pool.

In the kitchen, a pantry door opens up into a second full scullery kitchen for food prep for entertaining. Toward the front of the house, the primary suite’s his-and-hers closets are rooms unto themselves, with a washer and dryer hookup in his and an island, makeup vanity, and nook area in hers. On the back side of the house in front of a three-car garage, sliding glass doors open to a gym and home office with lake views.

The house was designed by Frusterio Design Inc., with interiors by Ashley Cagle and Interiors by Ashley, and it was built by Mancha Construction Partners. Sponsors for the home are Steel City Real Realty Group, Reli Title, and The Federal Savings Bank. OTMJ

| PARADE OF HOMES |

Thursday, April 17, 2025 • 25

This year’s Parade of Homes Ideal Home was designed with a stone exterior and resort-style pool and patio on its peninsula lake lot.

26 • Thursday, April 17, 2025

GIVING TREE | SOCIAL |

L TO R: Sasha Ramini, Emily Knerr,

Mary Katherine Brown (former board member), Amanda Knerr and Jarrod Morgan enjoy the fruits of their labor at the 2024 Hope for Autumn Crawfish Boil.

Eat Crawfish, Give Hope

BY TALLY REYNOLDS DETTLING PHOTOS BY JORDAN WALD, SUMMER BAKER AND COURTESY THE HOPE FOR AUTUMN FOUNDATION

mother, compassionate neighbors, a child battling cancer, a Crawfish Boil, a children’s book, and a mural—these are the roots of the Hope for Autumn Foundation.

Amanda Knerr, founder and Executive Director of the Hope for Autumn Foundation, knows firsthand just how important this program is and has helped push it to what it has become today. She, along with the current President Jarrod Morgan, a wonderful assistant—Jill Hunter, and a board of both old and new members, are leading the Hope for Autumn Foundation to do great things for those fighting childhood cancer.

“Hope for Autumn Foundation became an official organization in 2012, but I got involved in 2010 after moving here from Miami with my daughter, Emily. She was six years old and had just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer,” Amanda says. “We had been going through treatments when some neighbors from Ross Bridge, Travis and Anne Keller Diggs, came and asked us if they could throw a crawfish boil for us. They had done it two years before for a little girl named Autumn, who also had cancer, and wanted to do it for us. We said yes, and at the boil I was blown away by the generosity of our neighbors. Emily had just gotten out of a stem cell transplant, and I said I must get involved in this.

The next year I helped, and then the following year the Hope for Autumn Foundation was formed.”

THE MISSION

HOPE FOR AUTUMN CRAWFISH BOIL Saturday, April 26, 2025, 3-9 p.m. at Ross Bridge Music by Pioneer Chicken Stand and The Divines Tickets: $50 adult, $20 child (ages 5-12 years) For more information, to donate or to buy tickets, visit hopeforautumnfoundation.org/the-boil.

Hope for Autumn Foundation

A

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

According to their website, Hope for Autumn’s mission is “to be a beacon of hope, offering support and assistance, while advancing groundbreaking research in childhood cancer therapies.” Amanda continues, “We began with one crawfish boil per year. We’d take the proceeds from that and donate some to research and some to a couple of families, but it has evolved to become a foundation

where we can give assistance year-round. We get two to three applications each week from Children’s oncology patient families across Alabama. We help pay their rent, mortgage, utilities— things like that. It’s a year-round fundraising effort now, with the Crawfish Boil being our signature fundraiser.”

Hope for Autumn has four programs: Assistance, Research, Awareness, and Palliative Care. Any patient in the Children’s Hospital [of Alabama] oncology department is eligible for up to $2,000 of assistance per year while in treatment and up to 18 months after treatment. “We have never told anyone no, as long as they fit the criteria,” Amanda says. “The social workers at Children’s function as our eyes and ears and are the ones who share information about our organization. They confirm diagnoses and help us turn around applications, often within a week of the request being made. In an emergency though, like someone’s power is about to be cut off, we’ll pay it that day. We try to make it as stress-free as possible for these parents and families.”

“We also give to research—Developmental Therapeutics, which develops new, wonderful cutting-edge therapies right here at Children’s,” shares Amanda. “And in September, we have our awareness campaign, Give Hope Day, which is the largest cancer awareness day in the state with local schools encouraging students and staff to all wear gold.”

“Lastly, is palliative care. We saw a need, created a position and now fund a part-time nurse practitioner specifically in the oncology department of Children’s Hospital,” Amanda continues. “We like to help these families holistically, and one of these ways is via the palliative care program.” Sasha Ramini is the current palliative care nurse. “She is making a huge impact for patients and their families by helping them walk through their cancer journey,” Amanda says.

“She is there to hold their hand through the emotional process and be an advocate for them through their journey.”

THE NAME & MURAL

“The name Hope for Autumn stems from the name of the original girl the boil helped, Autumn—but also because autumn is a time when things are dying off, and you can lose hope. We want to give hope during a time that while beautiful, also seems dark but reminds us of spring and what’s to come,” says Amanda.

“My daughter, Emily, wrote a book while she was in transplant called A Tree Grows at Children’s, and it was basically the first time she had seen a real fall since she was a baby” she continues.

“Growing up in Miami, there weren’t a lot of trees that changed colors. When we were crossing the crosswalk to get to the old Children’s Hospital, there was a tree out front with leaves that were turning colors, and we just continued to watch all the leaves turn gold and then fall off. While this was happening, Emily also grew very sick, and her hair fell out, but then spring came, and she began to feel better and the leaves on the tree came back, it felt like a full circle moment…just like the name Hope for Autumn Foundation.”

A beautiful tree mural has been painted on an exterior wall of Good People Brewery in downtown Birmingham using the handprints of those touched by cancer at Children’s Hospital—patients, parents, friends, doctors, nurses and hospital staff. The ‘leaves’ Students from Hoover look forward to the boil and gathering with friends for selfies in front of the chalkboard wall each year.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

change from gold to green representing the foundations’ name and meaning.

A TRUE SUCCESS STORY

Emily Knerr, a senior at the University of Alabama, is the epitome of a Hope for Autumn success story. One of the earliest Crawfish Boils honorees, Emily went on to fight cancer three times: first at age six, again at age 13 then again during her senior year of high school. She was diagnosed the third time with a recurrence of cancer from radiation—a new tumor had formed but it was a secondary cancer caused by all the radiation she had in the past. After surgery on that tumor at age 18, just before graduation, she beat cancer for the third time.

In response to her journey, Emily says “I don’t really remember life without cancer. I’m open about talking about it, and it just kind of is what it is. Cancer doesn’t define me, but I like to say it shaped me—in every way possible. It is shaping my future career path—I want to be a Child Life Specialist—and it shapes everything I’m passionate about. One of my biggest things

| GIVING TREE | and numerous volunteers who help him dish it out.

“John has been our boiler from the beginning,” Amanda says. “He drives down to Louisiana each year and comes back with a trailer full of crawfish and then hand-mixes the sauce himself. Once you’ve had his crawfish, you’re spoiled for life.” The afternoon is filled with live music, bounce houses, balloon animals, a kids’ DJ dance party and face painting, as well as hamburgers, hot dogs and delicious all-you-can-eat crawfish.

JUNIOR BOARD

Hope for Autumn also has a Junior Board, of which Emily served as president its first two years. The Junior Board hosts an annual Christmas gift card drive that raises up to $7,000 for families at Children’s. “A big need shared with us by the social workers is gift cards for restaurants and gas for families,” Amanda says. “Many patients have driven to Birmingham from all over Alabama, so gift cards help relieve some added expenses.”

THE BOIL

From about 200 people at the first boil in 2010 to approximately 2,000 people now, Hope for Autumn has come a long way in the last 15 years. On the last Saturday in April, 4,500 pounds of crawfish are served by John Hein

SouthPoint Bank lights up purple in April to help bring awareness to Esophageal Cancer.

MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP

Another fundraiser for Hope for Autumn Foundation is the Jay Hayes’ Memorial Golf Tournament held on the Friday of Father’s Day weekend each summer in conjunction with Cahaba Brewing. Named for Hayes, a former board member who passed away from pancreatic cancer, the tournament continues his legacy of support for the Hope for Autumn Foundation. Other fundraisers include the Jingle Jam—a silent auction with live music—on the first weekend in December and Cleats for a Cause. “We became family friends with Jamey Mosley [a coach and former football

Hope for Autumn’s mission is “to be a beacon of hope, offering support and assistance, while advancing groundbreaking research in childhood cancer therapies.” is living life to the fullest, and that comes from my experiences [with cancer]. I believe I had to mature young. I wouldn’t say that was good or bad. I’ve done a pretty good job at regulating [my emotions], learned good coping skills through running, have really great friends, and I feel like my emotional intelligence is really high.”

Thursday, April 17, 2025 • 27

player at Alabama] years ago when Emily was invited to spend a day with a football player and tour the stadium, while she was a patient of Children’s. His older brother, CJ Mosley, helps us with Cleats for a Cause—where he designs a pair of cleats for the brand and his chosen charity and wears them in an NFL game to raise money and awareness for the organization,” explains Amanda.

LAST WORDS

“If I could only say one thing to people about Hope for Autumn, it’s if you are passionate about childhood cancer and helping families in Birmingham and in our state—support local! Keep your dollars where your neighbor, your grandchild, your own child your niece or nephew live,” Amanda says. “My big wish is that we continue to grow in our reach and our scope so that we become a household name. Our social workers tell us we haven’t even scratched the surface yet.

There is still so much more help needed, and we don’t ever want to turn a family away!” OTMJ

above: Kids of all ages, including Travis Willingham, have fun getting their faces painted and playing in the bounce houses at the Hope for Autumn Crawfish Boil! left: Emily’s sorority sisters, from the University of Alabama’s Alpha Chi Omega chapter, enjoy the live music and fellowship at last year’s crawfish boil.

April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month

T

his is the time for everyone to learn about the symptoms of Esophageal Cancer. This type of cancer begins in the esophagus, which is the tube that connects the throat to the stomach, and helps move food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach.

In the last 40 years, instances of Esophageal Cancer have risen 700 percent. A cancer that was once associated with senior men is now appearing in young men at an everincreasing rate.

Some common symptoms include: • Heartburn and Reflux • Hoarseness or chronic cough • Unexplained weight loss • Trouble swallowing • Pain or discomfort in the chest or throat These symptoms can also be related to less serious conditions such as Barrett’s Disease but are also precursors of Esophageal Cancer.

This is why it’s so important to seek medical advice early if these symptoms appear and persist. It’s especially important for young men—who are not seeing doctors on a regular basis to discuss changes in their health—to be checked.

An example of this in a young adult is the case of 25-year-old John Michael Pierce. Pierce began having heartburn and reflux symptoms but friends were experiencing similar symptoms due to their diets, so it didn’t seem out of the ordinary. All the while, Esophageal Cancer

was silently growing in him.

Pierce was diagnosed in June 2021, two years after college graduation, when he began having trouble swallowing. At this point the cancer was Stage IV. This came as a complete shock since he was young, worked out daily, and had no family history of cancer. He began chemo treatments at MD Anderson in July and passed away just six months later. After his death, his parents, Jeff and Patti Pierce, along with family and friends, created the John Michael Pierce Foundation to build awareness in young adults about the early signs and symptoms of Esophageal Cancer.

Steve Smith, CEO of SouthPoint Bank, who knew John Michael says, “I’m proud to join in the fight against Esophageal Cancer this month. Our bank is committed to supporting this vital cause, raising awareness and standing with those affected by this disease. We are lighting up the bank in purple to help add awareness to this important cause.”

Esophageal cancer symptoms seem insignificant at the beginning, so most discover it at a late stage, limiting treatment options. This is why the message of symptom awareness and actively monitoring health is so important. Screenings and regular checkups, especially for young men, will help to catch this early. OTMJ To learn more about Esophageal Cancer and Pierce’s story, visit jmpfoundation.org.

28 • Thursday, April 17, 2025

ART

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

| SOCIAL |

MAGIC CITY ART CONNECTION IS BACK

F

April 25-27 at Sloss Furnaces

JUST THE FACTS

or the 42nd year, the Magic City Art Connection is showcasing artwork from 150 juried artists

MCAC

CORKS AND CHEFS

from the state, region and around

April 25-27, 2025

A Taste of Birmingham

Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark

April 26 & 27, 2025

Friday 12 p.m.-6 p.m./Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Main Casting Shed at Sloss Furnaces

the country at Birmingham’s

historic Sloss Furnaces. In addition, Corks & Chefs: A Taste of Birmingham, the festival’s signature culinary event, spotlights talented local restaurateurs and their delicious dishes with select wines, craft beers, and cocktail.

Also enjoy seated tasting seminars. In addition to interesting, eclectic and exotic artwork and delectable edibles and elixirs, there are other ways to enjoy the festival with the Imagination Festival art workshops for kids, Collectors Classroom adult art workshops, APT Monograph screenings, live music and dance performances, High School Sculpture Project installations and more (always more).

Festival Admission (in advance): $12 Day Ticket (includes admission any single day OR all 3 days)

12 p.m.-3 p.m. each day Tickets (in advance): $60 Single Day/$95 Two Day Tickets (at the gate): $70 Single Day/$105 Two Day

Free Parking: Sloss Grassy Lot OR on Street.

Bike to MCAC, and valet at the Redemptive Cycles booth by Fest Gate.

TICKET INCLUDES: A 28th annual commemorative glass (15-oz. stemless wine glass), One (1) Taste @ each Culinary Tasting Table, Cocktail tastes from Participating Bars & Restaurants, Wine & Beer Sampling, N/A Beverages, access to Tasting Seminars (limited seating–sign up at entrance) + 3 Day entry to the 42nd Magic City Art Connection

More information: MagicCityArt.com

More information: corksandchefs.com

Festival Admission (at the gate): $15 Day Ticket (includes admission any single day OR all 3 days) Kids 18 & under FREE

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, April 17, 2025 • 29

| ART |

The Jeweler & the Painter

Two artists presenting their work at the Magic City Art Connection. | EDINA SHRESTHA, Jeweler |

BY LEE HURLEY

E

dina Shrestha, whose jewelry will be on display at the 42nd Magic City Art Connection, designs jewelry that reflects her spirituality and is fueled by frequent visits to her home in Katmandu, Nepal. Edina meditates, practices yoga, and connects her art with the chakras—energy centers located along the spine that are believed to influence physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Each of her stones represent these chakras in different ways, and they cover everything from love and healing to wisdom, power and sexuality.

And yet Edina’s journey to jewelry design serpentines through a career in interior design in Washington, D.C. followed by an MBA degree at UAB and consulting here in Birmingham (where her husband is a professor of Public Health) and then time dedicated to raising her 21-year-old son and 20-year-old daughter who graduated Indian Springs and are now both at Tulane University in New Orleans. After all, the idea that experience and life are essential for developing good art is as old as Nepal.

While spirituality guides her creative process, Edina’s skill in design was inherited from her late uncle, a jewelry maker in Nepal. It was at his studio that she began to have thoughts about designing her own jewelry one day.

The caste system helped too. Nepal has 36 castes, and each has its own art trade. “I’m Newari, and our caste is known for jobs in architecture, sculpting, painting, woodcarving, pottery making and metal work,” she says. “So there must have been a larger historical element attracting me to this field.”

Edina’s jewelry blends East and West, ancient and modern. “I use many techniques to create inlay fusion jewelry—mixing stones of different shapes and origins to create unique designs,” she says. “I hand-draw them. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night to sketch a new idea.”

Most of Edina’s jewelry is sold at festivals like Magic City Art Connection and Moss Rock, which she has been doing for years, but she also creates custom pieces for clients. “When I do these shows, my customers just find me, and they inspire my creations. I did not know that I would make it this far in Birmingham. I used to travel, because I worried my art would not do well here. Now I’m just local and so thankful that these wonderful people seek out and support my art. OTMJ Edina’s work will be shown at the 42nd Annual Magic City Art Connection April 25-27th at Sloss Furnaces magiccityart.com/artists/edina-shrestha/.

| CLAIRE CORMANY, Painter |

F

or the past 16 years, through location changes and festival growth, artist Claire Cormany has set up her tent and exhibited her atmospheric landscape paintings at the Magic City Art Connection. But when Cormany arrived in Birmingham in 1990 to attend Samford University, she had no way of knowing that she would still be here.

At Samford, Cormany majored in graphic design and minored in painting. “I’ve never not painted,” she says. After graduation, Cormany began her first post-college job as a designer for the company that became United Healthcare (“I got them through the name change,” Cormany remembers, “That was a bear!”). But despite her day job, Cormany never stopped painting.

Cormany also always assumed that she would eventually return home to Florida. “But I fell in love with the people here,” she says. After a couple of job changes, Cormany decided it was time to put down permanent roots. “I started looking for houses in a couple areas of town, but I happened on an online listing for a house that was exactly what I was looking for,” Cormany recalls.

The house—a California modern built in 1973 on the side of the mountain in Vestavia Hills—had all the elements Cormany was looking for. After finding the listing on a Saturday (and peering through the windows of the house that was unoccupied at

BY BARRY WISE SMITH the time), Cormany toured the home on Sunday, and made her offer on Monday. “I saw myself being able to create in this house,” she says.

“I call it my treehouse.”

Cormany moved into the house in 2007 and was immediately inspired by the design. The house features 22-foot ceilings and four-foot by eight-foot panel windows across the front and the back of the house, which flood the interiors with natural light all day long. “It’s perfect for painting,” Cormany says. “I truly live in a glass house. I paint all over the house because there are lots of opportunities for different light.

Sometimes I paint outside on the deck (the house features two) when it’s a nice day.”

Cormany describes her paintings as loose interpretations of the familiar. “I’m trying to capture an overall feeling—a moment. I squint as I take in a scene that I plan to paint,” she says.

“Squinting gives me the values, colors, forms and shapes. It frees my mind to reinterpret the scene without constraint. Then I start making a loose mess with underpainting and keep shaping it until the form emerges. Every single painting I do feels like a failure until that magic moment when it clicks and the scene takes shape. I know I just have to keep going.”

All these years later, Cormany is still feeling the inspiration here. “I came for college, but I

Cormany in her home studio

Remains of the Day, oil on 36” square canvas

stayed because this community is an artistically inspiring place. It’s home,” she says. OTMJ Cormany will be showing her acrylic and oil paintings at the 42nd Magic City Art Connection at Sloss Furnaces from April 25-27. For more information, visit her website clairecormany.com or on Instagram @cormanybyclaire.

30 • Thursday, April 17, 2025

| SPORTS |

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

“Lacrosse is a relatively young sport in Birmingham.

I love that it’s fast-paced, and it gives any player a chance to be awesome—and it’s fun to watch.”

–liv heaps

A DIFFERENT PATH

Mountain Brook’s Liv Heaps prefers lacrosse to soccer, her family’s sport of choice.

BY RUBIN E. GRANT

L

iv Heaps decided not to follow her family’s sports tradition. Her dad Jay Heaps played soccer collegiately and professionally, coached professionally and currently is the president and general manager of the Birmingham Legion FC professional soccer team.

Her older brother Jack was a star soccer player at Mountain Brook—leading the Spartans to the 2022 Class 6A state championship—and the 2022 Alabama Gatorade Soccer

Player of the Year. He now plays in college at Georgetown University. Her younger brother Jude, an eighth-grader at Mountain Brook Junior High, also plays soccer.

Liv played soccer growing up in the Northeast, but two months before the family moved to Mountain Brook from Boston in 2018, she quit soccer to concentrate on lacrosse, which she had begun playing at age nine. “I played soccer and lacrosse in the seventh and eighth grades, but I wanted to take a different path,

my own path,” Liv says. “Lacrosse is a relatively young sport in Birmingham. Plus, my dad’s sister, Katie Heaps, played lacrosse in college at Duke, so it’s in my family. I love that it’s fast-paced, and it gives any player a chance to be awesome—and it’s fun to watch.”

Liv, a senior midfielder at Mountain Brook, has developed into an awesome player, traveling regularly to Milton, Ga., near Atlanta to hone her skills at Eagle Stix Lacrosse in their elite program. A prolific goal-scorer, Liv is the

top-rated female lacrosse player in Alabama and a three-time Alabama All-American recipient by USA Lacrosse.

Liv has helped the Spartans win four consecutive Alabama Lacrosse state championships, scoring five goals in the 2024 state championship game against Spain Park, which Mountain Brook won 23-7. “She takes coaching pleasantly, and what people don’t see is how hard she works,” Mountain Brook coach Tom Lewis says. “She practices when nobody is watching.”

Liv takes such compliments and glittering recognition in stride. “Obviously, it’s an honor,” she says. “I’m grateful to be on a team that allows me to contribute and has good coaching. We have so many good players and we try to make each other look good.”

Liv has been a part of the team since she was in the eighth grade and can’t believe that she’s finally a senior. “It feels like I just started yesterday,” she says. “This season has gone by really fast. I’m honored to have played here, and now I’m trying to be a role model for the younger girls and help the sport grow more.”

As brilliant as she’s been for the Spartans, Liv has no plans to play in college. “It’s a whole different playing field,” she says. “After some serious consideration and weighing my options with academics and athletics, I’ve decided to just be a student in college.

I’m going to the University of Georgia to study business. I hear they play some high-quality club team lacrosse, so I might give that a try.”

Meanwhile, she will try to finish her career with a fifth consecutive state title. The Spartans entered April with a 7-0 record and are considered the top contender for the crown.

The state championship game will be played on May 3 at Hoover’s Buccaneer Stadium.

“We’ve got 11 seniors, and we’ve been playing together for so long,” she says. ‘It would be fun to win state again.” OTMJ

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

| SPORTS |

Thursday, April 17, 2025 • 31

SPORTS | OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL • OTMJ.COM | Thursday, April 17, 2025

BACK IN THE SWING Ansley Cox returns to Vestavia Hills’ girls tennis team.

BY RUBIN E. GRANT PHOTOS BY JASON DING

W

ith several talented players returning from their 2024 AHSAA Class 7A state championship team, the Vestavia Hills girls tennis team didn’t need another skillful player in their quest for a repeat.

But they got one anyway.

Senior Ansley Cox decided to rejoin the team after not playing for the Rebels the past two years. She won No. 2 singles as a freshman on Vestavia Hills’ 2022 state championship team but elected to play USTA Juniors the past two years.

“I really enjoyed my freshman year, and I enjoyed all the girls,” Cox says. “My goal has been to play college tennis since I was little.

I decided to play USTA tennis, because it was the best way for me to get recruited. With playing USTA, being in school and keeping up with my studies, it was a lot, so I didn’t think I could play high school tennis too.”

Cox is one of the top junior players in

Alabama and the Southeast. Her decision to concentrate on playing the USTA circuit paid off when she signed a tennis scholarship with Penn State in February. “When I went on my visit to Penn State, it checked off so many of my boxes,” Cox says. “It’s a great environment in a great community. It just felt so right.”

With her collegiate decision behind her, Cox figured it was time to play for the Rebels again. Besides, it’s her senior year. “It’s great being back,” she says. “A lot of the girls on the

“I’m trying to combine more elements into my game, so I can be an all-court player, but power is definitely my strong suit.”

–ansley cox

team were there when I played as a freshman.

We’ve always gotten along so well.”

Cox is one of five seniors on the team along with Kenley Outzen, Madison Standifer, Caroline Helms and Wynn Strubel.

Vestavia Hills tennis coach Oliver Aaron is glad to have Cox back. “She’s one of those players who no matter what the weather, she’s hitting,” Aaron says. “If it’s raining, she’ll go play on a YMCA indoor court. She just has that drive.

Aaron continues, “she just adds more depth to our lineup. With her playing No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles, it makes it a little easier for our other starters.”

Cox, who is undefeated this spring, describes herself as a power player. “I’m trying to combine more elements into my game, so I can be an all-court player, but power is definitely my strong suit.”

Cox began playing at an early age after her dad signed her up for some Lifetime junior tennis clinics. She dabbled in gymnastics

until the third grade, but decided she liked tennis far better. “It’s a very controllable sport, and it’s an individual sport, so you’re relying on yourself,” Cox says. “When I’m playing, it feels so good. It’s hard to explain why I love it so much.”

Cox would love to finish her high school career with another state championship.

Vestavia Hills’ girls have won 13 state titles, including two of the past three Class 7A crowns. The Rebels were runners-up in 2023.

The 2025 Class 7A state tournament will be held April 24-25 at the Mobile Tennis Center.

Vestavia Hills entered April with an 18-1 record in dual matches. They traveled to Florida during spring break and won matches against Chiles in Tallahassee, Winter Park and Spruce Creek in Daytona Beach.

“It was so much fun going to Florida,” Cox says. “Our team has so much depth, and we work well together. We play a lot of tough competition, so I definitely think we have a shot at winning state again.” OTMJ