04.23.2015

Otmj Thursday, April 23, 2015

social

over the mountain journal ❖ otmj.com

schools

Spanish

Translation Hollywood Tour House Gets Just the Right Accents story By Donna Cornelius photos by lee walls jr.

Mary and Mims Cooper knew the house they’d bought on La Playa Place in Homewood needed some work. They just didn’t know quite how much.

“My husband had done some renovations before, but not to this extent,” Mary Cooper said. “When we started, there was a vacant lot near here where someone was building a new house. That house was completely built while we were still renovating. We pretty much gutted our whole house.”

‘When we started, The Coopers’ time and effort paid off. The there was a vacant carefully-restored one-story cottage is true to its original Spanish colonial revival style but lively lot near here where and livable enough for a modern family. someone was buildThe Coopers’ house is one of four that will ing a new house. be featured on this year’s Historic Hollywood Tour of Homes. The tour, sponsored annually That house was by the Hollywood Garden Club, will be May 3 completely built from 1-4 p.m. while we were still Mary Cooper said she lived in the Hollywood area as a child when her father renovating. We was an associate priest at All Saints’ Episcopal pretty much gutted Church in Homewood. our whole house.’

“It’s taken me 50 years to get back to this neighborhood,” she said.

The Coopers made extensive improvements and additions to their house, which was built about 1926 or 1927, Cooper said. They added a master

Mary Cooper and her husband, Mims, extensively renovated their house on La Playa Place in Homewood.

But many original features remain, including the tile floor in the foyer.

The house is one of four on this year’s Historic Hollywood Tour of Homes.

See hollywood, page 28

inside

Fashion Statement Vestavia teen is making his mark in design. about town Page 8

The Power of Two Motherdaughter team is leading this year’s Museum Ball. people Page 16

International Flavor Culinary celebrity is part of this year’s Corks & Chefs menu. food Page 34

2 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

‘Make a Big Difference’ VHUMC Hosts “Stop Hunger Now” Event

Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church is taking a stand to stop world hunger.

The church partnered with Stop Hunger Now to package meals to feed hungry people around the world. Although VHUMC has partnered with Canterbury United Methodist Church in the past to host a similar event, this was their first year hosting their own campaign.

“Last year we decided that we could expand the whole effort for the Birmingham area by having an event here in the Over the Mountain community,” Bo Porter, committee chair, said. “We were successful in bringing together about twelve churches to start. We hope to expand even more in the future.”

The meal packing event began April 13 at 3:30 p.m. and ran through April 14 at 7:30 p.m. The goal was to pack 250,000 bags, each of which contains soy, rice, mixed vegetables and vitamins and can feed up to six people. Each bag was put together assembly line style.

“It’s a great thing for our families to do to serve together,” Scottie Vickers, committee member, said. “It’s a fun way to make a big difference.”

VHUMC exceeded its goal and packed a grand total of 251,364 meals.

Since 1998, Stop Hunger Now has provided meals to over 190,000,000 people in 65 different countries. For more information, visit www.stophungernow.org.

in this issue About Town 4 News 10 people 14 life 17 social 18

home 24 weddings 30 schools 31 Food 34 sports 40

Opinion/Contents

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

murphy’s law

My Bionic House

R

It is also a testament to how comub-a-dub-dub, I’m getting a tub. mitted I am to staying put. A lesser Yes, I already have a tub, but person would have thrown up her I’m upgrading to a lower tech hands long ago and sold off to someone model. No more jets. I know, I know, with less frazzled nerve endings, but whirlpool tubs sound very spa-like, but no. Hailstorms and scorching sun and when your asthmatic jets don’t jet out mildew and water seepage – hit me all the standing water you find yourself with your best shot. I like my neighborsitting in residual gunk, which is not hood, I like my lot, and I’m going to very spa-like at all. Despite vinegar and stay and fight with hammer and nail bleach applications and several of those and putty and caulk until the last dying zippy bubbly tablets, the gunk remains, gasp of my credit cards, because, as you so the tub has to go. probably know, some of these projects I want something simple this time, are expensive, and while the new and something one piece that has no motor improved additions rally to protect me to sputter and die. I need a break from from cold and rain and dark of night, broken, a respite from any kind of Sue Murphy they’re not what you’d call fun. A new repair. Our house is getting to a certain roof costs the same as a Caribbean age so a bit of patch and putty is to vacation, but you don’t end up with be expected, but over the last few tan or souvenir photos unless you years, we’ve replaced our roof, all Every time something atake a selfie out in the driveway with our windows and our water heater.

We upgraded the air conditioners and falls apart, we manage your nail gun. unlike a granite/stainhooked the whole house up to a gento find the technology lessAnd, steel kitchen redo, a new roof erator. (Remember Snowmageddon 2014? I do.) to rebuild it and my doesn’t add value to your home. expect a house to come with We rolled out new carpets and house rises even stron- People a functioning roof. Same thing with new hardwoods and bought a new refrigerator. Our garage doors are ger, a marvel of mod- an air conditioning unit and a water heater and a deck. If you opened new, our front door is new. We have ern construction. up the back door and just fell into a new deck, a new fence, new…well, the yard, your asking price would just about everything. It’s been like drop like a rock, but a new deck for “This Old House” in slow motion, an old deck? That’s just an even swap. Windows for and there’s no end in sight. I strongly suspect that workwindows, doors for doors. All I’ve done is maintain the men of every stripe are now circling our house waiting status quo. for their respective phone calls.

It’s the price you pay for not moving. My parents In the hardware world, nothing lasts forever. I get lived in 14 houses before they retired. Sometimes they that. But, I’m looking around my lodgings and am havdidn’t stay long enough to have the drapes cleaned. ing a hard time locating any original equipment. It’s like Drapes…mine are getting a little tired looking.

I’m living in a bionic house. Every time something falls (Sigh.) And I suppose the driveway needs to be reapart, we manage to find the technology to rebuild it poured. Oh well. Time to make a few more phone calls. and my house rises even stronger, a marvel of modern Someone will have the technology. They can rebuild. ❖ construction.

On otmj.com

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

OVER THE MOUNTAIN

JOU RNAL

April 23, 2015

Publisher & Editor: Maury Wald Features Writer & Copy Editor Donna Cornelius Staff Writers: Kaitlin Candelaria, Emily Williams Editorial Assistant: Stacie Galbraith Sports: Lee Davis Contributors: Susan Murphy, June Mathews, William C. Singleton III, Emil Wald, Marvin Gentry, Lee Walls Jr., Bryan Bunch, Liz Ellaby Advertising Sales: Suzanne Wald, Julie Trammell Edwards, Tommy Wald Intern: Jacob Fuqua Vol. 25, No. 8

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 ads@otmj.com. Find us on the Web at otmj.com.

Copyright 2015 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.

over the Mountain Views Inspired by the warmer weather and the opportunity to visit the annual Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ Plant Sale, we asked BBG volunteers...

If you were a plant, what would you be and why?

“Since I grow all the salvias for Botanical Gardens, I’m going to pick leucantha. They’re pretty.”

“I think I would be thyme because in my mind it’s a universal herb. It goes in a wide variety of dishes, yet it’s delicate and hearty.”

Diane Jones Mountain Brook

Dina Musgrave Mountain Brook

“I would be a redwood tree because they grow big and grow for centuries and I want to be big, bad and old.”

Jim Cook Mountain Brook

“A rose because I’ve grown them for over 50 years. It’s my favorite flower.”

Paul Seager Hoover

About Town

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 3

©2015 John Hardy Limited

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Spring 2015 Trunk Show Tuesday, April 28 10am – 5pm Mountain Brook Wednesday, April 29 10am – 5pm The Summit

20150331_Bromberg_Newspaper.indd 1

2/4/15 8:50 am

About Town

Fri., April 24 BIRMINGHAM

Racing for Children’s Dinner Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum Children’s of Alabama presents its fifth annual dinner and auction to kick off the Indy Grand Prix Racing Weekend.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $125. To purchase tickets, visit www.racingforchildrens.org.

HOMEWOOD

Kickin’ It for A Cure West Homewood Baseball Field Homewood area dentists will trade in their toothbrushes for kick-balls to raise money for pediatric cancer research, specifically Developmental Therapeutics, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. To donate to the event, visit childrensal. kintera.org/centerforchildhoodcancer/ kickinitforacure.

BIRMINGHAM

Tails in the Trails Birmingham Zoo Guests are invited to celebrate the Zoo’s 60th anniversary in the Hugh Kaul Children’s Zoo from 6:30-10:30 p.m.

This event is for ages 21 and older.

Early bird tickets are $15. To purchase tickets, visit tickets.birminghamzoo.com.

April 24-26 BIRMINGHAM

Magic City Art Connection Linn Park

This 32nd annual contemporary art festival is presented by the Foundation for Art and Cultural Connections. Tickets are $5. Children 12 and younger get in free. Festival hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sunday. For more information, call 5956306.

Sat., April 25 BIRMINGHAM

Weatherfest McWane Science Center Join the FOX6 StormWarn team and iHeart Media between 10 a.m. and noon. Weather fans can meet their favorite meteorologists, learn safety tips and see vehicles and tools used by atmospheric scientists. This event is free. For more information, visit www. mcwane.org/event/weatherfest/.

BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham Get Up Sloss Furnace This second annual concert, benefiting The Red Barn, will feature music by Dead Fingers, Trouble the Waters, The Golden Monica and Banditos. Gates open at 4:30 p.m.

Music begins at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Children under 12 enter for free. To purchase tickets, visit www.theredbarn. org MOUNTAIN BROOK

Earth Day at The Gardens Birmingham Botanical Gardens This year’s annual celebration will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II by highlighting the Victory Gardens. The event begins

JOIN US IN A

Graduation Celebration in honor of the

Class of 2015 SHOP

Citywide Celebration

Annual Hoover Festival Is Set for May 2

By Kaitlin Candelaria Hoover residents are invited to come celebrate all the city of Hoover has to offer on May 2 at Veteran’s Park for the annual Celebrate Hoover Day. The event began eight years ago as a 40th birthday celebration for the city. Because of the success of the event, it has become an annual festival for Hoover residents to celebrate their city.

“We want to bring the community together to celebrate in a family-friendly and safe environment,” Erin Colbaugh, city of Hoover events coordinator, said. “It makes it a special time.”

Activities for the whole family are scheduled throughout the event, which will begin at 10 a.m. and finish up around 4 p.m.

The program will start with the traditional veterans’ memorial paver dedication ceremony.

“We honor all of the veterans who have made sacrifices to our country, particularly those who have had pavers installed throughout the year,” Colbaugh said. “If someone wants to honor a veteran or loved one in a special way, those pavers are available for purchase year round.”

Musical groups and Hoover students will perform on stage. A car show will be open to anyone interested in participating.

Attendees also can also look forward to the annual tradition of tasting a 10-foot apple pie created by the Jefferson State Community College culinary team.

According to Colbaugh, there will be lots of ice cream on hand to accompany the taste testing.

Children’s activities include a balloon artist, face painting, carnival rides, an animal exhibit presented by the Birmingham Zoo, an interactive area presented by the McWane Center and more. Photos will be available with characters such as Dora and Diego, the Backyardigans at 11 a.m. in front of the Conservatory and is free. For more information, visit www.bbgardens.org.

VESTAVIA

Glenwood Family Fun Day Hollywood Pools Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health invites families to celebrate Autism Awareness Month from 10 a.m.2 p.m. Guests can purchase plants and enjoy face painting, inflatables and more. For more information, call 7953251.

HOMEWOOD

Photo special to the Journal

April 24 - May 7

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

and the Chick-fil-A cow.

Some new features of the event this year will be drawing and painting lessons presented by the Young Rembrandts and live parrots presented by the Alabama Parrot Rescue, based in Hoover.

Hoover Chamber of Commerce members will also have exhibits. Nearly 100 members are registered to participate.

The Hoover Police Department and Hoover Fire Department will also be joining in on the fun. The police staff will be on site to fingerprint children, and the fire department will have several safety displays.

The Shred It truck will be at the event to shred documents safely and securely for Hoover residents.

According to Colbaugh, this service is requested often throughout the year, and residents can utilize it even they aren’t attending the festival.

Technical Knockout will be available to collect electronic items to be recycled.

Parking is at Spain Park High School. A shuttle will provide transportation to and from the festival.

The rain date for the event is May 3. ❖

Self-defense for Women Homewood Public Library Detective Juan Rodriquez will conduct a free self-defense class for women from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the library’s large auditorium. Registration is required. To register, contact Leslie West at lwest@bham.lib.al.us or call 332-6620.

VESTAVIA HILLS

First Responders Celebration Mountaintop Church The Vestavia Sunrise Rotary will host this event from 3-6 p.m. to raise funds for First Responders ATV and Vestavia

High School’s We The People program.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. For more information, visit www.vestaviasunriserotary.com.

BIRMINGHAM

Bocce Bash Kress Building The Crisis Center Junior Board will host its first Bocce Bash benefiting the Michael K. Falligant Scholarship on the Kress Building rooftop at 2:30 p.m.

Four-player teams can register for $25 per player. Tickets for spectators are $20. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.

The Casino Royale planning committee includes from left, front: Margaret Powell, membership chair; Anna MClendon, PALS chair; Celia Grammas, Casino Royale co-chair; Stephanie Smith, Casino Royale co-chair; and June Clark, marketing chair.

Back: Ashley Groves, fundraising chair; Virginia Hornbuckle, Casino Royale chair; Brandy Shreiner, auction co-chair; Kim Blackenburg, Casino Royale co-chair; and Lindsay Handy, fundraising co-chair. Not pictured: Cori Prier, auction co-chair; Mindy Reed, treasurer; and Brandi Vickers, auction co-chair.

Your Graduation Headquarters for all the best grad gifts!

3930 Crosshaven Drive 1/2 mile behind The Summit 205.968.0909 thebluewillow.com VESTAVIA HILLS

Casino Royale Library in the Forest P.A.L.S’ third annual fundraiser and silent auction is from 7-10 p.m. on Saturday, April 25. Proceeds benefit the library’s children’s department. Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door. To purchase tickets, visit www.librarypals.org.

Photo special to the Journal

4 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

BIRMINGHAM

March for Babies Uptown Entertainment District This March of Dimes event will begin at 9 a.m. across from the Westin Hotel and next to the BJCC. The walk is two miles. There will be familyfriendly activities for all ages. For more information, contact Ashley Wheeler at awheeler@marchofdimes.org.

Sun., April 26

Room from 2-4 p.m. This event is free.

For more information, visit www.eolib. org or call 445-1121.

MOUNTAIN BROOK

National Poetry Month Emmet O’Neal Library Meet local poets Barry Marks and Jessica Smith along with Tennessean Alice Smith for a reading and book signing in the Community Meeting

Photo special to the Journal

The Bargain Carousel planning committee includes from left, front Haley Holden, chair elect; and Carrie Juliano, chair.

Back: Emily Norkus, logistics chair; and Marianne Gilchrist, departments chair.

HOOVER

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 5

About Town

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

BIRMINGHAM

Red Trunk Riot Avondale Brewing Co. The Junior Board of the Ronald McDonald House will host this second annual event from 1-5 p.m. Creature Camp will provide music. Tickets are $10 and include Insomnia Cookies, an event cup and access to food trucks.

For more information, visit www.rmhca. org/event/red-trunk-riot/.

Mon., April 27 NORTH SHELBY

UABSO Golf Tournament Inverness Country Club The UAB School of Optometry will host its annual golf tournament

benefiting optometric education.

Registration begins at 11 a.m. followed by lunch at 11:30 a.m. The tournament will begin at 1 p.m. after a putting contest. For more information, visit www. uab.edu/optometry or call 934-9838.

It's tIme to

Grill!

James harwell

April 25-26

Moonlight on the Mountain

The Junior League of Birmingham’s Bargain Carousel Hoover Baptist Medical Center This 1,000-family garage sale will begin with a Bargain Bash on Thursday.

VIP admission includes entrance at 6 p.m. for $40. The sale is open to the public Saturday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The entrance fee will be $10 until 10 a.m. and then drops to $5. Sunday entrance is free, and all merchandise will be half-priced. For more information, call 879-9861 or visit www.bargaincarousel.net.

Friday, May 1st, 7pm

MoonlightOnTheMtn.com

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987-3516 Over The Mountain Journal, 205-823-9646 ph., 205-824-1246, fax March 2014

This is your ad proof from the over the mountain Journal for the march 26, 2015 issue. Please contact your sales representative as soon as possible to approve your ad or make changes. You may fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

To: From: Date:

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

Mike Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, June 2014 your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

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6 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

The event will kick off bright and early at 7:30 a.m. with the 2015 We Love Homewood Day 5K, formerly known as the Spirit Scamper, at Homewood Central Park. The 5K was revived several years ago by Homewood High School and this year has moved from the greenway off Lakeshore Drive back to the park.

Jam-packed Day

We Love Homewood Event Starts Early, Ends Late

By Kaitlin Candelaria We Love Homewood Day is an all-day event on May 2 celebrating all that the city has to offer.

The event, which dates back over 30 years, is an annual tradition for many in Homewood. All proceeds benefit the Homewood High School band.

“Different people take different aspects of the day,” said Rusty Holley, parks and recreation superintendent.

“We consider it to be people celebrating Homewood who live there.”

The event will kick off bright and early at 7:30 a.m. with the 2015 We Love Homewood Day 5K, formerly known as the Spirit Scamper, at Homewood Central Park. The 5K was revived several years ago by Homewood High School and this year has moved from the greenway off Lakeshore Drive back to the park.

“Hopefully that will introduce a few people who have done the run in the past to what's going on in the park,” Holley said. “People that were running (the race) at the school felt like it was kind of disconnected from the rest of the day. We're hoping it

adds a new element where they really feel like they're part of the festivities.”

Following the run, the Spring in the Park Festival will kick off at 10 a.m.

Children can enjoy inflatables and rides while parents visit a vendor expo featuring crafters, civic groups and businesses as well as a silent auction.

Live music will begin at midday. A DJ will provide entertainment before the Homewood High School band takes the stage at 1 p.m. for a pep rally and concert.

The Society of Creative Anachronism will also be presenting medieval demonstrations throughout the day.

Although the West Homewood Lions Club usually provides barbecue for the event, the group has stepped back this year and will instead offer Pepsi products, hamburgers and hotdogs. Food trucks such as Cantina and Saw's will also be present as well as the Homewood Rotary Club, which will host a bake sale.

Aspiring artists can come out for the Rotary Club Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest which will take place throughout the day.

As the day begins to wind down,

the We Love Homewood Day Parade will begin. The parade will start at 5:30 p.m. at the Homewood Library and travel west on Oxmoor Road to the Edgewood business district.

Floats in the parade will compete to win best of show, most Homewood spirit and the best float awards.

Participation in the parade is free.

To cap off the fun-filled day, a street dance will take place in Edgewood. Before the dance gets started, the Quality of Life Award will be presented to a deserving Homewood citizen for his or her work and service to the Homewood community.

Afterwards, families can dance the night away to the music of Bonus Round. Edgewood merchants will also be open to provide food and refreshments.

“The street dance was added about 10 years ago, and it's added a nighttime feature that gave high school-age kids, college-age kids and parents something else to go to,” Holley said.

The event will wrap up at 9:30 p.m.

For more information, visit www. homewoodparks.com. ❖

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About Town

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

night. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Kids under age 6 attend for free. Tickets will be available at the door.

Wed., April 29 HOMEWOOD

Steve and Jonathan Parris

Sat., May 9

OLLI Bonus Program Homewood Public Library Acclaimed railroad speaker Jack Norris brings his “Lifelong Railroad Odyssey” to the library from noon-1 p.m.

Drinks and dessert will be provided.

This event is free and open to the public through Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes. For more information, call Leslie West at 332-6620.

Thurs., April 30

MOUNTAIN BROOK

HOMEWOOD

Troop 97 Pancake Breakfast Trinity UMC Boy Scout Troop 97 is hosting its annual pancake breakfast, silent auction and garage sale from 7 a.m.noon. Tickets are $6 in advance and $7 at the door. To donate items to the auction or garage sale, contact Bert Allen at 540-5343 or bertjudy@ hotmail.com.

An Evening With the Author Emmet O’Neal Library Author Chris Bennett will speak at 6:30 p.m. about his new book, “Southeast Foraging.” Beer from Good People Brewing and food by Shindigs will be available. This free event is for those 21 and older. For more information, call 445-1121 or visit www. eolib.org.

BIRMINGHAM

April 27-28 MOUNTAIN BROOK

“Annie, Jr.” Canterbury Methodist Church The Mountain Brook Junior High Choir, directed by Amy Loden, will perform its spring show at 7 p.m. each

Fiesta Ball Iron City The Young Supporters Board of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center will hold its annual ball from 6-10 p.m. Proceeds will fund the Mary Ann Harvard Young Investigators grant.

Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door.

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 7

Fri., May 1 BIRMINGHAM

Scholar-in-Residence Weekend Temple Beth-El Rabbi Irwin Kula will visit Temple Beth-El May 1-3 as a scholar-in-residence.

He said he hopes to share his message of hope and spiritual growth through a range of programs open to the community. For more information, visit www.templebethel.net.

VESTAVIA HILLS

First Friday Reception Artists Incorporated Join Artists Incorporated for wine, hors d’oeuvres and live music from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Guests can meet the featured artists for the month of May. This event is free. For more information, visit www.artistsincorporated.com or call 979-8990.

HOMEWOOD

Law Day Luncheon The Club As part of the national Law Day celebrations, the Birmingham Bar Association will host a luncheon from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m, featuring a panel discussion on “The Magna Carta’s Influence on Modern-day Legal Issues.”

Tickets are $40 for Bar members and $50 for non-members. To register, visit www.birminghambar.org.

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8 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

about town

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Fashion Statement Vestavia Teen Is Making His Mark in Design

By Kaitlin Candelaria Bradford Billingsley has a long list of accolades, from recently receiving top honors on the fashion reality show “Project Runway: Threads” to being featured in Seventeen magazine. He is

definitely working on making a name for himself. Billingsley is also only 13 years old.

Billingsley said he began drawing at age 4. His first sketches featured Egyptian headdresses and ancient Egyptian clothing. His work began to

evolve when he found his first muse -- Taylor Swift.

“I spent a weekend throwing together 70 different drawings to give to her,” Billingsley said. “I went to a meet and greet and gave them to her, and she said I was very talented.

Last year, Bradford Billingsley, center, placed second in the Rising Star competition of Birmingham Fashion Week. This year, he will be featured as Fashion Week’s first “Up and Coming Designer.” His designs are shown on models Rachel Brooks and Harper Schnell.

When Bob and Tracie Duncan moved from Ohio in 1998, they were a young couple expecting Birmingham to be one stop in a string of career moves. “We loved Birmingham so much, we decided to stay and raise our kids here,” says Bob. Tracie started the process of looking for a home by driving around, and she saw Gail Weiss’ yard sign. “We’ve been her customers ever since,” says Tracie. The Duncans have bought and sold their personal homes as well as investment properties working with Gail. “She is a true professional,” says Bob. “She respects our time, listens to what we want and then makes the process easy. We gladly refer friends to Gail.”

Gail sees a benefit in being a part of the ARC Realty team. “Our company has grown by attracting great talent, providing excellent service, and staying ahead using technology. I’m proud to work for ARC Realty.”

She wrote ‘You must like your art as much as I like my music.’ That’s when I was 9 or 10.”

Billingsley, now an eighth-grader at Pizitz Middle School, describes his style as edgy and sexy high-end couture. He has been featured in Birmingham Fashion Week’s Rising Star Competition for the past two years, placing third in 2013 and second in 2012. This year, he will be featured as Fashion Week’s first “Up and Coming Designer.”

On May 9, Billingsley will spotlight a small collection of four pieces.

All of them are very much his true style -- very edgy and sexy, he said.

As a part of his prize package for winning “Project Runway: Threads,” Billingsley was featured in Seventeen and will also be attending fashion camp in Los Angeles this year.

“I feel like I’m going to learn a lot there,” Billingsley said. “From there, I would like to go to Central Saint

Martins in London where Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney and all my favorite designers went to school. From there, I want to intern at major fashion labels and then progress into starting my own label.”

Billingsley’s mother, Dana, credits a lot of his success thus far to Birmingham Fashion Week.

“When he competed on ‘Project Runway,’ the two other contestants were from Oregon and Los Angeles, and yet Bradford was the only one who had runway experience,” she said. “Without Birmingham Fashion Week, he never would have had that opportunity.”

She said it’s also sometimes “still kind of weird” being the mother of a rising fashion star.

“It’s surreal,” she said. “It’s different. This year at Fashion Week, we won’t have to worry about the competition part. It’s his first debut, so it’s very exciting and very special.” ❖

Birmingham Fashion Week ‘Great Opportunity’ Mountain Brook native Seline Meisler is vying for the title of 2015 Emerging Designer during the fifth annual Birmingham Fashion Week in May. Meisler, a junior majoring in apparel and textile design at the University of Alabama, is one of 16 semi-finalists selected to showcase her looks on the runway during this year’s competition.

“It is a great opportunity to see the design process through from start to finish,” said the 20-year-old. “I have

A Relationship Company 4274 Cahaba Heights Court, Suite 200 Birmingham, AL 35243 • 205.969.8910

www.arcrealtyco.com Gail Weiss • (205) 369-3037 Seline Meisler

See meisler, facing page

Photo special to the Journal

“We love working with Gail Weiss & ARC Realty”

May 1-3 NORTH SHELBY

Wings Over Oak Mountain Oak Mountain State Park Nature enthusiasts can enjoy birding excursions, interaction with live raptors and information programs. Tickets are $75 per person or $125 for a pair. The ticket price includes all programs and activities as well as breakfast both days and a lunch on Saturday. Visit www. awrc.org or call 663-7930.

Sat., May 2

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 9

About Town

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal BIRMINGHAM

Arty Party B&A Warehouse The theme of this 24th annual art auction benefiting Birmingham AIDS Outreach is Seasons of Love. The event is at 3 p.m. and will feature a live auction with 15 pieces of art. Admission is $50. To purchase tickets, visit www. birminghamaidsoutreach.com or call 322-4197 ext. 107.

May 3-7 BIRMINGHAM

Bible Reading Marathon Southside Baptist Church This free public event consists of 90 continuous hours of Bible reading, from Genesis to Revelation. Readings will be in 15-minute increments. Groups may sign up for blocks of time. Largeprint Bibles will be available. For more information, visit www.libertypark.org/ biblemarathon or call 969-1236.

will benefit Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School. The event begins with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. followed by a seated dinner and silent auction. Tickets are $150. For more information, call 787-8530.

Save The date May 7-9 HOOVER

Annual Spring Plant Sale Aldridge Gardens This annual plant sale is from 9 a.m.5 p.m. May 8 and 9 a.m.-noon May 9.

The sale is open to the public. There will be a members’ pre-sale from 4-6 p.m.

May 7. For more information, visit www. aldridgegardens.com or call 682-8019.

May 9

Mon., May 4 BIRMINGHAM

Here’s To Forty Alabama Theatre Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Children’s Dance Foundation presents dances that commemorate the foundation’s past, present and future. The show is at 7:30 p.m. and is free. For more information, visit www. childrensdancefoundation.org.

VESTAVIA HILLS

Taste of Teal Vestavia Country Club The Laura Crandall Brown Ovarian Cancer Foundation will hold a dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets are $100 and include drinks, dinner, $1,000 casino money and musical entertainment. For more information and ticket purchasing, visit www.thinkoflaura.org/tasteofteal.

Sun., May 3 BIRMINGHAM

Mother’s Day Brunch Clubhouse on Highland The Junior Board of Sav-A-Life ministry will host a catered brunch at 1 p.m. benefiting Sav-A-Life Pregnancy Test Center in Vestavia. Two-time best selling author Melanie Shankle will be the guest speaker. Tickets can be purchased for $50 online at www. savalife.instagift.com.

meisler,

From previous page been able to do everything from gathering inspiration, to designing, to creating the actual garments, and now I will get to see it all come together for the runway show.”

Fashion Week will take place this year May 7-May 9 at Pepper Place in Downtown Birmingham. In order to be considered for the competition, each applicant had to submit at least eight clothing sketches, create a digital mood board that described what inspired each design and interview with a team of judges. The semi-finalists must then choose four of those designs to showcase on the runway.

VESTAVIA HILLS

Nine Wine and Dine Vestavia Hills Country Club Baptist Health Foundation presents this inaugural golf tournament sponsored by Princeton Baptist Medical Center. Three separate nine-hole golf tournaments will begin at 2:30 p.m. A wine reception will follow. To participate, contact Marcia Twitty at 243-2943 or marciatwitty@yahoo.com.

May 7 HOMEWOOD

An Evening with David Phelps Samford University The Samford Legacy League’s annual Scholarship Celebration will begin at 5:30 p.m. It features a buffet dinner and concert featuring Grammy Award-winner David Phelps. Standard reservations are $80.

Deluxe reservations are $135. Reservations are required and must be made by April 30. To make reservations, visit www. samford.edu/legacyleague.

BIRMINGHAM

Rey of Hope The Club This third annual dinner and auction The semi-finalists will show their looks on the runway May 7 and May 8 the winner will be announced during the May 9 runway finale.

In addition to the sought-after title, the winner will receive a prize package including a guaranteed spot at Birmingham Fashion Week 2016 runway show, a television appearance, an editorial piece, a photo shoot with a Birmingham Fashion Week professional photographer and a $1,000 scholarship.

“This is a great introduction into the fashion industry and a way to obtain an understanding of what all goes into putting on a runway show,” Meisler said.

Birmingham Fashion Week provides a platform for local talent — models,

Carol Richard, Valerie Holley and Jill Lindsey.

HOMEWOOD

HANDMADE Art Show Patriot Park Local artists will present and sell handmade jewelry, paintings, pottery, candles, baked goods, up-cycled art and more from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Music will be provided by Woochega. The event is free.

BIRMINGHAM

Garden Art Party Iron City Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama will host this annual event from 7-10 p.m.

Proceeds benefit Alzheimer’s patients and their families. Tickets are $95 per person or $180 for two people. For more information, contact Vance Holder at vholder@alzca.org or call 871-7970.

HOMEWOOD

Motherwalk Homewood Central Park Join the Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation for a 5K and onemile fun run benefiting ovarian cancer research. Registration opens at 7 a.m., the 5K begins at 8 a.m. and the fun run starts at 9 a.m. Registration is $30.

To register visit www.motherwalk.com/ register.php. ❖ designers and makeup and hair artists — to gain experience on and off the runway. This year’s threeday show will include designers Anthony Ryan, Bradford Billingsley, Gunnar Deatherage, Heidi Elnora, Laura Kathleen, Joshua McKinley, Michelle Lesniak and Tribe Kelley.

National designer runway shows as well as local competitions for junior high and high school students will be featured alongside model and design competitions showcasing this season’s hottest trends.

For more information or to purchase tickets to the show, visit www. bhamfashionweek.com. ❖ Send About Town information to: editorial@otmj.com

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10 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

News

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

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By Liz Ellaby More than half the 3,600 members of the Cathedral Church of the Advent live in Over the Mountain communities. And that’s a problem for Birmingham’s oldest Episcopal congregation.

The church for the past 15 years has rented satellite space in Mountain Brook, first at Office Park and then at its current spot at 2828 Culver Road.

Both those locations were problematic, said the Very Rev. Andrew Pearson, dean of the church.

“Office Park didn’t suit our needs due to the atmosphere and just not having people around,” he said. And the Culver Road building’s 2,700 square feet were laid out shotgun style, “like a

‘We are really proposing a soft use. Mountain Brook and Homewood both are right to be concerned about parking.’

Very Rev. Andrew Pearson, Cathedral Church of the Advent

tunnel.”

Church leaders now face problems with antagonistic business neighbors as they try to lead their suburban flock to Homewood. The church has signed a three-year lease on a 4,000 square-foot building at 2814 Linden Ave. in Homewood, contingent on securing rezoning from Central Business District to Institutional use, for Bible studies, speakers and youth programs.

The building is owned by Birchfield Penuel Properties.

The request cleared the Homewood Planning Commission with a 6-1 vote in favor but has sparked a furor in the city’s Central Business District, where merchants vow to fill city council

chambers at a May 11 public hearing to kill the move.

“We want to keep the Central Business District just that,” said Steve Fazio, owner of the adjacent apparel shop, Plainclothes on Linden.

Fazio cited the city’s 2007 master plan, which calls for unified CBD zoning downtown.

Also objecting were Walter Busenlehner, retired proprietor of the Homewood Toy and Hobby Shop and Cahaba Cycles on Eighteenth Street, and property owner J.L. Shaia and Mark Westhoven. They predicted privately-owned parking lots across Linden would become the default parking for the church satellite, a matter Pearson dismisses.

“We are really proposing a soft use,” he said.

“Mountain Brook and Homewood both are right to be concerned about parking. The irony is how much worse the situation would be if a successful business moved in.”

Church programs will fall mainly on Sundays, Monday mornings and in the evenings, not coinciding with normal business hours, Pearson said. A church leader told the commission that no more than 60 people are expected at any one program.

Still, that exceeds available dedicated parking, and tenants using lots, such as Soca, an apparel shop and Pure Barre, a fitness center, both advertise evening and Sunday hours. Pure Barre conducts early Sunday morning classes.

Several merchants predicting a full house at the May 11 council meeting declined to be quoted.

The issue comes as Homewood considers an overhaul of downtown zoning, in part to consolidate multiple zoning districts granted over the years to accommodate specific businesses. The council in December called a special meeting to rezone a nearby Reese Street Central Business District building for a brewery, taproom and bot-

Journal photo by Maury Wald

Merchants Say They’ll Protest Church’s Plans for Satellite Building

The church has signed a three-year lease on a 4,000 square-foot building at 2814 Linden Ave. in Homewood, contingent on securing rezoning from Central Business District to Institutional use, for Bible studies, speakers and youth programs.

tling plant over objections from business neighbors concerned about parking. The commission voted 5-1 to recommend the rezoning. The city council approved the rezoning by a 7-1 vote.

Pearson offered some assurances.

“Lots of churches open up different locations that serve as separate campuses,” he said. “This isn’t that. This is just more of a convenience. We are not looking to expand our territory.”

A public hearing slated for the regular May 11 council meeting at 6 p.m. will precede a council vote on the zoning request. The church hasn’t officially announced its intent to relocate, pending the outcome, Pearson said.

“We wanted to wait to have something to announce,” he said. “Nothing is final. ❖

u mountain brook

Family Night in Crestline Village Crestline Village will hold store sales and activities from 4-9 p.m. benefiting the Pediatric Cancer Foundation in honor of Sid Ortis (right). Activities include Teen Night Trivia at Emmet O’Neal Library, live music, a silent auction and an afterparty at Otey’s.

u mountain brook

Photo special to the Journal

Leadership Program Geared for Elementary Students

On Sunday, April 26, fourth through sixth-graders will have the opportunity to participate in Little Leader Day. Students will learn about their community while building leadership skills with the help of city leaders.

Older elementary students will have the opportunity to participate in Little Leader Day April 26.

The event is sponsored by Leadership Mountain Brook, the city of Mountain Brook and the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.

Leadership Mountain Brook is a program and two-semester class at Mountain Brook High School that gives students an opportunity to propose and perform a project based on community needs.

The program’s aim is for students to develop leadership skills, think critically and apply new knowledge and skills to solve practical problems.

On Little Leader Day, fourth through sixthgraders will hear 18-minute presentations from city leaders. Speakers will include members of the fire department, police department, city council and other organizations.

“We want kids to understand what it means to be a city leader,” Leadership Mountain Brook member Sophie Brint said. “It’s important for kids to learn how to be conscientious members of the community.”

Elementary students will also have the opportunity to help Leadership Mountain Brook with its current community service project. Following the program, students will gather at the city’s Tot Lot to clean up the area through work like spreading mulch and picking up trash.

Little Leader Day is from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at Mountain Brook City Hall. The event will run simultaneously with Taste of Mountain Brook, which begins at 11:30 a.m. on Hoyt Street.

Registration is $25 per student.

For more information, visit www. welcometomountainbrook.com. —Emily Williams

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 11

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

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Rezoning Request Aims Attention at South Shades Crest Road

By William C. Singleton III Rezoning Request Aims Attention at South Shades Crest Road The Hoover City Council’s recent rejection of a controversial rezoning request has once again focused attention on the need for road improvements to South Shades Crest Road.

While city officials agree that the road needs to be widened, not all are optimistic it will happen anytime in the near future.

Earlier this month, the council unanimously voted 7-0 to reject a request

by USS Real Estate to rezone 26 acres south of Interstate 459 along South Shades Crest and across from Brock’s Gap Parkway from light industrial to commercial.

USS Real Estate had identified a potential developer who wants to build a shopping center and a convenience store-gas station with 12 pumps on the site. Although USS Real Estate representatives would not name the potential buyer, rumors and published reports identified a Walmart Neighborhood Market as one of the possible tenants.

USS Real Estate had Skipper Consulting perform a traffic study on the area. Darrell Skipper told council members at the April 6 meeting that traffic along South Shades Crest Road had a “D” rating but operated at

‘It’s obvious that road won’t carry any more development until it’s widened.’

City Council President Jack Wright

out of the county and city of Hoover,” the commissioner said. “We’re working with and through our roads and transportation department and the city of Hoover to come up with some kind of solution to that.”

Widening South Shades Crest into a four-lane road is likely out of the question because of the topography of the mountain and limited area to acquire right of way, Stephens said.

“I could see possibly getting turn

lanes there around the schools and ingress and egress into the larger subdivisions,” he said. “In terms of four-laning that road, I don’t see that happening.”

The commissioner said the I-459 overpass at South Shades Crest poses a totally different challenge.

“You’re taking it out of our local hands and placing it into the state and federal,” he said.

Stephens couldn’t say how much

improvements to South Shades Crest Road would cost and admits that the need would have to justify the dollars it would take to fix the road.

“If there’s a need that’s been identified and it’s approved by the commission and the mayor and city council of Hoover, we will work cooperatively to make sure that something happens,” he said. “But right now, I don’t know if that type of an investment will be cost effective.” ❖

POWER TO

CONSERVE

Charles Yeager Manager and Education Director, Turkey Creek Nature Preserve

© 2015 Alabama Power Company

“acceptable levels.”

But council members and residents said putting a shopping center and gas station near the intersection would add more traffic to a road already overburdened with traffic at peak times.

“As a frequent commuter of South Shades Crest, I see a lot of accidents, a lot of fender benders and a lot of rear ends happening,” said Hoover resident Al Denson, who lives on Oak Crest Cove. “And my concern is putting something that’s off of Shades Crest that would draw people’s attention away from actually paying attention to what’s in front of them or what may be crossing the street.”

Hoover City Council President Jack Wright said widening South Shades Crest Road “should be our first priority” before building commercial establishments in the surrounding area.

“It’s obvious that road won’t carry any more development until it’s widened,” he said.

But widening the road may be easier said than done because of the expense and governmental cooperation necessary to get improvements done, Hoover officials say.

South Shades Crest is mostly a twolane road that stretches 12 miles from Alabama 150 southwest into Shelby County. About a mile of the road turns into one lane as it winds into a secluded residential neighborhood and dead ends into a private driveway.

The portion of the road that is of particular concern to Hoover city offi-

cials and residents is a four-mile stretch between Alabama 150 and Morgan Road. That section meanders through both Jefferson and Shelby counties and Hoover. A section also serves as a high overpass to Interstate 459.

Wright said improving South Shades Crest Road is not a project the city can take on itself, though he’s optimistic improvements are forthcoming.

“It’s going to get widened. It’s just a matter of how quick we can get it widened,” he said.

During the council meeting, a resident suggested USS Real Estate make improvements to the road if it wants to sell the property to a commercial developer. Justin Armstrong, manager of commercial sales and development for USS Real Estate, shot that suggestion down.

“It’s absolutely, 100 percent unrealistic to ask a developer to four-lane four miles of road,” he said.

Councilman John Lyda isn’t optimistic that improvements to the road will come any time soon.

“When you consider the length and the height of the bridge over I-459, that would be a rather significant investment, and I don’t see in my service lifetime that happening,” he said. “I don’t believe either of those counties has shown an appetite to put up the funding to do such a large project.”

Scott Holladay, chief civil engineer for Shelby County, said the county has no plans to make improvements to its section of South Shades Crest Road.

“As far as Shelby County goes, we just have other priorities right now,” he said. “And really, where that road is situated in Hoover, Helena, Jefferson County and Shelby County, it would be something that would have to be initiated by one of those entities.”

Jefferson County doesn’t have in its transportation improvement plans fixes to South Shades Crest Road, although it’s currently working on a project to improve Morgan Road.

The county is in the final stages of acquiring right-of-way for a $12.4 million project to improve 2.5 miles of Morgan Road (also Jefferson County 52) from I-459 to South Shades Crest, said Jefferson County Commissioner Jimmie Stephens. The improvements include paving and widening the twolane road to five lanes with built-in turn lanes. The project is expected to take three years to complete, Stephens added.

Although the Morgan Road project doesn’t include improvements to South Shades Crest Road, it should help Hoover residents who live on South Shades Crest “once they get to Morgan Road,” the commissioner said.

Stephens said the county has identified Morgan Road as one of the worst roads in the county with more than 14,000 vehicles traveling it daily, many of those cars entering and exiting from South Shades Crest Road.

Stephens said the county is open to helping improve South Shades Crest Road, but it won’t be easy. He said the surrounding residential community has basically outgrown the road system.

“South Shades Crest offers a unique challenge because it meanders in and

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Watch the Turkey Creek story at AlabamaPowerRealTalk.com.

12 • Thursday, April 23, 2012

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

School Offers Support for Grieving Students

By Kaitlin Candelaria Oak Mountain Middle School students are mourning the death of a classmate and friend. But they’re not alone in dealing with their grief.

OMMS student Millie Elia passed away April 4 after a rock climbing accident at Mt. Cheaha State Park.

School counselors immediately began making plans to provide support and counseling to the devastated student body. Elia was a cheerleader and honor student.

“My words never adequately express the positive impact Millie had on her peers and the teachers who had the opportunity to work with her,” Larry Haynes, OMMS principal, said.

“She had a passion for mission work and helping others. At school she was a role model and a friend to everyone. Whether it was academics, athletics, cheerleading, band or community service, Millie had a reputation for always doing her absolute best.”

Haynes said the counselors at OMMS have been instrumental during u over the mountain

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Shannon Waltchack Plans New Buildings Shannon Waltchack recently broke ground on an office building in the U.S. 280/Interstate 459 Corridor in Vestavia Hills.

The structure will be one of Birmingham’s first newly-constructed, speculative office buildings since the recession.

Shannon Waltchack has joined forces with Harris Doyle Homes to construct the 5,250 square-foot garden office building.

Located on a private, wooded lot, the building will feature a large surface parking lot. Shannon Waltchack has owned the land for seven years.

Shannon Waltchack also will build a 5,250 square-foot commercial and retail building in Crestline Village at the corner of Dexter and Vine.

“Crestline Village is one of the most charming, picturesque neighborhoods in the state,” said CCIM President Len Shannon. “We want to be a part of the vibrant retail/commercial community there by creating a distinctive space where a business could flourish while enhancing the neighborhood.”

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Full-service Car Tag Office Should Open This Year Hoover soon will have a new fullservice satellite car tag office.

The Jefferson County Commission voted 4-1 to open the new office in the Hoover Court Town Center. The office should be up and running by the end of the year, officials said.

The Hoover Met now has four

Photo courtesy Belmont Studios

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Millie Elia was a cheerleader and honor student at Oak Mountain Middle School.

‘Oftentimes, grieving students feel the need to do something. Materials were available for students to make cards for Millie’s family. Banners with photographs of Millie were available for students to write messages on and sign...Blue was Millie’s favorite color, so students made blue ribbons to wear in memory of Millie.’

Larry Haynes, OMMS principal

this difficult time. Laura Lynn Boone, Sharon Butz and Heather Keahey created an area near Elia’s classroom where students could talk and participate in activities.

“Oftentimes, grieving students feel the need to do something,” Haynes said. “Materials were available for students to make cards for Millie’s family.

Banners with photographs of Millie were available for students to write messages on and sign. Some students made tissue-paper flowers. Blue was Millie’s favorite color, so students made blue ribbons to wear in memory of Millie.”

Other schools in the area have reached out with support. Oak Mountain Elementary School coun-

selor Hayden Belisle, Oak Mountain Intermediate School counselor Alexis Shivers and Cindy Wiley, Shelby County Counseling and Testing supervisor, all came on board to provide counseling services to students.

The Mountain Brook Junior High eighth-grade cheerleading squad as well as their parents and sponsors paid tribute to Elia and offered comfort to the OMMS eighth-grade cheerleading squad by presenting them with an angel painting with scriptures included on the bottom. The two groups are also planning to spend time together next month.

Ongoing support for grieving students will be provided as needed, Haynes said. ❖

windows that opened last year as a temporary office.

The new location will be the sixth of its kind in Jefferson County and will include 17-18 windows where patrons can renew tags, apply for boating licenses and complete vehicle title applications.

Driver’s licenses and business licenses will be added to the menu sometime in the future, officials said.

This venture, which was approved by county commissioners David Carrington, Joe Knight, Jimmy Stephens and George Bowman, will cost the county approximately $850,000. Commissioner Sandra Little Brown, who voted against the plan, doesn’t approve of the allocation of funding she said. She feels that the Homewood satellite location, which was closed down in 2011, would better serve the community due to its central location if it was reopened and updated.

superintendent for Dublin City Schools in Georgia. He received his doctorate from Auburn University in education leadership. He began his career in 1989 as a teacher in Alabama and has taught in several Alabama school systems including Tallapoosa County Schools and Walker County Schools.

Dr. Marczak is currently an assistant superintendent in Oak Ridge City Schools in Tenneseee. He received his doctorate from Trevecca Nazarane University in educational leadership and has worked as a principal in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools and as assistant superintendent in his current school system as well.

Dr. Murphy currently is named the superintendent of the Monroe County School System. She received a doctorate in physical education and program administration from Auburn and has worked as a teacher and professor all over Alabama and in Georgia since 1984.

Dr. Wilson is currently employed

by Hartselle City Schools as a superintendent but is familiar to the area. Wilson has served as a principal and assistant principal at both Mountain Brook High School and Homewood High School in the past. He received his doctorate from Samford University in Educational Leadership.

The Hoover Board of Education began interviews this week and will complete them by April 27. Throughout May, the board will continue to work on the contract, check references and hammer down the details of the position and pay. They hope to announce their selection by the end of May with the new superintendent beginning by early July.

—Kaitlin Candelaria

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Field of Four Vie for Superintendent Position Hoover City Schools Board of Education announced five candidates in the race to fill the Hoover City Schools superintendent position on April 14.

(Dr. John D. Barge withdrew from consideration after accepting a postion in Georgia). The remaining four have been narrowed down from the original pool of 31 candidates.

Candidates for the superintendent position are Dr. Charles L. Ledbetter of Dublin, Ga., Dr. Chris J. Marczak of Oak Ridge, Tenn., Dr. Kathy L. Murphy of Greenville, Ala. and Dr. Paul “Vick” Wilson of Hartselle, Ala. Dr. Ledbetter currently serves as the

Journal photo by Kaitlin Candelaria

From left: Melissa Godwin, Elizabeth Wyatt, Nim Long, Nancy Long, Owen Conzelman and Virginia Elliot.

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Spring Art Festival Changes Date Due to severe weather forecasts and concerns regarding potential damage to the Crestline Elementary soccer field last weekend, The Mountain Brook Art Association’s Spring Art Festival has been moved to May 16.

“Exhibitors were concerned that the rain and humidity could damage watercolor paintings,” said MBAA President Mary Wier.

Additionally, Wier said that the possibility of thunderstorms on the night before the event were interfering with

Thursday, April 23, 2012 • 13

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

event set-up.

The event will keep its original hours on May 16 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

For more information, visit www. mountainbrookartassociation.com or visit MBAA’s Facebook Page.

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Ceremony Marks Opening of Cahaba River Walk A ribbon-cutting ceremony opened the Cahaba River Walk April 10.

Attendees were shuttled to the site, previously known as Cahaba River Park. The 4.7-acre property off Overton Road will feature a new pavilion with

seating, a one-third mile walking trail and easy river access for swimming and rafting.

Families and pets were already enjoying the new facility as the ribbon cutting took place.

The ceremony was hosted in the new pavilion, which sits right on the river’s edge and can be rented for events.

Mayor Terry Oden and city council president Virginia Smith spoke to open the brief ceremony before city council members gathered for the ribbon cutting.

Children and siblings of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Harrison Jr. and Mr. Joseph Harrison Conzelman III also attended to dedicate a park bench donated in memory of their parents and their brother.

The renovation of the park has cost approximately $650,000, with $450,000 allocated by the city’s Capital Projects Fund and the remaining funds raised by a private sector committee led by Gerald Garner.

—Kaitlin Candelaria

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Lemak Will Speak at Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast Hoover’s 33rd annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast will take place May 5 at 7:30 a.m.

The event is held each year by the Hoover Beautification Board. This year’s program will feature Dr. Lawrence Lemak as the speaker.

The prayer breakfast will be held at the Hyatt Regency-Wynfrey Hotel Ballroom in Hoover. Admission is $25 per person or $250 for a table of 10.

The last day to purchase a ticket is April

30.

“We’re encouraging everyone to come,” Mayor Gary Ivey said. “It truly brings the community together. We’ve gone from a relatively small city to a big city, and this event helps keep us close.”

Ivey also cautioned those interested in attending to purchase their tickets early because the event usually sells out. More than 500 people usually attend, organizers said.

For more information, visit www. hooveralabama.org.

u Vestavia Hills

Ashley Mac’s Reopens Cahaba Heights Store Ashley Mac’s in Cahaba Heights hosted a grand reopening April 17.

The restaurant suffered extensive damage after a fire last May. The cause of the fire was never determined, but according to Ashley Mac’s officials, it was believed to be electrical in nature and devastated the entire kitchen area. The café area of the restaurant was unharmed by the fire but suffered extreme smoke and water damage.

Almost a year later, the restaurant has opened its doors again.

“We are grateful to our wonderful customers who have patiently waited on us to rebuild our Cahaba Heights store,” said Fletcher Flynn, retail operations manager. “Many customers traveled down (U.S.) 280 to our Inverness store just so they could get their Ashley Mac’s ‘fix.’ We have been overwhelmed with the positive response from our customers. Many businesses in the area have put up flyers for us and helped us spread the word. We

are grateful to be a part of such a wonderful, supportive community.”

Loyal customers will also notice some changes. After the fire, Ashley Mac’s took the opportunity to update the look and feel of the café and provide additional patio seating for up to 32 people, almost doubling its seating capacity.

The restaurant also implemented production capabilities that will put it in a position to add new stores in the Birmingham area, Flynn said.

Another notable addition will be dinner. According to Flynn, a trial run of serving dinner at the Ashley Mac’s in Inverness was very successful.

“The fire, though difficult, ultimately strengthened our team,” Flynn said.

“Ashley Mac’s is blessed to have loyal and hardworking employees. Our entire staff could not have been more resilient and patient throughout the entire process.”

—Kaitlin Candelaria

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14 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

people

Hollywood Heirs

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Journal photo by Kaitlin Candelaria

Sheryl Spradling Summe is the author of the book “Homewood: The Life of a City” and an expert on the city’s early years.

By Lee Davis Clyde Nelson was still a very young man in the 1920s, but he was already something of a legend in the Birmingham real estate business.

He had built nearly $2 million worth of homes and become president of the Birmingham Real Estate Board.

Nelson had his sights on some land not far from Edgewood, a small suburb outside the Magic City. His project was to build perhaps a more glitzy neighborhood, as the name he proposed for it might imply. Nelson was going to call the new community Hollywood.

“He wanted an upscale suburb on the land east of Rosedale Park,” said Sheryl Spradling Summe, author of the book “Homewood: The Life of a City” and an expert on the city’s early years. “Nelson envisioned all the buildings in his development having a unified architectural design that would define the community.”

Nelson’s choice was the Spanish mission style, which had been in existence for centuries but had become popular again by 1900.

“The open style featured stucco exteriors with wrought iron detailing and was popular in wealthy and glamourous cities such as Coral Gables, Fla., and Hollywood, Calif.,” Summe said. “So that’s why he named it Hollywood.”

In today’s geography, the area stretched approximately from the U.S. 280 entrance ramp on Hollywood Boulevard to the intersection of U.S. 31.

Ironically, one of the key components of the Spanish mission look came because of the work of another Birmingham magnate, and the product didn’t come from Southern California.

John M. Harbert II – the founder of Harbert Engineering Co. (later Harbert Construction) and one of the new Hollywood’s first residents -- looked to his South to find the wrought iron For more on Hollywood, including the Historic Hollywood Tour of Homes, see cover story.

needed to complete the Spanish mission-style community.

“Harbert heard that New Orleans was renovating the French Quarter and was selling wrought iron,” Summe said. “So he and Clarence Lloyd went to New Orleans to buy some of the ornamental iron and have it shipped to Birmingham. Homeowners were allowed to buy it for cost.”

Even in the 1920s, the wrought iron in Hollywood had the feel of history. Most of it was forged in France in the 1800s, built especially for the French Quarter in New Orleans.

Many of the homes in Hollywood were designed by architect George P. Turner. His work is still in evidence today, particularly on such streets as Bonita Drive, Poinciana Drive and La Prado Place.

Not surprisingly, Lloyd bought the first house built in Hollywood, choosing a spot on Bonita Drive. He and his family would live there for the next 50 years. The Harbert family built a house nearby. Harbert’s young son, John III, attended Shades Cahaba Elementary School, which was at the intersection of U.S. 31, then known as the Montgomery Highway, and what is now Hollywood Boulevard. The school is still there today.

“That area was attractive because that road was a direct route for business into Birmingham,” Summe said. “I think the SoHo area which exists there today has much the same spirit as it did when the area was growing so rapidly in the 1920s.”

Every bit as much a promoter as a real estate developer, Nelson launched an elaborate campaign to attract homebuyers to Hollywood.

Summe said Nelson utilized full-page advertisements in the Birmingham newspapers and even brought in nationally known entertainers after the floor of a new home was completed.

Nelson also purchased a 40-seat bus that ran hourly from Twentieth Street to Second Avenue

in downtown Birmingham that was free to all Hollywood homeowners.

To accommodate the recreation needs for his new developments, Nelson built Hollywood Country Club on Shades Valley Highway, now Lakeshore Drive. The facility had a clubhouse with the now familiar Spanish mission design and a large swimming pool. The building would undergo ownership changes through the decade and had most recently been a music hall when it was finally torn down after a fire in the 1980s.

“The club was a real hot spot for dining and dancing,” Summe said. “And it may have had one of the largest pools anywhere in Birmingham. It was truly a special place.”

By 1926, more than 150 people lived in Hollywood, and Lloyd and other leaders petitioned Jefferson County leaders to incorporate it into a town. Incorporation was finally granted on Dec. 1 of that year. An election was held the following January. Lloyd was chosen as mayor and five city councilmen were elected.

Hollywood’s public safety and works department was a one-man police force and a one-man trash collector.

The new city worked hard to maintain its unique character. Ordinances were passed to require a minimum cost for any home to be built in the town limits, and all proposed architectural plans had to be approved by the city council.

While the intent was to maintain the strict use of the Spanish mission style, as time went by, English Tudor and other high-class architectural options were allowed.

As Hollywood fought hard to maintain its separate identity, nearby communities had engaged in the process of merging into a single entity.

Edgewood, along with Rosedale Park and Grove Park, were forming the city of

Even in the 1920s, the wrought iron in Hollywood had the feel of history. Most of it was forged in France in the 1800s, built especially for the French Quarter in New Orleans.

Homewood. The question of a merger immediately became a hot topic among Hollywood residents. In April of 1928, a town hall meeting was held to gauge sentiment about a possible merger, and a majority of attendees still resisted the idea.

By the next year, the tide had turned. In September, a petition was presented to the Homewood City Council to indicate interest in annexing Hollywood. Negotiations with Mayor Lloyd and other Hollywood officials began, and

by November the transition had begun to make the community part of Homewood.

Hollywood was no longer an independent town, but most of its unique character remains to this day. Summe said that Homewood’s early diversity may have made it different from other Over the Mountain communities.

“Homewood was a coming together of some very diverse areas – from Hollywood to the predominately African-American Rosedale community – to become one growing city and community,” Summe said. “So much of what Homewood is today is forged in those early beginnings.”

And Clyde Nelson’s dream of the 1920s is a big part of it. ❖

Journal photo by Maury Wald

Section of Homewood Once Independent Community

Lindy Martin is a charter member of the Vestavia Hills Rotary club and retired dean of students and golf coach at Samford University.

Perfect Record

Vestavia Rotarian Has Attended Meetings from Birmingham to Switzerland

By Kaitlin Candelaria Lindy Martin has perfect attendance at the Vestavia Hills Rotary Club -- a feat that wouldn’t be nearly as impressive if he hadn’t been a member for over 40 years.

Martin is a charter member of the club, which meets every Friday at noon. If members are unable to attend a meeting, they are given the opportunity to “make up” that meeting at another location. In 44 years, Martin has had many makeups.

“One of the good things about Rotary is that if you miss, you can make up at another club, and that gives you the opportunity to meet some Rotarians other than just the members of your club,” Martin said. “For instance, I’m going to be gone this Friday, so I did a makeup at the Shades Mountain club on Monday.”

There are over 50 clubs in the area and Martin estimates that he has spoken at every one, he said. As the former chairman of the extension committee, Martin was responsible for the founding of nine of those clubs.

“I just enjoy going to Rotary,” Martin said.

“It’s good in Birmingham just to get to know people from other parts of town.”

Martin has done some interesting makeups in areas other than Birmingham as well. He has meetings in New York City, Atlanta, Savannah, Ga., and most recently Vermont under his belt.

His most interesting makeup took place in Switzerland, he said.

“It was just a chance to hear how Rotary worked in Switzerland,” Martin said. “It’s very much like we do it -- the same programs and type of things that we do.”

Martin also takes pride in Rotary’s accomplishments both locally and nationally, he said.

Since 1979, Rotary has reduced polio cases by 99 percent around the world thanks to the combined efforts of clubs like Martin’s. A new project Rotary is now working on is providing clean water to impoverished countries.

“Rotary Club is important to me because of what it does and what it’s been able to accomplish,” Martin said. “We’ve got projects everywhere, especially in poorer countries.”

He is also a fan of the opportunities that Rotary Clubs provide for students, such as the group study exchange, he said. The program gives American college graduate students the chance go to foreign countries, which will, in exchange, send students to America.

When he’s not at Rotary Club, Martin is the senior adult minister at Mountain Brook Baptist Church. He is a retired dean of students and golf coach at Samford University. He and his wife, Sue, have six children and 12 grandchildren. ❖

Berry Student Is Children’s Miracle Network Champion Those who know him will tell you that James Strong lives up to his last name.

The 13-year-old has already undergone over 20 surgeries and suffers from a wide range of conditions, including hydrocephalus, Chiari malformation, cerebral palsy and Dandy-Walker Syndrome.

He is also wheelchair James Strong bound due an inoperable tumor on his spinal cord.

“James is what perseverance is,” said his mother, Kim Mitchell. “He’s the definition of strength. He is the definition of faith, and he is the complete definition of life.”

Mitchell found out when she was five months pregnant that her child would suffer from hydrocephalus and need a shunt placed in his brain immediately after his birth.

“I knew from that day that things were going to be a little bit different in our life,” Mitchell said. “However, different is not bad. James has been a blessing and an inspiration.”

Strong has been chosen as the 2015 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Alabama Champion. He was honored April 8 at a ceremony at Ross Bridge by his family, friends and teachers from Berry Middle School, where he is a student.

“We have several of James’ teachers and staff here today that work with him on a daily basis, and that’s a testament to the impact that this young man has had on the lives of the adults who work with him,” said Dr. Chris Robbins, Berry Middle School principal, at the ceremony.

Robbins said Strong’s teachers describe him as considerate of all others, persistent, courageous, always positive, genuine and outgoing.

Each year, the network recognizes one child in each state who has an inspiring medical journey. As a part of Strong’s responsibilities, he will visit Washington, D.C., and Orlando, Fla., for one week in October to promote and highlight the crucial work being done in Children’s Hospitals.

“This is just a dream come true,” Mitchell said. “We do know that through God all things are possible. There are two words in impossible – “I’m possible” -- and that’s what I’m trying to teach James every day.”

Strong is taking the lesson to heart and doesn’t let his disabilities hold him back. He’s an avid athlete, playing basketball and tennis, and enjoys rooting for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide during football season.

He also works to raise awareness and funds for children who struggle with life-threatening medical conditions and is a mentor to younger children.

“James is a fighter, and he has always been a fighter,” Mitchell said. “I taught him at a very young age that he can do all things through Christ who

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 15

people

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

strengthens him, and now the kid feels as if he can do just as much as any able-bodied child.” ­—Kaitlin Candelaria

Mountain Brook Author Wins Book Award Author Allen Johnson Jr., a native of Mountain Brook, has won a prestigious award for his children’s book series, The Blackwater Novels.

The series was awarded a Silver Medal in the 2014 Moonbeam

Children’s Book Award program sponsored by Independent Publisher.

The award is for outstanding fiction chapter books for young readers.

The series consists of “My Brother’s Story,” “The Dead

House” and “A Nest of Snakes.”

Johnson also is a finalist for another children’s book award. Foreword Magazine, largely representing school and public libraries, has named The Blackwater Novels a 2015 finalist for the Book of the Year in the juvenile fiction category.

Johnson will hold a book signing May 1 at Little Professor Book Center in Homewood from 2-4 p.m.

Rehab Reality

by Julie Martin

Author Allen Johnson Jr.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

48 TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE, ONE CHILD AT A TIME.

MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015 CAHABA GRAND CONFERENCE CENTER Proceeds from the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club 48th Anniversary Celebration will fund the advancement of education through a variety of age-specific programs that will develop critical life skills and post-secondary opportunities for more than 1,200 children we serve each year.

LUNCHEON CO-CHAIR

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Featured Speaker,

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66th U.S. Secretary of State

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For more information contact Rose Walker at 205-923-3377 or visit our website at www.aggbgc.org.

Normally I would find it cliche-ish to incorporate a cliche into a discussion about addiction.

The world of recovery is already inundated with these and is metaphorically redudant. “April Showers Bring May Flowers” is a reminder that even the most unpleasant and difficult things (addiction) can bring about very enjoyable results (sobriety, recovery). It is also a lesson in patience, which everyone, not just the addicted can use.

So many times addicts are told that they must “hit rock bottom” before they are ready to enter into a successful recovery. The reality is that everyone’s bottom is individual and not everyone has to hit one for the process of recovery to begin. On the flipside, it is very true that most addicts have to experience stormy weather and darker days before needing better days ahead and seeking genuine sobriety. “April Flowers Bring May Flowers” depicts simply and perfectly the need for rain in order to produce a beautiful garden.

The staff at Bayshore Retreat, understands that individuals are just as unpredictable as Mother Nature. That is why they provide the umbrella/ tools for stormy and rainy days. Experienced counselors guide the recovering addict in building a proper foundation for his or her garden to grow.

There’s nothing sweeter to see than a beautiful flower finally in bloom.

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16 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

people

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

The Power of Two

Mother-daughter Team Is Leading This Year’s Museum Ball

Carolyn Featheringill and Elizabeth Pharo aren’t just mother and daughter. They are co-chairmen planning the 2015 Museum Ball, An Evening in Reverie.

Featheringill said the museum’s board of directors has had ball chairmen who were husband and wife or sisters but that she and her daughter are the first mother-daughter team to plan the event.

In honor of the museum’s newest exhibition, “Between Fantasy and Reality: Frank Fleming,” Featheringill and Pharo said that, along with their colleagues, they have created a theme that is both edgy and beautiful in keeping with Fleming’s art.

The word “reverie” can be likened to a daydream, which Featheringill said relates to Fleming’s art displayed in the exhibit.

The mother-daughter team has found that planning the event is easier together than apart.

“We just get along. We got along when we planned my wedding,” Pharo said. “Both of us are good at seeing where each other’s strengths are and when to stay out of each other’s hair.”

Both women agreed that involve5475 Highway 280 - Phone 205-791-7185 ment with the BMA has been a stanwww.GreystoneMarketplace280.com dard in their family.

Featheringill’s husband, the late William W. Featheringill, served on the board of trustees, and Carolyn Featheringill has been a part of the Members Board and the ball committee off and on since 1990.

Featheringill said the museum is an establishment that has always been Cindy important to the family. m: Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-824-1246 “I think it is very important for the e: April community,” This is your AD prOOF from the Over The MOunTAin JOurnAl for the Featheringill said. “I’ve noticed that with the Small Treasures April 23, 2015 issue. please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

-- and, coming up, with the Frank Shop our Fleming exhibition -- that it is bringplease ing in people from out of town.”

Trunkmake shOw sure all information is correct, agreed. apriL 22nD including address and phone number! Pharo “It’s critical for recruiting people to See the to Birmingham, too,” she said. “It’s Whole SaMple line, please initial and fax back within 24 hours. critical to have institutions like the CoMe in from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date,museum, in order to compete with citif weor have not heard your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday. the 22nd-25th For ies like Atlanta and Boston and New York.”

15%Thank OFF Our you for your prompt attention.

Not only is the museum a cultural in-sTOck FriDaze institution in Birmingham, Pharo said, it is a meeting ground for all members of the community whether they are art enthusiasts or not. The museum offers a wide spectrum of events, from kidfriendly activities to the young adultoriented Art on the rocks.

“It’s a great connector for many different demographics and age groups,” Pharo said.

Pharo said she has memories of the museum from various stages in her life.

“When I was a junior patron, I went to Art on the Rocks,” she said.

“I also went to art camp there when I was a child. I just loved it. I remember making the pinhole cameras with 74 Church Street • Crestline Village the Quaker Oats cans and dancing to Mon.-Fri. 10-5 & Sat. 10-4 871-7909 the sculptures.” www.townandcountryclothes.com Both Featheringill and Pharo

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Carolyn Featheringill and Elizabeth Pharo are the first motherdaughter team to co-chair the Museum Ball.

agree that their favorite memory at the museum is the dedication of a gallery named in honor of William Featheringill. After her husband had served on the board of trustees, Featheringill said that she had lost touch with the museum for a time.

In honor of the museum’s newest exhibition, “Between Fantasy and Reality: Frank Fleming,” Featheringill and Pharo said that, along with their colleagues, they have created a theme that is both edgy and beautiful in keeping with Fleming’s art.

Pharo decided, in honor of her father’s 70th birthday, she would make a gift to the museum and name a gallery after her father.

“I feel like that decision really reignited my interest in the museum,” Pharo said. “We had a big surprise party and (both of her parents) were shocked.”

Featheringill said that she and her husband used the word “stunned” to describe the surprise of the gallery dedication.

“I’m incredibly appreciative that I was able to honor him like that,” Pharo said. “He died about six weeks later, out of nowhere.”

Pharo said that her experiences planning the surprise party and the death of her father re-ignited the feeling of closeness she had with the museum during her childhood.

“That was a point of closer association for all of us with the museum,” Featheringill said. “It was really a recommitment.”

After reconnecting with the museum, the mother-daughter team is ready to tackle the Museum Ball head on. The two women said the planning of the event, though not without its struggles, has been fairly easy.

“Some things we did were alike and there are some areas where, I think she trusts me implicitly to do what I do and some areas where I trust her to do implicitly what she does,” Featheringill said.

For example, Featheringill said that Pharo took control over the daunting task of preparing seating charts for the ball’s seated dinner.

In return, Pharo said that she had no problem letting her mother write any necessary documents while planning the event.

“We’re not really good at the same things,” said Pharo. “I can write, but she’s better, so I’ll let her do it.”

Additionally, Pharo said that any topic that they disagreed on was delegated to professionals whom they trust.

The women have delegated the decor to Jill Garon.

“We put so much faith in what she is going to put together for us,” Pharo said. “She’s a better florist than either of us, for sure. And George McMillan (chef and owner of FoodBar) is doing the food. He’s somebody that we’ve both worked with in the past. So I know that I can count on him to get the food right.”

The event will also feature a beer bar, courtesy of Pharo’s husband, Andrew, who is part owner of Cahaba Brewing Co. The sold-out 2015 Museum Ball is set for May 2. The event will include a cocktail hour and seated dinner.

After dessert, Perfect 10 will provide dance music.

For more information about An Evening in Reverie or the museum’s Frank Fleming exhibition, visit www. artsbma.org. ❖

Journal photo by Emily Williams

By Emily Williams

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 17

life

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

For the high school or college graduate, some words of wisdom to live by and a few cool gift ideas to ask for!

“You’re off to great places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting, So get on your way!”

—Dr. Seuss

Easy fit aluminum or jewelers brass geographic coordinate bracelets, for most SEC schools, $24. a.k.a. Girl Stuff, 802-7735.

mb greene bags, 100 % cotton with a waxed finish exterior.

From $54.95 - $104.95.

The Blue Willow, 968-0909.

English burled walnut inlaid boxes, $195-$325.

Hanna Antiques, 323-6036.

Initial beach towels, $35.

A Little Something, 970-2077.

Joe Jr from Kamado Joe is a premium 13.5” ceramic grill with sturdy stand and built-in thermometer. $549.

Alabama Gaslight & Grill, 870-4060.

Mont Blanc Cruise Collection pens starting at $225.

Barton Clay Jewelers, 871-7060.

Engraved 1” pewter cuff bracelet, $25.

Bromberg’s, Mountain Brook, 871-3276, The Summit, 969-1776.

21” Wrapping Leather Bracelet in Saddle & Sapphire, $98.

ExVoto, 538-7301.

“Hope Star” gemstone bracelets by Elizabeth Showers, “There is Hope for every Dream.”$95.

John William Jeweller, 870-4367.

Smathers & Branson collegiate belts, $165.

Remon’s Clothier, 977-5512.

at

Cloth, suede earring box in wine or teal, $19.95, free personalization.

Rosenberger’s Birmingham Trunk, 870-0971.

The Good Home Company laundry supplies featuring the smell of Beach Days. From $10.50.

Second Hand Rose, Valleydale, 987-7027, Cahaba Heights, 970-7997.

Original Deano Bag

by Scout. $34.99 Snoozy’s 871-2662

18 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

social

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Rocking Out with The King Viva Las Vegas Ball Benefits Creative Montessori School

Photos special to the Journal

From top: David Lee, Tom and Keri Lane Hontzas, Michael and Karen Swann.

From left: Julie Brandrup, Lindsey Chitwood, Allison Seamon and Emily Vanlandingham.

B

irmingham got its groove on at the inaugural Elvis Ball: Viva Las Vegas March 21 at Old Car Heaven.

The event benefited Creative Montessori School.

Keri Lane Hontzas and Terra Mortensen cochaired the event. Micah Cargo and Emily Ball co-chaired the silent auction with the help of a parent fundraising committee.

Dressed in ’70s-style bell bottoms and jumpsuits, guests enjoyed casino gaming, a disco featuring DJ Stevo, Las Vegasstyle fun complete with an aerialist from Aero Joe, Elvis impersonator David Lee, a photo booth and silent and live auctions.

Food came from restaurants like Rojo, Nourish, Urban Cookhouse, The J. Clyde, Continental Bakery, Joy Smith and others.

Attendees also had complimentary beer from The J. Clyde and wine from United Johnson Brothers. ❖

Melissa and Christian Rogers

Atticus and Andrea Rominger.

Edgy Event

Alabama Waldorf School Has Gala at UAB

Photos special to the Journal

More than 180 supporters of Alabama Waldorf School attended its annual gala fundraiser, The Edge of Chaos, Feb. 28 at UAB’s Lister Hill Library.

The event included silent and featured auctions, beer, wine, hors d’oeuvres, a photo booth, live chalkboard art from artist Lowell Vann and music from DJ Jon Malone.

All proceeds benefited Alabama Waldorf School. ❖

From left: Audie and Ally Woolley, Tim Walker and Kathy D’Agostino.

Kristin Trowbridge and Amanda Wade.

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 19

social

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Joe and Jane Gribbin, Dottie and Raleigh Kent, and Joan and Alan Curtis.

ATTENTIoN ShoPPERS

“Let’s Party” At Christine’s Join Jean & Company for A Birthday Celebration of the seasons

‘Michael Jackson’ Performs at Pickwick Club Party

Photos special to the Journal

Thrill Ride

Pickwick Dance Club held its annual event March 13 at the Mountain Brook Club.

Party planners Dana Norton and Sharon Graham, ‘Michael Jackson,’ Debbie McCorquadale and Bimi Cox. Peggy Lee greeted club members and their friends, who had cocktails and When the band took a break, appetizers in the living room while with votives.

“Michael Jackson” put on a show the band warmed up.

The menu was a buffet of gumwith numerous costume changes and Pickwick officers there to welbos with shrimp, grits, desserts and accompanying performers. come guests included Cathy and Jack cornpones. Enjoying the food were Enjoying the show were Candy Echols, Helen and Richard Pardue, Phoebe and Red Robinson, Beth and John Lindley from Knoxville, Jean and Robert Woodward, Kathy and Rick Woodward, Julianne Tenn., Garland and Lathrop and Frank Anderson, Ann and and Joe Cleage, Ann and Paul Smith, Ann and Mac Greaves, George Morris, Sara Beth Blair, Liles, Kathryn Porter, Marty and Molly Bradley, Patsy and Alan Dottie and Raleigh Kent, Barbara Alex Kontos, Vicki and Charles Dreher, Gail and Alan Howle, and Griffin Langston and Lindsay McGehee, Trissy Holladay, Laura Cathy and Bill Moss, Buzz and Cook with Lock Hunter. and Erskine Ramsay, Jan and Jack Terry Borland, Kathy and Bubba Also at the event were Linda Shannon, Kathy and Pete Peerson, To: Jean Susan and and Fred Turner, Dottie Miller, Chris and Alston Ray, Brush, Grace and Larry Whatley, Kelley and Pete Gage and Dana Bobby Warnock, Fran Mountain and Rob Journal, Evelyn205-823-9646 and Steve Bradley From: Over The ph.,and Sara and Tommy Norton. ❖ Glendinning, Cruse and Don Bevill, and Tom Moody.

205-824-1246, fax Courtney and Phil Brown, Jane and Date: May 2014 Joe Gribbin, Joan and Alan Curtis, Romona Tricia from the Over The MOunTain JOurnal for the Thisand is Jim yourShannon, aD prOOF and Jim Ford, and George MayLynda 15, 2014 issue. please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

Hiller and Beth and Bill Gunn.

Emily Herring and her band, Just please make sure all information is correct, Friends, provided music. Bimi and Blair Cox wereincluding first on the dance address and phone number! floor followed by Bootsie and Lowell Garrett, Garnett and Jimmy Baker, please Doris and Sam Sparks, Sharoninitial and fax back within 24 hours. if we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, and Emris Graham, Jeanne and your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Jim Adair, Lind Burks and Greg Thank you Crook, Debbie McCorquodale and for your prompt attention.

Billy Angel and Marion and Robby Nichols.

The sunroom was decorated to carry out the event’s “Thriller” theme with black table toppers and a centerpiece of sunglasses, a neon fedora hat and a white sequined glove on mirrors

Thursday April 23 at 1:42 o’clock til 8:42 o’clock for food, fun prizes and final deals of 42 fantastic years.

christine's

2415 Montevallo Road .

Mountain Brook Village . 871.8297

You'vE Grown Up wIth Us (we've grown up with you!)

CELEBRATING

27 YEARS OF FUN AND COUNTING

Attic Antiques • Antiques • Vintage • Industrial

Don't miss our annual Garage Sale May 2!

Tue.-Sat. 10-4:30 5620 Cahaba Valley Road

991-6887

Please like us on Facebook

20 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Twentieth Birthday Party

Photo special to the Journal

Awards, Luncheon Celebrate Oasis’ Milestone Event

The LaRussa family.

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$25.00 OFF ANY SERVICE OR REPAIR *Must spend over $50. Choose any service available in our dealership.

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Amelie Ratliff, Carolyn Ratliff, Susan Oliver and Mary and Chuck Butterworth.

Oasis Counseling for Women and Children held its ninth annual Oasis of Hope luncheon March 10 at The Club.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Oasis’ impact in the community, Oasis established the Anne B. LaRussa Visionary Award in honor of founder Anne LaRussa.

The children of Shirley G. Ratliff provided a special sponsorship of the luncheon in memory of their mother, a friend and colleague of Anne LaRussa who supported and encouraged her to make her vision for Oasis a reality.

Luncheon co-chairmen were Steven Brickman and Ann J. Gulledge.

Joining Anne LaRussa at the luncheon were her husband, Benny

Mary Charles’ Doll House

LaRussa, and all six of their children: Benny LaRussa (Lynn), John LaRussa (Mary Carson), Joe LaRussa (Cornelia), Marian Phillips (Steve), Karen Persinger (Steve) and David LaRussa (Mary Lyn).

Granddaughters Megan Chenoweth with husband Barnett and Chelsey LaRussa with fiancé Kyle Hyslop attended along with Anne LaRussa’s sister-in-law, Patsy Gray, and cousin, Father Joseph Culotta, who gave the invocation.

Members of Shirley G. Ratliff’s family who attended included Will and Carolyn Ratliff, Mary and Chuck Butterworth, and Amelie Ratliff.

Also at the event were Oasis Board President Carey M. McRae

Ann Gulledge and Anne LaRussa.

and his wife, Amy, Lenora Pate, Lajuana Bradford, Kara Myers, Kenneth Byrd, Edna Boatright, Alice Gordon, Charles and Katy Terry, Sheila Herringdon, Susan Taylor, Wayne Carmello Harper, Donna and Jim Sisson, Chip Bivins, Teashia Goodwin, Mary Roebuck Spencer, Stephanie Alexander, Kelley Fitzpatrick, Allison Scott, Debbie White, Lessie Brady and Laura Montgomery Barefield.

Oasis has helped more than 35,000 primarily low-income women, children and families receive high-quality, affordable mental health care and education since 1995. ❖

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 21

Seasons of Service

Birmingham AIDS Outreach celebrated 30 years of service with an event at the newly-renovated Florentine Building in downtown Birmingham.

BAO was incorporated in 1985 as Alabama’s first AIDS service organization and has provided free lifesustaining services to HIV-positive individuals since then.

More than 300 guests attended the event, which included music by the Once in a Lifetime ’80s band.

Many of the guests were longtime volunteers from the 1980s and 1990s as well as founding board members.

Dr. Larry Contri, guest emcee, also served as the auctioneer for items provided by AAA Alabama,

Photo special to the Journal

Birmingham AIDS Outreach Turns 30

From left: Marlene Edwards, John K. McGuirk and Brian Douglass Vaughn.

Imperial Catering and the BAO board of directors.

Patricia Todd, BAO’s first executive director, and Karen Musgrove, the current executive director, received special recognition and a

Vestavia West Hosts Bids and Bites Event tions.

“This was such a fun evening for our parents and faculty to fellowship, buy some awesome items and continue to support the learning of our students,” said principal Kim Hauser.

The event was held at the former

Cokesbury store in Vestavia Hills.

While bidders browsed, they also enjoyed live music by Sam Shober of Meteorite and complimentary food from IZ Catering.

More than $20,000 was raised for the school. The funds will go toward professional development opportunities for teachers, a new sound system for the gym and a new Chromebook laptop cart. ❖

Photo special to the Journal

Vestavia Hills Elementary West hosted its 10th annual Bids and Bites fundraiser in February.

The event drew a record crowd ready to bid on more than 225 items, including vacations, furniture, jewelry and artwork at the live and silent auc-

standing ovation.

The theme for BAO’s 30-year gala was “Seasons of Love.” Guests were treated to a flash mob-style performance of the song by the Magic City Choral Society. ❖

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

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From left: Jeff Haddox, Allison Goree, Allan Eddy, Hartwell Davis Jr., Lucy Thompson and Mike Thompson.

Keeping Goals in Sight Hartwell Davis Wins Hall Thompson Hero Award

Sight Savers America held a special luncheon March 24 at the B&A Warehouse to present its second annual expe Hall W. Thompson Hero for Sight gift nsive Award to Hartwell Davis Jr. s More than 250 people attended, including eye care, corporate and coma.k.a. munity leaders from across the state.

The award is named after Hall Thompson, an Alabama business leader who served on the board of Sight gi l Savers America and had a profound t e c h gifts stu ff To: Janet impact on the organization and on chilFrom: Over The Mountain Journal, 205-823-9646 ph., dren’s vision issues in Alabama.

2906 18th Street South 205-824-1246, fax Sight Savers America presents the s Downtown Homewood k boo 205.802.7735 award each year to recognize an indiDate: March vidual or organization whose impact This is your ad proof from the over the mountain Journal for the on children’s eye care and health have march 26, 2015 issue. Please contact your sales representative as soon as possible to been both long lasting and profound. approve your ad or make changes. You may fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

Davis is chairman of the board Red Mountain Theatre Company Presents of Metalplate Galvanizing, Inc. He Please make sure all information is correct, is past president of the Rotary Club including address and phone number! of Birmingham and the Crippled Children’s Foundation, former captain please initial and fax back within 24 hours. of the Monday Morning Quarterback If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, Club and past chairman of the your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

EyeSight Foundation of Alabama.

Hartwell has been an advocate for chilThank you for your prompt attention. dren’s eye care and the work of Sight Savers America for many years.

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Thompson, and they shared a profound commitment to children’s eye care and the work of Sight Savers America,” said Jeff Haddox, founder and CEO of Sight Savers America. “Hartwell embodies exactly what this award is all about.”

Sight Savers America is commemorating this year’s award through an original painting created specifically for this event by Allan Eddy, an

internationally known artist from Atlanta who is able to overcome his own severe visual impairment to create artwork.

The Sight Savers America Hall W. Thompson Hero for Sight Award is permanently displayed in the first floor lobby of the UAB Callahan Eye Hospital. This year’s painting, “Eye Wonder,” will be displayed there for one year to honor Davis before being

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The ASFA students presented “Crazy, Quirky, Cocktail Party” in the grand ballroom at Birmingham Country Club.

In February, National President Dorothy Lincoln-Smith joined the Birmingham chapter as Kim Scott, chairman of ASFA’s music department, led students in a stringed quartet performance.

Guests at recent meetings included Jonathan Fuller, Suzy Baker, Rayburn Jones, Janet Huffman, Eugenia Henry, Janice Lasseter, Jeff Bauman, Elfrieda BayBay, Robert Reed, Kermit Southern, Keith Williams and Judith Hand.

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Dance took center stage at the National Society of Arts and Letters Birmingham Chapter’s recent meetings.

Professor emerita Edie Barnes of the University of Alabama department of dance presented clips featuring famous ballets produced by Les Ballet Russes. Barnes also is the NSAL Birmingham Chapter vice president.

David Keener and Teri Weksler along with dancers from the Alabama School of Fine Arts headlined another meeting. NSAL members received

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 23

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

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24 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Jocelyn Palmer

Left: Jocelyn Palmer played with shades of blue in her Lady’s Guest Bedroom. The canopy bed’s combination of metal and upholstery links traditional and contemporary styles. Above: Lynne Coker said the window seat in her ShowHouse bedroom offers storage as well as seating. A pillow with “Happily Ever After” spelled out in beads lends a fun, youthful touch.

Rethinking Pink and Blue ShowHouse Bedrooms Have Fresh Takes on Favorite Colors story By Donna Cornelius c photos by lee walls jr.

W

hen you think pink — and blue, too — visions of babies’ rooms may leap to mind. c But two upstairs bedrooms in this year’s Decorators’ ShowHouse use the two colors in very stylish ways. c Designers Lynne Coker and Jocelyn Palmer both created girl-friendly spaces, but not necessarily with the same age occupant in mind.

Coker, whose room features a shade of pink that she calls “blush,” named her bedroom Young Lady’s Retreat.

“Really, though, a ‘young lady’ can be any age,” she said. “This is a color that almost every woman loves.”

Nearby is Palmer’s Lady’s Guest Bedroom.

“It’s named that because it’s a somewhat feminine bedroom, but it’s more sophisticated than a young girl’s bedroom,” Palmer said.

The rooms are connected by a Jack and Jill – or in this case, a Jill and Jill – bathroom. There, the decorators worked together to incorporate hints of the colors from their rooms into their own vanity areas and into the

Mon. - Sat. 9:30a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

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Lynne Coker

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

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Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 25

26 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

showhouse, From page 24

shared tub-shower space.

The complementary color scheme fell into place, Coker said.

“It just kind of evolved without us knowing each other’s selection of colors,” she said.

Fashion Forward

Coker, who owns Lynne Coker Interiors, said she added gold and Broker / realtor lake Martin realty cream to the pink shades in her bedwww.HomeonLakemartin.com • (334) 312-0928 room to create a sophisticated vibe.

Becky@HomeonlakeMartin.com “But there’s enough pink and blue to make the room youthful,” she said.

The room’s imaginary resident is into fashion design and ballet.

Fashion illustrations are framed on the walls, and scrap boxes hold playbills and Alabama Ballet programs.

“Scrap boxes are great for moms and dads who want to commemorate important events,” Coker said.

“They’re very affordable and easy to change up.”

The boxes have glass fronts that Becky open like cabinet doors. Inside, phoOver The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246tos and other save-worthy items can April be tacked to fabric backing.

Coker pointed out a practical yet This is your AD PrOOF from the OvEr THE MOuNTAiN JOurNAl the of the room’s smallprettyfor feature April 23, 2015 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246. scale secretary.

“It has material on the inside of the Please make sure all information is correct, doors so you can pin up photos and other items,” she said. “Before including address and phone number! you know it, traditional bulletin boards on the walls can get weighed down with too much stuff.”

Please initial and fax back within 24 hours. if we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, A bed found in a New Orleans Magazine Street shop is from 1890your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

1900, Coker said.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

“It had beautiful marquetry, but it was damaged,” she said.

Kathy’s Designer Kitchens, Inc. Grayish-blue paint on the frame and pink upholstery for the headboard 1831 29th Ave. S. • Homewood, AL 35209 and footboard help hide flaws and add 205-871-9880 • Kathy Owens, CKD, President style to the full-sized bed.

Above the bed, a painting of a ballerina is partially hidden behind wallmounted draperies.

Windows look out over the house’s backyard terrace and pool.

“The windows had heavy shutters, but I wanted the view to be open,”

Becky Haynie

To: From: Date:

Dorm Desgins by

Above: In Lynne Coker’s Young Lady’s Retreat, a painting of a ballerina is framed by wall-mounted draperies. Left: This secretary was redone with fabric-covered bulletin boards that are easily hidden when the doors are shut.

Coker said. “There are only 36 inches of wall on one side of the windows and 37 inches on the other, so there wasn’t room for rings and finials.”

Instead, she mounted blue and white striped fabric directly on the sheetrock to frame the windows and put fabric inserts inside them.

Coker said the idea for the inserts – and a few other tips -- came from her 14-year-old daughter, Anna.

“I was going to do more frou-frou in the room, but she talked me out of that,” Coker said.

One of the scrap boxes holds a poster of the Alabama Ballet’s production of “Cinderella,” which was her daughter’s first appearance with the company, Coker said.

Coker didn’t start her professional

life as a decorator. The Huntsville native is a lawyer and was a prosecutor in Alabama and Florida, she said.

Her professional path took a turn to interior design in the early 2000s, she said. Her first time to participate in the Decorators’ ShowHouse was in 2003.

“I’ve also done a lot of work in Atlanta,” Coker said. “I did the music room in a holiday house there and was thrilled when the room was voted ‘fan favorite’ by people who attended.”

She teaches constitutional law at Faulkner University in Birmingham but said the decision to change careers has been a good one.

“I love design,” she said. “In fact, it’s my first love.” ❖

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A contemporary hand-blown vase adds another pop of blue in Jocelyn Palmer’s room. Below right: The Upton Estate on Altadena Road is this year’s Decorators’ ShowHouse.

French Update

Jocelyn Palmer, who owns Isabella Palmer Designs, was cautious about choosing just the right shade of blue for her bedroom walls.

“It’s really light aqua, and aqua can turn out baby blue or swimming pool blue if you’re not careful,” she said. “I love this particular color because it’s a mix of blue and green with some gray.”

Adding punches of color are more intense blue hues throughout the room. Blue Yves Delorme bedding is paired with a floral bed skirt and pillow shams made from fabric that has a family tie for Palmer.

“It’s a Schumacher fabric from the 1970s, and it was a very popular pattern,” Palmer said. “It was in my parents’ bedroom. I saved those curtains and bedspread because I loved the pattern so much.”

More bursts of color come from a vivid painting by Maggie Beckett.

Like the fabric, it’s from Palmer’s own collection.

“I brought my mother to see the room, and she said it was very restful – except for that painting,” said Palmer, laughing. “I think it gives the room some pop.”

Beneath the painting is a settee Palmer found in London. It’s been

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 27

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

reupholstered in silk burlap.

“The room is what I call a French updated bedroom because it incorporates French antiques with some contemporary pieces that can be either traditional or contemporary,” Palmer said.

Those transitional pieces include the metal and upholstered canopy bed and a pair of mirrored nightstands.

“The lamps and accessories

are mostly traditional, but I used a contemporary hand-blown vase to once again try to mix the elements between traditional and contemporary,” Palmer said.

She found candlesticks that had been made into lamps at Scott Antique Markets in Atlanta, she said.

The lamps flank a mirror with a frame from Maison de France Antiques in Leeds.

Palmer is originally from Birmingham and majored in economics in college, she said.

“I moved to New York and worked for a bank for a while,” she said.

She began design studies at the New York School of Interior Design and worked for Scalamandre’s fabrics division in sales and at Sotheby’s, the famous auction house, in customer relations.

“Then I came back to Birmingham and did public relations work and

marketing for design-related businesses,” Palmer said. “I went back to school and finished my degree at Southern Institute.”

She also designed metal furniture and had it made, she said.

This is Palmer’s second Decorators’ ShowHouse. Her first year to participate was in 2006, she said, and she’s also decorated houses in Florida, North Carolina and London. ❖

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To: From: Date:

About the ShowHouse This year’s Decorators’ ShowHouse is the Upton Estate on Altadena Road in Vestavia Hills. It’s open until May 3.

The ShowHouse benefits the Alabama Symphony.

New to the ShowHouse this year is a series of Decorator Seminars presented by three participating designers.

The seminars are “How to Create an Outdoor Room” by Bill Aroosian April 22, “Painting 101: A Color Scheme for Your Home” by Lynne Coker April 27 and “Properly Displaying Art and Collectibles” by Perry Umphrey April 29.

There’s no extra charge to attend the seminars for those who buy ShowHouse tickets. But reservations are necessary and can be made by calling 969-8033.

ShowHouse tickets are $20. Groups of 20 or more can buy tickets for $15.

For information on how to buy tickets and a list of ticket outlets, visit www. symphonyvolunteercouncil.org.

Tickets also are available at the ShowHouse.

The house is open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays and 2-5 p.m. on Sundays.

There is no parking at the ShowHouse. Shuttle parking is at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2780 Altadena Road. The last shuttle leaves one hour before the house closes each day.

For more information, visit www.ShowHouse-Al.com or call 969-8033. ❖

Jim Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 new furniture FAX: 205-824-1246 Oct. 2010 This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for th Nov. 4 2010 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

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

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

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

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From Top: The living room in the Coopers’ Hollywood home has its original fireplace and an arched opening leading to the dining room.

The Coopers’ kitchen was updated with subway tiles laid in a herringbone pattern and Alabama White marble countertops. The tile on this front entryway’s floor can be found in other Hollywood homes, Mary Cooper said.

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This is your ad proof from the over The mounTain Journal for the april 23 issue. please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

please make sure all information is correct, including address and phone number! please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

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Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 29

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Mary Cooper and her grandmother bought this painting during a trip to Mexico when Cooper was 17, she said.

bathroom and reconfigured the hall bathroom. Paneling on interior walls was stripped off, and the walls were re-stuccoed using a method where the pigment is mixed in with the stucco, Cooper said.

“Unless you decide you hate the color, you never have to repaint,” she said.

The kitchen was expanded to include a sitting area with comfy chairs, a television and a built-in desk. Instead of adding an island, Cooper chose a tall granite table that does double duty as a tabletop and workspace.

The backsplash now has subway tiles in a herringbone pattern, and countertops are Alabama White marble.

Replacing the existing kitchen windows with larger ones led to a construction crisis, Cooper said.

“When the wall was being cut to put in the new windows, it started to fall,” she said. “We had to Bungeecord it to keep it up.”

Outside, a metal-roofed carport was torn down, and a garage was turned into what Cooper calls a “party shack.” There’s seating in the structure for outdoor gatherings, and instead of art on the walls, she hung an assortment of doors that were removed from the house itself.

The Coopers walled off part of their backyard and put in an herb garden as well as other plants.

Tour-goers will see plenty of elements of the house that are old as well as new. A small front entryway has its original terra cotta tile floor.

“You’ll see similar tile in foyers in other houses in Hollywood,” Cooper said.

Also evident to visitors will be

Cooper’s artistic side. A professional dancer who taught dance at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, she has filled the house with an intriguing assortment of paintings and other art pieces.

A portrait of a wide-eyed little girl that hangs in the living room brings back memories of a trip to Mexico, Cooper said.

“I went with my grandmother when I was about 17, and she was determined to find a painting by an artist named Gustavo Montoya,” she said. “We went to a gallery, and they had two of his paintings, one of a boy and one of a girl. I chose the girl.”

On another wall of the living room is a contemporary painting of a magnolia blossom by Birmingham artist Amy Crews. Cooper bought it in February at the ArtBLINK gala, which benefits the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Cooper’s mother, Sarah Horn of Hoover, is a Master Gardener and created several arrangements for her daughter’s house.

The Hollywood area got its start in 1926, when Clyde Nelson started developing Hollywood Boulevard as a residential neighborhood (see related story on page 14). Many of the Spanish and English Tudor-style houses there were designed by architect George P. Turner.

The Hollywood Country Club on Lakeshore Drive, which was destroyed by fire in 1984, was built at the same time.

Hollywood officially became a town in 1927 but was annexed into Homewood two years later.

The Hollywood Historic District was registered with the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

In addition to the Coopers’ home, another Spanish-style house will be featured on the tour. This one, owned by Scott Thompson, is at 105 Hollywood Blvd.

Two tour houses with Tudor architecture are those of Rachel and Barton Lary at 214 Devon Drive and Holly and Jay Doyal at 216 Devon Drive.

Tickets to the tour are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

Pre-sale tickets are available online at historichollywoodtour.com and at Sweet Peas Garden Shop, Hunter’s Cleaners, Four Seasons Art and Antiques, King’s House Antiques, Chickadee and Table Matters.

Parking on tour day will be available at Shades Cahaba Elementary School.

Proceeds benefit the Hollywood Garden Club and Shades Cahaba Elementary.

For more information, visit the tour website or get updates on the Hollywood Garden Club’s Facebook page and on Instagram @hollywoodhometour. ❖

Oil on canvas by Kevin Webster

Arceneaux Gallery 802-5800 • Tues. - Sat. 10-5 SoHo Square Homewood

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

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30 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

Hawley-Long

Alice Jennings Hawley and Henry Sprott Long III were married June 28, 2014 at First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham. The ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Jon Shannon Webster, senior pastor. Readings were provided by Lillian Askins Lalo, cousin of the bride, and Laura Peed Strange. A reception followed at the Country Club of Birmingham.

The bride is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. William Kirkland Hawley of Birmingham. She is the granddaughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. William Lawrence Hawley of Birmingham and Mr. Clifford Aubrey Lowry and the late Mrs. Clifford Aubrey Lowry

Dressler-Simmons

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Lee Dressler of Birmingham announce

Sevier-Walters

Mr. and Mrs. Kirby Sevier of Mountain Brook announce the engagement of their daughter,

weddomgs & engagements of Cullman.

The bride is a graduate of Indian Springs School and was presented at the Ball of Roses and the Heritage Ball in Birmingham. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Colorado. The bride works in private practice as a counselor in Mountain Brook.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sprott Long Jr. of Birmingham. He is the grandson of Mrs. Henry Sprott Long and the late Mr. Henry Sprott Long of Birmingham and Mr. and Mrs. James Earl McGinnis of Meridian, Miss.

The groom is a graduate of Indian Springs School and holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, a juris doctorate from the University of Alabama School of Law and a master of laws in taxation from New York University. The groom is an attorney in practice with the Butler Snow, LLP in Birmingham.

Given in marriage by her parents and escorted by her father, the bride wore an ivory silk shantung formal bridal ball gown by Lazaro. The ballerina sweetheart bodice of the gown was cinched with a ruched cummerbund accented with a hand-beaded

freshwater pearl brooch. Silk flowers cascaded down the back of the full gathered skirt with chapel-length train, and she wore an ivory chapellength veil with silk trim.

The bride was attended by her sister and matron of honor Mary Catherine Hawley Thornton of Birmingham and maid of honor Sandra Caterina Georgescu of Portland, Ore. Bridesmaids were Virginia McGinnis Long, sister of the groom; Lillian Askins Lalo and Eleanor Hodges Tolbert, cousins of the bride; Dana Michelle Jaffe, Jessica Warren Studin and Anna Ellis Unkenholz, all of Birmingham; Laura English McLean of Washington, D.C.; Leah Catherine Tharpe of Boulder, Colo.; and Molly Ann Bahr and Julia Trechsel Davis of New Orleans.

The groom’s father served as best man. Groomsmen included brothers of the bride Benjamin Gaines Hawley of Birmingham and Charles Kirkland Hawley of Atlanta; cousin of the groom Thomas Edward Kitsmiller Jr.; John Douglas Lloyd, Jeffrey Thomas Tolbert Jr., Taylor McQueen Smith and Jesse Stuart Unkenholz, all of Birmingham; and Luther Johnson Strange IV of Washington, D.C. After a honeymoon trip to Saint Lucia, the couple live in Mountain Brook.

the engagement of their daughter, Emily Kathryn, to Paul Vanterpool Simmons, son of Dr. and Mrs. Gary Thomas Simmons of Birmingham.

The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mrs. Aubrey Elton Howard and the late Mr. Howard of Birmingham and the late Mr. and Mrs. Lee Hill Dressler Jr. of Birmingham.

Miss Dressler is a 2007 graduate of Mountain Brook High School and a 2011 graduate of Auburn University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She received her master of accountancy degree from Auburn University in 2012.

Miss Dressler is employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in

Nashville, Tenn.

The prospective groom is the grandson of Mrs. Donald Vanterpool Simmons and the late Mr. Simmons of Memphis, Tenn., and Mrs. Edward John Lovett Sr. and the late Mr. Lovett Sr. and the late Mr. Alva Boyd Howell of New Orleans.

Mr. Simmons is a 2007 graduate of Vestavia Hills High School and a 2012 graduate of Auburn University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and was a member of Theta Chi fraternity.

He received a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Tennessee in 2014. Mr. Simmons is employed with AMEC Foster Wheeler in Nashville.

The wedding is planned for July 11 at Brookwood Baptist Church.

Jennifer Lyndal, to Mr. Daniel Hendrick Walters, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Everett Walters III of Vestavia Hills.

The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mrs. Landers Sevier III and the late Mr. Landers Sevier III of Birmingham and the late Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Louis Simenson of Huntsville.

Miss Sevier is a graduate of Mountain Brook High School and a cum laude graduate of Auburn University, where she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority. She received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she finished in the top 5 percent of her class and was named to the UAB Chancellor’s List for students with the highest academic distinction. She

was presented at the Ball of Roses, the Heritage Ball and the Redstone Ball. Miss Sevier is employed at EBSCO Creative Concepts.

The prospective groom is the grandson of Mrs. Milton Gilmore Hauser and the late Mr. Milton Gilmore Hauser of Sherman, Texas, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles Everett Walters Jr. of Vestavia Hills.

He is a graduate of Vestavia Hills High School and the University of Alabama, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and received a bachelor’s degree in business marketing. Mr. Walters is currently the vice president of Charles E. Walters and Company, Inc. The wedding is planned for July 11 at Church of the Highlands Chapel in Birmingham.

To have our wedding & engagement forms sent to you, call 823-9646.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Moulton-Curtis

Catherine Anne Moulton and Alan Ellis Curtis Jr. were married on June 28, 2014 at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham. The Very Reverend Andrew Pearson Jr. officiated the 6 p.m. ceremony. A reception followed at the Birmingham Museum of Art. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Russell Moulton II of Birmingham. She is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Billy LeBold Harbert of Birmingham, who were also married on June 28, 1952, exactly 62 years earlier. She is also the granddaughter of Mrs. John Lewis Moulton and the late Mr. Moulton, formerly of Albany, Ga. The honorary grandmother of the bride is Mrs. Anne Michaels of Birmingham.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alan Ellis Curtis Sr. of Birmingham. He is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Claud Wilson Dent Jr. and the late Mr. and Mrs. John Christopher Curtis Sr., all of Tuscaloosa.

Given in marriage by her father, the bride wore a Lela Rose crepe cap sleeve gown featuring intricate lace appliquéd on the bodice and hem. She wore her mother’s cathedral-length,

Scott-Fair

Mr. and Mrs. James Stewart Scott III of Mountain Brook announce the engagement of their daughter, Bonnie Jill Kathleen, to Mr. Raymond Patrick Fair of Hoover, son of Mr. James Leon Fair Jr. of Gordo and Ms. Mary Alice Roberts of Gadsden.

Miss Scott is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Harold Jackson Wilson Sr. of Mountain Brook and the late Mr. and Mrs. James Stewart Scott Jr. of Bucks County, Pa. Miss Scott is a 2004 graduate of Mountain Brook High School and

lace-trimmed veil during the ceremony and a ring of flowers in her hair for the reception. The bride carried a bouquet of peonies, freesia, hypericum berries, ranunculus and lavender wrapped in her great-grandmother’s handkerchief that was monogrammed with her initials and the wedding date.

Music during the ceremony was performed by the Stratford String Quartet and Dr. Stephen G. Schaeffer, organist emeritus, and Sadie Frazier, soprano soloist. The Atlanta Show Stoppers provided music at the reception.

The bride was attended by her sister, Lacey Moulton Downing, as her matron of honor. Bridesmaids were Meredith Stinson Carter, Lauralee Nevins Charles, Joy Elizabeth Cornay, Haley Miles Dykes, Hannah Weston Dykes, Catherine Curtis Eickholt, Jennifer Fowler Hartsfield, Claire Foster Martin, Lauren Elizabeth Sakmar, Courtney Terry Sanek, Katelyn Ann Snyder and Katherine Fowler Wasden. Flower girls were Elizabeth Walker Eickholt, Virginia Ellis Eickholt and Julia Caroline Eickholt, nieces of the groom, and Anne Floyd Hartsfield and Elizabeth Anne Wasden, nieces of the bride.

The groom’s father served as best man. Groomsmen were Joel Chase Ajlouny, John Morgan Amos, Christopher Steven Eickholt, Joseph Jenkins Gribbin Jr., Charles Beck Hall, Charles Andrew Hartley Jr., Blake Carol Helveston, Billy Harbert Moulton, James Beasley White and Joshua James Young.

Hannah Catherine Downing and Lacey Mann Woodruff were lay readers. Program attendants were Sarah Manning Gordon, Emma Taylor Gordon and Kate Elizabeth Sinclair.

Wedding book attendants were Madison Victoria Murrell and Julia Anne Sinclair.

After a wedding trip to Bali, the couple live in Telluride, Colo. a 2008 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Alabama’s Honors College, earning a bachelor’s degree in communications and advertising. She is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority as well as ODK, Golden Key International, Phi Kappa Phi and Kappa Tau Alpha national honor societies. Miss Scott is a mass media specialist for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.

The prospective groom is the grandson of Mrs. Irene House and the late Mr. Raymond House of Reform, Mr. James Leon Fair Sr. of Gordo and the late Mrs. Jean Martin of Gordo as well as the late Miss Beatrice Jones of Reform.

Mr. Fair is a 2004 graduate of Fayette County High School and was a 2008 cum laude graduate of the University of Alabama’s Honors College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in finance and was a member of Golden Key International Honor Society. Mr. Fair is employed with Regions Bank.

An early evening ceremony is planned for May 9 at Brookwood Baptist Church in Mountain Brook with the reception immediately following at The Club atop Red Mountain.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

schools

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 31

school notes

Homewood Schools Earn Music Education Award

NAMM Foundation has recognized Homewood City Schools for the 10th time as one of the best 100 communities for music education.

Homewood is one of only two cities in Alabama to be recognized this year by the NAMM Foundation, which focuses on advancing active participation in music making.

Each year, the foundation conducts a nationwide survey seeking communities whose programs exemplify a strong commitment to music education.

Participants recognized as “best communities” answer detailed questions about their funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for music program and other factors.

“We commend the districts and schools that have earned the Best Community designation this year,” said Mary Luehrsen, NAMM Foundation executive director. “They join with so many that believe as we do that there is a vital link between do-re-mi and the ABCs.”

Altamont Student Wins Literary Awards Vestavia Hills High School’s Youth Leadership Vestavia Hills helps students to connect with each other through the assertiveness and accountability of its members. Journal photo by Emily Williams

Team Effort

Vestavia High School Leadership Program Continues to Grow

By Emily Williams Vestavia Hills High School is home to Youth Leadership Vestavia Hills, a program that seeks to connect the nearly 2,000-student school through the assertiveness and accountability of its members.

YLVH began in 2004 through the efforts of Kym Prewitt and her Leadership Vestavia Hills peers. At that time, the Youth Leadership program was not officially a part of the high school.

“We knew that we could start a program that mirrored the adult program,” Prewitt said. “The very next year we had 100 kids sign up.”

This summer, Prewitt and Lindy Walker look forward to welcoming a record-breaking class of 230 students into the program.

“Almost half of the entire grade is going through this program,” Prewitt said. “That can really change the climate and culture of a school.”

Through a two-day retreat, Prewitt and Walker said, students are exposed to the program through team-building exercises and discussions with the goal of exposing commonalities and making connections with peers.

The larger the school, the harder it is to connect with your peers, Prewitt said, so the program is utilized to help students connect with each other and, in turn, reach out to other students.

“What we try to instill in them is that they are owners in their community, they are investors and they have the power to make it whatever they want it to be,” Prewitt said.

It is difficult to see results outside of the school setting, said Prewitt, but one way to measure the success of the program is through the increasing number of new members.

“We feel successful because every year our numbers increase,” Walker said. “You also have to look at the intangibles. It is a thing that

you’re supposed to do. It is the thing that the freshmen begin to talk about.”

After the summer retreat, sophomore students must earn a certain number of points by participating throughout the year in programs such as Lunch and Learn sessions or volunteering in the community.

By their junior and senior years, students

‘What we try to instill in them is that they are owners in their community, they are investors and they have the power to make it whatever they want it to be.’ Kym Prewitt have the option to enroll in a leadership class and take part in an ambassador program called Rebel Connection. Through Rebel Connection, YLVH members are paired with new students based on common interests.

“If you have somebody who comes in and they speak Spanish and they do not speak English very well, we have some Youth Leadership students who are fluent in Spanish,” Prewitt said. “I think they find that whether it is another culture or another clique, that they have things in common with people that they would not have expected.”

By reaching out and connecting with other students, Prewitt and Walker said, the YLVH program encourages students to throw away the idea of stereotypes and search actively for ways to include others.

“It goes beyond just respecting each other.

It’s reaching out and connecting with other people,” Prewitt said.

Both women said that their hope is that

through this program students will have the confidence to reach out to fellow students.

Walker said, “This is about being assertive on someone else’s behalf and having the courage to do the right thing and being accountable for how you treat other people.”

Being accountable and assertive are two qualities that the YLVH program seeks to instill in its members.

“I think those are two big keys to leadership in general. We believe that all students have the potential to be leaders,” Prewitt said.

“Assertiveness, for sure, does not always come naturally. It comes with confidence.”

As the program continues to grow and become a standard for the community, Prewitt and Walker are seeing results from potential members to graduating members, they said.

“Many (graduates) have reported back to us that they have used the skills they learned through youth leadership in answering college essay questions,” Prewitt said. “They’re always asked about it in interviews, because it’s unique.

It’s not the typical leadership program.”

Prewitt and Walker agreed their favorite memory is a recurring one that they see at each of the summer retreats. Their favorite moment is when YLVH trainees have the confidence to show their innermost selves.

“You see the lightbulb go off,” Walker said.

“You see these kids peel back the layers and become transparent and reveal who they really are on the inside. You see them not afraid to connect with other people.”

Prewitt and Walker both said that the retreat is extremely hard work, but the results make it worth the effort.

“And you hope that it goes beyond that day and they leave feeling empowered, as exhausting as it is,” Prewitt said.

For more information about the program, visit www.leadershipvestaviahills.com. ❖

Sarah Polhill, a student at the Altamont School, was in the top three rankings for two of the four literary categories in the 2015 High School Literary Arts Awards ceremony.

The awards are hosted by the Alabama Writers’ Forum. Each student’s work is judged by a published professor or author based on their field of expertise.

Polhill won second place in poetry and third place in fiction.

She is the only Alabama high school student to place in more than one area of the competition.

Green Valley Teacher Receives Alabama Power Grant Karlin Phillips, a Green Valley Elementary School fifth-grade teacher, has been selected as one of 13 candidates in Alabama to receive a 2015 New Teacher Grant from the Alabama Power Foundation.

Phillips was surprised with the news by representatives from Alabama Power and the New Teacher Grant Committee at the school in March.

The $1,000 grant will be used for classroom purposes.

Phillips was selected based on her advocacy for children, her dedication to learning and her commitment to her school system among other qualities, officials said.

Mt Laurel Student Is State Geographic Bee Champ Mt Laurel Elementary School fifth-grader Kapil Nathan won first place in the State Geographic Bee March 27 at Samford University.

Nathan, who won $100 and other prizes, including an all-expense paid trip to the national finals in Washington D.C., was asked to name the country that includes the islands of Melville, Monington, and Bathurst to win the tie-breaker in the championship round. He answered correctly with “Australia.”

The bee featured the state’s top 102 geography students in grades 4-8. Each competitor qualified after winning contests within their own school systems and then placing among the top scorers in the state on a test administered by the National Geographic Society.

Nathan is the son of Archana Subramanian and Vaidyanathan S. Venganullur.

32 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

MBJH Teacher Is Teacher of the Year Finalist

The Hoover High School jazz bands returned home from the 56th annual Loyola Jazz Festival in early March with superior ratings.

The First Edition and Hoover Jam jazz bands along with the Hoover High Combo were all awarded superior ratings during the two-day festival.

The Hoover High Combo includes drummer Aaron Edwards, guitarist Richard Chen, trombonist Corey Cheung, saxophonist and flutist Tyler Greengard, pianist Nathan Soloman and bassist Jake Wittig.

Greengard and Josh Constantine on the tenor sax also received special recognition for solo performances.

Mountain Brook Junior High School’s Geri Shadeed has been selected as one of the “Sweet 16” finalists for the Alabama Teacher of the Year for 20152016.

“Young people are the reason I teach, and outside of my own two children, my students are my greatest accomplishment -- and my legacy,” Shadeed said.

Shadeed, who teaches seventhgrade English, said she teaches her class like “a woman on a mission” because literacy is important to her.

“If I reveal that I am learning new things constantly, my hope is that my students will be challenged to do the same,” Shadeed said. “I want my students to see that I am fearless enough to take risks and willing to fail in front of them in the hopes that they will be fearless, too.”

The “Sweet 16” finalists have been pulled from a group of 130 teachers from Alabama.

Jennifer Brown of Vestavia Hills High School and Minnette Wiggins of Trace Crossings Elementary School also are finalists.

The Alabama Teacher of the Year will be announced May 13.

Come Join the MBHS 7A State Championship Volleyball Program For Instruction and Fun this Summer!

June 2nd, 3rd and 4th in Spartan Arena Upcoming 4th-6th graders 12:00-3:00 Upcoming 7th-8th graders 4:00-6:00 Registration at Mountain Brook Sporting Goods or email Coach Haven O’Quinn: OQuinnh@mtnbrook.k12.al.us

Discover the Difference! view d l r o lty W u l c a a ic ed F Bibl fi i l a ogy l u o Q n ly ech T High n is o s a ics h t p e l m E Ath A 1 AA S zes H i S A lass C l l Sma

a a a a a

Shades Mountain Christian School smcs.org 205.978.6001 Call to schedule a tour!

Photo special to the Journal

Tyler Greengard

Hoover Jazz Bands Earn Top Ratings

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

From left, front: Curran Umphrey, Hannah Echols, Haley Dellaccio, Brooke Westhoven, Margaret Ann Vice and Savannah McCallum. Back: Catherine Carroll, Adeline Johnson, Ashlyn Lovell, Katie Corona, Harper Coleman, Olivia Head and Ellie Barrentine.

VHHS Rebelettes Rank Nationally The VHHS Varsity Rebelettes ranked fourth in the nation in team performance and eighth in the nation in jazz at a recent national competition.

The team traveled to Universal Studios in Orlando in March to compete in the National Dance Association National High School Dance Team Competition.

Teams came from all over the country and internationally to compete for the title of national champion.

During preliminary competition, the Rebelettes competed in the Medium Varsity Jazz and Medium Varsity Team Performance categories and qualified to move on to finals in both categories.

The results of the final competition determined each team’s ranking at the national level.

Earlier this year. the team placed second at a state competition and first in two categories at a regional competition.

Varsity team members include Ellie Barrentine, Catherine Carroll, Harper Coleman, Katie Corona, Haley Dellaccio, Hannah Echols, Adeline Johnson, Olivia Head, Ashlyn Lovell, Savannah McCallum, Curran Umphrey, Margaret Ann Vice and Brooke Westhoven.

ASFA Student Qualifies for International Energy Olympiad An Alabama School of Fine Arts student’s senior research project earned honors at a science and engineering fair.

Monica Pasala’s project has qualified from the Central Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair to go to the International Sustainable World Energy, Engineering, Environment Project Olympiad.

She will compete in the international fair May 7-8 in Houston.

Nearly 2,300 project proposals were received from 78 countries and the United States. Only three entrants from Alabama were chosen.

Pasala’s project looks at the effect

of zinc-contaminated soil on plants and the possible health effects on organisms and people who live in areas that have polluted soil. Zinc enters waterways after being dumped by factories.

Pasala predicted that plants grown in contaminated soil would eventually die of zinc contamination by not getting

enough nutrients.

Her project took about two years to complete.

Pasala has been a student at ASFA since ninth grade. She said she plans to attend the University of South Alabama in the College of Medicine’s Early Acceptance Program.

Highlands’ Museum Night Focuses on Japan Highlands School hosted a Museum Night on March 26, showcasing student work related to the school’s Global Education program. This year’s country of study is Japan.

Through the school’s Parents’ Auxiliary program, summer grants are provided to faculty members, allowing select teachers to travel to and study in a selected country.

Upon returning from Japan, teachers hope to bring back a greater understanding of the country and share their knowledge with the Highlands community.

This year’s program included student exhibitions. Each grade focused on Japanese-themed projects ranging from arts and crafts and cooking to science experiments.

After seeing the student exhibitions, guests were invited to celebration activities, including a photo booth, Zen garden and an origami 1,000 paper crane project.

Journal photo by Emily Williams

Photo special to the Journal

schools

First-grade teachers and students provided a miso soup tasting to guests as they entered the student exhibition area.

The evening concluded with student performances. All grades participated in a Japanese dance to “Tankobushi -- The Song of the Coal Miners” and performed the Japanese folk song “Sakura -- The Cherry Blossoms.”

The Country of Study Program is

the signature program for Highlands School’s Project Based Learning initiative. The goal of the PBL method is for students to be able to fully explore an area of study resulting in an authentic experience, school officials said.

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 33

schools

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

The 20 Percent Solution Shades Cahaba Students Use Class Time to Help Others

Companies such as Google and 3M are known for their 20 percent programs that allow employees to devote one day a week of their work time to an independent project. These programs, which have been hailed as innovative, inspired Shades Cahaba Elementary School Gifted Education Specialist DeShaundra Johnson.

Johnson implemented a 20 percent project for her fifth-grade enrichment students at Shades Cahaba this year.

The students, who attend enrichment classes with Johnson one day a week, were given 20 percent of their fourhour time period with her to work on independent projects centered on the theme of helping people. Students partnered up based on their interests and goals.

“Most of the projects involved the entire school giving to a cause,” Johnson said. “I feel that it helped students see beyond themselves.”

Students chose projects ranging from donating canned foods to the Firehouse Shelter in downtown Birmingham to raising money for Ebola research.

“It gave my students an opportunity to practice executive skills such as organization, decision making, project management, time management, adaptability, goal setting and collaboration,” Johnson said. “They also used research, technology and communication skills. These are skills that are emphasized in the new Gifted Education Program Scope and Sequence.”

The students will also give a digital presentation in May in front of a live audience. The students titled the presentation “L.I.G.H.T.” or “Learning to Inspire and Giving Hope Together.”

Anna-Li Bateman chose raising awareness for childhood cancer as her 20 percent project topic. Bateman lost a friend, Kylie, to Ewing’s sarcoma.

She originally wanted to raise funds for Smiling for Kylie, a charity started to honor her friend. Smiling for Kylie encouraged people to post photos of themselves smiling to boost Kylie’s spirits throughout her treatment.

However, after Kylie passed away in February, Bateman chose to raise money in her friend’s memory instead. She was able to raise $106.65 by creating a presentation and taking it around to different classrooms and collecting donations. After speaking with Kylie’s family, she decided to donate the money to Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer research.

Bailey Levering focused on a topic that hits very close to home for her -- raising awareness about genetically modified organisms and the allergies and conditions they can cause.

Levering suffers from severe allergies to corn and cow’s milk and has dealt with many health problems because of this.

“My allergies and having to eat specific things every single day is sometimes really hard for me,”

Journal photos by Kaitlin Candelaria

By Kaitlin Candelaria

above: Bella Nichols and Lily Prewitt partnered with Better Basics to host a book drive to help children in Alabama who do not have access to educational resources. Above left: Maddie Griffin and Caroline Crimi were able to collect over 35,000 pop tops for the Ronald McDonald House. below left: James Spencer and Sid Warren sold bracelets to raise money for Ebola research. They were able to donate over $600 to the CDC.

Levering said. “I’m writing a letter to the president to say ‘Hey! We need to label GMOs!’” Alex Cochrane and Thomas Roney chose to donate food to the Old Firehouse Shelter after becoming inspired by their pastor, Rick Wood.

Wood frequently fed the homeless until he was stopped for not having a proper permit. The two boys said they wanted the homeless to be fed.

Through their 20 percent program, they collected 312 cans of food to donate to the shelter.

Caroline Crimi and Maddie Griffin also chose a local charity for their 20 percent project. Last year, Griffin’s neighbor donated money to the Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham and received a letter from a child who had stayed there.

“It said ‘I don’t know you, but you’re already my best friend because you’ve helped me,’” Crimi said. “We just felt that if their donating money made that child so happy, how much of a difference could we make with the whole school behind us?”

The two girls set out to collect pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House and were able to collect 35,465 pop tabs, which amounts to 28 pounds worth. The Ronald McDonald House then sells the aluminum tabs for funding for their programs.

Alan Mobley-Burgos and Chase Hoover focused on supporting one of their former Extended Day Program counselors, Zach Isabel. Isabel has started a program to raise funds for

after-school scholarships for students whose parents may not be able to afford to send their children to the Extended Day Program.

“What kind of got me started is that we used to go to the EDP, and there was one counselor there who really inspired us and shaped us into who we are today,” Mobley-Burgos said. “He recently left, and we’re trying to follow in his footsteps by helping others who can’t afford (EDP).”

Mobley-Burgos and Hoover are supporting that mission by organizing a run that will take place during their physical education period on May 12.

Bella Nichols and Lily Prewitt wanted to help children in Alabama who don’t have access to educational resources. They partnered with an organization called Better Basics to host a book drive April 6-17.

“My connection with this is my family loves books and I love books in general,” Nichols said. “Seeing that I can help other people with something I love really makes me happy.”

Together, the girls were able to donate over 200 books, they said.

Harrison Sims and Parker Wallace wanted to help a child who is battling cancer. Shades Cahaba Elementary School is currently partnered with the Make-a-Wish foundation to raise money for a child’s wish trip to Disney World. Wallace and Sims contributed to that by raising $600.50 for her trip through an independent yard sale.

With their contribution, Shades

Cahaba was able to raise $5,470.60.

Sid Warren and James Spencer set out to help people suffering from Ebola in West Africa. Spencer’s mother, Amelia Spencer, a professor at Birmingham-Southern College, has traveled to West Africa and taken students with her to teach English to natives.

This year, her trip was canceled due to the Ebola outbreak, which inspired Spencer and Warren to make a difference. They decided to raise money to help eradicate the virus while also educating people about the seriousness of the epidemic.

“Whenever it blew up all over the news, a lot of people were joking around about Ebola,” Warren said.

“They’d say things like ‘Oh you’re sick, you must have Ebola! You’re going to die!’ and we wanted to show people that it isn’t funny, it’s really serious.”

The two students sold bracelets for their cause and were able to donate over $600 to the Centers for Disease Control.

Jaiden Tindall, who lost a family member to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, wanted to use his talents to raise awareness and funding for the disease. He created two different pieces

of artwork that are available for purchase on Etsy and is in the process of creating another to sell to raise money to donate to ALS research.

All the students said they took away different things from the project.

“I learned about organization and how to keep my thoughts straight for this project,” Hoover said.

Other students, such as Griffin and Levering, said they learned specific skills, like how to write a business letter.

“I think it definitely teaches us skills that we’ll use for the rest of our lives, like leadership and teamwork,” Crimi said. “I think it was definitely a lot harder than we thought it was going to be in the beginning. I think it helped that Ms. Johnson didn’t police us or look over our shoulders. We had to manage ourselves and make sure that we got our work done.”

This is the second year Johnson has done this project in her classroom, and she is happy with the results, she said.

“I am very impressed with the students’ perseverance,” Johnson said. “They ran into obstacles but did not give up.” ❖

food

34 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Special Deliveries

Journal photos by Lee Walls Jr.

Katie Strickland prepares burrito-style spaghetti squash. She loves coming up with fresh takes on healthy food for her Katie’s Plates menus, she said.

By Donna Cornelius Katie Strickland’s goal is her own show

on the Food Network. She also wouldn’t mind owning a restaurant – maybe two.

“I’d like to have one restaurant with healthy food and another where I can go all out with no limitations,” she said.

Those may be lofty ambitions. But Strickland already owns her own thriving food business.

And she’s only 24 years old.

With Katie’s Plates, the Oak Mountain High School graduate offers healthy, home-cooked meals delivered in a range that includes much of the Over the Mountain area. Prospective customers can visit her website and sign up to have lunches and dinners brought to their homes Monday-Friday.

Her company has grown since she started it, mostly for family and friends in the beginning,

in January 2014, she said.

“This past November, I had to quit my job at Iron Tribe and take on my business full time,” she said. “I just jumped into it. I feel very lucky.”

She’s also hired a driver to help her with deliveries, she said.

Strickland grew up in Homewood and attended Homewood High School until her sophomore year, she said. Her family moved to the Oak Mountain area to have room for horses.

She did English eventing competitions and still has two horses, she said.

Her AP English teacher at Oak Mountain High School was a Mississippi State University graduate, Strickland said, and invited students for a visit to the Starkville campus.

“I told my friend, ‘There’s no way I’m going to college in Mississippi,’ and she said, ‘At least you’ll get a day out of classes,’” Strickland said.

“I ended up falling in love with Mississippi State.”

She originally intended to become a dietitian, she said.

“But Mississippi State is so focused on food service, and I took a class called Quantity and Quality in Food Production, which was about cooking for large groups,” she said.

The class led to a discovery of a passion for cooking and food science, she said.

During her summers as a college student, Strickland worked as a nanny and personal assistant for Amanda LeBlanc, a Birminghambased professional organizer who starred in her own television show, “The Amandas.”

“I’d cook dinner, and we’d do grocery shopping together,” Strickland said. “Amanda said to me, ‘Katie, what if you started some kind of meal service?’”

Operating on the belief that many families want to eat healthy but just don’t have time to do so, Strickland started Katie’s Plates.

“You can get meals for singles, which kind of sets me apart, for couples, or for families – three to five servings or six to nine servings,” Strickland said. “I do lunches, dinners, snacks and drinks. I also have a weekly dessert and a breakfast, usually a quiche.”

Healthy eating doesn’t mean boring eating to Strickland. She loves tweaking recipes and making them full of flavor as well as nutritious, she said.

“I don’t cook just plain old chicken breasts with broccoli,” she said. “I do things like a chicken Parmesan that’s breaded with almond flour and served over spaghetti squash.”

Other recent offerings included maple-walnut crusted salmon, turkey Bolognese over zucchini noodles and strawberry-balsamic pork tenderloin.

“I love to get emails from customers saying things like ‘My kids loved the spaghetti squash,’” she said.

One of her creations is cauliflower cooked to look and taste like mashed potatoes.

“A customer told me her husband said his favorite thing about the meal that night was the ‘mashed potatoes,’” she said.

See katie, page 36

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Katie’s Plates Brings Healthy Meals to Customers’ Doors

Jordi Roca from El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, will visit the event’s BBVA Compass VIP Lounge April 26.

International Flavor Culinary Celebrity Is Part of This Year’s Corks & Chefs Menu

By Donna Cornelius A chef who’s a culinary rock star will give this year’s Corks & Chefs an international flavor.

Jordi Roca from El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, will visit the event’s BBVA Compass VIP Lounge April 26. Roca was named World’s Best Pastry Chef last year by Restaurant magazine.

Corks & Chefs is a tasting event that’s an annual feature of the Magic City Art Connection. The contemporary art festival is set for April 24-26 in Birmingham’s Linn Park, Corks & Chefs will have food from Birmingham chefs plus wines, craft beers, coffee and tea. It also includes wine and craft beer seminars and musical entertainment.

The BBVA Compass VIP Lounge is a fresh ingredient this year, and event organizers said they’re excited that Roca will be a headliner.

See roca, page 36

Full Moon’s Chow-chow Goes All Natural

A favorite Full Moon BBQ condiment is now available at Whole Foods Market in Mountain Brook.

The Birmingham-based restaurant has made the relish with a completely organic, gluten-free recipe so that it will comply with Whole Foods’ standards.

The chow-chow is now all natural and available for shoppers to take home.

“Full Moon BBQ continues to expand its footprint by offering fan-favorite products outside of our 11 restaurant locations,” said David Maluff, Full Moon’s Culinary owner. “With a great Community News and response from Piggly Events Wiggly and Western Supermarkets grocery shoppers, we knew it was the right time to update our expanding line of products to make the chow-chow organic and gluten-free.

“Whole Foods Mountain Brook is just the first stop. We plan on offering our chow-chow in additional Whole Foods locations.”

Chow-chow is a spicy, sweet relish that is a staple in many Southern kitchens.

Galley & Garden Starts Lunch Service

Southside restaurant Galley & Garden added lunch service to its menu beginning April 15.

Chef James Boyce said he plans to offer seasonal dishes that will include salads, starters, flatbreads, sandwiches and garden-inspired entrees.

Lunch hours are 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Monday-Friday. A new bar snack menu will be available from 2-5 p.m.

Galley & Garden is at 2220 Highland Ave. S. in Birmingham. Menus are at www.galleyandgarden.com. For more information or reservations, call 9395551.

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 35

food

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Chef George Reis Closes 26, Will Open New Restaurant

Birmingham George Reis has closed 26, his Five Points restaurant, but is planning a new eatery in the same space.

Reis, who also owns Ocean, said he will open a casual oyster bar in the spirit of a classic public house.

The last dinner at 26, which was open for nine years, was March 21.

Work on the restaurant’s space began immediately after that.

Reis said he is working with Birmingham builder Brian Tyson to create a restaurant with reclaimed wood and warm, comfortable tones.

“I’m still working on the name, but I do know this new restaurant will be a combination of two styles, an oyster bar and pub, giving us the platform to create this amazing raw bar serving a variety of fresh Gulf Coast and Chesapeake Bay area oysters alongside high-quality, locally sourced food that’s so popular in gastropubs all over the world,” Reis said.

Reis said he plans to have a large selection of craft beers, including those brewed in Alabama as well as other ales and lagers from around the country.

The bar menu will also include keg-style wines on tap.

The new oyster bar and pub, slated to open in May, will be at 1210 20th St. S. For more information on the new restaurant and Ocean, visit www. oceanbirmingham.com.

Italian Extravaganza: Saint Mark Gets Ready for Annual Food Festival

The fourth annual Feast of Saint Mark Italian Food Festival begins at 3 p.m.

April 25 at Saint Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church on U.S. 119.

The rain-or-shine feast will begin with a Special Feast Mass.

All food experiences will begin at 4 p.m. Entertainment will continue until

11 p.m.

Children can enjoy amusement rides, crafts and an authentic grape stomp.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and under.

For more information and tickets, visit www.feastofmark.com.

Mudbug Bash: Crawfish Boil Includes Music, Kids’ Activities

Louisiana native John Hein will be cooking up crawfish April 25 at the 2015 Hope for Autumn Foundation Crawfish Boil.

The event benefits the Alabama Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorder’s developmental therapeutics program.

The crawfish boil is from 3-9 p.m. on the Main Green at Ross Bridge in

Hoover.

The event includes music by Rollin in the Hay and Downright. Bounce houses, face painting and balloon artists will provide kid-friendly entertainment.

Tickets are $30 online and $35 at the door. Children ages 12 and under are admitted free.

Visit www.hopeforautumnfoundation. org for more information.

Helping Out by Eating Out: Restaurant Event Supports AIDS Alabama

The sixth annual Dining Out for Life is an event which invites the public to eat out at participating restaurants April 30, when a minimum of 25 percent of the bill will be donated to AIDS Alabama.

For more information and a list of participating restaurants, visit www. diningoutforlife.com/birmingham.

Food Truck Roundup: Fundraiser Benefits PreSchool Partners

Birmingham area food trucks will gather May 2 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. for the Protective Life Food Truck Roundup and Art Show supporting PreSchool Partners.

The event, which also includes live music, a bounce house, face painting and an art show, will be in the upper Macy’s parking lot at Brookwood Village.

Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door and free for kids under age 10.

Each ticket includes four tokens which can be used at the food trucks and drink stations.

Menus items will cost from one to two tokens. Additional tokens can be purchased for $2 each.

For more information or tickets, visit www.preschool-partners.org. ❖

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36 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

From page 34

Roca and his brothers, head chef Joan Roca and sommelier Josep Roca, opened El Celler de Can Roca in 1986. The Michelin-starred restaurant has earned accolades from diners, chefs and critics and was featured on television’s “MasterChef UK: The Professionals” in 2011.

Alex Kunzman, Magic City Art Connection’s co-director, said Jordi Roca’s presentation will give Corks & Chefs an international flavor.

“When we spoke to BBVA Compass about sponsorship at the festival, we were very riveted on their international reach, especially within the culinary world,” Kunzman said.

“They presented the world-famous Roca Brothers as an option for a special showcase at Corks & Chefs.

When we heard the news in early spring that the visit was a go, we were ecstatic.”

Kunzman said Jordi Roca and his brothers are focused not only on food but on education.

“When they are featured at special events or dinners with BBVA Compass, they are very interested in chefs having takeaways that they can incorporate into their own businesses and culinary ventures,” he said “So in that vein, Corks & Chefs has invited students from Culinard as well as area chefs to be part of the audience at Chef Jordi’s culinary demo on Sunday.”

Other VIP Lounge perks include special culinary offerings by Primeaux

Cheese and Vino on Saturday and by Culinard on Sunday. VIP ticket holders also get to taste additional select wines. Other extras are a signature cocktail from Carrigan’s Public House, Barefoot Wine and Bubbly champagne to taste, VIP lounge seating, private al fresco dining and a souvenir glass.

This year’s Corks & Chefs includes a variety of restaurants.

Saturday’s lineup includes 5 Points Public House Oyster Bar, Carrigan’s Public House, Chez Lulu/Continental Bakery, Nabeel’s Cafe and Market, Post Office Pies, Silvertron Café, The J. Clyde and Vino.

Sunday participants include Bellinis Ristorante and Bar, Bistro V, Cantina Tortilla Grill, Catering

by LaNetta, Dixie Fish Company, El Barrio Restaurante Y Bar, Primeaux Cheese and Vino, The Pantry by Stone Hollow Farmstead, Todd English P.U.B. and Vecchia Pizzeria and Mercato.

Wine will be from Athens Imports, Morgan Creek Winery, Ozan Vineyards, International Wines and Craft Beers, Pinnacle Imports and Vizzini Farms Winery.

Craft beer will be provided by AlaBev, Avondale Brewing Co., Good People Brewing Co., Trim Tab Brewing Co., Singin’ River Brewing Co. and Back Forty Beer Co. Corks & Chefs has a charitable as well as a culinary purpose. It supports educational art programming for hundreds of fourth-graders from Birmingham city schools who attend the interactive workshops at the event’s Imagination Festival on Friday and for other children who attend the

three-day festival.

The Magic City Art Connection is from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

Corks & Chefs hours are 1-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Advance general admission tickets are $35. The event’s $45 tickets include a souvenir wine glass.

Patrons who buy $75 tickets get access to the VIP Lounge. The Sunday VIP Lounge event with Chef Roca is $125.

All tickets include admission to the Magic City Art Connection.

For tickets and more information, visit www.MagicCityArt.com. ❖

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Photo special to the Journal

roca,

food

This year’s Corks & Chefs will feature wines from Athens Imports, Morgan Creek Winery, Ozan Vineyards, International Wines and Craft Beers, Pinnacle Imports and Vizzini Farms Winery.

Katie,

From page 34

Christina Lorino Schutt, who lives in Homewood, said Katie’s Plates has helped her family through recent struggles with health issues.

“I have a toddler and a 12-week-old baby,” Schutt said. “When I was pregnant, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It was so convenient to know that somebody would be cooking for us and that the food would be coming right to our door.”

Strickland’s dishes “taste great, are a good price and are healthy for my family,” Schutt said.

“We love any type of her stuffed bell peppers, and her chicken is always so flavorful – never dry.”

However, Schutt may not be the biggest Katie’s Plates fan in the household.

“My 2 ½-year-old is obsessed with it,” Schutt said. “If there’s a knock on the door, he asks, ‘Is that Katie?’”

Donna Vaughan said Katie’s Plates has been a lifesaver for her and her husband, Dr. Tom Vaughan Jr. “I’m very ill and on oxygen 24/7, and my husband had to go out and get our dinner almost every night,” said

Donna Vaughan. “We starting getting Katie’s Plates about six months ago, and we’ve used it ever since.”

Vaughan, who lives in Mountain Brook, said she and her husband have “never had the same meal twice.”

“Katie doesn’t make anything ordinary,” Vaughan said. “Her meals are incredible. And I really think my health has improved since we started eating her food.”

Vaughan said Strickland also is “the loveliest young lady I’ve ever met in my life.”

“She’s charming, has a wonderful character and is just very responsible,” Vaughan said.

Strickland’s success hasn’t come without demands.

She works almost every day, she said, beginning to cook at noon in the kitchen at her Southside home. Her work isn’t over until at night after deliveries are made.

In addition to her own business, she writes paleo breakfast and lunch menus for eMeals.

“That gets my creative juices flowing,” she said.

She’s working toward a storefront, too, she said.

“There are days when I think, I’m not going to be able to get all this food out,” Strickland said. “But I do. And I love what I’m doing.”

For more information, visit www.katiesplates.com or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram. ❖

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sports

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 37

Spain Park Lacrosse Player Will Attend USAF

Brother Swagler at his signing day with Briarwood Soccer Club coach Neil Clement and Mountain Brook High School soccer coach Joe Webb.

Swagler Will Play Soccer at Birmingham-Southern

Photos special to the Journal

Trent Harper, a Spain Park High School senior, will play lacrosse next year at the United States Air Force Academy.

Harper, 18, was nominated for the USAF appointment by U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus.

After playing travel baseball for four years, Harper decided when he was in seventh grade that he wanted to give lacrosse a try. He tried out for Bamalax, a travel lacrosse program, and made the team. He’s been playing lacrosse ever since.

He has participated in numerous recruiting tournaments and showcases, making the all-star teams in most. He has played on Atlanta Elite, a travel team from Atlanta, for the past three years.

Harper has been a starter on the Spain Park High School lacrosse team since his freshman year. He plays midfielder, face-off and attack.

He also has played football since ninth grade and lettered as a sophomore, junior and senior.

He maintains over a 4.0 GPA and made a 31 on his ACT. Harper has volunteered at lacrosse clinics for the Greater Birmingham Youth Lacrosse Association for inner city youth and also for the Lower Alabama Lacrosse League.

He has worked in his free time at Stickhead, a Vestavia Hills

lacrosse store.

Harper was recruited by numerous NCAA Division 1 lacrosse programs, but when he got an email from the Air Force Academy and visited it in June, he knew that was where he wanted to be, he said.

Harper came to the attention of USAF coaches at an Under Armour All American tryout in Atlanta two years ago.

He plans to study aeronautical engineering, he said.

For more about Harper, visit toplaxrecruits.com.

Brother Swagler, a senior at Mountain Brook High School, has committed to play soccer at Birmingham-Southern College.

He will play for head coach Preston Goldfarb, who has led the Panthers for more than 30 seasons, and for assistant coach Greg Vinson, who has coached at BSC for nearly 20 seasons.

Swagler has played on Mountain Brook’s varsity team for coach Joe Webb since he was a freshman and is approaching 100 game appearances with the team. He is one of the team captains this year.

Since he was in fourth grade, Swagler has played club soccer for several Birmingham area organizations, including BUSA, Homewood Soccer Club and Briarwood Soccer Club’s Region III Premiere League team.

He also participated in Alabama’s Olympic Development Program.

Swagler is beginning his third season as a volunteer coach with TOPSoccer, an outreach program that provides small-group soccer sessions for young athletes who have special needs.

He said he plans to study business at Birmingham-Southern.

He is the son of Rick and Susan Swagler of Crestline.

From left: Peyton Taylor, Alex Bates and Joe Delozier will join the BSC men’s lacrosse team next fall.

Three Rebels Will Play Lacrosse at Birmingham-Southern

Three Vestavia Hills High School seniors will continue their education and athletic careers at Birmingham Southern College (BSC). Alex Bates, Joe Delozier and Peyton Taylor have committed to play for Coach Casey Kear and the BSC men’s lacrosse team next fall.

All three athletes play for the highly touted Vestavia Lacrosse program, which finished second in the 2014 state playoffs. Alex Bates is a goalie; Joe Delozier plays defense; and Peyton Taylor is an attack man.

Lacrosse in the state is still an emerging sport in Alabama, however teams from the state have been competitive with programs in the Northeast, where the sport is dominant. Coach Randy Nace has lead the Vestavia team for the last two years, after previously serving as head coach of the University of Alabama’s Men’s Lacrosse program.

BSC is home to the state of Alabama’s first college lacrosse program, which started in 2009. Coach Kear took over the program last season, after serving as an assistant coach.

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38 • Thursday, April 23, 2015

Miracle Run

sports

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

OTM League Gives Every Kid a Chance

By Lee Davis Anyone who has gotten cynical about the direction of baseball in recent years needs to learn about the

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The league, founded in Georgia in 2000, gives youngsters with mental and physical disabilities a chance to enjoy playing America’s pastime.

Miracle League teams play on customdesigned rubberized turf fields with flat surfaces and bases to accommodate players in wheelchairs or on walkers or crutches. Players also use specialized bats tailored to their particular needs.

A few years ago, the Miracle League came to Jefferson County when a field was built in Leeds. But there was no league in the Over the Mountain area until Shay Hammonds and several other area residents became determined to change that situation.

“About four years ago, I was looking for volunteers to work at the (Miracle League) field in Leeds,” said Hammonds, a Hoover resident.

“And I decided that we needed one in Hoover.”

So Hammonds, along with Matt Bearden, Kim Harwell and Phil Nichols, met with Hoover officials, who pledged their support. But of course, they needed money.

“We needed to raise $300,000,” Hammonds said. “And it was tough because the economy was bad.”

But private businesses and individuals chipped in. Top contributors included the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, Hill Crest Foundation, Publix Super Markets and Blue Cross/ Blue Shield of Alabama. The city of Hoover matched and exceeded what was raised, contributing $320,000, and soon a Miracle Field was under construction at the Hoover East Sports Complex near Old Rocky Ridge Road.

The Over the Mountain Miracle League began its first fall season two years ago and is currently in its second spring season.

“We have participants with all sorts of disabilities and teams that begin for 5-year-olds and range all the way to adult,” said Hammonds, who currently is the league’s treasurer. “We have adults in their 50s who play. And we’ve had great financial support from the business community and with volunteers.”

Photos special to the Journal

The Over the Mountain Miracle League began its first fall season two years ago and is currently in its second spring season.

The Miracle League uses a buddy system, which pairs a player with an able-bodied peer.

“The buddy goes out on the field and helps the player run the bases or scoop up the ball,” Hammonds said.

“More importantly, the player and his buddy achieve a bond that can’t be described. They become best friends.”

Daniela DeLuca’s son, Lucas Kalba, is 8 years old and playing his third season in the Miracle League.

“The buddies are so generous to give their time,” DeLuca said. “When a player needs help, the buddies are right there with an extra hand and a huge heart.”

Volunteers are needed for all aspects of the Miracle League operation -- from being player buddies to field maintenance to even spectators in the stands -- and Hammonds is grateful for all of them.

“Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the generosity of our volunteers,” she said. “Occasionally I get nervous that we won’t have enough volunteers for a certain event – but they always come through.”

In the Miracle League, there are really no opposing teams, and certainly nobody is on a losing side, DeLuca said.

“Everyone is an all-star, and every parent, friend and sibling is every other player’s biggest fan,” she said. “Our

children are successful in so many ways. While physically they have challenges, when they are playing in the Miracle League those challenges don’t stop them at all. Lucas loves the coaches because they are so great and are nice to every player.”

As is the case with all parents of Miracle League players, DeLuca appreciates the work of all involved.

“The field is a remarkable gift from the donors, the city, the community and volunteers,” she said.” Never have we seen something so unique and special designated just for these welldeserving players.”

After a day of fun at Miracle League, everyone leaves feeling like winners.

“When we walk away from the game we feel good, strong and blessed,” DeLuca said. “We love this league and adore all who made and continue to make it possible.”

Brian Tyndal, 16, played in the St. Clair County Miracle League before joining the Over the Mountain League two years ago.

“The league means the world to us,” said Pam Tyndal, Brian’s mother.

“Brian gets to be like any other kid who has the chance to have teammates and the opportunity to play ball. He has a great time and looks forward to every game.”

Tyndal said she expects her son to participate in Miracle League as long as possible.

“I think Brian will probably be playing in the 50-year-old league one day,” she said, smiling.

The Miracle League doesn’t have championship teams in the conventional sense but instead has a seasonending ceremony to reward all players for a job well done.

“At the end of the year, we give out medals to all of our athletes,” Hammonds said. “But mainly we want them to know that we are so proud of them and that they are loved.”

No player in the Miracle League will ever reach the major leagues, but their experience is beyond priceless.

To learn more about the Over the Mountain Miracle League, go to www. otmmiracleleague.org.

Thursday, April 23, 2015 • 39

sports

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Briarwood, From page 40

baseball is still baseball.”

The uncharacteristically rainy spring has affected practice routines as well as game schedules, Renfroe said.

“It’s hard to practice fielding ground balls and playing defense in the gym,” he said. “We need to get in as many repetitions as possible. We don’t worry about things we can’t control.”

Maybe the rain has been an issue, but going into the playoffs, Briarwood has been virtually weatherproof.

Journal photo by Marvin Gentry

Cain bats .373 with 26 RBIs. Eddy has a .333 average with 25 RBIs. Fuentes has 23 RBIs to go with a .306 average. Pegusky is hitting .263 but has still brought in 22 runs. Cupo has batted in 18 runs, and Jake Morris has added 14.

“So much about baseball is timing – that is, getting the right hits at the right times,” Renfroe said. “And so

far, we’ve been able to do that.”

Briarwood has been outstanding defensively as well, with a total team fielding percentage of .930.

“Playing defense is one of the best things we do,” he said.

Renfroe, who coached at Auburn University from 2001-2004 before taking the helm for the Lions in 2009, said that there are relatively few differences in the two levels of the sport.

“Obviously you are dealing with older and more mature players in college,” he said. “At the end of the day,

Briarwood Christian pitcher/shortstop Carson Cupo posted a 4-0 record with seven starts in the regular season with a 0.995 ERA and 41 strikeouts.

davis,

From page 40

With the bases loaded, Potter hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Rebels an 11-7 win – and the area title.

The victory also moved Vestavia into first place in the final Class 7A poll of the regular season with an overall record of 21-11. Mountain Brook fell to second with a 27-5 mark.

Fortunately, the season continues for both teams as – according to Alabama High School Athletic Association rules – both the area champion and the runner-up move to the postseason. And the way each is playing, a case can be made for either Vestavia or Mountain Brook to claim the big blue trophy in May. For the moment, the Rebels have the hot hand.

It’s also easy to feel bad for the other two teams in Area 6 – defending state champion Spain Park and Hewitt-Trussville -- who were eliminated despite posting a combined record of 33-17 and spending almost the entire spring in the Class 7A Top 10.

That verdict caps a frustrating run of luck for Jaguar fans. Spain Park’s boys’ basketball team won 24 games and spent much of the season in the Class 7A top three only to be defeated in the first round of the area tournament. For now, they have their sights on next year.

Raising Hoover…

Hoover football made headlines last week with the announcement that head coach Josh Niblett received a raise from the Hoover Board of Education, making his total compensation $125,000 a year.

Niblett was quoted as saying he was humbled by the raise. If Niblett’s like anyone else, he was delighted by it as well. The raise makes him the highest paid high school football coach in Alabama, and who’s to say he doesn’t deserve it?

In seven years, Niblett has posted a 96-8 record with four state championships – including the previous three in a row – and three runner-up finishes. Off the field, the Buccaneer program is free of the controversies that often marked the tenure of his predecessor, Rush Propst.

A few holdouts still won’t give Niblett the respect he deserves, arguing that anyone could win championships at Hoover because of the school’s abundance of resources and talent.

Certainly, Hoover does have many advantages, but it also has an expectation level and both internal and external pressure to succeed like no other high school – perhaps anywhere. The Buccaneer program has reached and sustained such a level that if the football team doesn’t win the state championship, it’s considered a “bad” year.

Of course, Niblett’s raise has stimulated the usual conversation about the priorities of a society where a high school football coach can make more money than a mathematics teacher, a police officer or a nurse.

Actually, there is a term for a society where that can happen: a free market society.

The well-known economist Adam Smith once came up with a theory called the diamond-water paradox. It says that while water is much more useful in terms of survival than diamonds, the fact is that diamonds carry a greater price on the market. To put it plainly, if someone walks off with your bucket full of diamonds, you’re much more likely to be upset than if someone walks off with your bucket full of water -- unless of course you are in the middle of the desert.

Smith’s point is that the value of someone’s work to society has no necessary correlation to its market value. For example, a first-rate nurse in Birmingham will never make as much as a starting quarterback in the National Football League even if his or her work is infinitely more vital. There is a much smaller pool of individuals who have the skillset to be professional quarterbacks, so they will make the big money based on the free market.

Critics often forget that in addition to being a great football coach, Niblett is also a teacher, offering life lessons that can’t be found in books, computers or classrooms.

Instead of being envied or resented, Niblett should be praised for his work and commitment to excellence.

And if he’s rewarded for the fruits of his labors, that’s the system we are blessed to live in.

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Sports

Miracle Run OTM League Gives Every Kid a Chance Page 38

lee davis

Baseball Slide

Journal photo by Marvin Gentry

Weather Has Been Wet, But Briarwood Has Been Hot

Lion’s pitcher Sam Strickland. Briarwood Christian swept Chelsea over the weekend in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.

By Lee Davis Briarwood baseball coach Steve Renfroe doesn’t spend a lot of time looking at his team’s statistics.

But lately he’s been a regular viewer of the Weather Channel.

The unusually rainy and wet spring has made baseball scheduling an iffy proposition for all metro Birmingham teams, including the Lions.

“I’ve talked to coaches, umpires, scouts and every other kind of baseball person you can think of,” Renfroe said. “And nobody can remember a spring with so much rain. From week to week, the $64,000 question is, will we be able to get a game in?”

And while scheduling games may have been problematic for Briarwood, winning games has not been. The Lions entered the first round of the Class 6A playoffs last weekend with a 20-6 record overall and 4-0 in Area 9 play.

Briarwood’s lineup may not be overstocked with big-time talent, but it does provide big-time results.

“This has been a really fun bunch to coach,”

Renfroe said. “We don’t have the star pitcher or the marquee hitter everyone wants to see. Our success has been a collective effort to play hard, compete and find ways to win games.”

At the center of Briarwood’s strong run are five solid senior leaders – pitcher Grant Shotnik, outfielder Pierce Merry, catcher/first basemen John Michael Pegusky, pitcher/shortstop Carson Cupo and pitcher/third baseman Harrison Cain.

“We’ve been very fortunate to have good senior leaders,” Renfroe said. “Most teams that don’t have good senior leaders have to be exceptionally talented to win. We have good talent, but it sure helps to have guys who have been part of our program for a while and completely buy into what we’re doing.”

As the playoffs began, Briarwood appeared to be peaking at the right time. Its 20th win of the season came April 10 in a 12-7 victory over Homewood that clinched the area crown. Carson Eddy led the Lions with three hits, including a triple and two runs. Pegusky doubled and drove in a run, and Luis Fuentes hit two doubles with three RBIs. Briarwood used three pitchers to get the win.

Cupo was the starter, while reliever Sam Strickland pitched two hitless, scoreless innings. Shotnik, the closer, got the win.

“We’ll need good pitching if we expect to go anywhere in the playoffs,” Renfroe said. “We don’t have the depth of the larger Class 6A schools, but the guys we have work hard and do a great job.”

Cupo posted a 4-0 record with seven starts in the regular season with a 0.995 ERA and 41 strikeouts. Trey Mitchell entered the playoffs with a 5-2 worksheet with a 1.6 ERA and 23 whiffs. Shotnik, Fuentes, Cain and Carter Bankston all have two wins, and Cain also has three saves. Sam Strickland has two saves.

“Because of numbers, we have to bring in guys from other positions to pitch depending on the situation,” Renfroe said. “But they are all competitors and can throw strikes.”

The Lions’ batting order is dotted with solid hitters. Merry may be the top power hitter, batting .346 with five home runs, six doubles and 31 RBIs. See briarwood, page 39

Mountain Brook’s baseball team learned a difficult lesson in the thin margin between victory and defeat last week.

The Spartans were ranked No. 1 in Class 7A and favored to win Area 6 going into their two-game series with archrival Vestavia Hills.

Then a not-so-funny thing happened to Coach Lee Gann’s team on the way to claiming the area championship trophy. After losing a 6-1 decision at home in the first game, Mountain Brook found itself trailing the Rebels 7-6 in the top of the seventh inning in game two.

The Spartans responded, as standout catcher Jack McPherson clubbed a solo home run to tie the game 7-7 going into the final frame.

That’s when Vestavia’s Sonny Potter produced the moment he’ll tell his children about one day.

See davis, page 39

Journal file photo by Marvin Gentry

The Rain of the Lions

Rebel Victory Shows Closeness of Competition

With the bases loaded, Sonny Potter hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Rebels an 11-7 win over Mountain Brook and the area title.

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