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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

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BOOM!, The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

Contents

August 2019 Volume 10 Issue 1

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

Facebook.com/RiverRegionBoom C.S. Lewis

Thought Relationships Taste Inspiration

Humor Advice Health Community

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

Carl Bard

12 Publisher's Column 16 AUM OLLI FALL OPEN HOUSE-SEPTEMBER 5 17 Montgomery Botanical Gardens-Monthly Classes 18 Try It, You’ll Like It! Anita Reeves page 24

Features

14 Slowing Age-Related Vision Changes

24 The 5 Secrets to Aging Well

30 A Weekend Celebration of Music Montgomery to Nashville

46 Travel Experiences with Jeff Barganier-Glassblowing Your Mind

Departments 26 This and That Interesting Stuff

52 {12} Things For Active Boomers

20 The HEAT Is On Leigh Anne Richards 22 Getting To Know You Mr. Sandman 26 Vicarious Vacations at Second Saturday 28 Greek Labor Day Barbecue: A 71-year Montgomery Tradition

50 Greg Budell “1969- THE YEAR THE EARTH STOOD STILL”

32 Withdrawal of Your Retirement Assets McDonald Hagen Wealth 35 Taking aim at Alzheimer’s 36 Can You Live Without a Living Will?

Ask an Elder Law Attorney page 38

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38 BOOM! Cover Profile 44 Beat the Heat with gorgeous ices Eating Smart with Tracy Bhalla

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48 MMFA Exhibit: History, Labor, and Life: The Prints of Jacob Lawrence

BOOM! The River Regions 50+ Lifestage Magazine is published monthly by River Region Publications, P.O. Box 6203, Montgomery, AL 36106.

The phone number is 334.324.3472. Copyright 2019 by River Region Publications. No part of this publication can be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Opinions expressed in BOOM! The River Regions 50+ Lifestage Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the owners, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products and services herein.

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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

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Publisher’s Letter

Turning Fifty As I research the people to feature on the cover of BOOM!, one of the first criteria is their age. You know we represent people who are 50+. My oldest son, James turned fifty last December and it was something that gave him pause in his life. It gave me pause too…I have a fifty-year-old son!? Of course, I was a teenage father so that explains my youthful good looks for a man with a son who is fifty.

The mission of BOOM! is to serve the folks of the River Region age 50 plus with information and ideas to inspire new experiences, better quality of life and new beginnings.

Publisher/Editor Jim Watson, 334.324.3472 jim@riverregionboom.com

Contributing Writers Kimberly Baker Jeff Barganier

Jim Watson, Publisher

Tracy Bhalla Jason Bryant

stress it creates.

Greg Budell

David Justice Caitlin Kelly Audrey Meinertzhage Anita Reeves Leigh Anne Richards Raley L. Wiggins

When we turn fifty there’s a switch that turns on in our heads, what now? The what now question finds answers in how we embrace aging. Kicking and screaming, “I’m never joining AARP, that’s for old people” or being reluctant to share your age, somehow feeling embarrassed because you’re getting older. Denying our age won’t make us younger, it probably makes us older because of the extra

For me, aging well is defined by being at my very best, whatever I choose to do with my precious time and energy. Making good choices for health and stamina, mentally and physically. Seeking truth and understanding instead of confrontation, and certainly knowing better, guided by my experience and wisdom.

How do you choose to age? For insight into aging well, this quote from C.S Lewis has given me perspective, you are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. These words keep me young at heart and focused on the future instead of the past. How about you?

Cover Photography Becca Beers www.becbeephoto.com

This month’s cover is a young woman who just turned fifty. Her name is Kimberly Baker and she is the Director of Development and Marketing at Valiant Cross Academy, a private school located in downtown Montgomery. She’s also a mother and wife with a heart for our community and the underserved who share it with us. In her own words, she is a compassionate perfectionist, which means she loves to get things done for others. As a new fiftysomething, she has the attitude to age very well, if she could only slow down long enough to enjoy it! I hope you’ll read Kimberly’s profile and by all means, share it with your friends. You will enjoy the experience.

Advertising

Jim Watson, 334.324.3472 jim@riverregionboom.com Please Recycle This Magazine, Share with a Friend!

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There are plenty more good reads in this month's issue; it's designed for you. Please consider our advertisers when you have needs, they’re all on the right side of positive aging and would love to do business with each of you. Please share your thoughts to my cell/text/email, I love to listen and learn.

Also, if you haven't started getting BOOM! to your email inbox each month it's a fun way to read the latest issues, convenient too! Please sign up for your free subscription at www.RiverRegionBoom. com. Thanks for being part of our BOOM! Community.

Make America Love Again!

Jim

jim@riverregionboom.com 334.324.3472 cell/text

Thanks for Reading BOOM! Free Subscriptions

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By Audrey Meinertzhagen

Slowing Age-Related Vision Changes 7 Easy Eye Exercises As we age, so do our eyes.

Few people get away with perfect vision, especially once they are over age 40. Vision problems seem to be a commonly accepted part of aging. However, there are many ways you can take care of your eyes and keep them as healthy as possible.

long enough, we will develop cataracts. If your vision seems dim, let your optometrist or ophthalmologist know to test you. Cataract surgery has become very sophisticated and is done safely and with great results.

The most common cause of eye problems is refractive errors. These can happen any time in one’s life and include farsightedness, near-sightedness, and astigmatism. Problems that develop later in life are the next common causes.

Cataracts are the most common cause of blindness, followed by glaucoma.

Fortunately, there are a few things we can do to minimize our risk of experiencing problems.

8 Ways to Promote Eye Health There are several things that you can do to ensure that you maintain the best possible eye health and avoid vision loss.

Here are some basics to keep in mind: Schedule an annual eye exam. As we age, our bodies change, and it is important to monitor any changes in our vision.

Make sure to meet with your eye doctor regularly.

Be aware of hazards. If you ever use power tools like drills or saws, use protective goggles to prevent anything from flying into your eyes and possibly scratching them.

Avoid harmful elements. Cigarette smoke, UV rays, or sitting in front of a

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computer all day can all increase the risk of developing eye diseases like macular degeneration later on in life.

Be mindful of household cleaners and chemicals as well. Keep eye drops in your medicine cabinet for those times you get something in your eye. They are also good to have on hand if you begin to experience dry eyes.

Ask about multifocal lenses. During your eye examinations, have a talk with your optometrist about presbyopia. A tell-tale sign you might have this is if you begin to find that your arms are too short when reading a menu.

Pay attention to vision changes. This might be blurred vision, pain, or double vision. Take it seriously and see your doctor.

Understand how hypertension or diabetes affects your eyes. It is especially important to monitor your vision if you have either of these conditions. You need to be checked at least annually for conditions such as glaucoma.

Get tested for cataracts. Cataracts are classified as an age-related disease. It is assumed by doctors that if we live

Develop healthy eating habits and move your body. As with every other part of our body, making healthy lifestyle and dietary choices does make a difference that will help keep you as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

7 Easy Eye Exercises that Slow Age-Related Vision Changes As we get older, our eyes begin to degenerate resulting in decreased sharpness of vision and ability to focus.

Doing daily exercises as part of an eye care routine can help them maintain, and over time improve their shape, and can slow the rate of eye deterioration.

These exercises are easy and can be done in a few short minutes every day.

Just a reminder, don’t do any exercise that hurts. Be gentle with yourself. Here are seven simple exercises for naturally improving eyesight: 1. Tracing. Trace the outlines of the objects around you with your eyes.

Practice following the contours of the objects at various speeds. Doing this exercise for a few minutes each day can help strengthen eye muscles and increase their flexibility.

2. Blinking. Blinking exercises are extremely easy to do and help to lubricate, relax and strengthen the eyes.

Close your eyes for a few moments, relax

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and then blink 15 times. Blink lightly, yet rapidly. If you feel like you are straining the muscles around your eyes or your eyelids, you should slow down.

3. Near/Far Focusing. This exercise helps to restore the eyes’ ability to rapidly shift focus between objects at various distances. Start by focusing on something situated very close to you. Allow your eyes to linger on this object long enough for them to clearly focus before focusing on an object 30 feet away. Upon completion, try focusing on an object 500 feet away and even further. Repeat.

4. Zooming. This should be done slowly.

Stretch your arm out in front of you with your hand in the “thumbs up” position.

Focus on your thumb as your arm is extended out in front of you. Follow it with your eyes as you and bring your thumb closer to your face. Stop when your thumb is about 3 inches away from

your face. Then, while maintaining focus on your thumb, slowly begin extending your arm out in front of you again.

5. Squeeze Blinks. If you have been sitting in front of your computer for too

long give your eyes a break. Take off your glasses, close your eyelids and gently squeeze them shut. You want to gently stimulate your eyes with a little squeeze.

Squeeze for half a second, then relax.

Repeat 10 times.

6. Pencil Exercises. Take a pencil and

hold it about 18 inches from your face at eye level. Then move it from left to right as far as you can see without moving your head. This will help your peripheral vision.

7. Computer Games. Finally, there are computer games that help with developing your peripheral vision as well as other aspects of vision. One that is free is from Eye Can Learn. It is also worth checking out Lumosity for more sophisticated games.

There are many things that we can do to avoid age-related eye issues. While our eyes are considered by many to be the window to the soul, they also reflect our overall health.

Audrey Meinertzhagen As a Volunteer Caregiver to the Zen Hospice Project and a Course Manager at the CareGivers Project, Audrey Meinertzhagen is passionate about improving the standards of care for older adults and educating caregivers on the principles of mindfulness and self-care.

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YOU ARE INVITED TO AUM OLLI

FALL OPEN HOUSE-SEPTEMBER 5

OLLI Fall Open House is Thursday, September 5, 2019, from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. at the Center for Lifelong Learning, 75 TechnaCenter Drive. You are invited to the preview of our Fall Term classes, meet instructors, other OLLI members, and register for the Fall Term classes.

The annual AUM OLLI membership fee ($40.00 per year) provides members with several Bonus Opportunities offered during each term in addition to access to a full array of classes.

During Fall Term 2019, there are lunch presentations scheduled between the second and third period classes (12:20 – 1:20 p.m.) in the Center for Lifelong Learning. Members can bring their lunches and hear presentations on an intriguing variety of subjects: • Wednesday, September 25, 2019 – Dr. Terance L. Winemiller, Director of the AUM Geospatial Research Institute, will

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talk about “Zuhuy Ha: Sacred Water and the Ancient Maya.”

• Monday, October 7, 2019 – “The Tuskegee Airmen,” their stories, their training, their struggles, and some of the myths about this military unit, will be the subject of a presentation by Dr. Daniel Haulman, Chief of the Organizational Histories Branch, of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• Wednesday, October 23, 2019 – Mr. Neal Kelley, AUM Senior Training Consultant and CPM Program Director, will help his audience identify their communication styles so they can adapt their styles for the benefit of their audiences.

Another event scheduled each term during the lunch break (12:20 – 1:20 p.m.) is the potluck lunch. For this bonus opportunity, members bring a dish – an appetizer, salad, casserole, bag of

cookies, whatever – and visit with other members and instructors and visitors.

The next potluck lunch is scheduled for Monday, September 30.

OLLI members can also join a book discussion group that meets the first and third Tuesdays of each term (10:00 – 11:30 a.m.) or a writing workshop that meets the same Tuesdays (1:00 – 2:00 p.m.) to write a holiday memory card/ booklet as a gift for family members and friends.

All of these opportunities are available for OLLI members with the 2019-20 membership dues. Space is limited, so make your reservations for these exciting events soon. To become an AUM OLLI member ($40 annual membership fee), register for these events or other classes, go online at www.aum.edu/ OLLI OR contact Brittany Thomasson at 334-244-3804.

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Montgomery Botanical Gardens News, Monthly Classes Fee to MBG Mmbers, $5 Donation Rquested of Others Put the Dates on Your Calendar, call a friend and Join Us for Classes at THE MONTGOMERY BOTANICAL GARDENS. Meet us in the Outdoor Classroom at MBG where there are “stump seats” but you may also bring a chair.

Saturday, August 10, at 9 am

“CREATING ARRANGEMENTS WITH NATURAL ITEMS FROM THE GARDEN” Pesented by Anna Owen, Master Gardener Anna is an experienced floral arranger, a wonderful instructor and dedicated volunteer at MBG

Saturday, September 14 at 9 am

“PLANNING YOUR FALL GARDEN” Presented by Mike Forster, Master Gardener Mike is an experienced gardener, an excellent instructor and faithful volunteer.

Saturday, October 5, at 9 am

"CAPTURING THE BEAUTY OF NATURE WITH YOUR CAMERA" Presented by Shellee Roberts, Studio Manager Shellee is Studio Manager and Photographer at The Total Image. The Montgomery Botanical Gardens is a lovely setting to see and capture the beauty of nature up close.

Participants please bring your camera.

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Master Gardener's Perspective

By Anita Reeves

Try It, You’ll Like It! “Can we try some new plants in the Well…no. But we did like many of them.

Growing new edibles is fun. But there veggie garden this year, Mom?” My One of the new favorite discoveries was are other good reasons to grow and eat teenage son’s lemon balm. It grows different foods. Eating a large variety request sounded like a weed, reseeds of fruits and vegetables ensures that a bit like Mikey’s in the spring, and you we get a broad mixture of vitamins brother pleading can substitute it for and minerals. It’s a little like buying a with him years ago basil leaves in your mutual fund: instead of buying just one to “Try it, you’ll favorite pesto recipe. stock, diversify to get a healthy return. like it!” Unlike Another favorite find Also, when you grow your own fruits or Mikey though, I is sorrel. It’s one of vegetables (including those tried and didn’t take much the first things up true tomatoes) you can eat them “fresh convincing. Sure, in the spring and in off the vine”, when they have the most I love to grow the New England that’s a nutritional value and you can choose to tried and true welcome sight! Potato grow organically, eliminating harmful vegetables. (There and sorrel soup is pesticides. is still nothing delicious on a chilly better than a juicy spring day.

If you decide to ripe tomato just off I’ll not try something the vine.) But the spoil your new this idea of growing and season, please eating something remember Sunchokes healthy that I had to do your experimenting by telling you never tasted before and wasn’t likely to research on what we didn’t like because find at our local grocery store sounded how and if what we didn’t like, might be like a fabulous project. you should your new favorite. grow them.

What grows That summer we went a little overboard. well in New (How can you tell your son, who rarely Fast forward a couple of England doesn’t eats any veggies, that we can’t try just years. Our youngest (the son Limequats, a hybrid between a necessarily one more?) We mentioned Key Lime & Kumquat grow well in lived in New England above) is the south. Sadly, I’ve heard rhubarb isn’t at the time and in his second year of at home here. Some plants might even purchased seeds college and the empty and tubers for our nesters have flown be invasive in the south where there climate. Some of the south. We are settling isn’t much frost to keep them in check.

If you have questions regarding invasive fruits, vegetables, into our suburban lot, species, your local county extension and herbs we tried which has a lovely office would be happy to help. were south facing slightly Scorzonera, (also sloped section - perfect known as Vegetable for a veggie garden.

So, what are you waiting for? Try it, you’ll Oyster Plant), lemon Guess what? Yup, I like it! Or at least you’ll have fun trying. balm, Wonderberry, have a few newbies Tree Collards Anita Reeves, an intern in the 2019 Master horseradish, on the grow list for Gardener Class, lives in Montgomery. For rhubarb, Chinese Yam Berry, Shiso, (also this spring: chufa, Giant Spinach (also more information on becoming a master known as Perilla), Malabar Spinach (not a not a true spinach), Tree Collards, and a gardener, visit www.capcitymag.org or email true spinach), lovage, sorrel, sunchokes, limequat. I can’t wait to try ‘em. capcitymag@gmail.com and pawpaw. Did we like them all?

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The HEAT Is On

We are in the midst of full blown summer. During this time of year, staying hydrated is more important than ever.

Dehydration diminishes the body’s ability to regulate temperature, and thus, your risk of developing a heat related illness rises dramatically. If a person is undertaking strenuous physical activity in hot weather, they become even more likely to suffer a heat related illness.

Heat illnesses are of special concern to senior citizens because older adults are more affected by the summer heat.

For example, between the years of 19992009, roughly 40% of all heat related deaths in the U.S. were adults over 65 years of age.

When we age, our bodies become less efficient at regulating temperature.

Seniors over 65 don’t sweat as much as younger adults. Sweating is our body’s heat regulating mechanism. Also, seniors store fat differently which also complicates heat regulation in the body.

As the temperature rises so does out internal temperature, especially when we are exposed directly to the sun or extremely hot environments.

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water and juices regularly- ate meals but sipping on fluids all during the day. Also, avoiding alcohol can encourage better hydration.

There are several lifestyle and health factors that increase the risk of developing a heat related illness:

Types of heat related illnesses: • Heat cramps- This is the mildest form of a heat related illness. The loss of fluids and electrolytes (water and salt), disrupts the normal body processing. This is manifest as periods of rapid contracting and relaxing of

by Leigh Anne Richards the muscles, also known as spasms or twitching.

• Heat exhaustion- This is the second form of heat-related illness. The muscle spasms • Dehydration are also common with heat exhaustion • Chronic illnesses- ( heart and kidney but other symptoms like nausea, diseases; blood circulation conditions vomiting and weakness occur. Heat • Prescription medication exhaustion precedes a heat stroke.

• Salt restricted diets • Heat stroke is the final and most severe • Overdressing of a heat related illness. At this point the • Lack of airflow or access to air body temperature has usually exceeded conditioning 104 Fahrenheit or 40. Remember the • Living in particularly hot climates- and internal body temperature should stay summer in Montgomery AL sure applies within the normal range of 98.6 or 37 Celsius. The temperature on the surface Studies have shown that when you feel of the body will vary to some degree but thirsty- just 2% dehydration- your ability the body has mechanisms to ensure that to regulate heat already starts to decline. the internal temperature stays constant.

For seniors, who already struggle with Heat stroke has symptoms of both heat internal heat regulation, dehydration can cramps and heat exhaustion plus more deter the body’s natural cooling process serious ones: even more. Seniors should be drinking

Fitness over Fifty

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1. Rapid heart rate 2. Shortness of breath 3. Hallucinations 4. Confusion and disoriented.

5. Seizures 6. Coma We all need to know basic first aid for heat related illnesses and we all need to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms. Here is some basic first aid to follow: • The person should be removed away from any heat sources like the sun, electric heaters, etc. They need to be moved to an air conditioned room.

• Never immerse a person suffering a heat stroke in icy cold water or apply ice directly to the skin. This could cause heart distress and shock the body. Room temperature water or slightly cold water can be applied to the skin in the form of a spray or a damp cloth.

• If a person is still conscious, encourage them to drink cold beverages, but avoid anything with alcohol or caffeine as this

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Don’t let this heat we are experiencing keep us from enjoying life and continuing with our exercise routines or our recreation. Monitor your fluid intake and be aware of any of the above symptoms.

Remember, once you feel thirsty, you are past the point of needing fluids! can worsen water and salt loss.

• Call for emergency medical service immediately as the person’s condition can rapidly deteriorate.

You might have somebody in your life that is elderly and you are the caregiver.

Your job is to keep fluids in a water bottle or lidded cup with a straw near the senior both day and night. Check regularly that the urine is light colored and the output is sufficient. Those are key signs of dehydration. Also, serve a variety of high- water- content foods such as fruits, vegetables, broths, and smoothies.

Stay thirsty my friends. Drink lots of water!!!

“Seniors and Health Illnesses: Why the Elderly Are More Affected By the Heat” www.Dripdrop.com, June 2014.

Heat Stroke and Other Heat Related Illnesses in the Elderly, www.SeniorHealth365.com

Leigh Anne Richards, MEd, Certified Personal Trainer, Group Exercise Instructor, General Manager- MetroFitness. For any questions or comments, contact Leigh Anne at LAMetrofit@aol.com

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A BOOM! FEATURE

Getting To Know You

Mr. Sandman Mattress David Justice, unique radio voice & owner

Mr. Sandman Mattress is proud to announce they have been voted Montgomery’s favorite mattress store for the 20th time. While low prices, huge selection and excellent quality products are key to this honor, most of the credit goes to my really nice salespeople whose low pressure, helpful approach to assisting customers find the right products, within their budget. Dan, Deloris, Willie and Mark have all been with Mr. Sandman for years, helping David Justice achieve this award year after year.

After working in the furniture and mattress business for about a decade, with the help of his wife, Marlene, David opened Mr. Sandman Mattress in 1997 specializing in mattresses and futons. David has always had a discounter mentality, believing that if he offered better products, lower prices and excellent service he could achieve success. He started small, with no employees, working 6 days a week, in the store during the day and doing deliveries before and after store hours. His first employees, delivery men, (Dwight and Willie, both are still with him) enabled him to grow the business and hire salespeople. Over the years he expanded, but economic conditions forced him to close several stores.

David now has two stores on the Atlanta Highway, in the same building. Each store has a different lineup of mattresses, beds, some bedroom furniture, and adjustable bases, but no more futons. His store on Highway 14 in Millbrook displays around 90 mattress models, most in stock for fast pick up or delivery. Mattresses brands include Serta, Beautyrest, Jamison, Aireloom, Southerland, Restonic, Diamond, Capital and others. He carries

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adjustable bases from Leggett and Platt, Rise, Enso and Maloof. Traditional innerspring mattresses are available, as well as latex, memory foam and hybrids.

They also carry a fabulous bed in a box line from Diamond that can be shipped throughout the United States at no charge.

Mr. Sandman is a member of The Nationwide Buying Group which has the buying power of the large chains.

This allows locally owned stores to buy at discount prices and pass the savings on to their customers. As a low overhead operation (David is frugal, some call him tight) Mr. Sandman can afford to discount products and still offer excellent customer service.

can blend with any furniture, but there is a nice selection of wood beds. David buys many factory closeout beds and offers them at amazing low prices. All size bedframes are normally available for immediate pick up.

No interest financing is available with approved credit, and a lease program for people with marginal credit is now being made available. 90 day layaway on regular stock items is available at no cost.

Mr. Sandman

Mr. Sandman has sold thousands of adjustable bases throughout central Alabama and has seen the prices falling as the features and quality improve.

Adjustable bases are no longer just for the elderly with medical conditions, they are for anyone desiring a better night’s sleep or who read or watches TV in bed.

Really inexpensive head up only models are available, but Mr. Sandman does not recommend them. The probability of needing to elevate legs at some point is high for many. Mr. Sandman also does not recommend split queen bases because the narrow size of each mattress is troubling for many people.

The stores are loaded with beautiful headboards and beds, most metal that

David, as many in his age group, has six grandchildren who all live elsewhere.

Because David and Marlene love spending time with the kids, David is in the process of simplifying his life.

The Millbrook location will be closing during the next few months.

Everything will be sold on a first come first serve basis. Floor samples of all sizes are being discounted, but factory fresh merchandise is also available. During this sale extra discounts will be available in Montgomery, but the Montgomery stores are not closing. All sales in the Millbrook store are final, with no holds or layaways.

Of course, service after the sale will still be available through the Montgomery locations.

Looking for a new mattress...or bed?

Please drop by our stores at 6095 Atlanta Highway (across from Dairy Queen) or visit the Millbrook store at 4086 Hwy 14 for extra savings as we prepare to close this store over the next few months.

For more information call Atlanta Hwy Location, 334.260.8834/284.1102 or Millbrook, 334.517.6156 . Our Hours are: Mon - Sat: 10 am - 6 pm closed Sundays.

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The 5 Secrets to Aging Well

Getting older is getting better, a new book contends

I

t’s different for all of us, but journalist Carl Honoré realized he was Old with a capital O at a hockey game, when a teammate pointed out he was the oldest player on the ice. He was 48 and saw himself on a one-way trip to elastic waistbands and a rocking chair.

And the idea terrified him.

So, the London-based journalist, who has reported from around the world for the likes of Time and The Economist, aimed his sight at the one destination he had so far avoided.

on how you can live your best later years: 1) Take strength in numbers “The 20th Century unleashed a longevity revolution,” says Honoré, noting that better nutrition, health, technology, sanitation and medical care is helping much of the world to live longer.

Honoré’s first book, the internationally best-selling In Praise of Slow, became a guide for those who embraced the slow movement, which urges a life set at a more human pace than the sped-up culture so many embrace.

He’s hoping his latest book will do the same for those who want to flip the script on aging. Bolder: Making the Most of Our Longer Lives (pub. date March 5, 2019) describes his travels around the world to observe how people can look at aging as a privilege rather than a punishment.

Author and coach, Carl Honoré

Thinking like Bowie, aging becomes an adventure or quest.

Global life expectancy from birth has gone from 32 years in 1900 to 71. 4 today. Of course, if you live in a wealthy Western country, it’s closer to 80.

3) Follow the recipe At this point, Honoré writes, we pretty much have a recipe for aging better:

Japan began a tradition in 1963 of giving a silver sake dish to its citizens who reached 100. The program ended in 2015 because there were too many centenarians.

“Exercise the body and brain. Cultivate an upbeat attitude and a sense of humor.

Socialize lots. Avoid excess stress. Eat a healthy diet, consume alcohol in moderation and don’t smoke. “

The demographic goalposts are shifting, Honoré says.

You don’t have to be a super-geezer and climb mountains or go sky-diving, he says. We now have a broad array of role models in later life who are socializing, traveling, making art, starting companies or families, volunteering and giving back.

“We’re entering a golden age of aging,’’ he says. “There’s no better time to grow older, thanks to science and shifting demographics.”

Herewith five takeaways from the book

2) Age like David Bowie

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To Honoré, that went hand-in hand with Bowie’s embrace of aging.

Honoré writes: “Seen through the Bowie lens, aging suddenly looks more like a bonus than a burden. It stops being a dreary slide towards the tomb to become instead an adventure or a quest…Rather than rotting, you are ripening; rather than losing the person you once were, you are finding your true self.

“I want people to feel that aging can be a process of opening doors,” says Honoré, now 51, “not closing them.”

August 2019

We know that Bowie was creative to the end, even with the diagnosis of cancer that eventually killed him. In his final year, his projects included the musical Lazarus, a haunting music video and the album Blackstar.

He quotes Bowie: “I think aging is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been.”

“Older age is still a foreign country for me,” he says.

“I wanted to understand it and make peace with it.”

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In fact, some thinkers suggest that the days of chronological aging are waning.

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Honoré cites Nick Bostrom, who directs the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford university in England: “The important thing is not how many years have passed since you were born, but where you are in your life, how you think about yourself and what you are able and willing to do.”

4) Give in to your dreams In Seoul, Honoré met Park Dae-Hyun, who spent nearly 30 years doing an accounting job he hated.

But he felt obligated to take care of his family and worried what others would think if he dropped his steady paycheck for his dream of running a restaurant.

And then, one day, while eating some second-rate bibimbap (a Korean rice dish), Park had an epiphany: He didn’t care anymore what other people

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thought. He refused to spend the rest of his life doing a job he hated and eating bad food.

A few months later, not long after his 51st birthday, Park quit his accounting job and is now learning how to make proper bibimbap at a local cooking school.

Park still does freelance accounting work to make ends meet and may have to move from Seoul to a smaller city to afford a restaurant of his own.

“You have to make sacrifices but that’s okay because you’re following your dream,” Park says. “My advice to anyone thinking of changing careers is: Just go for it. You will find a way to make it work.”

5) Live with different generations Honoré was perhaps most impressed when he visited Humanitas, a nursing home in Deventer, a small town in the

middle of the Netherlands. The nursing home director started an experiment a few years ago: invite a handful of students to live in the home for free, given that they spend 30 hours a month interacting with the elderly residents.

The experiment has worked so well, that there is now a waiting list for both students and seniors who want to get into the 150-bed facility. Academics come to study it and similar programs are in place in the United States and elsewhere in Europe.

When the generations mingle, Honoré says, ageism fades from view. It’s hard to think of someone you see everyday as an “other.”

“My visit to Holland really changed my point of view,” Honoré says. “A huge point of this shift has to be about dropping our prejudices, as we have with racism and sexism.”

While Honoré is thrilled to hear that people of all ages are reading Bolder, he especially hopes that people afraid of aging—as he once was—pick up the book: “I want them to build up a reserve of optimism.”

This article first appeared on ww.considerable.com. For more info about Carl Honore, visit www.carlhonore.com

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This & tHAT Vicarious Vacations Defend yourself against the dreaded doldrums of DOG DAYS! Spend second Saturday of August traveling the world in the cool confines of the Loeb Auditorium in Old Alabama Town. For the seventh year, Landmarks Foundation offers exciting seated trips led by seasoned travelers who will take us on free VICARIOUS VACATIONS! Take a trip and never leave the comfort of your seat. Travel to China and Scotland with Vicarious Vacations and hear the stories as part of our Second Saturday in August. Your seat awaits in the Loeb Auditorium on August 10. We’ll “take off” to China at 10 am with a presentation by Al Medina. At 11 am. John Schneider presents his trip to Scotland that includes the Highlands, and the Lowlands. Vicarious Vacations are free and open to the public. Grab a seat and travel with us! For more info visit www.oldalabamatown.com Blue Yonder

MACOA Seeks Nominations for 2019 Seniors of Achievement The Montgomery Area Council on Aging (MACOA) is accepting nominations for the 2019 Seniors of Achievement. 2019 marks the 32nd year of the Seniors of Achievement (SOA) Awards program, which recognizes seniors who have made significant lifetime contributions to their communities.

Since the inception in 1988, close to 400 seniors have been selected to receive this outstanding award. These distinguished citizens come from every walk of life. The purpose of Seniors of Achievement is to recognize those who have truly blessed the lives of others through their community and volunteer, professional or personal achievements. These individuals who are at least 65 years of age, have made significant contributions to their community, and live in Montgomery, Autauga, Coosa, Elmore, or Tallapoosa counties. The Special Friend of MACOA award was established as an additional honor to recognize people who have contributed to the success of MACOA and its programs and service for seniors. Nominations are being accepted now through August 17th. To download a nomination form, to view a list of past recipients, and to learn more visit www.macoa.org/seniors-awards/ or call 334.263.0532. Awards will be presented on October 8th at a recognition luncheon to be held at the Montgomery Country Club.

Show Your Support & Attend Valiant Cross Academy’s Opening Day Celebration!

Come join us for our Opening Day Celebration! We have a new class of 6th grade scholars and our "Original 30" are now entering the 10th grade! All are invited to attend. We want the full support of the community behind these young men as they begin the new academic year! All are welcome! Valiant Cross Academy is loocated at 301 Dexter Avenue, Downton Montgomery. For more information, call 334.694.9200 or visit www.facebook.com/events/405153580343957/ or www.valiantcross.org

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Second Saturday in August Fiddlers Jim and Joyce Cauthen of Birmingham, AL, tune up in Old Alabama Town and will be joined by Charlie and Nancy Hartness of Athens, GA. Together, they’re the Yam Family Band. Joyce is director emeritus of the Alabama Folklife Association and together with her husband,Jim, they present musical styles that are seldom heard today. The Cauthens are known for their research in Alabama fiddling and the tunes they’ve collected across the state. The other half of the Yam Family Band, both Charlie and Nancy Hartness, excel in writing new songs that sound very old.

Old music is early country music, often called Appalachian or mountain music in which fiddling plays a prominent role. The Yam Family Band offers audiences a variety of old style songs and dance tunes played on banjo, guitar, ukulele, and fiddle. This program is made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Yam Family Band performs 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Come hear them and see Old Alabama Town! Saturday, August 10th, 9 am - 4 pm. Old Alabama Town, Free and open to the public. For more info visit www.landmarksfoundation.com.

Broadway Under The Stars Pops Concert The Montgomery Symphony will present its 33nd annual Broadway Under The Stars Pops Concert this August 29, 2019 at 7:30pm.

Coolers, baskets, blankets, and lawn chairs are welcome at this free concert of Broadway show tunes performed lakeside at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Gates open at 5:00 p.m for picnicking. The Montgomery Symphony League will be offering a “Star Studded Pops Picnic”. This VIP dinner package includes parking, seating and a catered meal from the The King’s Table Catering. For more information, contact the office at 334-240-4004. Broadway Under the Stars concert is generously sponsored by Regions Bank. For more info visit www.montgomerysymphony.org

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Greek Labor Day Barbecue: A 71-year Montgomery Tradition For 71 years, the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church has been serving barbecue to Montgomerians of all ages on Labor Day, September 2nd. The event is undisputedly the oldest and largest Labor Day Barbecue in the Capital City. During the past seven decades, the church has served area residents hundreds of thousands of plates of pitfired barbecue chicken and pork, roasted lamb, coleslaw and an event favorite, the slow-cooked camp stew. An even greater number of Greek pastries, sold separately, have also been served. Church members begin serving the barbecue plates at 9 a.m. on Labor Day, on the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church grounds at 1721 Mt. Meigs Road — at the corner of S. Capitol Parkway and Mt. Meigs Road. Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling the church at 334-263-1366, or on Labor Day at the event. Tickets are $12 for a pork or ½ chicken plate and $14 for plates of sliced, roasted For seven decades, starting in the 1940s, the lamb. All plates include a six-ounce serving of the church’s famous, slow-cooked camp Greek Labor Day Barbecue has been serving Montgomerians of all ages. stew, along with coleslaw, bread and special recipe barbecue sauce. The camp stew may also be purchased separately, in quarts for $14. Diners may eat in the air-conditioned community center or get their meal to-go, in the quickly-moving “drive-through” line, where sampler boxes of pastries ($22.00) will also be available. All major credit cards will be accepted. A larger selection and greater variety of the community’s trademark Greek pastries and homemade cakes will be sold inside the adjacent Community Center. Among the sweet offerings: everyone’s favorite, baklava, along with melamacarona (spice cookies dipped in honey and nuts), and kourambiedes (Greek wedding cookies), just to name a few. Serving continues until the barbecue is sold out, so come early!

Main Street Wetumpka Main Street Wetumpka was one of the 159 awardees of the 2019 AARP Community Challenge Grant program! The awardees of this “quick action” grant program come from every state in the U.S., Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. There were three recipients chosen from the state of Alabama. This grant will aid us in completing our $75,000 Alleyway Cultivation Project on the Tulotoma Snail Trail. To find out more about the program and the other grantees check out www.aarp.org/CommunityChallenge or visit www.mainstreetwetumpka.org

Montgomery Zoo Introduces Three New Bongo to its African Hoof Stock Exhibit

The Montgomery Zoo and Mann Wildlife Learning Museum is excited to announce the addition of three new Bongo to the African hoof stock herd. A female calf, Juni, born May 16, 2019 to Gertty, another adult female, Heidi and a juvenile male, Naveen. Heidi and Naveen just arrived at the Montgomery Zoo from the Greater Richmond Zoo. Juni is Gertty’s second calf and the second born at the Montgomery Zoo in two years. Bongos (Tragelaphus eurycerus) are large, heavy-bodied antelope with short and glossy, orange or chestnut colored coats that is darker on the underside and patterned with vertical white stripes are found inhabiting the dense forests of Eastern, Western and Central Africa. They are the largest forest-dwelling antelope species and one of the most distinctive, with long horns that spiral as high as 35 inches in males. Bongos are herbivorous mammals, meaning they only feed on plants roots, bark and grasses and generally eat under the cover of night to keep them safe from predators. For more info visit www.montgomeryzoo.com

Gerty with Sipa and Juni July 2019

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Master Gardener Associations Presents Free Lunch & Learn Programs Capital City Master Gardener Association presents Lunch & Learn 2019 the 1st Wednesday of Every Month from 12-1 pm. They meet at the Armory Learning Arts Center, 1018 Madison Avenue, Downtown Montgomery. Mark your calendars, August 7th, Cooking Healthy, Janice Hall, Food Preservation, ACES and September 4th, Decorating with Gourds, Sandra Rosamond, Master Gardener. Autauga County Master Gardener Association presents Lunch & Learn 2019 the 1st Thursday of Every Month from 12-1 pm. They meet at the Trinity United Methodist Church, 610 Fairview Avenue, Prattville 36066. Mark your calendars, August 1st, Growing In the Shade, Mary McCroan, Advanced Master Gardener and September 5th, Native Plants For Our Area, Dr. Sue Webb, Petals from the Past. Elmore County Master Gardener Association presents Lunch & Learn 2019 the 2nd Tuesday of Every Month from 12-1 pm. They meet at the Elmore County Extension Office, 340 Queen Ann Rd., Wetumpka, AL 36092. Mark your calendars, August 13th, Unique Ideas to Gardening in Small Spaces, Glenn Huovinen, Advanced Master Gardener and September 10th, Controlling Pesky Weeds, Virginia Pruitt, Master Gardener. For information, please contact the Montgomery County Extension Office 334.270.4133. Also visit www.capcitymga.org.

EATMGM Resturant Week is August 9 - 18 EatMGM is a ten-day celebration and exploration of the bites, treats and plates that make Montgomery, alabama one of the best places in the south to eat. Eatmgm aims to deepen and strengthen the food community in Montgomery between restaurants, diners, visitors and the media; raise awareness locally and beyond of the variety and quality of restaurants and food experiences in Montgomery; and increase business for local restaurants during the late summer. For restaurants and more visit www.eatmgm.com

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River Region Review-A Weekend Celebration of Music-Montgomery to Nashville In conjunction with Buckmasters and MPAC LIVE, there will be a presentation of of some great music from Montgomery to Nashville. Friday August 16 and Saturday, August 17.

Doors open at 5:30 each day, tickets are $20 for one day or $30 for both. If you like explore new music this is the perfect venue. Check out the lineups and plan to attend... and appreciate! Friday’s Lineup: 6:50-7:10 p.m. - Scott Grant, A singer/songwriter/ guitarist. 7:10-7:30 p.m. - Sid Phelps, ever since he was thirteen years old Sid Phelps has enjoyed playing his guitar. 7:30 - 8 p.m. - Ella Langley, Ella Langley is a singer-songwriter from Alabama who got her start in country music in the back room of her grandparents’ home. Raised in Hope Hull, a tiny town south of Montgomery. 8 - 8:45 p.m. - The Wilson Brothers Band. With the recent radio success of “Loving You Loving On Me”, and the #1 debut of “It All Looks Good From Here” on the CMT 12-Pack Countdown. 8:45 - 9:30 p.m. – OTI, OTI (Outside the Inside) is a group of three brothers in music that have been writing and recording original music together and playing in the River Region, Mark DePlanche-drums/vocals, Steve Wingard-bass/vocals and Neil Young-guitar/vocals. 9:30 - 10:45 p.m. - Jamie Kent, named by RollingStone.com as an "Artist You Need To Know", and dubbed a "Must Watch Artist" by The Huffington Post. Saturday’s Lineup: 6:30 - 6:55 p.m. - Jessie Lynn, alabama’s Singing Cowgirl, Jessie Lynn, is a multiple award-winning independent country music singer & songwriter and proud CMA member! She grew up in Prattville and recently received a Masters degree from Auburn University. 6:50 - 7:15 p.m. - Ed Pickett, Ed Pickett is a multi-instrumentalist from Montgomery, Alabama. You can hear influences of bluegrass, country, gospel, folk, blues and rock in the music he plays. Currently the guitarist in the John Bull Band. 7:15 - 7:35 p.m. - Britt Johnson, Britt Johnson is a singer-songwriter from Prattville, AL and a mother of two. Since she began playing live music nine years ago, expect a performance that is raw and real. 7:35 - 8:10 p.m. - Tony Brook, Tony Brook is a musician/songwriter who frequently plays around the U.S.A as well as Europe. Tony Brook has released his 6th and 7th full length records, "Live from the 280 Boogie" and “Songs from the 20th Century.” 8:10 - 8:55 p.m. - Jeff and the Johnsons, are four local musicians who decided to be a little different. We just try to play stuff that everyone else doesn't do. Jeff Robert plays lead guitar and sings. Tony McCarty plays percussion. Tony Mills is lead vocals and Kenny Stinson plays bass. 9:05 - 10:30 p.m. - Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie, Jimmy Hall first gained notoriety as the lead vocalist, saxophonist, and harmonica player for the band Wet Willie, which emerged from Mobile, Alabama in 1970. His unique brand of R&B-infused rock and roll swagger propelled the group’s “Keep On Smilin’” to the Top 10 on the Billboard singles chart in 1974. As a solo artist, Jimmy appeared in the Top 40 yet again with 1980’s “I’m Happy That Love Has Found You.” A 2017 Alabama Media Group (AL.com) article dubbed Jimmy “Alabama’s greatest Southern rocker. For tickets visit www.mpaconline.org

Alabama Dance Theatre Fall Classes Is your Granddaughter signed up? The Alabama Dance Theatre will be offering classes in classical ballet, pointe, pre-ballet (beginning at age 3), modern, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary and tap beginning Monday, August 20th. Company Auditions for the Alabama Dance Theatre will be held Sunday, August 18th. Classes will be held at the Armory Learning Arts Center, home of the Alabama Dance Theatre located at 1018 Madison Avenue. For registration or more information please call 334-625-2590, or visit the website at www.alabamadancetheatre.com.

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Photo by David Robertson, Jr. The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

John Emerald Distilling Wins Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals More than 30 spirit industry leaders and upwards of 500 spirits brands participated in the inaugural PR%F Awards and PR%F Awards Design Distinction during a two-day blind-tasting point-rating competition in Las Vegas recently. John Emerald Distilling (JED) picked up multiple awards during the Las Vegas blind-tasting Grandchild Needs competition. JEDs Gene’s Spiced Rum was awarded a gold medal, whileSomeone’s their John’s Alabama Single Malt Whiskey and Spurgeon’s Barrel Aged Rum brought home respectable silver medals.Your TheseSupport awards follow a silver medal for JED’s John’s Alabama Single Malt Whiskey and a bronze medal for JED’s Hugh Wesley’s Barrel Rested Gin in the prestigious 2019 San Francisco World’s Spirits Competition. John Sharp, JED’s co-founder said; “It’s great to see our spirits representing Opelika and Alabama in the winner’s circle of different top-rated national and worldwide competitions. From day one our goal has been to make top shelve products that our customers, city and state can be proud of. To reach that goal we craft our spirits with patience using only the finest raw ingredients obtainable. It appears that approach to making quality Alabama spirits is being recognized.”

For five years John Emerald Distilling Company has been producing top quality Alabama spirits in historic downtown Opelika, Alabama. For more info visit www.johnemeralddistilling.com

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2019 World's Longest Yard Sale Aug 1st - Aug 4th 7 am- 8 pm. The World's Longest Yard Sale takes place each first Thursday through Sunday in August.

The sale begins in Gadsden, AL at Noccalula Falls Park and continues up the Lookout Mountain Parkway towards Chattanooga. The sale is free, takes place in all weather, and vendors set up in yards, churches, anywhere there is open space along the route. The 127 Yard Sale is commonly referred to as “The World's Longest Yard Sale”.

That’s because it really is the longest yard sale in the world.

To be exact, it’s 690 miles long and the route travels through 6 states; Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. The majority of the route follows Highway 127 from Addison, MI in the north to Chattanooga, TN in the south.

From Lookout Mountain, GA to Gadsden, AL the route switches to Lookout Mountain Parkway. Both are scenic drives allowing you to appreciate the beautiful countryside of these states all while enjoying the fun and excitement of The World’s Longest Yard Sale. For more info visit www.127yardsale.com R ive r Re gio n Bo o m . co m

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Planning the Withdrawal of Your Retirement Assets You've worked long and hard to accumulate the assets that you are using to help finance your retirement. Now, it's time to start drawing down those assets.

Exactly how you liquidate your assets will affect your tax and impact how long those assets last, so it pays to plan a withdrawal strategy that is efficient and maximizes the benefits of different types of investments.

The first step in planning your withdrawal strategy is to make a precise inventory of all the assets you have in your portfolio, paying particular attention to distinguish between taxable accounts, such as ordinary bank or brokerage accounts, and tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans, and IRAs. From this inventory, you can estimate how much cash you will receive from dividends, interest payments, redemptions, and distributions in the coming year. You can also assess how much you will need to hold in reserve in order to meet the associated federal and state tax obligations.

If your total net cash flow from the assets in your taxable accounts is strong enough to meet your budgeted cash needs for the year, you may consider yourself to be fortunate. You need not weigh the transaction costs of different asset sale strategies or consider the added income tax effects of withdrawing assets from employer-sponsored plans and IRAs. But if you do need to liquidate assets in order to meet your cash flow targets, then you should consider the pluses and minuses of each withdrawal strategy as outlined in the following savings withdrawal hierarchy.

As you consider these options, keep in mind that no single order can be right for every person and every situation.

Among the additional issues you should consider when designing your withdrawal strategy are the management of portfolio risk, your tax bracket, and the cost basis of the investments. With that in mind, below is a high-level summary of guidelines for creating an appropriate

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strategy. Remember, this is a conceptual ranking. Your circumstances may require a different sequence, so be sure to

Financial Thoughts with Jason Bryant

obtain relevant financial advice before taking any action. Note, too, that estate tax considerations might have an impact on withdrawal priorities.

• Meet the rules for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). Owners of traditional IRAs and participants in 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans must follow IRS schedules for the size and timing of their RMDs (see below). Those who fail to do so face a penalty tax equal to half of any required distribution that has not been taken by the applicable deadline.

• Sell losing positions in taxable accounts. If you have an investment that is worth less now than when you bought it, you may be able to create a tax deduction by selling that investment.

This deduction can be used to offset any investment gains you realize. It can also be used to offset up to $3,000 in ordinary income ($1,500 for married individuals who file separate tax returns). Losses in excess of the limits can usually be carried forward for use in future years.

• Liquidate assets in taxable accounts that will generate neither capital gains nor losses. As you consider which assets to sell, keep your target asset allocation in mind. You may be able sell assets from a class that is currently overweighted in your portfolio. By focusing on reducing the overweighted class to restore balance, you can minimize net transaction costs.

• Realize gains from taxable accounts

or withdraw assets from tax-deferred accounts to which nondeductible contributions have been made, such as after-tax contributions to a 401(k) plan. Which accounts to tap first within this category will depend on a number of factors, such as the cost basis relative to market value of the accounts to be liquidated and the tax characteristics of the assets in the taxable account.

When liquidating taxable account assets, liquidate the holdings with long-term capital gains before those with shortterm gains, and liquidate assets with the least unrealized gain first.

• Take additional distributions from tax-favored accounts. RMD rules, state tax treatment, and other features and characteristics of the different IRAs and employer-sponsored plans may make some accounts better candidates for earlier withdrawals. For instance, withdrawals from a traditional IRA would usually precede withdrawals from a Roth IRA. Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)

For traditional IRAs and employersponsored retirement savings plans, individuals must begin taking required minimum distributions no later than April 1 following the year in which they turn 70½. RMDs from a 401(k) can be delayed until actual retirement if the plan participant continues to be employed by the plan sponsor and he or she does not own more than 5% of the company.

The size of an RMD is determined by the account owner's age. An account owner with a spousal beneficiary who is more than 10 years younger can base required minimum distributions on their joint life expectancy.

Estimating the Required Minimum Distribution

This is the most broadly applicable required minimum distribution table -the Uniform Lifetime Table for unmarried owners, married owners whose spouses are not more than 10 years younger, and married owners whose spouses are not the sole beneficiaries of their accounts.

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Other tables apply in other situations.

A Potential Tax Benefit for Company Stock Held in a Retirement Plan

For individuals who hold company stock in their 401(k) or other qualified retirement plan, the IRS offers certain tax advantages when withdrawing company stock from the plan. Rather than paying ordinary income tax on the entire amount of the withdrawal, you may elect to pay it on the original cost basis of the stock, assuming it was paid for in pre-tax dollars, then pay capital gains tax, usually at a lower rate, on the net unrealized appreciation when you eventually sell the shares.

Keep in mind that the IRS has exacting requirements for exploiting all of the tax management strategies discussed above and that tax laws are always subject to change. You should review your cash management plans with your tax and investment advisors before taking any specific action.

Jason Bryant, Financial Advisor

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Uniform Lifetime Table Age

70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105

Actuarially projected life expectancy (in years)

27.4 22.9 18.7 14.8 11.4 8.6 6.3 4.5

RMD (% of assets)

3.6% 4.4% 5.3% 6.8% 8.8% 11.6% 15.9% 22.2% Source: The Internal Revenue Service

Brandt McDonald, Managing Partner McDonald & Hagen Wealth Management LPL Branch Manager www.mcdonaldhagen.com Direct comments and questions to Jennifer.Hunt@LPL.com or 334.387.0094 The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. No strategy assures success or protects against loss. Stock investing involves risk including loss of principle.

This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized legal or tax advice. We suggest you discuss your specific legal or tax issues with a qualified legal or tax advisor.

Because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by DST Systems, Inc.

or its sources, neither DST Systems, Inc. nor its sources guarantees the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or availability of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. In no event shall DST Systems, Inc. be liable for any indirect, special or consequential damages in connection with subscriber's or others' use of the content. Š 2018 DST Systems, Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited, except by permission. All rights reserved. Not responsible for any errors or omissions.

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Taking aim at Alzheimer’s A grant from the BrightFocus Foundation will bring $200,000 to the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville with the goal of better understanding one of the key genes implicated in causing Alzheimer’s disease.

Nick Cochran, Ph.D., was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program to study the MAPT gene with the ultimate hope of learning how the gene is turned on and off. MAPT is the instruction set for a protein called tau. The accumulation of tau in the brain is linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

If scientists can figure out what turns MAPT on and off, the gene could be deactivated to reduce tau and potentially help people with neurodegenerative disorders.

“I watched the devastating effects of neurodegenerative disease ripple through both sides of my family, which drew me to work in this field,” said Cochran, a senior scientist in the Rick Myers Lab at HudsonAlpha. “Now I have the chance

to expand science’s grasp on one of the most important genes involved in these diseases.”

Seeking tau The cells in the brain that control thinking are called neurons, and in patients with neurodegenerative disease, the function of neurons gets disrupted. Tau, a protein, helps provide the structure for healthy neurons, but in Alzheimer’s disease, tau breaks away from that structure and clumps together. This accumulation happens specifically in the regions of the brain involved in memory, though if a certain tipping point is reached in the disease, tau can spread rapidly through the rest of the brain. “Reducing tau could provide relief for patients with Alzheimer’s disease,” said Cochran. “One way we might be able to reduce tau is to turn off the gene.

Gene expression To understand adjustments to gene function, you first need to conceptualize how gene expression works. Instead of just an on-off switch, think of this more like a

dimmer. The gene can be on or off, but it can also be bright or dim.

What Cochran hopes to assess is what parts of the DNA in neurons “brighten” or “dim” the tau-producing gene called MAPT. In order to do this, Cochran will isolate pieces of DNA that are geographically close to the MAPT gene, then test each one of those pieces individually to find which ones have an effect on tau production.

“One way we can test which regions are associated with tau production,” Cochran explained, “is to take neurons, where tau is highly expressed, and compare them to precursor cells, where tau barely gets expressed at all. We should be able to learn a lot from the differences between those cells.”

“Scientists have long thought that reducing tau could help patients with neurodegenerative diseases,” Cochran said. “We want to find new ways that may facilitate making that possible.”

Source: www.alabamanewscenter.com

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Ask an Elder Law Attorney

By: Raley L. Wiggins | Attorney at Law | Red Oak Legal, PC

Can You Live Without a Living Will?

Even among lawyers, there is a lot of confusion regarding which documents clients need when it comes to health care decision making. Adding to the confusion is the fact that the names of many of these documents—Living Wills, Advance Directives, Do Not Resuscitate Orders, Healthcare Proxies, and Healthcare Powers of Attorney—are often (incorrectly) used interchangeably.

So, I thought I would address each of these documents in turn to try and clear up some of the confusion.

Let’s start with a Power of Attorney. A power of attorney (“POA”) is any document in which a principal grants an agent the authority to legally act on behalf of the principal. For example, Joe Q. Client (the principal) may give his wife, Jane T. Client (his agent), power of attorney to handle business and financial affairs on his behalf.

The POA Joe gave to Jane in this case is probably drafted very broadly to give Jane a lot of authority.

On the other hand, you may have executed a very limited POA if you have ever traded in a car to a dealership. The dealership will typically have you sign a POA that gives it the limited authority to sign any paperwork necessary to transfer title to your trade-in when they sell it to the next buyer.

But, POA’s aren’t just for financial transactions. Depending upon how it is drafted, your POA may include provisions for making health care decisions as well. If the POA document authorizes your agent (sometimes called your “attorney-in-fact”) to make health care decisions, then your agent may also have the authority to act as your health care proxy as well. More on that below.

When it comes to granting an agent or proxy authority to make health care decisions, the law breaks down those decisions into two basic categories. The first category is end-of-life decision making, namely the decision to provide, withhold or withdraw life sustaining treatment or artificially provided food and water. The

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second category includes non-end-of-life decisions, i.e. decisions that do not involve withdrawing life sustaining treatment or artificially provided food and water.

If you don’t appoint an agent pursuant to your POA to make healthcare decisions

A “Do Not Resuscitate Order” (commonly called a “DNR”) is also often confused with a living will. In a hospital setting, a patient will typically receive resuscitation efforts (such as CPR) unless a physician has given a “no-code” or “do not resuscitate” order. But such an order is not effective if the patient is discharged back into the community.

Attend Free Workshop

Estate Planning and Asset Protection Workshop Wednesday, August 21: Hosted by Red Oak Legal, PC: 1:303:30 pm at 322 Catoma Street downtown Montgomery. This educational workshop presented by local attorney Raley L. Wiggins covers wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, living wills, probate administration, protecting assets from creditors, bankruptcy, divorce and remarriage, nursing homes, long-term care and Medicaid qualification. Registration is required. Call 334-625-6774 today to reserve your seat or register online at www.redoaklegalpc.com. for you, then you may draft an Advance Directive. This is a document that appoints an agent, called a Health Care Proxy, to make decisions on your behalf. Unlike a POA, a Health Care Proxy appointed in an Advance Directive is limited to making health care decisions only, and does not have any financial authority. Stated differently, your agent under a POA may also qualify as a Health Care Proxy, but your Health Care Proxy appointed by an Advance Directive does not qualify as your financial Agent.

Finally, you may also have a Living Will, which deals only with end-of-life decision making. Your Living Will may be a separate, stand-alone document, or it may be incorporated into your Advance Directive. It states whether you want to receive life sustaining treatment and/or artificially provided nutrition and hydration if you are faced with a terminal illness.

Terminal illness is defined as a situation in which the patient’s death is imminent, or whose condition is hopeless unless the patient is artificially supported through the use of life-sustaining procedures, in the opinion of a qualified physician.

In that case, the patient must obtain a special doctor’s order called a DNAR (Do Not Attempt Resuscitation) which must be issued by the physician on a special form obtained from the Health Department.

Unless the patient has a DNAR and is wearing a DNAR bracelet, an EMT is legally required to attempt resuscitation.

There are a number of issues regarding health care decision making which must be considered. Most people should have an Advance Directive and Living Will as part of their ordinary estate planning documents.

We also recommend a separate POA to deal with financial decisions. Individuals faced with a terminal illness may also consider speaking to their physician about a DNAR order as well, if appropriate.

Advance Directives and Living Wills do not typically expire by the passage of time.

They may, however, get “stale.” This is not a legal concern, but a practical one. For example, health care providers may be more hesitant to follow your wishes if they are set forth in a 25 year old living will. As a result, it’s wise to update them from time to time to keep them “fresh.”

Raley L. Wiggins Attorney at Law, Red Oak Legal, PC 334-239-3625 | info@redoaklegalpc.com 322 Catoma Street, Montgomery, AL 36104, www.redoaklegalpc.com The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

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37

BOOM! COVER PROFILE

Kimberly Baker, A Compassionate Perfectionist This month’s cover profile is Kimberly Baker. Kimberly just turned the big 50 a couple of months ago and she has the drive and energy to last her for decades to come. Kimberly spent many years in the corporate healthcare world but eventually decided to settle in to raise a family and begin serving others. She is involved with many non-profits and was the President of Montgomery’s Junior League which provides much support for Montgomery’s charitable organizations. Currently, Kimberly is serving as the Director of Development and Marketing at Valiant Cross Academy, located downtown Montgomery, AL. This is an all-male school dedicated to teaching each one of their scholars the necessary skills to become productive citizens, leaders in the community and honorable men. The school serves the African American community and is a model for all educational thinkers who are willing to innovate to achieve excellence, rising about the status quo of existing results in many schools in the area. Kimberly makes a difference; she believes in the purpose of Valiant Cross and has created an infectious attitude in our community to support the academy whenever possible.

Kimberly recently shared some of her story with us and it was a blessing to get to know her. We hope you enjoy the experience as much as we have, and the next time you see her, welcome her to the 50+ Club, of course she doesn’t look a day over 40!

BOOM!: Please give us a brief biography, i.e. where were you born, education, family, what brought you to the Montgomery area, etc.?

Kimberly: I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and lived there until I attended Auburn University.

I moved to Alabama to attend college and never left the south after completing my degree. Fresh out of college, Putting on the Ritz, husband Ben with Kimberly I moved to Atlanta to begin BOOM!: You are my career in Marketing. I ended up in the the Director of Healthcare industry and became a Surgical Development and Device Brand Manager. I was responsible Marketing at Valiant for the Marketing and Advancement Cross Academy; of a product line. My responsibilities would you share continued to grow and over the years, and what Valiant Cross eventually, I ran a department with over Academy is all about?

40 employees. I had to travel extensively, What are your main so after getting married, I decided to leave responsibilities? the healthcare industry to raise a family.

What do you love We moved to Montgomery, Alabama when most about working my husband accepted a position at the with Valiant Cross Academy?

Beasley Allen Law Firm. At that time, I had a new baby, a new home and a new city to

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Kimberly: Valiant Cross Academy is the first all-male school in Montgomery, Alabama that transcends the challenges facing young African American males. Founders Anthony and Fred Brock were frustrated with the alarming number of African American males who were not considered college-ready. The school founded in 2014 intentionally recruits students, from Washington Park neighborhoods and West Montgomery. Valiant Cross provides so much more than an academic savvy environment, it provides a culture of integrity, honor, discipline, respect and most importantly love. The students, called scholars have longer school days, smaller class sizes and receive double the math and triple the literacy time. Anthony Brock, the cofounder, and Head of School believes it is an opportunity gap, not an achievement Family Photo in the Park gap that these Kimberly, Liam, Ben, Isabella, Benjamin young men are faced with, and he is determined to help level the playing field for these young men

get adjusted to. That was 20 years ago. I now have three children, Isabella, Benjamin, and Liam.

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with them, and if one and Fred just 5 short years ago. by providing that is having a bad day, I appreciate the compliment of rallying opportunity. Since my heart hurts. I want the community together, however that first arriving at Valiant the very best for these is the best part of this school. This is a Cross Academy, these boys, and my job is to community-driven program. This is a true young men are seeing make sure we have all “if you build it, they will come story.” The the world through the resources necessary waiting list to get one of the 30 spots different eyes. They to provide them each year is extensive. This community are meeting so many everything they need believes in the vision of the Founders and people from various to be a success story. it could not be more evident when you professions and I don’t apologize for see how many show up to our opening backgrounds, they taking their education day ceremony every year, or our annual are also traveling as serious as my own Breakfast With The Scholars Fundraiser. to colleges and children’s education.

We just had over 700 people attend this universities all over I am an advocate for fundraiser in April. to begin the process these young men and of deciding where This program has they want to go to opened the eyes to college and what they so many to see what want to do with their Kimberly and Isabella Enjoying a Beach Moment we CAN do when we lives. This school is everyone who knows work together. We different than any other school I have ever me understands and are building a bridge seen or read about. The Founders believe respects this. for so many people with high expectations and no excuses to come together. that all scholars can achieve. You combine BOOM!: As the Director We currently have this philosophy with a staff that works on of Development a 100% African overdrive I truly believe this school will not and Marketing you American student only make it; but will make history. are responsible for body. Anthony and fundraising efforts, how Fred welcomed My job has many different areas. I giggle would you describe your me to Valiant now to think I was hired almost 4 years fundraising-leadership Cross and wanted ago as a part-time Development and style? You have been to have positive Marketing Director – that part-time part successful in rallying the conversations about lasted about three weeks! I oversee the community to support race and cultural Development and Marketing areas for the Valiant Cross Academy, differences. In fact, school as well as the scholarships with the how have you tapped we have had many Alabama Accountability Act. I also write the into the giving nature over the years that grants, organize our fundraisers, oversee of our I do believe have our social media Kimberly with her children helped us both better accounts as well Liam, Benjamin, Isabella understand each as keep the public community? other and some of the real challenges informed on our these young men face. My job is not to progress, mission Kimberly: I am sure it is convince people to support the school, and message for no surprise to many that I but rather educate on what the mission the school. I knew am a perfectionist, hyperof the school really is and how a school I wanted to work focused, and driven. It takes like this can help a community prosper. I at Valiant Cross a lot of resources to make have an honest, but direct approach with Academy the day I a program like Valiant Cross corporations and private donors. Education stepped on campus. thrive. I literally must dig is the one fundamental opportunity that I felt something I under every rock to make all children deserve and should have. can’t quite explain sure we can continue the I feel it is our responsibility to provide in words, but I plan of adding a grade each that opportunity. Education affects us all; believe I was called year until the first class as a community and as a nation. It can and led to work graduates high school in build up a community when its good, or here. These scholars 2022. I will continue to do it can tear the foundation out from right have become like "Teddy' the best job I can to make underneath of us if it is suffering. Education my children. If sure we reach the goals set out by Anthony is also the one thing that no one can take they are making good grades, I celebrate The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

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them more options away from a child. to succeed after Once we all begin graduation. to really understand these dynamics, BOOM!: Since why wouldn’t our leaving the community support business world as this program? Why a Director of Brand wouldn’t anyone Management you want to help young have spent much people who want of your time in to be a success service to others. story? We all want Would you please the same things, a share how this safe, economically career transition strong and productive came about? What community to live in, non-profits have and I believe Valiant you worked with?

Cross Academy Kimberly with her Children Can you share more is helping in that Benjamin, Isabella, Liam about the Red Tail initiative. They Scholarship Foundation and its purpose? are churning out our next leaders. It is a beautiful thing to witness.

Kimberly: Once I left the corporate world, I was immediately immersed in being a BOOM!: What is your relationship with mom. While this is the most important technology? How does technology help role I have, I wanted to utilize the skills I you be more effective as the Director of had learned in the business world as well Development and Marketing? What role as keep my mind sharp while dealing with does technology play in Valiant Cross infants. It was then when I found the nonAcademy’s mission? profit world. I spent 17 years of what I call Kimberly: Technology is critical for my role as Director of Development and Marketing. I must keep track of everything I do, and of every person I meet. I utilize a good database, a strong website as well as social media to tell our story. This allows me to connect all over the globe.

Technology has helped me secure many national grants including the USA Today A Community Thrives grant, the State Farm Neighborhood Assist National Grant as well as the Trustmark National grant. A lot of these grants were won via a national voting platform all secured through social media. I have embraced technology even though technology was not around when I was young. I was the first class at Auburn University to have a computer lab.

Valiant Cross uses technology in our classrooms daily. We have SMART Board technology, MacBook Airs and specialty software to support our scholars. All of these tools have been incorporated to help our scholars compete. We are also about to open a Cisco Academy Network Academy in our high school. This advanced program will teach coding and cybersecurity to even further our young men’s skillsets and give

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Hospice of Montgomery, ClefWorks, Impact Alabama, Mercy House, Hands on River Region, Montgomery Christian School, Red Tail Scholarship Foundation, Montgomery Botanical Gardens, Brantwood Children’s Home, Medical Outreach Ministries, as well as others. However, I believe it was my role as the Junior League of Montgomery’s President that really prepared me for my work today. I learned so much about how to successfully run a non-profit in all areas from the ground up. It was this thorough training that helps me today with all aspects of my job.

I serve on the Board of Directors for the RedTail Scholarship Foundation. This organization is a new non-profit that is serving a similar population of students as Valiant Cross. Many people may not realize this, but only 3% of pilots or aviation employees are African American. This amazing organization wants to change these statistics by providing scholarships to worthy students who are willing to commit time and effort to learn how to become a pilot. We actually have a scholar at Valiant Cross who received a Red Tail Scholarship Foundation scholarship and is successfully learning how to fly an airplane. I have been with this group since their inception, and I see great things in their future.

At the end of the day, the common denominator for these groups are the opportunities they are providing for young people.

We believe at Valiant Cross that if given the proper opportunities, all children can succeed. I really believe this is the one point that I must continue to drive home to people. I want to change the opinions and stereotypes that seem to follow so many of the scholars at Valiant Cross.

These young men tell me all the time that they want Kimberly's Besties: to be relevant, and they Jacque Foshee, Heather Coleman Davis, and Mary Darby Coleman want the world to see them as strong, confident and smart black my second career - serving others. I have men. Anthony Brock reinforces this to the volunteered, served on numerous Board of scholars every day and I love to see the Directors, and chaired so many committees smiles on their faces when they begin to in the River Region, that I’m not sure I believe it themselves. can even count them all. I have helped The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

BOOM!: When people turn 50 many of them begin to experience a renewed sense of purpose, new goals, or maybe new careers‌ How would you describe this sense of renewal in your life? Any advice for the rest of us seeking renewal?

tightly too. I am out of the stage of being annoying a part of the group or feeling like I need older sister to be included in everything all over the to my bosses, place to be relevant. I want to be my own Anthony and person with my own ideals. Once I realized Fred. Lastly, this, my life has never been fuller or more do not fall to complete. popular public opinion. It BOOM!: What are some of your favorite is so easy travel experiences? Favorite vacation spot? to believe Any travel dreams planned? and go along with the Kimberly: Travel has not really been at the viewpoints of top of my list of favorite things to do. I am a others around bonified homebody. Growing up, my family you in your had limited resources, so I never went on social circles.

Kimberly with Anthony and Fred Brock and Valiant Cross scholars vacation as a child. In fact, I had never been Be true to on an airplane until I was a grown adult.

Kimberly: Well, this statement could not yourself and stand up for what you know is While this may seem unusual, it did provide be any truer for me. I tell people often right; regardless if others follow you or not. me a love for that I have finally found my happiness, home and my my joy. I will never regret staying home to BOOM!: surroundings. raise my children or working in the high What are However, I paced corporate world, but helping other you most have recently people is my true happiness. I have always passionate discovered been in a volunteer role since I moved to about‌ my love for Montgomery, and unfortunately, that role besides the beach is not taken seriously by all people. Many Valiant Cross and what people look at paychecks, and position Academy? it does for to determine your worth in society. I am my spirit. proof that being a volunteer is just as Kimberly: Rosemary valuable and our input is just as needed.

My free Beach, Being a volunteer lets you receive a behind time is Florida is my the scenes view of a worthy cause. It lets devoted favorite place you see the real work that must be done primarily to to unwind. I and the real realities of the problems my children.

Valiant Cross Scholars During Morning Village also have a that plague our community. My advice to I have a trip planned anyone is to find what gives your heart joy senior to see New York City at Christmas time. and go make your mark. I love to be around this school year, a 10thgrader as well as a New York City has been one of the places I children so Valiant Cross was a perfect 4thgrader. I am all over the place traveling always wanted to go during the holidays. stepping stone to track for my passion. meets, tennis BOOM!: How would you describe the Second, get matches, quality of life in the Montgomery/River out of your soccer and Region area? What would you like to see comfort zone basketball more of? to make games. My change. At children are my Kimberly: I would describe the quality of times we first priority. life in Montgomery and the River Region feel most as evolving. I believe this community has comfortable I also devote found its strengths and weaknesses and being with time to is working hard to advance and improve our friends exercise. I go to this City. Our downtown is thriving, and I and social the gym every only see it growing. So many of my friends acquaintances, day. Exercise is have invested their resources in making but that can what keeps me Valiant Cross Scholars and Kimberly During our downtown hip and energized while limit your sane so I can Voices for Alabama's Children Rally at the Capital keeping the history at the forefront. Jerry opportunities. manage my Beasley and Greg Allen jumpstarted the I did not know a single person when I family, my work at Valiant Cross and in the downtown revitalization by working with walked into the doors at Valiant Cross, and community. I also enjoy time with friends. city leaders to help facilitate the Biscuits now they are like family. I call myself the I have close, good friends, that I hold very The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

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Baseball Stadium, renovation of historic buildings including the Alley Station as well as developing downtown living options. I am honored to know Bryan Stevenson and watching the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum and Memorial bring people from all over the globe to our City. Sarah Beatty Buller is also an innovator who has poured her heart and resources into Dexter Avenue and her best work, in my opinion, is the Kress Building. I am so proud of Mayor Todd Strange for continuing the vision of growing our downtown and working with these and other pioneers Kimberly with Governor Kay Ivey and Valiant Cross Scholar so we could have a thriving downtown to cook when I can, but easy stuff like community. homemade soup or casseroles.

I have always been a city girl and would like to see Montgomery’s downtown full of activity all day and night long. I would like to see more developers join in and make their ideas and dreams a reality.

BOOM!: As you’ve aged, how have your priorities changed?

Kimberly: This is an interesting question. As a mother, I naturally make my children the main priority, but you begin to realize that they will eventually grow up and have their own lives to live. This is already happening in my home. I now focus some energy into myself. I look at what is going to make me happy as I continue to age. I used to think this was a selfish approach to life, but I know now that I am responsible for my own happiness.

BOOM!: Give us three words that describe you?

Kimberly: Determined, Compassionate, and Organized BOOM!: Do you have any hobbies or other activities that grab your attention?

I organize just about everything I see in my house. I often purge my closets and drawers. I do not like excess stuff. My children are following my lead and learning to live with less. I like to play tennis when I have time, I use to play often, but work and other obligations have lessened my ability to play much. I also like to try anything new that involves exercise. I like to ride bikes, run, walk my dog in the park; basically, anything that gets me moving. I also like

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BOOM!: How do you like to relax and wind down from a full day’s activities?

Kimberly: I have a dear friend who showed me the love and power of reading. I like Malcolm Gladwell’s books the most. He gives us a view of the world that you might not ordinarily see. He makes us consider different variables that affect overall outcomes. I am obsessed with books that challenge me to consider something vital in a deeper way. I use this thought process in my job and when I am serving the community. I want to understand and see all the angles before I make decisions or opinions about anything.

BOOM!: How do you and your husband like to spend time with family? Describe your experience as a mother, can you share any advice? What do your children think of your work with Valiant Cross Academy?

Kimberly: We set aside a few evenings a week to all eat together and catch up on all our busy lives. I sometimes look at everyone and wonder how long we can all possibly keep up this hectic pace. Having meals together helps slow things down a bit. I imagine if you asked my children what kind of mother I am, I would hope they say dedicated and loving however, I imagine they would probably say demanding. I realize I am sometimes like a drill sergeant, keeping everyone’s schedules in order and getting everyone where they need to be and fed. It can be stressful at times, but I will miss this craziness as they all go off to college.

I have also had a few setbacks as a mom.

My son Benjamin was diagnosed with Autism at a young age. I have gone through many emotions dealing with this reality. It has changed me, and when I was a younger mom, I must confess it was not always for the better. I was angry and blamed myself for his condition. I always wondered what if I delivered him on a different day, or I had a different nurse, would things be different.

It followed me everywhere, people were so impatient and outright mean to my son. I would watch grown adults look at him and shake their heads or talk about him or me as a mom. I would hear “why doesn’t she help her son?” No one knew how sad I was or how hard this condition is to manage. Eventually, I learned that all I could do is get him the therapy he needed and be the best mom I could be for him. Today, I want to believe I am more patient and understanding. Having a child with a disability has taught me to turn my anger into advocacy. It has taught me to understand ignorance. I learned prayer is a powerful tool and I needed to forgive people when they do not have the patience for a child struggling. It is because of my son that I actually fell in love with people.

He has made me want to help others and want nothing in return. What I am trying to say is my wonderful son has made me a better person. I believe we are only given what we can handle, and now that he is 16 years old, I look at him and I am amazed at what he has achieved. He sees the world without malice or a hidden agenda. He is everything a mother would hope for their children. I think back at all those years of pain and realize now it was those tough times that were actually preparing me for something bigger than I could have ever imagined.

My children are so excited about Valiant Cross. I take my youngest son to the school often after I pick him up from carpool. He has made many friends at Valiant Cross.

Sometimes some of the scholars will go to dinner with us or come home to play video games with him. I want my children to respect all different backgrounds and cultures. I tell my children all the time to take the time to learn from others and respect their similarities and most importantly their differences. If so, they will learn so much more about the world and themselves. They have embraced this

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advice and it makes me so proud to be their mom.

BOOM!: What does the future look like for Valiant Cross Academy? What impact do you think VCA is having on the educational community in the River Region?

Kimberly: I only see amazing things for Valiant Cross Academy. This community has surrounded this student body and are cheering them on to the finish line.

The vision of the school is to create outstanding citizens through rigorous academics and leadership training. Our hope is these young men will come back to Montgomery and pay it forward to the next generation. Our goal at the school is to increase the attendance rate, the literacy rate and ultimately the graduation rate. We have expanded our program to two campuses, the middle school is located on historic Dexter Avenue and the high school is on the campus of Troy University Montgomery. These young men wake up every day on a college campus only further reinforcing that they can and will go to college. The sky is the limit for these scholars, and I know they will not forget their time at Valiant Cross for so many reasons.

It pains me to see the volume of people moving out of our community to seek better education choices. That is exactly why I am 100% behind the work being done at Valiant Cross. This school is

The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

innovative, and people are paying attention. My hope is that all educational leaders can aspire to learn from each other and begin positive conversations about education. I think we are long past fingerpointing and the blame game that seems to appear once the topic of education comes to the forefront. We are in the moment of action, and while the leadership at Valiant Cross does not believe they have all the answers or solutions, they are just doing something different; trying something new, based on the alarming statistics and their own personal experiences in education. We are never critical at Valiant Cross of any other educational programs.

We make a point to be supportive. We know it is a tough industry to be in and no one has all the answers. Time will tell where Montgomery will be in 5 years and 10 years, but I do anticipate many more opportunities for school choice so families can have more than the school they are zoned for as their option.

BOOM!: Volunteers are an important part of Valiant Cross Academy’s success. Why are volunteers valuable and how can our readers get involved with your projects?

Kimberly: In my opinion, the world would not properly spin without volunteers.

They are the backbone for non-profits.

Valiant Cross utilizes volunteers with many projects: Our community garden, middle school library, food pantry, repairs to the school, special events for the scholars,

and tutoring. I love seeing the smiling faces of our volunteers on our campuses.

Everyone that first visits Valiant Cross usually does not leave without asking how they can help. I try to find their passion and find them a responsibility that suits that passion. We have volunteers of all ages helping our scholars from college students to retired grandmothers and grandfathers. I would not be a good Development Director without directing people to Valiant Cross Academy’s website at www.valiantcross. org. This is the first place I send anyone that would like to support our program with much-needed resources and volunteer opportunities.

We want to thank Kimberly for sharing some of her story for this month’s BOOM! Cover Profile. If you would like to learn more about Kimberly and Valiant Cross Academy, email her at kimberly@valiantcross.org or call 334.

538.1181 or www.valiantcrossacademy.org.

We also want to thank Becca Beers or helping us out this month with that great shot of Kimberly in the midst of her downtown vibe.

You can learn more about Becca at www. becbeephoto.com, If you have questions, comments or suggestions about our cover profiles, including nominating someone, please send them to Jim Watson at jim@riverregionboom.com Read all of the BOOM! Cover Profiles at www.riverregionboom.com/archive/

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Eating Smart with Tracy Bhalla

Beat the Heat with gorgeous ices Having just returned from a delightful trip to Italy where we simply had to sample as many flavors of gelato as possible, it set me thinking (again) of making my own when I get home. This tends to be an annual ritual, and I have to say, there is no beating homemade.

So, what is the difference between ice cream and gelato anyway? Well basically gelato is lighter than classic ice cream, as more milk and less cream is used. In classic ice cream it’s equal quantities of cream and milk, in gelato it's half the amount of cream to milk. Also, the Italians do have a passion for creating unusual and somewhat unique flavor profiles. Their hazelnut is to die for!

If you are not a dairy lover, then maybe a sorbet will help fend off the heat. Basically, frozen sieved fruit and fine sugar, no milk or cream required. Very refreshing, particularly in the citrus flavors – lemon, lime, mandarin, etc.

When my son was little, I used to make our own frozen lollipops – simply fill some lollipop molds with fresh fruit juice and freeze it. No sugar required! Perfect for children on hot summer days and perfect for parents so they know how much (or should I say how little) sugar they’re consuming.

But back to the delicious gelato and ice cream – I have a couple of recipes to share with you that can be adapted to pretty much any flavor profile that suits your fancy.

Let's start with a classic vanilla ice cream: Ingredients: 1 vanilla pod or 2 Tsp vanilla bean paste 400 ml heavy cream

400 ml whole milk 4 large egg yolks 125g caster sugar (superfine sugar) Instructions: 1. Halve vanilla pod lengthways (if using) and scrape out seeds. Add seeds and pod (or paste) to large, heavy based pan with cream and milk. Heat gently until bubbles appear round the edge. If using a pod, remove at this point.

2. Meanwhile beat yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale.

Gradually mix in the hot cream mixture. Return to the pan. Cook over low-to-medium heat, stirring continuously until custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (do not overheat or it will scramble).

3. Pour through a sieve into a bowl, cover with cling wrap; leave to cool.

4. Churn the mixture in an ice cream machine until frozen. Empty into a freezer proof container. Cover and freeze overnight. This recipe makes approximately 1.3 liters.

5. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN ICE CREAM MACHINE- put the mixture in a freezer proof container and freeze for two hours.

Turn out into a bowl and beat with an electric whisk; return to the freezer. Repeat every two hours until the ice cream is the desired level of hardness.

Many other flavors can be added to this – chocolate chips, chopped strawberries, blueberries, Heath bar chips, etc. Your imagination is your only limitation.

Now for gelato, and we will look at pistachio because that is one of the most well-known flavors, but also because you never see vanilla gelato in Italy!

Ingredients- (to make approx. 600ml) 300ml whole milk 150ml heavy cream 3 large egg yolks

75g caster sugar (superfine) 4 tbsp pistachio paste 1 tbsp vanilla extract Instructions: In a heavy based pan, heat the milk and cream until just steaming. In a bowl, mix the egg yolks and sugar until pale.

Gradually mix in milk mixture. Return to the pan and cook over low-to-medium heat, stirring, until custard thickens.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix pistachio paste and vanilla extract. Add hot custard mixture, stir, cover and cook. Transfer to freezer proof container, cover and freeze for 4 hours. Remove from freezer, break up with a fork, blitz with an electric whisk until smooth. Return to the container, freeze until solid. Actual pistachio pieces can be stirred in before freezing to give a nuttier texture. And of course, other flavors can be used instead – coffee, puréed fruit, coconut cream….to suggest but a few.

Finally, a sorbet, for which you can use any combination of fruits you like, but here is a summer berry recipe: (makes approx. 750ml) Blitz 350g strawberries, 350g raspberries, 250g blackberries, 150g of superfine sugar and 2 tbsp. lemon juice with an electric whisk until smooth. (Works just as well with either fresh or frozen fruit, but if using fresh make sure it is as fresh as possible.)

Strain through a sieve and discard seeds.

Empty into freezer proof container, cover and freeze until solid. Break up with a fork and blitz again until smooth. Serve straightaway or freeze again.

You may remember we discussed the pros and cons of the new trend of frozen desserts (ice cream without the dairy) previously and I would still recommend those if you are of the tendency to eat a whole pint on your own! However, the pure indulgent taste of homemade real ice cream cannot be beaten – just eat it in moderation!

Enjoy and stay cool!

Tracy Bhalla, Independent Consultant with NYR Organics, website: us.nyrorganic.com/shop/tracybhalla email: nyrbhalla@gmail.com You can also visit Tracy’s blog

at Tracybhalla.com, Continuing obsession with all things organic, I have been working with NYR for two years now, using skincare products myself for over RiverRegionBoom.com 2019 my BOOM! August Thetheir River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine 44 25 years! Your skin is the body’s largest organ, it deserves to be well looked after. I am here to answer any questions you may have.

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Travel Experiences with Jeff Barganier

Glassblowing Your Mind

What gave birth to glass is unclear.

Apparently, the right ingredients—sand, ashes from vegetation and perhaps a dash of lime—found their way together into a very hot fire, melted and voila.

Bridging past and present, glassmaking is a fascinating study. According to historians, the creation of glass thousands of years ago was kind of like the creation of money is today. It was the exclusive domain of pharaohs and high priests. Few others could just up and make the stuff.

The earliest glass dates back to about 2500 BC and took the form of beads and lucky charms. Crude vessels used for holding things made their debut in the Middle-East about 1500 BC. It is thought that the knowledge of glassmaking spread to the rest of the world through trade and military conquest. Indeed, early Egyptian and Mesopotamian glass have been discovered in France and Russia.

The earliest vessels were made by wrapping hot glass around dung. But somewhere about 50 BC, someone made the astounding discovery of glassblowing, heralding a new age of infinite shapes and possibilities. The Romans excelled at glassblowing, perfecting the use of molds to create lavish glass objects, adorning them with brilliant colors and even gold.

During the Early Middle Ages, the period following the decline of Rome, 400 to 1000 AD, glassmaking seemingly disappeared in Europe, while in the Middle-East craftsmen perfected the

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art of enameling and were adept at making glass that resembled precious stones. During the 12th century European glassmaking revived, mostly for making stained glass windows for magnificent gothic structures. In the 1200’s, the Venetians attempted to monopolize the glass trade, even

making it a crime punishable by death to disclose glass making secrets beyond the Island of Murano, Italy. According to Veniceforvisitors.com, “they were the only people in Europe who knew how to make glass mirrors. They also developed

or refined technologies such as crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicolored glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass.

Their virtual monopoly on quality glass lasted for centuries, until glassmakers in Northern and Central Europe introduced new techniques and fashions around the same time colonists were immigrating to North America.”

In 1607, the settlers of Jamestown colony introduced glassblowing to the New World. In the 1820’s, the mechanical press was introduced making production easy and fast. Mechanization led to factories and the individualism of the craft diminished. But in the late 19th century, the utilitarian nature of glass branched into art and design. In 1851, the first World’s Fair was held in a gigantic crystal palace sprawling over twenty

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acres and consisting of three hundred thousand panes of glass. Twenty-seven years later, well known designers and artists presented their creations at the Paris Exhibition in 1878. But it was not until fairly recently, about 1960, that individual artists once again began to experiment in their own studios, ushering in what has come to be known as the studio glass movement.

Back in 2008, I visited Aaron Gross, in his Austin, Texas “hot shop.” He got his start at the California College of Arts and Crafts. His wife Lacy said, “I can tell you Aaron is the real deal, a true professional artist. Our family lives off pure art sales.

Aaron says often that he feels so lucky that he is living the dream to wake up in the morning and do what he truly loves.

I know just watching from the sidelines that it didn’t come easy. He worked hard for many years in factories under other glassblowers. At one time he commuted 80 miles one way just to have a job blowing glass. His passion is what has made him successful.”

As Aaron’s business manager and sales rep, Lacy makes a considerable contribution to his work. “He’s lucky to have my help. I honestly think that’s what holds so many talented artists and craftsmen back. They lack that driving force to help them with all those loose ends and, most importantly, sales! I handle everything to allow him to be focused on the glass. Aaron

says, ‘the glass can feel it, if your full concentration’s not on her.’ I let him stay focused. We have a modest but great life. Glassblowing is one of the most expensive mediums to work in. Most studios close within the first two years due to the expense of blowing glass.

Every day we feel like we are defying the odds, making the operation work day in and out. We are one of the only retail locations in Austin that locally hand-make one hundred percent of its products. We just hope with a changing world we can keep the flame going for many more years.”

According to Aaron, there are few real “masters” of the art. “A true master can articulate any form with any process,” he said. His own favorite technique is known as Latticino: rows of vertical threads that spiral around each other. He created an award presented to the family of former President Lyndon B. Johnson for their support of the National Parks Foundation and has created many other such works.

His art has been highlighted in Texas Journey Magazine. Aaron’s glassblowing classes are booked out three months,

evidencing the growing interest in the craft. He estimates there are perhaps thousands of glassblowers right here in the U.S. and over two million worldwide websites dedicated to the art. That’s a lot of people working where glass melts— about 2,380 + degrees Fahrenheit!

Aaron utilizes essentially the same tools used by ancient artisans: wooden blocks for shaping, jacks, tweezers, shears, a solid rod of metal, paddles and a blow pipe.

One notable exception is a pad of wet newspaper. When the fire is hot enough, Aaron has twenty seconds to blow a bubble. He then shapes the material, takes gathers, that is, takes more glass onto the bubble. Then coloring is gradually added. His inspiration usually comes from nature: reproduction of flowers, coral reef life, and rain forest themes. He produces a variety of pieces ranging in price from $10 to $2000.

Please note: I’ve been unable to find Aaron and I’m not sure if he’s still in the business. I sure hope so. His work is/was amazing.

Jeff S. Barganier is a freelance writer and manages Cindy Barganier Interiors LLC in Pike Road, Alabama. (www.cindybarganier.com) He travels far and wide upon the slightest excuse for something interesting to write about. Contact him at Jeffbarganier@knology.net. Follow him on Instagram #jeffbarganier.

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Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Displays Works by An Influential American Artist History, Labor, and Life: The Prints of Jacob Lawrence Comes to the Capital City

The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) invites you to see an exciting exhibition depicting African-American experiences. The traveling exhibition History, Labor, Life: The Prints of Jacob Lawrence provides a comprehensive overview of influential American artist Jacob Lawrence’s (1917–2000) printmaking collection, featuring more than 90 works produced from 1963 to 2000. The exhibition explores three major themes that occupied the artist’s graphic works. It opens to the public from August 3, until October 27, 2019.

“We are thrilled to present these compelling and colorful prints by Lawrence, an important American artist. His imagery of everyday scenes depicts both hardship and hope while commenting on the struggle of daily life,” said MMFA Curator Jennifer Jankauskas.

Lawrence started exploring printmaking as an already well-established artist.

Printmaking suited his bold, formal, and narrative style exceptionally well. The relationship between his painting and printmaking were intertwined, with the artist revisiting and remaking earlier paintings as prints.

Lawrence was primarily concerned with the narration of African-American culture and history. His acute observations of

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community life, work, struggle, and emancipation during his lifetime were rendered alongside vividly imagined chronicles of the past. The past and present in his practice are intrinsically linked, providing insight into the social, economic, and political realities that continue to impact and shape contemporary society today.

History, Labor, Life: The Prints of Jacob Lawrence is organized by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Museum of Art in collaboration with the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, and is curated by Storm Janse van Rensburg, SCAD head curator of exhibitions.

About the Artist Lawrence was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1917. His family had moved north from the rural South to find a better life. After his parents separated, Lawrence and his two younger siblings lived in settlement houses and foster home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until 1930, when the siblings joined their mother in New York City. Lawrence was 13 years old. His education in art was both informal–observing the activity and rhythms of the streets of Harlem– and formal, in after-school community

workshops at Utopia House and the Harlem Art Workshop. At both centers, he was able to study with the prominent artists Charles Alston, and in the course of his work, he became immersed in the cultural activity and fervor of the artists and writers who led the Harlem Renaissance, Alston among them.

Lawrence received a scholarship to the American Artists School, and he began to gain some notice for his work. Members of the creative community, including poet Claude McKay and sculptor Augusta Savage, encouraged him as an artist.

In 1938, Lawrence had his first solo exhibition at the Harlem YMCA, and he started working in the easel painting division of the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project.

In 1940, he received a grant from the Rosenwald Foundation to create a series of images on the migration of AfricanAmericans from the South. The painter Gwendolyn Knight assisted him on the captions for the images and initial coating of the panels. They married in 1941. The same year, “The Migration of the Negro” series debuted at the Downtown Gallery, New York City.

Lawrence was the first artist of color to be represented by a major New York gallery, and the success of this exhibition

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gave him national prominence. Lawrence was active as both an artist and art educator. He taught at Black Mountain College in North Carolina in 1946, and later at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine and the New School for Social Research in New York.

In 1971, Lawrence became a professor of painting at the University of Washington in Seattle. Lawrence received the National Medal of Arts, and he was the first visual artist to receive the Spingarn Medal, the NAACP’s highest honor.

He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was the recipient of 18 honorary doctorates from universities including Harvard University, Yale University, New York University, Howard University, and Amherst College.

He had served as both as a commissioner of the National Council of Arts and as a nominator for the Fulbright Art Committee and the National Hall of Fame.

Lawrence was still drawing and painting until his death in Seattle in 2000.

www.mmfa.org

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By Greg Budell

The Mayor of BOOMTOWN

“1969- THE YEAR THE EARTH STOOD STILL” "A true story from the Greg files"

So, my fellow BOOMers, how did you celebrate July 20th last month?

1969 was an exceptional year for many reasons beyond the incredible achievements of Apollo 11. We know this because by so many current economic measurements, our economy is the best in 50 years. That would be 1969.

You knew ‘69 would be a different kind of year when Joe Willie Namath (Roll Tide) guaranteed his New York Jets would beat the extremely heavily-favored Baltimore Colts in the 3rd NFL-AFL Championship game. In January of that year Namath delivered a win that launched the Super Bowl era of our lives.

A week after we met, I got hit by a Chicago Transit Authority bus, downtown on State Street while walking to purchase tickets for a Cubs game. I lived, probably because it was 1969. Any other year and I’m dead.

Watching the first steps on the moon was a date with Gloria, so I walked the mile to her house with the moon brilliantly visible in the sky the entire walk along Pulaski Road. Again, gathered with her family around the basement color TV, we sat riveted to the screen.

Not long before Armstrong stepped out of the Eagle, we all wondered what he’d say. It would have to be a statement for the ages, no?

Greg, with Joe Willie Namath, T-Minus 40 years after The Earth Stood Stilland longtime friend Don Shula, coach of the Colts that Joe beat to launch 1969!

(Photo quality...neither time nor Joe Namath stands still for anyone)

Joe Willie was the right man for the moment.

On a personal note, on March 29 of TYTESS a couple buddies and I attended an innocent teen party at 6512 Normandy Avenue in Chicago hoping to meet some girls. We did. The pretty blonde girl I met, Gloria, would become my first wife 6 years later. ’69, however, would mark (in a wonderfully awkward way) the mutual end of our innocence.

So, there was that.

It was the year that redeemed the miseries of 1968. Apollo 10 made a successful rendezvous with the moon May 21-24 which guaranteed we’d at least have a shot at watching JFK’s goal for America be achieved a few months later.

On the 20th of July, my family sat around the basement color TV (like many Midwestern homes, the basement was the only cool place in the summer as household AC was not widespread by that time). We were transfixed as Neil Armstrong signaled Houston “the Eagle has landed”.

At 9:56 CT, he did not disappoint. “One small step for man... one giant leap for mankind” will live through the ages.

They returned safely 4 days later, a period of time where everyone was an American, proud of the country, proud of the people who engineered a miracle a mere 66 years after the Wright Brothers launched the space age with a powered flight of 120 feet.

The only thing more impossible than making the moon was the Chicago Cubs in first place, but as July turned to August 1969, there they were- in first place by a margin of 8 games. It was a good team, but all Cub fans knew an 8-game lead wasn’t enough, and August only meant there were 2 months left for them to screw it up. They did not disappoint.

Greg Budell's column is proudly sponsored by McDonald & Hagen Wealth Management

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As the Cubs lead began to shrink- to another team NOBODY saw as a potential champion- the New York Mets- elsewhere in New York the champion of all music festivals, Woodstock, was happening.

For the artists and attendees, Woodstock was a disaster. Rain, mud, lousy sound and about 450,000 more people than were expected will ruin any event under normal circumstances but 1969 was not a year of normal anything. Woodstock remains a legend, largely for everything that went wrong. Attempts to replicate it (why anyone would want to is another discussion) have failed. At press time, a 50th anniversary Woodstock was going down in flames. The lesson? It would be easier to go back to the moon than do Woodstock 50th. This isn’t 1969.

For music, 1969, was the GREATEST year in pop music history. The Beatles and Stones were making great new music, while new bands named CCR, Three Dog Night and Chicago were just getting started. Motown was at its peak.

September began my senior year in high school. I was editor of the school paper, Class VP and loving every minute of it.

The Cubs continued their exacerbating descent, while the unlikely Mets surged to a 100-win season. On the night

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of September 24th, I listened to my transistor radio as the Cubs were officially eliminated from a race they had in their back pocket, while the Mets went to their first World Series. They had no business being there. When they played the mighty Baltimore Orioles, I cheered for the O’s to right this wrong and put the Mets in their place. Any other year but 1969, and the Mets get their butts kicked.

The “Miracle Mets” prevailed.

In November we went back to the moon successfully, which was cool, proving the first was no fluke. It just wasn’t the same event as the first, though doing it twice before the end of JFK’s decade was pretty impressive.

Christmas of ’69 was the greatest of my lifetime. I was in love with Gloria, and her family treated me as one of their own.

On Christmas Eve, during a Currier & Ives quality snow, I went to her house. We had a festive gift exchange, and her older sister introduced me to her boyfriend “JC”. He was a guitarist for a band named TW4. Two years later, the popular bar band would change their name to Styx; three years later I was playing their first hit “Lady” during my first Chicago radio gig- and six years later I was working for them as their record promotion

coordinator. That kind of thing could have only been born in that magical year.

Late Christmas Eve, Gloria and I walked her neighborhood, hand in hand, admiring decorations glowing through the slowly falling snow, pausing to kiss here and there. It was my first Christmas in love, with someone who loved me back equally.

1969 launched rockets, careers and personal destinies. It was a great year to be alive.

It’s even better to be alive in 2019, with a year like that to remember.

Greg Budell lives in Montgomery with his wife, Roz, and dogs Hershey and Briscoe. He’s been in radio since 1970, and is marking 12 years in the River Region in 2017. He hosts the Newstalk 93.1FM Morning Show with Rich Thomas, Jay Scott & Emily Hayes, 6-9AM Monday-Friday.

He returns weekday afternoons from 3-6PM for Happy Hour with sidekick Joey Clark. Greg can be reached at gregbudell@aol.com

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August 2019

{12 Things} for active boomers and beyond

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

First Friday Cruise-Ins Lower Dexter, Downtown Montgomery Fridays, August 2, 5:30-7 pm Come out for the 2019 Lower Dexter First Friday Cruise-ins!

The lower block of Dexter Ave. will be closed off once the featured vehicles are in place.

Numerous restaurants and food trucks will be open including Alabama Sweet Tea Company, Momma Goldberg’s, FRIOS Pops, Prevail Union, Cuco’s Mexican Café and others. Interested in showing your car? Apply at www.LowerDexter.org. Join us for some free family friendly fun on Lower Dexter! Call 334.273.0313 for more information. For more info visit www.lowerdexter.org/

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

GRANDPARENT EVENT Jurassic Quest Renaissance Montgomery Convention Center 201 Tallapoosa St, Montgomery, AL Friday-Sunday, August 2-4, various times Jurassic Quest is America’s largest and most realistic Dinosaur event.

Our guests will walk through the Cretaceous period, the Jurassic Period and The Triassic period and experience for themselves what it was like to be among living, breathing dinosaurs. Jurassic Quest is the only dinosaur event that has true to life size dinosaurs. From the very small, to the gigantic, sky-scraping dinosaurs that can only be seen at our events, Jurassic Quest has over 80 true-to-life size dinosaurs in each of its two touring shows. In collaboration with leading paleontologists, each dinosaur was painstakingly replicated in every detail. Whether their prehistoric counterpart had skin that was scaly, had feathers or fur, Jurassic Quest has spared no expense in bringing this realism to life. Tickets Prices $22, Kids under 2 free. For more information, call 936.588.3332 or visit www.jurassicquest.com/events/montgomery-a

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

Breach of Peace: A Performance to Commemorate the 1961 Freedom Rides The Sanctuary @ Jubilee Community Center Friday, August 9, 7-9:30 pm Breach of Peace is an interactive, one-act play

by Mike Wiley that shares stories of the 1961 Freedom Riders. Men and women, black and white, young and old, the riders aimed to end racially segregated bus, train and air travel. And they did. Wiley, the solo actor, plays all the roles and is accompanied by Gospel vocalist

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Jennifer Evans. Mike Wiley is a nationally praised playwright and actor known for his intensively researched, brilliantly crafted and movingly acted plays. Location, The Sanctuary @ Jubilee Community Center, 432 Goldthwaite Street, Montgomery, AL 36104. Purchase tickets: www.eventbrite.com/e/breach-of-peace-a-commemoration-ofthe-freedom-riders-of-1961-tickets-64987227547 For more info call 334.245.4546

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

Buckmasters Expo Montgomery Convention Center-201 Tallapoosa Street Friday-Sunday, August 16-18th

Shop for hunting bargains from more than 300 exhibitors and vendors who are all a part of the biggest hunting sale ever! Experts from top manufacturers such as Mathews, Yamaha, Nikon and Easton will be manning booths to answer all your questions. Watch the nation’s best archers compete in the Top Bow World championship, It’s the nation’s highest-paying archery tournament. Bring your grandkids to the Young Bucks area for games, hunting-related activities, mascots Bucky and Droptine, Balloon Man and much more. Admittance to the expo is free with a donation of a canned good per person. The expo is open from 3 until 9 pm on Friday, 9 am until 7 pm on Saturday and 10 am until 5 pm on Sunday. For more info visit www.buckmasters.com

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

The 3rd Annual Gun Island Chute SUP Cup Downtown Montgomery Riverfront Saturday, August 17th, aces begin at 8 am The 3rd Annual Gun Island Chute SUP Cup takes place on Downtown Montgomery's stretch of the Alabama River known as the Gun Island Chute.

An exciting lap-based course will give paddlers a unique racing experience on flat, steady-flowing water. A member of the Southern Stoke Paddle Series, the Gun Island Chute SUP Cup is hosted by the longtime local non-profit, Montgomery Dragon Boat Race and Festival. While not in conjunction with the Dragon Boat Festival this year, the GIC SUP Cup promises to deliver one of the South's most exciting SUP competitions. The Gun Island Chute SUP Cup will include a 6 mile long course and 3 mile short course.For more info visit www.montgomerydragonboat.org

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

Hogs Days of Summer BBQ-Concert Fundraiser The Train Shed Downtown Montgomery Saturday, August 17, 3-9 pm

Downtown Montgomery's Best Music & Food Event, Hog Days of Summer, returns on August 17. Come join us for great music from our lineup of bands, award winning BBQ from BBQ creators from around the Southeast, activities for the whole family. Proceeds go The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

towards Hogs For The Cause and fighting pediatric cancer. Music Lineup: North Mississippi Allstars, Official: Dale Watson & His Lonestars, Will Stewart. BBQ Creators: Moe's Original Bar B Que, Dreamland BBQ, Full Moon BBQ, Jim 'N Nick's, Ryan Prewitt (James Beard Award Winning Chef from Peche Seafood Grill), Druids Charity & BBQ Club Group, Mojo Hand BBQ. For more information, check out the website www.hogdaysofsummer.com

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

Wild Rose Capri Theatre, Cloverdale August 23-29, Fri-Sun: 5-7:30, Mon-Thurs: 7:30 Rose dreams of becoming a country music star. She's worked hard on her country music cred by doing some time in prison, which may not be enough to get over the fact she's in Glasglow, Scotland. Did you know Glasglow has its own Grand Ole Opry? Well, Rose has led the house band there since she was 14, so nothing is going to stop her. If she can become a country music singer, she can make something of herself. And if she can make something of herself, she can do right by her two kids (Lyle and Wynonna) and prove everyone wrong about her. With determination and a sense of humor, she manages to get to Nashville. And like thousands before her, that's where the heartbreaks begin. For more information, call 334.262.4858 or visit www.capritheatre.org/

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

Repticon Montgomery Alcazar Shrine Montgomery Saturday/Sunday, August 24/25, 10-5 pm Repticon makes further headway into Alabama with the exciting arrival of Repticon Montgomery! Hosted at Alcazar Shrine, enthusiasts will enjoy this opportunity of another great reptile and exotic animal show with thousands of top-quality animals not found anywhere else in the area. This show features everything that you’ve come to love most about Repticon’s two days of fun and excitement! See live animals from around the world, purchase pets and pet products direct from the experts at amazing prices you won’t find anywhere else and learn more about reptiles and exotic animals at live seminars and demonstrations.

For more info visit www.facebook.com/events/366561234007894/

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

BUZZ ASF September 4 – September 15, various times Charismatic director Mary Ann “Buzz” Goodbody was one of only five women directing in the UK in the 1970s. In 1975, she famously directed Ben Kingsley in the title role of Hamlet. Four days later, she was gone. Scene Shop AKA The Other Place | 90 minutes, no intermission.

Recommended ages 13+. Evening shows begin at 7:00pm. Saturday matinees at 2:00pm and Sunday matinees at 3:00pm. Call 1.800.841.4273 for more information or visit www.asf.net/buzz/ The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

Black Jacket Symphony Presents- The Eagles MPAC, Dowtown Montgomery Saturday, September 14 8pm The Black Jacket Symphony offers a unique concert experience by recreating classic albums in a live performance setting with a first class lighting and video production. A selected album is performed in its entirety by a group of hand-picked musicians specifically selected for each album. With no sonic detail being overlooked, the musicians do whatever it takes to musically reproduce the album. Following the album and a brief intermission, the Black Jacket Symphony returns to the stage to perform a collection of greatest hits by the evening's artist.

To learn more visit www.blackjacketsymphony.com. The Montgomery Performing Arts Centre at Renaissance Montgomery 201 Tallapoosa St, Montgomery, Alabama 36104. www.mpaconline.org

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA Lee Greenwood in Concert MPAC Sunday, September 22, 6:30 pm

Lee Greenwood is an ICON in country music, with more than 30 albums to his credit. In fact, MCA released an album in 2013 called ICON. With seven #1 songs & 25 charted singles his hits include: “It Turns Me Inside Out”, “Ring On Her Finger Time on Her Hands”, ”She’s Lyin”, “I don’t Mind the Thorns if You’re the Rose”, “Dixie Road”, “Somebody’s Gonna Love You”, “Going Going Gone”, “You Got A Good Love Comin”, “Fools Gold”, and “Mornin Ride”. Greenwood’s latest CD is: "I Want to be in Your World".

He wrote three of the seven songs & plays saxophone on the original track, “Here Comes Love There Goes My Heart”. He also covered the Michael McDonald/Kenny Loggins ballad, “You Can Let Go Now.” McDonald is featured playing piano on the song. For more info and tickets visit www.mpaconline.org or www.leegreenwood.com

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA Gaither Vocal Band MPAC Friday, November 15, 7 pm

Bill Gaither and the Gaither Vocal Band are hitting the road again this fall on their brand-new We Have This Moment Tour! Make your plans now to join them and their guests Gene McDonald, Charlotte Ritchie, and Kevin Williams for an incredible evening of praise! For ticket info visit www.mpaconline.org and www. gaither.com

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