Vestavia Hills Magazine by Shelby County Newspapers, Inc.

BISTRO V’S JEREMY DOWNEY • REMEMBERING ANDREW LONG • ESTATE SALES BEHIND THE SCENES

ABSTRACT in ALABAMA THE TEXTURES OF KENDALL BOGGS

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com $4.95

CADEN LEMONS IN THE BIG LEAGUES

UNIVERSITY RETHOUGHT

UNLESS U

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W W W . A P E P P E R M I N T P H O T O . C O M

FEATURES 48

TREASURE HUNTING What is setting up for an estate sale really like? Answer: Moving a whole house in a week while creating a retail sale and studying the human condition—and turning up prize finds while you are at it.

UNIVERSITY RETHOUGHT Next steps for students with developmental disabilities looks a lot like Unless U. And it all started with one woman’s vision.

KEYS TO A NEW LIFE Who gives a car away? Those who see a need for it—the VHUMC Car Ministry.

NEVER TOO MUCH Caden Lemons ‘just loved baseball,’ now it’s his livelihood. Here’s how the pitcher and 2017 VHHS grad’s path led to a pro career.

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PHOTO BY MEGAN TSANG

PHOTO BY EMMA SIMMONS

ARTS & CULTURE

17 Abstract in Alabama: Artist and Interior Designer Kendall Boggs 23 Five Questions For: Russ Maddox of Birmingham School of Music 24 Read This Book: Back-to-School Book Season

SCHOOLS & SPORTS

25 Remembering One of Our Own: The Legacy of Andrew Van Long 30 Five Questions For: VHHS Football Broadcaster Steve Bendall

FOOD

& DRINK

31 Two if by Sea: Bistro V Chef Jeremy Downey

IN EVERY ISSUE 6 Contributors 7 From the Editor 8 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 9 #VestaviaHillsMag 10 The Question 11 The Guide 72 Out & About 85 Marketplace 88 My Vestavia Hills

35 Cocktail: Stray Bulleit from FoodBar 36 Five Questions For: Jennifer Yarbrough of Crestline Bagel

HOME

& STYLE

37 All About the Accents: The Threadcraft Home 45 Five Questions For: Melanie Harrison of Melanie’s Upscale Consignment 46 In Style: Don’t Blush—Wear It Into Fall

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 7

contributors EDITORIAL

Graham Brooks Stephen Dawkins Alec Etheredge Briana Harris Amalia Kortright Madoline Markham Keith McCoy Emily Sparacino Neal Wagner

CONTRIBUTORS

Hannah Brawley Angie Brown Rebecca Caine Jessica Clement Solomon Crenshaw Jr. Mary Fehr Jennifer Jones Elizabeth Nance Layken Rubin Emma Simmons Megan Tsang Lauren Ustad

DESIGN

Connor Bucy Jamie Dawkins Clarke Stackhouse Kate Sullivan

MARKETING

Ann Aycock Kristy Brown Kari George Rachel Henderson Daniel Holmes Katie Krouse Rhett McCreight Kim McCulla Ashley Murphy Viridiana Romero April Spivey Bayleigh Thompson Kerrie Thompson

ADMINISTRATION Hailey Dolbare Mary Jo Eskridge Katie McDowell Stacey Meadows Tim Prince

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Angie Brown, Writer Angie is a freelance writer living in Vestavia Hills with her husband, Keith, and their three sons, Sam, Luke and Drew (as well as their beagle dog, Biscuit, and calico wonder cat of 14 years, Avery). She is a regular contributor to the The Barnes & Noble Kids Blog, and through the years, her writing has appeared in TeaTime magazine, Birmingham magazine, Shelby Living and more. She is thrilled to showcase the people and places of her community in the pages of this publication.

Rebecca Caine, Writer

Rebecca lives in Vestavia Hills with her husband, Tim, and their two cats, Cleo and Hamilton. She can be found walking the trails behind the Library in the Forest, splashing in puddles with her 2-year-old neighbor or enjoying a Reuben from Diplomat Deli. Rebecca makes a mean mimosa and can probably beat you at MarioKart.

Mary Fehr, Photographer

Mary is a wedding and portrait photographer based out of Birmingham. A Vestavia native and VHHS graduate, she studied art and art history at University of Montevallo. She likes to teach and plans on getting her MFA in order to do so. Mary also loves to travel and has a goal of photographing a wedding in every state! She enjoys reading non-fiction, going to concerts and spending time with her family.

Emma Simmons, Writer and Photographer

As a wanderluster with a serious addiction to her parents’ cooking, Emma is thrilled to be back in the ‘Ham, only a short drive away from their dinner table in Vestavia Hills. When she’s not plugging away as the evening web girl at ABC 33/40, she’s probably scheming up ways to turn her black thumb green or make her dog Mazzy Insta-famous. Some of her favorite things include: sunshine, long baths, fuzzy socks and conversations with strangers.

Vestavia Hills Magazine is published bimonthly by Shelby County Newspapers Inc., P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051. Vestavia Hills Magazine is a registered trademark. All contents herein are the sole property of Shelby County Newspapers Inc. [the Publisher]. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher. Please address all correspondence (including but not limited to letters, story ideas and requests to reprint materials) to: Editor, Vestavia Hills Magazine, P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051. Vestavia Hills Magazine is mailed to select households throughout Vestavia Hills, and a limited number of free copies are available at local businesses. Please visit VestaviaHillsMagazine.com for a list of those locations. Subscriptions are available at a rate of $16.30 for one year by visiting VestaviaHillsMagazine.com or calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 532. Advertising inquiries may be made by emailing advertise@vestaviahillsmagazine.com, or by calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 536.

FroM tHE EDitor

ON THE COVER

Artist Kendall Boggs

Kendall works in large form watercolors and acrylics to create abstract pieces and depictions of churches and angels from her studio near her Vestavia Hills home. Photo by Mary Fehr Design by Layken Rubin

“Acknowledge that you remember,” I jotted in my notebook. “Remember anniversaries. Grief is always in the background.” I was soaking up what author Nancy Guthrie was saying as she spoke about her experiences with the loss of not one but two infant children. She’s well acquainted with grief, I am not, and I wanted to be able to best walk that tough road with friends and family when it took that turn. A few weeks later, the words in my notebook begged me to revisit them as writer Rebecca Caine and I were emailing about her story on Andrew Van Long: “Acknowledge that you remember. Remember anniversaries.” And indeed that’s what this community has done, giving me chill bumps as I read about how the VHHS Class of 2017 remembered their classmate—gone 10 years this September—and as we sought to remember Andrew in the pages of this magazine as another anniversary approaches. “When losses are not spoken of, it diminishes them,” my journal reads with Nancy’s words. “Acknowledging the person who was lost esteems the person.” That is what we hope Rebecca’s story does just as so many in the community have so thoughtfully done and no doubt will continue to do as year after year passes. Which brings me to why we are here as Vestavia Hills’ magazine. We’re here to remember, we’re to celebrate this place—all that Vestavia is, was and dreams of being. To me, that all boils down to the people here and their passions these pages speak of. In this issue, that looks like Roderick, who couldn’t quite get his head around who would give him a car. It looks like Kenneth and David talking nonstop about the exhilaration of going through boxes in attics and basements and the stories they tell of people’s lives. It looks like a football announcer, a drummer, a seafood enthusiast, a suspense writing lover, a sister who cares a whole awful lot, the No. 46 draft pick in the MLB. More than anything, we want this magazine to be yours, Vestavia. That’s why I’m excited that these pages are filled with not just stories about Vestavia people and places, but that they are largely written and photographed by people who call these hills home. At the end of the day, our staff and I are stewards of this publication for now, but we want it to be the community’s for years and decades to come. We welcome any of you out there to contribute as well! What should we be writing about in our next issue (October/November—we’re bimonthly in print)? What should we be posting or reposting on Instagram and Facebook? Who should be taking pictures for us? We love ideas and connecting with community members as much as we love stories themselves, and we welcome feedback via email, social media comments and old-fashioned hand-written notes any time.

madoline.markham@vestaviahillsmagazine.com VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 9

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ING YO U BACK IN THE GAME Sports Medicine and Spine Center

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@deeringcrossﬁre I love our neighborhood #instagrambham #cahabaheights

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“ ” THE QUESTION

You know you are from Vestavia when… You refer to the color of your shirt as “Vestavia blue.” - Kim Webb Benos

- Button Lovoy Smith

- Lynn Calloway O’Neal

Marian Humphries was your sixth-grade math teacher at Pizitz Middle School and now your children’s principal at Central.

You call Vestavia Forest Drive “Thrill Hill.”

You call the civic center the old library.

You still refer to the parking deck at the City Center as the old Parisian parking deck.

- Heather Graham Pilleteri

The phrase “Hold it up!” means nothing other than Vestavia dominating state championships. Thanks, Mr. Gross (VHHS principal 1985-1999). - Don Norris

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You use “The Round Bank” as a landmark for directions.

- Manda Monzella Luccasen

- Celia Chapman Anthony

When you move back to raise your kiddos in this great community. - April Yarbrough

THE GUIDE

ROCKY RIDGE FIRST FRIDAYS AUG. 4 + SEPT. 1 6 P.M. ROCKY RIDGE Live music and children’s activities make a night in the Rocky Ridge Business District all the more fun. Stop by one of the area’s restaurants for dinner, or just stroll around and take in the party. The area is located at the intersection of Morgan Drive and Rocky Ridge Road. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH NANCE

THE GUIDE WHAT TO DO IN VESTAVIA WEDNESDAYS IN AUGUST Farmers Market Vestavia Hills United Methodist 7-11 a.m.

AUG. 11

Back 2 School in the Hills 6:30 P.M. Cahaba Heights Athletic Fields, 4401 Dolly Ridge Road

There will be games and rides, music to dance to, and a movie on a lawn at dusk. And it’s free. Why wouldn’t you and your kids go? Bring lawn chairs or a blanket for the movie, and pack or pick up a picnic dinner if you like.

AUG. 1 Eyes Back on School Children/Free Vision Screening Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest 10 a.m. AUG. 4 First Friday Reception Artists Incorporated 4:30 p.m. AUG. 4 Rocky Ridge First Friday 6 p.m. AUG. 10 First Day of Schools Vestavia Hills City Schools AUG. 14 & SEPT. 11 Meal Prep Class Pure Fitness $15/Registration Required 205-420-1054 6 p.m. AUG. 19 Mayhem on the Mountain Crossfit-Style Competition from Forge Fitness Oak Mountain State Park

Kids Consignment Sales It’s that time of the year. Stock your kids’ fall and winter wardrobe at one (or all) of these sales. Better yet, consign some of their clothes from last year, and you can shop early to call dibs on the best items.

2ND HEAVEN Aug. 4-5 Cahaba Heights United Methodist Church Friday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Methodist Church Presale: Wednesday 6 p.m. ($10) Public Sale: Thursday & Friday 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.-noon

BUTTERFLIES AND BOWTIES Aug. 23-26 Liberty Crossings United

WHALE OF A SALE Sept. 14-15 Vestavia Hills United

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(50 percent off many items)

Methodist Thursday 5-9 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. MARKET ON THE MOUNTAIN Sept. 8-9 Mountaintop Community Church Check marketonthemountain.com

AUG. 31 Vinyl Cutting 101. Adults/Registration Required Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest 4 p.m. SEPT. 1 First Friday Fiber Arts Adults/All Skill Levels 10 a.m. SEPT. 1 Rocky Ridge First Friday 6 p.m. SEPT. 1 First Friday Reception Artists Incorporated 4:30 p.m.

THE GUIDE SEPT. 4 Labor Day SEPT. 7 OLLI Presents: Books about Harper Lee Adults Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest 1:30 p.m. SEPT. 11 Patriot Day Ceremony with Cities of Homewood & Mountain Brook Vestavia Hills City Hall 8:30 a.m. SEPT. 12 Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce Monthly Luncheon Vestavia Country Club 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. SEPT. 12 Marvel TV Fandom Night Teens Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest 4 p.m. SEPT. 22 Family Camp-Out Children/Registration Required 6:30 p.m. Children’s SEPT. 23 Lego Wars Kids/First Grade and Up Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest 11 a.m. SEPT. 23: ACT Workshop Teens/Registration Required Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest 1 p.m. SEPT. 26 Anime Night Teens Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest 4 p.m.

PHOTO BY ALLYSON MCLEAN

Rebels Varsity Football Bring on the Friday night lights. Don your red and blue, and we’ll see you at Thompson Reynolds Stadium. All games start at 7 p.m. AUG. 25: vs. Briarwood Christian SEPT. 1: at Homewood SEPT. 8: vs. Spain Park SEPT. 15: vs. Oak Mountain SEPT. 22: at Huffman

SEPT. 29: at Helena OCT. 6: vs. Thompson OCT. 13: at Mountain Brook OCT. 20: vs. Hoover NOV. 3: vs. Shades Valley

VHHS

SENIOR STANDOUTS The Class of 2017 at VHHS had much to be proud of when they walked across the stage to get their diplomas in May. Here are a few highlights. u Of the 467 seniors, 17 were National Merit Finalists and seven National Merit Commended Students. u The We the People Team won state for the 13th year in a row and placed 8th in the nation. u About 1,026 Advanced Placement exams were administered to 466 students. u Just Singin’ was invited to perform at the Alabama Music Educator’s Association Conference as the first and only pop a cappella group to ever be invited.

u Fifteen of 21 athletic teams qualified for state playoffs during their senior year. u The wrestling team won a state championship, and boys bowling, boys golf and girls soccer were runners-up. u Relay for Life raised a record of more than $280,000 for The American Cancer Society and Open Hands Overflowing Hearts. VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 15

THE GUIDE AROUND TOWN (Yes, we guess you can leave the Hills sometimes.)

AUG. 4-5 Secret Stages Music Discovery Festival Downtown Birmingham AUG. 9 Counting Crows & Matchbox 20 Oak Mountain Amphitheater PHOTO BY KEN GABLES

LITTLE LEAGUE

VULCAN VICTORY The Vestavia Vulcans are about developing their team members both on and off the field—including this 11/12U team. They also have 9U and 8U teams, and they all play in the Greater Birmingham Baseball Association (GBBA). They plan to expand next year. Email VestaviaVulcans@gmail.com for more info.

AUG. 10 Jason Aldean, Chris Young, & Kane Brown Oak Mountain Amphitheater AUG. 10-14 Birmingham Barons vs. Chattanooga AUG. 11 The Princess Bride The Alabama Theatre 7 p.m. AUG. 11-20 Birmingham Restaurant Week AUG. 12 Tig Notaro The Lyric Theatre 8 p.m. AUG. 12 Babypalooza Baby & Maternity Expo BJCC Exhibition Halls 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

PARKS & REC

KEEP ROCKING Keep your eye out for something colorful at McCallum Park off Rocky Ridge Road on Rosemary Lane. Since November, treasure in the form of painted rocks has been hidden around its trees, grass and playground. Melinda Richards Decker and Shelley Davenport Stevens started a Facebook page that outlines how it works. If you find a rock, take it and re-hide it, leave it be, or replace it. When kids paint their own rocks 16 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

with all shapes and patterns (or even Jay Leno’s face), they write these words on it: “Replace or Rehide, You Decide! Post Picture at McCallum Park Rocks” using the Facebook symbol or hashtag. From there the rock hunting, painting and picture posting took off at the park and on the Facebook page. This summer some kids even painted some at vacation Bible school to hide at area parks. To learn more and post your own photos, check out the “McCallum Park Rocks - Vestavia, Alabama Official Group” group on Facebook.

AUG. 13 Gone With The Wind The Alabama Theatre 2 p.m. AUG. 16-20 Birmingham Barons vs. Montgomery AUG. 20 Lyle Lovett The Alabama Theatre 7:30 p.m. AUG. 20 The Southern Bridal Show BJCC Exhibition Halls

THE GUIDE AUG. 22-27 Sidewalk Film Festival Downtown Birmingham AUG. 25-27 Rick and Bubba Outdoor Expo BJCC Exhibition Halls AUG. 26-30 Birmingham Barons vs. Chattanooga SEPT. 7 Lady Antebellum, Kelsey Ballerini, & Brett Young Oak Mountain Amphitheater 7:30 p.m. SEPT. 14-16 St. George Middle Eastern Food Festival St. George Greek-Catholic Milkite Church SEPT. 15 Tedeschi Trucks Band The Alabama Theatre 8 p.m. SEPT. 21-23 Greek Food Festival Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral SEPT. 21-OCT. 1 A Chorus Line Virginia Samford Theatre SEPT. 22 Ballet Hispánico Alys Stephens Center 8 p.m. SEPT. 24 Breakin’ Bread Sloss Furnaces SEPT. 26 Young and the Giant BJCC Concert Hall 7 p.m. SEPT. 30 Irondale Whistle Stop Festival Historic Downtown Irondale SEPT. 30 Fiesta Linn Park

VHHS

GOING FOR GOLD The VHHS Rebelette dance teams took home a gold marks at NDA Elite Dance camp in Guntersville June 25-28. Both JV and varsity got a bid to nationals and superior ratings. JV members Olivia Macoy, Emma Stewart and Riley Richardson, along with varsity members Bradford Stewart, Brooke Tarrant and Corrine Passman were named to the All American team. You go, girls!

LPMS

IN PRINCIPAL Liberty Park Middle School has a new leader at its helm: Principal Tonya Rozell. Most recently she was the assistant principal of Simmons Middle School in Hoover. She also taught in Mountain Brook, Shelby County and Birmingham City systems and holds the title of Birmingham City Schools’ Teacher of the Year from 1995. Simmons highlight: She oversaw a restructuring of the school’s bell schedule to better serve students.

CITY

GOOD GRADES, VESTAVIA Vestavia came in at No. 4 on a list of the 25 safest suburbs in Alabama for 2017. The Niche.com rating gave the city an A+ in public schools and for being good for families, and housing got an A as well. The measurement takes into account indicators of a location’s safety, including violent and property crime rates and resident reviews. VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 17

THE GUIDE

PRIMARY MARK NEW

VHHS

HOW ‘BOUT THAT LOGO? VHHS’s new logos are award winners. Knight Eady took home a silver ADDY award at the 2017 AAF-Birmingham American Advertising Awards in the category of logo design for its branding work for the school. Did you know there’s a whole website devoted to the new logos? Vhbrand.com will tell you the story of Vestavia Hills High breaking off from Berry High in the 1970s and defining themselves as “Rebel”—and how the new logos capture the school’s identity today and in the decades since the school’s start. You can even download social media images and phone backgrounds, too.

This primary mark speaks to the modern era and represents innovation, forward thinking and learning without limits.

PRIMARY MARK TRADITIONAL

This traditional mark got subtle refinements to define geometry, scale and color. Its letters are now slightly wider and slightly less tall.

SECONDARY MARK TRADITIONAL

SECONDARY MARK NEW This mark is a tribute to head football coach Buddy Anderson’s saying, “When you play one Rebel, you play us all.”

These traditional marks are designed to give a nod to the traditions of baseball and softball, mixing established and modern elements.

Share your news! Email submissions to mm@vestaviahillsmagazine.com to be considered for our next issue.

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&CULTURE

ARTS

ABSTRACT IN ALABAMA For artist and interior designer Kendall Boggs, inspiration comes from colors and textures. BY REBECCA CAINE PHOTOS BY MARY FEHR

Light streams in through the windows of Kendall Boggs’ studio, casting a warm glow on the paintings that line the walls, a coffee maker on a small table and a few empty canvases waiting to spring to life with Kendall’s singular gift. The artist beams when she talks about her life in art. Kendall, a Dothan native, UAB alumna and Vestavia Hills resident, can pinpoint the exact moment she decided to become a painter. She was out to dinner with Lynn, her husband of 36 years, and became enthralled with a painting of a goose hung over a fireplace in the restaurant. “I kept looking at it and I kept telling my husband, ‘I could paint something like that. I just know I could,’” Kendall recalls. “He said, ‘Well, you need to.’ And I said, ‘Well, okay. I’ll try.’” In the decade since that dinner Kendall has experienced

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bolstering success—during her debut art show in Georgia, she sold a painting for $1,100. But for Kendall, helping people begin to develop their own art collections and hearing that people enjoy looking at her art is just as important as selling a piece. What sets Kendall apart is her expansive body of work, affordable prices and ability to predict trends in design. The artist, who works mainly in large form watercolors or acrylics, has always described herself as “artsy” and began cultivating an eye for décor during her career as an interior designer while living in Nashville. “The key is not to be too trendy,” Kendall says. “You don’t want to jeopardize the integrity of your art by being so trendy that it’s going to be in a garage sale next week.” Kendall has several signature series patrons can collect—The Church Series, The Angel Series, The Dress Series and The Feather Series—as well as landscapes and

“

There’s a method to the madness. [Abstract art] is some of the most difﬁcult art you will ever paint. You never know when to stop. You over-paint, then you blow the whole thing and then you don’t paint enough. It is just very, very difﬁcult.

”

portraits of animals, all of which surge with fresh perspective and a masterful use of texture in an impressive offering of approachable modern art. Kendall categorizes the Church, Angel and Dress series as “emotional art,” or “art that reminds you of something, maybe something in your past, something spiritual or even something you love to do,” according to her blog. Her latest works are emotional additions to American abstract art inspired by color itself and fashionably classic techniques such as marbling and gold leaf. However, Kendall admits, abstract painting does not come naturally to her. “There’s a method to the madness,” Kendall says with a laugh. “It is some of the most difficult art you will ever paint. You never know when to stop. You over-paint, then you blow the whole thing and then you don’t paint enough. It is just very, very difficult.”

Kendall’s solution to tackling her most abstract works? “A friend of mine who’s a highly trained artist said it takes two people to paint a painting: one to paint it and one to tell you when it’s finished,” she says. “That is such a true statement because you need to know when to step away from the canvas.” Kendall has recruited her children (Jordan, Gregory and Callen), Lynn and fellow painter Lisa Moore to act as her second eye, sending them pictures of current projects when they can’t be in the studio with her. “The key is to have fresh art,” Kendall explains. “Not to ever let something get stagnant.” Throughout the year, the artist travels to shows across the Southeast. This fall you can catch Kendall at the Fall Arbor International Antiques and Interior Design Show in Round Top, Texas, and at St. George’s Independent School Fine Art Show and Sale Artist Market in Memphis. VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 23

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In the spring she travels back to Texas for the Spring Arbor International Antiques and Interior Design Show, and then she’s off to Georgia for the Wesleyan Artist Market in Norcross and the Trinity School’s Spotlight on Art Artists Market in Atlanta. When Kendall isn’t traveling to art shows, she leads workshops from her studio at Artists on the Bluff in Hoover and plays golf and tennis, and she spends time with grandchildren, Evey, 8, Bennett, 6, Cate, 5, (all of whom attend Vestavia Hills Elementary East), and Henry, 2. She also finds time to keep her blog updated with accounts of fun family road trips, do-it-yourself projects and decorating tips. Clearly unafraid to try new avenues for her art, Kendall has embraced different mediums. She has created custom throw pillows, designed unique acrylic frames and explored different matting techniques. Examples of these decorative elements can be seen around her studio. The pillows adorning two indigo armchairs are hand-painted by Kendall with blue interlocking circles inspired by Venn diagrams, a motif that also appears in some of her paintings. These bold forays into new territory make her an exciting addition to the Southern art community and one artist to watch as more people discover this talented painter within our midst. To learn more about Kendall Boggs and her artwork, visit kendallboggsfineart.com.

ARTS & CULTURE

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Russ Maddox

Owner, Birmingham School of Music PHOTO BY EMMA SIMMONS

Russ Maddox’s students have gone on to become band directors, composers for video games, and professional musicians for symphonies and bands. Today you’ll find him at Birmingham School of Music, which he started as a drum school 21 years ago. He also knows his way around Vestavia Hills High School quite well. He’s a 1981 alum, has three kids who graduated in the early 2000s, and was a drum instructor there for nine years, 1996-2005. How did you get into music personally? My grandmother gave me my first drum at age 5, and I literally have been playing drums and percussion since then. When I was 13, I was on the radio for the first time. I have been playing in local cover bands around the Southeast my whole life.

We don’t do the typical annual recital. In fact, we don’t use the word recital. Our student concerts are at Moonlight on the Mountain, a listening venue in Bluff Park. The last time we had a student play Marilyn Manson on guitar, and right after that we had a student play classical guitar, and then a girl got up and sang a Broadway show tune. I always claim that it’s the best How did Birmingham School of Music variety show going on in Birmingham, it’s just put on by kids. get started? In addition to that typical one-on-one Most of the time when you are a musician and your friends find out you private lesson for guitar, piano, drum set, are a musician, it won’t take long for them voice, violin and cello, we also have our to say “Will you teach my child?” In the ensemble lessons in rock, adult vocal, a early ’90s, I started doing a student or cappella, classical guitar, jazz band and two, and the next thing I knew—kind of by musical theater, so students can apply accident—I had 40 students part time in what they are learning. addition to my full-time gig. I quit my corporate gig and became an Can you describe any specific moments entrepreneur, and that was 21 years ago. where you thought, “This is so worth it”? What’s amazing to me is to watch a What might people not know about student who is severely autistic in their the school?

social skills, and then all of a sudden the concert comes and they are a different person. They are moving around and excited to be in front of everyone, and they are singing. It’s amazing. Music has impacted the way they feel about themselves and the way they communicate with others, and it’s given them a purpose. Why is important to study music? Students who study music are smarter kids. The reason is it stimulates them to think and use their brain in a different way, and so it’s contributing to all other aspects to academia. When parents are coming to me to try to juggle their schedule around sports, I am always trying to remind them that music really needs to be considered more valuable than a fun something to do after school because of its academic contributions. If I can share music with other people, I am making their life better because they have music in it. VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 25

READ THIS BOOK

Back-to-School Book Season Recommendations from

Terri Leslie

Adult Services Librarian Library in the Forest

A patron coined the term one year when her kids were going back to school. “It’s book season!” she told Terri Leslie. And it stuck. For that reason, Terri often recommends books this time of year with both broad appeal and depth like the titles below. She gravitates toward reading suspense and nonfiction, so that often shows up in her recommendations. In fact, some library patrons call her the “psycho librarian” because she is so fascinated by how the brain works and by psychopaths.

The Marsh King’s Daughter

By Karen Dionne | Fiction People say they can’t put it down, and I’m still in line to read it. The main character thinks she finally has the life she deserves with her loving husband and two daughters, until an emergency news announcement brings back her past. Her mother had been kidnapped by her father and raised her in a remote cabin in Michigan, where she loved her home in nature but also saw her father’s odd behavior. It’s hard for me to get sucker punched by an ending, but I hope I do on this one.

The Stranger in the Woods

By Michael Finkel | Nonfiction It’s only 160 pages, but it made for one of the best discussions our book group has had. A 20-year-old man, Chris, grew up in Maine and drove to the woods one day and lived there for 30 years. He didn’t have a conversation with anyone for three decades, and he was caught stealing food methodically to stock up for the winter. It was controversial whether he should be prosecuted. Some say he is a modern day Theroux because he loved nature and solitude. He was known as the “Hermit of North Pond,” but he was clean shaven.

The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir

By Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich | True Crime I don’t often recommend true crime, but this one is so well done they are already talking movie rights. The author thought that she was sure of her feelings on the death penalty until she gets caught up in a specific case, and she is surprised about how quickly she starts changing her mind and questioning her own beliefs. It’s a narrative, so it’s almost like reading fiction. It’s a page turner.

The Wonder

By Emma Donoghue | Historical Fiction This novel is set in Ireland just after the potato famine. It sounds so heavy and drab, and in a sense it is. It’s about an 11-year-old girl who says she hasn’t eaten in four months, so they send a nurse to see if she’s a fraud. It’s all tied into Catholicism and ritual and how kids are swayed by what adults tell them. It’s well researched about the Nightingales, and how Florence Nightingale revolutionized the nursing profession. It’s so different from the author’s last book Room, which was made into a movie—it’s a mark of a good writer.

The Snowman

By Jo Nesbo | Fiction This legal police detective procedural is by a Norwegian author. If you like Patricia Cornwell and Lee Child’s detective series, it’s wonderful. The translation is well done. Detective Harry Hole traces the work of a serial killer after a woman disappears, and the only clue to what happened is a pink scarf wrapped around a snowman. Each book in the series grows in popularity, and they are making a movie out of this one with Val Kilmer and Michael Fassbender

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SCHOOL

&SPORTS

REMEMBERING ONE OF OUR OWN The legacy of Andrew Van Long lives on at Vestavia East and beyond. BY REBECCA CAINE PHOTO BY JENNIFER JONES

“I don’t know if Andrew’s story is just about Andrew or just about us. It’s about the whole community and everything people were willing to do for us and willing to help, even if it was big or little.” - Anne Long

PAGES 26 & 27: PHOTOS BY JENNIFER HAGLER

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When people who knew Andrew Van Long think about him, they don’t concentrate on his illness. Instead they remember him for the bright, kind, determined boy he was. “What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose,” Helen Keller writes. “All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” That quote, along with a collage of photos and a Bible verse, was chosen by the Vestavia Hills High School graduating class of 2017 to memorialize Andrew in what would have been his senior yearbook. Shortly after starting second grade at Vestavia Hills Elementary School East, Andrew lost his battle with cancer on Sept. 20, 2007. His memory is preserved through the Andrew Van Long Courage Award, the Andrew Van Long Memorial Track and Field, a mural by Julie Alley and in the hearts of the community that fought alongside him.

Andrew’s mother, Anne, remembers her son as “responsible and spunky,” with the classic characteristics of a first-born child. “He had leadership skills and he wanted to use them,” Anne says. Anne, who has two daughters—Sarah, 16, and Katie, 8— with her husband, Bruce, is quick to avoid putting Andrew on a pedestal, however, pointing out that, like all little boys, he could be stubborn at times. “I like to say he was perfect in all his imperfections,” she says. She helped him channel his stubbornness, she says. “Hopefully, all of those things served him well in his illness,” Anne says. “I think they did, because certainly his illness didn’t break him. He never gave up or got to a point where he just became used to being a sick kid.” Andrew and his best friend Graham Thompson were in Nancy Pearson’s kindergarten class at East. Thompson, a VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 29

PHOTO BY BOB BARKER: In this mural by Julie Alley at East, the child in the light blue shirt on the tree branch who is holding a banner with the school motto, The Golden Rule, represents Andrew. The wall bearing the mural was taken down this summer for remodeling, but this photo by Bob Barker will be hung in the school for the memory to live on.

“

I was the adult, and I was supposed to be teaching [Andrew] all that time. But really in the end, he taught me. He taught me how to live—how to be a good cancer patient. - Nancy Pearson

”

LEFT AND THIS PHOTO: PHOTOS BY JENNIFER HAGLER

freshman in engineering at Vanderbilt University, remembers Andrew’s sense of humor and playing Legos. He regards his friend’s life as, “one of love and [that] shows how the community can come together, but also courage and toughness.” “He’s a hero in my eyes,” Graham says of the “undisputed Uno champion of the world.” Nancy, now retired from teaching and working part-time in reading intervention at East, says Andrew had, “incredible courage, perseverance and maturity all exhibited far beyond his years.” When Nancy found out she had colon cancer in May 2007 and had to undergo radiation, it was Andrew who offered to show her the ropes. “I was the adult, and I was supposed to be teaching him all that time,” says Pearson, who has been cancer-free since her initial treatment. “But really in the end, he taught me. He taught me how to live—how to be a good cancer patient.” VHEE principal Dr. Mark Richardson recalls Andrew being a role model for other children dealing with adversity. “He was very brave,” Mark says. “He didn’t seem to let his physical condition affect his positive attitude.” Every year during May Day Play Day the Andrew Van Long Courage Award is given to a student who has shown bravery and perseverance through a physical hardship. Ten awards have been given out so far, and all the recipients’ names are printed on a plaque next to a picture of Andrew in the school. Under a leafy oak tree on the school’s campus a plaque reads: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” The plaque marks the 2008 dedication of the Andrew Van Long Memorial Track and Field. During the dedication, Graham read a poem and the class released butterflies to honor their friend. Years later at the graduation of the class of 2017, Graham, the class vice president, included Andrew in his speech. The lunchroom mural at East bearing Andrew’s likeness was taken down this summer for remodeling, but photographer Bob Barker was able to capture Julie Alley’s art before it was removed so it can be framed and hung elsewhere in the school. For the Longs, the support of their friends, neighbors and even strangers was valuable and points to the close-knit feel of Vestavia Hills. “I don’t know if Andrew’s story is just about Andrew or just about us,” Anne says. “It’s about the whole community and everything people were willing to do for us and willing to help, even if it was big or little.” Anne says she is excited to see her youngest daughter experience all of the things Andrew loved so much about being a kid in Vestavia and a student at East. “Some of that stuff is still kind of timeless,” Anne says, thinking of May Day Play Day, the Kids Mercedes Marathon and walking Katie into the school where her big brother left such a lasting impression. VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 31

SCHOOLS & SPORTS

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Steve Bendall

VHHS Football Broadcaster PHOTO BY HANNAH BRAWLEY

Steve Bendall’s buddy calls him “The Voice of the Rebels.” After all, he’s been providing commentary for Vestavia High School football game broadcasts for the past 18 years. He and Snapper Lancaster started it up nearly two decades ago, and it’s supposedly the longest running broadcast for high school football in the state. Steve, a 1982 VHHS grad himself, and his wife have two daughters. Emily graduated in 2017, and Elizabeth, a cheerleader, is a junior at VHHS. He’s also a new Board of Education member.

How has the VHHS football broadcast evolved? Now the broadcast is totally live online, whereas before we recorded and uploaded on a local cable channel. We’d play a game on Friday night, and kids on the team were having breakfast parties at their houses the morning after to watch the replay. What is it like today? We have a great team: John Virciglio, Roger Jackson and Steven Gill. We try to do a good job at personalizing the broadcast. It’s a whole lot easier now because the boys who are playing now I have watched grow up from kindergarten. I know the parents, I know the kids. I can have fun with it, and I can tell embarrassing stories sometime soon.

the team so many years? Any time you can beat Hoover is special. When we beat them in the playoffs, it’s even sweeter. It’s the Iron Bowl of high school football around here. To me every season is unique and special because it’s a whole new group of kids. You enjoy watching how they develop as a team, how far they can go, the sportsmanship, the camaraderie. Watching some of the guys go on and play at the next level is always fun, and now I see some kids whose dads I coached at UAB.

What’s it like in the press box during the games? It’s a whole lot of fun. You’re not getting an ESPN broadcast with us. We are local guys. Roger and Steven played ball at Vestavia. We do it with a home team spin What are some highlights from following on it. People will say I’m very animated 32 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

during the broadcast. I jump out of the chair, my arms flail. I’m there. I want the helmet and pads on. That’s my mentality. Who watches the broadcast now? We have parents, grandparents and people who are handicapped who can’t make it to the school who go online and watch the broadcast. Now you can access us through our smartphones, so you can be sitting in the stadium and see and hear our broadcast. You can watch it later too, which is what a lot of the players’ families do. Cheer parents and band parents watch it too. We will throw them a shout out on the broadcast to people in the military overseas. To watch the VHHS football broadcast, visit nfhsnetwork.com and type in “Vestavia Hills High School.”

&DRINK

FOOD

TWO IF BY SEA

Bistro V Chef Jeremy Downeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senses come alive with Alabama veggies and Gulf seafood of his childhood. BY ANGIE BROWN PHOTOS BY MEGAN TSANG

The best seat in Bistro V is perhaps the chef’s counter. There, Chef Jeremy Downey will talk shop with you on how to best grill fish while he prepares your plate. For him, the restaurant is about the people as much as the food. “We have an open kitchen where people talk to you and give you a hug,” Jeremy says. “At least half the people who come in are people I know. It makes it a nice, friendly atmosphere…I like being part of their life. It means a lot. Food is about family anyways. That’s why people gather around the table, for the camaraderie and fellowship. That’s what drew me to it—it always felt good to cook and eat and talk.” Growing up in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, Jeremy spent part of his teenage years working in seafood factories, unloading and unpacking shrimp, gaining firsthand knowledge of the industry. He played football at the University of Alabama from 1992-1996, but he didn’t go to school to be a chef. He started at the bottom of restaurants and worked his way up, training from Tuscaloosa to California and Washington D.C., and finally, Birmingham, where he worked at Bottega and City Hall Diner before opening Bistro V seven years ago. “I was a kitchen rat that was all over the country learning and picking up my trade as I went along,” he says. “I enjoyed all the ins and outs of the kitchen. I liked the people, the vibe in there. I still do. I love hanging out with the kitchen guys—I’ve always loved being a kitchen guy.” 34 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

And that kitchen guy has produced a menu at Bistro V full of local favorites. From the popular Fish of the Day to the Fried Oyster Salad or their staples of Shrimp and Grits to pasta dishes like Gulf Crab Ravioli, the restaurant’s mainstay plates keep the regulars coming back and entice in new people too. Other popular plates include Seafood Bisque, Fresh Pea Succotash with Grouper, and the Risotto of the Day. Customers start asking for the seasonal Farmer’s Market Salad, a summer dish of fried okra and fresh peas, tomatoes and corn, in March because they miss the plate so much when it’s out of season.

MEET CHEF JEREMY DOWNEY GO-TO SEAFOOD: Oysters. I have good memories of my childhood with my dad catching them and feeding them to me after opening them. KITCHEN INSPIRATION: It’s the product for me. Just seeing it, I get excited. Also memories — something my mom made, remembering how it tasted. FAVORITE DISH: Always the Fish of the Day. FAVORITE COCKTAIL: I love a nice white burgundy — a Chablis and good piece of fish. If I was sitting down and having a meal at Bistro V, I would lean toward that and go from there, and my day would be a beautiful day.

Habersham STACK

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

• Habersham Farms heirloom tomatoes* • Fresh mozzarella Ovolini • English cucumbers, peeled, sliced and halved • Basil, chiffonade** • Sherry vinaigrette

Cut thick slices of heirloom tomatoes. Slice the mozzarella with the same thickness as the tomato slices. Layer the tomato and mozzarella into a stack. Toss the basil and cucumber in sherry vinaigrette and pour over the tomato and mozzarella stack.

*Bistro V likes to use any color of heirlooms available. **For this slicing technique, stack basil leaves, roll them up length-wise and slice the roll into thin strips.

Produce is at its peak in the summer, says Chef Jeremy Downey. Since the restaurant works with lots of local farmers, they have an abundance of fresh vegetables coming in and fueling their dishes like this tomato salad.

Jeremy’s biggest inspiration for cooking comes from the product itself as well as creating new takes on favorite dishes from the past. “If you have any memories of summers in Alabama, all your senses come alive. You can smell the tomatoes and corn in the air. The hotter it gets, the tomato season is about to hit. I’m heavy into vegetables and seafood, that’s what we do really well at Bistro V. We also do meats well, but seafood’s the draw. It always will be. I’m proud of that. I’m a Bayou guy—got to respect the history.” He also does a lot of “spinning on Mediterranean and southern food” for his dishes, he says. And locals love it, says Co-Owner and General Manager Emily Tuttle-Shell, who lives close by in Homewood, as does Co-Owner Jeremy, noting that not only does the 36 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

restaurant draw the Vestavia community, but also surrounding neighborhoods like Hoover, Homewood and Mountain Brook. “We are just happy to serve people,” Emily says. “We are happy to have the opportunity to make someone’s day, make someone’s birthday, make someone’s Tuesday. We’re happy and grateful that we can do what we love, and someone can enjoy it. That’s the best part of our job, I would say.” Bistro V is located at 521 Montgomery Highway and open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m., and closed on Sunday. Find out more at bistro-v. com or call the restaurant at 823-1505.

Stray BULLEIT FOODBAR

PHOTO BY EMMA SIMMONS

Luke Hampton’s first kumquat encounter left him determined to incorporate the tart and tangy citrus into a signature cocktail. The FoodBar mixologist’s experiments yielded positively tropical results. An exotic take on a whiskey sour, the Stray Bulleit is the perfect libation to wind down with on a late summer evening.

WHAT’S IN IT

• 1.5 ounces Bulleit bourbon • 4 ounces lemon-lime sour mix • Homemade kumquat syrup • Splash of cherry juice • Brandy cherries, for garnish

FOOD & DRINK

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Jennifer Yarbrough Crestline Bagel

PHOTO BY HANNAH BRAWLEY

Alabama’s second ever New York-style bagel bakery will open its doors in Cahaba Heights this fall. To get a taste of what the new Crestline Bagel will offer, we talked with Jennifer Yarbrough, who has owned the original Crestline Village location with her husband, Ralph, for a decade. The ETA for opening is November. What should a newbie know about Crestline Bagel and your new space in Cahaba Heights? We are more than a bagel store, but bagels symbolize who we are and our attention to detail. We are a full bakery and make our breads, granola and bakery goods. We serve signature sandwiches, salads, paninis—and a lot of coffee. We use a custom coffee blend of H.C. Valentine, which is what Highlands and Hot and Hot use. We will have a whole block on the corner of Crosshaven Drive and Ridgely Drive. We tried really hard to make it blend into the neighborhood and will have residential doors and windows. The outdoor dining area will open into Leaf & Petal, and on the other side of that will be Becky Satterfield’s new Latin American concept. We might have an event space in the greenhouse in Leaf & Petal. 38 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

What should we order? At breakfast the eggwich is most popular. It’s our breakfast sandwich on a bagel with egg and your choice of meat and cheese—we are very customizable. All our lunch sandwiches get ordered petty routinely, and a lot of people make their own. We have 16 flavors of bagels, and we have a pumpkin spice in the fall and a cranberry-orange in December. We also have 10 different cream cheeses that vary by season—cucumber dill, pumpkin, cookies and cream, eggnog, pepper jelly. What makes a bagel a Crestline Bagel? Our bakers get there around midnight to bake for the next morning. Bagels come out of a cooler where they have been proofing and get boiled and baked. We are the only New York-style bagel and Kosher bakery in the state.

What are your family’s favorite things to eat? We are an everything bagel family. My kids eat them, my husband eats them, we make sandwiches on them. Our salted chocolate granola is a second family favorite. We eat it plain or sprinkle it over plain Greek yogurt. What drew you to this location? We spent 10 years living in the area and felt like it is on the fringe in our customer base. It’s a growing area where we’d seen a lot of change in, and we think it’s underserved as far as food is concerned. We have a central kitchen already in Vestavia where we slice our meats and cheeses, make our chicken salad and pimiento cheese, and run our catering. We have limited space, so only our bagels and bread are currently made in Crestline. The city has been great to work with and seems to have a great growth plan in that area.

&STYLE

HOME

ALL ABOUT THE ACCENTS Open the door of this English cottage-style exterior to ďŹ nd pops of modern and traditional design. BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY LAUREN USTAD VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 39

HOME & STYLE

Kelli Threadcraft knew she wanted an English cottage look. She knew she wanted lots of outdoor sitting areas. She knew she wanted a large open family room and kitchen with a clean, modern look. So when she and her husband, Joshua, found a rare undeveloped lot in Vestavia Hills, her creative vision started to come into being. After 11 months of tweaking a plan with architect Joe Ellis, that’s what she got—and then some. Traditional English details set the tone on the home’s exterior, with dovecote-style square holes at the tops of the eaves. Cedar shank shingles and a cedar ceiling on the terrace accent the painted cream brink. Inside the home Kelli and interior designer Lisa Flake set out to add a wow factor to every room. “She’s more modern, I’m more traditional, and this was a perfect collaboration,” Kelli says of Lisa. For instance, the white table, hot pink chair and art in the entryway are more modern, while the living room furnishings trend more

40 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

transitional between that and traditional looks. At the outset of the project, Kelli’s notebook of magazine clippings was thick, with ideas for everything down to the cabinet hardware, appliances and faucets that she brought to life in the house. She furnished the main living areas upon move-in, but in other areas she waited to make decisions on furnishings until she had a better feel for the space from living in it. They waited, for example, to decide on the blue stone that lines their screened-in porch floor until after breaking it in. Kelli also left some open spaces in the house as blank decorating canvases for future projects. She’s currently working on transitioning her kids’ upstairs playroom into more of a kid and teen living space, and both the basement and a bonus room above the garage are still unfinished. The family loves both their space and its location and sees it being their forever home. “You feel like you’re away from everything, but you’re so close to everything,” Kelli says.

Powder Room The ďŹ&#x201A;ourished wallpaper is the statement maker of this space. Because the room is so small, the ďŹ&#x201A;oating copper sink and wall-mount faucet were carefully thought out.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 41

HOME & STYLE

Screened-In Porch This isn’t just a porch, it’s an outdoor room where the Threadcrafts live a lot of life. They like to watch TV after school and hang after dinner on the Restoration Hardware outdoor wicker beneath the cathedral ceiling. Both the fireplace and their restaurant-style heat lamps extend porch season, too. No matter the time of year, there are no mosquitos to be found.

“

[Interior designer Lisa Flake] is more modern, I’m more traditional, and this was a perfect collaboration.

42 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

-Kelli Threadcraft

”

Girls Rooms The two Threadcraft girls picked the colors for their rooms. Lynley, now 12 years, chose pink and turquoise, and Kate, 9, chose lime green. Turquoise paper mache lamps from Stray Dog Designs add pops of color to Lynleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bedside table. All the bedroom walls are white to create a clean look, with durable seagrass in place of carpet for flooring to break up the hardwoods.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 43

Master Bedroom Clean lines and calming neutral colors make this space an oasis for Kelli and Joshua. The 10-foot ceilings make rooms feel bigger, along with an oversized floor-to-ceiling mirror on wall adjacent to the bed. The high ceilings also allowed them to create a floor-to-ceiling marble shower in the master bathroom.

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Dining Room This statement room started with a spunky burl wood table from Kellum & Company. From there, Lisa had the idea for the wall of grey velour fabric to warm up the room with a gold mirror to soften it. The velour carries over into throw pillows on the more traditional dining chairs. It took a while for Kelli to find just the right chandelier for the space, but when she stumbled upon this round golden beauty, she knew it was the one. The room opens up to the house’s front terrace with a window in center and a door on either side.

Den Beams of barn wood from Pennsylvania accent the vaulted ceiling of the Threadcrafts’ primary living space, which is open to the kitchen behind it. A Schumacher charcoal fabric is the base for the look Kelli had envisioned with turquoise pillows to pull from the bell jars in the kitchen. “I wanted it to be very airy and neutral and not have a lot of color,” she says. On the second floor of the living room, pocket doors from the upstairs playroom open up with rod iron railing that gives it a balcony-like feel.

Kitchen Literally every kitchen idea Kelli had saved was white, and a white kitchen she got. But really the design started with the turquoise bell jars—Kelli’s favorite color—and they became the inspiration for pops of color in the den too. A glass subway backsplash lines the wall behind the gas range, and tan tongue and groove ceiling and stainless appliances complement the clean white look. They used the biggest slab of marble they could find to make the island—the Threadcraft kids’ favorite homework spot. Not pictured: The butler’s pantry houses a wine refrigerator and drink refrigerator along with lots of storage space. VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 45

P R E S E N T E D

B Y

BBGARDENS.ORG/ANTIQUES OR 205.414.3950 BIRMINGHAMBOTANICALGARDENS

BBGARDENS

PROVIDING FREE SCIENCE EDUCATION AT BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS

Entryway This white console from Richard Tubb Interiors is accented with other pieces in similar hues. To add pops of color, a set of three pieces from Rebecca Fulmer, who shows her work at Gallery 1930 in English Village, hangs above a hot pink plush chair across from this white vignette.

BEHIND THE SCENES Architect: Joe Ellis, DWELLing Architecture Contractor: Twin Construction Interiors: Lisa Flake, Caldwell Flake Interiors Outdoor Lighting: Architectural Heritage Cabinets: Cantley & Company Select Furnishings: Richard Tubb Interiors 46 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

HOME & STYLE

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Melanie Harrison Melanie’s Upscale Consignment PHOTO BY EMMA SIMMONS

Melanie Harrison had been shopping at Renaissance Consignment in Greystone for almost a decade when she heard they were closing. Just a few months later, she is taking over their customer base with a similar high-end consignment shop on Cahaba River Road, set to open Sept. 6. Melanie’s Upscale Consignment’s 2,800 square feet will even feature some of the light fixtures from Renaissance. How did you first get interested in the consignment business? Everyone used to call my mother the Yard Sale Queen. She believed in cleaning out and refreshing. I always went yard sale-ing and thrift store and consignment shopping with her. I am a thrifty shopper, so I like to get a great deal for a great dollar. I wanted to have quality items that women otherwise couldn’t afford but that they deserve.

very nice quality gowns at a quarter of the cost. We have a local bridal shop that will consign with us also. We had a lot of requests for maternity and for men’s, and so we will have a small section for each. We will be choosy about the men’s clothing and shoes we are taking in. I think there will be a market for it.

What will your selection be like? We have long list of brands we will not take and brands we take. We look for brand What’s unique about what Melanie’s will and quality; it can have no stains, tears, snags, nothing. It’s in perfect condition offer? We are going to be very picky about what when we take it in. We take a lot of Couture we take: quality, brands, conditions. We and Chico’s. We are taking Badgley Mischka want it to have a very upscale feel. We will and Louis Vuitton bags, as well as high-end have space to have a cup of coffee and shop shoes. I’ll be letting local boutiques know they can consign their items too. with ease. The thing that sets us apart from other consignment stores is our formal, pageant and bridal offerings. I have a vendor that gets a lot of gowns from Barcelona, Spain—

How does your interest in fashion play out in your work? I like to look nice. When I look nice, I feel

better, and I love making other people feel good when they try on things. I used to model, so I am very in tune to people’s bodies and how they feel. If they are hesitant about something, I’m quick to suggest something else. I really get to know who they are and what they are looking for. Why did you choose your store’s location? We’re at 4851 Cahaba River Road, right across from the fire department in the same shopping center Uptown Nails and Muse Salon. We chose the spot because it’s so up and coming there. Probably 80 percent of people we told about at Renaissance said that location was more convenient for them anyway. Melanie’s is taking consignments in July and August by appointment only. For more information, call 205-572-0336 or email melaniesupscale@gmail.com. VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 47

IN STYLE

DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T BLUSH

Wear it into fall! By Jessica Clement Photos by Lauren Ustad

1. PEACH TIE RUFFLE ROMPER BY NEW FRIENDS COLONY This darling romper can be worn to a summer concert or paired with a jean jacket or long cardigan for fall. Mia Moda | $69

2. TOBIN BLUSH BOOTIE

LOOK 1 1

Transition into fall with these booties. The blush color allows for them to be worn with just about everything! Serendipity Boutique | $39

3. ROSE GRAY ROADIE BY VOORAY This tote was made for your life on the go with a fun rose pattern to boot. True40 Birmingham | $35

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LOOK 2

1. RUST DIP DYED DRESS BY MONORENO Add lace-up sandals to this casual-chic dress for brunch with the girls or strappy nude heels for happy hour. Mia Moda | $39

2. ORANGE TRI-COLOR DROPEARRINGS Fun up any outfit with this set of color on your ears. Serendipity Boutique | $24

3. ORLEANS ROSE GOLD SUNGLASSES BY KREWE

The best accessory to any outfit is sunglasses. These rose-gold Orleans-style glasses by Krewe come with a lifetime warranty. Manhattan South | $295

4. ZIPPER BEADED CLUTCH Add a little glam to any outfit with this beautifully beaded clutch. The Clothes Tree by Deborah | $120

Life and style blogger Jessica Clement of White Oak & Ivy covers how to live stylishly with local fashion and decor.

ACCESSORIZE 1. REFLECTIONS BRACELET IN ROSE GOLD BY NATIVE GEM

2. LINES RING IN ROSE GOLD BY NATIVE GEM

Wear this bracelet alone or stack several together. The rose gold setting can be worn all year long. Manhattan South | $95 (with 40% off)

The linear-style of these stackable rings will highlight any ensemble. Wear one or two for a minimalistic look or all of them for more drama. Manhattan South | $110

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 49

S A E

E R U

R T

What is setting up for an estate sale really like? Answer: Moving a whole house in a week while creating a retail sale and studying the human conditionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and turning up prize ďŹ nds while you are at it. By Madoline Markham Photos by Megan Tsang

50 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

N U H

G N TI

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 51

Kenneth Bryant has one hard and fast rule for his estate sale clients: Do not throw anything away. Do not give anything away. What about those Sears catalogues from the 1940s and ’50s? They could be worth something. A cross-stitch covered pillow? That too. You have to look at it with a trained eye. How about that simple white vase you thought your brother painted? It could be Rickwood that will sell for $1,200 to the first person in the door. And what about those old sneakers? If they are first edition Air Jordans, they can be work up to $10,000. (Kenneth hasn’t actually found any Air Jordans in estate sales, but they certainly are looking out for them.) The estate sale business isn’t your typical retail gig, Kenneth and his business partner David Morrison will tell you. “I say it’s a cross between a moving business and a circus,” David says, with Kenneth laughing behind him.

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Bryant Estate Sales sets up sales in homes like this one each week.

“And we are the ring masters.” A typical house has between 2,000-3,000 items in it, and in one week the Bryant Estate Sales team goes in and arranges, categorizes, prices, photographs, wraps and hopefully sells every single one of them. That’s moving an entire house in one week flat. “We go from a full house to an echo in seven days,” Kenneth says. And yes, they will tell you, that takes a lot of horsepower. But when they really light up is talking about finding surprises—like a salesman sample plough from latter part of the 1800s. It sold for $3,500 online. Another time it was a mint condition 1960s dune buggy under a pile of junk in a basement in Ensley. A man from Washington state paid $7,700 for it and flew out his mechanic to bring it back. “That’s what keeps it interesting—it’s the unknown, the funky things,” David says. The Bryant team usually gets into a house on a Monday

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“[AN ESTATE SALE IS] A REFLECTION OF THAT PERSON. IT’S THEIR LAST STATEMENT. THIS IS THEIR LAST SOCIAL FUNCTION, RIGHT HERE. THIS IS IT.”

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and gets to work, going through everything from the attic to the basement, every drawer and every closet. “You are getting rid of minimal value items because people can’t see a forest through the trees,” David says. “If you have a pile of stuff, you can’t see that $500 item because it’s surrounded by a $1 item. It’s a matter of decluttering and boiling it down to sellable merchandise that tells a story. They want to see the quality items, the good stuff. It’s not a garage sale.” And believe them, there is a lot of unsellable stuff in this world. They haul it out of houses every week. Next comes the transformation from a home to a retail space. They bring in tables with table cloths, clean and take care of minor repairs on items. Customers want to see an item ready to go, not as a project to take home. There’s an art to how they set things up, too. You don’t just throw items on at table. You create vignettes to stage them, showing off ways customers might decorate their own homes. Each room should entice customers to look at its items and then move on to the next. “You take all of the stuff in the house out of a lived-in perspective and into a marketing perspective,” Kenneth

says. “And there is a way to do it. After years and years of doing it, you see what works and what doesn’t.” Fine china and stemware go in the front rooms, fine artwork in your most well-lit rooms. More personal items are kept on display in bedrooms. Often books are left on shelves. “You can see the books they liked, what their beliefs were,” David says. “You can tell a lot about someone based on their bookshelf,” Kenneth says. Then comes the greatest amount of frenzy of the week. When Kenneth and David arrive at a sale at 8 a.m. on a Saturday, someone usually has already started a list of who has arrived and what times they got there. From there the Bryant team passes out numbers, and upwards of 100 people are lined up by the 10 a.m. opening time. Usually 200-400 people will visit the home during the five-hour sale window. When they open the door, it’s the “running of the bulls,” David will tell you, “organized chaos,” Kenneth says. Today they post photos David takes of all the sale items in advance online, so many customers have already made decisions about what they want to buy. Most collectors VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 55

“

I say it’s a cross between a moving business and a circus, and we are the ring masters.

”

David Morrison and Kenneth Bryant of Bryant Estate Sales are experts at transforming a home into a sale.

usually have a narrow focus on something like china they are looking for. They are running a business, yes, but Kenneth and David also recognize the goods are more than just stuff. ”It’s a reflection of that person. It’s their last statement,” Kenneth says. “Neighbors come and want a piece to remember them by. It’s part of that closure. This is their last social function, right here. This is it.” David recalls doing a sale for a woman who hoarded things from the 1920s and ’30s. In the end, what was set out for sale was worth five times what the house was. “When her daughter saw the sale, she just bawled. She said, ‘That’s what Mom saw,’” David says. “Her brothers had told her to bulldoze the house, but to her this was closure. She was thrilled.” Sometimes the preparation process for a sale is a matter of walking through someone’s life, particularly if they don’t have an heir. “It’s like someone left and never came home. You find everything,” Kenneth says. “You see where they served in World War II with their dog tags and letters home 56 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

and ration stamps for sugar and bread. You see the next step where they went to work at the iron factory with their service pins, and then they retired and started fishing. You walk through someone’s life and see them in a different light and what was important to them, what they cherished the most. It’s a unique perspective. Sometimes it’s sad, sometimes it’s really groovy.” Kenneth actually started his professional life as an accountant, but he’d almost minored in World War II history in college and spent his weekends going to yard sales and estate sales looking for WWII canteens and memorabilia. That was around the time eBay was getting going, and he quickly learned he could also sell what he was finding. “When I replaced my income as an accountant buying and selling junk, I figured I had a niche,” he says. And before long he’d made a 15-year career in estate sales. Today his business is based out of his Liberty Park home, but most of his time is spent in homes prepping for sales with David—a lifelong collector and former graphic

HOW TO SHOP A SALE BUY WHAT YOU LIKE. Most of the time it’s reasonably priced.

SHOP AROUND. Go to a few sales to find what you want. Don’t buy something just because. STUDY WHAT YOU ARE AFTER. Look around on estatesales.net to get a feel for the market and on eBay under sold prices to get an idea of what things go for.

designer and illustrator for Southern Progress Corporation. Not surprisingly, the duo first met at a garage sale. They run one to two sales every weekend and often will only take two or three off days every six months. And yet they still go to sales themselves in all their spare time. “It’s an adrenaline rush,” David says. “There’s nothing like it,” Kenneth says. To learn more about David and Kenneth’s work, visit bryantestatesales.com.

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University Rethought Next steps for students with developmental disabilities look a lot like Unless U. And it all started with one womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision. By Emma Simmons | Photos by Mary Fehr

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Lindy Cleveland, right, founded Unless U. Her husband, Mitch, left, is an inclusion specialist at Liberty Park Middle School.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 59

through the lens of their disability, but rather through what they offer the community,” the organization’s vision statement reads. Unlike workforce readiness or recreational-based programs for people with special needs, the Unless U curriculum caters to the “whole person” through an equal focus on students’ academic, social and spiritual wellbeing. Unless U’s spiritual component, low student-teacher ratio (1:5) and lack of graduation date are uncommon among similar programs. Unless U occupies four classrooms at Shades Mountain Baptist, each specific to a different subject: life skills, social skills, math, reading and Bible study. Lead instructors teach one subject four times each day, modifying the lesson to meet the needs of individuals in each particular group. Most of Unless U’s educators are retired special education teachers, stay-at-home moms with teaching degrees who are looking for something part-time or people FILLING A GAP IN THE COMMUNITY who are personally familiar with special education. Lindy’s husband, Mitch, an inclusion specialist at Unless U serves adults with developmental disabilities like Jordan, and their families, through continuing Liberty Park Middle School says he’s “extremely proud” of education curriculum centered on academics, life and his wife for continuing the efforts of special educators post social skills, and ministry. “Unless U envisions a world high school. “As a special educator, this is really exciting to where adults with developmental disabilities are not seen have for students after high school,” Mitch says. “She’s In typical younger-brother fashion, Jordan Decker wanted to follow in the footsteps of his role model and older brother, Josh. Eighteen-year-old Jordan would tell everyone he was going to college, just like Josh. Several years later, as his parents moved his younger sister Lindy into her Samford University dorm room, Jordan, then 24, again announced his plans to attend college. “It broke my heart,” Lindy says. “I knew that Jordan and his many friends all wanted to experience the ‘next steps’ in life, just like everyone else.” Today though, Jordan attends Unless U—a school whose name is a collegiate spin on a quote from Doctor Seuss’ The Lorax: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Who made this opportunity possible? That would be his sister, Lindy Cleveland, Unless U’s founder and executive director.

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GET INVOLVED WITH UNLESS U VOLUNTEER Email Lindy Cleveland at director@unlessu.org to see how you can help. SHOP Shop ‘til you drop at the nonprofit’s main fundraiser, the Unless U Shop, held right before Mother’s Day in the Vestavia Hills Civic Center. APPLY Unless U is hiring in the fall. Contact Lindy Cleveland for more details. INTERN College students can partner with Unless U to earn school credit. STAY TUNED Follow Unless U on Facebook and Instagram @unless_u to see what the students are up to.

assembled a phenomenal staff here.” Unless U students beam with admiration for their teachers, viewing them more as friends than instructors. But there’s something else about the school environment that students appreciate the most. “Unless U provides [my son] Malone the opportunity to develop relationships with old friends and make new ones,” parent Becky Morgan says. “He also enjoys learning about current events, life skills and education…Malone considers his Unless U attendance as his own personal ‘college experience.’”

THE ROAD TO THE U Lindy’s involvement with the special needs community is no recent undertaking. As a teenager, she worked in special needs classrooms and with local organizations like Down Syndrome Alabama. These roles equipped Lindy with the skillset to start her own event, which she brought to life during her sophomore year of college. To fundraise for the UAB Down Syndrome Clinic, Lindy launched Dance 4 Down Syndrome (D4D). D4D gives young adults with special needs a taste of the college experience through a night of dancing with their peers on Samford’s campus. This event, which is now held annually, elicited a strong response from the participants, eager for

more chances to socialize in a college atmosphere. “The whole reason I started Dance 4 Down Syndrome is to bring awareness to the fact that these are just people,” Lindy says. “It’s a night for people to interact with those who are different from them.” As she brainstormed ways to recreate the success of D4D, Lindy also began to reevaluate her decision to major in elementary education/special education. “I knew that I wanted to work in the nonprofit world, so when I changed my major I had this realization: I want to start a continuing education program for families when their children [with special needs] age out of high school. What’s the best route to get me there?” Through her new major in human development and family life education, Lindy was able to customize her studies, focusing her research on the special needs population. Her senior project required her to build a mock nonprofit, complete with a funding plan. “I told my professor, ‘This isn’t just a project for me. I really want to do this,’” she recalls. During her time at Samford, Lindy worked relentlessly with her family and professors to make her vision a reality. The Unless U pilot program operated out of her parents’ Vestavia Hills home, starting off with four students she tenderly branded her “founding fathers.” Lindy realized VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 61

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH NANCE

“

The community is backing this, and parents are giving too. That’s why it was so successful, so clearly, it’s for the cause. - Mitch Cleveland

the organization would require more community support before finding a more permanent home. So after months of fine-tuning the curriculum and hunting for a bigger location, Lindy took a gamble by asking her church, Shades Mountain Baptist, if it would consider leasing space to the new nonprofit. “What the church did for us, providing the space, is the only way we could be where we are today,” she says. “They’ve been incredibly gracious and supportive, and there’s no way we could have done this without their help.” Agreeing to host the nonprofit for as long as necessary, Shades Mountain Baptist laid the foundation for its opening day and ribbon cutting ceremony in November 2014. “In that moment I realized that all the years of praying, planning and preparing had materialized into this victorious moment in time, and Unless U became a reality that day,” Lindy recalls. 62 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

”

A COMMUNITY CAUSE

In just two years, Unless U matured from a small group of 10 to four classrooms full of nearly 50 students total. Lindy doesn’t want to have to turn anyone away, but she says soon she’ll have to. “We’re at the point where we’re capping our growth if we stay here much longer, and we want to continue to be able to meet this need,” she says. Where will the organization go when they outgrow their space at Shades Mountain? They’d certainly like to stay nearby. “We feel like Vestavia really adopted us in this season and made our cause their cause,” Lindy says. The support that validates their desire to stay over the mountain comes from local high school students. In fall of 2016, the Vestavia Hills High School SGA selected Unless U as the beneficiary of the school’s fall fundraisers like BBQ the Bucs and the Homecoming King contest.

WEDDING AND LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHER

“I CAME ALIVE WHEN I STARTED LOVING YOU.” - C.S. LEWIS

Lindy Cleveland started Unless U as a part of her studies at Samford University.

In just one semester, the students raised over $50,000, more than twice the amount raised the previous year. Mitch says he’s never been more proud to call Vestavia Hills High School his alma mater. “The community is backing this, and parents are giving too,” Mitch says. “That’s why it was so successful, so clearly it’s for the cause.” Lindy says they’ve never felt more welcomed in the city than when the high school presented the nonprofit with its largest donation to date. “There are no words for all that Vestavia did for us,” she says. “They have set us up for success in a way that we never dreamed possible.” Though her ultimate vision for Unless U extends beyond Vestavia Hills, Lindy believes the nonprofit should remain a local venture, given the area’s enthusiastic support from the start. Unless U is working to find its next home, but the first chapter of its story will remain the same—a sister who cared a whole awful lot to bring a vision to life amongst the hills.

W W W . M E G A N T S A N G . C O M

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Mayor Ashley Curry hands keys over to Roderick Johnson, who received a car from the ministry.

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Keys to a New Life

Who gives a car away? Those who see a need for it—the VHUMC Car Ministry. By Angie Brown Photos by Jennifer Jones

It all started on a rainy, cold day in 2010. Ashley Curry, currently Vestavia Hills’ mayor, was driving on Highway 31 when he saw a gentleman walking alongside the road in the rain. Curry stopped and gave him a ride, and the idea for what would ultimately become the Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church Car Ministry was born. Curry, who has been a member of VHUMC since 1980, told his Sunday school class about the man, who turned out to be homeless, and the members decided to come together to help him find lodging and employment. Once the gentleman had lodging and got a job, he needed reliable transportation to get there, so the class donated around $500 to buy him a car. “I think the best way to think about it is to put yourself in the position of the person. If you didn’t have personal transportation and were at the mercy of mass transit in our area,” Curry says, “you’d have a very hard time getting around.” Seven years later, what started with one person and one car has now turned into a full-fledged budget item at the church. Just last year alone, the VHUMC Car Ministry placed and repaired 38 cars for people in need across the Birmingham area. As of July 2017, they had already placed and/or

repaired 20. For around 12 church members, Thursdays are “Car Ministry Thursdays” where they work to match cars with needs. Volunteer Judy Meyer has been serving for two and a half years now. “I cannot even tell you how many thank you notes and phone calls have come in—what’s now happening in the family’s life because of that car,” Meyer says. “One gentleman was finally able to visit his mother he hadn’t seen.” The car ministry receives referrals from area churches and agencies for people who need transportation in order to get to a job. The potential recipients fill out an application, which requires a $20 application fee, and the application goes into a queue of generally around 30 people at any given time who are waiting for a car. It can take six months to a year to receive a vehicle depending on the needs of the individual. But for those involved, it’s about far more than a process. “We really witness God’s hand at work in all of this,” says Rachael Hayes, VHUMC missions coordinator. “We are just the hands and feet. His hands are in it in ways we can’t even imagine.” The ministry relies on donations (often church VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 65

VHUMC Car Ministry team members. Front row: Don Hire, Jim Miller and Rachael Hayes. Back row: Donald Harwell, David Harwell and Ashley Curry. Team members not pictured are Judy Meyer, Dan Langford, Rick Dunphy, Charles Murrell and Jim Frazier.

members will donate used vehicles or give monetary donations) or will purchase used cars from surrounding auto repair shops or The Foundry Ministries since they have worked with some people in The Foundry’s program. And 100 percent of funds donated to the ministry goes straight to getting a car. The Car Ministry also works with three auto repair shops and owners to identify reliable used cars for the ministry to purchase, assess the condition of purchased and donated vehicles to determine if they will be reliable cars, and make repairs if needed. “They all give us honest assessments, do good work, and are all Christian people who support the ministry and will back up their work,” 66 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

Curry says. Mike Busenlehner, owner of Vestavia Auto Service since 1996, has been working with the ministry since it started. He says his shop determines if the cars are in decent shape or what repairs they might need, and Curry notes Busenlehner has been very helpful in repairing and finding vehicles for the ministry. Second generation auto repair shop owner Sandy Pool, of RSP Enterprises in Pelham, will often come across cars customers want to sell and refer them to the ministry, and the ministry has made purchases through him. (Pool’s dad actually owned a shop in Vestavia from 1957 to 2002, as did Sandy from 2007 to 2012—and Sandy was also a member of VHUMC at one time).

ONE MAN’S STORY “Who gives a car away?” says Roderick Johnson, describing how he felt when he first learned of the VHUMC Car Ministry. Since moving to Birmingham in 2013, Roderick had found himself routinely riding the bus. In order to get to an appointment downtown, depending on where he was coming from, he would sometimes have to walk almost a mile to the bus stop, wait anywhere from around 20 to 45 minutes, sometimes in the hot sun and sometimes in the freezing cold, and then take two more transfers in order to get downtown and on the trolley. In short, one appointment could take up most of his day. Then he met Ashley Curry and learned about the VHUMC Car Ministry. “That man is an outstanding person,” Roderick says, “You don’t meet people like him every day…My heart goes out to the church and people there.” Roderick received a vehicle from the ministry two years ago this summer, and now he often attends a service at VHUMC on Sunday nights and spends a lot of time at the church. He currently works part time in the kitchen, helping with dinner at the church on Wednesday nights. “It has really changed my life,” Roderick says. “When I first got the car, I would get out of my bed and come to the living room and peep out the window, and I said, ‘Is this a dream?’ It’s still out there. It’s been a blessing…I’m grateful.”

The repair shops have connected with the ministry in a variety of ways. For one, Curry met Josiel Daniel of Advantage Paint and Body, LLC, in Springville, Alabama, when he saw a car for sale on the side of the road and stopped at the business to buy the car for the ministry. They have now worked with him for several years, and he will come to the church to look at cars for them as needed. Curry, whose one act of kindness began this outreach seven years ago, notes there is a scriptural basis for the ministry. In Matthew 25, Jesus says that when he was hungry, you fed him; when he was thirsty, you gave him drink; when he was a stranger, you invited him in; and whatever you did for the least of his brothers and sisters,

you did for him. “I think we are making an impact, and I wonder why I didn’t think of doing this 20 years ago,’” Curry says. “Anytime you help people—and it’s not always convenient—you end up being the recipient of the blessing. It’s been a blessing to see how this has changed people’s lives.” To learn more information about this ministry, visit vhumc.org/get-involved/missions/church-outreachopportunites/, or if you are interested in donating or learning more, call VHUMC’s Benevolent Care Phone Line at 769-0142. VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 67

NEVER TOO MUCH Caden Lemons ‘just loved baseball,’ now it’s his livelihood. Here’s how the pitcher and 2017 VHHS grad’s path led to a pro career. By Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

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PHOTO BY BOB FOSCUE

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 69

Caden Lemons and his family travelled to Milwaukee in June for him to sign a contract with the Brewers.

Caden Lemons has always loved baseball. His mother remembers watching him out their kitchen window in Columbus, Georgia, when he was 7 or 8. Caden would rise well before breakfast, taking his ball and glove outside and repeatedly throwing the ball into the air and catching it. “If he got a new glove, he would sleep with his glove,” Missy Lemons says. “He just loved it.” Others would warn of possible burnout if boys played baseball all the time. It might get old, they surmised. But that was never a concern for Missy and Donnie Lemons. “He could never get enough baseball,” Missy says. “No matter how hot or how cold it was outside, he always wanted to play. He wanted to have the ball in his hand.” Now Caden has what he’s always wanted—a license to focus on baseball all the time. The recent Vestavia 70 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

Hills High School graduate was a second round pick in the recent Major League Baseball Draft, the 46th overall selection of the Milwaukee Brewers. “That’s something you work for your entire life,” the 6-foot-6, right-handed pitcher says. “It was somewhat expected but at the same time it was an all-around great experience.” The Lemons took in the draft on Thursday, June 12, at his family’s home with a few relatives, friends and Caden’s girlfriend, Hannah Claire Hamric. They all knew what was to come, but knowing did nothing to diminish the magic of the moment. The Brewers telephoned during the 44th pick and worked out what they would do. Afterward, Caden hung up and waited for the most memorable experience of his life. “Everyone in the room was screaming so loud I

couldn’t even hear them talk about me, go through the info about me,” the recent Rebel says. “Everyone was real excited. It was awesome.”

COULDN’T PASS ON THE OPPORTUNITY The hurler could have remained a Rebel. He had already signed a scholarship to play baseball at Ole Miss, where Hannah Claire will be a Rebelette. The official dance team at the University of Mississippi performs during football season, so her schedule would have been free to be in the stands as her fellow Rebel toed the rubber. But the Brewers dangled a carrot that he just couldn’t decline. “The Brewers just gave me a good enough position to where I couldn’t pass on the opportunity,” Caden says. “I had a great opportunity at Ole Miss, and I’ll always be thankful for that.” He’ll be visiting there a lot and hanging out with buddies there, and his girlfriend. “The Brewers just gave me too good of an opportunity for me to pass up,” he repeats. “I thought that was the best path for me to start my baseball career.” Caden spoke on the phone on June 25 as he awaited his flight to Milwaukee to sign his first baseball contract, worth $1.45 million. His family would take that flight with him before bidding him goodbye as he headed to his first assignment, Rookie League in Phoenix, Arizona. As they waited, Donnie was mentally whisked back to the days when he took his then 4-year-old son into the backyard for a simple game of pitch and catch. Never did he imagine then that about 14 years later his son would be on the verge of being a baseball professional. Even as he stood at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, reality had not yet sunk in. In fact, the scene of him playing with his son nearly a decade and a half ago seemed little more than a day ago. “Maybe more like last week,” he says. “When they say, ‘Time flies. Don’t blink,’ they mean it. Now here he is today heading off on his own to play baseball.” Missy credits Tony Pierce and his son, Tony Pierce Jr., with teaching Caden how to pitch when they lived in Columbus. The elder Pierce pitched for the Oakland A’s, the younger for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. “When he was in the third and fourth grade, that’s when Caden really started doing better pitching, because of them,” she says. “He still has their baseball cards in his room.”

“[Caden] could never get enough baseball. No matter how hot or how cold it was outside, he always wanted to play. He wanted to have the ball in his hand.” -Missy Lemons

WHATEVER IT TAKES The mother of two—Caden’s younger brother Max is a rising sophomore pitcher at Vestavia Hills—says visions of the Major Leagues never danced in their heads, at least not

PHOTO BY SUSAN STEVENS

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PHOTOS BY SUSAN STEVENS

until his high school senior season. Milwaukee Brewers scout Scott Nichols confirms that’s when the Georgia native turned up on his radar. “I really became aware of him last summer,” the Mississippi resident says. “I saw him at East Cobb (Georgia), over at that Perfect Game Tournament. Then I saw him at the East Coast Pro that they have down in Tampa. He was 86, 89 mph down there but with a really quick arm and long, lanky body.” Scott made sure to see Caden early in the spring and he was even more impressed as the pitcher’s velocity improved to about 97. “I followed him all spring,” he says. “We got us a good one. His goal was to get drafted high enough so he could start his pro career. His idea was to get [to the pros] the quickest way possible. He felt signing out of high school was going to be the best way for him to go.” Kris Thomas, the pitching coach at Vestavia Hills High, says Caden has long been a harder worker, benefitting from a good group of Rebel pitchers who he saw work hard. He could see results from those guys when it came to increased velocity. “His senior year, he came in in August and was telling me, ‘I want to throw way harder than I’m doing,’” Thomas recalls. “He was 88, 89, touching 90 every now and then. We sat down in August and wrote out a little plan.” The rising senior touched 90.8 mph at a big Florida tournament in September. “He came back and said, ‘I wanna hit 93,’” the pitching coach says. “You could see in his eyes, ‘I’m going to do whatever it takes to get there.’” 72 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

EAT, DRINK AND SLEEP THIS GAME Nichols, the Brewers scout, was a former minor league ballplayer. He said having the tools—including a solid fastball—is only part of the equation for getting a player from Draft Day to the Major Leagues. An arduous journey lies ahead. “You have to eat, drink and sleep this game,” the scout says, “and want to do everything that you can and more. If you don’t, you’re not going to make it.” Caden Lemons seems set to fill those criteria. “Just like any other job, you’ve got to have a good work ethic to be good at what you do,” he says. “I have to work every day, and there’s really no days off with that. That kind of mindset is to get the job done every single day to get better. That’s what I’m ready to do. “The best part of that is my job now is to go out there and compete and do the best that I can,” he continues. “That’s what I’ve always loved to do. Now it’s my job and I can’t ask for a better job than that.” Lemons will be in Phoenix until late August when he’ll head back home until spring training starts around March. He doesn’t fear what lies ahead. “Man, nothing scares me right now,” he says. “I’m not saying I’m on top of the world or invincible, but I’m not worried about anything. I’m just focusing on the positives right now. That’s all I really can do—just have no worries and be the best I can be when I’m out there and live up to it.”

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OUT & ABOUT

MOVIE AT MEADOWLAWN

PHOTOS BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

The Cahaba Heights Community Foundation held the first event in the new Meadowlawn Park, a movie night that kicked off with family fun, on May 25. 1. Paula and Lena Schatz 2. Shira, Mike and Levi Miller 3. Kristin Washington and Julie Johnson

4. Erin and Aiden McLane, and Denise Hames 5. Anne Margaret, Ruthie and Slade Smith (front) Selah Smith and Emmet James Hansen (back) 6. Lucy and High Hongoe 7. Amelia de Buys, Mindy Dunlevy and Nicole Wood 8. Allison Schatz, Julia Holmes and Catherine Cline 9. Emily and Jay Salillas 10. Valerie and Marie Colson 11. Claire, Carrie Beth and Charles Buchanan 12. Caroline, Taylor and Jackson Benefield

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OUT & ABOUT

Intimate. Honest. Timeless.

www.mfehrphotography.com VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 75

OUT & ABOUT

ROCKY RIDGE FIRST FRIDAY

PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH NANCE

Rocky Ridge Square and the Rocky Ridge Plaza get festive on the first Friday evening of the month with live music, kids activities and more. 1. Mary Hanlon Hunton and Sarah Grace Hays 2. Ellie, Blair and Thomas Dorman 3. Jennie and Toni Kennedy 4. Abby Graham, Saeed Algahtany and Tiffany DeLuca

5. Brooke Tarrent and Kate Watkins 6. Rebelettes painted both faces and hands. 7. Virginia Macoy, Lucy Watkins, Bradford Stewart, Baker Martin and Kate Watkins

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OUT & ABOUT

ROCKY RIDGE FIRST FRIDAY PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH NANCE

Rocky Ridge Square and the Rocky Ridge Plaza get festive on the first Friday evening of the month with live music, kids activities and more. 8. Andrew Cross and Corrine Passman 9. Live music at the event

10. Jackson Walker and Ellie Grace Edwards 11. Vestavia Hills High School Rebelettes 12. Bradford Stewart 13. John Yeilding, Mary Margret Yeilding and Lilla Hood

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OUT & ABOUT

VESTAVIA HILLS UNITED METHODIST FARMERS MARKET

PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH NANCE

VHUMC hosts a farmers market full of fresh local produce in its parking lot on Wednesday mornings in the summer. The market runs 7-11 a.m. through Aug. 30. 1. Alek Ledvina 2. Morgan Shipp of Gigiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fabulous Foods 3. Debbie Huffman and Rick Cybulsby of Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church 4. Dwight Hamm of Hamm Farms 5. Melissa and Scott Blankenship 6-7. Local produce and wares at the market 8. Austin Penton of Penton Farms

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U.S. News & World Report

This icon is not the official U.S. News & World Report best hospitals emblem.

2016-17

BEST CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS

Children’s of Alabama is ... l The

third largest pediatric hospital in the United States

l Licensed l The

for 332 beds & 48 NICU bassinets

first LEED-certified hospital building in Alabama

l One

of the Top 20 employers in Alabama with more than 4,700 employees across the state

l The

pediatric teaching hospital for the School of Medicine at UAB

l Home

to the Pediatric & Congenital Heart Center of Alabama, where more than 450 cardiac surgeries are performed annually

l Site

Russell Campus

of the only pediatric kidney dialysis program in the state — one of the largest in the country

1600 7th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233

Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children Lowder Building McWane Building Children’s on Third Outpatient Center Children’s Park Place

Children’s South

205.638.9100

1601 5th Avenue South 1600 7th Avenue South 1600 7th Avenue South 1208 3rd Avenue South 1600 5th Avenue South

1940 Elmer J. Bissell Road, Birmingham, AL 35243 205.638.4800

Outpatient surgery services, Pediatric Imaging Center, laboratory services, specialty care clinics and After Hours care

l Home

to one of the largest burn units in the Southeast

l One

of the largest pediatric rheumatology programs in the nation and the only one in Alabama

l Provides

care for more than 90 percent of Alabama children with cancer and blood disorders

Pediatric Practice Solutions Primary Care Locations Alabaster (Greenvale Pediatrics) Bessemer (Pediatrics West) Birmingham (Midtown Pediatrics) Brook Highland (Greenvale Pediatrics) Clay/Chalkville (Pediatrics East-Deerfoot) Homewood (Mayfair Medical Group) Hoover (Greenvale Pediatrics)

McAdory (Pediatrics West) Montgomery (Physicians to Children /Central Alabama Children’s Specialists) Mountain Brook (Over the Mountain Pediatrics) Pell City (Pell City Pediatrics) Trussville (Pediatrics East) Vestavia (Vestavia Pediatrics)

www.ChildrensAL.org

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OUT & ABOUT

FATHER-DAUGHTER TEA

PHOTOS BY HANNAH BRAWLEY

Dads and their daughters dressed up for the fourth annual FatherDaughter Tea at the Library in the Forest on June 17. 1. Mary Cate Seville and Zoe Baker 2. Claire and Tony Oliva 3. Jason and Ellie Jones 4. Barry and Sidney Claire King 5. Culver and Gene Gilmore 6. Annaliese and Steve Aller 7. Jordan and Joseph Price 8. Rhema and Brent Jones 9. Tim and Sydney Bannick 10. April and Chelsea Moon 11. Dance floor time 12. Jeremy and Pepper Dana 13. Father-daughter time

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OUT & ABOUT

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OUT & ABOUT

SICARD HALLOW SPLASH PAD

PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH NANCE

Summertime meant splash pad fun at the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex. The pad is open from 9 a.m. until sunset daily, and the area also features an ADA-accessible playground, walking trail and pavilion. 1. Splash pad action 2. Brenley Davis and Lucy Keyes 3. Charlie and Branscomb Beavers

4. Lisa Woodie and Naomie Price 5. Averie Foster, Allison Foster, Mason Foster and Aubrey Gamble 6. Emerson Robbins, Casey

Robbins and Garrett Foster

7. Grant Flowers, Hampton Dortch and Stuart Flowers 8. J.J., Mallory and Lauren Long 9. Mila and Ali Nicholson 10. Drew and Jack Cook 11. Audrey Beavers, Blake Beavers and Rachel Shirley 12. Fun and games near the splash pad

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OUT & ABOUT

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OUT & ABOUT

I LOVE AMERICA NIGHT

PHOTOS BY MALLORY BARRY

Wald Park was extra patriotic on July 6 for I Love America Night. Families took part in free swimming, inflatables, a viewing of the new Beauty and the Beast and other activities. 1. Adelyn and Alek Acemgil 2. Daryl Walker and Allison Clark 3. Katherine McRee and Susan Day

4. Brooke Hegrick and Rhonda Connell 5. Christina Conklin and Lauren Trim 6. Monica Carroll and Susan Trammell 7. Alecia, Parker and Diamon Moore

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OUT & ABOUT

I LOVE AMERICA NIGHT PHOTOS BY MALLORY BARRY

Wald Park was extra patriotic on July 6 for I Love America Night. Families took part in free swimming, inflatables, a viewing of the new Beauty and the Beast and other activities.

8. Julie Stevenson and Christina Hudson 9. Jill, Brooklyn, Jacklyn and Goldie Beard 10. Abby and Angela Olexa 11. Erin Holtz, Alex Leonard and Julia Wimberly 12. Joel, Lauren, Jacob and Ansley Davis 13. Jennifer White, Linda Osborne, Miller White and Madison White 14. Jayanti, Koushiki, Alok and Aditya Ranjan

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OUT & ABOUT

ANIME NIGHT/ CANDY SUSHI

PHOTOS BY MALLORY BARRY

Teens gathered to make candy sushi for an anime event at Library in the Forest on July 11. 1. Anastasia Zellner and Zee Garrett 2. Charlie Spine 3. Derek Anderson 4. Conrad McGylnn 5. Emma Shealy 6. Charlie Spine and Derek Anderson 7. Moh Hill 8. John Michael Chandash 9. Anastasia Zellner and Zee Garrett

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Marketplace Vestavia Hills Magazine • 205.669.3131

Acceptance Loan Company, Inc. Personal Loans! Let us Pay Off Your Title Loans! 224 Cahaba Valley Rd, Pelham 205-663-5821 Be part of the next breakthrough Cancer treatment. Donate Today. Your donation funds lifesaving research, treatment and care. www.cancer.org Affordable Lawn Care Alabaster, Pelham, Helena All types of Lawn Care! Have the best lawn in the neighborhood! Free Estimates Military & Senior Discounts! (205)504-6134

Great Jobs ARE Out There... If You Know Where to Look! AIDT recruits, screens & trains qualified applicants for outstanding jobs statewide. All at NO COST to you! Visit www.aidt.edu/jobs today to view your opportunities! General Lawncare Weekly/bi-weekly grass cutting, including large properties, acreage, lake properties. Great rates! Free Estimates! Discounts for multiple properties. Serving Shelby and Chilton Counties. Call Alex: 205-955-3439 Automation Personnel Services Hiring IMMEDIATELY For: Automotive Assembly, General Labor, Production, Clerical, Machine Operator, Quality, Carpentry, Welder, Foundry Positions In: Calera, Clanton, Pelham, Bessemer, McCalla. Walk-in applications accepted. Clanton (205)280-0002 Pelham (205)444-9774 B&J Metal Fabricators Professional sheet metal replacement and fabrication on classic cars/trucks. $65.00/ hour for labor. Parts/supplies additional. Quotes based per job. Media blasting available. Powder coating coming soon. Montevallo area. (205)665-4687 (205)296-9988 Bama Concrete Hiring Mixer Drivers Local deliveries. Class-B+ CDL, 2yrs MINIMUM heavyhaul experience/Clean

MVR. Competitive Pay/Great Benefits. Apply in person: 2180 Hwy 87 Alabaster, 35007 Be Blessed Caregivers (205)381-2391 Need dependable, loving, dedicated care for your loved ones? Call us today for a free consultation. LicensedBonded-Insured. BathingDressing-Meals-Errands-Light House Cleaning-Medication Reminders-Hygiene. John3:16 Beelman Truck Hiring Experienced Mechanics and Drivers. Great pay. Great benefits. Apply online at beelman.com or call 205-665-5507. Birmingham Hide & Tallow Immediate position for CLASS-B ROUTE DRIVERS FOR LOCAL ROUTE. WELLESTABLISHED 100+ YEAR COMPANY NOW HIRING ROUTE DRIVERS. HOME NIGHTS/WEEKENDS. LOOKING FOR HARD WORKING DRIVERS TO JOIN OUR TEAM. CLEAN MVR/BG CHECK REQUIRED. COMPETITIVE PAY & BENEFITS: BCBC, 401K, PAID. HOLIDAYS/ VACATION, COMPANY FURNISHED UNIFORMS. CALL 205-425-1711 OR EMAIL: adria.lupien@bhtonline.com BRIARWOOD APARTMENTS Now Leasing! Beautiful 1 and 2 Bedroom Apartments Mon & Wed 8:30am-4pm 535-A Hicks St, Montevallo 205-665-2257 TDD #’s: (V)1-800-548-2547 (T/A)1-800-548-2546 This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. DELIVERY DRIVERS Local Grocery Distributor in Alabaster seeking qualified drivers. Delivery/unloading to multiple locations. Mon-Fri work week. Requirements: Valid DL, clean driving record. Benefits: Competitive wages, bonuses, benefits, opportunity for advancement. Call 205-397-1782. BTC Wholesale Distributors

vestaviahillsmagazine.com

FOR SALE: Oracal Vinyl and Premium HTV Vinyl by the Foot or by the Yard C&C Trophy & Sign, Inc. 209 6th ST N Clanton CAGLE SOD FARM 419 Hybrid Bermuda • $1.35 sq.yd. Meyers Zoysia • $2.50 sq.yd. Empire Zoysia • $3.00 sq. yd. DELIVERY AVAILABLE 662-365-3152 www.caglesod.com

CAMP FIRE It’s a way of life. Camp Fire provides the experience to discover who they are, find their spark and become a leader now. www.campfire-al.org Carroll Fulmer Now Hiring Class-A CDL Drivers. Over-the-road positions Available. Dry vans. No hazmat. Must have one year over-theroad Experience and a clean MVR. Competitive pay and bonus Package. Good home time. Call 800-633-9710 ext. 2 CDL Drivers Needed! HOME DAILY! •$850-$1250/week •Paid Vacation after 1yr •Medical/Dental/Vision Avail. •New Equipment 2yrs Exp, Clean MVR, Drug Test Chris 205-446-5400 chrisgilliland01@gmail.com Regina (205)275-2293 rparker7770@gmail.com Danny (205)471-3177 dcgcfi@gmail.com FT Presser for Dry Cleaner. Salary, vacation, holidays, health & life insurance. Must have reliable transportation. Call Debbie: 205-588-6521 Hiring part-time salesmen for permanent morning shift Monday-Friday. $10/hour versus commission. Call 256•404•7897 and leave a message to be considered for the position. Got a Class A or Class B CDL? WE WANT YOU! We can even do OJT in some cases. We offer a NO overnight, NO Weekend 4-day workweek! You need to be able to drive a manual shift or automatic transmission truck. On some deliveries you will need to be able to lift at least

75 lbs- just letting you know up front (yep–we have hand trucks and dollys though!) We start early-so you need to be able to wake before the roosters–but we don’t work late nights. We are a Birmingham based, family owned Company with a 90 year business history, so yeah– we are here to stay! Call 205-7954533 or send resume to trans@ citywholesale.com

Sign on Bonus Email resume to: Blaine.Green@cvhealth.net or to apply, go to www.cvhealth.net

Library Director Chilton/Clanton Public Library Master of Library Science preferred, with 5 years supervisory library experience. Applicationsavailable at Clanton Library circulation desk, email darlene@chiltonclantonlibrary. org or by mail to the Chilton/Clanton Public Library 100 First Ave Clanton, AL 35045

DCH Health System Caring. For Life. $5,000 *Sign-on Bonus for full time RNs *For More Info Contact Annie.Miller@dchsystem.com Apply online at: www.dchsystem.com

Nationally known wholesale company needs Assistant Sales Manager •Hourly plus commission & bonuses! •No nights, weekends, holidays or travel! We market some of the hottest items out, like finger spinners, etc. $10/hour to start! Call 205-969-1797 Serious inquiries only! Ready to Work for the #1 Brand in the World? Now Hiring Class A-CDL Drivers for Coca-Cola Bottling United. Go to www.cocacolaunited.com to apply! Columbiana Health and Rehabilitation, LLC is currently looking for a few good people for the following positions: •PRN Dietary •PRN Housekeeping/Laundry •Full Time RN/LPN 7P-7A •Full Time CNA Night Shift •Part Time CNAs (Day and evening shifts) Please apply in person to: 22969 Hwy 25 Columbiana, AL 35051 Applications are accepted Monday-Friday 8:30A-4:00P. Coosa Valley Medical Center NOW HIRING! •LPNs: Post Acute Care •Respiratory Therapist:

Full Time and Part Time RN’s Needed for home health in Bibb, Shelby and Chilton counties. Excellent Salary and Benefits. Please send resumes to jobs@rubic.com or call 866-273-3984

EXPERIENCED ASPHALT EQUIPMENT OPERATORS Dunn Construction is now hiring for the following full-time positions: •Backhoe Operator: Must be able to demonstrate use of front and back of equipment. •CDL HAZMAT Drivers: Must hold current Commercial Driver’s License w/Hazmat endorsement, as well as clean driving record. 2 years experience is a must. •CDL Driver Class B or A: Must have at least 12 months’ experience operating dump truck. •Experienced Asphalt Equipment Operators •Asphalt Laborers: Looking to hire in Saginaw & Birmingham areas. •In search of anyone w/previous asphalt operations experience. 401K, health, vision, dental, life insurance, paid holidays, PTO benefits. E-Verify. To Apply: Go to dunnconstruction.com Click on “Working at Dunn,” scroll to the bottom of the page & click position to apply. If you have questions you can email careers@dunnconstruction.com EOE/Minorities/Females/ Disabled/Veterans PT/FT Farm Equipment Operator, Lawn Maintenance and Fork Lift Driver Needed Drug and Background Check Required. Apply In Person: 150 Princeton Lane Jemison, AL 35085

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MARKETPLACE Plumbing Service & Repair Technician Requirements: •Journeyman’s plumbing card •Experience in Residential/ Commercial service/repair/drain cleaning/sewer work •Clean-cut/self-motivated •Good communication skills •Clean MVR/background/ drug test Email resume: john@jeffcoat.us ASE Auto Technician with Imports (German) experience. Candidate should have: •strong work ethic •own tools Quality & craftsmanship are important. www.empireautohaus.com Welder Training Short Term Licensing Call for Details 866-432-0430 ESDschool.com ETS Restorations Retaining Walls Concrete Work Demolition Landscaping Construction Tree Removal Tree Trimming Bobcat Work Hardscapes Hauling Residential & Commercial Free Estimates! (205)209-7787 Eastern Tree Service 24 Hour Storm Service www.ETSTree.org Experienced Professionals 205-856-2078 Quick Response Free Estimates $2000 SIGN ON BONUS NEW PAY SCALE TO QUALIFYING DRIVERS EVERGREEN TRANSPORT, is accepting applications for local drivers in the Calera and Leeds, AL, area. Must have Class A CDL, good driving record, 1 yr verifiable tractor trailer experience. Good pay and benefits. Apply in person at 8278 Hwy 25 South, Calera, AL, or call for info 205-668-3316. Now taking applications for: •Cook •Bartender •Waitress •Line Dance Instructor for growing business in Clanton. 205-755-4949 or 334-235-0228 Now taking applications for: •Cook •Bartender •Waitress •Line Dance Instructor for growing business in Clanton. 205-755-4949 or 334-235-0228

PELHAM LOCATION NOW OPEN: Monday-Saturday, 11am-8pm Sunday, 11am-2pm Try our ribs! Ask about our daily specials. 309 Huntley Parkway 624-4461 ONLINE AUCTIONS www.GTAOnlineAuctions.com 205-326-0833 Granger, Thagard & Assoc. Jack F. Granger #873 H&H Waterproofing Now Hiring Experienced Waterproofers. Must be able to pass background check and drug test. 205-670-0090 Hardee’s Now Hiring •Crew Members/Hoover •Management/Calera Email resume to: hardees2007@bellsouth.net LPN’s, RN’s, CNA’s Full-time & part-time • 2nd & 3rd Shift Apply in person: Hatley Health Care 300 Medical Ctr Dr Clanton, AL 35045 Looking for a wonderful place to live? NEW Meadow View Village Apartments. Columbiana, AL. Now Pre-leasing 2&3 Bedrooms. Great Amenities Provided. Call 256-560-0821 99 Eagle Lane info@hollyhand.com. Equal Housing Opportunity. Part Time Apartment Manager Immediate opening for part time apartment manager in Clanton, AL. Previous residential property management experience and/ or Rural Development property preferred. Strong organizational, communication & computer skills. Ability to effectively multitask. Position eligible for health insurance and paid time off. For Immediate Consideration Email Resume to: hiringdept0885@gmail.com Include in Subject Line: CLANTON Background checks will be run prior to starting employment. Clanton Villas 2806 7th Street Clanton, AL 35045 1 Bedroom Units Rental Office 205-755-9377 TDD/TTY 1-800-548-2546 This institution is an equal opportunity provider and Employer.

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International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Celebrating 100 years of justice, equality and fairness in the workplace. BIRMINGHAM AREA INSULATORS LOCAL 78 THE HEAT AND FROST INSULATORS LOCAL 78 will be accepting applications for a fouryear Apprenticeship Program. Applications will be accepted on Tuesdays only between 8:30am and 2:00pm at 2653 Ruffner Road Birmingham, AL 35210 205-956-2866 or craig@insulators78.org Applicants must be at least 18 years old and furnish proof of age. Applicants will be required to take a simple math test as well as an English comprehension test. The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee is registered with the Department of Labor Bureau of Apprenticeship Training and is an equal opportunity employer. DRIVERS NEEDED $2,000 Sign On Bonus J & M Tank Lines, Inc. Class-A CDL Local and OTR Drivers. GREAT BENEFITS! Health Insurance $9 Weekly. OTR Drivers Home 2 or More Times Weekly. jmtankjobs.com or call Jeff Sandlin @256-245-3933 J & W Professional Painting Interior • Exterior 205-788-2907 31 Years Experience! NOW TAKING APPLICATIONS Managers and Assistant Managers MONTEVALLO KFC 950 N. MAIN STREET MONTEVALLO, AL 35115 To apply send resumes to: Attn: Katie Badgwell 113 25th Ave East Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 (205) 553-8621 Katie@jmfkfc.com CDL TRUCK DRIVER For Tree Service Also hiring for other full-time and part-time jobs. Drug Test Required. 205-836-2038 or 205-229-7144 KEEPING IT REAL Cleaning Service Professional Quality with a Personal Touch and Fair Price. 10% OFF FIRST CLEANING for new clients! Call 567-5917 Kelly Educational Staffing® We’re hiring! •Substitute teachers •Aides •Cafeteria •Clerical •Custodial positions Shelby County School District

& Alabaster City Schools. Please call 205-870-7154 -Equal Opportunity EmployerOwner Operators Wanting Dedicated Year Round Anniston, AL www.pull4klb.com WE HAVE JOBS! · Machine Operator- Moody · Packers- Moody/ Hoover · Paint Line- Moody · Pickers/PackersAlabaster Lyons HR www.lyonshr.com/career-search (205)943-4820 Service Technician Top Pay, Benefits & Commission! Mainline Heating & Air 400 Hillwood Park S, Alabaster, AL Or email resume to: ashley@mainlineheating.com (205)664-4751 Marble Valley Manor Affordable 1 and 2 Bedroom Apartments for Elderly & Disabled. Many on-site services! 2115 Motes Rd, Sylacauga 256-245-6500 TDD#s: 800-548-2547(V) 800-548-2546(T/A) Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Equal Opportunity Provider/Employer Are you a motivated professional? Are you looking for a dynamic career? Are you ready to control your own level of success? See why McKinnons’ is an exciting place to work and grow. Now accepting applications for Sales, Service, and Detail Shop. Apply with the receptionist. 205-755-3430 Hiring CDL-A Drivers Sign-on Bonus Great Benefits Local Domicile Work Apply online at: MerchantsFood Service.com/Careers Shake up your career!!! Are you looking for something new and FUN? Milo’s is always looking for great managers to come join our growing and dynamic team. Apply online at miloshamburgers.com 280 Location Opening Now Hiring 3 shift Managers Pay Rate $9-$11 20-25 Employees Pay Rate $7.75-$8.50. Must have own transportation and flexible schedule. Apply at recruiting.talentreef.com/

momma-goldbergs-deli (205)503-6190 Montgomery Stockyard Drop Station at Gray & Son’s in Clanton. Call Lane at 205-389-4530. For other hauling arrangements, contact Wes in Harpersville 205-965-8657 Certified Crane Operator Position. Must have current crane license for telescoping boom cranes, DOT physical. Birmingham Area Call 205-672-2403 for more information Ignite Your Career with Mspark! For current openings, visit: www.mspark.com/our-company/ careers/ or send resume: apollard@mspark.com. Mspark offers competitive compensation, benefits and a team-oriented work environment. EOE. INDUSTRIAL CLEANING IN VANCE Requirements: •18 Years Old •HS Diploma/GED •Able to work variable shifts/ weekends/holidays •Able to lift up to 50lbs constantly, stand on your feet for 8hrs •Able to pass drug screen/ background check Complete your application on line at www.naonsite.com Production / Manufacturing Vance, Alabama Starting pay: $12.00 – $14.50 /hr. • Have 2 years+ Production/ Manufacturing experience. • Have Recently Lived in Alabama at least 2 years. • Have A High School Diploma or GED. • Are at least 18 years old. Complete your application on line at www.naonsite.com Odyssey Early Schools Birmingham’s Best Daycare/ Preschool is Seeking Experienced Teachers. 4 Year Degree Preferred. Full-Time. BEST Pay. FULL Benefits (Insurance, Leave, Holidays). Call Annie Fine 205-991-0039. Oxford Healthcare in Montgomery currently hiring certified CNA’s and/or Home Health aides in the Clanton, Marbury and Maplesville areas. Must be able to pass complete background check, have reliable transportation and have a strong work ethic. Serious inquires only. Call 334-409-0035 or apply on-line at www.Oxfordhealthcare.com

MARKETPLACE LPNs NEEDED Oxford Healthcare seeking LPNs, RNs, and CNAs to provide patients with in-home care in Pelham, Hoover, Alabaster, Montevallo Call (205)608-1612 or visit us at helpathome.com Popeye’s Operated by PAP of AL, LLC Full-Time Assistant Manager Pelham/Sylacauga Must have at least 6-12 months food management experience. Apply online at: work4popeyeskitchen.com Cook/Server Needed Breakfast Shift (approx. 3am-1pm) Must be able to work some weekends and holidays. Apply at: Peach Park Express 2320 7th Street South Class A CDL Drivers Needed Immediately for Dump Trailer Hauling • $2000 Retention Bonus • Local Hauling • Home Nights APPLY ONLINE: www.perdidotrucking.com Perdido Trucking Service, LLC 251-470-0355 AFFORDABLE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET Available where you live! Call Today for this Limited Time Offer! www.pbsinternet.com 800-266-4409 PLUMBERS & PLUMBER HELPERS Call or Text 205-432-9049 NOW HIRING Regional Class-A Driver Positions For Our Finley Blvd. Location •Competitive weekly pay (direct-deposit) •Full-benefits including 401K •Health/Life insurance •Safety Bonuses •Minimum weekly pay: $700(guaranteed) Call 270-250-3595 for more information or visit pylestransport.com to apply. Regional Drivers are home every weekend and often mid-week for rest period. FREON 12 WANTED: R12 collecting dust in your garage? We pay CA$H for R12 EPA cert. We pick up Call now for April pickup: (312)291-9169 sell@refrigerantfinders.com 3/2 Garden Home Calera Schools Easy access to HWY 31 & I-65 W/D hook-ups, Dishwasher

Fenced backyard. No Pets. Rent $1250 (205)433-9811 PRE-SCHOOL OPPORTUNITY Lead Teachers For 18-24mos AND Lead Teachers For Pre-School Age Morning and Afternoon Opportunities Call: 205-601-9482 or Email: queenmoore1956@gmail. com ROSS NEELY TRUCK LINES •NOW HIRING• TRUCK DRIVERS-OTR If you are a professional CDL A Driver, have two years experience, a good safety recrod, and want to GET HOME ON THE WEEKENDS apply online at www.rossneely.com or apply by email at jeff@rossneely.com Saiia Construction Co. ISO: CDL Long-Haul Drivers. Requirements: OTR experience driving lowboy trailers; transporting heavy oversized loads; experience with heavy equipment required; ability to work in outside environments, safety-oriented, and teamplayer. Overtime available. Great opportunity. Competitive compensation/benefit package. Email: DVeigl@saiia.com or fax: 205-943-2258 Saiia Construction Company seeks equipment operators in the Alabaster area with the ability to operate various types of equipment including: dozers, excavators, rock trucks, and motor graders. 2+yrs. operating exp. MSHA training a plus. Must have dependable transportation, able to work in outside environments, safety oriented, and team player. We have day and night shift work, overtime is available. Great opportunity. Competitive compensation and benefit package. If you are interested contact Johnny Pipp 205.943.2214 or email jpipp@saiia.com Innovative Salon and Spa in Helena searching for talented, dependable Cosmetologist, Massage Therapist and Esthetician. Join the Serenity Team. Now accepting applications by email: serenity@serenity-salonandspa. com ServiceMaster is Hiring Parttime Fire Cleaning Techs WILL TRAIN! Must pass background check/drug test, have reliable transportation & good driving record. Serious Inquiries Call (205)424-4211

We are currently in need of experienced CNC Machinists. Excellent pay and benefit package. Qualified applicants may apply at: Shelby Machine & Tool 160 Mullins Drive Helena, AL 205-621-6711 Order Selectors Food Dist. Center in Pelham. Day-Shift: Mon-Fri. 40+ hours/week 10:00AM until finished (varies). Salary: $16-20/hr after training. Benefits: Medical, vision, dental, vacation & 401k. Requirements: •Reading & math skills •Lift 40 lbs. repetitively •Work in -10 Temperature Apply in person: 8:30AM-5:00PM Southeastern Food 201 Parker Drive Pelham, Alabama 35124 resume@southeasternfood.com Immediate Positions!!!! Positions needed: Warehouse • Sales Reps • Assistant Manager • Delivery Drivers • Customer Service. Laid back atmosphere, good pay, plenty of hours available! Company vehicles to qualified individuals! Call Andrew 9am-7pm • Mon-Sat at (205)490-1003 or (205)243-6337 CLOCK REPAIR SVS. * Setup * Repair * Maintenance I can fix your Mother’s clock. Alabaster/Pelham Call Stephen (205)663-2822 SUNCREST HOME HEALTH CLANTON, AL Is Growing!! We have immediate, full time and PRN needs for RN, LPN, PT, PTA, OT, and COTA’s. MUST have one year of clinical experience! Apply online at: www.almostfamily.com/careers. php For questions, please call the agency at 205-280-4663 Electrician - FT Supreme Electric, local-based company in Pelham. Must be willing to learn & work hard. Go to: supremeelectric-al.com Print employment application under Contact Us. Mail to: Supreme Electric 231 Commerce Pkwy Pelham, AL 35124 or call 205-453-9327.

TARGET AUCTION Advanced Real Estate Marketing 800-476-3939 www.targetauction.com TaylorMade Transportation Hiring CDL Drivers for Flatbed Regional Division! BCBS Insurance After 30 Days. To apply call: (334)366-2269 or email: s.smith@taylormadeinc.com

Cylinders 979-413-2140 or 979-413-2192 (EOE) Experienced Carpenter Needed Please Call 205-755-8555 or send resume to whatleybuilders@ businessmailbox.com Tree Nursery Worker Needed Responsible w/mechanical skills. To operate forklift/farm tractors/equipment/welding/ ground maintenance/service equipment/check fluid levels/ clean after use. Maintain safe/clean area. Requires valid-DL/reliable transportation. 334-365-2488

The Painting Company of Birmingham Immediate openings for professional residential and commercial painters. Must be able to speak English. Call 205-995-5559 HIRING EXPERIENCED CDL-A COMPANY TANKER DRIVERS IN YOUR AREA! Regional runs-Chemical hauls *Get Home Weekly!* **Earn $60K+ Per Year** Average 2,000-2,500 miles/ week. Paid product training-$800/ week. Full benefits+401K. CDL-A, 2-Years Tractor Trailer Experience, tanker/hazmat endorsements, passport & TWIC required. Call 888-572-3662! www.trimac.com OTR Drivers Wanted 24 Years or Older Hazmat preferred but not required. Full benefit Package available. Pneumatic tank equipment. Dry bulk hauling. $500 SIGN ON BONUS Home every other weekend. Apply online: Vernonmilling.com 800-753-1993 Become a Dental Asst. in ONLY 8 WEEKS! Please visit our website capstonedentalassisting.com or call (205) 561-8118 and get your career started! Caregivers Needed ASAP! Competitive hourly pay. Call Visiting Angels at (205)719-1996 to discuss. FLATBED DRIVERS OTR Flatbed Trucking Co. now hiring Company Drivers and Leasing Owner Operators with 2 yrs exp. 205-592-3422 www.watkinstrucking.com NOW HIRING CDL-A DRIVERS w/Haz. $5000 Sign-On Bonus. Apply online: www.westernintl. com or Corporate Office: 979-413-2140 $5000 SIGN-ON BONUS! HIRING CDL TEAM A DRIVER Apply online: www.westernintl. com Or Contact Corporate: Western International Gas &

Wiley Sanders Truck Lines Inc $1,000 SIGN-ON-BONUS DRIVER PAY RAISE EFFECTIVE JUNE 2017! Longevity-Bonus. Quarterly Safe-Driving AWARD. Competitive Pay Package. PAID Orientation. NEW Fleet of Trucks. Call 1-855-777-9785 & ask for Dale or Brandy. Nights/weekends, call Jeffrey: 334-372-5049 Ron: 1-850-454-4276 Richard: 334-492-0803 Experienced Automotive Tech Duties: Engine diagnostics brakes/ac work/etc Auto-Lube Tech Duties: oil changes/mount & balance tire/light maintenance work.Competitive pay/benefits (205)995-5520 or (205)688-3333 Wiregrass Construction Company is seeking experienced asphalt CDL TRUCK DRIVERS. Must be dependable. Excellent benefits. Interested applicants may apply: 951 Dow Street Pelham, AL 35124 (205)620-4132 or 151 Piper Lane Alabaster, AL 35007 (205)605-0753. 8AM to 5PM, M-F. WCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. YARD SPOTTER Immediate Opening-F/T or P/T Class-A-CDL required to shuttle trailers from truck-yard to loading area. Benefits available for F/T positions. Apply In Person: Woodgrain Distribution (EOE) 80 So. Shelby St., Montevallo 205-665-2546 (Ext.207) ksenecal@woodgrain.com

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MY VESTAVIA HILLS Ashley Nance

Vestavia Hills Beautiﬁcation Board Member+Mom of Four

Substitute Teaching

The Magic City Nutcracker

Pizitz Middle School I am really able to get to know the teachers and administrators on a personal level, and I can tell you they love to teach, they love middle school-aged children (which you need to be a little crazy to do) and they love Pizitz.

Tyson Hall Theater, VHUMC I help backstage and can tell you the fun stuff goes on behind the curtain. I don’t know if I’ve ever laughed as hard at the dancers than before the curtain goes up.

Photo Spots

McCallum Park & Sibyl Temple I love to go with my daughter Elizabeth on her photography shoots. I’m her gopher and helper. McCallum Park has that fantastic bridge, and Sibyl Temple is beautiful when the hydrangeas are in bloom.

Serve Day

Church of the Highlands This was second year we were a part of a group doing repairs to someone’s home. There were a ton of people working all around the cities our church campuses are in including Vestavia Hills. Photo by Elizabeth Nance

The Dogwood Festival

As a former Vestavia Belle, I love seeing all the new dresses and young women who serve as junior hostesses to our city. Several events carry on tradition about what is beautiful about Vestavia Hills in the spring: a luncheon, Art in The Hills and the Vestavia Belles presentation.

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