A special publication of
Thanks to our $9 million investment, he’s breathing a little easier. Our recently completed $9 million upgrade to our North Shelby Water Resource Reclamation Facility has dramatically reduced the amount of phosphorus in the clean water we return to the Cahaba River. That means we haven’t just met or surpassed all state and federal health standards. We’ve also helped lower the likelihood of algal blooms, which rob wildlife of life-giving oxygen in the water.
And that’s just one of the ways we’re working to make ours a better, healthier community, along with supporting organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby County, and SafeHouse of Shelby County, among many others. Our pledge to you: we’ll keep working for a healthier river, and a healthier community. Which means we can all breathe a little easier.
To learn more, visit CleanerCahaba.info
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What ’s going on at the Buck Creek Festival?
Buck Creek Festival Guide
Buck Creek tradition.........................................................................4
Editorial
Buck Creek Festival sponsors...........................................................7
Sparacino, Neal Wagner
Band lineup......................................................................................8
Graham Brooks, Molly Davidson, Baker Ellis, Emily
Production
Schedule of events...........................................................................6
Lucky Ducks...................................................................................10
Jamie Dawkins, Layken Gibbs, Keith McCoy
Buck Creek Festival arts and crafts vendors....................................12
Marketing Kristy Brown, April Cobb, Ashley Duckett, Daniel Holmes, Rhett McCreight, Meagan Mims, Kim McCulla, Kari Yoder
Buck Creek Festival food and info vendors......................................13 Parking information.........................................................................14
Administration
Tim Prince, Katie McDowell, Mary Jo Eskridge, Hailey Dolbare, Laurel Cousins
Festival Organizers
Ron Holly, Amy Lisenba, Cris Nelson, Brian Peters, Bob Van Loan, Jack Gray, Jim McKinnely, Mike Mason, Stephanie Gray, Jennifer Richards, Jim Wathen, Henry Neff
Total average savings of
$763*
Buck Creek Festival 2016 • 3
Buck Creek Festival returns to Helena for a 15th year
By MOLLY DAVIDSON Staff Writer
W
ith fourteen years of music, fun, food and duck races in the book, Helena welcomes the Buck Creek Festival back for a 15th year. The annual event draws thousands of people from across the county and state to Helena for two days of festivities and raises money for local organizations. The Buck Creek Festival transforms Amphitheater Park every year. Shoppers can peruse the goods and crafts from hundreds of vendors while children ride carnival rides and bounce on inflatables in the festival’s children’s section.
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“We always make sure we have good quality of vendors so it’s not the same old, same old,” longtime festival organizer Cris Nelson said. A variety of food trucks provide snacks and treats throughout the event. There’s also the legendary duck race in which thousands of yellow rubber ducks sweep down Buck Creek. This year’s race includes around 3,000 duck participants. “It’s one of the major attractions,” Nelson said of the duck race. “Everyone loves it.” Music is a staple of the Buck Creek Festival. Ten musical groups will perform on the festival stage, kicking off with the first group at 6 p.m. on May 13 and
concluding with the final performance at 9 p.m. the following day. “We can’t add any more bands, we can’t,” Nelson said of the packed entertainment schedule. The Buck Creek Festival hasn’t always been the event it is today. A core group of event volunteers remember the festival’s early years. “It has grown exponentially,” Nelson said. “The first festival was just one band, a handful of vendors and a couple hundred people.” As the event has grown, so has it’s impact on local charities and organizations. All proceeds from the event are distributed to groups
throughout the community, including the Helena High School Band, the local chapter of the Kiwanis Club and the Helena Police and Fire explorers programs, just to name a few. The Buck Creek Festival has given $227,000 back to the community over the past 14 years. “We’re just really proud of what we can give back to the community,” Nelson said. “Our policy has been we distributed out all (festival proceeds). When we start planning, we start out with $0.” Planning a festival the size of the Buck Creek Festival is no easy task—and a “12 month process,” Nelson said. As soon as the festival is over,
planning begins for the next one. The Buck Creek Festival is an allvolunteer effort, with 10 core organizers working throughout the year and around 50 helpers during the festival. “If you didn’t have that good teamwork, it would be impossible,” Nelson said. “Without those volunteers... we couldn’t make it happen.” Seeing the Buck Creek Festival come to life every year is worth the countless hours of planning and organizing, Nelson said. “(The best part) is the people,” Nelson said. “Seeing the people that come down there and knowing they came down there and didn’t pay one cent to get in.”
Buck Creek Festival!
Buck Creek Festival 2016 • 5
Buck Creek Festival 2016 Stage Schedule Friday, May 13
1:45 p.m. Helena High School Jazz Band
6 p.m. Jessica Meuse
4 p.m. Razz Ma Tazz
8 p.m. Deputy 5
5:30 p.m. Michael Warren Band
Saturday, May 14
7 p.m. John King
10 a.m. Jim Quakenbush 11 a.m. Tiera 12:15 p.m. The Sassy Brown Band
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9 p.m. Old Southern Moonshine Revival
• FREE ADMISSION • No dogs, coolers or alcoholic beverages
Visit Buckcreekfestival.com
Buck Creek Festival 2016 Sponsors Presenting Sponsors It’s About Time Urgent Care • Iheart Radio Stations – The Bull & Magic 96 • ABC 33/40 CW21 My68 Helena Reporter • Full Moon BarBQue
Patron Vulcan Materials – Helena Quarry • Regions Bank • Sunbelt Rentals • Airport Marine
Official Karen Miller Allstate • Deb’s Party Rentals • Senator Cam Ward • Essential Solutions LLC • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama Smitty’s Golf Carts • Cahaba Dental Arts • Riverwoods • Marcos Pizza • Home Plate Cooking • Fitz Thors Engineering Inc Creekwater Subdivision • Bama Budweiser • Shelby Baptist Medical Center • City of Helena • Publix • Garver
Activity Pepsi/Buffalo Rock • Allied Waste Services • House Representative Matt Fridy • Pinnex Group • Alpha Orthopedic Center Inc Helena Landscape Supply • Buck Creek Stained Glass • Jacks • Hillsboro Subdivision • Scozzaro Law • Rio’s Bar & Grill DEA Home Property Management • True Value Hardware • Top it Off/Wash it Off • Papa Saia’s
Contributing Weather Events LLC • Thoroughbred Strategic Services • Quality Inn of Pelham • Trustmark National Bank
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2016 Band Lineup — Friday, May 13 —
anywhere from the latest country hits to the classic country of the Haggard/Cash era. However, Deputy 5 also has been known to break into a Southern anthem like “Sweet Home Alabama” on occasion.
— Saturday, May 14 —
JESSICA MEUSE 6 p.m. Jessica “Jess” Meuse is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist from Slapout, Ala. She has been performing in public since the age of 10. In 2011, she self-released a debut album called “What’s So Hard About Bein’ A Man,” with nine original tracks. In addition to singing, writing and performing, Jessica has always had a background heavy in music and plays several instruments; she is classically trained on violin, and self-taught at guitar and piano. Her list of accomplishments includes Stars of Alabama state-wide artist showcase winner, 2013 first place winner of singer/songwriter competition at Workplay, Birmingham, contestant Season 3 of NBC’s “The Voice” (2012) and fourthplace winner in 2013-2014 American Idol. Since Idol, Jessica has released her first independent single “Done” and in January this year released her second single “Rio Grande.”
THE SASSY BROWN BAND 12:15 a.m.
JIM QUAKENBUSH 10 a.m. Based in Montevallo, Ala., JQ’s One Man Big Band takes audiences on a sentimental journey back to the “Golden Age of Swing!” With accompaniment by JQ’s Box Band, JQ uses voice and horn to pay homage to classics by Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Glenn Miller and other artists from this defining era in American history.
From a little girl putting on concerts in her parents’ living room in Alabama to the stages in Nashville, singing and performing has always been part of Lauren “Sassy” Brown’s life. And it’s led her to the stages of BB King’s Blues Club, Oak Mountain Amphitheatre and to the recording studios, where she’s just finished and released her first full-length CD. Lauren can be seen and heard performing her own style of “The Blues” just about every weekend in Central Alabama, backed by a veteran group of music professionals. Her high-energy performances and powerful vocals are a must-see!
HELENA HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ BAND TIERA 11 a.m.
DEPUTY 5 8 p.m. “Country music with authority!” Deputy 5 is a country band based in Birmingham, Ala. Deputy 5 is a four-piece band consisting of bass, drums, lead guitar/fiddle, acoustic guitar and three vocalists. The band has an extensive list of songs that range 8 • Buck Creek Festival 2016
Alabama native Tiera is an 18-year-old, self-taught singer songwriter. She began her musical career when she was just 9 years old. By the age of 13 she taught herself to play the guitar by watching YouTube tutorials. Once she mastered the guitar, she began singing and performing cover songs, which then led to her writing her own originals. She can often be found performing at the legendary Blue Bird Café, along with many other venues in the Nashville area. She draws inspiration from her Southern roots, as displayed in her rich, soulful voice. The future is very bright for this young, budding country artist.
1:45 p.m. In its inaugural season, the Helena High School Jazz Band has been active in the community already playing at several events for the school, school system and the Helena community in general. Made up of students in grades 9-12, the band performs a wide variety of jazz arrangements ranging from big band swing classics to more contemporary charts written in the last few years. The band currently includes 24 members and is set up as a modified big band.
RAZZ MA TAZZ 4 p.m. Razz Ma Tazz have been friends for many years and finally decided to pool their talents, with over 150 years of combined experience, forming one of the most unique bands around. Their versatility reaches out to all ages including the sounds of Motown, blues, rock, dance and country. Razz Ma Tazz was the house band at Hogan’s Irish Pub from 1998 until 2013. Since then the band has played at The Back Nine, The RollerCoaster and Gabriel’s among other places. Razz Ma Tazz is currently the house band at Bar 31 in Vestavia.
MICHAEL WARREN BAND 5:30 p.m. Michael Warren has hooked his fans early. Originally from Hoover, Ala., Michael wasted no time working toward his musical dream. Whether performing with his band or acoustic, he grabs his listeners not only by the quality of his music but by a deeper quality heard in his music – the truth of being himself above all else. By blending R&B, rock, pop and funk, Michael has created his own distinct sound that continues to win new fans.
Secure their future. WILLS & ESTATE PLANNING Contact your family’s attorney:
Scozzaro Law, LLC
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Ala. Rule of Prof. Resp. 7.2 requires the following: No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
JOHN KING 7 p.m. John King has recently been touring the country opening for acts like Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line and Cole Swindell. His first single “Tonight Tonight” was one of the most successful songs of 2014 for a new artist. It was also used by CBS for Thursday Night Football broadcasts last season! He is also a successful songwriter, co-writing Randy Houser’s new single, “We Went,” as well as recent cuts by Craig Morgan and Gloriana.
OLD SOUTHERN MOONSHINE REVIVAL 9 p.m. With their latest EP “Can You Feel It Now” making it up to No. 20 on iTunes Country Albums Chart, Old Southern Moonshine Revival is touring in support and is turning heads everywhere they go with their unique sound and approach of making that sound heard. Their style of music is a reflection of their own lives, and that seems to resonate with audiences everywhere.
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Duck Race highlights Helena’s Buck Creek Festival By GRAHAM BROOKS Staff Writer
K
ids and parents alike line the banks of Buck Creek in Helena as the anticipation builds for the drop of thousands of rubber ducks into the water and if you’re unfamiliar with the race, you should hope that the duck with your number crosses the finish line first. Helena’s Buck Creek Festival is entering its 15th year as Helena’s premier family festival and year after year one of the highlights is the famous Buck Creek Duck Race that occurs on Saturday afternoon. The 2016 Buck Creek Festival is scheduled for May 13-14 and brings vendors, musical 10 • Buck Creek Festival 2016
entertainment and more. The Duck Race is one of the most anticipated events of the Buck Creek Festival and is the most significant fundraiser for the festival, which has donated more than $200,000 to local charities and civic groups through the festival’s 15-year history. Anyone is allowed to sponsor a duck to be entered into the race and tickets are currently being sold at various businesses in Helena. Tickets may be purchased at The Depot, Oh My Sole and Helena Regions Bank. Tickets may also be purchased from any member of the HHS Band. Last year, the BCF was one of the most successful festivals in nearly a decade, raising $22,640 in total funds. The majority of the money was raised through the popular duck race, which raised $10,610 last year for the Helena High
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up donating the boat to us free of charge and it’s actually a little larger than the one we had before. We appreciated it very much and we went ahead and gave them a sponsorship to the festival in a way to return the favor. It was awesome what they did and very appreciated.” A duck dumper device is placed on the side of the pontoon boat that then drops all of the ducks into Buck Creek for the race. As far as the actual race goes, once the race concludes, there can only be one “lucky duck.” The sponsor of the winning duck will receive a first place prize of $500, followed by a $250 prize for second place and $100 prize for third place, respectively. Some of the unsung heroes of the duck race are the duck wranglers, whose job is to gather up ducks that may stray from the pack and take different routes down Buck Creek. “The wranglers have become famous and we’ve given them notoriety,” said Nelson. “We have three tiers of wranglers to catch ducks with big fishing nets and canoes. They have to identity the winners and need to rescue the ducks that try to go different ways. We have celebrity duck wranglers, and in the past have had senators do it. It’s just fun.”
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School Band Boosters. This year, the money raised from the duck race will once again go to support the Helena High School Band program. Another interesting note to this year’s Duck Race has been the saga of the pontoon boat, which is used for the race. The Buck Creek Festival committee was saddened to learn that the festivals pontoon boat, which was only used once for the 2015 Buck Creek Festival Duck Race, was heavily damaged due to vandals stealing the pontoons off the boat months prior. However, Due to a kind gesture from Airport Marine in Alabaster, the business donated a used 24-foot pontoon boat free of charge for the festival to use in 2016. Buck Creek Festival Committee member Ron Holly helped head the search for a replacement pontoon boat after learning of the damage. “We had a lady call us the morning that Airport Marine donated who said she had a boat so we went to take a look and it just wasn’t what we were looking for,” said Holly. “On the way back we decided to stop in Airport Marine and talk to them. They had a used 24-footer that had been traded in and they tried to see what they could work out. They ended
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Mark R. Hall Mayor
Leigh Hulsey Place 1
Mike Jones Place 2
Cris Nelson, President Place 3
Leslie Bartlett Place 4
Hal “Hewy” Woodman Place 5
Buck Creek Festival 2016 • 11
Buck Creek Festival Vendors FOOD Bayou Billy Sweet Dixie Tea Dan’s Ole Fashioned Lemonade Frio’s Gourmet Pops Full Moon BBQ Catfish fingers, turkey legs, smoked sausage, fries, funnel cakes, candy apples Kona Ice of Birmingham Shaved ice Pina Colada Caribbean Style Reds Tex-Mex R&S Peanuts Texas Roadhouse Steak sandwiches, chips and drinks The Chill Factory Frozen slushie in collectable, cotton candy Venice Gelato
RETAIL Anthony Tavis Folk Art Folk art, stickers, T’s Buck Creek Creations Pens, razors, wall art Buck Creek Stained Glass 12 • Buck Creek Festival 2016
Stained glass Crafty Girl by Leslee Lowe Custom deco mesh and burlap wreaths Dixie Gourmet Packaged dips and soup mixes Gilly’s Dacin Puppets Puppets, marshmallow guns Initial Beginning Monogramming, towels, clothes, embroidered items, stuffed animals, custom vinyl It Works-Ultimate Body Applicator Body wraps Jamberry Nail wraps and application tools
Jewelry From Joyce Jewelry, scarves, handbags Jonah Schaffer Tie dye items Kathryn’s 31 Gifts Purses, jewelry, handbags Kelly Gamble Jewelry, knitting, crochet, sponges, dishcloths Lazarus Design Steampunk inspired jewelry Lilla Rose Jewelry LTD Therapeutic Jewelry & Gifts Jewelry, cedar footballs, hot/cold packs, doo rags, baby quilts, ect. Magical Designs Adult and children monogrammed clothing
Vintage Love Boutique Clothing, jewelry and accessories VH Designs Custom handmade, hand-painted wooden signs
Mary Kay
What’s Your Pleasure Candles Handmade soy candles
Masquerade Face painting
Young Living Essential Oils
MehndiMuse Artwork Tattoos, art, glassware, flower crowns
INFORMATION Advo-Care Nutritional Products
Mocking Birds Pallet wood, home décor, small furniture, shelves
Alabama Partners For Clean Air
Parker Lens Photography Photography prints
Champion Windows
Plunder Design/Beads and Things Jewelry Sammy Reeves Caps of all kinds
Alabama Splash Adventure
DeCarlo Properties Dixie Satellite Durante Home Exteriors
Scentsy Fragrance warmers, wax, sprays and car kits
Edward Jones Investments
Skull Girl Soaps
Helena Fence and Deck
Space Air Airbrushing Airbrush tattoos
LeafFilter North of Georgia, Inc.
Southern Natural Soap Soaps, ect. Terri Paxton Infant clothing, accessories Thomas Kober Lizards, turtles, reptiles, pet foods The Beveled Edge Framed sports prints Usborne Books Children’s books
Helena Health Club
Lone Warriors Old Town Music Orthodontics South Precision Chiropractic Riverside Baptist Church Shelby Pediatric Dentistry
RIDES Bungy Jump Buck Creek Festival 2016 • 13
Parking Information FREE PARKING for the festival is available at Ruffin Park, Helena Elementary School and Helena Baptist Church. A festival shuttle will run on Friday afternoon and Saturday to Lot A. Lot B at Helena Elementary will be closed Friday. Festival shuttle will run until 30 minutes after the festival closes. Best parking will be at Lot A.
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Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a top athlete, you may need physical therapy if you have pain that doesn’t go away, pain that returns, pain during activity, or general weakness. An evaluation by a licensed BenchMark physical therapist allows him or her to identify problems and recommend treatment.
Formerly OnMark Physical Therapy Altadena • Chelsea • Crestline Helena • Hoover • Moody benchmarkpt.com Buck Creek Festival 2016 • 15
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