Mountain Brook Magazine, July/August 2019

SORORITY RECRUITMENT STYLE • THE SOBERAS’ HOME RENOVATION • GILCHRIST CLASSICS TRIED & TRUE

HORSES + HEALING

AT THE RED BARN

nature IMAGINATIVE

THE JEWELRY DESIGNS OF SHALLA WISTA JULY/AUGUST 2019 MountainBrookMagazine.com Volume Three | Issue Four $4.95

MountainBrookMagazine.com 1

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FEATURES

41

52

SORORITY RECRUITMENT STYLE 101 Here’s your guide to what to wear each day of recruitment come August.

60

AT THE RED BARN

68

CATCHING COURAGE How one woman is healing and helping those scarred by fire.

6 July/August 2019

PHOTO BY HOLLAND WILLIAMS

Tranquility and transformation go hand in hand when it comes to kids with disabilities and this set of horses.

52 PHOTO BY REBECCA WISE

arts & culture

19 Where Nature Meets Imagination: Shalla Wista Designs

schools & sports

25 In the (Kinder)Garden: An Outdoor Classroom at Cherokee Bend 32 Five Questions For: MBCSF’s Rachel Weingartner

food

& drink

33 The Not-So-Hidden Treasure of Gilchrist 40 Five Questions For: Abhi Owner + Chef Abhi Sainju

home

& style

in every issue 6 Contributors 7 From the Editor 9 #MountainBrookMag 11 The Question 13 The Guide 76 Chamber Connections 78 Out & About 86 Marketplace 88 My Mountain Brook

41 All in the Details: A Tour of the Soberas’ Home Renovation 51 At Home: Simplicity

MountainBrookMagazine.com 7

MOUNTAIN BROOK

contributors

MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL

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

CONTRIBUTORS

Jessica Clement Mary Fehr Tracy James Eleanor Kerr Mary Alayne B. Long Tracey Rector Katie Roth Holland Williams Rebecca Wise Graham Yelton

Tracy James, Writer & Stylist

For more than 18 years, Tracy, a Mountain Brook native, has been a go-to fashion consultant and wardrobe stylist in the Southeast, doling out style advice via her company ChicMadeSimple. Serving the image needs of women, men, teens, tweens and kids, Tracy’s offerings include closet revamps, personal shopping, packing services, wardrobe seminars, photo shoot styling and runway show production. Her easy-going, real world approach to helping clients find personal style makes being chic…simple.

Mary Alayne B. Long, Writer

A native of Heflin, Alabama, Mary Alayne is a mother, a housewife and a sassy Southern writer. She and her husband, Rick, have two children, Jake and Sadie Sue, and they all make their home in the Heart of Dixie.

You can follow Mary Alayne and her unpredictable adventures on Instagram @thealabamahousewife.

DESIGN

Jamie Dawkins Kate Sullivan Green Connor Martin-Lively

MARKETING

Kristy Brown Ali Congdon Kari George Caroline Hairston Rachel Henderson Daniel Holmes Rhett McCreight Kim McCulla Jordan Price Kerrie Thompson

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

Katie Roth, Intern

Katie Roth is a student at Samford University studying journalism and mass communications and photography. With plans to graduate in May 2020, she hopes to someday live in a big city while pursuing her career and continuing to tell people’s stories.

Holland Williams, Photographer

Holland is a professional photographer based in Mountain Brook. She’s mom to Chappell, Collier and Margaret Reed, and wife to her best friend (on most days), Reed. She’s addicted to coffee and lives in work out clothes. When Holland isn’t behind the camera, she loves running with friends, trips to the beach, home improvement projects... and hasn’t watched a TV show in probably 10 years.

Mountain Brook Magazine is published bimonthly by Shelby County Newspapers Inc., P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051.

Mountain Brook 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, Mountain Brook Magazine, P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051.

Mountain Brook Magazine is mailed to select households throughout Mountain Brook, and a limited number of free copies are available at local businesses. Please visit MountainBookMagazine.com for a list of those locations. Subscriptions are available at a rate of $16.30 for one year by visiting MountainBrookMagazine.com or calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 532.

Advertising inquiries may be made by emailing advertise@mountainbrookmagazine.com, or by calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 536.

8 July/August 2019

from the editor

I

ON THE COVER

Shalla Wista in the Wild

Designer Laura Gaines finds inspiration in nature for her Shalla Wista jewelry line, which is modeled here.

Photo by Graham Yelton Design by Kate Sullivan Green

I used to be bad at taking vacation. For some reason I thought my work world wouldn’t hold together without me, but guess what? It does.

And, I have learned, if I take a whole week off in the summer and totally unplug, I return refreshed and tremendously renewed in finding and writing stories—and believe me, the latter requires a lot of discipline that’s hard to muster.

It’s in those moments away that I stop scrolling, stop checking apps, stop thinking about what needs to be done, and I simply be. Because let’s face it, 95 percent of the time in normal life that I am not sleeping I’m checking my phone or getting distracted in some form or another.

As I think on the glories of a whole week away, I am also reminded of the other things in life that fully occupy me in the present. On the top of that list is the kind of dinner with close friends where I lose track of time for hours, completely enveloped in the people around me and our conversation around the table. Right next to it though are a novel that keeps me up far past my bed time, and a good interview.

Because when I visited The Red Barn, I didn’t even consider checking my phone as Joy O’Neal toured us around the beyond peaceful backdrop where horses walk and graze and told us stories of how they see lives transformed there.

When our summer intern Katie Roth and I ventured into Heather Brown’s classroom garden, I wasn’t thinking about what I needed to do later that day. I was fully engrossed in the controlled chaos of kindergartners planting flowers and harvesting herbs and onions, as Katie captured photos and I assisted with styling them.

When I sat down to coffee with Laura Gaines, I wasn’t wondering if so and so had responded to my text or email. Instead I was intently listening and asking questions as she told me about how she got into crafting her own line of jewelry and her run-ins with celebrities since then.

And so it’s my hope that as you flip through the pages ahead that you can set your phone out of reach and your to-do list out of mind and fully enter the story of Dawn Hirn and how fire forever changed her life through loss and redemption, that you can fully celebrate what we all have loved about Gilchrist for decades (pimiento cheese BLT and limeade, anyone?), and that you can fully absorb the stunning design in the Soberas’ home and the fun of sorority recruitment fashion from local boutiques that Tracy James styled for us.

Happy summer, and happy reading! And please send story ideas for any season my way any time you like.

madoline.markham@mountainbrookmagazine.com

MountainBrookMagazine.com 9

Celebrating over 60 years of serving you.

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Family is very important to us, and we treat our customers with the same care and respect as members of our own family.

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“ ” THE QUESTION

What place stands out most from your childhood in Mountain Brook?

For my mother, her favorite memory was riding her horse from the Mountain Brook stables down the bridle trail which is now the trail through Jemison Park up the mountain on Old Leeds Road.

-June Dorsett

Smith’s! In the early ‘60s, my grandmother would give me $5 to buy Christmas gifts for everyone in my family. I still have a broach that I gave to my grandmother.

-Bea Fowlkes Healey

Stepping stones across the creek on Jemison Trail. I spent many summer days walking down Jemison, looking for wildlife, pulling my bike through the creek and catching tadpoles.

- Charlotte Turnipseed Russ

Crestline Elementary playground where I attended and played and then my children are playing and attending there also!

- Marion Hunt Kling

Baskin Robbins in the round building down from where Starbucks is today!

We always went to get ice cream there! Loved that place.

Eating lunch at 11 a.m. or dinner at 4:30 p.m. with my grandmother and her sisters at The Britling’s in Mt. Brook Village. After we ate, we would pick out a balloon.

Mitzi’s 5 & 10! I can remember jumping on my bicycle and racing down to get as much penny gum as I could buy! Oh the memories!

Walking to Gilchrist after school and charging a sprite and strawberry sour powers to use as a “straw.”

I have recently taken my daughter there and she loved it.

-Carla Caffey Kent

-Cathy Hunt Ward

-Lucie Lee Haynes

-Emily Ruth Terry

MountainBrookMagazine.com 13

14 July/August 2019

THE GUIDE

Photo by Katie Roth

SHADES VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH FARMER’S MARKET WEDNESDAYS 2305 Montevallo Road 3-6 p.m.

MOUNTAIN BROOK PRESBYTERIAN FARMER’S MARKET SATURDAYS 3405 Brookwood Road 8 a.m.-noon

Stop by after work to stock up on fresh veggies at this market conveniently located right outside Mountain Brook Village on Montevallo Road. It will run through Aug. 14.

Find produce, fruits, eggs, meats and honey without venturing far from home on Saturday mornings, plus shop the works of artisans and other vendors. It will run through Sept. 14.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 15

THE GUIDE WHAT TO DO IN MOUNTAIN BROOK

SPORTS

MBHS Football Schedule Bring on the Friday night lights. Don your green and gold, and we’ll see you at Spartan Stadium. All games kick off at 7 p.m.

JULY 9 Animal Tales: Live Animals Emmet O’Neal Library 10:30 a.m.

JULY 11 Jaws Movie Showing Field Next to Emmet O’Neal Library 8-10:30 p.m.

JULY 12 Middle Grades Crossover: It IS Rocket Science!

Emmet O’Neal Library/Kids 6 p.m.

TUESDAYS IN JULY

Alabama Bicentennial Celebration Funny Film Fest Emmet O’Neal Library 6:30 P.M. Alabama is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, so why not join in by watching summer blockbusters set in our home sweet home state?

July 2: Sweet Home Alabama July 9: Fried Green Tomatoes July 16: Crazy in Alabama

JULY 19-21

BACK TO SCHOOL SALES TAX HOLIDAY

16 July/August 2019

JULY 4 Independence Day Emmet O’Neal Library Closed JULY 9 Starfinder Gaming Night Emmet O’Neal Library/Teens 6-8:45 p.m.

Aug. 23: Vs. Northridge/ Senior Night Aug. 30: Vs. Center Point Sept. 6: At Tuscaloosa County Sept. 13: At Spain Park Sept. 20: At Vestavia Hills Oct. 4: At Oak Mountain Oct. 11: At Hewitt-Trussville Oct. 18: At Thompson Oct. 25: Vs. Hoover/ Homecoming Nov. 2: At Gardendale

Save the date to shop sales tax free for back to school clothes, supplies and more in Mountain Brook city limits and lots of

JULY 4 Fourth of July at the Zoo Birmingham Zoo

other counties and municipalities around the state. For more details on what items qualify, visit revenue.alabama.gov.

JULY 13 Alabama Bicentennial Edition Craft Academy: Canning & Preserving Emmet O’Neal Library 10 a.m.-noon Registration Required JULY 13 Big Hair Painting Party Emmet O’Neal Library/Teens 1-3 p.m.

JULY 16 AtsMagic: Magic Show Emmet O’Neal Library 10:30 a.m.

JULY 17 Flicks Among the Flowers Field of Dreams Birmingham Botanical Gardens 6 p.m. Gates, 8 p.m. Film JULY 18+25 Yoga with Marie Blair Emmet O’Neal Library/Adults 10-11 a.m.

JULY 20 Family Yoga in the Gardens Birmingham Botanical Gardens Register & pay online.

9-10 a.m.

JULY 20 Stop-Motion Movie Double Feature Emmet O’Neal Library/Teens 1-5 p.m.

JULY 20 Market Day Mountain Brook Village 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

THE GUIDE AUG. 17

Boiling ‘n Bragging Otey’s Tavern 6:30-9:30 P.M. You don’t have to wait for Labor Day to tailgate. Wear your team’s colors and come out for a low country boil plus live music, drink specials and kids’ activities. The Rotary International District 6860 partners with Children’s of Alabama, Otey’s Tavern and Spectrum for the event.

JULY 23 That Puppet Guy Lee Bryan: The Giant, the Beanstalk, and Jack Emmet O’Neal Library 10:30 a.m.

JULY 31 Art House Film Series The Scent of Green Papaya Emmet O’Neal Library 6:30-9 p.m.

AUG. 6+13+20+27 Yoga with Marie Blair Emmet O’Neal Library/Adults 10-11 a.m.

AUG. 10 Crestline Tent Sales Crestline Village Stores All Day AUG. 13 First Day of School Mountain Brook Schools AUG. 17 Family Yoga in the Gardens Birmingham Botanical Gardens Register & pay online.

9-10 a.m.

AUG. 20 Winecraft: Cork Planters Emmet O’Neal Library Ages 21+/Registration Required 5 p.m.

AUG. 28 Art House Film Series Hot Summer Night Emmet O’Neal Library 6:30-9 p.m.

LIBRARY

Summer Reading Finales Emmet O’Neal Library Summer is fun, summer is great, summer—and summer reading—must come to an end. But not without a proper celebration. Mark your calendar for these funtivities.

KIDS Roger Day Concert & Pizza Thursday, Aug. 1, 3:30 p.m.

YOUNG ADULTS Finale Party/Game On Saturday, July 27, 1-4 p.m.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 17

THE GUIDE AROUND TOWN JULY 13

Tenth Annual Otey’s Fest Otey’s Parking Lot 6–10:30 P.M.

JULY FRIDAYS & SUNDAYS Various Movies Alabama Theatre alabamatheatre.com for listings JULY FRIDAYS Free Friday Flicks Veterans Park, Hoover facebook.com/ BackyardMovieParties/

This summertime favorite event will be back with a lineup of live music for the tenth year in a row.

Plus, there will be fun for the kids, local brews and Rodney’s famous cheeseburgers. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit The Phoenix Club of Birmingham and Better Basics.

SATURDAYS The Market at Pepper Place 8 a.m.-noon JULY 12-AUG. 4 Red Mountain Theatre Company Presents Matilda the Musical Dorothy Jemison Day Theatre Alabama School of Fine Arts

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

JULY 18-21 Birmingham Barons vs.

Tennessee Regions Field

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JULY 19-21 Disney’s Peter Pan Jr. Red Mountain Theatre Company Cabaret Theatre JULY 25 Luke Bryan: Sunset Repeat Tour 2019 Oak Mountain Amphitheatre JULY 26-AUG. 4 Mary Poppins Jr. Virginia Samford Theatre AUG. 2-3 Secret Stages Music Discovery Festival Avondale AUG. 16-25 Birmingham Restaurant Week AUG. 18-22 Birmingham Barons vs.

Jacksonville Regions Field AUG. 19-25 Sidewalk Film Festival Downtown Birmingham

THE GUIDE BOOKS

The Favorite Daughter Ten years ago, Lena Donohue experienced a wedding-day betrayal so painful that she fled the small town of Watersend, South Carolina, and reinvented herself in New York City.

Though now a freelance travel writer, the one place she rarely goes is home— until she learns of her dad’s failing health. For the full story, pick up the latest novel from Mountain Brook author Patti Callahan Henry, The Favorite Daughter, which hits book stores on June 4.

~Summer Camps do not have to be hot!!!~ The Camp themes for July are

July 8-12 July 30-Aug 3 “Toy Story 4” “The Lion King”

• 17 Hours of skating time • 3 hours of off-ice workout • 5 hours of Arts & Crafts • 1 G- rated movie a day • Camp T-shirt • 1 On-Ice Exhibition of tricks learned for Mom & Dad • Lunch is provided

The Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena “Learn to Skate” Ice Skating Camp

Cost: $275.00 per week

Ages: 5-12 • 7:45am-4:00pm

Please register in advance by calling our Pro Shop at 205-620-6448 ext.261

Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena 500 Amphitheater Road, Pelham Alabama 35124

MountainBrookMagazine.com 19

Since 2012

&CULTURE

ARTS

WHERE NATURE MEETS IMAGINATION Shalla Wista designs got their start in Crestline before making their way onto the big screen.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY GRAHAM YELTON MountainBrookMagazine.com 21

T

Thirteen years into running her own jewelry line, Laura Gaines tells us “cool things have happened,” but that seems like a bit of an understatement considering the likes of Selena Gomez, Britney Spears, Reba McEntire and Julianne Hough have all worn her pieces.

Just before the interview for this article, a makeup artist for the NBC show Will & Grace reached out to Laura. “We see everything (that) comes through here, and your jewelry is incredible,” she told Laura.

“You have a lot to look forward to.”

Another time Laura was writing out an invoice at

22 July/August 2019

a show in Nashville when Faith Hill grabbed Laura’s hand to compliment her bracelet. Could she buy it, Faith asked. “It was actually mine, and it had taken me forever to make it. And I loved it. But I said, ‘Of course!’” Laura recounts.

When she happened to meet one of the producers of the 2011 film Something Borrowed, the producer asked to use Shalla Wista jewelry for actresses Ginnifer Goodwin and Kate Hudson to wear—and indeed her designs ended up on the big screen.

Most recently, Laura had been working with two models for Shalla Wista photo shoots who happened

to have the same first name, Hannah Godwin and former Miss Alabama Hannah Brown—the same two Hannahs who would go on to compete on The Bachelor earlier this year. Now that Hannah Brown is the star of this season’s The Bachelorette, Shalla Wista has sent in more than 100 pieces for them to choose from for shooting, but Laura isn’t sure what will make it on air so stay tuned.

Back in 2006 though, Laura didn’t know any of those stories would be in her future. She had worked for designer Lynn Wood’s Camany & Company for seven years in Homewood, and following a move to

Atlanta, the man she was dating at the time encouraged her to start her own line. The prospect was terrifying, Laura says, but she decided to try it, crafting designs in her Piedmont Park condo. Later she’d move operations back to sweet home Alabama and eventually settle into a cozy spot above Church Street Coffee, where Michelle’s gift shop had formerly been housed to serve as her studio.

When it came time for a name, Laura was stuck, and so the night before she was submitting a form for a business license, she emailed family and friends to ask for ideas. The vote was nearly unanimous: MountainBrookMagazine.com 23

WHERE TO FIND SHALLA WISTA LOCALLY

M. Lavender, Mountain Brook Village. South Boutique, The Summit and other locations. Lady in Lace, Tuscaloosa. Carriage House, Decatur.

ONLINE

shallawista.com

24 July/August 2019

“Shalla Wista.” No, you can’t look up the phrase in any foreign language dictionary, but the words are what she would walk around whispering before she was able to talk as a small child and became her nickname in the years to come. Laura hadn’t been called “Shalla Wista” in years, but she listened to her people—and now celebrities know that name too. Today you can buy Laura’s designs in boutiques across the Southeast and a handful of stores in California and Colorado, and she has her sights on getting more stores on the West Coast.

Laura herself struggles to put words on exactly what makes a piece of jewelry a Shalla Wista design, but her friends know it and can spot it almost anywhere. There’s no doubt anything Shalla Wista is inspired by nature and animals, often incorporating leather, antlers, buffalo horns, fossils or python skins paired with hydro coated gold, brass or sterling silver.

Plus, the rugged sparkle of pyrite goes with anything and everything in Laura’s book.

Laura also loves to add shine to her designs. Her higher end Madame Fifi line—named after her dog who has since passed away—incorporates more expensive pieces with diamonds. No matter the year or line, you’ll find golds and sterling silvers in layers.

Wherever she travels, she’s taking in colors and textures for inspiration. “I love florescent pinks and canary yellows, but I also love the natural colors, the colors of the buffalo and any colors you’d see on an African safari, which is next in line on my bucket list. I search all the time for new things.” In Rhode Island she knows where to find old warehouses full of leather and fabrics and gems and buttons.

Some Shalla Wista pieces have a more youthful feel for teens and 20-somethings, while others are designed with women in their 30s and beyond in mind—knowing her tastes started to favor more tans, blacks and earth tones in her 30s and 40s.

While Laura’s studio doesn’t make their own chains, most everything else is hand crafted in Crestline. There Laura and

The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown modeled for Shalla Wista before starring on the show.

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Red, White & Blue SUMMER fun

Independence Day 1776!

Fun. . . Food. . . Fireworks!

Spend July 4th at the American Village with your family, friends and neighbors.

It’s our biggest red, white and blue day of the year!

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celebrate america!

Our summer program continues TuesdaysSaturdays through July 31 (excludes July 3-5)

Ride with Paul Revere, march with the Continental Army, learn Colonial spy techniques and much more!

www.americanvillage.org

MountainBrookMagazine.com 25

her four staff members are cutting up large sheets of favorites that looks like fishbone—and pair it with leather, drilling holes in buffalo horns and making long earrings. “When I do wear jewelry I wear a lot computer-aided design drawings. During the of it,” she says. “I’ll wear five gold necklaces or holidays, Shalla Wista will hold pop up shops in the diamond earrings with a buffalo horn fringe necklace I love. I don’t wear small things.” retail space below its design space, Looking back over the years of and no matter the time of year Shalla Wista, Laura talks about Laura pops downstairs to Church the sideways cross necklaces they Street for coffee. sold a ton of a while back, but it’s Last year her friend found baby an angel wing necklace sold in seahorses’ skeletons that washed black, champagne or dark purple ashore in Portugal, so Laura druse encased in gold that she has hydrocoated them in gold in a heard the most stories about. “A design that she says speaks to her lot of people love it and buy it for a “go-to” look. This year she says friend who has lost a loved one or coins are in, so she’s found historic just to be a blessing to someone ones and replicas to work into her going through tough stuff,” Laura designs. Silver is slowly coming says. “For years I have prayed over back in style too.

Shalla Wista Founder and my jewelry because I really want What does Laura like to wear Designer Laura Gaines to touch people. I never know herself though? Her short answer what a person who puts it on is “all of it,” but she admits most days she wears workout clothes with her Kaylee might feel.”

As an Enneagram Type 1, Laura knows she is hoops, a best-selling earring that’s been around since her second ever employee found a piece of wire always wanting to make things better. “Maybe that’s why God gave me this gift,” she says. “I love working that inspired it 10 years ago.

When she has a party to attend, though, Laura’s with people. Life is hard, so (I want to do) anything I likely to bring out a funky necklace—like one of her can do to make people feel better.”

26 July/August 2019

SCHOOL

&SPORTS

IN THE (KINDER)GARDEN Imagination and learning take on a new dimension in Heather Brown’s outdoor classroom at Cherokee Bend.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY KATIE ROTH & CONTRIBUTED MountainBrookMagazine.com 27

Like many kindergarten classes, Heather Brown’s held a Thanksgiving feast last year. But in this instance her students were extra excited about…the salad.

That’s right, the salad.

Because, you see, they planted and harvested the lettuce for it themselves, right outside the window of their Cherokee Bend Elementary classroom. In fact, Brown finds that every time her class harvests broccoli and eats it, two or three students start liking it for the first time. “It’s cool for them to plant something and see it grow and then taste it,” Brown says.

As her students learn about habitats, life cycles and seasons, they see them all right there, just a few yards from their tables and books in the rectangular garden beds they tend. They plant flowers, pull onions from the ground, harvest chives and mint, and notice where new fruit is appearing. They see worms and spiders, bees and wasps, and look at them under magnifying glasses—and react accordingly. “A worm! A worm!”

Brown hears regularly during their times in the garden.

With a garden as an extension of their classroom, kids can create observational drawings of what they find and perform scientific studies without going far away. It’s a great testing ground ripe 28 July/August 2019

with academic and life lessons too. So when cabbage didn’t grow well in Brown’s garden, the students learned that things don’t always go as planned—and that light conditions affect how certain plants grow. While broccoli grows well in their garden, it doesn’t on the other side of the school where Brown planted it originally.

The garden got its start in Brown’s second-grade classroom a few years ago with the class of now rising sixth graders. There had been some flooding issues outside their classroom that left a muddy mess for the class when they walked to the playground, so a group of students came up with the idea to build a garden in the mud. Brown encouraged the students to develop a design for the space and enlisted the help of her dad, an avid gardener just like his dad, to build a few circular raised beds in the space.

As the kids’ imaginations and interest in the garden grew, so did Heather’s as she started to dream up ways to incorporate hands-on learning in the garden into the curriculum. To take these to the next level, she applied for and received grant

MountainBrookMagazine.com 29

Students plant and harvest flowers, herbs, vegetables and more in the garden outside Heather Brown’s kindergarten classroom at Cherokee Bend Elementary.

205-447-3275 • cezelle@realtysouth.com

30 July/August 2019

funding from the Magic City Reading Council for classroom materials tied to the garden.

When Brown moved to teaching kindergarten this year, the garden evolved into a community effort too. Boy Scout Carey Hereford, a rising MBHS junior, built raised beds in a more spacious plot outside her new classroom. Parents contribute plants all year long. Briarwood Garden Club offered to help and has come to the school and potted plants and provided other materials too.

And one parent this year, KC Hairston, helped connect them with a community resource the kids certainly won’t forget.

When a truck pulled up outside their classroom to dump dirt last fall, the kids were all standing by the window in awe. But it wasn’t just any dirt, they’d soon learn.

The dirt had come from a compost operation at Rathmell Field that decomposes leaves collected by Waste Management from all over Mountain Brook—including Brown’s students’ yards. “I call it super dirt,” says Johnny Harris, a Public Works supervisor over construction. “I took home (some) for (my) rose bushes and was clipping blooms every single evening. It’s unreal how potent this stuff is.” And that’s not all. The day the “super dirt” arrived at the school Harris and his colleagues talked to the kids about the composting process, complete with a video of the facility at work and hard hats for all the kids to wear.

Brown’s students use compost bins in the classroom garden, but the city compost is on a whole different scale. In fact, one time the parks department put an uncooked ham wrapped in foil in the compost, and it cooked all the way through because the compost is so hot. And now plans are in the works for the same in-school “field trip” to take place again next school year with all the kindergarten classes at the school.

The garden real estate outside Brown’s room is only the beginning of this kind of hands-on learning initiative at Cherokee Bend. Brown is hoping to get more classrooms and community members involved in gardening and to maybe one day create an outdoor classroom down near the school’s

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“

We can look at it in books, but if you can actually get out there and do it, there’s a whole other element of learning added.

-Heather Brown

32 July/August 2019

”

playground.

Several second-grade classes now have small gardens outside their windows, and as of the writing of this article, there was a giant head of cabbage ready for harvest outside teacher Emily Griner’s room—which was where Heather’s class first started a garden a few years back.

“I am excited about what gardening can provide our children,” Cherokee Bend Principal Sandy Ritchey says. “Young children can practice locomotor skills, body management skills and object control skills. Most importantly, being outdoors in the fresh air and moving around is a great way to get exercise, and our teachers incorporate literacy skills as well.”

The dreams don’t stop with plants either. Brown has also envisioned having a school chicken coop and experimented with the first steps when her class

housed an incubator for chicken eggs this school year. With inspiration and advice from Brookwood Forest teachers, Brown set up a camera and a live feed so other classrooms could tune in too as the six eggs hatched and chicks grew. Brown’s students named them and cared for them until they needed a new home, which they found at school nurse Betsy Draper’s farm.

Draper still takes photos of the chickens to update the kids on their progress.

Be it broccoli or chickens, Brown is an Heather Brown’s kindergarten class. advocate for getting outside the typical classroom box. “We can look at it in books, but if you can actually get out there and do it, there’s a whole other element of learning added,” she says. “Then (the students) have some background knowledge when we are looking at books, and they know the vocabulary of what they are reading.”

MountainBrookMagazine.com 33

SCHOOLS & SPORTS

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Rachel Weingartner

New Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation Executive Director PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Rachel Weingartner might be a fairly new resident of Mountain Brook, but her ties to the area and its schools go all the way back to her great-grandmother, who taught at Brookwood Forest Elementary. And now as her two boys are getting ready to start school here, she couldn’t be more excited to be at the helm of fundraising for grants for technology, library enhancement and professional development through the Mountain Brook Schools Foundation. We chatted with her about what brought her back to Birmingham and her stops in the world of country music and more in between.

Can you tell us some about your background?

I grew up in Birmingham and went to Indian Springs School and then Washington & Lee in Virginia for college. I did a stint in New York and got my master’s in journalism and public relations from the University of Georgia. Then I went to Nashville and worked in the music industry. I worked at a talent agency and helped manage their foundation, and then I worked at the Country Music Hall of Fame with their individual giving and fundraising. It used to be I would turn on the radio and know personally the people who would come on, and now I am behind.

Then my husband and I got pregnant.

Growing up here I knew how amazing the school system is, and we thought we’d be crazy not to move back. My husband isn’t from here but now he is the biggest fan of the area. Most of my friends growing up went to Mountain Brook schools, and most of my family did too. My grandmother taught at the junior high, and my great grandmother taught at Brookwood Forest.

What drew you to this position?

Having done fundraising and development work for the last 10 years now, 34 July/August 2019

the opportunity to fundraise for what will be my boys’ school system was so incredibly exciting, and the opportunity to be in the executive director role was something I was thrilled to do. My oldest son will be 5 in July and will start kindergarten at Crestline in 2020, and my youngest will turn 3 in August.

The previous executive director Stephanie Maxwell did an amazing job getting the foundation to where it is today. We have so many amazing campaigns and appeals we are doing right now, like Give 180. The idea is you give a dollar for every day your child is in school, and that supports all of the schools and allows us to give grants. We have a Grandparents Club where grandparents who have grandchildren in the school system can give back as well. Our elementary track meet each May is a fundraiser as well.

I am excited to grow what we are doing.

Association of Central Alabama where I was the development director, it was people whose loved ones had been affected by Alzheimer’s. When it’s fundraising for people’s children’s education, I am blown away by how engaged and involved people are to make sure they are giving back to make an impact.

How do your past experiences inform what you are doing now?

At the end of the day fundraising comes down to what people are passionate about.

At the Country Music Hall of Fame, it was people who love country music and thought it was really important to preserve it and the instruments people used. At the Alzheimer’s

What’s something people might not know about the foundation?

Teachers are involved in contributing to the foundation, which shows how much they appreciate the extra funding and support. We have a campaign called Every Dollar Counts, and teachers at every school can contribute to the foundation.

What have you learned since starting in this position?

We are allowing teachers to try new ideas and then work with the PTO to make sure if it works well it can get it to other classrooms.

We are the extra funding that allows us to have technologies and innovation. For example, one math teacher at the junior high has floor-to-ceiling white boards and said it is one of the most important things in her classroom and makes it more collaborative.

&DRINK

FOOD

A NOT-SO-HIDDEN TREASURE

Lucky for us, we can travel back to the days of soda shops and get a limeade any day we want at Gilchrist.

BY MARY ALAYNE B. LONG PHOTOS BY REBECCA WISE MountainBrookMagazine.com 35

I

If you search the internet for “Gilchrist in Mountain Brook,” you will find a simple description: “traditional, American sandwiches.” But trying to describe this hometown gem with a few short words can’t possibly do it justice.

A local landmark that’s been part of the community for over 80 years, the old-fashioned soda fountain that started out as Mountain Brook Apothecary is a whole lot more than a place to stop for a sandwich. Founded in 1928 by Marvin Gilchrist, it didn’t take long for this little shop on the corner to become a well-known hub for friends

36 July/August 2019

to gather.

While the pharmacy was phased out in the 1980s, the soda fountain side of the business survived and has long been the centerpiece of this local staple.

You can regularly find it on lists of the top five, 10, 20, you name it places to eat before you die, and if you are lucky enough to have had the pleasure, you understand. There’s a feeling of community at those tiny tables, and you are just as likely to find yourself sitting next to a barefoot child in a Batman costume as you are the governor of Alabama.

Folks of all ages and from all walks of life wait

MountainBrookMagazine.com 37

“I opened my business here in 1952, and I’ve been a regular (at Gilchrist) ever since. The main thing, as far as I’m concerned, is I always have a chance to bump into friends here. And you can always talk football.”

-Jerry Leader

38 July/August 2019

patiently for the perfect BLT or the softest egg salad on white or wheat—your choice—to be delivered to their table on a Styrofoam plate with a side of tomatoes, pickles and, if you’re smart enough to ask, a generous dollop of mayonnaise. If you know what’s what, you’ll also order the fresh limeade to go along with your meal. It’s made by hand, one cup at a time, and you won’t taste anything like it anywhere else in town. And the traditional, die-hard Southerners out there can even find the time honored specialty, tomato aspic, on the daily menu.

Leon Rosato, Jr. has been the captain of this ship since the early 1990s and is only the fourth person in history to hold that title. Leon and his brother Jody can be found behind the counter every day, and for them, it’s a true family affair. Their brother-inlaw Joe comes in two days a week as does their 85-year-old mother, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. That family feeling extends to the customers, many of whom they know by name. “Even if I don’t know all the names, I know the faces. And I know a lot of the regulars’ orders as well,” says Jody. “Mr. and Mrs. Kolen are almost always going to get chicken salad plates, but sometimes switch it up for a chicken salad sandwich. Mr. Jerry Leader gets a BLT with limeade to drink, and Mike Moss is always going to order a milkshake. That’s why we call him Milkshake Mike.”

Jerry Leader’s memories are just as vivid too. “I’ve been coming here to meet friends since I was growing up down in Southside.

Gilchrist was always an attraction,” he says. “I don’t remember

Take a walk in the Parke

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MountainBrookMagazine.com 39

much about the drug store, so to speak, but I remember Dr. Gilchrist. And I remember that ice cream. I opened my business here in 1952, and I’ve been a regular ever since. The main thing, as far as I’m concerned, is I always have a chance to bump into friends here. And you can always talk football. It doesn’t matter if you pull for Alabama or Tennessee or Auburn. You can always talk football.”

If you show up during the school year, be aware that the afternoon stampede traveling directly from Mountain Brook Elementary is a daily event. Children parade in with their backpacks in tow and favorite snacks in mind. With the small exception of those whose mothers have noted “no candy” on their account, they all head home happy. The line that sometimes reaches out the door is always filled with friendly faces, and you are likely to see a friend on each visit and perhaps even make a new one. You may also see those coveted white paper to-go bags being ferried down the sidewalks of Mountain Brook Village as lunches are personally delivered by the Gilchrist staff. I myself have enjoyed more than one lunch on my lap as I sat through a hair appointment at the beauty parlor down the block.

At Gilchrist, time stands still just a little bit. Everyone is friendly. The food is always good. And whether you’re an old hat or a brand new visitor, Gilchrist makes you feel right at home.

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40 July/August 2019

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No trip to Gilchrist is complete without a limeade, particularly in the summer.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 41

FOOD & DRINK

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Abhi Sainju

Abhi Owner+Chef PHOTO BY KATIE ROTH

You’ve likely had his Nepalese dumplings at mo:mo: at the Pizitz Food Hall. You’ve likely had his ramen at his restaurant at The Summit. You’ve likely tasted the menu he shaped from the start at Bamboo on 2nd. And now you can have all of that and more without leaving Mountain Brook Village. Nepalese chef Abhi Sainju was personally asked by a developer to bring his concept to the dining space Avo operated for a decade at 2721 Cahaba Road, and he couldn’t say no. Here’s the scoop on what you will find there soon and some of the back story on the menu too. the past 10 years, and now I can get everything I need in Birmingham. I mix How did growing up in Nepal influence spices to make it taste like what I can get how you cook now in your restaurants? in Nepal since I can’t import spices. Now Back home, my mom was a very good people eat spicier food than me, but they cook and cooked every meal for us, and I give me credit for educating them on their learned to cook from her. When I came to palate and food.

Birmingham for school 22 years ago, I missed the food, and no one made it here. What’s your favorite thing on your So I taught myself to do it. In college, I menu?

It always changes and depends on my would cook for myself and experiment with ramen, recreating the food I missed, mood. The Pork Salad was my favorite, and my friends would eat it. My wife is but now the Salmon Salad is fresh and still the taste tester. She has been all over makes me feel good. Everybody loves it.

Southeast Asia and is from the Philippines, Even all my guy friends are talking about it. It has grilled salmon, tomatoes, and we have been together 21 years.

What will the interior look like? onions mixed greens, scallions and I wanted it to look different. It will have a hint of Nepal, with a modern twist, and How has Birmingham’s palate evolved cilantro, and we make our own vinaigrette with dried Thai chili I smoke a little bit of Alabama. My friends tell me, in your time here?

Twenty years ago, you could hardly get and grind up with fish sauce and lime “Abhi was made in Birmingham, Alabama, so you have to have something from any spices here, so I had to go to Atlanta juice. The dressing takes seven days to here.” There will also be a sushi bar, but or New York. Everything has improved in make, and it is outstanding.

Will the menu have new dishes, ones from The Summit location or both?

I wanted to do something new with the menu, but everyone wanted their favorites on the menu, too. I will be adding some new things, some healthy dishes and vegetarian options and specials on weekends. I have too many ideas. We will have ramen and momos (dumplings) that are very popular, as well as a variety of sushi and curries. We will be open only for dinner at first, and then after a month or two, we will add lunch on the weekends and maybe a brunch menu on Sundays.

42 July/August 2019

there won’t be bar seats in front of it.

&STYLE

HOME

ALL IN THE DETAILS

Soft, natural elements anchor the Soberas’ newly renovated home design—and there are plenty of statement makers too.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY HOLLAND WILLIAMS MountainBrookMagazine.com 43

A

A few years ago, Jenny and Scott Sobera set out to do a small renovation on their new house on Montcrest Drive. But then one thing led to another, and their architects Paul Bates and Jeremy Corkern drew up a floor plan so perfect for their family of six they couldn’t turn it down.

It had been the house’s deep lot and location on a street in Crestline, yet tucked away, that made them want to put in an offer on it on its first day on the market. Building on its best features, they expanded the house up and out to add bedrooms and play spaces for their four kids and recreate the main floor living spaces to fit their style for everyday life and entertaining.

Jenny knew she wanted a large mudroom, a pretty yet functional kitchen, and a “hidden” pajama staircase, while Scott’s only requests were a cedar shake roof and a Dutch door. In the end, they got all of that in a space that’s functional for their family and looks stunning to boot.

The Soberas brought interior designer Megan Houston on board for the project, too. The result, in Megan’s words, is clean, simple architecture with beautiful details in the wood beams, brass hardware, and steel windows and doors made locally by Red

44 July/August 2019

Mountain Iron. In the main living spaces natural light flows onto ivory walls that keep the space soft, while natural cypress beams and whitewashed random width oak floors add natural elements to the design. It’s not modern or traditional, but rather transitional in style. You’ll also see a few bold splashes of color in the house with chartreuse walls in the study and graphic wallpaper in the powder room.

Upstairs, Scott and Jenny’s two daughters have one side with their bedrooms, as well as a dance studio for Lily Kate and a homework and craft room where Shaw can be creative. On the other side, their teenage boys Will and Carter have a media room and bedrooms of their own.

Megan’s goal was for the space to feel uplifting and light and airy—and anyone who walks in would agree that’s exactly what it is. They’ll likely comment on the S curve wooden architectural details at the top of the steps, the statement floating staircase inside the front door, the whimsical girls’ bathroom upstairs and light finish on the oak floors, in which Jenny takes particular pride.

All in all, the home is original. It’s timeless. And best of all, it’s just right for the Soberas.

Exterior The Soberas’ home is topped with a cedar shake roof that reminds Scott of the homes he’d grown up around in Virginia. They also built onto the front of the existing home’s footprint to add a mudroom/laundry room space.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 45

Kitchen A Lacanche French blue range acts as the statement-making “jewelry” of the kitchen–and a hardworking piece for cooking family meals, too. In front of it sits a white oak island with brass feet that breaks up the white marble countertops in the rest of the kitchen.

Unlacquered brass hardware accents the light blue cabinetry, which is also paneled over the kitchen’s refrigerator and dishwashers.

46 July/August 2019

Sitting Area After moving in, the Soberas decided to add a sitting area in their dining room since they spent so much time in the space right off the kitchen.

Now a light blue settee and two chairs with pops of yellow fabric provide comfortable seating for drinking coffee and more, yet don’t block the view from the fireplace into the kitchen.

Butler’s Pantry Dark blue cabinets contrast with the light blue in the kitchen to provide extra workspace and appliance storage, including a coffee cabinet and a freezer. A Dutch door also opens off this space onto their back patio.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 47

Family Room A wood-burning fireplace is at the center of this cozy space where the Soberas enjoy watching football and movies together. During renovations, oak beams were added to its ceiling to connect the feel here with the kitchen and dining areas.

48 July/August 2019

Powder Room This patterned Eskayel graphic wallpaper makes a bold statement in this small space. The petrified wood bowl sink from Patina ties in with the wood beams in the living room and kitchen.

Study Jenny wanted to have one room in the house painted chartreuse, and the study wears it well. They also had a set of two desks built in the space, where both Jenny and Scott can work.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 49

Girls’ Bathroom The Soberas’ girls share a Jack and Jill bathroom between their bedrooms that boasts a whimsical purple wallpaper and a cast iron bathtub in its center. A white Stray Dog papier-mâché light fixture anchors the middle of the airy and feminine space.

Teenage Girl’s Room Megan designed this sophisticated pink and green room to grow up with Lily Kate from her tweens into her teens.

Pops of fuzzy white fabric keep it youthful, while green grasscloth wallpaper on the walls adds an air of maturity.

50 July/August 2019

Girl’s Room The floral fuchsia fabric and fun-shaped headboards that accent this space were selected to correspond to Shaw’s vibrant personality.

Both she and her sister Lily Kate have corresponding monograms on their Euro shams in their bedding.

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BEHIND THE SCENES Interior Design: Megan Houston Interior Design

Tile & Plumbing Fixtures: Fixtures & Finishes

Construction: Philip Houston, Village Park Builders

Custom Millwork: Ken Jones, Woodworking Dynamics

Architecture: Paul Bates & Jeremy Corkern Cabinet Hardware: Brandino Brass

Stone: Tracery

Cabinetry: Rick Fierce, E&E Interior Solutions

Master Bathroom Megan wanted this large bathroom to feel clean and airy with a little edge and modernity, and the cement tile and Henry fixtures from Waterworks deliver just that. Curtains soften this space and cover the his and hers closets, with a large island in the center acting as a dresser for both of them. A floral painting by local artist and family friend McKenzie Dove hangs over the bathtub in front of a double walk-through shower.

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AT HOME

SIMPLICITY

Photo & Text by Jessica Clement of JMC Studio

There is beauty in simplicity. Use the same tonal range to allow for the different patterns, like stripes on a lumbar pillow, as well as different textures, like on a natural woven basket, to stand out. Also pare down your accessories to just one piece like a basic black bowl.

1

2 3 4

5

6 7

1. Woven Wall Basket- Patina, $450. 2. Large Heritage Basket- Details, $395. 3. Stripe Lumbar Pillow- Details, $325. 4. Pom Wool Throw- Patina, $175. 5. Salt Cup- Patina, $16. 6. Bleached Teak Block Tables- Patina, $380. 7. Large Gray Wooden Beads- Patina, $105.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 53

Sorority Recruitment Style 101 Here’s your guide to what to wear each day of recruitment come August.

Written & Styled by Tracy James | Photos by Rebecca Wise Models: Catherine Haas, Mallie Reed, Ellison Wilson

I love wardrobe styling with clientele of all ages (my oldest is 96 and lives in a retirement community), but helping younger individuals is especially rewarding. Unlike my adult clients, who have already been subjected to years of peer pressure and societal expectations, I have the chance to ward off negative self-talk at the pass for younger clients, hopefully redirecting thinking toward positive esteem.

Perhaps one of the most important steps in the path to adulthood is the transition from high school to college, when teens leave the nest in their first attempt at spreading their wings of independence.

Embarking on this new chapter is daunting in its own right, both for student and parent. Add onto that a foray into the Greek system, and stress can mount. My ability—bolstered by an only-child bossiness (ahem, determination) and detailoriented organization—to take that worry off an

54 July/August 2019

already full plate is an honor and pleasure.

The dress code for sorority recruitment gets progressively dressier with each round, and the schedule lends itself to such, since girls visit fewer sorority houses each day. While there are slight differences from school to school, on the pages that follow, you will find a framework for the week that most schools follow, Auburn and Alabama in particular.

Wardrobe stylist Tracy James of ChicMadeSimple has served the style needs of clients for over 18 years. She has a particular passion for working with kids, tweens and teens, including preparing girls for college sorority recruitment. Learn more about Tracy at chicmadesimple.com. Follow her on Instagram and/or Facebook at ChicMadeSimple for style tips, tricks and recommendations.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 55

Round 1: Ice Water Teas/ House Tours Over the course of (usually) two days, the potential new members will visit every house on campus. It is August. It is the South. So it is HOT. Therefore, cool clothing, like lightweight sundresses and comfortable shoes like flat sandals, is the wise choice. Consider wearing long hair in a polished pony to get it off the neck.

Pro Tip: It is primarily on these days that my Emergency Kit item suggestions on page 55 are going to come in handy.

On Ellison (far left): Lovestitch striped sundress, leather earring & cuff (Milla). On Mallie: Sugar Lips off-shoulder shirt dress & Ashley Woods tortoise flower earring (Milla).

On Catherine (far right): Drew striped drop-waist linen sundress (Village Sportswear); Grey fringe earring (Duke’s).

56 July/August 2019

Emergency Kit Bag

Pack these items in a Recruitment Emergency Kit bag like this Street Level canvas tote from Annabelle’s: a a a a a a a a a a a a

Travel-size umbrella Portable fan First aid kit (Band-Aids, Advil, Tums, etc.)

Deodorant Face oil blotting papers Refreshing body wipes and/or hand sanitizer Emory board Breath spray or mints Makeup bag (essentials for touch ups) Brush or comb Flip flops Small notebook & pen

MountainBrookMagazine.com 57

Round 2: Philanthropy Days On these two days, Panhellenic provides T-shirts to all potential new members to wear with shorts (read: not cutoffs).

While I would love to report that they are always a cute fit with a fetching design, that is not the case, so play up your style with fun shorts like these on this page, as well as accessories and sandals.

Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to style your tee to make it your own.

For example, knot at the waist in front or in back and/or roll the sleeves.

Clockwise from orange pair at top: Tessora orange (Duke’s); Rag Poets chambray with racing stripe (Elle); Koch yellow (Duke’s); Rag Poets seersucker and Pam & Gela reptile print (Elle); TCEC hot pink (Annabelle’s); Drew striped (Village Sportswear); Koch multi-dot (Duke’s). RIGHT: Yoschi butterfly earring & bee cuff (Duke’s).

58 July/August 2019

Round 3: Sisterhood

On Ellison (far left): Amanda Upchard eyelet shift & white statement earring (Stella Blu). On Mallie: Susanna Monaco hot pink dress & Ashley Woods earring (Milla). On Catherine (far right): Amanda Upchard striped sundress (Stella Blu); Black statement earring (Milla).

As the number of sororities whittles down, the dressiness level increases. Think church dress, but with flair instead of stuffiness. Girls often opt for a heel or wedge in this round. Many ask, “What if someone else has on my same dress?” It’s bound to happen once in a while, which is why—just like in the celebrity “Who Wore It Best?” features— accessorizing is key and a way to make it your own.

Pro Tip: Always make sure you have the proper undergarments for each outfit, whether a racerback bra or nude seamless panty.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 59

On Ellison (left): ALC black knit dress (M. Lavender); Black leather & gold earring (Annabelle’s); Gold bracelet trio (Elle). On Catherine (right): Lavender Brown red strapless dress & gold jewelry (Elle).

BELOW: On Mallie: Ramy Brook color block swing dress, silver statement earring & cuff bracelet with geode (Elle).

Round 4: Preference Often referred to as “serious night,” participants attend events at only two to three sorority houses, allowing for more intimate conversation. Perhaps the trickiest of the week’s ensembles, Pref is dressier than church but not quite cocktail. Some schools still have the tradition of wearing black. Either way, think party dress.

Pro Tip: Two words: waterproof mascara.

Bid Day Time to celebrate! Casual shorts and a sleeveless top are de rigueur, as girls will receive a special jersey to put on over their clothes.

Pro Tip: Bring along that white graduation dress, as it will often be needed for bid night ceremonies or initiation.

On Ellison: AMO ivory cutoffs & 360 Cashmere tank (M. Lavender); Cassie Lynn earring (Annabelle’s); Calf hair cuff (K3 Jewels).

Photographed at Milla Boutique & Around Mountain Brook Village

YOUR BACK TO SCHOOL

HEAD QUARTERS

40 Church Street , Mountain Brook

205-848-7800

monamibham.com MountainBrookMagazine.com 61

RED BARN AT THE

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM | PHOTOS BY MARY FEHR

A sense of peace exudes from 33 pastoral acres off Highway 119 in Leeds. It comes from the quiet on the tranquil fields and under its towering trees, but more than anything it comes from the 18 horses who call it home. Tusker, Dottie, Elvis and all the others are as majestic in stature as they are intuitive in their understanding of the children they work with.

It’s with the horses at The Red Barn that countless lives of children with disabilities have been transformed. Joy O’Neal, the organization’s

executive director, tells the story of a young girl with autism whose family had lost her home in a tornado, and then not too long later she suffered yet another traumatic experience when her family’s apartment was invaded. It was at that point that the girl stopped speaking altogether.

“When she came in (to the barn) she didn’t like to look at you,” Joy recalls. “But when she got around the horse, she said, ‘Horse!’” Yes, that was her first time to speak since the home invasion.

“The first time she told that horse to ‘walk on,’

Elementary School), seeking an activity their family could enjoy together.

Later the O’Neals would buy a farm in Leeds of their own, and Heathermoor would move there. “Before she died in 2007 Ms. Cowart and I walked around the THE VISION property and talked about all the kids who didn’t have The backstory of The Red Barn started not with Joy an opportunity to ride horses and that we wanted to do but with a woman named Anita Cowart, whose daughter it in the red barn on the property,” Joy recalls. And that was killed in a car accident in the 1960s. Ms. Cowart’s wasn’t all. The O’Neals’ property was actually the same friends, the Jernigans, owned farm property in Leeds at one the Jernigans owned in the 1960s where Anita had the time, and it’s there that she went to pray and seek first prayed, and not long before her death a dream Ms. solace following the tragedy. “And she remembered a Cowart had had prompted a more specific vision of a (Bible) verse that said whatever pain that is used to barn with kids in wheelchairs or who were sad or glorify God is returned 100 times. She began to pray hurting who, after they went through the barn, came and said, ‘I want not just 100 more daughters but 1,000 out happy and dancing and healed. “And that was all we wanted to do,” Joy says. if I can use my pain to glorify you.’”

And so when Heathermoor moved back to its original And so one by one these “daughters” started coming to ride horses with Ms. Cowart out in Leeds just like her property in 2009, Joy was left with an empty farm, Ms. daughter had done, and then they’d bring their younger Cowart’s vision and more time than she’d had in years siblings and so on. In the 1990s Joy, her husband and as her teenage children no longer needed her as a room the five kids that made up their newly blended family mom or to volunteer in elementary reading programs. would come to Ms. Cowart’s farm, Heathermoor By 2012 she was bringing Ms. Cowart’s dream to life.

Today at The Red Barn, “we provide a place where (named after the road that runs by Mountain Brook there wasn’t a dry eye around because she speaks so seldom,” Joy continues. “Her mom always says she talks more at the barn than anywhere else.”

64 July/August 2019

MountainBrookMagazine.com 65

SUPPORT THE RED BARN Give

Alexis Braswell leads participant Reid Pickett on a lesson on Black Flight.

66 July/August 2019

Volunteer

The Barn welcomes cash, stock or in-

Volunteers are needed for riding

kind donations and has forms setup

lessons, camps and more. Find more

on theredbarn.org to do so.

information on theredbarn.org.

Salter Hydinger has volunteered at The Red Barn for the past two years.

Please Reply Stationery ~ Gifts ~ Invitations

kids can come be kids and work with horses and learn from them,” Joy explains. That can look like horseback riding lessons, occupational therapy, job skills training or educational classes that help kids learn experientially. Around 100 kids a week visit the barn, and 11 full-time and eight part-time therapists, riding instructors and more work with those kids seven days a week. The barn’s typical student is a child who cannot ride horses elsewhere because of a disability or circumstance. Most come from a low-income background and receive a full scholarship for the program.

42B Church Street ~ Mountain Brook, AL 35213 (205) 870-4773 or please_reply@bellsouth.net www.pleasereplyllc.com

STORIES TRANSFORMED More than The Red Barn is a list of numbers and programs, it’s a place that transforms story after story. For the past two years, rising high school senior Salter Hydinger has volunteered with riding lessons at the barn, working with different students each semester, one autistic, one who had been abused, two with traumatic brain injuries—and all who she says have taught her new things.

She recalls how one girl who had been abused wouldn’t look her in the eye when they started riding lessons, and 18 weeks later, she was asking how Salter’s day was and giving her hugs.

“That’s really amazing,” Salter says. “The horse is a trust symbol for them. A lot of kids have verbal difficulties, so often they can talk to the horse since the horse can’t talk back.”

And with the older kids, Salter can talk to them about her experience with horses too since she started riding at age 6 and now travels with her horse Anthem to compete nationally everywhere from Florida to Michigan. As someone who knows horses quite well herself, she’s quick to credit them. “These MountainBrookMagazine.com 67

Joy O’Neal started The Red Barn inspired by a vision she and Anita Cowart shared.

horses truly are called to do this work,” she says. “They are sweet and gentle and know how to take care of these kids. That’s really special to watch.”

It’s not just about the horses either. For those who come to The Red Barn, they have a sense of belonging with their “barn family” too. These kids are who they are, and it doesn’t matter if they have tics or look different. At the barn parents can talk to other parents whose children have a similar diagnosis too.

If you know 16-year-old Erin McInerny, she’s probably told you how awesome The Red Barn is and how she loves everyone there. “The Red Barn is a place where she is accepted for who she is and where she sees other people be successful who are like her, and that’s a really important component when you have autism,” her stepmom Jenny says. “It provides her with an extracurricular she can feel good about, and it’s a safe place where she can feel accepted.”

And like countless others, it’s been a place where Erin has been transformed. She hasn’t just participated in lessons either, as she’s also participated in grief programs and job skills training.

68 July/August 2019

In job skills training, participants learn ways to be responsible, problem solve and complete tasks in the correct order. They’re washing buckets, dusting, cleaning, doing laundry and filling water troughs, but along the way they are also honing skills that will help them in a job one day. “There has to be a lot of explanation behind learning how to work in a job environment and understanding the small things a typical employer wouldn’t think to understand,” Jenny says.

A PLACE OF HEALING Take a tour of The Red Barn’s properties, and you might be surprised at not just how tidy the facility is but also all the therapy tools they use. In the upper barn you’ll find Beatrice, Harry, Troy, Helen and Elijah—all “phony ponies” or faux horses designed for therapeutic purposes that build stamina for kids and help them get used to the idea of a riding a live horse. Down at the lower barn, though, you’ll find around 18 live horses, brown, black or spotted, who love their jobs just as

much as the barn’s human staff.

Everywhere you look on the property is therapeutic in some form or another. For kids with physical disabilities, the movement of the horse under the rider mimics human pelvic movement, and those who struggle to walk are able to strengthen their legs as they steer a horse. It’s not uncommon for children to come to the barn barely able to walk and later to run so fast the adults can’t catch them.

In the occupational therapy realm, grooming a horse and holding the reins teach fine motor skills that are transferrable to kids’ everyday lives. The barn also works with veterans who bring their injuries and anxieties along with their families to the barn to find a peaceful place to connect with horses.

Today Joy can tell you endless stories of the kids who have been to The Red Barn. When she’s in Crestline Village often she’ll see children who she remembers struggling to follow basic directions or walk from their car to the barn alone now walking home from school and chatting with other kids. For Joy there’s much joy in seeing stories like those play out with the horses she spends her days with.

In 2017, though, the barn story became more of her own when her first grandchild was born with spina bifida. And that, she said, shifted her perspective. “Now my own granddaughter can come here and receive the exact same services as a child (we serve), and that’s amazing,” she says. “It was after she began riding (our horses) that she began crawling, and now she’s walking on a walker.” Perhaps her face is one of the ones Ms. Cowart saw all those years ago, transformed through a barn, The Red Barn.

Erin McInerney with Su

MountainBrookMagazine.com 69

CATCHING COURAGE

BY TRACEY RECTOR | PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

There are few people who can say they’ve survived a fiery car crash. There are even fewer who can say they survived and watched helplessly as one of their young children who was with them did not. But that is exactly what happened to Dawn Hirn almost 18 years ago.

She still bears the physical scars of over 27 percent of her body being burned, but she will be the first to tell you that those scars can’t begin to compare to the emotional and mental pain that accompanies losing a child, especially in an accident she survived. It’s taken years, but Dawn’s unique combination of creative energy, point-blank honesty and an acute sense of empathy have led her to places she never imagined she would go as she works tirelessly through the Ryan Shines Burn Foundation to bring hope and healing to pediatric burn survivors and the firefighters who save them.

series of steps that reawakened the creativity in her that seemed to have been destroyed in the fire.

“I never thought I would homeschool. When I would Back on a fall day in 2001, Dawn and her husband, Ron, and their two sons Ryan and Tyler were on their way tell my friends I was homeschooling, they would be like, from 7-year-old Ryan’s first swim meet to his soccer ‘Wait, what? You?’” she says with a laugh. “They couldn’t match when the accident occurred near their home in believe I was really doing it.”

But the schooling became a way to create, although one Texas. The car they were in rolled several times and caught fire. Everyone suffered burns, but Ryan was Dawn couldn’t have imagined before. “When you’re a creative person and you’re stripped unable to be removed from the of everything you want to do, you vehicle and died from his injuries. ask yourself ‘How do I create? What The aftermath was devastating can I do?’” for both Ron and Dawn. “I was Slowly, Dawn found herself suicidal,” Dawn says simply. “For a wanting to live again. long time, I prayed that if I were in an airplane, it would crash. I didn’t INTO THE LIGHT get to give my life for my child. It’s a guilt I’ll live with forever.”

Then one day, Tyler announced In the months that followed, he wanted to go to a “regular” school.

Dawn’s younger son Tyler became Dawn and Ron, who had spent part her reason for living. She poured of the early years of their marriage herself into her family. She and Ron traveling around Europe in a had two more children, both boys. camper, realized that if they wanted But something was missing. The Ryan Hirn to take the family on the trip around creative spark that had always the world they had always dreamed energized her was completely gone. of, this was the best time to do it.

She had worked in front of the Dawn decided to document their journey, hiring a camera as an actress and model and behind the camera as a director and producer of commercials. She worked in videographer to film their travels. “I wanted to show that her family’s jewelry business, creating and marketing you don’t have to be afraid,” she explains. “We took our their designs. But following Ryan’s death, the well seemed small kids all over the world and let them roam. They to have run dry. “I faked my way for years,” she says, but talked to rice farmers in Thailand and experienced so much.” The trip was a major step back into the world for she knew deep down that something had to change.

It took a while. One catalyst for that change was the a family that had existed in a self-protective shell for family’s decision to move from Texas, where life had years.

The Hirns settled in Mountain Brook after their travels, become “like living in a fishbowl,” Dawn says. They moved to Lake Martin in Alabama so that Ron could and Dawn threw herself into the work of the Ryan Shines continue his career as an optometrist. Dawn began Burn Foundation, which she began to help pediatric burn homeschooling the boys, and she says it was one in a survivors. She envisioned the experience of their world THROUGH THE DARKNESS

The Hirn family at MBHS graduation (left) and on their worldwide travels (right).

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MountainBrookMagazine.com 73

Ryan Shines Catching Courage Bass Tournament

74 July/August 2019

travels forming the basis of funding for the foundation and for creative outlets. And so she produced a television pilot, but the interest was limited. Then she wrote a memoir, but says she learned that a memoir is a hard sell if you’re not famous.

When she was approached about turning their experience into a faith-based movie, she was initially a bit resistant to the idea. After seeking the advice of trusted friends and spiritual counselors, she is now working on a screenplay for a film.

But as the process of bringing their story to a wider audience progressed slowly with many stops and starts, Dawn felt frustrated. Once again, she found herself in a place she never thought she would be. An old friend contacted her with a proposal that seemed like a bit of a stretch.

“He told me, ‘I know the most disappointing thing to you about not selling the TV show and waiting for this movie is that you can’t give a percentage to Ryan Shines. I want to organize a fishing tournament with firefighters and burn survivors,’” she says. “I told him, ‘That’s crazy. I don’t even like to fish!’”

Her friend was insistent, though, producing a 13-page business plan for how to proceed. Still skeptical, Dawn agreed to give it a try. “Last year was just about getting our feet wet,” she says, but they raised enough money that Dawn was encouraged to pursue fishing tournaments as a means of fundraising. With it came a new outlet for Dawn’s passion to help others.

“If these fishing tournaments take off and we start raising a lot of money, what could we do specifically to help firefighters?” Dawn asked. She began researching ways to help these warriors who risk their own lives to save others, and what she found was sobering. “Alabama is number one in the country for fire deaths among civilians,” she says. “We are number two in the country for firefighter suicides that are work-related.” Because of privacy laws, firefighters have little information about the people they save unless the survivor or family members choose to seek them out, so there is little closure for many of them. The incidents of post-traumatic stress disorder among firefighters is frighteningly high. Dawn understands these statistics because she has lived them.

Now, she travels throughout the state, visiting firefighters and bringing awareness to these issues. Firefighters are a tightknit group, and her initial reception from them is usually quite skeptical. “But then I tell my story. I don’t have an agenda.”

She draws from her jewelry designing past and presents them with designs featuring fish hooks that she’s made “for their wives and girlfriends, mostly,” she says with a laugh.

Her goal? A peer support network across the entire state for firefighters. Dawn says that the most helpful resource for her and Ron in the time after Ryan’s death came from peer support groups. “Peer support provides help that even the best professionals just can’t give.” In a community primarily of men who are accustomed to saving others but are usually reluctant to ask for help even if they realize they need it, peer support

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Guntersville with winners advancing to the Catching Courage saltwater tournament in Islamorada, Florida in July Learn more: uryanshines.com uRyan Shines Burn Foundation on Facebook u@dawnhirn on Twitter u@dawnraymondhirn on Instagram

could literally save a life.

This year’s Ryan Shines fishing tournament, Catching Courage, will be held in Islamorada, Florida, in mid-July and will bring together teams of firefighter fishermen from as far away as Houston and New York City as well as teams from Alabama. It will also offer pediatric burn survivors the opportunity to have fun serving as “first mates” for the fishing teams. What Dawn loves most, she says, is creating opportunities for firefighters and burn survivors to bond over a fun activity.

“There’s a lot of healing involved” in these interactions, she says.

Healing. It was a process forced on Dawn Hirn completely against her will, but one that she understands better than most.

Now it drives her every day to work tirelessly to bring healing and wholeness to those scarred by fire.

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MountainBrookMagazine.com 75

Prince of Peace

VOTED BEST SCHOOL

• We are a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence celebrating 20 years of Catholic education in Hoover. • Our students consistently score in the top 25th percentile on national standardized tests.

Catholic School

IN HOOVER

PRINCE OF PEACE MIDDLE SCHOOL The POP Middle School program is a robust and distinctive curriculum that challenges students to integrate personal talents with acquired skills in an environment that keeps children motivated to learn. Intense planning uniquely links educational concepts in themed interest areas across the curriculum. Our ultimate goal is to create enthusiastic graduates who are passionate, life-long learners, able to transition effortlessly into a successful high school career.

PRINCE OF PEACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Elementary students are challenged with an integrated core curriculum that enhances the individual strengths and abilities of all children. Courses in art, music, Spanish, technology, library science, STEM, and physical education complement the learning process. Students are actively engaged in lessons guided by the latest research and are assessed on a regular basis.

PRINCE OF PEACE PRESCHOOL Three and four year old children attend an educational and fun program in a small Catholic environment. The preschool curriculum is embedded with art, technology, music, Spanish, and creative movement. Children are prepared for elementary school through a hands-on approach incorporating imaginative play while developing their social skills. Pre-reading and math skills are taught through games, centers, and individual instruction.

HOOVER’S

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4650 Preserve Pkwy Hoover, AL 35226 (205) 824-7886 www.popcatholic.net

Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce C O N N E C T I O N S

New Member Spotlight - The Arc of Central Alabama - Tastebuds Birmingham - Raymond James - The Summit Birmingham - Rousso Facial Plastic Surgery Clinic - Illuminated LLC - Golden Age Wine - Integrated Behavioral Health

Welcome, 2019 Mountain Brook Chamber Junior Board!

Congratulations to the following inaugural Junior Board Members: Drew Dickson, Alabama Power Company. Cary Beck, Maynard Cooper. Wil Bromberg, Regions. Liles Carter, CRC Insurance. Lindsey Crocker, Brookwood Baptist. Wirth Doss, Cushman Wakefield. Drew Fravert, Fravert. Robert Fritze, Fritze Financial. John Harbert, Harbert Management.

Wayne Ingram, EY. Lee Mallette, Fairway Management Group.

Kim McGuire, Chester’s International. Ali Money, Iberia. Kit Pearce, Children’s of Alabama. Mary Elizabeth Roberson, Peritus. Callan Sherrod, J.H. Berry. Ann Hollman Smith, Lewis Communications. Michael Stone, Porter White & Co. Kirby Whitehead, A’Mano. Ryan Sims, Brasfield & Gorrie. Addie Screven, Amwins. Harper Dewine, KPMG. Chris Branch, WAKM.

- Your CBD Store - Mountain Brook - Empower Counseling & Coaching

Summer Farmer’s Markets Shades Valley Presbyterian Wednesdays through August 14th 3:00-6:00pm Mountain Brook Presbyterian Saturdays through September 14th 8:00-Noon

101 HOYT LANE 78 July/August 2019

Please remember to shop local as you do your backto-school shopping! Keep your money where your home is!

MTN. BROOK, ALABAMA 35213

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Market Day in Mountain Brook Village and Lane Parke

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#XploreMB Spotted Around Town!

Xploring with Melinda Curtis at Little Hardware (and connecting with MBPD with the Ring Doorbell)

Crestline Tent Sales Xploring with with Crye at Mon Ami

Saturday, August 10th, 2019 205 - 871 - 3779

Xploring with Stephen Agricola at Treadwell Barber Shop

WWW.MTNBROOKCHAMBER.ORG MountainBrookMagazine.com 79

OUT & ABOUT

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MOUNTAIN BROOK SCHOOLS STUDENT SHOWCASE

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PHOTOS BY ELEANOR KERR

Students from all Mountain Brook Schools showcased their clubs, projects and more at booths for this annual event, this year held on April 22 at Mountain Brook City Hall.

1. Sawyer Simmons, Sara Adams Garner and Liza Brewer 2. Mary Richard Elkus and Rollins Wilkerson 3. Robert Goolsby and Julia Baddley 4. Zach MacLean and Hannah Niemann 5. Isabel Elkus and Lillie Young 6. Ben Belden and William Hereford 7. Grace Turner, Andrew Scofield and Jordan Culton 8. Ivey Patton and Ann Carter Brown 9. Elizabeth and Emily Grace Lemak, and Grace Turner 10. Brooks Autrey and Mark Smith 11. Olivia Robinson, and Alec and Brooke Johnston

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OUT & ABOUT

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OUT & ABOUT

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CITIZEN APPRECIATION DAY

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PHOTOS BY ELEANOR KERR

The City of Mountain Brook welcomed citizens for a kids zone, free food and more at Mountain Brook City Hall on May 4.

1. Julie, Annie and Margaret Blount 2. Savanah Kennedy and Julia Morris 3. Reghan Wilcox and Martha Anderson 4. Shanda Williams and Latorya Mines

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5. Lindsy Gardner and Michael Lopez 6. Lilly Kate Sobera and Graycyn Blalock 7. Graham Merchant 8. Jackson James 9. Sam Donald 10. Mary Harbin Porter, Marley James and Sarah Jane Garner 11. Lindsey, Evan, Julia and Mathis Price

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OUT & ABOUT

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KIDS IN MOTION TRACK MEET

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PHOTOS BY ELEANOR KERR

Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation held its annual track meet for kids at all four elementary schools at the MBHS track on May 8.

1. Anne McKinley Walker and Clark Stewart 2. Bennette Pearce and Charles Townsend 3. Ryder McMakin, Hughes Purdue and Noah Rotenstreich 4. Mills Ogletree and Virginia Blair 5. Miller Turnbull and Fraser Elliott 6. Mary Jackson Darnell and Mary Cates Freeman 7. Charlie Peagler and Ruth Branum 8. Thomas Graham, Harper Zanaty, Reese Morner and Mason Davis 9. Kate McMillan, Gracie Walker and Mary Frances Springfield 10. Kathryn Baker, Anna Claire Davis and Juliette Cook 11. Kate Bakken, Anne Garner Corcoran and Molly Dykes 12. John Bradford, Jack Bright and Wesley Porters

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OUT & ABOUT

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Saturday, August 17, 2019 The American Village Montevallo, Alabama 6:00 PM 11

Beer/Wine Reception Dinner Catered by Kathy G & Co. Music Entertainment Guest Speakers

12 Proceeds benefitting

Tickets available at: moonlightmasquerade2019.swell.gives/ MountainBrookMagazine.com 85

OUT & ABOUT

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SPRING ART SHOW PHOTOS BY ELEANOR KERR

Mountain Brook Art Association moved is annual Spring Art Show indoors to Lane Parke due to weather on May 4 and 5.

1. Mary and Andrew T. 2. Kathleen and Gracie Stack 3. Mountain Brook Art Association artist in action 4. Allison McAlpine and Robin McAlpine

3

5. Morgan Cook and Julia Cook 6. Holly and Brooksie Robertson 7. Chewie and Fletcher Finch 8. Mountain Brook Art Association artist’s work 9. Claire Allendorf

4

I strive to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am.

Animal Hospital, Veterinary Care, Boarding & Grooming 2810 19th Place South, Homewood, AL 35209 StandiferAnimalClinic.com 86 July/August 2019

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MARKETPLACE

Marketplace Mountain Brook Magazine • 205.669.3131

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MountainBrookMagazine.com

Boise Cascade Now Hiring for Utility Positions. Starting pay $13.33/hour.

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South Haven Health & Rehab, Hoover NOW-HIRING!!!

•LPN’s & RN’s -Day & Night Shift -Shift Differential •Laundry Worker Apply in person or email: ken. holmes@nhsmgt.com Southeastern Food Merchandisers NOW HIRING Class-A CDL Food Service Delivery Drivers with 1 year experience!!! Pay & Benefits •Home daily •Schedules allow you to depart and return to same terminal daily •Dispatches are single day routes, nothing runs overnight or multiday! •Paid by weight delivered, miles, and stops •Drivers running single driver routes are earning $75,000$100,000 yearly! •Team and Helper routes are earning $65,000+ yearly What we offer in addition to route pay!

•Attendance/Accuracy bonuses •Wkly-pay w/direct deposit •401(k) w/company match, eligible after 6-months with quarterly enrollment •Blue Cross of AL health & dental insurance, company subsidized •Two different medical plans for Blue Cross depending on your needs •Vision Insurance, company subsidized •Basic Life and AD&D 100% employer paid •Company paid Short-Term Disability •Voluntary Life & AD&D also provided on post-tax basis for you, and your family Email resume: ofrye@ southeasternfood.com Call:205-685-4534

CLOCK REPAIR SVS. * Setup * Repair * Maintenance. I can fix your Mother’s clock.

Alabaster/Pelham. Call Stephen (205)6632822 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.

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 Become a Dental Assistant in ONLY 8 WEEKS! Please visit our website capstonedental assisting.com or call (205)561-8118 and get your career started!

White Oak Transportation is hiring CDL-A drivers in your area. Great Pay! Excellent Benefits!

Visit our website www. whiteoaktrans.com for more information EOE-M/F/D/V

MountainBrookMagazine.com 89

MY MOUNTAIN BROOK LAURA GREENE SILSBEE Mountain Brook Trading Founder + Mom of Three

In Bloom

Crestline Community Garden Summer is here, and that means that this garden across from Dyron’s, tucked behind a white picket fence, is about to grow, grow, grow! Billy Angell’s Oak Street Garden Shop plants it every year. Colorful gardens and flowers just make me happy.

A Walk in the Woods Jemison Trail The best self-splurge I can give myself is walking from Beechwood to Mountain Brook Village with my humongous golden doodle, Winston, while I am listening to one of my podcasts. There are two extra loops on either side of the bridge, so take them. They will give you extra steps, and you get to enjoy our own babbling brook!

Meet Myrtle

The Tot Lot Turtle When I was little, Myrtle the Turtle (my nickname for her) was in the playground at Overton Park, and I loved to climb her concrete back and sit on her neck. A few years ago, she disappeared from Overton, and then not too long ago, she reappeared in the Crestline Tot Lot, which made me happy new group of little children can enjoy her.

A Secret Find

Trail Around Mountain Brook Presbyterian Church I stumbled across this trail after my husband and I had moved back after living in Park City, and I was missing the hiking there. It was later fun to take our toddlers on the trail and teach them about nature.

Tour de Village

Fun Outside City Hall Here my kids and I like to make a wish at the fountain with coins and look for the brick with our name on it—which originally was misspelled “Gilsbee” but since has been fixed. Parker, my oldest, will rival anyone in chess, and the other kids will play on the enormous chess set with him.

Follow Laura on Instagram at @laurasilsbee and read her new blog at mountainbrooktrading.com.

90 July/August 2019

Come visit our new facility, including the new Spa Cahaba

2279 VALLEYDALE RD. SUITE 100 HOOVER, AL 35244

Holly Gunn MD, FAAD

MountainBrookMagazine.com 91

C AV I A R C O L L E C T I O N S

M Y L A G O S M Y W AY

MOUNTAIN BROOK | 205.871.3276 | BROMBERGS.COM 92 July/August 2019