Tuscaloosa Magazine Fall 2018

ALSO INSIDE: BALLERINA JENNIFER LAUREN QUARLES UA ATHLETICS’ NEW NUTRITION CENTER DUTCH OVEN COOKING CLAY TARGET SHOOTING 6 INTRIGUING PEOPLE

Great A culinary star shines in Marion

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& SO MUCH MORE

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editor’s letter

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Editor-in-chief Becky Hopf Design Editor Lindi Daywalt-Feazel Photographers Gary Cosby Jr. Erin Nelson Jake Arthur Copy Editors Amy Robinson Kelcey Sexton Edwin Stanton Angelica Zdzienicki Annie Milbourn Operations Director Paul Hass Advertising Director Bobby Rice Prepress Manager Chuck Jones Published by The Tuscaloosa News 315 28th Avenue Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 Executive Editor Michael James Controller Steve Hopper Magazine (205) 722-0232 To advertise (205) 722-0173 To subscribe (205) 722-0102

t was one of those days where, at evening’s end, when your head hits the pillow, you realize you are smiling. Your day was that good.

August 1. Our food writer, Donna Cornelius, along with one of my best friends — a serious follower AND participant in the gourmet-style cooking world who we imported from Tennessee to join us — hopped in the car and headed to Marion.

We were already excited about landing an interview and photo session with Scott Peacock, but when we turned off the main street in Marion and pulled through the irongated driveway at Reverie, Becky Hopf, Scott Peacock and Donna Cornelius an 1858 Greek Revival Mansion, we knew — we duce you to champion clay shooter Jeff Vick knew — it was going to be a great day. and to the art of Dutch oven cooking. We meet And it was. four women who have recently broken through There are so many things I took away — all glass ceilings of sorts, a local kid who grew up three of us took away — from that visit. For one, to become a professional ballerina and another Scott‘s life story is fascinating. He’s cooked with who is among the nation’s best in several Special Martha Stewart on her television show — several Olympics sports. We visit Tuscaloosa’s two comic times. When he was a kid, he got his mother to book stores, a home that’s modern and fambuy him a Julia Child cookbook. As a grownup, he ily friendly, and The Nook, where the staff gives cooked for her at an event. In 2007, he won one of us a tutorial on the hottest hair trends. Our “Six cooking’s most-coveted honors — a James Beard Intriguing” includes a man whose name is Pastor, Foundation Award. who is a pastor; a children’s book author; a man And the other thing, and this is major as who has mastered the art of Irish stone fence well, he is truly an ambassador for Alabama’s building; a coach who is mastering the art of proBlack Belt, particularly the Alabama Black Belt ducing wheelchair tennis champions; and Miss Foundation for which he serves as president. His Alabama. And our photographer, Gary Cosby Jr., quest, and his goal, is to share the richness of that gives us a tutorial on how to perfect your digital region. It is a cause he believes in, from his heart. photography.

You can read all about Scott in Donna’s cover Enjoy! story. I can’t imagine putting his story into anyone else’s hands. Every issue I am thankful she is ours when I read her work — and listening in on her interview with Scott couldn’t have made me Becky Hopf, editor prouder. She knows her stuff.

Reach Becky Hopf at becky.hopf@tuscaloosanews.com.

Our fall issue also takes you outdoors to intro-

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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FALL 2018

VOLUME 16, NO. 4

CONTENTS

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08 DINING OUT

Some of the best food in town will be fueling the University of Alabama’s athletes.

14 DINING IN

Breakfast, lunch or dinner — it can all be prepared deliciously outdoors with the Dutch oven cooking method.

ALSO : INSIDE

NNIFER INA JE BALLER N QUARLES LAURE NEW LETICS’ R UA ATH ION CENTE NUTRIT OVEN H DUTC G N KI O CO RGET CLAY TA TING O O SH IGUING 6 INTR PEOPLE UCH & SO M ORE M

Great r ary sta A culin Marion in shines

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22 EVENTS

Places to go, things to see and do.

27 FOODIE NEWS

The latest in local food, trends, recipes and epicurean events.

32 OUTDOORS

Clay shooting is a sport for all, and we got champion Jeff Vick to show us how.

38 FIRST LADIES

Meet four women who are making history with their new roles.

44 COVER STORY

He’s cooked for Julia Child and has been a regular on TV with Martha Stewart and on the “Today” show — meet chef and cookbook author Scott Peacock.

ON THE COVER Scott Peacock, who wrote a popular cookbook — “The Gift of Southern Cooking” — with famed cook Edna Lewis, poses in the kitchen of Reverie, a Greek revival mansion in Marion.

Photo by: Gary Cosby Jr. See story: Page 44

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52 AT HOME

Jay and Mary Harmon Young’s new house was designed to perfectly suit their lifestyle.

PERFORMING ARTS

Jennifer Lauren Quarles has performed with Baryshnikov and continues to make her mark in the world of ballet.

Page 66

60 SPECIALTY STORES

The comic book world thrives in Tuscaloosa.

74 STYLE

It’s “Hair 101” as the staff at The Nook teach us how to create fall’s best styles.

87 PICTURE PERFECT

Our photo director, Gary Cosby Jr., shares tips on how to improve your digital photography.

95 6 INTRIGUING PEOPLE

Meet six folks who are making a difference in our community.

108 ON THE SCENE

The best bashes, parties and charity events of the season.

124 LAST LOOK

A snapshot that captures life in West Alabama.

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DINING OUT

POWER MOVE

UA’S NEW DINING HALL HELPS ATHLETES REFUEL WITH GOOD EATS

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The University of Alabama unveiled its new dining facility for athletes in the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility.

This is a view of the dining hall on the second floor.

BY DONNA CORNELIUS • PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR. ood is always a big part of the game-day experience in Tuscaloosa. Fans pack into restaurants, gather on the University of Alabama Quad for elaborate tailgate parties, and chow down on stadium dogs.

This fall, some of the best food in town will be served at UA’s new Athletics Dining Facility. Inside the $15 million building, studentathletes will be well fed and well fueled with everything from steaks to smoothies.

The 25,000-square-foot, two-story facility can hold around 500 people. The menu is big, too — enough to please even the pickiest eater.

“We have a grill for steak, chicken and fish,” said Amy Bragg, director of performance nutrition. “We have ‘live action’ cooking, or station cooking, for omelets, risotto, grilled cheeses and stir-fries. We have one island with carbs and another with proteins. In the back is a deli where you can get sandwiches and flatbreads.”

Other tasty options include a salad bar, smoothie bar and all kinds of drinks: Gatorade, milk, coffee, tea and fruit-infused water. There’s a gluten-free area, too. And for those who prefer food that’s a little less fancy, one spot is for peanut butter and jelly lovers.

“We have brunch from 8 a.m. or 8:30 to 2 p.m. and then dinner from 5-8 p.m.,” Bragg said. “A fuel station is open from 6:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. with food such as sandwiches, oatmeal, grits, soup and fresh fruit.”

The new dining hall exists because of a 2014 NCAA rule change that allowed schools to provide unlimited meals and snacks to student-athletes. Construction on the UA building started more than a year ago after months of careful planning and efforts to drum up support for the project.

Both levels of the building, part of the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility near Coleman Coliseum, have patios overlooking the football practice field. Athletes can dine at tables, booths or bars and unwind in lounge areas. >>

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Rainey Gerald, a nutritionist, shows off one of the serving areas in the University of Alabama’s new dining facility for athletes.

“Our student-athletes were part of the planning process,” Bragg said. “We tried to listen to what they wanted — things like a learning space, a lounge with a coffee and smoothie bar, to-go options and outdoor space.”

Cellphone charging outlets and 50 big-screen TVs were added with the athletes’ wishes in mind.

“Football has its own space on the second level,” Bragg said.

“That’s because we may have to get 200 to 220 people fed in 40 minutes.”

She’s understandably proud of the facility, its food and the staff.

“There may be other athletic dining facilities at other colleges, but not to this scale with two stories, a private dining area, outside grills, and not to this capacity,” she said.

CRIMSON TIDE CHEFS Bragg oversees a staff that includes five performance chefs, four registered dietitians, three culinary interns and 18-20 undergraduates. The executive performance chef is Kevin Murray.

Murray, who’s 23, grew up in Old Bridge, New Jersey. That’s also the hometown of Minkah Fitzpatrick, the former Crimson Tide AllAmerican safety now with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

Murray has an associate’s degree in culinary arts and a bachelor’s degree in culinary nutrition from Johnson & Wales University.

“Johnson & Wales is the best — just like Alabama,” Murray said.

“During my senior year there, I came to Alabama to do an internship. I got here during Iron Bowl weekend, and then we went on to play Florida in the SEC championship, Michigan State in the playoffs, and then we beat Clemson for the national championship.”

Murray evidently learned not only about Crimson Tide football culture but also Southern niceties: He graciously refers to Bragg as “Miss Amy.” “After my internship, Miss Amy asked me to stay here,” he said. “I was the sous chef at the old dining hall. They hired me for this job in June 2017.”

He said chefs with culinary nutrition degrees can be dietitians or liaisons between dietitians and other chefs.

“We speak ‘kitchen’ and ‘nutrition,’ ” he said.

Although he didn’t intend to pursue a culinary nutrition degree when he started at Johnson & Wales, Murray said it’s been the right career path for him.

“I was active and played sports while I was growing up, and I missed the competition,” he said. “Cooking is very similar to sports — long hours, no time for complaining and if you put your head down and go, you’ll be successful. And you’re only as good as your last meal.”

Murray said the new facility has kitchen spaces set aside for demos and lessons that will let the student-athletes do hands-on cooking.

“The best way to learn cooking is to cook, so I let ’em roll,” he

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DINING OUT

said. “We did about 20 demos last year, but I’m hoping to ramp up that number.”

He’s passionate about making student-athletes feel at home through food.

“I tell recruits that nothing is better than their mama’s cooking, but I’ll do my best to be as good if not better,” he said. “Many of our students are just kids leaving home for the first time. With the dining hall, we’ve got the food covered so we can make them feel happy and refuel them for the next scrimmage or practice.”

He also plans “international nights” with student-athletes from other countries in mind.

“We ask them, ‘What do you love from your home that you miss?’ ” he said. “The most unusual request we’ve gotten was from an Australian athlete who asked for kangaroo stew. We couldn’t get kangaroo meat, but we created something with a very similar taste.”

BRYANT HALL MEMORIES Bama fans of a certain age will remember when football and basketball players lived and ate at UA’s Bryant Hall. Gary Rutledge, who quarterbacked the Crimson Tide to the 1973 national championship, said he has good memories of those days.

“I lived in Bryant Hall in 1970 and 1971 before I got married,” said Rutledge, who now lives in Hoover with his wife, Kathy. “But I ate all my meals there all the time I was in school. It was like a cafeteria, but with better food. We had eggs and bacon for breakfast and a meat and three or meat and four for lunch. The difference in our meals was at night.”

He said that during football season, coaches graded the players on their on-the-field performances — and those scores determined what kind of dinner they would have.

“If you got a score of 80 or above — if you graded out a winner — you got to eat at the training table Monday through Friday and have steak, lobster and shrimp,” Rutledge said. “But the others still had excellent food, like roast beef, chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans.”

He said Bryant Hall was considered “on the cutting edge then, although it’s nothing like what we have now.”

“The food was really good — but we’d never heard of a smoothie,” he said. >> FROM TOP: The seating areas allow diners to watch TV while they eat. • The upstairs balcony dining space has a view of the Crimson Tide’s football practice fields. • The nutrition staff plans to work with local farmers to ensure the freshest foods.

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The serving areas include live action stations for made-to-order dishes. Plans include cooking demonstrations.

• Amy Bragg is the director of performance nutrition. • There’s a smoothie and coffee bar in the facilty where student-athletes can grab a drink and then utilize the lounge area while they wait to catch a bus to class or wherever they are headed next.

While he liked eating and talking with his teammates, he said there was one person players dreaded seeing in the dining room: their coach, Paul “Bear” Bryant.

“It scared everybody when he came in because you were afraid he’d sit with you — and what would you talk about to Coach Bryant?” said Rutledge, laughing. “Everybody tried to finish eating really fast and get out.”

He said except on the nights when Bryant showed up, life in Bryant Hall was fun.

“We ate together, four to a table, and you’d eat with different guys according to when your classes were,” Rutledge said. “It was a real family-style atmosphere.”

Bragg said that kind of bonding is a “nice consequence” of a student-athlete dining facility. But it’s not the new building’s main purpose.

“We needed a facility so that we’re not making meals for 18 different teams,” she said. “This is designed to provide the types of meals that they need.”

She said young people can fall into bad dietary habits.

“Our athletes are like most Americans — they may not eat breakfast, and, more than their non-athletic peers, they have more time demands,” she said. “They’ll eat what’s convenient and free. Our athletes do a ton of work. Their lives are very structured, and we need to feed them well.”

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DINING IN

ot luck: P GETTING FIRED UP ABOUT DUTCH OVEN COOKING

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BY DONNA CORNELIUS PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Bill Henry pours some coals over a pan that will be used for cooking. • Stephanie Henry will turn the loaf of homemade cinnamon bread into French toast, using the Dutch oven cooking method. • Biscuits come out golden.

hings were going to pot in Carole and Bill Henry’s backyard — in a good way.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, the Tuscaloosa couple teamed up with family and friends for one of their favorite activities. In just a few hours, they produced a feast cooked entirely in Dutch ovens — heavy cooking pots with tight-fitting lids.

In one corner of the yard, their son, Preston Henry, was baking a peach cobbler. Stephanie Henry, their daughter, steamed vegetables in one pot and cooked French toast made with homemade cinnamon bread in another. Family friends Heather and Shawn Melvin, who live in Samantha, put together a breakfast casserole, and Carole Henry made her one of her specialties — pineapple upside-down cake.

“You can cook anything in a Dutch oven that you can in a regular oven,” Heather Melvin said. >>

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The group discovered the outdoor cooking method more than 10 years ago when Preston Henry and Shawn Melvin, friends since their school days, started using Dutch ovens during camping trips.

“We camp all the time, and we were always coming up with ideas for things to do outdoors,” Shawn Melvin said.

Heather Melvin’s history with Dutch ovens goes back to her childhood in Louisiana.

“My grandmother cooked like this,” she said.

While Heather’s family cooked mostly over campfires, the Henrys and Melvins use charcoal. Hot coals are placed under and on top of the pot to ensure even heating.

Preston Henry, who lives in Greensboro, said it’s essential to have the right equipment. First, of course, you need a Dutch oven. He and his cooking companions prefer cast-iron vessels instead of the lighter aluminum models.

“I like the Lodge brand, because they have ‘lips’ that make a seal to keep heat and moisture in,” he said. “A 12-inch Dutch oven is standard. I have an 8-inch, 10-inch and 14-inch, too.

When you have a little experience, you can stack the pots on top of each other to cook several dishes at the same time.”

He said another must-have is a charcoal chimney.

“You put it on a grill or on the ground,” he said. “Put a piece of newspaper underneath, fill the chimney with coals, light the paper and wait until the coals turn gray, which usually takes about 10 minutes.”

Other essentials on Preston Henry’s list are a lid lifter, preferably one with a lock-down handle (you want to avoid dropping a heavy Dutch oven lid onto an unsuspecting toe), plus long tongs and a small shovel for placing and removing hot coals, a whisk broom to dust ashes off the lid, and heavy-duty gloves.

He said lid stands and portable tables are optional items but nice to have.

You can find the equipment at stores that carry camping and grill supplies or online.

Don’t be tempted to sneak a peek while your food is cooking.

Preston Henry said lifting the lid too often causes the Dutch oven’s contents to lose heat and moisture.

Heather Melvin said the lids can serve double duty.

“You can flip them over and use them as a griddle,” she said. >>

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Carole Henry (left) and Heather Melvin begin preparations in putting together dishes. • Preston Henry was the first to introduce the Henry family to the art of Dutch oven cooking. • French toast, Dutch oven style.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Heather Melvin’s history with the cooking method goes back to her childhood, growing up in Louisiana. • Charcoal briquettes, often placed on both the tops and bottoms of the pots, cook the food. A certain number of hot briquettes placed determines the cooking temperature.• Shawn Melvin first tried the process on camping trips taken with childhood friend Preston Henry about 10 years ago.

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TOP: Carole and Bill Henry and Heather Melvin have the process streamlined. The Henrys’ backyard is set up with grills and cooking stations.

BOTTOM: Preston Henry and his sister, Stephanie Henry, sample homemade cinnamon bread in their parents’ backyard.

Also good to know: Most dishes made in a 12-inch Dutch oven serve 12-14 people. And if you’re cooking in a 12-inch Dutch oven and want your dish to cook at 350 degrees, a good rule of thumb is to place eight hot coals underneath the oven and 17 on top. In fact, there are guides cooks use to help them know how many coals to use — how many on top and/or how many on bottom — to reach a certain cooking temperature.

The Henrys and Melvins aren’t alone in going Dutch. Members of the Alabama Dutch Oven Society get together almost every month for what they call DOGs — Dutch Oven Gatherings.

The events are an opportunity for members to show off their favorite dishes and maybe learn some new recipes, too.

“Most of the time, they’re held at a park,” Carole Henry said.

“We rent a pavilion, and at 3 o’clock, everyone puts their dishes on the tables. There’s always a long line for the food.”

She said one of the most unusual Dutch oven concoctions she’d seen at a DOG was fried Oreo cookies, while her husband remembered a jambalaya dish and a pizza casserole.

“One man even makes popcorn in his Dutch oven,” Carole Henry said.

For more information about the Alabama Dutch Oven Society and recipes using the cooking method, visit www.alabamadog.com or follow the group on Facebook. Upcoming DOG events are Oct. 13 at Wind Creek State Park in Alexander City and Nov. 10 at River Country Campground in Gadsden.

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Breakfast Casserole INGREDIENTS: • 2 pounds sausage • 2 pounds frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed • 8 eggs beaten with ¼ cup water • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese INSTRUCTIONS: Place sausage in a Dutch oven set over a full bed of hot coals. Fry and crumble the sausage. Remove the

sausage and drain on paper towels, leaving the grease in the pot. Brown potatoes in the grease and spread them evenly across the bottom of the Dutch oven.

Place cooked sausage over the potatoes. Pour egg mixture over the sausage layer. Sprinkle the top with cheese.

Cook with 8 coals underneath the Dutch oven and 16 on the top for 20-25 minutes until eggs are cooked.

Dutch Oven Vegetables INGREDIENTS: • Water • 8 cups bite-sized vegetables, such as carrots, zucchini, squash, onions, broccoli and mushrooms • Salt and pepper to taste • ¼ pound butter, sliced • 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese • 8 ounces grated fresh parmesan cheese INSTRUCTIONS: Put about ¼ inch of water into oven. Add vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.

Place butter slices on top.

Put the uncovered oven over 24 hot coals.

When the mixture starts to steam, pull out half of the coals. Continue steaming until all the vegetables are tender.

Set the oven off the coals, remove the water and cover the vegetables with the cheeses. Put the lid on the oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts.

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Blackberry Pie INGREDIENTS: • 1 box of 2 refrigerated pie crusts • 1 stick of butter • 1/3 cup sugar for the berries • ½ cup all-purpose flour • 2 (14-16 ounce) bags of frozen blackberries • ½ cup water • ½ stick butter, cut into cubes • ¾ cup sugar for crust

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake INGREDIENTS: • ½ cup butter • 1 cup brown sugar • 1 (20-ounce) can of pineapple slices • 8 maraschino cherries • 1 box of yellow cake mix • 3 eggs • Juice from the pineapple plus enough water to make 1¼ cups

INSTRUCTIONS: Put the butter in the Dutch oven.

Place the oven over coals and melt the butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter. Place pineapple slices (reserve the juice from the can) on top of the brown sugar. Put a cherry inside each pineapple ring.

In a separate bowl, mix the cake mix, eggs and pineapple

juice-water mixture. Stir for 2 minutes and pour over the pineapple.

Place 6 coals underneath the oven and 18 coals on the lid.

Cook 25-30 minutes. Remove the lid and place a serving plate on top of the Dutch oven. Carefully turn the oven and plate over to invert the cake.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Peach Cobbler INGREDIENTS: • 2 (30-ounce) cans of sliced peaches in syrup • 1 package of yellow cake mix • Cinnamon, to taste • 1/3 stick of butter, cut into slices

INSTRUCTIONS: Place Dutch oven over 15 hot coals. Pour the peaches into the oven.

Spread the dry cake mix over the peaches and

sprinkle with cinnamon. Place the butter slices on top of the mixture.

Cover the Dutch oven and put 10 hot coals on the lid.

Bake about 45 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS: Unroll 1 pie crust and put it in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Pierce bottom and sides of crust. Bake for 7 minutes over a bed of hot coals.

In a separate pot, melt 1 stick of butter with 11/3 cup of sugar and the flour. Remove from heat and add the blackberries. Toss the berries until they’re coated with the butter mixture. Pour into the Dutch oven and add the water.

Put the second pie crust over the berries and top with cubes of butter.

Sprinkle ¾ cup of sugar on top.

Place 7 coals under the Dutch oven and 14 coals on top. Bake about 30 minutes.

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EVENTS

Things to do, places to go, people to see this

ENTERTAINMENT Fantasia

“Suddenly, Last Summer”

Sept. 28 • Tuscaloosa Amphitheater

Performed by the University of Alabama theater department, the Tennessee Williams play is about scandal, secrecy and greed. For more information or tickets, visit www.theatre.ua.edu or call the box office at 205-348-3400.

With special guest Tank The 2004 “American Idol” winner, Fantasia Barrino, brings her voice and sound to Tuscaloosa. For tickets or more information, visit www. tuscaloosaamphitheater.com.

“Forever Plaid”

Sept. 7-9, 12-16 • Bean-Brown Theatre • Tuscaloosa It’s a ghostly singalong set in the 1960s. The plot revolves around four singers, killed in a car crash, who put on one final show — posthumously. A presentation by Theatre Tuscaloosa. The performers are really the ones doing all the singing — “16 Tons,” “Three Coins in the Fountain” — but the temptation to sing along with them likely will be strong. For more information or tickets, visit www.theatretusc.com or call 205-391-2277.

Oct. 2-7 • Marian Gallaway Theatre • Tuscaloosa

“Love, Loss & What I Wore” Oct. 2-6 • Bean-Brown Theatre • Tuscaloosa

The play is based on a book by Illene Beckerman in which she relates events in her life to what she was wearing. A production by Theatre Tuscaloosa. For more information or tickets, visit www.theatretusc.com or call 205-391-2277.

“Of Mice and Men”

Oct. 4-14 • (venue TBA) • Tuscaloosa The Actor’s Charitable Theatre opens its 2018-19 season with the John Steinbeck classic. “Steinbeck’s story of George and Lennie’s ambition of owning their own ranch, and the obstacles that stand in the way of that ambition, reveal the nature of dreams, dignity, loneliness, and sacrifice.” For more information, visit www.theactonline.com.

Cole Swindell/ Dustin Lynch With special guest Lauren Alaina Oct. 4 • Tuscaloosa Amphitheater The “Reason to Drink …

Another Tour” comes to Tuscaloosa. It’s a night showcasing the country music singers and songwriters. For tickets or more information, visit www.tuscaloosaamphitheater.com.

Odesza

With Jai Wolf and Evan Giia

Oct. 9 • Tuscaloosa Amphitheater Electronic music, performed by Odesza — a duo consisting of Catacombkid (Harrison Mills) and BeachesBeaches (Clayton Knight.) For tickets or more information, visit www. tuscaloosaamphitheater.com.

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EVENTS

Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre

NF - Nate Feuerstein

“Little Women”

Nov. 5 • Allen Bales Theatre • Nov. 6-9, Nov. 11 • Morgan Auditorium • Tuscaloosa

Oct. 9-12 • Morgan Auditorium • Tuscaloosa

Oct. 27 • Legacy Arena at BJCC • Birmingham

Each year, the University of Alabama’s dance faculty choreographs this treat.

The collection is new each season, performed by UA dancers and includes classic and contemporary pieces. For more information or tickets, visit www.theatre.ua.edu or call the box office at 205-348-3400.

If you listen to the radio, you’re singing along with “Let You Down,” one of the more popular songs on rotation and a tune that went triple-platinum. NF — Nate Feuerstein — is considered a bit of a Christian rapper. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

It’s Jo, Meg, Amy, Beth — and the dashing neighbor, Laurie — featured in this musical version of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel.

This take is a production by the University of Alabama. For more information or tickets, visit www.theatre.ua.edu or call the box office at 205-348-3400.

Malice & Majesty

Dance Alabama!

Kentuck Festival of the Arts

Oct. 20-21 • Kentuck Park • Northport This annual event — nearly five decades old — features artwork, musicians, demonstrations and more. For more information, visit www.kentuck.org/the-festival

Chris Stapleton With Marty Stuart and Brent Cobb Oct. 18 • Tuscaloosa Amphitheater He is one of the hottest country and western acts in the business. He’s a twotime Grammy Award winner who not only sings his own hits but also has written hits for the likes of Luke Bryan and Kenny Chesney. For tickets or more information, visit www.tuscaloosaamphitheater.com.

Oct. 22 • Moody Music Building Concert Hall The Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra and Huxford Symphony are teaming together for music featuring Strauss, Janacek, Verdi and Vaughan Williams.

Adam Flatt and Blake Richardson will both conduct. On Nov. 19, TSO will present “A Little Night Music.” For more information or tickets, visit www.tsoonline.org.

Nov. 6-9 • Morgan Auditorium • Tuscaloosa It’s ballet to hip-hop in this annual production, choreographed and performed by University of Alabama students. For more information or tickets to this University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance event, visit www.theatre.ua.edu or call the box office at 205-348-3400.

“Merry Wives of Windsor”

Nov. 13-16, Nov. 18 • Marian Gallaway Theatre • Tuscaloosa “John Falstaff is in search of wealth, and he sets his eyes on two married wealthy women. Little does he know, these ‘merry wives’ have a few tricks up their sleeves.” You go, girls! The Shakespeare play is presented by the University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance. For more information or tickets, visit www.theatre.ua.edu or call the box office at 205-348-3400.

“La Sylphide”

Oct. 19-21 • BJCC Theatre • Birmingham An Alabama Ballet production, the company describes it as “a magical, romantic ballet in two acts that takes place in the Scottish Highlands.” It’s boy meets woodland sylph. But an evil witch (aren’t they all?) plots with spells to tear the two lovers apart. Ain’t love magical? For tickets or more information, go to www.alabamaballet.org.

“God of Carnage”

Oct. 19-21, 24-28 • Bean-Brown Theatre • Tuscaloosa Theatre Tuscaloosa brings the Tony Award-winning play to Tuscaloosa. Two kids get in a fight on a playground and their parents attempt a resolution, at first politely, then, well, not so nicely.

For more information or tickets, visit www.theatretusc.com or call 205-391-2277.

PHOTO BY: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Elton John Dec. 4 • Legacy Arena at BJCC • Birmingham

Elton John is headed to Alabama for a show-of-shows that he’s billed as his “Farewell Tour.”

Don’t wave goodbye at the chance to see, and hear, in person, this music icon. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

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EVENTS

“Babes in Toyland”

Dec. 7-9 • Bama Theatre • Tuscaloosa

Oh, Barnaby — you can’t have Mistress Mary Quite Contrary. Her heart belongs to your nephew, Alan. It’s the ultimate money-can’t-buy-love tale, brought to life by the cast of very talented kids from Tuscaloosa. For tickets and information, visit www.tuscaloosachildrenstheatre.net.

George Balachine’s “The Nutcracker”

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The King and I”

The Alabama Ballet treats the state with this holiday favorite each year, and its beauty never gets old. The music by Tchaikovsky and the talent by the artists are enchanting. For tickets or more information, go to www.alabamaballet.org.

Gift yourself this treat for the holidays. It’s part of the Birmingham Broadway Series. The Tony Award-winning musical is a Rodgers & Hammerstein classic, and all-time favorite. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Dec. 14-16; Dec. 21-23 • Leslie S. Wright Fine Arts Center • Birmingham

Dec. 21-23 • BJCC Concert Hall • Birmingham

FAMILY FUN Houston Rockets vs. Memphis Grizzlies Oct. 2 • Legacy Arena at BJCC • Birmingham

The NBA comes to Birmingham! It’s the Iron City Showdown, featuring the Houston Rockets playing the Memphis Grizzlies. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

PHOTO BY: THE TUSCALOOSA NEWS

“A Christmas Carol”

Dec. 10-16 • Bean-Brown Theatre • Tuscaloosa

It’s Theatre Tuscaloosa’s holiday gift to the community.

The classic Dickens story is of four spirits who visit the ever-so-cranky Ebenezer Scrooge and seek to help him discover the true meaning of Christmas. For more information or tickets, visit www.theatretusc.com or call 205-391-2277.

“The Nutcracker”

Dec. 13-16 • Bama Theatre • Tuscaloosa The annual hometown treat — which is truly a showcase of talent — returns to the Bama Theatre. Wes Chapman is directing this year’s performance by Tuscaloosa Community Dancers, which brings together the best of the best from all the local dance studios on one stage. For more information and tickets, visit www.tuscaloosadancers.com.

PHOTO BY: FELD ENTERTAINMENT

Disney on Ice: “Frozen”

Nov. 1-4 • Legacy Arena at BJCC • Birmingham Just when you thought your ears were finally safe from hearing your kid sing “Let it Go,” Disney is bringing the animated movie to life — on the ice. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

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EVENTS

ROAD TRIPS 15th annual John L. Borom Alabama Coastal Birdfest Oct. 3-6 • Mobile

This one’s for the birds — and the bird watchers.

See nature in the raw, including possible alligator and dolphin sightings as well as wildflowers, all in their natural habitats.

Events include boat tours of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Mobile Bay and Weeks Bay, kayak tours, birding workshops — including one for hummingbird lovers — bus rides through Magnolia Branch and Bayou La Batre and Dauphin Island. There’s even a photography workshop to capture photos from the experience. For more information, visit www.weeksbay.org or call 251-625-0814.

Fairhope Film Festival

Nov. 8-11 • Fairhope

PHOTO BY: THE TUSCALOOSA NEWS

47th annual National Shrimp Festival Oct. 11-14 •

Gulf Shores

Sure, there are music acts (Joe Diffie — hopefully, when he sings “Ships that Don’t Come In,” he won’t be literally referring to shrimp boats), but the real stars here are the tiny, oh-so-tasty crustaceans. The organizers describe it as “shrimp, just about any way you want it.” Shrimp have been giving their all for this major event since 1971. It’s food, music (jazz, classic rock, country), art — a festival! For more information, visit www.myshrimpfest.com.

“Get Out”! Yep. The home featured in that Academy Award-winning movie was filmed in Fairhope. A community long known for its affection for art hosts this annual event that takes place within five venues, all downtown, all within walking distance.

Tickets can be purchased online at www. fairhopefilmfestival.org or at its Box Office at the Fairhope Welcome Center on Section Street. Call 205-253-3384 for more information.

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BY DONNA CORNELIUS, THE SNOOTY FOODIE | PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

Lunch and learn (Or, what the heck is crispito?)

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here are some things I miss about my now-adult sons’ school days. I loved seeing my boys discover classic books, from “Charlotte’s Web” to “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I had fun chaperoning field trips to places like the zoo, a Christmas tree farm and even to CNN headquarters in Atlanta. I was proud to see my older son in his high school’s production of “Guys and Dolls,” and I was one of the few moms who actually liked spending entire weekends at wrestling tournaments when my younger son was on the team.

But one thing I don’t miss is packing school lunches.

When my guys were in elementary school they were notoriously finicky eaters who would sooner have had root canals than eat cafeteria food. That meant I not only had to send lunches with them every day but also that my options for these meals lay within narrow culinary boundaries. Sandwiches had to be condiment-less — meat only — and preferably the bread crusts would be cut off. Potato chips were a must. The dessert of choice was a Fruit Roll-Up. Once I had the bright idea of sending mac and cheese in a thermos for my younger son, Wade, who pretty much lived on this dish at home. A friend of mine who happened to be in the school lunchroom that day said Wade opened the container, got tears in his eyes, and said, “Why? Why did my mom put mac and cheese in my thermos?” Evidently he thought thermoses were only for Kool-Aid, not pasta.

When the boys got to high school, they gave in to peer pressure and deigned to eat cafeteria food on occasion. Both fondly remember a concoction called crispito — tortillas stuffed with ground beef and cheese and then fried. Oddly enough, I have never seen crispito on the menu of any restaurant. The boys also liked lunchroom pizza, which was always cut in rectangles. One menu item that did not make their greatest hits list: Halloween slaw, made with shredded carrots and raisins.

These days, school lunches seem to be on a whole other level. I took a random look at menus for several Tuscaloosa-area schools and found interesting choices like buffalo chicken subs, buttered noodles with Caesar salad, a variety of tacos, and flatbreads. Some schools offer salad bars. (My boys would not have been in this line, but it’s a worthwhile idea nonetheless.)

I suspect many students are like my niece. Mary, a seventh-grader at

Tuscaloosa Academy, mixes things up by eating school food sometimes and other times taking her lunch. For kids who bring their meals, the right container is a must, and again, these are wildly different from the olden days. My sons had He-Man or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lunchboxes when they were in elementary school. Now, the on-trend student has a fabric lunchbox or bag imprinted with unicorns, dinosaurs, or, for the posh child, his or her monogram.

I even read about a kids’ metal bento box — that just means the thing has compartments — that will set you back almost $40.

I feel sympathy for today’s moms who fear they will be reported to the health food police if they don’t make an effort to send nutritious lunches to school. One online article suggested packing dishes like pita bread with hummus and veggie strips, cold noodle salads, spring rolls and chicken satay or other food on a stick.

Mercy. If I’d sent that kind of food in my son’s non-bento lunchboxes, we would have had crying episodes much like the mac-and-cheese-in-a-thermos fiasco.

I shouldn’t be too hard on my boys’ picky ways, though. I’ll try almost any food now, but back in the day, I was a pretty narrow-minded eater, too. I did allow mustard and mayo on my sandwiches and liked dill pickles as well — but my mom had to put the pickles in a separate container to prevent soggy bread. And I remember complaining bitterly because my grandmother, who was staying with us while my parents were out of town, had wrapped my sandwich in wax paper — wax paper! — and not into a little plastic baggie, where it properly belonged.

My granddaughter, Rock Quarry Elementary School second-grader Elizabeth, seems to be following family tradition. When she spends the night at our house, I’ve learned to pack stuff like Cheerios, cubed cheese and Goldfish crackers. I also send mac and cheese. But I put it in the appropriate segment of her soft lunchbox printed with purple alpacas — and not in a thermos.

Donna Cornelius is a Tuscaloosa writer whose motto is: So much food, so little time. Contact her to share recipes, restaurant news or anything food-related at donnawcornelius@bellsouth.net. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @blonderavenous.

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FOODIE NEWS

The Southwest salad features cherry tomatoes, romaine, onion strips, tortilla strips, pepperjack cheese, spice rubbed chicken, black beans and chipotle lime vinagrette.

SIMPLE

pleasures UA GRADS’ REAL & ROSEMARY HAS FARM-FRESH FOOD — AND TWO PLACES TO EAT IT

BY DONNA CORNELIUS • PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR. resh peas, charred carrots with thyme and seasonal succotash usually don’t make the list of side dishes at fast-casual restaurants. But at Real & Rosemary, these vegetables come straight from the farm to the menu.

Jennifer Mims opened the first Real & Rosemary in Homewood in 2016. Now, she’s added two Tuscaloosa restaurants. She and her business partner, Nate Carlson, are University of Alabama graduates.

“Since Nate and I both went to school here, Tuscaloosa was a natural fit for us,” Mims said. “I love Tuscaloosa. It’s a lot like Homewood — friendly and community-oriented. And it’s so business-friendly.”

Real & Rosemary at 1530 McFarland Blvd. N., formerly the home of Maki Fresh, was first out of the gate.

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FOODIE NEWS

“We opened in May — on UA graduation weekend,” Mims said.

Later in the summer, the second Tuscaloosa Real & Rosemary opened at 2128 University Blvd. in the space that most recently housed a Which Wich sandwich shop.

“It makes sense to have two locations here,” Mims said. “We can attract two crowds — those from across the river and then those from the university and downtown.”

The first part of the restaurant’s name comes from the “real” food Mims grew up eating.

“Our breads and meats are all natural,” she said. “There are no preservatives in any of our food. We make all our sauces from scratch.”

She said “rosemary” comes in because her mother always grew the fragrant herb at the family’s home in Chilton County and also because it represents the other fresh herbs used in many of the restaurant’s dishes. Mims said her childhood included plenty of food straight from her mom’s garden as well as plenty of chores, like shelling peas, husking corn and picking pecans.

She went to work for Zoe’s Kitchen after graduating from UA with a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in real estate.

“I was in charge of development for Zoe’s,” Mims said. “We had only 10 units when I went to work there. We had 60 units when I left.” >> FROM TOP: The meatball plate, with humble peas and a polenta cake. • The beet, fig and goat cheese sandwich with a side of carrots. • Fried green tomato appetizer drizzled with chipotle mayonnaise.

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FOODIE NEWS

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: The grilled herb chicken plate with succotash and yellow pepper slaw. • The exterior of Real & Rosemary’s Indian Hills location. • The flounder cake plate with yogurt remoulade and a side of zucchini salad with avocado. • Diners in the Indian Hills location.

Her desire to have her own business and her love of fresh food led her to open the first Real & Rosemary.

“My philosophy is to get the best ingredients we can and then treat them well and season them correctly,” she said. “I’ve had fun playing with seasonal food.”

During the summer, dishes like heirloom tomato salad and okra with tomato gravy appear on the menu. Diners can look forward to other in-season creations this fall.

At Real & Rosemary, plates star proteins like spice-rubbed chicken with chipotle vinaigrette, roasted turkey with brown gravy, and flounder cakes with yogurt remoulade. The plates come with two sides; you can choose from a list that includes yellow pepper slaw, green peas, zucchini with avocado pesto, and a corn polenta cake. You also can opt for a meatless plate of four sides.

If you want a starter or snack, you might choose sweet potato wedges with lemongrass dipping sauce, honey ricotta dip with apples and toast, or pretzel bread with sorghum butter.

Among the salad choices is the grilled chicken salad with pine nuts, chickpeas, feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. The Upbeet salad has red and yellow beets, almonds, oranges, pears, goat cheese and tarragon vinaigrette.

Mims said while many of her dishes are healthy and light, no one needs to leave hungry.

“We have a great burger and other hearty dishes, like our housemade meatballs,” she said.

Mims, a busy mom as well as a restaurateur, gives a high priority to the kids’ menu. Little folks can have a turkey and cheese sandwich, grilled chicken dippers, spaghetti and meatballs, and sides

like fresh fruit, green peas and polenta. Mims admitted she’s a fan of one particular kid-friendly dish: the AB&J sandwich, made with almond butter and blueberry jam.

“One mom told us her son wanted to eat here to celebrate his 9th birthday and wanted our flounder cakes,” she said. “They’re our take on my mom’s salmon croquettes.”

For big people, Real & Rosemary serves wine and beer all day. A bartender arrives at each store at 4 p.m. to make cocktails.

“We work with Pastry Art in Homewood on desserts,” Mims said. Cake cups come in chocolate, caramel, strawberry and red velvet. In the summer, the restaurant offers an ice cream sandwich bite made with vanilla ice cream and Pastry Art’s lemon rosemary cookies.

Family meals, available after 3 p.m. for takeout only, serve four people and include a meat and two sides. The restaurant also caters.

“We have online ordering,” Mims said. “You can pay online and then pick up your food.”

She said it’s been fun to see the warm welcome Real & Rosemary already has gotten in Tuscaloosa and the reaction of diners experiencing her “real” food for the first time.

“People will say they don’t like beets — and then they change their mind when they try our beet, fig and goat cheese sandwich,” she said. “That happens with a lot of the vegetables we serve.”

While she’s expanded her business, she said she doesn’t intend to relax her standards.

“I love to grow things, to see ideas come to life,” she said. “It’s important for us to have the same high quality food and service across the board.”

IF YOU GO: Real & Rosemary is at 1530 McFarland Blvd. N. and at 2128 University Blvd. Both restaurants are open daily from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. For more information, visit www.realandrosemary.com or follow the restaurant on social media.

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FOODIE NEWS

EPICUREAN

EVENTS TRUCKS BY THE TRACKS

Sept. 16 • Birmingham Sample dishes from about 30 food trucks and carts at this fundraiser for Birmingham’s Railroad Park. The food truck festival is from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the park, 1600 First Ave. S, and also has lawn games, music and activities. Visit www. railroadpark.org for more information.

ST. GEORGE MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD FESTIVAL

Sept. 27-29 • Birmingham Now in its 37th year, this annual festival features Middle Eastern dishes such as grape leaves, meat pies and falafel. It’s at St. George Melkite Greek Catholic Church, 425 16th Ave. S. For more information, visit www.saintgeorgeonline.org.

FIESTA

Sept. 29 • Birmingham This celebration of Alabama’s Hispanic culture features Latino food, music and dance. It’s from noon-8 p.m. at Linn Park, 710 20th St. N. For tickets and more information, visit www.fiestabirmingham.com.

DOWNTOWN CHILI COOK-OFF

Oct. 7 • Tuscaloosa More than 30 Tuscaloosa-area restaurants and bars will test their chili-making chops at this family friendly street event in the downtown entertainment district. It’s from 2-6 p.m. Those who attend can vote for best chili, most creative chili and best tent décor. The top three vote-getters for best chili will face off in a blind tasting judged by a local celebrity. Tickets are $15 and available at www.downtownchilicookoff.com or at the gate.

Kids ages 12 and younger get in free.

BREAKIN’ BREAD

Oct. 14 • Birmingham The Birmingham Originals, an organization of Birmingham independently owned restaurants, will host this annual food festival. Tickets include unlimited food samples. There’s also beer and wine plus entertainment. It’s from 1-5 p.m. at Pepper Place, 2829 Second Ave. S. For tickets and more information, visit www.breakinbreadbham.com.

OYSTER COOK-OFF AND CRAFT BEER WEEKEND

Nov. 2-3 • Gulf Shores Oyster lovers won’t want to miss this annual event. Chefs compete in three categories: Rockefeller, Gulf Coast Cajun and raw oysters. The event includes Bloody Mary bars, cooking demos, craft beers and entertainment. Tailgate tents have big-screen TVs tuned to SEC football games.

For tickets and more information, visit www.hangoutcookoff.com.

WEST ALABAMA FOOD BANK’S ALL ABOARD

Nov. 8 • Tuscaloosa Those who attend this West Alabama Food Bank fundraiser can sample food from Tuscaloosa area restaurants and learn more about the organization. The event also has entertainment and a silent auction. It’s from 6-9 p.m. at the Tuscaloosa River Market. In the weeks before the event, watch for more information and buy tickets at www.westalabamafoodbank.org.

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OUTDOORS

RIGHT ON TARGET

BY EDWIN STANTON PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

Jeff Vick is a master when it comes to sporting clays he question was simple enough.

Jeff Vick, a master sporting clays champion, was asked about his stellar finish in a U.S Open competition where he won as High Overall competitor in three shooting categories — 28-Gauge, Side-by-Side, and Pump Gun. Vick could not recall the exact year of that Open performance, so he called his son-in-law to search his office for a trophy that would confirm the date.

Hody Dempsey searched the office, sifted his way through numerous trophies and rattled off a list of several awards but was unable to find the requested prize.

“There are so dang many of them,” Dempsey said.

Vick has competed in countless sporting clays tournaments over the years and has won enough trophies to fill a small swimming pool, including the ones from that 2013 U.S. Open finish.

“I can’t tell you how many trophies I have,” Vick said. “They are stuck on the wall or stuck on shelves. Some of the nicer ones are in glass cases.”

Sporting clays is a bit like skeet and trap shooting, but with a few differences. The object is the same — shoot moving clay targets — but the setup is different. >>

Jeff Vick enjoys shooting clays competitively. He and his daughter, Jennifer Dempsey, shoot at C&W Shooting range in the Jena community.

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OUTDOORS

In skeet, the course is always the same — eight shooting stations in the form of a half-circle. Clay targets are released in front of the shooter from each station in a crossing pattern at a constant trajectory and velocity, one from a “high house” and the other from a “low house.” Shooters fire doubles from stations 1, 2, 6 and 7 for a total of 25 shots per round.

With trap, shooters try to hit rising targets that travel away from them at different angles. Shooters fire five shots from each of the five stations for a total of 25 per round.

Sporting clays is set up almost like a golf course.

There are no specific trajectories or velocity with the clay targets and the station setup is not standard like trap or skeet. There are multiple stations laid out over natural terrain.

“Sporting clays is different, you move around a lot,” Vick said. “Each place you go to is different. Some of it may be trees, some may have all of it where it’s open in one part of the course and the next part is all in the woods.”

According to nrablog.com, in sporting clays, “one

station might send one clay bird straight up and another rolling across the ground, while the next station presents one clay traveling away and the next headed toward the shooter.”

There are between 10 and 15 stations in sporting clays with up to 100 shots per round. Vick said competitors shoot 75 targets each day and 300 total at the weeklong national tournament, held in San Antonio each year. Sporting clays is definitely more challenging than trap or skeet, and that’s what Vick enjoys about it.

Vick, 55, has always been a hunter, but shooting at targets wasn’t something he got interested in until 2000.

“I was wanting to try it, and Robert DeWitt brought me down to the skeet range in Tuscaloosa and I got to shooting with him,” Vick said of learning from The Tuscaloosa News’ outdoors writer. “It took me a little bit (to get the hang of it) once I figured out you had to lead the birds instead of shooting at it.”

He enjoyed that first experience and continued to practice. The following year, he took part in his first competition. >>

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TIPS FROM THE MASTER Thinking about giving sporting clays a shot? Here are some tips from Vick to get you started.

GUN/AMMO

Choosing the right gun is important. Vick uses a 28-gauge shotgun over/under (barrels stacked on top of each other), and uses Winchester, 1-ounce 7-and-a-half ammunition. He also uses a light-modified choke (which shapes the spread of the shot from the muzzle).

“My gun with those particular shells, I can break targets pretty consistent way out — from 45 yards or so,” Vick said.

He recommends investing in a Browning or Beretta model.

“Get a good gun if you plan on doing this for a while,” Vick said. “You want to get something durable. You don’t want to get something that is going to break down on you.”

PRACTICE

Do what Vick did. If you can, find someone who can give you training and teach proper technique. Vick said there are several people willing to show newbies the ropes, including him. He even said he doesn’t charge to teach kids.

“Get with an instructor that can teach you the proper way so you don’t get any bad habits,” Vick said.

GUN MOUNT/STANCE

Having the proper gun mount is key in shooting sporting clays.

Make sure your head stays down and keep your eyes on the target.

You don’t even have to fire the shotgun to practice this technique.

“I stand in front of the mirror to make sure my mount is correct.

That way you can see what you are messing up,” Vick said.

The same goes for line of sight.

“I will sit in a hotel room and take my gun and follow the seam of the wall to work on my line of sight,” Vick said.

Having the proper stance can mean the difference between a hit and a miss.

“Your feet don’t need to be close together. You want them about shoulder-width apart,” Vick said. “You want your navel to be pointing in the direction of where you plan to shoot. You don’t want your body stretching across and all contorted trying to take the shot.”

SAFETY

Safety is the paramount concern of sporting clays. Shotguns are loud and can be rough on your ears, so always use earplugs.

Proper eyewear is also important, as Vick can attest.

“Get yourself a good pair of earplugs and glasses. I had a pellet ricochet off a wall and hit my glasses. If I had not been wearing them, it would have hit me in my right eye. Whenever I’m instructing kids, I take those glasses and show them where that pellet hit me. That’s a good visual for them to understand how important glasses are.”

Keeping your gun open and empty at all times is also key. The only time a gun should be off the safety position and loaded is at a station in the ready position.

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Vick has competed in 12 national sporting clays tournaments. In 2012, he finished fifth at a weeklong national tournament that had 800 competitors.

“They had a state shoot going on at Tannehill Sporting Clays, which is closed down now,” Vick said. “That was a humbling experience. It was my first time at a big shoot, and I didn’t do real well. I did all right in my class, but it lets you know how down the line you really are.”

The less-than-stellar finish didn’t deter Vick from continuing with the sport. The turning point came when he met Richard Patty, an outdoorsman from Anniston who owns a shotgun sports supply store.

The results were immediate.

“At that time, everybody started out in C class. (Patty) started giving me lessons, and I went from C class to Master class in about four months. He’s one of the best, too. I found out later on he tried to win the Alabama Sporting Clays, Alabama Trap and Alabama Skeet all in one year. He wasn’t able to do the trap.”

Since then Vick has traveled across the country competing in tournaments. He’s shot in every state except Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Vick has competed in 12 sporting clays national tournaments in San Antonio. More than 2,000 shooters compete in various classes.

Vick’s best finish at nationals was fifth in 2012.

He competed against 800 shooters in the master class in the weeklong event.

Vick hasn’t been able to participate in many tournaments this year but says that will change next year.

“Last year I didn’t shoot in very many because we have been working a lot,” Vick said. “The year before, I had over 6,000 registered targets, which is a lot. The year before that I had right at 15,000 registered targets. I got a plaque last year where I completed 100,000 registered targets since I’ve been shooting. I wasn’t going to tell my wife, but a lot of folks say you can figure a dollar for every target and you can figure how much money you have spent.”

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INNOVATORS

FIRST MEET FOUR LOCAL WOMEN WHO ARE MAKING HISTORY AS “FIRSTS” IN THEIR ROLES

BY TIFFANY STANTON | PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

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INNOVATORS

Dr. Cynthia Warrick

FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT OF STILLMAN COLLEGE

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tillman College President Dr. Cynthia Warrick inspires the kind of loyalty that drives an employee to show up for work just hours after an all-night road trip home from South Carolina.

That’s what Larcia Warthaw, Warrick’s executive assistant, did one day late in July.

And Warthaw claims she’s not the only one on campus Warrick, the school’s first female president, has inspired to excellence. Her vantage point from Warrick’s front office gives Warthaw an up-close view of what she calls Warrick’s open-door, proactive approach to college administration.

“When people know that you care, you are going to get results,” Warthaw said. “And Dr. Warrick’s not just concerned about the results employees bring. She’s concerned about our lives and our life balance. And that encourages us all to be our best.”

Warrick agrees that’s one of the secrets to her success as an entrepreneurial woman in maledominated academia, but it’s not the most important one, in her view.

That secret can be filed under “practice makes perfect.”

“Many times, women have to do the best job, not just the same job,” she said, explaining that her experience with sexism started when she became a pharmacy manager in the 1970s. “You have to do things to earn respect, so they’ll see that you are capable and take you seriously,” Warrick became the 142-year-old

historically black college’s seventh president in April 2017, enacting changes that included difficult staff cuts but also adding community connections, opening the campus to local nonprofits, including Girl and Boy Scout group meetings, and even its sports venues, like the tennis courts which now host community tennis nights.

She’s also in discussions with the Professional Golf Association to develop and teach a “Golf in Life and Business” course, along with golf clinics aimed at Historically Black College and Universities’ female alumni based on her belief that the game of golf can help women be more accepted by men in leadership.

Prior to being named president full-time, Warrick served as the college’s interim president for a few months before accepting the permanent position.

She says young women looking to succeed

in higher education should take the difficult path.

“I think God talks to us and gives us a vision about what he wants us to do,” she said. “And with that free will that we have, we may decide we don’t want to take that more difficult, challenging route. But I say, keep listening to God, and say, ‘Yes.’ ” Warrick is married to Dr. Jan R. Jasper.

They have two sons together, Malik Jasper, who teaches kindergarten in Savannah, Georgia, and Joseph Jasper, an Army Ranger stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

Warrick also has a son, Alan E. Warrick II, who lives in San Antonio and serves as CEO of the family business, World Technical Services, and a daughter, Whitney W. Craig, a lawyer and Director of Government Affairs for The Risk Management Society in New York City.

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INNOVATORS

Jessica Paré

FIRST FEMALE ASSOCIATE ATHLETICS DIRECTOR FOR COMMUNICATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

W

hen the University of Alabama’s associate athletics director for communications, Jessica Paré, started making college and career plans in high school, she had no idea there was such a thing as a sports

information career path. She now thinks that is what has kept the pool of young women in her field so small. She made history as the sports-rich university’s first female to lead the Crimson Tide’s athletic communications department in 2017.

The work that involved writing about and

promoting college sports has been a perfect fit for Paré, who grew up attending Boston Celtics and University of Connecticut basketball games with her grandfather. She was manager on a boys’ varsity basketball team as a teenager but also spent time working on her high school yearbook staff.

She says she wishes she’d known a field such as athletic media relations existed before she decided to go the pre-med route as a young undergraduate at the University of Connecticut.

“Had I known in high school that this is something I could have done, I probably never would have thought about medicine,” she said.

Hers is a title and career few women hold, even in 2018. She oversees the athletic communications staff and its promotion of all of the Crimson Tide’s varsity sports, including football, and is the athletic department’s public relations contact for the women’s basketball team, meaning she handles all the day-to-day publicity, statistics, press releases and interview requests and travels with the team to all road (and home) games. Her days are long. Time off, from August through June, is rare. But Paré says it’s a vocation, not just a job.

“This is me right now. This is what I have, and I love it,” she said, adding that she feels an almost familial connection between herself and the student-athletes and staff she works with. “A lot of my friends growing up are now married with kids, and I am so happy for them. But this is the path that I took, and I’ll worry about that other stuff later.”

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INNOVATORS

Elizabeth C. Hamner

FIRST FEMALE ELECTED CIRCUIT JUDGE, 6TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

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ircuit Judge Elizabeth Hamner believes her personality made her profession and current position the perfect one for her. She felt this way long before she became the first woman to preside over Tuscaloosa County’s 6th Judicial Circuit in 2011. But she says she hasn’t always felt that way.

In fact, she spent years wanting to stay behind the scenes, doing contract and banking law and avoiding the inside of a courtroom.

But when she was offered the opportunity to become assistant district attorney in

the child support division of the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office, she realized she’d like using her analytical skills to help local families. And she did.

“I found I enjoyed the family side of the law, that feeling that you are helping people,” Hamner said. “I didn’t get the same satisfaction out of commercial law.”

Hamner’s career, after graduating cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1996, includes nine years in the district attorney’s office, plus several more years working at a private firm. In 2000, she was appointed to serve on a

statewide Judicial Campaign Oversight Committee. In 2011, when then-Gov. Robert Bentley appointed Hamner to replace retiring Circuit Judge Herschel Hamner (no relation), she became the first female circuit judge ever to serve Tuscaloosa. Her history-making moment came in 2012 when, running unopposed, she became the first elected female to serve as circuit judge.

She also became the only Alabama member of the Legislative Committee of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. She will run, once again unopposed, for re-election in November.

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INNOVATORS

Karen Thompson FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT OF JUNIOR LEAGUE OF TUSCALOOSA INC.

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hen Karen Thompson became the Junior League of Tuscaloosa’s first black president in May, she says white men told her they were proud of her.

Someone remarked to her that they didn’t know black people were allowed in the Junior League.

Strangers offered congratulations for months.

But breaking barriers is something Thompson’s always done.

She was hired as Temporary Emergency Services Inc.’s first black executive director at age 22 in 1990, at a time when she says a housekeeper was the organization’s only other black employee.

“People are coming up to me saying, ‘I can’t believe you’re the Junior League president,’ and I didn’t hear, ‘I can’t believe you’re the executive director of Temporary Emergency Services’ 30 years ago,” Thompson said.

The attention now, as compared to then, was initially confusing.

“To me, that was something. Because back then you did have some blacks as executives, but not that many.”

It didn’t take her long to comprehend what she calls the “wow factor” in her election to the top of the 89-year-old institution.

“Yes, they do let black people in the Junior League,” Thompson said. “The issue is that some of us have not been able to break the barrier to the top, because when you have an organization with 150 women and only two are black, it can be hard for one of them to make it to the presidency when so many of the other women are also very talented and very skilled, and suited to that position.”

Thompson says changing the makeup of the Junior League to match the city’s is a top priority she’s already accomplishing. Black membership in the Junior League of Tuscaloosa Inc. is now in the double digits.

“Tuscaloosa is a diverse city, and the Junior League should reflect that,” she said, noting that the Mercedes-Benz plant and the University of Alabama attract women from all over the world, and that diversity is something the Junior League could use. “I want to make sure that all cultures are represented. All. Every last one, because organizations should be diverse.”

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COVER STORY

A CULINARY STAR SHINES IN MARION

cott Peacock was making biscuits.

He reached into a yellow bowl and rubbed flour and butter between his fingers. He stirred the dough with a homely wooden spoon and turned it out onto a slab of Alabama marble to knead it.

“I have opinions about biscuits,” Peacock said. “For

one thing, they shouldn’t be too thick. They should be crusty and brown. The middle shouldn’t be gummy.

They should be moist but dry enough to soak up butter and honey.”

He flattened the dough with his hands and then, with a rolling pin, pricked it with the tines of a fork and cut it into rounds. He slid a baking sheet of biscuits into the oven. He didn’t need to set a timer. >>

BY DONNA CORNELIUS | PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

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Biscuits — light as a feather — are one of Scott Peacock’s many specialties and an item on the menu at a July 2018 visit to Reverie, a Greek Revival mansion in Marion, where Peacock recently oversaw a major kitchen remodel.

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“These are starting to smell pretty brown,” he said after a few minutes.

As promised, the hot biscuits happily soaked up butter and honey as well as tart plum jelly. But before Peacock served them, he stopped to admire them.

“Look at the way the light comes in through the window and makes them look even more golden brown,” he said.

Peacock has serious cooking credentials — and not just when it comes to biscuits. He was the chef at the Georgia Governor’s Mansion, cooked for Julia Child and appeared on TV with Martha Stewart and on NBC’s “Today.” He won a James Beard Foundation Award, penned a column for Better Homes and Gardens magazine and wrote a cookbook with Edna Lewis, a culinary and cultural icon who was known as the “Grande Dame of Southern Cooking.”

Also, he makes his own baking powder.

But Peacock’s personality is as warm and light as his freshout-of-the-oven biscuits. Spend an hour or two with him, and you’ve made a new friend. You sense he is the product of the rich life he’s lived — and is still living, in an unlikely place.

Peacock, who’s 55, grew up in Hartford, a small south Alabama town near Dothan. Two years ago, Peacock left his home in Atlanta, where he lived for most of his working life, and came to Marion, a Perry County town in the heart of Alabama’s Black Belt. This is the story of how he got there and of what happened in between.

Chocolate mousse and birthday cake “I was always cooking,” Peacock said about his childhood.

“I had incredibly indulgent parents, which I find all the more remarkable for the time we lived in. I was a boy who cooked — and cooking was domestic work.”

Food is so important to him that he remembers the first time he cooked something by himself.

“Life shifted fast when my grandmother got sick, and my mother had to go to Birmingham with her for treatment,” he said. “I was in the third grade and made oatmeal and toast.”

He watched Julia Child’s TV shows and was fascinated by the French dishes she made — very different from the food he was used to.

“My mother bought me a Julia Child cookbook and even helped me find the ingredients I needed,” Peacock said. “One of my first successful dishes was chocolate mousse. That became one of my things, my fancy dishes — that and lasagna.”

Besides cooking, Peacock had another passion — one he thought would be his career. He went to Florida State University with plans to be a musician.

“At Florida State, I realized I was talented — but not that talented,” he said. “I couldn’t say it out loud, but I knew I wasn’t going to be a musician. It was scary. Something was dying. I had no Plan B. My parents had sacrificed for my music, and there was a lot of expectation and pressure.”

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Peacock sought career counseling and was told he had an aptitude for communications. He interned with U.S. Rep. Bill Dickinson in Washington, D.C., and then with Florida Gov. Bob Graham.

When he pitched in to help in the kitchen at a party for Graham, Peacock met chef Art Smith, who later became Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef, and Nella Schomburger, the Governor’s Mansion manager. Smith became a valued mentor, and it was Schomburger who advised Peacock to go to work at a restaurant. He did — first at The Golden Pheasant in Tallahassee and then at Gillionville Plantation in Albany, Georgia.

“Then Nella called and asked, ‘How would you like to be the chef for the governor of Georgia?’ ” Peacock said. “I was 24. I asked her, ‘Now, where is the capital of Georgia?’ ” After finding out Atlanta was in fact the capital, he drove there to meet with Elizabeth Harris, wife of Gov. Joe Frank Harris.

“By the time I got back to Albany, the phone was ringing, and I had the job,” Peacock said.

Life with Miss Lewis Peacock was working in Atlanta when he first met Edna Lewis. The two were from different generations, different parts of the South and different food cultures. But their passion for food and for cooking led to a heartfelt friendship. He still refers to her as “Miss Lewis.”

“I read in the newspaper that Edna Lewis was coming to town for a dinner, but it was sold out,” Peacock said. “I managed to get a ticket to a cocktail party the night before, and I met Miss Lewis. That was very significant. I left that party and went to dinner at a friend’s house and said, ‘I just met this amazing person, and I feel different.’ ” At the cocktail party, Lewis, who was 73 then, asked Peacock if he’d gone to cooking school.

“I was embarrassed and said no, but she said, ‘Let’s go have a drink,’ ” he said. “I told her I wanted to go to Italy, and she said, ‘I love Italy, too, but you need to stay in the South and learn about your own food.’ ” >> 47

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Peacock said Lewis was still cooking in New York — she was the chef at Gage & Tollner in Brooklyn for years — but had moved back to Virginia, her home state. That didn’t work out as well as planned.

“She didn’t drive, and she’d become a city girl,” Peacock said. “She had an opportunity to move to Atlanta and lived there for the last 14 years of her life. We ended up moving in together.

“We were drawn together by cooking and by our personalities. We both loved cooking and food so much, and neither of us was looking for the easy way. Nothing was too much, even if you had to stay up all night.

It’s not often that you meet a person with the same enthusiasm.

“We were comfortable not having to entertain each other. We could go on a four-hour car drive and laugh and talk — or not say a word.”

The pair collaborated on a cookbook, “The Gift of Southern Cooking,” published in 2003.

Peacock said the book was “neither her idea nor mine” but the result of a proposal by another person well known in food circles: Judith Jones, the editor of Julia Child’s famous “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” cookbook. Jones was one of the guests at a party Peacock gave for Lewis’ 80th birthday.

“I wrote a commemorative booklet for the party,” Peacock said. “Judith came up and had read the booklet. She said, ‘You two should write a book together.’ It was supposed to take a year to write. It took seven years and one day from that night. It was daunting.”

Fifteen years later, the book has sold more than 100,000 copies.

“It’s never gone to paperback,” Peacock said. “It keeps chugging along. I’m very proud of us and of the book. Miss Lewis loved how heavy it was.”

The two friends lived together until Lewis’ death on Feb. 13, 2006.

After his stint at the Georgia Governor’s Mansion, Peacock stayed in Atlanta and was the chef at Horseradish Grill and at Watershed restaurant. He won the James Beard Foundation Award for best chef in the Southeast in 2007.

“I’m very proud of the James Beard award,” he said. “I didn’t expect to win and told myself that it doesn’t make me a better cook if I win or a worse cook if I lose. They called my name, and I couldn’t believe how amazing it felt. It was like being shot out of a cannon.”

The move to Marion A few years later, Peacock turned off the fast lane and onto a road that led to Marion.

“I had started coming to Alabama to interview old people for an oral history,” Peacock said. “One of them was Mary Ward Brown, who became a very good friend.”

Brown was an award-winning short story writer who also wrote a memoir about her life in rural Perry County.

“Knowing there were people like her there — I fell in love with Alabama,” Peacock said. “When I came here, I thought, this is extraordinary — the richness, the food traditions, the architecture, the stories, the culture of the Black Belt. I was fascinated with it. I am fascinated with it.

I couldn’t wait to share it with friends and to bring people here.”

Peacock bought a house in Marion eight years ago and said he became a “full-time Marionette” two years ago.

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ON THESE PAGES: Peacock’s garden behind his 180-year-old home in Marion contains indigo, African upland rice, fig trees, lemon basil, cosmos, sunflowers and even apple trees grown from seeds brought to the region by Johnny Appleseed. He hopes to use the newly remodeled kitchen at Reverie as a site to host cooking classes.

While Brown gave him insights into the Black Belt’s past, an Ohio native gave him a look into the region’s future. Hunter Lewis, cofounder of global investment firm Cambridge Associates, wanted to buy land for an organic farming operation and found what he was looking for in Perry County. He and Cooper Holmes, a longtime resident of the region, started the Alabama Black Belt Foundation to support the work of people interested and involved in improving conditions in the Black Belt.

Peacock recently was made the foundation’s president and said he’s also been working with Lewis’ 6,000-acre Bois d’Arc (pronounced “bo-dock”) Farm. Founded in 2011 as a certified organic farming operation, the farm is involved in specialty and heritage grains, cattle — including Pineywoods cows, the oldest breed in the United States — and vegetable and herb production.

“I didn’t know Hunter before I moved here,” Peacock said. “I’ve been working to help him get seeds for grains and indigo.”

Peacock has developed quite a thing for indigo, a plant whose leaves produce a deep, vibrant blue dye. He’s planted it behind his house and said he’s working toward producing it commercially.

“Indigo just got in my head,” Peacock said. “I needed some crisp, clean new linens, and I was talking to a friend in New York who said I should dye some with Alabama pigments. I thought of indigo. I googled ‘organic indigo,’ and a place in Seattle was the only source. I placed an order and got a tiny little packet.

“I never even made the powder I ordered. But the idea of indigo stuck, and it stayed.”

In his garden, indigo keeps company with African upland rice, fig trees, lemon basil, an apple tree he said was grown from seeds brought to the region by Johnny Appleseed, and bright flowers like sunflowers and cosmos.

Peacock calls his home “Alabama House.” He also spends a lot of time a few streets away at Reverie, a stately Greek Revival mansion built in 1858.

Hunter Lewis bought Reverie a few years ago and furnished it as a historic house museum. While the house is full of antiques, the kitchen recently was renovated to make it more practical for modern cooking. >>

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Peacock checks a freshly baked golden batch of biscuits. • Indigo grows in Peacock’s garden.

He hopes to host workshops on the art of growing and dyeing fabrics using indigo. • The biscuits are topped with Irish butter and honey.

“I proposed the kitchen redo to Hunter,” Peacock said. “We renovated the kitchen so I could teach there. I’m not looking to open a restaurant, but I like cooking with people. I want people to come here and cook with me.”

There are two other important figures in Peacock’s life these days. One is Ozella Thomas, who worked for Mary Ward Brown until the writer’s death in 2013. Thomas had left the Black Belt, gotten married and had children, and worked at the Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plant in Vance. Now, she’s Peacock’s valued assistant and, he said, his “mental health counselor.”

Thomas called Peacock “a really good person.”

“I think he does pretty good cooking,” she said. “It takes a lot of time and patience to do what Scott does. I like his cornbread — well, I like everything he makes.”

Another member of Peacock’s Marion family is Buddy, a black-and-white dog who turned up in Peacock’s yard one day. Buddy is a friendly fellow who gets agitated only when his human friends don’t pay him enough attention.

While most folks think small-town life is simple, Peacock said it’s not.

“I was very spoiled with city life,” he said. “I knew every store. I had staff. It’s a complicated life here.”

Even so, Peacock is living a full life in this unexpected place.

“I was never going to live in Alabama again,” he said. “But it was exciting to discover that I never knew Alabama at all.”

He said he wants to share the allure of the Black Belt with others. In addition to cooking sessions, he wants to have indigo workshops. And maybe, he said, he’ll create table linens dyed in indigo and mock orange.

“I felt drawn here,” he said. “I love the density of the city, but there, I wouldn’t be growing indigo or the rarest rice.”

In the kitchen at Reverie, Peacock had filled a bowl with Queen Anne’s melons, pretty apple-sized fruits with an aroma that smells of summertime.

“They’re tasteless but so pretty, and they’re very fragrant,” he said as he held up a melon and breathed in the scent. He had visitors in the kitchen that day, and he made sure each one left with a melon, a bag of biscuits and an invitation to come back soon.

“I want to help create a Black Belt experience that you couldn’t get from a road map or guidebook,” he said “I see myself here in the future. I’ve had an extraordinary life that I’m very grateful for.”

After meeting Scott Peacock, you can’t wait to see how that life will keep unfolding.

To find out more about Scott Peacock’s future projects, including cooking classes and workshops, visit http://www.chefscottpeacock.com./ or follow him on Facebook and Instagram. You can find more information about the Alabama Black Belt Foundation at www.blackbeltfound.org and about Bois d’Arc Farm at www.bdafarm.com. His book with Edna Lewis, “The Gift of Southern Cooking,” is available for purchase online or, perhaps, by order through your local bookstore.

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AT HOME

When Tudor meets French SOPHISTICATED FARMHOUSE STYLE IN THE WATERFALL SUBDIVISION

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BY BECKY HOPF | PHOTOS BY ERIN NELSON hat do you get when a home designer and a Realtor combine their talents in creating the next place their family will live?

When it’s Jay Young and his wife, Mary Harmon Young, you get a build that is not just a house but a home.

“It’s a lot easier to do someone else’s house than it is your own,” admits Jay Young, who is owner and principal designer at Toulmin Cabinetry and Design in Tuscaloosa. “It’s Tudor meets French, with the white painted brick exterior. We really like how it all turned out.”

Their home is 4,500 square feet on a charming street in the Waterfall subdivision. The build was finished, for the most part, in December 2017.

The family, which includes daughter Sadie Grace and son John Thomas, moved in on Jan. 5, 2018. >>

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The second-floor living area is a favorite room for the family to gather for TV and movies.

• The exterior. • The covered porch overlooks the backyard.

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AT HOME Armed with ideas of their own and minds open to even more professional input, the Youngs enlisted Randall Bobo of Randall Dress and Design as their decorator. They also took a nod from Jay’s father.

“My dad, Michael Young, is a builder. He’s been doing it a long time here in Tuscaloosa,” Jay said. “Mary Harmon and I built our first house in Glendale Gardens after the (2011) tornado. We lived there four years, then Mary Harmon put it on the market. The whole reason we moved was the closets weren’t big enough. It sold right away. One of the main things she wanted when we designed this home was bigger closets, and we did that. Another thing we wanted but cut out in the end was a basement. That would have been nice, but we’re pleased with how everything turned out.”

The two-story home includes four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms. The master bedroom is on the main floor and includes a large walk-in closet. Its bathroom includes both a soaking tub and a separate shower.

Each bathroom has marble flooring and countertops.

Bedrooms include the master, and, upstairs, a guest room as well as a bedroom for each of the children.

The second level also includes a small children’s den, a large media room with comfortable seating for the family to gather and watch television and movies together, office space, a workout room and even a closet that contains a giftwrapping area.

“We live in our home,” Mary Harmon said. “We wanted it to be upscale, but we also wanted our home to be a place where we could feel comfortable. We didn’t want a home

where the kids couldn’t go in certain rooms or sit on certain pieces of furniture. We wanted a home where we could enjoy every room.”

The décor is a mix of the new with the old. Sadie Grace’s bed, which dates to around the 1920s, belonged to her great-grandmother, as did the dressing table in her bedroom. A clock in an open den near the children’s bedrooms has been in Jay’s family for three generations and was made in 1805. It originally belonged to his grandfather, Toulmin Warren Young. An Empire-era butler’s chest shares the guest bedroom space with a new painting by Tuscaloosa artist Kristin Blakeney.

In fact, there are many touches that relate to their families. Several pieces of artwork were created by Mary Harmon’s father, artist Dan Rountree. There’s a small photo in Sadie Grace’s room of roses Rountree created. A horse theme is used in a couple of areas. Among the wall art in John Thomas’s bedroom is a painting of riding helmets and another of a horse race, both painted by Rountree. The main level living area also contains an equine painting by Rountree. >>

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: The guest bedroom includes artwork over the bed by local artist Kristin Blakeney. • The guest room mixes the new with the old, including an antique butler’s chest. • The main floor features an open area with the living room, kitchen and dining room all transitioning together.

FACING PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Bigger closets were a priority in the design of the new home, and the couple got just that in the master closet. It has his-and-hers sides and hanging bars that can be pulled down for easier access. • The dining room is part of the open area on the main floor. • The master bedroom.

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AT HOME

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“Jay grew up around horses,” Mary Harmon said. “His grandfather had a horse. Jay’s always loved horses, and we liked the idea of including that in our new home.”

Among the favorite areas of the home is their second–floor living area.

It’s where they often gather to watch TV, sporting events and movies. The fabrics used are a mixture of textures with linen, leather and velvet.

“Randall had the light fixture, but a lot of the furniture in that room was from our other house,” Jay said of the room decorated and upholstered in tonal shades of green. “We wanted to feel warm and cozy, and we’ve achieved that. This is really where we hang out.”

Said Randall of the room, “We mixed a lot of pieces they had with newer features.”

The couple and Randall felt it was important to shop locally for furnishings for the home.

“I shop everywhere in town,” Randall said. “We shop and source locally in Tuscaloosa because that’s important and because there is so much to offer here.”

The flooring throughout the house is hickory in a brand Jay sells through his store. The styles of that particular maker are named after famous writers and authors. The Youngs chose Elliott for their floors.

The home is wired for security and sound, with “smart home” features such as programmable lighting, locks and music.

The open-floor kitchen, a showpiece and a Toulmin Cabinetry specialty, has a marble-topped island and countertops. The 5-foot-by-8-foot marble island has an inset sink. The marble is 6 centimeters thick.

“We designed it so that you could be entertaining, talking to people after dinner. We do a lot of open-floor concepts,” Jay said. “With the sink there, you can wash dishes and watch TV at the same time.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Kitchens are a specialty in Jay Young’s line of work. The marble island is 6 centimeters thick and features an inset sink. • Across the hall from the children’s bedrooms is an open, small den. The guitar on the right was signed by Pat Green. The middle one is signed by Corey Smith.

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THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The stone used in the master bath is Carrara marble. The mirror has a floating picture by New Orleans artist Lang Gleason. The sconces, adorned with stars, match the chandelier in the master closet. • The Young family, John Thomas, Mary Harmon, Sadie Grace and Jay. • A soaking tub and separate shower give the master bath a spa-like feel. • Mary Harmon reads to Sadie Grace. The child’s bedroom includes a bed and a dresser that belonged to Sadie Grace’s great-grandmother.

• Located off the kitchen is Mary Harmon’s home office.

Appliances in the kitchen include a Jenn Air gas steam oven. Faucets turn on at the touch of a hand. The pot-bellied range hood is flanked by brass sconces. The backsplash is herringbone subway tile. The room includes a deep pantry as well as ample cabinet storage with brass hardware by Ashley Norton.

Just off the kitchen is a butler’s pantry, also with marble counters. It has a mini refrigerator, hammered steel sink and an icemaker. Storage is plentiful and needed as Mary Harmon, in addition to her own tabletop and serve ware, uses it to store pieces she has inherited.

On the main floor, by the kitchen, is Mary Harmon’s home office. Artwork in that room is also by Blakeney.

The kitchen pours into the breakfast nook, dining room and the living room.

“The openness of the rooms is very good for entertaining,” Randall said.

“We just like having more space,” Jay said of their new home. “One of the things we really like, too, is the neighborhood and area of town. It’s a good place to live.”

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FROM SUPERHEROES TO RICHIE RICH THE COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY THRIVES IN TUSCALOOSA

The Comic Strip.

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BY STAN GRIFFIN PHOTOS BY ERIN NELSON AND GARY COSBY JR.

F

or those with a good sense of adventure and fantasy — and an avid love of reading even from an early age — comic books have no doubt been the source of much pleasure.

Whether those treasures are used to follow favorite superheroes, to satisfy appetites for a good horror story or to even keep up with old friends such as Richie Rich, comic books have stood the test of time, continuing to provide much enjoyment for people of all ages.

The recent success of Marvel movie series such as “The Avengers” and the television show “The Big Bang Theory” have arguably taken comic book popularity to an even greater level.

Local comic book stores remain primary lifeblood in keeping those familiar and eternally popular characters from this industry very much alive and thriving.

Fortunately for those in and around Tuscaloosa, the Druid City is home to a pair of diverse comic book stores — The Comic Strip, located at 505 Hargrove Road, Suite 10, and Sho’Nuff Comics, located at 618 15th St. >> FACING PAGE: The Comic Strip sells rebirth trades and comic collection bundles among its large inventory.

THIS PAGE: Sho’Nuff Comics sells mainstream as well as a large collection of independent titles.

Jon Chandler is the store’s owner and manager.

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Both are veritable institutions of the trade. The Comic Strip has been in service for 25 years while Sho’Nuff Comics opened its doors nearly eight years ago.

Justin Snipes, owner of The Comic Strip, said he began shopping at what is now his store when he was 16. He assumed operation of it two years ago. Liz Ray serves as store manager.

Jon Chandler is the owner and manager of Sho’Nuff Comics, along with Eric Workman and Andy Holmes.

Both Snipes and Ray profess they are longtime aficionados of comic books, especially superheroes such as Superman, Batman and the X-Men. Chandler, meanwhile, said his fondness lies in the horror-related comics genre.

That they all work somewhere where they have grown up immersed in their products makes them perfect for their roles at their stores.

“As long as you know something (particularly well) you can sell something,” Chandler said.

“With comics, I read the majority of them, and they come out every week. If somebody asks me if this issue of Batman is any good, I can say it’s really good and it’s the pick of the week. I have a way of feeling people out, and if they tell me they’ve never read comics, then I tell them, ‘I will find you something.’ Then they’ll end up getting hooked because I’ll find something that appeals to them.”

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Comic Strip offers a large variety of vintage and back issues as well as new issues. • Collectibles sold at The Comic Strip include items like statues of the Hulk and Batman. • Justin Snipes, owner of The Comic Strip — which has been in business in Tuscaloosa for 25 years — holds a Darth Vader plushie and a Superman graphic novel from his store.

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Tuscaloosa’s ability to sustain two successful comic businesses is also evidenced by the number of writers and artists in the area who specialize in the comic book world.

Ray said there is “a plethora of local writers,” as well as artist Rick Johnson, who she said has been published.

Ray also mentioned notable writers such as Jason Aaron, who was born in nearby Jasper.

This past spring, the Tuscaloosa Public Library hosted a YomuCon gathering. Snipes said in terms of the typical clientele he sees coming into The Comic Strip — which recently hosted its second annual Wonder Woman Day — it is a fairly diverse mix.

“It’s pretty much everybody,” Snipes said. “We have regulars as young as 10 years old and as old as 57.”

“We really have the old die-hard fans, and we probably do have a higher percentage of younger female fans, and I do some ladies’ nights and bring them in,” Ray said. “The people that I see most are probably around our age, probably in their 30s and either having read for a long time or wanting to get into it.”

Chandler agrees.

“It’s everybody,” Chandler said of his store’s clientele, adding that approximately a third of his store’s business comes from females. “The way I see it, I don’t care who you are, when you walk through our door, I want to help you find good comics. We treat everybody fairly and equally, and we want to help you find good stuff to read.”

While superhero movies have likely aided the genre, television shows, in particular “The Big Bang Theory,” are not always received well with how they portray the comic book industry and its followers, Snipes says.

“I don’t think they’re laughing with us,” Snipes said. “I think they’re laughing at us, because the same guy who created ‘Two and a Half Men’ (Chuck Lorre) does not get the culture. I don’t care what he says. I don’t like the show. You have four characters who are all very intelligent scientists and can afford their expensive hobbies, and they’re the ones being laughed at. It seems wrong.”

Besides comic books, The Comic Strip offers a wide selection of statues, action figures and other collectibles.

“We have a lot of the classic comics and the collected comics,” Snipes said.

Chandler, whose store has a large presence at conventions, says Sho’Nuff offers the largest selection of pop figures in town as part of its inventory of collectibles.

“Most weeks I get new stuff coming in for people that collect that kind of stuff,” Chandler said.

“Of course we have a large trade paperback collection, because that’s about a third of our business nowadays. We have a decent amount of back issues, and we have a lot of key issues. We also have a decent amount of statues.”

Call The Comic Strip at 205-764-9756 and Sho’Nuff Comics at 205-344-9333, including for information on how to become involved in attending shows and conventions.

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PERFORMING ARTS

DANCING Jennifer Lauren Quarles has made a career of being a ballerina he danced onstage with Mikhail Baryshnikov and introduced the ballet legend to Alabama barbecue.

Jennifer Lauren Quarles has lived the life less ordinary, living her dream that began as a toddler when she used to dance in her family’s Tuscaloosa kitchen.

Since 2007, Quarles, 36, has been a member of Miami City Ballet. Her ascension there has gone from corps de ballet to soloist to principal soloist to now principal. Her longevity is remarkable in an art where the rigors of dance can take a toll on the body. She goes through about 100 pairs of pointe shoes a season and works on her craft some 40 out of 52 weeks a year.

During rehearsal season, which is typically August through mid-October, she’s in a studio from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. They set the choreography for every show they’ll perform that season.

Her days begin with ballet class, then three hours of rehearsal, followed by a quick break for lunch then another three hours of rehearsal. During performance season, she’s working on choreography each day and performing four shows each weekend. >>

THIS PAGE: Jennifer Lauren Quarles, shown in a performance of “Theme and Variations.” • FACING PAGE: The costume Quarles is wearing for a performance with the Tuscaloosa Community Dancers was created by her mother, Betty Quarles.

BY BECKY HOPF | PHOTOS BY ERIN NELSON, MIAMI CITY BALLET, ALEXANDER IZILIAEV, DANIEL AZOULAY AND MICHAEL MOORE 66

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“It’s such a stressful, hard job. It’s not for everybody,” Quarles admits. “If you’re not enjoying it, you’re not going to keep doing it. There’s that, plus the audience can tell. The audience wants to see a real human emotion, someone having a wonderful time on stage. I know this is not going to last forever. The older I get, I think I have found a love and appreciation for every single step I get to dance more because you realize it’s not going to be there forever.”

Her first official steps into the world of dance were taken in Tuscaloosa. Her slightly older sister, Jessica, enrolled in ballet classes first. Soon after, when she was 3, she followed Jessica into the dance studio.

“After she started taking dance, my kitchen became her studio,” said Jennifer’s mother, Betty Quarles. “Any chair became a barre. Still is. Now she goes into the dining room and pushes the table back. She has a portable barre that she puts up and dances. She also used to dance on our coffee table.

She does not do that anymore.”

Jennifer Quarles took her first ballet classes in Tuscaloosa at Martha Jamison School of Dance, which is now the Dance Centre run by Rebecca Tingle. She also took lessons from Louis Crofton at the Royal Academy of Dance and danced with Tuscaloosa Community Dancers, which showcases dancers from all around the city to put on shows like “The Nutcracker.” She’s won local awards, including Druid City Arts’ Dancer of the Year and Druid City Home Grown award, which is given to someone who has excelled in the arts nationally or internationally. >>

CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: Jennifer Lauren Quarles and Renan Cerdeiro in “Carousel” pas de deux. • Throughout her life, Quarles has performed at Tuscaloosa’s Bama Theatre.

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“Growing up in Tuscaloosa, you might not think I had a very artistic childhood, but I did.

There was a lot of dancing, a lot of performances. A lot of the girls from the University (of Alabama) would dance with Tuscaloosa Community Dancers,” Quarles said. “It was fun. For my friends and me, as little girls, that was our life. Dance.

“It was just fun. It was a social thing. All my friends were in dance. I fell in love with the technique of ballet and jazz. I don’t remember why I loved it so much, but I just couldn’t stop. We used to dance for hours after class. I can’t believe how much energy we had. My mom would drive us to Birmingham for classes, too.

Around 12, that’s when I knew — I knew — that I was going to be a dancer. I loved it. There was no other thing that I was interested in. I stopped going to summer camp just to go to ballet summer camp, which is odd for a child because summer camp is so much fun.”

When Wes Chapman came to direct the Alabama Ballet and Roger van Fleteren joined him as Ballet Master — both coming from the American Ballet Theatre — they started a Friday afternoon class in Birmingham for teenagers from all over the state. It was an exclusive class. Quarles was one of three girls from Tuscaloosa who started attending those classes. She was so dedicated that she gave up spring break at the beach with her friends — as well as Friday nights out with her friends — to attend those classes.

“That’s when I realized how serious she was,” her mother said. “Wes Chapman pulled me aside and said, ‘I would like to apprentice Jennifer.’ I said, ‘That would mean take class in the morning and go to Birmingham to ballet in the afternoon?’ And he said, ‘No, it means ballet all day.’ ” Jennifer Quarles was 15. Her parents, Betty and the late Ronnie Quarles, decided to allow their daughter to pursue the opportunity. She moved to Birmingham and lived in her aunt’s basement and took classes online.

It helped that Quarles was already on the advanced diploma track. She earned her high school diploma

and, while still working full time for the Alabama Ballet, followed with two years of school at the University of Alabama Birmingham.

She was a member of Alabama Ballet from 1998-2007.

Originally, she entertained the idea of continuing other forms of dance — she’d also taken jazz and tap. She liked the idea of being a Janet Jackson-type backup dancer.

Chapman quickly squelched that idea.

“I’m glad he did because I don’t think I would have made it. I don’t regret that at all. I’m addicted to ballet.

I can’t stop. I absolutely love it,” said Quarles, a Capezio athlete. The way a professional athlete has ties to shoe and clothing companies, Quarles is representing the Capezio company, which manufactures dance shoes, apparel and accessories.

She landed her job in Miami when a friend in that ballet company told her there were some openings. That friend arranged for a visit and for her to happen to be there at a class.

“I did a lot of pirouettes, and the other dancers started clapping,” Quarles said.

The director asked her to do it again, and the rest, as is said, is history.

“When I moved to the Miami City Ballet, it opened my world to different choreographers and cities and all these great festivals in the United States,” she said. >>

THIS PAGE: Quarles and Kyle Seguin perform in “The Nutcracker” in 2016 with the Tuscaloosa Community Dancers at the Bama Theatre. Her mother, Betty Quarles, designed and made her pink tutu.

• FACING PAGE: Quarles poses in one of the dressing rooms of the Bama Theatre in June 2018.

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“

I’m

addicted to

ballet.

I can’t stop. I absolutely

it.

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Quarles performing in a production of “Emeralds” for the Miami City Ballet.

Quarles has performed in Paris, Austria, Germany. She’s danced at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, Alvin Ailey, Lincoln Center, Chicago — all around the USA. Late this fall, she’ll perform for several weeks in “The Nutcracker” in Los Angeles.

“It takes you places you never thought you’d go,” Quarles said.

And it has introduced her to unforgettable moments. Like dancing on stage with one of ballet’s greatest dancers of all time, Baryshnikov. He came to Birmingham in 2007 to perform with the Alabama Ballet while she was still dancing with that company.

“My gosh. I got to meet him. He was doing a little ballet class on stage. My friend and I were the two who got to dance with him (in the performance). I remember when I first met him. He was really nice. I said, ‘Hello,’ to him. Wes (Chapman) told us we couldn’t take any pictures. So I kept a journal instead. We got to dance his piece. And then we went on stage to pick up his flowers and I remember my brain was just numb because it was Baryshnikov — he had to motion to me to pick up the flowers. I did try on his shoes. When he wasn’t looking, I put on his ballet shoes. That was fun. And then he asked his manager what would be a good place to eat, and I said, ‘You need to get some barbecue because you’re in Alabama.’ So we went to Jim ‘N Nick’s. I sat across the table from him. He said I looked like his daughter. But then the shyness came out again. I think now it would be different. I wouldn‘t be shy.”

Quarles has danced many of ballet’s most famous roles: Giselle, both Odette and Odile in “Black Swan,” Juliet, Kitri from “Don Quixote,” Cinderella, Aurora. She swears she has no favorites. She loves them all.

“When I’m on stage performing, it’s a total adrenalin rush, an abandoned feeling of happiness,” Quarles said. “The music, too.

The music is 50 percent of the performance, and most of the music is incredible. I like the technical and physical parts as well.

I like the challenge and the result after you finish. The ending

result — it just makes me happy. And because I’m happy, it makes the audience happy. On stage, I feel a complete freedom. I feel like there are no limits.”

She still keeps her ties to Tuscaloosa, teaching a master class for Tuscaloosa Community Dancers this past summer. When she was with Alabama Ballet, she performed with TCD in its Tuscaloosa production of “The Nutcracker.”

And she doesn’t forget her roots in the art. Rather than toss out her pointe shoes when it’s time to replace them, she autographs and gifts them to little girls who attend performances or who she has performed with.

“I see an opportunity to influence young dancers. When I was young, I remember how excited I was when I was in ‘The Nutcracker’ and the Sugar Plum Fairy, who was one of the older dancers — we called them ‘the Big Girls’ — came and talked to me. It’s an opportunity to reach out and share.”

Watching her daughter perform, decades later, still thrills her mother.

“It’s bizarre,” Betty Quarles said. “Seeing her dance in Miami or Paris? It’s a surreal thing. Jennifer was extremely shy when she was young. For a long time I used to worry about her falling or somebody dropping her when she was being partnered. I don’t worry about that anymore. The people she works with are more precise.”

And, though, perhaps, at times, it may also seem surreal that she has made a career as a ballerina, Jennifer Quarles says it’s just a matter of putting your mind and heart toward working to make a dream become reality.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from if you have the will,” Quarles said. “I grew up in an awesome town. My parents supported me. Tuscaloosa is an awesome town for dance. It helped allow me to do what I do.”

Jennifer Lauren Quarles has been married for nine years to Blake Pearson. They have a pug dog, Sophie, and a cat named Coco.

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Hair

101: How to create fall’s trendiest styles Great looks from head to toe start with heads, and the staff at The Nook in Tuscaloosa have some great ideas on how you can achieve some of fall’s most popular — and flattering — hairstyles.

Chaney Boatright, Daphne Jackson and Emily Summerville offer a step-by-step tutorial, with models Anna Brantley, Januar Brown and Kristina Gregory.

PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

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Anna

Styling by Chaney Boatright Step 1: Add wavy texture using a 1¼ inch curling iron. Curl in vertical sections. Allow curls to cool to lock in waves.

TIP: Leave ends out for a more effortless curl.

Step 2: Spray with Kevin Murphy Bedroom Hair and comb through with fingers.

Step 3: Tease at the part to hide any lines.

Step 4: Leave pieces out around face (that you will use to frame face later) by sectioning out be-

fore pulling back the rest of hair.

Step 5: Create a horseshoe section at crown, teasing hair.

Step 6: Secure hair at crown; create half ponytail.

Step 7: Adorn with a hair tie (ours is from Francesca’s at Midtown).

Step 8: Spray to hold.

Step 9: With 1½ inch curling iron, curl wisps of hair to frame both sides of face.

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Kristina

Styling by Emily Summerville Step 1: Add wavy texture using a 1¼ inch curling iron. Curl in vertical sections. Allow curls to cool to lock in waves.

Step 2: Spray with Kevin Murphy Bedroom Hair and comb through with fingers.

crown, then braid single section.

Step 5: Secure at end of braid with left hand and begin pancaking the braid from the bottom to fatten the braid and give it volume. Secure with clear elastic band.

Step 3: Tease at the part to hide any lines.

Step 6: Wave and tousle pieces around face. Use a 1-inch curling iron.

Step 4: Divide top front into a horseshoe part and begin the Dutch (inverted) braid, continuing to

Step 7: Place hair where you want the desired look and spray with finishing spray.

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Kristina

Styling by Emily Summerville Step 1: Secure ponytail with elastic holder/band, wrapping holder around twice.

Step 2: Split hair in front of ponytail in half with your index ďŹ nger.

Step 3: Tuck ponytail through the hole you created and fan out on sides.

Step 4: Add barrette, if desired.

Step 5: Finish with hairspray.

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Januar

Styling by Daphne Jackson Step 1: Flip head over to pull hair together.

Step 2: Pull a bottom section and braid at the nape in a French braid.

Step 3: Create a ponytail on the top of the head with the rest of the hair, combining with the braid.

Step 4: Split ponytail in half; wrap/ twist around top of head. Secure with bobby pins.

Step 5: Tie scarf around bun.

Step 6: Finish with hairspray.

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Januar

Styling by Daphne Jackson (Januar’s hair is unrelaxed/natural) Step 1: Split hair into three sections — side sections and a smaller one in back.

Step 2: Pull the back section into a low ponytail. Secure with an elastic ponytail holder.

Step 3: Take the left section and wrap it around the ponytail. Secure underneath the pontail with a bobby pin.

(NOTE: When using bobby pins, the flat side should be the top side.)

Step 4: Take the right section and repeat.

Step 5: Tuck hair under nape of neck to form a bun, securing in place with bobby pins.

Step 6: Pull fringe in front to frame face.

Step 7: Add Kevin Murphy Shimmer Shine.

Step 8: Optional — for a whimsical look, tuck in greenery or a flower.

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STYLE

Daphne

Styling

by Emily Summerville Step 1: Tease roots.

Step 2: Using a 1-inch curling iron, curl in a natural (vertical) curl pattern.

Step 3: Spray with Kevin Murphy Bedroom Hair.

Step 4: Pull top portion to center/mid-crown.

Secure with bobby pins.

Step 5: Adorn with a barrette. (NOTE: Emily used a cuffed earring on Daphne’s hair, securing it with hidden bobby pins.)

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Credits

The photos were taken at The Nook, a salon located at 2820 Seventh St. in downtown Tuscaloosa. Emily Summerville and her husband, David, saved one of Tuscaloosa’s older homes by completely remodeling its interior.

Our stylists, all of whom work at The Nook, are, from left, Chaney Boatright, Emily Summerville and Daphne Jackson.

Contact Information: EMILY SUMMERVILLE emily@thenooktusc.com 205-242-7603

The Products

The Nook staff used a variety of Kevin Murphy products for the photo shoot. Among them: DOO OVER: A dry powder, light textures spray — great for fine hair.

BEDROOM HAIR: Flexible texture spray; medium hold; use to add “piecey,” second-day hair.

FRESH HAIR: Dry shampoo; used same day on roots for texture and to keep oil at bay or on second day (between wet shampoos) to refresh hair.

SHIMMER SHINE: Shine mist; can be used on wet hair for repairing or spritz it on dry hair for an amazing shine SESSION SPRAY: Finishing hairspray; spray on the finished look to help hold style all day.

CHANEY BOATRIGHT chaneyboatright.hair @gmail.com 205-523-1662 @chaney.hair

DAPHNE JACKSON daphnejacksonhair @gmail.com 205-478-3361 @daphdoeshair

Our Models

Januar Brown

Anna Brantley

Kristina Gregory

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BLACK & WHITE FACTS Bringing you the best coverage of college sports in West Alabama

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PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO FINISHES GETTING VISUALLY SMART WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE

STORY AND PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR. veryone wants to make better photos. After all, those avant-garde images you shot in the past with your thumb covering part of the photo are so passé. It’s time to step up your game.

So what does it take to make better photos? Most people think it’s the camera. Not so much, actually. The camera is only a tool. Great photography is between your ears. It really doesn’t matter whether you use a cellphone camera, a point-and-shoot camera or a top-end digital SLR camera with thousands of dollars’ worth of lenses, the principles of great photography are the same. >> CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The photo combination demonstrates how turning a color image into a black-and-white can help when lighting is not especially good. • An iPhone 5 was used to take the closeup of the iris. • The photo of the Mooresville Church of Christ was taken on an iPhone 5.

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The word “photography” is created from two Greek root words that actually tell you a great deal about the craft. Wikipedia defines “photo” as being derived from phos, meaning light, and graphé, a representation by means of lines. So you are really drawing with light. That was the actual first application of the craft.

Artists using a camera obscura would trace an image projected on paper or a wall and later paint that scene.

Of course, in modern terms, we are capturing those lovely light rays on a charged coupled device inside a camera. The principle remains, however, of light passing through some form of lens and being projected on a recording device and stored on some form of media.

Now that you have the basic idea, how do you get your thumb out of the way, stop cutting off people’s heads and actually make better images? Since everyone has a camera phone with them 24/7, how about we focus on that little instrument that has become the primary picture-making machine of the masses?

All great photography comprises three elements: light, composition and moment. The first one is obvious, right? Maybe not so much. Light is very complex.

Just read a little quantum physics if you don’t believe me. Light is weird and it behaves very strangely at times. Photographers don’t have to worry about those weird interactions. All we have to do is capture them.

The quantity, quality and direction of light impact the quality of our photographs. Great light happens all the time and in many places and from many sources. Contrary to popular belief, the worst possible light for photographs happens in the middle of a sunny day. The best light comes early in the morning or late in the afternoon. You can even make wonderful photos after the sun has gone down and you are left with that amazing afterglow.

Having said that, the one glaring weakness of the smartphone camera is poor performance in low light. If you plan to shoot a great deal in low light, you should invest in a real camera. Leaving that aside for now, the pursuit of good light is the quest of every photographer.

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That is your first mission — find great light. Early morning light has a warm yellow hue while late afternoon light tends to be more orange. Those times of day are your sweet spots. Midday light is blue and harsh, so try to avoid that. All is not lost if you must shoot in the middle of the day. Find some shade, or put your subject next to a big, white wall, anything to help modify bad daylight. Even landscapes don’t look good during the middle of the day.

Composition is also very important to making better photos.

The biggest mistake amateurs make is taking a photo of a person, or pet, or car, whatever, and putting the subject right in the middle of the frame. We call that the bull’s-eye effect. It’s bad.

The easiest rule of composition to follow is the rule of thirds.

Take your viewing area and divide it into horizontal thirds and vertical thirds. There will be four points of intersection, and placing your main subject on one of those points of intersection will dramatically improve the photograph. Most camera phones allow you to lock focus by simply holding your finger on the screen for a second. An icon appears indicating exposure and focus lock. Then you can move the phone around and try your compositional talents without altering the focus. >> THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: Smartphones can handle sunsets, not as well as big digital cameras, but they’ll still work in the right conditions.

• The picture of the two boys was shot with an iPhone 5. The photo was toned and the frame applied using the PhotoToaster app.

FACING PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: The color image is flat and relatively colorless to begin with. The black-and-white image takes the contrast well to create a dramatic image. • An iPhone 6 captured the reflection of the sunset on the water. • The crane and the high, blue sky offer the visual contrast needed to make an interesting photo.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The black and white landscape was shot with an iPhone, showing a contrast of light and dark using a compositional technique known as framing. • An iPhone 5 and the PhotoToaster app, which allows you to apply filters, were used to capture the children playing. • An iPhone 5 captured the panoramic view. • Smartphone cameras allow you to get really close images, like this photo of a mushroom taken on an iPhone 6. • The fly-on-the-wall guy demonstrates the limits of a smartphone camera. Resolution falls off quickly when you zoom.

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Silhouettes can be an effective way to communicate, but you have to be careful not to overdo the silhouette. This was shot on an iPhone5.

Of course, we could talk Fibonacci numbers and nature’s perfect form.

Basically, the Fibonacci sequence, when graphed, creates a series of boxes that fit perfectly in the proportions of a camera viewfinder. Each box is smaller than the last and creates a lovely spiral from the largest down to the smallest. It is quite remarkable and, if you can accomplish this in a composition, the photograph becomes extremely pleasing to the eye. You can see this form all through nature and our brains love it. Photographically speaking, this technique is all about how you balance your composition.

Another simple way to improve your compositions is to move close to your subject either by physically getting closer, the preferred method, or by zooming. The basic idea is to fill the frame with pertinent visual information. I have many children, so I have been to dozens of award days over the years, and I see parents stand up and shoot a photo of little Joe or Sally Jane getting their award and they are 30, 40 or 50 feet away. Joe or Sally Jane will look like an ant. Get closer so you can actually see what the subject of your photo is.

A technical note will be valuable here. Most cellphone cameras do not have a zoom lens; therefore, when you “zoom in,” you are actually only using a smaller and smaller section of the image sensor, meaning you are getting less and less data to construct the image. The photos will appear less sharp, grainier and of a lower quality.

A word of caution here: If you want a better photo of the grizzly bear in Yellowstone, I would strongly recommend buying a camera with a nice, long zoom lens. Getting physically closer to the bear may put you on his dinner menu. Obviously, the “get closer” idea has its limits. I have also discovered it is a rather bad idea to fall off the rim of the Grand Canyon as one tries to get closer to one’s subject. That leads to motion blur in your photos as you plummet over the side. Just be careful. It is, after all, only a photo. >>

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The last thing is to capture a good moment. You can most easily see this in sports photography. It’s awesome to get that moment when the long pass is falling into the receiver’s hands for a touchdown. It may be somewhat less obvious when shooting photos of your kids playing with your dog. Still, look for a moment of peak action as Fido leaps for the hot dog in your kid’s hand.

Even portraits have ideal moments. Usually it is a look in the eyes, a tilt of the head or the moment when a smile turns into a laugh. One of the most famous portraits in history is of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II. Churchill loved smoking cigars. He sat for his portrait with a cigar in his mouth. The photographer, Yousuf Karsh, reached over and yanked the cigar from Churchill’s mouth and snapped the photo as Churchill scowled at him. Hey, it worked for Karsh and it created the quintessential portrait of one of the great world leaders of the 20th century. As a technical note, Mr. Karsh was not using a cellphone camera when he snapped the photo of Churchill, so your results may vary.

Here is a helpful tip. The next time you photograph a world leader, it is probably a bad idea to antagonize him or her. Karsh was famous and had photographed many of

the early 20th-century icons in art, science, literature and politics before encountering Churchill. President Donald Trump seems to take things rather personally, so I would recommend against that technique should you photograph the president. He might tweet something nasty about you.

It might be surprising to learn that even landscapes have an ideal moment. National Geographic photographers are masters at capturing the perfect landscape or cityscape. You will seldom see one shot in the middle of the day. Usually there is some wonderful atmospheric element. Don’t think they just wandered up on that scene.

Usually, they scout out the location and then wait for the right light.

This does two things: It fulfills the need for good light, and it uses the light as a compositional element. Light defines the composition and creates the moment. If you can do that, you will have a wonderful photograph.

A great image may be the product of a camera — or a smartphone — but it is the creation of a photographer.

— Gary Cosby Jr. is an award-winning photographer and the director of photography for The Tuscaloosa News and Tuscaloosa magazine.

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FACING PAGE, BOTTOM: The iPhone’s panoramic function gives a sweeping, wide view and works great for landscapes.

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: The iPhone PhotoToaster app was used to tone the image of the plant and to add borders. • A small, unobtrusive phone that makes no noise is a bonus for places like libraries where quiet is essential.

• Using an iPhone 5, the kids taking an ice cream break were toned and borders added using the PhotoToaster app. • Having a foreground element in the composition gives the photo more interest. The composition places the subject off center and uses the rule of thirds.

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6

INTRIGUING

PEOPLE

Meet six folks who make a difference in our communities

KEMONDRE TAYLOR

Multi-medal winner, Special Olympics

EVAN ENQUIST Wheelchair tennis coach

PASTOR GARCIA

Minister/ restaurant owner

CALLIE WALKER

Miss Alabama 2018

MONIQUE FIELDS

Children’s book author

NICK SELLA

Irish dry stone wall builder

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 1

Kemondre

TAYLOR MULTI-MEDAL WINNER, SPECIAL OLYMPICS

BY BECKY HOPF PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

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atricia Taylor remembers her son, Kemondre Taylor, as being quiet when he was a child.

“He always liked to be around people, but he was quiet,” Patricia Taylor said.

Perhaps he was just saving all his talking for sports.

Tuscaloosa’s Kemondre Taylor is one of the most decorated national athletes in Special Olympics. The 27-year-old has qualified for and competed in all four Special Olympics USA Games, which are held every four years, and, even more remarkably, he has won championships and placed among the elite in four different sports: basketball, softball, unified softball and unified flag football.

He qualified for and competed in nationals in 2006 — the first ever held — 2010, 2014 and 2018. This past summer, in Seattle, he and his unified flag football teammates won the silver medal. He plays wide receiver and safety. In 2006, in Ames, Iowa, he won the gold medal in basketball, a year he and his Oak Hill School teammates went undefeated. In Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2010, he played unified softball. They placed fourth in their division. In 2014, in Princeton, New Jersey, he played traditional softball and won the national championship. In 2015, Taylor competed in Los Angeles at the Special Olympics World Games, winning the gold medal as a member of team USA in unified volleyball.

His venture into nationals in flag football is a first.

“It’s thrilling. It’s amazing,” Taylor said of his latest achievement in qualifying in yet another sport, flag football. “I like football.”

He appreciates all that is involved, particularly the opening ceremonies.

“It’s overwhelming. Exciting. Loud. Everybody is cheering.

They hold signs up,” Taylor said.

That Taylor excels in sports is just one part of the package. He works, four days a week, at Firehouse Subs near the University of

Alabama campus. He’s worked there for five years.

In order to get to work, he walks to a bus stop near his home in the West End section of Tuscaloosa to catch the 9 a.m. bus. From that bus, he transfers to another bus downtown that will drop him off on campus. He works from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then takes the buses again to return home. Sometimes he rides his bike — he says that helps work his legs to keep in shape.

“I was a little nervous my first day of work,” Taylor said of his Firehouse job. “I had to learn to wash dishes — I do that at home. I had to mop, learn how to roll the meat. Now, I’m rolling meat, about 50 pans of meat on (Alabama football) game days.”

To prepare to join the workforce, from ages 18 to 21, Taylor participated in a CrossingPoints program where he learned things like how to write a resume, how to dress for work, how to count money, save money and how to live independently, among other things. He also learned to study a map of the transit system.

Keith Jenkins, director for therapeutic recreation at the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority, has worked with Taylor for the better part of a decade now. He says Taylor never ceases to impress him.

“He is extremely driven. Kemondre has been extremely successful. He has been just amazing to coach. He may very well be the most decorated athlete in the state. Also, I do not know of another athlete that has participated in every Special Olympics national games,” Jenkins said. “He has a strong work ethic, and, I know he won’t admit it, but he’s a leader on his team; he’s an older, more established athlete, one of the ones the others all look up to.”

“Kemondre really enjoys helping his mom and dad with the bills,” Jenkins said. “He helps pay for water, his cellphone, groceries and clothes. And he likes saving his money for things.”

Taylor’s success has allowed him to do something he dearly

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loves — travel and experience new cities. He says he studies up on the areas before his trips, scouting out places he wants to see, things he wants to do. He, his teammates and their coaches make the most of the trips. Among those excursions was a favorite — touring New York City when he competed in softball in 2014 in Princeton, New Jersey.

“We saw the Statue of Liberty. We saw the city. We saw everything,” Taylor said.

“He made the comment then that he wanted to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific — and he has,” Jenkins said.

His next major goal is to qualify for the Special Olympics World Games in 2019.

“That’s in Abu Dhabi. I’ve never been there,” Taylor said.

He’ll train to make that happen.

“I’ll put in extra work every night with weights and pushups,” Taylor said.

A super fan of just about every sport — he was glued to his TV this spring with soccer’s World Cup — he hesitates when it comes to picking a favorite that he’s competed in — a realm that even includes track and field. There are others he dreams of trying.

“I’ve always dreamed of something with snowshoes,” he said. “Or rugby and cricket. They need to come up with cricket. Or curling.”

Said his mom, “I am so proud of him. We’ve encouraged him to be more involved. He loves playing sports. He loves his teams. He’s a good son.”

Name: Kemondre Taylor Age: 27 Hometown: Tuscaloosa Personal: Mother, Patricia Taylor; father, Willie Smith.

People who have influenced my life: My mother, Patricia Taylor; my father, Willie Smith; my aunt, Gloria Smith; my grandmother, Mary Taylor; my coach, Keith Jenkins; my teachers at CrossingPoints, Amy Williamson, John Myrick and Becky Crossland.

Something people don’t know about me: I love cooking for my mom, listening to music, working out so I can

dominate the competition, and working at Firehouse Subs, where my co-workers call me “The MVP.” My proudest achievement: Winning the Division 2 National Championship in softball with The Tuscaloosa Paratroopers at the 2014 Special Olympics National Games in Princeton, New Jersey.

Why I do what I do: I am never satisfied and have been extremely fortunate to travel all across the country representing the Tuscaloosa Paratroopers.

Like Rick Ross says, I push it to the limit! Competing and winning fuels the fire that is deep inside me!

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 2

Evan

ENQUIST WHEELCHAIR TENNIS COACH

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BY STEVE IRVINE PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

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ennis was not supposed to be his career, at least that’s the way Evan Enquist had things mapped out.

“I loved it growing up,” Enquist said. “I kind of always thought I’d be done with tennis when it was time for school, time for jobs, time for other things. But, every time I put it off and chose a different route, it kind of found me. Down here is a perfect example.”

“Down here” is Tuscaloosa.

More specifically, it’s the University of Alabama.

Enquist, a Minnesota native, came to UA in the fall of 2013 to work toward earning a Ph.D. in exercise physiology and teach classes in the Department of Kinesiology. He didn’t come to town to turn a fledgling wheelchair tennis program into a national championship winning program.

But guess what found him in Tuscaloosa?

“I turned down some head coaching jobs at the Division II and III level to come here to school,” Enquist said. “Now, here I am, back in tennis full time. I definitely accepted it now. I really do like it. Coaching college is definitely what I should be doing.”

Enquist played tennis collegiately at Drake University and still plays as a member of the UA club team. He was an assistant coach at University of WisconsinLa Crosse before coming to Tuscaloosa and declined some Division II and III head coaching opportunities to work on completing his doctoral degree.

His path into coaching wheelchair tennis, however, was unexpected.

“I didn’t know what wheelchair tennis was,” Enquist said. “I’d never really been a part of it or really seen it.”

So how did he find his way toward leading a program that has now won three consecutive collegiate national titles?

“Basically, it was kind of a perfect setup,” Enquist said.

When he first arrived in Tuscaloosa, adapted athletics was under the kinesiology department. He had classes with some of those athletes and some of his friends in the department were also involved with the adapted athletics program.

“That year, they were just starting a wheelchair tennis program,” Enquist said. “They were looking for volunteers. A couple of people knew that I played tennis and just kind of threw my name out there. I said, ‘Sure, that sounds interesting. I’ll come out, once a week, and volunteer.’ ” A funny thing happened during his early days in wheelchair tennis. A sport that was so familiar to him seemed so unfamiliar. The best way to learn the game, he was told, was to get in a chair and play. Things didn’t go so well.

“You make all the simple mistakes, and they teased me,” said Enquist, who now plays a couple of times weekly in a chair. “You can move a specific direction when you’re standing up, and now you’re in a chair. It’s just different dynamics. I was getting blisters on top of my hands. It was just kind of a tough-love thing. It was such a challenge, and I had to rethink how I learn and teach tennis. I think it pushed me to think outside the box.”

He has been the program’s head coach for three seasons, and the team captured a national title in each of those seasons. They’ve traveled around the country, as well as Canada and Mexico, and set the standard for collegiate wheelchair tennis.

“I think the key, really, has been putting in the time to make this program feel exactly like the Division I tennis experience that I had as a college player,” Enquist said. “It just didn’t exist (in wheelchair tennis) across the country. It just didn’t look like a college program that I had grown up with. It became my job to take this team and turn it into a full-fledged Division I feel college program. I think that made a huge difference in the team and sport and things like that.”

Now, one of his goals is to grow the sport on a collegiate level throughout the country.

“I definitely want to make a career out of this,” said Enquist, who should finish his doctorate degree soon. “Right now I serve on the USTA national committee. It’s a volunteer committee, but there are 12 to 15 members, across the U.S., that get together and try to spread the sport in general. I’d love to not only get this program where it needs to be, but I’d like to really make the college wheelchair tennis tour more developed.”

Name: Evan Enquist Age: 29 Hometown: Rochester, Minnesota Personal: Parents, Tony and Terri Enquist.

People who have influenced my life: My parents; my mentors, Brent Hardin and Margaret Stran; and all my tennis coaches, Tim Butorac, Josh Heiden, Chase Hodges, Jimmy Borendame and Bill Hehli.

Something most people don’t know about me: I was appointed to the United States Tennis Association National Committee to grow college wheelchair tennis across the country.

My proudest achievement: Acceptance into the Ph.D. in kinesiology program at UA. Why I do what I do: Every day I get to provide students with the Division I college athlete experience that I have treasured since my days as a player. I’ve never had a more challenging yet rewarding work that doesn’t really feel like a job.

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 3

Pastor

GARCIA MINISTER/RESTAURANT OWNER

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BY TIFFANY STANTON PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

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astor Garcia, owner of Pastor’s Kitchen Mexican Restaurant, named his Northport eatery after himself but also after a vocation he never dreamed he’d have just 20 years ago.

During his youth in Mexico City, Garcia, now a pastor focused on Hispanic ministry at Soma Church in Tuscaloosa, says he thought God could not possibly exist. His life had had too much turmoil — starting when his parents abandoned him to the care of a loose circle of extended family when he was 9, through teenage years spent abusing drugs and committing crimes — to believe a benevolent god could be real.

But one day while working in Reform, Alabama, for a forestry company based in Arkansas, Garcia had what then felt like a breakdown.

He says he was contemplating suicide and decided it wouldn’t hurt to give even a possibly imaginary deity a try. So he asked for help.

“I told God, ‘You don’t exist’, ” Garcia recalled.

“Where were you when my parents left me with no home, no food, living on the streets?’ ” When he heard a voice in response, he thought he had lost his mind. So much so that he left the forestry crew and moved into a hotel in Northport.

He had no money and the barest understanding of English. But he had to think about the words he’d heard that night.

“The voice I heard said, ‘OK. OK, Buster. Everything you say is true. But let me ask you something: Have you lost any part of your body? So, what do you need? Stand up and go,’ ” Garcia said, adding that he’d been sober and felt certain it was a mental illness or some side effect of earlier drug use speaking. The voice told him, “ ‘If you trust me, I’m going to bring your life from zero. The only thing you have to do is trust me.’ ” He didn’t. He didn’t even trust his own mind.

He took to wandering around town, and one day when he was walking down Highway 69 North, a car pulled over. The man inside asked him if he was Mexican, and when he said he was, he invited him to church. Garcia accepted right away.

The church was Iglesia Comunidad De Cristo in Northport, and Garcia says he literally moved in. He started praying and attending Bible study, and soon began learning English.

“I was in a safe place for the first time in a long time,” he said. “And I started to see some of the promises God gave me coming true.”

That was in March 2001. By the summer of that year, he had a job detailing cars at a dealership in town and a growing friendship with the dealership’s owner, J.W. Cunningham.

One day, Cunningham told Garcia, then 24, that he felt urged by God to help. He told him through a translator that he wanted to adopt him.

“I thought it was crazy,” Garcia said. “I thought, ‘I’m a man. I have three daughters. You can’t adopt a full-grown man.’ ” But Cunningham found Garcia a furnished apartment, bought him food and paid for him to attend Shelton State Community College, where Garcia studied computers.

Cunningham also introduced Garcia to Virginia McVay, who saw Garcia’s work ethic and knew she had to help him succeed. So she taught him English and became what he calls his “American grandma,” or Abuelita Virginia.

“He’s got the most generous heart I’ve ever seen on anyone,” McVay said. “And people fall in love with him because they can see that when they meet him.”

Garcia decided to immerse himself in American culture through an English language church. He chose Soma Church in Tuscaloosa, and he and his wife, Raquel, soon became Soma’s Hispanic pastors.

He became Pastor Pastor.

He went into the restaurant business, opening his first store in 2014 across from Kentuck Park in Northport. McVay says the place was packed with preachers at least once a month.

“I think every preacher in Tuscaloosa met there,” she said. “They really supported him.”

In 2016, he and Raquel found a new location for their restaurant, opening Pastor’s Kitchen at 2511 McFarland Blvd., Northport. They placed Bible verses on the walls and pumped contemporary Christian music on the speaker system.

The restaurant serves fajitas, tamales and burritos, among other things, and offers catering. It even has a food truck. Garcia says a shop he’s opening next door to the brick-and-mortar restaurant, called Pastor’s Gift Shop, will offer coffee and gifts, with proceeds to support missionaries in Africa, Asia and India.

“I never was a believer in Mexico, and I never went to church in Mexico,” Garcia said. “When I came here and I was about to kill myself, I chose between killing myself and believing in Jesus, and I took that chance.

“Now, everything in the world we have, we use for the kingdom of God, because the way God is working in my life, I feel like I want to be the light and share the word.”

Name: Pastor Garcia Age: 42 Hometown: Mexico City Personal: Wife, Raquel Garcia; seven children — daughters Sahira Garcia, 25, Diana Garcia, 23, Yoselin Garcia, 20, Naamah Zuniga, 24, and Cynthia Zuniga, 17; sons Max Zuniga, 21, and Joshua Garcia, 5; one grandchild, Sofia Lugo, 7.

People who have influenced my life: J.W. Cunningham, because he was like a real father to me; Joshua Dogau, Jake Case and Jareth Case, because they helped me start my business and are like my spiritual brothers; Pastor Shaun Faulkner, because he encouraged me to preach.

Something most people don’t know about me: In my youth I did drugs and went to jail six times.

My proudest achievement: Just being able to give back, as a child of God. Why I do what I do: I love to serve others.

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 4

Callie

WALKER MISS ALABAMA 2018

BY KELCEY SEXTON PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

hen Callie Walker competes for the crown in the 2019 Miss America pageant, she will be carrying on a family tradition. To make the experience even more memorable, the 21-year-old Birmingham native will be performing on the same stage her mom did when she competed for the title as Miss Alabama in 1985.

“I didn’t really realize that until maybe three days after I won (Miss Alabama),” Walker said. “I was like, ‘Wait, I get to dance on the same stage that my mom danced on.’ So that is really special to think about and just a fun memory for us to cherish forever.”

Walker’s mother, Angela Tower Walker, was her ballet teacher when she was growing up. Her mother also choreographed the routine she will be performing for the Miss America competition at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September. She will dance classical ballet en pointe to “Hoe-down” from Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo.” “(My mom) just worked with a lot of different girls when I was growing up,” she said, “and I always thought that no matter if it was a Miss Alabama or Miss Hoover, or Miss Jefferson County, I thought that they were the most incredible people. I was like, ‘I want to be them when I grow up. I want to be just like them,’ and so I wanted to be that mature girl and role model for younger girls.”

She continues to strive to be a positive role model for young girls, both in general and in her role as Miss Alabama.

“That was one of my goals was to be that light in a little girl’s life.”

Her family’s history also played a part in the inspiration to compete in pageants.

“I always thought it was so cool that my mom was Miss Alabama,” Walker said. “Anytime I would have friends over, I’d be like, ‘Come check this out — this is my mom’s crown!’ It’s something I thought was so cool. “… But you know, as a little girl I don’t know that I thought

about the fact that I could possibly be Miss Alabama one day like my mom, but when that was presented to me, I knew, not only because of my mom, but because of what it provided for her growth as a woman and to share all of the awesome stories she had from her year, that I wanted to be a part of the organization as well.”

As teenagers, Walker and her sister, Scarlett Walker, were both winners of the Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Teen pageant, which is the little sister program to Miss Alabama. Scarlett won in 2010, and Callie won in 2012. They each earned a full-tuition scholarship to the University of Alabama. Walker, who was one of the youngest winners in the state’s history, said knowing that she had already earned a college scholarship by the time she was 14 was amazing. “(Scarlett winning) took that weight off our parents’ shoulders, and then I had that opportunity to win, and that was taken off of their shoulders as well. My parents wished they could have put my brother in (the pageant), but they couldn’t,” she said with a laugh.

“So it was just truly a blessing, not only for me, but for my family and the fact that we didn’t have to worry about that financially. It’s really a blessing.”

Walker was crowned Miss Alabama 2018 in June after four years of competing and placing as first runner-up two years in a row.

The second time that happened was especially tough, she said, to the point where she didn’t know if she wanted to give it another shot. But the mantra she lives by, “perseverance is key,” pushed her to keep going, and if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t be competing for Miss America this year.

“I kind of was like, if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be, and if not, there’s something positive from any result,” she said. “That was the mindset I really was in this year. My mom and I have always

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Name: Callie Walker Age: 21 Hometown: Birmingham Personal: father, Mike Walker; mother, Angela Walker; sister, Scarlett Walker; twin brother, Michael Walker.

People who have influenced my life: My mom and dad have had the biggest influence on my life. With my mom exposing me to dance and my dad sharing his passion for music with me, I discovered that I wanted to pursue musical theater as a career.

Something people don’t know about me: My obsession with John Denver is something people don’t know and don’t really expect either. (Her two favorite songs are “Darcy Farrow” and “Matthew.”)

talked about the willingness to prepare, and her best piece of advice she ever gave me is to “prepare, and prepare, prepare.”

Her platform as Miss Alabama centers on recycling and is called “Let’s Talk Trash — Green Kids for A Green Planet.” It’s a cause Walker is passionate about — she’s a “recycling nerd,” she says — and she enjoys visiting schools and talking to kids about what they can do to be green.

“To me, that’s not something I’m obligated to do, it’s something that I love to do.”

Despite having five full years of eligibility to participate, she says she’s decided that this will be her final year for competing.

“I’ve changed a lot since I was 17,” she said, which is when she first began competing to be Miss Alabama. “… I am just really, really grateful to the organization for helping me grow as a young lady.”

She is taking a year off from her musical theater

education at UA but will return for her senior year in the fall of 2019. Walker said she knows she has to “hit the ground running,” even before she graduates, in pursuit of a career in musical theater. Once she graduates, she plans to move to New York City and join her sister in the Big Apple.

Scarlett, who earned a musical theater degree at UA as well, lives there and is starring in the Broadway revival of “Carousel.” Walker said she knows firsthand watching her sister audition “that you receive so many more ‘no’s’ than you do a ‘yes.’ ” So perseverance will continue to be key for her career as well.

“My parents will definitely support me in anything that I do because they already have this far, so I’m excited to move,” Walker said. “It’s a big city. It never sleeps, as we know, but I’m very excited, and to be in the same city as my sister again is going to be fun.”

My proudest achievement: Receiving a proclamation from Mayor (Walt) Maddox —- I don’t know if that’s really an achievement — is something I’m really, really proud of, and I’m proud that I had the opportunity to represent Tuscaloosa here as Miss Tuscaloosa.

Why I do what I do: It goes back to really serving the community and my state as a light in people’s lives, to hear people’s stories and hopefully make a difference in their life.

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 5

Monique

FIELDS CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR

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BY KELCEY SEXTON PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

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onique Fields remembers when she got inspiration for “Honeysmoke.”

It was when her eldest daughter began asking questions about herself, namely about the color of her skin. They were questions that took her by surprise because Simone was only 3 years old.

“She started asking questions about who she is, and I didn’t really have any good answers for her,” Fields said.

It seemed early for her to be paying such close attention to things like that.

“Basically, she pointed to my face one day, and she said, ‘Mommy’s a black girl.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, Mommy’s a black girl,’ ” she said. “(Then Simone) said, ‘Simone is a white girl.’

Fields admitted she really didn’t know the best way to respond to that and told Simone, no, she was a black girl like Mommy.

“Which is not true and was not the thing to do,” she said. “Then (Simone’s dad) Ken said, ‘You have a little bit of both worlds. You’re a little bit of Mommy and a little bit of Daddy.’

So if I’m going to talk about inspiration, I guess it came from him, because he put that idea out there.”

Fields, who is the manager of communications at the University of Alabama Law School, did what comes naturally as a journalist — she began writing about the conversation she and her husband, Ken Roberts, had with Simone.

“I write to make sense of the world around me,” she said.

One result was an essay published in the online magazine The Root. She also wrote about the incident on her blog and finished a manuscript for her children’s book in 2011.

“When you have children, and you’re reading these picture books, you’re seeing these stories, and then you realize there’s a story that’s not being told,” she said, “and I realized I had a story.”

As a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, she attended conferences and worked with peers in critiquing groups to further hone her work.

“There’s not a lot of (illustrated children’s) stories that deal with identity and mixed race, and so I just kept at it.”

And she didn’t give up, actively working on the book for eight years.

“The thing that took the most time was

Name: Monique Fields Age: 48 Hometown: I am a bona fide military brat. I was born in Los Angeles, lived in several states and two countries as a child, and have been a resident of Tuscaloosa for 10 years.

Personal: Husband, Kenneth Roberts; daughters, Simone, 13, and Nadia, 11.

People who have influenced my life: My dad and countless reporters and editors.

Something people don’t know about me: I once lived in Keflavik, Iceland.

My proudest achievement: So far, publishing “Honeysmoke.”

Why I do what I do: I write to make sense of the world.

getting my manuscript in good enough shape so that I could find an agent,” Fields said of the process. “Finding an agent took me five years.”

Now, nearly eight years later, “Honeysmoke” is set to be published in January 2019. Its story revolves around a young girl who also happens to be named Simone.

“She’s just trying to find her way, her place in the world,” Fields said.

Her daughter Simone did inspire “Honeysmoke,” but apart from having the same name and also being biracial, she said, the rest of the narrative is fictional.

“It’s about a little girl who discovers her color,” Fields said.

Fields is hoping the book will evoke “a sense of security” with readers, to make them feel that they can be true to themselves, feel “comfortable in (their) own skin regardless of what other people think they see or think they know,” and choose their own identities.

“Honestly, if I could start a movement of people — no matter what their racial, ethnic backgrounds — to discover their own color, that would be my wish,” Fields said.

The book features an interactive page for readers to write down their own colors once they’ve discovered them.

“This isn’t just for mixed-race children, it’s for everyone,” she said. “I think it’s for anyone

who’s ever questioned or not been sure about who they are and needs something very unique, that’s unique only to them, to say, ‘This is who I am.’ ” Originally, Fields had a different title for her book.

“The name of this book was ‘Golden.’ You know, this child was golden … I was talking with one of my mentors one day, and she said, ‘Why don’t you just name that book “Honeysmoke”?’ ” That was the nickname a cousin called Fields by when she was young and the name of Fields’ blog.

“I always thought, in my child’s mind, (it was because) my mother was light-skinned, a light-skinned black woman, and my father was dark-skinned. So in my child’s mind, that was what it was,” she said. “My mom was honey, and my dad was smoke.

“I thought this for 30-something years, then I one day got my cousin on the phone. I asked him, and I told him my theory, and he laughed at me.”

She said he couldn’t remember why he called her that, but what he did know was that wasn’t the reason.

The imagery of the girl’s mother and father embodying honey and smoke is brought to life in one of Fields’ favorite illustration spreads in the book. The illustrator, Yesenia Moises, interpreted the scene with the mother being black with darker, honey-toned skin while the father is white, with skin like the light, billowing smoke from a train. Fields said she wrote it the other way around — “because that’s how I thought of honey, smoke, you know, light, dark” — but thinks that it works either way. “(‘Honeysmoke’) is a reminder of my childhood,” she said, “but now it’s really this book.”

Simone is 13 now, and Nadia, Fields’ youngest daughter, is 11.

“I think they’re proud of me. It’s hard to tell, to be honest,” Fields said. “I can tell you that Nadia wants her own book … (she) asks, ‘Well, when is my book going to be published?’ ” Nadia will get to read about a main character who shares her name someday — her mom has a few manuscripts written and plans to author future works. She’s planning to write at least two more illustrated books and eventually progress into writing either young adult or adult books.

“I will continue to write,” Fields said.

“Honeysmoke,” published by Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, will be available for purchase wherever books are sold on Jan. 8, 2019, and is available for preorder in stores or at www.us.macmillan.com/ books/9781250115829.

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 6

Nick

SELLA IRISH DRY STONE WALL BUILDER

BY STEVE IRVINE PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR. ick Sella built a puzzle in the backyard of his family’s home in the historic district of Tuscaloosa.

Why is this news, you ask?

This puzzle included more than 10 tons of stone, took over a year to complete and is unique to this part of the world. This puzzle is technically called an Irish dry stone wall. Put simply, this is a stone wall put together without mortar.

“You just piece it together,” Sella said.

“You cut and you dress the stones and put them into a place where they all fit together.”

It sounds much simpler than Sella’s complex journey toward building the wall in his backyard. That journey began when Sella and his wife, Mary, moved into the house he grew up in, following the death of his parents.

“With 100-year-old homes, you always have to maintain something,” Sella said.

Obviously, the maintenance list was long, and it included sprucing up a backyard that Sella said “got to be like a jungle back here.” One part of the problem was a wire fence that sat at the foot of a dirt slope.

Sella began to brainstorm ways to replace the fence. He took suggestions from friends, and his wife suggested pricing what a rock wall would cost.

He got an answer quickly.

“They said they could lay a few stones back there and charge about $9,000,” Sella said with a laugh. “That was a lot of money.

I said, ‘That’s kind of crazy. They were just going to pile stones the best way they could, up against the dirt.”

He continued to search ways to make the rock wall happen. His research eventually led him to the Dry Stone Conservancy in Kentucky.

“I didn’t know what dry stone wall was at the time,” Sella said. “I was like, ‘Dang, these are cool.’ I’m thinking there are a small group of people doing this. They support the dying art of dry stone walling. I was like, ‘What the heck is that?’ ” He began phone conservations with representatives at Dry Stone Conservancy and soon was watching videos sent by the company. He became hooked on the idea quickly. There is a formula to figure out how much stone is needed by providing the height, length and width of the project. He was told he needed in the neighborhood of 25 tons of stone.

“That’s 50,000 pounds of stone,” Sella said.

He priced 10 tons of stone and was told it would cost $1,100.

“I started thinking that I’d do this on my own,” Sella said.

Soon after, a truck was pulling up to his home with several pallets of stone. Sella was responsible for unloading the pallets from the truck. They were so heavy that they sank parts of his driveway.

“Remember this is a 100-year-old house with 100-year-old driveways,” Sella said.

His backyard was eventually filled with pallets and stones that weighed between 75 and 350 pounds.

Methodically he went about building the wall. His crew was a group of buddies — he calls them his “Muscle Heads” — whom he knew from working out on the University of Alabama campus.

“I got pizza and beer, and, man, they started laying down the law,” Sella said with a hearty laugh.

Much of the work was done on weekends. The work started in May 2017 and lasted for about a year. It began by leveling the area and laying the foundation. From there, he added layers of the wall, which are called courses. In all, there are seven courses on the wall. Sella likened the process to bricklaying without the mortar in between.

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Instead, smaller rocks fit into the crevices. Sella said he would use a sledgehammer to break up larger stones, so he could provide the filler. The best way to test the sturdiness of the wall was to hop on top and jump up and down. If he felt a wiggle, more smaller rocks were needed in the crevice.

Eventually, the wall grew to be nearly 5 feet tall, 38 feet long and about 3 feet wide.

The labor of love was well worth the time and effort, he says.

“I had a friend come over with doubts,” said Sella, who is a longtime ultra-distance runner. “He thought it was something like (the movie, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”), where that guy built that big mound of dirt. He thought it was some kind of thing I was possessed to do or something. What was so nice about it was it was very therapeutic. It’s one piece at a time. It was very methodical.”

Name: Nicholas E. Sella Age: 59 Hometown: Tuscaloosa Personal: Wife, Mary A. Sella; son, Nicholas E. Sella, Jr.; daughter, Anna K. Sella; parents, the late Alvin C. Sella and Maria Z. Sella.

People who have influenced my life: I would say that my parents had the greatest influence on me. My father was a professor, so I was surrounded by academics most of my life. My mother traveled a great deal, so I was introduced to traveling and culture at an early age.

Something people don’t know about me: Most of the community knows me as an endurance runner. So, since

I have taken up dry stone walling, I would say that would be a surprise to most folks.

My proudest achievement: I would have to say that accomplishing many endurance events throughout the years and being able to build a dry stone wall.

Why I do what I do: My personality is such that once I begin a task, I always accomplish it. I became an ultra runner and accomplished a great deal in that arena. I embraced the project of building a dry stone wall and completed that project. So, at the end of the day, I am driven by a passion to be successful in whatever I put my mind to. My wife says that I have an addiction, but that it is a good addiction.

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ON THE SCENE

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UA OPERA GUILD MEETING

MAY 15, 2018 HOME OF FRANCINE MARASCO PHOTOS | JAKE ARTHUR

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KEITH “CASHMERE” WILLIAMS ALBUM RELEASE MARCH 11, 2018 GREEN BAR PHOTOS | JAKE ARTHUR

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Archie Buxton and Artie Wright Willie Lott and Lynnette Lott Frances Loper Corwin, Ann Tyler Corwin and Carl Tesch Gracy Lawson and Frank Lawson Alfred Figures and Ricardo Harris Lamar McKnight, Pam Montgomery,

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Tina Herring and LaTonya Fornis 8.

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E.J. James, LoWanda James and Joe Parrales 10. Linda Greene and Pamela Snider 11. Glenda Rich and Charlene Wilson

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UNITED WAY OF WEST ALABAMA CAMPAIGN KICKOFF AUGUST 14, 2018 BRYANT CONFERENCE CENTER PHOTOS | JAKE ARTHUR

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James Rawson, Lavonda Dodd, Alan Weldon and Valerie Brownell 8.

Zac Lollar, Rachel Gosselin, Bill Gosselin and Roland Lewis 9.

Subrina Champion, Lisa Irby, Brandi McDonald, April Bowens and Amanda Avery 10. Martin Houston, Whitney Oswalt and Bill Wells 11. Richard Clardui Sr., Caitlin Gilliland, Haley Guin and Cynthia Hood

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SUNSET SUPPER

MAY 10, 2018 TUSCALOOSA RIVER MARKET PHOTOS | MICHELLE LEPIANKA CARTER

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Billy Kirkpatrick, Tim Dreyfus and Anna Dreyfus 7.

Russell Lamoureux and Casey Taylor 8.

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Andrew D. Jones and Andrew Jones 10. Ralph Lane and April Lane

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MAY 22, 2018 ANNE AND BROCK JONES’ HOME PHOTOS | KRISTEN TAYLOR

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ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE FAMILY OF THE YEAR

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7 1. Julie Jamison, Carl Jamison, Susan Cork and Brad Cork 2. Cheryl Buchanan and Alex Buchanan 3. Elliott Jones, Nadia Jones, Teresa Carter and Brandon Stough 4. Kenneth Crownover and Debbie Crownover 5. Carole Waters and Terry Waters 6. David Patterson, Sarah Patterson and Ronnie Harrison 7.

Weldon Cole, Jimmy Adams, Jim Brooks and Ted Sexton 8.

Cindy Wicks, Bob Haubein, Terry Waters and Lee Haubein 9.

Jenny Plaster and Jordan Plaster 10. Jackie Wuska, Jordan Plaster, Quinton Poole, Laura Green and Monique Scott 11. Alan Hartley, Carol Hartley, Christine Blakley and Dan Blakley

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NICK’S KIDS FOUNDATION LUNCHEON

AUGUST 2, 2018 BRYANT-DENNY STADIUM PHOTOS | GARY COSBY JR.

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ON THE SCENE

YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH 5K AUGUST 18, 2018 GOVERNMENT PLAZA PHOTOS | GARY COSBY JR.

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Kneer Alyssa Dick, Javontae Thurmon, Kaci Anders, Terry Wiggins, Beth Hudson and Davis Hudson Arielle Hughes, Hanna Grace Hughes, Mary Kate Hughes and Justin Hughes Jalyn Copeland, Melissa Copeland and Laurie Kemp

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Brendan Duncan, Jeff Jarvis, T.J. Jarvis and Brent Keith 9.

Ginger Sanford and Mary Catherine Houston 10. Laurie Kemp 11. Members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity 12. Isabella Donahue, McKenah Larson and Laken Pineda

13. Garey Morrison, Winston Morris and Susan Morris 14. Gordon Terry, Leigh Terry and Gordon Terry Jr. 15. Gary Moss, Sue Moss, Quinn Moss and Melissa Moss 16. Nathaniel Schultz and Diane Schultz

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AMERICAN ADVERTISING FEDERATION OF TUSCALOOSA’S 5OTH ANNIVERSARY

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Michael Nix, Johnnie Blackburn, Jennifer Hayes and Robert Hayes 8. Kellie Hensley, Joel A. Mask and Angie Hughes 9. Bill Bonner, Bruce Roche and Dawne Bonner 10. Brad Fisher, Gary Creek, Bruce Roche, Joel A. Mask and Michele Massey 11. Terry Myers and Wayne Myers 12. Deidre Stalnaker and Tabitha Bostick

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MAYOR’S ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR PEOPLE WITH DIVERSE ABILITIES

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Colby Spangler, Savannah Martin, Wyman Freeman and Catherine Grimes Tory Farmer and Maeghan Deloach Angel White and Sarah White Aaron Henderson and Danielle Prewitt Melissa Walker and Lee Kittrell Molly Parrish and Ryan Johnson Jayne Agee, Cody Pope, Heather Larkin and Natalie Pope

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TONY BROCK’S “THE STORY SO FAR...” EXHIBIT OPENING

JULY 6, 2018 DINAH WASHINGTON CULTURAL ARTS CENTER

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Edwin Stringer and Connie Stringer Scott Glisson, Tony Brock and Michael Newman Sam Ellis, Jalen Ellis, Ashlea Valencia and Maggie Frances Valencia Melani Harrell, Jeff Harrell and Lisa Romo Mili Weddle, Geoff Weddle, Tiffiney Weddle and Landon Weddle Chelsea Materson and Amy Materson Danny Staples and Barbara Staples

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JULY 11, 2018 INDIAN HILLS COUNTRY CLUB

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PLAYERS’ PARTY FOR PRITCHETTMOORE MEN’S CITY INVITATIONAL

Roman Duren, Christy Duren and Matt Hammond Drew Wade, Dakotah Fuller and Drew Fuller Darley Johnson and Lynn Johnson Zach Wolfe and Tanner Coffman Ryan Mizell, Richard Shirley, George Jones and Tristen Lewis

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Jonathan Simpson and Tyler Cohen 7.

Beeson Partlow, Charlie Bailey, Andrew Hudson and Lauren Hudson 8.

Hal Piper and Doug Hamiter 9.

Cassandra Wood and Dustin Wood 10. Gay Lake and Scott Bridges 11. Gwenetta Curry, Kayla Curry and Naeylh Curry

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LAST LOOK

THE FALL GUY PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR. A high school football coach ushers in the season with the pop of his bubble gum in lieu of a whistle before the Hillcrest-McAdory game on Sept. 22.

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