280 Living
www.280living.com
Volume 6 | Issue 12012 | September 2012 | September |
neighborly news & entertainment
September Features
A voice like no other: Chelsea teen to appear on The Voice By KATHRYN ACREE
Photo contest winners- Page 24
Editor’s note
4
Local runs and festivals
6
Pageant winners
8
Chelsea Tennis Association
9
Greek Food Festival
10
280 Business Happenings
11
Restaurant Showcase
13
Mission trips
14
Five years of 280 history
16
Sports
18
School House
22
Kari Kampakis
23
Summer Fun Photo Contest 24 Paul Johnson
27
Rick Watson
28
Library Happenings
28
Live Music
29
Calendar of Events
30
In March, Mary Padgett received an invitation to audition for national television. Without her knowing, her dad had sent a video of her singing into NBC’s The Voice. “I was a bit surprised but so excited for a chance to go,” said the Chelsea High School junior. “I knew my dad was up to something, but I had no idea when he surprised me with the news that I’d actually be able to audition.” A member of the Liberty Baptist Church youth band, Mary has been singing in front of others since she could hold a microphone. Like many little girls, songs poured out of Mary as a toddler. When she was just two years old, she amazed her parents, Phillip and Stacy Padgett, when she would start to sing an acapella song off key, then stop and self-correct. On audition day, Mary’s family loaded up and made the drive to Atlanta to find several thousand other hopefuls competing for a coveted spot. A line had formed around the outside of the building where auditions were being held. “I’ve never been to something with so many people involved that moved so smoothly,” said Phillip Padgett about the audition process. “We were moving the whole time.” Unlike what viewers see on shows like American Idol, hopefuls for The Voice go into rooms by groups to perform for judges, requiring confidence to sing acapella in front of many others. Mary was in a group of about 10 other contestants. Because 15 is the youngest age eligible to audition for the show, she was one of the youngest. Mary was prepared to sing “One and Only,” made famous by British songstress, Adele.
See VOICE | page 15
Chelsea High School’s Mary Padgett will be a contestant on an upcoming season of NBC’s The Voice. Photo by Kathryn Acree.
Greece, golf and God’s grace
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Taziki’s founder Keith Richards reveals what moves him
WIN PRIZES
By REBECCA CYBULsKY WALDEN
www.280Living.com Pre-Sort Standard U.S. Postage PAID Birmingham, AL Permit #656
One of the best parts of going on vacation is the shift in mindset. Out with the daily grind, taskmaster mentality, in with an anything is possible kind of energy. But alas, the vacation ends, the office beckons and we shelve our entrepreneurial aspirations once more – at least until the next vacation rolls around. That’s the difference between Taziki’s founder Keith Richards and the rest of us. When he and his wife, Amy, returned from a three-week holiday across the Greek islands, Keith channeled his newfound passion for the Taziki’s owner Keith Richards.
See TAZIKI’S | page 12