Village Living
| September 2012 |
neighborly news & entertainment for Mountain Brook Summer Fun Photo Contest winners- pg 16
Rosh Hashanahpg 21
Volume 3 | Issue 6 | September 2012
Generations of Greek Mountain Brook residents a part of 40 annual Greek Festival th
By MADOLINE MARKHAM Ernie Gerontakis was a teenager when the Greek Festival began 40 years ago. He remembers learning to cook chicken and kebabs and dancing at the festival through high school and college, just as his sons Spiro, a Birmingham-Southern College freshman, and ninth grader Petey have grown up doing. “So many different [restaurant] professionals and grandmothers and grandfathers have passed down recipes,” said Gerontakis. Over the years he has enjoyed seeing customers from Gus’s Hot Dogs, which he owns in Crestline, and kids he has coached in baseball and basketball come downtown to Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral where the festival is held. “You see a lot of people you know, especially when you work as cashier,” said Alexis Pappas, whose grandmother was the first person to cook rice for the festival.
See GREEK | page 14
September Features City Council Crime Report Library calendar Kari Kampakis Richard Simmons Judge candidates Village Sports School House Dale Wisely Restaurant Showcase Business Spotlight Around the Villages Calendar of Events
6 7 10 11 15 18 22 24 26 27 28 29 30
Members of the Greek Orthodox community start preparing food for the Greek Festival in early September. Front row: Renee Kampakis McMinn, Chum Atkins, Irene Tracy, Becky Kampakis. Back row: Alexis Pappas, Staci Graphos, Peter Graphos, Harriett Marinos. Photo by Madoline Markham.
An NBA dream
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MBHS sophomore George Chamoun has met with Mayor William Bell regarding his grassroots campaign to bring an NBA team to Birmingham. Photo courtesy of the Chamoun family.
By PATRICK THOMAS Hearing the NBA and Birmingham in the same sentence seems like an oddity. In a land ruled by collegiate football, split between fans who either pull for the Tigers or the Tide, professional basketball doesn’t seem to be a fit in the Magic City. But many
might not know that Birmingham is in the top five in ESPN ratings for NBA viewership and has been voted the tenth best metro area without a professional team. The NBA in Birmingham might sound crazy to some people, but George Chamoun believes it is
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a vision that can work. George, a sophomore at Mountain Brook High School, has worked extensively to begin a grassroots movement to bring an NBA team to Birmingham. “I like watching basketball and it would help the economy of the city tremendously,” George said. No stranger to online media, he created nbabirmingham.com to host a petition to garner support for bringing a team here. His twitter account, @NBABirmingham, has generated nearly 6,000 followers. Wasting no time to build a cult following, he has emailed small businesses like Mountain High Outfitters and Cahaba Cycles that immediately gave their support. Although he is awaiting responses, he wholeheartedly believes BBVA Compass and Regions banks would be committed after witnessing the success the Regions Tradition brought to the Birmingham area. One thing is certain—George knows the problems the Birmingham area has faced. From the sewage crisis to corruption involving city officials, convincing naysayers is a formidable task. The thought of building an NBA arena is a daunting task when economic stability has been unseen in recent times. George’s logic is that a team would greatly benefit local businesses and create new jobs. He specifically referenced the Oklahoma City Thunder, who built its
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