Cahaba Sun February 2024 by Starnes Media

THE FINAL STRETCH Jordan Hunter embraces senior season. 12

Vol 9 | Issue 3 | February 2024 As Trussville As It Gets

Celebrating decades of service Jennie June Croly Study Club marks 2 milestones. 10 BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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EDITOR’S NOTE | KYLE PARMLEY The winter solstice is a landmark moment for me. As someone who hates the sun setting at 4:30 in the afternoon, once the solstice passes, I can (quite literally) see the light at the end of the tunnel. Each day becomes a little longer, it remains light a little later and it continues in that direction for the next six months. If you have known me for any amount of time, you know how much I despise standard time. I believe we should be on Daylight Saving Time the entire year. If one of you can give me a reasonable argument as to why we shouldn’t, it would be the first I’ve heard. Now that the days are getting longer, I can also see that switch back to Daylight Saving Time on the horizon next month. I’ll gladly sacrifice an hour of sleep in order for dinner time to no longer feel like midnight. I hope 2024 is off to a great start for all of you! May it bring long days and plenty of sunshine. Thank you so much for reading!

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PHOTO OF THE MONTH

The Huskies bench celebrates a 3-pointer as Hewitt-Trussville faces Chelsea at Chelsea High School on Jan. 5. Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.

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Gerrick Wilkins for Congress (5) Legacy Ridge Assisted Living (18) Renew Dermatology (3) Southern Blood Services (6) Southern Home Structural Repair Specialists (6) Trussville Gas and Water (7) Virginia Samford Theatre (14) Viva Health Care (19) Window World of Central Alabama (5)

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graphic content without prior permission is prohibited. Cahaba Sun is designed to inform the Trussville community of area school, family and community events. Information in Cahaba Sun is gathered from sources considered reliable but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All articles/photos submitted become the property of Cahaba Sun. We reserve the right to edit articles/photos as deemed necessary and are under no obligation to publish or return photos submitted. Inaccuracies or errors should be brought to the attention of the publisher at (205) 313-1780 or by email.

Please recycle this paper. ON THE COVER: Guests make plates and mingle at the 50th Christmas Coffee with the Jennie June Croly Study Club at the Trussville Civic Center on Dec. 5. Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.

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BUSINESS

Business Happenings NOW OPEN

NEWS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

ANNIVERSARIES

The Cahaba Law Group, previously named Blount Hughes, has recently opened a new office location at 6647 Green Drive, Suite 107. The practice offers legal representation in the areas of probate/estate law, family law, criminal defense and civil cases. 205-383-1875, cahabalaw.net

SPOC Automation, a family of companies based at 7363 Gadsden Highway in Trussville that specializes in variable-speed drive automation and inverter technologies, in December was named by Business Alabama as one of the 40 best companies to work for in Alabama. The company has a Lift Up awards banquet, free lunches, ice cream trucks, fuel stipends and workplace chaplains. 205-661-3642, spocautomation.com

HOTWORX, 106 S. Chalkville Road, is celebrating its third anniversary in Trussville. It’s open 24 hours a day and specializes in infrared sauna workouts. 205-767-6767, hotworx.net

Crumbl Cookies in Trussville held its grand opening on Jan. 5. The franchise has more than 970 locations nationwide, after originating in Utah in 2017. The new location at 5431 Patrick Way, Suite 105, will be open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to midnight. 205-273-0909, crumblcookies.com

Avadian Credit Union, with a branch at 2150 Gadsden Highway in Trussville, in December was named by Business Alabama as one of the 40 best companies to work for in Alabama. In addition to comprehensive insurance plans, 401k, medical leave and holiday pay, Avadian offers a student loan repayment program, tuition reimbursement, flexible work hours and a relaxed dress code, the magazine said. 205-661-9712, avadiancu.com

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BUSINESS NEWS TO SHARE? If you have news to share with the community about a brick-and-mortar business in Trussville or the greater Birmingham area, let us know at starnesmedia.com/business-happenings

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COMMUNITY Have a community announcement? Email Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com to be considered for inclusion in an upcoming issue.

Friends of Pinchgut Creek unveil interpretive signs By GARY LLOYD The Friends of Pinchgut Creek recently unveiled a series of interpretive signs along the Cahaba River and Pinchgut Creek. The 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, committed to protecting the headwaters of the Cahaba River, unveiled five signs along the Cahaba River and one at Pinchgut Creek. The signs are designed to inform the public about the waterways and animals that call the area home. The sign at Pinchgut Creek highlights the importance of tributary streams within the headwaters. Among those there to present the signs to the city of Trussville on Nov. 30 were Friends of Pinchgut Creek directors Alex Dowell, Jean Cox, Brett Martin and Cheryl Hamilton. Rep. Danny Garrett and Trussville Mayor Buddy Choat also attended the unveiling, along with representatives from Cawaco RC&D, Alabama Scenic River Trail, the Cahaba Riverkeeper and the Cahaba River Society.

Mayor Buddy Choat and members of the Friends of Pinchgut Creek during the unveiling of interpretive signs, right, along the Cahaba River and Pinchgut Creek in November 2023. Photos courtesy of the Friends of Pinchgut Creek.

Following the unveiling, those in attendance walked along the river trail to view additional signs that addressed topics related to water quality and aquatic animal identification. These environmental education signs are the culmination of months of work by Trussville volunteers, including graphic design done by Trussville resident Ashley Warren and installation by Premier Fence of Birmingham.

“It was so fun to get to design these signs to help educate the public about our beautiful waterway,” Warren said. “I love that we had the collaboration with some amazing photographers, including my own dad, which makes it extra meaningful for me. Trussville truly is a community that comes together to meet needs, big or small. We couldn't have done this without the support from our city and are thankful our leaders value protecting our headwaters.”

Funding for the project was supplied in part by Cawaco RC&D, Inc., and a gift from Alabama Scenic River Trail. It was supported by the Cahaba Riverkeeper, the Cahaba River Society and the City of Trussville. “We had a great team of volunteers working for months to design these signs,” Cox said. “We are so grateful for their hard work and dedication to their community. Friends of Pinchgut Creek wants to help teach people about the importance of our Cahaba Headwaters, and we hope these signs will do just that.”

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Local ministry assisting recovering addicts By LOYD McINTOSH Glenn Sandifer knows what it's like to struggle with — and recover from — addiction. That's why the Trussville-based minister started Unforsaken Ministry to help addicts and their families overcome addiction and to offer support as they grow into their recovery. The roots of Unforsaken Ministry began when Sandifer was in his mid-30s. The son of a minister, Sandifer spent many years in the throes of addiction, eventually getting clean and turning to Christ. He became a Christian at the age of 35 and, shortly thereafter, was called into the ministry himself. One of Sandifer’s first positions was as the pastor of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, in Gordo. While ministering to an elderly church member who was dying in the hospital, he encountered the woman’s son. Sandifer soon discovered the young man was an addict himself. While he had no formal training, Sandifer realized his past gave him insight and avenue to reach the young man, even if the rest of the family and members of the Gordo community thought he was a lost cause. “I never really worked with addicts, but I had been one so I was able to relate to him," Sandifer said. "When I started hanging out with and befriending him, everybody was telling me, ‘Don't waste your time.’ “First of all, I have enough rebellion in me that if you tell me not to, I’m going to,” he added. “But, secondly, if there was no hope for him, then there is no hope for any of us.” Sandifer helped him get into rehab, and while the young man hasn’t stayed 100% sober since then, word started to spread that Sandifer had a heart and ability to help people struggling with addiction to drugs and alcohol. During his 17 years pastoring in Gordo, Sandifer said about half of his duties centered on addiction-related issues. “I would say about 50% of my ministry was with people in addiction or their families," Sandifer said. "Finding them rehabs and visiting with families and trying to counsel them through their guilt and shame, and trying to let them know it wasn’t their fault.” Four years ago, Sandifer was called back to the Birmingham area, eventually taking a position as the pastor of a church in Trussville. Three years and a contentious exit later, Sandifer was out of work and was unsure of his next move. Sandifer said he felt God led him out of a difficult situation, but what to do next remained unclear for months. Sandifer said he and his wife, Marti, decided to take two months off from searching for new jobs and allow for some time for God to lead them. “I was struggling mentally, spiritually, physically. My depression was almost paralyzing,” Glenn Sandifer said. During his respite, the Sandifers learned that the daughter of a friend was in jail in Tuscaloosa on a drug-related charge, and they were asked for help. Sandifer agreed to accompany the young woman at her court appearance in April 2022. The judge allowed the woman to go to the Lovelady Center, a faith-based living facility for women in Birmingham’s East Lake Community where Sandifer was already teaching. The judge, realizing Sandifer was a minister, released the woman into his care to transport and help her settle in at the Lovelady Center. “They took her back to the Tuscaloosa jail to process her out and, evidently, she passed my name around, and it wasn’t long before I started getting calls from family members of people who were in jail,” Sandifer said. “That’s where it all cranked back up again.” It wasn’t long before Marti realized her husband was in

Glenn Sandifer, a Trussville resident and founder of Unforsaken Ministries, gives Angela Edwards a collection of kitchenware for her new apartment on Jan. 5. Edwards is a recent graduate of the Lovelady Center in Birmingham. Unforsaken Ministry aims to help individuals struggling with addiction receive the help needed to get on the path to recovery. Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.

his element and enjoying life again, helping people regain their lives after addiction. She suggested that he should do this work full time, even though he reminded her that it didn’t pay. “She said, ‘You know, we’ve never worried about money before, and we’re not going to start now,’” Glenn Sandifer said. Shortly thereafter, he officially founded Unforsaken Ministry, putting a board together and reaching out to the community for support. The ministry currently has individual donors along with financial support from three Alabama churches. North Park Baptist Church in Trussville is also providing office space and logistical support. Additionally, Sandifer insists that while he is the face of the organization, Unforsaken Ministry could not function without the efforts of the board of directors and other volunteers making his work possible. “I’m kind of the boots on the ground, but this isn’t my ministry. This is our ministry, because there are a lot of people behind the scenes,” he said. “Without them, I could not do what I’m doing.” In just over a year of existence, Sandifer said the ministry has helped dozens of people not only overcome addiction but successfully navigate life during and beyond rehab. “The scope of this ministry is so much wider than I ever thought it would be,” he said. “The recovery doesn’t end when you drop them off at rehab, and it doesn’t even end when they graduate from rehab.” Unforsaken Ministry helps recovering addicts with everything from clothes and other essentials while in rehab to assisting with post-rehab needs, such as finding a place to stay, providing the first few months of rent and offering rides to and from court appearances if they don’t have their own means of transportation. Sandifer said the ministry never considers anyone a lost

cause and will continue to offer support and encouragement if and when someone relapses. “So many people have just given up on others, but God doesn’t give up on us,” Sandifer said. “Even when people relapse, we’re still going to walk with them. “I don’t put my expectations on the help we’re offering them,” he added. “I have hopes and I encourage them, and with most of them, I have a good enough relationship that I can be honest with them, and tell them when they’re messing up. But, you just don’t give up on people.” A perfect illustration comes from his own life, when Sandifer was homeless due to his addiction and was given a second chance by his father. “My father told me I could come home but only for three months, and I know he didn’t mean three months and a day,” Sandifer said. “I had a job, a vehicle and a place to live, but I was still using. But I look back to that short period of time and, had my dad not allowed me to come home and give me an opportunity to get my feet back under me, there's no telling where I would be today.” Every day, Sandifer and the team put that kind of love and support into action, helping others get back on their feet more than once. For instance, Sandifer recently helped a woman who, after getting clean, allowed a former significant other back into her life. After the partner became abusive, Sandifer said she began using again and “got way off track,” and she couldn’t pay her rent. Unforsaken Ministry paid the woman’s rent for a month and then, after she went back to work, paid portions of her rent over the next few months. “She called me just yesterday and said she paid her whole rent this month,” he said. “Had we not helped her during that rough patch, like me, where would she be today?” Learn more about Unforsaken Ministry online at unforsakenministry.org.

COURTESY

PUBLIC NOTICE

HEALTH & WELLNESS MINISTRY

EXERCISE CLASSES Gym Cost: $3 per class or $25 per month (INCLUDES ALL CLASSES)

Enacted 2023 City Ordinances The Purpose of this Courtesy Public Notice is to provide the citizens of Trussville a summary list of all 2023 ordinances enacted by the City Council. Ordinances are available at www.trussville.org/government/ordinances as well as the City Clerk’s office. 2023-001-ADM Adopt Certain 2021 ICC Building Codes, Replace Building Regulations 2023-002-ADM Amend Public Notices Requirements for City Alcohol License Applications 2023-003-ADM Amend False Alarm Responses Sections of the City Code 2023-004-PZ New City Zoning Ordinance, Replacing 2000 Version 2023-005-ADM Regulate Short-Term Rental Businesses 2023-006-ADM Establish the City Entertainment District 2023-007-ADM Issue New General Obligation Warrants 2023-008-PZ Rezone 1015 North Chalkville Road & Next Lot to IN-2 from R-1 2023-009-PZ Rezone 5890 Stephanie Lane & part of 532 Simmons Lane to R-2 from C-2 2023-010-ANX Annex 4680 Trussville-Clay Road

BARRE ABOVE

8:10AM | TUES. & THURS. FUSES THE VERY BEST OF PILATES, AEROBICS, ELEMENTS OF BALLET, AND STRENGTH TRAINING. CLASS IS DESIGNED FOR ALL BODIES. CLASS INCLUDES MODIFICATIONS FOR ANY FITNESS LEVEL.

T O TA L B O D Y S T R E N G T H 9:20AM | TUES. & THURS.

AN AEROBIC AND STRENGTH CONDITIONING WORKOUT CLASS THAT INCLUDES CIRCUIT TRAINING, CARDIO EXERCISE, AND FINISHES WITH CORE TRAINING AND STRETCHING FOR A COMPLETE WORKOUT.

STEP W/ CORE & STRENGTH TRAINING 4:30PM | MON. &

8:15AM | FRI.

A FUN, CHALLENGING FULL BODY WORKOUT COMBINING CARDIO & STRENGTH TRAINING.

2023-011-ANX Annex 6431 Roe Chandler Road 2023-012-ADM Renew $6 Million Line of Credit 2023-013-ANX Annex 6287 Service Road 2023-014-ANX Annex 7000 & 7054 Happy Hollow Road 2023-015-ADM Amend $6 Million Line of Credit 2023-016-ANX Annex Remainder of Glendale Farms

P I L AT E S

8:15AM | MON. & WED. A FORM OF EXERCISE TO PROMOTE STRENGTH, STABILITY, & FLEXIBILITY WITH EMPHASIS ON CORE.

2023-017-ADM New Floodplain Development Ordinance, Replacing Prior Version 2023-018-PZ Amend Highway 11 Transition District & Downtown Overlay District Zoning Ordinances 2023-019-ADM Exercise Option to Leave the Personnel Board of Jefferson County, Alabama 2023-020-PZ Rezone 6919 Roper Road to A-1 from R-1 2023-021-ADM Declare City-Owned Property 6287 Service Road as Surplus 2023-022-ANX Annex 7377 & 7379 Roper Road 2023-023-ANX Annex 7336 & 7342 Roper Road 2023-024-ADM Direct City Clerk to Place a Public Notice, Summarizing All Enacted 2023 Ordinances 2023-025-PZ Rezone 6287 Service Road to A-1 from R-4 2023-026-PZ Rezone 5998 Deerfoot Parkway to C-1 from IN-1 2023-027-ADM Rename a Public Street as Chalkville Mountain Road and ReEstablish Its Origin 2023-028-ANX Annex 525 Main Street & Adjoining Undeveloped Property

QU E ST I O N S : E M A I L K AT H Y B @ F B C T R US SV I L L E . O R G

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COVER STORY: Jennie June Croly Study Club marks 2 milestones

ld son, Wesley, at e for herself and her 3-year-o Laura Nielsen makes a plat dy Club at the Stu ly Cro e the Jennie Jun the 50th Christmas Coffee with Sweeney. on Nels Erin by tos Pho 5. . Trussville Civic Center on Dec

Laurie Nabors speaks to guests at the 50th Christmas Coffee with the Jennie June Croly Study Club.

Celebrating decades of service T By GARY LLOYD

hree binders of scrapbooked meeting plans, newspaper articles and photos at Jane Alexander’s Trussville home weigh a combined 16 pounds. All those plans, articles and photos come from the Jennie June Croly Study Club, named for Jane Cunningham Croly, an English journalist, author and woman’s club leader who used the pen name “Jennie June” in the New York Sunday Times and Noah’s Weekly Messenger. The Trussville club bearing her name was formed in February 1949 in Trussville and is now in its 75th year. In December, the club hosted its 50th Christmas Coffee at the Trussville Civic Center. “I have truly enjoyed it,” said Barbara Colby, the current club president, who has been a member for 12 years. “It’s just a really good opportunity to get together with good friends. We do the coffee for the community and just do some different things for the schools and the fire department.” The 1949 charter members of the club were Lucille Bates, Virginia Connell, Sarah Echols, Patti Ennis, Marguerite Harwell, Mary Hill, Adaline Marbury, Barbara McLendon, Lois Prickett, Anne Reese, Marie Sawyer, Elizabeth Sherer, Rhea Stallworth, Della Sutter and Bessie Tate. The group’s chosen motto was, “To enrich our lives as well as others.” According to its bylaws, the purpose of the club “shall be for the intellectual and social development of its members.” The binders prove that’s been done over the course of 75 years. They include photos and descriptions of monthly events, guest sign-in sheets, newspaper clippings, letters from other Trussville organizations and more. There are records of donations made to the Hewitt Elementary School PTA for Halloween festivals, the Trussville Public Library,

Trussville City Schools Superintendent Patrick Martin speaks with Jane Alexander, a member of the Jennie June Croly Study Club.

the Greater Birmingham Humane Society and the American Red Cross for tornado relief. For years, the group decorated the gazebo on the corner of Parkway Drive at Christmastime and helped with the annual Easter egg hunt. It has given scholarships to Hewitt-Trussville High School students. The club has hosted receptions

for the Trussville Fire Department’s annual awards and for the election of new city council members and the mayor. There is surely more in 75 years of service. “We just look around and try to see where a need is in the community,” said Jennie June Croly Study Club member Diana Evans, who has served as president three times. “And that’s what we try to concentrate on.” Evans has been a member of the Jennie June Croly Study Club since the mid-1980s. “I think it’s a very worthwhile organization to be affiliated with,” she said. “And I enjoy all the people that are in it. We have a program of some kind every time we meet, and we do a lot of things for the community.” The study club meets monthly September through May at the Trussville Civic Center. Colby’s favorite thing about being a member is attending the Christmas Coffee each year. “We get to meet people,” she said. “We go around and talk to them, and it’s just a good time to meet and greet and just have contact with different people throughout Trussville.” Colby believes the group’s mission — fundraising for toys for Trussville Fire Department’s Christmas for Kids program, buying copy paper for the schools and more — is an important one. “We just try to be a positive influence for the community,” Colby said. Evans is 81 now, and she has no intentions of slowing down. “I think had I not thoroughly enjoyed every year of it, I would have resigned from it,” Evans said. “It’s just something that I look forward to and that I have really enjoyed tremendously over the years. I think it’s the camaraderie we have. Everybody seems to get along really well. Many of us have the same interests. It’s just a fun group to be with.”

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EVENTS

Arbor Week events planned in February By GARY LLOYD Arbor Week in Trussville is planned for Feb. 18-24 as part of the city’s steps toward becoming a Tree City USA. The Trussville Tree Commission and Trussville Public Library are sponsoring a Tree Talk on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. at the library. Katie Wiswall, the urban and community forestry partnership coordinator for the Alabama Forestry Commission, will be the guest speaker. In addition, Hewitt-Trussville Middle School students are working on an art show to be displayed at the Trussville Public Library during Arbor Week. The Tree Commission will distribute seedlings to the community on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 9 a.m. to noon (or until the seedlings run out) at the pavilion on the Mall. Last year, even in the rain, hundreds of seedlings were distributed, and the Tree Commission ran out by 11 a.m. A ceremonial planting of a Coosa dogwood tree will take place on Parkway Drive near Heritage Hall. To earn the Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation, five things must happen. First, the city must form a tree board or committee, which happened in 2021. Second, a tree ordinance must be in place, which the city approved in 2022. Third, the city is required to have a budget of $2 per

capita for tree planting, pruning, maintenance, trimming and removal. Fourth, an Arbor Day or Arbor Week proclamation must be approved by the Trussville City Council. Finally, an online application for designation as a “Tree City” must be completed. The Trussville Tree Commission has been busy since its reorganization. Its first planting of replacement trees took place in April 2022 and included 11 total trees. The second planting of another six replacement trees occurred in November 2022. The Tree Commission planned to plant 17 replacement trees in January. “We want to plant as many trees as we can,” Tree Commission member Ralph Mitchell said. Trussville residents who want a replacement tree planted in front of their homes should let the Tree Commission know by submitting a request through trussville. org. The form is located in the website’s “Action Center” under “Report an Issue.” The four members of the Tree Commission — Mitchell, Eric Frederick, Jenna Jones and David Dobbs — hope to inventory every city tree, identify and map them and then develop a master plan for maintenance and replanting in the long term. The Commission is actively seeking two new members with some level of formal training and practical or work experience in tree planting and care.

Katie Wiswall, center, will be the guest speaker at the Tree Talk on Feb. 22 at the Trussville Public Library. Wiswall, an urban forester with the Alabama Forestry Commission, helps Samford University students Rebekah Caldwell and Luke McClelland plant a native seedling on the Shades Creek Greenway during the annual Green Skies Over Homewood tree planting event in November 2019. Staff photo.

Trussville Library February calendar Mondays and Thursdays: Yarn Manglers. Mondays 6-7:30 p.m. and Thursdays 2-4 p.m. Knitters and crocheters, join for fellowship and creativity. Ages 18 and older.

are two of a four-part series that will cover the basic features of Windows 11, how to use the internet and email, and topics regarding cyber security. Registration is required. Ages 18 and older.

Feb. 15: Pages and Panels. 4-5 p.m. Discuss "Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy" by Tui T. Sutherland and make a craft. Best for elementary ages.

Thursdays: Children’s Storytime. 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Join Ms. Alicia for stories, songs, bubble time and lots of fun. Birth through pre-K.

Feb. 7: Video Game Tournament. 4-5:30 p.m. The library will provide several gaming systems and games, as well as a large projector for use. Grades 6-12.

Feb. 16: Classic Cinema. 2-4 p.m. Popcorn and snacks will be provided. This month’s movie is “An Affair to Remember.” Ages 18 and older.

Feb. 1: Pokémon Club. 4-5 p.m. Spend time playing Pokémon or enjoy watching a classic Pokémon show and creating a craft. Registration required. Grades 1-5.

Feb. 12: STEAM for Kids! 4-5 p.m. Join us this month as we explore the effects of temperature changes. No registration needed. Grades 1-5.

Feb. 19: Chess Club. 5-6 p.m. All supplies provided. Parents are welcome to join the fun. Grades K-8.

Feb. 1 and 15: Teen Dungeons & Dragons, Group 2. 4-5:30 p.m. Registration required. Please sign up for only one of the Teen D&D groups. Grades 6-12.

Feb. 12: STEAM for Teens! 5-6 p.m. Join Jan the Science Lady for a series of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) programs. Grades 6-12.

Feb. 3: Adult Book Club. 2-3 p.m. This month’s book is “The Forest of Vanishing Stars” by Kristin Harmel. Ages 18 and older. Feb. 5: Crafty Collective: Valentine's Day Treat Bags. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Ages 18 and older. Feb. 6: Friends of the Trussville Library. 11 a.m. to noon. Ages 18 and older. Feb. 6: Ukulele Club. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Interested in learning the ukulele or looking for somewhere to play? We have a professional ukulele player here to help you learn and perfect your skills. All ages. Feb. 7 and 21: Computer Basics. 2-3 p.m. These classes

Feb. 12: Books and Brews. 7:15-8:30 p.m. Ferus Artisan Ales. This month’s book is “Heart-Shaped Box” by Joe Hill. Ages 18 and older. Feb. 13: Macrame. 4:30-5:30 p.m. All supplies provided. Registration required. Grades 6-12. Feb. 14 and 28: Preschoolers at Play. 10-11 a.m. Guided sensory time followed by free play stations. Parents are asked to always stay with their child. Ages 2-5. Feb. 14 and 28: Teen Dungeons & Dragons, Group 1. 4-5:30 p.m. Registration required. Please sign up for only one of the Teen D&D groups. Grades 6-12.

Feb. 20: Teen Advisory Board. 4-5 p.m. Discuss popular books, movies and shows and take part in projects to benefit the library. Grades 8-12. Feb. 20: Kitchen Lab for Kids. 4-5 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. We will use our five senses as we perform some experiments with oranges. Registration required. Elementary ages. Feb. 21: Video Game Tournament. 4-5:30 p.m. Registration required. Grades 6-12. Feb. 26: American Girl. 5-6 p.m. Enjoy discussing this month's featured American Girl, Grace (2015), play a themed game and make a craft. Registration required. Grades K-6. Feb. 26: Fun Day Monday. 5-6 p.m. Registration required. Grades 6-12. Feb. 27: Magic: the Gathering. 4:30-6:30 p.m. Registration required. Grades 6-12.

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The final stretch Jordan Hunter trying to ‘enjoy it’ as Lady Huskies career winds down By KYLE PARMLEY Jordan Hunter has done it all in her time on the Hewitt-Trussville High School basketball team. Over the last six years, she has played every role conceivable for a guard. She’s come off the bench, she’s started and she’s led. She has been a defensive stalwart and an offensive weapon. At times, she’s a facilitator, getting her teammates involved. At others, she can get her own basket. She is leaning on all of those experiences this season as the senior is leading the way for a Lady Huskies team with lofty goals over the final stretch. “Her whole career she’s played different roles, and now she can play any role we need,” said Hewitt-Trussville head coach Tonya Hunter, also Jordan’s mother. “She’s doing it all.” Hewitt-Trussville was off to a strong start heading into the most important part of the schedule: Class 7A, Area 6 play. The Lady Huskies won the Saint James Classic in November and earned wins over strong teams like Ramsay, Oxford and Mortimer Jordan in December. They were 15-4 entering the 2024 calendar year. Jordan Hunter has been a varsity player since her seventh grade year and has played in two 7A state championship games. In 2019, she became the first seventh grade girl to compete in a 7A title game. The Lady Huskies got back to the title game in her ninth grade season, both times falling to Hoover in the championship. She has gained more and more confidence with each passing year. As a middle schooler, she remembers trying to find her fit amongst a group of older girls. Jordan Hunter said she settled into a groove during her sophomore year and has flourished ever since. The last two years, Hewitt-Trussville has been stopped in the regional tournament, but this team has aims to get back to Birmingham for the state final four. “I want this team to be playing really well at the end of the year, and I think they’re going to do it,” Tonya Hunter

said. “We’re going to be all playing roles, so it’s going to be hard to stop just Jordan.” To that point, while Jordan Hunter is the leading scorer for the Lady Huskies most nights, plenty of other players have shown an ability to make an impact. In a win over Oak Mountain on Jan. 9, five Lady Huskies reached double figures. Along with Jordan Hunter, Olivia Burton, Sara Phillips, Ashlyn Howard and Lauryn Holley all scored 11 or 12 points. Others, such as Mia Ada, Amber Newman, Ryleigh Martin and Kennedy Gill, have been contributing on a regular basis as well. It has proven to be a positive mix of players and personalities. “With this team, every day is so fun,” Jordan Hunter said. “I want to make sure I enjoy it, because it’s not always like that. I want to get as far as possible, not only for me, but for them, because I see how hard they work and how passionate they are.” As of press time, she was bearing down on 2,000 career points and was recently named a nominee for the McDonald’s All-American Game. She has also been involved in several other aspects of the Trussville community, including several extracurricular activities through high school. She grew up watching her mom coach highly successful teams at Shades Valley and was in elementary school when Tonya Hunter led the Mounties to the 2014 state championship. Jordan Hunter was initially more interested in running around the gym and having fun as a young kid, but she remembers how each of those Shades Valley teams embraced her and treated her like a younger sister. Her love for the game grew, and she has now blossomed into a player heading to Auburn University next year. At Auburn, she is excited to play for Johnnie Harris, who is in her third year and has done a solid job of building the program. The recruiting process was not Jordan Hunter’s favorite, but she really enjoyed getting to know the coaching staff and being around the program.

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“They’re just phenomenal people and they care about you outside of basketball,” she said. After having been around her mom’s teams her whole life, not much surprises Jordan Hunter anymore. She will nudge a younger teammate in practice occasionally, predicting that they are about to catch the head coach’s ire and be forced to run a few laps up and down the court. It’s been a family affair for the Hunters over the years. Tonya’s husband, Cedric, is on staff as an assistant. Their older son, Jaxon, played at Hewitt-Trussville and in college, and he is now a graduate assistant with the UAB women’s program. Coaching her daughter has not always been the easiest thing, but Tonya Hunter would not trade the experience for anything. “I’ve enjoyed every moment of it, and I’m still enjoying every moment of it,” she said.

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Hewitt-Trussville’s Jordan Hunter (2) drives the ball past Hoover’s Melanie Hall (4) during an AHSAA class 7A championship basketball game between HewittTrussville and Hoover in March 2019, at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena in Birmingham. Hunter is in her sixth year on the Lady Huskies varsity team. Staff photo.

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Huskies, Cougars named to all-state team By KYLE PARMLEY The Alabama Sports Writers Association released its all-state football team in late December, with plenty of representation from Hewitt-Trussville and Clay-Chalkville high school players. Drew Gilmer was named the Class 6A Coach of the Year after leading the Cougars to their second state championship in the last three seasons. The Cougars, fueled by a shocking first-round playoff loss in 2022, took down four-time defending 7A state champion Thompson in the regular season and knocked off defending 6A champ Saraland to win the program’s fourth state crown. Between the Huskies and Cougars, six players made the first team, the Hewitt players in 7A and the Clay players in 6A. Both quarterbacks were named to the first team as athletes, as Hewitt-Trussville’s Peyton Floyd and Clay-Chalkville’s Jaylen Mbakwe were recognized for their outstanding seasons. Floyd helped lead the Huskies to their first state semifinal appearance since 1996. The reigning 7A Quarterback of the Year put together another standout campaign, totaling

Hewitt-Trussville quarterback Peyton Floyd (7) carries the ball during a Class 7A state semifinal game at Thompson High School’s Warrior Stadium in Alabaster on Nov. 24. Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.

45 touchdowns and over 3,500 yards. Mbakwe was one of the top players in the state as well, as he moved to quarterback full time this season after playing the last three years primarily as a receiver. Even though he is expected to play defensive back at Alabama, Mbakwe accumulated more than

3,000 total yards and led the Cougars to the state title. Hewitt-Trussville tight end Donovan Price was named a first team offensive lineman. He had 21 catches for 289 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the year. Clay-Chalkville wide receiver Mario

Craver, linebacker DJ Barber and offensive lineman Shaq McRoy were each named to the first team as well. Craver finished with more than 1,000 all-purpose yards and recently signed with Mississippi State. Barber, an Auburn signee, racked up more than 130 tackles on the year and made the game-sealing tackle on the final play of the state championship. McRoy signed with Oregon and was best known this year for scoring on a two-point conversion against Thompson. For Hewitt-Trussville, receiver Jadon Loving, defensive lineman Tyrell Averhart and defensive back Riggs Dunn made the second team. Loving had over 1,000 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Averhart finished the year with 15 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hurries. Dunn intercepted four passes and was a stellar return man. Offensive lineman Brady Phillips, defensive lineman Avion Pickett and linebacker Carlos Ivy were each named 6A second team. Phillips was a stalwart on the line, Pickett lived in the opposing backfield and Ivy served as a great running mate with Barber on that defense. Michael Igbinoghene was named honorable mention for the Huskies as well.

2023 Metro South middle school football Players of the Year announced By KYLE PARMLEY Following the 2023 football season, the Metro South Players of the Year were recognized for their outstanding performances over the seventh and eighth grade football seasons. Terry Gillespie from Hewitt-Trussville was named the seventh grade Coach of the Year, while Liberty Park’s Brent Brizendine and Hewitt-Trussville’s Scott Bromley earned eighth grade Coach of the Year honors. ► Berry 7th: Jameer Hudson, Colton Spencer, Jakobie Bates, Crawford Portera ► Berry 8th: Nicolas McKissic, Wyatt Baty, James Jones, JD Thompson ► Bragg 7th: Brooks Beasley, Grayson Burdette, Nathaniel McCloy, Evan Storey ► Bragg 8th: Urijah Casey, Cohen Corbell, Mark Moody, Luke Pruitt ► Bumpus 7th: Josiah Blair, Tyler Foran, Lake Hendricks, Phillip Maye ► Bumpus 8th: Jerrell Anthony, Mario Gibbs, Rakaveon Goldsmith, Paxton Weatherly ► Chelsea 7th: Bryant Wisdom, Cole Carroll, Aiden Skoglund, Caaleb Thomas ► Chelsea 8th: Hudson Picklesimer, TJ Spell, Noah Lee, Bronnor Sanders ► Clay-Chalkville 7th: Markell Compton, Kaleb Martin, Kobe Booker, Kejuan Pryor ► Clay-Chalkville 8th: Christian Bennett

The Metro South seventh grade football team, left, and the Metro South eighth grade football team. Photos courtesy of Barry Stephenson.

Richardson, Rodriquez Penn, Markell Stephens, Oshea Abercrombie ► Helena 7th: Logan Wormington, Christian Grant, Kellen Schultz, Tra’Veon Salter ► Helena 8th: Brayden Jackson, Emmanuel Compton, Will Tayloe, Maddox Johnson ► Hewitt-Trussville 7th: Jack Floyd, Hunter Futrell, Searcy Ellis, Daniel Williams ► Hewitt-Trussville 8th: CJ Davis, Deonta Pickett, Michael Ross, Tyler Wilson ► Homewood 7th: Andrew Knight, Juda Nix, Mac Abernathy, Jakari Haynes ► Homewood 8th: Quincy McGhee, Reid Goldstein, Tate Burdeshaw, Marcus McGhee

► Liberty Park 7th: William Dedmon, Caleb Hahn, Davis Heilbron, Grayson Roberts ► Liberty Park 8th: Braxton Hunt, Nick Smith, Finley Williams, Preston Deal ► Mountain Brook 7th: Braylon Cooley, Brooks Essig, Slade Wood, Sam Young ► Mountain Brook 8th: Gray Anderson, Luke Carroll, Robinson Peer, Henry Singley ► Oak Mountain 7th: Angelo Petelos, Sam Zanthos, Silas Allday, Eli Byars ► Oak Mountain 8th: Brody Hughes, Clayton Cherry, Tucker Kelly, Eli Ervin ► Pizitz 7th: Karter Floyd, Hudson

Cearlock, Noland Williamson, Riley Dodd ► Pizitz 8th: Daniel Holmes, Hudson Mote, Charlie Allen, Lawson Manown ► Simmons 7th: Briggs Patterson, Ian Maxwell, Harrison Swiney, Elijah Foster ► Simmons 8th: Jamal Jones, Andrew Thompson, Alex Frymark, Jordon Ward ► Thompson 7th: Bralen Coleman, Isaiah Henley, Kingston Myers, Eli Ogles ► Thompson 8th: Whit Goodwin, Dedrick Kimbrough, Maleek Billingsley, Mehkii Billingsley Jason Watson contributed to this report.

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OPINION Southern Musings By Gary Lloyd

A shack of railroad ties, but much more We weren’t even supposed to go that far down Stemley Bridge Road. We had planned to eat at this river-view restaurant in the Pell City area, on a back porch where the wind tries to sweep your napkin into the Coosa. Inexplicably, the restaurant was closed. We weren’t near much else, and a Google Maps search showed the closest place for food was called, simply, The Shack, and was a mere one-third of a mile up the road. When you have a three-year-old in the car and it’s time to eat, you make quick decisions. The Shack, it was. We pulled into a gravel lot that led to a low-lying, red-roofed building with what appeared to be a red train car beside it. “Welcome” was painted in white above the entry door, and the “N” in the neon “OPEN” sign was no longer receiving electricity. I was skeptical yet curious. When we got to our back-corner booth,

my skepticism vanished have guessed. You can get without ever having to taste away with bland baked the food. Autographed photos beans if your establishment and memorabilia hung from tugs at my heartstrings. The Shack’s does. It’s printed on the walls. Dale Earnhardt. the menu like some book’s Billy Ray Cyrus. A poster back-cover blurb, and maybe from Jan. 1, 1953, that it should be. showed a two-dollar entry The story of The Shack, fee at the Grand Ole Opry and its “folks,” is printed to see Hank Williams, Patsy over the course of a few paraCline, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Horton, Marty Robbins and graphs. A photo of Dot Hann, Hank Thompson play their one of the original owners, music. The tablecloths were adjoins it. The Shack opened Lloyd checkered in red and white. July 1, 1983, and it’s been The food was great, of course, and this sitting on that gravel since. Haskell Hann, column wasn’t written to focus on it. But I Dot’s husband, built it, and their home behind will say one thing: while every other dining it, with railroad crossties. Imagine the best establishment is providing matchbox-sized house you’ve made from Lincoln Logs as packets of ranch sauce, The Shack brings to a kid, but inside there’s a plate of ribs and your table a 20-ounce squeeze bottle full of it. banana pudding. That’s The Shack. Anyway, I’m a “story guy,” as you may After we ate and I took enough iPhone

photos to satisfy my need to describe the place, I encountered a round table near the front door. There were a couple memory books. I signed and flipped through several past pages. I know they keep these memory books at Gatlinburg cabins and beach resorts, but finding one inside a 40-year-old barbecue joint was different in such a good way. I felt connected to a place I didn’t intend to visit. Above the table was a framed column written in 1994 by then-senior editor George Smith of The Anniston Star, about visiting this restaurant for the first time. The column is cut from the newspaper and pressed to a square of pink-and-green floral wallpaper that is an undeniable ‘90s pattern. “Home is a bunch of railroad ties,” he titled it. Home. It sure felt like it. Gary Lloyd is the author of six books and a contributing writer to the Cahaba Sun.

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UAB returns ‘value’ to participants in All of Us research program

ALL OF US UAB RESEARCH PROGRAM

he National Institutes of Health began enrolling participants in its groundbreaking new All of Us Research Program in 2018. Working with researchers, health providers, community organizations and universities, including The University of Alabama at Birmingham — the NIH hopes to eventually have at least one million Americans volunteer to take part in All of Us, in which participants share their personal health information to help create one of the largest, most diverse health databases in history. Scientists will use this data to learn how our biology, lifestyle and environment affect us and to find new and better ways to treat and prevent disease. They also hope to find ways to better customize medical diagnosis and treatment for individual patients. Researchers at The University of Alabama at Birmingham are playing a big role in All of Us. UAB leads the All of Us Southern Network, composed of more than 10 sites in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Dr. Bruce Korf, chief genomics officer of UAB Medicine and the associate dean for Genomic Medicine, is the contact principal investigator for the Southern Network. Dr. Korf calls All of Us “a unique opportunity to influence medicine for a long time into the future.” The program is designed “to generate the data to understand risk factors for disease and outcomes for a diverse population over a period of time, and from that will come new insights for prevention, diagnosis and treatment,” he said. A program like All of Us would not be nearly as effective without the tremendous advances in recent decades in the speed and capacity of genetic and genomic research. Genomics refers to the mapping of all the DNA in an organism. The All of Us research program holds out the “possibility of customizing prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of disease to the individual — taking into account what they are specifically at risk for and how they will respond to treatment,” Dr. Korf said. “This will inform precision medicine for generations to come.” Nearly 36,000 people have signed up for All of Us in the Southern Network so far, and more than 675,000 Americans have signed up nationwide. And UAB is continuing to seek new participants in the program. People who take part will answer surveys on different topics and be asked to share their electronic health record, give samples of blood and urine

DR. BRUCE KORF

► CALL: 833-JOIN-UAB ► EMAIL: allofus@uabmc.edu ► WEB: allofus.uabmedicine.org or joinallofus.org

for lab and DNA tests. The health information that participants share with All of Us goes into a secure database. By participating in All of Us, people receive numerous benefits. First of all, like the researchers themselves, the participants get the chance to be part of a historic research program. Participants also receive “a rich return of value” because All of Us is using genomics, which includes genetic sequencing, Dr. Korf said. They will have the chance to learn more about their ancestry and genetic traits, but researchers also look at “medically significant genes” in participants who opt into this analysis. These genes could point out risk for such conditions as cancer or heart disease. “Most people are not going to have a variant in one of those genes that put them at risk for disease, but if they do, they can be provided genetic counseling,” he said. “For a small proportion of people — about 3% — this can be life-changing and even life-saving.” The All of Us program reached a milestone in December when the NIH began returning personalized health-related DNA results to more than 155,000

participants, with reports detailing whether participants have an increased risk for specific health conditions and how their body might process certain medications. The wide diversity of All of Us participants is also very important to the project, Dr. Korf said. “Historically a lot of the research has been done on people of European ancestry, and we’ve learned a lot, but we’ve also learned that some of the things we found don't apply equally well to people of different ancestries,” he explained. “We want to provide medical care that is broadly applicable and available to people regardless of their background.” More than 50% of people enrolled in All of Us are from racial and ethnic minorities. “You’ve got to reach out to diverse communities if, in the long run, you want to serve diverse communities,” he said. The success of the All of Us research program also “requires building trust in communities that historically may have had good reason not to be trustful.” According to Dr. Korf, community engagement has always been a “cornerstone” of All of Us. However, community engagement “does not mean selling the community on the program,” he said. “It’s learning what’s important to the community and making sure that what you’re doing is sensitive to their needs.” Community members have been part of All of Us from the beginning and people from diverse communities take part in the leadership groups. As part of this effort to reach as many people as possible, the All of Us Southern Network has several enrollment sites in Alabama. Last spring, All of Us opened a new site in Dothan, an area which was previously not well-served by the program, Dr. Korf said. They also have a mobile unit that travels the state, including areas with poor internet access. “It brings All of Us to people wherever they may be and offers us a chance to involve people who might not otherwise have the opportunity,” Dr. Korf said. The lofty goal to enroll at least one million participants in All of Us nationwide is still in reach, despite delays caused by COVID-19, he said. With the slowing of the pandemic, All of Us is back in “a rapid enrollment phase,” Dr. Korf affirmed. “It’s clear that the goal of at least 1 million participants will be reached.” U.S. residents ages 18 and older can join the All of Us program. For details, call 833-JOIN-UAB or go to allofus.uabmedicine.org or joinallofus.org.

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