The winter months can be downright dreary at times.
The 4:30 p.m. sunsets. The cold temperatures. The dead grass and trees without foliage.
But here comes March, and with it plenty of great things. As of March 10, we will be back on Daylight Saving Time (which should be made permanent; it’s the only way to be). On March 19, we will have the spring equinox, signaling the official start of the spring season.
The flowers will bloom once again, the trees and lawns will return to life, and there will be hope of warmer days ahead.
It’s my favorite season of them all. Getting to be outside again, while it is still pleasant and before Alabama resumes its position as a blazing furnace in the summer, is so nice. The sights, sounds and smells of a ball park are hard to beat.
For students, it’s also a great time. Spring break is right around the corner. Seniors are counting down the days to graduation. There’s so much to look forward to as this season begins.
Thanks for reading the Cahaba Sun, and feel free to reach out to me at kparmley@starnesmedia. com with any tips, suggestions or feedback.
Bedzzz Express (20)
Birmingham Orthodontics (1)
Bromberg’s (8)
Deerfoot Church of Christ (5)
First Baptist Church Trussville (3, 17)
Gary Palmer for Congress (2)
Gaynell Hendricks - Tax Assessor (7)
Image Hive (8)
Legacy Ridge Assisted Living (19)
Magic City Art Connection (9, 13)
Southern Home Structural Repair Specialists (13)
Trussville Gas and Water (2)
Virginia Samford Theatre (17)
Window World of Central Alabama (5)
Get Cahaba Sun in your mailbox, inbox and online.
Scan the QR code to read the lastest news on our website, find where to pick up the latest print issue and follow us on social media.
Publisher:
Community Editors:
Sports Editor:
Contributing Editor:
Photo Editor:
Design Editor:
Page Designer:
Production Assistant:
Contributing Writers:
Client Success Specialist: Business Development Exec:
Operations Specialist:
Dan Starnes
Kyle Parmley
Jon Anderson
Leah Ingram Eagle
Kyle Parmley
Lee Hurley
Erin Nelson Sweeney
Melanie Viering
Ted Perry
Simeon Delante
Sean Dietrich
Gary Lloyd
Warren Caldwell
Don Harris
Sarah Villar
For advertising contact: dan@starnesmedia.com
Contact Information: Cahaba Sun P.O. Box 530341 Birmingham, AL 35253 (205) 313-1780 dan@starnesmedia.com
Please submit all articles, information and photos to: kparmley@starnesmedia.com P.O. Box 530341 Birmingham, AL 35253
Published by: Cahaba Sun LLC
or errors should be brought to the attention of the publisher at (205) 313-1780 or by email.
Please recycle this paper.
The Republican race for Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District has shaped up to be a battle about term limits and who can better advance a conservative agenda.
U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, a Hoover resident who is nearing the end of his fifth two-year term in Congress, broke an earlier promise not to seek more than 10 years in office and decided to run again.
His two challengers in the March 5 Republican primary, Gerrick Wilkins of Vestavia Hills and Ken McFeeters of the Indian Lake subdivision in north Shelby County, have criticized that decision. Wilkins said Palmer has done more talk than action and made poor decisions that do not adequately represent conservative Alabama values.
Palmer said he makes his decisions based on the right thing to do and doesn’t check to see how groups score politicians before he votes, but he said he has maintained a 95% rating from the American Conservative Union.
Palmer said he struggled greatly with the decision to run for a sixth term, but many people he admires encouraged him to do so, and he prayed about it and felt God leading him in that direction.
He said the country has been headed in the wrong direction under President Biden’s administration, and if Donald Trump is elected as the next president, “we’ve got a chance to really fix some things.”
Palmer said there has been a huge turnover among Republicans in Congress in recent years, and “we’re hemorrhaging in experience and institutional knowledge.”
As chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a former member of the House Budget Committee, he believes his experience and background in policy matters, the budget and Congressional procedure will be needed.
It’s easy for his opponents to criticize his votes on certain things, but “they don’t know how things work,” Palmer said. “It takes a while to even learn how the process works. We’re having a hard time passing anything right now.”
Wilkins and McFeeters have criticized Palmer for advocating for spending billions of dollars to aid Ukraine in its war with Russia while the United States faces an “invasion” at its southern border.
“We need a representative to say, ‘No more — no more prioritizing foreign security over American security,’” Wilkins said. “There is a crisis at the southern border, and it has been neglected by this inept administration and allowed to flourish under apathetic Congressional leadership and oversight.”
Wilkins said Palmer seems “mired in the ways of the D.C. swamp.”
“He has been complacent with theorizing about policy and occasionally voting the right way,” Wilkins said. “Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District deserves more. We deserve a tireless advocate — a representative who goes beyond mere words, embodied with action and initiative. … It’s high time we elect a representative who prioritizes action and Alabama values over passive committee attendance and idle policy discussions.”
McFeeters said the U.S. government’s support of the war in Ukraine has baffled him.
“There’s absolutely no reason we should be in Ukraine,” he said. “Ukraine gives us no strategic military or financial advantage. We have no economic ties with Ukraine.”
Palmer said he voted against more recent bills to provide financial support to Ukraine.
Wilkins also faulted Palmer for voting to kill the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act in 2018.
Palmer said he voted against that act because it was a bad bill that would have increased the number of illegal immigrants coming into the country and given amnesty
to too many already here.
Palmer said the two most important issues to him right now are border security and the cost of living.
Nearly 7 million people have entered the country illegally since Biden came into office, and there have been 345 U.S. Border Patrol encounters with known or suspected terrorists or potential threats between U.S. ports of entry since that time, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It’s a threat to national security when you don’t know who is crossing the borders, Palmer said.
Trump’s “return to Mexico” policy needs to be reinstated as a law, as well as a requirement that people not be allowed in the country until it is verified they are not carrying viruses, Palmer said.
Pressure must be put on Mexico through trade agreements, and the United States must build a wall on its southern border and pay for better surveillance technology, including technology that better detects fentanyl, he said.
The government also has to get control of inflation, Palmer said. Under the Biden administration, inflation soared over 9%, and the cumulative impact of inflation was as high as 17%, based on the Consumer Price Index, he said. A family with a median household income had $12,000 less buying power because of the high inflation, and 64% of the
increase in fuel costs in the last two years was due to higher energy costs, Palmer said.
Wilkins said government cannot overlook the pressing moral issues of the day.
“Our society faces an urgent call to safeguard the unborn, to counter child exploitation and eradicate the scourge of human trafficking that is pervading our country,” Wilkins said. “My commitment to the intrinsic value of everyone from conception to natural end remains steadfast and unwavering. I pledge to spearhead policies that nurture and protect life and confront the menace of human trafficking at its roots.”
Wilkins also said he will fight for fiscal responsibility in Congress, support a balanced budget amendment and push for significant cuts to the federal bureaucracy. The current national debt is $34.2 trillion, up from $31.7 trillion in 2020, according to the U.S. Treasury.
“At this point, if we don’t make some serious cuts to federal spending, then we’re not going to enjoy the same prosperous country that allowed me to be successful and that’s allowed so many to achieve the American dream. Interest payments on that debt alone will be the single largest budget item within just a few short years, and that’s a problem,” Wilkins said.
McFeeters said he was drawn into this race
► Party: Republican
► Age: 63
► Residence: Indian Lake in north Shelby County
► Political experience: Unsuccessful bid to replace David Wheeler in Alabama House District 47 in 2022; former president of MidAlabama Republican Club
McFeeters
► Party: Republican
► Age: 69
► Residence: Hoover
► Political experience: Elected to U.S. Congress in 2014 representing Alabama’s 6th District; now in his fifth two-year term
► Professional experience: Has owned and run PAC Insurance Agency for 42 years (offices in Hoover, Bessemer and Roebuck)
► Civic experience: Legislative chairman for Alabama Independent Insurance Agents for 10 of last 20 years
► Education: Berry High School graduate, 1979
► Main issues: Wants to redirect payments going to Federal Reserve to replenish Social Security; reshape the U.S. Department of Education; eliminate mRNA shots for infants and children; defund and withdraw from the United Nations and World Health Organization; change leadership in federal agencies; end U.S. involvement in Russia-Ukraine war
► Website/social media: Ken4America.com; X: @Ken35216; Facebook: Ken Abe McFeeters
because of the crazy government overreach during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war and the false narratives being spun related to the Jan. 6, 2021, protests in Washington, D.C., in which Trump supporters forced their way into the U.S. Capitol to contest certification of his defeat in the 2020 election.
McFeeters said he opposes the Federal Reserve banking system that was created
► Professional experience: President of the Alabama Policy Institute for 24 years; worked in engineering, as well as with Focus on the Family; chairman of the Republican Policy Committee; serves on the House Energy & Commerce Committee; previously served on the House Budget and Oversight Committees
► Civic experience: Rotary Club of Birmingham; member of Briarwood Presbyterian Church
► Education: Bachelor’s degree in operations management from University of Alabama in 1977
► Main issues: Better secure the U.S. border with Mexico; get control of inflation; open access to energy resources such as natural gas, critical minerals and Canadian oil
► Website/social media: palmerforalabama.com; X: @Palmer4Alabama; Facebook: Gary Palmer for Alabama
by Congress in 1913 and doesn’t believe the U.S. government should owe money to a private entity like that. The U.S. government owed $5.4 trillion to the Federal Reserve as of the end of the third quarter of 2023, according to the Fed. McFeeters said it would be better to use that money to replenish the Social Security fund.
He believes power players are at work behind the scenes to create crises, such as
► Party: Republican
► Age: 46
► Residence: Vestavia Hills
► Political experience: First run for public office
► Professional experi ence: Has worked in automotive industry more than 24 years; now is broker in sale of dealerships for Dealer Support Network
► Civic experience: Advisory board for Samford University Brock School of Business; on board for Mission Increase Alabama, which provides free counseling to nonprofits on a Biblical approach to fundraising; member of The Gideons International
► Education: Master’s degree in business administration from Samford University in 2016; bachelor’s degree in religion from Liberty University
► Main issues: Conservative representation; secure U.S. borders; safeguard the unborn; counter child exploitation and human trafficking; be fiscally responsible in Congress; balance the budget; support term limits; dismantle the U.S. Department of Education
► Website/social media: WilkinsforAL.com; X:@WilkinsforAL; Facebook: Gerrick Wilkins for Congress
wars and the border crisis in an effort to create debt for the government and general population. Government giveaway programs also are designed to add to this debt, he said. McFeeters also wants to do away with required mRNA vaccinations for infants and children, saying medical decisions should be left up to individuals.
All three candidates said they support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.
The Sixth Congressional District includes the northeastern part of Jefferson County, a small part of Talladega County, as well as Shelby, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Autauga and Elmore counties. It includes Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Trussville, Clay and parts of Hoover and Homewood.
The winner of the March 5 Republican primary will face Democrat Elizabeth Anderson in the Nov. 5 general election.
America’s First Federal Credit Union, with a branch at 1910 Gadsden Highway, has two nominees to serve the next three years on its seven-member board of directors. They are Greg Johnston, the former chief financial officer for Brookwood Baptist Health who now is an independent consultant concentrating on project management and strategic and financial planning, and Barney Hatten, who retired as director of technical services and quality standards at Nucor Steel. Johnston was appointed as an associate director in 2021 and currently is chairman of the Supervisory Committee. Hatten is the current chairman of the board of directors and has served on the board from 2003 to 2009, 2012 to 2018 and 2021 to 2024. Credit union members will vote to elect board members at the annual meeting on April 16. 205-655-3360, amfirst.org
Kenneth Hicks has joined RealtySouth as a real
estate agent at the Trussville office at 183 Main St., Suite B. 205-531-8611, realtysouth.com
Birmingham Orthodontics has added Dr. Nada Souccar to its team. Souccar has 17 years of experience in the industry, including more than a decade of instruction at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, where she most recently served as an associate professor. Souccar is a member of the American Association of Orthodontists and Southern Association of Orthodontists and is a diplomat of the American Board of Orthodontics. Birmingham Orthodontics’
Trussville location is at 442 Main St. Suite 101. 205-583-1935, bhamorthodontics.com
Regions Bank, with offices in Trussville at 429 Main St. and 193 Main St., has named Christian White as its Birmingham market executive. White also will serve as commercial banking district director for the Alabama, Mississippi and Florida panhandle markets. White joined Regions in 2003 and served in a number of positions within the commercial banking group in Birmingham and Mobile. White succeeds Alan Register, who has been elevated to serve as a commercial banking specialized executive.
205-228-7460, 205-228-7560, regions.com
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
In 2023, Trussville experienced one of the tightest residential real estate markets in recent memory.
Driven by higher interest rates, record-high home prices, and low inventory, only 554 homes in Trussville were sold in 2023, down 22% from 713 in 2022, according to statistics from the Greater Alabama Multiple Listing Service.
The 2023 total marks a significant decrease over the previous six years. In 2018 and 2019, the number of homes sold stayed fairly steady at 745 and 765. The high-water mark was in 2020 when 850 homes were sold during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and sales began to settle to 794 in 2021.
Last year’s downturn was largely the result of interest rates spiking above 8% which caused many homeowners who otherwise may have been interested in selling their house to reconsider, according to Tandi Smith, a realtor with ReMax Hometown Properties and a Trussville native.
“Inventory was incredibly low. Interest rates were higher than we have seen in the last couple of years,” Smith said. “That kind of scared people a little bit, and so people were moving because they had to move, not because they wanted to move. And that really showed in our numbers.”
Smith said 2023 was one of the most atypical years she has experienced in her 25 years in real estate. She said that even though the demand for homes in Trussville remains high, local homeowners were reluctant to put their houses on the market due to interest rates that spiked to 20-year highs in 2023.
Smith said the primary reason many homeowners decided not to put their homes on the market is the rise in interest rates, which could prevent them from upgrading their new home. For that reason, many homeowners took a wait-and-see approach in 2023, she said.
“Nobody wanted to give up their 3% interest rate to take a 7.5% or 8% interest rate,” Smith said.
“Doubling an interest rate from 3% to 6.5% or 7% really increases the monthly payment,” she said. “So people realized that if they move, the house that they can afford now with the same monthly payment is going to be way less than what they currently live in. So a lot of people just decided to stick it out and see what happens.”
However, with one of the state’s top school systems, a vibrant business community and many attractive neighborhoods, Trussville remains a hot community for home buyers. The ever-increasing demand for housing combined with a low supply means home prices rise. Add an overheated economy with 30-year high inflation rates into the equation, and the natural result is high home prices.
High demand and inflation have driven the average cost of an existing home in Trussville to $385,153 in 2023, up slightly from $380,909 in 2022 but up 40% from $255,708 in 2018, MLS statistics show. A new home is even more expensive, averaging $554,840, up from $477,605 in 2022.
In 2023, there were 131 new home sales, accounting for
24 percent of total sales in Trussville and 46 fewer than in 2022, MLS stats show. There were 182 new homes sold in Trussville in 2020, 183 in 2021 and 177 in 2022.
The majority of new homes were located in the Stockton Crest community (76), followed by Longmeadow (23) and Winslow Park (17).
Inflation has dramatically impacted new home construction as costs for materials, particularly lumber rose sharply in 2023. Over the four years from 2020 through 2023, the cost of a new home in Trussville rose from $372,640 to $554,840 — an increase of 49%.
Another reality is the lack of available land for new
construction to accommodate the demand for housing in Trussville. According to Smith, Stockton is built out, and the anticipated Glendale Farms project prioritizes public amenities — including a proposed new elementary school, athletic fields and a town-center-style commercial district — over the construction of new homes.
With the decreasing amount of land available for home construction, Smith said the new trend she is seeing is smaller, older homes being razed and new houses being built in their place, especially within the Cahaba Project. Smith said the need to accommodate the current homebuyer should be balanced with efforts to preserve the area’s
character and historic charm.
“There’s just not really a whole lot of land left in Trussville for building, which is unfortunate because they start tearing down, which is what’s happening in the historical district,” Smith said.
“I understand both sides of it. Some of these houses just can’t be fixed,” Smith said. “But the flip side of it is, the thing that makes the historical project so desirable is the area’s aesthetics.”
Despite the recent challenges in the local housing market, Smith said she is optimistic that 2024 will be a strong year for home sales. With interest rates for 30-year mortgages dipping to 6.77 percent as of mid-February, there is reason to believe Trussville’s residential real estate market could rebound in 2024, Smith said.
Each year, usually in the spring, there’s a particular day when she fields multiple phone calls and emails from prospective buyers and homeowners interested in selling.
She refers to this pattern as “the day,” the moment when the spring real estate season begins in earnest.
Typically, she said, “the day” occurs as early as March and as late as May. However, Smith said “the day” may have started early this year. By mid-January, Smith said she had offers on three of her listed lots and a possible offer on a house she hadn’t yet listed, and she booked five home inspections within an hour on Jan. 17.
“I have worked in the real estate industry for 25 years, and this is the earliest I have seen the spring selling season start,” Smith said.
“I feel like many people spent the last year sitting on the fence waiting to see what the housing market would do,” Smith added. “People are tired of waiting, and with interest rates rumored to go down, they are trying to get a jump on the market.”
While mortgage interest rates are trending down at the time of this writing, they are still nowhere near the 3% and 4% rates that many homebuyers enjoyed for several years. However, there are options for homebuyers in the current
housing market.
Tonya Golden, a loan consultant with Loan Depot and a longtime Trussville resident, said she believes interest rates will continue to fall throughout 2024 and settle between 5% and 6% by the end of the year. Additionally, Golden said the recent dip in rates has sparked interest among potential homebuyers, and, like Smith, she is optimistic that 2024 could be a good year.
“I’ll be honest, when January hit, I was so excited because it’s like maybe people are just tired of sitting on the fence and they’re just ready to sell their homes,” Golden said. “I’ve had so many more people contact me for pre-approval, shopping for homes now, and it’s just very encouraging.”
However, she cautions homebuyers not to wait too long to purchase a house in Trussville, especially if they find the perfect home that meets their needs.
“That’s one of the things that I talk to my buyers about, asking them if they remember how things were so competitive when the rates were lower. You might have five people make an offer on one home. It was very competitive,” Golden said.
“This is a great time to purchase because I feel like there is not as much competition out there,’ Golden said. “I just tell people to marry the house and date the rate because you can always change that interest rate, but at least you’re getting the home you want. You’re really investing in the home more than the interest rate.”
For those homebuyers for whom the interest rate is an issue, Golden said there are several programs of which they can take advantage to keep their monthly payments manageable. For instance, she said a 3-2-1 buydown — a loan in which the interest rate is reduced for the first three years of the term with the original rate applied for the life of the mortgage at the beginning of the fourth year — is an option to help home buyers during periods of high interest rates.
However, she advises homebuyers interested in buying into the Trussville market to consider the long-term value of the house even if the interest rate and monthly payment are high in the short term.
“Even if your payment is higher today than you would like for it to be, at least you’re gaining equity in a home,” Golden said. “We’ve seen appreciation in great numbers for years now, and I just feel like you’re just making an investment in a home that you’ll normally never regret.
“You just don’t see people losing money on a home these days,” Golden added. “They buy a home, and a year or two later they can easily make 50 grand, and that’s a lot of money to go towards another home.”
Have a community announcement? Email Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com to be considered for inclusion in an upcoming issue.
Tommy Trimm thought his company lost its chance.
Trimm Landscapes, Inc. had been reviewing materials and researching prices to place an accurate quote on constructing three stone gateways in Trussville’s historic Cahaba Project, a project spearheaded by the Cahaba Homestead Heritage Foundation. Months went by, but the hard work paid off.
Trimm Landscapes, Inc. earned the job, and the gateways were officially dedicated on Jan. 28, after work began in September 2023.
“I live in the neighborhood, so it was important to me to be able to do the project because I thought, well, my granddaughter can see these signs and she can say, ‘Hey, my grandfather put these signs up,’” Trimm said. “So much of our work, we never see it again. We do a project for somebody, and we put a lot of work into it, and it’s kind of bittersweet because when you get finished, you never see it again. But I live two blocks down the street, and I’m going to see these things every single day of my life. That’s why it was an important project for us to do.”
Trimm Landscapes, Inc. constructed stone gateways on three Cahaba Project boundaries: Magnolia Mall, the corner of Chalkville Mountain Road and Poplar Street, and the corner of Parkway Drive and Poplar Street. The sandstone gateway designs were based on the original sandstone entrance at the Parkway Drive and Main Street intersection. The gateways were made possible by more than 200 personalized brick orders and sponsorship and support from AmFirst Credit Union, Amerex Corporation, Hero Doughnuts and Buns, Rodney Scott’s BBQ, Zeke Smith of Alabama Power Company, the Bell and Reich families, Mayor Buddy Choat, the Trussville City Council, the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Trussville Public Library, Commissioner Joe Knight, the Jefferson County Commission, the Jefferson County Community Service Fund, state Sen. Shay Shelnutt, state Rep. Danny Garrett, U.S. Congressman Gary Palmer and the Alabama Department of Tourism.
“This is so unique to Trussville,” Garrett said. “I think it’s so appropriate that it describes the history of Trussville. It’s a unique area, one of a kind in the United States. They add so much character and complement the character of the Project area, and we’re just so excited for how they look and what they’re going to mean.”
More than 50 people attended the dedication ceremony, including George Glenn,
the first baby born in the Cahaba Project. A brick at the Parkway Drive gateway notes his claim to fame.
“It’s a pleasure for me to be a part of this celebration,” he said. “I think Trussville is the best place in the world to be raised, and I had all 85 years of it here in Trussville. I’ve enjoyed being here, and it’s been a real asset to me and my family.”
Cahaba Homestead Heritage Foundation President Amy Peterson O’Brien led the dedication ceremony, mixing history, project particulars and thank-yous in a 14-minute speech.
“It’s a day that recognizes our past and our present in a very visible and tangible way,” O’Brien said. “The name and dates of our historic village, the people honored by these bricks and the bronze dedication plaque all tell Trussville’s story. By design, these gateways are a beautiful way to welcome people to Trussville’s historic district for generations to come.”
Ralph Mitchell, a former Trussville city councilman who lives in the Cahaba Project, said gateways were planned years ago but never built.
“Well, it finally came true,” he said. “Now, it’s been done. It’s complete. It’s wonderful. It’s such a tribute to the neighborhood, to the
city, to the city leaders, and to the Cahaba [Homestead Heritage] Foundation that put it all together.”
As the dedication ceremony ended, Peter Reich unveiled the bronze plaque accompanying the Parkway Drive gateway, which describes the project and key contributors. O’Brien said the stone gateways are “dedicated to the Americans who built the Cahaba
“
” I think Trussville is the best place in the world to be raised, and I had all 85 years of it here in Trussville.GEORGE GLENN
Project during the Great Depression, honoring the legacy of their labor and service.” That legacy, she said, continues today with a thriving historic district.
“This community has seen times of Great Depression and great cooperation, times of war and peace,” O’Brien said. “This community knows the name of the first baby born here in 1938. Collectively, this community has mourned the loss of its daughters and sons. Collectively, it has prayed and has persevered. These homes and this neighborhood have been the backdrop and the heart of nearly 100 years of families living out Alabama history and our nation's history, day by day, year by year.”
Teams must replace senior leaders every year. It’s a fact of life in high school sports.
For the Hewitt-Trussville High School softball program this year, that task perhaps will carry a little more weight than it has in years past.
On the surface, the Huskies return a robust amount of production from a season ago. The entire pitching staff returns, and they are only replacing a few lineup regulars that graduated. But one of those was do-it-all leader Hannah Dorsett, the All-South Metro Player of the Year in 2023 who hit for a .506 batting average.
“Hannah is a once-in-a-generation kind of kid,” Hewitt-Trussville head coach Taylor Burt said. “The level of talent matched the level of commitment to her team.”
But, competitors are unlikely to feel sorry for Hewitt-Trussville, fresh off its third state championship in the last five years. If things come together, the Huskies are likely to be one of the Class 7A favorites once again.
That begins with seniors Sara Phillips, Olivia
Faggard, Chaney Peters, Amber Newman, Lexie Kelly, AhKeela Honeycutt, Kate Hicks and Sarah Beth Golden. They’re a talented group that has played in plenty of meaningful games over the years.
Six of them have already announced their intentions to continue playing in college: Phillips to Mississippi State, Faggard to Louisiana-Monroe, Peters to Illinois, Newman to Snead State, Kelly to Wallace State and Honeycutt to Gulf Coast State.
The Huskies will rely on a stable of arms throughout the season. Phillips posted a record of 22-1 last spring with a 1.22 earned run average, and the Mississippi State signee will anchor the pitching staff once again.
“It’s going to be fun,” Burt said. “Finding the balance of allowing her to dominate and keeping her rested. She’s gotten stronger. I think she’s put herself in a good position to be successful.”
Zaylen Tucker and Hicks provided plenty of innings last year and both are back, and Burt said there will likely be a couple others that get chances in the circle.
In the infield, Faggard and Ryleigh Wood were significant contributors last season, as was Chaney Peters behind the plate. At the outset of the season, the Huskies were still trying to find the best fit for everyone, particularly with replacing such a void at shortstop.
Peyton Hull and Golden are infielders, while Peters can play third as well. Newman, Makaila Hope and Evie Andrews are options behind the plate. Even Kelly could be an option at a few different spots.
“Versatility is our key word this year,” Burt said. “We may see people in several different positions until we find what works and what clicks.”
In the outfield, Honeycutt, Tucker and Kelly are known commodities and give the Huskies stability and plenty of range. And throughout the roster, there are plenty of opportunities for others to make a significant impact throughout the spring.
“Our willingness to put the team first and making sure that we’re all working toward a common goal, that’s what we’ll have to do to be successful,” Burt said.
For the second straight year, the Hewitt-Trussville High School boys bowling team advanced to the Class 6A-7A state tournament semifinals.
This year, the boys were joined by the girls, as they also made it to the semifinals of the state tournament, held Feb. 1-2 at the Bowlero bowling alley in Mobile. The state tournament was delayed by a week due to the extreme winter weather conditions across north Alabama in mid-January.
The state tournament was contested over two days. On the first day, the teams bowl traditional games and are seeded for a single-elimination bracket by total pins. On the second day, teams play a best-of-seven series of Baker games — five bowlers each bowl two frames to make up one game — in a bracket format to determine a champion.
The girls tournament took place in the morning on the second day. Hewitt-Trussville started the day with a highlight, as the Huskies upset No. 2 Thompson 4-2 in the opening round.
The Huskies took the first two games 222-191 and 167-152 to take an early lead. Thompson claimed the third game 231-158,
before Hewitt roared back to win 154-137. Thompson grabbed the fifth game 179-144 to narrow the gap, but Anna Abney’s strong 10th frame vaulted the Huskies to a 190180 win in game six to clinch the match.
Sparkman defeated the Huskies 4-0 in the semifinal round. Stanhope Elmore defeated Sparkman in the championship match.
Deborah Stovall was the highest bowler for Hewitt’s girls, as she was 10th overall
with a score of 520 on the first day of play. Julianna Nussbaumer scored 454 and Abney posted a 442. Evie Jones, Ainsley Rodgers, Sophia Shipman and Annie Georgia also competed for the Huskies.
Hewitt’s girls won the North Regional tournament, sweeping Parker and American Christian before beating Sparkman 3-1 in the final.
The boys tournament was played in the afternoon. Hewitt-Trussville was the top seed in 6A-7A, as the Huskies posted the top performance on day one of the tournament.
Stanhope Elmore gave Hewitt a stern test in the opening round of bracket play, though, as the match went the full seven games. Stanhope took a 2-1 lead, then Hewitt took a 3-2 lead. Finally, the Huskies won a decisive seventh game.
Thompson swept the Huskies in four games in the semifinals.
Nate Dodson was the top bowler for the Huskies in the traditional rounds, finishing fifth overall with a total score of 589. Carter Pannell posted a 583, with Tristan Atwood, Eko Burroughs and Luke Stutsman posting scores as well. Josh Dodson was also part of the team’s lineup in the tournament.
The Hewitt-Trussville High School girls indoor track and field team claimed a red map trophy at the state meet on Feb. 2-3 at the Birmingham CrossPlex, as the Huskies finished second in Class 7A.
Hoover ran away with the 7A title in the boys and girls competitions, but the Huskies edged out Vestavia Hills, Auburn and Thompson for second place.
The Hewitt boys finished fourth, behind Hoover, Vestavia and James Clemens.
“They did a super job tonight,” Hewitt-Trussville first-year coach Jamey Curlee said. “We only had one girl win an event, so it was an effort of all the girls getting points. Every girl did what they were supposed to do, and that was great.”
Curlee said that lone victory — Tori Mack prevailing in the 60-meter hurdles — came at a critical time in the meet for the Huskies. Mack posted a time of 9.01 seconds to win the competition and gain 10 points.
A few other Hewitt girls made the podium during the event. Jayda Hammonds finished as the runner-up in the long jump, Avery Cahoon finished third in the 800-meter run, Haven White was third in the pole vault and Madisyn Hawkins finished third in the shot put.
White added a sixth-place finish in 60 hurdles, Cahoon finished eighth in the 1,600, Hadley Turner was sixth in the 3,200, Catherine Asbury was sixth in the high jump and Jaliyah Edwards finished seventh in the shot put. The 4x800-meter relay team finished fourth and the 4x200 relay placed fifth to also earn points.
Michael Igbinoghene earned an individual win for the boys team, as he won the long jump competition by reaching 22 feet, 8.75
inches. He also reached the podium in the triple jump, finishing third.
Shaw Helfrich notched a third-place finish in the pole vault. Raphael Boakye-Yiadom, Elliott Greene, Jamal Hobbs and Alex Jones also earned points in their events. The 4x200 relay placed fifth, while the 4x800 team was seventh.
Libby Armstrong, Mary Durham, Kinley Harris, Demetri Hall, Oscar Spears, Noah Jordan and Ethan Ridley also competed in
individual events.
HewittTrussville’s girls celebrate with the AHSAA Class 7A state runnerup trophy following the state indoor track and field meet at the Birmingham CrossPlex on Feb. 3 Photo by Erin
Curlee said he was proud of the athletes and wants “to keep it going in the right direction,” after following legendary coaches David Dobbs and Tom Esslinger at Hewitt-Trussville. Curlee also said the boys team performed well given the circumstances. Without a few injuries hampering the team, he believes the boys would have been in the mix a spot or two higher on the leaderboard.
March 2: Doubleheader vs. Madison Academy, Huntsville. Huntsville High School. 1:30 p.m.
March 4: vs. Grissom. 7 p.m.
March 7: @ Smiths Station. 5 p.m.
March 8: @ Auburn. Noon.
March 9: @ Central-Phenix City. 10 a.m.
March 12: @ Springville. 4:30 p.m.
March 13: vs. Oxford. 6:30 p.m.
March 14: vs. Helena. 6:30 p.m.
March 15: vs. Briarwood. 6 p.m.
March 18: vs. Boaz. Snead State Community College. 6 p.m.
March 19: @ Tuscaloosa County. 7 p.m.
March 21: vs. Tuscaloosa County. 7 p.m.
March 23: vs. Lincoln. 11 a.m.
March 25: vs. Hueytown. Choccolocco Park. 7:40 p.m.
March 26: Doubleheader vs. Harrellson County (Georgia), Hokes Bluff. Choccolocco Park. 12:40 p.m.
March 27: vs. Piedmont. Choccolocco Park. 10:20 a.m.
March 4-5: Boys at ACA Tournament. Tuscaloosa.
March 4-5: Girls at March Madness. Hoover.
March 11-12: Boys at Joe King Memorial Tournament. Auburn.
March 11-12: Girls at Spain Park Tournament. Greystone.
March 14: Girls at Coosa River Invitational. Gadsden.
March 18: Boys at James Clemens Invitational. Athens.
March 20: Boys @ Vestavia Hills. 3 p.m.
March 21: vs. Hueytown. Grayson Valley. 3 p.m.
March 1: Husky March Classic. Hewitt-Trussville High School.
March 9: King of the Mountain. Vestavia Hills High School.
March 16: Homewood Invitational.
Waldrop Stadium.
March 1: vs. Spain Park. Girls at 5:30 p.m., boys at 7:30 p.m.
March 5: Girls vs. Vestavia Hills. 6:30 p.m.
March 5: Boys @ Sparkman. 7 p.m.
March 8: vs. Mountain Brook. Boys at 4:30 p.m., girls at 7:30 p.m.
March 12: Boys @ Springville. 7 p.m.
March 13: Girls @ Gardendale. 7 p.m.
March 14-16: Boys at Smoky Mountain Cup. Gatlinburg, Tenn.
March 15: Girls vs. Briarwood. 5 p.m.
March 19: @ Chelsea. Girls at 5 p.m., boys at 7 p.m.
March 21: Boys @ Gardendale. 7 p.m.
March 21-23: Girls at Southern Coast Cup. Foley.
March 1-2: Decatur Tournament. Decatur.
March 4: vs. Southside-Gadsden. 4 p.m.
March 6: vs. Altamont. 4 p.m.
March 8-9: Girls at McGill-Toolen Invite. Mobile.
March 11: vs. Spain Park. 4 p.m.
March 15-16: Boys at McGill-Toolen Invite. Mobile.
March 18: vs. Oak Mountain. 4 p.m.
March 20: Girls vs. Vestavia Hills. 4 p.m.
March 21: vs. Helena. 4 p.m.
March 1-2: Hewitt Invitational Round Robin. Goldie Paine Field.
March 5: @ Oak Mountain. 4:30 p.m.
Match 6: vs. Thompson. 6 p.m.
March 7: @ Curry. 4:30 p.m.
March 8-9: Jag Classic. Hoover Met Complex.
March 12: @ Spain Park. 6 p.m.
March 14: @ Chelsea. 4:30 p.m.
March 21: vs. Hartselle. 6 p.m.
March 25-27: Gulf Coast Classic. Gulf Shores.
First Baptist Church Trussville has developed a summer program for every age group to help young people develop a relationship with Christ.
From devotion and summer fun in Ocoee Ridge, Tennessee, to honing fine arts skills, First Baptist Church Trussville hosts full-week summer camps and day camps throughout the summer.
Student Camp Ocoee takes students who have complete grades 8-12 to Tennessee for five days packed with fun activities, worship and distraction-free time with friends.
Middle schoolers who have completed grades 6-7 adventure out to Shocco Springs Camp in Talladega to enjoy a weekend of adventure, competitions, worship and Bible study.
Campers who have completed grades 3-5 are invited to Camp ToKnowHim to get away and have fun. Kindergartners through second-grade campers attend a Day Camp at First Baptist Church
Trussville with the same themes.
For the artistically inclined students who have completed grades 1-5, Fine Arts Camp is a day camp that offers a fun introduction to all the music and art that the Conservatory teaches all year. For ages 6-12, they can explore the visual arts at Kids Art Camp.
Princess Dance Camp is a fun half-day camp that teaches the basics of dance to girls ages 3-8.
For more information call 205-655-2403 or go to fbctrussville.org
Virginia Samford Theatre introduces kids and teens to the joys of creating musical theater at its STARS Camp Virginia Samford Theatre and STARS Summer Studio in June.
STARS Camp Virginia Samford Theatre allows beginning and intermediate performers ages 7-15 to explore all aspects of live theater, including dance, voice and acting. Students will then show off what they learn in a fun showcase at week’s end.
For the second year, Virginia Samford Theatre will present its STARS Summer Studio for campers ages 12-18 with prior theater or performance experience. The Studio has been expanded to an all-day experience this year with new morning classes in production design, stage management and directing.
There will be two one-week sessions of both camps Monday-Friday, June 3-7 and June 10-14, with Camp Virginia Samford
WHERE: Mountain Brook High
School
WHEN: June 3-7 and 10-14
AGES: 7-18
CALL: 205-251-1228
WEB: virginiasamfordtheatre.org/ vststars/camp-vst
Theatre from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m and STARS Summer Studio from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
I sometimes wonder if the local history content I produce goes anywhere but into the void.
Sure, the same handful or so of people like, share and comment. I’m appreciative of that, of course, but I often wish the reach was greater. Anyone who runs a website or social media account yearns for more followers.
In a single week in December, the reach grew. It started on Dec. 4, when students from Cahaba Elementary School visited the Trussville History Museum at Heritage Hall to learn about city founder Warren Truss, other notable Trussville natives, the Cahaba Project, the Trussville furnace and the schools.
About 20 students came through the museum that day, visiting each of five Trussville Historical Society members who discussed these topics. My subject was the furnace, and it was a blast to talk about it. I’ll never miss an opportunity to make that awful joke.
A few days after their visit, one student’s father sent me a text message saying that his son had not stopped talking about the things he learned in the museum that day. The father told me that his son was giving him a “Trussville history lesson.” That was as humbling as it was exciting.
On Dec. 7, I boarded a school bus at Heritage Hall with the Hewitt-Trussville High School students in Leadership Hewitt-Trussville, and we made a Trussville-shaped loop over the course of two hours. We drove past historical landmarks and talked about them on the bus. We talked about other locations that we didn’t have time to reach in-person. We got off the bus at the former site of a Jefferson County convict camp, the Trussville
Memorial Cemetery, the site where Hewitt Elementary School burned in 1973, the Mall and Heritage Hall.
I designed the route and prepared the content for the two-hour trip, and despite my nervousness, it was the most history-themed fun I’ve had in a while. The students asked and answered questions, took a few selfies and planned to tell their classmates that they “went to prison in Trussville” after the convict camp visit. We talked about the grand plans for MasonDixon City, how Camp Coleman has yet to cease operations after nearly 100 years, what happened at Queenstown Lake in the last century and much more.
In the Trussville History Museum after the tour, students saw photos of the places,
It’s raining in central Alabama. I am on my porch, barefoot, watching the rainfall, hypnotized by the sound.
Rain can do strange things to a man.
I come from a long line of rain-watchers, horse thieves and used car salesmen. We are a barefoot people.
And although my wife keeps telling me to put on shoes because it’s so cold outside that ketchup takes a week just to come out of the bottle, I am a Florida man. Shoes are for going to town.
There is a specific cadence to Alabamian rain. The tone is wholly unlike the rain from my home state. This is the kind of thundershower you can only get in the foothills. There’s a different ring to it. It’s similar to the difference between a clarinet and a kazoo. Birmingham is in the mountains. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. People from more precipitous states such as, say, Colorado, will outright laugh when you suggest that Birmingham has actual mountains.
“Those aren’t real mountains!” Colorado people will say while chewing their gluten-free granola. But don’t listen to these people. Their brains have been pickled by generations of Coors abuse.
This city definitely has mountains. They might not be the huge peaks of Wyoming, but
people, buildings, schools and artifacts we discussed during the day. They continued to ask questions and seek what Trussville once was. And, of course, they dug through old yearbooks in search of embarrassing photos of their parents.
Two days later, the museum was open to the public for four hours before the Trussville Christmas Parade. We welcomed a modest crowd, but it was also raining. We served cookies and hot chocolate, and in the downtime I had, I created a handful of videos promoting the artifacts and various histories inside the museum. We’re putting in the work to grow interest in Trussville’s history and its museum.
I believe it’s paying off, and I can’t wait to see what we come up with next to promote this city’s rich history.
Gary Lloyd is the author of six books and a contributing writer to the Cahaba Sun.
they could inspire American hymns nonetheless.
Birmingham lives in the Jones Valley, flanked by parallel ridges that run northeast to southwest. These ironore hills are the tails of the mighty Appalachians. They are short. They are the Danny Devitos of the alpine world.
Still, to a guy from Florida, they are Mount Kilimanjaro.
I come from a long, flat, state, also known as the Tourism State. Our main crop each year is Midwesterners. There are no mountains in Florida. Even our singing is flat.
The highest point in the whole state is located in my home county: Britton Hill. Britton Hill’s summit is 345 feet above sea level, slightly higher than a residential water heater.
By contrast, the highest point in Birmingham is on the Red Mountain Ridge, clocking in at 1,025 feet. And I can tell you, after hiking Red Mountain yesterday, it’s a real mountain.
I took a short walk to the top. I wheezed until my face turned the color of an infected zit.
Red Mountain Park is 1,500 acres on the Red Mountain Ridge, with miles of trails and a couple of arresting city overlooks.
The park was busy. I saw lots of people on the trails. Most were in superb physical shape, unlike yours truly. They wore activewear, they bicycled, they walked behind their well-groomed dogs, carrying tiny bags of poo.
When I reached the summit, I stood and gazed at the Magic City’s skyline from a thousand feet. The view was astonishing. I was overcome with the fact that I am now living in an actual city.
I’ve never lived in an actual city before. Which is probably why every time I leave our house, I feel like I’m on a minor expedition. I am constantly being reminded that I’m in an urban environment. I am incessantly doing battle against SUVs, always seeing something brand new, always feeling this new ache in my heart.
The ache must be homesickness.
Don’t get me wrong, I love it here. But the rain in central Alabama sounds different
to my ears. Rainfall on the Gulf Coast has a unique lilt to it, like the voice of your mama. This mountain rain sounds wilder and … just different.
All this makes me start to wonder. How will I fit in here? Will I make new friends? Or will I eat in the lunchroom alone? Will anyone invite me to play on their baseball team? How about birthday parties?
I’m a middle-aged man with a receding hairline. These things are harder to figure out as you sprint toward your golden years.
How will the big city change me? How will I adapt? I wonder what I will be like in two years. Five years. Fifteen years. Is this where I will grow old and eventually die? Will I be lucky enough to grow old?
Does anyone miss me back home? Is anyone thinking about me the way I’m thinking about them? Is Britton Hill still 345 feet tall? Am I a barefoot fool for wondering these things? Maybe.
Rain really does do strange things to a man.
Sean Dietrich is a columnist and novelist known for his commentary on life in the American South. He has authored nine books and is the creator of the “Sean of the South” blog and podcast.
