Cahaba Sun September 2023

We are Trussville Dog Daze

(formerly Trussville City Fest)

Saturday, Sept. 16 • 10am to 4pm On the Mall in Historic Trussville

Food, fun, vendors, kids’ activities, live entertainment, car show, Touch That Truck, pup strut and much more!

Presenting Sponsor:

Help

us kick off the festival at Tune Up for Dog Daze

Saturday, Sept. 9 • 7-10pm Trussville Entertainment District

Local entertainment begins at 7pm and the Velcro Pygmies will take the stage at 8pm.

For more information, visit Trussvillechamber.com

How do you deal with the changing seasons of life?

Change is always a difficult thing for us to deal with. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it never seems to be easy.

I often tell people that one of my favorite things about my job is the changing seasons. A sport is never in season long enough to get sick of it. The patterns of sports continue to ebb and flow with the calendar.

But at the end of one season and moving to another, there’s often a bit of sadness. A sadness in knowing I often won’t see many of those groups of people for quite a while. A sadness in realizing that many people will leave after that season and move on to different things, causing us to slowly lose contact.

But that sadness is quickly replaced by the excitement and hope of the next season. It was sad to say goodbye to the summer, but I’m excited for the fall. I’m excited for football and volleyball and all the other things to come.

Thanks for reading!

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OF THE MONTH

A child smiles with the Huskies mascots during the 2023 Husky Night at HewittTrussville Stadium on Aug. 18.

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Dan Starnes

Kyle Parmley

Jon Anderson

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Eagle

Kyle Parmley

Erin Nelson

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Simeon Delante

Sean Dietrich

Gary Lloyd

Loyd McIntosh

Emily VanderMey

Warren Caldwell

Don Harris

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Sarah Villar

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Contact Information: Cahaba Sun P.O. Box 530341 Birmingham, AL 35253 (205) 313-1780 dan@starnesmedia.com

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Legals: Cahaba Sun is published monthly. Reproduction or use of editorial or 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: The former Gold Kist chicken plant in Trussville, now used for overflow parking by Fox Factory. The

Photo by Shawn Bowles.

plant shut down in September 2003. Photo by Erin Nelson.

Business Happenings

COMING SOON

Main Street Flats, a short-term rental business, is coming soon to Trussville. According to the Trussville Tribune, the business will remodel the former Elite Jewelers building at 235 Main St., across from Marco’s Pizza. Matthew Gregory said there will be eight suites, and they plan on the full project taking six to eight months to complete. It will be Gregory’s third short-term rental property in the Birmingham area; his other Birmingham properties are 216 Lofts and Rushton Suites.

PERSONNEL MOVES

Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center has welcomed Daniel C. Kim, MD, a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon, to The Spine Center at Andrews Sports Medicine. Dr. Kim treats patients with cervical, thoracic and lumbar issues. His goal is to provide the best standards in spine care, from spinal deformity surgery to minimally invasive procedures. Dr. Kim is a highly respected

spine specialist who has gained a national reputation for his surgical skill and expertise. Andrews Sports Medicine has six clinical locations, including at 7201 Happy Hollow Road, Suite 202A, in Trussville.

205-875-8835, andrewssportsmedicine.com

ANNIVERSARIES

Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ, 312 Main St., celebrated a year of being open in the heart of Trussville in August. It is the restaurant’s third location in Alabama, in addition to Birmingham and Homewood. The Trussville location is between Glenn and Maple Avenues, and features indoor and patio seating and offers catering services.

205-825-8925, rodneyscottsbbq.com

Alabama Pest Control, 857 Gadsden Highway, is celebrating 50 years in business since it opened in September 1973.

205-595-7378, alabamapest.com

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

Why is fall a great time to list your home?

Scenic beauty creates an attractive backdrop that enhances curb appeal

Serious buyers are active during fall, aiming to settle into a new home before the holiday season.

Less competition compared to the spring so your home may receive more attention from buyers.

Cozy atmosphere so buyers can envision themselves enjoying the warmth and comfort of your home.

Fall marks a new season, making it an opportune time for buyers to envision a fresh start.

fall.

A year later: DeDe’s Book Rack thriving after bizarre accident

By LOYD MCINTOSH

It’s 5:30 p.m., half an hour until DeDe’s Book Rack closes for the evening. However, the owner of the beloved bookstore, Debra McCarley, is rushing about demonstrating the changes she has made to her shop over the previous 12 months.

“I rearranged the books a little bit,” she says as she heads from the counter to a room full of colorful hardbacks from best-selling authors.

It was Aug. 2, 2022, when a motorist accidentally crashed her Jeep through the wall and into the room where McCarley now stands, scattering books and debris throughout the building.

“If you’ve never been in here you would never know it, but there was a big hole here,” McCarley said. “I just had low bookcases here, but when I got back, I decided to turn it around and cover that up, and you can see the books better from the road.”

McCarley said she had just begun some paperwork when the accident occurred around 1 p.m., with the store empty following a busy morning.

“I had just sat down to do my first-of-the-month books while nobody was here when I heard something,” she said. The driver of the Jeep had just turned from Main Street onto Chalkville Road and hit a light post before losing control and eventually crashing into DeDe’s Book Rack. It was the sound of the Jeep hitting the pole that got McCarley’s attention just seconds before impact.

“I looked up and this Jeep is coming through the wall,” she

said. “It was the grace of God that nobody was hurt. I really think, if somebody had been in there, they would have really been badly injured.”

“Somebody asked me, ‘Was I scared to death?’ I said, ‘I was really just more sort of shocked,’” McCarley added. “It’s not every day you look up and there’s a Jeep coming through your wall. Thank God, nobody was hurt. That’s the important thing.”

Before the day was over, support from throughout the community — including customers, friends and other independent

bookstores — began to pour in. The Trussville Public Library provided space for McCarley to distribute books for students ahead of the 2022-23 school year.

“Everyone was very, very sweet and supportive,” McCarley said. “I got so many texts and calls from customers saying, ‘We’re so sorry,’ ‘What can we do?’ ‘We can’t wait until you’re back.’”

McCarley was allowed to reopen DeDe’s Book Rack following 10 days of cleanup and inspection. However, a giant plane of plywood covered the hole for close to six months until work to repair the damage could begin. In all, more than 400 books were destroyed in the accident.

One year later, McCarley still notices physical evidence around the store of that bizarre day, and, while she is able to see the humor in the situation, she is grateful no one was hurt and that the community had her back on that hot August day.

“It seems in a lot of ways that it was forever ago, but it’s only been a year, but then, at the same time, it seems that it just happened because every day I see things,” she said. “For a while, every day it was like I was finding another pile of dirt somewhere, even though I thought I got it clean. And, I still cringe a little every time I hear someone’s brakes squeak.”

“The community, my customers, everybody was so supportive through all of it,” she added. “That’s part of living in a great small town where people know what’s happening.”

DeDe’s Book Rack is located at 104 S. Chalkville Road, Suite 105, and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Debra McCarley, owner of DeDe’s Book Rack, stands against a bookshelf in front of the back section of her bookstore in downtown Trussville. McCarley’s store was struck by a vehicle last year. Photo by Erin Nelson.

Trussville residents honored by Positive Maturity

The Eastern Women’s Committee of Fifty recently enjoyed an evening at The Club while celebrating two of the group’s members selected for the 2023 class of Positive Maturity’s Annual Top 50 Over 50 Awards. Judge Virginia Vinson and Realtor Bonnie Hicks, both of Trussville, were honored for their longtime commitments to community service and professional achievement and for consistently seeking and taking advantage of opportunities to make a difference.

A Realtor for more than 30 years, Hicks is a past chair of the March of Dimes Walkathon and Sav-a-Life Luncheon. She has participated in 14 charity golf tournaments, financially supported an orphanage in Nicaragua and hosted 80 German students. She is a former member of Blount County Chamber of Commerce and St. Vincent's Foundation Board and a current member of Trussville Chamber of Commerce, Eastern Women's Committee of Fifty, Trussville

Daybreak Rotary Club, First Baptist Church Trussville and the Trussville Downtown Merchants Association. Hicks attributes her successful career and positive community involvement to strong Christian beliefs and a commitment to honesty, loyalty

Members of the Eastern Women’s Committee of Fifty attending the 2023 Top 50 Over 50 Awards dinner at The Club are (L-R) Vicki Bailey, honoree Virginia Vinson, Lisa Dole, Wanda McKoy, Susan Conway, Pam Floyd, Janis Braue and honoree Bonnie Hicks. Photo courtesy of Eastern Women’s Committee of Fifty.

and integrity.

Admitted to the Alabama Bar in 1981, Vinson enjoyed a 40-year career as a practicing attorney and a circuit judge in the criminal division of Jefferson County. She also served on legal-related committees and

presented at conferences around Alabama and at Cumberland School of Law, Birmingham School of Law and UAB. During her time on the bench, Vinson presided over the first mental health court in Alabama. Her community involvement includes serving as a member and board member of Eastern Women's Committee of Fifty, St. Vincent's Foundation, The Women's Network, UAB’s Pre-Law Advisory Board, Samford University's Legacy League and the VACCA Advisory Board. A longtime member of Huffman Baptist Church, Vinson served for more than 30 years as a children's Sunday School teacher.

The Top 50 Over 50 Awards were introduced in 2014 by Positive Maturity to honor individuals over the age of 50 who exemplify what it means to grow older while remaining active, contributing members of the community.

– Submitted by Eastern Women’s Committee of Fifty.

Trussville Dog Daze set for Sept. 16

The Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce has announced that Trussville Dog Daze (formerly known as City Fest) will be held at the Mall in historic downtown Trussville. Admission is free for all patrons.

This year’s Dog Daze will be held on Sept. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be plenty of food, fun, booth vendors, kids’ activities, live entertainment, a car show, pup strut and much more.

Activities include a kid’s zone, where a wristband good for unlimited rides may be purchased for $25. A portion of wristband

proceeds will go back to the Trussville Chamber’s scholarship fund.

The Saturday before the event, Sept. 9, the Trussville Entertainment District will host Tune Up for Dog Daze, with local entertainment from 7 to 10 p.m. The Velcro Pygmies will be performing live on stage at 8 p.m. Vendor spots are still available for Dog Daze. For more information, visit trussvillechamber.com or call the chamber office at 205-655-7535.

– Submitted by Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce.

3 HTHS students shine at DYW

Three Hewitt-Trussville High School students represented Trussville at the Distinguished Young Women of Jefferson County event recently.

Jenna Stalls was selected a preliminary winner in the categories of fitness, talent, scholastics and interview. She was a top eight finalist and was selected first alternate to the Distinguished Young Woman of

Jefferson County, receiving a $3,600 tuition scholarship.

Meredith Willingham was selected a preliminary scholastics winner and a top eight finalist, receiving a $950 tuition scholarship.

Kaylee Rose Elrod was selected a preliminary self expression winner, receiving a $450 tuition scholarship.

– Submitted by Eddie Macksoud.

Staff photo.

Left: Meredith Willingham, left, and Jenna Stalls, right, at the Distinguished Young Women event. Right: Kaylee Rose Elrod, right, at the Distinguished Young Women event. Photos courtesy of Eddie Macksoud.

COVER STORY: Plans on tap for former Trussville chicken plant

PECKING ORDER

By GARY LLOYD

The future of the former Gold Kist Inc. processing plant in Trussville is no spring chicken.

City officials and residents have now had 20 years to recruit industry and predict what might become of the former chicken processing plant, which closed its loading dock doors for good in September 2003. The plant had operated in Trussville since 1978, when Gold Kist Inc. purchased the plant from Purina Mills.

Trussville City Councilwoman Lisa Bright said that while the property is used by Fox Factory for overflow vehicle parking, the former plant is mostly abandoned. There is, however, a plan for its future.

Bright said the city has worked with Sain Associates Inc., an engineering firm, and a plan has been drawn up for what that acreage could become. The plan would require the demolition of the former plant building to turn the property into six to eight smaller, pad-ready lots, a task that would likely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Trussville Industrial Development Authority, which promotes industrial expansion for economic growth and employment in the city, could then recruit businesses to fill those lots.

“That plan would give us companies

that would have probably 50 employees or less, which fits the Trussville model a little better,” said Bright, the council liaison to the Industrial Development Authority. “We’re not really set up infrastructure-wise to have a lot of heavy manufacturing coming in and out of the [Trussville Industrial Park].”

Bright said one Industrial Park lot, away from the former Gold Kist Inc. plant, is being prepared in this same way.

“If that is successful, that will hopefully allow us to start getting a little more,” Bright said.

Gold Kist had its troubles in Trussville, largely due to its proximity to the Cahaba River. In 1993, Gold Kist was fined $19,000 for violating water pollution standards by allowing too much of certain pollutants to enter an unnamed tributary of Little Cahaba Creek, itself a tributary of the Cahaba River, according to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. ADEM officials said at the time that Gold Kist violated discharge limits 35 times from June 1992 to July 1993 with excess amounts of ammonia, residual chlorine, nitrogen, fecal coliform, oil and grease.

Gold Kist at the time designed and installed a new wastewater treatment system. Gold Kist in January 1999 asked ADEM to establish looser nitrogen limits during the winter months, part of the

company’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System renewal application. Then-Trussville Mayor Gene Melton, the Cahaba River Society and other groups spoke against the request, saying that it would stress the Cahaba River. Gold Kist argued that the limits were too stringent.

In early 2001, Gold Kist was fined $5,600 for more water quality violations. In response, the company announced that it would make $100,000 worth of improvements at the Trussville plant on Will Pond Road to stop the ongoing pollution. At the time, 77 miles of the Cahaba River were classified under the U.S. Clean Water Act as impaired by pollution from nutrients such as nitrogen. ADEM said at the time that legal and illegal pollution from Gold Kist may have contributed to the nutrient problem, though fertilizers and treated sewage wastewater were also believed to have contributed.

ADEM reported that Gold Kist broke discharge requirements 48 times between December 1995 and February 2000. In a consent decree that Gold Kist entered into with ADEM, the chicken processing plant did not admit or deny it violated its discharge permit.

Gold Kist announced the closing of the Trussville plant in September 2003 as part of its attempt to consolidate operations in Alabama. The move cut about 500 jobs. In 2005, the Trussville Industrial

Development Board bought the Gold Kist property to expand the Trussville Industrial Park, and part of the property was then sold to McPherson Oil.

The Trussville City Council in December 2012 voted to purchase the site back for $1.7 million. The property at that time was owned by Scottsman Trades, which was part of McPherson Oil. The property included 10,000 square feet of office space and 120,000 square feet of warehouse space and had been valued at $4.5 million.

Early ideas for the property’s future included a city operations center or a home for all Trussville City Schools buses.

Trussville Fire & Rescue Chief Tim Shotts said the fire department uses the property only to access the Camp Coleman Road area when a train is blocking the railroad crossing. The railroad tracks cut directly through the Trussville Industrial Park, and Bright said a new road will be built to connect Camp Coleman Road to Commerce Circle and allow trucks to exit on and off Highway 11. The road will be accessed by turning onto the road between Subway and Pump It Up, and motorists will be able to follow it along the Industrial Park to the Stockton subdivision.

“It’s just a matter of getting that kind of set in when we want to take that big jump, because it’s pretty, pretty expensive to come in and tear that building down and get everything level,” Bright said.

The former Gold Kist chicken plant in Trussville, now used for overflow parking by Fox Factory, on Aug. 1. The plant shut down in September 2003. Photos by Erin Nelson.

God is Bigger fishing tournament set for Sept. 23

The sixth annual God is Bigger Movement Bass Fishing Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23, at Lakeside Park/Sports Complex in Pell City.

Proceeds from the tournament will be used to continue to spread the God is Bigger Movement worldwide. Guaranteed prize money of $6,000 will be paid out to 16 winning places, plus a “No Weigh-In Drawing” for a chance to win $125. The entry fee is $130 per boat, which includes $10 for Big Fish.

Anglers who pre-register by Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. will have their boat number automatically entered for a chance to win a seven-night stay at Seascape Resort in Miramar Beach, Florida. The winner will be drawn the day of the tournament and does not have to be present to win.

Paid anglers will be provided breakfast, lunch and one free draw prize ticket. Registered boat numbers will be entered for a chance to win one of two $250 Bass Pro Shop gift cards.

The God is Bigger Movement is based in Trussville and is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that began in 2011 when the creator, Rachel Shaneyfelt, was diagnosed with

mesothelioma. Shaneyfelt started making and giving away T-shirts as a reminder that “God is Bigger.” When the T-shirts became too costly, she developed a challenge for her small group after ordering the first batch of 1,000 God Is Bigger bracelets, asking members to give them away to complete strangers. Within one week, they had all been given away.

Shaneyfelt died in August 2017 after a sixyear battle with mesothelioma. Her family and friends continue to spread the God is Bigger Movement in her honor.

Over the past 12 years, with the proceeds from GIBM merchandise and fundraisers, more than 800,000 gray silicone bracelets have been given out worldwide to missionaries; refuge centers; outreach programs; victims of human trafficking, flood, fire and mass shootings; for those who are hurting or lost; or given to total strangers. The ministry is based on Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

For more information or to register for the tournament, visit gibmovement.com.

– Gary Lloyd contributed to this report.

The annual God is Bigger Movement Bass Fishing Tournament is scheduled for Sept. 23. Photo courtesy of Stacey Reed.

SCHOOLHOUSE

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

Hewitt-Trussville Engineering Academy awarded $50,000 state grant

By LOYD MCINTOSH

The Hewitt-Trussville High School Engineering Academy received a major shot in the arm recently when the Alabama State Department of Education’s Career Technical Education Division awarded the program a $50,000 grant.

Announced during the Trussville City Schools board meeting on July 24, the grant will allow the Engineering Academy to further its mission to prepare students for the increasing technical demands of the U.S. economy.

The grant was presented to Jason Dooley, an Engineering Academy teacher and a 1991 graduate of Hewitt-Trussville, and his wife Christy Dooley, an English teacher at Hewitt-Trussville and 1990 graduate, who worked together to write the grant proposal. The additional funding comes at a critical time as the Engineering Academy, entering its 16th year, is poised to expand its offerings in the 2023-24 school term.

“The reason we’re excited about this grant is the school is providing us with a new space next year. We’re getting a new engineering lab and electrical construction lab and an open lab,” Jason Dooley said. “We’re trying to add on more of these career technical classes for the students, so they can get more work experience and real-life experience.”

The main focus area that Dooley is excited to expand is metalworking, which has been a challenge for him and fellow Engineering Academy teacher Tom Moulton to provide in the past. The funding, Dooley said, will allow the program to offer more valuable skills training.

“In order to fill that space up, we need some new equipment, and the thing that’s always been holding us back is metalworking,” Dooley said.

“We’re always having to bring in outside support, or I’m having to bring all my stuff from home here, and it makes it very difficult,” he added. “So, the main capability of this lab is that metalworking skillset that we’ve never been able to offer the kids before.”

As Alabama’s economy continues to move toward a more technical, manufacturing focus, especially in automobile manufacturing, the state is currently experiencing a shortage of people with the skills needed for the modern workforce. According to Dooley,

the Engineering Academy is at the forefront of high school education programs throughout Alabama preparing kids for the future, whether they attend college or pursue a career right out of high school.

“I think our philosophy here is if we can get the kids as much exposure to the industrial type of equipment as we can in a school setting, that’s going to pay off big time for them,” Dooley said. “It’s just going to open up opportunities for them.”

The Hewitt-Trussville High School Engineering Academy was established in 2007 and averages between 200-250 students each year. Dooley, formerly an engineer at U.S. Steel, said the academy system has transformed the technical education curriculum, especially drafting, from a program that just taught how to use the tools into a program that teaches how to solve problems in the real

world with those tools.

“In drafting, you teach them how to get really good at the software and how to get good at drawing using the tools,” he said. “Engineering is more of a problem-solving method. We’re trying to teach the kids how to solve problems, and the computers and the software are just the tools they use.”

For the writing of the grant, Jason Dooley turned to his wife, Christy, for help. An occasional freelance writer as well as an English teacher, Christy Dooley said writing the grant was a challenge to write a compelling narrative while also making the technical needs of the proposal readable and comprehensible to everyone involved in the decision-making process. The team was also required to itemize every piece of equipment and how the money would be spent if awarded.

“It was very time-intensive,” Christy

Dooley said. “Being an English teacher and teaching writing, I believe I was able to take all the information and explain the purpose of everything we were asking for very clearly, so that a person who may or may not have the knowledge of all of this equipment, engineering and applications could understand.”

HTHS Assistant Principal Joy Young said that while she would like to thank the Trussville City Schools Board of Education for providing the funding to expand the Engineering Academy’s physical space, the $50,000 grant from the state will allow the program to grow in immeasurable ways.

“It is a significant amount of money, and without it, we really would not have been able to afford some of the equipment that we are now able to purchase,” Young said. “We are very grateful to the state for giving us this opportunity.”

Jason and Christy Dooley, teachers at Hewitt-Trussville High School, in the Engineering Academy at the school Aug. 7. The Dooleys worked together on a grant for the Engineering Academy. Photo by Erin Nelson.

Rotary partnership yields new library for hotel

The Trussville Noon Rotary Club is teaming up with Hampton Inn Birmingham/ Trussville to provide a Little Free Library in the hotel’s lobby as a service to guests and other visitors to the area. The project was suggested by Hampton manager Dave Patel, also a member of the Noon Rotary.

“Providing a source of reading enjoyment to people who come through our doors is a way of serving not only our hotel community but the community around us,” Patel said.

The hotel staff and Noon Rotary members will maintain the library and provide books for the taking. Patrons may choose to leave a book or not.

HTMS softball players selected to All-American Games

A pair of Hewitt-Trussville Middle School eighth graders were chosen to represent Alabama and Region 4 in the USA All-American Games, showcasing their softball abilities in an exclusive group of 360 players from across the country.

Erin Coleman and Reese Headley are part of the Hewitt-Trussville softball program

and were selected to play in the games. Coleman plays for the SSG Sox and is a 2028 infielder. Headley is also Class of 2028 and plays catcher and shortstop for Marucci Patriots GC.

The games were held Aug. 10-13 at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

– Submitted by Angelica Headley.

While several adults have discovered the Hampton Little Free Library and taken advantage of it, it has also found an audience in kids who stay at the hotel.

“Children have been reading books at breakfast, but we’ve also noticed them reading some of our books at other times of the day,” project coordinator Ann Layne said. “Literacy is one of Rotary International’s main concerns, so a Little Free Library is a wonderful way of supporting that cause.”

Ever since the first Little Free Library was established in 2009, the “take a book, share a book” exchange program has provided more than three million books to people looking

for something good to read. The libraries come in all shapes and sizes (the Hampton Inn “branch” is a little green house), and those registered with the Little Free Library organization are included on a worldwide list of Little Free Libraries.

– Submitted by June Mathews.

HewittTrussville Middle School softball players Reese Headley, left, and Erin Coleman recently played in the USA AllAmerican Games. Photo courtesy of Angelica Headley.

Hampton Inn employees Cherelle Johnson, left, and Stephanie Cook help maintain the hotel’s Little Free Library, a joint project with the Trussville Noon Rotary Club.

Photo courtesy of June Mathews.

Huskies get region play started in September

By KYLE PARMLEY

There are high hopes this fall for the Hewitt-Trussville High School football team, and the Huskies will begin to show signs of whether or not they can reach those heights in September.

The Huskies opened the season in late August against a Central-Phenix City team that advanced to the Class 7A semifinals a year ago. In September, Hewitt-Trussville will take to the field five times, with the first three Region 3 games among those contests.

The Huskies open the month Sept. 1 with a trip to Gadsden City, now a 6A school. The two programs have played some tight games over the years, including the time when they were region foes.

But last fall, Hewitt easily dispatched the Titans 64-17. It was Hewitt’s most points in a game in five years, and the Huskies held a 33-0 edge at the half. The Huskies have won the last four meetings and hold an 11-6 edge in the series.

Hewitt-Trussville begins Region 3 play the following week, Sept. 8, at Oak Mountain. Oak Mountain has a new head coach in Shane McComb, plus a recently turfed playing surface at Heardmont Park.

Hewitt has won seven in a row in the series against the Eagles, including a

dominant 48-14 win last fall. The Huskies had another big first half, leading 41-7 heading into the locker room in that one.

The Huskies return home Sept. 15 against

Tuscaloosa County for another region contest. County has struggled in recent years and has proven to be a straightforward matchup for Hewitt.

Sports Editor’s Note

By Kyle Parmley

The Huskies have won six straight matchups, and beat the Wildcats 35-7 last season. It was another quick start to a game, as the Huskies claimed a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

Hewitt-Trussville then takes to the road for one of its toughest games of the season the following week, as the Huskies head to Hoover on Sept. 22. The Huskies and Buccaneers matched up twice last fall, with Hoover winning 17-7 in the regular season and 28-11 once again in the second round of the playoffs.

Hewitt has played Hoover within a single point in two of the last five meetings, but the Huskies have not been able to knock off the Bucs since 2018. Hoover has won each of three playoff matchups in the last six years.

Hewitt takes a week off region play with a date against Huffman on Sept. 29 to wrap up the month. The two teams have a long history, having played 43 times in a series dating back to 1968.

The series has had several long streaks, with Hewitt winning 10 in a row in the 1990s and currently being on an 11-game winning streak against the Vikings. Huffman won eight in a row in the 1980s and won six straight in the 2000s. Last fall, the Huskies took care of Huffman 49-8.

How do you respond to adversity?

If you have been involved in sports in any capacity, you have likely heard the famous Mike Tyson quote: “Everyone has a plan ‘til they get punched in the mouth.”

This quote has been often repeated over the years, for good reason. There is plenty of truth and life application in it.

I often think about this quote at the beginning of seasons. When I was making the preseason rounds in the summer and talking to high school football coaches, in preparation for our Under the Lights magazine (pick one of those up, if you haven’t already), positivity reigned.

Before the season begins and everyone sits at the same 0-0 record, there is plenty of reason to be positive. This will be the year we turn the corner, or this will be the season that we capture that elusive championship.

It’s reasonable, right? Hewitt-Trussville’s offense is going to be even better than it was

last year. Hoover is finally ready to take down Thompson in the playoffs. ClayChalkville’s early playoff exit was an aberration. Homewood is going to remain a double-digit-win team.

And the list goes on. All of those statements could easily come to fruition.

Hope is a powerful thing, and it gives players, coaches and fans alike a reason to believe that they can do something special.

However, life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to. After the first week of the high school football season, half of the teams around the state have been saddled with a disappointing loss, sending them back to the drawing board to figure out the next steps.

If you start 0-1, where do you go from there? Is it merely a blip on the radar or a sign of what’s to come? You’ll see both of those this fall during football, volleyball, cross-country and flag football season. Some teams will keep their heads down and continue to strive for incremental improvement. Some will fold up like a chair and the losing snowball will begin rolling downhill.

In the summer, it’s so easy to espouse confidence and belief. The sky is the limit, after all.

But once the real games begin and it’s harder than you hoped it would be, how do you respond?

It’s one of the many great lessons sports teach us about life. Responding to all types of adversities is a daily thing. A bad moment can either ruin a day or a choice can be made to flush it and move on. When disappointments come, the choice must be made either to fold or to persevere and make the best of a situation.

On the field or the court, the most inspiring teams are not always the ones that go undefeated. Often, it’s the ones that don’t get deflated by a tough loss or two, but carry on and push through. They may not be the best team, but they maximize their potential, and that’s all anyone can ask for.

So, the question must be asked: What happens when your team gets “punched in the mouth?”

Kyle Parmley is the sports editor at Starnes Media.

Hewitt-Trussville quarterback Peyton Floyd (7) throws a pass in a game last fall. The Huskies play five games in September, including their first three region contests.

Photo by James Nicholas.

Parmley

Varsity Sports Calendar

FOOTBALL

Sept. 1: @ Gadsden City. 7 p.m.

Sept. 8: @ Oak Mountain. 7 p.m.

Sept. 15: vs. Tuscaloosa County. 7 p.m.

Sept. 22: @ Hoover. 7 p.m.

Sept. 29: vs. Huffman. 7 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

Sept. 5: @ Briarwood. 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 7: vs. Spain Park. 6:30 p.m.

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Sept. 9: Thompson Tournament. Thompson High School.

Sept. 12: vs. Oak Mountain. 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 14: @ Chelsea. 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 16: Husky Challenge. Hewitt-Trussville High School.

Sept. 19: vs. Gardendale, Mortimer Jordan. Gardendale High School. TBA.

Sept. 21: @ Spain Park. 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 26: vs. Chelsea. 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 28: vs. Gadsden City, Helena. Hewitt-Trussville High School. 4 p.m., 6 p.m.

CROSS-COUNTRY

Sept. 2: Black and Gold Classic. Scottsboro.

Sept. 9: Chickasaw Trails Invitational. Oakville.

Sept. 16: Southern Showcase. John Hunt Park.

Sept. 22: Wingfoot Classic. Atlanta, Georgia.

FLAG FOOTBALL

Sept. 6: vs. Central-Phenix City. 6 p.m.

Sept. 12: vs. Clay-Chalkville. 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 26: vs. Oxford. 5 p.m.

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Southern Musings By Gary Lloyd

Sean of the South

By Sean Dietrich

STONYCREEK TOWNSHIP, Pa.—

I was idling in my truck beside Block 4 at historic Oak Hill Cemetery, staring at downtown Birmingham.

I had finished some Trussville-related historical research early and was thinking of where to go next. Just one nearby place came to mind: Rickwood Field.

I drove nine minutes and arrived at a mostly empty baseball stadium — the oldest ballpark in America — and planned to take some photos of the forest-green exterior, the ticket windows and whatever else I could see from the intersection of Second Avenue West and Twelfth Street West. Instead, I found an open gate and cars parked behind the right-field bleachers. So, naturally, I drove in. I walked inside to find numerous Friends of Rickwood Field members and officials ready to work with rakes and pressure washer wands. I had a digital camera and tripod. Oops.

I thought I was going to be escorted out, an innocent trespasser begging for forgiveness when he had not asked permission. Instead, I was given a personal tour, through the press box and atop the roof, on the field and in the gift shop. I was given pointers on where to explore — beyond the current outfield wall to see the original concrete outfield wall, for example — and given free reign to wander every foot of the most historical diamond in America, which saw its first pitch on Aug. 18, 1910. I lapped the stadium twice — once on the field, once through the bleachers — sat in the dugouts, FaceTimed my dad from the outfield, read a newspaper in the visitors’ locker room and filled my camera with a hundred photos.

It was June 17. On June 20, Major League Baseball announced that a regular season game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals will be played June 20, 2024, at Rickwood Field, a likely tribute to the Birmingham Black Barons and Negro Leagues. Baseball plus history? If you know me, you know I was hooked. I posted about it that night on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Anything to promote local history. I’ve stayed in touch with the folks I met that day, and I’ve connected with some that I didn’t meet that day but plan to meet soon. One of the latter even tags me in his Facebook posts from Rickwood Field so I don’t miss out. What a community.

Since my June visit, I have used my Newspapers.com account to dig into the stadium’s history, and I’m still more hooked than I thought I ever would be. I mean, if you search “Rickwood Field” in Alabama newspapers since 1910, you get 13,088 results. That’s an average of 116 newspaper mentions per year for 113 years. The content-producing portion of my brain was working overtime. I had grandiose ideas of content I could produce — histories, features, even a book — from this one stadium. I suppose I still have those ideas.

But I’ll leave you with one passage. The Aug. 18, 1910, issue of The Birmingham News printed a page dedicated to the grand opening of the stadium, and under the headline “Rickwood Opens Today,” the second sentence read, “Lovers of the national sport in the city are celebrating the event in great style, and others, whether willing or not, are being drawn along with the tidal wave of enthusiasm and pride.” It’s 2023, and that enthusiasm and pride are still drawing us along.

Gary Lloyd is the author of six books and a contributing writer to the Cahaba Sun.

The Flight 93 National Memorial sits on a broad, green pasture. The field is remote, interrupted only by minimalist monuments standing in the distance, surrounded by vivid wildflowers.

One monument is a 93-foot high musical instrument, with 41 colossal wind chimes making clunking sounds that sing across the meadow like an enormous glockenspiel. There is no other structure like this in the world.

The monument honors the 41 passengers and crew members from United Airlines Flight 93. The hijacked plane that crashed in this field 22 years ago.

The National Park Service runs this place today. But not so long ago, this was open farmland. It happened on a Tuesday morning. Perfect weather. Clear sky. Locals saw a Boeing 757 jerking through the air at an awkward angle.

Farmers watched in slack-jawed amazement. Commuters pulled over to see a commercial airliner bounce from the sky and slam into the Earth.

When the plane hit soil, it sounded like the world had come apart at the bolts. A mile-high column of black smoke wafted into the air. The clear sky was ruined.

Earlier that morning, the flight had been due for takeoff from Newark International Airport at 8:01 a.m. But, because this is America (Land of the Free and Home of the Flight Delayed), the flight was running late by 41 minutes.

In the cockpit, pilot Jason Dahl was going through his preflight steps. He was 43, cobby build, with a smile that looked like he could have been your favorite uncle Lou. Jason always carried a little box of rocks with him — a gift from his son. When a man carries a box of rocks simply because his kid collected them, you know that’s a decent man.

After the flight, Jason was going to take his wife to London for their fifth anniversary.

In the passenger area, you had folks like John Talignani (age 74), retired bartender, stocky, cotton-white hair, a World War II vet. He was one of the millions of long-suffering, anguished souls who call themselves New York Mets fans.

And Jean Peterson (55). She was traveling with her husband, Don (66). They were going to Yosemite for vacation.

One of the flight attendants was Lorraine Bay (58). She’d been an attendant for 37 years. Meaning, she was either a glutton for punishment or she loved her job.

CeeCee (33), a Florida girl. She was new to the flight-attendant game. Only nine months ago, she’d been a police officer in her hometown of Fort Pierce. She was a law enforcement officer to the core, unafraid of confrontation. Her last words on a phone conversation to her husband were: “We’re getting ready to do it now. It’s happening.”

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

After the plane took off, it was obvious that there were bad men on this flight. At 9:30 a.m., three aggressive

men in red bandannas rushed toward the cockpit with wicked intentions.

The tidal wave of enthusiasm and pride United Airlines Flight 93

The first thing you should know is that these men chose the wrong plane to mess with. Flight 93 was not filled with 41 passive church mice.

Onboard was Jeremy Glick (31), a six-foot-one, national collegiate judo champion and black belt. Mark Bingham (31), a rugby player. CeeCee, the no-nonsense former cop. And Tom Burnett (38), once a college quarterback, sturdy as a hickory stump.

Tom Burnett made his last phone call to his wife and said, “If they’re gonna run this plane into the ground, we’re gonna do something.”

And they did. Forty-one ordinary people made their countermove at 9:57 a.m. All that is known about their actions comes from the flight audio recorder. The recording merely plays sound. Difficult sounds.

Your mind’s eye can see the rest.

There is the sound of passengers storming a flimsy cockpit door. Noises from a crashing beverage-service cart. Flinging dishes. Shattering glass. Ice cold screams. Shouts. Punches. Slaps. Groans. Gags. Pleas for help.

One passenger's voice shouts, “Let’s get 'em!”

Another passenger, maybe struggling for the flight controls, hollers, “Give it to me! Give it to me! Give it to me! Give it to me!”

More shouting. More fighting. Then click.

The recording stops. The plane goes down. The earth in Somerset County rumbles like an act of God.

Todd Beamer (32), raised in Chicago, tried to call his wife only minutes before his death. But he couldn’t reach her. So he dialed zero on the in-flight phone. He got a customer service rep named Lisa. He was all over the map, emotionally, according to Lisa. Todd kept saying, “Please call my family and let them know how much I love them.”

And in the quiet moments before Todd and the others would assault violent men, Todd asked Lisa to say the Lord’s Prayer with him. She did. Then he asked her to say the 23rd Psalm along with him. She did.

Lisa could hear dozens of voices reciting the verses with Todd. The timeworn words filled the cabin like perfume, or the smell of rain, or fresh-baked bread.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table for me in the midst of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.”

Which is where they are right now.

All 41 of them.

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.

Dietrich

Lloyd

TRUSSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

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.

Tuesdays: Crazy 8s Math Club. 4-4:45 p.m. or 5-5:45 p.m. In Crazy 8s, you'll build stuff, make music and make a mess. It's a totally new kind of math club. Best for students who have not previously participated in this program. A new eight-week session begins Sept. 5. K-2nd grade. Register online.

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.

Sept. 5: Friends of the Trussville Library Meeting. 11 a.m. to noon. Join us for the monthly meeting. This group’s members support library staff by providing extra hands for special events and money for programs and prizes.

Sept. 5: Ukulele Club. 6-7 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. This event is open to all ages.

Sept. 6: Video Game – Free Play. 4-5:30 p.m. The first Wednesday of each month, the library hosts a free play video game program. The library will provide several gaming systems and games, as well as a large projector for use. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. 6th-12th grade.

Sept. 7: Pokémon Club. 4-5 p.m. Are you a fan of Pokémon? Bring your friends for an hour of playing the card game,

making a craft and watching the show in the library auditorium. Registration required. 1st-5th grade.

Sept. 7 and 21: Sewing for Charity. 6-7:50 p.m. Join us to sew items that are donated to various charities. Ages 18 and older.

Sept. 11: STEAM for Kids! 4-4:45 p.m. Join Ms. Jan for a live animal show this month. No registration is needed. Open to all elementary-age students.

Sept. 11: STEAM for Teens! 5-6 p.m. The STEAM Club is the perfect place for anyone that loves science, math, animals or just cool facts and gross things. 6th-12th grade.

Sept. 11 and 18: Wellness: Five Pillars to Living Your Best Life. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Join us for the last two sessions of this series with Kendell Jno-Finn of M3Endeavors. Ages 18 and older.

Sept. 11: Books & Brews. 7:15-8:15 p.m. An evening Adult Book Club meeting in the event room at Ferus Artisan Ales. Connect with your community and share your thoughts about this month's book while enjoying delicious food and drinks. September’s title is “Recursion” by Blake Crouch. Ages 18 and older.

Sept. 12: Basic Sewing for Teens. 5-7 p.m. Join us to learn the basics in this monthly series with Ms. September.

Sept. 13 and 27: Preschoolers at Play. 10-11 a.m. Join us for a short storytime with Ms. Alicia, followed by free play at several stations set up around the large auditorium with various toys. Ages 2-5.

Sept. 14: House Healing. 6:30-8 p.m. “What is a house healer anyway? Does my house need healing?” Great questions. Come meet Jason Kirby and find out answers to these questions and more. Ages 18 and older.

Sept. 18: Shrinky Dinks. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Join us to create

a shrinky dink keychain. Draw or trace a pattern and then color it. Once we are done, we will bake it. Personalize it however you want. 6th-12th grade.

Sept. 19: T.A.B. 4-5 p.m. Teen Advisory Board is a place for local teens to get involved with their library. 8th-12th grade.

Sept. 20: Adult Book Club. 2-3 p.m. Join us each month. This month’s title is “This Time Tomorrow” by Emma Straub. Ages 18 and older.

Sept. 20: Video Game Tournament. 4-5:30 p.m. Prizes for the victors and refreshments for all. Registration required. 6th12th grade.

Sept. 21: Understanding Medicare. 1-2 p.m. Educational seminar about Medicare options. Your questions will be addressed by health benefits specialist Linda Reynolds. Ages 18 and older.

Sept. 21: Middle Grade Book Club. 4-5 p.m. Read or listen to "World's Worst Time Machine" by Dustin Brady before the club meeting, then join us for a special event as we discuss the book, play a trivia game and make a themed craft. 3rd-6th grade.

Sept. 23 and 30: Robotics Club. 11 a.m. to noon. This club will dive into the basics of coding and allow you to use those skills to program robots. Meetings will be four sequential weekends, so please keep that in mind when signing up for the club. 6th-12th grade.

Sept. 25: American Girl Tea Party. 5-6 p.m. Dress up and bring along your favorite doll. Join us this month as we play American Girl-themed party games, participate in crafts and activities and enjoy light snacks. Registration is required. K-5th grade.

Sept. 29 and 30: Teen-Selfie Museum. Stop by the Auditorium and take a selfie. Different stations will be set up around the room with fun props. Make sure to sign in and tag us on Facebook or Instagram for a chance to win a gift card.

Alabama School of Fine Arts

The Alabama School of Fine Arts provides an ideal home for teenagers in grades 7-12 who wish to follow their passions for art, math or science.

Students choose from six specialties: creative writing, dance, music, theater and visual arts, as well as math-science.

In addition to their specialties, ASFA students get a quality, well-rounded education from a nationally acclaimed faculty.

A tuition-free, state-funded public facility, ASFA is “a next-level school,” says Tim Mitchell, school president.

Over 90 percent of ASFA’s graduating seniors receive merit scholarships for college, Mitchell said.

Located in Birmingham’s downtown cultural district, the school provides a dormitory for students living beyond commuting distance.

Students thrive in ASFA’s creative, nurturing atmosphere, Mitchell says.

“I hear all the time, ‘I’ve found my

○ Grades: 7-12

○ Where: 1800 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd.

○ Call: 205-252-9241

○ Web: asfaschool.org

people. This is my place,’” he says. Admission is based on applications, letters of recommendation, school records, and auditions or interviews.

ASFA will host an open house for prospective students and their families Nov. 4. For more information, call 205-252-9241 or go to asfaschool.org.

MEDICAL GUIDE

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UAB CALLAHAN EYE

What could you accomplish if you could see the world more clearly? Now you can — through comprehensive eye care conveniently located just around the corner. Whether you need an annual checkup, treatment for an eye condition or even surgery, you’ll find unparalleled vision care at UAB Callahan Eye.

Committed to innovation and unmatched care — and equipped with the country’s leading experts in the treatment of both eye disease and eye trauma — UAB Callahan Eye offers a level of excellence to ensure you receive the highest quality treatment, no matter the need.

With 20+ locations across central Alabama, patients can access the eye treatment they need without leaving UAB Callahan Eye’s patient network. Plus, with a conveniently-located pharmacy nearby

at The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital and eyewear stores at several clinic locations, your eye care appointment can be a one-stop shop.

UAB Callahan Eye offers treatment for the whole family — starting at birth — with world-class pediatric optometrists and ophthalmologists and several clinic locations specializing in treating children’s eye diseases. It’s no wonder Alabama parents trust their family’s eyes with Callahan.

Making an appointment is easy, and same-day appointments and walk-ins are welcome. To find a convenient location near you and start seeing your future more clearly, visit uabcallahaneye.org.

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UAB returns ‘value’ to participants in All of Us study

ALL OF US UAB RESEARCH STUDY

The 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.”

He said 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, Dr. Korf said. 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,” he said.

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 for lab and DNA tests. The health information that

► CALL: 833-JOIN-UAB

► EMAIL: allofus@uabmc.edu

► WEB: allofus.uabmedicine.org or joinallofus.org

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 study.

Participants also receive “a rich return of value” because All of Us is using genomics, which includes genetic sequencing, he 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, Dr. Korf said. 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,” he said.

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 said. “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,” Dr. Korf said.

Community engagement has always been a “cornerstone” of All of Us, he said.

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, Dr. Korf said.

As part of this effort to reach as many people as possible, the All of Us Southern Network has several enrollment sites in Alabama.

All of Us recently 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 one million or more 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 said.

“It’s clear that the goal of at least 1 million participants will be reached,” he said.

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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