Homewood Star April 2023

HOMEWOOD’S COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE THEHOMEWOODSTAR.COM | STARNESMEDIA.COM

ON THE PATH

SERVING HOMEWOOD, HOOVER, MOUNTAIN BROOK, VESTAVIA HILLS, TRUSSVILLE AND

280 CORRIDOR

Work ongoing to bring regional trail system to Jefferson County

By NEAL EMBRY

With 127 miles of the Red Rock Trail System currently on the ground and hundreds more to come, there are plans for every Jefferson County resident to have somewhere to walk or bike, said Carolyn Buck, director of the trail system.

Toward that end, Freshwater Land Trust, which manages the Red Rock Trail System, recently unveiled a plan to build a 36-mile connected loop of trails in the greater Birmingham area over the next 15 years. That loop will be part of the entire system, which will eventually include 750 miles of various types of connected trails throughout Jefferson County.

The plan for the $40 million Red Rock Trail System is to bring a trail within one mile of every home in the county, Buck said. The system will allow people to have access to “all types of outdoor recreation,” including walking, hiking and more, Buck said.

See TRAILS | page A22

Anothercup, please

celebrates 30 years of business

By NEAL EMBRY

For 30 years, the smell of coffee from O.Henry’s Coffee and Company has wafted through the morning air along 18th Street South, marking the arrival of each new day and calling the shop’s regulars in for their morning brew.

Regulars greet each other and share a “good morning” with the staff before gulping down their first cup of coffee.

“It’s like a second home for them,” said barista Corrie Parks.

This year, O.Henry’s celebrates its 30th anniversary. The shop has grown from its original home on 18th Street to multiple locations across the greater Birmingham area.

See O.HENRY’S | page A20

A cold brew royale at O.Henry’s Coffee on 18th Street South in downtown Homewood. Photo by Erin Nelson.

O.Henry’s

A jogger runs along the path on the Shades Creek Greenway trail in Homewood on March 7. Photo by Erin Nelson.

Local.Expertise.Banking.

River Bank & Trust has built a strong financial team for Birmingham with one shared visioncreating great customer experiences. Our experts have the knowledge and perspective gained from years of commercial, consumer, and mortgage banking experience. And they offer personal attention, hospitality, and the latest innovations and technologyeverything you’d expect from Alabama’s largest community bank, and more. Drop by our new office and experience it for yourself.

Bryan Plott, Mortgage Lender, NMLS 2051174

Jack Hutcheson, Relationship Manager, NMLS 1952745

Lee Riley, Private Banker, NMLS 527063

Brian Ethridge, Birmingham Region President, NMLS 789083

Luke Kennedy, Relationship Manager, NMLS 491818

Chrissy Aubin, Treasury Management Officer

Charlie Sexton, Relationship Manager, NMLS 1539269

Erin Price, Relationship Manager, NMLS 1047905

MEET THE EXPERTS (left to right)

\

Editor’s Note By Neal Embry

Coffee and graduate school go well together.

It’s a fact I learned as a seminary student when I was taking classes in Birmingham from 2014 to 2016. I spent an inordinate amount of time at O.Henry’s by the Target near Brookwood Village, where I enjoyed great coffee and food. It was the site not only of my studies but of small groups, lunches with friends and more.

It’s been great to tell the O.Henry’s story for this month’s cover story as they celebrate 30 years in Homewood.

In other news, we have an update on the major renovation project

coming to West Homewood that will see El Barrio and Paramount join the city.

It’s also my pleasure to announce

Please Support

a poetry contest being held in The Homewood Star. Young students can submit poetry to “Father Goose” himself, Charles Ghigna, who will pick winners for our June edition. See the story about the contest and Ghigna’s new collection in this month’s paper!

I hope you are enjoying the spring and that you enjoy this month’s paper. As always, thank you for reading!

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

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Contact Information: Homewood Star

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Find Us

Pick up the latest issue of Homewood Star at the following locations:

► Alabama Outdoors

► aloft – SoHo Square

► Homewood Board of Education

► Dave’s Pizza

► Edgar’s Bakery

► Homewood Chamber of Commerce

► Homewood Family Dentistry

► Homewood High School

► Homewood Public Library

► O.Henry’s Coffees

► Piggly Wiggly

► Homewood Police

Department

► Sam’s Super Samwiches

► Savage’s Bakery

► Single Barrel Barbershop

► Taco Mama - Edgewood

Want to join this list or get The Homewood Star mailed to your home? Contact Dan Starnes at dan@starnesmedia.com.

Harry Rutledge adds sour cream to a sample of chili from the Hayes Sheet Metal tent as thousands attend the 19th annual Exceptional Foundation Chili Cook-off at Brookwood Village on March 4. Photo by Erin Nelson.

Home loans that fit you to a

Planning Commission recommends major mixed-use development, changes in West Homewood zoning

By NEAL EMBRY

Plans for a major development at the Econo Lodge site in West Homewood were recommended for approval on March 7 by the Homewood Planning Commission, which also recommended changing that district’s zoning language to allow townhomes under certain conditions.

In order for Village Creek Development to pursue their proposed mixed-use development at the Econo Lodge site and a neighboring dentist’s office, the West Homewood District zoning language must be changed to allow townhomes back into the district. The commission’s recommendation is to allow townhomes on sites that are at least 3.5 acres and that include some mixed-use development on the property.

Tom Walker, representing Village Creek, said the proposal for 195 Oxmoor Road is to build 10,000 square feet of commercial space, with 18 rental lofts above it and 51 townhomes built behind it. The commercial space would include an arcade and two restaurants, Walker said. The two restaurants are new locations for El Barrio and Paramount. The lofts and retail development are considered mixed-use, while the townhomes are residential. The townhomes, not including a 300-square-foot garage, are about 1,600 square feet each, Walker said.

In 2019, the Homewood City Council made changes to the West Homewood District zoning after residents opposed townhomes on Raleigh Avenue, which were eventually built. Since the townhomes were allowed under the previous

zoning language and met code requirements, the commission approved them. Following that vote, the council amended zoning language to limit residential development and promote commercial development.

At its March 7 meeting, the commission also approved Village Creek’s final development plan and a resurvey for the site to combine the Econo Lodge property and the dentist’s office into one lot. That resurvey will not be completed until Village Creek owns Econo Lodge. They are currently under contract, Walker said.

The Homewood City Council must also approve the amendment to the zoning language and the final development plan, and it is set to

vote on the matter April 24. The city’s planning and development committee sent the issue out without a recommendation after a March 20 meeting.

Walker said the development will include sidewalks, green spaces and pedestrian connectivity throughout the site. The lofts will be two-bed/two-bath setups, with rent expected to be in the low $2,000s, while a majority of the townhomes will be three-bed/two-bath, with rent expected to be in the mid-$2,500s, he said. He expects a mix of residents, including young families.

The townhomes include a one-car garage and residents of both the lofts and townhomes will

The former Econo Lodge site is set to be turned into a new development spearheaded by Village Creek Development, so long as the city of Homewood signs off on the plans.

have off-street parking, Walker said.

Five people spoke in favor of the development at the meeting, with no one speaking in opposition. Commission Chair Stuart Roberts said the city received 54 messages about the proposal, with almost all of them in support of the plan.

City Engineer Cale Smith said the city has verified that existing infrastructure in the area can support the project, while Walker said that not only does the site have enough parking to support future residents, but they are “overparked.” Fourteen spaces were added to the plan following a meeting with nearby residents in February, Walker said.

Photo by Neal Embry.

Council approves bid for first phase of Delcris Drive sidewalk work, removes board member

By NEAL EMBRY

Sidewalk work will soon be coming to Delcris Drive, after the low bid for the first phase was approved by the Homewood City Council on March 13.

The low bid was put in by CB&A Construction, at a cost of roughly $200,000, within the city’s budgeted amount for the project. The first phase of the project will start at the intersection of Delcris Drive and Velmont Drive and turn down Shades Glen Drive to Forest Brook Drive.

CB&A Construction is also responsible for installing sidewalks on Mecca Avenue, the council noted at the meeting.

In other news, Zach Isbell is no longer a member of the city’s housing abatement board, after the council voted to remove him, following a report that Isbell, who previously represented Ward 5, has not attended meetings since October 2020. Isbell ran unsuccessfully for a spot on the council in 2020.

Council member Walter Jones said the city needs to work faster on these issues, while Ward 5’s council member, Jennifer Andress, said she was not aware that he had not been attending meetings. Isbell has been unresponsive to the city in regards to questions about his attendance.

The council also approved pursuing the installation of an adult outdoor exercise playground at Central Park. Funding would come through a grant the city has applied for, as well as some sponsorship opportunities.

In other business, the council:

► Authorized Mayor Patrick McClusky to sign a contract with Norton Lifelock

► Denied a request for permission to work within city right-of-way to construct a walk-up window at 2701 18th Street South

► Declared certain items surplus

► Approved a budget amendment to the police capital fund for safety equipment

► Approved a request for permission to park within the right-of-way at 426 Carr Avenue

► Approved a request for permission to work within the right-of-way at 300 Yorkshire Drive to install a parking pad and add landscaping

► Approved a sign variance request at 126

Barber Court

► Rejected a sign variance request at 254 Green Springs Highway

► Set a public hearing for consideration of a sign variance at 600 University Park Place for April 10

► Set a public hearing for April 24 to consider changes to the West Homewood District zoning language and to vote on the final

The Homewood City Council approved a bid for the first phase of a sidewalk project on Delcris Drive at the March 13 council meeting.

development plan for a proposed project at the current Econo Lodge property

► Authorized McClusky to sign a contract with Spectrum Industrial Services for about $5,500 to clean out fuel tanks at the old public safety building, located at 1833 29th Ave. S. The work must be done to have parking at the site, City Council President Alex Wyatt said.

► Approved vouchers

Photo by Erin Nelson.

Council sends Morris Boulevard traffic calming to committee

By NEAL EMBRY

The Homewood City Council on Feb. 27 voted to rescind an ordinance that had previously eliminated a second phase of traffic-calming measures on Morris Boulevard, along with allowing the public safety committee to continue discussing both phase one and two of the project.

Councilor Nick Sims said there is still ongoing discussion in the committee about how best to slow drivers down and make it a safer area. A stop sign was brought further out into the road where Morris Boulevard meets Sterrett Avenue, and the city added striping and reflectors, but speeding is still occurring, Sims said.

The city previously eliminated phase two of the project due to building materials not being available, but a resolution passed on Feb. 27 rescinded that, while keeping phase one open for discussion. Sims said additions to phase one and whatever phase two eventually includes can be done together, but decisions are still being made.

The council also voted to add $65,000 from the city’s carryover fund balance to the Homewood Public Library’s capital fund for various improvements.

The money will cover renovations that

include remodeling ADA-accessible restrooms and adding new carpet and paint to both the interior entrances and the lobby area, Library Director Judith Wright said.

In other business, the council:

► Condemned 1509 Beckham Drive. The owners are working to get the home cleaned up.

► Upheld a public works committee decision to reject a request to work in the right-of-way to construct a parking pad at 401 Yorkshire Drive

► Authorized Mayor Patrick McClusky to sign a resolution for ALDOT to rehabilitate the pavement on Interstate 65 from the Raleigh Avenue overpass to 1st Avenue North. The work will start in early summer.

► Approved the renewal of a contract with Rivertree for the purpose of conducting sales tax and business license audits

► Approved contractual services to fulfill arborist services

► Approved a request to work in the rightof-way along Central Avenue adjacent to 1722 28th Avenue South

► Approved a request to work in the rightof-way adjacent to 505 Windsor Drive

► Approved one sign variance at 169 State Farm Parkway, rejecting several other requests

► Rejected a sign variance request for 201 Greensprings Highway

Special Senior Property Tax Exemption

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Special Senior Exemption a full exemption for everyone 65 years of age or older?

No, it is an exemption that is in addition to the Over-65 exemption that will freeze the assessed value for the next applicable tax year once claimed.

I do not file income taxes. How does that affect my Special Senior Exemption claim?

It does not, taxable income is not a qualification for the SSPE (Special Senior Property Tax Exemption)

Can I get this exemption on all my properties?

No, The Special Senior Exemption can only be claimed on the property that is your primary residence or any adjacent properties that are considered part of your primary residence.

I am over the age of 65, but my spouse is not. Can I still claim the Special Senior exemption?

Yes, you can still claim the exemption even though your spouse is not 65 years of age or older at this time. If your name is on the deed and the property is your primary residence, the exemption can be claimed.

I did not live on my property for 5 years can I claim the exemption?

No, one of the qualifications to claim the exemption is to have the property assessed in your name for 5 years immediately preceding the year they are claiming.

How long will the exemption stay on the property?

The exemption will remain on the property if you renew the Over-65 Exemption each year.

If my value, goes down will I be able to claim the exemption at the lower rate?

Yes, you will only need to come in and reclaim the exemption at the lower rate.

Will my taxes increase in the future?

Since the property value is what is frozen, yes It is possible that a millage rate increase or an addition to you property could increase your taxes.

Homewood resident seeks to keep streets clean

By NEAL EMBRY

About seven or eight years ago, Jim Johnson started cleaning the street in front of his home, picking up trash to keep his front yard looking nice.

Then, it expanded to his street. From there, Johnson, now 81, started asking other people to join him, picking up trash on the streets in front of their own homes.

Now, the “Clean Streets” group includes between 20 and 25 people, Johnson said.

Once a week or so, those in the group will clean up their assigned street, usually near their home, Johnson said. He manages the group over email, and people can join and leave as they need to, he said.

A beautification board member told Johnson to expand the group when he first told them about his solo efforts, he said. So he began collecting names and emails of those who offered to help keep Homewood trash-free.

“I love Homewood and it makes me prouder of the city to have the streets clean,” he said. “I really enjoy

doing it because the exercise is great.”

Johnson said he exercises a good bit and also bikes.

If a city suffers from broken windows, debris and more, people won’t care about trash, Johnson said, and the opposite is also true. If residents keep up with trash, it keeps the city looking clean, he said.

“I love Homewood and I think we’re all in this together,” he said. “I want to see the city put forward its best face.”

The Palisades area has been “really bad,” Johnson said. And even in places that are cleaner, it isn’t a onetime solution, Johnson said.

“It’s a continual effort,” he said.

Johnson is now seeking more volunteers to help him.

“I can’t make a dent in it myself,” he said.

There is a benefit not just to the look of the city, but to its residents, to have clean streets.

“It makes life better to not live around trash,” Johnson said.

Those interested in joining Clean Streets can email Johnson at imker14@gmail.com.

Mayor’s Minute

By Patrick McClusky

Hopefully we are done with the winter weather and can start to enjoy the warmer outdoor temperatures. This time of year is my favorite here in Homewood. Seeing front yards, parks, trails and sidewalks full of people taking advantage of the sunshine brings joy to my heart.

I had a wonderful time at the Homewood Grown event, benefiting the Homewood Schools Foundation. This event is always so inspiring, as we get to acknowledge our Teacher Impact Award Winners and hear from a Homewood graduate who has gone on to do fantastic things within their field of expertise. Our schools have produced some incredible success stories, and I am so proud that these individuals want to come back and share their Homewood experience with the community.

The Homewood Athletic Foundation is about to have their annual Cornapalooza event, raising money for all of our athletic programs within our school system. This tournament is always a blast, and coming from a former winner, the prestige of this event is water cooler talk for 365 days!

Homewood has so many festivities and events to offer as the weather warms, so we hope that you and your family will make time to participate in some of these upcoming activities.

Saturday, May 6, is We Love Homewood Day at Central Park. As usual, there will be vendor booths, children’s activities, a parade and a street festival.

The Hop and Shop Event is set for Saturday, April 1. This is a perfect time for you and your family to shop for Easter while hunting for candy and coupons, and there may be a surprise visit from your favorite longeared cottontail!

For those dog-walkers across the city, please make sure that you are cleaning up after your pet. Your neighbors would surely appreciate it!

In closing, please note that the Stormwater Master Plan is on the city website, so please check that out at your convenience to see where there might be construction coming in your area as we work to make our storm sewer system even better for you.

Thank you all, and Go Patriots!

Jim Johnson, a Homewood resident, picks up trash behind the Publix shopping center on Green Springs Highway on Feb. 28.

Photo by Erin Nelson.

Business Happenings

COMING SOON

MoveWell Mobile is opening downtown’s first physical therapy and wellness gym across the street from Mercantile on Morris on the corner of 23rd and Morris Ave. They are planning to open March 2, and will be offering physical therapy services, personal training, nutrition coaching and corporate wellness programs for businesses in the community. MoveWell has a location in Homewood, partnering with Nexus Fitness, located at 187 Oxmoor Road. 256-479-1597, movewellmobile.com

NEWS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

LAH, a residential and commercial real estate company, has joined the Sotheby’s International Realty network. LAH has offices at 1969 Braddock Drive in Hoover, 1760 Oxmoor Road in Homewood and 2850 Cahaba Road in Mountain Brook. 205-879-8580, lahrealestate.com

Storyteller Overland, an industry leader in the class B RV and adventure vehicle manufacturing space, recently won multiple Annual American Advertising Awards, or ADDY Awards. The company won four ADDYs, and was the only in-house marketing team to win a Birmingham ADDY award in this year’s competition. 888-999-7442, storytelleroverland.com

Inc. magazine announced its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Southeast list, the most prestigious ranking of the fast-

est-growing Southeast private companies. Two Homewood companies made the list: Southern Veterinary Partners ranked 88th and Alabama Goods ranked 160th. southernvetpartnersllc.com, alabamagoods.com

The Bell Center has been named an Official Charity Partner for the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon, which takes place on Sunday, Nov. 5. The Bell Center will be among more than 550 official charity partners providing thousands of runners the opportunity to run in the world’s biggest and boldest marathon. If you are interested in running the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon as a BellRunner, apply online. 205-879-3417, thebellcenter.org

Hoar Construction, based in Homewood, recently announced the completion of a new inpatient cardiovascular unit at Shelby Baptist Medical Center in Alabaster, Alabama. The $4.5 million project broke ground in May 2022 and welcomed its first patients this month. 205-803-2121, hoar.com

PERSONNEL MOVES

Kayla Fisher has joined Renew Dermatology as their second aesthetician. Kayla has over 11 years of experience as an aesthetician and laser technician. She is certified in a variety of treatments including BBL, MOXI, microneedling, laser hair removal, Hydrafacials, chemical peels, and more. Kayla is accepting aesthetic appointments. 205-580-1500, renewdermatology.net

Cantina Tortilla Grill reopening with West Homewood location

By NEAL EMBRY

Birmingham-area restaurant Cantina

Tortilla Grill is expanding and will join the West Homewood food scene sometime this year.

Owner Aimee Castro said her brother, Guillermo Castro, began the restaurant in 2003, following a sampling of baja fish tacos at Pepper Place. Cantina stayed at Pepper Place, along with other locations in central Alabama, until 2019.

Aimee Castro said it was always the goal to reopen when her and her husband, Jorge, found the perfect spot. That spot is the former Little London location, 162 Oxmoor Road.

Cantina Tortilla Grill is a family affair, Castro said, following the legacy of her brother, who died in 2011. Castro runs the restaurant with Jorge, she said.

“We just love it,” she said. “We love the community aspect of it.”

Homewood was a perfect spot because of its culture and people, Castro said.

“I love the neighborhood. I love how people walk and ride bikes,” she said. “The community seems to really support businesses.”

The plan is to bring most of the original menu back, along with some new offerings and changes, Castro said. The restaurant is a more casual concept than the family’s other restaurant, Sol Y Luna, Castro said. Menu offerings include the gaucho steak sandwich, quesadillas and tacos.

Castro said she is excited about the elevated patio space, and the inside space will look “cool.” It will be “Cantina 2.0,”

Jorge and Aimee Castro, who run Sol Y Luna, are opening Cantina Tortilla Grill in Homewood. Photos courtesy of Aimee Castro

she said.

Castro said she expects there be about 20 to 25 jobs created with the project, with a mix of full-time and part-time jobs available. The restaurant should open sometime this summer.

For more information, visit the restaurant’s Facebook page, @CantinaTortillaGrill, or their Instagram, @cantina_tortilla_grill.

The Edge to bring family fun to Edgewood

By NEAL EMBRY

A new, family-friendly development has been proposed for Edgewood, called “The Edge.”

The development is spearheaded by J.J. Thomas and his wife, Whitney, who are also turning the former New York Pizza space into a Slice Pizza. The space is located at 815 and 817 Greensprings Highway, in the former Gulf Seafood and Royal Tobacco buildings, respectively. Both of those businesses were set to leave the space by the end of March, J.J. said.

Whitney Thomas said her family has always enjoyed multifunctional, family-friendly spaces that they have found in Florida and other places, and they saw a need for such a place in Homewood.

J.J. described The Edge as a “family-friendly gathering place” that will include food, beverage, retail and gaming components. Under their plan, the site would include four micro-restaurants, where customers could come in and grab the food to go, taking it to the site’s outdoor seating areas, along with a 2,000-square-foot space J.J. hopes will become a brewery taproom.

Adjacent to the proposed taproom, there are two roughly 1,000-square-foot spaces for either more food and beverage or retail, he said. Next to that would be green space that includes a covered stage, amphitheater seating, a playground and space for adult yard games and pickleball courts.

There are also three spaces marked out for office space or retail, according to a rendering provided by J.J.

“We really wanted to create a space that was multifunctional,” Whitney said.

The couple owns four acres on the site, but the development takes up less than one acre. A dedicated parking lot will be added on the remaining land, with a walkway connecting it to the development.

She said she envisioned having different events throughout the day, such as a children’s

book reading in the morning, with live, acoustic music in the evening. It will be a space for all ages, she said.

The green space would allow parents to have a picnic while their children play games and get some energy out, Thomas said.

The space backs up to Edgewood and is close to Columbiana Road, making it walkable not only from Edgewood but also from West Homewood. The plan also calls for sidewalks to be installed around the development.

The Edge will be an asset for young families and also for Samford students, who will be less than a five-minute drive from the site, Whitney said.

The couple has owned the site since August. In a neighborhood meeting in midMarch, J.J. said neighbors to the site seemed to all be in support of the project. There will also be a website set up to provide information and connect with potential tenants, edgehomewood.com.

J.J. said the project’s build-out must be approved, as well as its inclusion into the Green Springs Urban Renewal District. The plan is to start developing the site in early summer and to open later this year, he said.

Slice, a few blocks away along the Edgewood retail strip, is also set to open later this summer, he said.

If certain portions of the proposed development don’t work out, J.J. said the site is adaptable.

JJ Thomas and his wife, Whitney, are developing The Edge, a new, family-friendly concept that is set to bring food, drinks and entertainment to the Edgewood area. Rendering courtesy of JJ Thomas.

Friends of the Library seeking volunteers

By NEAL EMBRY

The Homewood Friends of the Library organization is seeking volunteers and spreading the word about their $5 bag sale coming up in early May.

The bag sale, set for May 4 through 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, raises money for the library, with proceeds going to various projects.

Ginny Bugg, who has been volunteering with the organization for about 20 years, said money has previously gone toward renovating bathrooms and coordinating events, such as an upcoming event featuring renowned author Tayari Jones on Sept. 16.

Bugg said she discovered the bookstore run by the “Friends,” where used books are sold.

“I’ve been a reader most of my life,” Bugg said. “I love books and love libraries.”

While many libraries have similar bookstores, Bugg said Homewood’s store is a larger space. Since the Homewood library used to be a church, the bookstore covers what were previously three Sunday school rooms, Bugg said. The Friends of the Library have been around since the 1970s, said Library Director Judith Wright.

“Our prices are lower than any used bookstore,” Bugg said.

Still, the store brings in between $30,000 and $35,000 annually, with zero overhead and volunteer workers, Bugg said.

There are two three-hour shifts with at least two volunteers to each shift, she said.

The store also has its bag sales twice a year, including the upcoming May sale, Bugg said. Piggly Wiggly supplies the bags, and whatever a shopper can fit in a bag is sold for $5.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the store would receive online orders, Bugg said.

Bugg’s partner recently retired and so the organization would love to have more volunteers, she said.

“You don’t have to be a reader, but it helps,” she said.

Knowing categories of books or how to find those categories helps when it comes to shelving,

Bugg said. The shifts are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., she said.

“You work with other people who love books,” Bugg said. “You meet really interesting people.”

Often, readers come in with very specific requests, such as Amish romance novels or American history books. Other readers will come in for the “thrill of the hunt,” just looking for what they can find, Bugg said. Readers include

Homewood police officers, sanitation workers, businesspeople and students seeking standardized test practice books, she said.

Those looking for more information can come by the bookstore and find a volunteer application form, Bugg said. Entering through the back door, head downstairs until you find the bookstore and ask for the form. Once it is filled out, you’ll receive a call back, Bugg said.

‘Father Goose’ releasing new poetry collection

By NEAL EMBRY

Charles Ghigna has a “new baby,” and it is beautiful, he said. All 128 pages of it.

Ghigna, a Homewood resident better known as the children’s author “Father Goose,” is set to release “The Father Goose Treasury of Poetry: 101 Favorite Poems for Children” on April 28.

“It really represents the best of my work,” Ghigna said.

The book comes with silver gilding, a blue ribbon bookmark, an index of subjects and illustrations by Italian artist Sara Brezzi.

The book helps students explore the “joy and wonder of nature,” Ghigna said. It will hopefully inspire readers to leave the screens behind and get into nature and recharge their batteries, he said. He said this collection includes some new poems as well as some of the best of his older poems. The book ends with poems about poetry itself, he said.

Ghigna said he gave Brezzi artistic and creative freedom in her American debut.

“My favorite illustrations are those … [which] bring their own heart and soul and eye,” he said. Inspiration starts at home for Ghigna, who has published more than 100 books and an innumerable number of poems for children.

“I live in this 100-year old house,” Ghigna said. “I look out the window and dream.”

By the time Ghigna climbs the stairs to the attic where he writes, which he calls his “treehouse,” he says he’s wondering what he can “get into today.”

“I usually have more ideas to write about than I have time [to write],” he said.

Some poems come quickly, while others take more time, he said.

Ghigna has taught high school and college courses, and earlier in his career wrote adult poetry for The New Yorker and Harper’s. But when he fell in love with his future wife, Debra, on the campus of Birmingham-Southern College, he knew that the “serious, brooding poet” had to change.

“You need to lighten up,” she told him.

Ghigna said wives have a way of “bringing us back to Earth.”

Debra challenged him to write something everyone could relate to. The result was “Good Cats, Bad Cats, Good Dogs, Bad Dogs,” which led to a four-book contract with Disney.

And when Debra and Charles welcomed their son into the world, that challenge became easy to meet, he said.

“It was like the floodgates had opened,” he said.

Ghigna took the poetry he began writing for his son and “tested” it on school children, to

much success.

Reading opens doors for children, he said.

“Every time they open a book … it’s like someone just handed you a magic carpet,” Ghigna said. “Once a child learns to read, the world is theirs.”

Reading leads to writing, which is just another way of talking, Ghigna said. His writing has allowed him to experience some of the magic he’s created for children.

“When you become an author, your books will literally become little magic carpets,” he said.

Living in Homewood has been like living in a “storybook town,” he said.

“A sense of place has meant everything to me,” Ghigna said.

Ghigna lives in Edgewood, with oak trees hanging over sidewalks.

“I feel lucky every day,” he said. “Every block has someone making art in some way.”

Homewood will also be host to Ghigna’s first signing, set for April 27 at The Alabama Booksmith.

The book can be found at local booksellers, Amazon and more.

Lisa Malone and Lynn Spires volunteer at the Friends of the Library bookstore at the Homewood Public Library.

Photo courtesy of Homewood Public Library.

Charles Ghigna is releasing a new collection of poetry later this month. Photos courtesy of Charles Ghigna.

A family affair: Mom welcomes baby in building grandfather helped design

By NEAL EMBRY

When Maria Sivils and her husband, Dr. Jake Sivils, welcomed their first child, daughter Elliott, in November 2022, they did so in a place with special significance.

Elliott was born at Ascension St. Vincent’s Women and Children’s Center in Birmingham. Maria’s father, Eddy Alonso, helped design the building.

“We have some great connections back to the facility,” Alonso said. “We were really excited.”

Alonso said he had fun designing the building, which included collaborating with staff and incorporating the history of St. Vincent’s into the center. The center opened in the late 1990s, a few years after Maria was born.

“It was my first project and I was really excited to be working with the staff there,” Alonso said.

Alonso also welcomed Maria at St. Vincent’s, in the women’s center at the main hospital. He was wrapping up design on the new facility at the time. Her brother and sister, twins, were born in the new facility, he said.

Maria said she had a very different perspective on the center where she would eventually have her first child, watching her dad work on it when she was growing up.

“I remember as a kid, watching my dad, who had the whole program on his laptop for work,” she said.

The Sivils, who now live in Vestavia Hills, met while in Mississippi and married in 2019, Maria said. They discovered her hometown of Birmingham was the best place for their family. Jake found a job at the Ascension St. Vincent's Primary Care Mayfair in Homewood.

“It’s a really awesome experience,” Jake said. “I’m grateful to have a position here.”

Elliott has been a “very easy” baby, Maria said.

“She’s been so sweet and eats well and sleeps well,” Maria said. “... It’s been a really sweet experience.”

Alonso said he’s been able to help out as well, as he now works from home part of the time. Maria said the family is glad to have planted roots in Birmingham.

“It’s all very full circle,” she said.

Have a schoolhouse announcement? Email Neal Embry at nembry@ starnesmedia.com to be considered for inclusion in an upcoming issue.

The Homewood Star partners with ‘Father Goose’ for poetry contest

By NEAL EMBRY

The Homewood Star is partnering with Charles Ghigna, also known as “Father Goose,” for a poetry contest for elementary-age students in Homewood.

Poems will be judged in three grade groups: kindergarten through first grade, second through third grade and fourth through fifth grade. The names of the top three winners and honorable mentions in each grade group will be printed in the June edition of The Homewood Star, and several winning poems will be printed as space allows, as well as being placed on the newspaper’s website, thehomewoodstar.com.

Poems should be submitted to the child’s teacher, who will then email the poem to Ghigna. Each poem should be submitted within the body of the email with the student's name, grade, school name and teacher name.

Ghigna will release a new collection of poems, titled “The Father Goose Treasury of Poetry,” on April 28. For more on Ghigna and that book, see the separate story in this month’s edition of The Homewood Star.

Ghigna is an award-winning children's author and poet of more than 100 books from Disney, Random House, Red Comet, Schiffer,

Scholastic, Simon & Schuster and Time, Inc., and more than 5,000 poems that appear in anthologies, textbooks, syndicated newspapers and magazines ranging from Harper’s and The New Yorker to Highlights and Cricket. For more information, email community editor Neal Embry at nembry@starnesmedia. com.

When I first came to TherapySouth in March of 2020, I had been out of running for five months due to an injury. Within one month of working with Phil, I was back on a limited, but regular running program. When the next season started, I began running the same times as before my injury and continued to run faster than ever! Now, I still come to TherapySouth every week for strength training. My times have become some of the best in Alabama, and Phil is one of my biggest supporters and a huge role model in my life!

We have been able to successfully keep EB healthy and competing at a high level without missing significant training due to inevitable injuries. She has access to the clinic and our specialties whenever she needs because our relationship is focused on performance, improvement, and prevention from injuries that could derail her training. We are proud to provide physical therapy beyond rehabilitation to help our clients meet their goals.

Charles Ghigna is partnering with The Homewood Star to host a poetry contest for Homewood students. Photo courtesy of Charles Ghigna.

Emma Brooke Levering, Homewood Athlete with Phil Moore, PT, DPT Clinic Director, Homewood – SoHo

Top: Dr. Jake Sivils and his wife, Maria, smile at their baby girl, Elliott, born in November 2022 in the building Maria's father, Eddy Alonso, helped design at St. Vincent's. Above: Alonso holding baby Elliott. Photos courtesy of the Sivils family.

Student or bot? Schools grapple with ChatGPT

By NEAL EMBRY

While ChatGPT has caused concern in school districts, college campuses and other institutions across the country, it has not been a problem so far in Homewood City Schools, school leaders said.

“ChatGPT has not been a problem at our school, but it is something we are [aware] of and are educating our teachers and students about,” said Mindy McBride, assistant principal at Homewood High School. “We view it as another tool or resource that students have access to at home, so we want everyone to know the potential benefits and limitations of it in an educational setting.”

ChatGPT, created by OpenAI, is one of several new online content generators, which responds to prompts from users and can answer questions and write poems, essays, songs, speeches and more. It is trained to detect what it says is “misinformation” and also rejects what it deems as inappropriate or harmful, according to both reports and numerous tests conducted by The Homewood Star.

The technology’s influence is growing by leaps and bounds, according to a report by Reuters. It took Netflix 3½ years to get to 1 million users. It took Twitter two years. Facebook achieved 1 million users in 10 months, while Spotify surpassed the mark in five months. Instagram outpaced them all, obtaining 1 million users in 2½ months.

ChatGPT had more than 1 million users in five days.

Other tools in development include Google’s “Bard” and Baidu’s “Ernie bot.” Microsoft’s existing tool “Bing”

will also incorporate technology created by OpenAI, per a company press release.

Homewood High School teacher

Leslie Anastasia, who teaches AP English, recently gave a presentation

to staff and administration at the school on how it works and its potential usefulness for students and faculty.

“I was interested in how it could be used as a tool,” Anastasia said.

Anastasia said, for example, she is learning Spanish with Duolingo. She was able to submit a paragraph written in Spanish to ChatGPT, which then showed her grammatical errors.

To an extent, the technology is

only as intelligent and capable as the person using it, Anastasia said. Submitting better input leads to better output.

“To write good input, you have to understand what good writing looks

Students in Leslie Anastasia’s AP English 11 work on a rhetorical analysis assignment at Homewood High School on Feb. 28. Photos by Erin Nelson.

like,” Anastasia said.

Because of that, she isn’t as worried about students abusing the technology to get ahead, as those who input basic prompts will likely only receive a “C” grade.

In addition, most of the writing in the school’s English classes is done in the actual class setting, Anastasia said.

“We do so little [as a department]

out of class,” she said. “Most of us do in-class writing.”

McBride said hand-written assignments are encouraged and computer usage in the classroom is expected to be monitored by teachers.

ChatGPT is not blocked on school servers, though students will not be asked to create an account by teachers as the technology’s terms of use state it is not for use by anyone under the

age of 18.

Students are timed on their writing and while they can sometimes take writing home to make changes, they must be able to explain why they made the changes, Anastasia said.

Instead of seeing students use the technology to cheat, Anastasia said one student brought in a ChatGPT-generated essay, not to try to pass it off for a grade, but as a

launching point for a discussion about the tool’s merits and what it lacks.

Students have seen the limitations of ChatGPT, Anastasia said, so they can “coach” it to write better content when they do use it. ChatGPT is like a calculator, in that it can go “beyond four times four,” but its users still have to understand the fundamentals of math in order to use it. In the same way, students have to have an

understanding of “facts and claims” in order to properly use ChatGPT, Anastasia said.

Teachers are also focused on teaching students what it means to be a good digital citizen and how to use tools like ChatGPT in the “real world” and in college, McBride said.

“As with all new technology and available resources, we focus on teaching our students how to be responsible digital citizens,” McBride said. “We do not try to limit their access to resources; we want to educate them on ways that resources can be beneficial.”

Anastasia said there are discussions ongoing in the classroom about how to handle the ethics of tools like ChatGPT.

“Do y’all think we should cite it when we use it? … How would we indicate that we’ve used it?” McBride said as an example of what questions are being asked. “When you’re writing something personal, like a thank-you note for your graduation presents, is that ethical?”

Anastasia said she’s had conversations with her students about how they would feel if she used ChatGPT to write them a letter of recommendation, assuming she tells the truth about them and inputs the facts.

“So we’ll have debates about how they feel about me writing a letter about them in that way,” she said.

“It’s just a discussion at this point. I don’t tell them what the ethics of it are, because it’s so new.”

McBride said there are still questions about the “ethics, responsible use and reliability” of technology like ChatGPT.

“I anticipate that we will continue to navigate these waters with ChatGPT along with any additional technology that is sure to come in the future,” McBride said.

All levels of cornhole players will compete and raise funds for The Bell Center at this year’s Cornhole Classic. Staff photo.

Cornhole Classic set for 11th year

By NEAL EMBRY

The 11th annual Cornhole Classic is set for April 15 at Good People Brewing.

The event is put on by Alabama Cornhole and benefits The Bell Center, offering a chance for teams and event-goers to give money to an organization that helps provide early childhood intervention.

The competition serves as the main fundraiser for The Bell Center’s Junior Board, said board member Melody Al-Kahlout. The board coordinates with Alabama Cornhole, which provides the boards and bags, along with ensuring everyone follows the rules and regulations of the game.

Last year’s iteration of the event saw 100 teams and 1,000 attendees, Al-Kahlout said.

Legacy League hosting Scholarship Celebration

By NEAL EMBRY

There is a rookie division, social division and competitive division, with a cash prize for the winner of the competitive division.

Entry fees are $50 for the non-competitive divisions and $60 for the competition division, with a $10 increase if the teams enter on the day of the event.

There will be Good People beer available, as well as food trucks, pizza and a DJ, Al-Kahlout said.

The goal is to raise $50,000, with money raised going directly to children in the classroom through services like speech pathology, physical and occupational therapy, volunteers and classroom needs, Al-Kahlout said.

For more information and to sign up, visit bellcenter.org.

Samford’s Legacy League is set to host its 14th annual Scholarship Celebration this month, featuring a performance by Billboard-charting quartet and America’s Got Talent finalists Sons of Serendip.

The group has produced four albums that span both classical and modern musical styles, according to a Legacy League press release. Their covers of “Somewhere Only We Know” and “A Thousand Years” have seen much success. A harpist, a cellist, a pianist and a lead vocalist comprise the gifted group, whose sound was described by The New York Times as “alive with detail but silky beyond reason.”

The annual Scholarship Celebration will include a sponsor reception, celebratory dinner and an intimate concert by Sons of Serendip. Proceeds from the April 20 event will support

the new Legacy League Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing Centennial Scholarship to benefit students who have faced challenges including homelessness, inner-city violence, abandonment or the death or disability of a parent.

The sponsor reception and dinner are presented by Samford Dining by Aramark, and the Sons of Serendip concert is presented by Vulcan Materials Company.

The event is open to the public and will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Reservations are required and cost $125 per person ($55 tax deductible). Find more information and make online reservations at samford.edu/ legacyleague.

The schedule for the event is as follows:

► 5:30 p.m., Sponsor Reception

► 6:30 p.m., Celebratory Dinner

► 8 p.m., Concert

The 2023 Scholarship Celebration Committee of the Legacy League: Front: Paula Gossett, Kristen Comer, Wendy Cook, Rhonda Cantelow; middle: Claire Gwaltney, Rhonda Orr (chair), Karen Carlisle, Shea Williams; back: Marilyn Henry, Amy Duffey, Sherri Foyt, Sharon Smith; not pictured: Julie Cundiff, Rohaun Green, Robin Greer, Julie Taylor, Julia Vasquez. Photo courtesy of Sharon Smith.

Mutt Strut coming to Homewood this month

By NEAL EMBRY

The 13th annual Mutt Strut, an event of Hand in Paw, will take place on Earth Day, April 22, at Homewood’s Central Park.

The event includes a dog-friendly 5K and one-mile fun run. All dog lovers and running enthusiasts are invited for a day full of races, contests and various vendors, all while supporting the animal-assisted therapy nonprofit.

Mutt Strut is hosted by Hand in Paw’s Junior Board to support the program’s work. Hand in Paw’s professionally trained teams of animals and handlers provide comfort and joy at local medical centers, schools and human service agencies free of charge.

“Going for a walk or run with your furry friend is a great way to get outdoors and appreciate our beautiful world, so we thought hosting Mutt Strut on Earth Day was a great idea,” said Brittany Filby, communications director for Hand in Paw.

Attendees are encouraged to get into the

Earth Day spirit by wearing on-theme cos tumes, bringing refillable water bottles to the race to reduce plastic waste and carpooling to the event to reduce carbon emissions. There will also be recycling stations and a local flower truck at the race for more Earth-friendly fun. Registration for the 5K costs $30, while the fun run is $25. Included in the race registration is a race T-shirt and matching doggie bandana, entry into award categories and a chance to visit with local vendors and food trucks in the Mutt Strut Vendor Village. Hand in Paw offers a sleep-in option for $15 if runners can’t join the festivities but still want to show their support and score some swag. There will also be free face painting and a bubble blowing station for kids, and attendees can look forward to a dance performance by Magic City Disco.

Mutt Strut registration and Vendor Village opens at 7:30 a.m. with the races starting at 9 a.m.

To register online and to learn more about Mutt Strut, visit handinpaw.org/muttstrut.

Guests enjoy the 2022 Mutt Strut. Photo courtesy of Hand in Paw.

Owner Blake Stevens has certainly spent enough time at the shop to call it his second home, too. Stevens worked at the shop while he was a student at Samford University from 1996 to 2001. He opened a shop at the Regions-Harbert Plaza, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. While he took a position with Starbucks, one he held for roughly 15 years, Stevens came back home in 2019.

Decades after he first worked at O.Henry’s, Stevens is now watching people he grew up with bring their kids into the shop.

Stevens bought the business from Randy Adamy, who bought it from founder Dr. Henry Bright.

For two or three years before he opened O.Henry’s in 1993, Bright traveled to learn as much about coffee as he could. At that time, there was no Starbucks in the area, and no one around town had ever heard of espresso coffee, he said.

Bright’s friends and acquaintances thought he had lost his mind when he pursued opening a coffee shop after retiring from his work as a dentist.

“I didn’t know what I was doing,” Bright said.

Bright found Gary Teplitsky, who was “doing something unique” in Key West: roasting his own coffee in his Florida coffee shop. Teplitsky, who is still in business today, invited Bright to spend a week with him and learn from him. He introduced Bright to roasters in New York, where Bright headed next to learn from the Dallis brothers.

Bright eventually moved his roaster to West Homewood, where the shop’s roasting operation is still handled today.

Five years after he started the business, Bright sold it to Adamy, who had come to Birmingham from Michigan with Bruno's grocery business. Bright stayed on to help Adamy, and the two became not only partners, but fast friends.

“It was a good fit,” Bright said.

Bright said he has enjoyed seeing O.Henry’s growth.

“It’s amazing how fast the 30 years have

passed,” he said.

In his roughly 20 years of ownership, Adamy added locations, more variety in the shop’s coffee beans and delivered O.Henry's coffees to other up-and-coming shops for them to sell, he said. Business, he said, was good.

“I was not a great salesman,” Adamy said. “I just had to answer the phone.”

Despite the shop’s popularity, the goal was never to make it a corporate giant, Adamy said.

“We never wanted to see how big we could get it,” Adamy said. “We just wanted to be proud of it.”

When Starbucks came on the scene and opened a location at what is now the SoHo Standard location, Adamy admits O.Henry’s leaders were “nervous.” But Homewood residents chose not to patronize the Starbucks, keeping their dollars at O.Henry’s.

“They prize independent, local people,” Adamy said. “That’s what makes Homewood, Homewood.”

Bright’s vision was to “have a place where folks could gather around a great cup of coffee,” Stevens said.

“That’s still our vision,” he said.

In the four years since Stevens took over, the shop has faced a global pandemic, supply chain problems and the opening of new locations. But even during tough times, the shop hasn’t had big cuts and has provided a sense of normalcy for its customers during abnormal times, Stevens said.

“We’ve got some war wounds, but we’re a stronger team for it,” he said.

Teams across O.Henry’s locations work hard to maintain its high roasting standards, Stevens said. Those teams are made up of people who, like Stevens, won’t work at the shop forever, but will benefit from the lessons they learn, he said.

“We know this isn’t your forever job,” Stevens said. “How can we work together to help you learn some soft skills?”

And while they might not all come back one day like he did, Stevens said the store does have some managers who have been with O.Henry’s for a long time.

In the past several years, the company has opened up new locations in Vestavia Hills, Hoover and in Dunnavant Valley.

“Each store has its own uniqueness,” Stevens said.

Dunnavant Valley’s shop continues to grow,

with stores like Ace Hardware nearby drawing more customers, along with a drugstore. The Patchwork Farms location in Vestavia benefits from the apartment complexes nearby, along with Highlands College students. The Hoover shop has picked up some steam and is seeing more activity, Stevens said. Each new location means adding more team members, which he enjoys seeing.

“I love watching teams develop and people grow,” he said.

While the original location’s aesthetic has not changed, O.Henry’s has added more food and drinks to its menu over the years and has also added a mobile app for customers to place their orders ahead of time, Stevens said. The company also provides consulting and equipment to other shops.

O.Henry’s is no longer the only option in town. Several other coffee shops have moved in, with more on the way. But it doesn’t faze Stevens.

“I’ve never viewed folks coming in as competition,” he said. “We want people to gather around a great cup of coffee.”

Coffee is all about relationships, Stevens said. Each cup of coffee that comes from a farm, wherever it may be, represents a family. Stevens said O.Henry’s as a company has always been about family, with Beverly Bright, Mary Adamy and Anna Stevens all playing a role in helping run the store along with their husbands.

O.Henry’s has also played host to many a first date and has even witnessed marriage proposals, Stevens said.

“Everybody has their O.Henry’s story,” he said.

That includes barista Corrie Parks. Her parents had one of their first dates at the shop, something they enjoy bringing up whenever her job comes up in conversation.

“It’s wonderful,” Parks said of her family’s history with O.Henry’s. “I have a strong sense of nostalgia.”

Despite all of the changes in Homewood since O.Henry’s first opened its doors, the shop has stood the test of time, Stevens said.

“We see our place in the community as this timeless brand,” he said. “O.Henry’s is not a person. It represents something bigger than yourself.”

Corrie Parks, a barista at O.Henry’s Coffee on 18th Street South in downtown Homewood, takes an order. Photo by Erin Nelson.

TRAILS

CONTINUED from page A1

The system includes six major corridors, each with different types of trails. Eventually, a seventh corridor along the Northern Beltline will be built. Main trails primarily follow Birmingham-area waterways, and each corridor has a signature trail, Buck said.

GREATER BIRMINGHAM LOOP

The 36-mile Greater Birmingham loop is a “game changer,” Buck said.

“It’s an ambitious plan,” she said.

The loop will connect Red Mountain to Ruffner Mountain, with other trails throughout the area connected as well, Buck said. The loop is projected to include the municipalities of Birmingham, Homewood, Irondale and Fairfield. The Shades Creek Greenway is the southernmost portion of that trail, Buck said.

NEW ADDITIONS

One new addition to the Red Rock Trail System is the Hugh Kaul trail, formerly known as the Continental Gin Connector, which connects the downtown Rotary Trail to Avondale and then connects Avondale to the historic Continental Gin Complex, home to Cahaba Brewing. The trail is part of the organization’s plan to connect downtown Birmingham to Ruffner Mountain.

Another new addition is part of Five Mile Creek Greenway in north Jefferson County, with 5.5 miles on the ground already and plans to build two more miles in the next four years, according to Freshwater Land Trust’s four-year strategic plan, released in early March.

The city of Homewood has trails that connect with the system, including the Shades Creek Greenway. City workers recently broke ground on phase two of that project, adding 1.4 miles, with a total of 3 miles added to the system, Buck said.

The city of Mountain Brook joins the system through the Jemison Trail, which

connects to the greenway.

In Vestavia Hills, existing system trails include the Boulder Canyon Loop Trail behind the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest and McCallum Park trails. Other trails in the city that could be connected include Little Shades Creek Greenway and the Patchwork Farms Greenway, Buck said.

ENCOURAGING COMMUNITY

The mission of the Freshwater Land Trust is to make people more aware of the natural resources in the community, Buck said.

Having a connected trail system brings many benefits, Buck said. It allows people to be more connected, with kids learning to ride a bike and people of all ages walking

next to each other, she said. It also brings “amazing” economic benefits, with $11 million set to come to the county as a result of the different opportunities it presents, Buck said.

The trail also has led to higher property values, Buck said. Having trails helps improve the quality of life for residents, said Homewood City Councilor Jennifer Andress. Andress said she is working on making sure the Shades Creek Greenway has regular maintenance, bags for dog waste, trash cans and bathrooms.

FUTURE

In the future, the city of Birmingham is applying for a large Department of

Transportation grant to fund the connection of Legion Field to downtown 20th Street. Congresswoman Terri Sewell gave money to help pay for converting 4.5 miles of old rail lines to trails adjacent to Valley Creek, helping connect Red Mountain to the Crossplex in Ensley. That trail benefits residents of Birmingham, Midfield, Fairfield, Brighton and Lipscomb.

In the next four years, Freshwater Land Trust plans to complete 150 more miles of the Red Rock Trail System, add 50 trailhead signs and 500 trail blazes to the existing system, increase the number of new system users and funding partners, open four new public access properties and expand its community partnerships.

People walk and run along the path on the Shades Creek Greenway trail in Homewood on March 7. Photo by Erin Nelson.

OUR TREE CREWS ARE WORKING TO KEEP THE DEPENDABILITY YOU EXPECT.

At Alabama Power, we work hard to provide the dependable service our customers expect and deserve. We give 100% to achieve 99.98% dependability. That means regularly inspecting and trimming trees as a way of preventing potential outages.

About 45% of outages experienced by Alabama Power customers are due to trees and plant life.

Overgrown branches can brush against power lines and cause outages. They also make power lines more accessible to wildlife.

We use technology and data analytics to help identify areas in need of tree trimming to protect the electrical system.

Keeping you aware of upcoming work is a priority to us. Scan the QR code to see the neighborhoods tree crews will be working in.

If you have any questions, please call Alabama Power at 205-257-2155 and request to speak with a member of our utility tree care team.

To learn more about how we safely maintain our system or for recommendations on planting the right trees in the right place, visit AlabamaPower.com/trees.

Home & Garden Guide 2023 Spring

Special Advertising Section

Spring is in bloom, and it’s the perfect time to plant a garden, do some cleaning or start a home renovation. Find tips and tricks from area businesses to jump-start any project in our guide.

Spring is a wonderful time of the year when homeowners can get back outside, savor the warm weather and enjoy their yards with family and friends.

It’s also a good time for homeowners to dramatically improve their landscaping or create exciting new outdoor spaces.

They can turn to the experts at Gardner Landscaping in Hoover, who’ve provided timely, top-quality service to residential and commercial customers since 2006.

“Our specialty is making a beautiful landscape with trees, shrubs and flowers,” owner Grant Gardner said. “However, we’re also very good at developing outdoor play and entertainment areas.”

Gardner and his team stay abreast of the latest outdoor design trends, and combine cultivated greenery and pops of vivid color to create the perfect outdoor environments.

They can also satisfy any client’s taste with either traditional or unusual plant materials.

Gardner Landscaping boasts a full staff of licensed, insured and talented

personnel, unlike some landscape businesses.

“We have the personnel and resources to get to your project in a timely manner,” Gardner said, adding that they strive to provide clients with a quote on their projects within 24 hours.

Gardner Landscaping employees are also highly motivated to satisfy their customers.

“We strive to satisfy individual preferences, while advising our customers based upon several factors, such as the intended purpose of the space,” Gardner said.

Gardner Landscaping works with all types and sizes of budgets and landscapes in Birmingham, Auburn, Dadeville, Alexander City or Lake Martin.

For details, call 205-401-3347 or go to gardnerlandscapingllc.com.

Need some new window coverings this spring? Steve Thackerson is ready to help you have beautiful window blinds, shutters, solar shades and draperies that you can control from anywhere. They’re easy to use and easy to afford, he said.

“Motorization is a big thing now. There are ways you can tie motorized window coverings into your home’s automation system,” said Thackerson, owner of Budget Blinds of Birmingham.

With a touch of your phone — even when you’re not home — you can raise or lower your window coverings, or you can tell Alexa to do it for you. Your Budget Blinds can also open or close at a preselected time of day or night.

“We can usually tie our product into any system you might have,” Thackerson said. “We take pride in providing style and service for every budget.”

At Budget Blinds — your local window covering expert — they take the time to understand you and your unique needs to deliver the best custom window covering solution designed for the way you live. They do any kind of custom window covering. As far as blinds go, they offer wood and faux wood, aluminum, vinyl, composite and vertical blinds or vertical blind alternatives. They also offer shades of all kinds: roller, Roman, cellular, bamboo, woven wood, pleated, sheer, graphic and solar.

And they can get your interior plantation shutter needs taken care of with wood or composite.

“Shutters and woven wood shades are our top two sellers,”

Thackerson said.

You can see a gallery of recent projects on their website to get a feel for what they can do for your home or office, or visit their

showroom in Vestavia at 2130 Columbiana Road.

“We install them, so anything that’s purchased from us, we’ll custom measure your windows

and professionally install them,” Thackerson said. “We don’t subcontract that out. We control everything from setting up the appointment to the final installation.”

They also have better warranties than their competitors, he said. “Our manufacturers may also sell to our competitors, but they don’t give them the same warranties they give us. That sets us apart. We get the same products but better pricing and better warranties because we are the largest retailer of custom window coverings in the world.”

That comes with their national presence and the long relationships he and his wife have built in their more than 30 years in the business. He also has two salesmen with decades of experience.

“They are veteran employees who have been with me a long time,” Thackerson said.

The highly trained design consultants at Budget Blinds put their heart and soul into creating the perfect answer to your window fashion needs. They even bring their entire showroom to you with their free in-home design consultation.

They also really enjoy serving their many wonderful customers in all of Birmingham and surrounding areas.

To learn more, call them or go to their website today.

Meet the Weaver and Finn Families

Homewood welcomes: Charlie, Anna and Greg Weaver (and Timber)

Q: Why Homewood?

A: We’re Birmingham natives but always wanted to be closer to restaurants, parks, and entertainment venues in downtown Birmingham. When our son started at The Altamont School, it became a logistical necessity. We looked into many neighborhoods, but we were drawn to the walkability of Homewood. Plus, we already had lots of friends here!

Q: What has it been like?

A: We enjoy walking to restaurants and taking our dog, Timber, with us if there is outdoor seating. Our neighbors are all very friendly and we love the sense of community.

Q: What is your favorite feature?

A: Our brand new home was built by Willow Homes, and the quality of the materials and finishes is top-notch. We absolutely love the way the exterior turned out. We chose to do all hardwood floors with no carpeting, and they turned out so warm. Cleaning them is efficient and easy. Our family are avid readers, and we love our custom bookshelf, too!

Q: Were you happy with the buying and selling services from Art House?

A: Art House did a great job marketing and selling our previous home. The photographs and videos were outstanding, and really did a great job highlighting it features. Also, our realtor, Roxanne Hale, made everything from showing to our

previous house to choosing an offer as simple as possible. Both closings were very organized and went smoothly as a result.

The Finn Family makes a move to Trussville

Q: How did you find Savannah Johnson and Art House?

A: I found Savannah on Instagram @savannahsellsbham. I wanted a realtor to show us areas of Birmingham, not just listings.  When we first spoke, I was clear that we weren’t looking to buy a house yet. I assumed we would feel pressure from her to put an offer quickly due to the market. After meeting Savannah, it was

obvious she wasn’t going to pressure us at all. Savannah was completely onboard to show us all around Birmingham and helping us find our Trussville home! Choosing Savannah was a no brainer! Art House was a bonus.

Q: Why did you choose your home?

A: You ever get that feeling that something is meant to be? That's the feeling we got when we walked into our home. It had the right space and layout we were looking for and just felt like home.

Q: What is your favorite feature of your home?

A: The curb appeal with our arch out

front. I picture every first day of school and prom photos taken under that arch. I also love the grand, gold light fixture in our foyer.

Q: Did any speedbumps come up along the way?

A: We went into buying this home, contingent on the sale of our home in Pennsylvania. There was a potential delay on the sale that popped up 3 days before closing on our Trussville home. In the end it all worked out! The support from Savannah and the broker helped us close on time.

Art House is a real estate agency offering buying and selling services throughout the Greater Birmingham Area. Shop properties and get a home valuation at soldbyarthouse.com

The top destination for quality hardware, great service and family tradition

Brandino Brass in Homewood is known throughout the Southeast as a top destination for homeowners, designers, contractors and architects in search of a huge selection of highquality decorative and architectural hardware.

This includes everything from cabinet hardware and elegant door knobs to fireballs and bathroom accessories as well interior and exterior lighting.

The company is a dealer for unique, highend hardware vendors, with many products available only at Brandino Brass.

In addition, it displays a growing array of interior and exterior lighting including lamps, sconces, pendants and chandeliers. There’s also a long, proud tradition of family ownership at Brandino Brass, founded in 1948 by the late Tony Brandino.

His son, Buster Brandino, along with Buster's son, Eric, reestablished the business in Homewood in 2009.

Buster retired at the end of 2022, but the family tradition continues. Eric Brandino remains as a co-owner along with two new co-owners with long ties to the operation — Renee Genereux, who has worked at Brandino Brass since 2010, and Jessie Isom, who has worked there since 2012.

“I’m really excited to open the next chapter,” Eric Brandino said.

The new owners have a great working relationship.

“We work well as a team,” Isom said. “On almost every subject we each bring a different, unique perspective, and we work together to make the best decisions for the company.”

“We work together to problem solve, grow our brand and continue as a successful

Brandino Brass • 205-978-8900 • brandinobrass.com

business,” Genereux said.

Eric Brandino expresses great faith in his new co-owners.

“Renee and Jessie are true examples of hard work, loyalty and trust,” he said.

Genereux said she is “very honored” that Eric Brandino offered her a role in ownership.

“It feels good to be acknowledged for my hard work and dedication over the past 13 years with the company,” she said.

Isom said he’s “very excited” to become a co-owner. “It feels like all my hard work and commitment has paid off.”

The friendly, knowledgeable Brandino sales team helps customers find just the right look, and customers can view the store’s beautiful showroom in person or through a virtual walk-through on the company’s website brandinobrass.com.

Unlike the big-box hardware stores, Brandino Brass offers deep product knowledge and a personal touch. Brandino Brass also offers a range of prices and quality that is unmatched by the chain stores.

The company has built its “reputation and success” on customer service, Isom said.

“We have over 50 years’ experience in the hardware industry, and that gives us a unique advantage over much of our competition when it comes to very custom detailed projects. The owners and staff have had long relationships with architects, designers, contractors and homeowners that come back to us on all of their projects. We always do our best to make sure the customer has a good experience and is completely satisfied with the end result. We go above and beyond.”

Using skill, personal touch to create beautiful lawns

Advanced Turf Care • 205-305-7949 • advancedturfcarellc.com

The typical homeowner spends lots of time and money to create a luscious green lawn that will increase their home’s value and curb appeal.

Advanced Turf Care, a full-service lawn care company in Birmingham, makes sure that homeowners maximize their investment and get the beautiful yards they deserve.

The skilled professionals at Advanced Turf Care also offer homeowners a friendly, personal touch.

“We want to give individualized attention to our customers that the big companies cannot,” owner Grant Gardner said.

The employees at Advanced Turf Care are “some of the best in the business,” he said.

They have lots of knowledge and experience, as well as attention to detail and a passion for customer service.

“We want the customer to have an enjoyable experience when dealing with us,” Gardner said.

Homeowners don’t have to settle for second best in their lawn care.

“Don’t keep using a lawn service that provides you a cheap price and a lawn

One Man & A Toolbox celebrates 25 years of great service to homeowners

If your home needs routine maintenance or minor repairs, you may think you can do it yourself and save money.

you’re not proud of,” Gardner said.

For example, Advanced Turf Care uses high-quality, slow-release fertilizer that feeds your lawn and keeps it healthy all season.

Other providers “use cheap fertilizer that will give your lawn an initial green, but not provide the nourishment your lawn needs,” Gardner said.

In addition, Advanced Turf Care is there for you over the long haul and really understand weed control.

“Give us time to make your lawn truly healthy,” Gardner said. “The best control of weeds is achieved months before they appear.”

Advanced Turf Care also takes care of your shrubs and trees, which need fertilization and pest protection just like your lawn.

For details, call 205-305-7949 or go to advancedturfcarellc.com.

However, even if you believe you have the right skills and tools to do a job, it will likely take you a lot longer than it should, because you don’t do home repairs every day.

Most home projects, even small handyman jobs, are better left to the experienced professionals at One Man & A Toolbox, now celebrating its 25th anniversary.

One Man & A Toolbox can handle any small project, including minor carpentry, plumbing and electrical fixes. They can also do painting, caulking, shelving and more.

“Any odd jobs around your home, we’ll get them done right the first time,” said owner Jay Moss.

Moss and company can also do many other special tasks, like putting up decorations or assembling a swing set.

“No matter how crazy you think the task is, call us and we’ll try to figure it out,” Moss said.

One Man & A Toolbox can also tackle larger home improvement projects.

Moss warns homeowners against calling unlicensed, uninsured repairmen from Angi or Craigslist. Many will ask for money to buy materials before starting and won’t return or won’t be available for warranty issues that arise after the job.

One Man & A Toolbox has skilled, reliable employees who are licensed, insured and bonded.

And the company is here to stay. The 25th anniversary “shows the good reputation we have to be able to stay in business,” Moss said. Call 205-823-2111 or go to oneman-toolbox.com.

HVAC experts with Homewood roots offering quality service

Modern Mechanical

— which offers its customers topquality residential and commercial HVAC service — is a family-owned, small business with deep Homewood roots.

Spencer and Miles Smith, brothers who grew up in Edgewood, always dreamed of starting their own business. With that goal in mind, they decided to specialize in different services so they could better serve their future customers. Miles worked in commercial HVAC, while Spencer focused on residential.

They rejoined forces in 2022 to start Modern Mechanical, now able to cater to all customer types with a diverse set of knowledge.

They’re happy with the reception they’ve received in their hometown.

“The trust and support the community has shown us has been incredible,” Miles said. “It makes me grateful to have been able to grow up and live in a community as great as Homewood.”

The Smiths service and install all brands of equipment, including HVAC systems, air purification devices, humidifiers and smart thermostats. The brothers enjoy working in HVAC, which they’ve done since 2016.

“We’re both mechanically inclined,”

Spencer said. “We love interacting with people, fixing things and solving problems.”

It’s gratifying “knowing you helped somebody out,” he said.

The brothers come from an entrepreneurial family with several small businesses in the Birmingham area, and they apply the “awesome lessons” from their father, Spencer said.

“Treat others how we would want to be treated — in life and in business,” he said. “Do what you say you are going to do.”

Not surprisingly, Spencer and Miles put a premium on exceptional customer service.

They provide quality work with fair pricing, try to find the best solutions and respect and value their customers. Call 205-855-0031 or go to their website modernmechanicalbham.com.

Homewood Carpet & Flooring offers the best selection in Birmingham

Homewood Carpet & Flooring • 205-518-6423 • homewoodcarpet.com

To find the best selection of flooring in the Birmingham area, go to Homewood Carpet & Flooring.

Owner Foo Shunnarah has offered great service for 16 years and helps customers pick the perfect flooring for their lifestyle and budget.

Shunnarah’s motto is “Foo And You: We Are One!”

“When I say ‘Foo and You,’ it’s really like 90% of the time you’ll see me if I’m there, and if you have any issues, you’ll talk directly to me,” he said.

Luxury vinyl — durable and scratchresistant — is perhaps the most popular type of flooring right now, Shunnarah said.

Luxury vinyl tile and planks look almost exactly like tile or hardwood but are much cheaper.

“The price is half, or less than half, when compared to actual tile or hardwood,” Shunnarah said.

In August, Homewood Carpet & Flooring began carrying COREtec, the original luxury vinyl flooring.

COREtec is waterproof, kid-proof and pet-proof; easy to install and maintain; and comes in many attractive styles.

Shunnarah also offers long-lasting porcelain ceramic tiles; beautiful, timeless hardwoods; carpet, a very affordable option; and other specialty products.

These products are available in many colors, styles and looks.

Homewood Carpet & Flooring offers free measurements, and you can look at products in the showroom or have them brought to your home. The store also offers installation.

Financing is available at Homewood Carpet & Flooring, as well. To fill out an application, go to the store’s website and click on the Wells Fargo link. For details, go to homewoodcarpet.com.

Foo Shunnarah

Make Your Home Even Better

Sports

All-South Metro Basketball

Warren, McCool make 3rd team

By KYLE PARMLEY

The 2022-23 high school basketball season was one that will not soon be forgotten, with the Hoover High School boys and girls basketball teams sweeping the Class 7A state championships on the same day in early March. Several other teams from the Starnes Media coverage area advanced to the state and regional tournaments in highly successful campaigns.

Because of Hoover’s dominance, it is difficult to name anyone but Scott Ware and Krystle Johnson as the boys and girls Coaches of the Year. After sharing the honor with teammate Aniya Hubbard last season, Hoover’s Reniya Kelly claims the Player of the Year title to herself this time around. Vestavia Hills’ Win Miller is the boys Player of the Year after capping off a record-setting career with the Rebels.

Here is this year’s All-South Metro Team.

BOYS AWARDS

► Player of the Year: Win Miller, Vestavia Hills

► Coach of the Year: Scott Ware, Hoover

GIRLS AWARDS

► Player of the Year: Reniya Kelly, Hoover

► Coach of the Year: Krystle Johnson, Hoover

BOYS 1ST TEAM

► Win Miller, Vestavia Hills: Averaged 22 points per game and led the Rebels to a 26-5 record. He finished his career with 2,011 career points and is the program’s all-time leading scorer.

► Caleb White, Pinson Valley: Led the Indians with 21 points per game, shooting 40% from 3-point range. The Indians’ only loss of the season came in the regional final, as they finished 29-1 on the year.

► Paul Lanzi, Chelsea: Capped off an outstanding career by averaging 18.8 points per game for the Hornets. He finished his career with 1,370 points and 185 made 3-pointers.

► Ty Davis, Mountain Brook: Led the Spartans as a do-it-all point guard, averaging 18.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6 assists per game, as his team advanced to the Class 6A state final.

► Matt Heiberger, Oak Mountain: Willed the Eagles to victory many times, including going over 30 points several times down the stretch. The Alabama baseball signee averaged 21.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

BOYS 2ND TEAM

► Terry Coner Jr., Pinson Valley: The senior guard went for 17 points and 5 rebounds per game for the Indians.

► Kalib Thomas, John Carroll: Led the Cavs to a No. 2 ranking in Class 5A, averaging 16.9 points per game.

► Zach Gray, Spain Park: One of the most consistent players in the area, going for 16 points a game for a Jags team that reached the final four.

► DeWayne Brown, Hoover: A force in the paint, despite being a sophomore. He averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per contest.

► Sam Wright, Spain Park: The leading scorer and rebounder for the Jags, averaging 16.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

BOYS 3RD TEAM

► Jackson Weaver, Vestavia Hills: Stepped up as a primary option for the Rebels this season, going for 15 points a night in his junior season.

► Salim London, Hoover: The sophomore went for 14.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.9

assists per game for the state champs.

► Avery Futch, Chelsea: The junior forward went for 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds, while also shooting 35% from 3-point range for the Hornets.

► Julius Clark, Mountain Brook: A consistent player for several years, compiling 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in his senior season.

► Tre Thomas, Oak Mountain: The senior averaged 10.1 and 6.2 rebounds, but piled up an impressive 130 blocks on the year as well.

BOYS HONORABLE MENTION

► Ray Rolley, Hewitt-Trussville; Devon McKinnon, Clay-Chalkville; Canon Armstead, Homewood; KJ Beck, John Carroll;

Above: John Carroll’s Kalib Thomas (13) dribbles the ball guarded by Fairfield’s Josiah Jones (3) during a game at John Carroll Catholic High School on Jan. 18.

by Erin Nelson.

Left: Homewood’s Mira McCool (32) takes the ball to the goal guarded by Calera’s Tamia Fairbanks (22) in a game against the Eagles at Homewood High School on Nov. 28.

Braylon Bernard, John Carroll; Aden Malpass, John Carroll; Jarett Fairley, Hoover; KJ Kirk, Clay-Chalkville; John Colvin, Mountain Brook; Chase James, Spain Park; Drew Mears, Briarwood; William Lloyd, Briarwood; Elijah Herron, Hoover

GIRLS 1ST TEAM

► Reniya Kelly, Hoover: The Player

Photos

of the Year averaged 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5 assists per game for the state champs.

► Sarah Gordon, Vestavia Hills: The sophomore has established herself as one of the state’s top players, going for 17 points per game for the 28-5 Lady Rebels.

► Jordan Hunter, Hewitt-Trussville: Eclipsed 15 points and 4 assists per game for the Lady Huskies as a junior.

► Raegan Whitaker, Oak Mountain: Led the area in scoring with 18 points per game, while pulling down nearly 10 rebounds a night as well.

► Layla Etchison, Hoover: Stepped up

in her senior season to provide 12.1 points per game.

GIRLS 2ND TEAM

► Anna Towry, Vestavia Hills: Joined the 1,000-point club during her senior season after averaging 13.6 points and 6.2 rebounds.

► Kamoriah Gaines, Clay-Chalkville: Helped lead the Lady Cougars to the regional final, going for 13.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per contest.

► Haley Trotter, Chelsea: Nearly averaged a double-double, going for 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds a game for the Lady Hornets.

► Audre Benson, Hewitt-Trussville:

Averaged 12.1 points per game and produced a program-record 98 steals.

► Taylor Smith, Briarwood: Went for 10.8 points and school record 64 blocks.

GIRLS 3RD TEAM

► Sophia Brown, Chelsea: Capped off her career by playing in the regional tournament for a fifth time in her career, averaging 11.7 points for the season.

► Emma Stearns, Mountain Brook: Averaged 10.7 points for the Lady Spartans.

► Kayla Warren, Homewood: Led a balanced Lady Patriots team with nearly 10 points per game.

► Alanah Pooler, Hoover: Stabilized the Lady Bucs on both ends of the floor, averaging 7.7 points for the season.

► Mira McCool, Homewood: Piled up 39 blocks for the Lady Patriots.

GIRLS HONORABLE MENTION

► Sarah Passink, Mountain Brook; Emma Kerley, Briarwood; Mary Beth Dicen, Briarwood; Jill Gaylard, Vestavia Hills; Annie McBride, Homewood; Sadie Schwallie, Chelsea; Olivia Pryor, Chelsea; Kameron Sanders, Clay-Chalkville; Kristen McMillan, Hoover; Madison Moore, Chelsea; April Hooks, Hewitt-Trussville

Childrens AL org

Homewood’s Kayla Warren (3) shoots for 3 points guarded by Calera’s Tyeshia Williams (12) in a game against Calera at Homewood High School on Nov. 28.

In the little moments and major milestones of childhood, we are here for our patients and their families – helping, healing, teaching and discovering.

Homewood High School finish 5th at state wrestling

By KYLE PARMLEY

The Homewood High School wrestling team finished fifth in the Class 6A wrestling tournament Feb. 16-18 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville. The Patriots scored 122 points, while Mortimer Jordan and Mountain Brook tied for third with 134 points. McAdory won the tournament and Gardendale finished second.

Joseph Marcum won the 106-pound division, winning three straight matches. He won by tech fall over Pell City’s Connor Miller, won by decision over Athens’ Lakin Poff and won by decision over McAdory’s Wesley Miller in the final.

Sam Sutton was victorious in the 138-pound division, winning four matches to claim the crown. He won by fall over Benjamin Russell’s Damion Billups, won by fall over Mortimer Jordan’s John Leon, won by decision over Athens’ Austin Campbell and won in tiebreaker

over Wetumpka’s Chad Strickland in the final.

Moeen Almansoob at 120 pounds and Hanif Muhammad at 126 pounds each finished third. Almansoob lost in the semifinals, but rallied to win the consolation semifinal and won by tech fall over Saraland’s John Daugherty in the third-place match. Muhammad followed the same path, beating Pelham’s Walt Calvert and Fort Payne’s Carter Blalock to finish third.

Buddy Ketcham (113) and Hayden Eldridge (195) finished fifth in their classes.

Bobby Chamorro (132), Jordan Cottrell (145), Lanham Boyd (152), Fernando Trejo (160), Blas Correa (170), Randall Jaquez (182) and Bardon King (285) also wrestled for the Patriots.

John Carroll sent three wrestlers to state in the 5A classification. Jay Zito won a quarterfinal match at 126 pounds. Sequoah Hicks (120) and Alex Plaia (145) also competed at state for the Cavs.

Varsity Sports Calendar

BASEBALL

April 4: vs. Sardis. 4:30 p.m.

April 6: vs. Minor. 5 p.m.

April 8: vs. Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa. 4 p.m.

April 11: vs. Mountain Brook. 5 p.m.

April 13: Doubleheader @ Mountain Brook. 4:30 p.m.

April 17: vs. Helena. 5 p.m.

April 21-22: State playoffs. TBD.

April 28-29: State playoffs. TBD.

SOCCER

April 4: Boys vs. Spain Park. 7 p.m.

April 5: Girls vs. Gardendale. 6 p.m.

April 6: Boys vs. Pelham. 7 p.m.

April 10: Girls @ Oneonta. 7 p.m.

April 11: Boys @ Northridge. 6:30 p.m.

April 17: @ Parker. Girls at 5 p.m., boys at 6:30 p.m.

April 18: Girls @ Vestavia Hills. 6:30 p.m.

April 20: Boys vs. Grissom. 6:30 p.m.

April 21: Girls vs. Thompson. 7 p.m.

April 22: Boys @ Prattville. 2:30 p.m.

April 27: State playoffs. TBD.

TRACK AND FIELD

April 8: Spain Park Invitational. Veterans Park.

April 14-15: Mountain Brook Invitational. Mountain Brook High School.

April 21: Hewitt-Trussville Invitational. Hewitt-Trussville High School.

April 28-29: Section meet. Northridge High School.

GOLF

April 3-4: Girls at Hike the Hills. Highland Park.

April 4: Boys at Fairview Chesley Oaks Spring Classic. Cullman.

April 6: Girls at Fairview Chesley Oaks Spring Classic. Cullman.

April 10: Hewitt-Trussville Tournament. Grayson Valley Country Club.

April 10-11: Boys at Tom Bell Memorial. Limestone Springs.

April 17: Boys at Hoover Buc Classic. Hoover Country Club.

April 18: Bert McGriff Invitational. Cullman.

April 26: Girls vs. John Carroll. 3 p.m.

SOFTBALL

April 4: vs. Mountain Brook. 5 p.m.

April 6: @ Woodlawn. 5 p.m.

April 10: @ Shades Valley. 5 p.m.

April 11: vs. Woodlawn. 5 p.m.

April 13: vs. Shades Valley. 5 p.m.

April 18: @ Mountain Brook. 5 p.m.

April 25: vs. Ramsay. 5 p.m.

April 27: @ Pelham. 5 p.m.

TENNIS

April 4: vs. Vestavia Hills. 3:30 p.m.

April 6: @ Spain Park. 3:30 p.m.

April 11: vs. Oak Mountain. 3:30 p.m.

Homewood’s Sam Sutton competes in the state wrestling tournament in Huntsville. Photo courtesy of Dawn Harrison.

Homewood Parks & Recreation

Classes & Activities

Central Barre

Tuesday 6:15am / Wednesday 5:15pm

Saturday 8:15am

at Homewood Community Center

Central Barre is a small group fitness class incorporating barre, core, cardio, balance, strength training and stretch to give you a complete workout in 55 minutes. We use a variety of small equipment such as weights, resistance bands, balls and sliding discs to increase variety and provide real results. Email ellyngagnon@gmail.com for more information.

Belly Dancing

Class Fee: $50 per session

Contact Nuriyah: nuriyahraqs@gmail.com

Learn the ancient art of belly dance with Aziza’s School of Middle Eastern Dance. Each session is 4 weeks long at the Homewood Community Center.

Dance Trance

Tuesday & Thursday 5:45pm-6:45pm

Monday, Wednesday & Saturday 9:30am-10:30am

Homewood Community Center

Dance Trance is a high-cardio, high-energy dance fitness experience that leaves participants soaking wet! It is a non-stop workout that feels more like a party than an exercise class. www.dancetrancefitness.com

Fun For All Line Dancing

Beginner and Beyond Beginner line dance instruction encompassing a variety of music genres, e.g., pop, country and R&B. You will learn line dance terminology, line dance steps, and, of course, line dances to specific music. Homewood Community Center - Studio 2

Tuesday 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM

$5.00 per person per visit

For more information contact funforalllinedancing@gmail.com

North Star Martial Arts

North Star Martial Arts primary focus is to make a life lasting impact on our students, and their families. Classes range from beginners to adults. For detailed class listings and times please visit the park’s website or www.northstarma.com.

205-966-4244 • info@northstarma.com

@homewood.parks

Bench Aerobics Step & Line Dance

Tuesday: 4:15pm – 5:15pm (Step Aerobics)

Thursday: 4:15pm – 5:15pm (Cardio Line Dance)

All classes in Fitness Studio 2 @ Homewood Community Center Cost: Classes are FREE (with donations) For more information contact Rosa at 205-253-9344 or benchaerobics@bellsouth.net

Royce Head Personal Training

Affordable personal training available to members in the Fitness Center at the Homewood Community Center. Workouts are fast, fun, safe, and effective and each person is started with a program to fit their fitness level. Call Royce for more information: (205) 945-1665

YoLimber

Vinyasa yoga classes in an energetic environment using upbeat music at Homewood Community Center. All levels welcome.

Friday: 8:00am-9:00am - Basics Class

Friday: 9:30am-10:30am - Regular Class Contact Marla: 205-223-8564 • mac@yolimber.com

Confi.Dance

Confi.Dance is a dance class in a small group setting to teach you the secrets of looking good on the dance floor and having more fun than you thought possible. Class Meets: Wednesday 3:00pm – 4:00pm at Homewood Community Center For more information: Jackie Tally jgtally@aol.com

Fast Track Line Dance

We learn the current and classic intermediate-advanced line dances.  This class is not for beginners. Fitness Studio 2 the Homewood Community Center.

Saturday 11:00am-1:00pm

Jackie Tally jgtally@aol.com (or) Helen Woods aquafool@aol.com

FIT4MOM

FIT4MOM Birmingham provides fitness classes and a network of local moms to support every stage of motherhood. From pregnancy, through postpartum and beyond, we serve our community by offering our fitness and wellness programs to help keep moms strong in body, mind and spirit. View our website for Membership Plans, Passes and Schedule. https://birmingham.fit4mom.com/

@homewood_parks

Senior Center

Intro to Line Dancing

This class is for those who have never done line dancing. We will start from scratch!!! See you there! Be sure to contact the Senior Center (205-332-6500) to sign up, so that Jackie will how many to expect.

Wednesday 9:30 – 10:15am

Instructor: Jackie Tally

DanceFit

DanceFit’s is easy-to-mimic dance moves with enough repetitions so that participants have time to “catch on.” Includes linear traveling moves, occasional turns, and arm movements so it does have a light cardio element.

Thursday 1:30pm

Instructor: Galina Waites

Tai Chi

45minutes will be dedicated to the simpler-yet-effective Tai Chi for Arthritis & Fall Prevention while the last 15 minutes will offer a more challenging level of Tai Chi. This class is easy on the joints, helps to calm/focus the mind, and is great for developing better balance.

Monday 1:30pm

Instructor: Galina Waites

Misc. Information

We Love Homewood Day 2023

Saturday, May 6, 2023

Save the date & come celebrate Homewood! Vendor & Sponsorship information available at www.homewoodparks.com

2023 Summer Seasonal Employment

Lifeguard & Camp Counselors

Job descriptions and applications available at www.homewoodparks.com

@homewoodparks

A few years ago I attended my first Catholic mass in a busy church outside Birmingham. It was Easter Sunday. I sat in the nosebleed section.

People greeted me with the words, “He’s risen.”

And because I was not raised under a rock, I answered with: “He’s risen indeed.”

I was not raised Catholic. I was born into a fundamentalist family with a mother who sometimes prayed in tongues over our meatloaf.

But after my father died, I learned that he had been raised Catholic. He went to Catholic school, he played Catholic baseball.

He didn’t talk about it. I never knew that version of him.

All I knew was a man who did not dance at wedding receptions for fear the pastor would catch him.

There in the Catholic cathedral, the priest announced, “He is risen.”

“He’s risen indeed,” said the congregation.

I was an outsider in the room. The priest recited the Liturgy of the Eucharist, people formed a single-file line to drink out of a chalice.

Easter Sundays in my family were nothing like this. My father was an usher at our little church. He’d stand by the front door and hand out bulletins that advertised upcoming Baptist church events.

For example:

► Thursday fundraiser, dinner on the grounds. Bring a covered dish.

► Young men’s Bible study, 6 p.m. Bring

Sean of the South By Sean Dietrich ‘He is risen’

a covered dish.

► Women’s Sunday school class is holding an upcoming prayer vigil against beer. Bring a congealed salad.

► Men’s group is recruiting for its annual mission trip to Biloxi.

On Easter, my father always gave folded bulletins to those approaching. He would say, “He is Risen.”

And any Baptist worth his salt would answer with, “He’s risen indeed.”

Most who attended our church on Easter were only visitors. They came twice per year. My father called them “nosebleed Baptists.”

I never heard anyone else use that term. I asked my father what this meant.

“Well,” he said. “Some fans only come to games once a year and sit in the nosebleed section. And other fans never miss a ballgame, even when the pitcher stinks.”

“Which ones are we?” I asked.

“You’ve heard our new preacher, you tell me.”

Our preacher delivered fiery sermons. He would remove his jacket and preach to heartless sinners, drunks and those who danced at wedding receptions.

The church services of my youth were lengthy. Someone in the congregation would either faint from low blood sugar or be suddenly overcome with the spirit of narcolepsy.

But this Catholic business was different.

Mass was foreign to me. It was exotic, and beautiful.

All my life, my father refused to step foot in a Catholic church. And he wouldn’t even talk about it.

But then, there was that one time.

On the way home from a Boy Scout meeting, he pulled into a Catholic church. I knew my father was having a rough time at work. I’d overheard him talking with my mother through the hot-air vents.

“The boss is killing me,” my father once said. “I can’t sleep, can’t eat…”

At night, sometimes I found my father vomiting in the bathroom from stress. I would ask what was wrong, and he would tell me to go back to bed.

That afternoon, Daddy wheeled into a Catholic church and turned off the truck. There was a man cutting the church lawn with a push mower; he wore a white collar.

My father told me to wait in the vehicle.

Daddy was in that chapel for almost two hours. When he came back his face was wet and his eyes were pink. I never asked why. And he never told me.

Anyway, Easter mass was lovely. I’ll never forget it. The priest told the people that “Easter is when dead things come back to life, when we remember how the finger of God can touch dead wood and make it green again.”

I had to write that down, I liked it so much. After the service, I stayed in the chapel until all the people had left. The priest sat in a pew behind me. He introduced himself.

“Father,” I said, “I’m not Catholic, but I really enjoyed mass.”

“Yeah?” he said. “Thanks for celebrating the Resurrection with us.”

“Can I ask you a question, Father?”

“Shoot.”

“Have you ever lost anyone?”

“Yes. I lost my mom, my dad and my brother.”

“Do you think about them a lot?”

He ducked his head. He let out a sigh. “Every second. Actually, I was thinking about Mom this morning. You know, when I was growing up, she would always laugh about the big Easter crowds and call them ‘nosebleed Catholics.’ Isn’t that funny?”

It sure is.

On my way out of church, the priest and I took a slow walk down the aisle. I admired the statuary and the beautiful stained glass windows.

The priest hugged me, then said, “He is risen.”

And well, you know the rest.

Happy Easter.

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

Ordinary Days By Lauren Denton

Memories of scent and place

Scent can be a kind of memory, right? There are a few scents wound so tightly into the fabric of my life, a faint whisper of them can send me cartwheeling back into the past.

One of my most powerful, vivid scent-memories is that of my Papa’s bathroom. I know it sounds crazy, and a little gross, but stick with me. My mom’s parents lived out in the country, in a tiny town north of Mobile. My brother and I spent a whole lot of time out there when we were kids. Our whole family did, really. It was one of my very favorite places to be, and even now, when I think of heaven, I hope there’s some version of Mema and Papa’s house there.

At some point during my early childhood, my grandmother decided she and Papa needed separate bathrooms. (They also had separate beds, a la Lucy and Ricky.) So my grandfather lovingly added a second bathroom onto their bedroom, and their hall bath, which had previously served both of them, along with my mom and sister when they were growing up, became just “Papa’s bathroom.” I don’t know what Mema used to clean it or if she had a secret stash of potpourri somewhere, but it always smelled so clean and refreshing, like sunlight and fresh breeze filtering through an open window.

I can’t pinpoint the specific scents that made up that particular bathroom smell, but all these years later I can suddenly catch a whiff of a certain candle or soap and it’s like I’m back in their house again, walking down the carpeted hallway toward the sweet, pinktiled bathroom at the end. The gauzy café curtains flutter in the breeze and through the open windows I can hear crickets in the trees, Papa working on some woodworking project

in the garage and something simmering on Mema’s stove in the kitchen. My mind settles on that red dirt road, the well-worn trails through the woods and the stone path leading to their cozy back porch and warm kitchen. It feels like coming home again.

I started thinking about these scent-memories because I recently spent a cold, windy weekend at my family’s condo at the beach. We’ve been vacationing at this particular spot for the last 30 years, so suffice it to say, it looms very large in my memories, and at the end of every hurricane season, I’m full of thanksgiving that it has survived. This particular weekend trip was the first time I’d been down there since the end of last summer, and the third time since my mom passed away.

I was nervous going in, wondering if our little haven would smell different — if it would no longer smell like her. Similar to how my grandmother could somehow make that hall bathroom smell so good, I never could quite pinpoint what my mom used to make the spaces around her smell so good. At the beach, it’s always been a mix of her spicy, woodsy candles, sunscreen and fabric softener. Unlocking the door that Friday afternoon, my knees almost went weak when the scent hit me. It was just the same, exactly as it was supposed to be.

And it was the same outside, too. There’s a particular scent that hits you as you round the corner of the buildings and take the wooden walkway down toward the river. It’s the brackish water — part Gulf salt, part river fresh. It’s the wet roots of cordgrass and needle rushes that grow along the marshy edges of the river. It’s the scent of blue herons and seagulls, crab traps and pinfish, chlorine

and Coppertone. And even on that chilly February afternoon, the smell was there, reminding me that though seasons change and people change, some things don’t.

When I was in high school, my best friend and I would lie on our backs at the end of the dock at night and look at the stars. Back then, the river was much quieter and darker — no fast boats slashing down the river with thumping music and neon lights. No tall, glittering condos obliterating the light. It was just two kids in the dark, looking up at a universe that seemed impossibly large, dreaming about the future. Every time I walk out on that dock now — inhaling the same smells, looking out at largely the same view — I think of the two of us, marveling at a future that seemed as vast and mysterious as the nighttime sky.

All these scent-memories take me back in time — as far back as early childhood when I romped in the woods out in the country, and as recently as last spring when my mom sat on the front of our boat and laughed in the sunshine — and I’m thankful for them. And I remind myself to be thankful for the scents of my life today — this sweet, hairy dog who needs a good washing, my ten-year-old after she comes in from playing hard outside, my thirteen-year-old who loves scented lip gloss and fruity shampoo and the lingering aroma of a spaghetti dinner as our family winds down at the close of another day.

When I’m not writing about my family and our various shenanigans, I write novels and go to the grocery store. You can find my books in stores, online and locally at Little Professor Bookshop. You can reach me by email at Lauren@LaurenKDenton.com, visit my website LaurenKDenton.com or find me on Instagram @LaurenKDentonBooks or Facebook ~LaurenKDentonAuthor.

Denton

Calendar

City Events

April 15: Cornhole Classic. 11 a.m. Good People Brewing. The annual cornhole tournament is put on by Alabama Cornhole and benefits The Bell Center. Teams compete for cash prizes as guests enjoy the games, food trucks, beer, music and more.

Library Events

CHILDREN

April 1: Breakfast Club. 9:30-11 a.m. Round Auditorium. Come by for some yummy cereal and entertaining activities to wake you up on a Saturday morning! All ages.

April 3: Homeschool Hour: Know it All!

11 a.m. to noon. Round Auditorium. This month, our friends from Foxhound Bee Company are sharing some buzzworthy facts and activities about bees. K-5th grade.

April 4 and 18: Tabletop 4 Tweens. 4-6 p.m. Room 109. All 4th through 6th graders are welcome to Sushi Go!, Exploding Kittens, Clue, Ticket to Ride and other board and card games for an afternoon of tabletop fun!

April 8: Little Prints. 2-3 p.m. Round Auditorium. Show off your creativity with different printmaking techniques that are enjoyable and relaxing for the whole family.

April 12: Creation Station. 3:30-4 p.m. Room 109. Join us as we learn about cool and fascinating experiments, challenges and crafts inspired by STEAM. Register online at homewoodpubliclibrary.org. K-5th grade.

April 13: Upcycling Crafternoon. 3:30-4 p.m. Round Auditorium. We’re going green with a monthly upcycling crafting program for kids. We’ll be repurposing the things we usually throw away in fun ways and expressing our creativity as well. Register online at homewoodpubliclibrary.org. K-5th grade.

April 15: Uno, Dos, Tres, iSpeak! 11-11:30 a.m. Round Auditorium. Learn the basics of Spanish with an interactive storytime, games and other fun activities. K-5th grade.

April 17: Knight School Chess Tournament. 5:30-7 p.m. Round Auditorium. Join us for a monthly chess tournament where you will learn strategy and have fun in equal measure. All ages.

TEENS

All month: Teen Poetry Contest. In honor of National Poetry Month, the Homewood Public Library is holding a poetry contest for 6th-12th graders. Create an original poem (maximum 2 pages in length) in any style. Teens can submit up to two original poems at homewoodpubliclibrary.org/poetry-contest.

If submitting two poems, please submit each poem separately. Winners will be announced in May.

April 2, 16 and 30: Teen Dungeons and Dragons. 3-5 p.m. Room 102. All levels are welcome. Register for each session at homewoodpubliclibrary.org.

April 4 and 25: Magic: The Gathering for Teens. 4:30-6:30 p.m. Room 101. Interested in learning about Magic: the Gathering? We will have decks, but you are welcome to bring your own. Register online at homewoodpubliclibrary.org.

April 6 and 20: Teen Theatre Thursdays. 4-5 p.m. Room 116. Register online at homewoodpubliclibrary.org.

April 13: Teen Homeschoolers: Dissection Day. 1-2 p.m. Room 109. Discover science in a whole new light with a special Homeschool Hour Dissection Day experiment. The subject? Cow eyes. All supplies provided. Register online at homewoodpubliclibrary.org/events.

April 26: Teen Waffle Wednesday. 3:304:30 p.m. Room 110. Spend the afternoon making and eating waffles. All supplies provided. Register online at homewoodpubliclibrary.org.

ADULTS

April 5: Staff Movie Picks: “Celebration of Gospel.” 3-5:45 p.m. Join the library in attending “Taking You Higher,” an annual music praise-fest with spiritually uplifting performances from gospel and R&B superstars and “soul-stirring spoken word readings.”

April 5: Read It & Eat Book Club: “One True Loves.” 6:30-8 p.m. Urban Cookhouse. Join us as we discuss Taylor Jenkins Reid’s latest book, “One True Loves.” This breathtaking new love story is about a woman unexpectedly forced to choose between the husband she has long thought dead and the fiancé who has finally brought her back to life.

April 8: How to Build a Better Garden: “Got Sun, Grow Food” Container Gardening. 10 a.m. Large Auditorium. Join us for tips on veggie container gardening from Master Gardener Karen Mitchell. Strategize right and you can grow a lot of food in a tiny space, even in full view of your neighbors.

April 8: Painting Large with September Reed. 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Room 101. Join us as September Reed shows you how easy it is to paint your own masterpiece on an 11” x 14” canvas. We will provide all you need to paint your own masterpiece. Register online at homewoodpubliclibrary.org.

April 11: Oxmoor Page Turners Book Club: Short Stories. 6:30-8 p.m. Boardroom. Celebrate short stories by challenging yourself to read or reread a short story. Feel free to bring a copy to share or email your story to judith.wright@homewoodpubliclibrary.org.

April 13: Niki Sepsas Presents “Royal Scandals.” 6:30-7:30 p.m. Large Auditorium. Join us as we enjoy tales from Prince Harry and Meghan, plus other juicy tidbits from royal history. We will also have an English tea to enjoy while we are scandalized! Free event, but limited seating. Register online at homewoodpubliclibrary.org.

April 17: Niki Sepsas presents Conflict in the Falklands: A “Bloody Little War.” 2-3 p.m. Round Auditorium. The events leading up to the invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentina, and how what was termed “a splendid little war” continues to divide the people of Argentina and those in the islands claimed by Great Britain.

April 18: Senior Center Book Club: “We are the Light.” 1-2 p.m. Homewood Senior Center. Join us as we discuss Matthew Quick’s book, “We are the Light.”

April 21: An Evening with Dolores Hydock. 6:30-9 p.m. Large Auditorium. Storyteller Dolores Hydock has prepared an evening of stories from, for and about libraries. Each section of the library holds its own kind of story and Hydock will share these stories with guests. Advance reservations are essential. The show includes snacks. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the program beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at homewoodpubliclibrary.org.

April 26: Better than Therapy Book Club: “The Last Thing He Told Me.” 2-3:30 p.m. Boardroom.

Friday,

Hosted by your Birmingham Zoo’s Jr. Board of Directors

TASTE. SIP. REPEAt. 26th YEAR

April 29 & 30, 2023

Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark One tasting session each day / 12-3pm

Restaurants & Chefs

Wine, Craft Beer, Spirits & Cocktails

Seated Tasting Seminars

@ the 40th Magic City Art Connection

TICKETS ON SALE IN APRIL.

www.corksandchefs.com

Scan with your phone’s camera to go to our specials page.

*Offers cannot be combined, some promotions may be limited to select sets. Not responsible for errors in ad copy. Quantities and selections may vary by location. Mattress images are for illustration purposes only Gifts with purchase (including gift cards and rebates) are not valid with any other promotions except special financing for 6 or 12 months.** Monthly payment is based on purchase price alone excluding tax and delivery charges. Credit purchases subject to credit approval. Other transactions may affect the monthly payment. *** 0% APR for 60 months financing available with purchases of $1999 or over and does not include sales tax. ** The special terms APR of 8.99% will apply to the qualifying purchase, and 48 monthly payments equal to 2.5090% of the original special terms balance are required. *** The Nationwide Marketing Group credit card is issued by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Special terms apply to qualifying purchases charged with approved credit. The APR will continue to apply until all qualifying purchases are paid in full. The monthly payment for this purchase will be the amount t will pay for the purchase in full in equal payments during the promotional (special terms) The APR for Purchases will apply to certain fees such as a late payment fee or if you use the card for other transactions. For new accounts, the APR for Purchases is 28.99%. If you are charged interest in any billing cycle, the minimum interest charge will be $1.00. This information is accurate as of 3/1/2023 and is subject to change. For current information, call us at 1-800-431-5921. Offer expires 4/4/2023. **** Free base offer applies to Queen set purchase of $799 and above or King set purchase $999 and above. King base applies to either one horizontal King Base or one of two TXL bases.***** Free Delivery on mattress sets $699 and up, Local area.