Iron City Ink October 2017 by Starnes Media

IRON CITY

OCTOBER 2017

INK

VOLUME 2

ISSUE 5

Trailblazers RUFFNER’S

Nature preserve marks 40th year with nod to past. 22 INSIDE

HAPPENINGS

SIGHTS

FACES

B’HAM BIZARRE

Elements of surprise

Raise your voice, raise your glass

Halloween brings uptick of visitors interested in history (both real and paranormal) at Sloss. 14

With plenty of tunes and beer on tap, the Birmingham Bier Choir all about “regular people just leading regular people in songs.” 24

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14 ELEMENTS OF SURPRISE: Halloween brings uptick in interest in Sloss’ real and paranormal history.

BUSINESS

HAPPENINGS

RUFFNER’S TRAILBLAZERS: Nature preserve marks 40th year with nod to past, gaze to future. 22

THE URBAN JUNGLE: Charlie Thigpen’s Garden Gallery produces for city’s greenthumbs. 6

THE SOUNDS OF HEALING: Alabama Symphony Orchestra conductor recovers from chemotherapy with a renewed energy. 12

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REAL ESTATE: Transactions and developments slated for the metro’s real estate market. 8

SIPS & BITES

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: At Kyoto Yakitori, familiar is combined with exoticness of Japanese street food. 10

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MORE THAN A GAME: Magic City Classic weekend means entertainment, food and, of course, football. 13

RAISE YOUR VOICE, RAISE YOUR GLASS: The classic tradition of pub songs has come to Birmingham with the formation of the Birmingham Bier Community Choir. 24

FACES

DISCOVER

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS: A recap of the August elections results and preview of the Oct. 3 runoff races. 16

OCTOBER’S BEST BETS: Your quick guide to metro Birmingham music and events scheduled this month. 33

Publisher: Managing Editor: Contributing Editor: Design Editor: Director of Photography: Community Editor: Digital Editor: Copy Editor:

Dan Starnes Sydney Cromwell Jesse Chambers Kristin Williams Sarah Finnegan Erica Techo Alyx Chandler Louisa Jeffries

Community Reporters: Kyle Parmley Sam Chandler Contributing Writers: Michael Huebner Intern: Loren Hopkins

Published by: Starnes Publishing LLC

Contact Information: Iron City Ink PO Box 530341 Birmingham, AL 35253 (205) 313-1780 dan@ starnespublishing.com

Please submit all articles, information and photos to: sydney@ starnespublishing.com P.O. Box 530341 Birmingham, AL 35253

Legals: Iron City Ink is published monthly. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content without prior permission is prohibited. Information in Iron City Ink is gathered from sources considered reliable, but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All articles/photos submitted become the property of Iron City Ink. We reserve the right to edit articles/photos as deemed necessary and are under no obligation to publish or return photos submitted. Inaccuracies or errors should be brought to the attention of the publisher at (205) 313-1780 or by email.

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OCTOBER 2017

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EDITOR’S NOTE

t’s time for me to repeat my push for all of you to make sure you go vote in the mayoral, City Council and Board of Education elections this month on Oct. 3. The mayoral runoff between incumbent William Bell and challenger Randall Woodfin is getting the most attention, but it’s also important to vote in the other runoffs if you live in those districts. On the City Council, Districts 2, 5 and 9 will see the top two finishers from the August election going head to head. The Board of Education seats in Districts 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8 will also be contested in this month’s vote. A recap of August’s election results is inside this issue, but if you want to revisit the candidates, visit ironcity.ink and click the “Elections” tab to see profiles of candidates for each race.

Also, be sure to check out our features this month on Ruffner’s anniversary and the “haunted” history of Sloss Furnaces, just in time for Halloween. And I’d like to make a special plug for the Magic City Acceptance Center’s new Acceptance Homes project, which is profiled in this issue. If you have space in your home — and your life — to help a young adult in need, this is a new and worthy cause. Whether your ideal October involves haunted houses, nature walks or something else entirely, I hope you get out this month and experience everything the city has to offer.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS Alabama Ballet (6) Alabama Power (11) ALDOT (21) Avondale Common House & Distillery (35) Avondale Specialty Hardware at HGH Hardware Supply (28) Bedzzz Express (2) Bird’s Bar & Pizza (15) Birmingham Botanical Gardens (20) Birmingham Speech and Hearing Associates (6) Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama (13) Budget Blinds (9) Campaign to Elect William A. Bell Mayor (19)

Case Remodeling (25) Charlie Thigpen’s Garden Gallery (28) Cynthia Vines Butler, LLC (25) Desoto Caverns (5) Enroll Alabama (18) EZ Roof & EZ Restoration (27) Gaynell Hendricks - Tax Assessor (13) Hutchinson Automotive (7) Iron City Realty (26) Junior League of Birmingham (9) Michelson Laser Vision, Inc. (11) Moss Rock Festival (1, 29) Pies and Pints (32)

Pitts & Associates Mental Health Professionals (35) Prideline Transportation (17) RealtySouth (3) Sarah Caiola, Iron City Realty (7) Seasick Records (31) Shades Valley Dermatology (35) Skin Wellness Center of Alabama (21) Southern Veterinary Partners (20) The Filling Station Cafe & Bar (13) The Maids (31) United Way of Central Alabama (17)

FIND US Scan the QR code for a complete list of Iron City Ink rack locations:

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THE URBAN JUNGLE

Couple’s garden gallery produces for city’s greenthumbs

W Charlie Thigpen’s Garden Gallery, located beside Pepper Place, combines art and gardening to offer Birmingham a new kind of plant and outdoor design shop. Photos by Alyx Chandler.

By AL Y X CHAN D L ER h en loc als c ome to C h arlie Th igpen f or gardening and planting adv ic e, h e usually ﬁnds himself saying, ow b ig is y our pot? ” Based on their answer, he takes a moment to draw an appropriately sized c irc le in th e dirt outside h is sh op, C h arlie Th igpen’ s arden allery, to show them the correct size hole to dig to plant it. After that, he gives them watering tips and suggests how much sunlight is appropriate. hat s awesome is when they later come back with their camera to show me what they ve done or how good it looks, that s when we ve done a good j ob ,” Th igpen said. or Thigpen, his favorite part of work is the relationships with his customers and the fact that he is surrounded b y b eauty ev ery single day . C h arlie Th igpen’ s G arden G allery , loc ated at 2 8 0 5 Sec ond Av e. S. b eside Pepper Plac e, c omb ines

the careful curating of an art gallery while selling plants and a large selec tion of garden design items. n the shop, they sell everything from lawn ornaments to plant boxes to everything in between. Th igpen lik es to k eep th e outside look ing different every few months by switching up art installations. urrently, they have a locally-made bottle arch with a 3 -foot s uash plant growing over it, in addition to a moon vine. t s a different way of look ing at a garden, h e said, plus, O v en B ird, th e restaurant next door, gets to pick some of the s uash to use in th eir dish es. F or th e last eigh t y ears, Th igpen’ s gallery h as been his only ob, with Thigpen primarily dealing with the plants, and his wife, indy, doing all the marketing and the day-to-day business. e admits that the original opening of his own shop was hard. eople always ask me if own the garden shop. laugh and tell them, o, the garden shop owns me,’ ” h e said. Prev iously , h e’ d j ust spent th e last 2 9 y ears

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Throughout the year, Charlie Thigpen’s Garden Gallery mainly sell annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, interior plants and the recently popular air plants.

and h is w if e 2 0 y ears — w ork ing f or South ern L iv ing. H e k new th at th e pub lish ing w orld w as c h anging, th ough , so h e and C indy started th ink ing of alternativ es. A garden sh op w as th e ob v ious answ er. “ It soon b ec ame team C indy and C h arlie,” h e said. “ W e dec ided th at w e’ d w ork

f or ourselv es.” G row ing up, Th igpen said h e rememb ers h is grandparents h av ing b ig gardens th at always had an in uence on him. “ Th at generation, th ey h ad to k now h ow to grow plants, y ou k now , c ause th ey liv ed of f th em, c anning and th ings lik e th at. I

rememb er doing th at and h av ing great v egetab le gardens,” Th igpen said. “ I’ v e alw ay s k ind of b een in w ith th at.” Plus, h e said h is f amily h as a b ac k ground in art, as w ell as tw o of h is sisters now b eing great artists. “ Th at’ s w h at w e try to do at th e sh op is b lend art and gardens, th at’ s w h y it’ s c alled th e garden gallery ,” h e said. As w ith th e nature of a garden sh op, many of th e items th ey get are seasonal. Th rough out th e y ear, th ey mainly sell annuals, perennials, h erb s, v egetab les, interior plants and th e rec ently popular air plants. Th e w ork c aring f or th em and w atering in th e summer is time-c onsuming, Th igpen said, b ec ause of th e h eat, b ut it’ s important to th em to groom th e plants properly and k eep th em h ealth y and look ing th eir b est. “ W e say w e h av e a lot of c h ildren,” h e alw ay s j ok es to people. Th e most popular day of th e w eek is Saturday , w h ere th ey get 3 0 0 to 40 0 people c oming th rough th e sh op in a th ree-h our period. Th e Saturday morning Pepper Plac e f armers mark et b rings in h undreds of new c omers eac h w eek , sinc e th e garden sh op is only a f ew steps aw ay . O n most ev ery day of th e w eek , h e said, at least one person c omes into th e store inq uiring ab out a gif t f or someone. Th eir

signature gif t items are w rapped in loc al b urlap. H e and h is w if e b oth go out of th eir w ay to searc h in dif f erent mark ets f or new and uniq ue items f or th e sh op. Th ey sell art f rom loc al artists. A f ew ex amples inc lude w h at h as b een dub b ed “ w ine c h imes” — w ind c h imes made of rec y c led w ine b ottles — handcrafted leather purses and frames ﬁlled with pressed botanical foliage and owers. “ If y ou garden and y ou lik e plants, most people lik e our sh op,” h e said. “ It’ s v ery dif ferent, what we offer. inety-ﬁve percent of th e plants, h e said, th ey get f rom loc al w h olesale grow ers. Th ey also of f er month ly h y pertuf u c lasses, w h ere a little ov er a doz en people c ome out and pay f or a spec ial c lass of mak ing th ree planters apiec e. H y pertuf u is a ty pe of porous roc k th at is popular f or mak ing planters or pots. Th igpen said h e and h is w if e k eep try ing to stop of f ering th e c lasses, b ut th eir h y pertuf u nigh ts are so popular th at people c ontinue req uesting th em eac h month . O v er th e y ears, h e said th at th ey ’ v e prob ab ly taugh t more th an 8 0 0 people h y pertuf u. Th e C h arlie Th igpen G arden G allery is open Monday th rough F riday f rom 9 a.m. to 5: 3 0 p.m., and on Saturday f rom 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. F or more inf ormation ab out th e garden gallery , go to c h arlie-th igpen.sq uarespac e.c om.

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America’s First Federal Credit Union held 3 a groundbreaking Aug. 31 for an expansion of its downtown headquarters, according to a news release. A new, four-story building will adjoin the existing facility, located at 1200 Fourth Ave. N. The project will also include expanded employee parking and other enhancements of the campus. The expansion ill add 4 , s uare feet to the main ofﬁce.

Autocar, an Indiana-based manufactur5 er, will spend $120 million to open a manufacturing plant in Jefferson County to build its heavy-duty, cab-over-engine trucks, according to a news release from the Birmingham Business Alliance. The facility will be located in existing buildings on a site measuring one million square feet and located in both Center Point and Birmingham. Work has begun on the site, the old Meado craft Comple at the intersection of Carson Road and Highway 79, according to AL.com.

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UAB was scheduled to host a bid opening 4 Sept. 21 for the construction of its new ROTC facility, according to B Media Relations. Measuring 2, s uare feet, the ne building — to be located at 828 Eighth Court S. — ill include ofﬁces, classrooms, a gym and loc er rooms. The old Center of Nuclear Imaging Research at that site will be demolished.

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Developer Jim Rowland recently renovated 2 the old Massey Business College at 2024 Third ve. . do nto n for use as office space. The ExecuSuites co-working facility on the third floor, hich opened in March, is fully occupied except for six remaining workstations, according to Casey Howard of Harbert Realty Services. The second floor, hich ill open in early ovember, is being pre-leased, and Rowland is negotiating with a single tenant to ta e the first floor, Ho ard said.

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Almost all of the residential units at The 1 Pizitz — a $70 million mixed-use renovation of the old Pizitz department store — have been leased, according to Jane Hoerner, Bayer Properties marketing director. There was one space available in the Pizitz Food Hall at Iron City Ink’s press time. Forge, a co-working facility, opened on the mezzanine level ept. , and leasing for ofﬁce spaces has been “above projections,” Hoerner said.

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4 expected to be ready for move-in by February 2018. Concrete work and steel erection have been completed, according to B Media Relations. Wyatt General Contractor is overseeing construction of the $8.2 million, 28,000-square-foot facility, located in the 1100 block of 14th Street South, adjacent to the existing police building. Construction is about 50 percent complete on the new $37.5 million UAB Collat School of Business on University Boulevard between 12th and 13th Streets South, according to UAB Media Relations. The pro ected time of completion is May 2 . Brasﬁeld orrie are the contractors.

Brasﬁeld orrie continues construction on the $4.66 million Kiwanis Centennial Park at Vulcan Park and Museum, a project that bro e ground in May. ountain e uipment has been set, and piping and storm drainage has been installed. Surveying for the Kiwanis Vulcan Trail extension is complete. Crews are currently construct-

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ing a retaining wall near the fountain and installing electrical conduit for the new lighting.

Topgolf, a 65,000-square-foot, hightech indoor driving range with luxury amenities, will be open by the end of 2017, according to Morgan Wallace, a senior communications specialist with the company. The facility is located east of the BJCC, between 24th and 26th Streets North and 11th and 12th Avenues North. Cre s are currently ﬁnalizing and adding touches to the building,” Wallace said.

Openings/Closures 11

Hairfolk Salon opened at 3705 Fourth Ave. South in Avondale on Sept. 5. The owner is veteran Birmingham hair stylist Eric Goss. The new Hilton Garden Inn and Home2 Suites in the Parkside area downtown opened Sept. 12. It is located on Second

Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets South. The project was built by Sunbelt Development with Hollis pann as the general contractor

Coming Soon Retailers are beginning to open at The Waites, a new retail and residential project at the corner of Seventh Avenue South and Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard. Taco Mama opened Sept. 5. Smoothie King was expected to open by Oct. 1, according to Rodney Barstein, executive vice president Retail Specialists, the developer. Club Pilates and Which Wich should open by mid-November, and Roll Up Sushi by Dec. 1, Barstein said.

Design Supply, described as a curated gallery pairing art with antiques and interiors, will be located at Pepper Place in Lakeview. The gallery will have a customer preview Oct. 2 and a grand opening sometime during the holidays, according to owner Laura Vogtle.

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the best of both worlds

At new Kyoto Yakitori, familiar is combined with exoticness of Japanese street food

By AL Y X CHAN D L ER

ic h ard N ew ton h as a lic ense plate th at reads “ O ISH II,” w h ic h means “ delic ious” in J apanese. H e h as a grill in h is b ac k y ard that he specially retrofitted for yakitori grilling, and at, skinny apanese-styled ceramic plates that were given to h im b y h is f ormer h ost parents in J apan. or several years now, he s been working to perfect the traditional street-food style yell in perfect apanese announcing elc ome, w elc ome, w elc ome! Delic ious f ood on th e grill! ” so th at w h en h e opens h is new auth entic J apanese c asual dining restaurant, K y oto Y ak itori, people w ill f eel j ust a little more like they re actually in apan. “ [ Y ak itori] c omb ines th e f amiliar w ith the ex otic , th e b est of b oth w orlds,” N ew ton said. “ I w ant to allow people to ex perienc e the atmosphere and those evenings without having to buy a plane ticket. K y oto Y ak itori w ill b e loc ated dow ntow n, righ t ac ross f rom th e Piz itz F ood H all, in the ground- oor of the deal Building and is slated to open sometime in late f all. Th e w ord “ y ak itori” literally means grilled c h ic k en, and it also is k now n as a c asual c uisine in J apan c onsisting of grilled meat and vegetables served on wooden skewers. K y oto is th e anc ient c apital of J apan, and also where ewton s love for yakitori begin. Though ewton has previously spent his time in Birmingham working as an attorney, ow ning th e restaurant is ab out to b ec ome his full-time ob. e said he is trying as muc h as possib le to k eep h is restaurant yoto-centric, and to mimic apanese styles of restaurant, interior design, work ow and c uisine. ve had more yakitori than most apanese probably have, he laughed. ou ve got to love what you do. n the past year alone, he s been to apan th ree times, w ork ing on menu items and tweaking recipes. e always visits his favorite th e h ole in th e w all y ak itori restaurants is K y oto. Most of th em k now h im b y now . was turned on to all manner of apanese food you can t find here, ewton said. “ Y ak itori w as one of th ose f oods I w as exposed to in apan. loved it, not only the f ood, b ut th e atmosph ere.” “ Th at is w h at I w ant to rec reate h ere,” h e said, adding that yakitori is hard to find in the U.S., espec ially in th e South east.

ic ar e ton is ays a ate of ifferent sty es of ya itori e re are on is retroﬁtte grill. Newton plans to open Kyoto Yakitoir downtown this fall. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

Th e K y oto Y ak itori menu w ill f eature small, af f ordab ly pric ed plates, w ith eac h order consisting of a serving size of two sk ew ers. Th ere w ill also b e sides of f ered, w ith options suc h as ric e c ak es, pic k les, potato salads and a c omplimentary appetiz er of cabbage and vegetables with specialty dipping sauces. The food, he said, is similarly styled to street food. Beer, wine and sak e w ill also b e on th e menu. e said it s common for people to order a round of drinks and several sides, and

then for the various sides and skewers to be delivered to tables separately as each of th em are ready . Th is is in c ontrast to th e American way of delivering the main meal at onc e, w h en all of it is ready . “ Th e f ood c omes out w h en it c omes out,” he said. ou re talking and can have a drink and enj oy . Y ou c an try someth ing new or have another skewer of something you ve tried.” Th e restaurant itself w ill seat less th an 0 people, so that it develops and maintains

a level of intimacy and homeyness, ewton said, that will allow the servers the opportunity to give the kind of attention that c reating a y ak itori atmosph ere needs. Th e y ak itori h e plans to of f er inc ludes chicken, pork, steak, some seafood, vegetab les and c omb inations of th em c ook ed togeth er on sk ew ers. Anoth er signature part of y ak itori is th e h andmade sauc e th at th e meats are to b e dipped in. Th e meat is alternated between being served in the tare ( meaning dripped in h omemade sauc e) or sh io ( sprink led w ith a little sea salt) sty le. ewton said he s worked hard to get his sauc es righ t, and alth ough th ere is no “ one ty pe” of sauc e, h e h as modeled h is of f of h is favorites in yoto. There s been a pork oint in yoto that has been my go-to pork place since 2002, ve been there dozens of times, he said. n September, finally hit him up for the rec ipe, and righ t aw ay h e c alled to h is w if e in th e b ac k , and sh e w rote it all dow n in J apanese f or me.” Y ak itori ingredients inc lude b oth red and w h ite miso, sesame oil, tamari, ginger and oth er traditional J apanese ingredients th at enhance avor while still being relatively healthy. e expects many health-conscious patrons, lik e c y c lists, runners and ath letes, to emb rac e th e menu. So f ar, N ew ton h as b een h osting popups, backyard parties and other private akitori events. e s grilled and sold akitori at breweries, arty s and other various restaurants. H e and h is operations manager, J osh ua Braden, are currently in the process of looking for a grill master, though he or Braden can fill in at the grill if needed. Otherwise, ewton will be focused on day-to-day operations to k eep th e sh op running smooth ly . Th e end goal f or K y oto Y ak itori is f or its agship restaurant to be in Birmingham, and then he intends to have more open in other parts of Alabama and eventually in the South east. A good number of people have visited apan on business, who have lived and laughed over here, and they re aching for his, and they miss it, and there s apanese people and apanese-language students, and they miss it, too. also want to provide it to the people who haven t been to apan yet, h e said. V isit th eir w eb site at k y otoy ak itori.c om or th eir F ac eb ook page at K y oto Y ak itori to stay tuned for their official open date.

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Carlos Izcaray conducts the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Izcaray faced an additional challenge this year with a diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma. Photo courtesy of Alabama Symphony Orchestra.

THE SOUNDS OF HEALING By MI CHAEL HU EBN ER

C ourtesy artsBHA M

n h is y oung tenure as Alab ama Sy mph ony O rc h estra’ s music direc tor, C arlos Iz c aray migh t already h av e met h is greatest c h allenge. In late Marc h and early April, h e c onduc ted G iuseppe V erdi’ s “ R eq uiem,” th e pow erf ul and poignant romantic -era monument. F ew k new at th e time th at th e V enez uela-b orn maestro, w h o is ab out to start h is th ird f ull season at ASO , w as tac k ling an ev en greater lif e c h allenge. In J anuary , doc tors diagnosed h im w ith H odgk in ly mph oma, a rare b lood c anc er th at c ompromises th e immune sy stem. A month later, af ter starting c h emoth erapy , h e w as f ac ed w ith th e c h oic e of stay ing ac tiv e or resting easy . “ My doc tors said, ‘ It’ s up to y ou,’ ” Iz c aray rec alled in early September at his ASO ofﬁce. espite additional surgery , h e c h ose th e podium. “ Th e orc h estra didn’ t k now y et. I didn’ t w ant th em to f oc us on any th ing b ut th e music ,” Iz c aray said. “ I did th e ﬁrst week of the American estival anuary- ebruary with a sc ar ov er h alf of my nec k , so I w as j uggling a lot of pains and f eelings.” B y mid-F eb ruary of th is y ear, Iz c aray h ad c onduc ted G ersh w in’ s “ An Americ an in Paris,” a Susan B otti w orld premiere and Max R ic h ter’ s “ Th e F our Seasons R ec omposed,” among oth er f eats, all w h ile on c h emoth erapy . V erdi’ s “ R eq uiem,” a piec e c ommemorating th e death of th e poet Allesandro Manz oni, w as y et to c ome. “ Trust me, going th rough th e V erdi and b eing f ac ed w ith

death righ t in f ront of y ou giv es y ou an ex tra lay er of death w h en look ing at th e sc ore,” h e said. It also b rough t h im c loser to th e music ians — some of w h om h av e gone th rough similar c irc umstanc es — and w ith h is f amily : w if e Y olanda and th ree c h ildren, ages 7 , 5 and 2 . Iz c aray is now c ompletely c lear of c anc er, b ut at th e end of h is treatment, Y olanda w as f ac ing h er ow n c risis. “ Sh e h as b een diagnosed w ith b reast c anc er and is c urrently b eing treated,” h e said. “ Th at w as righ t at th e end of my treatment. So sh e’ s going th rough h ers now . Sh e’ s h av ing a v ery positiv e response. F ortunately , th e medic al c ommunity h ere is as strong as any w h ere.” Iz c aray said th e ex perienc es h av e giv en h im a new perspec tiv e. “ Y our j ob is b igger w h en y ou h av e y oung k ids, a f amily and an orc h estra to look af ter,” h e said. “ Th ey are not j ust ab strac tions of c elli and v iolins. Y ou’ re w ith th is person and th at person, and th eir ow n lif e dramas. H av ing gone th rough all of th is, I got to see th e b est side of th em as people.” Iz c aray ’ s summer w as spent guest c onduc ting in Interloc h en, Mic h igan, w h ere h e graduated f rom h igh sc h ool and attended th e prestigious Interloc h en Ac ademy f or th e Arts. H e also c onduc ted th e C ity of B irmingh am ( U.K .) Sy mph ony O rc h estra in a rec ording of R ic h ter’ s “ Th e F our Seasons R ec omposed,” w h ic h is sc h eduled f or release in F eb ruary on th e O rc h id C lassic s lab el. R ec ently h e returned f rom L os Angeles, w h ere h e is music direc tor of th e American outh Symphony. There, he heard 380 auditions to ﬁll slots in th e ensemb le of 8 0 , w h ic h range f rom th eir teens to mid-2 0 s. If th ere w asn’ t enough on h is plate, Iz c aray also returns to

ASO conductor Carlos Izcaray recovers from chemotherapy with a renewed energy

ASO f ac ing sev eral c h anges in k ey administration positions and a reduc tion in programming. F ormer E x ec utiv e irector urt ong has been replaced by heryle aplinger, w h o w as th e orc h estra’ s v ic e president f or mark eting and communications. o longer with the orchestra are irector of Artistic lanning ierre uhe, irector of ommunications and ublic elations ebbie Bartoletti and irector of Mark eting B ritney E lliott. C anc eled or put on h old f or 2 0 1 7 -1 8 are th e C lassic al Masters Series and th e Sound E dge F estiv al, b oth of w h ic h Iz c aray h opes to rev iv e. Also missing f rom th e lineup is e ect and e oice, the annual tribute to r. artin L uth er K ing J r. C onc ertmaster & F riends w ill return w ith f our c onc erts of c h amb er music , and SuperPops w ill stage eigh t ev ents. Iz c aray is no stranger to adv ersity , most notab ly in h is nativ e V enez uela w h en h e w as mistak enly arrested, inj ured and tortured in 2 0 0 4. As h e did th en, h e v iew s ov erc oming c anc er as anoth er ex ample of th e pow er of music . “ I’ v e prov en it many times in my lif e f or dif f erent reasons,” h e said. “ Music h as h ealing q ualities. It w as v ery illuminating to deal w ith music al prob lems during th is reallif e j unc ture. H as th is ex perienc e h as made me a dif f erent interpreter? I don’ t k now ab out dif f erent, b ut I k now th ere’ s an ex tra lay er of someth ing th ere.” Editor’s note: This article was produced in partnership with artsBHAM. To learn more about them, visit artsbham.com.

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Upcoming Magic City Classic ‘more than just a game’

Seasick Records to host inaugural block party for Shoppes of Crestwood patrons

easic k R ec ords w ill b e h osting its ﬁrst block party Oct. 28 th at w ill inc lude neigh b oring businesses in the Shoppes of restwood. A N orth C arolina-b ased band, Superchunk, will be headlining the event. Superchunk became incredibly popular in the 90s and is considered legendary in the indie-punk scene. Superchunk is one of my favorite bands, and ve never seen them live, said an rinkard, owner of Seasick ecords, So we decided to see if we could book them. e planned a party around them. Aside from Superchunk, other bands have also been booked to bring some energy to the crowd. oly outh and ady egs, two Birmingham-based bands, will

BY JESSE CHAMBERS

By L O REN HO P K I N S Seasick Records will host a block party t is ont eneﬁtin ir s Inc Photo courtesy of Seasick Records.

play the Seasick stage as well. rinkard promises food and drink, too. There will be ample beer, provided by a beer sponsor that has yet to be announced, as well as food from the local restwood offee ompany and The illing Station. The event coincides with the rimson Tide s bye-week, which is a perfect excuse for football lovers to get out and buy local as well. Some of the proceeds will go to a irls nc., a program that helps empower young girls for a brighter future. Seasick is located at 08 restwood Blvd. and can be reached at 77-31 .

he football teams from Alabama A niversity and Alabama State niversity will clash in the 7 th annual c onald s agic ity lassic at egion ield on Saturday, Oct. 28, with kickoff at 2 30 p.m. But the lassic is more than ust a game, said arly oods, an event manager with the Bruno vent Team. t s a rivalry between teams, bands and fans that is celebrated through an entire week of festivities leading up to the game, oods said. estivities include the lassic ickoff at 7 p.m. on Oct. 2 at Birmingham ross lex, featuring comedian ermaine unnymaine ohnson, as well as other celebrities and reek step teams. The annual parade, beginning gameday

A a a a A M an A a a a tate rin t e Ma ic ity assic at e ion Fie Photo courtesy of Bruno Event Team.

at 8 a.m., will feature more than 30 marching bands, including those representing A and AS . There will be a tailgate party near the egion ield entrance before the game featuring a stage with four hours of s and other entertainers. Admission to the party is , or free with a game ticket. lassic weekend also features appearances by a special celebrity ambassador, which had not been named by ron ity nk s press time. The lassic, played at egion ield since 194 , drew 71,000 fans in 201 and has an estimated economic impact of about 22 million. Tickets start at 2 . or information on all the activities, go to magiccityclassic.com.

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Halloween sparks interest in Sloss’ real, paranormal history

By AL Y X CHAN D L ER

y Malungani, th e Sloss F urnac es educ ation c oordinator, said it’ s not unusual f or people to c ome to th e 1 3 6 -y ear-old site seek ing gh osts. W h at does c ome as a surprise to some people is th at Malungani, w h o h as giv en h undreds and h undreds of tours at th e h istoric site f or th e last 7 y ears, said h e h as nev er ex perienc ed any sort of supernatural element or gh ost – despite th e repeated q uestioning b y v isitors f rom all ov er th e w orld. “ Th e w ay I see h auntings personally , if y ou b eliev e in the m, th e odd th ings y ou h ear, th en y ou attrib ute it to th e ha unting,” h e said. “ It is an old site, so y ou h ear b angs, w he n th e w ind b low s th rough it, it mak es a c ertain sound.”

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Sloss F urnac e — no longer operating as of 1 9 7 1 w as onc e a maj or pig-iron b last f urnac e th at b egan mak ing iron in 1 8 8 2 . It is now lab eled as a N ational H istoric al L andmark and k now n as one of th e primary ec onomic b oosts th at h elped c reate th e “ Magic C ity ” of B irmingh am. F or th e month of O c tob er, most B irmingh am loc als h av e c ome to k now th at touring th e h istoric Sloss F urnac es of f ers an element of surprise. “ It’ s a popular time of th e y ear to v isit,” Malungani said. Sloss F righ t F urnac e is th e inc reasingly w ell-k now n h aunted attrac tion th at runs th rough sev eral parts of th e f urnac e, inc luding th e b oiler room, th e loading tunnel and a sec tion of th e adj ac ent w oods. Setup b egins as early as th e end of August, w ith an outside renter, Y arb rough C ompany , leasing part of th e spac e and c aref ully preparing th e spook y ex perienc e all th rough Septemb er. Malungani, w h o h as b een th rough th e ev ent sev eral y ears now , said it is a uniq ue w ay to sc are people sinc e th e Sloss F urnac e b ac k drop is unlik e any th ing else in th e state. It also h appens to b e th e only times Malungani h as b een to Sloss F urnac es at nigh t. Sloss F urnac es h istorian and c urator K aren Utz said th at the Sloss urnaces ational andmark is the ﬁrst of its kind in th e w orld to preserv e th is ty pe of industrial site, as w ell as th e only 2 0 th c entury b last f urnac e in th e nation to b e preserv ed as an industrial museum. Utz said th at th e Sloss F righ t ev ent h as b een tak ing plac e sinc e th e 1 9 9 0 s, th ough it’ s gone th rough a f ew c h ange of —

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c ompanies. E ac h y ear, sh e said, it b rings in th ousands of teenagers and adults f rom all ov er th e South east. Sloss F urnac es, w h ic h w as c reated 1 0 y ears af ter Birmingham became an ofﬁcial city in 1871, has been a sourc e of intrigue f or h istorians and gh ost-h unters alik e. B irmingh am w as a c ity th at onc e w on a medal f or ‘ b est iron pig,’ Malungani said, and w ork ing in th e iron or steel industry w as c laimed to b e th e top tw o most dangerous j ob s in th e U.S. “ Th ey lov e to h ear gruesome stories, th ey ask , ‘ W h y w ould men w ork in th ose env ironments w h ile th e w ork w as h ard and dangerous? ’ ” h e said. Sloss F righ t f oc uses on th e Slag c h arac ter, w h ic h th eir w eb site c laims to b e a ruth less and c ruel superv isor w h o made h is w ork ers tak e dangerous risk s th at ended w ith lost liv es. It goes on to say h e ev entually lost h is lif e b y f alling

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Sloss Furnace historian Ty Malugani gives a tour to a group on Sept. 15. Photos by Sarah Finnegan.

in a b last f urnac e, and af ter th at, h e b egan h aunting w ork ers and v isitors alik e ov er th e y ears. Th ough th e “ rev enge of Slag” h as b een th e th eme of th e attrac tion f or y ears, h e is not b ased in any sort of h istory or f ac t, Malungani said. Th e month -long h aunted attrac tion does c apitaliz e on some of th e most ask ed-ab out details during h is tours, h e said, w h ic h inc ludes h ow th e men liv ed and worked in such difﬁcult conditions. “ Iron and steel w as dangerous ev ery w h ere, b ut w h at made it difﬁcult in the South was that labor unions happened a lot later th an th ey did in th e N orth ,” h e said. Th e unions c ould h av e demanded saf er w ork and h igh er w ages. “ The oth er dif f erenc e w as th e h uge amount of w ork f orc e. If one person got inj ured and died, th ey h ad 50 men th at

w anted th at spot.” very ob at Sloss urnaces was a difficult one, alungani said, and it j ust depended on personal pref erenc e of w h at y ou c ould h andle. Men w ere f ac ed w ith c h oic es lik e handling heat of up to 120 degrees or extremely confined spac es. Th is w as also th e time period w h ere th e South h ad lost its ec onomy righ t af ter th e C iv il W ar, and people w ere ooding to Birmingham looking for obs. But the truth is about the furnaces, he said, is that it enabled men to provide more for the city of Birmingham, and most importantly , a steady h ouse and steady inc ome, espec ially if th ey h ad a f amily . Utz said, to th is day , th ey h ost a C h ristmas reunion party f or retired Sloss F urnac es w ork ers, “ all w ith great stories and f riendsh ips.” O ne gh ost story , h ow ev er, is a h istoric f olk tale th at w as b ased on an ac tual man w h o w ork ed at Sloss F urnac es, Malungani said. Th ere is ev en a b ook ab out it b y j ournalist and auth or K ay th ry n Tuc k er W indh am, c alled “ G h ost in th e Sloss F urnac es,” w h ic h w as pub lish ed in 1 9 9 7 th rough th e Birmingham istorical Society. They keep a copy of it in th e Sloss F urnac es V isitor’ s C enter. Th e b ook f oc uses on Th eo J ow ers, a f amily man and ironw ork er w h o died w h en h e f ell into th e b last at Alic e F urnac es, an adj ac ent site to Sloss. Malungani said J ow ers w as well-known for his cheer and liking his ob. The Birmingh am Age new spaper artic le, dated Septemb er 1 8 8 7 , read " a piec e of sh eet iron w as attac h ed to a length of gas pipe, and w ith th at instrument h is h ead, b ow els, tw o h ip b ones and a few ashes were fished out. Ac c ording to W indh am’ s b ook , J ow ers’ son J oh n took

h is ow n son to Sloss F urnac es af ter Alic e F urnac es w as torn down and he claimed to have seen a ghostly ﬁgure, what h e th ough t w as Th eo. O th er c laims inc luded Th eo J ow ers’ old w ork c rew seeing h im mak ing rounds at th e f urnac e, c h ec k ing on th em. e loved it working a lot of men loved it because it w as someth ing th ey c ould ow n. W h ile it w as dangerous, th ey h ad a strong b roth erh ood, it w as steady w ork , in h igh demand,” Malungani said. O v er th e y ears, v arious paranormal TV sh ow s and priv ate organiz ations h av e c ome to c h ec k out Sloss F urnac es and see f or th emselv es if gh osts ex ist in th e f urnac e. Some include host unters, nexplained ysteries, the Travel hannel, aunted laces to o and several others. eople are more interested in that Slag kind of ghost than the other folklore kind, alungani said, and tz said th at Sloss F urnac es does not promote or b eliev e any of th e gh ost stories. Malungani enc ourages people to c ome b y and tak e a tour of Sloss F urnac es, or ev en giv e Sloss F righ t F urnac e a go if th ey are up to th e c h allenge. ou have to remember, without something like this site , Birmingham wouldn t be here today, alungani said. During th e Sloss F righ t F urnac e, Sloss F urnac es w ill still b e open and f ree to th e pub lic f rom 1 0 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday th rough Saturday , and Sunday f rom noon to 4 p.m. “ It’ s not v ery f ar f rom dow ntow n, b ut it seems a little dif f erent ov er h ere, it’ s more peac ef ul,” Malungani said. “ It ust doesn t feel like the site is dead. To learn more ab out Sloss F urnac es, v isit slossf urnac es. c om.

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Council, BOE seats to be decided in runoffs The makeup of the Birmingham City Council will likely not change radically, given the results of the Aug. 22 municipal election. Six Birmingham City Council incumbents won re-election, while two incumbents — Kim Rafferty in District 2 and Council President Johnathan F. Austin in District 5 — will face challengers in the Oct. 3 runoff. Councilor Marcus Lundy in District 9, after serving only on term, did not run for re-election. Here is a breakdown of the results: District 1: Incumbent Lashunda Scales won nearly 69 percent of the vote in defeating Sherman Collins, a businessman and school board member. District 2 – Runoff: Incumbent Kim Rafferty faced seven challengers. Hunter Williams, a businessman and Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy, led the field with nearly 30 percent of the vote. Rafferty finished second with about 17 percent. District 3: Valerie Abbott, the longest-serving current council member, won about 65 percent of the vote in defeating Jefferson County employee Ryan Jones and college student Rowan Henderson. Jones earned about 32 percent of the vote. District 4: William Parker easily won re-election over three challengers with almost 75 percent of the vote. District 5 – Runoff: Johnathan Austin, who faced six challengers, finished first but only had about 32 percent of the vote and will face Darrell O’Quinn, a North Crestwood neighborhood officer, on Oct. 3 District 6: Incumbent Sheila Tyson easily defeated to challengers with almost 80 percent of the vote. District 7: Jay Roberson won re-election with about 58 percent of the vote. He had four challengers, including IT professional Lonnie F. Malone, who finished second with 21 percent of the vote. District 8: Council President Pro Tem Steven W. Hoyt beat three challengers and earned about 58 percent of the vote. District 9 – Runoff: Roderick Royal, a former City Council member who also served as acting mayor in, led a field of eight candidates with about 31 percent of the vote. He will face second-place finisher John Hilliard, a former state legislator, in the runoff.

BOARD OF EDUCATION District 1 – Runoff: Cedric Small and Douglas Ragland will face off Oct. 3. Small

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2017 BIRMINGHAM MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

And then there were 2 Political challenger Randall Woodﬁn s strong sho ing in ugust election forces Oct. mayoral runoff ith incumbent William Bell

By JESSE CHAMBERS

he Birmingham mayor s office could see a ma or generational shift in the runoff scheduled Oct. 3. andall oodfin, a city attorney and school board member who is 3 years old, was the top vote-getter in the Aug. 22 municipal election. ayor illiam A. Bell, who has been in politics for 40 years and is seeking his second full term, finished second. The runoff is needed because no candidate garnered more than 0 percent of the vote. oodfin, with 1 , 8 votes 41 percent , and Bell Bell, with 14,02 votes 37 percent , far outpaced the other 10 candidates. onstruction contractor hris oods finished third with ,9 1 votes 18 percent . Bell and oodfin spoke to a meeting of the owntown emocrats at the arbert enter on Sept. 8 and sounded the same notes that have defined their campaigns throughout. oodfin told the group that Birmingham is a tale of two cities, with a booming downtown but many other neighborhoods he says have been neglected by Bell s administration. e said greater efforts are needed to fight crime, improve police morale, increase city education funding and help smooth the process for small businesses to obtain permits and licenses at city hall. And oodfin criticized what he said was Bell s unwillingness to work collaboratively, with the ity ouncil and others, to solve problems. Bell said he helped bring the city back from the steep financial hole he found when he took office in 2010, and he

led with 37 percent of the vote in August. District 2: Terri Michal and Brandon McCray ran a neck-and-neck race, with only 10 votes separating them on election day. Once provisional ballots were counted, Michal edged over the 50 percent mark to take the win. District 3: Mary Boehm took a decisive victory over Larry Contri, with 71 percent of the vote. District 4 – Runoff: Edward Maddox led in the votes, but didn’t surpass the 50 percent mark to win the seat outright. He and incumbent Daagye Hendricks will face off in October. District 5 – Runoff: Michael Millsap had a strong showing with 30 percent of the vote in August, but will runoff against David McKinney, who captured about 15

Woodfin trumpeted the recent revitalization of downtown. The mayor also defended his record in the neighborhoods, citing the rossplex athletic complex in ive oints est and the administration s efforts to rebuild ratt ity after the 2011 tornadoes, bring new housing and other pro ects to oodlawn and foster small businesses in Avondale. e have a lot of growth and development, and that is due to the leadership ve provided in difficult times, Bell said. uring the campaign, oodfin has called for an audit of city finances and criticized what he and other candidates said was Bell s lack of transparency. e can have efficient, transparent government, oodfin told ron ity nk in August. Bell countered that virtually all the city s financial and public safety information is available online for any citizen. e don t have anything to hide, he said.

percent of votes. District 6: Cheri Gardner won her re-election bid with 79 percent of the vote, beating challenger Ervin Hill Sr. District 7 – Runoff: Incumbent Wardine Alexander ﬁnished third in August, so challengers Patricia McAdory and Walter Wilson will compete for the seat in the runoff. District 8 – Runoff: Sonja Smith and Patricia Henderson both captured about 30 percent of their district’s vote, so they will have a close runoff to win the seat. District 9: Sandra Brown was also re-elected, winning 68 percent of the vote over competitor Lawrence Jackson.

20 BUSINESS

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Local director recognized by FBI for community leadership By SAM CHAN D L ER ne day in th is past April w ill b e unf orgettab le f or Don L upo. Th e 6 6 -y ear-old B irmingh am resident w as at F B I H eadq uarters, plac ed among a c row d of nationally rec ogniz ab le f ac es in W ash ington, D.C . To h is righ t w as Tom O sb orne, a f ormer Univ ersity of N eb rask a f ootb all c oac h turned politic ian, and b eh ind h im w as G ary Sinise, th e ac tor w h o play ed L ieutenant Dan in th e mov ie “ F orrest G ump.” C iv il righ ts leader B ernard L af ay ette sat perc h ed at th e end of h is aisle. “ I’ m look ing around th e room, and I’ m thi nk ing, ‘ W h at in th e h ell am I doing in thi s room? ’ ” L upo rec alled. L upo w as one of 56 h onorees to rec eiv e the F B I Direc tor’ s 2 0 1 6 C ommunity L eadersh ip Aw ard. E ac h of th e F B I’ s national ﬁeld ofﬁces selects an annual recipient, and

L upo w as c h osen in early April as th e loc al w inner b y th e F B I’ s B irmingh am outpost. The award, according to an official press release, ac k now ledges indiv iduals and organiz ations w h ose ac h iev ements in th e terrorism, c rime, drug use, gang or v iolenc e prevention and education fields makes an ex emplary impac t on th e c ommunity . “ It truly w as one of th e most h umb ling, if not th e most h umb ling, th ing th at’ s ev er h appened to me,” said L upo, w h o w as rec ogniz ed f or h is w ork w ith th e h omeless. L upo h as serv ed as th e direc tor of th e B irmingham ayor s Office of itizens Assistanc e f or th e past 1 7 y ears. In th at position, h e said h e c ommunic ates w ith th e gov ernment’ s 2 6 departments to ensure th e needs and v oic es of loc al c itiz ens are h eard and met. Th ose c itiz ens inc lude th e h omeless, f or w h om L upo persistently adv oc ates. H e h as prev iously c oordinated ef f orts to prov ide th em w ith b asic nec essities, suc h as f ood and sh elter, b y c arv ing v arious c h aritab le c h annels w ith in th e c ommunity . F or

DISCOVER Don Lupo, employee in the Mayor's Ofﬁce of Citizen Assistance, poses with his FBI Director's Community Leadership Award. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

instanc e, L upo h as h elped initiate a program th at c ollec ts f ood f rom loc al restaurants and deliv ers it to th e h omeless. Ac c ording to th e F B I press release, h e took steps th is past Th ank sgiv ing to guarantee up to 50 0 people at a loc al h omeless sh elter h ad meal ac c ess. “ Th e may or h as giv en me a platf orm and giv en me th e b ully pulpit and allow ed me to go out th ere and talk ab out h omelessness,” L upo said, “ and th e c ommunity h as rallied around.” L upo, w h o maj ored in religion at Samf ord Univ ersity , trac es h is passion f or h elping oth ers to h is c h ildh ood in Dec atur, w h ere f amily memb ers instilled th e v irtue of giv ing. H e w atc h ed th e impac t of generosity

unfold ﬁrst hand as a teenager. L upo’ s moth er, w h o died of a h eart attac k at age 3 6 , designated h er lif e insuranc e polic y to a loc al ministry . Th e endow ment rec eiv ed b y th e ministry f ollow ing h er sudden passing enab led it to mov e to a b igger loc ation and ex pand its impac t. Th at memory h as stuc k w ith L upo, ac c ompany ing h im to w h erev er h is j ob c alls — f rom B irmingh am to W ash ington, D.C . “ W e liv e in a b ig w orld, or a little w orld, and w e all h av e to h elp eac h oth er,” L upo said. “ Someb ody lit th e path b ef ore us, and someb ody ’ s going to ligh t th e path af ter us. W e’ re j ust going dow n th e road try ing to mak e it a little b it b etter ev ery day .”

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COVER STORY: Nature preserve marks 40th year with nod to past, gaze to future.

Trailblazers RUFFNER’S

Above: Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve unveils a unique donor wall to honor its founders, donors, foundations and volunteers. Photo courtesy of Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve. Left: Kerry Burgess leads a yoga class at Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve on Aug. 21 during an evening yoga class — one of many other activities for community members. Photo and cover photo by Sarah Finnegan.

Photo courtesy of Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve.

By JESSE CHAMBERS

uf f ner Mountain N ature Preserv e h olds a spec ial plac e in th e minds of its regular v isitors. “ R uf f ner’ s a magic al plac e, and y ou c an’ t tak e a step w ith out b eing almost ov erw h elmed b y h ow magniﬁcent it is, elham resident and uffner volunteer J une F letc h er said. C ov ering 1 ,0 3 8 ac res in South E ast L ak e, R uf f ner of f ers a w etland, nativ e plants, h ik ing trails, sc enic ov erlook s and th e ruins of an iron-ore mine. Th e preserv e also h as a spec ial h istory , b eginning in 1 9 7 7 w ith a suc c essf ul ef f ort b y area residents to sav e ab out 2 0 ac res on th e mountain’ s north side, ab out 2 5 y ears af ter mining c eased. R uf f ner h as sinc e ex panded piec e b y piec e, b ec oming one of Americ a’ s largest urb an nature preserv es. Th e lush greenery and w ildlif e at R uf f ner sh ow h ow th e mountain h ealed itself ev en af ter b eing torn apart b y 7 0 y ears of mining. Th e preserv e — now one of B irmingh am’ s great attrac tions — is also a testament to th e v ision of ev ery day c itiz ens w h o saw th e v alue in sav ing th e mountain f rom dev elopment. “ Th e mountain is a great ex ample of th e resilienc y of nature, renewal and the power of the people, said Mic h elle R ey nolds, a nativ e plant spec ialist, R uf f ner v olunteer and f ormer b oard memb er.

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Above: Volunteers Michelle Reynolds, left, and her husband, Bob Farley, help maintain the native plant gardens at Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve on Aug. 22. Right: Conservation Design Manger Jon Woolley cuts back weeds. Photos by Sarah Finnegan.

“ Th is is ab out th e pow er of c ommunity and th e pow er of a small group of people be ing energiz ed b y an idea,” E x ec utiv e Direc tor C arlee Sanf ord said. N ow th e preserv e is ab out to c eleb rate its 40 th anniv ersary , as w ell as th at v ib rant grassroots spirit th at th at b rough t th e f ac ility into existence and has helped ﬁnancially sustain it. “ Th is plac e is h ere b ec ause people in th e c ommunity lov e it and giv e money to h elp ke ep it going,” Sanf ord said. Th e preserv e w ill k ic k of f its anniv ersary ye ar b y inv iting th e people of th e c ommunity to a spec ial “ b irth day b ash ” on O c t. 21, a f ree ev ent f eaturing music , a c ook out, guided h ik es and many oth er ac tiv ities.

'MY SOCIAL OUTLET'

Th e anniv ersary is a c h anc e f or R uf f ner lovers to celebrate the park s signiﬁcance and to ponder its f uture. “ It’ s a plac e w h ere y ou c an go and get hi story or get nature,” F letc h er said. “ Y ou get out in th e open. Y ou get v istas. Y ou c an learn ab out animals. Th ere is not anoth er plac e w h ere y ou c an go and get all of th at togeth er.” W eld pub lish er Mark K elly is w riting a bo ok , “ B ac k to N ature: A H istory of B irmingh am' s R uf f ner Mountain,” th at exp lores R uf f ner’ s b lend of natural b eauty , mining relics and geologic signiﬁcance. “ It appeals to my lov e of nature, my lov e of h istory and my lov e of B irmingh am, and it speak s to me in dif f erent w ay s at dif f erent times,” K elly said. R ey nolds, w h o liv es in E ast L ak e, v isits the f ac ility regularly . “ R uf f ner is my ex erc ise gy m, my soc ial outlet, my th erapist, my entertainment and my h omesc h ool,” sh e said. Th e f ac ility h as c ontinued to mak e improv ements under Sanf ord, inc luding a

H ab itat R estoration G arden, new trailh eads, a Donor Apprec iation W all and more pub lic programming. uffner is also seeking funding to ﬁnish renov ating E astside Park , a 6 -ac re f ormer pub lic park in South R oeb uc k th at it now ow ns. And th e f uture c ould h old b ig th ings. Th ere are disc ussions ab out R uf f ner purc h asing anoth er 50 0 -ac re trac t at th e north ern tip of th e ex isting preserv e f rom a mining c ompany . Th ere are plans to c reate a new trail – sometimes c alled th e R ed R oc k C onnec tor – along th e old mineral railw ay th at b egins in th e adj ac ent 50 0 -ac re parc el and runs along th e eastern f ringe of th e ex isting preserv e all th e w ay to O porto-Madrid B oulev ard. H ow ev er, Sanf ord v oic es c onc erns ab out h av ing th e organiz ation ov erex tend itself and b ec ome so inv olv ed in f undraising f or new proj ec ts th at people lose sigh t of th e organiz ation’ s c ore goals, inc luding th e c are of th e preserv e, pub lic programming and env ironmental educ ation. “ I f eel lik e th ere is an ex pec tation of grow th and lots of proj ec ts, and th ose ex pec tations may not align w ith reality ,” sh e said. Part of Sanf ord’ s c onc ern is ab out maintaining the ﬁnancial health of the organization. It’ s not an unw arranted f ear giv en th e situation sh e f ac ed w h en sh e took th e j ob . W h en Sanf ord, f ormerly c lient serv ic es direc tor f or Sc out B randing C ompany , b ec ame ex ec utiv e direc tor in Dec emb er 2 0 1 5, sh e f ound th at th e organiz ation still ow ed $ 1 .3 million of th e nearly $ 5 million it b orrow ed in 2 0 1 0 to b uild th e Tree Top N ature C enter. In addition, th e R uf f ner b ank ac c ount didn’ t c ontain enough money to c ov er ev en one month of ex penses. Th e long-standing deb t h ad sc ared of f oth er donors, putting th e

facility in a ﬁnancial bind. “ I w as sc ared,” Sanf ord said. H ow ev er, Sanf ord and h er staf f — w ith strong support f rom th e b oard — f ound new sourc es of money , inc luding grants and nativ e plant sales. Th e b ank also agreed to reduc e th e deb t to $ 40 0 ,0 0 0 in O c tob er 2 0 1 6 , allow ing R uf f ner to pay it of f b y J anuary 2 0 1 7 , ac c ording to Sanf ord. e are now in much better ﬁnancial sh ape,” said Darry l W ash ington, an Irondale resident and ec onomic dev elopment c onsultant w h o is th e president of R uf f ner’ s b oard. B ut th e staf f and b oard rec ogniz e th ey c annot b e c omplac ent. “ F unding and dev elopment are alw ay s essential,” W ash ington said, c iting suc h needs as operations, programming and maintenanc e. In addition, R uf f ner is attempting to resolv e a legal issue regarding a trailh ead or entranc ew ay on th e Irondale side of th e park . Th e preserv e is in litigation w ith a b usiness ow ner w h o purc h ased some property near th at trailh ead and temporarily c losed th e entranc e to h ik ers. R uf f ner is seek ing an easement to allow c ontinued ac c ess. At Iron C ity Ink ’ s press time, a trial date h ad b een sc h eduled f or O c t. 2 .

'SENSE OF PRIDE'

W h atev er th e ex ac t outlines of R uf f ner’ s f uture, th e f ac ility ’ s anniv ersary is someth ing to b e c eleb rated. t is signiﬁcant that there are people in this city who care and would ﬁght to keep a plac e lik e th at aliv e and v ib rant,” F letc h er said. W ash ington points out th at R uf f ner — and th e people w h o h elp start and sustained it — h elped b egin a sort of green mov ement in th e c ity . “ It’ s a sense of pride h ow green spac es h av e dev eloped in B irmingh am, and w e w ere th e trendsetter,” h e said, noting th at R uf f ner c ame long b ef ore suc h f ac ilities as R ed Mountain Park or th e R ed R oc k R idge and V alley Trail Sy stem. “ And it all started w ith c ommunity — a group of people w h o got togeth er to mak e a dif f erenc e,” h e said. R uf f ner Mountain N ature Preserv e, 1 2 1 4 8 1 st St. S., w ill c eleb rate th e 40 th anniv ersary of th e f ounding of th e original R uf f ner Mountain N ature C oalition on Sat., O c t. 2 1 , 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Th e ev ent is f ree and w ill f eature guided nature and mining h istory h ik es, ec o-arts ac tiv ities, c h ildren' s ac tiv ities, a DJ f rom Seasic k R ec ords and a h ot-dog c ook out. F or details, c all 8 3 3 -8 2 6 4 or go to ruf f nermountain.org.

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Members of the Birmingham Bier Community Choir sing together at Good People Brewing in July. The “choir” is a local chapter of a national organization, which brings people together to drink and sing songs regardless of their vocal talents. Organizer Mallory Bubbett emphasized that Bier Choir will always be about “regular people just leading regular people in songs.” Photos by Sydney Cromwell.

OCTOBER 2017

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Raise YOUR VOICE AND YOUR GLASS B’HAM BIZARRE

WITH THE BIRMINGHAM BIER COMMUNITY CHOIR

By SY D N EY CRO MW EL L

h and f rom J oey H all, a tub a play er in th e C restw ood C ommunity B and w h o play ed h e c lassic tradition of pub along w ith some of th e tunes. songs h as c ome to B irmingB ub b ett w as inspired b y th e national B eer h am w ith th e f ormation of C h oir organiz ation, w h ic h h as soc ial singing th e B irmingh am B ier C omc h apters ac ross th e U.S. Sh e saw one suc h munity C h oir. c h apter at a c h oral direc tors’ c onf erenc e Th ough th e w ord “ c h oir” and felt Birmingham would be a perfect fit. may mak e it sound f ormal, organiz er and Sinc e B eer C h oir isn’ t c urrently ac c epting UAB music educ ation student Mallory new c h apters, B ub b ett dec ided to c h ange th e B ub b ett emph asiz ed th at th e group is name sligh tly — “ b ier” b eing th e G erman “ c ome one, c ome all.” If y ou lik e singing w ord f or b eer — and get th e b all rolling. and like drinking, that s the only ualifica“ I’ v e j ust b een itc h ing to get th is started tion y ou need. all summer,” B ub b ett said, “ Y ou don’ t ev en h av e to adding th at sh e’ d ev entually sing,” B ub b ett said. “ It’ s ab out lik e to mak e th e B irmingbe ing a c ommunity , and if y ou h am group part of th e larger w ant to c ome h ang out, c h ill national organiz ation. “ I j ust and b e a part of our c ommuf eel lik e B irmingh am’ s ready Know about nity , y ou’ re w elc ome.” f or it now .” something in At their first Bier hoir B ub b ett lik ened B ier C h oir Birmingham you ev ent on J uly 2 8 at G ood to any oth er soc ial group consider bizarre, People B rew ing, sev eral doz en — it’ s not ab out talent, it’ s eclectic or utterly people j oined in w ith a pint in ab out h av ing f un in a group original? Let one h and and sh eet music in of strangers w ith a c ommon us know! Email the oth er. Th eir repertoire w as interest. information to ba sed on a v ariety of drink ing Bier hoir is first and foresydney@starnessongs, lik e “ W h at do y ou do most a c ommunity ,” B ub b ett publishing.com. w ith a drunk en sailor? ” and said. “ G lorious B eer.” The response to the first Bier O ne c row d f av orite th at got C h oir sing-along w as b etter seve ral req uests w as a rew rite of “ Do R e th an B ub b ett ex pec ted. Sh e’ s now planning Mi,” f rom “ Th e Sound of Music .” It b egan: month ly gath erings at dif f erent b rew eries “ Dough , th e stuf f th at b uy s me b eer. around tow n, w ith oc c asional guest c onduc R ay , th e guy w h o serv es my b eer… ” tors. B ub b ett said sh e also w ants to partner And c ontinues in similar f ash ion all th e w ith dif f erent groups, lik e th e c ommunity w ay th rough th e sc ale b ac k to “ dough .” b and, to b roaden B ier C h oir’ s reac h th rough B ub b ett said sh e w as pleased to see ev ents lik e b ik e rides and C h ristmas c arolstrangers in th e c row d on G ood People’ s ing th at end at a b rew ery w ith a f ew rousing patio. Th ough almost none of th em w ere songs. prof essional music ians or singers, and f ew B ier C h oir and th e C restw ood C ommuha d ev en h eard many of th e songs b ef ore, nity B and w ill h ost a j oint O k tob erw een it all c ame togeth er and sounded muc h lik e ev ent O c t. 3 0 at C ah ab a B rew ing. B ub b ett be er h alls and pub s h av e f or generations. said th e c h oir w ill b egin around 6 p.m. and W h ic h , of c ourse, is th e intent. th e b and w ill b egin play ing around 7 p.m. “ People lik e to ex press th emselv es and B ub b ett emph asiz ed th at B ier C h oir w ill not w orry too muc h ,” said Stac ey G ordon, alw ay s b e ab out “ regular people j ust leading the organiz er of th e C restw ood C ommunity regular people in songs.” B and, at th e inaugural sing-along. V isit f ac eb ook .c om/ b h amb ierc h oir to Th ey also got an unex pec ted h elping k eep up w ith upc oming ev ents.

What’s going on?

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home & garden

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

October is the time to take on a project or two. Whether you are looking to redesign a room, revamp your garden or prepare your home for winter, we’ve got you covered. Browse through our fall home and garden guide for advice, tips and resources for every aspect of home improvement.

INDEX Iron City Realty ...................................................26 EZ Roof and EZ Restoration.................................27 Charlie Thigpen’s Garden Gallery ........................28 Avondale Specialty Hardware ..............................28

IRON CITY REALTY

Leading you through real estate market N anc y C allah an h as 2 8 ye ars of suc c ess in the real estate w orld, and she uses th at w isdom and ex perienc e to mentor th e agents w ho w ork w ith he r at Iron C ity R ealty . “ Most b rok ers mentor to th eir agents b ut a lot of th em h av e ex tensiv e training departments. I do it personally ,” C allah an said. “ I try to mold th em like me.” C reated in J anuary 2 0 1 5, Iron C ity R ealty is lead by C allah an, th e ow ner and br oke r, and inc ludes realty agents Steph anie G uy ton, Sarah C aiola, J ac ob L indsey a nd Davi d B radf ord. C allahan said she intentionally keeps her ofﬁce small so she c an pass on he r be st prac tic es and advi c e, partic ularly t o new er agents. Tha t personal touc h ext ends to Iron C ity R ealty ’ s serv ic es to ev ery c lient, and is part of w hy the bus iness ha s be en so suc c essf ul in its tw o ye ars. Iron C ity R ealty is c entrally loc ated in H oov er b ut w ork s w ith residential, c ommerc ial and lak e properties th rough out

B irmingha m and the surrounding area. Iron C ity R ealty also ha s tw o new c onstruc tion c ommunities: Th e gated E states of Mountain R idge in C restw ood South and H ampton H eight s in Irondale. The E states inc ludes a spec h ome in th e $ 7 3 5,0 0 0 pric e range, and lots f or dev elopment ranging f rom $ 50 ,0 0 0 to $ 1 2 5,0 0 0 . H ampton H eigh ts lots are in th e $ 2 5,0 0 0 -40 ,0 0 0 range. For more information on I ron C ity Realty, call 365 -75 5 7 or visit ironcityrealty.com.

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EZ ROOF & EZ RESTORATION

Fall the best season for a new roof W he n you need a new roof installed, f all is the ideal time of ye ar. Af ter th e summer storms and b ef ore th e h arsh w inter temperatures, f all of f ers th e perf ec t w eath er f or th e installers and th e materials, and giv es y ou th e opportunity to prepare your hom e f or w inter. O f ten a roof replac ement c an b e an urgent situation and does not allow f or planning f or the perf ec t season. H ow eve r, w he n it does, f all is truly i deal f or the reasons be low .

q ualif y y ou f or a f ederal tax c redit f or energy efficiency. This applies to the roofing material, not the labor , and is only va lid f or c ertain energy efficient materials. Starting your roof proj ec t in the f all give s y ou plenty of time to do y our researc h , c omplete installation and mak e sure y ou h av e all your rec eipts f or your tax return at the end of the ye ar.

POST STORM-SEASON

Alab ama’ s storm season b egins in midMarc h and lasts until Septemb er. Th e summer rain, w inds, h ail, tornadoes and h urric anes c an w reak h av oc on h omes and properties. It’ s important to inspec t y our roof af ter any seve re w eathe r eve nt; how eve r, w e also rec ommend inspec ting your roof at the end of the summer storm season.

NOT TOO HOT, NOT TOO COLD

F all of f ers th e b est w eath er c onditions f or b oth th e materials and th e installers.

Temperatures b etw een 50 and 8 0 degrees F ah renh eit are b est f or allow ing asph alt sh ingles to adhe re properly , as w ell as limiting any temperature-related damage you might see in summer or w inter months . Th e c ooler temperatures also allow roof installers to w ork longer hour s w ithout getting ove rh eated or ove rtired.

WINTER PREPARATIONS

Traditionally , f all is a time f or h ome

improve ments and preparing you r hom e f or the ha rsh w inter months ahe ad. id you know that re-rooﬁng in fall can he lp you save on he ating bi lls and ke eping your hom e w armer in the w inter, too? If y our H V AC sy stem is loc ated in th e attic , a new roof c an he lp it operate at peak ef f ec tive ness.

SAVINGS

R oof replac ement th rough Dec . 3 1 may

A new roof c an be a ha ve -to hom e proj ec t tha t doesn’ t leave muc h room f or planning. H ow eve r, w he n it does, f all is a great season f or it! The w eathe r is j ust right f or the installers and the materials, and it allow s you to prepare y our h ome to b etter protec t y our f amily and pets during the w inter. K eep in mind, f all is also a v ery b usy season for rooﬁng companies, so call early f or your estimate! For more information on EZ Roof & EZ Restoration, call 968-1034 or visit our showroom at 2078-B Valleydale Road in Hoover.

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CHARLIE THIGPEN’S GARDEN GALLERY

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AVONDALE SPECIALTY HARDWARE

Garden ideas aplenty at Pepper Place

High-end hardware at your ﬁngertips

C h arlie Th igpen’ s G arden G allery is a design and garden sh op c onv eniently loc ated at Pepper Plac e in dow ntow n B irmingha m. The G arden G allery is more tha n j ust an ave rage ower shop in addition to plants, th e G arden G allery of f ers h andc raf ted art, design inspiration and mak e-y our-ow n h y pertuf a ( also know n as anthr opic roc k) planter sessions. C h arlie Th igpen, th e ow ner of th e G arden G allery , c eleb rates hi s store’ s w ide array of produc ts. “ W e h av e people c ome in all th e time looki ng f or ideas. W e neve r w ant a c ookie-c utter look, and most of our c ustomers are th e same. L ik e most garden sh ops, w e h av e plants, gardening produc ts, statuary , f ountains and w ind c h imes, b ut w e also h av e soaps, lotions, purses, sc arv es, nature-inspired art and lots of dec k , patio and hom e dé c or.” Thi gpen and hi s w if e, C indy , w ork ha rd

H G H H ardw are Supply is a B irmingha m-ba sed bus iness tha t ha s b een selling c ab inet h ardw are and ac c essories sinc e 1963. Th is f all, th e c ompany w ill launc h a new divi sion, c alled Avonda le Spec ialty H ardw are, and add J ef f Seabol t to the team. The B irmingha m show room, loc ated at 3912 Sec ond Ave . S. in Avonda le, serve s hom eow ners, arc hi tec ts, dec orators, c abi netmak ers and c ontrac tors. Prof essionals ac ross B irmingha m — and the Southe ast — know and trust H G H H ardw are Supply f or the ir ha rdw are needs. H G H H ardw are Supply ow ner R ay mond H olc ombe said the store’ s show room w ill b e c ompletely renov ated th is f all to c reate a more invi ting spac e f or c ustomers to selec t the ir dec orative ha rdw are, and J ef f w ill be the re to guide the m thr ough t he proc ess. Prev ious to j oining H G H , Seab olt ow ned Auth entic B rass in C ah ab a H eigh ts and Arc h itec tural H ardw are Supply in Arc h itec tural H eritage at Pepper Plac e. H e b rings 30 ye ars of spec ialty ha rdw are expe rienc e to the new divi sion. R eb ec c a L ipsc omb , H G H mark eting manager, said Seabolt is a great ﬁt because

to pic k one-of -a-k ind items to sell in th e G arden G allery , inc luding partnering w ith loc al artists to c ustom-mak e f urniture f or c lients. “ It’ s b een f un meeting and c ollab orating w ith so many talented loc al artists,” Thi gpen said. “ Th e b est th ing ab out opening a garden sh op h as b een meeting so many great people.” For more information on C harlie T higpe n’ s G arden G allery, call 328-1000 or visit charliethigpe nsgar dengal lery.com.

he sha res the ir dedic ation to c ustomer seriv c e. “ At H G H H ardw are Supply , w e love to help our customers ﬁnd products that solv e th eir c h allenges and enh anc e th eir liv es. Th at’ s w h y w e’ re so ex c ited ab out h av ing J ef f on b oard. H e gets th e same th rill out of h elping eac h c ustomer c h oose j ust th e righ t h ardw are – and mak ing th at dream hom e a reality ,” L ipsc omb s aid. Av ondale Spec ialty H ardw are and H G H H ardw are Supply are open Monday -F riday , f rom 7: 30 a .m. to 4: 30 p.m . For more information on A vondale Spe cialty Hardware or HG H Hardware Supl y, call 595- 4655 or visit avondale sp ecialtyhardware.com or hg hhardware.com.

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SOUTHSIDE

Center seeks host homes for LGBT youth By SY D N EY CRO MW EL L W h en B irmingh am-area L G B T teens and y oung adults are f ac ing h omelessness, th ey of ten turn to th e Magic C ity Ac c eptanc e C enter. N ow , th ank s to f unding f rom San F ranc isc o-b ased group w ay O UT, MC AC is c reating a new program to mak e sure L G B T y outh s in c risis c an h av e a plac e to c all h ome. Amanda K eller, direc tor of th e South side-b ased MC AC , said th ey are c urrently seek ing sh ort-term h ost h omes as part of th e Magic C ity Ac c eptanc e H omes proj ec t, launc h ing in late f all. Th e proj ec t is f unded f or tw o y ears due to a $ 1 1 0 ,0 0 0 donation b y w ay O UT. Th e Ac c eptanc e H omes proj ec t w ill b e open to L G B T y outh s ages 1 9 -2 4 w h o are in need of a plac e to stay . R ath er th an plac ing th em in sh elters, K eller said th e Ac c eptanc e H omes program w ill giv e th em a b edroom of th eir ow n and support f rom th e f amilies th ey stay w ith . “ W e deal w ith sev eral, sev eral reports of people w h o are c onc erned ab out b eing k ic k ed

WOODLAWN

out of th eir h omes or are c urrently ex perienc ing h omelessness,” K eller said. K eller said sh e w ants th e program to ac t as a transitional period, up to ab out six month s, to h elp th e partic ipants tak e adv antage of oth er A programs to ﬁnd obs and an apartment of th eir ow n. Th e Ac c eptanc e H omes are meant to b e a response to immediate c risis situations rath er th an long-term solution. MC AC w ill prov ide resourc es f or b oth th e h ost f amilies and y outh partic ipants. Th is w ill inc lude a c ase manager to h elp w ith th e transition and educ ation w ork sh ops to learn ab out gender and sex uality issues to prepare h ost f amilies f or th e task . “ Th at’ s our h ope is j ust to prov ide training and support,” K eller said. “ So many people are j ust so c onc erned ab out mak ing mistak es th at it af f ec ts th em b eing ab le to h av e a c onv ersation w ith th e person.” MC AC w ill also prov ide a pac k age of supplies, inc luding groc ery and gas gif t c ards, to h elp c ov er some of th e h osting ex penses, and

a b ac k pac k of personal supplies f or th e y outh partic ipants. “ W h en y ou’ re in a state of c risis, y ou don’ t w ant to b e running out w orry ing ab out tooth paste,” K eller said. F amilies, c ouples, roommates and indiv iduals ov er th e age of 2 9 are enc ouraged to apply if th ey are interested in b eing a h ost h ome. Th ere are some req uirements h ost h omes must adh ere to, b ut K eller said th e most important is h av ing a priv ate room av ailab le f or th e y oung adult th ey h ost and a b ath room w h ere th ey c an h av e priv ac y . H ost h omes h av e to b e w illing to prov ide th ree meals a day , b ut more importantly th ey h av e to b e ready to prov ide support and an env ironment th at f eels lik e h ome. e ask that folks are afﬁrming, well-intended indiv iduals. … W e’ re j ust ask ing f or f olk s w ith a really good h eart,” K eller said. “ Y ou’ re agreeing to c are f or th is person.” K eller said sh e w ants to start th e program “ v ery slow ly , v ery c aref ully ” to mak e sure

Amanda Keller. Photo courtesy of Magic City Acceptance Center.

th at b oth h osts and th eir h ouseguests get ev ery th ing th ey need. MC AC is loc ated at 2 50 0 F ourth Av e. S. F or more inf ormation ab out Magic C ity Ac c eptanc e H omes or ab out b ec oming a h ost h ome, c ontac t K eller at amanda@ mc ac -b ao. org.

New head coach aims to rebuild castle ‘brick by brick’

By K Y L E P ARML EY Th e f ront of W oodlaw n H igh Sc h ool, f ac ing F irst Av enue N orth in B irmingh am, is a pleasing sigh t to th e ey es. Th e b ric k and c onc rete ex terior resemb le someth ing out of a mov ie, w ith a pair of w ide stairc ases leading to th e main entranc e and multiple c onic al spirals atop th e roof , giv ing the appearanc e of a maj estic c astle. B ut as pleasing a sigh t as th e surf ac e on th e f ront side, th e direc t opposite c ould b e said ab out w h at oc c urs on th e oth er side. O n the b ac k side of th e sc h ool is a large patc h of grass th at runs th e length of th e sc h ool, w h ere the f ootb all team prac tic es. It’ s no sec ret th at th e f ootb all program at W oodlaw n h as not ex perienc ed a sub stantiv e amount of suc c ess in rec ent y ears, c ompiling j ust a pair of w inning seasons out of th e past .2 B ut th e C olonels are w ork ing to c h ange th at trend. Th ey ’ re aiming to reb uild th e c astle. Th at starts w ith new h ead c oac h G eorge B ates. “ O ur ob j ec tiv e is to reb uild th e c astle. Th e proc ess is w e’ re going to do it b ric k b y b ric k ,” he said. Bates is in his ﬁrst year at oodlawn, but is no stranger to th e B irmingh am C ity Sc h ools sys tem. H e c oac h ed prev iously at Park er f or

Woodlawn High School head football coach George Bates poses during a practice Aug. 29. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

tw o seasons. B ef ore c oming to W oodlaw n, B ates guided Minor’ s program to th ree straigh t w inning seasons, inc luding an 1 1 -2 c ampaign last f all. Despite th e program’ s rec ent rec ord, h e h as b ig plans f or W oodlaw n f ootb all. “ I w ant to b ec ome one of th e top 1 0 teams

in C lass 5A,” B ates said. “ B ut I also w ant W oodlaw n f ootb all to b e th e c lass of W oodlaw n H igh Sc h ool, as f ar as in th e h allw ay s. I w ant W oodlaw n f ootb all to b e k now n in th e c ommunity . Bates believes that on-ﬁeld success starts in th e c lassroom, and h as h arped on th e

importanc e of ac ademic s j ust as muc h , if not more, th an h e h as w inning f ootb all games. H e f ully b eliev es Univ ersity of South F lorida h ead c oac h C h arlie Strong’ s ph ilosoph y . If a kid is doing well in class, he s doing ust fine on the field. And vice versa. “ E v ery c oac h w e h av e on staf f , along w ith th e administrators, is on b oard,” B ates said. e re going to coach academics first. ootb all is going to c ome.” O ne of th e greatest h urdles to ov erc ome f or the team is beginning to build the confidence th at it c an ac tually b ec ome a c ontender. Th e first few games of the season did not provide instant results in th e w in c olumn, b ut B ates w ants h is guy s to stay th e c ourse. “ Th at’ s th e b iggest th ing as a c oac h ,” B ates said. “ I c an enc ourage y ou, I c an inspire y ou. W e’ v e got great c oac h es around y ou, w e c an c are f or y ou, w e c an lov e on y ou, b ut th e main th ing is j ust tw eak ing th at mental approac h .” B ates’ h iring turned h eads, and b rough t new attention to th e W oodlaw n program. Th e C olonels w ere also ab le to raise th e f unds to purc h ase new unif orms. Th e attentions and tangib le th ings are great, b ut th e program and its suc c ess w ill b e estab lish ed as th e prov erb ial c astle is reb uilt, b ric k b y b ric k . “ I j ust w ant th is program to b e a b east on and off the field. That s what we ve got to get to,” B ates said.

OCTOBER 2017

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Executive to accept prestigious business award By JESSE CHAMBERS An ex ec utiv e w ith a B irmingh am real estate c ompany w ill trav el to B arc elona, Spain, on O c t. 2 1 to rec eiv e a prestigious b usiness aw ard. L indsay Dav is, c o-f ounder and C O O of Spartan Inv est, h as b een named a w inner of a B ronz e Stev ie Aw ard f or 2 0 1 7 Davis in th e 1 4th annual International B usiness Aw ards, ac c ording to a c ompany new s release. Dav is w on h er aw ard in th e W oman of th e Y ear in th e B ank ing, F inanc ial Serv ic es and R eal E state c ategory . Sh e is one of f our w omen h onored in h er c ategory , th e only w inner f rom Alab ama in th e management c ategory and th e only person f rom B irmingh am in th e c ompetition, the release stated. Th e Stev ie Aw ards rec eiv e 1 0 ,0 0 0 nominations annually f rom 6 0 c ountries.

Spartan Inv est is th e operations c ompany f or Spartan V alue Inv estors, a real estate investment ﬁrm. Dav is ov ersees $ 1 0 million in assets, manages th e c ompany ’ s retail portf olio of 3 8 2 rental properties and manages more th an 2 0 0 v endors. “ Some v ery impressiv e b usiness prof essionals w ill b e th ere,” sh e said. “ It is a b ig h onor to represent B irmingh am,” sh e said. A C alh oun, G eorgia, nativ e, Dav is graduated f rom Th e Univ ersity of Alab ama in 2 0 0 7 and h as liv ed in B irmingh am f or six y ears. Th e c ompany ’ s loc ation b etw een H igh land Park and F iv e Points South is a good one, ac c ording to Dav is. “ W e’ re c lose to ev ery th ing dow ntow n, and w e’ re also c entrally loc ated f rom all our rental mark ets,” sh e said.

New co-working space ﬁnds perfect downtown home BY JESSE CHAMBERS Th e old Piz itz department store dow ntow n w as a popular gath ering spot f or dec ades. And sinc e its rec ent $ 7 0 million renov ation b y B ay er Properties, Th e izitz now featuring ofﬁces, retail and apartments — h as onc e again b ec ome a popular destination in an inc reasingly b usiness-f riendly dow ntow n. It’ s also th e spot f or F orge, a new c o-w orki ng spac e tha t opened on the mez z anine leve l above th e bus tling Piz itz F ood H all on Sept. 5, ac c ording to the f ac ility’ s C E O and f ounder, K im L ee. “ The Piz itz is an amaz ing bui lding, and I’ m so honor ed to be a part of it and part of tha t c entral hub f or dow ntow n,” said L ee, a bus iness c onsultant.

Forge’s space is located on the mezzanine level. Photo by Jesse Chambers.

orge includes 18 private offices, three c onf erenc e rooms and sh ared w ork spac es f or up to 130 m embe rs. L ee h opes to c onnec t entrepreneurs, w ho are sometimes isolated w he n w orki ng at h ome, w ith opportunities to grow th eir bus inesses. Th e f ac ility , w h ic h L ee is c ompleting in th ree ph ases, measures ab out 1 2 ,0 0 0 s uare feet. The first phase is , 00 s uare f eet w ith a k itc h en, a c onf erenc e room, f our private offices and some of the co-working spac e, ac c ording to L ee, w ho said she ha s about 40 t enants so f ar. Th ere are sev eral memb ersh ip plans av ailab le, most b ased on th e amount of time per w eek th at tenants intend to use th e f ac ility . F or more inf ormation, go to w ork atf orge.c om.

32 BUSINESS

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Construction continues on new complex By JESSE CHAMBERS

OCTOBER 2017

The Metropolitan will be at Seventh Avenue and 29th Street South. Rendering courtesy Lord Aeck Sargent architects.

L ak ev iew c ontinues to grow w ith new b ars, restaurants and residential units. B ut th e b iggest single proj ec t so f ar is Th e Metropolitan, a f our-story , 2 6 2 -unit upsc ale apartment c omplex under c onstruc tion at Sev enth Av enue and 2 9 th Street South . Th e Metropolitan, w ith one-, tw o- and thr ee-b edroom units, is ex pec ted to open in early 2 0 1 8 , ac c ording to Amy C oh en, direc tor of mark eting f or th e proj ec t’ s dev elopers, the B omasada G roup in H ouston. W h en f ully oc c upied, th e c omplex sh ould h elp f urth er b oost pedestrian traf ﬁc in an already bustling entertainment distric t. And th e dev elopers are h appy to b e in th e

area, ac c ording to C oh en. L ak ev iew is a “ th riv ing mark et” and “ a prime loc ation th at puts y ou in th e h eart of B irmingh am,” sh e said. Th e units, ranging in pric e f rom $ 1 ,0 0 0 $ 3 ,0 0 0 , b oast suc h f eatures as 1 5-f oot c eilings, priv ate b alc onies, sec urity sy stems and w ash ers and dry ers. Th e c omplex w ill also inc lude sev eral c ommunity spac es, inc luding a f itness c enter, c y b er c af é , roof top lounge and Th e H angout, a gath ering spac e w ith TV s and pool tab les. Th e dev elopers h av e opened a pre-leasing ofﬁce in the 2700 block of Seventh Avenue near th e c omplex .

Habitat for Humanity to build at least 10 houses in annual Blitz By JESSE CHAMBERS B uilding a doz en h ouses in one w eek is an interesting ex perienc e, ac c ording to C h arles Moore, president and C E O of H ab itat f or H umanity G reater B irmingh am. “ It’ s f un,” h e said. “ It’ s ex c iting. It’ s stressf ul.” H ab itat w ill tak e on th e c h allenge again during its annual B irmingh am H ab itat H ome Builders Blitz on Oct. 12-19. The nonproﬁt w ill b uild 1 0 or more h ouses in Ph ase 2 of its C asc ade Parc dev elopment, on th e site of th e old C asc ade Plunge sw imming f ac ility in E ast L ak e, ac c ording to Moore. H ab itat h as rec ruited eigh t to 1 0 h omeb uilders to w ork at th e B litz , eac h of th em superv ising a h ouse and b ringing in

Photo by Jesse Chambers.

sub c ontrac tors, Moore said. H ab itat w ill superv ise tw o of th e b uilds, and ab out 8 0 0 to 1 ,0 0 0 v olunteers w ill partic ipate. Most of th e h omes w ill b e th ree-b edroom, tw o-b ath C raf tsman-sty le h ouses pric ed at ab out $ 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 -$ 1 1 5,0 0 0 . “ O ur mission is to prov ide af f ordab le h ousing,” Moore said. “ W e don’ t giv e th em aw ay . E ac h f amily h as a mortgage, b ut w e sell th em at c ost w ith z ero-perc ent interest.” In ph ase one in 2 0 1 6 , H ab itat b uilt 1 3 h omes at C asc ade Parc . Th ere w ill lik ely b e a th ird ph ase, ac c ording to Moore, w h o said little h ousing h as b een b uilt in E ast L ak e f or 50 y ears. Blitz workdays are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m, except Sundays. To volunteer, call 780-1234 or go to h ab itatb irmingh am.org.

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OCTOBER 2017

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PUT THESE IN OCTOBER’S BEST BETS

BARBER VINTAGE FESTIVAL

Oct. 6-8, Barber Motorsports Park, 6030 Barber Motorsports Parkway

The 13th annual Barber Vintage Festival is one of the most highly anticipated motorcycle events in the world. The three-day festival features the fan zone with food and entertainment, Monster Energy stunt show, Ace Corner, a swap meet with hundreds of vendors selling vintage motorcycles and parts, as well as the VJMC gathering, and the Motorcycle Classics show. For more information, visit barbermuseum.org/events/ barber-vintage-festival.

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TASTE OF THE MAGIC CITY

Oct. 19-22, MAKEbhm, 4000 Third Ave. S.

The Taste of the Magic City celebrates its seventh year beneﬁting M-POWER Ministries, Birmingham’s only nonproﬁt providing free education and health services to our community’s vast underprivileged population. Adding to the “Taste” theme will be sampling of sounds from Joe Breckenridge and others. Early bird tickets are available from now until Oct. 15 for $29. ($35 beginning Oct. 16 and at the door - if available). For more information, visit tasteofthemagiccity.instagift.com.

MAGIC CITY MUSIC FEST

Oct. 27, BJCC Legacy Arena, 2100 Richard Arrington Blvd. N.

Performing acts include Keith Sweat, En Vogue, EU and Doug E. Fresh. MC LightFoot will host. 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $48.75-$88.75. 800-745-3000. For more information, visit bjcc.org.

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MUST SEE

See this? It means we think you ought to go!

SLOSS FRIGHT FURNACE

Through Oct. 31, Sloss Furnaces, 32nd St. N.

Sloss Fright Furnace has created a terrifying experience that takes you into the deepest, darkest parts of Sloss Furnace. New in 2017, visitors on the Furnace Tour will begin their journey through a replica of the Wormwood House, the childhood home of the sadistic foreman, Slag Wormwood. They will also explore new locations normally closed to the public including the terrifying Boiler Room, home to hundreds of paranormal encounters. For more information, visit frightfurnace.com.

OFFICIAL BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL

third ﬂoor, Conference Rooms D and E.

Hall, Conference Room A.

Hall, third ﬂoor.

Oct. 2: Birmingham City Council Public Safety, Transportation Committee. 4:30 p.m. Birmingham City Hall, third ﬂoor, council chambers.

Oct. 10: Birmingham City Council. 9:30 a.m. City Hall, third ﬂoor.

Oct. 16: Citizen Advisory Board. 7 p.m. City Council Chambers, Birmingham City Hall, third ﬂoor. The Citizen Participation Program is designed to achieve improved communication, understanding, and cooperation between Birmingham citizens and city ofﬁcials through increased personal contact between City Hall and neighborhoods and communities throughout the city. The public is welcome to attend.

Oct. 24: Birmingham City Council Education Committee. 2 p.m. Birmingham City Hall, third ﬂoor, Conference Rooms D and E.

Oct. 3: Birmingham City Council. 9:30 a.m. City Hall, third ﬂoor.

Oct. 10: Birmingham City Council Public Improvements and Beautiﬁcation Committee. 2 p.m. Birmingham City Hall, Conference Room A.

Oct. 9: Birmingham City Council Economic Development, Budget and Finance Committee. 4 p.m. Birmingham City Hall, third ﬂoor, Conference Rooms D and E.

Oct. 16: Birmingham City Council Public Safety, Transportation Committee. 4:30 p.m. Birmingham City Hall, third ﬂoor, council chambers.

Oct. 9: Birmingham City Council Governmental Affairs Committee. 2 p.m. Birmingham City Hall,

Oct. 16: Birmingham City Council Planning and Zoning Committee. 4:30 p.m. Birmingham City

Oct. 17: Birmingham City Council. 9:30 a.m. City Hall, third ﬂoor. Oct. 24: Birmingham City Council. 9:30 a.m. City

Oct. 24: Birmingham City Council Utilities Committee. 4 p.m. Birmingham City Hall, third ﬂoor, Conference Rooms D and E. Oct. 25: Birmingham City Council Committee of the Whole. 4 p.m. Birmingham City Hall, third ﬂoor, Conference Rooms D and E. Oct. 27: Birmingham City Council Administration/Technology Committee. 1 p.m.

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Birmingham City Hall, third ﬂoor, Conference Rooms D and E. Oct. 31: Birmingham City Council. Hall, third ﬂoor.

a.m. City

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS Oct. 3: orest Par outh vondale eighborhood ssociation meeting. p.m. vondale ibrary, 4 th t. . isit forestpar southavondale.com for more information. Oct. 9: Woodla n eighborhood ssociation meeting. st ve . Call President Brenda Petta ay at -44 for more information. Oct. 10: Highland Par eighborhood ssociation meeting. p.m. pstairs meeting room of the Highland Par olf Course clubhouse. Meeting notices are sent out to recipients of the Highland Par email list. If you ish to be included on this list, email President lison lascoc at alisonglascoc gmail.com. Oct. 12: Roebuc prings eighborhood ssociation meeting. p.m. outh Roebuc Baptist Community Church. Call President ran Hamby at 222-2 for more information. Oct. 17: Central City eighborhood ssociation meeting - p.m. inn-Henley ibrary, Richard rrington, r. uditorium. eighborhood social to follo at Tavern on st, 2 2 st ve. . Oct. 23: Crest ood outh eighborhood ssociation meeting. p.m. 22 th t. . Oct. 23: Crest ood orth eighborhood ssociation meeting. p.m. irls Inc. of labama. Oct. 23: Huffman eighborhood ssociation meeting. p.m. Cornerstone chool, Huffman Road. Oct. 23: ive Points outh eighborhood ssociation meeting. p.m. outhside ibrary, 4 th ve. . isit ﬁvepointsbham. com for more information. Oct. 24: Bush Hills eighborhood ssociation meeting. p.m. Bush Hills cademy chool, th t. .W. Call President Walladean treeter at 2-42 for more information.

Did we miss something? If you ould li e to have your neighborhood association meeting mentioned in ne t month’s calendar, email the meeting info to illiams starnespublishing.com.

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FACES

COMMUNITY Oct. 1: Cahaba River ryDo n. Railroad Par , irst ve . This annual party MUST and competitive coo -off is a SEE celebration of the Cahaba River and the principal fundraiser for the Cahaba River ociety. 2 . 22- 2 . frydo n.com

ICI

Oct. 2: B O Bingo. Birmingham ID Outreach, 2 2nd t. . B O hosts its bingo fundraiser on the first Monday of each month. - p.m. Cash prizes. 22-4 e t. . birminghamaidsoutreach.org Oct. 4-6: outhern utomotive Conference. B CC E hibition Halls. The event features an Innovation one, net or ing, spea ers and brea out sessions on leadership, entrepreneurship and ne technology. Wednesday, p.m. Thursday, a.m. to p.m. riday, a.m. Registration , members 4 . 2 - 24- 4 . southernautocon.com Oct. 5-8: outhern Women’s ho . B CC E hibition Halls. aunched in , the Women’s ho eries offers omen four days of fashion and food, as ell as information about health, fitness, business, education, travel and leisure. or tic et prices and schedules, call 4- - 4 or go to southernsho s.com s s. Oct. 6: Western’s Wine ood estival. Birmingham oo, 2 Cahaba Road. The event ill MUST feature more than 4 food SEE vendors, more than ines to taste, a carousel and live animals. Proceeds ill benefit Birmingham oo, Emmet O’ eal ibrary, unior eague of Birmingham and East a e Initiative. - p.m. - . - 4 .

ICI

Oct. 8: andhi ayanti. p.m. Birmingham Museum of rt. The Indian Cultural ociety and the Museum present an evening in honor of Mahatma andhi’s birthday, andhi ayanti. The event begins ith a special Indian classical concert featuring special guest musicians. artsbma.org event gandhi- ayanti. Oct. 14: Tour de Bre ers I. The Roof Birmingham. Tour de Bre ers I is a roughly informal charity run ride supporting The Dannon Pro ect that combines the fun of a fun run ith the real fun of tasting great Birmingham local bre s. faceboo .com tourdebre ers.

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Oct. 14 and 28: Contra Dance. WC Birmingham, 2 rd t. . Presented by OOTM D, Birmingham riends of Old-Time Music and Dance, these regular events primarily feature contra dancing, s uare dancing and altzes. p.m. dults over college students children ages - 4 children 2 and under admitted free. - 2 . footmadbirmingham.org. Oct. 26: World Reach 2 st Beneﬁt olf Tournament. Bentbroo olf Club. undraiser to provide a loving home to orphaned and re ected children at the World Reach Orphanage in enya, and provide medical relief through their clinic in Muthetheni, enya. faceboo .com events 2. Oct. 28: Wal to Defeat . Railroad Par . n opportunity to bring hope to people living ith , to raise money for a cure, and to come together for something you care about. The ssociation’s biggest annual event, hich raises funds that allo our local chapters to sustain care services and support research for much of the ne t year.

MUSIC Oct. 1: The ic , 2 4 th ve. alactic Co boy Orchestra. eteran musicians ho play art-roc , blending roc , azz and classical inﬂuences. p.m. . 2 2. thenic roc s.com Oct. 2: Tesla. Iron City, 22nd t. . The hardroc band from acramento has been together for years. p.m. 4 - . 2 2- 4 . ironcitybham.com Oct. 3: Ma rost. yndicate ounge, 4 2 th t. . rost is a singer, song riter and multi-instrumentalist from ustin, Te as. lso appearing are W and Pin Pyramids. p.m. . 2 . syndicatelounge. reinventrecords.com Oct. 3: Whitney. aturn, 2 4 st t. . This duo ma es melancholy music ith echoes of artists li e To nes an andt, im ord and Bobby Charles. p.m. 4- . - 4 . saturnbirmingham.com Oct. 5: pace esus. ydeco, 2 th ve. . pace esus, a a asha Tull, is a Broo lyn-based electronic music producer. He’ll appear ith Esse s and Digital Ethos. p.m. 2- . - 2. zydecobirmingham.com Oct. 6-7: labama ymphony Orchestra. lys tephens Center, 2 th ve. . The O presents season-opening concerts ith music by Carlos, Brahms and Beethoven. p.m. or

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tic et information, call alabamasymphony.org.

-2

or go to

Oct. 7: Wilco. labama Theatre, Third ve. . This popular alt-roc band from Chicago as formed in 4. p.m. . - 4 . . 4 . alabamatheatre.com Oct. 9: ic Ha im. The ic , 2 4 th ve. This singer-song riter has earned critical praise from PR and The e or Times. p.m. - 2. 2 2. thenic roc s.com Oct. 12: panish Harlem Orchestra. lys tephens Center, 2 th ve. . This rammyinning salsa and atin azz band is no n for its authentic, hard-core, e or style. p.m. ree. -2 . alabamasymphony.org Oct. 12: Dinosaur r. aturn, 2 4 st t. . The legendary s band reunited in 2 . p.m. 24- 2 . - 4 . saturnbirmingham.com Oct. 13: Robert Cray. lys tephens Center, 2 th ve. . Cray is a ﬁve-time rammyinning singer, guitarist and song riter. p.m. , 4 or . -2 .alysstephens.org events Oct. 13: Organist David Higgs. Cathedral Church of the dvent, 2 i th ve. . One of merica’s leading concert organists, Higgs ill perform a varied program on the -ran rieb-Williams Organ. p.m. dmission free. 22 . adventbirmingham.org Oct. 14: itchen D ellers Winston Ramble. ydeco, 2 th ve. . Montana bluegrass group itchen D ellers offer high-energy live performances and a uni ue approach to traditional music. Winston Ramble is a fol -roc band from Muscle hoals. p.m. . 2. zydecobirmingham.com Oct. 20: The vett Brothers. B CC Concert Hall. Birmingham Mountain Radio presents this popular fol -roc band from Mount Pleasant, orth Carolina. p.m. .2 , . and . . - 4 . b cc.org Oct. 22: cott Bradlee’s Post Modern u ebo . Iron City, 22nd t. . Created in 2 , PM has notched 4 million ouTube vie s, more than million li es on aceboo and performed on T ’s ood Morning merica. p.m. - . 2 2- 4 . ironcitybham.com Oct. 23: ic radiani. Wor Play, 2 rd t. . The merican Idol inner is no n for smooth vocals and catchy fol -pop style. p.m. . -4 . or play.com Oct. 26: oo ighters. B CC egacy rena. The legendary band is led by Dave rohl, ho as a

OCTOBER 2017

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DISCOVER member of Nirvana. 8 p.m. $51-$101. 800-7453000. bjcc.org Oct. 26: Benjamin Booker. Saturn, 200 41st St. S. Booker is a musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist whose music was called “a raw brand of blues/boogie/soul” by the Chicago Tribune. 9 p.m. $18-$20. 703-9545. saturnbirmingham.com Oct. 27-28: Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. S. Soloist Andrew Bain joins the orchestra to explore the wonders of the French horn. 8 p.m. For ticket information, call 975-2787 or go to alabamasymphony.org.

ARTS Oct. 7 and 8: “The Jungle Book.” BJCC Theatre. A new adaptation of the beloved Rudyard Kipling story about a child lost in the Indian jungle. Production by Birmingham Children’s Theatre. Recommended for ages 5 and older. 2:30 p.m. For ticket information, call 458-8181 or go to bct123.org. Oct. 10-15: “The Book of Mormon.” BJCC

Concert Hall. This hit Broadway show won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, 8 pm.; Saturday, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. Tickets $27-$97. 800-745-3000. bjcc.org Oct. 19: “The Triplets of Belleville.” Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. S. Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville will perform with composer and conductor Benoit Charest, who created the Oscar-nominated score for the 2003 French animated ﬁlm, The Triplets of Belleville. p.m. $25. 975-2787. alysstephens.org Oct. 20-22: “Radium Girls.” Alabama School of Fine Arts, 1800 Rev. Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd. The play is based on the true story of the young women in 1920s Paris who became ill after painting luminous watches with radium. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30 p.m. Adults $10; students $5. 458-0360. djdtheater.org Oct. 20-22: Ovation. BJCC Theatre. Alabama Ballet will present this mixed repertory performance of contemporary ballet featuring Études, a one-act ballet, and an original work by Roger Van Fleteren, resident choreographer and associate artistic director. Friday and Saturday,

7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 2:30 p.m. Tickets $20-$50. 800-745-3000. bjcc.org Oct. 20-Nov. 2: Calavera Prelude. Naked Art Gallery, 3831 Clairmont Ave. This fundraiser for the 15th annual Day of the Dead Festival coming up in Birmingham in November will feature about 25 artists. Admission free. 5953553. nakedartusa.com.

SPORTS Oct. 28: Magic City Classic. Legion Field, 400 Graymont Ave. W. The event features the MUST annual gridiron clash between SEE Alabama A&M University and Alabama State University, as well as a parade, pre-game tailgate party, concerts and halftime shows. Game time is 3 p.m. Tickets start at $25. 967-4745. magiccityclassic.com.

ICI

UAB FOOTBALL (HOME GAMES AT LEGION FIELD) Oct. 7: Louisiana Tech, 2 p.m.

Oct. 14: Middle Tennessee St. University, 2 p.m.

BSC FOOTBALL (HOME GAMES AT PANTHER STADIUM) Oct. 14: Sewanee (homecoming), 2 p.m. Oct. 28: Berry, 2 p.m.

UAB MEN’S SOCCER (HOME GAMES AT BBVA COMPASS FIELD) Oct. 7: Central Arkansas, 7 p.m. Oct. 17: Georgia Southern, 7 p.m. Oct. 21: Florida Atlantic, 7 p.m. Oct. 24: Lipscomb, 7 p.m.

UAB WOMEN’S SOCCER (HOME GAMES AT BBVA COMPASS FIELD) Oct. 6: Marshall University Oct. 8: Western Kentucky University Oct. 20: University of Southern Mississippi Oct. 22: Louisiana Tech Oct. 27: Middle Tennessee State University

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