Village Living
| May 2011 |
www.VillageLivingOnline.com
neighborly news & entertainment for Mountain Brook
New track record - pg 10
Springalingadingdong -pg 12
road rally returns Legends of Motorsports cars to descend on Mountain Brook Village May 20
Terry Oden said. What exactly makes it so unique? “For people who love beautiful cars, it’s a wonderful way to enjoy them in familyfriendly atmosphere,” Shanaman said. “You can talk with car owners in an up-
See roAd rALLY | page 10
See MotHErWALK | page 4
May Features
Vintage cars process into Mountain Brook Village for last year’s Legends of Motorsports Rally. Photo courtesy Legends of Motorsports.
looked perfect,” she said. “It’s probably the most enthused I’ve seen Mountain Brook,” Sperry Snow said of last year’s event. “We’re hoping for good weather, minimal disruption to the village, and that people will appreciate the unique experience the rally is for our city,” Mayor
Leadership Mountain Brook: not just a class
• Editor’s Note
4
By maDOLine marKHam
• City Council
5
• Graduation Speakers
6
• Decorators’ ShowHouse
8
Leadership Mountain Brook isn’t just another leadership class. In its inaugural year, the program not only teaches high school students about leadership but also gives them a hands-on opportunity to be city leaders. This year’s students have created projects for the city that have been approved by both City Council and Parks and Recreation. “They might not realize until 10 years from now how big this experience is,” said Hannon Davidson, project manager at the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce. “I learned a lot, and I grew up in Mountain Brook.” The chamber sponsors the class, and Davidson has worked closely with the students all year. In the fall, 16 juniors and seniors from Mountain Brook High School were selected for the yearlong program for which they received class credit. Few knew one another when they started, but over tours of city departments and group project proposals, they learned life skills and made friends. “I learned to make sure everyone is involved and work together on one idea,” Tommy Bruhn said. The students all note how much they learned about the behind-the-scenes operations of the city and proposing reallife city projects. “It’s more complicated
• Village Sports
10
• Kari Kampakis
13
• Alison Lewis
14
• School House
18
• Restaurant Showcase
20
• Business Spotlight
21
• Calendar of Events
22
• Around the Villages
23
Pre-Sort Standard U.S. Postage PAID Birmingham, AL Permit #656
www.VillageLivingOnline.com
Honoring mothers at Motherwalk Teal is to ovarian cancer what pink is to breast cancer, and it will be the color that survivors don in Crestline Village for the 8th Annual Motherwalk and carnival festivities on May 7. “It’s a celebration of life,” said Susan Greene, Executive Director of the Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation. “There’s just something special about walking with people whose lives have been touched by ovarian cancer. Through walking, we make a difference.” All money raised from the walk will benefit the foundation in its efforts to fund research and increase awareness about the risks, symptoms and treatments of this disease. Signs with information about ovarian cancer symptoms and statistics will be posted along the race route. Cheerleaders will also line the course. The event is always held the Saturday before Mother’s Day. “It’s a great way to honor all our mothers,” Greene said. Mistress of ceremonies Fox 6 Evening News Anchor Beth Shelburne is the emcee of the event. Shelburne lost a friend to
By maDOLine marKHam Vintage race cars and all manners of a street festival will once again roll into Mountain Book Village on the evening of Friday, May 20. The interactive celebration of historic and contemporary racing will offer an opportunity to see the cars and drivers up close, as well as music and festivities in shops and restaurants. The event serves as the opener of the Legends of Motorsports races at Barber Motorsports Park, May 20-22. “We had such a positive response last year that we couldn’t imagine not coming back,” said Rena Shanaman, president of Legends of Motorsports. “Race participants told other drivers they needed to come to Barber and come to Birmingham and experience it.” Road rallies have long been a tradition for Legends events, so when plans were first made to come to Birmingham in 2010, Shanaman discussed the idea of a road rally with Barber and, upon visiting, decided Mountain Brook was an ideal location. “The scenic highway 78 route [from Barber]
Volume 2 | Issue 2 | May 2011
Kendal Jaffe, James Cooper, Robert Byrne, Caroline Bell and Kathleen McKee presented their proposal for a brick engraving fundraiser at the April City Council meeting. Photo by Hannon Davidson.
than I thought,” Bruhn said of the city processes. Junior Hailey McManus agreed. “I learned about all the systems you have to go through and all the people you have to talk to for a project,” she said. The first part of the year the group learned about how the city works and completed a series of projects including making video about their favorite stores in Mountain Brook and writing stories about Christmas decorations for Village Living. Armed with this experience, they then identified needs in the community and
Escape
developed project proposals to address them. Finally, they rehearsed presentations and received feedback from the city, g8four sensory research and Bill Thorton, who writes for The Birmingham News and attends Mountain Brook City meetings. The groups worked closely with City Manager Sam Gaston, City Planner Dana Hazen and other city officials on their project proposals. “The City has been really helpful and accessible to the kids,”
See LEAdErSHiP | page 16
Mother’s Day Special
Day Spa
20% OFF Gift Cards with this ad, expires 5-7-11
Therapeutic Massages • Facials & Skin Care Services • Yoga • Hair Removal & Waxing Permanent Makeup Services • Eyelash Extensions • Spray Tan • Botox • Foot Relaxation
17 Dexter Avenue • 414-6062 • Theplacetoescape.com