Village Living neighborly news & entertainment for Mountain Brook
Volume 6 | Issue 2 | May 2015
Road rally Mountain Brook Village to host vintage car event
By MADOLINE MARKHAM
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Historic collectors’ cars will descend upon Mountain Brook Village on Friday, May 15. Around 4:30 p.m., a wave of cars competing in Barber Historics and about 45 of local car clubs’ best picks will drive down Highway 78 from Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds to the village and park in its circle starting at 5 p.m. Another 100 cars from the car clubs will follow in a second wave and park on the spokes of the village. Until 7 p.m., car owners will be on hand to talk with visitors. “It’s a good opportunity to see cars outside their racing element,” said Jeff Ray, director of Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. The event is meant to raise awareness of the weekend-long Historic Motor Sports Association event at Barber Motorsports Park that will draw visitors from around the country. It will feature 125 museum-quality cars from the early
Cars such as this Lotus will drive into Mountain Brook for a car rally as a part of the Barber Historics event May 15-17.
days of motorsports through the 1980s, including prewar, Formula One, Can Am and Trans Am cars, as well as Lotus cars from all over the world. Lee Clark, manager of restoration and conservation at Barber Motorsports, said at the rally you will see every kind of historic racing car you can think of, mostly from the 1950s to the ’80s. The Mountain Brook Car Club, Porsche Club, Corvette Club, MOB (Men of Birmingham) Club, Antique Automobile Club of America, Mini Club and BMW Club are among those participating. “We are trying to keep it historic-themed as much as we can,” Clark said. “If you watch any kind of sports car racing, you will be interested. Come out and meet the drivers — they love to talk to folks.” But the rally isn’t just for car racing enthusiasts. “The event gives our community an opportunity to see these cars,” said
See ROAD RALLY | page A23
INSIDE
Mountain Brook resident Katherine Anne “Anne” Hicks, center, created the artwork of a Lotus 79 for a Barber Historics event poster. Here Hicks is pictured with Barber Motorsports’ Jeff Ray, left, and Lee Clark, right, in front of Lotus race cars. Photo courtesy of Katherine Anne Hicks.
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Remember the fallen
Summer kickoff
Mountain Brook Police Department is hosting a special event to honor the families of officers who were lost in the line of duty. Learn more in this issue.
Start off a summer of reading with the library’s annual carnival and fun run. Find all the details inside.
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Photo of the month
Children on West Montcrest Drive welcome “sprinkler season” in April. Photo courtesy of Lauren McLendon Baugh.
Editor’s Note By Jennifer Gray This month, there are plenty of fun and exciting ways to get out and enjoy the nice spring weather. I am crossing my fingers that all of the rain is behind us! First on the list is the PreSchool Partners Food Truck Roundup. This annual event is held in the Macy’s parking lot. I’ll be honest; it is how I was first introduced to the food truck concept. With local music group Kate and the Howlers performing and a new art show, you can enjoy tunes and art while you sample some amazing food. Make sure you stop by Off the Hook for the rocket shrimp. That’s my favorite! Next, you will want to make sure and be in Mountain Brook Village when vintage racecars roll in as part of the Barber Motorsport’s Historics weekend. Our village provides the perfect backdrop for enjoying these cars in a similar way
to road rallies of the ’50s and ’60s. Owners will be on hand to answer questions about the cars as well. You could even make a night of it and enjoy some shopping and dinner in the village. If you are looking for a new idea for date night, you will want to check out the Botanical Gardens new series called Flicks Among the Flowers. With a free movie in the gardens, folks can bring a picnic and blanket and enjoy the movie under the stars. The complete listing is in this issue. For those of you that thought you must have missed the annual Mountain Brook Art Show at Crestline field, you didn’t. Due to all those April showers, the show moved to May. This event is a favorite of mine. I can’t think of a more perfect way to spend a Saturday than
strolling around, looking at amazing art by local artists and catching up with friends. I hope to see you there. Lastly, as this school year draws to end, let us remember to thank our teachers, staff and PTO volunteers who work so tirelessly to make the school year an innovative learning experience. I also would like to thank all of the school writers who submit their stories each month. These ladies do this job voluntarily, and their stories highlight some of the best things taking place at all of our schools. I especially would like to thank Hilary Ross who has covered Mountain Brook Elementary since the inception of this paper six years. She is retiring from the MBE beat with the graduation of her last child at the school. Thanks, Hilary, for all you have done!
Village Living Publisher: Creative Director: Editor: Managing Editor: Sports Editor: Staff Writers: Community Reporter: Editorial Assistant: Copy Editor: Graphic Designer: Advertising Manager: Sales and Distribution:
Contributing Writer: Published by:
Dan Starnes Keith McCoy Jennifer Gray Madoline Markham David Knox Katie Turpen Jessa Pease Sydney Cromwell Roy L. Williams Madison Miller Louisa Jeffries Emily VanderMey Matthew Allen Rhonda Smith Warren Caldwell Don Harris Michelle Salem Haynes Kari Kampakis Village Living LLC
School House Contributors: Catherine Gasque - Cherokee Bend, Collins Clegg - Crestline, Kathleen Woodry - Brookwood Forest, Elizabeth Farrar - Mountain Brook High School, Hilary Ross- Mountain Brook Elementary, Dena Berte - Mountain Brook Junior High Contributing Photographers: Karim Shamsi-Basha, Image Arts Contact Information: Village Living #3 Office Park Circle, Suite 316 Birmingham, AL 35223 313-1780 Dan@VillageLivingOnline.com
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Living is designed to inform the Mountain Brook community of area school, faith, family and community events. Information in Village Living is gathered from sources considered reliable but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All articles/photos submitted become the property of Village Living. 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) 370-0732 or by email.
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Village Living
A6 • May 2015
City State honors local Holocaust survivors
Rep. David Faulkner, far right, with a group of Holocaust survivors who reside in Alabama.
State Rep. David Faulkner presented a joint state House and Senate resolution remembering the Holocaust and honoring local survivors April 14 at the Capitol in Montgomery. Of the five honored, two, Max Steinmetz and Ruth Siegler, are Mountain Brook residents. Others honored were Max Herzel, Riva Hersch and Leonid Shilkrot. “What an honor it was to meet them and hear their stories,” Faulkner said. “In the middle of my presentation, following the governor’s talk, I mentioned I had been to the Dachau Concentration Camp many years ago, and one of the survivors
Small Overton-South Brookwood Road traffic improvements coming By MADOLINE MARKHAM There is no simple solution to improve traffic at Overton Road-South Brookwood Road intersection. The city council heard a presentation on potential improvements at its April 13 meeting. Richard Caudle of Skipper Consultants said there is little he can do to alleviate morning peak traffic without widening the road, but the council recommended those small changes to traffic signal timing be made. Based on a study of the intersection
between 7 and 7:55 a.m., Caudle said Overton Road needs a lot more green time to clear the queues, but that would lengthen the queue at South Brookwood Road toward Brookwood Forest Elementary School. “I am not sure you want to do that,” Caudle said. The only solution that would help the intersection would be lengthening the turn lanes, Caudle said. He revisited plans drafted to do so from 2002 but said a sidewalk would have to be moved now to do so. “If we were truly to fix this intersection,
we would need to look at something coming up the mountain to get the people out of the way quicker,” Caudle said. This intersection is part of a set of 12 intersections to be improved with an APPLE grant. The city plans to move forward with only the signal modifications at this time. Richard Caudle of Skipper Consultants discusses potential traffic solutions for the Overton Road-South Brookwood Road intersection. Photo by Madoline Markham.
immediately looked at me and grabbed my arm and told me he was in Dachau. I wanted to hug him right then as my heart sunk, and I was stunned to say the least. I put my arm on him as I tried to continue with my presentation. We must always remember and never forget this great tragedy of humanity and the people who were lost because of it, as well as those that survived.” Faulkner is also a member of the Alabama Holocaust Commission and said its President Dan Puckett and former Commission President Phyllis Weinstein made the event possible.
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • A7
City officials, community members attend Cahaba River Walk grand opening
Residents attend the ribbon cutting for Cahaba River Walk last month. Photo by Madison Miller.
By MADISON MILLER The city held a grand opening for Cahaba River Walk on April 10. City officials were on hand for a ribbon cutting, and the public was allowed to explore the area. The 4.7-acre property, previously known as Cahaba River Park, is located at Overton Road and River Run Road. The city allotted a $450,000 budget for the park after acquiring the property in
the fall of 2011. Its current amenities include a parking area for 20 cars, a loop walkway and a walkway down to a natural stone beach on the river. Native plants have been placed in disturbed areas to create a bioswale to filter water that flows from the parking lot to the river. A nature path similar to ones on Jemison Trail has been added as an Eagle Scout project. The site also features a pavilion.
Council updates At its recent meetings, the Mountain Brook City Council: }} Heard a presentation about a paid community broadcast segment featuring Mountain Brook with a representative of ABC 33/40. The cost would be $10,000 for a month of coverage. }} Discussed proposed parking changes for English Village and the city’s leased parking lots. City Planner Dana Hazen suggested the upper city-leased parking lot in English Village be converted to an all-day parking lot for employees and patrons. Currently, many of these spots are unused during the day while the lower city-leased lot’s 32 spots are staying full with the increase of traffic with the addition of Little Hardware, Tonya Jones Salon/Spa and La Catrina. Council member Billy Pritchard said he was concerned that it would hurt patron parking for the restaurants in the village, and the lots had originally been rented for patrons. }} Discussed adding 15-minute parking spots in front of certain businesses in the villages. Before moving forward, the city will discuss the possibility with merchants in the villages. }} Appointed Nicky Barnes to the Mountain Brook Board of Education, to serve without compensation, with a term ending May 31, 2020. She will replace Jane Menendez. }} Appointed Brandon Plowden to the Tree Commission, to serve without compensation, with the term of office to end April 13, 2018. }} Approved a recommendation to the State of Alabama Alcoholic
Beverage Control Board for a Special Events Retail License for La Paz in Crestline Village for Cinco de Mayo 2015. }} Discussed a [service] conditional use application for Jimi Yoga, LLC at 2414 Canterbury Road in Mountain Brook Village. The studio would be located in the interior half of the current Linda Dobbins Dance space. The council questioned the size of the classes being too large for the parking availability and asked the business owners, James Lee and Linda West, reconsider the size of their classes and try to make them smaller. Hazen said the merchants around this location have already expressed concerns about the parking in the area. }} Approved a resolution authorizing the execution of the access easement agreement between the City, Ajlouny Investments, LLC and Donna Gray with respect to the Piggly Wiggly development. }} Approved a resolution modifying the terms of the janitorial services contract between the city and Jordan Janitorial, Inc. because the library had had problems with this provider. Library Director Sue Debrect said the company had personnel changes and did not have experience servicing a library. The council also discussed awarding the bid for janitorial services for The Emmet O’Neal Library and authorize the execution of a (three-year) contract for it. }} Approved a resolution for the purchases by the City of Mountain Brook from Quality Recording Studios, LLC.
Village Living
A8 • May 2015
Council hears update on Birmingham Mineral Railroad signs
A sign was recently added in English Village marking one of the former locations of the Birmingham Mineral Railroad. Photo courtesy of James Lowery.
By MADISON MILLER Four signs have been installed in Mountain Brook marking locations for the historic Birmingham Mineral Railroad. For a century, the route carried minerals like limestone from coal mines to furnaces, and then transported pig iron from the furnaces to blast furnaces in Bessemer. James Lowery had heard that his daily paths from his home near the Altamont School traced the railroad’s remnants through English Village and started to look for its route. You can see it cut out of the tree line on Google Maps, he said. Working with historians, Lowery identified 50 high visibility locations along the rail lines that would catch the attention of motorists as
well as many who are cycling, hiking or enjoying parks. Collectively they will form an “urban trail” and connect to existing trails, parks and nature preserves. The council approved his proposal for signs in Mountain Brook in January 2014. Driving tours have been organized for the signs throughout the city. The Red Gap Branch, reaching from Irondale to West Homewood, features several spots throughout Mountain Brook, Lowery said. “A lot of people appreciate this because they grew up with the railroad in their backyard,” Lowery said. For more coverage of the project, see our story from June 2014 or visit bham-mrr.com.
www.exvotovintage.com
This Mother’s Day give her a future heirloom. Hand engraving available. Visit our showroom in Mountain Brook Village. 205.538.7301
Man charged with indecent exposure on Jemison Trail A man from Tarrant has been charged with indecent exposure, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia after Mountain Brook Police responded to reports of the man in a suspicious vehicle near the Jemison Trail. The suspect appeared to be watching the walkers and runners on the trail. Officers conducted a vehicle stop on Pine Ridge Road, and the driver was identified as Jonathan Clark White, 26. Officers observed that the suspect had a towel across his lap and was not wearing pants or underwear. Officers asked White why he was not wearing pants or underwear, and he responded that he was “just trying to get a thrill and maybe get caught.” White admitted to officers that he had
Jonathan Clark White
been smoking marijuana and had some left in his vehicle. Officers instructed White to exit the vehicle with his towel wrapped around his waist.
Police release sketch of December trail robbery suspect Mountain Brook Police have released a sketch artist rendering on the person who robbed four girls at gunpoint on a walking trail in Mountain Brook on Dec. 20 at around 2:30 p.m. The suspect left the area in a small red vehicle. He was described as a black male, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, weighing 170-190 pounds. Anyone with information on this crime should call the Mountain Brook Police at 879-0486. Police released this sketch of a suspect involved in a robbery on a walking trail Dec. 20. Image courtesy of the Mountain Brook Police.
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • A9
Remembering the fallen Ceremony to honor Mountain Brook police officers By MADOLINE MARKHAM This year marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Theron Houlditch. A Mountain Brook police officer, he was checking on an abandoned car when a teenager on a motorcycle sped over the hill behind him and struck him. Houlditch, 38, had served on the force for 17 years and left a wife, daughter and two sons. His memory, as well as the two other Mountain Brook police officers killed in the line of duty, will be honored on Monday, May 11, at 11 a.m. Mountain Brook Police will hold a wreath-laying ceremony as a part of National Police Week. The wreath will remain on the police memorial that bears Houlditch’s name and date of death outside the department for the remainder of the week. Also on the memorial, you will find the names Freddie Jackson Harp, who was shot and killed during a traffic stop in 1973, and George Todd Herring, who was struck by a truck while he escorted a funeral procession in 1987. Families of all three officers will travel from in town and as far away as Texas and Miami to attend the ceremony and a lunch for families that will follow at City Hall. Mountain Brook Police Chief Ted Cook has experienced a similar ceremony that is held in Judiciary Square in Washington, D.C. each May by Concerns of Police Survivors. Families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty come from all over the country for it. The first time Cook
Mountain Brook Police Officer Ro Burrow, Chief Ted Cook and Officer Kelly Couch stand in front of the department’s police memorial. The department is planning a special event for families of officers killed in the line of duty this month. Photo by Karim Shamsi-Basha.
attended, he was with families of three fellow officers with the Birmingham Police Department who had been killed. It looks like a sea of people, he said. “It’s phenomenal,” he said. Cook said it wasn’t as clear how as a local department they should recognize the memory of fallen officers, but
they decided to plan this event at the encouragement of Jim Henderson, a retired Birmingham Police officer in Fultondale who has spearheaded similar events in recent years. “It’s difficult to know when families want to continue to be involved and relive the pain of a service like that,” Cook said.
Former Police Chief Marty Kidder, now the district marshal, will speak at the ceremony. Kidder served on the force during the death of the first, Harp, and was chief when the second, Herring, was killed. Cook said residents might see flowers on the memorial from time to time that they place out to mark the
anniversary of the death of an officer. The last time a service was held at the memorial was its rededication when the new police building was completed. “We do it to remember the sacrifices officers made for others in the line of duty,” Cook said.
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VillageLivingOnline.com
Now Open Thompson Architecture has moved its office to 2913 Cahaba Road. It was previously located on Cobb Lane in Birmingham. The firm, owned by Robert Thompson, specializes in commercial, institutional and residential design and is LEED certified. 414-1272, thompsonarchitecture.com
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Coming Soon Shannon Waltchack announced plans to build a commercial retail building in Crestline Village, at the intersection of Dexter and Vine Streets. No timeline has been announced for the 5,250-square-foot building. 977-9797, shanwalt.com
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Relocations and Renovations Gia’s Cakes has moved from 73 Church Street in Crestline to its new location at 972 Montclair Road. The move was made to gain more space and to accommodate a larger influx of customers. 533-4881, giascakes.com
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News and Accomplishments ServisFirst Bank, 850 Shades Creek Parkway, Suite 200, was awarded with the 2014 Raymond James Community Bankers Cup. The bank ranked third out of 306 banks nationwide and first in Alabama. The award is based on several criteria related to profitability and efficiency. 949-0302, servisfirstbank.com
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Tonya Jones SalonSpa, 2410 Fairway Drive and 2800 Cahaba Village Plaza, Suite 280, held events in April to benefit the Cahaba River Society in honor of Earth Month. 870-4247, tonyajonessalon.com
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May 2015 • A11
Hirings and Promotions LAH Real Estate, 2850 Cahaba Road, Suite 200, has hired Lisa McManus as a receptionist. 870-8580, lahrealestate.com
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Southern States Bank, 7 Office Park Circle, has hired Susan Compton as its market president for Jefferson and Shelby counties. She has a diverse background in banking, with more than 25 years of experience. Additionally, Tre Thomas has been promoted to senior vice president and assistant chief credit officer of the bank. 877-0195, southernstatesbank.net
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RealtySouth’s Mountain Brook Cahaba Office, 2807 Cahaba Road, welcomed Doug Klick as a new Realtor, and the Mountain Brook Crestline Office, 105 Euclid Avenue, welcomed Richard Eaton as a new Realtor. 870-5420 (Cahaba), 879-6330 (Crestline), realtysouth.com
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Anniversaries Village Press, 2710 Cahaba Road, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a ribbon-cutting and calligraphy event on April 23. Founded in 1965 and purchased by owner and president Patsy Howard in 1999, the business has helped brides, businesses and families announce and celebrate memorable events over the years. 871-5498
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Ex Voto Vintage, a specialty jewelry shop at 2402 Canterbury Road, celebrated its first anniversary in business in April. 538-7301, exvotovintage.com
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The Cook Store, 2841 Cahaba Road, celebrated its 40th anniversary on April 1. Founded by Sam Franks in 1975, The Cook Store was originally called The Kitchen Shoppe. Owner Wesley Lassen has run the shop for the past 16 years. 879-5277, thecookstoremtnbrook.com
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Village Living
A12 • May 2015
Steak and seafood restaurant coming to Brookwood By MADOLINE MARKHAM The former McCormick & Schmick’s building at Brookwood Village will soon be home to a new upscale steak and seafood restaurant. Construction was scheduled to begin in late April on Grille 29, a second location for the Huntsville restaurant. Orlando-based Restaurant Partners, Inc. opened the original location eight years ago, and it has been voted the Best Restaurant in the annual Taste of Huntsville rankings. It was also named the “Best in Alabama” by Trip Advisor in 2013 and voted one of the “100 Best Places to Eat in Alabama Before You Die”. Popular menu offerings include Stuffed Sea Scallops with a crab cake blend over lobster corn succotash; Grouper Oscar with jumbo lump crab meat, asparagus and hollandaise; Roast Half Duck with bacon roasted Brussels sprouts; and a variety of hand cut steaks. The Sunday brunch menu features Chicken and Waffles with a pecan
butter sauce, Crab Cake Eggs Benedict and a Grand Marnier French Toast. Pastry chefs make desserts to-order in the dining room and feature items such as a Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle, Tiramisu Tower and Trio of Crème Brulee. Restaurant Partners President Dave Manuchia said the Huntsville location has welcomed customers from all over Alabama, and for a long time Birmingham residents have been asking for a location here. The location will be larger than the Huntsville one, with 280 seats to its 230. The space will also feature a 65-seat banquet room, outdoor patio and larger bar. Birmingham-based Watson Bruhn is the general contractor for the cosmetic changes for the building. Manuchia estimates the restaurant will be ready to open in October. Grille 29 will open in the former McCormick & Schmick’s location at Brookwood Village. Photo by Madoline Markham.
Crestline barber shop searching for new space
Cassimus restaurant to open in Crestline
By MADOLINE MARKHAM
By MADISON MILLER
A 46-year-old Crestline barbershop is looking for a new home. Selman & Co. has been located in the former CVS building on Church Street for 25 years but now will have to vacate the space by the end of May to allow for Smith’s Variety and a new restaurant to occupy the building. Owner Buddy Selman said his landlord, Donna Gray, notified him on March 17 that their lease would end. Selman said that he understands Gray’s business decision but is concerned about finding a new location in time. “We are at our wit’s end,” Selman said. “I
don’t know what to do.” The business was originally known as Oak Street Barber Shop and was located in the current La Paz location for 22 years. Selman and fellow barber Dale Meisner, who has been at the shop 35 years, are looking for a 320-340-square-foot space to lease. Selman said they have talked with Robert Jolly and the Scott family about potential space in Crestline but have not had any firm leads on space. In the meantime, they have been collecting customers’ contact information so they can notify them of their new location. “All we want to do is stay in the village,” Selman said. “We have got to make a living.” To contact Selman & Co., call 870-9983.
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A new restaurant from the man who helped grow Zoe’s Kitchen into a national chain is coming to Crestline Village. John Cassimus is planning to open the establishment, to be named Sawtooth Cookhouse or Mrs. Dot’s, in a portion of the former CVS location in Crestline Village. It will neighbor Smith’s Variety once the store moves in January. The Mountain Brook City Council approved a request for a conditional use application for the restaurant March 23. The menu will feature items with a southern flair such as fried chicken. The
concept will be similar to Zoe’s with fast-casual dining and freshly prepared food. It will serve lunch and dinner between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. seven days per week. Six full-time employees will be on staff. Cassimus said he hopes that the restaurant will be a popular location for both lunch and dinner. Along with his involvement in local restaurants, he is also the founder of Sawtooth Plantation, a hunting resort in Southwest Alabama. The restaurant is scheduled to be open by July or August. For more information, visit johncassimus.com.
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • A13
Community Dance Club holds Thriller on the Thirteenth Pickwick Dance Club held its annual event on Friday, March 13 at the Mountain Brook Club. Party planners Dana Norton and Peggy Lee greeted Pickwick Club members and their friends with cocktails and appetizers in the living room while the band warmed up. Pickwick officers Cathy and Jack Echols, Helen and Richard Pardue, Jean and Robert Woodward, Kathy and Frank Anderson, Ann and George Morris, Sara Beth Blair, Dottie and Raleigh Kent, Barbara and Griffin Langston and Lindsay Cook with Lock Hunter were all there to welcome the crowd. When Emily Herring and her band, Just Friends, got “in the swing, “the dance floor was filled. Bimi and Blair Cox were first on the dance floor. The sunroom was decorated for the festive “Thriller” event with black table toppers and a centerpiece of sunglasses, a neon fedora hat, a white sequined glove on mirrors with votives, all hinting to the surprise entertainment to follow. The menu was a buffet of gumbos with loads of shrimp, grits, desserts and, of course, cornpones. The band took a break and the floor was cleared for a very special guest performance. Michael Jackson put on a show with numerous costume changes and accompanying performers. Kelley and Pete Gage and Dana and Tommy Norton were among the last to the leave the dance floor when the band finally wrapped it up.
Joe and Jane Gribbin; Dottie and Raleigh Kent; and Joan and Alan Curtis at the Pickwick event.
Fashion show for Children’s Dance Foundation CDF Executive Director Diane Litsey; Fashion Show CoChair Liz Rich; Fashion Show Chair Laura Comer; and CAG President Elizabeth Yeilding.
The Children’s Arts Guild Fashion Show held at The Country Club of Birmingham on March 10 featured more than 100 children modeling. CAG raises money for Children’s Dance Foundation to help fund its outreach programs. CAG will be donating over $50,000 to CDF this year
Village Living
A14 • May 2015
Family’s annual fundraiser to benefit brain cancer research
Chamber to host luncheon on elder care
The second annual Lucy & Ruby’s Brainy Day will be held this year on May 9 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Mountain Brook Community Church’s University Christian Fellowship House. Photo courtesy of Lisa Harris.
By KATIE TUPREN In November 2013, Lucy, age 10, and Ruby, age 8, lost their father, Scott Harris, to glioblastoma brain cancer. The girls never got a chance to meet their grandfather, Roland Fields, who passed away in 1994, also from brain cancer. In May 2013, the girls held a lemonade and cookie stand to raise money for their father’s hospital at UAB. The girls raised $3,000 for Wheeling for Hope, a nonprofit organization that benefits brain cancer research and patient support services at UAB and Children’s of Alabama. Last year, the girls expanded their lemonade stand concept into Lucy & Ruby’s Brainy Day. More than 300 people attended the event, which raised $13,000. The girls plan to hold the Brainy Day each May, which is Brain Cancer
Awareness Month, as a way to keep their father’s memory alive and provide hope to others currently living with brain tumors. The event is coordinated by Lucy and Ruby’s mother, Lisa Harris, and her co-workers at o2ideas, a local branding and advertising agency. The second annual Lucy & Ruby’s Brainy Day will be held this year on May 9 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Mountain Brook Community Church’s University Christian Fellowship House. Musician Roger Day from Nashville, Tennessee, will be performing along with The Undergrounders. The fundraiser will also feature food trucks, a silent art auction, prizes, face painting, games, cookies and lemonade. The event is free, but donations are requested upon entry. To learn more, visit lucyandruby. com or their Facebook page at Lucy and Ruby’s Brainy Day.
Cynthia Lamar-Hart of Maynard Cooper & Gale, Jennifer Mancuso of Always Best Care and Carol Hines of Regions Bank will speak on a panel at the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce luncheon on May 7.
The Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce is planning a luncheon on the Essentials of Elder Care for Thursday, May 7. The event will be held at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, with doors opening at 11 a.m. and the luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m. A panel will cover information about how to make decisions about aging parents and how to care for them well, including a checklist of what to do and information about trusts. “We think it hits a lot of demographics, whether you are a 30 year old or older,”
Chamber Director Suzan Doidge said. “We feel like this is a timely topic. People tend to put it off, but it’s amazing some of the things you can put into play now that will take care of your family one day.” The panel will feature Cynthia LamarHart of Maynard Cooper & Gale, Carol Hines of Regions Bank and Jennifer Mancuso of Always Best Care. Former state Rep. Paul DeMarco will moderate the discussion. For tickets or more information, visit welcometomountainbrook.com.
Ry Ogilvie
Ry.RealtySouth.com Ry@RealtySouth.com 205-790-6750
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • A15
Birmingham International Center spotlights Chinese Jewish population By HANNAH JONES The Birmingham International Center is hosting an event about the Jewish population in China on April 26 from 3-5:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Levite Jewish Community Center, 3960 Montclair Road. The featured speaker is Robyn Helzner, acclaimed Jewish musician. The event features stories, photos, videos and music about the rise of Jewish communities in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and
Kaifeng to becoming the fastest growing Jewish region in the world. The event will also have a Jewish Refugees in Shanghai exhibit, which tells the stories of Jewish refugees traveling to and from Shanghai in the 1930s and ’40s. The exhibit is presented by the American Jewish Committee and the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum and will run for two weeks. It is free of charge, but guests must be registered online at bic-al.org.
Celebrations Schriver-Grodner Colette Allison Schriver and Alex Grodner married Feb. 8, in Raleigh, North Carolina, at The Stockroom event space. Rabbi Eric Solomon of Beth Meyer Synagogue officiated at the ceremony. The couple met through the young professionals’ community service group “Change The Triangle” in 2012 when both were new to the Raleigh area. The bride is an administrator with The Little School at Duke in Durham, North Carolina. She is a 2010 graduate of California State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Development and Family Studies. She was home schooled in high school. Mrs. Grodner is the daughter of James and Nita Schriver of Houston, Texas. The bride’s father recently retired from ExxonMobil as an environmental and regulatory specialist. Her mother retired in 2014 as a librarian from Annunciation Orthodox School, a private school in Houston. The groom is a senior analyst with the international consulting firm Accenture. He is a 2011 graduate of the University of Alabama, with a degree from the University’s Culverhouse College of Commerce in Management Information
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3 DAYS ONLY! Systems (MIS). He is a 2007 graduate of Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Mr. Grodner is the son of Ken and Vikki Grodner of Mountain Brook. The groom’s father is a director with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. His mother runs a strategic marketing and event management firm, The Grodner Group. Following a honeymoon to Tulum, Mexico, the couple resides in Raleigh.
Sevier-Walters Mr. and Mrs. Kirby Sevier of Mountain Brook are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer Lyndal, to Mr. Daniel Hendrick Walters, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Everett Walters III of Vestavia Hills. Miss Sevier is the granddaughter of Mrs. Landers Sevier III and the late Mr. Landers Sevier III of Birmingham, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Louis Simenson of Huntsville. She is a graduate of Mountain Brook High School and a cum laude graduate of Auburn University, where she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority. She received a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she finished in the top 5 percent of her class and was named to the UAB Chancellor’s List for students with the highest academic distinction. She was presented at the Ball of Roses, the Heritage Ball and the Redstone Ball. Miss Sevier is employed at EBSCO Creative Concepts. The future bridegroom is the grandson of Mrs. Milton Gilmore Hauser and the late Mr. Milton Gilmore Hauser of Sherman, Texas, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles Everett Walters Jr. of Vestavia Hills. He is a graduate of Vestavia Hills High School and the University of Alabama, where he was a member of Phi
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Gamma Delta fraternity and received a bachelor’s degree in business marketing. Mr. Walters is currently the vice president of Charles E. Walters and Company, Inc. The wedding is planned for July 11 at Church of the Highlands Chapel in Birmingham.
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Village Living
A16 • May 2015
Annual summer reading kickoff carnival coming to Emmet O’Neal Library The Emmet O’Neal Library and the Junior Women’s Committee of 100 will host their annual Summer Reading Kickoff Carnival on Sunday, May 17. The afternoon’s events begin at 3 p.m. with the Thomas Hughes Brinkley Memorial Fun Run. Children and their grownups are invited to walk, run, bike, scoot, skate and stroll the one-mile course that starts in front of the library and runs through the adjacent neighborhood. The carnival runs from 3:30-5:30 p.m. and will feature a train ride, face painting, game booths, a rock-climbing wall, a bouncy house and food trucks. Wristbands – which come with a T-shirt and allow kids to participate in all carnival activities – will be available at the Emmet O’Neal Library starting in May. Patrons can also buy wristbands and individual activity tickets at the carnival. During the carnival, librarians will be on hand to help children sign up for the summer reading program. This year’s theme is “Every Hero Has a Story,” and patrons can participate both online and in person. Older elementary students can also register for Xtreme Reads, an additional reading challenge with extra prizes. Summer reading programming will begin Monday, June 1. Children can start superhero training early by becoming an Emmet O’Neal Book Buddy. A $100 donation purchases a book for the children’s department, including a nameplate in the front to honor your own special
Junior Women’s Committee members and their children get their superhero props ready for summer reading.
superhero. A donation also includes an invitation to a superhero meet-andgreet on May 12, where children will have the opportunity to read and check out the books donated in their names, meet the superheroes and enjoy a super snack and craft. Donation forms are available in the Children’s Department. In order to attend the meet-andgreet, donations are due by May 5. This year, in an inaugural
fundraising event, local merchants of Crestline, English, Mountain Brook and Cahaba villages are collaborating to offer specific products and services as prizes in a raffle. Winners will be announced at the end of the Summer Reading Kickoff Carnival. All proceeds from raffle ticket sales will benefit the Emmet O’Neal Library Children’s Department. To see a list of raffle prizes and purchase tickets,
visit the EOL children’s desk. Tickets will also be available at the carnival. The events of the Summer Reading Kickoff are organized and run by the members of the JWC of 100, a set of women from the community who are dedicated to supporting and enhancing the Emmet O’Neal Library Children’s Department by volunteering their time and efforts. The event was planned by Carnival Chairs Karon Staples
and Krista Holloway, Fun Run Chairs Katie Avery and Suzanne Vardaman, JWC President Lindsay Cutshall, and Vice President Bronwyne Chapman. Library staff said they are grateful to the other members of the JWC who have spent over 400 hours helping in the Children’s Department throughout the school year. -Submitted by the Emmet O’Neal Library
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • A17
Zoo run to help marine mammal rescues Miles for Marine Mammals, the 2015 Zoo Run, is scheduled for Saturday, May 16. The race supports the Marine Mammal Center, which rescues and rehabilitates sick and injured marine mammals, supported by state-of-theart animal care and research facilities, a corps of dedicated volunteers, and an engaged community. The 5K race begins in the zoo’s parking lot and ends at the Trails of Africa exhibit. Because the race ends in the park, participants will be issued a free park wristband. Family and friends, however, can purchase discounted wristbands unless they are members with their membership I.D.
On-site registration is at 6:30 a.m., and the 5K race begins at 7:30 a.m. Children’s races begin at the barn in the Children’s Zoo. They are as follows: the Turtle Trot, ages 0-2, 8 a.m.; the Chicken Cha Cha, ages 3-4, 8:15 a.m.; the Skunk Scurry, ages 5-7, 8:30 a.m.; and the Serval Spring, ages 8-12, 8:45 a.m. The awards ceremony begins and the zoo opens 9 a.m. For more or to register, visit birminghamzoo.com/events/. To learn more about Marine Mammal Center, visit marinemammalcenter.org. Runners prepare to begin the Zoo Run 5K in the Birmingham Zoo parking lot.
Rain delays Crestline art festival to May date By MADOLINE MARKHAM The Spring Art Festival in Crestline is moving to Saturday, May 16 due to rain. The event was previously scheduled for April 18, but for the first time in 33 years, the threat of precipitation caused organizers from the Mountain Brook Art Association to reschedule for another weekend. As previously scheduled, it will run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. “We have such a diverse group that need help setting up and takedown,” show chairman Janet Sanders said “The field is soaked and will adversely affect the watercolorists who need to protect their art under glass from dripping rain and dew, so we will attempt a festival once again with Melt Food Truck, the Choko Aiken Band and Goodies neighborhood ice cream truck.”
Each year the Mountain Brook Art Association Spring Art Festival at Crestline Elementary’s field draws around 70 artists within a 25-mile radius of City Hall, but many are from just a few miles away. Mountain Brook artists participating in this year’s event include Eddie Powell, Lynn Briggs, Mary Mellen and her daughter Katherine Trammell, Sara Crook, Janet Sanders, Jan Grant, Sam Chiarella and Wellon Bridgers. “The [artist] community, Mountain Brook and Birmingham, are well supported by each other, and that’s extremely important,” Powell said. The goal of the art festival is to highlight members of the Mountain Brook Art Association’s work, to raise awareness of buying local art, and to create a venue for the work to be sold. Visit mountainbrookartassociation.com for more information.
Area residents browse last year’s Spring Art Festival in Crestline. Photo by Madoline Markham.
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Village Living
A18 • May 2015
Mountain Brook student designs to be featured in fashion week
By MADOLINE MARKHAM Buttermilk cartons could make their way down the runway during Birmingham Fashion Week thanks to a design by Mountain Brook High School sophomore Kathryn Sours. She is one of the 38 semi-finalists for the Rising Design Star competition. Each contestant crafted a garment representing one of Alabama’s major industries (agriculture, livestock, transportation, technology, fishing, forestry and mining) with recycled or alternative materials such as glue, staples, tape, safety pins and paper clips. These garments were on display at the Birmingham Museum of Art through April 26. To craft the dress, Kathryn created a base using a shower curtain and then duct taped and stapled the dark green Barber Dairy cartons to create a sleeveless crop top and A-line high waisted skirt. “It was challenging making the skirt and shirt and getting the shower curtain to form the shape to use the model,” Kathryn said. “Once I did that, putting the cartons on was the easiest part.” Kathryn has enjoyed drawing and designing clothes since a she was a little kid and loves shopping and making outfits. She recalls filling up the blank legal pads her dad would bring home for her with drawings. However, she has never learned to sew, so the competition stipulations were perfect for her. In the meantime, she’s dreaming of designing her own fashion line one day. Kathryn has already asked a friend, Julia Ferreira who attends Highlands Day School, to model her design on the runway if she makes it to the next round. “I am really excited,” Kathryn said. “I can’t believe I got picked, I did not expect it.” A select number of contestants will advance to
Birmingham Fashion Week May 7-9 Pepper Place Downtown Birmingham bhamfashionweek.com
MBHS student Kathryn Sours is a finalist in Birmingham Fashion Week’s Rising Design Star competition. Photo courtesy of Kathryn Sours.
the final round of the competition to showcase their design on the Birmingham Fashion Week runway Thursday, May 7 and Friday, May 8. In addition to their initial runway look, the design students selected to progress to the next round will also be required to create a second look from recycled Buffalo Rock Co. materials to walk the runway and compete for the sought-after title of Birmingham Fashion Week’s Rising Design Star. Semifinalists will move on to the final round of judging during
Mountain Brook native Seline Meisler is a finalist in the Emerging Designer Competition. Photo courtesy of Juan Rodriguez Photography.
the finale runway show on Saturday, May 9, with the winner will be announced that evening and awarded a $500 scholarship. Another Mountain Brook native, Seline Meisler, a student at the University of Alabama, will also showcase her designs during Fashion Week as a part of the Emerging Designer Competition. In order to be considered for the competition, each applicant submitted at least eight clothing sketches, create a digital mood board that describes what
inspired each design and underwent in-person interview sessions with a team of judges. The Emerging Designer winner will announced during Saturday’s runway finale and receive a grand prize package including a guaranteed spot at BFW 2016’s runway show, a television appearance, editorial piece, photo shoot with a BFW professional photographer including hair and makeup, as well as a $1,000 scholarship.
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VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • A19
Collat Jewish Family Services to honor Rotenstreichs at event Collat Jewish Family Services’ (CJFS) sixth annual Hands Up Together event will honor community volunteers Joel and Bunny Rotenstreich. The May 11 event at Alabama School of Fine Arts’ Dorothy Jemison Day Theatre marks the 25th anniversary of CJFS as an independent agency, which provides comprehensive social support services along with outreach and education programs to both the Jewish and general community and specializes in serving adults age 60 and older. The Rotenstreichs have been involved as volunteers with CJFS since its founding, beginning with Bunny’s work in the 1980s to help resettle Russian immigrants in Birmingham. “I visited several apartment buildings near the synagogues to negotiate affordable rent and to house these newcomers close to one another to establish their own community in Birmingham,” Bunny said. “They were all so far away from home and did not speak English. It was wonderful that CJFS started the English as a Second Language classes to help them acclimate, and I understand many of them remain engaged in the program today. “We found several couples in the community who were open to extending their family and opening their homes to these people for celebrations and family meals. Sherri and David Romanoff were one of our Friendship Families, so that made it even more meaningful that they are chairing the Hands Up Together event this year.” Bunny later served two terms on the organization’s board and now volunteers in the agency’s newest program, CJFS CARES, a respite and enrichment program for individuals and families affected by memory care issues. Joel also noted the important of the organization’s Buz-a-Bus program for seniors. “My mother was a Buz-A-Bus rider up through the time she was 89 years old,” Bunny said. “I was always willing to take her to doctor’s appointments, but she didn’t want to bother me. Maxine Lapidus, a CJFS volunteer at the time, made me understand that older adults value their independence and want to keep it as long as possible. A ride on Buz-A-Bus was a bright spot in
Joel and Bunny Rotenstreich have been involved with Collat Jewish Family Services since its’ founding in the 1980s. Photo courtesy of Joel Blackstock.
my mother’s day. That program truly saved my life!” The May 11 event will feature Euan Morton, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his starring role on Broadway in Taboo, a musical based on the life of ’80s pop star George Michael. He’s also received acclaim for playing the title role in the Tony Kushner/Maurice Sendak adaptation of Brundibar at New York’s New Victory Theatre and for his role as Leo Frank in Parade at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. “Euan is a phenomenal singer and performer, but he’s also witty and utterly
charming with an audience. Add brilliant pianist Bryan Reeder to the mix and you have the perfect show,” said Sherri Romanoff, co-chair of this year’s event along with her husband, David. “In addition, Euan’s wife has family in Birmingham and all are familiar with the impact CJFS has on helping older adults live independently for as long as possible with enhanced quality of life.” For sponsorship and ticket information for the event, visit cjfsbham.org or call 879-3438. -Submitted by Collat Jewish Family Services
Village Living
A20 • May 2015
Botanical Gardens hosts a new take on the outdoor movie Flicks among the Flowers Lineup All movies begin at 8 p.m. at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Gates open at 6 p.m.
May 13 Jurassic Park In this Steven Spielberg classic, scientists (Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum) travel to an island theme park filled with genetically engineered dinosaurs that they assume are safe, but soon find out otherwise when the creatures escape.
June 24 The Birmingham Botanical Gardens will be hosting Flicks among the Flowers May-July. Photo courtesy of Andrew Krebbs.
By HANNAH JONES You won’t find Elsa, Shrek or Gru on the big screen at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens this summer. Instead of inviting kids and their friends to watch Disney and Pixar classics, the Gardens are encouraging young adults and couples to enjoy a night out with friends or a romantic date night at Flicks Among the Flowers this year. “We wanted to attract younger people to the gardens and to look at the gardens in a new way,” said Andrew Krebbs, director of marketing and membership for the Gardens. “We’re more than just some plants; we’re
an experience.” Flicks among the Flowers will begin on May 13 and will show a movie one Wednesday a month through July. On the lineup are Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters and Top Gun. The free event will feature a cash bar with movie-themed cocktails. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets or outdoor chairs to sit on. Pets are not allowed. Gates will open at 6 p.m., and the movie will begin at 8 p.m. Last year was the inaugural year for Flicks Among the Flowers. It attracted 300 people, but the Gardens assures that there is plenty of room for more this year. Flicks replaced the Gardens’ annual
Cocktails on the Gardens events. “[Cocktails on the Gardens] got to be where it was a really expensive event to put on and everyone in town had one, so there really wasn’t that unique appeal anymore,” said Krebbs. “So we discontinued Cocktails on the Gardens, and this was our way of creating a new event with a new angle.” The Birmingham Botanical Gardens hope that the event will showcase the gardens to a new audience that isn’t as familiar with them. “An event like this is really just a way to get people who don’t normally experience the Gardens a reason to come here and to see what a beautiful asset it is to the city,” said Krebbs.
Ghostbusters A group of recently unemployed scientists (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray) decide to become ghost busters to earn a little extra money. But when they open New York City to another dimension full of evil, they must find a way to save the city.
July 15 Top Gun Fighter pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise) attends the elite Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School, where he gets into trouble because of his arrogant attitude. While he competes to be top pilot, he finds himself also competing for the affections of his teacher, Charlotte Blackwood (Kelly McGillis).
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • A21
Learning program expands in Birmingham area By MADISON MILLER AND MADOLINE MARKHAM Lifelong learners will soon have an opportunity to take classes on a variety of subjects at the Birmingham Levite Jewish Community Center. The local affiliate of the Osher Lifetime Learning Institute (OLLI), originally based in Vestavia Hills, has expanded to several new locations throughout the area. OLLI is designed for people who want to be lifelong learners. The national program’s affiliates offer a variety of courses based on what interests its membership, from local history to travel. Vestavia’s affiliate began in 2013 through the University of Alabama system and quickly grew to more than 200 members who were interested in programs with increasing depth. “It took off like wildfire,” Co-chair of Curriculum and Recruitment Committee Diane Wheeler said. “It’s something you can experience and enjoy to expand your worldview.” Classes at the LJCC will begin this summer with topics such as theatre in 19th-century Birmingham, Southern literature and home weatherization. The group will also take a field trip to Rickwood Caverns in Warrior. Participants can attend as many classes as they would like for an annual fee of $25. OLLI also offers
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Members of OLLI attend a course on British classic film at their affiliate’s original location in Vestavia Hills. Photo by Madison Miller.
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Upcoming OLLI classes Levite Jewish Community Center Railroad Lanterns, Cholera and a Sinking Ship: Theater in 19th Century Birmingham June 12 10:30 a.m.-noon This session will feature the history, construction and condition of Alabama’s theaters, including the Alabama and the Lyric. bonus classes, which are free and open to the public, to allow participants to try classes before paying a fee. Each OLLI group is managed by
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its all-volunteer membership, who seeks out what others want to learn and create courses around that. “You don’t have to become an expert and take it up for life,”
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Village Living
A22 • May 2015
Summer
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VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • A23
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Collectors’ cars enter Mountain Brook Village during a road rally in a previous year.
ROAD RALLY
CONTINUED from page A1 Suzan Doidge, executive director of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce. “It is exciting for not just car enthusiasts but young people as well. To my knowledge, this isn’t done in any town in the South. It’s a unique experience, just like Mountain Brook is unlike any other area.” The Historic Motor Sports Association absorbed the Legends of Motorsports that held a similar car rally event in association with the Barber races in previous years, so Clark said the event will be much like the ones held in the past. You’ll find a collection of Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Corvette, Camaro, Audi and Lamborghini cars, among others. Representatives from Barber selected Mountain Brook Village to hold the first car rally several years ago, and the current HMSA director, who grew up in Hollywood, California, also liked what he saw in the village. Clark hopes that the drivers who come through like what they see, too. “Barber wants to bring people to town who might not otherwise know about Birmingham to come to the track and see Mountain Brook
Car Rally Mountain Brook Village Friday, May 15 5-7 p.m. Village,” Clark said. “Hopefully they will be impressed and want to come back. Amateur drivers tend to drive with their wives, and we want them to want to come back, too.” Clark, who grew up in Mountain Brook, believes the atmosphere of the village is especially appropriate. “The idea is recreating what [car rallies] did in the ’50s and ’60s in these towns, and Mountain Brook Village has that feel,” he said. “It’s not just a parking lot and a mall.” As the Historics event expands in the future, Clark hopes the rally will as well. “Once an event grows, it’s just as much fun to see the collectors’ cars as what’s on the track,” he said. “It all adds to the package, and it’s a great way for people to see the cars in that setting.”
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Village Living
SECTION B School House B13 Sports B16 Faith B21 Calendar B22
Jolly getting back into swing Former Mountain Brook golfer posted win in prestigious amateur tourney, now aims for pro future By DAVID KNOX Arnold Palmer said it: “Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated.” That’s what can frustrate to no end even the best of golfers. Former Mountain Brook star and current LSU All-American Stewart Jolly can attest to that. He finished off a great junior season — in which he earned All-American honors and helped the Tigers to a semifinal finish in the NCAA championships — with an outstanding summer and fall, including a win in the prestigious Northeast Amateur Invitational in Rhode Island. He then flew to England to play for the 10-man United States team against Europe in the Palmer Cup — an event established and named for the aforementioned Palmer — that is called the Ryder Cup for collegiate golfers. He began the fall season well, but then the simple became complicated. “I had a great year last year and had a pretty good summer and a good start to the fall,” Jolly said, “but I’ve kind of been struggling with my game for a little while.
“But it’s starting to get back into form, so I’m pretty excited for the rest of the year.” He had reason to be. After our conversation, Jolly led the Tigers to the SEC Championship, finishing in a tie for fourth individaully. Jolly is the No. 1 player for the Tigers. He really wants to get his game in form by the NCAA Regionals, which run May 14-16, and then hopefully in the NCAA Championships in late May and early June. “That’s been the whole goal the whole semester, peak at the end of the year. And my game’s starting to improve, so I’m excited.” He said he’s worked harder than he ever has in getting his game back to where it was. “Over time, I created a couple of bad habits in my swing and I was trying to change it back to where it was when I was playing my best and I kind of overdid it, overfixed it and got into some other bad habits. And now it’s just starting to get comfortable again. “I honestly played very well our first two events in the
See JOLLY | page B18
LSU golfer Stewart Jolly from Mountain Brook is capping a great amateur career, having won the Northeast Amateur and competing for the U.S. in the Palmer Cup. Photo courtesy of LSU Sports Information.
Village Living
B2 • May 2015
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King Acura 1687 Montgomery Hwy Hoover, al 35216 (205) 979-8888
Closed-end lease for 2015 RDX 6-Speed Automatic vehicles subject to availability through 5/11/15 on approved credit through Acura Financial Services, DBA American Honda Finance Corp. for well-qualified lessees. MSRP $36,015 (includes destination, excludes tax, license, title fees, registration, documentation fees, options, insurance and the like). Actual net capitalized cost $32,447.28. Total monthly payments $11,124.00. Option to purchase at lease end $22,329.30. Lessee responsible for maintenance, excessive wear/tear and 20¢/ mile. APR offer valid on new and unregistered 2015 RDX Models subject to availability through 5/11/15, for qualified customers from Acura Financial Services through participating dealers. Must take new retail delivery on vehicle from dealer stock by May 11, 2015. Not all buyers may qualify. Higher rates apply for buyers with lower credit ratings. Example for 2015 RDX: 1.9% for 36 months financing at $28.60 a month for every $1,000.00 financed. Dealers set actual prices. See your Acura dealer for details. *273 hp at 6,200 rpm (SAE net).
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • B3
Village Living
B4 • May 2015
Joined in song
Skip Stradtman, left, and David Mandt, right, sing with the Birmingham Boys Choir.
By OLIVER MORRISON When Skip Stradtman and David Mandt were 7 years old, their mothers made them an appointment that would change their lives. “She said, ‘You’re going to audition for the Birmingham Boys Choir,’” Stradtman said. “And I was like, ‘Okay.’ I had been to a couple concerts before I was old enough to audition, so I
assume that she saw that I was interested.” Over the next 10 years singing in the choir, Stradtman and Mandt both found their lives’ calling and became best friends. On March 22 the fellow Mountain Brook High School graduates returned to Samford University to perform a joint concert with their college a cappella group. It was the first time that a graduate of the Birmingham Boys Choir returned to arrange a song,
according to Ken Berg, the choir’s director for the last 37 years. When Stradtman auditioned for the choir 15 years ago, he had already taken some piano lessons but was an undeveloped singer. He discovered that, although he needed his parents’ discipline to keep practicing on the piano, he loved the social aspect of making music immediately. “Things like piano lessons, there is always a
couple years where you want to quit because you don’t want to practice,” Stradtman said. “With the boys choir I never really felt that way.” During one of the many trips he took with choir, as a high school freshman Stradtman knew he had found his calling. He was in Japan, a place where he couldn’t speak the language and few people understood him. But some in the audience were so moved they started crying.
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • B5
Go online for more.
Ken Berg directs the choir during a performance on March 22. Photos by Oliver Morrison.
“That really spoke to me as a kid,” Stradtman said, “to see how kids who are so different could connect on an emotional level.” The experience was no accident. Berg teaches young boys in the Birmingham area not only how to sing like a professional, but also how to grow into manhood. “Kids want to be entertained of course, they want to have fun,” Berg said. “But really they want to be meaningful in their world; they want to have impact.” In the last few years the choir’s nonprofit board expanded Berg’s position from part-time to fulltime so that he can give more time to his more than 100 students, who come from a variety of backgrounds all over the Birmingham area. Stradtman and Mandt are now seniors at Florida State, where they both hold leadership
positions in their a cappella group, Reverb, and are studying to teach music. When they arrived at Florida State as freshmen, they could have auditioned for one of the three co-ed a cappella groups on campus, but they only wanted to sing for Reverb. They had grown to love the sound and the camaraderie of an all-male choir. They not only were accepted into the choir, but because of their extensive experience in Birmingham, as sophomores they also took over the leadership of Reverb and have traveled the country performing and competing. They won fourth place at a national competition of collegiate a cappella groups in New York. Because it’s just boys, the Birmingham Boys Choir is able to draw on a tradition of music that is over 1,000 years old and keep the boys
focused on the music, according to Berg. “Girls are wonderful creatures,” Berg said. “But they tend to complicate life for boys for all sorts of delightful reasons.” The choir helped solidify the lifelong friendship of Stradtman and Mandt. They already attended the same church and would start attending the same school in junior high. But after both held leadership positions together in the community choir, they decided to attend the same college, room together, major in the same subject and pursue the same profession. “It’s funny, we basically have the same lives, and we’re somehow not sick of each other yet,” Stradtman said. “At least I hope he’s not sick of me.” They’re not totally alike. Mandt is
a red-haired baritone with a broad chest who keeps the pace by beat boxing. He’s got an affable personality and has served as the president and public face of Reverb. Stradtman is a brown-haired tenor who prefers the more academic side of arranging the music. For the concert, Stradtman arranged the closing James Taylor song, “How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You,” for both their old and new choirs to perform together. “To combine those two worlds for a weekend is really special for David and I,” Stradtman said. “We’re showing the community what the Birmingham Boys Choir has done for us, where we’re headed and how we’ve developed as performers.” The Birmingham Boys Choir sang mostly classical music with some modern jazz and folk songs, but their college group, Reverb, frequently performs medleys of pop music such as Michael Jackson and Montell Jordan. Alabama doesn’t have as strong a tradition of collegiate a cappella music, according to Mandt, so Reverb gave a workshop at their old high school the day before the concert. It was a bit of a swan song, as both will likely have to head their separate ways after graduation: It can be difficult to find teaching jobs in the same area. Both are considering applying for jobs in Florida or Alabama, or even a place like Georgia. Perhaps in another 10 years, however, they could find themselves back together again in the Birmingham area. “Mr. Berg has joked that in 10 years when he retires he wants one of us to take over his job,” Stradtman said. “Which is extremely flattering but would be a very daunting, tall task.” Birmingham Boys Choir will hold its Spring Concert May 17 at 4 p.m. at Dawson Family of Faith.
Village Living
B6 • May 2015
Graduation Gift Guide Tag Watch
Yeti Rambler & Colster
$2,050
This Tag Heuer Formula 1 stainless steel watched features black and blue bezel.
Starting at $29.99
The stainless steel, doublewall vacuum insulated Rambler series will keep your chilled beverages as cold as science allows.
Bromberg’s 2800 Cahaba Road 871-3276
Alabama Outdoors 3054 Independence Drive 870-1919
Cosmetic Tray
$23
Wristlet Phone Wallet
Place this tray, available in a variety of fabrics, on your dresser or bathroom counter to hold your jewelry and cosmetics. Marguerite’s Conceits 2406 Canterbury Road 879-2730
$130
Give the gift of style with this GiGi New York Wristlet Phone Wallet in stone pebble grain leather. Monkee's of Mountain Brook 2006 Cahaba Road English Village 783-1240
Rembrant Charm Bracelet Bracelet $125, Charms $26-$30
This elegant sterling silver bracelet is also available in yellow and white gold. M&M Jewelers 440 Inverness Corners 991-0593
Novelty Pillow $35
Navy with White Embroidery. 18x18 - down fill. Dorm Suite Dorm 2832 Culver Road Birmingham, AL 35223 205-879-8278
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • B7
Sewing Machines
Custom Graduation Cakes
Various Prices
For Grads who want to explore their creative possibilities - great sewing machines from basic to advanced.
$24.99
Give your grad a cool treat with an 8-inch round ice cream cake in his or her favorite flavors.
Sewing Machine Mart 1722-C 28TH Ave South 870-1931
Bruster’s Real Ice Cream 1008 Vestavia Parkway 987-2347
Monogrammed Towels
Wash Bags
Girls $24, Boys $18
$18
These photo-inspired bags will outfit any grad to keep their toiletries in style.
These towels add a personal touch for the graduate going off to college or graduating and going out into the real world. Allow two to three weeks for delivery.
Swoop 2721 Cahaba Road Mountain Brook Village 803-0886
The Cook Store 2841 Cahaba Road 879-5277
Dog is Good Shirt
Mont Blanc Cruise Collection Pens
$21.99
These shirts come in more than a dozen fun sayings and colors and are available in sizes small to XXL. Hollywood Feed 2800 Cahaba Village Plaza, Suite 210 977-9300
Woodley Cuff Bracelet
Starting at $225
Available in several colors, this pen is sure to become a new grad’s favorite.
$79
This Ex Voto Vintage exclusive, made in the USA, can be engraved with an initial for a personalized gift.
Barton Clay Fine Jewelers 2701 Cahaba Road 871-7060
Ex Voto Vintage 2402 Canterbury Road 538-7301
bl ms &
brushes
featuring
art by Katherine Bramlett flowers by local floral designers
May 18- May 22 art show open 10-4 Marjorie Johnston & Company 2841 Culver Road Mountain Brook Village 205.414.7860
Village Living
B8 • May 2015
Mother’s Day Gift Guide Kendra Scott Jewelry
Colore Bracelet Mounting
Arrowhead earrings $65
Starting $295
Let Mom accessorize with pizzaz with the Kendra Scott “Arrowhead” Skylar Earrings.
Mom will love adding interchangeable caps ($75 each) to this mounting.
Monkee's of Mountain Brook 2006 Cahaba Road, English Village 783-1240
Gift Certificates Various prices
Gift certificates provide three or more one-on-one personal training sessions. The Fitness Center 3900 Montclair Road 870-1121
Wrapping Leather Bracelet $98
This 21-inch bracelet in saddle and sapphire comes in several different color variations and is made in the USA from premium Italian calfskin. Ex Voto Vintage 2402 Canterbury Road 538-7301
Barton Clay Fine Jewelers 2701 Cahaba Road 871-7060
Precious Metal Prints Kit $69.99
Personalize a sterling silver piece with your pet’s nose to create a piece of jewelry.
OTBT Bushnell Wedge Sandal $125
Hollywood Feed 230 Doug Baker Blvd. 995-0223
This thick-strapped platform has just enough stretch in that slingback to keep you comfortable.
Stretch Bracelets
Alabama Outdoors 3054 Independence Drive 870-1919
$145 each
These Catherine Page Evra stretch bracelets are available with pendants in labradorite, turquoise, clear crystal and rutilated quartz. Bromberg’s 2800 Cahaba Road 871-3276
Go ahead, give your 15-year notice. Maybe you’re retiring in 15 years or 50. No matter when you’re retiring, let me help make sure your retirement happens according to plan. CALL ME TODAY.
Amy M Smith, Agent 3900 Montclair Road Ste 350 Mountain Brook, AL 35213 Bus: 205-870-8820 Fax: 205-870-8810 amy@amysmithinsurance.com www.amysmithinsurance.com
*This is not an insurance policy. Subject to satisfaction of the terms of the Total Loss Debt Cancellation provision.
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • B9
Gem Bracelets $125
This Elizabeth Showers piece features amazonite beats available in five different gems and a Hope Star charm in gold overlay bronze. John William Jeweller 81 Church Street, Suite 101 870-4367
Cotton Poncho $86
This lightweight poncho, available in 30 colors, can be worn as a scarf or keep you a little bit warmer in a chilly restaurant. Marguerite’s Conceits 2406 Canterbury Road 879-2730
Earthborn Studios Pottery by Tena Payne
$24-$36
Add a small flower or even some herbs to these vases and have a perfect gift for the Mom who has everything. The Cook Store 2841 Cahaba Road 879-5277
Posturepedic Gel Memory Foam Mattress Queen, $799, King, $1,199 Mom can choose between a firm, plush or pillow top mattress and receive a free set of sheets, two pillows, a down alternative comforter and two pillowcases. Bedzzz Express 4500 Montevallo Road, Suite 105 956-8033
Village Living
B10 • May 2015
Turning learning upside down By OLIVER MORRISON When Adam Johnson, an eighth-grade math teacher at Mountain Brook Junior High, starts his lecture, one of his students, Harrison McDonald, is lying in bed. Another student, Matt Hamilton, prefers to take a break and watch a little TV before starting. Ivy Davidson usually doesn’t pay attention until 10 p.m. How can they all watch the lecture? Johnson recorded a video the night before and put it on the Internet. He is at the forefront of a small but growing movement in education called “the flipped classroom.” The idea is that instead of doing homework at home, students watch lectures. Then they get help on their practice work at school. It’s called “flipped” because homework mostly happens at school and teaching mostly happens at home. Johnson opened up his classroom to 20 other teachers and educators from across the state on March 13 for an open house. Teachers in 15 states and 12 countries showed off their own “flipped classrooms” that day, but Johnson was the only teacher in Alabama. He’s been experimenting with this new approach to teaching for five years, but this year was the first time that he’s tried it for an entire year. Johnson has a shaved head, coaches soccer and barks at his students, “Have a good weekend, Spartans!” at the end of his class. When he was at Troy University, he played the Trojan mascot during sporting events. But he’s shy about the videos he produces. He prefers to use software that records his writing and his voice, without ever showing his face. He wants his students to hear his voice so they become comfortable learning from him. But he doesn’t want his videos warped into the next YouTube sensation. The video includes his real handwriting and animated arrows that move in an empty room that looks like his real classroom. He makes silly references to keep students engaged. “Hello there,
Sophie Saab watches a lecture on a laptop while Johnson helps another student. She didn’t understand all of the lecture the night before, so she asked her teacher Adam Johnson questions at the beginning of class and then watched it again.
and welcome to another episode of Mr. Johnson’s math class,” Johnson starts one lesson. “By the end of today’s episode, you should understand what a system of equations are.” A set of practice problems at the open house required students to scan their answers with a phone — and if they got the correct answer, their phone would reveal a joke.
“Why did the obtuse angle go the beach?” one student read. “Because it’s over 90 degrees.” “I don’t get it,” his partner said. “It’s funny,” Johnson told them, as he walked between groups. “An obtuse angle is over 90 degrees. It’s funny.” “Sort of,” said the student. Johnson goes the extra mile to engage his
students because his most important goal is to boost student confidence. He requests classes of students who have struggled with math in the past. “They may not be inspired to be a mathematician,” Johnson said. “I just don’t want them to walk away from my class and say, ‘God, I still hate math.’” He thinks the flipped classroom works for
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • B11
Students in Adam Johnson’s class spend most of the period working together on assignments based on the lecture they watched the night before.
these students. They can watch the videos over and over, without worrying about what their friends think. When he begins class, even shy students can answer, “What was the video about last night?” and usually several more questions. But he’s also a realist. If a student didn’t watch the video, he doesn’t punish them. Instead, students know to pick up a laptop and watch the lesson in the hallway. In Johnson’s classroom each of the desks is on wheels, so when he calls out a formation of “groups” or “rows” or “partners,” the students roll into position. Instead of just one projector, the room has two, and the students go up to the board and manipulate virtual problems. This version of the flipped classroom is perfect for junior high students, according to Mountain Brook Junior High Principal Donald Clayton. They’re allowed to move around and learn from failure, and it forces them to talk about their schoolwork. Johnson starts class with a discussion about the video from the night before. Students from all over the room shouted out answers during the first class, noticed Jenny Firth, a middle school
Around 20 educators visited Adam Johnson’s eighth-grade “flipped” math classroom open house on March 13 at Mountain Brook Junior High School. Photos by Oliver Morrison.
science teacher who was visiting from Vestavia. But in the second class, two boys dominated the conversation. The second class had 13 special education students, according to Michel Godwin, a special education teacher who moves with her students throughout the day. She says special education students do really well in Johnson’s class because the videos are both visual and auditory, and because it allows them to rewatch the lessons over and over again. The part that Johnson likes the best is that he has more time to ask students how they are doing. Because students spend most of the class working now, Johnson has the time to go around and check every student’s notes. But the flipped classroom can take more time to prepare. In addition to class activities, now he has to create videos. Although he tries to keep the videos under seven minutes to hold students’ attention, they’re still labor intensive. But it saves some time. Instead of having to catch up absent students, those students can watch the lesson from home and return without missing a beat. It also allows parents who want to
help with homework to watch the videos. A few of Johnson’s students said that they wish they could ask him questions during the videos. He encourages students to email him their questions, but not everyone does. All the students who spoke said that math was more fun this year than last. Johnson’s flipped classroom wasn’t always a statewide model. When he first assigned videos five years ago, the students didn’t remember any of it. He figured out that he had to teach students how to watch the videos. Now he spends the first couple weeks of the year teaching students how to take notes and rewind when they miss something. He also started running his open house with parents as if it were a flipped classroom. Getting the students and parents to understand the flipped classroom reduced parental complaints. “When math was not a person’s favorite subject to begin with,” Johnson said, “and then you’re changing something that was already difficult for them and making it look extremely different, there’s quite a bit of anxiety that can come from it.”
This is a problem that has plagued Hope Prevallet, a middle school math teacher who was visiting from Vestavia. Some of Prevallet’s parents don’t understand why their children have to be in a flipped classroom, if they learn just as well the old-fashioned way. Johnson’s students are doing better, he said, but with less than a full year’s worth of data to prove it, at this point, he’s just happy that it’s boosting their confidence. Many of the educators who visited Johnson’s room wondered whether it could work at their schools. Taajah Witherspoon, a math coach in Mountain Brook, came because she wanted to see if it could work in elementary schools. Daniel Whit, the technology coordinator at Madison City Schools near Huntsville, visited Johnson’s class because he wanted to learn how to adapt flipped classrooms to the middle school level. For all of the reservations the visiting teachers had, one question loomed large. “Is it that the flipped classroom is awesome?” Whit asked. “Or is it that Mr. Johnson is awesome?”
Village Living
B12 • May 2015
Meet MBJH’s state Teacher of the Year finalist By MADOLINE MARKHAM Mountain Brook Junior High ninth-grade English teacher Gerilynne “Geri” Shadeed was recently named one of 16 finalists for Alabama Teacher of the Year. From those 16, four teachers were named to the Final Four, and the 2015-2016 Teacher of the Year will be announced at a ceremony hosted by the Alabama State Board of Education and the Alabama State Department of Education on May 13 in Montgomery. Alabama’s Teacher of the Year spends the majority of the school year serving as a full-time ambassador for education and the teaching profession as well as presenting workshops to various groups. Additionally, Alabama’s representative is a candidate for the National Teacher of the Year. Cherokee Bend teacher Ann Marie Corgill was the 2014 Alabama Teacher of the Year and is now also a finalist for the National Teacher of the Year Award. Shadeed obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from East Tennessee State University and previously taught in Hoover and Shelby County
schools. Her grandmother was an elementary teacher for 40 years, and her father was a college professor turned administrator. She and her husband, Eddie, have two children, Matt and Ally, as well as a golden retriever, a shih-tzu and a Morkie. Village Living spoke with Shadeed to learn more about her passion as an educator and how English teachers can impact the next generation.
Q A
What attracted you to teach in Mountain Brook? Mountain Brook is such a well respected school system that it was something to which I aspired. During my teaching time in Alabama, I have had the pleasure of working with several educators from this system, so I gravitated this way. Once I got here, I was truly impressed with the system and the way teachers are appreciated and respected as professionals. This is every teacher’s dream job.
Q A
What is your favorite aspect of teaching? The best part of my job is working with the young people that I
spend my day with. I truly love being around kids, and when I can combine that with my passion for books, it’s the ideal situation for me.
Q A
What makes your classroom or teaching style unique? It’s hard to say what makes my classroom or teaching style unique because I am on the other side of the fence. I’ve been told many times before that I am spunky, perky and quirky, and I have admitted to my students that I am a total English nerd. I want them to see that it is okay to love to read and write and think and feel. I try to change up things and keep everyone engaged. I have a connection with kids that I feel like is honest and genuine.
Q
If you were to be chosen as the state teacher of the year, what platform(s) would you want to share with other educators in the state? If I had a platform, it would be that all educators should be lifelong learners. With apologies to actor Matthew McConaughey, I would take liberties with his mantra “just keep
A
Geri Shadeed teaches ninth-grade English at Mountain Brook Junior High School. Photo courtesy of Geri Shadeed.
livin” and change it to “just keep learnin.” We must not be content to sit back and do things the same way we have done things for the last two centuries. We live in a different world. We cannot afford to rest on our laurels and use the same strategies focused on the same skills for 30 years! We have been living in the twenty-first century for 15 years now, and I think it is safe to say that we have witnessed some prolific changes already. As our world changes, so must we change how we prepare students today for the challenges of tomorrow. My message to both my profession and society in general would be that we must continue to grow – to learn – in order to face whatever the future holds.
at
Q A
What do you like about teaching English in particular? The best thing about teaching English is that I know I am impacting the future. I am a snob about my subject area because I feel that what I teach is the subject that lays the foundation for what students do in every other subject. They need to read for comprehension and look for textual evidence, like they need to be able to spell and use correct grammar, so they don’t appear illiterate. I take my job seriously because I worry about future generations not being able to communicate effectively; we are already losing a sense of standard, formal English. I feel as if English teachers really can impact the world.
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • B13
School House CES celebrates writing By COLLINS CLEGG Recently, Crestline Elementary welcomed a group of authors, illustrators and musicians to the school for its annual Celebrate Writing event. On this day of learning and fun, students heard from the visiting writers, including Mike Artell, an author, illustrator, cartoonist and musician from Louisiana who has written a wide range of books, both fiction and non-fiction; Gail Carson Levine, who has written books on writing and poetry, as well as many chapter books, including Ella Enchanted; Dale Christopher, a writer and the son of the prolific children’s author Matt Christopher, who uses stories about his father’s life and books to inspire readers; and Lori Nichols, an author and illustrator from Homewood who has written and illustrated picture books, such as the recently published Maple and Maple and Willow Together. Popular Tennessee-based musician Roger Day also performed for the students and spoke to them about the song-writing process. Crestline students prepared for Celebrate Writing for many weeks by reading books by the visiting authors and completing writing and art projects based on their works. These art projects were displayed at the school during
Mountain Brook Writers’ Festival returns
Harry and Max Evans with author Jason Chin. Author Gail Carson Levine talks to Crestline Elementary students during Celebrate Writing 2015.
Celebrate Writing, and the authors enjoyed seeing all of the student artwork inspired by their books. Crestline also invited the students and teachers from Brookville Elementary School, Crestline’s partner school in Graysville, to
join Crestline for Celebrate Writing. Crestline’s Student Council members acted as escorts for the Brookville classes, and Crestline and Brookville students met the pen pals they have been corresponding with this year.
By KATHLEEN WOODRY Authors and illustrators shared their writing techniques and conducted illustrating workshops with the students of Brookwood Forest, Mountain Brook and Cherokee Bend elementary schools recently. Author/illustrator Jason Chin, picture book writer Lisa Wheeler and BabyMouse illustrator Matthew Holm filled the three-day event with fun, laughter and creative stories to write. Heading up this year’s planning team was Brookwood Forest PTO chair Finley Evans and PTO co-chair Kim Rowlen.
Village Living
B14 • May 2015
MBHS seniors receive President’s Volunteer Service Award
By ELIZABETH FARRAR Anna Matthews and Charlie Steinmetz, seniors at Mountain Brook High School, have been honored for their exemplary volunteer service with the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Matthews is active with the Mountain Brook High School Key Club and volunteered more than 250 hours at Camp UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) helping others with cerebral palsy, autism, Down Syndrome and physical disabilities. She attended field trips, participated in activities and assisted the
teachers as needed. Most of all, she was a true friend to all of these individuals with special needs. Steinmetz developed a passion for volunteer work and community service at a young age. He is being recognized for his years of service to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, Interact Club at Mountain Brook High School, Habitat for Humanity, Birmingham soup kitchens, Bnai Brith Youth Organizations and other nonprofit organizations. The award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to
serve their community and their country, was granted by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program on behalf of President Barack Obama. “The recipients of this award demonstrate that young people across America are making remarkable contributions to the health and vitality of their communities,” said John Strangfield, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. “By recognizing these students and placing a spotlight on their volunteer activities, we hope to motivate others to consider how they can also contribute to their community.”
Charlie Steinmetz
Anna Matthews
Elementary students express themselves in art By CHRISTY LEE District winners of the Mountain Brook Expressions Art Contest were honored with their artwork showcased at a reception recently at host school Mountain Brook Elementary. The district winners and their families were invited to see all the winning art and also find out where each student’s artwork placed in district judging. Jane Menendez, chairman of the Mountain Brook Schools Board of Education, was in attendance to make the awards announcement. Students used various art forms to express their creativity and interpretation of this year’s Expressions Art
Contest theme, “What If…”. More than 700 entries were submitted from the four Mountain Brook elementary schools, grades kindergarten through sixthgrade. Each elementary school’s PTO conducted their school’s Expressions campaign, and entries were judged at the local school level. All school winners were then forwarded to an independent district judging panel, resulting in the 81 district winners across five art categories of visual arts, photography, video, instrumental performance and creative writing. The district winning pieces for visual arts and photography were on display at the Emmet O’Neal Library through the end of March.
Pictured are the 22 Mountain Brook Elementary district winners of the 2015 Expressions Art Contest. Photo courtesy of Hilary Ross.
Making People Happy For 25 Years,
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224 Country Club Park 871-8435
Follow us on Facebook or on the web Oteystavern.com
Live music every Fri. and Sat. night starting @ 9pm.
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • B15
Stars fell on Alabama
Libby Sims (Emma Sansom), Kendall Crabtree (Miss Alabama), Ella Scott Crane (Patti Ruffner Jacobs), Hayden Hawkins (Tallulah Bankhead), Janie Lee Moncus (Fannie Flagg), Jackson Perkins (Bienville Le Moyne), Oliver Salter (Sam Dale) and John Fischer (Sanota).
By HILARY ROSS Mountain Brook Elementary fourth-grade students recently presented “Stars Fell on Alabama” to family, friends and fellow students. Masters of ceremonies led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. For the next hour, the
audience was treated to students dressing as Alabama characters and performing songs about Alabama. Highlights included songs such as “Stars Fell on Alabama,” “Alabama State Song,” “Birmingham” and “My Home’s in Alabama.” MBE performs it annually.
Students serve as pages for state rep.
Mountain Brook students Beck Corley and Campbell Doidge spent their Spring Break as pages for Alabama Rep. David Faulkner. The boys, both eighth-graders at Mountain Brook Junior High School, also attended a luncheon held by Mountain Brook Major Olgilvie, a former Alabama football player who now works in the concrete industry. Olgilvie’s daughter, Mary Riley, is one of Campbell’s teachers at MBJH. Photo courtesy of Suzan Doidge.
BWF hosts Family Night By KATHLEEN WOODRY
The Brookwood Forest Family Night was a huge success.
Brookwood Forest parents, students and siblings came together on March 19 for Brookwood Forest Family Night. The halls were filled with smiles and laughter as families visited classrooms to talk with teachers and see firsthand projects and schoolwork. Families enjoyed a barbecue dinner by Jim ‘N Nick’s. The gym was transformed into a dining hall for the Brookwood Forest family to eat and enjoy fellowship.
LANEPARKE.INFO
Village Living
B16 • May 2015
Sports Soccer team supports Sid The then-No. 4-ranked Mountain Brook Girls Varsity Soccer Team’s game against No. 9 Spain Park would determining if they kept their No. 1 area ranking in the area and advance to the playoffs. But when they played April 9, their minds were on something bigger: a Mountain Brook friend of theirs battling cancer, Sid Ortis. Sid’s older brother, Andy, was a classmate of the seven seniors on the team, and they decided to dress in Sid’s favorite colors and let his family know that they support and pray for him daily. The girls
said they are inspired by his positive attitude and how he is always staying strong. For the Spain Park game, the team decked out with the purple “Geaux Sid” T-shirts, purple and gold hair ribbons, and face tattoos. Balloons and purple and gold bows hung around the soccer field fence, and there were plenty of Sid shirts for all the players, coaches, team managers, ball girls and fans. Some Spain Park parents asked Mountain Brook parents what the shirts were for and if they could wear them, too. Even Nicole Strahl, a junior on the
The Mountain Brook High Schools girls soccer team and its fans wore shirts to support Sid Ortis at its April 9 game against Spain Park High School.
team who broke her nose two nights before in a game against Gadsden, didn’t want to miss the “Sid Ortis game against Spain Park,” so she wore protective gear and a face mask playing in that game. The girls were playing for Sid, and that was something
bigger than a game. It was just a small gesture to bring a smile to Sid’s face, which was accomplished that night. The team also came out of the game with a new ranking as No. 1 in the state and in the area. -Submitted by Rosemary Gillespie
MBHS volleyball team hosts camp for girls The 7A State Volleyball Champions at the MBHS are hosting a youth volleyball clinic. It will be held June 2-4 in Spartan Arena at Mountain Brook High School. Sessions for fourth to sixth graders run from noon to 3 p.m., and sessions for seventh and eighth graders run from 4-6 p.m. Interested athletes can pick up a registration form at Mountain Brook Sporting Goods or email coach Haven O’Quinn at oquinnh@mtnbrook.k12.al.us. Members of the MBHS 7A state championship volleyball team are hosting a volleyball clinic in June.
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • B17
Spartans baseball team surges toward postseason By WILL DAVIS To say that the Mountain Brook baseball team has built off its run to the state quarterfinals a year ago would be an understatement. This year’s edition of the Spartans has enjoyed unprecedented success, garnering the No. 1 ranking in the state, and soaking it all in at the same time as another trip to the postseason gets underway. “We’ve got a great group of seniors and a fantastic group of juniors that have complemented that senior group,” Mountain Brook coach Lee Gann said. While an abundance of returning talent is key, Gann says the selflessness and character of his team is what has made this season so special. “They’re very close, and they care about each other,” Gann said. “They really don’t care who gets the credit as long as the job gets done, and that’s the true character of a champion.” After a 7-4 loss to Gardendale in the season opener, the Spartans responded by winning eight straight games before falling 7-2 to Walker in the second game of a doubleheader to Walker on March 2. The Spartans then won 16 of their next 17, including a 13-game winning streak, culminating that by coming out on top in the Mountain Brook Sports Corporation Spring Break tournament March 28-31.
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Senior catcher Jack McPherson has been an offensively leader for the Spartans this season. Photo by Image Arts.
“Special groups don’t come around every year,” Gann said. “This group is definitely a special group.” From top to bottom, this Mountain Brook team looks and sounds like a team on a mission and is not fazed by a No. 1 ranking. “The only rankings that really matter are after the last pitch of the very last baseball game of the 2015
season,” Gann said. While winning is the goal, the Spartans aren’t letting a relentless pursuit of a state championship take away from the fun of a game. “This being my last year playing with these guys as teammates, I have really enjoyed playing my last year with them because it’s been fun so far,” senior catcher Jack McPherson said.
The Spartans are hoping for a lot more fun and even more winning in the postseason this time around, and they understand that while last year’s run has had a positive impact on the season, it’s long term effect on the way this team is remembered is minimal. “With finishing the way we did last year, it made us believe that we could be great,” McPherson said. “But we
still know nothing that we did last year means anything this year.” The quarterfinals of the state playoffs take place on May 1 and 2. The semifinals take place on May 8 and 9, and the finals are May 15 and 16. If the Spartans stay the course, there is no reason to believe that they won’t be a part of all of those games.
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Village Living
B18 • May 2015
Thunder finish as league champions
JOLLY
CONTINUED from page B1 fall, and since then it’s just been a combination of things but it’s starting to really come around and round into form.” Besides working with LSU coach Chuck Winstead, Jolly also worked with his coach back home, Eric Eshleman. “Just making sure I’m doing the right things and working on the right things,” Jolly explained. “I’ve been working harder than I ever have, so it’s frustrating I haven’t gotten the results I’ve wanted to yet, but they’re definitely coming. I feel like I’m starting to play a lot better.” One sign of that was the final round of the Texas A&M tournament, when he rallied for a par-72 after a couple of so-so rounds. Then at the SECs, he shot 68-68-69, playing 3-under-par on his final four holes. He has a lot of determination and confidence he’ll finish this year well and carry it over into the summer. And then, he plans to fulfill his longtime dream of playing at the highest level of golf.
“I’ve always believed in myself, and last year was a huge boost of confidence, knowing how well I played the whole year,” Jolly said. “And then winning the Northeast Amateur was a huge confidence booster as well, knowing all the names that were on that trophy. It was a great experience and a great event.” Some of those names on the Northeast Am trophy? Ben Crenshaw, Dustin Johnson, Scott Hoch, Luke Donald, David Duval, John Cook ... and now Stewart Jolly. “I plan right now to play one more summer of amateur golf and try to make the Walker Cup team at the end of the summer, and then turn pro right after that and go to qualifying school in the fall,” Jolly said. And then all of the hard work will have paid off. But that just means more hard work at the next level. “[It] doesn’t matter if you’re playing great or poorly,” he said. “You’ve still got to get out there and grind on the small things and make sure you’re working on the correct things.”
Golf tournament to benefit school athletics The undefeated Mountain Brook Thunder third-grade basketball team was the 2015 regular season and tournament champion in both the North Shelby Basketball Association League and the Over the Mountain League. Back row: Coach Andrew Bryant, Hunter Keller, Luke Johnston, Tucker Crawford, Watts Alexander, John Webb, Jack Currie. Front row: Thomas Lambert, Cowan Moorer, Simms Sledge, Henry Hufham and Robert Flynn. The team is coached by Andrew Bryant. Photo courtesy of Shaun Flynn.
On Wednesday, May 20, Mountain Brook Sports Corporation (MBSC) will hold its 17th Annual Golf Tournament at the Highland Park Golf Course. The tournament raises money for athletic programs at Mountain Brook High School and Mountain Brook Junior High School. The non-profit organization was formed
in 1998 and is run by a board of directors from the Mountain Brook community. MBSC has been involved in the funding of many improvements to the athletic programs at MBHS and MBJH. For more information, email Ken McPherson at kmcpherson@mcphersonoil.com.
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VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • B19
‘The Bradley’ goes to Mountain Brook’s boys By DAVID KNOX
Mountain Brook High School golfer Harlan Winn. Photo by Karim Shamsi-Basha.
The ninth annual Bradley Johnson Memorial Tournament was competed over the Legacy Course at Greystone Golf & Country Club April 8-9. Mountain Brook came away with the team title by eight strokes over host Spain Park. Northridge-Tuscaloosa’s William Walker, a UAB signee, was the individual medalist at 145. Among the other local teams in the 15-team invitation-only event, Homewood posted a fifth-place finish, Briarwood Christian was seventh and Hoover was 15th. The all-tournament team was Patrick Marin, Spain Park; Jonathan Eyster, Mountain Brook; Ben Fuller, Mountain Brook, Alex Green, Fairhope; William Buhl, Bayside; and William Walker, Northridge, medalist. The tournament is played every year and in honor and memory of Spain Park golfer Bradley Johnson, a rising star as a junior golfer. Johnson was an American Junior Golf Association All-American and the U.S. Junior Amateur runner-up in 2005, losing 5&3 in the final to Kevin Tway – who has gone on to play on the PGA Tour – the best finish ever by an Alabamian in the event. Tragically, Johnson was killed March 25, 2006, when his green Chevy Blazer was hit by a tractor-trailer near Birmingham. After spending the night with his two best friends at a lake house about an hour from his home, Johnson reached a stop sign on a rural county road. He pulled too far into the intersection. An 18-wheeler crashed into his SUV. His friends were knocked out, but survived. His life was cut short on the verge of a burgeoning golf career. Johnson was planning to play a practice round for a state tournament that day. Later that weekend, he was going to reveal to his family which
Tournament Scores Mountain Brook (+34) 304-306-610 Jonathon Eyster 74-74—148 Ben Fuller 73-75—148 Michael Brown 84-78—162 Wilson Simmons 80-80—160 Harlan Winn 77-79—156
one of three SEC scholarship offers – Auburn, Georgia or Alabama – he would accept. His death sent shock waves not only through the Hoover community but through the world of junior golf as well. The Bradley Johnson Memorial Foundation, Inc., was established as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to providing financial resources for junior golfers, from helping to fund tournaments and to provide scholarship money. The BJMF – bjmf.org– has given out more than $100,000 to golfers. Also, a program called “Birdies for Bradley” was established through the AJGA thanks to a grant from the Achieving Competitive Excellence program. It’s another way the BMJF helps talented young golfers get a chance to continue to play, even if they do not have a lot of financial resources.
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Village Living
B20 • May 2015
Mountain Brook girls soccer team completes tremendous regular season By WILL DAVIS The Mountain Brook girls soccer team is hoping to finish one game better than a year ago. “It’s a big goal for us to get back to the final four,” Spartans coach Scott Flowers said. A year ago, the Spartans fell 1-0 to Oak Mountain in the state championship, but with most of the roster from a year ago, expectations remained high coming into this year and so far the team has delivered. “It’s obviously different year to year, but we only graduated three girls and it’s a really good senior class, so we definitely had high expectations,” Flowers said. As they will tell you, one of the main reasons for sixth-ranked Mountain Brook’s success is what a closeknit bunch they are. “I think the main reason for our team’s success this year is because of the hard work everyone puts in at practice and the team’s camaraderie,” senior captain Leigh Haynes said. “The girls have great attitudes, they work hard, and the energy is there every time we step on the field,” Flowers said. The team has also been able to avoid the injury bug, another mark of a special season. “[There have been] no big injuries, which is fantastic,” Flowers said. “It’s hard to get by a whole season with that.” The Spartans play in a region that includes Hewitt-Trussville, Vestavia
Mountain Brook’s Leigh Haynes dribbles the ball while Spain Park’s Haley Stone pursues. Photo by Image Arts.
and Spain Park, teams that are all ranked in the top 10 in the state, creating a brutal region that the Spartans knew they had to be ready for from the beginning. “Our area play is so tough that we had to be a good, solid squad by the
first week of March,” Flowers said. The Spartans have lost twice to Hewitt-Trussville this year, by scores of 3-2 and 2-1, but have beaten everyone else in their region. They defeated Vestavia and Spain Park back-to-back by scores of 4-2 and 3-1 in March.
If it comes down to a rematch of last year, the Spartans have a more recent incentive if they tangle with Oak Mountain again. The Eagles edged Mountain Brook 1-0 with a goal in the 71st minute on April 15. That loss dropped previously-No. 1
Mountain Brook to sixth in the state rankings and put the Eagles on the No. 1 perch. Class 7A sub-state play was scheduled to begin April 28. The state championships are May 7-8 in Huntsville.
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • B21
Faith Life Actually By Kari Kampakis
Loving and letting go “Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” Elizabeth Stone Years ago, I was at the dentist’s office getting my teeth cleaned when I heard some parenting advice that has stayed with me. My daughters were young at the time, and as the dental hygienist talked about her 16 year old, I quizzed her about that stage of life. How do you handle the growing independence? How do you know how much rope to give? How do you deal with the fear of bad things happening when she’s away? After all, it’s one thing to send your child off to kindergarten or even summer camp — quite enough to send them off to college or a Friday night outing with teenage friends. The dental hygienist thought a moment. “It’s hard,” she replied. “Sometimes you just have to say a prayer and let them go.” Her answer satisfied the many questions in my head — prayer. What else can ease a parent’s deepest anxieties? What else can keep one centered in moments of stress, doubt and fear of the unknown? In the dentist’s chair that day, I realized something important. While prayer was already part of my life, it would play a bigger role over time. Because the only way to handle my kids growing up would be to let my prayer life grow up with them. They say parenting is about giving children roots and wings. I believe another way to frame
this is to say that parenting is about loving and letting go. The irony, of course, is how these aspirations conflict. As parents, we wrestle with that. We must figure out, somehow, the best way to strike a balance. We want to hold our children close, but we don’t want to hold them back. We want to love them wholeheartedly, but loving wholeheartedly makes it harder to set them free. We dream about their future and what awaits them, but when they leave, it creates an ache in our heart and a terrible void at home. When my girls were small, I couldn’t peel them off me with a spatula. There was always someone sitting on my hip, hanging on my leg or pulling my arm. Letting go of them wasn’t the issue because I needed someone to let go of me. Some days I loved the clinging, but other days I needed space. I wanted room to breathe and freedom to walk without tripping over tiny tots and toys. Now that my girls are older — ages 12, 10, 8 and 5 — the dynamic has changed. While they still love to cuddle and be affectionate, they no longer tear me apart like a rotisserie chicken, competing for the biggest piece of momma. They can play with their friends for hours, come to me for a snack or quick conversation, then go play for three more hours. When they’re not with me, they’re with someone I know and trust. Slowly our lives are separating, yet we still spend lots of time together. They still share details about their day, ask for my opinion, and enjoy reading and praying together before bed. They know my world and I know theirs because
our two worlds overlap. I know what’s coming, however, in the next five years: more letting go than I’m ready for. A certain reality has hit me hard with my oldest starting junior high, and my Facebook feed filled with parents posting pictures of kids getting their driver’s licenses, going to prom, receiving college acceptance letters, graduating in caps and gowns, decorating dorm rooms, being left at college, pledging sororities and fraternities, and starting independent adult lives. My daughters aren’t too far away from these rites of passage. What once seemed distant is now around the corner. Time is marching on, turning my baby girls into young ladies. I’d like to freeze us here in this magical sweet spot of childhood, but God has plans for my daughters that require them to grow up. And if I truly love them, I’ll think a lot about God’s plans. I’ll ask how I can help. Because that’s my role as their mother, to help God accomplish His mission and help my daughters hear His voice. I’ve enjoyed seeing my daughters grow up. I’ve loved watching their personalities and talents develop and engaging with them as real people. Deep down, however, I’m uncomfortably aware of what all this growth and activity are leading to. I won’t always be in the middle of the action. My home won’t always be the busy, noisy hub that it is today. I could easily get sad about this, but I try to be grateful. Grateful I’m alive to see my daughters grow up. Grateful for today’s abundance. Grateful for God’s work in my girls’ lives that becomes increasingly evident with every
birthday we celebrate. Loving a child comes naturally. Letting a child goes does not. Knowing when to protect and when to release requires divine wisdom. We give our children roots not to keep them home forever, but to draw them back home. Because roots help them live bravely. Roots assure them they have nothing to lose in testing their wings. Whatever happens, they’re guaranteed unconditional love. They have an open invitation to come back home. To love a child is to let them steal your heart. It’s to feel an intense tug in your heart as your child walks away. You wonder whether you’ve prepared them enough. You worry that maybe you haven’t. You pray over your lack of control, and ultimately turn it over to God. We mothers learn to live with our hearts outside our chests. We watch our children carry off different pieces of our heart as they explore their independence. But our greatest peace occurs when our kids are back together under our roof, bringing our heart back together, too. These are the moments that make letting go remotely bearable. These are the moments that remind us of how the pain of an absence creates the joy of reunion, and how home is wherever our family unites together. Kari Kubiszyn Kampakis is a Mountain Brook mom of four girls, columnist and blogger for The Huffington Post. Her first book, 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know, , is available on Amazon and everywhere books are sold. Join her Facebook community at “Kari Kampakis, Writer,” visit her blog at karikampakis.com or contact her at kari@karikampakis.com.
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Village Living
B22 • May 2015
Calendar Mountain Brook Events April 30-May 9: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. April 30, 7 p.m.; May 2, 7:30 p.m.; May 3, 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; May 9, 7:30 p.m. Levite Jewish Community Center. Opening night tickets plus dinner $25 adults and $15 students, tickets for opening night without dinner and all other nights $15 adults and $12 students. Contact Adam Levin at adam.levin@bhamjcc.org or 510-9022. May 2: Food Truck Round Up. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Upper level Macy’s parking lot at Brookwood Village. Ticket includes four tokens redeemable for food at any trucks or beverage stations. Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Benefiting PreSchool Partners. Visit preschool-partners.org. May 3: Orchid Re-Potting Class. 3-5 p.m. Levite Jewish Community Center. Alabama Orchid Society will teach a class on how to re-pot orchids, or have an expert re-pot them for you. $5. Contact John Mehler at 617-7630 or Mindy Cohen at mcohen@ bhamjcc.org or 510-9024. May 6-9: Mother’s Day Trunk Show featuring Honora. Barton-Clay Fine Jewelers, 2701 Cahaba Road. Call 871-7060.
May 7: Essentials of Elder Care Luncheon. 11 a.m. doors, 11:30 a.m. luncheon. Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce event panel features Cynthia Lamar-Hart of Maynard Cooper & Gale, Carol Hines of Regions Bank and Jennifer Mancuso of Always Best Care. Visit welcometomountainbrook.com. May 7: Coastal Conservation Association Crawfest. 5:30 p.m. Birmingham Zoo. Food, open bar, live music, silent auction and raffle. $75 per person, $140 per couple. Visit ccalabama.org.
Botanical Gardens. See, smell, photograph and enjoy roses Mother’s Day weekend. Visit bbgardens.org. May 11: Police Memorial Wreath Laying Ceremony. 11 a.m. Mountain Brook Police Department, Crestline Village. Three officers who have been lost in the line of duty and their families will be honored. May 13: Flicks Among the Flowers. 8 p.m. Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Will screen Jurassic Park. Free. Visit bbgardens.org.
May 9: Lucy and Ruby’s Brainy Day. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Mountain Brook Community Church. Food trucks, silent auction, games, prizes, cookies and lemonade. Visit lucyandruby.com.
May 15: Barber Historics Road Rally. 5-7 p.m. Mountain Brook Village. Vintage racing cars from the Barber Motorsports event and local car clubs will park in the village. Visit welcometomountainbrook. com.
May 9: Michelle Carter Book Signing. 5 p.m. Brookwood Village Books-A-Million. Carter will sign copies of I Just Want to Be a Mother. Call 8700213.
May 16: Miles for Marine Animals: 10th Annual Zoo Run. 7:30 a.m. 5K, 8 a.m. kids’ races. Birmingham Zoo. $30 for 5K, $12 for kids’ races. Visit birminghamzoo.com.
May 9-10: Birmingham Rose Show. Saturday 1-5 p.m. Sunday 1-4 p.m. Birmingham
May 16: Spring Art Festival. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Crestline Elementary Field. Visit
mountainbrookartassociation.com. May 16-17: Alabama Bonsai Society’s Spring Show. Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Display of miniaturized trees, grown and styled using ancient Oriental artistic and horticultural practices, open to the public. Visit bbgardens.org. May 17: Summer Reading Kickoff. 3 p.m. Fun Run, 3:30-5:30 p.m. carnival. Emmet O’Neal Library. Train rides, face painting, game booths, a rock-climbing wall, a bouncy house, food trucks and summer reading registration. Visit eolib.org. May 20: 17th Annual Mountain Brook Sports Corporation Golf Tournament. Highland Park Golf Course. Benefits athletic programs at Mountain Brook High School and Mountain Brook Junior High School. Email Ken McPherson at kmcpherson@mcphersonoil.com. May 26-August 11: Camp LJCC. Levite Jewish Community Center. Weekly day camps for children entering grades K-8. Contact Miriam Sokol at msokol@bhamjcc.org or 510-9025.
Emmet O’Neal Library Events Adults May 11: Great Books Book Group. 6:30 p.m. Will discuss Smokers by Tobias Wolff.
May 12: The Bookies Book Group. 10 a.m. May 17: Summer Reading Registration Begins.
May 26: Genre Reading Group. 6:30 p.m. Will discuss novels by Louis L’Amour. May 29: Standing Room Only Presents: Bad Art Night. 7 p.m.
The worst art wins.
Teens May 2: Game On Tournament. 12:30-3:30 p.m.
May 5: TAB. 5-6 p.m. The monthly meeting of the Teen Advisory Board. May 18-21: Exam Study Breaks. 6-9 p.m.
VillageLivingOnline.com
May 2015 • B23
Calendar Area Events April 30-May 3: Alabama International Auto Show. April 30 Noon-9 p.m., May 1-2 10 a.m.-9 p.m., May 3 10 a.m.-6 p.m. BJCC. $12 adults, $6 children 6-11, children 5 and under free.
May 9: Crawfish and Cornhole. 2-7 p.m. Avondale Brewing Company. $20 admission includes a beer, all-you-can-eat crawfish and live music benefiting Make-A-Wish Alabama. Call 4401933.
May 1-3: Celebrating Spring with Dance. May 1-2 7:30-9:30 p.m. and May 3 2:30-4:30 p.m. Alabama School of Fine Arts. $10 for adults, $5 students. Visit asfa.k12.al.us.
May 9: Motherwalk 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run. 8 a.m.-noon. Homewood Central Park. Benefiting ovarian cancer research through the Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation. Call 276-1696.
May 1-3: Wings Over Oak Mountain. Oak Mountain State Park. Special programming, exciting birding excursions, interaction with live raptors and the beauty of Oak Mountain State Park. $75 each, $125 per couple. Visit awrc.org. May 2: Here’s to Forty: A Celebration of Children’s Dance Foundation. 7:30 p.m. The Alabama Theatre. Visit childrensdancefoundation.org. May 2: SLIPKNOT. 8 p.m. Oak Mountain Amphitheatre. Tickets $34-$87.50, available through Ticketmaster/Live Nation. May 3: Mother’s Day Brunch. 1 p.m. Clubhouse on Highland. Catered brunch by Ashley Mac’s, a silent auction and more will benefit Sav A Life Vestavia. Open to the public. $50. Visit savalife.instagift.com. May 3: Shen Yun. 4 p.m. BJCC Concert Hall. Tickets available through Ticketmaster and the BJCC Central Ticket Office, open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Visit bjcc.org. May 4: 23rd Annual Ireland Legacy Tournament. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Old Overton Club. $2,750 for a team of four, $700 individual. Many sponsorship opportunities are available. Call 7953251. May 6: Hozier. 8-11 p.m. Alabama Theatre. Purchase tickets at Ticketmaster, $27.50-$47.50. Call 1-800-745-3000. May 7: Birmingham Art Crawl. 5-9 p.m. Birmingham Historic Loft District. Free admission. Visit birminghamartcrawl.com. May 7: Eat UP: A Taste of Uptown. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Uptown Entertainment District. Food samples will be provided by Uptown’s seven restaurants. $25. Visit ticketmaster.com. May 7-9: Birmingham Fashion Week. 6 p.m. Pepper Place. Visit bhamfashionweek.com. May 7: An Evening with David Phelps. 5:30 p.m. Wright Center, Samford University. Phelps is a member of the Gaither Vocal Band. $135 per person. Visit samford.edu/legacyleague. May 7: ArtPlay Parlor Series: Julia Bullock. 7 p.m. Alys Stephens Center. $37.50. Visit alysstephens.org.
May 9: ASO Youth Orchestra Spring Concert. 3 p.m. Alys Stephens Center. Call 975-2787. May 9: Girls on the Run 5K. 8 a.m. Veterans Park. Registration is $28 until race week. Visit girlsontherunbham.org. May 11: Collat Jewish Family Services Hands Up Together Event. 7 p.m. Alabama School of Fine Arts Dorothy Jemison Day Theatre. Visit cjfsbham.org or call 879-3438. May 15: Black Jacket Symphony Presents “Nevermind” and “Ten.” 7 p.m. Iron City. $25. Call 202-5483. May 16: Birmingham Crawl for Cancer. 1-6 p.m. Lakeview District. 10-12 people per team. After-party at Side Bar. $40 per person. Register at crawlforcancer.org, go to “cities” and click on “Birmingham.” May 16: Do Dah Day. 11 a.m. Caldwell Park. Free admission for spectators and festival attendees. Visit dodahday.org. May 16-17: Great Southern Gun and Knife Show. Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. BJCC Exhibition Halls. Adults $9 and children 6-11 $2. Call (865) 458-0051. May 20: Birmingham Franchise Expo. 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 1:30-4:30 p.m. Cahaba Grand Conference Center. Over 20 successful and proven franchise companies will speak. Free. Reservations encouraged. Visit alabamafranchiseexpo.com. May 20-24: Disney on Ice: Frozen. Various times. Legacy Arena, BJCC. Tickets available through Ticketmaster and the BJCC Central Ticket Office, open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Visit bjcc.org. May 30: Sixth Annual Bob Sykes Barbecue and Blues Festival. Noon-7 p.m. DeBardeleben Park, Bessemer. Call 4261400 or visit bobsykesblues.com. May 30: Florida Georgia Line Anything Goes Tour. 7:30 p.m. Oak Mountain Amphitheatre. Tickets start at $40.50. Call 1-800745-3000.
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