Vestavia Voice May 2017

Volume 5 | Issue 1 | May 2017

omeo ners file la s it over a artment com le

Buildings in the Vestavia Reserve apartment complex border the backyards of several homes on Old Looney Mill Road. Some homeowners are suing over the proximity and size of the apartment buildings, which they say are different from initial plans for the property.

Photo by Erica Techo.

By EMILY FEATHERSTON A group of nine Vestavia Hills residents has filed a oint lawsuit against the city of Vestavia Hills, N SH Corp. and entities known as Daniel Corporation for damages the group claims are the result of the Patchwork Farms development. he complaint, which was filed arch 24 in the Jefferson County Circuit Court, alleges that the development at Patchwork

arms, specifically the estavia Reserve apartment complex, violated the original development agreements and has caused significant harm to property values and quality of life for residents on Old Looney Mill Road.

Legal representatives provided a copy of the complaint to the Vestavia Voice by email.

See LAWSUIT | page A26

Summer block party turns focus to music, Rocky Ridge business

By SYD NEY C ROMWE

R

LL

ocky Ridge’s entertainment district will come alive again this summer with the return of First Fridays.

This year, organizer Rob Morgan of Morgan Properties said the event’s focus will be on music and the community of Rocky Ridge businesses.

First Fridays began in 2016 as a way to take advantage of Rocky Ridge’s designation as an entertainment district, where patrons can drink alcoholic beverages outside under certain conditions. The idea was adapted from other Alabama cities such as Florence that bring together music, vendors and other entertainment once a month.

Morgan said last year’s crowds varied from 500 people up to about 2,500.

“The community’s just been so supportive about it,” Morgan said. here are five events scheduled or this season, kicking off May 5 and lasting through Sept. 1.

FIRST FRIDAYS

BACK FOR 2ND YEAR

See FIRST FRIDAYS | page A27

Pre-Sort Standard U .S. Postage PAID Tupelo, MS Permit # 54

Rocky Ridge First Fridays will return from May to September, with more focus on music and Rocky Ridge businesses. Photos by Sydney Cromwell.

INSIDE

Sponsors .............. A4 News...................... A6

Business ..............A14 Chamber..............A19

Events ................. A22 Sports ................... B4

School House ..... B10 Community ........ B20

Real Estate.......... B21 Calendar ............. B22 facebook.com/vestaviavoice

Sights on Success

All in the Family

The Rebels golf team, led by Kent Fullington, is talented and pushing each player to be better as the season winds down.

Mother-daughter duo Sarah and Mary Beth Kaiser are both teaching math at Vestavia Hills High School.

See page B1

See page B16

A2 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • A3

A4 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

About Us Editor’s Note By Sydney Cromwell When you’re a kid, May is an exciting month — school’s almost over, and summer’s on the way.

I can easily recall that feeling of lightness as you walk out that last classroom door of the day, with only the imagination of summer plans to worry about.

Even as an adult, I get a little reminiscent twinge of summer excitement when May comes around.

While we as adults don’t get threemonth breaks every summer anymore, there’s still plenty about May to be excited for.

First Fridays are returning to Rocky Ridge this month, along with community favorites such as Wing Ding and Brain Freeze, which you may have known previously as Lucy and Ruby’s Brainy Day. Summer reading kicks off

We spotlighted a few Vestavia kids this month to talk about what they love about their mothers.

And if you’re still thinking about school before summer is in full swing, we have stories about several young athletes who were recognized for their performance this year, as well as a feature on the teachers who have won grants from the Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation this year.

Hope you enjoy all this month has to offer, for adults and children alike. this month, but it’s not just for kids — the library is planning a program for adults looking to add a few books to their summer.

Of course, May also means it’s time to recognize the mothers in your life.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

o o

s

o

s

d

so

s

lls l m y s s o s Photo by Emily Featherston.

s mom

s

Advertising Manager: Matthew Allen Account Manager: Layton Dudley Sales and Distribution: Warren Caldwell Don Harris Michelle Salem Haynes Rhonda Smith James Plunkett Gail Kidd Eric Clements Publisher: Managing Editor: Design Editor: Director of Photography: Sports Editor: Digital Editor: Page Designer:

Dan Starnes Sydney Cromwell Kristin Williams Sarah Finnegan Kyle Parmley Alyx Chandler Cameron Tipton

Community Editor: Erica Techo Community Reporters: Emily Featherston Jon Anderson Jesse Chambers Lexi Coon Staff Writer: Sam Chandler Copy Editor: Louisa Jeffries Contributing Writers: Sarah Cook Grace Thornton

For advertising contact: dan@starnespublishing.com Contact Information: Vestavia Voice PO Box 530341 Birmingham, AL 35253 (205) 313-1780 dan@starnespublishing.com

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

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

Please recycle this paper.

Please Support Our Sponsors Aabco Rents (B8) Abenoja Orthodontics (A22) Advanced Turf Care (A7) Alabama Eye & Cataract Center (B20) Alabama Goods (B11) Alabama Outdoors (A21) ALDOT (A3) Altadena Dental (A12) Amy Lawson, RealtySouth (B14) ARC Realty (B3) Bedzzz Express (B1, B24) Birmingham Speech and Hearing Associates (B8) Bistro V (B13) Bob’s Power Equipment (A27) Brandino Brass (B20) Brewer Cabinets (B19) Bromberg & Company, Inc. (A11) Bruster’s Real Ice Cream (B10) Budget Blinds (B6) Cabinetry Refinishing & Restoration (A1) Carbon Recall (A22) Cardiovascular Associates of the Southeast (A23) Construx (A14) Cookie Fix (B21) Dermatology & Skin Care Center of Birmingham (B2) Donatos Pizza (A17) Dry Clean City (A9) EZ Roof & EZ Restoration (B23) Gardner Landscaping (B19) Fi-Plan Partners (A13) Galleria Woods Retirement Community (B16) Huntington Learning Center (B18) Hutchinson Automotive (A12) Issis & Sons (B2) J B & Co. (B7) Jana Hanna, RealtySouth (A7) JJ Eyes (A11) Kidz Closet Consignment (A20) Klinglers Cafe & Catering (B14) LAH Real Estate (B1) Lamb’s Ears, Ltd. (B9) Liberty Park (B12) Manda Luccasen, Re/MAX Southern Homes (A8) Moran’s Rocky Ridge Hardware (A10) Mr. Chen’s Authentic Chinese (B21) New Location Realty School (A9) NextHome Southern Realty (A3) OLLI (A19) Over the Mountain Glass (B9) Pappas’ Grill (A26) Phoenix Builders Group (A20) PreSchool Partners (B22) RealtySouth Marketing (B5) Red Pearl Restaurant (B15) Rocky Ridge Drug Co. (B13) Royal Automotive (A28) Schaeffer Eye Center (A5) Selwood Farm (A5) Sentry Heating & Air (B3) Shades Valley Dermatology (B10) Snow-Companies (A8) Stuart Curry Dentistry (A6) Sugar Sands Realty (B22) Tenet/BBH (A16) The Cook Store (A26) The Maids (A1) The UPS Store - Cahaba Heights (B11) Truitt Insurance & Bonding (B21) UAB Center for Exercise Medicine (A18) UAB Health System (A2) United Car Care Center (B16) Uptown Nail Spa (A15) Vestavia Hills Soccer Club (B5) Vestavia Sunoco and Tire Express (B15) Water Drainage Solutions (A15) Wedgworth Construction (A25) Weigh To Wellness (A24) YMCA of Greater Birmingham (B17)

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • A5

A6 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

City Mayor’s Minute

By Ashley Curry

After a tour and presentation of the workings of municipal government by City Manager Jeff Downes, the delegation from Kazakhstan was presented with keys to the city. Photo courtesy of the city of Vestavia Hills.

City receives visit from Kazakhstan officials

By EMILY FEATHERSTON There are a lot of differences between Vestavia Hills and Astana, the capital city of K azakhstan, but that was no issue for a delegation of K azakhstan Parliament members who visited the city April 8.

The delegation visited as part of the Open World Leadership Center’s exchange program, which aims to introduce up-and-coming leaders of emerging countries about systems of government, legislative functions and how to create and sustain a democratic system.

Five members of parliament from the Republic of K azakhstan — Aikyn K onurov, Arman Y essenzholov, Botagoz Botabayeva, Aliya Saparova and Assel Rakisheva — along with facilitator K arima Akhmetova and interpreter Sergei Vladov, met with Mayor Ashley Curry, City Manager Jeff Downes, Place 4 Councilor K imberly Cook and Municipal Judge James Sturdivant.

The delegates were given a tour of City all, the police and fire stations and the municipal courtroom, and they were able to ask questions of the city leaders.

Curry said the visitors were interested

in the city’s court system and policing practices.

The group was hosted by the Friendship Force of Birmingham, and the Vestavia Belles were also in attendance to welcome the group.

After the tour and presentation of the workings of municipal government by Downes, the delegation was presented with keys to the city.

After visiting Vestavia, the delegation made a trip to Montgomery, where they were introduced to the process of the Alabama Legislature.

During the month of May we celebrate Memorial Day and pay tribute to the military veterans who died while serving our nation.

If you are old enough and were raised in the rural South, you may remember this holiday as “Decoration Day.” It was a time when families gathered at the home church cemetery to remember and place owers on the graves o loved ones. emo rial Day did not become the more common name until a ter World War and was not declared the o ficial name by federal law until 1967.

Let us all remember the many Americans who have died defending our country, our way of life and the freedoms that we enjoy. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that more than one million veterans died in America s wars in con icts etween 1991. That number does not include the veterans killed during the present war on terror.

We should never orget the ultimate sacrifice that all of these men and women paid on our behalf.

Also during May, our city will have the annual Wing Ding sponsored by Leadership Vestavia Hills.

Wing Ding is a chance for our community to come together for family fun and good eating while helping out a worthy cause. The proceeds from the event will go to a local charity.

Finally, May means graduation for our senior class at Vestavia Hills High School. We wish these students continued success as they begin new chapters in their lives.

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • A7

Fire chief, mayoral secretary to retire $9.1M purchase of current Gold’s Gym facility also discussed

By EMILY FEATHERSTON City Manager Jeff Downes said the city had a few personnel matters to attend to at the March 27 City Council meeting before business got underway.

He informed the council that Vestavia Hills Fire Chief Jim St. John would be retiring at the end of April to take a job with the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency.

St. John first started with the fire service in 1988 and took over as chief after former Mayor Butch Zaragoza retired from the position.

“I’m looking forward to doing something else, [but] I don’t savor the thought of leaving here, ► Longtime because I do enjoy being chief found his here,” St. John said. calling at VHFD Downes explained that by serving because the Fire Chief others, A13 3 position is regulated by the Jefferson County Personnel Board, and the list of applicants just expired, the city will have to wait until August to find a replacement.

In the meantime, Assistant Chief of Administration Marvin Green will take over as interim chief, and current Assistant Chief of Operations Terry Ray will help by taking on additional work as well.

Former Mayor Butch Zaragoza was in attendance at the meeting, and during the citizen comment period thanked St. John for his

INSIDE

Fire Chief Jim St. John speaks to the council March 27 about his upcoming retirement. He thanked the council for its support and said he was leaving the department in good hands.

Photo by Emily Featherston.

service to the city.

“We made the right decision nine years ago promoting him to chief,” Zaragoza told the council.

In addition to Chief St. John, Downes announced that Starr Burbic, who serves as secretary to the mayor as well as in other administrative roles with the city would be leaving April 28.

“When she does finally walk out the door, it is going to be a very sad day,” Downes said.

Burbic’s role is not subject to the Personnel

Board, meaning the city can hire a replacement directly.

Over the next few months, Downes said he would keep the council posted about the vacancies and that there are plans in the making to further honor St. John and Burbic.

“It’s a happy day for these two individuals, but a sad day for the city as well,” he said.

At the meeting, the council also voted to amend an abatement agreement with Deborah Reinhardt, owner of 1756 Indian Creek Drive.

City legal counsel Ben Goldman told the

council that Reinhardt has made significant progress in cleaning out the home over the last several months, but there were aspects of the agreement he and Cpl. Jimmy Coleman wanted to formalize.

Changes to the agreement included adding a provision that Reinhardt must vacate the premises from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., in order to satisfy the requirement of non-residency.

Goldman said that neighbors had voiced concerns that Reinhardt had again taken up living at the property, but that he and Coleman were under the impression she was simply feeding her cat.

The new agreement also reduces the maximum selling price for the home and requires the property be listed on MLS and keep a for-sale sign in the yard at all times.

Goldman added that Reinhardt wanted to express her thanks to the council for working with her.

Other council business included: u Voting to authorize a conditional use permit for 517 Lake Colony Way for an at-home consulting business. u Authorizing the rezoning of 4553 and 4557 Pine Tree Circle from residential to business. u Authorizing the change of users on the city’s Wells Fargo bank account. u Downes brought attention to one of the first read items that would authorize the purchase of the current Gold’s Gym property adjacent to the City Hall property. The price for the roughly 70,000-square-foot property would be $9.1 million. Downes reminded the council that Gold’s Gym has a lease at the property through 2021, and added that the rent income being paid to the current property owner would be transferred to the city, covering any financing costs necessary to purchase the property.

A8 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

C o u n c il v o te s 3 -1 to p u r c h a s e G o l d ’ s G ym p r o p e r t y b y C i t y Ha l l

David Myers explains the impact a future community center would have on the programming needs and ability of the city to serve the public. The Community Spaces Plan includes an option that would one day turn the Gold’s Gym building into a community center. Photo

by Emily Featherston.

After hours of discussion, sale price of $9.1M for 63,000-square-foot building, 5.5 acres approved

By EMILY FEATHERSTON Opinions were mixed for both council members and citizens in the audience at the April 10 Vestavia Hills City Council meeting about whether the city should move forward with the purchase of the Gold’s Gym property.

For more than two hours, the council heard presentations, statements, arguments and reasoning both for and against the purchase of the 5.5acre property and 63,000-square-foot building that sits next door to City Hall.

The property and building have not ever been put up for sale, City Manager Jeff Downes said, so the city worked with Southpace Properties to discuss and negotiate a possible sale price the property owner, Store Capital, would consider.

The sale price proposed and approved at the meeting was $9.1 million, with closing costs included, and would be subject to a tentative ta a le financing rate o . percent as long as Gold’s Gym is a tenant of the building, which is until at least . At that time, ownes reiterated that the gym has the option to continue its lease, but would be subject to a rate increase he said he was not allowed to disclose publicly.

Gold’s Gym occupies 53,000

square feet, with an annual rent of , until .

The other 10,000 square feet, which has an estimated market renta le value o , , is currently unoccupied, after Brookwood Medical enter o fices vacated the space in February.

Downes said the cost-benefit analysis for purchasing the property includes the uantifia le costs — such as purchase price and the ability to collect rent revenue — as well as the opportunity costs of foregoing the purchase at this time.

Store Capital, he said, had only agreed to continue considering selling the property at this price until May 31. Additionally, the vacancy of the , s uare oot o fice space would allow the city to determine use for the space, without having to wait out the lease of another tenant.

Community Spaces Committee member David Myers and Director of Public Services Brian Davis presented the reasons behind the idea for eventually turning the property into community programming space, and Chamber of Commerce President K aren Odle explained how the chamer and city usinesses could enefit from the future space as well.

Others, however, were not convinced.

N ed Hunt, the general manager

for the Colonnade location of Gold’s Gym, said that the 3,000 members of the Vestavia Gold’s Gym location would be negatively impacted eventually even if the lease is guaranteed through and eyond, a senti ment echoed in comments by gym members in the audience. he lack o a eshed out om munity Spaces lan is what lace Councilor K imberly Cook said gave her serious concerns and doubts about the purchase.

Cook said she has researched the issue a lot, and even so was not comfortable with the idea of the purchase, because she believes making the purchase decides elements of the Community Spaces Plan that have not been fully discussed.

“Once we make this purchase, we have made that decision … And I’m not really comfortable making that at this point,” she said. Cook was the only no vote.

Place 3 Councilor Paul Head said

he recognizes that there are many variables and concerns, such as the timing of the purchase option and the proposed financing, ut that in his mind the opportunity is too good to pass up.

“I don’t want to let this opportunity go by,” he said, because he said doesn’t want to be looking back in 15 years and wishing the city had jumped at the chance.

Other council business included: ► A new trash collection and san itation contract with Republic Services was approved. ► he council voted in avor o a resolution creating a part-time communications manager position, to be taken over by Cinnamon McCulley and servicing the needs of both City Hall and the Library in the Forest. ► ayor Ashley urry and the council proclaimed the city would recognize April as N ational Safe Digging Month. ► he council approved a li uor

license for Y our Pie in Liberty Park for retail beer and table wine. ► A motion to approve a li uor license failed for Texas Taco, located at 633 Montgomery Highway, due to the concerns from Place 4 Councilor George Pierce and Head of business owners with a criminal record selling alcohol. ► he council approved an eco nomic development agreement with Slice . ► he council approved economic development agreements with Crosshaven and Satterfield s, which was discussed at a work session in January.

Pierce urged developer Jamie Pursell to immediately rectify the current state of the property, which has remained in what he referred to as “disarray” after the houses were moved. After the vote, Downes thanked Pursell and others for their assistance and donated goods to provide landscaping for the Cahaba Heights marker at Dolly Ridge Road and .S. .

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • A9

Progress continues on parks, Community Spaces Plan

By EMILY FEATHERSTON As spring moves into summer, work continues for city leaders and employees to update and improve Vestavia Hills’ parks.

The road map, called the Community Spaces Plan ( CSP) , was the topic of much discussion in April, ut the final iterations o the plan are still far off, said City Manager Jeff Downes.

The City Council is moving toward the next major step, Downes said, as it is set to make a decision on a program manager for the project late this month or in early June.

“That’s going to be the most crucial thing on moving the plan along,” he said.

On April 17, the council held interviews for potential candidates, hearing presentations rom five companies apital rogram anage ment, Brailsford & Dunlavey, Hoar Program Management, Robins & Morton and TCU Consulting Services.

Downes said the relationship between the city and the chosen company will be similar to the relationship the Board of Education has with Hoar Program Management. “That’s an apples-to-apples comparison,” he said.

He said the program manager the council selects will be responsible for overseeing an intense three-month process through the late summer and early all to urther refine the S and make more definite plans or construction and phasing.

The plan will be scrutinized and further vetted in order to manage risks, Downes said, but also to give the council more of a picture of the decisions it needs to make.

The council voted April 10 to enter into a purchase agreement for the 5.5-acre plot and 63,000-square-foot building for $9.1 million, but the decision was not unanimous.

Place 4 Councilwoman K imberly Cook said she was uncomfortable making such a large purchase decision when the plan wasn’t fully eshed out, and that y purchasing the land and

o

o

do l

s

ly om l

building, the city was making a decision about what version of the Community Spaces Plan it wanted to pursue.

But Downes said the urgency for the purchase came from the window of opportunity closing rapidly, with property owner Store Capital wanting the sale wrapped up by the end of

do

l

d

ll o

May if an agreement was to be reached.

Even with the purchase, Downes said the city will continue to move through the CSP methodically. “[The purchase] doesn’t stop the logical moving forward,” he said.

In addition to the progress on the CSP, the

lly o

md

y Photo by Emily Featherston.

long-anticipated opening of Meadowlawn Park in Cahaba Heights is slated for this month.

The park is set to have a ribbon cutting on May 1, and a community grand opening on May 12, when the Cahaba Heights Community Foundation is planning on hosting a movie night.

A10 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

BOE hears results of study, preps for decision

By EMILY FEATHERSTON The Vestavia Hills Board of Education has moved closer toward making a decision regarding facilities after hearing a presentation with the final demographic data and options.

Tracey Richter of Cooperative Strategies presented the final enroll ment projections and subdivision yield information after several months of demographic study to the board at a specially called meeting April .

Over the last several months, Cooperative Strategies engaged in a detailed process of using historical enrollment data, birth records and cohort survival rates to come up with pro ections over the ne t years.

Richter said the enrollment projection looks at both “live” projections focusing on enrollment based on the students who live in the district, and “attend” projections that look at the number of students who actually go to each school.

On the whole, Richter said enrollment numbers have been trending upward over the last five to years, and that pattern doesn’t show signs of stopping, though the rate of growth may vary rom year to year. ne anomaly Richter said the firm

s lls o d o d o m o s lm o l y o oo s s enrollment projections and subdivision yield information after several months of demographic study. Photos by Emily Featherston.

found was in 2014, when there were about 100 fewer births in the area than the years e ore and a ter.

Richter said the “blip” was unique to Vestavia Hills, and that he doesn’t know what might have caused it. e said he isn’t extremely concerned the anomaly would affect the accuracy of the projections, but suggested the board take a close look at kindergarten enrollment in 2019 to look for a

ma or di erence in enrollment.

The bottom line, Richter said, is there is little doubt the district is going to see continued growth.

“The growth is going to continue, and there’s no way to get out of that growth, he said.

After going through the enrollment projections, Richter walked the board through the second component of the firm s work, the su division yield,

which tries to estimate how many more students come out of each additional residential pro ect.

He explained that in looking at the su division yield, the firm evaluated trends over the last several years of building permits, price points for homes and the available room in the city to continue uilding.

Richter’s data showed Vestavia with 13,860 housing units, with about

d

l

77 percent of those being single-family homes, 22 percent being multifamily units and less than 1 percent eing townhomes.

The average price for a single-family home is $500,000, a price point Richter said could go down as more homes are built, but supports the yield trends they ound.

For single-family homes K -12, Richter said they found the yield to

VestaviaVoice.com

G o

ll s l d mo

s

s s dy

May 2017 • A11

l

l yo o s l o do

be 0.53 students per home. In the Liberty Park area specifically, the yield was . students per home. he yield per single amily home was . elementary students, and or multi amily units the yield was . per unit, which Richter said is lower than would e e pected or other areas, ut with the high price points o apartments in estavia, he wasn t that surprised.

Richter said there are housing units in progress, o them single amily and multi amily. acant land in i erty ark and aha a eights has the potential or an addi tional , units. ecause o the high num er o developa le units, Richter said the pro ections and estimated yield or the i erty ark area were higher, with an e pected additional students and students y the year. he overall estimated yield, districtwide, or current and uture residential development was , students. “ t s going to e somewhere in that , , num er, Richter said, ut added he is confident it will e closer to , ecause o the ro ust potential o the , uture units.

d

l

y o m

l

s

s ls

resident ark ogewood asked what the time rame was or adding that many students, and Richter said a lot o that would depend on how cautious developers are in the ne t our to five years.

A ter the financial crisis, he said he has seen increased conservatism in develop ment, which may push out the ull e ect o the growth over the ne t years.

Richter said his team was cautious in its pro ections.

“We re very conservative when we start to look at these things, he said, ut added i he had to guess, the most o the potential residen tial uild out should e seen within years. n the end, the students are e pected to come and stay, and y enrollment or the district should total more than , .

A ter hearing the updated enrollment pro ections and su division yield data, reg llis with oar rogram anagement went through the final our acilities options, looking at the pros, cons and costs o each pro ect. he oard was e pected to vote on the matter April . o to vestaviavoice.com or updated in ormation rom that meeting.

A12 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

Speaker: Life full of grit and pearls Edie Hand shares message of hope, endurance at prayer breakfast

By EMILY FEATHERSTON N o grit, no pearl.

When it comes to oysters, you don’t get a precious gem without a little irritation.

For Edie Hand, the keynote speaker at the 2018 Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, life is the same way: The greatest lessons have been taught to her during her hardest times by strong Southern women and her family.

Hand spoke on April 18 in front of a crowd of city leaders and community members at Vestavia Country Club for Mayor Ashley Curry s first prayer reak ast.

As a businesswoman, author, television personality and filmmaker, and said that it has been her goal to continue the lessons of paying life forward and showing love to everyone, and in return, she has learned about the “pearls” of living a ulfilling li e.

She has also learned that even in the darkest days, it is best to pursue joy.

“Joy is a direct obedience for us,” she said, quoting multiple Psalms and the Gospel of John. “ ou can find the true pearls in you, she said. “Y ou can turn those hard things into beautiful things.”

Hand, who has had a part in the publication of more than 20 books, including her popular Ride series, recounted the “pearls” in her life of which she is often reminded: pink pearls, the importance of having fun; white pearls, the importance of giving people second chances; silver pearls, the importance of helping those in need; and gold pearls, enduring through faith, even when life seems the darkest.

Coming off of Easter weekend, Hand reminded the audience that often, people focus on the darkness of Good Friday without remembering the celebration of Easter Sunday. And as

Above: Edie Hand and Mayor Ashley Curry.

Left: Hand embraces an audience member d s lls yo ’s y Breakfast. Photos by Emily Featherston.

“

You can find the true pearls in you. You can turn those hard things into beautiful things.

with the holiday, she encouraged the group to keep looking forward.

“Today may be your Good Friday, but Sunday is coming.”

Other speakers at the breakfast included Mayor Curry, Vestavia Hills High School SGA President Millie Cadden, VHHS SGA Chaplain Spencer Logsdon, Miss Alabama Hayley

Barber, Associate Minister for Vestavia Hills U nited Methodist Church First Lt. Tyler Hopkins, ormer Ala ama first lady atsy Riley, Vestavia Hills Baptist Church Administrative astor ennis Anderson and Scott u fin, pastor of Liberty Park Baptist Church.

Chamber of Commerce President K aren Odle and Chair Roger Steur acted as emcees.

”

EDIE HALL

Eagle Scouts Thomas Sturdivant, Stephen Mims, Alec Albright and Conner Ridgway led the Pledge of Allegiance and Just Singin, a group of VHHS students, sang “Hallelujah,”

by Leonard Cohen.

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • A13

‘ Ma k i n g b a d s i t u a t i o n s b e t t e r ’ A ter finding his calling to serve others, retiring chie to take those skills to Je

A

Jim St. John has been chief of the Vestavia Hills Fire Department for nine years and is retiring to pursue a position with the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency.

Photo

by Emily Featherston.

By EMILY FEATHERSTON It’s been 32 years since Vestavia Hills Fire Chief Jim St. John walked into a Birmingham fire station and asked how to get a o as a firefighter.

In the time since, St. John has been with the city o estavia through large structural fires, tornadoes, a plane crash and thousands of emergency calls. “ irefighters tend to see people on their worst days, and so I’ve gotten a lot of personal satisfaction from being able to help people out on those days, and to leave things in better shape than we found them,” he said.

It was the department’s focus on training and preparedness that he said drew him to Vestavia, as well as the desire to stay near where he grew up.

“This was my home community, and I wanted to be able to serve around the people I had known for my whole life,” he said.

In his time with VHFD, St. John said he has held nearly every position in the department, trying to learn from the big events to better serve in the smaller ones. “ ou gain lessons rom ma or events that you can apply the next time you roll out of the door,” he said.

St. John was promoted to chief in 2008, after Butch Zaragoza stepped into the mayor’s seat. At the end o April, the chie o ficially retired rom the fire service to take a o with the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency. “ ve never regretted going into the fire ser vice it s always een ust a great fit or me. t s matched my personality, or I’ve matched its personality. I like serving; I like being involved in making bad situations better,” he said. “I’m comfortable moving into another role where I can serve in public safety.”

o

St. John will step into the role of emergency operations o ficer with the A and will e tasked with helping plan for emergency management and training first responders and the community for emergency situations.

“Emergency management is a bit of science and a it o art, he said, ut the o will have some of the same aspects as what he does now.

To St. John, 32 years at the same discipline is a long time. He said he also once received some sage advice from an old sailor who told him to

always leave on a crest, rather than in a trough.

“I think that this city, this community and this department are on a crest, and I’m glad that I could help to get the department situated up on that crest, ut ll continue to en oy serving and applying that knowledge in a more technical aspect,” he said.

But residents of Vestavia Hills and those passing through need not worry about the quality o the fire department.

“There’s a number of people in this department that are supremely ualified to e a le to

run this department,” he said.

In the last four years alone, he said, his team has taken the department from an 87 percent satisfaction rating to 98 percent, and he puts that credit squarely on the shoulders of those who work under him.

“This department is full of talent; this department is going to continue to operate smoothly and providing the services the public expects and desires and they’re going to be delivered at a high level that people appreciate. I am confident o that, he said.

A14 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

Ov er

to n

Rd

Vestavia Hills 18 Street S.

Business Happenings Rosedale Dr

280

28th Ave S

31

r Rd

oo Oxm

e Av ey

er Ov epe

nd

enc eD

r

Overton Rd

149

nS ee Gr

D re

sH ng pri

459 id

ge

Oxm

r

Rd

o esh Lak

wy

Rd oor

d Sha

4

3 d

e Av rd

ue Bl

31

fo Al

2 459 Ridge

Rd

5

Rocky

on tg o

d

m

er y

Hw

aR bian

yS

m Colu

65

9

Cahaba Heights Rd

7

M

La

8

La ke R

h

s ke

W

6

y

280

ck

Rd

Ro

rest es C

yR

149

65

kw eP or

Rd

Liberty Pkwy

Ind

ll Va

n to

1

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • A15 prep class, teaching individuals how to prepare healthy meals, as well as a new “Mommy and Me” yoga class. To learn more, visit their website or call. refitnessllc com

Now Open Sw e e t Hom e V e s t a vi a is now open at 2409 Acton Road, Suite 105. The store carries gift items, home dé cor and other unique items.

511053, f ac e b ok .c om / t r ot m an f am i l y

1

Coming Soon

New Ownership C ra m i k e V e s t avi a H i l l s 10 theater, 1911 K entucky Ave., is undergoing a rebrand following AMC’s purchase of Carmike Cinemas in December. The rebranding is expected to be complete by June.

9783720, am c t h e at r e s .c om

Th e r ap ySou t h will open a new clinic in mid-May at 3056 Healthy Way, Suite 116, in the Patchwork Farms development. Ryan Hunt will be the service director, and ynn Johnson will e the o fice coordinator.

7835270, t h e r ap ys ou t h .n e t

6

2

News and Accomplishments

Hirings and Promotions RE/ MAX Sou t h e r n Hom e s , 903 Montgomery Highway, has hired several new Realtors, including Matt Williams, Joey Brown, and Tracey and Wade Cole.

97850, s ou t h e r n h om e s r e al e s t at e .c om

Fi r s t C om m e r c i al Ban k , with a location at 550 Montgomery Highway, will be rebranded as Synovus Bank by the end of 2018. Synovus, First Commercial’s parent company, is rebranding all their banks under one name.

861 130, s yn ovu s .c om

7

3

8 96-

8910, ar

Fl e e t Fe e t Bi r m i n g h am , 3120 Heights Village, has announced that it will relocate in July to the new Patchwork Farms development. eetfeet irmin ham com

4

5

P u r e Fi t n e s s , 1425 Montgomery Highway, Suite 115, in the Park South Plaza, is offering new classes, including a meal

ARC Re al t y, 4274 Cahaba Heights Court, Suite 200, has hired Patsy Reed and K aren Paulovich as Realtors. c r e al t yc o.c om

Anniversaries 908-

9 7059, m

Mas on Mu s i c , 3187 Cahaba Heights Road, cele rated its fi th anniversary in April. as on m u s i c s t u d i os .c om

WaterDrainageSolutions.com

Storm drains clogged ?

Erosion problems ?

Standing water ?

Heavy runoff ?

We can fix that!

WATER DRAINAGE

SOLUTIONS 244-1114 Alabama GCL# 43737

Business news

to share?

Now Open Coming Soon

Relocation Expansion Anniversary

If you are in a brick and mortar business in Vestavia Hills and want to share your event with the community, let us know.

EmailEmail matthew@starnespublishing.com. dan@vestaviavoice.com

A16 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

air o rien s bring e i ana a ors to esta ia

By SARAH C OOK Much of Texas Taco Grill’s story started with two riends fishing o the Tennessee River in Florence. a easley cast a line alongside longtime riend enis avlik, who happened to e a pretty good che on the side.

“We grew up eating tacos, said easley, who is originally rom lorence ut spent most o his li e in e as. e met avlik when they were oth kids in ouston. “ avlik started cooking with his amily when we were ack in high school.

A couple years later, the pair who have remained riends or years are sharing their char grilled so t tacos, packed with premium, resh ingredients, with Vestavia Hills. ocated at ontgomery ighway, e as aco rill o ficially opened its doors in early March.

Since then, easley said usiness has een ooming especially on riday and Saturday nights when they have live music. “ like to call what we re doing e icana, easley said. “ t s a lend o Americana and e as avor.

Beasley said he decided to leave his previous usiness in allas and e plore the restaurant industry in ir mingham when he saw how popular e ican ood was ecoming on a national level. t was only natural, he said, to tap avlik to e the restaurant s head

Left: Texas Taco opened at 633 Montgomery Highway in Vestavia in March. Above: Chargrilled tacos are the specialty at Texas Taco. Photos courtesy of Michel Le.

che . “What motivated me to do this was two things, easley said. “ saw how hot the category was, and knew how good enis ood is.

When easley egan scop ing out the local competition, he said he knew he and avlik could shake up the ast casual dining experience with their flavors and preparation. “ ve eaten tacos rom untsville to ontgomery and rom Au urn to uscaloosa, and with the e ception o one or may e two places, no ody finishes their tortillas the right way, he said. “ hey take it out o the

package, steam it or a second, stu it and serve it up.

What separates Texas Taco Grill rom others, easley said, is how it prepares their tortillas.

“Y ou see that tortilla? Y ou see how it s charred easley said while scrolling through several photos o the restaurant s menu options on his phone. “Well, you don t really do it or presentation. t s all a out the avor, he said.

When a tortilla is chargrilled, ea sley e plained, the ingredients start smoking, ringing out more avor in the process. All soft tacos served

at e as aco rill, he said, will e prepared in this fashion.

“We re going to keep a narrow menu, ut we re going to do what we do very well, he said. “So that means only using the reshest ingre dients and preparing them well.

Right now, easley said the menu is simple. Aside rom gourmet so t tacos, e as aco rill also serves resh salsas and house made ueso and guacamole.

“We already know another taco or two we want to add, he said.

Because the restaurant is in the heart o estavia o .S. , easley

said the ocus will e on creating a amily riendly environment, o er ing a place where parents can come, ring their children and not worry a out eing too prim and proper, he said.

“We want this to be a place where everyone can go and en oy some thing, he said. “ raised three kids, and enis raised two, so we appreci ate a place like that.

Texas Taco Grill is open Monday through hursday or lunch and dinner rom a.m. to p.m.

Friday and Saturday hours are 11 a.m. to p.m.

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • A17

Treating Mom to brunch at home?

Try this Fig Tree-inspired sausage

By EMILY FEATHERSTON Three years ago, on Mother’s Day 2014, The ig ree a e was serving runch or the first time. Executive chef Jon Holland was explaining the edgling restaurant s runch dishes, including a crab cake eggs Benedict.

When he reached one diner and asked for her order she simply said, “I’ll take that crab cake situation.”

The name stuck, and diners can get the same Crab Cake Situation this Mother’s Day, along with an ever-changing variety of simple but tasty food.

After three years, Fig Tree Cafe is still the small hole in the wall connected to a hair salon it was when Holland opened. ut with a and o fierce regulars, and a menu focused on being as farm-to-table as possible, Holland said he wants the cafe to be anything but your basic brunch spot.

“The N o. 1 thing I love about being a chef is that you never have to stop learning,” Holland said, thanking his regular customers for giving him the freedom to try new things and bring fine dining to a small, tight knit community.

Holland said brunch is the time he gets to

have the most fun with his cooking. By taking staples such as chicken and wa es or sausage and eggs and focusing on fresh, homegrown ingredients, he said he is able to bring together the best of what makes people love those meals.

For example, Holland said the Fig Pig Breakfast features a sausage patty made from Fig Tree’s own pigs, which are fed a special diet to create a concentrated avor.

And like all dishes at Fig Tree, many brunch favorites are only available seasonally, to ensure that ingredients are of the best quality.

Operating partner Justin Church said it’s the community atmosphere at Fig Tree that he thinks makes it special.

Church said he also loves the way brunch puts people in a great mood, and he is excited to be able to work Mother’s Day brunch this year.

The Fig Tree Cafe will be open during its normal brunch hours, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 14, and will also have a reservation-only Mother’s Day dinner, with a menu to be announced.

In the meantime, or for those unable to make it to Fig Tree for a celebration of mom, Holland suggested trying a spin on the Fig Pig breakfast.

He won’t, however, be sharing the recipe for the Crab Cake Situation.

RECIPE:

STEPS:

► ► ► ► ►

pounds ground pork ta lespoons sage, ground ta lespoons maple syrup ta lespoons kosher salt ta lespoon dried oregano

WHAT’S COOKING

1.

Gently combine ingredients in a sizable bowl until mixed.

2. Let the mixture rest overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Portion and cook in a large skillet until crispy and no longer pink in the middle.

4. Can be served alongside any breakfast favorite, but Fig Tree pairs with fried eggs — cooked to preference — and cheesy grits.

Fig Pig Breakfast, front, and Crab Cake Situation at Fig Tree Cafe in Cahaba Heights. Photo

by Emily Featherston.

DESIGNS that DELIVER “

A18 • May 2017

Local business creates baby, maternity collection while giving back

By LEX I C OON

t doesn t take a ancy o fice and an overload o resources to start your own usiness rom your home. Just ask estavia resident endra yas, ounder o he aisley ea. er usiness, which she also calls he ea, creates and sells original and handcra ted i s, urp cloths, lankets and delivery gowns or e pecting mothers. “ t literally started out o my little studio in my house, she said.

She got her inspiration rom her grand mother, who was a mother o nine. yas said she grew up watching her grandmother sew clothes or her children and others, and a ter having her own children, yas decided to leave her o in pharmaceutical sales to e with her kids and to pursue her passion o sewing and a rics. hus, he aisley ea was orn. “ ong story short, always had a love or a ric, she said. “ t s gone rom really ust eing a ho y to eing something much igger. o get her usiness o the ground, she hired five local seamstresses to help her sew i s, urp cloths and lankets to sell online. he ea soon e panded to five local retailers in estavia, ountain rook and omewood, and as the demand grew and he ea started to include delivery gowns, she said she knew she would need to start outsourcing. ow, her items are sold in outi ues across the country, including at onograms lus in estavia. “ ur stu is made the way things used to e made, yas said, adding that her items are made with thicker, more a sor ent a rics and are customiza le. “ eople want

Kendra Lyas, founder of The Paisley Pea, works with fabrics to create bibs. Her business, which she also calls The Pea, creates and sells original and handcrafted bibs, burp cloths, blankets and delivery gowns for expecting mothers. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Hagler.

something that s special, something that s not cookie cutter. he delivery gowns are handcra ted, too, and made to personalize the delivery e perience. “ nstead o the standard ugly hospital gown, girls like to look cute when they have a a y now, she said. he gowns also serve as a nursing gown or the first year, so it s not “ ust

a one day gown. While the gowns are only availa le in three a ric designs, yas said she plans on adding additional seasonal prints in the uture.

At the same time her a y items and deliv ery gowns are helping amilies, she s using her usiness help others in the community.

“We re a usiness, ut we also unction as a

Vestavia Voice

There’s a verse that says, ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’

And I’ve always known … to not keep riches to ourselves, but to bless others.

KENDRA LYAS

ministry, she said. hrough he aisley ea, she and her team are working to eed hungry children. hey work with local churches, who identi y the est organizations to use those donations to com at hunger. er goal with he aisley ea is to “ eed and com ort the hungry little peas, which correlates directly with her products he i s and urp cloths are or eeding, and the lankets are or com ort. “ ve always had a heart or ministry it was part o what my grandma did, o donating to the community, she said.

When sewing, her grandmother would cra t clothing or other local children in need, and yas wanted to continue her legacy. “ here s a verse that says, o whom much is given, much is re uired, she said. “And ve always known to not keep riches to ourselves, ut to less others.

Although her usiness has e panded greatly since it o ficially opened our years ago, yas said she plans to hold everything to the high uality o her original work and keep every thing made in the .S. “We like to say it s heirloom uality. t s the stu you can pass down to your other chil dren, she said. “With the push or shopping local, love the idea that this company started very organically. And we ve had tremendous support rom local residents as well as retailers a road. o learn more or to find a local retailer, go to thepaisleypea.com.

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • A19

Chamber

Preview of

Commissioner: SEC focusing on excellence

Luncheon

By EMILY FEATHERSTON t s not all a out the field and the court, said Southeastern on erence ommissioner reg Sankey. t s a out striving or e cellence in all aspects o the li e o a student athlete.

Sankey spoke at the April estavia ills ham er o ommerce luncheon a out the first ew years in his position o commis sioner, and what he hopes the con erence will accomplish going orward.

Sankey said it was hard to ollow the ten ures o industry giants like ike Slive, who was part o the e pansion o the con erence in and launch o the S etwork in . he goal since he ecame commissioner in , Sankey said, has een more ocused on the young men and women who are par ticipating in college athletics, and preparing them to take the ne t steps in their lives a ter college. e said the mantra has een to graduate every student athlete, win every champion ship and create leaders who will change the world.

“When you educate well and compete success ully, you literally have the chance to change the world, Sankey said. uring the past ew years, Sankey said the S has worked to implement new strategies and programs to try to attain these o ectives, including creating our “coun cils o student athletes to give the S eed ack a out the ever changing needs o student athletes. his past year, the con erence hosted its inaugural S orporate areer our, where student athletes were a le to net work with ormer student athletes who are

From left: Roger Steur, Karen Odle, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, Mayor Ashley Curry and Donnie Dobbins at the April 11 chamber luncheon. Photo by Emily Featherston.

now employed with multiple ortune companies. “ t s an e ort to connect strategy with a vision, Sankey said.

Another way Sankey said the con erence is trying to maintain its position in the college sports industry is y eliminating the continu ing integrity pro lems the con erence has seen, and working through the recent ma or transitions at a high num er o schools. y ocusing on uilding and maintaining e cellence, whether it e in encouraging high graduation rates or streamlining o ficiating

and replay procedures, Sankey said that the con erence has the opportunity to have a ig impact on the Southeast as well as the rest o the nation. “ ou can t ust say things, he said. “ ou have to do things, too.

Sankey also urther introduced and e plained the “ t ust means more campaign that will continue to air when oot all ramps up in the all and show how in the Southeast, universities not only educate, ut are a ma or economic orce and zeitgeist in the culture o the states where schools are located.

May

Learn more about how to keep your business’s information secure at this month’s Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Carol Dodgen, the owner of Trussville-based Dodgen Security Consulting, will be the May luncheon speaker.

Dodgen Security Consulting Dodgen provides workplace training on handling attempted robberies, crime prevention, aggressive behavior and personal safety, as well as ATM security.

The luncheon will be May 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Vestavia Country Club.

Registration is $20 per person and must be received the Friday before the luncheon.

Register online at vestavia hills.org or call 823-5011.

A20 • May 2017

mother’s day gift guide

Vestavia Voice

For the

MOM ON THE GO Yeti Rambler $29.99+ Seafoam Ramblers are perfect for Mom this summer to prevent external heating and slipping.

Moran’s Rocky Ridge Hardware 3354 Morgan Drive 979-5444

For the

BUSY MOM Cotton Bloom Spa Collection $49 This collection includes a moisturizing milk bath, soothing shower gel and nourishing body lotion.

Exclusively at Alabama Goods.

For the

GLAM MOM DITA Axial Sunglasses in Rose Gold $525 The Axial sunglass is a sophisticated woman’s aviator that represents the optimal blending of form and function that is perfect for Mom. JJ Eyes 2814 18th St. S. 703-8596

Alabama Goods 2933 18th St. S. 803-3900

For the

STYLE ICON Bussola Women’s Formentera Wedges $100 Formentera Flatform Sandals combine the height and elegance of a high-heel shoe with the comfort and wearability of a sandal. This design is superbly finished with crossed straps across the instep and studding on the footbed.

Alabama Outdoors 3054 Independence Drive 870-1919

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • A21

For the

SWEET TOOTH Custom Designed Mother’s Day Cakes $26.99 Give Mom an 8-inch round ice cream cake in her favorite flavors.

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream 1008 Vestavia Parkway 978-2347

For the

MOM WHO HAS EVERYTHING OYOBox $135-300 Multiple sizes and chic colors to store and organize eyewear.

Schaeffer Eye Center 979-2020 SchaefferEyeCenter.com

For the

CLASSIC MOM Carson & Co. 100 Percent Silk Charmeuse Scarves $325+ Designer Susan Carson draws on everything from vintage botanical prints to old book jackets for her silk scarves.

Bromberg’s 2800 Cahaba Road 871-3276

For the

SOUTHERN BEAUTY Mississippi Miracle Clay Skin Care $18+ Simple steps to beauty. Pictured are the Watermelon Seed Facial Cleanser, Mississippi Miracle Clay and Liquid Mineral Bath Soak.

Rocky Ridge Drug Co. 3346 Morgan Road 259-7100

A22 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

Events

Opera singers from around the country participate in the Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition. Photo courtesy of Opera Birmingham.

Opera competition spotlights new voices

By SYD NEY C ROMW

ELL

Opera Birmingham hosts its annual vocal competition again this month, as singers from around the country come to Birmingham to show off their talent.

This is the 39th annual competition, and Opera Birmingham usually receives more than 100 applications from potential competitors throughout the opera world. The competition is open to anyone age 21 to 35 with varying

degrees of opera training or experience.

The competition is a chance for young singers to launch their careers, and the best performers are usually added to a short list to be considered for future roles in Opera Birmingham productions.

Previous competition winners have gone on to national careers. The competition also includes $10,000 in total cash prizes. rom the applicants, semifinalists will e selected to perform May 6 at U AB’s Hulsey

Recital Hall, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Five will move on to the final competition ay at p.m. at estavia ountry lu . he final com petition includes a cocktail hour prior to the concert and an awards dinner afterward.

This year’s judges are Opera Birmingham General Director K eith Wolfe, K en Benson of K en Benson Artists and K entucky Opera conductor Joe Mechavich.

All five finalists receive a cash prize, includ ing $1,000 for the audience favorite, $3,500

for the judges’ winner and descending prizes or second through fi th place. he winner also is invited back to Birmingham to be featured in the Catch a Rising Star concert and a future Opera Birmingham role. The vocal competition’s awards dinner also acts as a fundraiser for Opera Birmingham. ickets to the semifinal competition are , and tickets to the finals and dinner are . o to operabirmingham.org/ vocal-competition for more information.

8000 Liberty Parkway Vestavia Hills 205.969.1969 bracesbham.com

smile

orthodontics with a

At Abenoja Orthodontics, our top priority is to provide you the highest quality orthodontic care in a friendly, beautiful environment.

We utilize the latest technological advances in the industry, such as ceramic braces, along with the latest in computer technology to ensure that you receive the most effective care possible.

Whether you’re an adult, adolescent or child, Dr. Abenoja and her staff are committed to helping you achieve the smile you deserve — a healthy, beautiful one!

Dr. Christine Abenoja, Board Certified

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • A23

Memorial dinner to honor fallen troops

By G RAC E THORNTON In the few steps Tom Rivers took between his bed and his cup of coffee that morning, life radically changed.

Through the window, the Hoover resident saw the three Marines walking toward the front door. And he knew his son Thomas was never coming home.

Thomas Rivers, a 22-year-old graduate of Briarwood Christian School, had died in the early hours of April 28, 2010, in Afghanistan after an explosive device detonated.

He had wanted to be a Marine from a young age, desiring to follow in the footsteps of his grandfathers, who had both served. He wrote once in his journal that he believed God had called him to be a warrior, and he carried that strong faith with him through his time as a Marine.

“After Thomas was killed, we decided to start sending care packages to his comrades, so we did that until they came home,” said Thomas’ mother, Charon Rivers. “Then we thought we should keep doing it for other soldiers in his memory and maybe even expand it.” rom this idea, a nonprofit organization called Support Our Soldiers was born. Through Support Our Soldiers, Thomas Rivers’ parents send about 700 care packages to deployed men and women annually. The packages include snacks, sausages and other food, and Charon Rivers tucks into each one a small booklet called “In the Shadow” that tells the story of Thomas Rivers’ life, faith and death.

“It has been very well received — people have written to us and told us that it’s very inspirational,” Charon Rivers said. “It’s our way of keeping our son’s memory alive and giving his death purpose.” he organization, she said, provides some services for veterans, too, such as helping to provide outdoor wheelchairs for injured soldiers who have returned home.

And on June 1 — the Thursday after

Above: Thomas Rivers, who died while deployed in Afghanistan in 2010, is the inspiration for his s’ o o Support Our Soldiers.

Left: Tom and Charon Rivers during a Support Our Soldiers memorial dinner.

Photos courtesy of Tom and Charon Rivers.

emorial ay the organization will hold its sixth annual Memorial dinner to honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and raise money for the work of Support Our Soldiers.

The dinner is set for 6 p.m. at Briarwood Presbyterian Church and usually draws several hundred people. This year’s speaker will be Jeff Struecker, a combat veteran whose story is portrayed in the movie “Black Hawk Down.”

Tickets are $25, or participants can reserve a table of eight for $300.

“It’s a very patriotic event honoring our fallen soldiers,” Charon Rivers said. “We want

to encourage people to honor Memorial Day, and being there makes you proud to be an American.”

Her son lived and served his country honorably, she said. When Thomas Rivers learned he needed a high school diploma to enlist, he threw himself into his studies, graduating and joining the Marines two weeks later.

“He joined the Marines as a kid, but graduated [from Parris Island in South Carolina] a strong warrior,” Tom Rivers said in “In the Shadow.”

Thomas Rivers was deployed to Iraq in 2008, then he went to Afghanistan as a lance corporal

and team leader in 2010.

At 6:33 a.m. on that fateful April morning he was walking to take over a patrol for a comrade when he activated an improvised explosive device that fatally wounded him.

His friend Matthew Proctor rushed to his side and read the young man’s life verse to him as he lay dying — Psalm 91:1, which is used in the title of the booklet: “He who lives in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”

For more information about Support Our Soldiers or to purchase tickets to the dinner, go to supportoursoldiersalabama.org.

A24 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

Lucy and Ruby, who have hosted Lucy d y’s Brainy Day in the past, stand with Dr. Gregory Friedman, pediatric neurooncologist at UAB, and Beena Thannickal, communications director for the Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB. Photo courtesy of Lisa Harris.

Lucy and Ruby’s Brainy Day returning as Brain Freeze event

By LEX I C OON ucy and Ru y arris first started their annual rainy ay as a lemonade stand to support rain cancer research a ter their ather, Scott arris, was diagnosed with glio lastoma rain cancer.

Although Scott arris died in ovem er , ucy and Ru y arris continued the event or their ather and grand ather, who also died o rain cancer, as ucy and Ru y s rainy ay. o date, ucy and Ru y s rainy ay has raised , , said the girls mother, isa arris. his year, instead o a “ ull scale rainy ay community event, isa arris said they are creating a rain reeze event with undraising options at local ice cream, rozen yogurt and shaved ice shops throughout the month o ay.

“A percent o sales rom these events will e donated to rain tumor research at the A

omprehensive ancer enter, isa arris said. articipating shops include ► ay oodles, a.m. p.m. ► ay airy ueen in aha a eights, p.m. ► ay ountain rook reamery, p.m. ► ay he Whole Scoop in oover, p.m. ► ay ahama uck s in aha a eights, p.m. ► ay ogurt ountain in ountain rook, p.m. ► ay Scoops in omewood, noon to p.m. ► ay egrees in restline, p.m. ► ay dgewood reamery, p.m. ► ay ig Spoon reamery, in Avon dale, p.m. or more in ormation, go to lucyandru y. com or ucy Ru y s rainy ay on ace ook.

A child gets his face painted during an outdoor summer event in 2016. Staff photo.

Wald Park opening pool around Memorial Day for summer season

By G RAC E THORNTON or estavia residents ready to dive into summer, the city is gearing up or another year o un outdoor activities. ove America ight is June at p.m. on the Wald ark ase all fields. Sponsors will have ooths with giveaways, and a chil dren s area will o er in ata les and other activities. he Shades ountain aptist hurch rchestra will give a ops in the ark concert eaturing patriotic music, and a amily movie will e shown at dusk. “ ove America ight is a great way to cele rate ndependence ay with our community, said atie Woodru with the estavia ills ham er o ommerce. “We have something or every age group to en oy,

and we hope to see everyone there on June . he Wald ark pool also will open or the summer around emorial ay with the date to e announced. he hours and ees will e the same as last year or estavia residents ► he pool will e open onday Saturday, a.m. p.m., hursday or an additional two hours until p.m. or amily un night, and Sunday rom p.m. ► he ees are or children and younger, or ages and or senior adults and up. here is a cap per amily. onresidents may apply or dou le rates. adge sales egin ay . hose interested in swim lessons may con tact adelyn eith at waldparkswimlessons gmail.com. or more in ormation, go to vhal.org.

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • A25

Teams compete to produce the best chicken wings at the annual Wing Ding. Photo by Sydney Cromwell.

6 th a n n u a l W in g D in g g r ills u p c o m p e titio n to r a is e fu n d s

By G RAC E THORNTON What’s better than $5 all-you-can-eat chicken wings on the front lawn of City Hall?

N ot much, says Donnie Winningham — it’s a great Vestavia tradition, he said, and it’s a great deal.

“We’re going to have 20– 25 booths of people cooking wings,” he said of the sixth annual Wing Ding, a wing challenge and festival set for May 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The festival began in 2011 as a project of a Leadership Vestavia Hills class. Last year, 3,000 residents came out to enjoy the event, which includes live music, bounce houses and other activities like face painting and balloons.

It will be in the circle at City Hall for the second year in a row.

“There will be plenty of room to hang out on the lawn, so bring blankets, sit down, eat some good food and enjoy the music,” Winningham said, who serves with Leadership Vestavia Hills, which puts on the Wing Ding challenge each year. “It’s a good environment and a fun time.” he event again will enefit the ystic i ro sis oundation. ore than , was raised at last year’s Wing Ding. The event’s main sponsor this year is Alagasco. or more in ormation, go to leader shipvestaviahills.com or the Vestavia Wing ing ace ook page.

Vestavia Hills Baptist marks 60 years

By SARAH C OOK Perched high on Shades Mountain, Vestavia Hills Baptist Church sits where peacocks once roamed and former Mayor George Ward hosted lavish parties in the shadows of a Roman Temple known to most as the Temple of Vesta.

Today, however, the site stands as a pillar of faith.

“It’s a great place to call home,” said Merryl Cooper, who has been a member of the church for her entire life and helps lead the congregation in several capacities.

This year, Cooper said, is especially meaningful for the church as it marks its 60th anniversary. Aside from the church’s picture-perfect location on the mountain, Cooper said VHBC is known for creating community in Vestavia Hills through outreach and worship.

Before the church’s charter members moved into the building on 2600 Vestavia Drive, Cooper said they gathered in the city’s town hall. The building’s location — which was first pioneered y Ward and later ecame a restaurant was o ficially purchased y the church in 1958. Some of the church’s first sermons were delivered rom a dining room-turned-sanctuary.

“If you look throughout the building, you can still see some remnants of what it used to be,” Cooper said as she pointed to a section of portico from the structure’s inception. he uilding that first stood on the property, commissioned by Ward as an opulent estate, acted as somewhat of a Birmingham landmark for many years, Cooper said. The two and a half story circular structure was modeled after the Temple of Vesta in Rome. Photos of the original building line the church’s interior, giving a nod to its past.

The estate’s former gardens used to expand toward the bluff, meandering into a small domed gazebo modeled after the Temple of Sibyl in Tivoli. That structure, which has since been removed, has become somewhat of a calling card for Vestavia Hills, Cooper said. That same temple now stands on a bluff overlooking the intersection of U .S. 31 and Shades Crest Road. Cooper said she can remember playing

Before it was a church, the site where Vestavia Hills Baptist Church stands served as a lavish estate for Vestavia Mayor George d o s o o y for Roman architecture. Photo courtesy of Vestavia Hills Baptist Church archives.

basketball at the former site of the gazebo.

“He was fascinated with all things Rome,” Cooper said of Ward, who — local legend has it — had a penchant for colorful birds and parties.

Today, the site has changed purposes and appearance to fit a growing congregation, she said. However, symbolism still runs strong throughout the church, which was extensively remodeled some years after its purchase.

If you look closely at the sanctuary, Cooper said, you can pick up on subtle cues that point to the intention of the church’s architecture.

“The architecture, even though it’s modern and contemporary, is symbolic,” she said, pointing to the three beams that led to the cross in the sanctuary, which is framed by 12 windows on each side. The steel cross outside the building, which overlooks the bluff, also gives a nod to the booming industry of Birmingham’s past, she said.

Today, the church opens its doors to all people from all walks of life, Cooper said.

Anyone who needs to find a spiritual home in Vestavia is welcome, she said.

“I have a million memories here,” she said, surveying the walls that still boast the same stone that Ward once brushed up against decades ago. “N ow seeing my kids go through youth group here like I did, it’s something special.”

A26 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

Patchwork Farms lawsuit: How it developed ents etai e in the o Nov. 15, 2012: City sells Lots 1-5 to NSH

aint begin as ear y as o 1

1

December 2013: Patchwork Farms charrette

April 28, 2014: City approves Daniel Corp. as master developer July 31, 2014: Sale contract on Lot 3B

Feb. 25, 2013: NSH agrees to 20-foot sewer easement

2013

hen the ity so the ots on

2014 December 2013: Mazes enter contract with NSH Corp.

CITY/DEVELOPERS

ooney i Roa to

to this ar h hen a a ent ro erty o ners fi e the o

Aug. 25, 2014: Public hearing for Ord. 2530, selling Lot 3B to Daniel

Aug. 14, 2014: City/BOE apply to P&Z to rezone PR-1 to PB

Sept. 8, 2014: City votes to exempt Lot 3B from zoning rules

Oct. 27, 2014: City votes to sell Lot 3B Oct. 31, 2014: Final plat recorded

2015 Aug. 12, 2014: Mazes close on new home Aug. 27, 2014: Donahoos close on new home

Sept. 19, 2014: Comperes close on new home

Nov. 10, 2014: City approves master plan Nov. 24, 2014: City dedicates sewer easement

2016 Nov. 24, 2014: Jeff Maze meets with Downes and Ammons

Nov. 25, 2014: Maze requests to speak at meeting

Sept. 18, 2015: Chens close on new home

aint

Dec. 8, 2014: Looney Mill residents/NSH speak at council meeting Dec. 16, 2014: Lot 3B sale to anie fina i e Daniel transfers to Daniel/Rime

April 1, 2015: Site work begins July 2016: Vestavia Reserve apartments open

2017 March 24, 2017: Homeowners fi e o aint against ity anie and NSH in Jefferson Circuit Court

PLAINTIFFS The lack of an adequate landscape

LAWSUIT

CONTINUED from page A1

s prominently in the complaint. od o the master plan, landscape buffers in Patchwork Farms should “preserve s s s l rule” and that “landscape d s s o ld enhance the overall project,

DIFFERENCES CONTESTED

The nine plaintiffs are the property owners o five lots directly ad acent to ot o atch work Farms.

Attorney or the plainti s Jay Smith said that owners were promised one type o development ehind their homes and received another. he details o the original agreement etween homeowners and then owner S orp. are still in discovery, Smith said, ut the claim states that at least one couple, hristi and Je aze, were told in ecem er when they first contracted with S that the development ehind the property was slated or “small retail with lo ts on top, pursuant to the design agreed upon y citizens at the ec. atchwork arms community charrette.

Smith said the idea, homeowners were told, was to have a development similar to that o aha a illage in ountain rook, with retail shops on the first oor and one to two oors o residential units a ove. nstead, the case says, the development turned into a unit apartment comple . n Aug. , , the estavia ills ity ouncil voted to approve a sale agreement that indicated ot would e used or the multi amily units. estavia Reserve, the lu ury apartment comple that was eventually uilt, is our stories high, with units ranging rom one to three edrooms.

Smith said the azes and other owners o the five lots on ld ooney ill were not notified o the changes to the intended development e ore closing on their properties in late August and Septem er, even though the date on the agreement says July , . “ they had known that the changes to the development ehind their house would have een as significant as they were, and that those changes would have een other than what they had promised, they would not have ought the property, Smith said.

LACK OF BUFFER KEY ISSUE

n addition to the changes in the size, scope and style o the development, Smith said, the

views, screen and/or provide a transition to adjacent properties.” Photo

by Erica Techo.

residents are also suing ecause o the loss o the landscaping u er etween the develop ment and the homes. he agreement, Smith said, was or the development to include a u er pursuant to the atchwork arms master plan, which was ased on the community charrette. he original u er was supposed to e eet, though that was amended to e a oot sewer u er with a erm on top, as well as a . oot landscape u er.

According to the master plan, landscape u ers in atchwork arms should “pre serve e isting trees as a general rule and that “landscape design should enhance the overall pro ect, u er negative views, screen and or provide a transition to ad acent properties.

Smith said not only were the re uirements or the u er not met, ut also the u er that was there naturally which he said included trees and shru s was removed during the development.

According to the complaint, the property owners have had “an ongoing nuisance in their ackyards and a loss in property value due to the development.

“As you can imagine, some ody who looks at a house with a huge apartment comple in

its ackyard with no significant u er or sep aration rom that apartment comple , may not e nearly as likely to uy that property as they otherwise would, may e not at all, Smith said.

ALLEGED CONFLICT OF INTEREST

n addition to the di erences etween the designed development and what occurred, the complaint alleges that the city e ecuted an “option agreement with aniel orporation when it approved the firm as master developer April , . An option contract, additional plainti counsel regory rockwell e plained, is an agreement where one party grants a poten tial uyer the e clusive right to purchase prop erty at a certain price or a certain period o time. rockwell said or a city to do so would e against idding law, as the property did not go out or open idding and was an “insider sale. rockwell said this came up during the develop ment process, ut ity Attorney at oone said the contract was not an option contract. rockwell said the city does not have the legal right to e ecute an option contract, and that the court would have to decide i the sale o ot was legal in the first place.

FINDING A RESOLUTION

Smith said the property owners have asi cally asked the court to either re uire direct financial compensation or lost property values or re uire the de endants to uy out the owners of the properties. ity anager Je ownes said the city denies the allegations and will “vigorously de end the case ut said he could not give additional comments.

John nutsson, vice president or devel opment at aniel orporation, said “We have permits or all o the work that we have per ormed, and have per ormed that work in accordance with all applica le ordinances and regulations. e endants have days to respond once eing served, which should e completed y mid to late ay. nce de endants have ormally responded, the case will move into the discov ery phase, which could take several months. he plainti s have re uested a ury trial or the case, ut rockwell said that cases this comple o ten take more than a year to come to trial. estavia oice will continue to ollow the case as it progresses. lease visit vestaviavoice. com or new developments.

VestaviaVoice.com

A musician performs at the June 2016 Rocky Ridge First Friday. Live music will be o sy ’s s d ys o doo d d o ’s l Photos by Sydney Cromwell.

May 2017 • A27

o

FIRST FRIDAYS

CONTINUED from page A1 Morgan said one major element from last year — t he market of area craftsmen and vendors in the Western Supermarket parking lot — w ill not be returning. There was concern about the vendors competing for attention with established Rocky Ridge businesses, so Morgan said they decided to take a different approach this summer.

“We’re just trying to morph it into what works for everybody and make it the best that it can be,” Morgan said.

Instead, the brick-andmortar stores will be playing a bigger role in First Fridays.

Morgan said several tenants in the Rocky Ridge shopping centers already have committed to placing tents and tables outside to showcase their products on First Friday evenings.

“Everybody wants to see this work; we just need to o y s o’s ll o o d m s figure out how to do it right, d s o ld do s y o d Morgan said. special guests for some of the events, such as a classic car Live music also will be show or the aerial acrobats that performed last year. returning to the outdoor area near The Ridge and the new patio at Moe’s Original BBQ .

Morgan said the restaurants will have the main responsibility of booking artists, and the line up had not been determined as of the Vestavia Voice’s press time.

“It’s morphing more into a live music event,” Morgan said. “Everyone is committed to at least on the First Friday, if not on other Fridays, to having live music.”

Johnny Brusco’s Pizza will be in charge of providing games and activities for children. Morgan said the organizers also are trying to find special guests or some of the events, such as a classic car show or the aerial acrobats another restaurant selling alcohol. that performed last year.

City Manager Jeff Downes said there were Parking was affected last year by vendors, no reports last year of any problems associactivities and guests in the parking lots of the ated with the entertainment district or outdoor Rocky Ridge Square, Rocky Ridge Plaza and alcohol consumption. Vestavia Hills has the Shops at Oak Park shopping centers. Morgan ability to add another entertainment district said he wants to see how many people attend elsewhere in the city, but Downes said there the first event and then make any needed are no immediate plans to create a second changes to have enough parking available. district.

As with last year, police o ficers will e on Morgan said last year’s event had a hand to make sure attendees are safe while positive response from the community, and crossing Morgan Drive and Rocky Ridge he’s looking forward to seeing it again this Road which are not closed to tra fic as summer. The goal of First Fridays is to “give well as to monitor enforcement of entertainpeople an outlet to have fun and stay in the ment district laws. community and not have to go down to downWithin the entertainment district’s boundtown Birmingham.” aries, including all three shopping centers, Follow the Rocky Ridge First Fridays adults can take open alcoholic beverages Facebook page for more information on this outdoors as long as they are in marked enterseason’s events. tainment district cups and they do not enter

SECTION

B MAY 2017

Sports B4 School House B10 Gift Guide B18 Community B20 Calendar B22

PUSHING FOR

GREATNESS

By K YLE P ARMLEY K ent Fullington was elated when he was asked to step into the coach’s role with the Vestavia Hills High School boys golf team.

That excitement has not diminished as the Rebels near the end of the 2017 season.

“It’s been awesome,” Fullington said, who has been an assistant with various sports at Vestavia during the past few years. “It’s been great, getting to know these guys. Their golf ability is just incredible. We’re a very deep team this year. That’s a good coaching problem to have.”

Fullington has a deeper roster than most high school teams, so he has options when deciding who will compete at tournaments with his top group. That depth also pushes that group to get better each day.

“Every day, it’s a challenge,” junior Cole Hunt said. “We’ve got seven or eight guys who can shoot a 37 or 36 [on nine holes]. Y ou’ve got to bring your A-game every day. Y ou can’t slack off.”

For senior Chris Hughes, he has seen the program grow exponentially since he began playing with the team in eighth grade.

“This team expects to go into every tournament and be in contention,” Hughes said. “It’s been nice seeing the team grow, and hopefully over the years, I’ve added a little to that.

We’ve got a good group of young guys that

are definitely going to hold onto the reins a ter I leave.”

While golf is primarily an individual sport, Ryan Eshleman said the Rebels realize developing a solid rapport as a team can go a long way toward being able to accomplish its goals.

“Even though it’s an individual sport, we’re really good as a team,” he said. “We’ve gotten to know each other a lot better. Traveling together, going to team dinners and stuff, it’s fun to grow, and it’s good for the guys.”

The likes of Thomas Cochran, Jake Awbrey, Will Draper, Cole McPheeters, Jacob Maze and the rest of the Rebels have tested those three all season on the course, pushing them to continually improve.

“It’s unbelievable. We have seven, eight, nine guys that can shoot anywhere from 72 to 75 on any given day, and we just all push ourselves to be the best golfer we can be day in and day out,” Hunt said.

Each golfer on the team has strengths and weaknesses, meaning certain guys are better at different type of courses than others. On the shorter courses, give Eshleman the edge, as he is most confident in his iron shots. unt and Hughes have the ability to drive the ball farther and excel on the longer courses.

To succeed on any course, however, a golfer must have the ability to not let one bad hole snowball into multiple holes with a high score.

To do that, one has to have a short memory.

s ol o ll o o s s l l y s Riverchase Country Club on April 13. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

“Forget it right then,” Hughes said. “I’m pretty good about it most of the time. I forget really easily.”

Hunt added that in a tournament setting, where players are competing with players from other teams, it is important to respond to a bad hole from anyone, whether personally or by someone else in the group.

Eshleman pointed to a situation at the Tom Bell Memorial Classic, where he was forced to recover from a triple bogey on his second hole. Fullington was able to calm him down,

s

and Eshleman battled back to shoot even par for the round.

For seniors like Hughes and Awbrey, this is their final chance to win a trophy, as the Rebels hope to advance past sectionals and sub-state to get to the state tournament at the Grand N ational Golf Course in Opelika. But in order to get there, they will take it one address, back swing and follow-through at a time.

“If we focus on one shot at a time, the rest will take care of itself,” Fullington said.

B2 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • B3

B4 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

Sports

SNAPSHOTS: REBELS SPRING ATHLETICS The spring season brings competition for a variety of outdoor high school sports, including so t all, tennis, soccer and track and field.

Here' s a small window into the athletic events at estavia ills igh School this spring. ‒ By Kyle Parmley.

Mitchell Kingren (29) goes up o ll s oo ’s Alex MacQuarrie (22) during a home match April 14. Photo by Sarah Finnegan

s lls’ sl d s o second base during a home game against Hoover on March. Photo by Kyle Parmley.

Tyree Thigpen leaps forward while participating in the long jump during the Homewood Invitational on March 18.

Photo by Sam Chandler.

Vestavia goalie Anna Woodson dives for the ball during a match against Hoover on March 10. Photo by Todd Lester.

Georgia Morros returns a serve during a home match against Thompson on April 10. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • B5

B6 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

Davis credits players, assistants for award Patrick Davis credits his l y s’ dedication and his assistant coaches for being named Class 7A coach of the year.

Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

Boys basketball chief named ASWA Class 7A coach of the year

By K YLE P ARMLEY Patrick Davis’ name will be forever etched on the trophy recognizing him as the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 7A boys asket all coach o the year, ut the first year Vestavia Hills High School coach said he believes there is more to it.

“First and foremost, it is without a doubt a team and staff award. The recognitions are certainly for the entire organization and staff,” Davis said. “They don’t give this award out to anyone that has a bad team or to anyone that is in it by themselves.” n his first year replacing longtime coach George Hatchett, Davis and his staff led the Rebels to the Final Four, where Vestavia Hills fought Auburn to the end in a loss in the State Semifinal. aking it to irmingham as one o the last four 7A teams still standing was quite an accomplishment for the Rebels.

Davis will leave his initial campaign with memories that will last many years.

“We’re extremely grateful for the recognition for our program,” he said. “We were able to put a little run together that some didn’t see coming, but we felt like that was where we would be at the end of all of it.”

Davis has told the story many times. When the season started, the Rebels were a far cry rom what they ecame. ut through dedication and commitment, the team stayed together and continued to keep its nose to the grindstone.

“Some o our guys really started figuring out that we had a chance to put a run together about halfway through the year,” Davis said.

To reach the Final Four, Vestavia had to go

through a familiar foe that had toppled them three times previously: Hoover. The Rebels led or much o the first matchup etween the two teams, ut the ucs controlled play in the second and third matchups.

In the N orthwest Regional Final, the Rebels held Hoover to 26 percent shooting and knocked o their area rival to reach the J or the first time since .

Once the team got to that stage, Davis made sure his guys remembered the moment.

“We talked about leading up to the Final

Four; it’s something that you’ll never forget,” he said. “There’s a lot of things, as years go by, that fade in your memory when it comes to things that you achieve. Details become fuzzy, but they’ll never be fuzzy on that part.”

Leading up to the big stage, the Rebels kept as much of a normal routine as possible, but avis told his guys to use the first two minutes of warmups before the Auburn game to “take it all in.”

“I wanted them to make sure to take it all in and enjoy it,” Davis said. “It doesn’t happen all

the time. It’s a goal, and something you want to achieve. Y ou’ve got to have a lot of things go right.” avis first group at estavia ills has set a standard and expectation for future teams to strive toward. Davis credits his players, assistant coaches and other support staff for the team’s success. As far as the coach of the year award goes, reaching the big stage always increases one’s candidacy.

“When you put a little run together, you’re bound to get some accolades,” he said.

VestaviaVoice.com

s

m y

s l

m

ls’ l d o s

May 2017 • B7

s o s sso

d o

o d d s m d Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

d

m ll

Final season ends well for Rebels’ lead scorer Smith

By K YLE P ARMLEY It played out nearly perfectly for Mac Smith, even if there were times when it did not seem that way.

The Vestavia Hills High School senior was forced to learn a new system with a new coach or his final season o organized asket all.

Even though the season started off slow for the Re els, they came together and advanced to the Final Four.

As a result, atrick avis was named coach of the year, and Smith was selected third team all state y the Ala ama Sports Writers Association. “ onestly, was kind o surprised, Smith said. “It was great to see that I was noticed as a player and that our team was noticed as well. nce the Re els got rolling, they ecame a train that was di ficult to stop. “ his year was everything could ve asked or as a senior season, Smith said. “ ur team struggled early in the season, mostly with turnovers and pace o play, ut once we figured those things out and got more com orta le with our o ense, we were a le to play great asket all. avis ree owing o ensive system fit right in with Smith s skill set, as he took the mantle of leading scorer for Vestavia, pouring in 13.7 points per game. More impressive was his deep shooting touch, as he shot 50 percent from 3-point range for the year.

Even more impressive to his coach was the act Smith also led the team in re ound ing, despite eing a guard. Smith averaged . oards per contest.

“I was pleased with his commitment to re ounding the all, avis said. “ hat s even more than points and was huge or me.

Smith acknowledged as well that the game is more to him than ust filling up the asket. “ viously, scoring is what every ody sees when they look at the stats, ut think my de ense and re ounding vastly improved rom last year, Smith said. “ also elt more com orta le out there as a senior and a leader o the team.

“

Coach Davis got us all to believe in ourselves and in the style of basketball that we wanted to play.

Everybody on our team as unselfish and as only interested in doing things for the good of the team.

MAC SMITH

Another area where avis made a great impact on Smith and the rest o the Re els was their confidence. nce the players egan to elieve in the system, a inal our run ecame more attaina le. “ oach avis got us all to elieve in our selves and in the style o asket all that we wanted to play, Smith said. “ very ody on our team was unselfish and was only interested in doing things or the good o the team. he Re els set the ar high in avis first year as head coach. After vanquishing area foe Hoover in the N orthwest Regional Final after losing to the Bucs three times in the regular season, the Re els gave Au urn a run or its money.

“The Final Four experience was awesome, and even though we lost against Au urn, it gave our team e perience or the coming years, Smith said.

Smith s organized asket all playing days are likely done, as he plans to enroll at Au urn and pursue a usiness degree. ut i this season was his last, it is something he can certainly hang his hat on. “ e definitely deserved that recognition, ust as a great kid he s really unselfish he s a man o ew words ut definitely served in a leader ship role, avis said.

B8 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

Bragan, Mann use softball as teaching tool for middle-schoolers

By K YLE P ARMLEY Fans will not be lining up outside of a locked gate hours e ore first pitch. or most games, a single set o leachers is nowhere close to ull.

Social media won t e plode with admonition and criticism a ter every game. ut to count the o s o Joy ragan and ill ann as not significant would e a mistake, and a grand one at that. ragan and ann are the middle school so t all coaches at the two estavia ills igh School eeder schools. ragan is in her th year in the estavia ills ity Schools system and her si th at i erty ark iddle School. ann is in his second year coaching at izitz iddle School. oth coaches have the wherewithal and perspective to realize their o s are not as results driven as o s at the high school, college and pro essional levels. here is a igger picture to coaching the seventh and eighth graders they get to in uence on a daily asis. “ y ultimate goal is to develop their charac ter and connect and develop relationships with them, ragan said. “ hey know that when li e gets hard, i they ever need some ody, care. get them or two seasons, so m packing their ags or li e. ragan said she certainly attempts to give her players the “so t all tools they need to come e success ul here, as evidenced y i erty ark s fi th place finish in the etro ourna ment, the est in school history.

Liberty Park Middle School softball coach Joy Bragan meets with players in a game against Pizitz Middle on April 4. Photos by Kyle Parmley.

“We all ail, ut want to e a godly e am ple or them, so that they look ack over their middle school career and think, oach ragan may not have known a lot a out so t all, ut she cared a out me, ragan said. ann emphasized en oying the middle school e perience or his team, knowing that not all o them will actually play so t all eyond their middle school years. “ he truth is, they re not all going to play in high school , ann said. “Some o them

will some o them won t. want all o them to look ack and go, iddle school so t all was awesome. he two teams aced o against each other April in a contest izitz won . hrough out the game, it was apparent that izitz would win easily, ut instead o slogging through to the end, ragan used the game as a teaching moment. “ ow are we going to respond she asked her team a ter a long second inning. “We re

either going to rise up or we re going to cave in. any team knows how to respond to adver sity, it s the i erty ark team. A ter watching ellow teammate ella Shimko and ragan each attle and eat cancer last year, the adver sity o a all game pales in comparison to the adversities o li e. “ hat s why you play sports, ragan said. “ t s a out li e. What Shimko e perienced is real li e. urve alls are going to come.

VestaviaVoice.com

o

o l y so

’s yd y ll ll yo d

s s m s m ddl s

May 2017 • B9

d y ’s ll d o s m o oy ool y s

Adversity’s going to come. But that’s why you play sports. It teaches you about life. I’m really proud of them. They work hard, and they’re committed.”

On that Liberty Park team, Ella Brast and raelynn ruce played right field. ily un away pitched, played third and the outfield. argaret ilchrist played first ase. e i reen played outfield and second ase. ristina er nandez wanted to play softball and used her speed to become a threat on the bases. wynnie orni rook was the team s pri mary catcher. Abby Jemison was the team’s center fielder. aroline Redden was the start ing shortstop and leado hitter. ylie Reed pitched and played in the middle infield.

Shimko spent her time on the left side of the

m o m ddl s

l y ool

d

s

infield, and Sofia Willey played outfield and pitched. izitz parlayed its regular season etro record into a Metro championship on April 8 in an eventful tournament. The Pirates defeated ewitt russville and Simmons e ore losing to umpus in the semifinals, a team they had eaten in the first game o the season.

With the loss, izitz was orced to eat hompson to get ack to the finals in the dou le elimination tournament, where it had to defeat Bumpus twice to gain the trophy.

A ter a izitz win sent the tournament into a deciding game, the Pirates had to do it again. izitz took an lead into the si th inning but allowed Bumpus three runs in each of the

o

o

ll o

m

mmo d ll lly

ne t two innings to tie the game at and send the game into e tra innings. With two on and no outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Annie ate arks lasted a y all that cleared the le t field wall or a three run homer, sending the Pizitz dugout into a frenzy and giving the irates the etro championship in walk o fashion.

Mann said that he harps on attitude and energy with his program, two things needed in abundance for the Pirates to win it all that day. n the field, mma Smith was izitz pri mary catcher, while harity i s, eaven Bibbs, Libby Pippin and Ally Smith all spent most o their time in the infield. ikki ammond and livia Renta saw time in the pitching circle. Blakely Berryhill, Ella

ovell, Sydney arris, Raines angston, livia c lellan, Audrey orris, arks and ella Sanders played primarily in the out field. atie im rough is a first aseman ut suffered an injury that kept her out for the season.

While not all the girls on the two teams will play at the high school level, some will, and have the makings of a pretty good team in future years.

“They’ll go on and their future’s bright here, so that s really e citing, ragan said. “ ot every team I’ve coached has had this kind o fight. t has to do with the li e e periences they’ve walked through. Y ou put that together with the talent [Pizitz] has with our talent, that’s e citing things or the uture.

B10 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

School House

Foundation grants fund latest tech, learning methods

By SYD NEY C ROMW

“

ELL

Across Vestavia schools, students will be able to study the atmosphere, virtually travel the world, work with robots and more, thanks to 15 grants awarded by the Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation, totaling nearly $59,000.

Robin McK ean, a three-year member of the VHCSF board, said the annual grants are a chance to support student growth and learning through projects outside the standard curriculum.

“I think what we have in Vestavia is very unique, and our teachers and administration do a great job,” McK ean said.

There were 23 applicants for this year’s grants, which were awarded right before spring break. McK ean said the foundation board, with help from principals and the Board of Education, award grants to projects that align with their school and school system’s overall education goals. They try to distribute the grants roughly equitably across the schools.

“We try to award grants based on the greatest possibility to positively impact as many students as possible,” McK ean said.

The Board of Education also can receive grants for teacher training purposes. McK ean said sometimes a grant will be funded to provide students the same opportunities across schools, such as this year’s weather balloon kit grant at Liberty Park Middle to replicate a similar project at Pizitz Middle last year.

Liberty Park teacher Desiree Spencer said her students spend about two months studying weather each year. Through this grant, in spring 2018 they’ll be able to release a weather balloon to study the atmosphere, with the help of a local meteorologist.

We wouldn’t have the money to purchase a large piece of equipment or purchase a piece of equipment that can be used throughout multiple classrooms [without VHCSF]. I think the Foundation does a great job of looking for projects that have vision.

”

TIMARIE FISK

Thanks to a grant from the Board of Education, Liberty Park students will be able to release a weather balloon in spring 2018 to study the atmosphere with the help of a local meteorologist. Photos by Sydney Cromwell.

The project will involve collaboration, data collection and analysis, along with science, math and engineering skills. Students also will blog about their results from the weather balloon release.

“When we are studying weather with these students, any time we can give them a realworld experience rather than watching it on TV or reading it in a text, the knowledge transfer seems to be much greater,” said Lisa Williams,

who co-wrote the grant application with Spencer and Linda Rummell. “They’re actually collecting [data] on their own and using the tools to interpret it and make predictions.”

At Vestavia Hills Elementary Central, K im Jaggard will be creating a virtual reality ( VR) room this summer for students to interact with their lessons. The VR room will work with the use of four projectors, one to display images on each wall of the room.

The system can be used to immerse students in a subject, such as a virtual trip to the Eiffel Tower or tour of the body, or display multiple related images and videos on different walls.

Jaggard and Principal Marian Humphries got to see a similar room in action at Mountain Brook High School.

“When we observed, we were both just on fire ecause or our children at this age, it was just so appropriate,” Humphries said.

“Y ou just kind of feel submerged in wherever you are or whatever you’re learning about,” Jaggard said.

With 34 classrooms, Jaggard said she expects students to be using the VR room “all day long, every day” for different projects or lessons.

VestaviaVoice.com Should Central get relocated in the discussion of how to best accommodate the growing Vestavia student body, Jaggard said they can pick up the VR room equipment and take it with them. “[We’re] bringing the classroom into the real world,” Humphries said.

At the high school, art teacher Timarie Fisk is using her grant to purchase a glass kiln. In addition to teaching her art students different glass sculpting techniques, Fisk said the kiln can be used to bring science and engineering principles to life.

The kiln, which is mounted on wheels and can be transported to different classrooms, can help students visualize melting point, fusion or create “fossils” by pressing leaves between glass before putting it in the kiln.

“Students can build and create in the lab and fire it in the kiln right there, isk said.

The kiln will arrive at the high school soon, and Fisk said the science teachers she has talked to are excited to use it. While her art classes might only use the kiln a couple times each school year, incorporating it in science curriculum means a lot more students will get the chance to use it. Fisk said she thinks the idea could be replicated at the middle school level.

“We wouldn’t have the money to purchase a large piece of equipment or purchase a piece of equipment that can be used throughout multiple classrooms [without VHCSF]. I think the Foundation does a great job of looking for projects that have vision,” Fisk said.

The awards totaled $58,850, an increase from last year. Funding for VHCSF grants comes from individual donations, as well as fundraising events such as Dinner and Diamonds. The full list of 2017 grants is below.

“We would not be able to offer this great experience to our students if it was not for the grant,” Spencer said.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

► , or summer pro essional devel opment and DIY professional collaboration. ► , or the estavia eacher eaders Program.

May 2017 • B11 VESTAVIA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL

► , or computers and a com puter cart for the Exceptional Education department. ► , . or a new kiln to e used in art and science courses. ► , . to purchase the newest version of The Geometer’s Sketchpad, K uta software and to add additional “seats” to the TI-Smartview software.

LIBERTY PARK MIDDLE

► , or a high altitude weather alloon kit, GoPro camera and tracking software.

PIZITZ MIDDLE

► , or a model classroom with di er ent seating and work spaces to engage different learning styles.

CAHABA HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY

► , . to purchase the nvestigations math program. ► , or a set o lue ots, a dock ing station, backpack and four mats, two iPad Minis and a Cubelets Mini Makers pack.

CENTRAL ELEMENTARY

► , to create a irtual Reality room inside a computer lab.

EAST ELEMENTARY

► , . or each classroom.

smos Wonder

its or

LIBERTY PARK ELEMENTARY

► , to purchase viewing sets.

irtual Reality

WEST ELEMENTARY

► , or a set o lue ots, our iPad Minis and two Cubelets Educator packs. ► to purchase the ountas and in nell irst rade ook ollection . ► , to purchase the nits o Study for Teaching Reading resources for all classrooms.

s d s l s d lloo s o s l ss’s weather unit. Thanks to a grant from the Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation, Liberty Park Middle School students will get to have the same experience next school year.

B12 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

W h a t d o yo u lo v e a b o u t yo u r m o t h e r ?

To celebrate Mother’s Day, the Vestavia Voice reached out to Vestavia Hills elementary schools to find out what stu dents love about their mothers. Students ► To see more students’ artwork, visit from Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba vestaviavoice.com.

Heights and Vestavia Hills Elementary i erty ark su mitted their artwork and the thing they love most about their mom.

While many students referenced their moms being nice or their cooking skills, others were a little more creative.

ONLINE

Clockwise, from right: 1. “My mom is calm, nice and active.” ‒ Daniel Dillon, VHELP 2. Kindly Sell, VHECH 3. “I love my mom because she is sweet and watches movies with me and she is so so so so so so so so so very nice. She does art a lot with me and she cleans my room. I love her a lot as you can tell.” ‒ Jordana Cash, VHECH 4. “I like my mommy’s ood she does.” ‒ Amanda Nunes, VHECH

VestaviaVoice.com Clockwise, from right: 5. “I [love] my mom because she is a went through cancer).” ‒ Ella Joy ra an Kinnon, VHELP 6. “I love my mom because she makes dresses.” ‒ Leah ee s, VHELP 7. “My mom is special because she helps people every day.” ‒ Liam Hardy, VHECH 8. “I like [my mom] because I love [her].” ‒ Ale Va a es, VHELP 9. “I love my mom because she makes me meals.” ‒ Addison in er, VHELP s s love my mom because she is sweet, kind, and cares for m lso s respects and lo s m ‒ Ella ya , VHELP

May 2017 • B13

B14 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

Librarians share summer reading picks for adults, teenagers and children

By SYD NEY C ROMWE

Adult summer reading recommendations include “It Ends With Us” and “Commonwealth.”

Photos by Sydney Cromwell.

LL

Whether your summer plans involve the beach, a long car or plane trip or pleasant days at home, the sunny days ahead are a good time to crack open a new book.

Holly Turner, Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest’s marketing manager, said many people don’t realize that summer reading lists aren’t just for kids. The library offers adults the chance to participate as well, to log their reading and potentially win prizes.

The Build a Better World Summer Reading K ickoff will be June 1 at the library. Storyteller and artist Doug Berky will perform at 10:30 a.m., followed by sweet treats from K ona Ice, and an acrobatic troupe will perform at 6:30 p.m. There will be a hot dog dinner preceding the performance at 6 p.m. Summer reading participants can sign up and receive a goody bag at the event.

The summer reading kickoff for teens will be June 6 at 5:30 p.m., and there will be summer reading performances for kids on Thursdays throughout the summer. Find out more about the library’s summer programs at vestavialibrary.org.

N ot sure where to start your reading? The Library in the Forest staff has picked new hits and classic favorites for all ages to add to their summer reading list.

CHILDREN’S DEPARTMENT APRIL MOON Teen reading recommendations include “An Ember in the Ashes,” “Our Chemical Hearts” and “The Edge of Everything.”

► “K i n g B ab y” by K ate Beaton ► Re l e as e d : September 2016 ► G e n r e : Picture Books

► “ you have ever had a new a y in the house, you will love ‘ K ing Baby.’ He is demanding, adorable, amusing and exhausting, oon said. “ e rules his kingdom with a tiny fist and estows kisses and coos to all his loyal subjects.” ► “ Sn a p p s y t h e Al l i g a t o r ” by Julie Falatko ► Re l e as e d : January 2016 ► G e n r e : Picture Books ► “ he main character, Snappsy the alli gator, and the narrator seem to be at odds with each other. Snappsy just wants to be left alone, and the pesky narrator follows him through his day, commenting on everything he does and making him appear to be a dangerous predator, when in fact he is a pretty great guy,” Moon said. ► “W e Ar e G r ow i n g” by Laurie K eller ► Re l e as e d : September 2016 ► G e n r e : Easy Reader ► “ ave you ever heard the term as un as watching grass grow? ’ It turns out, watching grass grow is pretty entertaining in this “ le phant and iggie inspired first reader. ids will love the amusing artwork and silly grass blades,” Moon said. ► “ D o r y Fa n t a s m a g o r y: D o r y D o r y Bl a c k Sh e e p ” by Abby Hanlon ► Re l e as e d : September 2016 ► G e n r e : Easy Chapter Books ► “ ory is a precocious, adventurous year old with an older brother and sister. She lives in two worlds: the real one and the made-up world. Both of these worlds overlap constantly with hilarious consequences, and you can’t

VestaviaVoice.com help ut root or her as she finds hersel in one predicament a ter the other, oon said. “ ids will want to read all o the ooks in this delight ul series. ► “ Th e In q u i s i t o r ’ s Ta l e : Or , Th r e e Ma g i c al C h i l d r e n an d Th e i r Hol y D og” y Adam idwitz ► Re l e as e d : Septem er ► G e n r e : Juvenile iction ► “ n ormed y si years o research, and reminiscent o he anter ury ales, Adam idwitz has written a rand new illu minated manuscript, a sometimes harrowing, sometimes hilarious epic a out three magical riends on the run in rance and their encounters with a dragon, a holy dog and cheese, oon said. ► “ Th e G i r l W h o D r a n k t h e Mo o n ” by elly arnhill ► Re l e as e d : August ► G e n r e : Juvenile iction ► “ ove, heart reak, hope, sorrow and wonder all shine in e uisite, lyrical prose. his ook was a well deserved choice or the ew ery medal in , the highest honor given in children s literature, oon said.

TEEN DEPARTMENT DANIEL TACKETT ► “ An Em b e r i n t h e As h e s ” y Sa aa ahir ► Re l e as e d : April ► his is the first in a two part epic antasy series that ackett said is appropriate or older teen readers. e descri ed it as “our version o ame o hrones or kids without some o the graphic details o the popular and ook series. ► “ Ou r C h e m i c a l He a r t s ” y rystal Sutherland ► Re l e as e d : cto er ► his “summertime romance read set in high school is great or guys or girls, ack ett said. ► “ Th e Ed g e o f Ev e r yt h i n g ” y Je iles ► Re l e as e d : January ► A “very action packed ook that

May 2017 • B15 com ines antasy elements with the story o a rother and sister recovering rom the loss o their ather. ► “ Th e Sw o r d o f Su m m e r ” y Rick Riordan ► Re l e a s e d : cto er ► While Riordan is known or the “ ercy Jackson series o ooks, this novel is the first in a trilogy called “ agnus hase and the ods o Asgard. ackett said Riordan ooks are popular among younger teens or their action and un, without eing too graphic. ► “ Th e Mo o n a n d Mo r e ” y Sarah essen ► Re l e a s e d : June ► his romance novel and others y essen o ten appeal to middle and early high school readers. “All the girls love Sarah essen, ackett said.

ADULT DEPARTMENT TERRI LESLIE ► “I t En d s w i t h U s ” y olleen oover ► Re l e a s e d : August ► eslie descri ed “ t nds with s as a “tried and true, good each read that e plores themes o romance, domestic violence and overcoming the past.

o Go Glo d

ld d l o o

’s d omm d o s l d sy ll o oy sm o y o y o y l lo s m s o o o s d s o m s ll s mm Photos courtesy of Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest.

d

► “C om m on w e al t h ” y Ann atchett ► Re l e a s e d : Septem er ► “ his is all a out how amilies all apart and all ack together again, eslie said. ► “S m al l G r e at Th i n gs ” y Jodi icoult ► Re l e a s e d : cto er ► his ook has a lot o depth, eslie said, as it e plores race and ustice in America. “ t s not an easy read, ut it s a antastic read, and it s a page turner, she said. ► “R az or G i r l ” y arl iaasen ► Re l e as e d : Septem er ► iaasen com ines humor and mystery into ooks that are a lot o un to read. “Any time think o a each read, especially or men, think o arl iaasen, eslie said. ► “ Th e Li f e a n d Ti m e s o f t h e Th u n d e r b o l t

K i d ” y ill ryson ► Re l e as e d : Septem er ► his author can make even a memoir a out growing up in s owa a hilarious

e perience, which is why eslie has een recommending it to readers or years. “ o a person, everyone who has given me eed ack has loved it, she said.

B16 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

K e e p in g it in th e fa m ily

Mother-daughter duo Mary Beth, Sarah K aiser both teaching math at VHHS

By EMILY FEATHERSTON It’s not uncommon for teachers who are parents or school administrators to end up having a child who is also a student at their institution.

It’s probably less common to have a child who becomes part of a parent’s professional network.

“N ot very many people get to experience their children as adults in the workplace,” said Mary Beth K aiser, an Algebra A and B teacher at Vestavia Hills High School.

But this year, she has had just that opportunity.

Sarah K aiser, who graduated from VHHS in 2012, joined her mom at the school in the fall to teach Algebra 1 and 2 after gaining a degree in math education from the U niversity of Alabama.

“It’s been a unique opportunity that I’ve really enjoyed,” Mary Beth K aiser said.

Sarah K aiser graduated from U A last May, and when looking for jobs, decided to apply at her alma mater.

“I’ve always described it as my dream job,” Sarah K aiser said, adding that she never thought there would be an opening.

But there was, and she came on in the fall to begin teaching next to some of the very teachers she had as a high schooler.

Sarah K aiser didn’t originally plan on being a math teacher. When she went to Alabama, she was a straight math major because she had always enjoyed the subject, but decided she wanted to use her skills to help people.

Mary Beth K aiser said she never expected her daughter to be a math teacher either, but knew she would do well in a field that involved working with people.

“I didn’t know she would be a math teacher, but when she said she wanted to be a math

Sarah Kaiser, left, and Mary Beth Kaiser, right both teach algebra at Vestavia Hills High School, where Rachel is a sophomore. Photo courtesy of Mary Beth Kaiser.

teacher, thought that was a really good fit or her,” Mary Beth K aiser said.

Sarah aiser said her first year at S has gone quite well.

“It’s been great. Vestavia is really supportive of new teachers,” she said, describing the way she was set up with a mentor teacher to help her through her first year.

“The kids here are wonderful, so it makes my

job a lot easier,” she added.

Rachel K aiser is a 10th grader at VHHS, and said that while she doesn’t see her mom or sister much at school, it’s always nice to have them to ask for favors or money for snacks.

Mary Beth K aiser said she has another daughter who is a sophomore at U A, who is also studying to be a math teacher one day.

Rachel K aiser said she isn’t interested in

teaching math, but that she may look at teaching science.

Mary Beth and Sarah K aiser said that while they could see where the dynamic of having a child as a colleague could be strange, that’s far from the case with them.

“For us, it’s been fun,” Mary Beth K aiser said, “and we’ve enjoyed being able to be in a positive work environment.”

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • B17

Community rallies around students fighting cancer

By EMILY FEATHERSTON Throughout Vestavia, gold bows dot the landscape, a fi ed to mail o es, ront doors and street signs — especially near Pizitz Middle School. he ows are a small sign o sol idarity or two smaller mem ers o the estavia ills community who are fighting one o humanity s larg est battles.

Sam unningham, si th grade, and Will N ailen, seventh grade, are both students at Pizitz and are both currently fighting a orm o pediatric cancer.

Sam is undergoing treatment or acute lympho lastic leukemia, while Will is being treated for Ewing sarcoma.

The boys were diagnosed in late February and early March.

Jenni er Wol e s son has known Sam and the unninghams since kindergarten, and when she ound out about his diagnosis, she said she was at a loss. “ ou ust can t imagine what they re going through, she said. “ ou start thinking, ow can help n an e ort to try to o set some o the e penses incurred during treatment that are not covered by insurance, such as transportation and eeding a amily, Wol e said she and her husband decided to host a car wash at their usiness, Spell man s lassic ar Wash, to enefit

the amily.

The event, which was April 15, grew rom a simple way to reach out into a ull lown community rally, with various vendors donating items and time.

Across town in another home, Shelley aulkner, whose children are good friends with Will and the ailens, was also trying to think o how to show support. t was her son Jay who first pro posed the idea of a shirt, and her daughter mma realized with her friends that they could use the shirts to raise funds for Relay for Life.

After word got around about the WithWill shirts, Shelley aulk ner said her son even came home rom school one day with nearly rom people who wanted to buy one. “ very day usually get a te t a out some ody who wants a shirt, she said. he two teams selling the shirts for Relay have raised about $3,000, she said, and the funds raised will e donated to the American ancer Society in Will s honor.

After Relay, she said they hope to continue selling the shirts at cost to still show support. “ t is so reassuring and com ort ing to know that people ust want to support a amily that they don t even know that well, aulkner said.

A out a week a ter the WithWill shirts took o , estavia parent ate Wheeler decided to start an initiative

to make gold ows to support oth boys. aulkner said she is encouraged that estavians, even those who may not know Sam or Will, have stepped up to support the amilies. isa unningham, Sam s mother, said she, her hus and atrick and the rest o Sam s amily have een over whelmed y the support they have received. “ t is a solutely amazing how they have carried us through this, she said, e pressing her gratitude or the prayers and words o encourage ment. “ od has a plan or us, and ust can t e press in words how grate ul we are to every ody.

Above: Sixth-grader Grayson King at a fundraising car wash for Pizitz Middle School sixth-grader Sam Cunningham on April 15. Photo by Sydney Cromwell.

Left: Gold bows adorn mailboxes and street signs across the city to show support for both Sam and Will. Photo

by Emily Featherston

B18 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

gift guide

For the

GRAD WITH A BRIGHT FUTURE SALT Optics Pratt $479 Classic style defines handcrafted titanium sunglasses fitted with polarized lenses for color-true clarity.

Schaeffer Eye Center 979-2020 SchaefferEyeCenter.com

For the

OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST Yeti Hopper Two Series $299.99 or $349.99 The Hopper Series is still 100 percent leakproof and ready to tackle the wild, now with a wider opening and easier access.

Alabama Outdoors 3054 Independence Drive 870-1919

For the

JEWELRY LOVER Engraved 1-inch Pewter Cuff $25 Commemorate the occasion with this classic cuff.

Bromberg’s 2800 Cahaba Road 871-3276

For the

GROOMER Beehive Bathhouse or No. 63 Lines $5.39+ Beehive Bathhouse skin care, scents, lotions and soap for her. No. 63 skin care, shaving, beard oil and hair and body wash for him.

Rocky Ridge Drug Co. 3346 Morgan Road 259-7100

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • B19

For the

PERSON ON THE GO Canvas Tote $17.95 Your grad can represent their hometown with this stylish bag wherever life takes them.

Alabama Goods 2933 18th St. S. 803-3900

For the

GLAM GRAD Krewe Conti Sunglasses in Bone $525 Conti parades its wild French Quarter soul with its weightless construction, featuring a metal filigreed structure and function flex bridge with mirror lenses.

JJ Eyes 2814 18th St. S. 703-8596

For the

GRAD BOUND FOR BAMA OR AUBURN Collegiate Yeti Rambler $39.99+ Make sure your grad has the right gear as they head to college.

Moran’s Rocky Ridge Hardware 3354 Morgan Drive 979-5444

For the

GRAD OFF TO COLLEGE Charles River Apparel Rain Jacket $60 (including monogram) Made with waterproof polyurethane, mesh backing in body, front zip, zip pockets and hood. Keep your grad dry on campus!

Mainstreet Monograms 160 Main St., Suite 116 444-8989

B20 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

Community 4 Sc o u t s e a r n r a n k o f Ea g l e , r e c o g n i z e d i n C o u r t o f Ho n o r Boy Scout Troop 1, chartered by Southminster Presbyterian Church in Vestavia Hills, held an Eagle Scout Court of Honor on March 5 recognizing four young men who have earned Scouting’s highest rank. The ceremony was held in the sanctuary at Southminster.

Chase Adair is the son of Traci and Riley Adair of Vestavia Hills and a senior at VHHS. He joined Troop 1 in 2010 after crossing over from Cub Scout Pack 1, where he earned his Arrow of Light award. Adair served in several positions of responsibility within the troop, including troop guide. He was a part of the troop’s contingent to Seabase in 2013. Adair earned 22 merit badges and completed his Eagle rank on Feb. 9.

Adair’s Eagle leadership project was to build large benches with planter boxes for the Christian Service Mission at a community garden in Tarrant. Adair designed the benches and raised the funds through donations to purchase the materials. He organized a work crew from the troop and friends to build and install the benches at the site.

Justin Bara is the son of K ristyn and Stasi Bara of Vestavia Hills and a senior at VHHS. He joined Troop 1 in 2010 after crossing over from Cub Scout Pack 1, where he earned his

The newest StepStones installed at the park will be dedicated during a May 28 ceremony honoring those whose names are on the engraved bricks. Photo courtesy of Lloyd Beard/Alice Elmore.

Adair

Bara

Cleveland

Arrow of Light award. Within the troop, Bara has served in several leadership positions, including senior patrol leader. He completed BSA N ational Y outh Leadership Training and is an Ordeal member of the Order of the Arrow.

Bara earned the Triple Crown of High Adventure as part of the troop’s contingents to Seabase in 2013, N orthern Tier in 2015 and with Troop 93’s crew to Philmont in 2016. He earned 29 merit badges and completed his Eagle rank Feb. 9.

Bara’s Eagle leadership project was to improve a trail between the main camp and high ropes area at Camp Winnataska. The steep trail was heavily eroded and di ficult to navi gate. Bara led a team of workers over several

Rhodes

weekends to install 30 railroad ties to reduce erosion and to regrade the trail to improve walkability.

Dylon Cleveland is the son of Trish and Eddie Cleveland of Vestavia Hills and a sophomore at Spring Valley School. He joined Troop 1 in 2012 after crossing over from Cub Scout Pack 311, where he earned his Arrow of Light award.

Within the troop, Cleveland has served in several leadership positions, including assistant senior patrol leader. Cleveland completed BSA N ational Y outh Leadership Training and has earned the Triple Crown of High Adventure by going to Philmont in 2014, N orthern Tier in 2015 and Seabase in 2016. He earned 29 merit badges and completed his Eagle rank on N ov. 17, 2016.

Cleveland’s Eagle leadership project was to build six outdoor benches for Spring Valley School. Cleveland designed the benches and led a crew of workers over several weekends to build the benches and transport them to the school. Four of the benches were placed in the school’s arbor outdoor seating area, and two were placed in the playground area.

Daniel Rhodes is the son of Laura and John Rhodes of Vestavia Hills and a senior at VHHS. He joined Pack 1 in 2010 after crossing over from Cub Scout Troop 1, where he earned his Arrow of Light award. Within the troop, Rhodes has served in several leadership positions, including senior patrol leader. He is an Ordeal member of the Order of the Arrow was part of the troop’s contingents to Seabase in 2013 and N orthern Tier in 2015. Rhodes earned 25 merit badges and earned his Eagle rank on Sept. 8, 2016.

Rhodes’ Eagle leadership project was to build visitor benches for the council ring at Camp Winnataska. Previously, visitors had to sit on old tree stumps while attending campfire events. Rhodes designed the benches and led a crew of workers over several weekends to build the benches and transport them to camp.

–Subm i t t e dby M ar k G ar ne r .

State’s veterans to be honored with ceremony, exhibits Alabama’s veterans will be celebrated with activities at the Alabama Veterans Memorial Park on May 28. The public is invited to this patriotic tribute, taking place from 1-3:30 pm, at the park, which is located near the Liberty Parkway exit of Interstate 459. There is no admission fee and all activities are outdoors.

Boy Scouts from the Vulcan district will kick off the event as they lead the pledge, present the colors and read

names of Alabamians who gave their lives in service in 2016. Volunteers from Bugles Across America will perform “Echo Taps,” and SFC ( Ret.) Stephanie Whatley-Farmer will sing the national anthem.

Free shuttles will be provided from the parking area to the park, and seating is provided at the event. For more information, go to alabamaveterans.org.

–Subm i t t e dby A l i c e E l m or e .

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • B21

Vestavia Hills Real Estate Listings MLS #

Zip

Address

Status

Price

780120

35216

1525 Woodridge Place

New

$950,000

780656

35216

2405 Jacobs Road

New

$259,900

780650

35216

3659 Miller Hill Way

New

$599,900

780576

35216

1431 River Walk Circle

New

$155,900

780456

35216

3452 Tal Wood Drive

New

$220,000

780405

35216

2313 Teton Road

New

$249,900

780340

35216

908 Haviland Drive

New

$365,000

780329

35216

4010 River Walk Lane

New

$174,900

780279

35216

1867 Nottingham Drive

New

$265,000

780230

35216

2220 Tal Brook Road

New

$235,000

780179

35216

1868 Southwood Road

New

$629,900

780096

35216

2204 Gay Way

New

$449,900

778994

35216

2357 Rocky Ridge Road

New

$300,000

780029

35216

2354 Lime Rock Road

New

$315,000

779969

35216

2316 Fox Glen Circle

New

$924,900

779897

35216

1419 River Walk Circle

New

$155,000

779874

35216

2428 Chestnut Road

New

$999,000

779782

35216

1829 Old Creek Trail

New

$269,900

779565

35216

1449 Panorama Drive

New

$659,000

779557

35216

2136 Vestavia Lake Drive

New

$449,000

Real estate listings provided by the Birmingham Association of Realtors on April 17.

Visit birminghamrealtors.com.

1525 Woodridge Place

2357 Rocky Ridge Road

B22 • May 2017

Vestavia Voice

Calendar Vestavia Hills Events May 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29: Vulcan Voices Toastmasters. 6 p.m. Vestavia Hills Board of Education. Learn confidence as a public speaker and strong leader. Visit vestaviahills.org.

May 1: Board of Equalization protest discussion. 2:30 p.m. Vestavia Hills City Hall Executive Conference Room. Resident Jack Norris will be available to discuss the process for protesting home values through the Jefferson County Board of Equalization.

May 2: OLLI UA Summer Open House and Registration. 1-3 p.m. Vestavia Hills City Center. Overview of courses, bonus classes and field trips offered during the summer. Visit olli. ua.edu.

May 2 and 16: VH Toastmaster Club.

6 p.m. Vestavia Hills Board of Education, Room 204. Strengthen and improve communication and leadership skills. Visit vestaviahills.org.

May 4, 11 and 18: Alabama’s Criminal Justice System. 1:30 p.m. Vestavia Hills Civic Center. Presented by OLLI of Greater Birmingham, course covering criminal law, sentencing, jail overcrowding and alternatives to incarceration by

Judge Pete Johnson. Free and open to the public.

Visit olli.ua.edu.

May 5: Artists Incorporated First Friday Reception. 4:30-8:30 p.m. Artists Incorporated. Visit artistsincorporated.com.

May 6: Cajun Seafood House Crawfish Boil. 1-10 p.m. All you can eat for $24.99. Live music and kids’ activities.

May 6: Unless U Shop. Vestavia Hills Civic Center Gym. $10. Visit unlessu.org.

May 7: 39th annual Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition (finals and awards dinner). 6 p.m. Vestavia Hills Country Club. $175 per person includes concert, cocktails and dinner.

Reserve tickets at 322-6737. Visit operabirmingham.org.

May 9, 16, 23 and 30: Food From Other Nations. 1 p.m. Vestavia Hills Civic Center.

Presented by OLLI of Greater Birmingham. Visit olli. ua.edu.

May 9: VHHS Spring Band Concert. 7 p.m. Vestavia Hills High School auditorium.

May 9: Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce Monthly Luncheon. 11:30 a.m. Vestavia Country Club. $20. Visit vestaviahills. org.

May 10, 17 and 31: The Rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. 10:30 a.m. Vestavia Hills Civic Center. Presented by OLLI of Greater Birmingham. Visit olli.ua.edu.

May 11: VHHS Dance Showcase. 7 p.m.

Vestavia Hills High School.

May 12: Immigration Law. Vestavia Hills Civic Center. Presented by OLLI of Greater Birmingham, Immigration Lawyer Michael Shabani will discuss work requirements for illegal immigrants. Free and open to the public. Visit olli. ua.edu.

May 20: Wing Ding Challenge and Festival. 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Vestavia Hills City Hall. $5 tickets, ages 10 and younger free. Visit leadershipvestaviahills.com.

May 24: Vestavia Hills High School Graduation. 7 p.m. Pete Hanna Center, Samford University. Tickets required.

Vestavia Hills Library Events Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest will be open until 9 p.m. during Vestavia Hills High School’s final exams May 17, 18 and 22.

Children Mondays: Maker Mondays. 3:30 p.m.

Make a craft or try STEAM activities and projects.

You choose the activity and create! School age.

Tuesdays: Together with Twos. 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Community Room. Toddler time of stories, songs, finger plays and movement. Ages 18-36 months.

Tuesdays: P.J. Storytime. 6:30 p.m.

Children’s Program Room (except the third Tuesday, which is Family Night).

Wednesdays: Story Friends. 10:30 a.m.

Children’s Program Room. Join Mrs. Lisa for stories and songs. Ages 5 and younger.

Wednesdays: This & That. 3:30 p.m.

Children’s Program Room. All about comics. Grades 3-6.

Thursdays: L.I.F.T. (Library in the Forest Time). 9:30 a.m. to noon. Children’s Programming Room. Special play equipment in the program room for preschoolers and their caregivers.

Thursdays: Book Babies. 10 a.m. Treehouse. Ms. Lisa’s story time for babies up to 18 months. Registration required.

May 6: Family Yoga. 10:30 a.m. Children’s Program Room. An easy yoga class the whole family can enjoy.

May 13: Small Fry Gym. 9 a.m. to noon.

Children’s Program Room. Teach healthy exercise habits with our child-sized exercise equipment designed to keep little ones engaged. Primarily for kids 6 and under.

Teens (Grades 6-12) May 2: The Playlist. 4-5:30 p.m. Community Room. Submit clips and share your favorite channels as we search for the best videos on the internet. Snacks served.

May 3: Teen Art Group. 4-5:30 p.m. Treehouse. Make and share your work while celebrating your artistic talents with fellow teens. Snacks served.

May 5, 12: Open Gaming. 4-5:30 p.m.

Community Room. Enjoy awesome video games on the Wii U and PS4. We’ll also have board games to play and our Playstation VR to try out! Snacks served.

May 9: “Guardians of the Galaxy” Movie Night. 4-6 p.m. Community Room. Celebrate the release of “Guardians II” with this screening of our favorite space heroes! Snacks served.

May 10, 24 & 31: Writing Group. 4-5:30 p.m. Historical Room. A writing group where teens can build writing skills and provide feedback to one another. Snacks served.

May 16: Otaku Time. 4:30 p.m. Historical Room. Play anime-based games and visual novels.

May 17, 18 and 22. 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Historical Room. Thirty-minute study breaks with snacks and games.

May 23: Anime Night. 4-6 p.m. Community Room. Engage with fellow otaku as they watch the anime of their choice. Japanese treats served.

May 26: Towerfall Tournament. 4-5:30 p.m. Community Room. Snacks served.

Adults May 4: Read and Feed Book Group.

6:30-8 p.m. Taziki’s Restaurant in Liberty Park. Eat, drink and discuss “Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders.

May 5: First Friday Fiber Arts. 10 a.m. to noon. Treehouse. Join us on the first Friday of each month for knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, crewel, embroidery and smocking. All skill levels are welcome.

May 8 and 22: Monday Night Tai Chi for Beginners. 6 p.m. Low-impact, slow-motion exercise taught by a certified instructor. Ages 18 and older.

May 9: Ms. Olivia’s Evening Reads Book Group. 6-7:30 p.m. Historical Room.

Discuss “The Last Crossing of the Lusitania” by Erik Larson.

May 10: ABCs of Medicare. 1-2 p.m.

Treehouse. Independent Benefits Adviser Karen Haiflich provides simple, straightforward answers to help you better understand Medicare and all of the options available to you. Free and open to everyone.

May 11 & 25: Adult Tai Chi Classes Beginner/Intermediate. 2 p.m. Community Room. Low-impact, slow-motion exercise taught by a certified instructor. Ages 18 and older.

Technology (Call Bethany at 978-4679 to register) May 1: Windows 10. 4-5:30 p.m. Electronic Classroom.

May 3: Microsoft Word. 2-3:30 p.m. Electronic Classroom.

VestaviaVoice.com

May 2017 • B23

May 8: Intro to 3-D printing. 4-5:30 p.m.

Electronic Classroom.

Creative Café. See the 3-D printers in action and get your printing questions answered.

May 9: Apple Mobile Devices with Tech Ease. 2-3:30 p.m. Children’s Program Room. A Certified Apple Consultant answers your questions about Apple mobile products including iPhones, iPads and Macbooks. Registration is not required, and everyone is welcome.

May 16: AppDroid: Top Free Apps for Android. 10-11:30 a.m. Electronic Classroom.

May 15: 3-D Printing Open Lab. 4-6 p.m.

May 22: Simply Circuits. 4-5:30 p.m.

Creative Café.

May 25: Microsoft Publisher. 6-7:30 p.m.

Electronic Classroom.

Area Events May 1: BAO Bingo. 7 p.m. Birmingham AIDS Outreach. $15-$25. Visit birminghamaidsoutreach. org.

Theatre Company. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $1 and up. Visit redmountaintheatre.org.

May 1: BSC Symphonic Band Presents: Vacations Around the World. 7 p.m. Hill Amphitheater. Free. Visit bsc.edu.

May 12-13: Supra Boats Pro Wakeboard Tour. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oak Mountain State Park. $5 park admission fee. Visit wake boardingmag.com

May 4: Birmingham Art Crawl. 5-9 p.m.

113 22nd St. N. Meet local artists and performers and buy their work. Visit birminghamartcrawl.com.

May 4-14: Oak Mountain Spring State Fair. 5:30 p.m. weeknights, noon, weekends. Oak Mountain Amphitheatre. $8 admission, $5 parking.

Visit oakmountainstatefair.com.

May 5-6: Alabama Symphony Orchestra EBSCO Masterworks Series. 7:30 p.m. $25-$74. Visit alabamasymphony.org.

May 5-7 GEICO 500 Weekend. Talladega Superspeedway. ARCA Racing Series 5 p.m. Friday; NASCAR finity Series 12 p.m. Saturday; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 1 p.m. Sunday. Visit talladega superspeedway.com.

May 6: Big Green Eggs in the ‘Ham. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Birmingham oo. Fundraiser for Easter Seals. $20 per person, $35 per couple, $55 for family four pack.

May 6: 39th annual Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition (semifinals . 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall. 20 singers from around the nation compete for a chance to sing in the finals. Students $10, adults $25. Visit operabirmingham.org.

May 6: Mudbugs and Music. 2-9 p.m.

Cahaba Brewing Company. Benefiting the Arthritis Foundation. $15 adults, children 12 and younger, $5. Visit arthritis.org mudbugsmusic.

May 6: Southeastern Outings Canoe and Kayak Trip on the Elk River. Elkmont.

Depart a.m. from Hayden Corner Park and Ride.

Make reservations at seoutings bellsouth.net.

May 6, 13, 20 and 27: The Market at Pepper Place. 7 a.m. to noon. Visit pepper placemarket.com.

May 7: 26th annual Arty Party. 3 p.m. B&A Warehouse. Benefiting Birmingham AIDS Outreach.

Live art auction, hors d’oeuvres and wine. Visit birminghamaidsoutreach.org.

May 13: Party in the Park. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rhodes Park. Unity of Birmingham fundraiser.

Free.

May 13: Second Saturday at Sloss Walk and Talk.10:30 a.m. Garden at Sloss uarters. Presented by Birmingham Historical Society. Visit bhistorical.org.

May 17-21: Regions Tradition - PGA Champions Golf Tournament. Greystone Country Club. Begins at 8 a.m. each day. Visit regionstradition.com.

May 19: Alabama Symphony Orchestra Coffee Concerts. 11 a.m. Alys Stephens Center. $18, $28 and $34. Visit alabamasymphony.org.

May 19-20: Alabama Symphony Orchestra EBSCO Masterworks Series. 8 p.m. $25-$74. Visit alabamasymphony.org.

May 19-21 Barber Historics. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds. On-track action, cars on display and more. $10-$4 . Visit barberracingevents.com.

May 20: 8th annual Bob Sykes BBQ and Blues Festival. Noon to 8 p.m. DeBardeleben Park in historic downtown Bessemer. General admission $15, children 12 and younger free. Visit bobsykesblues.com.

May 20: Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra Spring Concert. 2 p.m. Alys Stephens Center. Free. Visit alabamasymphony.org.

May 20: UAB Piano Day. 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Alys Stephens Center. For pre-college students and piano teachers. Visit uab.edu.

May 20: Do Dah Day. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Caldwell Park. Pet parade, arts and crats, kid’s activities and music. Visit dodahday.org.

May 20: 23rd annual Creek Bank Festival. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Leeds Memorial Park. Visit leedsareachamber.com.

May 7: Southeastern Outings Sunday Stroll along the Yellow Leaf Creek.

Depart 1:30 p.m. from DVGWT trail head on Shelby County 41. For information, call Dan Frederick 6314680. Visit seoutings.org.

May 20: Southeastern Outings Canoe and Kayak Trip on the Tallapoosa River. Helfin. Depart 9 a.m. from Leeds U.S. 78 gravel parking lot. Make reservations at seoutings bellsouth.net.

May 8: Southeastern Outings Bicycle Ride. Horse Creek Trail, Dora. Depart a.m. from mart Green Springs or :30 a.m. in lobby of Sumiton Walmart. For information, call Dan Frederick 631-4680. Visit seoutings.org.

May 20-21: Tannehill Trade Days. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park. $3-$5. Visit tannehill.org.

May 9: Southeastern Outings Weekday Cahaba Lily Walk. Hargrove Shoals along the Cahaba River in Bibb County. Depart 9 a.m. from McDonald’s by Riverchase Galleria. For information, call Dan Frederick 631-4680. Visit seoutings.org.

May 11: Alabama Symphony Orchestra Classical Masters Series. Lyric Theatre.

7:30 p.m. $30-$50. Visit alabamasymphony.org.

May 12: Alabama Symphony Orchestra Red Diamond SuperPops! Series. 8 p.m.

Alabama Theatre. Salute to Hollywood Blockbusters. $23, $46 and $58. Visit alabamasymphony.org.

May 12-28: Dreamgirls. Red Mountain

May 21: 2017 VIVA Health Starlight Gala featuring Itzhak Perlman. 6 p.m.

Alys Stephens Center. $150. Visit alysstephens.org.

May 25: Alabama Symphony Orchestra Classical Masters Series. 7:30 p.m.

Lyric Theatre. $30-$50. Visit alabamasymphony. org.

May 27: Southeastern Outings Dayhike at Smith Mountain Fire Tower. Lake Martin. Depart 10 a.m. from Publix at Lee Branch.

For information, call 301-8367.

May 31: 22nd annual Rickwood Classic. 12:30 p.m. Birmingham Barons vs.

Chattanooga Lookouts. Regions Field. $10. Visit barons.com.