Bluff Park Neighorhood Reader - May/June 2024

2024

Two green thumbs

Kevin Russell’s top 5

gardening tips

Table of Contents

8 Home is Where The Art Is

Darla

Williamson

12 Top Gardening Tips

Kevin Russell shares some green thumb advice.

10 Church Chat Reverend Marge Doyle

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church

28 Echoes from the Hallways

Explore the history of Bluff Park Elementary

Photos

19 High Country 5k

Annual 3.1 mile run through Bluff Park

20

Vocabulary Parade at Bluff Park Elementary

BPES students and one of their favorite events of the year

24

Hopping Good Time

Easter bunny spotted in Bluff Park

I could not tell you the day I met Darla Williamson, but we have been friends for many years now. We just meshed like we had always known each other. She introduced me to Zentangle, a form of drawing that my non-artistic self picked up and loved. I can’t even draw stick figures. I have made Christmas cards and taken classes with Darla in person and on Zoom. It is relaxing for me. For my daughter, I commissioned Darla to create Zentangled letters to hang over her crib/bed. We even put special hidden items with special meanings in them. We have shared our love for our four-legged fur babies and the heartbreaking loss when we must let them go. She is one of my trusted people. I am so glad that June, one of our freelance writers, ran with a story idea featuring Darla and her family.

In our second Bluff Park Neighborhood Reader issue, I hope you find inspiration all around you, like Darla. If the pollen does not have you trapped indoors, maybe you will try

your hand at some home gardening. Kevin Russell, Bluff Park’s seasoned gardener, has some tips to get your green thumb going. It has already been an eventful spring with Easter Egg Hunts and school highlights. Be sure to flip through the photo album pages for some great snapshots.

As we continue our history journey this month, I am reminded how many photos and handwritten notes I studied while researching our community history. The school photos always intrigue me. Each image, with faded colors and distinct hairstyles, acts as a portal to a simpler time when the biggest worries were probably homework and what game to play during recess. I will take you through Bluff Park Elementary School’s early history, and we will land in the mid-90s.

I hope you enjoy our May issue of the Bluff Park Neighborhood Reader

Heather Skaggs, Content Director bluffwriter@gmail.com

Who We Are Staff

The Bluff Park Neighborhood Reader is a bi-monthly magazine published by JBMC Media, a Bluff Park-based, family-owned publisher of magazines in the Birmingham metro area. The magazine is mailed to more than 4,300 homes and businesses in the Bluff Park area.

Subscriptions are available to anyone outside our immediate mailing area for $25 per year. Email subscribe@jbmcmedia.com for details on how to subscribe or send a gift subscription.

Does your business want to connect with Bluff Park residents? Email us: advertise@jbmcmedia.com, and let’s talk!

All content in this magazine remains the property of JBMC Media, LLC. Any requests to reprint or republish should be directed to matthew@jbmcmedia.com.

Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.

On the Cover

Bluff Park is known for its appeal to artists – It’s the vibe here, as Darla Williamson perfectly puts it. Williamson, a mixed media artist and certified Zentangle teacher finds it inspirational. So what is Zentangle, you may ask? Well, it is a method of drawing that, at its core, embodies simplicity and elegance through intricate designs and textures. Zentangle emphasizes the process, making it both a meditative practice and a form of artistic expression. Williamson is one of only 17 certified teachers in the entire state of Alabama, and she calls Bluff Park – Home.

617-9609

381-1311 michelle@jbmcmedia.com

PHOTO BY MOLLY SMITH FOR JBMC MEDIA.

Michelle

Rebecca LeBlanc

Molly Smith

Shweta

HOME Is Where THE ART IS

This local artist finds inspiration just outside her front door

BY JUNE MATHEWS

Darla Williamson is living her best life. A mixed media artist and teacher, she has turned her passion into a career and become a recognized face in the world of Zentangle art. She believes living in Bluff Park is one of the secrets to her success as an artist.

“This area inspires it,” she said. “The neighborhood definitely has a creative vibe. So many creative and artistic people live here, doing everything from writing to music to photography to painting.”

Williamson and her husband, Derek, moved to Bluff Park as near-newlyweds in 2012, two months after she had taken studio space at the neighborhood’s Artists on the Bluff education center and completely fallen in love with the area. She was a former banker turned teaching artist; he was and still is an engineering professor at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

“We married in 2010, later in age than most of our contemporaries,” she said. “It was a first marriage for both of us. He was on a tenure track; I was a corporate banker working in distribution planning. We were invested in our careers.”

PHOTOS BY MOLLY SMITH

Darla Williamson plays with one of her two dogs in her studio.

Once they settled on the Bluff, the Williamsons were joined first by Sophia and later Jasper, two standard poodles that share a grandmother. With their curly camel-colored coats (Sophia’s a shade or two lighter) and soulful brown eyes, the canine family members serve as gentle guardians of the Williamson home, including their dog mom’s Tangled Stones studio.

The name of the studio combines Williamson’s two favorite forms of art, Zentangle, and pottery, both of which she was doing when she started her art business. Pottery, she said, has been on the back burner since she closed her last studio in 2020, leaving her free to concentrate her artistic efforts on Zentangle.

Zentangle was developed by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts of Massachusetts as an easy method of forming images with structured patterns in 2004. The use of simple lines and shapes to create art is relaxing and fun, and attracts people of all ages and in all stages of life.

“What I’ve found is that Zentangle appeals to people in transition,” said Williamson. “Maybe they’ve lost a spouse or a job, or their kids have gone off to college, and they’re dealing with an empty nest. It’s people who are trying to figure out what to do next.”

Williamson should know. During her transition from the buttoned-up world of banking to the more laid-back life of a creative, she experienced her own change-induced struggles.

“It took me forever to feel like I could go to TJ Maxx on a Tuesday at 2 o’clock and not feel guilty,” she said. “We get so programmed into that productivity and stress, stress, stress, and it takes a while to get out of that. I still have dreams about working through problems at the bank.”

But, as she learned, “my art was a nice landing spot.”

Williamson became a CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher) in 2011 while she was still in banking, enabling her to share her love of the art. After she left banking in January 2012, she taught art at the Artists on the Bluff center in Bluff Park until its closing in 2017.

Williamson then moved to a studio in nearby Shades Mountain Plaza. She switched to online teaching when COVID restrictions were imposed in early 2020. Through her “Wednesdays with Darla” on Facebook Live, she became known far and wide, not only for her art but for helping to soften the strangeness of the pandemic.

In keeping with the times, Williamson’s overhead camera shots were achieved with the help of an identifiable purple can of disinfectant.

“People from all over the world joined in,” she said. “From those classes, I gained recognition and a following clamoring for more of the same.”

Williamson currently teaches through libraries and other outlets, but she continues to hope that another educational or fine arts center will someday be in the city of Hoover’s future.

In the meantime, she’ll join in celebrating the milestone 20th anniversary of Zentangle and continue to enjoy its beauty, benefits, and the relationships she’s formed through art.

“It’s great to be in a community of like-minded people,” she said. “I had always gone to business conferences where people were about giving lists of accomplishments, not sharing a love of something.

“But if you’re at a Zentangle conference, everybody is excited, relaxed, happy to be there, and happy to be with each other.”

Darla has new classes coming this summer to the library. Be sure to check her website for upcoming events.

Church Chat

BY HEATHER JONES SKAGGS

Rev. Marge Doyle: “Being a chaplain and pastor means letting God show you how you might love your neighbor even in unusual situations.”

Our chat with Rev. Doyle...

Please share with us your story and what led you to pursue the calling of pastor.

Growing up my home was near the Blue Hills, the northernmost point of the Appalachian range. The woods, trees, and huge boulders were my quiet places, as prevalent in my life as the church was. I was raised in an Irish Catholic family, and worship was a regular part of my weekly and daily life. As a small child, I would go outside to have my private chats with God. I heard a call to be a pastor when I was very young, but the journey took many routes. My search for how to be a minister took me through college and degrees in psychology and theology and on a southward journey to Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, and now Alabama, where I share my home with my son, who is a teacher, and two wonderful dogs. I joined an order of Catholic sisters after college and started my ministry as a chaplain there. Ministry fit, but the convent life did not. I continued as a hospital chaplain. Sometime later, I married an Episcopal priest, becoming a mother to his 8-yearold daughter and later to our son. In 2005, I joined the Episcopal Church and began studies for ordination. I was ordained in 2013.

When did you become the rector at St. Albans?

In 2014, St. Alban’s was looking for a rector. I was approached by the Diocese to consider Alabama and St. Alban’s. I think it was a match made in heaven. After 37 years as a hospital and hospice chaplain, I moved to Alabama.

What is your favorite thing about living in Bluff Park?

Bluff Park is a community. Most of our folks live in average homes and apartments, take an interest in their neighbors, and love the quieter lifestyle of a village where neighbors get to know each other, visit on front porches, and enjoy community things like the Halloween Trail and Christmas Parade which St. Alban’s participates.

What hobbies do you enjoy or places you like to visit?

I love Wild Roast Cafe. I often have small meetings there, with coffee and friends. I go to concerts

there as well. I also enjoy the Birmingham Art Museum, the Civil Rights Museum, and Vulcan Park and Museum. There are so many wonderful wooded areas to walk, sit, and read.

Tell us about the worship services and additional programs offered at St. Albans. St. Alban’s has much to offer. Every Sunday, we have two services, one at 8 a.m., which is a sensory quiet service, and the second at 10 a.m., which includes organ and piano music and a choir. All are welcome. We have a wonderful choir and choir director. Coffee hour follows, and most folks stay for visiting, coffee, cookies, and other snacks. We have childcare during the 10 a.m. service, where our nursery teacher plans lessons, crafts, and activities that highlight the Sunday readings.

Our little church has been part of the Bluff Park neighborhood since 1961; some of our activities include Youth Groups that meet every 6-8 weeks, bible studies, and a Wisdom Group, which looks at what is happening in our lives and how God is present. We have a book study going on, and last summer, we had an introduction to American Sign Language class, which we hope will be repeated this summer. Many of our neighbors enjoy our space for their kids to try out bikes, skates, etc. Others walk up here and meditate in the gardens.

How does the church help guests feel welcome, and what can visitors expect?

St. Alban’s is a church where you will not be a stranger. Folks will greet you, invite you to coffee hour, ensure you have a bulletin and announcements, and welcome you. That is another blessing of this church: people wander in and become family. They will welcome you, pray for you, care about you, and most likely give you a loaf of homemade bread to take home.

Would you share an experience or story from your time as a rector that holds special meaning to you?

Recently, a young man came in to provide a service to the church. I could tell he did not look well. I asked, and he told me that he had had COVID-19 recently and just could not shake it. He had been suffering for several months now. I shared with him my experience of having COVID-19 in 2022, which turned into long Covid. As we talked, I asked him if he had ever experienced anointing for healing. In the next moments, I anointed and prayed over him.

Being a chaplain and pastor means letting God show you how you might “love your neighbor” even in unusual situations. He came in expecting my signature. He left with a different sign altogether. Thanks be to God.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARGE DOYLE Reverend. Marge Doyle is Rector at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church.

Kevin Russell’s Top 5 Gardening Tips

BY HEATHER JONES SKAGGS

In the heart of Bluff Park, Kevin Russell tends his garden behind his house on Park Avenue. The local home gardener with a passion for nurturing life from the soil is the founder of Bluff Park Farms, a Facebook group for all garden enthusiasts. Established in 2016, this online community quickly blossomed into a thriving hub of green-thumbed individuals, all eager to exchange tips, celebrate their gardening triumphs, and seek advice. We asked Kevin to share his top gardening tips. So, get your gardening gloves on and let’s get to planting.

Advice: Finding great professional advice will save you time and money. There is a tremendous amount of great information online and talking with other gardeners will be rewarding for your garden from their experience. Find a site like Bluff Park Farms (BPF) that gives out free advice to fellow gardeners and will answer your questions. Build a detailed calendar with a todo list for your key garden chores that includes soil conditioning, planting times, and fertilizing.

Soil conditioning: Not all dirt is the same. You can have your soil tested and you will know exactly what you need for your garden soil. I never have. I tend to go with lots of organics as Mother Nature provides for her forest. Composting is a big part of the garden and the better the compost you can make or find, will produce better stronger and more productive plants.

Sunlight: Every basic garden will need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day to fully develop plants to the point of good production.

A bountiful harvest from Kevin’s garden. PHOTOS COURTESY KEVIN RUSSELL, BLUFF PARK FARMS

Next is knowing which plants like the most light compared to those that only need 6 hours. My lettuce and parsley like 6 hours while my tomatoes and peppers love as much as they can get. I planted a few smaller trees to give me that afternoon shade for those plants that need less.

Water Consistency: Always try to keep the plant at the same consistency with water when possible. They will wilt when they need it but over watering can cause diseased shallow rotting. You can buy a meter to monitor the water level in your soil.

Weed Control: If you have raised beds or doing container gardening it’s not a big problem, but for larger plots as ours at Bluff Park Farms, we must take on the weeds with other methods. This year we are putting down a weed barrier to give us more time to garden instead of weeding which I do not like. Find your way to handle the weeds before they get a chance to take over. Some kids wanted to show me how fast they could run from one point to another. Very cute!”

DECORATIVE KITCHEN + BATH DESIGN CENTER

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Call and schedule your consultation appointment at one of our three convenient locations, or, if you’re in the neighborhood, you are always welcome to walk in and browse.

Bluff Park Native Carlo H. Joseph,III Executive Vice President

Samford honors Simmons

assistant principal

Dr. Chelsea Bayko, an assistant principal at Simmons Middle School and former Bluff Park Elementary assistant principal, received the Outstanding Dissertation Award for the 2023-24 academic year from Samford University. Award recipients are nominated and voted on by the faculty at Samford University. She was recognized during a special presentation at Samford on April 10.

Station 5 Officer Honored

Hoover Fire Chief Clay Bentley recognized Marcus Chambers as the Firefighter of the Year for his exceptional attitude and strong work ethic. Chambers, who works out of Bluff Park’s Station 5, was commended for his courageous actions last July when he helped save a man from a pit bull attack by using a pry bar to free the victim. He then safely removed the dog, allowing paramedics to assist the injured man. During a luncheon at the Hoover Country Club, Chambers was one of five individuals named among the city’s 2023 Public Safety Workers of the Year. The other honorees were Paramedic of the Year Lee Kilgore, Police Officer of the Year, TJ Denson, Detention Officer of the Year, Chelsie Smith, and 911 Operator of the Year, Jessica Boyd.

Justine and Wayne Photography

Marcus Chambers

fishermen

Bluff Park. Congratulations to Tate Turner and Gavin Seewald for their outstanding performance at the recent Bassmasters High School Series at Douglas Lake in Tennessee, earning them a spot in the national competition. Gavin will be competing for the second consecutive year. Coming up in a future issue of the Bluff Park Neighborhood Reader, hear from the anglers about their achievements and fishing life!

Top 25 Schools

During the March Hoover City Schools board meeting, Bluff Park Elementary received acknowledgment for being among the Top 25 Schools in Alabama! The House Council from Bluff park graciously accepted this recognition on behalf of the school.

Tamsyn Gibbs Commits to UAH Track and Field

Tamsyn Gibbs, a Hoover High School senior and Bluff Park resident, signed her letter of intent to compete for the University of Alabama at Huntsville in track and field. She is the daughter of Thomas and Leah Gibbs. A signing ceremony was held at Hoover High School on April 1.

PHOTO

High Country 5K

PHOTOS BY

MOLLY SMITH AND MATTHEW ALLEN

The annual High Country 5k, hosted by Shades Crest Baptist Church, was run on Saturday, April 6. More than 200 runners made the 3.1 mile run through Bluff Park.

Curtis and Henry Clark

Adam Vansant Reese Bousquet

Zach Renta

Christopher Brymer

Aspen Perry, Janet Tidwell, Mary Robinson, and Kari Tibbs

Jeremy Bearden and Jimbo Auchmuty

Caroline Stuart and Carol Shepherd

Hubert Couch

Simmons Middle School drumline

Shawn Burns, Henry Bowden, Grayson Toenes, and Ian Chatterton

Laura, Levi, and Benjamin Debiasi, Megan, Charles and Jessica Mills

Kelly Moujoodi

Easy as A-B-C

Vocabulary Parade

Bluff Park Elementary students practiced their vocabulary words with a special vocabulary parade on March 8. Students chose a word and had to creatively dress up to explain the definition of their word.

Burns M.

Charlotte P.

Crawford and Cara L.

Lydia J.

Lucia P.

Lottie F.

Liam and Ollie N.

Photo Album

Zion and Moses D. Lillian L.

Miles B. Mary K.

Sam W.

Shep and Jett M.

Parker M.

Millie P.

Spencer M. William F.

Zephyr M.

Lucy J.

Ashley Caffey honored by APT Award Program

Ashley Caffey, an exceptional education teacher at Bluff Park Elementary, was named Alabama Public Television’s “Excellence in Education” winner for February. The award program receives nominations from around the state and awards a new teacher each month with a $500 for professional development, classroom materials, supplies, visiting experts, field trips or other resources, products, events, etc. that directly impact the success of students and the promotion of learning.

Cecelia Tate honored for 32 years of service

Cecelia Tate, Shades Mountain Elementary’s child nutrition program manager, was recognized at the Hoover BOE’s March board meeting as the longest-tenured CNP employee in the Hoover school system, having served for 32 years.

Hammonds honored as Employee of the Year

Bluff Park resident Shay Hammonds was recognized as the South Shades Crest Elementary School’s Employee of the Year. Shay works at SSCE as an office aide.

Hopping Good Time

Bluff Park United Methodist Church hosted its well-known Easter Egg Hunt on March 23. Volunteers and staff carefully filled 10,000 eggs with candy for local children to gather in their baskets. The event featured a morning of excitement, prizes, and a chance to meet the Easter Bunny at the church. Additionally, the Easter Bunny appeared at the community park to hide eggs on March 30 for another egg hunt held by a group of moms from the Bluff Park Mom’s Facebook Group. After a three-year hiatus, this group revived the beloved tradition. Kids gathered at Shades Cliff Park and Pavilion for an afternoon of hunting, enjoying snow cones and glitter activities, and taking photos with the Easter Bunny.

Ginny W. and Max M.

John, Libby, and Drew H.

Kaki, Shilo, and Carter G.

Maggie B., Millie P. and Charlie D.

Charlotte S. and Amy M.

Photo Album

M.J. and Carol G.

Kate S., Julie B., Emmy S., Campbell S., and Charlie B.

Lauren and James M.

Ben J., Katie J., Jenny J., and Riley J.

Raleigh, Haiden, and Kinsey

Walker, Shelby S., Bayli, and Nathan S.

Amelia, Serena, and Naureen G.

Echoes from the Hallways: Unveiling the History of Bluff Park Elementary School

The roots of our community school run deep

BY HEATHER JONES SKAGGS

Not every kid can say they attend a school that started in the late 1800s - It began as Summit, a one-room church and school at the intersection of what is now Tyler Road, Valley Street, and Alford Avenue. In 1921, the church voted to change its name to Bluff Park Baptist Church (now Church on the Bluff and still located at Mcguire Drive.) The school moved to Park Avenue and evolved into Bluff Park School.

There are only a few photos of the original one room church and schoolhouse. Thanks to the Hale family members like Harvey Hill Copeland, and writing from teachers like Ann Susan Hale and Irene Hagins (we will learn about her soon) and notes from Irene’s History of the Church, we are able to look into the past and see our Bluff Park neighbors and family from many years gone by. On the back of this photo are notes from Mr Copeland “The left side was original building 20 x 20, then the right side was added. Miss Ann Susan Hale was 1st teacher here in 1898-99. Torn down about 1952 after new church was built in 1951.”

PHOTO COURTESY SUSAN HALE COPELAND KELLEY

Class picture days looked a little different back in the early years of Summit School. Notice in the photos the names written. Harvey Hill Copeland worked to identify as many children as possible in the historic photos. Most of the students at the time were children of founding families (that we talk about in the March issue of Bluff Park Neighborhood Reader) that lived on the mountain.

Summit School Becomes Bluff Park School on Park Avenue

In 1923/24 there were only about 50 students attending the school. The first teachers at this location were Pearl Cranford and Ethel Hale. In this photo to the right you see Pearl Cranford and Ethel Hale standing with their students in front of Bluff Park School. This photograph is an original from the Cranford/Ash family.

Mid 40s to late 50s

Bob Cotten and Walt Bradley were in 1st or 2nd grand in the photo above. At the time it was not uncommon for the grades to be combined. With the help of Laurens and Bob Cotten, and Walt Bradley we have managed to identify some of their school mates. From Left seated are Nick Hauser, Walt Bradley, Dan Noble, George Frey, Hale Hillhouse, uncertain, Bill Johnson. Second row up, Bob Cotten is the third child from the left, followers by Dewey McCarley, and Hanson Morgan, the rest on the row are uncertain. On the 3rd and 4th rows identified are Jan Griswold, Betty Jean Knight.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF IMAGES OF AMERICA HOOVER, ARCADIA PUBLISHING

PHOTO COURTESY BOB AND LAURENS COTTEN

Pictured here is Mrs Ingram’s second grade class in the library from 1978.

A New Era

Over the decades, Bluff Park Elementary school has gone through several expansions and additions including 32 classrooms, a cafeteria/auditorium, kitchen and library.

In the 1990s the new Bluff Park Elementary School was built right alongside the historic campus and opened in phases with students.

Bluff Park’s original school was used for Hoovers Community Education Program until it closed. The old school house was also used for a community meeting space, Artists on the BLuff arts collective which was similar to community education. The Hoover Historical Society also kept its archives in the old school.

In 2017 the Hoover superintendent and school officials decided that the old school needed to be demolished. Historians and active members of the community fought and school officials did see the need to preserve the historic part of the campus - the original school house building. Today it is home to Hoover City Schools Student Services Department.

1987 Mrs Watson 1st grade class. Seated from left are, Sam Cathey, Kevin Markeles, Jeremy Harmon, Jeff Comer, Robert Juneau, Sammie Robertson. Second row, Jamie Jones, Sarah White, Laura Smitherman, Amy Kimsey, Jessica Plemons, Anna King, Caroline Weaver, Morgan Wood, Julie Harbin, Lindsey Harron. Third row top, Mrs Watson, Matt Crumpton, Chris Wanner, Adam Bourne, Spencer Justice, Kevin Miller, Tommy Dukatz, Jay Harris, Mris Chambers. Fourth row, Ross Brockway, Matthew Warren, Jamie Burchfield, Jamie Lawson, Stacey Foshee, Anna Zeiger, Renee Allison.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREA GARDNER

PHOTO COURTESY ANNA CHATTERTON

PHOTOS COURTESY ROBIN SCHULTZ BLUFF PARK DRONE

2024

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