MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Message from the Mayor
The leaves are changing, cooler temperatures are here, and my favorite season has arrived. I hope everyone is enjoying this time of year as we wind down 2024. Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner and that will bring lots of time to enjoy with family and friends. Here in Gardendale, we have so much to be thankful for and I am very thankful to serve as your mayor.
As mayor, I am very blessed to have the opportunity to serve with the five council members shown above. Over the last 10 years we have made great strides, and we are continuing our efforts to make Gardendale an even greater place to live, work, shop and play. We are united in our efforts and hold to our Christian values in making critical decisions as leaders.
Public safety is the key component in any city, and we are committed to do our best in keeping our residents safe and protected. Our police department and fire departments are second to none and are devoted to the residents of our city as well as our guests. Please take the time to thank them for their service any time that you see them out and about.
Our latest project is the construction of Fire Station 3 on Tarrant Road. This is a beautiful, new building that is nearing completion. Staffing will begin in 2025 and this will help us provide better coverage on the east side of the city as well as the city as a whole.
The new Bill Noble Park has been such a blessing for so many families in our community who pour into the park on a daily basis. Also, it has become one of the premier destinations for travel ball teams from across the southeast and beyond. Our city is growing and it takes the efforts of over 200 dedicated, city employees that work in 9 different departments. Each department provides a critical service for our residents. I am so thankful for each and every one of them and they do a great job serving the residents of Gardendale.
In education, we are committed to making the four public schools in our city limits the very best they can be. Our commitment to these children is shown by the fact that we have contributed over five million dollars over the last 4 years.
Other things are in the works, and I hope to be making additional announcements in the very near future. New opportunities, new developments, and quality of life improvements. In closing, like I’ve said many times, I stand on God’s promises and firmly believe that “Greater things have yet to be done in our city!”
Pictured left to right: Greg Colvert, Alvin Currington, Adam Berendt, Stan Hogeland, Will Hardman, and Bryan Knox
Scan QR to view the district map online!
Stan Hogeland, Mayor City of Gardendale
I’m so excited about the Tour of Homes, organized by the ladies on this month’s cover. Just Keep Smiling is a phenomenal organization and their fundraisers have a tendency to become community traditions.
In addition, we have our first employee spotlight story in this issue. Each month we will be highlighting an employee who serves the citizens of Gardendale, because we want to know how much their work is appreciated.
We also have photos from the annual GES Fall Festival, a story about one of our local businesses and a story about our local Boy Scout troop honoring their late leader with a beautiful garden.
We have some exciting new features beginning the coming months that we hope you will enjoy, and, as always, we hope to hear from you when you spot something that would make a great story. Some of our best features have come from your ideas.
As we move into the holiday season, there are a number of activities and events, which means crowds, increased traffic and high stress. Please try to remember why we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas and be patient and kind in your interactions. Now, more than ever, we could all do with a little more kindness and patience.
Rachel Davis Karr, Content Director
/ About Us / On The Cover
About the Cover
PHOTO BY HEATHER WARDEN, WARDEN PHOTOGRAPHY
Who We Are
Gardendale Magazine is published monthly by JBMC Media, a Birmingham-based publishing company. The magazine is available at nearly 90 locations throughout Gardendale, free of charge, and is supported by the advertisers within the pages of this magazine. Subscriptions by mail area also available for $35 per year. Email matthew@jbmcmedia.com for more information.
Gardendale Magazine is 100% local; the stories and photos are all about the city of Gardendale, its residents, its businesses, its schools, and its cultural institutions. It’s our promise to you that we will always keep it this way, so that the content and stories are relevant to everyone who calls Gardendale home.
Sue Jeffreys, Debra Cook and Patrice Brooks are excited about the Christmas Tour of Homes that will serve as a fundraiser for Just Keep Smiling.
Our Advertisers
It’s never easy asking businesses to invest in advertising, so we want to give a VERY special thank you to these businesses. Please, support them!
ACE of the South - Gardendale
Adair Tire Pros
Adair Tire Pros
Budget Blinds
Cakes by Elise
Cassidy Glass, Inc.
Children’s of Alabama
City of Gardendale
Closets by Design
Davidson Trucking Inc.
Deo Gloria Wood Works
Fieldstown Dental Care
Glover Chiropractic
Healthy Kids of Gardendale
KUMO Sushi & Asian
Louver Shop of North Alabama
Luma Dentistry - Gardendale
M & M Tire & Mechanical
Maggie G. Pond, DMD
Merle Norman Cosmetics
Monita’s Bakery
Mullins Heating & Air
North Hill Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
Parrot Structural Services
Reliable Home Services LLC
Reliable Septic Service
Ridout’s Gardendale Chapel & Oakwood Memorial Gardens
Singletary Plumbing, Inc.
Skinology Esthetics, LLC
Southern Focus Vision Center
The Chiropractic Oasis of Gardendale LLC
The Covenant Place of Gardendale
The Harrison Agency
TherapySouth
Village Dermatology
Vulcan Termite and Pest Control
Staff
Matthew Allen Publisher (205) 617-9609
matthew@jbmcmedia.com
Rachel Davis Karr Content Director (205) 613-7850 rachel@jbmcmedia.com
Michelle Salem Haynes Marketing Consultant (205) 381-1311 michelle@jbmcmedia.com
Amy Phillips Marketing Consultant (205) 515-2564 amy@jbmcmedia.com
Anthony Bratina Cover Designer
Shweta Bratina Graphic Designer
Emily VanderMey Listo Operations & Project Manager Graphic Designer
PROUD MEMBER
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MEXICAN FOOD TRUCK
NOVEMBER 9TH: EUGENE’S HOT CHICKEN
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SATURDAY SALES AND
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*EVENTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
HOMECOMING
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE GARDENDALE SCHOOLS
Gardendale schools celebrated Homecoming with a week full of events and fun. The Homecoming King and Queen were Charlie Binzel and Zion Jones. Teachers Homecoming Court was King Coach Prestridge and Queen Mrs. Shankles.
Scouts honor late scoutmaster
For generations, Mechell Malone Ballard led Boy Scout Troop 100 as they learned skills, gained confidence and grew into men. As Ballard waged a courageous battle with cancer, she stayed involved as long as she could and continued to encourage her scouts and others from her social media profile. When she died last year, the heartbroken Troop looked for ways to honor her.
At the time, they were still working on renovating the new scout hut and a decision was made to install a garden outside the hut so that Ballard could continue looking over the troop she had nurtured for so many years. The garden is shaped like a large butterfly and is complete with an irrigation system to keep it thriving throughout the year.
The plans for the garden began to come together with hard work, dedication and fundraising. Many people, businesses and organizations, like the Rotary Club of North Jefferson and the Garden Dale Garden Club, the City of Gardendale along with many others contributed to the garden.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROTARY CLUB OF NORTH JEFFERSON
Keep your holiday spirit bright!
Visit the Rocket Around the Christmas Tree Trail Dec 5 - 27 | Civic Center Lawn
Ignite your festive spirit Immediately following the parade, from December 5th to 27th, at the Gardendale Civic Center lawn! Witness a sparkling spectacle of OVER 90 Christmas trees, uniquely decorated by local businesses, organizations, and individuals, lighting your path through an enchanted journey!
Rocket Around the Christmas Tree Trail isn’t just a spectacle; it’s a heartwarming communitywide eve nt funding scholarships for our promising Gardendale High School seniors and supporting The Dick Lee Memorial Endowed Scholarship!
Your presence will make the lights shine even brighter at this magical free, month-long event, where EVERYONE is not just welcome, but cherished and celebrated!
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The butterfly garden also features a walkway engraved with the names of the Eagle Scouts from the Troop, including the 22 who achieved that rank under Ballard during her years of leadership. One of those names on the bricks is Grayson Phillips, who came to see Ballard as something of a second mom and kept in touch with her even after earning his Eagle Scout badge. He said that for years, whenever he was
frustrated and ready to quit, Ballard would calmly tell him to meet her at Waffle House so they could deal with it.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without her,” Phillips said. “I don’t know what I would be doing now without scouting, so I’m very glad she kept me in it.”
In 2019, Gardendale’s City Council honored Ballard with a proclamation recognizing her for more than 14 years of service. In part, that proclamation
read: “Mechell encourages our youth to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent and also embodies these values herself every day…Mechell is a positive influence on the youth of our city; both guiding and empowering them to be the leaders of tomorrow.”
The Rotary Club of North Jefferson members Carol Stewart and Richard Bradley spearheaded the project and the group posted that their partners included Gardendale Garden Club, City of Gardendale, Botanical Gardens, Alabama Brick and the Boy Scouts. The dedication sign also lists the Gardendale Magnolia Festival, Myers PLants and Pottery, Kirk Racing, Earth Works, Boshell Concrete, the City of Mountain Brook and Gardendale’s Park and Recreation Division as sponsors.
The garden is located next to the scout hut, which is on Fieldstown Road, at Kenny Clemons Park.
Extraordinary
Gratitude
It’s November, y’all. One of my favorite times of year.
The leaves are changing, and the Alabama humidity is in hibernation. The mornings are cool, and the coffee is hot. College football is in full swing, and it’s finally appropriate to eat soup and build a fire. The anticipation that Christmas is right around the corner—but it’s not so close that you feel overly frantic and need to shop and wrap all in a hurry.
November is just a touch easier. Less yard work. Less pressure to exercise and diet. More time for movies and baking pies (if I baked pies). November is a month to prepare, really. And to be thankful.
And this year, I want to focus on being more thankful. Intentionally thankful. It can be a challenge when the nightly news is frustrating and sad. And when everything is so dang expensive. Or when family gatherings loom and you know the air will be a little tense. This year, I’m choosing thankfulness despite all of that.
I’m thankful for the breath in my lungs. For the health of my two boys. For a warm bed and lights and clean water to drink. For the Thanksgiving meal that awaits. For second chances and old friends and Starbucks.
When we are thankful for the big stuff— family, health, food—then it’s easier to see all the small things as blessings as well and to not take them for granted. I am less bothered by daily annoyances when I remind myself of how blessed I truly am. And in return, I am more hopeful for the future. I recently read that gratitude is an “affirmation of goodness,” meaning that life isn’t perfect, but finding the good and being thankful for it shows gratitude. And I think that gratitude leads to happiness. I’m no expert, but I bet it does.
I hope your November is full of happiness, rest, and all the carbs. Happy Thanksgiving!
Alana Smith is a boy mom (ages 9 and 4), nurse anesthetist, and writer in Birmingham. She shares her writing at Holy Moly Motherhood (on Facebook and Instagram), where she tackles all things motherhood and marriage.
ILLUSTRATION BY ELENA EMCHUK
MEDICARE MADE EASY
Crockpot Chicken and Dressing
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup butter
2 large eggs
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen seasoning blend, thawed not drained (onions, bell peppers, celery)*
1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or ground sage (optional)
1 (12-ounce) package toasted cornbread classic stuffing (I used Pepperidge Farm) (5 cups)
2 cups from a (12-ounce) package herb seasoned dried, cubed stuffing (I used Pepperidge Farm)
3 cups chicken broth
3 to 4 cups (2-inch pieces) cooked chicken. (I use rotisserie)
INSTRUCTIONS
In The Kitchen with Kathleen Phillips
Kathleen Phillips is a food blogger, food stylist, cookbook author, and former Oxmoor House test kitchen director (Southern Living cookbooks). On her food blog, GritsAndGouda.com, she creates Southern shortcut recipes. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest.
dried cubes of bread to the mixture. Stir just until combined. Pour the chicken broth over everything and stir gently just until combined.
Spray a 6- to 8-quart Crockot or slow cooker with cooking oil spray. Oval works best.
Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Otherwise, melt it in a small bowl and pour into the very large bowl. It can also be melted in a small saucepan on the stovetop.
Add the thawed onion, celery, bell pepper seasoning blend to the butter. Move this mixture to one side of the bowl. Lightly beat the eggs on the other side of the bowl, then stir it all together. Add the cream of chicken soup, poultry seasoning, and stir well.
Add the package of dried cornbread “stuffing” and the herb seasoned
This is when I pull the chicken from the rotisserie chicken, so the mixture can sit 5 minutes. Add the pieces of chicken and stir gently just until combined.
Pour the dressing mixture into the greased Crockpot. Cover with lid and cook on LOW for 8 hours. It can be cooked on HIGH for 4 hours but I recommend the lower setting to have time to cook the vegetables and hydrate the dried cornbread and bread cubes and avoid overdone edges.
*Visit the recipe post at GritsAndGouda.com for equivalent amounts of fresh chopped vegetables.
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What’s in a name?
Generations in Gardendale trust Adair Tires
For most of north Jefferson County, the Adair family name is synonymous with automobile care. Even as the area has grown and larger chains have moved into town, generations of people have trusted Adair Tire to fix their vehicles and perform regular maintenance.
Adair Tire was first opened in 1948 on Stouts Road by William Author Adair and later run by his son Harold Adair. The shop operated at that location until 1997, when the store closed. That property was recently sold and is scheduled to be demolished soon.
Then, in 2013, just as his great-grandfather had done, Adam Adair opened an Adair Tire location, this time on Highway 31 in Gardendale. When Adam opened the location, he was the
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF ADAIR TIRE
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only employee and he had a small garage with just three bays. Over the last 11 years, that location has grown to 10 bays and numerous employees. They also aren’t just a tire shop anymore, offering full service vehicle maintenance and repairs. They have plans to expand the store again in order to better serve their customers, Adam said.
Adam and his wife Meagan are grateful for the success their business has seen, as well as for the generations of customers that trust them with their vehicles. In the early days, they said many customers were older and remembered William or Harold, so they trusted the Adair Tire name, but now they are seeing new generations come into the store. They also say they have the privilege to provide maintenance and repairs for the City of Gardendale’s
fleet of vehicles, which they see as a way to give back to the community that has trusted them.
Adair Tire’s commitment to the community isn’t just about taking care of cars, but also taking care of people. It’s one of the reasons they jumped at the opportunity to have aFox 6 weather camera mounted at their business. They said customers often remark how glad they are to be able to log on and see the camera that points out over that part of the city.
“People love to look at it,” Adam said.
When they aren’t working together at the tire shop, the couple loves spending time with their two young children and motorsports.
Adair Tire is located at 2253 Decatur Highway. They are open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Helical Piers
Tour of Homes
A classic holiday event is returning to Gardendale and this time it will benefit one of the community’s most beloved nonprofits.
Sue Jeffreys, who is one of the founders of Just Keep Smiling, said one of the group’s members had the idea and everyone else was immediately on board.
“Denise Gamble called me one day and said ‘I’ve got a great idea for a fundraiser–lets redo the Christmas Home Tour,’ so that’s really how it’s gotten done,” Jeffreys explained. “This is our first year, hopefully it will be a success and we will continue on for the next several years.”
Jeffreys said the Tour Homes was done before by another group, but eventually fell by the wayside.
For the first year, the group has four homes that will be featured in the city. These homes feature unique architecture, features and decorations. The hours were designed to allow visitors to view both indoor and outdoor decorations.
“Each house will have something special at it,” Jeffreys said. “One house will have carolers, one will have musicians, one will be serving cider, etc.”
“It gives people a chance to see other people’s houses and how they decorate, and everybody we’ve talked to has been really excited that we’re starting it back up,” Jeffreys continued. “This is a starter and hopefully it will be good this year and grow bigger next year.”
PHOTOS BY HEATHER WARDEN, WARDEN PHOTOGRAPHY X
The homes will be open 2-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, December 7-8. Tickets will be $25 each and will be sold at The Social in Mt. Olive and at other locations around town. Additional stores will be announced on social media.
Just Keep Smiling helps people who have children facing serious medical issues.
“We’re a foundation that helps people with children in medical crises,” Jeffreys said. “Our goal is to pay household expenses so mom and dad can stay at the hospital with the children without having to worry about the house being repossessed or the car being taken away. The child is in medical crisis and the family’s missing work and not able to take care of their bills. The last thing they need to worry about is whether they can make a payment. So hopefully we get to relieve them of any worries and they get to just take care of their child.”
The group began in 2005, founded by three women who had dealt with children in crisis and the eventual loss of those children. As the organization has grown, they have found other needs, such as helping with burials in the case of infant deaths or children the organization has helped previously.
“We’ve continued to grow every year,” Jeffreys said.
In addition to helping families with extended needs, the group also often helps by providing gas cards or meals to families who need support, but may not have the type of needs they normally see.
For more information on the group or how you can help, visit JustKeepSmiling.org.
City Employee Spotlight
CALEB ANDERSON FIREFIGHTER
“I wanted to help people as much as I can”
When Caleb Anderson was a teenager working at Foodland, he remembers interacting with the Gardendale firefighters who came in to buy groceries. As he bagged their groceries, he asked for advice on what he should do to land a job there, when he was old enough. Whatever they told him, he did.
Anderson had been part of an Explorer program at another department and fell in love with the work.
“I wanted to help people as much as I can,” Anderson said. “That was the first thing I showed interest in when I was a kid.”
Eventually his hard work landed him a job at Birmingham Fire Department at just 19 years old, but he always hoped to come back home.
“It was harder to get into the smaller departments back then,” Anderson said.
Five years ago, a rules change led to an opportunity for him to come
back to Gardendale, and he jumped on the chance. One of the guys who had given him advice back in the day is now his captain–just one of the things he loves about his job.
“My favorite part of my job now would probably be the camaraderie with the guys,” Anderson said.
When asked what advice he would give someone interested in joining the fire service, he believes that following the path he did gave him clarity in the expectations and challenges he would face.
“The best advice I could give them is to find a mentor in the fire service at whatever job or rank they want to get, and have them guide them through–whether that be to get their paramedic or sponsor them through recruit school,” Anderson said. “The best way to do it is to have a little bit of guidance.”
When he isn’t working, Anderson likes to spend time with his wife of seven years and their young daughter.
PHOTO BY RACHEL DAVIS KARR
Helping Gardendale families
GES Fall Festival
PHOTOS BY RACHEL DAVIS KARR
Gardendale Elementary School PTA’s annual Fall Festival Fundraiser was a success, despite rain and wind that forced many of the attractions inside.
GES Volleyball
Gardendale High School volleyball players visited Gardendale Elementary fourth and fifth grade to help with their skills
SRES Learn about Johnny Appleseed
Snow Rogers Elementary‘s Kindergarteners and first graders learned about apples and Johnny Appleseed, as well as celebrating Johnny Appleseed’s birthday with a special guest reader and by making homemade applesauce.
GES Discovery Club
Gardendale Elementary School’s Discovery Club in week one.
GES Learns about Community Helpers
Gardendale Elementary School kindergarteners learned about community helpers–from firefighters and the mayor, to police officers–these everyday heroes play an important role. Through fun activities, stories and crafts, students are gaining a better understanding of what it means to be a helpful citizen.
GES Goes Gold
Gardendale Elementary School went gold to raise awareness for children and families affected by childhood cancer
SRES Goes Gold
Snow Rogers Students wore yellow and gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness. The students loved celebrating Give Hope Day.
SRES Learns about Senses
Snow Rogers Elementary kindergarteners had fun learning about senses.
SRES Talk Like a Pirate Day
Snow Rogers Elementary School celebrated National Talk Like a Pirate Day.
SRES Tackles a Good Book
Snow Rogers Elementary kicked off its “Tackle A Good Book” competitions.
SRES Spirit Hat Day
Snow Rogers Elementary Everyone had fun wearing their hat for Spirit Day!
Mortimer Jordan High School Band Wins Awards at Competition
The Blue Machine Marching Band recently won multiple awards at the Pride of the Valley Marching Competition. They were honored with the following awards: Best in Class Band, Best in Class Drum Major, Best in Class Percussion, Best in Class Colorguard, Best in Class Danceline and Best in Class Majorettes. Congratulations to the students, parents, band directors, faculty sponsors, choreographers and assistants who devote so much time and energy into making the marching band a huge success.
Fultondale Officers Recognized for Outstanding Work
The Birmingham-Central Alabama Chapter of the American Society for Industrial Security recently held the Law Enforcement Appreciation Day Luncheon at the Fultondale Event Center. The Fultondale Police Department had the following three officers recognized for their outstanding work performance: Sergeant Matt Voss, Officer Collice Howard and Officer Andy Ryan
City of Fultondale Donates to Fultondale High School Athletics
The City of Fultondale recently made a generous donation of $15,000 to the Fultondale High School Athletic and Band departments. The funding will go toward supporting the student athletes and band members who work tirelessly for the school year round.
Mt. Olive Elementary Announces Color Guard Team
Mt. Olive Elementary recently announced its 2024-25 Color Guard Team. The students have been hard at work practicing how to care for and fold the American flag. They will be responsible for raising and lowering the flag for the school. The Color Guard Team members are: Maddie Harris, Madison Tarwater, Zachary Miller, Savannah Parvin, Holden Berner-Ladd and Gavin Cruse.
Warrior Elementary Goes Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness
Students at Warrior Elementary School recently dressed in gold to show their support for Childhood Cancer Awareness.
New Ladder Truck Dedicated in Fultondale
A dedication was recently held to present a new Ladder 421, a 2024 Spartan Smeal 100-foot Platform Aerial, to the people of North Jefferson County. The purchase of the new ladder truck is the result of a cooperative agreement between the Fultondale Gas Board and the City of Fultondale in an effort to transform the response capabilities of the Natural Gas Emergency Response Team, as well as Fultondale Fire & Rescue. This collaboration has tremendously enhanced natural gas incident mitigation for the coverage area and will improve public safety for North Jefferson County.
PHOTOS BY GARY SCHULTZ
City of Kimberly Hosts 2nd Annual Founders Day
The North Jefferson Chamber of Commerce along with the City of Kimberly held its second annual Founders Day event on Saturday, Sept. 28th. The event featured a car show, corn hole tournament, inflatables, food trucks, crafts, and a touch-a-truck event with first responders.
Upcoming Events
North Jefferson Chamber Network & Craft
The North Jefferson Chamber of Commerce will host Network and Craft on Thursday, Nov.14 at 7:00 p.m. at the Kimberly Senior Center. Attendees will paint door hangers for their homes. Cost is $60 per person, which includes one sign and snacks.
Fultondale High School Blue Pride Marching Wildcats Places 3rd at Memphis Competition
Congratulations to the Fultondale Blue Pride Marching Wildcats for placing 3rd at the Southern Heritage Battle of the Bands in Memphis, Tenn. The competition gave the students the opportunity to watch Tennessee State University Band practice.
Fultondale Elementary Hosts Fultondale Fellows
Fultondale Elementary recently held its First Friday with Fultondale Fellows! The school invited fathers, grandfather’s, uncles and big brothers to greet the Elementary students when they were arriving at school. The students enjoyed starting their day with a fist bump or high five from these Fellows.
Morris Blue Spoon Chili Fest
The Morris Blue Spoon Chili Fest, benefitting the Morris Youth Association and BB Burn Camp, will be held on Saturday, Nov. 16. Admission is free and $5 to sample chili. For more information visit morrischili.com.
Osburn
Honored for Service
Mike Osburn was recently honored for his many years of service on the Gardendale Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Zoning Adjustments and Appeals.
Gardendale Fire Appreciates Treats
Mallory and Autumn, who work for State Farm Agent Scott Cantrell, East Gardendale Baptist Church, Sweet Endings in Warrior and First Baptist Church of Mount Olive dropped off treats at Gardendale Fire Department.
Rotary Hosts Gold Medal Winner
Rotary Club of North Jefferson County hosted gold medal winner Jennifer Chandler. She is in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and a television commentator for several networks. She is also the Director of Community Development for Visit Vulcan and an accomplished artist.
Golden Eagles Tours Sports Hall of Fame
The Golden Eagles went to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame–it’s a three-story museum that is full of memorabilia. Then they stopped by Alabama Peanut Co and ended the monthly trip eating at The PawPaw Patch.
Noah hired at Parks and Recreation Department
Logan Noah was recently hired as a full-time unskilled laborer in the Gardendale Parks and Recreation Department.
Dick Lee Memorial Scholarship
The Dick Lee Memorial Endowed Scholarship at the University of Alabama was recently recognized for fulfilling its endowment. The presentation was made by the University of Alabama National Alumni Association at its annual recognition program held at The River Market, in Tuscaloosa. The scholarship’s first award was presented in May to Caroline Cunningham. Shown with the award are Connie Lee, Walt Thomas, Dr. Sandy Thomas and Caroline Cunningham. The Scholarship is funded by Gardendale’s Rocket Around the Christmas Tree Trail.
Olvey hired at Civic Center
John Olvey was recently hired as a part-time laborer at the Gardendale Civic Center.
Chamber of Commerce Luncheons
The Gardendale Chamber of Commerce Luncheons will be November 14 and December 12. Sponsorships are still available.
Comprehensive Plan Meeting
Gardendale’s New Comprehensive Plan hosted its first meeting in October, but will have a repeat of that meeting on November 7 at 6 p.m.This gives residents a chance to voice their concerns, opinions and ideas. Visit plangardendale.com for more information or to fill out a survey.
Quilt and Craft Show
East Gardendale Baptist Church will host a Quilt and Craft Show on November 1 and 2, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 360 Tarrant Road. The quilt show will be November 1 and 2 and presented by the North Jefferson Quilter’s Guild. On November 2, there will also be craft vendors at the show. There will be food trucks both days. For more information, email eastgardendalebaptistevents@gmail.com.
Christmas Village
Bill Noble Park will host its quarterly event with vendors, activities for the whole community and food trucks will be December 3, at the park.
Book Club
The book this month is “The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement.” The club will meet on Nov. 12 at 10 a.m.
Rocket Around the Christmas Tree
The 2024 Rocket Around the Christmas Tree Trail will be presented December 5-27 and is free to the public.
Kids Art Class
Introducing the Bill Noble Park Kids Art class! Where your little artist can tap into their creative side. This class our artist will give thanks to the season with Fall/Thanksgiving themed arts and crafts. These classes will be on November 8, 6-8 p.m. Register at billnoblepark.recdesk.com
Kids Cooking Class
The Kids Cooking Classes at Bill Noble Park will be November 15 (Thanksgiving themed) and December 13 (Christmas themed). Each class is $20 per child and is for children ages 7-13. Register at billnoblepark.recdesk.com
Stock Little Free Library
Help us stock our Little Free Library! We are in need of children’s and young adult books in good to perfect condition to stock our Little Free Library (LFL) located by the soccer fields off of Fieldstown Road.
Donations can be placed directly in the LFL or you can bring them to the front desk at the library and we will take them to the LFL when we visit weekly.
Library Food Pantry
Our library food pantry always need the following items: hearty soups/stews/chili, varieties of canned chicken/tuna/ham, singlesized and normal cereal, granola type bars, fruit cups, peanut butter, jelly, oatmeal/grits packets, pasta and Alfredo and other sauces and any toiletries. We take food only if it is not outdated and not opened.
Historical Museum Hours
The Kermit E. Dooley Gardendale Historical Museum (170 Bell Street) will be open to the public every Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
MyGardendale
For a complete list of events and happenings, visit MyGardendale.com to see an interactive calendar.
To have an item added to our calendar, please send information to rachel@jbmcmedia.com.
Amazing
happens
When people with extraordinary talent and passion are given the technology, the facilities, and the support, they achieve great things. The discoveries and innovations happening today will help shape the future of treatments and lead to cures. And it benefits not only the patients and families who come to Children’s of Alabama, but people across the country and around the world for years to come.
Childrens AL •org
DOWNTOWN MAIN CAMPUS
Kent Glover, D.C.
Chiropractic Manipulation
Dry Needling
DOT Physicals
Physio-Therapeutics
Originally from Sumiton, Alabama, Dr. Kent Glover earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Samford University in 2012. Dr. Glover went on to complete his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life University in Atlanta in 2016, graduating with honors. After practicing in Gardendale for six years within a group setting, he decided to branch out on his own. In spring of 2023 Dr. Glover purchased his practice from Dr. Scott Wood, who served the North Jefferson community for more than twenty years.
Dr. Glover has certifications in physiotherapeutics, activator technique, and dry needling. He is also a certified medical examiner for the Department of Transportation.
Using a problem-centered approach, Dr. Glover ensures he is addressing the current needs of his patients in the most ethical and moral way possible. Providing quality, evidence-based care and education to his patients is his top priority.
In his free time, he loves to spend his days with his wife, Kayla, his son, Samuel, and their ten year old golden retriever, George. In addition to being a jazz musician and disc golfer, he and his wife are self-proclaimed “foodies” and love to travel the world. He hopes to continue to serve the Gardendale and north Jefferson areas and is excited to be a part of the growth Gardendale continues to see.
Dr. Kent Glover with his wife Kayla, son Samuel and daughter Rosie.