Gardendale Magazine - May 2023

Oil and Oak

Lillie Willingham’s original artwork

PAGE 20 NAME

Day PICTURE PERFECT

The Magnolia Festival in photos

The naming of Bragg Middle School

WHAT’S IN THE PAGE 24 PAGE 12

Gardendale-Martha Moore Public Library

Are you looking for a fun and educational way to spend your free time?

Look no further than the Gardendale-Martha Moore Public Library in Gardendale! Our library is open to adults and kiddos alike, and we offer a wide variety of resources and activities for everyone to enjoy.

For our younger patrons, we're excited to offer new juvenile accounts with a special keychain and big hurrah to celebrate! Families can also link their library cards together at the parent's request, making it easier to keep track of everyone's reading habits. And even if you don't live in Gardendale, you're still welcome to use our library – we're part of the Jefferson County 'sisterhood' of libraries.

One of our most convenient features is our library app, which makes it easy to request materials like books, DVDs, and games from any JCLC library. We also have the Libby App, which provides free e-books and audiobooks for your phone, tablet, or Kindle.

But we're more than just a place to borrow books. We have unique resources like Wonderbooks (books that read to children), Launch pads (tablets with subject-specific info preloaded), and a juvenile bilingual book section. Our DVD and audiobook sections are also substantial, with something for every interest.

Our library is a great place to study or meet with tutors or friends, with plenty of sitting areas and study carrels. After school, middle schoolers and older can come to the library to use the computer lab or hang out quietly in teen areas or on the deck. And if you need tech help, just make an appointment and we'll be happy to assist you.

We're always adding new programming options for adults, and our youth calendar is full of events for toddlers to teens. And if you need a space to host your own meeting, we have a meeting room available to rent – just give us a call for details.

So come check out the Gardendale-Martha Moore Public Library! We're excited to share all that we have to offer with you and your family.

Phone: 205-631-6639

Address: 995 Rocket Way, Gardendale, AL 35071

Website: gardendalelibrary.org

Library Hours: M, Tu, Th: 9am-8pm | W, F: 9am-5pm | Sat: 9am-2pm

12/ 8/

Memory Lane: How did Bragg Middle School get its name?

Rocket

Playoffs

20/ 24/

Maker’s Profile: Lillie Willingham’s designs

30/

School News: What’s happening at local schools 18/

Festival

Recipe of the Month: Kathleen’s recipe for Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies

Baseball: GHS in the

Photos from the Magnolia

Spring is such an exciting time in Gardendale. Now that Bill Noble Park is open for activities, another Magnolia Festival is in the books and the Gardendale Farmers Market is getting ready to open, there is a lot going on!

For me, this season always makes me think about flowers and plants, so maybe that’s why we accidentally ended up talking to two impressive young ladies–one who paints flowers and another who named all her jewelry options after flowers. Sometimes it’s interesting when a “theme” emerges that we didn’t intend or plan. Both young ladies are using their considerable talents to bring some beauty to the city, and I hope you’ll support their efforts.

You will also notice we have added advertisers in this issue. Our marketing consultant, Michelle Haynes, has been hard at work, and we are so grateful that local businesses see our value and are helping us spread the word about all the good things happening in the city. We hope you will make a point to support them in return and let them know you appreciate their support for the magazine.

We have some exciting editorial planned for the rest of the year and we have loved hearing your ideas, so keep them coming!

Rachel Davis Karr, Content Director

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

Brad Drake Heating & Air

Cakes by Elise

Children’s of Alabama

City of Gardendale

Deo Gloria Wood Works

El Patron

Jade Ivy Fashions

Magnolia Dental

Monita’s Bakery

Norwood Clinic

Parrot Structural Services

Smiles Forever of Gardendale

Superior Service Electric

Tabernacle Christian School

Total Skin and Beauty

Village Dermatology

Vulcan Termite & Pest Control

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.

About the Cover

Cover photo by Emily Allred

The 22nd annual Magnolia Festival was a huge success, with near-perfect weather, fantastic food, entertainment for all ages, and much more. Photos from the event, courtesy of Emily Allred Photography, can be seen on pages 24-26.

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

Anthony and Shweta Bratina Graphic Design

The journey to mend his heart led

Qua was born with tricuspid atresia that required a series of open heart surgeries as an infant. But as a teen, his health took a dramatic turn. Qua’s pediatrician and cardiologist recognized something wasn’t right with his heart and sent him to Children’s of Alabama. Our team was standing by when he arrived by helicopter, and within two weeks he received a new heart. He rebounded quickly and was back at home a few weeks later, thanks to the expert heart team here at Children’s of Alabama.

Rocket Baseball in the Playoffs

The Gardendale Baseball team made it to the third round of the 6A state playoff games.

Photos by Vickie Unlap (fodaction.com)

Who is Roy Bragg?

Bragg Middle School was originally opened in 1986 as Roy F. Bragg Junior High School. So who was Roy Bragg?

Roy Fain Bragg was a Gardendale resident who served on the Jefferson County Board of Education, among other civic boards and organizations. He was also president of the Jefferson County Schools Foundation.

Originally born in Georgia, Bragg made his way to Alabama after serving in the United States Air Force. Bragg studied education at The University of Alabama and served as a teacher, coach and school principal for a time at a school in Pineapple, Alabama. He later moved to Jefferson County to work with his father in law as a realtor, but, as evidenced by his record of service to the education system, he remained active and committed to education in Jefferson County and, specifically, Gardendale, until his death. His commitment wasn’t limited to the education of students. According to

his obituary, “his passion for education included encouraging teachers and administrators to achieve their highest potential.”

Even after Bragg left the teaching profession and entered the real estate world, he supported students by “scholarships awarded to deserving graduates and sponsorship of the ‘Top Twenty Scholarship’ banquet annually at Gardendale High School,” according to his obituary. That was later renamed in his honor as “Roy F. Bragg Academic Excellence Award Luncheon,” for outstanding Gardendale High School seniors.

Bragg died in 2007 at the age of 77, leaving behind a legacy of learning and support for education to the children and educators of the school that bears his name.

This monthly feature is produced in conjunction with the Gardendale Historical Society.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GARDENDALE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Metal

Merged Permanent jewelry comes to

Gardendale

Permanent jewelry has been sweeping the country over the last few months, mostly in pop-up shops or event booths. Leila Allen realized that wasn’t always convenient for people, neither was having that jewelry removed or reattached for medical procedures. She and her mom decided to set aside a corner of their shop, Gllam Boutique.

Leila went through the training for permanent jewelry and opened Merged Metal on April 1.

“We’re always looking for new opportunities,” Leila said. “It was just something that seemed like a good fit. It’s a beautiful way to dress up an outfit without thinking about it. It’s completely effortless.”

Leila describes the jewelry as seamless.

“I like to say it’s jewelry you don’t take off instead of jewelry you can’t take

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PHOTO BY RACHEL KARR

Leila Allen is offering something new to the Gardendale area with welded jewelry.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MERGED METAL

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off,” Leila said.

In fact, it can be easily removed by returning to Gllam during Merged Metal’s hours, letting them remove it and preserve it so it can be put back on. The original purchase price includes one free removal and reweld.

The jewelry is customized to fit each specific body and is sold by the inch. It is available in solid gold, gold-filled and silver. According to Leila, the silver will last a minimum of a year, gold-filled lasts at least a couple of years and solid gold can last 15 years or more, depending on lifestyle. Having that range, along with a range of prices, was important to her.

“When you’re paying $130 for a bracelet and it’s lasting you 15 years, that’s an incredible purchase,” Leila said. “But, sometimes we only have $40-$50 to spend on a bracelet or anklet, and we would rather do it and have fun with our friends. We invest in it now, and love it now and still participate. That’s something I take pride in.”

The variety of options available at Merged Metal are named for flowers, but those flowers have special meaning to Leila and her mom.

“I am a very sentimental person,” Leila

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explained. “I wanted to pay homage to some women in my life, but I didn’t want to use their names. So I named them after people’s favorite flowers.”

Leila hopes to expand her offerings to other metals and more charms, but for now, she’s enjoying the fun of teaching her hometown about permanent jewelry.

“It’s really beautiful,” Leila said. “Everyone lights up when they get it done and that’s really my favorite part—seeing people get so excited about it.”

Merged Metal is open inside of Gllam Boutique, at 1320 Main Street, Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The jewelry available can be bracelets, necklaces, rings, toe rings, anklets and even more.

Gardendale Elementary Character Award Winners

Gardendale Elementary Character Award winners for the month of March were honored for Forgiveness.

Gardendale Elementary

Art

Gardendale Elementary School students Rhett Waid, Kylie McDermott and Valeria Esteban had artwork selected to be displayed at the Gardendale Magnolia Festival.

Bragg Art Contest Winner

Bragg 7th grader, Matilda De Graaf, won the Black History Month art contest. She was awarded art supplies and an autographed copy of Steve Skipper’s Book.

Bragg Students of the Month

Congratulations to our April Students of the Month. These students were chosen by their teachers (one student from each team) for their hard work, great display of character, and their willingness to go above and beyond. Students of the Month are treated to lunch, courtesy of Buffalo Wild Wings in Gardendale.

6th Grade Maroon - Cade Chapple

6th Grade Gray - Madison Walker

7th Grade Maroon - Drew Burford

7th Grade Gray - Autumn Priest

8th Grade Maroon - Jade Gooch

8th Grade Gray - Zoie Taylor

GHS Fishing Team

Gardendale Rocket Bass Fishing team members Chris Fallon and Briar Dodson finished 7th in the Alabama BASS Nation High School tournament on Lake Eufaula. Justin Bennett and Peyton Willett finished in 20th. ABNHS also has a 6 man team where three boats are signed up as a 6-man team and their weights are added together and top three 6-man teams from each tournament qualify for state. Today, the 6-man team from Gardendale won 1st place and are automatically going to the state championship!

GHS Golf Team

The girls’ golf team finished 1st in the Jefferson County Tournament. Boy’s finished 2nd in their division.

Golfer Sophia Murphy was honored for being the low score on the day. Sophia, Avery Goolsby and Jackson Burdette made the Jefferson County AllTournament team

Gardendale Elementary Future Problem Solvers

Gardendale Elementary School’s Future Problem Solvers Team won first in the Action Plan category at Jefferson County FPS Bowl.

Bragg STEM

7th-grade science classes conducting a STEM challenge. Students had to work collaboratively to budget for, plan, design, build, and test a boat. They are learning about how the human brain is specialized for problem solving.

Snow Rogers STEAM Night

Gardendale Elementary Egg Hunt

Gardendale Elementary School hosted an egg hunt for students prior to Easter.

Snow Rogers Elementary School recently hosted a STEAM Night. The students enjoyed showing their parents how they use STEAMScience, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math in their garden.

Works of Art

Local artist finds success with her work

Lillie Willingham loves flowers, but admits she doesn’t have much of a green thumb. Instead, she creates flowers that last, in the form of paintings or silk screen creations.

“When I was in second grade, my dad bought canvases and paints for all the women in our family,” Willingham remembers. “He sat me down and was like ‘go for it.’ Every painting was some sort of flower in a vase painting. Still today, those are some of my favorite paintings I’ve ever done. They are just so funky. Definitely a second grader painted them.”

In college, she chose a more traditional route, studying graphic design for a couple of years before she decided she needed something a little more tactile so she returned to painting.

After college, she moved to Gardendale and started exploring other mediums. Growing up, her aunt had done silk-screen printing.

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“I got to see her do it for sports teams and things like that, so it wasn’t as interesting to me,” Lillie remembers. But then, in Auburn, studying it, there was an aspect of you being able to put your own paintings on things and mass produce them onto textiles–t-shirts or towels. I love that process.”

That process of taking her original designs and putting them on merchandise isn’t simple, but Lillie enjoys the work.

“I personally draw my designs. and I have a special printer that will print the drawing on a piece of transparent film,” Lillie said. “Then I expose the film on a light unit and that is what puts the design on the screen through light-sensitive emulsion. So when I expose the screen, my design or painting will show up through the screen. So with that screen, I can print my original painting.”

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The first time she drew and produced something of her own, it was a pumpkin patch design that has become her most popular piece of work.

First design she drew and printed herself was a pumpkin patch. It has consistently been a popular design

It’s also her favorite.

“It’s the start of really seeing that I could do this full time,” Lillie said. “So I think those mean the most to me. I always get excited when it’s that time of year.”

As an adult, she still paints flowers by doing commissioned paintings of bridal bouquets to preserve those special memories for people. But her drawings aren’t precise.

“My designs aren’t perfect,” Lillie said. “I don’t color within the lines. It’s very loose and painterly and scratchy. So a lot of it takes a lot of doodling and rearranging. And eventually a design will come.”

She sells her items at a lot of markets and events, as well as her website or Instagram pages. Look for her pages under Oil and Oak Studio.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE PUDDING COOKIES

May means Memorial Day weekend fun, reunions and last day of school celebrations!

These Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies are soft and chewy because of the secret ingredient in them. A package of chocolate pudding mix somehow keeps them soft and chewy for days! Then, there’s the doubling up of chocolate with chocolate chips to gild the lily!

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (3.9-oz) package instant chocolate pudding

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 (12-oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl at medium-high speed 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Set a timer; you are beating in air to create a fluffy texture. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat just until combined. Add pudding mix and beat just until combined. Let stand 2 minutes. Don’t skip this step.

Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl or large plate and add to the mixing bowl; beat just until flour is incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon cookie dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I like to use a very small ice cream scoop so I get the same amount of dough every time and it makes perfectly round scoops. Bake 9 minutes at 350°. The center will still be slightly doughy but the cookies will firm up when cooled. If you over bake these cookies, they will lose their soft, and chewy texture. Let cookies cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely….. if you can wait that long.

If you can wait until they are cool, you are a stronger person than I am!

Kathleen 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 and Pinterest.

Council Donations

The Mayor and City Council presented a check to our four schools at a recent City Council Meeting in the amount $1,026,595 spread over 17 projects given to teachers and students to improve our schools. The projects listed by school are as follows:

Gardendale High School

• Art Class Supplies (Easels and Pottery Wheels)$714

• Theater Arts Program - $7,500

• FBLA Conference Trip - $1,709

• Teacher Appreciation - $1,000

• Band Expenses - $3,500

• Cheerleader Mats - $2,817

• Rockette Dance Mats for Dance Room- $7,908

• Van De Graaff Generator - $1,265

• Turfing of the Softball and Baseball Fields$885,000

• AED at the Softball and Baseball Fields - $3,396

Bragg Middle School

• Testing Incentives Program for students who improve on their testing scores - $7,500

Gardendale Elementary School

• Safety Surface for Playground - $6,970

• Chess Club Field Trip - $271

• UAB Women’s Education Day Field Trip - $528

• 8Ft, Fence in Back of School for Security - $28,126

• Chicken Cage/Embryology project for 4th Grade$500 Snow Rogers Elementary

• Playground Fence Replacement with 5ft. Black Vinyl - $62,293

• 4th Grade Field trip to Montgomery - $1,999

• 3rd Grade Field Trip to Huntsville - $3,600

Gardendale Chamber of Commerce Receives State Chamber Accreditation

At this month’s CCAA conference in Opelika, Alabama, the Gardendale Chamber of Commerce received recognition as an accredited chamber. This is a very time-consuming and intense process requiring numerous documents, policies, and procedures. Through the hard work of the Board of Directors, they were able to apply for and receive this four-year accreditation.

State of the City

April Chamber Luncheon was the annual State of the City Address. Mayor Stan Hogeland shared the things happening in the city. Baja California provided the meal. Sponsors were: Byars-Wright Insurance, Regions Bank, Chickfil-A Gardendale, Superior Service Electric, Brad Drake Heating and Air, Magnolia Festival in Gardendale, Divine Beauty Supply and Traci Bausch: Allstate Insurance.

After Hours

Mixer

The first Gardendale Chamber After Hours Mixer event sponsored by Avadian Credit Union was recently held at the Historic Thompson House. Graze Together provided the beautiful spread. The chamber hopes to host these types of events quarterly.

Ribbon Cutting for LongHorn Steakhouse

The ribbon cutting for LongHorn Steakhouse at 642 Gayle Street will be May 8 at 1:45 p.m.

Gardendale Civitan Vidalia Onion Fundraiser

It is Vidalia Onion fundraiser time. There is a semi coming from Georgia to deliver 10 lb bags of these wonderful onions for $12 per bag. Delivery date is around May 11th. Contact a member of the Civitan Club for more information.

Farmers Market Opening Day

The Gardendale Farmers Market will be reopening on May 18 with a new market time. This year, the market will be each Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Gardendale Civic Center (857 Main Street).

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.

Community Kickball Game

A community kickball game is starting every Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. at the Gardendale soccer fields (2191 Fieldstown Road). Anyone who is interested is welcome.

To have an item added to our calendar, please send information to rachel@ jbmcmedia.com.