Over theMountain Journal March 8, 2012 by Over the Mountain Journal

The Suburban Newspaper for Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and North Shelby County

OVER THE MOUNTAIN

INSIDE

JOU RNAL OTMJ.COM

THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012

VOL. 21 #5

Good times with good weims

ABOUT TOWN PAGE 6

A Century of Girl Scouting

Today as in years past, Girl Scouts develop patriotism, explore the great outdoors (top right, at Camp Coleman, the oldest Girl Scout camp in the U.S.) and visit with VIPs (Lady Bird Johnson). And, as always, both the Scouts (like these from Troop 140, Vestavia) and their patrons look forward to the organi ation’s annual cookie sale.

Group is still growing, changing BY LAURA MCALISTER

JOURNAL EDITOR

ome of the badges and programs have changed and the variety of cookies has increased, but the mission of Girl Scouts – to teach girls leadership skills by giving them confidence, courage and character – has remained the same for the past century. The Girl Scouts of the USA will celebrate its 100th anniversary March 12. In honor of the milestone, the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, which includes the Over the Mountain area, will look back on the last 100 years of Girl Scouting at its annual Women of Distinction luncheon and awards ceremony set for 11:30 a.m. March 9 at the Harbert Center. The event is one of many this year that will celebrate Girl Scouts. The GSUSA has also declared 2012 the Year of the Girl to celebrate girls and recognize their leadership potential. Hilary W. Perry, director of communications and advocacy for the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama, said while lots has changed since the first troop formed in 1912, Girl Scouting remains the premier leadership

girlscoutsnca.org

Over the Mountain Girl Scouts share what they love about Girl Scouting. See page 2

organization for girls. “The best thing about Girl Scouting is we listen to the voice of the girls,” she said. “If they’re interested in technology, we can adapt programs to fit their needs. That’s how we stay relevant.” Despite the growing number of extracurricular activities available, Girl Scouting numbers continue to increase. Nationwide, there are about 3.6 million Girl Scouts, and in the North-Central Alabama region there are around 15,300. Locally, Hilary said, that’s up 7 percent over last year. When the first troop formed in Savannah, Ga., under the leadership of Juliette Gordon Low, the goal was to help girls develop leadership skills. At the time women weren’t allowed to vote, and there was little room for them in the workplace. “Years ago, women weren’t asked to be leaders in their communities,” said Joan

Page, a longtime Girl Scout and volunteer of Vestavia Hills. “It was really a courageous thing Juliette did at the time. I still think the organization creates courage, confidence and character.” Joan said Girl Scouting gave her the confidence later in life to try new things. That was some 40 years ago, but twins and current Girl Scouts Kaitlyn and Kristen Gurosky of Hoover said the program has done the same for them. The sixth graders are members of Troop 532 and have been in Girl Scouting since kindergarten. “Girl Scouts has helped me have more confidence,” Kristen said. “I have learned to do a lot of things that I thought I couldn’t.” Both agree that camp and community service are their favorite activities in Girl Scouting. While they participate in the annual Girl Scout Cookie Sale, Joan said that’s just one of many programs Girl Scouting offers. “We’re not just about cookies,” she said. “We’re so much more.” The Girl Scout Cookie Sale Program has been around almost as long as the organization and is recognized as the biggest ecoSee GIRL SCOUTS, page 11

Style network spotlights irmingham’s organi ing professional

LIFE PAGE 10

Alabama Ballet Pointe Ball inspired by Swan Lake

SOCIAL PAGE 12

Couple combines talents to update 1950s home

HOME PAGE 22

ST. PATRICKʼS DAY 5K FUN RUN IN HOMEWOOD P. 6 • STOCKING THE PANTRY IN CAHABA HEIGHTS P. 28 • LADY BUCS BRING HOME HOOPS TITLE P. 36

2 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

OPINION/CONTENTS

IN THIS ISSUE

MURPHY’S LAW

Long Story Short

While other real estate companies were shutting their doors Henry Ray and Wilmer Poyner were opening theirs. Ray and Poyner Properties opened two years ago and the company is not only surviving, but flourishing. Also, see how a Hoover business is helping get houses ready to sell. See Home, page 22.

ON OTMJ.COM See before and after pictures from the Handeys’ home (Page 22) renovations. Browse through more photos from the area’s social events. Like us on Facebook for updates on what’s going on at the Journal

COMING MARCH 22

A Night Under the Big Top draws a large crowd, benefits Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health Center.

IN THIS ISSUE ABOUT TOWN PEOPLE LIFE SOCIAL

4 8 10 12

NEW BUSINESS WEDDINGS SCHOOLS SPORTS

OVER THE MOUNTAIN

JOU RNAL

28 29 31 36

March 8, 2012

Publisher: Maury Wald Editor: Laura McAlister Features Writer: Donna Cornelius Office Manager: Christy Wald Editorial Assistant: Stacie Galbraith Sports: Lee Davis Contributors: Susan Murphy, Bones Long, Cary Estes, June Mathews, Emil Wald, Marvin Gentry Advertising Sales: Suzanne Wald, Julie Trammell Edwards, Tommy Wald Vol. 21, No. 5

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Over The Mountain Journal is a suburban bi-weekly newspaper delivered to Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and North Shelby County areas. Subscriptions for The Journal are available for $24 yearly. Mail to: Over the Mountain Journal, P.O. Box 660502, Vestavia Hills, AL 35216. Phone: (205) 823-9646. E-mail the editorial department at editorial@otmj.com. E-mail our advertising department at ads@otmj.com. Find us on the Web at otmj.com. Copyright 2012 Over The Mountain Journal, Inc. All rights reserved. The Journal is not responsible for return of photos, copy and other unsolicited materials submitted. To have materials returned, please specify when submitting and provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope. All materials submitted are subject to editorial review and may be edited or declined without notification.

and splashes of lemon juice to bleach ep, it’s a new me. Not really. it in the sun. I’m the same as I was yesterSometime during my college day. It’s just that my previous years, I decided to get it cut, certainly picture was much older ... or younger, not to pixie length, but so it just sat depending on the way you look at it. on my shoulders. Looking back, it I asked our fearless OTMJ editor, was probably bad timing as it coincidLaura McAlister, if I could update my ed with my then-boyfriend Harold’s column photo after a couple of intrephippie rebellion phase. For a while id readers met me and said, “Funny, there, his hair was longer than mine. I thought you were younger.” Well, I It was also better behaved. No lonwas when the old picture was taken, ger weighed down with those excess so in the interest of truth in advertisinches, my hair started to wave. It ing, I decided to update to Murphy’s wrinkled. It twanged. Law 2.0. Harold cut his hair before we got And here it is. I’m more mature married, but I left mine the same. I now ... in some ways. My face has Sue Murphy wasn’t sure just what to do with it, more character (read: wrinkles). My and once we had children there hair is different, too, which is not My face has more wasn’t time to think about it anysurprising. You look at yourself in until the day I had a quarterthe mirror day after day and every character (read: wrin- way to-midlife crisis and decided to once in a while you want to see a kles). My hair is differ- have it cut into a shag. Then it new blow dry configuration. numerous lengths at numerWhen I look back through my ent, too, which is not was ous portions of my head, twanging family albums, it’s like hairstyle time-lapse photography. I started surprising. You look in all directions. I thought it was and daring until we moved out bald, no hair at all until I was at yourself in the mir- brave to Birmingham and the stylist said, almost two. When it finally started sprouting, my mom dealt with it ror day after day and “Honey, did you do this to yourfor a while with ribbons and barevery once in a while self?” So much for art. rettes, but somewhere around my Since then I’ve been on a fourth birthday she’d had enough you want to see a new hairstyle seesaw, a little shorter, a and took my sister and me down blow dry configuration. little longer, a little shorter, a little to the beauty shop, where Mabel longer, depending on whether I was slipped us under the pink plastic sick of it tickling the back of my poodle cape and gave us pixie cuts. neck or experiencing a painful pixie cut flashback. Trust me, there was nothing magical about these You’ve caught me during a tad longer phase. If you do’s. Our hair was so short that unless we were should see me out on the street with my ears in full dressed in ruffles and lace (which we seldom were), view, you’ll know that I’ve doubled back. If my hair there was always a question as to whether we were is even longer, it probably just means I haven’t taken boys or girls. Ladies stared. Kids just came right out time to call for a haircut appointment. If I’m wearing and asked. I hated it. a hat, I’m out of shampoo. As soon as I was in charge of my own hair, I let Long story short, I exist currently as pictured, older it grow ... and grow and grow until it hung limp and and hopefully wiser, still happy to be here talking to straight down the middle of my back. I didn’t do rollyou and grateful that you keep listening. Thanks. ❖ ers or headbands or clips, just a part down the middle

OVER THE MOUNTAIN VIEWS

What do you enjoy most about Girl Scouting?

“Girl Scout Cookies. They’re my favorite.” Grace Ellis Vestavia Hills

“We talk and sing a lot.” Margaret Patton Vestavia Hills

“I like having meetings. It’s fun getting to see your friends outside of school. They are like my second family.” Anne Kearney Patton Vestavia Hills

“You get to see your friends and learn stuff together.” Liddy East Vestavia Hills

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

ABOUT TOWN

Join us for the Watch Event at Tom Williams Porsche, Thursday, March 29th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM Main Auction Item: A Porsche Sport Driving School One-Day Precision Driving Course Register to win Race Tickets and other valuable prizes including a special prize from Bromberg’s.* Silent Auction benefiting Mitchell’s Place, a nonprofit treatment center for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Refreshments and live entertainment provided. Tom Williams Porsche is the proud sponsor of the March 30-31st at the Barber Motorsports Park. For more information visit www.barbermotorsports.com. METRO

Tom Williams Tom Williams Way / I-459 @ Grants Mill Road Birmingham, AL 35210 205-397-2700 / 800-571-6399 TomWilliamsPorsche.com *You must be present to win.

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 3

4 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

ABOUT TOWN

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

READY TO ROCK THE SCHOOLHOUSE Here are just a few possibilities utilizing the modular beneﬁts of the Nexus Woven Collection. The possibilities are restricted ONLY by your imagination!

Woven Wicker Frame

Sunbrella Fabric

Getting ready for the Cornerstone Schools of Alabama’s Schoolhouse Rock event are from left: Mekhi Greene, Corryne Sloan, Alayna Hall and Andrew Photo special to the Journal Groce.

BIRMINGHAM

Schoolhouse Rock March 9, 7 p.m. B&A Warehouse Cornerstone Schools of Alabama’s Schoolhouse Rock event is back for another year of fundraising. Presented by Cornerstone’s Junior Board and Strickland Trading, Inc., the event will be from 7-11 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person and include two bands, live and silent auctions, heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks and giveaways. Buy tickets at www.csalabama.org, Urban Cookhouse locations in Homewood and The Summit or at the door that night.

upcoming BIRMINGHAM

FACTORY AUTHORIZED SALE now in progress until March 26th at

TAO: The Art of the Drum March 9, 8 p.m. Alys Stephens Center Feel the beat of Japanese drumming when UAB’s Stephens Center presents TAO: The Art of the Drum, a fusion of athletic prowess and explosive Taiko drumming. The TAO stars live and train at a compound in the mountains of Japan, reaching the highest level of virtuosity only after years of intensive study. Tickets are $49.50, $39.50 and $27.50; student tickets are $20. Visit www.AlysStephens.org for tickets or call the Stephens Center Box Office at 975-2787. Guests can come early for a question and answer session, free and open to everyone, with the performers in the center’s Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall. BIRMINGHAM

The Sleeping Beauty March 9-11 BJCC Concert Hall Sandi “The Sleeping Beauty” is the Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 newest addition to Birmingham Ballet’s repertoire. Choreographer Cindy Free FAX: 205-824-1246 weaves traditional elements of this ballet Feb. with her own fresh innovations. Shows are March 9 at 10 a.m., March 10 at 2 This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the Feb. 23, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246. p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and March 11 at 2 p.m. For more information or tickets, visit www.birminghamballet.com.

Please make sure all information is correct, including address and phone number! Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

BIRMINGHAM

5K for Kids – Small Steps to End Childhood Obesity March 10, 7 a.m. Legion Field The Junior League of Birmingham will present the 5K for Kids – Small Steps to End Childhood Obesity March 10. The community-wide event, sponsored by Princeton Baptist Medical Center, includes a 5K race and kids’ festival. Birmingham Mayor William A. Bell Sr. and First Lady Dr. Sharon Bell, assistant superintendent of Birmingham City Schools, will serve as grand marshals for the event. The free, familyfriendly festival inside Legion Field includes vendors targeting wellness, health screens and healthy eating demonstrations, a one-mile fun run and a Fun Zone for children with games, inflatables and more in partnership with the Mayor’s Office Division of Youth Services. For more information and to register visit www.active.com. Each participant will receive a T-shirt with paid registration. VESTAVIA HILLS

Choreography for a Cause March 11, 2:30 p.m. Vestavia Hills High School The Laura Crandall Brown Ovarian Cancer Foundation is gearing up for Choreography for a Cause, a dance

exhibition that will showcase talent from young dancers and dance programs in Alabama. Proceeds from the event will benefit the foundation. For more information, contact Rebecca Hunter, event coordinator, at r.hunter@ thinkoflaura.org. LIBERTY PARK

Family Dance-Off Now-March 23 Join Primrose Schools in supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the fight against childhood obesity. Record and upload a 30-second dance video. Or, vote and share to help your favorite video win. Primrose is collectively donating a total of $81,000 to the hometown Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals of all 16 finalists, plus great cash prizes for the top three winning families. Visit www.FamilyDanceoff.com for more information and to upload your video and vote. BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham Revealed! March 15, 5:30 p.m. Vulcan Park and Museum Vulcan Park and Museum and Lee Eric Shackleford will present the premiere performance of “Love in the Ruins: The Mind of Walker Percy,” Shackleford’s one-act, one-man play

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

ABOUT TOWN

Thursday, March 8, 2012 â&#x20AC;¢ 5

I DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T HAVE ENOUGH TIME I HAVE TO TAKE THE KIDS TO SCHOOL Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;M TOO TIRED ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOO EARLY TO WORKOUT I HAVE TO TAKE MY SON TO BASEBALL PRACTICE I HAVE TO TAKE MY DAUGHTER TO GYMNASTICS I NEED TO VACUUM THE HOUSE I NEED TO MOW THE LAWN WORKING OUT TAKES TOO LONG I WORK TWO JOBS A GYM MEMBERSHIP DOESNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T FIT IN MY BUDGET ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TOO HARD AND IT HURTS WORKING OUT IS WAY TOO INTIMIDATING AND I COULD NEVER DO IT I AM TOO OLD TO START WORKING OUT Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;M CLUMSY AND UNCOORDINATED I JUST WORKED A 14 HOUR SHIFT I AM JUST TOO BUSY Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;M A MOTHER OF THREE WHO WORKS FULL TIME Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;M NOT STRONG ENOUGH I NEED TO GO GROCERY SHOPPING I DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T LIKE GETTING SWEATY I HATE GOING TO THE GYM ALONE WORKING OUT IS TOO BORING MY BACK HURTS TOO BAD TO LIFT WEIGHTS Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;M TOO FAT Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;M THIN ALREADY Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;M NOT A GYM RAT I HAVE ARTHRITIS THERE IS NOT A GYM CLOSE TO MY HOUSE I DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T KNOW HOW TO EXERCISE I DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T HAVE ANY FRIENDS TO WORKOUT WITH I LACK THE MOTIVATION TO EXERCISE I NEED TO GO GROCERY SHOPPING I HAVE NO ENERGY TO WORKOUT I HATE TO EXERCISE Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE TRIED WORKING OUT BUT I KEEP QUITTING Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;M NOT SEEING ANY CHANGES IN MY BODY I CANT STAY MOTIVATED TO CONTINUE WORKING OUT I JUST DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T LIKE TO MOVE

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6 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

About Town

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Good times with good weims

Katie McDowell and her Weimaraners Tigerlily, Gil, Dylan and Mousse are ready for the ninth annual Weim and Cheese fundraising event at WorkPlay.

Birmingham

Weim & Cheese March 10, 6:30 p.m. WorkPlay The ninth annual Weim & Cheese fundraising auction benefiting Weimaraner Rescue of the South will be March 10 in a new location, WorkPlay. Food will be provided by Mafiaoza’s in Crestline. The Hearts will perform. Scott Register of Reg’s Coffee House is emcee. This casual event with wine, heavy hors d’oeuvres and silent and live auctions drew about 300 last year. For tickets and more information, visit www. weimrescue.com.

Journal photo by Laura McAlister

inspired by the author’s writings. The play recounts Percy’s ideas about relationships, science, technology, religion and especially how Birmingham shaped him into one of the 20th century’s most original authors. This is the first of Vulcan’s Birmingham Revealed Series for 2012. The series invites guests to Vulcan after hours to learn about the people and places that shaped Birmingham. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door and $7.50 for Vulcan members. The event includes a cash bar and light refreshments. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.visitvulcan.com Homewood

Home of the $1499 SOFA

St. Patrick’s Day 5K and Festival March 17, 8:30 a.m. Homewood Central Park A Sliver Lining is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day 5K and Festival. The race begins at 8:30 a.m. with race-day registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. The pre-registration fee is $20; race day-registration is $25. Winners and awards will be announced after the race. Other attractions include local food vendors, music and children’s activities and games. Festivities last until noon. For more information or to register visit www.aslbham.com/events.aspx Birmingham

Shamrockin’, ONB St. Patrick’s Parade March 12-17, 11 a.m. Five Points South The ONB St. Patrick’s Parade will be March 17 and is a partnership

among ONB, the Alabama Celtic Association and the Five Points South Merchants Association. The parade leads of at 12:30 p.m. Shamrockin’, is a free street festival produced by the Five Points South Merchants Association and Five Points South Neighborhood Association, in the Five Points South Entertainment District. Enjoy six days of food and drink specials starting March 12. Visit www.yourcitycenter.com for more information. Birmingham

Japanese Cultural Pavilion Dedication and Cherry Blossom Festival March 17, 11 a.m. Birmingham Botanical Gardens March 17 will be a day of celebration in the BBG’s Japanese Gardens. The Gardens’ renovation of the Japanese Cultural Pavilion culminates in concert with the Japan-America Society of Alabama’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Three Yoshino cherries will be planted at The Gardens to mark the centennial of Japan’s original 1912 gift of more than 3,000 flowering cherries to the U.S. Representatives from the office of the Consul-General of Japan in Atlanta will attend, joining BBG for a ribboncutting ceremony at noon. At 1 p.m., the celebration will move to the torii gate for the ceremonial planting of JASA’s centennial cherries gift. The event, free and open to the public, is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www. bbgardens.org.

Hoover

Hooks in the Gardens March 19-23, 9 a.m. Aldridge Gardens Aldridge Gardens will open up its five-acre lake March 19-23 from 9 a.m.4 p.m. daily, for kids ages 4-15 to fish. Daily passes are $5, and passes for the entire five days are $15. Children and grandchildren of members get in free. March 18, there will be professional fishermen on hand to answer questions and give one-on-one instruction and assistance. There will also be prizes and give-aways. Pay at the gate, pick out a good spot on the lake and start fishing. Five-day passes may also be purchased at www.aldridgegardens.com. The Gardens has several rods and reels for check out at no charge on a first come basis. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Hoover

Flash Fiction Night March 20, 7 p.m. Hoover Public Library Join the Hoover Public Library for Flash Fiction Night, when Write Club members share their original work. The program, free and open to the public, is in the Library Theatre. Call 444-7820 for more information. Birmingham

Swine and Wine March 25, 5 p.m. Old Car Heaven Swine and Wine, a pig roast and wine feast benefiting the Druid City Garden Project, will feature cuisine from

A ball with benefits Birmingham

1493 Montgomery Highway at I-65 and U.S. 31 South • Vestavia • 822-7456 Open Monday-Firday 9:00-5:30 Saturday 10:00-4:00

Masquerade Ball March 24, 8 p.m. UAB’s Alys Stephens Center The Rotaract Club of Birmingham will host its annual Masquerade Ball. Local young professionals are invited to join Rotaract members from 8 p.m. to midnight for live music, dancing and a silent auction. All proceeds will benefit the Rotaract Club of Birmingham Foundation. In addition to supporting Rotaract’s Ready 2 Read program, the foundation funds monthly service projects that aid organizations throughout the Birmingham area, including the Ronald McDonald House, Jimmie Hale Mission and Habitat for Humanity. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.bhammask. com.

Getting ready for the Rotaract Club of Birmingham’s annual Masquerade Ball are from left: Sarah Peinhardt, Niki Harris, Virginia Quigley, Will Aycock, Carly Jayne Rullman, Andrew Case, Liz Harris and Justin Rogers. Photo special to the Journal

A PARTY FOR PETS, PEOPLE

Little Savannah, Veranda on Highland, Cochon in New Orleans, Rusty’s BBQ, Homewood Gourmet, Stone’s Throw Restaurant, Campus Dining Inc., Satterfield’s, The Culinard, Whole Foods Market, Mafiaoza’s and the Warnock Family. Tickets are $45 in advance and $50 at the door. Lou Wamp and Swing Shift will provide music. For more information, visit www.littlesavannah. com or www.jvuf.org. Call 439-7213 for tickets. BIRMINGHAM

Getting ready for Paws on the Patio are from left: Aldridge Gardens Board President John Sellers and his golden retriever Abigail along with Aldridge Gardens executive director Rip Weaver. Sellers is also President of event sponsor “Adopt A Golden Birmingham,” a recentlyPhoto special to the Journal formed golden retriever rescue group. HOOVER

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 7

ABOUT TOWN

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Paws in the Gardens March 24, 9 a.m. Aldridge Gardens Aldridge Gardens is “going to the dogs” with its third annual Paws in the Gardens for dogs and families. Dogs can enjoy “Yappy Hour” with other dogs, have their photos made and learn how fellow canines are being rescued while others are helping humans through service at war and as first responders. Information will be provided on obedience, grooming, leash control, vaccinations and more. Tickets are $10 per dog; $3 goes to the Shelby County Humane Society. For more information, contact Debbie Bartoletti at dbartoletti@aldridgegardens.com or 682-8019, ext.7.

Bon Voyage Party March 25, 3 p.m. The Furnace The Bon Voyage Party is the grand finale party of “Passport to Dine” benefiting Birmingham AIDS Outreach. Passport to Dine is an annual fundraiser; volunteers host dinner parties and cocktail parties in their homes and businesses. The Bon Voyage party includes complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and silent and live auctions. Entertainment will include the Birmingham Sugar Babies and Once in a Lifetime ’80s band. The event ends with a grand prize vacation drawing for two winners. This year’s vacations, sponsored by AAA Alabama, include the Grand Canyon, St. Kitts and Dublin, Ireland. All Passport to Dine hosts and guests will receive complimentary admission. Other guests will be admitted with a $25 minimum donation. Tickets are available at birminghamaidsoutreach. org or at the door.

BIRMINGHAM

Clover Crawl Green Home and Garden Expo March 31, 10 a.m. Vulcan Park and Museum Kick off spring with this expo at Vulcan Park and Museum. The free event, presented by the Green Resource

Center for Alabama, will show the latest trends in green products and services for the home, office and garden. Included are music, food and kids’ activities. Those who attend can bring electronics for recycling and documents for shredding. For more information, visit www.greenalabama.org. ❖

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elect

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8 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

People

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

At the Vestavia Hills Citizen of the Year banquet were from left: Penny Lewallyn, COY committee chair; Ann Bennett Hamiter, Leadership Vestavia Hills board president; Dr. Swaid N. Swaid, honoree; VHHS coach Buddy Anderson, honoree; Kym Prewitt, honoree; Angie Richardson, honoree; and Kelly Bottcher, honoree.

Accepting New Patients

Photo courtesy Owen Stayner

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Upstanding Citizens

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Leadership Vestavia Hills Names Citizens of the Year By Laura McAlister

Journal Editor

eadership Vestavia Hills has identified three more reasons that, the group says, make the city a great place to live. The organization hosted the 23rd annual Vestavia Hills Citizens of the Year Banquet March 1 at the Vestavia Country Club. Each year, the event recognizes two citizens and one group that make significant contributions to the community through volunteerism, generosity, fundCall for an appointment 970.7292 raising and lifetime service. Honored this year were Vestavia 3145 Green Valley Road • Vestavia Hills High School coach Buddy www.blackwelldmd.com Anderson for the Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. Swaid N. Swaid for the Distinguished Citizen Award and Youth Leadership Vestavia Hills for the Custom Easter Baskets: Outstanding Community and Corporate pick your theme, price, Support Award. or girl and we'll do To: boy Ashley “The night is really about honoring people who really don’t look for From: the Over rest! The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 the limelight,” said Penny Lewallyn, FAX: 205-824-1246 chairman of the Citizens of the Year Travel Packs: Date: Feb. 2012 committee. “They just go about their Great toys for Spring everyday lives, This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for and thethey really touch so Break road trips! many people. March 8, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246. “This is our way of honoring them

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and showing them just how appreciative we are. These are the people who really do make Vestavia a better place to live.” Coach Buddy Anderson Buddy has been a coach at the high school for 40 years and has touched countless lives in the process, Penny said. In addition to being the state’s winningest high school football coach – he has two state championships and two second place finishes – Buddy also has had a lasting impact on his players. For years, he and his wife have opened their home for Bible study with team members. “It’s really touching what his players say about him,” Penny said. “He has really put his stamp on their lives.” Dr. Swaid N. Swaid As a neurosurgeon, Swaid has impacted lives in a different way, but it’s been lasting just the same. Internationally known for his skill and technique as a neurosurgeon, Swaid moved to the U.S. from the historic region known as Galilee when he was 15 to attend Harding University in Arkansas. After graduation, he began medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

As a neurosurgeon, he’s received numerous awards and honors and is a frequent speaker at medical seminars. He’s also very active in his church, Homewood Church of Christ, where he is a Sunday school teacher, and in the Jefferson County Republican Party, which named him Republican Man of the Year in 2009. Youth Leadership Vestavia Hills Youth Leadership Vestavia Hills was formed in 2005 as a group project of Leadership Vestavia Hills. The organization has the same mission as its parent organization in striving to develop leadership skills within the community. The youth program, however, is for high school students. The goal was to include a variety of students with different backgrounds and interests. It also is not limited to students already in leadership roles. High school students are introduced to the program during their freshman year, when they can apply to be in YLVH as sophomores. They also must have a teacher recommendation. The members participate in a variety of activities throughout the year, starting with a retreat where they take part in group-building activities like rope climbing and group discussions. ❖

People Notes

Pony Talent Search

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sixth grader at Crestline Elementary, was chosen as a finalist for the first nationwide USEF Pony Talent Search sponsored by Amber Hill Farm of Bedminster, N.J. She was in the top 15 in a field of more than 180 students 12 years old or younger. She was selected based on her horse show resume, a written essay sharing her love of the sport and a video demonstrating her riding skills. The winner of the Talent Search was granted a year’s worth of showing the top small pony in the country, Amber Hill’s Bo Peep. Monaghan trains at Blackjack Farms in Irondale under J. Michael Halbleib and Ellen Blalock. Blackjack will host an open house April 28. blackjackfarms.net for more information.

Crestline Elementary student Caroline Monaghan was a finalist in the first Photo special to the Journal Pony Talent Search.

Seier Earns Jemison Award RealtySouth recently announced that longtime sales associate Marilyn Seier of the company’s Acton Road

office was awarded the 2011 Robert Jemison Award during the Alabama Association of Realtors Winter Conference in Montgomery. The award is given in honor of Robert Jemison Jr., who in 1926

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became the first Alabama Realtor to serve as president of the National Association of Realtors. Among the qualifications for the award is a minimum 15-year commitment to the candidate’s local association. Seier became a Realtor in 1976. During her years of service, she has listed and sold more than 1,500 homes, was president of the Birmingham Association in 2005, was named Birmingham’s Sales Agent of the year twice and was regional vice president of AAR in 2008.

Trinity Employee Named Hospital Hero Sherry Cole, RN, MSN, CCRN, CCNS, cardiovascular clinical nurse specialist at Trinity Medical Center, was recently honored as a statewide “Hospital Hero” at a luncheon in Birmingham hosted by the Alabama Hospital Association. The association’s ninth annual contest is an effort to honor the dedication of hospital Sherry Cole employees and to highlight health careers. Up to 10 Hospital Heroes were chosen in each of the seven regional areas of the state. From that pool, 10 men and women were selected as statewide heroes. Cole of Inverness was the only statewide honoree from the Birmingham area. Cole has been with Trinity since 1994 and has 32 years of health care experience. Co-workers say she works hard to improve all cardiac-related clinical programs and initiatives at the hospital. In 2010, she researched therapeutic hypothermia as a treatment to preserve the neurologic function of patients suffering from acute cardiac events and began the process to implement this therapy at Trinity Medical Center. She formed a committee and by the end of 2010, the therapeutic hypothermia protocol had been approved by all of the physician and hospital committees. Cole then spent several months educating the nurses who could potentially be involved in a therapeutic hypothermia case. In February 2011,

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 9

People

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Trinity had its first patient receive the hypothermia treatment.

Harbison Selected for Senate Program U.S. Sens. Richard C. Shelby and Jeff Sessions recently announced that Anna Harbison of Vestavia Hills was selected as a delegate to the 50th Anniversary United States Senate Youth Program held March 3-10 in Washington, D.C. Harbison was part of a group of 104 student delegates nationwide who attended the program’s 50th Anniversary Washington Week. The Vestavia Hills High School student is senior class secretary and a member of the National Honor Society, French Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta math honor society. She has been Anna Harbison a Rebel Girl, a select group of young women who represent the school at events and serve as hostesses, for three years. She is senior yearbook editor and a VHHS Relay for Life team member. Harbison plans a career in education. The USSYP was created in 1962 and has been sponsored by the Senate and fully funded by the Hearst Foundations since it began. The program’s goal is to increase young Americans’ understanding of the interrelationships of the three branches of government, the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials and the importance of democratic decision making. The competitive merit-based program annually brings 104 outstanding high school students to Washington, D.C., for an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it. The Hearst Foundations provide each of the 104 student delegates with a $5,000 undergraduate college scholarship with encouragement to continue coursework in government, history and public affairs.

to high school seniors in the Hoover School system. This year the club awarded $13,500 to nine seniors from Spain Park and Hoover High School. Four of the scholarships are named in memory of charter members and one in honor of an active charter member. Winners include: the Dan Burton Memorial Scholarship, Connor Brown of Hoover High; the Lee Nelson Memorial Scholarship, Allyson Terry of Hoover High; the Robert Schaffhausen Memorial Scholarship, Teryn Glaze of Hoover High; the Ray Hurlbert Memorial Scholarship, Daylea Duvall of Spain Park High; and the Ken Hubbard Honorary Scholarship, Kiauna Ford of

Spain Park High. Additional Leadership and Interact scholarships were awarded to Mary Katherine Smith and Caitlin Yancey of Hoover High and to Kady Wohlfarth and Sarah Cahela of Spain Park High. With these awards, the club has now awarded more than $150,000 in student scholarships. The club sponsors other projects and programs that support Hoover schools throughout the year. Rotary is the largest civic club in the world; local club members are professional businessmen and women from the Hoover area. For information about becoming a Rotarian, visit www. HooverRotary.org. ❖

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Winners of Hoover Rotary scholarships include, from left: Mary Katherine Smith, Allyson Terry, Caitlin Yancey, Sarah Cahela, Kiauna Ford, Kady Wohlfarth, and Connor Brown. Not pictured: Daylea Duvall and Teryn Glaze.

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10 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

The (Actual)

AMANDA

By Laura McAlister

Style Network Spotlights Birmingham’s Professional Organizer

Journal Editor

Amanda LeBlanc

Amanda LeBlanc and her crew transformed this cluttered room, above, into a picture perfect nursery for a baby girl. Amanda and her organization skills are being featured in the Photo special to the Journal reality series, “The Amandas,” on The Style Network.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

alfway through the season of her reality show, “The Amandas,” professional organizer Amanda LeBlanc thinks there are a few things viewers should know. No. 1, she’s not really a crier – despite a few breakdowns caught on camera – and more importantly, No. 2 – she really, really loves her job. Whether the Style Network gives her reality show a second season is yet to be seen. Whatever happens, the Amandas and her Cahaba Heights store, Clutter Prescription, are here to stay. “TV shows come and go, and that’s fine,” she said while at her shop on a recent afternoon, dressed, of course, in a stylish dress and kneehigh boots. “What really matters is that I’m doing what I love. This is my passion.” “The Amandas” debuted on the Style Network Jan. 31. The 10-show series follows Amanda and her team of professional organizers as they de-clutter the lives of their clients. The show airs at 9 p.m. Mondays but reruns several times throughout the week. Amanda said it’s been an interesting journey since filming of the show began to actually seeing herself and her crew on television and getting reactions from viewers. “It’s been kind of head swimming,” Amanda said. “We’ve always had clients in Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Now we’re getting calls from people in New Jersey, Colorado. “It’s kind of like, which way do you go? What do you do? We’re really busy, and we really are out there doing business.” While the show depicts what they do, which is just about everything – they clean, take out the trash, install cabinets and more – Amanda said it’s not always what it seems like on camera. A one-hour show is actually edited down from about 250 hours of filming, she said. “We would start on a Monday and finish on Friday,” she said. “We really had four cameras pointed at us all the time. We were literally working on one to three hours of sleep, and all the while we were having to plan for the next episode, but that’s not something we could let the people see.” People do get to see just about everything else on the show. While it’s all about de-cluttering the homes of her clients, viewers do get a bit of the lifestyle of Amanda and her team. Whether it’s their personal or their professional lives, it’s all included in the episodes. Amanda said it was a tough decision for her, but in the end, she decided she did want her family – including her daughters – to be a part of the show. “At first I didn’t want that, but then I realized they would never get to see me if they weren’t in it,” she said. “Now, my girls love watching it. They get really into it. “My oldest said when she grows up, she wants to open a business in competition with me.” When it comes to her team, Amanda said some episodes might give the impression that there is tension among them. But, she said, they are all really one big family. Amanda also said it’s untrue that she forces her team to dress like her, which is almost always in a flirty dress paired with high heels.

“That’s been one of my biggest criticisms, that I force them to dress like this,” she said. “Sometimes I think, ‘are we watching the same show?’ Yes, we really do install closets dressed this way. I tried the uniform with T-shirts and jeans, but I hated it. “I have no dress code, only no flip-flops or jeans that show your crack. I tell them to dress the way that makes you feel good. Leave the house feeling confident in the way you look.” While Amanda said she could let some of her detractors get her down, she focuses on the positive feedback instead. It’s been humbling, she said, to have so many working mothers compliment the show and understand her struggle of balancing family and work. She also said fellow Southerners have been pleased with her representation of the area. “The good has so outweighed the negative,” she said. “I’ve really had an outpouring from the South. I think people are happy to see an educated business woman from the South. “Other people have said it really does help them, because this show really is for the normal person. I have no dress This isn’t ‘Hoarders code, only no (another reality show).’” flip-flops or jeans The show does that show your tackle everyday families’ disorgacrack. I tell them nization, and most to dress the way of those families are right here in the that makes you Over the Mountain feel good. Leave area. The first show kicked off the house feeling with a Mountain confident in the Brook family, and Amanda takes way you look. viewers all around Birmingham, from Amanda LeBlanc her daughters’ school to dining and shopping spots. Getting organized For those looking for a little inspiration to de-clutter that kitchen or garage, Amanda offers the following advice: – Take it one step at a time. The clutter didn’t happen overnight, and neither will organization. “If it’s the kitchen, start with the drawers and then move to the cabinets,” she said. “The worst mistake is to try to do everything in one weekend. It makes a huge mess, and you’ll feel defeated.” – Make sure everything has its place. Amanda is quick to admit that her own house isn’t perfect. Her husband is bad about leaving his towel on the bathroom floor, she said, and her girls often don’t put away toys. They do know, though, that before they get something out, they have to put up what they were playing with before. – Always remember quality over quantity, Amanda said. She points to her own closet as an example. Her purses are neatly hung in their assigned places in her closet. She noted, however, that there aren’t that many of them. “I have just a few purses, but they are nice purses,” she said. “I probably paid way too much for them, but I only have a few. I’m a big believer in quality over quantity.” ❖

Celebrating 100 years of Girl Scouting are from left: Alice Williams, board chair for resource development for the NorthCentral Alabama Council; Patricia Coghlan, CEO of the North-Central Alabama Council; and Joan Page, a troop leader and longtime Girl Scout. Journal photo by Daniel Taylor Photography

Girl Scouts, from the cover

nomic literacy fundraising program. But it’s just one of many projects undertaken by Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts, as they have since the organization’s formation, earn badges for career building and leadership and science and healthy living. The outdoors – be it camping or being good stewards of the environment – is also a key part of Girl Scouting. Alice Williams, a GSNCA board member and longtime volunteer of Mountain Brook, said it was the outdoors part of Girl Scouting that she and her troop always enjoyed. In addition to serving as GSNCA board president, Alice was the leader of her daughter’s troop for about 15 years. “Some of my happiest memories are when my troop were teens, and they would go to camp with a group of younger Girl Scouts to be program aids and helpers,” Alice said. “In the early mornings they’d sit around with their vagabond stoves cooking sausage and chocolate chip pancakes.” What made Girl Scouts unique then and still does today, Alice said, is that the girls really do set the agenda. She said at the start of the year, they

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sit down together with troop leaders and determine what programs they’d like to take part in and what badges they want to earn. Joan, who is the leader for a special teen and adult troop at Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health Center, said she approaches her Girls Scouts much the same way. Glenwood is a program for children and adults with autism or other behavioral disorders. “They get to branch out and do activities they wouldn’t do in the classroom,” she said. To Joan, there is no doubt that Girl Scouting is just as relevant today as it was 100 years ago. Joan said people need to look no further than the women in leadership today to realize the impact Girl Scouting has had. While great strides have been made in the last 100 years, she said there is always more work to be done. “I don’t see how it could be irrelevant. It’s grown and evolved but not away from Juliette’s principles,” she said. “Just think how far we’ve come since 1912. Women do have more to offer. There are always more opportunities. “There is still a long way to go. We haven’t had a female president, but we could.” ❖

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Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 11

Life

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

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12 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

2012 pointe ball

a good pointe Pointe Ball Spotlights ‘Swan Lake,’ ‘Alice in Wonderland’

he Alabama Ballet’s 2012 Pointe Ball, held Jan. 28 at Saks Fifth Avenue at The Summit, was inspired by “Swan Lake” in honor of the Alabama Ballet’s February production. Micheal Dyer of Uncut Flowers used a white and black color palette to reflect the lead roles of the white and black swans, Odette and Odile. Swans and bodices made out of flowers, feathers, white and black tutus and mirrored surfaces created a “lake of swans” in Saks. Honorary chairman Garland Smith and cochairmen Colin Mitchell and Elizabeth Pharo greeted guests as they arrived. Also on hand to thank event patrons were board president Teresa Shufflebarger, executive director Megan R. Cottle, artistic director Tracey Alvey and associate artistic director Roger Van Fleteren. Saks’ store enticed guests as champagne was served upon arrival. After a vignette performance by Alabama Ballet dancers, a dinner provided photos at by Kathy G & Company included a first course of Bibb lettuce salad with smoked salmon flatbread, edamame, marinated cucumbers, toasted almonds and lemonDijon vinaigrette. The second course included herb crusted filet of beef tenderloin over truffled wild mushroom risotto, jumbo asparagus and cabernet demi-glace. While guests were enjoying the sit-down dinner upstairs, Dyer and his staff converted the lower level into a wonderland of desserts and fun for the second half of the evening in honor of the Alabama Ballet’s upcoming world premiere of an all-new “Alice in Wonderland” ballet. The White Rabbit invited guests downstairs to enjoy chocolate pots de crèmes in teacups, meringue mushrooms, Mad Hatter jam-filled macaroons and deck of cards cookies. After dessert, guests danced to the music of the Soul Searchers among giant mushrooms, flowers and life-sized Queen of Hearts and March Hare figures. The professional dancers of the Alabama Ballet joined the festivities and turned the dance floor into their stage. Among those attending were: Ken and Edna Alderman, Will and Annemarie Axon, Tommy Bruhn and Lisa Jernigan, Jim and Michelle Creamer, Lyndra and Bill Daniel, Rep. Paul DeMarco and Jacqueline, Drs. Susan and Morgan Eiland, Sid and Susan Evans, Chuck and Andrea Faush, Bill and Carolyn Featheringill, Tom and Carla Gale, Beau and Joy Grenier, Wyatt and Susan Haskell; Billy Holbrook, Tricia and Jim Holbrook, Bill and Patti Ireland, Tray and Kirstie Ivey, Madding and Carmen King, John and Lindsey Lacey, Michael and Karen Luce, Caldwell and Cathy Marks, Guy Jr. and Kacy Mitchell, M Guy Mitchell III and Colin, Richard and Jeanne Monk, Frank and Leslie Moody, Page and Jessica Naftel; Andrew and Liz Pharo; Eric and Aimee Pruitt, Jim and Eva Robertson, Jane Selfe, Robert and Teresa Shufflebarger, Lathrop and Garland Smith, Bryson and Courtney Stephens, Dr. Mark Todd and Ashlee, Howard and Stacey Torch, Dennis and Karen Trammell, Troy and Tricia Wallwork, Dr. James Whatley and Mallie and George Wilbanks. ❖

Above: In front from left: Raphael and Staci Pierce, John and Lina Rowland, John and Andrea Cathey. Back: Patton and Melanie Hahn and Eric and Aimee Pruitt. Below: Bob and Teresa Shufflebarger, Dr. Vera Song, Paul and Jacqueline DeMarco. Photos courtesy Arden Ward Photography

OTMJ.COM

Clockwise from above, left: From left: Virginia and George Jones, Lindsey and John Lacey. Annie Bayer Goldberg and Mallie Whatley. Garland Smith, Honorary Pointe Ball chair; Colin Mitchell, Pointe Ball co-chair; and Elizabeth Pharo, Pointe Ball co-chair.

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 13

ABOUT TOWN

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Society Celebrates St. Andrew’s Day

he Saint Andrew’s Society of the Middle South recently held its annual celebration of St. Andrew’s Day. The festivities began Dec. 4 with the group’s annual banquet at the Country Club of Birmingham. Members in formal Scottish attire and guests in formal dress enjoyed the musical entertainment of the Celtic band Hooley and later were entertained by the drums and bagpipes of the Ian Sturrock Memorial Pipe Band. The banquet hall was hung with tartan banners and decorated with fresh flower arrangements and tall rustic-style candelabra. After dinner, society president Jeff Hendry introduced the new president for 2012, Dr. Charles W. Smith. Also serving this year are E.T. Brown, vice president; Rob Walker, secretary; and Wilson Dinsmore, treasurer. Members and their families gathered Dec. 5 to attend services at Cathedral Church of the Advent. After church, a family luncheon at the Mountain Brook Club concluded the celebration. At the gatherings were: Scott and Cameron Vowell, Joe and Ginny Farley, Kelvin and Vivian Terry, John and Dorinda Smith, John and Margaret Harper, Jeff and Mary Margaret Hendry, Wilson and Joanne Dinsmore, Charles and Laura Smith, Stan and Caroline Graves, Willard McCall III, Win and Barbara Baird, Lamar and Carole Thomas,

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he Junior League of Birmingham’s Sustainers’ Book Club recently held its annual Valentine’s Luncheon at the Junior League headquarters. Chairman Margaret Smith welcomed members. Susan Elliott, book club co-chairman, coordinated the luncheon and introduced speaker Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of “Coming Up for Air” and several other books. Patti spoke about her experiences as a writer and former nurse. She then answered members’ questions about “Coming Up for Air,” which is set in Fairhope, on the Georgia coast and in Atlanta. Members and guests attending included Maggie Ahearn, Ju-Ju Beale, Eloise Bennett, Judy Bewley, Elna Brendel, Kate Brown, Duck Byrne, Linda Byrne, Stephanie Byrne, Shawn Byrne, Nancy Canada, Kay Clark, Martha Cobb, Debby Denson, Patsy Dreher, Betsy Dumas, Susanne Esdale, Jane Feagin, Anne Finch, Marlea Foster, Louise Gillespy, Miller Girvin, Maura Goodwyn, Kathy Graham, Margaret Harper, Penney Hartline, Ann Hays, Martha Hiden; Marion Kling,

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14 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

Social

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Members of the Greater Birmingham Humane Society Auxiliary.

Photos special to the Journal

Above left: John Little and Mia. Above right: From left: Donna McCain O’Brien, Martin Taylor and Karen Swann. Below, left: Diane Fergeson, left, and Julie Elliott. Below, right: Event chair Missy Ellis, left, and Loraine Reeves.

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Jazz Cat Ball Draws Crowd, Benefits GBHS

ilo’s Famous Tea presented the inaugural Greater Birmingham Humane Society Jazz Cat Ball Feb. 18. The GBHS Auxiliary, Ambassadors, staff and volunteers planned the event at WorkPlay. Guests packed the entire venue for a Mardi Gras celebration. A stroll down Bourbon Street included guitar player John Little, three tap dancers from Kelly Holt and the Backstage Dance Center, “Silver Girl” Mia and caricature artist Nolan Otts. Guests enjoyed complimentary wine and beer and a cash bar that included traditional Hurricanes and daiquiris. “Petservation Hall” was the site for the silent auction chaired by Julie Elliott, Dorothy Holloway and Karen Elliott. Items included a George Rodrigue “Blue Dog” painting, a sculptured “bowl with figs” by artist Frank Flemming, a guitar signed by Willie Nelson and a foot-

ball autographed by Alabama coach Nick Saban. The “Cat O’Brien’s” ballroom was the setting for corporate sponsors and their guests. The “Royal Court” John 3:16 more photos at and “Cool Cats” B&A Warehouse were joined by the “Canine Crew” and “Members of the Court” corporate sponsors. Decorations created by Rick Melton included centerpieces of tall lighted vases covered with white silk cloth and topped off with white feather plumes. The Grand Ol’ Ivories dueling pianos entertained sponsors and guests. Classic Cajun Cook-off participants offering samples of New Orleans cuisine were Bistro V, Cafe’ de Paris, Chef U, Daniel George, Kathy G, Little Savannah, Michael’s

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Restaurant, Ore, Shindig’s, Ted’s and The Veranda on Highland. Desserts were provided by B&A Warehouse, Ashley Mac’s, Continental Bakery, Gambino’s Bakery, Haydel’s Bakery, Louise’s Cakes-N-Things, Olexa’s Cafe, Cakes and Catering, Pastry Art Cakes and Savage’s Bakery. “The Howling Wolf,” WorkPlay theater, was decorated with Mardi Gras banners and purple lights, beads and masks. Guest danced to music by the band Streetkar. Event chairmen were GBHS Auxiliary chairman Jennifer Alden; GBHS Ambassador co-chairmen Missy Ellis and Martin Taylor; corporate sponsor chairman Donna McCain O’Brien; silent auction chairmen Julie Elliott, Dorothy Holloway and Karen Elliott; decoration chairman Ricky Melton; strategic communications coordinator Laura Golden; and “Invest for Their Best” campaign manager Jenn Chappell. ❖

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 15

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Left: In front from left: Kina Handra, Jacy Handra, David Handra and Joshua Handra. Back: April Hines holding Sanchez Hines, Josh Karg and Samantha Chriesman. Below: Bob Henderson, Our Lady of Sorrows associate pastor Father Michael Adams and Jude Tombrello.

BLUFF PARK WINDOW WORKS

• Wood window restoration and repair • Sash replacement, rot repair • Replace broken and fogged glass • Wood insulated, putty glazed, and composite vinyl replacement sashes • Locally owned and operated

Call 205-542-6094

Photo special to the Journal

OLS Hosts Special Service, Family Dinner

ozens of families gathered Feb. 29 for Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Homewood. It was the first part of the Parish School of Religion’s Winter Family Supper. The special service was led by associate pastor Father Jaya Reddy.

During the second part of the evening, children and parents enjoyed an Italian dinner hosted by the OLS Knights of Columbus. The crowd was greeted by Suzanne Corso, director of religious education. Father Jaya led the families in the blessing before the dinner that featured salad, pasta, bread, and cookies.

To: From: Date:

Jim Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 Oct. 2010 This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for t Nov. 4 2010 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

Please make sure all information is correct, including address and phone number! Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

16 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

Integrity

social

Commitment

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Experience

Dale

District Court Judge, Place 3 www.ElectDaleSnodgrass.com Paid for by the Comittiee to Elect Dale W. Snodgrass, P.O. Box 26190, Birmingham Al 35260

Above left: From left: Terry and Dottie Smith and Ellen and Mike Dye. Above right: Lisa and John O’Neil. Below left: Cathrene and Jeff Jackson. Below right: Laura Beth Edwards, Iralyn Franklin, Margaret Kloess and Lauren Roden. Photos special to the Journal

Third Thursdays

Join us for lunch ... March 15th 11:30

"Tips from the trade"

Techniques of Timeless Custom Finishes Dana Holcombe of Holcombe Associates Dana has designed homes for local clients as well as residences and vacation homes from Florida to Ohio, and Montana and Colorado. She has a passion for beautiful fabrics, antiques, details and creates homes of comfort and beauty with a timeless quality for generation to generation.

A Toast from the Heart

Call or email for your complimentary reservation

320-2535

kingshouseantiq@aol.com 2807 2nd Ave. So.

To: From: Date:

More than 90 attend Party Honoring Patrons of Birmingham Heart Society

he Patrons of the Birmingham Association board, told guests about the association’s advancements in Heart Society hosted the health science and the challenges annual Toast to The Patrons Party Jan. 26 at the Greystone home that lay ahead. Among guests were: Ashley and of Sherry and Raymond Best. 871-2351 Robert Fuentes, Marianne and Hosting the event were Patron Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 Chip Prime, Darri and Buddy Society members Ashley and FAX: 205-824-1246 Scott, Gale and James McManus, Robert Fuentes, Dottie and Terry Lisa and John O’Neil, Hon. Sonny Smith and Marianne and Chip FEb 2012 and Judy Hornsby, Prime. This is your AD PrOOF from the OvEr THE MOuNTAiN JOurNAl Sherry and Raymond More for thanthe 90 guests the rainy March 8, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or changes to weathered 824-1246. more photos at Best, Mary Anne and Tom Bradford, Susan evening to be greeted and David Burks, by valet service and Joanna Burleson; umbrella escorts. Lisa and Jeff Petros and Kiki Clifton, Ellen and Mike Dye, Kartos of Fish Market restaurant Melody and Chris Eagan, Cathy created a heart-healthy dinner, Please initial and fax back within 24 hours. which included grilled chicken and Victor Gilmore, Dr. Quinton if we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date,drizzled with Greek spices and Stephanie Gurley, Bob Hilton, kabobs your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday. and lemon butter, grilled vegetables, Kim and Mike Hull, Cathrene and Jeff Jackson, Chuck Jett, Donna Thank you for your prompt attention.smoked salmon sliders with dill Jowers, Pam and Fred Martin, sauce, boiled peeled shrimp served Lynda Morris; over gourmet cocktail sauce, mini Lisa and Wayne Norris, Karen twice-baked potatoes and assorted and Alan Register, Diana and cheeses. David Salter, Ann Vanderburg, Antioxidant-filled red wine from Shirl and Ron Ward, Drs. Pamela Greystone Cellars and bite-sized and Kevin Sims, Dr. Donna petit fours by Edgar’s Bakery comArnett, Jestina Howard, Monique plemented the dinner. and Alex Bumpers and Dr. Chris Dr. Donna Arnett, presidentand Maria Schaffer. ❖ elect of the American Heart

Please make sure all information is correct, including address and phone number!

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Lori and Jason Cork

Left: From left: Caroline Daniel, Hannah Scivley, Anna Katherine Page, Anne Walker Irwin and Erin Dowling. Right: Ansley Fuller, Amy Hale and Lindsey Sillers. Below: Elizabeth Glisson, Abby Lucas, Emily Williams, Aleigh Thornton and Lauren Lassiter.

Debs Enjoy Cupcakes, Cosmetics

Ball. The Dec. 19 event at Amy Head Studio in Homewood honored Elizabeth Glisson, Lauren Lassiter, Abby Lucas, Aleigh Thornton and Emily Williams. It was hosted by the girls’ mothers. The debs enjoyed cupcakes from Dreamcakes while learning makeup tips from Lynn North. ❖

Photo

Big Oak Ranch Auxiliary Honors Housemothers with Holiday Brunch

he Auxiliary of Big Oak Ranch honored the ranch’s housemothers by hosting a Christmas brunch Dec. 13 in Hudson Hall at Mountain Brook Baptist Church. Auxiliary members decorated the church hall with colorful Christmas packages and served breakfast dishes, fruit and dessert. This year, each housemother shared a story from her home and stories about everyday life with the Big Oak children. Each housemother received a small gift from the auxiliary. For more information about the group, visit www.bigoakauxiliary. com. ❖

B A N K

A Family Company Earning Your Trust For Over 50 Years

upcakes and Cosmetics was the theme for a recent debutante party preceding the Poinsettia

special to the Journal

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 17

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Peggy rice and Chris Coffey

Friendly caring service you can count on

Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning and Generators

595-4846

To: From: Date:

Joseph Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 Feb. 2012

This is your AD PrOOF from the OvEr THE MOuNTAiN JO Feb. 9, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 82 From left: housemothers Lara Vitter and Leanne Jenkins and auxiliary members Eddie McDanal, Sallie Knight, Susie Wilmont and Susan Taylor. Photo special to the Journal

O R D E R E D

AU C T I O N

at CCottages Eagle Point

Narrow’s Point N at Water’s edge Alex City, AL [ March 10 1:00 PM CT ]

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J.P. King Auction Company, Inc. #16959; J. Craig King, Auctioneer #354

Please make sure all information is co including address and phone numb

Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

if we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the pr your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Thank you for your prompt attention

18 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Restoring, Repairing & Custom Creations Custom designed table, made from reclaimed wood. Available with steel iron frame, as pictured, or wooden legs.

You help design it ... And together we build it! Dining Tables, Farm Tables, Coffee Tables, Round Tables, Long Tables, Long Benches, Side Boards, Custom Counters for Sinks, Bookcases, TV Stands, Mirrors, Mantle Pieces, End Tables & More! All pieces are made with reclaimed wood.

From left: volunteer Jennifer Green, hostess Roy Ann Andrews, board president Christy Baynes and Photos special to the Journal board member Nicole Crawford.

Getting the Party Started

Luncheon Starts Garden Art Party Festivities

Three Blocks East of Pepper Place

Stephen Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-824-1246 Feb. 2012 This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the xxx issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

Please make sure all information is correct, including address and phone number! Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

lzheimer’s of Central Alabama held a kickoff luncheon Feb. 9 for its 16th annual Garden Art Party, set for April 28 at B&A Warehouse. The luncheon was at the home of Blake and Roy Ann Andrews. Miller Piggott, executive director of Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama, shared the history of the organization. Board president Christy Baynes reviewed the goals of more photos at the event. Board vice president Nicole Crawford, who is co-chairing the event, discussed details of the auction. The event will feature a live and silent auction. Each year, artwork created by Alzheimer’s patients from assisted living facilities and adult day care centers is featured at the party. This year’s theme is “Under the Sea,” inspired by artwork created at a Birmingham adult day care center. This piece will be included in the live auction. Bob Straka is auctioneer. Other auction items include trips, ElEct entertainment and dining packages, gardening items, jewelry and stays at beach condos and homes from Gulf Shores to Seacrest Beach, Fla. Attending the luncheon were board members Susan Bremer, Lindy Harrell, Julie Bryant, Tom Morton, Bill Nolan, Charles Collat Sr., Judith Jones and Mel York. Also there were Jeannie Duke, Lynne Roberson, Cynthia McKenzie, Nancy Manzella, Dan Pahos, Terri Platt, Shay Mayo and

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Above: From left: Board members Sarah Curatella and Susan Bremer with auctioneer Bob Straka. Left: Volunteers Shay Mayo and Leanne Messer.

Jennifer Green, supporters of the organization. Tickets for the Garden Art Party are $95. For more information, call ACA at 871-7970 or visit www.alzca. org. ❖

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 19

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Home for Rent - Vestavia 3 BR/ 2 BA Garden home on private cul-de-sac in Liberty Park subdivision of Vestavia Hills available for rental. Please call 205.527.1822 for more information.

Left: From left: Nell Larsen, Barbara Jones, Margaret Howell, Rusty Kirkpatrick and Kathy Miller. Right: Co-chairman Janine Goode, president Photos special to the Journal Evelyn Ringler and co-chairman Sue Patrick.

Amulet Club has Holiday Party

he Amulet Club of Birmingham held its holiday party at the Vestavia Country Club. Robert Logan of Backstage Florist created a winter wonderland centerpiece with silver snowflakes, crystal prisms, white feathers and white twigs in tall glass vases atop lighted bases. President Evelyn Ringler welcomed guests and introduced party chairmen Geraldine Dunham, Nell Larsen and Janine Goode. Amulet members enjoyed a menu of poached pears and candied walnuts

on mixed greens, beef tenderloin, green beans, garlic mashed potatoes and crushed peppermint chocolate mousse cake. Members danced to the music of the Classics. Seen in the crowd were Dixie and Bill Ayers, Liz and Ron Moore, Kathie and Pringle Ramsay, Olivia and Gene Weingarten, Beverly and Phil Stine, Janis Zeanah, Lu and Charles Moss, Cheree and Eric Carlton, Edith and Bob Bauman, Roberta and Jim Atkinson and Phyllis and Roy Tinsley. ❖

Dr. Kevin J. Alexander is proud to welcome Dr. Ruth Penton Hayes and Dr. Michael McCracken. To: Tiffany From:

Over The Mountain Journal, PHON FAX: 205-824-1246 Feb. 2012

Date: “We are now open on Fridays for your convenience. As always, we This is your AD PrOOF from the are devoted to serving you with the highest level of respect, concern, March 8, 2012 issue. Please integrity, quality and care.”

-Dr. Kevin J. AlexanderPlease make sure a

including addres

Dr. Michael McCracken Dr. McCracken is our attending implantologist. His knowledge of dental materials and research involving implants makes him an expert. In addition, he is an excellent clinician. Recently Dr. McCracken had the vision for and facilitated the building of the Foundry Dental Clinic in Bessemer. He has taught many courses at UAB School of Dentistry and across the country.

Please initial and

if we have not heard from you b your ad will run as i

Dr. Ruth Penton Hayes

Thank you for y

Dr. Ruth Penton Hayes comes to our practice after working the last four years with a nonprofit organization providing dental care for underserved and underprivileged children of Alabama. She has also served as an adjunct faculty member of the Pediatric Department of the UAB School of Dentistry.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. McCracken and Dr. Hayes.

20 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

CIALIZING I N PE

Convertible Tops Sunroofs Leather Interiors facebook.com/AlabamaAutoTop

1201 3RD AVENUE SOUTH . BIRMINGHAM, AL 35233 PHONE: 205-251-0684 . WWW.ALABAMAAUTOTOP.COM

From left: Douglas Logan, Matthew Gambril, Anna Wynn Rodgers, Hall Lundberg, Seline Meisler, Alan Gambril, Photo special to the Journal Catherine Smith and Malcolm McRae.

Candlelight Ball Honors Mtn. Brook Seniors

he 2012 Candlelight Ball was Jan. 21 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center. The presentees were senior girls from Mountain Brook. A seated dinner preceded the presentation for the girls and their escorts. Table centerpieces of tall lighted cylindrical glass vases filled with white branches and snowflakes carried out the evening’s “winter wonderland” theme.

Jewels By Rose

619 Montgomery Highway Vestavia Hills • 979-5611 Vintage Jewelry • Engagement Rings Old Cut Diamonds • Custom Design Restoration

Celebrating 36 Years in Business jewelsbyrose.net •

To: From: Date:

Trees glowing with white lights were scattered throughout the ballroom, and large snowflakes hung at various heights. Following the presentation, honorees and their guests enjoyed dancing to the music of the Atlanta All Stars. Co-chairmen for the event were Susan Logan, Pam Meisler and Kimberly Rodgers. ❖

Riverchase Women’s Club Showcases Artists

iverchase Women’s Club sponsored its sixth annual art show, Riverchase Loves Artists, Feb. 4 at Riverchase Country Club. The show included a variety of media from 47 Birmingham area artists. Displaying their art were Gloria Adams, Noelle Anglin, Jenny Ballantine, Brian Bohannen, Sally Donna, 979-5691 Chew, Kathy Clark Hutto, Samuel Collins, Betsy Covington, Troy Over The Mountain Journal, 205-823-9646 ph., Crisswell, Laura Cunningham, 205-824-1246, fax Michael Davis, Leah Dodd, Linda March 2012 Dunn, Deborah Elliott, George This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the Elliot, Jerrie Elliot, Janice Entler, March 8, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246. Stephen Febres-Cordero, Judi Fuller, Ashley Glover and David Greene. Please make sure all information is correct, Other artists were Barclay including address and phone number! Gresham, Nancy Hammond, Mike Hulsey, Connie Hulsey, Leigh Ann Please initial and fax back within 24 hours. Hurst, Julie Jackson, Toby Klein, Ron Lewis, Kay Moates, Anne If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, Moore, Victoria Moore, Emily Neel, your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday. Nichols, Paige Nicholson, Thank you for your prompt attention.David Toni Palmer, Bill Palmer, Roger Poer, Renae, Poer, Nikki Quick, Jeannie Robertson, Hank Siegel, Deborah Smith, Don Stewart, Shelley Stewart and She-She Vaughn. The show opened Feb. 3 with a gala preview party that gave invited guests an early opportunity to purchase works. Guests mingled with the artists while

Above: Gloria Nelson, left, and Cherie Season. Below: Jim Aycock and Photo special to the Journal Beverly Stein.

enjoying hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Raffle items at the Valentine’s Daythemed party included a painting by artist Laura Cunningham and champagne with chocolates. Show chairmen Lynne Cooper

and Peggy Roberts were supported by many volunteers from the club. Proceeds from the show benefit Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama, the Amelia Center and the Exceptional Foundation. ❖

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 21

SOCIAL

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Off Shoots Garden Club Hosts Mountain Brook City Manager Heritage Parc

PumPHouse village

tHe cove at overton

Maggie Kessler 999.9877 www.crerealty.com

Charles Kessler 999.9881 www.crerealty.com

$229,000 and up Hoover

$400’s and up Vestavia Hills

$600’s and up Vestavia/Mtn Brook

Mountain Brook City Manager Sam Gaston with members of the Off Shoots Garden Club. Photo special to the Journal

ff Shoots Garden Club Heritage Parc

Discussion topics included PumPHouse village

proposed $400’ssidewalks and upthroughout the Vestavia Mountain Brook Hills communities. Gaston displayed the long-term at its Jan. 19 meeting. Members goals of sidewalk construction congathered at the home of Carol necting schools, community villagPitard. es, churches and neighborhoods. Gaston talked about Mountain Off Shoots Garden Club is a Brook’s city government, updated Brookwood Forest community members on the proposed Park garden club focused on service to Lane development and discussed the Brookwood Forest and Overton the city’s Emergency Responder Park neighborhoods. Service. ❖ Maggie Kessler 999.9877 Charles Kessler 999.9881 hosted Brook $229,000 andMountain up city manager Sam Gaston Hoover

www.crerealty.com

Andy’s

tHe cove at overton $600’s and up Vestavia/Mtn Brook

Farm Market and Garden Center 824-0233 • 3351 Morgan Drive 402-2639 • Hwy 150 Hoover Mon-Sat 8-6 • Sun 12-5

Spring Flowers Arriving Daily

Charles Kessler 999.9881 www.crerealty.com

www.AndysGardenCenter.com

To: From: Date:

andyb@andysgardencenter.com Over The Mountain Journal, 205-823-9646 ph., 205-824-1246, fax March 2012

This is your aD prOOF from the Over The MOunTain JOurna March 8, 2012 issue. please fax approval or changes to 824This is your ad proof from the over The mounTain Journal for the feb. 23, 2012 ssue. please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

please make sure all information is correct, including address and phone number! please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

if we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the friday before the press date, your ad will run as is. We print the paper monday.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

please make sure all information is corre including address and phone number! please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

if we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press da your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

119

280

Doug Baker Blvd. Publix

CB&S Bank Rave Motion Pictures

home

22 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

before & after

Wilmer Poyner, left, and Henry Ray started Ray & Poyner Properties two years ago, and business is growing at a rapid pace.

Movers & Shakers

Journal photo by Laura McAlister

Ray & Poynor Make an Impact in Real Estate Market

Efficient & Effective Couple Combines Talents to Update 1950s Home By Laura McAlister

Journal Editor

indsay and Jonathan Handey might have had different approaches when it came to making their Vestavia Hills house a long-term home they could raise a family in. But in the end, they both got what they wanted and more. more photos The couple purchased the 1952 ranch-style house near Vestavia Hills East Elementary in October 2010. The kitchen and appliances were dated, and the onestory house had only three bedrooms and two baths, among other shortcomings. Although they knew it would be a lot of work, both agreed major changes would have to be made. While Lindsay and her mother Susan Klyce, owner of Susan Klyce Interior Design, focused on the decor, Jonathan did what he does best – making homes as energy efficient as possible. Jonathan is an energy consultant and co-owner of eco three, a home energy auditing firm. When remodeling his new home, he put

OTMJ.COM

Pictured top, is Jonathan and Lindsay Handey’s renovated Vestavia Hills home. Inset is what it looked like before the couple purJournal photo by Laura McAlister chased it.

also in this section ...

See Efficient & effective page 26

Getting Your Home Market Ready Lisa Bond, owner of The Stagehand Home Staging and Redesign Services explains why when it comes to selling a home, it’s all about the presentation. Page 24

t a time when some real estate companies were shutting their doors due to a plunging economy, Henry Ray and Wilmer Poynor were opening theirs. Ray & Poynor Properties started Jan. 15, 2010. A little more than two years later, the company is not only surviving but flourishing. One reason may be that neiGet to ther man is a know Ray & rookie in the real estate field. Both Poyner have years of For more experience in the information, Birmingham area visit www. housing market – raypoynor.com and a longstanding or call 879-3036. professional relaRay & Poynor tionship with each Properties is other. located at 2629 Ray was the Cahaba Road in owner of Ray Mountain Brook & Co., while Village. Poynor owned Poynor Properties. The two companies combined in 1997 and merged into RealtySouth in 2000. Poynor left RealtySouth in 2009; Ray most recently had been working as a consultant for Haskell Slaughter Young & Rediker. “I wanted to get back into running a real estate company,” Poynor said. “We wanted local management,” said Ray. “We talked each other into this.” The two not only re-forged their partnership but headquartered their company in the Cahaba Road building they’d occupied years before. “We started with just the two of us,” Ray said. Agents, carefully chosen by the partSee ray & Poyner, page 23

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 23

home

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

The majority of people haven’t recognized the significance of low interest rates. That spurs a real interest to buy and sell, and it affects both the buyer and seller. - Henry ray

Ray & Poyner, from page 22

ners, were soon added. “Now, we hold close to 40 licenses and about seven in a referral company,” Poynor said. “I think we’ll grow even more.” “We’re growing and need to grow more,” Ray said. “We’re ambitious to grow.” Ray & Poynor already has expanded at a rapid pace. According to Poynor, the company is among the top 10 in the Birmingham area Multiple Listing Service system. “Our average sales price is the highest in Birmingham by far,” he said. “We started out as No. 300 in sales volume in the city. At the end of 2010, we were No. 16 in the Birmingham MLS. At the end of 2011, we were No. 9.” In the last two years, he added, Ray & Poynor was second in sales volume in Mountain Brook. While the company does handle a large number of high-end properties, it’s not limited to those – nor do its owners want it to be. “We sell all price ranges, and we welcome all price ranges,” Ray said.

The two men are quick to attribute their advances to their agents. “It’s the quality of our people – their expertise, education and empathy,” Ray said. “They empathize with buyers and sellers, and that comes from experience and instinct.” Ray, Poynor and their agents are heavily involved in civic organizations and causes. “We’re locally owned and grown, and we owe it to our community to give back,” Ray said. Two recent additions to the staff are Barbara Burton and Debbie Robinson. As director of corporate development, Burton “is an ambassador for us and will help create and attract new business,” Ray said. Burton is an Alabama native but owned a real estate company in New York City before moving to Birmingham three years ago. “This is my best move ever,” she said. “My three adult children have bought condos here, too. I love being in Birmingham, where everything is 10 minutes away.” Robinson, vice president of relocation development, said she works with corporations “locally and nationally.” “I help people moving into and out

of the Birmingham area,” she said. “If someone’s moving to, say, North Carolina, I can set them up with an associate there.” While their customers’ needs naturally differ, Poynor said, many want to “simplify.” “They’re concerned about how the house is run, how convenient it is and even how easy the landscaping is to take care of,” he said. Today’s buyers also are more informed about the market, Ray said. “That’s due to all the information available on the Internet,” he said. “It tends to make people eliminate some properties right away. It makes it more important than ever to have your house in pristine condition.” The real estate market, in Birmingham and Over the Mountain, is improving, Ray said. “In general, it’s better this year than last year, and it was better last year than the year before,” he said. “The majority of people haven’t recognized the significance of low interest rates. That spurs a real interest to buy and sell, and it affects both the buyer and seller. “There are buyers and sellers who have been patient. Now, they’re ready to move on.” ❖

R2S RENT TO SELL

PROGRAM

Times are tough.The inventory of homes on the market is at an all-time high. People move, but their houses don’t. That’s why Watts Realty created the Watts R2S Program. With Watts R2S, you ride out the down markets like the one we’re in now by renting that house you haven’t been able to sell. Then, when the time is right, we seamlessly help you go from renting to selling. WATTS R2S INCLUDES: Rental management | Collection/Distribution Maintenance/upkeep I Monthly rental reports Seamless transition from rental to sales Clear, open communications with Sales Agency

Watts Rea lt y Compa ny: Nex t Gener a tion Rea l Esta te For more information: Wattsrealt y.com | 205.251.1267 CPM • AMO • BAR • AAR • IREM • CCIM • NAIOP • CRB

FA NE BUL W O MO US DE L

UPTOWN HOMEWOOD

a mixed use community Condominium Homes 205.802.7400 hallmanhill.com o n e , t wo a n d t h r e e b e d ro o m s f ro m t h e $ 2 0 0 ’ s t o $ 4 0 0 ’ s

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24 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Our job is to tell a story. When they walk in, we want them to see that lifestyle. You can’t change the location of a home or the year it was built, but there is a buyer for every house. You just have to target the buyer. - Lisa Bond

Lisa Bond took this vacant home on Lake Crest View in Hoover and filled it with sophisticated furnishings suited to the potential buyer in that area and price range. She also strategically placed the furniPhoto special to the Journal ture to enhance parts of the house and not interrupt the home’s flow.

Every Home’s a Stage

Hoover Resident Helps Sellers Make a Great Impression

Kathy’s Designer Kitchens, Inc.

By Laura McAlister

1831 29th Ave. S. • Homewood, AL 35209

205-871-9880 • Kathy Owens, CKD, President

Journal Editor

photo by Jean Allsopp

Decorator Fabrics • Hardware • Rugs • Trim

1820 Greensprings Highway 322-5878 www.kingcottonfabrics.com

one are the days when a sign in the front yard and maybe some cookies in the oven are all the prepping homeowners need to sell their house. In this market, Lisa Bond said, it takes much more. Lisa, who lives in Hoover, is a home staging consultant and redesigner and owner of The Stagehand Home Staging and Redesign Services. She works with Realtors and homeowners in the Over the Mountain area to get homes in the best shape possible for sale. Whether houses are large or small, lived in or vacant, Lisa stages them all. The Stagehand service is fit for all budgets, too. Lisa said a project can be as big as bringing in painters and contractors as well as furniture or as small as pulling weeds and rearranging furniture. In the current market, she said, staging is about redesigning the home with the buyer – not the owner – in mind. “Our job is to tell a story,” Lisa said. “When they walk in, we want them to see that lifestyle. You can’t change the location of a home or the year it was built, but there is a buyer for every house. You just have to target that buyer. Is that buyer a family or empty nester, or maybe it’s a young professional.” Whatever the case, Lisa and her staff are trained in making homes marketable. She is a credentialed member of the Real Estate Staging Association and the American Society of Home Stagers and Redesigners. She’s also a graduate of the Haverhill Institute

of Staging and Design and has passed the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice exam for real estate home appraisal. While many clients think they can wait to make needed changes to their home after it’s on the market, Lisa said that just isn’t the case if owners are really looking to sell. Lisa can’t guarantee a home will sell in a certain amount of time, but she said in the three years she’s been in business, her homes typically sell anywhere from three days to three months after the staging and redesigning take place. “We’ve had some really good success stories,” she said. “We did have a really large home in Mountain Brook that was vacant. It had been on the market for two years. “We came in and staged it. It was owned by an investment company in Atlanta, and they did everything we asked as far as updating. We went in and replaced light fixtures, redid some stonework, got some new planters out front. “They had a contract two months later.” Lisa said her company can’t do it alone. She has to have homeowners willing to make the necessary changes, as well as a good Realtor and aggressive marketing strategy. With the home selling season getting into full swing, Lisa offers the following tips to get your home market-ready. – The first impression could be the last, so make sure the house’s exterior and yard are in good condition, Lisa said. This doesn’t have to be expensive, she said. If there are weeds in the yard, pull them out. If paint is peeling, fix it. “This is just like a mini-facelift,” she said. “It’s

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 25

homes

extremes and of course keeps the potential buyer in mind. what we call sweat equity. The first thing we look at “We don’t go too transitional, too contemporary or from a buyer’s perspective is curb appeal. I can say from too traditional,” she said. “We do want to target the buyer my own experience when I first got married and was and play up the living spaces with them in mind, but we looking at houses, I remember pulling up to two and just also want it to work saying ‘eww.’ It was generically.” because of the outside.” – Depersonalize the – Inside, de-clutterhome. Potential buyers ing and cleaning house want to see themselves are key. (See our story there, not the former on page 10 on Amanda owners. LeBlanc and her new “Think of it like a series “The Amandas” model home,” she said. for tips on de-cluttering “You don’t see anything your home.) really personalized. – Make sure the You don’t want buyers furniture in your home to psychologically see is laid out appropriately. other people there. Then Lisa said you don’t they start thinking, why want furniture to block are they leaving? Are the flow or cover any they getting divorced? appealing aspects of It’s that first impression the house, like a mantle again.” or window with a nice Lisa suggests removview. ing family photos as Make sure all the well as religious symspaces in the home bols or other personal are used as they were items. intended, she added. She also cautions “If you have a dining sellers to keep their room, use it as a dining jewelry and prescriproom, not as an office,” tion medications in safe she said. Lisa Bond is owner of The Stagehand Home Staging and Redesign Services in Hoover. She does anything from adding places. “Furniture layout flowers and rearranging furniture to bringing in painters and con“People are very really needs to be tractors to get homes market ready. trusting when they sell appropriate for the their homes, but there room,” she said. “You have been cases where don’t want to make prescription medications or jewelry have been stolen,” it look smaller. Sometimes we have to sit down with a computer program we have and do the layout plan. It just she said. “Remove them. Put them somewhere safe. Remember, people are going to come in and snoop.” depends on what you need to highlight.” For more information about home staging and Lisa’s – Keep decor fairly neutral. Lisa has access to “thouservices, visit www.thestagehand.info or call 1-888 sands” of pieces of furniture and artwork. She said when she’s furnishing a vacant house, she tries not to go to any STGE NOW. ❖

When you are serious about selling your home... James Harwell Recently Listed and Sold 913 Mountain Branch Drive in Vestavia. He recently sold 741 Shades Crest Road in Bluff Park. He consistently remains among the top Realtors in the Birmingham Asssociation. He is a Director and and an Officer of the Birmingham Assocation of Realtors He was named Birmingham’s Sales Associate of the Year for 2011. James Knows the Over the Mountain Area. When you are serious about selling your home, call James. He’ll get it done. JamesHarwell.com

To: From: Date:

James Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 March 2012

This is your AD PrOOF from the OvEr THE MOuNTAiN March 8, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or chang

Please make sure all information i including address and phone n

Please initial and fax back within 24 ho

if we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monda

Thank you for your prompt atten

26 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME, MINUS THE COMFORT?

home

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Above: The Handeys recently finished decorating their nursery. They are expecting a baby girl in May. Below, left: Lindsay’s mother, Susan Klyce, helped with the decorating of the dining room, and just about the whole house, Lindsay says. Below, right: The kitchen was totally redone during the renovation. They added granite countertops with Journal photos by Laura McAlister a subway tile backsplash. All the appliances are stainless steal and certified Energy Star.

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into practice what he preaches to his clients daily. “We specialize in home energy evaluations and how to be more energy efficient,” he said. “We want there to be a quick payoff.” After Jonathan did the majority of the demolition work himself, construction started in April 2011. The Handeys were in their new house Dec. 1 – just in time for them to get a nursery ready for their first baby, due in May. In addition to totally transforming the outside of the house, the couple added a second level with three bedrooms, a Jack and Jill bath and a playroom. They also rearranged the main floor, moving the master bedroom and adding a laundry room and den. Lindsay said she really wanted a floor plan that allowed easy flow from the kitchen to the dining room and den. “When we built the house, we were on the same page in that we love having friends and family over,” she said. “We wanted it to be open through the kitchen and den, so people could mingle easily.” With the help of her mother, Lindsay mixed family antiques with some modern accents to give the home a sophisticated look. What was once the front of the house was transformed into a large master suite complete with a master bath with a stand-alone shower and bathtub and his and her walk-in closets, something hard to come by in

tips from the trade Jonathan and Lindsay have a tankless water heater. Jonathan said it heats water automatically and never runs out, but since it only heats it when needed it is more energy efficient and cuts down on costs. many 1950s homes in the area. Jonathan said they took out lots of pink and blue bathroom tiles, replacing them with granite countertops and custom cabinets. They were able to salvage most of the house’s original hardwood floors, which had been covered by carpet. The Handeys also redid the basement, which Lindsay said was in such bad shape she wouldn’t even enter it until after the renovation. It’s now a “man cave/office” for Jonathan, she said. While the couple agreed on the major changes of the layout of the house, Lindsay was a bit skeptical about the energy efficient appliances and updates. “I just really didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “It has been great, though. I didn’t have to give up on water pressure or anything like that. We have a tankless water heater now, and it’s great. We never run out of hot

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 27

home

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

water.” The tankless water heater was just one of many items the couple will save on in the long run, Jonathan said, though they did have to spend more initially. While Lindsay might be quicker to point out the updated kitchen with granite countertops and a white subway tile backsplash, Jonathan is more likely to show off the house’s crawlspace, the natural gas water heater or the furnace from Alagasco. “The walls are completely spray foam installation,” he said while ducking into the crawlspace in the garage. “It’s extremely energy efficient.” So is the furnace, which he said is a 90 percent efficient condensing furnace. That means it doesn’t have to vent out of the house like a normal furnace. “It’s really the most energy efficient you can buy, and the house stays

A spray foam was used instead of the traditional installation throughout the house. Jonathan said it’s much better at keeping out drafts, thus lowering heating bills. so comfortable and nice,” he said. “It costs about $3,000 more than your normal furnace, but we built this house to raise a family in, and it will pay for itself in three years.” Look no further than the Handeys’ gas and power bills for proof. In February, their gas bill for the now - 3,500 square foot house totaled $66.16, and the power bill was about $45. The same spray foam in the crawlspace is used in the attic and other storage spaces to keep out drafts during the winter. In the summer, Jonathan said, energy efficient windows let in light but not heat. “These windows block out about 95 percent of the radiant heat,” he said. “When the sun shines in, it will leave a shadow on the floor, but it’s not warm.” Energy savers throughout the year include the use of all CFL or LED

bulbs for lighting as well as Energy Star certified appliances. Energy Star is a government-backed program that allows tax breaks for products deemed eco-friendly and energy efficient. Lindsay said she loves the kitchen and her appliances, and she knows now that she wasn’t sacrificing on

quality with the energy-efficient products. In fact, when most people walk into the Handey home, they really wouldn’t know it was more energy efficient than most. They would just think it was a home to raise a family in, which is what the couple wanted all along. ❖

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To: From: Date:

Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 FEb. 2012

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28 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

NEW BUSINESS

Stocking The Pantry

Cahaba Heights Store, Restaurant Brings Farm to City BY LAURA MCALISTER

All the vegetables are organic and purchased from nearby farmers. Most of the fruits are, too, except for those that can’t be found in the JOURNAL EDITOR area year round. Deborah said those are posted at The Pantry each day, hen Deborah Stone rented the space that formerly housed so customers know which are not organic. The juices are detoxifying, Deborah said, which has made juice BoHo Burgers in Cahaba Heights, she was really just looking for a kitchen where she could make jams and jel- fasting a popular trend. However, not many places in the Birmingham area offer juice bars. lies to pair with her homemade goat cheeses. “The juice has really taken off,” she said. Things evolved quickly, though, Deborah said. After the raw bar on the menu comes the creamery, which is all She and her family opened The Pantry by Stone Hollow Farmstead smoothies and shakes made from goat milk and yogurts. Varieties in late December 2011. They are still waiting on approval from the range from the Farmers’ Appetite, a shake made from whole goat milk health department to make the jams and jellies there. In the meantime, ice cream and cashew milk, to the Super Crunch smoothie made with Deborah is serving up much more. In addition to homemade goat cheese from the goats at the family’s goji berries, blueberries, cashew milk, yogurt, vanilla and granola topping. Stone Hollow Farmstead in Shelby County, The Pantry specializes in The menu continues with a garden section; customers can choose fresh, clean, chemical free food and juices as well as home-cooked from fresh organic meals like Deborah’s greens grown locally grandmother used to to pair with farm make. fresh toppings, includ“Our intent really ing pickled jicama, was to find a kitchen avocado, sweet pea where we could do shoots and almonds jams and jellies, but as well as a number then people started of beans, grains and coming by,” she said. edible botanicals. “We decided to do When it comes to lunch and have foods the sandwiches, the people could take meats, just like the home, good food they fruits and vegetables, could serve their famare fresh and chemiily for dinner.” cal free. The menu is Customers can somewhat unexpected create their own and unusual, but the sliders choosing former day spa owner from Kobe, bison said it really reflects or ostrich. They are her family’s lifestyle all grass fed and and, in many ways, naturally raised. Other the way she’s eaten sandwich options Deborah Stone, owner of The Pantry, with chef Lee Shipp, opened the restaurant and since she was a little store in Cahaba Heights about three months ago. The store is designed for take-out, but include rib-eye tacos, girl. there is some dining space inside and on the patio. All ingredients are farm fresh, with grits and greens rollDeborah closed many coming from Deborahʼs own farm, Stone Hollow Farmstead. Journal photo by Laura McAlister ups and a bean sprout her day spa in flatbread sandwich. Birmingham in 1999. The Pantry She and her husband The Pantry by Stone Hollow Farmstead has Then, what Deborah Russell, along with likes to call “pick their two daughters, Address: 3160 Cahaba Heights Road your poison.” These moved to Stone Phone: 800-285-8950 one-pot meals, created Hollow Farmstead. www.stonehollowfarmstead.com daily, include soups, Though the stews, chili and chowchange might seem ders. Deborah said dramatic, Deborah these meals would be was actually raised on a farm. listed on their website daily to help those who want to pick up dinner “It was more of a stretch from farm to spa,” she said, laughing. Growing up, Deborah and her family didn’t ride out to chain stores for the family. The Pantry is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and 10 to buy their groceries. They just went to the pantry and chose from the a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. fresh selection, which is a lot like what she’s doing at her new retail Mondays are what Deborah calls “detox day,” and only items from store and restaurant in Cahaba Heights. the raw bar and the garden are served. She and head chef Lauren Dailey, who is also Deborah’s niece, To-go meals can be picked up out front, or customers can drive are taking local, fresh ingredients from Stone Hollow Farm and other around to the back to enter through the main entrance. nearby farms to produce a menu that includes everything from detoxiThere is some room for sitting inside. Some Stone Hollow fying fruit and vegetable juices to bison sliders and even the one-pot Farmstead goat cheeses, jellies and other items are for sale inside. skillet meals Deborah’s grandmother used to cook. In just a few short months, The Pantry has evolved from the jelly “I think by now, we know you really are what you eat,” she said. and jam kitchen they anticipated. Deborah said to expect even more “You’ve got to have a balance. This is kind of my lifestyle. I’m a changes in the near future. Soon, she said, she’ll offer frozen bakes healthy eater some of the time, and then there are times when I like to and casseroles and also hopes to begin catering for business-type luneat my grandmother’s cooking.” cheons and events. The menu, about five pages long, starts with the raw bar. In this “We’re looking forward to growing here,” she said. “My farm is so case, “raw” refers to fruit and vegetable juices. far out there. This has been a really great way to bring the farm to my Deborah said she and her daughters started making these concocfriends.” tions about five years ago. One of Deborah’s personal favorites is the Visit www.stonehollowfarmstead.com and click on “Pantry” for Spice in Your Life, a combination of carrot, kale, apple and ginger more information about The Pantry and to see what’s being served juices. The juices can be a meal or a snack, and there are several adddaily. ❖ ins like wheatgrass and goji juice for even more health benefits.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

NEW IN TOWN THE PINK TULIP

The Pink Tulip recently opened a second location. In addition to its Homewood shop, it now has a store in Cahaba Village. The women’s clothing store was started by Duff and Letty Algren 25 years ago in Five Points South. It started as a gift and home furnishings store but gradually evolved into a ladies apparel and accessory store with only accents of gifts and items for the home. For five years the store was owned by friends of the Algrens, and in the fall of 2010 the Algrens took ownership again. KIDS CONNECTION

The Dawson Family of Faith recently opened Kids Connection, a resource center for children at 32 Green Springs Highway. The ministry will provide clothes, shoes, coats, books, toys, strollers, backpacks, diapers, diaper bags and other physical resources it takes to raise a child. The families served by this new ministry will come through referrals from churches and organizations that meet other needs in Birmingham. Volunteers operate the ministry center. While many of the volunteers will come form Dawson, other churches and organizations are invited to help. Kids Connection is ready to receive donations. Most of the items to be given away will be donations of gently used items, and anyone may donate items for children from birth through age 16. Some items like diapers and other disposable items will be purchased. Call Dawson Memorial Baptist Church at 871-7324, or visit www.dawsoncx church.org for details on how to donate. 28:20 BOUTIQUE

28:20 boutique is a women’s apparel and gift shop in Homewood. The shop, owned by Ellen and Kim Whitaker, opened March 2. Store hours are 10 a.m.6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Find out more about this unique boutique on Facebook or call 540-7446 or email 2820boutique@gmail.com.

Get Connected

The chambers of commerce and other organizations in the Over the Mountain area offer several networking opportunities. Below is a sampling of some of the networking events coming up: VESTAVIA HILLS

The Vestavia Hills Young Professionals will host a networking event at 5 p.m. March 8 at Black Jack Grille and Bar on Acton Road. For more information, email vhyp@vestaviahills.org. HOOVER

The Hoover Chamber Luncheon will be March 15 at the Hoover Country Club. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m., and the luncheon begins promptly at noon. Make reservations by March 12. The Cost is $17. For more information or to register visit www. hooverchamber.org. HOMEWOOD

The Homewood Chamber of Commerce’s membership luncheon will be March 27. Dean Howard Finch, Brock School of Business at Samford University, will be the guest speaker. He will be speaking about the financial maze of owning a business and what tools are needed to make a business more successful. The cost is $17. Visit www. homewoodchamber.org for more information or to register.

New in the OTM Area? The New Business section features new businesses in the Over the Mountain area. Know of an interesting business that’s recently moved to the area? Let us know. It could be featured in this space. Call 823-9646 or email editorial@otmj.com.

Nicholson-Sealy

Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Edward Nicholson of Vestavia Hills announce the engagement of their daughter, Andrea Lauren, to Benjamin Paul Sealy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Ferencik Sealy of Fairhope. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mr. George Nomy Mickwee

Dyar-Boyd

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Grady Dyar of Hoover announce the engagement of their daughter, Lee Allison Dyar, to Austin Robert Boyd, son of Mr. and Mrs. Austin Walker Boyd Jr. of Huntsville. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bavis Marl McKinney of Sheffield and Mrs. Eustine Caroline Dyar and the late Mr.

Cupp-Lucas

Dr. and Mrs. Cecil Watson Cupp III of Hot Springs, Ark. announce the engagement of their daughter, Catherine Anne Cupp, to Kenan Holmes Lucas, son of Mr. and Mrs. Cary Gilbreth Beck of Birmingham and the late Mr. William Ray Lucas Jr. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Watson Cupp Jr. of Hot Springs and the late Mr.

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 29

Weddings & Engagements

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

and the late Mrs. Lucia Kenhan Mickwee of Birmingham, formerly of Hollywood, Fla., and Mrs. Alice Marie Nicholson and the late Mr. Edward Douglas Nicholson of Dallas. Miss Nicholson is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. She is employed as developments event manager at the Birmingham Museum of Art. The prospective groom is the grandson of Mr. Billy Earl Pipkin and Mrs. Sandra Todd Pipkin of Fairhope and the late Mr. Gordon Marquis Sealy and Mrs. Nancy Parten Sealy, also of Fairhope. Mr. Sealy is a graduate of the University of Alabama, where he received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He is employed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The wedding is planned for May 12 at 1:30 p.m. at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Birmingham. Henry Grady Dyar Jr. of Arab. Miss Dyar is a 2004 graduate of Hoover High School. She is a 2008 cum laude graduate of Auburn University where she received a bachelor’s degree in finance and a minor in marketing. She is a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Miss Dyar is employed as an engineering senior recruiter with Aerotek in Birmingham. The prospective groom is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Bobby R. Murphy of Pensacola, Fla. and Mr. Austin Walker Boyd Sr. and the late Mrs. Joanna Calvin Boyd of Sistersville, W. Va. Mr. Boyd is a 2001 graduate of Huntsville High School. He is a 2005 graduate of the University of Alabama where he received a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics. Mr. Boyd is employed as an investment analyst with Sterne Agee in Birmingham. He also is the market owner of GO Kickball in Birmingham and Huntsville. The wedding is planned for April 14, 2012 at the Lucille Ryals Thompson Colonial Chapel at American Village in Montevallo. and Mrs. Clarence Green “Tommy” Malcom of Hot Springs. Miss Cupp is a graduate of Lakeside High School in Hot Springs and Southern Methodist University with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, serving as chapter president, and is a member of The Junior League of San Francisco. She is employed as assistant merchandiser for Gap Inc./Banana Republic in San Francisco. The prospective groom is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. James Forest Smith Jr. of Knoxville, Tenn. and Dr. and Mrs. William Ray Lucas of Huntsville. Mr. Lucas is a graduate of Mountain Brook High School and a magna cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He is employed as an associate at Swander Pace Capitol in San Francisco. The wedding will take place on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs on April 28, 2012.

Mears-Beshear

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Anderson Mears II of Birmingham announce the engagement of their daughter, Katherine Brevard Mears, to James Ross Beshear, son of Dr. and Mrs. James Robert Beshear of Montgomery. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mrs. Mary Nell Boyd and the late Mr. William Slone Boyd Jr. of Laurel, Miss., and Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Wakefield Mears of Birmingham. Miss Mears is a graduate of Mountain Brook High School and received a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Auburn University, where she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority and Auburn University

Singers. She is employed in the arts in New York City. The prospective groom is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Frank Shamburger Taylor, Mrs. Juanita Bradsher Taylor of Durham, N.C., and the late Mr. and Mrs. Russell Beshear of Dawson Springs, Ky. Mr. Beshear is a graduate of Montgomery Academy and Birmingham-Southern College. He received a master of arts from The New School for Drama. He is also employed in the arts in New York City. The wedding is planned for September 29 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Birmingham.

Molpus-Tomlinson

was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. She was presented at the Debutante Club of Mississippi. The prospective groom is the grandson of Mrs. Jean Riley Tomlinson of Birmingham and the late Mr. Jack O’Neal Tomlinson Sr., Mr. and Mrs. David Ballou Andrews of Pensacola, Fla., and the late Mrs. Betty Waller Andrews of Pensacola. Mr. Tomlinson is a graduate of Mountain Brook High School and Auburn University, where he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. He is employed with Southern Medical Solutions. The wedding is planned for June 9.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Homer Molpus of Jackson, Miss., announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Henderson Molpus, to Frank Hilton-Green Tomlinson Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hilton-Green Tomlinson Sr. of Birmingham. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mrs. Juanita Stokes Molpus and the late Mr. Homer Burnette Molpus and Mrs. Emily Henderson Lowry and the late Mr. Wiley Potter Lowry Sr., all of Jackson. Miss Molpus is a graduate of Jackson Prep High School and the University of Mississippi, where she

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30 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

Duke-Bean

Evelyn Jane Duke and McLean Carlisle Bean were married Dec. 31, 2011 at Second Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Va. Rev. Lynn McClintock officiated at the ceremony. A reception followed at Main Street Station. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Goodman Burnette Duke Jr. of Louisa, Va. She is the granddaughter of Mr. Robert Alan Johnson and the late Mrs. Joyce Wittenberger

Weddings & Engagements Johnson of Charlottesville, Va., and Mr. and Mrs. Goodman Burnette Duke of Mineral, Va. Mr. Bean is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Sanborn Bean Jr. of Birmingham. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Jackson Noble Jr. and of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Sanborn Bean, all of Birmingham. Bobbi Joe Gardner of Washington, D.C., was maid of honor. Bridesmaids were Sarah Alisdairi Close of Seattle; Ann Collins Duke and Audrey Hudgins Newcomb of Alexandria, Va.; Kitty Morgan Duke of Raleigh, N.C.; Sara Beth Luscombe of Richmond, Va.; and Emily Adele Milliken of Arlington, Va. The groom’s father served as best man. Groomsmen were Joseph Sanborn Bean III of Birmingham, Goodman Burnette Duke III of Louisa, Benjamin Curtis Harris of Richmond., Andrew Jackson Noble IV of New York City, Andrew Woodson Smyth of Dothan and John Trevor Thraves of Charlottesville, Va. After a honeymoon trip to Jamaica, the couple is at home in Richmond.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Summers-King

Brock School of Business at Samford University and is a member of Chi Omega sorority. She is employed with Southern Nuclear. The prospective groom is the grandson of Mrs. Bibb Allen Sr. and the late Mr. Bibb Allen Sr. of Birmingham and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wilson King of Varnville, S.C. Mr. King is a graduate of Mountain Brook High School and the University of Alabama and is attending the University of Alabama School of Law. He is a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. The wedding is planned for May 19.

Rutledge-Nelson

Northwestern University and is director of Genetic Counseling Services at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The prospective groom is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Millard Lamar Williamson and Mrs. Joan Jacoby Williamson and the late Mr. and Mrs. George Augustus Nelson Jr., all of Birmingham. Mr. Nelson is a graduate of Mountain Brook High School and a summa cum laude graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in economics and history. He is senior director of development at Surgical Care Affiliates in Birmingham. The wedding is planned for May 5.

Dr. William Floyd de Shazo IV of Tuscaloosa and Mrs. Jennifer Metcalf de Shazo of Panama City Beach, Fla., announce the engagement of their daughter, Elizabeth Berne de Shazo, to Michael Christopher Brown, son of Dr. and Mrs. Christopher Lee Brown of Emmaus, Pa. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mrs. William Floyd de Shazo III and late Dr. William Floyd de Shazo III of Tuscaloosa and Mrs. Felicia Morrow Metcalf and the late Mr. Stephen Ray Metcalf of Enterprise. Miss de Shazo is a graduate of Homewood High School and the

de Shazo-Brown

University of Alabama. She is a member of Alpha Chi Omega and the Junior League of Washington. She was presented at the 2004 Poinsettia Debutante Ball. She is employed by Rosetta Stone in Arlington, Va. Mr. Brown is a graduate of The Lawrenceville School and Yale University. He was a member of the Yale men’s track and field team. He graduated with a MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He is employed by Opower in Arlington. The wedding is planned for May 12 in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.

Ware of Cary, N.C., and Rob Ware of Cave Spring, Ga. Given in marriage by her parents and escorted by her father, the bride wore her mother’s candlelight dress with hand-embroidered lace complemented by a veil made with extra lace from the modified dress. The bride carried a hand-tied bouquet of locallygrown wildflowers. The maid of honor was the bride’s sister, Landrum Isaacson of Auburn. Bridesmaids included Emma Isaacson of Opelika, sister of the bride; Lauren Williams of Cary, sister of the groom; Kristin Neal of Boston; Lauren Hayes of Nashville, Tenn.; Katherine Davis of Tallahassee, Fla.; Amber Korstjens of Fort Hood, Texas; and Libby Waits of Atlanta. Drew Ware of Cary, brother of the groom, served as best man. Groomsmen included Matthew Finneran of Cary; Andrew Bost of High Point, N.C.; Houston Core of Greensboro, N.C.; Scott Buckhout of Arlington, Va.; Bennett Graham of Charlottesville, Va.; Jackson Isaacson of Auburn, brother of the bride; Charlie Tapp of Hillsborough, N.C.; Will Barker of Raleigh, N.C.; Cameron

Kidd of Wake Forest, N.C.; and Evan LeGarde of Austin, Texas. Benjamin and Miller Isaacson, brothers of the bride, were junior groomsmen. Talmage Isaacson, brother of the bride, and Henry Williams, nephew of the groom, were ring bearers. The bride’s aunt, Kelly Isaacson Buck, served as wedding director. Music for the ceremony was provided by pianist Matt Iles and guitarist Charlie Tapp. Kate Williams, cousin of the bride, read a Scripture passage. Following the wedding, a reception was held at Watson Gap. A hunting lodge-themed rehearsal dinner was given in the couple’s honor by the groom’s parents at the Watson Gap Pavilion, Reynolds Blue Ridge. A bridesmaids’ luncheon was hosted at the Manor House Restaurant at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock by Harriett Isaacson, grandmother of the bride, of Birmingham; Bette Kitt, grandmother of the bride, of Asheville; Drue Shinn, great aunt of the bride, of Sylvania, Ohio; and Kelly Buck, aunt of the bride, of Birmingham. Following the celebration, the couple honeymooned in Costa Rica and now live in Greenwood, Miss.

Dr. and Mrs. Teddy Wayne Sartin and Dr. William David Summers, all of Birmingham, announce the engagement of their daughter, Natalie Ruth Summers, to Allen Christian King, son of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Christian King of Birmingham. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mrs. Martha Summers of Birmingham and the late Mr. Luther Summers and the late Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Hawkins. Miss Summers is a graduate of Mountain Brook High School and the University of Alabama. She is attending

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Edmund Rutledge III of Charlotte, N.C., announce the engagement of their daughter, Katherine Dewes Rutledge, to Thomas Reagan Nelson Jr., son of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Reagan Nelson of Birmingham. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Archibald Livingston Jr. of Birmingham and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Edmund Rutledge Jr. of Dunnellon, Fla. Miss Rutledge is a graduate of St. Catherine’s School and Duke University. She received a master’s degree in genetic counseling from

CELEBRATE YOUR GOOD NEWS

To have our wedding & engagement forms sent to you, call 823-9646 or email editorial@otmj.com.

Isaacson-Ware

Kathryn Lee Isaacson and Blake Cameron Ware were married July 9, 2011 on the Watson Gap lawn at Reynolds Blue Ridge in Boone, N.C. The Reverend Jim Byrne officiated at the 6 p.m. ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Chris and Kathy Isaacson of Opelika. She is the granddaughter of Harriett and Lou Isaacson of Birmingham and Don and Bette Kitt of Asheville, N.C. The groom is the son of Stephanie

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Rising Runway Stars

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 31

Schools

Pizitz Arts Students Show off Designs at Birmingham Fashion Week

rt students at Pizitz Middle School recently participated in the Rising Design Star competition during Birmingham Fashion Week. Pizitz placed 10 artist/designers in the contest semifinals among 40 middle and high school students. Participants had to create a dress from unusual dress materials; no fabric or sewn material was allowed. Some of their clever creations included twisted computer wire, chewing gum sticks in wrappers, comic strips, feathers, plastic bags, curled ribbon and soda can pull tabs. Semifinalists were design star

Great Chen with model Wendy Jiang, Odelia Huang with Mary Claire Hubert, Greer Miceli with Lucy Bailey, Grace Promer with Margaret Koopman from Vestavia Hills High School and Erica Wei with Taylor Davis. The five artists from Pizitz who made it to the finals were design star Madeline Borden with model Alex Ferguson, Ella Kate Dewees with Mary Umbar, Sarah Gann with Savannah Flowers, Taylor McGill with Anna Catherine Manning from Oak Mountain High School and Sarah Anne Pfitzer with Michelle Perley from Vestavia Hills High School. ❖

Above: Pizitiz Middle School art students at Birmingham Fashion Week included, from left: Greer Miceli, Lucy Bailey, Sarah Anne Pfitzer, Michelle Perley,Grace Promer and Margaret Hooper. Right: Savannah Flowers shows off Sarah Gann’s gum stick dress at the Rising Design Star contest, held durPhoto special to the Journal ing Birmingham Fashion Week.

School Notes to purchase a professional grade camera. Other recent additions include a broadcast room, built as part of a library renovation, and new editing software.

Homewood High School Students Named Merit Scholar Finalists Legislators, Mountain Brook School Superintendent Dicky Barlow and principals met at the 2011 Mountain Brook Schools Legislative Roundtable. Participants included, from left: Rep. Jack Williams, principal Vic Wilson, PTO chairman Crawford Bumgarner, Barlow, principal Ben Hudson, Sen. Slade Blackwell, Rep. Paul DeMarco, Sen. Jabo Waggoner and Rep. Jim Carns. Photo special to the Journal

Mt. Brook Schools Host Roundtable Mountain Brook City Schools hosted the annual Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills Schools Legislative Roundtable in the fall at the Mountain Brook Board of Education Charles Mason Building in Crestline Village. All Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills state senators and representatives attended. Co-chairmen for the event were Crawford Bumgarner from Mountain Brook Schools PTO and Kelli Eshleman from Vestavia Hills Schools PTO. The forum was open to the public, and many community members and parents attended.

from the school and community, an introduction that enabled the school to pray together, the Pledge of Allegiance and special segments that encouraged students to meet the school’s goals for religious and academic growth. Since then, students have created new segments, such as “Cooking Corner,” “Safety Dude” and “Paco the Talking Lizard.” The program got a boost last year when Gonzalez received a $1,000 grant from CBS 42’s “One Class at a Time.” The grant enabled the school

Four Homewood High School students recently were named finalists in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship program. The Homewood High seniors attaining this distinction were: Carly Galbraith, Julia Kendrick, Emily McDuff and Caleb Weaver. The pre-SAT, taken their junior year, served as the initial screening of more than 1.5 million entrants to the 2012 National Merit Program. The finalists were selected among 16,000 semifinalists who had the highest scorers in each state and represent less than 1 percent of each state’s high school seniors. There were 214 Semifinalists in Alabama. Homewood High’s Lin Kabachia and Smita Speer were chosen

as two of the Alabama public school students named as a finalist in the 48th annual National Achievement Scholarship Program for scholastically talented black American high school seniors. They were selected among 1,600 semifinalists and are eligible to compete for approximately 800 scholarships worth more than $2.4 million. To advance to the National Merit or National Achievement finalist level of the competition, semifinalists had to submit a

substantial amount of information and fulfill additional requirements. Each finalist must present an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a school official and earn an SAT score that confirmed the qualifying test performance. The students also had to provide an essay describing activities, interests, and goals. Homewood High School also had four students named National Merit Commended. They were Charlotte Gilliland, Chris Schiller, Smita Speer and Dylan Westfall. ❖

Highlands Students Make a Run for it

Seventy-five Highlands School students in kindergarten through fifth grade braved the cold Feb. 11 to compete in the Mercedes Marathon. Among participants were, from left: Connor Doggrell, Julie Marwan, Whitney Byington, Katherine Effinger, Andrew Glassford and Andy Schwebel. Photo special to the Journal

St. Francis Forms Broadcast Team St. Francis Xavier technology teacher Elizabeth Gonzalez began efforts last year to bring a top-quality broadcast team to the school, and since then the broadcasting team is keeping students informed with its daily morning news show. Gonzalez began with a basic “flip cam” and the support of families committed to having students at school no later than 7:40 p.m. each day. The goal was to have five 10-minute edited broadcasts every Friday for each class to watch. The first show featured news segments with items of interest

Indian Springs School Job Opening Assistant Director of Development

Members of the St. Francis Xavier broadcasting team are from left; Katie Clanton, Jackson Clark, Caroline Grady, Hannah Barber, Jordan Perez, Olivia Eubanks, Mitchell Smalenski, Andrew Ramey and Elizabeth Gonzalez. Photo special to the Journal

!"#$%"&'()$"*+&',-../&"0%)&1$)2$"*-%23&453&$+&%,,0(6"*&/070)+&.8& $"90)0+9&%"#&)0+:20+&8.)&9-0&"0;/<&,)0%90#3&0"9)<=/0>0/&(.+$6."& .8&4++$+9%"9&?$)0,9.)&.8&?0>0/.(20"9@&A%"#$#%90+&;-.&%70"#0#& independent school and who have recently earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree are encouraged to apply. Interviews will be ,."#:,90#&$"&0%)/<&4()$/@&B-0&(.+$6."&;$//&C0*$"&4:*:+9&DE@ !"#$%&'("#)*+"'%*,%---.&'/&*'01#&'20."#23$)14"5)$',.

32 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

Schools

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

CBS Students Show Off Artistic Abilities at Annual Contest

everal students at Cherokee Bend Elementary School were winners in the 2011-12 Mountain Brook PTO Council’s Expressions Art Contest. One hundred and eighty-five students at Cherokee Bend participated in the contest with more than 200 entries. Students who placed at the school level went on to be judged at the Mountain Brook Council level. This year’s winners from Cherokee Bend are: Visual arts category for kindergarten-second grade: Virginia Kate Brandt, first place; Hunter Anderson, second place; and Olivia Norris, third place. Maggie Huffman, Nicole Hatton, Henry Hufham, Lucy Kerr and Georgia Hairston won honorable mention awards. Anderson placed on the district level. Visual arts category for third and fourth grades: Emma Fooshee, first place; Lily Gilbert, second place; Alonso Medina, third place. Vann Stewart, Campbell Anderson, Marilyn Joyce, Edward Berry and Grace Carr won honorable mention awards. Fooshee placed on the district level. Visual arts category for fifth and sixth grades: Sterling Edwards, first place; Juliet Wiatrak, second place; and Mary Allison Anderson, third place. Sarah Andrews, Caroline Goings, Lauren Gilbert, Jack Thomas Jones and Lacy Smith won honorable mention awards.

Cherokee Bend students won awards in the Mountain Brook PTO Council’s Expressions Art Photo special to the Journal Contest.

Musical composition category for third and fourth grades: Chandler Vargas, first place. He also placed on the district level. Musical composition category for fifth and sixth grades: Jack Steinmetz, first place; Jonah Allen, second place; and Haskins Jones third place. These three students placed on the district level. Video production category for kindergartensecond grade: Bergin Hairston, first place, and Olivia Norris, second place. These two students also placed on the district level. Video production category for third and fourth grades: Carlitos Norris, first place, and Mary Carlisle Jones, second place. Norris

placed on the district level. Video production category for fifth and sixth grades: Max Gault, first place, and Cami Curtis, second place. Gault placed on the district level. Literature category for kindergarten-second grade: Alex Roberts, first place; Joseph Moellinger, second place; and Olivia Norris, third place. Creed Allen and Koerper Campbell won honorable mention awards. Allen and Roberts placed on the district level. Literature category for third and fourth grades: Sydney Hannon, first place; Audrey Osborne, second place; and Tessa Allen, third place. Teddy Feig, Cate Jones, Tessa Allen and Anne Moore Neal won honorable mention

School Notes Gwin Clusters Provide New Experiences Gwin Elementary is hosting enrichment clusters, where groups of students have the freedom to choose what they would like to learn and teachers have the freedom to choose what they would like to teach. Teachers and volunteers from the community lead a variety of clusters, including cake decorating, web design, gardening, jewelry making, scrapbooking, science experiments and aviation. The clusters meet four times a year. The third session of clusters was held in February. Students were placed in a class at the first session based on their selections and continue to progress in their clusters at each additional session. Judy Rapp’s science experiment cluster group at Gwin Elementary includes, from left, front: Brandon Fort and Matthew Perkins. Back: Eric Malagan and Photo special to the Journal Alex Simpson.

Enroll in Birmingham-Southern College’s

Conservatory of Fine and Performing Arts Lessons in piano, voice, violin, guitar, band and much more. Preschool classes also available.

Music and Theatre Camp 2012 June 11-15 K5-5th grade www.bsc.edu 205/226-4960

BSC Birmingham-Southern College

New Technology Enriches OLS Classroom Learning Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School is enhancing its students’ education with some of the latest technology. Recently, the school purchased two Apple carts housing a large number of MacBook laptop computers and iPads. The purchase was made through donations from the school’s PTO through its fundraising efforts. With Windows and Apple technology in the classroom, teachers are expanding curriculum with hands-on learning. The school’s educational applications make math, English and reading more engaging, interactive and fun for the children. At every grade level, the students can experience a different aspect of the technology. The introduction to this new equipment begins with the prekindergarten classes, as the four-yearold students learn to use an iPad. Kindergarten and first grade teachers incorporate the iPads in their learning centers, enabling four classes to use the

awards. Hannon and Allen placed on the district level. Literature category for fifth and sixth grades: Mary Allison Anderson, first place; Anna Hufham, second place; and Cami Curtis, third place. Caroline Chamoun, Mary Cameron McLean, Campbell Doidge and Katie Wiatrak won honorable mentions. Anderson and Curtis placed on the district level. Photography category for kindergartensecond grade: Jack Brandt, first place; Brynn Hannon, second place; and Jonah Kipp, third place. Olivia Norris and Ann Woodke won honorable mentions. Brandt, Hannon, Kipp and Norris placed on the district level. Photography category for third and fourth grades: Jack Michie, first place; Genevieve Wilson, second place; and Lauren Snipes, third place. Mary Carlisle Jones, Charlie Gault, Cate Jones and Blake Pugh won honorable mentions. Snipes and Michie placed on the district level. Photography category for fifth and sixth grades: Haskins Jones, first place; Max Gault, second place, and Olivia Elam, third place. Bradford Page and Anna Rose Alexander won honorable mentions. Gault and Page placed on the district level. Winners at the district level were recognized Feb. 27 at the Expressions Art Exhibit at Crestline Elementary School. ❖

iPads at one time. With the MacBooks, third and fourth graders create social studies and science projects as well as webcasts. Fifth and sixth grade students enjoy the mobility of the technology as they research and create projects in their classroom. Seventh and eighth graders learn to create movie trailers using MacBooks and Flip cameras. All art and music classes use the iPads to research artists, play the piano and read music. Some of the older children participate in an iPad book club. The school uses other technical classroom equipment to help improve the children’s learning experiences. Many classrooms have Promethean Interactive Whiteboards, while all classrooms house a document camera and LCD projector, which projects pages from books and has close-up views of items for science investigations and experiments. Interactive whiteboards accommodate a variety of learning styles and can also be used to project examples of good student work. The students use the school’s broadcast equipment and studio daily.

Every morning, a televised production of morning announcements is broadcast on closed circuit television to every classroom. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade pray the morning prayers, recognize birthdays and provide upcoming school information and reminders. OLS sixth, seventh and eighth graders operate the equipment and direct and produce each show.

Berman Is Presidential Scholar Candidate Matthew Berman, a senior at John Carroll Catholic High School, was recently selected as a candidate for the prestigious U.S. Presidential Scholar Award. The U.S. Matthew Berman Presidential Scholars Program was established in

OLS preschool teacher Deb McGough explains to 4-year-old student Adrianna Lucre how to use the new school iPads recently purchased by the PTO. Photo special to the Journal

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 33

Schools

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

since certified almost 150,000 habitats nationwide. Most sites represent the hard work and commitment of individuals and families providing habitats near their homes, but NWF has also certified more than 3,000 schools and hundreds of businesses and community sites.

OTM Etiquette School Honors Students

Michele Scott Wilensky, Hilltop Montessori School executive director, visits the school’s wildlife habitat with students Ryan Lee, Georgia Dunbar, Noah Photo special to the Journal Holmes and Gabrielle Pettagrue. 1964 to recognize and honor some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. Up to 141 students annually are named U.S. Presidential Scholars, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. The Scholars represent excellence in education and the promise of greatness in young people. Most of the Scholars are selected for broad academic achievement. Approximately 20 other students are selected for academic and artistic scholarship in the visual arts, performing arts or creative writing. In April, the Commission on Presidential Scholars selects up to

121 academic scholars and up to 20 arts scholars. All winners are honored for their accomplishments during National Recognition Week, held in June in Washington, D.C.

NWF Certifies Wildlife Habitat at Hilltop Motessori

Students from the Over the Mountain School of Etiquette were guests of honor at a finale dinner and dance Feb. 7 at Old Overton Country Club. Over the course of four weeks, the students learned proper etiquette through hands-on experiences. Highlights of the course included using proper table manners, mastering the skill of polite introductions, discussing the importance of cell phone etiquette and learning the foxtrot and swing dances under the instruction of Susan Hood. The students displayed their newfound etiquette skills to their parents, who watched as the boys escorted the girls down the staircase and seated them at the table. Students also displayed proper dance etiquette, which included using dance cards. For more information about the school, visit www.otmEtiquette.com. ❖

The National Wildlife Federation recently announced that the property of Hilltop Montessori School in The Town of Mt Laurel is now recognized as an official Certified Wildlife Habitat site. The property attracts a variety of birds, butterflies and other animals by providing a wildlife-friendly landscape. NWF began the Certified Wildlife Habitat program in 1973 and has

Over the Mountain School of Etiquette students include, from left, front: Grace Sandoval, Griffin Carter, Carmen Perez, Clayton Bowden, Ashley Estes, Chris Hughes, Kate Childs, George Hughes, Sara Haynes and Weiler Harmon. Back: Lily Rumbley, Michael Schroeder, Britton Copeland, Caleb Roberson, Ashley Crim, Garrett Lee, Katie Larson, Austin Miller, Ashley Orkus and Photo special to the Journal Toliver Chatwood.

CANTErbury uNiTED METHODisT DAy sCHOOL

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Mike A. Keller, DDS, PC Pediatric / Adolescent Dentistry Dr. Mike Keller, friends & staff are happy to recognize January members of the NO SUGAR BUG CLUB

William Abbot Ross Abbot Richard Abbot Mani Aguilar Hannah Alford Daniel Alford John Ryan Alford JaCobe Allen JaCobe Allen Edith Amason Emily Browning Amason Gilbert Amason Sydney Ammons Avery Anderson Davis Anderson Shane Arnold Kaye Arnold Libby Arnold Macey Arnold Jordyn Averhart Kendyl Averhart Laney Awbrey Josh Awbrey Jake Awbrey Will Bailey McKinnon Baker John Waylon Baker Daphnee Baldwin Eva Barnhart Jonah Baroody Raymon Baroody Jessica Barr Hannah Kate Basquill Caroline Bates Coleman Bates Graham Beam Terry Beans Mary Hollins Black Wills Black Logan Black Ian Black Luke Blackmon Tony Bonar Patience Bon'ey Khaira Bonner Camron Bonner Maleah Braswell Rebecca Brown Anna Cathryn Brown Riley Brown Ann Carter Brown Logan Brunner Hadley Bryant Miller Bryant Austin Burke Blaine Burrell Nate Campbell Cale Campbell David Campbell Mary Caroline Campbell Elizabeth Campbell Jase Carlsen Will Carothers John Carothers Alyssa Carroll Jake Carver Hudson Carver Jacqueline Catano Evelyn Catano Deondra Cherry Alana Clifton Ahren Clifton Andreas Coats Campbell Coggin Kennedy Coggin Maressa Colin Carina Colin Miguel Colin Will Collins Jakobe Cook Brianna Cook Eleanor Couch Miller Cox Mckinnon Cox Quentin Crommelin Maggie Bruce Culver

Scouts clean up Red Mountain Park

Boy Scouts from the Over the Mountain area held their second annual cleanup at Red Mountain Park recently. The scouts cleared park trails and the hisPhoto special to the Journal toric No. 13 mine of privet and kudzu.

Virginia College is hiring!

Virginia College, Online Programs continues to grow and change students’ lives. Our mission is, in part, to provide high quality, career focused educational services to a diverse student population in a dynamic, growth oriented setting. If you have a passion for helping college students change their lives and if you would like to be a part of an expanding college with its face to the future, please contact us, now. Please send your letter of interest and resume to: vcoresumes@vc.edu

Bennett Culver Garrison Dabbs Emma Grace Daniel Corey Davidson Tyrone Davis Tyra Davis Annabelle Davis Erin Dawson Gabrielle Dawson Matthew Defnall Aher Desai Meg Dobbins Will Dobbins Bo Donaldson Isaiah Drake Satura Dudley Ian Dunn Madison Durbin Christopher Eagan John Robert Earl Annabelle Early John David Early Caroline Early Hannah Eckert Robert Eckert Bailey Edmonds Kate Edmonds Leo Eriksson Megan Escue Morgan Escue Madison Escue Travis Faulkner Trey Faulkner Emory Anne Ferris Logan Ferris Shannon Fifer Christian Fischer John Fischer Whitt Fletcher Avery Fletcher Nicholas Foster Ashley Fowler Claudia Franklin Alex Franklin Douglas Frederick Joslyn Freeman Joshua Freeman Jackson Frey Parker Frey Hunter Frey Damian Fuchs Zachary Gale Alex Galloway Ella Grace Gaston Tucker Gaston Kyara Gates Alden Gibbs Rae-Evelyn Gibbs Strother Gibbs Hannah Gibson Hayden Gilbert Lanni Gilliland Julia Glasgow Marco Gonzalez Naomi Gonzalez Dylan Gresham Caroline Griffin Embree Gunnels Nicholas Gustin Langston Gustin Matthew Gwin Rebecca Hall Anne Merrick Hamilton Ellie Hamilton McKinley Hamilton Wilson Hand mark Hand Luke Hand Sanders Hand Patrick Harris Alex Harris Jackson Harris Will Harris Anson Harris Chandler Harris Isabel Haynes

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34 • Thursday, March 8, 2012

sports

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

MBHS Runner Signs with Belmont Abbey

As a junior varsity runner, Hannah Bernard didn’t get off to a fast start. But the Mountain Brook High School senior finished strong to earn a collegiate cross country and track scholarship. Although she didn’t make the varsity team until her last year at MBHS, Bernard ended the season ranked among the top 10 senior girls in the indoor 1600-meter run. She and all of her Spartan teammates finished in the top 20 in this year’s Alabama High School Athletic Association cross country meet. Bernard drew the attention of several colleges and universities and signed with Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic liberal arts school near Charlotte, N.C., Feb. 9. Her varsity coaches were Greg Echols and Mike McGovern. She was coached on the Mountain Brook junior varsity team by Randy Stevens.

Team members are, front row, from left: Brandy Lee, Lindsey Flemming, Veronica Richardson, Lauren Granier and Kaylee Gilchrist. Back: Assistant Coach Lindsey Carruth, Kristin Kirkin, Mary Catherine Hart, Paige Pruet, Kelsi Hobbs, Ally Hall, Carmen Smith, and Head Coach Carla Thigpen. Paige Pruet and Veronica Richardson were selected to the All Tournament Team. Tournament MVP was Kelsi Hobbs.

John Carroll Catholic Finishes Season Undefeated, Hobbs Tourney MVP

The John Carroll Catholic Middle School Girls finished their basketball season with a perfect record of 20-0. The Lady Cavs topped off the season by beating Briarwood Christian in the Southern Conference finals to become the 2012 Southern Conference Champions for the second year in a row. The team currently has a 36 game winning streak.

Hoover Orange Claim North Shelby Title

Hoover Orange recently won the fifth grade championship of the North Shelby Basketball Association. The Bucs were 7-0 in the regular season, and won the tournament with a 37-34 win over Oak Mountain Blue at Shades Mountain Christian. Team members are from left, front row: Daniel Swatek, Jack Henry Milligan and Jesse Kelley. Middle: Christian Booth, Creed McGuffee, Taylor Holcomb, Jake Tucker, Will Reichard and Ahman Ellington. Coaches are Adam Kelley, assistant, and Brian Booth, head.

Team members are, front row, from left: Maggie Duggan, Mary Alison Turner, Adelaide Burton, Margaret Dodson, Mary McLaurine Trammell, Lucy Harrison and Natalie Read. Back: Coach Charley Duggan.

Orange Jammers Win Sixth Grade Mountain Brook Championship

The Orange Jammers won five straight games to win the tournament championship in a highly competitive Mountain Brook girls’ sixth grade basketball league. After a slow offensive start, Mary Alison Turner made a huge three-point shot in the second quarter to ignite the Jammers’ offense. Lucy Harrison led the scoring with 14 points. Also contributing to the victory with strong defensive play was Adelaide Burton, Margaret Dodson, Maggie Duggan, Mary McLaurine Trammell and Natalie Read. The final score was 25-22.

Lakers Win Hoover Title

The 6-year-old Lakers recently won Hoover Rec Championship going 10-0 in the process. The Lakers beat the Warriors in championship game 19-9. Team members are, front row, from left: Connor Davis, Luke Bevel, Zach Gray, Jacob Lundy and Sid Doppalapudi. Back: Coaches are Ken Gray, assistant and Joseph Lundy, head.

Sixth Grade Cavs Finish Second in Jingle Bell Jam

The Cavs made up of fifth and sixth grade girls from area catholic schools enjoyed a successful season and capped it off with a strong second place finish in the Jingle Bell Jam tourney held recently. Team members are, from left: Lindsey Granier (OLS), Jessica Walker (OLS), Song Bowers (OLS), Hannah Barber (St Francis Xavier), Pierce Pruet (Prince of Peace), Josie Wannemuehler (St Aloysius), Katie Gagliano (St Francis Xavier), and Christina Till (OLV). The team is coached by Michael Pruet.

More Youth Basketball Coverage in the March 22nd Issue of OTMJ! Send your sports news to mwald@otmj.com

Third Grade Hoover Bucs Win North Shelby Basketball Title

The third grade Hoover Bucs finished their season 9-0 and defeated the Cahaba Valley Lions in the championship game of 33-21 to claim the North Shelby Basketball Championship. Team members are, front row, from left: Zach Tucker, Josh Lundy, Marcus Williams, DJ Fairley, Sam Tolbert, Jamal Denson, Michael Scott Myers and Brandon Baker. Back: Coaches are, David Tucker, assistant and Coach and Joseph Lundy, head.

roundup

Spain Park Sweeps Pell City In Baseball Doubleheader

By Lee Davis

Journal Sports Writer

he threat of possible tornados resulted in the postponement of most Friday night sports activities, but a number of games were scheduled for the next day. Spain Park swept Pell City 4-0 and 8-6 in a baseball doubleheader. The Jaguars’ Hunter Hall pitched a three-hit shutout with six strikeouts while leading his team to victory in the first game. Grant Vetero’s three-run homer was the catalyst for Spain Park’s offensive thrust. In the second game, Vetero had two RBIs; Paul Angel and Josh Close each added two hits. Trey Hawker earned the victory in relief. The Jags improved their record to 5-5. Briarwood split a doubleheader against Florence, losing the first game 5-1 before rebounding for a 3-0 win. In the loss, Ethan Simmons had two hits for the Lions. In the victory, Briarwood’s Brayden Housel tossed a two-hitter. Ben Craft had two RBIs and scored after a single by Matthew Furuto. The Lions ended the day with a 7-3 record. Hoover fell to Buckhorn 1-0 despite a fine pitching effort by the Bucs’ Nathan Richards. He struck out six Buck batters while yielding only five hits and giving up one unearned run. In softball, Moody defeated Vestavia Hills 4-0 despite a two-hitter from Lady

lady bucs, from back cover

Hoover went on a 6-3 run to lead by three at the end of the third period. “We had to take our chances and make things happen,” said Lady Buc coach Donnie Quinn. “We had to take advantage of the fact that Jasmine (Jones) was out of the game.” Tanner opened the fourth quarter with two baskets, and Breigha Cochran added a free throw to move Hoover ahead 28-20. The Lady Bucs followed with a 9-2 run to essentially seal the deal and win their school’s third Class 6A title since 2001. Cochran scored 10 points for Hoover as did Kayla Anderson. Marqu’es Webb snatched six rebounds for the winning cause. Cochran and Webb joined Tanner on the All-Tournament team.

Hoover coach Donnie Quinn

Thursday, March 8, 2012 • 35

sports

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Rebel pitcher Rebecca Hein. In track and field, the Mountain Brook girls edged out Hoover 111109.50 to win the Optimist Relays at Hoover. The Lady Spartans won the distance medley, 4X800 relay and 4X1600 relay. Mountain Brook’s Julia Leonard won the high jump, and teammate Mary Kathryn Chesebro took first place in the javelin throw. Hoover won the 4X100 relay, 4X200 relay, 4X400 relay, 800-meter sprint relay and 1600-meter sprint medley. The Lady Bucs also won the 4X100 shuttle hurdle. Hoover’s Olivia Tofani took first place in the long jump. Spain Park’s Simone Charley won the triple jump, and the Lady Jags’ Jasmine Moore earned first place in the shot put. The Mountain Brook boys’ team took second place behind Northridge. The Spartans totaled 79 points behind the winners’ 99. Hoover finished third with 77 points. Mountain Brook won the distance medley, 1600 sprint medley, 4X1600 relay and 4X800 relay. The Lady Spartans softball team defeated Robert E. Lee of Montgomery 18-1 in a Friday game. Brooke Tucker ran her record to 5-1, allowing only two hits while striking out three Lady General batters. Halleigh DiNicholas had two doubles and drove in five runs. Taylor Harkins also had two hits. Mountain Brook improved its record to 7-2 for the season. The Lady Bucs completed their championship run with a 31-3 record. Hoover earned its way to the title game the previous day with an easy 66-45 rout of Central-Phenix City in the Class 6A semifinals. Webb led the Lady Bucs with 21 points. Tanner followed with 14. Chardonae Fuqua added 10. Central matched Hoover basketfor-basket in the early going and even took a brief 13-10 lead. The slow start quickly provoked Quinn’s wrath. “Coach chewed us out and got us motivated,” said Tanner. “We responded by working harder and remembering what Hoover basketball is supposed to be about.” The tangible result of Quinn’s motivational technique was a 34-24 halftime lead for the Lady Bucs. Hoover coasted in the second half, using a stingy defense to hold Central to only 11 points in the final two periods. Although the Lady Bucs insisted they were focused only on the task at hand with Central, their intense rivalry with Bob Jones was likely in the back of their respective minds. “I know they were in the stands, scouting us,” said Cochran. “We’ll be ready for them.” And a little more than 24 hours later, Cochran and the Lady Bucs were as good as their word.

so close,

from back cover

“This game was everything we thought it would be – and more,” said Burkett. “I thought it would come down to one or two plays. It did, but unfortunately, they went against us.” Hoover hurt itself with two turnovers in the final minute. The Bucs led 57-56 after the first, but fell behind 58-57 after the second. “The talent level of Carver may have hurt us late in the game,” said Burkett. “So did their size.” Junior guard Devon Earl led Hoover with 18 points. Earl’s defensive assignment was to guard Carver’s Craig

Sword, who has already committed to Mississippi State. And while Sword bagged 18 points and four steals, Earl had his share of big plays. The biggest may have come with 3:28 to play, when he snared a pass intended for Sword, drove for the basket and drew a foul. Earl then sank two free throws to give the Bucs a temporary 51-50 lead. DeFore ended the game with nine points. Eric Dansby and Kaleb Baugh each finished with seven for the Bucs. Sam Hutcheson totaled six and DeOntaye Curtis chipped in five, most of which came in the final three minutes. Carver’s Jeremy Johnson led all scorers with 20 points. The Wolverines showed respect for

Hoover’s ability to shoot from longrange by consistently guarding the three-point line. “Their size was a big deal today,” said DeFore, echoing his coach. “They were determined to guard the (three-point) arc.” Hoover ended the season 31-5, setting a school record for the most victories in a season. “It was a disappointing way to end the season,” said Hutcheson, a senior, after completing his final game for the Bucs. “But we’ve got some good guys returning for next year. Hoover basketball will be back.” And perhaps Brannon DeFore will have one more chance at a championship-winning shot.

From left: Hoover’s Sam Hutchinson puts up a jump shot in the Bucs loss to Carver. Devon Earl drives through traffic. Earl led the Bucs with 18 points. DeAndre Hall scores on a dunk. More photos at otmj.com Journal photos by Marvin Gentry

snoozy,

from back cover

“The most important thing was to have a coach that was really interested in track and not just drawing a supplement check,” Jones said. “I thought if the coach showed interest, more kids would come out for track and we could get the numbers up.” The new philosophy paid dividends, as Lanier’s track program soon became one of the best in the Montgomery area. “We put a lot of emphasis on events like the broad jump, the triple jump and the high jump, where we could teach technique,” Jones said. “That way, even if we didn’t have the fastest kids, we could still be competitive by getting points in all the events.” Under Jones’ leadership, Lanier produced many stars, but one stood out above all others in the mid-1960s. The Poets’ Richmond Flowers, who later starred in football at the University of Tennessee and in the NFL, became the national high school record-holder in the high hurdles. Jones’ influence was felt on the Lanier football and basketball teams as well. In a time when Montgomery and the Poets’ rivalry with crosstown rival Robert E. Lee was the epicenter of power in Alabama high school athletics, Jones helped his school win five football championships and four

basketball state titles. “I was just an assistant coach, but I think what I did was important,” he said. Jones also taught American and world history during his years at Lanier. “I really enjoyed that because it gave me an opportunity to reach a different type of kids, the types that weren’t athletes,” he said. “I wanted to help build kids into adults who would be good spouses, good parents and good members of society.” In 1969, Jones left coaching to pursue a career in the sales of athletic wear to high schools across the state. During that time, he became interested in officiating, and he founded the MidState Alabama Officials Association. “At that time, there was a need for better training for officials at the high school level,” said Jones. “We worked to hold more clinics to improve the overall quality of the officials. It was a great thing for the kids who were playing and for the officials themselves.” During that period, Jones worked to become a college football official and worked as an umpire for Southeastern Conference games in the 1970s and 1980s. “As a native of Alabama, I couldn’t work Alabama or Auburn,” he said. “But I called a lot of LSU, Tennessee and Georgia games.” Jones also officiated a number of games between smaller colleges.

Ironically, Jones’ only serious confrontation with a coach came not against one of the giants of the SEC, but rather with Shirley Majors, the longtime coach of the University of the South, also known as Sewanee. “I was calling one of their games, and Sewanee had a few players I had known at Lanier,” Jones said. “So I was talking to them between plays. We were joking and laughing about old times. “Coach Majors saw me laughing and was furious. He was upset because he thought I was laughing at the way his team played football. I had to explain to him why I was laughing.” In the 1980s, Jones also entered the retail business. He and his son George Jr. opened Snoozy’s Bookstore on the UAB campus in 1983. Later Jones helped George Jr. open a gift shop in Mountain Brook’s Crestline Village. “George always loved Christmas,” said Jones. “Now he gets to sell toys.” Jones said that Alabama high school athletics has changed greatly since he first began coaching in the early 1960s. “Mainly the equipment is better,” he said. “And the coaches get paid a lot better, too.” Jones will get his ultimate payment when he enters the high school Hall of Fame. That’s quite an accomplishment for a guy the world knows as Snoozy.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Thursday, March 8, 2012

title run

Sports

John Carroll Catholic Middle School Girls finish season undefeated Page 34

Hoover Slashes Lady Pats to Earn Another State Title By Lee Davis

Journal Sports Writer

ans who didn’t have a rooting interest in Saturday night’s Class 6A girls’ basketball final between Hoover and Bob Jones at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex probably won’t be searching for a DVD of the contest. At times the game looked sluggish, thanks in part to a strong defensive effort on both sides. Neither team was particularly impressive offensively. And the play on the floor was often physical to a fault, resulting in 41 total fouls. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and for the Lady Bucs, the evening was absolutely gorgeous. Hoover ripped the Lady Patriots 44-26 to win its second Class 6A title in three years. Just as significantly, Hoover squared its championship record against Bob Jones at two games apiece, as the two schools have met for the big-school championship in each of the last four seasons. And if a few fans didn’t think the game was entertaining, the Lady Bucs’ Nicole Tanner thought it came together like clockwork. “We wanted to go inside and make it physical,” said Tanner, who scored 12 points and was named MVP. “We love to go directly to the basket.” Hoover’s aggressiveness forced Lady Patriot stars Jasmine Jones and Joidon Jennings into early foul trouble. As the pair spent significant time on the bench, Bob Jones slowed the pace of the game. The strategy worked; the Lady Bucs led at halftime but only by the slender margin of 15-14. Hoover picked up the pace in the second half. After the Lady Patriots tied the score at 17-17,

See, lady bucs, page 35

Lee Davis

Snoozy’s Ride

Former Coach, Official Headed to High School HOF

eorge Jones has been a fixture in Alabama high school athletics since the 1950s, but almost nobody knows him by that name. He’s much better known as Snoozy, and yes, the Montgomery native and Over the Mountain resident remembers exactly how he earned his memorable nickname. “I was the youngest of six kids,” Jones recalled when contacted last week. “I was delivered by a midwife. But since there were six kids, she stayed around and helped raise us. “I must have slept a lot, because she called me Snoozy. My four brothers weren’t going to let that go, and people have called me that ever since.” Jones’ name may have suggested a proclivity for sleep, but he didn’t do much of it during a four decade career Clockwise from top left: Nicole Tanner and as a coach, a game official and an Marqu’es Webb celebrate Hoover’s 6A title. entrepreneur. His years of service will Breion Allen blocks a Bob Jones drive. Marqu’es be recognized March 19, when he will Webb fights through traffic. Courtney Hunter puts up a jump shot. More photos at otmj.com be among a group of 12 inducted into Journal photos by Marvin Gentry the Alabama High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. “It’s a real honor and one I didn’t expect,” said Jones. “But it’s really a tribute to all the great people I worked with and the wonderful kids that I was blessed to be able to coach. I’m thrilled.” the last shot, since he had bagged a By Lee Davis Jones’ path to the Hall of Fame crucial bucket in the Bucs’ dramatic began at Sidney Lanier High School, Journal Sports Writer win over cross-town rival Spain Park in where he was a standout in football the sub-regional. As the play unfolded and counted future National Football oover junior guard Brannon League legend Bart Starr as a teamDeFore literally has the sport of the ball went to DeFore, who dribbled behind the three-point line and shot the mate. basketball in his blood. ball toward the basket an instant before He was good enough to earn a DeFore’s father, Matt, was a star the buzzer sounded. The potentially scholarship to Virginia Polytechnic at Berry High School in the 1980s. game-tying shot seemed to have a Institute (now Virginia Tech), which His grandfather, Lee, earned Allchance, but didn’t quite make it, as the was coached by Frank Moseley, a Southeastern Conference honors at Bucs’ state championship dreams fell protégé of Paul Bryant. After graduatAuburn University in the 1960s. just short. ing from college, Jones returned to But it’s quite possible that the elder “I had a good look,” DeFore Montgomery to coach and teach at the DeFores never took a shot with as explained later. “It was a makeable junior high school level before returnmuch on the line as the one Brannon shot, it just didn’t fall.” ing to Lanier in 1961. fired last Friday morning. The dramatic ending climaxed a Jones’ first assignment at his alma Playing in the Class 6A boys semiback and forth battle that lived up to mater put him in charge of the Poets’ final for the first time in their history, the pre-game hype. The lead changed track and field team, and he worked the Bucs found themselves trailing hands no less than 10 times and the as an assistant in football and bastop-ranked Carver of Montgomery score was tied on nine different occaketball. For years, track had been a 60-57 with eight seconds remaining at sions, including a 33-33 deadlock at stepchild in the athletic pecking order the Birmingham Jefferson Convention halftime. Carver went on to defeat at Lanier, but Jones was determined Complex. Hazel Green 61-56 and claim the Class to bring the program up to the level of After a timeout, Hoover coach the other sports. Charles Burkett put his plan into action. 6A title the next day. See, so close, page 35 DeFore was the logical choice to take

So Close Hoover Championship Bid Ends In Semi-Finals

Hoover’s Brannon DeFore fights for a rebound in Bucs semifinal contest with Carver of Montgomery. More photos at otmj.com Journal photo by Marvin Gentry

See, snoozy, page 35