OTMJ OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL u OTMJ.COM
BACK TO SCHOOL
THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2019
SPORTS
OVERCOMING
Odds
Biggins Finds His Niche on the Golf Course and Ski Slopes By Rubin E. Grant
Journal photo by Jordan Wald/Joesph photo courtesy United Ability
C
hris Biggins is no ordinary two-sport athlete. He has battled cerebral palsy, a permanent movement disorder, since he was practically a baby. “My family found out when I was 1 or 2,” Biggins said. “My development was slow and they figured something was wrong. “I’ve had to have several surgeries, physical therapy and a treatment plan so I can function in day-to-day life. With the correct treatment, I do the best I can.” Even so, Biggins, 27, hasn’t let his condition stop him from becoming one of the top golfers with disabilities in the world as well as a potential Paralympics skier. Earlier this year, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland and the European Disabled Golf Association debuted a world golf ranking system for individuals with disabilities. Both the United States Golf Association and United States Disabled Golf Association joined in to create the first tournament held in the U.S., called the United States Disabled Open Golf Championship. The 2019 USDOGC was the first time competitors could earn world-ranking points by playing in the event. It was held in May at
See BIGGINS, page 11
Chris Biggins, the PGA assistant golf professional at the Country Club of Birmingham, has battled cerebral palsy since he was a baby. He hasn’t let his condition stop him from becoming one of the top golfers with disabilities in the world as well as a potential Paralympics skier. Biggins serves on the United Ability junior board.
JOURNEY OF HOPE
What: A benefit and dessert reception for United Ability, featuring a performance by Brian King Joseph, “The King of Violin.” Joseph has peripheral neuropathy, a debilitating disease that affects the nerves in his hands and feet. When: Sat., Aug. 3. Doors open at 6 p.m, show begins at 7 p.m.. Where: UAB’s Alys Stephens Center Website: unitedability.org See story, page 10.
2 • Thursday, July 25, 2019
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
OPINION/CONTENTS
Inside
Murphy’s Law
S A LIFE OF ARTISTIC PASSION Hope Gala to celebrate the late Barry McRae’s dedication to the Arts. PAGE 4
SOMETHING NEW Mountain Brook’s Golden Age Wines is equal parts store and bar, with a story to tell. PAGE 8
DON’T MESS WITH MR. G Jeff Goldblum serves jazz and comedy at Viva Health Starlight Gala. PAGE 12
GREAT EXPECTATIONS Hoover’s RC3 opening with almost double the students projected. PAGE 20
ABOUT TOWN 4 WEDDINGS 17 NEWS 8 BACK TO SCHOOL 18 LIFE 19 SPORTS 24 SOCIAL 12
otmj.com With everything that’s happening “Over the Mountain,” it can be difficult to keep up. That’s why we have launched the OTMJ newsletter. Published every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - we’ll give you a quick recap of the latest news, sports and social events as well as a heads up on upcoming events so you won’t miss any of the interesting and fun happenings in the Greater Birmingham metro area. To sign up for our newsletter, visit otmj.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, @overthemountainjournal, for daily updates on what’s going on around town, too.
Finding Nemo: The College Years
equels are risky. People will buddy with the braces and the lisp isn’t invariably say that one issue was even considered. better than the other, and truth be Ah, but it gets worse from there. As told, there isn’t that much more to be we all know, BMOC power can bring said. out the shark in lesser species. They Still, I’d like to make a case for begin asking their initiates to do things filming “Finding Nemo: The College specifically designed to humiliate them. Years.” If you recall, our friend Nemo They ask their would-be-friends to do had a rough start. His mom was eaten things that could be dangerous to prove by something dark and scary (so very their worthiness to join the not-so-merry Disney), leaving him the only child of band. The burning question becomes, an overprotective father. Nemo’s first “Will Nemo do it?” day of school set off a chain of events On second thought, the movie would that launched both Nemo and his dad on Sue Murphy never make it to the theaters. In order to adventures that tested their commitment deal with such themes, you’d have to and character. Everything ended up give it a PG or R rating and that OK (the brighter side of Disney) and exclude the loyal Nemo Don’t do it, Nemo … or would we left our little family with their crowd. Kevin or Pat or Bridget, new memory-challenged friend, Fine. I’ll just skip to the moral: Dory, headed off into a seaweed all you college-bound Don’t do it, Nemo … or Kevin or Pat sunset amidst a merry little band of or Bridget, all you college-bound folk folk out there. If the diverse sea friends. Awwww … out there. If the campus powers-thatIn the first film, the quest is to campus powers-that-be be (And who gave them the power?) find Nemo. In the sequel, Nemo ask you to do something that is meant (And who gave them the to tear you down, say no. If they would be finding himself. Under the tutelage of Mr. Ray, Nemo has now power?) ask you to do require you to do something that learned to read “P. Sherman, 42 endanger yourself or others, something that is meant might Wallaby Way, Sydney, Australia” all say no. And if they hold potential by himself. He’s mastered problems to tear you down, say no. brotherhood or sisterhood over your like “If Crush was swimming east at head, try and remember that brothers 52 mph and Squirt was swimming and sisters don’t treat each other like west at 32 mph, where would they meet?” Quite an that. OK, I did a few unkind things to my sister when we accomplishment for a clown fish! Nemo gets accepted were growing up, but it didn’t take me long to regret it. I into UU (Underwater University) and dad Marlin drops grew up. him off at his new coed sea anemone dorm and swims The point of going off to college is to grow up, so tearfully away. BMOC, grow up already. Be kind to each other. Build up Now, the plot thickens. Sadly, in this film, Nemo will rather than tear down. And if someone is acting like a find that not everyone sees the advantage to swimming shark, call them on it. Who knows? A single act of together. The BMOC (Big Mackerel on Campus) insists defiance might send a wave of reform across the on breaking into smaller, more elite schools, where they academic world and save a whole generation of Nemos. can pick and choose who joins them. Nemo’s little squid I’ll be so proud. Dory will be proud. She might not friend with the inking problem is a “maybe.” His seahorse remember why, but she’ll be proud just the same.
Over the Mountain Views
What are you looking forward to most about going back to school?
OVER THE MOUNTAIN
July 25, 2019 JOU RNAL Publisher & Editor: Maury Wald Copy Editor: Virginia Martin Features Writer: Donna Cornelius Staff Writers: Ingrid Howard, Emily Williams Photographer: Jordan Wald Editorial Assistant: Stacie Galbraith Sports: Blake Ells, Rubin E. Grant Contributors: Susan Murphy, June Mathews, Emil Wald, Marvin Gentry, Lee Walls, Bryan Bunch, Sam Prickett, Lauren Helmer Advertising Sales: Julie Trammell Edwards, Tommy Wald, Gail Kidd, Suzanne Wald Vol. 28, No. 24
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 mwald@otmj.com. Find us on the Web at otmj.com. Copyright 2019 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.
“Seeing all my friends and finding out who is going to be in my class.”
“I’m going into my senior year so college applications.”
“Meeting my new teachers, seeing my friends and playing in the band.”
Cameron Ballard Homewood
Eesha Banerjee Homewood
Lily Ballard Homewood
“Meet my new teachers, have new experiences and show what I can do.” Sophie Ballard Homewood
“Seeing all my old teachers again and meeting the new ones.” Zoie Ballard Homewood
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
ABOUT TOWN
E L EVAT E YOU R E X P E R I E N C E Idyllic Setting Of fering Breathtaking V iews
Highly regarded as one of Alabama’s top five private clubs by Golf Digest, Old Overton Club offers world-class golfing in the heart of the Liberty Park Community. The 18-hole championship golf course is sculpted from rocky terrain for sweeping views and championship play. Discover what Old Overton and Liberty Park have to offer. PH 205.972.9000
•
OLDOVERTONCLUB.COM
Thursday, July 25, 2019 • 3
4 • Thursday, July 25, 2019
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
ABOUT TOWN
A Life of Artistic Passion
Hope Gala to Celebrate the Late Barry McRae’s Dedication to the Arts By Emily Williams
the oldest a cappella groups in the country, for a time serving as its president. After obtaining his masters from the University of Pennsylvania, he led a successful career in finance and served as managing director at Sterne Agee. In service to the community, he served on the boards of the Alabama Ballet and the Red Mountain Theatre Company, in addition to supporting the Birmingham Museum of Art, ArtPlay, the Alys Stephens Center, the Altamont School and Interfaith
JULY 25 - AUG 8
Fri., July 26 6th Grade Social
Through Aug. 4
What: Join the Homewood Library in a social event exclusively for students who will be starting middle school. Registration is required. When: 6-8 p.m. Where: Homewood Public Library Round Auditorium Website: homewood.libnet.info
“Matilda”
What: From the creative and twisted genius of Roald Dahl the inspiring story of a little girl who dreams of a better life in this Tony Award-winning musical performed by Red Mountain Theater Co. When: Wed.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Tues, Wed., Sat. and Sun., 2 p.m. Where: Dorothy Jemison Day Theater Website: redmountaintheatre.org
Hope in the Ham
What: This casual soiree features live music, an open bar and delicious food from around the “Ham.” Funds raised benefit the American Cancer Society Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge in Birmingham. When: 7-10 p.m. Where: The Birmingham Zoo Website: hopebirmingham.com
Thurs., July 25
July 25-Aug 10 “Songs for a New World”
What: Birmingham Festival Theatre presents a performance, written by Robert Brown, featuring a small, powerhouse, multi-ethnic cast and a score that runs the gamut of today’s popular music. When: Check the website for dates and showtimes Where: Birmingham Festival Theatre Website: bftonline.org
Allen Pilkington dresses as Brotherhood of Steel from Fallout at last year’s SciFi/Fantasy Fest
July 26-28 SCIFI/FANTASY FEST
What: This three-day event features gaming, cosplay, discussion panels and more. When: Check the website for events and times Where: Hoover Public Library Website: hplscifi.com
Journal file photo by Ingrid Howard
Greater Birmingham Auburn Club Auburn Athletics Kick-off What: This family-friendly event will feature coaches, former AU greats, Aubie, cheerleaders, a silent auction, kid’s zone and more. Keynote speakers will be Carnell “Cadillac” Williams and Rodney Garner. When: 6-8 p.m. Where: Hyatt Regency Birmingham Website: thegbac.org
Hospitality House. Outside of the arts, he served as president of the Birmingham Venture Club, Princeton Alumni Association of Alabama and the Princeton Schools Committee. Even while battling cancer, McRae devoted time to the organizations he was passionate about. In 2011, McRae and his wife, Lesley McRae, chaired the Alys Stephens Center’s Starlight Gala and were recipients of the ASC Patron of the Arts Award. That same year, McRae was presented the
July 26-Aug. 4 “Mary Poppins Jr.”
What: Virginia Samford Theatre’s STARS (Students Take A Role at the Samford) presents a production of Mary Poppins. When: Thurs.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m. Where: Virginia Samford Theatre, Mainstage Website: virginiasamfordtheatre.org
Sat., July 27 Downtown Homewood Sidewalk Sale What: Merchants will line the sidewalks in front of their shops with merchandise discounted up to 75 percent.
Photos courtesy American Cancer Society
The 39th annual Hope Gala will celebrate the life and passions of the late Barry McRae while supporting the American Cancer Society. Born in New Orleans, McRae spent most of his childhood in Birmingham and attended The Altamont School. McRae was an avid supporter of the Birmingham arts community before he passed away in August 2012 after a three-year battle with brain cancer. The theme of this year’s gala will be “Singin’ in the Rain Under an Umbrella of Hope,” celebrating musical theater with a performance by the Sugar Babies at the Aug. 17 gala. McRae is remembered by friends and family as being a true Southern gentleman with a wonderful sense of humor, great dance moves and the ability to make life feel more vibrant. A 1982 graduate of Princeton University, he was a classics major and member of the Nassoons, one of
A Birmingham native, McRae, left, was an avid supporter of the Birmingham arts community before he passed away in August of 2012 after a three year battle with brain cancer.
Hope Gala Chairs, from left, Rebecca Fulmer, Tracy Simmons, Sally Lineberry.
Distinguished Alumnus Award by The Altamont School. Lesley McRae plans celebrate alongside her children Keen, Malcolm and Charlotte at this year’s Hope Gala. The event has been organized by chair Tracy Simmons, along with cochairs Sally Lineberry and Rebecca Fulmer. In addition to a musical theater performance, the evening will include
a cocktail hour, seated dinner, live and silent auctions, a Diamonds Direct jewelry pull and dancing to music by The Underhills. Funds raised will support the ACS by funding cancer research, supporting education and prevention efforts, and providing free information and critical services for people with cancer who need them. For more information, visit hopegalabirmingham.org..
When: All day Where: Downtown Homewood Website: homewoodchamber.org
non-alcoholic beverages and great deals on food. When: 4 p.m., registration; 7 p.m. race; 6-9 p.m. after party Where: 2839 18th Street South Website: runsignup.com
Studio by the Tracks Gallery and Retail Store Grand Opening
What: This free event includes live music, arts activities for all ages and complimentary food and drink. Studio by the Tracks features artwork designed by adult artists with autism spectrum disorders. When: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Where: 301 20th Street South in Irondale Website: studiobythetracks.org
Birmingham Burger Fest
What: The ALS Association Alabama Chapter Junior Board hosts a burger competition featuring some of Birmingham’s best burgers along with live music, family friendly activities, craft beer and more. When: 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Where: Avondale Brewing Co. Website: webal.alsa.org
Vulcans Cornhole Classic
What: Birmingham Vulcans Rugby and Alabama Cornhole partner to raise funds and awareness for the Alabama Suicide Prevention and Resources Coalition. Cash and/or prizes will be awarded to top teams. When: 12:30-6 p.m. Where: Erskine Ramsay Park 2 Website: “Birmingham Vulcans Rugby” Facebook page
Trak Shak Retro Run
What: Dig out your polyester shortshorts, tube socks, afro wigs and whatever else you can think of for this years run, featuring music, beer, cold
Vestavia Hills Rotary - Iron City Chef
What: Four area chefs create a menu for guests to vote on. The top two chefs compete for the Iron City Chef title. Proceeds benefit international Rotary Programs including Vestavia Math and Debate Teams. When: 6 p.m. Where: Greek Orthodox Cathedral Banquet Hall Website: vestaviarotary.org
Art Alive
What: Watch local artists create unique, original artwork during this fundraiser to support AIDS Alabama. Enjoy food, drinks, a silent auction and music by the Matthew Carroll band. When: 6-9 p.m. Where: Canary Gallery Website: aidsalabama.org
Tues., July 30 7th Annual Zombie Scavenger Hunt
What: You’ll need quick wits as you race other contestants in this zombie apocalypse and search for survival items hidden around the Vestavia Library. Door prizes won. For teens grade 6-12. When: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Where: Vestavia Library in the Forest, Community Room Website: vestavialibrary.org
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
What: Celebrate the end of the Emmet O’Neal Summer Reading Program with pizza and music by Roger Day. When: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Where: On the lawn across from the library Website: eolib.org
Thurs., Aug. 1 Share Your Alabama Story
What: Families can record their history in this unique program presented by the Vestavia Library. When: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Where: Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest, Community Room Website: vestavialibrary.org
Birmingham Veterans Job Fair
What: DAV and RecruitMilitary join forces for a free hiring event for veterans, transitioning military personnel, National Guard members, Reserve members and military spouses in the Birmingham area. When: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Where: McWane Science Center Website: success.recruitmilitary.com
Fri., Aug. 2 Sloss Tech 2019
What: The Southwest’s premier tech conference brings together the best and brightest of today’s tech entrepreneurs. This year’s headliner is Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and best-selling author.
When: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Where: Lyric Fine Arts Theatre Website: sloss.tech
Greater Birmingham presents a fundraiser featuring dinner, a cocktail reception, a one-of-a-kind-show performed by “Littles”, and silent and live auctions. When: 6-11 p.m. Where: The Club Website: anightofbigstars.com
Aug. 2 and 3 Secret Stages
What: This two-day walking festival features over 50 bands filled with up-and-coming acts from around the nation performing on stages within a variety of neighborhood establishments. When: Check the website for artists schedules and event spaces Where: Avondale Website: secretstages.net
Aug. 2-4 “Getting to Know… Footloose”
What: Red Mountain Theatre Co. presents one of the most explosive movie musicals in recent memory to the Oscar and Tony-nominated top 40 score. When: Fri.-Sat., 7:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun., 2 p.m. Where: RMTC Cabaret Theatre Website: redmountaintheatre.org
Sat., Aug 3 Shake & Bake 5k
What: Enjoy a family-friendly environment and race to benefit Vapor Ministries and their mission to establish sustainable centers for alleviating poverty and multiplying disciples in third-world countries. When: 8 a.m.
Tues., Aug 6
Journal photo by Jordan Wald
Summer Reading Finale
Thursday, July 25, 2019 • 5
ABOUT TOWN
Homewood National Night Out
From left, Carson Speir, Savannah Wingate and Natalie Fisher at this month’s Art on the Rocks at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
Fri., Aug. 9
Hoover National Night Out
ART ON THE ROCKS
What: The final installment of Birmingham Museum of Art’s summer series features Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, artists collaborations, interactive performances, food, cocktails and more. When: 7-11 p.m. Where: Birmingham Museum of Arts Website: artsbma.org Where: 5 Mt. Laurel Ave. Website: runsignup.com
Pajama Jam - Birmingham Zoo End of Summer Bash
What: Wear your pajamas and enjoy free unlimited rides on the carousel, train and wild slide, lawn games, puppet show, crafts, splash pads,
What: West Homewood Farmer’s Market and the city of Homewood will co-host this event with police and fire department vehicles and equipment, food trucks, music and more. When: 5-8 p.m. Where: 160 Oxmoor Road Website: westhomewood.com
a performance by Llama Llama Red Pajama and more. When: 5-8 p.m. Where: Henley Park at the Birmingham Zoo Website: birminghamzoo.com
A Night of Big Stars
What: Big Brothers Big Sisters of
What: This annual event, hosted by the Hoover Police Department, features Hoover Police and Fire Department displays, inflatables, giveaways, a car show, food trucks and local business exhibits. When: 6-8 p.m. Where: Super Target parking lot located at The Grove Website: hooveral.org
Fri., Aug. 9 Back 2 School in the Hills
What: Guest will enjoy rides, inflatables for kids, tweens and teens, fun freebies, music and a family movie.
About Town continues on page 6
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6 • Thursday, July 25, 2019
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
ABOUT TOWN
Medical Properties Trust, Inc presents a
Journey of
Photo courtesy Autisim Society of Alabama
Hope
benefitting
UNITED ABILITY
Medicine, Therapy, and Technology for Individuals with Disabilities Featuring Brian King Joseph “The King of Violin”
making his Alabama debut A 2018 finalist on America’s Got Talent, this self-taught prodigy puts a rebellious spin on a classic instrument, wowing audiences with his explosive renditions of popular songs.
Autism Society of Alabama staff and board members, from left, John Trawick, Robert Caldwell, Melanie Jones, Bama Hager, Lauren Reid, Paul DeMarco and Ben Carlisle.
Summer Nights
ASA’s 22nd Autism Shines Gala Takes on a Latin Flair Attendees of the Autism Society of Alabama’s 22nd Annual Autism Shines Gala at Regions Field will experience the sounds and spirit of Cuba. The “Havana Nights” gala, set for Aug. 17, will offer Latin-inspired music, tropical décor, signature cocktails by Redmont Distillery and a five-minute salsa instruction by autism self-advocate John Delancy. “Each year, the event highlights an individual with autism who has an extraordinary talent,’ said ASA Development Director Lauren Reid.
“After our committee decided on the 2019 theme, John was an easy choice because of his skill on the dance floor.” In addition to festivities involving flavorful food, auction packages and music by DJ Prez, the ASA will recognize its President and Community Partner Awards winners. “These awards not only show our gratitude to the recipients, but we also hope to inspire others to make a difference in the life of a person with autism,” said Bama Hager, ASA program adviser and advocate.
“Whether it’s befriending someone with autism or launching a new program in his/her town for autism families, it will make a profound impact on others.” Funds raised at the event will benefit the 70,000 autism families in Alabama who benefit from the ASA’s work to improve services for individuals living with autism and their families through education and advocacy. For more information, visit autismshinesgala.com. – Emily Williams
About Town continued from page 5
When: 6-10 p.m. Where: B&A Warehouse Website: childrensal.org
Website: mtnbrookchamber.org
When: 6:30 p.m. Where: Philadelphia Baptist Church Website: vestaviahills.org
Double Down for Rett
What: The Suki Foundation’s fundraiser features casino-style entertainment, silent and live auctions, dinner and drinks to help fund research and therapy programs for Rett syndrome patients at Children’s of Alabama.
Honoring Ed Robinson
Water Lantern Festival
Sat., Aug 10 Crestline Tent Sale
What: The merchants of Crestline Village present their annual tent sale complete with awesome deals, trunk shows and more. When: All day Where: Crestline Village
What: Guest will enjoy food trucks, music and design a lantern to launch in the water along with thousands of other lanterns. This for-profit event donates to charities and non-profit organizations. When: 4-9 p.m. Where: Railroad Park Website: waterlanternfestival.com
ALABAMA'S LARGEST GASLIGHT SHOWROOM
a life-long United Ability advocate whose family legacy, generosity and volunteerism continue to impact the lives of countless individuals living with disabilities.
ONE NIGHT ONLY S AT U R D AY
AUGUST 3RD 2019 UAB’S ALYS STEPHENS CENTER’S
JEMISON CONCERT HALL
DOORS OPEN 6:00PM SHOW BEGINS 7:00PM
Tickets: unitedability.org
2828 Linden Avenue Homewood 870-4060 www.alabamagaslightandgrill.com
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
Thursday, July 25, 2019 • 7
ABOUT TOWN
Photo courtesy Birmingha Botanical Gardens
gems of Birmingham,” Emily said. “There is truly something for everyone: education, recreation, exercise, and just plain fun.” Antiques at the Gardens is being held Oct. 3-6 and again will feature nationally acclaimed speakers, tastemakers and dealers. For information on event sponsorships, visit bbgardens.org/antiques or email Director of Development Penney Hartline at phartline@ bbgardens.org.
Tickets will be available for purchase Aug. 28 during an Antiques at the Gardens kickoff event featuring Margot Shaw, founder and editor-in-chief of Flower magazine and author of “Living Floral.” They will be available to the general public beginning Labor Day weekend. You can check out the schedule for the October event and buy tickets for the August event at bbgardens.org/antiques.
109 Hilltop Business Drive Pelham www.GriffithArtGallery.com 205.985.7969
THE ARBOR E S TA B L I S H E D 1 9 7 6
Emily and Bill Bowron, longtime supporters of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, are being celebrated this year as the 2019 Antiques at the Gardens honorees.
A Fall Favorite
This Year’s Antiques at the Gardens to Honor Emily and Bill Bowron Emily and Bill Bowron, longtime supporters of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, are being celebrated this year as the 2019 Antiques at the Gardens honorees. Emily, a Savannah native, is a past co-chair of the annual event, a member of the antiques advisory
‘I believe that the Birmingham Botanical Gardens is one of the true gems of Birmingham. There is truly something for everyone: education, recreation, exercise, and just plain fun.’ EMILY BOWRON
board and a member of the board of directors of the Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Bill, a native of Birmingham, is chairman, president and CEO of Red Diamond Inc.; vice chair of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra; and president of the Mountain Brook Sports Foundation. Red Diamond has sponsored the headline lectures at Antiques at the Gardens since 2009. Bill’s history with the gardens goes back to childhood. “I remember visiting the Gardens as a child with my mother, and I recall how excited she was when the conservatory opened,” Bill said in a statement. “We donated coffee trees to the Gardens shortly thereafter.” Emily had been a fan of the Gardens for many years and became
seriously involved after retiring as a competitive equestrian in 2011. “Bill and I have always loved Antiques at the Gardens, and the Gala is one of our favorite events of the year. It has been so nice getting to know many of the dealers, and we have certainly found some treasures to take home over the years!” she said. She was asked to co-chair Antiques at the Gardens with Leah Taylor in 2015. The two reintroduced Saturday programs and offered lectures at no charge to see how they would go over. Taste in Spades was a huge success, and the lectures were filled to capacity, according to the statement. Since then, subsequent co-chairs of the event have expanded on the offerings, she said, bringing in nationally acclaimed speakers such as Martha Stewart. With money raised through the event and through contributions, the Friends group has developed educational programs and outreach activities that affect thousands of children and adults each year, according to the statement. “I believe that the Birmingham Botanical Gardens is one of the true
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NEWS
8 • Thursday, July 25, 2019
Something New
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
buy a bottle and drink it at the store for a minimal uncorking fee. Just as Trent and Loper are always excited to taste something new, they want their customers to find something new each time they visit. While Golden Age doesn’t serve meals, it serves enough snacks to make one. There are cheese and charcuterie boards created using the store’s handcrank meat slicer handmade in Italy, with local peaches, fresh sourdough bread and crackers, warmed Castelvetrano olives, Marcona almonds and more.
By Emily Williams
The Mountain Brook Shopping Center on Culver Road is home to a new concept in local wine offerings. An equal parts partnership and friendship between Brandon Loper and Trent Stewart has resulted in an equal parts wine store and wine bar, Golden Age Wines. The space opened officially July 19, offering low-intervention wines grown sustainably. Though opening any business is a stressful process, both Loper and Stewart say the experience has been fun. “The reason that it is still fun for us and we aren’t very stressed out is because we love this,” Loper said. Exploring new wines with friends is something they would be doing at home, anyway; now they have a “house of wine” to gather in, instead. “Every moment where we have been super exhausted or stressed, we’ll peek over at the wall and talk about what wines we can’t wait to open,” Stewart added.
Start With a Story
A documentary filmmaker, Loper hasn’t always been interested in wine. “I really sort of got into food, wine and culinary arts through coffee,” Loper said. While living in San Francisco with his wife, Amanda, he honed a love of specialty coffee that led him to create a documentary on the subject, “A Film About Coffee.” “I traveled to Rwanda, Honduras, Japan – kind of all over the world – and did a deep dive into coffee,” he said. “Through that I learned how
coffee has a sense of place and there is a farmer behind it.” During his travels, Loper began to see a connection between the stories of coffee farmers and those of small wineries. Like specialty coffees, lowintervention wines offer more of the flavors of the place where they were grown – flavors that are easily eliminated by chemical processes. He moved back to his home state of Alabama in 2016. “I was still traveling a lot and going back to San Francisco about once a month,” Loper said. “I’d bring back a bottle of wine and have it with friends.” Those friends would then ask where they could get these lowintervention wines Loper was showing them, but they weren’t available anywhere in town. Loper knew he wanted to create something brick and mortar to fill that void and tell his latest story. He wanted that story to highlight sustainability and the humanity behind the product – the stories of the people who made the wine.
Add the Expertise
Simply a wine enthusiast, Loper needed to team up with a professional to tell that story properly. Enter Trent Stewart. After working for the wine department at Western Supermarkets for three years, Stewart dove into the wholesale wine business. Stewart and Loper heard about each other many times through mutual friends and finally decided to meet. “We had a really nice lunch on the patio at Fon Fon one day and realized we enjoyed the same wines,” Loper
Journal photos by Jordan Wald
Mountain Brook’s Golden Age Wines is Equal Parts Store and Bar, With a Story to Tell
Set the Stage
Above, Golden Age Wines owners Trent Stewart and Brandon Loper. Left, from left, Mary Catherine Culotta, Alex McGowen and Erin Davis sample some of the wines at the new Golden Age Wines in Mountain Brook Village.
said. Stewart’s original intention for the meeting was to learn more about this wine concept Loper wanted to bring to Birmingham, and maybe help him navigate the market from a wholesale perspective. “But then, something changed,” Stewart said. They became fast friends, meshing so well together that the conversation changed from informational exchange to a partnership. Stewart brings a high level of expertise with his Level 4 Diploma from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. He will be not only helping pick the wines to stock in the store, but he also can conduct tastings and lead classes on the products it serves and sells.
The focus for the store’s offerings, according to Stewart, is small artisanal estates that offer lower-intervention wines grown through an organic and biodynamic process. “Old world wineries do that,” Stewart said. “But there are also some new and exciting wines to try, and those guys are pushing the envelope a little bit on what is possible.” Wines found on the Golden Age shelves are typically going to be new to Alabama, as Stewart strives to bring in wines that aren’t already available in town. “We’ll have up to 15 wines by the glass and we’re going to constantly rotate it,” Stewart said, so customers won’t be seeing the same wines every time they walk in. Customers also can
Loper’s wife, Amanda, a partner with David Baker Architects, designed the Golden Age space, delivering on the three main things Loper and Stewart wanted: space for about 800 wines, a big bar and a private room. “She did a great job of taking what we wanted and translating it into something that was way more amazing than we could have come up with,” Loper said. The space is light and bright, with earthy touches of sand and rust colors through wood and leather. “To go along with our story, we wanted a lot of the materials to mimic or have a connection to the winemaking process,” Loper said. The materials are also repurposed or recycled. The ceiling features red and white oak, often used to make wine barrels, and are salvaged from American Cast Iron Pipe Co. pipe shipping crates. The large concrete bar is a nod to some of Loper and Stewart’s favorite wines, which are aged in concrete. The tile on the bar is Alabama red clay. “We hope at some point to be a zero footprint establishment,” Stewart said. “We really just wanted to have as minimal a footprint as possible,” Loper said. “That’s what we preach in the wines we drink and we wanted to See GOLDEN AGE, page 9
Homewood Apartments Regaining Condo Identity as Market Rebounds
Photo courtesy Farris Properties
By Sam Prickett
The Hill is being reimagined as the Eastbury, a development with 122 units that residents will own, not rent.
The Hill luxury apartments in Homewood were always meant to exist as condominiums, but developers say a downturn in the market got in the way. “It was always planned to be a forsale product, or at least when it was designed and developed,” John Chapman, a portfolio manager for Farris Properties said. “And then the market condition at the time just didn’t warrant the units to be sold.” Now, he said, the market is just right for condominiums. And so the Hill is being reimagined as the Eastbury, a development with 122
units that residents will own, not rent. Options include one-, two- and three-bedroom units, which Chapman said should appeal to a wide range of buyers, including “folks who want a lower-maintenance type of lifestyle, where they can have a place in an urban setting, whether they’re traveling as professionals, young or old, downsizing or upsizing.” That wide appeal, developers said, is largely because of the building’s location at 1840 Oxmoor Road, a short distance from Homewood’s thriving downtown area. “The location is irreplaceable, really,” Chapman said. “Across all of our prospective purchasers’
demographics, I think that’s a common (desire), to be able to walk to shopping, all the amenities. (The area) is really on the upswing, too. There are a lot of things occurring in downtown Homewood now that this project can play into.” Most of the physical changes required to convert the apartments into condominiums are cosmetic. “There are countertop selections in 2019 that are different than they were several years ago,” Chapman said. “Crown packages and trim packages are enhanced from where they were. The color schemes, the flooring – we’re converting a lot of the bathtubs See EASTBURY, page 9
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
EASTBURY From page 8
to walk-in showers, which is kind of a market-desired piece now in a lot of the units.” There’s also a reimagining of the building’s interior aesthetic, which is meant to reflect the Eastbury’s new slogan: “The Art of Life.” That includes fine art selected by Terry Slaughter of the Slaughter Group, a Homewood-based advertising agency. “When you do a conversion, you really want to get at a new image, so you do a new brand,” said Margi Ingram, president of Ingram and Associates, a Homewood-based commercial real estate firm. “A lot of art will be involved in the development – in the lobby, in the lounge area and in the living room, which is what we call a limited common area for people to congregate and connect with each other.” The building’s main entrance, Ingram added, will be redesigned at some point “to make it more residential, so that you’ll know it’s a permanent living space instead of a temporary one.” The Eastbury also will include a swimming pool, which Ingram calls “the heart of the community,” an outdoor kitchen, a fitness room, offstreet parking, garage spaces and storage rooms. Despite the cosmetic upgrades, the infrastructure of the building will mostly be unchanged as the Hill
Thursday, July 25, 2019 • 9
NEWS becomes the Eastbury. “The appeal of the project to us, besides the location, is the amenity package and the physical structure that was already here,” Chapman said. That allows for what he calls “a very attractive” price point, which ranges from $200,000 to $400,000. “It’s almost rare in this market that you could put together a deal of this size with the entry points we’re able to do,” he said. Ingram agreed, comparing it to redevelopments of older buildings in downtown Birmingham. “I think there’s a lot of creativity going on today with repurposing properties that have been there forever,” she said. “This one just happened to be a new one and we didn’t have to do as much ... . If you had to build it all again, I doubt you’d be able to have all of these amenities because the land cost would be phenomenal.” Progress on the conversion is still ongoing. Chapman said condos will not be publicly available for offers until August, though that date is “a moving target.” “We’ve allowed an extended period to the current residents of the community to make a determination if ownership is right for them or if they want to pursue other living arrangements,” he said. For members of the public who are interested, Ingram said reservations can be made without a deposit and developers will call when they’re ready for market.
GOLDEN AGE From page 8
follow that.” The shop also will use washable linens rather than paper towels and serve sparkling water on tap rather than bottled. Tables in the front room are scraps from a marble yard and pieces purchased on trading sites such as Etsy, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. In the private room, which can be rented, cane chairs sourced from
various thrift stores surround a large wooden table that used to be the centerpiece of the conference room at U.S. Steel. Rather than including enough shelving to fill a library, the wines fill the walls like artwork.
Share the Result
Both Loper and Stewart stress that Golden Age is a place for all levels of wine knowledge. “We don’t want people to feel overwhelmed when they walk in,” Loper said. “There is a lot of wine on
the shelves, but we tried to design it in a way that is easy to understand.” The store welcomes people of all levels of wine knowledge, including those looking to buy a bottle or stock a cellar. Loper and Stewart also are excited to share the stories behind the wines they sell, things that they learn, taste and hear from importers as well as some of the makers. “A dream becoming a reality is always an exciting thing,” Loper said. “That in itself is enough …, but this is even better.”
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LIFE
10 • Thursday, July 25, 2019
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
‘I can’t tell you the many kids who have learned to walk or talk with therapy available to them through United Ability – yet, their parents had been told they’d never be able to do those things.’
Sharing Hope By June Mathews
W
hen Alison Berman became the chief development officer of United Ability in 2015, she discovered the 67-year-old agency was lacking a signature event and set out to change that. “We wanted to do something different,” she said, “so three years ago, we chose to do a theater-style event where people could be entertained yet learn about the organization and develop a connection to it.”
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The result was the first Journey of Hope, an entertaining, inspirational and informative evening that allowed United Ability to showcase its work and the people it serves. The pattern set in that first event continues Aug. 3 with the third annual Journey of Hope, to be held in the Jemison Concert Hall at UAB’s Alys Stephens Center. “This year, we’re honoring Ed Robinson, who is the perfect person,” said Berman. “An extremely humble person, Ed will turn it around to honor his family’s involvement, which goes back 70 years. But he’s well-connected to United Ability in his own right, having served as a past chair of our board, as co-chair of the inaugural Journey of Hope, and currently serving on the United Ability Foundation.” Born and reared in Birmingham, Robinson is the CEO of HRH Metals Inc. in Moody. When he was a child, his mother became involved with a group that grew into United Ability, beginning a family legacy of serving people with disabilities. Performing during Journey of Hope will be Brian King Joseph, a violinist who was a finalist on America’s Got Talent. Joseph has peripheral neuropathy, a debilitating disease that affects the nerves in his
Photos courtesy United Ability
Star Violist to Perform at United Ability Event Honoring Ed Robinson
spending time with some of the children and adults United Ability serves during his visit to Birmingham. The name Journey of Hope refers to the road United Ability travels with those it serves, Berman explained. The event supports the advancement of medicine, technology and therapies for people living with disabilities. “I can’t tell you the many kids who have learned to walk or talk with therapy available to them through United Ability – yet, their parents had Performing during been told they’d never be able to do Journey of Hope will those things,” she said. “We’ve joined be Brian King Joseph, them on their journey, and the hope a violinist who was a they have in the services we provide finalist on America’s rings true for us every day.” Got Talent. Joseph has United Ability formerly was peripheral neuropathy, known as United Cerebral Palsy, but a debilitating disease the name was changed in 2017 to that affects the nerves reflect the organization’s larger in his hands and feet. mission. “We’ve been a part of the Birmingham landscape for 70 years hands and feet. and helped thousands of people over “Living with disability, Brian the years,” Berman said. “In the past knows the challenges our children and year alone, we’ve worked with over adults face every day,” Berman said. 5,300 individuals living with a wide “But he is excited to perform for variety of disabilities, including United Ability and share that cerebral palsy, spina bifida, autism, obstacles can be overcome and Down Syndrome, Rett Syndrome and achievements celebrated.” others. To better reflect what we do, Berman said Joseph will be we took ‘cerebral palsy’ out of the name and expanded our service reach.” While United Ability officially serves the greater Birmingham area, its footprint extends across the state and beyond. “We’re serving more people than ever before, and we want to continue to serve. And that,” said Berman, “is our own journey of hope.” Tickets for Journey of Hope are $75 for adults and $50 for youth 15 and younger. A limited number of exclusive VIP meet-andgreet packages with Brian King Joseph and event sponsorships are available When he was a child, Ed Robinson’s mother by calling Alison Berman became involved with a group that grew into at 944-3907 or by visiting United Ability, beginning a family legacy of serv- unitedability.org/jouring people with disabilities. neyofhope.
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
BIGGINS From page one
Independence Golf Club in Richmond, Virginia, with a field of 74 golfers from eight countries. Biggins, the PGA assistant golf professional at the Country Club of Birmingham, won the event’s top division in a one-hole playoff. “At first I didn’t know if it was something that I wanted to play in,” Biggins said in an interview after the tournament. “After talking with others who I’ve played in events with in the past, I realized it was something I needed to put on my radar because of the world-ranking opportunities. Nothing like this has ever been done before.”
Golfing on the World Stage
The victory earned Biggins a spot in the inaugural EDGA Scottish Open, held July 13-14 at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick – about a 45-minute drive east of Edinburgh. The 36-hole event featured 10 players from the World Rankings for Golfers with Disability and was played alongside the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, a Rolex Series event. Biggins finished fourth, 11 strokes behind the winner. “It was unbelievable, blew me away,” Biggins said after returning home to Birmingham. “It was such a cool place. It was my first time out
Thursday, July 25, 2019 • 11
LIFE of the country other than Canada. “I had a few rough holes the last day and came in fourth. I beat six out of the top 10 in the world, but I was disappointed because I wanted to come in first. It was still a cool experience.” The EDGA Scottish Open was the
While in college, Biggins was able to keep coming to Birmingham because of United Ability, which serves individuals with physical and mental disabilities, to help raise awareness for special events and money to benefit programming. first of two disability championships scheduled alongside Rolex Series events on the 2019 Race to Dubai. The other is the 36-hole EDGA Dubai Finale that will be featured as part of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, in Dubai in November at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Biggins is hoping to play in that event, as well. “They take the top six disabled golfers in the world, but you have to qualify,” he said. “I have two more tournaments in Canada in August. If
I play well, I could get one of those spots in Dubai.” Whether he makes it to Dubai or not, Biggins will head to the western United States in November for his other sport. For the past four years, he has trained as a skier for four months of the year in Park City, Utah, at the U.S. Paralympic Training and Development Center. “I’m in the national disability skiing program,” Biggins explained. “I live there from mid-November to March. I am trying to make the Paralympics team for 2022. It’s going to be tough. You have to be on top of your game. I’m optimistic.”
Growing Up
Whatever Biggins accomplishes, he credits his family, especially his brothers, one older and one younger. They were outside all the time, playing a variety of sports while growing up in Clarksville, Maryland. “They didn’t want my disability to be a hindrance, so we were always active,” Biggins said. “We practiced developing my abilities. “In the summer when my dad would go to work, he would drop us off at Enterprise Golf Course and they let us help around the club as much as 7- to 10-year-olds could. We helped in the kitchen, picked up trash and then they’d let us play golf in the afternoon.” Despite his fondness for golf, Biggins’ first love was baseball. That changed when he was in high school. “My sophomore year I didn’t
make the team and that lit the fire for me to turn 100 percent to golf,” he said. “I got involved in the First Tee program for junior golfers and got the golfing bug.”
Coming to Birmingham
Biggins played college golf his junior and senior years as a walk on at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He had enrolled in the PGA Golf Management Program at Methodist, and that eventually led to him coming to Birmingham. During his 4½ years at Methodist, Biggins completed three internships at the Country Club of Birmingham. He eventually made Birmingham his home when he accepted a full-time position under PGA Director of Golf Eric Eshleman. While in college, Biggins was able to keep coming to Birmingham because of United Ability, which serves individuals with physical and mental disabilities, to help raise awareness for special events and money to benefit programming. “Methodist usually liked for you to go different places for internships, but I played the United Ability card to let me come back because I could get treatment there,” Biggins said. “After college, it was tougher because the pediatric care stops, but United Ability came along and helped with that because they offer care to kids and adults. I was lucky to have that fall in my lap to keep going. I’m in better physical condition now than
I have ever been in my life.” Biggins became part of the United Ability junior board in 2017. “I’ve always loved United Ability,” he said. “I love the opportunity to give back.”
Hitting the Slopes
As for skiing, Biggins began hitting the slopes while on family vacations. “We would drive up from Maryland to Vermont whenever we had an extended break from school, either Christmas or spring break,” he said. “When I was in college, I went to a camp in Colorado called Hartford Ski Spectacular.” The Hartford Ski Spectacular is hosted by Disabled Sports USA at the Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, Colorado, and is one of the nation’s largest winter sports festivals for people with disabilities, with more than 800 registered participants annually. “I got to see what it was all about, and after I graduated my plan was to go out there for one week,” Biggins said. “They told me I couldn’t stay there to train, so I started going to Park City.” Being a two-sport athlete is something Biggins plans to continue doing. “My goal has never been to be the best golfer in the world or the best skier in the world – I want to be both,” he said. “The two sports complement each other. I don’t want to concentrate on just one.”
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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
DON’T MESS WITH MR. G Photos courtesy UAB’s Alys Stephens Center
G Oscar and Emmy-nominated actor Jeff Goldblum showcased his skills as an accomplished pianist, performing jazz music with his band The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra.
Jeff Goldblum Serves Jazz and Comedy at Viva Health Starlight Gala
uests were treated to an evening of laughter and music June 2 as UAB’s Alys Stephens Center hosted its annual Viva Health Starlight Gala. Oscar and Emmy-nominated actor Jeff Goldblum showcased his skills as an accomplished pianist, performing jazz music with his band The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. Serving as gala chair was long-time supporter and board member Mark Tarr, president and CEO of Encompass Health. The evening began with a pre-show cocktail reception before audience members took their seats. Throughout the performance Goldblum delivered jazz standards with hints of improvisational comedy, along with accompaniment from special guest Annie Ellicott, a jazz vocalist and voice actor. Following the show, Goldblum mingled with guests at a VIP seated dinner and an ASC junior patron after-party featuring heavy hors d’oeuvres. Funds raised at the annual event support the center’s educational and community outreach programs as well as UAB’s Arts in Medicine. ❖
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Ashley Mac’s, Blue Spring Living Water, Dreamcakes Bakery, Jim ’N’ Nicks BBQ, Newk’s Eatery, Olexa’s Cafe, Post Office Pies, Sweet Spun Cotton Candy and Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe. In addition to tasting sweet treats, the event included music by T.U.B., four different samples of select wines and beers, a silent auction and pop-up shops. ❖
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Linda OPENING SEPTEMBER 2019! Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 ACCEPTING APPOINTMENTS NOW! FAX: 205-824-1246 April BESSEMER This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOU UAB Medical West; Ste. 210 April 19, 2018 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 8 995 9th Ave. SW Bessemer, AL 35022
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Pride and responsibility To: Jennifer us to be the best in From:drive Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 Date: June everything we do. This is your AD PROOF from OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the July 11th issue.
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Poinsettia Debutante Ball, to be held in December at a private club in Vestavia Hills. Founded in 1967, the Ballet Women’s Committee raises funds for the Alabama Ballet with a mission to foster interest in and promote the development of ballet in Alabama through educational, charitable and cultural projects. ❖
Spread Your Wings
Annual Fundraiser Celebrates Lives Lost in Hospital NICUs
As a life-long Over-the-Mountain resident and a third Little Angel Gowns held its “On the Please all information is correct, generation workingmake at Guin,sure I feel great pride and Wings of Angels” fundraiser June 22 at the Hoover-Randle Home & Including address and phone number! responsibility in carrying on the Gardens. Funds raised benefit the organilegacy of honesty and hard work zation’s mission to provide beautiful Thank you that my grandfather began 60for your prompt attention. burial attire for babies who were patients in the neonatal intensive years ago. Family is very important care units at hospitals and for babies who had complications and passed to us, and we treat our customers away after going home from the with the same care and respect hospital. The nonprofit was started five as members of our own family. It years ago by Marie Murphy, a Joseph Braswell would be a privilege to serve you. retired NICU nurse from Pelham,
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who saw a need. Since its founding, LAG has supplied more than 8,000 burial gowns to bereaved parents through more than 250 hospitals and funeral homes in all 50 states. Kristy Benefield, bereavement coordinator for the neonatal unit at UAB, was the speaker for the evening. Benefield thanked Little Angel Gowns, which partnered with “He Knows Your Name,” another nonprofit, to donate a Cuddle Cot to UAB. A Cuddle Cot is a cooling bed that allows parents and extended family to bond with their baby longer. ❖
Journal photos by Jordan Wald
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Otey’s Tavern celebrated 30 years in operation during this year’s Otey’s Fest, held July 13 in the Crestline Village restaurant’s parking lot. The evening included a five-band lineup with a headlining performance by The Spin Doctors along with Diner, T.U.B., The Hurlers and River Bend. The festival, which was the restaurant’s 10th, raised funds for The Exceptional Foundation as well as the Phoenix Club of Birmingham, which supports the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Alabama. ❖
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Thursday, July 25, 2019 • 17
WEDDINGS/SOCIAL
Corey-Shaw Mr. and Mrs. Allen Rushton Corey announce the engagement of their daughter, Helen Cumbee, to Andrew Blake Shaw of Dallas. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mrs. Thomas Alexander Symington Wilson and the late Dr. Wilson, and the late Mr. and Mrs. John Norman Corey Jr., all of Birmingham. The prospective groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Andrew Hussey and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Calvin Shaw. He is the grandson of
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Steel Eppeland of Geneva, Illinois, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Halliday Shaw of Dallas. Miss Corey is a graduate of Mountain Brook High School and the University of Mississippi, where she received a bachelor’s degree in public policy leadership from the Trent Lott Leadership Institute and a minor in history. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. Miss Corey was presented at the Krewe Ball, the Ball of Roses and the Redstone Ball. She serves as program coordinator for the
Akola Project in Dallas. Mr. Shaw is a graduate of Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas and the University of Mississippi, where he received a bachelor’s degree in real estate, finance and banking and a minor in marketing. He was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Mr. Shaw serves as vice president of Dallas retail with NAI Robert Lynn Commercial Real Estate. A celebration of marriage will be held Oct. 26 at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham.
Photos courtesy
AT Some of the more than 85 members in attendance.
Summer Soiree
Chi Os Past and Present Gather for Annual Do The Birminghamarea Chi Omega Sorority Alumnae gathered June 18 for the 13th annual Summer Soiree at the home of Danielle Yancey. Guests reconnected with old friends, Above, Amanda Raney, Ashley Johnson, Danielle Yancey welcomed new and Lani Graphos. Below, Margaret Davidson members and and Kennedy Schwefler. met active members from area colleges. Some of the more than 85 members in attendance included Amy Ridway, Barbara White, Haley Smith, Jamie Dabal, Katherine Tarica, Kelley Evers, Ruth Berry, Christine Wittmann, Catherine Venable, Sally Kramer, Morgan Crawford, Melissa Enslen and Amy Oliver. Members of the executive board for 2019-2021 are Leah Rice, Amy Moore, Ann Watkins, Ashley Condon, Leigh Ann Smyth and Lindy Walker. Social events are organization in the world with more planned by Lani Graphos and Amy than 360,000 initiates, 181 Gilpin. collegiate chapters and 246 alumnae Founded in 1895 at the chapters. The organization will University of Arkansas, Chi Omega celebrate 125 years since its incepis the largest women’s fraternal tion on April 5, 2020. ❖
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SCHOOL
18 • Thursday, July 25, 2019
VHCS Opens New Dolly Ridge Elementary to Launch New School Year
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
OTM Schools Calendar HOMEWOOD
By Emily Williams
First Day for Students: Aug. 12 Winter Holidays: Dec. 23 - Jan. 5 Spring Break: March 23-27 Last Day for Students: May 21 homewood.k12.al.us
HOOVER
First Day for Students: Aug. 8 Winter Holidays: Dec. 23 - Jan. 6 Spring Break: March 23-27 Last Day for Students: May 22 hoovercityschools.net Photo courtesy Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge.
MOUNTAIN BROOK
First Day for Students: Aug. 13 Winter Holidays: Dec. 23 - Jan. 6 Spring Break: March 23-27 Last Day for Students: May 21 mtnbrook.k12.al.us
SHELBY COUNTY
First Day for Students: Aug. 8 Winter Holidays: Dec. 20 - Jan. 6 Spring Break: March 23-27 Last Day for Students: May 21 shelbyed.k12.al.us VESTAVIA HILLS
New Kids on the Block come.” Arendall noted that he and his faculty have cooked up some special plans to celebrate Dolly Ridge’s first day. “I don’t want to spoil any surprises, but I know the kids will be excited,” he said.
Extension Still in the Works
When the kids come for their first day, though, the school won’t be totally ready for them. Work is not finished on a 14-classroom addition. Superintendent Todd Freeman said during the July 2 board of education meeting. “We had planned for this
“Honestly, every task at Dolly Ridge has been new and exciting. There have been so many ‘firsts.’ It’s fascinating building a school from the ground up and (being) involved in all the details.”
Journal photos by Jordan Wald
As Vestavia Hills City Schools welcomes a new year and puts rezoning plans into effect, not only will new students explore schools for the first time, even students already in the system might find themselves in new surroundings. The greatest change this year will be the addition of Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge, which will open Aug. 8, welcoming 750 students in grades K-5. Dolly Ridge Principal Ty Arrendall is most looking forward to seeing the students faces as they walk into their new school, meet teachers and see their friends in class. “That first day of ‘meet the teacher’ is always fun, but it will have a very special significance this year,” he said. “So much hard work and preparation has taken place and it all leads up to that day.” The school is opening in the old Gresham Elementary School building. Arendall and his staff have been hard at work establishing a unique identity for the school within the VHCS system. They have been drafting goals, expectations and targets for learning. “Honestly, every task at Dolly Ridge has been new and exciting,” Arendall said. “There have been so many ‘firsts.’ It’s fascinating building a school from the ground up and (being) involved in all the details. We want to establish a legacy for those who come after us.” He particularly has enjoyed collaborating with teachers and staff. “Every time I am around this group, I am so amazed at the energy, enthusiasm and positivity,” Arendall said. “The same is true of our incredible Parent Teacher Organization. We are ‘all in’ on this new school and we know it will be an amazing place of learning for the boys and girls for many years to
contingency all along and will have good learning spaces in the existing buildings for all of our students,” Freeman said. The rest of the campus’ major projects are expected to be completed before school starts. Those include parking and drop-off loop expansions, improvements at the intersection of Rocky Ridge Drive and Dolly Ridge Road and increased left-turn space onto Gresham Drive.
More Changes in the Vestavia System Also during the July 2 meeting, Freeman gave an update on the old Berry school property, which is to
DOLLY RIDGE PRINCIPAL TY ARRENDALL
VESTAVIA HILLS
First Day for Students: Aug. 8 Winter Holidays: Dec. 20-Jan. 6 Spring Break: March 23-27 Last Day for Students: May 21 vestavia.k12.al.us
become the new location of Louis Pizitz Middle School. The board approved a bid for a new softball field and full-size, competitive baseball field, as well as a bid to make updates to Columbiana Road where it intersects with the school property. Freeman noted that both projects will take 120 days to complete and could be finished by the end of the calendar year. “So, if we are able to make the decision to move (Louis Pizitz Middle School) at some point during the year, all of the projects are done,” Freeman said.
HOMEWOOD
Workin’ Hard
Homewood Facilities Updates, Expansions Continue Through 2019-20 Journal photo by Jordan Wald
By Emily Williams
The largest project in the facilities plan is phase one of the Homewood High School addition, which is estimated to cost $34 million.
There wasn’t much rest in the Homewood City Schools system this summer as work continued to update and expand all of the facilities except Homewood Middle School. On the to-do list were the relocation of libraries at Edgewood, Hall-Kent and Shades Cahaba elementary schools and at Homewood High School to accommodate flooring projects.
In the spring, Superintendent Bill Cleveland announced that the board would be expanding the system’s overall construction project and that the new completion date would be April 2020. The project is estimated to cost close to $61 million, $55 million of which will be funded by the city. Throughout the summer, the board of education has presented updates to the city’s finance committee.
With the increased budget, the system is moving forward with projects originally planned down the road, including HVAC systems, flooring and painting. Hoar Program Management project managers Matt Denaburg and Jeremiah Owen are working on the project.
Homewood High School
Interior renovations at the school
See HOMEWOOD, page 20
MOUNTAIN BROOK
back to school
A Sense of Place Cherokee Bend Welcomes Special Education Department’s Two New Sensory Rooms By Emily Williams Cherokee Bend Elementary School’s special education team has been hard at work this summer setting up two new multi-sensory rooms, one to engage and one to calm students with sensory needs. “These two spaces will be a place where diverse learning strategies can be celebrated and students can feel empowered to voice their individual learning
The Cherokee Bend Elementary Special Education team, above. CBES first-grader Jack Holland, pictured left with SRO Officer Bryan Kelly, will be among the students benefitting from the school’s two new sensory-friendly rooms.
‘These two spaces will be a place where diverse learning strategies can be celebrated and students can feel empowered to voice their individual learning needs,’ LIZ ESTESS, CHEROKEE BEND PTO VICE PRESIDENT
needs,” Liz Estess, Cherokee Bend PTO vice president of communications, said in a release. The rooms were funded by an $11,000 grant from the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation’s Institute for Innovation. The “Whole Brain Experience: A Multi-Sensory Approach to Learning and Behavior” project was created by special education teachers Sara Katherine Janecky, Kelsey Church,
Hannah Kennedy, Lizzie Vansant and Sarah Jackson. According to the special education team, the purpose of the project was to “create a multisensory environment that is designed to help children use their bodies and environment to calm and organize themselves,” the release said. “The multi-sensory rooms and path will work to improve students’ mental health and confidence to give them more independence in their social, behavioral, and
academic abilities,” the release stated. The room focusing on engaging the senses will be a heightened sensory room. It will include colorful stimulation, Estess noted, to heighten senses and promote movement and interaction with multi-sensory mediums in the room. A Snoezelen-style room will be a soothing environment, helping calm students who are experiencing sensory overloads and decrease their anxiety. Estess noted that students also could use the quiet space to read and write. The project addresses four goals in tandem with district goals: enhancing student voice, creating a sense of community, improving communication and supporting diversity in the classrooms. Estess said the goal is to improve the academic, behavioral and mental well-being of students.
Thursday, July 25, 2019 • 19
Search for New ASFA Head Continues as Mountain Brook’s Florie Takes Interim Role Ann Florie, former executive director of Leadership Birmingham, is assuming the role of the Alabama School of Fine Arts’ interim executive Aug. 1 while the school’s board of trustees approaches a new phase of its search for a permanent candidate. The school’s Executive Director Search Committee is coordinating its search with search firm Educational Directions. The company will conclude recruiting and accepting applications on July 26, with the hope of identifying five to seven semi-finalists in mid-August and making a final decision this fall. Florie will be assuming the role of executive director for the 2019-20 school year following the retirement of Michael W. Meeks. “ASFA is a vital part of the educational ecosystem in Alabama. I am deeply appreciative of the impressive qualities of the student body and staff and the true value ASFA brings to the community and the state,” Florie said recently. Florie brings with her an extensive knowledge of the community. She was executive director of Leadership Birmingham for 14 years and last year was inducted into the
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Florie will be assuming the role of executive director for the 2019-20 school year following the retirement of Michael W. Meeks. Alabama Academy of Honor, which recognizes living Alabamians for outstanding accomplishment and services benefiting the state. She is a founding member of Region 2020 and a member of the Birmingham Business Alliance’s executive committee and the Alabama Humanities Foundation’s board of directors and executive committee. She is a former member of the Mountain Brook Board of Education and maintains involvement with the Downtown Kiwanis Club, where she previously served as president.
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Journal photo by Jordan Wald
The Riverchase Career Connection Center has enrolled approximately 750 students so far, according to Ron Dodson, director of the new school. HOOVER
Great Expectations Hoover’s RC3 Opening With Almost Double the Students Projected
By Emily Williams Hoover City Schools’ new career training school is set to open next month with almost twice as many students as originally expected. The Riverchase Career Connection Center has enrolled approximately 750 students so far and has a waiting list, according to Ron Dodson, director of the new school. “Our goal, which I was told by the state we would never reach, was 400 students,” he said. The center, dubbed RC3, will serve 10th, 11th and 12th grade students from Hoover, Spain Park and Homewood high schools. Located at the former Riverchase Middle School campus, RC3 will
Now Enrolling After-School Art Classes
contain five different career academies, allowing students to train for jobs in culinary arts, cyberinnovation, fire and emergency services, health science and skill trades. Demand for the classes has been so great that the system is having to finish six additional classrooms, Dodson said. Those classrooms had been included in the facility plans but were to be built at a later date. Parking at the center also is being reevaluated, he said. “Those are good problems to have,” he said. “It shows the demand for our programs. There is tremendous demand for this and a need that is there.”
More Students Skipping College
Hoover Superintendent Dr. Kathy Murphy in her 2018 state-of-theschool-system presentation said that in 2014-15, 5.4% of the system’s high school graduates had no plans to
attend college. In 2016-17, that had risen to 13.2%. Dodson said graduating with a college degree isn’t a direct path to prosperity. In 2015, more than 40% of college graduates under the age of 27 held jobs that did not require a college degree, according to government statistics analyzed by the website Degree Query. Rather than spending four years in college, potentially racking up student debt, RC3 students could be able to enter the workforce at the time of graduation. Students also could get a head start on obtaining industryrecognized credentials. As they would in an actual workplace, students will clock-in each day and attend training classes. They will spend half-days at the center and the other half at their normal high schools. In addition to career studies, the students will complete their English and mathematics credits during their RC3 shift. The morning shift also will include an additional elective. Seven buses have been secured to transport students, one of which has been outfitted with Wi-Fi by the Hoover City Schools Foundation. Murphy said the hope is eventually to have Wi-Fi in each of the buses so students can continue their studies while commuting to and from the center.
Real-World Training
As the school will provide realworld training, safety will be a major focus. “This is going to be a simulated workspace environment,” Dodson said. “We are bringing these kids to a place of work in conditions of real places of work.” The facility will have a nurse and all staff will have “stop the bleed training” in case a student is injured. “We will have higher expectations of students in this environment,” Dodson said. “They will receive training that is the same training you would get on a job site that is approved by Occupational Safety and Health Administration.” On Aug. 1, the school system will host a ribbon-cutting for the facility, followed by tours of the building.
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Hoover Operations Chief Hobson Retires, Leaves Behind Legacy With Career Connection Center Tracy Hobson joined the Hoover City Schools’ Operations Department in the summer of 1991 as a groundskeeper. From landscaping to cutting grass, school officials note that he did just about everything under the sun for grounds on each Hoover campus. Since Hobson began working for the school, 10 campuses have been added to the Hoover area. He has worked them all, moving from grounds to painter, from painter to general maintenance and then onto other roles over the years. After working his way up to chief of HCS Operations, which used to be called coordinator of maintenance and new construction, Hobson said goodbye to his Hoover City Schools career last month, officially retiring July 1. According to school officials, Hobson plans to use the extra time that retirement provides with his wife, children and grandchildren. He plans to travel, fire up his grill more often and tackle long-awaited projects around the house. “This district has always supported me and given me everything I needed to be successful,” Hobson said.” In his role as chief of operations, Hobson oversaw facilities for one of the state’s largest school systems. Hoover has 2,500,000 square feet of facilities spread across 500 acres throughout the city. Hobson’s operations team was made up of 40 people, including plumbers, electricians, painters, HVAC technicians, carpenters, groundskeepers and equipment operators. Collectively, the team fields more than 5,000 work orders each year.
HOMEWOOD From page 18
will be finished by the time students arrive in August, including expanding the cafeteria and kitchen, repurposing the media center as a collaborative learning hub, upgrading the science lab and making changes to the weight room. The largest project in the facilities plan is phase one of the Homewood High School addition, which is estimated to cost $34 million. Plans for the two-level addition include classrooms, office space, a fine arts pavilion and a new sports pavilion.
Photo courtesy Hoover City Schools
back to school
20 • Thursday, July 25, 2019
In his role as chief of operations, Hobson oversaw facilities for one of the state’s largest school systems. Hoover has 2,500,000 square feet of facilities spread across 500 acres. “From the asphalt to the grass to the roof, if you can see it,” Hobson said, “we are responsible for it.” He ended his career just days before the grand opening of the Riverchase Career Connection Center, the system’s newest campus. The facility will serve as a highend skilled trades center for students grades 10 to 12 and is a crowning achievement for Hobson. It is the result of a collaborative effort among countless public/private entities. “We are excited to give students another option in their educational journey,” he said. “I am very proud of the work of our folks and the community partnerships we have made to bring RC3 to life. “I’ve had an incredible journey with a great storybook ending. I hope my story will be an inspiration for all skilled trades workers and especially the incoming RC3 students,” Hobson said. “Skilled trades can be just as successful as two- or four-year degrees.”
Elementary Schools
At Edgewood, Hall-Kent and Shades Cahaba, libraries were relocated for the summer so that carpets could be upgraded. At Edgewood and Shades Cahaba, cafeterias also have been expanded to accommodate more students, along with electrical upgrades. The work that is still to be done will take place at Edgewood and HallKent. Both schools will have new classroom additions, to be finished by the overall April 2020 project completion date. Edgewood’s expansion will include four additional classrooms and Hall-Kent’s will include six additional classrooms.
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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
Thursday, July 25, 2019 • 21
Journal photo by Jordan Wald
grant from the Homewood City Schools Foundation. Volunteers began work July 17, as work to prepare the ground was completed, by setting up the corners of a raised planting bed and painting stepping stones and boards. A building day was hosted July 21 for volunteers to assemble three planting beds, set posts for some bench seating and build an artifact shelf. The PTO hopes to finish the project before the school year begins.
Vestavia’s Christie Attends Economic, Community Development Program
outdoor classroom. The group is headed by the PTO’s Leigh Lewis, yearbook committee head, and fifth grade teacher Jennifer Cohn. The classroom has been built in the school’s courtyard and funded by a
Claire Christie of Vestavia Hills High School was one of the 32 rising high school seniors who participated in the third annual Huntingdon College Economic and Community Development Scholars Program, held June 25-27. According to a release, the program focuses on providing participants with in-depth knowledge of economic and community development.
cheerleading camp, held June 12-15 at the University of Alabama. The team returned home with superlative recognitions in every category of awards. First place was earned for the Rally Routine, Sideline, Cheer and Overall Game Day Experience.
In addition, rising eighth grader Emma Watkins was named UCA All-American Cheerleader, securing an invitation to perform at the Thanksgiving Parade at Walt Disney World. The team, made up of seventh and eighth grade students, cheers for the Pizitz volleyball and basketball teams and is sponsored by Madison Escue and Virginia Jordan. Escue is a former Vestavia Hills High School cheerleader and Jordan cheered for Mountain Brook High School. Members of the squad are Meredith Bochnak, Samantha Bowling, Alise Caputo, Emy Chandler, Berkley Dobbins, Madeline Douglas, Kate Faulkner, Ella Feazell, Ashley Mae McJunkin, Brooklyn Mitchell, Addison Mizerany, Mary Kenyon Nall, Mary El Neal, Ally Patock, Sara Pennino, Madeline Rooks, Riley Shadrick and Emma Watkins.
Tyler and Tiffany McIntyre were among a group of Hall-Kent PTO parents and students paticipating in a building day on July 21.
Volunteers Work on Hall-Kent Outdoor Classroom
Photo courtesy Pizitz Middle School
Members of the Hall-Kent Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization, students and others have banded together to help build the school’s new
Pizitz Cheer Earns First in Every Category at UCA Cheer Camp Members of the Louis Pizitz Middle School Cheerleading Squad attended a Universal Cheerleading Association
“We had an incredibly impressive collection of high school students on our campus last week,” said Huntingdon Senior Vice President Anthony Leigh, an architect of the program. “These students are difference makers in their schools Claire Christie and their communities. I am confident they have returned to their communities enlightened about what economic and community developers do, and we hope that knowledge has given them
an appreciation for the work of growing and bettering their community and our state.” Part of the two-day program was a simulation, on which students were assisted by economic and community development professionals. At the end, students donned hard hats and participated in a simulated groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting ceremony. ECDS is planned in partnership with and sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama, the Economic Development Association of Alabama and the Alabama Department of Commerce.
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22 • Thursday, July 25, 2019
SUMMER RUN
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
SPORTS
MB Seniors Have a Little Fun, Make a Little Cash, Lead Some Kids on a Path to Running
MOCK From page 24
University and taught ROTC. A friend of Mock’s in Mississippi was playing for BUSA, so Mock joined the club team, too. That’s when he met Bauder. “I didn’t know Sam, but we have become like brothers,” Mock said. When Mock’s dad was transferred to Alaska during the summer of 2018, Mock came to Hoover to live with Bauder’s family. “His parents were great about it,” Mock said. “I couldn’t ask for a better situation. It’s like having a second family.” Mock and Bauder spent a week in late June playing for BUSA in a national tournament in Chicago. “We finished in the top 16,” Mock said. “We were knocked out going for the top eight.” Twice during the school year Mock made the long trip to Alaska
‘Our main goal has always been that the kids enjoy running, regardless of their ability.’
Journal photos by Jordan Wald
Tate Record wanted to have a summer job, but he wasn’t interested in working every day. Plus, he wanted to have some fun while working. So, the rising senior on the Mountain Brook cross-country team figured he would combine his love of running with making some money. With assistance from a few other rising seniors on the Spartans’ crosscountry team, Record decided they would invest their time and entrepreneurial skills sharing their passion for running with children in the community. During June and July, they have led practices on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at Crestline, Cherokee Bend and Mountain Brook elementary schools. “It was a great way for us to make
a little money doing what we love,” Record said. “We also saw it as an opportunity to inspire the next
JESSICA BROUILETTE
generation of Mountain Brook runners. “It’s been really fun. Plus, I like hanging out with little kids. We run and play games.” Participants were charged a summer rate of $175 or $10 per practice. Record said they have had 10-15 runners in the program and five
to visit his family, including his mom, Angel, and his younger sister, Lillie. “I went up for Christmas and stayed an extra week and I went up for spring break and stayed an extra week,” Mock said. Now, the family will be together in Ross Bridge, although Mock said Lillie, 13, is leaving behind some friends. “She didn’t enjoy Alaska, but she’s going to miss her friends in Fairbanks,” he said.
Adjusting to Hoover
Mock made a smooth transition to playing soccer for the Bucs last season. Keplinger was glad to have such a talented player join the team. “He’s a phenomenal kid, No. 1, and he’s kind of a throwback, a quiet leader,” Keplinger said. “He’s very strong, he’s really good on the ball, he’s smart and he’s coachable. He does exactly what’s he’s told to do. “He anchored our back line along
Members of the Mountain Brook cross-country team, back, from left, Riley Smith, Tate Record, Jones Dyleski and Lily Hulsey; at a recent workout with children in the community, front, from left, Mimi Record, June Record, Levi Megahey, Henry Megahey and Park Holley.
children who have shown up at every practice. They range from sixth graders to younger students.
with (center back Juan Valle and (goalkeeper) Max Rudolph.” Mock was instrumental in Hoover winning its first state championship since 2003 as the Bucs captured the Class 7A crown, but he considered it a team effort. “I think we had a good group of guys on the back line, but also our midfielders and forwards,” Mock said. “Our team worked well together. From the beginning of the year we talked about winning it for the seniors. We knew we had the talent to do it. We had great chemistry and we got it done when we needed to get it done.” Mock would like to leave Hoover with another title next spring. “That’s the goal, absolutely,” he said. Then, he will be on the move again, this time to play college soccer. “I have looked at a couple of places in the South,” Mock said, “but I am not certain what I want to do.”
“We’ve built good relationships with the kids,” Record said. “For some of them it’s their first time running. Now, they actually want to run.” Record counts his younger sister Mimi among those who have taken to running. “She’s probably one of the laziest kids you’ll ever meet,” Record said with a laugh, “but she has been running with us all summer. She comes and asks me, ‘Do we get to run today?’” Jessica Brouilette, one of the other rising seniors, said that’s what they were hoping. “Our main goal has always been that the kids enjoy running, regardless of their ability,” Brouilette said. “Some of them could run a 5K the first week, and others are still working toward a mile, but all of them have great attitudes and even better senses of humor, which are how good runners become great.”
The group does “fun runs” at Lower Crestline, Jemison Trail and even in the Botanical Gardens, but Record said the children’s favorite days are their workouts on Cherokee Bend’s track. “The kids love them because they feel like real track runners,” he said, “but us seniors probably enjoy the workouts more because we just sit on the sidelines and cheer them on.” The program ends Aug. 2. For Record, it has been a blast. “I am really surprised and thrilled that so many of these kids now enjoy running,” he said. “Our approach is for it to be fun. My dad has always told me the No. 1 thing is to have fun above all else and the rest will come.” “The actual activity of running is difficult for everyone. But the kids have come to love the sport like we did because of people who encouraged them to be their best. The almost daily popsicle bribes have helped, too,” he added jokingly.
Mock was instrumental in Hoover winning its first state championship since 2003 as the Bucs captured the Class 7A crown, but he considered it a team effort.
Journal photos by Jordan Wald
By Rubin E. Grant
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
YARBRO From page 24
Yarbro said. “It was cool to be able to play with a bunch of really good players there.” In five plate appearances over the course of two games, Yarbro was 1-3 with a walk and he was hit by a pitch. His line drive in the 6th inning of the first game broke up a no-hitter by the South. The North team was heavily junior-laden; just seven seniors competed for the team. Yarbro was the lone Spartan on the team, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that some familiar faces were missing. “I definitely think that I have some teammates that could have been on the team,” he said. “They were definitely deserving.” The experience was a valuable one for Yarbro, who’ll return to the Spartans next season as a senior. “I saw some really good arms there,” he said. “It was good to play against some great competition. I hope that can help make me a better player.” Yarbro has spent most of his summer with his XL Baseball team, a travel team mostly composed of Birmingham-area players. He continues offseason work with high hopes for next season. “We definitely underachieved last year,” he said. “I feel like we were good enough to make a run at the state championship last year. We didn’t play our best in our area. We need to be hitting on all cylinders going into area play next year. That’s really the part of our season that matters. I think we beat three teams that (eventually) played in a state championship game before we started area play. We just couldn’t put it all together for area.” That’s an area that includes Hewitt-Trussville, Spain Park and Vestavia Hills. Hewitt-Trussville made it to the state semifinals; while the Rebels concluded their season in the second round of the state playoffs.
SPORTS
Thursday, July 25, 2019 • 23
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Moving Into Senior Shoes
As the Spartans look ahead to the 2020 season, Yarbro feels confident about the ability of his class to lead the underclassmen. “We’ll miss some key contributors from last season,” he said. “I’m confident that we can fill their shoes. I already had a similar role last season because we had a small senior class. But I feel like I have more of a leadership role this year as a senior and returning starter.” He’ll count on guys like Harrison Ware, the senior catcher currently committed to the University of Alabama. Will Baynes will return as an outfield starter alongside Yarbro. First baseman Ford Kelly is also a returning starter. He expects big contributions from a few new faces, too. Davis White will join Yarbro and Baynes in the outfield. He concedes that the Spartans lost a lot of good arms, but he expects Edward Berry, Porter Phelan and Baynes to step up to the challenge of filling those roles.
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MB seniors have a little fun, make a little cash, lead some kids on a path to running. Page 22.
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OTMJ AUGUST 22
Thursday, July 25, 2019 ❖ OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
Yarbro Represents on North Team Before Returning for Senior Year By Blake Ells
Journal photo by Jordan Wald
Outfielder Will Yarbro represented Mountain Brook High School at the AHSAA’s North-South Baseball All-Star Game at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery on July 16. His North squad lost two, seven-inning games by scores of 16-7 and 18-16. “It was definitely an honor to be selected,”
See YARBRO, page 23
Mountian Brook senior Will Yarbro’s line drive hit in the 6th inning of the first game broke up a no-hitter by the South at the AHSAA’s NorthSouth Baseball All-Star Game on July 16.
Mock’s Moves
Long Journey Brought Standout to Hoover Soccer Program
Journal photo by Jordan Wald
By Rubin E. Grant
Participating in the AHSAA’s North-South Soccer All-Star Game last week in Montgomery, from left, Carter Mock, Hoover; Ryan Webb, Oak Mountain; Coach Joe Webb, Mountian Brook; and Pirman Blattmann, Mountain Brook.
Perhaps, no one traveled farther to participate in the AHSAA All-Star Sports Week than Hoover rising senior Carter Mock. At the end of the school year in May, Mock journeyed to Fairbanks, Alaska, to live with his family. It was culture shock. “It was kind of like living in a foreign country,” Mock said. On July 12, Mock’s family left Alaska to move to Hoover. A few days later, Mock was in Montgomery playing for the North in the AllStar soccer game at the Emory Folmar YMCA Soccer Complex. The North shut out the South 3-0 last Wednesday thanks to a strong defensive effort from Mock, a center back, and his teammates. The North defense did not allow a shot on goal in the second half.
“It was an honor to play in something like that,” Mock said. “I really hadn’t heard anything about it until Coach K (Hoover soccer coach Kris Keplinger) explained it to me.” Because Mock’s dad is in the military, he has lived in a variety of places. He was born in Colorado Springs and has lived in Germany. The move from Alaska to Hoover was the 11th move of his life. Mock actually spent his junior year living in Hoover with the family of teammate Sam Bauder. Mock and Bauder play club soccer for Birmingham United Soccer Association, which is how they met. Mock began playing for BUSA after he moved back from Germany in 2016. His family had relocated to Starkville, Mississippi, where his dad, Army Lt. Col. Aaron Mock, was a professor of military science at Mississippi State See MOCK, page 22
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