OTMJ 9/7/2023

Celebrating the Arts

Music, theater, dance, art and other must-see events this fall in the Over the Mountain area.

Preview begins on page 8

Photo by Michael J. Moore, courtesy Alabama Ballet

FALL ARTS PREVIEW 2023

The Alabama Ballet will present “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” at the BJCC Concert Hall in December.

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Why Is Someone Dinking in My Kitchen?

It was the summer of 1965 when three families were vacationing outside of Seattle on Bainbridge Island. It seems some boredom had set in, and the dads decided to take a badminton net, some ping-pong paddles and a wiffle ball for the kids to play a game … of sorts. The rules were seat of the pants, and the set up was crude at best. Fast forward to present day.

Pickleball is now the fastest-growing sport in the country and, yes, you do actually dink in the kitchen. You also can do an Ernie, an ATP or simply drive the ball into your opponent’s chest (hopefully by mistake), which can leave the dimples of the wiffle ball for days to come. It’s OK. My wound is healing.

David

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ABOUT TOWN 4

NEWS 6

LIFE 8

otmj.com

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SOCIAL 14

FOOD 20

SPORTS 24

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.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JO U RNA L September 7, 2023

Publisher & Editor: Maury Wald

Copy Editor: Virginia Martin

Features Writer: Donna Cornelius

Staff Writers: Ana Good, June Mathews, Anne Ruisi

Photographer: Jordan Wald

Sports Editor: Rubin E. Grant

Contributors: Emil Wald, Lee Walls, Bryan Bunch

Advertising Sales: Julie Trammell Edwards, Tommy Wald, Gail Kidd

Vol. 33, No. 3

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 2023 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.

The game may have been conceived in the Puget Sound area, but it took root first in Arizona and southern Florida followed by California. Why Florida and Arizona first? The aging population, a demographic I happen to share, has been wearing out body parts for decades. Tennis and racquetball require too much court for the former and really good knees and hips for the latter. A pickleball court is roughly half the size of a tennis court, and more than 90% of games played are doubles. This, of course, means we have less chance of breaking something.

Another major benefit of the game is the social aspect. Playing doubles means that four people get out on the court together. Places such as Heardmont Park, which has four courts, often have 15-25 people playing. Good conversation ensues.

Five years ago, it was hard to find a pickleball court in the greater Birmingham area. Not so any longer. Most area municipalities have heard the call and responded. The city of Hoover, which is rarely last in such things, finally opened its first outdoor courts at Simmons Middle School just last month. They wisely converted two of the existing tennis courts into six pickleball courts. This saved a bunch of money, and the courts are already attracting enthusiasts of all levels. The courts are even lit for night play.

As I mentioned earlier, at least half the attraction of the game is the social side. I played at the Finley Center in Hoover and at Heardmont Park on U.S. Highway 119 during COVID. I met dozens and dozens of new people in 2021/2022 who were tired of being locked down. I assure you that you can play the game and not transmit the disease. We kept our distance. My wife plays with a large group of ladies a couple of times a week. They get great

Over the Mountain Views

exercise while having fun and building relationships. A good friend of mine who lost his wife to cancer met his future wife on the pickleball court. Can I get an amen?

So, it’s a Baby Boomer game, right? Hardly. Show up at any public court, particularly in the evening or on weekends, and you will see young teens and septuagenarians not only at the same venue but actually playing each other. Let me tell you, I derive intense pleasure when my 68-year-old partner and I lambaste a couple of 20-somethings.

How long does it take to learn golf or become competent at tennis?

Years, right? Most people, especially those who have played a racquet sport previously, can get a handle on the game in an hour. I teach beginner lessons at my church and see this all the time. My estimate is that 80% to 90% of those who try it keep playing. That is why the sport had 4.8 million players in 2021 and 8.9 million in 2022.

How do you jump into this craze? Just show up! It is an incredibly friendly group of people you usually will find at public courts. We were all beginners at one time and almost everyone is willing to help you get started. Once you learn the basics of the game, you will find a group of people at your level and the fun begins. Public courts around town are free. A decent paddle is about $70. (Don’t go spend $200 thinking it will make you a better player. It won’t.) Pickleballs cost less than $2 each and, unlike tennis balls, they last a long time. The web has tons of free tutorials.

The 1965 founders wanted a game a family could play. They achieved that goal and more. Our whole family plays, which makes for great fun. I plan to teach my 1-year-old granddaughter as soon as she can hold a paddle. Perhaps a future college scholarship?

I don’t have enough space here to go into detail on the kitchen, dinking and what an Ernie is. You will pick up most of the rules and lingo the first time you play. Here’s the best part: It is fabulous exercise and you’re having so much fun you never think of it as such. Does your treadmill do that for you?

Let the dinking begin.

Randy Adamy is a veteran of the hospitality business and owned O’Henry’s Coffee for over twenty years before selling it in 2019. He and his wife Mary have lived in Hoover for 26 years.

HOT HOME OPENER

The Mountain Brook High School Marching Band performs during halftime ceremonies at the Spartans Aug. 24 contest against neighborhood rival Vestavia Hills. This game, along with many others, was delayed to beat the triple-digit heat. Vestavia won the game, 35-10. Due to holiday print schedule, this issue went to press prior to last week’s games.

‘UNTIL THERE IS A CURE’ LBCF’s Head Over Teal highlights month of awareness

A VOICE IN THE DARK Turnage honored to speak at Patriot Day Ceremony

THESE GUYS ARE ON FIRE

Bancroft, Jonathan Harrison are among FOOD+Culture headliners

‘FEELING FORTUNATE’ ExVoto Vintage wins Alabama Retailer of the Year

Pickleball is now the fastest-growing sport in the country and, yes, you do actually dink in the kitchen.

Randy Adamy

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

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BBG FALL PLANT SALE | SEPT. 7-9

The nonprofit Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens will host its annual Fall Plant Sale, with a variety of plants and shrubs available. When: Early bird shopping for members on Sept. 7 from 1-5 p.m.; Sept. 8, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sept. 9, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Where: Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Sept. 8-9

Giggles and Grace Fall Consignment Sale

Asbury United Methodist Church holds its Giggles and Grace Fall Consignment Sale of baby and children’s clothes. When: Sept. 8, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sept. 9, 8 a.m.-noon.

Where: Asbury United Methodist Church

Fri., Sept. 8

Tailgate Fundraiser

Buy a tailgate meal to help raise money for Magic City Harvest, which works to alleviate food insecurity, malnutrition and food waste through free distribution of donated excess food to programs in Birmingham feeding those in need. When: 4-6 p.m. Where: Little Donkey & Rodney Scott’s in Homewood

Sat., Sept. 9

Disc Golf Goes Pink

This disc golf tournament is a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama. When: 7:30 a.m. Where: Oliver Park and George W. Roy Park, Calera

Baby Steps Memorial

5K and Fun Run

The 15th annual Baby Steps Memorial 5K and Fun Run will benefit Children’s of Alabama’s Amelia Center, which offers free grief counseling to families who have suffered the loss of a child and to children who have lost loved ones. To register: runsignup.com/Race/ AL/Springville/babystepsal. When: 5K at 8 a.m., Fun Run at 8:30 a.m. Where: Homestead Hollow in Springville

Tues., Sept. 12

A Taste of Italy

Dinner and a silent auction are among the highlights of this fundraiser to send the Vestavia Hills High School band and concert choir to perform in Rome over winter break. When: 6-8 p.m. Where: Vestavia Civic Center

By June Mathews

In 2016, Violet Chaffinch of Hoover was stunned to learn that some physical changes she had attributed to menopause were symptoms of ovarian cancer.

But thanks to a doctor who asked the right questions and ordered the appropriate tests, Chaffinch promptly went through a course of effective treatment.

“I spent several weeks on an emotional roller coaster,” she said, “but cancer has a way of maturing your faith. I could not have gotten through this without the good Lord. My anxiety was replaced by peace.”

Resourcing Recovery

The Alabama Alliance for Recovery Residences will sponsor Resourcing Recovery, an event featuring exhibitors sharing information and services available for those battling addiction. When: exhibitors at 5:30 p.m., formal program at 6:30 p.m. Where: Birmingham Area Recovery Center

Sat., Sept. 16

Celebrate the Family Expo

Join the fun at the 4th Annual Celebrate the Family Expo, featuring a Celebrity Chef State, the Hoover Belles, live music, free shredding and electronic recycling and other activities at this free event. When: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Where: The Finley Center

Stay the Course Fun Run

Portraits of Hope is hosting a Fun Run to raise funds to help recent graduates from the Lovelady Center to “Stay the Course” by providing grants to help them move on with their lives. To date, proceeds from the sale of the book, Portraits of Hope, and donations have been able to impact more than 90 women through nearly $100,000 in assistance. When: 9:00 a.m. Where: Homewood Park.

Tues., Sept. 19

Bluff Park: Then and Now

Hoover Historical Society program on the history of the area and discuss a propoal to establih The Bluff Park Preserve as a city park, presented by Birgit Kibelka and Marjorie White.

When: 6:30 p.m. Where: Hoover Library

Fri., Sept. 22

Maestro’s Ball

The Alabama Symphony Orchestra hosts its largest fundraising event of the year, which can raise as much as 10% of the ASO’s operating budget. The evening will include a performance by soprano Aundi Marie Moore, with conductor Carlos Izcaray. When: 6:30 p.m. Where: Alys Stephens Center

With the support and prayers of family, friends and even some people she didn’t know, Chaffinch fought the battle and won six years of remission. The cancer returned last year, but it was caught early during a routine exam and shot down with 6 rounds of chemo.

Chaffinch is cancer-free today.

Throughout her journey to the present, the Laura Crandall Brown Foundation and its CanSurvive support group have been by her side.

“I began attending two weeks after my diagnosis and continue to this day,” Chaffinch said. “It was so encouraging to see survivors five to 20-plus years out. They blessed me with support, courage and hope. I began to make something positive out of this.”

As a runner, she felt a nudge from God when she learned about the Head Over Teal race to benefit gynecological cancer.

“I had been a runner for 10-plus years, so it was perfect,” she said, “and formation of my team, Vi’s

‘Until There Is a Cure’

LBCF’s Head Over Teal Highlights Month of Awareness

Cheery O’s, began.”

Awareness Is Key

The foundation’s State of Teal Awareness Campaign kicked off Sept. 1 and continues throughout the month.

“September is an impactful month for the foundation as we continue our awareness efforts throughout the community,” said foundation Executive Director Ramona Graffeo. “With no early detection testing or screening for four of the five gynecologic cancers, providing early detection signs and symptoms for these cancers is so important to women of all ages and a huge of part of our mission here at LCBF.”

On Sept. 23, the 14th annual Head Over Teal 5K/10K will return to Hoover Preserve’s Town Hall. In

addition to the races, the event will include food, live music, familyfriendly games, face painting and crazy hair. Pets are welcome.

Participants may raise funds individually or as a team. Lead race times will be eligible for a Trak Shak gift card. Register online at thinkoflaura.org/headoverteal.

Proceeds from the event will help fund early detection research, GYN cancer awareness campaigns and financial support services for patients and their families.

Social media engagement is encouraged using the hashtag #headoverteal.

“I’ll be running this year’s race and, hopefully, many more,” said Chaffinch. “Until there is a diagnostic test and better treatments. Until there is a cure.”

TOGETHER IN TEAL BUTTERFLY RELEASE | SUN., SEPT. 10

Some 400-600 painted lady and monarch butterflies will be released as the Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation remembers those lost and others fighting the disease during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Live music, educational displays, vendors and a program by ovarian cancer researchers and doctors will be among the highlights of the afternoon.

When: 2:30-4:30 p.m. Where: Aldridge Gardens

Blue

Shoe Ball

Enjoy an evening of dancing, live and silent auctions, great food and drinks at the Blue Shoe Ball for the Mike Slive Foundation, which raises funds to raise awareness of prostate cancer and support research. When: 6:30 p.m. Where: Regions Field

At last year’s Together in Teal event were, from left, Susan Greene, Whitney Woodard, Ashley Thompson, Erica Thomas, Chris McClendon, Colm and Meg Farmer and Sherri Romanoff.

Sat., Sept. 23

Oktoberfest Birmingham Zoo

Enjoy seasonal autumn brews, live music and German food favorites, including a chance to build your own brats, at this 21 and older event. When: 5-9 p.m. Where: Birmingham Zoo

Violet Chaffinch with her daughters Morgan, Alyxis and Emily.

Courtesy Journal file photo by Jordan Wald

Journal file photo by Jordan Wald

L’Chaim Songs From the Holocaust To Be Presented at L’Chaim

A program honoring the memory of Jewish composers who perished in ghettos and concentration camps during the Holocaust will be presented by the Alabama Holocaust Education Center during its Sept. 21 L’Chaim event.

“We Are Here: Songs from the Holocaust,” sold out its debut at Carnegie Hall, according to a press release from the education center.

The event, sponsored by Medical Properties Trust Inc., will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Red Mountain Theatre.

The program weaves personal stories

through 12 powerful songs written in the ghettos and camps of Nazi-occupied Europe. From folk ballads to up-tempo satire, the songs touch the heart and inspire a better future.

In the darkest of times, those lost composed beautiful music never knowing whether their songs would ever be heard.

At its Carnegie Hall performance in

Remembering a Brother

Esophageal Cancer Organization Returns With Second Zoo Party

The John Michael Pierce Foundation is coming back with its second annual 2023 Zoo Party, created to raise awareness of esophageal cancer and celebrate Pierce after his death.

The event will be Sept. 17, 7-9 p.m., at The Birmingham Zoo.

Michelle Pierce, sister to John Michael Pierce (pictured), said her family created the foundation after losing her brother to esophageal cancer at the age of 25. Just a few

months before he passed, he was healthy, in great shape and worked out every morning, his sister said. But he started having trouble swallowing, and after seeing several doctors, he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Shortly after, he passed away, she said.

The main mission of the foundation, organized in May 2022, is to educate young adults and encourage early checkups for the cancer, which

January, more than 30 Broadway and pop singers, cantors and a high school chorus participated, including Broadway legends Harvey Fierstein, Chita Rivera and Joel Grey.

Music producer and composer Ira Antelis was the driving force behind the production at Carnegie Hall, according to PBS.org. He created the concert after the death Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor, writer and champion of human rights, to ensure future generations never forget the Holocaust.

Emmett and Catherine McLean (pictured) are the honorees for this year’s event. Emmett McLean is co-founder, executive vice president, chief operating officer and secretary of Medical Properties Trust. Catherine McLean serves on the Hand In Paw board and chairs the Special Equestrians board.

has been increasing in the past few decades. Net proceeds from the event go to further this mission.

The event will include food, cash bars and a live DJ. For more information, visit jmpfoundation.org. Tickets are $45 each.

A Voice in the Dark

Turnage Honored to Speak at Patriot Day Ceremony

Jen, who is my daughter, would do it because he knew her brother died in 9/11, but he told her Jen doesn’t do that kind of thing. He said his mother-in-law might be willing to do it. He asked me and I said yes.”

Turnage lives in Crestline in Mountain Brook. She is a master teacher in dance and is the co-founder and co-director of People in Motion, which provides dance and movement

‘Feeling

Fortunate’

classes for seniors with mental or physical challenges. Presently, she is an artist in residence (dance/movement specialist) with Arts in Medicine at UAB Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Alabama.

Forgiveness

Turnage was living in Baltimore, Maryland, teaching at St. Paul’s School when the 9/11 tragedy unfolded. One of the topics she has spoken about in the years since it happened is forgiveness.

ExVoto

Vintage Wins Alabama Retailer of the Year

Elizabeth Adams of ExVoto Vintage has been chosen as an Alabama Retailer of the Year by the Alabama Retail Association.

By RuBin E. GRant

Melissa Turnage has shared the story of one of the darkest days of her life numerous times in interviews and speaking engagements.

She will do it again as the guest speaker at the Patriot Day Ceremony on Sept. 11 at the Soho Square Plaza in Homewood. The cities of Homewood, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills participate in the special 9/11 ceremony each year. It will be held from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m.

“I am honored to be doing this,” Turnage said. “I do have a voice, considering what happened to me and my family.”

Turnage’s son, Adam White, died in the infamous 2001 attacks on the famed World Trade Center twin towers in New York City.

White, 26, was an employee of the banking and investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald. He was in the north tower.

“He was at work on the 101st floor, close to where the plane struck,” Turnage said. “The rest is history. Cantor Fitzgerald lost more employees than anyone.”

White and more than 2,700 others in the twin towers died in the smoke and flames.

“Every year I get a letter from the New York City mayor, it goes to all the families of the victims, asking if we want to come to New York to read the names on the 9/11 Memorial during the ceremony in New York,” Turnage said. “I’ve done it once, where I read his name.

“He was so much joy, energetic, fun and smart.”

Turnage wasn’t the first person to come to mind to speak at this year’s Patriot Day Ceremony. Her daughter Jen Groban, a personal training instructor and manager at Iron Tribe Fitness in Mountain Brook, was.

“My son-in-law is a firefighter, Chris Groban,” Turnage explained. “He was with Homewood for several years and is now with Station 1 in Birmingham. He still has a lot of friends from Homewood.

“The three stations (Homewood, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills) come together for this event and the captain from the Homewood station told him they were thinking about doing something different this year, having a speaker other than a politician. He asked him if his wife,

“The way that came about is right after 9/11 we were living in Baltimore,” Turnage said. “I don’t know how they knew, but a reporter from the Washington Post called me and said he knew I had lost a son in the attack and if he could interview me. I said no, but he said it might be helpful for a lot of people. I said, ‘Well if it’s going to be helpful, I’d do it.’

“He came down and in the interview he asked me ‘Do you think you’ll be able to forgive them.’ I told him I already did. That’s the first thing that came out of my mouth.

“He was surprised and said, ‘How?’ I told him in my adult life I have worked with a lot of children — and adults, all ages really — and I believed these men were wounded children. They grew up being taught certain things as a child and they believed what they were taught and they just acted out what they believed. It’s not the child’s fault that someone teaches them to hate.”

Hoover Memorial Stair Climb Set for Riverchase Galleria

The city of Hoover’s Remembrance Ceremony and Memorial Stair Climb for the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 will be held Sept. 9 at the Riverchase Galleria.

The event will start at 9 a.m. in the Riverchase Galleria Food Court and the Climb to Remember will begin immediately following in the Galleria Towers.

The stair climb is the equivalent of 110 stories, the height of each of the towers.

This event will benefit the Hoover Public Safety Charity Foundation. T-shirts will be included in the ticket price but will also be available for purchase at the event.

Adams, owner and designer with the clothing and accessories store, will be presented with the award Sept. 25 at 10:45 a.m. at the Mountain Brook Village store location, at 2416 Canterbury Road. Other stores are in Montgomery and Rosemary Beach.

The Retailer of the Year awards are given to retailers who have demonstrated a blend of sound business practices along with commitment to their communities, customers and

employees, according to a press release.

ExVoto was one of 86 nominees for this year’s Alabama Retailer of the Year awards. The Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce nominated the business.

A panel of independent judges with the association chose 12 winners from across the state. Alabama Retail Association President Rick Brown will present the award to Elizabeth and her team.

“I’m feeling very fortunate to have been able to build a company that would be honored with this Alabama Retailer of the Year Award. My team, my family, and the support of my clients are the reason for the success of ExVoto,” Adams, owner and designer of the store, said.

ExVoto is known for its vintage-inspired clothing and timeless jewelry paired together in modern ways, according to its website.

In 2009, after losing her young daughter to a brain tumor, Adams created Ex Voto Vintage Jewelry. A portion of each sale goes to The Cure Starts Now Foundation for pediatric brain cancer research.

Elizbeth Adams created Ex Voto Vintage Jewelry in 2009 after losing her young daughter to a brain tumor.

‘My team, my family, and the support of my clients are the reason for the success of ExVoto.’

Melissa Turnage will be the guest speaker at the Patriot Day Ceremony on Sept. 11 at the Soho Square Plaza in Homewood. Turnage’s son, Adam White, died in the infamous 2001 attacks on the famed World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City.

‘Every year I get a letter from the New York City mayor, it goes to all the families of the victims, asking if we want to come to New York to read the names on the 9/11 Memorial during the ceremony ...’

COMING EARLY 2024

Luxury Homes Bring New Life to Historic Highland Park Site

With vertical construction quickly taking shape, the Highland Park neighborhood in Birmingham is getting ready for an exclusive housing development that promises an opulent new living experience. Maiden Heights, located at 1235 23rd Street South, is a limited collection of brownstones, villas, and manors that combine classic architecture, modern design and stunning views. The very limited enclave of homes (some are already under contract) range from 2 BR 2.5 BA villas just under 2,000 sq ft and just under $1M, to palatial 3,167 sq ft three-story brownstones with features like pneumatic elevators that travel from basement parking with electric car chargers to rooftop terraces overlooking the upscale neighborhood. Brownstones are priced at $1,452,000 with Manors falling in the mid-range in price and square footage. Each plan offers distinct features not available in the others.

Maiden Heights stands out for its architectural style and its location. The residences are inspired by the historic urban townhouses or rowhouses of New York and Boston, and each one has a distinctive floor plan that suits different lifestyles and preferences. The development is built on the former McLaughlin estate, a historic site that dates back to 1907 and offers a panoramic view of this scenic area. The estate was once the only house on what was then known as Maiden Lane, and now it will be home to 11

One of the most impressive aspects of Maiden Heights might be its team, left. From concept to closing, all the stakeholders behind this development work cooperatively and in tandem every step of the way, bringing an uncommon level of care and attention to their joint labor of love. As timber and temperatures quickly rose recently, it was all hands on site to ensure everything remains up to standard for future residents. From left to right are Justin Worthington, co-founder and principal of Red Street Investment Company; Ellis Terry, Director of Business Development at Ingram and Associates; Dave Grote, co-founder and principal of Red Street Investment Company; Morgan Walls of Ingram and Associates, advocating for buyers and driving sales since the project’s inception; and Brian Thach, Senior Project Manager of Hancock Construction. This artistic representation, right, provides an introductory glimpse at the charming look and feel of this limited collection of brownstones, villas, and manors that combines classic architecture, modern design and stunning views to create a uniquely elevated quality of life.

exclusive residences that restore its original elegance and charm.

The construction of Maiden Heights began earlier this year, and now the project is progressing rapidly. The Hancock Construction team is working hard to execute the designs of Barrett Architecture Group, with a projected move-in target of early 2024. “We are very proud of this project and the vision

behind it. We want to create a community that respects the history of the site and offers a unique lifestyle to its residents,” said Justin Worthington, co-founder and principal of Red Street Investment Company, the developer of Maiden Heights.

Maiden Heights is also attracting attention for its convenient location and amenities. “This is a great opportunity

for people who want to live in a vibrant neighborhood that has everything they need. Highland Park has a lot of character and culture, and it’s close to downtown, UAB, and other attractions,” said Dorothy Tayloe, partner at Ingram and Associates, LLC, the leading new home marketing and sales firm in Alabama and the Southeast. Tayloe is heading the marketing team for Maiden Heights.

Maiden Heights residents will enjoy cozy fireplaces in the winter, high-end appliances from Wolf and Sub-Zero in their gourmet kitchens, and hardwood floors throughout for elegance and durability. They will also enjoy outdoor living spaces that include covered porches and rooftop terraces for entertainment and relaxation. Each exquisite home has a private garage with a car charging station for convenience and sustainability. Interiors are spacious and thoughtful, with 10-foot ceilings that add comfort and style.

“Maiden Heights is the ideal choice for anyone who wants a home that combines beauty, quality and sophistication,” said Morgan Walls. Ellis Terry agrees. “The easy access to Southside, Downtown, Mountain Brook and Homewood, and convenient proximity to some of the city’s best entertainment and dining venues just further enhance the elevated lifestyle,” he said. Walls and Terry are the duo responsible for guiding buyers through the highly personalized experience of making Maiden Heights their home.

From design, to development, to construction, to marketing, anyone on the experienced team behind Maiden Heights will tell you, “It’s not just a place to live, it’s a place to love.”

Only seven of the 11 units remain. To learn more, schedule a personal consultation with Morgan Walls at (205) 2184764 or mwalls@ingramnewhomes.com; Ellis Terry at (334) 301-0314 or eterry@ ingramnewhomes.com; or visit maidenheights.com.

LIFE

Iconic Art Show Hits Milestone

Bluff Art Association and Show Prepares to Celebrate 60 Years

By June Mathews

There are plenty of reasons for attending the Bluff Park Art Show each year. There’s always an eclectic mix of media, the experience of the show is fresh every time, and enjoying the picturesque setting in a historic community never gets old.

But this year, there’s a good reason for going that one normally wouldn’t associate with an art show: cake.

The 2023 Bluff Park Art Show, presented by the Bluff Park Art Association, is marking its 60th anniversary, and the celebration of a milestone naturally calls for cake. But as special as cake is, it’s far from being the only thing special about the Oct. 7 event.

“This is going to be an exciting show and year for the Bluff Park Art Association,” said Heather Skaggs, publicity and media chair for the association and show. “We are returning to the Bluff Park Community Park after a temporary move to the Met last year due to construction on the pavilion at the park. It is all finished, and we look forward to using the pavilion during show.”

A special touch is the 60th anniversary design created by artists Brittany Carol Moore and her father, Daniel Moore, that will be featured on the show’s T-shirts, advertisements, posters and other materials. Titled “Aftershow, Afterglow,” the colorful design conveys the iconic sunset view from Bluff Park at the summit of Shades Mountain. A stained-glass motif frames the scene.

“The design was nostalgic and fun for my dad to work on,” Brittany Carol Moore said, “and I was honored to be able to contribute a design for the first time.”

SAVE THE DATE

“Touch”

New Opera Interprets Helen Keller in Accessible Production

By anne Ruisi

Anew opera commissioned by Opera Birmingham about the life of Alabama native Helen Keller will make its world premiere in January at RMT Arts Campus.

“Touch” will debut Jan. 19 and will be repeated Jan. 21. Music for the opera is by composer Carla Lucero and the libretto is by Lucero and Marianna Mott Newirth. A pre-show chat with Lucero and Newirth will be held an hour before each show and there will be a talk-back with the cast and creatives following each performance.

Opera Birmingham commissioned the work, which centers around the life of Helen Keller, the celebrated 20th century deaf and blind author and activist, and Anne Sullivan Macy, her confidante and friend, according to the production’s page on

Outstanding Artists

As of last week, 140 artists, 35 of them new to the show, had been confirmed. They hail from all over the United States, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

“Our artists go through a juried process to receive an invitation to the show,” Skaggs said, “and we are known for our outstanding artists across multiple mediums.”

In mid-August, the Bluff Park Art Association announced narrative artist Debra Riffe as the judge for this year’s show.

A native of Tupelo, Mississippi, who grew up in Washington, D.C., Riffe earned her BFA from Howard University’s College of Fine Arts. She has been a professional graphic designer and illustrator for more than 30 years.

Through her art, Riffe tells stories of African Americans in everyday moments with underlying themes such as social justice, music, civil rights, illiteracy and food inequality. She illustrates Southern culture in hand-pulled relief prints of woodcuts, linoleum block prints and nee-

EARLY DAYS Cabin on Sanders Road by Henry Kimbrell, 1965 show winner. Pictured from left are Helen Stephens, Henry Kimbrell, and Dot Copeland. (Courtesy Sally Johnson). Below, A special touch is the 60th anniversary design created by artists Brittany Carol Moore and her father, Daniel Moore.

dlepoint tapestries.

“I’m very proud of the recognition and honor and being selected to judge the 2023 Bluff Park Art Show,” Riffe said. “The Bluff Park Art Show was the very first art

show I applied to in my early years, and I received an invitation. I’ve participated in juried art festivals across the region and the state for 20-plus years, but the thrill of being selected as an artist for the Bluff Park Art Show is a feeling that has never been surpassed.”

Riffe won the Bluff Park Art Show’s Best in Show Permanent Collection award in 2012 and 2019.

The Beginning

The seeds for the Bluff Park Art Association and Show were planted in 1963, when a group of Bluff Park School parents came together for the purpose of raising funds for expanding the school library, according to the Bluff Park Association

See BLUFF PARK, page 13

ly advocated for women’s suffrage, civil rights and disability rights. She saw the need for a balanced world, heard the cry of the oppressed and spoke for them, the website said.

Helen’s passion was equally present in her personal life, the website said. “Touch” captures the humanity of her life, characteristics often overlooked in such an iconic figure.

Birmingham

Opera Birmingham’s website, operabirmingham. org/touch.

The opera picks up after the events of the play “The Miracle Worker” end, when Keller was a grown woman, and explores the complicated relationship between Helen; Anne; Anne’s husband, John Macy; and Peter Fagan, Helen’s interpreter who became her romantic interest.

A world-renowned humanitarian, Keller fierce-

The two-act chamber opera features three principal singing roles: Anne Sullivan Macy, John Macy and Peter Fagan.

Birmingham actress Alie B. Gorrie plays the role of Helen Keller, with Helen’s dialogue and thoughts expressed by an ensemble of singers. Caleb Clark of Birmingham is John Macy, and Michelle Drever is Anne Sullivan Macy.

One distinction of this production is the use of a choir that gives voice to Helen’s thoughts and communication as she interacts with someone, said Opera Birmingham General Director Keith A. Wolfe-Hughes.

See TOUCH, page 13

ALABAMA BALLET alabamaballet.org

At Home, Oct. 20-22 and Oct. 27-29

Step into a world of captivating movement and creative fusion with the Alabama Ballet’s season opener performance, “At Home.” Enjoy an evening of selected works as the new artistic director, Christopher Stuart, is introduced. With complimentary refreshments, affordably priced tickets, and an intimate atmosphere, Alabama Ballet At Home is the perfect introduction to the excitement of live performance.

The Nutcracker, Dec. 15-17, 20-23

The company will present “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” at the BJCC Concert Hall. The Alabama Ballet remains one of only eight companies in the world granted the rights by The Balanchine Trust to perform this holiday classic.

ALABAMA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA alabamasymphony.org

Symphony 30 Picnic, Sept. 24

The Alabama Symphony Orchestra will perform a selection of music that the whole family is guaranteed to love. The picnic will include a boxed lunch by Urban Cookhouse with wine, beer, water and tea, and all proceeds go to supporting the Alabama Symphony Orchestra’s outreach missions in the community. Bring your own blankets or chairs and enjoy an evening with the symphony.

Opening Masterworks: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, Sept. 29-30

Conductor Carlos Izcaray and Kathleen Costello on clarinet lead the symphony in the first Masterworks concert of the season.

Hear Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, Copeland’s

See ASO, page 10

Kathleen Costello alabamasymphony.org

Photo by Michael J. Moore, courtesy Alabama Ballet

Madison Ryan

FALL ARTS

actress Alie B. Gorrie, left, plays the role of Helen Keller, with Helen’s dialogue and thoughts expressed by an ensemble of singers. Caleb Clark, right, of Birmingham is John Macy, and Michelle Drever, center, is Anne Sullivan Macy.

Courtesy Opera Birmingham

Get In on the Act

Students Learn Skills, Gain

Through RMT’s Adult

By June Mathews

When Kim Richardson, an outgoing single mom of grown kids, moved from Atlanta to Birmingham last year, one of her top priorities was to form com-

I thought taking it up again would be a great way to meet people and try something new.”

So within a month after her move, Richardson took her first acting class at Red Mountain Theatre.

“I immediately felt comfortable there,” she recalled. “One of the things I loved so much about the class and Red Mountain in general is how warm and welcoming and accepting everybody was. Maybe it was the type of people in the class, or maybe the instructor set the tone, but it’s a safe atmosphere, especially when you’re acting and being vulnerable and messy. I’ve taken four classes there, and everyone has been lovely.”

“We’ve found a great market in Birmingham for adults who want to socialize and at the same time get some artistic education here on campus.”

and others for a fun way to exercise. He also noted that gaining new skills is a proven way to build social poise and confidence. Other people find the classes terrific stress relievers; yet others discover a passion.

“A few of our adult students have surprised themselves with their skills and abilities, and what may have started out as a social gathering becomes an artistic endeavor,” he said. “We’re hoping that at some point, we’ll be able to offer opportunities for some of our students to audition for our mainstage, which would be a cool full circle moment for us and for them.”

Richardson is one of those students who initially joined a Red Mountain class for social reasons but whose interest has turned toward developing a craft.

munity connections in her new hometown. She decided acting classes would be just the ticket.

“I was getting started in the next stage of my life where I’m not taking care of kids anymore, so I could do some of the things I wanted to do,” she said. “I had briefly taken acting classes

Richardson was also impressed with the diversity of people, who range from youngsters in their late teens or early 20s to senior adults in their 70s or 80s. Despite the differences, she said, the sense of community in each group has been strong and encouraging.

“It’s nice to be involved with something like that,” she said.

According to RMT Academy Manager Anastas Varinos, the theater’s adult program began about 1½ years ago, and “it’s just kind of taken off,”

In addition to two sessions of adult acting classes – one during the day and the other in the evening – RMT’s adult education lineup offers classes in improv, hip hop, musical theater and tap.

“The turnout has been incredible” said Varinos. “Classes take place in our beautiful rehearsal rooms, so once our mainstage season starts, there’s all this creative energy in the air, which is something unique to Red Mountain and inspiring to students.”

Adult classes are capped at 20 stu-

youth classes do. Top notch instruction by Birmingham-area professionals is part of the package, and the cost is only $10 a class.

“Pricing is one of the things that people find most surprising about our classes,” said Varinos. “You can sign up for an entire eight-week bundle, or you can do drop-in classes and just come the day of with $10 cash. And you can just step into a lesson if you can’t commit to the entire session. We think it’s a great deal, and the community seems to think so, too.”

Social Benefits

So, what are the benefits of RMT’s adult classes?

Varinos believes it’s a mix of things,

“Along with community and enjoyment and all of that good stuff, it has for me ignited a real interest in acting,” she said. “I’ve already done a couple of auditions, and I have a call back for one right now. So I feel that from a practical perspective, it’s been an opportunity for me to try out acting, learn some skills and gain some confidence.”

As for RMT overall, Richardson is nothing if not enthusiastic. “I just love the place and the people,” she said, “and I just I couldn’t be a bigger cheerleader for the whole thing!”

For more information on RMT’s fall classes for adults and to register online, visit redmountaintheatre.org/ education. Classes begin the last week

Red Mountain Theatre’s adult program began about 1½ years ago, and “it’s just kind of taken off,” said RMT Academy Manager Anastas Varinos,

‘A few of our adult students have surprised themselves with their skills and abilities, and what may have started out as a social gathering becomes an artistic endeavor.’

Courtesy

Red Mountain Theatre

“Clarinet Concerto,” Berlioz’s “Roman Carnival Overture” and Carlos Simon’s “Fate Now Conquers” at the Alys Stephens Center.

Transylvanian Jazz, Oct. 17

Pianist Lucian Ban has garnered accolades for his jazz-infused reimaginings of folk tunes originating from the Transylvanian region of Romania where he grew up, and his album “Transylvanian Folk Songs” with frequent collaborator Matt Maneri made the top 10 of NPR’s 2020 Jazz Critics Poll. Be in the room as Ban and Maneri join forces with fellow Transylvanian, ASO Concertmaster Daniel Szasz, for an evening of magical music making at Samford University’s Brock Recital Hall.

Psycho Live with Orchestra, Oct. 20 and 22

Enjoy Hitchcock’s timeless thriller projected on the big screen as the Alabama Symphony Orchestra performs Bernard Herrmann’s spine-tingling score live at the Alys Stephens Center. Take in every twist and turn as Marion is plunged into a world of crime, suspense, and murder all set to one of the most iconic film scores of all time.

Faure’s Requiem and Ravel’s Piano Concerto, Oct. 27-28

One of Faure’s best-known works, his “Requiem,” a “hymn of solace and supplication,” is a choral-orchestral setting of the Catholic Mass for the Dead and is filled with peaceful, serene, and calming melodies that are among the most beautiful in choral repertoire. The concert will also feature pieces by Desenne, Ravel, Boulanger and Bloch.

Scheherazade: One Thousand and One Nights, Nov. 17-18

“Scheherazade” tells the age-old tale of “One Thousand and One Nights,” in which the titular Scheherazade prolongs her life by spinning intriguing tales for her tyrannical husband each night. Program will also feature Bartok’s “Dance Suite” and Conductor Carlos Izcaray’s Violin Concerto.

Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto and Holiday Brass, Nov. 30

Hear Bach’s Sixth Brandenburg

Concerto featuring the warm, rich sounds of the lower strings, Hayden’s 2nd Symphony and the return of the beautiful sounds of holiday music scored for brass ensemble, including works by Corelli and Humperdinck, and an arrangement of holiday songs by conductor Carlos Izcaray at the Avon Theatre.

Home for the Holidays with the ASO Chorus, Dec. 9

Deck the halls with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Chris Confessore, and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra Chorus! Sing along to holiday favorites, hear timeless classics, and enjoy the spirit of the season! Local performers Kristi Tingle Higginbotham and Dolores Hydock will return to join the orchestra

and chorus in bringing the holidays alive at the BJCC Concert Hall.

Handel’s “Messiah”, Dec. 22-23

Witness one of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra’s most beloved holiday traditions! A fixture of the holiday season, Handel’s “Messiah” features the iconic “Hallelujah” chorus and sweeping solos portraying one of the greatest stories ever told.

Gary Thor Wedow returns to lead the orchestra in a historically informed performance.

New Year’s Eve: A Viennese Celebration, Dec. 31

Toast the end of 2023 with a nod to the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day performances and a glass of bubbly. Maestro Christopher Confessore will take the podium to lead the ASO in a selection of Strauss family favorites and more.

Ben Folds, What Matters Most Tour, Sept. 17

Ben Folds is widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our generation. His masterful new album, “What Matters Most,” marks Folds’ first new studio release in eight years, and it’s a bold, timely, cinematic work, one that examines the tragic and the absurd in equal measure as it reckons with hope and despair, gratitude and loss, identity and perspective.

Corinne Bailey Rae, Sept. 24 English singer/songwriter/musician

Corinne Bailey Rae brings her Black Rainbows Tour to the Alys Stephens Center with special guest Jon Muq.

Daniel McGrew and Parker Ramsay, Oct. 3

Tenor Daniel McGrew and harpist Parker Ramsay perform in a free concert in the Young Concert Artists Series.

Keb’ Mo, Oct. 8

The Grammy Award winning guitarist and vocalist is a skilled frontman and accomplished sideman who writes much of his own material and has applied his acoustic, electric, and slide guitar skills to jazz- and rockoriented bands. See him in what’s sure to be a memorable performance.

Eric Benet, Oct. 15

From barefoot dreadlocked troubadour to suave standard–bearer for contemporary R&B, fourtime Grammy Award nominee Eric Benét may have changed his look, but one thing has remained consistent: his dedication to crafting authentic music that engages the soul.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Oct. 29

Medal of Arts, she has sung for such momentous occasions as the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and the Super Bowl.

Tower of Power, Nov. 10

There are few things designed better to get you up and moving like a Tower of Power show. Together since the late 1960s, the band is a 10-headed monster of funk and soul, with a full horn section blazing away over a skintight rhythm section.

The O’Jays, Dec. 10

After more than 60 years electrifying people all over the world, the mighty, legendary, R&B/Soul kings The O’Jays are set to embark on their final tour! The performance features original members Eddie Levert Sr. and Walter Williams Sr., who have been singing together since they were kids!

BIRMINGHAM FESTIVAL THEATRE bftonline.org

“Waiting for Godot”, Sept. 1-17

The Samuel Beckett play is a classic, originally in French, by the Irish playwright in which two characters engage in a variety of discussions and encounters while waiting for the titular Godot, who never arrives.

BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN’S

bct123.org

THEATRE

“Stay Awake”, Through Sept. 29

Imagine an upside-down lullaby: Mia and her dog are getting ready for bed when her mobile comes to life! Using music, movement, and puppetry, young theatre makers will explore shapes, sounds, numbers, and more in this interactive production. Recommended for children up to age 5.

MOMIX: ALICE, Sept. 7-8

Take an exhilarating 90-minute head rush and sensory overload that transports you from any cares of the day, allowing you to sit back, relax and float downstream into the wild world of Wonderland Through the Looking Glass.

Kevin Spencer, Sensory Friendly Magic Show, Sept. 16

The Magic of Kevin Spencer is a funfilled show that combines storytelling, stage magic, and audience participation. Kevin Spencer, Ph.D., is an artist who believes in creating inclusive communities where everyone experiences an authentic sense of belonging and no one – for any reason – is relegated to the margins.

Born Troy Andrews, Trombone Shorty got his start (and nickname) at four, he made his first appearance at Jazz Fest with Bo Diddley; at six, he was leading his own brass band; and by his teenage years, he joined Lenny Kravitz’s band for the Electric Church World Tour. Now he’s an undeniable star with utterly magnetic charisma, a natural born showman who can command an audience with the best of them.

Renee Fleming, Nov. 5

World-renowned Renée Fleming is one of the most acclaimed singers of our time, performing on the stages of the world’s greatest opera houses and concert halls. Honored with five Grammy Awards and the US National

“The Three Billy Goats Gruff”, Sept. 23-Oct. 14

The classic Norwegian folk tale of three billy goats and how they outsmart a horrible troll who won’t let them cross a bridge is a delightful story, recommended for children ages 4-8.

“Peter Pan”, Dec. 2-16

This fresh adaptation of the classic J.M. Barrie tale has everything you love: Wendy and the Lost Boys, the dastardly Captain Hook, and the boy who never grows up. Let your imagination soar as – through the magic of shadow puppetry – Peter Pan and his friends sail through the night sky to Neverland. Daring sword fights, tricky fairies, and a very hungry, ticking crocodile await in a spectacular production that’s perfect for the holidays.

“The Snowy Day”, Dec. 2-16

Based on stories by Caldecott Awardwinning author Ezra Jack Keats, “The Snowy Day and other stories by Ezra Jacks Keats” celebrates the magic and boundless possibilities of the first snowfall. Follow young Peter and his friends as they explore the world around them, from learning how to whistle to thrilling encounters

ALYS STEPHENS CENTER alysstephens.org

Photo by Andrew Eccles

Renee Fleming

Kristi Tingle Higginbotham

Kevin Spencer

alabamasymphony.org

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL LIFE

with treasure, the delightful moments of childhood are perfectly captured in this imaginative musical play. Recommended for ages 4-8.

BIRMINGHAM ARTWALK birminghamartwalk.org

Birmingham ArtWalk, Sept. 8-9

This free two-day arts festival features the work of more than 80 visual artists, live musicians, street performers, food and drink vendors and children’s activities.

BIRMINGHAM BOYS CHOIR

birminghamboyschoir.org

Birmingham Boys Choir 50th Anniversary Celebration, Sept. 9

Join the Birmingham Boys Choir as we celebrate 50 years of Training for Life with this special anniversary performance. Alumni, colleagues, choristers and BBC families and friends are encouraged to attend this special event and guests are welcome.

BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART artsbma.org

Latin American Heritage Festival, Sept. 23

Dive into the rich tapestry of Latin cultures with a day full of dynamic festivities. Explore art through our Spanish-language gallery tours, savor

the diverse flavors of delectable Latin cuisine, and engage in an array of interactive, family-friendly art activities in honor of the culmination of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Fall Indian Classical Music Concert, Oct. 5

Enjoy the beautiful music of the Indian subcontinent at this annual celebration of Indian music and culture featuring Grammy Awardwinning artist Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and accomplished tabla player Subhen Chatterjee. Experience an unforgettable evening of enchanting melodies and musical virtuosity, showcasing the rich tradition of Indian classical music and its captivating fusion with contemporary styles.

“Art + The Environment”, Through Nov. 5

“Art + the Environment” explores the various ways art engages and responds to the natural environment. Drawing on photography, painting,

sculpture, decorative arts, and textiles from the museum’s comprehensive collection, “Art + the Environment” positions artists as observers, responders, and activists of local, regional, and global environments.

“Wall to Wall: Amy Pleasant”, Through July 27, 2024

The third iteration of “Wall to Wall” features prominent Birminghamborn and based contemporary artist Amy Pleasant who will create a sitespecific installation on the walls of the Museum’s lobby populated with images inspired by and in response to objects from the museum’s global, permanent collection.

“Nappy Roots: A Transatlantic Story of Hair, Struggle, and Liberation”, Through Dec. 30

This exhibition is inspired by our Nappy Roots! event and Kerry James Marshall’s “School of Beauty, School of Culture.” In collaboration with

interculturalist and naturalista, Bettina Byrd-Giles, we celebrate National CROWN Day and the CROWN Act of 2022, which prohibits discrimination based on hairstyle or texture. Celebrating the rich diversity of Black hair and culture, this exhibition honors the significance of the CROWN Act and the beauty of self-expression.

BLUFF PARK ART ASSOCIATION bluffparkartassociation.org

Bluff Park Art Show, Oct. 7

The 60th annual Bluff Park Art Show returns to the Bluff Park Community Park this year. The ever-popular show features works in a variety of mediums created by local and regional artists.

BROADWAY IN BIRMINGHAM americantheatreguild.com/ birmingham/shows/

“Mean Girls”, Oct. 17-22

The hilarious hit Broadway musical is based on the hit movie of the same name. Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. Soon, this naïve newbie falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.

“To Kill a Mockingbird”, Nov. 14-19 All rise for Academy Award-winner Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork set in Jim Crow-era fictional Maycomb, Alabama. Richard Thomas stars as the heroic lawyer, Atticus Finch, defending an innocent Black man of the rape of a white woman.

DJD Theater at Alabama School of Fine Arts djdtheater.org

Rama Vaidyanathan: New Dimensions to the Margam, Oct. 28 Rama Vaidyanathan is known for her fresh approach to Bharatanatyam, and for her unique choreographic skills. In this program’s North American premiere she presents compositions that are completely rooted in Bharatanatyam, and yet they will have a new perspective to the evolving Bharatanatyam vocabulary.

The Second City: What the Elf?, Dec. 8

The Second City’s What The Elf? features a seasonal blend of hilarious scenes, songs and our trademark improvisation with a sprig of holiday mischief for a night of spirited fun. Funny, bright and original, Second City’s What The Elf? is the perfect alternative to the same old holiday shows and is suited for teens and above.

Amy Pleasant amypleasant.com

HOMEWOOD THEATRE homewoodtheatre.com

Three on a String Month of Sundays, Sept. 10, 17 and 24

They play bluegrass and folk music –and keep you laughing while they do it! Back by popular demand, Three on a String will perform every Sunday afternoon in September. Grab your tickets now because the group’s performances sell out fast.

An Evening of Deception with Brian Reaves, Sept. 15

Brian Reaves is the five-time Birmingham Magician of the Year and an internationally-recognized closeup and stage magic champion. Now he brings you an incredible show devoted to the magic of the mind in the premiere performance of “An Evening of Deception.”

“Catch Me If You Can”, Oct. 19-29

This comedy murder mystery gives you a man on his honeymoon who calls the local police to investigate his wife’s sudden disappearance.

Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas, Nov. 30-Dec. 3

Celebrate the holidays with the jazziest group of musicians in town! Hosted by Sunny and Kyle from the Cascade Lounge, this one will have you in a toe-tapping Christmas mood.

Rose Colored Glasses: A Vintage Country Christmas, Dec. 15

Come home for Christmas and enjoy the glowing light of the tree and ole’ time Opry radio! The Rose Colored Glasses band will give you their renditions of some country Christmas favorites, like Willie Nelson’s “Pretty Paper,” “Star of Bethlehem” by the Judds and “Meet Me Under The Mistletoe” by Randy Travis.

THE LIBRARY THEATRE hooverlibrary.org/thelibrarytheatre

Seth Mulder and Midnight Run, Oct. 5-6

Bluegrass is at its finest in this high-energy show filled with tight harmonies, skillful musicianship and the perfect blend of traditional bluegrass and original songwriting.

Beth Nielsen Chapman, Nov. 2-3

The American singer-songwriter will perform two shows in November. Her diverse body of work spans 15 albums and seven No. 1 hits that have been recorded by Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Vince Gill, Bette Midler, Willie

Nelson, Waylon Jennings and the Indigo Girls, including Lorrie Morgan’s first Number One, “Five Minutes.”

Celtic Angels Christmas, Nov. 30-Dec. 1

Celtic Angels Christmas captivates audiences with the magic of the holiday in an awe-inspiring medley of vocal and instrumental seasonal and Irish favorites along with spectacular world-class champion Irish dancing. This wonderfully nostalgic journey is packed with excitement, all backed by a live band.

FAB (Find Art Birmingham) mossrockfestival.com

led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. Cady and her friends devise a “Revenge Party” to end Regina’s reign with Cady going undercover as an aspiring Plastic. When the lines between the real Cady and her Plastic self get blurred, she must find her way back to herself and her true friends.

Holiday Spectacular 2023, Nov. 30-Dec. 17

Join us to sing in the season at Red Mountain Theatre! Top singers, dancers, musicians, and Red Mountain Theatre’s performing ensembles are all ready to celebrate the best time of the year. From heartwarming moments to hilarious comedy, this show is jam-packed with holiday cheer for the whole family.

OPERA BIRMINGHAM operabirmingham.org

“The Three Billy Goats Gruff”, Oct. 7

years, Borromeo continues to be a pioneer in its use of technology, and has the trailblazing distinction of being the first string quartet to utilize laptop computers on the concert stage. This Davis Architects Guest Artist Series concert is in partnership with the Birmingham Chamber Music Society.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Sept. 29 - Oct. 1

This dramatization of C.S. Lewis’ classic work faithfully recreates the magic and mystery of Aslan, the great lion, his struggle with the White Witch, and the adventures of four children who inadvertently wander from an old wardrobe into the exciting, neverto-be-forgotten Narnia. This story of love, faith, courage and giving, with its triumph of good over evil, is a true celebration of life. This production is part of the Emma Taylor Theatre for Youth Series

roundabout, Oct. 12 - Nov. 16

and Joshua McGuire. Excellent for all ages, you will be taken on a journey with an 11-year-old child named Alan as he confronts his anger (personified as a dragon) in an imaginary land. This production is part of the Dr. Chandler and Jane Paris Smith Opera Series.

THEATER UAB

uab.edu/cas/theatre

Moss Rock Festival, Nov. 4-5

The premier eco-creative festival explores Nature, Smart Living, Art + Design. The Moss Rock Festival is held at the Hoover Met and will feature artists in more than a dozen mediums, food, drinks, a beer tent for adults and art and nature projects from WonderKid Studios.

OPERA BIRMINGHAM operabirmingham.org

Opera Shots, Sept. 8

Opera Shots returns for its annual series of casual pop-up concerts featuring members of the Opera Birmingham Chorus and surprise guest artists. Concertgoers should bring lawn chairs, blankets and can bring coolers at this outdoor event.

RED MOUNTAIN THEATRE redmountaintheatre.org

Human Rights New Works Festival, Sept. 22-24

Red Mountain Theatre is working to spark world-changing conversations through great art that explores issues and emotions too difficult for words.

Now in its sixth year, the festival will feature staged readings of three new musicals; “She Reached For Heaven”

“Sam’s Room” and “Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963.”

“Mean Girls Jr.”, Oct. 27-29

Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. How will this naïve newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? By taking on The Plastics, a trio of lionized frenemies

An operatic version of the story of “The Billy Goats Gruff” based on scenes from operas by Mozart, Donizetti and Rossini. A perfect introduction to the world of opera for the little ones in your life. The performance length is approximately 40 minutes at the Avondale Amphitheatre.

Sounds of the Season, Dec. 10

Kick off the holidays with “Sounds of the Season,” a concert of favorites both sacred and secular at Samford University’s Brock Recital Hall.

Drawing on the talent of members of the Opera Birmingham Studio at Samford University and the Opera Birmingham Chorus, this family-friendly concert is an audience favorite, jam packed with classic Christmas carols and beloved holiday songs.

Samford University School of the Arts samford.edu/arts/

More-Than-Human World, Through Sept. 28

Featuring works by Studio By The Tracks artists sponsored by Paul Barrett and supported, in part, by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts

Borromeo String Quartet, Sept. 28 Inspiring audiences for more than 25

Recent Samford Art & Design alumni will be featured in roundabout. Artists include Molly Greene Lay ‘20, Kaitlin West ‘19, Nicole Weldy ‘21 and Connor Gayda ‘21. These talented alumni will be sharing some of their newest works.

Lucky Stiff, a Musical Oct. 26- 29

From the musical team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Seussical, Anastasia), Lucky Stiff is a manic murder mystery complete with mistaken identities, missing diamonds, and a corpse in a wheelchair. This production is part of the Michael J. and Mary Anne Freeman Theatre and Dance Series

Richard Stoltzman, Clarinet Nov. 9

Richard Stoltzman’s virtuosity, musicianship and sheer personal magnetism have made him one of today’s most sought-after concert artists. As soloist with more than a hundred orchestras, as a captivating recitalist and chamber music performer, as an innovative jazz artist, and as a prolific recording artist. This is part of the Davis Guest Artist Series in Partnership with the Birmingham Chamber Music Society

Dragon’s Breath, World Premiere, Nov. 19

Samford University commissioned this brand-new opera for children and parents from creative duo Evan Mack

“Fun Home”, Oct. 11-14

A refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes, “Fun Home” is based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. This presentation features music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by Lisa Kron.

“Everybody”, Nov. 8-11 and Nov. 15-18

This modern riff on the fifteenthcentury morality play, “Everyman,” follows Everybody (chosen from amongst the cast by lottery at each performance) as they journey through life’s greatest mystery - the meaning of living.

VIRGINIA SAMFORD THEATRE virginiasamfordtheatre.org

A Grand Night for Singing, Sept. 14-24

An evening of greatest hits from Broadway’s most celebrated composers, Rogers and Hammerstein by Birmingham’s best musical theater talent. Birmingham’s best musical theatre talent will wow you with highlights from past Virginia Samford Theatre hits, including “The Sound of Music,” “Oklahoma,” “The King and I” and more.

“The Man Who Came to Dinner”, Dec. 8-17

A Christmas time mid-century falling down, funny comedy classic! While passing through small-town Ohio for dinner with the prominent Stanley family, acerbic New York radio star Sheridan Whiteside breaks his hip after falling on the icy steps of their home. Hilarity follows as Whiteside’s demands and attitude drive his reluctant host crazy.

Brian Reaves

Borromeo String Quartet borromeoquartet.org

Debo Groover, Debortina Studio

Richard Stoltzman

Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

‘We’ll Meet Again’

Inspiring Musical Coming to Mountain Brook High School

By RuBin E. GRant

Bruce Pearl is doing more than promoting Auburn basketball these days.

He’s also endorsing “We’ll Meet Again: A New American Musical,” which will come to life Sept. 10 on the Mountain Brook High School Fine Arts Center stage. The performance will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Pearl, who is Auburn’s basketball coach, and his wife, Brandy, attended the musical last year in Opelika and were so enthralled with the story that they helped encourage and support the current Southern Tour of the show. Pearl even posted a YouTube video with a message about it.

“We want as many people to experience this production as possible,” Pearl said, “so that others can laugh and cry and be moved and inspired by the music, the story and the dancing – just like Brandy and I were.”

“We’ll Meet Again,” a patriotic and life-affirming story, is inspired by the life of Henry Stern and his family’s remarkable odyssey and narrow escape from Nazi Germany, their immigration to America and their integration and settlement in Alabama.

In 1937, then-5-year-old Heinz Stern and his family escaped Westheim, Germany, under Nazi occupation. They were welcomed with open arms by the small town of Opelika, where Stern’s family found

TOUCH

From page 8

For example, when Helen first meets John Macy, she tells him “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said. “But then you hear the rest of the chorus who are giving her impressions of John Macy. We get to really hear her inner thoughts that are sometimes in conflict with what she’s saying to somebody else, which is, you know, exactly what people do.”

“Touch” also addresses themes of disability and agency. The opera represents Opera Birmingham’s commitment to telling diverse stories of the commu-

BLUFF PARK

From page 8

website. Their first fundraising event was a “Come as Your Favorite Book” dance that raised $600 for the library fund.

The following year, the same group, under the auspices of the Bluff Park PTA, held an art show auction to which artists in the community donated their paintings and crafts. Another $850 was added to the library fund.

In 1965, essentially the same group,

“We’ll Meet Again,” is inspired by the life of Henry Stern and his family’s remarkable odyssey and narrow escape from Nazi Germany.

love and acceptance. However, war left missing pieces for Henry Stern, as he became known, and for more than 60 years, he continued to search the United States for other relatives who survived the Holocaust.

When the Pearls attended the musical, they knew little about the story, other than it was about patriotism and the Holocaust.

“We went kind of on a whim,” Pearl told the Auburn Alumni Association Magazine. “But that night we were treated to something we really weren’t expecting. We laughed and we cried. We enjoyed the music and the dancing. We were filled with great pride and happiness about the greatest country in the world that we love so dearly.”

The Pearls were so impressed that

nity and providing access to a wide range of artists and patrons.

This production has been developed to include low-vision and low-hearing artists in all facets of the opera. Opera Birmingham works to ensure accessibility for audience members, from American Sign Language interpreters at performances and Braille program notes to assisted listening devices and audio description services.

“We really did want to make this an accessible piece” in terms of production and the presentation, Wolfe-Hughes said.

To that end, hearing impaired and vision-impaired people are among the members of the cast and crew. Gorrie,

still working to raise funds for the library, formed a nonprofit organization and held a second art show at the Shades Cliff Community Park, now Bluff Park Community Center. Sixtyfive artists participated, and the metro community’s response was overwhelming.

The Bluff Park Art Show was on its way, and the rest, as they say, is history.

One of the most anticipated annual events of the Birmingham area for 60 years, the Bluff Park Art Show is held annually on the first Saturday of October on the beautifully wooded land

and directed by Richard Rose, with vocal arrangements and musical orchestrations by Mark Hayes.

“Our hope in creating this show is to capture the essence of what

America has meant to the world in our best moments,” Harris said.

Tickets cost $49.99 and are available online at ahecinfo.org.

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they met with the playwright and director afterward pledging their support.

“Brandy and I were deeply affected by this production,” Pearl said. “We think it is so important for other people to see it that we have partnered with the show to organize a tour.”

The musical features 1930s and 1940s-era music, including many of the most popular songs and swing dances of the WWII era. Classics include “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “I’ll Be Seeing You” and “Juke Box Saturday Night,” as well as several beloved Jewish and Hebrew songs intimately integrated into the story, including the favorite “Hava Nagila.”

To: Linda

From: Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646

FAX: 205-824-1246

“We’ll Meet Again” was created and written by playwright Jim Harris

Date: September

for example, is visually impaired and a lighting designer and costume designer are hearing impaired, Wolfe-Hughes said.

This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the September 7, 2023 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246. Please make sure all information is correct, including address and phone number!

2023-2024 seas

“We’re really implementing a range of opportunities for anyone who wants to come to the opera to be able to enjoy it. The work we are doing to make our productions accessible is not just for “Touch.” It will become standard practice for all our productions, in honor of Helen and her work to educate people,” Wolfe-Hughes said.

“Touch” is about 90 minutes long and will be sung in English with projected English text and interpreted in American Sign Language. Tickets went on sale Sept. 5.

where it began. It is one of the largest fine arts shows in the region.

“The Bluff Park Art Association works throughout the year to prepare for the show and on scholarships, art education and outreach,” Skaggs said.

“We all serve and invest our time and talents to support the arts in Hoover because the arts are an important part of life no matter what age or stage.”

For more information, visit bluffparkartassociation.org and follow the Bluff Park Art Association on Facebook and Instagram.

a place of discovery.

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.

The Dance Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission to teach the art of dance to all, inspiring creativity, curiosity and confidence. We strive to create an inviting, non-competitive, inclusive environment to be, to move, to explore and to discover. Everyone is welcome. Classes begin September 5.

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Art

Acocktail hour opened the 43rd annual Hope Gala fundraiser for the American Cancer Society at the Birmingham Country Club on Aug 26.

Gala co-chairs Jodi Benck, Jane Huston Crommelin and Anne Liles planned a French-themed evening with a seated dinner and silent and live auctions, followed by a band party.

This year’s honorees are Neillie Butler, Jack Darnall, Lynn Lloyd and Jenny Sobera, four people who have fought cancer and are living despite their diagnoses.

Funds raised from the event will benefit cancer research, patient programs and the Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge. ❖

Hope Gala Très Bien!

ACS Supporters Treated to Cocktails, Dinner, Auctions and Dancing

Journal photos

by Jordan Wald

David and Jodi Benck, Paul and Jackie Currie

Anne Liles, Alice Maxwell

Tricia and Jeff Golden

Doug Shook, Vickie and Dave Rader

Chase Lacy, Carolyn Smith

Ivy Sharp and Rhodes Vogtle

Marisa, Naseem and Teena Ajlouny

Jason, Lula and Anna Comer

Marty Heslin, Pam White

Alex and Jordan Holt

Rachel Johnannes, Katie Bauder, Kendra Watson

Deana and George Christian Philip and Katie Currie

John and Melanie Gross

FDJ & Renuar

FALL SHOPPING EVENT

Thursday, September 14th—Saturday, September 16th

Best-selling new fall styles from both lines, sent in just for the event, in a range of sizes! Refreshments and giveaways all 3 days—we’ll be drawing for a $100 Town & Country gift certificate each day of the event!

Tailgate Tradition

The Bell Center Kicks Off Tailgating Season With Annual Challenge

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Everyone’s excited as fall football season gets underway, especially at the 15th annual Tailgate Challenge at The Bell Center in Homewood on Aug 26.

The event was a tasty fundraiser for The Bell Center, with teams squaring off to see who can create the best tailgating experience.

It also was a family-friendly experience, with football fans sampling food and drinks to help determine the People’s Choice Award, while judges chose the top winners in the Best Food, Best Drink, Most Team Spirit and Best All-Around categories.

The Bell Center provides early intervention therapy to infants and toddlers with special needs. ❖

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS AND ENDOWMENT FUNDS

To date, ANF has initiated more than $600,000 in nursing student scholarships.

NURSE PRIDE

Nurses are among the most trusted professions for 21 years in a row, according to Gallup. Show your support for friends, family members, and loved ones who are nurses.

NURSES IN NEED

In times of crisis or emergency, ANF provides support for Alabama's nurses in need.

LEADERSHIP GRANTS

Rewarding and investing in innovations of nursing practice.

Kelly Hardwick, Mary Ryan and Mary Beth Farrell

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

YOUR PURCHASE OF A NURSES SAVE LIVES CAR TAG GOES DIRECTLY TO:

Bryan, Jack and Kathleen Boudreaux

Peyton and Lauren Lafferty with Chick-fil-A cows.

Seth, Caroline, Harla, and Reed Muse Commander, Ginny Shurtz

Linda and Foster Ware

Chris and Casey Cotton Adam and Alicja Arnold Major Moorer, Anna-Marie Ellison

Celebrating Community Leaders Sloss Family Members, 2 Others Inducted Into Kiwanis Hall of Fame

Five Birmingham community leaders, past and present, were inducted into the Kiwanis Business Hall of Fame on Aug. 24 at the Harbert Center.

Three members of the influential Sloss family – 19th century industrialist Col. James W. Sloss and his descendants, the late real estate developers A. Page Sloss Sr. and Arthur Page “Pete” Sloss Jr.; early 20th century educator Carrie Tuggle; Odessa Woolfolk of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute; and retired UAB Health System CEO Dr. Will Ferniany were honored at the event.

Those honored are individuals who have actively engaged in an endeavor that has had substantial positive economic impact on the greater Birmingham area. Consideration is also given to institutional change that had a positive effect on the community. ❖

2023

Friday, Sept. 8 | 8 A.M.–5:30 P.M.

Saturday, Sept. 9 | 8 A.M.–2 P.M.

AT B IRMINGHAM B OTANICAL G ARDENS

Benefiting the Gardens & featuring our Member Plant Gift

MEMBER EARLY-BIRD SHOPPING:

Thursday, Sept. 7 | 1 P.M.–5:30 P.M.

Bring a cart or wagon • Check and credit card only

bbgardens.org

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

Carolyn Ratliff, Leigh Sloss-Corra, Shani Wilson, Tracey Morant Adams, Cathy Sloss Jones

Michael Calvert, Ray Watts, Susan Matlock, John Saxon

Ray Minor, Odessa Wolfolk, Wanda Madison Minor, DeJuana Thompson, Louis Willie

Will and Dana Ferniany

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Explore the refreshing senior lifestyle waiting to be found at The Crossings. Call 205-225-7626 or visit TheCrossingsAtRiverchase.com to schedule an appointment.

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Leighton Burkett, Angele Monconduit, Lizzy Yates

Tim Callahan, Henry Frohsin George and Susan Nolen

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Charles Anderson, Bill and Sabine Rembert

Lisa and John Burton, Carolyn Featheringill

FOOD

FOOD+Culture Here’s the Scoop These Guys Are on Fire

Tickets are now on sale for the firstever Birmingham FOOD+Culture Festival, set for Oct.12-15. To buy tickets for the events and for more information, visit bhamfoodplus.com.

The festival will feature several signature events over four days, including more than 10 dinners, an amplified farmers market experience and more than 50 featured chefs, mixologists, brewers, pit masters and more. The fun will be spread out over venues around the city, primarily at Pepper Place and Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark.

Here’s a rundown of the special events that will be high points of the festival:

• FOOD+Flair: Changing the Menu (Thursday, Oct. 12): a seated, multi-course luncheon at The Haven celebrating an allstar lineup of women chefs; $85.

• FOOD+Frank (Thursday, Oct. 12): the presentation of the inaugural Frank Stitt Award for Industry Excellence, this year to the iconic chef himself and in future years honoring other recipients. The event will be at the Birmingham Museum of Art; $75.

• FOOD+Heritage (Friday, Oct. 13): a seated dinner in the streets of Pepper Place celebrating Black culture, cuisine and the influence the community has had on Alabama’s foodways, with guest chefs and presenters from around the Southeast; $150.

• FOOD+Farmers (Saturday, Oct. 14): an amplified farmer’s market at Pepper Place, including a book fair featuring cookbook authors and food-focused reads, several chef demos, participating chefs from the festival setting up stations and giving out samples, and an emphasis on healthy eating and healthy living. No tickets are needed, and the event is free to the public.

• FOOD+Fire: The Great Southern Tailgate (Saturday, Oct. 14): presented by Southern Living; a walkaround tasting event at Sloss Furnaces celebrating the barbecue community, live-fire cooking and Southern tailgate culture. Highlights include live music, a Southern Living demo stage, regional and local breweries and giant screens to watch live college football; $75.

• FOOD+Funk Brunch (Sunday, Oct. 15): biscuits, brass and Bloody Marys, featuring pastry chefs, bakers, mixologists and New Orleans’ Grammy Award-winning Rebirth Brass Band; special guests include Birmingham’s Martie Duncan, cookbook author and Food Network Star finalist, and Chadwick Boyd, a food and lifestyle expert; $75.

• FOOD+Friends (October 12-15): public dinners around Birmingham, featuring surprise pop-up menus from visiting guest chefs in participating restaurants, celebrating camaraderie in the culinary industry; unticketed.

David Bancroft, Jonathan Harrison Are Among FOOD+Culture Headliners

By Donna Cornelius

Birmingham’s very first FOOD+Culture Fest has a star-studded lineup of special guests. Two of them, David Bancroft and Jonathan Harrison, have a few things in common. Both are Alabamaborn, both went to Auburn University, and both had success on popular cooking competition shows.

They also will be among the talented folks who will be heating things up in the FOOD+Fire segment of the festival, which features barbecue, live fire cooking and a staple of the South –tailgate food.

But the two men have different twists to their stories. Bancroft began his career as a chef early on and now has two highly regarded restaurants in Auburn plus recognition from the James Beard Foundation. Harrison never imagined that his dream of cooking would get a jumpstart thanks to a fellow he likely never thought he’d meet –British chef Gordon Ramsay.

David Bancroft LIVING THE DREAM

Although Bancroft grew up in San Antonio, his ties to Auburn go back a long way. He was born in Mobile, and his parents, brothers, and other family members all went to Auburn University. He followed them there to study business – but his heart pulled him in another career direction, one that was rooted in his childhood.

“My grandparents had a farm in Hartford, and my grandfather had a restaurant attached to his farm,” Bancroft said. “He raised catfish, and he would dip the fish out of his pond and take them into the kitchen to cook.”

Like many Texas teenagers, Bancroft was into sports, playing football and baseball. But he also loved another Lone Star State tradition – barbecuing and smoking meats. And he loved watching Food Network.

His Beta Theta Pi fraternity brothers at AU voted him their kitchen steward. One summer, he worked in New Orleans on a barge.

“We cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner – things like gumbo, etouffee and redfish,” he said.

While still a student at Auburn, he wanted to switch gears and go to the Culinary Institute of America, one of the premier culinary schools in the U.S. But his mom and dad weren’t too enthusiastic about this game plan.

“My parents said, ‘Finish school first, and then we’ll talk,’” Bancroft said. “My senior year, the itch to cook still hadn’t gone away.”

He applied at Amsterdam Café, a favorite among Auburn locals and visitors, becoming executive chef there in 2005, and then left to start his own restaurant, Acre, which opened in 2013.

“I went from my first job to building my own restaurant,” Bancroft said.

Acre quickly won a name for itself, and

Bancroft achieved one of his two early goals –recognition from the James Beard Foundation. He has been a semifinalist for the award program’s Best Chef: South honor multiple times.

The other goal? Appearing on one of the most well-known TV cooking competitions, “Iron Chef America.” That aim was realized in 2017, when he was selected for an incarnation of the show called “Iron Chef Showdown.”

In the first round of “Showdown,” he and fellow competitor Roxanne Spruance were tasked with making apples the star of their dishes. Spruance was a formidable opponent. She had worked under two big culinary names, Wylie Dufresne of WD-50 restaurant and Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, before opening her own New York restaurant, Kingsley, to rave reviews. But Bancroft came out on top of their duel with his combination of sea bass with a sweet potato-apple hash, apple pot liquor that used kale instead of turnip greens, and an apple slaw.

“I admire a man who brings a bass to an apple fight,” joked Alton Brown, the show’s host.

After besting Spruance, Bancroft had to face Iron Chef Jose Garces in a battle of ribs and racks. Both chefs had to prepare five dishes for the judges, who voted Bancroft the champion of the contest.

Bancroft said squaring off against Spruance and Garces was intimidating.

“But I felt ready for it,” he said. “I tried to look at it as a football player preparing by learning a playbook.”

In an interesting side note, one of Bancroft’s sous chefs for the show, Adam Evans of Birmingham’s Automatic Seafood, also will appear at the FOOD+Fire event.

In 2019, Bancroft opened his second restaurant in Auburn, Bow & Arrow, his interpretation of and tribute to a South Texas smokehouse.

“It was more the dream restaurant, with homemade tortillas, brisket tacos, brisket enchiladas,” he said. “It quickly became a hot spot in Auburn.”

Bancroft is looking forward to taking part in the festival’s FOOD+Fire event.

“I do as many of these types of events as my

schedule allows,” he said. “It’s fun to interact with guests and with the community. In Alabama, we don’t have a whole lot of these events involving pit masters and chefs.”

He’s already brainstorming about what he’ll be cooking at the festival.

“This is subject to change, but I’m thinking of making one of the rib dishes I made on ‘Iron Chef,’” he said. “We lacquered the ribs in honey hot sauce, which is a smoky, hot sauce, with fried chicken skin streusel.”

While food is an important part of Bancroft’s life, his family and his faith take priority. He and his wife, Christin, have two children who are ages 12 and 10.

“I grew up in a Christian household and was baptized early in life,” he said. “My wife and I try to provide a good, stable life based on a Christian home as much as we can.”

Jonathan Harrison WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS

Born and raised in Columbiana, Harrison didn’t make the leap into full-time cooking until after an experience in a far different city – Las Vegas. That’s where he competed, and made a strong showing, on a TV show called “Next Level Chef.”

“I always wanted to cook,” Harrison said. “I started at Jeff State, but my scholarship didn’t cover the school’s culinary program, so I went to Auburn and got a journalism degree. I was a bartender in college and cooked for friends – mostly no more than 10 people.”

He gained more kitchen experience during the COVID pandemic, when a neighbor who is with the Columbiana Senior Center recruited him to help provide meals there.

“We set up tables far apart so people could eat together at a safe distance,” Harrison said. “They didn’t have to pay anything. That was my first experience cooking for a lot of people, and

Photos courtesy Birmingham FOOD+Culture Fest

David Bancroft, above, Jonathan Harrison, right

they seemed to enjoy my food. It gave me a little more confidence.”

His next step came with “Next Level Chef.”

“Like everybody else, I watched ‘Chopped,’ but I have a friend who is obsessed with cooking competition shows,” he said. “She sent me an ad for a new show for professional, social media and home chefs called ‘Next Level Chef.’

“I’d had a bad day at work and said, yes, I’m going to do this. I got a call about one week, 250 videos, 500 pictures and about six to 10 interviews later; I was in the top 30. A month later, I flew out to Vegas for the show and was there for 28 days.”

Harrison had to take time off from his job as an educator and administrator at the Alabama 4-H Center’s Science School.

“I had enough off time and an understanding boss,” he said.

The show, which has completed two seasons on Fox and is slated for a third and fourth, has a difficult format. Contestants are divided into three groups, each under the leadership of a very high-profile chef – Nyesha Arrington, Richard Blais or Ramsay.

The competitors are assigned to cook in one of three kitchens stacked on top of each other. The top kitchen has top-notch equipment, the middle is a standard commercial kitchen, and the lower space is not exactly an ideal spot for concocting winning dishes.

“We all were line cooks or from home cooking backgrounds, so nobody was used to great equipment,”

Harrison said. “I started in the middle kitchen. The bottom kitchen was like my grandmother’s kitchen. Two burners would just cut off for no reason.”

“Next Level Chef” has a variety of challenges in addition to cooking in different kitchens. Each episode has a theme – steak, pasta or brunch, for example. Once the chefs are stationed in their assigned kitchens, a moving platform travels from the top space to the bottom, and contestants must quickly grab their ingredients before they can start cooking.

“There were so many ingredients I’d never seen before, like a truffle or $3,000 worth of Ahi tuna,” Harrison said.

Harrison was on Blais’ team but had warm words for all three mentors, Ramsay included. The British chef has a reputation for being, well, somewhat volatile in the kitchen.

“I was so happy to be around him and so in awe of him,” Harrison said. “I realized that he really wanted to help me. He’s such a nice person – he wants you to do well.”

Blais and Arrington, both success ful restaurateurs and chefs, had both appeared on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” another prestigious TV cooking com petition. Harrison said he thought that made them sympathetic to the “Next Level Chef” contestants.

“I learned a lot from all of them, but Nyesha really hammers home visualization and encouraged us to cook with intention,” he said. “It changed the way I look at what I’m doing day to day, in life and not just in

cooking.”

Harrison did Alabama proud, making it all the way to the seventh episode. As luck would have it, the theme for the very next show was one he’d loved to have tackled.

“I so wished I’d made it to pork week since we’re a pork-centric state,” he said. “I’m good at the pig!”

Harrison said the show “completely changed my life.” He quit his job and now is a full-time private chef. His new gig has taken him around the world, including a stint in Poland to cook with World Central Kitchen, chef

Jose Andres’ nonprofit organization that provides meals to those affected by humanitarian, climate and community crises.

“I’ve been to Portugal to cook for a corporate group, to Utah, New York, Texas, California and South Florida,” Harrison said. “I’m the poster child for leaning into your passion.”

At home in Columbiana, he lives in a renovated 1938 Craftsman-style house. His partner is Carlos Hernandez of Hoover, and he calls his two cats, Patti and Dottie, “the greatest.”

Harrison is excited about being a

Her cure

happened

part of the FOOD+Fire event in October.

“This will be my first big food festival,” he said. “I’ll be doing game birds instead of cow or pig.”

One member of the team that will be working with him at the festival is Josh Lapidus of Piggly Wiggly, and he’s looking for others. Just as he got his chance with “Next Level Chef,” Harrison wants to extend opportunity to others who want to advance their cooking careers.

“I want to give people a shot,” he said.

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country and around the world. .org

By RuBin E. GRant

Tim Vakakes did everything in his power to leave the Shanks boys behind when he left his job as head football coach at Jackson-Olin in Birmingham to become Spain Park’s football coach following the 2021 season.

Vakakes had known Derick and Dakarai Shanks for several years, watching them play Little League football in Wylam in western Birmingham because it was a feeder program for Jackson-Olin. He also got to know the boys’ mother, Tiffany Coleman.

He let her know that he was moving to Spain Park and tried to persuade her to leave her sons, both running backs, at Jackson-Olin.

“She delivers mail in Hoover and when I got to Spain Park, she told me she was thinking about bringing them over here,” Vakakes said. “I talked her out of it. I told her to give the new coaches a chance. But after spring training (at Jackson-Olin in 2022), she said she wanted to bring them over here.”

So, the Shanks moved into the Spain Park school district in July 2022 and the Shanks brothers rejoined Vakakes with the Jaguars.

Vakakes was somewhat uneasy about how the brothers would adjust to being at Spain Park, but his concerns were unfounded.

“I was concerned about Dakarai because he was younger and had a mind like a pit bull,” Vakakes said. “I wasn’t sure how he was going to make the transition, but he got over here and settled right in.

“The teachers love them and both of them smile a lot. They’re loving life over here. Their mom has done an outstanding job raising them.”

VIELGUTH

From page 24

one else who is going to get to the ball. In my head, I’m always saying that’s my ball and I am the one to get to it.”

Vielguth prefers beach to indoor.

“They are so different,” she said. “In indoor you have six players on the floor and in beach you just have two, you and one other. Personally, I think I like beach more ‘cause I get to use other skills, such as passing and killing.”

Two All-OTM Honors

Vielguth was voted to the All-

‘INSEPARABLE BOND’

The brothers indeed are enjoying being at Spain Park.

“It felt great coming here,” said Derick, a senior. “When I got here, it was like I was on a sinking boat and they pulled me in. My whole mindset is different.”

“I’ve made some new friends and I’ve learned better things since I’ve been here on and off the field,” said Dakarai, a junior. The brothers are 16 months apart.

OTM Volleyball Team the past two seasons. Last year as a junior, she recorded 494 digs, 11 kills, 71 assists and 43 aces, helping the Rebels reach the Class 7A North Regional and finish with a 29-10 record.

She is off to another strong start this season. She recorded 55 digs as Vestavia Hills split its season-opening tri-match, beating St. Paul’s and losing to Pelham, then going 3-2 in the Juanita Boddie Tournament on Aug. 25-26 with wins over McAdory, Albertville and Spain Park and losses to McGill-Toolen and Mountain Brook.

Vielguth had 20 digs last Tuesday as the Rebels lost to Northridge and beat Helena in a tri-match. She had 988 career digs when Vestavia Hills

Derick celebrated his 18th birthday on Aug. 29. Dakarai will turn 17 in December.

They spent their childhood years in Augusta, Georgia, before moving to Birmingham in 2015 when Derick was 10 and Dakarai was 9. They are extremely close.

“Me and Dakarai have an inseparable bond,” Derick said. “I was the first one who started playing football and Dakarai used to come watch me.

played Mountain Brook last Thursday.

Stepping Up

Vielguth’s passion has evolved into her becoming the Rebels’ vocal leader this season.

“In the other years I was on the varsity, I would try to lead by action more than words and let the seniors lead vocally,” Vielguth said. “But this year, I want to be a vocal leader.”

Hardee welcomes Vielguth becoming the Rebels’ on-court voice, saying her competitiveness and work ethic has raised the bar in the gym while holding her teammates to those standards.

“I let my players, especially the seniors, end practice with things they

He had fun watching me, then he started playing.”

Breakout Season

Both had solid, if unspectacular, seasons with the Jags in 2022. Derick ran 79 times for 441 yards and three touchdowns; Dakarai ran 71 times for 343 yards and two touchdowns.

They gave an indication in the Jags’ first game this year that they were ready for a breakout season,

want to say,” Hardee said. “Audrey steps up and says things that need to be said. She is not just leading by example anymore, but she’s a voice to be heard during games.”

Vielguth, whose name is German and means “feel good,” is a solid student and an outgoing, fun-loving youngster. Her hobbies include baking and any type of art. She usually turns what she bakes into a work of art.

“I personally like baking cakes, just because of the creative freedom when decorating,” she said.

Vielguth also has three rescue dogs from the Greater Birmingham Humane Society.

“Honestly, I can’t remember not having two or three dogs in my house,” she said. “The newest one, Dudley, we fostered him and then ended up adopting him. He’s a Mastiff mix.”

Vielguth, who plays club volleyball for Bama Elite, will play in college. She has committed to Southeastern Louisiana University.

“One of the coaches there I had talked to when he was at Coastal Carolina,” Vielguth said, referring to Southeastern Louisiana associate coach Collin Wilson. “I love him and

combining for four touchdowns in Spain Park’s 55-0 blowout win at Calera. It was the Jags’ most lopsided win since 2007, when they routed Carver-Birmingham 69-0.

Derick, coming back from an offseason wrist surgery, ran 12 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns, including a 45-yard scamper in the third quarter. Dakarai had two rushing touchdowns, covering 8 and 13 yards, and finished with 44 yards.

The brothers have similar builds –Derick is 5-foot-10, 196 pounds and Dakarai is 5-9, 192 pounds – and similar running styles.

“They run the ball with venom, they run the ball with venom in their veins,” Vakakes said. “Dakarai likes to punish people. Derick has better vision, but Dakarai has good vision, too. Both of them catch the ball out of the backfield. They’ve got good feet and speed. I think both of them are SEC-type running backs.”

The brothers said there are minor differences in the way they run.

“I’m very versatile,” Derick said. “In tight spaces, I can get through there. I think I’ll be really good on third downs.”

“I’m reliable,” Dakarai said. “I run very hard and I can get the tough yards, especially in the red zone.”

The Jags played host to Briarwood last week and will play host Friday to cross-town rival Hoover to open Class 7A, Region 3 action.

The brothers have set modest goals for the season.

“I just want to get in the 1,000yard club, score a bunch of touchdowns and have a positive mindset,” Derick said.

“I want to score over 15 touchdowns, help my team bond together and have fun,” Dakarai said.

I texted him to see where he was and he was at Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond. So, I looked at the school and I looked at the campus, and I liked the size of the school and the size of the campus. I also love the coaches and the atmosphere of the team. They’re gritty and hard working.”

Vielguth plans to study human sciences with designs on becoming an occupational therapist and work with special needs students in schools.

“I was talking to friend and that’s what her mother does,” Vielguth said. “I never heard of anything like that and that’s what got me interested. It’s something different.”

This fall, Vielguth is focused on helping the Rebels reach the Elite Eight state tournament.

“I am determined to get farther than we did last year,” she said.

That will be a tall order with Savannah Gann, the 2022 OTM Player of the Year who graduated is now at Sewanee.

“Savannah was a great player and I loved playing with her,” Vielguth said. “She was our go-to hitter, but this year our talent is more spread around. All of (the) players on the front row are hitters.”

Journal photo by

Brothers Derick and Dakarai Shanks combined for four touchdowns in Spain Park’s 55-0 blowout win at Calera. The Jags played host to Briarwood last week and will play host Friday to rival Hoover to open Class 7A, Region 3 action.

Shanks Brothers Making Their Presence Felt in Spain Park’s Backfield

McFADDEN

From page 24

ball guys to come work out before school. It was a player-led thing because we wanted to have success this year.”

The Cavs finished the 2022 football season with a disappointing 3-7 record. They haven’t had a winning season since 2010, when they finished 6-4. They were 5-5 in Mara’s first two seasons, in 2020 and 2021.

McFadden had another reason for hitting the weight room. He wanted to add some muscle to his 6-foot frame. He weighed only 172 pounds as a junior.

“I never really had a consistent workout plan,” McFadden said. “I fell in love with lifting weights, and I put myself on an eating plan. I ate a ton, a lot of steak. I gained about 15 pounds. I weigh in the high 180s now.”

The added bulk and increased stamina paid immediate dividends for McFadden in John Carroll’s seasonopener on Aug. 25. He accounted for 309 yards total offense and three touchdowns as the Cavs stunned Homewood 36-31 in the “Battle of Lakeshore” at John Carroll’s Pat Sullivan Field.

McFadden ran 21 times for 212 yards and three touchdowns, scoring on runs of 10, 30 and 13 yards. He also completed 8 of 16 passes for 97 yards and scored twice on two-point conversions.

Homewood had dominated the rivalry, bringing a 27-5-2 series edge into the game. But the Cavs were determined to not let the Patriots continue their dominance.

“Homewood is a good team and one of our goals this season was to beat Homewood,” McFadden said.

Mara praised McFadden’s performance.

“He willed us to victory,” Mara said. “He was playing through cramps. It’s nothing anybody could have done to prepare for because it was so hot. He was taking a beating, but he just kept moving around, making plays. He put the team on his back. He definitely was a game-

NYC Buddy Walk Kickoff

3 Area People Included in Video for Down Syndrome Society to Be Shown in Times Square

Four Birmingham-area residents will appear in the bright lights of Broadway on Sept. 9 as part of the annual National Down Syndrome Society Times Square Video presentation.

Daniel Chaplin of Homewood, Frances McCalley of Mountain Brook, Chandler Herrero of Birmingham and Loren Kennedy Horner of Northport were chosen to be among roughly 500 photographs being shown in a one-hour video.

The presentation kicks off the New York City Buddy Walk at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, as other events take place in communities

changer.”

With starting safety Aubrey Walker sidelined with an ankle injury, McFadden played in the secondary more than expected in the hot, humid conditions.

“It gets tough playing both ways sometimes, but we don’t have a lot of depth, so you do what you have to do to help the team,” McFadden said.

On the morning after the game, McFadden was feeling the effects. His body was sore and hurting, but he said, “I’m really excited to open the season with such a big win.”

Destined for Quarterback

McFadden is in his third season as the Cavs’ starting quarterback, but that wasn’t his original position when he started playing football.

“In the seventh grade, I played receiver,” he said. “But going into my eighth-grade year, we didn’t have a quarterback and coach Mara, who was the middle school coach then, tested out several guys.

“I didn’t want to be the quarterback, but I told him if the team needed me to, I’d do it. I’m glad it worked out that way because now I wouldn’t want to play any other position.”

McFadden is a dual threat with his arm and legs and enjoys the Cavs’ offensive scheme that gives him the freedom to make plays, either running or passing.

“We have a lot of designed runs for me, but I also run sometimes when I’m scrambling,” McFadden said.

Unless something changes, this will be McFadden’s final season of football. He is not interested in playing in college.

“I think I’ll be done after this year,” he said. “I love the game, but I just want to be a student when I go to college.”

So, this season becomes even more meaningful for McFadden. It already has begun with a bang with the win over Homewood, but McFadden and the Cavs want more.

“That was a big win, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t help us get to the playoffs,” McFadden said. “We celebrated the

WEEK 1 SCOREBOARD

CLASS 7A

Auburn 39, Hoover 14 Oak Mountain 38, Northridge 30 Spain Park 55, Calera 0 Vestavia Hills 35, Mountain Brook 10

CLASS 6A

Clay-Chalkville 31, Briarwood Christian 0

CLASS 5A

John Carroll Catholic 36, Homewood 31

Due to holiday press schedule we were unable to include last week’s scores in this issue.

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

Briarwood Christian @ Chilton Cty

Helena @ Homewood

Hoover @ Spain Park

John Carroll Catholic @ Fairfield Mountain Brook @ Minor Hewitt-Trussvile @ Oak Mountain Vestavia @ Thompson

win over Homewood, but we realize we’ve got to focus on our goals for the rest of the season, and getting to the playoffs is one of those goals.”

The Cavs played Marbury in a non-region game last week and travel to Fairfield Friday to begin Class 5A, Region 5 play.

across the country, as well as select international locations.

The collective images of children, teens and adults with Down syndrome from all 50 states was designed to promote the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome, according to a press release from the society.

The photos of Daniel, Chandler, Loren and Frances were selected from more than 2,400 entries in the society’s

worldwide call for photos. Their photos will be shown on two Jumbotron screens in the heart of Times Square, thanks to the support of Clear Channel Outdoor.

The two screens are above Dos Caminos restaurant in Father Duffy Square. The presentation will be livestreamed on the society’s Facebook page from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Sept. 9.

For more information, visit ndss.org.

Vestavia Hills quarterback John Paul Head, above, follows his blocking in the Rebel’s 35-10 win over Mountain Brook on Aug. 24. Below, Mountain Brook’s Cole Gamble tries to avoid being tackled by Vestavia’s Gibson Bean.

Journal photos by Jordan Wald

Frances McCalley Daniel Chaplin Chandler Herrero

‘Inseparable Bond’ Shanks brothers making their presence felt in Spain Park’s backfield. Page 22

SPORTS

Thursday, September 7, 2023 ❖ OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Creative Instincts

Volleyball Team

By RuBin E. GRant

It’s a good thing Audrey Vielguth listened to her friends.

They kept telling her she could be a good volleyball player, so when she was in the seventh grade, she decided to play.

Vielguth has proven her friends right. Two years after she began playing, she joined the Vestavia Hills’ varsity team. Now a senior libero/defensive specialist, Vielguth is considered one of the top players in the state in the Class of 2024.

“I love playing volleyball,” Vielguth said. “It’s helped me with real life, giving me the kind of mindset I need to go through life. It’s also a creative sport and I get do a lot of different things out there.”

Volleyball brings out Vielguth’s competitive fire and gives her a chance to be part of a team.

“We love each other on our team,” she said. Third-year Vestavia Hills volleyball coach Ashley Hardee raves about what Vielguth brings to the court for the Rebels.

“Her volleyball instincts are as good as anybody I’ve ever coached,” Hardee said. “She is a

great passer and defender, no doubt, but she also fixes so many things that go wrong during rallies. She has a feel for what is going to happen next. She’s good at anticipating plays and seems to always be one step ahead.

“She can control the game from the back row. We’ve got a lot of good players and a lot of smart players, but she has creative skills and makes a lot of plays, and she also makes the players around her better. Other coaches tell me they just enjoy watching her play.”

Vielguth is 5-foot-6 – “5-7 with my volleyball shoes on,” she said. She attributes her volleyball acumen to playing both indoor and outdoor volleyball.

“My instincts are definitely because of the years I’ve played,” she said, “but I also watch a lot of film of myself playing and I watch how the pros and college players play, trying to see what they do so I can get better.

“Beach volleyball also has increased my awareness. You have only one person on defense in beach volleyball, so you have to read the flight of the ball and react because there’s no

OTM HIgh School Football: Week 1 scores, Week 3 schedule. Page 23

‘GAMECHANGER’

McFadden Leads John Carroll to Stunning Upset of Homewood but Wants More

By RuBin E. GRant

John Carroll Catholic football coach Will Mara said Carson McFadden’s leadership skills have always been on display.

But during the offseason, the Cavaliers’ senior quarterback/safety took it up a notch.

“When I would get to school at 5:30 in the morning, Carson was already here,” Mara said. “We didn’t have mandatory 5:30 workouts.

“He’s always been a leader by his actions, but he’s become more vocal, going above and beyond what’s asked of him and bringing his teammates along with him.”

The early morning weight room sessions were McFadden’s idea of making sure he and teammates stayed fit for football.

“We’ve got a lot of guys on our team who play other sports in the winter and spring,” McFadden said. “I played golf last spring, but we didn’t have weight training for football. It was a big commitment from a group of foot-

See McFADDEN, page 23

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

John Carroll’s Carson McFAdden (7) accounted for 309 yards total offense and three touchdowns as the Cavs stunned Homewood 36-31 in the “Battle of Lakeshore” at John Carroll’s Pat Sullivan Field. The Cavs played Marbury in a non-region game last week and travel to Fairfield Friday to begin Class 5A, Region 5 play.

Last year as a junior, Audrey Vielgut recorded 494 digs, 11 kills, 71 assists and 43 aces.

photo by Jordan Wald

‘Her volleyball instincts are as good as anybody I’ve ever coached.’