‘Signature Park’

Groundbreaking Kicks Off Jemison Trail Project

still a viable part of the community for many, many years to come.”

About Jemison Park

The 54-acre linear Jemison Park is a greenway following the streambanks of Watkins Brook and Shades Creek in Mountain Brook. Used for walking, jogging, reading, bird watching and picnicking, the area is inhabited by owls, hawks, raccoons and foxes. An abundance of native plant species is also found there.

The land was reserved by Robert Jemison Jr. during the development of Mountain Brook to not only showcase the natural beauty of the area, but to provide a buffer zone in case of flooding. After Mountain Brook was incorporated in 1942, the land was turned over to the city. The public dedication of the entire 54-acre area as Robert Jemison Jr. Park was approved by the Mountain Brook City Council on Oct. 6, 1952.

For more information on Jemison Park and how you can support it, visit friendsofjemisonpark.org

Where To Walk In The Meantime

For those in the habit of using the Jemison Trail and wondering where to get those steps in while it’s closed, here are some nearby options:

• The Chief’s Woodland Trail can be accessed from Park Brook Road until early August. This new crushed stone walkway offers a different view of Shades Creek and the native woods around it. Though the Woodland Trail is currently a dead-end trail, plans call for a bridge to be added that will connect it back to the Jemison Trail.

• The Watkins Trace Trail is a crushed stone trail that runs parallel to Cahaba Road and connects Jemison Trail to the city sidewalk system near Mountain Brook Elementary School. The Watkins Trail is four-tenths of a mile long.

• The Nature Trail, a crushed stone trail attached to the east end of Jemison Trail, runs between

Party for Hope

American Cancer Society Planning Hope Gala for Aug. 26

The American Cancer Society’s 43rd annual Hope Gala will take on a French theme this year when it is held Aug. 26, 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

This year’s gala co-chairs – Jodi Benck, Jane Huston Crommelin and Anne Liles (left, from left) – are planning the French-themed evening to include a seated dinner, silent and live auctions and a band party to follow.

This year’s honorees are Neillie

Butler, Jack Darnall, Lynn Lloyd and Jenny Sobera, all of whom have fought cancer and are living despite their diagnoses. To hear their stories and donate in one or more of their names, go to acshopegala.swell. gives.

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

A statement from the co-chairs on the event website states that the mission is to decrease the number of people who die from cancer by increasing access to quality health care to as many people as possible. “The fact is that cancer does not stop, and neither should our effects in finding a cure and providing essential patient services,” the statement says.

Overbrook Road and Shades Creek. Attached to the east end of Jemison Trail, the six-tenths of a mile long trail is surrounded by greenery and affords beautiful views of the creek.

• The Irondale Furnace Trail leads to the former site of the Irondale blast furnace, a Civil War-era facility that once occupied more than 2,000 acres. The trail runs six-tenths of a mile from Stone River Road, where parking is available, to the city’s sidewalks on Old Leeds Road. Dog stations are available onsite.

The Watkins Trace Trail, left, is popular with people and pets.

To sponsor the event, go to hopegalabirmingham.org.

Right: Callen Willis, Caroline Draney, Jenny Lynn Byrd. Below: Colette Smith, Brenda Perry, Charlotte Hatcher.