Mountain Brook Magazine, July/August 2018

SUSAN DUMAS’ VINTAGE COLLECTION • INSIDE GALLERY 1930 • TREELINE EXPEDITIONS IN THE WILD

A CHAT WITH WILL HAVER INSIDE THE TACO MAMA MINDSET

forever JULY/AUGUST 2018 MountainBrookMagazine.com Volume Two | Issue Four $4.95

OURS

THE BRIDGERS’ JOURNEY THROUGH ADOPTION

MountainBrookMagazine.com 1

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FEATURES

50

COME PLAY DRESS UP Susan Dumas finds freedom on the hunt for vintage clothing and wants other women to as well.

58

SHINING LIGHT IN DARK PLACES

66

UNPLUGGED MBE’s Bill Andrews is getting families outside and into the wilderness and beyond—and helping them connect and build confidence along the way.

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PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

An artist’s journey through international adoption took a different route than she envisioned—and led to ties she and her tribe are still nurturing today.

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17

PHOTO BY PATRICK MCGOUGH

arts & culture

17 Deck the Walls: Gallery 1930’s Abstracts & Landscapes 22 Read This Book: Callie Chapman’s Favorite Graphic Novels & Series

schools & sports

23 Good Morning, Baltimore: Living out Hairspray Themes Firsthand 30 Five Questions For: Crestline Championship Robotics Teams

food

& drink

31 Margarita Magnate: Will Haver Spreads the Taco Mama Mindset 39 Cocktail: dg’s Lemon Strawberry Frosé

in every issue 6 Contributors 7 From the Editor 9 #MountainBrookMag 10 The Question 11 The Guide 72 Chamber Connections 74 Out & About 86 Marketplace 88 My Mountain Brook

40 Five Questions For: MidiCi Neopolitan Pizza’s Lane Carrick

home

& style

41 From the Scofields to the Parrishes: Making a Home Their Own 47 At Home: Natural Nestings 48 In Style: Be Bright and Bold

MountainBrookMagazine.com 7

MOUNTAIN BROOK

contributors

MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL

Graham Brooks Stephen Dawkins Alec Etheredge Briana Harris Amalia Kortright Madoline Markham Keith McCoy Emily Sparacino Neal Wagner

Milan Ballard, Writer

Milan is a marketing manager with a love of travelling and travel photography. Though her passion lies in exploring new and exciting foreign cities, nowhere can replace the feeling of “home” for the Mountain Brook native. In her free time, Milan enjoys writing for her blogs, La Luna e Milan and Milan Modern Moda, and trying to perfect her Italian language skills.

CONTRIBUTORS

Milan Ballard Carolanne Berte Jessica Clement Madison Freeman Eleanor Kerr Patrick McGough Melanie Peeples Tracey Rector Christiana Roussel Emma Simmons Elizabeth Sturgeon Lauren Ustad Rebecca Wise

DESIGN

Connor Bucy Jamie Dawkins Kate Sullivan

MARKETING

Kristy Brown Kari George Rachel Henderson Daniel Holmes Kathy Leonard Rhett McCreight Kim McCulla Kerrie Thompson

ADMINISTRATION Hailey Dolbare Mary Jo Eskridge Katie McDowell Stacey Meadows Tim Prince

Carolanne Berte, Photographer

Carolanne, a 2018 Mountain Brook High School graduate, loves taking portraits and capturing emotion of people doing things they enjoy. She also likes hanging out with her friends in the villages and enjoys being with kids.

Madison Freeman, Stylist

Madison, who calls Crestline home now, works as a clinical recruiter for Encompass Health and on the side is a fashion, home decor, travel and lifestyle blogger. To see all of her blog posts, visit insidemyopendoor.com or follow her on Instagram @mbbfreeman. In Madison’s free time, she loves to travel with her husband and spend time with their golden retriever, Luna.

Melanie Peeples, Writer

Melanie Peeples moved to the Birmingham area 10-and-a-half years ago, looking for a great place to raise a family. Before becoming a mostly stayat-home mom, she covered the South (like kudzu) for NPR, covering everything from the country’s first school shooting trial to the 85th anniversary of the MoonPie. She loves traveling to new (and old) places, and also coming home again.

Mountain Brook Magazine is published bimonthly by Shelby County Newspapers Inc., P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051.

Mountain Brook Magazine is a registered trademark. All contents herein are the sole property of Shelby County Newspapers Inc. [the Publisher]. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher. Please address all correspondence (including but not limited to letters, story ideas and requests to reprint materials) to: Editor, Mountain Brook Magazine, P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051.

Mountain Brook Magazine is mailed to select households throughout Mountain Brook, and a limited number of free copies are available at local businesses. Please visit MountainBookMagazine.com for a list of those locations. Subscriptions are available at a rate of $16.30 for one year by visiting MountainBrookMagazine.com or calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 532.

Advertising inquiries may be made by emailing advertise@mountainbrookmagazine.com, or by calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 536.

8 MountainBrookMagazine.com

from the editor

I

ON THE COVER

Mwana Villages Gotcha Day

Stephen and Wellon Bridgers travelled to the Republic of Congo to adopt their two youngest children.

Photo by The Archibald Project Design by Kate Sullivan

I am the first to admit I spend far too much time scrolling through all the randomness on my Facebook feed and following what my friend calls “Insta-trails” on that app of photos that always pulls me in for longer than I intend. My life feels flooded with bits and pieces of stories, mostly on the surface. And that’s how most of our issue started, with Instagram-able pieces of information.

Writer Milan Ballard had been to a house sale held by a vintage collector in Crestline and snapped a few cool photos on her phone.

Mwana Villages U.S. Director Wellon Bridgers emailed me to say they are a ministry serving orphaned and vulnerable children in the Republic of Congo. Hairspray was on stage at MBHS for a joint production with Carver High School. Right now you could hop on any of their social media accounts, grab a photo, share it and spread good things going on in the community. And don’t get me wrong, there’s power in that, and I do it all the time on our @mountainbrookmag account.

But this object you hold in your hands, my friends, is not your phone.

(Can I get an amen?) Instead, through it we get to dig to deeper places and let the bright images tell stories of their own in a way they only can in print. Through the words beside them, we get to more fully hear about Susan Dumas’ passion for those vintage clothes and how, though she told me she is a private person, she hopes that in reading her story you, our readers, are “exposed to the possibility of breaking out of Anthropologie mode and trying something new!”

As to Mwana Villages, Tracey Rector got to delve into the depths of Wellon Bridgers’ adoption story, which is far darker and yet far more redemptive than I ever would have guessed just scrolling through information on Mwana online and reading the initial info she’d sent me on trips, well presented though it may be. No spoiler alerts here. You just need to flip back a few pages and read it for yourself.

And I figured if I got theatre students to reflect on their joint production with Carver High School, they might have some interesting things to say, but the four I met with blew me away with how deeply they have thought about themes of body image and race in Hairspray as they sang and danced on stage—and what pure fun they had building friendships and rounding things out with a 2018-style dance party (after plenty of ’60s moves on stage). Be sure to check out what they shared, in their very own words. All I did, really, was record them.

What else in this community should we dig deeper into? I am always eager to hear your story ideas. But for now, happy reading! There’s even more goodness in the pages that lie ahead than what I had room to mention above.

madoline.markham@mountainbrookmagazine.com MountainBrookMagazine.com 9

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#MountainBrookMag

Tag us in your @mountainbrookmag photos on Instagram, and we’ll pick our favorites to regram and publish on this page in each issue.

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When Hamburger Club takes it up a notch— the only recourse is to ask the chef of the finest burger in town to specially open his restaurant just for us— so that he can once and for all be crowned KING of the Birmingham burger! Ollie Irene for the WIN!! #i8mb #bestburger #burgerclub

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2018 7A State Champs, 32 under and a 20 shot win! Gordon (64-69) and William (67-66) take co-medalist at -11. 4 Spartans in the top 6!

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An early Mother’s Day gift was made to Jemison Park yesterday. Three native azaleas (rhododendron canescens) were donated by Leland and Marty Keller and planted by MB Parks and Rec staff along the Nature Trail in memory of Leland’s mother and grandmother who used to live on Overbrook Rd. overlooking the park.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 11

“ ” THE QUESTION

If you could have lunch with any Mountain Brook resident past or present, who would it be?

Becky Nelson, shop owner of Nelson’s Gift Shop (The Pantry is in its place now).

She had a strong presence in the community as well as she spread awareness of ovarian cancer. There is so much I could learn from her.

My grandfather, Dick Kennedy, and my grandmother hosted the likes of Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh (while here for the premiere of Gone with the Wind) among others and threw grand parties

Dr. David Stiles, MBHS principal and MB Assistant Superintendent from 1996-2007. The love of my life and husband of 26 years before he passed away in 2008.

Mr. Jerome, custodian at Crestline. His faith, smile and wisdom pierced your heart every time you spoke with him.

I would love to have a meal with my husband, Stuart Shevin. But wouldn’t it be great if he could bring his father and grandfather too?

We could drive around Mt. Brook and see what has become of their homes.

Not a resident, but my dad Leigh Gray, pharmacist and owner of Ariail Drug Co. in Crestline. He loved this community and employed a lot of high schoolers. He died 20 years ago this past April.

Polly Shoulders, long time employee of MBHS and lover of the Spartans. She was an amazing woman with the biggest heart for MB. She fought a courageous battle against cancer, and I miss her dearly.

Mary Anne Glazner, pictured, who always “had time” to help and teach others, no matter how much she had going on in her store, and life. As someone said, “We were all better for having known her.”

-Elizabeth Kilpatrick

-Laura Phillips Stiles

-Debbie Austin Shevin

-Heather W Fitch

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-Harriet Cochrane

-Staci Ranelli Graphos

-Raleigh Gray Macoy

-Lisa Henderson Bice

THE GUIDE

MOUNTAIN BROOK PRESBYTERIAN FARMERS MARKET SATURDAYS 3405 BROOKWOOD ROAD 8 A.M.-NOON Find produce, fruits, eggs, meats and honey without venturing far from home on Saturday mornings, plus shop the works of artisans and other vendors. It will run through Aug. 25.

SHADES VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH FARMER’S MARKET WEDNESDAYS 2305 MONTEVALLO ROAD 3-6 P.M. Stop by after work to stock up on fresh veggies at this market conveniently located right outside Mountain Brook Village on Montevallo Road. It runs weekly through Aug. 15.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 13

THE GUIDE

MBHS Football Schedule Bring on the Friday night lights. Don your green and gold, and we’ll see you at Spartan Stadium. All games kick off at 7 p.m.

Aug. 24: At Northridge Aug. 30: Vs. Center Point Sept. 7: At Tuscaloosa County Sept. 14: Vs. Spain Park Sept. 21: Vs. Vestavia Hills Oct. 12: At Hewitt-Trussville Oct. 19: Vs. Thompson Oct. 26: At Hoover Nov. 2: Vs. Gardendale/Homecoming

TUESDAYS IN JULY

Summer Show Fun 10:30 A.M. EMMET O’NEAL LIBRARY It’s time for fun of all kinds for kids of all ages at the library this summer. Save the dates for these mornings full of animals, magic, puppets, music and more.

July 3 – 6th Day Creatures: Live Animals July 10 – AtsMagic: Magic with Arthur Atsma July 17 – Jules & Verne’s Excellent Adventure: MadCap Puppets July 24 – Roger Day Concert (pictured from last summer)

JULY 18

FLICKS AMONG THE FLOWERS: JAWS 8 P.M. BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS FORMAL GARDEN

Go ahead and start playing the Jaws music in your head because you’re going to need a bigger boat. Bring a blanket or lawn chair to see this summer blockbuster, terror and all, on the big screen outside.

A cash bar and movie snacks from Kathy G. and Company will be open for business. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is encouraged.

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WHAT TO DO IN MOUNTAIN BROOK JULY 1-31 Endangered Animal Art Show Birmingham Zoo JULY 4 Free Admission for Veterans Birmingham Zoo JULY 4 Independence Day Emmet O’Neal Library Closed JULY 7 “Pillow Talk” (1959) Matinee Emmet O’Neal Library/Adults 2:30 p.m.

JULY 12 Thursday Family Fun Night Levite Jewish Community Center 5:30-7:30 p.m.

JULY 13 Yoga & Poetry with Marie Blair Emmet O’Neal Library/Adults 10-11:30 a.m.

JULY 14 English Gardens- Formal Informality Birmingham Botanical Gardens Register & pay online.

2-3:30 p.m.

JULY 20 Standing Room Only Presents Chopped Emmet O’Neal Library Ages 21+/Registration Required 5 p.m.

JULY 21 Family Yoga in the Gardens Birmingham Botanical Gardens Register & pay online.

9-10 a.m.

JULY 28 Container Gardens- Containing a World of Possibilities!

Birmingham Botanical Gardens Register & pay online.

2-3:30 p.m.

AUG. 5 Margarita Tennis Mixer Levite Jewish Community Center 1-4 p.m.

THE GUIDE AUG. 14 First Day of School Mountain Brook Schools AUG. 17 Spartan Day MBJH+MBHS AUG. 17 Yoga & Poetry with Marie Blair Emmet O’Neal Library/Adults 10-11:30 a.m.

AUG. 18 Family Yoga in the Gardens Birmingham Botanical Gardens Register & pay online.

9-10 a.m.

AUG. 20 Open House Mountain Brook High School AUG. 23 MBJH Football Jamboree at Oak Mountain AUG. 30 MBJH Football vs. Liberty Park

LIBRARY

Summer Reading Finales Summer is fun, summer is great, summer—and summer reading—must come to an end. But not without a proper celebration. Mark your calendar for these funtivities for all ages.

YOUNG ADULTS

Finale Party/Game

Saturday, July 28, noon-5pm KIDS

Bike Bonanza Block Party Tuesday, July 31, 6 p.m.

ADULTS

Finale, Prize Giveaway and Saturday

Matinee of “Neptune’s Daughter (1949)” Saturday, Aug. 18, 2:30 p.m.

Share your news! Email submissions to mm@mountainbrookmagazine.com to be considered for our next issue.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 15

THE GUIDE AROUND TOWN JULY 20-22

Back to School Sales Tax Holiday Save the date to shop sales tax free for back to school clothes, supplies and more in Mountain Brook city limits and lots of other counties and municipalities around the state.

For more details on what items qualify, visit revenue.alabama.gov.

JULY FRIDAYS & SUNDAYS Various Movies Alabama Theatre alabamatheatre.com for listings JULY FRIDAYS Free Friday Flicks Veterans Park, Hoover facebook.com/ BackyardMovieParties/ SATURDAYS The Market at Pepper Place 8 a.m.-noon SUNDAYS Jazz in the Park Various Parks & Times JULY 4 Thunder on the Mountain Fireworks Show Vulcan Park & Museum 9 p.m.

JULY 6-29 Mamma Mia! Red Mountain Theatre Company Dorothy Day Jemison Theatre Alabama School of Fine Arts

JULY 21

Market Day 8 A.M.-5 P.M. MOUNTAIN BROOK VILLAGE It’s worth battling the Alabama heat for sales this great. Be sure to shop all your favorite stores and tents in the village. The party gets hopping early!

AUG. 11

CRESTLINE TENT SALES ALL DAY CRESTLINE VILLAGE

It’s never too late for back to school shopping, especially not with deals like this. Be sure to stop by to check out sales at your favorite Crestline shops.

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JULY 8-11 Birmingham Barons vs.

Mississippi Braves Regions Field JULY 13-15 World Deer Expo BJCC Exhibition Halls JULY 14-15 Sloss Music & Arts Festival Sloss Furnaces JULY 18-22 Birmingham Barons vs.

Jackson Generals Regions Field JULY 24-27 Birmingham Barons vs.

Tennessee Smokies Regions Field JULY 25 Twilight 5K Retro Run Trak Shack 7 p.m.

THE GUIDE JULY 26-AUG. 5 Hairspray Jr. Virginia Samford Theatre JULY 28 Sidewalk Sale Downtown Homewood AUG. 2-6 Birmingham Barons vs.

Mobile BayBears Regions Field AUG. 3-4 Secret Stages Music Discovery Festival Avondale AUG. 9 Live at the Lyric: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Lyric Theatre AUG. 10-19 Birmingham Restaurant Week AUG. 11 Homewood Library Block Party Library Parking Lot 5-8 p.m AUG. 14 Wiz Khalifa & Rae Sreummurd Oak Mountain Amphitheatre AUG. 14-18 Birmingham Barons vs.

Tennessee Smokies Regions Field AUG. 25 Bell Center Tailgate Challenge The Bell Center 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

AUG. 20-26 Sidewalk Film Festival Downtown Birmingham AUG. 24-26 Rick & Bubba Outdoor Expo BJCC Exhibition Halls AUG. 24-28 Birmingham Barons vs. Jackson Generals Regions Field AUG. 31 Lynyrd Skynyrd: Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour Oak Mountain Amphitheatre

AUG. 18

Boiling ‘n Bragging 6:30-9:30 P.M. OTEY’S TAVERN You don’t have to wait for Labor Day to tailgate. Wear your team’s colors and come out for a low country boil plus live music, $1 drink specials and kids’ activities. The Rotary International District 6860 partners with Children’s of Alabama, Otey’s Tavern, Spectrum Business and Waste Management for the event, and entertainment will be provided by Lance Taylor and Rockstar from WJOX’s Roundtable. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Kids ages 10 and younger get in free.

JULY 28

9th Annual Otey’s Fest

6–10:30 P.M. OTEY’S PARKING LOT New Orleans is coming to Birmingham with live music from The Unusual Suspects and The Rebirth Brass Band at this summertime favorite event. Plus, there will be fun for the kids, local brews and Rodney’s famous cheeseburgers.

Proceeds from ticket sales benefit The Phoenix Club of Birmingham and Better Basics.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 17

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&CULTURE

ARTS

DECK THE WALLS

The mother-daughter pair behind Gallery 1930 are outfitting homes with abstracts and landscapes alike.

BY ELIZABETH STURGEON PHOTOS BY PATRICK MCGOUGH MountainBrookMagazine.com 19

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Kathryn Keith, Sara Claire Ballard and Laura Vogtle run Gallery 1930.

G

Gallery 1930 is an urban art bar unseen within Southern charm. Bold lines and shapes take over each work, some geometric and some blended and flowing. Abstract and landscape paintings add pops of color among neutrals.

Black and white palettes fill the space and defend the modern feel of the gallery. Each piece is selected by mother-daughter pair Kathryn Keith and Laura Vogtle to fit both this style and the home interiors where they will later find their homes.

But the gallery’s story started with a third family member, Kathryn’s youngest daughter and Laura’s sister Meredith Keith. “She always had a creative way of looking at things,” Kathryn says of Meredith, a self-taught artist most known for her Birmingham street scenes. Her paintings depict a hazy view of Magic City landmarks with precise architectural detail. When the family was looking for a space for one of Meredith’s art shows seven years ago, this old English Village building came to mind.

“I used to almost wreck going past here because it’s so

well done,” Kathryn says. The building’s modern white walls and hard, clean edges stand in the place of what was originally a gas station, then a Mercedes repair shop.

In the heart of Mountain Brook with blank walls for Meredith’s work, it was the perfect place to host a onemonth pop-up show.

Gallery 1930 was home to Meredith’s art exclusively for the first two years after the sellout month in 2010. But something about it attracted other local artists to the space. “Artists kept coming to us and asking if we’d be interested in showing their work. For a while we really were hesitant,” Kathryn explains. After all, she and Laura had experience in retail after opening and selling their boutique Laura Kathryn in Crestline, but they didn’t know the ins and outs of the art world. “Eventually we thought, ‘Let’s take this challenge and let them in.’” The gallery space easily blended with Vino for a restaurant and gallery pair unique to the area.

Together, Meredith’s artistic vision and Kathryn and MountainBrookMagazine.com 21

NEW GALLERY, SAME VISIONARIES To enhance Gallery 1930’s vision of artwork making a house a home, its owners opened Design Supply this past November in Pepper Place.

Exchanging the white wall gallery design for floor-to-ceiling art hung on exposed brick, it’s bringing a piece of Mountain Brook downtown to share with new viewers. Design Supply also sells furniture, lighting and antiques to set each piece like it’s in a home. “It encourages people to buy art and include it in their design,” Kathryn says. Visit Design Supply in Pepper Place Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or Saturday 9-4 p.m.

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Laura’s business background created the Gallery 1930 that now shows more than 50 artists, mostly from Alabama and around the Southeast. Along with adding artists, they have also honed a focus on what their clientele is shopping for. “A lot of people look for that local art for their house,” gallery manager Sara Claire Ballard says. “That’s usually the first question when people come in. We take pride in our Alabama artists.” Gallery 1930 also takes pride in their design skills, matching a piece of art with its new home.

“We strive to have what people want,” Kathryn says. “We have tried to build up a stable of artists that could satisfy the good taste and style that our clients have.” The gallery prioritizes the individual within their business, and they know how influential art can be in someone’s life. “Art really transforms a room,” Sara Claire says. She, Kathryn and Laura all have an eye for what works to brighten up a plain-Jane room.

With overnight approvals and their wide selection of styles and mediums, they do everything they can to find the perfect piece of art for whoever’s looking.

And lots of people are.

In the past few years they have really seen the art community taking off, Sara Claire says. With clients across the country, the gallery connects people to art

with local shows as well as social media and website sales. When they hosted an art show for Alabama artist Arthur Price, hotel entrepreneur Richard Kessler immediately bought a diptych for his personal collection in the Grand Bohemian Hotel.

“He loves, admires and respects art,” Sara Claire says. They were stunned by his quick purchase and appreciation of original work.

There’s a contemporary flavor to their art, yes.

But the gallery’s one main goal is to find the art people want in their homes. It’s a simple goal they built the business on, allowing two owners unfamiliar with the art world to prosper. They’re always circulating the art on their walls and bringing in new artists. “Art is personal,” Sara Claire says.

“It’s going to speak to you, and you’ll know it when you see it.”

It might take time to find a piece or even to commission a specific subject and size, but the gallery wants to do everything they can to match you with a painting. “Sometimes you hang a painting and it just looks like it was painted for that spot,” Kathryn says. “It’s perfect.”

Gallery 1930 is open Monday to Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. To learn more, call 205-870-1930 or visit artgallery1930.com.

Laura Vogtle and Sara Claire Ballard hang a painting on a gallery wall.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 23

READ THIS BOOK

Graphic Novels & Books Series Recommendations from

Callie Chapman

Author of Glitter the Unicorn Books

When 8-year-old Callie wrote for a contest at Crestline Elementary, it led to an honorable mention.

That award then led to publishing three children’s books about Glitter the Unicorn. All proceeds from the books are donated to Children’s of Alabama for art supplies. “When I am asked to speak about my books to kids, I like to tell them to DREAM BIG,” Callie writes. “You can do anything if you put your mind to it. Just because you are small does not mean you cannot do BIG things.”

Crafty Cat Series

By Charise Mericle Harper The Amazing Crafty Cat and Crafty Cat and the Crafty Camp Crisis are some of my favorite graphic novels.

Crafty Cat books are about a girl named Birdie who imagines herself as Crafty Cat. Things are not always easy for Birdie, but Birdie has a secret weapon, her awesome alter ego, Crafty Cat. Crafty Cat always makes things better. If you like cats, crafts and adventures, you will love these books.

Fashion Kitty Series

By Charise Mericle Harper The Fashion Kitty books are graphic novels about a cat named Kiki Kittie with fashion crime-solving powers.

The pictures have a lot of detail to them, and the words really make you imagine the story in your head. There is always a problem in the story, but none too big for Fashion Kitty to solve it. I wish my kitty was Fashion Kitty.

I have read Fashion Kitty, Fashion Kitty and the B.O.Y.S. (Ball of Yellow String), and Fashion Kitty and the Unlikely Hero.

Glitter the Unicorn Series

By Callie Chapman Glitter the Unicorn, Glitter the Unicorn goes to the Beach and Glitter the Unicorn Goes to the Moon are books about Glitter and her best friend, Ellie. I love adventures, so the stories are full of imagination and beautiful colors. Glitter and Ellie go on magical adventures to places I have always wanted to go. If you like stories about best friends, unicorns, mermaids, cotton candy, the beach and space, you will love these books.

Smile, Drama and Sisters Books

By Raina Telgemeier Smile is a story about a sixth grader. Raina fell after a Girl Scout trip and hurts her two front teeth. I liked the story because it was really funny. Sisters is about Raina. She wants to be a big sister. Once her sister Amara is born, things aren’t like how Raina imagined they would be. Drama is about a girl named Callie (of course I love this book) who loves theater and wants to try out for the play. She does not know how to sing, so she works back stage. The story is also funny.

Super Narwhal and Jelly Series

By Ben Clanton All the books about Super Narwhal and Jelly are awesome. I love the simple drawings and funny stories.

These are my favorite ones: Super Narwhal and Jelly Jolt, Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea, and Narwhal Peanut Butter and Jelly. These books are just so funny. Super Narwhal and Jelly also transform other animals into superheroes in the sea.

24 MountainBrookMagazine.com

SCHOOL

&SPORTS

GOOD MORNING, BALTIMORE

MBHS students reflect on living out the themes of the musical Hairspray firsthand.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY CAROLANNE BERTE MountainBrookMagazine.com 25

M

Mountain Brook High School students stepped back into the 1960s on stage this spring, starting with the classic Hairspray line, “Good morning, Baltimore!”

Tracey Turnblad, played by junior Massey Jordan, landed a role on a TV dance program, became a celebrity overnight, and lobbied for the show’s integration—with a cast of characters played by both MBHS students and Carver High School students, thanks to a grant for a joint production Carver had received. To get the behind-the-scenes perspective on

26 MountainBrookMagazine.com

the show start to finish, we chatted with Massey and co-leads Martha Louise Waters (Edna Turnblad), Haise Ogilvie (Wilbur Turnblad) and Anna Withers Wellingham (Penny Pingleton).

Some of you had really been wanting to do this musical and had watched it since the 2007 movie came out. What do you think is so appealing about it?

Massey: It’s a musical about racial discrimination,

but it’s about more than racial discrimination. It has such a great message behind it about body image.

When you are watching it, it is so upbeat that you don’t realize at all the life lessons until the end.

Anna Withers: I have been watching it since I was little. I just wanted to watch it because Zac Efron was in (the 2007 film). When I watched it a year ago, I realized all the messages about racial diversity and accepting your body and who you are and where you come from. All of those messages sank in with me,

and that’s what makes Hairspray such a great story to tell.

Haise: I got really excited because all the shows we have done in the past have been comedies. They had themes but not messages as important as Hairspray does.

What did it look like working with students from Carver?

Massey: I was really nervous at first because we MountainBrookMagazine.com 27

MBHS students performed in a joint production of Hairspray with Carver High School students this spring.

had never partnered with another school. We walked in and just started running through everything. We performed it, and that’s how we got to know each other.

We built our relationships off of our characters and would call each other Seaweed or Tracey, even though we knew each other’s names. Even when we text on the GroupMe after the show, we say, “Hey Seaweed.” It was fun to create a different relationship with these people than if you just meet someone on the street.

Anna Withers: I was nervous because my character had a love interest in one of the Carver guy’s characters, Seaweed, and I was like, “I didn’t even know this person.”

I just had to meet him and think, “Okay we are in love.”

They threw us right into the part where we had to hold hands and dance and almost kiss. Throughout the show, I didn’t realize how much I would love these people and treat them like family.

28 MountainBrookMagazine.com

Haise: All three actors who played Seaweed and I made this quartet of friends, and there were many inside jokes made. We still all remain in touch after the show.

Martha Louise: It was such a great experience for those of us who don’t get the diversity experience being here at Mountain Brook, and a lot of friendships were made.

What moments stand out from the experience?

Anna Withers: At the cast party, we were all singing and dancing together, doing some Bruno Mars. It was really fun. I noticed how our two schools blended, and that was the whole point to me.

Martha Louise: Tim and Malik (from Carver) started a dance circle. It was going crazy and we were chanting everyone’s names, and someone new would go into the circle, someone from Mountain Brook and then

someone from Carver. It was really fun.

Massey: Before one show, I had just gotten into my full costume, which is a fat suit and a big wig and is not very comfortable and is really hot. I was walking through the green room (where the Carver students were for their preshow traditions), and someone grabbed my hand and pulled me into their prayer circle. I was the only Mountain Brook kid in there. They are all really good prayers, and I was in awe and wondering why we didn’t do it. It was really fun that they included me in their pre-show tradition.

Anna Withers: One of my favorite memories was when we were leaving the cast party, and two of the three Seaweeds came over and gave me a group hug. I told them I was so lucky and (it was a) privilege to meet them. They both took my hands and said, “We were so lucky to meet a worthy Penny.” It’s something that I’ll always remember. They’d always try to make me laugh before our big scene where we had to be all lovey-dovey.

FAMILY MEMBERS VERIFIED THAT SHE ONCE TALKED NON-STOP DURING A 5-HOUR ROAD TRIP TO FLORIDA.

How did the themes of the play become more real as you were playing your roles?

Martha Louise: Since I played Edna, she is supposed to be a bigger character. I myself have struggled with accepting who I am and my weight. One of the songs, “Big, Blonde and Beautiful,” really spoke to me as we continued to do that in rehearsals and in shows. Not only am I playing that character who has to figure that out, but I myself came to realize that.

Massey: I have also been insecure about myself, and I just accepted that in the past two years. It was cool to get to play a character who teaches people the same thing. After one show I was still in my costume and this old lady told me I did great and that that she thought I was super skinny under the costume. And I thought, “You didn’t get the theme of the show.” The whole point is that it doesn’t matter what size you are. What matters is your personality and your attitude and who you are on the inside.

Anna Withers: My character Penny falls in love with this black guy from the other side of the tracks, and it’s a big deal in the ’60s. Looking at today, we have gay marriage and interracial marriage and all these things that are just coming together, and the world is such a different place. I thought it was cool to represent that to many people and say, “Love is love. It doesn’t matter if you are black or white or gay or straight.”

Haise: My character is in love with Edna, and in “You’re Timeless To Me,” he talks about how he doesn’t care about her image, he cares about what’s on the inside. When I was memorizing those lyrics, that was when the themes started to hit me.

Massey: The original movie came out in the early ’80s right after the counter culture movement in the ’70s. Historically it’s so much bigger of a moral because parts of the show were frowned upon. It’s still affecting audiences and people.

CHILDREN A M A Z E U S E V E R Y D AY

and at Children’s of Alabama, we want to see every child grow up and live to their fullest potential.

That’s why we recruit, train and retain the most inquiring minds, the most skilled hands and the most compassionate hearts in pediatric medicine.

1 6 0 0 7 T H AV E N U E S O U T H B I R M I N G H A M , A L 3 5 2 3 3

What was most unique to this particular production of the show?

Massey: In that first rehearsal our teacher Mr. (Jesse) Tilton was telling us why we were all cast as the characters we were. I was expecting him to say something about my acting, but he looked at

(205) 638-9100

ChildrensAL.org

MountainBrookMagazine.com 29 Talked Non-Stop - 3.5 x 9.75 - Hwood&MtnBrookMags.indd 1

3/26/18 11:17 AM

Massey Jordan played lead Tracey Turnblad.

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30 MountainBrookMagazine.com

me and said, “I cast you because I know I can trust you,” which is a mind-blowing thing. He told something like that that was deeper to each of us, and I think we all carried that with us. I wanted to make Tracey seem like a trustworthy and kind character because I was told I was trustworthy. I tried to play her less loud and obnoxious than some other actresses who have played her.

Anna Withers: I like how everyone interpreted their character differently. Martha was one of the most amazing Ednas I had ever seen with her energy. Haise added this lovingness to Wilbur I hadn’t seen. He’s corny and quirky, but he added something special that made him like everyone’s dad and with the way he loved Edna and helped Tracey. As Penny, I tried to make her as bubbly and fun and crazy as possible. The sugar from the bubblegum helped. I got to be me times 10, and I really connected with my character.

Martha Louise: I sang Edna’s role. Usually a man speaksings it. I am more naturally a singer because I have grown up singing more than acting. It was fun to bring that part of me into it.

Haise: I have been acting since seventh grade but never sang, and I didn’t think I could sing. Martha Louise told me to just try.

The most memorable experience was getting to do the duet with Martha Louise. The first time we did it I was really proud because everyone was super wowed by it. I have now joined choir after realizing I can sing better than I thought.

SCHOOL & SPORTS

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Orange Bananas & Vulcan Bots

Crestline Championship Robotics Team Members PHOTO BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

The Orange Bananas and Vulcan Bots make robots, not fruit, so well in fact that these Crestline Elementary teams went to the World VEX IQ Robotics Competition this spring after placing at top spots in the state. There they competed in 10 matches against teams from all 50 states and countries worldwide. “While I am their ‘coach,’ I only know about one-tenth of what they do,” coach and CES teacher Amy Anderson says. “They have built these robots from scratch without any plans, using assorted VEX IQ (kind of like Legos) and a series of motors.” To learn more, we chatted with team members Beau Dionne, Henry Carr Chapman, Jack Chapman, Hayden Graham and Farley Nunnelley (pictured in that order).

What did you learn at worlds?

Hayden: At all the competitions (in Alabama) we were in the top five. We went to worlds and we thought we’d be at the bottom, but we were up on the board pretty high. If we didn’t prepare for worlds and kept our first bots, we wouldn’t have made it that far.

Farley: My high score was 264, and in finals the winning score was 398. The biggest learning experience for me is that if you fail first, you have to try again.

What did it look like to try and fail and try again?

Hayden: When we were building the double conveyor, we had to rebuild the conveyor belts maybe five times.

Henry Carr: More like 5,000 times!

Hayden: We would think we had it, and then we would realize we put the motor in the wrong spot. Then after it was working, a Brookwood Forest teacher asked if our stinger stretched out 20 inches, and it was over that.

Beau: I was excited about many different bots and designs there were. It was a huge place. I got lost like three times.

Henry Carr: We got to meet a lot of different teams from around the world and collect things they gave out. They were from New Zealand, China, Japan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Russia, all over.

Farley: I got to meet a whole team from South Korea. Almost every night at dinner they would come over and talk to me for 30 minutes to an hour about robots. At the end we got to go to a theme park called Kentucky Kingdom and they had some of the best rides ever.

Hayden: At Kentucky Kingdom we saw all the teams, and Farley swapped email addresses with the South Korea team.

Can you talk more about the competition object and your designs this year?

Jack: Our bots get objects off the pegs and put them on the poles to get points from that. There are 60 wings in total on three columns with 20 each, plus ones on the bonus tray you can push into the What was the most exciting part of scoring zone.

Hayden: We started with one with a worlds?

32 MountainBrookMagazine.com

basic drive that was tank control, and then after state we needed a new bot. On the original bot we added two more motorless claws and an omniwheel (wheels with rollers on the side).

Farley: My first year I learned you can’t keep on changing your ideas. It’s better to have one idea and stick with it. This year we started with a conveyor that would dump it on a little post, and that didn’t work. So I ripped the whole thing apart and added something to it to get the bonus tray. After that we were going to try something crazy, but Mr. Salvant told us to try a motorless claw. We later added two more, so we have three motorless claws and an omniwheel so it can move sideways.

What would you do differently next time?

Farley: I think I should start earlier, build two robots and not release my second robot until state because people stole our ideas from all over the state.

Henry Carr: I would help us not argue as much. If we didn’t argue, we probably would have finished the double stinger and gotten more points.

&DRINK

FOOD

MARGARITA MAGNATE

How Will Haver is spreading the Taco Mama mindset— and playlist—across the Southeast.

BY CHRISTIANA ROUSSEL PHOTOS BY PATRICK MCGOUGH & JANA JENKINS SOBEL/205 PHOTOGRAPHY MountainBrookMagazine.com 33

Will Haver and Rodney Davis at Otey’s Tavern, the Crestline institution Will has owned since 2007.

34 MountainBrookMagazine.com

O

Once upon a time, Will Haver was just a guy who owned a cool neighborhood burger joint, Otey’s in Crestline. The beer was always super cold, the guy manning the grill (Rodney Davis, our favorite!) could fire up a mean chili cheeseburger, and classic rock bands played on Friday nights.

But then something interesting happened. Will opened Taco Mama around the corner, on Church Street. And then he opened another in Tuscaloosa.

And a location in Edgewood. And a couple in Huntsville. And one at The Summit. And Auburn.

And Nashville, Tennessee. And Greensboro, North Carolina.

Before long, Will was a taqueria honcho, a margarita magnate.

If you’d told him all this back in 2007 when he bought Otey’s, he probably would have brushed you off, thinking he’d never willingly look to take on that much activity. But success has a way of building up a head of steam and Will Haver—or WILCO Hospitality—is going full bore. Here’s what he had to say about it all.

Talk about the Taco Mama mindset.

Our goal has always been to keep the business as organic and grass roots as possible. Adding members to the team was vital to our growth, but we are mindful of keeping the same culture here. Finding like-minded people, people who have the same goals

and ideas as we do, is how you do that. We’ve been known to hire people before we actually have a position for them, if they are service-minded and hard-working. We don’t hire warm bodies; we hire talent and chemistry.

How do you identify talent?

If I am out and about, just anywhere in my day-today routine, I am always on the lookout for people with that service mindset. They might be working in lawn care or bagging groceries or anyone doing what they are doing and doing it well, with pride. If I receive good service, I make a point to tell that person ‘thank you’ and that I appreciate the job they are doing. I will tell them who I am and what I do, and let them know that if they are ever looking to make a change, to please call me.

Did you bring on investors to grow the business?

I did. I was able to do Otey’s and the first Taco Mama on my own, but when I opened the Tuscaloosa location, I brought on an investor, a silent partner, with a 49 percent stake.

Is that investor a mentor?

No, but I am developing a relationship with a mentor, a guy named Dennis Thompson out of Charlotte, North Carolina. He is involved with MountainBrookMagazine.com 35

Firebirds, started Lone Star Steakhouse, and has another concept, Viva Chicken. It started with a cold call from me, but recently, he and his son flew to town and I drove them around to all the Taco Mama restaurants. We have had some really good conversations. For me, it is really just to make sure I am thinking about things in the right direction. But I am always talking to other people in this business—Dyron Powell (Dyron’s Lowcountry), Ralph Yarbrough (Crestline Bagel Company)—we share ideas and experiences.

The Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce recently held their quarterly luncheon with a restaurant focus, and you were on the dais (along with Chez Lulu’s Carole Griffin, Crestline Bagel’s Ralph Yarbrough and AVO/ Dram’s Tom Sheffer). What was your biggest takeaway from that experience?

Really, it was just that there are more and more restaurants opening up, which drives us all to be better and better at what we do. If the fire in your belly is out, you need to get out of the business. The days of pre-packaged food are over. You have to be doing things from the heart and with passion, or you are not going to succeed. The hot topic right now is delivery because that can set you apart from your competition, but it is hard because once you hand off your product to a third party (like WAITR), you are in their hands. That is why you see companies like Panera opening up and developing their own delivery

36 MountainBrookMagazine.com

WILL HAVER ON OTEY’S FEST Otey’s Fest, for us, has always been

Basics. We are so grateful to our fellow

just a big party to thank all the loyal

retail neighbors who let us take over the

customers who have kept Otey’s in

parking lot there.

business for 29 years. To me, we’ve never had a lot of outside corporate money – it is not a big moneymaker for

Ninth Annual Otey’s Fest Saturday, July 28 || 6–10:30 p.m.

us—but we use it as a means to give

Otey’s Parking Lot

back to some organizations we believe

Featuring The Unusual Suspects

in. This year the recipients are The

& The Rebirth Brass Band

Phoenix Club of Birmingham and Better

(both from New Orleans)

MountainBrookMagazine.com 37

service, so they can control the whole process. That is a huge expense, more than what we can do on our own.

The real reason I wanted to participate in that event though was to show the public how hard the restaurant business is and how hard we work to excel. It is a labor of love and not for the feint of heart. Any business is tough to be successful but the restaurant business is an unusual beast because of the hours and the days of the week we work.

wife and two children live in Cherokee Bend.)

It is the best thing and it is the worst thing. We have so many friends who support us here, and I love that. The down side might be that it seems that mistakes can be magnified. We wouldn’t be in this business if we weren’t pleasers so we are always striving to do just that.

How are the various Taco Mama locations different?

It is interesting because you start at home – which What is it like to live in the community where is Crestline–and then you go from there. You can see your restaurants are located? (Will and his the growth and things tighten up and have better 38 MountainBrookMagazine.com

BIRMINGHAM

thanks for voting us BEST NEW BUSINESS AND BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE

design. It gets more sophisticated. But like any business, from day one, it is falling down and learning from experience. You make mistakes, you get up, you learn and grow. The thing I really love is that we have done a great job of keeping each location unique to the area we’re in. Each one just feels like a local taqueria.

Expanding as far away as Tennessee and North Carolina, how do you maintain the Taco Mama culture?

We have been extremely lucky in having some longtime Taco Mama managers relocate to open these locations.

These are people who understand the culture of our MountainBrookMagazine.com 39

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Taco Mama Founder Will Haver

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organization, who understand why we do things the way we do. It has been crucial to getting up and running in those markets more quickly.

Why do you think the Taco Mama concept is easily replicated in other locations, but you haven’t tried to open a second Otey’s restaurant?

Well, I never say never, but Taco Mama only came to be because of my experience at Otey’s, which is such a hands-on place, around the clock. Otey’s is really time-intensive. I opened Taco Mama as a way to earn more money for my family. Being close to Otey’s was perfect and being in my hometown was great.

I never intended to recreate it again and again in other places; it is just a model that works for that.

What is your opinion on service?

I love and respect people who do things really well. We find the best people and pay them well. I would rather pay people more and charge the guest more to keep the consistency of the product.

I think the guest is willing to pay more for that. I think the days of paying $8 – 10 an hour to keep good people, in my opinion, are over. Good service is an art.

We really like the music at Taco Mama.

We handpick the music for all of the Taco Mamas, and no one else has our playlist except Little Hardware. We’ve invested in a company called AME (American Music Environments), which is what radio stations use. We get requests all the time! Dayton Miller, our vice president of corporate development, and I change up our playlists all the time, adding stuff, deleting stuff. Different music plays at different times of day for a reason. You know, music can add so much to your experience in a restaurant.

40 MountainBrookMagazine.com

FOOD & DRINK

STRAWBERRY LEMON Frosé

WHAT’S IN IT 1 bottle of rosé, reserving some for topping 1 cup Deep Eddys Lemon Citrus vodka 3/4 cup puréed strawberries 1/2 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup simple syrup Dash of triple sec Fresh strawberry, lemon, basil, for garnish

DG PHOTO & TEXT BY EMMA SIMMONS

What some in fine dining consider a mixologist’s monstrosity isn’t scaring Daniel George from trying its hand at one of the coolest cocktail trends. Enter: the Frosé (Frozen Rosé, get it?). You can put that pinky down because this summery spritzer is essentially a spiked snow cone — sipped through a straw.

Now that’s something to smile about.

HOW TO MAKE IT Daniel George’s Savanah Hrbek recommends combining and carefully pouring the first five ingredients into silicon ice molds, which allow for faster freezing and pre-portioning.

Once the mixture is frozen, spoon the desired amount into a wine glass, and then gently muddle. Break up the ice with a dash of triple sec or fresh lemon juice. Top with sparkling rosé and enjoy!

MountainBrookMagazine.com 41

FOOD & DRINK

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Lane Carrick

MidiCi Neopolitan Pizza Owner + Franchisee PHOTO BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

We knew when we saw the menu that Lane Parke’s newest restaurant wasn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill Subway-style pizza place. Because there was Burrata Caprese, or Burrata with Melon & Prosciutto. And there’s a Purple Kale & Ricotta salad, or a Walnut & Gorgonzola one. And gelato! And that’s not even getting to their pizzas. They are looking to open in late July or early August. To tide us over until then, we got a sneak peek at what’s in store from the man who decided the Los Angeles concept needed an Alabama location.

What sold you on the MidiCi concept?

I wasn’t in the pizza business, and I wasn’t in the restaurant business. I walked into MidiCi in Los Angeles, and said, “This is better pizza than I have had anywhere else, and it’s a unique space.” In the pizza industry, with $20 billion in delivery take out and $20 in dine-in, dine-in was going through a transformation, being Chipotleized to source the best possible ingredients and make it to order. At MidiCi it was like fine dining marries Starbucks with an energetic vibe, and it made an outstanding product. “MidiCi” is an Italian phrase that means “talk to me.” The original unit in Los Angeles is a very social space, so the name communicates that. I came back and said I wanted to bring it to the South.

Why did you pick this location?

Our investment group has territory in Birmingham, part of Atlanta, Huntsville, Memphis, and Jackson, Mississippi, and this is our first location. I spent six months going around the South looking for the right demographic, and I found Lane Parke and thought it felt right. I like the energy in the 42 MountainBrookMagazine.com

Birmingham market. It was the best space and the best market we found. I felt like it was an interesting opportunity to take this West Coast concept and plug it in here.

What will the dining experience be like?

When you walk in, you will see an open display kitchen with two 10,000-pound wood-fire ovens from Naples that also act as functional art. All the preparation takes place in front of the patrons. All we have in our freezer is gelato. The pecorino, parmiginao-reggiano, prosciutto, and more are all sourced from the finest purveyors in Italy. We will be the second restaurant in the system to open with a full table service. We will have a live olive tree inside, and between that and the ovens and the aroma, there won’t be anything else like it in the market.

Can you talk more about the pizza itself?

You have to be certified to technically use the name Neapolitan, and it means you are following the original recipes with double refined flours and the right yeast. You have to let your dough rise for 24 hours, which makes for a better product. The Margherita

with Buffalo mozzarella from Italy is the most popular thing on the menu across the 36 stores, and has a price point around $9. If you haven’t had a Neapolitan pizza coming out of a 1,000-degree oven, I’d start there with a Margherita. The Devil’s is very spicy with spicy sausage, spicy Italian salami and red chilies, and the most popular pizza after the Margherita. I like the Breakfast Pizza because I love bacon and eggs.

What else is on the menu?

We will carry more salads than the Los Angeles restaurant. We will have soups and calzones, and we are adding pasta and chicken dishes to the menu, and a kids’ menu. I think the meat and cheese plate that includes pecorino and parmiginaoreggiano—we get it in a 100-pound block from the Parmesan region—is also exceptional paired with a glass of wine. We have a full bar with beer, wine and liquor.

We recognize this market wants not a $4 glass of wine but a nice glass of wine, and we’ll have local beers. We will also have late night happy hours from 9 p.m. until close, and the kitchen will be open as well.

&STYLE

HOME

FROM THE SCOFIELDS TO THE PARRISHES This family of six couldn’t ask for a more ideal location for a home to make their own.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY LAUREN USTAD MountainBrookMagazine.com 43

Y

You never know where a knock on a door might take you, or that’s what Ashley and Charlie Parrish found. Back in 2010, the couple was living in a loft on 2nd Avenue North in downtown Birmingham but knew they wanted to move to start a family. They’d looked around at houses, but hadn’t found quite what they were looking for. And then Ashley remembered a home across the street from where her sister used to live that had been on the market a couple of years back. It just so happened to be across from Mountain Brook Elementary School. “Why not knock on the door and ask if they’d be interested in selling?” she thought.

“Absolutely!” came the reply. “Come back tomorrow night for wine and cheese.” And come back they did, sitting on the idyllic red brick patio that would soon be their own. “We loved the bones of the home and really everything about it,” Ashley recalls. “(Mountain Brook Elementary) was right there. We didn’t know at the time it would be key to our success.” Unbeknownst to them at the house closing, they were already pregnant with their first child, Sara Frances.

And Samuel came the next year, and Mary Charles the year after that.

“Everyone kept saying, ‘It will be great when they go to school,’” Ashley says. “But when the first got into preschool at the elementary school, I got it. We didn’t have to get in the car.” This fall her older three children will be in kindergarten,

44 MountainBrookMagazine.com

first and second grade, with baby Collier still a few years away.

When they bought the 1930 Scofield-Henry home, the Parrishes knew it needed “some love,” so they set to work getting the kitchen and bathrooms renovated and making the space a better fit for their growing family. Before long, Ashley had become friends with Katrina Porter as she helped them think through designs for their spaces. Additional living space and bedrooms had been added onto the house on both floors in 1992, and they needed a freshening up as well.

“It’s very quirky,” Ashley says of the house. “That’s what I like about it.” As she walks through its corridors, she can point out the door knobs that turn the wrong way, a small door that’s painted shut (no, they don’t know what’s behind it), and the way an upstairs hallway narrows from one end to the other since it follows the property line instead of squaring up with the architecture. Also of note, the Parrishes have been told that the bricks that built the home were from the first Jefferson County courthouse, but they are still working on research to confirm that fact.

Ashley, Charlie and their kids have made their mark on most of the house with interior updates and memory making, but one thing has remained exactly the same: their love for the shaded brick patio where they first had wine and cheese those eight years ago.

Back Patio It was this brick patio (opposite) that sold the Parrishes on their house, and it’s only become more inviting over the years as the Confederate jasmine has grown up and around from a single pot. Plus, Ashley notes that the plant is very low maintenance.

They’ve added a basketball goal and pull-up bar for play for son Samuel and Charlie, respectively, and when the kids want to play in grass, they simply head across the street to Mountain Brook Elementary’s field and playground.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 45

Living Room Ashley credits At Home and Nadeau in Homewood for the dĂŠcor of this room, along with beloved portraits of her kids by Barbara Harbin. The Parrishes added gas logs to the room and painted, but most of the space is original to the home.

Kitchen Designer Katrina Porter re-envisioned this small kitchen and opened it up to the dining space adjacent to it.

Perhaps most of note is the vertical tile backsplash that helps make the space seem bigger, and that invites compliments from everyone who comes in for the first time, Ashley says. Katrina also helped the Parrishes select their Wolf range and add storage in a butler’s pantry and a long built-in bench against the wall in the dining area.

46 MountainBrookMagazine.com

Girls’ Rooms Mary Charles and Sara Frances’s rooms are on their own corridor in the back of the upstairs in an addition to the home built in 1992, and both are very pretty in pink. Their bathroom, like the others in the house, features penny-round floors, and the tubs were painted to restore them to new-looking condition.

Boy’s Room Samuel has his own room and bathroom separate from the girls with décor that harkens to his interest in sports.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 47

Master Bathroom Elegant Alabama white marble tile blankets this private space, replacing the turquoise quartz and gold sinks that had been there when the Parrishes bought the home.

BEHIND THE SCENES KITCHEN, BATH & INTERIOR DESIGN: Katrina Porter, Katrina Porter Designs

LANDSCAPING: Peter Faulkner

SELECT FURNISHINGS: At Home, Nadeau

CONSTRUCTION: Bradley Monceis, TCC Construction PAINTING: Bob Lipsey Painting

48 MountainBrookMagazine.com

Natural Nestings AT HOME

Photos & Text By Jessica Clement

1

Your home should be a haven—the place where you feel comfortable and relaxed at the end of a long day. One of my favorite ways to turn a house into a retreat is by incorporating natural elements into the decor. Layering textures such as a kilim rug or wool throw and mixing materials like rattan and bronze are easy ways to bring serenity to a space.

6

2

1. Gray Resin Side Table- Patina, $440. 2. Discs on Metal Stands- Patina, $135 - $435. 3. Kilim Rug- Paige Albright Orientals, pricing at retailer.

4. Napa Home & Garden Imperial Lanterns- Bromberg’s, $275 - $325.

5. Wool Print Lumbar Pillow- Paige Albright Orientals, $175. 6. Rattan Place Mats- The Cook Store, $16 for set of two.

3

5

4

Jessica Clement is an interior designer and stylist who believes that well designed interiors should tell the story about the people who live there.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 49

Be Bright and Bold IN STYLE

By Madison Freeman Photos by Lauren Ustad

1

2

LOOK 1

4 3 1. STRIPE DRESS BY MARIE OLIVER Stripes and bright colors will make you stand out this summer, especially in this flatteringly cut dress.

Elle | $288

2. GOLD HOOPS BY DEAN DAVIDSON Simple and elegant hoops can pull together an outfit.

Elle | $145

3. JOIA CLEAR BAG Game day will be here before we know it and you’re going to need a clear bag before the game! This one will go with any colors you’re wearing to support your team.

Pants Store | $30

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4. CUFF BRACELET BY LAURA MCLENDON This thick and chunky bracelet is simple yet makes a statement.

Elle | $145

5. RANDALL BLUE SUEDE SHOES BY MARC FISHER Add a pop of color to an outfit by pairing it with these strappy shoes.

Monkee’s | $160

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1. ABACOS TASSEL EARRING BY BAUBLE BAR

1

Big, bright and colorful statement earrings are everywhere this summer!

Monkee’s | $42

2. ESCAPE HAT BY HATATTACK This fun straw hat is so in right now and is the perfect addition to any street style look this summer.

Monkee’s | $95

2

3. BRIGHT ORANGE TANK TOP

BY MOLLIE BURCH This loose fitting tank is part of a super cute matching set that both very comfortable and perfect for a date night, concert or vacation.

Monkee’s | $150

3

LOOK 2

4. BRIGHT ORANGE MATCHING SHORTS BY MOLLIE BURCH These shorts pair well with the matching tank, but can be mixed with other solid tops too.

Monkee’s | $118

4

5. SOFT HIDE CLUTCH

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This locally made clutch is simply fabulous for any fun or fancy outfit.

Elle | $225

6. GOLD FLATS BY VINTAGE HAVANA Banded flats are trending right now, and these are simple enough to pair with several summer outfits.

Elle | $50

6

Madison is a local fashion, home decor, travel and lifestyle blogger opening her door up for you on insidemyopendoor.com.

SUMMER MUST-HAVES 3

1

2

1. GOLD FEATHER EARRINGS

2. SIMPLE CHAINED NECKALACE

These earrings are everywhere right now, and this pair comes at a fantastic price.

Pants Store | $30

If you like simple jewelry, you’ll love this casual necklace to go with most any outfit in our closet.

Pants Store | $25

3. BEADED FRINGE EARRINGS BY DEEPA GURNANI The tassels add an element that makes you want to wear these all the time.

Elle | $59

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SUSAN DUMAS FINDS FREEDOM ON THE HUNT FOR VINTAGE CLOTHING AND WANTS OTHER WOMEN TO AS WELL.

BY MILAN BALLARD | PHOTOS BY REBECCA WISE 52 MountainBrookMagazine.com

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“I wanted to express myself through my clothes, and apparently, I like to be one of a kind.”

–Susan Dumas

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Stepping into Susan Dumas’ Crestline home is a breath of fresh air. The art, knick-knacks and vintage items lining floor to ceiling would put any gallery wall to shame. From bohemian fabric covered piano stools, to colorful paintings with mismatched frames, every nook and cranny is adorned with something unique and exciting, perfectly curated for her family’s home. But it’s not just her home that’s filled with surprises. Her closet full of vintage clothing and accessories is what dreams are made of.

And it all started in her mother’s closet in her hometown of Selma. Susan vividly recalls the day she stumbled upon a wide, hand-tooled and lovingly worn leather belt from her mother’s college days that piqued her interest. With that, she jokes, “The purple Guess jeans just did not cut it anymore.”

From there, her clothing collection grew in the years after high school. Digging through her

sorority’s skit closet at the University of Alabama became a habit, and she would wear her finds out at night.

Then just as today, seeing joy in imperfection catches her eye and draws her to the unique pieces.

“I have always loved objects with history—books, old ladders, reclaimed wood, art, rusted wire baskets,” she says. “Show me something with scars, maybe faded or mended, but definitely imperfect.”

Today her collection is much grander and filled with rare, colorful and purposeful garments, each with a story to tell. For Susan, clothing isn’t just something she throws on to go about her day; rather it offers a sense of release. “When I turned 40, I discovered the caftan,” she says. ““I threw away all my pants, quit exercising and cooking, stopped straightening my crazy, curly hair, started loving my aging body and wearing caftans. Total liberation.”

MountainBrookMagazine.com 55

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For her, dressing in vintage clothing is a refreshing and welcome change in a time when “fast-fashion” rules and keeping up with new trends can seem like an impossible task. With the latest and greatest in fashion available at the click of a button, digging through racks of vintage garments may seem exhausting to some. But for Susan, the risk is worth the reward.

“I don’t wear contemporary clothes,” she says. “I only wear vintage. Before I got serious about my vintage collection, I think I had one pair of black pants, some jeans and a dress. I hated shopping.”

Vintage shopping, on the other hand, became a treasure hunt. You might not always find what you’re looking for, but she finds the satisfaction from finally stumbling upon the perfect piece.

“Now, I cannot wait to put on one of my caftans because I truly feel beautiful. I might look like Mrs. Roper, but I feel like Cindy Crawford. I just don’t care, it’s for me.”

Susan isn’t just shopping for herself either. With a collection of garments spanning multiple decades, styles and sizes, she has seasoned vintage lovers like herself in mind, as well as novices, which she now shares on her Etsy shop, I Wish I Could Keep It All. And at the request of friends wanting to shop

her collection, Susan opened her home for a vintage get-together. Following its success came multiple vintage events, as she invited other Mountain Brook women to “come play!” Susan supplies snacks, advice and little stories about each piece, while mini fashion shows go on in the background.

On a get-together day, her home is filled with sexy halter dresses, muumuus, timeless evening gowns, and delicate, detailed tops. Printed silk scarves, woven leather belts, chunky costume jewelry and embellished bags are carefully on display, ready to be thrown over the vintage garment of a shopper’s choosing. With four rooms filled to the brim with clothing and accessories, there really is something for everyone.

With every piece Susan’s mission is the same: for women to find their personal style, without being boxed in by what’s new and trending this season. she says.

She doesn’t do it alone either. On a sale day, you’ll find family and friends helping guests hunt through the racks and arranging dressing rooms, all dressed head to toe in their own favorite vintage items. Trying things on is a must, and showing off a perfect fit is encouraged. “Seeing women feel beautiful in something they found that they liked,”

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is all part of the reward for Susan. “All the other women at the show start getting so excited, telling the other women how beautiful they look. (It’s) magic.”

Still, as with all clothing shopping, a perfect fit is not always guaranteed. It’s important to “see the vision” in a unique piece, as Susan advises. A shopper might love the pattern or color, but the fit is all wrong. But with a couple nips and tucks by a skilled seamstress, it could become a wardrobe favorite. Susan is ready and waiting to offer her guests advice and praise, and enjoys seeing different

Susan Dumas holds vintage clothing sales in her Crestline home.

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pieces come together and modeled on adoring guests. When a woman falls in love with an item she worked so hard to procure, she’s elated.

Sometimes that even means parting with some of her favorite pieces, like a 1970s David Brown eggplant accordion pleat caftan with a beautiful Chinese lantern print she wore on the day of her first event. By the end of the day, she had sold the caftan to a woman who loved it as much as she did.

There is only ever one of any item in her collection, so she says to hang on to one if it’s special.

Event by event, Susan is garnering an interest

and appreciation for vintage items in women of all ages. “My goddaughter Helen loves vintage clothes and it says so much about her,” Susan says, “She is fearless and confident and intelligent and is not afraid to be exactly who she is. She is my spirit animal. I was wearing purple Guess jeans, and I think there are a lot of girls out there doing the same.”

As for her personal collection, Susan is drawn to the color and design of 1960s and 1970s American vintage, as well as 1970s Moroccan, Pakistani and Indian pieces. “I am a total snob about 1980s ‘vintage’. Those are just used clothes to me,” she says. “Clothes were made so well in the ‘70s. You would never know they have been around for decades.”

If you’ve missed Susan’s events, you can look forward to more in the future. Susan has no plans on slowing her vintage collecting, and is excited to invite more women to “come play.” After all, playing dress up is half the fun.

To shop Susan’s vintage collection and learn more, visit iwishicouldkeepitall.com. To learn about upcoming events, follow her on Instagram @ssdumas or watch for her posts on the “What’s Happening in Mountain Brook” Facebook page.

Caring for your Family

Celia Davenport, DMD 2940 Clairmont Ave S, Birmingham 205-277-2297 davenportdentalandwellness.com MountainBrookMagazine.com 59

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SHINING LIGHT IN DARK PLACES An artist’s journey through international adoption took a different route than she envisioned—and led to ties she and her tribe are still nurturing today.

BY TRACEY RECTOR PHOTOS BY THE ARCHIBALD PROJECT & CONTRIBUTED MountainBrookMagazine.com 61

S

Sometimes what seem to be rather insignificant decisions end up impacting lives in unexpected ways.

For Wellon Bridgers, her self-described “random decision” to take French at Mountain Brook High School years ago led her down a path she never envisioned – one that resulted in the artist working to reunite families and place orphans for adoption in French-speaking Congo.

For Wellon and her husband, Stephen, adoption was always a part of their plan to grow their family.

When their biological twins were 15 months old, the time seemed right. They became part of a pilot program with four other families to adopt children from the Republic of Congo. Soon thereafter, they were matched with twin boys and began the process of securing visas, completing other legal documents, and sending monthly financial support for the children they anticipated bringing into their family.

Then things took a strange turn. “Piece by very confusing piece, it became apparent that the story we had been told about the boys’ situation was a lie,” Wellon recalls. “The parents were married and the boys had older teenaged sisters.” The Bridgers had stumbled upon the dirty little secret of international adoption: parents in desperate straits forced to give up kids they cannot afford to support.

Wellon and Stephen were horrified. “We stepped away,” she says. “We told the agency we were working with, ‘This is not right.’”

It was a realization that changed everything for them. “Our eyes were opened. We couldn’t turn away,” Wellon says. “So we went into research mode. Is this

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just a problem in Congo or is it throughout the international adoption landscape?”

NOT AS IT SEEMS What the Bridgers discovered was a grim world completely at odds with the idealized vision most Westerners have about international adoption—one where families in general and mothers in particular are coerced into giving up their children for adoption.

Orphanages in “survival mode” countries pop up seemingly overnight when officials see Westerners with money willing to spend it freely in the hopes of adopting a child.

Corruption occurs at every level. As a result, Wellon says that “children are identified for adoption that never should be classified as orphans.”

She tells a chilling example of the corruption they found. Because of her background in French, she found herself translating relinquishment documents that included testimony from the child’s parents.

“Every single document used the exact same language from the parents as to why they were relinquishing custody. That just doesn’t happen.”

The Bridgers were haunted by the situation they almost fell into. “We were asking really hard questions,” Wellon says. “We are not naïve people.” It occurred to them that if adopting children removed them from their parents against their wishes could happen to them, it was certainly happening to folks who weren’t as skeptical as they were.

Disillusioned by their experience, Wellon and Stephen continued to search for an organization that

OPPOSITE: Wellon Bridgers and a team from the U.S. on a recent visit to Mwana Villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Blakely Barley and her husband Matt are in the process of adopting Eli through Mwana Villages. They are one of several Birmingham residents who have visited since Wellon Bridgers started leading the U.S. arm of the nonprofit.

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HOW TO HELP MWANA Efforts to help Mwana Villages are ongoing. Here are some ways to support the orphanage and its programs to support vulnerable families and children. To learn more about either, visit mwanavillages.org.

SPONSORSHIP– You can make a

monthly donation to help support a child at the Mwana Refuge. Sponsors are matched with a child or family and will receive regular updates and photos.

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS– Mwana Refuge is currently renting space, and there is a campaign to raise funds to construct a new facility of their own. Plans include a school that would be open to full-tuition paying Congolese families and French expat families alongside the children in care at Mwana. The goal is a revenue generating model that doesn’t rely solely on donations.

was committed to ethical practices and would only place orphans who truly needed homes. “Who, if anyone, does this well?’” they asked. Their newfound knowledge led them to a Canadian-based organization called Mwana Villages.

Founded by Cheryl and Lambert Laki-Laka (she is Canadian and he is Congolese), Mwana Villages, based in the Republic of Congo, knows and understands the cultural norms of the country and is committed to prioritizing family unification when possible. “Mwana” is the local Congolese word for “child,” and their dedication to preserving the Congolese family first resonated with the Bridgers. “It’s a beautiful model,” Wellon says. “All throughout the organization you have this blending and collaboration of Western and Congolese cultures that is absolutely necessary. Cultural differences are almost insurmountable unless you have the processes in place” to facilitate communication and understanding.

It was a mutually beneficial relationship. Wellon and Stephen were able to share what they had learned in their research with the founders and the board of Mwana Villages about the vast problems that plagued the world of international adoption. After months of closely studying how the agency made decisions, they were fully confident that the organization was sincere in their efforts to work with women in crisis to keep their children first. Feeling as though they had indeed found an agency that “did it well,” they decided to proceed with an adoption of their own.

THIS CRAZY, WONDERFUL LIFE Enter Leila and Daniel. Wellon’s face glows when she talks about bringing her two youngest children home from Congo in October of 2015. “I couldn’t wait to become their mama, and get to know every little part of (them) and their wonderful personalities,” Wellon says. The day was gray and rainy when the Bridgers arrived at Mwana Villages to welcome the two toddlers into their family, but the only tears shed were tears of joy. It was the culmination of a long, emotionally wrenching journey for Wellon and Stephen but also the beginning of a wonderful new chapter in their lives.

Older siblings Fitz and Chloe are three-and-a-half years older, and while Leila and Daniel aren’t technically twins or even biologically related, the closeness of their age almost makes it seem as if they are. Life at the Bridgers’ is one of constant activity and fun, which isn’t surprising in a house with four children under the age of eight. “I never get bored,“ Wellon says with a laugh.

Behind the chaos of children in her home, you’ll also find art by Wellon, whose paintings hang in homes and galleries around the country too. Her artwork, especially the abstract landscapes, reflects her belief in light and hope that is always present through even the darkest of circumstances. It’s a belief confirmed through the Bridgers’ adoption journey, and one she has drawn from to create artwork that has been used MountainBrookMagazine.com 65

Wellon Bridgers plays with her children Leila and Daniel, as documented by The Archibald Project, an organization that uses storytelling to expand a movement to care for orphaned and vulnerable children.

to help raise funds for Mwana Villages.

After their adoption, the Bridgers continued to volunteer with the organization, and the friends who had walked alongside them through the process became involved in supporting Mwana Villages as well. Soon Wellon’s involvement would increase, too.

She recalls talking with a consultant who specialized in helping those who work with nonprofits. “The advice to us was: ‘Right now, you have a backyard garden. You have dreams to become a fully operational farm but you cannot get from point A to point B without someone coming on board to really run this thing.’”

The pieces started falling into place when Stephen, a lawyer, told Wellon, “You know, let’s just file the paperwork and make this a U.S. nonprofit as well, so that our giving, our friends’ giving, our church’s giving can be tax deductible.”

Once again, their friends came through. “To file the paperwork, you have to have three unrelated board 66 MountainBrookMagazine.com

members,” Wellon says. “My best friend’s husband is an accountant, my other best friend is a pediatrician, and I knew they weren’t going to say no.” Mwana Villages was soon registered as a U.S. nonprofit with Wellon as executive director and a fully staffed board of directors. “We really didn’t envision it going beyond our circle of friends and supporters,” she says. But according to the latest financial statement published for Mwana Villages, some 63 percent of global donations come from donors across the United States.

NOT YOUR TYPICAL ORPHANAGE If you search #notyourtypicalorphanage, Mwana Villages is the first thing that comes up. Courtney Baxley, pediatrician and medical director of Mwana Villages U.S., got to see this for herself recently. She’s one of Wellon’s oldest friends – since their days at Mountain Brook Gymnastics in third grade – and on a trip to the Republic of Congo with Wellon she came

away completely humbled by what she saw. “This organization does amazing things for the vulnerable women and children of Congo,” she says. “We saw the love and care provided to each child at the home – three meals a day and warm milk at night, the ‘mamas’ at the home singing and dancing with the children and saying prayers each evening.” While there, Courtney says they were also able to meet with local physicians and hospitals to advance relationships that can provide for medical needs as they arise.

Wellon is passionate in her belief that all children deserve a loving family, preferably their own, which is why she and Stephen are so committed to Mwana Villages’ model of family reunification first.

She is hopeful that as the corruption all too common in international adoption is exposed, policies that seek to preserve families will become the norm, rather than the exception.

“I think it’s starting to change, which energizes me to keep working,” she says. “Pro-adoption folks and the church tend to regard adoption as ‘the solution’ for orphans in crisis. But when you only look at the child, you’re ignoring all these reasons why the children are abandoned or adoptable in the first place, and you’re forgetting or ignoring the women behind them.“ Supporting these women, she believes, creates a way for these mothers to escape exploitation and the feelings of helplessness many face in dire economic circumstances.

That French class at Mountain Brook High School was small – only a handful of students. But for Wellon Bridgers, that small decision opened up a much wider world of possibility and an opportunity to help shine light and spread hope in a dark place halfway across the world.

A recent family photo of the Bridgers with their four children.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 67

UNPLUGGED MBE’S BILL ANDREWS IS GETTING FAMILIES OUTSIDE AND INTO THE WILDERNESS AND BEYOND—AND HELPING THEM CONNECT AND BUILD CONFIDENCE ALONG THE WAY.

BY MELANIE PEEPLES PHOTOS BY REBECCA WISE & CONTRIBUTED

On a hot summer day last year I yearned for water. Not to drink, and not the chlorinated kind you float in at a backyard or community pool. No, I wanted nature. For me and my 9-year-old son. The idea of slipping kayaks through shoals began to overtake me. I could see us, floating past trees, watching green leaves wave in the wind, languid birds flapping in a blue, blue sky. I could feel the water on my skin, see it beading up and rolling off my arms. The problem was, I don’t own a kayak or life jacket, or know the first thing about it, other than you need someone downstream to give you a ride back up to your car. Truth is, I’ve always wanted to spend more time outdoors, but since I did not grow up in (or marry into) an outdoorsy family, I figured my fate was sealed. And I hated that meant my son’s fate was sealed, too.

That’s a common thread among people who pick up the phone and call Bill Andrews at Treeline Expeditions. For six years now, Bill has been helping other people who want to get outside but don’t know how, or don’t want to deal with the expense and inconvenience

MountainBrookMagazine.com 69

of all the gear that goes with an outdoor lifestyle. He does all the planning, takes you out on the water (or the woods) and best of all, brings you back safely.

You might think Bill grew up an Eagle Scout, but you’d be wrong. Oh, he loved the outdoors growing up in Mountain Brook, but says he just never felt like he gelled with the Boy Scout pack he was a part of. He felt the same way at school.

“I was always the quietest kid in school,” he says, sitting in the small warehouse that serves as his office, a classroom, and storeroom for all the kayaks, mountain bikes and backpacks you need to venture outdoors. “I was voted least likely to raise my hand in high school.”

But when he tried an out-ofstate, month-long expedition Suzanne and Bill Andrews program as a teen, he found a confidence he didn’t feel anywhere else. “I found I had leadership qualities. It really brought me out of the shell I was in,” he says. He discovered that other boys actually listened to him, and the idea was planted, even then, that’s what

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he wanted to do for other kids.

After graduating from Samford University, he started teaching fifth grade at Mountain Brook Elementary, and he’s been there for 20 years, helping the quiet kids—the daydreamers, like he was—find a way out of their shells. Bill says he knew early on that he wanted to create an outdoors program for the kids he saw in school, kids so in need of what nature can give them, but then he fell in love with fellow fifth grade teacher Suzanne.

He wanted to marry her and adopt her two children, and that meant putting his dream company on the back burner. Which he happily did.

Somewhere around six years ago, when their kids were in high school, the itch came back.

“Suzanne saw me googling, and said, ‘Let’s give it a go.’” So, they made the leap. The couple started by leading a week-long guided trip with high school-age kids to the Pecos Wilderness near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“All the right pieces fell into place,” Bill says. The

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Treeline Expeditions leads kayaking trips on the Coosa River and in the Bahamas.

people on the trip didn’t know each other, and Bill enjoyed watching them learn to work together and respect each other’s strengths. They hiked and camped and ate together, and he had a lightbulb moment: “I thought, ‘Okay, this is going to work.’”

Treeline Expeditions has been putting together week-long trips ever since, including an annual spring break trip to the Bahamas (Suzanne’s favorite), where they kayak by day and spend nights on uninhabited islands. “We snorkel, spear fish and chill on the beach, Bahamas style,” Bill says.

They even plan custom-made outings for companies who want a bonding experience in nature. They just tell him whether they want a day trip or overnight excursion, and Bill puts it all together. He’s also a Wilderness First Responder, which means he’s had significant training in first aid for guides.

During the school year, since he still teaches at Mountain Brook Elementary, Bill holds afterschool programs, taking kids hiking, mountain biking and kayaking—as long as it’s warm enough. He picks up 72 MountainBrookMagazine.com

kids from central pickup points in Mountain Brook and nearby areas, gets them out in nature and returns them to his Treeline Expeditions office. If the weather is bad, they work on S.T.E.A.M (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math) projects in the Treeline Expedition classroom.

At first, he considered their company motto “Outdoors, Active, and Unplugged,” but more and more he wants to serve families who find it hard to break away from their phones and social media, and sees his mission as getting people to “Unplug and Connect” to each other.

“When you can take all that other stuff away and it’s just time to play Yahtzee by the fire or it’s time to just chill in the hammock and just enjoy each other’s company and talk and learn—that’s so needed today,” he says.

Watching kids build confidence, and families put down their cell phones and spend time totally focused on each other is his favorite part. “That’s why we do what we do,” he says.

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W W W . A P E P P E R M I N T P H O T O . C O M MountainBrookMagazine.com 73

Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce C O N N E C T I O N S

New Member Spotlight -Abenoja Orthodontics at Liberty Park -Assurance Financial -Eleven Eleven -Gypsy Girl (Girls & Tween Clothing Store) -Charles Schwab -Zoco Stylist & Boutique -EW Motion Therapy -LifeStyle Organizing Services, LLC -Yelp Inc. -Tip Top Bins, LLC -Office Plant Services, LLC -Southern Development Council -Birmingham Zoo, Inc.

Happenings Around Town

Jazz with Civitas April 19

Diner En Noir April 20

SpringalingadingdongApril 21

Shades Creek FestApril 7

Chamber Luncheon Featuring Restaurant Panel - April 26

BBVA Compass Networking Social May 10

It’s not too late to hop on the Mountain Brook Restaurant Trail for a chance to win a $1800 prize! #i8mb

mtnbrookchamber.org/ restaurant-trail Mountain Brook's digital mall is now live! https://outklick.com/shop/ mountain-brook

101 HOYT LANE 74 MountainBrookMagazine.com

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Save the Date Wednesdays through August 15

Shades Valley Presbyterian Church Farmer’s Market 3:00-6:00

Icehouse Ribbon Cutting - April 18

Tulipano Ribbon Cutting - April 14

July 12

BBVA Compass Social Location TBD 5:45-7:00

July 21

Market Day in Mountain Brook Village

ARC Realty Ribbon Cutting - May 2

Eleven Eleven Ribbon Cutting - May 8

August 11

Crestline Tent Sales in Crestline Village

Zoco Stylist & Boutique Ribbon Cutting - May 8

Grandview Medical Cancer Center Grand Opening- May 31

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WWW.MTNBROOKCHAMBER.ORG MountainBrookMagazine.com 75

OUT & ABOUT

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SPRINGALINGADINGDONG

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PHOTOS BY ELEANOR KERR

The merchants of English Village said au revoir to winter and oui oui oui to spring with a walking parade, giant puppets, a marching band, maypole dance, kids activities, rites of spring, games and free cake on April 21.

1. Jack and Lida McWilliams 2. Rob Dean

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3. Aleph Johnson 4. Piper Cowan 5. Kevin and Laura Gessert with Gunner 6. Rob, Emily and Caroline Dean 7. Lila and Sarah Drummond, and Rawlins and Christie Jordan 8. Sally and Tack Boehm 9. Kathleen Breland and Teresa Baker 10. Asha Gangalli and Bob Gunn 11. Seona Griffith and Sidney Buckingham 12. Dave, Britney, and Lillian Cowart 13. Sibley Clikas, and Walton and Ann Clark Fleming

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OUT & ABOUT

CITIZEN APPRECIATION DAY

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City employees shared about the services they offer and welcomed residents to lunch, face painting and more festivities on April 28.

1. Stella, Rumi and Drew Doss 2. Steven Boone and Heather Richards 3. Albert, Susan and Avery Watson 4. Mary Jean Archer and Will Vaughn 5. Isabella and Pan Maldia 6. Anna Wells Wallace 7. Virginia Blair 8. Alice Gaddy 9. Ella Frances Mandell and EK Williams 10. Madeline and Patrick Crye 11. Lauren and Henderson Burnette 12. Lulah and Hollis Bankad

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OUT & ABOUT

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MOUNTAIN BROOK SCHOOLS SHOWCASE

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Mountain Brook Schools students of all ages presented what they are learning at this third annual event on April 23.

1. Grace Bittick and Sophie Ward of MBE Recycled Innovations 2. MBJH Choir 3. Kate Brown and Parker Statham of Leadership Mountain Brook

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4. Mary Kate Hughes and Jose Pilco of Leadership Mountain Brook 5. MBHS AP Computer Science students Banks Watson, Lucy Harrison, Nancy Kate Nicrosi, Ellen Dulin and Leighton Friedman 6. Jack Steinmetz, Will McDonald, Mary Margaret Freeland and Sarah Taylor 7. MBHS AP Art students Liam Aberle, Izzy Narducci and Lena Pelham 8. Betsie Boggs and Mary Catherine Clark (back) with Betsie Boggs and Drake DeMedices (front) 9. Emily Bebenek, Molly Russell, Campbell Boyd and Lilly LeJeune of MBJH TEDx 10. Elizabeth Gwaltney, Erica Lee, Elizabeth Fitzpatrick and Lauren Anson of CES The Cougar Cooks 11. Liam Aberle with his artwork 80 MountainBrookMagazine.com

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OUT & ABOUT

ART IN THE VILLAGE

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PHOTOS BY ELEANOR KERR

The Mountain Brook Art Association moved its annual art festival in Crestline Field to Mother’s Day weekend this year.

1. Bragan and Forest Petrey 2. Raeanna Bolley and Gretchen Vann 3. Maddie and Enzo Swaid 4. Jerry and Cass Klimcak 5. Anna Elizabeth Byrne and Elizabeth Harris 6. Carmen and James Macyauski 7. Hannah White, Katie Kehl and Anna Morgan Butler 8. Ashley Smith, Alicia Kelly and Barbara McLendon 9. Bill Veitch; Suzanne, John, Julianna and Jackson Halcomb; and Kat Pilleteri 10. Anna Brooks Allen, Sophie Jane Knott and Katie Baird

205-447-3275 • cezelle@realtysouth.com

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OUT & ABOUT

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OUT & ABOUT

SUMMER READING KICK-OFF

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PHOTOS BY ELEANOR KERR

The Junior Women’s Committee of 100 hosted this carnival and fun run to kick off summer reading at Emmet O’Neal Library on May 20.

1. Laura and Cecilia Finch 2. Betsy Anker 3. Hill Tomlinson 4. Ann Hays Haughseth and Maggie Holt 5. John Michael Straughn 6. Lilly Sullivan and Madeline Mckee 7. Ann Royal Goodson, Maddie Freeman and Lilly Nomberg 8. Hill and Ward Bromstead, and Andrew Malone 9. Belle Perrine, Mary Graham and Camille Haughseth 10. Eliza Trotter and Bailey Simpson

Trendy and contemporary styles for tweens, juniors, and ladies!

Show us you follow @snapcrestline on Instagram at checkout and receive 10% off all regular-priced merchandise!

205-500-0302

240 Country Club Park • Crestline SnapGirls_MBMarch18_2018_046_61_1_427107_SCR__B_190_V1b

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3.5x 2.25 16_Feb_18_

OUT & ABOUT

Thank you for voting us

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BEST SWEET TREATS!

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Cookie Fix

2854 18th Street S Homewod, AL www.cookiefix.com 205-582-2623 9

Join friends and neighbors at the Homewood Library Foundation’s 5th annual

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PA R T Y

Saturday August 11th 5 – 8 pm 1721 Oxmoor Road - rain or shine Admission includes food, cold beverages, music, fun for all ages

Tickets at the door and at HomewoodLibraryFoundation.org Buy tickets online for automatic entry in prize drawings (and check out our sponsors while you’re there)

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OUT & ABOUT

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ST. JUDE FIELD OF DREAMS

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PHOTOS BY KALAI KENNEDY-LYNAM

With the support of the community, sponsors and St. Jude Field of Dreams Committee, this fundraiser event raised $210,045.38 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on May 12 at the Grand Bohemian Hotel.

1. Meleesa and Dr. Jason Jack 2. Dennelle Finley, Meleesa Jack, Molly Fielding and Jenifer Debruge

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3. Emily and Debbie Anderson 4. John and Leslie Edwards, and John and Shelley Sims 5. Jill Wiggins, Helon Baldone, Kelly Webb, Miranda Vickers, Lindsay Klyce Handey, Monica Vercher, Ashley Bazemore, Regina Reese and Lynn Cogburn 6. Stephen and Carmen Boehme 7. Leann and Randy Rysedorph, and Molly Fielding

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OUT & ABOUT

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ROCK BAND LEAGUE BATTLE OF THE BANDS PHOTOS BY CANVAS BAG MEDIA

Ten bands of Mason Music students took the Saturn stage on April 22 at the Rock Band League final concert and Battle of the Bands, presented

by Otey’s and Taco Mama.

1. Reid Ramsbacher (Drums) 2. Jay Pickett (Guitar) and Maisy Harris (Piano)

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3. Jack Fischer (Guitar) 4. Sophie Skillern (Vocals, Bass)

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MARKETPLACE

Marketplace Mountain Brook Magazine • 205.669.3131

LAWN CARE •Large Properties •Lake Properties •Property Cleanups - Great Rates! Free Estimates!

-Shelby and Chilton Counties- 10% DISCOUNT for Military & Senior Citizens.

Call Alex 205-955-3439

Maintenance. 3001 7th Street. North Clanton, AL 35045. TDD#s: 800-5482547(V) 800-548-2546(T/A) bentcreek@morrowapts. com Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm. Equal Opportunity Provider/Employer

INDUSTRIAL ATHLETES $17.68 hour + production & safety $$$ incentives.

Grocery order selection using electric pallet jacks & voice activated headsets.

PART-TIME TRUCK DRIVERCLASS A Average $0.53 per mile deliver palletized loads to grocery stores within 300 mile radius. Work available 7 days/week. Can lead to full-time employment. Clean MVR and 2 years minimum tractor-trailer experience required. Paid vacation & holidays. Blue Cross health & dental insurance. Matching 401k plan. Apply online at AGSOUTH.COM or call Charlie Seagle at (205) 8084833 Pre-employment drug test required.

BEST CARS, INC in Clanton, AL. Double your Tax Refund • Up to $1,000 on purchase of select vehicles. Offer good through February 28, 2018. 1674 7th Street South, Clanton AL 35045 205-7553737 **Bring in this ad to qualify for Tax Refund offer!**

Automation Personnel Services Hiring IMMEDIATELY For: Automotive Assembly, General Labor, Production, Clerical, Machine Operator, Quality, Carpentry, Welder, Foundry. Positions In: Calera, Clanton, Pelham, Bessemer, McCalla. Walk-in applications accepted. Clanton (205)2800002. Pelham (205)444-9774.

B & J Metal Fabricators Offering more than roofing!

•Metal roofing •Portable metal buildings •Custom sizes available Customize your own!! Montevallo (205)665-4687 (205)2969988 Bama Concrete Now Hiring: Diesel Mechanic 4 Years Minimum Experience.

CDL Preferred. Competitive Pay. Great Benefits. Apply in person: 2180 Hwy 87 Alabaster, 35007 Bent Creek Apartments.

Affordable 1 and 2 Bedroom.

On-site Manager. On-site

Class-A CDL Truck Driver needed. Great pay with health benefits, holiday and vacation pay. Home every night. Contact Cahaba Veneer office at 205-9269797.

Birmingham Hide & Tallow Immediate position for CLASS-B ROUTE DRIVERS FOR LOCAL ROUTE. WELLESTABLISHED 100+ YEAR COMPANY NOW HIRING ROUTE DRIVERS. HOME NIGHTS/WEEKENDS. LOOKING FOR HARD WORKING DRIVERS TO JOIN OUR TEAM. CLEAN MVR/BG CHECK REQUIRED. COMPETITIVE PAY & BENEFITS: BCBC, 401K, PAID HOLIDAYS/VACATION, COMPANY FURNISHED UNIFORMS. CALL 205425-1711 OR EMAIL: adria. lupien@bhtonline.com Boise Cascade Now Hiring for Utility Positions. Starting pay $13/hour. Must be able to pass background screen.

Please apply at www.bc.com BRIARWOOD APARTMENTS Now Leasing!

Beautiful 1 and 2 Bedroom Apartments. Mon & Wed 8:30am-4pm. 535-A Hicks St. Montevallo • 205-665-2257 • TDD #’s: (V)1-800-5482547 • (T/A)1-800-548-2546.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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Carroll Fulmer Now Hiring Class-A CDL Drivers. Overthe-road positions available.

Dry vans. No hazmat. Must have one year over-the-road.

Experience and a clean MVR. Competitive pay and bonus package. Good home time.

Call 800-633-9710 ext. 2 Chase Learning Center & Day Care is Pelham is Now Hiring • PT Nursery • PT After-school. $8/hr. 5 days/ week. Great for college students! 205-620-1616

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Seeking two qualified individuals to fill two part time driver vacancies for Chilton County Transit. Applicants must meet the following qualifications: must possess a valid Alabama driver’s license, a high school diploma, extensive knowledge of Chilton County Roads, clean driving record, and good math skills. No phone calls, please. Applications are available at the Transit office at 508 Enterprise Road, Clanton between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. Applicants should send application or resume to: Employment Opportunity P. O. Box 1245 Clanton, AL 35046 Coosa Valley Medical Center NOW HIRING! •RN Med/Surg, 7am-7pm •RN Labor & Delivery, 11pm-7am 7-on/7-off •LPN CVMC Nursing Home, 3pm-11pm, 11pm-7am •RN ICU, 7am-7pm Email resume to: Blaine.Green@cvhealth.net or to apply, go to www. cvhealth.net Full Time and Part Time RN’s Needed for home health in Bibb, Shelby and Chilton counties. Excellent Salary and Benefits. Please send resumes to jobs@rubic. com or call 866-273-3984

DCH Health System Caring.

For Life. $5,000 *Sign-on Bonus for full time RNs *For More Info Contact Annie.Miller@dchsystem. com. Apply online at: www. dchsystem.com Homewood Area Package Store. Day Shift (10am-6pm) Clerk/Stocker. Must be 21, have retail experience, be able to multi-task, able to work any shift. Good pay.

Call (205)585-8900

Edgar’s Bakery Interviewing candidates for cake decorators, front counter associates, bakery production workers, packagers, and drivers. Apply online: edgarsbakery.com or at your nearest Edgar’s location.

Job Posting: Human Resource Manager FullTime File Clerk/Data Entry Clerk Part-Time Please email resume: Oacinc5@ yahoo.com Or mail to: Post Office Drawer 559 Clanton, Alabama 35045 Certified Welders & Tank Fitters needed for field erected tanks. Work done in Southeast. Good pay and benefits. Call 800-728-8265 ext 224 Email resume to c.bradley@esptank.com Welder Training. Short Term Licensing . Call for Details .

866-432-0430 ESDschool. com $2000 SIGN ON BONUS NEW PAY SCALE TO QUALIFYING DRIVERS EVERGREEN TRANSPORT, is accepting applications for local drivers in the Calera and Leeds, AL, area. Must have Class A CDL, good driving record, 1 yr verifiable tractor trailer experience. Good pay and benefits. Apply in person at 8278 Hwy 25 South, Calera, AL, or call for info 205-668-3316.

MECHANICS NEEDED! Evergreen Transport, LLC has two immediate openings for Class B Mechanics at its terminals in Calera, Al and Leeds, AL. Calera position is for night shift (Call Jason at 205-668-3316). The Leeds position will be the day shift (Call Chuck at 1-800-5255144). Job duties include repairing, maintaining and overhauling of heavy duty fleet truck/trailers and other tasks assigned by supervisor.

Taking applications for Part Time Assistant Cook Thursday/Friday/Saturday for growing business in Clanton Call Teresa: 334-235-0228 or call the restaurant between 4-10pm: 205-280-4949 ONLINE AUCTIONS www.GTAOnlineAuctions.com 205-326-0833 Granger, Thagard & Assoc.

Jack F. Granger #873 DRIVERS Hanna Truck Lines is seeking Professional Flatbed Drivers. 53 cpm No surprises: Starting pay (all miles): 51 cpm, 52 cpm at 6 months, 53 cpm at 1 year.

100% Outbounds loads Pre-loaded & Tarped. 75% Inbound No Tarp. Late Model Peterbilt Trucks. Air Ride Trailers. Home weekends.

Low cost BCBS Health & Dental Ins. Matching 401K. Qualifications: 18 months Class A CDL driving experience with 6 months flatbed; Applicants must meet all D.O.T. requirements.

Contact recruiting at 1-800634-7315 or come by HTL office at 1700 Boone Blvd, Northport. EOE LPN’s, RN’s, CNA’s Full-time & part-time • 2nd & 3rd Shift Apply in person: Hatley Health Care 300 Medical Ctr Dr Clanton, AL 35045 Looking for a wonderful place to live? NEW Meadow View Village Apartments.

Columbiana, AL. Now

MARKETPLACE Pre-leasing 2&3 Bedrooms.

Great Amenities Provided.

Call 256-560-0821. 99 Eagle Lane. info@hollyhand.com.

Equal Housing Opportunity.

Industrial Coatings Group, Inc. is hiring experienced sandblasters and industrial painters. Must be able to pass a drug test & E-verify check. Professional references required. Must be willing to travel. Please send resume to icgsecretary@ hotmail.com or call (205) 612-2064.

CDL TRUCK DRIVER For Tree Service. Also hiring for other full-time and part-time jobs. Drug Test Required.

205-836-2038 or 205-2297144 Kelly Educational Staffing® We’re hiring! •Substitute teachers •Aides •Cafeteria •Clerical •Custodial positions Shelby County School District & Alabaster City Schools.

Please call 205-8707154 -Equal Opportunity Employer-” Owner Operators Wanting Dedicated Year Round Anniston, AL www.pull4klb.com Service Technician. Top Pay, Benefits & Commission!

Mainline Heating & Air. 400 Hillwood Park S, Alabaster, AL. Or email resume to: ashley@mainlineheating.com (205)664-4751 Marble Valley Manor.

Affordable 1 and 2 Bedroom Apartments for Elderly & Disabled. Many on-site services! 2115 Motes Rd, Sylacauga. 256-245-6500 •TDD#s: 800-548-2547(V) •800-548-2546(T/A). Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm.

Equal Opportunity Provider/ Employer Are you a motivated professional? Are you looking for a dynamic career?

Are you ready to control your own level of success?

See why McKinnons’ is an exciting place to work and grow. Now accepting applications for Sales, Service, and Detail Shop.

Apply with the receptionist.

205-755-3430

Shake up your career!!! Are you looking for something new and FUN? Milo’s is always looking for great managers to come join our growing and dynamic team. Apply online at miloshamburgers.com

Odyssey Early Schools.

Birmingham’s Best Daycare/ Preschool is Seeking Experienced Teachers. 4 Year Degree Preferred. Full-Time.

BEST Pay. FULL Benefits (Insurance, Leave, Holidays).

Call Annie Fine 205-991-0039.

280 Location Opening Now Hiring 3 shift Managers.

Pay Rate $9-$11. 20-25 Employees. Pay Rate $7.75-$8.50. Must have own transportation and flexible schedule. Apply at recruiting. talentreef.com/mommagoldbergs-deli (205)503-6190

Oxford Healthcare in Montgomery currently hiring certified CNA’s and/or Home Health aides in the Clanton, Marbury and Maplesville areas. Must be able to pass complete background check, have reliable transportation and have a strong work ethic. Serious inquires only. Call 334-409-0035 or apply on-line at www.

Oxfordhealthcare.com

Montgomery Stockyard Drop Station at Gray & Son’s in Clanton. Call Lane at 205389-4530. For other hauling arrangements, contact Wes in Harpersville 205-965-8657 Production Jobs. Willing to Train. AAM in Columbiana is HIRING for multiple shifts.

Email resume to dcurtis@ grede.com or apply in person: 130 Industrial Pkwy, Columbiana, AL 35051 NOW HIRING Class-A CDL Driver Must have clean driving record, two years experience Will train drivers on tank Drivers home nightly Contact Keith at: 205-4384959 INDUSTRIAL CLEANING IN VANCE Requirements: •18 Years Old •HS Diploma/GED •Able to work variable shifts/ weekends/holidays •Able to lift up to 50lbs constantly, stand on your feet for 8hrs •Able to pass drug screen/ background check Complete your application on line at www.naonsite.com Production / Manufacturing Vance, Alabama Starting pay: $12.00 – $14.50 /hr. • Have 2 years+ Production/ Manufacturing experience.

• Have Recently Lived in Alabama at least 2 years. • Have A High School Diploma or GED. • Are at least 18 years old. Complete your application on line at www. naonsite.com

Class A CDL Drivers Needed Immediately for Dump Trailer Hauling • $2000 Retention Bonus • Local Hauling • Home Nights APPLY ONLINE: www. perdidotrucking.com Perdido Trucking Service, LLC 251470-0355 Move in Special! 3/2 Garden Home w/garage. Dishwasher, Fenced backyard, Great Room w/vaulted Ceiling.

Calera Schools. Rent $1150.

FLAT SCREEN TV!! (205)4339811 The Salvation Army, Alabaster, is hiring (Seasonal) Angel Tree Coordinator • Kettle Coordinator • Required Skills: Driver, databases, computer, physical abilities.

Email resumes to: Rufus.

McDowell@uss.salvationarmy. org 205-663-7105 Soon the Mark of the Beast Will Be Enforced. Free Book & Bible Study. PO Box 171 • Samantha, AL 35482 205339-4837 Order Selectors Food Dist. Center in Pelham Day-Shift: Mon-Fri. 40+ hours/week 10:00AM until finished (varies). Salary: $16-20/hr after training.

Benefits: Medical, vision, dental, vacation & 401k.

Requirements: •Reading & math skills •Lift 40 lbs. repetitively •Work in -10 Temperature Apply in person: 8:30AM-5:00PM Southeastern Food 201 Parker Drive Pelham, Alabama 35124 resume@ southeasternfood.com

Immediate Positions!!!!

Positions needed: Warehouse • Sales Reps • Assistant Manager • Delivery Drivers • Customer Service. Laid back atmosphere, good pay, plenty of hours available!

Company vehicles to qualified individuals! Call Andrew 9am-7pm • Mon-Sat at (205)490-1003 or (205)2436337 CLOCK REPAIR SVS. * Setup * Repair * Maintenance. I can fix your Mother’s clock.

Alabaster/Pelham. Call Stephen (205)663-2822

WCA • Roll Off Drivers needed for our Alpine, AL location. Class A or B CDL is required along with one (1) year of verifiable equivalent commercial truck driving experience. Must have a valid and safe driving record.

We offer competitive wages & a comprehensive benefits package which includes: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k, Life Insurance, Short & Long Term Disability, Paid Holidays and PTO. Please apply through our website at www.wcawaste.com EOE M/F/D/V

Electrician - FT Supreme Electric, local-based company in Pelham. Must be willing to learn & work hard. Go to: supremeelectrical.com Print employment application under Contact Us. Mail to: Supreme Electric 231 Commerce Pkwy Pelham, AL 35124 or call 205-4539327.

WARRIOR MET COAL NOW HIRING Located in Brookwood, AL Immediate need for experienced: •Underground Miners •Electricians •Maintenance Foreman •Supervisors Apply online: www.warriormetcoal.com

TARGET AUCTION Advanced Real Estate Marketing 800-476-3939 www.targetauction.com

NOW HIRING: •Master Plumber •Experienced Plumber’s Helper •Experienced Plumber Call 205-755-8555

TaylorMade Transportation Hiring CDL Drivers for Flatbed Regional Division!

BCBS Insurance After 30 Days. To apply call: (334)3662269 or email: s.smith@ taylormadeinc.com Learn a Skill & Begin your Career! Earn $50,000 & More First Year. Hiring Hard Working Insulation & Afterpaint Installers!

•Immediate Openings •We Train you to Succeed.

Requirements: •Valid DL •Drug Test •MVR •Background Check. www. truteam.com/careers or 205.428.9381 The Painting Company of Birmingham Immediate openings for professional residential and commercial painters. Must be able to speak English. Call 205-995-5559 Become a Dental Assistant in ONLY 8 WEEKS! Please visit our website capstonedentalassisting.com or call (205)561-8118 and get your career started!

Tree Nursery Worker Needed Responsible w/ mechanical skills, to operate forklift/farm tractors/ equipment/welding/ ground maintenance/ service equipment/check fluid levels/clean after use.

Maintain safe/clean area.

Requires valid-DL/reliable transportation. 334-365-2488 Wiregrass Construction Company is seeking experienced asphalt CDL TRUCK DRIVERS. Must be dependable. Excellent benefits. Interested applicants may apply: 951 Dow Street. Pelham, AL 35124.(205)620-4132 or 151 Piper Lane. Alabaster, AL 35007 (205)605-0753. 8AM to 5PM, M-F. WCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Opies Transport, Inc. NOW HIRING Class A Truck Drivers.

Needing to find a home? We are it. Apply today! 800-3419963 or opiestransport.com

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MY MOUNTAIN BROOK JACK ROYER

CBS 42 Reporter + Former MBHS Football Broadcaster

Run Run Away

Streets of Crestline For five or six years, I’ve walked or run the same route in Crestline that I did six days a week in high school: up Montevallo to Country Club Boulevard, down to Crestline, and back down Euclid to where my parents live. I specifically love Country Club Boulevard because I stop at the end and get a drink of water at the Shell Station. It’s a solid 4-mile loop that normally knocks out whatever drama I’ve dealt with that day.

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH STURGEON

Bring on the wCheese Dip The Ultimate Hobby Shop

Vitola Fine Cigars I love this place. It’s where I go to get work done, or just relax. I spend many a dinner break in the lounge and have met some fantastic friends at this shop. It’s proven to be a relaxing hobby with a culture and kinship that have enriched my life.

Friday Night Lights

Spartan Stadium The press box saw me grow up, make mistakes, have some great calls, and learn and grow as a broadcaster. I called close to 100 Spartan football games (maybe more, I haven’t actually counted). It formed the foundation for a lot of my on-air style. In hindsight, it was the most fun I’ve ever had in my career.

Some Things Never Change

Piggly Wiggly The location may have changed, but the people haven’t. The deli is my go-to lunch spot, and I always know there’s a friendly familiar face waiting to say hello inside. I’ve grown up walking in and out of those aisles with my mom. It’s funny that a grocery store could mean that much to you, but it’s always been a part of my life.

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LaPaz Queso Do I even need to write anything about this? Unreal.

I love popping into the bar for dinner, and the taste of the queso flashes me back to my childhood years. It seemed like that stuff was always around on college football Saturdays when I was watching Alabama with friends, most of whom would later be at school with me in Tuscaloosa.

PHOTO BY PATRICK MCGOUGH

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THE DATEJUST 41 The essential classic, with a movement and design that keep it at the forefront of watchmaking.

It doesn’t just tell time. It tells history.

oyster perpetual DATEJUST 41

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